The limits of process: On (re)reading Henri Bergson

This article offers a reading of the work of Henri Bergson as it pertains to organizations through the lens of ideas drawn from critical realism. It suggests an alternative to interpretations based on a stark division between process and realist perspectives. Much of the existing literature presents a rather partial view of Bergson’s work. A review suggests some interesting parallels with themes in critical realism, notably the emergence of mind. Critical realism has a focus on process at its heart, but is also concerned with how the products of such processes become stabilized and form the conditions for action. This suggests that attention might usefully be paid to the relationship between organizational action and the sedimented practices grouped under the heading of ‘routines’. More attention to Bergson’s account of the relationship between instinct, intuition and intelligence provides a link to the social character of thought, something which can be mapped on to Archer’s work on reflexivity and the ‘internal conversation’. This suggests that our analyses need to pay attention to both memory and history, to building and dwelling, rather than the one-sided focus found in some process theory accounts

Mild acetabular dysplasia and risk of osteoarthritis of the hip : a case-control study

Objective To determine whether mild variation in acetabular depth (AD) and shape is a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip. Methods The unaffected contralateral hip of patients with unilateral hip OA was compared with hips of asymptomatic controls without hip OA, derived from the Nottingham Genetics Osteoarthritis and Lifestyle case–control study. Standardised anteroposterior x-rays of the pelvis were used to measure centre edge (CE) angle and AD. Cut-off points for narrow CE angle and shallow AD were calculated from the control group (mean −1.96×SD). The relative risk of hip OA associated with each feature was estimated using OR and 95% CI and adjusted risks were calculated by logistic regression. Results In controls, both the CE angle and the AD were lower in the left hip than in the right hip. The CE angle related to age in both hips, and AD of the right hip was lower in men than in women. The contralateral unaffected hip in patients with unilateral hip OA had a decreased CE angle and AD compared with controls, irrespective of side. The lowest tertile of the CE angle in contralateral hips was associated with an eightfold risk of OA (aOR 8.06, 95% CI 4.87 to 13.35) and the lowest tertile of AD was associated with a 2.5-fold risk of OA (aOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.28 to 5.00). Significant increases in the risk of OA were also found as the CE angle and AD decreased

A simple description of the states 0+0^+ and 2+2^+ in 168Er^{168}Er

A sixth-order quadrupole boson Hamiltonian is used to describe 26 states $0^+$ and 67 states $2^+$ which have been recently identified in $^{168}Er$. Two closed expressions are alternatively used for energy levels. One corresponds to a semi-classical approach while the other one represents the exact eigenvalue of the model Hamiltonian. The semi-classical expression involves four parameters, while the exact eigenvalue is determined by five parameters. In each of the two descriptions a least square fit procedure is adopted. Both expressions provide a surprisingly good agreement with the experimental data.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Electronic properties of Fabre charge-transfer salts under various temperature and pressure conditions

Using density functional theory, we determine parameters of tight-binding Hamiltonians for a variety of Fabre charge transfer salts, focusing in particular on the effects of temperature and pressure. Besides relying on previously published crystal structures, we experimentally determine two new sets of structures; (TMTTF)$_2$SbF$_6$ at different temperatures and (TMTTF)$_2$PF$_6$ at various pressures. We find that a few trends in the electronic behavior can be connected to the complex phase diagram shown by these materials. Decreasing temperature and increasing pressure cause the systems to become more two-dimensional. We analyze the importance of correlations by considering an extended Hubbard model parameterized using Wannier orbital overlaps and show that while charge order is strongly activated by the inter-site Coulomb interaction, the magnetic order is only weakly enhanced. Both orders are suppressed when the effective pressure is increased.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Observations of the J = 2→1 transitions of ¹²C¹⁶O and ¹²C¹⁸O towards galactic H II regions

Observations are reported of the J = 2→1 transitions of CO and 12C18O at 230 and 219 GHz respectively from a number of galactic sources. A map of the central 1/2° × 1/2° of the Orion A molecular cloud is presented. The spectra are interpreted to derive molecular densities and abundance ratios in the molecular clouds observed

Adiabatic Magnetization of Superconductors as a High-Performance Cooling Mechanism

The adiabatic magnetization of a superconductor is a cooling principle proposed in the 30s, which has never been exploited up to now. Here we present a detailed dynamic description of the effect, computing the achievable final temperatures as well as the process timescales for different superconductors in various regimes. We show that, although in the experimental conditions explored so far the method is in fact inefficient, a suitable choice of initial temperatures and metals can lead to unexpectedly large cooling effect, even in the presence of dissipative phenomena. Our results suggest that this principle can be re-envisaged today as a performing refrigeration method to access the microK regime in nanodevices.Comment: 4 pages, 3 color figure

Time evolution of the Partridge-Barton Model

The time evolution of the Partridge-Barton model in the presence of the pleiotropic constraint and deleterious somatic mutations is exactly solved for arbitrary fecundity in the context of a matricial formalism. Analytical expressions for the time dependence of the mean survival probabilities are derived. Using the fact that the asymptotic behavior for large time $t$ is controlled by the largest matrix eigenvalue, we obtain the steady state values for the mean survival probabilities and the Malthusian growth exponent. The mean age of the population exhibits a $t^{-1}$ power law decayment. Some Monte Carlo simulations were also performed and they corroborated our theoretical results.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, 1 postscript figure, published in Phys. Rev. E 61, 5664 (2000

Simultaneous description of four positive and four negative parity bands

The extended coherent state model is further extended in order to describe two dipole bands of different parities. The formalism provides a consistent description of eight rotational bands. A unified description for spherical, transitional and deformed nuclei is possible. Projecting out the angular momentum and parity from a sole state, the $K^{\pi}=1^+$ band acquires a magnetic character, while the electric properties prevail for the other band. Signatures for a static octupole deformation in some states of the dipole bands are pointed out. Some properties which distinguish between the dipole band states and states of the same parity but belonging to other bands are mentioned. Interesting features concerning the decay properties of the two bands are found. Numerical applications are made for $^{158}$Gd, $^{172}$Yb, $^{228,232}$Th, $^{226}$Ra, $^{238}$U and $^{238}$Pu, and the results are compared with the available data.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures, 12 table

Some exact analytical results and a semi-empirical formula for single electron ionization induced by ultrarelativistic heavy ions

The delta function gauge of the electromagnetic potential allows semiclassical formulas to be obtained for the probability of exciting a single electron out of the ground state in an ultrarelativistic heavy ion reaction. Exact formulas have been obtained in the limits of zero impact parameter and large, perturbative, impact parameter. The perturbative impact parameter result can be exploited to obtain a semi-empirical cross section formula of the form, sigma = A ln(gamma) + B, for single electron ionization. A and B can be evaluated for any combination of target and projectile, and the resulting simple formula is good at all ultrarelativistic energies. The analytical form of A and B elucidates a result previously found in numerical calculations: scaled ionization cross sections decrease with increasing charge of the nucleus being ionized. The cross section values obtained from the present formula are in good agreement with recent CERN SPS data from a Pb beam on various nuclear targets.Comment: 14 pages, latex, revtex source, no figure