The Non-Perturbative O(g6){\cal O}(g^6) Contribution to the Free Energy of Hot SU(N) Gauge Theory

The non-perturbative input necessary for the determination of the ${\cal O}(g^6)$ part of the weak coupling expansion of the free energy density for SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories is estimated. Although the perturbative information completing the contribution to this order is missing, we give arguments that the magnetic fluctuations are dominated by screened elementary magnetic gluons.Comment: Talk presented at LATTICE96(finite temperature) 3 pages Latex2e, 3 ps figures, 14 k

The value of anaesthetic steroids alphaxolonealphadolone in pregnant mice

Thiopentone, pentobarbitone, diazepam and alphaxolone-alphadolone were evaluated as anaesthetic agents in pregnant mice. Incidence of mortality was: Thiopentone 15%, pentobarbitone 13%, diazepam 8%, and alphaxolone-alphadolone 0%. Besides the low mortality, alphaxolone-alphadolone also distinguished by showing no side-effeets at all, neither to the dams nor to the fetuses, and it is recommended as an excellent anaesthetic in pregnant mice

Bayesian multiscale deconvolution applied to gamma-ray spectroscopy

A common task in gamma-ray astronomy is to extract spectral information, such as model constraints and incident photon spectrum estimates, given the measured energy deposited in a detector and the detector response. This is the classic problem of spectral “deconvolution” or spectral inversion. The methods of forward folding (i.e., parameter fitting) and maximum entropy “deconvolution” (i.e., estimating independent input photon rates for each individual energy bin) have been used successfully for gamma-ray solar flares (e.g., Rank, 1997; Share and Murphy, 1995). These methods have worked well under certain conditions but there are situations were they don’t apply. These are: 1) when no reasonable model (e.g., fewer parameters than data bins) is yet known, for forward folding; 2) when one expects a mixture of broad and narrow features (e.g., solar flares), for the maximum entropy method; and 3) low count rates and low signal-to-noise, for both. Low count rates are a problem because these methods (as they have been implemented) assume Gaussian statistics but Poisson are applicable. Background subtraction techniques often lead to negative count rates. For Poisson data the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) with a Poisson likelihood is appropriate. Without a regularization term, trying to estimate the “true” individual input photon rates per bin can be an ill-posed problem, even without including both broad and narrow features in the spectrum (i.e., amultiscale approach). One way to implement this regularization is through the use of a suitable Bayesian prior. Nowak and Kolaczyk (1999) have developed a fast, robust, technique using a Bayesian multiscale framework that addresses these problems with added algorithmic advantages. We outline this new approach and demonstrate its use with time resolved solar flare gamma-ray spectroscopy

Estimating the Life Course Dynamics of Asset Poverty

Poverty can be conceptualized and measured in several different ways. The most common approach has been to rely on a scarcity of income as the basis for poverty. This paper analyzes poverty using a relatively new and alternative measuring stick—that of asset poverty. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we examine the extent to which individuals have enough assets to allow them to live for three months above the official poverty line. Households that fail to have the necessary amount of assets are considered asset poor. Three different measures of counting assets are used in this paper—net worth; financial wealth; and liquid wealth. We construct a series of life tables that allow us to examine the period, cohort, and age patterns of asset poverty from 1984 to 2004. Our results indicate that asset poverty is widespread across the life course. The vast majority of those in early adulthood will experience asset poverty in terms of their net worth, financial wealth, and liquid wealth. For those in the middle and later stages of the life course, there remains a substantial risk of encountering financial wealth and liquid wealth asset poverty. In addition, individuals who have less education, are not married, are black, and who do not own a home, are all significantly more likely to experience asset poverty. The policy implications of these findings are discussed

Homeownership Across the American Life Course: Estimating the Racial Divide

Homeownership has historically been viewed as a fundamental piece of the American Dream, with up to 70 percent of households owning their home as of 2006. Yet it has also been demonstrated that nonwhites are less likely to own a home and that the value of their homes is much less than that for whites, even when social class is taken into account. This paper explores the overall life course patterns of homeownership and the importance of racial differences in understanding those dynamics. Based upon a life table methodology, we examine the homeownership patterns for individuals between the ages of 25 to 55 using 36 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Our findings indicate that although the vast majority of nonwhites will eventually become homeowners, there is nevertheless a significant racial divide in the patterns of homeownership. Nonwhites are less likely than whites to become homeowners, are more likely to purchase their first home at a later age, are less likely to have acquired as much equity in their home, and are less likely to own their home outright. The implications of these findings are discussed within the overall context of racial stratification in America

Energetic proton spectra in the 11 June 1991 solar flare

We have studied a subset of the 11 June 1991 solar flare γ-ray data that we believe arise from soft proton or ion spectra. Using data from the COMPTEL instrument on the Compton Observatory we discuss the gamma-ray intensities at 2.223 MeV, 4–7 MeV, and 8–30 MeV in terms of the parent proton spectrum responsible for the emission

Energetic proton spectra in the 11 June 1991 solar flare

The June 11, 1991 gamma-ray flare seen by the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO) displays several features that make it a dynamic and rich event. It is a member of a class of long duration gamma-ray events with both 2.223 MeV and greater than 8 MeV emission for hours after the impulsive phase. It also contains an inter-phase between the impulsive and extended phases that presents a challenge to the standard gamma-ray line (GRL) flare picture. This phase has strong 2.223 MeV emission and relatively weak 4.44 MeV emission indicative of a very hard parent proton spectrum. However, this would indicate emission greater than 8 MeV, which is absent from this period. We present the application of new spectroscopy techniques to this phase of the flare in order to present a reasonable explanation for this seemly inconsistent picture