A gravitational wave window on extra dimensions

We report on the possibility of detecting a submillimetre-sized extra dimension by observing gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by pointlike objects orbiting a braneworld black hole. Matter in the `visible' universe can generate a discrete spectrum of high frequency GWs with amplitudes moderately weaker than the predictions of general relativity (GR), while GW signals generated by matter on a `shadow' brane hidden in the bulk are potentially strong enough to be detected using current technology. We know of no other astrophysical phenomena that produces GWs with a similar spectrum, which stresses the need to develop detectors capable of measuring this high-frequency signature of large extra dimensions.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Accurate time-domain gravitational waveforms for extreme-mass-ratio binaries

The accuracy of time-domain solutions of the inhomogeneous Teukolsky equation is improved significantly. Comparing energy fluxes in gravitational waves with highly accurate frequency-domain results for circular equatorial orbits in Schwarzschild and Kerr, we find agreement to within 1% or better, which we believe can be even further improved. We apply our method to orbits for which frequency-domain calculations have a relative disadvantage, specifically high-eccentricity (elliptical and parabolic) "zoom-whirl" orbits, and find the energy fluxes, waveforms, and characteristic strain in gravitational waves.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables; Changes: some errors corrected. Comparison with Frequency-domain now done in stronger fiel

The Hardy Space of a Slit Domain

If H is a Hilbert space and T : H ? H is a continous linear operator, a natural question to ask is: What are the closed subspaces M of H for which T M ? M? Of course the famous invariant subspace problem asks whether or not T has any non-trivial invariant subspaces. This monograph is part of a long line of study of the invariant subspaces of the operator T = M (multiplication by the independent variable z, i. e. , M f = zf ) on a z z Hilbert space of analytic functions on a bounded domain G in C. The characterization of these M -invariant subspaces is particularly interesting since it entails both the properties z of the functions inside the domain G, their zero sets for example, as well as the behavior of the functions near the boundary of G. The operator M is not only interesting in its z own right but often serves as a model operator for certain classes of linear operators. By this we mean that given an operator T on H with certain properties (certain subnormal operators or two-isometric operators with the right spectral properties, etc.), there is a Hilbert space of analytic functions on a domain G for which T is unitarity equivalent to M.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1095/thumbnail.jp

PORFLOW TESTING AND VERIFICATION DOCUMENT

The PORFLOW software package is a comprehensive mathematical model for simulation of multi-phase fluid flow, heat transfer and mass transport in variably saturated porous and fractured media. PORFLOW can simulate transient or steady-state problems in Cartesian or cylindrical geometry. The porous medium may be anisotropic and heterogeneous and may contain discrete fractures or boreholes with the porous matrix. The theoretical models within the code provide a unified treatment of concepts relevant to fluid flow and transport. The main features of PORFLOW that are relevant to Performance Assessment modeling at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) include variably saturated flow and transport of parent and progeny radionuclides. This document involves testing a relevant sample of problems in PORFLOW and comparing the outcome of the simulations to analytical solutions or other commercial codes. The testing consists of the following four groups. Group 1: Groundwater Flow; Group 2: Contaminant Transport; Group 3: Numerical Dispersion; and Group 4: Keyword Commands

Old F-Area Seepage Basin Transport Analyses in Support of a SCDHEC Mixing Zone Application

This report documents the groundwater flow and transport results presented in the groundwater mixing zone application (GWMZ) for the Old F-Area Seepage Basin (OFASB) submitted to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) in March, 1997 (WSRC, 1997)

Dispersal limitation and fire feedbacks maintain mesic savannas in Madagascar

Madagascar is regarded by some as one of the most degraded landscapes on Earth, with estimates suggesting that 90% of forests have been lost to indigenous Tavy farming. However, the extent of this degradation has been challenged: paleoecological data, phylogeographic analysis, and species richness indicate that pyrogenic savannas in central Madagascar predate human arrival, even though rainfall is sufficient to allow forest expansion into central Madagascar. These observations raise a question—if savannas in Madagascar are not anthropogenic, how then are they maintained in regions where the climate can support forest? Observation reveals that the savanna–forest boundary coincides with a dispersal barrier—the escarpment of the Central Plateau. Using a stepping-stone model, we show that in a limited dispersal landscape, a stable savanna–forest boundary can form because of fire–vegetation feedbacks. This phenomenon, referred to as range pinning, could explain why eastern lowland forests have not expanded into the mesic savannas of the Central Highlands. This work challenges the view that highland savannas in Madagascar are derived by human-lit fires and, more importantly, suggests that partial dispersal barriers and strong nonlinear feedbacks can pin biogeographical boundaries over a wide range of environmental conditions, providing a temporary buffer against climate change

Social-specific impairment of negative emotion perception in alexithymia

Alexithymia has been characterized as an impaired ability of emotion processing and regulation. The definition of alexithymia does not include a social component. However, there is some evidence that social cognition may be compromised in individuals with alexithymia. Hence, emotional impairments associated with alexithymia may extend to socially relevant information. Here, we recorded electrophysiological responses of individuals meeting the clinically relevant cutoff for alexithymia (ALEX; n = 24) and individuals without alexithymia (NonALEX; n = 23) while they viewed affective scenes that varied on the dimensions of sociality and emotional valence during a rapid serial visual presentation task. We found that ALEX exhibited lower accuracy and larger N2 than NonALEX in the perception of social negative scenes. Source reconstruction revealed that the group difference in N2 was localized at the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Irrespective of emotional valence, ALEX showed stronger alpha power than NonALEX in social but not non-social conditions. Our findings support the hypothesis of social processing being selectively affected by alexithymia, especially for stimuli with negative valence. Electrophysiological evidence suggests altered deployment of attentional resources in the perception of social-specific emotional information in alexithymia. This work sheds light on the neuropsychopathology of alexithymia and alexithymia-related disorders

What is said or how it is said makes a difference: role of the right fronto-parietal operculum in emotional prosody as revealed by repetitive TMS

Emotional signals in spoken language can be conveyed by semantic as well as prosodic cues. We investigated the role of the fronto-parietal operculum, a somatosensory area where the lips, tongue and jaw are represented, in the right hemisphere to detection of emotion in prosody vs. semantics. A total of 14 healthy volunteers participated in the present experiment, which involved transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with frameless stereotaxy. As predicted, compared with sham stimulation, TMS over the right fronto-parietal operculum differentially affected the reaction times for detection of emotional prosody vs. emotional semantics, showing that there is a dissociation at a neuroanatomical level. Detection of withdrawal emotions (fear and sadness) in prosody was delayed significantly by TMS. No effects of TMS were observed for approach emotions (happiness and anger). We propose that the right fronto-parietal operculum is not globally involved in emotion evaluation, but sensitive to specific forms of emotional discrimination and emotion types