Velocity bias in a LCDM model

We use N-body simulations to study the velocity bias of dark matter halos, the difference in the velocity fields of dark matter and halos, in a flat low- density LCDM model. The high force, 2kpc/h, and mass, 10^9Msun/h, resolution allows dark matter halos to survive in very dense environments of groups and clusters making it possible to use halos as galaxy tracers. We find that the velocity bias pvb measured as a ratio of pairwise velocities of the halos to that of the dark matter evolves with time and depends on scale. At high redshifts (z ~5) halos move generally faster than the dark matter almost on all scales: pvb(r)~1.2, r>0.5Mpc/h. At later moments the bias decreases and gets below unity on scales less than r=5Mpc/h: pvb(r)~(0.6-0.8) at z=0. We find that the evolution of the pairwise velocity bias follows and probably is defined by the spatial antibias of the dark matter halos at small scales. One-point velocity bias b_v, defined as the ratio of the rms velocities of halos and dark matter, provides a more direct measure of the difference in velocities because it is less sensitive to the spatial bias. We analyze b_v in clusters of galaxies and find that halos are ``hotter'' than the dark matter: b_v=(1.2-1.3) for r=(0.2-0.8)r_vir, where r_vir is the virial radius. At larger radii, b_v decreases and approaches unity at r=(1-2)r_vir. We argue that dynamical friction may be responsible for this small positive velocity bias b_v>1 found in the central parts of clusters. We do not find significant difference in the velocity anisotropy of halos and the dark matter. The dark matter the velocity anisotropy can be approximated as beta(x)=0.15 +2x/(x^2+4), where x is measured in units of the virial radius.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, AASTeXv5 and natbi

Weighted Bergman kernels and virtual Bergman kernels

We introduce the notion of "virtual Bergman kernel" and apply it to the computation of the Bergman kernel of "domains inflated by Hermitian balls", in particular when the base domain is a bounded symmetric domain.Comment: 12 pages. One-hour lecture for graduate students, SCV 2004, August 2004, Beijing, P.R. China. V2: typo correcte

An adaptive explanation for the horse-like shape of seahorses

The body shape of seahorses resembles the head and neck of horses because of their curved trunk, their ventrally bent head and their long snout. Seahorses evolved from ancestral, pipefish-like species, which have a straight body. Here, we use a biomechanical analysis and show that the seahorse's peculiar head, neck and trunk posture allows for the capture of small shrimps at larger distances from the eyes compared with pipefish. The results from the mathematical modelling were confirmed by kinematic data of prey-capturing syngnathids: compared with straight-bodied pipefish, all seahorse species studied consistently show an additional forward-reaching component in the path travelled by the mouth during their strikes at prey. This increased strike distance enlarges the volume of water they can probe for food, which is especially useful for tail-attached, sit-and-wait predators like seahorses. The biomechanics of prey capture thus provides a putative selective advantage that may explain the bending of the trunk into a horse-like shape

Influence of adatom interactions on second layer nucleation

We develop a theory for the inclusion of adatom interactions in second layer nucleation occurring in epitaxial growth. The interactions considered are due to ring barriers between pairs of adatoms and binding energies of unstable clusters. The theory is based on a master equation, which describes the time development of microscopic states that are specified by cluster configurations on top of an island. The transition rates are derived by scaling arguments and tested against kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. As an application we reanalyze experiments to determine the step edge barrier for Ag/Pt(111).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Resonant ion-pair formation in electron recombination with HF^+

The cross section for resonant ion-pair formation in the collision of low-energy electrons with HF^+ is calculated by the solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation with multiple coupled states using a wave packet method. A diabatization procedure is proposed to obtain the electronic couplings between quasidiabatic potentials of ^1Sigma^+ symmetry for HF. By including these couplings between the neutral states, the cross section for ion-pair formation increases with about two orders of magnitude compared with the cross section for direct dissociation. Qualitative agreement with the measured cross section is obtained. The oscillations in the calculated cross section are analyzed. The cross section for ion-pair formation in electron recombination with DF^+ is calculated to determine the effect of isotopic substitution.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

The quadrupole moment of slowly rotating fluid balls

In this paper we use the second order formalism of Hartle to study slowly and rigidly rotating stars with focus on the quadrupole moment of the object. The second order field equations for the interior fluid are solved numerically for different classes of possible equations of state and these solutions are then matched to a vacuum solution that includes the general asymptotically flat axisymmetric metric to second order, using the Darmois-Israel procedure. For these solutions we find that the quadrupole moment differs from that of the Kerr metric, as has also been found for some equations of state in other studies. Further we consider the post-Minkowskian limit analytically. In the paper we also illustrate how the relativistic multipole moments can be calculated from a complex gravitational potential.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

A 2-year prospective study of patient-relevant outcomes in patients operated on for knee osteoarthritis with tibial osteotomy

BACKGROUND: Tibial osteotomy is a treatment for younger and/or physically active patients suffering from uni-compartmental knee osteoarthritis. The open wedge osteotomy by the hemicallotasis technique includes the use of external fixation. The use of external fixation has several advantages, as early mobilization and the opportunity for optimal correction. However, the hemicallotasis technique has also been described as a cumbersome procedure for the patient. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate patient-relevant outcomes during the first 2 post-operative years. Especially the treatment period, during which external fixation was used, was closely monitored. METHODS: In an uncontrolled study, fifty-eight consecutive patients, 30 men and 28 women (mean age 54 years) were operated on by the hemicallotasis technique were evaluated with the patient-relevant outcome measure Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) preoperatively, during the treatment with external fixation, one week after removal of the external fixation, at 6 months, and at one and two years postoperatively. RESULTS: At the 2-year postoperative follow-up, all subscales of the KOOS were improved (p < 0.001), mostly in pain (41–80 on a 0–100 worst to best scale) and knee-related quality of life (21–61 on a 0–100 worst to best scale), compared to the preoperative status. Significant improvements in pain and other symptoms, function of daily life and quality of life were seen already during the treatment period (mean 98 ± 18 days) with the external fixation. More demanding functions such as kneeling, squatting, jumping and running, were improved first after extraction of the external fixation device and the pins. CONCLUSION: Tibial osteotomy by the hemicallotasis technique yields large improvement in self-rated pain, function and quality of life, which persists over two years. Surprisingly, large improvements occurred already during the immediate post-operative period when the external fixation was still used

A large-scale proteogenomics study of apicomplexan pathogens-Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum

Proteomics data can supplement genome annotation efforts, for example being used to confirm gene models or correct gene annotation errors. Here, we present a large‐scale proteogenomics study of two important apicomplexan pathogens: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. We queried proteomics data against a panel of official and alternate gene models generated directly from RNASeq data, using several newly generated and some previously published MS datasets for this meta‐analysis. We identified a total of 201 996 and 39 953 peptide‐spectrum matches for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, at a 1% peptide FDR threshold. This equated to the identification of 30 494 distinct peptide sequences and 2921 proteins (matches to official gene models) for T. gondii, and 8911 peptides/1273 proteins for N. caninum following stringent protein‐level thresholding. We have also identified 289 and 140 loci for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, which mapped to RNA‐Seq‐derived gene models used in our analysis and apparently absent from the official annotation (release 10 from EuPathDB) of these species. We present several examples in our study where the RNA‐Seq evidence can help in correction of the current gene model and can help in discovery of potential new genes

Long Term Evolution of Massive Black Hole Binaries

The long-term evolution of massive black hole binaries at the centers of galaxies is studied in a variety of physical regimes, with the aim of resolving the ``final parsec problem,'' i.e., how black hole binaries manage to shrink to separations at which emission of gravity waves becomes efficient. A binary ejects stars by the gravitational slingshot and carves out a loss cone in the host galaxy. Continued decay of the binary requires a refilling of the loss cone. We show that the standard treatment of loss cone refilling, derived for collisionally relaxed systems like globular clusters, can substantially underestimate the refilling rates in galactic nuclei. We derive expressions for non-equilibrium loss-cone dynamics and calculate time scales for the decay of massive black hole binaries following galaxy mergers, obtaining significantly higher decay rates than heretofore. Even in the absence of two-body relaxation, decay of binaries can persist due to repeated ejection of stars returning to the nucleus on eccentric orbits. We show that this recycling of stars leads to a gradual, approximately logarithmic dependence of the binary binding energy on time. We derive an expression for the loss cone refilling induced by the Brownian motion of a black hole binary. We also show that numerical N-body experiments are not well suited to probe these mechanisms over long times due to spurious relaxation.Comment: Replaced to match the accepted version, ApJ, 596 (2003