Archive for October, 2007

Specific volume; w </math>

Saturday, October 6th, 2007

Specific volume (<math>v</math>) is the volume occupied by a unit of mass of a material. It is equal to the inverse of density. Specific volume may be expressed in <math> \frac{m^3}{kg} </math>, <math> \frac{ft^3}{lbm} </math> or <math> \frac{mL}{g} </math> .

<math> v = \frac{V}{m} = \frac{1}{\rho} </math>

where, <math>V</math> is the volume, <math>m</math> is the mass and <math>\rho</math> is the density of the material.

For an ideal gas,

<math>v = \frac{R T}{P M}</math>

where, <math>R</math> is the specific gas constant, <math>M</math> is the molar mass, <math>T</math> is the temperature and <math>P</math> is the pressure of the gas.

Specific volume may also refer to molar volume.

Hicksian demand function; utility

Saturday, October 6th, 2007

In microeconomics, a consumer’s Hicksian demand function <math>h(p, u)</math> gives the cheapest bundle under a price level <math>p</math> for which the consumer derives a utility level of at least <math>u</math>. The function is named after John Hicks.

Hicksian demand functions are often convenient for mathematical manipulation because they don’t require income or wealth to be represented. However, Marshallian demand functions of the form <math>x(p, w)</math> that describe demand given prices <math>p</math> and income <math>w</math> are easier to observe directly. The two are trivially related by

<math>h(p, u) = x(p, e(p, u)), \ </math>

where <math>e(p, u)</math> is the expenditure function (the function that gives the minimum wealth required to get to a given utility level), and by

<math>h(p, v(p, w)) = x(p, w), \ </math>

where <math>v(p, w)</math> is the indirect utility function (which gives the utility level of having a given wealth under a fixed price regime). Their derivatives are more fundamentally related by the Slutsky equation.

The Hicksian demand function is intimately related to the expenditure function. If the consumer’s utility function <math>u(x)</math> is locally nonsatiated and strictly convex, then
<math>h(p, u) = \nabla_p e(p, u).</math>


See also

  • Marshallian demand function
  • Convex preferences
  • Expenditure minimization problem

Born/Dead; consume

Friday, October 5th, 2007

Born/Dead formed in late 2000 in Oakland, California consisting of Bill Jackson playing drums, Wyatt Culbertson ( both formerly of the Chemical Imbalance) playing bass and splitting vocal duties with guitarist Will Kinser. Will had been a member of the short-lived Santa Cruz, California band No Options. No Options had broken up suddenly upon the death of member Chad W. Rickley of an asthma attack earlier that year. All of Born/Dead’s records have been dedicated to his memory and they still play No Options songs in their live set.

Born/Dead’s style of DIY punk is influenced by hardcore punk, peace punk and some crust punk. They sound similar to Aus Rotten, Econochrist and Tragedy.

In 2001, after playing extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area, the band released their debut five song 7″ EP “24 Hostages” as the first release by No Options Records, a label started by Will. After recording the initial tracks for a full-length album themselves, the band approached the long-running and successful Bay Area label, Prank Records to release the record. The nine song “Our Darkest Fears Now Haunt Us” LP/CD was released in 2003 and featured a heavier sound than the debut. The LP’s release lead the band to its first major U.S. tour and was quickly followed by a recording session at Burnt Ramen studios produced by Nate Smith and Greg Wilkinson of Brainoil, these songs where released on a split LP with Seattle’s Consume released on German label Yellowdog Records. This was followed closely by a 5 week tour of Europe with Consume.

In 2004, original drummer Bill Jackson left the band to concentrate on his other group Strung Up and was replaced by Josh Carman. The band prepared new material and in 2005 returned with a limited edition five song 12″ EP which they sold on a series of tours in the United States and Europe. This new material was more experimental than previous releases and some songs were re-released on a 7″ EP on Prank Records. In 2006, the band toured the west coast with The Subhumans and World Inferno Friendship Society. They Followed this a split 7″ EP on Tankcrimes records with San Francisco’s Peligro Social. Will is also involved in No Options Records.

Born/Dead completed recording of a new 7 song LP entitled “The Final Collapse” and is scheduled to tour throughout most of 2007 to 2008 in over 28 countries.

Contents


Discography


LP

  • “Our Darkest Fears Now Haunt Us” Prank Records (2002)
  • “Repetition” limited tour 12″ Prank Records (2005)
  • “Split LP with Consume” yellow dog records (2003) Germany
  • “The Final Collapse”Prank Records ( 2007)


CD

  • “Our Darkest Fears Now Haunt Us” prank records(2002)
  • “Repetition-Endless War” prank records (2006)
  • “The Final Collapse”Prank Records ( 2007)


EP

  • “24 Hostages” no options records (2001)
  • “Repetition/Fear” prank records (2005)
  • “Assault-split ep with Peligro Social” tankcrimes (2006)


Compilation

  • “Disturbing The Peace” V/A LP six weeks records (2003)


External links

  • Born/Dead at MySpace

Corian; the consumer’s

Friday, October 5th, 2007

Corian is the registered trademark of one of many building materials collectively known as solid surface and is composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate made by DuPont. It is said to be a thermosetting plastic, but can be thermoformed by heating it to 300°F (149°C), allowing unique shapes to be created. Its primary use is for countertops, but is also commonly used as a wall cladding in moisture applications (wet walls). Solid surface materials are very versitile and can be joined, shaped and finished to create many products.

Corian is available in thicknesses of one-quarter, one-half and three-quarters of an inch, with half-inch being the most common thickness for most applications. All thicknesses feature the consistency of color and patterning throughout, common to all solid surfacing materials. This allows scratches, stains and light scorches to be removed with sandpaper. However, doing this tends to scuff up its matte coating, and is not recommended for single scratches; the preferred method is to lightly sand the entire counter top so the coating is uniform. Joints can be made invisible by joining them with a special seam adhesive and sanding the connection smooth. With recent price reviews in Europe, Corian is probably the most cost effective solid surface when comparing like for like. Corian was first sold in 1967 <ref></ref>.

Contents


Residential Applications

Today, Corian is considered a desirable material for use in kitchen countertops, and can be a helpful selling point in marketing a house. It is available in a variety of colors and patterns.


Direct competition

Meganite solid surface has 80 closely replicated color matches with similar chemical makeup as Corian. Additionally, it continues to introduce unique colors inspired by current design trends and natural hues. The material is available to certified fabricators in various sizes and thicknesses including the traditional 1/2″, but also, 1/4″, 2cm, and 3cm sheets. The product is popular with the design community because the company will custom match almost any color and have a submittal sample available in two weeks.

The LG Group markets its 100% acrylic solid surface under the LG HI-MACS brand and it is manufactured in both Korea and in the US just outside Atlanta, Georgia. LG HI-MACS offers similar styles,quality and colors to DuPont. Acrylic solid surface can be renewed, in most cases, simply by the consumer’s using a Scotch-Brite scouring pad. As far as heat is concerned, it is recommended that trivets be used, as opposed to placing hot pots and pans directly onto the surface.

Samsung’s Staron solid surface is a competitor. Wilsonart has its Gibraltar solid surface. A more expensive, different approach to the countertop industry is Avonite. Avonite is a solid surface, but made primarily from a acryllic base, not an polyester one.

EOS Solid Surfaces produces a polyester/acrylic solid surface in various sizes, including 3cm and 2cm thickness. The material is intended to convey some of the architectural and product-design connotations of traditional stonework, whilst maintaining economic and physical properties which are distinct from actual stone. For example, the surface does not support the growth of mold; may be cheaper than stone in some applications; and can be easily formed and joined. These properties may be desirable, for example, in buildings in the hospitality and health-care sectors. EOS have applied for patents on this material.


References


External links

  • Official Corian Site
  • Corian Countertop Characteristics Video

Operation Währung; by those agents that

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

During the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, Operation Währung (”Currency” in German) was a special operation conducted as part of Wacht am Rhein.

A small number of German agents infiltrated Allied lines in American uniforms. These agents then used an existing Nazi intelligence network to attempt to bribe rail and port workers to disrupt Allied supply operations.

This operation failed miserably. See Operation Greif.

Option symbol; prices

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

An option symbol is a code by which options are identified on a futures exchange.

Contents


In general

The ticker (trading) symbols for US options typically look like this: IBMAF.
This consists of a root symbol (’IBM’) + month code (’A') + strike price code (’F'). The root symbol is the symbol of the stock on the stock exchange. After this comes the month code, A-L mean January-December calls, M-X mean January-December puts. The strike price code is a letter corresponding with a certain strike price (which letter corresponds with which strike price depends on the stock). See the external link to investopedia for a chart of strike prices.


NASDAQ option symbols

There are many exceptions to this simple case. The main one is NASDAQ stocks. NASDAQ stock symbols are always a minimum of four letters, whereas the base symbol of an option is always three letters. These are mapped arbitrarily by the options authorities. So, for example, American Eagle Outfitters stock trades on NASDAQ under AEOS, but its options all begin with AQP. There is no rhyme or reason to this mapping, other than the alphabetical sequence is usually roughly consistent.


NYSE/AMEX option symbols

For NYSE/AMEX stocks, the base symbol is ALWAYS the same as the symbol used on the stock exchange. The various stock exchanges have procedures in place to make sure consistent use of symbols, so IBM is always IBM Corporation, even if IBM is the NYSE’s stock and AMEX really wants to give it to some other company with a similar name).


LEAP option symbols

Another big exception is LEAP financial instruments. Besides its ‘regular’ option series AQP, American Eagle also has 2007 LEAPs that trade under VXX, and 2008 LEAPs that trade under WXD. This basically overcomes the limitation that the ‘expiry month letter’ scheme does not contemplate the same month existing in different years.


Additional symbols

Sometimes the price of a stock moves so rapidly that it runs out of ’strike price letters’ and additional symbols are required to accommodate the new prices. Google has moved hundreds of dollars per share in the last year, and as a result has many different symbols outstanding. For example, as of November 2005, the December 2005 options include GOQ (prices in the $100 range), GOU and GGD (prices in the $200 range), GOP (prices in the $500 range) and probably many others.


See also

  • Stock symbols


External links

  • Explanation of option symbols at investopedia, includes a strike price chart

An Introduction to Rhyme (book); different types of utilities

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

An Introduction To Rhyme ISBN 1-85725-124-5) is a book by Peter Dale which was published by Agenda/Bellew in 1998. The first chapter gives a detailed and comprehensive categorization of forty types of rhyme available in English.

The types of rhyme are grouped as follows:

  • Traditional Pure Rhyme
  • Pararhyme
  • Assonance Rhyme
  • Consonance Rhyme
  • Syllable Rhyme
  • Uneven Rhyme
  • Other types of rhyme

Value (mathematics); function

Monday, October 1st, 2007

In mathematics, value commonly refers to the ‘output’ of a function. In the most basic case, that of unary, single-valued functions, there is one input (the argument) and one output (the value of the function).

Example: If the function <math>f</math> is defined by prescribing that <math>f(x) = 2x^2-3x+1</math> for each real number <math>x</math>, then the input 3 will yield the function value 10 (since indeed <math>2\cdot3^2-3\cdot3+1 = 10</math>).

The function <math>f</math> of the example is real-valued, since each and every possible function value is real. On the other hand, it is not injective, since different inputs may yield the same value; e.g., <math>f(-1.5) = 10</math>, too.

In some contexts, for convenience, functions may be considered to have several arguments and/or several values; also cf. the discussion in the article function. However, strictly seen, this is not an extension, since such functions may be considered as having single families and/or sets as input or output.

Value is also used in other senses, e.g., to specify a certain instance of a variable.

Example: <math>f(x) = 0</math> for two separate values of <math>x</math>, namely, for <math>x=0.5</math> and for <math>x=1</math>.


See also

  • Absolute value
  • Valuation (mathematics)
  • Value distribution theory of holomorphic functions

Imputation (economics); utility

Monday, October 1st, 2007
There is also an imputation disambiguation page.

In economics, the theory of imputation, first expounded by Carl Menger, maintains that factor prices are determined by output prices.

This is the opposite of the order maintained by classical economists such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo (see labor theory of value).

The imputation theory was important because it addressed the question of economic value. Marginalist economists such as Carl Menger and Frank Fetter of the Austrian School maintained that value was not made up of the factors that made up a good; instead, it was made up of the most valuable use that the last good could be put to—the marginal utility of the finished good.

While it was easy to maintain that this was the value of goods consumed by the end user (higher-order goods), it was harder to make this case for lower-order goods which had no end user and merely went into the making of higher-order goods. In effect, lower-order goods do have end users, the manufacturers of higher-order goods. It was these people whose marginal utility decided the factor prices, and their products were valued on their marginal utility to the end users. Thus the factors of production were as sensitive to marginal utility as consumer goods themselves.

Tree breeding; multiplied by

Monday, October 1st, 2007

Tree breeding is the application of genetic principles to the genetic improvement and management of forest trees.

A typical forest tree breeding program starts with selection of superior phenotypes (plus trees) in a natural or planted forest. This improves the genotypes somewhat. Offspring is obtained from selected trees and grown in test plantations. Based on such tests the best genotypes among the parents can be selected. Selected trees are typically multiplied by grafting and seed orchards are established when the preferred output is improved seed. Alternatively, the best genotypes can be directly propagated by cuttings or in-vitro methods and used directly in clonal plantations. The first system is frequently used in pines and other conifers, while the second is typical in broadleaves (poplars, eucalypts and others). The objectives of a breeding tree program range from yield improvement and adaptation to particular conditions, to pest-resistance, etc. Currently, tree breeding is gaining new interest under the threat of Global Warming, and it is taking advantage of the fast development in pant genetics and genomics.