Branes and fluxes in special holonomy manifolds and cascading field theories

We conduct a study of holographic RG flows whose UV is a theory in 2+1 dimensions decoupled from gravity, and the IR is the N=6,8 superconformal fixed point of ABJM. The solutions we consider are constructed by warping the M-theory background whose eight spatial dimensions are manifolds of special holonomies sp(1) times sp(1) and spin(7). Our main example for the spin(7) holonomy manifold is the A8 geometry originally constructed by Cvetic, Gibbons, Lu, and Pope. On the gravity side, our constructions generalize the earlier construction of RG flow where the UV was N=3 Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons matter system and are simpler in a number of ways. Through careful consideration of Page, Maxwell, and brane charges, we identify the discrete and continuous parameters characterizing each system. We then determine the range of the discrete data, corresponding to the flux/rank for which the supersymmetry is unbroken, and estimate the dynamical supersymmetry breaking scale as a function of these data. We then point out the similarity between the physics of supersymmetry breaking between our system and the system considered by Maldacena and Nastase. We also describe the condition for unbroken supersymmetry on class of construction based on a different class of spin(7) manifolds known as B8 spaces whose IR is different from that of ABJM and exhibit some interesting features.Comment: 51 pages, 12 figures. Update in quantization of G4 on B8 in equations (5.12) and (5.13

Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence

This paper describes evidence-based kernels, fundamental units of behavioral influence that appear to underlie effective prevention and treatment for children, adults, and families. A kernel is a behavior–influence procedure shown through experimental analysis to affect a specific behavior and that is indivisible in the sense that removing any of its components would render it inert. Existing evidence shows that a variety of kernels can influence behavior in context, and some evidence suggests that frequent use or sufficient use of some kernels may produce longer lasting behavioral shifts. The analysis of kernels could contribute to an empirically based theory of behavioral influence, augment existing prevention or treatment efforts, facilitate the dissemination of effective prevention and treatment practices, clarify the active ingredients in existing interventions, and contribute to efficiently developing interventions that are more effective. Kernels involve one or more of the following mechanisms of behavior influence: reinforcement, altering antecedents, changing verbal relational responding, or changing physiological states directly. The paper describes 52 of these kernels, and details practical, theoretical, and research implications, including calling for a national database of kernels that influence human behavior

Pulsed Eddy-Current Interaction with Subsurface Cracks

Calculations have been carried out to evaluate pulsed eddy-current interaction with a planar crack in a conductor. The field is excited by a coil carrying current pulses while crack signals are detected by measuring changes in the magnetic field above the conductor or by monitoring variations in the induced emf across the coil. An integral formulation of the problem has been used to determine the field at the surface of the crack as a function of time. A discrete matrix approximation of the integral equation is derived based on the moment method. Using a time-stepping procedure, the matrix equation is solved to obtain the field at a specific time using the solutions at all previous time steps starting at the initiation of the excitation pulse. The signal detected by a magnetic field sensor on the axis of the coil is then computed

Smoking and survival after breast cancer diagnosis: a prospective observational study and systematic review

BACKGROUND: The association of smoking with outcomes following breast cancer prognosis is not well understood. METHOD: In a cohort study called Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE), 2265 women diagnosed with breast cancer were followed for a median of twelve years. We used multivariable proportional-hazards models to determine whether smoking, assessed approximately two years post-diagnosis, was associated with risk of death among these women. We also undertook a systematic review of all cohort studies to date that have examined the association between smoking and breast cancer mortality. RESULTS: Compared with never smokers, women who were current smokers had a two-fold higher rate of dying from breast cancer [hazard ratio (HR)=2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27–3.18] and an approximately four-fold higher rate of dying from competing (non-breast cancer) causes (HR=3.84, 95%CI 2.50–5.89). Among seven studies that met the inclusion criteria in the systematic review, three studies and our own reported significantly increased risk of breast cancer death with current smoking. We found little evidence of an association between former smoking and breast cancer mortality (HR=1.24, 95% CI 0.94–1.64). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with findings from our prospective observational study, the systematic review of seven additional studies indicates positive association of current smoking with breast cancer mortality, but weak association with former smoking. IMPACT: Women who smoke following breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are at higher risk of death both from breast cancer and other causes