270 research outputs found
Interpretation of neutrino flux limits from neutrino telescopes on the Hillas plot
We discuss the interplay between spectral shape and detector response beyond
a simple E^-2 neutrino flux at neutrino telescopes, at the example of
time-integrated point source searches using IceCube-40 data. We use a
self-consistent model for the neutrino production, in which protons interact
with synchrotron photons from co-accelerated electrons, and we fully take into
account the relevant pion and kaon production modes, the flavor composition at
the source, flavor mixing, and magnetic field effects on the secondaries
(pions, muon, and kaons). Since some of the model parameters can be related to
the Hillas parameters R (size of the acceleration region) and B (magnetic
field), we relate the detector response to the Hillas plane. In order to
compare the response to different spectral shapes, we use the energy flux
density as a measure for the pion production efficiency times luminosity of the
source. We demonstrate that IceCube has a very good reach in this quantity for
AGN nuclei and jets for all source declinations, while the spectra of sources
with strong magnetic fields are found outside the optimal reach. We also
demonstrate where neutrinos from kaon decays and muon tracks from tau decays
can be relevant for the detector response. Finally, we point out the
complementarity between IceCube and other experiments sensitive to high-energy
neutrinos, at the example of 2004-2008 Earth-skimming neutrino data from Auger.
We illustrate that Auger, in principle, is better sensitive to the parameter
region in the Hillas plane from which the highest-energetic cosmic rays may be
expected in this model.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures. Substantial clarifications, such as on
definition of "sensitivity" and model descriptio
Barotrauma is a significant cause of bat fatalities at wind turbines
SummaryBird fatalities at some wind energy facilities around the world have been documented for decades, but the issue of bat fatalities at such facilities — primarily involving migratory species during autumn migration — has been raised relatively recently [1,2]. Given that echolocating bats detect moving objects better than stationary ones [3], their relatively high fatality rate is perplexing, and numerous explanations have been proposed [1]. The decompression hypothesis proposes that bats are killed by barotrauma caused by rapid air-pressure reduction near moving turbine blades [1,4,5]. Barotrauma involves tissue damage to air-containing structures caused by rapid or excessive pressure change; pulmonary barotrauma is lung damage due to expansion of air in the lungs that is not accommodated by exhalation. We report here the first evidence that barotrauma is the cause of death in a high proportion of bats found at wind energy facilities. We found that 90% of bat fatalities involved internal haemorrhaging consistent with barotrauma, and that direct contact with turbine blades only accounted for about half of the fatalities. Air pressure change at turbine blades is an undetectable hazard and helps explain high bat fatality rates. We suggest that one reason why there are fewer bird than bat fatalities is that the unique respiratory anatomy of birds is less susceptible to barotrauma than that of mammals
The Mare as a Model for Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome: Intrafollicular Endocrine Milieu.
Luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome is a recurrent anovulatory dysfunction that affects up to 23% of women with normal menstrual cycles and up to 73% with endometriosis. Mechanisms underlying the development of LUF syndrome in mares were studied to provide a potential model for human anovulation. The effect of extended increase in circulating LH achieved by administration of recombinant equine LH (reLH) or a short surge of LH and decrease in progesterone induced by prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) on LUF formation (Experiment 1), identification of an optimal dose of COX-2 inhibitor (flunixin meglumine, FM; to block the effect of prostaglandins) for inducing LUFs (Experiment 2), and evaluation of intrafollicular endocrine milieu in LUFs (Experiment 3) were investigated. In Experiment 1, mares were treated with reLH from Day 7 to Day 15 (Day 0=ovulation), PGF2α on Day 7, or in combination. In Experiment 2, FM at doses of 2.0 or 3.0 mg/kg every 12 h and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (1500 IU) were administered after a follicle ≥32 mm was detected. In Experiment 3, FM at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg every 12 h plus hCG was used to induce LUFs and investigate the intrafollicular endocrine milieu. No LUFs were induced by reLH or PGF2α treatment; however, LUFs were induced in 100% of mares using FM. Intrafollicular PGF2α metabolite, PGF2α, and PGE2 were lower and the ratio of PGE2:PGF2α was higher in the induced LUF group. Higher levels of intrafollicular E2 and total primary sex steroids were observed in the induced LUF group along with a tendency for higher levels of GH, cortisol, and T; however, LH, PRL, VEGF-A, and NO did not differ between groups. In conclusion, this study reveals part of the intrafollicular endocrine milieu and the association of prostaglandins in LUF formation, and indicates that the mare might be an appropriate model for studying the poorly understood LUF syndrome
G-Structures, Fluxes and Calibrations in M-Theory
We study the most general supersymmetric warped M-theory backgrounds with
non-trivial G-flux of the type R^{1,2} x M_8 and AdS_3 x M_8. We give a set of
necessary and sufficient conditions for preservation of supersymmetry which are
phrased in terms of G-structures and their intrinsic torsion. These equations
may be interpreted as calibration conditions for a static ``dyonic'' M-brane,
that is, an M5-brane with self-dual three-form turned on. When the electric
flux is turned off we obtain the supersymmetry conditions and non-linear PDEs
describing M5-branes wrapped on associative and special Lagrangian three-cycles
in manifolds with G_2 and SU(3) structures, respectively. As an illustration of
our formalism, we recover the 1/2-BPS dyonic M-brane, and also construct some
new examples.Comment: 40 pages; v2: one reference added, typos correcte
BPS states in M-theory and twistorial constituents
We provide a complete algebraic description of BPS states in M-theory in
terms of primary constituents that we call BPS preons. We argue that any BPS
state preserving of the 32 supersymmetries is a composite of (32-k) BPS
preons. In particular, the BPS states corresponding to the basic M2 and M5
branes are composed of 16 BPS preons. By extending the M-algebra to a
generalized D=11 conformal superalgebra we relate the BPS preons
with its fundamental representation, the D=11 supertwistors.Comment: 4 pages. Refs. updated, two cosmetic changes, to appear in PR
The Mare as a Model for Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome: Intrafollicular Endocrine Milieu.
Luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome is a recurrent anovulatory dysfunction that affects up to 23% of women with normal menstrual cycles and up to 73% with endometriosis. Mechanisms underlying the development of LUF syndrome in mares were studied to provide a potential model for human anovulation. The effect of extended increase in circulating LH achieved by administration of recombinant equine LH (reLH) or a short surge of LH and decrease in progesterone induced by prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) on LUF formation (Experiment 1), identification of an optimal dose of COX-2 inhibitor (flunixin meglumine, FM; to block the effect of prostaglandins) for inducing LUFs (Experiment 2), and evaluation of intrafollicular endocrine milieu in LUFs (Experiment 3) were investigated. In Experiment 1, mares were treated with reLH from Day 7 to Day 15 (Day 0=ovulation), PGF2α on Day 7, or in combination. In Experiment 2, FM at doses of 2.0 or 3.0 mg/kg every 12 h and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (1500 IU) were administered after a follicle ≥32 mm was detected. In Experiment 3, FM at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg every 12 h plus hCG was used to induce LUFs and investigate the intrafollicular endocrine milieu. No LUFs were induced by reLH or PGF2α treatment; however, LUFs were induced in 100% of mares using FM. Intrafollicular PGF2α metabolite, PGF2α, and PGE2 were lower and the ratio of PGE2:PGF2α was higher in the induced LUF group. Higher levels of intrafollicular E2 and total primary sex steroids were observed in the induced LUF group along with a tendency for higher levels of GH, cortisol, and T; however, LH, PRL, VEGF-A, and NO did not differ between groups. In conclusion, this study reveals part of the intrafollicular endocrine milieu and the association of prostaglandins in LUF formation, and indicates that the mare might be an appropriate model for studying the poorly understood LUF syndrome
Neutrino Decays over Cosmological Distances and the Implications for Neutrino Telescopes
We discuss decays of ultra-relativistic neutrinos over cosmological distances
by solving the decay equation in terms of its redshift dependence. We
demonstrate that there are significant conceptual differences compared to more
simplified treatments of neutrino decay. For instance, the maximum distance the
neutrinos have traveled is limited by the Hubble length, which means that the
common belief that longer neutrino lifetimes can be probed by longer distances
does not apply. As a consequence, the neutrino lifetime limit from supernova
1987A cannot be exceeded by high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We discuss the
implications for neutrino spectra and flavor ratios from gamma-ray bursts as
one example of extragalactic sources, using up-to-date neutrino flux
predictions. If the observation of SN 1987A implies that \nu_1 is stable and
the other mass eigenstates decay with rates much smaller than their current
bounds, the muon track rate can be substantially suppressed compared to the
cascade rate in the region IceCube is most sensitive to. In this scenario, no
gamma-ray burst neutrinos may be found using muon tracks even with the full
scale experiment, whereas reliable information on high-energy astrophysical
sources can only be obtained from cascade measurements. As another consequence,
the recently observed two cascade event candidates at PeV energies will not be
accompanied by corresponding muon tracks.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Matches published versio
The metric and strong coupling limit of the M5-brane
We find the analogue of the Boillat metric of Born-Infeld theory for the
M5-brane. We show that it provides the propagation cone of {\sl all} 5-brane
degrees. In an arbitrary background field, this cone never lies outside the
Einstein cone. An energy momentum tensor for the three-form is defined and
shown to satisfy the Dominant Energy Condition. The theory is shown to be well
defined for all values of the magnetic field but there is a limiting electric
field strength. We consider the strong coupling limit of the M5-brane and show
that the corresponding theory is conformally invariant and admits infinitely
many conservation laws. On reduction to the Born-Infeld case this agrees with
the work of Bia{\l}nicki-Birula.Comment: Version to be published in special issue of JMP, July 2001. Sections
8 and 9 have been remove
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