[en] The report analyses the possibility that the lognormal diffusion process should be an equilibrium spot price process for an exhaustible resource. A partial equilibrium model is used under the assumption that the resource deposits have different extraction costs. Two separate problems have been pointed out. Under full certainty, when the process reduces to an exponentially growing price, the equilibrium places a very strong restriction on a relationship between the demand function and the cost density function. Under uncertainty there is an additional problem that during periods in which the price is lower than its previously recorded high, no new deposits will start extraction. 30 refs., 1 fig

[en] A workable method for the analysis of incentive effects of petroleum taxes under uncertainty is presented. The main advantage of the method is that it concludes with a single number for the after-tax value of any development plan, and thus allows for a quantification of incentive effects for any given description of production possibilities. It is, however, not possible to describe tax effects under uncertainty by simple magnitudes independent of production possibilities, such as wedges in rates of return. The theoretical basis is the contingent claims analysis from finance theory, which is applicable in particular to companies that are owned by well-diversified shareholders. It is not obvious that the tax authorities of poorly diversified countries should value uncertain income streams by the same method. The Norwegian petroleum taxation is shown to have strongly distortionary effects compared to a no-tax situation or a cash flow tax. These distortions were reduced by the tax changes that followed the 1986 decreases in crude oil prices. A weakness of the model of the Norwegian system is that an exactly optimal financial policy for the company has not been found. 30 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

[en] Contingent claims analysis provides a useful tool for analysing the value of tax claims, and of companies' after-tax values, under uncertainty. The method is presented and applied to the analysis of how Norwegian petroleum taxes affect company behaviour. Few results can be derived analytically. A numerical approach is suggested, with a stylized description of production possibilities. The Norwegian taxes are found to have strong distortionary effects. The relation to other methods and problems connected with the application are discussed. (Author)

[en] The adrenal medulla is a rich source of endogenous opioid peptides. These peptides exist predominantly in the form of larger (25-34 amino acid long) enkephalin containing peptides, whose biological roles have yet to be elucidated. We report here the tissue binding distribution of three iodinated enkephalin containing peptides, Peptides F, E, and B, in rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs following intravenous injection. Each [¹²⁵I]peptide has a unique distribution profile but all three are found to bind to the pituitary in each species of animal examined. A number of lines of evidence point toward the enkephalin containing peptides, Peptides F, E, and B, having physiological roles distinct from the enkephalins. The distribution profile of these [¹²⁵I]peptides reported here gives insight into their potential effector sites

[en] Carbon isotope minima were a ubiquitous feature in the mid-depth (1.5–2.5 km) Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1, 14.5–17.5 kyr BP) and the Younger Dryas (YD, 11.6–12.9 kyr BP), with the most likely driver being collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Negative carbon isotope anomalies also occurred throughout the surface ocean and atmosphere, but their timing relative to AMOC collapse and the underlying drivers have remained unclear. Here we evaluate the lead-lag relationship between AMOC variability and surface ocean δ ¹³C signals using high resolution benthic and planktonic stable isotope records from two Brazil Margin cores (located at 1.8 km and 2.1 km water depth). In each case, the decrease in benthic δ ¹³C during HS1 leads planktonic δ ¹³C by 800 ± 200 years. Because the records are based on the same samples, the relative timing is constrained by the core stratigraphy. Our results imply that AMOC collapse initiates a chain of events that propagates through the oceanic carbon cycle in less than 1 kyr. Direct comparison of planktonic foraminiferal and atmospheric records implies a portion of the surface ocean δ ¹³C signal can be explained by temperature-dependent equilibration with a ¹³C-depleted atmosphere, with the remainder due to biological productivity, input of carbon from the abyss, or reduced air-sea equilibration. (letter)

[en] Samples of cortical bone, derived from human femur, have been studied using terahertz time-domain transmission spectroscopy. The relationship between the broadband THz parameters and the previously acquired values of Young's modulus and x-ray attenuation (CT number), and the density of each bone sample, is investigated. The only significant correlation is that between THz transmission and sample density, suggesting that the potential use of THz radiation as a non-invasive probe of bone quality is limited. The spectra of absorption coefficient and refractive index are plotted over the frequency range 0.1-1.25 THz. There is evidence that the sample hydration state is a factor in the resultant THz parameters

[en] The first experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have employed the first four beams to measure propagation and laser backscattering losses in large ignition-size plasmas. Gas-filled targets between 2 mm and 7 mm length have been heated from one side by overlapping the focal spots of the four beams from one quad operated at 351 nm (3ω) with a total intensity of 2 x 10¹⁵ W cm^-2. The targets were filled with 1 atm of CO₂ producing of up to 7 mm long homogeneously heated plasmas with densities of n_e = 6 x 10²⁰ cm^-3 and temperatures of T_e = 2 keV. The high energy in a NIF quad of beams of 16kJ, illuminating the target from one direction, creates unique conditions for the study of laser plasma interactions at scale lengths not previously accessible. The propagation through the large-scale plasma was measured with a gated x-ray imager that was filtered for 3.5 keV x rays. These data indicate that the beams interact with the full length of this ignition-scale plasma during the last ∼1 ns of the experiment. During that time, the full aperture measurements of the stimulated Brillouin scattering and stimulated Raman scattering show scattering into the four focusing lenses of 6% for the smallest length (∼2 mm). increasing to 12% for ∼7 mm. These results demonstrate the NIF experimental capabilities and further provide a benchmark for three-dimensional modeling of the laser-plasma interactions at ignition-size scale lengths

[en] A first set of laser-plasma interaction, hohlraum energetics and hydrodynamic experiments have been performed using the first 4 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). In parallel, a robust set of optical and x-ray spectrometers, interferometer, calorimeters and imagers have been activated. The experiments have been undertaken with laser powers and energies of up to 8 TW and 17 kJ in flattop and shaped 1-9 ns pulses focused with various beam smoothing options