Holographic Approach to Regge Trajectory and Rotating D5 brane

We study the Regge trajectories of holographic mesons and baryons by considering rotating strings and D5 brane, which is introduced as the baryon vertex. Our model is based on the type IIB superstring theory with the background of asymptotic $AdS_5\times S^5$. This background is dual to a confining supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (SYM) with gauge condensate, $$, which determines the tension of the linear potential between the quark and anti-quark. Then the slope of the meson trajectory ($\alpha'_{M}$) is given by this condensate as $\alpha'_{M}=1/\sqrt{\pi }$ at large spin $J$. This relation is compatible with the other theoretical results and experiments. For the baryon, we show the importance of spinning baryon vertex to obtain a Regge slope compatible with the one of $N$ and $\Delta$ series. In both cases, mesons and baryons, the trajectories are shifted to large mass side with the same slope for increasing current quark mass.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure

The Covariant Entropy Bound, Brane Cosmology, and the Null Energy Condition

In discussions of Bousso's Covariant Entropy Bound, the Null Energy Condition is always assumed, as a sufficient {\em but not necessary} condition which helps to ensure that the entropy on any lightsheet shall necessarily be finite. The spectacular failure of the Strong Energy Condition in cosmology has, however, led many astrophysicists and cosmologists to consider models of dark energy which violate {\em all} of the energy conditions, and indeed the current data do not completely rule out such models. The NEC also has a questionable status in brane cosmology: it is probably necessary to violate the NEC in the bulk in order to obtain a "self-tuning" theory of the cosmological constant. In order to investigate these proposals, we modify the Karch-Randall model by introducing NEC-violating matter into $AdS_5$ in such a way that the brane cosmological constant relaxes to zero. The entropy on lightsheets remains finite. However, we still find that the spacetime is fundamentally incompatible with the Covariant Entropy Bound machinery, in the sense that it fails the Bousso-Randall consistency condition. We argue that holography probably forbids all {\em cosmological} violations of the NEC, and that holography is in fact the fundamental physical principle underlying the cosmological version of the NEC.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, version 2:corrected and greatly improved discussion of the Bousso-Randall consistency check, references added; version3: more references added, JHEP versio

Non-Equilibrium Field Dynamics of an Honest Holographic Superconductor

Most holographic models of superconducting systems neglect the effects of dynamical boundary gauge fields during the process of spontaneous symmetry-breaking. Usually a global symmetry gets broken. This yields a superfluid, which then is gauged "weakly" afterwards. In this work we build (and probe the dynamics of) a holographic model in which a local boundary symmetry is spontaneously broken instead. We compute two-point functions of dynamical non-Abelian gauge fields in the normal and in the broken phase, and find non-trivial gapless modes. Our AdS3 gravity dual realizes a p-wave superconductor in (1+1) dimensions. The ground state of this model also breaks (1+1)-dimensional parity spontaneously, while the Hamiltonian is parity-invariant. We discuss possible implications of our results for a wider class of holographic liquids.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures; v3: string theory derivation of setup added (section 3.1), improved presentation, version accepted by JHEP; v2: paragraph added to discussion, figure added, references added, typos correcte

Quark Soup al dente: Applied Superstring Theory

We discuss the application of the AdS/CFT correspondence to possibly gain new physical insights for the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma. This article provides an informal summary of a talk given by RCM at the 18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation in July 2007.Comment: This article provides an informal summary of a talk given by RCM at the 18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation in July 200

T1 and FLAIR signal intensities are related to tau pathology in dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease

Carriers of mutations responsible for dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease provide a unique opportunity to study potential imaging biomarkers. Biomarkers based on routinely acquired clinical MR images, could supplement the extant invasive or logistically challenging) biomarker studies. We used 1104 longitudinal MR, 324 amyloid beta, and 87 tau positron emission tomography imaging sessions from 525 participants enrolled in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Observational Study to extract novel imaging metrics representing the mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) of standardized image intensities of T1-weighted and Fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MR scans. There was an exponential decrease in FLAIR-μ in mutation carriers and an increase in FLAIR and T1 signal heterogeneity (T1-σ and FLAIR-σ) as participants approached the symptom onset in both supramarginal, the right postcentral and right superior temporal gyri as well as both caudate nuclei, putamina, thalami, and amygdalae. After controlling for the effect of regional atrophy, FLAIR-μ decreased and T1-σ and FLAIR-σ increased with increasing amyloid beta and tau deposition in numerous cortical regions. In symptomatic mutation carriers and independent of the effect of regional atrophy, tau pathology demonstrated a stronger relationship with image intensity metrics, compared with amyloid pathology. We propose novel MR imaging intensity-based metrics using standard clinical T1 and FLAIR images which strongly associates with the progression of pathology in dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease. We suggest that tau pathology may be a key driver of the observed changes in this cohort of patients

Mesons from (non) Abelian T-dual backgrounds

In this work we study mesonic excitations in a Quantum Field Theory dual to the non Abelian T-dual of $AdS_5\times S^5$, using a D6 brane probe on the Sfetsos-Thompson background. Before and after the duality, we observe interesting differences between the spectra and interpret them. The spectrum of masses and the interactions among mesonic excitations teach valuable lessons about the character of non-Abelian T-duality and its implications for Holography. The case of Abelian T-duality is also studied.Comment: 26 pages plus many long appendice

Modified Gravity and Cosmology

In this review we present a thoroughly comprehensive survey of recent work on modified theories of gravity and their cosmological consequences. Amongst other things, we cover General Relativity, Scalar-Tensor, Einstein-Aether, and Bimetric theories, as well as TeVeS, f(R), general higher-order theories, Horava-Lifschitz gravity, Galileons, Ghost Condensates, and models of extra dimensions including Kaluza-Klein, Randall-Sundrum, DGP, and higher co-dimension braneworlds. We also review attempts to construct a Parameterised Post-Friedmannian formalism, that can be used to constrain deviations from General Relativity in cosmology, and that is suitable for comparison with data on the largest scales. These subjects have been intensively studied over the past decade, largely motivated by rapid progress in the field of observational cosmology that now allows, for the first time, precision tests of fundamental physics on the scale of the observable Universe. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference tool for researchers and students in cosmology and gravitational physics, as well as a self-contained, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the subject as a whole.Comment: 312 pages, 15 figure

Democratization and the Diffusion of Shari'a Law: Comparative Insights from Indonesia

The democratization of politics has been accompanied by a rise of Islamic laws in many Muslim-majority countries. Despite a growing interest in the phenomenon, the Islamization of politics in democratizing Muslim-majority countries is rarely understood as a process that unfolds across space and time. Based on an original dataset established during years of field research in Indonesia, this article analyzes the spread of shari’a regulations across the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy since 1998. The article shows that shari’a regulations in Indonesia diffused unevenly across space and time. Explanations put forward in the literature on the diffusion of morality policies in other countries such as geographic proximity, institutions, intergovernmental relations and economic conditions did not explain the patterns in the diffusion of shari’a regulations in Indonesia well. Instead, shari’a regulations in Indonesia were most likely to spread across jurisdictions where local Islamist groups situated outside the party system had an established presence. In short, the Islamization of politics was highly contingent on local conditions. Future research will need to pay more attention to local Islamist activists and networks situated outside formal politics as potential causes for the diffusion of shari’a law in democratizing Muslim-majority countries

Fatal alcohol intoxication in women: A forensic autopsy study from Slovakia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plenty of information related to alcoholism can be found in the literature, however, the studies have mostly dealt with the predominance of male alcoholism and data related to addiction in women are desperately scarce and difficult to find. Basic demographic data focusing on the impact of acute alcohol intoxication on the circumstances of death and social behaviour in the alcohol addicted female population are needed especially in the prevention of alcohol related mortality.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective forensic autopsy study of all accidental deaths due to alcohol intoxication over a 12-year period was performed in order to evaluate the locations, circumstances, mechanisms and causes of death.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A sample of 171 cases of intoxicated women who died due to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or higher than 2 g/kg was selected. Among them 36.26% (62/171) of women died due to acute alcohol intoxication (AAI). We noted an increase in the number of deaths in women due to AAI from 2 in 1994 up to 5 in 2005 (an elevation of 150% between the years 1994-2005). The age structure of deaths in women due to BAC and AAI followed the Gaussian distribution with a dominant group of women aged 41-50 years (45.16% and 35.09% respectively). The most frequent place of death (98%) among women intoxicated by alcohol was their own home. The study suggests a close connection between AAI and violence against women.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The increasing number of cases of death of women suffering from AAI has drawn attention to the serious problem of alcoholism in women in the Slovak Republic during the process of integration into "western" lifestyle and culture.</p