Gravitational self-torque and spin precession in compact binaries

We calculate the effect of self-interaction on the "geodetic" spin precession of a compact body in a strong-field orbit around a black hole. Specifically, we consider the spin precession angle $\psi$ per radian of orbital revolution for a particle carrying mass $\mu$ and spin $s \ll (G/c) \mu^2$ in a circular orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole of mass $M \gg \mu$. We compute $\psi$ through $O(\mu/M)$ in perturbation theory, i.e, including the correction $\delta\psi$ (obtained numerically) due to the torque exerted by the conservative piece of the gravitational self-field. Comparison with a post-Newtonian (PN) expression for $\delta\psi$, derived here through 3PN order, shows good agreement but also reveals strong-field features which are not captured by the latter approximation. Our results can inform semi-analytical models of the strong-field dynamics in astrophysical binaries, important for ongoing and future gravitational-wave searches.Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 1 figure. Minor changes to match published versio

Process evaluation protocol for the I-WOTCH study : an opioid tapering support programme for people with chronic non-malignant pain

Introduction The Improving the Wellbeing of people with Opioid Treated CHronic Pain (I-WOTCH) randomised controlled trial uses a multicomponent self-management intervention to help people taper their opioid use. This approach is not widely used and its efficacy is unknown. A process evaluation alongside the trial will help to assess how the intervention was delivered, looking at the dose of intervention received and the fidelity of the delivery. We will explore how the intervention may have brought about change through the experiences of the participants receiving and the staff delivering the intervention and whether there were contextual factors involved. Methods and analysis A mixed methods process evaluation will assess how the processes of the I-WOTCH intervention fared and whether these affected the outcomes. We will collect quantitative data, for example, group attendance analysed with statistical methods. Qualitative data, for example, from interviews and feedback forms will be analysed using framework analysis. We will use a ‘following a thread’ and a mixed methods matrix for the final integrated analysis. Ethics and dissemination The I-WOTCH trial and process evaluation were granted full ethics approval by Yorkshire and The Humber—South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee on 13 September 2016 (16/YH/0325). All data were collected in accordance with data protection guidelines. Participants provided written informed consent for the main trial, and all interviewees provided additional written informed consent. The results of the process evaluation will be published and presented at conferences

Arte convenzionale – ovvero – perché non possono esistere artisti realmente anticonformisti

The representation of the artist is generally that of a nonconformist, a lonely Bohemian eager to revolutionise the world from his studio. From this perspective, the traditional interpretation of art history is one of linear progress, spurred on by moments of innovation aiming at new states of conventionalism. This article shows how such a perspective has much to do with the philosophy of modern times, even though it doesn’t provide a satisfactory explanation of the meaning and development of art throughout the centuries, bound as they are instead to the necessity of convention with the values of society (or of its élite) rather than on wild individualism

Evaluation of the association between dyslipidemia and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy: a nested case control study

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are an elusive group of diseases with multifactorial etiopathologies and varied manifestation. Abnormal pre pregnancy lipid profile is shown to have a positive correlation with endothelial dysfunction which in turn leads to development of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.Methods: A total of 222 pregnant women who were aged between 18-35 years, with no obstetric and medical risk factors and less than 16 weeks of gestation who gave informed written consent were recruited for the study. Their baseline demographics and fasting blood samples were collected, blood samples were centrifuged, and serum was stored at -80-degree celsius. Patients were followed up till delivery and those with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (n=22) was identified, defined as case. Control was selected after matching for body mass index and frozen serum samples were analyzed.Results: Overall incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in the study group was 12.4%. The mean early trimester fasting lipid values were higher in patients who developed hypertensive disorders, difference in mean between cases and controls was TC  - 16.25 mg/dl (p-0.061), TGL- 21.45 mg/dl (p-0.143),  LDL- 2.4 mg/dl (p-0.82) and for HDL 4.55 mg/dl (p-0.25). However, on stratification of early trimester fasting lipid level based on National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria, Total cholesterol level greater than 160 mg/dl showed an odds ratio of 12.66 (p-0). Patients with early trimester fasting total cholesterol levels greater than 160mg/dl has a higher risk of developing hypertensive disorder in pregnancy.

Prospecting environmental mycobacteria: combined molecular approaches reveal unprecedented diversity

Background: Environmental mycobacteria (EM) include species commonly found in various terrestrial and aquatic environments, encompassing animal and human pathogens in addition to saprophytes. Approximately 150 EM species can be separated into fast and slow growers based on sequence and copy number differences of their 16S rRNA genes. Cultivation methods are not appropriate for diversity studies; few studies have investigated EM diversity in soil despite their importance as potential reservoirs of pathogens and their hypothesized role in masking or blocking M. bovis BCG vaccine. Methods: We report here the development, optimization and validation of molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and prevalence of fast and slow growing EM in representative soils from semi tropical and temperate areas. New primer sets were designed also to target uniquely slow growing mycobacteria and used with PCR-DGGE, tag-encoded Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. Results: PCR-DGGE and pyrosequencing provided a consensus of EM diversity; for example, a high abundance of pyrosequencing reads and DGGE bands corresponded to M. moriokaense, M. colombiense and M. riyadhense. As expected pyrosequencing provided more comprehensive information; additional prevalent species included M. chlorophenolicum, M. neglectum, M. gordonae, M. aemonae. Prevalence of the total Mycobacterium genus in the soil samples ranged from 2.3×107 to 2.7×108 gene targets g−1; slow growers prevalence from 2.9×105 to 1.2×107 cells g−1. Conclusions: This combined molecular approach enabled an unprecedented qualitative and quantitative assessment of EM across soil samples. Good concordance was found between methods and the bioinformatics analysis was validated by random resampling. Sequences from most pathogenic groups associated with slow growth were identified in extenso in all soils tested with a specific assay, allowing to unmask them from the Mycobacterium whole genus, in which, as minority members, they would have remained undetected

Direct and ozone-mediated forcing of the Southern Annular Mode by greenhouse gases

We assess the roles of long-lived greenhouse gases and ozone depletion in driving meridional surface pressure gradients in the southern extratropics; these gradients are a defining feature of the Southern Annular Mode. Stratospheric ozone depletion is thought to have caused a strengthening of this mode during summer, with increasing long-lived greenhouse gases playing a secondary role. Using a coupled atmosphere-ocean chemistry-climate model, we show that there is cancelation between the direct, radiative effect of increasing greenhouse gases by the also substantial indirect—chemical and dynamical—feedbacks that greenhouse gases have via their impact on ozone. This sensitivity of the mode to greenhouse gas-induced ozone changes suggests that a consistent implementation of ozone changes due to long-lived greenhouse gases in climate models benefits the simulation of this important aspect of Southern Hemisphere climate

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Development of a Non-Reacting LES Solver for Unstructured Grid

The present thesis consists of development of an LES based explicit solver which could simulate non reacting flows. The numerical simulation is carried out using Dynamic k equation subgrid scale model. Along with solving the Navier- Stokes equation a convection diffusion equation for mass fraction is also solved which would correct the equivalent density.The length and time scales for the mesh and simulations are calculated based on the Kolmogorov’s hypothesis and the CFL number is calculated accordingly.An explicit solver is used because of the fact that the calculated CFL number is extremely lower than 1. Two cases were validated using the above developed code, first is the case of an axisymmetric turbulent jet of air entering a quiscent atmosphere and the second one is the case where a variable density fluid(here Helium) entering the same quiscent air. The development of the plumes are captured.The development of the plume structures of both the cases are discussed. The averaged velocity profiles are also discussed. The mean velocity , turbulent fluctuations and Reynolds stresses are plotted. A brief study on the parallelisation technique used in OpenFoam is also done. Finally using the fluctuating data from both simulations the energy spectrum graphs are plotted which ensures that the mesh is suitable for the present study