Culture, Selection, and International Migration

This paper looks at the e ffect of cultural barriers on the skill selection of international migration. The data covers bilateral migration stocks by skill level in 2000 from about 99 sending countries to the main 15 destination countries. We use genetic distance as a proxy for cultural distance and exploit exogenous variation in genetic distance in 1500 to show that a higher genetic distance leads to a higher selectivity of migrants. This reveals that cultural traits are an important determinant of the skill mix of current migrant populations

Genetic distance and international migrant selection

This paper looks at the effect of the relatedness of two countries, measured by their genetic distance, on educational migrant selection. We analyze bilateral country-level education-specific migration stocks from 85 sending countries to the 15 main destination countries in 2000 and show that country pairs with larger genetic distances exhibit more selected migrant stocks compared to country pairs with smaller genetic distances on average. The effect is driven by country pairs with genetic distances above the median, suggesting that genetic distance must be sufficiently large to constitute a barrier to migration for low-skilled migrants. Results are robust to the inclusion of sending and destination country fixed effects, bilateral control variables, and an instrumental variables approach that exploits exogenous variation in genetic distances in the year 1500

Note on a NAHE Variation

We present a variation of the NAHE-basis for free fermionic heterotic string models. By rotating some of the boundary conditions of the NAHE periodic/anti-periodic fermions {y^m, \bar{y}^m, w^m, \bar{w}^m,}, for m = 1 to 6, associated with the six compact dimensions of a bosonic lattice/orbifold model, we show an additional method for enhancing the standard NAHE gauge group of SO(10) back to E6. This rotation transforms (SO(10) {\otimes} SO(6)^3)_obs {\otimes} (E_8)_hid into (E_6 {\otimes} U(1)^5)_obs {\otimes} SO(22)_hid. When SO(10) is enhanced to E_6 in this manner, the i^{th} MSSM matter generation in the SO(10) 16_i rep, originating in the twisted basis vector b_i, recombines with both its associated untwisted MSSM Higgs in a 10_i rep and an untwisted non-Abelian singlet {\phi}_i, to form a 27_i rep of E_6. Beginning instead with the E6 model, the inverse transformation of the fermion boundary conditions corresponds to partial GUT breaking via boundary rotation. Correspondence between free fermionic models with Z_2 {\otimes} Z_2 twist (especially of the NAHE class) and orbifold models with a similar twist has received further attention recently. Our NAHE variation also involves a Z_2 {\otimes} Z_2 twist and offers additional understanding regarding the free fermion/orbifold correspondence. Further, models based on this NAHE variation offer some different phenomenological features compared to NAHE-based models. In particular, the more compact Z2 {\otimes} Z2 twist of the NAHE variation offers a range of mirror models not possible from NAHE-based models. Examples of such models are presented.Comment: 22 pages, late

Genetic Distance and International Migrant Selection

This paper looks at the effect of the relatedness of two countries, measured by their genetic distance, on educational migrant selection. We analyze bilateral country-level education-specific migration stocks from 85 sending countries to the 15 main destination countries in 2000 and show that country pairs with larger genetic distances exhibit more selected migrant stocks compared to country pairs with smaller genetic distances on average. The effect is driven by country pairs with genetic distances above the median, suggesting that genetic distance must be sufficiently large to constitute a barrier to migration for low-skilled migrants. Results are robust to the inclusion of sending and destination country fixed effects, bilateral control variables, and an instrumental variables approach that exploits exogenous variation in genetic distances in the year 1500

Finite key analysis for symmetric attacks in quantum key distribution

We introduce a constructive method to calculate the achievable secret key rate for a generic class of quantum key distribution protocols, when only a finite number n of signals is given. Our approach is applicable to all scenarios in which the quantum state shared by Alice and Bob is known. In particular, we consider the six state protocol with symmetric eavesdropping attacks, and show that for a small number of signals, i.e. below the order of 10^4, the finite key rate differs significantly from the asymptotic value for n approaching infinity. However, for larger n, a good approximation of the asymptotic value is found. We also study secret key rates for protocols using higher-dimensional quantum systems.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Guidelines for consistent reporting of exchanges/to nature within life cycle inventories (LCI)

Data availability and data quality are still critical factors for successful LCA work. The SETAC-Europe LCA Working Group ‘Data Availability and Data Quality' has therefore focused on ongoing developments toward a common data exchange format, public databases and accepted quality measures to find science-based solutions than can be widely accepted. A necessary prerequisite for the free flow and exchange of life cycle inventory (LCI) data and the comparability of LCIs is the consistent definition, nomenclature, and use of inventory parameters. This is the main subject of the subgroup ‘Recommended List of Exchanges' that presents its results and findings here: • Rigid parameter lists for LCIs are not practical; especially, compulsory lists of measurements for all inventories are counterproductive. Instead, practitioners should be obliged to give the rationale for their scientific choice of selected and omitted parameters. The standardized (not: mandatory!) parameter list established by the subgroup can help to facilitate this. • The standardized nomenclature of LCI parameters and the standardized list of measurement bases (units) for these parameters need not be appliedinternally (e.g. in LCA software), but should be adhered to inexternal communications (data for publication and exchange). Deviations need to be clearly stated. • Sum parameters may or may not overlap - misinterpretations in either direction introduce a bias of unknown significance in the subsequent life cycle impact assessments (LCIA). The only person who can discriminate unambiguously is the practitioner who measures or calculates such values. Therefore, a clear statement of independence or overlap is necessary for every sum parameter reported. • Sum parameters should be only used when the group of emissions as such is measured. Individually measured emission parameters should not be hidden in group or sum parameters. • Problematic substances (such as carcinogens, ozone depleting agents and the like) maynever be obscured in group emissions (together with less harmful substances or with substances of different environmental impact), butmust be determined and reported individually, as mentioned in paragraph 3.3 of this article. • Mass and energy balances should be carried out on a unit process level. Mass balances should be done on the level of the entire mass flow in a process as well as on the level of individual chemical elements. • Whenever possible, practitioners should try to fill data gaps with their knowledge of analogous processes, environmental expert judgements, mass balance calculations, worst case assumptions or similar estimation procedure

Blended Learning Success: Cultural and Learning Style Impacts

Corporate education in international organizations faces a lot of challenges which are hoped to be addressed by using blended learning concepts. However, the heterogeneity of an international workforce in terms of culture and learning style opposes this objective. Therefore, this research-in-progress paper focuses on cultural and learning style impacts on learning success when using blended learning in organizations. Based on first theoretical ideas of a blended learning success model the impact of national culture and learning style on learning outcome is theorized and analyzed using an empirical study conducted with 81 employees of an international organization. The results reveal that national culture has an impact on blended learning success and therefore a cultural sensitive design of blended learning environments is necessary. The results are the basis for further research to develop a blended learning success model including cultural and learning style aspects as it is described in the paper

Wang-MacDonald d-wave vortex cores observed in heavily overdoped Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta}

Low magnetic field scanning tunneling spectroscopy of individual Abrikosov vortices in heavily overdoped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ unveils a clear d-wave electronic structure of the vortex core, with a zero-bias conductance peak at the vortex center that splits with increasing distance from the core. We show that previously reported unconventional electronic structures, including the low energy checkerboard charge order in the vortex halo and the absence of a zero-bias conductance peak at the vortex center, are direct consequences of short inter-vortex distance and consequent vortex-vortex interactions prevailing in earlier experiments.Comment: Main text : 5 pages, 4 figures Supplemental material : 3 pages, 2 figure

Blended Learning Success: Cultural and Learning Style Impacts

Abstract. Corporate education in international organizations faces a lot of challenges which are hoped to be addressed by using blended learning concepts. However, the heterogeneity of an international workforce in terms of culture and learning style opposes this objective. Therefore, this research-in-progress paper focuses on cultural and learning style impacts on learning success when using blended learning in organizations. Based on first theoretical ideas of a blended learning success model the impact of culture and learning style on learning outcome is theorized and analyzed using an empirical study conducted with 81 employees of an international organization. The results reveal that national culture has an impact on blended learning success and therefore a cultural sensitive design of blended learning environments is necessary. The results are the basis for further research to develop a blended learning success model including cultural and learning style aspects as it is described in the paper