A/B Contracts

This paper aims to improve the practical applicability of the classic theory of incentive contracts under moral hazard. We establish conditions under which the information provided by an A/B test of incentive contracts is sufficient for answering the question of how best to improve a status quo incentive contract, given a priori knowledge of the agent’s monetary preferences. We assess the empirical relevance of this result using data from DellaVigna and Pope’s (2018) study of a variety of incentive contracts. Finally, we discuss how our framework can be extended to incorporate additional considerations beyond those in the classic theory. (JEL D82, D86, D91)

A Study on Robert Keohane’s Idea of “Power”

Robert Keohane is a leading contemporary international relations scholar. His ideas and doctrines are important parts of neoliberal institutionalism. In his books Power and Interdependence, and After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy, he has a unique perspective on power, a core concept of international relations, that differs from realism and constructivism. This paper uses documentary analysis to distill and summarize the discussion of power in Robert Keohane’s work, which helps to systematically study the neoliberal institutionalist view of power and to make the classic theory show its charm beyond its time.

A Study on Robert Keohane’s Idea of “Power”

Robert Keohane is a leading contemporary international relations scholar. His ideas and doctrines are important parts of neoliberal institutionalism. In his books Power and Interdependence, and After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy, he has a unique perspective on power, a core concept of international relations, that differs from realism and constructivism. This paper uses documentary analysis to distill and summarize the discussion of power in Robert Keohane’s work, which helps to systematically study the neoliberal institutionalist view of power and to make the classic theory show its charm beyond its time.

Kinetics of the Near Infrared Electrochemiluminescence from Metal Nanoclusters on Surface and in Solution

The electronics structures of some metal nanoclusters enable strong photoluminescence in the near infrared spectrum range. Activation of the luminescence via electrode reactions, rather than light source, i.e., electrochemiluminescence (ECL), has received growing interests due to the various potential benefits, but has been mostly limited to steady-state behaviors such as overall emission intensity and materials optimizations. Here, the ECL kinetics in representative experiments where nanoclusters as luminophores are either immobilized on the surface or free diffusing in solution were investigated based on classic theory. An analytical equation derived under a sequential mass transport limit regime quantitates the experimental ECL kinetics features in a wide range of conditions. Deconvolution of non-faradic charging current from redox current provides the threshold in time ranges for the analysis of ECL kinetics. The ECL kinetics profiles suggest that bimolecular or pseudo first order reactions limit the ECL generation immediately following the establishment of the applied potentials, while later ECL generation is governed by diffusion or mass transport displaying a Cottrell type decay over inverse square root time. Physical meanings of key parameters as defined in classic theorem are discussed in representative experimental systems for appropriate quantitation and evaluation of ECLs properties from different materials systems.

Analytical results in transient brush tyre models: theory for large camber angles and classic solutions with limited friction

This paper establishes new analytical results in the mathematical theory of brush tyre models. In the first part, the exact problem which considers large camber angles is analysed from the perspective of linear dynamical systems. Under the assumption of vanishing sliding, the most salient properties of the model are discussed with some insights on concepts as existence and uniqueness of the solution. A comparison against the classic steady-state theory suggests that the latter represents a very good approximation even in case of large camber angles. Furthermore, in respect to the classic theory, the more general situation of limited friction is explored. It is demonstrated that, in transient conditions, exact sliding solutions can be determined for all the one-dimensional problems. For the case of pure lateral slip, the investigation is conducted under the assumption of a strictly concave pressure distribution in the rolling direction.

Maintenance of Complex Trait Variation: Classic Theory and Modern Data

Numerous studies have found evidence that GWAS loci experience negative selection, which increases in intensity with the effect size of identified variants. However, there is also accumulating evidence that this selection is not entirely mediated by the focal trait and contains a substantial pleiotropic component. Understanding how selective constraint shapes phenotypic variation requires advancing models capable of balancing these and other components of selection, as well as empirical analyses capable of inferring this balance and how it is generated by the underlying biology. We first review the classic theory connecting phenotypic selection to selection at individual loci as well as approaches and findings from recent analyses of negative selection in GWAS data. We then discuss geometric theories of pleiotropic selection with the potential to guide future modeling efforts. Recent findings revealing the nature of pleiotropic genetic variation provide clues to which genetic relationships are important and should be incorporated into analyses of selection, while findings that effect sizes vary between populations indicate that GWAS measurements could be misleading if effect sizes have also changed throughout human history.

A new tripartite landmark in posterior cingulate cortex

Understanding brain structure-function relationships, and their development and evolution, is central to neuroscience research. Here, we show that morphological differences in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a hub of functional brain networks, predict individual differences in macroanatomical, microstructural, and functional features of PCC. Manually labeling 4,319 sulci in 552 hemispheres, we discovered a consistently localized shallow cortical indentation (termed the inframarginal sulcus; ifrms) within PCC that is absent from neuroanatomical atlases, yet co-localized with a region within the cognitive control, but not default mode, network. Morphological analyses in humans and chimpanzees showed that unique properties of the ifrms differ across the lifespan and between hominoid species. Intriguingly, the consistency of the ifrms also debunks the uniqueness of the morphology of Einstein's PCC. These findings support a classic theory that shallow, tertiary sulci serve as landmarks in association cortices. They also beg the question: how many other cortical indentations have we missed?

SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE AND WELLBEING CONVERGENCES FOR PLACE-BASED APPROACHES

The present article is a conceptual and bibliometric radiography of ‘the new trinity of governance’ (Joseph & McGregor, 2020) that includes sustainability, resilience, and wellbeing from the viewpoint of territorial approaches. First, the paper makes theoretical consideration s of the three concepts by analysing their definition and characteristics. Second, the study proposes a bibliometric analysis of the three well-established concepts, taking into account the papers that include the relations between all three in a single framework. Third, we developed a content analysis considering only the most relevant papers in the proposed study area as we try to highlight the main theoretical and empirical implications of overlapping sustainability, resilience, and wellbeing from the viewpoint of place-based strategies and planning as reflected by current scientific research. The results show the prevalence of four major directions of research which include the three concepts as pillars for the theoretical and empirical approaches: 1) nature-centred assessments, 2) safe and sustainable human activities and critical services, 3) participative governance for planning human settlements, 4) individuals’ and communities’ culture and identities. Finally, the missing link that can transform all these convergent, but still diverse, perspectives is identified as being the capabilities theory of Amartya Sen. To accomplish this role, the classic theory was reinterpreted in a broader sustainability-related approach that takes into consideration the equity and wellbeing of individuals and communities, but also the equilibrium between nature and human development. Conclusively, if managed wisely, the new integrative approach could mark a paradigm shift that might push forward new ways of planning and governing sustainable, safe and liveable territories.

Stability of expanding accretion shocks for an arbitrary equation of state

We present a theoretical stability analysis for an expanding accretion shock that does not involve a rarefaction wave behind it. The dispersion equation that determines the eigenvalues of the problem and the explicit formulae for the corresponding eigenfunction profiles are presented for an arbitrary equation of state and finite-strength shocks. For spherically and cylindrically expanding steady shock waves, we demonstrate the possibility of instability in a literal sense, a power-law growth of shock-front perturbations with time, in the range of $h_c< h<1+2 {\mathcal {M}}_2$ , where $h$ is the D'yakov-Kontorovich parameter, $h_c$ is its critical value corresponding to the onset of the instability and ${\mathcal {M}}_2$ is the downstream Mach number. Shock divergence is a stabilizing factor and, therefore, instability is found for high angular mode numbers. As the parameter $h$ increases from $h_c$ to $1+2 {\mathcal {M}}_2$ , the instability power index grows from zero to infinity. This result contrasts with the classic theory applicable to planar isolated shocks, which predicts spontaneous acoustic emission associated with constant-amplitude oscillations of the perturbed shock in the range $h_c< h<1+2 {\mathcal {M}}_2$ . Examples are given for three different equations of state: ideal gas, van der Waals gas and three-terms constitutive equation for simple metals.

The Formation of the Jewish Canon

The word canon means a list of biblical books understood as being inspired by God, and therefore normative, enumerated according to a given order and in a determined number. There were three great theories about the canon: Levita (1538), Grabe (1715) and the classic theory (end of the nineteenth century), according to which the canon results from a historical process, first the canonization of the Law (between 450 and 400 BCE), then Prophets’ one (third century), and last Writings’ one (during the Hasmonean period or at the end of the first century in Jabneh). Rectifications to the classic model must be provided. In the second stage, it is inappropriate to speak about a canonization of the Prophets; this canonization included both the Torah and the Prophets: they are not two separate orders, but a single corpus at the same level. On the other hand, one must distinguish two Jewish canons. The first one is defined by Law and Prophets and can be dated back to the third century BCE. The second one involves three orders with a ranking: first, the Torah that, second, the Prophets repeat and reinforce, and which, third, the Writings repeat. It dates back to the years 200 CE. So, maybe the classic three-stage model has to be changed into a two-stage model: first, the Torah and the Prophets; second, the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. In other words, the canonization involving only the Torah may never have occurred. But this scenario is not fully established and the classic theory must be kept for the moment.