Addendum to “Absorption of a massive scalar field by a charged black hole”

In [1] we studied the absorption cross section of a scalar field of mass m impinging on a static black hole of mass M and charge Q. We presented numerical results using the partial-wave method, and analytical results in the high- and low-frequency limit. Our low-frequency approximation was only valid if the (dimensionless) field velocity v exceeds vc=2πMm. In this addendum we give the complementary result for v≲vc, and we consider the possible physical relevance of this regime

Desirability–doability group judgment framework for the collaborative multicriteria evaluation of public policies

Desirability–doability framework (2 × D) is a novel framework for the collaborative evaluation of public policies. Fundamental objectives and performance indicators are agreed upon in workshops, policies are characterised, and barriers to implementation identified. MACBETH interactive protocols are then applied in decision conferences to elicit qualitative judgments about the desirability of policies, within and across objectives; and about their doability under the expected graveness of barriers on contrasting scenarios. Elicited judgments allow, respectively, to construct a shared multicriteria model measuring the overall desirability of policies; and, to measure their doability. Desirability–doability graphs enable visual interactive classification of policies, with sensitivity/robustness analyses of uncertainties. 2 × D was successfully tested in a real-world urban-health policymaking case to evaluate spatial policies. The main novelty of 2 × D is that it bridges the socio-technical gap, present in OR, between the support required by a complex social decision-making process, and that usually offered by analytic techniques – while keeping modeling theoretically sound and simple

The Energy Density of "Wound" Fields in a Toroidal Universe

The observational limits on the present energy density of the Universe allow for a component that redshifts like $1/a^2$ and can contribute significantly to the total. We show that a possible origin for such a contribution is that the universe has a toroidal topology with "wound" scalar fields around its cycles.Comment: 11 pages, 1figur

A small universe after all?

The cosmic microwave background radiation allows us to measure both the geometry and topology of the universe. It has been argued that the COBE-DMR data already rule out models that are multiply connected on scales smaller than the particle horizon. Here we show the opposite is true: compact (small) hyperbolic universes are favoured over their infinite counterparts. For a density parameter of Omega_o=0.3, the compact models are a better fit to COBE-DMR (relative likelihood ~20) and the large-scale structure data (sigma_8 increases by ~25%).Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 7 Figure

Key factors influencing the sale of bulls in livestock auctions

This research determines which factors most influence the purchase price of bulls in livestock auctions in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Hence, 760 beef bulls sold in eleven different auctions between August and November 2013 were analysed. The data consists of: breed, muscularity (MUSC), frame (FRAME), body condition score (BCS), scrotal circumference (SC) and body weight (BW). Other data such as the animal entry order and the purchase price of the bulls was collected during the auction. A linear generalized model was used to evaluate the interaction of each variable with the purchase price of the bulls. An ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc was used to compare the differences between the categories that influenced the purchase price of bulls and were realized in the software SPSS 20.0. All breeds presented declining pricesfrom the first to the second entry order and increasing purchase prices from the order third to forth. Bulls with large frame received higher purchase prices independent of the auction order, except for the second order of entry, in which medium and small animals were more valued. Angus bulls obtained the highest prices in relation to the breeds Brangus and Hereford. The frame and breed constituted the main phenotypic characteristics that influence in price. In addition, the order of entry of bulls in the ring influence the purchase price

Effect of surgical treatment on the cellular immune response of gastric cancer patients

Patients with gastric cancer have a variety of immunological abnormalities. In the present study the lymphocytes and their subsets were determined in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer (N = 41) both before and after surgical treatment. The percent of helper/inducer CD4 T cells (43.6 ± 8.9) was not different after tumor resection (43.6 ± 8.2). The percent of the cytotoxic CD8+ T cell population decreased significantly, whether patients were treated surgically (27.2 ± 5.8%, N = 20) or not (27.3 ± 7.3%, N = 20) compared to individuals with inflammatory disease (30.9 ± 7.5%) or to healthy individuals (33.2 ± 7.6%). The CD4/CD8 ratio consequently increased in the group of cancer patients. The peripheral blood lymphocytes of gastric cancer patients showed reduced responsiveness to mitogens. The defective blastogenic response of the lymphocytes was not associated with the production of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) since the patients with cancer had reduced production of TGF-ß1 (269 ± 239 pg/ml, N = 20) in comparison to the normal individuals (884 ± 175 pg/ml, N = 20). These results indicate that the immune response of gastric cancer patients was not significantly modified by surgical treatment when evaluated four weeks after surgery and that the immunosuppression observed was not due to an increase in TGF-ß1 production by peripheral leukocytes.33934

Colonic transit in children and adolescents with chronic constipation

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess clinical features and colonic transit patterns in Brazilian children with refractory constipation.MethodsFrom 2010 to 2013, 79 constipated patients received follow-up care in a tertiary hospital. Of these patients, 28 (aged 8–14 years) were refractory to conventional therapy and underwent a simplified visual method of nuclear colonic transit study, by ingestion of a liquid meal containing 9.25MBq/kg of 99mTc-phytate. Abdominal static images were taken immediately and at two, six, 24, 30, and 48h after ingestion for qualitative analysis of the radio marker progression through the colon.ResultsTwo patterns of colonic transit were found: slow colonic transit (SCT, n=14), when images at 48h showed a larger part of the tracer remained in proximal and transverse colon, and distal retention (DR, n=14), when after 30h, the radio isotope passed the transverse colon and was retained in the rectosigmoid up to 48h. The SCT and DR group included, respectively, nine and ten males; median ages in the nuclear study of 11 and 10 years, p=0.207; median duration of constipation of seven and six years, p=0.599. Constipation appearing during first year age (p=0.04) and report of soft stools (p=0.02) were more common in SCT patients. Palpable abdominal fecal impaction was found only in DR group. Appendicostomy for antegrade continence enema was successful in 4/12 (30%) of SCT patients (median follow-up: 2.4 years).ConclusionNuclear transit study distinguished two colonic dysmotility patterns and was useful for guiding refractory patients to specific therapies

Bianchi type II models in the presence of perfect fluid and anisotropic dark energy

Spatially homogeneous but totally anisotropic and non-flat Bianchi type II cosmological model has been studied in general relativity in the presence of two minimally interacting fluids; a perfect fluid as the matter fluid and a hypothetical anisotropic fluid as the dark energy fluid. The Einstein's field equations have been solved by applying two kinematical ans\"{a}tze: we have assumed the variation law for the mean Hubble parameter that yields a constant value of deceleration parameter, and one of the components of the shear tensor has been considered proportional to the mean Hubble parameter. We have particularly dwelled on the accelerating models with non-divergent expansion anisotropy as the Universe evolves. Yielding anisotropic pressure, the fluid we consider in the context of dark energy, can produce results that can be produced in the presence of isotropic fluid in accordance with the \Lambda CDM cosmology. However, the derived model gives additional opportunities by being able to allow kinematics that cannot be produced in the presence of fluids that yield only isotropic pressure. We have obtained well behaving cases where the anisotropy of the expansion and the anisotropy of the fluid converge to finite values (include zero) in the late Universe. We have also showed that although the metric we consider is totally anisotropic, the anisotropy of the dark energy is constrained to be axially symmetric, as long as the overall energy momentum tensor possesses zero shear stress.Comment: 15 pages; 5 figures; matches the version published in The European Physical Journal Plu