7,823 research outputs found
Productivity Differences in OECD Countries
This paper investigates cross-country productivity convergence at a sectoral level using multivariate unit-root tests. Our empirical analysis counts with three distinctive features. First, it allows all the coefficients in the panel specification to vary across countries. Second, it accounts for the presence of significant cross-country correlations found in the data. Third, when the null hypothesis of non convergence is rejected, a second test determines the number of converging countries. Based on a sample of thirteen OECD countries our results show evidence of convergence in three out of six sectors, namely, agriculture, construction, and transportation and communication services.Convergence, panel data, productivity
A fast version of the k-means classification algorithm for astronomical applications
Context. K-means is a clustering algorithm that has been used to classify
large datasets in astronomical databases. It is an unsupervised method, able to
cope very different types of problems. Aims. We check whether a variant of the
algorithm called single-pass k-means can be used as a fast alternative to the
traditional k-means. Methods. The execution time of the two algorithms are
compared when classifying subsets drawn from the SDSS-DR7 catalog of galaxy
spectra. Results. Single-pass k-means turn out to be between 20 % and 40 %
faster than k-means and provide statistically equivalent classifications. This
conclusion can be scaled up to other larger databases because the execution
time of both algorithms increases linearly with the number of objects.
Conclusions. Single-pass k-means can be safely used as a fast alternative to
k-means
Single magnetic adsorbates on s-wave superconductors
In superconductors, magnetic impurities induce a pair-breaking potential for
Cooper pairs, which locally affects the Bogoliubov quasiparticles and gives
rise to Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR or Shiba, in short) bound states in the density
of states (DoS). These states carry information on the magnetic coupling
strength of the impurity with the superconductor, which determines the
many-body ground state properties of the system. Recently, the interest in
Shiba physics was boosted by the prediction of topological superconductivity
and Majorana modes in magnetically coupled chains and arrays of Shiba
impurities. Here, we review the physical insights obtained by scanning
tunneling microscopy into single magnetic adsorbates on the -wave
superconductor lead (Pb). We explore the tunneling processes into Shiba states,
show how magnetic anisotropy affects many-body excitations, and determine the
crossing of the many-body groundstate through a quantum phase transition.
Finally, we discuss the coupling of impurities into dimers and chains and their
relation to Majorana physics.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, revie
Market Structure, Technology Spillovers, and Persistence in Productivity Differentials
Using data from 11 main manufacturing industries in 17 OECD countries, this paper empirically investigates the determinants of cross-country differences in the persistence of productivity differentials Specifically, we focus on the effects of product market structure and technology diffusion. It is found that the manufacturing industries display a wide range of convergence rates. Consistent with theories, the persistence of productivity differentials is found to be positively correlated with the price-cost margin and the intra-industry trade index - the proxies for market monopolistic behavior. The proxies for tecnology diffusion, however, do not exhibit consistently significant effect. Among the conditioning macro variables, productivity convergence appears to be enhanced by human capital but deterred by government spending.Total factor productivity, convergence, market structure, technology diffusion
Tuning the magnetic anisotropy of single molecules
The magnetism of single atoms and molecules is governed by the atomic scale
environment. In general, the reduced symmetry of the surrounding splits the
states and aligns the magnetic moment along certain favorable directions. Here,
we show that we can reversibly modify the magnetocrystalline anisotropy by
manipulating the environment of single iron(II) porphyrin molecules adsorbed on
Pb(111) with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. When we decrease the
tip--molecule distance, we first observe a small increase followed by an
exponential decrease of the axial anisotropy on the molecules. This is in
contrast to the monotonous increase observed earlier for the same molecule with
an additional axial Cl ligand. We ascribe the changes in the anisotropy of both
species to a deformation of the molecules in the presence of the attractive
force of the tip, which leads to a change in the level alignment. These
experiments demonstrate the feasibility of a precise tuning of the magnetic
anisotropy of an individual molecule by mechanical control.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; online at Nano Letters (2015
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