Estimating Monthly GDP In A General Kalman Filter Framework: Evidence From Switzerland

In this paper, we estimate deseasonalized monthly series for Swiss Gross Domestic Product at constant prices of 1990 for the period 1980-1998. They are consistent with the quarterly figures estimated by the Federal Office for Economic Development and Labour and are obtained by including information contained in related series. We present a general approach using the Kalman Filter technique nesting a great variety of interpolation setups. We evaluate competing models and provide a time series that can be used by other researchers.Interpolation, Kalman filter, National accounting.

Noise and aliases in off-axis and phase-shifting holography

We have compared the respective efficiencies of off-axis and phase-shifting holography in terms of noise and aliases removal. The comparison is made by analyzing holograms of an USAF target backlit with laser illumination, recorded with a charge-coupled device camera. We show that it is essential to remove the LO beam noise, especially at low illumination levels

A dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for Switzerland

This paper presents a DSGE (dynamic stochastic general equilibrium) model of the Swiss economy used since 2007 in the monetary policy decision process at the Swiss National Bank. In addition to forecasting the likely course of main macro variables under various scenarios for the Swiss economy, the model DSGE-CH serves as a laboratory for studying business cycles and examining the effects of actual and hypothetical monetary policies. The microfounded model DSGE-CH represents Switzerland as a small open economy with optimizing economic agents facing several real and nominal rigidities and exogenous foreign and domestic shocks. The comparison of the model's implications with the real world indicates that DSGE-CH performs well along standard dimensions. It captures the overall stochastic structure of the Swiss economy as represented by the moments of its key macroeconomic variables, furthermore, it has appropriate dynamic properties, as judged by its impulse response functions. Finally, it quite accurately replicates the historical path of major Swiss variables.DSGE, forecasting, small open economy, Switzerland

Near-field microscopy with a scanning nitrogen-vacancy color center in a diamond nanocrystal: A brief review

We review our recent developments of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) that uses an active tip made of a single fluorescent nanodiamond (ND) grafted onto the apex of a substrate fiber tip. The ND hosting a limited number of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers, such a tip is a scanning quantum source of light. The method for preparing the ND-based tips and their basic properties are summarized. Then we discuss theoretically the concept of spatial resolution that is achievable in this special NSOM configuration and find it to be only limited by the scan height over the imaged system, in contrast with the standard aperture-tip NSOM whose resolution depends critically on both the scan height and aperture diameter. Finally, we describe a scheme we have introduced recently for high-resolution imaging of nanoplasmonic structures with ND-based tips that is capable of approaching the ultimate resolution anticipated by theory.Comment: AD, AC, OM, MB and SH wish to dedicate this brief review article to their co-author and colleague Yannick Sonnefraud who passed away in September 2014. Yannick initiated this research in 200

Monetary policy with forward-looking rules: The Swiss case

We estimate monetary policy rules in Switzerland for 1981-1997. In addition to an inflation gap, we find that forward-looking rules with output and exchange rate gaps nicely fit monetary aggregates as well as the call rate. We split the sample in 1990 when the Swiss National Bank replaced annual targets by medium-term targets for its official policy instrument, the monetary base. We find then that our rule best describes M0 and M1 before 1990 and only the call rate after 1990. Moreover, such small open economy rules are robust with respect to diffenernt central bank information sets.Exchange rate, Monetary policy instrument, Output gap, Robustness, Rule, Switzerland.

Leakage radiation microscopy of surface plasmons launched by a nanodiamond-based tip

Leakage-radiation microscopy of a thin gold film demonstrates the ability of an ensemble of fluorescent diamond nanoparticles attached onto the apex of an optical tip to serve as an efficient near-field surface-plasmon polariton launcher. The implementation of the nanodiamond-based tip in a near-field scanning optical microscope will allow for an accurate control on the launching position, thereby opening the way to scanning plasmonics.Comment: 21st European Conf. on Diamond, Diamond- Like Materials, Carbon Nanotubes, and Nitrides: "Diamond 2010", Budapest, September 2010 (Oral by OM

Typology of strata movement related to old solution mining of salt at Sarralbe (Lorraine, France)

International audienceIn the view of closure of solution-mining cavities in salt near Nancy (East of France) belonging to Solvay Company, INERIS undertook different investigations on the site as well as several boreholes. They were completed by laboratory tests and modelling as well as the analysis of strata movement. These complementary works allowed to study long term behaviour of cavities regarding the risk of collapse of the overburden. The results came to the conclusion that because of presence of deformable strata in Sarralbe deposit, large cavities have already collapsed and now mostly closed. Meanwhile, small dissolution channels might have remained open without any significant salt creep due to their rather small depth (almost 250 m). Beyond the objective of the performed study, the investigations and their conclusions are of a methodological interest for the propose of salt mines closure with respect to the evaluation of their long term impact on the safety of people and properties as well as Environment protection.Dans l'objectif de la fermeture des cavités de dissolution de sel situées près de Nancy (Est de la France) appartenant à la Société Solvay, l'INERIS a entrepris d'importantes investigations sur le site ainsi que divers forages. Elles ont été complétées par des essais de laboratoire et des travaux de modélisation numérique et d'une analyse des mouvements de terrain. Ces travaux complémentaires ont permis d'étudier le comportement à long terme des cavités au regard du risque de rupture du recouvrement. Les résultats ont abouti à conclure que, du fait de la présence des terrains déformables au sein du gisement de Sarralbe, les grandes cavités sont déjà effondrées et, pour l'essentiel, totalement fermées, tandis que des petits chenaux de dissolution ont pu demeurer ouverts sans donner lieu à un fluage significatif du sel du fait de la faible profondeur (de l'ordre de 250 m). Au-delà de l'objectif de cette étude, les investigations réalisées et leurs conclusions présentent un intérêt méthodologique dans le contexte de l'abandon d'exploitations de sel, d'un point de vue de l'évaluation à long terme de leur impact sur la sécurité des personnes et des biens et sur la protection de l'Environnement

Incipience of quantum chaos in the spin-boson model

The peculiar spectral properties of the spin-boson model make it suitable for an investigation of quantum nonintegrability effects and level statistics from a new perspective. For fixed spin quantum number s, its energy spectrum consists of 2s + 1 sequences of levels with no upper bound. These sequences are identified and labelled consecutively by means of a quantum invariant calculated from the time average of a non-stationary operator. For integrable cases, level repulsion (on the energy axis) is limited to states within each sequence. From the observed spectral properties, we infer a series of s-dependent level-spacing distributions. They converge towards a Poisson distribution for s —\u3e ∞. For nonintegrable cases, level repulsion becomes a universal phenomenon, but the amount of repulsion between two states decreases with increasing separation (in label) of the two sequences to which they belong. For small s, the quantum nonintegrability effects are compelling but not at all chaotic. Nevertheless, they contain all the ingredients necessary to produce the symptoms commonly described as indicators of quantum chaos. In this model, we can observe quantum chaos in the making under very controllable conditions