Density and T1T_1 of surface and bulk spins in diamond in high magnetic field gradients

We report on surface and bulk spin density measurements of diamond, using ultra-sensitive magnetic force microscopy with magnetic field gradients up to 0.5 T/$\mu$m. At temperatures between 25 and 800 mK, we measure the shifts in the resonance frequency and quality factor of a cantilever with a micromagnet attached to it. A recently developed theoretical analysis allows us to extract a surface spin density of 0.072 spins/nm$^2$ and a bulk spin density of 0.4 ppm from this data. In addition, we find an increase of the $T_1$ time of the surface spins in high magnetic field gradients due to the suppression of spin diffusion. Our technique is applicable to a variety of samples other than diamond, and could be of interest for several research fields where surface, interface or impurity bulk spin densities are an important factor.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Semi-Invariant Terms for Gauged Non-Linear Sigma-Models

We determine all the terms that are gauge-invariant up to a total spacetime derivative ("semi-invariant terms") for gauged non-linear sigma models. Assuming that the isotropy subgroup $H$ of the gauge group is compact or semi-simple, we show that (non-trivial) such terms exist only in odd dimensions and are equivalent to the familiar Chern-Simons terms for the subgroup $H$. Various applications are mentioned, including one to the gauging of the Wess-Zumino-Witten terms in even spacetime dimensions. Our approach is based on the analysis of the descent equation associated with semi-invariant terms.Comment: section 6 expande

Superfield Noether Procedure

We develop a superspace Noether procedure for supersymmetric field theories in 4-dimensions for which an off-shell formulation in ordinary superspace exists. In this way we obtain an elegant and compact derivation of the various supercurrents in these theories. We then apply this formalism to compute the central charges for a variety of effective actions. As a by-product we also obtain a simple derivation of the anomalous superconformal Ward-identity in N=2 Yang-Mills theory. The connection with linearized supergravity is also discussed.Comment: 47 pages, Latex, improved pedagogical presentation and references adde

Geometric Interpretation of the Quantum Master Equation in the BRST--anti-BRST Formalism

The geometric interpretation of the antibracket formalism given by Witten is extended to cover the anti-BRST symmetry. This enables one to formulate the quantum master equation for the BRST--anti-BRST formalism in terms of integration theory over a supermanifold. A proof of the equivalence of the standard antibracket formalism with the antibracket formalism for the BRST--anti-BRST symmetry is also given.Comment: 12 page

Natural Choline from Egg Yolk Phospholipids Is More Efficiently Absorbed Compared with Choline Bitartrate; Outcomes of A Randomized Trial in Healthy Adults

Choline is a vitamin-like essential nutrient, important throughout one’s lifespan. Therefore, choline salts are added to infant formula, supplements and functional foods. However, if choline is present in a natural form, e.g. bound to phospholipids, it may be more efficiently absorbed. The study’s aim was to evaluate if choline uptake is improved after consumption of an egg yolk phospholipid drink, containing 3 g of phospholipid bound choline, compared to a control drink with 3 g of choline bitartrate. We performed a randomized, double blind, cross-over trial with 18 participants. Plasma choline, betaine and dimethylglycine concentrations were determined before and up to six hours after consumption of the drinks. The plasma choline response, as determined by the incremental area under the curve, was four times higher after consumption of the egg yolk phospholipid drink compared with the control drink (p < 0.01). Similar outcomes were also observed for choline’s main metabolites, betaine (p < 0.01) and dimethylglycine (p = 0.01). Consumption of natural choline from egg yolk phospholipids improved choline absorption compared to consumption of chemically produced choline bitartrate. This information is of relevance for the food industry, instead of adding choline-salts, adding choline from egg yolk phospholipids can improve choline uptake and positively impact health

On The Gauge-Fixed BRST Cohomology

A crucial property of the standard antifield-BRST cohomology at non negative ghost number is that any cohomological class is completely determined by its antifield independent part. In particular, a BRST cocycle that vanishes when the antifields are set equal to zero is necessarily exact.\ \ This property, which follows from the standard theorems of homological perturbation theory, holds not only in the algebra of local functions, but also in the space of local functionals. The present paper stresses how important it is that the antifields in question be the usual antifields associated with the gauge invariant description. By means of explicit counterexamples drawn from the free Maxwell-Klein-Gordon system, we show that the property does not hold, in the case of local functionals, if one replaces the antifields of the gauge invariant description by new antifields adapted to the gauge fixation. In terms of these new antifields, it is not true that a local functional weakly annihilated by the gauge-fixed BRST generator determines a BRST cocycle; nor that a BRST cocycle which vanishes when the antifields are set equal to zero is necessarily exact.Comment: 14 pages Latex fil

Homological Algebra and Yang-Mills Theory

The antifield-BRST formalism and the various cohomologies associated with it are surveyed and illustrated in the context of Yang-Mills gauge theory. In particular, the central role played by the Koszul-Tate resolution and its relation to the characteristic cohomology are stressed.Comment: 20 pages in LaTe

Factors associated with the continuum of care of HIV infected patients in Belgium

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A note on spin-s duality

Duality is investigated for higher spin ($s \geq 2$), free, massless, bosonic gauge fields. We show how the dual formulations can be derived from a common "parent", first-order action. This goes beyond most of the previous treatments where higher-spin duality was investigated at the level of the equations of motion only. In D=4 spacetime dimensions, the dual theories turn out to be described by the same Pauli-Fierz (s=2) or Fronsdal ($s \geq 3$) action (as it is the case for spin 1). In the particular s=2 D=5 case, the Pauli-Fierz action and the Curtright action are shown to be related through duality. A crucial ingredient of the analysis is given by the first-order, gauge-like, reformulation of higher spin theories due to Vasiliev.Comment: Minor corrections, reference adde