Exact semiclassical theory for galvanomagnetic effects in metals

Closed form solution for conductivity tensor for magnetic field strength obtained from linearized Boltzmann equation for electron conduction distribution functio

Taylorism, targets and the pursuit of quantity and quality by call centre management

The paper locates the rise of the call centre within the context of the development of Taylorist methods and technological change in office work in general. Managerial utilisation of targets to impose and measure employees' quantitative and qualitative performance is analysed in four case-study organisations. The paper concludes that call centre work reflects a pardigmic re-configuration of customer servicing operations, and that the continuing application of Taylorist methods appears likely

Spectral properties of the tandem Jackson network, seen as a quasi-birth-and-death process

Quasi-birth-and-death (QBD) processes with infinite ``phase spaces'' can exhibit unusual and interesting behavior. One of the simplest examples of such a process is the two-node tandem Jackson network, with the ``phase'' giving the state of the first queue and the ``level'' giving the state of the second queue. In this paper, we undertake an extensive analysis of the properties of this QBD. In particular, we investigate the spectral properties of Neuts's R-matrix and show that the decay rate of the stationary distribution of the ``level'' process is not always equal to the convergence norm of R. In fact, we show that we can obtain any decay rate from a certain range by controlling only the transition structure at level zero, which is independent of R. We also consider the sequence of tandem queues that is constructed by restricting the waiting room of the first queue to some finite capacity, and then allowing this capacity to increase to infinity. We show that the decay rates for the finite truncations converge to a value, which is not necessarily the decay rate in the infinite waiting room case. Finally, we show that the probability that the process hits level n before level 0 given that it starts in level 1 decays at a rate which is not necessarily the same as the decay rate for the stationary distribution.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051604000000477 in the Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Workshop on Moon in Transition: Apollo 14, KREEP, and Evolved Lunar Rocks

Lunar rocks provide material for analyzing lunar history and now new evaluation procedures are available for discovering new information from the Fra Mauro highlands rocks, which are different from any other lunar samples. These and other topics were discussed at this workshop, including a new evaluation of the nature and history of KREEP, granite, and other evolved lunar rock types, and ultimately a fresh evaluation of the transition of the moon from its early anorthosite-forming period to its later stages of KREEPy, granitic, and mare magmatism. The summary of presentations and discussion is based on notes taken by the respective summarizers during the workshop

A novel policy making proposition for EV charging infrastructure management at HEI's

This paper is based on real time EV charging infrastructure development that took place at Brunel University, which is located in west of London, UK. The aim of this paper is to establish the policy making process that has stages of an initial student-staff interest survey, records of the consultation process with EV owners, results of competitive benchmarking with other HEI's and the discussion on Type 2 Mode 3 charging stations which are 240V, 32A, 7kW, 50Hz compliant with IEC 62196 and ISO 14443 Mifare standards. The first time ever PAYG concept of POD Point Ltd is explained. Benefits of using PAYG concept for charging EV are mentioned. Various other factors that played major role were also considered as follows: deciding the tariff of the electricity used by the EV owners, charging cable compatibility with charging station, hours of operation, creation of new enforcement rules and recommendations to provide incentives that recognise and motivate EV community

Debt and Risk Preference: A Household Level Analysis

We explore the relationship between risk preference and the level of unsecured debt at the household level within the context of a two period theoretical framework, which predicts that debt is a function of risk aversion. We test the predictions of our theoretical framework for a sample of households drawn from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). Using a sequence of questions from the 1996 PSID and the 1989 to 2004 SCF, we construct measures of risk preference allowing us to explore the implications of interpersonal differences in risk preference for the accumulation of unsecured debt at the household level. Our empirical findings, which accord with our theoretical priors, suggest that risk preference is an important determinant of the level of unsecured debt acquired at the household level with risk aversion serving to reduce the level of unsecured debt accumulated by households

Changes of partitioning and increased root lengths of spruce and beech exposed to ambient pollution concentrations in southern England

International audienc

Use of an audio-paced incremental swimming test in young national-level swimmers

Purpose:To evaluate the reliability and sensitivity to training of an audio-paced incremental swimming test.Methods:Eight young national-level male swimmers (age 15 ± 1 year) performed a 7 × 200-m incremental swimming test (velocities 1.19, 1.24, 1.28, 1.33, 1.39, and 1.45 m/s and maximal sprint pace) using an audio-pacing device. The same test was performed 4 times by each participant, 1 wk apart to assess reliability (WK1, WK2) and after 9 and 20 wk of training (WK9, WK20). Blood lactate concentration ([La−]) and heart rate (HR) were recorded after each stage. Outcome measures were the velocity (v) and HR at lactate markers of 2 mM, 4 mM, and Δ1 mM.Results:Velocities at the lactate markers proved to be more reliable than HR, with typical errors ranging from 0.66% to 2.30% and 1.28% to 4.50%, respectively (shifts in mean ranged –0.91% to 0.73% and –0.84% to 1.79%, respectively). Across WK1, WK9, and WK20 there were significant improvements in peak velocity (P &lt; .001) and each of the velocities associated with the lactate markers (P &lt; .05), whereas only HR at Δ1 mM improved (P &lt; .05).Conclusions:This article demonstrates that an audio-paced incremental swimming test is reliable for use with junior swimmers and is sensitive to changes observed after training. The postswimming measurement of HR in the pool was comparatively less reliable.</jats:sec

Possibility of Coherent Phenomena like Bloch Oscillations with Single Photons via W-States

We examine the behavior of single photons at multiport devices and inquire if coherent effects are possible. In particular we study how single photons need to be manipulated in order to study coherent phenomena. We show that single photons need to be produced in W states which lead to vanishing mean amplitude but nonzero correlations between the inputs at different ports. Such correlations restore coherent effects with single photons. As a specific example we demonstrate Bloch oscillations with single photons and thus provide strict analog of Bloch oscillation of electrons.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure