Neutron Star Merger Remnants: Braking Indices, Gravitational Waves, and the Equation Of State

The binary neutron star merger GW170817/GRB170817A confirmed that at least some neutron star mergers are the progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. Many short gamma-ray bursts have long-term x-ray afterglows that have been interpreted in terms of post-merger millisecond magnetars---rapidly rotating, highly magnetised, massive neutron stars. We review our current understanding of millisecond magnetars born in short gamma-ray bursts, focusing particularly three main topics. First, whether millisecond magnetars really do provide the most plausible explain for the x-ray plateau. Second, determining and observing the gravitational-wave emission from these remnants. Third, determining the equation of state of nuclear matter from current and future x-ray and gravitational-wave measurements.Comment: Conference Proceedings of the Xiamen-CUSTIPEN Workshop on the EOS of Dense Neutron-Rich Matter in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy (January 3 - 7, 2019, Xiamen, China

Back to Bentham? Explorations of Experienced Utility

Two core meanings of “utility” are distinguished. “Decision utility” is the weight of an outcome in a decision. “Experienced utility” is hedonic quality, as in Bentham’s usage. Experienced utility can be reported in real time (instant utility), or in retrospective evaluations of past episodes (remembered utility). Psychological research has documented systematic errors in retrospective evaluations, which can induce a preference for dominated options. We propose a formal normative theory of the total experienced utility of temporally extended outcomes. Measuring the experienced utility of outcomes permits tests of utility maximization and opens other lines of empirical research

Fertilizer consumption and growth in semi-arid tropical India: A district-level analysis

Studies on fertilizer use in Indian agriculture have focused mainly on the high fertilizer consuming irrigated crops and regions that have provided the main base for past growth in fertilizer consumption [2,3,4,5]..

Fertilizer Use in Semi-Arid Tropical India

Research over the last decade has shown that fertilizer can increase productivity of most dryland crops in India's semi-arid tropics (SAT). District and farm data were employed to analyze levels and determinants of fertilizer use within and across regions in this area. Profitability of fertilizer application and assurance of response were the major forces motivating fertilizer use in the Indian SAT. Average fertilizer consumption was 57 kg/ha in the irrigated and 18 kg/ha in the nonirrigated SAT districts. Farmers owning irrigated and dryland plots accorded priority to higher-response crops in allocating their scarce irrigation and cash resources. A majority of farmers used fertilizer on nonirrigated cereal highyielding varieties, and more than 80% of them growing sorghum and pearl millet hybrids under dryland conditions in the major producing districts applied fertilizer to these crops. This suggests that it is unresponsiveness of traditional crop varieties to fertilizer application—not their low value—that inhibits fertilizer adoption. Knowledge, represented by farmers' experience with fertilizer and education, was the most significant determinant in explaining the variation in fertilizer use among farmers within the same region. Relatively few farmers knew about specific fertilizer recommendations for dryland crops. Research and extension efforts are crucial for generating and diffusing more and better-quality information on fertilizer use on dryland crops in India's SAT