On the Trace Anomaly and the Anomaly Puzzle in N=1 Pure Yang-Mills

The trace anomaly of the energy-momentum tensor is usually quoted in the form which is proportional to the beta function of the theory. However, there are in general many definitions of gauge couplings depending on renormalization schemes, and hence many beta functions. In particular, N=1 supersymmetric pure Yang-Mills has the holomorphic gauge coupling whose beta function is one-loop exact, and the canonical gauge coupling whose beta function is given by the Novikov-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov beta function. In this paper, we study which beta function should appear in the trace anomaly in N=1 pure Yang-Mills. We calculate the trace anomaly by employing the N=4 regularization of N=1 pure Yang-Mills. It is shown that the trace anomaly is given by one-loop exact form if the composite operator appearing in the trace anomaly is renormalized in a preferred way. This result gives the simplest resolution to the anomaly puzzle in N=1 pure Yang-Mills. The most important point is to examine in which scheme the quantum action principle is valid, which is crucial in the derivation of the trace anomaly.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure; v2:slight correction in sec.5, minor addition in appendi

Pomeron in diffractive processes γ∗(Q2)p→ρ0p\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\rho^0 p and γ∗(Q2)p→γ∗(Q2)p\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\gamma^*(Q^2) p at large Q^2: the onset of pQCD

We study the reactions $\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\rho^0 p$ and $\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\gamma^*(Q^2) p$ at large Q^2 and $W^2/Q^2$ and small momentum transfer, $\kappa^2_\perp$, to the nucleon where the pomeron exchange dominates. At large Q^2 the virtual photon selects a hard $q\bar q$ pair, thus selecting the hard pomeron component (the BFKL pomeron). The amplitudes for both transverse and longitudinal polarizations of the initial photon and outgoing $\rho$-meson (photon) are calculated in the framework of the BFKL pomeron exchange. Our calculations show that one cannot expect the early onset of the pure perturbative regime in the discussed diffractive processes: the small interquark distances, $\rho_{q\bar q} <0.2$ fm, start to dominate not earlier than at $Q^2 \simeq 100 GeV^2, W^2/Q^2 \simeq 10^7$ in $\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\rho^0 p$ and $Q^2 \simeq 50 GeV^2, W^2/Q^2 \simeq 10^6$ in $\gamma^*(Q^2)p\to\gamma^*(Q^2) p$.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, epsfig.st

I Rest My Case! The Possibilities and Limitations of Blockchain-Based IP Protection

We have identified, mapped and discussed existing research on Blockchain-based solutions for intellectual property (IP) protection, an investigation that emerged from a case in antibody production for scientific and medical applications. To that end, we have performed a systematic literature review and created an instrument that classifies the contributions according to the materiality of the object they protect (from immaterial to physical), the type of protection (authorship notarization or prevention of illegal use) and the type of research (conceptual or empirical). Our results can be used to understand which avenues to pursue in the effort to create a new generation of more effective technology-assisted IP protection systems, a priority for 152 signatory countries of the patent cooperation treaty

Dynamics of N removal over annual time periods in a suburban river network

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008): G03038, doi:10.1029/2007JG000660.River systems are dynamic, highly connected water transfer networks that integrate a wide range of physical and biological processes. We used a river network nitrogen (N) removal model with daily temporal resolution to evaluate how elevated N inputs, saturation of the denitrification and total nitrate removal processes, and hydrologic conditions interact to determine the amount, timing and distribution of N removal in the fifth-order river network of a suburban 400 km2 basin. Denitrification parameters were based on results from whole reach 15NO3 tracer additions. The model predicted that between 15 and 33% of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) inputs were denitrified annually by the river system. Removal approached 100% during low flow periods, even with the relatively low and saturating uptake velocities typical of surface water denitrification. Annual removal percentages were moderate because most N inputs occurred during high flow periods when hydraulic conditions and temperatures are less favorable for removal by channel processes. Nevertheless, the percentage of annual removal occurring during above average flow periods was similar to that during low flow periods. Predicted river network removal proportions are most sensitive to loading rates, spatial heterogeneity of inputs, and the form of the removal process equation during typical base flow conditions. However, comparison with observations indicates that removal by the river network is higher than predicted by the model at moderately high flows, suggesting additional removal processes are important at these times. Further increases in N input to the network will lead to disproportionate increases in N exports due to the limits imposed by process saturation.This work was funded by NSF-DEB- 0614282, NSF-OCE-9726921, NSF-DEB-0111410, and NSF-BCS- 0709685

Genomic analysis of Pseudomonas putida: genes in a genome island are crucial for nicotine degradation

Nicotine is an important chemical compound in nature that has been regarded as an environmental toxicant causing various preventable diseases. Several bacterial species are adapted to decompose this heterocyclic compound, including Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter. Pseudomonas putida S16 is a bacterium that degrades nicotine through the pyrrolidine pathway, similar to that present in animals. The corresponding late steps of the nicotine degradation pathway in P. putida S16 was first proposed and demonstrated to be from 2,5-dihydroxy-pyridine through the intermediates N-formylmaleamic acid, maleamic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid. Genomics of strain S16 revealed that genes located in the largest genome island play a major role in nicotine degradation and may originate from other strains, as suggested by the constructed phylogenetic tree and the results of comparative genomic analysis. The deletion of gene hpo showed that this gene is essential for nicotine degradation. This study defines the mechanism of nicotine degradation

Vaginal Delivery of Paclitaxel via Nanoparticles with Non-Mucoadhesive Surfaces Suppresses Cervical Tumor Growth

Local delivery of chemotherapeutics in the cervicovaginal tract using nanoparticles may reduce adverse side effects associated with systemic chemotherapy, while improving outcomes for early stage cervical cancer. We hypothesize drug-loaded nanoparticles must rapidly penetrate cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) lining the female reproductive tract to effectively deliver their payload to underlying diseased tissues in a uniform and sustained manner. We develop paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles, composed entirely of polymers used in FDA-approved products, which rapidly penetrate human CVM and provide sustained drug release with minimal burst effect. We further employ a mouse model with aggressive cervical tumors established in the cervicovaginal tract to compare paclitaxel-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (conventional particles , or CP) and similar particles coated with Pluronic® F127 (mucus-penetrating particles , or MPP). CP are mucoadhesive and, thus, aggregated in mucus, while MPP achieve more uniform distribution and close proximity to cervical tumors. Paclitaxel-MPP suppress tumor growth more effectively and prolong median survival of mice compared to free paclitaxel or paclitaxel-CP. Histopathological studies demonstrate minimal toxicity to the cervicovaginal epithelia, suggesting paclitaxel-MPP may be safe for intravaginal use. These results demonstrate for the first time the in vivo advantages of polymer-based MPP for treatment of tumors localized to a mucosal surface

Using Selectively Applied Accelerated Molecular Dynamics to Enhance Free Energy Calculations

Accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) has been shown to enhance conformational space sampling relative to classical molecular dynamics; however, the exponential reweighting of aMD trajectories, which is necessary for the calculation of free energies relating to the classical system, is oftentimes problematic, especially for systems larger than small poly peptides. Here, we propose a method of accelerating only the degrees of freedom most pertinent to sampling, thereby reducing the total acceleration added to the system and improving the convergence of calculated ensemble averages, which we term selective aMD. Its application is highlighted in two biomolecular cases. First, the model system alanine dipeptide is simulated with classical MD, all-dihedral aMD, and selective aMD, and these results are compared to the infinite sampling limit as calculated with metadynamics. We show that both forms of aMD enhance the convergence of the underlying free energy landscape by 5-fold relative to classical MD; however, selective aMD can produce improved statistics over all-dihedral aMD due to the improved reweighting. Then we focus on the pharmaceutically relevant case of computing the free energy of the decoupling of oseltamivir in the active site of neuraminidase. Results show that selective aMD greatly reduces the cost of this alchemical free energy transformation, whereas all-dihedral aMD produces unreliable free energy estimates