Global redistribution of income

The actual distribution of world income across countries is extremely unequal, much higher than the within country inequality faced by most countries. The question studied in this paper is: How do international policies on aid, trade, and factor movements affect the international distribution of income? To begin to answer this question, the authors calculate the impact by decile of the actual level of aid flows and the effect on potential income of merchandise trade restrictions by high-income countries. They find that aid's distributional impact is equality enhancing. While it is extremely small in terms of changes in standard inequality measures, it is of some importance for the lowest decile of the world's income distribution. The authors also find that some of this impact is counteracted by lost potential income in the lower deciles from merchandise trade barriers imposed by high-income countries. In brief, there is a contradiction in international policies where aid's equality-enhancing effect is somewhat offset by protectionism. They also discuss some of the analytical difficulties with extending this analysis ofredistribution to other forms of international factor flows-more specifically, migrant worker and profit remittances. The analysis presented is partial and static and ignores within country distribution. As such, the authors suggest that future research should explore the distributional consequences of the broader general equilibrium effects, dynamic effects, and externalities associated with aid, trade, and factor flows. Future research should also analyze the within country distributional impacts of international policies.Economic Theory&Research,Inequality,Country Strategy&Performance,Poverty Impact Evaluation,Population Policies

A simple preconditioned domain decomposition method for electromagnetic scattering problems

We present a domain decomposition method (DDM) devoted to the iterative solution of time-harmonic electromagnetic scattering problems, involving large and resonant cavities. This DDM uses the electric field integral equation (EFIE) for the solution of Maxwell problems in both interior and exterior subdomains, and we propose a simple preconditioner for the global method, based on the single layer operator restricted to the fictitious interface between the two subdomains.Comment: 23 page

Fred C. Woudhuizen, The Luwians of Western Anatolia. Their neighbours and predecessors

Les études consacrées aux populations de langue louvite connaissent un essor significatif au sein de la discipline hittitologique et ont pris d’ores-et-déjà une place incontournable dans la protohistoire indo-européenne. Depuis le début des années 2000, la publication de travaux majeurs  a effectivement permis de renforcer la spécialisation de ce champ d’investigation, en synthétisant l’état des connaissances sur la langue louvite et ses dialectes, la répartition géographique des populations ..

On the Protective Role of Identification with a Stigmatized Identity:Promoting Engagement and Discouraging Disengagement Coping Strategies

We examined the mechanisms by which identification with a stigmatized ingroup impacts well-being in stigmatized groups. The first three studies were conducted among gay men and lesbians in Europe and North America. Results support the idea that identification with homosexuals protects well-being by decreasing attempts at self-group distancing. Pursuit of self-group distancing was negatively related to well-being (studies 1 to 3a, N=1055). Other coping strategies were associated with identification but had no relationship with well-being. Identification was positively related to engagement coping strategies, namely, collective action, group affirmation and ingroup support, and negative related to disengagement strategies: ingroup blaming and avoidance of discrimination. A fourth study (study 3b) examined these mechanisms among Black North Americans (N=203). Again, identification was positively related to engagement strategies, and negatively related to disengagement; however, only collective action (positively) predicted well-being. Results are discussed in terms of how the effectiveness of different strategies for coping with stigma will differ depending on qualities of the identities in question and the specifics of the intergroup context

Drawing for Illustration and Annotation in 3D

International audienceWe present a system for sketching in 3D, which strives to preserve the degree of expression, imagination, and simplicity of use achieved by 2D drawing. Our system directly uses user-drawn strokes to infer the sketches representing the same scene from different viewpoints, rather than attempting to reconstruct a 3D model. This is achieved by interpreting strokes as indications of a local surface silhouette or contour. Strokes thus deform and disappear progressively as we move away from the original viewpoint. They may be occluded by objects indicated by other strokes, or, in contrast, be drawn above such objects. The user draws on a plane which can be positioned explicitly or relative to other objects or strokes in the sketch. Our system is interactive, since we use fast algorithms and graphics hardware for rendering. We present applications to education, design, architecture and fashion, where 3D sketches can be used alone or as an annotation of an existing 3D model

Social Network Sites and Well-Being: Is it Only a Matter of Content?

Are social network sites harmful to our well-being? Despite the topicality of this question, the literature is still inconsistent. Possible reasons include the over-use of cross-sectional designs, the centration on Facebook, and the omission of the different ways of using these platforms. Two preregistered experimental studies were therefore conducted to investigate the effects of passive and active usages of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on subjective well-being. For both the first (N = 244) and the second (N = 164) study, the results did not yield any significant effects of the type of social network sites and their passive-active usages on subjective well-being. In contrast, surfing content was associated with subjective well-being in Study 2: the more positive the content was, the more life satisfaction increased, and the more the negative affect decreased. Further investigation of this research question will be necessary in larger samples, including longitudinal studies that could provide greater ecological validity while testing the effects of social network sites in the long-term. These findings are therefore to be taken with caution; above all, they open new avenues of research to understand the relationship between social network sites and subjective well-being

Perception de la perméabilité du marché du travail chez les jeunes en fin de secondaire

La présente étude investigue le positionnement d’élèves face au monde du travail et, plus précisément, la malléabilité de leur perception de la perméabilité de ce monde. Une manipulation expérimentale visant à induire une certaine perception de l’ouverture du marché du travail a été réalisée auprès d’un échantillon de 618 élèves du secondaire. Les résultats confirment 1) la malléabilité des élèves face à l’image qu’ils reçoivent du monde du travail, et 2) les conséquences de l’adoption d’une telle image sur leur identification anticipée au groupe des sans-emploi et, par conséquent, sur leur perception du travail et leur bien-être psychologique.The present study investigates the position of students regarding the labour market and, more specifically, the malleability of their perception regarding the labour market permeability. An experimental manipulation which aimed at inducing a certain perception of the labour market permeability was conducted on a sample of 618 secondary school students. Results confirm 1) the students’ malleability regarding the image they receive about the labour market and 2) the consequences of adopting this image on their anticipated identification to the unemployed group and, as a consequence, on their work perception and their psychological well-being

Not Only Soldiers Have Weapons: Evolution of the Frontal Gland in Imagoes of the Termite Families Rhinotermitidae and Serritermitidae

BACKGROUND: The frontal gland is a unique adaptation of advanced termite families. It has been intensively studied in soldiers with respect to its anatomy and chemistry, with numerous novel compounds being discovered within the tremendous richness of identified products. At the same time, the presence of the frontal gland in non-soldier castes received only negligible attention in the past. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we report on the development of the frontal gland in alate imagoes of 10 genera and 13 species of Rhinotermitidae and Serritermitidae, in order to shed light on the evolution and function of this gland in imagoes. All investigated species possess a frontal gland. In most cases, it is well-developed and equipped with a sac-like reservoir, located in the postero-dorsal part of cranium, but reaching as far as the seventh abdominal segment in some Rhinotermitinae. The only exception is the genus Psammotermes, in which the gland is very small and devoid of the reservoir. CONCLUSIONS: Our direct observations and comparisons with soldiers suggest a defensive role of the gland in imagoes of all studied species. This functional analogy, along with the anatomic homology between the frontal gland in soldiers and imagoes, make it likely that the gland appeared once during the early evolution of rhinotermitid ancestors, and remained as a defensive organ of prime importance in both, soldiers and imagoes

A model problem for conformal parameterizations of the Einstein constraint equations

We investigate the possibility that the conformal and conformal thin sandwich (CTS) methods can be used to parameterize the set of solutions of the vacuum Einstein constraint equations. To this end we develop a model problem obtained by taking the quotient of certain symmetric data on conformally flat tori. Specializing the model problem to a three-parameter family of conformal data we observe a number of new phenomena for the conformal and CTS methods. Within this family, we obtain a general existence theorem so long as the mean curvature does not change sign. When the mean curvature changes sign, we find that for certain data solutions exist if and only if the transverse-traceless tensor is sufficiently small. When such solutions exist, there are generically more than one. Moreover, the theory for mean curvatures changing sign is shown to be extremely sensitive with respect to the value of a coupling constant in the Einstein constraint equations.Comment: 40 pages, 4 figure