2,988 research outputs found
Light sterile neutrino production in the early universe with dynamical neutrino asymmetries
Light sterile neutrinos mixing with the active ones have been recently
proposed to solve different anomalies observed in short-baseline oscillation
experiments. These neutrinos can also be produced by oscillations of the active
neutrinos in the early universe, leaving possible traces on different
cosmological observables. Here we perform an updated study of the neutrino
kinetic equations in (3+1) and (2+1) oscillation schemes, dynamically evolving
primordial asymmetries of active neutrinos and taking into account for the
first time CP-violation effects. In the absence of neutrino asymmetries,
eV-mass scale sterile neutrinos would be completely thermalized creating a
tension with respect to the CMB, LSS and BBN data. In the past literature,
active neutrino asymmetries have been invoked as a way to inhibit the sterile
neutrino production via the in-medium suppression of the sterile-active mixing
angle. However, neutrino asymmetries also permit a resonant sterile neutrino
production. We find that if the active species have equal asymmetries L, a
value |L|=10^{-3} is required to start suppressing the resonant sterile
production, roughly an order of magnitude larger than what previously expected.
When active species have opposite asymmetries the sterile abundance is further
enhanced, requiring an even larger |L|\simeq 10^{-2} to start suppressing their
production. In the latter case, CP-violation (naturally expected) further
exacerbates the phenomenon. Some consequences for cosmological observables are
briefly discussed: for example, it is likely that moderate suppressions of the
sterile species production are associated with significant spectral distortions
of the active neutrino species, with potentially interesting phenomenological
consequences especially for BBN.Comment: (v2: 22 pages, 10 eps figures. Revised version. Typos removed,
reference updated. Matches the version published on PRD.
Private Outsourcing of Polynomial Evaluation and Matrix Multiplication using Multilinear Maps
{\em Verifiable computation} (VC) allows a computationally weak client to
outsource the evaluation of a function on many inputs to a powerful but
untrusted server. The client invests a large amount of off-line computation and
gives an encoding of its function to the server. The server returns both an
evaluation of the function on the client's input and a proof such that the
client can verify the evaluation using substantially less effort than doing the
evaluation on its own. We consider how to privately outsource computations
using {\em privacy preserving} VC schemes whose executions reveal no
information on the client's input or function to the server. We construct VC
schemes with {\em input privacy} for univariate polynomial evaluation and
matrix multiplication and then extend them such that the {\em function privacy}
is also achieved. Our tool is the recently developed {mutilinear maps}. The
proposed VC schemes can be used in outsourcing {private information retrieval
(PIR)}.Comment: 23 pages, A preliminary version appears in the 12th International
Conference on Cryptology and Network Security (CANS 2013
Cosmic dance in the Shapley Concentration Core - I. A study of the radio emission of the BCGs and tailed radio galaxies
The Shapley Concentration () covers several degrees in the
Southern Hemisphere, and includes galaxy clusters in advanced evolutionary
stage, groups of clusters in the early stages of merger, fairly massive
clusters with ongoing accretion activity, and smaller groups located in
filaments in the regions between the main clusters. With the goal to
investigate the role of cluster mergers and accretion on the radio galaxy
population, we performed a multi-wavelength study of the BCGs and of the
galaxies showing extended radio emission in the cluster complexes of Abell 3528
and Abell 3558. Our study is based on a sample of 12 galaxies. We observed the
clusters with the GMRT at 235, 325 and 610 MHz, and with the VLA at 8.46 GHz.
We complemented our study with the TGSS at 150 MHz, the SUMSS at 843 MHz and
ATCA at 1380, 1400, 2380, and 4790 MHz data. Optical imaging with ESO-VST and
mid-IR coverage with WISE are also available for the host galaxies. We found
deep differences in the properties of the radio emission of the BCGs in the two
cluster complexes. The BCGs in the A3528 complex and in A3556, which are
relaxed cool-core objects, are powerful active radio galaxies. They also
present hints of restarted activity. On the contrary, the BCGs in A3558 and
A3562, which are well known merging systems, are very faint, or quiet, in the
radio band. The optical and IR properties of the galaxies are fairly similar in
the two complexes, showing all passive red galaxies. Our study shows remarkable
differences in the radio properties of the BGCs, which we relate to the
different dynamical state of the host cluster. On the contrary, the lack of
changes between such different environments in the optical band suggests that
the dynamical state of galaxy clusters does not affect the optical counterparts
of the radio galaxies, at least over the life-time of the radio emission.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Level variations in speech: Effect on masking release in hearing-impaired listeners
Acoustic speech is marked by time-varying changes in the amplitude envelope that may pose difficulties for hearing-impaired listeners. Removal of these variations (e.g., by the Hilbert transform) could improve speech reception for such listeners, particularly in fluctuating interference. Léger, Reed, Desloge, Swaminathan, and Braida [(2015b). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 138, 389–403] observed that a normalized measure of masking release obtained for hearing-impaired listeners using speech processed to preserve temporal fine-structure (TFS) cues was larger than that for unprocessed or envelope-based speech. This study measured masking release for two other speech signals in which level variations were minimal: peak clipping and TFS processing of an envelope signal. Consonant identification was measured for hearing-impaired listeners in backgrounds of continuous and fluctuating speech-shaped noise. The normalized masking release obtained using speech with normal variations in overall level was substantially less than that observed using speech processed to achieve highly restricted level variations. These results suggest that the performance of hearing-impaired listeners in fluctuating noise may be improved by signal processing that leads to a decrease in stimulus level variations.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01DC000117
Hybrid photonic-bandgap accelerating cavities
In a recent investigation, we studied two-dimensional point-defected photonic
bandgap cavities composed of dielectric rods arranged according to various
representative periodic and aperiodic lattices, with special emphasis on
possible applications to particle acceleration (along the longitudinal axis).
In this paper, we present a new study aimed at highlighting the possible
advantages of using hybrid structures based on the above dielectric
configurations, but featuring metallic rods in the outermost regions, for the
design of extremely-high quality factor, bandgap-based, accelerating
resonators. In this framework, we consider diverse configurations, with
different (periodic and aperiodic) lattice geometries, sizes, and
dielectric/metal fractions. Moreover, we also explore possible improvements
attainable via the use of superconducting plates to confine the electromagnetic
field in the longitudinal direction. Results from our comparative studies,
based on numerical full-wave simulations backed by experimental validations (at
room and cryogenic temperatures) in the microwave region, identify the
candidate parametric configurations capable of yielding the highest quality
factor.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. One figure and one reference added;
minor changes in the tex
Heat-kernel Coefficients and Spectra of the Vector Laplacians on Spherical Domains with Conical Singularities
The spherical domains with conical singularities are a convenient
arena for studying the properties of tensor Laplacians on arbitrary manifolds
with such a kind of singular points. In this paper the vector Laplacian on
is considered and its spectrum is calculated exactly for any
dimension . This enables one to find the Schwinger-DeWitt coefficients of
this operator by using the residues of the -function. In particular, the
second coefficient, defining the conformal anomaly, is explicitly calculated on
and its generalization to arbitrary manifolds is found. As an
application of this result, the standard renormalization of the one-loop
effective action of gauge fields is demonstrated to be sufficient to remove the
ultraviolet divergences up to the first order in the conical deficit angle.Comment: plain LaTeX, 23 pp., revised version, a misprint in expressions (1.8)
and (4.38) of the second heat coefficient for the vector Laplacian is
corrected. No other change
The Use of Tactile Sensors in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: An Overview
Background: This overview aimed to characterize the type, development, and use of haptic technologies for maxillofacial surgical purposes. The work aim is to summarize and evaluate current advantages, drawbacks, and design choices of presented technologies for each field of application in order to address and promote future research as well as to provide a global view of the issue. Methods: Relevant manuscripts were searched electronically through Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases until 1 November 2022. Results: After analyzing the available literature, 31 articles regarding tactile sensors and interfaces, sensorized tools, haptic technologies, and integrated platforms in oral and maxillofacial surgery have been included. Moreover, a quality rating is provided for each article following appropriate evaluation metrics. Discussion: Many efforts have been made to overcome the technological limits of computed assistant diagnosis, surgery, and teaching. Nonetheless, a research gap is evident between dental/maxillofacial surgery and other specialties such as endovascular, laparoscopic, and microsurgery; especially for what concerns electrical and optical-based sensors for instrumented tools and sensorized tools for contact forces detection. The application of existing technologies is mainly focused on digital simulation purposes, and the integration into Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS) is far from being widely actuated. Virtual reality, increasingly adopted in various fields of surgery (e.g., sino-nasal, traumatology, implantology) showed interesting results and has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. A major concern regarding the actual state of the art is the absence of randomized control trials and the prevalence of case reports, retrospective cohorts, and experimental studies. Nonetheless, as the research is fast growing, we can expect to see many developments be incorporated into maxillofacial surgery practice, after adequate evaluation by the scientific community
Testing consumers’ acceptance for an extra-virgin olive oil with a naturally increased content in polyphenols: The case of ultrasounds extraction
Innovation is fundamental for all agri-food companies to increase competitiveness. Being extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) a traditional food product (TFP), the main obstacle to innovation is its traditional nature. This study evaluated consumers’ acceptance for an EVOO with a naturally increased content of poliphenols, as it has been extracted through ultrasounds. This product has been compared with a set of emerging innovations that may be introduced in the next future. To this end, a choice experiment was carried out bent on the estimation of a Latent Class Model (LCM). A nationally-representative sample of EVOO consumers were involved in a web-based interview. The LCM analysis highlighted three segments of consumers: (1) innovative; (2) traditionalist; (3) cautious. Results showed that there is cluster of consumers willing to accept this innovation, therefore its introduction on the market appears to be possibly successful
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