Noisy commitments: The impact of information accuracy on efficiency

We report an experiment designed to test the influence of noisy commitments on efficiency in a simple bargaining game. We investigate two different levels of commitment reliability in a variant of the peasant-dictator game. Theoretical analysis suggests that the reliability of commitments in this game does not affect efficiency. We find that accurate commitments promote efficiency, as expected by game theory. However, noisy commitments are found to impair efficiency. We explain this effect by the differences between incentives off the equilibrium path under conditions of accurate commitments and noisy commitments. This difference changes the game structure and in the current game facilitates more random responses.Commitments, efficiency, experimental economics, information, trust

The Legal Character of Provincial Agreements with Foreign Governments

The object of this article is to consider the legal character of provincial agreements with foreign governments and the constitutional authority of provincial governments to make them. The matter is controversial ; Quebec has long maintained that provincial governments are competent to conclude treaties in areas of provincial jurisdiction, while the federal government asserts that it alone can conclude binding treaties. The argument of this essay is that the traditional arguments made for and against provincial competence to conclude treaties are equally unsatisfying. The best answer comes from a close analysis of the unwritten constitution from which the treaty power arises. Such analysis suggests that the otherwise credible argument, that the treaty-making power has devolved uniquely upon the federal government by a crystallization of constitutional usage into constitutional law, is blocked by Quebec's persistent objections over nearly forty years. Thus, the legal question of capacity to conclude treaties remains unresolved and indeed irresolvable without political dialogue. Finally, the article suggests that even if provinces do not have the power to make binding treaties, courts may nevertheless use provincial agreements with foreign governments, in the proper case, as a guide to the construction of legislation.L'article explore le caractère légal des ententes entre les provinces et des gouvernements étrangers ainsi que le pouvoir éventuel des gouvernements provinciaux de conclure pareilles ententes en vertu de la Constitution. Le sujet est controversé. Le Québec soutient depuis longtemps que les gouvernements provinciaux peuvent conclure des traités dans des domaines de compétence provinciale. Par contre, le gouvernement fédéral affirme être le seul à pouvoir conclure des traités ayant force de loi. La thèse soutenue ici est la suivante : les traditionnels arguments pour ou contre la compétence des provinces en cette matière sont tous insatisfaisants. La meilleure solution consiste à analyser en profondeur la constitution non écrite, d'où émane le pouvoir relatif aux traités. Or, l'analyse montre que le Québec réfute inlassablement depuis plus de quarante ans l'argument—au demeurant crédible — d'un pouvoir dévolu exclusivement au gouvernement fédéral par la cristallisation de l'usage constitutionnel dans le droit constitutionnel. La question reste donc sans réponse sur le plan légal et sera impossible à résoudre sans dialogue politique. L'auteur suggère en conclusion que, même si les provinces n'ont pas le pouvoir de conclure des traités exécutoires, les tribunaux peuvent malgré tout utiliser les ententes conclues entre les provinces et les gouvernements étrangers, s'il y a lieu, pour élaborer les lois

POGG and Treaties: The Role of International Agreements in National Concern Analysis

Canada’s international treaty obligations have featured prominently in Privy Council and Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence on Parliament’s power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Canada (POGG). How treaties ought properly to be used in determining Parliament’s POGG jurisdiction is a constitutionally fraught question. The federal executive cannot be permitted to extend Parliament’s legislative jurisdiction by making promises to foreign states. Yet the existence of treaty obligations is undoubtedly relevant to the question of whether a given subject has become a matter of national concern. In the upcoming Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act references, the Supreme Court of Canada will confront this problem again. This article seeks to explain how courts may properly use international agreements in POGG cases. Les obligations du Canada en vertu des traités internationaux ont occupé une place importante dans la jurisprudence du Conseil privé et de la Cour suprême du Canada concernant le pouvoir du Parlement d’adopter des lois pour la paix, l’ordre et le bon gouvernement du Canada. La question de savoir comment les traités doivent être utilisés pour déterminer la compétence du Parlement en ces matières est une question d’ordre constitutionnel. L’exécutif fédéral ne peut être autorisé à étendre la compétence législative du Parlement en faisant des promesses à des États étrangers. Pourtant, l’existence d’obligations conventionnelles est sans aucun doute pertinente pour déterminer si un sujet donné est devenu un sujet d’intérêt national. La Cour suprême du Canada sera à nouveau confrontée à ce problème lors des prochains renvois relatifs à la Loi sur la tarification de la pollution causée par les gaz à effet de serre. Le présent article cherche à expliquer comment les tribunaux peuvent utiliser correctement les accords internationaux dans les affaires relatives aux lois pour la paix, l’ordre et le bon gouvernement

FE-Simulation of Metal Cutting Processes

This thesis deals with the finite element (FE) simulation of machining processes. Realistic simulation of metal cutting processes enables a more resource-efficient machinability assessment for a given material in terms of cutting forces, chip shape and tool wear at different ranges of cutting conditions. However, the material behaviour during machining needs to be presented properly in the simulations in order to make realistic FE-predictions. Implementation of an appropriate material model with well-tuned parameters is crucial for obtaining reliable FE-simulation results. The performance of different material models including various strain and strain-rate hardening and thermal softening characteristics is investigated for cutting simulation of carbon steels. In order to determine the material model parameters, a new calibration method is proposed. The method uses data from machining experiments - measured forces and chip thickness - to predict the stress, strain, strain-rate and temperature distributions in the primary shear zone during machining. By using these distributions, the parameters of the material model can be calibrated. Since this approach benefits from a semi-analytic model that directly incorporates the experimental results of machining tests, the calibrated parameters are more suitable for machining simulations as compared with those obtained using other methods, for example, conventional tensile/compression or split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests.Chip formation is governed by the thermo-mechanical properties of the workpiece material, tool geometry and cutting conditions. Hence, the chip can take different shapes such as continuous or serrated depending on the severity of the cutting process for a given material. In addition to a well-defined material model, the reliable prediction of chip shape in machining demands the implementation of an appropriate damage model. In this work, two different damage models are investigated - referred to as local and nonlocal damage models. The difference between these two models is that one (non-local damage model) includes the gradient effect into the formulation influencing the progression rate, whereas the other one does not. The performance of these damage models is evaluated for simulation of damage evolution during tensile and SHPB tests

FE-Simulation of Metal Cutting Processes

Machining a new component or a new material requires the selection of the cutting conditions, the tool material and the tool geometry. The selections should be also optimized for the existing components and materials to improve the quality of the produced components and reduce the cost of production. Selecting the most suitable and optimum conditions for the metal cutting processes can be done by performing finite element (FE) simulations which provide more in-depth and detailed information about the cutting processes and also reduce the experimental effort compared to trial-and-error approach.In this thesis, the challenges and complexities that are needed to be considered in FE simulations of cutting processes are addressed. Firstly, the type of FE simulation should be selected according to the purpose of performing the simulation. Different types of FE simulations of metal cutting such as chip forming, heat transfer and material flow simulations are discussed while explaining their purpose and advantages. These simulations are also combined with semi-analytical methods and machine learning approaches to improve the performance of the simulations in terms of both accuracy and time consumption. Secondly, the selection of the suitable material model for the workpiece and the identification process of the material model parameters are crucial to obtain realistic results from FE simulations. In this aspect, an efficient and robust method of inverse identification of the material model parameters is presented in the scope of the thesis to improve the results of the metal cutting simulations. This identification approach is also implemented to identify the parameters of different material models to find the best-suited model to represent the behavior of the presented carbon steel workpiece material under different cutting conditions. In addition, different effects such as elastic, plastic, viscous and damage behaviors in the material modeling are also discussed throughout the thesis while touching upon their indicators in metal cutting.There are many more effects and parameters that can be implemented in FE simulations which make the simulations more in-depth and accurate in exchange for computational time. That is why finding the optimum point between the accuracy and time consumption for metal cutting simulations is of interest to many researchers and engineers. The aim of this thesis is to accomplish this while assessing the different aspects of FE simulations of metal cutting processes and discussing the mentioned challenges and complexities in more detail

LITHOLOGIC, EOArHIC , AND BIOTIC FACTORS OF SMALL MAMMAL ~ IAG ITATS IN THE SLATE BELT OF WESTERN RUTLAND COUNTY, VERMONT, AND EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEW YORK

Previous trapping in the slate belt, including both Rutland County, Vermont, and Washington County, New York, has indicated a relative paucity of small mammalian species. There are also rather low populations levels of those mammals present when compared to other regions in Vermont and nearby states. The evolution of the soils from the slate bedrock seems to be the key to understanding the problem of species exclusion from the region. The bedrock of the region is part of the Taconic sequence of rocks, and is primarily slate and phyllite that ranges in age from Early Cambrian to Middle Ordovician. The lithology of the Taconic bedrock is largely responsible for the type of soil development in the slate belt. Shallow soils with both large and small slate fragments have been derived from the glaciated slates and shales of the bedrock. Typically, the soils of the slate belt have developed to a depth of less than 0.6 m. The members of the Gray-Brown Podzolic soil province typically lack a well developed humus layer, and instead, raw organic material is found in the surface layer. The effects of intensive sheep grazing during the 19th century are still to be seen in the very thin topsoil, and loss of most humus from the soils of the region. To determine the numbers and types of small mammals present, trap-sites were chosen to maximize the different types of habitats 181 containing different combinations of environmental factors. Habitats were divided into five main categories, and the type of cover at each trap was recorded. Species trapped included Peromyscus Zeucopus noveboracensis, Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis, Sorex fumeus, Blarina brevicavda, Clethrionomys gapperi, Napaeozapus insignis, Condylura cristata, Zapus hudsonius, Microtus pennsylvanicus, and Tamias striatus. The capture rate was 25.00 animals per 1000 trap-nights (222 animals in 8880 trap-nights). Various conclusions are drawn concerning the occurrence of different species and various factors, including type of soil, type of bedrock, and type of cover. Eight species of small mammals known to occur in the nearby regions could not be trapped in the slate belt. They include Sorex cinereus, Sorex dispar, Microsorex hoyi, Sorex palustris, Parascalops breweri, Microtus chrotorrhinus, Pitymys pinetorum, and Synaptomys cooperi. It is concluded that the shallow depth to bedrock, abundance of slate fragments in the upper soil profile, and weakly developed humus layer are probably detrimental to burrowing species of small mammals. The lack of a proper substrate, e.g. talus, is of immediate importance to some species of small mammals, and the lack of this formation directly excludes them from the region