Adjoint orbits, generalised parallelisable spaces and consistent truncations

The aim of this note is to present some new explicit examples of $O(d,d)$-generalised Leibniz parallelisable spaces arising as the normal bundles of adjoint orbits $\mathcal{O}$ of some semi-simple Lie group $G$. Using this construction, an explicit expression for a generalised frame is given in the case when the orbits are regular, but subtleties arise when they become degenerate. In the case of regular orbits, the resulting space is a globally flat fiber bundle over $\mathcal{O}$ which can be made compact, allowing for a generalised Scherk-Schwartz reduction. This means these spaces should admit consistent supergravity truncations. For degenerate orbits, the procedure hinges on the existence of a suitable metric, allowing for a consistent normalisation of the generalised frame.Comment: 10 pages; typos corrected, references adde

Rational Use of Antimicrobials-Improving Clinical Reasoning with Case Based Learning

Responsible antimicrobial use is not only a day one competency required by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons but is of vital importance in reducing the development of future antimicrobial resistance. Feedback from veterinary students in their final year of training at the University of Glasgow mirrored the observations of tutors, in that while all were aware of the increasingly important issue of antimicrobial resistance, most felt lacking in their ability to make rational clinical decisions regarding antimicrobial use in the field. To address this issue, a small group, two hour tutorial was implemented, using a case-based discussion format, with students having on-line access to a PowerPoint of the clinical scenarios, and links to additional printed resources prior to the tutorial. Student feedback was gathered after each tutorial with an optional questionnaire, and this data was used to evaluate the efficacy of this format in improving student confidence and clinical reasoning with regard to antimicrobial use. Results of the questionnaire were extremely positive, with a very high percentage of students agreeing that the tutorial had improved their confidence and decision making ability in this area. Several students requested more of the same, and others suggested that similar tutorials be given earlier in the course

Quantum Phase Transitions in Mass-Deformed ABJM Matrix Model

When mass-deformed ABJM theory is considered on S(3), the partition function of the theory localises and is given by a matrix model. We solve this model at large-N in the decompactification limit, where the radius of the three-sphere is taken to infinity. In this limit, the theory exhibits a rich phase structure with an infinite number of third-order quantum phase transitions accumulating at strong coupling.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures; v2: references added; v3: comment on massless model adde

The trouble with twisting (2,0) theory

We consider a twisted version of the abelian $(2,0)$ theory placed upon a Lorenzian six-manifold with a product structure, $M_6=C \times M_4$. This is done by an investigation of the free tensor multiplet on the level of equations of motion, where the problem of its formulation in Euclidean signature is circumvented by letting the time-like direction lie in the two-manifold $C$ and performing a topological twist along $M_4$ alone. A compactification on $C$ is shown to be necessary to enable the possibility of finding a topological field theory. The hypothetical twist along a Euclidean $C$ is argued to amount to the correct choice of linear combination of the two supercharges scalar on $M_4$. This procedure is expected and conjectured to result in a topological field theory, but we arrive at the surprising conclusion that this twisted theory contains no $Q$-exact and covariantly conserved stress tensor unless $M_4$ has vanishing curvature. This is to our knowledge a phenomenon which has not been observed before in topological field theories. In the literature, the setup of the twisting used here has been suggested as the origin of the conjectured AGT-correspondence, and our hope is that this work may somehow contribute to the understanding of it.Comment: 25 pages, v2: Some further clarifications including an extended discussion on the relation to other topological twistings. References adde

Tunneling solutions in topological field theory on R x S^3 x I

We consider a topologically twisted version, recently introduced by Witten, of five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on a five-manifold of the form M_5 =R x W_3 x I. If the length of the interval I is sufficiently large, the supersymmetric localization equations admit pairs of static solutions (with the factor R interpreted as Euclidean time). However, these solutions disappear for a sufficiently short I, so by the topological invariance of the theory, they must be connected by an interpolating dynamic instanton solution. We study this for the case that W_3 is a three-sphere S^3 with the standard metric by making a spherically symmetric Ansatz for all fields. The solution is given as a power series in a parameter related to the length of I, and we give explicit expressions for the first non-trivial terms.Comment: Added paragraph on instanton numbe

Five-dimensional topologically twisted maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory

Herein, we consider a topologically twisted version of maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions which was introduced by Witten in 2011. We consider this theory on a five manifold of the form M-4 x I for M-4 an oriented Riemannian four manifold. The complete and unique action of the theory in bulk is written down and is shown to be invariant under two scalar supersymmetries

Else-where and else-when :the formation of newsreel memory as a distinctive type of popular cultural memory

PhD Thesis Interview transcriptions on disk, accompanying this thesis, to be consulted at the Robinson LibraryThis thesis explores the formation of a distinctive type of popular cultural memory I have chosen to call newsreel memory, through a close analysis of oral testimonies provided by older residents of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and its districts. Focusing on the 1940s, this study demonstrates that although newsreel memories are anchored within the autobiographical, the interpretation of individual recollections can only be fully realised within wider cultural frames of meaning, significantly the familial, the generational, and the national. This thesis makes it clear that newsreels produced a unique viewing experience and one in which the pleasures associated with the spectacle of ‘actuality and knowledge’ were paramount. In addition, the gathered recollections themselves illustrate that in an important imaginative sense newsreel viewing brought historic news events, particularly during the Second World War, into existence and newsreel audiences into an imagined communion. Given the clustering of individual newsreel memories around an ultra-familiar canon of historic events, this study reveals the formative relationship between the historic events recorded by the newsreels and the personal expression of a particular popular wartime memory. Further, this thesis argues that one of the unique features of newsreel memory is its ‘entangledness’, that is, the way in which newsreel memories have been re-imagined and re-framed by the subsequent use of newsreel material in other cultural contexts. Finally, this study shows that, although the newsreel image derives its cultural authority from its perceived iconic status, what is in fact evoked is an imaginary witnessing of the prediscursive news event. As a result, what is recalled in newsreel memory is an event that took place else-where and else-when. Thus, it is the role of newsreel viewing as an important form of secondary witnessing that is explored here: a complex process, which confirms newsreel memory as a unique expression of both popular cultural memory and history.The Arts and Humanities Research Council: Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne