Homological symbols and the Quillen conjecture

We formulate a "correct" version of the Quillen conjecture on linear group homology for certain arithmetic rings and provide evidence for the new conjecture. In this way we predict that the linear group homology has a direct summand looking like an unstable form of Milnor K-theory and we call this new theory "homological symbols algebra". As a byproduct we prove the Quillen conjecture in homological degree two for the rank two and the prime 5

Detectability of CMB tensor B modes via delensing with weak lensing galaxy surveys

We analyze the possibility of delensing CMB polarization maps using foreground weak lensing (WL) information. We build an estimator of the CMB lensing potential out of optimally combined projected potential estimators to different source redshift bins. Our estimator is most sensitive to the redshift depth of the WL survey, less so to the shape noise level. Estimators built using galaxy surveys like LSST and SNAP yield a 30-50% reduction in the lensing B-mode power. We illustrate the potential advantages of a 21-cm survey by considering a fiducial WL survey for which we take the redshift depth zmax and the effective angular concentration of sources n as free parameters. For a noise level of 1 muK arcmin in the polarization map itself, as projected for a CMBPol experiment, and a beam with FWHM=10 arcmin, we find that going to zmax=20 at n=100 gal/sqarcmin yields a delensing performance similar to that of a quadratic lensing potential estimator applied to small-scale CMB maps: the lensing B-mode contamination is reduced by almost an order of magnitude. In this case, there is also a reduction by a factor of ~4 in the detectability threshold of the tensor B-mode power. At this CMB noise level, there is little gain from sources with zmax>20. The delensing gains are lost if the CMB beam exceeds ~20 arcmin. The delensing efficiency and useful zmax depend acutely on the CMB map noise level, but beam sizes below 10 arcmin do not help. Delensing via foreground sources does not require arcminute-resolution CMB observations, a substantial practical advantage over the use of CMB observables for delensing.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in Physical Review

Biglycan : a multivalent proteoglycan providing structure and signals

Research over the past few years has provided fascinating results indicating that biglycan, besides being a ubiquitous structural component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), may act as a signaling molecule. Proteolytically released from the ECM, biglycan acts as a danger signal signifying tissue stress or injury. As a ligand of innate immunity receptors and activator of the inflammasome, biglycan stimulates multifunctional proinflammatory signaling linking the innate to the adaptive immune response. By clustering several types of receptors on the cell surface and orchestrating their downstream signaling events, biglycan is capable to autonomously trigger sterile inflammation and to potentiate the inflammatory response to microbial invasion. Besides operating in a broad biological context, biglycan also displays tissue-specific affinities to certain receptors and structural components, thereby playing a crucial role in bone formation, muscle integrity, and synapse stability at the neuromuscular junction. This review attempts to provide a concise summary of recent data regarding the involvement of biglycan in the regulation of inflammation and the musculoskeletal system, pointing out both a signaling and a structural role for this proteoglycan. The potential of biglycan as a novel therapeutic target or agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and skeletal muscular dystrophies is also addressed

Saturation physics and angular correlations at RHIC and LHC

We investigate the angular correlation between pions and photons produced in deuteron-gold collisions at RHIC and proton-lead collisions at LHC using the Color Glass Condensate formalism and make predictions for the dependence of the production cross section on the angle between the pion and photon at different rapidities and transverse momenta. Measuring this dependence would shed further light on the role of high gluon density and saturation dynamics at RHIC and LHC.Comment: 2-column EPJ C format, requires svjour.cls and svepj.clo; 4 pages, 4 figure

Probing colored glass via qqˉq\bar{q} photoproduction

In this paper, we calculate the cross-section for the photoproduction of quark-antiquark pairs in the peripheral collision of ultra-relativistic nuclei, by treating the color field of the nuclei within the Color Glass Condensate model. We find that this cross-section is sensitive to the saturation scale $Q_s^2$ that characterizes the model. In particular, the transverse momentum spectrum of the produced pairs could be used to measure the properties of the color glass condensate.Comment: 25 pages LaTeX document - A reference and some footnotes added (version to appear in Nucl. Phys. A