6,238 research outputs found
Cluster Abundance in f(R) Gravity Models
As one of the most powerful probes of cosmological structure formation, the
abundance of massive galaxy clusters is a sensitive probe of modifications to
gravity on cosmological scales. In this paper, we present results from N-body
simulations of a general class of f(R) models, which self-consistently solve
the non-linear field equation for the enhanced forces. Within this class we
vary the amplitude of the field, which controls the range of the enhanced
gravitational forces, both at the present epoch and as a function of redshift.
Most models in the literature can be mapped onto the parameter space of this
class. Focusing on the abundance of massive dark matter halos, we compare the
simulation results to a simple spherical collapse model. Current constraints
lie in the large-field regime, where the chameleon mechanism is not important.
In this regime, the spherical collapse model works equally well for a wide
range of models and can serve as a model-independent tool for placing
constraints on f(R) gravity from cluster abundance. Using these results, we
show how constraints from the observed local abundance of X-ray clusters on a
specific f(R) model can be mapped onto other members of this general class of
models.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
INTEGRATING SOLAR ENERGY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESILIENCE PLANNING
Resilience and solar energy are separately growing in popularity for urban planners and similar professionals. This project links the two discrete terms together and examines the extent to which solar energy can improve local government resilience efforts. It includes a detailed literature review of both topics, as well as the methodology and findings related to a survey and interviews of local government officials and key stakeholders across the country related to hazard mitigation and energy assurance planning.
This research finds that integrating the use of solar energy can improve local government resilience efforts related to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities in the following ways: by being incorporated into hazard mitigation strategies as a means to maintain critical operations, thereby reducing loss of life and property; by being utilized in comprehensive planning efforts to increase capacity and decrease reliance and stress upon the grid, thereby reducing the likelihood of blackout events; by being used in tandem with backup storage systems as an integral part of energy assurance planning, which can help ensure critical functions continue in times of grid outage; by being used to provide power for response activities such as water purification, medicine storage and device charging; and by being used as an integral part of rebuilding communities in a more environmentally-conscious manner.
The result of the research is a document entitled Solar Energy & Resilience Planning: a practical guide for local governments, a guidebook for local government officials wishing to have more information about incorporating solar energy into current resilience initiatives; it is included at the end of the report as Appendix C
Atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation: a review of surgical indications, fusion rate, complications, and lessons learned in 191 adult patients
Journal ArticleObject. In this, the first of two articles regarding C1-2 transarticular screw fixation, the authors assessed the rate of fusion, surgery-related complications, and lessons learned after C1-2 transarticular screw fixation in an adult patient series. Methods. The authors retrospectively reviewed 191 consecutive patients (107 women and 84 men; mean age 49.7 years, range 17-90 years) in whom at least one C1-2 transarticular screw was placed. Overall 353 transarticular screws were placed for trauma (85 patients), rheumatoid arthritis (63 patients), congenital anomaly (26 patients), os odontoideum (four patients), neoplasm (eight patients), and chronic cervical instability (five patients). Among these, 67 transarticular screws were placed in 36 patients as part of an occipitocervical construct. Seventeen patients had undergone 24 posterior C1-2 fusion attempts prior to referral. The mean follow-up period was 15.2 months (range 0.1-106.3 months). Fusion was achieved in 98% of cases followed to commencement of fusion or for at least 24 months. The mean duration until fusion was 9.5 months (range 3-48 months). Complications occurred in 32 patients. Most were minor; however, five patients suffered vertebral artery (VA) injury. One bilateral VA injury resulted in patient death. The others did not result in any permanent neurological sequelae. Conclusions. Based on this series, the authors have learned important lessons that can improve outcomes and safety. These include techniques to improve screw-related patient positioning, development of optimal instrumentation, improved screw materials and design, and defining the role for stereotactic navigation. Atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation is highly effective in achieving fusion, and the complication rate is low when performed by properly trained surgeons
Equivalence principle violation in Vainshtein screened two-body systems
In massive gravity, galileon, and braneworld explanations of cosmic acceleration, force modifications are screened by nonlinear derivative self-interactions of the scalar field mediating that force. Interactions between the field of a central body (“A”) and an orbiting body (“B”) imply that body B does not move as a test body in the field of body A if the orbit is smaller than the Vainshtein radius of body B. We find through numerical solutions of the joint field at the position of B that the A-field Laplacian is nearly perfectly screened by the B self-field, whereas first derivative or net forces are reduced in a manner that scales with the mass ratio of the bodies as (M_B/M_A)^(3/5). The latter causes mass-dependent reductions in the universal perihelion precession rate due to the fifth force, with deviations for the Earth-Moon system at the ∼4% level. In spite of universal coupling, which preserves the microscopic equivalence principle, the motion of macroscopic screened bodies depends on their mass providing in principle a means for testing the Vainshtein mechanism
Nonlinear Evolution of ƒ(\u3cem\u3eR\u3c/em\u3e) Cosmologies. III. Halo Statistics
The statistical properties of dark matter halos, the building blocks of cosmological observables associated with structure in the Universe, offer many opportunities to test models for cosmic acceleration, especially those that seek to modify gravitational forces. We study the abundance, bias, and profiles of halos in cosmological simulations for one such model: the modified action ƒ(R) theory. The effects of ƒ(R) modified gravity can be separated into a large- and small-field limit. In the large-field limit, which is accessible to current observations, enhanced gravitational forces raise the abundance of rare massive halos and decrease their bias but leave their (lensing) mass profiles largely unchanged. This regime is well described by scaling relations based on a modification of spherical collapse calculations. In the small-field limit, the enhancement of the gravitational force is suppressed inside halos and the effects on halo properties are substantially reduced for the most massive halos. Nonetheless, the scaling relations still retain limited applicability for the purpose of establishing conservative upper limits on the modification to gravity
Spherical Collapse and the Halo Model in Braneworld Gravity
We present a detailed study of the collapse of a spherical perturbation in
DGP braneworld gravity for the purpose of modeling simulation results for the
halo mass function, bias and matter power spectrum. The presence of evolving
modifications to the gravitational force in form of the scalar brane-bending
mode lead to qualitative differences to the collapse in ordinary gravity. In
particular, differences in the energetics of the collapse necessitate a new,
generalized method for defining the virial radius which does not rely on strict
energy conservation. These differences and techniques apply to smooth dark
energy models with w unequal -1 as well. We also discuss the impact of the
exterior of the perturbation on collapse quantities due to the lack of a
Birkhoff theorem in DGP. The resulting predictions for the mass function, halo
bias and power spectrum are in good overall agreement with DGP N-body
simulations on both the self-accelerating and normal branch. In particular, the
impact of the Vainshtein mechanism as measured in the full simulations is
matched well. The model and techniques introduced here can serve as practical
tools for placing consistent constraints on braneworld models using
observations of large scale structure.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures; v2: minor addition to appendix; matches
published version; v3: typos in Eqs. (20), (23) correcte
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