28,298 research outputs found
Neptune's Migration into a Stirred-Up Kuiper Belt: A Detailed Comparison of Simulations to Observations
Nbody simulations are used to examine the consequences of Neptune's outward
migration into the Kuiper Belt, with the simulated endstates being compared
rigorously and quantitatively to the observations. These simulations confirm
the findings of Chiang et al. (2003), who showed that Neptune's migration into
a previously stirred-up Kuiper Belt can account for the Kuiper Belt Objects
(KBOs) known to librate at Neptune's 5:2 resonance. We also find that capture
is possible at many other weak, high-order mean motion resonances, such as the
11:6, 13:7, 13:6, 9:4, 7:3, 12:5, 8:3, 3:1, 7:2, and the 4:1. The more distant
of these resonances, such as the 9:4, 7:3, 5:2, and the 3:1, can also capture
particles in stable, eccentric orbits beyond 50 AU, in the region of phase
space conventionally known as the Scattered Disk. Indeed, 90% of the simulated
particles that persist over the age of the Solar System in the so-called
Scattered Disk zone never had a close encounter with Neptune, but instead were
promoted into these eccentric orbits by Neptune's resonances during the
migration epoch. This indicates that the observed Scattered Disk might not be
so scattered. This model also produced only a handful of Centaurs, all of which
originated at Neptune's mean motion resonances in the Kuiper Belt. We also
report estimates of the abundances and masses of the Belt's various
subpopulations (e.g., the resonant KBOs, the Main Belt, and the so-called
Scattered Disk), and also provide upper limits on the abundance of Centaurs and
Neptune's Trojans, as well as upper limits on the sizes and abundances of
hypothetical KBOs that might inhabit the a>50 AU zone.Comment: 60 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Long-term evolution of 1991 DA: A dynamically evolved extinct Halley-type comet
The long-term dynamical evolution of 21 variational orbits for the intermediate-period asteroid 1991 DA was followed for up to +/-10(exp 5) years from the present. 1991 DA is close to the 2:7 resonance with Jupiter; it has avoided close encounters, within 1 AU, with this planet for at least the past 30,000 years, even at the node crossing. The future evolution typically shows no close encounters with Jupiter within at least 50,000 years. This corresponds to the mean time between node crossings with either Jupiter or Saturn. Close encounters with Saturn and Jupiter lead to a chaotic evolution for the whole ensemble, while secular perturbations cause large-amplitude swings in eccentricity and inclination (the latter covering the range 15 deg approximately less than i approximately less than 85 deg) which correlate with deep excursions of the perihelion distance to values much less than 1 AU. These variations are similar to those found in P/Machholz and a variety of other high-inclination orbits, e.g., P/Hartley-IRAS. We emphasize the connection between the orbital evolution of 1991 DA and that of Halley-type comets. If 1991 DA was once a comet, it is not surprising that it is now extinct
Higgs masses and Electroweak Precision Observables in the Lepton-Flavor-Violating MSSM
We study the effects of Lepton Flavor Violation (LFV) in the scalar lepton
sector of the MSSM on precision observables such as the W-boson mass and the
effective weak leptonic mixing angle, and on the Higgs-boson mass predictions.
The slepton mass matrices are parameterized in a model-independent way by a
complete set of dimensionless parameters which we constrain through LFV decay
processes and the precision observables. We find regions where both conditions
are similarly constraining. The necessary prerequisites for the calculation
have been added to FeynArts and FormCalc and are thus publicly available for
further studies. The obtained results are available in FeynHiggs.Comment: LaTeX, 30 page
Efficient calculation of local dose distribution for response modelling in proton and ion beams
We present an algorithm for fast and accurate computation of the local dose
distribution in MeV beams of protons, carbon ions or other heavy-charged
particles. It uses compound Poisson-process modelling of track interaction and
succesive convolutions for fast computation. It can handle mixed particle
fields over a wide range of fluences. Since the local dose distribution is the
essential part of several approaches to model detector efficiency or cellular
response it has potential use in ion-beam dosimetry and radiotherapy.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
CP violating asymmetry in decays
The CP violating asymmetry from the decay rates of
charged Higgs bosons into the lightest neutral Higgs boson and a boson
is calculated and discussed in the complex MSSM. The contributions from all
complex phases are considered, especially from the top-squark trilinear
coupling, which induces a large contribution to the CP asymmetry.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, version published in JHE
Single top production in a non-minimal supersymmetric model
We study single top production at the LHC in a SUSY-QCD model with a heavy
Dirac gluino. The presence of a heavy Dirac gluino allows for notable top-up
flavour changing neutral currents. In this scenario, we find that the process
ug->tg gives the largest contribution to single top production via FCNCs at the
LHC. The key features of this signal are that the top quark is produced very
forward and that it is asymmetric to its anti-top counterpart, as the latter
lacks a valence quark.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, a background added, references added, minor
revisions, to be published in Phys. Lett.
Processed Chili Peppers for Export Markets: A Capital Budgeting Study on the AgroFood Company
The AgroFood Company, which currently exports fresh chili peppers to European clients, desires to expand the product mix offered. The company, as it expands its production of fresh peppers for export, has an increasing supply of grade 2 peppers that are unmarketable in Egypt. However, an attractive market for processed frozen chili peppers exists in Europe. To expand their client base, capitalize on a value added product, and minimize product waste, the AgroFood Company desires to develop processing practices for chili peppers produced in Egypt. The AgroFood Company would like to identify its options in the processed pepper market. An analysis of the company, competition, consumer, market channel, and conditions, provides insight into possible solutions to the challenges faced by the farm management. Designed for undergraduate classroom use, this case will provide students with an opportunity to evaluate the merits of business expansion into a high capacity, automated mechanical processing facility for grade 2 vegetables.Decision case, horticulture, agriculture economics, chili pepper production, protected vegetable production, Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty, Production Economics,
CP Asymmetry in Charged Higgs Decays in MSSM
We discuss and compare the charge-parity (CP) asymmetry in the charged Higgs
boson decays H -> \bar{u}_i d_j for the second and third generation quarks in
the minimal supersymmetric standard model. As part of the analysis, we derive
some general analytical formulas for the imaginary parts of two-point and
three-point scalar one-loop integrals and use them for calculating vectorial
and tensorial type integrals needed for the problem under consideration. We
find that, even though each decay mode has a potential to yield a CP asymmetry
larger than 10%, further analysis based on the number of required charged Higgs
events at colliders favors the \bar{t}b, \bar{c}b, and \bar{c}s channels, whose
asymmetry could reach 10-15% in certain parts of the parameter space.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures. Discussion about charged Higgs observability
added, typos corrected, accepted for publication in PR
The Ah receptor: adaptive metabolism, ligand diversity, and the xenokine model
Author Posting. © American Chemical Society, 2020. This is an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License. The definitive version was published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, 33(4), (2020): 860-879, doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00476.The Ah receptor (AHR) has been studied for almost five decades. Yet, we still have many important questions about its role in normal physiology and development. Moreover, we still do not fully understand how this protein mediates the adverse effects of a variety of environmental pollutants, such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (“dioxins”), and many polyhalogenated biphenyls. To provide a platform for future research, we provide the historical underpinnings of our current state of knowledge about AHR signal transduction, identify a few areas of needed research, and then develop concepts such as adaptive metabolism, ligand structural diversity, and the importance of proligands in receptor activation. We finish with a discussion of the cognate physiological role of the AHR, our perspective on why this receptor is so highly conserved, and how we might think about its cognate ligands in the future.This review is dedicated in memory of the career of Alan Poland, one of the truly great minds in pharmacology and toxicology. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants R35-ES028377, T32-ES007015, P30-CA014520, P42-ES007381, and U01-ES1026127, The UW SciMed GRS Program, and The Morgridge Foundation. The authors would like to thank Catherine Stanley of UW Media Solutions for her artwork
Methylation Status of Imprinted Genes and Repetitive Elements in Sperm DNA from Infertile Males
Stochastic, environmentally and/or genetically induced disturbances in the genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming processes during male germ-cell development may contribute to male infertility. To test this hypothesis, we have studied the methylation levels of 2 paternally (H19 and GTL2) and 5 maternally methylated (LIT1, MEST, NESPAS, PEG3, and SNRPN) imprinted genes, as well as of ALU and LINE1 repetitive elements in 141 sperm samples, which were used for assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including 106 couples with strictly male-factor or combined male and female infertility and 28 couples with strictly female-factor infertility. Aberrant methylation imprints showed a significant association with abnormal semen parameters, but did not seem to influence ART outcome. Repeat methylation also differed significantly between sperm samples from infertile and presumably fertile males. However, in contrast to imprinted genes, ALU methylation had a significant impact on pregnancy and live-birth rate in couples with male-factor or combined infertility. ALU methylation was significantly high-er in sperm samples leading to pregnancy and live-birth than in those that did not. Sperm samples leading to abortions showed significantly lower ALU methylation levels than those leading to the birth of a baby. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base
- …