The Baryonic Phase in Holographic Descriptions of the QCD Phase Diagram

We study holographic models of the QCD temperature-chemical potential phase diagram based on the D3/D7 system with chiral symmetry breaking. The baryonic phase may be included through linked D5-D7 systems. In a previous analysis of a model with a running gauge coupling a baryonic phase was shown to exist to arbitrarily large chemical potential. Here we explore this phase in a more generic phenomenological setting with a step function dilaton profile. The change in dilaton generates a linear confining $\bar{q}q$ potential and opposes the screening effect of temperature. We show that the persistence of the baryonic phase depends on the step size and that QCD-like phase diagrams can be described. The baryonic phase's existence is qualitatively linked to the existence of confinement in Wilson loop computations in the background.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

The HMGB1/RAGE axis triggers neutrophil-mediated injury amplification following necrosis

In contrast to microbially triggered inflammation, mechanisms promoting sterile inflammation remain poorly understood. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are considered key inducers of sterile inflammation following cell death, but the relative contribution of specific DAMPs, including high–mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), is ill defined. Due to the postnatal lethality of Hmgb1-knockout mice, the role of HMGB1 in sterile inflammation and disease processes in vivo remains controversial. Here, using conditional ablation strategies, we have demonstrated that epithelial, but not bone marrow–derived, HMGB1 is required for sterile inflammation following injury. Epithelial HMGB1, through its receptor RAGE, triggered recruitment of neutrophils, but not macrophages, toward necrosis. In clinically relevant models of necrosis, HMGB1/RAGE-induced neutrophil recruitment mediated subsequent amplification of injury, depending on the presence of neutrophil elastase. Notably, hepatocyte-specific HMGB1 ablation resulted in 100% survival following lethal acetaminophen intoxication. In contrast to necrosis, HMGB1 ablation did not alter inflammation or mortality in response to TNF- or FAS-mediated apoptosis. In LPS-induced shock, in which HMGB1 was considered a key mediator, HMGB1 ablation did not ameliorate inflammation or lethality, despite efficient reduction of HMGB1 serum levels. Our study establishes HMGB1 as a bona fide and targetable DAMP that selectively triggers a neutrophil-mediated injury amplification loop in the setting of necrosis

Semiclassical strings in AdS(3) X S^2

In this paper, we investigate the semiclassical strings in AdS(3)XS^2, in which the string configuration of AdS(3) is classified to three cases depending on the parameters. Each of these has a different anomalous dimension proportional to logS, S^(1/3) and S, where S is a angular momentum on AdS(3). Further we generalize the dispersion relations for various string configuration on AdS(3)XS^2.Comment: 15 pages, added reference

Towards a Holographic Model of the QCD Phase Diagram

We describe the temperature-chemical potential phase diagrams of holographic models of a range of strongly coupled gauge theories that display chiral symmetry breaking/restoration transitions. The models are based on the D3/probe-D7 system but with a phenomenologically chosen running coupling/dilaton profile. We realize chiral phase transitions with either temperature or density that are first or second order by changing the dilaton profile. Although the models are only caricatures of QCD they show that holographic models can capture many aspects of the QCD phase diagram and hint at the dependence on the running coupling.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, v2: minor corrections, Invited contribution to an AdS/CFT edition of Journal of Physics

Yolk utilization and growth during the early larval life of the Silver Perch, Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell, 1838)

The aim of this research was to investigate the yolk sac and oil globule utilization by silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) larvae produced from domesticated broodfish. The larvae were kept unfed in the holding tank, sampled, and investigated by image analysis software to determine various characteristics, such as the diameters of ova, water-hardened eggs, yolk-sac, oil globules, and the total length of larvae. The research illustrated that, with the exception of oil globule diameter, all other morphometric parameters were significantly lower (P < 0.05) when compared to the larvae from the wild broodfish. The yolk sac was completely absorbed at 96 h post-hatching (hph) and the oil globule was visible until 240 hph. The larvae exhibited predatory movements and tried to catch rotifer at 4 days post hatching (dph). However, the onset of feeding took place at 5 dph, while 100% of feeding occurred at 6 dph. During the first 96 h (h), larvae grew significantly faster than the next 144 h. Larvae encountered low mortalities (<10%) during the first 96 hph, before increasing significantly in the next 24 h and no unfed larvae survived post 240 h. The results also suggested that the exogenous feed should be available at 96 hph, which is well after the yolk sac is completely depleted. In addition, although most of eggs and larval performance from domesticated broodfish were inferior compared to the wild one, it has larger oil globule that could make longer of its mixed feeding period and therefore could have better in viability

Regulation of cAMP and GSK3 signaling pathways contributes to the neuronal conversion of glioma

Glioma is the most malignant type of primary central nervous system tumors, and has an extremely poor prognosis. One potential therapeutic approach is to induce the terminal differentiation of glioma through the forced expression of pro-neural factors. Our goal is to show the proof of concept of the neuronal conversion of C6 glioma through the combined action of small molecules. We investigated the various changes in gene expression, cell-specific marker expression, signaling pathways, physiological characteristics, and morphology in glioma after combination treatment with two small molecules (CHIR99021, a glycogen synthase kinase 3 [GSK3] inhibitor and forskolin, a cyclic adenosine monophosphate [cAMP] activator). Here, we show that the combined action of CHIR99021 and forskolin converted malignant glioma into fully differentiated neurons with no malignant characteristics; inhibited the proliferation of malignant glioma; and significantly down-regulated gene ontology and gene expression profiles related to cell division, gliogenesis, and angiogenesis in small molecule-induced neurons. In vivo, the combined action of CHIR99021 and forskolin markedly delayed neurological deficits and significantly reduced the tumor volume. We suggest that reprogramming technology may be a potential treatment strategy replacing the therapeutic paradigm of traditional treatment of malignant glioma, and a combination molecule comprising a GSK3 inhibitor and a cAMP inducer could be the next generation of anticancer drugs

Massless and massive higher spins from anti-de Sitter space waveguide

Higgs mechanism to massive higher-spin gauge fields is an outstanding open problem. We investigate this issue in the context of Kaluza-Klein compactification. Starting from a free massless higher-spin field in $(d+2)$-dimensional anti-de Sitter space and compactifying over a finite angular wedge, we obtain an infinite tower of heavy, light and massless higher-spin fields in $(d+1)$-dimensional anti-de Sitter space. All massive higher-spin fields are described gauge invariantly in terms of St\"ueckelberg fields. The spectrum depends on the boundary conditions imposed at both ends of the wedges. We obseved that higher-derivative boundary condition is inevitable for spin greater than three. For some higher-derivative boundary conditions, equivalently, spectrum-dependent boundary conditions, we get a non-unitary representation of partially-massless higher-spin fields of varying depth. We present intuitive picture which higher-derivative boundary conditions yield non-unitary system in terms of boundary action. We argue that isotropic Lifshitz interfaces in $O(N)$ Heisenberg magnet or $O(N)$ Gross-Neveu model provides the holographic dual conformal field theory and propose experimental test of (inverse) Higgs mechanism for massive and partially massless higher-spin fields.Comment: v1. 62 pages, 7 figures, v2. 68 pages, 8 figures, published versio