257 research outputs found
Cosmic microwave anisotropies from BPS semilocal strings
We present the first ever calculation of cosmic microwave background CMB
anisotropy power spectra from semilocal cosmic strings, obtained via
simulations of a classical field theory. Semilocal strings are a type of
non-topological defect arising in some models of inflation motivated by
fundamental physics, and are thought to relax the constraints on the symmetry
breaking scale as compared to models with (topological) cosmic strings. We
derive constraints on the model parameters, including the string tension
parameter mu, from fits to cosmological data, and find that in this regard BPS
semilocal strings resemble global textures more than topological strings. The
observed microwave anisotropy at l = 10 is reproduced if Gmu = 5.3x10^{-6} (G
is Newton's constant). However as with other defects the spectral shape does
not match observations, and in models with inflationary perturbations plus
semilocal strings the 95% confidence level upper bound is Gmu<2.0x10^{-6} when
CMB data, Hubble Key Project and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis data are used (c.f.
Gmu<0.9x10^{-6} for cosmic strings). We additionally carry out a Bayesian model
comparison of several models with and without defects, showing models with
defects are neither conclusively favoured nor disfavoured at present.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures. Minor correction of numerical results, matches
published versio
Towards Constraining Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in Greenland Using ICESat and GPS Observations
Constraining glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) i.e. the Earthâs viscoelastic response to past ice changes, is an important task, because GIA is a significant correction in gravity-based ice sheet mass balance estimates. Here, we investigate how temporal variations in the observed and modeled crustal displacements due to the Earthâs response to ongoing ice mass changes can contribute to the process of constraining GIA. We use mass change grids of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) derived from NASAâs high resolution Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) data in three overlapping time spans covering the period 2004â2009 to estimate temporal variations in the elastic response due to present day ice mass loss. The modeled crustal displacements (elastic + GIA) are compared with GPS time series from five permanent sites (KELY, KULU, QAQ1, THU2, and SCOR). We find, that the modeled pattern of elastic crustal displacements shows pronounced variation during the observation period, where an increase in elastic displacement is found at the northwest coast of Greenland, while a decrease is found at the southeast coast. This pattern of temporal changes is supported by the GPS observations. We find, that the temporal behavior of the ICESat-based modeled elastic response agrees well with the GPS observations at the sites KELY, QAQ1, and SCOR. This suggests, that our elastic models are able to resolve the temporal changes in the observed uplift, which indicates that the elastic uplift models are reliable at these sites. Therefore, we conclude that these sites are useful for constraining GIA
Life's Joke: Bergson, Comedy, and the Meaning of Laughter
The present essay argues that Bergsonâs account of the comic can only be fully appreciated when read in conjunction with his later metaphysical exposition of the Ă©lan vital in Creative Evolution and then by the account of fabulation that Bergson only elaborates fully three decades later in The Two Sources of Morality and Religion. The more substantive account of the Ă©lan vital ultimately shows that, in Laughter, Bergson misses his own point: laughter does not simply serve as a means for correcting human behavior but is rather the Ă©lan vitalâs vital summons, the demand of life itself, that human beings challenge their obligations, question their societal forms, and thereby create new and, for Bergson, more ideal forms of life and community
Has the 'Fast-Track' referral system affected the route of presentation and/or clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer?
Background: The aim of this study is to determine whether the 'Fast-Track' referral system has changed the route by which patients present with colorectal cancer (CRC) and whether the route of presentation has any effect on clinical outcome. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with CRC under the care of two consultant colorectal surgeons between April 2006 and December 2012. The route by which patients presented was categorised as Fast-Track (FT), non-Fast-Track (non-FT) or acute. Outcome variables were operative intent, disease stage and 2- and 5-year survival. Results: A total of 558 patients were identified. One hundred ninety-seven patients (35.3%) were referred as FT, 108 (19.4%) presented acutely and 253 patients (45.3%) presented via other routes (non-FT). Over the study period, the route of presentation did not change significantly (P=0.135). There was no significant difference between FT and non-FT groups in terms of the proportion of patients undergoing potentially curative surgery (70.6 vs 74.3%, P=0.092) or with node-negative disease (48.2 vs 52.2%, P=0.796) nor was there any difference in 2-year or 5-year survival (74.1 vs 73.9%, P=0.837 and 52.3 vs 53.8%, P=0.889, respectively). Patients who presented acutely were less likely to undergo curative resection, had more advanced disease and had worse 2- and 5-year survival. Conclusions: The Fast-Track referral system has not affected the route by which patients present with CRC nor has it had any effect on clinical outcomes. Alternative strategies are required if the desired improvement in outcomes is to be achieved
The status of GNSS data processing systems to estimate integrated water vapour for use in numerical weather prediction models
Modern Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models make use of the GNSS-derived Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) or Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) estimates to enhance the quality of their forecasts. Usually, the ZTD is assimilated into the NWP models on 3- hourly to 6-hourly intervals but with the advancement of NWP models towards higher update rates e.g. 1-hourly cycling in the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) NWP, it has become of high interest to estimate ZTD on sub-hourly intervals. In turn, this imposes requirements related to the timeliness and accuracy of the ZTD estimates and has lead to a development of various strategies to process GNSS observations to obtain ZTD with different latencies and accuracies. Using present GNSS products and tools, ZTD can be estimated in real-time (RT), near real-time (NRT) and post-processing (PP) modes. The aim of this study is to provide an overview and accuracy assessment of various RT, NRT, and PP IWV estimation systems and comparing their achieved accuracy with the user requirements for GNSS meteorology. The NRT systems are based on Bernese GPS Software 5.0 and use a double-differencing strategy whereas the PP system is based on the Bernese GNSS Software 5.2 using the precise point positioning (PPP) strategy. The RT systems are based on the BKG Ntrip Client 2.7 and the PPPWizard both using PPP. The PPP-Wizard allows integer ambiguity resolution at a single station and therefore the effect of fixing integer ambiguities on ZTD estimates will also be presented
The Power of Environmental Observatories for Advancing Multidisciplinary Research, Outreach, and Decision Support: The Case of the Minnesota River Basin
An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2019 American Geophysical Union.Observatoryâscale data collection efforts allow unprecedented opportunities for integrative, multidisciplinary investigations in large, complex watersheds, which can affect management decisions and policy. Through the National Science Foundationâfunded REACH (REsilience under Accelerated CHange) project, in collaboration with the Intensively Managed LandscapesâCritical Zone Observatory, we have collected a series of multidisciplinary data sets throughout the Minnesota River Basin in southâcentral Minnesota, USA, a 43,400âkm2 tributary to the Upper Mississippi River. Postglacial incision within the Minnesota River valley created an erosional landscape highly responsive to hydrologic change, allowing for transdisciplinary research into the complex cascade of environmental changes that occur due to hydrology and land use alterations from intensive agricultural management and climate change. Data sets collected include water chemistry and biogeochemical data, geochemical fingerprinting of major sediment sources, highâresolution monitoring of river bluff erosion, and repeat channel crossâsectional and bathymetry data following major floods. The data collection efforts led to development of a series of integrative reduced complexity models that provide deeper insight into how water, sediment, and nutrients route and transform through a large channel network and respond to change. These models represent the culmination of efforts to integrate interdisciplinary data sets and science to gain new insights into watershedâscale processes in order to advance management and decision making. The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of the data sets and models, disseminate them to the community for further research, and identify mechanisms used to expand the temporal and spatial extent of shortâterm observatoryâscale data collection efforts
Magnetogenesis from Cosmic String Loops
Large-scale coherent magnetic fields are observed in galaxies and clusters,
but their ultimate origin remains a mystery. We reconsider the prospects for
primordial magnetogenesis by a cosmic string network. We show that the magnetic
flux produced by long strings has been overestimated in the past, and give
improved estimates. We also compute the fields created by the loop population,
and find that it gives the dominant contribution to the total magnetic field
strength on present-day galactic scales. We present numerical results obtained
by evolving semi-analytic models of string networks (including both one-scale
and velocity-dependent one-scale models) in a Lambda-CDM cosmology, including
the forces and torques on loops from Hubble redshifting, dynamical friction,
and gravitational wave emission. Our predictions include the magnetic field
strength as a function of correlation length, as well as the volume covered by
magnetic fields. We conclude that string networks could account for magnetic
fields on galactic scales, but only if coupled with an efficient dynamo
amplification mechanism.Comment: 10 figures; v3: small typos corrected to match published version.
MagnetiCS, the code described in paper, is available at
http://markcwyman.com/ and
http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/dhw22/code/index.htm
Effects of quantum gravity on the inflationary parameters and thermodynamics of the early universe
The effects of generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) on the inflationary
dynamics and the thermodynamics of the early universe are studied. Using the
GUP approach, the tensorial and scalar density fluctuations in the inflation
era are evaluated and compared with the standard case. We find a good agreement
with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data. Assuming that a quantum gas
of scalar particles is confined within a thin layer near the apparent horizon
of the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe which satisfies the
boundary condition, the number and entropy densities and the free energy
arising form the quantum states are calculated using the GUP approach. A
qualitative estimation for effects of the quantum gravity on all these
thermodynamic quantities is introduced.Comment: 15 graghes, 7 figures with 17 eps graph
The Power of Environmental Observatories for Advancing Multidisciplinary Research, Outreach, and Decision Support: The Case of the Minnesota River Basin
Observatoryâscale data collection efforts allow unprecedented opportunities for integrative, multidisciplinary investigations in large, complex watersheds, which can affect management decisions and policy. Through the National Science Foundationâfunded REACH (REsilience under Accelerated CHange) project, in collaboration with the Intensively Managed LandscapesâCritical Zone Observatory, we have collected a series of multidisciplinary data sets throughout the Minnesota River Basin in southâcentral Minnesota, USA, a 43,400âkm2 tributary to the Upper Mississippi River. Postglacial incision within the Minnesota River valley created an erosional landscape highly responsive to hydrologic change, allowing for transdisciplinary research into the complex cascade of environmental changes that occur due to hydrology and land use alterations from intensive agricultural management and climate change. Data sets collected include water chemistry and biogeochemical data, geochemical fingerprinting of major sediment sources, highâresolution monitoring of river bluff erosion, and repeat channel crossâsectional and bathymetry data following major floods. The data collection efforts led to development of a series of integrative reduced complexity models that provide deeper insight into how water, sediment, and nutrients route and transform through a large channel network and respond to change. These models represent the culmination of efforts to integrate interdisciplinary data sets and science to gain new insights into watershedâscale processes in order to advance management and decision making. The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of the data sets and models, disseminate them to the community for further research, and identify mechanisms used to expand the temporal and spatial extent of shortâterm observatoryâscale data collection efforts
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