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Holographic thermalization, quasinormal modes and superradiance in Kerr-AdS
Black holes in anti-de Sitter (AdS) backgrounds play a pivotal role in the
gauge/gravity duality where they determine, among other things, the approach to
equilibrium of the dual field theory. We undertake a detailed analysis of
perturbed Kerr-AdS black holes in four- and five-dimensional spacetimes,
including the computation of its quasinormal modes, hydrodynamic modes and
superradiantly unstable modes. Our results shed light on the possibility of new
black hole phases with a single Killing field, possible new holographic
phenomena and phases in the presence of a rotating chemical potential, and
close a crucial gap in our understanding of linearized perturbations of black
holes in anti-de Sitter scenarios
Systemic Design for Food Self-Sufficiency in Urban Areas
This article adopts a systemic approach to address the problem of the operationalization of relationships between actors conducive to food self-sufficiency in urban areas. Through the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA), the literature on urban agriculture was analyzed, detecting eight key trends and topic areas. This information was used to design a generic recursive organizational structure with the identification of the key roles and functions for management and governance in the multi-level and multi-stakeholder relationships of a sustainable urban self-sufficient food production system, inspired by the principles of complexity management and organizational cybernetics. Methodologically, this is the first application that combines the exploratory capability of SNA and the recursive structure of the Viable System Model (VSM) to propose applicable organizational structures in any urban area, suggesting a new route for the study and application of systemic thinking in the development of urban agriculture schemes. However, due to the conceptual nature of this work, this study opens a discussion on how we can rethink interactions to seek continuous adaptation in food self-sufficiency, provide tools that foster inclusion, and adapt to every context to support the relevant actors and academics in urban agriculture.</jats:p
Hippocampal subfield volumetry: differential pattern of atrophy in different forms of genetic frontotemporal dementia
BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder, with a strong genetic component. Previous research has shown that medial temporal lobe atrophy is a common feature of FTD. However, no study has so far investigated the differential vulnerability of the hippocampal subfields in FTD.
OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate hippocampal subfield volumes in genetic FTD.
METHODS: We in6/2/2018vestigated hippocampal subfield volumes in a cohort of 75 patients with genetic FTD (age: mean (standard deviation) 59.3 (7.7) years; disease duration: 5.1(3.4) years; 29 with MAPT, 28 with C9orf72, and 18 with GRN mutations) compared with 97 age-matched controls (age: 62.1 (11.1) years). We performed a segmentation of their volumetric T1-weighted MRI scans to extract hippocampal subfields volumes. Left and right volumes were summed and corrected for total intracranial volumes.
RESULTS: All three groups had smaller hippocampi than controls. The MAPT group had the most atrophic hippocampi, with the subfields showing the largest difference from controls being CA1-4 (24â27%, p < 0.0005). For C9orf72, the CA4, CA1, and dentate gyrus regions (8â11%, p < 0.0005), and for GRN the presubiculum and subiculum (10â14%, p < 0.0005) showed the largest differences from controls.
CONCLUSIONS: The hippocampus was affected in all mutation types but a different pattern of subfield involvement was found in the three genetic groups, consistent with differential cortical-subcortical network vulnerability
Cognitive appraisal of environmental stimuli induces emotion-like states in fish
The occurrence of emotions in non-human animals has been the focus of debate over the years. Recently, an interest in expanding this debate to non-tetrapod vertebrates and to invertebrates has emerged. Within vertebrates, the study of emotion in teleosts is particularly interesting since they represent a divergent evolutionary radiation from that of tetrapods, and thus they provide an insight into the evolution of the biological mechanisms of emotion. We report that Sea Bream exposed to stimuli that vary according to valence (positive, negative) and salience (predictable, unpredictable) exhibit different behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular states. Since according to the dimensional theory of emotion valence and salience define a two-dimensional affective space, our data can be interpreted as evidence for the occurrence of distinctive affective states in fish corresponding to each the four quadrants of the core affective space. Moreover, the fact that the same stimuli presented in a predictable vs. unpredictable way elicited different behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular states, suggests that stimulus appraisal by the individual, rather than an intrinsic characteristic of the stimulus, has triggered the observed responses. Therefore, our data supports the occurrence of emotion-like states in fish that are regulated by the individual's perception of environmental stimuli.European Commission [265957 Copewell]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/80029/2011, SFRH/BPD/72952/2010]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites
This article explores and validates the integrated use of the Viable System Model (VSM) and the Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) approach to assess the sustainable management of RAMSAR sites carrying out economic activities. This work adopts a systems- thinking approach integrating systemic methodologies in three phases: 1) the VSM was first used to develop a conceptual model of the organisational problem; 2) PLS-PM was used to propose a construct to outline a solution, as well as to statistically validate the relationships proposed in the conceptual model; finally, 3) through the VSM, the relationships between actors were rethought in order to promote sustainable performance. The obtained results suggest that the joint use of VSM and PLS-PM is an effective approach that aids to the identification of relational and structural pathologies affecting the observed RAMSAR systems. It also proved useful to suggest that relationships can lead to the sustainable performance of the sites under study. It should be noted that the framework of systemic tools is constrained in its application to the organisational domain: assessing two RAMSAR areas in Mexico. Methodologically, this is the first application of the integrated use of VSM and PLS-PM to analyse the management and viability/sustainability of RAMSAR areas from an organisational perspective, opening a new avenue for the analysis and optimisation of management of such areas. This study provides tools to support actors and academics related to RAMSAR sites and opens up a discussion on how to rethink the organisational interactions in order to improve RAMSAR sites adaptive capabilities
State-space Manifold and Rotating Black Holes
We study a class of fluctuating higher dimensional black hole configurations
obtained in string theory/ -theory compactifications. We explore the
intrinsic Riemannian geometric nature of Gaussian fluctuations arising from the
Hessian of the coarse graining entropy, defined over an ensemble of brane
microstates. It has been shown that the state-space geometry spanned by the set
of invariant parameters is non-degenerate, regular and has a negative scalar
curvature for the rotating Myers-Perry black holes, Kaluza-Klein black holes,
supersymmetric black holes, - configurations and the
associated BMPV black holes. Interestingly, these solutions demonstrate that
the principal components of the state-space metric tensor admit a positive
definite form, while the off diagonal components do not. Furthermore, the ratio
of diagonal components weakens relatively faster than the off diagonal
components, and thus they swiftly come into an equilibrium statistical
configuration. Novel aspects of the scaling property suggest that the
brane-brane statistical pair correlation functions divulge an asymmetric
nature, in comparison with the others. This approach indicates that all above
configurations are effectively attractive and stable, on an arbitrary
hyper-surface of the state-space manifolds. It is nevertheless noticed that
there exists an intriguing relationship between non-ideal inter-brane
statistical interactions and phase transitions. The ramifications thus
described are consistent with the existing picture of the microscopic CFTs. We
conclude with an extended discussion of the implications of this work for the
physics of black holes in string theory.Comment: 44 pages, Keywords: Rotating Black Holes; State-space Geometry;
Statistical Configurations, String Theory, M-Theory. PACS numbers: 04.70.-s
Physics of black holes; 04.70.Bw Classical black holes; 04.70.Dy Quantum
aspects of black holes, evaporation, thermodynamics; 04.50.Gh
Higher-dimensional black holes, black strings, and related objects. Edited
the bibliograph
Clinical validation of a novel postural support device for hospitalized sub-acute post stroke wheelchair users
Purpose: We present a novel wheelchair posture support device (WPSD) and its clinical validation. The device was developed in order to assure correct sitting posture and to reduce the time spent by caregivers for re-positioning of hospitalized, wheelchair-bound, post-acute stroke patients.
Method: The device was validated with 16 subjects during a period of 5 days in which use of the device was compared with regular care practice.
Results: The device was used for the five consecutive days in 69% of patients, while for 6% it was not suitable; 25% did not complete the 5 days for reasons unrelated to the device. Caregivers needed to re-position the patients that used the device for the full 5 days (n=11) on an average 52% less often when using the device, as compared to regular practice. Furthermore, the device was rated as usable and functional by the caregivers while significantly reducing perception of trunk and shoulder pain in patients during its use.
Conclusions: The newly designed WPSD is a valuable system for the improvement of medical assistance to wheelchair-bound post-stroke patients by reducing pain and number of re-positioning manoeuvres. The WPSD might be applicable to any group of patients who need posture control in either wheelchair or common chair with arms support.The FIK initiative; funding the development of the Varstiff material technology.
Fundaci on Bot ınâs ââMind the Gapââ program co-funding the design process of the WPSD.
Spherium Biomed co-funding the study with the WPSD
An instability of higher-dimensional rotating black holes
We present the first example of a linearized gravitational instability of an
asymptotically flat vacuum black hole. We study perturbations of a Myers-Perry
black hole with equal angular momenta in an odd number of dimensions. We find
no evidence of any instability in five or seven dimensions, but in nine
dimensions, for sufficiently rapid rotation, we find perturbations that grow
exponentially in time. The onset of instability is associated with the
appearance of time-independent perturbations which generically break all but
one of the rotational symmetries. This is interpreted as evidence for the
existence of a new 70-parameter family of black hole solutions with only a
single rotational symmetry. We also present results for the Gregory-Laflamme
instability of rotating black strings, demonstrating that rotation makes black
strings more unstable.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figure
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