Towards an Ashtekar formalism in eight dimensions

We investigate the possibility of extending the Ashtekar theory to eight dimensions. Our approach relies on two notions: the octonionic structure and the MacDowell-Mansouri formalism generalized to a spacetime of signature 1+7. The key mathematical tool for our construction is the self-dual (antiself-dual) four-rank fully antisymmetric octonionic tensor. Our results may be of particular interest in connection with a possible formulation of M-theory via matroid theory.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, minor changes, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra

N terminus is key to the dominant negative suppression of CaV2 calcium channels: implications for episodic ataxia type 2

Expression of the calcium channels CaV2.1 and CaV2.2 is markedly suppressed by co-expression with truncated constructs containing Domain I. This is the basis for the phenomenon of dominant negative suppression observed for many of the episodic ataxia type 2 mutations in CaV2.1 that predict truncated channels. The process of dominant negative suppression has been shown previously to stem from interaction between the full-length and truncated channels and to result in downstream consequences of the unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation. We have now identified the specific domain that triggers this effect. For both CaV2.1 and CaV2.2, the minimum construct producing suppression was the cytoplasmic N terminus. Suppression was enhanced by tethering the N terminus to the membrane with a CAAX motif. The 11-amino acid motif (including Arg52 and Arg54) within the N terminus, which we have previously shown to be required for G protein modulation, is also essential for dominant negative suppression. Suppression is prevented by addition of an N-terminal tag (XFP) to the full-length and truncated constructs. We further show that suppression of CaV2.2 currents by the N terminus-CAAX construct is accompanied by a reduction in CaV2.2 protein level, and this is also prevented by mutation of Arg52 and Arg54 to Ala in the truncated construct. Taken together, our evidence indicates that both the extreme N terminus and the Arg52, Arg54 motif are involved in the processes underlying dominant negative suppression

On Exactness Of The Supersymmetric WKB Approximation Scheme

Exactness of the lowest order supersymmetric WKB (SWKB) quantization condition $\int^{x_2}_{x_1} \sqrt{E-\omega^2(x)} dx = n \hbar \pi$, for certain potentials, is examined, using complex integration technique. Comparison of the above scheme with a similar, but {\it exact} quantization condition, $\oint_c p(x,E) dx = 2\pi n \hbar$, originating from the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi formalism reveals that, the locations and the residues of the poles that contribute to these integrals match identically, for both of these cases. As these poles completely determine the eigenvalues in these two cases, the exactness of the SWKB for these potentials is accounted for. Three non-exact cases are also analysed; the origin of this non-exactness is shown to be due the presence of additional singularities in $\sqrt{E-\omega^2(x)}$, like branch cuts in the $x-$plane.Comment: 11 pages, latex, 1 figure available on reques

A photometric and kinematic study of the stars and interstellar medium in the central two kpc of NGC 3379

HST images of NGC 3379 show that the V and I luminosity profiles in the inner 13 arcsec of this E1 galaxy are represented by two different components: a stellar bulge following a Sersic Law with exponent n = 2.36, and a central core (r < 0.7 arcsec) with a characteristic "cuspy" profile. Subtraction of the underlying stellar component represented by the fitted Sersic profile revealed the presence of a small (r ~ 105 pc) dust disk of about 150 solar masses, oriented at PA = 125 degrees and inclined ~ 77 degrees with respect to the line of sight. The same absorption structure is detected in the color-index (V-I) image. The stellar rotation in the inner 20 arcsec is well represented by a parametric planar disk model, inclined ~ 26 degrees relative to the plane of the sky, and apparent major axis along PA ~ 67 degrees. The gas velocity curves in the inner 5 arcsec show a steep gradient, indicating that the gas rotates much faster than the stars, although in the same direction. The velocity field of the gaseous system, however, is not consistent with the simple model of Keplerian rotation sustained by the large (7 x 10E9 solar masses within a radius of ~ 90 pc) central mass implied by the maximum velocity observed, but the available data precludes a more detailed analysis.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX(aaspp4.sty), 9 figures included. Figs. 1 and 5 are colour plates. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (part 1

Ground-state topology of the Edwards-Anderson +/-J spin glass model

In the Edwards-Anderson model of spin glasses with a bimodal distribution of bonds, the degeneracy of the ground state allows one to define a structure called backbone, which can be characterized by the rigid lattice (RL), consisting of the bonds that retain their frustration (or lack of it) in all ground states. In this work we have performed a detailed numerical study of the properties of the RL, both in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) lattices. Whereas in 3D we find strong evidence for percolation in the thermodynamic limit, in 2D our results indicate that the most probable scenario is that the RL does not percolate. On the other hand, both in 2D and 3D we find that frustration is very unevenly distributed. Frustration is much lower in the RL than in its complement. Using equilibrium simulations we observe that this property can be found even above the critical temperature. This leads us to propose that the RL should share many properties of ferromagnetic models, an idea that recently has also been proposed in other contexts. We also suggest a preliminary generalization of the definition of backbone for systems with continuous distributions of bonds, and we argue that the study of this structure could be useful for a better understanding of the low temperature phase of those frustrated models.Comment: 16 pages and 21 figure

Self-dual gravity and self-dual Yang-Mills in the context of Macdowell-Mansouri formalism

In this work we propose an action which unifies self-dual gravity and self-dual Yang-Mills in the context of the Macdowell-Mansouri formalism. We claim that such an action may be used to find the S-dual action for both self-dual gravity and self-dual Yang-Mills.Comment: 8 pages, Revtex, no figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Review on possible gravitational anomalies

This is an updated introductory review of 2 possible gravitational anomalies that has attracted part of the Scientific community: the Allais effect that occur during solar eclipses, and the Pioneer 10 spacecraft anomaly, experimented also by Pioneer 11 and Ulysses spacecrafts. It seems that, to date, no satisfactory conventional explanation exist to these phenomena, and this suggests that possible new physics will be needed to account for them. The main purpose of this review is to announce 3 other new measurements that will be carried on during the 2005 solar eclipses in Panama and Colombia (Apr. 8) and in Portugal (Oct.15).Comment: Published in 'Journal of Physics: Conferences Series of the American Institute of Physics'. Contribution for the VI Mexican School on Gravitation and Mathematical Physics "Approaches to Quantum Gravity" (Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Nov. 21-27, 2004). Updates to this information will be posted in http://www.lsc-group.phys.uwm.edu/~xavier.amador/anomalies.htm

Studies for a Photon Collider at the ILC

One option at the International Linear Collider is to convert the electron beams into high energy photon beams by Compton scattering a few millimetres in front of the interaction region. Selected physics channels for this option have been analysed and technical issues have been studied. So far no showstoppers for this option have been found.Comment: V2: Minor changes, accepted by NI

Report of the ICES\NAFO Joint Working Group on Deep-water Ecology (WGDEC), 11–15 March 2013, Floedevigen, Norway.

On 11 February 2013, the joint ICES/NAFO WGDEC, chaired by Francis Neat (UK) and attended by ten members met at the Institute for Marine Research in Floedevi-gen, Norway to consider the terms of reference (ToR) listed in Section 2. WGDEC was requested to update all records of deep-water vulnerable marine eco-systems (VMEs) in the North Atlantic. New data from a range of sources including multibeam echosounder surveys, fisheries surveys, habitat modelling and seabed imagery surveys was provided. For several areas across the North Atlantic, WGDEC makes recommendations for areas to be closed to bottom fisheries for the purposes of conservation of VMEs