Neutrino Physics from New Measurements

Emergence of neutrino physics is fueled by the recent growth in quality and quantity of experimental data, yet, there are still open questions. How much can the determination of mixing parameters be improved? Can we improve bounds on theta_13 before experiments designed specifically for this parameter start? How well can we determine or limit sterile fraction of neutrino flux from sun and sterile mixing angle? We examine the impact of outcome from new measurements in the context of providing answers to these questionsComment: 3 pages, 2 figures; proceeding for the presentation at the DPF2004 meeting in Riverside, C

Capital-Skill Complimentarity: Evidence from Manufacturing Industries in Ghana

Using U.S. manufacturing data, Griliches (1969) found evidence suggesting that capital equipment was more substitutable for unskilled than skilled labor. Griliches formulated this finding as the capital-skill complementarity hypothesis. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the capital-skill complementarity framework holds for Ghana manufacturing plants in industry and aggregate level. We use an unbalanced panel of plant-level data for manufacturing firms in Ghana during the 1991 and 1997 in four industries (food-bakery, textiles-garments, wood-furniture and metal-machinery). Our findings suggest that capital-skill complimentarity holds in aggregate level and wood-furniture sector in Ghana. However, we reject the capital-skill complementarity hypothesis for food-bakery, textile-garment and metal-machinery sectors.capital-skill complementarity, elasticity of substitution, translog cost function

Do personality traits predict ‘complaining’ consumers?

Although the effects of personality traits on complaining behaviour emerged in the early 1980s, there is limited research in the service industry. The purpose of this study is to examine whether consumer personality traits influence intentions to complain and whether product price and product types moderate the relationship between personality traits and intentions to complain in the retail industry. The research model is tested by logistic regression analysis on two groups of consumers who report passive and active complaining intentions. The study reveals that conscientious consumers who are open to new experiences tend to have higher intentions to complain. Being extroverted does not have any influence on complaining behaviour. Whilst price levels (low/high) and product types (grocery, clothing and electronics) improve the predictive ability of the complaining behaviour, the interaction effects relating to the three personality traits are statistically insignificant. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings are discussed

A Survey About Nothing: Monitoring a Million Supergiants for Failed Supernovae

Extragalactic transient searches have historically been limited to looking for the appearance of new sources such as supernovae. It is now possible to carry out a new kind of survey that will do the opposite, that is, search for the disappearance of massive stars. This will entail the systematic observation of galaxies within a distance of 10 Mpc in order to watch ~10^6 supergiants. Reaching this critical number ensures that something will occur yearly, since these massive stars must end their lives with a core collapse within ~10^6 years. Using deep imaging and image subtraction it is possible to determine the fates of these stars whether they end with a bang (supernova) or a whimper (fall out of sight). Such a survey would place completely new limits on the total rate of all core collapses, which is critical for determining the validity of supernova models. It would also determine the properties of supernova progenitors, better characterize poorly understood optical transients, such as eta Carina-like mass ejections, find and characterize large numbers of Cepheids, luminous blue variables and eclipsing binaries, and allow the discovery of any new phenomena that inhabit this relatively unexplored parameter space.Comment: final version, 7 pages, 5 figures, ApJ in pres

Turbulence simulation in diverse conditions for FSO links

Simulation of beam propagation through turbulent media has always been a tricky subject when it comes to moderate-to-strong turbulent regimes. Creating a well controlled turbulent environment is beneficial as a fast and a practical approach when it comes to testing the optical wireless communication systems in diverse atmospheric conditions. Turbulent media is created using multiple phase screens each having controlled random variations in its frequency and power while the propagated beam is calculated using Fresnel diffraction method. The effect of the turbulent media is added to the propagated beam using modified Von Karman spectrum. Created scintillation screens are tested and compared with the experimental data which are gathered in different turbulence regimes within various atmospheric conditions. We believe that the general drawback of the beam propagation simulation is the difference in terms of spatial distribution and sequential phase textures. To overcome these two challenges we calculate the Aperture Averaging Factors to create more realistic results. In this manner, it is possible create more viable turbulent like scintillations thus the relationship between the turbulence strength and the simulated turbulence parameters are distinctly available. Our simulation gives us an elusive insight on the real atmospheric turbulent media. It improves our understanding on parameters that are involved in real time intensity fluctuations that occur in every wireless optical communication system. © 2012 SPIE

Effects of adopting inflation targeting regimes on inflation variability

This paper investigates whether inflation-targeting programs have altered the pattern of inflation and its variability for five developed countries and four emerging economies implementing inflation-targeting programs. A GARCH specification is used to model inflation variability, which accounts for public perception of the future levels of inflation variability-conditional variance. We could not find lower conditional inflation expectations except for Australia, Chile and Sweden under various specifications. Moreover, the conditional variance decreases only for Chile and the UK. Therefore, the empirical support for the lower inflation and its variability for the inflation targeting regimes is limited. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved