334 research outputs found
A Symplectic Structure for String Theory on Integrable Backgrounds
We define regularised Poisson brackets for the monodromy matrix of classical
string theory on R x S^3. The ambiguities associated with Non-Ultra Locality
are resolved using the symmetrisation prescription of Maillet. The resulting
brackets lead to an infinite tower of Poisson-commuting conserved charges as
expected in an integrable system. The brackets are also used to obtain the
correct symplectic structure on the moduli space of finite-gap solutions and to
define the corresponding action-angle variables. The canonically-normalised
action variables are the filling fractions associated with each cut in the
finite-gap construction. Our results are relevant for the leading-order
semiclassical quantisation of string theory on AdS_5 x S^5 and lead to
integer-valued filling fractions in this context.Comment: 41 pages, 2 figures; added references, corrected typos, improved
discussion of Hamiltonian constraint
The Effective Action For Brane Localized Gauge Fields
The low energy effective action including gauge field degrees of freedom on a
non-BPS p=2 brane embedded in a N=1, D=4 target superspace is obtained through
the method of nonlinear realizations of the associated super-Poincare
symmetries. The invariant interactions of the gauge fields and the brane
excitation modes corresponding to the Nambu-Goldstone degrees of freedom
resulting from the broken space translational symmetry and the target space
supersymmetries are determined. Brane localized matter field interactions with
the gauge fields are obtained through the construction of the combined gauge
and super-Poincare covariant derivatives for the matter fields.Comment: 12 pages, no figure
Instantons and Yang-Mills Flows on Coset Spaces
We consider the Yang-Mills flow equations on a reductive coset space G/H and
the Yang-Mills equations on the manifold R x G/H. On nonsymmetric coset spaces
G/H one can introduce geometric fluxes identified with the torsion of the spin
connection. The condition of G-equivariance imposed on the gauge fields reduces
the Yang-Mills equations to phi^4-kink equations on R. Depending on the
boundary conditions and torsion, we obtain solutions to the Yang-Mills
equations describing instantons, chains of instanton-anti-instanton pairs or
modifications of gauge bundles. For Lorentzian signature on R x G/H, dyon-type
configurations are constructed as well. We also present explicit solutions to
the Yang-Mills flow equations and compare them with the Yang-Mills solutions on
R x G/H.Comment: 1+12 page
Thermostatistics of deformed bosons and fermions
Based on the q-deformed oscillator algebra, we study the behavior of the mean
occupation number and its analogies with intermediate statistics and we obtain
an expression in terms of an infinite continued fraction, thus clarifying
successive approximations. In this framework, we study the thermostatistics of
q-deformed bosons and fermions and show that thermodynamics can be built on the
formalism of q-calculus. The entire structure of thermodynamics is preserved if
ordinary derivatives are replaced by the use of an appropriate Jackson
derivative and q-integral. Moreover, we derive the most important thermodynamic
functions and we study the q-boson and q-fermion ideal gas in the thermodynamic
limit.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure
The Release of Cytochrome c from Mitochondria during Apoptosis of NGF-deprived Sympathetic Neurons Is a Reversible Event
During apoptosis induced by various stimuli, cytochrome c is released from mitochondria into the cytosol where it participates in caspase activation. This process has been proposed to be an irreversible consequence of mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, which leads to mitochondrial swelling and rupture of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Here we present data demonstrating that NGF-deprived sympathetic neurons protected from apoptosis by caspase inhibitors possess mitochondria which, though depleted of cytochrome c and reduced in size, remained structurally intact as viewed by electron microscopy. After re-exposure of neurons to NGF, mitochondria recovered their normal size and their cytochrome c content, by a process requiring de novo protein synthesis. Altogether, these data suggest that depletion of cytochrome c from mitochondria is a controlled process compatible with function recovery. The ability of sympathetic neurons to recover fully from trophic factor deprivation provided irreversible caspase inhibitors have been present during the insult period, has therapeutical implications for a number of acute neuropathologies
Grain Surface Models and Data for Astrochemistry
AbstractThe cross-disciplinary field of astrochemistry exists to understand the formation, destruction, and survival of molecules in astrophysical environments. Molecules in space are synthesized via a large variety of gas-phase reactions, and reactions on dust-grain surfaces, where the surface acts as a catalyst. A broad consensus has been reached in the astrochemistry community on how to suitably treat gas-phase processes in models, and also on how to present the necessary reaction data in databases; however, no such consensus has yet been reached for grain-surface processes. A team of ∼25 experts covering observational, laboratory and theoretical (astro)chemistry met in summer of 2014 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden with the aim to provide solutions for this problem and to review the current state-of-the-art of grain surface models, both in terms of technical implementation into models as well as the most up-to-date information available from experiments and chemical computations. This review builds on the results of this workshop and gives an outlook for future directions
Mitochondrial Release of Caspase-2 and -9 during the Apoptotic Process
The barrier function of mitochondrial membranes is perturbed early during the apoptotic process. Here we show that the mitochondria contain a caspase-like enzymatic activity cleaving the caspase substrate Z-VAD.afc, in addition to three biological activities previously suggested to participate in the apoptotic process: (a) cytochrome c; (b) an apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) which causes isolated nuclei to undergo apoptosis in vitro; and (c) a DNAse activity. All of these factors, which are biochemically distinct, are released upon opening of the permeability transition (PT) pore in a coordinate, Bcl-2–inhibitable fashion. Caspase inhibitors fully neutralize the Z-VAD.afc–cleaving activity, have a limited effect on the AIF activity, and have no effect at all on the DNase activities. Purification of proteins reacting with the biotinylated caspase substrate Z-VAD, immunodetection, and immunodepletion experiments reveal the presence of procaspase-2 and -9 in mitochondria. Upon induction of PT pore opening, these procaspases are released from purified mitochondria and become activated. Similarly, upon induction of apoptosis, both procaspases redistribute from the mitochondrion to the cytosol and are processed to generate enzymatically active caspases. This redistribution is inhibited by Bcl-2. Recombinant caspase-2 and -9 suffice to provoke full-blown apoptosis upon microinjection into cells. Altogether, these data suggest that caspase-2 and -9 zymogens are essentially localized in mitochondria and that the disruption of the outer mitochondrial membrane occurring early during apoptosis may be critical for their subcellular redistribution and activation
Isospin symmetry in the odd-odd mirror nuclei 44V/44Sc
Excited states in the N=Z-2 nucleus 44V have been observed for the first time. The states have been identified through particle-γ-γ coincidence relationships and comparison with analog states in the mirror nucleus 44Sc. Mirror energy differences have been extracted and compared to state-of-the-art shell-model calculations which include charge-symmetry-breaking forces. Observed decay pattern asymmetries between the mirror pair are discussed in terms of core excitations, electromagnetic spin-orbit effects and isospin mixing
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