The point of maximum curvature as a marker for physiological time series

We present a geometric analysis of the model of Stirling. In particular we analyze the curvature of a heart rate time series in response to a step like increment in the exercise intensity. We present solutions for the point of maximum curvature which can be used as a marker of physiological interest. This marker defines the point after which the heart rate no longer continues to rapidly rise and instead follows either a steady state or slow rise. These methods are then applied to find analytic solutions for a mono exponential model which is commonly used in the literature to model the response to a moderate exercise intensity. Numerical solutions are then found for the full model and parameter values presented in Stirling

Recent Progress in Parton Distributions and Implications for LHC Physics

I outline some of the most recent developments on the global fit to parton distributions performed by the MRST collaboration.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. To appear in proceedings of XIII International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering, April,27 - May,1, 2005, Madison, Wisconsin, US

Risk, precaution and science: towards a more constructive policy debate. Talking point on the precautionary principle

Few issues in contemporary risk policy are as momentous or contentious as the precautionary principle. Since it first emerged in German environmental policy, it has been championed by environmentalists and consumer protection groups, and resisted by the industries they oppose (Raffensperger & Tickner, 1999). Various versions of the principle now proliferate across different national and international jurisdictions and policy areas (Fisher, 2002). From a guiding theme in European Commission (EC) environmental policy, it has become a general principle of EC law (CEC, 2000; Vos & Wendler, 2006). Its influence has extended from the regulation of environmental, technological and health risks to the wider governance of science, innovation and trade (O'Riordan & Cameron, 1994)

Forward jets and forward WW-boson production at hadron colliders

In this talk we give a short review of forward jets and forward $W$-boson production at hadron colliders, in view of the extraction of footprints of BFKL physics. We argue that at Tevatron energies, dijet production at large rapidity intervals is still subasymptotic with respect to the BFKL regime, thus the cross section is strongly dependent on the various cuts applied in the experimental setup. In addition, the choice of equal transverse momentum cuts on the tagging jets makes the cross section dependent on large logarithms of non-BFKL origin, and thus may spoil the BFKL analysis. For vector boson production in association with two jets, we argue that the configurations that are kinematically favoured tend to have the vector boson forward in rapidity. Thus $W + 2$ jet production lends itself naturally to extensions to the high-energy limit.Comment: LaTeX, JHEP style, 10 pages, 3 figures. Based on a talk at EPS2001, Budapest, Hungar