[Review of] Jamaica Kincaid. Annie John

Annie John, even though set in the West Indies and about a black Caribbean girl, is a work whose universally felt experience goes beyond allowing the novel to be neatly categorized as a piece of ethnic or women\u27s writing. Born on Antigua, the island in which she sets the novel, Jamaica Kincaid catches many of the ways of being peculiar to this place. Maybe it is because Kincaid makes the setting home that we as readers find it so easy to slip into the story

An EPROM-based function generator

A circuit is described to produce arbitrary time-dependent voltage functions derived from digital information stored in EPROMs. While this circuit is designed to be used as a modulator of the microwave pump source or a solid state low noise maser, it can be readily adapted for other applications

The addition of algebraic turbulence modeling to program LAURA

The Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) is modified to allow the calculation of turbulent flows. This is accomplished using the Cebeci-Smith and Baldwin-Lomax eddy-viscosity models in conjunction with the thin-layer Navier-Stokes options of the program. Turbulent calculations can be performed for both perfect-gas and equilibrium flows. However, a requirement of the models is that the flow be attached. It is seen that for slender bodies, adequate resolution of the boundary-layer gradients may require more cells in the normal direction than a laminar solution, even when grid stretching is employed. Results for axisymmetric and three-dimensional flows are presented. Comparison with experimental data and other numerical results reveal generally good agreement, except in the regions of detached flow

Goldstone Theorem in the Gaussian Functional Approximation to the Scalar ϕ4\phi^{4} Theory

We verify the Goldstone theorem in the Gaussian functional approximation to the $\phi^{4}$ theory with internal O(2) symmetry. We do so by reformulating the Gaussian approximation in terms of Schwinger-Dyson equations from which an explicit demonstration of the Goldstone theorem follows directly.Comment: 11 page

Resonantly Interacting Fermions In a Box

We use two fundamental theoretical frameworks to study the finite-size (shell) properties of the unitary gas in a periodic box: 1) an ab initio Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculation for boxes containing 4 to 130 particles provides a precise and complete characterization of the finite-size behavior, and 2) a new Density Functional Theory (DFT) fully encapsulates these effects. The DFT predicts vanishing shell structure for systems comprising more than 50 particles, and allows us to extrapolate the QMC results to the thermodynamic limit, providing the tightest bound to date on the ground-state energy of the unitary gas: \xi_S <= 0.383(1). We also apply the new functional to few-particle harmonically trapped systems, comparing with previous calculations.Comment: Updated to correspond with published version: 4+ pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, Palatino and Euler font

From Default Probabilities To Credit Spreads: Credit Risk Models Do Explain Market Prices

Credit risk models like Moody’s KMV are now well established in the market and give bond managers reliable estimates of default probabilities for individual firms. Until now it has been hard to relate those probabilities to the actual credit spreads observed on the market for corporate bonds. Inspired by the existence of scaling laws in financial markets by Dacorogna et al. (2001) and Di Matteo et al. (2005) deviating from the Gaussian behavior, we develop a model that quantitatively links those default probabilities to credit spreads (market prices). The main input quantities to this study are merely industry yield data of different times to maturity and expected default frequencies (EDFs) of Moody’s KMV. The empirical results of this paper clearly indicate that the model can be used to calculate approximate credit spreads (market prices) from EDFs, independent of the time to maturity and the industry sector under consideration. Moreover, the model is effective in an out-of-sample setting, it produces consistent results on the European bond market where data are scarce and can be adequately used to approximate credit spreads on the corporate level.

Freezing line of the Lennard-Jones fluid: a Phase Switch Monte Carlo study

We report a Phase Switch Monte Carlo (PSMC) method study of the freezing line of the Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid. Our work generalizes to soft potentials the original application of the method to hard sphere freezing, and builds on a previous PSMC study of the LJ system by Errington (J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 120}, 3130 (2004)). The latter work is extended by tracing a large section of the Lennard-Jones freezing curve, the results for which we compare to a previous Gibbs-Duhem integration study. Additionally we provide new background regarding the statistical mechanical basis of the PSMC method and extensive implementation details.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Multiple-Purpose Subsonic Naval Aircraft (MPSNA): Multiple Application Propfan Study (MAPS)

Study requirements, assumptions and guidelines were identified regarding carrier suitability, aircraft missions, technology availability, and propulsion considerations. Conceptual designs were executed for two missions, a full multimission aircraft and a minimum mission aircraft using three different propulsion systems, the UnDucted Fan (UDF), the Propfan and an advanced Turbofan. Detailed aircraft optimization was completed on those configurations yielding gross weight performance and carrier spot factors. Propfan STOVL conceptual designs were exercised also to show the effects of STOVL on gross weight, spot factor and cost. An advanced technology research plan was generated to identify additional investigation opportunities from an airframe contractors standpoint. Life cycle cost analysis was accomplished yielding a comparison of the UDF and propfan configurations against each other as well as against a turbofan with equivalent state of the art turbo-machinery

Zero Temperature Thermodynamics of Asymmetric Fermi Gases at Unitarity

The equation of state of a dilute two-component asymmetric Fermi gas at unitarity is subject to strong constraints, which affect the spatial density profiles in atomic traps. These constraints require the existence of at least one non-trivial partially polarized (asymmetric) phase. We determine the relation between the structure of the spatial density profiles and the T=0 equation of state, based on the most accurate theoretical predictions available. We also show how the equation of state can be determined from experimental observations.Comment: 10 pages and 7 figures. (Minor changes to correspond with published version.

Search for the BcB_{c} meson in hadronic Z decays

Out of 3.1 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector between 1991 and 1994 a sample of approximately 600 J/Psi candidates decaying into e+e- or mu+mu- are selected. From these events, a search for the Bc meson decaying into the channels (J/psi pi+), (J/psi e+ nu) and (J/psi mu+ nu) is performed. This search results in the observation of 0, 1 and 1 candidate in each of these channels respectively, with 0.32, 0.17 and 0.13 background event expected. This allows the following 90 \% confidence level upper limits to be derived: G ( Z->Bc X)/G ( Z->q q) Br (Bc->J\psi pi+) Bc X)/G ( Z->q q) Br (Bc->J\psi l nu ) < 7 10**-5