Renormalization group approach to interacting polymerised manifolds

We propose to study the infrared behaviour of polymerised (or tethered) random manifolds of dimension D interacting via an exclusion condition with a fixed impurity in d-dimensional Euclidean space in which the manifold is embedded. We prove rigorously, via methods of Wilson's renormalization group, the convergence to a non Gaussian fixed point for suitably chosen physical parameters.Comment: 90 pages, Plain tex file. Updated version with more detailed introduction and added reference

Center phase transition from matter propagators in (scalar) QCD

Novel order parameters for the confinement-deconfinement phase transition of quenched QCD and fundamentally charged scalar QCD are presented. Similar to the well-known dual condensate, they are defined via generalized matter propagators with $U(1)$-valued boundary conditions. The order parameters are easily accessible with functional methods. Their validity and accessibility is explicitly demonstrated by numerical studies of the Dyson-Schwinger equations for the matter propagators. Even in the case of heavy scalar matter, where the propagator does not show a signature of the phase transition, a discontinuity due to the transition can be extracted in the order parameters, establishing also fundamentally charged scalar matter as a probe for color confinement.Comment: accepted versio

CRITICAL (Phi^{4}_{3,\epsilon})

The Euclidean (\phi^{4})_{3,\epsilon model in $R^3$ corresponds to a perturbation by a $\phi^4$ interaction of a Gaussian measure on scalar fields with a covariance depending on a real parameter $\epsilon$ in the range $0\le \epsilon \le 1$. For $\epsilon =1$ one recovers the covariance of a massless scalar field in $R^3$. For $\epsilon =0$ $\phi^{4}$ is a marginal interaction. For $0\le \epsilon < 1$ the covariance continues to be Osterwalder-Schrader and pointwise positive. After introducing cutoffs we prove that for $\epsilon > 0$, sufficiently small, there exists a non-gaussian fixed point (with one unstable direction) of the Renormalization Group iterations. These iterations converge to the fixed point on its stable (critical) manifold which is constructed.Comment: 49 pages, plain tex, macros include

Commentary: seed bacterial inhabitants and their routes of colonization

Background Seeds host bacterial inhabitants but only a limited knowledge is available on which taxa inhabit seed, which niches could be colonized, and what the routes of colonization are. Scope Within this commentary, a discussion is provided on seed bacterial inhabitants, their taxa, and from where derive the seed colonizers. Conclusions Seeds/and grains host specific bacteria deriving from the anthosphere, carposphere, or from cones of gymnosperms and inner tissues of plants after a long colonization from the soil to reproductive organs

Confidence and Backaction in the Quantum Filter Equation

We study the confidence and backaction of state reconstruction based on a continuous weak measurement and the quantum filter equation. As a physical example we use the traditional model of a double quantum dot being continuously monitored by a quantum point contact. We examine the confidence of the estimate of a state constructed from the measurement record, and the effect of backaction of that measurement on that state. Finally, in the case of general measurements we show that using the relative entropy as a measure of confidence allows us to define the lower bound on the confidence as a type of quantum discord.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

c-Jun reprograms Schwann cells of injured nerves to generate a repair cell essential for regeneration.

The radical response of peripheral nerves to injury (Wallerian degeneration) is the cornerstone of nerve repair. We show that activation of the transcription factor c-Jun in Schwann cells is a global regulator of Wallerian degeneration. c-Jun governs major aspects of the injury response, determines the expression of trophic factors, adhesion molecules, the formation of regeneration tracks and myelin clearance and controls the distinctive regenerative potential of peripheral nerves. A key function of c-Jun is the activation of a repair program in Schwann cells and the creation of a cell specialized to support regeneration. We show that absence of c-Jun results in the formation of a dysfunctional repair cell, striking failure of functional recovery, and neuronal death. We conclude that a single glial transcription factor is essential for restoration of damaged nerves, acting to control the transdifferentiation of myelin and Remak Schwann cells to dedicated repair cells in damaged tissue

Renormalization of the Hamiltonian and a geometric interpretation of asymptotic freedom

Using a novel approach to renormalization in the Hamiltonian formalism, we study the connection between asymptotic freedom and the renormalization group flow of the configuration space metric. It is argued that in asymptotically free theories the effective distance between configuration decreases as high momentum modes are integrated out.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, no figures; final version accepted in Phys.Rev.D; added reference and appendix with comment on solution of eq. (9) in the tex

Silica Vesicle Nanovaccine Formulations Stimulate Long-Term Immune Responses to the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus E2 Protein

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) is one of the most serious pathogen, which causes tremendous economic loss to the cattle industry worldwide, meriting the development of improved subunit vaccines. Structural glycoprotein E2 is reported to be a major immunogenic determinant of BVDV virion. We have developed a novel hollow silica vesicles (SV) based platform to administer BVDV-1 Escherichia coli-expressed optimised E2 (oE2) antigen as a nanovaccine formulation. The SV-140 vesicles (diameter 50 nm, wall thickness 6 nm, perforated by pores of entrance size 16 nm and total pore volume of 0.934 cm(3)g(-1)) have proven to be ideal candidates to load oE2 antigen and generate immune response. The current study for the first time demonstrates the ability of freeze-dried (FD) as well as non-FD oE2/SV140 nanovaccine formulation to induce long-term balanced antibody and cell mediated memory responses for at least 6 months with a shortened dosing regimen of two doses in small animal model. The in vivo ability of oE2 (100 mu g)/SV-140 (500 mu g) and FD oE2 (100 mu g)/SV-140 (500 mu g) to induce long-term immunity was compared to immunisation with oE2 (100 mu g) together with the conventional adjuvant Quil-A from the Quillaja saponira (10 mu g) in mice. The oE2/SV-140 as well as the FD oE2/SV-140 nanovaccine generated oE2-specific antibody and cell mediated responses for up to six months post the final second immunisation. Significantly, the cell-mediated responses were consistently high in mice immunised with oE2/SV-140 (1,500 SFU/million cells) at the six-month time point. Histopathology studies showed no morphological changes at the site of injection or in the different organs harvested from the mice immunised with 500 mu g SV-140 nanovaccine compared to the unimmunised control. The platform has the potential for developing single dose vaccines without the requirement of cold chain storage for veterinary and human applications

Caustic structures in the spectrum of x-ray Compton scattering off electrons driven by a short intense laser pulse

We study the Compton scattering of x-rays off electrons that are driven by a relativistically intense short optical laser pulse. The frequency spectrum of the laser-assisted Compton radiation shows a broad plateau in the vicinity of the laser-free Compton line due to a nonlinear mixing between x-ray and laser photons. Special emphasis is placed on how the shape of the short assisting laser pulse affects the spectrum of the scattered x-rays. In particular, we observe sharp peak structures in the plateau region, whose number and locations are highly sensitive to the laser pulse shape. These structures are interpreted as spectral caustics by using a semiclassical analysis of the laser-assisted QED matrix element

Guiding cities under increased droughts: The limits to sustainable urban futures

Climate change is likely to increase droughts. The vulnerability of cities to droughts is increasing worldwide. Policy responses from cities to droughts lack consideration of long-term climatic and socio-economic scenarios, and focus on short-term emergency actions that disregard sustainability in the connected regional and river basin systems. We aim to explore the dynamics of the water-energy-land nexus in urban systems suffering increased climate change-related droughts, and their implications for sustainability. We complement a case study with a literature review providing cross-regional insights, and detail pervasive knowledge, policy and ambition gaps in the interaction between cities and droughts. We show that water availability with low emissions, without compromising ecosystems and with low costs to society, poses a local-scale limit to sustainable urban growth, a new concept delineating the limits to growth in cities. We conclude that urban and river basin planners need to institutionalize transparency and cross-sectoral integration in multi-sector partnerships, to consider long-term land use planning together with water and energy, and to apply integrated climate services to cities. Our study reveals the importance of including land, water and energy in long-term urban planning, and to connect them with the county, region, river basin and global scales. © 2021 The Author(s)The authors would like to express their gratitude for limited contributions, comments and discussions that helped to improve the manuscript to Muhamad Bahri, Jörg Cortekar, Mirabela Marin, Serban Octavian Davidescu, Iñaki Torres Cobián, and to two anonymous reviewers that helped to substantially improve the manuscript. Valuable feedback obtained in two conference sessions co‑lead by some of the authors (at Adaptation Futures 2018 in Cape Town, and at the 4th European Climate Change Adaptation conference, in Lisbon in 2019) is acknowledged. The authors acknowledge financial support from the project CLISWELN funded by ERA4CS. ERA4CS is an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and CLISWELN is funded by BMBF (DE), UEFISCDI (RO), BMBWF and FFG (AT), and MINECO (ES), with co-funding from the European Union (Grant 690462 ). This paper and the content included in it do not represent the opinion of the European Union, and the European Union is not responsible for any use that might be made of its content. Marta OlazabalThe authors would like to express their gratitude for limited contributions, comments and discussions that helped to improve the manuscript to Muhamad Bahri, Jörg Cortekar, Mirabela Marin, Serban Octavian Davidescu, Iñaki Torres Cobián, and to two anonymous reviewers that helped to substantially improve the manuscript. Valuable feedback obtained in two conference sessions co‑lead by some of the authors (at Adaptation Futures 2018 in Cape Town, and at the 4th European Climate Change Adaptation conference, in Lisbon in 2019) is acknowledged. The authors acknowledge financial support from the project CLISWELN funded by ERA4CS. ERA4CS is an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and CLISWELN is funded by BMBF (DE), UEFISCDI (RO), BMBWF and FFG (AT), and MINECO (ES), with co-funding from the European Union (Grant 690462 ). This paper and the content included in it do not represent the opinion of the European Union, and the European Union is not responsible for any use that might be made of its content. Marta Olazaba