Nuclear Multifragmentation Critical Exponents

We show that the critical exponents of nuclear multi-fragmentation have not been determined conclusively yet.Comment: 3 pages, LaTeX, one postscript figure appended, sub. to Phys.Rev.Lett. as a commen

Present and Future in Semileptonic B Decays

In this talk I review the status of our ability to extract the CKM matrix elements |Vub| and |Vcb| from semileptonic decays. I will review both exclusive and inclusive methods and put a strong emphasis on how to ensure keeping the extractions model independent.Comment: 10 pages, Invited plenary talk presented at 9th International Symposium on Heavy Flavor Physics, Caltech, Sep. 10-13, 200

Reparameterization Invariance for Collinear Operators

We discuss restrictions on operators in the soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) which follow from the ambiguity in the decomposition of collinear momenta and the freedom in the choice of light-like basis vectors $n$ and $\bar n$. Invariance of SCET under small changes in $n$ and/or $\bar n$ implies a symmetry of the effective theory that constrains the form of allowed operators with collinear fields. The restrictions occur at a given order in the power counting as well as between different orders. As an example, we present the complete set of higher order operators that are related to the collinear quark kinetic term.Comment: 11 page

A beginner's guide to the U.S. payments system

A description of the U.S. payments system, outlining its evolution and examining some of the areas where improvements are needed.Payment systems

TFP growth, change in efficiency, and technological progress in the U. S. airline industry: 1970 to 1981

An overview of the airline industry's early adaptations to deregulation using a best-practice cost function approach; measures cost efficiency and changes in total factor productivity growth for airlines in the 1970s and early 1980s and discusses how these findings relate to individual airline performance.Airlines ; Airline Deregulation Act of 1978

Are we in a productivity boom? Evidence from multifactor productivity growth

Increased productivity could be the key to preserving robust, noninflationary GDP growth. But what is the best measure of productivity? This Economic Commentary explores the relationship between labor productivity and multifactor productivity, a measure that accounts for factors other than technological improvement. It concludes that MFP provides a better measure of productivity due solely to technical change.Productivity ; Technology ; Labor productivity

Efficiency and technical progress in check processing

An examination of the cost of providing check-processing services at 47 Federal Reserve offices between 1983:1Q and 1990:IVQ, demonstrating how the Fed's unit cost measures can be decomposed into separate effects related to differences in cost efficiency, output mix, input prices, and environmental variables.Checks ; Payment systems

Decomposing TFP growth in the presence of cost inefficiency, nonconstant returns to scale, and technological progress

A decomposition of observed total factor productivity (TFP) growth that examines changes in returns to scale, cost efficiency, and technology and that develops several decompositions using production and cost frontiers.Productivity ; Technology