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This paper concerns the provision of a state-variable public good in a two-type model under present-biased consumer preferences. The preference for immediate gratification facing the high-ability type weakens the incentive to adjust public provision in response to the self-selection constraint

Public Goods and Optimal Paternalism under Present-Biased Preferences

This paper deals with the optimal provision of a state-variable public good in a two-type model, when the consumers have present-biased preferences due to quasi-hyperbolic discounting. The results show that the preference for immediate gratification facing the (mimicking) high-ability type weakens the incentive to adjust the public provision in response to the self-selection constraint.Public Goods; Quasi-Hyperbolic Discounting; Redistribution; Asymmetric Information

Present-Biased Preferences and Publicly Provided Health Care

In this paper, we analyze the welfare effects of publicly provided health care in an economy where the consumers have "present-biased" preferences due to quasi-hyperbolic discounting. The analysis is based on a two-type model with asymmetric information between the government and the private sector, and each consumer lives for three periods. We present formal conditions under which public provision to the young and middle-aged generation, respectively, leads to higher welfare. Our results show that quasi-hyperbolic discounting provides a strong incentive for public provision to the young generation; especially if the consumers are naive (instead of sophisticated).Public provision of private goods; hyperbolic discounting; intertemporal model; asymmetric information

Assessment of experimental methods for measurements of the horizontal flow of fluidized solids under bubbling conditions

Dual fluidized bed systems are indispensable for future energy systems that require solids cycling between different atmospheres. However, controlling the residence time of solids in the reactor, which is crucial for controlling the heat and mass transfer of the fuel, is a significant challenge. This study investigates four experimental techniques to quantify the horizontal flow of solids fluidized under bubbling conditions: integral mass accumulation; differential mass accumulation; thermal tracing; and magnetic solids tracing. Integral mass accumulation entails collecting bed material using a defluidized box within a given time period. Differential mass accumulation measures the material accumulation rate in a section of the bed that is monitored using pressure measurements. Thermal tracing calculates the solids flow rate by solving the heat balance to match the temperature field captured by a thermographic camera. Magnetic solids tracing involves injecting a batch of magnetic tracer solids into the reactor and then measuring the residence time distribution using impedance coils. The experiments were conducted under down-scaled conditions that resemble large-scale operations with a length scaling factor of 0.12. For this study, three operational parameters were varied: the fixed bed height; the volumetric flow rate of the conveying air; and the fluidization velocity in the bed. The horizontal solids circulation rates achieved ranged from 1.7 710−4 to 10 kg/m\ub7s, corresponding to 1.2 710−3 to 70 kg/m\ub7s on a hot up-scaled basis, which is a relevant range to indirect biomass gasification in an industrial setting. The three selected operational parameters led to increases in the horizontal solids flow. While all four methods replicated the trends, quantitative variations in the measured circulation rates occurred due to the inherent characteristics of the methods. High circulation rates resulted in a continuous decrease in the solids inventory, leading to an underestimation of the circulation rate when using the integral mass accumulation method. The accuracy of the differential mass accumulation method relied on transient pressure measurements, which were less-effective at low solids flow rates. Conversely, the accumulation time required for pressure measurements was reduced at high circulation rates, resulting in uncertainties in the analysis. The accuracy of the thermal tracing method decreased drastically with higher solids circulation, resulting in an overestimation of the circulation rate. Moreover, low circulation rates adversely affected the accuracy of the magnetic solids tracing by producing barely discernible tracer concentration gradients

Mellangrödor i växtföljden - för kolinlagring och effektivt kväveutnyttjande

Rapporten beskriver mellangrödors funktion för kolinlagring i jordbruksmark i relation till andra funktioner och miljörisker. Den består av en kunskapsgenomgång, en inventering av data från fältförsök samt en sammanfattning av odlares erfarenheter vid en workshop. Vår definition av mellangröda är: En gröda som har sin huvudsakliga tillväxt mellan två huvudgrödor, och där syftet med att odla mellangrödan kan variera.Mellangrödan ger kolinlagring, särskilt rötternaKolinlagringen av en mellangröda har uppskattats till ca 320 kg kol i medeltal per ha och år, men variationen är stor. Vi sammanställde resultat från fältförsök med mellangrödor under 30 år. För insådda gräsfånggrödor skiljer sig biomassaproduktionen i medeltal inte så mycket åt mellan olika regioner, medan variationen är större för eftersådda mellangrödor. Det saknas kunskap för att kunna ge konkreta råd om hur artval och jordbearbetningsstrategier m.m. för mellangröda kan användas för att optimera stabiliseringsprocesserna för kol i marken. Mellangrödans rötter bidrar med ca 2,5 gånger större inlagring än den ovanjordiska grönmassan. Mätningar vi funnit visar en stor variation i viktförhållandet mellan skott och rot, som beror på arters variation, men också på osäkerheter i provtagning och metoder.Utmaningar för odlarnaBåde försök och odlares erfarenheter vittnar om utmaningar med sådd av mellangrödor efter skörd, särskilt på jordar med hög lerhalt. Det handlar om att hinna så direkt efter huvudgrödans skörd för att lyckas med etableringen och för att utnyttja hösten för tillväxt. Att ge sådd av mellangrödan lika hög prioritet som en huvudgröda var ett råd som erfarna odlare poängterade vid en workshop. Det finns olika tankesätt och strategier kring val av arter, beroende på syftet med mellangrödan. Genom artblandningar kan man också kombinera funktioner. Det finns inga tydliga råd för arter som särskilt främjar kolinlagring utan det viktigaste är stor tillväxt, hög kol-kväve-kvot (C/N-kvot), stor rotbiomassa samt baljväxtinslag. Hushållning med kvävet En nordisk sammanställning visade att mellangrödor i medeltal minskade kväveläckaget med drygt 40 %. Tidpunkt för nedbrukning eller kemisk avdödning är metoder för att styra återmineraliseringen och kväveverkan i nästa gröda. För frostkänsliga mellangrödor med låg C/N-kvot finns en risk att kvävet frigörs så snabbt att det hinner utlakas innan våren. Under sådana förhållanden ökar också risken för lustgasemissioner. Mer kunskap behövs om hur kväveomsättning påverkas och hur lustgasemissioner kan minimeras, för att kunna anpassa mellangrödesystemen efter olika odlingskrav och klimatets förändring

Stress ocupacional e alteração do Estatuto da Carreira Docente português

Este estudo foi realizado com 1162 professores, tendo como objetivo analisar a experiência de stress e a síndrome de “burnout”, antes a após a alteração do Estatuto da Carreira Docente em Portugal. Assim, foram efetuadas duas avaliações em momentos temporais distintos, assumindo-se um plano transversal de recolha de dados (2004/2005, n=689 e 2008/2009, n=473). O protocolo de avaliação incluiu medidas de fontes de stress (Questionário de Stress nos Professores, Gomes, Silva, Mourisco, Mota, & Montenegro, 2006) e de “burnout” (Inventário de “Burnout” de Maslach – Versão para Professores, Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996; Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1996, Adaptação de Gomes et al., 2006). Os resultados indicaram que a experiência de stress e de “burnout” aumentou entre as duas avaliações, verificando-se em 2008/2009 aumentos em áreas relacionadas com as pressões de tempo/excesso de trabalho e com o trabalho burocrático/administrativo e, inversamente, diminuições em áreas relacionadas com as diferentes capacidades e motivações dos alunos. Quanto à predição da síndrome de “burnout”, não se verificaram alterações substanciais nas variáveis preditoras nos dois momentos. Em síntese, os resultados indicaram aumentos nas exigências profissionais dos professores, mas não se pode afirmar que tal se deva às alterações do Estatuto da Carreira Docente uma vez que não observámos alterações no stress associado à carreira docente.(undefined

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data

Aim Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert-based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS-tracking data of 1,498 individuals from 49 mammal species. Location Worldwide. Time period 1998-2021. Major taxa studied Forty-nine terrestrial mammal species. Methods Using GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habitat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS-based habitat suitability measures were in agreement with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types. Results IUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively. Main conclusions We show how GPS-tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species included in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macroecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS-tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re-evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data