Moduli Spaces for Four- and Five- Dimensional Black Holes

We propose a universal expression for the moduli metric of a class of four- and five-dimensional black holes which preserve at least four supersymmetries. These include the black holes that are associated with various intersecting branes in ten and eleven dimensions, the electrically charged black holes of N=2 D=5 and N=2 D=4 supergravities with any number of vector multiplets, and dyonic black holes of N=2 D=4 supergravity. The moduli metric of electrically charged N=2 D=4 black holes coupled to any number of vector multiplets is explicitly computed. We also investigate the superconformal symmetries of the black hole moduli spaces for small black hole separations.Comment: 44 pages, phyzzx.tex, minor corrections, some more references adde

Superconformal N=2, D=5 matter with and without actions

We investigate N=2, D=5 supersymmetry and matter-coupled supergravity theories in a superconformal context. In a first stage we do not require the existence of a Lagrangian. Under this assumption, we already find at the level of rigid supersymmetry, i.e. before coupling to conformal supergravity, more general matter couplings than have been considered in the literature. For instance, we construct new vector-tensor multiplet couplings, theories with an odd number of tensor multiplets, and hypermultiplets whose scalar manifold geometry is not hyperkaehler. Next, we construct rigid superconformal Lagrangians. This requires some extra ingredients that are not available for all dynamical systems. However, for the generalizations with tensor multiplets mentioned above, we find corresponding new actions and scalar potentials. Finally, we extend the supersymmetry to local superconformal symmetry, making use of the Weyl multiplet. Throughout the paper, we will indicate the various geometrical concepts that arise, and as an application we compute the non-vanishing components of the Ricci tensor of hypercomplex group manifolds. Our results can be used as a starting point to obtain more general matter-couplings to Poincare supergravity.Comment: 67 pages; v2: title of reference changed and small editing corrections; v3: small typing errors corrected, version published in JHEP; v4: typos corrected; v5: additional term in (2.109) and (4.11); v6: change of order of indices in (2.89

The Role of Information and Financial Reporting in Corporate Governance and Debt Contracting

We review recent literature on the role of financial reporting transparency in reducing governance-related agency conflicts among managers, directors, and shareholders, as well as in reducing agency conflicts between shareholders and creditors, and offer researchers some suggested avenues for future research. Key themes include the endogenous nature of debt contracts and governance mechanisms with respect to information asymmetry between contracting parties, the heterogeneous nature of the informational demands of contracting parties, and the heterogeneous nature of the resulting governance and debt contracts. We also emphasize the role of a commitment to financial reporting transparency in facilitating informal multiperiod contracts among managers, directors, shareholders, and creditors

Four Regional Marine Biodiversity Studies: Approaches and Contributions to Ecosystem-Based Management

We compare objectives and approaches of four regional studies of marine biodiversity: Gulf of Maine Area Census of Marine Life, Baltic Sea History of Marine Animal Populations, Great Barrier Reef Seabed Biodiversity Project, and Gulf of Mexico Biodiversity Project. Each program was designed as an "ecosystem" scale but was created independently and executed differently. Each lasted 8 to 10 years, including several years to refine program objectives, raise funding, and develop research networks. All resulted in improved baseline data and in new, or revised, data systems. Each contributed to the creation or evolution of interdisciplinary teams, and to regional, national, or international science-management linkages. To date, there have been differing extents of delivery and use of scientific information to and by management, with greatest integration by the program designed around specific management questions. We evaluate each research program's relative emphasis on three principal elements of biodiversity organization: composition, structure, and function. This approach is used to analyze existing ecosystem-wide biodiversity knowledge and to assess what is known and where gaps exist. In all four of these systems and studies, there is a relative paucity of investigation on functional elements of biodiversity, when compared with compositional and structural elements. This is symptomatic of the current state of the science. Substantial investment in understanding one or more biodiversity element(s) will allow issues to be addressed in a timely and more integrative fashion. Evaluating research needs and possible approaches across specific elements of biodiversity organization can facilitate planning of future studies and lead to more effective communication between scientists, managers, and stakeholders. Building a general approach that captures how various studies have focused on different biodiversity elements can also contribute to meta-analyses of worldwide experience in scientific research to support ecosystem-based management