1,736 research outputs found
Uses of a small field value which falls from a metastable maximum over cosmological times
We consider a small, metastable maximum vacuum expectation value of
order of a few eV, for a pseudoscalar Goldstone-like field, which is related to
the scalar inflaton field in an idealized model of a cosmological,
spontaneously-broken chiral symmetry. The b field allows for relating
semi-quantitatively three distinct quantities in a cosmological context.
(1) A very small, residual vacuum energy density or effective cosmological
constant of ~ lambda b_0^4 ~ 2.7 x 10^{-47}GeV^4, for lambda ~ 3 x 10^{-14},
the same as an empirical inflaton self-coupling.
(2) A tiny neutrino mass, less then b_0.
(3) A possible small variation downward of the proton to electron mass ratio
over cosmological time. The latter arises from the motion downward of the
field over cosmological time, toward a nonzero limiting value as . Such behavior is consistent with an equation of motion.
We argue that hypothetical b quanta, potentially inducing new long-range
forces, are absent, because of negative, effective squared mass in an equation
of motion for -field fluctuations.Comment: version accepted for publication in Mod.Phys.Lett.
The fish fauna of the Iwokrama Forest
Fishes were collected from the rivers in and around the Iwokrama Forest during January-February and November-December 1997. Four hundred species of fish were recorded from forty families in ten orders. Many of these fishes are newly recorded from Guyana and several are thought to be endemic. The number of species recorded for the area is surprising given the low level of effort and suggests that this area may be particularly important from a fish diversity perspective. This paper focuses on species of particular interest from a management perspective including those considered economically important, rare or endangered. The paper is also the basis for developing fisheries management systems in the Iwokrama Forest and Rupununi Wetlands
Initial data for black hole-neutron star binaries: a flexible, high-accuracy spectral method
We present a new numerical scheme to solve the initial value problem for
black hole-neutron star binaries. This method takes advantage of the
flexibility and fast convergence of a multidomain spectral representation of
the initial data to construct high-accuracy solutions at a relatively low
computational cost. We provide convergence tests of the method for both
isolated neutron stars and irrotational binaries. In the second case, we show
that we can resolve the small inconsistencies that are part of the
quasi-equilibrium formulation, and that these inconsistencies are significantly
smaller than observed in previous works. The possibility of generating a wide
variety of initial data is also demonstrated through two new configurations
inspired by results from binary black holes. First, we show that choosing a
modified Kerr-Schild conformal metric instead of a flat conformal metric allows
for the construction of quasi-equilibrium binaries with a spinning black hole.
Second, we construct binaries in low-eccentricity orbits, which are a better
approximation to astrophysical binaries than quasi-equilibrium systems.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, Modified to match final PRD versio
A Nonlinear Coupling Network to Simulate the Development of the r-mode Instablility in Neutron Stars II. Dynamics
Two mechanisms for nonlinear mode saturation of the r-mode in neutron stars
have been suggested: the parametric instability mechanism involving a small
number of modes and the formation of a nearly continuous Kolmogorov-type
cascade. Using a network of oscillators constructed from the eigenmodes of a
perfect fluid incompressible star, we investigate the transition between the
two regimes numerically. Our network includes the 4995 inertial modes up to n<=
30 with 146,998 direct couplings to the r-mode and 1,306,999 couplings with
detuning< 0.002 (out of a total of approximately 10^9 possible couplings).
The lowest parametric instability thresholds for a range of temperatures are
calculated and it is found that the r-mode becomes unstable to modes with
13<n<15. In the undriven, undamped, Hamiltonian version of the network the rate
to achieve equipartition is found to be amplitude dependent, reminiscent of the
Fermi-Pasta-Ulam problem. More realistic models driven unstable by
gravitational radiation and damped by shear viscosity are explored next. A
range of damping rates, corresponding to temperatures 10^6K to 10^9K, is
considered. Exponential growth of the r-mode is found to cease at small
amplitudes, approximately 10^-4. For strongly damped, low temperature models, a
few modes dominate the dynamics. The behavior of the r-mode is complicated, but
its amplitude is still no larger than about 10^-4 on average. For high
temperature, weakly damped models the r-mode feeds energy into a sea of
oscillators that achieve approximate equipartition. In this case the r-mode
amplitude settles to a value for which the rate to achieve equipartition is
approximately the linear instability growth rate.Comment: 18 Pages 14 Figure
Spectral methods for the wave equation in second-order form
Current spectral simulations of Einstein's equations require writing the
equations in first-order form, potentially introducing instabilities and
inefficiencies. We present a new penalty method for pseudo-spectral evolutions
of second order in space wave equations. The penalties are constructed as
functions of Legendre polynomials and are added to the equations of motion
everywhere, not only on the boundaries. Using energy methods, we prove
semi-discrete stability of the new method for the scalar wave equation in flat
space and show how it can be applied to the scalar wave on a curved background.
Numerical results demonstrating stability and convergence for multi-domain
second-order scalar wave evolutions are also presented. This work provides a
foundation for treating Einstein's equations directly in second-order form by
spectral methods.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
No arbitrage and closure results for trading cones with transaction costs
In this paper, we consider trading with proportional transaction costs as in Schachermayer’s paper (Schachermayer in Math. Finance 14:19–48, 2004). We give a necessary and sufficient condition for , the cone of claims attainable from zero endowment, to be closed. Then we show how to define a revised set of trading prices in such a way that, firstly, the corresponding cone of claims attainable for zero endowment, , does obey the fundamental theorem of asset pricing and, secondly, if is arbitrage-free then it is the closure of . We then conclude by showing how to represent claims
Global alterations to the choroid plexus blood-CSF barrier in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
© 2020 The Author(s). The choroid plexus (CP) is a highly vascularized structure located in the ventricles that forms the blood-CSF barrier (BCSFB) and separates the blood from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In addition to its role as a physical barrier, the CP functions in CSF secretion, transport of nutrients into the central nervous system (CNS) and a gated point of entry of circulating immune cells into the CNS. Aging and neurodegeneration have been reported to affect CP morphology and function and increase protein leakage from blood to the CSF. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with both upper and lower motor neuron loss, as well as altered proteomic and metabolomic signatures in the CSF. The role of the BCSFB and the CP in ALS is unknown. Here we describe a transcriptomic and ultrastructural analysis of BCSFB and CP alterations in human postmortem tissues from ALS and non-neurologic disease controls. ALS-CP exhibited widespread disruptions in tight junctional components of the CP epithelial layer and vascular integrity. In addition, we detected loss of pericytes around ALS blood vessels, accompanied by activation of platelet aggregation markers vWF and Fibrinogen, reminiscent of vascular injury. To investigate the immune component of ALS-CP, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of cytokines and chemokine panels in CP lysates and found a significant down-regulation of M-CSF and V-CAM1 in ALS, as well as up-regulation of VEGF-A protein. This phenotype was accompanied by an infiltration of MERTK positive macrophages into the parenchyma of the ALS-CP when compared to controls. Taken together, we demonstrate widespread structural and functional disruptions of the BCSFB in human ALS increasing our understanding of the disease pathology and identifying potential new targets for ALS therapeutic development
From time-series to complex networks: Application to the cerebrovascular flow patterns in atrial fibrillation
A network-based approach is presented to investigate the cerebrovascular flow
patterns during atrial fibrillation (AF) with respect to normal sinus rhythm
(NSR). AF, the most common cardiac arrhythmia with faster and irregular
beating, has been recently and independently associated with the increased risk
of dementia. However, the underlying hemodynamic mechanisms relating the two
pathologies remain mainly undetermined so far; thus the contribution of
modeling and refined statistical tools is valuable. Pressure and flow rate
temporal series in NSR and AF are here evaluated along representative cerebral
sites (from carotid arteries to capillary brain circulation), exploiting
reliable artificially built signals recently obtained from an in silico
approach. The complex network analysis evidences, in a synthetic and original
way, a dramatic signal variation towards the distal/capillary cerebral regions
during AF, which has no counterpart in NSR conditions. At the large artery
level, networks obtained from both AF and NSR hemodynamic signals exhibit
elongated and chained features, which are typical of pseudo-periodic series.
These aspects are almost completely lost towards the microcirculation during
AF, where the networks are topologically more circular and present random-like
characteristics. As a consequence, all the physiological phenomena at
microcerebral level ruled by periodicity - such as regular perfusion, mean
pressure per beat, and average nutrient supply at cellular level - can be
strongly compromised, since the AF hemodynamic signals assume irregular
behaviour and random-like features. Through a powerful approach which is
complementary to the classical statistical tools, the present findings further
strengthen the potential link between AF hemodynamic and cognitive decline.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
- …