620 research outputs found
Abundance and evolution of galaxy clusters in cosmological models with massive neutrino
The time evolution of the number density of galaxy clusters and their mass
and temperature functions are used to constrain cosmological parameters in the
spatially flat dark matter models containing a fraction of hot particles
(massive neutrino) additional to cold and baryonic matter. We test the modified
MDM models with cosmic gravitational waves and show that they neither pass the
cluster evolution test nor reproduce the observed height of the first acoustic
peak in spectrum, and therefore should be ruled out. The models
with a non-zero cosmological constant are in better agreement with
observations. We estimate the free cosmological parameters in MDM with
a negligible abundance of gravitational waves, and find that within the
parameter ranges , , (i) the value of
is strongly affected by a small fraction of hot dark matter,
:
( CL), and (ii) the redshift evolution of galaxy clusters alone
reveals the following explicit correlation between and
: . The present accuracy of
observational data allows only to bound the fraction of hot matter, (the number of massive neutrino species remains undelimited, ).Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, submitted in A&
Sulfate-based anionic diblock copolymer nanoparticles for efficient occlusion within zinc oxide
Occlusion of copolymer particles within inorganic crystalline hosts not only provides a model for understanding the crystallisation process, but also may offer a direct route for the preparation of novel nanocomposite materials with emergent properties. In the present paper, a series of new well-defined anionic diblock copolymer nanoparticles are synthesised by polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA) via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) aqueous emulsion polymerisation and then evaluated as crystal habit modifiers for the in situ formation of ZnO in aqueous solution. Systematic studies indicate that both the chemical nature (i.e. whether sulfate-based or carboxylate-based) and the mean degree of polymerisation (DP) of the anionic stabiliser block play vital roles in determining the crystal morphology. In particular, sulfate-functionalised nanoparticles are efficiently incorporated within the ZnO crystals whereas carboxylate-functionalised nanoparticles are excluded, thus anionic character is a necessary but not sufficient condition for successful occlusion. Moreover, the extent of nanoparticle occlusion within the ZnO phase can be as high as 23% by mass depending on the sulfate-based nanoparticle concentration. The optical properties, chemical composition and crystal structure of the resulting nanocomposite crystals are evaluated and an occlusion mechanism is proposed based on the observed evolution of the ZnO morphology in the presence of sulfate-based anionic nanoparticles. Finally, controlled deposition of a 5 nm gold sol onto porous ZnO particles (produced after calcination of the organic nanoparticles) significantly enhances the rate of photocatalytic decomposition of a model rhodamine B dye on exposure to a relatively weak UV source
High-contrast imaging constraints on gas giant planet formation - The Herbig Ae/Be star opportunity
Planet formation studies are often focused on solar-type stars, implicitly
considering our Sun as reference point. This approach overlooks, however, that
Herbig Ae/Be stars are in some sense much better targets to study planet
formation processes empirically, with their disks generally being larger,
brighter and simply easier to observe across a large wavelength range. In
addition, massive gas giant planets have been found on wide orbits around early
type stars, triggering the question if these objects did indeed form there and,
if so, by what process. In the following I briefly review what we currently
know about the occurrence rate of planets around intermediate mass stars,
before discussing recent results from Herbig Ae/Be stars in the context of
planet formation. The main emphasis is put on spatially resolved polarized
light images of potentially planet forming disks and how these images - in
combination with other data - can be used to empirically constrain (parts of)
the planet formation process. Of particular interest are two objects, HD100546
and HD169142, where, in addition to intriguing morphological structures in the
disks, direct observational evidence for (very) young planets has been
reported. I conclude with an outlook, what further progress we can expect in
the very near future with the next generation of high-contrast imagers at 8-m
class telescopes and their synergies with ALMA.Comment: Accepted by Astrophysics and Space Science as invited short review in
special issue about Herbig Ae/Be stars; 12 pages incl. 5 figures, 2 tables
and reference
Evaluating outcomes of therapies offered by occupational therapists in adult mental health
Background:
Attitudes towards the use of outcome measures by professionals working in mental health have been shown to be variable. Occupational therapists appear to have difficulty specifying goals and measuring the outcomes of interventions.
Aims:
To measure the outcomes of therapies offered by occupational therapists and to assess concurrent validity of the Van du Toit Model of Creative Ability (VdT MoCA) assessment.
Method:
The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), VdT MoCA assessment and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used. Changes in mean scores on the measures were assessed using appropriate tests. Correlations between measures were assessed using Spearman's non-parametric test.
Results:
Mean post-therapy scores were significantly higher than pre-therapy scores on all three measures. VdT MoCA assessment scores pre- and post-therapy were highly correlated with GAF scores. The COPM outcome scores were uncorrelated with VdT MoCA assessment and GAF scores.
Conclusions:
The results offer a promising indication that occupational therapy interventions may increase functioning and thus aid clients' recovery. The VdT MoCA assessment is promising as a measure of improvement in functioning. Further research is needed to confirm these results and to further explore issues around occupational therapists' use of outcome measures
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): the galaxy stellar mass function to z = 0.1 from the r-band selected equatorial regions
We derive the low-redshift galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF), inclusive of dust corrections, for the equatorial Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) data set covering 180 deg2. We construct the mass function using a density-corrected maximum volume method, using masses corrected for the impact of optically thick and thin dust. We explore the galactic bivariate brightness plane (MââÎŒ), demonstrating that surface brightness effects do not systematically bias our mass function measurement above 107.5 Mâ. The galaxy distribution in the MâÎŒ plane appears well bounded, indicating that no substantial population of massive but diffuse or highly compact galaxies are systematically missed due to the GAMA selection criteria. The GSMF is fitted with a double Schechter function, with Mâ=1010.78±0.01±0.20Mâ Mâ=1010.78±0.01±0.20Mâ , Ïâ1=(2.93±0.40)Ă10â3h370 Ï1â=(2.93±0.40)Ă10â3h703 Mpcâ3, α1 = â0.62 ± 0.03 ± 0.15, Ïâ2=(0.63±0.10)Ă10â3h370 Ï2â=(0.63±0.10)Ă10â3h703 Mpcâ3 and α2 = â1.50 ± 0.01 ± 0.15. We find the equivalent faint end slope as previously estimated using the GAMA-I sample, although we find a higher value of Mâ Mâ . Using the full GAMA-II sample, we are able to fit the mass function to masses as low as 107.5 âMâ, and assess limits to 106.5 âMâ. Combining GAMA-II with data from G10-COSMOS, we are able to comment qualitatively on the shape of the GSMF down to masses as low as 106âMâ. Beyond the well-known upturn seen in the GSMF at 109.5, the distribution appears to maintain a single power-law slope from 109 to 106.5. We calculate the stellar mass density parameter given our best-estimate GSMF, finding Ωâ=1.66+0.24â0.23±0.97hâ170Ă10â3 Ωâ=1.66â0.23+0.24±0.97h70â1Ă10â3 , inclusive of random and systematic uncertainties
Monitoring Charge Exchange in P3HT-Nanotube Composites Using Optical and Electrical Characterisation
Charge exchange at the bulk heterojunctions of composites made by mixing single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) and polymers show potential for use in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and optical sensors. The density/total area of these heterojunctions is expected to increase with increasing SWNT concentration but the efficiency of solar cell peaks at low SWNT concentrations. Most researchers use currentâvoltage measurements to determine the evolution of the SWNT percolation network and optical absorption measurements to monitor the spectral response of the composites. However, these methods do not provide a detailed account of carrier transport at the concentrations of interest; i.e., near or below the percolation threshold. In this article, we show that capacitanceâvoltage (CâV) response of (metal)-(oxide)-(semiconducting composite) devices can be used to fill this gap in studying bulk heterojunctions. In an approach where we combine optical absorption methods withCâVmeasurements we can acquire a unified optoelectronic response from P3HT-SWNT composites. This methodology can become an important tool for optoelectronic device optimization
Two-Point Functions and Boundary States in Boundary Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories
Our main aim in this thesis is to address the results and prospects of
boundary logarithmic conformal field theories: theories with boundaries that
contain the above Jordan cell structure. We have investigated c_{p,q} boundary
theory in search of logarithmic theories and have found logarithmic solutions
of two-point functions in the context of the Coulomb gas picture. Other
two-point functions have also been studied in the free boson construction of
BCFT with SU(2)_k symmetry. In addition, we have analyzed and obtained the
boundary Ishibashi state for a rank-2 Jordan cell structure [hep-th/0103064].
We have also examined the (generalised) Ishibashi state construction and the
symplectic fermion construction at c=-2 for boundary states in the context of
the c=-2 triplet model. The differences between two constructions are
interpreted, resolved and extended beyond each case.Comment: Ph.D. Thesis (University of Oxford), 96 pages, the layout is modified
from the origina
Noise Filtering Strategies of Adaptive Signaling Networks: The Case of E. Coli Chemotaxis
Two distinct mechanisms for filtering noise in an input signal are identified
in a class of adaptive sensory networks. We find that the high frequency noise
is filtered by the output degradation process through time-averaging; while the
low frequency noise is damped by adaptation through negative feedback. Both
filtering processes themselves introduce intrinsic noises, which are found to
be unfiltered and can thus amount to a significant internal noise floor even
without signaling. These results are applied to E. coli chemotaxis. We show
unambiguously that the molecular mechanism for the Berg-Purcell time-averaging
scheme is the dephosphorylation of the response regulator CheY-P, not the
receptor adaptation process as previously suggested. The high frequency noise
due to the stochastic ligand binding-unbinding events and the random ligand
molecule diffusion is averaged by the CheY-P dephosphorylation process to a
negligible level in E.coli. We identify a previously unstudied noise source
caused by the random motion of the cell in a ligand gradient. We show that this
random walk induced signal noise has a divergent low frequency component, which
is only rendered finite by the receptor adaptation process. For gradients
within the E. coli sensing range, this dominant external noise can be
comparable to the significant intrinsic noise in the system. The dependence of
the response and its fluctuations on the key time scales of the system are
studied systematically. We show that the chemotaxis pathway may have evolved to
optimize gradient sensing, strong response, and noise control in different time
scalesComment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
- âŠ