Conformal field theory construction for nonabelian hierarchy wave functions

The fractional quantum Hall effect is the paradigmatic example of topologically ordered phases. One of its most fascinating aspects is the large variety of different topological orders that may be realized, in particular nonabelian ones. Here we analyze a class of nonabelian fractional quantum Hall model states which are generalizations of the abelian Haldane-Halperin hierarchy. We derive their topological properties and show that the quasiparticles obey nonabelian fusion rules of type su(q)_k. For a subset of these states we are able to derive the conformal field theory description that makes the topological properties - in particular braiding - of the state manifest. The model states we study provide explicit wave functions for a large variety of interesting topological orders, which may be relevant for certain fractional quantum Hall states observed in the first excited Landau level.Comment: extended introduction, added reference

A Manager-Customer Empirical Investigation Of The Subjective Performance Of Proactive Market-Oriented Consumer Goods Companies: Testing A Double-Mediation Model

This study investigates the mediating role of perceived branded product leadership and perceived customer value in the relationship between of proactive market orientation on performance (corporate reputation) in a consumer goods setting. A manager-customer approach is adopted: data was collected from 146 managers from 55 companies, and 425 customers that purchased their branded products. Results show that companies that practice a high level of proactive market orientation are perceived as leaders, which leads to higher levels of customer perceived value of their branded products and enhanced reputation. This research adds to the existing literature in considering customers’ perceptual assessments

Total Market Orientation, Customer Value, And Market Performance From A Dual Perspective

Most approaches to a market orientation focus ongenerating superior value for customers. Doing so determines the strength ofthe firm’s competitive advantage and thus its level of performance. Thisarticle considers this causal chain from a dual perspective, that is, that ofcompanies and their customers. Data collected from 55 companies, involving 146managers and 425 consumers of branded products that these companies sell,indicate that market orientation correlates with customer value  (weak link but statistically significant) butnot with a subjective measure of market performance, that is, with customersatisfaction. Moreover, perceived value affects market performance, a findingthat corroborates the theory that a business that creates value that a consumerperceives as superior will enjoy improved market performance

Convergence ou divergence de pratiques bancaires entre des pays de l’Europe de l’Ouest et de l’Europe de l’Est? Le cas des banques françaises et bulgares

L’étude de la convergence ou de la divergence des valeurs et des pratiques culturelles dans le monde est liée aux problématiques de diffusion et d’acquisition de connaissances. La convergence de pratiques peut être expliquée soit par la similarité des environnements au sein desquels celles-ci ont été développées et déployées soit par le transfert de pratiques d’un milieu socioculturel vers un autre. Les banques occidentales opérant dans des environnements institutionnels et économiques dynamiques et compétitifs ont développé des compétences distinctes de celles employées dans les ex-pays socialistes. Le transfert de compétences et de connaissances vers les filiales locales est susceptible de représenter un avantage compétitif pour l’entreprise multinationale. Cependant, ce transfert implique, pour les filiales locales, un changement culturel. Le changement culturel radical est difficile à mettre en place, car les individus perdraient toute référence culturelle nécessaire pour l’interprétation des événements et la construction commune de sens. Par conséquent, il se peut que plus le transfert de pratiques occidentales nécessite un changement radical des modes de travail, plus les employés locaux s’attachent à leurs pratiques professionnelles locales. Afin d’apporter des éclairages empiriques sur les tendances parallèles de convergence et de divergence de pratiques, nous avons effectué une étude qui compare les modes d’analyse du risque de 3 banques bulgares, 6 établissements français et 2 banques franco-bulgares. Nos résultats confirment l’hypothèse selon laquelle le degré de convergence de pratiques entre siège et filiale locale est modéré par le degré de changement culturel.banque, divergence de pratiques, changement culturel, entreprise multinationale

Perfect Simulation of a Stochastic Model for CDMA Coverage

The aim of this article is to present ways of getting realizations of the stochastic model for CDMA coverage introduced in~. This is a basic stochastic geometry model that represents the location of antennas as realizations of Poisson point processes in the plane and allows one to capture regions (CDMA cells) of the plane with signal-to-noise ratio SNR to/from a given antenna at a sufficient level. We describe an algorithm of perfect simulation of arbitrary close approximation of the the CDMA cell mosaic given some coverage constraints. This is an adaptation of the so called backward simulation of conditional coverage process developed in~. The approximation comes from the estimation of the SNR, that is modeled by Poisson shot-noise process, based on an influence window whose size is theoretically adjusted to meet the true value of SNR with an arbitrary precision. As a motivating example we estimate the distribution functions of the distance from a fixed location to regions under various given handoff conditions (so called contact distribution functions)

Testing and Calibration of Phase Plates for JWST Optical Simulator

Three phase plates were designed to simulate the JWST segmented primary mirror wavefront at three on-orbit alignment stages: coarse phasing, intermediate phasing, and fine phasing. The purpose is to verify JWST's on-orbit wavefront sensing capability. Amongst the three stages, coarse alignment is defined to have piston error between adjacent segments being 30 m to 300 m, intermediate being 0.4 m to 10 m, and fine is below 0.4 m. The phase plates were made of fused silica, and were assembled in JWST Optical Simulator (OSIM). The piston difference was realized by the thickness difference of two adjacent segments. The two important parameters to phase plates are piston and wavefront errors. Dispersed Fringe Sensor (DFS) method was used for initial coarse piston evaluation, which is the emphasis of this paper. Point Diffraction Interferometer (PDI) is used for fine piston and wavefront error. In order to remove piston's 2 pi uncertainty with PDI, three laser wavelengths, 640nm, 660nm, and 780nm, are used for the measurement. The DHS test setup, analysis algorithm and results are presented. The phase plate design concept and its application (i.e. verifying the JWST on-orbit alignment algorithm) are described. The layout of JWST OSIM and the function of phase plates in OSIM are also addressed briefly

Data report: Carbon isotopic composition of dissolved CO2, CO2 gas, and methane, Blake-Bahama Ridge and northeast Bermuda Rise, ODP Leg 172

Carbon isotopic data of interstitial dissolved CO2 (ΣCO2), CO2 gas, and methane show that a variety of microbial diagenetic processes produce the observed isotopic trends. Anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) is an important process near the sulfate-methane interface (SMI) that strongly influences the isotopic composition of ΣCO2 in the sulfate reduction and upper methanogenic zones, which in turn impacts methane isotopic composition. Dissolved CO2 and methane are maximally depleted in 3C near the SMI, where C values are as light as –31.8‰ and –101‰ PDB for ΣCO2 and methane, respectively. CO2 reduction links the CO2 and methane pools in the methanogenic zone so that the carbon isotopic composition of both pools evolves in concert, generally showing increasing enrichments of C with increasing depth. These isotopic trends mirror those within other methane-rich continental rise sediments worldwide

2D Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations with Constraints

International audienceWe tackle the problem of constructing 2D centroidal Voronoi tessellations with constraints through an efficient and robust construction of bounded Voronoi diagrams, the pseudo-dual of the constrained Delaunay triangulation. We exploit the fact that the cells of the bounded Voronoi diagram can be obtained by clipping the ordinary ones against the constrained Delaunay edges. The clipping itself is efficiently computed by identifying for each constrained edge the (connected) set of triangles whose dual Voronoi vertex is hidden by the constraint. The resulting construction is amenable to Lloyd relaxation so as to obtain a centroidal tessellation with constraints