Gravity action on the rapidly varying metrics

We consider a four-dimensional simplicial complex and the minisuperspace general relativity system described by the metric flat in the most part of the interior of every 4-simplex with exception of a thin layer of thickness $\propto \varepsilon$ along the every three-dimensional face where the metric undergoes jump between the two 4-simplices sharing this face. At $\varepsilon \to 0$ this jump would become discontinuity. Since, however, discontinuity of the (induced on the face) metric is not allowed in general relativity, the terms in the Einstein action tending to infinity at $\varepsilon \to 0$ arise. In the path integral approach, these terms lead to the pre-exponent factor with \dfuns requiring that the induced on the faces metric be continuous, i. e. the 4-simplices fit on their common faces. The other part of the path integral measure corresponds to the action being the sum of independent terms over the 4-simplices. Therefore this part of the path integral measure is the product of independent measures over the 4-simplices. The result obtained is in accordance with our previous one obtained from the symmetry considerations.Comment: 10 page

Nuclear and Particle Physics applications of the Bohm Picture of Quantum Mechanics

Approximation methods for calculating individual particle/ field motions in spacetime at the quantum level of accuracy (a key feature of the Bohm Picture of Quantum Mechanics (BP)), are studied. Modern textbook presentations of Quantum Theory are used throughout, but only to provide the necessary, already existing, tested formalisms and calculational techniques. New coherent insights, reinterpretations of old solutions and results, and new (in principle testable) quantitative and qualitative predictions, can be obtained on the basis of the BP that complete the standard type of postdictions and predictions.Comment: 41 page

Extended bound states and resonances of two fermions on a periodic lattice

The high-$T_c$ cuprates are possible candidates for d-wave superconductivity, with the Cooper pair wave function belonging to a non-trivial irreducible representation of the lattice point group. We argue that this d-wave symmetry is related to a special form of the fermionic kinetic energy and does not require any novel pairing mechanism. In this context, we present a detailed study of the bound states and resonances formed by two lattice fermions interacting via a non-retarded potential that is attractive for nearest neighbors but repulsive for other relative positions. In the case of strong binding, a pair formed by fermions on adjacent lattice sites can have a small effective mass, thereby implying a high condensation temperature. For a weakly bound state, a pair with non-trivial symmetry tends to be smaller in size than an s-wave pair. These and other findings are discussed in connection with the properties of high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductors.Comment: 21 pages, RevTeX, 4 Postscript figures, arithmetic errors corrected. An abbreviated version (no appendix) appeared in PRB on March 1, 199

The Pfaffian solution of a dimer-monomer problem: Single monomer on the boundary

We consider the dimer-monomer problem for the rectangular lattice. By mapping the problem into one of close-packed dimers on an extended lattice, we rederive the Tzeng-Wu solution for a single monomer on the boundary by evaluating a Pfaffian. We also clarify the mathematical content of the Tzeng-Wu solution by identifying it as the product of the nonzero eigenvalues of the Kasteleyn matrix.Comment: 4 Pages to appear in the Physical Review E (2006

Comment on "Boson-fermion model beyond the mean-field approximation"

In a recent paper [A.S.Alexandrov, J.Phys.:Condens.Matter 8, 6923 (1996); cond-mat/9603111], it has been suggested that there is no Cooper pairing in boson-fermion models of superconductivity. We show that this conjecture is based on an inconsistent approximation that violates an exact identity. Quite generally, the divergence of the fermion t-matrix (the Thouless criterion) is accompanied by the condensation of a boson mode.Comment: LaTeX, 5 pages, 2style files included, 4 embedded EPS figures, submitted to J.Phys.:Condens.Matte

Cleft lip palate in Cape Town

No Abstract

Yeast autonomously replicating sequence binding factor is involved in nucleotide excision repair

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) in yeast is effected by the concerted action of a large complex of proteins. Recently, we identified a stable subcomplex containing the yeast Rad7 and Rad16 proteins. Here, we report the identification of autonomously replicating sequence binding factor 1 (ABF1) as a component of the Rad7/Rad16 NER subcomplex. Yeast ABF1 protein is encoded by an essential gene required for DNA replication, transcriptional regulation, and gene silencing. We show that ABF1 plays a direct role in NER in vitro. Additionally, consistent with a role of ABF1 protein in NER in vivo, we show that certain temperature-sensitive abf1 mutant strains that are defective in DNA replication are specifically defective in the removal of photoproducts by NER and are sensitive to killing by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These studies define a novel and unexpected role for ABF1 protein during NER in yeast

The Importance of DNA Repair in Tumor Suppression

The transition from a normal to cancerous cell requires a number of highly specific mutations that affect cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, differentiation, and many other cell functions. One hallmark of cancerous genomes is genomic instability, with mutation rates far greater than those of normal cells. In microsatellite instability (MIN tumors), these are often caused by damage to mismatch repair genes, allowing further mutation of the genome and tumor progression. These mutation rates may lie near the error catastrophe found in the quasispecies model of adaptive RNA genomes, suggesting that further increasing mutation rates will destroy cancerous genomes. However, recent results have demonstrated that DNA genomes exhibit an error threshold at mutation rates far lower than their conservative counterparts. Furthermore, while the maximum viable mutation rate in conservative systems increases indefinitely with increasing master sequence fitness, the semiconservative threshold plateaus at a relatively low value. This implies a paradox, wherein inaccessible mutation rates are found in viable tumor cells. In this paper, we address this paradox, demonstrating an isomorphism between the conservatively replicating (RNA) quasispecies model and the semiconservative (DNA) model with post-methylation DNA repair mechanisms impaired. Thus, as DNA repair becomes inactivated, the maximum viable mutation rate increases smoothly to that of a conservatively replicating system on a transformed landscape, with an upper bound that is dependent on replication rates. We postulate that inactivation of post-methylation repair mechanisms are fundamental to the progression of a tumor cell and hence these mechanisms act as a method for prevention and destruction of cancerous genomes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; Approximation replaced with exact calculation; Minor error corrected; Minor changes to model syste