1,456 research outputs found
Regulatory Traffic Jams
Notwithstanding the tremendous amount of attention environmental agencies, policy analysts, and scholars have paid to regulatory reinvention, it has been pitched primarily as a refinement of the sanction and facilitation models, and thus intended to be channeled through the firm-specific behavioral responses predicted under the rational polluter and good-apple models. Little attention has been paid to the systems level question. The relevant question under the systems model is whether there is a component of noncompliance that does not respond to sanction and facilitation policies that are intended to illicit firm-specific behavioral responses. To answer this will require (1) identifying instances when sanction and facilitation policies do not lead to improvements in compliance performance, (2) doing so on a statistically meaningful basis across industrial sectors and regulatory programs, and (3) testing the effect alternative policy responses have on this identified component of noncompliance. Of course, regulatory agencies will have a disincentive to undertake either task: The first suggests flaws in current policy, the second is a daunting undertaking, the third ventures into the unknown and risks failure
Experimental demonstration of digital predistortion for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing-radio over fibre links near laser resonance
Radio over fibre (RoF), an enabling technology for distribution of wireless broadband service signals through analogue optical links, suffers from non-linear distortion. Digital predistortion has been demonstrated as an effective approach to overcome the RoF non-linearity. However, questions remain as to how the approach performs close to laser resonance, a region of significant dynamic non-linearity, and how resilient the approach is to changes in input signal and link operating conditions. In this work, the performance of a digital predistortion approach is studied for directly modulated orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing RoF links operating from 2.47 to 3.7 GHz. It extends previous works to higher frequencies, and to higher quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) levels. In addition, the resilience of the predistortion approach to changes in modulation level of QAM schemes, and average power levels are investigated, and a novel predistortion training approach is proposed and demonstrated. Both memoryless and memory polynomial predistorter models, and a simple off-line least-squares-based identification method, are used, with excellent performance improvements demonstrated up to 3.0 GHz
A step towards testing general relativity using weak gravitational lensing and redshift surveys
Using the linear theory of perturbations in General Relativity, we express a
set of consistency relations that can be observationally tested with current
and future large scale structure surveys. We then outline a stringent
model-independent program to test gravity on cosmological scales. We illustrate
the feasibility of such a program by jointly using several observables like
peculiar velocities, galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing. After
addressing possible observational or astrophysical caveats like galaxy bias and
redshift uncertainties, we forecast in particular how well one can predict the
lensing signal from a cosmic shear survey using an over-lapping galaxy survey.
We finally discuss the specific physics probed this way and illustrate how
gravity models would fail such a test.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Information erasure and the generalized second law of black hole thermodynamics
We consider the generalized second law of black hole thermodynamics in the light of quantum information theory, in particular information erasure and Landauerâs principle (namely, that erasure of information produces at least the equivalent amount of entropy). A small quantum system outside a black hole in the Hartle-Hawking state is studied, and the quantum system comes into thermal equilibrium with the radiation surrounding the black hole. For this scenario, we present a simple proof of the generalized second law based on quantum relative entropy. We then analyze the corresponding information erasure process, and confirm our proof of the generalized second law by applying Landauerâs principle
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Typographic design of outdoor signage, restaurant authenticity, and consumersâ willingness to dine: extending semiotic theory
YesPurpose: Restaurantsâ outdoor signage plays an irreplaceable role in attracting potential diners, as it conveys important functional and symbolic meanings of the businesses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of typographic design elements of outdoor signage on consumersâ perceptions of authenticity. This study also tests the linkage between authenticity and willingness to dine, as well as the moderating effect of frequency of dining in ethnic restaurants on the relationship.
Design/methodology/approach: Using a 2 (simplified vs traditional Chinese characters) Ă 2 (calligraphy vs computer font) Ă 2 (vertical vs horizontal text flow) between-subject design, the authors did two experiments with 786 Chinese diners. Restaurant authenticity and willingness to dine are dependent variables, and openness to ethnic cuisine is the control variable.
Findings: Display characters and text flow significantly affect restaurant authenticity. Furthermore, the results of this study demonstrate that display characters interact with typeface to influence restaurant authenticity. Consumersâ perceived authenticity significantly increases their willingness to dine. The frequency of dining in ethnic restaurants moderates the relationship between restaurant authenticity and willingness to dine.
Practical implications: Ethnic restaurateurs should pay attention to the outdoor signage design, as it affects potential consumersâ authenticity perceptions. Specifically, in Mainland China, traditional Chinese characters and vertical text direction increase potential consumersâ authenticity perceptions.
Originality/value: This study extends the semiotic theory and applies the cueâjudgmentâbehavior model in the hospitality literature. This study also provides new understanding of authenticity by identifying the influence of typographic design on authenticity, which confirms the semiotic theory that certain semiotic cues affect consumersâ judgments
Dispersive Manipulation of Paired Superconducting Qubits
We combine the ideas of qubit encoding and dispersive dynamics to enable
robust and easy quantum information processing (QIP) on paired superconducting
charge boxes sharing a common bias lead. We establish a decoherence free
subspace on these and introduce universal gates by dispersive interaction with
a LC resonator and inductive couplings between the encoded qubits. These gates
preserve the code space and only require the established local symmetry and the
control of the voltage bias.Comment: 5 pages, incl. 1 figur
Parametrization for the Scale Dependent Growth in Modified Gravity
We propose a scale dependent analytic approximation to the exact linear
growth of density perturbations in Scalar-Tensor (ST) cosmologies. In
particular, we show that on large subhorizon scales, in the Newtonian gauge,
the usual scale independent subhorizon growth equation does not describe the
growth of perturbations accurately, as a result of scale-dependent relativistic
corrections to the Poisson equation. A comparison with exact linear numerical
analysis indicates that our approximation is a significant improvement over the
standard subhorizon scale independent result on large subhorizon scales. A
comparison with the corresponding results in the Synchronous gauge demonstrates
the validity and consistency of our analysis.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Minor modifications and references added to
match published versio
Structural and doping effects in the half-metallic double perovskite CrWO
he structural, transport, magnetic and optical properties of the double
perovskite CrWO with have been studied. By
varying the alkaline earth ion on the site, the influence of steric effects
on the Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization has been
determined. A maximum K was found for SrCrWO having an almost
undistorted perovskite structure with a tolerance factor . For
CaCrWO and BaCrWO structural changes result in a strong
reduction of . Our study strongly suggests that for the double perovskites
in general an optimum is achieved only for , that is, for an
undistorted perovskite structure. Electron doping in SrCrWO by a
partial substitution of Sr by La was found to reduce both
and the saturation magnetization . The reduction of could be
attributed both to band structure effects and the Cr/W antisites induced by
doping. Band structure calculations for SrCrWO predict an energy gap in
the spin-up band, but a finite density of states for the spin-down band. The
predictions of the band structure calculation are consistent with our optical
measurements. Our experimental results support the presence of a kinetic energy
driven mechanism in CrWO, where ferromagnetism is stabilized by a
hybridization of states of the nonmagnetic W-site positioned in between the
high spin Cr-sites.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure
Risk factors of myopic shift among primary school children in Beijing, China: A prospective study
Objective: To evaluate factors associated with myopic shift among primary school children. Methods: In a one-year prospective school-based study, 5052 children from ten schools were enrolled using a multi-stage random cluster approach. The baseline examination included non-cycloplegic auto-refractometry and questionnaire interview. Measurements were repeated at the follow-up. Results: Among 5052 students at baseline investigated, 4292 students (85.0%) returned for the follow-up examination. The mean refractive error (-1.13±1.57 diopters) had changed -0.52±0.73 diopters from the baseline to the follow-up examination. 2170 (51.0%) had a rate of significant myopic shift (significant myopic shift is defined as the change of spherical equivalent of the refraction †-0.50D between the follow-up and baseline measures). We confirmed that common associated factors (older age, parental myopia, lower refractive status at baseline, shorter reading distance and lower frequency of outdoor activities during class recesses) were associated with greater shift towards myopia. After controlling for age, sex, region of habitation, parental myopia and refractive status at baseline, greater shift towards myopia was independently associated with distance from near-work (OR=1.48, 95% CI=1.26-1.74,
Interplay of Electron-Phonon Interaction and Electron Correlation in High Temperature Superconductivity
We study the electron-phonon interaction in the strongly correlated
superconducting cuprates. Two types of the electron-phonon interactions are
introduced in the model; the diagonal and off-diagonal interactions which
modify the formation energy of the Zhang-Rice singlet and its transfer
integral, respectively. The characteristic phonon-momentum and
electron-momentum dependence resulted from the off-diagonal coupling
can explain a variety of experiments. The vertex correction for the
electron-phonon interaction is formulated in the SU(2) slave-boson theory by
taking into account the collective modes in the superconducting ground states.
It is shown that the vertex correction enhances the attractive potential for
the d-wave paring mediated by phonon with around
which corresponds to the half-breathing mode of the oxygen
motion.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure
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