1,274 research outputs found
Modified Newtonian Dynamics as an entropic force
Under natural assumptions on the thermodynamic properties of space and time
with the holographic principle we reproduce a MOND-like behaviour of gravity on
particular scales of mass and length, where Newtonian gravity requires a
modification or extension if no dark matter component is introduced in the
description of gravitational phenomena. The result is directly obtained with
the assumption that a fundamental constant of nature with dimensions of
acceleration needs to be introduced into gravitational interactions. This in
turn allows for modifications or extensions of the equipartion law and/or the
holographic principle. In other words, MOND-like phenomenology can be
reproduced when appropriate generalised concepts at the thermodynamical level
of space and/or at the holographic principle are introduced. Thermodynamical
modifications are reflected in extensions to the equipartition law which occur
when the temperature of the system drops below a critical value, equals to
Unruh's temperature evaluated at the acceleration constant scale introduced for
the description of the gravitational phenomena. Our calculations extend the
ones by Verlinde (2011) in which Newtonian gravity is shown to be an emergent
phenomenon, and together with it reinforces the idea that gravity at all scales
is emergent.Comment: 6 pages. Accepted for publication in Journal of Modern Physics (JMP
Roaring high and low: composition and possible functions of the Iberian stag's vocal repertoire
We provide a detailed description of the rutting vocalisations of free-ranging male Iberian deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus, Hilzheimer 1909), a geographically isolated and morphologically differentiated subspecies of red deer Cervus elaphus. We combine spectrographic examinations, spectral analyses and automated classifications to identify different call types, and
compare the composition of the vocal repertoire with that of other red deer subspecies. Iberian stags give bouts of roars (and more rarely, short series of barks) that are typically composed of two different types of calls. Long Common Roars are mostly given at the beginning or at the end of the bout, and are characterised by a high fundamental frequency (F0) resulting in poorly defined formant frequencies but a relatively high amplitude. In contrast, Short Common Roars are typically given in the middle or at the end of the bout, and are characterised by a lower F0 resulting in relatively well defined vocal tract resonances, but low amplitude. While we did not identify entirely Harsh Roars (as described in the Scottish red
deer subspecies (Cervus elaphus scoticus), a small percentage of Long Common Roars contained segments of deterministic chaos. We suggest that the evolution of two clearly distinct types of Common Roars may reflect divergent selection pressures favouring either vocal efficiency in high pitched roars or the communication of body size in low-pitched, high spectral density roars highlighting vocal tract resonances. The clear divergence of the Iberian red deer vocal repertoire from those of other documented European red deer populations reinforces the status of this geographical variant as a distinct subspecies
Construction of anti-de Sitter-like spacetimes using the metric conformal Einstein field equations: the vacuum case
We make use of the metric version of the conformal Einstein field equations
to construct anti-de Sitter-like spacetimes by means of a suitably posed
initial-boundary value problem. The evolution system associated to this
initial-boundary value problem consists of a set of conformal wave equations
for a number of conformal fields and the conformal metric. This formulation
makes use of generalised wave coordinates and allows the free specification of
the Ricci scalar of the conformal metric via a conformal gauge source function.
We consider Dirichlet boundary conditions for the evolution equations at the
conformal boundary and show that these boundary conditions can, in turn, be
constructed from the 3-dimensional Lorentzian metric of the conformal boundary
and a linear combination of the incoming and outgoing radiation as measured by
certain components of the Weyl tensor. To show that a solution to the conformal
evolution equations implies a solution to the Einstein field equations we also
provide a discussion of the propagation of the constraints for this
initial-boundary value problem. The existence of local solutions to the
initial-boundary value problem in a neighbourhood of the corner where the
initial hypersurface and the conformal boundary intersect is subject to
compatibility conditions between the initial and boundary data. The
construction described is amenable to numerical implementation and should allow
the systematic exploration of boundary conditions.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figur
A cosmological dust model with extended f(chi) gravity
Introducing a fundamental constant of nature with dimensions of acceleration
into the theory of gravity makes it possible to extend gravity in a very
consistent manner. At the non-relativistic level a MOND-like theory with a
modification in the force sector is obtained, which is the limit of a very
general metric relativistic theory of gravity. Since the mass and length scales
involved in the dynamics of the whole universe require small accelerations of
the order of Milgrom's acceleration constant a_0, it turns out that the
relativistic theory of gravity can be used to explain the expansion of the
universe. In this work it is explained how to use that relativistic theory of
gravity in such a way that the overall large-scale dynamics of the universe can
be treated in a pure metric approach without the need to introduce dark matter
and/or dark energy components.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in the European Physical
Journal
The impact of fire on habitat use by the short-snouted elephant shrew ('Elephantulus brachyrhynchus') in North West Province, South Africa
Several studies have investigated the response of small mammal populations to fire, but few have investigated behavioural responses to habitat modification. In this study we investigated the impact of fire on home range, habitat use and activity patterns of the short-snouted elephant shrew (Elephantulus brachyrhynchus) by radio-tracking individuals before and after a fire event. All animals survived the passage of fire in termite mound refugia. Before the fire, grassland was used more than thickets, but habitat utilization shifted to thickets after fire had removed the grass cover. Thickets were an important refuge both pre- and post-fire, but the proportion of thicket within the home range was greater post-fire. We conclude that fire-induced habitat modification resulted in a restriction of E. brachyrhynchus movements to patches of unburned vegetation. This may be a behavioural response to an increase in predation pressure associated with a reduction in cover, rather than a lack of food. This study highlights the importance of considering the landscape mosaic in fire management and allowing sufficient island patches to remain post-fire ensures the persistence of the small mammal fauna
IMU-Mouse: design and implementation of a pointing device for people with disabilities
La aplicación adecuada de las TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación) para el aprendizaje de personas con discapacidad física exige estudios dirigidos a la adaptación de interfaces. El control sobre el diseño e implementación de dispositivos de entrada contribuiría al desarrollo de interfaces capaces de atender las necesidades en el contexto descrito anteriormente. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar el desarrollo y la validación del dispositivo apuntador IMU-Mouse, para el cual se tiene el control sobre su diseño e implementación dirigido a la investigación de interfaces, que hagan uso de las capacidades de interacción del aparato en los procesos de adaptación. El dispositivo está dirigido a atender las necesidades inducidas por la discapacidad física en extremidades superiores y por esto opera con los movimientos de la cabeza. Las acciones de clic y desplazamiento del IMU-Mouse se ejecutan a partir del procesamiento de los datos generados por un acelerómetro y un giroscopio. Los principales aspectos de la interacción fueron evaluados por un grupo de 13 personas mediante una encuesta basada en el anexo C del estándar ISO 9241-9. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, se concluye que el dispositivo habilita una interacción efectiva con el computador, y además permiten la identificación de espacios para la aplicación de complementos de hardware y software para asistir las acciones de interacción.The correct application of ICTs (information and communications technologies) to the education of people with physical disabilities requires studies aimed to adapt interfaces. Controlling the design and implementation of input devices would contribute to develop interfaces tailored to the requirements of such context. The purpose of this work is to present the development and validation of the IMU-Mouse pointer device whose design and implementation is controlled—for researching interfaces that make the most of the interaction capabilities of the devices in adaptation processes. The purpose of the device is to address the needs created by physical disability in upper limps; hence it operates with head movements. Both actions of the IMU-Mouse, click and move, are performed by processing the data generated by an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The main interaction features of the IMU-Mouse were assessed by group of 13 people by means of a survey based on Annex C of ISO 9241-9 standard. The results lead to conclude that the device enables an effective interaction with the computer, as well as the identification of spaces for the application of hardware and software add-ons to support interaction
Measurement of the CKM angle γ from a combination of B±→Dh± analyses
A combination of three LHCb measurements of the CKM angle γ is presented. The decays B±→D K± and
B±→Dπ± are used, where D denotes an admixture of D0 and D0 mesons, decaying into K+K−, π+π−, K±π∓, K±π∓π±π∓, K0Sπ+π−, or K0S K+K− final states. All measurements use a dataset corresponding to 1.0 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. Combining results from B±→D K± decays alone a best-fit value of
γ =72.0◦ is found, and confidence intervals are set
γ ∈ [56.4,86.7]◦ at 68% CL,
γ ∈ [42.6,99.6]◦ at 95% CL.
The best-fit value of γ found from a combination of results from B±→Dπ± decays alone, is γ =18.9◦,
and the confidence intervals
γ ∈ [7.4,99.2]◦ ∪ [167.9,176.4]◦ at 68% CL
are set, without constraint at 95% CL. The combination of results from B± → D K± and B± → Dπ±
decays gives a best-fit value of γ =72.6◦ and the confidence intervals
γ ∈ [55.4,82.3]◦ at 68% CL,
γ ∈ [40.2,92.7]◦ at 95% CL
are set. All values are expressed modulo 180◦, and are obtained taking into account the effect of D0–D0
mixing
Grassroots Agency: Participation and Conflict in Buenos Aires Shantytowns seen through the Pilot Plan for Villa 7 (1971–1975)
open access articleIn 1971, after more than a decade of national and municipal policies aimed at the top-down removal of shantytowns, the Buenos Aires City Council approved the Plan Piloto para la Relocalización de Villa 7 (Pilot Plan for the Relocation of Shantytown 7; 1971–1975, referred to as the Pilot Plan hereinafter). This particular plan, which resulted in the construction of the housing complex, Barrio Justo Suárez, endures in the collective memory of Argentines as a landmark project regarding grassroots participation in state housing initiatives addressed at shantytowns. Emerging from a context of a housing shortage for the growing urban poor and intense popular mobilizations during the transition to democracy, the authors of the Pilot Plan sought to empower shantytown residents in novel ways by: 1) maintaining the shantytown’s location as opposed to eradication schemes that relocated the residents elsewhere, 2) formally employing some of the residents for the stage of construction, as opposed to “self-help” housing projects in which the residents contributed with unpaid labor, and 3) including them in the urban and architectural design of the of the new housing.
This paper will examine the context in which the Pilot Plan was conceived of as a way of re-assessing the roles of the state, the user, and housing-related professionals, often seen as antagonistic. The paper argues that residents’ fair participation and state intervention in housing schemes are not necessarily incompatible, and can function in specific social and political contexts through multiactor proposals backed by a political will that prioritizes grassroots agency
Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0→K∗0μ+μ−
The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0→ K ∗0 μ + μ − are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions
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