Torsion, Chern-Simons Term and Diffeomorphism Invariance

In the $torsion \otimes curvature$ approach of gravity Chern-Simons modification has been considered here. It has been found that Chern-Simons contribution to the bianchi identity has become cancelled from that of the scalar field part. But "homogeneity and isotropy" consideration of present day cosmology is a consequence of the "strong equivalence principle" and vice-versa.Comment: 8 page

The Widening Health Care Gap Between High- and Low-Wage Workers

Compares the changes in insurance status, out-of-pocket costs, access to care, use of prescription drugs, and health-related outcomes of low-wage workers and high-wage workers between 1996 and 2003. Discusses the implications of the growing disparities

Who Pays for Health Care When Workers Are Uninsured?

Quantifies the costs to the public, in taxpayer bills to fund public insurance or uncompensated care programs, of employers not insuring workers. Compares public costs for uninsured employees of small, multi-location, and large firms and their families

Two-Well System under Large Amplitude Periodic Forcing: Stochastic Synchronization, Stochastic Resonance and Stability

We study the residence time distributions and explore the possibility of observing stochastic resonance and synchonization of passages in a two-well system driven by a periodic forcing of amplitude larger than a marginal value beyond which one of the two wells become unstable and diasppear. We define and calculate hysteresis loop in the system, the area of which measures the degree of synchronization between the residence time statistics and the input signal, as a function of input noise strength. We analyse the noise induced stability obtained in such a deterministically overall unstable system and within this context discuss the above two phenomena.Comment: Mod. Phys. Lett. B 1997, in print, figures available on reques

θ\theta-Term and Cosmological Constant from CJD Action

In the gravity without metric formalism of Capovilla, Jacobson and Dell, the topological $\theta$-term appears through a canonical transformation.The origin of this canonical transformation is probed here. It is shown here that when $\theta$-term appears cosmological $\lambda$-term also appears simultaneously.Comment: 5 page

AC driven thermal ratchets

We consider the motion of a overdamped Brownian particle in periodic asymmetric potential with space dependent friction coefficient. In the presence of external time periodic forcing, the system shows multiple current reversals on varying the amplitude of the external forcing and the temperature of the thermal bath. In the adiabatic regime we find a single reversal of current as a function of noise strength which can only be accounted due to the presence of space dependent friction coefficient. For very large forcing term, the current does not go to zero, instead it asymptotically tends to a limiting value depending on the phase shift between the potential and the friction. This fact plays an important role in obtaining multiple current reversals.Comment: 4 pages, latex/revtex, 4 eps figures. Proceedings of CMDAYS2K, held at Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chattisgarh, India, Aug 29-31, 2

Stochastic resonance and nonlinear response in a dissipative quantum two-state system

We study the dynamics of a dissipative two-level, system driven by a monochromatic ac field, starting from the usual spin-boson Hamiltonian. The quantum Langevin equations for the spin variables are obtained. The amplitude of the coherent oscillations in the average position of the particle is studied in the high temperature limit. The system exhibits quantum stochastic resonance in qualitative agreement with earlier numerical results.Comment: PRB April 1997, figures available on reques