UV-optical from space

The following subject areas are covered: (1) the science program (star formation and origins of planetary systems; structure and evolution of the interstellar medium; stellar population; the galactic and extragalactic distance scale; nature of galaxy nuclei, AGNs, and QSOs; formation and evolution of galaxies at high redshifts; and cosmology); (2) implementation of the science program; (3) the observatory-class missions (HST; LST - the 6m successor to HST; and next-generation 16m telescope); (4) moderate and small missions (Delta-class Explorers; imaging astrometric interferometer; small Explorers; optics development and demonstrations; and supporting ground-based capabilities); (5) prerequisites - the current science program (Lyman-FUSE; HTS optimization; the near-term science program; data analysis, modeling, and theory funding; and archives); (6) technologies for the next century; and (7) lunar-based telescopes and instruments

Quality-Enhancing Merger Efficiencies

The appropriate role of merger efficiencies remains unresolved in US antitrust law and policy. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to a significant shift in health care delivery. The ACA promises that increased integration and a shift from quantity of performance through increased competition will create a system in which quality will go up and prices will go down. Increasingly, due to the economic trends that respond to the ACA, including considerable consolidation both horizontally and vertically, it is imperative that the antitrust agencies provide an economically sound and administrable legal approach to efficiency enhancing mergers. In this regard, horizontal hospital mergers present particularly challenges for antitrust. Most hospital merger cases focus on cost based efficiencies, as does most of the academic empirical literature. Yet, government policy seems out of synch with quality analysis. This essay proceeds as follows. First, it provides a discussion of the welfare effects on quality and its implications for antitrust analysis. In the next part, the article explores quality analysis both in the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines and in antitrust case law. In doing so, the essay identifies areas both of clarity and ambiguity regarding quality enhancing efficiencies policy. In the subsequent part, the essay draws parallels to an efficiency analysis of quality under rule of reason analysis, in which the essay offers examples of resale price maintenance and tying of franchising contracts. Thereafter, in the next part, the essay addresses how agencies and courts should treat quality efficiencies in mergers. In doing so, the essay draws upon the existing academic literature in empirical industrial organization economics and public health on measurements of what is hospital quality in a consolidating healthcare marketplace. In its concluding section, the essay advocates a more robust use of quality measurements as a guiding principle of merger law and policy that is flexible enough for case by case analysis and that will provide for ease of adminstrability and outcomes more in line with sound economic analysis than the current system

Molecular Hydrogen in the FUSE Translucent Lines of Sight: The Full Sample

We report total abundances and related parameters for the full sample of the FUSE survey of molecular hydrogen in 38 translucent lines of sight. New results are presented for the "second half" of the survey involving 15 lines of sight to supplement data for the first 23 lines of sight already published. We assess the correlations between molecular hydrogen and various extinction parameters in the full sample, which covers a broader range of conditions than the initial sample. In particular, we are now able to confirm that many, but not all, lines of sight with shallow far-UV extinction curves and large values of the total-to-selective extinction ratio, $R_V$ = $A_V$ / $E(B-V)$ -- characteristic of larger than average dust grains -- are associated with particularly low hydrogen molecular fractions ($f_{\rm H2}$). In the lines of sight with large $R_V$, there is in fact a wide range in molecular fractions, despite the expectation that the larger grains should lead to less H$_2$ formation. However, we see specific evidence that the molecular fractions in this sub-sample are inversely related to the estimated strength of the UV radiation field and thus the latter factor is more important in this regime. We have provided an update to previous values of the gas-to-dust ratio, $N$(H$_{\rm tot}$)/$E(B-V)$, based on direct measurements of $N$(H$_2$) and $N$(H I). Although our value is nearly identical to that found with Copernicus data, it extends the relationship by a factor of 2 in reddening. Finally, as the new lines of sight generally show low to moderate molecular fractions, we still find little evidence for single monolithic "translucent clouds" with $f_{\rm H2}$ $\sim$ 1.Comment: 35 pages, 5 tables, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplements Serie

Formula Pricing and Profit Sharing in Inter‐Firm Contracts

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109908/1/mde2704.pd

Bundled Discounts, Loyalty Discounts and Antitrust Policy

In this paper, we explore the competitive significance of both bundled and loyalty discounts. The paper proceeds as follows. In Section II, we examine the antitrust treatment of both bundled discounts and loyalty discounts in the United States. In Section III, we examine bundled discounts and discuss their competitive significance. In Section IV, we examine loyalty discounts as well as their competitive significance. In Section V, we suggest that the courts evaluate bundled discounts and loyalty discounts under the Rule of Reason. In Section VI, we close with some concluding remarks and policy recommendations

The Rule of Reason and the Goals of Antitrust: An Economic Approach

In this paper, we discuss the problem of the rule of reason and the welfare standard in antitrust. We begin with the Introduction (Section I), which provides an overview of the problem. In Section II, we review the Supreme Court’s guidance on the standard for conducting a rule of reason analysis. Put simply, the Supreme Court has failed to identify clearly what standard to use in conducting a rule of reason inquiry. After a careful — albeit selective — reading of Supreme Court opinions it is simply not clear. While a case can be made for total welfare as the guiding principle of a rule of reason analysis, which is the standard that we advocate, an argument also can be made, based upon case law, for consumer welfare. In most simple cases, the antitrust welfare standard does not matter. Beyond these simple cases, however, there are more complicated cases for which the welfare standard does matter. The article introduces the first set of complications in Section III where we analyze the need to weigh efficiencies that are accompanied by increased market power flowing from joint ventures or mergers. In Section IV, we turn our attention to the creation of countervailing power through joint ventures or mergers. In Section V, we turn our attention to restraints that have no apparent total welfare effects, but do have pronounced distributive effects. Finally, we close the article with some concluding comments in Section VI regarding how to solve the policy dilemma of the implementation of proper goal of antitrust