Exotic energy injection with ExoCLASS: Application to the Higgs portal model and evaporating black holes

We devise a new user-friendly tool interfaced with the Boltzmann code CLASS to deal with any kind of exotic electromagnetic energy injection in the universe and its impact on anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background. It makes use of the results from standard electromagnetic cascade calculations develop in the context of WIMP annihilation, generalized to incorporate any injection history. We first validate it on a specific WIMP scenario, the Higgs Portal model, confirming that the standard effective on-the-spot treatment is accurate enough. We then analyze the more involved example of evaporating Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) with masses in the range $[3\times10^{13},5\times10^{16}]$g, for which the standard approximations break down. We derive robust CMB bounds on the relic density of evaporating PBHs, ruling out the possibility for PBHs with a monochromatic distribution of masses in the range $[3\times10^{13},2.5\times10^{16}]$g to represent all of the Dark Matter in our Universe. Remarkably, we confirm with an accurate study that the CMB bounds are several orders of magnitude stronger than those from the galactic gamma-ray background in the range $[3\times10^{13},3\times10^{14}]$g. A future CMB experiment like CORE+, or an experiment attempting at measuring the 21 cm signal from the Dark Ages could greatly improve the sensitivity to these models.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures. Comments welcom

360 Counter Virtual Town Hall: Let\u27s Talk About Assessing Costs

Promotional e-mail from Serials Solutions advertising the 360 Counter Virtual Town Hall: Let\u27s Talk About Assessing Costs. This webinar was presented by Andrée Rathemacher and Michael Poulin on December 15, 2008

Realizing surface driven flows in the primitive equations

© Copyright 2015 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act September 2010 Page 2 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a web site or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy, available on the AMS Web site located at (https://www.ametsoc.org/) or from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or [email protected] surface quasigeostrophic (SQG) model describes flows with surface buoyancy perturbations with no interior quasigeostrophic potential vorticity at small Rossby number Ro and O(1) Burger number, where quasigeostrophic dynamics are expected to hold. Numerical simulations of SQG dynamics have shown that vortices are frequently generated at small scales, which may have O(1) Rossby numbers and therefore may be beyond the limits of SQG. This paper examines the dynamics of an initially geostrophically balanced elliptical surface buoyancy perturbation in both the SQG model and the nonhydrostatic Boussinesq primitive equations (PE). In the case of very small Rossby number, it is confirmed that both models agree, as expected. For larger Ro, non-SQG effects emerge and as a result the solution of the PE deviates significantly from that of SQG. In particular, an increase in the Rossby number has the following effects: (i) the buoyancy filaments at the surface are stabilized in that they generate fewer secondary vortices; (ii) the core of the vortex experiences inertial instability, which results in a uniform buoyancy profile in its interior; (iii) the divergent part of the energy spectrum increases in magnitude; (iv) the PE model has significantly more gravity waves that are radiated from the vortex; (v) the magnitude of the vertical velocity increases; and (vi) in the mature stages of evolution, there are gravitational instabilities that develop because of the complicated dynamics inside the vortex. It is demonstrated that significant non-SQG effects are evident when the large-scale Rossby number of the initial flow is about 0.05 and the local Rossby number is O(1).Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || RGPIN/386456-201

Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) and Father Support Interact to Predict Depressive Symptoms Postpartum

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 13% of mothers after birth. Both genetic and psychosocial factors contribute to PPD risk, but very little is known about how these factors interact. We tested whether the rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene accounts for variation in the impact of low social support as a risk factor for depression among mothers during the perinatal period. New mothers (N = 220) provided saliva or blood DNA samples and completed surveys assessing PPD symptoms and perceived social support. In a significant interaction, social support from the baby’s father predicted PPD symptoms to a greater extent among mothers with the GG compared to AG and AA genotypes. These results add to converging evidence that variation in OXTR rs53576 moderates the impact of the social environment on PPD

Algebraic and information-theoretic conditions for operator quantum error-correction

Operator quantum error-correction is a technique for robustly storing quantum information in the presence of noise. It generalizes the standard theory of quantum error-correction, and provides a unified framework for topics such as quantum error-correction, decoherence-free subspaces, and noiseless subsystems. This paper develops (a) easily applied algebraic and information-theoretic conditions which characterize when operator quantum error-correction is feasible; (b) a representation theorem for a class of noise processes which can be corrected using operator quantum error-correction; and (c) generalizations of the coherent information and quantum data processing inequality to the setting of operator quantum error-correction.Comment: 4 page

Drag on particles in a nematic suspension by a moving nematic-isotropic interface

We report the first clear demonstration of drag on colloidal particles by a moving nematic-isotropic interface. The balance of forces explains our observation of periodic, strip-like structures that are produced by the movement of these particles

Medication use by middle-aged and older participants of an exercise study: results from the Brain in Motion study

BACKGROUND: Over the past 50 years, there has been an increase in the utilization of prescribed, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and natural health products. Although it is known that medication use is common among older persons, accurate data on the patterns of use, including the quantity and type of medications consumed in a generally healthy older population from a Canadian perspective are lacking. In this study, we study the pattern of medication use in a sedentary but otherwise healthy older persons use and determined if there was an association between medication use and aerobic fitness level. METHODS: All participants enrolled in the Brain in Motion study provided the name, formulation, dosage and frequency of any medications they were consuming at the time of their baseline assessment. Maximal aerobic capacity (VO(2)max) was determined on each participant. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy one participants (mean age 65.9 ± 6.5 years; range 55–92; 54.6% females) were enrolled. Most were taking one or more (1+) prescribed medication (n = 204, 75.3%), 1+ natural health product (n = 221, 81.5%) and/or 1+ over-the-counter (OTC) drug (n = 174, 64.2%). The most commonly used prescribed medications were HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) (n = 52, 19.2%). The most common natural health product was vitamin D (n = 201, 74.2%). For OTC drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (n = 82, 30.3%) were the most common. Females were more likely than males to take 1+ OTC medications, as well as supplements. Those over 65 years of age were more likely to consume prescription drugs than their counterparts (p ≤ 0.05). Subjects taking more than two prescribed or OTC medications were less physically fit as determined by their VO(2)max. The average daily Vitamin D intake was 1896.3 IU per participant. CONCLUSIONS: Medication use was common in otherwise healthy older individuals. Consumption was higher among females and those older than 65 years. Vitamin D intake was over two-fold higher than the recommended 800 IU/day for older persons, but within the tolerable upper intake of 4,000 IU/day. The appropriateness of the high rate of medication use in this generally healthy population deserves further investigation

A review of mechanically stimulated bioluminescence of marine plankton and its applications

Bioluminescence is ubiquitous in marine ecosystems and found in uni- and multicellular organisms. Bioluminescent displays can be used to deter predators, attract mates, and lure and hunt prey. Mechanically stimulated flash kinetics of zooplankton and dinoflagellates are life stage-dependent and species-specific, and could prove effective at identification and monitoring biodiversity in bioluminescent species. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of mechanically stimulated bioluminescence for the main dinoflagellate and zooplankton clades in marine environments and assemble known flash kinetics and spectral emission data. Instruments and methods used in measuring bioluminescence are also discussed. Applications, research gaps, perspectives, and biases in approaches to studying bioluminescence are identified. Moreover, emission kinetics of most zooplankton are very poorly known and constitute a critical gap. Lastly, available knowledge is interpreted in terms of potential future changes in global bioluminescence driven by climate change

Defect structures and torque on an elongated colloidal particle immersed in a liquid crystal host

Combining molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation we study defect structures around an elongated colloidal particle embedded in a nematic liquid crystal host. By studying nematic ordering near the particle and the disclination core region we are able to examine the defect core structure and the difference between two simulation techniques. In addition, we also study the torque on a particle tilted with respect to the director, and modification of this torque when the particle is close to the cell wall