The materiality of debt to Jews in England, 1194–1276

Acknowledgements of debt have long been used in the study of medieval Anglo-Jewish moneylending activities. Such studies have been primarily based upon a socio-economic approach. In contrast, this paper is based upon an analysis of the material, palaeographic, and linguistic features. It commences by charting the legislation which governed the production of acknowledgements, and the extent to which this was adhered to, before highlighting the aspects of the text which have previously been neglected but provide an important, additional, dimensions to the historiography

THE VALUE ADDED TAX: A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT EFFECTS ON THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Public Economics,

Is Globalization Today Really Different than Globalization a Hunderd Years Ago?

This paper pursues the comparison of economic integration today and pre 1914 for trade as well as finance, primarily for the United States but also with reference to the wider world. We establish the outlines of international integration a century ago and analyze the institutional and informational impediments that prevented the late nineteenth century world from achieving the same degree of integration as today. We conclude that the world today is different: commercial and financial integration before World War I was more limited. Given that integration today is even more pervasive than a hundred years ago, it is surprising that trade tensions and financial instability have not been worse in recent years. In the conclusion we point to the institutional innovations that have taken place in the past century as an explanation. This in turn suggests the way forward for national governments and multilaterals.

A photometric and astrometric investigation of the brown dwarfs in Blanco 1

We present the results of a photometric and astrometric study of the low mass stellar and substellar population of the young open cluster Blanco 1. We have exploited J band data, obtained recently with the Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) on the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT), and 10 year old I and z band optical imaging from CFH12k and Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), to identify 44 candidate low mass stellar and substellar members, in an area of 2 sq. degrees, on the basis of their colours and proper motions. This sample includes five sources which are newly discovered. We also confirm the lowest mass candidate member of Blanco 1 unearthed so far (29MJup). We determine the cluster mass function to have a slope of alpha=+0.93, assuming it to have a power law form. This is high, but nearly consistent with previous studies of the cluster (to within the errors), and also that of its much better studied northern hemisphere analogue, the Pleiades.Comment: 8 Pages, 5 Figures, 2 Tables and 1 Appendix. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Testing for Yield Persistency: Is It Skill or is It Luck?

This study uses corn yield data from McLean County, Illinois to test whether farmer skill influences yields. This analysis is conducted by performing persistency tests on unadjusted, soil productivity adjusted (PA), and productivity and input intensity adjusted (PIA) yields. Correlation analysis and winner/loser tables indicate that unadjusted, PA, and PIA yields exhibit persistency across time. PIA yields exhibiting persistency is consistent with farmer skill influencing yield. Hence, our results support the hypothesis that farmer skill influences yields.Crop Production/Industries,

PART-FARM GENERAL CROPLAND RETIREMENT: EFFECTS OF SOME ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS

Land Economics/Use,

Amplification and squeezing of quantum noise with a tunable Josephson metamaterial

It has recently become possible to encode the quantum state of superconducting qubits and the position of nanomechanical oscillators into the states of microwave fields. However, to make an ideal measurement of the state of a qubit, or to detect the position of a mechanical oscillator with quantum-limited sensitivity requires an amplifier that adds no noise. If an amplifier adds less than half a quantum of noise, it can also squeeze the quantum noise of the electromagnetic vacuum. Highly squeezed states of the vacuum serve as an important quantum information resource. They can be used to generate entanglement or to realize back-action-evading measurements of position. Here we introduce a general purpose parametric device, which operates in a frequency band between 4 and 8 GHz. It is a subquantum-limited microwave amplifier, it amplifies quantum noise above the added noise of commercial amplifiers, and it squeezes quantum fluctuations by 10 dB.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Multichannel demultiplexer/demodulator technologies for future satellite communication systems

NASA-Lewis' Space Electronics Div. supports ongoing research in advanced satellite communication architectures, onboard processing, and technology development. Recent studies indicate that meshed VSAT (very small aperture terminal) satellite communication networks using FDMA (frequency division multiple access) uplinks and TDMA (time division multiplexed) downlinks are required to meet future communication needs. One of the critical advancements in such a satellite communication network is the multichannel demultiplexer/demodulator (MCDD). The progress is described which was made in MCDD development using either acousto-optical, optical, or digital technologies

The 617 MHz - λ\lambda 850 μ\mum Correlation (Cosmic Rays and Cold Dust) in NGC 3044 and NGC 4157

We present the first maps of NGC 3044 and NGC 4157 at $\lambda\,450 \mu$m and $\lambda\,850 \mu$m from the JCMT as well as the first maps at 617 MHz from the GMRT. High latitude emission has been detected in both the radio continuum and sub-mm for NGC 3044 and in the radio continuum for NGC 4157, including several new features. The dust spectrum at long wavelengths required fitting with a two-temperature model for both galaxies, implying the presence of cold dust. Dust masses are $M_d\,=\,1.6\,\times\,10^8 M_\odot$ and $M_d\,=\,2.1\,\times\,10^7 M_\odot$ for NGC 3044 and NGC 4157, respectively, and are dominated by the cold component. There is a clear correlation between the 617 MHz and $\lambda\,850 \mu$m emission in the two galaxies. In the case of NGC 3044, this implies a relation between the non-thermal synchrotron emission and cold dust. The 617 MHz component represents an integration of massive star formation over the past $10^{7-8}$ yr and the $\lambda \,850 \mu$m emission represents heating from the diffuse interstellar radiation field (ISRF). The 617 MHz -- $\lambda\,850 \mu$m correlation improves when a smoothing kernel is applied to the $\lambda\,850 \mu$m data to account for differences between the CR electron diffusion scale and the mean free path of an ISRF photon to dust. The best-fit relation is $L_{617_{\rm MHz}}\,\propto\,{L_{850 \mu{\rm m}}}^{2.1\,\pm\,0.2}$ for NGC 3044. If variations in the cold dust emissivity are dominated by variations in dust density, and the synchrotron emission depends on magnetic field strength (a function of gas density) as well as CR electron generation (a function of massive star formation rate and therefore density via the Schmidt law) then the expected correlation for NGC 3044 is $L_{617_{\rm MHz}}\,\propto\,{L_{850 \mu{\rm m}}}^{2.2}$, in agreement with the observed correlation.Comment: 19 pages; Figure 1 is included as an associated jpg file. Accepted to mnra