Unbinding the Deuteron

We consider a description of the deuteron based on meson exchange potentials. A key feature is the inclusion of the I=S=0 two-pion intermediate state ('sigma(600)') as a significant component of the inter-nucleon potential energy. In this approach, deuteron binding is seen to be predominantly a consequence of sigma(600) and omega(783) exchange, with a secondary tole played by rho(770). We explore sensitivity of two-nucleon binding to changes in the potential and thereby obtain an anthropic constraint -- that the deuteron unbinds for a modest decrease (about 6%) in the attractive sigma(600) potential.Comment: References added; Conclusion slightly expande

University role in astronaut life support systems - Water recovery systems

Water reclamation from spacecraft waste for astronaut life support syste

An Investigation of Thresholds in Air Pollution-Mortality Effects

In this paper we introduce and implement new techniques to investigate threshold effects in air pollution-mortality relationships. Our key interest is in measuring the dose-response relationship above and below a given threshold level where we allow for a large number of potential explanatory variables to trigger the threshold effect. This is in contrast to existing approaches that usually focus on a single threshold trigger. We allow for a myriad of threshold effects within a Bayesian statistical framework that accounts for model uncertainty (i.e. uncertainty about which threshold trigger and explanatory variables are appropriate). We apply these techniques in an empirical exercise using daily data from Toronto for 1992-1997. We investigate the existence and nature of threshold effects in the relationship between mortality and ozone (O3), total particulate matter (PM) and an index of other conventionally occurring air pollutants. In general, we find the effects of our considered pollutants on mortality to be statistically indistinguishable from zero with no evidence of thresholds. The one exception is ozone, for which results present an ambiguous picture. Ozone has no significant effect on mortality when we exclude threshold effects from the analysis. Allowing for thresholds we find a positive and significant effect for this pollutant when the threshold trigger is the average change in ozone two days ago. However, this significant effect is not observed after controlling for PM.Threshold-air pollution mortality effects; Bayesian model; averaging; PM; O3

STUDI POTENSI WISATA KULINER DI KABUPATEN KOTAWARINGIN BARAT PROVINSI KALIMANTAN TENGAH TAHUN 2012

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) mengidentifikasi makanan khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat; (2) memetakan potensi wisata kuliner di Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat; dan (3) mengetahui karakteristik wisatawan terhadap sentra kuliner di Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada Bulan Maret 2012 di Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat.Penelitian menggunakan deskriptif kuantitatif dengan pendekatan survey dengan populasi 4.759 orang dan mengambil sampel sebanyak 98 orang. Pengumpulan data penelitian menggunakan angket, dokumen dan dokumentasi. Hasil pengumpulan data disajikan secara deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) makanan khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat adalah soto menggala, soto banjar (sop banjar), nasi kuning dan lontong sayur ; lauk pauk khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat adalah Gangan asam (sayur asam ikan patin), Ikan Bakar, Belankas dan aneka seafood ; Sambal khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat adalah sambal cincaluk ; Kudapan khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat adalah Wadai tole-tole, wadai cincin dan kerupuk basah ; buah-buahan lokal musiman adalah cempedak, durian lokal, krantungan, tangkuhis, ketiau, terong asam ; oleh-oleh khas Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat adalah Kerupuk apmlang dan kerupuk ikan. (2) wisata kuliner di Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat dapat dipetakan menjadi 8 kawasan yaitu Kawasan Mendawai, Kawasan Sidorejo, Kawasan Raja, Kawasan Madurejo, Kawasan Kampung Baru, Kawasan Pasir Panjang, Kawasan Kumai dan Kawasan Kubu. dan (3) Karakteristik wisatawan yang berkunjung adalah usia 15-30 tahun 38%, yang berpendidikan terakhir SMA/sederajat 45%, dan pekerjaan karyawan swasta 36%. Sebagian besar wisata kuliner lebih diminati perempuan 53% dan wisatawan berasal dari Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat 82%, memperoleh informasi dari teman/keluarga 79%, dan teman berkunjung bersama kelompok sebesar 47% dengan penghasilan dibawah Rp 500.000,- sebesar 25%. Wisatawan melakukan kunjungan dalam 1 bulan kurang dari 3 kali sebesar 58%. Faktor aksesibilitas dan variasi makanan dipilih menjadi alasan utama sebagian besar wisatawan

Estimating the Impact on Efficiency from Voluntary Regulation: An Empirical Study of the Global Copper Mining Industry

This paper uses plant level data on the world's copper min ing industry to measure changes in efficiency from the adoption of the ISO 14001 environmental standard. The ISO 14001 is a voluntary standard that sets out minimum guidelines and procedures that fi…rms should follow in order to achieve more effective management of the environment. Anecdotal and case study lit erature suggests that …firms are motivated to adopt the ISO 14001 standard and seek certi…cation for a number of reasons. One important reason is the desire to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings through changes in operating proce dures and processes aimed at the minimization of waste pollution and reduction in the use of resource inputs. Using plant level data from 1992-2007 on virtually all of the world's industrial copper mines the study tests this hypothesis in a stochastic frontier and random effects model framework. The study measures the impact on operations of ISO 14001 adoption both in respect to the intention to seek ISO 14001 certi…cation (the period before certi…cation when …firms must make necessary changes to their operations and management) and the period when and after certi…cation is achieved. The study fi…nds no evidence that adoption of the ISO 14001 standard imposes a cost on fi…rms - either through lower efficiencies or higher costs. In fact, in many cases adoption is associated with higher efficiency, and to a certain extent, lower costs. Thus, the study's fi …ndings would tend to go against the claims of much of the academic literature that regulation has negative impacts on the fi…rm. Although fi…ndings were not robust to model choice or a subset sample, our results clearly indicate that, at a minimum, the adoption of the ISO 14001 does not raise costs or lower efficiency for fi…rms.ISO 14001; stochastic frontier production function; effi ciency; cost savings; mining.

Do environmental regulations affect the location decisions of multinational gold mining firms?

This paper empirically analyzes the location decisions of the world's major gold mining …rms using a data set of political, economic, regulatory, infrastructural and investment risk variables observed for a large number of gold producing countries since 1975. The aim of the study is to determine the signi…cance of environmental stringency in forming location decisions while controlling for other potentially important variables that may a¤ect such decisions. Using both a conditional and a mixed logit regression approach, the study …nds consistently strong country location preferences among multinational gold mining …rms. These preferences paint a picture of an industry attracted to countries that are close to their head o¢ ce, provide a business environment characterized by low levels of …nancial risk and high levels of political stability and predictability in mining operations. While mining …rms also appear to be attracted to countries that have a clean environment is less strong and uniformly robust. This preference for a clean environment may itself be reflective of the strong desire to go to countries that are e¢ ciently run, provide clear rules and regulations, and are secure and predictable in their operations. Moreover, while they prefer to go to countries with low levels of corruption, this characteristic seems less important than the desire for security, transparency and stability in government and operations.Taken together, these preferences for a clean, well-run countries may reflect the adoption by mining …rms of a deliberate strategy intended to minimize the risks to their hugely expensive and immobile investments

Risk reduction and real estate portfolio size

Despite a number of papers that discuss the advantages of increased size on risk levels in real estate portfolios there is remarkably little empirical evidence based on actual portfolios. The objective of this paper is to remedy this deficiency by examining the portfolio risk of a large sample of actual property data over the period 1981 to 1996. The results show that all that can be said is that portfolios of properties of a large size, on the average, tend to have lower risks than small sized portfolios. More importantly portfolios of a few properties can have very high or very low risk

A General, Sound and Efficient Natural Language Parsing Algorithm based on Syntactic Constraints Propagation

This paper presents a new context-free parsing algorithm based on a bidirectional strictly horizontal strategy which incorporates strong top–down predictions (deriva- tions and adjacencies). From a functional point of view, the parser is able to propagate syntactic constraints reducing parsing ambiguity. From a computational perspective, the algorithm includes different techniques aimed at the improvement of the manipu- lation and representation of the structures used

What is the Environmental Performance of Firms Overseas?: An Empirical Investigation of the Global Gold Mining Industry

Bayesian stochastic frontier analysis; efficiency; environmental regulations and plant performance; pollution havens; regulatory chill; gold mining.