755 research outputs found
The string partition function in Hull's doubled formalism
T-duality is one of the essential elements of string theory. Recently, Hull
has developed a formalism where the dimension of the target space is doubled so
as to make T-duality manifest. This is then supplemented with a constraint
equation that allows the connection to the usual string sigma model. This paper
analyses the partition function of the doubled formalism by interpreting the
constraint equation as that of a chiral scalar and then using holomorphic
factorisation techniques to determine the partition function. We find there is
quantum equivalence to the ordinary string once the topological interaction
term is included.Comment: 16 pages, latex, v2 typos corrected, v3 some comments adde
Silencing of the human microsomal glucose-6-phosphate translocase induces glioma cell death: Potential new anticancer target for curcumin
AbstractG6P translocase (G6PT) is thought to play a crucial role in transducing intracellular signaling events in brain tumor-derived cancer cells. In this report, we investigated the contribution of G6PT to the control of U-87 brain tumor-derived glioma cell survival using small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated suppression of G6PT. Three siRNA constructs were generated and found to suppress up to 91% G6PT gene expression. Flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide/annexin-V-stained cells indicated that silencing the G6PT gene induced necrosis and late apoptosis. The anticancer agent curcumin, also inhibited G6PT gene expression by more than 90% and triggered U-87 glioma cells death. Overexpression of recombinant G6PT rescued the cells from curcumin-induced cell death. Targeting G6PT expression may provide a new mechanistic rationale for the action of chemopreventive drugs and lead to the development of new anti-cancer strategies
A note on the M2-M5 brane system and fuzzy spheres
This note covers various aspects of recent attempts to describe membranes
ending on fivebranes using fuzzy geometry. In particular, we examine the
Basu-Harvey equation and its relation to the Nahm equation as well as the
consequences of using a non-associative algebra for the fuzzy three-sphere.
This produces the tantalising result that the fuzzy funnel solution
corresponding to Q coincident membranes ending on a five-brane has
degrees of freedom.Comment: 17 pages, late
Holographic Thermalization
Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we probe the scale-dependence of
thermalization in strongly coupled field theories following a quench, via
calculations of two-point functions, Wilson loops and entanglement entropy in
d=2,3,4. In the saddlepoint approximation these probes are computed in AdS
space in terms of invariant geometric objects - geodesics, minimal surfaces and
minimal volumes. Our calculations for two-dimensional field theories are
analytical. In our strongly coupled setting, all probes in all dimensions share
certain universal features in their thermalization: (1) a slight delay in the
onset of thermalization, (2) an apparent non-analyticity at the endpoint of
thermalization, (3) top-down thermalization where the UV thermalizes first. For
homogeneous initial conditions the entanglement entropy thermalizes slowest,
and sets a timescale for equilibration that saturates a causality bound over
the range of scales studied. The growth rate of entanglement entropy density is
nearly volume-independent for small volumes, but slows for larger volumes.Comment: 39 pages, 24 figure
Omacetaxine may have a role in chronic myeloid leukaemia eradication through downregulation of Mcl-1 and induction of apoptosis in stem/progenitor cells
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is maintained by a rare population of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-insensitive malignant stem cells. Our long-term aim is to find a BcrAbl-independent drug that can be combined with a TKI to improve overall disease response in chronic-phase CML. Omacetaxine mepesuccinate, a first in class cetaxine, has been evaluated by clinical trials in TKI-insensitive/resistant CML. Omacetaxine inhibits synthesis of anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family, including (myeloid cell leukaemia) Mcl-1, leading to cell death. Omacetaxine effectively induced apoptosis in primary CML stem cells (CD34<sup>+</sup>38<sup>lo</sup>) by downregulation of Mcl-1 protein. In contrast to our previous findings with TKIs, omacetaxine did not accumulate undivided cells <i>in vitro</i>. Furthermore, the functionality of surviving stem cells following omacetaxine exposure was significantly reduced in a dose-dependant manner, as determined by colony forming cell and the more stringent long-term culture initiating cell colony assays. This stem cell-directed activity was not limited to CML stem cells as both normal and non-CML CD34<sup>+</sup> cells were sensitive to inhibition. Thus, although omacetaxine is not leukaemia stem cell specific, its ability to induce apoptosis of leukaemic stem cells distinguishes it from TKIs and creates the potential for a curative strategy for persistent disease
Five-brane Calibrations and Fuzzy Funnels
We present a generalisation of the Basu-Harvey equation that describes
membranes ending on intersecting five-brane configurations corresponding to
various calibrated geometries.Comment: 20 pages, latex, v2: typos fixed and refs adde
Environmental conditioning in the control of macrophage thrombospondin-1 production
Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a multifunctional protein which is secreted into the extracellular matrix during inflammation, where it modulates numerous components of the immune infiltrate. Macrophages are a source of TSP-1, which they produce in response to TLR4 mediated signals. Their production of TSP-1 is regulated by environmental signals that establish a threshold for the level of protein secretion that can be induced by LPS stimulation. Th1 and Th2 cytokines raise this threshold which leads to less TSP-1 production, while signals that promote the generation of regulatory macrophages lower it. TSP-1 plays no direct role in the regulation of its own secretion. In vivo in uveitis, in the presence of TLR-4 ligands, TSP-1 is initially produced by recruited macrophages but this decreases in the presence of inflammatory cytokines. The adaptive immune system therefore plays a dominant role in regulating TSP-1 production in the target organ during acute inflammation
Background Field Equations for the Duality Symmetric String
This paper describes the background field equations for strings in T-duality
symmetric formalisms in which the dimension of target space is doubled and the
sigma model supplemented with constraints. These are calculated by demanding
the vanishing of the beta-functional of the sigma model couplings in the
doubled target space. We demonstrate the equivalence with the background field
equations of the standard string sigma model.Comment: 26 pages, latex, v2 typos correcte
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