Explanatory factors of CO2 per capita emission inequality in the European Union

The design of European mitigation policies requires a detailed examination of the factors explaining the unequal emissions in the different countries. This research analyzes the evolution of inequality in CO2 per capita emissions in the European Union (EU-27) in the 1990-2006 period and its explanatory factors. For this purpose, we decompose the Theil index of inequality into the contributions of the different Kaya factors. The decomposition is also applied to the inequality between and within groups of countries (North Europe, South Europe, and East Europe). The analysis shows an important reduction in inequality, to a large extent due to the smaller differences between groups and because of the lower contribution of the energy intensity factor. The importance of the GDP per capita factor increases and becomes the main explanatory factor. However, within the different groups of countries the carbonization index appears to be the most relevant factor in explaining inequalities.

The eta invariant and equivariant index of transversally elliptic operators

We prove a formula for the multiplicities of the index of an equivariant transversally elliptic operator on a G-manifold. The formula is a sum of integrals over blowups of the strata of the group action and also involves eta invariants of associated elliptic operators. Among the applications, we obtain an index formula for basic Dirac operators on Riemannian foliations, a problem that was open for many years.

On the automatic application of inequality indexes in the analysis of the international distribution of environmental indicators

In recent years traditional inequality measures have been used to quite a considerable extent to examine the international distribution of environmental indicators. One of its main characteristics is that each one assigns different weights to the changes that occur in the different sections of the variable distribution and, consequently, the results they yield can potentially be very different. Hence, we suggest the appropriateness of using a range of well-recommended measures to achieve more robust results. We also provide an empirical test for the comparative behaviour of several suitable inequality measures and environmental indicators. Our findings support the hypothesis that in some cases there are differences among measures in both the sign of the evolution and its size. JEL codes: D39; Q43; Q56. Keywords: international environment factor distribution; Kaya factors; Inequality measurement

The eta invariant and equivariant index of transversally elliptic operators

We prove a formula for the multiplicities of the index of an equivariant transversally elliptic operator on a G-manifold. The formula is a sum of integrals over blowups of the strata of the group action and also involves eta invariants of associated elliptic operators. Among the applications, we obtain an index formula for basic Dirac operators on Riemannian foliations, a problem that was open for many years.

An ex-post view of inequality of opportunity in France and its regions

This paper proposes an ex-post measure of inequality of opportunity in France and its regions by assessing the inequality between individuals exerting the same effort. To this end, we define a fair income that fulfils ex-post equality of opportunity requirements. Unfairness is measured by an unfair Gini based on the distance between the actual income and the fair income. Our findings reveal that the measures of ex-post inequality of opportunity largely vary across regions, and that this is due to di_erences in reward schemes and in the impact of the non responsibility factors of income. We find that most regions have actual incomes closer to fair incomes than to average income, excepted Ile de France where the actual income looks poorly related to effort variables. Finally, we find that income inequality and inequality of opportunity are positively correlated among regions.

Allowing for heterogeneity in the decomposition of measures of inequality in health

This paper shows how recently developed regression-based methods for the decomposition ofhealth inequality can be extended to incorporate heterogeneity in the responses of health to the explanatory variables. We illustrate our method with an application to the GHQ measure of psychological well-being taken from the British Household Panel Survey. The results suggest that there is an important degree of heterogeneity in the association of health to explanatory variables across birth cohorts and genders which, in turn, accounts for a substantial percentage of the inequality in observed health.

The generalized index of maximum and minimum level and its application in decision making

[spa] El índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel es una técnica muy útil, especialmente para toma de decisiones, que usa la distancia de Hamming y el coeficiente de adecuación en el mismo problema. En este trabajo, se propone una generalización a través de utilizar medias generalizadas y cuasi aritméticas. A estos operadores de agregación, se les denominará el índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel medio ponderado ordenado generalizado (GOWAIMAM) y cuasi aritmético (Quasi-OWAIMAM). Estos nuevos operadores generalizan una amplia gama de casos particulares como el índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel generalizado (GIMAM), el OWAIMAM, y otros. También se desarrolla una aplicación en la toma de decisiones sobre selección de productos.

Size dependence of refractive index of Si nanoclusters embedded in SiO2

he complex refractive index of SiO2 layers containing Si nanoclusters (Si-nc) has been measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range from 1.5 to 5.0 eV. It has been correlated with the amount of Si excess accurately measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the nanocluster size determined by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. The Si-nc embedded in SiO2 have been produced by a fourfold Si+ ion implantation, providing uniform Si excess aimed at a reliable ellipsometric modeling. The complex refractive index of the Si-nc phase has been calculated by the application of the Bruggeman effective-medium approximation to the composite media. The characteristic resonances of the refractive index and extinction coefficient of bulk Si vanish out in Si-nc. In agreement with theoretical simulations, a significant reduction of the refractive index of Si-nc is observed, in comparison with bulk and amorphous silicon. The knowledge of the optical properties of these composite layers is crucial for the realization of Si-based waveguides and light-emitting devices.

The generalized index of maximum and minimum level and its application in decision making

[spa] El índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel es una técnica muy útil, especialmente para toma de decisiones, que usa la distancia de Hamming y el coeficiente de adecuación en el mismo problema. En este trabajo, se propone una generalización a través de utilizar medias generalizadas y cuasi aritméticas. A estos operadores de agregación, se les denominará el índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel medio ponderado ordenado generalizado (GOWAIMAM) y cuasi aritmético (Quasi-OWAIMAM). Estos nuevos operadores generalizan una amplia gama de casos particulares como el índice del máximo y el mínimo nivel generalizado (GIMAM), el OWAIMAM, y otros. También se desarrolla una aplicación en la toma de decisiones sobre selección de productos.

Influence of configurational atomic order on the relative stability of bcc and close-packed structures in Cu-based alloys

We present a study of the influence of atomic order on the relative stability of the bcc and the 18R martensitic structures in a Cu2.96Al0.92Be0.12 crystal. Calorimetric measurements have shown that disorder increases the stability of the 18R phase, contrary to what happens in Cu-Zn-Al alloys for which it is the bcc phase that is stabilized by disordering the system. This different behavior has been explained in terms of a model recently reported. We have also proved that the entropy change at the martensitic transition is independent of the state of atomic order of the crystal, as predicted theoretically. Our results suggest that differences in the vibrational spectrum of the crystal due to different states of atomic order must be equal in the bcc and in the close-packed phases.

The relative salience of facial features when differentiating faces based on an interference paradigm

Research on face recognition and social judgment usually addresses the manipulation of facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.). Using a procedure based on a Stroop-like task, Montepare and Opeyo (J Nonverbal Behav 26(1):43-59, 2002) established a hierarchy of the relative salience of cues based on facial attributes when differentiating faces. Using the same perceptual interference task, we established a hierarchy of facial features. Twenty-three participants (13 men and 10 women) volunteered for the experiment to compare pairs of frontal faces. The participants had to judge if the eyes, nose, mouth and chin in the pair of images were the same or different. The factors manipulated were the target-distractive factor (4 face components 9 3 distractive factors), interference (absent vs. present) and correct answer (the same vs. different). The analysis of reaction times and errors showed that the eyes and mouth were processed before the chin and nose, thus highlighting the critical importance of the eyes and mouth, as shown by previous research.

Measurement of the relative rate of prompt χ c0, χ c1 and χ c2 production at TeV

Prompt production of charmonium χ c0, χ c1 and χ c2 mesons is studied using proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of TeX TeV. The χ c mesons are identified through their decay to J/ψγ, with J/ψ → μ + μ − using photons that converted in the detector. A data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 collected by the LHCb detector, is used to measure the relative prompt production rate of χ c1 and χ c2 in the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5 as a function of the J/ψ transverse momentum from 3 to 20 GeV/c. First evidence for χ c0 meson production at a high-energy hadron collider is also presented.

A revision of the revaluation index of Spanish pensions

This article reviews the methodological aspects of the revaluation index of Spanish pensions developed following Law 23/2013 which regulates the sustainability factor and revaluation index of the Social Security pension system. From a gradual breakdown of the elements that make up the revaluation index, an exposition is given of the formal and implementation problems it involves. Finally, its use is illustrated with numerical results.

A revision of the revaluation index of Spanish pensions

This article reviews the methodological aspects of the revaluation index of Spanish pensions developed following Law 23/2013 which regulates the sustainability factor and revaluation index of the Social Security pension system. From a gradual breakdown of the elements that make up the revaluation index, an exposition is given of the formal and implementation problems it involves. Finally, its use is illustrated with numerical results.