A theory of power laws in human reaction times: insights from an information-processing approach

Human reaction time (RT) can be defined as the time elapsed from stimulus presentation until a reaction/response occurs (e.g., manual, verbal, saccadic, etc.). RT has been a fundamental measure of the sensory-motor latency at suprathreshold conditions for more than a century and is one of the hallmarks of human performance in everyday tasks (Luce, 1986; Meyer et al., 1988). Some examples are the measurement of RTs in sports science, driving safety or in aging. Under repeated experimental conditions the RT is not a constant value but fluctuates irregularly over time. Stochastic fluctuations of RTs are considered a benchmark for modeling neural latency mechanisms at a macroscopic scale (Luce, 1986; Smith and Ratcliff, 2004). Power-law behavior has been reported in at least three major types of experiments

Job Strain, Health and Sickness Absence: Results from the Hordaland Health Study

MW and SBH are funded by NSW Health. M. Henderson and M. Hotopf were supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. AM and SO were funded by the Norwegian Research Council

Understanding Communication of Sustainability Reporting: Application of Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of rhetoric and rhetorical strategies that are implicit in the standalone sustainability reporting of the top 24 companies of the Fortune 500 Global. We adopt Bormann’s (Q J Speech 58(4):396–407, 1972) SCT framework to study the rhetorical situation and how corporate sustainability reporting (CSR) messages can be communicated to the audience (public). The SCT concepts in the sustainability reporting’s communication are subject to different types of legitimacy strategies that are used by corporations as a validity and legitimacy claim in the reports. A content analysis has been conducted and structural coding schemes have been developed based on the literature. The schemes are applied to the SCT model which recognizes the symbolic convergent processes of fantasy among communicators in a Society. The study reveals that most of the sample companies communicate fantasy type and rhetorical vision in their corporate sustainability reporting. However, the disclosure or messages are different across locations and other taxonomies of the SCT framework. This study contributes to the current CSR literature about how symbolic or fantasy understandings can be interpreted by the users. It also discusses the persuasion styles that are adopted by the companies for communication purposes. This study is the theoretical extension of the SCT. Researchers may be interested in further investigating other online communication paths, such as human rights reports and director’s reports

The origin and composition of carbonatite-derived carbonate-bearing fluorapatite deposits

Carbonate-bearing fluorapatite rocks occur at over 30 globally distributed carbonatite complexes and represent a substantial potential supply of phosphorus for the fertiliser industry. However, the process(es) involved in forming carbonate-bearing fluorapatite at some carbonatites remain equivocal, with both hydrothermal and weathering mechanisms inferred. In this contribution, we compare the paragenesis and trace element contents of carbonate-bearing fluorapatite rocks from the Kovdor, Sokli, Bukusu, Catalão I and Glenover carbonatites in order to further understand their origin, as well as to comment upon the concentration of elements that may be deleterious to fertiliser production. The paragenesis of apatite from each deposit is broadly equivalent, comprising residual magmatic grains overgrown by several different stages of carbonate-bearing fluorapatite. The first forms epitactic overgrowths on residual magmatic grains, followed by the formation of massive apatite which, in turn, is cross-cut by late euhedral and colloform apatite generations. Compositionally, the paragenetic sequence corresponds to a substantial decrease in the concentration of rare earth elements (REE), Sr, Na and Th, with an increase in U and Cd. The carbonate-bearing fluorapatite exhibits a negative Ce anomaly, attributed to oxic conditions in a surficial environment and, in combination with the textural and compositional commonality, supports a weathering origin for these rocks. Carbonate-bearing fluorapatite has Th contents which are several orders of magnitude lower than magmatic apatite grains, potentially making such apatite a more environmentally attractive feedstock for the fertiliser industry. Uranium and cadmium contents are higher in carbonate-bearing fluorapatite than magmatic carbonatite apatite, but are much lower than most marine phosphorites

Forekomst av kystfloke (Heterocladium wulfsbergii) og andre naturverdier ved Svandalsfossen, Sauda kommune

Töpper, J, Olsen, S.L., Ihlen, P.G. & Blom, H.H. 2019. Forekomst av kystfloke (Heterocladium wulfsbergii) og andre naturverdier ved Svandalsfossen, Sauda kommune. NINA rapport 1712. Norsk institutt for naturforskning Svandalsfossen, som er en velkjent og hyppig besøkt turistattraksjon i Sauda kommune, påvirker ved høy vannføring trafikksikkerheten på fylkesvei 520 gjennom fossesprut som hindrer sikt. På grunn av den tidvis utfordrende trafikksituasjonen vurderes det nå tiltak for å begrense fossesprut på veien, enten ved å (1) sprenge vekk en fjellnabbe i fossen for å redusere fossesprut og/eller endre dens retning, eller (2) installere en vegg ved veien på sørsiden av fossen for å fysisk skjerme veien mot fossesprut. Samtidig er det registrert be-tydelige naturverdier ved Svandalsfossen: den rødlistede mosen kystfloke (Heterocladium wulfsbergii) og en fossesprøytsone (E05) med A-verdi (svært viktig) etter DN håndbok 13, som i dag omfatter de rødlistede naturtypene fosseberg og fosse-eng. Derfor undersøkte vi utbredelsen av kystfloke og rødlistede naturtyper ved Svandalsfossen og vurderte kon-sekvensene de ulike inngrepsalternativene vil ha for naturverdiene. Kystfloke ble funnet langs store deler av fossen, og det ble i tillegg oppdaget en annen rødlistet mose-art kyst-skeimose (Platyhypnidium lusitanicum), men begge forekom i områder som i liten grad vil påvirkes av de foreslåtte inngrepene. De rødlistede naturtypene fosseberg og fosse-eng fant vi derimot i tilknytning til inngrepsområdet. Disse naturtypene er helt avhengige av høy fuk-tighet og det forventes at en reduksjon i fosserøyk/-sprut vil ha tydelig negativ innvirkning på dem. Derfor frarådes det å sprenge vekk fjellmateriale i fossen og dermed redusere fosse-røyk/-sprut. Installasjon av en vegg endrer ikke tilførsel av fuktighet for naturverdiene ved Svandalsfossen og vil dermed ha langt mindre negativ innvirkning, særlig hvis den bygges av gjennomsiktig materiale som ikke skygger ut vegetasjonen