Simulated NNLO for high-pT observables in vector boson + jets production at the LHC

We present a study of higher order QCD corrections beyond NLO to processes with an electroweak vector boson, W or Z, in association with jets. We focus on the regions of high transverse momenta of commonly used differential distributions. We employ the LoopSim method to merge NLO samples of different multiplicity obtained from MCFM and from BLACKHAT+SHERPA in order to compute the dominant part of the NNLO corrections for high-pT observables. We find that these corrections are indeed substantial for a number of experimentally relevant observables. For other observables, they lead to significant reduction of scale uncertainties.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures; v2: expanded discussion in a few places, added and corrected references, version accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Psychological factors affecting equine performance

For optimal individual performance within any equestrian discipline horses must be in peak physical condition and have the correct psychological state. This review discusses the psychological factors that affect the performance of the horse and, in turn, identifies areas within the competition horse industry where current behavioral research and established behavioral modification techniques could be applied to further enhance the performance of animals. In particular, the role of affective processes underpinning temperament, mood and emotional reaction in determining discipline-specific performance is discussed. A comparison is then made between the training and the competition environment and the review completes with a discussion on how behavioral modification techniques and general husbandry can be used advantageously from a performance perspective

Land-Rich Economies, Education and Economic Development

We analyze the emergence of large-scale education systems in a setup where growth is associated with changes in the configuration of the economy. The model is based on three central elements: first, individual preferences over consumption goods generate changes in the composition of individual spending as income grows, embodied in Engel curves. Second, the production of sophisticated services is intensive in human capital. Third, investment in human capital by individual households faces borrowing constraints. Our model uses an overlapping generation framework similar to the one in Galor and Moav (2003). As that paper does, we also model the incentives that the economic ´elite may have (collectively) to accept taxation destined to finance the education of credit-constrained workers. In our model this incentive does not necessarily arise from a complementarity between physical and human capital in manufacturing. Rather, we emphasize the demand for human-capital-intensive services by high-income groups. The argument model seems capable to account for salient features of the development of Latin America in the 19th century, where, in particular, land-rich countries such as Argentina established an extensive public education system and a sophisticated service sector before developing significant manufacturing activities.

An experimental methodology testing for prudence and third-order preferences

We propose an experimental method to test individuals for prudence (i.e. downside risk aversion) outside the expected utility framework. Our method relies on a novel representation of compound lotteries which allows for a systematic parameterization that captures the full generality of prudence. Therefore, we develop a general technique for lottery calibration in experiments. Since we investigate a very subtle third-order property we test our method in the laboratory employing a factorial design. We find that it yields robust results and that prudence is observed on the aggregate as well as on the individual level. Further we show that preferences based on statistical moments, in particular skewness seeking, can at most approximately explain individuals' behavior in the experiment.Decision making under uncertainty, risk preferences, prudence, downside risk, statistical moments, laboratory experiment