Renormalizability of Effective Scalar Field Theory

We present a comprehensive discussion of the consistency of the effective quantum field theory of a single $Z_2$ symmetric scalar field. The theory is constructed from a bare Euclidean action which at a scale much greater than the particle's mass is constrained only by the most basic requirements; stability, finiteness, analyticity, naturalness, and global symmetry. We prove to all orders in perturbation theory the boundedness, convergence, and universality of the theory at low energy scales, and thus that the theory is perturbatively renormalizable in the sense that to a certain precision over a range of such scales it depends only on a finite number of parameters. We then demonstrate that the effective theory has a well defined unitary and causal analytic S--matrix at all energy scales. We also show that redundant terms in the Lagrangian may be systematically eliminated by field redefinitions without changing the S--matrix, and discuss the extent to which effective field theory and analytic S--matrix theory are actually equivalent. All this is achieved by a systematic exploitation of Wilson's exact renormalization group flow equation, as used by Polchinski in his original proof of the renormalizability of conventional $\varphi^4$-theory.Comment: 80 pages, TeX, OUTP-93-23P, CERN-TH.7067/93. Many minor revisions, and several new paragraph

Hepatitis C virus vaccine: Challenges and prospects

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes both acute and chronic infection and continues to be a global problem despite advances in antiviral therapeutics. Current treatments fail to prevent reinfection and remain expensive, limiting their use to developed countries, and the asymptomatic nature of acute infection can result in individuals not receiving treatment and unknowingly spreading HCV. A prophylactic vaccine is therefore needed to control this virus. Thirty years since the discovery of HCV, there have been major gains in understanding the molecular biology and elucidating the immunological mechanisms that underpin spontaneous viral clearance, aiding rational vaccine design. This review discusses the challenges facing HCV vaccine design and the most recent and promising candidates being investigated

SEPARATION OF EPIDERMAL LAYERS OF THE NEWBORN RAT

A method is presented for the separation of epidermal strata by the successive elimination of either the basal or basal and spinous cells with 0.24 M NH4Cl at pH 9.5. Histologic evidence suggests that the residual epidermal strata obtained after incubation of the skin with NH4Cl are reproducible; hence, this technique circumvents loss of granular layer histidine-rich protein inherent with trypsin separation and provides an effective procedure for biochemical analysis of arginine-rich and lysine-rich proteins in the various differentiating epidermal cells

Effect of deoxycholic acid on the performance of liquid electrolyte dye-sensitized solar cells using a perylene monoimide derivative

The effect of coadsorption with deoxycholic acid (DCA) on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell based on perylene monoimide derivative (PCA) as sensitizer and liquid electrolyte had been investigated. The current-voltage characteristics under illumination and incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) spectra of the DSSCs showed that the coadsorption of DCA with the PCA dye results in a significant improvement in short circuit photocurrent and slight increase in the open circuit photovoltage, which lead to an overall power conversion efficiency. The enhancement of short circuit current was attributed to the increased electron injection efficiency from the excited state of PCA into the conduction band of TiO2 and charge collection efficiency. The current-voltage characteristics in dark indicates a positive shift in the conduction which also supports the enhancement in the photocurrent. The coadsorption with DCA suppressed charge recombination as indicated from the electrochemical impedance spectra and thus improved the open circuit photovoltage

Synergistic effect of fibres on the physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of aerogel-based thermal insulating renders

There is an increasing demand for highly efficient thermal insulating materials in buildings. This study presents a novel solution incorporating nanomaterials, such as silica aerogel, which can achieve low thermal conductivity values (below 0.030 W m-1 K-1) in renders. A key challenge of using aerogels is their low mechanical strength and high capillary water absorption. Here we describe a novel approach employing fibres which mitigates against some key properties which are decreased as a consequence of using aerogel. The incorporation of aramid (0.50%), sisal (0.10%), and biomass (0.10%) fibres (by total volume) was evaluated experimentally in terms of physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties. A synergistic effect between the fibres and aerogel increased mechanical resistance and a reduction in the capillary water absorption, when compared to the reference render (without fibres), whilst maintaining the low thermal conductivity. However, these properties depended significantly on whether the fibres were synthetic or organic. This study is important as it demonstrates that aerogel-based fibre-enhanced thermal renders can contribute to higher energy efficiency in both new construction and retrofitting. The use of these materials will have a direct positive impact on addressing the climate crisis

The dietary isothiocyanate sulforaphane modulates gene expression and alternative gene splicing in a PTEN null preclinical murine model of prostate cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dietary or therapeutic interventions to counteract the loss of PTEN expression could contribute to the prevention of prostate carcinogenesis or reduce the rate of cancer progression. In this study, we investigate the interaction between sulforaphane, a dietary isothiocyanate derived from broccoli, PTEN expression and gene expression in pre malignant prostate tissue.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We initially describe heterogeneity in expression of PTEN in non-malignant prostate tissue of men deemed to be at risk of prostate cancer. We subsequently use the mouse prostate-specific PTEN deletion model, to show that sulforaphane suppresses transcriptional changes induced by PTEN deletion and induces additional changes in gene expression associated with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in PTEN null tissue, but has no effect on transcription in wild type tissue. Comparative analyses of changes in gene expression in mouse and human prostate tissue indicate that similar changes can be induced in humans with a broccoli-rich diet. Global analyses of exon expression demonstrated that sulforaphane interacts with PTEN deletion to modulate alternative gene splicing, illustrated through a more detailed analysis of DMBT1 splicing.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To our knowledge, this is the first report of how diet may perturb changes in transcription induced by PTEN deletion, and the effects of diet on global patterns of alternative gene splicing. The study exemplifies the complex interaction between diet, genotype and gene expression, and the multiple modes of action of small bioactive dietary components.</p