Fear in horses

Fear is generally considered to be an undesirable emotional state that may reduce welfare, growth and reproductive performance in animals. Fear in horses is additionally problematic, because fear reactions can cause serious injury to both horse and human. Horses are primarily used for sports and leisure for a large number of children and young women. Unfortunately, horse riding ranks as one of the most dangerous sports in terms of the number and seriousness of accidents, and the ability of a horse to habituate to a range of otherwise frightening stimuli greatly increases safety in the horse-human relationship. However, there is a lack of research on fear reactions and no published research on basic habituation processes in horses. This licentiate project aimed to investigate the types of fear responses horses show towards novel stimuli acting on different senses, and to study how horses learn to be confident with an otherwise frightening stimulus using classical learning theory techniques. The experiments were conducted on two different groups of naïve stallions (n=24 and n=27). The first experiment showed that horses responded differently towards an olfactory stimulus compared to auditory and visual stimuli. The heart rate responses correlated between tests and probably reflected a non-differentiated activation of the sympathetic nervous system, while the behavioural responses were linked to the type of stimulus. The second experiment showed that gradual habituation was the most effective training method for horses to learn to react calmly to an otherwise frightening stimulus, compared to classic habituation and associative learning. Heart rate data revealed that horses may show physiological responses even when their behavioural response towards the stimulus has ceased. Choice of training method is likely to be especially important for the most fearful horses

A Computer Program for Relativistic Multiple Coulomb and Nuclear Excitation

A computer program is presented by which one may calculate the multiple electric dipole, electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole Coulomb excitation with relativistic heavy ions. The program applies to an arbitrary nucleus, specified by the spins and energies of the levels and by all E1, E2 and M1 matrix elements. Nuclear excitation is calculated optionally for monopole, dipole and quadrupole excitations and needs inputs of optical potentials. For given bombarding conditions, the differential cross sections and statistical tensors (useful to calculate gamma-ray angular distribution functions) are computed.Comment: 10 page

Erratum to: Almost complex structures in 6D with non-degenerate Nijenhuis tensors and large symmetry groups

We correct an error in the second part of Theorem 3 of our original paper (arXiv:1512.07161).Comment: 2 page

Present-Biased Individuals, Optimal Paternalism, and Transfers in Kind

Present-biased preferences cause distortions in consumption that can motivate the use of paternalistic in-kind transfers. Empirically, goods are consumed to different degrees when consumption outlay changes. Economists distinguish between necessary goods and luxury goods. A present-biased individual has an intertemporal distortion of consumption toward the present, which in turn distorts present consumption toward luxury goods. In-kind transfers of necessary goods, such as food stamps, can alleviate the intertemporal distortion and make present-biased transfer recipients better off. Further, transfers in kind are asymmetrical in the sense that they can target present-biased recipients without affecting fully rational recipients.in-kind transfers; time preference

Relaxing the Strict Exogeneity Assumption in a Dynamic Random Probit Model

This paper is relaxing the strict exogeneity assumption in a dynamic random probit model to allow for the possibility of feedback effects. We take an MLE approach and specify a marginal distribution for the not strictly exogenous variable in question. Using a log-likelihood function similar to Wooldridge (2000) we propose two estimation strategies depending on what the object of interest is. We show that the parameters can be estimated using either quadrature or simulated maximum likelihood if all we are interested in is the parameters of the model. Subsequently average partial effects can be estimated. However, if we are more interested in knowing the average partial effects and less interested in the parameter estimates themselves, then it is useful to considering the problem as a method of moment problem rather than a MLE. This will allow an easy estimation of the average partial effect and in particular the variance of the APE such that statistical inference is possible. The insight is applied to a large Danish register data set on employment transitions to address the question of true state dependence in unemployment transitions. Moreover, we rise the important question, that a major part of the results in the state dependence literature could be invalid due to ignoring violations of the strict exogeneity assumption.unobserved heterogeneity, dynamic random probit, feedback effects, initial condition, state dependence

Value Creation and Profit Optimization

The present paper develops a basic framework for evaluating and optimizing profits in a business operation. In developing a business we are often faced with an infinity of choices ranging from what products or services to sell and what customers to target to how to structure and manage the organization. To support the decision-making process a semi- quantitative dimension is here added to the traditional strategic scenario planning. It consists of a general-purpose seven-step evaluation process: (1) The starting point is a list of strategic options, as they may have been identified during conventional strategic planning. (2-3) The next steps are to identify who will influence the value creation process, and what value drivers each of them use to influence it. (4) For customers representative of different segments we can evaluate the value to the customer, the risk to the customer and the relative market power between buyer and seller. The paper explains how this can be related to the market price that each of these customers is likely to be willing to pay. (5) While the income is critical, so it the cost: the following step is to analyze the cost structure and understand how it scales with market size. (6) By combining the results from the two previous steps it is possible to find the optimal profit as a function of volume, value drivers and the other parameters. (7) In the final step the strategic implications of the various options are integrated with other knowledge to form the basis for selecting a winning business strategy. An example of a yet-to-be consumer product is used to illustrate the process.cost, customer specific cost, market power, pricing, profit optimization, profits, radical innovation, risk discount, strategic scenario planning, value chain, value creation, value drivers, value net