Monetary policy and economic activity: a postwar review

Monetary policy ; Financial markets ; Economic conditions

Gauge Invariant Effective Stress-Energy Tensors for Gravitational Waves

It is shown that if a generalized definition of gauge invariance is used, gauge invariant effective stress-energy tensors for gravitational waves and other gravitational perturbations can be defined in a much larger variety of circumstances than has previously been possible. In particular it is no longer necessary to average the stress-energy tensor over a region of spacetime which is larger in scale than the wavelengths of the waves and it is no longer necessary to restrict attention to high frequency gravitational waves.Comment: 11 pages, RevTe

Neurophysiology

Contains reports on three research projects.National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 TO1 EY00090)Bell Laboratories (Grant

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003 Resumen Las poblaciones del esturión atlántico ( Acipenser oxyrhynchus ) han sido declaradas como en peligro o amenazadas bajo el Acta de Especies en Peligro de los Estados Unidos. Las medidas efectivas para repeler a los esturiones de los instrumentos de pesca serían benéficas para los peces y los pescadores ya que podrían reducir la mortalidad asociada a la pesca y la necesidad de los cierres temporales y de área de pesquerías específicas. Algunos peces chondrosteos (p. ej.: esturiones y peces espátula) pueden detectar gradientes débiles de campos eléctricos (posiblemente tan bajos como 5 μV cm −1 ) debido a grupos de electroreceptores (ámpulas de Lorenzini) en su hocico y opérculos. Los campos eléctricos débiles, como aquellos producidos por metales electropositivos (comúnmente mezcla de elementos lantánidos), podrían entonces ser usados potencialmente como un disuasivo. Para probar esta idea, filmamos las respuestas conductuales de esturiones juveniles (31 – 43 cm de largo) a metales electropositivos (principalmente una mezcla de los elementos lantánidos neodimio y praseodimio) tanto en la presencia como en la ausencia de estímulos de alimento. Las pruebas se realizaron en un tanque de ≈ 2.5 metros de diámetro x 0.3 m de profundidad, y las conductas de los peces se filmaron con una cámara digital de video colocada sobre el tanque. Las filmaciones después se digitaron (sistema de coordenadas x, y), se calculó la distancia entre los peces y el metal electropositivo y se resumió la información al compilar las distribuciones de la frecuencia con contenedores de 5 cm. Los esturiones juveniles mostraron clara evitación del metal electropositivo pero sólo cuando el alimento estaba presente. Basándonos en nuestros resultados, concluimos que los metales electropositivos, u otras fuentes de campos eléctricos débiles, puede ser usada eventualmente para reducir las interacciones del esturión atlántico con los instrumentos de pesca, pero es necesario llevar a cabo más investigaciones.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102646/1/cobi12200.pd

Neurophysiology

Contains reports on five research projects.National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 TO1 EY00090)Bell Laboratories (Grant

Form and function of the bulbus arteriosus in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans): static properties

The juxtaposition of heart and gills in teleost fish means that the Windkessel function characteristic of the whole mammalian arterial tree has to be subserved by the extremely short ventral aorta and bulbus arteriosus. Over the functional pressure range, arteries from blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) have J-shaped pressure-volume (P-V) loops, while bulbi from the same species have r-shaped P-V loops, with a steep initial rise followed by a compliant plateau phase. The steep initial rise in pressure is due to the geometry of the lumen. The interactions between radius, pressure and tension require a large initial pressure to open the bulbar lumen for flow. The plateau is due to the unique organization of the bulbar wall. The large elastin:collagen ratio, limited amount of collagen arranged cirumferentially, lack of elastin lamellae and low hydrophobicity of the elastin itself all combine to lower stiffness, increase extensibility and allow efficient recoil. Even though the modulus of bulbus material is much lower than that of an artery, at large volumes the overall stiffness of the bulbus increases rapidly. The morphological features that give rise to the special inflation characteristics of the bulbus help to extend flow and maintain pressure during diastole

When Black Holes Meet Kaluza-Klein Bubbles

We explore the physical consequences of a recently discovered class of exact solutions to five dimensional Kaluza-Klein theory. We find a number of surprising features including: (1) In the presence of a Kaluza-Klein bubble, there are arbitrarily large black holes with topology S^3. (2) In the presence of a black hole or a black string, there are expanding bubbles (with de Sitter geometry) which never reach null infinity. (3) A bubble can hold two black holes of arbitrary size in static equilibrium. In particular, two large black holes can be close together without merging to form a single black hole.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, v2: few comments on stability modifie

Form and function of the bulbus arteriosus in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares): dynamic properties

The bulbus arteriosus of the teleost heart possesses a static inflation curve that is r-shaped over the in vivo pressure range. To examine the possible significance of this in living animals, we recorded arterial blood pressure from anaesthetized yellowfin tuna and utilized a video dimensional analyser to simultaneously record changes in bulbar diameter. By plotting the changes in pressure against the changes in diameter, it was possible to create dynamic pressure-diameter (P-D) loops as well as calculate the instantaneous volume changes within the bulbus. The dynamic P-D loops showed the same features exhibited by static inflation. When nearly empty, a small stroke volume caused a large increase in blood pressure, while around systolic pressure large changes in volume resulted in small changes in pressure. We conclude that these features allow the bulbus to maintain ventral aortic flows and pressures over a large range of volumes

Charge Order Superstructure with Integer Iron Valence in Fe2OBO3

Solution-grown single crystals of Fe2OBO3 were characterized by specific heat, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. A peak in the specific heat at 340 K indicates the onset of charge order. Evidence for a doubling of the unit cell at low temperature is presented. Combining structural refinement of diffraction data and Mossbauer spectra, domains with diagonal charge order are established. Bond-valence-sum analysis indicates integer valence states of the Fe ions in the charge ordered phase, suggesting Fe2OBO3 is the clearest example of ionic charge order so far.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Fig. 3 is available in higher resolution from the authors. PRL in prin