Iowa Efficiency Review Report to Governor Chet Culver and Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge, December 18,2009

Public Works is pleased to present the following Iowa Efficiency Review Report to Governor Chet Culver and Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge. This report is the product of a collaboration between our consulting team and very dedicated Iowa state employees who worked with us to share ideas and cost‐saving proposals under very difficult circumstances caused by the national financial crisis that is affecting state budgets throughout the country. For example, during the course of this review, Iowa departments were also asked to develop across‐the‐board cuts to achieve immediate reductions in state spending. It is a credit to Iowa state government that departmental staff continued to work on this Efficiency Review Report despite these challenges of also having to develop across‐the‐board budget cuts to achieve a balanced budget. We hope that these ideas will set the stage for further future budget improvements from achieving efficiencies, eliminating outdated practices, increasing the use of information technology solutions and finding new sources of non‐tax funding. The Efficiency Review Team faced a second challenge. Statewide Efficiency Reviews usually take from nine to 12 months to complete. In Iowa, we worked with dedicated department staff to complete our work in less than 4 months. The Governor challenged all of us to work intensely and to give him our best thinking on efficiency proposals so that he could act as quickly as possible to position state government for success over the next several years.

Comparison of thinning methods in a Scots pine stand on drained peatland : a simulation study

Tiivistelmä: Harvennusmenetelmien vertailu ojitetun turvemaan männikössä. Simulointitutkimus

Final Report Energy Efficiency Plans and Programs Study Committee, February 2009

The Legislative Council created the Energy Efficiency Plans and Programs Study Committee for the 2008 Legislative Interim pursuant to the passage of S.F. 2386 during the 2008 Legislative Session, which provided, in Section 8: The Legislative Council is requested to establish an interim study committee to examine the existence and effectiveness of energy efficiency plans and programs implemented by gas and electric public utilities, with an emphasis on results achieved by current plans and programs from the demand, or customer, perspective, and to make recommendations for additional requirements applicable to energy efficiency plans and programs that would improve such results. In conducting the study and developing recommendations, the Committee shall consider testimony from the Iowa Utilities Board, rate and nonrate-regulated gas and electric utilities, the Consumer Advocate, state agencies involved with energy efficiency program administration, environmental groups and associations, and consumers.

On the efficiency of recursive evaluations with applications to risk theory

On the efficiency of recursive evaluations with applications to risk theoryCette thèse est composée de trois essais qui portent sur l'efficacité des évaluations récursives de la distribution du montant total des sinistres d'un portefeuille de polices d'assurance au cours d'un période donnée. Le calcul de sa fonction de probabilité ou de quantités liées à cette distribution apparaît fréquemment dans la plupart des domaines de la pratique actuarielle.C'est le cas notamment pour le calcul du capital de solvabilité en Suisse ou pour modéliser la perte d'une assurance vie au cours d'une année. Le principal problème des évaluations récursives est que la propagation des erreurs provenant de la représentation des nombres réels par l'ordinateur peut être désastreuse. Mais, le gain de temps qu'elles procurent en réduisant le nombre d'opérations arithmétiques est substantiel par rapport à d'autres méthodes.Dans le premier essai, nous utilisons certaines propriétés d'un outil informatique performant afin d'optimiser le temps de calcul tout en garantissant une certaine qualité dans les résultats par rapport à la propagation de ces erreurs au cours de l'évaluation.Dans le second essai, nous dérivons des expressions exactes et des bornes pour les erreurs qui se produisent dans les fonctions de distribution cumulatives d'un ordre donné lorsque celles-ci sont évaluées récursivement à partir d'une approximation de la transformée de De Pril associée. Ces fonctions cumulatives permettent de calculer directement certaines quantités essentielles comme les primes stop-loss.Finalement, dans le troisième essai, nous étudions la stabilité des évaluations récursives de ces fonctions cumulatives par rapport à la propagation des erreurs citées ci-dessus et déterminons la précision nécessaire dans la représentation des nombres réels afin de garantir des résultats satisfaisants. Cette précision dépend en grande partie de la transformée de De Pril associée.

Citizens' control and the efficiency of local public services

Està àmpliament acceptat que la descentralització fiscal incrementa el control dels ciutadans sobre els polítics, fomenta el rendiment de comptes i augmenta l¿eficiència. Aquest treball té per objectiu identificar les característiques socio-econòmiques dels ciutadans (votants potencials) que generen un major control sobre els responsables polítics locals provocant, així, un major nivell d'eficiència en un context descentralitzat.També s'analitzen les característiques fiscals dels governs locals que fomenten aquest control i eficiència. L'estudi s'ha aplicat a una mostra de municipis catalans seguint la metodologia convencional basada en l'estimació en dues etapes. A la primera etapa s'estima l'eficiència en que operen els municipis mitjançant la tècnica DEA. La novetat rau en el càlcul d'una nova versió d'indicador global d¿output municipal. En la segona etapa, a través d¿una estimació tipus Tobit (models censurats) i de mètodes bootstrap, es mostra com els factors abans comentats poden influir sobre l¿eficiència. Els resultats suggereixen que la forta presencia de comerciants, jubilats i persones amb dret a vot afavoreixen el control dels ciutadans, el rendiment de comptes i l¿eficiència. Un factor que facilita aquest control, i per tant una major eficiència, és la presència de baixos costos d'oportunitat d'obtenir informació sobre la gestió local dels serveis públics.

Measuring the efficiency in Spanish municipal refuse collection services

The objective of this study is to analyse the technical or productive efficiency ofthe refuse collection services in 75 municipalities located in the Spanish regionof Catalonia. The analysis has been carried out using various techniques. Firstly we have calculated a deterministic parametric frontier, then a stochastic parametric frontier, and finally, various non-parametric approaches (DEA and FDH). Concerning the results, these naturally differ according to the technique used to approach the frontier. Nevertheless, they have an appearance of solidity, at least with regard to the ordinal concordance among the indices of efficiency obtained by the different approaches, as is demonstrated by the statistical tests used. Finally, we have attempted to search for any relation existing between efficiency and the method (public or private) of managing the services. No significant relation was found between the type of management and efficiencyindices

Thermal modeling and management in ultrathin chip stack technology

This paper presents a thermal modeling for power management of a new three-dimensional (3-D) thinned dies stacking process. Besides the high concentration of power dissipating sources, which is the direct consequence of the very interesting integration efficiency increase, this new ultra-compact packaging technology can suffer of the poor thermal conductivity (about 700 times smaller than silicon one) of the benzocyclobutene (BCB) used as both adhesive and planarization layers in each level of the stack. Thermal simulation was conducted using three-dimensional (3-D) FEM tool to analyze the specific behaviors in such stacked structure and to optimize the design rules. This study first describes the heat transfer limitation through the vertical path by examining particularly the case of the high dissipating sources under small area. First results of characterization in transient regime by means of dedicated test device mounted in single level structure are presented. For the design optimization, the thermal draining capabilities of a copper grid or full copper plate embedded in the intermediate layer of stacked structure are evaluated as a function of the technological parameters and the physical properties. It is shown an interest for the transverse heat extraction under the buffer devices dissipating most the power and generally localized in the peripheral zone, and for the temperature uniformization, by heat spreading mechanism, in the localized regions where the attachment of the thin die is altered. Finally, all conclusions of this analysis are used for the quantitative projections of the thermal performance of a first demonstrator based on a three-levels stacking structure for space application.

Analysis of the near-intrinsic and extrinsic photocapacitance due to the EL2 level in boron implanted GaAs

A detailed analysis of the photocapacitance signal at the near‐band and extrinsic energetic ranges in Schottky barriers obtained on horizontal Bridgman GaAs wafers, which were implanted with boron at different doses and annealed at several temperatures, has been carried out by using the optical isothermal transient spectroscopy, OITS. The optical cross sections have been determined as well as the quenching efficiency of the EL2 level which has been found to be independent of the annealing temperature. Moreover, the quenching relaxation presents two significant features: (i) a strong increase of the quenching efficiency from 1.35 eV on and (ii) a diminution of the quenching transient amplitude in relation with that shown by the fundamental EL2 level. In order to explain this behavior, different cases are discussed assuming the presence of several energy levels, the existence of an optical recuperation, or the association of the EL2 trap with two levels located, respectively, at Ev+0.45 eV and Ec−0.75 eV. The theoretical simulation, taking into account these two last cases, is in agreement with the experimental photocapacitance data at low temperature, as well as at room temperature where the EL2 filling phototransient shows an anomalous behavior. Moreover, unlike the previous data reported for the EL2 electron optical cross section, the values found using our experimental technique are in agreement with the behavior deduced from the theoretical calculation. The utilization of the OITS method has also allowed the determination of another level, whose faster optical contribution is often added to that of the EL2 level when the DLOS or standard photocapacitance is used.

Measurement and simulation of anisotropy in the Infrared and Raman spectra of beta-FeSi2 single crystals

In this paper we show that the orthorhombic phase of FeSi2 (stable at room temperature) displays a sizable anisotropy in the infrared spectra, with minor effects in the Raman data too. This fact is not trivial at all, since the crystal structure corresponds to a moderate distortion of the fluorite symmetry. Our analysis is carried out on small single crystals grown by flux transport, through polarization-resolved far-infrared reflectivity and Raman measurements. Their interpretation has been obtained by means of the simulated spectra with tight-binding molecular dynamics.

Citizens' control and the efficiency of local public services

Està àmpliament acceptat que la descentralització fiscal incrementa el control dels ciutadans sobre els polítics, fomenta el rendiment de comptes i augmenta l¿eficiència. Aquest treball té per objectiu identificar les característiques socio-econòmiques dels ciutadans (votants potencials) que generen un major control sobre els responsables polítics locals provocant, així, un major nivell d'eficiència en un context descentralitzat.També s'analitzen les característiques fiscals dels governs locals que fomenten aquest control i eficiència. L'estudi s'ha aplicat a una mostra de municipis catalans seguint la metodologia convencional basada en l'estimació en dues etapes. A la primera etapa s'estima l'eficiència en que operen els municipis mitjançant la tècnica DEA. La novetat rau en el càlcul d'una nova versió d'indicador global d¿output municipal. En la segona etapa, a través d¿una estimació tipus Tobit (models censurats) i de mètodes bootstrap, es mostra com els factors abans comentats poden influir sobre l¿eficiència. Els resultats suggereixen que la forta presencia de comerciants, jubilats i persones amb dret a vot afavoreixen el control dels ciutadans, el rendiment de comptes i l¿eficiència. Un factor que facilita aquest control, i per tant una major eficiència, és la presència de baixos costos d'oportunitat d'obtenir informació sobre la gestió local dels serveis públics.

Ruin Theory with Excess of Loss Reinsurance and Reinstatements

The present paper studies the probability of ruin of an insurer, if excess of loss reinsurance with reinstatements is applied. In the setting of the classical Cramer-Lundberg risk model, piecewise deterministic Markov processes are used to describe the free surplus process in this more general situation. It is shown that the finite-time ruin probability is both the solution of a partial integro-differential equation and the fixed point of a contractive integral operator. We exploit the latter representation to develop and implement a recursive algorithm for numerical approximation of the ruin probability that involves high-dimensional integration. Furthermore we study the behavior of the finite-time ruin probability under various levels of initial surplus and security loadings and compare the efficiency of the numerical algorithm with the computational alternative of stochastic simulation of the risk process. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the efficiency in Spanish municipal refuse collection services

The objective of this study is to analyse the technical or productive efficiency ofthe refuse collection services in 75 municipalities located in the Spanish regionof Catalonia. The analysis has been carried out using various techniques. Firstly we have calculated a deterministic parametric frontier, then a stochastic parametric frontier, and finally, various non-parametric approaches (DEA and FDH). Concerning the results, these naturally differ according to the technique used to approach the frontier. Nevertheless, they have an appearance of solidity, at least with regard to the ordinal concordance among the indices of efficiency obtained by the different approaches, as is demonstrated by the statistical tests used. Finally, we have attempted to search for any relation existing between efficiency and the method (public or private) of managing the services. No significant relation was found between the type of management and efficiencyindices

Diversity and efficiency of bradyrhizobium strains isolated from soil samples collected from around sesbania virgata roots using cowpea as trap species

The genetic diversity of ten Bradyrhizobium strains was evaluated for tolerance to high temperatures, to different salinity levels and for the efficiency of symbiosis with cowpea plants (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.). Eight of these strains were isolated from nodules that appeared on cowpea after inoculation with suspensions of soil sampled from around the root system of Sesbania virgata (wand riverhemp) in ecosystems of South Minas Gerais. The other two strains used in our analyses as references, were from the Amazon and are currently recommended as cowpea inoculants. Genetic diversity was analyzed by amplifying repetitive DNA elements with the BOX primer, revealing high genetic diversity with each strain presenting a unique band profile. Leonard jar assays showed that the strains UFLA 03-30 and UFLA 03-38 had the highest N2-fixing potentials in symbiosis with cowpea. These strains had more shoot and nodule dry matter, more shoot N accumulation, and a higher relative efficiency than the strains recommended as inoculants. All strains grew in media of pH levels ranging from 4.0 to 9.0. The strains with the highest N2-fixing efficiencies in symbiosis with cowpea were also tolerant to the greatest number of antibiotics. However, these strains also had the lowest tolerance to high salt concentrations. All strains, with the exceptions of UFLA 03-84 and UFLA 03-37, tolerated temperatures of up to 40 ºC. The genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the eight strains isolated from soils of the same region were highly variable, as well as their symbiotic efficiencies, despite their common origin. This variability highlights the importance of including these tests in the selection of cowpea inoculant strains.