87 research outputs found
Parity violation in the Cosmic Microwave Background from a pseudoscalar inflaton
If the inflaton is a pseudoscalar, then it naturally interacts with gauge
fields via an axion-like coupling to . Through
this coupling, the rolling inflaton produces quanta of the gauge field, that in
their turn source the tensor components of the metric perturbations. Due to the
parity-violating nature of the system, the right- and the left-handed tensor
modes have different amplitudes. Such an asymmetry manifests itself in the form
of non-vanishing TB and EB correlation functions in the Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB). We compute the amplitude of the parity-violating tensor modes
and we discuss two scenarios, consistent with the current data, where
parity-violating CMB correlation functions will be detectable in future
experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure; v2: a minor numerical mistake corrected,
references added; v3: minor changes, matches published versio
Can slow roll inflation induce relevant helical magnetic fields?
We study the generation of helical magnetic fields during single field
inflation induced by an axial coupling of the electromagnetic field to the
inflaton. During slow roll inflation, we find that such a coupling always leads
to a blue spectrum with , as long as the theory is treated
perturbatively. The magnetic energy density at the end of inflation is found to
be typically too small to backreact on the background dynamics of the inflaton.
We also show that a short deviation from slow roll does not result in strong
modifications to the shape of the spectrum. We calculate the evolution of the
correlation length and the field amplitude during the inverse cascade and
viscous damping of the helical magnetic field in the radiation era after
inflation. We conclude that except for low scale inflation with very strong
coupling, the magnetic fields generated by such an axial coupling in single
field slow roll inflation with perturbative coupling to the inflaton are too
weak to provide the seeds for the observed fields in galaxies and clusters.Comment: 33 pages 6 figures; v4 to match the accepted version to appear in
JCA
Separation of Attractors in 1-modulus Quantum Corrected Special Geometry
We study the attractor equations for a quantum corrected prepotential
F=t^3+i\lambda, with \lambda \in R,which is the only correction which preserves
the axion shift symmetry and modifies the geometry.
By performing computations in the ``magnetic'' charge configuration, we find
evidence for interesting phenomena (absent in the classical limit of vanishing
\lambda). For a certain range of the quantum parameter \lambda we find a
``separation'' of attractors, i.e. the existence of multiple solutions to the
Attractor Equations for fixed supporting charge configuration. Furthermore, we
find that, away from the classical limit, a ``transmutation'' of the
supersymmetry-preserving features of the attractors takes place when \lambda
reaches a particular critical value.Comment: 1+24 pages, 11 figures; v2: new section added; v3: change in title,
minor updates, published versio
A Note on Exact Solutions and Attractor Mechanism for Non-BPS Black Holes
We obtain two extremal, spherically symmetric, non-BPS black hole solutions
to 4D supergravity, one of which carries D2-D6 charges and the other carries
D0-D2-D4 charges. For the D2-D6 case, rather than solving the equations of
motion directly, we assume the form of the solution and then find that the
assumption satisfies the equations of motion and the constraint. Our D2-D6
solution is manifestly dual to the solution presented in 0710.4967. The
D0-D2-D4 solution is obtained by performing certain
duality transformations on the D0-D4 solution in 0710.4967.Comment: 20 pages, LaTe
Phenomenology of a Pseudo-Scalar Inflaton: Naturally Large Nongaussianity
Many controlled realizations of chaotic inflation employ pseudo-scalar
axions. Pseudo-scalars \phi are naturally coupled to gauge fields through c
\phi F \tilde{F}. In the presence of this coupling, gauge field quanta are
copiously produced by the rolling inflaton. The produced gauge quanta, in turn,
source inflaton fluctuations via inverse decay. These new cosmological
perturbations add incoherently with the "vacuum" perturbations, and are highly
nongaussian. This provides a natural mechanism to generate large nongaussianity
in single or multi field slow-roll inflation. The resulting phenomenological
signatures are highly distinctive: large nongaussianity of (nearly) equilateral
shape, in addition to detectably large values of both the scalar spectral tilt
and tensor-to-scalar ratio (both being typical of large field inflation). The
WMAP bound on nongaussianity implies that the coupling, c, of the pseudo-scalar
inflaton to any gauge field must be smaller than about 10^{2} M_p^{-1}.Comment: 45 pages, 7 figure
First-order attractor flow equations for supersymmetric black rings in N=2, D=5 supergravity
In this paper we investigate the attractor mechanism in the five dimensional
low energy supergravity theory corresponding to M-theory compactified on a
Calabi-Yau threefold . Using very special geometry, we derive the general
first-order attractor flow equations for BPS and non-BPS solutions in
five-dimensional Gibbons-Hawking spaces. Especially, considering the
supersymmetric solution, we obtain the first-order flow equations for
supersymmetric (multi)black rings. We also solve the flow equations and discuss
some properties of the solutions of flow equations.Comment: 18 pages, no figure, the references are adde
Large-scale magnetic fields from inflation due to a -even Chern-Simons-like term with Kalb-Ramond and scalar fields
We investigate the generation of large-scale magnetic fields due to the
breaking of the conformal invariance in the electromagnetic field through the
-even dimension-six Chern-Simons-like effective interaction with a fermion
current by taking account of the dynamical Kalb-Ramond and scalar fields in
inflationary cosmology. It is explicitly demonstrated that the magnetic fields
on 1Mpc scale with the field strength of G at the present time
can be induced.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version accepted for publication in Eur. Phys.
J.
The global, regional, and national burden of pancreatic cancer and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Background: Worldwide, both the incidence and death rates of pancreatic cancer are increasing. Evaluation of pancreatic cancer burden and its global, regional, and national patterns is crucial to policy making and better resource allocation for controlling pancreatic cancer risk factors, developing early detection methods, and providing faster and more effective treatments. Methods: Vital registration, vital registration sample, and cancer registry data were used to generate mortality, incidence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) estimates. We used the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the proportion of deaths attributable to risk factors for pancreatic cancer: smoking, high fasting plasma glucose, and high body-mass index. All of the estimates were reported as counts and age-standardised rates per 100 000 person-years. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were reported for all estimates. Findings: In 2017, there were 448 000 (95% UI 439 000\u2013456 000) incident cases of pancreatic cancer globally, of which 232 000 (210 000\u2013221 000; 51\ub79%) were in males. The age-standardised incidence rate was 5\ub70 (4\ub79\u20135\ub71) per 100 000 person-years in 1990 and increased to 5\ub77 (5\ub76\u20135\ub78) per 100 000 person-years in 2017. There was a 2\ub73 times increase in number of deaths for both sexes from 196 000 (193 000\u2013200 000) in 1990 to 441 000 (433 000\u2013449 000) in 2017. There was a 2\ub71 times increase in DALYs due to pancreatic cancer, increasing from 4\ub74 million (4\ub73\u20134\ub75) in 1990 to 9\ub71 million (8\ub79\u20139\ub73) in 2017. The age-standardised death rate of pancreatic cancer was highest in the high-income super-region across all years from 1990 to 2017. In 2017, the highest age-standardised death rates were observed in Greenland (17\ub74 [15\ub78\u201319\ub70] per 100 000 person-years) and Uruguay (12\ub71 [10\ub79\u201313\ub75] per 100 000 person-years). These countries also had the highest age-standardised death rates in 1990. Bangladesh (1\ub79 [1\ub75\u20132\ub73] per 100 000 person-years) had the lowest rate in 2017, and S\ue3o Tom\ue9 and Pr\uedncipe (1\ub73 [1\ub71\u20131\ub75] per 100 000 person-years) had the lowest rate in 1990. The numbers of incident cases and deaths peaked at the ages of 65\u201369 years for males and at 75\u201379 years for females. Age-standardised pancreatic cancer deaths worldwide were primarily attributable to smoking (21\ub71% [18\ub78\u201323\ub77]), high fasting plasma glucose (8\ub79% [2\ub71\u201319\ub74]), and high body-mass index (6\ub72% [2\ub75\u201311\ub74]) in 2017. Interpretation: Globally, the number of deaths, incident cases, and DALYs caused by pancreatic cancer has more than doubled from 1990 to 2017. The increase in incidence of pancreatic cancer is likely to continue as the population ages. Prevention strategies should focus on modifiable risk factors. Development of screening programmes for early detection and more effective treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer are needed. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018
Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe
Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning
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