Determining the fraction of compact objects in the Universe using supernova observations

We investigate the possibility to determine the fraction of compact objects in the Universe by studying gravitational lensing effects on Type Ia supernova observations. Using simulated data sets from one year of operation of the proposed dedicated supernova detection satellite SNAP, we find that it should be possible to determine the fraction of compact objects to an accuracy of < 5 %.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Ecological value of coastal habitats for commercially and ecologically important species

Many exploited fish and macroinvertebrates that utilize the coastal zone have declined, and the causes of these declines, apart from overfishing, remain largely unresolved. Degradation of essential habitats has resulted in habitats that are no longer adequate to fulfil nursery, feeding, or reproductive functions, yet the degree to which coastal habitats are important for exploited species has not been quantified. Thus, we reviewed and synthesized literature on the ecological value of coastal habitats (i.e. seagrass beds, shallow subtidal and intertidal habitats, kelp beds, shallow open water habitats, saltmarshes, mussel beds, macroalgal beds, rocky bottom, and mariculture beds) as feeding grounds, nursery areas, spawning areas, and migration routes of 59 taxa, for which the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) gives management advice, and another 12 commercially or ecologically important species. In addition, we provide detailed information on coastal habitat use for plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), cod (Gadus morhua), brown shrimp (Crangon crangon), and European lobster (Homarus gammarus). Collectively, 44 of all ICES species utilized coastal habitats, and these stocks contributed 77 of the commercial landings of ICES-advice species, indicating that coastal habitats are critical to population persistence and fishery yield of ICES species. These findings will aid in defining key habitats for protection and restoration and provide baseline information needed to define knowledge gaps for quantifying the habitat value for exploited fish and invertebrates

Improved analysis of neutral pion electroproduction off deuterium in chiral perturbation theory

Near threshold neutral pion electroproduction on the deuteron is studied in the framework of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. We include the next-to-leading order corrections to the three-body contributions. We find an improved description of the total and differential cross section data measured at MAMI. We also obtain more precise values for the threshold S-wave multipoles. We discuss in detail the theoretical uncertainties of the calculation.Comment: 14 pp, 11 figs, uses svjour.cl

Loop-induced photon spectral lines from neutralino annihilation in the NMSSM

We have computed the loop-induced processes of neutralino annihilation into two photons and, for the first time, into a photon and a Z boson in the framework of the NMSSM. The photons produced from these radiative modes are monochromatic and possess a clear "smoking gun" experimental signature. This numerical analysis has been done with the help of the SloopS code, initially developed for automatic one-loop calculation in the MSSM. We have computed the rates for different benchmark points coming from SUGRA and GMSB soft SUSY breaking scenarios and compared them with the MSSM. We comment on how this signal can be enhanced, with respect to the MSSM, especially in the low mass region of the neutralino. We also discuss the possibility of this observable to constrain the NMSSM parameter space, taking into account the latest limits from the FERMI collaboration on these two modes.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures. Minor clarifications added in the text. Typing mistakes and references corrected. Matches published versio

New Constraints from PAMELA anti-proton data on Annihilating and Decaying Dark Matter

Recently the PAMELA experiment has released its updated anti-proton flux and anti-proton to proton flux ratio data up to energies of ~200GeV. With no clear excess of cosmic ray anti-protons at high energies, one can extend constraints on the production of anti-protons from dark matter. In this letter, we consider both the cases of dark matter annihilating and decaying into standard model particles that produce significant numbers of anti-protons. We provide two sets of constraints on the annihilation cross-sections/decay lifetimes. In the one set of constraints we ignore any source of anti-protons other than dark matter, which give the highest allowed cross-sections/inverse lifetimes. In the other set we include also anti-protons produced in collisions of cosmic rays with interstellar medium nuclei, getting tighter but more realistic constraints on the annihilation cross-sections/decay lifetimes.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

Long-term Transplant Function After Thrombolytic Treatment Ex Vivo of Donated Kidneys Retrieved 4 to 5 Hours After Circulatory Death

Background.\ua0Using a novel thrombolytic technique, we present long-term transplant function, measured by creatinine and iohexol clearance, after utilizing kidneys from porcine donors with uncontrolled donation after circulatory deaths, with 4.5–5 h of warm ischemia.Methods.\ua0Pigs in the study group were subjected to simulated circulatory death. After 2 h, ice slush was inserted into the abdomen and 4.5 h after death, the kidneys were retrieved. Lys-plasminogen, antithrombin-III, and alteplase were injected through the renal arteries on the back table. Subsequent ex vivo perfusion was continued for 3 h at 15\ub0C, followed by 3 h with red blood cells at 32\ub0C, and then transplanted into pigs as an autologous graft as only renal support. Living-donor recipient pigs that did not receive ex vivo perfusion, and unilateral nephrectomized pigs served as the controls.Results.\ua0Pigs in the study group (n = 13), surviving 10 d or more were included, of which 7 survived for 3 mo. Four animals in the living-donor group (n = 6) and all 5 nephrectomized animals survived for 3 mo. Creatinine levels in the plasma and urine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels, Kidney Injury Marker-1 expression, and iohexol clearance at 3 mo did not differ significantly between the study and living-donor groups. Histology and transmission electron microscopy after 3 mo showed negligible fibrosis and no other damage.Conclusions.\ua0The present method salvages kidneys from extended unontrolled donation after circulatory death using thrombolytic treatment while preserving histology and enabling transplantation after ex vivo reconditioning, with clinically acceptable late function after 3 mo, as measured by creatinine and iohexol clearance

Indirect Search for Neutralino Dark Matter with High Energy Neutrinos

We investigate the prospects of indirect searches for supersymmetric neutralino dark matter. Relic neutralinos gravitationally accumulate in the Sun and their annihilations produce high energy neutrinos. Muon neutrinos of this origin can be seen in large detectors like AMANDA, IceCube and ANTARES. We evaluate the relic density and the detection rate in several models---the minimal supersymmetric model, minimal supergravity, and supergravity with non-universal Higgs boson masses at the grand unification scale. We make realistic estimates for the indirect detection rates including effects of the muon detection threshold, quark hadronization, and solar absorption. We find good prospects for detection of neutralinos with mass above 200 GeV.Comment: 36 pages in REVTEX, 18 figure

Algorithm for normal random numbers

We propose a simple algorithm for generating normally distributed pseudo random numbers. The algorithm simulates N molecules that exchange energy among themselves following a simple stochastic rule. We prove that the system is ergodic, and that a Maxwell like distribution that may be used as a source of normally distributed random deviates follows when N tends to infinity. The algorithm passes various performance tests, including Monte Carlo simulation of a finite 2D Ising model using Wolff's algorithm. It only requires four simple lines of computer code, and is approximately ten times faster than the Box-Muller algorithm.Comment: 5 pages, 3 encapsulated Postscript Figures. Submitted to Phys.Rev.Letters. For related work, see http://pipe.unizar.es/~jf