Fairness and the Optimal Allocation of Ownership Rights

We report on several experiments on the optimal allocation of ownership rights. The experiments confirm the property rights approach by showing that the ownership structure affects relationship-specific investments and that subjects attain the most efficient ownership allocation despite starting from different initial conditions. However, in contrast to the property rights approach, the most efficient ownership structure is joint ownership. These results are neither consistent with the self-interest model nor with models that assume that all people behave fairly, but they can be explained by the theory of inequity aversion that focuses on the interaction between selfish and fair players

Fairness and the Optimal Allocation of Ownership Rights

We report on several experiments on the optimal allocation of ownership rights. The experiments confirm the property rights approach by showing that the ownership structure affects relationship-specific investments and that subjects attain the most efficient ownership allocation despite starting from different initial conditions. However, in contrast to the property rights approach, the most efficient ownership structure is joint ownership. These results are neither consistent with the self-interest model nor with models that assume that all people behave fairly, but they can be explained by the theory of inequity aversion that focuses on the interaction between selfish and fair players.ownership rights, double moral hazard, fairness, reciprocity, incomplete contracts

On the underparts colouration of a population of the Barn Owl Tyto alba guttata in southern Lower Saxony

Bei 318 brütenden Schleiereulen wurde die Unterseitenfärbung festgehalten. Die Verteilung auf 5 Färbungstypen ist bei den Weibchen unspektakulär und hat ihren deutlichen Schwerpunkt beim Typ „guttata“. Bei den Männchen sind nicht nur die helleren Typen generell häufiger, sondern es gibt einen besonderen Schwerpunkt bei den sehr hellen. Dies könnte Folge einer Einwanderungswelle von Westen sein.The underparts colouration of 318 breeding Barn Owls was investigated. In the female, the distribution among 5 colouration types is non spectacular and has its predominant peak at the type “guttata”. In the male, not only the lighter types (“alba”) are more frequent but there is a second peak in the very light type. The authors speculate that this could reflect immigration from the west

Circumstances of mate change for a second brood in the Barn Owl Tyto alba

Schleiereulen-Weibchen prüfen offensichtlich, vielleicht sogar regelmäßig, vor der Entscheidung für eine Zweitbrut mit ihrem bisherigen Männchen, ob es eine bessere Alternative gibt (better option hypothesis). Sie können sich dann für oder gegen eine neue Partnerschaft entscheiden. Scheidungs-Zweitbruten können auch sehr dicht beim ersten Brutplatz des Weibchens stattfinden (ca. 40 m Abstand). Das neue Männchen einer Scheidungs-Zweitbrut folgt gelegentlich seinem Weibchen in die Nähe von dessen Erstbrutplatz. Die aktive Rolle des Weibchens bei der Initiierung einer Zweitbrut wird bestätigt.Before deciding for a second brood with their previous male barn owl females obviously regularly test whether there is an alternative (better option hypothesis). They then may decide in favour or against a new partnership. Divorce-second-broods may take place very close to the first breeding site of the female (distance of about 40 m). Occasionally the new male of a divorcesecond-brood follows his mate to the vicinity of her first breeding site. The active role of the female in initiating a second brood is affirmed. For full text translation see www.kniprath-barn-owl.d

Stereologic Analysis of Tibial-Plateau Cartilage and Femoral Cancellous Bone in Guinea Pigs With Spontaneous Osteoarthritis

Background: Two strains of guinea pig develop spontaneous osteoarthritis of the knee. Although the disease evolves at different rates in the two strains, it is not known whether these differences are reflected in the structure of the cartilage and cancellous bone. Questions/purposes: We determined whether the three-dimensional structure of the tibial-plateau cartilage and femoral cancellous bone differed between the two strains. Methods: Six Dunkin-Hartley and six GOHI/SPF guinea pigs were evaluated. The animals were sacrificed at 11months of age. The 24 proximal tibias were used for a stereologic histomorphometric analysis of the tibial-plateau cartilage. The 24 femurs were used for a site-specific, three-dimensional quantitative analysis of the cancellous bone by micro-CT. Results: Compared to the GOHI/SPF guinea pigs, the tibial-plateau cartilage of the Dunkin-Hartley strain had a larger lesion volume (3.8% versus 1.5%) and a thicker uncalcified cartilage layer (0.042 versus 0.035mm), but a thinner calcified cartilage zone (0.008 versus 0.01mm) and a thinner subchondral cortical bone plate (0.035 versus 0.039mm). The femoral cancellous bone in the Dunkin-Hartley strain had a lower bone mineral density (477 versus 509mg/cm3). However, the trabeculae were thicker (3.91 versus 3.53 pixels) and farther apart (7.8 versus 5.6 pixels). The osteoarthritic changes in the cartilage were topographically mirrored in the subchondral bone. They were most severe on the medial side of the joint, particularly in the anterior region. Conclusions: Spontaneous osteoarthritis in the guinea pig is associated with site-specific changes in the articular cartilage layer, which are topographically mirrored in the underlying subchondral bone. Clinical Relevance: Three-dimensional structural information not revealed by two-dimensional radiography may help characterize the stages of osteoarthriti

Fairness and the Optimal Allocation of Ownership Rights

We report on several experiments on the optimal allocation of ownership rights. The experiments confirm the property rights approach by showing that the ownership structure affects relationship-specific investments and that subjects attain the most efficient ownership allocation despite starting from different initial conditions. However, in contrast to the property rights approach, the most efficient ownership structure is joint ownership. These results are neither consistent with the self-interest model nor with models that assume that all people behave fairly, but they can be explained by the theory of inequity aversion that focuses on the interaction between selfish and fair players

Archaeometallurgical studies on the slags of the Middle Bronze Age copper smelting site S1, Styria, Austria

The copper smelting site S1 in the Eisenerzer Ramsau Valley, Styria, is the largest Bronze Age copper smelting site excavated in the Eastern Alps. The site was almost completely excavated from 1992 to 2006 and ten roasting hearths, six double furnaces, a number of pits of variable size, form and function, and three separate slag dumps have been recorded. The use of this smelting site covers the whole period of the Middle Bronze Age from the 16th to the 13th century BC and might extend as far as the 11th century BC. The aim of this archaeometallurgical study is the reconstruction of the smelting process at this site and the discovery of possible diachronic changes or developments in the technology of smelting during the different phases of use. Therefore slags of the different archaeological phases were analysed for their chemical and mineralogical composition. A few slags were analysed with Mössbauer spectroscopy to obtain further information about the conditions during the smelting process. The results of the analyses show that nearly all slags belong to one particular step of the smelting process which was the production of raw copper or copper matte under reducing conditions at temperatures around 1250 °C

Representing the Unknown - Impact of Uncertainty on the Interaction between Decision Making and Trajectory Generation

Even though motion planning for automated vehicles has been extensively discussed for more than two decades, it is still a highly active field of research with a variety of different approaches having been published in the recent years. When considering the market introduction of SAE Level 3+ vehicles, the topic of motion planning will most likely be subject to even more detailed discussions between safety and user acceptance. This paper shall discuss parameters of the motion planning problem and requirements to an environment model. The focus is put on the representation of different types of uncertainty at the example of sensor occlusion, arguing the importance of a well-defined interface between decision making and trajectory generation