Recent Progress in Regge Calculus

While there has been some advance in the use of Regge calculus as a tool in numerical relativity, the main progress in Regge calculus recently has been in quantum gravity. After a brief discussion of this progress, attention is focussed on two particular, related aspects. Firstly, the possible definitions of diffeomorphisms or gauge transformations in Regge calculus are examined and examples are given. Secondly, an investigation of the signature of the simplicial supermetric is described. This is the Lund-Regge metric on simplicial configuration space and defines the distance between simplicial three-geometries. Information on its signature can be used to extend the rather limited results on the signature of the supermetric in the continuum case. This information is obtained by a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. For the three-sphere and the three-torus, the numerical results agree with the analytic ones and show the existence of degeneracy and signature change. Some ``vertical'' directions in simplicial configuration space, corresponding to simplicial metrics related by gauge transformations, are found for the three-torus.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, LaTeX. Submitted to the Proceedings of the Second Meeting on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, September 199

Exact solutions for vibrational levels of the Morse potential via the asymptotic iteration method

Exact solutions for vibrational levels of diatomic molecules via the Morse potential are obtained by means of the asymptotic iteration method. It is shown that, the numerical results for the energy eigenvalues of $^{7}Li_{2}$ are all in excellent agreement with the ones obtained before. Without any loss of generality, other states and molecules could be treated in a similar way

Fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene influences skeletal muscle phenotypes in non-resistance trained males and elite rugby playing position

Background FTO gene variants have been associated with obesity phenotypes in sedentary and obese populations, but rarely with skeletal muscle and elite athlete phenotypes. Methods In 1089 participants, comprising 530 elite rugby athletes and 559 non-athletes, DNA was collected and genotyped for the FTO rs9939609 variant using real-time PCR. In a subgroup of non-resistance trained individuals (NT; n = 120), we also assessed structural and functional skeletal muscle phenotypes using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, ultrasound and isokinetic dynamometry. In a subgroup of rugby athletes (n = 77), we assessed muscle power during a countermovement jump. Results In NT, TT genotype and T allele carriers had greater total body (4.8% and 4.1%) and total appendicular lean mass (LM; 3.0% and 2.1%) compared to AA genotype, with greater arm LM (0.8%) in T allele carriers and leg LM (2.1%) for TT, compared to AA genotype. Furthermore, the T allele was more common (94%) in selected elite rugby union athletes (back three and centre players) who are most reliant on LM rather than total body mass for success, compared to other rugby athletes (82%; P = 0.01, OR = 3.34) and controls (84%; P = 0.03, OR = 2.88). Accordingly, these athletes had greater peak power relative to body mass than other rugby athletes (14%; P = 2 x 10-6). Conclusion Collectively, these results suggest that the T allele is associated with increased LM and elite athletic success. This has implications for athletic populations, as well as conditions characterised by low LM such as sarcopenia and cachexia

Various Models for Pion Probability Distributions from Heavy-Ion Collisions

Various models for pion multiplicity distributions produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions are discussed. The models include a relativistic hydrodynamic model, a thermodynamic description, an emitting source pion laser model, and a description which generates a negative binomial description. The approach developed can be used to discuss other cases which will be mentioned. The pion probability distributions for these various cases are compared. Comparison of the pion laser model and Bose-Einstein condensation in a laser trap and with the thermal model are made. The thermal model and hydrodynamic model are also used to illustrate why the number of pions never diverges and why the Bose-Einstein correction effects are relatively small. The pion emission strength $\eta$ of a Poisson emitter and a critical density $\eta_c$ are connected in a thermal model by $\eta/n_c = e^{-m/T} < 1$, and this fact reduces any Bose-Einstein correction effects in the number and number fluctuation of pions. Fluctuations can be much larger than Poisson in the pion laser model and for a negative binomial description. The clan representation of the negative binomial distribution due to Van Hove and Giovannini is discussed using the present description. Applications to CERN/NA44 and CERN/NA49 data are discussed in terms of the relativistic hydrodynamic model.Comment: 12 pages, incl. 3 figures and 4 tables. You can also download a PostScript file of the manuscript from http://p2hp2.lanl.gov/people/schlei/eprint.htm

Higher order WKB corrections to black hole entropy in brick wall formalism

We calculate the statistical entropy of a quantum field with an arbitrary spin propagating on the spherical symmetric black hole background by using the brick wall formalism at higher orders in the WKB approximation. For general spins, we find that the correction to the standard Bekenstein-Hawking entropy depends logarithmically on the area of the horizon. Furthermore, we apply this analysis to the Schwarzschild and Schwarzschild-AdS black holes and discuss our results.Comment: 21 pages, published versio

News from the Muon (g-2) Experiment at BNL

The magnetic moment anomaly a_mu = (g_mu - 2) / 2 of the positive muon has been measured at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron with an uncertainty of 0.7 ppm. The new result, based on data taken in 2000, agrees well with previous measurements. Standard Model evaluations currently differ from the experimental result by 1.6 to 3.0 standard deviations.Comment: Talk presented at RADCOR - Loops and Legs 2002, Kloster Banz, Germany, September 8-13 2002, to be published in Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.); 5 pages, 3 figure

Brain neurotransmitter transporter/receptor genomics and efavirenz central nervous system adverse events

Objective We characterized associations between central nervous system (CNS) adverse events and brain neurotransmitter transporter/receptor genomics among participants randomized to efavirenz-containing regimens in AIDS Clinical Trials Group studies in the USA. Participants and methods Four clinical trials randomly assigned treatment-naive participants to efavirenzcontaining regimens. Genome-wide genotype and PrediXcan were used to infer gene expression levels in tissues including 10 brain regions. Multivariable regression models stratified by race/ethnicity were adjusted for CYP2B6/CYP2A6 genotypes that predict plasma efavirenz exposure, age, and sex. Combined analyses also adjusted for genetic ancestry. Results Analyses included 167 cases with grade 2 or greater efavirenz-consistent CNS adverse events within 48 weeks of study entry, and 653 efavirenz-tolerant controls. CYP2B6/CYP2A6 genotype level was independently associated with CNS adverse events (odds ratio: 1.07; P=0.044). Predicted expression of six genes postulated to mediate efavirenz CNS side effects (SLC6A2, SLC6A3, PGR, HTR2A, HTR2B, HTR6) were not associated with CNS adverse events after correcting for multiple testing, the lowest P value being for PGR in hippocampus (P=0.012), nor were polymorphisms in these genes or AR and HTR2C, the lowest P value being for rs12393326 in HTR2C (P=6.7 × 10-4). As a positive control, baseline plasma bilirubin concentration was associated with predicted liver UGT1A1 expression level (P=1.9 × 10-27). Conclusion Efavirenz-related CNS adverse events were not associated with predicted neurotransmitter transporter/receptor gene expression levels in brain or with polymorphisms in these genes. Variable susceptibility to efavirenz-related CNS adverse events may not be explained by brain neurotransmitter transporter/receptor genomics

Improved Measurement of the Positive Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

A new measurement of the positive muon's anomalous magnetic moment has been made at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron using the direct injection of polarized muons into the superferric storage ring. The angular frequency difference omega_{a} between the angular spin precession frequency omega_{s} and the angular orbital frequency omega_{c} is measured as well as the free proton NMR frequency omega_{p}. These determine R = omega_{a} / omega_{p} = 3.707~201(19) times 10^{-3}. With mu_{mu} / mu_{p} = 3.183~345~39(10) this gives a_{mu^+} = 11~659~191(59) times 10^{-10} (pm 5 ppm), in good agreement with the previous CERN and BNL measurements for mu^+ and mu^-, and with the standard model prediction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D62 Rapid Communication

Neuroimaging and Responsibility Assessments

Could neuroimaging evidence help us to assess the degree of a person’s responsibility for a crime which we know that they committed? This essay defends an affirmative answer to this question. A range of standard objections to this high-tech approach to assessing people’s responsibility is considered and then set aside, but I also bring to light and then reject a novel objection—an objection which is only encountered when functional (rather than structural) neuroimaging is used to assess people’s responsibility

Sensitivity of the IceCube Detector to Astrophysical Sources of High Energy Muon Neutrinos

We present the results of a Monte-Carlo study of the sensitivity of the planned IceCube detector to predicted fluxes of muon neutrinos at TeV to PeV energies. A complete simulation of the detector and data analysis is used to study the detector's capability to search for muon neutrinos from sources such as active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. We study the effective area and the angular resolution of the detector as a function of muon energy and angle of incidence. We present detailed calculations of the sensitivity of the detector to both diffuse and pointlike neutrino emissions, including an assessment of the sensitivity to neutrinos detected in coincidence with gamma-ray burst observations. After three years of datataking, IceCube will have been able to detect a point source flux of E^2*dN/dE = 7*10^-9 cm^-2s^-1GeV at a 5-sigma significance, or, in the absence of a signal, place a 90% c.l. limit at a level E^2*dN/dE = 2*10^-9 cm^-2s^-1GeV. A diffuse E-2 flux would be detectable at a minimum strength of E^2*dN/dE = 1*10^-8 cm^-2s^-1sr^-1GeV. A gamma-ray burst model following the formulation of Waxman and Bahcall would result in a 5-sigma effect after the observation of 200 bursts in coincidence with satellite observations of the gamma-rays.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, 6 table