Notes on an analogue of the Fontaine-Mazur conjecture

We estimate the proportion of function fields satisfying certain conditions which imply a function-field analogue of the Fontaine-Mazur conjecture. As a byproduct, we compute the fraction of abelian varieties (or even Jacobians) over a finite field which have a rational point of order l.Comment: 12 pages; minor revisions according to referees' comment

Subgame perfect implementation with almost perfect information and the hold-up problem

The foundations of incomplete contracts have been questioned using or extending the subgame perfect implementation approach of Moore and Repullo (1988). We consider the robustness of subgame perfect implementation to the introduction of small amounts of asymmetric information. We show that Moore- Repullo mechanisms may not yield (even approximately) truthful revelation in pure or totally mixed strategies as the amount of asymmetric information goes to zero. Moreover, we argue that a wide class of extensive-form mechanisms are subject to this fragility

Observations of thunder with the Arecibo VHF radar

An experiment was carried out at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in August 1985 to study Doppler velocities in a thunderstorm environment with a beam pointed 2.5 degrees off-vertical. Researchers detected two types of echoes associated with lightning. The first was associated with scattering from the lightning channel itself and had characteristics similar to those observed previously with meteorological radars. The second appeared to be due to scattering from the turbulence organized by phase fronts of an acoustic wave generated by lightning. The observations were consistent with a wave traveling at a velocity near the speed of sound and having a vertical phase velocity component of 40 m/s

Observations of vertical velocity power spectra with the SOUSY VHF radar

A data set taken with the SOUSY VHF radar from October 28 to November 13, 1981 was used to calculate the power spectrum of the vertical velocities directly from the vertical beam measurements. The spectral slopes for the frequency spectra have been determined out to periods of several days and have been found to have values near -1 in the troposphere and shallower slopes in the lower stratosphere. The value of -1 is in agreement with the value found by Larsen et al. (1985) and Balsley and Carter (1982) in the range from a few minutes to 1 hr

The Double Slit Experiment With Polarizers

The double slit experiment provides a standard way of demonstrating how quantum mechanics works. We consider modifying the standard arrangement so that a photon beam incident upon the double slit encounters a polarizer in front of either one or both of the slits.Comment: 6 page

A model-based constraint on CO₂ fertilisation

We derive a constraint on the strength of CO2 fertilisation of the terrestrial biosphere through a “top-down” approach, calibrating Earth system model parameters constrained by the post-industrial increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration. We derive a probabilistic prediction for the globally averaged strength of CO2 fertilisation in nature, for the period 1850 to 2000 AD, implicitly net of other limiting factors such as nutrient availability. The approach yields an estimate that is independent of CO2 enrichment experiments. To achieve this, an essential requirement was the incorpo- ration of a land use change (LUC) scheme into the GENIE Earth system model. Using output from a 671-member ensemble of transient GENIE simulations, we build an emulator of the change in atmospheric CO2 concentration change since the preindustrial period. We use this emulator to sample the 28-dimensional input parameter space. A Bayesian calibration of the emulator output suggests that the increase in gross primary productivity (GPP) in response to a doubling of CO2 from preindustrial values is very likely (90 % confidence) to exceed 20 %, with a most likely value of 40–60 %. It is important to note that we do not represent all of the possible contributing mechanisms to the terrestrial sink. The missing processes are subsumed into our calibration of CO2 fertilisation, which therefore represents the combined effect of CO2 fertilisation and additional missing processes. If the missing processes are a net sink then our estimate represents an upper bound. We derive calibrated estimates of carbon fluxes that are consistent with existing estimates. The present-day land–atmosphere flux (1990–2000) is estimated at −0.7 GTC yr−1 (likely, 66 % confidence, in the range 0.4 to −1.7 GTC yr−1). The present-day ocean–atmosphere flux (1990–2000) is estimated to be −2.3 GTC yr−1 (likely in the range −1.8 to −2.7 GTC yr−1). We estimate cumulative net land emissions over the post-industrial period (land use change emissions net of the CO2 fertilisation and climate sinks) to be 66 GTC, likely to lie in the range 0 to 128 GTC

Adopting and Implementing a Software Development Methodology: An Organizational Perspective

Although much has been written about better aligning Information Systems (IS) with the business, too often organizations perceive software development as though it exists in its own little cocoon. Selection of a formal software development methodology (FSDM) is usually left to the IS area which focuses on the detail component levels and features of an FSDM. The authors instead approach an FSDM evaluation from an organizational perspective. An organizational systems level (OSL) model should first be used to examine the potential impacts of a new FSDM on human resource policies and practices, organizational culture, structure and design, and work design and technology. Critical success factors (CSF) for an organizational FSDM are also discussed

Pathways for Nutrient Loss to Water; Slurry and Fertilizer Spreading

End of project reportThere are almost 150,000 farms in Ireland and these contribute substantial quantities of N and P to inland and coastal waters. Some of these nutrients are carried from wet soils by overland flow and by leaching from dry soils. Farm practice can reduce the loss from farms by judicious management of nutrients. Improvements are required to diminish export of nutrients without impairing operations on the farm. Literature regarding nutrient loss from agriculture was reviewed in this project and maps were prepared to predict best slurry spreading times around Ireland. Two further maps were prepared to show slurry storage requirement on farms

Miniature multicontact connectors

Connectors, which have 4 to 9 contacts, are engaged through a hole with a minimum diameter of 0.030 inch. They are constructed of concentric brass and nylon components assembled with a light, firm press-fit. They withstand several thousand mating cycles and each outer contact has a one ampere capacity

The Evolution of the Field and Cluster Morphology-Density Relation for Mass-Selected Samples of Galaxies

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and photometric/spectroscopic surveys in the GOODS-South field (the Chandra Deep Field-South, CDFS) are used to construct volume-limited, stellar mass-selected samples of galaxies at redshifts 0<z<1. The CDFS sample at 0.6<z<1.0 contains 207 galaxies complete down to M=4x10^10 Msol (for a ``diet'' Salpeter IMF), corresponding to a luminosity limit for red galaxies of M_B=-20.1. The SDSS sample at 0.020<z<0.045 contains 2003 galaxies down to the same mass limit, which corresponds to M_B=-19.3 for red galaxies. Morphologies are determined with an automated method, using the Sersic parameter n and a measure of the residual from the model fits, called ``bumpiness'', to distinguish different morphologies. These classifications are verified with visual classifications. In agreement with previous studies, 65-70% of the galaxies are located on the red sequence, both at z~0.03 and at z~0.8. Similarly, 65-70% of the galaxies have n>2.5. The fraction of E+S0 galaxies is 43+/-3%$ at z~0.03 and 48+/-7% at z~0.8, i.e., it has not changed significantly since z~0.8. When combined with recent results for cluster galaxies in the same redshift range, we find that the morphology-density relation for galaxies more massive than 0.5M* has remained constant since at least z~0.8. This implies that galaxies evolve in mass, morphology and density such that the morphology-density relation does not change. In particular, the decline of star formation activity and the accompanying increase in the stellar mass density of red galaxies since z~1 must happen without large changes in the early-type galaxy fraction in a given environment.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables. Updated to match journal version. Will appear in ApJ (vol. 670, p. 206