7,428 research outputs found
Detecting sterile neutrinos with KATRIN like experiments
A sterile neutrino with mass in the eV range, mixing with the electron
antineutrino, is allowed and possibly even preferred by cosmology and
oscillation experiments. If such eV-mass neutrinos exist they provide a much
better target for direct detection in beta decay experiments than the active
neutrinos which are expected to have sub-eV masses. Their relatively high mass
would allow for an easy separation from the primary decay signal in experiments
such as KATRIN.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures. References & Figures updated. Text reviewed and
revised. Accepted for publication JCA
X-ray emission from hydrodynamical simulations in non-LTE wind models
Hot stars are sources of X-ray emission originating in their winds. Although
hydrodynamical simulations that are able to predict this X-ray emission are
available, the inclusion of X-rays in stationary wind models is usually based
on simplifying approximations. To improve this, we use results from
time-dependent hydrodynamical simulations of the line-driven wind instability
(seeded by the base perturbation) to derive the analytical approximation of
X-ray emission in the stellar wind. We use this approximation in our non-LTE
wind models and find that an improved inclusion of X-rays leads to a better
agreement between model ionization fractions and those derived from servations.
Furthermore, the slope of the L_x-L relation is in better agreement with
observations, however the X-ray luminosity is underestimated by a factor of
three. We propose a possible solution for this discrepancy.Comment: 9 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Axions and saxions from the primordial supersymmetric plasma and extra radiation signatures
We calculate the rate for thermal production of axions and saxions via
scattering of quarks, gluons, squarks, and gluinos in the primordial
supersymmetric plasma. Systematic field theoretical methods such as hard
thermal loop resummation are applied to obtain a finite result in a
gauge-invariant way that is consistent to leading order in the strong gauge
coupling. We calculate the thermally produced yield and the decoupling
temperature for both axions and saxions. For the generic case in which saxion
decays into axions are possible, the emitted axions can constitute extra
radiation already prior to big bang nucleosynthesis and well thereafter. We
update associated limits imposed by recent studies of the primordial helium-4
abundance and by precision cosmology of the cosmic microwave background and
large scale structure. We show that the trend towards extra radiation seen in
those studies can be explained by late decays of thermal saxions into axions
and that upcoming Planck results will probe supersymmetric axion models with
unprecedented sensitivity.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures; v2: references added, minor clarifying
additions, matches published versio
Word stress perception by congenital amusics
Congenital Amusia is a developmental disorder that is defined by diffi- culties with the perception of pitch and rhythm. While it used to be described as a disorder of musical pitch perception, recent publications have shown that congeni- tal amusia also affects linguistic pitch perception. In this chapter we report the first study of word stress processing by congenital amusics. We designed a behav- ioral identification task and a mismatch negativity study using German minimal stress pairs as basis for our stimuli. We considered the acoustic parameters funda- mental frequency (pitch), duration, intensity and spectral slope. Behavioral results surprisingly revealed no pitch processing difficulties for word stress in the amusic group in comparison to controls, and amusics also showed a better usage of dura- tional cues. The electrophysiological results revealed that amusics consistently have an MMN, though it is smaller than that of controls. The present results war- rant further investigation of the use of linguistic cues by congenital amusics
Web-based Testing of Congenital Amusia with the <i>Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia</i>
Revising the diagnosis of congenital amusia with the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia
This article presents a critical survey of the prevalent usage of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA; Peretz et al., 2003) to assess congenital amusia, a neuro-developmental disorder that has been claimed to be present in 4% of the population (Kalmus and Fry, 1980). It reviews and discusses the current usage of the MBEA in relation to cut-off scores, number of used subtests, manner of testing, and employed statistics, as these vary in the literature. Furthermore, data are presented from a large-scale experiment with 228 German undergraduate students who were assessed with the MBEA and a comprehensive questionnaire. This experiment tested the difference between scores that were obtained in a web-based study (at participants’ homes) and those obtained under laboratory conditions with a computerized version of the MBEA. In addition to traditional statistical procedures, the data were evaluated using Signal Detection Theory (SDT; Green and Swets, 1966), taking into consideration the individual’s ability to discriminate and their response bias. Results show that using SDT for scoring instead of proportion correct offers a bias-free and normally distributed measure of discrimination ability. It is also demonstrated that a diagnosis based on an average score leads to cases of misdiagnosis. The prevalence of congenital amusia is shown to depend highly on the statistical criterion that is applied as cut-off score and on the number of subtests that is considered for the diagnosis. In addition, three different subtypes of amusics were found in our sample. Lastly, significant differences between the web-based and the laboratory group were found, giving rise to questions about the validity of web-based experimentation
Adherence to secondary stroke prevention strategies - Results from the German stroke data bank
Only very limited data are available concerning patient adherence to antithrombotic medication intended to prevent a recurrent stroke. Reduced adherence and compliance could significantly influence the effects of any stroke prevention strategies. This study from a large stroke data bank provides representative data concerning the rate of stroke victims adhering to their recommended preventive medication. During a 2-year period beginning January 1, 1998, all patients with acute stroke or TIA in 23 neurological departments with an acute stroke unit were included in the German Stroke Data Bank. Data were collected prospectively, reviewed, validated and processed in a central data management unit. Only 12 centers with a follow-up rate of 80% or higher were included in this evaluation. 3,420 patients were followed up after 3 months, and 2,640 patients were followed up one year after their stroke. After one year, 96% of all patients reported still adhere to at least one medical stroke prevention strategy. Of the patients receiving aspirin at discharge, 92.6% reported to use that medication after 3 months and 84% after one year, while 81.6 and 61.6% were the respective figures for clopidogrel, and 85.2 and 77.4% for oral anticoagulation. Most patients who changed medication switched from aspirin to clopidogrel. Under the conditions of this observational study, adherence to stroke prevention strategies is excellent. The highest adherence rate is noticed for aspirin and oral anticoagulation. After one year, very few patients stopped taking stroke preventive medication. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel
The Quasar-frame Velocity Distribution of Narrow CIV Absorbers
We report on a survey for narrow (FWHM < 600 km/s) CIV absorption lines in a
sample of bright quasars at redshifts in the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey. Our main goal is to understand the relationship of narrow CIV
absorbers to quasar outflows and, more generally, to quasar environments. We
determine velocity zero-points using the broad MgII emission line, and then
measure the absorbers' quasar-frame velocity distribution. We examine the
distribution of lines arising in quasar outflows by subtracting model fits to
the contributions from cosmologically intervening absorbers and absorption due
to the quasar host galaxy or cluster environment. We find a substantial number
( per cent) of absorbers with REW \AA in the velocity range
+750 km/s \la v \la +12000 km/s are intrinsic to the AGN outflow. This
`outflow fraction' peaks near km/s with a value of . At velocities below km/s the incidence
of outflowing systems drops, possibly due to geometric effects or to the
over-ionization of gas that is nearer the accretion disk. Furthermore, we find
that outflow-absorbers are on average broader and stronger than
cosmologically-intervening systems. Finally, we find that per cent of
the quasars in our sample exhibit narrow, outflowing CIV absorption with REW \AA, slightly larger than that for broad absorption line systems.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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