Optical Instrument Survival In A Major Earthquake

Many organizations presently are evaluating the potential loss to plant, equipment and production capability in event of a major earthquake in their area. Often it is found that equipment can be protected at a fraction of the replacement cost. The paper discusses ground accelerations, seismic probability and certain characteristics of earthquake ground motion. Methods for determining loads from the Uniform Building Code and acceleration response spectrums are explained. Protection techniques for optical equipment are presented including rigid anchors, snubbers and sensing systems. The paper is for optical engineers and managers, with no particular background in seismology or structural engineering required

Framing Central Bank Digital Currency: Design and Diffusion for Cross-Border Payments

We are undergoing a period of change whereby analog structures are yielding to their electronic successors, known as digitization. This change envelops much of society, including the currency we use to transact, as it lacks the immunity to resist this evolution underway. In response, Central Banks around the globe are exploring digital versions of currency – known as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) – with many in research and development, and some that have launched and are live in production. In parallel, we are also undergoing change through globalization as commerce and communications span international boundaries to bring people and organizations closer together. To effectively operate in this rapidly changing environment, financial system participants are seeking improvements for orchestrating cross-border payments which suffer from undesirable characteristics of being slow, expensive, lacking transparency, and exclusiveness. As digitization and globalization forces converge, CBDCs are positioned to provide cross-border payment solutions that are faster, cheaper, more transparent, and more inclusive, thus remedying existing limitations insofar as Central Banks make appropriate decisions during the CBDC design process. These design choices include Architecture, Interoperability, and Technology, all of which contribute to currency adoption outcomes. However, failure through limited adoption is expensive, time-consuming, and reputationally detrimental to a Central Bank, warranting careful consideration of these CBDC design choices. This challenge presents an opportunity to contribute guidance for practitioners by leveraging theory and practical considerations together in creating unified solutions. Accordingly, this study builds upon and extends the Diffusion of Innovation Theory by adapting it to CBDC diffusion and introduces a complementary model expressing how CBDC innovations are designed for diffusion. These theoretical advances follow a multivocal systematic literature review and provide scholars with new foundations for future research. The result is a set of intellectual tools, validated through semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts – the Model of CBDC Diffusion, the Model of CBDC Innovation, the CBDC Design Framework, and Initial CBDC Design Typology – that can aid Central Banks when considering their design choices in pursuit of CBDC innovations for cross-border payments

Response of Putnam county soils to phosphate fertilizer

The experiment was designed to test the response of the major cultivated soil types found in Putnam County to phosphate fertilizer, Marglobe tomato plants being used as the medium, with the following treatments: 1. Nitrogen and potash with no phosphate 2. Nitrogen and potash with phosphate 3. Nitrogen and potash with different amounts of phosphat

The enigmatic spin evolution of PSR J0537-6910: r-modes, gravitational waves and the case for continued timing

We discuss the unique spin evolution of the young X-ray pulsar PSR J0537-6910, a system in which the regular spin down is interrupted by glitches every few months. Drawing on the complete timing data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE, from 1999-2011), we argue that a trend in the inter-glitch behaviour points to an effective braking index close to $n=7$, much larger than expected. This value is interesting because it would accord with the neutron star spinning down due to gravitational waves from an unstable r-mode. We discuss to what extent this, admittedly speculative, scenario may be consistent and if the associated gravitational-wave signal would be within reach of ground based detectors. Our estimates suggest that one may, indeed, be able to use future observations to test the idea. Further precision timing would help enhance the achievable sensitivity and we advocate a joint observing campaign between the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) and the LIGO-Virgo network.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, emulate ApJ forma