Non-abelian magnetic black strings versus black holes

We present $d+1-$dimensional pure magnetic Yang-Mills (YM) black strings (or $1-$branes) induced by the $d-$dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills-Dilaton black holes. Born-Infeld version of the YM field makes our starting point which goes to the standard YM field through a limiting procedure. The lifting from black holes to black strings, (with less number of fields) is by adding an extra, compact coordinate. This amounts to the change of horizon topology from $S^{d-2}$ to a product structure. Our black string in $5-$dimensions is a rather special one, with uniform Hawking temperature and non-asymptotically flat structure. As the YM charge becomes large the string gets thinner to tend into a breaking point and transform into a $4-$% dimensional black hole.Comment: 5 pages no figure; Final version to appear in EPJ

Semileptonic D->pi/K and B->pi/D decays in 2+1 flavor lattice QCD

We present results for form factors of semileptonic decays of $D$ and $B$ mesons in 2+1 flavor lattice QCD using the MILC gauge configurations. With an improved staggered action for light quarks, we successfully reduce the systematic error from the chiral extrapolation. The results for $D$ decays are in agreement with experimental ones. The results for B decays are preliminary. Combining our results with experimental branching ratios, we then obtain the CKM matrix elements $|V_{cd}|$, $|V_{cs}|$, $|V_{cb}|$ and $|V_{ub}|$. We also check CKM unitarity, for the first time, using only lattice QCD as the theoretical input.Comment: Talk presented at Lattice2004(heavy); 3 pages, 3 figure

Leptonic decay constants f_Ds and f_D in three flavor lattice QCD

We determine the leptonic decay constants in three flavor unquenched lattice QCD. We use O(a^2)-improved staggered light quarks and O(a)-improved charm quarks in the Fermilab heavy quark formalism. Our preliminary results, based upon an analysis at a single lattice spacing, are f_Ds = 263(+5-9)(+/-24) MeV and f_D = 225(+11-13)(+/-21) MeV. In each case, the first reported error is statistical while the is the combined systematic uncertainty.Comment: Talk presented at Lattice2004(heavy), Fermilab, June 21-26, 2004. 3 pages, 2 figure

Branes, Instantons, And Taub-NUT Spaces

ALE and Taub-NUT (or ALF) hyper-Kahler four-manifolds can be naturally constructed as hyper-Kahler quotients. In the ALE case, this construction has long been understood in terms of D-branes; here we give a D-brane derivation in the Taub-NUT case. Likewise, instantons on ALE spaces and on Taub-NUT spaces have ADHM-like constructions related to hyper-Kahler quotients. Here we refine the analysis in the Taub-NUT case by making use of a D-brane probe, and give an application to M-theory.Comment: 63 p

The r-modes in accreting neutron stars with magneto-viscous boundary layers

We explore the dynamics of the r-modes in accreting neutron stars in two ways. First, we explore how dissipation in the magneto-viscous boundary layer (MVBL) at the crust-core interface governs the damping of r-mode perturbations in the fluid interior. Two models are considered: one assuming an ordinary-fluid interior, the other taking the core to consist of superfluid neutrons, type II superconducting protons, and normal electrons. We show, within our approximations, that no solution to the magnetohydrodynamic equations exists in the superfluid model when both the neutron and proton vortices are pinned. However, if just one species of vortex is pinned, we can find solutions. When the neutron vortices are pinned and the proton vortices are unpinned there is much more dissipation than in the ordinary-fluid model, unless the pinning is weak. When the proton vortices are pinned and the neutron vortices are unpinned the dissipation is comparable or slightly less than that for the ordinary-fluid model, even when the pinning is strong. We also find in the superfluid model that relatively weak radial magnetic fields ~ 10^9 G (10^8 K / T)^2 greatly affect the MVBL, though the effects of mutual friction tend to counteract the magnetic effects. Second, we evolve our two models in time, accounting for accretion, and explore how the magnetic field strength, the r-mode saturation amplitude, and the accretion rate affect the cyclic evolution of these stars. If the r-modes control the spin cycles of accreting neutron stars we find that magnetic fields can affect the clustering of the spin frequencies of low mass x-ray binaries (LMXBs) and the fraction of these that are currently emitting gravitational waves.Comment: 19 pages, 8 eps figures, RevTeX; corrected minor typos and added a referenc

Overcoming the challenges of public data archiving for citizen science biodiversity recording and monitoring schemes

1. Public data archiving (PDA) is widely advocated as a means of achieving open data standards, leading to improved data preservation, increased scientific reproducibility, and transparency, as well as additional data use. 2. Public data archiving was primarily conceived to archive data from short‐term, single‐purpose scientific studies. It is now more widely applied, including to large‐scale citizen science biodiversity recording and monitoring schemes which combine the efforts of volunteers with professional scientists. 3. This may affect the financial security of such schemes by reducing income from data and analytical services. Communication between scheme organizers and researchers may be disrupted, reducing scientific quality and impeding scheme development. It may also have an impact on the participation of some volunteers. 4. Synthesis and applications. In response to the challenges of public data archiving for citizen science biodiversity recording and monitoring schemes, the archive function of scheme organizations should be better recognized by those promoting open data principles. Increased financial support from the public sector or from commercial or academic data users may offset financial risk. Those in favour of public data archiving should do more to facilitate communication between nonscheme users and the originating schemes, while a more flexible approach to data archiving may be required to address potential impacts on volunteer participation

Towards optimal use of antithrombotic therapy of people with cancer at the end of life: a research protocol for the development and implementation of the SERENITY shared decision support tool Thrombosis Research

Background: Even though antithrombotic therapy has probably little or even negative effects on the well-being of people with cancer during their last year of life, deprescribing antithrombotic therapy at the end of life is rare in practice. It is often continued until death, possibly resulting in excess bleeding, an increased disease burden and higher healthcare costs. Methods: The SERENITY consortium comprises researchers and clinicians from eight European countries with specialties in different clinical fields, epidemiology and psychology. SERENITY will use a comprehensive approach combining a realist review, flash mob research, epidemiological studies, and qualitative interviews. The results of these studies will be used in a Delphi process to reach a consensus on the optimal design of the shared decision support tool. Next, the shared decision support tool will be tested in a randomised controlled trial. A targeted implementation and dissemination plan will be developed to enable the use of the SERENITY tool across Europe, as well as its incorporation in clinical guidelines and policies. The entire project is funded by Horizon Europe.Results: SERENITY will develop an information-driven shared decision support tool that will facilitate treatment decisions regarding the appropriate use of antithrombotic therapy in people with cancer at the end of life. Conclusions: We aim to develop an intervention that guides the appropriate use of antithrombotic therapy, prevents bleeding complications, and saves healthcare costs. Hopefully, usage of the tool leads to enhanced empowerment and improved quality of life and treatment satisfaction of people with advanced cancer and their care givers

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations