Examples of scalar-flat hypersurfaces in Rn+1\mathbb{R}^{n+1}

Given a hypersurface $M$ of null scalar curvature in the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^n$, $n\ge 4$, such that its second fundamental form has rank greater than 2, we construct a singular scalar-flat hypersurface in \Rr^{n+1} as a normal graph over a truncated cone generated by $M$. Furthermore, this graph is 1-stable if the cone is strictly 1-stable.Comment: Paper accepted to publication in Manuscripta Mathematic

The Dirichlet Problem for Curvature Equations in Riemannian Manifolds

We prove the existence of classical solutions to the Dirichlet problem for a class of fully nonlinear elliptic equations of curvature type on Riemannian manifolds. We also derive new second derivative boundary estimates which allows us to extend some of the existence theorems of Caffarelli, Nirenberg and Spruck [4] and Ivochkina, Trundinger and Lin [19] to more general curvature functions and less convex domains.Comment: 32 pages, no figures. Final version. Paper accepted to publication in Indiana University Mathematics Journa

Lawyers: Gatekeepers of the Sovereign Debt Market?

The claim that lawyers act as gatekeepers or certifiers in financial transactions is widely discussed in the legal literature. There has, however, been little empirical examination of the claim. We test the hypothesis that law firms have replaced investment banks as the gatekeepers of the market for sovereign debt. Our results suggest that hiring outside law firms sends a negative signal to the market regarding the pending issuance; a finding that is inconsistent with the thesis that outside law firms primarily play a certification role in the sovereign debt market