Nonequilibrium quantum phase transition in itinerant electron systems

We study the effect of the voltage bias on the ferromagnetic phase transition in a one-dimensional itinerant electron system. The applied voltage drives the system into a nonequilibrium steady state with a non-zero electric current. The bias changes the universality class of the second order ferromagnetic transition. While the equilibrium transition belongs to the universality class of the uniaxial ferroelectric, we find the mean-field behavior near the nonequilibrium critical point.Comment: Final version as accepted to Phys. Rev. Let

State Higher Education Spending and the Tax Revolt

Public effort in support of higher education – measured as state funding per thousand dollars of personal income – has declined by thirty percent since the late 1970s. During this time period many states implemented Tax and Expenditure Limits and/or supermajority requirements for tax increases. We use a forty-eight state panel from 1961 to 2001 to evaluate the effect of these tax revolt institutions for state effort on behalf of higher education. These provisions have a statistically significant and economically large impact on the timing and magnitude of this decline in state effort. An understanding of the fiscal environment caused by these provisions is critical for the future of state-supported higher education.State higher education spending, tax revolt, Tax and Expenditure Limits

Projective measurement in nuclear magnetic resonance

It is demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using pseudopure spin states can give possible outcomes of projective quantum measurement and probabilities of such outcomes. The physical system is a cluster of six dipolar-coupled nuclear spins of benzene in a liquid-crystalline matrix. For this system with the maximum total spin S=3, the results of measuring $S_X$ are presented for the cases when the state of the system is one of the eigenstates of $S_Z$.Comment: 9 pages incluing 3 figure

Evaluation of selected strapdown inertial instruments and pulse torque loops, volume 1

Design, operational and performance variations between ternary, binary and forced-binary pulse torque loops are presented. A fill-in binary loop which combines the constant power advantage of binary with the low sampling error of ternary is also discussed. The effects of different output-axis supports on the performance of a single-degree-of-freedom, floated gyroscope under a strapdown environment are illustrated. Three types of output-axis supports are discussed: pivot-dithered jewel, ball bearing and electromagnetic. A test evaluation on a Kearfott 2544 single-degree-of-freedom, strapdown gyroscope operating with a pulse torque loop, under constant rates and angular oscillatory inputs is described and the results presented. Contributions of the gyroscope's torque generator and the torque-to-balance electronics on scale factor variation with rate are illustrated for a SDF 18 IRIG Mod-B strapdown gyroscope operating with various pulse rebalance loops. Also discussed are methods of reducing this scale factor variation with rate by adjusting the tuning network which shunts the torque coil. A simplified analysis illustrating the principles of operation of the Teledyne two-degree-of-freedom, elastically-supported, tuned gyroscope and the results of a static and constant rate test evaluation of that instrument are presented

Axial and pseudoscalar current correlators and their couplings to eta and etaprime mesons

Correlators of singlet and octet axial currents, as well as anomaly and pseudoscalar densities have been studied using QCD sum rules. Several of these sum rules are used to determine the couplings f^8_eta, f^0_eta, f^8_etaprime and f^0_etaprime. We find mutually consistent values which are also in agreement with phenomenological values obtained from data on various decay and production rates. While most of the sum rules studied by us are independent of the contributions of direct instantons and screening correction, the singlet-singlet current correlator and the anomaly-anomaly correlator improve by their inclusion.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure

Ted L. Stein on the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal—Scholarship Par Excellence

I am fortunate to have known Ted Stein as professional colleague and friend during his years at the Office of the Legal Adviser, where he was one of the brightest of a very bright group of young staff attorneys. His analysis of legal problems relating to the conduct of United States foreign relations was always original and helpful, and his contribution was beyond his years. We have been deprived of a great deal by Ted\u27s untimely death, but the work he was able to accomplish in so short a time was extraordinary. In the pages that follow, I would like to recognize one of Stein\u27s works that is particularly impressive—his 1984 article on the Iranian-forum clause decisions of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. The special appeal of Ted\u27s scholarship was his ability to synthesize traditional analysis of text and negotiating history with a practical appreciation of the diplomatic and political characteristics of the process of international arbitration. The article is a model for all legal scholars of thoroughness, clarity, and objectivity

Lunar Resource Assessment: an Industry Perspective

The goals of the U.S. space program are to return to the Moon, establish a base, and continue onward to Mars. To accomplish this in a relatively short time frame and to avoid the high costs of transporting materials from the Earth, resources on the Moon will need to be mined. Oxygen will be one of the most important resources, to be used as a rocket propellant and for life support. Ilmenite and lunar regolith have both been considered as ores for the production of oxygen. Resource production on the Moon will be a very important part of the U.S. space program. To produce resources we must explore to identify the location of ore or feedback and calculate the surface and underground reserves. Preliminary resource production tests will provide the information that can be used in final plant design. Bechtel Corporation's experience in terrestrial engineering and construction has led to an interest in lunar resource assessment leading to the construction of production facilities on the Moon. There is an intimate link between adequate resource assessment to define feedstock quantity and quality, material processing requirements, and the successful production of lunar oxygen. Although lunar resource assessment is often viewed as a research process, the engineering and production aspects are very important to consider. Resource production often requires the acquisition of different types, scales, or resolutions of data than that needed for research, and it is needed early in the exploration process. An adequate assessment of the grade, areal extent, and depth distribution of the resources is a prerequisite to mining. The need for a satisfactory resource exploration program using remote sensing techniques, field sampling, and chemical and physical analysis is emphasized. These data can be used to define the ore for oxygen production and the mining, processing facilities, and equipment required

Writing Instruction and Standardized Reading Scores Among Secondary Students

The reading scores on the Nation\u27s Report Card for 2007 indicate that not all children share the same proficiency in literacy. Reading and writing require the use of similar cognitive processes, yet few studies focus on this relationship or how writing can be a tool for reading remediation. The research questions in this study addressed the extent to which: (a) differences occur in the time spent on writing instruction by genre, instructional methodology, and the phase of writing between middle and high school teachers (b) the amount of time teachers provide writing instruction, the instructional methodology, the genre addressed in the instruction, the process of writing discussed, and students\u27 gender predict change in standardized reading test scores and (b) the amount of time students spend writing, the genre of writing, the part of the writing process used, and students\u27 gender predict change in standardized reading test scores. Data were obtained for 307 middle and high school students on the Scholastic Reading Inventory and the results of a daily survey completed by teacher participants that measured the amount of time spent on writing instruction, the methodology, the genre of writing, and the phase of the writing process used. A one-way ANOVA indicated statistically significant differences between middle and high school instruction for academic writing and phases of the writing process other than writing. A stepwise regression indicated that ethnicity, instruction on the writing phase of the writing process, formal instruction, instruction on academic writing, and instruction on journals were statistically significant predictors of reading scores. A stepwise regression analyzed the relationship of student writing activity and reading scores ethnicity, grade level, the phases of the writing process, writing without formal conventions, and time spent on writing journals were statistically significant predictors of reading scores. The results provide suggestions for future practice and research. Future