Current status of cosmological MDM model

An analysis of cosmological models in spatially flat Friedmann Universe with cosmic gravitational wave background and zero $\Lambda$-term is presented. The number of free parameters is equal to 5, they are $\sigma_8$, $n$, $\Omega_\nu$, $\Omega_b$, and $h$. The normalization of the spectrum of density perturbations on galaxy cluster abundance ($\sigma_8 = 0.52\pm 0.04$) has been used to calculate numerically the value of the large scale CMB anisotropy ($\ell\simeq 10$) and the relative contribution of cosmological gravitational waves T/S. Increasing $\Omega_\nu$ weaken the requirements to the value of T/S, however even for $\Omega_\nu\le 0.4$ the models with $h+n\ge 1.5$ suggest considerable abundance of gravitational waves: T/S${}^>_\sim 0.3$. In models with $\Omega_\nu\le 0.4$ and scale-invariant spectrum of density perturbations ($n=1$): T/S${}^>_\sim 10(h-0.47)$. Minimization of the value T/S is possible only in the range of the red spectra ($n<1$) and small $h$ ($<0.6$). It is shown that the models with T/S$\in [0, 3]$ admit both moderate red and blue spectra of density perturbations, $n\in[0.9,1.2]$, with rather high abundance hot dark matter, $\Omega_\nu\in [0.2,0.4]$. Any condition, $n<0.9$ or $\Omega_\nu<0.2$, decreases the relative amplitude of the first acoustic peak for more than 30% in comparison with its hight in the standard CDM normalized by COBE data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures included; contribution to the Proceedings of Moriond 2000 "Energy Densities in the Universe", Les Arcs, France, January 22-29 200

Origin of the v. portae and variability of its tributaries in laboratory animals. V. The golden (Syrian) hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

The authors studied the origin and variability of the v. portae in 30 adult golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) of both sexes after injecting blue-dyed latex into their portal bed. In 16 cases (53.3%) the v. portae was formed from three tributaries and in 11 cases (36.7%) from four. The v. mesenterica cranialis was the only constant tributary, the v. lienalis was a tributary in 28 cases (93.3%) and the other most frequent tributaries were the v. gastroduodenalis and the v. pancreaticoduodenalis cranialis. In one case there was an anastomosis between the v. portae and the v. cava caudalis. In 25 cases (83.3%) the v. gastrica sinistra joined the v. lienalis, in four (13.3%) it was an independent tributary of the v. portae and in one case (3.3%) it was duplicated. A v. cardiaca was found in 25 cases (83.3%), when it was most frequently a tributary of the v. gastroepiploica sinistra and v. gastrica sinistra. In one case only it was an independent tributary of the v. portae. A v. pylorica was observed in 29 cases (96.7%), usually (in 17 cases--56.7%) as a tributary of the v. gastroepiploica dextra; in three cases it was an independent tributary of the v. portae (10.0%). A v. pancreaticoduodenalis cranialis was formed in 28 cases (93.3%). In 12 cases (40.0%), together with the v. gastroepiploica dextra, it was a tributary of the v. gastroduodenalis and in eight cases (26.7%) it was an independent tributary of the v. portae. In two cases (6.7%) the two vv. pancreaticoduodenales united to form v. pancreaticoduodenalis communis. In three cases (10.0%) this vein was duplicated and in one case it was triplicated. A v. gastroepiploica dextra was found in 26 cases (86.7%) and a v. gastroepiploica sinistra in 22 (73.3%). Both veins occurred simultaneously in 19 cases (63.3%). In no case, however, was there a continuous venous arc along the curvatura major ventriculi. A v. lienalis was present in 28 cases (93.3%). It was absent in two cases (6.7%), in which it was replaced by inter-organ anastomoses with the stomach and pancreas. In 19 cases (63.3%), the v. gastroepiploica sinistra and v. gastrica sinistra were both its main tributaries and in five cases (16.7%) its main tributary was the v. gastrica sinistra. In one case the v. lienalis was duplicated. Inter-organ anastomoses were formed in all 30 cases (100%). They occurred between the spleen and the stomach in 27 cases (90%) and between the spleen and the pancreas in 28 cases (93.3%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS

Variability of the v. cava caudalis and its tributaries in some laboratory animals. II. The laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus v. alba).

Duplication of the v. renalis was found in 11 of the regions examined (18.3%), when it was more frequent on the right side. A v. capsularis was found in 35 regions (58.3%), usually as a single vein. There were 1-3 vv. suprarenales (but mostly two; on the right they usually joined the v. cava caudalis and on the left the v. renalis sinistra). A v. spermatica was present on the right side in every case, but on the left side in 11 cases only; in one case it was duplicated. In the rat, the v. spermatica was rather thin; if absent, it was replaced by the v. deferentialis. In nine cases (60.0%) the v. uterina cranialis dextra opened into the v. cava caudalis, while in 12 cases (80.0%) the left vein opened into the v. renalis sinistra. A v. uterina media, draining blood from the caudal third of the cornu uteri, was found in only five cases (16.7%). The v. uterina caudalis drained blood from the corpus and cervix uteri. The v. ovarica was a constant finding; it was mostly joined by the v. lumbalis--and on the left side by the v. phrenica sinistra. In males, the vv. lumbales occurred mostly as a pair of veins lying just below the vv. renales. In females, they were present on both sides. As a rule, the v. iliolumbalis occurred as a single vein on both sides. The v. cava caudalis originated at the level of the transition between the lumbar and the sacral spine, usually at the confluence of the two vv. iliacae communes, which in 14 cases (46.7%) were joined by the v. sacralis mediana. Duplication of the v. cava caudalis was found in only one case (a female). Comparison of the morphology of the v. cava caudalis and its tributaries in the rat and the guinea pig showed more slight differences between the two species

Variability of the v. cava caudalis and its tributaries in some laboratory animals. I. The guinea pig (Cavia aperea f. porcellus).

The authors studied variability of the v. caudalis and its tributaries in 30 guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus--15 males and 15 females) after injecting the relevant venous system with blue-dyed latex. Since the largest lobe of the guinea pig's liver (the lobus sinister) is situated on the left, the right kidney lies further cranially than the left one. In males, as a rule, the right v. renalis opens into the v. cava caudalis further cranially than the left one. The number of vv. renales showed no sex-related differences, although in 17 regions (i.e. in 29%) there was more than one. The increase most often concerned the v. renalis dextra (the ratio in relation to the left vein was 15:2). The tributaries of the vv. renales are the v. spermatica or v. uterina cranialis a v. lumbalis and a v. or vv. suprarenales. There are usually two tributaries, (the commonest of which is the v. spermatica or v. uterina cranialis) on both the right and the left side, though somewhat more frequently on the left (23:19). Blood is drained from the surface or capsule of the kidney relatively often (in 75% of the cases) by the capsularis, which is the most frequent tributary of the v. spermatica or v. uterina cranialis of the corresponding side. Vv. suprarenales (1-4) are a constant finding on both sides. In males they open more often into the v. cava caudalis and in both sexes they also open into the v. renalis and v. lumbalis. The v. spermatica dextra opened into the v. renalis dextra in 10 cases and the v. spermatica sinistra into the v. renalis sinistra in 12 cases. The v. uterina cranialis dextra was a tributary of the v. renalis dextra in eight cases and the v. uterina cranialis sinistra joined the v. renalis sinistra in 13 cases. Drainage into the v. renalis can thus be regarded as the norm in both sexes and on both sides. The v. uterina caudalis leads from the corpus and cervix uteri and joins the v. uterina cranialis. It has a regular incidence and caudally it is most often a tributary of the v. iliaca communis. The v. ovarica is a constant tributary of the v. uterina cranialis; it is usually joined by several vv. lumbales or v. v. capsulares.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS

Prospects for observing supermassive black hole binaries with the space-ground interferometer

A list of candidates for \textit{supermassive binary black holes} (SMBBHs), compiled from available data on the variability in the optical range and the shape of the emission spectrum, is analysed. An artificial neural network is constructed to estimate the radiation flux at 240~GHz. For those candidate SMBBH for which the network building procedure was feasible, the criterion of the possibility of observing the source at the \textit{Millimetron Space Observatory} (MSO) was tested. The result is presented as a table of 17 candidate SMBBHs. Confirmation (or refutation) of the duality of these objects by means of observational data which could be commited on a space-ground interferometer with parameters similar to those of the MSO will be an important milestone in the development of the theory of galaxy formation.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 2 table, accepted for publication in Astronomy Report

Stochastic Precedence and Minima Among Dependent Variables

The notion of stochastic precedence between two random variables emerges as a relevant concept in several fields of applied probability. When one consider a vector of random variables X1,..,Xn, this notion has a preeminent role in the analysis of minima of the type minj∈AXj for A ⊂{1,…n}. In such an analysis, however, several apparently controversial aspects can arise (among which phenomena of “non-transitivity”). Here we concentrate attention on vectors of non-negative random variables with absolutely continuous joint distributions, in which a case the set of the multivariate conditional hazard rate (m.c.h.r.) functions can be employed as a convenient method to describe different aspects of stochastic dependence. In terms of the m.c.h.r. functions, we first obtain convenient formulas for the probability distributions of the variables minj∈AXj and for the probability of events {Xi=minj∈AXj}. Then we detail several aspects of the notion of stochastic precedence. On these bases, we explain some controversial behavior of such variables and give sufficient conditions under which paradoxical aspects can be excluded. On the purpose of stimulating active interest of readers, we present several comments and pertinent examples

Individual differences in the shape of the nasal visual field

AbstractBetween-subject differences in the shape of the nasal visual field were assessed for 103 volunteers 21–85years of age and free of visual disorder. Perimetry was conducted with a stimulus for which contrast sensitivity is minimally affected by peripheral defocus and decreased retinal illumination. One eye each was tested for 103 volunteers free of eye disease in a multi-center prospective longitudinal study. A peripheral deviation index was computed as the difference in log contrast sensitivity at outer (25–29° nasal) and inner (8° from fixation) locations. Values for this index ranged from 0.01 (outer sensitivity slightly greater than inner sensitivity) to −0.7 log unit (outer sensitivity much lower than inner sensitivity). Mean sensitivity for the inner locations was independent of the deviation index (R2<1%), while mean sensitivity for the outer locations was not (R2=38%, p<0.0005). Age was only modestly related to the index, with a decline by 0.017 log unit per decade (R2=10%). Test-retest data for 21 volunteers who completed 7–10 visits yielded standard deviations for the index from 0.04 to 0.17 log unit, with a mean of 0.09 log unit. Between-subject differences in peripheral deviation persisted over two years of longitudinal testing. Peripheral deviation indices were correlated with indices for three other perimetric stimuli used in a subset of 24 volunteers (R2 from 20% to 49%). Between-subject variability in shape of the visual field raises concerns about current clinical visual field indices, and further studies are needed to develop improved indices