Towards the re-verification of process tank calibrations

Re-verification is needed to ensure that the calibration (the relationship between measured level and measured volume) that is obtained during commissioning hasn’t changed over time. This can be achieved, in part, by metering in solution and correlating with marks identified a priori. Mark identification and correlation are discussed and possible error sources are outlined

Geometric Formulation for Partially Massless Fields

The manifestly gauge invariant formulation for free symmetric partially massless fields in $(A)dS_d$ is given in terms of gauge connections and linearized curvatures that take values in the irreducible representations of $(o(d-1,2)) o(d,1)$ described by two-row Young tableaux, in which the lengths of the first and second row are, respectively, associated with spin and depth of partial masslessness.Comment: LaTeX, 42 pages. Published in Nucl. Phys.

Weyl's Gauge Invariance: Conformal Geometry, Spinors, Supersymmetry, and Interactions

We extend our program, of coupling theories to scale in order to make their Weyl invariance manifest, to include interacting theories, fermions and supersymmetric theories. The results produce mass terms coinciding with the standard ones for universes that are Einstein, but are novel in general backgrounds. They are generalizations of the gravitational couplings of a conformally improved scalar to fields with general scaling and tensor properties. The couplings we find are more general than just trivial ones following from the conformal compensating mechanisms. In particular, in the setting where a scale gauge field (or dilaton) is included, masses correspond to Weyl weights of fields organized in ``tractor'' multiplets. Breitenlohner--Freedman bounds follow directly from reality of these weights. Moreover, massive, massless and partially massless theories are handled in a uniform framework. Also, bona fide Weyl invariant theories (invariant without coupling to scale) can be directly derived in this approach. The results are based on the tractor calculus approach to conformal geometry, in particular we show how to handle fermi fields, supersymmetry and Killing spinors using tractor techniques. Another useful consequence of the construction is that it automatically produces the (anti) de Sitter theories obtained by log-radial reduction of Minkowski theories in one higher dimension. Theories presented in detail include interacting scalars, spinors, Rarita--Schwinger fields, and the interacting Wess--Zumino model.Comment: 31 pages, LaTe

Gap junction reduction in cardiomyocytes following transforming growth factor- beta treatment and Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Gap junction connexin-43 (Cx43) molecules are responsible for electrical impulse conduction in the heart and are affected by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). This cytokine increases during Trypanosoma cruzi infection, modulating fibrosis and the parasite cell cycle. We studied Cx43 expression in cardiomyocytes exposed or not to TGF-beta T. cruzi, or SB-431542, an inhibitor of TGF-beta receptor type I (ALK-5). Cx43 expression was also examined in hearts with dilated cardiopathy from chronic Chagas disease patients, in which TGF-beta signalling had been shown previously to be highly activated. We demonstrated that TGF-beta treatment induced disorganised gap junctions in non-infected cardiomyocytes, leading to a punctate, diffuse and non-uniform Cx43 staining. A similar pattern was detected in T. cruzi-infected cardiomyocytes concomitant with high TGF-beta secretion. Both results were reversed if the cells were incubated with SB-431542. Similar tests were performed using human chronic chagasic patients and we confirmed a down-regulation of Cx43 expression, an altered distribution of plaques in the heart and a significant reduction in the number and length of Cx43 plaques, which correlated negatively with cardiomegaly. We conclude that elevated TGF-beta levels during T. cruzi infection promote heart fibrosis and disorganise gap junctions, possibly contributing to abnormal impulse conduction and arrhythmia that characterise severe cardiopathy in Chagas disease

On semiclassical approximation and spinning string vertex operators in AdS_5 x S^5

Following earlier work by Polyakov and Gubser, Klebanov and Polyakov, we attempt to clarify the structure of vertex operators representing string states which have large (``semiclassical'') values of AdS energy (equal to 4-d dimension \Delta) and angular momentum J in S^5 or spin S in AdS_5. We comment on the meaning of semiclassical limit in the context of \alpha' perturbative expansion for the 2-d anomalous dimensions of the corresponding vertex operators. We consider in detail the leading-order 1-loop renormalization of these operators in AdS_5 x S^5 sigma model (ignoring fermionic contributions). We find new examples of operators for which, as in the case considered in hep-th/0110196, the 1-loop anomalous dimension can be made small by tuning quantum numbers. We also comment on a possibility of deriving the semiclassical relation between \Delta and J or S from the marginality condition for the vertex operators, using a stationary phase approximation in the path integral expression for their 2-point correlator on a complex plane.Comment: 35 pages, harvmac; v2: references adde

Equivalence between the in-in perturbation theories for quantum fields in Minkowski spacetime and in the Rindler wedge

We investigate the relation between the time-ordered vacuum correlation functions for interacting real scalar fields in Minkowski spacetime and in the Rindler wedge. The correlation functions are constructed perturbatively within the in-in formalism, often employed in calculations in more general spacetimes. We prove to all orders in perturbation theory that the time-ordered vacuum correlation functions can be calculated in the in-in formalism with internal vertices restricted to any Rindler wedge containing the external points. This implies that the Minkowski in-in (or in-out) perturbative expansion of the vacuum correlation functions is reproduced by the Rindler in-in perturbative expansion of these correlators in a thermal state at the Unruh temperature

On Partially Massless Bimetric Gravity

We extend the notion of the Higuchi bound and partial masslessness to ghost-free nonlinear bimetric theories. This can be achieved in a simple way by first considering linear massive spin-2 perturbations around maximally symmetric background solutions, for which the linear gauge symmetry at the Higuchi bound is easily identified. Then, requiring consistency between an appropriate subset of these transformations and the dynamical nature of the backgrounds, fixes all but one parameter in the bimetric interaction potential. This specifies the theory up to the value of the Fierz-Pauli mass and leads to the unique candidate for nonlinear partially massless bimetric theory.Comment: Latex, 11 pages; references added, discussion extended; matches published versio

Partial Masslessness of Higher Spins in (A)dS

Massive spin s>=3/2 fields can become partially massless in cosmological backgrounds. In the plane spanned by m^2 and \Lambda, there are lines where new gauge invariances permit intermediate sets of higher helicities, rather than the usual flat space extremes of all 2s+1 massive or just 2 massless helicities. These gauge lines divide the (m^2,\Lambda) plane into unitarily allowed or forbidden intermediate regions where all 2s+1 massive helicities propagate but lower helicity states can have negative norms. We derive these consequences for s=3/2,2 by studying both their canonical (anti)commutators and the transmutation of massive constraints to partially massless Bianchi identities. For s=2, a Hamiltonian analysis exhibits the absence of zero helicity modes in the partially massless sector. For s=5/2,3 we derive Bianchi identities and their accompanying gauge invariances for the various partially massless theories with propagating helicities (+/-5/2,+/-3/2) and (+/-3,+/-2), (+/-3,+/-2,+/-1), respectively. Of these, only the s=3 models are unitary. To these ends, we also provide the half integer generalization of the integer spin wave operators of Lichnerowicz. Partial masslessness applies to all higher spins in (A)dS as seen by their degree of freedom counts. Finally a derivation of massive d=4 constraints by dimensional reduction from their d=5 massless Bianchi identity ancestors is given.Comment: 35 pages, LaTeX, uses slashed.sty, version to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Agentes infecciosos em ateromas coronarianos: um possível papel na patogênese da ruptura da placa e infarto agudo do miocárdio

In this review we report our recent findings of histopathological features of plaque instability and the association with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) infection, studying thrombosed coronary artery segments (CAS) of patients who died due to acute myocardial infarction. Vulnerable plaques are known to be associated with fat atheromas and inflammation of the plaque. Here we demonstrated that vulnerability is also related with focal positive vessel remodeling that maintains relatively well preserved lumen even in the presence of large atheromatous plaques. This phenomena may explain why the cinecoronariography may not detect large and dangerous vulnerable plaques. Greater amount of these bacteria in vulnerable plaques is associated with adventitial inflammation and positive vessel remodeling: the mean numbers of lymphocytes were significantly higher in adventitia than in the plaque, good direct correlation was obtained between numbers of CD20 B cells and numbers of CP infected cells in adventitia, and between % area of MP-DNA in the plaque and cross sectional area of the vessel, suggesting a cause-effect relationship. Mycoplasma is a bacterium that needs cholesterol for proliferation and may increase virulence of other infectious agents. In conclusion, co-infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae may represent an important co-factor for plaque instability, leading to coronary plaque thrombosis and acute myocardial infarction, since larger amount of these bacteria strongly correlated with histological signs of more vulnerability of the plaque. The search of CMV and Helicobacter pilori in these tissues resulted negative.Nesta revisão relatamos recentes achados nossos sobre aspectos histológicos de instabilidade da placa e a associação com Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) e Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP), estudando segmentos de artéria coronária trombosados de pacientes que faleceram por infarto agudo do miocárdio. Placas vulneráveis são conhecidas como sendo placas gordurosas e com inflamação. Aqui demonstramos que a vulnerabilidade está também relacionada com remodelamento positivo do vaso o qual pode preservar a luz do vaso mesmo na presença de uma placa de ateroma grande. Grande quantidade dessas bactérias em placas vulneráveis está associada a inflamação da adventícia e remodelamento positivo do vaso: o número médio de linfócitos foi significativamente maior na adventícia do que na placa, e boas correlações diretas foram obtidas entre os números médios de células B CD20 e os números de células infectadas por CP na adventícia, e entre as % de áreas positivas para MP na placa e as áreas em secção transversal dos respectivos vasos, sugerindo uma relação de causa - efeito entre esses agentes infecciosos e vulnerabilidade da placa. Micoplasma é uma bactéria que necessita colesterol para a proliferação e pode aumentar a virulência de outros agentes infecciosos. Em conclusão, co-infecção por Mycoplasma pneumoniae e Chlamydia pneumoniae pode representar um importante co-fator de instabilidade da placa, levando a trombose da placa coronariana e infarto agudo do miocárdio, pois a maior quantidade dessas bactérias mostrou forte correlação com sinais histológicos de maior vulnerabilidade da placa. A pesquisa nesses tecidos de CMV e Helicobacter pilori foi negativa