1,146 research outputs found
The growth of structure in the Szekeres inhomogeneous cosmological models and the matter-dominated era
This study belongs to a series devoted to using Szekeres inhomogeneous models
to develop a theoretical framework where observations can be investigated with
a wider range of possible interpretations. We look here into the growth of
large-scale structure in the models. The Szekeres models are exact solutions to
Einstein's equations that were originally derived with no symmetries. We use a
formulation of the models that is due to Goode and Wainwright, who considered
the models as exact perturbations of an FLRW background. Using the Raychaudhuri
equation, we write for the two classes of the models, exact growth equations in
terms of the under/overdensity and measurable cosmological parameters. The new
equations in the overdensity split into two informative parts. The first part,
while exact, is identical to the growth equation in the usual linearly
perturbed FLRW models, while the second part constitutes exact non-linear
perturbations. We integrate numerically the full exact growth rate equations
for the flat and curved cases. We find that for the matter-dominated era, the
Szekeres growth rate is up to a factor of three to five stronger than the usual
linearly perturbed FLRW cases, reflecting the effect of exact Szekeres
non-linear perturbations. The growth is also stronger than that of the
non-linear spherical collapse model, and the difference between the two
increases with time. This highlights the distinction when we use general
inhomogeneous models where shear and a tidal gravitational field are present
and contribute to the gravitational clustering. Additionally, it is worth
observing that the enhancement of the growth found in the Szekeres models
during the matter-dominated era could suggest a substitute to the argument that
dark matter is needed when using FLRW models to explain the enhanced growth and
resulting large-scale structures that we observe today (abridged)Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, matches PRD accepted versio
In situ study of dynamic recrystallization and hot deformation behavior of a multiphase titanium aluminide alloy
Hot-compression tests were conducted in a high-energy synchrotron x-ray beam to study in situ and in real time microstructural changes in the bulk of a β-solidifying titanium aluminide alloy. The occupancy and spottiness of the diffraction rings have been evaluated in order to access grain growth and refinement, orientation relationships, subgrain formation, dynamic recovery, and dynamic recrystallization, as well as phase transformations. This method has been applied to an alloy consisting of two coexisting phases at high temperature and it was found that the bcc β-phase recrystallizes dynamically, much faster than the hcp α-phase, which deforms predominantly through crystallographic slip underpinned by a dynamic recovery process with only a small component of dynamic recrystallization. The two phases deform to a very large extent independently from each other. The rapid recrystallization dynamics of the β-phase combined with the easy and isotropic slip characteristics of the bcc structure explain the excellent deformation behavior of the material, while the presence of two phases effectively suppresses grain growth
A panel analysis of UK industrial company failure
We examine the failure determinants for large quoted UK industrials using a panel data set
comprising 539 firms observed over the period 1988-93. The empirical design employs data
from company accounts and is based on Chamberlain’s conditional binomial logit model,
which allows for unobservable, firm-specific, time-invariant factors associated with failure
risk. We find a noticeable degree of heterogeneity across the sample companies. Our panel
results show that, after controlling for unobservables, lower liquidity measured by the quick
assets ratio, slower turnover proxied by the ratio of debtors turnover, and profitability were
linked to the higher risk of insolvency in the analysis period. The findings appear to support
the proposition that the current cash-flow considerations, rather than the future prospects of
the firm, determined company failures over the 1990s recession
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): Constraining diffuse Galactic radio emission in the North Celestial Pole region
The C-Band All-Sky Survey C-BASS is a high-sensitivity all-sky radio survey
at an angular resolution of 45 arcmin and a frequency of 4.7 GHz. We present a
total intensity 4.7 GHz map of the North Celestial Pole (NCP) region of sky,
above declination +80 deg, which is limited by source confusion at a level of
~0.6 mK rms. We apply the template-fitting (cross-correlation) technique to
WMAP and Planck data, using the C-BASS map as the synchrotron template, to
investigate the contribution of diffuse foreground emission at frequencies
~20-40 GHz. We quantify the anomalous microwave emission (AME) that is
correlated with far-infrared dust emission. The AME amplitude does not change
significantly (<10%) when using the higher frequency C-BASS 4.7 GHz template
instead of the traditional Haslam 408 MHz map as a tracer of synchrotron
radiation. We measure template coefficients of and
K per unit when using the Haslam and C-BASS synchrotron templates,
respectively. The AME contributes K rms at 22.8 GHz and accounts
for ~60% of the total foreground emission. Our results suggest that a harder
(flatter spectrum) component of synchrotron emission is not dominant at
frequencies >5 GHz; the best-fitting synchrotron temperature spectral index is
from 4.7 to 22.8 GHz and from 22.8 to
44.1 GHz. Free-free emission is weak, contributing ~K rms (~7%) at 22.8
GHz. The best explanation for the AME is still electric dipole emission from
small spinning dust grains.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version matches version accepted by MNRA
The role of measuring exhaled breath biomarkers in sarcoidosis: A systematic review
Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology with a variable clinical course and prognosis. There is a growing need to identify non-invasive biomarkers to differentiate between clinical phenotypes, identify those at risk of disease progression and monitor response to treatment. Objectives: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis, to evaluate the utility of breath-based biomarkers in discriminating sarcoidosis from healthy controls, alongside correlation with existing non-breath based biomarkers used in clinical practice, radiological stage, markers of disease activity and response to treatment. Methods: Electronic searches were undertaken during November 2017 using PubMed, Ebsco, Embase and Web of Science to capture relevant studies evaluating breath-based biomarkers in adult patients with sarcoidosis. Results: 353 papers were screened; 21 met the inclusion criteria and assessed 25 different biomarkers alongside VOCs in exhaled breath gas or condensate. Considerable heterogeneity existed amongst the studies in terms of participant characteristics, sampling and analytical methods. Elevated biomarkers in sarcoidosis included 8-isoprostane, carbon monoxide, neopterin, TGF-β1, TNFα, CysLT and several metallic elements including chromium, silicon and nickel. Three studies exploring VOCs were able to distinguish sarcoidosis from controls. Meta-analysis of four studies assessing alveolar nitric oxide showed no significant difference between sarcoidosis and healthy controls (2.22ppb; 95% CI -0.83, 5.27) however, a high degree of heterogeneity was observed with an I2 of 93.4% (p<0.001). Inconsistent or statistically insignificant results were observed for correlations between several biomarkers and radiological stage, markers of disease activity or treatment. Conclusions: The evidence for using breath biomarkers to diagnose and monitor sarcoidosis remains inconclusive with many studies limited by small sample sizes and lack of standardisation. VOCs have shown promising potential but further research is required to evaluate their prognostic role
Genetic relationships among temperament, immune function, and carcass merit
Cattle producers historically have selected for docile temperaments simply for management convenience because calmer animals are conducive to safe environments for their peers as well as their handlers. As many producers would acknowledge, there seems to be a relationship between temperament and health, and calmer cattle tend to frequent the working chute for treatment of disease less often. Positive correlations have been found in cattle between temperament traits (chute scores, pen scores, and chute exit velocities) and cortisol concentration in the blood, suggesting that more excitable cattle are easily stressed (Curley et al., 2006; Cooke et al., 2009). In addition, Curley et al. (2007) found that easily excitable animals sustain elevated cortisol concentrations for a longer duration and had greater pituitary and adrenal responses following a stressor than calm cattle. Temperamental cattle have significantly higher mean temperament responses at all points (Oliphint, 2006). Higher basal serum cortisol concentrations may suggest that easily excitable cattle are chronically stressed (Curley et al., 2007), possibly resulting in a compromised immune system, illness, and decreased fat and protein deposition. Common measures of cattle temperament are pen scores, chute scores, and exit velocities. Temperament appears to be moderately heritable, with estimates ranging from 0.15 to 0.44 (Burrow and Corbet, 2000; Kadel et al., 2006; Schrode and Hammack, 1971; Stricklin et al., 1980; Fordyce et al., 1988). If genetic correlations are found between temperament and production traits or immunological factors, they may aid cattle breeders in producing profitable cattle. Such relationships have been found between exit velocity and hot carcass weight (r = -0.54), exit velocity and marbling score (r = 0.10), exit velocity and yield grade (r = -0.22) (Nkrumah et al., 2007), and post-weaning weight gain and exit velocity (Weaber et al., 2006). Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) susceptibility has been estimated to be lowly heritable (Muggli-Cockett et al., 1992; Snowder et al., 2005, 2006, 2007; Schneider et al., 2008). This study was conducted to further investigate the genetic relationships between cattle temperament measured by chute score and exit velocity, immunological factors, and a range of economically relevant performance traits
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Testing for non-linearity in daily sterling exchange rates
A number of tests for non-linear dependence in time series are presented and implemented on a set of 10 daily sterling exchange rates covering the entire post Bretton-Woods era until the present day. Irrefutable evidence of non-linearity is shown in many of the series, but most of this dependence can apparently be explained by reference to the GARCH family of models. It is suggested that the literature in this area has reached an impasse, with the presence of ARCH effects clearly demonstrated in a large number of papers, but with the tests for non-linearity which are currently available being unable to classify any additional non-linear structure
Cultural representations of dementia
In a Perspective, Alexandra Hillman and Joanna Latimer discuss cultural representations of dementia in the media, film, and literature
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