The Social Value of Mortality Risk Reduction: VSL vs. The Social Welfare Function Approach

We examine how different welfarist frameworks evaluate the social value of mortality risk reduction. These frameworks include classical, distributively unweighted cost–benefit analysis—i.e., the “value per statistical life” (VSL) approach—and various social welfare functions (SWFs). The SWFs are either utilitarian or prioritarian, applied to policy choice under risk in either an “ex post” or “ex ante” manner. We examine the conditions on individual utility and on the SWF under which these frameworks display sensitivity to wealth and to baseline risk. Moreover, we discuss whether these frameworks satisfy related properties that have received some attention in the literature, namely equal value of risk reduction, preference for risk equity, and catastrophe aversion. We show that the particular manner in which VSL ranks risk-reduction measures is not necessarily shared by other welfarist frameworks

Numerical Approximation of Asymptotically Disappearing Solutions of Maxwell's Equations

This work is on the numerical approximation of incoming solutions to Maxwell's equations with dissipative boundary conditions whose energy decays exponentially with time. Such solutions are called asymptotically disappearing (ADS) and they play an importarnt role in inverse back-scatering problems. The existence of ADS is a difficult mathematical problem. For the exterior of a sphere, such solutions have been constructed analytically by Colombini, Petkov and Rauch [7] by specifying appropriate initial conditions. However, for general domains of practical interest (such as Lipschitz polyhedra), the existence of such solutions is not evident. This paper considers a finite-element approximation of Maxwell's equations in the exterior of a polyhedron, whose boundary approximates the sphere. Standard Nedelec-Raviart-Thomas elements are used with a Crank-Nicholson scheme to approximate the electric and magnetic fields. Discrete initial conditions interpolating the ones chosen in [7] are modified so that they are (weakly) divergence-free. We prove that with such initial conditions, the approximation to the electric field is weakly divergence-free for all time. Finally, we show numerically that the finite-element approximations of the ADS also decay exponentially with time when the mesh size and the time step become small.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

The effect technician gender has on sexual arousal responses of male sexual offenders

This study was an exploration of the effect technician gender has on sexual arousal responses of male sexual offenders. The subjects were 65 adult male sexual offenders. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups; two which were experimental and differed only in the presentation of the independent variable and one which was a control group. All subjects were given two plethysmograph assessments within ten days. The two experimental groups were tested by a male and a female technician. The order of technician gender was randomly chosen. The control group was tested by a male technician on both occasions. Assessments were conducted following the guidelines established by the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (A.T.S.A.). Subjects were given questionnaires which asked subjects to rate the level of anxiety they experienced during the assessments. Galvanic skin responses were measured in addition to sexual arousal. Subjects\u27 sexual arousal and GSR responses were monitored while they were presented with slide stimuli. Mean arousal responses were obtained for each of the ten stimulus categories. At-test was run on the means obtained from the male technician and the means obtained by the female technician to determine if there were significant differences. Subjects demonstrated significantly higher arousal responses when assessed by a female technician to all stimulus categories. In contrast, arousal responses of subjects in the control group were not statistically different. In addition to the increased arousal responses, subjects assessed by a female technician took significantly longer to detumesce than subjects tested by a male technician. Subjects self-reported feeling much more anxious with the female technician, however, galvanic skin responses (GSR) were compared using a t-test and were not significantly different. GSR responses decreased slightly during the subject\u27s second assessment in two of the three groups. The data strongly supports the hypothesis that technician gender affects arousal responses of male sexual offenders. Furthermore, data also supports the effect technician gender has on detumescence

Taxation - Federal Income Tax - Section 355 Held Applicable to the Division of a Single Business

Petitioner, E. P. Coady, and M. Christopher each owned 50 percent of the stock of the Christopher Construction Co., a corporation engaged for more than five years prior to November 15, 1954, in the conduct of a construction business. On that day the parent, Christopher Company, organized a subsidiary, E. P. Coady & Co., to which it transferred approximately one half of its contracts, equipment, and cash. In exchange, the parent company received all the stock of the subsidiary. Immediately thereafter, the parent distributed to petitioner, one of the two equal shareholders of the parent company, all the stock of the subsidiary in exchange for petitioner\u27s stock in the parent. Although the fair market value of the shares received exceeded the basis of the shares surrendered, petitioner reported no gain from the transaction. Respondent, relying upon Treasury Regulation 1.355-1 (a) which denies tax free distribution under section 3551 upon the division of a single business, assessed a deficiency. In a Tax Court proceeding, held, for petitioner, six judges dissenting.2 Section 355 may properly be applied to a single business; Treasury Regulation 1.355-1 (a) is invalid. Edmund P. Coady and Virginia Coady, 33 T.C. No. 87 (1960)

Labor Law - Labor-Management Relations Act - Constitutionality of the Emergency Strike Provisions

In an effort to settle a nationwide steel strike the President invoked the national emergency provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Having made the requisite finding that the strike would imperil the national health or safety, he appointed a board of inquiry to investigate the dispute. Upon receipt of the board\u27s report the President directed the Attorney General to seek an injunction against the strike. Basing its determination largely upon the strike\u27s hindrance of the national defense program, the district court found the strike would imperil the national health or safety and granted the injunction The court of appeals, affirming, rejected the union\u27s contentions that the proceedings did not present a case or controversy and that the act attempted an unconstitutional delegation of legislative or executive functions to the courts On certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, held, affirmed, one judge dissentings The statute does not make an unconstitutional delegation of non-judicial functions, but entrusts the courts with a case or controversy capable of judicial determination. United Steelworkers of America v. United States, 361 U.S. 39 (1959)

Labor Law - Appropriate Bargaining Unit Under Section 9(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act- Determination Requires NLRB to Exercise Discretion

Petitioner union sought to represent maintenance and construction electricians employed by plate glass manufacturer at a new plant. How ever, employer and intervenor union entered into an agreement extending to the new plant an existing contract covering employees at certain of employer\u27s other plants. At hearings upon petitioner\u27s application to determine the appropriate bargaining unit under criteria established by section 9 (b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, employer and intervenor urged that the highly integrated nature of the plant and the history of plantwide bargaining at employer\u27s other plants made a single bargaining unit covering all plant\u27s employees the only appropriate one. Relying upon a previously developed rules which denied consideration of these elements in all but four industries, the Board granted petitioner\u27s request for severance. Nevertheless, employer refused to bargain with petitioner. Finding this refusal to be an unfair labor practice, the Board ordered employer to bargain. a On petition for enforcement of the NLRB\u27s order, held, enforcement denied. Section 9 (b) (2) requires the Board to use discretion in every case, and it is arbitrary to attempt to exercise this discretion by the application of a discriminatory rule. NLRB v. Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., (4th Cir. 1959) 270 F. (2d) 167, cert. den. 28 U.S. LAW WEEK 3217 (1960)

Singular-boundary reductions of type-Q ABS equations

We study the fully discrete elliptic integrable model Q4 and its immediate trigonometric and rational counterparts (Q3, Q2 and Q1). Singular boundary problems for these equations are systematised in the framework of global singularity analysis. We introduce a technique to obtain solutions of such problems, in particular constructing the exact solution on a regular singularity-bounded strip. The solution technique is based on the multidimensional consistency and uses new insights into these equations related to the singularity structure in multidimensions and the identification of an associated tau-function. The obtained special solutions can be identified with open boundary problems of the associated Toda-type systems, and have interesting application to the construction of periodic solutions.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

The development of an autonomous rendezvous and docking simulation using rapid integration and prototyping technology

A generic planar 3 degree of freedom simulation was developed that supports hardware in the loop simulations, guidance and control analysis, and can directly generate flight software. This simulation was developed in a small amount of time utilizing rapid prototyping techniques. The approach taken to develop this simulation tool, the benefits seen using this approach to development, and on-going efforts to improve and extend this capability are described. The simulation is composed of 3 major elements: (1) Docker dynamics model, (2) Dockee dynamics model, and (3) Docker Control System. The docker and dockee models are based on simple planar orbital dynamics equations using a spherical earth gravity model. The docker control system is based on a phase plane approach to error correction