Quantum Mechanics and the Metrics of General Relativity

A one-to-one correspondence is established between linearized space-time metrics of general relativity and the wave equations of quantum mechanics. Also, the key role of boundary conditions in distinguishing quantum mechanics from classical mechanics will emerge naturally from the procedure. Finally, we will find that the methodology will enable us to introduce not only test charges but also test masses by means of gauges.Comment: 24 pages, to be published in Foundation of Physics (IARD proc.

International Subprime Crisis and Recession: Emerging Macroprudential, Monetary, Fiscal and Global Governance

This paper scrutinizes technical international policy reactions to the subprime crisis and recession. Short-term policy responses present challenges to the conservative policies of the 1980s-2000s, while long-term structures and issues are likely to redirect governance significantly. Macroprudential policy now includes systemic risk and debt problems arising from booms in the cycle. Monetary policy considers asset price instability as well as inflation. Fiscal policy in practice cannot ignore functional finance. Alternative forms of global money and reducing international payment instabilities are now a core element of policy. While there is still some asymmetry in policy, international financial crises can be useful in moderating ceremonial policy structures.Subprime crisis, International macro policy and governance

Institutional Regimes, Long Wave Systemic Risk and Great International Crisis of 2008-2012

This paper studies the relationship between long-term growth of GDP per capita, institutional regimes of accumulation (ROA), systemic risk and the Great International Crisis of 2008-2010. The principle hypothesis behind the work is that the ROA provides a foundation for long-term growth as a type of fundamental variable, and that this growth provides a buffer against systemic risk in the sense that sustainable growth provides resources for debt provision and employment stimulation. The emergence of a viable ROA is crucial for long waves of growth which stimulate both private sector profit and public sector tax receipts which (using conventional terminology) reduce the structural deficit for both sectors. Low rates of long-term growth, therefore, provide a good indicator of the emergence of “long wave systemic risk” (LWSR), which left such nations vulnerable to uncertainty, financial crisis and recession. The paper investigates the inability of growth for various decades to “cover” instabilities associated with the Great Crisis, leading to high rates of LWSR, especially for European and North American nations that bore the brunt of the crisis.Institutional regimes, Long wave systemic risk, Great international crisis

Evidence of in-play insider trading on a UK betting exchange

International audienceAn open question in market microstructure is whether 'informed' traders have an advantage due to access to private, inside, information; or due to a superior ability to process public information. In this paper we attempt to answer this question with data from a sports betting exchange taken during play. Uniquely, this allows us to time-stamp information events to the nearest second, and to ensure we are observing all relevant information regarding the value of an asset. We find evidence of inside information but not of a superior ability to process public information. The first finding suggests that a subset of the betting population are observing the action before the wider public (possibly due to delays in the television signal), and betting using this informational advantage

Energies of knot diagrams

We introduce and begin the study of new knot energies defined on knot diagrams. Physically, they model the internal energy of thin metallic solid tori squeezed between two parallel planes. Thus the knots considered can perform the second and third Reidemeister moves, but not the first one. The energy functionals considered are the sum of two terms, the uniformization term (which tends to make the curvature of the knot uniform) and the resistance term (which, in particular, forbids crossing changes). We define an infinite family of uniformization functionals, depending on an arbitrary smooth function $f$ and study the simplest nontrivial case $f(x)=x^2$, obtaining neat normal forms (corresponding to minima of the functional) by making use of the Gauss representation of immersed curves, of the phase space of the pendulum, and of elliptic functions

Eating disorder services for young people in Ireland: perspectives of service providers, service users and the general adolescent population

Objectives: This paper illuminates how national eating disorder (ED) policy translates into day-to-day practice by exploring how ED services are experienced by those who deliver and use them. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, which combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. The paper collates data from three studies: (i) an interview study exploring the lived experiences of young people with EDs (n =8), their parents (n =5) and their healthcare professionals (n =3); (ii) a national survey of health professionals’ perspectives on existing ED services (n =171); (iii) a nationwide survey of secondary-school students’ eating concerns and patterns of help - seeking (n=290). Results: The qualitative interviews with young people and their parents revealed feelings of isolation and helplessness. Young people expressed interest in patient support groups, while parents desired greater support for the family unit. Parents were highly critical of available services, particularly in relation to access. These criticisms were echoed in the survey of healthcare professionals, who reported many barriers to delivering effective care. Clinicians were almost unanimous in calling for care pathways to be clarified via a standardised treatment protocol. The survey of adolescents indicated widespread reluctance to seek help regarding eating concerns: over one-third expressed concern about their own eating habits, but half of these had not divulged their concerns to anyone. Participants’ preferred pathways of help-seeking revolved around family and friends, and adolescents were unsure about routes of access to professional support. 3 Conclusions: The research demonstrates that many aspects of national ED policy have not been implemented in practice. The paper highlights specific gaps and suggests ways they can be redressed

On the connection between giant radio halos and cluster mergers

The frequently observed association between giant radio halos and merging galaxy clusters has driven present theoretical models of non-thermal emission from galaxy clusters, which are based on the idea that the energy dissipated during cluster-cluster mergers could power the formation of radio halos. To quantitatively test the merger-halo connection we present the first statistical study based on deep radio data and X-ray observations of a complete X-ray selected sample of galaxy clusters with X-ray luminosity > 5x 10^44 erg/s and redshift 0.2<z< 0.32. Using several methods to characterize cluster substructures, namely the power ratios, centroid shift and X-ray brightness concentration parameter, we show that clusters with and without radio halo can be quantitatively differentiated in terms of their dynamical properties. In particular, we confirm that radio halos are associated to dynamically disturbed clusters and cluster without radio halo are more "relaxed", with only a couple of exceptions where a disturbed cluster does not exhibit a halo.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, ApJ Letter in pres

Workers and Jobs: The Balance is Shifting

In an era when the availability of skilled labor is deemed one of the most important ingredients of economic growth, Maine faces a labor shortage that is unlikely to disappear soon. Frank O’Hara traces the rapid growth of Maine’s labor force through the 1970s and 1980s, its slow growth through the 1990s, and explains why slow to no growth can be expected in the future. Unlike a decade ago when concern over the availability of Maine workers disappeared with the onset of a recession, O’Hara predicts this labor shortage is here to stay and has implications for al regions of the state. He describes several scenarios that could result from this labor shortage, including the end of economic growth, the stimulation of a new period of in-migration, and/or an improvement in workers’ conditions that is driven by the needs of business to retain its most talented workers