An Appraisal of FOPIM Fast-converging Perturbation Method

Appraisal of first order perturbation iteration fast converging metho

The Texas banking crisis and the payments system

The Federal Reserve System plays a crucial role in the payments system that is especially important during periods of financial turmoil. In this article, Robert Clair, Joanna Kolson, and Kenneth Robinson explain the process and the risks involved in clearing checks in the private sector. They compare these processes and risks with the essentially risk-free check-clearing service the Federal Reserve System offers. During banking crises, they hypothesize, banks will increase their check-clearing through the Federal Reserve to minimize their risk exposure. A model of Federal Reserve check-clearing volume is constructed and estimated. The empirical results show that during banking crises, Federal Reserve check- processing volume rises as banks seek safer methods of clearing checks. Consequently, Federal Reserve payment services are important tools in minimizing the disruptive effects of banking crises on the economy.Banks and banking - Texas ; Payment systems

On The Effects Of Antimony And Glue On Zinc Electrocrystallization Behaviour

An investigation has been made to determine the effects that additions of glue and antimony have on the electrowinning of zinc from acid sulphate solutions. In particular, the zinc crystal growth and cathode current efficiencies were studied in an attempt to establish a correlation between morphology and the nature of the additives. Operating conditions of 55 A ft-2* and 35°C were used for most of the experiments with electrolyte concentrations of approximately 55 gl-1 zinc and 150 gl-1 H2SO4. Additional runs were made at 40,75 and 100 Aft-2 at 30,40 and 50°C in order to verify certain trends. Primarily by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, it was possible to categorize deposit morphologies according to the type and concentration of the additives. The general effect of antimony was to refine the grain size and cause the basal plane platelets to lie parallel to the substrate. Glue also caused some refinement, but caused the platelets to become aligned perpendicular to the substrate. Level deposits were obtained in the latter case, which would effectively prevent dendritic growths. A relationship between the relative amounts of glue and antimony in solution and the current efficiency was also obtained. © 1976 Chapman and Hall Ltd

The State Joint Local Government Account System: Challenge on Rural Development in Nigeria

The creation of the State Joint Local Government Account System (SJLGAS) by section 162 of the 1999 Federal Constitution of Nigeria was meant to facilitate rural development of the local Communities through effective supervision of the distribution and efficient management of revenue accruing to the local government councils from the federation account. The research study through historical approach and survey method discovered that, rather than being a vehicle that should drive rural development, the State Joint Local Government Account system has served as a means of making unnecessary deductions from revenue accruing to the local government councils from federation Account to the coffers of state governments in Nigeria. It was in the light of huge cry by local government administrators in Nigeria that this research was carried out. The sample size consist of four hundred and eighty (480) employees(Treasurers and Heads of Personnel Management) of Local Government Councils drawn from 240 local government councils inside 24 out of 36 States in Nigeria. The Study utilizes both primary and secondary data. Tables and percentages were used for the analysis. The Chi-Square test was used to analyse the hypotheses. The research finding shows that excessive and unwanted deductions of fund from the Local Government Statutory allocations from Federation Account by State Governments in Nigeria through the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), improper management of finance and endemic corruption in the local government administration in Nigeria, have made rural sustainable development a mirage. The study therefore concluded that the present method adopted in the JAAC system in Nigeria encourages deduction of funds by State Government. Hence the Local Government do not have as much resources as they are given from Federation Account for rural development. The research therefore recommended the granting of financial autonomy to the local government councils through the amendment of conflicting clauses or provisions in the Constitution that created the Joint Account System and the empowerment of the anti-graft agencies in Nigeria to supervise the administrators of Local government councils and financial managers on monthly basis.  This will bring about responsibility accounting and thus rural development will be enhanced. Keywords: State/Local Government Joint Account Allocation (JAAC) system, challenges of Local Government Councils, Concept of Rural Developments

GENOMICS BASED APPROACHES TO FUNGAL EVOLUTION

Advances in DNA sequencing and data analysis make it possible to address questions in population genetics and evolution at the genomic level. Fungi are excellent subjects for such studies, because they are found in diverse environments, have short generation times, can be maintained in culture and have relatively small genomes. My research employed genetic approaches using a variety of sequencing technologies and methods of analysis to explore questions in fungal evolution. In one study, I explored the genetics behind differences in thermotolerance between isolates of Neurospora discreta from Alaska and New Mexico. Isolates from the two states exhibited differences in maximal growth temperature, with New Mexico isolates being substantially more thermotolerant than isolates from Alaska. Genomic scale comparisons of progeny from crosses between isolates from New Mexico and Alaska indicated that two regions, one on chromosome III and another on chromosome I, are responsible for differences in thermotolerance. Examination of these regions revealed numerous differences between the New Mexico and Alaska isolates at nucleotide and amino-acid levels; and it identified candidate genes for being important for differences in maximal growth temperatures. In a second study, I explored the genomic differences between pathogenic and endophytic isolates in the genus Monosporascus. Culture and sequence-based surveys of root associating fungi at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) revealed the ubiquitous presence of members of this genus. Although M. cannonballus is known as a severe pathogen of melon roots in agricultural settings, all of the host plants associating with Monosporascus species in natural settings appeared to be disease free. Complete genome sequences were obtained from three M. cannonballus isolates, an M. ibericus isolate and six SNWR isolates. Comparative genome analyses revealed that 1) isolates of Monosporascus possess genomes that are more than twice the size of those typical for members of the Sordariomycetes, while having typical numbers of protein-coding genes; 2) isolates from diverse grasses, tree and forbs include lineages closely-related to previously described species including M. cannonballus, in addition to novel lineages; and 3) species of Monosporascus and other Xylariales lack mating-type gene regions typical of other members of the Pezizomycotina

Electrovac pppp-waves

New exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell field equations that describe $pp$-waves are presented

Mode-coupling and nonlinear Landau damping effects in auroral Farley-Buneman turbulence

The fundamental problem of Farley-Buneman turbulence in the auroral $E$-region has been discussed and debated extensively in the past two decades. In the present paper we intend to clarify the different steps that the auroral $E$-region plasma has to undergo before reaching a steady state. The mode-coupling calculation, for Farley-Buneman turbulence, is developed in order to place it in perspective and to estimate its magnitude relative to the anomalous effects which arise through the nonlinear wave-particle interaction. This nonlinear effect, known as nonlinear ``Landau damping'' is due to the coupling of waves which produces other waves which in turn lose energy to the bulk of the particles by Landau damping. This leads to a decay of the wave energy and consequently a heating of the plasma. An equation governing the evolution of the field spectrum is derived and a physical interpration for each of its terms is provided

The ELAIS Deep X-ray Survey

We present initial follow-up results of the ELAIS Deep X-ray Survey which is being undertaken with the Chandra and XMM-Newton Observatories. 235 X-ray sources are detected in our two 75 ks ACIS-I observations in the well-studied ELAIS N1 and N2 areas. 90% of the X-ray sources are identified optically to R=26 with a median magnitude of R=24. We show that objects which are unresolved optically (i.e. quasars) follow a correlation between their optical and X-ray fluxes, whereas galaxies do not. We also find that the quasars with fainter optical counterparts have harder X-ray spectra, consistent with absorption at both wavebands. Initial spectroscopic follow-up has revealed a large fraction of high-luminosity Type 2 quasars. The prospects for studying the evolution of the host galaxies of X-ray selected Type 2 AGN are considered.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, To appear in Proceedings of XXI Moriond Conference: "Galaxy Clusters and the High Redshift Universe Observed in X-rays", edited by D. Neumann, F.Durret, & J. Tran Thanh Va

Mid-infrared sources in the ELAIS Deep X-ray Survey

We present a cross‐correlation of the European Large Area Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) survey (ELAIS) with the ELAIS Deep X‐ray Survey of the N1 and N2 fields. There are seven Chandra point sources with matches in the ELAIS Final Analysis 15‐μm catalogue, out of a total of 28 extragalactic ISO sources present in the Chandra fields. Five of these are consistent with active galactic nuclei (AGN) giving an AGN fraction of ∼19 per cent in the 15‐μm flux range 0.8–6 mJy. We have co‐added the hard X‐ray fluxes of the individually undetected ISO sources and find a low significance detection consistent with star formation in the remaining population. We combine our point source cross‐correlation fraction with the XMM–Newton observations of the Lockman Hole and Chandra observations of the Hubble Deep Field North to constrain source count models of the mid‐infrared galaxy population. The low dust‐enshrouded AGN fraction in ELAIS implied by the number of cross‐identifications between the ELAIS mid‐infrared sample and the Chandra point sources is encouraging for the use of mid‐infrared surveys to constrain the cosmic star formation history, provided there are not further large undetected populations of Compton‐thick AGN