10,909 research outputs found
Survey evidence on customer markets
This paper uses survey data from Iceland on 884 firms to test for the theory of customer markets proposed by Phelps and Winter (1970) and Okun (1981). The results provide support for the customer market theory in that managers agree that customers are valuable to firms – they rank them second only to employees – and they use various means of augmenting and retaining their customer base, such as advertising. Surprisingly, however, price setting appears not to be an important ploy for attracting and retaining customers. In this we confirm the earlier results of Lye and Sibly (1994) using Australian data. Instead, advertising and direct contact with customers are listed as significantly more important
Circular 90
The growth regulators chlormequat (Cycocel), paclobutrazol (Bonzi), daminozide (B-Nine) and
Bayleton 25WP (triadimefon) were studied for their ability to control plant height in seed propagated tuberous begonia (‘Nonstop’ begonias). Bayleton is a fungicide used for powdery mildew control that also has growth regulator effects. Two ml growth regulator solution was evenly sprayed on each plant two weeks after transplanting. Cycocel (500 parts per million [ppm], 1 mg active ingredient [a.i.] per plant) resulted in 23% shorter plants than the control plants 15 weeks after
transplant. Bonzi (5 ppm, 0.01 mg a.i. per plant) treated begonias were 65% and Bayleton (150 mg•liter-1, 0.3 mg
per plant) treated plants 43% shorter than the control plants. The number of flowers and shoots was severely
reduced on plants treated with Bonzi or Bayleton. BNine was ineffective at the rate of 3000 ppm (6 mg a.i.
per plant) for controlling plant height of seed propagated tuberous begonia
Six Peaks Visible in the Redshift Distribution of 46,400 SDSS Quasars Agree with the Preferred Redshifts Predicted by the Decreasing Intrinsic Redshift Model
The redshift distribution of all 46,400 quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog III, Third Data Release, is examined. Six Peaks
that fall within the redshift window below z = 4, are visible. Their positions
agree with the preferred redshift values predicted by the decreasing intrinsic
redshift (DIR) model, even though this model was derived using completely
independent evidence. A power spectrum analysis of the full dataset confirms
the presence of a single, significant power peak at the expected redshift
period. Power peaks with the predicted period are also obtained when the upper
and lower halves of the redshift distribution are examined separately. The
periodicity detected is in linear z, as opposed to log(1+z). Because the peaks
in the SDSS quasar redshift distribution agree well with the preferred
redshifts predicted by the intrinsic redshift relation, we conclude that this
relation, and the peaks in the redshift distribution, likely both have the same
origin, and this may be intrinsic redshifts, or a common selection effect.
However, because of the way the intrinsic redshift relation was determined it
seems unlikely that one selection effect could have been responsible for both.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Near- to mid-infrared picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO4
We describe a Ti:sapphire-pumped picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO4 that is broadly tunable in the near to mid infrared. A 4.5-mm single-grating crystal at room temperature in combination with pump wavelength tuning provided access to a continuous-tuning range from 3.35 to 5 mu m, and a pump power threshold of 90 mW was measured. Average mid-infrared output powers in excess of 100 mW and total output powers of 400 mW in similar to 1-ps pulses were obtained at 33% extraction efficiency. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.</p
Chemical abundance patterns -- fingerprints of nucleosynthesis in the first stars
The interstellar medium of low-metallicity systems undergoing star formation
will show chemical abundance inhomogeneities due to supernova events enriching
the medium on a local scale. If the star formation time-scale is shorter than
the time-scale of mixing of the interstellar matter, the inhomogeneities are
reflected in the surface abundances of low-mass stars and thereby detailed
information on the nucleosynthesis in the first generations of supernovae is
preserved. Characteristic patterns and substructures are therefore expected to
be found, apart from the large scatter behaviour, in the distributions of stars
when displayed in diagrams relating different element abundance ratios. These
patterns emerge from specific variations with progenitor stellar mass of the
supernova yields and it is demonstrated that the patterns are insensitive to
the initial mass function (IMF) even though the relative density of stars
within the patterns may vary. An analytical theory of the formation of patterns
is presented and it is shown that from a statistical point of view the
abundance ratios can trace the different nucleosynthesis sites even when mixing
of the interstellar medium occurs. Using these results, it should be possible
to empirically determine supernova yields from the information on relative
abundance ratios of a large, homogeneous sample of extremely metal-poor
Galactic halo stars.Comment: 20 pages, minor typos corrected to match the published version in
A&A. Includes the corrected Figs. 17 and 18 (erratum
Statistical study on the occurrence of ASAID electric fields
The first statistical results on the occurrence of abnormal subauroral ion drifts (ASAID) are presented based on electric and magnetic field measurements from the low-altitude Astrid-2 satellite. ASAID are narrow regions of rapid eastward ion drifts observed in the subauroral ionosphere. They correspond to equatorward-directed electric fields with peak amplitudes seen to vary between 45 mV/m and 185 mV/m, and with latitudinal extensions between 0.2&deg; and 1.2&deg; Corrected Geomagnetic Latitude (CGLat), reaching in some cases up to 3.0&deg; CGLat. <br><br> Opposite to subauroral ion drifts (SAID) that are known to be substorm-related, ASAID are seen to occur predominantly during extended periods of low substorm activity. Our results show that ASAID are located in the vicinity of the equatorward edge of the auroral oval, mainly in the postmidnight sector between 23:00 and 03:00 magnetic local time. They are associated with a local current system with the same scale-size as the corresponding ASAID, composed by a region of downward field-aligned currents (FACs) flowing in the ASAID poleward side, and a region of upward flowing FACs in the equatorward side. The FACs have densities between 0.5 and 2.0 &mu;A/m<sup>2</sup>. The data suggest that ASAID do not contribute significantly to the reduction of the ionospheric conductivity. ASAID are seen to have life times of at least 3.5 h. <br><br> A discussion on possible mechanisms for the generation of ASAID is presented. We speculate that the proximity of the electron to the ion plasma sheet inner boundaries and of the plasmapause to the ring current outer edge, during extended quiet times, is an important key for the understanding of the generation of ASAID electric fields
Capturing action from within:The use of personal diaries
This chapter discusses methods to study entrepreneurial behavior, practice, and process and advocates the use of personal diaries to capture entrepreneurial action and processes from within. It describes the diary research method, its origins and main references, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. An illustration of a study on networking actions serves to show possibilities but also challenges that come with using diaries in this type of research. We come to the conclusion that personal diaries are ideally suited, but an underexploited data source for investigating entrepreneurial processes, especially in its early phases
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