Divergences in QED on a Graph

We consider a model of quantum electrodynamics (QED) on a graph. The one-loop divergences in the model are investigated by use of the background field method.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, RevTeX4. References and typos adde

Sensitivity of an image plate system in the XUV (60 eV < E < 900 eV)

Phosphor imaging plates (IPs) have been calibrated and proven useful for quantitative x-ray imaging in the 1 to over 1000 keV energy range. In this paper we report on calibration measurements made at XUV energies in the 60 to 900 eV energy range using beamline 6.3.2 at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. We measured a sensitivity of ~25 plus or minus 15 counts/pJ over the stated energy range which is compatible with the sensitivity of Si photodiodes that are used for time-resolved measurements. Our measurements at 900 eV are consistent with the measurements made by Meadowcroft et al. at ~1 keV.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Precipitation parameters of stochastic climate models for a changing climate

Changing climate can impact erosion directly by increasing or decreasing the rainfall depth and intensity and indirectly by influencing the vegetative cover on landscapes. Stochastic climate models are increasingly being used to allow the assessment of erosion to be done using ensemble statistics. Precipitation is mostly widely represented by first determining the state of the day is wet or dry using discrete transitional probabilities and then, for a wet day, determining the precipitation depth. The parameters for stochastic models are based on the statistical analysis of observed data for the current conditions. Simple methods to modify these stochastic parameters under different climate scenarios are desired to easily simulate their impact on erosion. Modifying parameters for precipitation depth needs to be considered carefully because changes in depth can be achieved by varying the statistics of daily precipitation, by changing the number of wet days, or by a combination of these statistics. A framework for modifying the precipitation depth for new climate conditions is developed in the study. In addition to the stochastic climate parameters related to the moments of probability density functions and transitional probabilities under the current conditions, the proposed framework requires the user to specify the fractional changes in the total precipitation depth and the mean daily precipitation depth. Relationships are developed to determine indirectly the proper number of wet days from transitional probabilities for a first-order Markov chain. These relationships are dependent on a user-specified parameter of the ratio of the mean number of wet-wet day sequences of the current and new climate conditions. The sequence of wet-wet days is important in modeling soil erosion. The framework is applied to 80 years of precipitation data for Stillwater, OK. The implications of assuming no change in the wet-wet-day ratio with new climate conditions is compared to the results obtained assuming a ratio equal to the fractional change in the mean number of wet days. If the new climate condition corresponds to an increase in the number of wet days, the assumption of an unchanged ration corresponds to new storm patterns that develop more often on dry days and dissipate more rapidly on wet days. The opposite trend occurs if the new climate condition corresponds to a decrease in the number of dry day. Under this scenario, storm patterns tend to dissipate more slowly resulting, on average, in more frequent consecutive days with precipitation. A wet-wet day ratio equal to the fractional change in the mean number of wet days corresponds to no change between the current and new climate conditions of the transitional probability of wet-given- wet-day. This result suggests that the persistence of storm systems do not change under the new climate conditions. The proposed framework is useful and easy to implement in stochastic climate models

Can we evaluate population screening strategies in UK general practice? A pilot randomised controlled trial comparing postal and opportunistic screening for genital chlamydial infection

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess whether opportunistic and postal screening strategies for Chlamydia trachomatis can be compared with usual care in a randomised trial in general practice DESIGN: Feasibility study for a randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Three West of Scotland general medical practices: one rural, one urban/deprived and one urban/affluent. PARTICIPANTS: 600 women aged 16-30 years, 200 from each of three participating practices selected at random from a sample of West of Scotland practices that had expressed interest in the study. The women could opt out of the study. Those who did not were randomly assigned to one of three groups: postal screening, opportunistic screening or usual care. MAIN RESULTS: 38% (85/221) of the approached practices expressed interest in the study. Data were collected successfully from the 3 participating practices, although intensive support was required. There were considerable workload implications for staff, both in relation to implementing the screening strategies and managing the research process. 124 of the 600 women opted out of the study. During the four-month study period, 55% (81/146) of the control group attended their practice but none was offered screening. 59% (80/136) women in the opportunistic group attended their practice of whom 55% (44/80) were offered screening. Of those, 64% (28/44) accepted, representing 21% of the opportunistic group. 48% (59/124) of the postal group returned samples. CONCLUSION: A randomised controlled trial comparing postal and opportunistic screening for chlamydial infection in general practice is feasible, though resource intensive. There may be problems with generalising from screening trials in which patients may opt out from the offer of screening

Controlling the uncontrolled: Are there incidental experimenter effects on physiologic responding?

The degree to which experimenters shape participant behavior has long been of interest in experimental social science research. Here, we extend this question to the domain of peripheral psychophysiology, where experimenters often have direct, physical contact with participants, yet researchers do not consistently test for their influence. We describe analytic tools for examining experimenter effects in peripheral physiology. Using these tools, we investigate nine data sets totaling 1,341 participants and 160 experimenters across different roles (e.g., lead research assistants, evaluators, confederates) to demonstrate how researchers can test for experimenter effects in participant autonomic nervous system activity during baseline recordings and reactivity to study tasks. Our results showed (a) little to no significant variance in participants' physiological reactivity due to their experimenters, and (b) little to no evidence that three characteristics of experimenters that are well known to shape interpersonal interactions-status (using five studies with 682 total participants), gender (using two studies with 359 total participants), and race (in two studies with 554 total participants)-influenced participants' physiology. We highlight several reasons that experimenter effects in physiological data are still cause for concern, including the fact that experimenters in these studies were already restricted on a number of characteristics (e.g., age, education). We present recommendations for examining and reducing experimenter effects in physiological data and discuss implications for replication