Spin vector control of a spinning space station

Digital computer program simulates system and related functions. Program is intended for, but not limited to, altitude control studies of rotating space station. Russel's method of formulating and solving motion equations for system of rigid bodies connected by movable joints is applied. Program features are listed

Selection of a common communication link geometry for Saturn, Uranus and Titan

Mission analysis link parametrics, considering a Pioneer baseline, are developed through launch energies, flyby radii, and trip time calculations. Projected is also a 1979 Jupiter Uranus opportunity for a derivative Mariner to fly to Uranus by using the gravity field of Jupiter

Method of detecting oxygen in a gas

The presence of oxygen in a gas is detected by contacting an article, such as a film, comprising poly(ethylenenaphthalene-dicarboxylate) with a gas and simultaneously exposing the article to ultraviolet light. The article is subsequently heated and the presence of oxygen in the gas is indicated by thermoluminescence

Glowing Seashells: Diversity of Fossilized Coloration Patterns on Coral Reef-Associated Cone Snail (Gastropoda: Conidae) Shells from the Neogene of the Dominican Republic

The biology of modern Conidae (cone snails)—which includes the hyperdiverse genus Conus—has been intensively studied, but the fossil record of the clade remains poorly understood, particularly within an evolutionary framework. Here, ultraviolet light is used to reveal and characterize the original shell coloration patterns of 28 species of cone snails from three Neogene coral reef-associated deposits from the Cibao Valley, northern Dominican Republic. These fossils come from the upper Miocene Cercado Fm. and lower Pliocene Gurabo Fm., and range in age from about 6.6-4.8 Ma. Comparison of the revealed coloration patterns with those of extant species allow the taxa to be assigned to three genera of cone snails (Profundiconus, Conasprella, and Conus) and at least nine subgenera. Thirteen members of these phylogenetically diverse reef faunas are described as new species. These include: Profundiconus? hennigi, Conasprella (Ximeniconus) ageri, Conus anningae, Conus lyelli, Conus (Atlanticonus?) franklinae, Conus (Stephanoconus) gouldi, Conus (Stephanoconus) bellacoensis, Conus (Ductoconus) cashi, Conus (Dauciconus) garrisoni, Conus (Dauciconus?) zambaensis, Conus (Spuriconus?) kaesleri, Conus (Spuriconus?) lombardii, and Conus (Lautoconus?) carlottae. Each of the three reef deposits contain a minimum of 14–16 cone snail species, levels of diversity that are similar to modern Indo-Pacific reef systems. Finally, most of the 28 species can be assigned to modern clades and thus have important implications for understanding the biogeographic and temporal histories of these clades in tropical America

Online Appendix to How Do Taxes Affect Human Capital? The Role of Intergenerational Mobility

This technical appendix extends the model in the published article by allowing the household to choose the amount of time consumed as leisure. Several alternative policy experiments are studied as well.

Do Redistributive Policies Promote Intergenerational Mobility?

Numerous public policies are aimed at improving the earnings opportunities for children of the poor and at reducing lifetime earnings inequality. This paper investigates to what extent such policies accomplish their objectives. A quantitative theory of intergenerational mobility and lifetime earnings inequality is developed and parameterized to match selected features of U.S. data. Numerical experiments are used to measure the steady state effects of policies that increase the returns to human capital accumulation for children of the poor, either by lowering the private costs of education or by reducing labor income taxes for the poor. The main finding is that such policies have very little impact on intergenerational earnings mobility. Moreover, policies that reduce the private costs of education fail to reduce lifetime earnings inequality. These findings suggest that redistributive tax and subsidy policies of the kind studied here may be largely ineffective in promoting equality of opportunity.

How Important is Discount Rate Heterogeneity for Wealth Inequality?

This paper investigates the role of discount rate heterogeneity for wealth inequality. The key idea is to infer the distribution of preference parameters from the observed age profile of wealth inequality. The contribution of preference heterogeneity to wealth inequality can then be measured using a quantitative life-cycle model.I find that discount rate heterogeneity increases the Gini coefficient of wealth by 0.06 to 0.11. The share of wealth held by the richest 1% of households rises by 0.03 to 0.13. The larger changes occur when altruistic bequests are large and when preferences are strongly persistent across generations. Discount rate heterogeneity also helps account for the large wealth inequality observed among households with similar lifetime earnings.wealth inequality, preference heterogeneity

Commentary on "Rebalancing the three pillars of Basel II."

This paper was part of the conference "Beyond Pillar 3 in International Banking Regulation: Disclosure and Market Discipline of Financial Firms," cosponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia Business School, October 2-3, 2003.Bank supervision ; Bank capital ; Banking law

Why does educational attainment differ across U.S. states?

College attainment differs nearly two-fold across U.S. states. This paper shows that highly educated states employ skill-biased technologies, specialize in skill-intensive industries, but do not pay lower skill premia. A theory based on agglomeration economies is developed to account for these observationsEducation, human capital, agglomeration

Eclectic styles and classical performance: Motivation and self-efficacy belief at two summer music camps

String teachers and scholars have suggested that classically-trained students may be motivated to engage in eclectic (e.g., rock, pop, jazz, groove, folk) styles. However, we do not fully understand the ways in which students’ motivations to engage in new musics might be influenced by their perceptions of competence in those styles. In this mixed-method study we draw upon quantitative, qualitative, and arts-based data from 120 middle and high school students at two camps (one emphasizing classical music, the other emphasizing eclectic styles), to explore various ways in which students develop self-efficacy beliefs and motivation to perform in a variety of musical approaches. According to analysis of all data, students at both camps generally expressed having positive musical and social experiences. Negative experiences, while less common, stemmed from confusion or frustration with music learning, boredom with music that was too easy or not interesting, and competitive comparison with others. Based on findings from qualitative and arts-based data, we suggest that these students may have benefitted from additional teacher support when encountering new musical technique