83 research outputs found
First-Principles Study on Electron Conduction in Sodium Nanowire
We present detailed first-principles calculations of the electron-conduction
properties of a three-sodium-atom nanowire suspended between semi-infinite
crystalline Na(001) electrodes during its elongation. Our investigations reveal
that the conductance is ~1 G0 before the nanowire breaks and only one channel
with the characteristic of the orbital of the center atom in the nanowire
contributes to the electron conduction. Moreover, the channel fully opens
around the Fermi level, and the behavior of the channel-current density is
insensitive to the structural deformation of the nanowire. These results verify
that the conductance trace as a function of the electrode spacing exhibits a
flat plateau at ~1 G0 during elongation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Left gaze bias in humans, rhesus monkeys and domestic dogs
While viewing faces, human adults often demonstrate a natural gaze bias towards the left visual field, that is, the right side of the viewee’s face is often inspected first and for longer periods. Using a preferential looking paradigm, we demonstrate that this bias is neither uniquely human nor limited to primates, and provide evidence to help elucidate its biological function within a broader social cognitive framework. We observed that 6-month-old infants showed a wider tendency for left gaze preference towards objects and faces of different species and orientation, while in adults the bias appears only towards upright human faces. Rhesus monkeys showed a left gaze bias towards upright human and monkey faces, but not towards inverted faces. Domestic dogs, however, only demonstrated a left gaze bias towards human faces, but not towards monkey or dog faces, nor to inanimate object images. Our findings suggest that face- and species-sensitive gaze asymmetry is more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously recognised, is not constrained by attentional or scanning bias, and could be shaped by experience to develop adaptive behavioural significance
Geographic Regulation and Cooperative Investment in Next Generation Broadband Networks - A Review of Recent Literature and Practical Cases
Poverty Alleviation and the Degree of Centralisation in European Schemes of Social Assistance
Modes of Regulation in the Governance of the European Union: Towards a Comprehensive Evaluation
Emissions Trading and the Polluter-Pays Principle : do Polluters Pay under Grandfathering?
Emissions trading is becoming increasingly popular in environmental law. Allowances to trade emissions can either be auctioned off or handed out free of charge by means of grandfathering. Although grandfathering is frequently used in emissions trading schemes, it is a popular view in the economic and legal literature that grandfathering is inconsistent with the polluter-pays principle. We come to a different, more nuanced view. The question of whether polluters pay under grandfathering depends on how the polluter-pays principle is interpreted. We present a taxonomy of interpretations. Based on an efficiency interpretation of the principle, consistency is demonstrated by emphasizing the economic impact of the opportunity costs of gratis allowances and the lump sum nature of the subsidy that is inherent to grandfathering. Inconsistency can only be claimed based on an equity interpretation of the polluter-pays principle. Allocating allowances free of charge means that polluting firms receive a capital gift making their shareholders richer, which may be perceived as unfair. We draw two conclusions. First, contrary to what some have claimed, grandfathering is compatible with an efficiency interpretation of the polluter-pays principle. Second, only auctioning is consistent with an extended form of this principle. Auctioning ensures not only that pollution costs are internalized (efficiency), but also that producers buy their allowances before they pass on those costs to consumers (equity)
- …