9,813 research outputs found
Phase analysis of the cosmic microwave background from an incomplete sky coverage
Phases of the spherical harmonic analysis of full-sky cosmic microwave
background (CMB) temperature data contain useful information complementary to
the ubiquitous angular power spectrum. In this letter we present a new method
of phase analysis on incomplete sky maps. It is based on Fourier phases of
equal-latitude pixel rings of the map, which are related to the mean angle of
the trigonometric moments from the full-sky phases. They have an advantage for
probing regions of interest without tapping polluted Galactic plane area, and
can localize non-Gaussian features and departure from statistical isotropy in
the CMB.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures submitted to MNRAS Letters, replaced with minor
change
Fluctuations of Entropy Production in Partially Masked Electric Circuits: Theoretical Analysis
In this work we perform theoretical analysis about a coupled RC circuit with
constant driven currents. Starting from stochastic differential equations,
where voltages are subject to thermal noises, we derive time-correlation
functions, steady-state distributions and transition probabilities of the
system. The validity of the fluctuation theorem (FT) is examined for scenarios
with complete and incomplete descriptions.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Oh, the education (you think) you’ll have! Relative deprivation and students’ academic expectations, aspirations, and attainment
Scholars generally agree that financial deprivation negatively affects students’ educational outcomes. However, while absolute levels of resources are important, individuals’ perceived relative economic wellbeing also shape their educational outcomes. This article asks whether attending school with peers from comparably richer families is related to adolescents’ educational expectations, aspirations, university plans, and university attainment. We test the relative deprivation theory by comparing three different forms of the Yitzhaki Index. Data for this study comes from the Taiwan Youth Project, which consists of two cohorts of adolescents (N = 5098) from 162 middle school classrooms. The results show that relative deprivation in the classroom is negatively related to students’ educational expectations, aspirations, and plans to attend university. Yet, relatively deprivation is not associated with higher educational attainment when controlling for absolute measures of family background. These results highlight the need for a more nuanced understanding of perceived relative economic disadvantages in shaping student outcomes
Flavor SU(3) analysis of charmless B->PP decays
We perform a global fits to charmless decays which independently
constrain the vertex of the unitarity triangle. The
fitted amplitudes and phase are used to predict the branching ratios and CP
asymmetries of all decay modes, including those of the system. Different
schemes of SU(3) breaking in decay amplitude sizes are analyzed. The
possibility of having a new physics contribution to decays is also
discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figs. Talk given at EPS-HEP07 To appear in the
proceedings, Reference adde
Regulation of Bile Acid and Cholesterol Metabolism by PPARs
Bile acids are amphipathic molecules synthesized from cholesterol in the liver. Bile acid synthesis is a major pathway for hepatic cholesterol catabolism. Bile acid synthesis generates bile flow which is important for biliary secretion of free cholesterol, endogenous metabolites, and xenobiotics. Bile acids are biological detergents that facilitate intestinal absorption of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. Recent studies suggest that bile acids are important metabolic regulators of lipid, glucose, and energy homeostasis. Agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARα, PPARγ, PPARδ) regulate lipoprotein metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, glucose homeostasis and inflammation, and therefore are
used as anti-diabetic drugs for treatment of dyslipidemia and insulin insistence. Recent studies have shown that activation of
PPARα alters bile acid synthesis, conjugation, and transport, and also cholesterol synthesis, absorption and reverse cholesterol transport. This review will focus on the roles of PPARs in the regulation of pathways in bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis, and the therapeutic implications of using PPAR agonists for the treatment of metabolic syndrome
Bile Acid Signaling in Liver Metabolism and Diseases
Obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndromes are increasingly recognized as health concerns worldwide. Overnutrition and insulin resistance are the major causes of diabetic hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in humans. Studies in the past decade provide evidence that bile acids are not just biological detergents facilitating gut nutrient absorption, but also important metabolic regulators of glucose and lipid homeostasis. Pharmacological alteration of bile acid metabolism or bile acid signaling pathways such as using bile acid receptor agonists or bile acid binding resins may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. On the other hand, bile acid signaling is complex, and the molecular mechanisms mediating the bile acid effects are still not completely understood. This paper will summarize recent advances in our understanding of bile acid signaling in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, and the potentials of developing novel therapeutic strategies that target bile acid metabolism for the treatment of metabolic disorders
On the Antenna Beam Shape Reconstruction Using Planet Transit
The calibration of the in-flight antenna beam shape and possible
beamdegradation is one of the most crucial tasks for the upcoming Planck
mission. We examine several effects which could significantly influence the
in-flight main beam calibration using planet transit: the problems of the
variability of the Jupiter's flux, the antenna temperature and passing of the
planets through the main beam. We estimate these effects on the antenna beam
shape calibration and calculate the limits on the main beam and far sidelobe
measurements, using observations of Jupiter and Saturn. We also discuss
possible effects of degradation of the mirror surfaces and specify
corresponding parameters which can help us to determine these effects.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Investigating the control of manganese sulphide precipitation
The generation and control of manganese sulphide particle size distribution using various mixing configurations were investigated. Specifically, this paper discusses how varying mixing intensities on a macro and micro scale affect the resultant manganese sulphide particle size distribution (PSD) at a constant concentration. The mixing variations were achieved using various Y- and T-mixers as premixing devices into a jacketed, agitated vessel. The reagents used to generate the seeds were aqueous manganese sulphate and sodium sulphide solutions. The results showed that the absence of micromixing resulted in very poor control of the particle size distribution, the particle size and the number of particles produced. This was due to the fact that the macromixing time is much greater than the corresponding precipitation time, resulting in different mixing regions existing within the reactor. From the micromixing experiments, the T–mixer was found to be the most effective mixing device at lower concentrations due to the T-mixer providing a faster mixing time than the other mixing configurations, thereby effectively localizing the supersaturation and hence controlling the precipitation. The results obtained from the direct addition without the extension pipe (i.e. short mixing time) indicated a general increase in mean particle size and decrease in total particle number at reagent concentration of 0.007 mol.dm-3 as compared to the corresponding micromixing experiments. The phenomenon may be due to incomplete crystallization at the immediate exit of the mixing device. Further experiments need to be conducted before any conclusions can be drawn about the precipitation mechanisms
- …