2,096 research outputs found
Particle Aggregation in a turbulent Keplerian flow
In the problem of planetary formation one seeks a mechanism to gather small
solid particles together into larger accumulations of solid matter. Here we
describe a scenario in which turbulence mediates this process by aggregating
particles into anticyclonic regions. If, as our simulations suggest,
anticyclonic vortices form as long-lived coherent structures, the process
becomes more powerful because such vortices trap particles effectively. Even if
the turbulence is decaying, following the upheaval that formed the disk, there
is enough time to make the dust distribution quite lumpy.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Petrography and chemistry of sandstones from the Swiss Molasse Basin: an archive of the Oligocene to Miocene evolution of the Central Alps
From Teamchef Arminius to Hermann Junior: glocalised discourse about a national foundation myth
If for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the ‘Battle of the Teutoburg Forest’, fought in 9 CE between Roman armies and Germanic tribes, was predominantly a reference point for nationalist and chauvinist discourses in Germany, the first decade of the twenty-first century has seen attempts to link public remembrance with local/regional identities on the one hand and international/intercultural contact on the other. In the run up to and during the ‘anniversary year’ of 2009, German media, sports institutions and various other official institutions articulating tourist, economic and political interests attempted to create a new ‘glocalised’ version of the public memory of the Teutoburg battle. Combining methods of Cognitive Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis, the paper analyses the narrative and argumentative topoi employed in this re-orientation of public memory, with a special emphasis on hybrid, post-national identity-construction. Das zweitausendjährige Gedenkjahr der „Schlacht im Teutoburger Wald“ im Jahr 2009 bot eine günstige Gelegenheit, die bis in die zweite Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts dominante Tradition nationalistisch–chauvinistischer Deutungen des Sieges von germanischen Stämmen über drei römische Legionen zu korrigieren und zu überwinden. Der Aufsatz analysiert mit Hilfe diskurslinguistischer Methoden die Anstrengungen regionaler Institutionen und Medien, die nationale Vereinnahmung des historischen Gedenkens kritisch zu thematisieren sowie neue, zum eine lokal situierte, zum andern international orientierte Identifikationsangebote anzubieten. Die Analyse zeigt, dass solche „de-nationalisierten“ Identifikationsangebote zwar teilweise auch früher verwendet wurden, aber heutzutage rekontextualisiert und auf innovative Weise in den Vordergrund gestellt werden
Iraq War mortality estimates: A systematic review
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In March 2003, the United States invaded Iraq. The subsequent number, rates, and causes of mortality in Iraq resulting from the war remain unclear, despite intense international attention. Understanding mortality estimates from modern warfare, where the majority of casualties are civilian, is of critical importance for public health and protection afforded under international humanitarian law. We aimed to review the studies, reports and counts on Iraqi deaths since the start of the war and assessed their methodological quality and results.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a systematic search of 15 electronic databases from inception to January 2008. In addition, we conducted a non-structured search of 3 other databases, reviewed study reference lists and contacted subject matter experts. We included studies that provided estimates of Iraqi deaths based on primary research over a reported period of time since the invasion. We excluded studies that summarized mortality estimates and combined non-fatal injuries and also studies of specific sub-populations, e.g. under-5 mortality. We calculated crude and cause-specific mortality rates attributable to violence and average deaths per day for each study, where not already provided.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria. The studies used a wide range of methodologies, varying from sentinel-data collection to population-based surveys. Studies assessed as the highest quality, those using population-based methods, yielded the highest estimates. Average deaths per day ranged from 48 to 759. The cause-specific mortality rates attributable to violence ranged from 0.64 to 10.25 per 1,000 per year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our review indicates that, despite varying estimates, the mortality burden of the war and its sequelae on Iraq is large. The use of established epidemiological methods is rare. This review illustrates the pressing need to promote sound epidemiologic approaches to determining mortality estimates and to establish guidelines for policy-makers, the media and the public on how to interpret these estimates.</p
The PTF Orion Project: a Possible Planet Transiting a T-Tauri Star
We report observations of a possible young transiting planet orbiting a
previously known weak-lined T-Tauri star in the 7-10 Myr old Orion-OB1a/25-Ori
region. The candidate was found as part of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF)
Orion project. It has a photometric transit period of 0.448413 +- 0.000040
days, and appears in both 2009 and 2010 PTF data. Follow-up low-precision
radial velocity (RV) observations and adaptive optics imaging suggest that the
star is not an eclipsing binary, and that it is unlikely that a background
source is blended with the target and mimicking the observed transit. RV
observations with the Hobby-Eberly and Keck telescopes yield an RV that has the
same period as the photometric event, but is offset in phase from the transit
center by approximately -0.22 periods. The amplitude (half range) of the RV
variations is 2.4 km/s and is comparable with the expected RV amplitude that
stellar spots could induce. The RV curve is likely dominated by stellar spot
modulation and provides an upper limit to the projected companion mass of M_p
sin i_orb < 4.8 +- 1.2 M_Jup; when combined with the orbital inclination, i
orb, of the candidate planet from modeling of the transit light curve, we find
an upper limit on the mass of the planetary candidate of M_p < 5.5 +- 1.4
M_Jup. This limit implies that the planet is orbiting close to, if not inside,
its Roche limiting orbital radius, so that it may be undergoing active mass
loss and evaporation.Comment: Corrected typos, minor clarifications; minor updates/corrections to
affiliations and bibliography. 35 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Accepted to
Ap
Short sleep duration and obesity among Australian children
Extent: 6p.Background: There is limited information on sleep duration and obesity among Australian children. The objective of the study is to cross-sectionally examine the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Australian children aged 5 to 15 years. Methods: Data were collected using the South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System between January 2004 and December 2008. Each month a representative random sample of South Australians are selected from the Electronic White Pages with interviews conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Within each household, the person who was last to have a birthday was selected for interview. Parents reported the number of hours their children slept each day. Obesity was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) definition based on BMI calculated from reported body weight and height. Results: Overall, parents of 3495 children aged 5-15 years (mean 10.7 years, 50.3% boys) were interviewed. The prevalence of obesity was 7.7% (8.9% in boys, 6.6% in girls). In multivariate analysis after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, intake of fruit and vegetables, physical activity and inactivity, the odds ratio (OR) for obesity comparing sleeping <9 hours with ≥10 hours was 2.23 (95% CI 1.04-4.76) among boys, 1.70(0.78-3.73) among girls, and 1.97(1.15-3.38) in both genders. The association between short sleep (<9 hours) and obesity was stronger in the younger age group. No significant association between short sleep and obesity was found among children aged 13-15. There was also an additive interaction between short sleep and low level of physical activity. Conclusion: Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity in children especially among younger age groups and boys.Zumin Shi, Anne W Taylor, Tiffany K Gill, Jane Tuckerman, Robert Adams and James Marti
Search for Narrow Diphoton Resonances and for gamma-gamma+W/Z Signatures in p\bar p Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV
We present results of searches for diphoton resonances produced both
inclusively and also in association with a vector boson (W or Z) using 100
pb^{-1} of p\bar p collisions using the CDF detector. We set upper limits on
the product of cross section times branching ratio for both p\bar
p\to\gamma\gamma + X and p\bar p\to\gamma\gamma + W/Z. Comparing the inclusive
production to the expectations from heavy sgoldstinos we derive limits on the
supersymmetry-breaking scale sqrt{F} in the TeV range, depending on the
sgoldstino mass and the choice of other parameters. Also, using a NLO
prediction for the associated production of a Higgs boson with a W or Z boson,
we set an upper limit on the branching ratio for H\to\gamma\gamma. Finally, we
set a lower limit on the mass of a `bosophilic' Higgs boson (e.g. one which
couples only to \gamma, W, and Z$ bosons with standard model couplings) of 82
GeV/c^2 at 95% confidence level.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figure
Inclusive Search for Anomalous Production of High-pT Like-Sign Lepton Pairs in Proton-Antiproton Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV
We report on a search for anomalous production of events with at least two
charged, isolated, like-sign leptons with pT > 11 GeV/c using a 107 pb^-1
sample of 1.8 TeV ppbar collisions collected by the CDF detector. We define a
signal region containing low background from Standard Model processes. To avoid
bias, we fix the final cuts before examining the event yield in the signal
region using control regions to test the Monte Carlo predictions. We observe no
events in the signal region, consistent with an expectation of
0.63^(+0.84)_(-0.07) events. We present 95% confidence level limits on new
physics processes in both a signature-based context as well as within a
representative minimal supergravity (tanbeta = 3) model.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. Minor textual changes, cosmetic improvements to
figures and updated and expanded reference
Measurement of the Strong Coupling Constant from Inclusive Jet Production at the Tevatron Collider
We report a measurement of the strong coupling constant, ,
extracted from inclusive jet production in collisions at
1800 GeV. The QCD prediction for the evolution of with
jet transverse energy is tested over the range 40<<450 GeV using
for the renormalization scale. The data show good agreement with QCD in
the region below 250 GeV. In the text we discuss the data-theory comparison in
the region from 250 to 450 GeV. The value of at the mass of the
boson averaged over the range 40<<250 GeV is found to be
. The associated theoretical uncertainties are mainly due to the choice
of renormalization scale (^{+6%}_{-4%}) and input parton distribution
functions (5%).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, using RevTeX. Submitted to Physical Review
Letter
Search for Kaluza-Klein Graviton Emission in Collisions at TeV using the Missing Energy Signature
We report on a search for direct Kaluza-Klein graviton production in a data
sample of 84 of \ppb collisions at = 1.8 TeV, recorded
by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We investigate the final state of large
missing transverse energy and one or two high energy jets. We compare the data
with the predictions from a -dimensional Kaluza-Klein scenario in which
gravity becomes strong at the TeV scale. At 95% confidence level (C.L.) for
=2, 4, and 6 we exclude an effective Planck scale below 1.0, 0.77, and 0.71
TeV, respectively.Comment: Submitted to PRL, 7 pages 4 figures/Revision includes 5 figure
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