12,518 research outputs found
Large classical universes emerging from quantum cosmology
It is generally believed that one cannot obtain a large Universe from quantum
cosmological models without an inflationary phase in the classical expanding
era because the typical size of the Universe after leaving the quantum regime
should be around the Planck length, and the standard decelerated classical
expansion after that is not sufficient to enlarge the Universe in the time
available. For instance, in many quantum minisuperspace bouncing models studied
in the literature, solutions where the Universe leave the quantum regime in the
expanding phase with appropriate size have negligible probability amplitude
with respect to solutions leaving this regime around the Planck length. In this
paper, I present a general class of moving gaussian solutions of the
Wheeler-DeWitt equation where the velocity of the wave in minisuperspace along
the scale factor axis, which is the new large parameter introduced in order to
circumvent the abovementioned problem, induces a large acceleration around the
quantum bounce, forcing the Universe to leave the quantum regime sufficiently
big to increase afterwards to the present size, without needing any classical
inflationary phase in between, and with reasonable relative probability
amplitudes with respect to models leaving the quantum regime around the Planck
scale. Furthermore, linear perturbations around this background model are free
of any transplanckian problem.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
Quantum Stephani exact cosmological solutions and the selection of time variable
We study perfect fluid Stephani quantum cosmological model. In the present
work the Schutz's variational formalism which recovers the notion of time is
applied. This gives rise to Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the scale factor. We
use the eigenfunctions in order to construct wave packets for each case. We
study the time-dependent behavior of the expectation value of the scale factor,
using many-worlds and deBroglie-Bohm interpretations of quantum mechanics.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure
Adaptabilidade e estabilidade como critérios para seleção de genótipos de girassol.
O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar critérios para seleção de genótipos de girassol com base na média geral obtida em vários locais e sua decomposição em ambientes favoráveis e desfavoráveis e por meio de outros métodos de análise de adaptabilidade e estabilidade, como os de Eberhart & Russell, Lin & Binns, Carneiro e Carvalho et al. Foram analisados dados obtidos entre os anos de 1999 e 2004 na Rede Nacional de Ensaios de Girassol, coordenada pela Embrapa Soja e que conta com a participação de empresas públicas e privadas. Os caracteres avaliados foram rendimento de grãos e de óleo (kg ha-1). A análise da decomposição da média geral em médias de ambientes favoráveis e desfavoráveis (método da indicação com base na decomposição da média geral - IDMG) foi o critério mais adequado para a indicação de genótipos. A análise de regressão contribuiu com informações adicionais, indicando a responsividade e previsibilidade dos genótipos diante das mudanças ambientais
Perturbations in Bouncing Cosmological Models
I describe the features and general properties of bouncing models and the
evolution of cosmological perturbations on such backgrounds. I will outline
possible observational consequences of the existence of a bounce in the
primordial Universe and I will make a comparison of these models with standard
long inflationary scenarios.Comment: 9 pages, no figure
Hamiltonian Poincar\'e Gauge Theory of Gravitation
We develop a Hamiltonian formalism suitable to be applied to gauge theories
in the presence of Gravitation, and to Gravity itself when considered as a
gauge theory. It is based on a nonlinear realization of the Poincar\'e group,
taken as the local spacetime group of the gravitational gauge theory, with
as the classification subgroup. The Wigner--like rotation induced by
the nonlinear approach singularizes out the role of time and allows to deal
with ordinary vectors. We apply the general results to the
Einstein--Cartan action. We study the constraints and we obtain Einstein's
classical equations in the extremely simple form of time evolution equations of
the coframe. As a consequence of our approach, we identify the
gauge--theoretical origin of the Ashtekar variables.Comment: 38 pages, plainTe
QED vacuum between an unusual pair of plates
We consider the photon field between an unusual configuration of infinite
parallel plates: a perfectly conducting plate and an
infinitely permeable one . After quantizing the vector potential
in the Coulomb gauge, we obtain explicit expressions for the vacuum expectation
values of field operators of the form and . These field correlators allow us to reobtain the Casimir
effect for this set up and to discuss the light velocity shift caused by the
presence of plates (Scharnhorst effect \cite{Scharnhorst,Barton,BarScharn}) for
both scalar and spinor QED.Comment: Latex, 16 pages, no figure
Noncommutative Geometry and Cosmology
We study some consequences of noncommutativity to homogeneous cosmologies by
introducing a deformation of the commutation relation between the
minisuperspace variables. The investigation is carried out for the
Kantowski-Sachs model by means of a comparative study of the universe evolution
in four different scenarios: the classical commutative, classical
noncommutative, quantum commutative, and quantum noncommutative. The comparison
is rendered transparent by the use of the Bohmian formalism of quantum
trajectories. As a result of our analysis, we found that noncommutativity can
modify significantly the universe evolution, but cannot alter its singular
behavior in the classical context. Quantum effects, on the other hand, can
originate non-singular periodic universes in both commutative and
noncommutative cases. The quantum noncommutative model is shown to present
interesting properties, as the capability to give rise to non-trivial dynamics
in situations where its commutative counterpart is necessarily static.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, substantial changes in the presentation, results
are the same, to appear in Physical Review
Falsifying Tree Level String Motivated Bouncing Cosmologies
The string effective action at tree level contains, in its bosonic sector,
the Einstein-Hilbert term, the dilaton, and the axion, besides scalar and gauge
fields coming from the Ramond-Ramond sector. The reduction to four dimensions
brings to scene moduli fields. We generalize this effective action by
introducing two arbitrary parameters, and , connected with the
dilaton and axion couplings. In this way, more general frameworks can be
analyzed. Regular solutions with a bounce can be obtained for a range of
(negative) values of the parameter which, however, exclude the pure
string configuration (). We study the evolution of scalar
perturbations in such cosmological scenarios. The predicted primordial power
spectrum decreases with the wavenumber with spectral index , in
contradiction with the results of the . Hence, all such effective string
motivated cosmological bouncing models seem to be ruled out, at least at the
tree level approximation.Comment: Latex file, 19 pages, 3 figures in eps forma
Quantum Cosmology in Scalar-Tensor Theories With Non Minimal Coupling
Quantization in the minisuperspace of non minimal scalar-tensor theories
leads to a partial differential equation which is non separable. Through a
conformal transformation we can recast the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in an
integrable form, which corresponds to the minimal coupling case, whose general
solution is known. Performing the inverse conformal transformation in the
solution so found, we can construct the corresponding one in the original
frame. This procedure can also be employed with the bohmian trajectories. In
this way, we can study the classical limit of some solutions of this quantum
model. While the classical limit of these solutions occurs for small scale
factors in the Einstein's frame, it happens for small values of the scalar
field non minimally coupled to gravity in the Jordan's frame, which includes
large scale factors.Comment: latex, 18 page
HDAC8 and STAT3 Repress BMF Gene Activity in Colon Cancer Cells
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are undergoing clinical trials as anticancer agents, but some exhibit resistance mechanisms linked to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 functions, such as BH3-only protein silencing. HDAC inhibitors that reactivate BH3-only family members might offer an improved therapeutic approach. We show here that a novel seleno-α-keto acid triggers global histone acetylation in human colon cancer cells and activates apoptosis in a p21-independent manner. Profiling of multiple survival factors identified a critical role for the BH3-only member Bcl-2-modifying factor (Bmf). On the corresponding BMF gene promoter, loss of HDAC8 was associated with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/specificity protein 3 (Sp3) transcription factor exchange and recruitment of p300. Treatment with a p300 inhibitor or transient overexpression of exogenous HDAC8 interfered with BMF induction, whereas RNAi-mediated silencing of STAT3 activated the target gene. This is the first report to identify a direct target gene of HDAC8 repression, namely, BMF. Interestingly, the repressive role of HDAC8 could be uncoupled from HDAC1 to trigger Bmf-mediated apoptosis. These findings have implications for the development of HDAC8-selective inhibitors as therapeutic agents, beyond the reported involvement of HDAC8 in childhood malignancy
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