2,002 research outputs found
Quasistationary solutions of scalar fields around collapsing self-interacting boson stars
There is increasing numerical evidence that scalar fields can form long-lived
quasi-bound states around black holes. Recent perturbative and numerical
relativity calculations have provided further confirmation in a variety of
physical systems, including both static and accreting black holes, and
collapsing fermionic stars. In this work we investigate this issue yet again in
the context of gravitationally unstable boson stars leading to black hole
formation. We build a large sample of spherically symmetric initial models,
both stable and unstable, incorporating a self-interaction potential with a
quartic term. The three different outcomes of unstable models, namely migration
to the stable branch, total dispersion, and collapse to a black hole, are also
present for self-interacting boson stars. Our simulations show that for
black-hole-forming models, a scalar-field remnant is found outside the
black-hole horizon, oscillating at a different frequency than that of the
original boson star. This result is in good agreement with recent spherically
symmetric simulations of unstable Proca stars collapsing to black holes
Quasistationary solutions of self-gravitating scalar fields around collapsing stars
Recent work has shown that scalar fields around black holes can form
long-lived, quasistationary configurations surviving for cosmological
timescales. With this requirement, scalar fields cannot be discarded as viable
candidates for dark matter halo models in galaxies around central supermassive
black holes (SMBH). One hypothesis for the formation of most SMBHs at high
redshift is the gravitational collapse of supermassive stars (SMS) with masses
of . Therefore, a constraint for the existence of
quasi-bound states of scalar fields is their survival to such dynamic events.
To answer this question we present in this paper the results of a series of
numerical relativity simulations of gravitationally collapsing, spherically
symmetric stars surrounded by self-gravitating scalar fields. We use an ideal
fluid equation of state with adiabatic index which is adequate to
simulate radiation-dominated isentropic SMSs. Our results confirm the existence
of oscillating, long-lived, self-gravitating scalar field configurations around
non-rotating black holes after the collapse of the stars
Fully covariant and conformal formulation of the Z4 system in a reference-metric approach: comparison with the BSSN formulation in spherical symmetry
We adopt a reference-metric approach to generalize a covariant and conformal
version of the Z4 system of the Einstein equations. We refer to the resulting
system as ``fully covariant and conformal", or fCCZ4 for short, since it is
well suited for curvilinear as well as Cartesian coordinates. We implement this
fCCZ4 formalism in spherical polar coordinates under the assumption of
spherical symmetry using a partially-implicit Runge-Kutta (PIRK) method and
show that our code can evolve both vacuum and non-vacuum spacetimes without
encountering instabilities. Our method does not require regularization of the
equations to handle coordinate singularities, nor does it depend on
constraint-preserving outer boundary conditions, nor does it need any
modifications of the equations for evolutions of black holes. We perform
several tests and compare the performance of the fCCZ4 system, for different
choices of certain free parameters, with that of BSSN. Confirming earlier
results we find that, for an optimal choice of these parameters, and for
neutron-star spacetimes, the violations of the Hamiltonian constraint can be
between 1 and 3 orders of magnitude smaller in the fCCZ4 system than in the
BSSN formulation. For black-hole spacetimes, on the other hand, any advantages
of fCCZ4 over BSSN are less evident.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Who receives treatment for alcohol use disorders in the European Union? A cross-sectional representative study in primary and specialized health care
Background
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are highly prevalent in Europe, but only a minority of those affected receive treatment. It is therefore important to identify factors that predict treatment in order to reframe strategies aimed at improving treatment rates.
Methods
Representative cross-sectional study with patients aged 18\u201364 from primary health care (PC, six European countries, n = 8476, data collection 01/13\u201301/14) and from specialized health care (SC, eight European countries, n = 1762, data collection 01/13\u201303/14). For descriptive purposes, six groups were distinguished, based on type of DSM-IV AUD and treatment setting. Treatment status (yes/no) for any treatment (model 1), and for SC treatment (model 2) were main outcome measures in logistic regression models.
Results
AUDs were prevalent in PC (12-month prevalence: 11.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.2\u201312.5%), with 17.6% receiving current treatment (95%CI: 15.3\u201319.9%). There were clear differences between the six groups regarding key variables from all five predictor domains. Prediction of any treatment (model 1) or SC treatment (model 2) was successful with high overall accuracy (both models: 95%), sufficient sensitivity (model 1: 79%/model 2: 76%) and high specificity (both models: 98%). The most predictive single variables were daily drinking level, anxiety, severity of mental distress, and number of inpatient nights during the last 6 months.
Conclusions
Variables from four domains were highly predictive in identifying treatment for AUD, with SC treatment groups showing very high levels of social disintegration, drinking, comorbidity and functional losses. Earlier intervention and formal treatment for AUD in PC should be implemented to reduce these high levels of adverse outcomes
When the ground cover brings guests: is Anaphothrips obscurus a friend or a foe for the biological control of Tetranychus urticae in clementines?
Biological control of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), a key pest of clementines, can be improved in this crop with the establishment of a ground cover of Festuca arundinacea Schreber (Poaceae). This cover houses an abundant and diverse community of predatory Phytoseiidae mites including Euseius stipulatus (Athias-Henriot), Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and a dense population of the grass thrips Anaphothrips obscurus Müller (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) throughout the year. The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of this thrips species could be related to the improvement in the biological control of T. urticae. Therefore, the capacity of the abovementioned phytoseiids to feed and reproduce on A. obscurus and their feeding preferences when T. urticae and A. obscurus were simultaneously offered, were analyzed. The results show that E. stipulatus, N. barkeri and N. californicus have a type II functional response when offered A. obscurus nymphs, whereas P. persimilis barely feeds on this thrips species. Furthermore, N. barkeri and N. californicus can reproduce feeding only on thrips. Regarding prey preference, the Tetranychus spp.-specialist P. persimilis preferably preyed on T. urticae, the generalists N. barkeri and E. stipulatus preferred A. obscurus, and the selective predator of tetranychid mites N. californicus showed no preference. Therefore, we hypothesize that the enhanced biological control of T. urticae observed could be related to A. obscurus becoming an alternative prey for non-specialist phytoseiids, without altering the control exerted by the T. urticae-specialist P. persimilis and likely reducing intraguild predation
Los sistemas dunares costeros de Menorca
[spa]Menorca cuenta con una superficie de aproximadamente 700 km2 y 369,2 km de costa. De estos 36,7 km se corresponden con playas arenosas o de cantos. Y unos 20,24 km (un 5,5%) es de playas o calas exclusivamente arenosas. Estas playas suponen la base de la actividad turística, que se ha convertido en el principal recurso económico de la isla. Sin embargo, más allá de ser una plataforma para el desarrollo del turismo, las playas son una parte viva de Menorca, una parte dinámica y cambiante que es muy frágil. La UNESCO declaró Menorca como Reserva de la Biosfera el 8 de octubre de 1993. Para ello se tuvo en consideración el alto grado de compatibilidad conseguida entre el desarrollo de las actividades económicas, el consumo de recursos y la conservación del patrimonio y el paisaje; de todo esto, las playas de Menorca son un buen ejemplo. Las praderas de Posidonia oceanica constituyen una de las formaciones más características e importantes de la costa menorquina debido a la gran extensión que ocupan ya su papel como bosques submarinos productores de vida, oxígeno, amortiguador del oleaje y de las corrientes, y sedimento que alimenta a esas playas.[eng]Menorca has an area of approximately 700 km2 and 369.2 km of coastline. Of these 36.7 km correspond to sandy beaches or songs. And about 20.24 km (5.5%) is of beaches or coves exclusively sandy. These beaches are the basis of tourism, which has become the main economic resource of the island. However, beyond being a platform for the development of tourism, beaches are a living part of Menorca, a dynamic and changing part that is very fragile. UNESCO declared Menorca as a Biosphere Reserve on 8 October 1993. This took into consideration the high degree of compatibility achieved between the development of economic activities, the consumption of resources and the conservation of heritage and landscape; Of all this, the beaches of Menorca are a good example. Posidonia meadows constitute one of the most characteristic and important formations of the coast of Menorca because of the great extent that they already occupy their role as submarine forests that produce life, oxygen, wave and current absorber, and sediment that feeds those beaches
Morfogènesi i dinàmica de la platja des Codolar (Eivissa, Illes Balears)
S'ha analitzat la textura dels còdols de la platja des Codolar, Eivissa, a partir del mostreig de quatre seccions de la platja. A cada secció s’han pres mostres de la berma superior i de la inferior, totalitzant el mesurament de 400 còdols. S'han analitzat la distribució dels còdols, la seva mida i la seva classificació. La forma dels còdols s’ha parametritzat a partir del diagrama de Zingg, l'índex d’Arrodoniment de Wadell, la màxima projecció de Esfericitat i l'índex Oblat-Prolat. El resultat mostra una clara gradació de sud-est a nord-oest tant en la grandària com en el arrodoniment i la esfericitat dels còdols. Això en indica clarament que la seva font d'alimentació són els despreniments del cap Falcó, i que el seu transport es produeix per deriva litoral envers el nord-oest. El resultat és la formació d'una barra litoral que fins i tot presenta formes atribuïbles a ventalls d’overwash, que juntament amb ventalls al·luvials delimiten una zona humida, que a l'actualitat ocupen les Salines d'Eivissa.The texture of the Es Codolar gravel beach, South of Ibiza, was analyzed from samples in four sections of the beach. In each section two samples have been taken: one from the upper berm and another from the lower one. A total of 400 pebbles and cobbles were measured. The distribution of shingles, their grain size and sorting have been analyzed. Shingle shape has been parameterized trough the Zingg diagram, the Wadell roundness index, the maximum projection of sphericity and the Oblate-Prolate Index. The results show a clear gradient both in grain size, roundness and the shingles sphericity from Southeast to Northwest. This clearly indicates that the source of sediment supply are located at Cap Falcó detachments, Transport is produced by long shore drift towards the Northwest and he result is the formation of a shingle barrier that closes a wetland that nowadays currently occupy by the Salinas of Ibiza
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