195 research outputs found
Holographic aspects of three dimensional QCD from string theory
We study two aspects of 3D QCD with massless fermions in a holographic set-up
from string theory, based on D3/D7 branes; parity anomaly and baryons as baby
Skyrmions. We first give a novel account of parity anomaly of 3D QCD with odd
number of flavors from the IR holographic viewpoint by observing a subtle point
in D7 brane embeddings with a given fixed UV theory. We also discuss its UV
origin in terms of weakly coupled D-brane pictures. We then focus on the
parity-symmetric case of even number of N_F flavors, and study baryons in the
holographic model. We identify the monopoles of U(N_F) gauge theory dynamically
broken down to U(N_F/2)x U(N_F/2) in the holographic 4 dimensional bulk as a
holographic counter-part of 3D baby-Skyrmions for baryons in large N limit, and
work out some details how the mapping goes. In particular, we show that the
correct baryon charges emerge from the Witten effect with a space-varying theta
angle.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures; v2: references added with comments, typos
corrected; v3: more references added; v4: holographic baryon profile and the
analysis of its baryon charge is significantly revised, correcting errors in
the previous discussio
Consumer credit in comparative perspective
We review the literature in sociology and related fields on the fast global growth of consumer credit and debt and the possible explanations for this expansion. We describe the ways people interact with the strongly segmented consumer credit system around the world—more specifically, the way they access credit and the way they are held accountable for their debt. We then report on research on two areas in which consumer credit is consequential: its effects on social relations and on physical and mental health. Throughout the article, we point out national variations and discuss explanations for these differences. We conclude with a brief discussion of the future tasks and challenges of comparative research on consumer credit.Accepted manuscrip
F-Theorem without Supersymmetry
The conjectured F-theorem for three-dimensional field theories states that
the finite part of the free energy on S^3 decreases along RG trajectories and
is stationary at the fixed points. In previous work various successful tests of
this proposal were carried out for theories with {\cal N}=2 supersymmetry. In
this paper we perform more general tests that do not rely on supersymmetry. We
study perturbatively the RG flows produced by weakly relevant operators and
show that the free energy decreases monotonically. We also consider large N
field theories perturbed by relevant double trace operators, free massive field
theories, and some Chern-Simons gauge theories. In all cases the free energy in
the IR is smaller than in the UV, consistent with the F-theorem. We discuss
other odd-dimensional Euclidean theories on S^d and provide evidence that
(-1)^{(d-1)/2} \log |Z| decreases along RG flow; in the particular case d=1
this is the well-known g-theorem.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures; v2 refs added, minor improvements; v3 refs
added, improved section 4.3; v4 minor improvement
Deficits in visuo-spatial working memory, inhibition and oculomotor control in boys with ADHD and their non-affected brothers.
Few studies have assessed visuo-spatial working memory and inhibition in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by recording saccades and consequently little additional knowledge has been gathered on oculomotor functioning in ADHD. Moreover, this is the first study to report the performance of non-affected siblings of children with ADHD, which may shed light on the familiality of deficits. A total of 14 boys with ADHD, 18 non-affected brothers, and 15 control boys aged 7-14 years, were administered a memory-guided saccade task with delays of three and seven seconds. Familial deficits were found in accuracy of visuo-spatial working memory, percentage of anticipatory saccades, and tendency to overshoot saccades relative to controls. These findings suggest memory-guided saccade deficits may relate to a familial predisposition for ADHD
Low-temperature plasma treatment induces DNA damage leading to necrotic cell death in primary prostate epithelial cells
Background:In recent years, the rapidly advancing field of low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas has shown considerable promise for future translational biomedical applications, including cancer therapy, through the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.Method:The cytopathic effect of low-temperature plasma was first verified in two commonly used prostate cell lines: BPH-1 and PC-3 cells. The study was then extended to analyse the effects in paired normal and tumour (Gleason grade 7) prostate epithelial cells cultured directly from patient tissue. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and staurosporine were used as controls throughout.Results:Low-temperature plasma (LTP) exposure resulted in high levels of DNA damage, a reduction in cell viability, and colony-forming ability. H2O2 formed in the culture medium was a likely facilitator of these effects. Necrosis and autophagy were recorded in primary cells, whereas cell lines exhibited apoptosis and necrosis.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that LTP treatment causes cytotoxic insult in primary prostate cells, leading to rapid necrotic cell death. It also highlights the need to study primary cultures in order to gain more realistic insight into patient response
Does inequality erode generalized trust? Evidence from Romanian youths
Generalized trust is a critical component of liberal democratic citizenship. We evaluate the extent to which exposure to socioeconomic inequality erodes trust among Romanian youths. Using national survey data of Romanian eighth-grade and high school students, we evaluate this effect as a product of socioeconomic diversity within the classroom, controlling for the social status of the students as well as socioeconomic inequality within the community where the school is located. Our analysis shows that generalized trust is higher for students in higher grades. However, despite this maturing effect, students exposed to greater levels of socioeconomic diversity have significantly lower levels of trust. The effect is particularly acute for students in the ninth grade. This finding holds when controlling for socioeconomic diversity and polarization in the community. The result reinforces the idea that generalized trust develops early in one’s life and is quite stable, although a major life transformation, such as entering high school, may alter trust depending on the social context
The Role of Transporters in the Pharmacokinetics of Orally Administered Drugs
Drug transporters are recognized as key players in the processes of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. The localization of uptake and efflux transporters in organs responsible for drug biotransformation and excretion gives transporter proteins a unique gatekeeper function in controlling drug access to metabolizing enzymes and excretory pathways. This review seeks to discuss the influence intestinal and hepatic drug transporters have on pharmacokinetic parameters, including bioavailability, exposure, clearance, volume of distribution, and half-life, for orally dosed drugs. This review also describes in detail the Biopharmaceutics Drug Disposition Classification System (BDDCS) and explains how many of the effects drug transporters exert on oral drug pharmacokinetic parameters can be predicted by this classification scheme
- …