Effects of Foreground Contamination on the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Measured by MAP

We study the effects of diffuse Galactic, far-infrared extragalactic source, and radio point source emission on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy data anticipated from the MAP experiment. We focus on the correlation function and genus statistics measured from mock MAP foreground-contaminated CMB anisotropy maps generated in a spatially-flat cosmological constant dominated cosmological model. Analyses of the simulated MAP data at 90 GHz (0.3 deg FWHM resolution smoothed) show that foreground effects on the correlation function are small compared with cosmic variance. However, the Galactic emission, even just from the region with |b| > 20 deg, significantly affects the topology of CMB anisotropy, causing a negative genus shift non-Gaussianity signal. Given the expected level of cosmic variance, this effect can be effectively reduced by subtracting existing Galactic foreground emission models from the observed data. IRAS and DIRBE far-infrared extragalactic sources have little effect on the CMB anisotropy. Radio point sources raise the amplitude of the correlation function considerably on scales below 0.5 deg. Removal of bright radio sources above a 5 \sigma detection limit effectively eliminates this effect. Radio sources also result in a positive genus curve asymmetry (significant at 2 \sigma) on 0.5 deg scales. Accurate radio point source data is essential for an unambiguous detection of CMB anisotropy non-Gaussianity on these scales. Non-Gaussianity of cosmological origin can be detected from the foreground-subtracted CMB anisotropy map at the 2 \sigma level if the measured genus shift parameter |\Delta\nu| >= 0.02 (0.04) or if the measured genus asymmetry parameter |\Delta g| >= 0.03 (0.08) on a 0.3 (1.0) deg FWHM scale.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for Publication in Astrophysical Journal (Some sentences and figures modified

Extended quantum conditional entropy and quantum uncertainty inequalities

Quantum states can be subjected to classical measurements, whose incompatibility, or uncertainty, can be quantified by a comparison of certain entropies. There is a long history of such entropy inequalities between position and momentum. Recently these inequalities have been generalized to the tensor product of several Hilbert spaces and we show here how their derivations can be shortened to a few lines and how they can be generalized. All the recently derived uncertainty relations utilize the strong subadditivity (SSA) theorem; our contribution relies on directly utilizing the proof technique of the original derivation of SSA.Comment: 4 page

Energy conditions in f(R) gravity and Brans-Dicke theories

The equivalence between f(R) gravity and scalar-tensor theories is invoked to study the null, strong, weak and dominant energy conditions in Brans-Dicke theory. We consider the validity of the energy conditions in Brans-Dicke theory by invoking the energy conditions derived from a generic f(R) theory. The parameters involved are shown to be consistent with an accelerated expanding universe.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, to appear in IJMP

The Topology of Large Scale Structure in the 1.2 Jy IRAS Redshift Survey

We measure the topology (genus) of isodensity contour surfaces in volume limited subsets of the 1.2 Jy IRAS redshift survey, for smoothing scales \lambda=4\hmpc, 7\hmpc, and 12\hmpc. At 12\hmpc, the observed genus curve has a symmetric form similar to that predicted for a Gaussian random field. At the shorter smoothing lengths, the observed genus curve shows a modest shift in the direction of an isolated cluster or ``meatball'' topology. We use mock catalogs drawn from cosmological N-body simulations to investigate the systematic biases that affect topology measurements in samples of this size and to determine the full covariance matrix of the expected random errors. We incorporate the error correlations into our evaluations of theoretical models, obtaining both frequentist assessments of absolute goodness-of-fit and Bayesian assessments of models' relative likelihoods. We compare the observed topology of the 1.2 Jy survey to the predictions of dynamically evolved, unbiased, gravitational instability models that have Gaussian initial conditions. The model with an $n=-1$, power-law initial power spectrum achieves the best overall agreement with the data, though models with a low-density cold dark matter power spectrum and an $n=0$ power-law spectrum are also consistent. The observed topology is inconsistent with an initially Gaussian model that has $n=-2$, and it is strongly inconsistent with a Voronoi foam model, which has a non-Gaussian, bubble topology.Comment: ApJ submitted, 39 pages, LaTeX(aasms4), 12 figures, 1 Tabl

Conformal Radiotherapy Facilitates the Delivery of Concurrent Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy: A Case of Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumour of the Chest Wall

We illustrate the principle of conformal radiotherapy by discussing the case of a patient with a primitive neuroectodermal tumour of the chest wall. Recent advances in radiotherapy planning enable precise localization of the planning target volume (PTV) and normal organs at risk of irradiation. Customized blocks are subsequently designed to produce a treatment field that ‘conforms’ to the PTV. The use of conformal radiotherapy (CRT) in this case facilitated the delivery of concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy by significantly reducing the volume of red marrow irradiated.The lack of acute and late toxicities was attributed to optimal exclusion of normal tissues from the treatment field, made possible by CRT

Evolution of Structure in the Intergalactic Medium and the Nature of the Ly-alpha Forest

We have performed a detailed statistical study of the evolution of structure in a photoionized intergalactic medium (IGM) using analytical simulations to extend the calculation into the mildly non-linear density regime found to prevail at z = 3. Our work is based on a simple fundamental conjecture: that the probability distribution function of the density of baryonic diffuse matter in the universe is described by a lognormal (LN) random field. The LN field has several attractive features and follows plausibly from the assumption of initial linear Gaussian density and velocity fluctuations at arbitrarily early times. Starting with a suitably normalized power spectrum of primordial fluc- tuations in a universe dominated by cold dark matter (CDM), we compute the behavior of the baryonic matter, which moves slowly toward minima in the dark matter potential on scales larger than the Jeans length. We have computed two models that succeed in matching observations. One is a non-standard CDM model with Omega=1, h=0.5 and \Gamma=0.3, and the other is a low density flat model with a cosmological constant(LCDM), with Omega=0.4, Omega_Lambda=0.6 and h=.65. In both models, the variance of the density distribution function grows with time, reaching unity at about z=4, where the simulation yields spectra that closely resemble the Ly-alpha forest absorption seen in the spectra of high z quasars. The calculations also successfully predict the observed properties of the Ly-alpha forest clouds and their evolution from z=4 down to at least z=2, assuming a constant intensity for the metagalactic UV background over this redshift range. However, in our model the forest is not due to discrete clouds, but rather to fluctuations in a continuous intergalactic medium. (This is an abreviated abstract; the complete abstract is included with the manuscript.)Comment: Wrong Fig. 10 is corrected. Our custom made postscript is available at ftp://hut4.pha.jhu.edu/incoming/igm, or contact Arthur Davidsen ([email protected]) for nice hardcopies; accepted for publication in Ap

The distance upon contact: Determination from roughness profile

The point at which two random rough surfaces make contact takes place at the contact of the highest asperities. The distance upon contact d_0 in the limit of zero load has crucial importance for determination of dispersive forces. Using gold films as an example we demonstrate that for two parallel plates d_0 is a function of the nominal size of the contact area L and give a simple expression for d_0(L) via the surface roughness characteristics. In the case of a sphere of fixed radius R and a plate the scale dependence manifests itself as an additional uncertainty \delta d(L) in the separation, where the scale L is related with the separation d via the effective area of interaction L^2\sim\pi Rd. This uncertainty depends on the roughness of interacting bodies and disappears in the limit L\to \infty.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY APPLIED IN THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR: SOCIETAL PRIORITIES AND PITFALLS

Synthetic biology offers potential for innovation in the agrifood sector, although concerns have been raised consumer rejection of applications will occur similar to that associated with the introduction of genetically modified foods. Risk-benefit assessment should address socio-economic, as well as health and environmental impacts. Ethical issues may be of particular relevance to the application synthetic biology, and may also resonate with societal concerns. A case-by-case analysis of relevant issues may be needed, and innovation must be driven by societal and consumer preferences as well as technological possibilities. Research into consumer and societal priorities is required early in the innovation trajector

Static critical exponents of the ferromagnetic transition in spin glass re-entrant systems

The static critical phenomenology near the Curie temperature of the re-entrant metallic alloys Au_0.81Fe_0.19, Ni_0.78Mn_0.22, Ni_0.79Mn_0.21 and amorphous a-Fe_0.98Zr_0.08 is studied using a variety of experimental techniques and methods of analysis. We have generally found that the values for the exponents alpha, beta, gamma and delta depart significantly from the predictions for the 3D Heisenberg model and are intermediate between these expectations and the values characterizing a typical spin glass transition. Comparing the exponents obtained in our work with indices for other re-entrant systems reported in the literature, a weak universality class may be defined where the exponents distribute within a certain range around average values.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figure

Heartbeat of the Southern Oscillation explains ENSO climatic resonances

The El Ni~no-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) nonlinear oscillator phenomenon has a far reaching influence on the climate and human activities. The up to 10 year quasi-period cycle of the El Ni~no and subsequent La Ni~na is known to be dominated in the tropics by nonlinear physical interaction of wind with the equatorial waveguide in the Pacific. Long-term cyclic phenomena do not feature in the current theory of the ENSO process. We update the theory by assessing low (>10 years) and high (<10 years) frequency coupling using evidence across tropical, extratropical, and Pacific basin scales. We analyze observations and model simulations with a highly accurate method called Dominant Frequency State Analysis (DFSA) to provide evidence of stable ENSO features. The observational data sets of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), North Pacific Index Anomaly, and ENSO Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly, as well as a theoretical model all confirm the existence of long-term and short-term climatic cycles of the ENSO process with resonance frequencies of {2.5, 3.8, 5, 12–14, 61–75, 180} years. This fundamental result shows long-term and short-term signal coupling with mode locking across the dominant ENSO dynamics. These dominant oscillation frequency dynamics, defined as ENSO frequency states, contain a stable attractor with three frequencies in resonance allowing us to coin the term Heartbeat of the Southern Oscillation due to its characteristic shape. We predict future ENSO states based on a stable hysteresis scenario of short-term and long-term ENSO oscillations over the next century