Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, Removing By-catch from Prawn-trawl Codends During Fishing in New South Wales, Australia

During a fishing trip to record video footage of fish escaping from a by-catch reducing device located in a commercial prawn trawl, two bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, were observed to actively manipulate the codend at the seabed, removing and consuming components of catch (mostly juvenile whiting, Sillago spp.). The observed feeding pattern suggests a well established behavioral response to trawling activities and is discussed with respect to (1) the potential nutritional benefit that dolphins may derive from such activities and (2) the effects that scavenging may have on selectivity of the gear

Multi-Phenomena Modeling of the New Bullet Cluster, ZwCl008.8+52, using N-body/hydrodynamical Simulations

We use hydrodynamical/N-body simulations to interpret the newly discovered Bullet-cluster-like merging cluster, ZwCl 0008.8+5215 (ZwCl 0008 hereafter), where a dramatic collision is apparent from multi-wavelength observations. We have been able to find a self-consistent solution for the radio, X-ray, and lensing phenomena by projecting an off-axis, binary cluster encounter viewed just after first core passage. A pair radio relics traces well the leading and trailing shock fronts that our simulation predict, providing constraints on the collision parameters. We can also account for the observed distinctive comet-like X-ray morphology and the positions of the X-ray peaks relative to the two lensing mass centroids and the two shock front locations. Relative to the Bullet cluster, the total mass is about 70% lower, ($1.2\pm0.1) \times 10^{15}$ Msun, with a correspondingly lower infall velocity, $1800\pm300$ km/s, and an impact parameter of $400\pm100$ kpc. As a result, the gas component of the infalling cluster is not trailing significantly behind the associated dark matter as in the case of the Bullet cluster. The degree of agreement we find between all the observables provides strong evidence that dark matter is effectively collisionless on large scales calling into question other claims and theories that advocate modified gravity.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, and 1 table, submitted to the Astrophysical Journal for publicationon on December 18. Coments are welcom

Determinations of rational Dedekind-zeta invariants of hyperbolic manifolds and Feynman knots and links

We identify 998 closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds whose volumes are rationally related to Dedekind zeta values, with coprime integers $a$ and $b$ giving $a/b vol(M)=(-D)^{3/2}/(2\pi)^{2n-4} (\zeta_K(2))/(2\zeta(2))$ for a manifold M whose invariant trace field $K$ has a single complex place, discriminant $D$, degree $n$, and Dedekind zeta value $\zeta_K(2)$. The largest numerator of the 998 invariants of Hodgson-Weeks manifolds is, astoundingly, $a=2^4\times23\times37\times691 =9,408,656$; the largest denominator is merely b=9. We also study the rational invariant a/b for single-complex-place cusped manifolds, complementary to knots and links, both within and beyond the Hildebrand-Weeks census. Within the censi, we identify 152 distinct Dedekind zetas rationally related to volumes. Moreover, 91 census manifolds have volumes reducible to pairs of these zeta values. Motivated by studies of Feynman diagrams, we find a 10-component 24-crossing link in the case n=2 and D=-20. It is one of 5 alternating platonic links, the other 4 being quartic. For 8 of 10 quadratic fields distinguished by rational relations between Dedekind zeta values and volumes of Feynman orthoschemes, we find corresponding links. Feynman links with D=-39 and D=-84 are missing; we expect them to be as beautiful as the 8 drawn here. Dedekind-zeta invariants are obtained for knots from Feynman diagrams with up to 11 loops. We identify a sextic 18-crossing positive Feynman knot whose rational invariant, a/b=26, is 390 times that of the cubic 16-crossing non-alternating knot with maximal D_9 symmetry. Our results are secure, numerically, yet appear very hard to prove by analysis.Comment: 53 pages, LaTe

Evaluations of k-fold Euler/Zagier sums: a compendium of results for arbitrary k

Euler sums (also called Zagier sums) occur within the context of knot theory and quantum field theory. There are various conjectures related to these sums whose incompletion is a sign that both the mathematics and physics communities do not yet completely understand the field. Here, we assemble results for Euler/Zagier sums (also known as multidimensional zeta/harmonic sums) of arbitrary depth, including sign alternations. Many of our results were obtained empirically and are apparently new. By carefully compiling and examining a huge data base of high precision numerical evaluations, we can claim with some confidence that certain classes of results are exhaustive. While many proofs are lacking, we have sketched derivations of all results that have so far been proved.Comment: 19 pages, LaTe

Leptonic contribution to the effective electromagnetic coupling constant up to three loops

In this note the leptonic contribution to the running of the electromagnetic coupling constant is discussed up to the three-loop level. Special emphasize is put on the evaluation of the double-bubble diagrams.Comment: 5 pages (Latex) 2 figure

Capturing the scale and pattern of recurrent care proceedings: initial observations from a feasibility study

This article reports the initial findings of a feasibility study that has captured the scale and pattern of recurrent care proceedings. Although frontline professionals have reported long-standing concerns about the repeat clients of public law proceedings, prior to the study we report, the scale of the problem has been unknown. With funding from the Nuffield Foundation and support from the Child and Family Court Advisory Service (CAFCASS) and the President of the Family Division, the research team has arrived at a first estimate of prevalence, confirming that recurrence is a sizeable problem for the English family court. Based on cases that completed during the observational window 2007-2013 (calendar years), 7,143 birth mothers appeared in 15,645 recurrent care applications concerning 22,790 infants and children. Moreover, the study most likely underestimates recurrence, because reliable data concerning completed cases is not available before 2007. Initial observations are that the spacing between recurrent care proceedings is very short, which raises searching questions about prevention. Where episodes of care proceedings follow in swift succession, most likely prompted by the birth of another infant, this affords mothers little opportunity to effect change. Unless, this ‘status quo’ is tackled, it is difficult to envisage how vulnerable birth mothers can exit this cycle. Preliminary recommendations are made in respect of policy and practice change

Two-loop two-point functions with masses: asymptotic expansions and Taylor series, in any dimension

In all mass cases needed for quark and gluon self-energies, the two-loop master diagram is expanded at large and small $q^2$, in $d$ dimensions, using identities derived from integration by parts. Expansions are given, in terms of hypergeometric series, for all gluon diagrams and for all but one of the quark diagrams; expansions of the latter are obtained from differential equations. Pad\'{e} approximants to truncations of the expansions are shown to be of great utility. As an application, we obtain the two-loop photon self-energy, for all $d$, and achieve highly accelerated convergence of its expansions in powers of $q^2/m^2$ or $m^2/q^2$, for $d=4$.Comment: 25 pages, OUT--4102--43, BI--TP/92--5

Special values of multiple polylogarithms

Historically, the polylogarithm has attracted specialists and non-specialists alike with its lovely evaluations. Much the same can be said for Euler sums (or multiple harmonic sums), which, within the past decade, have arisen in combinatorics, knot theory and high-energy physics. More recently, we have been forced to consider multidimensional extensions encompassing the classical polylogarithm, Euler sums, and the Riemann zeta function. Here, we provide a general framework within which previously isolated results can now be properly understood. Applying the theory developed herein, we prove several previously conjectured evaluations, including an intriguing conjecture of Don Zagier