Intrinsic spectral blueshifts in rapidly rotating stars?

Spectroscopic radial velocities for several nearby open clusters suggest that spectra of (especially earlier-type) rapidly rotating stars are systematically blueshifted by 3 km/s or more, relative to the spectra of slowly rotating ones. Comparisons with astrometrically determined radial motions in the Hyades suggests this to be an absolute blueshift, relative to wavelengths naively expected from stellar radial motion and gravitational redshift. Analogous trends are seen also in most other clusters studied (Pleiades, Coma Berenices, Praesepe, Alpha Persei, IC 2391, NGC 6475, IC 4665, NGC 1976 and NGC 2516). Possible mechanisms are discussed, including photospheric convection, stellar pulsation, meridional circulation, and shock-wave propagation, as well as effects caused by template mismatch in determining wavelength displacements. For early-type stars, a plausible mechanism is shock-wave propagation upward through the photospheric line-forming regions. Such wavelength shifts thus permit studies of certain types of stellar atmospheric dynamics and - irrespective of their cause - may influence deduced open-cluster membership (when selected from common velocity) and deduced cluster dynamics (some types of stars might show fortuitous velocity patterns).Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics; 6 pages, 3 figure

The Nazi Fiscal Cliff: Unsustainable Financial Practices before World War II

The Nazis inherited a weak economy, withered by the Great Depression and periods of hyperinflation, when they took power in 1933. Over the next six years, primarily through a military buildup, the Nazi economy grew like none other in the world. This paper traces the methods the Nazis used to finance this economic rebound. Through an analysis of secret government documents, Nuremburg witness statements, and the latest scholarly research, this paper posits that the methods used to finance the economy were unsustainable. Further, it finds that by September 1939, the economy was in a state of dangerous disarray

Coping with the Risk of Cancer in Children Living Near Power Lines

Ms. Abt briefly summarizes evidence linking power lines with a possible increase in risk of childhood cancer. She also recounts how, although many experts remain skeptical of causality, public fears, whether or not warranted, have themselves created serious problems. Finally, she proposes ways to address those problems

Particle and Nuclear Physics with High Energy Leptons

In high centre-of-mass energy lepton-nucleon collisions the space-time time resolution of partonic processes can be {\it fine-tuned} within a dynamical range which is unattainable in hadronic collisions. Replacing nucleons by nuclei of variable atomic number enables one to tune the strength of colour forces. The experimental program of high energy electron-nucleon and its extension to electron-nucleus collisions should thus give an unique opportunity to experimentally explore the transition between the soft and hard interactions of small and extended partonic systems. Such an experimental program, which can be realized at DESY and/or BNL with relatively modest cost, is discussed in this talk.Comment: Plenary talk at the PANIC conference, Uppsala, June 1999. 8 pages. 3 figure

Measurement of the diffractive structure function F2D(3)F_2^{D(3)}

Measurements of the diffractive structure function F_2^{D(3)}(x_{\PO}, \beta, Q^2), describing the process $ep \to eXY$, are presented in the two kinematic regions $0.4 \leq Q^2 \leq 5$, ${\rm GeV}^2$, $0.001 \leq \beta \leq 0.65$, and $200 \leq \beta \leq 800 {\rm GeV^2}$, $0.4 \leq \beta \leq 0.9$, both with \xpom < 0.05, $M_{_Y} < 1.6 {\rm GeV}$ and $|t| < 1.0 {\rm GeV^2}$. Together with published measurements at intermediate $Q^2$, the data are compared with models based on QCD and Regge phenomenology. The diffractive trajectory is found to have an intercept larger than that describing soft hadronic data and consistent with that determined using previously published H1 measurements at intermediate $Q^2$ alone. The data are also parameterised using a QCD motivated model based on the exchange of two gluons from the proton. In this model, the higher twist contribution to $F_2^{D(3)}$ at large $\beta$ is found to be important at low $Q^2$. The data are also compared with models based on BFKL dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, talk given at the DIS99 Workshop, Zeuthen (Germany), 19-23 April 199

The A&A Experience With Impact Factors

There is a widespread impression that the scientific journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics" (A&A) has a smaller impact, as measured by citations to articles, than some of the other major astronomy journals. This impression was apparently supported - and probably created - by the Journal Citation Report (JCR), which is prepared annually by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge. The published poor impact factor of A&A was in fact wrong and was due to a serious flaw in the method used by ISI Web of Knowledge to determine it. The resulting damage inflicted upon A&A by the JCR is incalculable.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in A. Heck (ed.) "Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy, Vol. 5" (Kluwer, 2004

A Novel Adaptive Spectrum Noise Cancellation Approach for Enhancing Heartbeat Rate Monitoring in a Wearable Device

This paper presents a novel approach, Adaptive Spectrum Noise Cancellation (ASNC), for motion artifacts removal in Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals measured by an optical biosensor to obtain clean PPG waveforms for heartbeat rate calculation. One challenge faced by this optical sensing method is the inevitable noise induced by movement when the user is in motion, especially when the motion frequency is very close to the target heartbeat rate. The proposed ASNC utilizes the onboard accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to detect and remove the artifacts adaptively, thus obtaining accurate heartbeat rate measurement while in motion. The ASNC algorithm makes use of a commonly accepted spectrum analysis approaches in medical digital signal processing, discrete cosine transform, to carry out frequency domain analysis. Results obtained by the proposed ASNC have been compared to the classic algorithms, the adaptive threshold peak detection and adaptive noise cancellation. The mean (standard deviation) absolute error and mean relative error of heartbeat rate calculated by ASNC is 0.33 (0.57) beats·min-1 and 0.65%, by adaptive threshold peak detection algorithm is 2.29 (2.21) beats·min-1 and 8.38%, by adaptive noise cancellation algorithm is 1.70 (1.50) beats·min-1 and 2.02%. While all algorithms performed well with both simulated PPG data and clean PPG data collected from our Verity device in situations free of motion artifacts, ASNC provided better accuracy when motion artifacts increase, especially when motion frequency is very close to the heartbeat rate

Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on simulated soccer performance

Purpose: To determine the effects of acute short-term creatine (Cr) supplementation on physical performance during a 90-min soccer-specific performance test. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental design was adopted during which 16 male amateur soccer players were required to consume 20 g/d Cr for 7 d or a placebo. A Ball-Sport Endurance and Speed Test (BEAST) comprising measures of aerobic (circuit time), speed (12- and 20-m sprint), and explosive-power (vertical jump) abilities performed over 90 min was performed presupplementation and postsupplementation. Results: Performance measures during the BEAST deteriorated during the second half relative to the first for both Cr (1.2–2.3%) and placebo (1.0–2.2%) groups, indicating a fatigue effect associated with the BEAST. However, no significant differences existed between groups, suggesting that Cr had no performance-enhancing effect or ability to offset fatigue. When effect sizes were considered, some measures (12-m sprint, –0.53 ± 0.69; 20-m sprint, –0.39 ± 0.59) showed a negative tendency, indicating chances of harm were greater than chances of benefit. Conclusions: Acute short-term Cr supplementation has no beneficial effect on physical measures obtained during a 90-min soccer-simulation test, thus bringing into question its potential as an effective ergogenic aid for soccer players