Three essays on employment, income and taxation

This thesis studies the implications of tax and transfer policy on income and employment, with emphasis on the low end of the income distribution. It also compares the labor market outcomes of recent veterans to those of veterans who served prior to 2001, when military utilization rates were much lower. The first chapter observes that many overlapping income support programs exist in the United States, each with the goal of transferring resources to low income individuals with minimal employment disincentives. Each of the programs considered addresses this tension in a different way, potentially creating differences in the degree to which labor supply adjusts in response to program changes. I separately and simultaneously estimate labor supply elasticities associated with the income support programs in the context of a discrete choice model. The differences in elasticities I document across programs can inform both policy and optimal taxation theory. In the second chapter I reassess whether the optimal income tax program has features akin to an Earned Income Tax Credit or a Negative Income Tax shape at the low end of the income distribution, in the presence of unemployment and wage responses to taxation. I derive a sufficient statistics optimal tax formula in a general model incorporating unemployment and endogenous wages. I then estimate the parameters using policy variation in tax liabilities stemming from the U.S. tax and transfer system. Using the empirical estimates, I implement the sufficient statistics formula and show that the optimal tax at the bottom has features that resemble those of a a Negative Income Tax relative to the case where unemployment and wage responses are not taken into account. In the third chapter, I compare labor market outcomes of veterans with post-2001 service time to those of similar veterans whose service did not extend past 2001. Veterans who served post-2001 are at a higher risk of long tours of duty, many of whom return with mental or physical disability. I find that veterans with post-2001 service are underemployed; conditional on employment however, veterans with post-2001 service earn at least as much, relative to veterans without post-2001 service

The Status of Natural or Legal Persons According to the Annulment Procedure Post-Lisbon

In 2007, the Lisbon Treaty introduced changes to private parties’ rights to file actions for annulment of European Union measures. As pre-Lisbon, it was exceedingly difficult for private parties to succeed in filing such an action, the aim of the new Article 263 TFEU was primarily to relax standing conditions for these actors. However, as the new provision contained terms that were not defined anywhere else in the Treaty, it took several decisions of the European Court of Justice to clarify the position of private parties under Lisbon. By analysing both the pre- and post- Lisbon case law of the European Court of Justice, this article identifies that the new Article 263 TFEU now contains two different standing tests: the ‘general standing test’ for legislative acts where applicants have to prove direct and individual concern, and the ‘Lisbon test’ of direct concern for regulatory acts that do not contain implementing measures. It concludes that, while the Lisbon Treaty has made it easier for natural or legal persons to challenge non-legislative acts of general application, the status of private parties wishing to challenge European Union acts that have been adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure has remained unchanged

Insulator Charging in RF MEMS Capacitive Switches

While capacitive radio frequency microelectromechanical (RF MEM) switches are poised to provide a low cost, high isolation, low power alternative to current RF switch technologies, there are still reliability issues limiting switch lifetime. Previous research identified insulator charging as a primary cause of switch failure. Changes in switch pull-in and release voltages were measured to provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for charging and switch failure. A spatial and temporal dependent model was developed to describe silicon nitride\u27s time-dependent charging as a function of applied bias. This model was verified by applying constant biases to metal-silicon nitride-silicon capacitors and tracking flatband voltage shifts. This knowledge of silicon nitride was then applied to MEM switches. Using novel waveforms and exploiting differences in actuation characteristics allowed the determination of charging characteristics and the investigation of switch failure. Results show tunneling is responsible for changes in the pull-in voltages-this includes a super-saturation effect explained by a steady-state trap charge and discharge condition. A program that models switch actuation was enhanced to include the time-dependent tunneling model. Finally, it was discovered insulator charging cannot explain permanent switch failure; instead, stiction from a contaminant on the insulator surface is likely the cause

The Predictive Power of the Yield Curve across Countries and Time

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the yield curve (or alternatively, the term premium) as a predictor of future economic activity. In this paper, we re-examine the evidence for this predictor, both for the United States, as well as European countries. We examine the sensitivity of the results to the selection of countries, and time periods. We find that the predictive power of the yield curve has deteriorated in recent years. However there is reason to believe that European country models perform better than non-European countries when using more recent data. In addition, the yield curve proves to have predictive power even after accounting for other leading indicators of economic activity.

Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild: Quiltmaking practices and motivations

The primary problem was to identify and describe the demographic characteristics,\ud quiltmaking motivations, and quiltmaking practices of members of the Trinity Valley\ud Quilters' Guild (TVQG). The study resulted in a demographic profile of TVQG members\ud and their quiltmaking motivations, quiltmaking techniques, and quiltmaking practices.\ud The self-administered, mailed questionnaire was distributed to 382 members of\ud Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild (TVQG) and resulted in a 66.5% return rate (n = 254).\ud Findings indicated that participants were prevalently 51 years of age or older, female,\ud white, non-Hispanic, grew up in the west south central part of the United States, had a high\ud school education and were married. The majority of participants were raised in an urban\ud setting and were retired. Participants most frequently reported Methodist as their religious\ud affiliation and reported an U.S. annual household income of $60,000 a year or more. The\ud majority of participants participated in the quiltmaking process, learned to quilt between\ud the ages of 50 to 59, and were self-taught.\ud Based upon the quiltmaking practices and techniques of the participants, four trends\ud emerged. Participants predominantly utilized machine techniques and practices rather than\ud \ud traditional hand techniques, purchased patterns and kits rather than created original designs,\ud placed importance upon the visual impact and quality of assembly of a quilt rather than\ud traditional techniques such as hand piecing or hand quilting, and predominantly\ud participated in quiltmaking individually rather than in groups. Additionally, the study\ud determined that number of hours per week spent on quiltmaking, number of quilts made,\ud and amount of U.S. dollars on quiltmaking could predict whether a participant was\ud motivated to quilt for giving, creative expression, or relief and pleasure purposes.\ud There were three significant implications of the study. First, the participants\ud overwhelmingly preferred machine techniques and practices over hand methods. Secondly,\ud participants predominately learned to quilt later in life. These findings may be utilized by\ud the quiltmaking industry to tailor quiltmaking patterns, products, and supplies to the current\ud U.S. quiltmaker. Third, the study resulted in a questionnaire that may serve as a model for\ud subsequent research in collecting consistent data on U.S. quiltmakers.Young, Deborah Dr.\ud Riggs, Charles Dr.\ud Dragoo, Sheri Dr

Promene trofičkog stanja u reci Dnjepar i njihov uticaj na zajednicu riba

Ispitivane su promene structure zajednica fitoplanktona i riba, kao i koncentracije azota i fosfora u međugraničnoj reci Dnjepar. Konstatovano je da je koncentracija mineralnog azota najvažniji factor akumulacije antropogenog zagađenja nizvodno u ispitivanim delovima reke Dnjepar. Ukupna količina riba se povecala nizvodno sa povećanjem trofičkog statusa reke. U isto vreme prosečna individualne težina se nizvodno smanjivala

Bioconversion of Bottom Sediments Using Mesophilic Prokaryotes of the Genus Bacillus spp.

The aim of the study was to develop a scientific and technical justification for the bioconversion of bottom sediments using mesophilic prokaryotes. The main component of the bottom sediment bioconversion technology includes microorganisms of the genus Bacillus spp., isolated in a pure culture from the microbial community of bottom sediments. Bacilli are highly resistant to natural (climatic) conditions, anthropogenic factors, elevated concentrations of pollutants and are able to adapt to their effects. As a result of the laboratory experiment, work was carried out on the selection of factors that ensure the intensity of microbial bioconversion of bottom sediments. In order to achieve the maximum effect from the enzymatic and biochemical activity of bacilli, kinetic characteristics associated with the achievement of maximum values of optical density, microbial cell concentration and growth rate were studied. After analyzing a number of the above indicators, it is concluded that the method of processing bottom sediments using mesophilic prokaryotes of the genus Bacillus spp. will allow in the future to obtain an environmentally friendly and mineral-saturated product for further use in the practice of crop production

Finding TJREVERB: A Crowdsourced Effort to Find a High School CubeSat

This paper documents the team\u27s process for finding the Thomas Jefferson Research and Education Vehicle for Radio Broadcasts (TJREVERB) with the help of the Amateur Radio community. The team attempted contacting the primary Iridium radio on TJREVERB for one week after it was deployed from the International Space Station but failed. The satellite did switch to its secondary radio, a SATT 4 APRS. However, the team was inexperienced and unprepared to contact the satellite using the SATT 4 APRS. Since we do not have access to an APRS ground station, we leveraged the help of twenty amateur radio volunteers from all around the world to contact TJREVERB. Additionally, many more amateur radio operators contributed their expertise and recorded sightings of TJREVERB using resources such as SatNog\u27s satellite database. This global network of volunteers cooperated to position their respective stations for the best possible chance of contact. This paper discusses how the Amateur Radio community\u27s involvement is invaluable to the students\u27 small satellite education. It also discusses the training program developed due to this experience. The lessons learned about satellite contacts and operations are critically important for future educational satellite teams and will contribute to their success