The Pegg-Barnett Formalism and Covariant Phase Observables

We compare the Pegg-Barnett (PB) formalism with the covariant phase observable approach to the problem of quantum phase and show that PB-formalism gives essentially the same results as the canonical (covariant) phase observable. We also show that PB-formalism can be extended to cover all covariant phase observables including the covariant phase observable arising from the angle margin of the Husimi Q-function.Comment: 10 page

Collective modes and correlations in one-component plasmas

The static and time-dependent potential and surface charge correlations in a plasma with a boundary are computed for different shapes of the boundary. The case of a spheroidal or spherical one-component plasma is studied in detail because experimental results are available for such systems. Also, since there is some knowlegde both experimental and theoretical about the electrostatic collective modes of these plasmas, the time-dependent correlations are computed using a method involving these modes.Comment: 20 pages, plain TeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Pseudoscalar mesons and their radial excitations from the Effective Chiral Lagrangian

Effective Chiral Lagrangian is derived from QCD in the framework of Field Correlator Method. It contains the effects of both confinement and chiral symmetry breaking due to a special structure of the resulting quark mass operator. It is shown that this Lagrangian describes light pseudoscalar mesons, and Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relations for pions, eta and K mesons are reproduced. Spectrum of radial excitations of pions and K mesons is found and compared to experimentally known masses.Comment: 6 pages; v3: minor corrections, references adde

A microeconometric analysis of risk aversion and the decision to self-insure

This study estimates a von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function using market data and microeconometric methods. We investigate the decision whether to purchase insurance against the risk of telephone line trouble in the home. Using the choices of approximately 10,000 residential customers, we determine the shape of the utility function and the degree of risk aversion. We find that risk aversion varies systematically in the population and varies with the level of income and that the observed choice behavior is consistent with expected utility maximization

A Micro-Econometric Analysis of Risk-Aversion and the Decision to Self-Insure

This study estimates a von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function using market data and micro-econometric methods. We investigate the decision whether to purchase insurance against the risk of telephone line trouble in the home. Using the choices of approximately 10,000 residential customers, we determine the shape of the utility function and the degree of risk-aversion. We find that risk-aversion varies systematically in the population and varies with the level of income and that the observed choice behavior is consistent with expected utility maximization. We are unable to detect the presence of ambiguity effects or over-weighting of low-probability events

A dilemma in representing observables in quantum mechanics

There are self-adjoint operators which determine both spectral and semispectral measures. These measures have very different commutativity and covariance properties. This fact poses a serious question on the physical meaning of such a self-adjoint operator and its associated operator measures.Comment: 10 page

Joint genomic and proteomic analysis identifies meta-trait characteristics of virulent and non-virulent Staphylococcus aureus strains

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen of humans and warm-blooded animals and presents a growing threat in terms of multi-drug resistance. Despite numerous studies, the basis of staphylococcal virulence and switching between commensal and pathogenic phenotypes is not fully understood. Using genomics, we show here that S. aureus strains exhibiting virulent (VIR) and non-virulent (NVIR) phenotypes in a chicken embryo infection model genetically fall into two separate groups, with the VIR group being much more cohesive than the NVIR group. Significantly, the genes encoding known staphylococcal virulence factors, such as clumping factors, are either found in different allelic variants in the genomes of NVIR strains (compared to VIR strains) or are inactive pseudogenes. Moreover, the pyruvate carboxylase and gamma-aminobutyrate permease genes, which were previously linked with virulence, are pseudogenized in NVIR strain ch22. Further, we use comprehensive proteomics tools to characterize strains that show opposing phenotypes in a chicken embryo virulence model. VIR strain CH21 had an elevated level of diapolycopene oxygenase involved in staphyloxanthin production (protection against free radicals) and expressed a higher level of immunoglobulin-binding protein Sbi on its surface compared to NVIR strain ch22. Furthermore, joint genomic and proteomic approaches linked the elevated production of superoxide dismutase and DNA-binding protein by NVIR strain ch22 with gene duplications

The Report of the United States to the International Fiscal Association on the Costs of Tax Administration and Compliance

This is a report prepared for the International Fiscal Association on the costs of tax administration and compliance in the United States. At the federal level, we present comprehensive data on administrative costs and review recent estimates of compliance costs. At the state level, we present new data on the administrative costs of state income taxes and general sales taxes, and review the very limited data on state level compliance costs. We also discuss the growing role of tax preparers, including new empirical results of our own. Finally, we review the recently enacted "Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

State Income Tax Amnesties 1: Causes

The purpose of this paper is to analyze empirically for the years 1980-88 the factors which led states with state income taxes to run tax amnesty programs. We find a principal factor to be the level of IRS auditing; in particular, we find that states have tended to "free-ride" on the IRS-if the IRS is active in a state, then that state is less likely to run a tax amnesty program. Indeed, our estimates indicate that had the IRS audit rate remained constant during the 1980-88 period (instead of falling by almost one-half) , then the cumulative probability that an average state would have a tax amnesty by 1988 would have fallen by almost one-half compared to its actual level

The Use and Misuse of Surveys in Economic Analysis: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under CERCLA

This paper examines problems with the admissibility of contingent use methodology surveys in natural resource damage assessment cases under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as well as the propriety of their use in formulating public policy. Using a contingent use survey conducted in conjunction with the New Bedford Harbor Superfund case and two follow-up surveys, a number of errors and biases associated with contingent use methodology surveys are isolated and analyzed