76 research outputs found
Reconstruction of inhomogeneous metric perturbations and electromagnetic four-potential in Kerr spacetime
We present a procedure that allows the construction of the metric
perturbations and electromagnetic four-potential, for gravitational and
electromagnetic perturbations produced by sources in Kerr spacetime. This may
include, for example, the perturbations produced by a point particle or an
extended object moving in orbit around a Kerr black hole. The construction is
carried out in the frequency domain. Previously, Chrzanowski derived the vacuum
metric perturbations and electromagnetic four-potential by applying a
differential operator to a certain potential . Here we construct
for inhomogeneous perturbations, thereby allowing the application of
Chrzanowski's method. We address this problem in two stages: First, for vacuum
perturbations (i.e. pure gravitational or electromagnetic waves), we construct
the potential from the modes of the Weyl scalars or .
Second, for perturbations produced by sources, we express in terms of
the mode functions of the source, i.e. the energy-momentum tensor or the electromagnetic current vector .Comment: 20 pages; few typos corrected and minor modifications made; accepted
to Phys. Rev.
Stress-energy tensor in colliding plane wave space-times: An approximation procedure
In a recent work on the quantization of a massless scalar field in a
particular colliding plane wave space-time, we computed the vacuum expectation
value of the stress-energy tensor on the physical state which corresponds to
the Minkowski vacuum before the collision of the waves. We did such a
calculation in a region close to both the Killing-Cauchy horizon and the
folding singularities that such a space-time contains. In the present paper, we
give a suitable approximation procedure to compute this expectation value, in
the conformal coupling case, throughout the causal past of the center of the
collision. This will allow us to approximately study the evolution of such an
expectation value from the beginning of the collision until the formation of
the Killing-Cauchy horizon. We start with a null expectation value before the
arrival of the waves, which then acquires nonzero values at the beginning of
the collision and grows unbounded towards the Killing-Cauchy horizon. The value
near the horizon is compatible with our previous result, which means that such
an approximation may be applied to other colliding plane wave space-times. Even
with this approximation, the initial modes propagated into the interaction
region contain a function which cannot be calculated exactly and to ensure the
correct regularization of the stress-energy tensor with the point-splitting
technique, this function must be given up to adiabatic order four of
approximation.Comment: 27 pages, Latex file plus three figures in PostScrip
Quasi-Spherical Light Cones of the Kerr Geometry
Quasi-spherical light cones are lightlike hypersurfaces of the Kerr geometry
that are asymptotic to Minkowski light cones at infinity. We develop the
equations of these surfaces and examine their properties. In particular, we
show that they are free of caustics for all positive values of the Kerr radial
coordinate r. Useful applications include the propagation of high-frequency
waves, the definition of Kruskal-like coordinates for a spinning black hole and
the characteristic initial-value problem.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, 2 figure
Involvement of CCR6/CCL20/IL-17 Axis in NSCLC Disease Progression
OBJECTIVES: Autocrine and paracrine chemokine/chemokine receptor-based interactions promote non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC) carcinogenesis. CCL20/CCR6 interactions are involved in prostatic and colonic malignancy pathogenesis. The expression and function of CCL20/CCR6 and its related Th-17 type immune response in NSCLC is not yet defined. We sought to characterize the role of the CCL20/CCR6/IL-17 axis in NSCLC tumor growth. METHODS: A specialized histopathologist blindly assessed CCL20/CCR6 expression levels in 49 tissue samples of NSCLC patients operated in our department. Results were correlated to disease progression. Colony assays, ERK signaling and chemokine production were measured to assess cancer cell responsiveness to CCL20 and IL-17 stimulation. RESULTS: CCL20 was highly expressed in the majority (38/49, 77.5%) of tumor samples. Only a minority of samples (8/49, 16.5%) showed high CCR6 expression. High CCR6 expression was associated with a shorter disease-free survival (Pâ=â0.008) and conferred a disease stage-independent 4.87-fold increased risk for disease recurrence (Pâ=â0.0076, CI 95% 1.52-15.563). Cancerous cell colony-forming capacity was increased by CCL20 stimulation; this effect was dependent in part on ERK phosphorylation and signaling. IL-17 expression was detected in NSCLC; IL-17 potentiated the production of CCL20 by cancerous cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the CCL20/CCR6 axis promotes NSCLC disease progression. CCR6 is identified as a potential new prognostic marker and the CCL20/CCR6/IL-17 axis as a potential new therapeutic target. Larger scale studies are required to consolidate these observations
Non-linear instability of Kerr-type Cauchy horizons
Using the general solution to the Einstein equations on intersecting null
surfaces developed by Hayward, we investigate the non-linear instability of the
Cauchy horizon inside a realistic black hole. Making a minimal assumption about
the free gravitational data allows us to solve the field equations along a null
surface crossing the Cauchy Horizon. As in the spherical case, the results
indicate that a diverging influx of gravitational energy, in concert with an
outflux across the CH, is responsible for the singularity. The spacetime is
asymptotically Petrov type N, the same algebraic type as a gravitational shock
wave. Implications for the continuation of spacetime through the singularity
are briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages RevTeX, two postscript figures included using epsf.st
Some remarks on a new exotic spacetime for time travel by free fall
This work is essentially a review of a new spacetime model with closed causal
curves, recently presented in another paper (Class. Quantum Grav.
\textbf{35}(16) (2018), 165003). The spacetime at issue is topologically
trivial, free of curvature singularities, and even time and space orientable.
Besides summarizing previous results on causal geodesics, tidal accelerations
and violations of the energy conditions, here redshift/blueshift effects and
the Hawking-Ellis classification of the stress-energy tensor are examined.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures. Submitted as a contribution to the proceedings
of "DOMOSCHOOL - International Alpine School of Mathematics and Physics,
Domodossola 2018". Possible text overlaps with my previous work
arXiv:1803.08214, of which this is essentially a review. Additional results
concerning redshift/blueshift effects and the classification of the
stress-energy tensor are presented her
The DNA damage response pathway regulates the expression of the immune checkpoint CD47
CD47 is a cell surface ligand expressed on all nucleated cells. It is a unique immune checkpoint protein acting as âdonât eat meâ signal to prevent phagocytosis and is constitutively overexpressed in many tumors. However, the underlying mechanism(s) for CD47 overexpression is not clear. Here, we show that irradiation (IR) as well as various other genotoxic agents induce elevated expression of CD47. This upregulation correlates with the extent of residual double-strand breaks (DSBs) as determined by ÎłH2AX staining. Interestingly, cells lacking mre-11, a component of the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex that plays a central role in DSB repair, or cells treated with the mre-11 inhibitor, mirin, fail to elevate the expression of CD47 upon DNA damage. On the other hand, both p53 and NF-ÎșB pathways or cell-cycle arrest do not play a role in CD47 upregualtion upon DNA damage. We further show that CD47 expression is upregulated in livers harvested from mice treated with the DNA-damage inducing agent Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and in cisplatin-treated mesothelioma tumors. Hence, our results indicate that CD47 is upregulated following DNA damage in a mre-11-dependent manner. Chronic DNA damage response in cancer cells might contribute to constitutive elevated expression of CD47 and promote immune evasion.</p
Stability criterion for self-similar solutions with a scalar field and those with a stiff fluid in general relativity
A stability criterion is derived in general relativity for self-similar
solutions with a scalar field and those with a stiff fluid, which is a perfect
fluid with the equation of state . A wide class of self-similar
solutions turn out to be unstable against kink mode perturbation. According to
the criterion, the Evans-Coleman stiff-fluid solution is unstable and cannot be
a critical solution for the spherical collapse of a stiff fluid if we allow
sufficiently small discontinuity in the density gradient field in the initial
data sets. The self-similar scalar-field solution, which was recently found
numerically by Brady {\it et al.} (2002 {\it Class. Quantum. Grav.} {\bf 19}
6359), is also unstable. Both the flat Friedmann universe with a scalar field
and that with a stiff fluid suffer from kink instability at the particle
horizon scale.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravity,
typos correcte
Newtonian Analysis of Gravitational Waves from Naked Singularity
Spherical dust collapse generally forms a shell focusing naked singularity at
the symmetric center. This naked singularity is massless. Further the Newtonian
gravitational potential and speed of the dust fluid elements are everywhere
much smaller than unity until the central shell focusing naked singularity
formation if an appropriate initial condition is set up. Although such a
situation is highly relativistic, the analysis by the Newtonian approximation
scheme is available even in the vicinity of the space-time singularity. This
remarkable feature makes the analysis of such singularity formation very easy.
We investigate non-spherical even-parity matter perturbations in this scheme by
complementary using numerical and semi-analytical approaches, and estimate
linear gravitational waves generated in the neighborhood of the naked
singularity by the quadrupole formula. The result shows good agreement with the
relativistic perturbation analysis recently performed by Iguchi et al. The
energy flux of the gravitational waves is finite but the space-time curvature
carried by them diverges.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure
In the Hunt for Therapeutic Targets: Mimicking the Growth, Metastasis, and Stromal Associations of Early-Stage Lung Cancer Using a Novel Orthotopic Animal Model
BackgroundThe existing shortage of animal models that properly mimic the progression of early-stage human lung cancer from a solitary confined tumor to an invasive metastatic disease hinders accurate characterization of key interactions between lung cancer cells and their stroma. We herein describe a novel orthotopic animal model that addresses these concerns and consequently serves as an attractive platform to study tumorâstromal cell interactions under conditions that reflect early-stage lung cancer.MethodsUnlike previous methodologies, we directly injected small numbers of human or murine lung cancer cells into murine's left lung and longitudinally monitored disease progression. Next, we used green fluorescent protein-tagged tumor cells and immuno-fluorescent staining to determine the tumor's microanatomic distribution and to look for tumor-infiltrating immune cells and stromal cells. Finally, we compared chemokine gene expression patterns in the tumor and lung microenvironment.ResultsWe successfully generated a solitary pulmonary nodule surrounded by normal lung parenchyma that grew locally and spread distally over time. Notably, we found that both fibroblasts and leukocytes are recruited to the tumor's margins and that distinct myeloid cell attracting and CCR2-binding chemokines are specifically induced in the tumor microenvironment.ConclusionOur orthotopic lung cancer model closely mimics the pathologic sequence of events that characterizes early-stage human lung cancer propagation. It further introduces new means to monitor tumorâstromal cell interactions and offers unique opportunities to test therapeutic targets under conditions that reflect early-stage lung cancer. We argue that for such purposes our model is superior to lung cancer models that are based either on genetic induction of epithelial transformation or on ectopic transplantation of malignant cells
- âŠ