4,450 research outputs found
Incomplete and Asymmetric Surplus Information in Labor Relations
Numerous laboratory experiments show that workers reciprocate to high wages with high effort, when there is perfect information on the surplus created. Recent field experiments, however, suggest that trust and reciprocity may be lower or absent when the information is incomplete.We report a laboratory experiment with symmetric and asymmetric incomplete surplus information in a bilateral gift exchange setting.We find that trust and reciprocity have a significant positive effect on wages, effort and efficiency.But, all three are substantially lower under incomplete than under complete information.The negative impact on wages and efficiency is even greater with information asymmetry.incomplete information;industrial relations;trusts;efficiency
Charge transport in poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers
We investigate the charge transport in synthetic DNA polymers built up from
single types of base pairs. In the context of a polaron-like model, for which
an electronic tight-binding system and bond vibrations of the double helix are
coupled, we present estimates for the electron-vibration coupling strengths
utilizing a quantum-chemical procedure. Subsequent studies concerning the
mobility of polaron solutions, representing the state of a localized charge in
unison with its associated helix deformation, show that the system for
poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers, respectively possess
quantitatively distinct transport properties. While the former supports
unidirectionally moving electron breathers attributed to highly efficient
long-range conductivity the breather mobility in the latter case is
comparatively restrained inhibiting charge transport. Our results are in
agreement with recent experimental results demonstrating that poly(dG)-poly(dC)
DNA molecules acts as a semiconducting nanowire and exhibits better conductance
than poly(dA)-poly(dT) ones.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Localization Properties of Electronic States in Polaron Model of poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers
We numerically investigate localization properties of electronic states in a
static model of poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers with
realistic parameters obtained by quantum-chemical calculation. The randomness
in the on-site energies caused by the electron-phonon coupling are completely
correlated to the off-diagonal parts. In the single electron model, the effect
of the hydrogen-bond stretchings, the twist angles between the base pairs and
the finite system size effects on the energy dependence of the localization
length and on the Lyapunov exponent are given. The localization length is
reduced by the influence of the fluctuations in the hydrogen bond stretchings.
It is also shown that the helical twist angle affects the localization length
in the poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA polymer more strongly than in the
poly(dA)-poly(dT) one. Furthermore, we show resonance structures in the energy
dependence of the localization length when the system size is relatively small.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
The interior of axisymmetric and stationary black holes: Numerical and analytical studies
We investigate the interior hyperbolic region of axisymmetric and stationary
black holes surrounded by a matter distribution. First, we treat the
corresponding initial value problem of the hyperbolic Einstein equations
numerically in terms of a single-domain fully pseudo-spectral scheme.
Thereafter, a rigorous mathematical approach is given, in which soliton methods
are utilized to derive an explicit relation between the event horizon and an
inner Cauchy horizon. This horizon arises as the boundary of the future domain
of dependence of the event horizon. Our numerical studies provide strong
evidence for the validity of the universal relation \Ap\Am = (8\pi J)^2 where
\Ap and \Am are the areas of event and inner Cauchy horizon respectively,
and denotes the angular momentum. With our analytical considerations we are
able to prove this relation rigorously.Comment: Proceedings of the Spanish Relativity Meeting ERE 2010, 10 pages, 5
figure
Questioning the existence of a unique ground state structure for Si clusters
Density functional and quantum Monte Carlo calculations challenge the
existence of a unique ground state structure for certain Si clusters. For Si
clusters with more than a dozen atoms the lowest ten isomers are close in
energy and for some clusters entropic effects can change the energetic ordering
of the configurations. Isotope pure configurations with rotational symmetry and
symmetric configurations containing one additional isotope are disfavored by
these effects. Comparisons with experiment are thus difficult since a mixture
of configurations is to be expected at thermal equilibrium
Species delimitation and geography
Despite the importance of the geographical arrangement of populations for the inference of species boundaries, only a few approaches that integrate spatial information into species delimitation have thus far been developed. Persistent differentiation of sympatric groups of individuals is the best criterion for species status. Species delimitation becomes more prone to error if allopatric metapopulations are considered because it is often difficult to assess whether observed differences between allopatric metapopulations would be sufficient to prevent the fusion of these metapopulations upon contact. We propose a novel approach for testing the hypothesis that the multilocus genetic distances between individuals or populations belonging to two different candidate species are not larger than expected based on their geographical distances and the relationship of genetic and geographical distances within the candidate species. A rejection of this null hypothesis is an argument for classifying the two studied candidate species as distinct species. Case studies show that the proposed tests are suitable to distinguish between intra- and interspecific differentiation. The regression approach proposed here is more appropriate for testing species hypotheses with regard to isolation by distance than (partial) Mantel tests. Our tests assume a linear relationship between genetic and (transformed) geographical distances. This assumption can be compromised by a high genetic variability within populations as found in a case study with microsatellite markers
Transport in Graphene: Ballistic or Diffusive?
We investigate the transport of electrons in disordered and pristine graphene
devices. Fano shot noise, a standard metric to assess the mechanism for
electronic transport in mesoscopic devices, has been shown to produce almost
the same magnitude () in ballistic and diffusive graphene devices
and is therefore of limited applicability. We consider a two-terminal geometry
where the graphene flake is contacted by narrow metallic leads. We propose that
the dependence of the conductance on the position of one of the leads, a
conductance profile, can give us insight into the charge flow, which can in
turn be used to analyze the transport mechanism. Moreover, we simulate scanning
probe microscopy (SPM) measurements for the same devices, which can visualize
the flow of charge inside the device, thus complementing the transport
calculations. From our simulations, we find that both the conductance profile
and SPM measurements are excellent tools to assess the transport mechanism
differentiating ballistic and diffusive graphene systems.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Renamed by editorial staff as "Ballistic versus
diffusive transport in graphene
Causal Stability Ranking
Genotypic causes of a phenotypic trait are typically determined via randomized controlled intervention experiments. Such experiments are often prohibitive with respect to durations and costs. We therefore consider inferring stable rankings of genes, according to their causal effects on a phenotype, from observational data only. Our method allows for efficient design and prioritization of future experiments, and due to its generality it is useable for a broad spectrum of applications
Impact of Nutrition on Pollutant Toxicity: An Update with New Insights Into Epigenetic Regulation
Exposure to environmental pollutants is a global health problem and is associated with the development of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. There is a growing body of evidence that nutrition can both positively and negatively modulate the toxic effects of pollutant exposure. Diets high in proinflammatory fats, such as linoleic acid, can exacerbate pollutant toxicity, whereas diets rich in bioactive and anti-inflammatory food components, including omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, can attenuate toxicant-associated inflammation. Previously, researchers have elucidated direct mechanisms of nutritional modulation, including alteration of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling, but recently, increased focus has been given to the ways in which nutrition and pollutants affect epigenetics. Nutrition has been demonstrated to modulate epigenetic markers that have been linked either to increased disease risks or to protection against diseases. Overnutrition (i.e. obesity) and undernutrition (i.e. famine) have been observed to alter prenatal epigenetic tags that may increase the risk of offspring developing disease later in life. Conversely, bioactive food components, including curcumin, have been shown to alter epigenetic markers that suppress the activation of NF-κB, thus reducing inflammatory responses. Exposure to pollutants also alters epigenetic markers and may contribute to inflammation and disease. It has been demonstrated that pollutants, via epigenetic modulations, can increase the activation of NF-κB and upregulate microRNAs associated with inflammation, cardiac injury and oxidative damage. Importantly, recent evidence suggests that nutritional components, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), can protect against pollutant-induced inflammation through epigenetic regulation of proinflammatory target genes of NF-κB. Further research is needed to better understand how nutrition can modulate pollutant toxicity through epigenetic regulation. Therefore, the objective of this review is to elucidate the current evidence linking epigenetic changes to pollutant-induced diseases and how this regulation may be modulated by nutrients allowing for the development of future personalized lifestyle interventions
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