We investigate the empirical evidence of the "textbook theory" of minimum wages for the Austrian Industry. The bargaining result of unions and firms is interpreted as a minimum wage, as the bargaining situation in Austria may be described best by a "right to manage" model". Based on the analysis of micro-founded "employment functions" in contrast to the predictions of the "textbook analysis" no significant negative effect of minimum wages on employment is found. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers Series "Growth and Employment in Europe: Sustainability and Competitiveness"

The set R of relevant cycles of a graph G is the union of its minimum cycle bases. We introduce a partition of R such that each cycle in a class W can be expressed as a sum of other cycles in W and shorter cycles. It is shown that each minimum cycle basis contains the same number of representatives of a given class W. This result is used to derive upper and lower bounds on the number of distinct minimum cycle bases. Finally, we give a polynomial-time algorithm to compute this partition. (author's abstract) / Series: Preprint Series / Department of Applied Statistics and Data Processing

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses the Texas Condition Assessment Program (TxCAP) to measure and compare the overall road maintenance conditions among its 25 districts. TxCAP combines data from three existing subsystems: the Pavement Management Information System (PMIS), which scores the condition of pavement; the Texas Maintenance Assessment Program (TxMAP), which evaluates roadside conditions; and the Texas Traffic Assessment Program (TxTAP), which evaluates the condition of signs, work zones, railroad crossings, and other traffic elements to get an overall picture of the condition of state roads. As a result, TxCAP provides a more comprehensive assessment of the interstate and non-interstate highways. However, the scores for each of the subsystems are based on data of different sample sizes, accuracy, and levels of variations, making it difficult to decide if the difference between two TxCAP score is a true difference or measurement error. Therefore, whether the use of TxCAP is an effective and consistent means to measure the TxDOT roadway maintenance conditions raises concerns and needs to be evaluated. In order to achieve this objective, statistical analyses of the system were conducted in two ways: 1) to determine whether sufficient samples are collected for each of the subsystems, and 2) to determine if the scores are statistically different from each other. A case study was conducted with a dataset covering the whole state from 2008 to 2010. The case study results show that the difference in scores between two districts are statistically significant for some of the districts and insignificant for some other districts. It is therefore recommended that TxDOT either compare the 25 districts by groups/tiers or increase the sample size of the data being collected to compare the districts as individual ones. / text

A sign pattern matrix is a matrix whose entries are from the set {+,-,0}. The minimum rank of a sign pattern matrix A is the minimum of the rank of the real matrices whose entries have signs equal to the corresponding entries of A. It is conjectured that the minimum rank of every sign pattern matrix can be realized by a rational matrix. The equivalence of this conjecture to several seemingly unrelated statements are established. For some special cases, such as when A is entrywise nonzero, or the minimum rank of A is at most 2, or the minimum rank of A is at least n - 1,(where A is mxn), the conjecture is shown to hold.Connections between this conjecture and the existence of positive rational solutions of certain systems of homogeneous quadratic polynomial equations with each coefficient equal to either -1 or 1 are explored. Sign patterns that almost require unique rank are also investigated.

Šis magistro darbas yra skirtas stochastinių ekstremumų stabilumo uždavinių sprendimui. Šiame darbe yra atlikta N stabilumo analizė, kai N yra pasiskirstęs pagal geometrinį, Sibuya ir Harris dėsnius. Taip pat yra paskaičiuotas konvergavimo greitis maksimumams ir atlikta konvergavimo greičio kompiuterinė analizė. Gautais rezultatais mes patvirtinome jau žinomą faktą, kad geometrinis N maks stabilumas ir N min stabilumas yra vienas kitą sąlygojantys. Taip pat gavome ir įrodėme naujus rezultatus, jog Sibuya ir Harris N maks ir N min stabilumai nėra vienas kitą sąlygojantys. / This master’s work is dedicated to solution of the stochastic extremums stability problems. In this work the analysis of N stability is done then N is distributed by geometrical, Sibuya and Harris laws. The convergence rate for maximums was constructed and also computerized analysis of results was done. In accordance with the main results, we confirmed the known fact that geometrical N max stability and N min stability are influencing each other. Also we obtained and proved new results, that Sibuya and Harris N max stability and N min stability are not influencing each other.

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No description available.

<p>The detention of juvenile offenders is not encouraged by both the Constitution and a number of international instruments. This right is entrenched in the South African Constitution (section 28(1)(g) ) which provides that every child has the right not to be detained except as a measure of last resort in which case, in addition to the rights a child enjoys under section s12 and 35, the child may be detained only for the shortest appropriate period of time. This Constitutional provision, in clear terms, views the incarceration of juvenile offenders in a serious light as it provides that the detention of juvenile offenders should be a measure of last resort. One of the important international instruments, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, (Article 37(b) provides that children may be arrested, detained or imprisoned &ldquo / only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time&rdquo / . This thesis examines the impact of the Constitution and some international instruments on the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 105 of 1997 with regard to juvenile offenders. It also sets out the current legal position in South Africa with regard to sentencing of juvenile offenders.</p>

Falls among older adults (age 65 years and older) residing in personal care homes (PCHs) are an important health concern. Atypical antipsychotic drugs (AADs) have been shown to be associated with fall risk among older adults. However, previous studies face some methodological limitations that affect the quality, consistency, and comparability of these studies. Therefore, a population-based study was undertaken to examine the effect of AAD use on the risk of falling among older PCH residents. A nested case-control study was conducted using the administrative healthcare records and Minimum Data Set for PCHs (MDS) housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. The study period was from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007. Cases (n=626) were fallers as recorded in MDS. Using incidence density sampling, each case was matched to four controls on length of PCH stay, age, and sex (n=2,388). Exposure to AADs was obtained from the Drug Program Information Network database. Conditional logistic regression was used to model the effects of AAD use on the risk of falling while accounting for matching and for confounding of other covariates. While the adjusted odds of falling was statistically greater for AAD users versus nonusers (adjusted odds ratio = 1.60, 95% CI 1.10-2.32), this association was type and dose dependent. Compared to nonusers, the odds of falling was greater for quetiapine users, regardless of this drug's dose, and high dose risperidone users. On the other hand, low dose risperidone and olanzapine, irrespective of drug dose, use was not associated with the risk of falling. Furthermore, the effect of AAD use, in general, on the risk of falling was significantly greater for people with wandering problems (adjusted odds ratio = 1.84, 95% CI 1.09-3.09). Despite some methodological limitations, this research has provided some unique findings that enhance our understanding of AAD use as a fall risk factor. Study findings allow policymakers to further develop evidence-based interventions specific to AADs in order to better manage falls in the PCH setting. However, a great deal of research is still needed to address other important unanswered questions.

The economic impact of frost on agriculture remains a global problem. It is a particular concern for the New Zealand wine industry, where the consequences of an unexpected spring frost can be disastrous. Marlborough is located in the north-eastern corner of the South Island and is the largest grape-growing region in New Zealand. The region is surrounded by complex mountainous terrain that gives rise to extremes of climate, particularly large spatial variations of minimum temperature and the frequent occurrence of spring frost. The high spatial variation of near-surface minimum temperature can lead to under-preparedness among grape growers who rely on accurate frost forecasts as part of their frost mitigation systems. Field campaigns of the 1980’s and 90’s extended the understanding of the physical meteorological processes that affect cooling in complex terrain. More recent modelling efforts continue to refine this knowledge, although much less attention is given to the effects of different cooling processes on near-surface temperature. Agricultural developments in areas of complex terrain would benefit from an increased understanding of the meteorological processes that govern near-surface cooling, as this will help with the local prediction of frost. The spatial variation of near-surface minimum temperatures is first explored by identifying relationships with synoptic weather patterns using the Kidson (2000) synoptic classification scheme. Analysis revealed that Kidson types associated with the largest daily variations in near-surface minimum temperature (T, TNW and H) are not always associated with the occurrence of frost. Frost is more likely to occur during the cooler airflows of Kidson type HW, HNW and SW, or during the settled anticyclonic conditions that follow cooler airflows. The relationship between the spatial variation of near-surface minimum temperature and regional airflow patterns is explored using numerical weather prediction (NWP) modelling. Results indicated that a high σ Tmin around the region is a product of interaction between the region’s complex terrain and ambient meteorology, and it could occur in both settled weather and more dynamic synoptic conditions. A high regional σ Tmin during light ridge top winds could occur as a function of a location’s relative susceptibility to ventilation from thermally-induced drainage winds, and it may also occur as a result of the simultaneous ventilation and stagnation of near-surface air layers as synoptic wind interacts with local topography. The influence of the vertical structure of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) on nearsurface minimum temperature was investigated with the University of Canterbury Sonic Detection And Ranging (SODAR). Measurements confirmed the formation of low-level jets (LLJ’s) in the Awatere and Wairau Valleys during settled weather conditions, and that shear-induced turbulence beneath the jets was sufficient to mix warmer air to the surface and increase local temperatures. The process is sufficient to reduce frost risk to some of the region’s upper valleys during clear settled weather. In stronger ridge top winds development of the LLJ’s can be suppressed or eliminated and this was found to reduce shear-induced turbulence near the surface, allowing increased near-surface cooling. While results from this study are of greatest value to the prediction of near-surface minimum temperature and frost in Marlborough, the results could be applied to improved prediction of near-surface minimum temperature in complex terrain around the world. Further research could be directed toward the interaction of synoptic winds with thermally-induced airflows, as the transition zone between these wind systems is believed to govern the temporal and spatial evolution of near-surface stagnation, and this is related to episodes of strong near-surface cooling.