The political economy of Russia’s economic transition problems since 1991 and their implications for Russia’s relations with the west

Copyright @ 2001, The Author

Locally Polynomially Bounded Structures

We prove a theorem which provides a method for constructing points on varieties defined by certain smooth functions. We require that the functions are definable in a definably complete expansion of a real closed field and are locally definable in a fixed o-minimal and polynomially bounded reduct. As an application we show that in certain o-minimal structures definable functions are piecewise implicitly defined over the basic functions in the language.Comment: Change of titl

How do incorrect results change the processing of arithmetic information? Evidence from a divided visual field experiment

Despite several recent important developments in understanding numerical processing of both isolated numbers and numbers in the context of arithmetic equations, the relative impact of congruency on high, compared to low, level processing remains unclear. The current study investigated hemispheric differences in the processing of arithmetic material, as a function of semantic and perceptual congruency, using a delayed answer verification task and divided visual field paradigm. A total of 37 participants (22 females and 15 males, mean age 30.06, SD 9.78) were presented unilaterally or bilaterally with equation results that were either correct or incorrect and had a consistent or inconsistent numerical notation. Statistical analyses showed no visual field differences in a notation consistency task, whereas when judgements had to be made on mathematical accuracy there was a right visual field advantage for incorrect equations that were notation consistent. These results reveal a clear differential processing of arithmetic information by the two cerebral hemispheres with a special emphasis on erroneous calculations. Faced with incorrect results and with a consistent numerical notation, the left hemisphere outperforms its right counterpart in making mathematical accuracy decisions

Mode switching in the nearby Mira-like variable R Doradus

We discuss visual observations spanning nearly 70 years of the nearby semiregular variable R Doradus. Using wavelet analysis, we show that the star switches back and forth between two pulsation modes having periods of 332 days and about 175 days, the latter with much smaller amplitude. Comparison with model calculations suggests that the two modes are the first and third radial overtone, with the physical diameter of the star making fundamental mode pulsation unlikely. The mode changes occur on a timescale of about 1000 d, which is too rapid be related to a change in the overall thermal structure of the star and may instead be related to weak chaos. The Hipparcos distance to R Dor is 62.4 +/- 2.8 pc which, taken with its dominant 332-day period, places it exactly on the period-luminosity relation of Miras in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our results imply first overtone pulsation for all Miras which fall on the P-L relation. We argue that semiregular variables with long periods may largely be a subset of Miras and should be included in studies of Mira behaviour. The semiregulars may contain the immediate evolutionary Mira progenitors, or stars may alternate between periods of semiregular and Mira behaviour.Comment: 12 pages, latex with figures, accepted by MNRA

Commentary on Robert Riley's article "A personal account of the discovery of hyperbolic structures on some knot complements"

We give some background and biographical commentary on the postumous article that appears in this [journal issue | ArXiv] by Robert Riley on his part of the early history of hyperbolic structures on some compact 3-manifolds. A complete list of Riley's publications appears at the end of the article.Comment: 5 page

A Study for a Tracking Trigger at First Level for CMS at SLHC

It is expected that the LHC accelerator and experiments will undergo a luminosity upgrade which will commence after several years of running. This part of the LHC operations is referred to as Super-LHC (SLHC) and is expected to provide beams of an order of magnitude larger luminosity (1035cm-2sec-1) than the current design. Preliminary results are presented from a feasibility study for a First Level Tracking Trigger for CMS at the SLHC using the data of the inner tracking detector. As a model for these studies the current CMS pixel detector with the same pixel size and radial distances from the beam has been used. Monte Carlo studies have been performed using the full CMS simulation package (OSCAR) and the occupancy of such a detector at SLHC beam conditions has been calculated. The design of an electron trigger which uses both the calorimeter energy depositions and the pixel data to identify isolated electrons and photons has been investigated. Results on the tracker occupancy and the electron trigger performance are presentedComment: Presented at LECC, Heidelberg 200

Modeling the Cattle Replacement Decisions

In this paper we evaluate the performance of a dynamic model of cattle replacement and culling decisions. We derive the price of cattle when it is treated as a unit of capital and evaluate various rates of adjustment of the cattle herd to determine the length of the cattle cycle. Replacement decision is modeled as the solution to a dynamic optimization problem where the breeding herd is viewed as a capital asset that is capable of producing two outputs: calves and culled cows. The own-price, replacement and interest rate elasticities calculated for both the short-run and long-run time-frames suggest fairly rapid adjustment rates. Tests of cycle length revealed a 14-year cattle cycle.Livestock Production/Industries,

FT-IR microanalysis of mineral separates from primitive meteorites: techniques, problems and solutions

From the Introduction: We compared several methods of infrared micro spectroscopy using an FT-IR microscope and workbench. This is part of a project to assemble a database of infrared and optical spectra from mineral separates from meteorites, for comparison with astronomical data. Since we usually have to work with small amounts of material (original grain sizes often <50 m), special sample preparation and analytical procedures have to be applied