18,081 research outputs found
Power in the Multinational Corporation in Industry Equilibrium
Recent theories of the multinational corporation introduce the property rights model of the firm and examine whether to integrate our outsource firm activities locally or to a foreign country. This paper focus instead on the internal organization of the multinational corporation by examining the power allocation between headquarters and subsidiaries. We provide a framework to analyse the interaction between the decision to serve the local market by exporting or FDI, market acces and the optimal mode of organization of the multinational corporation. We find that subsidiary managers are given most autonomy in their decision how to run the firm at intermediate levels of local competition. We then provide comparative statics for changes in fixed FDI entry costs and trade costs, information technology, the number of local competitors, and in the size of the local market
Heat Fluctuations in Brownian Transducers
Heat fluctuation probability distribution function in Brownian transducers
operating between two heat reservoirs is studied. We find, both analytically
and numerically, that the recently proposed Fluctuation Theorem for Heat
Exchange [C. Jarzynski and D. K. Wojcik, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230602 (2004)]
has to be modified when the coupling mechanism between both baths is
considered. We also extend such relation when external work is present. Our
work fixes the domain of applicability of the theorem in more realistic
operating systems.Comment: Comments are welcom
Self-sustained spatiotemporal oscillations induced by membrane-bulk coupling
We propose a novel mechanism leading to spatiotemporal oscillations in
extended systems that does not rely on local bulk instabilities. Instead,
oscillations arise from the interaction of two subsystems of different spatial
dimensionality. Specifically, we show that coupling a passive diffusive bulk of
dimension d with an excitable membrane of dimension d-1 produces a
self-sustained oscillatory behavior. An analytical explanation of the
phenomenon is provided for d=1. Moreover, in-phase and anti-phase
synchronization of oscillations are found numerically in one and two
dimensions. This novel dynamic instability could be used by biological systems
such as cells, where the dynamics on the cellular membrane is necessarily
different from that of the cytoplasmic bulk.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Convergence of adaptive mixtures of importance sampling schemes
In the design of efficient simulation algorithms, one is often beset with a
poor choice of proposal distributions. Although the performance of a given
simulation kernel can clarify a posteriori how adequate this kernel is for the
problem at hand, a permanent on-line modification of kernels causes concerns
about the validity of the resulting algorithm. While the issue is most often
intractable for MCMC algorithms, the equivalent version for importance sampling
algorithms can be validated quite precisely. We derive sufficient convergence
conditions for adaptive mixtures of population Monte Carlo algorithms and show
that Rao--Blackwellized versions asymptotically achieve an optimum in terms of
a Kullback divergence criterion, while more rudimentary versions do not benefit
from repeated updating.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053606000001154 in the
Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
SensorShoe: Mobile Gait Analysis for Parkinson's Disease Patients
We present the design and initial evaluation of a mobile gait analysis system, SensorShoe. The target user group is represented by Parkinson's Disease patients, which need continuous assistance with the physical therapy in their home environment. SensorShoe analyses the gait by using a low-power sensor node equipped with movement sensors. In addition, SensorShoe gives real-time feedback and therapy assistance to the patient, and provides the caregivers an effective remote monitoring and control tool
Galaxy evolution across the optical emission-line diagnostic diagrams?
The discovery of the M-sigma relation, the local galaxy bimodality, and the
link between black-hole and host-galaxy properties, have raised the question
whether AGN play a role in galaxy evolution. Several theoretical models
implement AGN feedback to explain the observed galaxy luminosity function, and
possibly the color and morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into
passive ellipticals. To understand the importance of AGN feedback, a study of
the AGN populations in the radio-optical domain is crucial. A mass sequence
linking star-forming galaxies and AGN has been already noted in previous works,
and it is now investigated as possible evolutionary sequence. We observed a
sample of 119 intermediate-redshift (0.04<z<0.4) SDSS-FIRST radio emitters with
the Effelsberg 100-m telescope at 4.85 and 10.45 GHz and obtained spectral
indices. We find indications of spectral index flattening in high-metallicity
star-forming galaxies, composite galaxies, and Seyferts. This "flattening
sequence" along the [NII]-based emission-line diagnostic diagram is consistent
with the hardening of galaxy ionizing field, due to nuclear activity. After
combining our data with FIRST measurements at 1.4 GHz, we find that the
three-point radio spectra of Seyferts and LINERs show substantial differences,
attributable to small radio core components and larger (arcsecond sized)
jet/lobe components, respectively. A visual inspection of FIRST images seems to
confirm this hypothesis. Galaxies along this sequence are hypothesized to be
transitioning from the active star-forming galaxies (blue cloud) to the passive
elliptical galaxies (red sequence). This supports the suggestion that AGN play
a role in shutting down star-formation, and allow the transition from one
galaxy class to the other.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Corporate Hierarchies and the Size of Nations: Theory and Evidence
Corporate organization varies within a country and across countries with country size. The paper starts by establishing some facts about corporate organization based on unique data of 660 Austrian and German corporations. The larger country (Germany) has larger firms with flatter more decentral corporate hierarchies compared to the smaller country (Austria). Firms in the larger country change their organization less fast than firms in the smaller country. Over time firms have been introducing less hierarchical organizations by delegating power to lower levels of the corporation. We develop a theory which explains these facts and which links these features to the trade environment that countries and firms face. We introduce firms with internal hierarchies in a Krugman (1980) model of trade. We show that international trade and the toughness of competition in international markets induce a power struggle in firms which eventually leads to decentralized corporate hierarchies. We offer econometric evidence which is consistent with the models predictions
Symmetric Brownian motor
In this paper we present a model of a symmetric Brownian motor (SBM) which
changes the sign of its velocity when the temperature gradient is inverted. The
velocity, external work and efficiency are studied as a function of the
temperatures of the baths and other relevant parameters. The motor shows a
current reversal when another parameter (a phase shift) is varied. Analytical
predictions and results from numerical simulations are performed and agree very
well. Generic properties of this type of motors are discussed.Comment: 8 pages and 10 figure
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