96 research outputs found
Integrating environmental and economic performance to assess modern silvoarable agroforestry in Europe
AnalysisThe environmental and economic performance of silvoarable agroforestry in Europe is
highly variable. Multi-criteria analysis, using the PROMETHEE outranking approach, was
used to evaluate the integrated performance of silvoarable agroforestry on hypothetical
farms in nineteen landscape test sites in Spain, France, and The Netherlands. The
silvoarable scenarios allocated a proportion of the hypothetical farms (10 or 50%) to
silvoarable agroforestry at two different tree densities (50 or 113 trees ha−1) on two different
qualities of land (best or worst quality land). The status quo (conventional arable farming)
was also assessed for comparison. The criteria used in the evaluation (soil erosion, nitrogen
leaching, carbon sequestration, landscape biodiversity, and infinite net present value) were
assessed at each landscape test site; infinite net present value was assessed under six levels
of government support. In France, the analysis showed, assuming equal weighting between
environmental and economic performance, that silvoarable agroforestry was preferable to
conventional arable farming. The best results were observed when agroforestry was
implemented on 50% of the highest quality land on the farm; the effect of tree density (50–
113 trees ha−1) was small. By contrast, in Spain and The Netherlands, the consistently
greater profitability of conventional arable agriculture relative to the agroforestry
alternatives made overall performance of agroforestry systems dependent on the
proportion of the farm planted, and the tree density and land quality used
Warped Spectroscopy: Localization of Frozen Bulk Modes
We study the 10D equation of motion of dilaton-axion fluctuations in type IIB
string compactifications with three-form flux, taking warping into account.
Using simplified models with physics comparable to actual compactifications, we
argue that the lightest mode localizes in long warped throats and takes a mass
of order the warped string scale. Also, Gukov-Vafa-Witten superpotential is
valid for the lightest mass mode; however, the mass is similar to the
Kaluza-Klein scale, so the dilaton-axion should be integrated out of the
effective theory in this long throat regime (leaving a constant
superpotential). On the other hand, there is a large hierarchy between
flux-induced and KK mass scales for moderate or weak warping. This hierarchy
agrees with arguments given for trivial warping. Along the way, we also
estimate the effect of the other 10D supergravity equations of motion on the
dilaton-axion fluctuation, since these equations act as constraints. We argue
that they give negligible corrections to the simplest approximation.Comment: 24pp + appendices, 6 figs, JHEP3 class; v2. corrected reference; v3.
added clarifications; v4. corrected typo
On D3-brane Potentials in Compactifications with Fluxes and Wrapped D-branes
We study the potential governing D3-brane motion in a warped throat region of
a string compactification with internal fluxes and wrapped D-branes. If the
Kahler moduli of the compact space are stabilized by nonperturbative effects, a
D3-brane experiences a force due to its interaction with D-branes wrapping
certain four-cycles. We compute this interaction, as a correction to the warped
four-cycle volume, using explicit throat backgrounds in supergravity. This
amounts to a closed-string channel computation of the loop corrections to the
nonperturbative superpotential that stabilizes the volume. We demonstrate for
warped conical spaces that the superpotential correction is given by the
embedding equation specifying the wrapped four-cycle, in agreement with the
general form proposed by Ganor. Our approach automatically provides a solution
to the problem of defining a holomorphic gauge coupling on wrapped D7-branes in
a background with D3-branes. Finally, our results have applications to
cosmological inflation models in which the inflaton is modeled by a D3-brane
moving in a warped throat.Comment: 45 pages, 1 figure; v2: added reference, clarified notatio
Brane/flux annihilation transitions and nonperturbative moduli stabilization
By extending the calculation of Kahler moduli stabilization to account for an
embiggened antibrane, we reevaluate brane/flux annihilation in a warped throat
with one stabilized Kahler modulus. We find that depending on the relative size
of various fluxes three things can occur: the decay process proceeds
unhindered, the anti-D3-branes are forbidden to decay classically, or the
entire space decompactifies. Additionally, we show that the Kahler modulus
receives a contribution from the collective 3-brane tension. This allows for a
significant change in compactified volume during the transition and possibly
mitigates some fine tuning otherwise required to achieve large volume.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX. v2: references adde
The Shape of Gravity in a Warped Deformed Conifold
We study the spectrum of the gravitational modes in Minkowski spacetime due
to a 6-dimensional warped deformed conifold, i.e., a warped throat, in
superstring theory. After identifying the zero mode as the usual 4D graviton,
we present the KK spectrum as well as other excitation modes. Gluing the throat
to the bulk (a realistic scenario), we see that the graviton has a rather
uniform probability distribution everywhere while a KK mode is peaked in the
throat, as expected. Due to the suppressed measure of the throat in the wave
function normalization, we find that a KK mode's probability in the bulk can be
comparable to that of the graviton mode. We also present the tunneling
probabilities of a KK mode from the inflationary throat to the bulk and to
another throat. Due to resonance effect, the latter may not be suppressed as
natively expected. Implication of this property to reheating after brane
inflation is discussed
The Volume of some Non-spherical Horizons and the AdS/CFT Correspondence
We calculate the volumes of a large class of Einstein manifolds, namely
Sasaki-Einstein manifolds which are the bases of Ricci-flat affine cones
described by polynomial embedding relations in C^n. These volumes are important
because they allow us to extend and test the AdS/CFT correspondence. We use
these volumes to extend the central charge calculation of Gubser (1998) to the
generalized conifolds of Gubser, Shatashvili, and Nekrasov (1999). These
volumes also allow one to quantize precisely the D-brane flux of the AdS
supergravity solution. We end by demonstrating a relationship between the
volumes of these Einstein spaces and the number of holomorphic polynomials
(which correspond to chiral primary operators in the field theory dual) on the
corresponding affine cone.Comment: 25 pp, LaTeX, 1 figure, v2: refs adde
Dibaryon Spectroscopy
The AdS/CFT correspondence relates dibaryons in superconformal gauge theories
to holomorphic curves in Kaehler-Einstein surfaces. The degree of the
holomorphic curves is proportional to the gauge theory conformal dimension of
the dibaryons. Moreover, the number of holomorphic curves should match, in an
appropriately defined sense, the number of dibaryons. Using AdS/CFT backgrounds
built from the generalized conifolds of Gubser, Shatashvili, and Nekrasov
(1999), we show that the gauge theory prediction for the dimension of
dibaryonic operators does indeed match the degree of the corresponding
holomorphic curves. For AdS/CFT backgrounds built from cones over del Pezzo
surfaces, we are able to match the degree of the curves to the conformal
dimension of dibaryons for the n'th del Pezzo surface, n=1,2,...,6. Also, for
the del Pezzos and the A_k type generalized conifolds, for the dibaryons of
smallest conformal dimension, we are able to match the number of holomorphic
curves with the number of possible dibaryon operators from gauge theory.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures, corrected refs; v3 typos correcte
Initial modelled outputs at field scale
This report comprises Deliverable 6.16 in the project, which contributes to the third objective as it presents field-scale evaluation of innovations, in order to adapt and evaluate agroforestry designs and practices for locations where agroforestry is currently not-widely practised or declining. The modelling of outputs at field scale to support best agroforestry practices is an ongoing activity during the AGFORWARD project. This report highlights some of the outputs which has been produced in the form of three papers (either submitted or about to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal) or in four presentations at the Third European Agroforestry Conference in May 2016N/
DBI Inflation in the Tip Region of a Warped Throat
Previous work on DBI inflation, which achieves inflation through the motion
of a brane as it moves through a warped throat compactification, has
focused on the region far from the tip of the throat. Since reheating and other
observable effects typically occur near the tip, a more detailed study of this
region is required. To investigate these effects we consider a generalized warp
throat where the warp factor becomes nearly constant near the tip. We find that
it is possible to obtain 60 or more e-folds in the constant region, however
large non-gaussianities are typically produced due to the small sound speed of
fluctuations. For a particular well-studied throat, the Klebanov-Strassler
solution, we find that inflation near the tip may be generic and it is
difficult to satisfy current bounds on non-gaussianity, but other throat
solutions may evade these difficulties.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure. v1. references added, typos corrected v2.
clarifications mad
Functional Anatomy of the Female Pelvic Floor
The anatomic structures in the female that prevent incontinence and genital organ prolapse on increases in abdominal pressure during daily activities include sphincteric and supportive systems. In the urethra, the action of the vesical neck and urethral sphincteric mechanisms maintains urethral closure pressure above bladder pressure. Decreases in the number of striated muscle fibers of the sphincter occur with age and parity. A supportive hammock under the urethra and vesical neck provides a firm backstop against which the urethra is compressed during increases in abdominal pressure to maintain urethral closure pressures above the rapidly increasing bladder pressure. This supporting layer consists of the anterior vaginal wall and the connective tissue that attaches it to the pelvic bones through the pubovaginal portion of the levator ani muscle, and the uterosacral and cardinal ligaments comprising the tendinous arch of the pelvic fascia. At rest the levator ani maintains closure of the urogenital hiatus. They are additionally recruited to maintain hiatal closure in the face of inertial loads related to visceral accelerations as well as abdominal pressurization in daily activities involving recruitment of the abdominal wall musculature and diaphragm. Vaginal birth is associated with an increased risk of levator ani defects, as well as genital organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Computer models indicate that vaginal birth places the levator ani under tissue stretch ratios of up to 3.3 and the pudendal nerve under strains of up to 33%, respectively. Research is needed to better identify the pathomechanics of these conditions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72597/1/annals.1389.034.pd
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