IMPACT OF REGULATED PRICE ADJUSTMENTS ON PRICE VARIABILITY IN A VERY LOW INFLATION TRANSITION ECONOMY: CASE OF ARMENIA

The impact of macroeconomic management (monetary policy) and administrative price adjustments on price variability in a low inflation economy characterized by relatively frequent administrative price adjustments is examined. Fluctuations of market determined prices, prices of agricultural goods in particular, are linked to the lack of synchronization between administrative price changes and monetary policy. If monetary policy does not account for expected changes in administrative prices, demand in “free” goods markets will shift causing fluctuation of prices for agricultural goods, because the supply of these goods is highly inelastic in Armenia. The findings contribute to a better understanding of agricultural price variability during 1998-2002. The impact of macroeconomic policy and structural adjustments on income distribution and rural poverty incidence are also examined. This research has immediate policy implications since Armenia will undergo major upward price adjustments for goods and services with regulated prices, which may have a negative impact on income distribution if aggregate demand management is unchanged.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40117/3/wp731.pd

IMPACT OF REGULATED PRICE ADJUSTMENTS ON PRICE VARIABILITY IN A VERY LOW INFLATION TRANSITION ECONOMY: CASE OF ARMENIA

The impact of macroeconomic management (monetary policy) and administrative price adjustments on price variability in a low inflation economy characterized by relatively frequent administrative price adjustments is examined. Fluctuations of market determined prices, prices of agricultural goods in particular, are linked to the lack of synchronization between administrative price changes and monetary policy. If monetary policy does not account for expected changes in administrative prices, demand in “free” goods markets will shift causing fluctuation of prices for agricultural goods, because the supply of these goods is highly inelastic in Armenia. The findings contribute to a better understanding of agricultural price variability during 1998-2002. The impact of macroeconomic policy and structural adjustments on income distribution and rural poverty incidence are also examined. This research has immediate policy implications since Armenia will undergo major upward price adjustments for goods and services with regulated prices, which may have a negative impact on income distribution if aggregate demand management is unchanged.Inflation, price variability, regulated prices

Bubble Distribution in Fused Obsidian and Slide Glass

In this report we obtain further data about the distribution of bubbles in glass. It gives the results obtained from the microscopic study of obsidian samples heated with an oxyacetylene torch and from powdered microscopic slide glass re-fused in an electric oven. This report continues our earlier study of the distributions: Badri Aghassi, 1961, B.U. Tektite Project, Research Report No. 11

Investigation into Performance of Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

Despite the continuous improvement of bulk heterojunction solar cell performance, their power conversion efficiency lags far behind inorganic counterparts. A better understanding of underlying mechanisms that limit the device performance allows the development of strategies to improve the power conversion efficiency of the devices. Of particular importance is the dynamics of charge carriers (generation, transportation, collection, and recombination) within the bulk heterojunction or at interfaces with electrodes. Within this body of work, charge carrier dynamics of bulk heterojunction solar cells were investigated as a function of (i) the use of electron transport layer poly[(9,9-bis(3՜-(N,N-dimethylamino)-propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7- (9,9-dioctyl)-fluorene] (PFN), (ii) altering dielectric constant by considering Clausius-Mossotti relation, and (iii) the appearance of the S-shaped current density-voltage curve

Impact of regulated price adjustments on price variability in a very low inflation transition economy: Case of Armenia

This paper examines the impact of monetary policy and administrative price adjustments on price variability in a low inflation economy characterized by relatively frequent administrative price adjustments. Fluctuations of market determined prices, prices of agricultural goods in particular, are linked to poor synchronization between administrative price changes and monetary policy. If monetary policy does not account for expected changes in administrative prices, demand for free goods shifts, causing fluctuation of prices for agricultural goods, because the supply of these goods is highly inelastic in Armenia. The findings contribute to a better understanding of agricultural price variability during 1998-2002. The impact of macroeconomic policy and structural adjustments on income distribution and rural poverty incidence are also examined. This research has immediate policy implications, since Armenia will continue to undergo major upward price adjustments of regulated prices, which may have a negative impact on income distribution unless aggregate demand management is changed.Inflation; price variability; regulated prices

Investigation of qualitative methods for diagnosis of poor bit performance using surface drilling parameters

Bit performance in deep shale when using water-based mud is typically poor. This study is part of a larger research project to improve that performance entitled Automated Rig Controls for Improved Drilling Costs. The objective of the project is diagnosis of changes in drill bit performance to provide a logical basis for automating draw works control, maximizing bit performance, and reducing drilling costs. The specific goal of this study is a means to diagnose bit performance, specifically to identify bit balling and lithology changes, using real-time drilling data. The research began by identifying symptoms relating to specific causes of bit performance changes based on previously published research. Four published and six additional new potential parameters were identified for evaluation. Laboratory data was analyzed from both single cutter and full-scale tests to evaluate which diagnostic measures best indicated the causes of different or changing performance. Five of the diagnostic parameters were selected for further evaluation. An example set of field data was acquired that included both surface records of operational parameters and an electric log of the formations in a 2600 foot interval. Rate of penetration was estimated using Lubinski\u27s method. Three published and two new diagnostic parameters were calculated for the entire interval. The sign, magnitude, and trend of these diagnostic parameters were compared to the changes evident in the data to establish the relationship between each diagnostic parameter, the lithology, and whether the bit was balled or drilling efficiently. As a result, a method for defining baseline values of each parameter, identifying lithology, and determining whether the severity of bit balling is constant, being reduced, or increasing is proposed and demonstrated. This method can potentially provide a basis for operational changes to improve bit performance, to help detect lithology changes, and to delineate bed boundaries more accurately

Strongly enhanced shot noise in chains of quantum dots

We study charge transport through a chain of quantum dots. The dots are fully coherent among each other and weakly coupled to metallic electrodes via the dots at the interface, thus modelling a molecular wire. If the non-local Coulomb interactions dominate over the inter-dot hopping we find strongly enhanced shot noise above the sequential tunneling threshold. The current is not enhanced in the region of enhanced noise, thus rendering the noise super-Poissonian. In contrast to earlier work this is achieved even in a fully symmetric system. The origin of this novel behavior lies in a competition of "slow" and "fast" transport channels that are formed due to the differing non-local wave functions and total spin of the states participating in transport. This strong enhancement may allow direct experimental detection of shot noise in a chain of lateral quantum dots.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PR

Factors behind persistent rural poverty in Armenia

Poverty monitoring through household surveys in the period 1996-2003 did not reveal poverty reduction in rural areas. At the same time poverty reduction in urban areas especially in the capital was significant. This paper attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the factors behind persisting rural poverty in Armenia. Rural poverty in Armenia has been largely stagnant in the context of continuous growth in agriculture as rural farm incomes did not respond to the growing agricultural value-added. Further, negative relative price shocks may have held back agricultural growth significantly below the level of economic growth, thus impeding its potential to reduce rural poverty. Incomes from non-farm employment of rural households failed to increase while the growing state benefits and remittances were insufficient to serve as a safeguard from poverty. We use the data available from household surveys, national statistics as well as expert estimations to examine the factors impeding rural poverty reduction