Duality Symmetries in Orbifold Models

We derive the duality symmetries relevant to moduli dependent gauge coupling constant threshold corrections, in Coxeter ${\bf Z_N}$ orbifolds. We consider those orbifolds for which the point group leaves fixed a 2-dimensional sublattice $\Lambda_2$, of the six dimensional torus lattice $\Lambda_6$, where $\Lambda_6$ cannot be decomposed as $\Lambda_2 \bigoplus{\Lambda_4}.$Comment: 13 pages, QMW--TH--93/21, SUSX--TH--93/1

Modular Symmetries, Threshold Corrections And Moduli For Z2×Z2Z_2 \times Z_2 Orbifolds

${\bf Z}_2\times {\bf Z}_2$ Coxeter orbifolds are constructed with the property that some twisted sectors have fixed planes for which the six-torus can not be decomposed into a direct sum ${\bf T}^2\bigoplus{\bf T}^4$ with the fixed plane lying in ${\bf T}^2$. The string loop threshold corrections to the gauge coupling constants are derived, and display symmetry groups for the $T$ and $U$ moduli that are subgroups of the full modular group $PSL(2,Z)$. The effective potential for duality invariant gaugino condensate in the presence of hidden sector matter is constructed and minimized for the values of the moduli. The effect of Wilson lines on the modular symmetries is also studied.Comment: QMW--TH--94/18, 12 page

Anisotropic Solutions For Orbifold Moduli From Duality Invariant Gaugino Condensates

The values of the $T$ and $U$ moduli are studied for those ${\bf Z}_N$ Coxeter orbifolds with the property that some of the twisted sectors have fixed planes for which the six-torus ${\bf T}^6$ can not be decomposed into a direct sum ${\bf T}^2\bigoplus {\bf T}^4$ with the fixed plane lying in ${\bf T}^2$. Such moduli in general transform under a subgroup of the modular group $SL(2,Z).$ The moduli are determined by minimizing the effective potential derived from a duality invariant gaugino condensate.Comment: QMW--TH--94/11, SUSX--TH--94/11, 16 page

Modular Symmetries in ZNZ_N Orbifold Compactified String Theories with Wilson lines

Target space modular symmetries relevant to string loop threshold corrections are studied for $Z_N$ orbifold compactified string theories containing Wilson line background fields.Comment: SUSX--TH--93/17, QMW--TH--93/31, 12 page

The effect of exercise on sodium balance in humans

During exercise water and electrolytes are lost in sweat. There is a large variation in both sweat rate and sweat composition and as a consequence sweat electrolyte loss can be large, especially for sodium, the primary cation in sweat. The loss of large amounts of sodium in sweat has been linked with hyponatraemia and muscle cramps. Sodium intake is encouraged in some athletes and in some exercise situations, which is in direct contrast to guidelines aimed at the general population aimed at reducing average sodium intakes to 2.4g of sodium per day (6g salt/day). Dietary sodium intakes have been determined by numerous methods, including weighed dietary records and 24h urine collections. As dietary sodium intake in excess of basal requirement is primarily excreted in the urine in non-sweating individuals, and the basal requirement for sodium is small, 24h urine collections can provide an accurate estimate of dietary sodium intake. In Chapter 3, 24h urinary sodium excretion was measured in eighteen subjects on 4 separate occasions. Subjects consumed their normal diet with the exception of a 5g creatine supplement and 500ml of water, which was part of a separate investigation. The relationship between urine sodium excretion in each 24h collection period was weak, but on average males excreted 200 ± 48mmol of sodium per day and females excreted 157 ± 33mmol of sodium per day, which is equivalent to 4.6g and 3.6g of sodium, respectively. This is in excess of the current recommended intake. In chapter 4, the variation in sodium excretion was determined in eight subjects who consumed the same diet for 5 consecutive days. Despite the similar intake of sodium each day, a day to day variation in sodium excretion of 13% was still observed. This was not related to either sodium intake or potassium intake. In chapter 5, nine subjects consumed their normal diet for 5 consecutive days but weighed and recorded all food and drink consumed. During this period, 24h urine samples were also collected. No strenuous exercise was permitted apart from an exercise task on day 4. This involved intermittent cycling in the heat until 2% body mass (BM) was lost. Sweat was collected from four absorbent patches placed on the back, chest, forearm and thigh. Sweat sodium concentration was adjusted to account for the 35% over-estimation using this regional collection method. Subjects lost 1.51 ± 0.19L of sweat and 66 ± 16mmol (range 32 86mmol) of sodium. There was no difference in sodium balance between each 24h period due to a significant decrease in urine sodium excretion on the day of exercise (day 4). In chapter 6, the effect of prior exercise on sweat composition during a second exercise bout completed later that same day was determined. Eight healthy males cycled for 40 minutes in the heat on one or two occasions. A period of 5h elapsed between exercise bouts when two exercise sessions were performed. Sweat was collected using a whole body washdown method and by 4 absorbent patches placed on the back, chest, forearm and thigh. The main finding was that prior exercise did not affect sweat rate or sweat sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations in the second exercise bout when using the whole body washdown method. Chapter 7 determined the effects of two exercise sessions completed on the same day on electrolyte balance. Nine subjects followed their normal dietary behaviour but weighed and recorded all food and drink consumed during 5 consecutive days. During this period 24h urine samples were also collected. No strenuous exercise was permitted during this period apart from two exercise tasks on day 4. During exercise sweat was collected using a whole body washdown technique. Sweat rate and sweat sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations during the second exercise bout were found to be similar to the first exercise bout. Subjects lost 2.64L (range 1.80 3.48L) of sweat and 138 ± 106mmol of sodium (range 32 287mmol). Sodium balance was not significantly affected on the day of exercise, but urine sodium was lower than dietary sodium intake on the day of exercise (Day 4) and the day following exercise (day 5), indicating significant sodium conservation by the kidney. In contrast, no change in sodium intake was observed. In chapter 8, the effect of skimmed milk and a sports drink in restoring fluid balance was examined following exercise-induced dehydration. Seven physically active males cycled intermittently in the heat until 2% BM was lost. During a 1h rehydration period a sports drink (23mmol Na+/L) or skimmed milk (32mmol Na+/L) was consumed in a volume equivalent to 150% of BM loss. Fluid balance at the end of the 3h recovery period tended to be more positive when milk was consumed. Despite this, no difference in exercise capacity in the heat was observed. This thesis shows that exercise did not increase sodium intake, but this may be due to the already high dietary sodium intake of individuals. Sodium balance was maintained in the majority of individuals due to a significant conservation of sodium by the kidneys. When sweat sodium losses are large, urine sodium conservation may not be sufficient to prevent a negative sodium balance. When no food is consumed in the acute period post-exercise, the higher sodium content of skimmed milk than a sports drink may be partly responsible for the increased retention of the ingested fluid. But this did not enhance subsequent performance in the heat.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

String Loop Threshold Corrections \break For ZN{\bf Z}_N Coxeter Orbifolds

The moduli dependence of string loop threshold corrections to gauge coupling constants is investigated for those ${\bf Z}_N$ Coxeter orbifolds with the property that some twisted sectors have fixed planes for which the six-torus ${\bf T}_6$ can not be decomposed into a direct sum ${\bf T}_4 \bigoplus{\bf T}_2$ with the fixed plane lying in ${\bf T}_2.$Comment: 15 pages, QMW--TH--93/22, SUSX--TH--93/1

Video Summary of How Credible is Online Physical Activity Advice? The Accuracy of Free Adult Educational Materials

The uploaded work is a video summary of original research. The video is less than seven minutes long. The original research summarized in the video examined the credibility of physical activity advice presented in online educational materials for lay adults. The video highlights main points of the research, leads the viewer through steps to judge the credibility of lay material, and provides links to resources for further education and guidance. The video has several supplemental files. They are as follows: (a) the full transcript text to the video narration, which includes the links to the resource material that are listed at the end of the video, (b) a copy of the video summary for free download, and (c) a copy of the closed-captioning file with English subtitles. In conclusion, the uploaded video summary and its supplemental files are for use in a variety of educational settings, serving students and professionals

Cosmological Inflation with orbifold moduli as inflatons

Cosmological inflation is studied in the case where the inflaton is the overall modulus $T$ for an orbifold. General forms of the (non-perturbative) superpotential are considered to ensure that $G=K+{\rm ln}|W|^2$ is modular invariant. We find generically that these models do not produce a potential flat enough for slow roll to a supersymmetric minimum, although we do find a model which produces up to 20 e-folds of inflation to a non-supersymmetric minimum.Comment: LaTeX file, 16 pages including 5 figures, v3 is the published versio

Spontaneous breaking of CP symmetry by orbifold moduli

CP-violating phases which contribute to the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron are considered in the context of orbifold compactification of the heterotic string. In particular, we study the situation where CP is spontaneously broken by moduli fields acquiring, in general, complex expectation values at the minimum of duality invariant low energy effective potentials. We show, by explicit minimization of such a potential in the case of the {\bf Z}_{6}-{\rm IIb} orbifold, that it is the presence of so called Green-Schwarz anomaly coefficients \delta_{\rm GS}^{i} , that leads to significant CP violating expectation values of the moduli. By evaluating the soft supersymmetry breaking moduli dependent A and B terms in this model, we find that the experimental bounds \Phi (A) , \Phi (B) \leq 5 \times 10^{-3} are exceeded for a particular range of values of the auxiliary field of the S modulus

Identification of T cell stimulatory epitopes from the 18 kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae

We have used different mouse strains to examine in vivo and in vitro responses to the 18 kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae, which appears to be strongly immunogenic in both mice and humans. B and T cell stimulatory epitopes recognised by different strains of mice have been mapped using overlapping peptides that span the entire 18 kDa protein. Previous work established that Immunization of mice with the 18 kDa protein results in specific antibody production to common B cell epitopes and immunization of mice with peptides containing these B cell epitopes resulted in the induction of specific IgG to only a limited subset of epitopes in each strain. Now we report that T cells purified from mice immunized with peptides that stimulate antibody production, proliferate in vitro when rechallenged. The proliferating T cells produce levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ, that indicate antigen-specific T helper type 1 cells are present in significant numbers. Thus, a comparison of in vivo and in vitro data suggests that T cells bearing the phenotype associated with potentially protective cell-mediated responses can be primed in vivo by epitopes on small peptides. Since T cells from both strains of mice are capable of responding to the immunogenic synthetic peptides in vitro, but give different responses to the same peptides in vivo, factors other than epltope structure appear to influence T cell subset activation. This may have important implications for diseases such as leprosy where a polarized T cell response appears to develop and for the development of synthetic subunit vaccine