Generational Mass Splitting of Neutrinos in High Temperature SU(2)L⊗U(1)SU(2)_{\scriptscriptstyle{L}}\otimes U(1) Gauge Theory

We calculate the generational mass splitting of neutrinos in high temperature $SU(2)_{\scriptscriptstyle{L}}\otimes U(1)$ gauge theory when the temperature is above $250$ GeV and the gauge symmetry is restored. We consider the case of neutrinos that are massless at tree level as well as the case of neutrinos with tree-level mass and large mixing.Comment: 12 Pages, JHU-TIPAC-940008/INFNCA-TH-94-

The Role of Social Institutions in Inter-Generational Mobility

The primary goal of inter-generational mobility (IGM) research has always been to explain how and why social origins influence peoples’ life chances. This has naturally placed family attributes at centre stage. But the role of social institutions, most notably education systems, as a mediating factor has also been central to IGM theory. Indeed, generations of stratification research were premised on the core assumption that equalizing access to education would weaken the impact of social origins. In theory, policies, institutions, as well as macro-economic and historical context, have been identified as crucial in shaping patterns of social mobility (D’Addio, 2007). But apart from education, empirical research has contributed little concrete evidence on how this occurs.

Intergenerational transfers in rural households: A game theoretical approach

The household membership decision is viewed as a “research project” where the offspring invests in human and non human capital to influence the probability of finding an alternative to the parental household. The problem is formulated as a differential game between a selfish offspring and altruistic parents. The solution is consistent with facts” such as the “flexibility of inheritance systems” and the “generational fragmentation” of the family property when the economic opportunities expand outside the parental household.intergenerational transfers, rural households, game theory

Aging, Probability Weighting, and Reference Point Adoption: An Experimental Study

We examine generational differences in risk-taking behavior by means of a laboratory experiment with monetary incentives. We estimate the parameterized models in the framework of cumulative prospect theory and examine the risk aversion, probability weightings and reference point adoption of elderly and young groups. The results of our experiment indicate that the elderly group is less sensitive to changes in probability and tends to underestimate large probabilities and overestimate small probabilities more strongly than does the young group. Furthermore, we find that the elderly update their reference point after gains and tend to derive their utility from gains and losses not from levels of wealth. In sum, we find that the elderly group's behavior departs more from the traditional expected utility theory than does the young group's behavior.

Overcoming Problems in the Measurement of Biological Complexity

In a genetic algorithm, fluctuations of the entropy of a genome over time are interpreted as fluctuations of the information that the genome's organism is storing about its environment, being this reflected in more complex organisms. The computation of this entropy presents technical problems due to the small population sizes used in practice. In this work we propose and test an alternative way of measuring the entropy variation in a population by means of algorithmic information theory, where the entropy variation between two generational steps is the Kolmogorov complexity of the first step conditioned to the second one. As an example application of this technique, we report experimental differences in entropy evolution between systems in which sexual reproduction is present or absent.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

TMT diversity and innovation ambidexterity in family firms

Purpose – Family firms that simultaneously engage in multiple levels of innovation – incremental andradical – are likely to enjoy performance advantages across generations. The purpose of this paper is to research under which management conditions (i.e. top management team (TMT) diversity in terms of generational or non-family involvement) family firms are more likely to achieve innovation ambidexterity. Also, the paper addresses the mediating role of open innovation (OI) breadth in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A large cross-sectional sample of 335 small- and medium-sized family firms is used. The hypotheses were tested in a mediation model. The relationship between TMT diversity andambidexterity is measured using a binominal regression analysis, the one between TMT diversity and OIbreadth using a Tobit model. Findings – Drawing on the family firm upper echelon perspective, the results indicate that TMT diversity induced through external managers and multiple generations is positively related to innovation ambidexterity. As the mediation analysis reveals, the relationship can be explained by the higherpropensity of diverse TMTs to get involved in OI breadth. The findings add to the discussion on family firm heterogeneity and its influence on different kinds of innovation. Originality/value–So far, few studies have been concerned with ambidextrous family firms. Contrary totheir reputation, this study identifies family firms as radical as well as open innovators. As such, this research takes account not only of the heterogeneity of family firms, but also of the heterogeneity of family firm innovation

Generational research: between historical and sociological imaginations

This paper reflects on Julia Brannen’s contribution to the development of theory and methods for intergenerational research. The discussion is contextualised within a contemporary ‘turn to time’ within sociology, involving tensions and synergies between sociological and historical imagination. These questions are informed by a juxtaposition of Brannen’s four-generation study of family change and social historian Angela Davis’s exploration women and the family in England between 1945 and 2000. These two studies give rise to complementary findings, yet have distinctive orientations towards the status and treatment of sources, the role of geography in research design and limits of generalisatio