Large N lattice QCD and its extended strong-weak connection to the hypersphere

We calculate an effective Polyakov line action of QCD at large Nc and large Nf from a combined lattice strong coupling and hopping expansion working to second order in both, where the order is defined by the number of windings in the Polyakov line. We compare with the action, truncated at the same order, of continuum QCD on S^1 x S^d at weak coupling from one loop perturbation theory, and find that a large Nc correspondence of equations of motion found in \cite{Hollowood:2012nr} at leading order, can be extended to the next order. Throughout the paper, we review the background necessary for computing higher order corrections to the lattice effective action, in order to make higher order comparisons more straightforward.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figure

Calculating the chiral condensate diagrammatically at strong coupling

We calculate the chiral condensate of QCD at infinite coupling as a function of the number of fundamental fermion flavours using a lattice diagrammatic approach inspired by recent work of Tomboulis, and other work from the 80's. We outline the approach where the diagrams are formed by combining a truncated number of sub-diagram types in all possible ways. Our results show evidence of convergence and agreement with simulation results at small Nf. However, contrary to recent simulation results, we do not observe a transition at a critical value of Nf. We further present preliminary results for the chiral condensate of QCD with symmetric or adjoint representation fermions at infinite coupling as a function of Nf for Nc = 3. In general, there are sources of error in this approach associated with miscounting of overlapping diagrams, and over-counting of diagrams due to symmetries. These are further elaborated upon in a longer paper.Comment: presented at the 32nd International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2014), 23-28 June 2014, New York, NY, US

Identifying Better Effective Higgsless Theories via W_L W_L Scattering

The three site Higgsless model has been offered as a benchmark for studying the collider phenomenology of Higgsless models. In this talk, we present how well the three site Higgsless model performs as a general representative of Higgsless models in describing W_L W_L scattering, and which modifications can make it more representative. We employ general sum rules relating the masses and couplings of the Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes of the gauge fields in continuum and deconstructed Higgsless models as a way to compare the different theories. After comparing the three site Higgsless model to flat and warped continuum Higgsless models, we analyze an extensions of the three site Higgsless model, namely, the Hidden Local Symmetry (HLS) Higgsless model. We demonstrate that W_LW_L scattering in the HLS Higgsless model can very closely approximate scattering in the continuum models, provided that the parameter `a' is chosen to mimic rho-meson dominance of pi-pi scattering in QCD

Calculating the chiral condensate of QCD at infinite coupling using a generalised lattice diagrammatic approach

We develop a lattice diagrammatic technique for calculating the chiral condensate of QCD at infinite coupling inspired by recent work of Tomboulis and earlier work from the 80's. The technique involves calculating the contribution of gauge link diagrams formed from all possible combinations of a number of sub-diagram types. This is achieved by performing a resummation, using a truncated number of sub-diagram types. We show how to calculate the relevant sub-diagrams, including a new technique for evaluating group integrals with arbitrary number of gauge link elements, using Young Projectors. Including up to four different diagram types we calculate the chiral condensate as a function of Nf, and show that two real solutions result, which are non-zero for all integer Nf. We analyse these solutions and find signs of convergence of the expansion at small Nf. We discuss sources of error associated with this approach in detail and implement a technique to reduce over-counting of diagrams.Comment: 47 pages, including 2 appendices, 10 plot

The Octave (Birmingham - Sheffield Hallam) automated pipeline for extracting oscillation parameters of solar-like main-sequence stars

The number of main-sequence stars for which we can observe solar-like oscillations is expected to increase considerably with the short-cadence high-precision photometric observations from the NASA Kepler satellite. Because of this increase in number of stars, automated tools are needed to analyse these data in a reasonable amount of time. In the framework of the asteroFLAG consortium, we present an automated pipeline which extracts frequencies and other parameters of solar-like oscillations in main-sequence and subgiant stars. The pipeline uses only the timeseries data as input and does not require any other input information. Tests on 353 artificial stars reveal that we can obtain accurate frequencies and oscillation parameters for about three quarters of the stars. We conclude that our methods are well suited for the analysis of main-sequence stars, which show mainly p-mode oscillations.Comment: accepted by MNRA

Future Perspectives on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and GLP-1/glucagon Receptor Co-agonists in the Treatment of NAFLD

Along the obesity pandemic, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), often regarded as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, increases worldwide representing now the prevalent liver disease in western countries. No pharmacotherapy is approved for the treatment of NAFLD and, currently, the cornerstone treatment is lifestyle modifications focusing on bodyweight loss, notoriously difficult to obtain and even more difficult to maintain. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches are highly demanded. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. They exert their body weight-lowering effect by reducing satiety and food intake. GLP-1RAs have also been shown to reduce liver inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, glucagon receptor agonism is being investigated for the treatment of NAFLD due to its appetite and food intake-reducing effects, as well as its ability to increase lipid oxidation and thermogenesis. Recent studies suggest that glucagon receptor signaling is disrupted in NAFLD, indicating that supra-physiological glucagon receptor agonism might represent a new NAFLD treatment target. The present review provides (1) an overview in the pathophysiology of NAFLD, including the potential involvement of GLP-1 and glucagon, (2) an introduction to the currently available GLP-1RAs and (3) outlines the potential of emerging GLP-1RAs and GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonists in the treatment of NAFLD

ASTEC -- the Aarhus STellar Evolution Code

The Aarhus code is the result of a long development, starting in 1974, and still ongoing. A novel feature is the integration of the computation of adiabatic oscillations for specified models as part of the code. It offers substantial flexibility in terms of microphysics and has been carefully tested for the computation of solar models. However, considerable development is still required in the treatment of nuclear reactions, diffusion and convective mixing.Comment: Astrophys. Space Sci, in the pres

Low abundances of heavy elements in the solar outer layers: comparisons of solar models with helioseismic inversions

Recent solar photospheric abundance analyses have led to a significant reduction of the metal abundances compared to the previous determinations. The solar models computed with standard opacities and diffusion processes using these new abundances give poor agreement with helioseismic inversions for the sound-speed profile, the surface helium abundance, and the convective zone depth. We attempt to obtain a good agreement between helioseismic inversions and solar models which present the "old" mixture in the interior and new chemical composition in the convective zone. To reach this result, we assume an undermetallic accretion at the beginning of the main sequence. We compute solar models with the Toulouse-Geneva Evolution Code, in which we simulate an undermetallic accretion in the early stages of the main sequence, in order to obtain new mixture in the outer convective zone. We compare the sound-speed profile, the convective zone depth, and the surface helium abundance with those deduced from helioseismology. The model with accretion but without any mixing process inside is in better agreement with helioseismology than the solar model with the new abundances throughout. There is, however, a spike under the convective zone which reaches 3.4%. Furthermore, the convective zone depth and the surface helium abundance are too low. Introducing undershooting below the convective zone allows us to recover the good convective zone radius and the addition of rotation-induced mixing and tachocline allows us to reconcile the surface helium abundance. But in any case the agreement of the sound-speed profile with helioseismic inference is worse than obtained with the old abundances.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Abrupt permafrost thaw triggers activity of copiotrophs and microbiome predators

Permafrost soils store a substantial part of the global soil carbon and nitrogen. However, global warming causes abrupt erosion and gradual thaw, which make these stocks vulnerable to microbial decomposition into greenhouse gases. Here, we investigated the microbial response to abrupt in situ permafrost thaw. We sequenced the total RNA of a 1 m deep soil core consisting of up to 26 500-year-old permafrost material from an active abrupt erosion site. We analysed the microbial community in the active layer soil, the recently thawed, and the intact permafrost, and found maximum RNA:DNA ratios in recently thawed permafrost indicating a high microbial activity. In thawed permafrost, potentially copiotrophic Burkholderiales and Sphingobacteriales, but also microbiome predators dominated the community. Overall, both thaw-dependent and long-term soil properties significantly correlated with changes in community composition, as did microbiome predator abundance. Bacterial predators were dominated in shallower depths by Myxococcota, while protozoa, especially Cercozoa and Ciliophora, almost tripled in relative abundance in thawed layers. Our findings highlight the ecological importance of a diverse interkingdom and active microbial community highly abundant in abruptly thawing permafrost, as well as predation as potential biological control mechanism