Phase diagram for diblock copolymer melts under cylindrical confinement

We extensively study the phase diagram of a diblock copolymer melt confined in a cylindrical nanopore using real-space self-consistent mean-field theory. We discover a rich variety of new two-dimensional equilibrium structures that have no analog in the unconfined system. These include non-hexagonally coordinated cylinder phases and structures intermediate between lamellae and cylinders. We map the stability regions and phase boundaries for all the structures we find. As the pore radius is decreased, the pore accommodates fewer cylindrical domains and structural transitions occur as cylinders are eliminated. Our results are consistent with experiments, but we also predict phases yet to be observed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. submitted to Physical Review Letter

The EarthCARE mission – science and system overview

The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is a satellite mission implemented by the European Space Agency (ESA), in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to measure global profiles of aerosols, clouds and precipitation properties together with radiative fluxes and derived heating rates. The simultaneous measurements of the vertical structure and horizontal distribution of cloud and aerosol fields, together with outgoing radiation, will be used in particular to evaluate their representation in weather forecasting and climate models and to improve our understanding of cloud and aerosol radiative impact and feedback mechanisms. To achieve the objective, the goal is that a retrieved scene with footprint size of 10 km × 10 km is measured with sufficiently high resolution that the atmospheric vertical profile of short-wave (solar) and long-wave (thermal) flux can be reconstructed with an accuracy of 10 W m−2 at the top of the atmosphere. To optimise the performance of the two active instruments, the platform will fly at a relatively low altitude of 393 km, with an equatorial revisit time of 25 d. The scientific payload consists of four instruments: an atmospheric lidar, a cloud-profiling radar with Doppler capability, a multi-spectral imager and a broadband radiometer. Co-located measurements from these instruments are processed in the ground segment, which produces and distributes a wide range of science data products. As well as the Level 1 (L1) product of each instrument, a large number of multiple-instrument L2 products have been developed, in both Europe and Japan, benefiting from the data synergy. An end-to-end simulator and several test scenes have been developed that simulate EarthCARE observations and provide a development and test environment for L1 and L2 processors. Within this paper the EarthCARE observational requirements are addressed. An overview is given of the space segment with a detailed description of the four science instruments, demonstrating how the observational requirements will be met. Furthermore, the elements of the space segment and ground segment that are relevant for science data users are described and the data products are introduced.</p

Productivity in the Hotel Industry: An Order-α Malmquist Productivity Indicator

In the literature, it is highlighted that the deterministic nature of the data envelopment analysis–based productivity measures makes them sensitive to sample characteristics. However, the majority of the related empirical studies ignore the potential bias in their data envelopment analysis–based productivity estimations. This article illustrates how the order-α quantile-type estimators can be applied to construct a robust version of the Malmquist productivity indices. Using the order-α estimators, we construct a Malmquist productivity index alongside with two well-known decompositions. The proposed productivity indicator is less sensitive to potential outliers and extreme values. Then, as an illustrative example, we apply the quantile-type productivity index on a sample of 270 hotels operating in the Balearic Islands over the period 2004-2013. The productivity levels alongside with their components are analyzed during the global financial crisis period. © The Author(s) 2020

A convergence assessment of water price rates: evidence from major U.S. cities

In this paper we examine whether there is a convergence among residential water price rates for thirty major U.S. cities over the period 2010–2017. By utilizing the methodological framework by Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75:1771–1855, 2007, J Appl Econom 32:1039–1042, 2009) we test for the existence of convergence clubs among cities’ water pricing policies. We identify the existence of convergence clubs which are based on different consumption markets. The estimated transition paths reveal a tendency of policy makers to increase water price rates over the examined period, which is more pronounced for lower consumption markets. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Conditional time-dependent nonparametric estimators with an application to healthcare production function

By using the probabilistic framework of production efficiency, the paper develops time-dependent conditional efficiency estimators performing a non-parametric frontier analysis. Specifically, by applying both full and quantile (robust) time-dependent conditional estimators, it models the dynamic effect of health expenditure on countries’ technological change and technological catch-up levels. The results from the application reveal that the effect of per capita health expenditure on countries’ technological change and technological catch-up is nonlinear and is subject to countries’ specific income levels. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Hotels’ occupancy rates and convergence: Empirical evidence from the first pandemic wave

The scope of this study is to unravel possible convergence clubs regarding the occupancy rates of the hotel industry in the US states in the aftermath of the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. For this reason, the underlying paper resorts to the application of the generic convergence algorithm developed in Phillips and Sul (2007) for a sample of 50 US states over the daily period ranging from 01.12.2019 to 26.07.2020. The empirical analysis supports the identification of two primary convergence clubs consisting of an equally distributed number of regions (states). However, the two clubs can be merged into one after the implementation of the Phillips and Sul (2009) methodology, revealing that the first pandemic wave has eliminated any distinct (economic) characteristic between the different US states. JEL codes: L10, L80, R10. © The Author(s) 2021

Convergence in the Chinese airline industry: A Malmquist productivity analysis

Our paper examines the productivity levels of Chinese airline market over the period 2006–2016 using Malmquist productivity indexes. Applying a decomposition technique on the estimated productivity index we decompose airlines’ productivity levels into technological, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency change components. The results signify that the reforms made on the Chinese airline industry have forced the airlines to enhance both their catching-up ability and their innovation capacity. This in turn is reflected on their estimated productivity levels. Then in a second stage analysis we utilize the methodological framework by Phillips and Sul (2007, 2009) and we test for the existence of convergence clubs among the estimated productivity components. The results verify the hypothesis of convergence among airlines’ technological change and pure technical efficiency levels identifying distinct convergence clubs. The estimated relative transition paths reveal the insights of the enhanced competition among the Chinese airlines. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Revisiting the energy consumption–economic growth causal relationships in tails

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the energy consumption and the economic growth in the USA and in a sectoral level by using monthly data from January 1991 to May 2016. Design/methodology/approach: While assessing the relationship at a country level, the authors also examine five sectors by using quantile causality. Findings: The findings indicate the existence of a causality at the sectoral level in tails. More specifically, industrial and electric sectors cause the growth at the lower and higher levels. Residential, commercial and transportation sectors do not cause the growth in all levels. Total consumption causes the growth in the middle and low levels but not in the high level. Finally, the empirical evidence signifies an asymmetric relationship between the covariates. Practical implications: The results imply that when the consumption deals conditions with fluctuation, it is likely to be affected by growth. In such a case, energy policies gear toward reducing or increasing energy intensity, improving energy efficiency, encouraging the use of alternative sources and investing in the development of technology. Originality/value: The authors use, for the first time, the quantile causality for the case of energy consumption and economic growth. The quantile test is useful for a thorough comprehension of the causal relationship for this area. Compared to the OLS, which is used for the majority of causality tests, the quantile investigates the causality at the sectoral level in the tails. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Analysing the linkage between total factor productivity and tourism growth in Latin American countries

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the nexus between total factor productivity and tourism growth in Latin American countries for time series data from 1995 to 2017. Design/methodology/approach: Using the extension of the Granger noncausality test in the nonlinear time-varying of Ajmi et al. (2015), the study points out the interconnectedness between the variables during the period. Findings: The study found nonlinear causality between the variables. Particularly, studying the conclusions for the time-varying Granger causality fashion, it can be noticed that the one-way causality from total factor productivity to tourism growth is obtained for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela, while the vice versa is confirmed for Chile, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Lastly, the study dissected the plots of the curve causality. Practical implications: In view of the results, some crucial policy implications could be suggested, such as, under certain circumstances and as an exceptional case, the use of policy instruments such as targeted investment, marketing and the support of tourism organizations focused on driving a tourism-led-based productivity and/or tourism programs and projects. Originality/value: The current work is distinguished from the existing body of understanding in several substantial directions. This work explores, for the first time, the linkages between the total factor productivity index and tourism growth for Latin American countries. No single attempt has been known to investigate this interaction by using nonlinear causality, and this study determines the shape of the curve between the total factor productivity index and tourism growth for each country. © 2022, Panayiotis Tzeremes

The Asymmetric Effects of Regional House Prices in the UK: New Evidence from Panel Quantile Regression Framework

This study unfurls the non-linear behaviour of regional house prices in the United Kingdom by employing quarterly observations spanning the period 1992Q1–2017Q4. Our enquiry aims at examining UK house prices within a multivariable framework and, more specifically, by employing panel quantile regression with fixed effect. In brief, the empirical findings obtained from these methodologies indicate that the UK house prices are influenced at lower and upper quantiles, and that precisely they are influenced by variables such as income, private sector housing starts and employment. We highly support that there is a strong heterogeneity among UK regions and that asymmetry may be one of the keys of the ripple effect. Particularly, the income shows a positively significant performance at lower and higher regional house prices. Moreover, the variables private sector housing starts and employment rate are statistically significant for house prices. Leveraging for first-time panel quantile regression for the case of regional house prices in the UK, policymakers will have a profound understanding of regional house prices. JEL Classifications: C22, R21, R31 © 2021 SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd