Deriving a Global Social Accounting Matrix from GTAP version 5 Data

This paper reports a method for converting version 5 of the GTAP database into a global SAM that is stored in GAMS data exchange (GDX) format or in a Header Array (HAR) format. The focus of attention is on the generation of a SAM representation of the GTAP database that is fully consistent with the GTAP model; as such the resultant SAM can be readily used to calibrate a version of the GTAP model that had been coded in GAMS. The GAMS code used to generate the SAM representation of the GTAP database is provided as a GAMS model library – this code has been tested with versions 5.0 and 5.3 of the GTAP database

Supporting different search strategies in a video query interface

This paper reports the design and development of the Diceman Query Application. the paper discusses the implications of the interface on the underlying search engine

Impact of Switching Production to Bioenergy Crops: The Switchgrass Example January 2005

This paper reports the results of a series of simulations that evaluate the general equilibrium effects of substituting crude oil by biomass, specifically switchgrass, in the production of petroleum in the USA. The simulations are inspired by debates over the implications for developing countries if agricultural policies in the USA are changed so that agricultural land is transferred from the production of cereals and other crops to biomass production. The results confirm expectations that such a policy shift would raise cereal and other agricultural prices, due to a general reduction in food production in the USA. However, the reduction in the demand for crude oil in the USA causes terms of trade effects that more than offset any potential benefits for developing countries due to the depreciation of their exchange rates, causing a general decline in economic welfare. Moreover, the declines in welfare are proportionately greater for developing countries due to their small levels of production of the commodities whose prices increase with the change in USA agricultural production

Optical surface damage from reentrant gases on STS

The effect of an ammonia environment on the spectral reflectance of certain optical surfaces in the vacuum ultraviolet region was studied. In particular, the optical surfaces in the space shuttle were considered. Scans made of sample beams showed no change in the relative intensities before or after exposure to ammonia. Ammonia showed no effect on the Al/MgF2 mirror reflectance in the vacuum ultraviolet

Optical grating analyzer studies

A spectrometer was specifically designed and developed to observe grating spectra over a range of incidence angles from normal to almost grazing incidence. A unique scanning and focusing mechanism is utilized to keep the exit slit on the Rowland circle. Polarization effects in the vacuum were investigated, and efficiency measurements and spectral scans were made simultaneously with the spectrometer. Results of measurements are given. Applications of the spectrometer to the space program and to the study of contamination on optical surfaces are indicated

Transverse effects in multifrequency Raman generation

The theory of ultrabroadband multifrequency Raman generation is extended, for the first time, to allow for beam-propagation effects in one and two transverse dimensions. We show that a complex transverse structure develops even when diffraction is neglected. In the general case, we examine how the ultrabroadband multifrequency Raman generation process is affected by the intensity, phase quality, and width of the input beams, and by the length of the Raman medium. The evolution of power spectra, intensity profiles, and global characteristics of the multifrequency beams are investigated and explained. In the two-dimensional transverse case, bandwidths comparable to the optical carrier frequency, spanning the whole visible spectrum and beyond, are still achievable