Integration over song classification replicates: Song variant analysis in the hihi

Human expert analyses are commonly used in bioacoustic studies and can potentially limit the reproducibility of these results. In this paper, a machine learning method is presented to statistically classify avian vocalizations. Automated approaches were applied to isolate bird songs from long field recordings, assess song similarities, and classify songs into distinct variants. Because no positive controls were available to assess the true classification of variants, multiple replicates of automatic classification of song variants were analyzed to investigate clustering uncertainty. The automatic classifications were more similar to the expert classifications than expected by chance. Application of these methods demonstrated the presence of discrete song variants in an island population of the New Zealand hihi (Notiomystis cincta). The geographic patterns of song variation were then revealed by integrating over classification replicates. Because this automated approach considers variation in song variant classification, it reduces potential human bias and facilitates the reproducibility of the results

Truthmakers and modality

This paper attempts to locate, within an actualist ontology, truthmakers for modal truths: truths of the form or . In section 1 I motivate the demand for substantial truthmakers for modal truths. In section 2 I criticise Armstrong’s account of truthmakers for modal truths. In section 3 I examine essentialism and defend an account of what makes essentialist attributions true, but I argue that this does not solve the problem of modal truth in general. In section 4 I discuss, and dismiss, a theistic account of the source of modal truth proposed by Alexander Pruss. In section 5 I offer a means of (dis)solving the problem

Particle physics models of inflation

Inflation models are compared with observation on the assumption that the curvature perturbation is generated from the vacuum fluctuation of the inflaton field. The focus is on single-field models with canonical kinetic terms, classified as small- medium- and large-field according to the variation of the inflaton field while cosmological scales leave the horizon. Small-field models are constructed according to the usual paradigm for beyond Standard Model physicsComment: Based on a talk given at the 22nd IAP Colloquium, ``Inflation +25'', Paris, June 2006 Curve omitted from final Figur

A Minimal Inflation Scenario

We elaborate on a minimal inflation scenario based entirely on the general properties of supersymmetry breaking in supergravity models. We identify the inflaton as the scalar component of the Goldstino superfield. We write plausible candidates for the effective action describing this chiral superfield. In particular the theory depends (apart from parameters of O(1)) on a single free parameter: the scale of supersymmetry breaking. This can be fixed using the amplitude of CMB cosmological perturbations and we therefore obtain the scale of supersymmetry breaking to be 10^{12-14} GeV. The model also incorporates explicit R-symmetry breaking in order to satisfy the slow roll conditions. In our model the eta-problem is solved without extra fine-tuning. We try to obtain as much information as possible in a model independent way using general symmetry properties of the theory's effective action, this leads to a new proposal on how to exit the inflationary phase and reheat the Universe.Comment: matches published version (typo corrected

Is nonperturbative inflatino production during preheating a real threat to cosmology?

We discuss toy models where supersymmetry is broken due to non-vanishing time-varying vacuum expectation value of the inflaton field during preheating. We discuss the production of inflatino the superpartner of inflaton due to vacuum fluctuations and then we argue that they do not survive until nucleosynthesis and decay along with the inflaton to produce a thermal bath after preheating. Thus the only relevant remnant is the helicity \pm 3/2 gravitinos which can genuinely cause problem to nucleosynthesis.Comment: 10 pages, Updates to match the accepted version in Phys. Rev.

Search for exotic baryons in double radiative capture on pionic hydrogen

We report a search for low-lying exotic baryons via double radiative capture on pionic hydrogen. The data were collected at the TRIUMF cyclotron using the RMC spectrometer by detecting gamma-ray pairs from pion stops in liquid hydrogen. No evidence was found to support an earlier claim for exotic baryons of masses 1004 and 1044 MeV/$c^2$. We obtain upper limits on the branching ratios for double radiative capture via these exotic states of $< 3 \times 10^{-6}$ and $< 4 \times 10^{-6}$ respectively.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Supergravity Inflation Free from Harmful Relics

We present a realistic supergravity inflation model which is free from the overproduction of potentially dangerous relics in cosmology, namely moduli and gravitinos which can lead to the inconsistencies with the predictions of baryon asymmetry and nucleosynthesis. The radiative correction turns out to play a crucial role in our analysis which raises the mass of supersymmetry breaking field to intermediate scale. We pay a particular attention to the non-thermal production of gravitinos using the non-minimal Kahler potential we obtained from loop correction. This non-thermal gravitino production however is diminished because of the relatively small scale of inflaton mass and small amplitudes of hidden sector fields.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, 1 eps figure, references added, conclusion section expande

Non-thermal leptogenesis with almost degenerate superheavy neutrinos

We present a model with minimal assumptions for non-thermal leptogenesis with almost degenerate superheavy right-handed neutrinos in a supersymmetric set up. In this scenario a gauge singlet inflaton is directly coupled to the right-handed (s)neutrinos with a mass heavier than the inflaton mass. This helps avoiding potential problems which can naturally arise otherwise. The inflaton decay to the Standard Model leptons and Higgs, via off-shell right-handed (s)neutrinos, reheats the Universe. The same channel is also responsible for generating the lepton asymmetry, thus requiring no stage of preheating in order to excite superheavy (s)neutrinos. The suppressed decay rate of the inflaton naturally leads to a sufficiently low reheat temperature, which in addition, prevents any wash out of the yielded asymmetry. We will particularly elaborate on important differences from leptogenesis with on-shell (s)neutrinos. It is shown that for nearly degenerate neutrinos a successful leptogenesis can be accommodated for a variety of inflationary models with a rather wide ranging inflationary scale.Comment: 10 revtex pages, 2 figure (uses axodraw). The derivation of the asymmetry parameter for the general case and one figure added. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Sorafenib for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular cancer – a UK audit

Aims: Sorafenib is the current standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. We carried out a national audit of UK patients treated with sorafenib as standard-of-care and those treated with systemic therapy in first-line trials. Materials and methods: Sorafenib-treated and trial-treated patients were identified via the Cancer Drugs Fund and local databases. Data were collected retrospectively from medical records according to a standard case report form. The primary outcome measure was overall survival, estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Data were obtained for 448 sorafenib-treated patients from 15 hospitals. The median age was 68 years (range 17–89) and 75% had performance status ≤ 1. At baseline, 77% were Child-Pugh A and 16.1% Child-Pugh B; 38% were albumin–bilirubin grade 1 (ALBI-1) and 48% ALBI-2; 23% were Barcelona Clinic Liver Classification B (BCLC-B) and 72% BCLC-C. The median time on sorafenib was 3.6 months, with a mean daily dose of 590 mg. The median overall survival for 448 evaluable sorafenib-treated patients was 8.5 months. There were significant differences in overall survival comparing Child-Pugh A versus Child-Pugh B (9.5 versus 4.6 months), ALBI-1 versus ALBI-2 (12.9 versus 5.9 months) and BCLC-B versus BCLC-C (13.0 versus 8.3 months). For trial-treated patients (n = 109), the median overall survival was 8.1 months and this was not significantly different from the sorafenib-treated patients. Conclusion: For Child-Pugh A patients with good performance status, survival outcomes were similar to those reported in global randomised controlled trials. Patients with ALBI grade &gt; 1, Child-Pugh B or poor performance status seem to derive limited benefit from sorafenib treatment