A simple remark on a flat projective morphism with a Calabi-Yau fiber

If a K3 surface is a fiber of a flat projective morphisms over a connected noetherian scheme over the complex number field, then any smooth connected fiber is also a K3 surface. Observing this, Professor Nam-Hoon Lee asked if the same is true for higher dimensional Calabi-Yau fibers. We shall give an explicit negative answer to his question as well as a proof of his initial observation.Comment: 8 pages, main theorem is generalized, one more remark is added, mis-calculation and typos are corrected etc

Randomised controlled trial of primary school based intervention to reduce risk factors for obesity

OBJECTIVE: To assess if a school based intervention was effective in reducing risk factors for obesity. DESIGN: Group randomised controlled trial. SETTING: 10 primary schools in Leeds. PARTICIPANTS: 634 children aged 7­-11 years. INTERVENTION: Teacher training, modification of school meals, and the development of school action plans targeting the curriculum, physical education, tuck shops, and playground activities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body mass index, diet, physical activity, and psychological state. RESULTS: Vegetable consumption by 24 hour recall was higher in children in the intervention group than the control group (weighted mean difference 0.3 portions/day, 95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.4), representing a difference equivalent to 50% of baseline consumption. Fruit consumption was lower in obese children in the intervention group ( - 1.0, - 1.8 to - 0.2) than those in the control group. The three day diary showed higher consumption of high sugar foods (0.8, 0.1 to 1.6)) among overweight children in the intervention group than the control group. Sedentary behaviour was higher in overweight children in the intervention group (0.3, 0.0 to 0.7). Global self worth was higher in obese children in the intervention group (0.3, 0.3 to 0.6). There was no difference in body mass index, other psychological measures, or dieting behaviour between the groups. Focus groups indicated higher levels of self reported behaviour change, understanding, and knowledge among children who had received the intervention. CONCLUSION: Although it was successful in producing changes at school level, the programme had little effect on children's behaviour other than a modest increase in consumption of vegetables

Evaluation of implementation and effect of primary school based intervention to reduce risk factors for obesity

OBJECTIVES: To implement a school based health promotion programme aimed at reducing risk factors for obesity and to evaluate the implementation process and its effect on the school. DESIGN: Data from 10 schools participating in a group randomised controlled crossover trial were pooled and analysed. SETTING: 10 primary schools in Leeds. Participants 634 children (350 boys and 284 girls) aged 7­11 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Response rates to questionnaires, teachers' evaluation of training and input, success of school action plans, content of school meals, and children's knowledge of healthy living and self reported behaviour. RESULTS: All 10 schools participated throughout the study. 76 (89%) of the action points determined by schools in their school action plans were achieved, along with positive changes in school meals. A high level of support for nutrition education and promotion of physical activity was expressed by both teachers and parents. 410 (64%) parents responded to the questionnaire concerning changes they would like to see implemented in school. 19 out of 20 teachers attended the training, and all reported satisfaction with the training, resources, and support. Intervention children showed a higher score for knowledge, attitudes, and self reported behaviour for healthy eating and physical activity. CONCLUSION: This programme was successfully implemented and produced changes at school level that tackled risk factors for obesity

HAMEV and SQRED: Fortran 77 Subroutines for Computing the Eigenvalues of Hamiltonian Matrices Using Van Loanss Square Reduced Method

This paper describes LAPACK-based Fortran 77 subroutines for the reduction of a Hamiltonian matrix to square-reduced form and the approximation of all its eigenvalues using the implicit version of Van Loan's method. The transformation of the Hamilto- nian matrix to a square-reduced Hamiltonian uses only orthogonal symplectic similarity transformations. The eigenvalues can then be determined by applying the Hessenberg QR iteration to a matrix of half the order of the Hamiltonian matrix and taking the square roots of the computed values. Using scaling strategies similar to those suggested for algebraic Riccati equations can in some cases improve the accuracy of the computed eigenvalues. We demonstrate the performance of the subroutines for several examples and show how they can be used to solve some control-theoretic problems

Raman signatures of classical and quantum phases in coupled dots: A theoretical prediction

We study electron molecules in realistic vertically coupled quantum dots in a strong magnetic field. Computing the energy spectrum, pair correlation functions, and dynamical form factor as a function of inter-dot coupling via diagonalization of the many-body Hamiltonian, we identify structural transitions between different phases, some of which do not have a classical counterpart. The calculated Raman cross section shows how such phases can be experimentally singled out.Comment: 9 pages, 2 postscript figures, 1 colour postscript figure, Latex 2e, Europhysics Letters style and epsfig macros. Submitted to Europhysics Letter

The Voluntary Adjustment of Railroad Obligations

Automatic memory management techniques eliminate many programming errors that are both hard to find and to correct. However, these techniques are not yet used in embedded systems with hard realtime applications. The reason is that current methods for automatic memory management have a number of drawbacks. The two major ones are: (1) not being able to always guarantee short real-time deadlines and (2) using large amounts of extra memory. Memory is usually a scarce resource in embedded applications. In this paper we present a new technique, Real-Time Reference Counting (RTRC) that overcomes the current problems and makes automatic memory management attractive also for hard real-time applications. The main contribution of RTRC is that often all memory can be used to store live objects. This should be compared to a memory overhead of about 500% for garbage collectors based on copying techniques and about 50% for garbage collectors based on mark-and-sweep techniques

VPLanet: The Virtual Planet Simulator

We describe a software package called VPLanet that simulates fundamental aspects of planetary system evolution over Gyr timescales, with a focus on investigating habitable worlds. In this initial release, eleven physics modules are included that model internal, atmospheric, rotational, orbital, stellar, and galactic processes. Many of these modules can be coupled simultaneously to simulate the evolution of terrestrial planets, gaseous planets, and stars. The code is validated by reproducing a selection of observations and past results. VPLanet is written in C and designed so that the user can choose the physics modules to apply to an individual object at runtime without recompiling, i.e., a single executable can simulate the diverse phenomena that are relevant to a wide range of planetary and stellar systems. This feature is enabled by matrices and vectors of function pointers that are dynamically allocated and populated based on user input. The speed and modularity of VPLanet enables large parameter sweeps and the versatility to add/remove physical phenomena to assess their importance. VPLanet is publicly available from a repository that contains extensive documentation, numerous examples, Python scripts for plotting and data management, and infrastructure for community input and future development.Comment: 75 pages, 34 figures, 10 tables, accepted to the Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Source code, documentation, and examples available at https://github.com/VirtualPlanetaryLaboratory/vplane

A Study of the Direct-Fitting Method for Measurement of Galaxy Velocity Dispersions

We have measured the central stellar velocity dispersions of 33 nearby spiral and elliptical galaxies, using a straightforward template-fitting algorithm operating in the pixel domain. The spectra, obtained with the Double Spectrograph at Palomar Observatory, cover both the Ca triplet and the Mg b region, and we present a comparison of the velocity dispersion measurements from these two spectral regions. Model fits to the Ca triplet region generally yield good results with little sensitivity to the choice of template star. In contrast, the Mg b region is more sensitive to template mismatch and to details of the fitting procedure such as the order of a polynomial used to match the continuum shape of the template to the object. As a consequence of the correlation of the [Mg/Fe] ratio with velocity dispersion, it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory model fit to the Mg b lines and the surrounding Fe blends simultaneously, particularly for giant elliptical galaxies with large velocity dispersions. We demonstrate that if the metallicities of the galaxy and template star are not well matched, then direct template-fitting results are improved if the Mg b lines themselves are excluded from the fit and the velocity dispersion is determined from the surrounding weaker lines.Comment: 14 pages. To appear in A

Quickening the pulse: Fractal tempos in continental arc magmatism

The magmatic history of a continental arc can be characterized as punctuated equilibrium, whereby long periods of low-level activity are interrupted periodically by short bursts of high-volume magmatism (“flare-ups”). Geochronological records, most notably from zircon, reveal episodicity in volcanism, pluton formation, and detrital sedimentation in, and associated with, arc segments and volcano-plutonic suites. Distinct tempos can be recognized at all resolvable spatial and temporal scales and are broadly fractal, with each scale reflecting the timescale of processes occurring at different levels in the arc crust. The tempos of continental arc magmatism thus reflect modulation of the mantle-power input as it is progressively filtered through the continental crust