908 research outputs found
Conformal Current Algebra in Two Dimensions
We construct a non-chiral current algebra in two dimensions consistent with
conformal invariance. We show that the conformal current algebra is realized in
non-linear sigma-models on supergroup manifolds with vanishing dual Coxeter
number, with or without a Wess-Zumino term. The current algebra is computed
using two distinct methods. First we exploit special algebraic properties of
supergroups to compute the exact two- and three-point functions of the currents
and from them we infer the current algebra. The algebra is also calculated by
using conformal perturbation theory about the Wess-Zumino-Witten point and
resumming the perturbation series. We also prove that these models realize a
non-chiral Kac-Moody algebra and construct an infinite set of commuting
operators that is closed under the action of the Kac-Moody generators. The
supergroup models that we consider include models with applications to
statistical mechanics, condensed matter and string theory. In particular, our
results may help to systematically solve and clarify the quantum integrability
of PSU(n|n) models and their cosets, which appear prominently in string
worldsheet models on anti-deSitter spaces.Comment: 33 pages, minor correction
Treatment of ependymomas. Clinical and non-clinical factors influencing prognosis: a review
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Complement activation at the motor end-plates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease with no available therapy. Components of the innate immune system are activated in the spinal cord and central nervous system of ALS patients. Studies in the SOD1(G93A) mouse show deposition of C1q and C3/C3b at the motor end-plate before neurological symptoms are apparent, suggesting that complement activation precedes neurodegeneration in this model. To obtain a better understanding of the role of complement at the motor end-plates in human ALS pathology, we analyzed post-mortem tissue of ALS donors for complement activation and its regulators. METHODS: Post-mortem intercostal muscle biopsies were collected at autopsy from ALS (n = 11) and control (n = 6) donors. The samples were analyzed for C1q, membrane attack complex (MAC), CD55, and CD59 on the motor end-plates, using immunofluorescence or immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Here, we show that complement activation products and regulators are deposited on the motor end-plates of ALS patients. C1q co-localized with neurofilament in the intercostal muscle of ALS donors and was absent in controls (P = 0.001). In addition, C1q was found deposited on the motor end-plates in the intercostal muscle. MAC was also found deposited on motor end-plates that were innervated by nerves in the intercostal muscle of ALS donors but not in controls (P = 0.001). High levels of the regulators CD55 and CD59 were detected at the motor end-plates of ALS donors but not in controls, suggesting an attempt to counteract complement activation and prevent MAC deposition on the end-plates before they are lost. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that complement activation products are deposited on innervated motor end-plates in the intercostal muscle of ALS donors, indicating that complement activation may precede end-plate denervation in human ALS. This study adds to the understanding of ALS pathology in man and identifies complement as a potential modifier of the disease process
Extended SL(2,R)/U(1) characters, or modular properties of a simple non-rational conformal field theory
We define extended SL(2,R)/U(1) characters which include a sum over winding
sectors. By embedding these characters into similarly extended characters of
N=2 algebras, we show that they have nice modular transformation properties. We
calculate the modular matrices of this simple but non-trivial non-rational
conformal field theory explicitly . As a result, we show that discrete SL(2,R)
representations mix with continuous SL(2,R) representations under modular
transformations in the coset conformal field theory. We comment upon the
significance of our results for a general theory of non-rational conformal
field theories.Comment: JHEP style, 25 pages, 2 figures, v2: minor corrections, reference
added, version to appear in JHE
Global Anomalies in the Batalin Vilkovisky Quantization
The Batalin Vilkovisky (BV) quantization provides a general procedure for
calculating anomalies associated to gauge symmetries. Recent results show that
even higher loop order contributions can be calculated by introducing an
appropriate regularization-renormalization scheme. However, in its standard
form, the BV quantization is not sensible to quantum violations of the
classical conservation of Noether currents, the so called global anomalies. We
show here that the BV field antifield method can be extended in such a way that
the Ward identities involving divergencies of global Abelian currents can be
calculated from the generating functional, a result that would not be obtained
by just associating constant ghosts to global symmetries. This extension,
consisting of trivially gauging the global Abelian symmetries, poses no extra
obstruction to the solution of the master equation, as it happens in the case
of gauge anomalies. We illustrate the procedure with the axial model and also
calculating the Adler Bell Jackiw anomaly.Comment: We emphasized the fact that our procedure only works for the case of
Abelian global anomalies. Section 3 was rewritten and some references were
added. 12 pages, LATEX. Revised version that will appear in Phys. Rev.
The partition function of the supersymmetric two-dimensional black hole and little string theory
We compute the partition function of the supersymmetric two-dimensional
Euclidean black hole geometry described by the SL(2,R)/U(1) superconformal
field theory. We decompose the result in terms of characters of the N=2
superconformal symmetry. We point out puzzling sectors of states besides
finding expected discrete and continuous contributions to the partition
function. By adding an N=2 minimal model factor of the correct central charge
and projecting on integral N=2 charges we compute the partition function of the
background dual to little string theory in a double scaling limit. We show the
precise correspondence between this theory and the background for NS5-branes on
a circle, due to an exact description of the background as a null gauging of
SL(2,R) x SU(2). Finally, we discuss the interplay between GSO projection and
target space geometry.Comment: JHEP class, 35 pages, no figures; v2: minor changes, typos corrected,
published versio
Daunorubicin and doxorubicin but not BCNU have deleterious effects on organotypic multicellular spheroids of gliomas.
In the present study organotypic multicellular spheroids (OMS) were used to study the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on malignant gliomas. Compared with the frequently used cell line models, OMS have several advantages with respect to the preservation of the cellular heterogeneity and the structure of the original tumour. OMS prepared from seven glioma specimens were treated with 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), daunorubicin or doxorubicin. After exposure to these drugs, the histology and cell proliferation of the OMS were analysed by immunohistochemistry and image analysis. Furthermore, the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance-related protein (MRP), which both can contribute to resistance to daunorubicin and doxorubicin, were immunohistochemically investigated. We found that OMS from gliomas are sensitive for daunorubicin and doxorubicin but not for BCNU in terms of tissue destruction and decrease in cell proliferation. In addition, all gliomas were P-gp and MRP negative, which is in accordance with the sensitivity for daunorubicin and doxorubicin. Considering the potential use of several new alternative drug delivery methods, such as intratumoural implantation of drug-impregnated polymers or liposomal encapsulation of cytostatic drugs, daunorubicin and doxorubicin might be effective in the treatment of malignant gliomas
Massless BTZ black holes in minisuperspace
We study aspects of the propagation of strings on BTZ black holes. After
performing a careful analysis of the global spacetime structure of generic BTZ
black holes, and its relation to the geometry of the SL(2,R) group manifold, we
focus on the simplest case of the massless BTZ black hole. We study the SL(2,R)
Wess-Zumino-Witten model in the worldsheet minisuperspace limit, taking into
account special features associated to the Lorentzian signature of spacetime.
We analyse the two- and three-point functions in the pointparticle limit. To
lay bare the underlying group structure of the correlation functions, we derive
new results on Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for SL(2,R) in a parabolic basis. We
comment on the application of our results to string theory in singular
time-dependent orbifolds, and to a Lorentzian version of the AdS/CFT
correspondence.Comment: 28 pages, v2: reference adde
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