311 research outputs found
Cosmology and Fermion Confinement in a Scalar-Field-Generated Domain Wall Brane in Five Dimensions
We consider a brane generated by a scalar field domain wall configuration in
4+1 dimensions, interpolating, in most cases, between two vacua of the field.
We study the cosmology of such a system in the cases where the effective
four-dimensional brane metric is de Sitter or anti de Sitter, including a
discussion of the bulk coordinate singularities present in the de-Sitter case.
We demonstrate that a scalar field kink configuration can support a brane with
dS cosmology, despite the presence of coordinate singularities in the
metric. We examine the trapping of fermion fields on the domain wall for
nontrivial brane cosmology.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures; minor changes, accepted by JHE
Chiral Topologically Massive Gravity and Extremal B-F Scalars
At a critical ``chiral'' coupling, topologically massive gravity with a
negative cosmological constant exhibits several unusual features, including the
emergence of a new logarithmic branch of solutions and a linearization
instability for certain boundary conditions. I show that at this coupling, the
linearized theory may be parametrized by a free scalar field at the
Breitenlohner-Freedman bound, and use this description to investigate these
features.Comment: 16 pages; v2: added references, typos correcte
Hawking Radiation as Tunneling through the Quantum Horizon
Planck-scale corrections to the black-hole radiation spectrum in the
Parikh-Wilczek tunneling framework are calculated. The corrective terms arise
from modifications in the expression of the surface gravity in terms of the
mass-energy of the black hole-emitted particle system. The form of the new
spectrum is discussed together with the possible consequences for the fate of
black holes in the late stages of evaporation.Comment: 13 pages; the contents of this paper overlap somewhat with the
earlier submissions hep-th/0504188 and gr-qc/0505015; (v2) references added
and various cosmetic (but no physics) changes, to appear in JHE
Topologically Massive Gravity and the AdS/CFT Correspondence
We set up the AdS/CFT correspondence for topologically massive gravity (TMG)
in three dimensions. The first step in this procedure is to determine the
appropriate fall off conditions at infinity. These cannot be fixed a priori as
they depend on the bulk theory under consideration and are derived by solving
asymptotically the non-linear field equations. We discuss in detail the
asymptotic structure of the field equations for TMG, showing that it contains
leading and subleading logarithms, determine the map between bulk fields and
CFT operators, obtain the appropriate counterterms needed for holographic
renormalization and compute holographically one- and two-point functions at and
away from the 'chiral point' (mu = 1). The 2-point functions at the chiral
point are those of a logarithmic CFT (LCFT) with c_L = 0, c_R = 3l/G_N and b =
-3l/G_N, where b is a parameter characterizing different c = 0 LCFTs. The bulk
correlators away from the chiral point (mu \neq 1) smoothly limit to the LCFT
ones as mu \to 1. Away from the chiral point, the CFT contains a state of
negative norm and the expectation value of the energy momentum tensor in that
state is also negative, reflecting a corresponding bulk instability due to
negative energy modes.Comment: 54 pages, v2: added comments and reference
Generalised Israel Junction Conditions for a Gauss-Bonnet Brane World
In spacetimes of dimension greater than four it is natural to consider higher
order (in R) corrections to the Einstein equations. In this letter generalized
Israel junction conditions for a membrane in such a theory are derived. This is
achieved by generalising the Gibbons-Hawking boundary term. The junction
conditions are applied to simple brane world models, and are compared to the
many contradictory results in the literature.Comment: 4 page
Race and sex differences in dropout from the STRRIDE trials
Purpose: To determine if race and sex differences exist in determinants and timing of dropout among individuals enrolled in an exercise and/or caloric restriction intervention. Methods: A total of 947 adults with dyslipidemia (STRRIDE I, STRRIDE AT/RT) or prediabetes (STRRIDE-PD) were randomized to either inactive control or to 1 of 10 exercise interventions, ranging from doses of 8–23 kcal/kg/week, intensities of 50%–75% (Formula presented.) peak, and durations of 6–8 months. Two groups included resistance training, and one included a dietary intervention (7% weight loss goal). Dropout was defined as an individual withdrawn from the study, with the reasons for dropout aggregated into determinant categories. Timing of dropout was defined as the last session attended and aggregated into phases (i.e., “ramp” period to allow gradual adaptation to exercise prescription). Utilizing descriptive statistics, percentages were generated according to categories of determinants and timing of dropout to describe the proportion of individuals who fell within each category. Results: Black men and women were more likely to be lost to follow-up (Black men: 31.3% and Black women: 19.6%), or dropout due to work responsibilities (15.6% and 12.5%), “change of mind” (12.5% and 8.9%), transportation issues (6.3% and 3.6%), or reported lack of motivation (6.3% and 3.6%). Women in general noted lack of time more often than men as a reason for dropout (White women: 22.4% and Black women: 22.1%). Regardless of race and sex, most participants dropped out during the ramp period of the exercise intervention; with Black women (50%) and White men (37.1%) having the highest dropout rate during this period. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of targeted retention strategies when aiming to address race and sex differences that exist in determinants and timing of dropout among individuals enrolled in an exercise and/or caloric restriction intervention
Chiral Gravity in Three Dimensions
Three dimensional Einstein gravity with negative cosmological constant
-1/\ell^2 deformed by a gravitational Chern-Simons action with coefficient
1/\mu is studied in an asymptotically AdS_3 spacetime. It is argued to violate
unitary or positivity for generic \mu due to negative-energy massive gravitons.
However at the critical value \mu\ell=1, the massive gravitons disappear and
BTZ black holes all have mass and angular momentum related by \ell M=J. The
corresponding chiral quantum theory of gravity is conjectured to exist and be
dual to a purely right-moving boundary CFT with central charges
(c_L,c_R)=(0,3\ell /G).Comment: 21 pages, published version, typos corrected, more reference adde
Biomarkers and longitudinal changes in lumbar spine degeneration and low back pain: the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project
Objective: To determine if baseline biomarkers are associated with longitudinal changes in the worsening of disc space narrowing (DSN), vertebral osteophytes (OST), and low back pain (LBP). Design: Paired baseline (2003–2004) and follow-up (2006–2010) lumbar spine radiographs from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project were graded for severity of DSN and OST. LBP severity was self-reported. Concentrations of analytes (cytokines, proteoglycans, and neuropeptides) were quantified by immunoassay. Pressure-pain threshold (PPT), a marker of sensitivity to pressure pain, was measured with a standard dolorimeter. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of biomarker levels with DSN, OST, or LBP. Interactions were tested between biomarker levels and the number of affected lumbar spine levels or LBP. Results: We included participants (n = 723) with biospecimens, PPT, and paired lumbar spine radiographic data. Baseline Lumican, a proteoglycan reflective of extracellular matrix changes, was associated with longitudinal changes in DSN worsening (OR = 3.19 [95% CI 1.22, 8.01]). Baseline brain-derived neuropathic factor, a neuropeptide, (OR = 1.80 [95% CI 1.03, 3.16]) was associated with longitudinal changes in OST worsening, which may reflect osteoclast genesis. Baseline hyaluronic acid (OR = 1.31 [95% CI 1.01, 1.71]), indicative of systemic inflammation, and PPT (OR = 1.56 [95% CI 1.02, 2.31]) were associated with longitudinal increases in LBP severity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that baseline biomarkers are associated with longitudinal changes occurring in structures of the lumbar spine (DSN vs OST). Markers of inflammation and perceived pressure pain sensitivity were associated with longitudinal worsening of LBP
Dynamics and perturbations in assisted chaotic inflation
On compactification from higher dimensions, a single free massive scalar
field gives rise to a set of effective four-dimensional scalar fields, each
with a different mass. These can cooperate to drive a period of inflation known
as assisted inflation. We analyze the dynamics of the simplest implementation
of this idea, paying particular attention to the decoupling of fields from the
slow-roll regime as inflation proceeds. Unlike normal models of inflation, the
dynamics does not become independent of the initial conditions at late times.
In particular, we estimate the density perturbations obtained, which retain a
memory of the initial conditions even though a homogeneous, spatially-flat
Universe is generated.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, 2 figure
Challenges and Obstacles for a Bouncing Universe in Brane Models
A Brane evolving in the background of a charged AdS black-hole displays in
general a bouncing behaviour with a smooth transition from a contracting to an
expanding phase. We examine in detail the conditions and consequences of this
behaviour in various cases. For a cosmological-constant-dominated Brane, we
obtain a singularity-free, inflationary era which is shown to be compatible
only with an intermediate-scale fundamental Planck mass. For a
radiation-dominated Brane, the bouncing behaviour can occur only for
background-charge values exceeding those allowed for non-extremal black holes.
For a matter-dominated Brane, the black-hole mass affects the proper volume or
the expansion rate of the Brane. We also consider the Brane evolving in an
asymmetric background of two distinct charged AdS black hole spacetimes being
bounded by the Brane and find that, in the case of an empty critical Brane,
bouncing behaviour occurs only if the black-hole mass difference is smaller
than a certain value. The effects of a Brane curvature term on the bounce at
early and late times are also investigated.Comment: 23 pages, Latex file, comments and references added, version to
appear in Phys. Rev.
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