A Convex Optimization Framework for Almost Budget Balanced Allocation of a Divisible Good

We address the problem of allocating a single divisible good to a number of agents. The agents have concave valuation functions parameterized by a scalar type. The agents report only the type. The goal is to find allocatively efficient, strategy proof, nearly budget balanced mechanisms within the Groves class. Near budget balance is attained by returning as much of the received payments as rebates to agents. Two performance criteria are of interest: the maximum ratio of budget surplus to efficient surplus, and the expected budget surplus, within the class of linear rebate functions. The goal is to minimize them. Assuming that the valuation functions are known, we show that both problems reduce to convex optimization problems, where the convex constraint sets are characterized by a continuum of half-plane constraints parameterized by the vector of reported types. We then propose a randomized relaxation of these problems by sampling constraints. The relaxed problem is a linear programming problem (LP). We then identify the number of samples needed for ``near-feasibility'' of the relaxed constraint set. Under some conditions on the valuation function, we show that value of the approximate LP is close to the optimal value. Simulation results show significant improvements of our proposed method over the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism without rebates. In the special case of indivisible goods, the mechanisms in this paper fall back to those proposed by Moulin, by Guo and Conitzer, and by Gujar and Narahari, without any need for randomization. Extension of the proposed mechanisms to situations when the valuation functions are not known to the central planner are also discussed. Note to Practitioners-Our results will be useful in all resource allocation problems that involve gathering of information privately held by strategic users, where the utilities are any concave function of the allocations, and where the resource planner is not interested in maximizing revenue, but in efficient sharing of the resource. Such situations arise quite often in fair sharing of internet resources, fair sharing of funds across departments within the same parent organization, auctioning of public goods, etc. We study methods to achieve near budget balance by first collecting payments according to the celebrated VCG mechanism, and then returning as much of the collected money as rebates. Our focus on linear rebate functions allows for easy implementation. The resulting convex optimization problem is solved via relaxation to a randomized linear programming problem, for which several efficient solvers exist. This relaxation is enabled by constraint sampling. Keeping practitioners in mind, we identify the number of samples that assures a desired level of ``near-feasibility'' with the desired confidence level. Our methodology will occasionally require subsidy from outside the system. We however demonstrate via simulation that, if the mechanism is repeated several times over independent instances, then past surplus can support the subsidy requirements. We also extend our results to situations where the strategic users' utility functions are not known to the allocating entity, a common situation in the context of internet users and other problems.

Simulated water resource impacts and livelihood implications of stakeholder-developed scenarios in the Jaldhaka Basin, India

This paper shows how multidisciplinary research can help policy makers develop policies for sustainable agricultural water management interventions by supporting a dialogue between government departments that are in charge of different aspects of agricultural development. In the Jaldhaka Basin in West Bengal, India, a stakeholder dialogue helped identify potential water resource impacts and livelihood implications of an agricultural water management rural electrification scenario. Hydrologic modelling demonstrated that the expansion of irrigation is possible with only a localized effect on groundwater levels, but cascading effects such as declining soil fertility and negative impacts from agrochemicals will need to be addressed.

The impact of architectural uncertainty on product introduction in dispersed environments

This research addresses product introduction dispersed across locations and companies. Mechanisms appropriate to integrate activities in collocated teams may not serve dispersed teams well. A semiconductor design licensor was studied in depth to explore how dispersed product introduction varies with uncertainty. We found that autonomous teams focused on sub-products (micro-products) were used rather than cross-functional teams in departments with high architectural uncertainty. Both types of teams were effectively dispersed across locations and companies. This suggests that small high-technology companies may find it easier to expand into new geographies and product lines than was previously believed.

Descriptions of twelve new species and subspecies of mammals from Panama

In the early part of 1911 a collection of 368 mammals was made by me while engaged in the biological survey of the Canal Zone, and adjacent parts of Panama, undertaken by the Smithsonian Institution in cooperation with several government departments, including the War Department and Department of Agriculture. This collection, representing between 40 and 50 genera, includes 12 new species and subspecies which are here published in advance of a general report on the mammals of the region...(Document contains 13 pages)

Análisis de las necesidades del cliente y su satisfacción en la industria del mueble según las normas ISO 9000: un estudio de casos

[ES] La necesidad de determinar los requerimientos del cliente y satisfacerlos se ha convertido en el principal objetivo de las empresas. Gestionar esa actividad, comúnmente asociada al departamento de marketing, ha llegado a ser el fin de cualquier sistema de calidad, y por ende, del resto de departamentos de la organización. A través de un estudio de casos, este trabajo pretende identificar cuales son las prácticas de marketing habituales en la industria del mueble, y plantear un marco de actuación idóneo de acuerdo con los procedimientos establecidos en las normas de calidad ISO 9000:2000.

DUAQUAL: calidad percibida por docentes y alumnos en la gestión universitaria

[ES] El proceso de Bolonia ha remarcado una perspectiva institucional en la preocupación por la gestión de la calidad del servicio prestado en las universidades y otras instituciones de enseñanza superior. La calidad del servicio en la educación superior no se centra exclusivamente en el proceso de enseñanza- aprendizaje y en la relación entre docente y discente, sino que debe estar también garantizada en el servicio prestado por las bibliotecas universitarias, los servicios de acción social, los servicios académicos y las secretarías departamentales.

Encouraging them to come to us: changing the way that information is made available to farmers

Recommendations for changes to service provision and fisheries policy in support of poverty alleviation emerged recently in India from a process know as facilitated advocacy (see Case Study SI 2) that helped to negotiate and support a role for poor people and their service providers, to contribute to changes in services and policies. Two of the key recommendations to emerge from farmers and fishers, which were prioritized by Fisheries Departments, were to change the way that information is made available and to simplify procedures for accessing government schemes and bank loans. This case which identifies the origin of these recommendations to change the way that information is made available, shows how different models of the concept have emerged, and follows the development of the One-stop Aqua Shops (OAS) in the eastern Indian states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal, that represent a new and vital tier in communications in aquaculture. (12 p.)

Una aproximación a la situación de la mujer en los estudios universitarios de informática

[ES]En los últimos años, la baja participación de la mujer y la tendencia al descenso de los porcentajes de alumnas matriculadas en los estudios universitarios de informática ha sido objeto de estudio para investigadoras/es en Estados Unidos, Europa y otros países. Habiendo constatado también en la Facultad de Informática de San Sebastián (FISS) de la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) dicho descenso, nuestro objetivo ha sido recopilar información estadística para determinar si esta tendencia se ha producido también en otras universidades del Estado español. El estudio incluye, en primer lugar,porcentajes de mujeres inscritas en Ingeniería Informática comparados con los porcentajes en el área técnica en su conjunto. Por otra parte, recoge datos del tercer ciclo y porcentajes de profesoras de los departamentos que imparten docencia en la FISS, comparados con los porcentajes en los mismos departamentos en el conjunto del Estado. Por último, se presentan datos de inserción en el mundo laboral para las promociones 1998-2002 de egresadas/os en la UPV/EHU. Los datos revelan los bajos porcentajes de mujeres que se han matriculado en Ingeniería Informática los últimos años y la tendencia al descenso, las diferencias entre distintas universidades,y que apenas hay sesgo de género en los datos de inserción en el mundo laboral.

Wastewater treatment plant inspection program, fiscal year 2006 and 2007 data report

This data report includes the results from Alachua County Environmental Protection Department’s inspections of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) within Alachua County during the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years (October 2005 – September 2007). Groundwater monitoring data provided to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Department by the WWTP operators is included for those treatment plants that are required to submit this information (PDF has 44 pages.)

Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone (1911)

With the cooperation of several of the executive departments, and of the Field Museum of Natural History, a party of about 10 naturalists was accordingly sent to the zone, and the results so far accomplished have been very satisfactory. Large collections of biological material have been received, including specimens of a considerable number of genera and species new to science. It also seemed important to determine exactly the geographical distribution of the various organisms inhabiting the Isthmus, which is one of the routes by which the animals and plants of South America have entered North America and vice versa. The estimated cost of the survey which would have to be met by the Institution is $11,000...

Rarefied gas dynamics: fundamentals, simulations and micro flows

Control of Disease in Aquaculture: Proceedings of the Nineteenth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture, Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan, 29-30 October 1990, Satellite Symposium: 2 November

The United States and Japanese counterpart panels on aquaculture were formed in 1969 under the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). The panels currently include specialists drawn from the federal departments most concerned with aquaculture. Charged with exploring and developing bilateral cooperation, the panels have focused their efforts on exchanging information related to aquaculture which could be of benefit to both countries. The UJNR was begun during the Third Cabinet-Level Meeting of the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in January 1964, In addition to aquaculture, current subjects in the program include desalination of seawater, toxic microorganisms, air pollution, energy, forage crops, national park management, mycoplasmosis, wind and seismic effects, protein resources, forestry, and several joint panels and committees in marine resources research, development, and utilization. Accomplishments include increased communication and cooperation among technical specialists; exchanges of information, data, and research findings; annual meetings of the panels, a policy-coordinative body; administrative staff meetings; exchanges of equipment, materials, and samples; several major technical conferences; and beneficial effects on international relations. (PDF file contains 150 pages.)

Marine Ranching: Proceedings of the Seventeenth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan October 16, 17, and 18, 1988, Satellite Symposium: October 20

The United States and Japanese counterpart panels on aquaculture were formed in 1969 under the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). The panels currently include specialists drawn from the federal departments most concerned with aquaculture. Charged with exploring and developing bilateral cooperation, the panels have focused their efforts on exchanging information related to aquaculture which could be of benefit to both countries. The UJNR was begun during the Third Cabinet-Level Meeting of the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in January 1964. In addition to aquaculture, current subjects in the program include desalination of seawater, toxic microorganisms, air pollution, energy, forage crops, national park management, mycoplasmosis, wind and seismic effects, protein resources, forestry, and several joint panels and committees in marine resources research, development, and utilization. Accomplishments include increased communication and cooperation among technical specialists; exchanges of information, data, and research findings; annual meetings of the panels, a policy-coordinative body; administrative staff meetings; exchanges of equipment, materials, and samples; several major technical conferences; and beneficial effects on international relations. (PDF file contains 186 pages.)

Genetics in Aquaculture: Proceedings of the Sixteenth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture Charleston, South Carolina October 20 and 21, 1987

The United States and Japanese counterpart panels on aquaculture were formed in 1969 under the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). The panels currently include specialists drawn from the federal departments most concerned with aquaculture. Charged with exploring and developing bilateral cooperation, the panels have focused their efforts on exchanging information related to aquaculture which could be of benefit to both countries. The UJNR was begun during the Third Cabinet-Level Meeting of the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in January 1964. In addition to aquaculture, current subjects in the program include desalination of seawater, toxic microorganisms, air pollution, energy, forage crops, national park management, mycoplasmosis, wind and seismic effects, protein resources, forestry, and several joint panels and committees in marine resources research, development, and utilization. Accomplishments include: Increased communication and cooperation among technical specialists; exchanges of information, data, and research findings; annual meetings of the panels, a policy-coordinative body; administrative staff meetings; exchanges of equipment, materials, and samples; several major technical conferences; and beneficial effects on international relations. (PDF file contains 88 pages.)

Marine farming and enhancement: Proceedings of the Fifteenth U.S.-Japan Meeting on Aquaculture, Kyoto, Japan October 22-23, 1986

The United States and Japanese counterpart panels on aquaculture were formed in 1969 under the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). The panels currently include specialists drawn from the federal departments most concerned with aquaculture. Charged with exploring and developing bilateral cooperation, the panels have focused their efforts on exchanging information related to aquaculture which could be of benefit to both countries. The UJNR was begun during the Third Cabinet-Level Meeting of the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in January 1964. In addition to aquaculture, current subjects in the program include desalination of seawater, toxic microorganisms, air pollution, energy, forage crops, national park management, mycoplasmosis, wind and seismic effects, protein resources, forestry, and several joint panels and committees in marine resources research, development, and utilization. Accomplishments include: Increased communication and cooperation among technical specialists; exchanges of information, data, and research findings; annual meetings of the panels, a policy-coordinative body; administrative staff meetings; exchanges of equipment, materials, and samples; several major technical conferences; and beneficial effects on international relations. (PDF file contains 134 pages.)