1,441 research outputs found
Branes at conical singularities and holography
For supergavrity solutions which are the product of an anti-de Sitter space
with an Einstein space X, we study the relation between the amount of
supersymmetry preserved and the geometry of X. Depending on the dimension and
the amount of supersymmetry, the following geometries for X are possible, in
addition to the maximally supersymmetric spherical geometry: Einstein-Sasaki in
dimension 2k+1, 3-Sasaki in dimension 4k+3, 7-dimensional manifolds of weak G_2
holonomy and 6-dimensional nearly Kaehler manifolds. Many new examples of such
manifolds are presented which are not homogeneous and have escaped earlier
classification efforts. String or M theory in these vacua are conjectured to be
dual to superconformal field theories. The brane solutions interpolating
between these anti-de Sitter near-horizon geometries and the product of
Minkowski space with a cone over X lead to an interpretation of the dual
superconformal field theory as the world-volume theory for branes at a conical
singularity (cone branes). We propose a description of those field theories
whose associated cones are obtained by (hyper-)Kaehler quotients.Comment: 38 pages (published version
Spatially Resolved Magnetic Field Structure in the Disk of a T Tauri Star
Magnetic fields in accretion disks play a dominant role during the star
formation process but have hitherto been observationally poorly constrained.
Field strengths have been inferred on T Tauri stars themselves and possibly in
the innermost part of the accretion disk, but the strength and morphology of
the field in the bulk of the disk have not been observed. Unresolved
measurements of polarized emission (arising from elongated dust grains aligned
perpendicular to the field) imply average fields aligned with the disks.
Theoretically, the fields are expected to be largely toroidal, poloidal, or a
mixture of the two, which imply different mechanisms for transporting angular
momentum in the disks of actively accreting young stars such as HL Tau. Here we
report resolved measurements of the polarized 1.25 mm continuum emission from
HL Tau's disk. The magnetic field on a scale of 80 AU is coincident with the
major axis (~210 AU diameter) of the disk. From this we conclude that the
magnetic field inside the disk at this scale cannot be dominated by a vertical
component, though a purely toroidal field does not fit the data well either.
The unexpected morphology suggests that the magnetic field's role for the
accretion of a T Tauri star is more complex than the current theoretical
understanding.Comment: Accepted for publication in Natur
Self-duality of the D1-D5 near-horizon
We explore fermionic T-duality and self-duality in the geometry AdS3 x S3 x
T4 in type IIB supergravity. We explicitly construct the Killing spinors and
the fermionic T-duality isometries and show that the geometry is self-dual
under a combination of two bosonic AdS3 T-dualities, four fermionic T-dualities
and either two additional T-dualities along T4 or two T-dualities along S3. In
addition, we show that the presence of a B-field acts as an obstacle to
self-duality, a property attributable to S- duality and fermionic T-duality not
commuting. Finally, we argue that fermionic T-duality may be extended to CY2 =
K3, a setting where we cannot explicitly construct the Killing spinors.Comment: 24 pages, references added, changes made to reinforce the point that
S-duality and fermionic T-duality generically do not commute, version
accepted to JHE
Cyclooxygenase activity mediates colorectal cancer cell resistance to the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid
Purpose
The naturally-occurring omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is safe, well-tolerated and inexpensive, making it an attractive anti-cancer intervention. However, EPA has only modest anti-colorectal cancer (CRC) activity, when used alone. Both cyclooxygenase (COX) isoforms metabolise EPA and are over-expressed in CRC cells. We investigated whether COX inhibition increases the sensitivity of CRC cells to growth inhibition by EPA.
Methods
A panel of 18 human and mouse CRC cell lines was used to characterize the differential sensitivity of CRC cells to the growth inhibitory effects of EPA. The effect of CRISPR-Cas9 genetic deletion and pharmacological inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 on the anti-cancer activity of EPA was determined using in vitro and in vivo models.
Results
Genetic ablation of both COX isoforms increased sensitivity of CT26 mouse CRC cells to growth inhibition by EPA in vitro and in vivo. The non-selective COX inhibitor aspirin and the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib increased sensitivity of several human and mouse CRC cell lines to EPA in vitro. However, in a MC38 mouse CRC cell tumour model, with dosing that mirrored low-dose aspirin use in humans, thereby producing significant platelet COX-1 inhibition, there was ineffective intra-tumoral COX-2 inhibition by aspirin and no effect on EPA sensitivity of MC38 cell tumours.
Conclusion
Cyclooxygenase inhibition by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs represents a therapeutic opportunity to augment the modest anti-CRC activity of EPA. However, intra-tumoral COX inhibition is likely to be critical for this drug-nutrient interaction and careful tissue pharmacodynamic profiling is required in subsequent pre-clinical and human studies
T-folds, doubled geometry, and the SU(2) WZW model
The SU(2) WZW model at large level N can be interpreted semiclassically as
string theory on S^3 with N units of Neveu-Schwarz H-flux. While globally
geometric, the model nevertheless exhibits an interesting doubled geometry
possessing features in common with nongeometric string theory
compactifications, for example, nonzero Q-flux. Therefore, it can serve as a
fertile testing ground through which to improve our understanding of more
exotic compactifications, in a context in which we have a firm understanding of
the background from standard techniques. Three frameworks have been used to
systematize the study of nongeometric backgrounds: the T-fold construction,
Hitchin's generalized geometry, and fully doubled geometry. All of these double
the standard description in some way, in order to geometrize the combined
metric and Neveu Schwarz B-field data. We present the T-fold and fully doubled
descriptions of WZW models, first for SU(2) and then for general group.
Applying the formalism of Hull and Reid-Edwards, we indeed recover the physical
metric and H-flux of the WZW model from the doubled description. As additional
checks, we reproduce the abelian T-duality group and known semiclassical
spectrum of D-branes.Comment: 69 pages; uses amslatex; v4 minor revision
Scale without Conformal Invariance at Three Loops
We carry out a three-loop computation that establishes the existence of scale
without conformal invariance in dimensional regularization with the MS scheme
in d=4-epsilon spacetime dimensions. We also comment on the effects of scheme
changes in theories with many couplings, as well as in theories that live on
non-conformal scale-invariant renormalization group trajectories. Stability
properties of such trajectories are analyzed, revealing both attractive and
repulsive directions in a specific example. We explain how our results are in
accord with those of Jack & Osborn on a c-theorem in d=4 (and d=4-epsilon)
dimensions. Finally, we point out that limit cycles with turning points are
unlike limit cycles with continuous scale invariance.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Erratum adde
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A pilot investigation to optimise methods for a future satiety preload study
Preload studies are used to investigate the satiating effects of foods and food ingredients. However, the design of preload studies is complex, with many methodological considerations influencing appetite responses. The aim of this pilot investigation was to determine acceptability, and optimise methods, for a future satiety preload study. Specifically, we investigated the effects of altering (i) energy intake at a standardised breakfast (gender-specific or non-gender specific), and (ii) the duration between mid-morning preload and ad libitum lunch meal, on morning appetite scores and energy intake at lunch. Participants attended a single study visit. Female participants consumed a 214-kcal breakfast (n = 10) or 266-kcal breakfast (n = 10), equivalent to 10% of recommended daily energy intakes for females and males, respectively. Male participants (n = 20) consumed a 266-kcal breakfast. All participants received a 250-ml orange juice preload 2 h after breakfast. The impact of different study timings was evaluated in male participants, with 10 males following one protocol (protocol 1) and 10 males following another (protocol 2). The duration between preload and ad libitum lunch meal was 2 h (protocol 1) or 2.5 h (protocol 2), with the ad libitum lunch meal provided at 12.00 or 13.00, respectively. All female participants followed protocol 2. Visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaires were used to assess appetite responses and food/drink palatability. Correlation between male and female appetite scores was higher with the provision of a gender-specific breakfast, compared to non-gender-specific breakfast (Pearson correlation of 0.747 and 0.479, respectively). No differences in subjective appetite or ad libitum energy intake were found between protocols 1 and 2. VAS mean ratings of liking, enjoyment, and palatability were all > 66 out of 100 mm for breakfast, preload, and lunch meals. The findings of this pilot study confirm the acceptability of this methodology for future satiety preload studies. Appetite scores increased from preload to ad libitum lunch meal; however, no specific differences were found between protocols. The results highlight the importance of considering energy intake prior to preload provision, with a gender-specific breakfast improving the correlation between male and female appetite score responses to a morning preload
Stringy effects in black hole decay
We compute the low energy decay rates of near-extremal three(four) charge
black holes in five(four) dimensional N=4 string theory to sub-leading order in
the large charge approximation. This involves studying stringy corrections to
scattering amplitudes of a scalar field off a black hole. We adapt and use
recently developed techniques to compute such amplitudes as near-horizon
quantities. We then compare this with the corresponding calculation in the
microscopic configuration carrying the same charges as the black hole. We find
perfect agreement between the microscopic and macroscopic calculations; in the
cases we study, the zero energy limit of the scattering cross section is equal
to four times the Wald entropy of the black hole.Comment: 32 page
Moduli Stabilization and Cosmology of Type IIB on SU(2)-Structure Orientifolds
We consider type IIB flux compactifications on six-dimensional
SU(2)-structure manifolds with O5- and O7-planes. These six-dimensional spaces
allow not only for F_3 and H_3 fluxes but also for F_1 and F_5 fluxes. We
derive the four-dimensional N=1 scalar potential for such compactifications and
present one explicit example of a fully stabilized AdS vacuum with large volume
and small string coupling. We then discuss cosmological aspects of these
compactifications and derive several no-go theorems that forbid dS vacua and
slow-roll inflation under certain conditions. We also study concrete examples
of cosets and twisted tori and find that our no-go theorems forbid dS vacua and
slow-roll inflation in all but one of them. For the latter we find a dS
critical point with \epsilon numerically zero. However, the point has two
tachyons and eta-parameter \eta \approx -3.1.Comment: 35 pages + appendices, LaTeX2e; v2: numerical dS extremum added,
typos corrected, references adde
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