Cooperating firms in inventive and absorptive research

We consider a duopoly competing in quantity, where firms can invest in both innovative and absorptive R&D to reduce their unit production cost, and where they benefit from free R&D spillovers between them. We analyze the case where firms act non cooperatively and the case where they cooperate by forming a research joint venture. We show that, in both modes of play, there exists a unique symmetric solution. We find that the investment in innovative R&D is always higher than in absorptive R&D. We also find that the value of the learning parameter has almost no impact on innovative R&D, firms profits, consumer's surplus and social welfare. Finally, differences in investment in absorptive research and social welfare under the two regimes are in opposite directions according to the importance of the free spillover.Innovative R&D; Absorptive R&D; Learning Parameter; Spillover; Research Joint Venture

Absorptive Capacity, R&D Spillovers, Emissions Taxes and R&D Subsidies

We consider in this paper a duopoly competing in quantities and where�firms can invest in R&D to control their emissions. We distinguish between effort carried out to acquire first-hand knowledge (original R&D)and effort to develop an absorptive capacity to be able to capture part of the knowledge developed by rival. There are also free R&D spillovers between firms. We show that a regulator can reach the social optimal outcome by implementing a taxation and subsidy policy. The regulator subsidizes at a higher rate original R&D effort than its absorptive capacity counterpart when the free spillovers are high, and the contrary may occur when the free spillovers are low. When the cost of original research is lower than the one of absorptive research, or when the learning parameter of the latter is low, then the socially optimal level of original research is higher than the one of absorptive capacity. We have the opposite result when the cost of absorptive capacity is lower than the one of original research and when the learning parameter is high

Some NP-Complete Problems in the Physical Design of Digital Integrated Circuits

Coordinated Science Laboratory was formerly known as Control Systems LaboratorySemiconductor Research Corporation / SRC-87-DP-109HA

Sufficient Conditions, Cost Bounds, and Approximation Algorithms for the Graph Bisectioning Problem

Coordinated Science Laboratory was formerly known as Control Systems LaboratorySemiconductor Research Corporation / SRC 86-12-10

Cooperating firms in inventive and absorptive research

We consider a duopoly competing in quantity, where firms can invest in both innovative and absorptive R&D to reduce their unit production cost, and where they benefit from free R&D spillovers between them. We analyze the case where firms act non cooperatively and the case where they cooperate by forming a research joint venture. We show that, in both modes of play, there exists a unique symmetric solution. We find that the investment in innovative R&D is always higher than in absorptive R&D. We also find that the value of the learning parameter has almost no impact on innovative R&D, firms profits, consumer's surplus and social welfare. Finally, differences in investment in absorptive research and social welfare under the two regimes are in opposite directions according to the importance of the free spillover

Cooperating firms in inventive and absorptive research

We consider a duopoly competing in quantity, where firms can invest in both innovative and absorptive R&D to reduce their unit production cost, and where they benefit from free R&D spillovers between them. We analyze the case where firms act non cooperatively and the case where they cooperate by forming a research joint venture. We show that, in both modes of play, there exists a unique symmetric solution. We find that the investment in innovative R&D is always higher than in absorptive R&D. We also find that the value of the learning parameter has almost no impact on innovative R&D, firms profits, consumer's surplus and social welfare. Finally, differences in investment in absorptive research and social welfare under the two regimes are in opposite directions according to the importance of the free spillover

Magnetization-induced second harmonic generation of light by exchange-coupled magnetic layers

International audienceA longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect and magnetization-induced second-harmonic generation (MSHG) of light (at 2v) have been measured in a SiO2/Fe96Si4/Dy30Fe58Co12/glass exchange-coupled magnetic bilayer system with competitive anisotropies. Theoretical MSHG predictions in this structure that give rise to an effect proportional to magnetization components and that are allowed by an electric dipole mechanism are reported and discussed. The magnitude of the MSHG effect depends on the electric field of the incoming radiation at each interface and on the corresponding incoming (at v) and outgoing (at 2v) Fresnel coefficients. It is demonstrated that transverse pp MSHG selectively probes the magnetization of the first SiO2/Fe96Si4 interface, while transverse sp and longitudinal ps MSHG is sensitive, but less selectively, to the Fe96Si4/Dy30Fe58Co12 interface that supports a planar magnetic domain wall. (p and s are the usual parallel and perpendicular polarizations to the plane of incidence.) The contribution to MSHG by gradient magnetization terms is negligibl

Open challenges for Machine Learning based Early Decision-Making research

More and more applications require early decisions, i.e. taken as soon as possible from partially observed data. However, the later a decision is made, the more its accuracy tends to improve, since the description of the problem to hand is enriched over time. Such a compromise between the earliness and the accuracy of decisions has been particularly studied in the field of Early Time Series Classification. This paper introduces a more general problem, called Machine Learning based Early Decision Making (ML-EDM), which consists in optimizing the decision times of models in a wide range of settings where data is collected over time. After defining the ML-EDM problem, ten challenges are identified and proposed to the scientific community to further research in this area. These challenges open important application perspectives, discussed in this paper

Effect of the Soil Spatial Variability on the Static and Dynamic Stability Analysis of a Lebanese Slope

The accidental topography and heterogeneous Lebanese geology in addition to the active seismicity have initiated the static and dynamic stability analysis of Lebanese slopes. In this paper, the stability of a sandy Lebanese slope situated at Mansourieh near Beirut is investigated using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The characterization of the variability of the slope soil properties is done based on geological investigation, as well as geophysical (Resistivity and Ambient noise) and geotechnical tests performed on this slope. Three dimensional 3D static deterministic analyses is performed to determine the overall safety factor of the slope and to find the location of the critical failure surface. The deterministic model is based on numerical simulations using the finite difference code FLAC3D. Then, two-dimensional probabilistic analysis is carried out on the critical section obtained from the 3D model. In the probabilistic analysis, the soil properties are modeled using the random field theory. An efficient uncertainty propagation methodology based on the expansion optimal linear estimation EOLE method is used to discretize the random field. Concerning the dynamic analysis, it is implemented in order to determine the amplification at the top of slope, where the looseness of the soil there may amplify the earthquake acceleration. The results have shown a small safety factor as well as high amplification. The importance of using the probabilistic approach versus the deterministic one is also presented and discussed

Central retinal vein occlusion in young population: risk factors and outcomes

ObjectiveTo evaluate the risk factors and outcomes of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in young patients (< 40 years).MethodsIn this retrospective monocentric case series, we included young patients (<40 years) with CRVO. Patients’ medical files were analyzed focusing on demographic characteristics, suspected risk factors, ophthalmic work-up, visual acuity (VA), treatment, and outcomes.ResultsA total of 54 eyes of 52 patients were included. Central retinal vein occlusion was considered idiopathic in 13 patients (25%). The main risk factors identified were ocular hypertension (20.4%), inflammation (20.4%), high blood pressure (14.8%), and coagulation abnormality (11.1%). Final VA was lower in patients with high blood pressure and inflammation when compared to patients with no risk factor (p = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Intravitreal injections were needed in 23 eyes (42.6%) and 19 eyes (35.2%) received panretinal photocoagulation treatment.ConclusionCentral retinal vein occlusion is frequently associated with risk factors in young patients (75% of patients). In addition to the usual factors found in older patients, such as ocular hypertension and high blood pressure, coagulation abnormality and inflammation were also among the risk factors identified. Young patients with CRVO should be evaluated for the presence of risk factors and patients with high blood pressure or inflammatory findings should be followed carefully since they have a worse outcome