Uppermantle anisotropy and the oceanic lithosphere

Rayleigh wave and Love wave dispersion data for oceanic paths cannot be satisfied by an isotropic uppermantle, and it is incorrect to invert these two datasets independently for separate isotropic structures. Available phase and group velocity data are inverted for oceanic structure as a function of age taking into account anelastic dispersion, sphericity, and anisotropy. The resulting models are quite different from previous results which ignore the above effects and the extra parameters involved in proper anisotropic inversion. The models have a high-velocity nearly isotropic layer at the top of the mantle that thickens with age, and an anisotropic low-velocity zone with an age-dependent anisotropy. The LID, or seismic lithosphere, reaches a maximum thickness of 50 km which is about one-half the thickness obtained in previous isotropic or pseudo-isotropic inversions. The seismic lithosphere therefore may be comparable in thickness to the elastic or flexural lithosphere, raising the possibility that both are controlled by effects other than temperature, stress and time, such as mineralogy, crystal orientation or partial melting. The velocities in the low-velocity zone are higher than inferred by previous surface wave studies

1d-1-O-tert-Butyl­diphenyl­silyl-2,3,6-O-tris­(meth­oxy­methyl­ene)-myo-inositol 4,5-bis­(dibenzyl­phosphate)

The title compound [systematic name: tetra­benzyl (1R,2R,3S,4R,5R,6S)-4-(tert-butyl­diphenyl­sil­yloxy)-3,5,6-tris­(meth­oxy­meth­oxy)cyclo­hexane-1,2-diyl bis­phosphate], C56H68O15P2Si, was isolated as an inter­mediate in the preparation of a phosphatidylinositol phosphate for biological studies. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are connected via one methyl­ene C—H⋯π and two weak phen­yl–ether C—H⋯O inter­actions. One benz­yloxy group is disordered over two overlapping positions with an occupancy ratio of 0.649 (7):0.351 (7)

Constraining Galileon inflation

In this short paper, we present constraints on the Galileon inflationary model from the CMB bispectrum. We employ a principal-component analysis of the independent degrees of freedom constrained by data and apply this to the WMAP 9-year data to constrain the free parameters of the model. A simple Bayesian comparison establishes that support for the Galileon model from bispectrum data is at best weak

Optimal bispectrum constraints on single-field models of inflation

We use WMAP 9-year bispectrum data to constrain the free parameters of an 'effective field theory' describing fluctuations in single-field inflation. The Lagrangian of the theory contains a finite number of operators associated with unknown mass scales. Each operator produces a fixed bispectrum shape, which we decompose into partial waves in order to construct a likelihood function. Based on this likelihood we are able to constrain four linearly independent combinations of the mass scales. As an example of our framework we specialize our results to the case of 'Dirac-Born-Infeld' and 'ghost' inflation and obtain the posterior probability for each model, which in Bayesian schemes is a useful tool for model comparison. Our results suggest that DBI-like models with two or more free parameters are disfavoured by the data by comparison with single parameter models in the same class

Muon Physics: A Pillar of the Standard Model

Since its discovery in the 1930s, the muon has played an important role in our quest to understand the sub-atomic theory of matter. The muon was the first second-generation standard-model particle to be discovered, and its decay has provided information on the (Vector -Axial Vector) structure of the weak interaction, the strength of the weak interaction, G_F, and the conservation of lepton number (flavor) in muon decay. The muon's anomalous magnetic moment has played an important role in restricting theories of physics beyond the standard standard model, where at present there is a 3.4 standard-deviation difference between the experiment and standard-model theory. Its capture on the atomic nucleus has provided valuable information on the modification of the weak current by the strong interaction which is complementary to that obtained from nuclear beta decay.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Invited paper for the Journal of Physical Society in Japan (JPSJ), Special Topics Issue "Frontiers of Elementary Particle Physics, The Standard Model and beyond

Canine justice: an associative account

A prominent view in contemporary political theory, the ‘associative view’, says that duties of justice are triggered by particular cooperative relations between morally significant agents, and that ‘therefore’ principles of justice apply only among fellow citizens. This view has been challenged by advocates of global justice, who point to the existence of a worldwide cooperative network to which principles of justice apply. Call this the challenge from geographical extension. In this article, I pose a structurally similar challenge to the associative view: the challenge from species extension. This says that the existing network of cooperation extends beyond the human species, to encompass some non-human animals, particularly domesticated dogs. In light of this, if one believes that (1) certain non-human animals are morally significant (i.e. objects of moral concern), and that (2) justice applies to fellow cooperators, one should also hold that domesticated dogs are owed justice in much the same way that our human fellow citizens are. I conclude by considering the implications of this argument for the associative view, and animal rights theory

Animal Ethics and the Political

Some of the most important contributions to animal ethics over the past decade or so have come from political, as opposed to moral, philosophers. As such, some have argued that there been a ‘political turn’ in the field. If there has been such a turn, it needs to be shown that there is something which unites these contributions, and which sets them apart from previous work. We find that some of the features which have been claimed to be shared commitments of the turn are contested by key theorists working in the field. We also find that the originality of the turn can be exaggerated, with many of their ideas found in more traditional animal ethics. Nonetheless, we identify one unifying and distinctive feature of these contributions: the focus on justice; and specifically, the exploration of how political institutions, structures and processes might be transformed so as to secure justice for both human and nonhuman animals

Beauty in the Eye of the Home-Owner: Aesthetic Zoning and Residential Property Values

This article empirically confirms one core motivation for architectural zoning: Shape homogeneity among neighboring homes increases the value of residential buildings. Drawing on large-scale shape and transaction data, this study first develops a data-driven measure of architectural similarity, condensing three-dimensional shapes to univariate shape distributions. These algorithm-based similarity estimates are good predictors of human perceptions of shape similarity and are linked to property attributes and transaction prices. For the city of Rotterdam, a price premium of approximately 3.5% is estimated for row houses within very homogeneous ensembles over buildings facing heterogeneous neighbors

Miscarriage matters: the epidemiological, physical, psychological, and economic costs of early pregnancy loss

Miscarriage is generally defined as the loss of a pregnancy before viability. An estimated 23 million miscarriages occur every year worldwide, translating to 44 pregnancy losses each minute. The pooled risk of miscarriage is 15·3% (95% CI 12·5–18·7%) of all recognised pregnancies. The population prevalence of women who have had one miscarriage is 10·8% (10·3–11·4%), two miscarriages is 1·9% (1·8–2·1%), and three or more miscarriages is 0·7% (0·5–0·8%). Risk factors for miscarriage include very young or older female age (younger than 20 years and older than 35 years), older male age (older than 40 years), very low or very high body-mass index, Black ethnicity, previous miscarriages, smoking, alcohol, stress, working night shifts, air pollution, and exposure to pesticides. The consequences of miscarriage are both physical, such as bleeding or infection, and psychological. Psychological consequences include increases in the risk of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. Miscarriage, and especially recurrent miscarriage, is also a sentinel risk marker for obstetric complications, including preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, placental abruption, and stillbirth in future pregnancies, and a predictor of longer-term health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and venous thromboembolism. The costs of miscarriage affect individuals, health-care systems, and society. The short-term national economic cost of miscarriage is estimated to be £471 million per year in the UK. As recurrent miscarriage is a sentinel marker for various obstetric risks in future pregnancies, women should receive care in preconception and obstetric clinics specialising in patients at high risk. As psychological morbidity is common after pregnancy loss, effective screening instruments and treatment options for mental health consequences of miscarriage need to be available. We recommend that miscarriage data are gathered and reported to facilitate comparison of rates among countries, to accelerate research, and to improve patient care and policy development