Topological Sectors of Spin 1 Theories} in 2+1 Dimensions}

It is shown that the Topological Massive and ``Self-dual'' theories, which are known to provide locally equivalent descriptions of spin 1 theories in 2+1 dimensions, have different global properties when formulated over topologically non-trivial regions of space-time. The partition function of these theories, when constructed on an arbitrary Riemannian manifold, differ by a topological factor, which is equal to the partition function of the pure Chern-Simons theory. This factor is related to the space of solutions of the field equations of the Topological Massive Theory for which the connection is asymptotically flat but not gauge equivalent to zero. A new covariant, first order, gauge action,which generalize the ``Self-dual'' action, is then proposed. It is obtained by sewing local self-dual theories. Its global equivalence to the Topological Massive gauge theory is shown.Comment: 11 page

Binding Energy of Scalar Bound State by Topologically Massive Interaction: Fermion and Anti-fermion System with Heavy Mass

A bound state problem in a topologically massive quantum electrodynamics is investigated by using a non-perturbative method. We formulate the Bethe- Salpeter equation for scalar bound states composed of massive fermion and anti-fermion pair under the lowest ladder approximation. In a large mass expansion for the (anti-) fermion, we derive the Schr{\"o}dinger equation and solve it by a numerical method. The energy eigenvalues of bound states are evaluated for various values of a topological mass and also a fermion mass. Then we find a novel logarithmic scaling behaviour of the binding energy in varying the topological mass, fermion mass and also a quantum number. There exists a critical value of the topological mass, beyond which the bound states disappear. As the topological mass decreases, the energy eigenvalues of the bound states, which are negative, also decrease with a logarithmic dependence on the topological mass. A Chern-Simons term gives the bound system a repulsive effect.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, references added; version accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Dynamical mass generation of a two-component fermion in Maxwell-Chern-Simons QED_3: The lowest ladder approximation

Dynamical mass generation of a two-component fermion in $QED_3$ with a Chern-Simons term is investigated by solving the Schwinger-Dyson equation formulated in the lowest ladder approximation. Dependence of the dynamical fermion mass on a gauge-fixing parameter, a gauge coupling constant, and a topological mass is examined by approximated analytical and also numerical methods. The inclusion of the Chern-Simons term makes impossible to choose a peculiar gauge in which a wave function renormalization is absent. The numerical evaluation shows that the wave function renormalization is fairly close to 1 in the Landau gauge. It means that this gauge is still a specific gauge where the Ward-Takahashi identity is satisfied approximately. We also find that the dynamical mass is almost constant if the topological mass is larger than the coupling constant, while it decreases when the topological mass is comparable to or smaller than the coupling constant and tends to the value in $QED_3$ without the Chern-Simons term.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

CCC meets ICU: Redefining the role of critical care of cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Currently the majority of cancer patients are considered ineligible for intensive care treatment and oncologists are struggling to get their patients admitted to intensive care units. Critical care and oncology are frequently two separate worlds that communicate rarely and thus do not share novel developments in their fields. However, cancer medicine is rapidly improving and cancer is eventually becoming a chronic disease. Oncology is therefore characterized by a growing number of older and medically unfit patients that receive numerous novel drug classes with unexpected side effects.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>All of these changes will generate more medically challenging patients in acute distress that need to be considered for intensive care. An intense exchange between intensivists, oncologists, psychologists and palliative care specialists is warranted to communicate the developments in each field in order to improve triage and patient treatment. Here, we argue that "critical care of cancer patients" needs to be recognized as a medical subspecialty and that there is an urgent need to develop it systematically.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As prognosis of cancer improves, novel therapeutic concepts are being introduced and more and more older cancer patients receive full treatment the number of acutely ill patients is growing significantly. This development a major challenge to current concepts of intensive care and it needs to be redefined who of these patients should be treated, for how long and how intensively.</p

Mouse Studies to Shape Clinical Trials for Mitochondrial Diseases: High Fat Diet in Harlequin Mice

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic options in human mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) diseases have been poorly evaluated mostly because of the scarcity of cohorts and the inter-individual variability of disease progression. Thus, while a high fat diet (HFD) is often recommended, data regarding efficacy are limited. Our objectives were 1) to determine our ability to evaluate therapeutic options in the Harlequin OXPHOS complex I (CI)-deficient mice, in the context of a mitochondrial disease with human hallmarks and 2) to assess the effects of a HFD. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Before launching long and expensive animal studies, we showed that palmitate afforded long-term death-protection in 3 CI-mutant human fibroblasts cell lines. We next demonstrated that using the Harlequin mouse, it was possible to draw solid conclusions on the efficacy of a 5-month-HFD on neurodegenerative symptoms. Moreover, we could identify a group of highly responsive animals, echoing the high variability of the disease progression in Harlequin mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a reduced number of patients with identical genetic disease should be sufficient to reach firm conclusions as far as the potential existence of responders and non responders is recognized. They also positively prefigure HFD-trials in OXPHOS-deficient patients

Maladaptive Planning and the Pro-Innovation Bias: Considering the Case of Automated Vehicles

This article argues that a more critical approach to innovation policy within planning is needed and offers recommendations for achieving this. These recommendations entail rethinking the values, focus, speed, and legitimacy of innovations. It takes a critical perspective on how contemporary societies treat rapid innovation as having necessarily positive results in the achievement of objectives such as sustainability and justice. This critical perspective is needed because innovation can both contribute to and drive a form of maladaptive planning: a collective approach to reality that imposes constant and rapid changes to societal configurations due to an obsession with the new and with too little rapport with the problems in place or that it creates. A maladaptive direction for transport planning is used as a sectorial illustration of the broader conceptual ideas presented: for both sustainability and social justice reasons, it would be desirable to see peak car occurring. However, the car industry is presenting driving automation as an innovation with the potential to restore the vitality of the private vehicles market while creating effective means to dismiss alternatives to car dominanc

Housing commons as a degrowth planning practice: Learning from Amsterdam’s de Nieuwe Meent

From a degrowth perspective, housing is not a commodity but an essential social good. Through commoning, housing creates spaces of living with physical, social and ecological dimensions that are free from market competition. Yet, in current economic systems, housing commons are permanently threatened by market co-optation or marginalisation. Under these conditions, the issue of how autonomy in housing provision can be maintained becomes crucial. The chapter addresses this challenge by exploring the institutional architecture of a housing cooperative built upon degrowth ideals. It develops an analytical compass of four rights, which underlie a collective, self-managed and democratic way of life: commissioning, management, inclusion and income rights. Even though these rights can be configured in any housing tenure or form, we contend that they institute autonomous housing only when they are ‘collectivised’ – that is, when the property regime is dispersed and disputable. We show how these rights are articulated in practice by looking at a concrete case of a housing cooperative in Amsterdam: de Nieuwe Meent