166 research outputs found
Complementary vertices and adjacency testing in polytopes
Our main theoretical result is that, if a simple polytope has a pair of
complementary vertices (i.e., two vertices with no facets in common), then it
has at least two such pairs, which can be chosen to be disjoint. Using this
result, we improve adjacency testing for vertices in both simple and non-simple
polytopes: given a polytope in the standard form {x \in R^n | Ax = b and x \geq
0} and a list of its V vertices, we describe an O(n) test to identify whether
any two given vertices are adjacent. For simple polytopes this test is perfect;
for non-simple polytopes it may be indeterminate, and instead acts as a filter
to identify non-adjacent pairs. Our test requires an O(n^2 V + n V^2)
precomputation, which is acceptable in settings such as all-pairs adjacency
testing. These results improve upon the more general O(nV) combinatorial and
O(n^3) algebraic adjacency tests from the literature.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. v1: published in COCOON 2012. v2: full journal
version, which strengthens and extends the results in Section 2 (see p1 of
the paper for details
Heritability of specific language impairment depends on diagnostic criteria
Heritability estimates for specific language impairment (SLI) have been inconsistent. Four twin studies reported heritability of 0.5 or more, but a recent report from the Twins Early Development Study found negligible genetic influence in 4-year-olds. We considered whether the method of ascertainment influenced results and found substantially higher heritability if SLI was defined in terms of referral to speech and language pathology services than if defined by language test scores. Further analysis showed that presence of speech difficulties played a major role in determining whether a child had contact with services. Childhood language disorders that are identified by population screening are likely to have a different phenotype and different etiology from clinically referred cases. Genetic studies are more likely to find high heritability if they focus on cases who have speech difficulties and who have been referred for intervention
The potential of future foods for sustainable and healthy diets
Altering diets is increasingly acknowledged as an important solution to feed the world’s growing population within the planetary boundaries. In our search for a planet-friendly diet, the main focus has been on eating more plant-source foods, and eating no or less animal-source foods, while the potential of future foods, such as insects, seaweed or cultured meat has been underexplored. Here we show that compared to current animal-source foods, future foods have major environmental benefits while safeguarding the intake of essential micronutrients. The complete array of essential nutrients in the mixture of future foods makes them good-quality alternatives for current animal-source foods compared to plant-source foods. Moreover, future foods are land-efficient alternatives for animal-source foods, and if produced with renewable energy, they also offer greenhouse gas benefits. Further research on nutrient bioavailability and digestibility, food safety, production costs and consumer acceptance will determine their role as main food sources in future diets
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV
Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead
collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the
pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80
GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be
in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The
ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the
number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for
all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Reorientation-effect measurement of the first 2+ state in 12C : Confirmation of oblate deformation
A Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect measurement using the TIGRESS γ−ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF/ISAC II facility has permitted the determination of the 〈21 +‖E2ˆ‖21 +〉 diagonal matrix element in 12C from particle−γ coincidence data and state-of-the-art no-core shell model calculations of the nuclear polarizability. The nuclear polarizability for the ground and first-excited (21 +) states in 12C have been calculated using chiral NN N4LO500 and NN+3NF350 interactions, which show convergence and agreement with photo-absorption cross-section data. Predictions show a change in the nuclear polarizability with a substantial increase between the ground state and first excited 21 + state at 4.439 MeV. The polarizability of the 21 + state is introduced into the current and previous Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect analyses of 12C. Spectroscopic quadrupole moments of QS(21 +)=+0.053(44) eb and QS(21 +)=+0.08(3) eb are determined, respectively, yielding a weighted average of QS(21 +)=+0.071(25) eb, in agreement with recent ab initio calculations. The present measurement confirms that the 21 + state of 12C is oblate and emphasizes the important role played by the nuclear polarizability in Coulomb-excitation studies of light nuclei
TOI-811b and TOI-852b: New transiting brown dwarfs with similar masses and very different radii and ages from the TESS mission
We report the discovery of two transiting brown dwarfs (BDs), TOI-811b and TOI-852b, from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. These two transiting BDs have similar masses but very different radii and ages. Their host stars have similar masses, effective temperatures, and metallicities. The younger and larger transiting BD is TOI-811b at a mass of Mb = 59.9 ± 13.0MJ and radius of Rb = 1.26 ± 0.06RJ, and it orbits its host star in a period of P = 25.16551 ± 0.00004 days. We derive the host star's age of 93+61-29 Myr from an application of gyrochronology. The youth of this system, rather than external heating from its host star, is why this BD's radius is relatively large. This constraint on the youth of TOI-811b allows us to test substellar mass-radius evolutionary models at young ages where the radius of BDs changes rapidly. TOI-852b has a similar mass at Mb = 53.7 ± 1.4MJ but is much older (4 or 8 Gyr, based on bimodal isochrone results of the host star) and is also smaller with a radius of Rb = 0.83 ± 0.04RJ. TOI-852b's orbital period is P = 4.94561 ± 0.00008 days. TOI-852b joins the likes of other old transiting BDs that trace out the oldest substellar mass-radius evolutionary models where contraction of the BD's radius slows and approaches a constant value. Both host stars have a mass of M∗ = 1.32M⊙ ± 0.05 and differ in their radii, Teff, and [Fe/H], with TOI-811 having R∗ = 1.27 ± 0.09R⊙, Teff = 6107 ± 77 K, and [Fe/ H]=+0.40 ± 0.09 and TOI-852 having R∗ = 1.71 ± 0.04R⊙, Teff = 5768 ± 84 K, and [Fe/H]=+0.33 ± 0.09. We take this opportunity to examine how TOI-811b and TOI-852b serve as test points for young and old substellar isochrones, respectively
Two Young Planetary Systems around Field Stars with Ages between 20 and 320 Myr from TESS
Planets around young stars trace the early evolution of planetary systems. We report the discovery and validation of two planetary systems with ages <∼300Myr from observations by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The 40 V320 Myr old G star TOI-251 hosts a 2.74+0.18-0.18 mini-Neptune with a 4.94 day period. The 20-160 Myr old K star TOI-942 hosts a system of inflated Neptune-sized planets, with TOI-942b orbiting in a period of 4.32 days with a radius of 4.81+0.20-0.20 and TOI-942c orbiting in a period of 10.16 days with a radius of 5.79-0.18+0.19 Though we cannot place either host star into a known stellar association or cluster, we can estimate their ages via their photometric and spectroscopic properties. Both stars exhibit significant photometric variability due to spot modulation, with measured rotation periods of .3.5 days. These stars also exhibit significant chromospheric activity, with age estimates from the chromospheric calcium emission lines and X-ray fluxes matching that estimated from gyrochronology. Both stars also exhibit significant lithium absorption, similar in equivalent width to well-characterized young cluster members. TESS has the potential to deliver a population of young planet-bearing field stars, contributing significantly to tracing the properties of planets as a function of their age
Search for a W ' boson decaying to a muon and a neutrino in pp collisions at √s =7 TeV
This is the Pre-Print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierA new heavy gauge boson, W', decaying to a muon and a neutrino, is searched for in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass of 7 TeV. The data, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns. No significant excess of events above the standard model expectation is found in the transverse mass distribution of the muon-neutrino system. Masses below 1.40 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level for a sequential standard-model-like W'. The W' mass lower limit increases to 1.58 TeV when the present analysis is combined with the CMS result for the electron channel.This work is supported by the FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences
and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3
(France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR
(Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)
Observation of a new Xi(b) baryon
The first observation of a new b baryon via its strong decay into Xi(b)^-
pi^+ (plus charge conjugates) is reported. The measurement uses a data sample
of pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC,
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 inverse femtobarns. The known
Xi(b)^- baryon is reconstructed via the decay chain Xi(b)^- to J/psi Xi^- to
mu^+ mu^- Lambda^0 pi^-, with Lambda^0 to p pi^-. A peak is observed in the
distribution of the difference between the mass of the Xi(b)^- pi^+ system and
the sum of the masses of the Xi(b)^- and pi^+, with a significance exceeding
five standard deviations. The mass difference of the peak is 14.84 +/- 0.74
(stat.) +/- 0.28 (syst.) MeV. The new state most likely corresponds to the
J^P=3/2^+ companion of the Xi(b).Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
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