The Monetary Transmission Mechanism in The United Kingdom: Pass-Through & Policy Ru

A number of recent papers have used policy simulations from small empirical macro models to assess the efficacy of inflation-forecast targeting. The macro models used to undertake the simulations differ significantly with the assumed degree of openness, an important factor for the analysis. However, the open economy models typically approach the pass-through from exchange rate to import prices and ultimately retail prices in a stylized manner, assuming full and instantaneous pass-through. This paper modifies the open economy macro model presented in Batini and Haldane (1999) to accommodate a variety of pass-through representations, considering time and state-(cycle)-dependent pass-through rules. While the model’s dynamics are affected, the main result of Batini and Haldane – that targeting an inflation forecast dominates targeting current inflation – is robust to the assumed rate of pass-through.

La transformación de la peste : el laboratorio y la identidad de las enfermedades infecciosas

Las enfermedades infecciosas pueden ser, y son, identificadas de muchas maneras: a partir de su presentación clínica (signos, síntomas, datos de autopsia), mediante criterios epidemiológicos (modo y formas de difusión), a través de técnicas de laboratorio que aíslan el agente causal. En este artículo afirmó que la práctica de identificar enfermedades infecciosas mediante el laboratorio y sus procedimientos confiere a estas enfermedades identidades diferentes de las que poseen por el empleo de otros procedimientos. El laboratorio otorga a las enfermedades infecciosas identidades en las que el agente causal es la parte esencial y fundamental. Históricamente, por lo tanto, cuando se descubrió por medio de técnicas de laboratorio el "agente causal" de cada enfermedad infecciosa, se transformó la identidad de esta enfermedad. Muestro cómo sucedió esto en el caso de la peste, cuando Kitasato y Yersin dieron a esta enfermedad su identidad de laboratorio en Hong Kong en 1894. También sostengo que, debido a esta transformación de la identidad de las enfermedades infecciosas por el laboratorio, no nos es posible a los historiadores de la medicina comparar la peste pre-laboratorio con la peste moderna, o asumir que la identidad de la peste post-laboratorio puede aplicarse a la peste prelaboratorio

Encouraging better hand drying hygiene

Electric hand driers have the potential to improve sanitation when using public toilets; if used properly, electric driers can dry hands more thoroughly than towels, and users do not come into physical contact with potentially contaminated objects. But electric driers are frequently used for just a few seconds--and so the potential advantage is lost. This paper describes the prototyping and evaluation of a system intended to encourage longer hand drying times in public toilets. The challenges are: to develop hygienic interfaces for use in toilet areas; to design simple to use software that is engaging enough to be used several times a day; and to conduct usability and system acceptance tests in an environment in which users are highly sensitive about privacy issues

Zeptonewton force sensing with nanospheres in an optical lattice

Optically trapped nanospheres in high-vaccum experience little friction and hence are promising for ultra-sensitive force detection. Here we demonstrate measurement times exceeding $10^5$ seconds and zeptonewton force sensitivity with laser-cooled silica nanospheres trapped in an optical lattice. The sensitivity achieved exceeds that of conventional room-temperature solid-state force sensors, and enables a variety of applications including electric field sensing, inertial sensing, and gravimetry. The optical potential allows the particle to be confined in a number of possible trapping sites, with precise localization at the anti-nodes of the optical standing wave. By studying the motion of a particle which has been moved to an adjacent trapping site, the known spacing of the lattice anti-nodes can be used to calibrate the displacement spectrum of the particle. Finally, we study the dependence of the trap stability and lifetime on the laser intensity and gas pressure, and examine the heating rate of the particle in high vacuum in the absence of optical feedback cooling.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, typos corrected, references adde

The Evolution of Hetergeneous "Clumpy Jets": A Parameter Study

We investigate the role discrete clumps embedded in an astrophysical jet play on the jet's morphology and line emission characteristics. By varying clumps' size, density, position, and velocity, we cover a range of parameter space motivated by observations of objects such as the Herbig Haro object HH~34. We here extend the results presented in Yirak et al. 2009, including how analysis of individual observations may lead to spurious sinusoidal variation whose parameters vary widely over time, owing chiefly to interacts between clumps. The goodness of the fits, while poor in all simulations, are best when clump-clump collisions are minimal. Our results indicate that a large velocity dispersion leads to a clump-clump collision-dominated flow which disrupts the jet beam. Finally, we present synthetic emission images of H-$\alpha$ and [SII] and note an excess of [SII] emission along the jet length as compared to observations. This suggests that observed beams undergo earlier processing, if they are present at all.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa

3D Interactive virtual environments for E-learning, teaching and technical support: Multiplayer teaching and learning games for the School of Art, Design & Architecture.

This paper outlines the key stages of a University funded teaching and learning project, the main objective of the project is to build an online 3D virtual Ramsden workshop (RW) game learning environment. Using 3D modeling software and interactive 3D game programming technologies the project team have accurately modeled and simulated the Ramsden workshop (RW) building; The 3D virtual RW workshop has been accurately built to scale and is fitted with virtual furniture, virtual computers, virtual engineering machinery. These components have been developed as an initial range of interactive game based learning tools. In this project the team has also begun to simulate Health and Safety procedures, created software CAD/CAM tutorials and are developing and testing innovative learning support tools for all levels of learners. The 3D Virtual Ramsden workshop (RW) game is part of ongoing research work that applies the use of 3D virtual software for developing appropriate interactive 3D spaces, avatars, objects and simulations for learning, teaching, training, exhibitions, experimental art and practice in virtual environments. Additionally within this project the research team also modelled a virtual Creative Arts Building and a University of Huddersfield virtual campus