1,3-Bis(hydroxy­meth­yl)benzimidazolin-2-one

The title compound, C9H10N2O3, crystallizes with one and a half mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, one lying on a general position and the other on a twofold rotation axis. The dihedral angle between the two independent benzimidazole ring systems is 18.96 (5)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into a three-dimensional network by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding involving N-hydroxy­methyl and carbonyl groups, and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Regulating global capital flows for long-run development

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Center Task Force Reports, a publication series that began publishing in 2009 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The Task Force was co-sponsored by the BU Pardee Center, the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University, and the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University, and it met at Boston University in September 2011. The Task Force Co-Chairs authored an Issues In Brief on this subject in November 2011 published by the Pardee Center.This report is the product of the Pardee Center Task Force on Regulating Global Capital Flows for Long-Run Development convened in September 2011 on behalf of the Pardee Center’s Global Economic Governance Initiative led by Kevin P. Gallagher, Associate Professor of International Relations at Boston University. Gallagher co-chaired the Task Force along with Stephany Griffith-Jones and José Antonio Ocampo of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) at Columbia University. With contributions from a dozen prominent scholars and practitioners in the field of global finance and development, the report is intended to contribute expert knowledge to an important and very timely debate concerning whether and how nations can use what have been traditionally referred to as capital controls (classified in the report as ‘capital account regulations’ or CARs) to prevent and mitigate financial crises caused by short-term speculative capital flows in developing countries. Based on discussions among members at the September 2011 meeting, the report posits that there is a clear rationale for capital account regulations in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, that the design and monitoring of such regulations is essential for their effectiveness, and that a limited amount of global and regional cooperation would be useful to ensure that CARs can form an effective part of the macroeconomic policy toolkit. The protocol for deploying capital account regulations in developing countries that is put forth here stands in stark contrast to a set of guidelines for the use of capital controls endorsed by the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March 2011. However the Task Force’s recommendations are more in sync with the set of “coherent conclusions” on capital account regulations endorsed by the G-20 in November 2011. Our hope is that this Pardee Center Task Force Report will help inform the discussions and decisions of policymakers and the IMF as they move forward on this issue under the rubric of the G-20 recommendations

Effect of Strain Relaxation on Magnetotransport properties of epitaxial La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO_3 films

In this paper, we have studied the effect of strain relaxation on magneto-transport properties of La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO_3 epitaxial films (200 nm thick), which were deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique under identical conditions. All the films are epitaxial and have cubic unit cell. The amount of strain relaxation has been varied by taking three different single crystal substrates of SrTiO_3, LaAlO_3 and MgO. It has been found that for thicker films the strain gets relaxed and produces variable amount of disorder depending on the strength of strain relaxation. The magnitude of lattice relaxation has been found to be 0.384, 3.057 and 6.411 percent for film deposited on SrTiO_3, LaAlO_3 and MgO respectively. The films on LaAlO_3 and SrTiO_3 show higher T_{IM} of 243 K and 217 K respectively as compared to T_{IM} of 191 K for the film on MgO. Similarly T_C of the films on SrTiO_3 and LaAlO_3 is sharper and has value of 245 K and 220 K respectively whereas the TC of the film on MgO is 175 K. Higher degree of relaxation creates more defects and hence TIM (T_C) of the film on MgO is significantly lower than of SrTiO_3 and LaAlO_3. We have adopted a different approach to correlate the effect of strain relaxation on magneto-transport properties of LCMO films by evaluating the resistivity variation through Mott's VRH model. The variable presence of disorder in these thick films due to lattice relaxation which have been analyzed through Mott's VRH model provides a strong additional evidence that the strength of lattice relaxation produces disorder dominantly by increase in density of defects such as stacking faults, dislocations, etc. which affect the magneto-transport properties of thick epitaxial La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO_3 films

Anomalous interaction between vortices and nanomagnets

We study a thin film system consisting of a superconducting and a magnetic film, where the superconductor contains a vortex and the magnetic film a nanomagnet. We find that if the magnetic film has planar anisotropy, the vortex induces a magnetization distribution, and its interaction with the nanomagnet crosses over from attractive to repulsive at short distances.Comment: 5 page

Transport properties of the layered Rh oxide K_0.49RhO_2

We report measurements and analyses of resistivity, thermopower and Hall coefficient of single-crystalline samples of the layered Rh oxide K_0.49RhO_2. The resistivity is proportional to the square of temperature up to 300 K, and the thermopower is proportional to temperature up to 140 K. The Hall coefficient increases linearly with temperature above 100 K, which is ascribed to the triangular network of Rh in this compound. The different transport properties between Na_xCoO_2 and K_0.49RhO_2 are discussed on the basis of the different band width between Co and Rh evaluated from the magnetotransport.Comment: 3 figures, submitted to PR

Transact taxes in a price maker/taker market

We develop a price maker/taker model to study how a financial transaction tax affects markets. We find taxes widen quoted and effective spreads by more than twice the tax. Taxes increase volatility slightly (without intermediation) to significantly (with intermediation). High taxes may halve volumes and gains from trade while doubling search costs. Measures of market quality are more affected by taxes in markets with intermediaries. Investors and intermediaries competing for liquidity can triple search costs and increase quoted spreads while decreasing effective spreads. We also find revenue-optimal rates of 60-75 bp. Our results are particularly relevant to markets with high-frequency trading or thin depth

The determinants of the euro-dollar exchange rate: synthetic fundamentals and a non-existing currency

At the beginning of 1999 the euro was launched as a common currency in 11 European countries. This paper addresses empirically the medium to long-term forces driving the real euro-dollar exchange rate. Constructing a synthetic euro-dollar exchange rate over a period from 1975 to 1998 and applying cointegration approaches, four factors are identified as fundamental determinants of the real euro-dollar exchange rate: the international real interest rate differential, relative prices in the traded and non-traded goods sectors, the real oil price and the relative fiscal position. A single equation error correction model outperforms multivariate models and seems to be best suited to analyse and forecast the behaviour of the euro-dollar exchange rate in the medium-term perspective. If this model is applied to the current developments in foreign exchange markets, the external value of the euro appears to be rather low in the winter of 1999/2000. -- Zum Jahresbeginn 1999 wurde der Euro als gemeinsame Währung in 11 europäischen Staaten eingeführt. In der vorliegenden Studie werden die mittel- bis langfristigen Determinanten des Euro empirisch untersucht. Unter Verwendung eines synthetisch berechneten Euro/Dollar-Wechselkurses werden auf der Basis der Kointegrationsanalyse vier Faktoren als fundamentale Bestimmungsgründe des realen Euro/Dollar Wechselkurses identifiziert: die internationale Realzinsdifferenz, das relative Preisverhältnis gehandelter und nicht-gehandelter Güter, der reale Ölpreis und die relative Staatsausgabenquote. Es zeigt sich, daß ein Eingleichungsfehlerkorrekturansatz zu besseren Ergebnissen führt als ein Vektorfehlerkorrekturmodell und damit am besten geeignet scheint, um das Verhalten des Euro/Dollar-Wechselkurses über die mittlere Frist zu analysieren und zu prognostizieren. Eine Anwendung des Modells auf die derzeitige Wechselkurssituation legt die Vermutung nahe, daß der Außenwert des Euro im Winter 1999/2000 recht niedrig bewertet ist.real exchange rates,fundamentals,cointegration,forecast

Unusual polymerization in the Li4C60 fulleride

Li4C60, one of the best representatives of lithium intercalated fullerides, features a novel type of 2D polymerization. Extensive investigations, including laboratory x-ray and synchrotron radiation diffraction, 13C NMR, MAS and Raman spectroscopy, show a monoclinic I2/m structure, characterized by chains of [2+2]-cycloaddicted fullerenes, sideways connected by single C-C bonds. This leads to the formation of polymeric layers, whose insulating nature, deduced from the NMR and Raman spectra, denotes the complete localization of the electrons involved in the covalent bonds.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, RevTex4, submitted to Phys. Rev.