Non-universal behavior of the parity effect in monovalent atomic wires
  We propose a mixed analytical-ab-initio method for the accurate calculation of the conductance in monovalent atomic wires. The method relies on the most general formula for ballistic transport through a monovalent wire, whose parameters can be determined from first-principles calculations. Our central result is the demonstration of the highly non-universal behavior of the conductance, which depends on the fine details of the contacts to the leads. We are therefore able to reconcile a large number of the apparently contradictory results that have recently appeared in the literature. 
P\'eter Major, V. M. Garc\'ia-Su\'arez, S. Sirichantaropass, J\'ozsef   Cserti, C. J. Lambert, J. Ferrer, G\'eza Tichy