82 research outputs found
Global Fluctuation Spectra in Big Crunch/Big Bang String Vacua
We study Big Crunch/Big Bang cosmologies that correspond to exact world-sheet
superconformal field theories of type II strings. The string theory spacetime
contains a Big Crunch and a Big Bang cosmology, as well as additional
``whisker'' asymptotic and intermediate regions. Within the context of free
string theory, we compute, unambiguously, the scalar fluctuation spectrum in
all regions of spacetime. Generically, the Big Crunch fluctuation spectrum is
altered while passing through the bounce singularity. The change in the
spectrum is characterized by a function , which is momentum and
time-dependent. We compute explicitly and demonstrate that it arises
from the whisker regions. The whiskers are also shown to lead to
``entanglement'' entropy in the Big Bang region. Finally, in the Milne orbifold
limit of our superconformal vacua, we show that and, hence, the
fluctuation spectrum is unaltered by the Big Crunch/Big Bang singularity. We
comment on, but do not attempt to resolve, subtleties related to gravitational
backreaction and light winding modes when interactions are taken into account.Comment: 68 pages, 1 figure; typos correcte
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The Impact of Lesion In-Painting and Registration Methods on Voxel-Based Morphometry in Detecting Regional Cerebral Gray Matter Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis
Background and Purpose: VBM has been widely used to study GM atrophy in MS. MS lesions lead to segmentation and registration errors that may affect the reliability of VBM results. Improved segmentation and registration have been demonstrated by WM LI before segmentation. DARTEL appears to improve registration versus the USM. Our aim was to compare the performance of VBM-DARTEL versus VBM-USM and the effect of LI in the regional analysis of GM atrophy in MS. Materials and Methods: 3T T1 MR imaging scans were acquired from 26 patients with RRMS and 28 age-matched NC. LI replaced WM lesions with normal-appearing WM intensities before image segmentation. VBM analysis was performed in SPM8 by using DARTEL and USM with and without LI, allowing the comparison of 4 VBM methods (DARTEL + LI, DARTEL − LI, USM + LI, and USM − LI). Accuracy of VBM was assessed by using NMI, CC, and a simulation analysis. Results: Overall, DARTEL + LI yielded the most accurate GM maps among the 4 methods (highest NMI and CC, P < .001). DARTEL + LI showed significant GM loss in the bilateral thalami and caudate nuclei in patients with RRMS versus NC. The other 3 methods overestimated the number of regions of GM loss in RRMS versus NC. LI improved the accuracy of both VBM methods. Simulated data suggested the accuracy of the results provided from patient MR imaging analysis. Conclusions: We introduce a pipeline that shows promise in limiting segmentation and registration errors in VBM analysis in MS
Brane World Cosmologies and Statistical Properties of Gravitational Lenses
Brane world cosmologies seem to provide an alternative explanation for the
present accelerated stage of the Universe with no need to invoke either a
cosmological constant or an exotic \emph{quintessence} component. In this paper
we investigate statistical properties of gravitational lenses for some
particular scenarios based on this large scale modification of gravity. We show
that a large class of such models are compatible with the current lensing data
for values of the matter density parameter
(). If one fixes to be , as suggested by
most of the dynamical estimates of the quantity of matter in the Universe, the
predicted number of lensed quasars requires a slightly open universe with a
crossover distance between the 4 and 5-dimensional gravities of the order of
.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, revte
Unifying inflation with dark energy in modified F(R) Horava-Lifshitz gravity
We study FRW cosmology for a non-linear modified F(R) Horava-Lifshitz gravity
which has a viable convenient counterpart. A unified description of early-time
inflation and late-time acceleration is possible in this theory, but the
cosmological dynamic details are generically different from the ones of the
convenient viable F(R) model. Remarkably, for some specific choice of
parameters they do coincide. The emergence of finite-time future singularities
is investigated in detail. It is shown that these singularities can be cured by
adding an extra, higher-derivative term, which turns out to be qualitatively
different when compared with the corresponding one of the convenient F(R)
theory.Comment: LaTeX 12 pages, typos are correcte
Interacting New Agegraphic Dark Energy in a Cyclic Universe
The main goal of this work is investigation of NADE in the cyclic universe
scenario. Since, cyclic universe is explained by a phantom phase (),
it is shown when there is no interaction between matter and dark energy, ADE
and NADE do not produce a phantom phase, then can not describe cyclic universe.
Therefore, we study interacting models of ADE and NADE in the modified
Friedmann equation. We find out that, in the high energy regime, which it is a
necessary part of cyclic universe evolution, only NADE can describe this
phantom phase era for cyclic universe. Considering deceleration parameter tells
us that the universe has a deceleration phase after an acceleration phase, and
NADE is able to produce a cyclic universe. Also it is found valuable to study
generalized second law of thermodynamics. Since the loop quantum correction is
taken account in high energy regime, it may not be suitable to use standard
treatment of thermodynamics, so we turn our attention to the result of
\citep{29}, which the authors have studied thermodynamics in loop quantum
gravity, and we show that which condition can satisfy generalized second law of
thermodynamics.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Some Observational Consequences of Brane World Cosmologies
The presence of dark energy in the Universe is inferred directly and
indirectly from a large body of observational evidence. The simplest and most
theoretically appealing possibility is the vacuum energy density (cosmological
constant). However, although in agreement with current observations, such a
possibility exacerbates the well known cosmological constant problem, requiring
a natural explanation for its small, but nonzero, value. In this paper we focus
our attention on another dark energy candidate, one arising from gravitational
\emph{leakage} into extra dimensions. We investigate observational constraints
from current measurements of angular size of high- compact radio-sources on
accelerated models based on this large scale modification of gravity. The
predicted age of the Universe in the context of these models is briefly
discussed. We argue that future observations will enable a more accurate test
of these cosmologies and, possibly, show that such models constitute a viable
possibility for the dark energy problem.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. D (minor revisions
Burden and risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia:a Multinational Point Prevalence Study of Hospitalised Patients
Pseudornonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP.
We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP.
The prevalence of P. aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP was 4.2% and 2.0%, respectively. The rate of P. aeruginosa CAP in patients with prior infection/colonisation due to P. aeruginosa and at least one of the three independently associated chronic lung diseases (i.e. tracheostomy, bronchiectasis and/or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was 67%. In contrast, the rate of P. aeruginosa-CAP was 2% in patients without prior P. aeruginosa infection/colonisation and none of the selected chronic lung diseases. The multinational prevalence of P. aeruginosa-CAP is low.
The risk factors identified in this study may guide healthcare professionals in deciding empirical antibiotic coverage for CAP patients
Amyloid and tau pathology associations with personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle in the preclinical phases of sporadic and autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease
Background
Major prevention trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are now focusing on multidomain lifestyle interventions. However, the exact combination of behavioral factors related to AD pathology remains unclear. In 2 cohorts of cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of AD, we examined which combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle (years of education or lifetime cognitive activity) related to the pathological hallmarks of AD, amyloid-β, and tau deposits.
Methods
A total of 115 older adults with a parental or multiple-sibling family history of sporadic AD (PREVENT-AD [PRe-symptomatic EValuation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for AD] cohort) underwent amyloid and tau positron emission tomography and answered several questionnaires related to behavioral attributes. Separately, we studied 117 mutation carriers from the DIAN (Dominant Inherited Alzheimer Network) study group cohort with amyloid positron emission tomography and behavioral data. Using partial least squares analysis, we identified latent variables relating amyloid or tau pathology with combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle.
Results
In PREVENT-AD, lower neuroticism, neuropsychiatric burden, and higher education were associated with less amyloid deposition (p = .014). Lower neuroticism and neuropsychiatric features, along with higher measures of openness and extraversion, were related to less tau deposition (p = .006). In DIAN, lower neuropsychiatric burden and higher education were also associated with less amyloid (p = .005). The combination of these factors accounted for up to 14% of AD pathology.
Conclusions
In the preclinical phase of both sporadic and autosomal dominant AD, multiple behavioral features were associated with AD pathology. These results may suggest potential pathways by which multidomain interventions might help delay AD onset or progression
Discriminação entre estágios nutricionais na cultura do trigo com técnicas de visão artificial e medidor portátil de clorofila
Study of Z → llγ decays at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector
This paper presents a study of Z → llγ decays
with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The
analysis uses a proton–proton data sample corresponding to
an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb−1 collected at a centre-ofmass energy √s = 8 TeV. Integrated fiducial cross-sections
together with normalised differential fiducial cross-sections,
sensitive to the kinematics of final-state QED radiation, are
obtained. The results are found to be in agreement with stateof-the-art predictions for final-state QED radiation. First
measurements of Z → llγ γ decays are also reported
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