9,101 research outputs found
Does Monetary Policy Help Least Those Who Need It Most?
We estimate the impact of U.S. monetary policy on the cross-sectional distribution of state economic activity for a 35-year panel. Our results indicate that the effects of policy have a significant history dependence, in that relatively slow growth regions contract more following contractionarymonetary shocks. Moreover, policy is asymmetric, in that expansionary shocks have less of a beneficial impact upon relatively slow growth areas. As a result, we conclude that monetary policy on average widens the dispersion of growth rates among U.S. states, and those locations initially at the low end of the cross-sectional distribution benefit least from any given change inmonetary policy.Monetary policy, asymmetric effects, state dependence, regional business cycles
A constraint on the formation timescale of the young open cluster NGC 2264: Lithium abundance of pre-main sequence stars
The timescale of cluster formation is an essential parameter in order to
understand the formation process of star clusters. Pre-main sequence (PMS)
stars in nearby young open clusters reveal a large spread in brightness. If the
spread were considered as a result of a real spread in age, the corresponding
cluster formation timescale would be about 5 -- 20 Myr. Hence it could be
interpreted that star formation in an open cluster is prolonged for up to a few
tens of Myr. However, difficulties in reddening correction, observational
errors, and systematic uncertainties introduced by imperfect evolutionary
models for PMS stars, can result in an artificial age spread. Alternatively, we
can utilize Li abundance as a relative age indicator of PMS star to determine
the cluster formation timescale. The optical spectra of 134 PMS stars in NGC
2264 have been obtained with MMT/Hectochelle. The equivalent widths have been
measured for 86 PMS stars with a detectable Li line (3500 < T_eff [K] <= 6500).
Li abundance under the condition of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) was
derived using the conventional curve of growth method. After correction for
non-LTE effects, we find that the initial Li abundance of NGC 2264 is A(Li) =
3.2 +/- 0.2. From the distribution of the Li abundances, the underlying age
spread of the visible PMS stars is estimated to be about 3 -- 4 Myr and this,
together with the presence of embedded populations in NGC 2264, suggests that
the cluster formed on a timescale shorter than 5 Myr.Comment: 53 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Sejong Open Cluster Survey (SOS) - IV. The Young Open Clusters NGC 1624 and NGC 1931
Young open clusters located in the outer Galaxy provide us with an
opportunity to study star formation activity in a different environment from
the solar neighborhood. We present a UBVI and H alpha photometric study of the
young open clusters NGC 1624 and NGC 1931 that are situated toward the Galactic
anticenter. Various photometric diagrams are used to select the members of the
clusters and to determine the fundamental parameters. NGC 1624 and NGC 1931
are, on average, reddened by = 0.92 +/- 0.05 and 0.74 +/- 0.17 mag,
respectively. The properties of the reddening toward NGC 1931 indicate an
abnormal reddening law (Rv,cl = 5.2 +/- 0.3). Using the zero-age main sequence
fitting method we confirm that NGC 1624 is 6.0 +/- 0.6 kpc away from the Sun,
whereas NGC 1931 is at a distance of 2.3 +/- 0.2 kpc. The results from
isochrone fitting in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram indicate the ages of NGC
1624 and NGC 1931 to be less than 4 Myr and 1.5 - 2.0 Myr, respectively. We
derived the initial mass function (IMF) of the clusters. The slope of the IMF
(Gamma_NGC 1624 = -2.0 +/- 0.2 and Gamma_NGC 1931 = -2.0 +/- 0.1) appears to be
steeper than that of the Salpeter/Kroupa IMF. We discuss the implication of the
derived IMF based on simple Monte-Carlo simulations and conclude that the
property of star formation in the clusters seems not to be far different from
that in the solar neighborhood.Comment: 79 pages, 21 pages, 7 tables, Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
Electronics and Chemistry: Varying Single Molecule Junction Conductance Using Chemical Substituents
We measure the low bias conductance of a series of substituted benzene
diamine molecules while breaking a gold point contact in a solution of the
molecules. Transport through these substituted benzenes is by means of
nonresonant tunneling or superexchange, with the molecular junction conductance
depending on the alignment of the metal Fermi level to the closest molecular
level. Electron-donating substituents, which drive the occupied molecular
orbitals up, increase the junction conductance, while electron-withdrawing
substituents have the opposite effect. Thus for the measured series,
conductance varies inversely with the calculated ionization potential of the
molecules. These results reveal that the occupied states are closest to the
gold Fermi energy, indicating that the tunneling transport through these
molecules is analogous to hole tunneling through an insulating film.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Chandra Observations of SNR 1987A
We report on the results of our monitoring program of the X-ray remnant of
supernova 1987A with the {\it Chandra X-Ray Observatory}. We have performed two
new observations during the {\it Chandra} Cycle 3 period, bringing the total to
six monitoring observations over the past three years. These six observations
provide a detailed time history of the birth of a new supernova remnant in
X-rays. The high angular resolution images indicate that soft X-ray bright
knots are associated with the optical spots, while hard X-ray features are
better correlated with radio images. We interpret this in terms of a model in
which fast shocks propagating through the circumstellar HII region produce the
hard X-ray and radio emission, while the soft X-ray and optical emission arise
in slower shocks entering into dense knots in the circumstellar inner ring. New
observations begin to show changes in the morphology that may herald a new
stage in the development of this incipient supernova remnant. The observed
X-ray fluxes increase by nearly a factor of three over the last 30 months. The
X-ray remnant is expanding at a velocity of 5000 km s.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 2 color figures, To appear in AdSpR (Proceedings
34th COSPAR Synposium E1.4 "High Energy Studies of Supernova Remnants and
Neutron stars" For high resolution color figures contact [email protected]
Which Antidepressant Is Best to Avoid Sexual Dysfunction?
Bupropion (Wellbutrin), nefazodone (Serzone), amitriptyline (Elavil), and moclobemide (Manerix, a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type A not available in the United States) have been shown to cause less sexual dysfunction than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). [Strength of recommendation: B, based on individual randomized controlled trials (RCTs)] Among SSRIs, fluvoxamine (Luvox) may cause less sexual dysfunction than sertraline (Zoloft). [Strength of recommendation: B, single RCT] No other differences between or within classes of antidepressants have been demonstrated in RCTs
Sejong Open Cluster Survey (SOS). 0. Target Selection and Data Analysis
Star clusters are superb astrophysical laboratories containing cospatial and
coeval samples of stars with similar chemical composition. We have initiated
the Sejong Open cluster Survey (SOS) - a project dedicated to providing
homogeneous photometry of a large number of open clusters in the SAAO
Johnson-Cousins' system. To achieve our main goal, we have paid much
attention to the observation of standard stars in order to reproduce the SAAO
standard system.
Many of our targets are relatively small, sparse clusters that escaped
previous observations. As clusters are considered building blocks of the
Galactic disk, their physical properties such as the initial mass function, the
pattern of mass segregation, etc. give valuable information on the formation
and evolution of the Galactic disk. The spatial distribution of young open
clusters will be used to revise the local spiral arm structure of the Galaxy.
In addition, the homogeneous data can also be used to test stellar evolutionary
theory, especially concerning rare massive stars. In this paper we present the
target selection criteria, the observational strategy for accurate photometry,
and the adopted calibrations for data analysis such as color-color relations,
zero-age main sequence relations, Sp - Mv relations, Sp - Teff relations, Sp -
color relations, and Teff - BC relations. Finally we provide some data analysis
such as the determination of the reddening law, the membership selection
criteria, and distance determination.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in J. of Korean
Astronomical Society (JKAS
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