Archive for February, 2008

Recession of 1958; in prices

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

The Recession of 1958 was a sharp worldwide economic downturn in 1958.
It hit economically disadvantaged countries hardest, because it involved a decline in the purchases of raw materials, both agricultural and mineral, by developed nations. The terms of trade of the underdeveloped countries was adversely affected. In Europe no less than in the United States there was a fairly sharp decline in investment in fixed capital. In the United States, unemployment rose but there was little or no decline in personal income and no decline at all in consumption expenditures. Imports into the United States from Europe
stayed high, but the recession in Europe reduced European purchases of American raw materials. And so the balance-of-payments deficit in the United States sharply increased. In Europe, however, a surplus in their balance of payments developed.

Normally prices fall during recessions but this time they went up, apart from raw materials. In the U.S. consumer prices rose 2.7% from 1957 to 1958, and after a pause they continued to push up until November, 1959. Wholesale prices rose 1.6% from 1957 to 1959. The continued upward creep of prices became a cause of concern among economists.

Politically in the U.S. the Democratic party made major gains in the off-year elections. See United States House election, 1958


References

  • Alvin H. Hansen; Economic Issues of the 1960s 1960.
  • George Katona; The Powerful Consumer: Psychological Studies of the American Economy 1960

Sonoran Marble; preferences over

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

The Sonoran Marble (Euchloe guaymasensis) is a fairly recently discovered species that was found on a microwave tower in the Mexican state of Sonora in 1986. Very little is known yet about its range, habitat preferences or where it fits in to the Euchloes genetically.

Directional selection; natural utilities favored by

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Contents


Immunology

<


<math> nowiki> immunology positive Inselection is when: developing T-cells are selected for recognition of self MHC (and self peptides). This ensures an immune response can develop. Followed by [[negative selectio

n]].
</math>


Genetics

In population genetics, directional selection occurs when natural selection favors a single allele and therefore allele frequency continuously shifts in one direction. Under directional selection, the advantageous allele will increase in frequency independently of its dominance relative to other alleles (i.e. even if the advantageous allele is recessive, it will eventually become fixed). Directional selection stands in contrast to balancing selection where selection may favor multiple alleles, or purifying selection which removes deleterious mutations from a population. Directional selection is a particular mode or mechanism of natural selection.


Examples

  • A classic example is the evolution of the peppered moth, where the favored trait of moth color (light or dark) noticeably shifted to a darker shade in relation to the effects of human industrialization.


See also

  • Stabilizing selection
  • Disruptive selection


References

  • P. C. Sabeti, et al. Science 312, 1614 (2006) Positive Natural Selection in the Human Lineage (Review)

Foundationalism; and beliefs; natural utilities

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Foundationalism is any theory in epistemology (typically, theories of justification, but also of knowledge) that holds that beliefs are justified (known, etc.) based on what are called basic beliefs (also commonly called foundational beliefs). Basic beliefs are beliefs that give justificatory support to other beliefs, and more derivative beliefs are based on those more basic beliefs. The basic beliefs are said to be self-justifying or self-evident, that is, they enjoy a non-inferential warrant (or justification), i.e., they are not justified by other beliefs. Typically and historically, foundationalists have held either that basic beliefs are justified by mental events or states, such as experiences, that do not constitute beliefs (these are called nondoxastic mental states), or that they simply are not the type of thing that can be (or needs to be) justified.

Hence, generally, a foundationalist might offer the following theory of justification:

A belief is epistemically justified if and only if (1) it is justified by a basic belief or beliefs, or (2) it is justified by a chain of beliefs that is supported by a basic belief or beliefs, and on which all the others are ultimately based.

A basic belief, on the other hand, does not require justification because it is a different kind of belief than a non-foundational one.

Contents


Arguments for foundationalism

Foundationalists most generally tend to argue that there must be some set of epistemologically basic propositions or else the process of justification will always lead to Agrippa’s Trilemma, which ends in either an infinite regress, a dogmatic stopping point, or a circular argument, none of which are logically valid.


Historical foundationalism: rationalism vs. empiricism

Historically, two varieties of foundationalist theories were rationalism and empiricism (or British Empiricism). Strictly speaking, neither empiricism nor rationalism is necessarily committed to foundationalism (it is possible to be an empiricist coherentist, for example, and that was a common epistemological position in 20th century philosophy).

Rationalism is the general name for epistemological theories that maintain that reason is the source and criterion of knowledge. Rationalists generally hold that so-called truths of reason are the (most important) epistemologically basic propositions. The historical, continental rationalism expounded by René Descartes is often regarded as antithetical to empiricism, while some contemporary rationalism asserts that reason is strongest when it is supported by or consistent with empirical evidence and hence relies heavily on empirical science in analyzing justifications for belief. René Descartes famously held that some of these truths are known innately and therefore constitute basic innate knowledge, a view not always held in contemporary rationalism.

Empiricism is the general name for epistemological theories that maintain that sensation reports are the source and criterion of knowledge. Classical empiricists generally held that such reports are indubitable and incorrigible and therefore worthy of serving as epistemologically basic propositions.


Alternatives to foundationalism

Alternatives to foundationalism, usually called Anti-foundationalism, include coherentism, reformed epistemology and reliabilism (though this has sometimes been construed as an unusual variant of foundationalism). Contextualism (or, in a stripped-down version, the blind posits theory) is the epistemological version of relativism; relativism is more often regarded as a theory of truth than as a theory of justification or knowledge. Also see Pragmatism.


External links

Gross Output; of consumption

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Gross Output is an economic concept used in national accounts such as the United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA) and the US National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA). It is equal to the value of net output or GDP (also known as gross value added) plus intermediate consumption.

Gross Output represents, roughly speaking, the total value of sales by producing enterprises in an accounting period (e.g. a quarter or a year), before subtracting the value of intermediate goods used up in production. This description is not quite accurate though, among other things because flows relating to government services and households are also included.

To obtain a measure of gross value added or Net output, the value of intermediate goods and services must be subtracted from Gross Output. Net value added is obtained by additionally subtracting consumption of fixed capital (depreciation).

The statistical definition of Gross Output is dependent upon the definition of production applied. Typically some economic flows and activities are excluded from coverage in calculating the value of Gross Output, on the ground that they are unrelated to production in the domestic economy. These include foreign transactions, property income, transfers, and various government disbursements, unpaid housework and voluntary work. On the other hand, items are included which some economists would regard as spurious, such as the imputed rental value of owner-occupied housing (this is the average rents, at market rates, which owners of residential housing would receive if they rented out the housing they occupy).


See also

  • GDP
  • Intermediate consumption
  • Net output
  • United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA)
  • National accounts

1516; preferences

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Year 1516 (MDXVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Contents


Events of 1516


January - June

  • March - With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon, his grandson Charles of Ghent becomes King of Spain as Carlos I.
  • April 23 - The Reinheitsgebot is instituted in Ingolstadt, Bavaria regulating the purity of beer permissible for sale.


July - December

  • July - Selim I of the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Mameluks and invades Syria.
  • August 13 - The Treaty of Noyon is signed. Francis recognizes Charles’s claim to Naples, and Charles recognizes Francis’s claim to Milan.
  • October 28 - Battle of Yaunis Khan. Turkish forces under the Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha defeat the Mameluks near Gaza.
  • December 4 - Treaty of Brussels - Peace between France and the Empire.


Undated

  • Pedro de Solis discovers the Río de la Plata.
  • King Francis I of France and Pope Leo X sign the Concordat of Bologna.
  • Desiderius Erasmus publishes a new Greek translation of the New Testament.
  • Thomas More publishes Utopia.


Births

  • January 1 - Margareta Leijonhufvud, queen of Gustav I of Sweden (died 1551)
  • February 18 - Queen Mary I of England (died 1558)
  • March 26 - Conrad Gessner, Swiss naturalist (died 1565)
  • April 23 - Georg Fabricius, Protestant German poet (died 1571)
  • September 21 - Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (died 1571)
  • date unknown
    • John Foxe, biographer (died 1587)
    • Martin Heilwig, Silesian cartographer (died 1574)
    • Manco Inca Yupanqui, ruler of the Inca (died 1544)
    • Canghali of Kazan, khan of Qasim and Kazan
    • Shri Gusainji, son of Shri Vallabhacharyaji.
  • probable
    • James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault (died 1572)
See also .


Deaths

  • January 20 - Juan Díaz de Solís, Spanish navigator and explorer (born 1470)
  • March 13 - King Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary (born 1456)
  • March 17 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici, ruler of Florence (born 1478)
  • April 25 - John Yonge, English diplomat (born 1467)
  • June 14 - King John III of Navarre (born 1469)
  • June 23 - King Ferdinand II of Aragon (born 1452)
  • August - Hieronymus Bosch, Dutch painter (born 1450)
  • December 13 - Johannes Trithemius, German scholar and cryptographer (born 1462)
  • date unknown
    • Giuliano da Sangallo, Italian sculptor and architect (born 1443)
  • probable
    • Giovanni Bellini, Italian painter (born 1430)
See also .

Captain Paf; consume

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Captain Paf (also known as Cardinal Puff or Cardinal Chunder in Britain and Cardinal Puff the United States, Cardinal Huff in New Zealand) is a French drinking game based on a script that must be executed in order for play to move to the next person. Any interruption or error in the script causes the player to start over from the beginning. Therefore, a player only stops drinking when the script can be perfectly executed.

Due to possible long wait times between when you are allowed to drink, this game is more suited for a small group. It can also be played backwards to make it harder.


Captain Paf script

  • Say “My name is Captain Paf and I drink for the first time”
  • Raise glass using thumb and index finger
  • Take one sip
  • Tap glass once on table
  • Clap once
  • Slap thighs once
  • Say “My name is Captain Paf and I drink for the second time”
  • Raise glass between thumb, index and middle fingers
  • Take two distinct sips
  • Tap glass twice on table
  • Clap twice
  • Slap thighs twice
  • Say “My name is Captain Paf and I drink for the third time”
  • Raise glass between thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers
  • Take three distinct sips
  • Tap glass thrice on table
  • Clap thrice
  • Slap thighs thrice

Note that when picking up your glass the number of fingers used (except thumb) is the number of the iteration through the script. This is the most common mistake.


Cardinal Puff script

An entire can or bottle of beer must be consumed (in x sips) when performing the actions. Any deviation from the requirements automatically prevents the player from playing until the offending container of beer has been consumed. A new beverage is required every time a player attempts the script. If a player is successful, they are awarded the title of “Cardinal.” Note that the title of Cardinal can only be awarded by another Cardinal.

  • Say “Here’s to the Cardinal Puff for the first time tonight”
  • Slap left side of your chest with your right hand once
  • Slap right side of your chest with your left hand once
  • Slap right thigh with right hand once
  • Slap left thigh with left hand once
  • Stomp right foot once
  • Stomp left foot once
  • Tap side of the glass once
  • Take one sip
  • Tap glass once on table
  • Place the glass back down
  • Say “Here’s to the Cardinal Puff for the second time tonight”
  • Slap left side of your chest with your right hand twice
  • Slap right side of your chest with your left hand twice
  • Slap right thigh with right hand twice
  • Slap left thigh with left hand twice
  • Stomp right foot twice
  • Stomp left foot twice
  • Tap side of the glass twice
  • Take two sips
  • Tap glass twice on table
  • Place the glass back down
  • Say “Here’s to the Cardinal Puff for the third and final time tonight”
  • Slap left side of your chest with your right hand thrice
  • Slap right side of your chest with your left hand thrice
  • Slap right thigh with right hand thrice
  • Slap left thigh with left hand thrice
  • Stomp right foot thrice
  • Stomp left foot thrice
  • Tap side of the glass thrice
  • Take three sips
  • Tap glass thrice on table
  • Say “Once a Cardinal,” while turning the can upside down to demonstrate it is empty.
  • Say “Always a Cardinal,” while turning the can rightside up.

Rule variations from Captain Puf:

  • Finger placement while sipping does not matter
  • Any mistakes made and the player must finish his glass and start over
  • The glass must be finished by the end of the execution of the script otherwise the player has to start over

Cardinal Puff, And Bishop Puff Variants——————–

Here’s a variant form of Cardinal, that is just as hard, but condensed somewhat.

All players must first, with a Cardinal PRESENT (teaching the game), agree from this moment on to play the game FOREVER! Since the game will never stop. Part of the agreement is, on the Cardinal’s behalf to teach everyone the game, give helpful hints after mistakes are made, and make sure everyone reaches the rank of Cardinal….eventually. From this moment, if you achieve Cardinal status (granted by the present Cardinal), you will be asked to respond to the question, “Are you a Cardinal?” To which the only correct, response is, “You bet your sweet ass I am.” Failure to answer this question correctly, grants the asker, the right to force you to consume 1 twelve ounce glass of adult beverage of your choosing. It must be consumed all in one sip, i.e. you may not take the container away from your lips until it is empty. You may take as long as you like to consume it, even pausing to breathe, but you MUST FINISH THE BEVERAGE. Failure to comply with this request from a confirmed Cardinal will result in loosing your rank of Cardinal. Once everyone agrees to these rules which are always in effect, even when you are not sitting at a table playing the actual script, then the game begins. Any players who do not wish to agree to the ongoing aspect of the game, is asked to leave the table, and informed, that if they leave, this Cardinal will never ask him/her to play the game again, ever.

Script Variation.

Determine a starting player, AFTER the Cardinal has demonstrated the script. Ways to do this are, oldest player at the table, youngest player, player who has the most country stamps on his/her passport, dice, coin flip etc.

The starting player must then execute IN EXACT ORDER the following script and actions. Failure to do so results in loosing your turn, and you must consume ALL the remaining liquid of your beverage right then, without taking the container away from your lips, and you must do it as fast as possible, since the next player cannot begin until YOU finish.

Script:

1) Say, “This is Cardinal Puff taking his FIRST drink of the evening.” (As the teaching Cardinal you may hold up one finger as a helpful hint to new players. But it is not required, you are required however, to stop any player immediately upon a mistake, make them drink, and point to the next player.)

2) ACTION: With your forefinger and thumb lift the beverage and consume, ONE SIP. Your sip may be as big or as little as you wish but, you may only touch the container to your lips ONE TIME. Tap the container on the table as you place it down. HINT: You are required through the actions of the game to consume the ENTIRE 12 ounces within 6 sips. That is to say the container is only going to touch your lips 6 times during the game. So the more you consume in the first few sips, will make it easier to finish the beverage.

3) ACTION: With your right index finger, tap the top of the table ONCE. Then with your left index finger, tap the top of the table ONCE. Then again with your right index finger, tap the underside of the table ONCE, repeat with your left index finger. Leave them both there as you’ll need them for balance in the next action.

4) Stand up from your seat ONCE.

5) Say, “This is Cardinal Puff taking his SECOND drink of the evening.”

6) ACTION: With your forefinger, middle finger and thumb lift the beverage and consume, TWO SIPS. Your sips may be as big or as little as you wish but, you may only touch the container to your lips TWO TIMES. Tap the container TWICE on the table as you place it down.

7) ACTION: With your right index and middle fingers, tap the top of the table TWICE. Then with your left index and middle fingers, tap the top of the table TWICE. Then again with your right index and middle fingers, tap the underside of the table TWICE, repeat with your left index and middle fingers. Leave them all there as you’ll need them for balance in the next action.

8) Stand up from your seat TWICE.

9) Say, “This is Cardinal Puff taking his THIRD AND FINAL drink of the evening.”

10) ACTION: With your forefinger, middle finger, ring finger and thumb lift the beverage and consume, THREE SIPS. Your sips may be as big or as little as you wish but, you may only touch the container to your lips THREE TIMES. YOUR BEVERAGE MUST BE FULLY CONSUMED AT THIS POINT OR YOU FAIL, AND MUST START OVER. Tap the container THRICE on the table as you place it down.

11) ACTION: With your right index, middle and ring fingers, tap the top of the table THREE TIMES. Then with your left index, middle and ring fingers, tap the top of the table THREE TIMES. Then again with your right index, middle and ring fingers, tap the underside of the table THREE TIMES, repeat with your left index, middle and ring fingers. Leave them all there as you’ll need them for balance in the next action.

12) Stand up from your seat THREE TIMES.

13) FINAL STEP: After the THIRD sitting, repeat the following script and actions SIMULTANEOUSLY and EXACTLY or you fail, and must try again….it is up to the Cardinal judging you, to decide if you should consume another….if you truly finished the beer, but just messed up the final phase, the Cardinal can (and probably should) consider your effort as valiant, and show leniency.

Say, “Once a Cardinal…” While at the same time with your preferred hand PALM UP, turn the container over onto it’s top. Then continue with, “…Always a Cardinal.” While again, simultaneously lifting the container, again PALM UP and rotate the glass in the OPPOSITE direction from when you flipped it the first time. That is, if you lifted it and flipped it to your left, on the second flip pick it up and flip it to your right. This is to show to all, the container has indeed been fully drained. Some wetness is expected, but anything more than a sip spilling out, constitutes failure. Failure at this point, may require you to consume another full 12 ounce beer.

Now if you’ve SUCCESSFULLY completed all these tasks, the Cardinal will grant you the rank of Cardinal. He will then inform you that if he sees you again, and asks you the question, “Are you a Cardinal?” And you do not respond with the proper reply, “You bet your sweet ass I am.” He will then be forced to ask you to consume a full 12 ounce beer RIGHT THEN! Failure to comply will result in his demoting you from the rank of Cardinal.

Any mistake made during any part of the script or actions, will result in the Cardinal telling you to stop, finish your beer (or consume a new full 12 ounces, if your glass is less than 1/3RD full) and point to the next player to get ready to start, once the previous player has consumed their penalty. Anyone who is caught distracting a player during the script will be asked to consume a full beer right then, in one sip. If a player breaks this rule 3 times, they are asked to leave, and never invited to play again….ever.

Bishop Puff Variation.

The script and rules above all apply, however the container size differs. Instead of one 12 ounce beverage, the players will be consuming one (1) full pitcher of liquid. Or the equivalent of one 6-pack. The FINAL question is changed to: “Are you a Bishop?” however, the response remains the same as above.

Pope Puff Variation.

Same rules as applied to Cardinal and Bishop variations, however again the quantity and questions are slightly altered. Instead of a pitcher, or 6-pack, the players will now attempt to consume a FULL CASE of beer (24 Twelve Ounce containers). The ENTIRE case must be poured into ONE container, or as few containers as possible to hold all the liquid. The FINAL question is now: “Are you the Pope?” The response again, is the same as before.

God Variation.

Same as all the other applications, but now we’re up from a case to a keg, 1/4 barrel size will suffice. This variation is impossible to complete.

Alternate Liquids.

Although beer is the usual choice, any liquid can be used instead. But be responsible, the harder the liquid, the more dangerous. Drink responsibly, and if someone becomes too intoxicated, as the teaching Cardinal, you can tell them they cannot achieve the rank of Cardinal this time, but can try again, once fully recovered from their intoxication.

ATC code L04; agents

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

A section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.

L Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents


L04A Immunosuppressive agents


L04AA Selective immunosuppressive agents

L04AA01 Ciclosporin
L04AA02 Muromonab-CD3
L04AA03 Antilymphocyte immunoglobulin (horse)
L04AA04 Antithymocyte immunoglobulin (rabbit)
L04AA05 Tacrolimus
L04AA06 Mycophenolic acid
L04AA08 Daclizumab
L04AA09 Basiliximab
L04AA10 Sirolimus
L04AA11 Etanercept
L04AA12 Infliximab
L04AA13 Leflunomide
L04AA14 Anakinra
L04AA15 Alefacept
L04AA16 Afelimomab
L04AA17 Adalimumab
L04AA18 Everolimus
L04AA19 Gusperimus
L04AA21 Efalizumab
L04AA22 Abetimus
L04AA23 Natalizumab


L04AX Other immunosuppressive agents

L04AX01 Azathioprine
L04AX02 Thalidomide
L04AX03 Methotrexate

Cultural diffusion; indirect

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

In anthropology, cultural diffusion refers to the spread of ideas, inventions, or patterns of behavior to different societies (Wintrop 1991:82)

Since cultures have never been completely isolated from each other, diffusion has happened throughout history, and continues on today. Version of diffusionist thought included the conviction that all cultures originated from one culture centre (heliocentric diffusion); the more reasonable view that culture originated from a limited number of culture centers and finally the notion that each society is influenced by other but that the process of diffusion is both contingent and arbitrary (Wintrop 1991: 83-84)

There are three different forms of cultural diffusion:

  • Direct diffusion is when two cultures are very close to each other, resulting in intermarriage, trade, and even warfare. An example of direct diffusion is between the United States and Canada, where the people living on the border of these two countries engage in hockey, which started in Canada, and baseball, which is big in American culture
  • Forced diffusion occurs when one culture subjugates (conquers or enslaves) another culture and forces its own customs on the conquered people. An example would be the conquistadors that took over the indigenous population and made them practice Christianity.
  • Indirect diffusion happens when traits are passed from one culture through a middleman to another culture, without the first and final cultures ever being in direct contact. An example could be the presence of Mexican food in Canada, since they have a huge country in between them.

Direct diffusion is very common in ancient times, when small groups, or bands, of humans lived in adjoining settlements. Indirect diffusion is very common in today’s world, because of the mass media and the invention of the Internet.

Cultural diffusion is one of the mechanism of cultural change other being Evolution. Direct diffusion leads to process to acculturation


See also

  • Diffusionism
  • Dominating culture
  • Historian’s fallacy
  • Cultural appropriation
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Londres; Formally the

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Londres may refer to:

  • French, Portuguese and Spanish for the British capital city, London.
  • Albert Londres
  • Londres, Catamarca, Argentina - formally ‘San Juan de la Ribera de Londres’ or ‘Londres de la Nueva Inglaterra’
  • An alternate spelling of the word laundry.

Shephard’s lemma; utility function

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Shephard’s lemma is a major result in microeconomics having applications in consumer choice and the theory of the firm. The lemma states that if indifference curves of the expenditure or cost function are convex, then the cost minimizing point of a given good (<math>i</math>) with price <math>p_i</math> is unique. The idea is that a consumer will buy a unique ideal amount of each item to minimize the price for obtaining a certain level of utility given the price of goods in the market. It was named after Ronald Shephard who gave a proof using the distance formula in a paper published in 1953, although it was already used by John Hicks (1939) and Paul Samuelson (1947).


Definition

The lemma gives a precise formulation for the demand of each good in the market with respect to that level of utility and those prices: the derivative of the expenditure function (<math> e (p, u) </math>) with respect to that price:

<math>h_i(u, p) = \frac{\partial e (p, u)}{ \partial p_i}</math>

where <math>h_i(u, p) </math> is the Hicksian demand for good <math>i</math>, <math> e (p, u) </math> is the expenditure function, and both functions are in terms of prices (a vector <math>p</math>) and utility <math>u</math>.

Although Shephard’s original proof used the distance formula, modern proofs of the Shephard’s lemma use the envelope theorem.


Application

Shephard’s lemma gives a relationship between expenditure (or cost) functions and Hicksian demand. The lemma can be re-expressed as Roy’s identity, which gives a relationship between an indirect utility function and a corresponding Marshallian demand function.


See also

  • Convex preferences

Threshold price-point; prices because an

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

In economics, a threshold price point is the psychological fixing of prices to entice a buyer. The most common example in the United States is the $??.99 phenomenon — e.g. setting the price for a good at $9.99. Though it is effectively ten dollars — especially when you add sales tax — it still appears to the potential buyer to be significantly cheaper than if the good was sold $10.00.

Economists and advertising analysts note that should a company need to increase the price of a product beyond the threshold price-point, it should not be done in small amounts. If a candy bar originally cost $1.99, then there is apparently little difference in making the new price $2.05 or even $2.25. Instead, companies are encouraged to raise the price to the next threshold price-point, which in this case may be as high as $2.99. The logic behind the move is that while some potential buyers will be lost by the increase in price beyond the threshold, those that stay will not notice the difference in prices between thresholds. Buyers do not make judgement calls on a per-cent basis, so will not differentiate between $2.05 and $2.06. However, they do differentiate at thresholds. So while you wouldn’t necessarily lose a buyer jumping from $2.05 and $2.06, you could lose one going from $1.99 to $2.00. Therefore companies can actually increase overall profit despite losing customers by increasing the revenue per buyer significantly.

Dick A. Greco; can only pursue their

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

Dick A. Greco (born September 14, 1933) is a businessman, career politician, and civic activist from Tampa, Florida.

A graduate of Hillsborough High School, Greco attended the University of Tampa [1] where he obtained his B.S. in Education (1956). After obtaining his degree, Greco proceeded to pursue a career in Tampa politics, beginning with a seat in Tampa City Council. In 1967, Greco followed this with a successful campaign to be Tampa’s youngest mayor and one of the youngest mayors in the United States. In his first term as mayor, Greco successfully balanced issues such as racial tensions, crime, and extremely limited tax revenue. Greco resigned as mayor in 1974 to pursue a career in the private sector. In 1995, Greco ran again and was elected to the post by a wide margin. He remained mayor until 2003 when he was succeeded by Pam Iorio.


References

  • http://www.tampagov.net/

Expectation utilities; mistaken for that

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

A qualification introduced by Bentham, to distinguish between two different types of utilities, or, rather, sources of utility (for utility, being identical to pleasure, remains always qualitatively the same). Expectation utilities are future-regarding, and thus imply desires and beliefs; “natural” utilities are not. Expectation utilities allow for long-term projects, which provide a higher proportion of utility than the natural utilities favored by those agents that can only pursue their immediate interest.

The notion of ‘expectation utility’ must not be mistaken for that of expected utility.

Doretta Morrow; introduced

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

Doretta Morrow (January 27, 1928 - February 28, 1968) was an American actress and dancer. Miss Morrow was born Doretta Marano in Brooklyn, New York and died in London, UK.


Theater credits

  • 1946 The Red Mill Broadway revival.
  • 1948 Where’s Charley? Broadway production. Doretta created the role of Kitty Verdun and introduced the song “My Darling, My Darling” (duet with Byron Palmer).
  • 1951 The King and I Broadway production. Doretta created the role of Tuptim and introduced the songs “I Have Dreamed” and “We Kiss in a Shadow” both duets with Larry Douglas.
  • 1953 Kismet Broadway production. Doretta created the role of Marsinah and introduced the song “Baubles, Bangles and Beads”.
  • 1955 Kismet London production
  • 1957 Fanny American touring company production in the title role
  • 1959 Aladdin London production of the Cole Porter musical in the role of The Princess.


Film credits

  • 1952 Because You’re Mine


Television musical

  • 1956 The Adventures of Marco Polo

Offer curve; consume

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

In economics, and particularly in the theory of international trade an offer curve shows the quantity of one type of product that an agent will export (”offer”) for each quantity of another type of product that it imports. The offer curve was first derived by English economists Edgeworth and Marshall to help explain international trade.


Offer Curve Described

The Offer Curve is derived from the country’s PPF. We describe a Country named K which enjoys both goods Y and X. It is slightly better at producing good X, but wants to consume both goods. It wants to consume at point C or higher (above the PPF). Country K starts in Autarky at point C. At point C, country K can produce (and consume) 3 Y for 5 X. As trade begins with another country, and country K begins to specialize in producing good X. When it produces at point B, it can trade with the other country and consume at point S. We now look at our Offer curve and draw a ray at the level 5 Y for 7 X. When full specialization occurs, K then produces at point A, trades and then consumes at point T. The price has reduced to 1 Y for 1 X, and the economy is now at equilibrium


References

  • Salvatore, Dominick. “International Economics.” John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2001.

M group; w </math>

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

In mathematics, an M group in the field of group theory is a group <math>G</math> such that the quotient <math>G/C_G(F(G))</math> is a nilpotent group. Here, <math>F(G)</math> denotes the fitting subgroup of <math>G</math>, and <math>C_G(H)</math> stands for the centralizer of a subset <math>H</math> of <math>G</math>.

Cost of goods sold; called indirect

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

Subtracting the cost of goods sold from the amount billed when selling the good (sales revenue) produces the gross profit on the good.

The net profit, what most people understand as the business’ income or profit, is determined by subtracting the cost of goods sold and the indirect expenses from the sales revenue.


Accounting method

The revenue from merchandise sold must be matched with the COGS. Cost of sales or cost of goods sold is the identification of the cost of those items sold in the most recent accounting period. It can be done by specific identification, taking inventory, or different methods using estimates such as the “retail” method.

COGS is also the determining factor in arriving at gross profit and is determined under the periodic method as follows:

Sales--------------------------------- $100,000
Cost of Goods Sold
  Inventory 01/01/03-- $ 5,000
  Purchases------------ 45,000
  Direct Labor--------- 30,000
                        _______
                                80,000
  Less: Inventory 12/31/03----- 10,000
                                _______

  Net Cost of Goods Sold---------------- 70,000
                                         ______

Gross Profit on Sales------------------ $30,000

To determine the net profit, one would then compute the indirect expenses such as office expenses, light, heat, etc. Determining the cost of goods sold is the first step in arriving at the net profit.

If the COGS is too high, then the gross profit will not support the indirect expenses and the result will be a loss for the accounting period.


See also

  • Income statement
  • List of business and finance abbreviations


External links

Further reading:

  • Cost of Goods Sold Explanation and examples for Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold.

Fermi liquid; always qualitatively the same

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

A Fermi liquid is a generic term for a quantum mechanical liquid of fermions that arises under certain physical conditions when the temperature is sufficiently low. The interaction between the particles of the many-body system does not need to be small (see e.g. electrons in a metal). The phenomenological theory of Fermi liquids, which was introduced by the Soviet physicist Lev Davidovich Landau in 1956, explains why some of the properties of an interacting fermion system are very similar to those of the Fermi gas (i.e. non-interacting fermions), and why other properties differ.

Liquid He-3 is a Fermi liquid at low temperatures (but not low enough to be in its superfluid phase.) He-3 is an isotope of Helium, with 2 protons, 1 neutron and 2 electrons per atom; because there is an odd number of fermions inside the atom, the atom itself is also a fermion. The electrons in a normal (non-superconducting) metal also form a Fermi liquid.

The Fermi liquid is qualitatively analogous to the non-interacting Fermi gas, in the following sense: The system’s dynamics and thermodynamics at low excitation energies and temperatures may be described by substituting the non-interacting fermions with so-called quasiparticles, each of which carries the same spin, charge and momentum as the original particles. Physically these may be thought of as being particles whose motion is disturbed by the surrounding particles and which themselves perturb the particles in their vicinity. Each many-particle excited state of the interacting system may be described by listing all occupied momentum states, just as in the non-interacting system. As a consequence, quantities such as the heat capacity of the Fermi liquid behave qualitatively in the same way as in the Fermi gas (e.g. the heat capacity rises linearly with temperature).

However, the following differences to the non-interacting Fermi gas arise:

  • The energy of a many-particle state is not simply a sum of the single-particle energies of all occupied states. Instead, the change in energy for a given change <math>\delta n_k</math> in occupation of states <math>k</math> contains terms both linear and quadratic in <math>\delta n_k</math> (for the Fermi gas, it would only be linear, <math>\delta n_k \epsilon_k</math>, where <math>\epsilon_k</math> denotes the single-particle energies). The linear contribution corresponds to renormalized single-particle energies, which involve, e.g., a change in the effective mass of particles. The quadratic terms correspond to a sort of “mean-field” interaction between quasiparticles, which is parameterized by so-called Landau Fermi liquid parameters and determines the behaviour of density oscillations (and spin-density oscillations) in the Fermi liquid. Still, these mean-field interactions do not lead to a scattering of quasi-particles with a transfer of particles between different momentum states.
  • Specific heat, compressibility, spin-susceptibility and other quantities show the same qualitative behaviour (e.g. dependence on temperature) as in the Fermi gas, but the magnitude is (sometimes strongly) changed.
  • In addition to the mean-field interactions, some weak interactions between quasiparticles remain, which lead to scattering of quasiparticles off each other. Therefore, quasiparticles acquire a finite lifetime. However, at low enough energies above the Fermi surface, this lifetime becomes very long, such that the product of excitation energy (expressed in frequency) and lifetime is much larger than one. In this sense, the quasiparticle energy is still well-defined (in the opposite limit, Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation would prevent an accurate definition of the energy).
  • The structure of the “bare” particle’s (as opposed to quasiparticle) Green’s function is similar to that in the Fermi gas (where, for a given momentum, the Green’s function in frequency space is a delta peak at the respective single-particle energy). The delta peak in the density-of-states is broadened (with a width given by the quasiparticle lifetime). In addition (and in contrast to the quasiparticle Green’s function), its weight (integral over frequency) is suppressed by a quasiparticle weight factor <math>0<Z<1</math>. The remainder of the total weight is in a broad “incoherent background”, corresponding to the strong effects of interactions on the fermions at short time-scales.
  • The distribution of particles (as opposed to quasiparticles) over momentum states at zero temperature still shows a discontinuous jump at the Fermi surface (as in the Fermi gas), but it does not drop from 1 to 0: the step is only of size <math>Z</math>.
  • In a metal the resistance at low temperatures is dominated by electron-electron scattering in combination with Umklapp scattering. For a Fermi liquid, the resistance from this mechanism varies as <math>T^2</math>, which is often taken as an experimental check for Fermi liquid behaviour (in addition to the linear temperature-dependence of the specific heat), although it only arises in combination with the lattice.

Thin-walled bamboo; by Bentham to distinguish

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

The thin-walled bamboo (Pseudostachyum polymorphum) is a species of bamboo and the sole species of the genus Pseudostachyum. The plant is found in Myanmar and India.


Taxonomy

The following species have been excluded from this genus:

  • Pseudostachyum compactiflorum Kurz, replaced by Melocalamus compactiflorus (Kurz) Benth.
  • Pseudostachyum glomeriflorum Kurz, replaced by Melocalamus compactiflorus (Kurz) Benth.

The genus is sometimes referred to as Schizostachyum.

Debitel; market

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

debitel AG, is one of the largest mobile services provider in Europe, offering a wide range of telecommunication products – mobile and fixed-line telephony as well internet services. In Germany, debitel’s largest market, the business has a 47% market share of the mobile service provider market and 12.4% of the overall mobile telephone market as of 2004. The company has over 10.2 million customers of which 8.3 million are resident in Germany. It also has subsidiaries in The Netherlands, Denmark, France and Slovenia and achieved revenues of around €3.0 billion in 2003.

In June 2004, the Permira Funds acquired Swisscom’s 95% stake in debitel.


External links

  • debitel
  • Essex Street Market: New York City's Public Market on the Lower Offering premium meats, gourmet cheese, fresh produce and more, Essex Street Market is the Lower East Side's Public Market.
  • AMM.com - The World Metals Information Network International daily metals news service, up-to-date prices of 1400 industrial materials. Covers the market, from mining to production, distribution to
  • Stock Market News & Quotes Get late breaking market news and stay ahead of the curve with up to the minute quotes at Reuters.com, your one stop source for comprehensive coverage of US
  • SIFMA: Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association To champion policies and practices that benefit investors and issuers, expand and perfect global capital markets, and foster the development of new products
  • World Stock Markets & Stock Index Performance - BusinessWeek Read breaking news from stock markets around the world. Find information on the major US indices and stock exchanges for your investing decisions.
  • Wegmans Regional supermarket chain. Information on store departments, locations and the shoppers club along with featured recipes and online shopping available.
  • Portland Saturday Market Home Page Portland Saturday Market where unique artists await discovery. More than 300 artisans every Saturday and Sunday from March to December 24th.var mb21=ManyBox.register(’21′,3,’_ojqK6ZwGnMJ’,”,’4e51′,10,’Map of 108 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209′)
  • AMS at USDA - AMS Market News - Main Page Current price and sales information of farm commodities. Reports include information on prices, volume, quality, condition, and other market data in
  • Welcome to Chelsea Market Food concourse in Manhattan. Includes photo gallery, upcoming events, directions, the history, reviews, and a map of the store locations.
  • Market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In economics, a market is a social structure developed to facilitate the exchange of rights, services or product ownership. Markets enable peoples' services
  • Dallas Market Center - Home Page Products from manufacturers of apparel, gift products, decorative accessories, home furnishings, lighting, garden accessories, floral and gourmet.

Lie algebroid; bundle

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

In mathematics, Lie algebroids serve the same role in the theory of Lie groupoids that Lie algebras serve in the theory of Lie groups: reducing global problems to infinitesimal ones. Just as a Lie groupoid can be thought of as a “Lie group with many objects”, a Lie algebroid is like a “Lie algebra with many objects”.

More precisely, a Lie algebroid
is a triple <math>(E, [\cdot,\cdot], \rho)</math> consisting of a vector bundle <math>E</math> over a manifold <math>M</math>, together with a Lie bracket <math>[\cdot,\cdot]</math> on its module of sections <math>\Gamma (E)</math> and a morphism of vector bundles <math>\rho: E\rightarrow TM</math> called the anchor. Here <math>TM</math> is the tangent bundle of <math>M</math>. The anchor and the bracket are to satisfy the Leibniz rule:

<math>[X,fY]=\rho(X)f\cdot Y + f[X,Y]</math>

where <math>X,Y \in \Gamma(E), f\in C^\infty(M)</math> and <math>\rho(X)f</math> is the derivative of <math>f</math> along the vector field <math>\rho(X)</math>. It follows that

<math>\rho([X,Y])=[\rho(X),\rho(Y)] </math>

for all <math>X,Y \in \Gamma(E)</math>.


Examples

  • Every Lie algebra is a Lie algebroid over the one point manifold.
  • The tangent bundle <math>TM</math> of a manifold <math>M</math> is a Lie algebroid for the Lie bracket of vector fields and the identity of <math>TM</math> as an anchor.
  • Every integrable subbundle of the tangent bundle — that is, one whose sections are closed under the Lie bracket — also defines a Lie algebroid.
  • Every bundle of Lie algebras over a smooth manifold defines a Lie algebroid where the Lie bracket is defined pointwise and the anchor map is equal to zero.
  • To every Lie groupoid is associated a Lie algebroid, generalizing how a Lie algebra is associated to a Lie group. For example, the Lie algebroid <math>TM</math> comes from the Lie groupoid whose objects are <math>M \times M</math>, with one isomorphism between each pair of objects. Unfortunately, going back from a Lie algebroid to a Lie groupoid is not always possible, but every Lie algebroid gives a stacky Lie groupoidHsian-Hua Tseng and Chenchang Zhu, Integrating Lie algebroids via stacks, available as arXiv:math/0405003Chenchang Zhu, Lie II theorem for Lie algebroids via stacky Lie groupoids, available as arXiv:math/0701024.
  • Given the action of a Lie algebra g on a manifold M, the set of g -invariant vector fields on M is a Lie algebroid over the space of orbits of the action.


References


External links

Alan Weinstein, Groupoids: unifying internal and external
symmetry, AMS Notices, 43 (1996), 744-752. Also available as arXiv:math/9602220

Kirill Mackenzie, Lie Groupoids and Lie Algebroids in Differential Geometry, Cambridge U. Press, 1987.

Kirill Mackenzie, General Theory of Lie Groupoids and Lie Algebroids, Cambridge U. Press, 2005