Magnetic properties of strongly disordered electronic systems

We present a unified, global perspective on the magnetic properties of strongly disordered electronic systems, with special emphasis on the case where the ground state is metallic. We review the arguments for the instability of the disordered Fermi liquid state towards the formation of local magnetic moments, and argue that their singular low temperature thermodynamics are the ``quantum Griffiths'' precursors of the quantum phase transition to a metallic spin glass; the local moment formation is therefore not directly related to the metal-insulator transition. We also review the the mean-field theory of the disordered Fermi liquid to metallic spin glass transition and describe the separate regime of ``non-Fermi liquid'' behavior at higher temperatures near the quantum critical point. The relationship to experimental results on doped semiconductors and heavy-fermion compounds is noted.Comment: 25 pages; Contribution to the Royal Society Discussion Meeting on "The Metal-Non Metal Transition in Macroscopic and Microscopic Systems", March 5-6, 199

Metallization of Fluid Hydrogen

The electrical resistivity of liquid hydrogen has been measured at the high dynamic pressures, densities and temperatures that can be achieved with a reverberating shock wave. The resulting data are most naturally interpreted in terms of a continuous transition from a semiconducting to a metallic, largely diatomic fluid, the latter at 140 GPa, (ninefold compression) and 3000 K. While the fluid at these conditions resembles common liquid metals by the scale of its resistivity of 500 micro-ohm-cm, it differs by retaining a strong pairing character, and the precise mechanism by which a metallic state might be attained is still a matter of debate. Some evident possibilities include (i) physics of a largely one-body character, such as a band-overlap transition, (ii) physics of a strong-coupling or many-body character,such as a Mott-Hubbard transition, and (iii) processes in which structural changes are paramount.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX format. Figures available on request; send mail to: [email protected] To appear: Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society

Next-to-minimal SOFTSUSY

We describe an extension to the SOFTSUSY program that provides for the calculation of the sparticle spectrum in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), where a chiral superfield that is a singlet of the Standard Model gauge group is added to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) fields. Often, a $\mathbb{Z}_{3}$ symmetry is imposed upon the model. SOFTSUSY can calculate the spectrum in this case as well as the case where general $\mathbb{Z}_{3}$ violating (denoted as $\,\mathbf{\backslash}\mkern-11.0mu{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$) terms are added to the soft supersymmetry breaking terms and the superpotential. The user provides a theoretical boundary condition for the couplings and mass terms of the singlet. Radiative electroweak symmetry breaking data along with electroweak and CKM matrix data are used as weak-scale boundary conditions. The renormalisation group equations are solved numerically between the weak scale and a high energy scale using a nested iterative algorithm. This paper serves as a manual to the NMSSM mode of the program, detailing the approximations and conventions used

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and the prediction of primary cardiovascular events: results from 15-year follow-up of WOSCOPS

<b>Aims:</b>To test whether N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was independently associated with, and improved the prediction of, cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a primary prevention cohort. <b>Methods and results:</b> In the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS), a cohort of middle-aged men with hypercholesterolaemia at a moderate risk of CVD, we related the baseline NT-proBNP (geometric mean 28 pg/mL) in 4801 men to the risk of CVD over 15 years during which 1690 experienced CVD events. Taking into account the competing risk of non-CVD death, NT-proBNP was associated with an increased risk of all CVD [HR: 1.17 (95% CI: 1.11–1.23) per standard deviation increase in log NT-proBNP] after adjustment for classical and clinical cardiovascular risk factors plus C-reactive protein. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide was more strongly related to the risk of fatal [HR: 1.34 (95% CI: 1.19–1.52)] than non-fatal CVD [HR: 1.17 (95% CI: 1.10–1.24)] (P= 0.022). The addition of NT-proBNP to traditional risk factors improved the C-index (+0.013; P < 0.001). The continuous net reclassification index improved with the addition of NT-proBNP by 19.8% (95% CI: 13.6–25.9%) compared with 9.8% (95% CI: 4.2–15.6%) with the addition of C-reactive protein. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide correctly reclassified 14.7% of events, whereas C-reactive protein correctly reclassified 3.4% of events. Results were similar in the 4128 men without evidence of angina, nitrate prescription, minor ECG abnormalities, or prior cerebrovascular disease. <b>Conclusion:</b> N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide predicts CVD events in men without clinical evidence of CHD, angina, or history of stroke, and appears related more strongly to the risk for fatal events. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide also provides moderate risk discrimination, in excess of that provided by the measurement of C-reactive protein

The uses and functions of ageing celebrity war reporters

This article starts from the premise that recognition of professional authority and celebrity status depends on the embodiment and performance of field-specific dispositional practices: there’s no such thing as a natural, though we often talk about journalistic instinct as something someone simply has or doesn’t have. Next, we have little control over how we are perceived by peers and publics, and what we think are active positioning or subjectifying practices are in fact, after Bourdieu, revelations of already-determined delegation. The upshot is that two journalists can arrive at diametrically opposed judgements on the basis of observation of the same actions of a colleague, and as individuals we are blithely hypocritical in forming (or reciting) evaluations of the professional identity of celebrities. Nowhere is this starker than in the discourse of age-appropriate behaviour, which this paper addresses using the examples of ‘star’ war reporters John Simpson, Kate Adie and Martin Bell. A certain rough-around-the-edges irreverence is central to dispositional authenticity amongst war correspondents, and for ageing hacks this incorporates gendered attitudes to sex and alcohol as well as indifference to protocol. And yet perceived age-inappropriate sexual behaviour is also used to undermine professional integrity, and the paper ends by outlining the phenomenological context that makes possible this effortless switching between amoral and moralising recognition by peers and audiences alike

Comparison of Howland and General Impedance Converter (GIC) circuit based current sources for bio-impedance measurements

The current source is a key component in bio-impedance measurement systems. The accuracy of the current source can be measured in terms of its output impedance together with other parameters, with certain applications demanding extremely high output impedance. This paper presents an investigation and comparison of different current source designs based on the Enhanced Howland circuit combined with a General Impedance Converter (GIC) circuit using both ideal and non-ideal operational amplifiers. Under differing load conditions two different settings of the GIC are evaluated and the results are compared to show its performance settings. Whilst the study has shown that over a wide bandwidth (i.e. 100Hz-100MHz) the output impedance is limited, operation over a more limited range offers output impedance in the Giga-ohm range, which can be considered as being infinite

The convergence, divergence and changing geography of regulation in the UK's private rented sector

The role of the private rented sector (PRS) has grown in many parts of Europe in recent years, both as an increasing component of housing systems and as the effects of the global financial crisis become apparent. In the UK, the role of the sector has deepened and is increasingly relied upon to house growing and diverse proportions of the population for longer periods of time. This has renewed interest in the regulation of the sector in order to improve its suitability and desirability for tenants. There has been increasing convergence in regulatory approaches between some jurisdictions of the UK, such as Scotland and Wales, and divergence between others, such as England where regulation remains a residual policy concern. Using examples of tenure security, landlord regulation and affordability, this policy review seeks to highlight the emerging differences in the way the PRS is regulated within the UK. It argues that the likely consequence of these differences is that there may be increased variation in the effects and experience of renting in the PRS, in relation to eviction protections and landlord management standards. The paper shows how jurisdictions in Scotland, and to a lesser extent Wales and Northern Ireland, are moving towards models of regulation that more closely mirror those used in Western European countries, with England becoming an outlier in the way in which it regulates private renting

Escoliose: triagem em escolares de 10 a 15 anos

O proposito deste estudo foi o de verificar a prevalência de casos suspeitos de escoliose e sua associação com peso do material escolar e em alunos de uma escola pública do município de Jequié - BA. Fizeram parte deste estudo descritivo e transversal, 143 escolares (13,26 ± 1,52 anos), 40 meninos e 103 meninas. A triagem dos casos suspeitos de escoliose foi feita através do teste de Adam: presença de gibosidade (suspeita de escoliose); ausência de gibosidade. A verificação da adequação do peso do material escolar (PME) foi feita a partir da relação entre PME e massa corporal (MC), utilizando-se a seguinte classificação: 10 % da MC = adequado e; > 10% da MC = inadequado. As associações foram feitas com teste qui-quadrado. Foram detectados 71 (49,7%) casos suspeitos de escoliose, 40 do sexo masculino e 103 do sexo feminino. Em ambos os sexos, a freqüência de casos suspeitos foi maior no grupo etário de 13-15 anos. O peso de material adequado foi observado em 91,6% dos escolares. Foram observadas associações estatisticamente significativas entre suspeita de escoliose e PME para meninos de 10-12 anos e meninas de 10-12 e 13-15 anos. Os resultados do permitem concluir, para este grupo de escolares, que a prevalência de casos suspeitos de escoliose é maior no sexo feminino, no grupo etário mais velho e nos indivíduos com peso do material escolar inadequado

All-or-Nothing Transforms as a Countermeasure to Differential Side-Channel Analysis

All-or-Nothing Encryption was introduced by Rivest as a countermeasure to brute force key search attacks. This work identifies a new application for All-or-Nothing Transforms, as a protocol-level countermeasure to Differential Side-Channel Analysis (DSCA). We describe an extension to the All-or-Nothing protocol, that strengthens the DCSA resistance of the cryptosystem. The resultant scheme is a practical alternative to Boolean and arithmetic masking, used to protect implementations of encryption and decryption operations on electronic devices