59 research outputs found
A precise numerical estimation of the magnetic field generated around recombination
We investigate the generation of magnetic fields from non-linear effects
around recombination. As tight-coupling is gradually lost when approaching
, the velocity difference between photons and baryons starts to
increase, leading to an increasing Compton drag of the photons on the
electrons. The protons are then forced to follow the electrons due to the
electric field created by the charge displacement; the same field, following
Maxwell's laws, eventually induces a magnetic field on cosmological scales.
Since scalar perturbations do not generate any magnetic field as they are
curl-free, one has to resort to second-order perturbation theory to compute the
magnetic field generated by this effect. We reinvestigate this problem
numerically using the powerful second-order Boltzmann code SONG. We show that:
i) all previous studies do not have a high enough angular resolution to reach a
precise and consistent estimation of the magnetic field spectrum; ii) the
magnetic field is generated up to ; iii) it is in practice
impossible to compute the magnetic field with a Boltzmann code for scales
smaller than . Finally we confirm that for scales of a few , this magnetic field is of order , many orders
of magnitude smaller than what is currently observed on intergalactic scales.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
The Intrinsic Matter Bispectrum in CDM
We present a fully relativistic calculation of the matter bispectrum at
second order in cosmological perturbation theory assuming a Gaussian primordial
curvature perturbation. For the first time we perform a full numerical
integration of the bispectrum for both baryons and cold dark matter using the
second-order Einstein-Boltzmann code, SONG. We review previous analytical
results and provide an improved analytic approximation for the second-order
kernel in Poisson gauge which incorporates Newtonian nonlinear evolution,
relativistic initial conditions, the effect of radiation at early times and the
cosmological constant at late times. Our improved kernel provides a percent
level fit to the full numerical result at late times for most configurations,
including both equilateral shapes and the squeezed limit. We show that baryon
acoustic oscillations leave an imprint in the matter bispectrum, making a
significant impact on squeezed shapes.Comment: Accepted for publication in JCAP. 17 pages + appendices, 6 figures.
Code available at GitHub: http://github.com/coccoinomane/son
Impact of polarization on the intrinsic cosmic microwave background bispectrum
We compute the cosmic microwave background (CMB) bispectrum induced by the evolution of the primordial density perturbations, including for the first time both temperature and polarization using a second-order Boltzmann code. We show that including polarization can increase the signal-to-noise by a factor 4 with respect to temperature alone. We find the expected signal-to-noise for this intrinsic bispectrum of S=N Âź 3.8; 2.9; 1.6 and 0.5 for an ideal experiment with an angular resolution of lmax Âź 3000, the proposed CMB surveys PRISM and COrE, and Planckâs polarized data, respectively; the bulk of this signal comes from E-mode polarization and from squeezed configurations. We discuss how CMB lensing is expected to reduce these estimates as it suppresses the bispectrum for squeezed configurations and contributes to the noise in the estimator. We find that the presence of the intrinsic bispectrum will bias a measurement of primordial non-Gaussianity of local type by fintr NL Âź 0.66 for an ideal experiment with lmax Âź 3000. Finally, we verify the robustness of our results by recovering the analytic approximation for the squeezed-limit bispectrum in the general polarized case
Using galaxy pairs as cosmological tracers
The Alcock-Paczynski (AP) effect uses the fact that, when analyzed with the
correct geometry, we should observe structure that is statistically isotropic
in the Universe. For structure undergoing cosmological expansion with the
background, this constrains the product of the Hubble parameter and the angular
diameter distance. However, the expansion of the Universe is inhomogeneous and
local curvature depends on density. We argue that this distorts the AP effect
on small scales. After analyzing the dynamics of galaxy pairs in the Millennium
simulation, we find an interplay between peculiar velocities, galaxy properties
and local density that affects how pairs trace cosmological expansion. We find
that only low mass, isolated galaxy pairs trace the average expansion with a
minimum "correction" for peculiar velocities. Other pairs require larger, more
cosmology and redshift dependent peculiar velocity corrections and, in the
small-separation limit of being bound in a collapsed system, do not carry
cosmological information.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 1 tabl
On the Evidence for Axion-like Particles from Active Galactic Nuclei
Burrage, Davis, and Shaw recently suggested exploiting the correlations
between high and low energy luminosities of astrophysical objects to probe
possible mixing between photons and axion-like particles (ALP) in magnetic
field regions. They also presented evidence for the existence of ALP's by
analyzing the optical/UV and X-ray monochromatic luminosities of AGNs. We
extend their work by using the monochromatic luminosities of 320 unobscured
Active Galactic Nuclei from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Xmm-Newton Quasar
Survey (Young et al., 2009), which allows the exploration of 18 different
combinations of optical/UV and X-ray monochromatic luminosities. However, we do
not find compelling evidence for the existence of ALPs. Moreover, it appears
that the signal reported by Burrage et al. is more likely due to X-ray
absorption rather than to photon-ALP oscillation.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Updated to reflect the minor changes introduced
in the published versio
Transient analysis and control of a Brayton heat pump during start-up
This paper aims to investigate the transient response of the DLR's CoBra prototype, an innovative Brayton-cycle heat pump intended to provide heat above 250 °C and currently under commissioning at the DLR facility in Cottbus, Germany. First, a comprehensive transient thermodynamic model of the system is developed, accounting for heat exchangers and piping thermal inertia. Furthermore, a control logic is presented that ensures safe operation throughout off-design conditions and start-up manoeuvres. In particular, several control parameters are considered to avoid potential operational issues, such as critical temperature gradients, compressor surge, and critical mechanical vibration phenomena due to resonance. The performed simulations aim to reduce start-up time and energy consumed during start-up. Results show that with the help of the described controller, the system can reach design operation via a transient trajectory safely and quickly. Therefore, the capability of the CoBra prototype to flexibly supply high-temperature heat is demonstrated
Beta-Blocker Use in Older Hospitalized Patients Affected by Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Italian Survey From the REPOSI Register
Beta (β)-blockers (BB) are useful in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nevertheless, the use of BBs could induce bronchoconstriction due to β2-blockade. For this reason, both the ESC and GOLD guidelines strongly suggest the use of selective β1-BB in patients with HF and COPD. However, low adherence to guidelines was observed in multiple clinical settings. The aim of the study was to investigate the BBs use in older patients affected by HF and COPD, recorded in the REPOSI register. Of 942 patients affected by HF, 47.1% were treated with BBs. The use of BBs was significantly lower in patients with HF and COPD than in patients affected by HF alone, both at admission and at discharge (admission, 36.9% vs. 51.3%; discharge, 38.0% vs. 51.7%). In addition, no further BB users were found at discharge. The probability to being treated with a BB was significantly lower in patients with HF also affected by COPD (adj. OR, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.37-0.67), while the diagnosis of COPD was not associated with the choice of selective β1-BB (adj. OR, 95% CI: 1.33, 0.76-2.34). Despite clear recommendations by clinical guidelines, a significant underuse of BBs was also observed after hospital discharge. In COPD affected patients, physicians unreasonably reject BBs use, rather than choosing a β1-BB. The expected improvement of the BB prescriptions after hospitalization was not observed. A multidisciplinary approach among hospital physicians, general practitioners, and pharmacologists should be carried out for better drug management and adherence to guideline recommendations
Antidiabetic Drug Prescription Pattern in Hospitalized Older Patients with Diabetes
Objective: To describe the prescription pattern of antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs in a cohort of hospitalized older patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro POliterapuie SIMIâSocietĂ Italiana di Medicina Interna) registry from 2010 to 2019 and discharged alive were included. Results: Among 1703 patients with diabetes, 1433 (84.2%) were on treatment with at least one antidiabetic drug at hospital admission, mainly prescribed as monotherapy with insulin (28.3%) or metformin (19.2%). The proportion of treated patients decreased at discharge (N = 1309, 76.9%), with a significant reduction over time. Among those prescribed, the proportion of those with insulin alone increased over time (p = 0.0066), while the proportion of those prescribed sulfonylureas decreased (p < 0.0001). Among patients receiving antidiabetic therapy at discharge, 1063 (81.2%) were also prescribed cardiovascular drugs, mainly with an antihypertensive drug alone or in combination (N = 777, 73.1%). Conclusion: The management of older patients with diabetes in a hospital setting is often sub-optimal, as shown by the increasing trend in insulin at discharge, even if an overall improvement has been highlighted by the prevalent decrease in sulfonylureas prescription
The âDiabetes Comorbidomeâ: A Different Way for Health Professionals to Approach the Comorbidity Burden of Diabetes
(1) Background: The disease burden related to diabetes is increasing greatly, particularly in older subjects. A more comprehensive approach towards the assessment and management of diabetesâ comorbidities is necessary. The aim of this study was to implement our previous data identifying and representing the prevalence of the comorbidities, their association with mortality, and the strength of their relationship in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes, developing, at the same time, a new graphic representation model of the comorbidome called âDiabetes Comorbidomeâ. (2) Methods: Data were collected from the RePoSi register. Comorbidities, socio-demographic data, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), and functional status (Barthel Index), were recorded. Mortality rates were assessed in hospital and 3 and 12 months after discharge. (3) Results: Of the 4714 hospitalized elderly patients, 1378 had diabetes. The comorbidities distribution showed that arterial hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and COPD (22.7%), were the more frequent in subjects with diabetes. The graphic comorbidome showed that the strongest predictors of death at in hospital and at the 3-month follow-up were dementia and cancer. At the 1-year follow-up, cancer was the first comorbidity independently associated with mortality. (4) Conclusions: The âDiabetes Comorbidomeâ represents the perfect instrument for determining the prevalence of comorbidities and the strength of their relationship with risk of death, as well as the need for an effective treatment for improving clinical outcomes
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