2,585 research outputs found
Wigner function for a particle in an infinite lattice
We study the Wigner function for a quantum system with a discrete, infinite
dimensional Hilbert space, such as a spinless particle moving on a one
dimensional infinite lattice. We discuss the peculiarities of this scenario and
of the associated phase space construction, propose a meaningful definition of
the Wigner function in this case, and characterize the set of pure states for
which it is non-negative. We propose a measure of non-classicality for states
in this system which is consistent with the continuum limit. The prescriptions
introduced here are illustrated by applying them to localized and Gaussian
states, and to their superpositions.Comment: 19 pages (single column), 7 figure
The importance of Intermediaries organizations in international R&D cooperation: an empirical multivariate study across Europe
Despite the large number of publications related to business cooperation in R&D and the wide perception of the importance of intermediary institutions in the R&D cooperation process, empirical studies on its role are scarce, scattered and fragmented. Moreover, the academic work developed in this area is basically of a theoretical nature, whereas the international perspective of R&D cooperation is seldom approached. Departing from a unique database that includes 473 R&D cooperation projects developed within the 6th Framework Programme, involving firms and intermediaries from all European Union countries, this paper gauges the determinants of the importance attached to Intermediaries, through a direct survey to the organizations involved. Based on an estimation of the multivariate model, this study demonstrates that the importance given to Intermediaries depends more on project features than on the characteristics of the participating organizations. In particular, the nationality of participating organizations and the promoter emerged with a strong explanatory power: ceteris paribus, projects with at least one participant from the United Kingdom tend to assign greater importance to intermediaries in international R&D cooperation. Unambiguously, results evidence that the innovating capacity of an organization emerges (both positively and significantly) associated with a greater importance attached to Intermediaries.R&D Cooperation; Intermediaries; International projects; Europe
Home Country Bias: Does Domestic Experience Help Investors Enter Foreign Markets?
This paper investigates whether investors' domestic experience helps them enter foreign markets. We show that investors first invest in domestic securities and only some time later they invest abroad in foreign securities. We also show that investors who trade more often in the domestic market start to invest abroad earlier. Our findings suggest that the experience investors acquire while they trade in the domestic market is a key reason why active investors enter the foreign market earlier. A reason is that highly educated investors as well as investors with more financial knowledge, arguably those for whom learning by trading is the least important, do not need to trade as much in the domestic market before they start investing in foreign securities. Another reason is that investors who start investing in foreign securities are able to improve on their performance afterwards. This improvement in performance constitutes further evidence that the home country bias is costly, thereby confirming that there are gains for investors from investing abroad.Learning, home country bias, duration analysis.
A Capacity Building for Higher Education ERASMUS+ Project: Strategic Human Resources Management for Southeast Asian Universities (HR4ASIA)
The development and optimization of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is becoming more and more
important. Consequently, Human Resources Management (HRM) has gained greater prominence in
the management of these institutions. Due to the complexity of academic contexts of HEIs, HRM
models need to be able to respond to new challenges. These challenges concern selection, motivation
and development of their staff. Currently, especially in Southeast Asian countries, Human Resources
approaches need to be more efficient and tailored to current labor and societal needs. In order to
support Higher Education organizational changes in Southeast Asia, a consortium of 4 institutions
from Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy and Lithuania) and 8 from Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and
Thailand) lead by the University of Danang (Vietnam), applied to a Capacity Building for Higher
Education project under the framework of the Erasmus+ Program. The project âStrategic Human
Resources Management for Southeast Asian Universitiesâ (HR4Asia) approved in 2016 and co-funded
by the European Commission aims at contributing to Higher Education organizational reform in
Southeast Asia by improving HRM at the target HEIs from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam and
Thailand. Each partner has well defined tasks according to the work packages established on the
project. This research is focused on the competences that workers need to achieve to have a better
performance in the institution. It was necessary to present and deconstruct, among others, the
concepts of competence as capacity and competency as performance, to learn how to measure
competencies and to manage competency and Human Resources. Staff involved in this project will be
able to design and define the competencies model of the structures of each HEI to define the
competency model per structure (mapping of organizational competencies and a model of
competences of structures). This is one more step to achieve the following final goals: introduce in
Southeast Asian HEIs a scheme to developing and implementing innovative HRM approaches, paying
attention to transversal and additional skills, such as communication and self-learning. Tailor-made
dissemination activities addressing non-partner HEIs, Ministries of Higher Education and other
stakeholders will promote the project objectives, paving the way for its sustainability
Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A FrankâOseen Approach
We revisit the wetting of nematic liquid crystals in contact with crenellated substrates, studied previously using the Landauâde Gennes formalism. However, due to computational limitations, the characteristic length scales of the substrate relief considered in that study limited to less than 100 nematic correlation lengths. The current work uses an extended FrankâOseen formalism, which includes not only the free-energy contribution due to the elastic deformations but also the surface tension contributions and, if disclinations or other orientational field singularities are present, their core contributions. Within this framework, which was successfully applied to the anchoring transitions of a nematic liquid crystal in contact with structured substrates, we extended the study to much larger length scales including the macroscopic scale. In particular, we analyzed the interfacial states and the transitions between them at the nematicâisotropic coexistence
- âŠ