4,615 research outputs found
The initial conditions of the universe: how much isocurvature is allowed?
We investigate the constraints imposed by the current data on correlated
mixtures of adiabatic and non-adiabatic primordial perturbations. We discover
subtle flat directions in parameter space that tolerate large (~60%)
contributions of non-adiabatic fluctuations. In particular, larger values of
the baryon density and a spectral tilt are allowed. The cancellations in the
degenerate directions are explored and the role of priors elucidated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to PR
Constraints on isocurvature models from the WMAP first-year data
We investigate the constraints imposed by the first-year WMAP CMB data
extended to higher multipole by data from ACBAR, BOOMERANG, CBI and the VSA and
by the LSS data from the 2dF galaxy redshift survey on the possible amplitude
of primordial isocurvature modes. A flat universe with CDM and Lambda is
assumed, and the baryon, CDM (CI), and neutrino density (NID) and velocity
(NIV) isocurvature modes are considered. Constraints on the allowed
isocurvature contributions are established from the data for various
combinations of the adiabatic mode and one, two, and three isocurvature modes,
with intermode cross-correlations allowed. Since baryon and CDM isocurvature
are observationally virtually indistinguishable, these modes are not considered
separately. We find that when just a single isocurvature mode is added, the
present data allows an isocurvature fraction as large as 13+-6, 7+-4, and 13+-7
percent for adiabatic plus the CI, NID, and NIV modes, respectively. When two
isocurvature modes plus the adiabatic mode and cross-correlations are allowed,
these percentages rise to 47+-16, 34+-12, and 44+-12 for the combinations
CI+NID, CI+NIV, and NID+NIV, respectively. Finally, when all three isocurvature
modes and cross-correlations are allowed, the admissible isocurvature fraction
rises to 57+-9 per cent. The sensitivity of the results to the choice of prior
probability distribution is examined.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figures. Submitted to PR
Size-dependent Surface States on Strained Cobalt Nanoislands on Cu(111)
Low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy over Co nanoislands on
Cu(111) showed that the surface states of the islands vary with their size.
Occupied states exhibit a sizeable downward energy shift as the island size
decreases. The position of the occupied states also significantly changes
across the islands. Atomic-scale simulations and ab inito calculations
demonstrate that the driving force for the observed shift is related to
size-dependent mesoscopic relaxations in the nanoislands.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Development of microsatellite loci in the European Dipper, Cinclus cinclus
Eighteen polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci were isolated in the Central European subspecies of the European Dipper (Cinclus cinclus aquaticus). The loci were tested for polymorphism using a test panel of 24 breeding birds. Numbers of alleles ranged from 2 to 21 per locus and expected heterozygosities varied between 0.47 and 0.83. Two loci (Cici10 and Cici12) proved to be Z-linked. Some pairs of loci exhibited significant linkage disequilibrium but not the two loci that are located on the Z-chromosome. This pattern suggests that demographic effects rather than physical linkage are likely responsible for the observed levels of linkage disequilibrium. These loci will be useful for applied conservation projects and for investigations of the dispersal and mating patterns of European and other dipper
Effekte von Holzasche- und FlĂŒssigdĂŒngung auf die NĂ€hrstoffsituation und das Wachstum von Fichten ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.)
Summary: : We examined the effects of wood ash and liquid fertilizer on the nutritional status and growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in a 70-year-old, managed forest in the Swiss Central Plateau. Four treatments with four replications were applied over three years during the vegetation period: treatment I - irrigation with liquid fertilizer (mean: N 87, P 16, K 77â
kg yr-1 ha-1, with 1.5â
mm/d water) with the 'steady state fertilization' approach; treatment II - wood ash (4000â
kg yr-1 ha-1); treatment III - irrigation only (1.5â
mm/d); treatment IV - control. Growth was determined by analyses of tree rings, shoot length, needle weight and needle area. For the nutritional status, thirteen chemical elements were analyzed on 136 trees. The investigations showed increased growth of Norway spruce due to liquid-fertilization and wood ash input, but indicated no major shifts of nutrient contents and ratios in needle
Cosmological Perturbations Generated in the Colliding Bubble Braneworld Universe
We compute the cosmological perturbations generated in the colliding bubble
braneworld universe in which bubbles filled with five-dimensional anti-de
Sitter space (AdS5)expanding within a five dimensional de Sitter space (dS5) or
Minkowski space (M5) collide to form a (3+1) dimensional local brane on which
the cosmology is virtually identical to that of the Randall-Sundrum model. The
perturbation calculation presented here is valid to linear order but treats the
fluctuations of the expanding bubbles as (3+1) dimensional fields localized on
the bubble wall. We find that for bubbles expanding in dS5 the dominant
contribution to the power spectrum is `red' but very small except in certain
cases where the fifth dimension is not large or the bubbles have expanded to
far beyond the dS5 apparent horizon length. This paper supersedes a previous
version titled "Exactly Scale-Invariant Cosmological Perturbations From a
Colliding Bubble Braneworld Universe" in which we erroneously claimed that a
scale-invariant spectrum results for the case of bubbles expanding in M5. This
present paper corrects the errors of the previous version and extends the
analysis to the more interesting and general case of bubbles expanding in dS5.Comment: 29 pages Latex with eps figures. Major errors in the original version
of the paper corrected and analysis extended to bubbles expanding in dS
Evidence for prevention and screening: recommendations in adults.
A growing body of evidence supports preventive interventions in asymptomatic adults. Primary prevention, which includes counselling (in particular for smoking cessation) and review of immunisation status, has been shown to be more cost-effective than secondary prevention. Evidence supports screening for hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and obesity. Screening for lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer has no effect on outcome and should not be performed. Controversial preventive interventions include general screening for diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders and prostate cancer. Physicians should be aware of a possible hidden agenda in patients presenting for a checkup
Vortices on Higher Genus Surfaces
We consider the topological interactions of vortices on general surfaces. If
the genus of the surface is greater than zero, the handles can carry magnetic
flux. The classical state of the vortices and the handles can be described by a
mapping from the fundamental group to the unbroken gauge group. The allowed
configurations must satisfy a relation induced by the fundamental group. Upon
quantization, the handles can carry ``Cheshire charge.'' The motion of the
vortices can be described by the braid group of the surface. How the motion of
the vortices affects the state is analyzed in detail.Comment: 28 pages with 10 figures; uses phyzzx and psfig; Caltech preprint
CALT-68-187
Charge Violation and Alice Behavior in Global and Textured Strings
Spontaneous breaking of global symmetries can produce ``Alice'' strings: line
defects which make unbroken symmetries multivalued, induce apparent charge
violation via Aharonov-Bohm interactions, and form point defects when twisted
into loops. We demonstrate this behavior for both divergent and textured global
Alice strings. Both adiabatically scatter charged particles via effective
Wilson lines. For textured Alice strings, such Wilson lines occur at all radii,
and are multivalued only inside the string. This produces measurable effects,
including path-dependent charge violation.Comment: 32 pages, 2 epsfigs, Revte
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