Capture of non-relativistic particles in eccentric orbits by a Kerr black hole

We obtain approximate analytic expressions for the critical value of the total angular momentum of a non-relativistic test particle moving in the Kerr geometry, such that it will be captured by the black hole. The expressions apply to arbitrary orbital inclinations, and are accurate over the entire range of angular momentum for the Kerr black hole. The expressions can be easily implemented in N-body simulations of the evolution of star clusters around massive galactic black holes, where such captures play an important role.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, published versio

Properties of neutral mesons in a hot and magnetized quark matter

The properties of non-interacting $\sigma$ and $\pi^{0}$ mesons are studied at finite temperature, chemical potential and in the presence of a constant magnetic field. To do this, the energy dispersion relations of these particles, including nontrivial form factors, are derived using a derivative expansion of the effective action of a two-flavor, hot and magnetized Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model up to second order. The temperature dependence of the pole and screening masses as well as the directional refraction indices of magnetized neutral mesons are explored for fixed magnetic fields and chemical potentials. It is shown that, because of the explicit breaking of the Lorentz invariance by the magnetic field, the refraction index and the screening mass of neutral mesons exhibit a certain anisotropy in the transverse and longitudinal directions with respect to the direction of the external magnetic field. In contrast to their longitudinal refraction indices, the transverse indices of the neutral mesons are larger than unity.Comment: V1: 26 pages, 15 figures; V2: Discussions improved, references added. Version accepted for publication in PR

Interacting with Autonomous Vehicles: Learning from other Domains

The rise of evermore autonomy in vehicles and the expected introduction of self-driving cars have led to a focus on human interactions with such systems from an HCI perspective over the last years. Automotive User Interface researchers have been investigating issues such as transition control procedures, shared control, (over)trust, and overall user experience in automated vehicles. Now, it is time to open the research field of automated driving to other CHI research fields, such as Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI), aeronautics and space, conversational agents, or smart devices. These communities have been dealing with the interplay between humans and automated systems for more than 30 years. In this workshop, we aim to provide a forum to discuss what can be learnt from other domains for the design of autonomous vehicles. Interaction design problems that occur in these domains, such as transition control procedures, how to build trust in the system, and ethics will be discussed

Quantum induced w = -1 crossing of the quintessence and phantom models

Considering the single scalar field models of dark energy, i.e. the quintessence and phantom models, it is shown that the quantum effects can cause the system crosses the w = -1 line. This phenomenon does not occur in classical level. The quantum effects are described via the account of conformal anomaly.Comment: LaTex, 7 pages, the version to be appeared in JCAP (2009

The GstLAL Search Analysis Methods for Compact Binary Mergers in Advanced LIGO's Second and Advanced Virgo's First Observing Runs

After their successful first observing run (September 12, 2015 - January 12, 2016), the Advanced LIGO detectors were upgraded to increase their sensitivity for the second observing run (November 30, 2016 - August 26, 2017). The Advanced Virgo detector joined the second observing run on August 1, 2017. We discuss the updates that happened during this period in the GstLAL-based inspiral pipeline, which is used to detect gravitational waves from the coalescence of compact binaries both in low latency and an offline configuration. These updates include deployment of a zero-latency whitening filter to reduce the over-all latency of the pipeline by up to 32 seconds, incorporation of the Virgo data stream in the analysis, introduction of a single-detector search to analyze data from the periods when only one of the detectors is running, addition of new parameters to the likelihood ratio ranking statistic, increase in the parameter space of the search, and introduction of a template mass-dependent glitch-excision thresholding method.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. D, comments welcom

BLUF Domain Function Does Not Require a Metastable Radical Intermediate State

BLUF (blue light using flavin) domain proteins are an important family of blue light-sensing proteins which control a wide variety of functions in cells. The primary light-activated step in the BLUF domain is not yet established. A number of experimental and theoretical studies points to a role for photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between a highly conserved tyrosine and the flavin chromophore to form a radical intermediate state. Here we investigate the role of PET in three different BLUF proteins, using ultrafast broadband transient infrared spectroscopy. We characterize and identify infrared active marker modes for excited and ground state species and use them to record photochemical dynamics in the proteins. We also generate mutants which unambiguously show PET and, through isotope labeling of the protein and the chromophore, are able to assign modes characteristic of both flavin and protein radical states. We find that these radical intermediates are not observed in two of the three BLUF domains studied, casting doubt on the importance of the formation of a population of radical intermediates in the BLUF photocycle. Further, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis is used to replace the conserved tyrosine with fluorotyrosines, thus modifying the driving force for the proposed electron transfer reaction; the rate changes observed are also not consistent with a PET mechanism. Thus, while intermediates of PET reactions can be observed in BLUF proteins they are not correlated with photoactivity, suggesting that radical intermediates are not central to their operation. Alternative nonradical pathways including a keto–enol tautomerization induced by electronic excitation of the flavin ring are considered

Geochemical and Nd-Sr Isotopic Compositions of Hypabyssal Adakites in the Torud-Ahmad Abad Magmatic Belt, Northern Central Iran Zone: Analysis of Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications

Eocene intermediate to felsic subvolcanic rocks of the Torud-Ahmad Abad magmatic belt (TAMB), in the northern part of the Central Iran zone, are exposed between the Torud and Ahmad Abad regions in South-Southeast Shahrood. These igneous rocks include hypabyssal dacite, trachyte, andesite, trachy-andesite, and basaltic andesite; they are mainly composed of phenocrysts and microcrystalline groundmass of pyroxene, amphibole, and plagioclase, with minor biotite and titanomagnetite; they form domal structures (plugs and stocks), dikes, and sills that intruded into Neoproterozoic to cogenetic Eocene volcano-sedimentary sequences. Based on isotopic analysis of these intermediate to acidic rocks, initial ratios of 143Nd/144Nd range from 0.512 775 to 0.512 893 and initial ratios of 87Sr/86Sr range from 0.703 746 to 0.705 314, with quite positive εNd(i) values of +3.69 to +6.00. They are enriched in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements and depleted in heavy rare earth elements and high-field strength elements, the SiO2 content is (52–62) wt.%, and Na2O content >3 wt.%, Al2O3 content >16 wt.%, Yb <1.8 ppm, and Y <18 ppm. These geological, geochemical, and Sr and Nd isotopic data are consistent with adakitic signatures originating by partial melting of the subducted Neo-Tethys oceanic slab (Sabzevar branch) and lithospheric suprasubduction zone mantle. The mantle signatures typifying the rapidly emplaced adakitic rocks (slab (high-silica adakite) and suprasubduction zone (low-silica adakite) melts) together with their locally voluminous extent are evidences that support a locally extensional geodynamic setting; and the evidence is consistent with an evolution to local transpression in the Late Eocene in this convergent margin arc environment to rifting (basalts to adakites) towards submarine conditions in the Neogene

Evaluation of onlay island flap technique in shallow urethral plate hypospadiasis

Background: Hypospadias is one of the most common congenital genital anomalies in males that necessitates to be operated early in infancy (when 6 to 9 months old). On the other hand, hypospadias is a challenging field of pediatric urology with multiple reconstruction techniques. A perfect hypospadias repair is supposed to return urethral continuity with sufficient caliber, eradicate phallus curvature, and supply an acceptable appearance with low complications. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of using onlay island flap technique in the repair of hypospadias with shallow urethral plate. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study within June 2012 to December 2013, we performed onlay island flap procedure to repair hypospadias with shallow urethral plate measuring less than 6 millimeter. This technique was selected for all types of hypospadiasis except subcoronal type. Nesbit�s dorsal plication procedure was established for chordee. In cases with very small glans, urethroplasty was performed without glansplasty. Results: Twenty three patients with mean age of 30 (range 10 -60) months underwent onlay island flap repair; all had a shallow urethral plate < 6 mm, 3 had a very small glans, and 18 had chordee. Meatus was located in distal shaft in 5 cases, mid shaft in 8, proximal in 6 and penoscrotal type in 4 patients. Chordee was corrected with Nesbit�s dorsal plication in 16 cases. Complications were: meatal stenosis in 2 cases and urethrocutaneous fistula in 2 patients, all of which were repaired surgically. Mean follow up time was 13 (3 -20) months. All cases that had glansplasty have excellent esthetic appearance. Conclusions: This technique offers acceptable results regarding meatal stenosis, urethrocutaneous fistula and esthetic outcome. © 2016, Growth & Development Research Center

Exact Black Holes and Universality in the Backreaction of non-linear Sigma Models with a potential in (A)dS4

The aim of this paper is to construct accelerated, stationary and axisymmetric exact solutions of the Einstein theory with self interacting scalar fields in (A)dS4. To warm up, the backreaction of the (non)-minimally coupled scalar field is solved, the scalar field equations are integrated and all the potentials compatible with the metric ansatz and Einstein gravity are found. With these results at hand the non-linear sigma model is tackled. The scalar field Lagrangian is generic; neither the coupling to the curvature, neither the metric in the scalar manifold nor the potential, are fixed ab initio. The unique assumption in the analysis is the metric ansatz: it has the form of the most general Petrov type D vacuum solution of general relativity; it is a a cohomogeneity two Weyl rescaling of the Carter metric and therefore it has the typical Plebanski-Demianski form with two arbitrary functions of one variable and one arbitrary functions of two variables. It is shown, by an straightforward manipulation of the field equations, that the metric is completely integrable without necessity of specifiying anything in the scalar Lagrangian. This results in that the backreaction of the scalar fields, within this class of metrics, is universal. The metric functions generically show an explicit dependence on a dynamical exponent that allows to smoothly connect this new family of solutions with the actual Plebanski-Demianski spacetime. The remaining field equations imply that the scalar fields follow geodesics in the scalar manifold with an affine parameter given by a non-linear function of the spacetime coordinates and define the on-shell form of the potential plus a functional equation that it has to satisfy. Finally, a general family of (A)dS4 static hairy black holes is explicitly constructed and its properties are outlined.Comment: Several typos correcte

The translocator protein (TSPO) is prodromal to mitophagy loss in neurotoxicity

Dysfunctional mitochondria characterise Parkinson's Disease (PD). Uncovering etiological molecules, which harm the homeostasis of mitochondria in response to pathological cues, is therefore pivotal to inform early diagnosis and therapy in the condition, especially in its idiopathic forms. This study proposes the 18 kDa Translocator Protein (TSPO) to be one of those. Both in vitro and in vivo data show that neurotoxins, which phenotypically mimic PD, increase TSPO to enhance cellular redox-stress, susceptibility to dopamine-induced cell death, and repression of ubiquitin-dependent mitophagy. TSPO amplifies the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) signalling, forming positive feedback, which represses the transcription factor EB (TFEB) and the controlled production of lysosomes. Finally, genetic variances in the transcriptome confirm that TSPO is required to alter the autophagy-lysosomal pathway during neurotoxicity