Strange-Beauty Meson Production at ppˉp\bar p Colliders

The production rates and transverse momentum distributions of the strange-beauty mesons $B_s$ and $B_s^*$ at $p\bar p$ colliders are calculated assuming fragmentation is the dominant process. Results are given for the Tevatron in the large transverse momentum region, where fragmentation is expected to be most important.Comment: Minor changes in the discussion section. Also available at http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~cheung/paper.htm

Charm Lifetimes and Mixing

A review of the latest results on charm lifetimes and D-mixing is presented. The e+e- collider experiments are now able to measure charm lifetimes quite precisely, however comparisons with the latest results from fixed-target experiments show that possible systematic effects could be evident. The new D-mixing results from the B-factories have changed the picture that is emerging. Although the new world averaged value of y_CP is now consistent with zero, there is still a very interesting and favoured scenario if the strong phase difference between the Doubly-Cabibbo-suppressed and the Cabibbo-flavoured D0 -> Kpi decay is large.Comment: Presented at the 9th International Symposium on Heavy Flavors, Caltech, Pasadena, 10-13 Sept. 2001. To appear in proceeding

Language as a Geometry in Wittgenstein"s Tractatus

In TLP 4.011, while admitting that propositions expressed by the phonetic notation, or the alphabet, just like the written notes of a piece of music, do not seem at first sight to be pictures of what they represent, the Tractatus insists that those "sign-languages" (that is, the phonetic notation and the written musical notes) prove to be pictures of what they represent (that is, our speech and the piece of music, respectively) "even in the ordinary sense". (TLP 4.016 also says that "alphabetic script developed out of [hieroglyphic script] without losing what was essential to depiction".) So, contrary to the view of some commentators (e.g. Pears 1987, 115-121), instead of making an analogy here, the Tractatus holds that a proposition is a picture literally. How can a proposition be a picture literally

On the decoder error probability of linear codes

By using coding and combinatorial techniques, an approximate formula for the weight distribution of decodable words of most linear block codes is evaluated. This formula is then used to give an approximate expression for the decoder error probability P(sub E)(u) of linear block codes, given that an error pattern of weight u has occurred. It is shown that P(sub E)(u) approaches the constant Q as u gets large, where Q is the probability that a completely random error pattern will cause decoder error

A labeling procedure for linear finite-state codes

A method to define the labels of the state diagram of a linear finite-state code is presented and investigated. This method is particularly suitable for simple hardware implementation since it simplifies the encoder structure. The method can also be applied to the labeling of a state diagram that is not completely connected to obtain a linear finite state code with larger free distance