Modified Einstein's gravity as a possible missing link between sub- and super-Chandrasekhar type Ia supernovae

We explore the effect of modification to Einstein's gravity in white dwarfs for the first time in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. This leads to significantly sub- and super-Chandrasekhar limiting masses of white dwarfs, determined by a single model parameter. On the other hand, type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), a key to unravel the evolutionary history of the universe, are believed to be triggered in white dwarfs having mass close to the Chandrasekhar limit. However, observations of several peculiar, under- and over-luminous SNeIa argue for exploding masses widely different from this limit. We argue that explosions of the modified gravity induced sub- and super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass white dwarfs result in under- and over-luminous SNeIa respectively, thus unifying these two apparently disjoint sub-classes and, hence, serving as a missing link. Our discovery raises two fundamental questions. Is the Chandrasekhar limit unique? Is Einstein's gravity the ultimate theory for understanding astronomical phenomena? Both the answers appear to be no!

Kernelization complexity of possible winner and coalitional manipulation problems in voting

In the POSSIBLE WINNER problem in computational social choice theory, we are given a set of partial preferences and the question is whether a distinguished candidate could be made winner by extending the partial preferences to linear preferences. Previous work has provided, for many common voting rules, fixed parameter tractable algorithms for the POSSIBLE WINNER problem, with number of candidates as the parameter. However, the corresponding kernelization question is still open and in fact, has been mentioned as a key research challenge 10]. In this paper, we settle this open question for many common voting rules. We show that the POSSIBLE WINNER problem for maximin, Copeland, Bucklin, ranked pairs, and a class of scoring rules that includes the Borda voting rule does not admit a polynomial kernel with the number of candidates as the parameter. We show however that the COALITIONAL MANIPULATION problem which is an important special case of the POSSIBLE WINNER problem does admit a polynomial kernel for maximin, Copeland, ranked pairs, and a class of scoring rules that includes the Borda voting rule, when the number of manipulators is polynomial in the number of candidates. A significant conclusion of our work is that the POSSIBLE WINNER problem is harder than the COALITIONAL MANIPULATION problem since the COALITIONAL MANIPULATION problem admits a polynomial kernel whereas the POSSIBLE WINNER problem does not admit a polynomial kernel. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 2014 M-w 6.1 Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, Earthquake: A Possible Association with the 85 degrees E Ridge

Oceanic intraplate earthquakes are known to occur either on active ridge-transform structures or by reactivation of their inactive counterparts, generally referred to as fossil ridges or transforms. The Indian Ocean, one of the most active oceanic intraplate regions, has generated large earthquakes associated with both these types of structures. The moderate earthquake that occurred on 21 May 2014 (M-w 6.1) in the northern Bay of Bengal followed an alternate mechanism, as it showed no clear association either with active or extinct ridge-transform structures. Its focal depth of >50 km is uncommon but not improbable, given the similar to 90 Ma age of the ocean floor with 12-km-thick overlying sediments. No tectonic features have been mapped in the near vicinity of its epicenter, the closest being the 85 degrees E ridge, located similar to 100 km to its west, hitherto regarded as seismically inactive. The few earthquakes that have occurred here in the past are clustered around its southern or northern limits, and a few are located midway, at around 10 degrees N. The 2014 earthquake, sourced close to the northern cluster, seems to be associated with a northwest-southeast-oriented fracture, located on the eastern flanks of the 85 degrees E ridge. If this causal association is possible, we believe that reactivation of fossil hotspot trails could be considered as another mechanism for oceanic intraplate seismicity.

Future collider signatures of the possible 750 GeV state

If the recent indications of a possible state I broken vertical bar with mass similar to 750 GeV decaying into two photons reported by ATLAS and CMS in LHC collisions at 13 TeV were to become confirmed, the prospects for future collider physics at the LHC and beyond would be affected radically, as we explore in this paper. Even minimal scenarios for the I broken vertical bar resonance and its gamma gamma decays require additional particles with masses . We consider here two benchmark scenarios that exemplify the range of possibilities: one in which I broken vertical bar is a singlet scalar or pseudoscalar boson whose production and gamma gamma decays are due to loops of coloured and charged fermions, and another benchmark scenario in which I broken vertical bar is a superposition of (nearly) degenerate CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons in a (possibly supersymmetric) two-Higgs doublet model also with additional fermions to account for the gamma gamma decay rate. We explore the implications of these benchmark scenarios for the production of I broken vertical bar and its new partners at colliders in future runs of the LHC and beyond, at higher-energy pp colliders and at e (+) e (-) and gamma gamma colliders, with emphasis on the bosonic partners expected in the doublet scenario and the fermionic partners expected in both scenarios.

A possible alchemist apparatus from the early islamic period excavated at Ramla, Israel

Abstract: During extensive salvage excavations carried out during the years 2004-2008 in a large Early Islamic industrial area at the vicinities of Ramla, in Central Israel, an unparalleled industrial device was unearthed. The star-shaped, soil embedded installation, whose lower part was preserved, consisted of a central pottery jar surrounded by five minor jars, linked by ceramic pipes. Evidence of heat was observed mainly around the central vessel, and metal hollow cones perforated in the tip were found inside the surrounding jars. Although the manufacturing procedures and operation techniques of the installation are not completely clear, it is proposed that the installation is part of an industrial workshop or an alchemy laboratory. Both industry and alchemy were well-developed during the Early Islamic period and very often closely related, to the point that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between them. The identification proposed is based on comparisons with tools described in literary sources, and somewhat later drawings and etchings. Circumstantial ceramic evidence was found, as well as the proximity of a bathhouse whose guests could have been the consumers of perfumes and unguents seem to reinforce this possibility. Due to the poor state of preservation of the device and the lack of available comparisons, the identification proposed here is tentative, and future research coupled with eventual new discoveries is needed in order to clarify this matter.

One possible way to promote the bond-selective chemical-reactions by frequency-modulated lasers

It is proposed in this paper that we can use frequency-modulated (FM) lasers to realize bond-selective chemical reactions or to raise the efficiency of molecular isotope separation. Examples are given for HF molecule and the C–H bond in some hydrocarbons.

Carne e bits : reflexões sobre a indiscernibilidade das fronteiras entre mentes e máquinas e os sistemas cognitivos híbridos

Faz reflexões sobre as várias formas de relação entre sujeitos e objetos-técnicos, com ênfase para a utilização dos computadores digitais e, particularmente, os softwares chamados agentes inteligentes. Analisa o espaço e suas mudanças qualitativas na atualidade, a partir do conceito do espaço como produção humana, analisando como as transformações em curso no ambiente afetam nossas subjetividades e, reciprocamente, como afetamos nossos ambientes. Discutidas as possibilidades de sobrevivência do homem nu nesses novos espaços, sem que esteja devidamente atualizado com as últimas novidades tecnológicas - próteses sensoriais e motoras. Perpassa a discussão sobre o pensamento que se utiliza do espaço como elemento constituinte do próprio pensamento e reflete sobre o espaço abstrato por excelência, os mundos virtuais. Discute o padrão de apropriação de artefatos pelo homem e seus efeitos na subjetividade, a manutenção do padrão de apropriação dos objetos-técnicos materiais em relação às formas de apropriação dos objetos-técnicos intangíveis (softwares). Traz reflexões sobre a possibilidade de autonomização completa dos agentes inteligentes e a sua instituição, ipso facto, como agentes - a chamada Inteligência Artificial.

A Proteomic Study on Cell Cycle Progression of Endothelium Exposed to Tumor Conditioned Medium and the Possible Role of Cyclin D-1/E

This study was designed to comprehensively analyze the differential expression of proteins from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to tumor conditioned medium (TCM) and to identify the key regulator in the cell cycle progression. The HUVECs were exposed to TCM from breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231, then their cell cycle distribution was measured by flow cytometer (FCM). The role of protein in cell cycle progression was detected via two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and western blotting. Following the stimulation of TCM, HUVECs showed a more cells in the S phase than did the negative control group (ECGF-free medium with 20% FBS), but the HUVECs' level was similar to the positive control group (medium with 25 mug/ml ECGF and 20% FBS). Increased expression of cyclin D-1/E and some changes in other related proteins occurred after incubation with TCM. From our results, we can conclude that breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231 may secrete soluble pro-angiogenic factors that induce the HUVEC angiogenic switch, during which the expression of cell cycle regulator cyclin D-1/E increases and related proteins play an important role in this process.

Mercury in Florida Bay fish: spatial distribution of elevated concentrations and possible linkages to Everglades restoration

Health advisories are now posted in northern Florida Bay, adjacent to the Everglades, warning of high mercury concentrations in some species of gamefish. Highest concentrations of mercury in both forage fish and gamefish have been measured in the northeastern corner of Florida Bay, adjacent to the dominant freshwater inflows from the Everglades. Thirty percent of spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus Cuvier, 1830) analyzed exceeded Florida’s no consumption level of 1.5 μg g−1 mercury in this area. We hypothesized that freshwater draining the Everglades served as the major source of methylmercury entering the food web supporting gamefish. A lack of correlation between mercury concentrations and salinity did not support this hypothesis, although enhanced bioavailability of methylmercury is possible as freshwater is diluted with estuarine water. Stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were measured in fish to elucidate the shared pathways of methylmercury and nutrient elements through the food web. These data support a benthic source of both methylmercury and nutrient elements to gamefish within the eastern bay, as opposed to a dominant watershed source. Ecological characteristics of the eastern bay, including active redox cycling in near-surface sediments without excessive sulfide production are hypothesized to promote methylmercury formation and bioaccumulation in the benthos. Methylmercury may then accumulate in gamefish through a food web supported by benthic microalgae, detritus, pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum Burkenroad, 1939), and other epibenthic feeders. Uncertainty remains as to the relative importance of watershed imports of methylmercury from the Everglades and in situ production in the bay, an uncertainty that needs resolution if the effects of Everglades restoration on mercury levels in fish are to be modeled and managed.

The chaetognatha of the Eastropic Expedition, with notes as to their possible value as indicators of hydrographic conditions

ENGLISH: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that certain species of Chaetognatha found in Eastern Tropical Pacific waters can serve as biological indicators of oceanographic features. "Indicator" organisms have been found useful in identifying water types, in tracing the pattern of current systems, and in tracing the origin of moving water masses. To be of use in this type of study, the organisms must be sufficiently abundant to be readily sampled, and easily identified to species; they must also, at least partially, fulfill the additional requisites listed and discussed by Sverdrup, Johnson, and Fleming (1942, pp. 866-867). Among several groups of organisms fulfilling these requirements are the Chaetognatha. Specimens of this group of animals occurred in large numbers in the plankton samples used for this study. The works of Thomson (1947), Fraser (1942), Ritter-Zahony (1911), and Sund (1959) were used for identification. SPANISH: El objetivo de este estudio ha sido el de investigar la posibilidad de utilizar ciertas especies de quetognatos encontrados en el Pacífico Oriental Tropical como indicadoras biológicas de características oceanográficas. Organismos "indicadores" fueron encontrados útiles para la identificación de tipos de agua, el trazado del régimen de los sistemas de corrientes y la determinación del origen de masas de agua en movimiento. Para servir a este tipo de estudios, los organismos deben ser lo suficientemente abundantes como para ser fácilmente muestreados e identificados hasta la especie; también deben satisfacer, por lo menos parcialmente, los requerimientos indicados y discutidos par Sverdrup, Johnson y Fleming (1942, pags. 866-867).