Being Independent is a Great Thing: Subjective Evaluations of Self-Employment and Hierarchy

One can be independent, or subject to decisions made by others. This paper empirically tests whether individuals attach an intrinsic value to the institutional difference between independence and hierarchy. Taking self-employment as an important case of independence, it is shown that the self-employed derive more utility from their work than people employed by an organization, irrespective of income gained or hours worked. This is evidence for procedural utility: people do not only value outcomes, but also the conditions and processes leading to these outcomes.procedural utility, institutions, hierarchiy, self-employment, job satisfaction

Entrepreneurship as a non-profit-seeking activity

It is typically assumed that people engage in entrepreneurship because there are profits to be made. In contrast to this view, this paper argues that entrepreneurship is more adequately characterized as a non-profit-seeking activity. Evidence from a broad range of authors and academic fields is discussed showing that entrepreneurship does quite generally not pay in monetary terms. Being an entrepreneur seems to be rather rewarding because it entails substantial non-monetary benefits, like greater autonomy, broader skill utilization, and the possibility to pursue one's own ideas. It is shown how incorporating these non-monetary benefits into economic models of entrepreneurship can lead to a better understanding of the phenomeno

A hit-and-run Giant Impact scenario

The formation of the Moon from the debris of a slow and grazing giant impact of a Mars-sized impactor on the proto-Earth (Cameron & Ward 1976, Canup & Asphaug 2001) is widely accepted today. We present an alternative scenario with a hit-and-run collision (Asphaug 2010) with a fractionally increased impact velocity and a steeper impact angle.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, in press in ICARUS note

Are Stock Options the Managers' Blessing? Stock Option Compensation and Institutional Controls

Stock option grants to top managers have largely contributed to the dramatic increase in US executive pay in recent years. In this paper it is argued that stock options, compared to other forms of compensation, have created strong incentives for managers to engage in lobbying activities for higher compensation. The empirical results presented for the S&P 500 firms and the years from 1992 to 1997 show that the relative success of such skimming activities is shaped by institutional controls. Stock option grants are substantially lower when control by the board of directors and the shareholders is higher, and competition on the product market of a firm is stronger

Statistische Modellierung einer geschichteten Zweiphasenströmung (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7705)

Ein neuer Modellierungsansatz für die Simulation geschichteter Zweiphasenströmungen wird vorgestellt. Eine einfache Möglichkeit das Zusammenspiel von Turbulenz und Oberflächenwellen zu modellieren, bietet der Zweischichten-Turbulenzansatz. Die Wellenamplitude ist dabei als turbulentes Längenmaß für den Wellenbereich gewählt worden. Sie lässt sich dabei aus statistischen Gleichgewicht zwischen turbulenter kinetischer, turbulenter potentieller und turbulenter Oberflächenenergie berechnen

Influence of wood harvest on tree-ring time-series of Picea abies in a temperate forest

Tree-ring width data are the prime source of high-resolution climate reconstructions covering recent millennia. Their variations, from year-to-year, are calibrated against regional instrumental data to evaluate the strength of associations with temperature and precipitation records, though the level of variance explained by climatic variables is frequently less than 50%. Among the remaining factors affecting tree growth, the influence of forest management for tree-ring width time-series used to resolve annual climate reconstructions remains relatively unexplored. We here evaluate the impact of conventional single-tree harvesting on tree-ring data using a compilation of circumstantially mapped Picea abies sites in western Germany. Climate signals are explored by calibration against regional temperature and precipitation data, and the influences of forest management analyzed using long-term logging data spanning the past 40–80 years and mapped stumps (and neighboring trees) spanning the past 20 years. Our results indicate a weak but statistically significant control of total May–July precipitation of P. abies growth. This association is only marginally, if at all, affected by forest management, i.e. wider tree-rings due to improved access to light and nutrients in years after logging events are either not found or in line with increased precipitation sums following single-tree harvest. These findings suggest only minor influences of selective harvesting on Picea tree-ring growth in western Germany, and overall limited biases of annually resolved climate reconstructions from lower elevation central European sites due to historical logging events

Trusting Constitutions

Cet article présente deux raisons de faire confiance aux constitutions : premièrement, parce qu’elles encouragent et nourissent le sens civique du devoir. Un point essentiel concerne alors le degré de participation qui est accordé aux citoyens. Nous montrons empiriquement qu’une participation croissante, par l’intermédiaire de référendum, augmente le sens civique des citoyens, réduisant les fraudes fiscales. Deuxièmement, il faut faire confiance aux constitutions pour accroître le bonheur des citoyens. Là encore, la participation joue un rôle central.Two explanations for the importance of trusting constitutions are offered : First, constitutions that convey trust towards citizens have positive effects by fostering civic virtue. A crucial factor of a trusting constitution is the extent to which the citizens are allowed to actively participate in the political process. We present empirical evidence that participation via popular referenda and initiatives can lead to higher civic virtue in the form of tax compliance. Second, constitutions can be trusted in the sense that the constitutional approach provides valuable insights to social and political problems. We show that different constitutional designs affect one of the ultimate objecitves of life – the happiness of the citizens

Blühstreifen für Bestäuber und andere Nützlinge - Wertvolle Nahrungsquellen im Ackerbau

Das Merkblatt hilft Beratungskräften, Landwirtinnen und Landwirten sowie weiteren landwirtschaftlichen Akteuren bei der Umsetzung der neuen Biodiversitätsförderfläche Blühstreifen für Bestäuber und andere Nützlinge. Das Dokument beschreibt den kulturspezifischen Nutzen der Flächen, deren Anlage, Pflege und Aufhebung. Zudem werden Empfehlungen zur optimalen Umsetzung formuliert, damit die erwartete Leistung der Bestäuber und Nützlinge auch langfristig erbracht werden kann

A potent and selective inhibitor for the modulation of MAGL activity in the neurovasculature.

Chronic inflammation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction are key pathological hallmarks of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Major drivers of these pathologies include pro-inflammatory stimuli such as prostaglandins, which are produced in the central nervous system by the oxidation of arachidonic acid in a reaction catalyzed by the cyclooxygenases COX1 and COX2. Monoacylglycerol lipase hydrolyzes the endocannabinoid signaling lipid 2-arachidonyl glycerol, enhancing local pools of arachidonic acid in the brain and leading to cyclooxygenase-mediated prostaglandin production and neuroinflammation. Monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors were recently shown to act as effective anti-inflammatory modulators, increasing 2-arachidonyl glycerol levels while reducing levels of arachidonic acid and prostaglandins, including PGE2 and PGD2. In this study, we characterized a novel, highly selective, potent and reversible monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitor (MAGLi 432) in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide-induced blood-brain barrier permeability and in both human and mouse cells of the neurovascular unit: brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes. We confirmed the expression of monoacylglycerol lipase in specific neurovascular unit cells in vitro, with pericytes showing the highest expression level and activity. However, MAGLi 432 did not ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced blood-brain barrier permeability in vivo or reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain. Our data confirm monoacylglycerol lipase expression in mouse and human cells of the neurovascular unit and provide the basis for further cell-specific analysis of MAGLi 432 in the context of blood-brain barrier dysfunction caused by inflammatory insults

Characterisation of archaeological waterlogged wood by pyrolytic and mass spectrometric techniques

1) Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, via Risorgimento 35. 56126 Pisa, Italy ; 2) IRNAS-CSIC, Seville, Spain; E-mail address: [email protected] combination of two techniques based on analytical pyrolysis and mass spectrometry, including direct exposure-MS (DE-MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), was used to study the chemical composition of waterlogged archaeological wood. In particular, the two techniques were used to chemically characterise samples of archaeological wood from the excavation of the Site of the Ancient Ships of Pisa San Rossore in Pisa (Italy). The data were compared to those of native sound wood of the same species. The results highlight that DE-MS is a valuable technique for the characterisation of archaeological wood. DE-MS allows us to use a minimal sample size and to perform the analysis in a few minutes, thus avoiding the long wet-chemical procedures that are commonly used to characterise wood. The results also confirm the importance of Py-GC/MS as a tool for shedding light on the chemical modifications of wood in archaeological objects. The analyses demonstrated that waterlogged wood from the site of Pisa San Rossore have undergone an extensive loss of polysaccharides together with partial demethylation of lignin units, both guaiacyl and syringyl monomers. In fact, catechols and methoxy catechols were identified among the pyrolysis products of the waterlogged wood samples.The authors wish to thank Dott.ssa G. Giachi (Restoration Laboratories of the Archaeological Superintendence of Tuscany, Florence, Italy) for providing archaeological wood samples and for her valuable support and collaboration. Funding was provided by the Archaeological Superintendence of Tuscany and by the Italian MIUR (PRIN Cofin05).Peer reviewe