3,177 research outputs found
Zero-Temperature Dynamics of Plus/Minus J Spin Glasses and Related Models
We study zero-temperature, stochastic Ising models sigma(t) on a
d-dimensional cubic lattice with (disordered) nearest-neighbor couplings
independently chosen from a distribution mu on R and an initial spin
configuration chosen uniformly at random. Given d, call mu type I (resp., type
F) if, for every x in the lattice, sigma(x,t) flips infinitely (resp., only
finitely) many times as t goes to infinity (with probability one) --- or else
mixed type M. Models of type I and M exhibit a zero-temperature version of
``local non-equilibration''. For d=1, all types occur and the type of any mu is
easy to determine. The main result of this paper is a proof that for d=2,
plus/minus J models (where each coupling is independently chosen to be +J with
probability alpha and -J with probability 1-alpha) are type M, unlike
homogeneous models (type I) or continuous (finite mean) mu's (type F). We also
prove that all other noncontinuous disordered systems are type M for any d
greater than or equal to 2. The plus/minus J proof is noteworthy in that it is
much less ``local'' than the other (simpler) proof. Homogeneous and plus/minus
J models for d greater than or equal to 3 remain an open problem.Comment: 17 pages (RevTeX; 3 figures; to appear in Commun. Math. Phys.
CoRoT 102918586: a Gamma Dor pulsator in a short period eccentric eclipsing binary
Pulsating stars in eclipsing binary systems are powerful tools to test
stellar models. Binarity enables to constrain the pulsating component physical
parameters, whose knowledge drastically improves the input physics for
asteroseismic studies. The study of stellar oscillations allows us, in its
turn, to improve our understanding of stellar interiors and evolution. The
space mission CoRoT discovered several promising objects suitable for these
studies, which have been photometrically observed with unprecedented accuracy,
but needed spectroscopic follow-up. A promising target was the relatively
bright eclipsing system CoRoT 102918586, which turned out to be a double-lined
spectroscopic binary and showed, as well, clear evidence of Gamma Dor type
pulsations. We obtained phase resolved high-resolution spectroscopy with the
Sandiford spectrograph at the McDonald 2.1m telescope and the FEROS
spectrograph at the ESO 2.2m telescope. Spectroscopy yielded both the radial
velocity curves and, after spectra disentangling, the component effective
temperatures, metallicity and line-of-sight projected rotational velocities.
The CoRoT light curve was analyzed with an iterative procedure, devised to
disentangle eclipses from pulsations. We obtained an accurate determination of
the system parameters, and by comparison with evolutionary models strict
constraints on the system age. Finally, the residuals obtained after
subtraction of the best fitting eclipsing binary model were analyzed to
determine the pulsator properties. We achieved a quite complete and consistent
description of the system. The primary star pulsates with typical {\gamma} Dor
frequencies and shows a splitting in period which is consistent with high order
g-mode pulsations in a star of the corresponding physical parameters. The value
of the splitting, in particular, is consistent with pulsations in l = 1 modes.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
A global perspective on the non - financial consequences of downsizing
Firms engage in workforce downsizing for a multitude of reasons, generating a myriad of consequences and implications at organizational, sub-group, and
individual levels of analysis. The downsizing literature is extensive, reflecting the prevalence of this management practice in North America and around the globe. Despite the large body of research, there is scarce evidence regarding the success of
the downsizing strategy when assessed from financial, organizational, and human resource perspectives. This paper demonstrates that there are patterns in downsizing
practices irrespective of country of origin. Internationally-oriented firms adopt similar strategies and practices to handle external threats or internal inefficiencies and experience similar outcomes. Also, there is substantial empirical evidence from multiple countries suggesting that executives have adopted downsizing activities as a strategy, driven by a deep-seated belief that these strategies will improve
organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and overall financial performance. The paper shows that managers often experience a crisis mentality following the planning and implementation of downsizing and fail to make effective long-term plans for the firm and its constituencies. Furthermore, executives have a tendency to inadequately prepare for the aftermath of downsizing, and fail to understand how downsizing survivors will be affected by workforce reduction activities. Finally, the authors argue that firms mitigate some of the negative effects by providing training for survivors and introducing human resource policies and plans to mediate the after-effects of downsizing
Fermionic Shadow Wavefunction Variational calculations of the vacancy formation energy in He
We present a novel technique well suited to study the ground state of
inhomogeneous fermionic matter in a wide range of different systems. The system
is described using a Fermionic Shadow wavefunction (FSWF) and the energy is
computed by means of the Variational Monte Carlo technique. The general form of
FSWF is useful to describe many--body systems with the coexistence of different
phases as well in the presence of defects or impurities, but it requires
overcoming a significant sign problem. As an application, we studied the energy
to activate vacancies in solid He.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Cells: Are They (Still) Essential for Dental Regeneration?
Tissue regeneration in dentistry has demonstrated impressive progress over during the last decades compared to other medical sciences [...]
On the accretion properties of young stellar objects in the L1615/L1616 cometary cloud
We present the results of FLAMES/UVES and FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectroscopic
observations of 23 low-mass stars in the L1615/L1616 cometary cloud,
complemented with FORS2 and VIMOS spectroscopy of 31 additional stars in the
same cloud. L1615/L1616 is a cometary cloud where the star formation was
triggered by the impact of the massive stars in the Orion OB association. From
the measurements of the lithium abundance and radial velocity, we confirm the
membership of our sample to the cloud. We use the equivalent widths of the
H, H, and the HeI 5876, 6678, 7065
\AAemission lines to calculate the accretion luminosities, ,
and the mass accretion rates, . We find in L1615/L1616 a
fraction of accreting objects (), which is consistent with the
typical fraction of accretors in T associations of similar age ( Myr).
The mass accretion rate for these stars shows a trend with the mass of the
central object similar to that found for other star-forming regions, with a
spread at a given mass which depends on the evolutionary model used to derive
the stellar mass. Moreover, the behavior of the colors with indicates that strong accretors with dex show large excesses in the bands, as in previous
studies. We also conclude that the accretion properties of the L1615/L1616
members are similar to those of young stellar objects in T associations, like
Lupus.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. 17 pages, 11 figures, 6
table
REM near-IR and optical photometric monitoring of Pre-Main Sequence Stars in Orion
We performed an intensive photometric monitoring of the PMS stars falling in
a field of about 10x10 arc-minutes in the vicinity of the Orion Nebula Cluster
(ONC). Photometric data were collected between November 2006 and January 2007
with the REM telescope in the VRIJHK' bands. The largest number of observations
is in the I band (about 2700 images) and in J and H bands (about 500 images in
each filter). From the observed rotational modulation, induced by the presence
of surface inhomogeneities, we derived the rotation periods for 16 stars and
improved previous determinations for the other 13. The analysis of the spectral
energy distributions and, for some stars, of high-resolution spectra provided
us with the main stellar parameters (luminosity, effective temperature, mass,
age, and vsini). We also report the serendipitous detection of two strong
flares in two of these objects. In most cases, the light-curve amplitudes
decrease progressively from the R to H band as expected for cool starspots,
while in a few cases, they can only be modelled by the presence of hot spots,
presumably ascribable to magnetospheric accretion. The application of our own
spot model to the simultaneous light curves in different bands allowed us to
deduce the spot parameters and particularly to disentangle the spot temperature
and size effects on the observed light curves.Comment: 29 pages, 24 figure
U.S. Accounting Education: Misalignment With The Needs Of Small And Medium Companies
This study looks to answer the question, “Does the current accounting educational system in the United States focus too heavily on the requirements of large (and SEC registered) companies at the expense of small companies and individuals who comprise the primary clientele of most practicing CPAs?” This investigation surveys CPAs regarding their perceptions of the focus of their accounting education. The results of the survey suggest that the current accounting curriculum does not focus enough on the accounting needs of small businesses. Suggestions for improvement in the curriculum include adding small business coverage in accounting courses, including more general business courses, requiring more hands-on practice with the material and adding internships with smaller firms
Prospects for Detection of Exoplanet Magnetic Fields Through Bow-Shock Observations During Transits
An asymmetry between the ingress and egress times was observed in the near-UV
light curve of the transit planet WASP-12b. Such asymmetry led us to suggest
that the early ingress in the UV light curve of WASP-12b, compared to the
optical observations, is caused by a shock around the planet, and that shocks
should be a common feature in transiting systems. Here, we classify all the
transiting systems known to date according to their potential for producing
shocks that could cause observable light curve asymmetries. We found that 36/92
of known transiting systems would lie above a reasonable detection threshold
and that the most promising candidates to present shocks are: WASP-19b,
WASP-4b, WASP-18b, CoRoT-7b, HAT-P-7b, CoRoT-1b, TrES-3, and WASP-5b. For
prograde planets orbiting outside the co-rotation radius of fast rotating
stars, the shock position, instead of being ahead of the planetary motion as in
WASP-12b, trails the planet. In this case, we predict that the light curve of
the planet should present a late-egress asymmetry. We show that CoRoT-11b is a
potential candidate to host such a behind shock and show a late egress. If
observed, these asymmetries can provide constraints on planetary magnetic
fields. For instance, for a planet that has a magnetic field intensity similar
to Jupiter's field (~ 14 G) orbiting a star whose magnetic field is between 1
and 100G, the stand-off distance between the shock and the planet, which we
take to be the size of the planet's magnetosphere, ranges from 1 to 40
planetary radii.Comment: 7 pages (including the complete version of Table 1), 2 Tables, 3
Figures. Accepted by MNRAS Letter
Percolation and number of phases in the 2D Ising model
We reconsider the percolation approach of Russo, Aizenman and Higuchi for
showing that there exist only two phases in the Ising model on the square
lattice. We give a fairly short alternative proof which is only based on FKG
monotonicity and avoids the use of GKS-type inequalities originally needed for
some background results. Our proof extends to the Ising model on other planar
lattices such as the triangular and honeycomb lattice. We can also treat the
Ising antiferromagnet in an external field and the hard-core lattice gas model
on .Comment: 22 pages. Further details on extensions. To appear in J.Math.Phys.,
special issue on `Probabilistic Methods in Statistical Physics', March 200
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