68 research outputs found
Lifetime of Stringy de Sitter Vacua
In this note we perform a synopsis of the life-times from vacuum decay of
several de Sitter vacuum constructions in string/M-theory which have a single
dS minimum arising from lifting a pre-existing AdS extremum and no other local
minima existent after lifting. For these vacua the decay proceeds via a
Coleman--De Luccia instanton towards the universal Minkowski minimum at
infinite volume. This can be calculated using the thin--wall approximation,
provided the cosmological constant of the local dS minimum is tuned
sufficiently small. We compare the estimates for the different model classes
and find them all stable in the sense of exponentially long life times as long
as they have a very small cosmological constant and a scale of supersymmetry
breaking > TeV.Comment: 1+16 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, uses JHEP3 class, v2: references added,
inclusion of an additional subclass of de Sitter vacu
A comparison of pedigree, genetic and genomic estimates of relatedness for informing pairing decisions in two critically endangered birds: Implications for conservation breeding programmes worldwide
Conservation management strategies for many highly threatened species include
conservation breeding to prevent extinction and enhance recovery. Pairing decisions
for these conservation breeding programmes can be informed by pedigree data to
minimize relatedness between individuals in an effort to avoid inbreeding, maximize
diversity and maintain evolutionary potential. However, conservation breeding programmes struggle to use this approach when pedigrees are shallow or incomplete.
While genetic data (i.e., microsatellites) can be used to estimate relatedness to inform
pairing decisions, emerging evidence indicates this approach may lack precision in
genetically depauperate species, and more effective estimates will likely be obtained
from genomic data (i.e., thousands of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs). Here, we compare relatedness estimates and subsequent pairing
decisions using pedigrees, microsatellites and SNPs from whole-genome resequencing approaches in two critically endangered birds endemic to New Zealand: kakī/
black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae) and kÄkÄriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet
(Cyanoramphus malherbi). Our findings indicate that SNPs provide more precise estimates of relatedness than microsatellites when assessing empirical parentâoffspring
and full sibling relationships. Further, our results show that relatedness estimates and
subsequent pairing recommendations using PMx are most similar between pedigree and SNP-based approaches. These combined results indicate that in lieu of robust
pedigrees, SNPs are an effective tool for informing pairing decisions, which has important implications for many poorly pedigreed conservation breeding programmes
worldwide
HI in the Outskirts of Nearby Galaxies
The HI in disk galaxies frequently extends beyond the optical image, and can
trace the dark matter there. I briefly highlight the history of high spatial
resolution HI imaging, the contribution it made to the dark matter problem, and
the current tension between several dynamical methods to break the disk-halo
degeneracy. I then turn to the flaring problem, which could in principle probe
the shape of the dark halo. Instead, however, a lot of attention is now devoted
to understanding the role of gas accretion via galactic fountains. The current
cold dark matter theory has problems on galactic scales, such as
the core-cusp problem, which can be addressed with HI observations of dwarf
galaxies. For a similar range in rotation velocities, galaxies of type Sd have
thin disks, while those of type Im are much thicker. After a few comments on
modified Newtonian dynamics and on irregular galaxies, I close with statistics
on the HI extent of galaxies.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figures, invited review, book chapter in "Outskirts of
Galaxies", Eds. J. H. Knapen, J. C. Lee and A. Gil de Paz, Astrophysics and
Space Science Library, Springer, in pres
Physics searches at the LHC
With the LHC up and running, the focus of experimental and theoretical high
energy physics will soon turn to an interpretation of LHC data in terms of the
physics of electroweak symmetry breaking and the TeV scale. We present here a
broad review of models for new TeV-scale physics and their LHC signatures. In
addition, we discuss possible new physics signatures and describe how they can
be linked to specific models of physics beyond the Standard Model. Finally, we
illustrate how the LHC era could culminate in a detailed understanding of the
underlying principles of TeV-scale physics.Comment: 184 pages, 55 figures, 14 tables, hundreds of references; scientific
feedback is welcome and encouraged. v2: text, references and Overview Table
added; feedback still welcom
Agentes estressores no trabalho e sugestÔes para amenizå-los: opiniÔes de enfermeiros de pós-graduação
A review of symptomatic leg length inequality following total hip arthroplasty
Leg length inequality (LLI) following total hip replacement is a complication which features increasingly in the recent literature. The definition of LLI is complicated by lack of consensus regarding radiological measurement, clinical measurement and the incomplete relationship between LLI and associated symptoms. This paper reviews 79 reports relating to LLI post hip replacement, detailing definitions and classification and highlighting patient populations prone to symptomatic LLI. While there is no universal definition of LLI, there is a broad consensus that less than 10 mm of difference on AP view plain radiographs is clinically acceptable. There are few techniques described that consistently produce a postoperative LLI of less than this magnitude. Where postoperative LLI exists, lengthening appears to cause more problems than shortening. In cases of mild LLI, non-surgical management produces adequate outcomes in the majority of cases, with functional LLI cases doing better than those with true LLI. Operative correction is effective in half of cases, even where nerve palsy is present, and remains an important option of last resort. Poor outcomes in patients with LLI may be minimised if individuals at risk are identified and counselled appropriately
Serum levels of anti-CCP antibodies, anti-MCV antibodies and RF IgA in the follow-up of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab
Investigation of hospital discharge cases and SARS-CoV-2 introduction into Lothian care homes
Background
The first epidemic wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Scotland resulted in high case numbers and mortality in care homes. In Lothian, over one-third of care homes reported an outbreak, while there was limited testing of hospital patients discharged to care homes.
Aim
To investigate patients discharged from hospitals as a source of SARS-CoV-2 introduction into care homes during the first epidemic wave.
Methods
A clinical review was performed for all patients discharges from hospitals to care homes from 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2020. Episodes were ruled out based on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test history, clinical assessment at discharge, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and an infectious period of 14 days. Clinical samples were processed for WGS, and consensus genomes generated were used for analysis using Cluster Investigation and Virus Epidemiological Tool software. Patient timelines were obtained using electronic hospital records.
Findings
In total, 787 patients discharged from hospitals to care homes were identified. Of these, 776 (99%) were ruled out for subsequent introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes. However, for 10 episodes, the results were inconclusive as there was low genomic diversity in consensus genomes or no sequencing data were available. Only one discharge episode had a genomic, time and location link to positive cases during hospital admission, leading to 10 positive cases in their care home.
Conclusion
The majority of patients discharged from hospitals were ruled out for introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes, highlighting the importance of screening all new admissions when faced with a novel emerging virus and no available vaccine
Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU
The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype
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