Charged Dilatonic AdS Black Branes in Arbitrary Dimensions

We study electromagnetically charged dilatonic black brane solutions in arbitrary dimensions with flat transverse spaces, that are asymptotically AdS. This class of solutions includes spacetimes which possess a bulk region where the metric is approximately invariant under Lifshitz scalings. Given fixed asymptotic boundary conditions, we analyze how the behavior of the bulk up to the horizon varies with the charges and derive the extremality conditions for these spacetimes.Comment: References update

Phase structure of black branes in grand canonical ensemble

This is a companion paper of our previous work [1] where we studied the thermodynamics and phase structure of asymptotically flat black $p$-branes in a cavity in arbitrary dimensions $D$ in a canonical ensemble. In this work we study the thermodynamics and phase structure of the same in a grand canonical ensemble. Since the boundary data in two cases are different (for the grand canonical ensemble boundary potential is fixed instead of the charge as in canonical ensemble) the stability analysis and the phase structure in the two cases are quite different. In particular, we find that there exists an analog of one-variable analysis as in canonical ensemble, which gives the same stability condition as the rather complicated known (but generalized from black holes to the present case) two-variable analysis. When certain condition for the fixed potential is satisfied, the phase structure of charged black $p$-branes is in some sense similar to that of the zero charge black $p$-branes in canonical ensemble up to a certain temperature. The new feature in the present case is that above this temperature, unlike the zero-charge case, the stable brane phase no longer exists and `hot flat space' is the stable phase here. In the grand canonical ensemble there is an analog of Hawking-Page transition, even for the charged black $p$-brane, as opposed to the canonical ensemble. Our study applies to non-dilatonic as well as dilatonic black $p$-branes in $D$ space-time dimensions.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures, various points refined, discussion expanded, references updated, typos corrected, published in JHEP 1105:091,201

Study design and baseline characteristics of patients on dialysis in the ASCEND-D trial

BACKGROUND: The Anemia Studies in chronic kidney disease (CKD): Erythropoiesis via a Novel prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (PHI) Daprodustat-Dialysis (ASCEND-D) trial will test the hypothesis that daprodustat is non-inferior to comparator epoetin alfa or darbepoetin alfa for two co-primary endpoints: haemoglobin efficacy and cardiovascular safety. METHODS: We report the trial design, key demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings, and baseline therapies of 2964 patients randomised in the open-label (sponsor-blinded) active-controlled, parallel-group, randomised ASCEND-D clinical trial. We also compare baseline characteristics of ASCEND-D patients with patients who are on dialysis (CKD G5D) enrolled in other large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) and in the most relevant registries. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 58 years, 43% were female; 67% were white and 16% were black. The median haemoglobin at baseline was 10.4 g/dL. Among randomised patients, 89% were receiving haemodialysis and 11% peritoneal dialysis. Among key co-morbidities, 42% reported a history of diabetes mellitus, and 45% a history of cardiovascular disease. Median blood pressure was 134/74 mmHg. The median weekly dose of epoetin was 5751 units. Intravenous and oral iron use was noted in 64% and 11% of patients, respectively. Baseline demographics were similar to patients with CKD G5D enrolled in other CVOTs and renal patient registries. CONCLUSION: ASCEND-D will evaluate the efficacy and safety of daprodustat compared with epoetin alfa or darbepoetin alfa in the treatment of patients with anaemia with CKD G5D

The ASCEND-ND trial: Study design and participant characteristics

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD), and assessment of the risks and benefits of new therapies is important. METHODS: The Anaemia Study in CKD: Erythropoiesis via a Novel prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor Daprodustat-Non-Dialysis (ASCEND-ND) trial includes adult patients with CKD Stages 3-5, not using erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) with screening haemoglobin (Hb) 8-10 g/dL, or receiving ESAs with screening Hb of 8-12 g/dL. Participants were randomised to daprodustat or darbepoetin alfa (1:1) in an open- label trial (steering committee- and sponsor-blinded), with blinded endpoint assessment. The co-primary endpoints are mean change in Hb between baseline and evaluation period (average over Weeks 28 to 52) and time to first adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular (CV) event. Baseline characteristics were compared with those of participants in similar anaemia trials. RESULTS: Overall, 3872 patients were randomised from 39 countries (median age 67 years, 56% female; 56% White, 27% Asian, and 10% Black). Median baseline Hb was 9.9 g/dL, blood pressure was 135/74 mmHg and eGFR was 18 mL/min/1.73 m2. Among randomised patients, 53% were ESA non-users, 57% had diabetes and 37% had a history of CV disease. At baseline, 61% of participants were using renin- angiotensin system blockers, 55% were taking statin and 49% oral iron. Baseline demographics were similar to those in other large non-dialysis anaemia trials. CONCLUSION: ASCEND-ND will define the efficacy and safety of daprodustat compared with darbepoetin alfa in the treatment of patients with anaemia associated with CKD not on dialysis

Stringy Stability of Charged Dilaton Black Holes with Flat Event Horizon

Electrically charged black holes with flat event horizon in anti-de Sitter space have received much attention due to various applications in Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, from modeling the behavior of quark-gluon plasma to superconductor. Crucial to the physics on the dual field theory is the fact that when embedded in string theory, black holes in the bulk may become vulnerable to instability caused by brane pair-production. Since dilaton arises naturally in the context of string theory, we study the effect of coupling dilaton to Maxwell field on the stability of flat charged AdS black holes. In particular, we study the stability of Gao-Zhang black holes, which are locally asymptotically anti-de Sitter. We find that for dilaton coupling parameter $\alpha$ > 1, flat black holes are stable against brane pair production, however for 0 < $\alpha$ < 1, the black holes eventually become unstable as the amount of electrical charges is increased. Such instability however, behaves somewhat differently from that of flat Reissner-Nordstr\"om black holes. In addition, we prove that the Seiberg-Witten action of charged dilaton AdS black hole of Gao-Zhang type with flat event horizon (at least in 5-dimension) is always logarithmically divergent at infinity for finite values of $\alpha$, and is finite and positive in the case $\alpha$ tends to infinity . We also comment on the robustness of our result for other charged dilaton black holes that are not of Gao-Zhang type.Comment: Fixed some confusions regarding whether part of the discussions concern electrically charged hole or magnetically charged one. No changes to the result

Impact of exposure measurement error in air pollution epidemiology: effect of error type in time-series studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two distinctly different types of measurement error are Berkson and classical. Impacts of measurement error in epidemiologic studies of ambient air pollution are expected to depend on error type. We characterize measurement error due to instrument imprecision and spatial variability as multiplicative (i.e. additive on the log scale) and model it over a range of error types to assess impacts on risk ratio estimates both on a per measurement unit basis and on a per interquartile range (IQR) basis in a time-series study in Atlanta.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Daily measures of twelve ambient air pollutants were analyzed: NO₂, NO_x, O₃, SO₂, CO, PM₁₀mass, PM_2.5mass, and PM_2.5components sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, elemental carbon and organic carbon. Semivariogram analysis was applied to assess spatial variability. Error due to this spatial variability was added to a reference pollutant time-series on the log scale using Monte Carlo simulations. Each of these time-series was exponentiated and introduced to a Poisson generalized linear model of cardiovascular disease emergency department visits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Measurement error resulted in reduced statistical significance for the risk ratio estimates for all amounts (corresponding to different pollutants) and types of error. When modelled as classical-type error, risk ratios were attenuated, particularly for primary air pollutants, with average attenuation in risk ratios on a per unit of measurement basis ranging from 18% to 92% and on an IQR basis ranging from 18% to 86%. When modelled as Berkson-type error, risk ratios per unit of measurement were biased away from the null hypothesis by 2% to 31%, whereas risk ratios per IQR were attenuated (i.e. biased toward the null) by 5% to 34%. For CO modelled error amount, a range of error types were simulated and effects on risk ratio bias and significance were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For multiplicative error, both the amount and type of measurement error impact health effect estimates in air pollution epidemiology. By modelling instrument imprecision and spatial variability as different error types, we estimate direction and magnitude of the effects of error over a range of error types.</p

The Wooster Voice (Wooster, OH), 1949-12-08

Dr. T. Cuyler Young addresses the campus during the annual Wooster Day celebration. Dr. Delbert Lean will give his 40th annual reading of Charles Dickens\u27 Christmas Carol. Plans to build a darkroom for student publications are announced. Additionally, Wooster host the fall conference of the Ohio division of the National Student Association.https://openworks.wooster.edu/voice1941-1950/1204/thumbnail.jp

Structural Discrimination of Robustness in Transcriptional Feedforward Loops for Pattern Formation

Signaling pathways are interconnected to regulatory circuits for sensing the environment and expressing the appropriate genetic profile. In particular, gradients of diffusing molecules (morphogens) determine cell fate at a given position, dictating development and spatial organization. The feedforward loop (FFL) circuit is among the simplest genetic architectures able to generate one-stripe patterns by operating as an amplitude detection device, where high output levels are achieved at intermediate input ones. Here, using a heuristic optimization-based approach, we dissected the design space containing all possible topologies and parameter values of the FFL circuits. We explored the ability of being sensitive or adaptive to variations in the critical morphogen level where cell fate is switched. We found four different solutions for precision, corresponding to the four incoherent architectures, but remarkably only one mode for adaptiveness, the incoherent type 4 (I4-FFL). We further carried out a theoretical study to unveil the design principle for such structural discrimination, finding that the synergistic action and cooperative binding on the downstream promoter are instrumental to achieve absolute adaptive responses. Subsequently, we analyzed the robustness of these optimal circuits against perturbations in the kinetic parameters and molecular noise, which has allowed us to depict a scenario where adaptiveness, parameter sensitivity and noise tolerance are different, correlated facets of the robustness of the I4-FFL circuit. Strikingly, we showed a strong correlation between the input (environment-related) and the intrinsic (mutation-related) susceptibilities. Finally, we discussed the evolution of incoherent regulations in terms of multifunctionality and robustness