Optimal Allocation of Land for Conservation: A General Equilibrium Analysis

This paper was replaced with a revised version on 7/26/10Conservation, General Equilibrium Modeling, Optimal Land Allocation, Conservation Tax, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Q57, C68,

Erinch Sahan – a year later, big 10 improving but more is needed

This post was contributed by Erinch Sahan, private sector policy advisor at Oxfam GB. Erinch leads Oxfam’s work on scoring the food and beverage companies for the Behind the Brands campaign. A year ago, we at Oxfam launched our scorecard that assesses the policies of the world’s 10 largest food and drinks companies (‘the Big 10’). With a focus on the rights of workers, farmers and communities in their supply chains, we scored companies on seven key themes that impact the most vulnerable people they impact: workers, farmers, women, land, climate, water and transparency

Income Inequality and Political Survival in Countries Around the World

There are many factors that influence whether a political leader exits out of office or remains in power. In this thesis, we evaluate the impact of one important factor, income inequality, on the survival prospects of the leader using data for 152 countries for the period 1962 - 2015. We use a linear probability model, a logit model, and a Cox Proportional Hazard Model, all of which indicate that higher income inequality increases the probability of leader survival. To address the potential endogeneity of income inequality, I use a simultaneous equations model and the results hold. The results are also robust to controlling for a host of leader-, party-, and country-level variables, as well as the bimodal nature of income inequality. Evidence is also given for polity type, which is the degree to which a country is democratic, as an important factor in simultaneously determining income inequality and political survival

Zero-dimensional spaces and their inverse limits

In this dissertation we investigate zero-dimensional compact metric spaces and their inverse limits. We construct an uncountable family of zero-dimensional compact metric spaces homeomorphic to their Cartesian squares. It is known that the inverse limit on [0,1] with an upper semi-continuous function with a connected graph has either one or infinitely many points. We show that this result cannot be generalized to the inverse limits on simple triods or simple closed curves. In addition to that, we introduce a class of zero-dimensional spaces that can be obtained as the inverse limits of arcs. We complete by answering a problem by Kelly and Meddaugh about the limits of inverse limits --Abstract, page iv

Fretting Fatigue Behavior of a Titanium Alloy Ti-6AL-4V at Elevated Temperature

The purpose of this research is to investigate the fretting fatigue behavior of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V at elevated temperature is investigated. Fretting and plain fatigue experiments are conducted at 260 °C. Crack initiation location and crack initiation orientation is measured and fretting and plain fatigue life data of the specimens from these tests are obtained. Fatigue parameters capable of predicting the number of cycles to specimen failure, the crack location and the crack orientation along the contact surface are analyzed. The parameters are calculated by using the computed stresses and strains obtained from the finite element analysis. The mechanisms responsible for the fretting fatigue crack initiation are determined. The effect of elevated temperature is examined by comparing room and elevated temperature fretting and plain fatigue data

Personnel selection

From the earliest times some kind of a test has always been used for selecting incumbents of certain posts. The oldest method of selection, known to us, was an examination in school or college subjects. When the number of candidates for any post was small the method employed was the viva voce examination. In this situation, the examiner combined the functions of testing the knowledge of the candidate in certain academic subjects and of assessing the traits of personality displayed by the individual during the examination. As the number of candidates increased the viva voce examination was found time-consuming and inadequate. Public examinations were, consequently, organized. Written question papers were distributed and the candidates were required to write answers in note-books. The answer-books were subsequently scrutinized by the examiner. The testing of the standard of achievement attained by a candidate in particular subject was thus accomplished, but the personal contact between the examiner and the examinee was lost

Active learning for text classification

Modely strojového učení pro klasifikaci jsou založené na učení parametrů black box modelu, které popisují vztah mezi vzorky dat a jejích třídou. Proces sběru dat a jejích labelů pro účely trénování modelu může být komplikovaný a drahý. Množina dat je v mnoha případech větší než množina dostupných labelů, ale našim předpokladem je to, že nové labely můžou být obdržené prostřednictvím dotazu anotátorovi. Aktivní učení je proces výběru takových dat pro anotování, které povedou ke zvýšení diskriminability datasetu. Mnoho různých metod aktivniho učení v mnoha různých odvětvích bylo navrženo pro úlohy v nichž se používá učení s učitelem. V tomto projektu jsou popsané a ukázané různé metody aktivniho učení pro klasifikaci textů. Navíc jsou porovnávané už existující black box modely a jejích reprezentace neurčitosti. Modely aktivniho učení jsou formalizované pomocí teorie rozhodování, kde rozhodnutím je výběr dat bez labelů pro získávání anotace a neurčitost je v parametrech klasifikátorů. Entropie predikce klasifikátoru je vybrána jako očekávaná ztrátová funkce pro rozhodovací úlohu. Modely hlubokého učení dosáhli state-of-the-art výsledků v různých odvětvích zpracování přirozeného jazyka a také v klasifikaci textu. Kombinace aktivniho učení pro výběr dat a navržené reprezentace neurčitosti založené na ensemblech hlubokých neuronových sítí dosáhla výrazně lepších výsledků než strategie náhodného výběru nebo aktivní učení s alternativní reprezentací neurčitosti.Machine learning models for classification are based on learning the parameters of the black box model, which describe the relationship between the data samples and its class. The process of collecting data and its labels for model training purposes can be complicated and expensive. The data set is in many cases larger than the set of available labels, but our assumption is that new labels can be obtained by querying the annotator. Active learning is the process of selecting such data for annotation, which will increase the discrimination of the dataset. Many different methods of active learning in many different industries have been designed for tasks in which teacher learning is used. In this project, various methods of active learning for the classification of texts are described and shown. In addition, existing black box models and their representations of uncertainty are compared. Active learning models are formalized using decision theory, where the decision is to select data without labels for obtaining annotations and the uncertainty is in the parameters of the classifiers. The entropy of the classifier prediction is selected as the expected loss function for the decision task. Deep learning models have achieved state-of-the-art results in various branches of natural language processing and also in text classification. The combination of active learning for data selection and the proposed uncertainty representation based on deep neural network ensemble has achieved significantly better results than random selection strategies or active learning with an alternative uncertainty representation

TRANSFORMATION OF STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF MASTICATORY MUSCLES OF IMMATURE ANIMALS IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF MERCAZOLILUM-INDUCED HYPOTHYROIDISM

The aim of the study. The aim of this study was to establish the features of the structural organization of the chewing and lateral pterygoid muscles of immature rats during the developmental stages of experimental hypothyroidism. Materials and methods. The material for the study was the chewing and lateral pterygoid muscles of 48 white mongrel immature rats-males. The following research methods were used: mercazole-induced hypothyroidism modelling, injection method for studying the bloodstream, histological examination of blood vessels and tissue elements, electron microscopy, morphometric analysis, biochemical methods, statistical evaluation of the results. Results. A violation of thyroid homeostasis (a decrease in the concentration of thyroid hormones in the blood) has been established. In the bloodstream, edematous changes are observed histologically and submicroscopically. A decrease in the number of hemocapillaries per unit area and the number of hemocapillaries per muscle fiber have been established morphometrically. In muscle fibers, cross striation with vacuolization of endomysia and perimisia is lost. Edematous changes are observed, which are aggravated depending on the duration of experimental hypothyroidism. The glycolytic muscle fibers are more affected, and the changes are aggravated depending on the duration of the experiment. It has also been found out that there is a redistribution in the amount of muscle fibers. There is a tendency to a decrease in oxidative-glycolytic and a significant increase in glycolytic muscle fibers. The morphological changes that have been found out are accompanied by violations of the macroelement balance, in particular, the content of Ca, P, Mg, which determine the functioning of skeletal muscle tissue. Conclusion. Thus, at different periods of hypothyroidism, edematous changes occur both in the vascular wall and in muscle fibers, which are aggravated depending on the duration of hypothyroidism and are caused by a decrease in the basic metabolic rate, slowing of redox processes and tissue hypoxia. At the same time, chromotropic substances are released from bonds with proteins and accumulate in the intermediate substance with the subsequent replacement of collagen fibers by mucus-like masses

Persepsi Siswa SMA Fides Kefamenanu terhadap Pelatihan Ekstrakurikuler Jurnalistik

Abstract The journalism training program which was launched through community service activities at SMAK FQI Kefamenanu in August 2022 aims to train them how to write news, find sources and publish it on the school bulletin. To find out their perceptions (N=27) about journalism and the training, at the end of the activity they were presented with a questionnaire containing 25 questions. The 25 questions relate to three main issues, namely their reasons for choosing journalistic activities, their understanding of journalism and the implementation of journalism extracurriculars. The results of the data analysis revealed that they had a positive perception (235 respons or 87%) of extracurricular journalistic activities at their school, understood the world of journalism (98 respons or 38% agreed) and agreed with extracurricular activities (103 respons or 38%) both at school and journalistic training conducted by the Unimor Service Team for them. Therefore, journalistic training should be made an important part of all extracurricular and curricular activities so that their interests, talents and abilities can really be developed properly. Keywords: perception, SMA Fides, training, journalis