Update on the Pyramid Scheme

We summarize recent work in which we attempt to make a consistent model of LHC physics, from the Pyramid Scheme. The models share much with the NMSSM, in particular, enhanced tree level contributions to the Higgs mass and a preference for small tan {\beta}. There are 3 different singlet fields, and a new strongly coupled gauge theory, so the constraints of perturbative unification are quite different. We outline our general approach to the model, which contains a Kahler potential for three of the low energy fields, which is hard to calculate. Detailed calculations, based on approximations to the Kahler potential, will be presented in a future publication.Comment: LaTeX 2e/ 9 page

Understanding the relativegenerosity of governmentfinancial support to familieswith children

The principal of horizontal equity can be interpreted as requiring that householdswith the same pre-transfer incomes and the same consumption needs should receivethe same post-transfer incomes. We argue the generosity of government financialsupport to families with children should be analysed with respect to such a baseline.Although not without problems, equivalence scales form an important part of such aprocedure. The comparison of financial support to families with children with acorresponding equivalence scale, both over time and between countries, should give amore accurate picture of generosity than comparisons of cash values alone. Wediscuss potential advantages and drawbacks of such comparisons, illustrating withcomparisons of the US and UK systems. The main drawback is that we can onlyevaluate the generosity of support for children relative to that for adults. With thisrestriction, horizontal equity is more likely to be achieved for couples with 1 childthan for those with 2 children. For some groups, the US is more generous to children(relative to adults) than the UK, but this difference is partly generated by the USsystem being less generous to childless households than the UK. The principal of horizontal equity can be interpreted as requiring that householdswith the same pre-transfer incomes and the same consumption needs should receivethe same post-transfer incomes. We argue the generosity of government financialsupport to families with children should be analysed with respect to such a baseline.Although not without problems, equivalence scales form an important part of such aprocedure. The comparison of financial support to families with children with acorresponding equivalence scale, both over time and between countries, should give amore accurate picture of generosity than comparisons of cash values alone. Wediscuss potential advantages and drawbacks of such comparisons, illustrating withcomparisons of the US and UK systems. The main drawback is that we can onlyevaluate the generosity of support for children relative to that for adults. With thisrestriction, horizontal equity is more likely to be achieved for couples with 1 childthan for those with 2 children. For some groups, the US is more generous to children(relative to adults) than the UK, but this difference is partly generated by the USsystem being less generous to childless households than the UK

The distribution of wealth in the population aged 50 and over in England

The tables in this paper present a description of the distribution of wealth amongst those aged 50 and over in England in 2002/3, with the analysis split by a series of different factors. These include: age, education, income, social, with the analysis split by a series of different factors. These include: age, education, income, social class, housing tenure, self-reported health and self-reported disability

UK household portfolios

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the composition of household portfolios, usingboth aggregate and micro-data. Among the key findings are that:• Most household wealth is held in the form of housing and pensions. Over time, there hasbeen a shift away from housing towards financial assets, driven largely by the growth inlife and pension funds.• Liquid financial wealth (excluding life and pension funds) is not predominantly held inrisky form. By far the most commonly held asset is an interest-bearing account at a bankor building society account. Of people with positive (liquid) financial wealth, more thanhalf is held in savings accounts.• The importance of risky assets in an individual’s portfolio varies according to theircharacteristics. The unconditional portfolio share held in risky assets (i.e. averagedacross those with and without any risky assets) rises with both age and total financialwealth. However, most of the variation in unconditional portfolio shares is due todifferences in ownership rates as opposed to the proportion of the portfolio held in riskyassets. Looking only at the people within each wealth decile who have risky assets, theconditional portfolio share is relatively constant across wealth, suggesting a possible rolefor entry costs or other fixed costs in explaining portfolio holdings. Multivariate analysisshows that the conditional portfolio share in risky assets actually falls with age asclassical portfolio theory would predict.• Finally, the tax treatment of savings products has an effect on portfolio choice. Separateprobit regressions for the ownership of tax-favoured assets and similar assets without thetax exemption, show that, controlling for other factors, marginal tax rates are important in determining asset ownership. These results are in accordance with those found by Poterba in the US

Supersymmetry, the Cosmological Constant and a Theory of Quantum Gravity in Our Universe

There are many theories of quantum gravity, depending on asymptotic boundary conditions, and the amount of supersymmetry. The cosmological constant is one of the fundamental parameters that characterize different theories. If it is positive, supersymmetry must be broken. A heuristic calculation shows that a cosmological constant of the observed size predicts superpartners in the TeV range. This mechanism for SUSY breaking also puts important constraints on low energy particle physics models. This essay was submitted to the Gravity Research Foundation Competition and is based on a longer article, which will be submitted in the near future

Impact of different particle size distributions on anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Particle size may significantly affect the speed and stability of anaerobic digestion, and matching the choice of particle size reduction equipment to digester type can thus determine the success or failure of the process. In the current research the organic fraction of municipal solid waste was processed using a combination of a shear shredder, rotary cutter and wet macerator to produce streams with different particle size distributions. The pre-processed waste was used in trials in semi-continuous ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ digesters at organic loading rate (OLR) up to 6 kg volatile solids (VS) m?3 day?1. The results indicated that while difference in the particle size distribution did not change the specific biogas yield, the digester performance was affected. In the ‘dry’ digesters the finer particle size led to acidification and ultimately to process failure at the highest OLR. In ‘wet’ digestion a fine particle size led to severe foaming and the process could not be operated above 5 kg VS m?3 day?1. Although the trial was not designed as a direct comparison between ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ digestion, the specific biogas yield of the ‘dry’ digesters was 90% of that produced by ‘wet’ digesters fed on the same waste at the same OLR.<br/

A Pyramid Scheme for Particle Physics

We introduce a new model, the Pyramid Scheme, of direct mediation of SUSY breaking, which is compatible with the idea of Cosmological SUSY Breaking (CSB). It uses the trinification scheme of grand unification and avoids problems with Landau poles in standard model gauge couplings. It also avoids problems, which have recently come to light, associated with rapid stellar cooling due to emission of the pseudo Nambu-Goldstone Boson (PNGB) of spontaneously broken hidden sector baryon number. With a certain pattern of R-symmetry breaking masses, a pattern more or less required by CSB, the Pyramid Scheme leads to a dark matter candidate that decays predominantly into leptons, with cross sections compatible with a variety of recent observations. The dark matter particle is not a thermal WIMP but a particle with new strong interactions, produced in the late decay of some other scalar, perhaps the superpartner of the QCD axion, with a reheat temperature in the TeV range. This is compatible with a variety of scenarios for baryogenesis, including some novel ones which exploit specific features of the Pyramid Scheme.Comment: JHEP Latex, 32 pages, 1 figur

The impact of income shocks on health: evidence from cohort data

We study the effect of permanent income innovations on health for a prime-aged population. Using information on more than half a million individuals sampled over a twenty-five year period in three different cross-sectional surveys we aggregate data by date-of-birth cohort to construct a ’synthetic cohort’ dataset with details of income, expenditure, socio-demographic factors, health outcomes and selected risk factors. We then exploit structural and arguably exogenous changes in cohort incomes over the eighties and nineties to uncover causal effects of permanent income shocks on health. We find that such income innovations have little effects on health, but do affect health behaviour and mortality