An Efficient Representation of Euclidean Gravity I

We explore how the topology of spacetime fabric is encoded into the local structure of Riemannian metrics using the gauge theory formulation of Euclidean gravity. In part I, we provide a rigorous mathematical foundation to prove that a general Einstein manifold arises as the sum of SU(2)_L Yang-Mills instantons and SU(2)_R anti-instantons where SU(2)_L and SU(2)_R are normal subgroups of the four-dimensional Lorentz group Spin(4) = SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R. Our proof relies only on the general properties in four dimensions: The Lorentz group Spin(4) is isomorphic to SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R and the six-dimensional vector space of two-forms splits canonically into the sum of three-dimensional vector spaces of self-dual and anti-self-dual two-forms. Consolidating these two, it turns out that the splitting of Spin(4) is deeply correlated with the decomposition of two-forms on four-manifold which occupies a central position in the theory of four-manifolds.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figur

Spatial-temporal rainfall simulation using generalized linear models

We consider the problem of simulating sequences of daily rainfall at a network of sites in such a way as to reproduce a variety of properties realistically over a range of spatial scales. The properties of interest will vary between applications but typically will include some measures of "extreme'' rainfall in addition to means, variances, proportions of wet days, and autocorrelation structure. Our approach is to fit a generalized linear model (GLM) to rain gauge data and, with appropriate incorporation of intersite dependence structure, to use the GLM to generate simulated sequences. We illustrate the methodology using a data set from southern England and show that the GLM is able to reproduce many properties at spatial scales ranging from a single site to 2000 km 2 ( the limit of the available data)

Experimental investigation on the deformation characteristics of granular materials under drained rotational shear

Rotational shear is the type of loading path where samples are subjected to cyclic rotation of principal stress directions while the magnitudes of principal stresses are maintained constant. This paper presents results from an experimental investigation on the drained deformation behaviour of saturated sand in rotational shear conducted in a hollow cylinder apparatus. Two types of granular materials, Leighton Buzzard sand and glass beads are tested. A range of influential factors are investigated including the material density, the deviatoric stress level, and the intermediate principal stress. It is observed that the volumetric strain during rotational shear is mainly contractive and most of strains are generated during the first 20 cycles. The mechanical behaviour of sand under rotational shear is generally non-coaxial, i.e., there is no coincidence between the principal axes of stress and incremental strain, and the variation of the non-coaxiality shows a periodic trend during the tests. The stress ratio has a significant effect on soil response in rotational shear. The larger the stress ratio, the more contractive behaviour and the lower degree of non-coaxiality are induced. The test also demonstrates that the effect of the intermediate principal stress, material density and particle shape on the results is pronounced

Pulmonary vasoconstrictor action of KCNQ potassium channel blockers

KCNQ channels have been widely studied in the nervous system, heart and inner ear, where they have important physiological functions. Recent reports indicate that KCNQ channels may also be expressed in portal vein where they are suggested to influence spontaneous contractile activity. The biophysical properties of K+ currents mediated by KCNQ channels resemble a current underlying the resting K+ conductance and resting potential of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. We therefore investigated a possible role of KCNQ channels in regulating the function of pulmonary arteries by determining the ability of the selective KCNQ channel blockers, linopirdine and XE991, to promote pulmonary vasoconstriction. Linopirdine and XE991 both contracted rat and mouse pulmonary arteries but had little effect on mesenteric arteries. In each case the maximum contraction was almost as large as the response to 50 mM K+. Linopirdine had an EC50 of around 1 μM and XE991 was almost 10-fold more potent. Neither removal of the endothelium nor exposure to phentolamine or α,β-methylene ATP, to block α1-adrenoceptors or P2X receptors, respectively, affected the contraction. Contraction was abolished in Ca2+-free solution and in the presence of 1 μM nifedipine or 10 μM levcromakalim

Gravity and compactified branes in matrix models

A mechanism for emergent gravity on brane solutions in Yang-Mills matrix models is exhibited. Newtonian gravity and a partial relation between the Einstein tensor and the energy-momentum tensor can arise from the basic matrix model action, without invoking an Einstein-Hilbert-type term. The key requirements are compactified extra dimensions with extrinsic curvature M^4 x K \subset R^D and split noncommutativity, with a Poisson tensor \theta^{ab} linking the compact with the noncompact directions. The moduli of the compactification provide the dominant degrees of freedom for gravity, which are transmitted to the 4 noncompact directions via the Poisson tensor. The effective Newton constant is determined by the scale of noncommutativity and the compactification. This gravity theory is well suited for quantization, and argued to be perturbatively finite for the IKKT model. Since no compactification of the target space is needed, it might provide a way to avoid the landscape problem in string theory.Comment: 35 pages. V2: substantially revised and improved, conclusion weakened. V3: some clarifications, published version. V4: minor correctio

Fermions and noncommutative emergent gravity II: Curved branes in extra dimensions

We study fermions coupled to Yang-Mills matrix models from the point of view of emergent gravity. The matrix model Dirac operator provides an appropriate coupling for fermions to the effective gravitational metric for general branes with nontrivial embedding, albeit with a non-standard spin connection. This generalizes previous results for 4-dimensional matrix models. Integrating out the fermions in a nontrivial geometrical background induces indeed the Einstein-Hilbert action of the effective metric, as well as additional terms which couple the Poisson tensor to the Riemann tensor, and a dilaton-like term.Comment: 34 pages; minor change

Exploring Protein-Protein Interactions as Drug Targets for Anti-cancer Therapy with In Silico Workflows

We describe a computational protocol to aid the design of small molecule and peptide drugs that target protein-protein interactions, particularly for anti-cancer therapy. To achieve this goal, we explore multiple strategies, including finding binding hot spots, incorporating chemical similarity and bioactivity data, and sampling similar binding sites from homologous protein complexes. We demonstrate how to combine existing interdisciplinary resources with examples of semi-automated workflows. Finally, we discuss several major problems, including the occurrence of drug-resistant mutations, drug promiscuity, and the design of dual-effect inhibitors.Fil: Goncearenco, Alexander. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Li, Minghui. Soochow University; China. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Simonetti, Franco Lucio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Shoemaker, Benjamin A. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Panchenko, Anna R. National Institutes of Health; Estados Unido

Site-specific incorporation of phosphotyrosine using an expanded genetic code.

Access to phosphoproteins with stoichiometric and site-specific phosphorylation status is key to understanding the role of protein phosphorylation. Here we report an efficient method to generate pure, active phosphotyrosine-containing proteins by genetically encoding a stable phosphotyrosine analog that is convertible to native phosphotyrosine. We demonstrate its general compatibility with proteins of various sizes, phosphotyrosine sites and functions, and reveal a possible role of tyrosine phosphorylation in negative regulation of ubiquitination

Evanescent light-matter Interactions in Atomic Cladding Wave Guides

Alkali vapors, and in particular rubidium, are being used extensively in several important fields of research such as slow and stored light non-linear optics3 and quantum computation. Additionally, the technology of alkali vapors plays a major role in realizing myriad industrial applications including for example atomic clocks magentometers8 and optical frequency stabilization. Lately, there is a growing effort towards miniaturizing traditional centimeter-size alkali vapor cells. Owing to the significant reduction in device dimensions, light matter interactions are greatly enhanced, enabling new functionalities due to the low power threshold needed for non-linear interactions. Here, taking advantage of the mature Complimentary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) compatible platform of silicon photonics, we construct an efficient and flexible platform for tailored light vapor interactions on a chip. Specifically, we demonstrate light matter interactions in an atomic cladding wave guide (ACWG), consisting of CMOS compatible silicon nitride nano wave-guide core with a Rubidium (Rb) vapor cladding. We observe the highly efficient interaction of the electromagnetic guided mode with the thermal Rb cladding. The nature of such interactions is explained by a model which predicts the transmission spectrum of the system taking into account Doppler and transit time broadening. We show, that due to the high confinement of the optical mode (with a mode area of 0.3{\lambda}2), the Rb absorption saturates at powers in the nW regime.Comment: 10 Pages 4 Figures. 1 Supplementar