472 research outputs found
The non-abelian D-brane effective action through order
Requiring the existence of certain BPS solutions to the equations of motion,
we determine the bosonic part of the non-abelian D-brane effective action
through order . We also propose an economic organizational
principle for the effective action.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, JHEP styl
Surface immobilization of hexa-histidine-tagged adeno-associated viral vectors for localized gene delivery.
Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors, which are undergoing broad exploration in clinical trials, have significant promise for therapeutic gene delivery because of their safety and delivery efficiency. Gene delivery technologies capable of mediating localized gene expression may further enhance the potential of AAV in a variety of therapeutic applications by reducing spread outside a target region, which may thereby reduce off-target side effects. We have genetically engineered an AAV variant capable of binding to surfaces with high affinity through a hexa-histidine metal-binding interaction. This immobilized AAV vector system mediates high-efficiency delivery to cells that contact the surface and thus may have promise for localized gene delivery, which may aid numerous applications of AAV delivery to gene therapy
Generalized geometry, calibrations and supersymmetry in diverse dimensions
We consider type II backgrounds of the form R^{1,d-1} x M^{10-d} for even d,
preserving 2^{d/2} real supercharges; for d = 4, 6, 8 this is minimal
supersymmetry in d dimensions, while for d = 2 it is N = (2,0) supersymmetry in
two dimensions. For d = 6 we prove, by explicitly solving the Killing-spinor
equations, that there is a one-to-one correspondence between background
supersymmetry equations in pure-spinor form and D-brane generalized
calibrations; this correspondence had been known to hold in the d = 4 case.
Assuming the correspondence to hold for all d, we list the calibration forms
for all admissible D-branes, as well as the background supersymmetry equations
in pure-spinor form. We find a number of general features, including the
following: The pattern of codimensions at which each calibration form appears
exhibits a (mod 4) periodicity. In all cases one of the pure-spinor equations
implies that the internal manifold is generalized Calabi-Yau. Our results are
manifestly invariant under generalized mirror symmetry.Comment: 28 pages, 1 tabl
From ten to four and back again: how to generalize the geometry
We discuss the four-dimensional N=1 effective approach in the study of warped
type II flux compactifications with SU(3)x SU(3)-structure to AdS_4 or flat
Minkowski space-time. The non-trivial warping makes it natural to use a
supergravity formulation invariant under local complexified Weyl
transformations. We obtain the classical superpotential from a standard
argument involving domain walls and generalized calibrations and show how the
resulting F-flatness and D-flatness equations exactly reproduce the full
ten-dimensional supersymmetry equations. Furthermore, we consider the effect of
non-perturbative corrections to this superpotential arising from gaugino
condensation or Euclidean D-brane instantons. For the latter we derive the
supersymmetry conditions in N=1 flux vacua in full generality. We find that the
non-perturbative corrections induce a quantum deformation of the internal
generalized geometry. Smeared instantons allow to understand KKLT-like AdS
vacua from a ten-dimensional point of view. On the other hand, non-smeared
instantons in IIB warped Calabi-Yau compactifications 'destabilize' the
Calabi-Yau complex structure into a genuine generalized complex one. This
deformation gives a geometrical explanation of the non-trivial superpotential
for mobile D3-branes induced by the non-perturbative corrections.Comment: LaTeX, 47 pages, v2, references, hyperref added, v3, correcting small
inaccuracies in eqs. (2.6a) and (5.16
Derivative corrections to the Born-Infeld action through beta-function calculations in N=2 boundary superspace
We calculate the beta-functions for an open string sigma-model in the
presence of a U(1) background. Passing to N=2 boundary superspace, in which the
background is fully characterized by a scalar potential, significantly
facilitates the calculation. Performing the calculation through three loops
yields the equations of motion up to five derivatives on the fieldstrengths,
which upon integration gives the bosonic sector of the effective action for a
single D-brane in trivial bulk background fields through four derivatives and
to all orders in alpha'. Finally, the present calculation shows that demanding
ultra-violet finiteness of the non-linear sigma-model can be reformulated as
the requirement that the background is a deformed stable holomorphic U(1)
bundle.Comment: 25 pages, numerous figure
Reformulating Supersymmetry with a Generalized Dolbeault Operator
The conditions for N=1 supersymmetry in type II supergravity have been
previously reformulated in terms of generalized complex geometry. We improve
that reformulation so as to completely eliminate the remaining explicit
dependence on the metric. Doing so involves a natural generalization of the
Dolbeault operator. As an application, we present some general arguments about
supersymmetric moduli. In particular, a subset of them are then classified by a
certain cohomology. We also argue that the Dolbeault reformulation should make
it easier to find existence theorems for the N=1 equations.Comment: 30 pages, no figures. v2: minor correction
D-branes on AdS flux compactifications
We study D-branes in N=1 flux compactifications to AdS_4. We derive their
supersymmetry conditions and express them in terms of background generalized
calibrations. Basically because AdS has a boundary, the analysis of stability
is more subtle and qualitatively different from the usual case of Minkowski
compactifications. For instance, stable D-branes filling AdS_4 may wrap trivial
internal cycles. Our analysis gives a geometric realization of the
four-dimensional field theory approach of Freedman and collaborators.
Furthermore, the one-to-one correspondence between the supersymmetry conditions
of the background and the existence of generalized calibrations for D-branes is
clarified and extended to any supersymmetric flux background that admits a
time-like Killing vector and for which all fields are time-independent with
respect to the associated time. As explicit examples, we discuss supersymmetric
D-branes on IIA nearly Kaehler AdS_4 flux compactifications.Comment: 43 pages, 2 pictures, 1 table; v2: added references, color to figure
and corrected typo in (6.21b
A second look at N=1 supersymmetric AdS_4 vacua of type IIA supergravity
We show that a class of type IIA vacua recently found within the N=4
effective approach corresponds to compactification on Ads_4 \times S^3 \times
S^3/Z_2^3. The results obtained using the effective method completely match the
general ten-dimensional analysis for the existence of N=1 warped
compactifications on Ads_4 \times M_6. In particular, we verify that the
internal metric is nearly-Kahler and that for specific values of the parameters
the Bianchi identity of the RR 2-form is fulfilled without sources. For another
range of parameters, including the massless case, the Bianchi identity is
satisfied when D6-branes are introduced. Solving the tadpole cancellation
conditions in D=4 we are able to find examples of appropriate sets of branes.
In the second part of this paper we describe how an example with internal space
CP^3 but with non nearly-Kahler metric fits into the general analysis of flux
vacua.Comment: Latex file, 35 pages, no figures. Reference added, minor corrections
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AdS4 flux vacua in type II superstrings and their domain-wall solutions
We investigate the emergence of supersymmetric negative-vacuum-energy ground
states in four dimensions. First, we rely on the analysis of the effective
superpotential, which depends on the background fluxes of the internal
manifold, or equivalently has its origin in the underlying gauged supergravity.
Four-dimensional, supersymmetric anti-de Sitter vacua with all moduli
stabilized appear when appropriate Ramond and Neveu--Schwarz fluxes are
introduced in IIA. Geometric fluxes are not necessary. Then the whole setup is
analyzed from the perspective of the sources, namely D/NS-branes or
Kaluza--Klein monopoles. Orientifold planes are also required for tadpole
cancellation. The solutions found in four dimensions correspond to domain walls
interpolating between AdS4 and flat spacetime. The various consistency
conditions (equations of motion, Bianchi identities and tadpole cancellation
conditions) are always satisfied, albeit with source terms. We also speculate
on the possibility of assigning (formal) entropies to AdS4 flux vacua via the
corresponding dual brane systems.Comment: Acknowledgment replace
Mrgprd Enhances Excitability in Specific Populations of Cutaneous Murine Polymodal Nociceptors
The Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (Mrgprd) is selectively expressed in nonpeptidergic nociceptors that innervate the outer layers of mammalian skin. The function of Mrgprd in nociceptive neurons and the physiologically relevant somatosensory stimuli that activate Mrgprd^-expressing (Mrgprd^+) neurons are currently unknown. To address these issues, we studied three Mrgprd knock-in mouse lines using an ex vivo somatosensory preparation to examine the role of the Mrgprd receptor and Mrgprd+ afferents in cutaneous somatosensation. In mouse hairy skin, Mrgprd, as marked by expression of green fluorescent protein reporters, was expressed predominantly in the population of nonpeptidergic, TRPV1-negative, C-polymodal nociceptors. In mice lacking Mrgprd, this population of nociceptors exhibited decreased sensitivity to cold, heat, and mechanical stimuli. Additionally, in vitro patch-clamp studies were performed on cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) and Mrgprd^(+/–) mice. These studies revealed a higher rheobase in neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) mice than from Mrgprd^(+/–) mice. Furthermore, the application of the Mrgprd ligand β-alanine significantly reduced the rheobase and increased the firing rate in neurons from Mrgprd^(+/–) mice but was without effect in neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) mice. Our results demonstrate that Mrgprd influences the excitability of polymodal nonpeptidergic nociceptors to mechanical and thermal stimuli
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