1,686 research outputs found
Filtering out the cosmological constant in the Palatini formalism of modified gravity
According to theoretical physics the cosmological constant (CC) is expected
to be much larger in magnitude than other energy densities in the universe,
which is in stark contrast to the observed Big Bang evolution. We address this
old CC problem not by introducing an extremely fine-tuned counterterm, but in
the context of modified gravity in the Palatini formalism. In our model the
large CC term is filtered out, and it does not prevent a standard cosmological
evolution. We discuss the filter effect in the epochs of radiation and matter
domination as well as in the asymptotic de Sitter future. The final expansion
rate can be much lower than inferred from the large CC without using a
fine-tuned counterterm. Finally, we show that the CC filter works also in the
Kottler (Schwarzschild-de Sitter) metric describing a black hole environment
with a CC compatible to the future de Sitter cosmos.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure, discussion extended, references added, accepted
by Gen.Rel.Gra
Dynamically avoiding fine-tuning the cosmological constant: the "Relaxed Universe"
We demonstrate that there exists a large class of action functionals of the
scalar curvature and of the Gauss-Bonnet invariant which are able to relax
dynamically a large cosmological constant (CC), whatever it be its starting
value in the early universe. Hence, it is possible to understand, without
fine-tuning, the very small current value of the CC as compared to its
theoretically expected large value in quantum field theory and string theory.
In our framework, this relaxation appears as a pure gravitational effect, where
no ad hoc scalar fields are needed. The action involves a positive power of a
characteristic mass parameter, M, whose value can be, interestingly enough, of
the order of a typical particle physics mass of the Standard Model of the
strong and electroweak interactions or extensions thereof, including the
neutrino mass. The model universe emerging from this scenario (the "Relaxed
Universe") falls within the class of the so-called LXCDM models of the cosmic
evolution. Therefore, there is a "cosmon" entity X (represented by an effective
object, not a field), which in this case is generated by the effective
functional and is responsible for the dynamical adjustment of the cosmological
constant. This model universe successfully mimics the essential past epochs of
the standard (or "concordance") cosmological model (LCDM). Furthermore, it
provides interesting clues to the coincidence problem and it may even connect
naturally with primordial inflation.Comment: LaTeX, 63 pp, 8 figures. Extended discussion. Version accepted in
JCA
Efficacy of six months neuromuscular exercise on lumbar movement variability : a randomized controlled trial
Introduction: Lumbar movement variability during heavy, repetitive work may be a protective mechanism to diminish the progression of lumbar disorders and maintain neuromuscular functional integrity. The effect of neuromuscular exercise (NME) on the variability of lumbar movement is still to be determined.
Methods: A randomised controlled trial was conducted on a population of nursing personnel with subacute LBP. Following randomization, the NME group participants completed an NME program of six months duration. The participants in the control group only attended the assessment sessions. The outcomes were assessed at: baseline; after six months intervention; 12 months. The primary outcome was lumbar movement variability based on angular displacement and velocity.
Results: A positive treatment effect on lumbar movement variability was seen after six months of NME intervention. Angular displacement improved, and angular velocity remained constant. At the 12-month follow up, however, the effect faded in the NME group. Lumbar movement variability worsened in the control group over all time periods.
Conclusion: NME may improve lumbar movement variability in the short term and may indicate improved neuromuscular functional integrity. The design of an optimal NME program to achieve long-term improvement in lumbar movement variability is a subject worthy of further research
Hubble expansion and structure formation in the "running FLRW model" of the cosmic evolution
A new class of FLRW cosmological models with time-evolving fundamental
parameters should emerge naturally from a description of the expansion of the
universe based on the first principles of quantum field theory and string
theory. Within this general paradigm, one expects that both the gravitational
Newton's coupling, G, and the cosmological term, Lambda, should not be strictly
constant but appear rather as smooth functions of the Hubble rate. This
scenario ("running FLRW model") predicts, in a natural way, the existence of
dynamical dark energy without invoking the participation of extraneous scalar
fields. In this paper, we perform a detailed study of these models in the light
of the latest cosmological data, which serves to illustrate the
phenomenological viability of the new dark energy paradigm as a serious
alternative to the traditional scalar field approaches. By performing a joint
likelihood analysis of the recent SNIa data, the CMB shift parameter, and the
BAOs traced by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we put tight constraints on the
main cosmological parameters. Furthermore, we derive the theoretically
predicted dark-matter halo mass function and the corresponding redshift
distribution of cluster-size halos for the "running" models studied. Despite
the fact that these models closely reproduce the standard LCDM Hubble
expansion, their normalization of the perturbation's power-spectrum varies,
imposing, in many cases, a significantly different cluster-size halo redshift
distribution. This fact indicates that it should be relatively easy to
distinguish between the "running" models and the LCDM cosmology using realistic
future X-ray and Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster surveys.Comment: Version published in JCAP 08 (2011) 007: 1+41 pages, 6 Figures, 1
Table. Typos corrected. Extended discussion on the computation of the
linearly extrapolated density threshold above which structures collapse in
time-varying vacuum models. One appendix, a few references and one figure
adde
In vivo P-glycoprotein function before and after epilepsy surgery
Objectives: To study the functional activity of the multidrug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (Pgp) at the blood-brain barrier of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy using (R)-[11C]verapamil (VPM)-PET before and after temporal lobe surgery to assess whether postoperative changes in seizure frequency and antiepileptic drug load are associated with changes in Pgp function.
Methods: Seven patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy underwent VPM-PET scans pre- and postsurgery. Patients were followed up for a median of 6 years (range 4–7) after surgery. Pgp immunoreactivity in surgically resected hippocampal specimens was determined with immunohistochemistry.
Results: Optimal surgical outcome, defined as seizure freedom and withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs, was associated with higher temporal lobe Pgp function before surgery, higher Pgp-positive staining in surgically resected hippocampal specimens, and reduction in global Pgp function postoperatively, compared with nonoptimal surgery outcome.
Conclusions: The data from our pilot study suggest that Pgp overactivity in epilepsy is dynamic, and complete seizure control and elimination of antiepileptic medication is associated with reversal of overactivity, although these findings will require confirmation in a larger patient cohort
Morphologies of AGN host galaxies using HST/ACS in the CDFS-GOODS field
Using HST/ACS images in four bands F435W, F606W, F775W and F850LP, we
identify optical counterparts to the X-ray sources in the Chandra Deep Field
South in the GOODS South field. A detailed study has been made of these sources
to study their morphological types. We use methods like decomposition of galaxy
luminosity profiles, color maps and visual inspection of 192 galaxies which are
identified as possible optical counterparts of Chandra X-ray sources in the
CDFS-GOODS field. We find that most moderate luminosity AGN hosts are bulge
dominated in the redshift range (z \approx 0.4-1.3), but not
merging/interacting galaxies. This implies probable fueling of the moderate
luminosity AGN by mechanisms other than those merger driven.Comment: pdflatex, accepted in ApSS. revisions in tex
Recommended from our members
Normal State O 17 NMR Studies of Sr2RuO4 under Uniaxial Stress
The effects of uniaxial compressive stress on the normal state O17 nuclear-magnetic-resonance properties of the unconventional superconductor Sr2RuO4 are reported. The paramagnetic shifts of both planar and apical oxygen sites show pronounced anomalies near the nominal a-axis strain μaaμv that maximizes the superconducting transition temperature Tc. The spin susceptibility weakly increases on lowering the temperature below T≃10 K, consistent with an enhanced density of states associated with passing the Fermi energy through a van Hove singularity. Although such a Lifshitz transition occurs in the γ band formed by the Ru dxy states hybridized with in-plane O pπ orbitals, the large Hund's coupling renormalizes the uniform spin susceptibility, which, in turn, affects the hyperfine fields of all nuclei. We estimate this "Stoner" renormalization S by combining the data with first-principles calculations and conclude that this is an important part of the strain effect, with implications for superconductivity. © 2019 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the »https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/» Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI
Parameter estimation in spatially extended systems: The Karhunen-Loeve and Galerkin multiple shooting approach
Parameter estimation for spatiotemporal dynamics for coupled map lattices and
continuous time domain systems is shown using a combination of multiple
shooting, Karhunen-Loeve decomposition and Galerkin's projection methodologies.
The resulting advantages in estimating parameters have been studied and
discussed for chaotic and turbulent dynamics using small amounts of data from
subsystems, availability of only scalar and noisy time series data, effects of
space-time parameter variations, and in the presence of multiple time-scales.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 4 Tables Corresponding Author - V. Ravi Kumar,
e-mail address: [email protected]
Spin pumping and magnetization dynamics in metallic multilayers
We study the magnetization dynamics in thin ferromagnetic films and small
ferromagnetic particles in contact with paramagnetic conductors. A moving
magnetization vector causes \textquotedblleft pumping\textquotedblright of
spins into adjacent nonmagnetic layers. This spin transfer affects the
magnetization dynamics similar to the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert phenomenology.
The additional Gilbert damping is significant for small ferromagnets, when the
nonmagnetic layers efficiently relax the injected spins, but the effect is
reduced when a spin accumulation build-up in the normal metal opposes the spin
pumping. The damping enhancement is governed by (and, in turn, can be used to
measure) the mixing conductance or spin-torque parameter of the
ferromagnet--normal-metal interface. Our theoretical findings are confirmed by
agreement with recent experiments in a variety of multilayer systems.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Symmetries of Pairing Correlations in Superconductor-Ferromagnet Nanostructures
Using selection rules imposed by the Pauli principle, we classify pairing
correlations according to their symmetry properties with respect to spin,
momentum, and energy. We observe that inhomogeneity always leads to mixing of
even- and odd-energy pairing components. We investigate the superconducting
pairing correlations present near interfaces between superconductors and
ferromagnets, with focus on clean systems consisting of singlet superconductors
and either weak or half-metallic ferromagnets. Spin-active scattering in the
interface region induces all of the possible symmetry components. In
particular, the long-range equal-spin pairing correlations have odd-frequency
s-wave and even-frequency p-wave components of comparable magnitudes. We also
analyze the Josephson current through a half-metal. We find analytic
expressions and an interesting universality in the temperature dependence of
the critical current in the tunneling limit.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, added citations, corrected typo
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