7,345 research outputs found
Astrophysical Gyrokinetics: Basic Equations and Linear Theory
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence is encountered in a wide variety of
astrophysical plasmas, including accretion disks, the solar wind, and the
interstellar and intracluster medium. On small scales, this turbulence is often
expected to consist of highly anisotropic fluctuations with frequencies small
compared to the ion cyclotron frequency. For a number of applications, the
small scales are also collisionless, so a kinetic treatment of the turbulence
is necessary. We show that this anisotropic turbulence is well described by a
low frequency expansion of the kinetic theory called gyrokinetics. This paper
is the first in a series to examine turbulent astrophysical plasmas in the
gyrokinetic limit. We derive and explain the nonlinear gyrokinetic equations
and explore the linear properties of gyrokinetics as a prelude to nonlinear
simulations. The linear dispersion relation for gyrokinetics is obtained and
its solutions are compared to those of hot-plasma kinetic theory. These results
are used to validate the performance of the gyrokinetic simulation code {\tt
GS2} in the parameter regimes relevant for astrophysical plasmas. New results
on global energy conservation in gyrokinetics are also derived. We briefly
outline several of the problems to be addressed by future nonlinear
simulations, including particle heating by turbulence in hot accretion flows
and in the solar wind, the magnetic and electric field power spectra in the
solar wind, and the origin of small-scale density fluctuations in the
interstellar medium.Comment: emulateapj, 24 pages, 10 figures, revised submission to ApJ:
references added, typos corrected, reorganized and streamline
Next generation software environments : principles, problems, and research directions
The past decade has seen a burgeoning of research and development in software environments. Conferences have been devoted to the topic of practical environments, journal papers produced, and commercial systems sold. Given all the activity, one might expect a great deal of consensus on issues, approaches, and techniques. This is not the case, however. Indeed, the term "environment" is still used in a variety of conflicting ways. Nevertheless substantial progress has been made and we are at least nearing consensus on many critical issues.The purpose of this paper is to characterize environments, describe several important principles that have emerged in the last decade or so, note current open problems, and describe some approaches to these problems, with particular emphasis on the activities of one large-scale research program, the Arcadia project. Consideration is also given to two related topics: empirical evaluation and technology transition. That is, how can environments and their constituents be evaluated, and how can new developments be moved effectively into the production sector
The cerebral response during subjective choice with and without self-reference
The anterior medial prefrontal (AMPFC) and retrosplenial (RSC) cortices are active during self-referential decision-making tasks such as when participants appraise traits and abilities, or current affect. Other appraisal tasks requiring an evaluative decision or mental representation, such as theory of mind and perspective-taking tasks, also involve these regions. In many instances, these types of decisions involve a subjective opinion or preference, but also a degree of ambiguity in the decision, rather than a strictly veridical response. However, this ambiguity is generally not controlled for in studies that examine self-referential decision-making. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment with 17 healthy adults, we examined neural processes associated with subjective decision-making with and without an overt self-referential component. The task required subjective decisions about colors - regarding self-preference (internal subjective decision) or color similarity (external subjective decision) under conditions where there was no objectively correct response. Results indicated greater activation in the AMPFC, RSC, and caudate nucleus during internal subjective decision-making. The findings suggest that self-referential processing, rather than subjective judgments among ambiguous response alternatives, accounted for the AMPFC and RSC response. © 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
An Inversion Method for Measuring Beta in Large Redshift Surveys
A precision method for determining the value of Beta= Omega_m^{0.6}/b, where
b is the galaxy bias parameter, is presented. In contrast to other existing
techniques that focus on estimating this quantity by measuring distortions in
the redshift space galaxy-galaxy correlation function or power spectrum, this
method removes the distortions by reconstructing the real space density field
and determining the value of Beta that results in a symmetric signal. To remove
the distortions, the method modifies the amplitudes of a Fourier plane-wave
expansion of the survey data parameterized by Beta. This technique is not
dependent on the small-angle/plane-parallel approximation and can make full use
of large redshift survey data. It has been tested using simulations with four
different cosmologies and returns the value of Beta to +/- 0.031, over a factor
of two improvement over existing techniques.Comment: 16 pages including 6 figures Submitted to The Astrophysical Journa
Cancer incidence in British vegetarians
Background:
Few prospective studies have examined cancer incidence among vegetarians.
Methods:
We studied 61 566 British men and women, comprising 32 403 meat eaters, 8562 non-meat eaters who did eat fish ('fish eaters') and 20 601 vegetarians. After an average follow-up of 12.2 years, there were 3350 incident cancers of which 2204 were among meat eaters, 317 among fish eaters and 829 among vegetarians. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated by Cox regression, stratified by sex and recruitment protocol and adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, physical activity level and, for women only, parity and oral contraceptive use.
Results:
There was significant heterogeneity in cancer risk between groups for the following four cancer sites: stomach cancer, RRs (compared with meat eaters) of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.07–1.20) in fish eaters and 0.36 (0.16–0.78) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.007; ovarian cancer, RRs of 0.37 (0.18–0.77) in fish eaters and 0.69 (0.45–1.07) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.007; bladder cancer, RRs of 0.81 (0.36–1.81) in fish eaters and 0.47 (0.25–0.89) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.05; and cancers of the lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues, RRs of 0.85 (0.56–1.29) in fish eaters and 0.55 (0.39–0.78) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.002. The RRs for all malignant neoplasms were 0.82 (0.73–0.93) in fish eaters and 0.88 (0.81–0.96) in vegetarians (P for heterogeneity=0.001).
Conclusion:
The incidence of some cancers may be lower in fish eaters and vegetarians than in meat eaters
Confinement in Covariant Gauges
We examine the weak coupling limit of Euclidean SU(n) gauge theory in
covariant gauges. Following an earlier suggestion, an equivariant
BRST-construction is used to define the continuum theory on a finite torus. The
equivariant gauge fixing introduces constant ghost fields as moduli of the
model. We study the parameter- and moduli- space perturbatively. For quark flavors, the moduli flow to a non-trivial fixed point in certain
critical covariant gauges and the one-loop effective potential indicates that
the global SU(n) color symmetry of the gauge fixed model is spontaneously
broken to . Ward identities and renormalization group arguments
imply that the longitudinal gauge boson propagator at long range is dominated
by Goldstone bosons in these critical covariant gauges. In the large
limit, we derive a nonlinear integral equation for the expectation value of
large Wilson loops assuming that the exchange of Goldstone bosons dominates the
interaction at long range in critical covariant gauges. We find numerically
that the expectation value of large circular Wilson loops decreases
exponentially with the enclosed area in the absence of dynamical fermions. The
gauge invariance of this mechanism for confinement in critical covariant gauges
is discussed.Comment: 45 pages, Latex, uses psfig.sty and epsfig.sty to include
postscript-figure
Of Mice, Cattle, and Humans: The Immunology and Treatment of River Blindness
River blindness is a seriously debilitating disease caused by the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus, which infects millions in Africa as well as in South and Central America. Research has been hampered by a lack of good animal models, as the parasite can only develop fully in humans and some primates. This review highlights the development of two animal model systems that have allowed significant advances in recent years and hold promise for the future. Experimental findings with Litomosoides sigmodontis in mice and Onchocerca ochengi in cattle are placed in the context of how these models can advance our ability to control the human disease
Canonical Particle Acceleration in FRI Radio Galaxies
Matched resolution multi-frequency VLA observations of four radio galaxies
are used to derive the asymptotic low energy slope of the relativistic electron
distribution. Where available, low energy slopes are also determined for other
sources in the literature. They provide information on the acceleration physics
independent of radiative and other losses, which confuse measurements of the
synchrotron spectra in most radio, optical and X-ray studies. We find a narrow
range of inferred low energy electron energy slopes, n(E)=const*E^-2.1 for the
currently small sample of lower luminosity sources classified as FRI (not
classical doubles). This distribution is close to, but apparently inconsistent
with, the test particle limit of n(E)=const*E^-2.0 expected from strong
diffusive shock acceleration in the non-relativistic limit. Relativistic shocks
or those modified by the back-pressure of efficiently accelerated cosmic rays
are two alternatives to produce somewhat steeper spectra. We note for further
study the possiblity of acceleration through shocks, turbulence or shear in the
flaring/brightening regions in FRI jets as they move away from the nucleus.
Jets on pc scales and the collimated jets and hot spots of FRII (classical
double) sources would be governed by different acceleration sites and
mechanisms; they appear to show a much wider range of spectra than for FRI
sources.Comment: 16 figures, including 5 color. Accepted to Astrophysical Journa
Hasbara 2.0: Israel’s Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age
The Internet has been a counter-public space for Palestinian liberation politics for over a decade, and digital technologies have become an increasingly important tool for solidarity groups across the world. However, the Israeli state and Zionist supporters worldwide are harnessing the same technologies and platforms to mobilize technology primarily to increase pro-Israel sentiments. The aims of this article are to examine hasbara [Israeli public diplomacy] through an exploration of similar diplomacy programmes; to illustrate how social media have affected the basic algorithms of hasbara; and to probe the assertions of hasbara in the light of pro-Palestinian solidarity. Through a study of public diplomacy, this article critically analyzes hasbara as a site of contestation and a method that is hampered by contradictions. On the one hand, there has been a massive growth in hasbara in recent years—indicated by the increase in funding for it and by its professionalized and centralized character; and on the other hand, hasbara has attracted sharp critiques in Israel for its reputed failures. To understand this contradiction, hasbara must be placed within the context of Israel’s settler-colonialism, which sets the state apart from other ‘post-conflict’ states. This article reviews the methods utilized in hasbara, as well as their readjustment in the context of recent wars. Events in 2014 illustrate that hasbara actually destabilizes Israel’s diplomacy. Online journalism and the suppression of solidarity for Palestine together stimulate more criticism and, in turn, help to shift public opinion. Paradoxically, therefore, adjustments (‘hasbara 2.0’) have underlined the image of Israel as a colonial power engaged in violent occupation
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