Triality, periodicity and stability of SO(8) gauged supergravity

While electromagnetic duality is a symmetry of many supergravity theories, this is not the case for the N = 8 gauged theory. It was recently shown that this rotation leads to a one-parameter family of SO(8) supergravities. It is an open question what the period of this parameter is. This issue is investigated in the SO(4) invariant sectors of the theory. We classify such critical points and find a novel branch of non-supersymmetric and unstable solutions, whose embedding is related via triality to the two known ones. Secondly, we show that the three branches of solutions lead to a π/4 periodicity of the vacuum structure. The general interrelations between triality and periodicity are discussed. Finally, we comment on the connection to other gauge groups as well as the possibility to achieve (non-)perturbative stability around AdS/Mkw/dS transitions.

The SU(3)-invariant sector of new maximal supergravity

We investigate the SU(3)-invariant sector of the one-parameter family of SO(8) gauged maximal supergravities that has been recently discovered. To this end, we construct the N=2 truncation of this theory and analyse its full vacuum structure. The number of critical point is doubled and includes new N=0 and N=1 branches. We numerically exhibit the parameter dependence of the location and cosmological constant of all extrema. Moreover, we provide their analytic expressions for cases of special interest. Finally, while the mass spectra are found to be parameter independent in most cases, we show that the novel non-supersymmetric branch with SU(3) invariance provides the first counterexample to this.

How fluids bend: the elastic expansion for higher-dimensional black holes

Hydrodynamics can be consistently formulated on surfaces of arbitrary co-dimension in a background space-time, providing the effective theory describing long-wavelength perturbations of black branes. When the co-dimension is non-zero, the system acquires fluid-elastic properties and constitutes what is called a fluid brane. Applying an effective action approach, the most general form of the free energy quadratic in the extrinsic curvature and extrinsic twist potential of stationary fluid brane configurations is constructed to second order in a derivative expansion. This construction generalizes the Helfrich-Canham bending energy for fluid membranes studied in theoretical biology to the case in which the fluid is rotating. It is found that stationary fluid brane configurations are characterized by a set of 3 elastic response coefficients, 3 hydrodynamic response coefficients and 1 spin response coefficient for co-dimension greater than one. Moreover, the elastic degrees of freedom present in the system are coupled to the hydrodynamic degrees of freedom. For co-dimension-1 surfaces we find a 8 independent parameter family of stationary fluid branes. It is further shown that elastic and spin corrections to (non)-extremal brane effective actions can be accounted for by a multipole expansion of the stress-energy tensor, therefore establishing a relation between the different formalisms of Carter, Capovilla-Guven and Vasilic-Vojinovic and between gravity and the effective description of stationary fluid branes. Finally, it is shown that the Young modulus found in the literature for black branes falls into the class predicted by this approach - a relation which is then used to make a proposal for the second order effective action of stationary blackfolds and to find the corrected horizon angular velocity of thin black rings.

Robust meta-analytic-predictive priors in clinical trials with historical control information.

Historical information is always relevant for clinical trial design. Additionally, if incorporated in the analysis of a new trial, historical data allow to reduce the number of subjects. This decreases costs and trial duration, facilitates recruitment, and may be more ethical. Yet, under prior-data conflict, a too optimistic use of historical data may be inappropriate. We address this challenge by deriving a Bayesian meta-analytic-predictive prior from historical data, which is then combined with the new data. This prospective approach is equivalent to a meta-analytic-combined analysis of historical and new data if parameters are exchangeable across trials. The prospective Bayesian version requires a good approximation of the meta-analytic-predictive prior, which is not available analytically. We propose two- or three-component mixtures of standard priors, which allow for good approximations and, for the one-parameter exponential family, straightforward posterior calculations. Moreover, since one of the mixture components is usually vague, mixture priors will often be heavy-tailed and therefore robust. Further robustness and a more rapid reaction to prior-data conflicts can be achieved by adding an extra weakly-informative mixture component. Use of historical prior information is particularly attractive for adaptive trials, as the randomization ratio can then be changed in case of prior-data conflict. Both frequentist operating characteristics and posterior summaries for various data scenarios show that these designs have desirable properties. We illustrate the methodology for a phase II proof-of-concept trial with historical controls from four studies. Robust meta-analytic-predictive priors alleviate prior-data conflicts ' they should encourage better and more frequent use of historical data in clinical trials.

500 ml of blood loss does not decrease non-invasive tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) as measured by near infrared spectroscopy - A hypothesis generating pilot study in healthy adult women

Background The goal when resuscitating trauma patients is to achieve adequate tissue perfusion. One parameter of tissue perfusion is tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), as measured by near infrared spectroscopy. Using a commercially available device, we investigated whether clinically relevant blood loss of 500 ml in healthy volunteers can be detected by changes in StO2 after a standardized ischemic event. Methods We performed occlusion of the brachial artery for 3 minutes in 20 healthy female blood donors before and after blood donation. StO2 and total oxygenated tissue hemoglobin (O2Hb) were measured continuously at the thenar eminence. 10 healthy volunteers were assessed in the same way, to examine whether repeated vascular occlusion without blood donation exhibits time dependent effects. Results Blood donation caused a substantial decrease in systolic blood pressure, but did not affect resting StO2 and O2Hb values. No changes were measured in the blood donor group in the reaction to the vascular occlusion test, but in the control group there was an increase in the O2Hb rate of recovery during the reperfusion phase. Conclusion StO2 measured at the thenar eminence seems to be insensitive to blood loss of 500 ml in this setting. Probably blood loss greater than this might lead to detectable changes guiding the treating physician. The exact cut off for detectable changes and the time effect on repeated vascular occlusion tests should be explored further. Until now no such data exist.

Quantitative assessment of physiological and behavioural parameters in healthy dairy cows evoked by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of the udder

The pain and distress associated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of the udder was evaluated by treating 20 healthy dairy cows with an electrical udder stimulator. This generated a sequence of pulses (frequency: 160+/-10% impulses per second, duration 250 mus) and provided voltage ranges from 0 to 10 volts (+/-10%). Trials took place on three consecutive days, twice daily after morning and evening milking. Daily sessions were divided into two periods: (1) control (sham treatment) and (2) treatment (real treatment). Physiological (heart rate, respiratory rate, and plasma cortisol concentration) as well as ethological parameters (kicking, weight shifting, and looking backwards to udder) were defined as pain-indicating parameters and observed. Evaluation of data showed that only one parameter (kicking) was significantly increased during real treatment compared to sham treatment. It is concluded that the TENS therapy tested in this study can evoke changes in behaviour (increased kicking) consistent with an experience of pain in some cows.

Social inequality and smoking in young Swiss men: intergenerational transmission of cultural capital and health orientation

OBJECTIVES Smoking is related to income and education and contributes to social inequality in morbidity and mortality. Socialisation theories focus on one's family of origin as regards acquisition of norms, attitudes and behaviours. Aim of this study is to assess associations of daily smoking with health orientation and academic track in young Swiss men. Further, to assess associations of health orientation and academic track with family healthy lifestyle, parents' cultural capital, and parents' economic capital. METHODS Cross-sectional data were collected during recruitment for compulsory military service in Switzerland during 2010 and 2011. A structural equation model was fitted to a sample of 18- to 25-year-old Swiss men (N = 10,546). RESULTS Smoking in young adults was negatively associated with academic track and health orientation. Smoking was negatively associated with parents' cultural capital through academic track. Smoking was negatively associated with health orientation which in turn was positively associated with a healthy lifestyle in the family of origin. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest two different mechanisms of intergenerational transmissions: first, the family transmission path of health-related dispositions, and secondly, the structural transmission path of educational inequality.

Flexible varieties and automorphism groups

Given an irreducible affine algebraic variety X of dimension n≥2 , we let SAut(X) denote the special automorphism group of X , that is, the subgroup of the full automorphism group Aut(X) generated by all one-parameter unipotent subgroups. We show that if SAut(X) is transitive on the smooth locus X reg , then it is infinitely transitive on X reg . In turn, the transitivity is equivalent to the flexibility of X . The latter means that for every smooth point x∈X reg the tangent space T x X is spanned by the velocity vectors at x of one-parameter unipotent subgroups of Aut(X) . We also provide various modifications and applications.

Supersymmetric descendants of self-adjointly extended quantum mechanical Hamiltonians

We consider the descendants of self-adjointly extended Hamiltonians in supersymmetric quantum mechanics on a half-line, on an interval, and on a punctured line or interval. While there is a 4-parameter family of self-adjointly extended Hamiltonians on a punctured line, only a 3-parameter sub-family has supersymmetric descendants that are themselves self-adjoint. We also address the self-adjointness of an operator related to the supercharge, and point out that only a sub-class of its most general self-adjoint extensions is physical. Besides a general characterization of self-adjoint extensions and their supersymmetric descendants, we explicitly consider concrete examples, including a particle in a box with general boundary conditions, with and without an additional point interaction. We also discuss bulk-boundary resonances and their manifestation in the supersymmetric descendant.

Effect of hay dust extract and cyathostomin antigen stimulation on cytokine expression by PBMC in horses with recurrent airway obstruction

Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an inflammatory, obstructive airway disease induced by exposure of susceptible horses to inhaled organic dust particles. The immunological process underlying RAO is still unclear. Previous studies have shown that RAO is linked to the Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) gene in one Warmblood family (F1), but not in another (F2). It has also been shown that in F1, but not in F2, RAO is associated with resistance against parasites, suggesting that this association may have an immuno-genetic basis. Therefore, we hypothesized that the T helper (h)1/Th2/regulatory (Treg) cytokine profiles of RAO-associated antigen- and parasite-antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) differ between RAO-affected and healthy horses depending on their genetic background. In our study, PBMC from 17 RAO-affected and 14 healthy control horses of F1 and F2 were stimulated for 24h with antigens relevant to RAO [hay dust extract (HDE), Aspergillus fumigatus extract (AFE) and lipopolysaccharids (LPS)]; cyathostomin extract (CE) and recombinant cyathostomin antigen (RCA) or with concanavalin A (ConA). Total mRNA levels of IL-4, IL-4R, IL-13, interferon (INF)-γ and IL-10 were examined by qRT-PCR. Stimulation with either HDE or RCA resulted in significant differences in IL-4R mRNA levels between RAO-affected and control horses in F1, but not in F2. For IL-10 mRNA expression, a significant difference between RAO-affected and control horses in F1 but not in F2 was observed only following stimulation with HDE. In contrast to HDE, stimulation with CE resulted in a significant difference of IL-10 mRNA expression level between RAO-affected horses of F2 and healthy horses of F1. No significant differences were detected upon stimulation with any of the other challenge agents. These findings indicate that the immunological response, specifically IL-4R expression, in response to hay dust and cyathostomin antigens, differs between RAO-affected and healthy horses depending on their genetic background. This study shows that analysis of PBMC reveals systemic changes associated with RAO and helps to elucidate immunological pathways involved in this disease.

Early responses of wild plant seedlings to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and pathogens

Abstract Many plants form associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) because they profit from improved phosphorus nutrition and from protection against pathogens. Whereas mycorrhiza-induced pathogen protection is well understood in agricultural plant species, it is rarely studied in wild plants. As many pathogens infest plants in the first days after germination, mycorrhiza-induced pathogen protection may be especially important in the first few weeks of plant establishment. Here, we investigated interacting effects of {AMF} and the seedling pathogen Pythium ultimum on the performance of six- to seven-week-old seedlings of six wild plant species of the family Asteraceae in a full factorial experiment. Plant species differed in their response to AMF, the pathogen and their interactions. {AMF} increased and the pathogen decreased plant biomass in one and three species, respectively. Two plant species were negatively affected by {AMF} in the absence, but positively or not affected in the presence of the pathogen, indicating protection by AMF. This mycorrhiza-induced pathogen protection is especially surprising as we could not detect mycorrhizal structure in the roots of any of the plants. Our results show that even seedlings without established intraradical hyphal network can profit from AMF, both in terms of growth promotion in the absence of a pathogen and pathogen protection. The function of {AMF} is highly species-specific, but tends to be similar for more closely related plant species, suggesting a phylogenetic component of mycorrhizal function. Further studies should test a wider range of plant species, as our study was restricted to one plant family, and investigate whether plants profit from early mycorrhizal benefits in the long term.

Fabry's disease: otoneurologic findings in twelve members of one family

Fabry's disease corresponds to an inherited disorder transmitted by an X-linked recessive gene. It generates a dysfunction of glycosphingolipid metabolism due to an enzymatic deficiency of alpha-galactosidase activity, resulting in glycosphingolipid deposits in all areas of the body. The clinical (heart, kidney, and central nervous system) manifestations are more severe in hemizygous boys than in heterozygous girls. They appear during childhood or adolescence: acroparesthesia, joint pain, angiokeratoma, corneal dystrophy, hypohydrosis or anhydrosis, and renal failure. The otoneurologic symptoms consist of hearing fluctuation, progressive unilateral or bilateral hearing loss, and episodes of vertigo or dizziness. Otoneurologic findings in 12 of 26 members of the same family are presented: the mother and 9 of her 12 children, as well as 2 of her 14 grandchildren: 4 healthy persons, 4 heterozygous female carriers, and 4 hemizygous male patients. Three of the male patients had fluctuation of hearing, sudden hearing loss, and episodes of vertigo and dizziness. The otoneurologic examinations showed a bilateral cochleovestibular deficit (n = 1), a right cochleovestibular deficit (n = 1), and a bilateral hearing loss combined with a right vestibular deficit (n = 1). Histopathologic evidence of glycosphingolipid accumulation in vascular endothelial and ganglion cells, as well as atrophy of the stria and spiral ligament, might explain the otoneurologic symptoms and findings.

One size does not fit all: Entrepreneurial families’ reliance on family offices

Family offices are organisations dedicated to the management of entrepreneurial families’ private wealth. Based on agency theory, we analyse types of family offices with regard to the families’ goals and the control mechanisms used to ensure goal achievement. Family-dominant management and private client structures involve stronger emphasis on non-financial goals in single and multi-family offices than in non-family-dominant management and open client structures. Variations in family involvement, ranging from family dominance to the complete absence of family ownership and/or management, and diverse client structures justify the differential reliance on formal and informal control mechanisms.