Study Majorana Neutrino Contribution to B-meson Semi-leptonic Rare Decays

B meson semi-leptonic rare decays are sensitive to new physics beyond standard model. We study the $B^{-}\to \pi^{-}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ process and investigate the Majorana neutrino contribution to its decay width. The constraints on the Majorana neutrino mass and mixing parameter are obtained from this decay channel with the latest LHCb data. Utilizing the best fit for the parameters, we study the lepton number violating decay $B^{-}\to \pi^{+}\mu^{-}\mu^{-}$, and find its branching ratio is about $6.4\times10^{-10}$, which is consistent with the LHCb data reported recently.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Poly[bis­[μ-1,4-bis­(imidazol-1-yl)butane]dicyanato­cadmium(II)]

The coordination geometry of the CdII atom in the title complex, [Cd(NCO)2(C10H14N4)2]n or [Cd(NCO)2(bimb)2]n, where bimb is 1,4-bis­(imidazol-1-yl)butane, is distorted octa­hedral with the CdII atom located on an inversion center and connected to four N atoms from the imidazole units of four symmetry-related bimb ligands and two O atoms from two symmetry-related NCO− ligands. The CdII atoms are bridged by four bimb ligands, forming a two-dimensional (4,4) network

Statistical modeling of texture sketch

Abstract. Recent results on sparse coding and independent component analysis suggest that human vision first represents a visual image by a linear superposition of a relatively small number of localized, elongate, oriented image bases. With this representation, the sketch of an image consists of the locations, orientations, and elongations of the image bases, and the sketch can be visually illustrated by depicting each image base by a linelet of the same length and orientation. Built on the insight of sparse and independent component analysis, we propose a two-level generative model for textures. At the bottom-level, the texture image is represented by a linear superposition of image bases. At the top-level, a Markov model is assumed for the placement of the image bases or the sketch, and the model is characterized by a set of simple geometrical feature statistics

Bis(μ-4-amino-3,5-dimethyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-κ 2 N 1:N 2)bis­(dibromidozinc)

The centrosymmetric dimeric title complex, [Zn2Br4(C4H8N4)2], is isotypic with its [Zn2Cl4(C4H8N4)2], [Zn2I4(C4H8N4)2] and [Co2Cl4(C4H8N4)2] analogues. The zinc atom is bonded to two N atoms belonging to triazole bridging rings and to two terminal bromide ligands, in a geometry close to tetra­hedral. Weak N—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds, with the amine functions as donor groups, are observed in the crystal structure, forming a three-dimensional supra­molecular network

Correlating Gravitational Waves with WW-boson Mass, FIMP Dark Matter, and Majorana Seesaw Mechanism

We study a minimal extension of the Standard Model by introducing three right-handed neutrinos and a new scotogenic scalar doublet, in which the mass splittings between neutral and charged components are responsible for the $W$-boson mass newly measured by the CDF collaboration. This model can not only generate non-vanishing Majorana neutrino masses via the interaction of right-handed neutrinos and scotogenic scalars, but also explain the Universe's missing matter in the form of FIMP dark matter. We also study the influence of the mass splitting on the first order electroweak phase transition, and find that it can further enhance the transition strength and thus induce gravitational waves during the phase transition, which may be detected in the forthcoming detectors such as U-DECIGO.Comment: References updated, accepted for publication in Science Bulleti

Endoplasmic reticulum protein 29 (ERp29), a protein related to sperm maturation is involved in sperm-oocyte fusion in mouse

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sperm-oocyte fusion is a critical step in fertilization, which requires a series of proteins from both spermatozoa and oocyte to mediate membrane adhesion and subsequent fusion. A rat spermatozoa membrane protein is endoplasmic reticulum protein 29 (ERp29), which significantly increases on the sperm surface as well as in the cytoplasm of epididymal epithelia from caput to cauda as the sperm undergo epididymal maturation. Moreover, ERp29 facilitates viral infection via mediating membrane penetration. We determined if in addition to promoting sperm maturation ERp29 may also play a role in facilitating gamete fusion during the fertilization process.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and Western blot analysis were employed to probe for ERp29 protein in BALB/c mouse epididymal and acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. We prepared rabbit polyclonal antibodies against mouse recombinant ERp29 (rERp29) to characterize: 1) fertilization rate (FR); 2) fertilization index (FI); 3) sperm motility and 4) acrosome reaction (AR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Confocal microscopy indicated that ERp29 was partially localized at the sperm head of the epididymal caput as well as over the whole head and part of the principal piece of the tail region from the epididymal cauda. However, when the acrosome reacted, ERp29 remained in the equatorial and post-acrosomal regions of the sperm head, which is the initial site of sperm-oocyte membrane fusion. Such localization changes were confirmed based on the results of Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the antibodies against mouse rERp29 inhibited the spermatozoa from penetrating into the zona pellucida (ZP)-free oocytes. The functional blocking antibodies reduced both mouse sperm-oocyte FR and FI at concentrations of 100 and 200 micro g/ml compared with pre-immunized rabbit IgG or with anti-mouse recombinant bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI, a sperm surface protein unrelated to sperm-oocyte fusion) antibodies (100 micro g/ml), but they had no effect on sperm motility and AR.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrates that ERp29 on mouse spermatozoa membrane changes during epididymal transit and AR. Accordingly, in mice this protein may be one of the important factors involved in sperm fertilization by facilitating sperm-oocyte membrane fusion.</p

Solving the generalized Sylvester matrix equation AV+BW=EVF via a Kronecker map

AbstractThis note considers the solution to the generalized Sylvester matrix equation AV+BW=EVF with F being an arbitrary matrix, where V and W are the matrices to be determined. With the help of the Kronecker map, some properties of the Sylvester sum are first proposed. By applying the Sylvester sum as tools, an explicit parametric solution to this matrix equation is established. The proposed solution is expressed by the Sylvester sum, and allows the matrix F to be undetermined