Gauge fields, ripples and wrinkles in graphene layers

We analyze elastic deformations of graphene sheets which lead to effective gauge fields acting on the charge carriers. Corrugations in the substrate induce stresses, which, in turn, can give rise to mechanical instabilities and the formation of wrinkles. Similar effects may take place in suspended graphene samples under tension.Comment: contribution to the special issue of Solid State Communications on graphen

Constructing the Tree-Level Yang-Mills S-Matrix Using Complex Factorization

A remarkable connection between BCFW recursion relations and constraints on the S-matrix was made by Benincasa and Cachazo in 0705.4305, who noted that mutual consistency of different BCFW constructions of four-particle amplitudes generates non-trivial (but familiar) constraints on three-particle coupling constants --- these include gauge invariance, the equivalence principle, and the lack of non-trivial couplings for spins >2. These constraints can also be derived with weaker assumptions, by demanding the existence of four-point amplitudes that factorize properly in all unitarity limits with complex momenta. From this starting point, we show that the BCFW prescription can be interpreted as an algorithm for fully constructing a tree-level S-matrix, and that complex factorization of general BCFW amplitudes follows from the factorization of four-particle amplitudes. The allowed set of BCFW deformations is identified, formulated entirely as a statement on the three-particle sector, and using only complex factorization as a guide. Consequently, our analysis based on the physical consistency of the S-matrix is entirely independent of field theory. We analyze the case of pure Yang-Mills, and outline a proof for gravity. For Yang-Mills, we also show that the well-known scaling behavior of BCFW-deformed amplitudes at large z is a simple consequence of factorization. For gravity, factorization in certain channels requires asymptotic behavior ~1/z^2.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figure

Amplitudes and Spinor-Helicity in Six Dimensions

The spinor-helicity formalism has become an invaluable tool for understanding the S-matrix of massless particles in four dimensions. In this paper we construct a spinor-helicity formalism in six dimensions, and apply it to derive compact expressions for the three, four and five point tree amplitudes of Yang-Mills theory. Using the KLT relations, it is a straightforward process to obtain amplitudes in linearized gravity from these Yang-Mills amplitudes; we demonstrate this by writing down the gravitational three and four point amplitudes. Because there is no conserved helicity in six dimensions, these amplitudes describe the scattering of all possible polarization states (as well as Kaluza-Klein excitations) in four dimensions upon dimensional reduction. We also briefly discuss a convenient formulation of the BCFW recursion relations in higher dimensions.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figures. Minor improvements of the discussio

Perceived organizational support and organizational identification : joint moderating effects of employee exchange ideology and employee investment

Organizational identification (OID) can be developed out of social exchange practices within an organizational setting. Drawing on social exchange theory, we propose that the effect of perceived organizational support (POS) on OID is stronger for employees with stronger exchange ideology. We further argue that employee investment in an organization may also create a social exchange process that positively influences OID. We expect that employee investment moderates not only the effect of POS on OID, but also the enhancing effect of exchange ideology on the effect of POS on OID. Specifically, POS has a stronger positive effect on OID when exchange ideology is high and when employee investment is low. When employee investment is high, POS has a weaker effect on OID regardless of employees’ exchange ideology. These effects were empirically supported by a survey. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed

Family Unification in Five and Six Dimensions

In family unification models, all three families of quarks and leptons are grouped together into an irreducible representation of a simple gauge group, thus unifying the Standard Model gauge symmetries and a gauged family symmetry. Large orthogonal groups, and the exceptional groups $E_7$ and $E_8$ have been much studied for family unification. The main theoretical difficulty of family unification is the existence of mirror families at the weak scale. It is shown here that family unification without mirror families can be realized in simple five-dimensional and six-dimensional orbifold models similar to those recently proposed for SU(5) and SO(10) grand unification. It is noted that a family unification group that survived to near the weak scale and whose coupling extrapolated to high scales unified with those of the Standard model would be evidence accessible in principle at low energy of the existence of small (Planckian or GUT-scale) extra dimensions.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, minor corrections, references adde

Contributions from SUSY-FCNC couplings to the interpretation of the HyperCP events for the decay \Sigma^+ \to p \mu^+ \mu^-

The observation of three events for the decay $\Sigma^+ \to p \mu^+ \mu^-$ with a dimuon invariant mass of $214.3\pm0.5$MeV by the HyperCP collaboration imply that a new particle X may be needed to explain the observed dimuon invariant mass distribution. We show that there are regions in the SUSY-FCNC parameter space where the $A^0_1$ in the NMSSM can be used to explain the HyperCP events without contradicting all the existing constraints from the measurements of the kaon decays, and the constraints from the $K^0-\bar{K}^0$ mixing are automatically satisfied once the constraints from kaon decays are satisfied.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure

Functionalized nanoparticles targeting tumor-associated macrophages as cancer therapy

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a central role in regulating antitumor immune responses. As an important part of the TME, alternatively activated type 2 (M2) macrophages drive the development of primary and secondary tumors by promoting tumor cell proliferation, tumor angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling and overall immunosuppression. Immunotherapy approaches targeting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in order to reduce the immunosuppressive state in the TME have received great attention. Although these methods hold great potential for the treatment of several cancers, they also face some limitations, such as the fast degradation rate of drugs and drug-induced cytotoxicity of organs and tissues. Nanomedicine formulations that prevent TAM signaling and recruitment to the TME or deplete M2 TAMs to reduce tumor growth and metastasis represent encouraging novel strategies in cancer therapy. They allow the specific delivery of antitumor drugs to the tumor area, thereby reducing side effects associated with systemic application. In this review, we give an overview of TAM biology and the current state of nanomedicines that target M2 macrophages in the course of cancer immunotherapy, with a specific focus on nanoparticles (NPs). We summarize how different types of NPs target M2 TAMs, and how the physicochemical properties of NPs (size, shape, charge and targeting ligands) influence NP uptake by TAMs in vitro and in vivo in the TME. Furthermore, we provide a comparative analysis of passive and active NP-based TAM-targeting strategies and discuss their therapeutic potential.Imaging- and therapeutic targets in neoplastic and musculoskeletal inflammatory diseas

New Source of CP violation in B physics ?

In this talk we discuss how the down type left-right squark mixing in Supersymmetry can induce a new source of CP violation in the time dependent asymmtries in B --> phi K process. We use QCD improved factorization process to calculate the hadronic matrix element for the process and find the allowed parameter space for $\rho$ and $\phi$, the magnitude and phase of the down type LR(RL) squark mixing parameter $\delta^{bs}_{LR(RL)}$. In the same allowed regin we calculate the expected CP asymmtries in the $B \to \phi K^{*}$ process.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, 2 postscript figures, invited talk presented by N.G. Deshpande at the 9th Adriatic meeting, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 4-14 September, 2003. With updated reference

Fully supersymmetric CP violations in the kaon system

We show that, on the contrary to the usual claims, fully supersymmetric CP violations in the kaon system are possible through the gluino mediated flavor changing interactions. Both $\epsilon_K$ and ${\rm Re} (\epsilon' / \epsilon_K)$ can be accommodated for relatively large $\tan\beta$ without any fine tunings or contradictions to the FCNC and EDM constraints.Comment: Contribution to the Proceedings of ICHEP2000, Osaka, 200