Cubic interaction vertices for massive and massless higher spin fields

Using the light-cone formulation of relativistic dynamics, we develop various methods for constructing cubic interaction vertices and apply these methods to the study of higher spin fields propagating in flat space of dimension greater than or equal to four. Generating functions of parity invariant cubic interaction vertices for massive and massless higher spin fields of arbitrary symmetry are obtained. We derive restrictions on the allowed values of spins and the number of derivatives, which provide a classification of cubic interaction vertices for totally symmetric fields. As an example of application of the light-cone formalism, we obtain simple expressions for the minimal Yang-Mills and gravitational interactions of massive totally symmetric arbitrary spin fields. We give the complete list of parity invariant and parity violating cubic interaction vertices that can be constructed for massless fields in five and six-dimensional spaces.Comment: 55 pages, LaTeX-2e, v3: Equations (3.15),(3.16) added to Section 3. Discussion of vertices for massless fields in d=4 and footnotes 16,17 added to Section 5.1. New vertices added to Table I. Misprints in equations (7.4), (C.5), and (D.58) correcte

Asthma in 10- to 13-year-olds: challenges at a time of transition

In 10- to 13-year-old children with asthma, we know less than is desirable about the nature of the disease management tasks they face as youngsters approaching adolescence. This article reviews aspects of asthma management in youngsters at a time of significant transition. They experience puberty and growth spurts. Their cognitive abilities enable more abstract thinking. They seek individuation from their parents and socialization with peers. These factors influence asthma outcomes, including symptom control, health care use, and school attendance and performance. Furthermore, significant sex- and gender-related differences in outcome exist. Those with asthma who are 10 to 13 years of age contend not only with the particular management demands their chronic condition imposes on them but also the challenges associated with maturation. Most asthma management interventions do not account for the challenges faced at this transitional phase, and developmentally appropriate programs are needed

Validation of MOPITT carbon monoxide using ground-based Fourier transform infrared spectrometer data from NDACC

The Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument provides the longest continuous dataset of carbon monoxide (CO) from space. We perform the first validation of MOPITT version 6 retrievals using total column CO measurements from ground-based remote-sensing Fourier transform infrared spectrometers (FTSs). Validation uses data recorded at 14 stations, that span a wide range of latitudes (80° N to 78° S), in the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). MOPITT measurements are spatially co-located with each station, and different vertical sensitivities between instruments are accounted for by using MOPITT averaging kernels (AKs). All three MOPITT retrieval types are analyzed: thermal infrared (TIR-only), joint thermal and near infrared (TIR-NIR), and near infrared (NIR-only). Generally, MOPITT measurements overestimate CO relative to FTS measurements, but the bias is typically less than 10 %. Mean bias is 2.4 % for TIR-only, 5.1 % for TIR-NIR, and 6.5 % for NIR-only. The TIR-NIR and NIR-only products consistently produce a larger bias and lower correlation than the TIR-only. Validation performance of MOPITT for TIR-only and TIR-NIR retrievals over land or water scenes is equivalent. The four MOPITT detector element pixels are validated separately to account for their different uncertainty characteristics. Pixel 1 produces the highest standard deviation and lowest correlation for all three MOPITT products. However, for TIR-only and TIR-NIR, the error-weighted average that includes all four pixels often provides the best correlation, indicating compensating pixel biases and well-captured error characteristics. We find that MOPITT bias does not depend on latitude but rather is influenced by the proximity to rapidly changing atmospheric CO. MOPITT bias drift has been bound geographically to within ±0.5 % yr-1 or lower at almost all locations