251 research outputs found
Simple generalizations of Anti-de Sitter space-time
We consider new cosmological solutions which generalize the cosmological
patch of the Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space-time, allowing for fluids with
equations of state such that . We use them to derive the associated
full manifolds. We find that these solutions can all be embedded in flat
five-dimensional space-time with signature, revealing deformed
hyperboloids. The topology and causal-structure of these spaces is therefore
unchanged, and closed time-like curves are identified, before a covering space
is considered. However the structure of Killing vector fields is entirely
different and so we may expect a different structure of Killing horizons in
these solutions.Comment: 6 Pages, 5 Figures, Corrections and additions made for publication in
Journal of Classical and Quantum Gravit
k-Essence, superluminal propagation, causality and emergent geometry
The k-essence theories admit in general the superluminal propagation of the
perturbations on classical backgrounds. We show that in spite of the
superluminal propagation the causal paradoxes do not arise in these theories
and in this respect they are not less safe than General Relativity.Comment: 34 pages, 5 figure
Crossing Phantom Boundary in Modified Gravity : Jordan Frame vs Einstein Frame
We study capability of gravity models to allow crossing the phantom
boundary in both Jordan and Einstein conformal frames. In Einstein frame, these
models are equivalent to Einstein gravity together with a scalar field
minimally coupled to gravity. This scalar degree of freedom appears as a
quintessence field with a coupling with the matter sector. We investigate
evolution of the equation of sate parameter for some cosmologically viable
gravity models in both conformal frames. This investigation (beyond mere
theoretical arguments) acts as an operational tool to distinguish physical
status of the two conformal frames. It shows that the two conformal frames have
not the same physical status.Comment: 13 Pages, 4 figs., To appear in Gravitation and Cosmolog
Constraining scalar-tensor quintessence by cosmic clocks
Scalar-tensor quintessence models can be constrained by identifying suitable
cosmic clocks which allow to select confidence regions for cosmological
parameters. In particular, we constrain the characterizing parameters of
non-minimally coupled scalar-tensor cosmological models which admit exact
solutions of the Einstein field equations. Lookback time to galaxy clusters at
low intermediate, and high redshifts is considered. The high redshift
time-scale problem is also discussed in order to select other cosmic clocks
such as quasars.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. to be published in Astron & Astrop
Associations between health-related quality of life, physical function and fear of falling in older fallers receiving home care
Falls and injuries in older adults have significant consequences and costs, both personal and to society. Although having a high incidence of falls, high prevalence of fear of falling and a lower quality of life, older adults receiving home care are underrepresented in research on older fallers. The objective of this study is to determine the associations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL), fear of falling and physical function in older fallers receiving home care
The Imperfect Fluid behind Kinetic Gravity Braiding
We present a standard hydrodynamical description for non-canonical scalar
field theories with kinetic gravity braiding. In particular, this picture
applies to the simplest galileons and k-essence. The fluid variables not only
have a clear physical meaning but also drastically simplify the analysis of the
system. The fluid carries charges corresponding to shifts in field space. This
shift-charge current contains a spatial part responsible for diffusion of the
charges. Moreover, in the incompressible limit, the equation of motion becomes
the standard diffusion equation. The fluid is indeed imperfect because the
energy flows neither along the field gradient nor along the shift current. The
fluid has zero vorticity and is not dissipative: there is no entropy
production, the energy-momentum is exactly conserved, the temperature vanishes
and there is no shear viscosity. Still, in an expansion around a perfect fluid
one can identify terms which correct the pressure in the manner of bulk
viscosity. We close by formulating the non-trivial conditions for the
thermodynamic equilibrium of this imperfect fluid.Comment: 23 pages plus appendices. New version includes extended discussion on
diffusion and dynamics in alternative frames, as well as additional
references. v3 reflects version accepted for publication in JHEP: minor
comments added regarding suitability to numerical approache
Near Scale Invariance with Modified Dispersion Relations
We describe a novel mechanism to seed a nearly scale invariant spectrum of
adiabatic perturbations during a non-inflationary stage. It relies on a
modified dispersion relation that contains higher powers of the spatial
momentum of matter perturbations. We implement this idea in the context of a
massless scalar field in an otherwise perfectly homogeneous universe. The
couplings of the field to background scalars and tensors give rise to the
required modification of its dispersion relation, and the couplings of the
scalar to matter result in an adiabatic primordial spectrum. This work is meant
to explicitly illustrate that it is possible to seed nearly scale invariant
primordial spectra without inflation, within a conventional expansion history.Comment: 7 pages and no figures. Uses RevTeX
Hessence: A New View of Quintom Dark Energy
Recently a lot of attention has been drawn to build dark energy model in
which the equation-of-state parameter can cross the phantom divide .
One of models to realize crossing the phantom divide is called quintom model,
in which two real scalar fields appears, one is a normal scalar field and the
other is a phantom-type scalar field. In this paper we propose a non-canonical
complex scalar field as the dark energy, which we dub ``hessence'', to
implement crossing the phantom divide, in a similar sense as the quintom dark
energy model. In the hessence model, the dark energy is described by a single
field with an internal degree of freedom rather than two independent real
scalar fields. However, the hessence is different from an ordinary complex
scalar field, we show that the hessence can avoid the difficulty of the Q-balls
formation which gives trouble to the spintessence model (An ordinary complex
scalar field acts as the dark energy). Furthermore, we find that, by choosing a
proper potential, the hessence could correspond to a Chaplygin gas at late
times.Comment: Latex2e, 12 pages, no figure; v2: discussions and references added,
14 pages, 3 eps figures; v3: published versio
A falls prevention programme to improve quality of life, physical function and falls efficacy in older people receiving home help services: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
BACKGROUND:
Falls and fall-related injuries in older adults are associated with great burdens, both for the individuals, the health care system and the society. Previous research has shown evidence for the efficiency of exercise as falls prevention. An understudied group are older adults receiving home help services, and the effect of a falls prevention programme on health-related quality of life is unclear. The primary aim of this randomised controlled trial is to examine the effect of a falls prevention programme on quality of life, physical function and falls efficacy in older adults receiving home help services. A secondary aim is to explore the mediating factors between falls prevention and health-related quality of life.
METHODS:
The study is a single-blinded randomised controlled trial. Participants are older adults, aged 67 or older, receiving home help services, who are able to walk with or without walking aids, who have experienced at least one fall during the last 12 months and who have a Mini Mental State Examination of 23 or above. The intervention group receives a programme, based on the Otago Exercise Programme, lasting 12 weeks including home visits and motivational telephone calls. The control group receives usual care. The primary outcome is health-related quality of life (SF-36). Secondary outcomes are leg strength, balance, walking speed, walking habits, activities of daily living, nutritional status and falls efficacy. All measurements are performed at baseline, following intervention at 3 months and at 6 months' follow-up. Sample size, based on the primary outcome, is set to 150 participants randomised into the two arms, including an estimated 15-20% drop out. Participants are recruited from six municipalities in Norway.
DISCUSSION:
This trial will generate new knowledge on the effects of an exercise falls prevention programme among older fallers receiving home help services. This knowledge will be useful for clinicians, for health managers in the primary health care service and for policy makers
Cosmology with Interaction between Phantom Dark Energy and Dark Matter and the Coincidence Problem
We study a cosmological model in which phantom dark energy is coupled to dark
matter by phenomenologically introducing a coupled term to the equations of
motion of dark energy and dark matter. This term is parameterized by a
dimensionless coupling function , Hubble parameter and the energy
density of dark matter, and it describes an energy flow between the dark energy
and dark matter. We discuss two cases: one is the case where the
equation-of-state of the dark energy is a constant; the other is
that the dimensionless coupling function is a constant. We investigate
the effect of the interaction on the evolution of the universe, the total
lifetime of the universe, and the ratio of the period when the universe is in
the coincidence state to its total lifetime. It turns out that the interaction
will produce significant deviation from the case without the interaction.Comment: Latex, 17 pages including 14 figures, minor change
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