Advanced Visualizations Tools for CERN Institutional Data

Project Specification: The aim of this openlab summer student project is to provide intuitive and powerful visualisation tools for key institutional data about CERN, including budgets and contracts. The project will be done in collaboration with the Open Knowledge Foundation under the framework of CERN's open data policy regarding scientific results from LHC. The student will use the model-view-controller web development framework with Flask/HTML5/jQuery/TwitterBootstrap technologies for the user interface and SQLAlchemy ORM for database persistence. Abstract: CERN’s Open Access Policy says that “all results of its experimental and theoretical work shall be published or otherwise made generally available”. Following that, CERN has reached a collaboration agreement with the Open Knowledge Foundation in order for CERN to publish and visualize institutional data. As part of this collaboration, we will develop a module for showing this data in a graphical way in the CERN side and a tool in the Open Knowledge Foundation site for automatizing the input of data

Gauge symmetry and constraints structure in topologically massive AdS gravity: A symplectic viewpoint

By applying the Faddeev-Jackiw symplectic approach we systematically show that both the local gauge symmetry and the constraint structure of topologically massive gravity with a cosmological constant $\Lambda$, elegantly encoded in the zero-modes of the symplectic matrix, can be identified. Thereafter, via an appropriate partial gauge-fixing procedure, the time gauge, we calculate the quantization bracket structure (generalized Faddeev-Jackiw brackets) for the dynamic variables and confirm that the number of physical degrees of freedom is one. This approach provides an alternative to explore the dynamical content of massive gravity models

Political institutions and tax rate initiatives.

In a model of a representative democracy, we incorporate into the analysis of tax design the constitutional provision that allows voters to propose tax initiatives. In this paper, we present a theory of tax substitution as the rationale for a tax rate limit (TRL) initiative. In our model the tax system at the status quo is determined by the electoral competition between parties. This political institution aggregates the voters’ preferences for tax policy according to the voters’ marginal proportion of the expected vote that different coalition of voters can deliver in the election. The approval of a TRL, however, depends on the majority rule, and it aggregates the preferences of the median voter of tax initiatives. Thus, a TRL is the result of two political institutions with different mechanisms to aggregate the preferences of voters. Moreover, our paper distinguishes the role of perfect and imperfect information on the distribution of voters´ preferences for tax systems in approving a tax initiative. In this paper we identify conditions on the distribution of preferences and income of the electorate and the median voter that guarantee the approval (rejection) of tax initiatives.Taxation, Tax Limitations, Redistributive Effects, Structure and Scope of Government

ESTIMATION OF A TIME VARYING NATURAL INTEREST RATE FOR PERU

Following the approach of MÈsonnier and Renne (2007), we estimate a Natural Rate of Interest (NRI) using quarterly Peruvian data for the period 1996:3-2008:3. The model has six equations and it is estimated using the Kalman Ölter with output gap and NRI as unobservable variables. Estimation results indicate a more stable NRI in period 2001:3-2008:3 than in period 1996:3-2001:2 and also more stable than the observed real interest rate. Real interest rate gap (di§erence between real and natural rates), which measures monetary policy stance, indicates a restrictive policy for 1996-2001. Results also show a negative interest rate gap onwards, suggesting a less restrictive policy.Interest Rate / Natural Interest Rate / Kalman Filter / Output Gap / Unobserved Components.

Estimation of a Time Varying Natural Interest Rate for Peru

Following the approach of Mésonnier and Renne (2007), we estimate a Natural Rate of Interest (NRI) using quarterly Peruvian data for the period 1996:3 - 2008:3. The model has six equations and it is estimated using the Kalman filter with output gap and NRI as unobservable variables. Estimation results indicate a more stable NRI in period 2001:3 - 2008:3 than in period 1996:3 - 2001:2 and also more stable than the observed real interest rate. Real interest rate gap (difference between real and natural rates), which measures monetary policy stance, indicates a restrictive policy for 1996-2001 and for 2003. Results also suggest a real interest rate greater than NRI for 2002 and for 2004-2008.Interest rate, natural interest rate, Kalman filter, output gap, unobservable components