Inflation Dynamics’ Micro Foundations: How Important is Imperfect Competition Really?

This paper analyzes price formation and dynamics according to the industry structure. It divides manufacturing industries of Mexico into two groups: perfectly and imperfectly competitive. The results show that imperfectly competitive industries predominate. Then this classification is used to build consumer price sub indexes for the goods of both sectors. These sub indexes’ inflation dynamics indicate that the exchange rate pass-through in the perfectly competitive sector is significantly higher than in the imperfectly competitive sector, while wage pass-through only affects the imperfectly competitive sector. Also, that inflation inertia is lower in the former than in the latter; adding up in more volatility of the perfectly competitive inflation rate. For policy makers an interesting feature of the perfectly competitive price index is that the evidence suggests that its variations precede those of the imperfectly competitive price index. For economic theorists these features validate recent macroeconomic models with heterogeneous price setting behaviorPanzar-Rosse, Industry Structure, Inflation, Price Dynamics, Price Indexes

Psychosocial Outcomes in Long-Term Cochlear Implant Users

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate psychosocial outcomes in a sample of prelingually deaf, early-implanted children, adolescents, and young adults who are long-term cochlear implant (CI) users and to examine the extent to which language and executive functioning predict psychosocial outcomes. DESIGN: Psychosocial outcomes were measured using two well-validated, parent-completed checklists: the Behavior Assessment System for Children and the Conduct Hyperactive Attention Problem Oppositional Symptom. Neurocognitive skills were measured using gold standard, performance-based assessments of language and executive functioning. RESULTS: CI users were at greater risk for clinically significant deficits in areas related to attention, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and social-adaptive skills compared with their normal-hearing peers, although the majority of CI users scored within average ranges relative to Behavior Assessment System for Children norms. Regression analyses revealed that language, visual-spatial working memory, and inhibition-concentration skills predicted psychosocial outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that underlying delays and deficits in language and executive functioning may place some CI users at a risk for difficulties in psychosocial adjustment

Numerical analysis of the stability of the Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) electroconvection between two plates

The time evolution of the problem of Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) convection in a liquid between two plates is analysed numerically. The equations are nondimensionalized using the ion drift velocity and the viscous time scales. Following the non-dimensionalisation of the respective model, two different techniques have been used to describe the charge evolution, namely the Finite-Element Flux-Corrected Transport Method and the Particle-In-Cell technique. The results obtained with the two schemes, apart from showing good agreement, have revealed the appearance of a two-roll structure not described in previous works. This is investigated in detail for both strong and weak injection.Ministerio de ciencia y tecnología FQM-42

Force-gradient-induced mechanical dissipation of quartz tuning fork force sensors used in atomic force microscopy

We have studied the dynamics of quartz tuning fork resonators used in atomic force microscopy taking into account mechanical energy dissipation through the attachment of the tuning fork base. We find that the tuning fork resonator quality factor changes even for the case of a purely elastic sensor-sample interaction. This is due to the effective mechanical imbalance of the tuning fork prongs induced by the sensor-sample force gradient which in turn has an impact on the dissipation through the attachment of the resonator base. This effect may yield a measured dissipation signal that can be different to the one exclusively related to the dissipation between the sensor and the sample. We also find that there is a second order term in addition to the linear relationship between the sensor-sample force gradient and the resonance frequency shift of the tuning fork that is significant even for force gradients usually present in atomic force microscopy which are in the range of tens of N/m.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures and supplemental informatio

Laboratory gas-phase infrared spectra of two astronomically relevant PAH cations: diindenoperylene, C32_{32}H16_{16}+^+ and dicoronylene, C48_{48}H20_{20}+^+

The first gas-phase infrared spectra of two isolated astronomically relevant and large PAH cations - diindenoperylene (DIP) and dicoronylene (DC) - in the 530$-$1800 cm$^{-1}$ (18.9$-$5.6 $\mu$m) range - are presented. Vibrational band positions are determined for comparison to the aromatic infrared bands (AIBs). The spectra are obtained via infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy of ions stored in a quadrupole ion trap (QIT) using the intense and tunable radiation of the free electron laser for infrared experiments (FELIX). DIP$^{+}$ shows its main absorption peaks at 737 (13.57), 800 (12.50), 1001 (9.99), 1070 (9.35), 1115 (8.97), 1152 (8.68), 1278 (7.83), 1420 (7.04) and 1550 (6.45) cm$^{-1}$($\mu$m), in good agreement with DFT calculations that are uniformly scaled to take anharmonicities into account. DC$^+$ has its main absorption peaks at 853 (11.72), 876 (11.42), 1032 (9.69), 1168 (8.56), 1300 (7.69), 1427 (7.01) and 1566 (6.39) cm$^{-1}$($\mu$m), that also agree well with the scaled DFT results presented here. The DIP$^+$ and DC$^+$ spectra are compared with the prominent infrared features observed towards NGC 7023. This results both in matches and clear deviations. Moreover, in the 11.0$-$14.0 $\mu$m region, specific bands can be linked to CH out-of-plane (oop) bending modes of different CH edge structures in large PAHs. The molecular origin of these findings and their astronomical relevance are discussed