Experimental Verification of the Number Relation at Room and Elevated Temperatures

The accuracy of the Neuber equation for predicting notch root stress-strain behavior at room temperature and at 650 C was experimentally investigated. Strains on notched specimens were measured with a non-contacting, interferometric technique and stresses were simulated with smooth specimens. Predictions of notch root stress-strain response were made from the Neuber Equation and smooth specimen behavior. Neuber predictions gave very accurate results at room temperature. However, the predicted interaction of creep and stress relaxation differed from experimentally measured behavior at 650 C

Optimal Galaxy Distance Estimators

The statistical properties of galaxy distance estimators are studied and a rigorous framework is developed for identifying and removing the effects of Malmquist bias due to obsevational selection. The prescription of Schechter (1980) for defining unbiased distance estimators is extended to more general -- and more realistic -- cases. The derivation of `optimal' unbiased distance estimators of minimum dispersion, by utilising information from additional -- suitably correlated -- observables, is discussed and the results applied to a calibrating sample from the Fornax cluster, as used in the Mathewson spiral galaxy redshift survey. The optimal distance estimator derived from I-band magnitude, diameter and 21cm line width has an intrinsic scatter which is 25 \% smaller than that of the Tully-Fisher relation quoted for this calibrating sample. (Figures are available on request).Comment: Plain Latex, 19 pages, Sussex-AST-93/9-

Holographic non-computers

We introduce the notion of holographic non-computer as a system which exhibits parametrically large delays in the growth of complexity, as calculated within the Complexity-Action proposal. Some known examples of this behavior include extremal black holes and near-extremal hyperbolic black holes. Generic black holes in higher-dimensional gravity also show non-computing features. Within the $1/d$ expansion of General Relativity, we show that large-$d$ scalings which capture the qualitative features of complexity, such as a linear growth regime and a plateau at exponentially long times, also exhibit an initial computational delay proportional to $d$. While consistent for large AdS black holes, the required `non-computing' scalings are incompatible with thermodynamic stability for Schwarzschild black holes, unless they are tightly caged.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures. V3: References added. Figures updated. New discussion of small black holes in the canonical ensembl

Calibration results for the GEOS-3 altimeter

Data from the GEOS-3 altimeter were analyzed, for both the intensive and global modes, to determine the altitude bias levels for each mode and to verify the accuracy of the time tags which have been applied to the data. The best estimates of the biases are -5.30 + or - .2 m (intensive mode) and -3.55 m + or - .4 m (global mode). These values include the approximately 1.6 m offset of the altimeter antenna focal point from the GEOS-3 spacecraft center-of-mass. The negative signs indicate that the measured altitudes are too short. The data is corrected by subtracting the above bias numbers for the respective modes. Timing corrections which should be applied to the altimeter data were calculated theoretically, and subsequently confirmed through crossover analysis for passes 6-8 revolutions apart. The time tag correction that should be applied consists of -20.8 msec + 1 interpulse period (10.240512 msec)

The Effect of Insurance Premium Taxes on Employment

This report provides estimates of the effect of the insurance premium taxes on state-level employment in the insurance industry. FRC Report 18