Staggered fermion matrix elements using smeared operators

We investigate the use of two kinds of staggered fermion operators, smeared and unsmeared. The smeared operators extend over a $4^4$ hypercube, and tend to have smaller perturbative corrections than the corresponding unsmeared operators. We use these operators to calculate kaon weak matrix elements on quenched ensembles at $\beta=6.0$, 6.2 and 6.4. Extrapolating to the continuum limit, we find $B_K(NDR, 2 GeV)= 0.62\pm 0.02(stat)\pm 0.02(syst)$. The systematic error is dominated by the uncertainty in the matching between lattice and continuum operators due to the truncation of perturbation theory at one-loop. We do not include any estimate of the errors due to quenching or to the use of degenerate $s$ and $d$ quarks. For the $\Delta I = {3/2}$ electromagnetic penguin operators we find $B_7^{(3/2)} = 0.62\pm 0.03\pm 0.06$ and $B_8^{(3/2)} = 0.77\pm 0.04\pm 0.04$. We also use the ratio of unsmeared to smeared operators to make a partially non-perturbative estimate of the renormalization of the quark mass for staggered fermions. We find that tadpole improved perturbation theory works well if the coupling is chosen to be \alpha_\MSbar(q^*=1/a).Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure, uses eps

Why human color vision cannot reliably detect cerebrospinal fluid xanthochromia

Background - Visual assessment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for xanthochromia ( yellow color) is practiced by the majority of laboratories worldwide as a means of diagnosing intracranical bleeds.Methods - Colorimetric and spectrophotometric analysis of CSF samples for recognizing the presence of bilirubin either in low concentrations or in the presence of hemolysed blood.Results - The experiments provide the physiological and colorimetric basis for abandoning visual assessment of CSF for xanthochromia.Conclusion - We strongly recommend relying on spectrophotometry as the analytical method of choice

Spectrophotometry for cerebrospinal fluid pigment analysis

The use of spectrophotometry for the analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is reviewed. The clinically relevant CSF pigments--oxyhemoglobin and bilirubin--are introduced and discussed with regard to clinical differential diagnosis and potentially confounding variables (the four T's: traumatic tap, timing, total protein, and total bilirubin). The practical laboratory aspects of spectrophotometry and automated techniques are presented in the context of analytical and clinical specificity and sensitivity. The perceptual limitations of human color vision are highlighted and the use of visual assessment of the CSF is discouraged in light of recent evidence from a national audit in the United Kingdom. Finally, future perspectives including the need for longitudinal CSF profiling and routine spectrophotometric calibration are outlined

Physical Results from Unphysical Simulations

We calculate various properties of pseudoscalar mesons in partially quenched QCD using chiral perturbation theory through next-to-leading order. Our results can be used to extrapolate to QCD from partially quenched simulations, as long as the latter use three light dynamical quarks. In other words, one can use unphysical simulations to extract physical quantities - in this case the quark masses, meson decay constants, and the Gasser-Leutwyler parameters L_4-L_8. Our proposal for determining L_7 makes explicit use of an unphysical (yet measurable) effect of partially quenched theories, namely the double-pole that appears in certain two-point correlation functions. Most of our calculations are done for sea quarks having up to three different masses, except for our result for L_7, which is derived for degenerate sea quarks.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figures (discussion on discretization errors at end of sec. IV clarified; minor improvements in presentation; results unchanged

Partially quenched chiral perturbation theory without Φ0\Phi_0

This paper completes the argument that lattice simulations of partially quenched QCD can provide quantitative information about QCD itself, with the aid of partially quenched chiral perturbation theory. A barrier to doing this has been the inclusion of $\Phi_0$, the partially quenched generalization of the $\eta'$, in previous calculations in the partially quenched effective theory. This invalidates the low energy perturbative expansion, gives rise to many new unknown parameters, and makes it impossible to reliably calculate the relation between the partially quenched theory and low energy QCD. We show that it is straightforward and natural to formulate partially quenched chiral perturbation theory without $\Phi_0$, and that the resulting theory contains the effective theory for QCD without the $\eta'$. We also show that previous results, obtained including $\Phi_0$, can be reinterpreted as applying to the theory without $\Phi_0$. We contrast the situation with that in the quenched effective theory, where we explain why it is necessary to include $\Phi_0$. We also compare the derivation of chiral perturbation theory in partially quenched QCD with the standard derivation in unquenched QCD. We find that the former cannot be justified as rigorously as the latter, because of the absence of a physical Hilbert space. Finally, we present an encouraging result: unphysical double poles in certain correlation functions in partially quenched chiral perturbation theory can be shown to be a property of the underlying theory, given only the symmetries and some plausible assumptions.Comment: 45 pages, no figure

The Kaon BB-parameter with Wilson Fermions

We calculate the kaon $B$-parameter in quenched lattice QCD at $\beta=6.0$ using Wilson fermions at $\kappa=0.154$ and $0.155$. We use two kinds of non-local (``smeared'') sources for quark propagators to calculate the matrix elements between states of definite momentum. The use of smeared sources yields results with much smaller errors than obtained in previous calculations with Wilson fermions. By combining results for $\vec p =(0,0,0)$ and $\vec p =(0,0,1)$, we show that one can carry out the non-perturbative subtraction necessary to remove the dominant lattice artifacts induced by the chiral symmetry breaking term in the Wilson action. Our final results are in good agreement with those obtained using staggered fermions. We also present results for $B$-parameters of the $\Delta I = 3/2$ part of the electromagnetic penguin operators, and preliminary results for \bk\ in the presence of two flavors of dynamical quarks.Comment: 39 pages, including 9 PS figures (LA UR-91-3522

Cork-resin ablative insulation for complex surfaces and method for applying the same

A method of applying cork-resin ablative insulation material to complex curved surfaces is disclosed. The material is prepared by mixing finely divided cork with a B-stage curable thermosetting resin, forming the resulting mixture into a block, B-stage curing the resin-containing block, and slicing the block into sheets. The B-stage cured sheet is shaped to conform to the surface being insulated, and further curing is then performed. Curing of the resins only to B-stage before shaping enables application of sheet material to complex curved surfaces and avoids limitations and disadvantages presented in handling of fully cured sheet material

Effect of thermal expansion on the linear stability of planar premixed flames for a simple chain-branching model: The high activation energy asymptotic limit

The linear stability of freely propagating, adiabatic, planar premixed ames is investigated in the context of a simple chain-branching chemistry model consisting of a chain-branching reaction step and a completion reaction step. The role of chain-branching is governed by a crossover temperature. Hydrodynamic effects, induced by thermal expansion, are taken into account and the results compared and contrasted with those from a previous purely thermal-di�usive constant density linear stability study. It is shown that when thermal expansion is properly accounted for, a region of stable ames predicted by the constant density model disappears, and instead the ame is unstable to a long-wavelength cellular instability. For a pulsating mode, however, thermal expansion is shown to have only a weak e�ect on the critical fuel Lewis number required for instability. These e�ects of thermal expansion on the two-step chain-branching ame are shown to be qualitatively similar to those on the standard one-step reaction model. Indeed, as found by constant density studies, in the limit that the chain-branching crossover temperature tends to the adiabatic ame temperature, the two-step model can be described to leading order by the one-step model with a suitably de�ned e�ective activation energy

Linear stability of planar premixed flames: reactive Navier-Stokes equations with finite activation energy and arbitrary Lewis number

A numerical shooting method for performing linear stability analyses of travelling waves is described and applied to the problem of freely propagating planar premixed flames. Previous linear stability analyses of premixed flames either employ high activation temperature asymptotics or have been performed numerically with finite activation temperature, but either for unit Lewis numbers (which ignores thermal-diffusive effects) or in the limit of small heat release (which ignores hydrodynamic effects). In this paper the full reactive Navier-Stokes equations are used with arbitrary values of the parameters (activation temperature, Lewis number, heat of reaction, Prandtl number), for which both thermal-diffusive and hydrodynamic effects on the instability, and their interactions, are taken into account. Comparisons are made with previous asymptotic and numerical results. For Lewis numbers very close to or above unity, for which hydrodynamic effects caused by thermal expansion are the dominant destablizing mechanism, it is shown that slowly varying flame analyses give qualitatively good but quantitatively poor predictions, and also that the stability is insensitive to the activation temperature. However, for Lewis numbers sufficiently below unity for which thermal-diffusive effects play a major role, the stability of the flame becomes very sensitive to the activation temperature. Indeed, unphysically high activation temperatures are required for the high activation temperature analysis to give quantitatively good predictions at such low Lewis numbers. It is also shown that state-insensitive viscosity has a small destabilizing effect on the cellular instability at low Lewis numbers