{\AA}ngstr\"om-scale chemically powered motors

Like their larger micron-scale counterparts, {\AA}ngstr\"om-scale chemically self-propelled motors use asymmetric catalytic activity to produce self-generated concentration gradients that lead to directed motion. Unlike their micron-scale counterparts, the sizes of {\AA}ngstr\"om-scale motors are comparable to the solvent molecules in which they move, they are dominated by fluctuations, and they operate on very different time scales. These new features are studied using molecular dynamics simulations of small sphere dimer motors. We show that the ballistic regime is dominated by the thermal speed but the diffusion coefficients of these motors are orders of magnitude larger than inactive dimers. Such small motors may find applications in nano-confined systems or perhaps eventually in the cell.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Inter-cluster filaments in a Λ\LambdaCDM Universe

The large--scale structure (LSS) in the Universe comprises a complicated filamentary network of matter. We study this network using a high--resolution simulation of structure formation of a $\Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter cosmology. We investigate the distribution of matter between neighbouring large haloes whose masses are comparable to massive clusters of galaxies. We identify a total of 228 filaments between neighbouring clusters. Roughly half of the filaments are either warped or lie off the cluster--cluster axis. We find that straight filaments on the average are shorter than warped ones. More massive clusters are connected to more filaments than less massive ones on average. This finding indicates that the most massive clusters form at the intersections of the filamentary backbone of LSS. For straight filaments, we compute mass profiles. Radial profiles show a fairly well--defined radius, $r_s$, beyond which the profiles follow an $r^{-2}$ power law fairly closely. For the majority of filaments, $r_s$ lies between 1.5 $h^{-1}$ Mpc and 2.0 $h^{-1}$ Mpc. The enclosed overdensity inside $r_s$ varies between a few times up to 25 times mean density, independent of the length of the filaments. Along the filaments' axes, material is not distributed uniformly. Towards the clusters, the density rises, indicating the presence of the cluster infall regions. In addition, we also find some sheet--like connections between clusters. In roughly a fifth of all cluster--cluster connections where we could not identify a filament or sheet, projection effects lead to filamentary structures in the projected mass distribution. (abridged)Comment: 10 pages, 18 figures; submitted to MNRAS; updated: final version, accepted for publicatio

Ecumenical Ecclesiology in its New Contexts: Considering the Transformed Relationship between Roman Catholic Ecclesiology and Ecumenism

The quest for Christian unity is entering a new phase amidst the movement’s many voices, perspectives and tensions. Christians are witnessing the advent of an emerging ecumenical paradigm, which, because it is not fully realized, is still realizing its full definition. The paradigm operates in a global context rather than a Eurocentric one, and even as it is more global, it is simultaneously more local. It cultivates shared praxis while being less concerned with the comparison of dogmas. Ecclesiology is also entering a new paradigm which shares many features with its ecumenical counterpart, particularly its global perspective and interest in shared praxis ahead of dogmatic questions. Even though ecumenism and ecclesiology share common trajectories, their journeys are unfolding in largely parallel rather than cooperative and mutually-enriching ways. This raises the question: What opportunities might arise from examining the shifts in ecumenism and ecclesiology together? This article examines how new methodological and practical developments in these two fields can form and inform one another. It studies the shift to synodality in the Catholic Church and the turn towards discernment in the ecumenical sphere as manifestations of similar theological commitments and a common interest in cultivating participatory processes. The seismic changes reshaping the religious landscape are transforming the relationship between ecumenism and ecclesiology; yet a strong connection between them endures and illumines paths forward for the church in the third millennium

Measurement of the Branching Fraction and Search for Direct CP-Violation in the Radiative Decay B to K*Gamma with the BABAR Detector

Die hier vorgestellte Untersuchung des radiativen elektroschwachen "Pinguin"-Zerfalls B->K*(892)Gamma, der durch den "Schleifen"-Übergang b->sGamma stattfindet, stellt einen wichtigen Test des Standardmodells und einen Kandidaten für die Suche nach Neuer Physik dar. Der benutzte Datensatz wurde auf der Y(4S)-Resonanz mit dem BABAR-Detektor am asymmetrischen Elektron-Positron-Speicherring PEP-II des Stanford Linear Accelerator Centers (SLAC) aufgezeichnet. Die B->K*Gamma Verzweigungsverhältnisse wurden in vier K*-Zerfallskanälen gemessen. Eine Suche nach direkter CP-Verletzung im B->K*Gamma Kanal wurde ebenfalls durchgeführt.The presented study of the radiative electroweak "penguin"-decay B->K*(892)gamma, proceeding by the b->sgamma "loop"-transition, provides an important test of the Standard Model and a candidate of the search for New Physics. The used data sample has been recorded at the Y(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the asymmetric electron-positron- collider PEP-II of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in California. The B->K*gamma branching fractions are measured in four K*-decay modes. A search for direct CP-violation in the B->K*gamma mode has also been carried out

Ecclessiology Today And Its Potential To Serve A Missionary Church

This article engages the theme of the 2017 meeting of the American Society of Missiology: “Missiology’s Dialogue Partners: Practitioners and Scholars Conversing about the Future of Mission.” It seeks to contribute to that conversation by providing a survey of the discipline of ecclesiology with an eye towards how it might learn from the field of mission and how it might inform it. This exploration begins by defining some of the goals, methods, and boundaries of the field of ecclesiology. It then considers three critical issues at the forefront of ecclesiological work today: 1) questions emanating from the ecumenical sphere; 2) shifting demographics within Christianity and corresponding calls for new ecclesial structures, and 3) the necessity of a more robust engagement between ecclesiology and the social sciences. The concluding section offers some reflections about how the current state of ecclesiology might provide glimpses of the future of ecclesiology and what light it might shine on the future of missiology

Palm Reading: Predicting the Future of Four Threatened Palm Species at Pointe À Larrée, Eastern Madagascar

Madagascar has one of the highest concentrations of palm diversity in the world, with 195 species, 192 of which are endemic, but just as for the rest of the island’s natural resources, the future of these palms is at stake. In fact, 83% of the country’s endemic palms qualify as threatened following the most recent version of IUCN Red List criteria, version 3.1, yet 28 are not even found within protected areas. One area awaiting government protection, MBG’s Pointe à Larrée project, is home to 18 different palm species, 11 of which are threatened. This study took sample counts to find the minimum population, density, and maturity of four threatened species in the area (Ravenea krociana, Dypsis carlsmithii, Dypsis psammophila, and Dypsis sanctaemariae) in order to categorize their local future survival. These species were chosen because of their rarity, novelty, human use, and role as keystone indicator species in the forest, so their population statuses can indicate the overall state of their habitat and its conservation, to be considered in future conservation decisions. Additionally, this information adds to the knowledge of their distribution, helping with future studies and IUCN classifications, and adds to the knowledge of the site as it awaits governmental protection