On the extent of re-entitlement effects in unemployment compensation

We analyze the implications of two-tier unemployment compensation systems with nonautomatic eligibility in an equilibium matching model with Nash bargaining. As eligibility for UI does not automatically follow from employment, the two types of unemployed workers have different threat points, which delivers equilibrium wage dispersion. The parameters of the model are estimated for France, and the model is also calibrated for Denmark and the U.S. Re-entitlement effects are shown to be sizeable for all three countries. For France, reentitlement effects lower by 15% the rise in the wage and by 25% the rise in unemployment following a 10% increase in the benefit level. Finally, we show that in all three countries the optimal compensation system is characterized by time-decreasing unemployment benefits and non-automatic eligibility for UI, with higher levels of both UI and UA benefits, a smaller decrease in benefits over time, and a longer employment duration required for UI eligibility than in the current system

Modeling Heterogeneity in Consumer Preferences for Select Food Safety Attributes in China

Food safety issues often arise from problems of asymmetric information between consumers and suppliers with regards to product-specific attributes. Severe food safety scandals were observed recently in China that not only caused direct economic and life loss but also created distrust in the Chinese food system domestically as well as internationally. While much attention has focused on the problems plaguing the Chinese government’s food inspection system, little research has been dedicated to analyze consumers’ concerns over food safety. In this paper we measure consumer preferences for select food safety attributes in pork and take their food safety risk perceptions into account. Several choice experiment models, including latent class and random parameters logit, are constructed to capture heterogeneity in consumer preferences. A statistical sample of 6,720 observations is obtained from a choice experiment administered in seven major Chinese metropolitan cities. Our results suggest that Chinese consumers have the highest willingness-to-pay for a government certification program, followed by a traceability system, third party certification and a product-specific information label. The results of this study call upon the direct involvement of the Chinese government in the food safety system. A more strict monitoring system will not only improve consumer welfare in the short-run but also restore consumers’ trust leading to a social welfare increase in the long run.Food safety, choice experiment, willingness-to-pay, risk perceptions, random parameters logit, latent class logit, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Q13, Q17, Q18,

Understanding Charge Transfer in Donor-Acceptor/Metal Systems: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study

We develop an effective potential approach for assessing the flow of charge within a two-dimensional donor-acceptor/metal network based on core-level shifts. To do so, we perform both density functional theory (DFT) calculations and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of the core-level shifts for three different monolayers adsorbed on a Ag substrate. Specifically, we consider perfluorinated pentacene (PFP), copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and their 1:1 mixture (PFP+CuPc) adsorbed on Ag(111).Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

On the Perturbations of Viscous Rotating Newtonian Fluids

The perturbations of weakly-viscous, barotropic, non-self-gravitating, Newtonian rotating fluids are analyzed via a single partial differential equation. The results are then used to find an expression for the viscosity-induced normal-mode complex eigenfrequency shift, with respect to the case of adiabatic perturbations. However, the effects of viscosity are assumed to have been incorporated in the unperturbed (equilibrium) model. This paper is an extension of the normal-mode formalism developed by Ipser & Lindblom for adiabatic pulsations of purely-rotating perfect fluids. The formulas derived are readily applicable to the perturbations of thin and thick accretion disks. We provide explicit expressions for thin disks, employing results from previous relativistic analyses of adiabatic normal modes of oscillation. In this case, we find that viscosity causes the fundamental p- and g- modes to grow while the fundamental c-mode could have either sign of the damping rate.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal. 11 pages, no figure

Second harmonic generation in anisotropic stratified media: A generalization of the Berreman method and its application to photonic materials

We have developed a numerical method for calculating the second harmonic generation (SHG) generated by an anisotropic material whose optical properties present an arbitrary modulation in one dimension. The method is based on the Berreman 4x4 matrix formalism, which is generalized to include nonlinear optical phenomena. It can be used under oblique incidences of the input beam, and is valid even when the SHG frequency is close to photonic bands, where the usual slowly-varying-amplitude approximation breaks down. As an example of application, we have studied the SHG performance of ferroelectric and helielectric nematic liquid crystals. The latter present a helicoidal structure that can be distorted under electric field. In the different tests of the method we have analyzed the conditions for the most efficient SHG, and compared with previous results in the case there were any. The obtained results indicate that the present procedure may contribute to improve the structural design and enlarge the variety of nonlinear optical materials for their application in optical devices.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Got (Safe) Milk? Chinese Consumers’ Valuation for Select Food Safety Attributes

Food safety issues often arise from problems of asymmetric information between consumers and suppliers of food with regards to product-specific attributes or characteristics. Food safety concerns in China are having a drastic impact on consumer behavior, commodity markets, international trade and food security. An additional challenge to the problem of asymmetric information lies in the inherent structure of the governing bodies which oversee food safety and quality. Unlike the United States and other developed countries, China’s food safety is regulated by several government entities with different and sometimes overlapping responsibilities. As a result consumers don’t have a comprehensive food safety and quality system on which to base their economic decisions. In an effort to maintain the food supply of the world’s largest economy safe, China’s government has approved a series of tougher food safety laws and regulations. Although publicized as a tough approach to food safety, it is unclear whether this latest effort will make China’s food safer to eat and improve the country’s image to its agricultural trading partners. While much attention has focused on the problems plaguing China’s food inspection system, little research has been dedicated to analyze consumers’ concerns over food safety. In this paper we measure consumer preferences for select food safety attributes in milk. More specifically we estimate consumer’s willingness to pay for government certification, an independent (third party) certification program, national brand, and a product’s shelf-life using a choice experiment approach. We compare and contrast several modeling strategies to capture heterogeneity of consumer preferences. The data used in this study was collected from a choice experiment administered in seven major metropolitan cities in China, yielding a statistical sample of 6,720 observations. Our results suggest that Chinese consumers have the highest willingness-to-pay for a government certification program, followed by national brand, private certification, and longer shelf-life products. We find that Chinese consumers are very concerned about the safety of the milk they purchase and are willing to pay a high premium to assure that their food is safe. The high level of concern regarding milk safety is linked to recent food safety incidents involving dairy products, most notably the Melamine-adulterated milk products. Heterogeneity of consumer preferences and willingness to pay for the select food safety attributes was found by implementing a latent class logit model based on attitudinal responses as well as a mixed logit model. Although it might appear that Chinese consumers’ confidence on the government is eroding, as reported in the wake of recent food safety scandals, our research found that consumers were less confident on non-government food safety control measures. This result indicates that there is a strong need for the Chinese government to provide adequate food safety and quality control. Our findings call upon the direct involvement of the Chinese government in the food safety system. A more strict monitoring system via certification is necessary. If realized, such government efforts will provide higher welfare to consumers in the short-run and will restore consumers’ trust increasing social welfare in the long run. Policy implications of our results are discussed with particular attention given to food safety and security issues.China, Choice experiment, Mixed logit, Latent class logit, Food safety, Preference heterogeneity, Willingness-to-pay, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Q11, Q18,

The additional-mode garden of RR Lyrae stars

Space-based photometric missions revealed a surprising abundance of millimagnitude-level additional modes in RR Lyrae stars. The modes that appear in the modulated fundamental-mode (RRab) stars can be ordered into four major categories. Here we present the distribution of these groups in the Petersen diagram, and discuss their characteristics and connections to additional modes observed in other RR Lyrae stars.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the Joint TASC2-KASC9-SPACEINN-HELAS8 Conference "Seismology of the Sun and the Distant Stars 2016", to be published in EPJ Wo

Equidistribution of the Fekete points on the sphere

The Fekete points are the points that maximize a Vandermonde-type determinant that appears in the polynomial Lagrange interpolation formula. They are well suited points for interpolation formulas and numerical integration. We prove the asymptotic equidistribution of the Fekete points in the sphere. The way we proceed is by showing their connection with other array of points, the Marcinkiewicz-Zygmund arrays and the interpolating arrays, that have been studied recently

Equidistribution of the Fekete points on the sphere

The Fekete points are the points that maximize a Vandermonde-type determinant that appears in the polynomial Lagrange interpolation formula. They are well suited points for interpolation formulas and numerical integration. We prove the asymptotic equidistribution of the Fekete points in the sphere. The way we proceed is by showing their connection with other array of points, the Marcinkiewicz-Zygmund arrays and the interpolating arrays, that have been studied recently