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A bstract In 1984, ’t Hooft famously used a brickwall (aka stretched horizon) to compute black hole entropy up to a numerical pre-factor. This calculation is sometimes interpreted as due to the entanglement of the modes across the horizon, but more operationally, it is simply an indirect count of the semi-classical modes trapped between the stretched horizon and the angular momentum barrier. Because the calculation was indirect, it needed both the mass and the temperature of the black hole as inputs, to reproduce the area. A more conventional statistical mechanics calculation should be able to get the entropy, once the ensemble is specified (say via the energy, in a microcanonical setting). In this paper, we explicitly compute black hole normal modes in various examples, numerically as well as (in various regimes) analytically. The explicit knowledge of normal modes allows us to reproduce both the Hawking temperature as well as the entropy, once the charges are specified, making this a conventional statistical mechanics calculation. A quasi-degeneracy in the angular quantum numbers is directly responsible for the area scaling of the entropy, and is the key distinction between the Planckian black body calculation (volume scaling) and the ’t Hooftian calculation (area scaling). We discuss the (rotating) BTZ case in detail and match the thermodynamic quantities exactly . Schwarzschild and Kerr normal modes are discussed in less detail using near-horizon approximations. Our calculations reveal a new hierarchy in the angular quantum numbers, which we speculate is related to string theory.

The present study was conducted to explore the diversity and generate a documentation of the family Poaceae (grasses) in the state of Mizoram, North East India. The state forms a significant segment of both the Himalayan and the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots. As an outcome of extensive survey and morphological characterization, 6 (six) species under the family Poaceae were established to be newly growing in this region. Each taxon has been critically examined with taxonomic information such as descriptions, vivid illustrations, accepted name, basionym, type, phenology, materials studied, uses and present distributional data have been provided.

In this paper, we apply the dynamical analysis to a coupled phantom field with scaling potential taking particular forms of the coupling (linear and combination of linear), and present phase space analysis. We investigate if there exists a late time accelerated scaling attractor that has the ratio of dark energy and dark matter densities of the order one. We observe that the scrutinized couplings cannot alleviate the coincidence problem, however, they acquire stable late time accelerated solutions. We also discuss a coupled tachyon field with inverse square potential assuming linear coupling.

Government is major stakeholder in disaster recovery process in any given affected economy. Government policies impact the sectors of economy in all aspects may it be financial, social or managerial. The vulnerabilities from natural hazards such as floods could be minimized through flood preparedness strategies and recovery mechanisms to cope faster from disasters. This study aims to find out the level of government’s role, responsibilities and strategies adopted while 2011 floods in the Pathumthani province in Thailand. The critical evaluation of the recovery mechanism and loss from floods are analyzed to provide resilient SME in the study area. The methodology includes content analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data collected through survey questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The findings included inter-department miscommunication, mismanagement of available resources, and lack of transparency in the government’s action plans, lack of interest to provide sustainability at the ground level and lack of transportation facilities in the flood affected area. The study sheds light on the gaps of the existing flood recovery mechanisms in the Pathumthani province and provides for recommendations to enhance sustainability among SMEs in the industrialized province of Pathumthani.

Our current observations have not definitively determined the exact form of the expansion factor of spacetime. It is possible that we are experiencing a transitional stage of expansion, characterized by a combination of inflation and power-law expansion. We consider spatially homogeneous tachyon scalar fields, quintessence, and phantom fields as potential candidates for dynamical dark energy. The time-dependent potentials and fields of these three classes of scalar fields are calculated for three different mixed forms of the scale factor of expansion: firstly, a logarithmic function of time; secondly, a linear combination of power law functions of time; and thirdly, a product of power law and exponential functions of time, respectively.

Atherosclerosis is rare in internal thoracic arteries (ITA) even in patients with severe atherosclerotic coronary artery (ACA) disease. To explore cellular differences, ITA SMC from 3 distinct donors and ACA SMC from 3 distinct donors were grown to sub-confluence and growth arrested for 48 h. Proliferation and thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) production were determined using standard techniques. ITA SMC were larger, grew more slowly and survived more passages than ACA SMC. ACA SMC had a more pronounced proliferative response to 10% serum than ITA SMC. Both ACA SMC and ITA SMC proliferated in response to exogenous TSP1 (12.5 µg/ml and 25 µg/ml) and platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB; 20 ng/ml) but TSP1- and PDGF-BB-induced proliferation were partially inhibited by anti-TSP1 antibody A4.1, microRNA-21(miR-21)-3p inhibitors and miR-21-5p inhibitors in each of the 3 ACA SMC lines, but not in any of the ITA SMC lines. PDGF-BB stimulated TSP1 production in ACA SMC but not in ITA SMC but there was no increase in TSP1 levels in conditioned media in either SMC type. In summary, there are significant differences in morphology, proliferative capacity and in responses to TSP1 and PDGF-BB in SMC derived from ITA compared to SMC derived from ACA.

In this paper, we investigate coupled quintessence with scaling potential assuming specific forms of the coupling as A namely, α ρ ˙ m , β ρ ˙ ϕ and σ ( ρ ˙ m + ρ ˙ ϕ ) , and present phase space analysis for three different interacting models. We focus on the attractor solutions that can give rise to late time acceleration with Ω DE / Ω DM of order unity in order to alleviate the coincidence problem.

Quantum gravity has been baffling the theoretical physicist for decades now, both for its mathematical obscurity and phenomenological testing. Nevertheless, the new era of precision cosmology presents a promising avenue to test the effects of quantum gravity. In this study, we consider a bottom-up approach. Without resorting to any candidate quantum gravity, we invoke a generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) directly into the cosmological Hamiltonian for a universe sourced by a phantom scalar field with potential to study the evolution of the universe in a very early epoch. This is followed by a systematic analysis of the dynamics, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our qualitative analysis shows that the introduction of GUP significantly alters the existence of fixed points for the potential considered in this paper. In addition, we confirm the existence of an inflationary phase and analyze the behavior of relevant cosmological parameters with respect to the strength of the GUP distortion.

Ketamine, an N -methyl- D -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) channel blocker, has been found to induce rapid and robust antidepressant-like effects in rodent models and in treatment-refractory depressed patients. However, the marked acute psychological side effects of ketamine complicate the interpretation of both preclinical and clinical data. Moreover, the lack of controlled data demonstrating the ability of ketamine to sustain the antidepressant response with repeated administration leaves the potential clinical utility of this class of drugs in question. Using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) to objectively align doses of a low-trapping NMDA channel blocker, AZD6765 (lanicemine), to that of ketamine, we demonstrate the potential for NMDA channel blockers to produce antidepressant efficacy without psychotomimetic and dissociative side effects. Furthermore, using placebo-controlled data, we show that the antidepressant response to NMDA channel blockers can be maintained with repeated and intermittent drug administration. Together, these data provide a path for the development of novel glutamatergic-based therapeutics for treatment-refractory mood disorders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women have been at high risk for psychological distress. Lifestyle factors may be modifiable elements to help reduce and promote resilience to prenatal stress. We used Machine-Learning (ML) algorithms applied to questionnaire data obtained from an international cohort of 804 pregnant women to determine whether physical activity and diet were resilience factors against prenatal stress, and whether stress levels were in turn predictive of sleep classes. A support vector machine accurately classified perceived stress levels in pregnant women based on physical activity behaviours and dietary behaviours. In turn, we classified hours of sleep based on perceived stress levels. This research adds to a developing consensus concerning physical activity and diet, and the association with prenatal stress and sleep in pregnant women. Predictive modeling using ML approaches may be used as a screening tool and to promote positive health behaviours for pregnant women.