Counting Exceptional Instantons

We show how to obtain the instanton partition function of N=2 SYM with exceptional gauge group EFG using blow-up recursion relations derived by Nakajima and Yoshioka. We compute the two instanton contribution and match it with the recent proposal for the superconformal index of rank 2 SCFTs with E6, E7 global symmetry.Comment: 16 pages, references adde

Interactions between the Nse3 and Nse4 Components of the SMC5-6 Complex Identify Evolutionarily Conserved Interactions between MAGE and EID Families

The SMC5-6 protein complex is involved in the cellular response to DNA damage. It is composed of 6-8 polypeptides, of which Nse1, Nse3 and Nse4 form a tight sub-complex. MAGEG1, the mammalian ortholog of Nse3, is the founding member of the MAGE (melanoma-associated antigen) protein family and Nse4 is related to the EID (E1A-like inhibitor of differentiation) family of transcriptional repressors.Using site-directed mutagenesis, protein-protein interaction analyses and molecular modelling, we have identified a conserved hydrophobic surface on the C-terminal domain of Nse3 that interacts with Nse4 and identified residues in its N-terminal domain that are essential for interaction with Nse1. We show that these interactions are conserved in the human orthologs. Furthermore, interaction of MAGEG1, the mammalian ortholog of Nse3, with NSE4b, one of the mammalian orthologs of Nse4, results in transcriptional co-activation of the nuclear receptor, steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). In an examination of the evolutionary conservation of the Nse3-Nse4 interactions, we find that several MAGE proteins can interact with at least one of the NSE4/EID proteins.We have found that, despite the evolutionary diversification of the MAGE family, the characteristic hydrophobic surface shared by all MAGE proteins from yeast to humans mediates its binding to NSE4/EID proteins. Our work provides new insights into the interactions, evolution and functions of the enigmatic MAGE proteins

Hilbert Series for Moduli Spaces of Two Instantons

The Hilbert Series (HS) of the moduli space of two G instantons on C^2, where G is a simple gauge group, is studied in detail. For a given G, the moduli space is a singular hyperKahler cone with a symmetry group U(2) \times G, where U(2) is the natural symmetry group of C^2. Holomorphic functions on the moduli space transform in irreducible representations of the symmetry group and hence the Hilbert series admits a character expansion. For cases that G is a classical group (of type A, B, C, or D), there is an ADHM construction which allows us to compute the HS explicitly using a contour integral. For cases that G is of E-type, recent index results allow for an explicit computation of the HS. The character expansion can be expressed as an infinite sum which lives on a Cartesian lattice that is generated by a small number of representations. This structure persists for all G and allows for an explicit expressions of the HS to all simple groups. For cases that G is of type G_2 or F_4, discrete symmetries are enough to evaluate the HS exactly, even though neither ADHM construction nor index is known for these cases.Comment: 53 pages, 9 tables, 24 figure

Elevated hemostasis markers after pneumonia increases one-year risk of all-cause and cardiovascular deaths

Background: Acceleration of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, may increase long-term mortality after community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but underlying mechanisms are unknown. Persistence of the prothrombotic state that occurs during an acute infection may increase risk of subsequent atherothrombosis in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and increase subsequent risk of death. We hypothesized that circulating hemostasis markers activated during CAP persist at hospital discharge, when patients appear to have recovered clinically, and are associated with higher mortality, particularly due to cardiovascular causes. Methods: In a cohort of survivors of CAP hospitalization from 28 US sites, we measured D-Dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complexes [TAT], Factor IX, antithrombin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 at hospital discharge, and determined 1-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results: Of 893 subjects, most did not have severe pneumonia (70.6% never developed severe sepsis) and only 13.4% required intensive care unit admission. At discharge, 88.4% of subjects had normal vital signs and appeared to have clinically recovered. D-dimer and TAT levels were elevated at discharge in 78.8% and 30.1% of all subjects, and in 51.3% and 25.3% of those without severe sepsis. Higher D-dimer and TAT levels were associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (range of hazard ratios were 1.66-1.17, p = 0.0001 and 1.46-1.04, p = 0.001 after adjusting for demographics and comorbid illnesses) and cardiovascular mortality (p = 0.009 and 0.003 in competing risk analyses). Conclusions: Elevations of TAT and D-dimer levels are common at hospital discharge in patients who appeared to have recovered clinically from pneumonia and are associated with higher risk of subsequent deaths, particularly due to cardiovascular disease. © 2011 Yende et al

Supersymmetric Deformations of Maximally Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

We study supersymmetric and super Poincar\'e invariant deformations of ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills theory and of its dimensional reductions. We describe all infinitesimal super Poincar\'e invariant deformations of equations of motion of ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills theory and its reduction to a point; we discuss the extension of them to formal deformations. Our methods are based on homological algebra, in particular, on the theory of L-infinity and A-infinity algebras. The exposition of this theory as well as of some basic facts about Lie algebra homology and Hochschild homology is given in appendices.Comment: New results added. 111 page

Energy- and flux-budget (EFB) turbulence closure model for the stably stratified flows. Part I: Steady-state, homogeneous regimes

We propose a new turbulence closure model based on the budget equations for the key second moments: turbulent kinetic and potential energies: TKE and TPE (comprising the turbulent total energy: TTE = TKE + TPE) and vertical turbulent fluxes of momentum and buoyancy (proportional to potential temperature). Besides the concept of TTE, we take into account the non-gradient correction to the traditional buoyancy flux formulation. The proposed model grants the existence of turbulence at any gradient Richardson number, Ri. Instead of its critical value separating - as usually assumed - the turbulent and the laminar regimes, it reveals a transition interval, 0.1< Ri <1, which separates two regimes of essentially different nature but both turbulent: strong turbulence at Ri<<1; and weak turbulence, capable of transporting momentum but much less efficient in transporting heat, at Ri>1. Predictions from this model are consistent with available data from atmospheric and lab experiments, direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large-eddy simulation (LES).Comment: 40 pages, 6 figures, Boundary-layer Meteorology, resubmitted, revised versio

Doses to internal organs for various breast radiation techniques - implications on the risk of secondary cancers and cardiomyopathy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breast cancers are more frequently diagnosed at an early stage and currently have improved long term outcomes. Late normal tissue complications induced by adjuvant radiotherapy like secondary cancers or cardiomyopathy must now be avoided at all cost. Several new breast radiotherapy techniques have been developed and this work aims at comparing the scatter doses of internal organs for those techniques.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A CT-scan of a typical early stage left breast cancer patient was used to describe a realistic anthropomorphic phantom in the MCNP Monte Carlo code. Dose tally detectors were placed in breasts, the heart, the ipsilateral lung, and the spleen. Five irradiation techniques were simulated: whole breast radiotherapy 50 Gy in 25 fractions using physical wedge or breast IMRT, 3D-CRT partial breast radiotherapy 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions, HDR brachytherapy delivering 34 Gy in 10 treatments, or Permanent Breast ¹⁰³Pd Seed Implant delivering 90 Gy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For external beam radiotherapy the wedge compensation technique yielded the largest doses to internal organs like the spleen or the heart, respectively 2,300 mSv and 2.7 Gy. Smaller scatter dose are induced using breast IMRT, respectively 810 mSv and 1.1 Gy, or 3D-CRT partial breast irradiation, respectively 130 mSv and 0.7 Gy. Dose to the lung is also smaller for IMRT and 3D-CRT compared to the wedge technique. For multicatheter HDR brachytherapy a large dose is delivered to the heart, 3.6 Gy, the spleen receives 1,171 mSv and the lung receives 2,471 mSv. These values are 44% higher in case of a balloon catheter. In contrast, breast seeds implant is associated with low dose to most internal organs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present data support the use of breast IMRT or virtual wedge technique instead of physical wedges for whole breast radiotherapy. Regarding partial breast irradiation techniques, low energy source brachytherapy and external beam 3D-CRT appear safer than ¹⁹²Ir HDR techniques.</p

Quantum State Engineering and Precision Metrology using State-Insensitive Light Traps

Precision metrology and quantum measurement often demand matter be prepared in well defined quantum states for both internal and external degrees of freedom. Laser-cooled neutral atoms localized in a deeply confining optical potential satisfy this requirement. With an appropriate choice of wavelength and polarization for the optical trap, two electronic states of an atom can experience the same trapping potential, permitting coherent control of electronic transitions independent of the atomic center-of-mass motion. We review a number of recent experiments that use this approach to investigate precision quantum metrology for optical atomic clocks and coherent control of optical interactions of single atoms and photons within the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics. We also provide a brief survey of promising prospects for future work.Comment: 23 pages of main text, 4 figures, and 12 pages of Supporting Online Material (SOM

Phase-locked indistinguishable photons with synthesized waveforms from a solid-state source

Resonance fluorescence in the Heitler regime provides access to single photons with coherence well beyond the Fourier transform limit of the transition, and holds the promise to circumvent environment-induced dephasing common to all solid-state systems. Here we demonstrate that the coherently generated single photons from a single self-assembled InAs quantum dot display mutual coherence with the excitation laser on a timescale exceeding 3 seconds. Exploiting this degree of mutual coherence we synthesize near-arbitrary coherent photon waveforms by shaping the excitation laser field. In contrast to post-emission filtering, our technique avoids both photon loss and degradation of the single photon nature for all synthesized waveforms. By engineering pulsed waveforms of single photons, we further demonstrate that separate photons generated coherently by the same laser field are fundamentally indistinguishable, lending themselves to creation of distant entanglement through quantum interference.Comment: Additional data and analysis in PDF format is available for download at the publications section of our website: http://www.amop.phy.cam.ac.uk/amop-ma