ICROFS news 1/2010 - newsletter from ICROFS

Contents: - CORE Organic II kick-off meeting - Organic Agriculture: New journal calls for papers - PhD defense on meta-analysis of variety mixtures - Strip cropping system for sustainable food/energy production - OA systems benefit biodiversity and natural pest regulation - A pro-poor model for smallholder inclusion in developing countries - Brief news on congresses and publication

ICROFS news 3/2010 - newsletter from ICROFS

Contents: - Organic RDD application deadline: 13. September 2010 - DARCOF III project, SEED, finalized - VOA3R project website is published - New project: Transparent Food: Quality & Integrity in Food - Why Danish Organic Farming Policy has been succesful - Quality of foraging material and effect on hens feed intake - Chinese organic export model & a Danish future perspective - The climate heroes of the future? - Course: ‘Organic agriculture in a development perspective’ - Brief news on congresses and publication

ICROFS news 2/2010 - newsletter from ICROFS

Contents: - CORE Organic II is set into motion - News on the next Danish research programme, Organic RDD - ICROFS' chairman speaks at international ATV conference - Public organic food procurement for youth in 4 EU countries - Cattle trampling reduces risk of nitrate leaching in organic dairy rotation - Horse bean, pea and rape protein in feed for organic trout - Cows fed vitamin-rich feed produce vitamin-rich milk - Brief news on congresses and publication

ICROFS news 4/2010 - newsletter from ICROFS

Contents: - 59 CORE Organic pre-proposals - Organic RDD is in place - ICROFS coordinates research in 3 African countries - Improving wheat production using nitrogen - Communicating 'ethical' attributes of organic food - Markets and institutional capacity - A glance at the development of the organic sector in Nigeria - Organic bread-wheat in New England, USA - 3rd ISOFAR conference: New deadline: 31.12.2010 - New version of Organic.Edunet - FQH 2011, NJF 2011 - CERTCOST workshop at BioFach and in Brussels (on preventing fraud

The real exchange rate in sticky price models: does investment matter?

This paper re-examines the ability of sticky-price models to generate volatile and persistent real exchange rates. We use a DSGE framework with pricing-to-market akin to those in Chari, et al. (2002) and Steinsson (2008) to illustrate the link between real exchange rate dynamics and what the model assumes about physical capital. We show that adding capital accumulation to the model facilitates consumption smoothing and significantly impedes the model's ability to generate volatile real exchange rates. Our analysis, therefore, caveats the results in Steinsson (2008) who shows how real shocks in a sticky-price model without capital can replicate the observed real exchange rate dynamics. Finally, we find that the CKM (2002) persistence anomaly remains robust to several alternative capital specifications including set-ups with variable capital utilization and investment adjustment costs (see, e.g., Christiano, et al., 2005). In summary, the PPP puzzle is still very much alive and well.Globalization ; Foreign exchange ; International finance ; Forecasting ; Mathematical models

Technical note on "The real exchange rate in sticky price models: does investment matter?"

This technical note is developed as a mathematical companion to the paper "The Real Exchange Rate in Sticky Price Models: Does Investment Matter?" (Institute working paper no. 17). It contains three basic calculations. First, we derive the equilibrium conditions of the model. Second, we compute the zero-inflation, zero-trade balance (deterministic) steady state. Third, we describe the log-linearization of the equilibrium conditions around the deterministic steady state. Simultaneously, we explain the system of equations that constitutes the basis for the paper to broaden its scope. Commentary is provided whenever necessary to complement the model description and to place into context the assumptions embedded in our DSGE framework.Globalization ; Foreign exchange ; International finance ; Forecasting ; Mathematical models

Validation of Danish wind time series from a new global renewable energy atlas for energy system analysis

We present a new high-resolution global renewable energy atlas ({REatlas}) that can be used to calculate customised hourly time series of wind and solar PV power generation. In this paper, the atlas is applied to produce 32-year-long hourly model wind power time series for Denmark for each historical and future year between 1980 and 2035. These are calibrated and validated against real production data from the period 2000 to 2010. The high number of years allows us to discuss how the characteristics of Danish wind power generation varies between individual weather years. As an example, the annual energy production is found to vary by $\pm10\%$ from the average. Furthermore, we show how the production pattern change as small onshore turbines are gradually replaced by large onshore and offshore turbines. Finally, we compare our wind power time series for 2020 to corresponding data from a handful of Danish energy system models. The aim is to illustrate how current differences in model wind may result in significant differences in technical and economical model predictions. These include up to $15\%$ differences in installed capacity and $40\%$ differences in system reserve requirements

Predictions for LHC from SO(4) MWT

We investigate the vector, axial and pseudo scalar mass spectrum of an SO(4) - MWT gauge theory with fermions in the vector representation of SO(4). Here we present the preliminary lattice results for the masses of vector and axial vector meson using Wilson fermions. These spectra are crucial for the discovery and to guide the searches of composite dynamics at the LHC.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, presented at the 31st International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2013), 29 July - 3 August 2013, Mainz, German