THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF LABOR REFORM IN COLOMBIA

This paper analyzes the entire reformist effort that spans from 1990 until 2002, emphasizing the second wave that ended with the issuing of a new labor code in 2002. A successful reform has to surpass a set of deals" along the streamline of design, consensus building within civil society, submission to Congress and parliamentary debate, before it gets approved. The paper presents the story of two failed attempts for producing these "deals" within the government, along with labor unions and private sector firm confederations, before the 2002 labor reform was finally enacted. It shows what economic and social considerations created the need for reform, describes the actual policy changes implemented and evaluates their impact. The paper delves deep into the political aspects of the reform effort. Public officials of two governments pursued different lines of reform, discussion strategies and mechanisms for creating consensus, before the initiative gained momentum and circumvented key obstacles. The text of the 2002 reform proposal changed little during five years, but received important additions in the floor of Congress, with little technical support. Finally, an interesting dispute between lawyers and economists is presented regarding the role of the labor code for job creation and its function in the economic cycle. In the case of this reform, economists believed more on the computed elasticities, while lawyers believed more in the stability of established rules and in the limited role of norms. Economists should pay more attention to the workings of the political economy of reform and to the "life cycle of government", both of them critical for success."labor reform

Systematic Evaluation of Design Decisions in CBR Systems

Abstract Two important goals in the evaluation of an AI theory or model are to assess the merit of the design decisions in the performance of an implemented computer system and to analyze the impact in the performance when the system faces problem domains with different characteristics. This is particularly difficult in case-based reasoning systems because such systems are typically very complex, as are the tasks and domains in which they operate. We present a methodology for the evaluation of case-based reasoning systems through systematic empirical experimentation over a range of system configurations and environmental conditions, coupled with rigorous statistical analysis of the results of the experiments. This methodology enables us to understand the behavior of the system in terms of the theory and design of the computational model, to select the best system configuration for a given domain, and to predict how the system will behave in response to changing domain and problem characteristics. A case study of a multistrategy case-based and reinforcement learning system which performs autonomous robotic navigation is presented as an example. Introduction Two important goals in the evaluation of an AI theory or model are to assess the merit of the design decisions in the performance of an implemented computer system and to analyze the impact in the performance when the system faces problem domains with different characteristics (Kibler 8z Langley, 1988; Two important characteristics of case-based reasoning (CBR) systems are that they are complex and the domains in which they operate are also complex. One result of this is that the behavior of a CBR system has many sources for variability which causes any performance measure defined to evaluate this behavior to have variability as well. This in turn makes it difficult t

On the design of spherical gradient index lenses

Classical spherical gradient index (GRIN) lenses (such as Maxwell Fish Eye lens, Eaton lens, Luneburg lens, etc.) design procedure using the Abel integral equation is reviewed and reorganized. Each lens is fully defined by a function called the angle of flight which describes the ray deflection through the lens. The radial refractive index distribution is obtained by applying a linear integral transformation to the angle of flight. The interest of this formulation is in the linearity of the integral transformation which allows us to derive new solutions from linear combinations of known lenses. Beside the review of the classical GRIN designs, we present a numerical method for GRIN lenses defined by the Abel integral equation with fixed limits, which is an ill-posed problem

Design of spherical symmetric gradient index lenses

Spherical symmetric refractive index distributions also known as Gradient Index lenses such as the Maxwell-Fish-Eye (MFE), the Luneburg or the Eaton lenses have always played an important role in Optics. The recent development of the technique called Transformation Optics has renewed the interest in these gradient index lenses. For instance, Perfect Imaging within the Wave Optics framework has recently been proved using the MFE distribution. We review here the design problem of these lenses, classify them in two groups (Luneburg moveable-limits and fixed-limits type), and establish a new design techniques for each type of problem

Edificio residencial autosuficiente para la Reducción de brechas sociales en el sector el santuario, Pimentel

La presente investigación fue de tipo cualitativa, con un diseño no experimental buscando entender conceptos básicos de una arquitectura abstracta, fundamental y focalizada en relación a la problemática de escala sectorial, identificada en el sector El Santuario, Pimentel. Teniendo como objetivo conciso y primordial la reducción de brechas sociales urbanas producidas por la fragmentación de las dinámicas productivas y sociales de los moradores, esto demostrado a través de una huella arquitectónica que genere un escenario de interrelación social y valor paisajístico. Todo esto logrado mediante un análisis de enfoque sectorial, documentado en planos, fotografías, recorridos in situ por el lugar de estudio, y apreciación de distintos factores que han incidido en la evolución de este espacio. Esta investigación presenta el tema de la arquitectura eficiente aplicada en un proyecto de “Edificio Residencial Autosuficiente”, en la urb. El SantuarioPimentel; Por lo mismo, que se busca entender la situación problemática que presenta el sector EL Santuario, con respecto a brechas sociales, identificando puntos críticos, donde prevalecen condiciones desfavorables para el desarrollo sostenible del sector en compromiso con la ciudad.TesisInfraestructura, Tecnología y Medio Ambient

Novel Ideal Nonimaging Designs by Multichanneling the Phase-Space Flow

New ultra-thin optical designs are presented. They are formed by optical sections (called channels) working in parallel (multichanneling) to provide the desired optical function. The phase-space representation of the bundle of rays going from the source to the target is discontinuous between channels. This phase-space ray-bundle flow is divided in as many branches as channels there are but it is a single trunk at the source and at the target. Typically, these multichannel devices are at least formed by three optical surfaces: two of them have discontinuities (in the shape or in the shape derivative) while the last one is smooth. The discontinuities of the optical surfaces are causing the separation of the flow in branches (in the phase space). The number of discontinuities is the same in the two first surfaces: Each channel is defined by the smooth surfaces in between discontinuities, so the surfaces forming each separate channel are all smooth. No diffractive analysis is don

Competition between covalent bonding and charge transfer at complex-oxide interfaces

Here we study the electronic properties of cuprate/manganite interfaces. By means of atomic resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy, we produce a subnanometer scale map of the transition metal oxidation state profile across the interface between the high $T_c$ superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ and the colossal magnetoresistance compound (La,Ca)MnO$_3$. A net transfer of electrons from manganite to cuprate with a peculiar non-monotonic charge profile is observed. Model calculations rationalize the profile in terms of the competition between standard charge transfer tendencies (due to band mismatch), strong chemical bonding effects across the interface, and Cu substitution into the Mn lattice, with different characteristic length scales.Comment: 11+7 pages, 3+2 figure

Paleo-watertable definition using cave ferromanganese stromatolites and associated cave-wall notches (Sierra de Arnero, Spain)

The steeply-dipping-dolostone-hosted caves of the Sierra de Arnero (N Spain) contain low-gradient relict canyons with up to ten mapped levels of ferromanganese stromatolites and associated wall notches over a vertical range of 85 m, the highest occurring ~ 460 m above base level. Despite a plausible speleogenetic contribution by pyrite oxidation, and the irregular cave-wall mesomorphologies suggestive of hypogenic speleogenesis, the Arnero relict caves are dominantly epigenic, as indicated by the conduit pattern and the abundant allogenic sediments. Allogenic input declined over time due to a piracy-related decrease in the drainage area of allogenic streams, explaining the large size of the relict Arnero caves relative to the limited present-day outcrop area of the karstified carbonates. Allogenic-sediment input also explains the observed change from watertable canyons to phreatic conduits in the paleo-downstream direction. Stromatolites and notches arguably formed in cave-stream passages at the watertable. The best-defined paleo-watertables show an overall slope of 1.7°, consistent with the present-day relief of the watertable, with higher-slope segments caused by barriers related to sulfide mineralization. The formation of watertable stromatolites favored wall notching by the combined effect of enhanced acidity by Mn–Fe oxidation and shielding of cave floors against erosion. Abrasive bedload further contributed to notch formation by promoting lateral mechanical erosion and protecting passage floors. The irregular wallrock erosional forms of Arnero caves are related partly to paragenesis and partly to the porous nature of the host dolostones, which favored irregular dissolution near passage walls, generating friable halos. Subsequent mechanical erosion contributed to generate spongework patterns. The dolostone porosity also contributes to explain the paradox that virtually all Arnero caves are developed in dolostone despite being less soluble than adjacent limestone. U-series dating of carbonate speleothems and paleomagnetic data from ferromanganese stromatolites and clastic sediments indicate that the paleo-watertables recorded ~ 320 m above the present-day watertable formed during the Matuyama Chron but prior to ~ 1.5 Ma, implying long-term base-level-lowering rates from ~ 125 to ~ 213 m/Ma. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt of paleomagnetic dating of cave ferromanganese stromatolites. These deposits are excellent geomagnetic recorders and offer a direct way to delineate and date paleo-watertables, especially in caves developed in dolostone.Financial support was provided by grants ICT-Soplao-53.5.00.12.00 (IGME - Provincial Government of Cantabria - Turismo del Nansa) and CGL2012-38481 (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad - European Regional Development Fund

Overview of the SMS design method applied to imaging optics

The Simultaneous Multiple Surfaces (SMS) was developed as a design method in Nonimaging Optics during the 90s. Later, the method was extended for designing Imaging Optics. We present an overview of the method applied to imaging optics in planar (2D) geometry and compare the results with more classical designs based on achieving aplanatism of different orders. These classical designs are also viewed as particular cases of SMS designs. Systems with up to 4 aspheric surfaces are shown. The SMS design strategy is shown to perform always better than the classical design (in terms of image quality). Moreover, the SMS method is a direct method, i.e., it is not based in multi-parametric optimization techniques. This gives the SMS method an additional interest since it can be used for exploring solutions where the multiparameter techniques can get lost because of the multiple local minim