Considering Deflection Missions for Asteroid Impact Risk

No abstract availabl

Manifesto for a European research network into Problematic Usage of the Internet

Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The Internet is now all-pervasive across much of the globe. While it has positive uses (e.g. prompt access to information, rapid news dissemination), many individuals develop Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI), an umbrella term incorporating a range of repetitive impairing behaviours. The Internet can act as a conduit for, and may contribute to, functionally impairing behaviours including excessive and compulsive video gaming, compulsive sexual behaviour, buying, gambling, streaming or social networks use. There is growing public and National health authority concern about the health and societal costs of PUI across the lifespan. Gaming Disorder is being considered for inclusion as a mental disorder in diagnostic classification systems, and was listed in the ICD-11 version released for consideration by Member States (http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/revision/timeline/en/). More research is needed into disorder definitions, validation of clinical tools, prevalence, clinical parameters, brain-based biology, socio-health-economic impact, and empirically validated intervention and policy approaches. Potential cultural differences in the magnitudes and natures of types and patterns of PUI need to be better understood, to inform optimal health policy and service development. To this end, the EU under Horizon 2020 has launched a new four-year European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Programme (CA 16207), bringing together scientists and clinicians from across the fields of impulsive, compulsive, and addictive disorders, to advance networked interdisciplinary research into PUI across Europe and beyond, ultimately seeking to inform regulatory policies and clinical practice. This paper describes nine critical and achievable research priorities identified by the Network, needed in order to advance understanding of PUI, with a view towards identifying vulnerable individuals for early intervention. The network shall enable collaborative research networks, shared multinational databases, multicentre studies and joint publications.Peer reviewe

Mathisson-Papapetrou equations in metric and gauge theories of gravity in a Lagrangian formulation

We present a simple method to derive the semiclassical equations of motion for a spinning particle in a gravitational field. We investigate the cases of classical, rotating particles (pole-dipole particles), as well as particles with intrinsic spin. We show that, starting with a simple Lagrangian, one can derive equations for the spin evolution and momentum propagation in the framework of metric theories of gravity and in theories based on a Riemann-Cartan geometry (Poincare gauge theory), without explicitly referring to matter current densities (spin and energy-momentum). Our results agree with those derived from the multipole expansion of the current densities by the conventional Papapetrou method and from the WKB analysis for elementary particles.Comment: 28 page

Efeito da condição corporal e da ingestão alimentar sobre a resposta superovulatória e produção embrionária em novilhas Nelore.

Edição dos resumos do XXI Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Embryo Technology Society (SBTE), Salvador, BA, ago. 2007

Efeito da utilização de surfactante no meio de coleta na taxa de recuperação embrionária em vacas superovuladas.

Edição dos resumos do XXI Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Embryo Technology Society (SBTE), Salvador, BA, ago. 2007

Stochastic Gravity

Gravity is treated as a stochastic phenomenon based on fluctuations of the metric tensor of general relativity. By using a (3+1) slicing of spacetime, a Langevin equation for the dynamical conjugate momentum and a Fokker-Planck equation for its probability distribution are derived. The Raychaudhuri equation for a congruence of timelike or null geodesics leads to a stochastic differential equation for the expansion parameter $\theta$ in terms of the proper time $s$. For sufficiently strong metric fluctuations, it is shown that caustic singularities in spacetime can be avoided for converging geodesics. The formalism is applied to the gravitational collapse of a star and the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model. It is found that owing to the stochastic behavior of the geometry, the singularity in gravitational collapse and the big-bang have a zero probability of occurring. Moreover, as a star collapses the probability of a distant observer seeing an infinite red shift at the Schwarzschild radius of the star is zero. Therefore, there is a vanishing probability of a Schwarzschild black hole event horizon forming during gravitational collapse.Comment: Revised version. Eq. (108) has been modified. Additional comments have been added to text. Revtex 39 page

Stochastic Quantization of Scalar Fields in Einstein and Rindler Spacetime

We consider the stochastic quantization method for scalar fields defined in a curved manifold and also in a flat space-time with event horizon. The two-point function associated to a massive self-interacting scalar field is evaluated, up to the first order level in the coupling constant, for the case of an Einstein and also a Rindler Euclidean metric, respectively. Its value for the asymptotic limit of the Markov parameter is exhibited. The divergences therein are taken care of by employing a covariant stochastic regularization

Rapidity gaps in perturbative QCD

We analyze diffractive deep inelastic scattering within perturbative QCD by studying lepton scattering on a heavy quark target. Simple explicit expressions are derived in impact parameter space for the photon wave function and the scattering cross sections corresponding to single and double Coulomb gluon exchange. At limited momentum transfers to the target, the results agree with the general features of the ``aligned jet model''. The color--singlet exchange cross section receives a leading twist contribution only from the aligned jet region, where the transverse size of the photon wave function remains finite in the Bjorken scaling limit. In contrast to inclusive DIS, in diffractive events there is no leading twist contribution to $\sigma_L/\sigma_T$ from the lowest order $(q\bar q)$ photon Fock state, and the cross section for heavy quarks is power suppressed in the quark mass. There are also important contributions with large momentum transfer to the target, which corresponds to events having high transverse momentum production in both the projectile and target rapidity regions, separated by a rapidity gap.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures. Duplicate figure removed, paper unchange