Migration of giant planets in planetesimal discs

Planets orbiting a planetesimal circumstellar disc can migrate inward from their initial positions because of dynamical friction between planets and planetesimals. The migration rate depends on the disc mass and on its time evolution. Planets that are embedded in long-lived planetesimal discs, having total mass of $10^{-4}-0.01 M_{\odot}$, can migrate inward a large distance and can survive only if the inner disc is truncated or because of tidal interaction with the star. In this case the semi-major axis, a, of the planetary orbit is less than 0.1 AU. Orbits with larger $a$ are obtained for smaller value of the disc mass or for a rapid evolution (depletion) of the disc. This model may explain several of the orbital features of the giant planets that were discovered in last years orbiting nearby stars as well as the metallicity enhancement found in several stars associated with short-period planets.Comment: 21 pages; 6 encapsulated figures. Accepted by MNRA

Causality in 3D Massive Gravity Theories

We study the constraints coming from local causality requirement in various $2+1$ dimensional dynamical theories of gravity. In topologically massive gravity, with a single parity non-invariant massive degree of freedom, and in new massive gravity, with two massive spin-$2$ degrees of freedom, causality and unitarity are compatible with each other and both require the Newton's constant to be negative. In their extensions, such as the Born-Infeld gravity and the minimal massive gravity the situation is similar and quite different from their higher dimensional counterparts, such as quadratic (e.g., Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet) or cubic theories, where causality and unitarity are in conflict. We study the problem both in asymptotically flat and asymptotically anti-de Sitter spaces.Comment: This version has significant improvements: causality discussion of all the well-known gravity theories in flat space is extended to the AdS space, references added, 29 pages, latest version matches the published on

Efficacy of a sensory deterrent and pipe modifications in decreasing entrainment of juvenile green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) at unscreened water diversions.

Water projects designed to extract fresh water for local urban, industrial and agricultural use throughout rivers and estuaries worldwide have contributed to the fragmentation and degradation of suitable habitat for native fishes. The number of water diversions located throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed in California's Central Valley exceeds 3300, and the majority of these are unscreened. Many anadromous fish species are susceptible to entrainment into these diversions, potentially impacting population numbers. In the laboratory, juvenile green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) have been shown to have high entrainment rates into unscreened diversions compared with those of other native California fish species, which may act as a significant source of mortality for this already-threatened species. Therefore, we tested the efficacy of a sensory deterrent (strobe light) and two structural pipe modifications (terminal pipe plate and upturned pipe configuration) in decreasing the entrainment of juvenile green sturgeon (mean mass ± SEM = 162.9 ± 4.0 g; mean fork length = 39.4 ± 0.3 cm) in a large (>500 kl) outdoor flume fitted with a water-diversion pipe 0.46 m in diameter. While the presence of the strobe light did not affect fish entrainment rates, the terminal pipe plate and upturned pipe modifications significantly decreased the proportion of fish entrained out of the total number tested relative to control conditions (0.13 ± 0.02 and 0.03 ± 0.02 vs. 0.44 ± 0.04, respectively). These data suggest that sensory deterrents using visual stimuli are not an effective means to reduce diversion pipe interactions for green sturgeon, but that structural alterations to diversions can successfully reduce entrainment for this species. Our results are informative for the development of effective management strategies to mitigate the impacts of water diversions on sturgeon populations and suggest that effective restoration strategies that balance agricultural needs with conservation programmes are possible

Unscreened water-diversion pipes pose an entrainment risk to the threatened green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris.

Over 3,300 unscreened agricultural water diversion pipes line the levees and riverbanks of the Sacramento River (California) watershed, where the threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment of green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, spawn. The number of sturgeon drawn into (entrained) and killed by these pipes is greatly unknown. We examined avoidance behaviors and entrainment susceptibility of juvenile green sturgeon (35±0.6 cm mean fork length) to entrainment in a large (>500-kl) outdoor flume with a 0.46-m-diameter water-diversion pipe. Fish entrainment was generally high (range: 26-61%), likely due to a lack of avoidance behavior prior to entering inescapable inflow conditions. We estimated that up to 52% of green sturgeon could be entrained after passing within 1.5 m of an active water-diversion pipe three times. These data suggest that green sturgeon are vulnerable to unscreened water-diversion pipes, and that additional research is needed to determine the potential impacts of entrainment mortality on declining sturgeon populations. Data under various hydraulic conditions also suggest that entrainment-related mortality could be decreased by extracting water at lower diversion rates over longer periods of time, balancing agricultural needs with green sturgeon conservation

Question Answering: CNLP at the TREC-10 Question Answering Track

This paper describes the retrieval experiments for the main task and list task of the TREC-10 question answering track. The question answering system described automatically finds answers to questions in a large document collection. The system uses a two-stage retrieval approach to answer finding based on matching of named entities, linguistic patterns, and keywords. In answering a question, the system carries out a detailed query analysis that produces a logical query representation, an indication of the question focus, and answer clue words

Question Answering: CNLP at the TREC-2002 Question Answering Track

This paper describes the retrieval experiments for the main task and list task of the TREC-2002 question-answering track. The question answering system described automatically finds answers to questions in a large document collection. The system uses a two-stage retrieval approach to answer finding based on matching of named entities, linguistic patterns, keywords, and the use of a new inference module. In answering a question, the system carries out a detailed query analysis that produces a logical query representation, an indication of the question focus, and answer clue words

Diffusion limited reactions in confined environments

We study the effect of confinement on diffusion limited bimolecular reactions within a lattice model where a small number of reactants diffuse amongst a much larger number of inert particles. When the number of inert particles is held constant the rate of the reaction is slow for small reaction volumes due to limited mobility from crowding, and for large reaction volumes due to the reduced concentration of the reactants. The reaction rate proceeds fastest at an intermediate confinement corresponding to volume fraction near 1/2 and 1/3 in two and three dimensions, respectively. We generalize the model to off-lattice systems with hydrodynamic coupling and predict that the optimal reaction rate for monodisperse colloidal systems occurs when the volume fraction is ~0.18. Finally, we discuss the application of our model to bimolecular reactions inside cells as well as the dynamics of confined polymers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Possible evolution of dim radio quiet neutron star 1E 1207.4-5209 based on a B-decay model

Dim radio-quiet neutron star (DRQNS) 1E 1207.4-5209 is one of the most heavily examined isolated neutron stars. Wide absorption lines were observed in its spectrum obtained by both XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray satellites. These absorption lines can be interpreted as a principal frequency centered at 0.7 keV and its harmonics at 1.4, 2.1 and possibly 2.8 keV. The principal line can be formed by resonant proton cyclotron scattering leading to a magnetic field which is two orders of magnitude larger than the perpendicular component of the surface dipole magnetic field (B) found from the rotation period (P) and the time rate of change in the rotation period (\.{P}) of 1E 1207.4-5209. Besides, age of the supernova remnant (SNR) G296.5+10.0 which is physically connected to 1E 1207.4-5209 is two orders of magnitude smaller than the characteristic age ($\tau$=P/2\.{P}) of the neutron star. These huge differences between the magnetic field values and the ages can be explained based on a B-decay model. If the decay is assumed to be exponential, the characteristic decay time turns out to be several thousand years which is three orders of magnitude smaller than the characteristic decay time of radio pulsars represented in an earlier work. The lack of detection of radio emission from DRQNSs and the lack of point sources and pulsar wind nebulae in most of the observed SNRs can also be partly explained by such a very rapid exponential decay. The large difference between the characteristic decay times of DRQNSs and radio pulsars must be related to the differences in the magnetic fields, equation of states and masses of these isolated neutron stars.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur

Evidence of threat to European economy and biodiversity following the introduction of an alien pathogen on the fungal–animal boundary

Recent years have seen a global and rapid resurgence of fungal diseases with direct impact on biodiversity and local extinctions of amphibian, coral, or bat populations. Despite similar evidence of population extinction in European fish populations and the associated risk of food aquaculture due to the emerging rosette agent Sphaerothecum destruens, an emerging infectious eukaryotic intracellular pathogen on the fungal–animal boundary, our understanding of current threats remained limited. Long-term monitoring of population decline for the 8-year post-introduction of the fungal pathogen was coupled with seasonal molecular analyses of the 18S rDNA and histological work of native fish species organs. A phylogenetic relationship between the existing EU and US strains using the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences was also carried out. Here, we provide evidence that this emerging parasite has now been introduced via Pseudorasbora parva to sea bass farms, an industry that represents over 400 M€ annually in a Mediterranean region that is already economically vulnerable. We also provide for the first time evidence linking S. destruens to disease and severe declines in International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened European endemic freshwater fishes (i.e. 80% to 90 % mortalities). Our findings are thus of major economic and conservation importance