Holographic Superconductors in a Cohesive Phase

We consider a four-dimensional N=2 gauged supergravity coupled to matter fields. The model is obtained by a U(1) gauging of a charged hypermultiplet and therefore it is suitable for the study of holographic superconductivity. The potential has a topologically flat direction and the parameter running on this "moduli space" labels the new superconducting black holes. Zero temperature solutions are constructed and the phase diagram of the theory is studied. The model has rich dynamics. The retrograde condensate is just a special case in the new class of black holes. The calculation of the entanglement entropy makes manifest the properties of a generic solution and the superconductor at zero temperature is in a confined cohesive phase. The parameter running on the topologically flat direction is a marginal coupling in the dual field theory. We prove this statement by considering the way double trace deformations are treated in the AdS/CFT correspondence. Finally, we comment on a possible connection, in the context of gauge/gravity dualities, between the geometry of the scalar manifold in N=2 supergravity models and the space of marginal deformations of the dual field theory.Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures. Introduction rewritten and clarified, comments and details on section 4 added, acknowledgements rectified. To appear in JHE

Thermal Giant Gravitons

We study the giant graviton solution as the AdS_5 X S^5 background is heated up to finite temperature. The analysis employs the thermal brane probe technique based on the blackfold approach. We focus mainly on the thermal giant graviton corresponding to a thermal D3-brane probe wrapped on an S^3 moving on the S^5 of the background at finite temperature. We find several interesting new effects, including that the thermal giant graviton has a minimal possible value for the angular momentum and correspondingly also a minimal possible radius of the S^3. We compute the free energy of the thermal giant graviton in the low temperature regime, which potentially could be compared to that of a thermal state on the gauge theory side. Moreover, we analyze the space of solutions and stability of the thermal giant graviton and find that, in parallel with the extremal case, there are two available solutions for a given temperature and angular momentum, one stable and one unstable. In order to write down the equations of motion, action and conserved charges for the thermal giant graviton we present a slight generalization of the blackfold formalism for charged black branes. Finally, we also briefly consider the thermal giant graviton moving in the AdS_5 part.Comment: v1: 32 pages + 11 pages appendices, 13 figures, v2: typos fixed in Sec.2 and other misprints, references adde

Lifshitz black holes in string theory

We provide the first black hole solutions with Lifshitz asymptotics found in string theory. These are expected to be dual to models enjoying anisotropic scale invariance with dynamical exponent z=2 at finite temperature. We employ a consistent truncation of type IIB supergravity to four dimensions with an arbitrary 5-dimensional Einstein manifold times a circle as internal geometry. New interesting features are found that significantly differ from previous results in phenomenological models. In particular, small black holes are shown to be thermodynamically unstable, analogously to the usual AdS-Schwarzschild black holes, and extremality is never reached. This signals a possible Hawking-Page like phase transition at low temperatures.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. v2 references adde

Supersymmetric Charged Clouds in AdS_5

We consider supersymmetric holographic flows that involve background gauge fields dual to chemical potentials in the boundary field theory. We use a consistent truncation of gauged N=8 supergravity in five dimensions and we give a complete analysis of the supersymmetry conditions for a large family of flows. We examine how the well-known supersymmetric flow between two fixed points is modified by the presence of the chemical potentials and this yields a new, completely smooth, solution that interpolates between two global AdS spaces of different radii and with different values of the chemical potential. We also examine some black-hole-like singular flows and a new non-supersymmetric black hole solution. We comment on the interpretation of our new solutions in terms of giant gravitons and discuss the implications of our work for finding black-hole solutions in AdS geometries.Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures; minor corrections, updated reference

Trends in popularity of some morphological traits of purebred dogs in Australia.

Background The morphology of dogs can provide information about their predisposition to some disorders. For example, larger breeds are predisposed to hip dysplasia and many neoplastic diseases. Therefore, longitudinal trends in popularity of dog morphology can reveal potential disease pervasiveness in the future. There have been reports on the popularity of particular breeds and behavioural traits but trends in the morphological traits of preferred breeds have not been studied. Methods This study investigated trends in the height, dog size and head shape (cephalic index) of Australian purebred dogs. One hundred eighty-one breeds derived from Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) registration statistics from 1986 to 2013 were analysed. Weighted regression analyses were conducted to examine trends in the traits by using them as outcome variables, with year as the explanatory variable and numbers of registered dogs as weights. Linear regression investigated dog height and cephalic index (skull width/skull length), and multinomial logistic regression studied dog size. Results The total number of ANKC registration had decreased gradually from 95,792 in 1986 to 66,902 in 2013. Both weighted minimal height (p = 0.014) and weighted maximal height (p < 0.001) decreased significantly over time, and the weighted cephalic index increased significantly (p < 0.001). The odds of registration of medium and small breeds increased by 5.3 % and 4.2 %, respectively, relative to large breeds (p < 0.001) and by 12.1 % and 11.0 %, respectively, relative to giant breeds (p < 0.001) for each 5-year block of time. Conclusions Compared to taller and larger breeds, shorter and smaller breeds have become relatively popular over time. Mean cephalic index has increased, which indicates that Australians have gradually favoured breeds with shorter and wider heads (brachycephalic). These significant trends indicate that the dog morphological traits reported here may potentially influence how people select companion dogs in Australia and provide valuable predictive information on the pervasiveness of diseases in dogs. Keywords: Purebred dogs, Dog popularity, Dog height, Dog size, Cephalic index, Brachycephalic Disease, predisposition, Australia. Plain English Summary Some diseases in dogs are related to certain physical characteristics. For example, larger breeds have a higher risk of getting hip dysplasia and certain neoplastic diseases while breeds with wider and shorter heads, such as Pug and French bulldog, are more likely to experience breathing problems and dystocia. Therefore, if we know the trends in popularity of dogs of a certain morphology, we may be able to predict disease pervasiveness. The study aimed to investigate the trends in the height, dog size and head shape of Australian purebred dogs. The numbers of dogs registered within the 181 breeds in Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) every year from 1986 to 2013 were obtained and analysed. The total number of ANKC registration had decreased from 95,792 in 1986 to 66,902 in 2013. Compared to taller and larger breeds, shorter and smaller breeds have become relatively popular over time. Also, the data suggest that Australians increasingly favour dogs with shorter and wider heads for whose welfare veterinarians often express concern [1, 2]. The results indicate that dog height, dog size and dog head shape may potentially influence how people select companion dogs in Australia and provide valuable predictive information on trends in disease prevalence, enabling the veterinary profession and industry to prepare for potential future caseloads

Minimally invasive surgery and cancer: controversies part 1

Perhaps there is no more important issue in the care of surgical patients than the appropriate use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for patients with cancer. Important advances in surgical technique have an impact on early perioperative morbidity, length of hospital stay, pain management, and quality of life issues, as clearly proved with MIS. However, for oncology patients, historically, the most important clinical questions have been answered in the context of prospective randomized trials. Important considerations for MIS and cancer have been addressed, such as what are the important immunologic consequences of MIS versus open surgery and what is the role of laparoscopy in the staging of gastrointestinal cancers? This review article discusses many of the key controversies in the minimally invasive treatment of cancer using the pro–con debate format

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common acute hyperglycaemic emergency in people with diabetes mellitus. A diagnosis of DKA is confirmed when all of the three criteria are present — ‘D’, either elevated blood glucose levels or a family history of diabetes mellitus; ‘K’, the presence of high urinary or blood ketoacids; and ‘A’, a high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Early diagnosis and management are paramount to improve patient outcomes. The mainstays of treatment include restoration of circulating volume, insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement and treatment of any underlying precipitating event. Without optimal treatment, DKA remains a condition with appreciable, although largely preventable, morbidity and mortality. In this Primer, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors and diagnosis of DKA and provide practical recommendations for the management of DKA in adults and children