We clarify different definitions of the density matrix by proposing the use of different names, the full density matrix for a single-closed quantum system, the compressed density matrix for the averaged single molecule state from an ensemble of molecules, and the reduced density matrix for a part of an entangled quantum system, respectively. We show that ensembles with the same compressed density matrix can be physically distinguished by observing fluctuations of various observables. This is in contrast to a general belief (...) that ensembles with the same compressed density matrix are identical. Explicit expression for the fluctuation of an observable in a specified ensemble is given. We have discussed the nature of nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing. We show that the conclusion that there is no quantum entanglement in the current nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing experiment is based on the unjustified belief that ensembles having the same compressed density matrix are identical physically. Related issues in quantum communication are also discussed. (shrink)

In the water area monitoring of the traditional wireless sensor networks, the monitoring data are mostly transmitted to the base station through multihop. However, there are many problems in multihop transmission in traditional wireless sensor networks, such as energy hole, uneven energy consumption, unreliable data transmission, and so on. Based on the high maneuverability of unmanned aerial vehicles, a mobile data collection scheme is proposed, which uses UAV as a mobile sink node in WSN water monitoring and transmits data wirelessly (...) to collect monitoring node data efficiently and flexibly. In order to further reduce the energy consumption of UAV, the terminal nodes are grouped according to the dynamic clustering algorithm and the nodes with high residual energy in the cluster are selected as cluster head nodes. Then, according to the characteristics of sensor nodes with a certain range of wireless signal coverage, the angular bisection method is introduced on the basis of the traditional ant colony algorithm to plan the path of UAV, which further shortens the length of the mobile path. Finally, the effectiveness and correctness of the method are proved by simulation and experimental tests. (shrink)

This research investigates firms’ bribery motivations in China. Based on resource dependence theory and anomie theory, we identify resource conditions as firms’ proactive motivation to bribe and firms’ perceived institutional environment as their passive motivation to bribe. We use the data from 2002 World Business Environment Survey, collected by the World Bank, to investigate firms’ bribery in the world’s largest emerging market, China. We employ a multi-level logistic model to test our hypotheses. The results show that unsatisfactory general and task (...) environmental conditions may trigger firms to bribe in order to compete for better resources and opportunities; institutional conditions such as the security expenditure and anomie climate may make firms perceive bribery as a common phenomenon and thus induce firms to bribe. This research provides some insights to understand business bribery behaviors in emerging market. It also discusses some managerial implications and guidelines for policy-making from the findings. (shrink)

The representatives of modern Neo-Confucianism all greatly value Yi Zhuan and regard it as one of their spiritual resources, and give their own creative interpretations and transformations. Xiong Shili's ontological-cosmological theory takes "qian yuan" as its center; Ma Yifu has a theory of ontology-cultivation centered on "nature-principle"; Fang Dongmei has a metaphysics of production and reproduction; Mou Zongsan takes the view of "completely knowing the fathomless and understanding transformation" as a moral metaphysics; and in Tang Junyi there is a theory (...) of the harmony of doctrines on Heaven and man in which "the knowledge of divine understanding" is its key concept. They employ modern philosophical concepts and thinking to illustrate the cosmology, ontology, theory of life, theory of human nature, theory of spiritual worlds, axiology and their connections in Zhou Yi. They affirm that the characteristics of Chinese philosophy that are different from Western philosophy consist in a naturalist view of vital life, a harmonious view of totality, an axiological view that values exist in natural universe and the world of fact, the pursuit of Good and Beauty, and intuitive experience of inner world. (shrink)

Responding to recent concerns about the reliability of the published literature in psychology and other disciplines, we formed the X-Phi Replicability Project to estimate the reproducibility of experimental philosophy. Drawing on a representative sample of 40 x-phi studies published between 2003 and 2015, we enlisted 20 research teams across 8 countries to conduct a high-quality replication of each study in order to compare the results to the original published findings. We found that x-phi studies – as represented in our sample (...) – successfully replicated about 70% of the time. We discuss possible reasons for this relatively high replication rate in the field of experimental philosophy and offer suggestions for best research practices going forward. (shrink)

BackgroundThe brain death standard allowing a declaration of death based on neurological criteria is legally endorsed and routinely practiced in the West but not in Asia. In China, attempts to legalize the brain death standard have occurred several times without success. Cultural, religious, and philosophical factors have been proposed to explain this difference, but there is a lack of empirical studies to support this hypothesis.Methods476 medical providers from three academic hospitals in Hunan, China, completed a selfadministered survey including a 12-question (...) brain death clinical knowledge assessment and hypothetical vignettes describing brain dead patients.ResultsThe response rate was 95.2 %. Almost all of the providers had heard of the term “brain death.” More than half have encountered presumed brain dead patients. Two-thirds accepted brain death as an ethical standard to determine human death. The mean knowledge score was 8.50 ± 1.83 out of 12. When given the description of a brain dead patient, 50.7 % considered the patient dead, 51.9 % would withdraw life support, and 40.6 % would allow organ procurement. Both provider and patient characteristics contributed to the providers’ decisions. Ethical acceptance was the most important independent predictor for brain death acknowledgement, followed by high knowledge scores, and the belief that the soul lives in the brain. Religious faith and associated beliefs did not have a significant effect.ConclusionsNotwithstanding scarce official accounts, recognition of the brain death standard is not uncommon in China. Chinese medical providers can adequately define the medical characteristics of brain death and accept it in theory, but hesitate to apply it to practice in the vignettes. Legalization is paramount in providing the protection providers need to comfortably declare brain death. However the medical decision-making surrounding brain death is complex and the provider's past experiences and emotions may also influence the process. (shrink)

With the help of the auxiliary function method, we solved the improved Boussinesq equation with fluid dynamic damping and the modified IBq equation with Stokes damping, and we obtained their three types of travelling wave exact solutions, which is an extension service of the numerical simulation and the existence of a solution. From the waveform diagram of IBq equation with hydrodynamic damping, it can be seen that when the propagation velocity of kink wave changes, the amplitude also changes significantly, and (...) it is also found that the kink isolated waveform is significantly asymmetric due to the increase of damping coefficient v, which may be of some value in explaining some physical phenomena. In addition, the symbolic computing software maple makes our computing work easier. (shrink)

Appendix 1 was incomplete in the initial online publication. The original article has been corrected.

The interaction of elements in a financial system can exhibit complex dynamic behaviours. In this article, we use a system of differential equations to model the evolution of a financial system and study its complexity. Numerical simulations show that the system exhibits a variety of rich dynamic behaviours, including chaos. Bifurcation diagrams show that the system behaves chaotically over a wide range of system parameters.

High-salinity shale is a unique and promising shale-oil reservoir in continental basins. We have collected representative samples from different lithologies from wells in the Qianjiang Depression to test the pore structure and basic character from prospective high-salinity oil-bearing shales. We conducted field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses to study the high-salinity shale pore morphology and composition, respectively. We used mercury injection capillary pressure to understand the high-salinity shale macropore distribution, and we used low-pressure nitrogen adsorption to study (...) the mesopore distribution. The results show that the high-salinity shale-oil reservoir mainly is composed of carbonate, clay, and saline minerals. Many intergranular pores were developed in the high-salinity shale. The mesopores and macropores both were developed well in argillaceous dolomite. The average pore volume of macropores is 0.0588 ml/g, which accounts for approximately 59% of the total pore volume. Therefore, in the high-salinity shale-oil reservoirs that we tested, macropores were more important than other pores. The symbiosis of dolomite and calcite improved the porosity of the high-salinity shale-oil reservoir, and the salt minerals increased the pore complexity. (shrink)

A small but growing body of research suggests that witnessing mistreatment affects third-party observers’ attitudes and behaviors. Based on the framework of belief in a just world theory, this study examines perverse secondary victimization which is particularly pervasive in negative workplace gossip from a third-party perspective but has nonetheless received little attention in organizational research. We present a moderated mediation model and hypothesize that third-party observers’ deservingness judgment would mediate the effect of observed negative workplace gossip and interact with their (...) just world beliefs in predicting their unfavorable reactions toward the target. Additionally, an observer’s BJW would exacerbate the positive relationship between observed negative workplace gossip and deservingness judgment, that is, third-party observers with high BJW are more susceptible to victim derogation bias and consider that the target of gossip deserved the victimization experience to maintain their worldview. Data were collected from 210 full-time employees through online questionnaires and the empirical results supported the hypotheses. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. (shrink)

In its three decades of development, many constructs of cause-related marketing have been tested from different perspectives and in varied contexts. However, there has not yet been an integrated empirical study. Reviewing 162 studies from 117 articles, we constructed a framework of meta-analysis and identified 20 constructs. Among these, 13 are antecedents that can be grouped into three components: consumer-related traits, execution-related factors, and product-related traits, while three mediators and four consequences are used to measure the effectiveness of cause-related marketing. (...) Moreover, we examined 857 relationships among the constructs. The results showed that consumer-related traits, execution-related factors, and product-related traits all influence the effectiveness of cause-related marketing to varying degrees. Furthermore, we analyzed the effects of six moderators and found that cause-related marketing would be more effective when the brand is familiar, the product is utilitarian, the donation magnitude is large, and the cause is less familiar. However, neither cultural orientation nor cause type significantly influences the effectiveness of cause-related marketing. Finally, the interactions between these moderators and execution-related antecedents provide contributions and implications for cause-related marketing. (shrink)

The level of financial literacy of rural residents will affect their financial decisions and the financial well-being behind the decisions. This paper uses mediating effect and moderating effect to test the influence path of rural residents’ subjective and objective financial literacy on their financial decision-making with survey data from Henan and Anhui provinces in China. The results show that subjective and objective financial literacy have positive effects on financial market participation. Subjective and objective financial literacy have negative direct effects on (...) insurance market participation. Subjective financial literacy plays an incomplete mediating effect in the impact of objective financial literacy on financial market and insurance market participation. Objective financial literacy is adjusted by subjective financial literacy on financial market participation and insurance market participation. At the same time, we introduce financial technology penetration as a threshold variable in the model and find that the financial literacy has stronger impact on financial decision-making if the financial technology penetration is above the threshold. (shrink)

This book is a translation of a key commentary on the Book of Changes, or Yijing, perhaps the most broadly influential text of classical China. The Yijing first appeared as a divination text in Zhou-dynasty China and later became a work of cosmology, philosophy, and political theory as commentators supplied it with new meanings. While many English translations of the Yijing itself exist, none are paired with a historical commentary as thorough and methodical as that written by the Confucian (...) scholar Cheng Yi, who turned the original text into a coherent work of political theory. (shrink)

Based on a close study of benchmark examples in default reasoning, such as Nixon Diamond, Penguin Principle, etc., this paper provides an in depth analysis of the basic features of default reasoning. We formalize default inferences based on Modus Ponens for Default Implication, and mark the distinction between "local inferences"(to infer a conclusion from a subset of given premises) and "global inferences"(to infer a conclusion from the entire set of given premises). These conceptual analyses are captured by a formal semantics (...) that is built upon the set-selection function technique. A minimal logic system M of default reasoning that accommodates Modus Ponens for Default Implication and suitable for local inferences is proposed, and its soundness is proved. (shrink)