680 research outputs found
Efficacy of an ankle orthosis with a subtalar locking system in restricting ankle kinetics and kinematics in lateral cutting
Introduction
The ankle joint is the most injured joint during sports participation [1]. Ankle orthoses have been shown to be effective in reducing ankle inversion injuries and are often prescribed for rehabilitation and prevention of lateral ankle sprains. Efficacy of ankle orthoses is often assessed by comparing reduction of passive inversion ROM as well as ankle kinematics between braced and unbraced movements [2,3]. However, joint kinetic responses in lateral cutting were rarely examined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a new semi-rigid ankle orthosis with a subtalar joint locking mechanism in restricting ankle kinetics and kinematics during a lateral cutting movement
Gravity duals of supersymmetric gauge theories on three-manifolds
We study gravity duals to a broad class of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories
defined on a general class of three-manifold geometries. The gravity
backgrounds are based on Euclidean self-dual solutions to four-dimensional
gauged supergravity. As well as constructing new examples, we prove in general
that for solutions defined on the four-ball the gravitational free energy
depends only on the supersymmetric Killing vector, finding a simple closed
formula when the solution has U(1) x U(1) symmetry. Our result agrees with the
large N limit of the free energy of the dual gauge theory, computed using
localization. This constitutes an exact check of the gauge/gravity
correspondence for a very broad class of gauge theories with a large N limit,
defined on a general class of background three-manifold geometries.Comment: 74 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor change
A simple approach to counterterms in N=8 supergravity
We present a simple systematic method to study candidate counterterms in N=8
supergravity. Complicated details of the counterterm operators are avoided
because we work with the on-shell matrix elements they produce. All n-point
matrix elements of an independent SUSY invariant operator of the form D^{2k}
R^n +... must be local and satisfy SUSY Ward identities. These are strong
constraints, and we test directly whether or not matrix elements with these
properties can be constructed. If not, then the operator does not have a
supersymmetrization, and it is excluded as a potential counterterm. For n>4, we
find that R^n, D^2 R^n, D^4 R^n, and D^6 R^n are excluded as counterterms of
MHV amplitudes, while only R^n and D^2 R^n are excluded at the NMHV level. As a
consequence, for loop order L<7, there are no independent D^{2k}R^n
counterterms with n>4. If an operator is not ruled out, our method constructs
an explicit superamplitude for its matrix elements. This is done for the 7-loop
D^4 R^6 operator at the NMHV level and in other cases. We also initiate the
study of counterterms without leading pure-graviton matrix elements, which can
occur beyond the MHV level. The landscape of excluded/allowed candidate
counterterms is summarized in a colorful chart.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure, published versio
Holographic Correlation Functions for Open Strings and Branes
In this paper, we compute holographically the two-point and three-point
functions of giant gravitons with open strings. We consider the maximal giant
graviton in and the string configurations corresponding to the ground
states of Z=0 and Y=0 open spin chain, and the spinning string in AdS
corresponding to the derivative type impurities in Y=0 or Z=0 open spin chain
as well. We treat the D-brane and open string contribution separately and find
the corresponding D3-brane and string configurations in bulk which connect the
composite operators at the AdS boundary. We apply a new prescription to
treat the string state contribution and find agreements for the two-point
functions. For the three-point functions of two giant gravitons with open
strings and one certain half-BPS chiral primary operator, we find that the
D-brane contributions to structure constant are always vanishing and the open
string contribution for the Y=0 ground state is in perfect match with the
prediction in the free field limit.Comment: 25 page
Solution to the Ward Identities for Superamplitudes
Supersymmetry and R-symmetry Ward identities relate on-shell amplitudes in a
supersymmetric field theory. We solve these Ward identities for (Next-to)^K MHV
amplitudes of the maximally supersymmetric N=4 and N=8 theories. The resulting
superamplitude is written in a new, manifestly supersymmetric and R-invariant
form: it is expressed as a sum of very simple SUSY and SU(N)_R-invariant
Grassmann polynomials, each multiplied by a "basis amplitude". For (Next-to)^K
MHV n-point superamplitudes the number of basis amplitudes is equal to the
dimension of the irreducible representation of SU(n-4) corresponding to the
rectangular Young diagram with N columns and K rows. The linearly independent
amplitudes in this algebraic basis may still be functionally related by
permutation of momenta. We show how cyclic and reflection symmetries can be
used to obtain a smaller functional basis of color-ordered single-trace
amplitudes in N=4 gauge theory. We also analyze the more significant reduction
that occurs in N=8 supergravity because gravity amplitudes are not ordered. All
results are valid at both tree and loop level.Comment: 29 pages, published versio
Anatomy of the online dating romance scam
The Online Dating Romance Scam is a relatively new form of online fraud. This article draws from three qualitative studies: an analysis of posts from a public online support group, in-depth interviews with victims of this crime and an interview with a Serious Organised Crime Agency officer to outline the anatomy of this scam. It is argued here that there are five distinct stages of this crime. In Stage 1, the criminal creates an attractive profile to draw in the victim; in Stage 2, the criminal grooms the victim, priming them to send money; in Stage 3, the criminal begins to request funds from the victim (there a four potential trajectories at this stage); in Stage 4, which only a few went through, the victim is sexually abused via cybersex; and finally Stage 5 is the revelation. Understanding the anatomy of this scam is important for prevention as well as psychological treatment
Recent trends in chronic disease, impairment and disability among older adults in the United States
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To examine concurrent prevalence trends of chronic disease, impairment and disability among older adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the 1998, 2004 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of older adults in the United States, and included 31,568 community dwelling adults aged 65 and over. Measurements include: prevalence of chronic diseases including hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease and arthritis; prevalence of impairments, including impairments of cognition, vision, hearing, mobility, and urinary incontinence; prevalence of disability, including activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The proportion of older adults reporting no chronic disease decreased from 13.1% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 12.4%-13.8%) in 1998 to 7.8% (95% CI, 7.2%-8.4%) in 2008, whereas the proportion reporting 1 or more chronic diseases increased from 86.9% (95% CI, 86.2%-89.6%) in 1998 to 92.2% (95% CI, 91.6%-92.8%) in 2008. In addition, the proportion reporting 4 or more diseases increased from 11.7% (95% CI, 11.0%-12.4%) in 1998 to 17.4% (95% CI, 16.6%-18.2%) in 2008. The proportion of older adults reporting no impairments was 47.3% (95% CI, 46.3%-48.4%) in 1998 and 44.4% (95% CI, 43.3%-45.5%) in 2008, whereas the proportion of respondents reporting 3 or more was 7.2% (95% CI, 6.7%-7.7%) in 1998 and 7.3% (95% CI, 6.8%-7.9%) in 2008. The proportion of older adults reporting any ADL or IADL disability was 26.3% (95% CI, 25.4%-27.2%) in 1998 and 25.4% (95% CI, 24.5%-26.3%) in 2008.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Multiple chronic disease is increasingly prevalent among older U.S. adults, whereas the prevalence of impairment and disability, while substantial, remain stable.</p
Role of the mesoamygdaloid dopamine projection in emotional learning
Amygdala dopamine is crucially involved in the acquisition of Pavlovian associations, as measured via conditioned approach to the location of the unconditioned stimulus (US). However, learning begins before skeletomotor output, so this study assessed whether amygdala dopamine is also involved in earlier 'emotional' learning. A variant of the conditioned reinforcement (CR) procedure was validated where training was restricted to curtail the development of selective conditioned approach to the US location, and effects of amygdala dopamine manipulations before training or later CR testing assessed. Experiment 1a presented a light paired (CS+ group) or unpaired (CS- group) with a US. There were 1, 2 or 10 sessions, 4 trials per session. Then, the US was removed, and two novel levers presented. One lever (CR+) presented the light, and lever pressing was recorded. Experiment 1b also included a tone stimulus. Experiment 2 applied intra-amygdala R(+) 7-OH-DPAT (10 nmol/1.0 A mu l/side) before two training sessions (Experiment 2a) or a CR session (Experiment 2b). For Experiments 1a and 1b, the CS+ group preferred the CR+ lever across all sessions. Conditioned alcove approach during 1 or 2 training sessions or associated CR tests was low and nonspecific. In Experiment 2a, R(+) 7-OH-DPAT before training greatly diminished lever pressing during a subsequent CR test, preferentially on the CR+ lever. For Experiment 2b, R(+) 7-OH-DPAT infusions before the CR test also reduced lever pressing. Manipulations of amygdala dopamine impact the earliest stage of learning in which emotional reactions may be most prevalent
- …