An Anomalous UV Extension in NGC6251

Deep U-band FOC images of the nuclear region of NGC6251 have revealed a region of extended emission which is most probably radiation scattered from a continuum source in the nucleus. This radiation lies interior to a dust ring, is nearly perpendicular to the radio jet axis, and is seen primarily in the FOC U and b filters. The extension has a low observed polarization($\le 10$), and is unlikely to arise from line emission. We know of no other examples similar to what we have found in NGC 6251, and we offer some tentative explanations. The nuclear morphology shows clear similarities to that seen in the nucleus of NGC 4261 except for the extended U-band radiation.Comment: 14 pages AAStex format + 4 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Problems of the rotating-torsion-balance limit on the photon mass

We discuss the problems (and the promise) of the ingenious method introduced by Lakes, and recently improved on by Luo, to detect a possible small photon mass $\mu$ by measuring the ambient magnetic vector potential from large scale magnetic fields. We also point out how an improved ``indirect'' limit can be obtained using modern measurements of astrophysical magnetic fields and plasmas and that a good ``direct'' limit exists using properties of the solar wind.Comment: 4 pages, revised title and content

Linearized gravity as a gauge theory

We discuss linearized gravity from the point of view of a gauge theory. In (3+1)-dimensions our analysis allows to consider linearized gravity in the context of the MacDowell-Mansouri formalism. Our observations may be of particular interest in the strong-weak coupling duality for linearized gravity, in Randall-Sundrum brane world scenario and in Ashtekar formalism.Comment: Latex, 13 page

s-wave scattering and the zero-range limit of the finite square well in arbitrary dimensions

We examine the zero-range limit of the finite square well in arbitrary dimensions through a systematic analysis of the reduced, s-wave two-body time-independent Schr\"odinger equation. A natural consequence of our investigation is the requirement of a delta-function multiplied by a regularization operator to model the zero-range limit of the finite-square well when the dimensionality is greater than one. The case of two dimensions turns out to be surprisingly subtle, and needs to be treated separately from all other dimensions

Changes in pain-related beliefs, coping, and catastrophizing predict changes in pain intensity, pain interference, and psychological functioning in individuals with myotonic muscular dystrophy and facioscapulohumeral dystrophy

The primary aim of this study was to test hypothesized associations between changes in psychological variables (i.e., pain beliefs, catastrophizing and coping strategies) and changes in pain intensity and related adjustment (i.e., pain interference and psychological functioning) in individuals with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD) and Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). Methods: A sample of 107 adults with a diagnosis of MMD or FSHD, reporting pain in the past three months, completed assessments at two time-points, separated by about 24 months. Results showed that changes in pain-related psychological variables were significantly associated with changes in psychological functioning, pain intensity and pain interference. Specifically, increases in the belief that emotion influences pain, and catastrophizing were associated with decreases in psychological functioning. Increases in the coping strategies of asking for assistance and resting, and the increases of catastrophizing were associated with increases in pain intensity. Finally, increases in pain intensity and asking for assistance were associated with increases in pain interference. Discussion: The results support the utility of the biopsychosocial model of pain for understanding pain and its impact in individuals with MMD or FSHD. These findings may inform the design and implementation of psychosocial pain treatments for people with muscular dystrophy and chronic pain

Towards an Ashtekar formalism in eight dimensions

We investigate the possibility of extending the Ashtekar theory to eight dimensions. Our approach relies on two notions: the octonionic structure and the MacDowell-Mansouri formalism generalized to a spacetime of signature 1+7. The key mathematical tool for our construction is the self-dual (antiself-dual) four-rank fully antisymmetric octonionic tensor. Our results may be of particular interest in connection with a possible formulation of M-theory via matroid theory.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, minor changes, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra

Shape invariance approach to exact solutions of the Klein-Gordon equation

Using the shape invariance property we obtain exact solutions of the (1+1)dimensional Klein-Gordon equation for certain types of scalar and vector potentials. We also discuss the possibility of obtaining real energy spectrum with non-Hermitian interaction within this framework