151 research outputs found
De Sitter space and perpetuum mobile
We give general arguments that any interacting non--conformal {\it classical}
field theory in de Sitter space leads to the possibility of constructing a
perpetuum mobile. The arguments are based on the observation that massive free
falling particles can radiate other massive particles on the classical level as
seen by the free falling observer. The intensity of the radiation process is
non-zero even for particles with any finite mass, i.e. with a wavelength which
is within the causal domain. Hence, we conclude that either de Sitter space can
not exist eternally or that one can build a perpetuum mobile.Comment: 11 pages revtex, no figures. Added discussion to strengthen
conclusio
A thermal instability for positive brane cosmological constant in the Randall-Sundrum cosmologies
We describe a novel dynamical mechanism to radiate away a positive four
dimensional cosmological constant, in the Randall-Sundrum cosmological
scenario. We show that there are modes of the bulk gravitational field for
which the brane is effectively a mirror. This will generally give rise to an
emission of thermal radiation from the brane into the bulk. The temperature
turns out to be nonvanishing only if the effective four dimensional
cosmological constant is positive. In any theory where the four dimensional
vacuum energy is a function of physical degrees of freedom, there is then a
mechanism that radiates away any positive four dimensional cosmological
constant.Comment: 14 pages. The discussion on the relation between temperature and
effective 4d cosmological constant is changed. References are adde
The Schwinger Mechanism, the Unruh Effect and the Production of Accelerated Black Holes
We compute the corrections to the transition amplitudes of an accelerated
Unruh ``box'' that arise when the accelerated box is replaced by a ``two level
ion'' immersed in a constant electric field and treated in second quantization.
There are two kinds of corrections, those due to recoil effects induced by the
momentum transfers and those due to pair creation. Taken together, these
corrections show that there is a direct relationship between pair creation
amplitudes described by the Heisenberg-Euler-Schwinger mechanism and the Unruh
effect, i.e. the thermalisation of accelerated systems at temperature where is the acceleration. In particular, there is a thermodynamical
consistency between both effects whose origin is that the euclidean action
governing pair creation rates acts as an entropy in delivering the Unruh
temperature. Upon considering pair creation of charged black holes in an
electric field, these relationships explain why black holes are created from
vacuum in thermal equilibrium, i.e. with their Hawking temperature equal to
their Unruh temperature.Comment: Revised version: expanded introduction and discussion of pair
creation of black holes, 2figures added, 22 pages, Late
Aspects of Quantum Gravity in de Sitter Spaces
In these lectures we give a review of recent attempts to understand quantum
gravity on de Sitter spaces. In particular, we discuss the holographic
correspondence between de Sitter gravity and conformal field theories proposed
by Hull and by Strominger, and how this may be reconciled with the
finite-dimensional Hilbert space proposal by Banks and Fischler. Furthermore we
review the no-go theorems that forbid an embedding of de Sitter spaces in
string theory, and discuss how they can be circumvented. Finally, some curious
issues concerning the thermal nature of de Sitter space are elucidated.Comment: 36+1 pages, 5 Postscript figures, introduction and section 6
extended, further references, final version to appear in JCA
Nucleic acid detection with CRISPR-Cas13a/C2c2
Rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive nucleic acid detection may aid point-of-care pathogen detection, genotyping, and disease monitoring. The RNA-guided, RNA-targeting clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) effector Cas13a (previously known as C2c2) exhibits a "collateral effect" of promiscuous ribonuclease activity upon target recognition. We combine the collateral effect of Cas13a with isothermal amplification to establish a CRISPR-based diagnostic (CRISPR-Dx), providing rapid DNA or RNA detection with attomolar sensitivity and single-base mismatch specificity. We use this Cas13a-based molecular detection platform, termed Specific High-Sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter UnLOCKing (SHERLOCK), to detect specific strains of Zika and Dengue virus, distinguish pathogenic bacteria, genotype human DNA, and identify mutations in cell-free tumor DNA. Furthermore, SHERLOCK reaction reagents can be lyophilized for cold-chain independence and long-term storage and be readily reconstituted on paper for field applications.United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant FA9550-14-1-0060)Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (Grant HDTRA1-14-1-0006)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (Grant 5DP1-MH100706)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01-MH110049
Marginalization of end-use technologies in energy innovation for climate protection
Mitigating climate change requires directed innovation efforts to develop and deploy energy technologies. Innovation activities are directed towards the outcome of climate protection by public institutions, policies and resources that in turn shape market behaviour. We analyse diverse indicators of activity throughout the innovation system to assess these efforts. We find efficient end-use technologies contribute large potential emission reductions and provide higher social returns on investment than energy-supply technologies. Yet public institutions, policies and financial resources pervasively privilege energy-supply technologies. Directed innovation efforts are strikingly misaligned with the needs of an emissions-constrained world. Significantly greater effort is needed to develop the full potential of efficient end-use technologies
A study of patent thickets
Report analysing whether entry of UK enterprises into patenting in a technology area is affected by patent thickets in the technology area
The encounter with the unknown: Nurses lived experiences of their responsibility for the care of the patient in the Swedish ambulance service
Registered nurses (RNs) have, according to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, the overall responsibility for the medical care in the ambulance care setting. Bringing RNs into the ambulance service are judged, according to earlier studies, to lead to a degree of professionalism with a higher quality of medical care. Implicitly in earlier studies, the work in the ambulance service involves interpersonal skills. The aim of this study was to describe RNs' experiences of being responsible for the care of the patient in the Swedish ambulance service. A reflective lifeworld approach within the perspective of caring science was used. Five RNs with at least five years experience from care in the ambulance care setting were interviewed. The findings show that the essence of the phenomenon is to prepare and create conditions for care and to accomplish care close to the patient. Three meaning constituents emerged in the descriptions: prepare and create conditions for the nursing care, to be there for the patient and significant others and create comfort for the patient and significant others. The responsibility is a complex phenomenon, with a caring perspective, emerging from the encounter with the unique human being
Characterization and Generation of Male Courtship Song in Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Background
Male parasitic wasps attract females with a courtship song produced by rapid wing fanning. Songs have been described for several parasitic wasp species; however, beyond association with wing fanning, the mechanism of sound generation has not been examined. We characterized the male courtship song of Cotesia congregata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and investigated the biomechanics of sound production. Methods and Principal Findings
Courtship songs were recorded using high-speed videography (2,000 fps) and audio recordings. The song consists of a long duration amplitude-modulated “buzz” followed by a series of pulsatile higher amplitude “boings,” each decaying into a terminal buzz followed by a short inter-boing pause while wings are stationary. Boings have higher amplitude and lower frequency than buzz components. The lower frequency of the boing sound is due to greater wing displacement. The power spectrum is a harmonic series dominated by wing repetition rate ~220 Hz, but the sound waveform indicates a higher frequency resonance ~5 kHz. Sound is not generated by the wings contacting each other, the substrate, or the abdomen. The abdomen is elevated during the first several wing cycles of the boing, but its position is unrelated to sound amplitude. Unlike most sounds generated by volume velocity, the boing is generated at the termination of the wing down stroke when displacement is maximal and wing velocity is zero. Calculation indicates a low Reynolds number of ~1000. Conclusions and Significance
Acoustic pressure is proportional to velocity for typical sound sources. Our finding that the boing sound was generated at maximal wing displacement coincident with cessation of wing motion indicates that it is caused by acceleration of the wing tips, consistent with a dipole source. The low Reynolds number requires a high wing flap rate for flight and predisposes wings of small insects for sound production
Research is needed to inform environmental management of hydrothermally inactive and extinct polymetallic sulfide (PMS) deposits
Polymetallic sulfide (PMS) deposits produced at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea are of potential interest to miners. Hydrothermally active sulfide ecosystems are valued for the extraordinary chemosynthetic communities that they support. Many countries, including Canada, Portugal, and the United States, protect vent ecosystems in their Exclusive Economic Zones. When hydrothermal activity ceases temporarily (dormancy) or permanently (extinction), the habitat and associated ecosystem change dramatically. Until recently, so-called "inactive sulfide" habitats, either dormant or extinct, received little attention from biologists. However, the need for environmental management of deep-sea mining places new imperatives for building scientific understanding of the structure and function of inactive PMS deposits. This paper calls for actions of the scientific community and the emergent seabed mining industry to i) undertake fundamental ecological descriptions and study of ecosystem functions and services associated with hydrothermally inactive PMS deposits, ii) evaluate potential environmental risks to ecosystems of inactive PMS deposits through research, and iii) identify environmental management needs that may enable mining of inactive PMS deposits. Mining of some extinct PMS deposits may have reduced environmental risk compared to other seabed mining activities, but this must be validated through scientific research on a case-by-case basis.FCT: IF/00029/2014/CP1230/CT0002/ UID/05634/2020/ CEECIND005262017/ UID/MAR/00350/2019; Direcao-Geral de Politica do Mar (DGPM) Mining2/2017/005/ Mining2/2017/001info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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