Heavy quarks or compactified extra dimensions in the core of hybrid stars

Neutron stars with extremely high central energy density are natural laboratories to investigate the appearance and the properties of compactified extra dimensions with small compactification radius, if they exist. Using the same formalism, these exotic hybrid stars can be described as neutron stars with quark core, where the high energy density allows the presence of heavy quarks (c, b, t). We compare the two scenarios for hybrid stars and display their characteristic features.Comment: Talk given at 4th International Workshop on New Worlds in Astroparticle Physics, Faro, Portugal, 5-7, Sep 2002. 10 pages, 6 EPS figure

Is it time for studying real-life debiasing? Evaluation of the effectiveness of an analogical intervention technique.

The aim of this study was to initiate the exploration of debiasing methods applicable in real-life settings for achieving lasting improvement in decision making competence regarding multiple decision biases. Here, we tested the potentials of the analogical encoding method for decision debiasing. The advantage of this method is that it can foster the transfer from learning abstract principles to improving behavioral performance. For the purpose of the study, we devised an analogical debiasing technique for 10 biases (covariation detection, insensitivity to sample size, base rate neglect, regression to the mean, outcome bias, sunk cost fallacy, framing effect, anchoring bias, overconfidence bias, planning fallacy) and assessed the susceptibility of the participants (N = 154) to these biases before and 4 weeks after the training. We also compared the effect of the analogical training to the effect of 'awareness training' and a 'no-training' control group. Results suggested improved performance of the analogical training group only on tasks where the violations of statistical principles are measured. The interpretation of these findings require further investigation, yet it is possible that analogical training may be the most effective in the case of learning abstract concepts, such as statistical principles, which are otherwise difficult to master. The study encourages a systematic research of debiasing trainings and the development of intervention assessment methods to measure the endurance of behavior change in decision debiasing

Dates, Caries, and Early Tooth Loss During the Iron Age of Oman

Eine Ernährung aus fermentierbaren Kohlenhydraten ist bekannterweise hoch kariogen, besonders im Falle von zuckerhaltigem Essen wie zum Beispiel Datteln. Diese Ernährung ist bei der späteisenzeitlichen Samad-zeitlichen Bevölkerung Omans zu beobachten. 32 Erwachsene und 5 Jugendliche dienten für diese Studie als Erhebung. Vorzeitiger Zahnverlust war in allen Fällen nachweisbar

Power-law random walks

We present some new results about the distribution of a random walk whose independent steps follow a $q-$Gaussian distribution with exponent $\frac{1}{1-q}; q \in \mathbb{R}$. In the case $q>1$ we show that a stochastic representation of the point reached after $n$ steps of the walk can be expressed explicitly for all $n$. In the case $q<1,$ we show that the random walk can be interpreted as a projection of an isotropic random walk, i.e. a random walk with fixed length steps and uniformly distributed directions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Family of solvable generalized random-matrix ensembles with unitary symmetry

We construct a very general family of characteristic functions describing Random Matrix Ensembles (RME) having a global unitary invariance, and containing an arbitrary, one-variable probability measure which we characterize by a `spread function'. Various choices of the spread function lead to a variety of possible generalized RMEs, which show deviations from the well-known Gaussian RME originally proposed by Wigner. We obtain the correlation functions of such generalized ensembles exactly, and show examples of how particular choices of the spread function can describe ensembles with arbitrary eigenvalue densities as well as critical ensembles with multifractality.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev. E, Rapid Com

Reproductive performance of Kittlitz\u27s Murrelet in a glaciated landscape, Icy Bay, Alaska, USA

Kittlitz\u27s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a dispersed-nesting seabird endemic to Alaska and eastern Russia that may have experienced considerable population declines in some parts of its range in the past few decades. Poor reproduction has been suggested as the demographic bottleneck, yet there are no direct estimates of reproduction in a glaciated area where this species reaches its highest densities at sea during the breeding season. The lack of demographic information in glacial habitats has limited our ability to interpret population trends and to clarify whether the presence of glaciers affects reproductive performance. Between 2007 and 2012, we radio-tagged Kittlitz\u27s Murrelets to measure breeding propensity, nesting success, and fecundity in the heavily glaciated landscape of Icy Bay, Alaska, USA. Of 156 radio-tagged birds, 20% were breeders, 68% were potential breeders, and 12% were nonbreeders. Radio-tagged males (29%) were more likely to be breeders compared to females (11%). Across all years, we located 34 Kittlitz\u27s Murrelet nests, 38% of which were successful. Daily nest survival probability (± SE) was 0.979 ± 0.005, with most nests failing during incubation; if extrapolated to a 55-day period from nest initiation to fledging, the nest survival rate was 0.307 ± 0.083. Low fecundity was due largely to low breeding propensity, not low nesting success. For context, we also determined the breeding status of 14 radio-tagged Marbled Murrelets (B. marmoratus), most of which were breeders (79%) and successfully fledged young (69%). Our data demonstrated that Kittlitz\u27s Murrelets were outperformed in all facets of reproduction compared to Marbled Murrelets. Low fecundity estimates for Kittlitz\u27s Murrelet were consistent with a 10% per annum decline in Icy Bay between 2002 and 2012, suggesting that poor reproductive performance contributed to the local population decline of this species