Calibrating a CGE model with NTBs that Incorporates Standard Models of Modern Trade Theory

We propose a way to incorporate NTBs for the four workhorse models of the modern trade literature in computable general equilibrium models (CGEs). CGE models feature intermediate linkages and thus allow us to study global value chains (GVCs). We show that the Ethier-Krugman monopolistic competition model, the Melitz firm heterogeneity model and the Eaton and Kortum model can be defined as an Armington model with generalized marginal costs, generalized trade costs and a demand externality. As already known in the literature in both the Ethier-Krugman model and the Melitz model generalized marginal costs are a function of the amount of factor input bundles. In the Melitz model generalized marginal costs are also a function of the price of the factor input bundles. Lower factor prices raise the number of firms that can enter the market profitably (extensive margin), reducing generalized marginal costs of a representative firm. For the same reason the Melitz model features a demand externality: in a larger market more firms can enter. We implement the different models in a CGE setting with multiple sectors, intermediate linkages, non-homothetic preferences and detailed data on trade costs. We find the largest welfare effects from trade cost reductions in the Melitz model. We also employ the Melitz model to mimic changes in Non tariff Barriers (NTBs) with a fixed cost-character by analysing the effect of changes in fixed trade costs. While we work here with a model calibrated to the GTAP database, the methods developed can also be applied to CGE models based on the WIOD database.

Organizational, intermediate (field), (direct and general support), and depot maintenance repair parts and special tools list : engine, gasoline, 6 HP, military standard models, DOD model 4A032-1, 4A032-2, NSN 2805-00-776-0483, 2805-00-068-7512.

"April 1977."

Operator, organizational, intermediate (field), (direct support and general support), and depot level maintenance manual : engine, gasoline, 6 HP, military standard models, DOD model 4A032-1, 4A032-2, NSN 2805-00-776-0483, 2805-00-068-7512.

Includes index.

Organizational, intermediate (field) (direct support and general support) and depot maintenance repair parts and special tools list : engine, gasoline, 1 1/2 HP; military standard models (model 1A08-1, NSN 2805-00-601-5181), (model 1A08-II, NSN 2805-00-714-8552), (model 1A08-III, NSN 2805-00-068-7510).

"Department of the Marine Corps stock list, SL-4-81283B."

Organizational, intermediate (field), direct, and general support and depot maintenance repair parts and special tools list : engine, gasoline, 3 HP, military standard models (model 2A016-1, NSN 2805-00-601-5127) (model 2A016-2, NSN 2805-00-714-8553) (model 2A016-3, NSN 2805-00-072-4871).

"United States Marine Corps stock list SL-4-03521A."

Ice internal friction: Standard theoretical perspectives on friction codified, adapted for the unusual rheology of ice, and unified

Sea ice contains flaws including frictional contacts. We aim to describe quantitatively the mechanics of those contacts, providing local physics for geophysical models. With a focus on the internal friction of ice, we review standard micro-mechanical models of friction. The solid's deformation under normal load may be ductile or elastic. The shear failure of the contact may be by ductile flow, brittle fracture, or melting and hydrodynamic lubrication. Combinations of these give a total of six rheological models. When the material under study is ice, several of the rheological parameters in the standard models are not constant, but depend on the temperature of the bulk, on the normal stress under which samples are pressed together, or on the sliding velocity and acceleration. This has the effect of making the shear stress required for sliding dependent on sliding velocity, acceleration, and temperature. In some cases, it also perturbs the exponent in the normal-stress dependence of that shear stress away from the value that applies to most materials. We unify the models by a principle of maximum displacement for normal deformation, and of minimum stress for shear failure, reducing the controversy over the mechanism of internal friction in ice to the choice of values of four parameters in a single model. The four parameters represent, for a typical asperity contact, the sliding distance required to expel melt-water, the sliding distance required to break contact, the normal strain in the asperity, and the thickness of any ductile shear zone.

Search for neutral minimal supersymmetric standard model Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs produced in association with b quarks in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

We report results from a search for neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with b quarks using data recorded by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.3fb-1. This production mode can be enhanced in several extensions of the standard model (SM) such as in its minimal supersymmetric extension (MSSM) at high tan β. We search for Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs with one tau decaying to a muon and neutrinos and the other to hadrons. The data are found to be consistent with SM expectations, and we set upper limits on the cross section times branching ratio in the Higgs boson mass range from 90 to 320GeV/c2. We interpret our result in the MSSM parameter space, excluding tan β values down to 25 for Higgs boson masses below 170GeV/c2. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Towards workflow ecosystems through standard representations

Workflows are increasingly used to manage and share scientific computations and methods. Workflow tools can be used to design, validate, execute and visualize scientific workflows and their execution results. Other tools manage workflow libraries or mine their contents. There has been a lot of recent work on workflow system integration as well as common workflow interlinguas, but the interoperability among workflow systems remains a challenge. Ideally, these tools would form a workflow ecosystem such that it should be possible to create a workflow with a tool, execute it with another, visualize it with another, and use yet another tool to mine a repository of such workflows or their executions. In this paper, we describe our approach to create a workflow ecosystem through the use of standard models for provenance (OPM and W3C PROV) and extensions (P-PLAN and OPMW) to represent workflows. The ecosystem integrates different workflow tools with diverse functions (workflow generation, execution, browsing, mining, and visualization) created by a variety of research groups. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that such a variety of workflow systems and functions are integrated.

Non-standard signatures from Cosmic Microwave Background polarisation

In this Thesis we focus on non-standard signatures from CMB polarisation, which might hint at the existence of new phenomena beyond the standard models for Cosmology and Particle physics. With the Planck ESA mission, CMB temperature anisotropies have been observed at the cosmic variance limit, but polarisation remains to be further investigated. CMB polarisation data are important not only because they contribute to provide tighter constraints of cosmological parameters but also because they allow the investigation of physical processes that would be precluded if just the CMB temperature maps were considered. We take polarisation data into account to assess the statistical significance of the anomalies currently observed only in the CMB temperature map and to constrain the Cosmic Birefringence (CB) effect, which is expected in parity-violating extensions of the standard electromagnetism. In particular, we propose a new one-dimensional estimator for the lack of power anomaly capable of taking both temperature and polarisation into account jointly. With the aim of studying the anisotropic CB we develop and perform two different and complementary methods able to evaluate the power spectrum of the CB. Finally, by employing these estimators and methodologies on Planck data we provide new constraints beyond what already known in literature. The measure of CMB polarisation represents a technological challenge and to make accurate estimates, one has to keep an exquisite control of the systematic effects. In order to investigate the impact of spurious signal in forthcoming CMB polarisation experiments, we study the interplay between half-wave plates (HWP) non-idealities and the beams. Our analysis suggests that certain HWP configurations, depending on the complexity of Galactic foregrounds and the beam models, significantly impacts the B-mode reconstruction fidelity and could limit the capabilities of next-generation CMB experiments. We provide also a first study of the impact of non-ideal HWPs on CB.

Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars III. Detection of lithium in the metal-poor bulge dwarf MOA-2010-BLG-285S

Context. To study the evolution of Li in the Galaxy it is necessary to observe dwarf or subgiant stars. These are the only long-lived stars whose present-day atmospheric chemical composition reflects their natal Li abundances according to standard models of stellar evolution. Although Li has been extensively studied in the Galactic disk and halo, to date there has only been one uncertain detection of Li in an unevolved bulge star. Aims. Our aim with this study is to provide the first clear detection of Li in the Galactic bulge, based on an analysis of a dwarf star that has largely retained its initial Li abundance. Methods. We performed a detailed elemental abundance analysis of the bulge dwarf star MOA-2010-BLG-285S using a high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectrum obtained with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT when the object was optically magnified during a gravitational microlensing event (visual magnification A similar to 550 during observation). The Li abundance was determined through synthetic line profile fitting of the (7)Li resonance doublet line at 670.8 nm. The results have been corrected for departures from LTE. Results. MOA-2010-BLG-285S is, at [Fe/H] = -1.23, the most metal-poor dwarf star detected so far in the Galactic bulge. Its old age (12.5 Gyr) and enhanced [alpha/Fe] ratios agree well with stars in the thick disk at similar metallicities. This star represents the first unambiguous detection of Li in a metal-poor dwarf star in the Galactic bulge. We find an NLTE corrected Li abundance of log epsilon(Li) = 2.16, which is consistent with values derived for Galactic disk and halo dwarf stars at similar metallicities and temperatures. Conclusions. Our results show that there are no signs of Li enrichment or production in the Galactic bulge during its earliest phases. Observations of Li in other galaxies (omega Cen) and other components of the Galaxy suggest further that the Spite plateau is universal.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XII. CoRoT-12b: a short-period low-density planet transiting a solar analog star

We report the discovery by the CoRoT satellite of a new transiting giant planet in a 2.83 days orbit about a V = 15.5 solar analog star (M(*) = 1.08 +/- 0.08 M(circle dot), R(*) = 1.1 +/- 0.1 R(circle dot), T(eff) = 5675 +/- 80 K). This new planet, CoRoT-12b, has a mass of 0.92 +/- 0.07 M(Jup) and a radius of 1.44 +/- 0.13 R(Jup). Its low density can be explained by standard models for irradiated planets.

A relative gradient theory for layered materials

It is possible to remedy certain difficulties with the description of short wave length phenomena and interfacial slip in standard models of a laminated material by considering the bending stiffness of the layers. If the couple or moment stresses are assumed to be proportional to the relative deformation gradient, then the bending effect disappears for vanishing interface slip, and the model correctly reduces to an isotropic standard continuum. In earlier Cosserat-type models this was not the case. Laminated materials of the kind considered here occur naturally as layered rock, or at a different scale, in synthetic layered materials and composites. Similarities to the situation in regular dislocation structures with couple stresses, also make these ideas relevant to single slip in crystalline materials. Application of the theory to a one-dimensional model for layered beams demonstrates agreement with exact results at the extremes of zero and infinite interface stiffness. Moreover, comparison with finite element calculations confirm the accuracy of the prediction for intermediate interfacial stiffness.

Describing function of two masses with backlash

This paper analyzes the dynamical properties of systems with backlash and impact phenomena based on the describing function method. It is shown that this type of nonlinearity can be analyzed in the perspective of the fractional calculus theory. The fractional dynamics is compared with that of standard models.

Analysis of Systems with Backlash and Impacts through the Describing Function

This paper analyses the dynamical properties of systems with backlash and impact phenomena based on the describing function method. The dynamics is illustrated using the Nyquist and Bode plots and the results are compared with those of standard models.

Data size sufficiency analyses of haplotype inference algortihms

We present experimental and theoretical analyses of data requirements for haplotype inference algorithms. Our experiments include a broad range of problem sizes under two standard models of tree distribution and were designed to yield statistically robust results despite the size of the sample space. Our results validate Gusfield's conjecture that a population size of n log n is required to give (with high probability) sufficient information to deduce the n haplotypes and their complete evolutionary history. The experimental results inspired our experimental finding with theoretical bounds on the population size. We also analyze the population size required to deduce some fixed fraction of the evolutionary history of a set of n haplotypes and establish linear bounds on the required sample size. These linear bounds are also shown theoretically.