22,336 research outputs found
Contributions of Vacuum and Plasmon Modes to the Force on a Small Sphere near a Plate
The force on a small sphere with a plasma model dielectric function and in
the presence of a perfectly reflecting plane is considered. The contribution of
both the vacuum modes of the quantized electromagnetic field and of plasmon
modes in the sphere are discussed. In the case that the plasmon modes are in
their ground state, quasi-oscillatory terms from the vacuum and plasmon parts
cancel one another, leading a monotonic attractive force. If the plasmon modes
are not in the ground state, the net force is quasi-oscillatory. In both cases,
the sphere behaves in the same way as does an atom in either its ground state
or an excited state.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, talk presented at "Quantum Fields under External
Conditions - 2005", Barcelona, Spain, September 200
Relative Abundance, Seasonal Distribution and Taxonomy of Sphingidae of Northeast Arkansas
A total of 38 species of sphingids, with keys and descriptions, are reported from Northeast Arkansas. Graphs and tables are presented to show relative abundance and seasonal distribution. Drawings of genitalia, fore tibiae, and forewings, as well as photographs of species in the key are included
Solutions to the 1d Klein-Gordon equation with cutoff Coulomb potentials
In a recent paper by Barton (J. Phys. A40, 1011 (2007)), the 1-dimensional
Klein-Gordon equation was solved analytically for the non-singular Coulomb-like
potential V_1(|x|) = -\alpha/(|x|+a). In the present paper, these results are
completely confirmed by a numerical formulation that also allows a solution for
an alternative cutoff Coulomb potential V_2(|x|) = -\alpha/|x|, ~|x| > a, and
otherwise V_2(|x|) = -\alpha/a.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Convergence and divergence dynamics in British and French business schools: how will the pressure for accreditation influence these dynamics?
This paper focuses on convergence and divergence dynamics among leading British and French business schools and explores how the pressure for accreditation influences these dynamics. We illustrate that despite historical differences in approaches to management education in Britain and France, these approaches have converged partly based on the influence of the American model of management education but more recently through the pursuit of accreditation, in particular AASCB and EQUIS. We explore these dynamics through the application of the resource-based view of the firm and institutional theory and suggest that whilst achieving accreditation is a necessary precursor for international competition, it is no longer a form of competitive advantage. The pursuit of accreditation has fostered a form of competitive mimicry reducing national distinctiveness. The resource-based view of the firm suggests that the top schools need a more heterogeneous approach that is not easily replicable if they are to outperform the competitors. Consequently, the convergence of management education in Britain and France will become a new impetus for divergence. We assert that future growth and competitive advantage might be better achieved through the reassertion of national, regional and local cultural characteristics
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