Alcohol Prohibition and Cirrhosis

This paper uses state-level data on cirrhosis death rates to examine the impact of state prohibitions, pre-1920 federal anti-alcohol policies, and constitutional prohibition on cirrhosis State prohibitions had a minimal impact on cirrhosis, especially during the pre-1920 period. Pre-1920 federal anti-alcohol policies may have contributed to the decline in cirrhosis that occurred before 1920, although other factors were likely substantial influences as well. Constitutional prohibition reduced cirrhosis by about 10-20 percent.

Lagrange-Fedosov Nonholonomic Manifolds

We outline an unified approach to geometrization of Lagrange mechanics, Finsler geometry and geometric methods of constructing exact solutions with generic off-diagonal terms and nonholonomic variables in gravity theories. Such geometries with induced almost symplectic structure are modelled on nonholonomic manifolds provided with nonintegrable distributions defining nonlinear connections. We introduce the concept of Lagrange-Fedosov spaces and Fedosov nonholonomic manifolds provided with almost symplectic connection adapted to the nonlinear connection structure. We investigate the main properties of generalized Fedosov nonholonomic manifolds and analyze exact solutions defining almost symplectic Einstein spaces.Comment: latex2e, v3, published variant, with new S.V. affiliatio

Deformation Quantization of Almost Kahler Models and Lagrange-Finsler Spaces

Finsler and Lagrange spaces can be equivalently represented as almost Kahler manifolds enabled with a metric compatible canonical distinguished connection structure generalizing the Levi Civita connection. The goal of this paper is to perform a natural Fedosov-type deformation quantization of such geometries. All constructions are canonically derived for regular Lagrangians and/or fundamental Finsler functions on tangent bundles.Comment: the latex 2e variant of the manuscript accepted for JMP, 11pt, 23 page

Extended Defects in the Potts-Percolation Model of a Solid: Renormalization Group and Monte Carlo Analysis

We extend the model of a 2$d$ solid to include a line of defects. Neighboring atoms on the defect line are connected by ?springs? of different strength and different cohesive energy with respect to the rest of the system. Using the Migdal-Kadanoff renormalization group we show that the elastic energy is an irrelevant field at the bulk critical point. For zero elastic energy this model reduces to the Potts model. By using Monte Carlo simulations of the 3- and 4-state Potts model on a square lattice with a line of defects, we confirm the renormalization-group prediction that for a defect interaction larger than the bulk interaction the order parameter of the defect line changes discontinuously while the defect energy varies continuously as a function of temperature at the bulk critical temperature.Comment: 13 figures, 17 page

Research of Gravitation in Flat Minkowski Space

In this paper it is introduced and studied an alternative theory of gravitation in flat Minkowski space. Using an antisymmetric tensor, which is analogous to the tensor of electromagnetic field, a non-linear connection is introduced. It is very convenient for studying the perihelion/periastron shift, deflection of the light rays near the Sun and the frame dragging together with geodetic precession, i.e. effects where angles are involved. Although the corresponding results are obtained in rather different way, they are the same as in the General Relativity. The results about the barycenter of two bodies are also the same as in the General Relativity. Comparing the derived equations of motion for the $n$-body problem with the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann equations, it is found that they differ from the EIH equations by Lorentz invariant terms of order $c^{-2}$.Comment: 28 page

Al-Substitution Effects on Physical Properties of the Colossal Magnetoresistance Compouns La0.67ca0.33mno3

We present a detailed study of the polycrystalline perovskite manganites La0.67Ca0.33AlxMn1-xO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.5) at low temperatures and high magnetic fields, including electrical resistance, magnetization, ac susceptibility. The static magnetic susceptibility was also measured up to 1000 K. All the samples show colossal magnetoresistance behavior and the Curie temperatures decrease with Al doping. The data suggest the presence of correlated magnetic clusters near by the ferromagnetic transition. This appears to be a consequence of the structural and magnetic disorder created by the random distribution of Al atoms.Comment: 13 pages including 5 figure

What Do Economists Know About Crime?

In this paper we evaluate what economists have learned over the past 40 years about the determinants of crime. We base our evaluation on two kinds of evidence: an examination of aggregate data over long time periods and across countries, and a critical review of the literature. We argue that economists know little about the empirically relevant determinants of crime. Even hypotheses that find some support in U.S. data for recent decades are inconsistent with data over longer horizons or across countries. This conclusion applies both to policy variables like arrest rates or capital punishment and to less conventional factors such as abortion or gun laws. The hypothesis that drug prohibition generates violence, however, is generally consistent with the long times-series and cross-country facts. This analysis is also consistent with a broader perspective in which government policies that affect the nature and amount of dispute resolution play an important role in determining violence.

Potts-Percolation-Gauss Model of a Solid

We study a statistical mechanics model of a solid. Neighboring atoms are connected by Hookian springs. If the energy is larger than a threshold the "spring" is more likely to fail, while if the energy is lower than the threshold the spring is more likely to be alive. The phase diagram and thermodynamic quantities, such as free energy, numbers of bonds and clusters, and their fluctuations, are determined using renormalization-group and Monte-Carlo techniques.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure

Chirality-induced asymmetric magnetic nucleation in Pt/Co/AlOx ultrathin microstructures

The nucleation of reversed magnetic domains in Pt/Co/AlO$_{x}$ microstructures with perpendicular anisotropy was studied experimentally in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field. For large enough in-plane field, nucleation was observed preferentially at an edge of the sample normal to this field. The position at which nucleation takes place was observed to depend in a chiral way on the initial magnetization and applied field directions. An explanation of these results is proposed, based on the existence of a sizable Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in this sample. Another consequence of this interaction is that the energy of domain walls can become negative for in-plane fields smaller than the effective anisotropy field.Comment: Published version, Physical Review Letters 113, 047203 (2014