Factor Income Distribution and Endogenous Economic Growth - When Piketty meets Romer -

We scrutinize Thomas Piketty's (2014) theory concerning the relationship between an economy's long-run growth rate, its capital-income ratio, and its factor income distribution put forth in his recent book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. We find that a smaller long-run growth rate may be associated with a smaller capital-income ratio. Hence, Piketty's Second Fundamental Law of Capitalism does not hold. However, in line with Piketty's theory a smaller long-run growth rate goes together with a greater capital share. These findings obtain in variants of Romer's (1990) seminal model of endogenous technological change. Here, both the economy's savings rate and its growth rate are endogenous variables whereas in Piketty's theory they are both exogenous parameters

Factor Income Distribution and Endogenous Economic Growth - When Piketty Meets Romer -

We scrutinize Thomas Piketty’s (2014) theory concerning the relationship between an economy’s long-run growth rate, its capital-income ratio, and its factor income distribution put forth in his recent book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. We find that a smaller long-run growth rate may be associated with a smaller capital-income ratio. Hence, the key implication of Piketty’s Second Fundamental Law of Capitalism does not hold. In line with Piketty’s theory a smaller long-run growth rate may go together with a greater capital share. However, the mechanics behind this result are the opposite of what Piketty suggests. Our findings obtain in variants of Romer’s (1990) seminal model of endogenous technological change. Here, both the economy’s savings rate and its growth rate are endogenous variables whereas in Piketty’s theory they are both exogenous parameters. Including demographic growth in the spirit of Jones (1995) shows that a smaller growth rate of the economy may imply a lower capital share contradicting a central claim in Piketty’s book

Integrative secondary-education programs and research in smart cities context

A smart city can be considered as a specific form of modern city that emphasizes the efficiency of infrastructures by using ICT: many early models equate a smart city with the systemic integration of ICT in e.g. the energy or the mobility sectors – while not considering societal aspects. Innovation is recognized as a key driver in smart city, and thus people, education, learning, research and knowledge gain central importance. This paper sums up the relevant national smart cities activities in Austria and provides an indepth insight into the smart cities activities at the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Technikum Wien, focusing on gender, diversity and citizen integration in the smart city decision processes. Current steps towards integration of smart cities into research and teaching include recently established smart cities competence team, endowed professorship and the planed smart cities conference in Vienna. Furthermore, the paper is summarizes elaborated educational programs at the UAS Technikum Wien with smart cities focus. Initial base for the smart cities integration in educational and research activities at UAS Technikum Wien has been built within the framework of the European Academic Smart Cities Network (EU-ASCIN) project, with the main goal to establish an Academic Smart Cities Network in cooperation with national and international universities and research institutes. Furthermore, the project allowed to build up professional competence in the area of smart cities oriented education and to expand the training opportunities at the UAS Technikum Wien with smart cities tailored Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs. This paper summarizes the project results of the EU-ASCIN project and in particular describes exemplary integration of the proposed educational programs based on practice- and professional field-oriented, diversity-fair approach. Along with the educational approach, UAS Technikum Wien also supports with research and demonstration projects, to guerantee sustainable integration of the smart cities topic at the UAS Technikum Wien. This paper provides information concerning selected, demonstration project “Korneuburg WAY2Smart”. The project “Way2Smart” is driven by the intention to live up to its 2036 Vision Statement and Master Plan. The municipality of Korneuburg intends to rehabilitate two municipality-owned residential buildings, densify them by way of superstructures and annexes and equip them with energy-generating areas, and thus at the same time contribute to covering young tenants’ demand for affordable small apartments. This paper shows the endeavors to achieve the ambitious objectives in terms of energy and CO2- saving in Korneuburg by 2036 and concentration on “social togetherness”

Capital- and Labor-Augmenting Technical Change in the Neoclassical Growth Model

The determinants of the direction of technical change and the implications for economic growth are studied in the one-sector neoclassical growth model of Ramsey (1928), Cass (1965), and Koopmans (1965) extended to allow for endogenous capital- and labor-augmenting technical change. For this purpose, we develop a novel micro-foundation for the competitive production sector. It rests upon the idea that the fabrication of the final good requires tasks to be performed by capital and labor. Firms may engage in innovation investments that increase the productivity of capital and labor in the performance of their respective tasks. These investments are associated with new technological knowledge that accumulates over time. We analyze a version of the model with only labor-augmenting and one with capital- and labor-augmenting technical change. When only labor-augmenting technical change is allowed for we find that steady-state growth depends on the efficient capital intensity and, thus, on household preferences. When it is included, capital-augmenting technical change must vanish in the steady state. Moreover, the mere feasibility of capital-augmenting technical change drastically changes the comparative-static properties of the steady state, e.\,g., household preferences loose their effect on steady-state growth

New Assessment Method for Buildings and Districts towards “Net Zero Energy Buildings” Compatible with the Energy Scenario 2050

We present three extensions to current energy building and district assessment methods, which in contrast to previous evaluation methods, not only takes into account building specific energy paramenters and balances, but also links them to the physical energy potential of the project site as well as the future national energy supply scenario. This facilitates the assessment of whether the building or the district is compatible with the energy scenario 2050 without later adaptations or refurbishments. This is necessary because according to current prognoses the current legal requirements in Austria are insufficient for meeting the Paris climate targets, even despite their slowly increasing thresholds

Korneuburg’s way2smart – Mobility Concept, Energy Platform and Social Interaction

This paper aims to present the methods employed by the demonstration project “Korneuburg Way2Smart” to contribute to the municipality’s plan of achieving energy self-sufficiency by 2036. The municipality of Korneuburg plans to refurbish two municipality-owned residential buildings. This includes the compaction of two buildings by way of super structures and annexes, as well as utilization of facade and roof areas for energy-generation. In an attempt to answer the questions arising in a general public along the way to a broader acceptance of this smart city vision, an online energy platform with interactive maps is employed to visualize the current energy situation city-wide, and highlight the future potential of renewable energy sources and refurbishment measures for individual buildings. The energy platform aims to support residents and stakeholders with energy forecasts according to different development scenarios to underpin energy and building decisions and for them to achieve their goal of energy self- sufficiency. The implementation of the web platform’s user interface must meet several requirements: It is required to be both intuitive and easy-touse by non-professionals. In addition, it must be able to cover a wide range of use cases such as input of building energy calculation parameters and energy scenario parameters, as well as various measurement data. The inclusion of citizens and neighbourhoods in the transition process is another focus of the project. Residents are informed about the municipality’s actions from an early stage and can partake in decision processes. With the so-called “buddy-program”, the education of a wider public on technical topics, possibilities for self-organisation, management of car sharing, etc. are also part of the project. New and innovative mobility concepts such as “tenants-mobility” are also explored. The buildings of the project are planned as “nearly car-free” buildings

Triggering redox activity in a thiophene compound: radical stabilization and coordination chemistry

The synthesis, metalation, and redox properties of an acyclic bis(iminothienyl)methene L− are presented. This π-conjugated anion displays pronounced redox activity, undergoing facile one-electron oxidation to the acyclic, metal-free, neutral radical L* on reaction with FeBr2. In contrast, reaction of L− with CuI forms the unique, neutral Cu2I2(L*) complex of a ligand-centered radical, whereas reaction with the stronger oxidant AgBF4 forms the metal-free radical dication L*2+

Effective Strategies to Decrease Employee Turnover in the Aviation Industry

Employee turnover in the airline industry has been a timely and pressing problem. Some airline managers had not developed effective strategies to reduce employee turnover and mitigate turnover-related costs and organizational instability. Grounded in Herzberg et al.’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to explore effective strategies used by airline managers to reduce employee turnover and mitigate turnover-related costs and organizational instability. The participants were six airline managers in the United States who had developed effective strategies to minimize employee turnover and enhance organizational stability and profits. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and publicly available company documents about employee retention strategies. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify three key themes. The first theme highlights that turnover in the high-stress, low-recognition aviation industry negatively impacts productivity, morale, and profit margins. The second theme emphasizes that airline managers can mitigate turnover by optimizing operations and enhancing employee benefits. The third theme underscores that fostering a positive organizational culture and actively addressing employee feedback can help reduce turnover. A key recommendation is for airline managers to provide full transparency related to job demands and resources available to employees. The implications for positive social change include the potential to maintain the continuity of airline operations and support employment in local communities by providing stable employment in airline companies, contributing to local economies

The Influence of Surface Treatments and Surface Finish on the Fatigue Properties of Elastomers

Recent research has shown that fatigue life in non strain-crystallising rubber increases if the material is subjected to pre-loading. The central research question posed in this project is ‘whether preloading and surface treatments improve the surface finish of rubber components, reduce stress concentration and can this reduction partially account for greater fatigue resistance’. The specific objectives of the research are:- i) To assess surface finish measurements and to investigate the changes in stress concentration in preloaded rubber samples using White Light Interferometry. ii) To consider other non-contact methods of observing changes in stress concentration in preloaded samples through use of: i) Electronic Speckly Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) methods, ii) Ultrasonic methods iii) To examine whether coatings or other surface treatments can play a part in diminishing the surface flaws produced in the various manufacturing processes. The coatings/treatments investigated were: i) Diamond Like Carbon Coating (DLC), ii) Sol-gel Coating Technology, iii) Surface Peening treatments. iv) To use MSC/MARC Non-linear Finite Element software to model: i) fatigue behaviour of DLC coated EPDM rubber, ii)EPDM rubber elastomeric crack propagation, iii) flaw behaviour in EPDM rubber. v) To advise on design standards for pre loaded rubber components and to establish criteria for selecting elastomers that will minimise the likelihood of fatigue failures in the light of the aforementioned research and of this study. The Deutsches Institute fur Kautschuktechnologie (DIK) supplied the test material for this research and provided facilities for the rubber vulcanisation process described in this work. DIK also allowed use of their test equipment. The Research involved the design of a clamp for tensile testing of elastomers, a compression mould and an ESPI in-plane test rig. An initial investigation determined that stress concentration diminishes with prestressing rubber components. White Light Interformetry was found to be the most suitable method of non-contact analysis. The only disadvantage proved to be the small field of view. The ESPI Method did not show results as positive as those achieved using WLI, however further investigation is required before this method is discounted. The Ultrasonic non-contact method was not evaluated but a schematic system is recommended for further research. Analyses for surface roughness and stress concentration at the surface flaws of EPDM rubber using the WLI confirmed that prestressing decreases surface roughness values. The measurement of stress concentration at surface flaws using the WLI method was not successful, because the test rig used was inappropriate to perform this test. However, it was shown that WLI could detect surface defects. Another method was evaluated which uses the Olympus BX60M System Microscope in combination with the Omnimet Archive Digital Imaging System. This method was used to measure stress concentration at the tip of an initiated edge crack. The Griffith theory for measuring stress concentration at the crack tip was employed. The results showed that pre-stressing of rubber samples results in reduction in stress concentrations at the crack tip. The first surface treatment applied was Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating. This coating was used because carbon particles exhibit an appropriate size to fill the surface defects present in rubber. The coating process was performed in the laboratories of Enterprise Ireland (EI). The coating procedure involved heating the samples to a temperature of 120°C and this caused a change in the physical properties of the rubber samples. The fatigue test results show that DLC treatment does not improve the fatigue life of elastomers. However, data from the same tests also show that the complex modulus E* fell to approximately 76% for the first cycle. This supports the hypothesis in the earlier research that the complex modulus can be used for safely predicting the service life of rubber components. Following these tests, further coating was attempted, this time employing a rubber like material using Sol-gel technology. Tetraoxidsilicate (TEOS) liquid solution was chosen as the coating material because it has a low cyrstallisation temperature. The results were disappointing because the coating id not react with the rubber material and so did not successfully crystallise on the surface of the rubber specimen. Shot Peening was also used to treat the EPDM rubber surface of same samples pior to tensile testing. The tests showed that no change in tensile properties of EPDM rubber occurred in comparison with untreated EPDM rubber. However, microscopic analysis showed improvement in the surface roughness (Ra). For carrying out a Finite element Analysis (FEA), material data was obtained from uniaxial tests. The first test was an axisymmetric analysis of fatigue behaviour of the DLC coated EPDM rubber. For these analyses data was used from the first recorded cycle and the last recorded cycle of the fatigue tests. Material models were determined for implementation in the analysis using MSC/MARC software. The axisymmetric analysis of the fatigue specimen simulated the model being subjected to the same displacements that produced values of maximum stress in the tests. FEA reasonably accurately predicted the physical test results. The axisymmetric FEA of the crack models showed a large concentration of stress at the tip of the crack. The FE plain strain analysis of the EPDM rubber sample, with a flaw of 60um in diameter modelled, gave the best correlation with physical tests. The Ogden material model represents the most plausible model and is the most popular function using stretch ratios. For the Ogden model, a two-term function was used and constants were calculated from uniaxial tests. In future an emphasis must be placed on creating appropriate material models. Conclusions can be summarised as follows. While Light Interferometer is the best metrology method considered for measuring surface roughness and profiling the geometric of surface defects in rubber materials Tensile loading reduces stress concentration Surface finish improvements may contribute to improve fatigue life. An exponential decay formula is proposed for determining improvement in surface finish with tensile load. The coatings or surface treatments did not increase fatigue life. The dynamic stored energy theory of fatigue in non-strain crystallising rubbers is supported. That ‘loss in complex modulus’ can be used as a predictor of fatigue life for non-strain crystallising rubbers are confirmed

Co-clustering of Tensor Data Using Sparse Tensor Factorisation

With the ever increasing amounts of data generated from new sources and scientific methods, e.g. high throughput genome sequencing methods in bioinformatics, powerful tools for exploratory data analysis are required. One such tool is clustering, i.e. grouping together coherent observations in data, which is important for categorising vast amounts of observations into a more manageable format for further analysis. However, this task is subject to new challenges as tensor data, i.e. multidimensional data, has become a frequent occurrence in many applications. For tensor data, a clustering approach called co-clustering in particular has recently attracted research attention. Co-clustering means that the clustering is performed on all of the tensor dimensions simultaneously, which enables the detection of joint data expressions that only occur under special circumstances. In this thesis, two methods for co-clustering of tensor data using sparse CP decompositions are proposed. The motivation behind using a tensor factorisation with enforced sparsity is that it can enable the extraction of the most relevant data from the tensor, whilst reducing noise. The first method, called the sCP-S, considers the sign pattern in the vectors, obtained from a sparse CP decomposition, to determine the clustering. The second method instead uses hierarchical clustering on the sparse CP decomposition vectors, and is named sCP-HC. The two methods were compared on simulated data and the more flexible sCP-HC was tested thoroughly on more advanced simulated data sets. The types of predefined co-clusters that can be detected, and the stability of co-cluster detection under perturbations of the input data, were both investigated prior to applying the sCP-HC on real data. These evaluations have been performed through computer simulations on simulated data sets, along with application on a real genomic tensor data set. The obtained results from the simulations show that the sCP-HC has the potential to detect several types of additive coherent co-clusters. Additionally, the stability simulations show that the sCP-HC is quite consistent in its co-clustering, even in the presence of considerable noise. Applying the sCP-HC to real genomic data, several interesting co-clusters were obtained, which can be used for further analysis. As such, this work concludes that the sCP-HC is a useful tool for detecting coherent co-clusters in tensor data, and for exploratory data analysis