Shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction in the flow field of a tri-dimension wind tunnel

The first results of a thorough experimental analysis of a strong three-dimensional shock-wave/turbulent boundary-layer interaction occurring in a three dimensional transonic channel are presented. The aim of this experiment is to help in the physical understanding of a complex field, including several separations, and to provide a well documented case to test computational methods. The flowfield has been probed in many points by means of a three-component laser Doppler velocimeter. The results presented relate only to the mean velocity field. They clearly show the formation in the flow of a strong vortical motion resulting from the shock wave interaction

Contingent Employment in the Netherlands

In the last decade the Dutch labour market has demonstrated an admirable capacity to generate jobs. Consequently, the unemployment rate has significantly decreased. However, the newly generated jobs are a-typical in the sense that they are not full-time jobs based on open-ended contracts. Instead, the job growth has relied on the growth of part-time and contingent jobs. While the creation of part-time jobs seems to be employee-driven, contingent employment, in contrast, seems to be driven by motives of employers to gain numerical flexibility. Data from the Netherlands show that, with the exception of student workers, contingent work is predominantly involuntary.This paper analyses the growth of contingent employment in the Netherlands.flexibility;'temps';contingent employment;labour market policies;temporary work agencies

Competition versus Collusion: The Impact of Consumer Inertia

We consider a model of dynamic price competition to analyze the impact of consumer inertia on the ability of firms to sustain high prices. Three main consequences are identified, all of which contrast with predictions of the standard model of collusion: (i) maintaining high prices does not require punishment strategies when firms are sufficiently myopic, (ii) if buyers are sufficiently inert, then high prices can be sustained for all discount factors, and (iii) the ability to maintain high prices may depend non-monotonically on the level of the discount factor when the industry exhibits network externalities and demand is sufficiently viscous. These results provide a number of interesting insights with regard to competitive and collusive pricing behavior. In particular, we illustrate how direct communication between firms may facilitate collusion.microeconomics ;

Omgaan met robotisering en digitalisering. We hoeven het wiel niet opnieuw uit te vinden

Contains fulltext : 147369.pdf (author's version ) (Open Access)Veel van de huidige discussies over robotisering en arbeidsmarkt doen denken aan discussies van vroeger: over ‘wetenschappelijk bedrijfsbeheer’ in de jaren tien en twintig van de vorige eeuw, over automatisering in de jaren zestig en over micro-elektronica in de jaren tachtig. De omstandigheden waren steeds anders, maar de dilemma’s min of meer dezelfde. We hebben daarvan kunnen leren dat ‘winnaars en verliezers’ niet zozeer het gevolg zijn van technologische ontwikkelingen alswel van hoe belanghebbenden arbeid en arbeidsmarkt organiseren. De gekozen oplossingen zijn steeds min of meer hetzelfde: functieverbetering, werkoverleg, competentieontwikkeling en medezeggenschap op organisatieniveau, sociale dialoog op sector- en landelijk niveau, aangevuld met stimuleringsregelingen van de overheid, onderzoek en maatschappelijk debat. En natuurlijk moet het onderwijs meebewegen en anticiperen. We hoeven dus niet het wiel opnieuw uit te vinden. Hoe de toekomst eruit zal zien is moeilijk te voorspellen. We kunnen dan ook maar beter inzetten op het creëren van het optimale innovatie- en veranderpotentieel. Een samenleving die dat breed heeft weten te realiseren kan elke ontwikkeling en verrassing aan

Osons être des littéraires

Car seule la littérature est en capacité d’entretenir au plus haut degré les ‘dissonances cognitives’ que l’incertitude ou des processus mentaux contradictoires sont censés produire en nous. Mieux que toute autre activité mentale elle nous apprend à différer le besoin de conclusion (need for closure) qui nous rend ‘intolérants à l’ambiguïté’, et surtout à bien gérer ce retard à la conclusion dans la mesure où – plutôt que de nous inviter à nous adonner à des reconfigurations subjectives (comme le veut la théorie de la Gestalt) qui sont somme toute une autre manière de se rassurer à peu de frais – elle ‘met en place au contraire des façons délibérées de règles de fonctionnement’ propres ‘à ralentir les conclusions indûment rapides et à étendre le cadre temporel pendant lequel l’ambiguïté est tolérée’

Home in A Hybrid World

Whilst our outside world is modifying into a more complex and hybrid networked world, our most intimate dwelling, our home, is at risk of falling behind as for many it seems to have remained the same as it has been for many decades. This book explores what it means to have a home in such a networked world. It describes what architecture can, or perhaps should, contribute to enable a more participatory role for inhabitants. This forward-thinking book will try to answer the question - What is the role and position of technology in our most intimate locations both now and what could it be like in the future