Low compressible noble metal carbides with rock-salt structure: ab initio total energy calculations of the elastic stability

We have systematically studied the mechanical stability of all noble metal carbides with the rock-salt structure by calculating their elastic constants within the density function theory scheme. It was found that only four carbides (RuC, PdC, AgC and PtC) are mechanically stable. In particular, we have shown that RuC, PdC, and PtC have very high bulk modulus, which has been remarkably observed by the most recent experiment for the case of PtC. From the calculated density of states, we can conclude that these compounds are metallic, like the conventional group IV and group V transition metal carbides.Comment: Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 071913 (2006

Potential super-hard Osmium di-nitride with fluorite structure: First-principles calculations

We have performed systematic first-principles calculations on di-carbide, -nitride, -oxide and -boride of platinum and osmium with the fluorite structure. It is found that only PtN$_{2}$, OsN$_{2}$ and OsO$_{2}$ are mechanically stable. In particular OsN$_{2}$ has the highest bulk modulus of 360.7 GPa. Both the band structure and density of states show that the new phase of OsN$_{2}$ is metallic. The high bulk modulus is owing to the strong covalent bonding between Os 5\textit{d} and N 2\textit{p} states and the dense packed fluorite structure.Comment: Phys. Rev. B 74,125118 (2006

Restoration of Noradrenergic Function in Parkinson’s Disease Model Mice

Dysfunction of the central noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems is the primary neurobiological characteristic of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Importantly, neuronal loss in the locus coeruleus (LC) that occurs in early stages of PD may accelerate progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Therefore, restoring the activity and function of the deficient noradrenergic system may be an important therapeutic strategy for early PD. In the present study, the lentiviral constructions of transcription factors Phox2a/2b, Hand2 and Gata3, either alone or in combination, were microinjected into the LC region of the PD model VMAT2 Lo mice at 12 and 18 month age. Biochemical analysis showed that microinjection of lentiviral expression cassettes into the LC significantly increased mRNA levels of Phox2a, and Phox2b, which were accompanied by parallel increases of mRNA and proteins of dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the LC. Furthermore, there was considerable enhancement of DBH protein levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, as well as enhanced TH protein levels in the striatum and substantia nigra. Moreover, these manipulations profoundly increased norepinephrine and dopamine concentrations in the striatum, which was followed by a remarkable improvement of the spatial memory and locomotor behavior. These results reveal that over-expression of these transcription factors in the LC improves noradrenergic and dopaminergic activities and functions in this rodent model of PD. It provides the necessary groundwork for the development of gene therapies of PD, and expands our understanding of the link between the LC-norepinephrine and dopamine systems during the progression of PD

Fabrication of Chitosan/Silk Fibroin Composite Nanofibers for Wound-dressing Applications

Chitosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide with abundant resources, has been extensively exploited for various biomedical applications, typically as wound dressings owing to its unique biocompatibility, good biodegradability and excellent antibacterial properties. In this work, composite nanofibrous membranes of chitosan (CS) and silk fibroin (SF) were successfully fabricated by electrospinning. The morphology of electrospun blend nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the fiber diameters decreased with the increasing percentage of chitosan. Further, the mechanical test illustrated that the addition of silk fibroin enhanced the mechanical properties of CS/SF nanofibers. The antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) were evaluated by the turbidity measurement method; and results suggest that the antibacterial effect of composite nanofibers varied on the type of bacteria. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of murine fibroblast on as-prepared nanofibrous membranes was investigated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and MTT assays in vitro, and the membranes were found to promote the cell attachment and proliferation. These results suggest that as-prepared chitosan/silk fibroin (CS/SF) composite nanofibrous membranes could be a promising candidate for wound healing applications

First Measurement of the Decay Asymmetry in the pure W-boson-exchange Decay Λc+→Ξ0K+\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to\Xi^{0}K^{+}

Based on $4.4~\text{fb}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}e^{-}$ annihilation data collected at the center-of-mass energies between $4.60$ and $4.70~\text{GeV}$ with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the pure \textit{W}-boson-exchange decay $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to\Xi^{0}K^{+}$ is studied with a full angular analysis. The corresponding decay asymmetry is measured for the first time to be $\alpha_{\Xi^{0}K^{+}}=0.01\pm0.16({\rm stat.})\pm0.03({\rm syst.})$. This result reflects the non-interference effect between the $S$- and $P$-wave amplitudes. The phase shift between $S$- and $P$-wave amplitudes has two solutions, which are $\delta_{p}-\delta_{s}=-1.55\pm0.25({\rm stat.})\pm0.05({\rm syst.})~\text{rad}$ or $1.59\pm0.25({\rm stat.})\pm0.05({\rm syst.})~\text{rad}$

Measurement of the Electromagnetic Transition Form-factors in the decays η′→π+π−l+l−\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-l^+l^-

With a sample of $(10087\pm44)\times10^{6}$ $J/\psi$ events accumulated with the BESIII detector, we analyze the decays $\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-l^+l^-(l=e,$ $\mu)$ via the process $J/\psi\rightarrow\gamma\eta'$. The branching fractions are measured to be $\mathcal{B}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-e^+e^-)=(2.45\pm0.02(\rm{stat.})\pm0.08(\rm{syst.})) \times10^{-3}$ and $\mathcal{B}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\mu^+\mu^-)=(2.16\pm0.12(\rm{stat.})\pm0.06(\rm{syst.}))\times10^{-5}$, and the ratio is $\frac{\mathcal{B}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^{+}\pi^{-}e^{+}e^{-})}{\mathcal{B}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^{+}\pi^{-}\mu^{+}\mu^{-})} = 113.4\pm0.9(\rm{stat.})\pm3.7(\rm{syst.})$. In addition, by combining the $\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-e^+e^-$ and $\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\mu^+\mu^-$ decays, the slope parameter of the electromagnetic transition form factor is measured to be $b_{\eta'}=1.30\pm0.19\ (\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2})^{-2}$, which is consistent with previous measurements from BESIII and theoretical predictions from the VMD model. The asymmetry in the angle between the $\pi^+\pi^-$ and $l^+l^-$ decay planes, which has the potential to reveal the $CP$-violation originating from an unconventional electric dipole transition, is also investigated. The asymmetry parameters are determined to be $\mathcal{A}_{CP}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-e^+e^-)=(-0.21\pm0.73(\rm{stat.})\pm0.01(\rm{syst.}))\%$ and $\mathcal{A}_{CP}(\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\mu^+\mu^-)=(0.62\pm4.71(\rm{stat.})\pm0.08(\rm{syst.}))\%$, implying that no evidence of $CP$-violation is observed at the present statistics. Finally, an axion-like particle is searched for via the decay $\eta'\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-a, a\rightarrow e^+e^-$, and upper limits of the branching fractions are presented for the mass assumptions of the axion-like particle in the range of $0-500\ \mathrm{MeV}/c^{2}$

Measurements of Σ\Sigma electromagnetic form factors in the time-like region using the untagged initial-state radiation technique

The process $e^{+}e^{-}\to\Sigma^{+}\bar{\Sigma}^{-}$ is studied from threshold up to 3.04 GeV/$c^2$ via the initial-state radiation technique using data with an integrated luminosity of 12.0 fb$^{-1}$, collected at center-of-mass energies between 3.773 and 4.258 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The pair production cross sections and the effective form factors of $\Sigma$ are measured in eleven $\Sigma^{+}\bar{\Sigma}^{-}$ invariant mass intervals from threshold to 3.04 GeV/$c^2$. The results are consistent with the previous results from Belle and BESIII. Furthermore, the branching fractions of the decays $J/\psi\to\Sigma^{+}\bar{\Sigma}^{-}$ and $\psi(3686)\to\Sigma^{+}\bar{\Sigma}^{-}$ are determined and the obtained results are consistent with the previous results of BESIII.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Observation of the Singly Cabibbo-Suppressed Decay Λc+→Σ−K+π+\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to \Sigma^{-}K^{+}\pi^{+}

The singly Cabibbo-suppressed decay $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to \Sigma^{-}K^{+}\pi^{+}$ is observed for the first time with a statistical significance of $6.4\sigma$ by using 4.5 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.600 and 4.699 GeV with the BESIII detector at BEPCII. The absolute branching fraction of $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to \Sigma^{-}K^{+}\pi^{+}$ is measured to be $(3.8\pm1.3_{\rm stat}\pm0.2_{\rm syst})\times 10^{-4}$ in a model-independent approach. This is the first observation of a Cabibbo-suppressed $\Lambda_{c}^{+}$ decay involving $\Sigma^-$ in the final state. The ratio of branching fractions between $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to \Sigma^{-}K^{+}\pi^{+}$ and the Cabibbo-favored decay $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\to \Sigma^- \pi^+\pi^+$ is calculated to be $(0.4 \pm 0.1)s_{c}^{2}$, where $s_{c} \equiv \sin\theta_c = 0.2248$ with $\theta_c$ the Cabibbo mixing angle. This ratio significantly deviates from $1.0s_{c}^{2}$ and provides important information for the understanding of nonfactorization contributions in $\Lambda_{c}^{+}$ decays.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

A New Look at the Scalar Meson f0(500)f_0(500) via D+→π+π−ℓ+νℓD^+\to \pi^+\pi^-\ell^+\nu_\ell Decays

Using $2.93~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV, we investigate the semileptonic decays $D^+\to \pi^+\pi^- \ell^+\nu_\ell$ ($\ell=e$ and $\mu$). The $D^+\to f_0(500)\mu^+\nu_\mu$ decay is observed for the first time. By analyzing simultaneously the differential decay rates of $D^+\to f_0(500) \mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D^+\to f_0(500) e^+\nu_e$ in different $\ell^+\nu_\ell$ four-momentum transfer intervals, the product of the relevant hadronic form factor $f^{f_0}_{+}(0)$ and the magnitude of the $c\to d$ Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{cd}|$ is determined to be $f_{+}^{f_0} (0)|V_{cd}|=0.0787\pm0.0060_{\rm stat}\pm0.0033_{\rm syst}$ for the first time. With the input of $|V_{cd}|$ from the global fit in the standard model, we determine $f_{+}^{f_0} (0)=0.350\pm0.027_{\rm stat}\pm0.015_{\rm syst}$. The absolute branching fractions of $D^+\to f_0(500)_{(\pi^+\pi^-)}\mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D^+\to \rho^0_{(\pi^+\pi^-)} \mu^+\nu_\mu$ are determined as $(0.72\pm0.13_{\rm stat}\pm0.10_{\rm syst})\times10^{-3}$ and $(1.64\pm0.13_{\rm stat}\pm0.11_{\rm syst})\times 10^{-3}$. Combining these results with those of previous BESIII measurements on their semielectronic counterparts from the same data sample, we test lepton flavor universality by measuring the branching fraction ratios ${\mathcal B}_{D^+\to \rho^0 \mu^+\nu_\mu}/{\mathcal B}_{D^+\to \rho^0 e^+\nu_e}=0.88\pm0.10$ and ${\mathcal B}_{D^+\to f_0(500) \mu^+\nu_\mu}/{\mathcal B}_{D^+\to f_0(500) e^+\nu_e}=1.14\pm0.28$, which are compatible with the standard model expectation.Comment: Supplemental Materials added in this versio