"Earnings Functions and the Measurement of the Determinants of Wage Dispersion: Extending Oaxaca’s Approach"

This paper extends the famous Blinder (1973) and Oaxaca (1973) discrimination in several directions. First, the wage difference breakdown is not limited to two groups. Second, a decomposition technique is proposed that allows analysis of the determinants of the overall wage dispersion. The authors’ approach combines two techniques. The first of these is popular in the field of income inequality measurement and concerns the breakdown of inequality by population subgroup. The second technique, very common in the literature of labor economics, uses Mincerian earnings functions to derive a decomposition of wage differences into components measuring group differences in the average values of the explanatory variables, in the coefficients of these variables in the earnings functions, and in the unobservable characteristics. This methodological novelty allows one to determine the exact impact of each of these three elements on the overall wage dispersion, on the dispersion within and between-groups, and on the degree of overlap between the wage distributions of the various groups. However, this paper goes beyond a static analysis insofar as it succeeds in breaking down the change over time in the overall wage dispersion and its components (both between and within group dispersion and group overlapping) into elements related to changes in the value of the explanatory variables and the coefficients of those variables in the earnings functions, in the unobservable characteristics, and in the relative size of the various groups.

"On Various Ways of Measuring Unemployment, with Applications to Switzerland"

This paper begins with an examination of various ways of measuring unemployment and, borrowing ideas from the poverty measurement literature, proposes four new general unemployment indices. The first of these is parallel to the Sen poverty index; the second, to the Sen index’s generalization by Shorrocks; the third, to the FGT poverty index; and the fourth, to the Watts poverty index. The authors then present an empirical illustration based on Swiss data compiled at the state, or canton, level, using the so-called Shapley decomposition to determine the contribution of three components—the traditional unemployment rate, the average unemployment duration, and the inequality in the unemployment durations—to the differences between the values of the four proposed indices, both within a given canton and within Switzerland as a whole. The paper concludes with a discussion of the assumptions made about the maximum unemployment duration for the purposes of the study, and their impact on the results

The robotic multiobject focal plane system of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, los autores pertenecientes a la UAM y el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si lo hubiereA system of 5020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically retarget their optical fibers every 10-20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time of fewer than 2 minutes. Over the next 5 yr, they will enable the newly constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI’s Focal Plane System includes six guide cameras, four wave front cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multiobject, fiber-fed spectrograph

On Bi-Polarization and the Middle Class in Latin America: A Look at the First Decade of the Twenty First Century

This paper proposes a new index and graphical representation of the change in bi-polarization and in the relative importance of the middle class that took place in a given country during a given period. These tools extend in fact the concepts of inter-distribution income inequality and Lorenz curves by making a distinction between overall, “pure growth based” and “shape related” distributional changes. The empirical illustration is based on data covering 17 Latin American countries in 2000 and 2009, obtained from the Latinobarómetro surveys for these years. The standard of living of individuals was derived on the basis of correspondence analysis. It appears that these new tools help understanding the changes that took place in the distribution of standards of living during the period analysed

Focal Plate Structure Alignment of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) technique. The spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars over $14000 \,\text{deg}^2$ will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 robotically positioned optic fibres. The fibres in turn feed ten broadband spectrographs. Proper alignment of focal plate structure, mainly consisting of a focal plate ring (FPR) and ten focal plate petals (FPP), is crucial in ensuring minimal loss of light in the focal plane. A coordinate measurement machine (CMM) metrology-based approach to alignment requires comprehensive characterisation of critical dimensions of the petals and the ring, all of which were 100% inspected. The metrology data not only served for quality assurance (QA), but also, with careful modelling of geometric transformations, informed the initial choice of integration accessories such as gauge blocks, pads, and shims. The integrated focal plate structure was inspected again on a CMM, and each petal was adjusted according to the updated focal plate metrology data until all datums were extremely close to nominal positions and optical throughput nearly reached the theoretically best possible value. This paper presents our metrology and alignment methodology and complete results for twelve official DESI petals. The as-aligned, total RMS optical throughput for 6168 positioner holes of twelve production petals was indirectly measured to be $99.88 \pm 0.12 \%$, well above the 99.5% project requirement. The successful alignment fully demonstrated the wealth of data, reproducibility, and micron-level precision made available by our CMM metrology-based approach.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 3 table

Material deprivation in Europe: which expenditures are curtailed first?

This paper takes a close look at material deprivation in 27 European Union countries. Its main goal is to explore which expenditures individuals/households curtail first when facing economic difficulties. Two methodologies are applied: item response theory, a psychometric method also known as latent trait analysis, and the concept of deprivation sequence which is an extension of the notion of “order of acquisition of durable goods”. Both approaches show similar results when applied to EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions material deprivation data. Overall, the order of curtailment found in the data does not differ substantially between EU Member states. Looking at within country variations, our analysis shows that the order of curtailment of the country as a whole is very similar to that of the various population subgroups

Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Fiber Positioner Production

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the Universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation technique. The spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars over 14000 sq deg will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 fiber optic positioners. The fibers in turn feed ten broad-band spectrographs. We will describe the production and manufacturing processes developed for the 5000 fiber positioner robots mounted on the focal plane of the Mayall telescope.Comment: SPIE 201

Efficacy and safety of a single-dose mebendazole 500 mg chewable, rapidly-disintegrating tablet for Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infection treatment in pediatric patients : a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a new chewable, rapidly-disintegrating mebendazole (MBZ) 500 mg tablet for Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infection treatment. Pediatric patients (1-15 years; N = 295; from Ethiopia and Rwanda) excreting A. lumbricoides and/or T. trichiura eggs were enrolled. The study had a screening phase (3 days), a double-blind treatment phase (DBP, 19 days), and an open-label phase (OLP, 7 days). Patients received MBZ or placebo on day 1 of DBP and open-label MBZ on day 19 +/- 2 after stool sample collection. Cure rates (primary endpoint), defined as species-specific egg count of 0 at the end of DBP, were significantly higher in the MBZ group than placebo for A. lumbricoides (83.7% [72/86; 95% CI: 74.2%; 90.8%] versus 11.1% [9/81; 95% CI: 5.2%; 20.1%], P < 0.001) and for T. trichiura (33.9% [42/124; 95% CI: 25.6%; 42.9%] versus 7.6% [9/119; 95% CI: 3.5%; 13.9%], P < 0.001). Egg reduction rates (secondary endpoint) were significantly higher in the MBZ group than placebo for A. lumbricoides (97.9% [95% CI: 94.4; 99.9] versus 19.2% [95% CI: -5.9; 41.5]; P < 0.001) and T. trichiura (59.7% [95% CI: 33.9; 78.8] versus 10.5% [95% CI: -16.8; 32.9]; P = 0.003). Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in MBZ group occurred in 6.3% (9/144) of patients during DBP and 2.5% (7/278) during OLP. No deaths, serious TEAEs, or TEAEs leading to discontinuations were reported. A 500 mg chewable MBZ tablet was more efficacious than placebo for the treatment of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections in pediatric patients, and no safety concerns were identified

"Le rôle des marchés monétaire et financier dans le cadre de la zone "Euro" Analyse comparative du Maroc, de la Tunisie, de la Turquie et d'Israël

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