1,420 research outputs found
Toric Calabi-Yau supermanifolds and mirror symmetry
We study mirror symmetry of supermanifolds constructed as fermionic
extensions of compact toric varieties. We mainly discuss the case where the
linear sigma A-model contains as many fermionic fields as there are U(1)
factors in the gauge group. In the mirror super-Landau-Ginzburg B-model, focus
is on the bosonic structure obtained after integrating out all the fermions.
Our key observation is that there is a relation between the super-Calabi-Yau
conditions of the A-model and quasi-homogeneity of the B-model, and that the
degree of the associated superpotential in the B-model is given in terms of the
determinant of the fermion charge matrix of the A-model.Comment: 20 pages, v2: references adde
On Local Calabi-Yau Supermanifolds and Their Mirrors
We use local mirror symmetry to study a class of local Calabi-Yau
super-manifolds with bosonic sub-variety V_b having a vanishing first Chern
class. Solving the usual super- CY condition, requiring the equality of the
total U(1) gauge charges of bosons \Phi_{b} and the ghost like fields \Psi_{f}
one \sum_{b}q_{b}=\sum_{f}Q_{f}, as \sum_{b}q_{b}=0 and \sum_{f}Q_{f}=0,
several examples are studied and explicit results are given for local A_{r}
super-geometries. A comment on purely fermionic super-CY manifolds
corresponding to the special case where q_{b}=0, \forall b and \sum_{f}Q_{f}=0
is also made.\bigskipComment: 17 page
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN INDIA: A STUDY OF THE NEED, RELEVANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE FROM A MACRO PERSPECTIVE
Abstract Corporate Governance (CG
Neutrino opacity in magnetised hot and dense nuclear matter
We study the neutrino interaction rates in hot matter at high densities in
the presence of uniform magnetic field. The neutrino cross-sections involving
both the charged current absorption and neutral current scattering reactions on
baryons and leptons have been considered. We have in particular considered the
interesting case when the magnetic field is strong enough to completely
polarise the protons and electrons in supernovae and neutron stars. The opacity
in such a situation is considerably modified and the cross-section develops
anisotropy. This has implications for phenomenon invoked in the literature to
explain the observed pulsar kicks.Comment: 22 latex pages and 7 postscript figure
Bulk viscosity in 2SC quark matter
The bulk viscosity of three-flavor color-superconducting quark matter
originating from the nonleptonic process u+s u+d is computed. It is assumed
that up and down quarks form Cooper pairs while the strange quark remains
unpaired (2SC phase). A general derivation of the rate of strangeness
production is presented, involving contributions from a multitude of different
subprocesses, including subprocesses that involve different numbers of gapped
quarks as well as creation and annihilation of particles in the condensate. The
rate is then used to compute the bulk viscosity as a function of the
temperature, for an external oscillation frequency typical of a compact star
r-mode. We find that, for temperatures far below the critical temperature T_c
for 2SC pairing, the bulk viscosity of color-superconducting quark matter is
suppressed relative to that of unpaired quark matter, but for T >~ 10^(-3) T_c
the color-superconducting quark matter has a higher bulk viscosity. This is
potentially relevant for the suppression of r-mode instabilities early in the
life of a compact star.Comment: 18 pages + appendices (28 pages total), 8 figures; v3: corrected
numerical error in the plots; 2SC bulk viscosity is now larger than unpaired
bulk viscosity in a wider temperature rang
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The relationship between CM and CO chondrites: Insights from combined analyses of titanium, chromium, and oxygen isotopes in CM, CO, and ungrouped chondrites
A close relationship between CM and CO chondrites has been suggested by previous petrologic and isotopic studies, leading to the suggestion that they may originate from similar precursor materials or even a common parent body. In this study, we evaluate the genetic relationship between CM and CO chondrites using Ti, Cr, and O isotopes. We first provide additional constraints on the ranges of ε50Ti and ε54Cr values of bulk CM and CO chondrites by reporting the isotopic compositions of CM2 chondrites Murchison, Murray, and Aguas Zarcas and the CO3.8 chondrite Isna. We then report the ε50Ti and ε54Cr values for several ungrouped and anomalous carbonaceous chondrites that have been previously reported to exhibit similarities to the CM and CO chondrite groups, including Elephant Moraine (EET) 83226, EET 83355, Grosvenor Mountains (GRO) 95566, MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 87300, MAC 87301, MAC 88107, and Northwest Africa (NWA) 5958, and the oxygen isotope compositions of a subset of these samples. We additionally report the ε50Ti, ε54Cr, and O isotopic compositions of additional ungrouped chondrites LaPaz Ice Field (LAP) 04757, LAP 04773, Lewis Cliff (LEW) 85332, and Coolidge to assess their potential relationships with known carbonaceous and ordinary chondrite groups. LAP 04757 and LAP 04773 exhibit isotopic compositions indicating they are low-FeO ordinary chondrites. The isotopic compositions of Murchison, Murray, Aguas Zarcas, and Isna extend the compositional ranges defined by the CM and CO chondrites in ε50Ti versus ε54Cr space. The majority of the ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites with documented similarities to the CM and/or CO chondrites plot outside the CM and CO group fields in plots of ε50Ti versus ε54Cr,Δ17O versus ε50Ti, and Δ17O versus ε54Cr. Therefore, based on differences in their Ti, Cr, and O-isotopic compositions, we conclude that the CM, CO, and ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites likely represent samples of multiple distinct parent bodies. We also infer that these parent bodies formed from precursor materials that shared similar isotopic compositions, which may indicate formation in regions of the protoplanetary disk that were in close proximity to each other
Small poly-L-lysines improve cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer in vascular cells in vitro and in vivo
The potential of two small poly-L-lysines ( sPLLs), low molecular weight sPLL ( LMW-L) containing 7 - 30 lysine residues and L18 with 18 lysine repeats, to enhance the efficiency of liposome-mediated gene transfer ( GT) with cationic lipid DOCSPER {[}1,3- dioleoyloxy- 2-( N-5-carbamoyl-spermine)-propane] in vascular smooth muscle cells ( SMCs) was investigated. Dynamic light scattering was used for determination of particle size. Confocal microscopy was applied for colocalization studies of sPLLs and plasmid DNA inside cells. GT was performed in proliferating and quiescent primary porcine SMCs in vitro and in vivo in porcine femoral arteries. At low ionic strength, sPLLs formed small complexes with DNA ( 50 100 nm). At high ionic strength, large complexes ( 11 mu m) were observed without any significant differences in particle size between lipoplexes ( DOCSPER/ DNA) and lipopolyplexes ( DOCSPER/ sPLL/ DNA). Both sPLLs were colocalized with DNA inside cells 24 h after transfection, protecting DNA against degradation. DOCSPER/ sPLL/ DNA formulations enhanced GT in vitro up to 5- fold, in a porcine model using local periadventitial application up to 1.5- fold. Both sPLLs significantly increased liposome- mediated GT. Poly-L-lysine L18 was superior to LMW-L since it enabled maximal GT at a 10-fold lower concentration. Thus, sPLLs may serve as enhancers for GT applications in SMCs in vitro and in vivo using local delivery. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
Electrochemical integration of graphene with light absorbing copper-based thin films
We present an electrochemical route for the integration of graphene with
light sensitive copper-based alloys used in optoelectronic applications.
Graphene grown using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) transferred to glass is
found to be a robust substrate on which photoconductive Cu_{x}S films of 1-2 um
thickness can be deposited. The effect of growth parameters on the morphology
and photoconductivity of Cu_{x}S films is presented. Current-voltage
characterization and photoconductivity decay experiments are performed with
graphene as one contact and silver epoxy as the other
Selective Killing of Cancer Cells by Ashwagandha Leaf Extract and Its Component Withanone Involves ROS Signaling
Ashwagandha is a popular Ayurvedic herb used in Indian traditional home medicine. It has been assigned a variety of health-promoting effects of which the mechanisms remain unknown. We previously reported the selective killing of cancer cells by leaf extract of Ashwagandha (i-Extract) and its purified component Withanone. In the present study, we investigated its mechanism by loss-of-function screening (abrogation of i-Extract induced cancer cell killing) of the cellular targets and gene pathways.Randomized ribozyme library was introduced into cancer cells prior to the treatment with i-Extract. Ribozymes were recovered from cells that survived the i-Extract treatment. Gene targets of the selected ribozymes (as predicted by database search) were analyzed by bioinformatics and pathway analyses. The targets were validated for their role in i-Extract induced selective killing of cancer cells by biochemical and molecular assays. Fifteen gene-targets were identified and were investigated for their role in specific cancer cell killing activity of i-Extract and its two major components (Withaferin A and Withanone) by undertaking the shRNA-mediated gene silencing approach. Bioinformatics on the selected gene-targets revealed the involvement of p53, apoptosis and insulin/IGF signaling pathways linked to the ROS signaling. We examined the involvement of ROS-signaling components (ROS levels, DNA damage, mitochondrial structure and membrane potential) and demonstrate that the selective killing of cancer cells is mediated by induction of oxidative stress.Ashwagandha leaf extract and Withanone cause selective killing of cancer cells by induction of ROS-signaling and hence are potential reagents that could be recruited for ROS-mediated cancer chemotherapy
Search for Branons at LEP
We search, in the context of extra-dimension scenarios, for the possible
existence of brane fluctuations, called branons. Events with a single photon or
a single Z-boson and missing energy and momentum collected with the L3 detector
in e^+ e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=189-209$ GeV are
analysed. No excess over the Standard Model expectations is found and a lower
limit at 95% confidence level of 103 GeV is derived for the mass of branons,
for a scenario with small brane tensions. Alternatively, under the assumption
of a light branon, brane tensions below 180 GeV are excluded
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