24,759 research outputs found
The Right to Know: Disclosure of Information for Collective Bargaining and Joint Consultation
The legal obligation on employers to provide information to employees has grown since the early 1970s. At that time, the emphasis was on disclosure for collective bargaining. In the 1980s and 1990s, the emphasis shifted more to disclosure for joint consultation. In the context of new legislation, the possibility of further interventions from Europe, and a greater commitment to openness in other areas of company and public life, disclosure of information for collective bargaining and joint consultation at work is again on the agenda. This article focuses on disclosure for both of these processes. Disclosure for collective bargaining is the most developed and potentially significant area of the law from an industrial relations perspective. Disclosure for joint consultation, however, has been the most dynamic area in recent years. Voluntary information provision by firms has also been a significant part of developing human resource management practice. The paper therefore provides a broad examination of the law on disclosure. The UK provisions are conceptualised as constituting an agenda-driven disclosure model; i.e. the trigger for their use lies within the bargaining agenda. By contrast, the provisions stemming from European initiatives are event-driven; i.e. they are triggered by specific employer initiated events that affect employment contracts in other ways irrespective of the representative context. In the final sections, we attempt a broader evaluation of the intent and impact of the legislation and assess the pros and cons of the different approaches.Disclosure of information, collective bargaining, joint consultation
Soil penetrometer
An auger-type soil penetrometer for burrowing into soil formations is described. The auger, while initially moving along a predetermined path, may deviate from the path when encountering an obstruction in the soil. Alterations and modifications may be made in the structure so that it may be used for other purposes
Fluctuations and correlations in population models with age structure
We study the population profile in a simple discrete time model of population
dynamics. Our model, which is closely related to certain ``bit-string'' models
of evolution, incorporates competition for resources via a population dependent
death probability, as well as a variable reproduction probability for each
individual as a function of age. We first solve for the steady-state of the
model in mean field theory, before developing analytic techniques to compute
Gaussian fluctuation corrections around the mean field fixed point. Our
computations are found to be in good agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations.
Finally we discuss how similar methods may be applied to fluctuations in
continuous time population models.Comment: 4 page
Basis invariant conditions for supersymmetry in the two-Higgs-doublet model
The minimal supersymmetric standard model involves a rather restrictive Higgs
potential with two Higgs fields. Recently, the full set of classes of
symmetries allowed in the most general two Higgs doublet model was identified;
these classes do not include the supersymmetric limit as a particular class.
Thus, a physically meaningful definition of the supersymmetric limit must
involve the interaction of the Higgs sector with other sectors of the theory.
Here we show how one can construct basis invariant probes of supersymmetry
involving both the Higgs sector and the gaugino-higgsino Higgs interactions.Comment: RevTex, 11 pages, v2-small section adde
Comprehensive Observations of a Solar Minimum CME with STEREO
We perform the first kinematic analysis of a CME observed by both imaging and
in situ instruments on board STEREO, namely the SECCHI, PLASTIC, and IMPACT
experiments. Launched on 2008 February 4, the CME is tracked continuously from
initiation to 1 AU using the SECCHI imagers on both STEREO spacecraft, and is
then detected by the PLASTIC and IMPACT particle and field detectors on board
STEREO-B. The CME is also detected in situ by ACE and SOHO/CELIAS at Earth's L1
Lagrangian point. The CME hits STEREO-B, ACE, and SOHO on 2008 February 7, but
misses STEREO-A entirely. This event provides a good example of just how
different the same event can look when viewed from different perspectives. We
also demonstrate many ways in which the comprehensive and continuous coverage
of this CME by STEREO improves confidence in our assessment of its kinematic
behavior, with potential ramifications for space weather forecasting. The
observations provide several lines of evidence in favor of the observable part
of the CME being narrow in angular extent, a determination crucial for deciding
how best to convert observed CME elongation angles from Sun-center to actual
Sun-center distances.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, AASTEX v5.2, accepted by Ap
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Correlated modal mineralogy, aqueous alteration and oxygen isotope composition of CM Chondrites
In this study we move beyond defining alteration sequences in CM chondrites towards understanding the relationship between modal mineralogy, the extent of aqueous alteration and O-isotope compositions
The mean velocity of two-state models of molecular motor
The motion of molecular motor is essential to the biophysical functioning of
living cells. In principle, this motion can be regraded as a multiple chemical
states process. In which, the molecular motor can jump between different
chemical states, and in each chemical state, the motor moves forward or
backward in a corresponding potential. So, mathematically, the motion of
molecular motor can be described by several coupled one-dimensional hopping
models or by several coupled Fokker-Planck equations. To know the basic
properties of molecular motor, in this paper, we will give detailed analysis
about the simplest cases: in which there are only two chemical states.
Actually, many of the existing models, such as the flashing ratchet model, can
be regarded as a two-state model. From the explicit expression of the mean
velocity, we find that the mean velocity of molecular motor might be nonzero
even if the potential in each state is periodic, which means that there is no
energy input to the molecular motor in each of the two states. At the same
time, the mean velocity might be zero even if there is energy input to the
molecular motor. Generally, the velocity of molecular motor depends not only on
the potentials (or corresponding forward and backward transition rates) in the
two states, but also on the transition rates between the two chemical states
Water-based peeling of thin hydrophobic films
Inks of permanent markers and water-proof cosmetics create elastic thin films
upon application on a surface. Such adhesive materials are deliberately
designed to exhibit water-repellent behavior. Therefore, patterns made up of
these inks become resistant to moisture and cannot be cleaned by water after
drying. However, we show that sufficiently slow dipping of such elastic films,
which are adhered to a substrate, into a bath of pure water allows complete
removal of the hydrophobic coatings. Upon dipping, the air-water interface in
the bath forms a contact line on the substrate, which exerts a
capillary-induced peeling force at the edge of the hydrophobic thin film. We
highlight that this capillary peeling process is more effective at lower
velocities of the air-liquid interface and lower viscosities. Capillary peeling
not only removes such thin films from the substrate but also transfers them
flawlessly onto the air-water interface
The effect of farming system on dairy cow cleanliness in the UK and implications to udder health
The cleanliness of dairy cows was assessed using a 20 point hygiene score system at different times in the year on 14 organic and 14 conventional farms in the UK. Overall, cows were dirtier during winter housing compared to summer grazing. Farming system had no effect on cow cleanliness when cows were at grass, but when housed in the winter, organic cows were more likely to be cleaner. There was a link between cow hygiene scores and milk hygiene, with herds having lower bulk tank somatic cell counts (BTSCC) tending to have cleaner cows. This relationship was strongest for the organic herds. There was no significant link between hygiene score and Bactoscan (BS) count or mastitis incidence
Buckling instability for a charged and fluctuating semiflexible polymer
In this article we address the problem of Euler's buckling instability in a
charged semi-flexible polymer that is under the action of a compressive force.
We consider this instability as a phase transition and investigate the role of
thermal fluctuations in the buckling critical force. By performing molecular
dynamic simulations, we show that the critical force decreases when the
temperature increases. Repulsive electrostatic interaction in the finite
temperature is in competition with thermal fluctuations to increase the
buckling threshold
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