modern scientific studies

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

"composite-ccr12.pdf" =

Competing Memes Propagation on Networks: 

A Case Study of Composite Networks 

ABSTRACT 

If a false rumor propagates via Twitter, while the truth prop- 

agates between friends in Facebook, which one will prevail? 

This question captures the essence of the problem we ad- 

dress here. We study the intertwined propagation of two 

competing “memes” (or viruses, rumors, products etc.) in 

a composite network. A key novelty is the use of a com- 

posite network, which in its simplest model is defined as a 

single set of nodes with two distinct types of edges inter- 

connecting them. Each meme spreads across the composite 

network in accordance to an SIS-like propagation model (a 

flu-like infection-recovery). To study the epidemic behav- 

ior of our system, we formulate it as a non-linear dynamic 

system (NLDS). We develop a metric for each meme that 

is based on the eigenvalue of an appropriately constructed 

matrix and argue that this metric plays a key role in de- 

termining the “winning” meme. First, we prove that our 

metric determines the tipping point at which both memes 

become extinct eventually. Second, we conjecture that the 

meme with the strongest metric will most likely prevail over 

the other, and we show evidence of that via simulations in 

both real and synthetic composite networks. Our work is 

among the first to study the interplay between two compet- 

ing memes in composite networks.

"jbc.M114.561761.full.pdf" =

Targeting CB2 -GPR55 Receptor Heteromers

Modulates Cancer Cell Signaling 

ABSTRACT 

The G protein-coupled receptors CB2 

(CB2R) and GPR55 are overexpressed in cancer 

cells and human tumors. As a modulation of 

GPR55 activity by cannabinoids has been 

suggested, we analyzed whether this receptor 

participates in cannabinoid effects on cancer 

cells. Here, we show that CB2R and GPR55 

form heteromers in cancer cells, that these 

structures possess unique signaling properties, 

and that modulation of these heteromers can 

modify the antitumoral activity of cannabinoids 

in vivo. These findings unveil the existence of 

previously unknown signaling platforms that 

help explain the complex behavior of 

cannabinoids and may constitute new targets 

for therapeutic intervention in oncology.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

9711200 =

The Large N Limit of Superconformal field theories and supergravity

Abstract 

We show that the large N limit of certain conformal field theories in various dimen- 

sions include in their Hilbert space asector describing supergravity on the product of 

Anti-deSitter spacetimes, spheres and other compact manifolds. This is shown by taking 

some branes in the full M/string theory and then taking a low energy limit where the field 

theory on the brane decouples from the bulk. We observe that, in this limit, we can still 

trust the near horizon geometry for large N. The enhanced super symmetries of the near 

horizon geometry correspond to the extra supersymmetry generators present in the super- 

conformal group (as opposed to just the super-Poincare group). The't Hooft limit of 3+1 

N=4 super-Yang-Mills at the conformal point is shown to contain strings: they are IIB 

strings. We conjecture that compactifications of M/stringtheory on various Anti-deSitter 

spacetimes is dual to various conformal field theories. This leads to a new proposal for a 

definition of M-theory which could be extended to include five non-compact dimensions.

14104089v1 =

Entanglement entropy in Galilean conformal field theories and flat holography

We present the analytical calculation of entanglement entropy for a class of two dimensional 

field theories governed by the symmetries of the Galilean conformal algebra, thus providing a rare 

example of such an exact computation. These field theories are the putative holographic duals to  

theories of gravity in three-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes. We provide a check of our 

field theory answers by an analysis of geodesics. We also exploit the Chern–Simons formulation of 

three-dimensional gravity and adapt recent proposals of calculating entanglement entropy by Wilson 

lines in this context to find an independent confirmation of our results from holography.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

A deterministic model for forecasting long-term solar activity

Eleni Petrakou∗
Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS),

Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea

February 2, 2017

Abstract

The successive long-term increase and decrease in Sun’s activity associated with solar cycles has not been connected to a definite underlying mechanism so far, hence predictions about its amplitude usually depend on extrapolation from the sunspot number of previous cycles or observations of the geomagnetic field, becoming available only very close to or after a cycle’s start and often departing from the actual events. Here we present a phenomenological model for quantitative description of the cycles’ characteristics in terms of the number of M-class flares.

The main element of the model is the relative ecliptic longitude of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Using as input the temporal distribution of M-class flares during cycle 21, we obtain distributions for cycles 22-24 in notable agreement with the observed ones. Elements of shorter-term description can be elaborated further, however we are able to provide predictions for the evolution of solar activity for the rest of cycle 24 and for cycle 25. This deterministic description could contribute to elucidating the underlying physical mechanism and forecasting space weather. 

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

Temporal association of certain neuropsychiatric Disorders Following Vaccination of children and adolescents:

a Pilot case–control study

Background: Although the association of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine with autism spectrum disorder has been convincingly disproven, the onset of certain brain-related autoimmune and inflammatory disorders has been found to be temporally associated with the antecedent administration of various vaccines. This study examines whether antecedent vaccinations are associated with increased incidence of obsessive– compulsive disorder (OCD), anorexia nervosa (AN), anxiety disorder, chronic tic disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder in a national sample of privately insured children. 

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

Bounding the speed of gravity with gravitational wave observations

The time delay between gravitational wave signals arriving at widely separated detectors can be used to place upper and lower bounds on the speed of gravitational wave propagation. Using a Bayesian approach that combines the first three gravitational wave detections reported by the LIGO collaboration we constrain the gravitational waves propagation speed c_gw to the 90% credible interval 0.55 c < c_gw < 1.42 c, where c is the speed of light in vacuum. These bounds will improve as more detections are made and as more detectors join the worldwide network. Of order twenty detections by the two LIGO detectors will constrain the speed of gravity to within 20% of the speed of light, while just five detections by the LIGO-Virgo-Kagra network will constrain the speed of gravity to within 1% of the speed of light.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

Recent studies have started to elucidate the e ects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the human

brain but the underlying dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here we used ’connectome-harmonic decomposition’, a novel method to investigate the dynamical changes in brain states. We found that LSD alters the energy and the power of individual harmonic brain states in a frequency-selective manner. Remarkably, this leads to an expansion of the repertoire of active brain states, suggestive

of a general re-organization of brain dynamics given the non-random increase in co-activation across frequencies. Interestingly, the frequency distribution of the active repertoire of brain states under LSD closely follows power-laws indicating a re-organization of the dynamics at the edge of criticality. Beyond the present ndings, these methods open up for a better understanding of the complex brain dynamics in health and disease.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

A smooth exit from eternal inflation?
S.W. Hawking and Thomas Hertog

Abstract: The usual theory of inflation breaks down in eternal inflation. We derive a dual description of eternal inflation in terms of a deformed Euclidean CFT located at the threshold of eternal inflation. The partition function gives the amplitude of different ge- ometries of the threshold surface in the no-boundary state. Its local and global behavior in dual toy models shows that the amplitude is low for surfaces which are not nearly con- formal to the round three-sphere and essentially zero for surfaces with negative curvature. Based on this we conjecture that the exit from eternal inflation does not produce an infinite fractal-like multiverse, but is finite and reasonably smooth.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

Control of synaptic function by endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde signaling

By Masanobu KANO

Abstract: Since the first reports in 2001, great advances have been made towards the understanding of endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic modulation. Electrophysiological studies have revealed that one of the two major endocannabinoids, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), is produced from membrane lipids upon postsynaptic Ca2D elevation and/or activation of Gq/11- coupled receptors, and released from postsynaptic neurons. The released 2-AG then acts retrogradely onto presynaptic cannabinoid CB1 receptors and induces suppression of neuro- transmitter release either transiently or persistently. These forms of 2-AG-mediated retrograde synaptic modulation are functional throughout the brain. The other major endocannabinoid, anandamide, mediates a certain form of endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (LTD). Anandamide also functions as an agonist for transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor type 1 (TRPV1) and mediates endocannabinoid-independent and TRPV1-dependent forms of LTD. It has also been demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system itself is plastic, which can be either up- or down-regulated by experimental or environmental conditions. In this review, I will make an overview of the mechanisms underlying endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic modulation.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

THE CENSORSHIP

MASTER PLAN

DECODED (i.e. “The Adams Report”)

The blueprint for how tech giants covertly silence online speech, and how America can fight back against corporate tech monopolists

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

Observation of the 1S–2P Lyman-α transition in antihydrogen

In 1906, Theodore Lyman discovered his eponymous series of transitions in the extreme-ultraviolet region of the atomic hydrogen spectrum1,2. The patterns in the hydrogen spectrum helped to establish the emerging theory of quantum mechanics, which we now know governs the world at the atomic scale. Since then, studies involving the Lyman-α line—the 1S–2P transition at a wavelength of 121.6 nanometres—have played an important part in physics and astronomy, as one of the most fundamental atomic transitions in the Universe. For example, this transition has long been used by astronomers studying the intergalactic medium and testing cosmological models via the so-called ‘Lyman-α forest’3of absorption lines at different redshifts. Here we report the observation of the Lyman-α transition in the antihydrogen atom, the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. Using narrow-line-width, nanosecond-pulsed laser radiation, the 1S–2P transition was excited in magnetically trapped antihydrogen. The transition frequency at a field of 1.033 tesla was determined to be 2,466,051.7 ± 0.12 gigahertz (1σ uncertainty) and agrees with the prediction for hydrogen to a precision of 5 × 10−8. Comparisons of the properties of antihydrogen with those of its well-studied matter equivalent allow precision tests of fundamental symmetries between matter and antimatter. Alongside the ground-state hyperfine4,5 and 1S–2S transitions6,7 recently observed in antihydrogen, the Lyman-αtransition will permit laser cooling of antihydrogen8,9, thus providing a cold and dense sample of anti-atoms for precision spectroscopy and gravity measurements10. In addition to the observation of this fundamental transition, this work represents both a decisive technological step towards laser cooling of antihydrogen, and the extension of antimatter spectroscopy to quantum states possessing orbital angular momentum.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

ABSTRACT

This work investigates the alignment of galactic spins with the cosmic web across cosmic time using the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation Horizon-AGN. The cosmic web structure is extracted via the persistent skeleton as implemented in the DISPERSE algorithm. It is found that the spin of low-mass galaxies is more likely to be aligned with the filaments of the cosmic web and to lie within the plane of the walls while more massive galaxies tend to have a spin perpendicular to the axis of the filaments and to the walls. The mass transition is detected with a significance of 9 sigmas. This galactic alignment is consistent with the alignment of the spin of dark haloes found in pure dark matter simulations and with predictions from (anisotropic) tidal torque theory. However, unlike haloes, the alignment of low-mass galaxies is weak and disappears at low redshifts while the orthogonal spin orientation of massive galaxies is strong and increases with time, probably as a result of mergers. At fixed mass, alignments are cor- related with galaxy morphology: the high-redshift alignment is dominated by spiral galaxies while elliptical centrals are mainly responsible for the perpendicular signal. These predictions for spin alignments with respect to cosmic filaments and unprecendently walls are success- fully compared with existing observations. The alignment of the shape of galaxies with the different components of the cosmic web is also investigated. A coherent and stronger signal is found in terms of shape at high mass. The two regimes probed in this work induce competing galactic alignment signals for weak lensing, with opposite redshift and luminosity evolution. Understanding the details of these intrinsic alignments will be key to exploit future major cosmic shear surveys like Euclid or LSST.
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/1809.06212.pdf

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

The warp drive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity.

Miguel Alcubierre

Abstract

It is shown how, within the framework of general relativity and without the intro- duction of wormholes, it is possible to modify a spacetime in a way that allows a spaceship to travel with an arbitrarily large speed. By a purely local expansion of spacetime behind the spaceship and an opposite contraction in front of it, motion faster than the speed of light as seen by observers outside the disturbed region is possible. The resulting distortion is reminiscent of the “warp drive” of science fic- tion. However, just as it happens with wormholes, exotic matter will be needed in order to generate a distortion of spacetime like the one discussed here.

[Jonathan Barlow Gee]

fonc-09-00660.pdf

Pancreatic cancer is particularly refractory to modern therapies, with a 5-year survival rate for patients at a dismal 8%. One of the significant barriers to effective treatment is the immunosuppressive pancreatic tumor microenvironment and development of resistance to treatment. New treatment options to increase both the survival and quality of life of patients are urgently needed. This study reports on a new non-cannabinoid, non-psychoactive derivative of cannabis, termed FBL-03G, with the potential to treat pancreatic cancer. In vitro results show major increase in apoptosis and consequential decrease in survival for two pancreatic cancer models- Panc-02 and KPC pancreatic cancer cells treated with varying concentrations of FBL-03G and radiotherapy. Meanwhile, in vivo results demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in delaying both local and metastatic tumor progression in animal models with pancreatic cancer when using FBL-03G sustainably delivered from smart radiotherapy biomaterials. Repeated experiments also showed significant (P < 0.0001) increase in survival for animals with pancreatic cancer compared to control cohorts. The findings demonstrate the potential for this new cannabis derivative in the treatment of both localized and advanced pancreatic cancer, providing impetus for further studies toward clinical translation.