Nonlocal probes of thermalization in holographic quenches with spectral methods

We describe the application of pseudo-spectral methods to problems of holographic thermal quenches of relevant couplings in strongly coupled gauge theories. We focus on quenches of a fermionic mass term in a strongly coupled N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills plasma, and the subsequent equilibration of the system. From the dual gravitational perspective, we study the gravitational collapse of a massive scalar field in asymptotically anti-de Sitter geometry with a prescribed boundary condition for its non-normalizable mode. Access to the full background geometry of the gravitational collapse allows for the study of nonlocal probes of the thermalization process. We discuss the evolution of the apparent and the event horizons, the two-point correlation functions of operators of large conformal dimensions, and the evolution of the entanglement entropy of the system. We compare the thermalization process from the viewpoint of local (the one-point) correlation functions and these nonlocal probes, finding that the thermalization time as measured by the probes is length dependent, and approaches the thermalization time of the one-point function for longer probes. We further discuss how the different energy scales of the problem contribute to its thermalization.Comment: 83 pages, 25 figures. v2: Corrected constraint in equation (A.26), which led to non-monotonic apparent horizons in our simulations. Replaced most figures. Added equation (4.11). Added references [37], [38]. Added acknowledgement. Corrected some typos. Most conclusions remain unchange

Ideology and the good society in South Africa: the education policies of the Democratic Alliance

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been transforming in the economic, political and social spheres. This largely peaceful democratic transition sought to dismantle the apartheid system of institutionalised racial segregation and extend the status of a common citizenship and equal enjoyment of rights to all South Africans, regardless of race, gender or religion. Despite the establishment of democratic institutions and the inclusion of social and economic rights for all citizens in a complex map of policy frameworks, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. The education system, characterised by a crisis in quality, persistent inequality of access and fragmentation in achievement levels, further reflects this trend (Badat & Sayed 2014; Van Rooyen & le Grange 2003; Deegan 1999). In the post-apartheid period, public debate has arisen around the socioeconomic rights of citizens in the allocation of resources and access to basic services such as education. Crucial to the democratic transition in South Africa have been the political parties – articulating and aggregating the interests of the populace as well as developing and promoting policies for change (Matlosa 2007). Notwithstanding this, there has been very little engagement with political parties and their positions on social policy. This article seeks to address this gap by providing a detailed analysis of the education policy of the opposition party, the Democratic Alliance. To this end, it scrutinises the ideological underpinnings of their education policy framework and the policy ideas and strategies proposed. The article begins by contextualising the research in relation to the literature related to education policy and political parties. A description of the educational context in South Africa and of the Democratic Alliance (DA) follows. The emergent education priorities and approaches of the DA, with reference to citizenship and in effecting redress and equity in relation to the role of the state, are then discussed. The article concludes by reflecting on the significance of its findings for education research and policy

Quantum quenches of holographic plasmas

We employ holographic techniques to study quantum quenches at finite temperature, where the quenches involve varying the coupling of the boundary theory to a relevant operator with an arbitrary conformal dimension 2\leq\D\leq4. The evolution of the system is studied by evaluating the expectation value of the quenched operator and the stress tensor throughout the process. The time dependence of the new coupling is characterized by a fixed timescale and the response of the observables depends on the ratio of the this timescale to the initial temperature. The observables exhibit universal scaling behaviours when the transitions are either fast or slow, i.e. when this ratio is very small or very large. The scaling exponents are smooth functions of the operator dimension. We find that in fast quenches, the relaxation time is set by the thermal timescale regardless of the operator dimension or the precise quenching rate.Comment: 60 pages, 10 figures, 3 appendice

The genre of the Revelation of John : a cultural plausible framework

No abstractNew Testament StudiesMTheologyUnrestricte

Public-private partnerships in South African healthcare provision: scholarship from the South

No description supplie

The Samaritan ‘brought him to an inn’: Revisiting πανδοχεῖον in Luke 10:34

This article traces the meaning of κατάλυμά and πανδοχεῖον in available Roman-Egypt papyri, the LXX, early-Jewish literature, and Greek writings to determine the meaning of πανδοχεῖον [inn] used in Luke 10:34. It is argued that a lexical study of κατάλυμά and πανδοχεῖον and available information on travel in the ancient world indicate that there is no evidence for the so-called non-commercial inns in the ancient world and that commercial inns and innkeepers, in principle, were all ‘bad’. In conclusion, the implications of this understanding of πανδοχεῖον and πανδοκεύς (Lk 10:34, 35) for the possible intended meaning of the parable are discussed, a conclusion that begs further research regarding the identity of the protagonist in the parable

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen and blood platelet injection therapy on the healing of hamstring injuries in rugby players

There are a number of ultra-structural and immuno-histochemical studies involving hyperbaric oxygen treatment in skeletal muscle, as well as soft tissue healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in conjunction with blood platelet injection therapy, serves as a valuable addition to previously known and trusted rehabilitation techniques and protocols for the healing of musculoskeletal or soft tissue injuries. The primary aim of this case report is to describe the effect on the recovery time of hamstring injuries when combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection therapy with exercise rehabilitation. A retrospective, post-intervention data analysis was used in this case series report. Data, obtained through collaboration with a professional rugby union and an accredited Hyperbaric Medicine (HBOT) Centre, were analysed using the Statistical Programme for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The significance value was set at 5%. A significant decrease in the injury time of the hamstring injuries in rugby players was noted, with a 38% reduction in injury time in players with a grade-one injury, and 45.7% reduction in players with a grade-two injury. In terms of recurrent injuries, 62% of players with grade-one injuries remained uninjured after treatment, and the percentage of re-injured players with grade-two injuries was 0% after HBOT, PRP and physical therapy treatment. The notion that the healing time of hamstring injuries will decrease when HBOT and PRP are administered in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation therapy is indicated by the data of this report.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpherd2017-11-30am201