Comment on ``Spin Polarization and Magnetic Circular Dichroism in Photoemission from the 2p Core Level of Ferromagnetic Ni''

Although the Ni_4 cluster includes more information regarding the Ni band structure with respect to the Anderson impurity model, it also favors very peculiar ground states which are incompatible with a coherent picture of all dichroism experiments.Comment: 1 page, RevTeX, 1 epsf figur

Dual embedding of the Lorentz-violating electrodinamics and Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization

Modifications of the electromagnetic Maxwell Lagrangian in four dimensions have been considered by some authors. One may include an explicit massive term (Proca) and a topological but not Lorentz-invariant term within certain observational limits. We find the dual-corresponding gauge invariant version of this theory by using the recently suggested gauge embedding method. We enforce this dualisation procedure by showing that, in many cases, this is actually a constructive method to find a sort of parent action, which manifestly establishes duality. We also use the gauge invariant version of this theory to formulate a Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization and present a detailed discussion on the excitation spectrum.Comment: 8 page

Chiral Anomaly and CPT invariance in an implicit momentum space regularization framework

This is the second in a series of two contributions in which we set out to establish a novel momentum space framework to treat field theoretical infinities in perturbative calculations when parity-violating objects occur. Since no analytic continuation on the space-time dimension is effected, this framework can be particularly useful to treat dimension-specific theories. Moreover arbitrary local terms stemming from the underlying infinities of the model can be properly parametrized. We (re)analyse the undeterminacy of the radiatively generated CPT violating Chern-Simons term within an extended version of $QED_4$ and calculate the Adler-Bardeen-Bell-Jackiw triangle anomaly to show that our framework is consistent and general to handle the subtleties involved when a radiative corretion is finite.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, version to appear in PR

ALMACAL. XI. Over-densities as signposts to proto-clusters? A cautionary tale

It may be unsurprising that the most common approach to finding proto-clusters is to search for over-densities of galaxies. Upgrades to submillimetre (submm) interferometers and the advent of the James Webb Space Telescope will soon offer the opportunity to find more distant candidate proto-clusters in deep sky surveys without any spectroscopic confirmation. In this letter, we report the serendipitous discovery of an extremely dense region centred on the blazar, J0217-0820, at z=0.6 in the ALMACAL sky survey. Its density is eight times higher than that predicted by blind submm surveys. Among the seven submm-bright galaxies, three are as bright as conventional single-dish submm galaxies, with S_870um > 3mJy. The over-density is thus comparable to the densest known and confirmed proto-cluster cores. However, their spectra betray a wide range of redshifts. We investigate the likelihood of line-of-sight projection effects using light cones from cosmological simulations, finding that the deeper we search, the higher the chance that we will suffer from such projection effects. The extreme over-density around J0217-0820 demonstrates the strong cosmic variance we may encounter in the deep submm surveys. Thus, we should also question the fidelity of galaxy proto-cluster candidates selected via over-densities of galaxies, where the negative K correction eases the detection of dusty galaxies along an extraordinarily extended line of sight.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, update with the accepted versio

Lorentz and CPT symmetries in commutative and noncommutative spacetime

We investigate the fermionic sector of a given theory, in which massive and charged Dirac fermions interact with an Abelian gauge field, including a non standard contribution that violates both Lorentz and CPT symmetries. We offer an explicit calculation in which the radiative corrections due to the fermions seem to generate a Chern-Simons-like effective action. Our results are obtained under the general guidance of dimensional regularization, and they show that there is no room for Lorentz and CPT violation in both commutative and noncommutative spacetime.Comment: RevTex4, 7 pages, to be published in J. Phys.

Rare B decays and Tevatron top-pair asymmetry

The recent Tevatron result on the top quark forward-backward asymmetry, which deviates from its standard model prediction by 3.4$\sigma$, has prompted many authors to build new models to account for this anomaly. Among the various proposals, we find that those mechanisms which produce $t\bar t$ via $t$- or $u$-channel can have a strong correlation to the rare B decays. We demonstrate this link by studying a model with a new charged gauge boson, $W'$. In terms of the current measurements on $B\to \pi K$ decays, we conclude that the branching ratio for $B^-\to \pi^- \bar K^0$ is affected most by the new effects. Furthermore, using the world average branching ratio for the exclusive B decays at $2\sigma$ level, we discuss the allowed values for the new parameters. Finally, we point out that the influence of the new physics effects on the direct CP asymmetry in B decays is insignificant.Comment: 15 page, 6 figures, typos corrected and references added, final version to appear journa

Low-Energy Probes of a Warped Extra Dimension

We investigate a natural realization of a light Abelian hidden sector in an extended Randall-Sundrum (RS) model. In addition to the usual RS bulk we consider a second warped space containing a bulk U(1)_x gauge theory with a characteristic IR scale of order a GeV. This Abelian hidden sector can couple to the standard model via gauge kinetic mixing on a common UV brane. We show that if such a coupling induces significant mixing between the lightest U(1)_x gauge mode and the standard model photon and Z, it can also induce significant mixing with the heavier U(1)_x Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes. As a result it might be possible to probe several KK modes in upcoming fixed-target experiments and meson factories, thereby offering a new way to investigate the structure of an extra spacetime dimension.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, added references, corrected minor typos, same as journal versio

Reprogramming human T cell function and specificity with non-viral genome targeting.

Decades of work have aimed to genetically reprogram T cells for therapeutic purposes1,2 using recombinant viral vectors, which do not target transgenes to specific genomic sites3,4. The need for viral vectors has slowed down research and clinical use as their manufacturing and testing is lengthy and expensive. Genome editing brought the promise of specific and efficient insertion of large transgenes into target cells using homology-directed repair5,6. Here we developed a CRISPR-Cas9 genome-targeting system that does not require viral vectors, allowing rapid and efficient insertion of large DNA sequences (greater than one kilobase) at specific sites in the genomes of primary human T cells, while preserving cell viability and function. This permits individual or multiplexed modification of endogenous genes. First, we applied this strategy to correct a pathogenic IL2RA mutation in cells from patients with monogenic autoimmune disease, and demonstrate improved signalling function. Second, we replaced the endogenous T cell receptor (TCR) locus with a new TCR that redirected T cells to a cancer antigen. The resulting TCR-engineered T cells specifically recognized tumour antigens and mounted productive anti-tumour cell responses in vitro and in vivo. Together, these studies provide preclinical evidence that non-viral genome targeting can enable rapid and flexible experimental manipulation and therapeutic engineering of primary human immune cells

SERPINB3 (SCCA1) inhibits cathepsin L and lysoptosis, protecting cervical cancer cells from chemoradiation

The endogenous lysosomal cysteine protease inhibitor SERPINB3 (squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1, SCCA1) is elevated in patients with cervical cancer and other malignancies. High serum SERPINB3 is prognostic for recurrence and death following chemoradiation therapy. Cervical cancer cells genetically lacking SERPINB3 are more sensitive to ionizing radiation (IR), suggesting this protease inhibitor plays a role in therapeutic response. Here we demonstrate that SERPINB3-deficient cells have enhanced sensitivity to IR-induced cell death. Knock out of SERPINB3 sensitizes cells to a greater extent than cisplatin, the current standard of care. IR in SERPINB3 deficient cervical carcinoma cells induces predominantly necrotic cell death, with biochemical and cellular features of lysoptosis. Rescue with wild-type SERPINB3 or a reactive site loop mutant indicates that protease inhibitory activity is required to protect cervical tumor cells from radiation-induced death. Transcriptomics analysis of primary cervix tumor samples and genetic knock out demonstrates a role for the lysosomal protease cathepsin L in radiation-induced cell death in SERPINB3 knock-out cells. These data support targeting of SERPINB3 and lysoptosis to treat radioresistant cervical cancers