Implications of Family Nonuniversal Z′Z^\prime Model on B -->K_0^* pi Decays

Within the QCD factorization formalism, we study the possible impacts of the nonuniversal $Z^\prime$ model, which provides a flavor-changing neutral current at the tree level, on rare decays $B \to K_0^*\pi$. Under two different scenarios (S1 and S2) for identifying the scalar meson $K_0^*(1430)$, the branching ratios, CP asymmetries, and isospin asymmetries are calculated in both the standard model (SM) and the family nonuniversal $Z^\prime$ model. We find that the branching ratios and CP asymmetries are sensitive to weak annihilation. In the SM, with $\rho_A=1$ and $\phi_A\in[-30^\circ, 30^\circ]$, the branching ratios of S1 (S2) are smaller (larger) than the experimental data. Adding the contribution of the $Z^\prime$ boson in two different cases (Case-I and Case-II), for S1, the branching ratios are still far away from experiment. For S2, in Case-II, the branching ratios become smaller and can accommodate the data; in Case-I, although the center values are enhanced, they can also explain the data with large uncertainties. Similar conclusions are also reached for CP asymmetries. Our results indicate that S2 is more favored than S1, even after considering new physics effects. Moreover, if there exists a nonuniversal $Z^\prime$ boson, Case-II is preferred. All results can be tested in the LHC-b experiment and forthcoming super-B factory.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures and 3 table

Leverage of nuclease-deficient CasX for preventing pathological angiogenesis

Gene editing with a CRISPR/Cas system is a novel potential strategy for treating human diseases. Pharmacological inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) δ suppresses retinal angiogenesis in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Here we show that an innovative system of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated CRISPR/nuclease-deficient (d)CasX fused with the Krueppel-associated box (KRAB) domain is leveraged to block (81.2% ± 6.5%) in vitro expression of p110δ, the catalytic subunit of PI3Kδ, encoded by Pik3cd. This CRISPR/dCasX-KRAB (4, 269 bp) system is small enough to be fit into a single AAV vector. We then document that recombinant AAV serotype (rAAV)1 efficiently transduces vascular endothelial cells from pathologic retinal vessels, which show high expression of p110δ; furthermore, we demonstrate that blockade of retinal p110δ expression by intravitreally injected rAAV1-CRISPR/dCasX-KRAB targeting the Pik3cd promoter prevents (32.1% ± 5.3%) retinal p110δ expression as well as pathological retinal angiogenesis in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. These data establish a strong foundation for treating pathological angiogenesis by AAV-mediated CRISPR interference with p110δ expression

A Learning Automaton-based Scheme for Scheduling Domestic Shiftable Loads in Smart Grids

In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling shiftable loads, over multiple users, in smart electrical grids. We approach the problem, which is becoming increasingly pertinent in our present energy-thirsty society, using a novel distributed game-theoretic framework. In our specific instantiation, we consider the scenario when the power system has a local-area Smart Grid (SG) subnet comprising of a single power source and multiple customers. The objective of the exercise is to tacitly control the total power consumption of the customers’ shiftable loads so to approach the rigid power budget determined by the power source, but to simultaneously not exceed this threshold. As opposed to the “traditional” paradigm that utilizes a central controller to achieve the load scheduling, we seek to achieve this by pursuing a distributed approach that allows the users¹ to make individual decisions by invoking negotiations with other customers. The decisions are essentially of the sort where the individual users can choose whether they want to be supplied or not. From a modeling perspective, the distributed scheduling problem is formulated as a game, and in particular, a so-called “Potential” game. This game has at least one pure strategy Nash Equilibrium (NE), and we demonstrate that the NE point is a global optimal point. The solution that we propose, which utilize

Engineering Polymer Glue towards 90% Zinc Utilization for 1000 Hours to Make High-Performance Zn-Ion Batteries

Zinc (Zn) metal is considered the promising anode for “post-lithium” energy storage due to its high volumetric capacity, low redox potential, abundant reserve, and low cost. However, extravagant Zn is required in present Zn batteries, featuring low Zn utilization rate and device-scale energy/power densities far below theoretical values. The limited reversibility of Zn metal is attributed to the spontaneous parasitic reactions of Zn with aqueous electrolytes, that is, corrosion with water, passive by-product formation, and dendrite growth. Here, a new ion-selective polymer glue coated on Zn anode is designed, isolating the Zn anode from the electrolyte by blocking water diffusion while allowing rapid Zn2+ ion migration and facilitating uniform electrodeposition. Hence, a record-high Zn utilization of 90% is realized for 1000 h at high current densities, in sharp contrast to much poorer cyclability (usually < 200 h) at lower Zn utilization (50–85%) reported to date. When matched with the vanadium-based cathode, the resulting Zn-ion battery exhibited an ultrahigh device-scale energy density of 228 Wh kg−1, comparable to commercial lithium-ion batteries

A new measurement of antineutrino oscillation with the full detector configuration at Daya Bay

We report a new measurement of electron antineutrino disappearance using the fully-constructed Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment. The final two of eight antineutrino detectors were installed in the summer of 2012. Including the 404 days of data collected from October 2012 to November 2013 resulted in a total exposure of 6.9$\times$10$^5$ GW$_{\rm th}$-ton-days, a 3.6 times increase over our previous results. Improvements in energy calibration limited variations between detectors to 0.2%. Removal of six $^{241}$Am-$^{13}$C radioactive calibration sources reduced the background by a factor of two for the detectors in the experimental hall furthest from the reactors. Direct prediction of the antineutrino signal in the far detectors based on the measurements in the near detectors explicitly minimized the dependence of the measurement on models of reactor antineutrino emission. The uncertainties in our estimates of $\sin^{2}2\theta_{13}$ and $|\Delta m^2_{ee}|$ were halved as a result of these improvements. Analysis of the relative antineutrino rates and energy spectra between detectors gave $\sin^{2}2\theta_{13} = 0.084\pm0.005$ and $|\Delta m^{2}_{ee}|= (2.42\pm0.11) \times 10^{-3}$ eV$^2$ in the three-neutrino framework.Comment: Updated to match final published versio

Structure of hadron resonances with a nearby zero of the amplitude

We discuss the relation between the analytic structure of the scattering amplitude and the origin of an eigenstate represented by a pole of the amplitude.If the eigenstate is not dynamically generated by the interaction in the channel of interest, the residue of the pole vanishes in the zero coupling limit. Based on the topological nature of the phase of the scattering amplitude, we show that the pole must encounter with the Castillejo-Dalitz-Dyson (CDD) zero in this limit. It is concluded that the dynamical component of the eigenstate is small if a CDD zero exists near the eigenstate pole. We show that the line shape of the resonance is distorted from the Breit-Wigner form as an observable consequence of the nearby CDD zero. Finally, studying the positions of poles and CDD zeros of the KbarN-piSigma amplitude, we discuss the origin of the eigenstates in the Lambda(1405) region.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, v2: published versio

Observation of ηc→ωω\eta_c\to\omega\omega in J/ψ→γωωJ/\psi\to\gamma\omega\omega

Using a sample of $(1310.6\pm7.0)\times10^6$ $J/\psi$ events recorded with the BESIII detector at the symmetric electron positron collider BEPCII, we report the observation of the decay of the $(1^1 S_0)$ charmonium state $\eta_c$ into a pair of $\omega$ mesons in the process $J/\psi\to\gamma\omega\omega$. The branching fraction is measured for the first time to be $\mathcal{B}(\eta_c\to\omega\omega)= (2.88\pm0.10\pm0.46\pm0.68)\times10^{-3}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third is from the uncertainty of $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi\to\gamma\eta_c)$. The mass and width of the $\eta_c$ are determined as $M=(2985.9\pm0.7\pm2.1)\,$MeV/$c^2$ and $\Gamma=(33.8\pm1.6\pm4.1)\,$MeV.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Study of J/ψ→ppˉJ/\psi\to p\bar{p} and J/ψ→nnˉJ/\psi\to n\bar{n}

The decays $J/\psi\to p\bar{p}$ and $J/\psi\to n\bar{n}$ have been investigated with a sample of 225.2 million $J/\psi$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ collider. The branching fractions are determined to be $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi\to p\bar{p})=(2.112\pm0.004\pm0.031)\times10^{-3}$ and $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi\to n\bar{n})=(2.07\pm0.01\pm0.17)\times10^{-3}$. Distributions of the angle $\theta$ between the proton or anti-neutron and the beam direction are well described by the form $1+\alpha\cos^2\theta$, and we find $\alpha=0.595\pm0.012\pm0.015$ for $J/\psi\to p\bar{p}$ and $\alpha=0.50\pm0.04\pm0.21$ for $J/\psi\to n\bar{n}$. Our branching-fraction results suggest a large phase angle between the strong and electromagnetic amplitudes describing the $J/\psi\to N\bar{N}$ decay.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, the 2nd version, submitted to PR