4,412 research outputs found
A Generic Four-step Methodology For Institutional Analysis
The central hypothesis of this paper is that there may be situations in which the traditional approach to institutional analysis is of limited applicability. Such an approach, which has been called 'comparative institutional analysis', consists of comparing institutional environments and institutional arrangements in terms of specific economic or other efficiency criteria to see which one performs better. However, because of limitations to accurately predict the future performance of alternative institutional settings, comparisons are not always possible. Furthermore, in most cases the only information available is the performance of the current institutional setting. To account for this methodological deficiency, a generic methodology for institutional analysis, which consists of four steps (institutional structure, institutional efficiency, institutional choice, and institutional change), is proposed in this paper. Accordingly, the emphasis switches from evaluating alternative institutional choices to improving current scenarios. To show the validity of this methodology, some results of its application to a case study are presented. Although more research on this four-step methodology is needed, it proved to be robust when applied to the analysis of the governance of irrigated agriculture in the Peninsula of Santa Elena, Ecuador.New Institutional Economics, Governance structures, Institutional Change., Institutional and Behavioral Economics, B52, D02, Q25,
Emergent universe in a Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory
In this paper we study emergent universe model in the context of a self
interacting Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. The model presents a stable past eternal
static solution which eventually enters a phase where the stability of this
solution is broken leading to an inflationary period. We also establish
constraints for the different parameters appearing in our model.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in JCA
Tachyonization of the \LaCDM cosmological model
In this work a tachyonization of the CDM model for a spatially flat
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-time is proposed. A tachyon field and a
cosmological constant are considered as the sources of the gravitational field.
Starting from a stability analysis and from the exact solutions for a standard
tachyon field driven by a given potential, the search for a large set of
cosmological models which contain the CDM model is investigated. By
the use of internal transformations two new kinds of tachyon fields are derived
from the standard tachyon field, namely, a complementary and a phantom tachyon
fields. Numerical solutions for the three kinds of tachyon fields are
determined and it is shown that the standard and complementary tachyon fields
reproduces the CDM model as a limiting case. The standard tachyon
field can also describe a transition from an accelerated to a decelerated
regime, behaving as an inflaton field at early times and as a matter field at
late times. The complementary tachyon field always behaves as a matter field.
The phantom tachyon field is characterized by a rapid expansion where its
energy density increases with time.Comment: Version accepted for publication in GR
The Origins of [CII] Emission in Local Star-forming Galaxies
The [CII] 158um fine-structure line is the brightest emission line observed
in local star-forming galaxies. As a major coolant of the gas-phase
interstellar medium, [CII] balances the heating, including that due to
far-ultraviolet photons, which heat the gas via the photoelectric effect.
However, the origin of [CII] emission remains unclear, because C+ can be found
in multiple phases of the interstellar medium. Here we measure the fractions of
[CII] emission originating in the ionized and neutral gas phases of a sample of
nearby galaxies. We use the [NII] 205um fine-structure line to trace the
ionized medium, thereby eliminating the strong density dependence that exists
in the ratio of [CII]/[NII] 122um. Using the FIR [CII] and [NII] emission
detected by the KINGFISH and Beyond the Peak Herschel programs, we show that
60-80% of [CII] emission originates from neutral gas. We find that the fraction
of [CII] originating in the neutral medium has a weak dependence on dust
temperature and the surface density of star formation, and a stronger
dependence on the gas-phase metallicity. In metal-rich environments, the
relatively cooler ionized gas makes substantially larger contributions to total
[CII] emission than at low abundance, contrary to prior expectations.
Approximate calibrations of this metallicity trend are provided.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Measurements in two bases are sufficient for certifying high-dimensional entanglement
High-dimensional encoding of quantum information provides a promising method
of transcending current limitations in quantum communication. One of the
central challenges in the pursuit of such an approach is the certification of
high-dimensional entanglement. In particular, it is desirable to do so without
resorting to inefficient full state tomography. Here, we show how carefully
constructed measurements in two bases (one of which is not orthonormal) can be
used to faithfully and efficiently certify bipartite high-dimensional states
and their entanglement for any physical platform. To showcase the practicality
of this approach under realistic conditions, we put it to the test for photons
entangled in their orbital angular momentum. In our experimental setup, we are
able to verify 9-dimensional entanglement for a pair of photons on a
11-dimensional subspace each, at present the highest amount certified without
any assumptions on the state.Comment: 11+14 pages, 2+7 figure
Laser ablation loading of a radiofrequency ion trap
The production of ions via laser ablation for the loading of radiofrequency
(RF) ion traps is investigated using a nitrogen laser with a maximum pulse
energy of 0.17 mJ and a peak intensity of about 250 MW/cm^2. A time-of-flight
mass spectrometer is used to measure the ion yield and the distribution of the
charge states. Singly charged ions of elements that are presently considered
for the use in optical clocks or quantum logic applications could be produced
from metallic samples at a rate of the order of magnitude 10^5 ions per pulse.
A linear Paul trap was loaded with Th+ ions produced by laser ablation. An
overall ion production and trapping efficiency of 10^-7 to 10^-6 was attained.
For ions injected individually, a dependence of the capture probability on the
phase of the RF field has been predicted. In the experiment this was not
observed, presumably because of collective effects within the ablation plume.Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys. B., special issue on ion trappin
Magnetic operations: a little fuzzy physics?
We examine the behaviour of charged particles in homogeneous, constant and/or
oscillating magnetic fields in the non-relativistic approximation. A special
role of the geometric center of the particle trajectory is elucidated. In
quantum case it becomes a 'fuzzy point' with non-commuting coordinates, an
element of non-commutative geometry which enters into the traditional control
problems. We show that its application extends beyond the usually considered
time independent magnetic fields of the quantum Hall effect. Some simple cases
of magnetic control by oscillating fields lead to the stability maps differing
from the traditional Strutt diagram.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figure
Microchromosomes are building blocks of bird, reptile, and mammal chromosomes
Microchromosomes, once considered unimportant shreds of the chicken genome, are gene-rich elements with a high GC content and few transposable elements. Their origin has been debated for decades. We used cytological and whole-genome sequence comparisons, and chromosome conformation capture, to trace their origin and fate in genomes of reptiles, birds, and mammals. We find that microchromosomes as well as macrochromosomes are highly conserved across birds and share synteny with single small chromosomes of the chordate amphioxus, attesting to their origin as elements of an ancient animal genome. Turtles and squamates (snakes and lizards) share different subsets of ancestral microchromosomes, having independently lost microchromosomes by fusion with other microchromosomes or macrochromosomes. Patterns of fusions were quite different in different lineages. Cytological observations show that microchromosomes in all lineages are spatially separated into a central compartment at interphase and during mitosis and meiosis. This reflects higher interaction between microchromosomes than with macrochromosomes, as observed by chromosome conformation capture, and suggests some functional coherence. In highly rearranged genomes fused microchromosomes retain most ancestral characteristics, but these may erode over evolutionary time; surprisingly, de novo microchromosomes have rapidly adopted high interaction. Some chromosomes of early-branching monotreme mammals align to several bird microchromosomes, suggesting multiple microchromosome fusions in a mammalian ancestor. Subsequently, multiple rearrangements fueled the extraordinary karyotypic diversity of therian mammals. Thus, microchromosomes, far from being aberrant genetic elements, represent fundamental building blocks of amniote chromosomes, and it is mammals, rather than reptiles and birds, that are atypical
How does Inflation Depend Upon the Nature of Fluids Filling Up the Universe in Brane World Scenario
By constructing different parameters which are able to give us the
information about our universe during inflation,(specially at the start and the
end of the inflationary universe) a brief idea of brane world inflation is
given in this work. What will be the size of the universe at the end of
inflation,i.e.,how many times will it grow than today's size is been speculated
and analysed thereafter. Different kinds of fluids are taken to be the matter
inside the brane. It is observed that in the case of highly positive pressure
grower gas like polytropic,the size of the universe at the end of inflation is
comparitively smaller. Whereas for negative pressure creators (like chaplygin
gas) this size is much bigger. Except thse two cases, inflation has been
studied for barotropic fluid and linear redshift parametrization too. For them the size of the universe after
inflation is much more high. We also have seen that this size does not depend
upon the potential energy at the end of the inflation. On the contrary, there
is a high impact of the initial potential energy upon the size of inflation.Comment: 20 page
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