Increased brightness of the lunar surface

Mechanisms causing increased brightness of lunar surface - solar flare proton and electron irradiatio

Quantitative study of molecular N_2 trapped in disordered GaN:O films

The structure of disordered GaN:O films grown by ion-assisted deposition is investigated using x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. It is found that between 4 and 21 % of the nitrogen in the films is in the form of molecular N_2 that interacts only weakly with the surrounding matrix. The anion to cation ratio in the GaN:O host remains close to unity, and there is a close correlation between the N_2 fraction, the level of oxygen impurities, and the absence of short-range order in the GaN:O matrix.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Feedback between US and UK Prices: a Frequency Domain Analysis

This paper decomposes the feedback between US and UK price levels by frequency over the period 1791 to 1990. By adapting Geweke's (1982) method of decomposing the feedback between time series to the case of I(1) time series generated by a bivariate error-correction model, we find that most of the feedback between the two time series occurs at very low frequencies. This result provides a reconciliation of the typical rejection of purchasing power parity (PPP) in short-run studies with the findings of paradoxically short half-lives for deviations from PPP often found in long-run studies.feedback decomposition

Business cycles under monetary union: EU and US business cycles compared

In discussions of the likely implications for Europe of EMU, the United States is often cited as an example of a monetary union, while the United States' central bank, the Federal Reserve System, is cited as a model for how a central bank would function in a monetary union. While the costs and benefits of monetary union in Europe have been subject to a lot of debate, the authors focus on a potential set of costs and benefits that seem to have received relatively little attention in the existing literature. Specifically, they ask what are the likely benefits to Europe in terms of business cycle stabilization or synchronization from monetary union. The authors compare the business cycle properties of the fifteen EU countries that are potentially eligible for membership in EMU with the properties of the 12 Federal Reserve districts in the U.S.Business cycles ; European Economic Community

Magnetic Properties of the Novel Low-Dimensional Cuprate Na5RbCu4(AsO4)4Cl2

The magnetic properties of a new compound, Na5RbCu4(AsO4)4Cl2 are reported. The material has a layered structure comprised of square Cu4O4 tetramers. The Cu ions are divalent and the system behaves as a low-dimensional S=1/2 antiferromagnet. Spin exchange in Na5RbCu4(AsO4)4Cl2 appears to be quasi-two-dimensional and non-frustrated. Measurements of the bulk magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity are consistent with low-dimensional magnetism. The compound has an interesting, low-entropy, magnetic transition at T = 17 K.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Decoupling Liability: Optimal Incentives for Care and Litigation

A "decoupled" liability system is one in which the award to the plaintiff differs from the payment by the defendant. The optimal system of decoupling makes the defendant's payment as high as possible. Such a policy allows the award to the plaintiff to be lowered, thereby reducing the plaintiff's incentive to sue -- and hence litigation costs -- without sacrificing the defendant's incentive to exercise care. The optimal award to the plaintiff may be less than or greater than the optimal payment by the defendant. The possibility of an out-of-court settlement does not qualitatively affect these results. If the settlement can be monitored, it may be desirable to decouple it as well.

ACREAGE RESPONSES TO EXPECTED REVENUES AND PRICE RISK FOR MINOR OILSEEDS AND PROGRAM CROPS IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS

Wheat, barely, flaxseed, and oilseed sunflower acreage respond to different economic variables. Wheat and barely acreage must be divided among program-complying, program-planted, and nonprogram-planted acreage because these categories respond to different variables and respond to own expected-revenue and price-risk variables in opposite ways. Flaxseed, sunflower, and nonprogram-planted acreage of wheat and barley have highly significant, positive responses to their own expected revenue and negative responses to their own-price risk. Flaxseed and sunflower acreage have been more responsive to their lagged values than to expected revenues for wheat.Crop Production/Industries,

Post Gaussian effective potential in the Ginzburg Landau theory of superconductivity

The post Gaussian effective potential in D=3 dimensions and the Gaussian effective potential in D=2+epsilon are evaluated for the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity. It is shown that, the next order correction to the Gaussian approximation of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter (kappa) is significant, whereas contribution from the two dimensionality is rather small. This strongly indicates that strong correlation plays a more dominant role than the two dimensionality does in high T_c superconductivity.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX, 4 figures, minor changes has been mad

Rolling recessions

Recessions