Spinning Test Particle in Kalb-Ramond background

In this work we explore the geodesic deviations of spinning test particles in a string inspired Einstein-Kalb Ramond background. Such a background is known to be equivalent to a spacetime geometry with torsion. We have shown here that the antisymmetric Kalb-Ramond field has significant effect on the geodesic deviation of a spinning test particle. A search for an observational evidence of such an effect in astrophysical experiments may lead to a better undestanding of the geometry of the background spacetime.Comment: 14 pages, Latex, 5 figure

Bulk Kalb-Ramond field in Randall Sundrum scenario

We have considered the most general gauge invariant five-dimensional action of a second rank antisymmetric Kalb-Ramond tensor gauge theory, including a topological term of the form $\epsilon^{ABLMN}B_{AB}H_{LMN}$ in a Randall-Sundrum scenario. Such a tensor field $B_{AB}$ (whose rank-3 field strength tensor is $H_{LMN}$), which appears in the massless sector of a heterotic string theory, is assumed to coexist with the gravity in the bulk. The third rank field strength corresponding to the Kalb-Ramond field has a well-known geometric interpretation as the spacetime torsion. The only non-trivial classical solutions corresponding to the effective four-dimensional action are found to be self-dual or anti-selfdual Kalb-Ramond fields. This ensures that the four-dimensional effective action on the brane is parity-conserving. The massive modes for both cases, lying in the TeV range, are related to the fundamental parameters of the theory. These modes can be within the kinematic reach of forthcoming TeV scale experiments. However, the couplings of the massless as well as massive Kalb-Ramond modes with matter on the visible brane are found to be suppressed vis-a-vis that of the graviton by the warp factor, whence the conclusion is that both the massless and the massive torsion modes appear much weaker than curvature to an observer on the visible brane.Comment: 15 Pages,2 figures,Late

Constraining the Randall-Sundrum modulus in the light of recent PVLAS data

Recent PVLAS data put stringent constraints on the measurement of birefringence and dichroism of electromagnetic waves travelling in a constant and homogeneous magnetic field. There have been theoretical predictions in favour of such phenomena when appropriate axion-electromagnetic coupling is assumed. Origin of such a coupling can be traced in a low energy string action from the requirement of quantum consistency. The resulting couplings in such models are an artifact of the compactification of the extra dimensions present inevitably in a string scenario. The moduli parameters which encode the compact manifold therefore play a crucial role in determining the axion-photon coupling. In this work we examine the possible bounds on the value of compact modulus that emerge from the experimental limits on the coupling obtained from the PVLAS data. In particular we focus into the Randall-Sundrum (RS) type of warped geometry model whose modulus parameter is already restricted from the requirement of the resolution of gauge hierarchy problem in connection with the mass of the Higgs. We explore the bound on the modulus for a wide range of the axion mass for both the birefringence and the dichroism data in PVLAS. We show that the proposed value of the modulus in the RS scenario can only be accommodated for axion mass \gsim 0.3 eV.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, LaTex; added references, typos corrected. Minor changes in the text, a comment added in the Conclusio

PASTEURELLOSIS IN DUCK IN WEST BENGAL

Two hundred sixty four samples were collected from heart blood, liver, spleen and femur of 85 khaki Campbell ducks of which P. multocida could be isolated from 4 (4.70%) birds. Out of 4 samples, organisms could be isolated from heart blood of one ducklings liver and femur of one duck each. All the isolates were found positive to catalase, oxidase, indole, nitrate reduction test and negative to methyl red, Voges-Proskaur, citrate utilization, H2S production and triple sugar iron test. The isolates fermented glucose and manitol without production of gas and non-fermented lactose, salicin, dulcitol and inositol. The isolates were non-motile and pathogenic to mice. All isolates of P. multocida were sensitive to amoxiclav, chloramphenicol, gentamicin and three isolates were sensitive to co-trimoxazole. All were moderately sensitive to amikacin, cefotaxime, neomycin and norfloxacin and resistant to ciprofloxacin and lomefloxacin

Charged black holes in generalized dilaton-axion gravity

We study generic Einstein-Maxwell-Kalb-Ramond-dilaton actions, and derive conditions under which they give rise to static, spherically symmetric black hole solutions. We obtain new asymptotically flat and non-flat black hole solutions which are in general electrically and magnetically charged. They have positive definite and finite quasi-local masses. Existing non-rotating black hole solutions (including those appearing in low energy string theory) are recovered in special limits.Comment: Replaced with revised version, 33 pages, No figure

Holographic Symmetry-Breaking Phases in AdS3_3/CFT2_2

In this note we study the symmetry-breaking phases of 3D gravity coupled to matter. In particular, we consider black holes with scalar hair as a model of symmetry-breaking phases of a strongly coupled 1+1 dimensional CFT. In the case of a discrete symmetry, we show that these theories admit metastable phases of broken symmetry and study the thermodynamics of these phases. We also demonstrate that the 3D Einstein-Maxwell theory shows continuous symmetry breaking at low temperature. The apparent contradiction with the Coleman-Mermin-Wagner theorem is discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figur

Non-relativistic metrics from back-reacting fermions

It has recently been pointed out that under certain circumstances the back-reaction of charged, massive Dirac fermions causes important modifications to AdS_2 spacetimes arising as the near horizon geometry of extremal black holes. In a WKB approximation, the modified geometry becomes a non-relativistic Lifshitz spacetime. In three dimensions, it is known that integrating out charged, massive fermions gives rise to gravitational and Maxwell Chern-Simons terms. We show that Schrodinger (warped AdS_3) spacetimes exist as solutions to a gravitational and Maxwell Chern-Simons theory with a cosmological constant. Motivated by this, we look for warped AdS_3 or Schrodinger metrics as exact solutions to a fully back-reacted theory containing Dirac fermions in three and four dimensions. We work out the dynamical exponent in terms of the fermion mass and generalize this result to arbitrary dimensions.Comment: 26 pages, v2: typos corrected, references added, minor change

Large-scale magnetic fields from inflation due to a CPTCPT-even Chern-Simons-like term with Kalb-Ramond and scalar fields

We investigate the generation of large-scale magnetic fields due to the breaking of the conformal invariance in the electromagnetic field through the $CPT$-even dimension-six Chern-Simons-like effective interaction with a fermion current by taking account of the dynamical Kalb-Ramond and scalar fields in inflationary cosmology. It is explicitly demonstrated that the magnetic fields on 1Mpc scale with the field strength of $\sim 10^{-9}$G at the present time can be induced.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Novel Phospholipid-Protein Conjugates Allow Improved Detection of Antibodies in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases

Reliable measurement of clinically relevant autoimmune antibodies toward phospholipid-protein conjugates is highly desirable in research and clinical assays. To date, the development in this field has been limited to the use of natural heterogeneous antigens. However, this approach does not take structural features of biologically active antigens into account and leads to low reliability and poor scientific test value. Here we describe novel phospholipid-protein conjugates for specific detection of human autoimmune antibodies. Our synthetic approach includes mild oxidation of synthetic phospholipid cardiolipin, and as the last step, coupling of the product with azide-containing linker and copper-catalyzed click chemistry with β2-glycoprotein I and prothrombin. To prove utility of the product antigens, we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and three cohorts of samples obtained from patients in Denmark (n = 34) and the USA (n = 27 and n = 14). Afterwards we analyzed correlation of the obtained autoantibody titers with clinical parameters for each patient. Our results prove that using novel antigens clinically relevant autoantibodies can be detected with high repeatability, sensitivity and specificity. Unlike previously used antigens the obtained autoantibody titers strongly correlate with high disease activity and in particular, with arthritis, renal involvement, anti-Smith antibodies and high lymphocyte count. Importantly, chemical composition of antigens has a strong influence on the correlation of detected autoantibodies with disease activity and manifestations. This confirms the crucial importance of antigens' composition on research and diagnostic assays, and opens up exciting perspectives for synthetic antigens in future studies of autoimmunity

Size and space controlled hexagonal arrays of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanodots: magnetic studies and application

Highly dense hexagonally arranged iron oxide nanodots array were fabricated using PS-b-PEO self-assembled patterns. The copolymer molecular weight, composition and choice of annealing solvent/s allows dimensional and structural control of the nanopatterns at large scale. A mechanism is proposed to create scaffolds through degradation and/or modification of cylindrical domains. A methodology based on selective metal ion inclusion and subsequent processing was used to create iron oxide nanodots array. The nanodots have uniform size and shape and their placement mimics the original self-assembled nanopatterns. For the first time these precisely defined and size selective systems of ordered nanodots allow careful investigation of magnetic properties in dimensions from 50 nm to 10 nm, which delineate the nanodots are superparamagnetic, well-isolated and size monodispersed. This diameter/spacing controlled iron oxide nanodots systems were demonstrated as a resistant mask over silicon to fabricate densely packed, identical ordered, high aspect ratio silicon nanopillars and nanowire features