Optimal coding and the origins of Zipfian laws

The problem of compression in standard information theory consists of assigning codes as short as possible to numbers. Here we consider the problem of optimal coding -- under an arbitrary coding scheme -- and show that it predicts Zipf's law of abbreviation, namely a tendency in natural languages for more frequent words to be shorter. We apply this result to investigate optimal coding also under so-called non-singular coding, a scheme where unique segmentation is not warranted but codes stand for a distinct number. Optimal non-singular coding predicts that the length of a word should grow approximately as the logarithm of its frequency rank, which is again consistent with Zipf's law of abbreviation. Optimal non-singular coding in combination with the maximum entropy principle also predicts Zipf's rank-frequency distribution. Furthermore, our findings on optimal non-singular coding challenge common beliefs about random typing. It turns out that random typing is in fact an optimal coding process, in stark contrast with the common assumption that it is detached from cost cutting considerations. Finally, we discuss the implications of optimal coding for the construction of a compact theory of Zipfian laws and other linguistic laws.Comment: in press in the Journal of Quantitative Linguistics; definition of concordant pair corrected, proofs polished, references update

Which economic model for a water-efficient Europe? Report of a CEPS Task Force. CEPS Task Force Report, 27 November 2012

This CEPS Task Force Report focuses on how to improve water efficiency in Europe, notably in public supply, households, agriculture, energy and manufacturing as well as across sectors. It presents a number of recommendations on how to make better use of economic policy instruments to sustainably manage the EU’s water resources. Published in the run-up to the European Commission’s “Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Waters”, the report contributes to the policy deliberations in two ways. First, by assessing the viability of economic policy instruments, it addresses a major shortcoming that has so far prevented the 2000 EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) from becoming fully effective in practice: the lack of appropriate, coherent and effective instruments in (some) member states. Second, as the Task Force report is the result of an interactive process involving a variety of stakeholders, it is able to point to the key differences in interpreting and applying WFD principles that have led to a lack of policy coherence across the EU and to offer some pragmatic advice on moving forward

Dinámica del proceso social, entre la tecnología y el desarrollo

Fil: Ferrer, Christian. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaLa fácil accesibilidad a las tecnologías no quiere decir que su significado sea evidente por sí mismo. No hablan por sí solas -porque no son neutras-, y ciertamente proponen una pedagogía que facilita la adaptación dúctil de los seres humanos al sistema de engranajes que da forma al mundo. Pero cada tecnología arrastra, también, una historia de daños. No se hace buena sociología de la técnica si se reduce la historia de las tecnologías a la acumulación de datos sobre su procedencia genealógica. En apariencia, el "confort" y el "progreso" justifican el precio a pagar. Hasta el momento, los signos de arrepentimiento por el daño causado son escasos

Cities: The Juncker Commission should not miss this key to growth, jobs and the environment. CEPS Commentary, 3 October 2014

Cities, more particularly ‘smart’ cities, could become a catalyst for economic and social development. For this to happen, Europe will need a new type of integrated infrastructure, a new urban governance and policy structure, as well as new finance and business models. Successful smart projects will eventually develop into new business models and companies. While the European Commission cannot mandate or regulate this top down, it has a role to play in nurturing new initiatives to allow Europe the possibility of developing its own Google and Apple

The European Green Deal after Corona: Implications for EU climate policy. CEPS policy Insights No 2020-06 / March 2020

Climate change policy cannot be the first priority of the EU for the immediate future. However, in spite of the corona-crisis the urgency of climate change mitigation has not disappeared. The post-corona recovery can both put the EU’s decarbonisation progress back on track – after low-carbon investments will inevitably take a hit – but the EU’s Green Deal proposals can likewise support the general economic recovery. It will be important to ensure that recovery measures are compatible with global climate change and European Green Deal priorities so that stimulus money will flow to economic activities that have a place in a climate-neutral world. As time passes, the re-launch may actually offer a unique opportunity for the EU to live up to the Green Deal’s promise of economic modernisation along the Paris decarbonisation objectives. The period we have until the relaunch should be used to develop a new agenda. These ideas will not per se be off-the-shelf but go beyond current solutions for decarbonisation. Instead of tinkering around the margins, the EU should focus on transformational technologies, and for example go big on low-carbon infrastructure, efficient buildings, and lead markets to boost demand for climate-neutral industry

Computing wildfire behaviour metrics from CFD simulation data

In this article, we demonstrate a new post-processing methodology which can be used to analyse CFD wildfire simulation outputs in a model-independent manner. CFD models produce a great deal of quantitative output but require additional post-processing to calculate commonly used wildfire behaviour metrics. Such post-processing has so far been model specific. Our method takes advantage of the 3D renderings that are a common output from such models and provides a means of calculating important fire metrics such as rate of spread and flame height using image processing techniques. This approach can be applied similarly to different models and to real world fire behaviour datasets, thus providing a new framework for model validation. Furthermore, obtained information is not limited to average values over the complete domain but spatially and temporally explicit metric distributions are provided. This feature supports posterior statistical analyses, ultimately contributing to more detailed and rigorous fire behaviour studies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Mecanismo

Ensaio no qual se apresenta registros para arquivos de pequenas e gigantescas destruições civilizatórias acompanhadas de suas repercussões na construção do ideal de paz, nas subjetivações e na presença atual das técnicas de governo e controle.Palavras-chave:governo, controle, subjetivações, política. ABSTRACT: This essay presents records for archives of small and enormous civilizational destructions followed by their echoes in the construction of the ideal of peace, in the subjectivities, and in the current presence of the techniques of government and control. Keywords: government, control, subjectivities, politics

Why the future of European renewables policy may be decided in Washington and not in Brussels. CEPS Commentary, 13 July 2016 Wednesday, 13 July 2016

In the last few years, several EU member states have reduced support to renewable energy, leading to numerous claims that these policy changes retroactively affected existing investments and that the practice of ‘grandfathering’ should have been observed. Among these, the case of Spain stands out, both due to the material size of the cuts and the large volume of investments affected, although the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Italy have also introduced reforms with deleterious consequences to their renewable energy sectors

The time for rapid redevelopment of coal regions is now. CEPS Policy Insights 20 May 2020.

The economic slow-down caused by the pandemic will aggravate the existing stress in some regions, especially those relying on lignite, coal and peat as their main economic activity. But efficient and effective use of Covid-19 recovery funds can give real meaning to the ‘just transition’ concept if they focus on tangible progress to the benefit of the regional, national and EU economy while improving the environment and implementing the European Green Deal. For coal regions, the European Commission needs a regional place-based approach that builds on the ‘targeted approach’ of the European Green Deal while identifying urgent actions. Member states must reinforce regional strategies for coal regions in light of the recovery measures and the European Green Deal for the next multiannual financial framework 2021-27, taking account of the transition towards a more sustainable and lower carbon economic structure. Appropriate EU instruments should be combined in a complementary way to restructure the economies of the regions by developing low-carbon power and other carbon-saving solutions, using the know-how and infrastructures in place. Solid strategies to address the transition costs that creating an investment-friendly economic environment should be devised to build up self-sustainable activities and avoid subsidy dependency. The opportunities offered by InvestEU should be used as funding leverage to attract large-scale new industry investment. The short-term economic and social costs should soon be recovered. By contrast, supporting declining activities will most likely lead to significant long-term losses. Many good examples of conversions exist to inform those addressing inter- and intra-generational redistribution issues