Hidden local symmetry and color confinement

The hidden local symmetry is a successful model to describe the properties of the vector mesons in QCD. We point out that if we identify this hidden gauge theory as the magnetic picture of QCD, a linearized version of the model simultaneously describes color confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. We demonstrate that such a structure can be seen in the Seiberg dual picture of a softly broken supersymmetric QCD. The model possesses exact chiral symmetry and reduces to QCD when mass parameters are taken to be large. Working in the regime of the small mass parameters, we show that there is a vacuum where chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken and simultaneously the magnetic gauge group is Higgsed. If the vacuum we find persists in the limit of large mass parameters, one can identify the rho meson as the massive magnetic gauge boson, that is an essential ingredient for color confinement.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure

Singular points in N=2 SQCD

We revisit the study of singular points in N=2 SQCD with classical gauge groups. Using a technique proposed recently by Gaiotto, Seiberg and Tachikawa we find that the low-energy physics at the maximally singular point involves two superconformal sectors coupled to an infrared free SU(2) gauge group. When one softly breaks extended supersymmetry to N=1 adding a mass term for the chiral multiplet in the adjoint representation, a finite number of vacua remain and the theory becomes confining. Our analysis allows to identify the low-energy physics at these distinguished points in the moduli space. In some cases, which we will describe in detail, two sectors coupled to an infrared free SU(2) gauge group emerge as before. For USp and SO gauge groups one of these sectors is always free, contrary to the SU case.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figure

Genome-scaled phylogeny of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from spontaneous must fermentations

Modern winemakers commonly inoculate selected S. cerevisiae strains in must to obtain controlled fermentations and reproducible products. However, wine has been produced for thousands of years using spontaneous fermentations from wild strains, a practice that is experiencing a revival among small wine producers. Despite the widespread usage of such strains in the past, there is much to know about their ecology, evolution and functional potential. For example, the reciprocal affinities of these strains within the S. cerevisiae phylogeny have yet to be discovered, as well as the degree of their biodiversity and their impact on wine terroir. To fill this knowledge gap, we aim at characterising at strain level the S. cerevisiae present in spontaneously fermented musts sampled across Italy. We set up a protocol based on polyphenols-removing prewashes, followed by whole-genome shotgun sequencing at a depth of 5Gb of DNA per sample. We performed both an assembly-free analysis to reconstruct the strain-level phylogeny of S. cerevisiae strains using the species-specific-marker based StrainPhlAn, and the reconstruction of Metagenome-Assembled Genomes of these strains for downstream functional analyses. To plan conservation acts in a scenario of continuous climate change, we aim at isolating and maintaining strains of interest. We will present preliminary results from the analysis of spontaneous musts sampled at different fermenting stages

Matrix Models, Monopoles and Modified Moduli

Motivated by the Dijkgraaf-Vafa correspondence, we consider the matrix model duals of N=1 supersymmetric SU(Nc) gauge theories with Nf flavors. We demonstrate via the matrix model solutions a relation between vacua of theories with different numbers of colors and flavors. This relation is due to an N=2 nonrenormalization theorem which is inherited by these N=1 theories. Specializing to the case Nf=Nc, the simplest theory containing baryons, we demonstrate that the explicit matrix model predictions for the locations on the Coulomb branch at which monopoles condense are consistent with the quantum modified constraints on the moduli in the theory. The matrix model solutions include the case that baryons obtain vacuum expectation values. In specific cases we check explicitly that these results are also consistent with the factorization of corresponding Seiberg-Witten curves. Certain results are easily understood in terms of M5-brane constructions of these gauge theories.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, 2 figure

Balanced Propofol Sedation in Patients Undergoing EUS-FNA: A Pilot Study to Assess Feasibility and Safety

Introduction and aims. Balanced propofol sedation (BPS) administered by gastroenterologists has gained popularity in endoscopic procedures. Few studies exist about the safety of this approach during endosonography with fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). We assessed the safety of BPS in EUS-FNA. Materials and methods. 112 consecutive patients, referred to our unit to perform EUS-FNA, from February 2008 to December 2009, were sedated with BPS. A second gastroenterologist administered the drugs and monitorized the patient. Results. All the 112 patients (62 males, mean age 58.35) completed the examination. The mean dose of midazolam and propofol was, respectively, of 2.1 mg (range 1–4 mg) and 350 mg (range 180–400). All patients received oxygen with a mean flux of 4 liter/minute (range 2–6 liters/minute). The mean recovery time after procedure was 25 minutes (range 18–45 minutes). No major complications related to sedation were registered during all procedures. The oxygen saturation of all patients never reduced to less than 85%. Blood systolic pressure during and after the procedure never reduced to less than 100 mmHg. Conclusions. In our experience BPS administered by non-anaesthesiologists provided safe and successful sedation in patients undergoing EUS-FNA

Supersymmetry Breaking on Gauged Non-Abelian Vortices

There are a large number of systems characterized by a completely broken gauge symmetry, but with an unbroken global color-flavor diagonal symmetry, i.e., systems in the so-called color-flavor locked phase. If the gauge symmetry breaking supports vortices, the latter develop non-Abelian orientational zero-modes and become non-Abelian vortices, a subject of intense study in the last several years. In this paper we consider the effects of weakly gauging the full exact global flavor symmetry in such systems, deriving an effective description of the light excitations in the presence of a vortex. Surprising consequences are shown to follow. The fluctuations of the vortex orientational modes get diffused to bulk modes through tunneling processes. When our model is embedded in a supersymmetric theory, the vortex is still 1/2 BPS saturated, but the vortex effective action breaks supersymmetry spontaneously.Comment: Latex, 24 pages, 1 figur

Efectos del cruzamiento de ovejas Ideal con carneros Merino Multipropósito sobre la morfología de piel y producción de lana

En Argentina la producción de lanas finas es insignificante y esto representa una limitante para el crecimiento lanero del país, pues la tendencia del mercado mundial muestra su preferencia por este tipo de lanas. En la Provincia de Corrientes se presenta la misma problemática y como alternativa para aumentar la producción de lanas finas sin disminuir la producción de carne ovina se introdujeron ejemplares de Merino Multipropósito (MPM), persistiendo la necesidad de conocer cómo repercute sobre los demás parámetros productivos y cuál es la base estructural que establece este mejoramiento en la calidad de lana. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar el efecto del cruzamiento de ovejas Ideal con machos MPM, sobre las características de la piel y la producción y calidad de lana. Los parámetros evaluados fueron diámetro y longitud de fibra, peso y rendimiento de vellón, densidad de folículos y relación de folículos secundarios y primarios (S/P). Los parámetros productivos se determinaron con el protocolo INTA PROVINO. Para el recuento de folículos primarios y secundarios se realizaron biopsias de piel. Las características de producción y calidad de lana se consideraron entre borregas contemporáneas. Las ovejas Ideal, borregas Ideal y borregas F1 Ideal x MPM presentaron diámetro de fibra de 24,30; 22,24 y 21,06 µm, respectivamente. F1 presentó diámetros significativamente menores. Los otros parámetros productivos evaluados no presentaron diferencias estadísticas. La relación S/P fue mayor en las borregas F1 (Ideal x MPM) en relación con Ideal, en tanto que la densidad de folículos no mostró diferencias entre los animales contemporáneos. La comparación realizada en este trabajo permitió observar una disminución del diámetro de fibra en borregas F1 (Ideal x MPM), que puede explicarse por la mayor relación S/P, sin disminución del peso del vellón

Comments on orientifold projection in the conifold and SO x USp duality cascade

We study the O3-plane in the conifold. On the D3-brane world-volume we obtain SO x USp gauge theory that exhibits a duality cascade phenomenon. The orientifold projection is determined on the type IIB string side, and corresponds to that of O4-plane on the dual type IIA side. We show that SUGRA solutions of Klebanov-Tseytlin and Klebanov-Strassler survive under the projection. We also investigate the orientifold projection in the generalized conifolds, and verify desired features of the O4-projection in the type IIA picture.Comment: 1+27 pages, 9 figures, references added; version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Geometry and Dynamics of a Coupled 4D-2D Quantum Field Theory

Geometric and dynamical aspects of a coupled 4D-2D interacting quantum field theory - the gauged nonAbelian vortex - are investigated. The fluctuations of the internal 2D nonAbelian vortex zeromodes excite the massless 4D Yang-Mills modes and in general give rise to divergent energies. This means that the well-known 2D CP(N-1) zeromodes associated with a nonAbelian vortex become nonnormalizable. Moreover, all sorts of global, topological 4D effects such as the nonAbelian Aharonov-Bohm effect come into play. These topological global features and the dynamical properties associated with the fluctuation of the 2D vortex moduli modes are intimately correlated, as shown concretely here in a U(1) x SU(N) x SU(N) model with scalar fields in a bifundamental representation of the two SU(N) factor gauge groups.Comment: Latex, 39 pages, 5 figure