2,072 research outputs found
Smallholder Participation in Agricultural Value Chains: Comparative Evidence from Three Continents
Supermarkets, specialized wholesalers, and processors and agro-exporters’ agricultural value chains have begun to transform the marketing channels into which smallholder farmers sell produce in low-income economies. We develop a conceptual framework through which to study contracting between smallholders and a commodity-processing firm. We then conduct an empirical meta-analysis of agricultural value chains in five countries across three continents (Ghana, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nicaragua). We document patterns of participation, the welfare gains associated with participation, reasons for non-participation, the significant extent of contract non-compliance, and the considerable dynamism of these value chains, as farmers and firms enter and exit frequently.
Optical Spectroscopy of Bright Fermi LAT Blazars
We report on HET and Palomar 5 m spectroscopy of recently identified
-ray blazars in the {\it Fermi} LAT Bright Source List. These data
provide identifications for 10 newly discovered -ray flat spectrum
radio quasars (FSRQ) and six new BL Lacs plus improved spectroscopy for six
additional BL Lacs. We substantially improve the identification completeness of
the bright LAT blazars and give new redshifts and constraints, new
estimates of the black hole masses and new measurements of the optical SED.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Relativity tests by complementary rotating Michelson-Morley experiments
We report Relativity tests based on data from two simultaneous
Michelson-Morley experiments, spanning a period of more than one year. Both
were actively rotated on turntables. One (in Berlin, Germany) uses optical
Fabry-Perot resonators made of fused silica; the other (in Perth, Australia)
uses microwave whispering-gallery sapphire resonators. Within the standard
model extension, we obtain simultaneous limits on Lorentz violation for
electrons (5 coefficients) and photons (8) at levels down to ,
improved by factors between 3 and 50 compared to previous work.Comment: 5 pages revtex, 2 figure
Smallholder Participation in Agricultural Value Chains: Comparative Evidence from Three Continents
Supermarkets, specialized wholesalers, and processors and agro-exporters’ agricultural value chains have begun to transform the marketing channels into which smallholder farmers sell produce in low-income economies. We develop a conceptual framework through which to study contracting between smallholders and a commodity-processing firm. We then conduct an empirical meta-analysis of agricultural value chains in five countries across three continents (Ghana, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nicaragua). We document patterns of participation, the welfare gains associated with participation, reasons for non-participation, the significant extent of contract non-compliance, and the considerable dynamism of these value chains, as farmers and firms enter and exit frequently.Agricultural Value Chains, Contract Farming, Africa, Asia, Latin America
Improved test of Lorentz Invariance in Electrodynamics using Rotating Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillators
We present new results from our test of Lorentz invariance, which compares
two orthogonal cryogenic sapphire microwave oscillators rotating in the lab. We
have now acquired over 1 year of data, allowing us to avoid the short data set
approximation (less than 1 year) that assumes no cancelation occurs between the
and parameters from the photon
sector of the standard model extension. Thus, we are able to place independent
limits on all eight and parameters.
Our results represents up to a factor of 10 improvement over previous non
rotating measurements (which independently constrained 7 parameters), and is a
slight improvement (except for ) over results from
previous rotating experiments that assumed the short data set approximation.
Also, an analysis in the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl framework allows us to place a
new limit on the isotropy parameter of
, an improvement of a factor of 2.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Finite size effects and error-free communication in Gaussian channels
The efficacy of a specially constructed Gallager-type error-correcting code
to communication in a Gaussian channel is being examined. The construction is
based on the introduction of complex matrices, used in both encoding and
decoding, which comprise sub-matrices of cascading connection values. The
finite size effects are estimated for comparing the results to the bounds set
by Shannon. The critical noise level achieved for certain code-rates and
infinitely large systems nearly saturates the bounds set by Shannon even when
the connectivity used is low
Gravitational-Wave Stochastic Background Detection with Resonant-Mass Detectors
In this paper we discuss how the standard optimal Wiener filter theory can be
applied, within a linear approximation, to the detection of an isotropic
stochastic gravitational-wave background with two or more detectors. We apply
then the method to the AURIGA-NAUTILUS pair of ultra low temperature bar
detectors, near to operate in coincidence in Italy, obtaining an estimate for
the sensitivity to the background spectral density of $\simeq 10^{-49}\
Hz^{-1}\simeq 8\times10^{-5}\times\rho_c\rho_c\simeq1.9 \times 10^{-26}\
kg/m^3\simeq 6
\times10^{-5}\times\rho_c\simeq 2\times10^{-5}\times
\rho_c\simeq 2 \times10^{-6}\rho_c$.Comment: 32 pages, postscript file, also available at
http://axln01.lnl.infn.it/reports/stoch.htm
Black Hole Thermodynamics from Near-Horizon Conformal Quantum Mechanics
The thermodynamics of black holes is shown to be directly induced by their
near-horizon conformal invariance. This behavior is exhibited using a scalar
field as a probe of the black hole gravitational background, for a general
class of metrics in D spacetime dimensions (with ). The ensuing
analysis is based on conformal quantum mechanics, within a hierarchical
near-horizon expansion. In particular, the leading conformal behavior provides
the correct quantum statistical properties for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy,
with the near-horizon physics governing the thermodynamic properties from the
outset. Most importantly: (i) this treatment reveals the emergence of
holographic properties; (ii) the conformal coupling parameter is shown to be
related to the Hawking temperature; and (iii) Schwarzschild-like coordinates,
despite their ``coordinate singularity,''can be used self-consistently to
describe the thermodynamics of black holes.Comment: 16 pages. Sections 2 and 3 and sections 4 and 5 of version 1 were
merged and reduced; a few typos were corrected. The original central results
and equations remain unchange
Zero Modes for the D=11 Membrane and Five-Brane
There exist extremal p-brane solutions of supergravity for
p=2~and~5. In this paper we investigate the zero modes of the membrane and the
five-brane solutions as a first step toward understanding the full quantum
theory of these objects. It is found that both solutions possess the correct
number of normalizable zero modes dictated by supersymmetry.Comment: Minor typos corrected, one reference added, agrees with published
version. 9 RevTeX pages, 1 figure include
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