596 research outputs found
Brane-world Cosmologies with non-local bulk effects
It is very common to ignore the non-local bulk effects in the study of
brane-world cosmologies using the brane-world approach. However, we shall
illustrate through the use of three different scenarios, that the non-local
bulk-effect does indeed have significant impact on both the
initial and future behaviour of brane-world cosmologies.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, iopart.cls, submitted to CQ
The Dynamics of Multi-Scalar Field Cosmological Models and Assisted Inflation
We investigate the dynamical properties of a class of spatially homogeneous
and isotropic cosmological models containing a barotropic perfect fluid and
multiple scalar fields with independent exponential potentials. We show that
the assisted inflationary scaling solution is the global late-time attractor
for the parameter values for which the model is inflationary, even when
curvature and barotropic matter are included. For all other parameter values
the multi-field curvature scaling solution is the global late-time attractor
(in these solutions asymptotically the curvature is not dynamically
negligible). Consequently, we find that in general all of the scalar fields in
multi-field models with exponential potentials are non-negligible in late-time
behaviour, contrary to what is commonly believed. The early-time and
intermediate behaviour of the models is also studied. In particular, n-scalar
field models are investigated and the structure of the saddle equilibrium
points corresponding to inflationary m-field scaling solutions and
non-inflationary m-field matter scaling solutions are also studied (where m<n),
leading to interesting transient dynamical behaviour with new physical
scenarios of potential importance.Comment: 27 pages, uses REVTeX Added an appendix illustrating some of the
details needed to compute the stability of the assisted inflationary solutio
Self-similar spherically symmetric cosmological models with a perfect fluid and a scalar field
Self-similar, spherically symmetric cosmological models with a perfect fluid
and a scalar field with an exponential potential are investigated. New
variables are defined which lead to a compact state space, and dynamical
systems methods are utilised to analyse the models. Due to the existence of
monotone functions global dynamical results can be deduced. In particular, all
of the future and past attractors for these models are obtained and the global
results are discussed. The essential physical results are that initially
expanding models always evolve away from a massless scalar field model with an
initial singularity and, depending on the parameters of the models, either
recollapse to a second singularity or expand forever towards a flat power-law
inflationary model. The special cases in which there is no barotropic fluid and
in which the scalar field is massless are considered in more detail in order to
illustrate the asymptotic results. Some phase portraits are presented and the
intermediate dynamics and hence the physical properties of the models are
discussed.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figure
Reproductive competition between polygynous parasite queens in ant colonies
BACKGROUND: Evaluation of percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) with the guide wire dilating forceps (GWDF) technique. METHODS: Prospective study of perioperative complications, retrospective analysis of early and late complications in an ICU in a teaching university hospital. RESULTS: The success rate of the procedure was 96.5%. The average procedure time in 171 consecutive patients was 5.0 min. Perioperative complications requiring surgical or medical intervention occurred in 6.4% of 171 patients. This included conversion to surgical tracheostomy, which was necessary in six patients (3.5%). Major complications while being cannulated occurred in 2.4% of 164 patients but seemed mostly unrelated with the GWDF technique itself. Late complications (after decannulation) were mostly minor and occurred in 22.6% of 106 patients. Only one patient (0.9%) had a symptomatic tracheal stenosis developed. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous tracheostomy with the guide wire dilating forceps technique is easy to perform at the bedside with few late complications. However, in our study, perioperative and immediate postoperative bleeding complications (minor and major) occur quite often
Closed cosmologies with a perfect fluid and a scalar field
Closed, spatially homogeneous cosmological models with a perfect fluid and a
scalar field with exponential potential are investigated, using dynamical
systems methods. First, we consider the closed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker
models, discussing the global dynamics in detail. Next, we investigate
Kantowski-Sachs models, for which the future and past attractors are
determined. The global asymptotic behaviour of both the
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker and the Kantowski-Sachs models is that they either
expand from an initial singularity, reach a maximum expansion and thereafter
recollapse to a final singularity (for all values of the potential parameter
kappa), or else they expand forever towards a flat power-law inflationary
solution (when kappa^2<2). As an illustration of the intermediate dynamical
behaviour of the Kantowski-Sachs models, we examine the cases of no barotropic
fluid, and of a massless scalar field in detail. We also briefly discuss
Bianchi type IX models.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure
Cosmology with positive and negative exponential potentials
We present a phase-plane analysis of cosmologies containing a scalar field
with an exponential potential
where and may be positive or negative. We show that
power-law kinetic-potential scaling solutions only exist for sufficiently flat
() negative
potentials. The latter correspond to a class of ever-expanding cosmologies with
negative potential. However we show that these expanding solutions with a
negative potential are to unstable in the presence of ordinary matter, spatial
curvature or anisotropic shear, and generic solutions always recollapse to a
singularity. Power-law kinetic-potential scaling solutions are the late-time
attractor in a collapsing universe for steep negative potentials (the ekpyrotic
scenario) and stable against matter, curvature or shear perturbations.
Otherwise kinetic-dominated solutions are the attractor during collapse (the
pre big bang scenario) and are only marginally stable with respect to
anisotropic shear.Comment: 8 pages, latex with revtex, 9 figure
On subsequential spaces
AbstractSimple generators for the coreflective category of subsequential spaces, one of them countable, are constructed. Every such must have subsequential order ω1. Subsequentialness is a local property and a countable property, both in a strong sense. A T2-subsequential space may be pseudocompact without being sequential, in contrast to T2-subsequential compact (countably compact, sequentially compact) spaces all being sequential. A compact subsequential space need not be sequential
Vascular architecture and hypoxic profiles in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
Tumour oxygenation and vasculature are determinants for radiation treatment outcome and prognosis in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. In this study we visualized and quantified these factors which may provide a predictive tool for new treatments. Twenty-one patients with stage III–IV squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck were intravenously injected with pimonidazole, a bioreductive hypoxic marker. Tumour biopsies were taken 2 h later. Frozen tissue sections were stained for vessels and hypoxia by fluorescent immunohistochemistry. Twenty-two sections of biopsies of different head and neck sites were scanned and analysed with a computerized image analysis system. The hypoxic fractions varied from 0.02 to 0.29 and were independent from T- and N-classification, localization and differentiation grade. No significant correlation between hypoxic fraction and vascular density was observed. As a first attempt to categorize tumours based on their hypoxic profile, three different hypoxia patterns are described. The first category comprised tumours with large hypoxic, but viable, areas at distances even greater than 200 μm from the vessels. The second category showed a typical band-like distribution of hypoxia at an intermediate distance (50–200 μm) from the vessels with necrosis at greater distances. The third category demonstrated hypoxia already within 50 μm from the vessels, suggestive for acute hypoxia. This method of multiparameter analysis proved to be clinically feasible. The information on architectural patterns and the differences that exist between tumours can improve our understanding of the tumour micro-environment and may in the future be of assistance with the selection of (oxygenation modifying) treatment strategies. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
Scaling Solutions in Robertson-Walker Spacetimes
We investigate the stability of cosmological scaling solutions describing a
barotropic fluid with and a non-interacting scalar field
with an exponential potential V(\phi)=V_0\e^{-\kappa\phi}. We study
homogeneous and isotropic spacetimes with non-zero spatial curvature and find
three possible asymptotic future attractors in an ever-expanding universe. One
is the zero-curvature power-law inflation solution where
(). Another is the
zero-curvature scaling solution, first identified by Wetterich, where the
energy density of the scalar field is proportional to that of matter with
(). We find that
this matter scaling solution is unstable to curvature perturbations for
. The third possible future asymptotic attractor is a solution with
negative spatial curvature where the scalar field energy density remains
proportional to the curvature with
(). We find that solutions with are
never late-time attractors.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, latex with revte
- …