A new effective exchange rate index for the dollar and its implications for U.S. merchandise trade

An introduction to a new exchange-rate index to measure the foreign-exchange value of the dollar. The authors develop a model of U.S. merchandise trade, featuring the new index.Foreign exchange rates ; Dollar, American

Superfluid transitions in bosonic atom-molecule mixtures near Feshbach resonance

We study bosonic atoms near a Feshbach resonance, and predict that in addition to a standard normal and atomic superfluid phases, this system generically exhibits a distinct phase of matter: a molecular superfluid, where molecules are superfluid while atoms are not. We explore zero- and finite-temperature properties of the molecular superfluid (a bosonic, strong-coupling analog of a BCS superconductor), and study quantum and classical phase transitions between the normal, molecular superfluid and atomic superfluid states.Comment: 4 revtex pages, 3 eps figures; submitted to PR

Particle tunneling through a polarizable insulator

The tunneling probability between two leads connected by a molecule, a chain, a film, or a bulk polarizable insulator is investigated within a model of an electron tunneling from lead A to a state higher in energy, describing the barrier, and from there to lead B. To describe the possibility of energy exchange with excitations of the molecule or the insulator we couple the intermediate state to a single oscillator or to a spectrum of these, respectively. In the single-oscillator case we find for weak coupling that the tunneling is weakly suppressed by a Debye-Waller-type factor. For stronger coupling the oscillator gets 'stiff' and we observe a suppression of tunneling since the effective barrier is increased. The probability for the electron to excite the oscillator increases with the coupling. In the case of a film, or a bulk barrier the behavior is qualitatively the same as in the single oscillator case. An insulating chain, as opposed to a film or a bulk connecting the two leads,shows an 'orthogonality catastrophe' similar to that of an electronic transition in a Fermi gas.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Carbon dioxide kinetics and capnography during critical care

Greater understanding of the pathophysiology of carbon dioxide kinetics during steady and nonsteady state should improve, we believe, clinical care during intensive care treatment. Capnography and the measurement of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO(2)) will gradually be augmented by relatively new measurement methodology, including the volume of carbon dioxide exhaled per breath (VCO(2,br)) and average alveolar expired PCO(2) (PA̅E̅CO(2)). Future directions include the study of oxygen kinetics

Report from space plasma science

Space plasma science, especially plasma experiments in space, is discussed. Computational simulations, wave generation and propagation, wave-particle interactions, charged particle acceleration, particle-particle interactions, radiation transport in dense plasmas, macroscopic plasma flow, plasma-magnetic field interactions, plasma-surface interactions, prospects for near-term plasma science experiments in space and three-dimensional plasma experiments are among the topics discussed

Ground failure along the New River caused by the October 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake sequence

We recognized a number of ground failures along the south bank of the New River north of Brawley, California, following the 15 October 1979 Imperial Valley, California, earthquake sequence. The zone includes a large pond and numerous sand boils, apparently caused by liquefaction, near the Del Rio Country Club. These ground failures, together with failures at the New River bridge west of Brawley and at Wiest Lake, form a discontinuous zone 10 km long. While this zone appears to coincide with the aftershocks following the 16 October 1979, M_L 5.8, Brawley earthquake (the largest aftershock of the Imperial Valley earthquake), a cause and effect relationship cannot be demonstrated. No evidence of tectonic surface faulting could be found