Care for a Sample? De Minimis, Fair Use, Blockchain, and an Approach to an Affordable Music Sampling System for Independent Artists

Thanks, in part, to social media and the digital streaming age of music, independent artists have seen a rise in popularity and many musicians have achieved mainstream success without the affiliation of a major record label. Alongside the growth of independent music has come the widespread use of music sampling. Sampling, which was once depicted as a crime perpetrated by hip-hop artists, is now prevalent across charttopping hits from all genres. Artists have used sampling as a tool to integrate cultures, eras, and styles of music while experimenting with the bounds of musical creativity. Artists whose works are sampled have profited from royalties and the exposure of their original work in modern art. However, the laws that shaped the sample licensing system helped solidify financial and political obstacles that prevent independent artists from sampling. Therefore, while major label-affiliated artists can use their status and financial capital to bypass the obstacles, it is practically impossible for independent artists to afford sampling and participate in modern music’s sonic creativity

Relative entropy in diffusive relaxation

We establish convergence in the diffusive limit from entropy weak solutions of the equations of compressible gas dynamics with friction to the porous media equation away from vacuum. The result is based on a Lyapunov type of functional provided by a calculation of the relative entropy. The relative entropy method is also employed to establish convergence from entropic weak solutions of viscoelasticity with memory to the system of viscoelasticity of the rate-type

Making simple proofs simpler

An open partition \pi{} [Cod09a, Cod09b] of a tree T is a partition of the vertices of T with the property that, for each block B of \pi, the upset of B is a union of blocks of \pi. This paper deals with the number, NP(n), of open partitions of the tree, V_n, made of two chains with n points each, that share the root

Identification Strategies in Survey Response Using Vignettes

In this paper we explore solutions to a particular type of heterogeneity in survey data which is manifest in the presence of individual-specific response scales. We consider this problem in the context of existing evidence on cross-country differences in subjective life satisfaction, and in particular the extent of cross-country comparability. In this instance observed responses are not directly comparable, and inference is compromised. We utilise two broad identification strategies to account for scale heterogeneity. Keeping the data fixed, we consider a number of estimators based on alternative generalisations of the ordered response model. We also examine a number of alternative approaches based on the use of additional information in the form of responses on one or more additional questions with the same response categories as the self-assessment question. These additional questions, referred to as anchoring vignettes, can under certain conditions, be used to correct for the resultant biases in model parameters

Tests for Convergence Clubs

In many applications common in testing for convergence the number of cross-sectional units is large and the number of time periods are few. In these situations tests which are founded upon an omnibus null hypothesis are characterised by a number of problems. In this paper we consider a broad class of tests of convergence based on multivariate time series and panel data methodologies, and track a gradual progression away from tests based on an omnibus null, to sequential tests and tests that are founded upon multiple pairwise comparisons. In a previous study Corrado, Martin and Weeks (2005) test for regional convergence across the European Union allowing for an endogenous selection of regional clusters using a multivariate test for stationarity. Given that the time series are relatively short, there are potential problems in basing inference on asymptotic results for stationarity tests. To circumvent this problem we bootstrap the stationarity test and explore the robustness of the cluster outcomes. In general our results show that the size distortion which a icts the asymptotic tests, and resulting in a bias towards nding less convergence, is resolved when we apply the bootstrap generated critical values. To interpret the composition of the resulting convergence clusters, the latter are tested against a variety of possible groupings suggested by recent theories and hypotheses of regional growth and convergence

Fracture of solar-grade anisotropic polycrystalline Silicon: A combined phase field–cohesive zone model approach

Artículo Open Access en el sitio web del editor. Pago por publicar en abierto. This work presents a novel computational framework to simulate fracture events in brittle anisotropic polycrystalline materials at the microscopical level, with application to solar-grade polycrystalline Silicon. Quasi-static failure is modeled by combining the phase field approach of brittle fracture (for transgranular fracture) with the cohesive zone model for the grain boundaries (for intergranular fracture) through the generalization of the recent FE-based technique published in [M. Paggi, J. Reinoso, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg., 31 (2017) 145–172] to deal with anisotropic polycrystalline microstructures. The proposed model, which accounts for any anisotropic constitutive tensor for the grains depending on their preferential orientation, as well as an orientation-dependent fracture toughness, allows to simulate intergranular and transgranular crack growths in an efficient manner, with or without initial defects. One of the advantages of the current variational method is the fact that complex crack patterns in such materials are triggered without any user-intervention, being possible to account for the competition between both dissipative phenomena. In addition, further aspects with regard to the model parameters identification are discussed in reference to solar cells images obtained from transmitted light source. A series of representative numerical simulations is carried out to highlight the interplay between the different types of fracture occurring in solar-grade polycrystalline Silicon, and to assess the role of anisotropy on the crack path and on the apparent tensile strength of the material. Unión Europea FP/2007–2013/ERC 306622 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2015–71036-P y MAT2015–71309-P Junta de Andalucía P11-TEP-7093 y P12-TEP- 105

Persistent Habits, optimal Monetary Policy Inertia and Interest Rate Smoothing

Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models featuring imperfect competition and nominal rigidities have become central for the analysis of the monetary transmission mechanism and for understanding the conduct of monetary policy. However, it is agreed that the benchmark model fails to generate the persistence of output and inflation that is observed in the data. Moreover, it cannot provide a theoretically well-grounded justification for the interest rate smoothing behaviour of monetary authorities. This paper attempts to overcome these deficiencies by embedding a multiplicative habit specification in a New Keynesian model. We show that this particular form of habit formation can explain why monetary authorities smooth interest rates

A global/local approach for the prediction of the electric response of cracked solar cells in photovoltaic modules under the action of mechanical loads

AbstractA numerical approach based on the finite element method to assess the impact of cracks in Silicon solar cells on the electric response of photovoltaic modules is proposed. A global coarse-scale finite element model of the composite laminate is used for carrying out the structural analysis. The computed displacements at the edges of each solar cell are passed via a projection scheme as boundary conditions to a 3D local fine-scale finite element model of the cells which accounts for cohesive cracks. The evaluated crack opening displacements along the crack faces are finally used as input to an electric model characterizing the grid line/solar cell ensemble. The identification of the relation between the localized electric resistance due to cracks and the crack opening, to be used as a constitutive model of cracks, is finally discussed in reference to experimental tests performed in the laboratory