140 research outputs found
An assessment of Evans' unified field theory II
Evans developed a classical unified field theory of gravitation and
electromagnetism on the background of a spacetime obeying a Riemann-Cartan
geometry. In an accompanying paper I, we analyzed this theory and summarized it
in nine equations. We now propose a variational principle for Evans' theory and
show that it yields two field equations. The second field equation is algebraic
in the torsion and we can resolve it with respect to the torsion. It turns out
that for all physical cases the torsion vanishes and the first field equation,
together with Evans' unified field theory, collapses to an ordinary Einstein
equation.Comment: 11 pages of late
A sugar beet chlorophyll a/b binding protein promoter void of G-box like elements confers strong and leaf specific reporter gene expression in transgenic sugar beet
BACKGROUND: Modification of leaf traits in sugar beet requires a strong leaf specific promoter. With such a promoter, expression in taproots can be avoided which may otherwise take away available energy resources for sugar accumulation. RESULTS: Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) was utilized to generate an enriched and equalized cDNA library for leaf expressed genes from sugar beet. Fourteen cDNA fragments corresponding to thirteen different genes were isolated. Northern blot analysis indicates the desired tissue specificity of these genes. The promoters for two chlorophyll a/b binding protein genes (Bvcab11 and Bvcab12) were isolated, linked to reporter genes, and transformed into sugar beet using promoter reporter gene fusions. Transient and transgenic analysis indicate that both promoters direct leaf specific gene expression. A bioinformatic analysis revealed that the Bvcab11 promoter is void of G-box like regulatory elements with a palindromic ACGT core sequence. The data indicate that the presence of a G-box element is not a prerequisite for leaf specific and light induced gene expression in sugar beet. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows that SSH can be successfully employed for the identification and subsequent isolation of tissue specific sugar beet promoters. These promoters are shown to drive strong leaf specific gene expression in transgenic sugar beet. The application of these promoters for expressing resistance improving genes against foliar diseases is discussed
Gravity on a parallelizable manifold. Exact solutions
The wave type field equation \square \vt^a=\la \vt^a, where \vt^a is a
coframe field on a space-time, was recently proposed to describe the gravity
field. This equation has a unique static, spherical-symmetric,
asymptotically-flat solution, which leads to the viable Yilmaz-Rosen metric. We
show that the wave type field equation is satisfied by the pseudo-conformal
frame if the conformal factor is determined by a scalar 3D-harmonic function.
This function can be related to the Newtonian potential of classical gravity.
So we obtain a direct relation between the non-relativistic gravity and the
relativistic model: every classical exact solution leads to a solution of the
field equation. With this result we obtain a wide class of exact, static
metrics. We show that the theory of Yilmaz relates to the pseudo-conformal
sector of our construction. We derive also a unique cosmological (time
dependent) solution of the described type.Comment: Latex, 17 page
Poincare gauge invariance and gravitation in Minkowski spacetime
A formulation of Poincare symmetry as an inner symmetry of field theories
defined on a fixed Minkowski spacetime is given. Local P gauge transformations
and the corresponding covariant derivative with P gauge fields are introduced.
The renormalization properties of scalar, spinor and vector fields in P gauge
field backgrounds are determined. A minimal gauge field dynamics consistent
with the renormalization constraints is given.Comment: 36 pages, latex-fil
General Relativistic Contributions in Transformation Optics
One potentially realistic specification for devices designed with
transformation optics is that they operate with high precision in curved
space-time, such as Earth orbit. This raises the question of what, if any, role
does space-time curvature play in determining transformation media?
Transformation optics has been based on a three-vector representation of
Maxwell's equations in flat Minkowski space-time. I discuss a completely
covariant, manifestly four-dimensional approach that enables transformations in
arbitrary space-times, and demonstrate this approach for stable circular orbits
in the spherically symmetric Schwarzschild geometry. Finally, I estimate the
magnitude of curvature induced contributions to satellite-borne transformation
media in Earth orbit and comment on the level of precision required for
metamaterial fabrication before such contributions become important.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Latest version has expanded analysis,
corresponds to published versio
Covariant Uniform Acceleration
We show that standard Relativistic Dynamics Equation F=dp/d\tau is only
partially covariant. To achieve full Lorentz covariance, we replace the
four-force F by a rank 2 antisymmetric tensor acting on the four-velocity. By
taking this tensor to be constant, we obtain a covariant definition of
uniformly accelerated motion. We compute explicit solutions for uniformly
accelerated motion which are divided into four types: null, linear, rotational,
and general. For null acceleration, the worldline is cubic in the time. Linear
acceleration covariantly extends 1D hyperbolic motion, while rotational
acceleration covariantly extends pure rotational motion.
We use Generalized Fermi-Walker transport to construct a uniformly
accelerated family of inertial frames which are instantaneously comoving to a
uniformly accelerated observer. We explain the connection between our approach
and that of Mashhoon. We show that our solutions of uniformly accelerated
motion have constant acceleration in the comoving frame. Assuming the Weak
Hypothesis of Locality, we obtain local spacetime transformations from a
uniformly accelerated frame K' to an inertial frame K. The spacetime
transformations between two uniformly accelerated frames with the same
acceleration are Lorentz. We compute the metric at an arbitrary point of a
uniformly accelerated frame.
We obtain velocity and acceleration transformations from a uniformly
accelerated system K' to an inertial frame K. We derive the general formula for
the time dilation between accelerated clocks. We obtain a formula for the
angular velocity of a uniformly accelerated object. Every rest point of K' is
uniformly accelerated, and its acceleration is a function of the observer's
acceleration and its position. We obtain an interpretation of the
Lorentz-Abraham-Dirac equation as an acceleration transformation from K' to K.Comment: 36 page
Spin, gravity, and inertia
The gravitational effects in the relativistic quantum mechanics are
investigated. The exact Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation is constructed for the
Dirac particle coupled to the static spacetime metric. As a direct application,
we analyze the non-relativistic limit of the theory. The new term describing
the specific spin (gravitational moment) interaction effect is recovered in the
Hamiltonian. The comparison of the true gravitational coupling with the purely
inertial case demonstrates that the spin relativistic effects do not violate
the equivalence principle for the Dirac fermions.Comment: Revtex, 12 pages, no figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
Beyond Einstein-Cartan gravity: Quadratic torsion and curvature invariants with even and odd parity including all boundary terms
Recently, gravitational gauge theories with torsion have been discussed by an
increasing number of authors from a classical as well as from a quantum field
theoretical point of view. The Einstein-Cartan(-Sciama-Kibble) Lagrangian has
been enriched by the parity odd pseudoscalar curvature (Hojman, Mukku, and
Sayed) and by torsion square and curvature square pieces, likewise of even and
odd parity. (i) We show that the inverse of the so-called Barbero-Immirzi
parameter multiplying the pseudoscalar curvature, because of the topological
Nieh-Yan form, can only be appropriately discussed if torsion square pieces are
included. (ii) The quadratic gauge Lagrangian with both parities, proposed by
Obukhov et al. and Baekler et al., emerges also in the framework of Diakonov et
al.(2011). We establish the exact relations between both approaches by applying
the topological Euler and Pontryagin forms in a Riemann-Cartan space expressed
for the first time in terms of irreducible pieces of the curvature tensor.
(iii) Only in a Riemann-Cartan spacetime, that is, in a spacetime with torsion,
parity violating terms can be brought into the gravitational Lagrangian in a
straightforward and natural way. Accordingly, Riemann-Cartan spacetime is a
natural habitat for chiral fermionic matter fields.Comment: 12 page latex, as version 2 an old file was submitted by mistake,
this is now the real corrected fil
Quantum Theory in Accelerated Frames of Reference
The observational basis of quantum theory in accelerated systems is studied.
The extension of Lorentz invariance to accelerated systems via the hypothesis
of locality is discussed and the limitations of this hypothesis are pointed
out. The nonlocal theory of accelerated observers is briefly described.
Moreover, the main observational aspects of Dirac's equation in noninertial
frames of reference are presented. The Galilean invariance of nonrelativistic
quantum mechanics and the mass superselection rule are examined in the light of
the invariance of physical laws under inhomogeneous Lorentz transformations.Comment: 25 pages, no figures, contribution to Springer Lecture Notes in
Physics (Proc. SR 2005, Potsdam, Germany, February 13 - 18, 2005
Alternative splicing of the maize Ac transposase transcript in transgenic sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.)
The maize Activator/Dissociation (Ac/Ds) transposable element system was introduced into sugar beet. The autonomous Ac and non-autonomous Ds element excise from the T-DNA vector and integrate at novel positions in the sugar beet genome. Ac and Ds excisions generate footprints in the donor T-DNA that support the hairpin model for transposon excision. Two complete integration events into genomic sugar beet DNA were obtained by IPCR. Integration of Ac leads to an eight bp duplication, while integration of Ds in a homologue of a sugar beet flowering locus gene did not induce a duplication. The molecular structure of the target site indicates Ds integration into a double strand break. Analyses of transposase transcription using RTâPCR revealed low amounts of alternatively spliced mRNAs. The fourth intron of the transposase was found to be partially misspliced. Four different splice products were identified. In addition, the second and third exon were found to harbour two and three novel introns, respectively. These utilize each the same splice donor but several alternative splice acceptor sites. Using the SplicePredictor online tool, one of the two introns within exon two is predicted to be efficiently spliced in maize. Most interestingly, splicing of this intron together with the four major introns of Ac would generate a transposase that lacks the DNA binding domain and two of its three nuclear localization signals, but still harbours the dimerization domain
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