4,368 research outputs found
A Causal Order for Spacetimes with Lorentzian Metrics: Proof of Compactness of the Space of Causal Curves
We recast the tools of ``global causal analysis'' in accord with an approach
to the subject animated by two distinctive features: a thoroughgoing reliance
on order-theoretic concepts, and a utilization of the Vietoris topology for the
space of closed subsets of a compact set. We are led to work with a new causal
relation which we call , and in terms of it we formulate extended
definitions of concepts like causal curve and global hyperbolicity. In
particular we prove that, in a spacetime \M which is free of causal cycles,
one may define a causal curve simply as a compact connected subset of \M
which is linearly ordered by . Our definitions all make sense for
arbitrary metrics (and even for certain metrics which fail to be
invertible in places). Using this feature, we prove for a general metric,
the familiar theorem that the space of causal curves between any two compact
subsets of a globally hyperbolic spacetime is compact. We feel that our
approach, in addition to yielding a more general theorem, simplifies and
clarifies the reasoning involved. Our results have application in a recent
positive energy theorem, and may also prove useful in the study of topology
change. We have tried to make our treatment self-contained by including proofs
of all the facts we use which are not widely available in reference works on
topology and differential geometry.Comment: Two small revisions to accomodate errors brought to our attention by
R.S. Garcia. No change to chief results. 33 page
Manure Impacts on Interrill Erosion
This study was conducted to measure runoff and erosion from interrill areas as affected by the long-term application of manure and fertilizer to a Tripp sandy loam soil located near Mitchell, Nebraska. Soil that had been removed from the top 0.1 m of the soil profile was placed in a 1 m2 soil pan. Rainfall was then applied to the soil pan during initial and wet simulation events. Total runoff was similar on the manure and no-manure treatments. The long-term application of manure (55 years) at a rate of 27 Mg ha-1 (wet basis) per year did not significantly influence interrill erosion on this sandy loam soil. Interrill erosion was also unaffected by the addition of manure immediately before rainfall simulation tests to soils on which manure had been applied in previous years. No significant differences in runoff and erosion were found among plots receiving varying amounts of fertilizer. Selected soil properties were generally unaffected by the varying manure and fertilizer treatments
UHE nuclei propagation and the interpretation of the ankle in the cosmic-ray spectrum
We consider the stochastic propagation of high-energy protons and nuclei in
the cosmological microwave and infrared backgrounds, using revised photonuclear
cross-sections and following primary and secondary nuclei in the full 2D
nuclear chart. We confirm earlier results showing that the high-energy data can
be fit with a pure proton extragalactic cosmic ray (EGCR) component if the
source spectrum is \propto E^{-2.6}. In this case the ankle in the CR spectrum
may be interpreted as a pair-production dip associated with the propagation. We
show that when heavier nuclei are included in the source with a composition
similar to that of Galactic cosmic-rays (GCRs), the pair-production dip is not
present unless the proton fraction is higher than 85%. In the mixed composition
case, the ankle recovers the past interpretation as the transition from GCRs to
EGCRs and the highest energy data can be explained by a harder source spectrum
\propto E^{-2.2} - E^{-2.3}, reminiscent of relativistic shock acceleration
predictions, and in good agreement with the GCR data at low-energy and holistic
scenarios.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to A&A Letters (minor changes, two
figures replaced, two references added
Forman's Ricci curvature - From networks to hypernetworks
Networks and their higher order generalizations, such as hypernetworks or
multiplex networks are ever more popular models in the applied sciences.
However, methods developed for the study of their structural properties go
little beyond the common name and the heavy reliance of combinatorial tools. We
show that, in fact, a geometric unifying approach is possible, by viewing them
as polyhedral complexes endowed with a simple, yet, the powerful notion of
curvature - the Forman Ricci curvature. We systematically explore some aspects
related to the modeling of weighted and directed hypernetworks and present
expressive and natural choices involved in their definitions. A benefit of this
approach is a simple method of structure-preserving embedding of hypernetworks
in Euclidean N-space. Furthermore, we introduce a simple and efficient manner
of computing the well established Ollivier-Ricci curvature of a hypernetwork.Comment: to appear: Complex Networks '18 (oral presentation
Impacts of warming and elevated CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e on a semi-arid grassland are non-additive, shift with precipitation, and reverse over time
It is unclear how elevated CO2 (eCO2) and the corresponding shifts in temperature and precipitation will interact to impact ecosystems over time. During a 7-year experiment in a semi-arid grassland, the response of plant biomass to eCO2 and warming was largely regulated by interannual precipitation, while the response of plant community composition was more sensitive to experiment duration. The combined effects of eCO2 and warming on aboveground plant biomass were less positive in ‘wet’ growing seasons, but total plant biomass was consistently stimulated by ~ 25% due to unique, supra-additive responses of roots. Independent of precipitation, the combined effects of eCO2 and warming on C3 graminoids became increasingly positive and supraadditive over time, reversing an initial shift toward C4 grasses. Soil resources also responded dynamically and non-additively to eCO2 and warming, shaping the plant responses. Our results suggest grasslands are poised for drastic changes in function and highlight the need for long-term, factorial experiments
The Role of a Hot Gas Environment on the Evolution of Galaxies
Most spiral galaxies are found in galaxy groups with low velocity
dispersions; most E/S0 galaxies are found in galaxy groups with relatively high
velocity dispersions. The mass of the hot gas we can observe in the E/S0 groups
via their thermal X-ray emission is, on average, as much as the baryonic mass
of the galaxies in these groups. By comparison, galaxy clusters have as much or
more hot gas than stellar mass. Hot gas in S-rich groups, however, is of low
enough temperature for its X-ray emission to suffer heavy absorption due to
Galactic HI and related observational effects, and hence is hard to detect. We
postulate that such lower temperature hot gas does exist in low velocity
dispersion, S-rich groups, and explore the consequences of this assumption. For
a wide range of metallicity and density, hot gas in S-rich groups can cool in
far less than a Hubble time. If such gas exists and can cool, especially when
interacting with HI in existing galaxies, then it can help link together a
number of disparate observations, both Galactic and extragalactic, that are
otherwise difficult to understand.Comment: 16 pages with one figure. ApJ Letters, in pres
Optimising use of electronic health records to describe the presentation of rheumatoid arthritis in primary care: a strategy for developing code lists
Background
Research using electronic health records (EHRs) relies heavily on coded clinical data. Due to variation in coding practices, it can be difficult to aggregate the codes for a condition in order to define cases. This paper describes a methodology to develop ‘indicator markers’ found in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA); these are a broader range of codes which may allow a probabilistic case definition to use in cases where no diagnostic code is yet recorded.
Methods
We examined EHRs of 5,843 patients in the General Practice Research Database, aged ≥30y, with a first coded diagnosis of RA between 2005 and 2008. Lists of indicator markers for RA were developed initially by panels of clinicians drawing up code-lists and then modified based on scrutiny of available data. The prevalence of indicator markers, and their temporal relationship to RA codes, was examined in patients from 3y before to 14d after recorded RA diagnosis.
Findings
Indicator markers were common throughout EHRs of RA patients, with 83.5% having 2 or more markers. 34% of patients received a disease-specific prescription before RA was coded; 42% had a referral to rheumatology, and 63% had a test for rheumatoid factor. 65% had at least one joint symptom or sign recorded and in 44% this was at least 6-months before recorded RA diagnosis.
Conclusion
Indicator markers of RA may be valuable for case definition in cases which do not yet have a diagnostic code. The clinical diagnosis of RA is likely to occur some months before it is coded, shown by markers frequently occurring ≥6 months before recorded diagnosis. It is difficult to differentiate delay in diagnosis from delay in recording. Information concealed in free text may be required for the accurate identification of patients and to assess the quality of care in general practice
168 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster cutaneous reactions reported to the AAD/ILDS dermatology registry
Background: In summer 2021, several countries including the U.S. authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster doses ≥6 months after completion of a patient’s primary vaccine series. The aim of this study was to characterize vaccine cutaneous reactions following a booster dose of mRNA vaccine reported to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) & International League of Dermatologic Societies (ILDS) COVID-19 Dermatology registry.
Methods: In December 2020, the AAD/ILDS registry was adapted to include COVID-19 vaccine skin reactions. In September 2021 the registry also solicited COVID-19 vaccine booster reactions either as new cases or updates to existing entries.
Results: From Dec 2020-Jan 2022, 994 cases of vaccine skin reactions were entered in the registry, of which 44 records indicated the presence or absence of cutaneous reactions following a booster dose. Of 44 records, 31(71%) developed a cutaneous reaction to the booster dose and 29% developed a reaction to the 1st and/or 2nd dose but not the booster. Of the 31 patients who developed a reaction to the booster dose, 22 reacted to the booster alone, 1 reacted to the 1st & booster, 3 reacted to the 2nd & booster, and 5 reacted to all three doses. The most common morphologies among all booster reactions were local injection site reactions (n=31), delayed large local reaction (n=7), erythromelalgia (n=3), and vesicular reactions (n=3).
Conclusion: Booster reactions represent a small portion of COVID vaccine reactions in the registry. Infrequent reporting could be due slow booster uptake, reporter fatigue, and/or booster reactions may truly be less frequent than reactions to the initial series. Dermatologists should be aware that cutaneous reactions to boosters are possible, even when reactions to dose 1 & 2 did not occur; none of the reactions were life-threatening
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