Shock wave interaction with an abrupt area change

The wave patterns that occur when a shock wave interacts with an abrupt area changed are analyzed in terms of the incident shock wave Mach number and area-jump ratio. The solutions predicted by a semi-similar models are in good agreement with those obtained numerically from the quasi-one-dimensional time-dependent Euler equations. The entropy production for the wave system is defined and the principle of minimum entropy production is used to resolve a nonuniqueness problem of the self-similar model

THE DETERMINANTS OF COSTS AND EFFICIENCIES WHERE PRODUCERS ARE HETEROGENEOUS: THE CASE OF SPANISH UNIVERSITIES

A multi-product cost function is evaluated for the universities of Spain, using a random parameters stochastic frontier model. This allows estimates of systematic cost differences to be obtained alongside estimates of universities' efficiency. In addition, we evaluate average incremental costs of key university output, and provide measures of economies of scale and scope.

Generation of unstructured grids and Euler solutions for complex geometries

Algorithms are described for the generation and adaptation of unstructured grids in two and three dimensions, as well as Euler solvers for unstructured grids. The main purpose is to demonstrate how unstructured grids may be employed advantageously for the economic simulation of both geometrically as well as physically complex flow fields

Mapping the (mis)match of university degrees in the graduate labor market

The author thanks the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on a previous version of this manuscriptThis paper contributes to the scarce literature on the topic of horizontal education-job mismatch in the labor market for graduates of universities. Field-of-study mismatch or horizontal mismatch occurs when university graduates, trained in a particular field, work in another field at their formal qualification level. The data used in the analysis come from the first nationally representative survey of labor insertion of recent university graduates in Spain. By estimating a multinomial logistic regression, we are able to identify the match status 4 years after graduation based on self-assessments. We find a higher likelihood of horizontal mismatch among graduates of Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Pharmacy, and Languages and Literature. Only graduates in Medicine increase the probability of being adequately matched in their jobs. It may be hypothesized that horizontal mismatch is more likely among those graduates in degree fields that provide more general skills and less likely among those from degree fields providing more occupation-specific skills. Other degrees such as Business Studies, and Management and Economics Studies increase the probability of being vertically mismatched (over-educated). Vertical mismatch preserves at least some of the specific human capital gained through formal educational qualifications. However, some workers with degrees in Labor Relations and Social Work are in non-graduate positions and study areas unrelated to their studies. The paper also shows that graduates in the fields of health sciences and engineering/architecture increase the probability of achieving an education-job match after external job mobility

Debiasing the availability heuristic in student loan decision‑making

The availability heuristic is a cognitive bias that affects various aspects of decision-making, including financial decisions. Based on a randomized controlled experiment, this study assesses the effectiveness of a debiasing treatment designed to prevent the effect of the availability heuristic in student loan decision-making. Experimental subjects were explained that there is a bias that may affect the decision of whether or not to pursue a master’s degree and take out a graduate loan to finance it, and they were recommended to base their decision on reliable and verified sources of information as well as expert advice. This specific debiasing strategy is tested empirically. Specifically, this study shows positive causal effects of the debiasing intervention on two indices of student loan decision-making, which were constructed as summary indicators of student loan debt attitude, the perception that significant referents approve the student loan indebtedness, financial self-efficacy in student loan decision-making, and graduate loan borrowing intention. The article highlights the need for higher education institutions seeking to make financial education effective to be concerned with reporting on (and raising awareness of) psychological factors that are present in making financial decisions as well.Funding for open access publishing: Universidad de Granada/CBUAFUNCAS Foundation through the FUNCASEDUCA Program of financial education research grants (Ref. EF021/2018

The Curious Events Leading to the Theory of Shock Waves

We review the history of the development of the modern theory of shock waves. Several attempts at an early-theory quickly collapsed for lack of foundations in mathematics and thermodynamics. It is not until the works of Rankine and later Hugoniot that a full theory is established. Rankine is the first to show that within the shock a non-adiabatic process must occur. Hugoniot showed that in the absence of viscosity and heat conduction conservation of energy implies conservation of entropy in smooth regions and a jump in entropy across a shock. Even after the theory is fully developed, old notions continue to pervade the literature well into the early part of the 20th Century

Causal Effects of Financial Education Intervention Aimed at University Students on Financial Knowledge and Financial Self-Efficacy

Based on a randomized controlled experiment among final-year undergraduate students, we provide an assessment of the treatment effects of financial education intervention focused on debt-financed graduate education decision-making. Specifically, this study finds positive treatment effects on both college seniors’ objective financial knowledge and subjective financial knowledge and self-confidence (i.e., perceived financial self-efficacy). Individual financial well-being is thought to be enhanced by improved financial knowledge test scores and perceived financial self-efficacy. In addition, we carry out a causal mediation analysis to investigate the extent to which objective financial knowledge plays a mediating role in the effect of financial education treatment on the intervention outcome (perceived financial self-efficacy). The mediation proportion, the proportion of treatment effect on outcome explained by the intermediate variable of financial knowledge, is around 21%, which is important. Thus, policies that aim to improve financial capabilities among college students through financial education programs should be aware that financial literacy is a significant antecedent of (a prerequisite for) financial self-efficacy.FUNCASEDUCA Program EF021/201

The Reform of Curricula in the Spanish University System: How Well Matched Are New Bachelor’s Degrees to Jobs

This study looks at how well bachelor’s degree holders in Spain match into jobs five years after graduation. Based on workers’ self-assessment, education–job mismatch is defined as the discrepancy between the formal qualifications that individuals earned at Spanish universities and those that are required by jobs. By estimating a multinomial logit model, this research identifies fields of study that are associated with increased likelihood of a particular educational mismatch status. Results indicate that university graduates from highly specialized bachelor’s degree programs are more likely to work in a graduate job that is related to their field of education. In particular, graduates with degrees that entail specific human capital, such as health sciences degrees and hard science and engineering degrees, are more likely to be well-matched in their current jobs. In contrast, the results show a higher likelihood of over-qualification (recent graduates who are in non-graduate jobs) for social and legal sciences degrees and arts and humanities degrees. Gender appears to play no role in the matching process; however, the subject-specific knowledge that graduates have gained from their time in higher education is important. As a novelty, this study also identifies, for a sub-sample of workers, the process through which a good match is achieved—that is, how individuals self-select to accept jobs in which they can achieve a good match. The regression results are based on micro data from a nationally representative random sample of the first cohort of undergraduates after the Bologna curriculum reform

Panel Data Models for School Evaluation: The Case of High Schools’ Results in University Entrance Examinations

To what extent do high school students’ course grades align with their scores on standardized college admission tests? People sometimes make the argument that grades are “inflated”, but many school districts only use outcome-based descriptive methods for school evaluation. In order to answer that question, this paper proposes econometric models for panel data, which are less well-known in educational evaluation. In particular, fixed-effects and random-effects models are proposed for assessing student performance in university entrance examinations. School-level panel data analysis allows one knowing if results in college admission tests vary more between high schools than within a high school in different academic years. Another advantage of using panel data includes the ability to control for school-specific unobserved heterogeneity. For empirical implementation, official transcript data and university entrance test scores of Spanish secondary schools are used