Foreign ownership and productivity: new evidence from the service sector and the R&D lab

This paper examines the relationship between foreign ownership and productivity, paying particular attention to two issues neglected in the existing literature – the role of multinationals in service sectors and the importance of R&D activity conducted by foreign multinationals. We review existing theoretical and empirical work, which largely focuses on manufacturing, before presenting new evidence using establishment level data on production, service and R&D activity for the United Kingdom. We find that multinationals play an important role in service sectors and that entry of foreign multinationals by takeover is more prevalent than greenfield investment. We find that British multinationals have lower levels of labour productivity than foreign multinationals, but the difference is less stark in the service sector than in the production sector, and that British multinationals have lower levels of investment and intermediate use per employee. We also find that foreign-owned multinationals conduct a substantial amount of UK R&D. We discuss the implications of these and other findings for the policy debate on incentives to influence multinational firms’ location choices

Control of coherent backscattering by breaking optical reciprocity

Reciprocity is a universal principle that has a profound impact on many areas of physics. A fundamental phenomenon in condensed-matter physics, optical physics and acoustics, arising from reciprocity, is the constructive interference of quantum or classical waves which propagate along time-reversed paths in disordered media, leading to, for example, weak localization and metal-insulator transition. Previous studies have shown that such coherent effects are suppressed when reciprocity is broken. Here we show that by breaking reciprocity in a controlled manner, we can tune, rather than simply suppress, these phenomena. In particular, we manipulate coherent backscattering of light, also known as weak localization. By utilizing a non-reciprocal magneto-optical effect, we control the interference between time-reversed paths inside a multimode fiber with strong mode mixing, and realize a continuous transition from the well-known peak to a dip in the backscattered intensity. Our results may open new possibilities for coherent control of classical and quantum waves in complex systemsComment: Comments are welcom

Directional waveguide coupling from a wavelength-scale deformed microdisk laser

We demonstrate uni-directional evanescent coupling of lasing emission from a wavelength-scale deformed microdisk to a waveguide. This is attributed to the Goos-H\"anchen shift and Fresnel filtering effect that result in a spatial separation of the clockwise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) propagating ray orbits. By placing the waveguide tangentially at different locations to the cavity boundary, we may selectively couple the CW (CCW) wave out, leaving the CCW (CW) wave inside the cavity, which also reduces the spatial hole burning effect. The device geometry is optimized with a full-wave simulation tool, and the lasing behavior and directional coupling are confirmed experimentally.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation and Risk of Smoking Initiation in Bulgarian Youth

The goal of this project was to explore the factors associated with smoking behavior among Bulgarian adolescents. A sample recruited from 12 high schools in Bulgaria (N = 673, mean age = 16.52, 65% female), was used for the analyses in this paper. A series of logistic regressions were performed to explore the factors associated with smoking cessation and increased risk of smoking initiation. Based on self-reported smoking status participants completed different sets of questionnaires and were included in separate models exploring smoking cessation and increased risk of smoking initiation. Variables consistently associated with smoking like stress, coping strategies, peer influence, family influence, exposure to tobacco related marketing were included as predictor variables in both models. In addition each of the two models included the relevant constructs of decisional balance and temptations from the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). The final logistic model differentiating smokers/ex-smokers included age, parental smoking status, Temptation to smoke, and support for smoking bans in public places as variables, correctly classifying 82.3% of the sample. The final model among nonsmokers differentiating higher risk/lower risk of smoking initiation included the strength of the belief that smoking is harmful, Temptations to try smoking, Pros of being smoke-free, and support for smoking bans in public places, correctly classifying 72.7% of the sample. These results provide better understanding of the factors associated with smoking behavior in Bulgarian adolescents that can guide the development of smoking cessation and prevention programs for this population

Leadership complexity while navigating a complex conflict: Linking individual attributes with dynamic decision-making processes

Research on dynamical systems theory has demonstrated the vital role that higher levels of complexity play in the constructive management of complex conflicts. Requisite complexity theory proposes that there are stable individual complexity attributes that contribute to a dynamic complexity process that allows an individual to more effectively engage with complex and dynamic decision-making scenarios over time. However, to date, no research has empirically tested the relationships between these attributes and patterns of thought, affect and behavior in individuals engaging with complex tasks. This research examined the relationships between five proposed individual complexity attributes – cognitive complexity, perceived emotional complexity, tolerance for ambiguity, consideration for future consequences and behavioral repertoire – and level of integrative complexity, complexity of emotional experience and patterns of decision making while engaging with a complex conflict resolution simulation. Results provide initial support for the requisite complexity model, with cognitive complexity, perceived emotional complexity, tolerance for ambiguity and consideration for future consequences all demonstrating predictive validity for various aspects of the dynamic decision-making process. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, along with proposed avenues for future research

MIUS integration and subsystems test program

The MIUS Integration and Subsystems Test (MIST) facility at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was completed and ready in May 1974 for conducting specific tests in direct support of the Modular Integrated Utility System (MIUS). A series of subsystems and integrated tests was conducted since that time, culminating in a series of 24-hour dynamic tests to further demonstrate the capabilities of the MIUS Program concepts to meet typical utility load profiles for a residential area. Results of the MIST Program are presented which achieved demonstrated plant thermal efficiencies ranging from 57 to 65 percent

Spatial, seasonal and climatic predicitve models of Rift Valley Fever disease across Africa

Understanding the emergence and subsequent spread of human infectious diseases is a critical global challenge, especially for high-impact zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. Global climate and land-use change are likely to alter host and vector distributions, but understanding the impact of these changes on the burden of infectious diseases is difficult. Here, we use a Bayesian spatial model to investigate environmental drivers of one of the most important diseases in Africa, Rift Valley fever (RVF). The model uses a hierarchical approach to determine how environmental drivers vary both spatially and seasonally, and incorporates the effects of key climatic oscillations, to produce a continental risk map of RVF in livestock (as a proxy for human RVF risk). We find RVF risk has a distinct seasonal spatial pattern influenced by climatic variation, with the majority of cases occurring in South Africa and Kenya in the first half of an El Niño year. Irrigation, rainfall and human population density were the main drivers of RVF cases, independent of seasonal, climatic or spatial variation. By accounting more subtly for the patterns in RVF data, we better determine the importance of underlying environmental drivers, and also make space- and time-sensitive predictions to better direct future surveillance resources. This article is part of the themed issue ‘One Health for a changing world: zoonoses, ecosystems and human well-being’