On the String Description of Confinement

A non supersymmetric string background, directly derived from the string soft dilaton theorem, is used to compute, in the semiclassical approximation, the expectation value of Wilson loops in static gauge. The resulting potential shares common features with the one obtained through Schwarzschild-anti de Sitter spacetime metrics. In particular a linear confining potential appears naturally.Comment: LaTeX,8 pages, 3 figures.Acknowledgements adde

The Confining String from the Soft Dilaton Theorem

A candidate for the confining string of gauge theories is constructed via a representation of the ultraviolet divergences of quantum field theory by a closed string dilaton insertion, computed through the soft dilaton theorem. The resulting (critical) confining string is conformally invariant, singles out naturally $d=4$ dimensions, and can not be used to represent theories with Landau poles.Comment: 13 pages, two figures Clarifying remark added. Typos correcte

Initial conditions for inflation and the energy scale of SUSY-breaking from the (nearly) gaussian sky

We show how general initial conditions for small field inflation can be obtained in multi-field models. This is provided by non-linear angular friction terms in the inflaton that provide a phase of non-slow-roll inflation before the slow-roll inflation phase. This in turn provides a natural mechanism to star small-field slow-roll at nearly zero velocity for arbitrary initial conditions. We also show that there is a relation between the scale of SUSY breaking sqrt (f) and the amount of non-gaussian fluctuations generated by the inflaton. In particular, we show that in the local non-gaussian shape there exists the relation sqrt (f) = 10^{13} GeV sqrt (f_NL). With current observational limits from Planck, and adopting the minimum amount of non-gaussian fluctuations allowed by single-field inflation, this provides a very tight constraint for the SUSY breaking energy scale sqrt (f) = 3-7 x 10^{13} GeV at 95% confidence. Further limits, or detection, from next year's Planck polarisation data will further tighten this constraint by a factor of two. We highlight that the key to our approach is to identify the inflaton with the scalar component of the goldstino superfield. This superfield is universal and implements the dynamics of SUSY breaking as well as superconformal breaking.Comment: Invited talk at the BW2013 meetin

Ultraviolet and infrared freedom from string amplitudes

The infinite tension limit of string amplitudes is examined with some care, identifying the part responsible of diamagnetic behaviour as well as a peculiar paramagnetic {\em tachyon magnifying} responsible of aysmptotic freedom. The way string theory represents abelian gauge theories is connected with the non-planar reggeon/pomeron amplitude and a nontrivial beta function is found in the low energy limit of a single D-brane.The infinite tension limit of string amplitudes is examined with some care, identifying the part responsible of diamagnetic behaviour as well as a peculiar paramagnetic {\em tachyon magnifying} responsible of asymptotic freedom. The way string theory represents abelian gauge theories is connected with the non-planar reggeon/pomeron amplitude and a nontrivial beta function is found in the low energy limit of a single D-brane

Are the immunomodulatory properties of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 peptidoglycan common for all Lactobacilli during respiratory infection in malnourished mice?

Previously, we reported that Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 peptidoglycan (PG05) improves the innate immune response in immunocompromised-malnourished mice after Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. This study extends those previous findings by demonstrating that the dietary recovery of malnourished mice with nasal administration of PG05 improves not only the innate immune response but the respiratory and systemic adaptive humoral response as well. PG05 enhanced the Th2 response, the recovery of B cells, and the concentration and opsonophagocytic activity of anti-pneumococcal antibodies. In addition, by performing comparative studies with the peptidoglycans from lactobacilli of the same species (L. rhamnosus CRL534) or with similar immunomodulatory properties (L. plantarum CRL1506), we demonstrated here that PG05 has unique immunomodulatory properties that cannot be extended to peptidoglycans from other probiotic strains. However, the knowledge of the molecular characteristics of PG05 is indispensable to understand immunomodulatory abilities of L. rhamnosus CRL1505.Fil: Kolling, Yanina Noralí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Salva, Maria Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Villena, Julio Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Gladis Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentin

Respiratory antiviral immunity and immunobiotics: Beneficial effects on inflammation-coagulation interaction during influenza virus infection

Influenza virus (IFV) is a major respiratory pathogen of global importance, and the cause of a high degree of morbidity and mortality, especially in high-risk populations such as infants, elderly, and immunocompromised hosts. Given its high capacity to change antigenically, acquired immunity is often not effective to limit IFV infection and therefore vaccination must be constantly redesigned to achieve effective protection. Improvement of respiratory and systemic innate immune mechanisms has been proposed to reduce the incidence and severity of IFV disease. In the last decade, several research works have demonstrated that microbes with the capacity to modulate the mucosal immune system (immunobiotics) are a potential alternative to beneficially modulate the outcome of IFV infection. This review provides an update of the current status on the modulation of respiratory immunity by orally and nasally administered immunobiotics, and their beneficial impact on IFV clearance and inflammatory-mediated lung tissue damage. In particular, we describe the research of our group that investigated the influence of immunobiotics on inflammation-coagulation interactions during IFV infection. Studies have clearly demonstrated that hostile inflammation is accompanied by dysfunctional coagulation in respiratory IFV disease, and our investigations have proved that some immunobiotic strains are able to reduce viral disease severity through their capacity to modulate the immune-coagulative responses in the respiratory tract.Fil: Zelaya, María Hortensia del Rosario. Grupo de Investigación de Inmunobioticos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Bioquímica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Gladis Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Grupo de Investigación de Inmunobioticos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Bioquímica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Kitazawa, Haruki. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Villena, Julio Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Grupo de Investigación de Inmunobioticos; Argentin

Critical formation of trapped surfaces in the collision of gravitational shock waves

We study the formation of marginally trapped surfaces in the head-on collision of two shock waves both in anti-de Sitter and Minkowski space-time in various dimensions as a function of the spread of the energy density in transverse space. For D=4 and D=5 it is shown that there exists a critical value of this spread above which no solution to the trapped surface equation is found. In four dimensions the trapped surface at criticality has a finite size, whereas in five the critical size vanishes. In both cases we find scaling relations characterized by critical exponents. Finally, when D>5 there is always a solution to the trapped surface equation for any transverse spread.Comment: 16 page

The pleiotropic transcriptional regulator NlpR contributes to the modulation of nitrogen metabolism, lipogenesis and triacylglycerol accumulation in oleaginous rhodococci

The regulatory mechanisms involved in lipogenesis and triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation are largely unknown in oleaginous rhodococci. In this study a regulatory protein (here called NlpR: Nitrogen lipid Regulator), which contributes to the modulation of nitrogen metabolism, lipogenesis and triacylglycerol accumulation in oleaginous rhodococci was identified. Under nitrogen deprivation conditions, in which TAG accumulation is stimulated, the nlpR gene was significantly upregulated, whereas a significant decrease of its expression and TAG accumulation occurred when cerulenin was added. The nlpR disruption negatively affected the nitrate/nitrite reduction as well as lipid biosynthesis under nitrogen-limiting conditions. In contrast, its overexpression increased TAG production during cultivation of cells in nitrogen-rich media. A putative ‘NlpR-binding motif’ upstream of several genes related to nitrogen and lipid metabolisms was found. The nlpR disruption in RHA1 strain led to a reduced transcription of genes involved in nitrate/nitrite assimilation, as well as in fatty acid and TAG biosynthesis. Purified NlpR was able to bind to narK, nirD, fasI, plsC and atf3 promoter regions. It was suggested that NlpR acts as a pleiotropic transcriptional regulator by activating of nitrate/nitrite assimilation genes and others genes involved in fatty acid and TAG biosynthesis, in response to nitrogen deprivation.Fil: Hernández, Martín Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "san Juan Bosco". Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Lara, María Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Gago, Gabriela Marisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Gramajo, Hugo Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Hector Manuel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "san Juan Bosco". Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia; Argentin