On the symmetries of BF models and their relation with gravity

The perturbative finiteness of various topological models (e.g. BF models) has its origin in an extra symmetry of the gauge-fixed action, the so-called vector supersymmetry. Since an invariance of this type also exists for gravity and since gravity is closely related to certain BF models, vector supersymmetry should also be useful for tackling various aspects of quantum gravity. With this motivation and goal in mind, we first extend vector supersymmetry of BF models to generic manifolds by incorporating it into the BRST symmetry within the Batalin-Vilkovisky framework. Thereafter, we address the relationship between gravity and BF models, in particular for three-dimensional space-time.Comment: 29 page

Symmetries of topological field theories in the BV-framework

Topological field theories of Schwarz-type generally admit symmetries whose algebra does not close off-shell, e.g. the basic symmetries of BF models or vector supersymmetry of the gauge-fixed action for Chern-Simons theory (this symmetry being at the origin of the perturbative finiteness of the theory). We present a detailed discussion of all these symmetries within the algebraic approach to the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Moreover, we discuss the general algebraic construction of topological models of both Schwarz- and Witten-type.Comment: 30 page

Topological 2-form Gravity in Four Dimensions

A kind of topological field theory is proposed as a candidate to describe the global structure of the 2-form Einstein gravity with or without a cosmological constant. Indeed in the former case, we show that a quantum state in the candidate gives an exact solution of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. The BRST quantization based on the Batalin-Fradkin-Vilkovisky (BFV) formalism is carried out for this topological version of the 2-form Einstein gravity.Comment: 15 page

Kinematics and hydrodynamics of spinning particles

In the first part (Sections 1 and 2) of this paper --starting from the Pauli current, in the ordinary tensorial language-- we obtain the decomposition of the non-relativistic field velocity into two orthogonal parts: (i) the "classical part, that is, the 3-velocity w = p/m OF the center-of-mass (CM), and (ii) the so-called "quantum" part, that is, the 3-velocity V of the motion IN the CM frame (namely, the internal "spin motion" or zitterbewegung). By inserting such a complete, composite expression of the velocity into the kinetic energy term of the non-relativistic classical (i.e., newtonian) lagrangian, we straightforwardly get the appearance of the so-called "quantum potential" associated, as it is known, with the Madelung fluid. This result carries further evidence that the quantum behaviour of micro-systems can be adirect consequence of the fundamental existence of spin. In the second part (Sections 3 and 4), we fix our attention on the total 3-velocity v = w + V, it being now necessary to pass to relativistic (classical) physics; and we show that the proper time entering the definition of the four-velocity v^mu for spinning particles has to be the proper time tau of the CM frame. Inserting the correct Lorentz factor into the definition of v^mu leads to completely new kinematical properties for v_mu v^mu. The important constraint p_mu v^mu = m, identically true for scalar particles, but just assumed a priori in all previous spinning particle theories, is herein derived in a self-consistent way.Comment: LaTeX file; needs kapproc.st

Identification of Protein Targets of Reactive Metabolites of Tienilic Acid in Human Hepatocytes

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Chemical Research in Toxicology, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx300103jTienilic acid (TA) is a uricosuric diuretic that was withdrawn from the market only months after its introduction because of reports of serious incidents of drug-induced liver injury including some fatalities. Its hepatotoxicity is considered to be primarily immunoallergic in nature. Like other thiophene compounds, TA undergoes biotransformation to a S-oxide metabolite which then reacts covalently with cellular proteins. To identify protein targets of TA metabolites, we incubated [14C]-TA with human hepatocytes, separated cellular proteins by 2D gel electrophoresis, and analyzed proteins in 36 radioactive spots by tryptic digestion followed by LC-MS/MS. Thirty one spots contained at least one identifiable protein. Sixteen spots contained only one of 14 non-redundant proteins which were thus considered to be targets of TA metabolites. Six of the 14 were also found in other radioactive spots that contained from 1 to 3 additional proteins. Eight of the 14 had not been reported to be targets for any reactive metabolite other than TA. The other 15 spots each contained from 2–4 identifiable proteins, many of which are known targets of other chemically reactive metabolites, but since adducted peptides were not observed, the identity of the adducted protein(s) in these spots is ambiguous. Interestingly, all the radioactive spots corresponded to proteins of low abundance, while many highly abundant proteins in the mixture showed no radioactivity. Furthermore, of approximately 16 previously reported protein targets of TA in rat liver (Methogo, R., Dansette, P. and Klarskov, K. (2007) Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 268, 284–295), only one (fumarylacetoacetase) is among the 14 targets identified in this work. One reason for this difference may be statistical, given that each study identified a small number of targets from among thousands present in hepatocytes. Another may be the species difference (i.e. rat vs. human), and still another may be the method of detection of adducted proteins (i.e. Western blot vs. C-14). Knowledge of human target proteins is very limited. Of more than 350 known protein targets of reactive metabolites, only 42 are known from human and only 21 of these are known to be targets for more than one chemical. Nevertheless, the demonstration that human target proteins can be identified using isolated hepatocytes in vitro should enable the question of species differences to be addressed more fully in the future

Elevation of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein after cardiac catheterization related to cardiovascular events

Atsuko Kamijo-Ikemori,1,3 Nobuyuki Hashimoto,2 Takeshi Sugaya,1 Katsuomi Matsui,1 Mikako Hisamichi,1 Yugo Shibagaki,1 Fumihiko Miyake,2 Kenjiro Kimura1 1Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, 2Department of Cardiology, 3Department of Anatomy, St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Purpose: Contrast medium (CM) induces tubular hypoxia via endothelial damage due to direct cytotoxicity or viscosity. Urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) increases along with tubular hypoxia and may be a detector of systemic circulation injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of detecting increases in urinary L-FABP levels due to administration of CM, as a prognostic biomarker for cardiovascular disease in patients without occurrence of CM-induced nephropathy undergoing cardiac catheterization procedure (CCP). Methods: Retrospective longitudinal analyses of the relationship between urinary L-FABP levels and occurrence of cardiovascular events were performed (n=29). Urinary L-FABP was measured by ELISA before CCP, and at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after CCP. Results: Urinary L-FABP levels were significantly higher at 12 hours (P<0.05) and 24 hours (P<0.005) after CCP compared with before CCP, only in the patients with occurrence of cardiovascular events (n=17), but not in those without cardiovascular events (n=12). The parameter with the largest area under the curve (0.816) for predicting the occurrence of cardiovascular events was the change in urinary L-FABP at 24 hours after CCP. The difference in urinary L-FABP levels (ΔL-FABP ≥11.0 µg/g creatinine) between before CCP and at 24 hours after CCP was a risk factor for the occurrence of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 4.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.27–19.13; P=0.021). Conclusion: Measurement of urinary L-FABP before CCP and at 24 hours after CCP in patients with mild to moderate renal dysfunction may be an important indicator for risk stratification of onset of cardiovascular events. Keywords: chronic kidney disease, urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein, L-FABP, contrast medium, urinary biomarker, cardiovascular event, renal dysfunctio