7,637 research outputs found
Anomaly mediated neutrino-photon interactions at finite baryon density
We propose new physical processes based on the axial vector anomaly and
described by the Wess-Zumino-Witten term that couples the photon, Z-boson, and
the omega-meson. The interaction takes the form of a pseudo-Chern-Simons term,
. This term
induces neutrino-photon interactions at finite baryon density via the coupling
of the Z-boson to neutrinos. These interactions may be detectable in various
laboratory and astrophysical arenas. The new interactions may account for the
MiniBooNE excess. They also produce a competitive contribution to neutron star
cooling at temperatures >10^9 K. These processes and related axion--photon
interactions at finite baryon density appear to be relevant in many
astrophysical regimes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; references adde
Effects of Stress Evolution Process on the Thermal Stability of Thin Accretion Discs
The stress evolution process is taken into account in the linear stability
analysis of standard thin accretion discs. We find that the growth rate of
thermally unstable modes can decrease significantly owing to the stress delay,
which may help to understand the quasi-periodic variability of GRS 1915+105. We
also discuss possible application of stress evolution to the stability of
Shapiro-Lightman-Eardley disc.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted by MNRA
Real Time Animation of Virtual Humans: A Trade-off Between Naturalness and Control
Virtual humans are employed in many interactive applications using 3D virtual environments, including (serious) games. The motion of such virtual humans should look realistic (or ‘natural’) and allow interaction with the surroundings and other (virtual) humans. Current animation techniques differ in the trade-off they offer between motion naturalness and the control that can be exerted over the motion. We show mechanisms to parametrize, combine (on different body parts) and concatenate motions generated by different animation techniques. We discuss several aspects of motion naturalness and show how it can be evaluated. We conclude by showing the promise of combinations of different animation paradigms to enhance both naturalness and control
Field Theory for a Deuteron Quantum Liquid
Based on general symmetry principles we study an effective Lagrangian for a
neutral system of condensed spin-1 deuteron nuclei and electrons, at
greater-than-atomic but less-than-nuclear densities. We expect such matter to
be present in thin layers within certain low-mass brown dwarfs. It may also be
produced in future shock-wave-compression experiments as an effective fuel for
laser induced nuclear fusion. We find a background solution of the effective
theory describing a net spin zero condensate of deuterons with their spins
aligned and anti-aligned in a certain spontaneously emerged preferred
direction. The spectrum of low energy collective excitations contains two spin
waves with linear dispersions -- like in antiferromagnets -- as well as gapped
longitudinal and transverse modes related to the Meissner effect -- like in
superconductors. We show that counting of the Nambu-Goldstone modes of
spontaneously broken internal and space-time symmetries obeys, in a nontrivial
way, the rules of the Goldstone theorem for Lorentz non-invariant systems. We
discuss thermodynamic properties of the condensate, and its potential
manifestation in the low-mass brown dwarfs.Comment: 19 LaTeX pages; v2: 2 refs added, JHEP versio
The chromospherically--active binary CF Tuc revisited
New high-resolution spectra, of the chromospherically active binary system CF
Tuc, taken at the Mt. John University Observatory in 2007, were analyzed using
two methods: cross-correlation and Fourier--based disentangling. As a result,
new radial velocity curves of both components were obtained. The resulting
orbital elements of CF Tuc are: = AU,
= AU, =
, and = . The cooler
component of the system shows H and CaII H & K emissions. Our
spectroscopic data and recent light curves were solved simultaneously
using the Wilson-Devinney code. A dark spot on the surface of the cooler
component was assumed to explain large asymmetries observed in the light
curves. The following absolute parameters of the components were determined:
= , = ,
= , = ,
= and = . The
orbital period of the system was studied using the O-C analysis. The O-C
diagram could be interpreted in terms of either two abrupt changes or a
quasi-sinusoidal form superimposed on a downward parabola. These variations are
discussed by reference to the combined effect of mass transfer and mass loss,
the Applegate mechanism and also a light-time effect due to the existence of a
massive third body (possibly a black hole) in the system. The distance to CF
Tuc was calculated to be pc from the dynamic parallax, neglecting
interstellar absorption, in agreement with the Hipparcos value.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA
Testing for Network and Spatial Autocorrelation
Testing for dependence has been a well-established component of spatial
statistical analyses for decades. In particular, several popular test
statistics have desirable properties for testing for the presence of spatial
autocorrelation in continuous variables. In this paper we propose two
contributions to the literature on tests for autocorrelation. First, we propose
a new test for autocorrelation in categorical variables. While some methods
currently exist for assessing spatial autocorrelation in categorical variables,
the most popular method is unwieldy, somewhat ad hoc, and fails to provide
grounds for a single omnibus test. Second, we discuss the importance of testing
for autocorrelation in data sampled from the nodes of a network, motivated by
social network applications. We demonstrate that our proposed statistic for
categorical variables can both be used in the spatial and network setting
On the Deformation of a Hyperelastic Tube Due to Steady Viscous Flow Within
In this chapter, we analyze the steady-state microscale fluid--structure
interaction (FSI) between a generalized Newtonian fluid and a hyperelastic
tube. Physiological flows, especially in hemodynamics, serve as primary
examples of such FSI phenomena. The small scale of the physical system renders
the flow field, under the power-law rheological model, amenable to a
closed-form solution using the lubrication approximation. On the other hand,
negligible shear stresses on the walls of a long vessel allow the structure to
be treated as a pressure vessel. The constitutive equation for the microtube is
prescribed via the strain energy functional for an incompressible, isotropic
Mooney--Rivlin material. We employ both the thin- and thick-walled formulations
of the pressure vessel theory, and derive the static relation between the
pressure load and the deformation of the structure. We harness the latter to
determine the flow rate--pressure drop relationship for non-Newtonian flow in
thin- and thick-walled soft hyperelastic microtubes. Through illustrative
examples, we discuss how a hyperelastic tube supports the same pressure load as
a linearly elastic tube with smaller deformation, thus requiring a higher
pressure drop across itself to maintain a fixed flow rate.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, Springer book class; v2: minor revisions, final
form of invited contribution to the Springer volume entitled "Dynamical
Processes in Generalized Continua and Structures" (in honour of Academician
D.I. Indeitsev), eds. H. Altenbach, A. Belyaev, V. A. Eremeyev, A. Krivtsov
and A. V. Porubo
Fungal Adenylyl Cyclase Acts As a Signal Sensor and Integrator and Plays a Central Role in Interaction with Bacteria
10.1371/journal.ppat.1003612PLoS Pathogens910
Cell-free (RNA) and cell-associated (DNA) HIV-1 and postnatal transmission through breastfeeding
<p>Introduction - Transmission through breastfeeding remains important for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) in resource-limited settings. We quantify the relationship between cell-free (RNA) and cell-associated (DNA) shedding of HIV-1 virus in breastmilk and the risk of postnatal HIV-1 transmission in the first 6 months postpartum.</p>
<p>Materials and Methods - Thirty-six HIV-positive mothers who transmitted HIV-1 by breastfeeding were matched to 36 non-transmitting HIV-1 infected mothers in a case-control study nested in a cohort of HIV-infected women. RNA and DNA were quantified in the same breastmilk sample taken at 6 weeks and 6 months. Cox regression analysis assessed the association between cell-free and cell-associated virus levels and risk of postnatal HIV-1 transmission.</p>
<p>Results - There were higher median levels of cell-free than cell-associated HIV-1 virus (per ml) in breastmilk at 6 weeks and 6 months. Multivariably, adjusting for antenatal CD4 count and maternal plasma viral load, at 6 weeks, each 10-fold increase in cell-free or cell-associated levels (per ml) was significantly associated with HIV-1 transmission but stronger for cell-associated than cell-free levels [2.47 (95% CI 1.33–4.59) vs. aHR 1.52 (95% CI, 1.17–1.96), respectively]. At 6 months, cell-free and cell-associated levels (per ml) in breastmilk remained significantly associated with HIV-1 transmission but was stronger for cell-free than cell-associated levels [aHR 2.53 (95% CI 1.64–3.92) vs. 1.73 (95% CI 0.94–3.19), respectively].</p>
<p>Conclusions - The findings suggest that cell-associated virus level (per ml) is more important for early postpartum HIV-1 transmission (at 6 weeks) than cell-free virus. As cell-associated virus levels have been consistently detected in breastmilk despite antiretroviral therapy, this highlights a potential challenge for resource-limited settings to achieve the UNAIDS goal for 2015 of eliminating vertical transmission. More studies would further knowledge on mechanisms of HIV-1 transmission and help develop more effective drugs during lactation.</p>
A global method for coupling transport with chemistry in heterogeneous porous media
Modeling reactive transport in porous media, using a local chemical
equilibrium assumption, leads to a system of advection-diffusion PDE's coupled
with algebraic equations. When solving this coupled system, the algebraic
equations have to be solved at each grid point for each chemical species and at
each time step. This leads to a coupled non-linear system. In this paper a
global solution approach that enables to keep the software codes for transport
and chemistry distinct is proposed. The method applies the Newton-Krylov
framework to the formulation for reactive transport used in operator splitting.
The method is formulated in terms of total mobile and total fixed
concentrations and uses the chemical solver as a black box, as it only requires
that on be able to solve chemical equilibrium problems (and compute
derivatives), without having to know the solution method. An additional
advantage of the Newton-Krylov method is that the Jacobian is only needed as an
operator in a Jacobian matrix times vector product. The proposed method is
tested on the MoMaS reactive transport benchmark.Comment: Computational Geosciences (2009)
http://www.springerlink.com/content/933p55085742m203/?p=db14bb8c399b49979ba8389a3cae1b0f&pi=1
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