3,463 research outputs found
Planet Engulfment Detections are Rare According to Observations and Stellar Modeling
Dynamical evolution within planetary systems can cause planets to be engulfed
by their host stars. Following engulfment, the stellar photosphere abundance
pattern will reflect accretion of rocky material from planets. Multi-star
systems are excellent environments to search for such abundance trends because
stellar companions form from the same natal gas cloud and are thus expected to
share primordial chemical compositions to within 0.030.05 dex. Abundance
measurements have occasionally yielded rocky enhancements, but few observations
targeted known planetary systems. To address this gap, we carried out a
Keck-HIRES survey of 36 multi-star systems where at least one star is a known
planet host. We found that only HAT-P-4 exhibits an abundance pattern
suggestive of engulfment, but is more likely primordial based on its large
projected separation (30,000 140 AU) that exceeds typical turbulence
scales in molecular clouds. To understand the lack of engulfment detections
among our systems, we quantified the strength and duration of refractory
enrichments in stellar photospheres using MESA stellar models. We found that
observable signatures from 10 engulfment events last for 90
Myr in 1 stars. Signatures are largest and longest lived for
1.11.2 stars, but are no longer observable 2 Gyr
post-engulfment. This indicates that engulfment will rarely be detected in
systems that are several Gyr old.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures; submitted to MNRA
DOT tomography of the solar atmosphere. IV. Magnetic patches in internetwork areas
We use G-band and Ca II H image sequences from the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT)
to study magnetic elements that appear as bright points in internetwork parts
of the quiet solar photosphere and chromosphere. We find that many of these
bright points appear recurrently with varying intensity and horizontal motion
within longer-lived magnetic patches. We develop an algorithm for detection of
the patches and find that all patches identified last much longer than the
granulation. The patches outline cell patterns on mesogranular scales,
indicating that magnetic flux tubes are advected by granular flows to
mesogranular boundaries. Statistical analysis of the emergence and
disappearance of the patches points to an average patch lifetime as long as
530+-50 min (about nine hours), which suggests that the magnetic elements
constituting strong internetwork fields are not generated by a local turbulent
dynamo.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
The continuum intensity as a function of magnetic field I. Active region and quiet Sun magnetic elements
Small-scale magnetic fields are major contributors to the solar irradiance
variations. Hence, the continuum intensity contrast of magnetic elements in the
quiet Sun (QS) network and in active region (AR) plage is an essential quantity
that needs to be measured reliably. By using Hinode/SP disk center data at a
constant, high spatial resolution, we aim at updating results of earlier
ground-based studies of contrast vs. magnetogram signal, and to look for
systematic differences between AR plages and QS network. The field strength,
filling factor and inclination of the field was retrieved by Milne-Eddington
inversion (VFISV). As in earlier studies, we performed a pixel-by-pixel study
of 630.2 nm continuum contrast vs. apparent (i.e. averaged over a pixel)
longitudinal magnetic field over large fields of view in ARs and in the QS. The
contrast of magnetic elements reaches larger values in the QS (on average 3.7%)
than in ARs (1.3%). This could not be attributed to any systematic difference
in the chosen contrast references. At Hinode's spatial resolution, the
relationship between contrast and apparent longitudinal field strength exhibits
a peak at around 700 G in both the QS and ARs, whereas earlier lower resolution
studies only found a peak in the QS and a monotonous decrease in ARs. We
attribute this discrepancy both to our careful removal of the pores and their
close surroundings affected by the telescope diffraction, as well as to the
enhanced spatial resolution and very low scattered light of the Hinode Solar
Optical Telescope. According to our inversions, the magnetic elements producing
the peak of the contrast curves have similar properties (field strength,
inclination, filling factor) in ARs and in the QS, so that the larger
brightness of magnetic elements in the QS remains unexplained.Comment: 8 figures, 14 page
Majority Dynamics and Aggregation of Information in Social Networks
Consider n individuals who, by popular vote, choose among q >= 2
alternatives, one of which is "better" than the others. Assume that each
individual votes independently at random, and that the probability of voting
for the better alternative is larger than the probability of voting for any
other. It follows from the law of large numbers that a plurality vote among the
n individuals would result in the correct outcome, with probability approaching
one exponentially quickly as n tends to infinity. Our interest in this paper is
in a variant of the process above where, after forming their initial opinions,
the voters update their decisions based on some interaction with their
neighbors in a social network. Our main example is "majority dynamics", in
which each voter adopts the most popular opinion among its friends. The
interaction repeats for some number of rounds and is then followed by a
population-wide plurality vote.
The question we tackle is that of "efficient aggregation of information": in
which cases is the better alternative chosen with probability approaching one
as n tends to infinity? Conversely, for which sequences of growing graphs does
aggregation fail, so that the wrong alternative gets chosen with probability
bounded away from zero? We construct a family of examples in which interaction
prevents efficient aggregation of information, and give a condition on the
social network which ensures that aggregation occurs. For the case of majority
dynamics we also investigate the question of unanimity in the limit. In
particular, if the voters' social network is an expander graph, we show that if
the initial population is sufficiently biased towards a particular alternative
then that alternative will eventually become the unanimous preference of the
entire population.Comment: 22 page
Discovery of Precursor LBV Outbursts in Two Recent Optical Transients: The Fitfully Variable Missing Links UGC 2773-OT and SN 2009ip
We present progenitor-star detections, light curves, and optical spectra of
SN2009ip and the 2009 optical transient in UGC2773 (U2773-OT), which were not
genuine SNe. Precursor variability in the decade before outburst indicates that
both of the progenitor stars were LBVs. Their pre-outburst light curves
resemble the S Doradus phases that preceded giant eruptions of eta Carinae and
SN1954J (V12 in NGC2403), with intermediate progenitor luminosities. HST
detections a decade before discovery indicate that the SN2009ip and U2773-OT
progenitors were supergiants with likely initial masses of 50-80 Msun and
\ga20 Msun, respectively. Both outbursts had spectra befitting known LBVs,
although in different physical states. SN 2009ip exhibited a hot LBV spectrum
with characteristic speeds of 550 km/s, plus faster material up to 5000 km/s,
resembling the slow Homunculus and fast blast wave of eta Carinae. U2773-OT
shows a forest of narrow absorption and emission lines comparable to that of S
Dor in its cool state, plus [CaII] emission and an IR excess indicative of
dust, similar to SN2008S and N300-OT. [CaII] emission is probably tied to a
dusty pre-outburst environment, and not the outburst mechanism. SN2009ip and
U2773-OT may provide a critical link between historical LBV eruptions, while
U2773-OT may provide a link between LBVs and SN2008S and N300-OT. Future
searches will uncover more examples of precursor LBV variability of this kind,
providing key clues that may help unravel the instability driving LBVs.Comment: 18 pages, 13 Figures, accepted AJ. added significant material while
revising after referee repor
The effect of distant reiki on pain in women after elective Caesarean section: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial
Introduction: Approximately 25% of all babies in North America are delivered via Caesarean section (C-section). Though a common surgical procedure, C-section recovery can be painful. Opioids, specifically codeine, are commonly used to ease pain; however, its active metabolite, morphine, passes into breast milk, and may produce unwanted side effects in neonates; therefore, alternatives to opioids are being sought. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing where practitioners transfer healing energy through light touch and positive healing intention. Although 1.2 million Americans use reiki to reduce pain or depression, there is a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. A recent systematic review showed existing studies to be of poor methodological quality, with the common limitation of lack of blinding. To overcome this issue, the authors used distant reiki to assess its effectiveness in reducing pain following an elective C-section. Methods: In this randomised, double-blinded study, women who underwent an elective C-section were allocated to either usual care (control, n=40) or three distant reiki sessions in addition to usual care (n=40). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary endpoint was the Area Under the VAS-Time Curve (AUC) for days 1-3. Secondary measures included: The proportion of women who required opioid medications and dose consumed, rate of healing and vital signs. Results: AUC for pain was not significantly different in the distant reiki and control groups (mean±SD; 212.16104.7 vs 223.16117.8; p=0.96). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or rate of healing; however, the distant reiki group had a significantly lower heart rate (74.368.1 bpm vs 79.867.9 bpm, p=0.003) an
Semiclassical effects in black hole interiors
First-order semiclassical perturbations to the Schwarzschild black hole
geometry are studied within the black hole interior. The source of the
perturbations is taken to be the vacuum stress-energy of quantized scalar,
spinor, and vector fields, evaluated using analytic approximations developed by
Page and others (for massless fields) and the DeWitt-Schwinger approximation
(for massive fields). Viewing the interior as an anisotropic collapsing
cosmology, we find that minimally or conformally coupled scalar fields, and
spinor fields, decrease the anisotropy as the singularity is approached, while
vector fields increase the anisotropy. In addition, we find that massless
fields of all spins, and massive vector fields, strengthen the singularity,
while massive scalar and spinor fields tend to slow the growth of curvature.Comment: 29 pages, ReVTeX; 4 ps figure
On the structure and evolution of a polar crown prominence/filament system
Polar crown prominences are made of chromospheric plasma partially circling
the Suns poles between 60 and 70 degree latitude. We aim to diagnose the 3D
dynamics of a polar crown prominence using high cadence EUV images from the
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/AIA at 304 and 171A and the Ahead spacecraft
of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A)/EUVI at 195A. Using
time series across specific structures we compare flows across the disk in 195A
with the prominence dynamics seen on the limb. The densest prominence material
forms vertical columns which are separated by many tens of Mm and connected by
dynamic bridges of plasma that are clearly visible in 304/171A two-color
images. We also observe intermittent but repetitious flows with velocity 15
km/s in the prominence that appear to be associated with EUV bright points on
the solar disk. The boundary between the prominence and the overlying cavity
appears as a sharp edge. We discuss the structure of the coronal cavity seen
both above and around the prominence. SDO/HMI and GONG magnetograms are used to
infer the underlying magnetic topology. The evolution and structure of the
prominence with respect to the magnetic field seems to agree with the filament
linkage model.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in Solar Physics
Journal, Movies can be found at http://www2.mps.mpg.de/data/outgoing/panesar
Intravenous Cetirizine Versus Intravenous Diphenhydramine for the Treatment of Acute Urticaria: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Acute urticaria is a frequent presentation in emergency departments (EDs), urgent care centers, and other clinical arenas. Treatment options are limited if diphenhydramine is the only intravenous antihistamine offered because of its short duration of action and well-known adverse effects. We evaluate cetirizine injection, the first second-generation injectable antihistamine, for acute urticaria in this multicenter, randomized, noninferiority, phase 3 clinical trial.
METHODS: Adult patients presenting to EDs and urgent care centers with acute urticaria requiring an intravenous antihistamine were randomized to either intravenous cetirizine 10 mg or intravenous diphenhydramine 50 mg. The primary endpoint was the 2-hour pruritus score change from baseline, with time spent in treatment center and rate of return to treatment centers as key secondary endpoints. Frequency of sedation and anticholinergic adverse effects were also recorded.
RESULTS: Among 262 enrolled patients, the 2-hour pruritus score change from baseline for intravenous cetirizine was statistically noninferior to that for intravenous diphenhydramine (-1.6 versus -1.5; 95% confidence interval -0.1 to 0.3), and in favor of cetirizine. Treatment differences also favored cetirizine for mean time spent in treatment center (1.7 versus 2.1 hours; P=.005), return to treatment center (5.5% versus 14.1%; P=.02), lower change from baseline sedation score at 2 hours (0.1 versus 0.5; P=.03), and adverse event rate (3.9% versus 13.3%).
CONCLUSION: Intravenous cetirizine is an effective alternative to intravenous diphenhydramine for treating acute urticaria, with benefits of less sedation, fewer adverse events, shorter time spent in treatment center, and lower rates of revisit to treatment center
Small-scale solar magnetic fields
As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become
clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures.
Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar
magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric
heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of
small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field,
and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new
instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure
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