Density-metric unimodular gravity: vacuum maximal symmetry

We have investigated the vacuum maximally symmetric solutions of recently proposed density-metric unimodular gravity theory,the results are widely different from inflationary senario.The exponential dependence on time in deSitter space is substiuted by a power law. Open space-times with non-zero cosmological constant are excluded in this theoryComment: 15 pages, no figures,stability section omitte

Testing Unimodular Gravity

We consider models of gravitation that are based on unimodular general coordinate transformations (GCT). These transformations include only those which do not change the determinant of the metric. We treat the determinant as a separate field which transforms as a scalar under unimodular GCT. We consider a class of such theories. In general, these theories do not transform covariantly under the full GCT. We characterize the violation of general coordinate invariance by introducing a new parameter. We show that the theory is consistent with observations for a wide range of this parameter. This parameter may serve as a test for possible violations of general coordinate invariance. We also consider the cosmic evolution within the framework of these models. We show that in general we do not obtain consistent cosmological solutions if we assume the standard cosmological constant or the standard form of non-relativistic matter. We propose a suitable generalization which is consistent with cosmology. We fit the resulting model to the high redshift supernova data. We find that we can obtain a good fit to this data even if include only a single component, either cosmological constant or non-relativistic matter.Comment: 14 pages one figure, significantly revised with several new results adde

The Spectral Action Principle in Noncommutative Geometry and the Superstring

A supersymmetric theory in two-dimensions has enough data to define a noncommutative space thus making it possible to use all tools of noncommutative geometry. In particular, we apply this to the N=1 supersymmetric non-linear sigma model and derive an expression for the generalized loop space Dirac operator, in presence of a general background, using canonical quantization. The spectral action principle is then used to determine a spectral action valid for the fluctuations of the string modes.Comment: Latex file, 13 pages. Correction to equation 47, which should read Tr| |^2 and not |Tr |^2. Final form to appear in Physics Letters

A fresh look at mycobacterial pathogenicity with the zebrafish host model

The zebrafish has earned its place among animal models to study tuberculosis and other infections caused by pathogenic mycobacteria. This model host is especially useful to study the role of granulomas, the inflammatory lesions characteristic of mycobacterial disease. The optically transparent zebrafish larvae provide a window on the initial stages of granuloma development in the context of innate immunity. Application of fluorescent dyes and transgenic markers enabled real-time visualization of how innate immune mechanisms, such as autophagy and inflammasomes, are activated in infected macrophages and how propagating calcium signals drive communication between macrophages during granuloma formation. A combination of imaging, genetic, and chemical approaches has revealed that the interplay between macrophages and mycobacteria is the main driver of tissue dissemination and granuloma development, while neutrophils have a protective function in early granulomas. Different chemokine signaling axes, conserved between humans and zebrafish, have been shown to recruit macrophages permissive to mycobacterial growth, control their microbicidal capacity, drive their spreading and aggregation, and mediate granuloma vascularization. Finally, zebrafish larvae are now exploited to explore cell death processes, emerging as crucial factors in granuloma expansion. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of mycobacterial pathogenesis contributed by zebrafish models.Animal science

T-duality of axial and vector dyonic integrable models

A general construction of affine Non Abelian (NA) - Toda models in terms of axial and vector gauged two loop WZNW model is discussed. They represent {\it integrable perturbations} of the conformal $\sigma$-models (with tachyons included) describing (charged) black hole type string backgrounds. We study the {\it off-critical} T-duality between certain families of axial and vector type of integrable models for the case of affine NA- Toda theories with one global U(1) symmetry. In particular we find the Lie algebraic condition defining a subclass of {\it T-selfdual} torsionless NA Toda models and their zero curvature representation.Comment: 20 pages, latex, no figures,improvments in the text of Sects.1,2 and 6;typos corrected,references added, to appear in Ann. of Physics (NY

Uniqueness of the bosonization of the Uq(su(2)k)U_q(su(2)_k) quantum current algebra

Four apparently different bosonizations of the $U_q(su(2)_k)$ quantum current algebra for arbitrary level $k$ have recently been proposed in the literature. However, the relations among them have so far remained unclear except in one case. Assuming a special standard form for the $U_q(su(2)_k)$ quantum currents, we derive a set of general consistency equations that must be satisfied. As particular solutions of this set of equations, we recover two of the four bosonizations and we derive a new and simpler one. Moreover, we show that the latter three, and the remaining two bosonizations which cannot be derived directly from this set of equations since by construction they do not have the standard form, are all related to each other through some redefinitions of their Heisenberg boson oscillators.Comment: 25 page

Noncommutative Topological Theories of Gravity

The possibility of noncommutative topological gravity arising in the same manner as Yang-Mills theory is explored. We use the Seiberg-Witten map to construct such a theory based on a SL(2,C) complex connection, from which the Euler characteristic and the signature invariant are obtained. This gives us a way towards the description of noncommutative gravitational instantons as well as noncommutative local gravitational anomalies.Comment: 17+1 pages, LaTeX, no figures, some clarifications, comments and references added, style improve

Anomaly-Free Gauged R-Symmetry in Local Supersymmetry

We discuss local \R-symmetry as a potentially powerful new model building tool. We first review and clarify that a $U(1)$ \R-symmetry can only be gauged in local and not in global supersymmetry. We determine the anomaly-cancellation conditions for the gauged \R-symmetry. For the standard superpotential these equations have {\it no} solution, independently of how many Standard Model singlets are added to the model. There is also no solution when we increase the number of families and the number of pairs of Higgs doublets. When the Green-Schwarz mechanism is employed to cancel the anomalies, solutions only exist for a large number of singlets. We find many anomaly-free family-independent models with an extra $SU(3)_c$ octet chiral superfield. We consider in detail the conditions for an anomaly-free {\it family dependent} $U(1)_R$ and find solutions with one, two, three and four extra singlets. Only with three and four extra singlets do we naturally obtain sfermion masses of order the weak-scale. For these solutions we consider the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry and the $R$-symmetry in the context of local supersymmetry. In general the $U(1)_R$ gauge group is broken at or close to the Planck scale. We consider the effects of the \R-symmetry on baryon- and lepton-number violation in supersymmetry. There is no logical connection between a conserved \R-symmetry and conserved \R-parity. For conserved \R-symmetry we have models for all possibilities of conserved or broken \R-parity. Most models predict dominant effects which could be observed at HERA.Comment: 29 pages, latex, including 3 tables. Final version accepted for publication in NPB. Slight revision of supersymmetry breaking and dropped sub-section on mu problem, which will appear expaned elsewher

Kac-Moody Symmetries of Ten-dimensional Non-maximal Supergravity Theories

A description of the bosonic sector of ten-dimensional N=1 supergravity as a non-linear realisation is given. We show that if a suitable extension of this theory were invariant under a Kac-Moody algebra, then this algebra would have to contain a rank eleven Kac-Moody algebra, that can be identified to be a particular real form of very-extended D_8. We also describe the extension of N=1 supergravity coupled to an abelian vector gauge field as a non-linear realisation, and find the Kac-Moody algebra governing the symmetries of this theory to be very-extended B_8. Finally, we discuss the related points for the N=1 supergravity coupled to an arbitrary number of abelian vector gauge fields