916 research outputs found
Distortion of Gravitational-Wave Packets Due to their Self-Gravity
When a source emits a gravity-wave (GW) pulse over a short period of time,
the leading edge of the GW signal is redshifted more than the inner boundary of
the pulse. The GW pulse is distorted by the gravitational effect of the
self-energy residing in between these shells. We illustrate this distortion for
GW pulses from the final plunge of black hole (BH) binaries, leading to the
evolution of the GW profile as a function of the radial distance from the
source. The distortion depends on the total GW energy released and the duration
of the emission, scaled by the total binary mass, M. The effect should be
relevant in finite box simulations where the waveforms are extracted within a
radius of <~ 100M. For characteristic emission parameters at the final plunge
between binary BHs of arbitrary spins, this effect could distort the simulated
GW templates for LIGO and LISA by a fraction of 0.001. Accounting for the wave
distortion would significantly decrease the waveform extraction errors in
numerical simulations.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review
Agmatine and Agmatine Analogs in the Treatment of Epilepsy, Seizure, and Electroconvulsive Disorders
Pharmaceutical preparations containing of agmatine, congeners, analogs or derivatives thereof for use in preventing or treating epilepsy, seizures and other electroconvulsive disorders are provided. Embodiments include administering an effective amount of agmatine, an agmatine analog or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a human subject in need of treatment or prevention of epilepsy, seizure or other electroconvulsive disorder to treat, reduce, or prevent the disorder in the subject
Submillimeter CO emission from shock-heated gas in the L1157 outflow
We present the CO J=6-5, 4-3, and 3-2 spectra from the blueshifted gas of the
outflow driven by the low-mass class 0 protostar in the L1157 dark cloud.
Strong submillimeter CO emission lines with T_mb > 30 K have been detected at
63" (~0.13 pc) south from the protostar. It is remarkable that the blue wings
in the submillimeter lines are stronger by a factor of 3-4 than that of the CO
J=1-0 emission line. The CO line ratios suggest that the blueshifted lobe of
this outflow consists of moderately dense gas of n(H_2) = (1-3)x10^4 cm^-3
heated to T_kin = 50-170 K.It is also suggested that the kinetic temperature of
the outflowing gas increases from ~80 K near the protostar to ~170 K at the
shocked region in the lobe center, toward which the largest velocity dispersion
of the CO emission is observed. A remarkable correlation between the kinetic
temperature and velocity dispersion of the CO emission along the lobe provides
us with direct evidence that the molecular gas at the head of the jet-driven
bow shock is indeed heated kinematically. The lower temperature of ~80 K
measured at the other shocked region near the end of the lobe is explained if
this shock is in a later evolutionary stage, in which the gas has been cooled
mainly through radiation of the CO rotational lines.Comment: 10 pages, 4 PDF figures, APJL in pres
An approach to estimating rockfish biomass based on larval production, with application to Sebastes jordani
An assessment of the total biomass of shortbelly rockfish (Sebastes jordani) off the central California coast is presented that is based on a spatially extensive but temporally restricted ichthyoplankton survey conducted during the 1991 spawning season. Contemporaneous samples of adults were obtained by trawl sampling in the study region. Daily larval production (7.56 × 1010 larvae/d) and the larval mortality rate (Z=0.11/d) during the cruise were estimated from a larval “catch curve,” wherein the logarithm of total age-specific larval abundance was regressed against larval age. For this analysis, larval age compositions at each of the 150 sample sites were determined by examination of otolith microstructure from subsampled larvae (n=2203), which were weighted by the polygonal Sette-Ahlstrom area surrounding each station. Female population weight-specific fecundity was estimated through a life table analysis that incorporated sex-specific differences in adult growth rate, female maturity, fecundity, and natural mortality (M). The resulting statistic (102.17 larvae/g) was insensitive to errors in estimating M and to the pattern of recruitment. Together, the two analyses indicated that a total biomass equal to 1366 metric tons (t)/d of age-1+ shortbelly rockfish (sexes combined) was needed to account for the observed level of spawning output during the cruise. Given the long-term seasonal distribution of spawning activity in the study area, as elucidated from a retrospective examination of California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI) ichthyoplankton samples from 1952 to 1984, the “daily” total biomass was expanded to an annual total of 67,392 t. An attempt to account for all sources of error in the derivation of this estimate was made by application of the delta-method, which yielded a coefficient of variation of 19%. The relatively high precision of this larval production method, and the rapidity with which an absolute biomass estimate can be obtained, establishes that, for some species of rockfish (Sebastes spp.), it is an attractive alternative to traditional age-structured stock assessments
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Can hypnotic suggestibility be measured online?
Hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions are gradually gaining popularity within the consciousness community as established tools for the experimental manipulation of illusions of involuntariness, hallucinations and delusions. However, hypnosis is still far from being a widespread instrument; a crucial hindrance to taking it up is the amount of time needed to invest in identifying people high and low in responsiveness to suggestion. In this study, we introduced an online assessment of hypnotic response and estimated the extent to which the scores and psychometric properties of an online screening differ from an offline one. We propose that the online screening of hypnotic response is viable as it reduces the level of responsiveness only by a slight extent. The application of online screening may prompt researchers to run large-scale studies with more heterogeneous samples, which would help researchers to overcome some of the issues underlying the current replication crisis in psychology
Searching for gravitational wave burst in PTA data with piecewise linear functions
Transient gravitational waves (aka gravitational wave bursts) within the
nanohertz frequency band could be generated by a variety of astrophysical
phenomena such as the encounter of supermassive black holes, the kinks or cusps
in cosmic strings, or other as-yet-unknown physical processes. Radio-pulses
emitted from millisecond pulsars could be perturbed by passing gravitational
waves, hence the correlation of the perturbations in a pulsar timing array can
be used to detect and characterize burst signals with a duration of
years. We propose a fully Bayesian framework for the
analysis of the pulsar timing array data, where the burst waveform is
generically modeled by piecewise straight lines, and the waveform parameters in
the likelihood can be integrated out analytically. As a result, with merely
three parameters (in addition to those describing the pulsars' intrinsic and
background noise), one is able to efficiently search for the existence and the
sky location of {a burst signal}. If a signal is present, the posterior of the
waveform can be found without further Bayesian inference. We demonstrate this
model by analyzing simulated data sets containing a stochastic gravitational
wave background {and a burst signal generated by the parabolic encounter of two
supermassive black holes.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Giant Molecular Outflows Powered by Protostars in L1448
We present sensitive, large-scale maps of the CO J=1-0 emission of the L1448
dark cloud. These maps were acquired using the On-The-Fly capability of the
NRAO 12-meter telescope. CO outflow activity is seen in L1448 on parsec-scales
for the first time. Careful comparison of the spatial and velocity distribution
of our high-velocity CO maps with previously published optical and
near-infrared images and spectra has led to the identification of six distinct
CO outflows. We show the direct link between the heretofore unknown, giant,
highly-collimated, protostellar molecular outflows and their previously
discovered, distant optical manifestations. The outflows traced by our CO
mapping generally reach the projected cloud boundaries. Integrated intensity
maps over narrow velocity intervals indicate there is significant overlap of
blue- and red-shifted gas, suggesting the outflows are highly inclined with
respect to the line-of-sight, although the individual outflow position angles
are significantly different. The velocity channel maps also show that the
outflows dominate the CO line cores as well as the high-velocity wings. The
magnitude of the combined flow momenta, as well as the combined kinetic energy
of the flows, are sufficient to disperse the 50 solar mass NH3 cores in which
the protostars are currently forming, although some question remains as to the
exact processes involved in redirecting the directionality of the outflow
momenta to effect the complete dispersal of the parent cloud.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, to be published in the Astronomical Journa
SiO Emission in the Multi-Lobe Outflow associated with IRAS 16293-2422
We have mapped the thermal emission line of SiO (v = 0; J = 2-1) associated
with the quadrupolar molecular outflow driven by the very cold far-infrared
source IRAS 16293-2422. The SiO emission is significantly enhanced in the
northeastern red lobe and at the position ~50" east of the IRAS source. Strong
SiO emission observed at ~50" east of the IRAS source presents evidence for a
dynamical interaction between a part of the eastern blue lobe and the dense
ambient gas condensation, however, such an interaction is unlikely to be
responsible for producing the quadrupolar morphology. The SiO emission in the
northeastern red lobe shows the spatial and velocity structure similar to those
of the CO outflow, suggesting that the SiO emission comes from the molecular
outflow in the northeastern red lobe itself. The observed velocity structure is
reproduced by a simple spatio-kinematic model of bow shock with a shock
velocity of 19-24 km/s inclined by 30-45 deg from the plane of the sky. This
implies that the northeastern red lobe is independent of the eastern blue lobe
and that the quadrupolar structure is due to two separate bipolar outflows.
The SiO emission observed in the western red lobe has a broad pedestal shape
with low intensity. Unlike the SiO emission in the northeastern red lobe, the
spatial extent of the SiO emission in the western red lobe is restricted to its
central region. The spatial and velocity structures and the line profiles
suggest that three different types of the SiO emission are observed in this
outflow; the SiO emission arises from the interface between the outflowing gas
and the dense ambient gas clump, the SiO emission coming from the outflow lobe
itself, and the broad SiO emission with low intensity observed at the central
region of the outflow lobe.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures (figures 1 and 4 are color), gzipped tar file, To
appear in the Ap
Comparación del test directo de anticuerpos fluorescentes y el cultivo bacteriológico para detección de Brucella suis
Methods available for detection of Brucella sp from different specimens include bacteriological culture or detection of specific DNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction. The use of fluorescein-labeled anti-Brucella globulin for demonstrating this antigen in animal tissues is a simple, easy, reproducible, cheap and fast technique. The aim of this work was to evaluate the gamma globulin fraction of polyclonal anti-Brucella abortus serum labeled with fluorescein iso-tio-cyanate (FITC-labeled antibody): 1) against different smooth and rough Brucella sp, 2) against bacterium of other genus, and 3) to compare direct fluorescent antibody test results with bacteriological culture for the detection of B. suis in different tissues from infected animals. This conjugate stained all Brucella sp with different intensities but it did not stain any heterologous bacterium tested. Background fluorescence associated with its use on smears from infected sources of different specimens was particularly low. Most of the infected tissues showed the presence of yellowish-green fluorescent organisms with brucella morphology. The tested FITC-labeled antibody allows a quick, effective and inexpensive diagnosis of brucellosis.El diagnóstico de brucelosis se apoya en el cultivo bacteriológico o en la detección de fragmentos de ADN de la bacteria mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. El empleo de una inmunoglobulina anti-Brucella conjugada a fluoresceína para la detección de este antígeno en tejidos constituye una técnica simple, fácil, reproducible, económica y rápida. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la fracción gammaglobulínica de un suero policlonal anti-Brucella abortus marcada con isotiocianato de fluoresceína (FITC), 1) contra distintas especies lisas y rugosas de Brucella sp, 2) contra bacterias de otros géneros, y 3) comparar los resultados obtenidos con la inmunofluorescencia directa y el cultivo bacteriológico para la detección de B. suis en distintos tejidos de porcinos infectados. Este conjugado detectó todas las brucelas con distinta intensidad de fluorescencia, pero no hubo fluorescencia inespecífica cuando se ensayaron las bacterias de otros géneros. La fluorescencia de fondo en muestras de los distintos tejidos infectados fue baja. La mayoría de los tejidos infectados mostraron la presencia de microorganismos verde-fluorescentes con la morfología de las brucelas. El anticuerpo conjugado a FITC permitió un diagnóstico de brucelosis rápido, efectivo y económico
Bias in meta-analyses using Hedges’ d
The type of metric and weighting method used in meta-analysis can create bias and alter coverage of confidence intervals when the estimated effect size and its weight are correlated. Here, we investigate
bias associated with the common metric, Hedges’ d, under conditions common in ecological meta-analyses.
We simulated data from experiments, computed effect sizes and their variances, and performed meta-analyses applying three weighting schemes (inverse variance, sample size, and unweighted) for varying levels
of effect size, within-study replication, number of studies in the meta-analysis, and among-study variance.
Unweighted analyses, and those using weights based on sample size, were close to unbiased and yielded
coverages close to the nominal level of 0.95. In contrast, the inverse-variance weighting scheme led to bias
and low coverage, especially for meta-analyses based on studies with low replication. This bias arose
because of a correlation between the estimated effect and its weight when using the inverse-variance method.
In many cases, the sample size weighting scheme was most efficient, and, when not, the differences in efficiency among the three methods were relatively minor. Thus, if using Hedges’ d, we recom
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