Connected Choice and the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem

We study the computational content of the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem in the Weihrauch lattice. Connected choice is the operation that finds a point in a non-empty connected closed set given by negative information. One of our main results is that for any fixed dimension the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem of that dimension is computably equivalent to connected choice of the Euclidean unit cube of the same dimension. Another main result is that connected choice is complete for dimension greater than or equal to two in the sense that it is computably equivalent to Weak K\H{o}nig's Lemma. While we can present two independent proofs for dimension three and upwards that are either based on a simple geometric construction or a combinatorial argument, the proof for dimension two is based on a more involved inverse limit construction. The connected choice operation in dimension one is known to be equivalent to the Intermediate Value Theorem; we prove that this problem is not idempotent in contrast to the case of dimension two and upwards. We also prove that Lipschitz continuity with Lipschitz constants strictly larger than one does not simplify finding fixed points. Finally, we prove that finding a connectedness component of a closed subset of the Euclidean unit cube of any dimension greater or equal to one is equivalent to Weak K\H{o}nig's Lemma. In order to describe these results, we introduce a representation of closed subsets of the unit cube by trees of rational complexes.Comment: 36 page

Efficiency and Effectiveness of Social Spending

In this qualitative sociological and quantitative economic policy paper, we start out from the assumption of a very recent European Commission Background paper on the “Efficiency and effectiveness of social spending”, which says the effectiveness of social spending can be defined by the degree to which the realized allocation approaches the socially desired outcome. The conclusions listed in the Commission paper are found far reaching and not supported by the empirical data. We perform such an analysis, starting from advances in recent literature. A more encompassing sociological perspective on the issue and factor analytical calculations is presented, which supports our general argument about the efficiency of the Scandinavian model. The social quality approach provides an alternative perspective on welfare system analysis, focusing on public policies rather than social policies. The empirical evidence, suggests that in terms of the efficiency of the European social model, the geography of comparative performance include: the direct action against social exclusion, health and family social expenditures, the neo-liberal approach, and the unemployment benefit centred approach. Applying rigorous comparative social science methodology, we also arrive at the conclusion that in terms of the initial ECOFIN definition of efficiency, the data presented in this article suggest that apart from Finland and the Netherlands, three new EU-27 member countries, especially the Czech Republic and Slovenia, provide interesting answers to the question about the efficiency of state expenditures in reducing poverty rates.social spending, European Commission, index numbers and aggregation, cross-sectional models, spatial models, economic integration, regional economic activity, international factor movements, nternational political economy

Evaluation of CNN-based Single-Image Depth Estimation Methods

While an increasing interest in deep models for single-image depth estimation methods can be observed, established schemes for their evaluation are still limited. We propose a set of novel quality criteria, allowing for a more detailed analysis by focusing on specific characteristics of depth maps. In particular, we address the preservation of edges and planar regions, depth consistency, and absolute distance accuracy. In order to employ these metrics to evaluate and compare state-of-the-art single-image depth estimation approaches, we provide a new high-quality RGB-D dataset. We used a DSLR camera together with a laser scanner to acquire high-resolution images and highly accurate depth maps. Experimental results show the validity of our proposed evaluation protocol

Production Capitalism vs Financial Capitalism - Symbiosis and Parasitism. An Evolutionary Perspective and Bibliography

This working paper presents a note and an extensive bibliography on the relationship between production capitalism and financial capitalism. The document was produced for a conference held at Leangkollen outside Oslo on September 3-4, 1998. The background for the conference was the Asian financial crisis that started in July 1997. The massive Russian financial crisis had started a few days before the conference, on August 17, 1998, and the Russian participant, Prof. Vladimir Avtonomov, brought fresh news from these dramatic events. The conference was organized by Erik Reinert, who at the time worked for Norsk Investorforum, an organisation which at the time organized Norwegian production capitalists and later helped Reinert launch The Other Canon Foundation. Reinert was at the time also affiliated with SUM, Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo. The global financial crisis that started in 2008 . ten years after this conference . vindi- cates the perspectives presented here, and prompted the wish to make the note and the very extensive bibliography of relevant, but mostly forgotten, litterature on the relationship between the production sector and the monetary sector of the economy. The conference programme is found at the end of the document.

Mapping of strongly correlated steady-state nonequilibrium to an effective equilibrium

By mapping steady-state nonequilibrium to an effective equilibrium, we formulate nonequilibrium problems within an equilibrium picture where we can apply existing equilibrium many-body techniques to steady-state electron transport problems. We study the analytic properties of many-body scattering states, reduce the boundary condition operator in a simple form and prove that this mapping is equivalent to the correct linear-response theory. In an example of infinite-U Anderson impurity model, we approximately solve for the scattering state creation operators, based on which we derive the bias operator Y to construct the nonequilibrium ensemble in the form of the Boltzmann factor exp(-beta(H-Y)). The resulting Hamiltonian is solved by the non-crossing approximation. We obtain the Kondo anomaly conductance at zero bias, inelastic transport via the charge excitation on the quantum dot and significant inelastic current background over a wide range of bias. Finally, we propose a self-consistent algorithm of mapping general steady-state nonequilibrium.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure

Why Don\u27t We Enforce Existing Drug Price Controls? The Unrecognized and Unenforced Reasonable Pricing Requirements Imposed upon Patents Deriving in Whole or in Part from Federally-Funded Research

This Article discusses drug pricing in the context of federally funded inventions. It examines the “march-in” provision of the Bayh-Dole Act, a federal statute that governs inventions supported in whole or in part by federal funding. It discusses technology-transfer activity as a whole and the often-conflicting roles of the government, academia, and industry. The Article discusses the mechanisms of the Bayh-Dole Act and examines its legislative history. It notes that the Act has had a powerful price-control clause since its enactment in 1980 that mandates that inventions resulting from federally funded research must be sold at reasonable prices. The Article concludes that the solution to high drug prices does not involve new legislation but already exists in the unused, unenforced march-in provision of the Bayh-Dole Act

The degree structure of Weihrauch-reducibility

We answer a question by Vasco Brattka and Guido Gherardi by proving that the Weihrauch-lattice is not a Brouwer algebra. The computable Weihrauch-lattice is also not a Heyting algebra, but the continuous Weihrauch-lattice is. We further investigate the existence of infinite infima and suprema, as well as embeddings of the Medvedev-degrees into the Weihrauch-degrees

Rare Diseases, Drug Development and AIDS: The Impact of the Orphan Drug Act

In this article, we examine the Orphan Drug Act with an eye toward its contribution to the public interest, using AIDS drugs to illustrate many of the central points. The major policy question is, How, if at all, can the act be used to meet the legislative goal of stimulating drug development for small patient populations without resulting in prices that make drugs inaccessible

Rare Diseases, Drug Development and AIDS: The Impact of the Orphan Drug Act

In this article, we examine the Orphan Drug Act with an eye toward its contribution to the public interest, using AIDS drugs to illustrate many of the central points. The major policy question is, How, if at all, can the act be used to meet the legislative goal of stimulating drug development for small patient populations without resulting in prices that make drugs inaccessible

Methodology to assess EU Biofuel Policies: The CAPRI Approach

This report is based on the outcome of a study carried out by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre - Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS, Spain) in cooperation with EuroCARE (Bonn, Germany). The report provides a detailed description of the methodology developed to assess the implications of the European Renewable Energy Directive on the agricultural sector, with an explicit focus on regional effects of biofuel targets in the EU. For the analysis, the spatial agricultural sector model CAPRI has been extended to include a global representation of biofuel markets (with endogenous supply, demand and trade flows for biofuels and biofuel feedstocks) while keeping the focus on regional impacts in the EU. The model is capable to simulate the impacts of EU biofuel policies on food production and prices, the potential use of by-products in the feed chain, the increasing pressure on marginal and idle land and the share of imported biofuels (self-sufficiency indicators). CAPRI is now able to jointly assess biofuel and agricultural policies, including policy instruments defined at the Member State level. The CAPRI biofuel module allows for a detailed analysis of most relevant biofuel support instruments like consumer tax exemptions, quota obligations, import tariffs and other trade measures. Additionally, the model allows for analysing scenarios regarding technical progress in 2nd generation technologies for biofuels