Bumpy Power Spectra and dT/T

With the recent publication of the measurements of the radiation angular power spectrum from the BOOMERanG Antarctic flight (de Bernardis et al. 2000), it has become apparent that the currently favoured spatially-flat cold dark matter model (matter density parameter $\Omega_{\rm m}=0.3$, flatness being restored by a cosmological constant $\Omega_{\Lambda}=0.7$, Hubble parameter $h=0.65$, baryon density parameter $\Omega_{\rm b}h^2=0.02$) no longer provides a good fit to the data. We describe a phenomenological approach to resurrecting this paradigm. We consider a primordial power spectrum which incorporates a bump, arbitrarily placed at $k_{\rm b}$, and characterized by a Gaussian in log $k$ of standard deviation $\sigma_{\rm b}$ and amplitude ${\rm A}_{\rm b}$, that is superimposed onto a scale-invariant power spectrum. We generate a range of theoretical models that include a bump at scales consistent with cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure observations, and perform a simple $\chi^2$ test to compare our models with the $COBE$ DMR data and the recently published BOOMERanG and MAXIMA data. Unlike models that include a high baryon content, our models predict a low third acoustic peak. We find that low $\ell$ observations (20 $< \ell <$ 200) are a critical discriminant of the bumps because the transfer function has a sharp cutoff on the high $\ell$ side of the first acoustic peak...Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, updated reference

The Hospital Problem and a New Hospital Service

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Astrometric Detection of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zones of Nearby Stars with SIM PlanetQuest

SIM PlanetQuest (Space Interferometry Mission) is a space-borne Michelson interferometer for precision stellar astrometry, with a nine meter baseline, currently slated for launch in 2015. One of the principal science goals is the astrometric detection and orbit characterization of terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. Differential astrometry of the target star against a set of reference stars lying within a degree will allow measurement of the target star's reflex motion with astrometric accuracy of 1 micro-arcsecond in a single measurement. We assess SIM's capability for detection (as opposed to characterization by orbit determination) of terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of nearby solar-type stars. We compare SIM's performance on target lists optimized for the SIM and Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronograph (TPF-C) missions. Performance is quantified by three metrics: minimum detectable planet mass, number and mass distribution of detected planets, and completeness of detections in each mass range. Finally, we discuss the issue of confidence in detections and non-detections, and show how information from SIM's planet survey can enable TPF to increase its yield of terrestrial planets.Comment: Minor corrections to figures and tables. 46 pages, 27 figures. To appear in PASP (Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific), May 200

GMM Estimation of Income Distributions from Grouped Data

We develop a GMM procedure for estimating income distributions from grouped data with unknown group bounds. The approach enables us to obtain standard errors for the estimated parameters and functions of the parameters, such as inequality and poverty measures, and to test the validity of an assumed distribution using a J-test. Using eight countries/regions for the year 2005, we show how the methodology can be applied to estimate the parameters of the generalized beta distribution of the second kind, and its special-case distributions, the beta-2, Singh-Maddala, Dagum, generalized gamma and lognormal distributions. This work extends earlier work (Chotikapanich et al., 2007, 2012) that did not specify a formal GMM framework, did not provide methodology for obtaining standard errors, and considered only the beta-2 distribution. The results show that generalized beta distribution fits the data well and outperforms other frequently used distributions.GMM; generalized beta distribution; grouped data; inequality and poverty

Calibrated Tree Priors for Relaxed Phylogenetics and Divergence Time Estimation

The use of fossil evidence to calibrate divergence time estimation has a long history. More recently Bayesian MCMC has become the dominant method of divergence time estimation and fossil evidence has been re-interpreted as the specification of prior distributions on the divergence times of calibration nodes. These so-called "soft calibrations" have become widely used but the statistical properties of calibrated tree priors in a Bayesian setting has not been carefully investigated. Here we clarify that calibration densities, such as those defined in BEAST 1.5, do not represent the marginal prior distribution of the calibration node. We illustrate this with a number of analytical results on small trees. We also describe an alternative construction for a calibrated Yule prior on trees that allows direct specification of the marginal prior distribution of the calibrated divergence time, with or without the restriction of monophyly. This method requires the computation of the Yule prior conditional on the height of the divergence being calibrated. Unfortunately, a practical solution for multiple calibrations remains elusive. Our results suggest that direct estimation of the prior induced by specifying multiple calibration densities should be a prerequisite of any divergence time dating analysis

Canadian children's and youth's pedometer-determined steps/day, parent-reported TV watching time, and overweight/obesity: The CANPLAY Surveillance Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study examines associations between pedometer-determined steps/day and parent-reported child's Body Mass Index (BMI) and time typically spent watching television between school and dinner.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Young people (aged 5-19 years) were recruited through their parents by random digit dialling and mailed a data collection package. Information on height and weight and time spent watching television between school and dinner on a typical school day was collected from parents. In total, 5949 boys and 5709 girls reported daily steps. BMI was categorized as overweight or obese using Cole's cut points. Participants wore pedometers for 7 days and logged daily steps. The odds of being overweight and obese by steps/day and parent-reported time spent television watching were estimated using logistic regression for complex samples.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Girls had a lower median steps/day (10682 versus 11059 for boys) and also a narrower variation in steps/day (interquartile range, 4410 versus 5309 for boys). 11% of children aged 5-19 years were classified as obese; 17% of boys and girls were overweight. Both boys and girls watched, on average, < 40 minutes of television between school and dinner on school days. Adjusting for child's age and sex and parental education, the odds of a child being obese decreased by 20% for every extra 3000 steps/day and increased by 21% for every 30 minutes of television watching. There was no association of being overweight with steps/day, however the odds of being overweight increased by 8% for every 30 minutes of additional time spent watching television between school and dinner on a typical school day.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Television viewing is the more prominent factor in terms of predicting overweight, and it contributes to obesity, but steps/day attenuates the association between television viewing and obesity, and therefore can be considered protective against obesity. In addition to replacing opportunities for active alternative behaviours, exposure to television might also impact body weight by promoting excess energy intake.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this large nationally representative sample, pedometer-determined steps/day was associated with reduced odds of being obese (but not overweight) whereas each parent-reported hour spent watching television between school and dinner increased the odds of both overweight and obesity.</p

Frame Indifferent Formulation of Maxwell's Elastic Fluid and the Rational Continuum Mechanics of the Electromagnetic Field

We show that the linearized equations of the incompressible elastic medium admit a `Maxwell form' in which the shear component of the stress vector plays the role of the electric field, and the vorticity plays the role of the magnetic field. Conversely, the set of dynamic Maxwell equations are strict mathematical corollaries from the governing equations of the incompressible elastic medium. This suggests that the nature of `electromagnetic field' may actually be related to an elastic continuous medium. The analogy is complete if the medium is assumed to behave as fluid in shear motions, while it may still behave as elastic solid under compressional motions. Then the governing equations of the elastic fluid are re-derived in the Eulerian frame by replacing the partial time derivatives by the properly invariant (frame indifferent) time rates. The `Maxwell from' of the frame indifferent formulation gives the frame indifferent system that is to replace the Maxwell system. This new system comprises terms already present in the classical Maxwell equations, alongside terms that are the progenitors of the Biot--Savart, Oersted--Ampere's, and Lorentz--force laws. Thus a frame indifferent (truly covariant) formulation of electromagnetism is achieved from a single postulate that the electromagnetic field is a kind of elastic (partly liquid partly solid) continuum.Comment: accepte

Particle formation and interaction

A wide variety of experiments can be conducted on the Space Station that involve the physics of small particles of planetary significance. Processes of interest include nucleation and condensation of particles from a gas, aggregation of small particles into larger ones, and low velocity collisions of particles. All of these processes could be investigated with a general purpose facility on the Space Station. The microgravity environment would be necessary to perform many experiments, as they generally require that particles be suspended for periods substantially longer than are practical at 1 g. Only experiments relevant to planetary processes will be discussed in detail here, but it is important to stress that a particle facility will be useful to a wide variety of scientific disciplines, and can be used to address many scientific problems

The Compact X-ray Source 1E 1547.0-5408 and the Radio Shell G327.24-0.13: A New Proposed Association between a Candidate Magnetar and a Candidate Supernova Remnant

We present X-ray, infrared and radio observations of the field centered on X-ray source 1E 1547.0-5408 in the Galactic Plane. A new Chandra observation of this source shows it is unresolved at arc-second resolution, and a new XMM observation shows that its X-ray spectrum is best described by an absorbed power-law and blackbody model. A comparison of the X-ray flux observed from this source between 1980 and 2006 reveals that its absorbed 0.5-10 keV X-ray flux decreased from ~2x10^-12 ergs cm-2 s-1 to ~3x10^-13 ergs cm-2 during this period. The most recent XMM observation allows us to put a 5 sigma confidence upper limit of 14% for the 0.5-10 keV peak-to-peak pulsed fraction. A near-infrared observation of this field shows a source with magnitude Ks = 15.9+/-0.2 near the position of 1E 1547.0-5408, but the implied X-ray to infrared flux ratio indicates the infrared emission is from an unrelated field source, allowing us to limit the IR magnitude of 1E 1547.0-5408 to >17.5. Archival radio observations reveal that 1E 1547.0-5408 sits at the center of a faint, small (4' diameter) radio shell, G327.24-0.13, which is possibly a previously unidentified supernova remnant. The X-ray properties of 1E 1547.0-5408 suggest that this source is a magnetar - a young neutron star whose X-ray emission is powered by the decay of its extremely strong magnetic field. The spatial coincidence between this source and G327.24-0.13 suggests that 1E 1547.0-5408 is associated with a young supernova remnant, supporting a neutron star interpretation. Additional observations are needed to confirm the nature of both 1E 1547.0-5408 and G327.24-0.13, and to determine if these sources are associated. If so, this pair will be an important addition to the small number of known associations between magnetars and supernova remnants.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, ApJ accepte