Exploring structural and electronic effects in three isomers of tris{bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}borane: Towards the combined electrochemical-frustrated Lewis pair activation of H2

Three structural isomers of tris{bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}borane have been studied as the acidic com- ponent of frustrated Lewis pairs. While the 3,5-substituted isomer is already known to heterolytically cleave H2 to generate a bridging-hydride; ortho-substituents in the 2,4- and 2,5-isomers quench such reactivity through electron donation into the vacant boron pz orbital and steric blocking of the boron centre; as shown by electrochemical, structural and computational studies. Electrochemical studies of the corresponding borohydrides identify that the two-electron oxidation of terminal-hydrides occurs at more positive potentials than observed for [HB(C6F5)3]−, while the bridging-hydride oxidizes at a higher poten- tial still, comparable to that of free H2

Prices, Wages and the U.S. NAIRU in the 1990s

Using quarterly macro data and annual state panel data, we examine various explanations of the low rate of price inflation, strong real wage growth, and low rate of unemployment in the U.S. economy during the late 1990s. Many of these explanations imply shifts in the coefficients of price and wage Phillips curves. We find, however, that once one accounts for the univariate trends in the unemployment rate and in the rate of productivity growth, these coefficients are stable. This suggests that many explanations, such as persistent beneficial supply shocks, changes in firms' pricing power, changes in price expectations arising from shifts in Fed policy, and changes in wage setting behavior miss the mark. Rather, we suggest that explanations of movements of wages, prices and unemployment over the 1990s, and indeed over the past forty years, must focus on understanding the univariate trends in the unemployment rate and in productivity growth and, perhaps, the relation between the two.

Sectoral money demand and the great disinflation in the US

Estimates of the welfare costs of inflation based on Bailey (1956) are typically computed using aggregate money demand models. Yet, the behavior of money demand may vary across sectors. Thus, the impact on welfare of inflation regime shifts may differ between households and firms. We specifically investigate the sectoral welfare implications of the shift from the Great Inflation to the present regime of low and stable inflation. For this purpose, we estimate different functional specifications of money demand for US households and non-financial firms using flow-of-fund data covering four decades. We find that the benefits were significant for both sectors. JEL Classification: E31, E41‡ow of funds data, demand for money, welfare cost of in‡ation

Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Kitty Todd Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio

A survey of the bees occurring on the The Nature Conservancy’s Kitty Todd Preserve in the Oak Openings region of Lucas County Ohio was conducted in 2002-2004, using hand-netting techniques. Collecting effort totaled 24.5 hours spread over 11 different days in the three years. All sampling was done in natural communities. One hundred twenty-four species of bees were identified from fifty-one species of flowering plants, including several bee species poorly known or infrequently collected. Comments are provided about the faunistics, bee-plant relationships, oligolecty, management, and natural community dependency of the bees found on the Kitty Todd Preserve

The Health Care Consequences of Smoking and its Regulation

The literature on the health economics of smoking presents two principal facts: that smoking increases health care costs, and that restrictions on smoking lead to reductions in smoking prevalence and intensity. Some researchers have hypothesized that these two facts, in combination, allow the inference that restricting smoking will lower health care costs. For a variety of reasons, however, observed associations between smoking and health care use on the one hand, and regulations and smoking on the other, do not imply a casual effect of the restrictions on health care. This paper extends the literature by examining whether cigarette tax increases lead to lower health care costs. Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Heath Interview Surveys, it first reproduces the principal results in the literature on smoking, taxes, and health care utilization, and then estimates the effects of tobacco taxes on health care. The results indicate that once one controls for endogenous quits, the health care benefits of smoking cessation are greater than previously believed. There is weak evidence that tax increases lead to higher cessation rates. In combination, these results suggest that, in addition providing a source for funding excess health care costs, tax increases may lower health care costs (for given longevity) directly by inducing smokers to quit.

Anti-phospholipid antibodies : case report and review of the literature

There is currently considerable interest in antibodies directed against phospholipids. Several clinical associations with these antibodies have been defined, the strongest ones being with thrombosis and recurrent foetal loss. These antibodies were originally studied in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, but they have also been found to occur in patients who do not have this disease. This paper describes two such patients and discusses current views on antiphospholipid antibodies.peer-reviewe

Explicit solution of the linearized Einstein equations in TT gauge for all multipoles

We write out the explicit form of the metric for a linearized gravitational wave in the transverse-traceless gauge for any multipole, thus generalizing the well-known quadrupole solution of Teukolsky. The solution is derived using the generalized Regge-Wheeler-Zerilli formalism developed by Sarbach and Tiglio.Comment: 9 pages. Minor corrections, updated references. Final version to appear in Class. Quantum Gra

Untangling subsidies, supporting fisheries: the WTO fisheries subsidies debate and developing-country priorities

This paper examines, from the fishery perspective of a developing country, the current debate on the role of fisheries subsidies in the context of the negotiations relating to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). While providing a background on fish production and trade in developing countries, it sketches the history of the role of the State and subsidies in the fisheries of the now-developed fish economies of the world.It goes on to analyze the manner in which fishery issues and the fisheries subsidies debate have been carried out in the GATT and WTO negotiations, leading up to the Doha Ministerial Declaration, which is the basis for a more structured negotiations on subsidies. Drawing on the analysis, the paper envisions some of the development priorities that developing countries must pursue, and the nature of support they need to achieve them. Finally, it suggests what ought to be done by developing countries in the current negotiations on fisheries subsidies. (88pp.