A Revised Geometry for the Magnetic Wind of theta^1 Orionis C

Theta^1 Ori is thought to be a hot analog of Bp variables because its optical and UV line and X-ray continuum fluxes modulate regularly over the magnetic/rotational period. A flattened magnetosphere surrounding co-rotates with these stars, producing a periodic modulation of emission and absorption components of the UV resonance lines, as well as of optical H and He lines. In this paper we examine these modulations in detail and point out that the far-blue and near-red wings of C IV and N V resonance lines exhibit anticorrelated modulations, causing mild flux elevations at moderate redshifts at edge-on phase (phi=0.5). However, the lines do not exhibit rest-frame absorption features, the usual signatures of cool static disks surrounding Bp stars. We suggest that this behavior can be explained by the existence of two geometrically distinct wind regions separated by the local magnetic Alfven radius. Wind streams emerging outside this point are forced outward by radiative forces and eventually expand outward radially to infinity - this matter produces the far-blue wing absorptions at phi=0.5. Interior streams follow closed loops and collide at the magnetic equator with counterstreams. There they coalesce and fall back to the star along their original field lines - these are responsible for mild emissions at this same phase. The rapid circulation of the interior wind component back to the star is responsible for the absence of static disk features.Comment: 7 figure

Are Drivers\u27 Manuals Understandable?

In 1984, researchers determined that the readability of state drivers\u27 manuals exceeded the average literacy levels in the United States. Because text complexity threatened the ability of license applicants and practicing drivers to understand the information presented in the manuals, a potential safety risk was indicated. This study analyzes recent editions of the manuals using readability formulas and formal text presentation ratings. It was found that the average difficulty of the drivers\u27 manuals was reduced by more than one grade level and that the 1994 manuals are clearly superior to their earlier versions, but that, in the interest of highway safety, improvements should still be sought

Escape, capture, and levitation of matter in Eddington outbursts

Context: An impulsive increase in luminosity by one half or more of the Eddington value will lead to ejection of all optically thin plasma from Keplerian orbits around the radiating star, if gravity is Newtonian and the Poynting-Robertson drag is neglected. Radiation drag may bring some particles down to the stellar surface. On the other hand, general relativistic calculations show that gravity may be balanced by a sufficiently intense radiation field at a certain distance from the star. Aims: We investigate the motion of test particles around highly luminous stars to determine conditions under which plasma may be ejected from the system. Results: In Einstein's gravity, if the outburst is close to the Eddington luminosity, all test particles orbiting outside an "escape sphere" will be ejected from the system, while all others will be captured from their orbits onto the surface of another sphere, which is well above the stellar surface, and may even be outside the escape sphere, depending on the value of luminosity. Radiation drag will bring all the captured particles to rest on this "Eddington capture sphere," where they will remain suspended in an equilibrium state as long as the local flux of radiation does not change and remains at the effective Eddington value.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. To be published in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Labor Pooling in R&D Intensive Industries

We investigate firms’ incentives to locate in the same region to gain access to a large pool of skilled labor. Firms engage in risky R&D activities and thus create stochastic product and implied labor demand. Agglomeration in a cluster is more likely in situations where the innovation step is large and the probability for a firm to be the only innovator is high. When firms cluster, they tend to invest more and take more risk in R&D compared to spatially dispersed firms. Agglomeration is welfare maximizing, because expected labor productivity is higher and firms choose a more efficient, technically diversified portfolio of R&D projects at the industry level.

Comparison of primordial tensor power spectra from the deformed algebra and dressed metric approaches in loop quantum cosmology

Loop quantum cosmology tries to capture the main ideas of loop quantum gravity and to apply them to the Universe as a whole. Two main approaches within this framework have been considered to date for the study of cosmological perturbations: the dressed metric approach and the deformed algebra approach. They both have advantages and drawbacks. In this article, we accurately compare their predictions. In particular, we compute the associated primordial tensor power spectra. We show -- numerically and analytically -- that the large scale behavior is similar for both approaches and compatible with the usual prediction of general relativity. The small scale behavior is, the other way round, drastically different. Most importantly, we show that in a range of wavenumbers explicitly calculated, both approaches do agree on predictions that, in addition, differ from standard general relativity and do not depend on unknown parameters. These features of the power spectrum at intermediate scales might constitute a universal loop quantum cosmology prediction that can hopefully lead to observational tests and constraints. We also present a complete analytical study of the background evolution for the bouncing universe that can be used for other purposes.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Cultural influences and the mediating role of socio-cultural integration processes on the performance of cross-border mergers and acquisitions

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This paper reports findings from a longitudinal case study (2005–2011) of a merger between an Austrian and a German energy provider. I develop a model of socio-cultural integration processes based on an analysis of critical incidents expressed in 71 problem-centred interviews and observations with acquired and acquiring employees at four different points of time: immediately before the takeover and during the first negotiation talks, and one, three and six years after the takeover. The findings suggest that the relationship between national and organizational cultural differences and M&A outcomes is mediated by socio-cultural integration processes defined in terms of the formation of interpersonal relationships, trust and shared identity. Based on these findings I formulate specific propositions and build an evidence-based model of M&A socio-cultural integration processes that guides future research and practice

A Solid State Pulsed Coagulating Diathermy Instrument

Solid state pulsed coagulating diathermy instrumen