176 research outputs found
Infinite number of MSSMs from heterotic line bundles?
We consider heterotic E8xE8 supergravity compactified on smooth Calabi-Yau
manifolds with line bundle gauge backgrounds. Infinite sets of models that
satisfy the Bianchi identities and flux quantization conditions can be
constructed by letting their background flux quanta grow without bound. Even
though we do not have a general proof, we find that all examples are at the
boundary of the theory's validity: the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck-Yau equations, which
can be thought of as vanishing D-term conditions, cannot be satisfied inside
the Kaehler cone unless a growing number of scalar Vacuum Expectation Values
(VEVs) is switched on. As they are charged under various line bundles
simultaneously, the gauge background gets deformed by these VEVs to a
non-Abelian bundle. In general, our physical expectation is that such infinite
sets of models should be impossible, since they never seem to occur in exact
CFT constructions.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 4 tables, some references and comments adde
The influence of a magnetic field on photon beam radiotherapy in a normal human TK6 lymphoblastoid cell line
Background: The implementation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided radiotherapy (RT) continues to increase. Very limited in-vitro data on the interaction of ionizing radiation and magnetic fields (MF) have been published. In these experiments we focused on the radiation response in a MF of the TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells which are known to be highly radiosensitive due to efficient radiation-induced apoptosis.
Methods: Clonogenicity was determined 12â14âdays after irradiation with 1â4âGy 6 MV photons with or without a 1.0 Tesla MF. Furthermore, alterations in cell cycle distribution and rates of radiation induced apoptosis (FACS analysis of cells with sub-G1 DNA content) were analyzed.
Results: Clonogenic survival showed an exponential dose-dependence, and the radiation sensitivity parameter (αâ=â1.57/Gy) was in accordance with earlier reports. Upon comparing the clonogenic survival between the two groups, identical results within error bars were obtained. The survival fractions at 2âGy were 9% (without MF) and 8.5% (with MF), respectively.
Conclusion: A 1.0 Tesla MF does not affect the clonogenicity of TK6 cells irradiated with 1â4âGy 6MV photons. This supports the use of MRI guided RT, however ongoing research on the interaction of MF and radiotherapy is warranted
Moduli backreaction and supersymmetry breaking in string-inspired inflation models
We emphasize the importance of effects from heavy fields on supergravity
models of inflation. We study, in particular, the backreaction of stabilizer
fields and geometric moduli in the presence of supersymmetry breaking. Many
effects do not decouple even if those fields are much heavier than the inflaton
field. We apply our results to successful models of Starobinsky-like inflation
and natural inflation. In most scenarios producing a plateau potential it
proves difficult to retain the flatness of the potential after backreactions
are taken into account. Some of them are incompatible with non-perturbative
moduli stabilization. In natural inflation there exist a number of models which
are not constrained by backreactions at all. In those cases the correction
terms from heavy fields have the same inflaton-dependence as the uncorrected
potential, so that inflation may be possible even for very large gravitino
masses.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure, comments added, subsection 2.3 added, published
versio
Dokumentation SSYST-1: Ein Programmsystem zur Beschreibung des LWR-Brennstabverhaltens bei Kuehlmittelverluststoerfaellen
Rational F-Theory GUTs without exotics
We construct F-theory GUT models without exotic matter, leading to the MSSM
matter spectrum with potential singlet extensions. The interplay of engineering
explicit geometric setups, absence of four-dimensional anomalies, and realistic
phenomenology of the couplings places severe constraints on the allowed local
models in a given geometry. In constructions based on the spectral cover we
find no model satisfying all these requirements. We then provide a survey of
models with additional U(1) symmetries arising from rational sections of the
elliptic fibration in toric constructions and obtain phenomenologically
appealing models based on SU(5) tops. Furthermore we perform a bottom-up
exploration beyond the toric section constructions discussed in the literature
so far and identify benchmark models passing all our criteria, which can serve
as a guideline for future geometric engineering.Comment: 27 Pages, 1 Figur
The endocannabinoid system controls food intake via olfactory processes
Comment in Sensory systems: the hungry sense. [Nat Rev Neurosci. 2014] Inhaling: endocannabinoids and food intake. [Nat Neurosci. 2014]; International audience; Hunger arouses sensory perception, eventually leading to an increase in food intake, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We found that cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors promote food intake in fasted mice by increasing odor detection. CB1 receptors were abundantly expressed on axon terminals of centrifugal cortical glutamatergic neurons that project to inhibitory granule cells of the main olfactory bulb (MOB). Local pharmacological and genetic manipulations revealed that endocannabinoids and exogenous cannabinoids increased odor detection and food intake in fasted mice by decreasing excitatory drive from olfactory cortex areas to the MOB. Consistently, cannabinoid agonists dampened in vivo optogenetically stimulated excitatory transmission in the same circuit. Our data indicate that cortical feedback projections to the MOB crucially regulate food intake via CB1 receptor signaling, linking the feeling of hunger to stronger odor processing. Thus, CB1 receptor-dependent control of cortical feedback projections in olfactory circuits couples internal states to perception and behavior
A perfect match of MSSM-like orbifold and resolution models via anomalies
Compactification of the heterotic string on toroidal orbifolds is a promising
set-up for the construction of realistic unified models of particle physics.
The target space dynamics of such models, however, drives them slightly away
from the orbifold point in moduli space. This resolves curvature singularities,
but makes the string computations very difficult. On these smooth manifolds we
have to rely on an effective supergravity approximation in the large volume
limit. By comparing an orbifold example with its blow-up version, we try to
transfer the computational power of the orbifold to the smooth manifold. Using
local properties, we establish a perfect map of the the chiral spectra as well
as the (local) anomalies of these models. A key element in this discussion is
the Green-Schwarz anomaly polynomial. It allows us to identify those
redefinitions of chiral fields and localized axions in the blow-up process
which are relevant for the interactions (such as Yukawa-couplings) in the model
on the smooth space.Comment: 2+35 pages, 1 figur
Gauged Linear Sigma Models for toroidal orbifold resolutions
Toroidal orbifolds and their resolutions are described within the framework
of (2,2) Gauged Linear Sigma Models (GLSMs). Our procedure describes two-tori
as hypersurfaces in (weighted) projective spaces. The description is chosen
such that the orbifold singularities correspond to the zeros of their
homogeneous coordinates. The individual orbifold singularities are resolved
using a GLSM guise of non-compact toric resolutions, i.e. replacing discrete
orbifold actions by Abelian worldsheet gaugings. Given that we employ the same
global coordinates for both the toroidal orbifold and its resolutions, our GLSM
formalism confirms the gluing procedure on the level of divisors discussed by
Lust et al. Using our global GLSM description we can study the moduli space of
such toroidal orbifolds as a whole. In particular, changes in topology can be
described as phase transitions of the underlying GLSM. Finally, we argue that
certain partially resolvable GLSMs, in which a certain number of fixed points
can never be resolved, might be useful for the study of mini-landscape orbifold
MSSMs.Comment: 71 pages, 2 figure
Modulation of Glucose Transporter 1 (GLUT1) Expression Levels Alters Mouse Mammary Tumor Cell Growth In Vitro and In Vivo
Tumor cells exhibit an altered metabolism characterized by elevated aerobic glycolysis and lactate secretion which is supported by an increase in glucose transport and consumption. We hypothesized that reducing or eliminating the expression of the most prominently expressed glucose transporter(s) would decrease the amount of glucose available to breast cancer cells thereby decreasing their metabolic capacity and proliferative potential
Singular Location and Signaling Profile of Adenosine A2A-Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Heteromers in the Dorsal Striatum
The dorsal striatum is a key node for many neurobiological processes such as motor activity, cognitive functions, and affective processes. The proper functioning of striatal neurons relies critically on metabotropic receptors. Specifically, the main adenosine and endocannabinoid receptors present in the striatum, ie, adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) and cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R), are of pivotal importance in the control of neuronal excitability. Facilitatory and inhibitory functional interactions between striatal A2AR and CB1R have been reported, and evidence supports that this cross-talk may rely, at least in part, on the formation of A2AR-CB1R heteromeric complexes. However, the specific location and properties of these heteromers have remained largely unknown. Here, by using techniques that allowed a precise visualization of the heteromers in situ in combination with sophisticated genetically-modified animal models, together with biochemical and pharmacological approaches, we provide a high resolution expression map and a detailed functional characterization of A2AR-CB1R heteromers in the dorsal striatum. Specifically, our data unveil that the A2AR-CB1R heteromer (i) is essentially absent from corticostriatal projections and striatonigral neurons, and, instead, is largely present in striatopallidal neurons, (ii) displays a striking G protein-coupled signaling profile, where co-stimulation of both receptors leads to strongly reduced downstream signaling, and (iii) undergoes an unprecedented dysfunction in Huntingtonâs disease, an archetypal disease that affects striatal neurons. Altogether, our findings may open a new conceptual framework to understand the role of coordinated adenosine-endocannabinoid signaling in the indirect striatal pathway, which may be relevant in motor function and neurodegenerative diseases
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