bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender Difference in Households’ Expenditure on Higher Education: Evidence from Mongolia
Authors: Khajikhan Tansaya 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe existing evidence suggests that there is a reverse gender gap in higher education in Mongolia. Prior studies on the reverse gender gap in education were based on the gross enrolment rates and did not delve deeper in terms of using empirical data analyzed over an extended time-period. This paper investigates gender bias in the households’ expenditure on higher education and tracks changes over the ten-year period from 2008 to 2018 using empirical data. In this regard, this study examines the factors and determinants responsible for the gender bias in the households’ expenditure on higher education. To address these questions, the study employs the Engel Curve approach (unconditional educational expenditure) and Hurdle model, which estimates bias in the enrolment decisions and bias in the conditional educational expenditure, both at the household and individual level in 2008 and 2018, using the Household Socio-Economic Survey of Mongolia. Its findings illustrate that gender bias in households’ expenditure on higher education does exist, and it favors girls over boys at the household and individual levels in 2008 and 2018. The findings show that households allocate a greater share of education expenditure to females aged 16–18 and 19–24 than to their male counterparts. Statistical analysis suggests that households’ residence and the occupation of household heads are two important factors affecting this gender bias. Thus, if a household resides in the countryside and its head is employed in the agricultural sector, female offspring are more likely to receive higher education than male offspring. Traditional gender roles and the Mongolian way of life, which centers around attending to livestock and requiring a male labor force and the wage gap, are contextual factors that help explain this gender bias.
China and The OSCE’s Security Identity Crisis
Authors: Murat Assel , Muhamedov Rustam 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis study attempts to explore how China as an external actor bordering the OSCE region facilitates and amplifies the norm contestation in the OSCE’s wider region. We argue that China can use the OSCE’s internal leadership and security crisis for its own strategic advantage by further weakening the OSCE participating States’ commitments in the human dimension and their support for democratic institutions. We discuss the aforementioned through the case of the persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang. The research findings indicate that China uses its policy tools to accomplish its objectives: it seeks to expand and strengthen the network of supporting states in regard to Xinjiang; it uses its diplomats as outlets of propaganda and disinformation to deny the persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang and to present China as a benign actor; it uses multilateral institutions such as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a platform to build support for its alternative regional security governance model. We conclude that this policy posture undermines the work of the OSCE and trust in its values, norms, and practices.
The Power Shift from Government to Organized Crime in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Bakiev Erlan 
Published: August 2021

AbstractOrganized crime (OC) groups in Kyrgyzstan have reached a level where they are competing with governmental authorities and institutions. Leaders of OC groups can assign members of their groups into law enforcement positions and parliament. It is safe to claim that the absence of rule of law and legal gaps encourage organized crime groups to flourish. From an economic point of view, privatization and capitalization of the economic system in the process of democratization have been in the interest and favor of the development of criminal organizations. Organized crime gangs can easily fill their chests by benefiting from the legal gaps. For instance, all the jewelry store owners at the major markets in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan pay fees to an OC gang for their safety and security. Small business owners have been taken under control by organized crime to resolve economic disputes or just because they are in their area of control. Moreover, gangs and groups operating in the South Kyrgyzstan, as well as in Talas and Bishkek, deal with drug trafficking. The cultural aspect of this issue focuses on the importance of the clan ties and network connections in Kyrgyzstan and its use by organized crime. The networking used by the OC also includes utilization of the Internet and social media, consequently it became difficult to counter them during the process of globalization and the whole of society being integrated with the internet and social media, the fight against organized crime has become more difficult. Challenging existing socio-cultural structures, to increase law enforcement and combat clan-based subculture and informal law practices, such as the “thieves” “laws” and “brotherhood hierarchies” of organized crime, have been an almost impossible endeavor over the past 30 years. Consequently, breaking the network of OC and destroying its nationwide functions is a challenge, not only in Kyrgyzstan but in many post-soviet countries.
Identity and Power—The Discursive Transformation of the Former Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan
Authors: Aleef Dastan 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe former Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) underwent a political transformation from an Islamist organization, partly responsible for armed mobilizations during the Civil War in Tajikistan (1992–1997), to a moderate and arguably democratic party from the early 2000s until 2015. The party defined and redefined its identity to fit both Islamic and secular democratic narratives. This research traced the evolution of the IRPT’s identity in light of critical events such as the change in leadership in 2006, and the Arab Spring. A discourse analysis of the IRPT’s main communication channel, Najot, from 2008 to 2015 has been conducted, which found three themes where strong articulations about identity were made: secularism, the Civil War, and the Islamic World. First, they challenged the core legislation regulating the triangular relationship of state, society, and religion; they justified political Islam; and they criticized what they called “secular extremism.” Second, the party produced a counter-narrative of Civil War actors and actions to that of the state. Third, they expressed solidarity with legal and controversial Islamic parties elsewhere, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, or the Palestinian Hamas. This paper has found that the IRPT’s ideological transformation was limited due to the remaining Islamist elements in their discourse and the lack of clarity on the compatibility between Islamic and secular democratic programs.
The Energy-Energy Correlation in the back-to-back limit at N3LO and N3LL′
Authors: Ebert Markus A. , Mistlberger Bernhard , Vita Gherardo 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
We present the analytic formula for the Energy-Energy Correlation (EEC) in electron-positron annihilation computed in perturbative QCD to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N3LO) in the back-to-back limit. In particular, we consider the EEC arising from the annihilation of an electron-positron pair into a virtual photon as well as a Higgs boson and their subsequent inclusive decay into hadrons. Our computation is based on a factorization theorem of the EEC formulated within Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) for the back-to-back limit. We obtain the last missing ingredient for our computation — the jet function — from a recent calculation of the transverse-momentum dependent fragmentation function (TMDFF) at N3LO. We combine the newly obtained N3LO jet function with the well known hard and soft function to predict the EEC in the back-to-back limit. The leading transcendental contribution of our analytic formula agrees with previously obtained results in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We obtain the N = 2 Mellin moment of the bulk region of the EEC using momentum sum rules. Finally, we obtain the first resummation of the EEC in the back-to-back limit at N3LL′ accuracy, resulting in a factor of ∼ 4 reduction of uncertainties in the peak region compared to N3LL predictions.
Economic evaluation of a complex intervention (Engager) for prisoners with common mental health problems, near to and after release: a cost-utility and cost-consequences analysis
Authors: Hunter Rachael Maree , Anderson Rob , Kirkpatrick Tim , Lennox Charlotte , Warren Fiona , Taylor Rod S. , Shaw Jenny , Haddad Mark , Stirzaker Alex , Maguire Mike , Byng Richard 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Background
People in prison experience a range of physical and mental health problems. Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of prison-based interventions presents a number of methodological challenges. We present a case study of an economic evaluation of a prison-based intervention (“Engager”) to address common mental health problems.

Methods
Two hundred and eighty people were recruited from prisons in England and randomised to Engager plus usual care or usual care. Participants were followed up for 12 months following release from prison. The primary analysis is the cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained of Engager compared to usual care from a National Health Service (NHS) perspective with QALYs calculated using the CORE 6 Dimension. A cost-consequences analysis evaluated cross-sectoral costs and a range of outcomes.

Results
From an NHS perspective, Engager cost an additional £2737 per participant (95% of iterations between £1029 and £4718) with a mean QALY difference of − 0.014 (95% of iterations between − 0.045 and 0.017). For the cost-consequences, there was evidence of improved access to substance misuse services 12 months post-release (odds ratio 2.244, 95% confidence Interval 1.304–3.861).

Conclusion
Engager provides a rare example of a cost-utility analysis conducted in prisons and the community using patient-completed measures. Although the results from this trial show no evidence that Engager is cost-effective, the results of the cost-consequences analysis suggest that follow-up beyond 12 months post-release using routine data may provide additional insights into the effectiveness of the intervention and the importance of including a wide range of costs and outcomes in prison-based economic evaluations.

Trial registration
(ISRCTN11707331).
A multiplicity result for a (p, q)-Schrödinger–Kirchhoff type equation
Authors: Ambrosio Vincenzo , Isernia Teresa 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we study a class of (p, q)-Schrödinger–Kirchhoff type equations involving a continuous positive potential satisfying del Pino–Felmer type conditions and a continuous nonlinearity with subcritical growth at infinity. By applying variational methods, penalization techniques and Lusternik–Schnirelman category theory, we relate the number of positive solutions with the topology of the set where the potential attains its minimum values.
Debt Relief as a Last Resort for the Lender of Last Resort?
Authors: Hansen Arne , Meyer Dirk 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe coronavirus crisis has led to a sharp increase in the debt-to-GDP ratios of the euro area member states. Without external support, access to the capital market could be seriously threatened in the medium term for Italy, but also for other member states. While the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme, which is designed as a monetary policy instrument, is regarded by some as a violation of the prohibition of monetary financing, the Next Generation EU recovery fund is likely to direct the fundamental structures of the European Union towards a fiscal union with considerable redistribution elements. This article analyses an alternative strategy, namely debt relief by the European System of Central Banks through an EU debt agency. Such a scheme would be possible without amending the EU treaties and would avoid negative equity at the central banks. The question is under what circumstances would this approach be suitable and proportionate?
Reducing the Mobility of SARS-CoV-2 Variants to Safeguard Containments
Authors: Hellwig Martin , Priesemann Viola , Wolff Guntram B. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractEscape variants can cause new waves of COVID-19 outbreaks and put vaccination strategies at risk. To prevent or delay the global spread of these waves, virus mobility needs to be minimised through screening and testing strategies, which should also cover vaccinated people. The costs of these strategies are minimal compared to the costs to health, society and the economy from another wave.
Automatic Edge Detection Applied to Cavitating Flow Analysis: Cavitation Cloud Dynamics and Properties Measured through Detected Image Regions
Authors: Hutli Ezddin , Petrović Petar B. , Nedeljkovic Milos , Legrady David 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn a cavitating water jet, cavity clouds emerge and collapse with an unsteady, but periodic tendency where the frequencies depend on the working conditions. The presented work aims at examining and analyze the dynamic behavior and properties of the clouds under different circumstances. Computer vision and image processing were introduced as tools to define the cavitation clouds based on the Contour Recognition technique. A Canny operator and Otsu threshold fragmenting methods were used. The use of these methods allows for a better understanding of the cavitating jet clouds' behavior based on the pixel intensities and shows that for an arbitrary cloud the surface itself has a dynamic feature and depends on the cavity composition. The clouds' properties could be measured and correlated to the applied working conditions. Also, the oscillation frequencies of the area of the clouds could be determined. The analysis shows that the quality of the obtained results depends mainly on the input threshold values separating the foreground and background pixels. The difficulty of defining the threshold value is discussed in the paper, as well as the validity of using the Contour Recognition technique in this field.
Link prediction in dynamic networks using random dot product graphs
Authors: Sanna Passino Francesco , Bertiger Anna S. , Neil Joshua C. , Heard Nicholas A. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe problem of predicting links in large networks is an important task in a variety of practical applications, including social sciences, biology and computer security. In this paper, statistical techniques for link prediction based on the popular random dot product graph model are carefully presented, analysed and extended to dynamic settings. Motivated by a practical application in cyber-security, this paper demonstrates that random dot product graphs not only represent a powerful tool for inferring differences between multiple networks, but are also efficient for prediction purposes and for understanding the temporal evolution of the network. The probabilities of links are obtained by fusing information at two stages: spectral methods provide estimates of latent positions for each node, and time series models are used to capture temporal dynamics. In this way, traditional link prediction methods, usually based on decompositions of the entire network adjacency matrix, are extended using temporal information. The methods presented in this article are applied to a number of simulated and real-world graphs, showing promising results.
Stick or Carrot? Asymmetric Responses to Vehicle Registration Taxes in Norway
Authors: Ciccone Alice , Soldani Emilia 
Published: August 2021

AbstractVehicle registrations have been shown to strongly react to tax reforms aimed at reducing CO﻿2 emissions from passengers’ cars, but are the effects equally strong for positive and negative tax changes? The literature on asymmetric reactions to price and tax changes has documented asymmetries for everyday goods but has not yet considered durables. We leverage multiple vehicle registration tax (VRT) reforms in Norway and estimate their impact on within car-model substitutions. We estimate stronger effects for cars receiving tax cuts and rebates than for those affected by tax increases. The corresponding estimated elasticity is − 1.99 for VRT decreases and 0.77 for increases. As consumers may also substitute across car models, our estimates represent a lower bound.
Measuring the unseen: mobilizing citizen scientists to monitor groundwater in Nepal
Authors: Prajapati Rajaram , Talchabhadel Rocky , Thapa Bhesh Raj , Upadhyay Surabhi , Thapa Amber Bahadur , Ertis Brandon , Davids Jeffrey C. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGroundwater-level monitoring provides crucial information on the nature and status of aquifers and their response to stressors like climate change, groundwater extraction, and land use changes. Therefore, the development of a spatially distributed long-term monitoring network is indispensable for sustainable groundwater resource management. Despite being one of our greatest unseen resources, groundwater systems are too often poorly understood, ineffectively managed, and unsustainably used. This study investigates the feasibility of establishing a groundwater monitoring network mobilizing citizen scientists. We established a network of 45 shallow monitoring wells in the Kathmandu Valley using existing wells. We recruited 75% of the citizen scientists through personal connections and the rest through outreach programs at academic institutes and site visits. We used various methods to encourage citizen scientists to complete regular measurements and solicited feedback from them based on their experiences. Citizen scientists were more consistent during the monsoon season (June through September) than non-monsoon seasons. The depth-to-water below the ground surface varied from − 0.11 m (negative sign represents a groundwater level higher than the ground surface) to 11.5 m, with a mean of 4.07 m and standard deviation of 2.63 m. Groundwater levels began to rise abruptly with the onset of monsoon season and the shallowest and the deepest groundwater levels were recorded in peak rainfall months and dry months respectively. Citizen science-based groundwater monitoring using existing wells would be an economic and sustainable approach for groundwater monitoring. Improved groundwater-level data will provide essential information for understanding the shallow groundwater system of the valley, which will assist concerned authorities in planning and formulating evidence-based policy on sustainable groundwater management.
Non-empirical problems in fair machine learning
Authors: Scantamburlo Teresa 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe problem of fair machine learning has drawn much attention over the last few years and the bulk of offered solutions are, in principle, empirical. However, algorithmic fairness also raises important conceptual issues that would fail to be addressed if one relies entirely on empirical considerations. Herein, I will argue that the current debate has developed an empirical framework that has brought important contributions to the development of algorithmic decision-making, such as new techniques to discover and prevent discrimination, additional assessment criteria, and analyses of the interaction between fairness and predictive accuracy. However, the same framework has also suggested higher-order issues regarding the translation of fairness into metrics and quantifiable trade-offs. Although the (empirical) tools which have been developed so far are essential to address discrimination encoded in data and algorithms, their integration into society elicits key (conceptual) questions such as: What kind of assumptions and decisions underlies the empirical framework? How do the results of the empirical approach penetrate public debate? What kind of reflection and deliberation should stakeholders have over available fairness metrics? I will outline the empirical approach to fair machine learning, i.e. how the problem is framed and addressed, and suggest that there are important non-empirical issues that should be tackled. While this work will focus on the problem of algorithmic fairness, the lesson can extend to other conceptual problems in the analysis of algorithmic decision-making such as privacy and explainability.
High-precision photometry with Ariel
Authors: Szabó Gyula M. , Kálmán Szilárd , Pribulla Theodor , Claret Antonio , Mugnai Lorenzo V. , Pascale Enzo , Waltham Dave , Borsato Luca , Garai Zoltán , Szabó Róbert 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn this paper we describe the photometry instruments of Ariel, consisting of the VISPhot, FGS1 and FGS2 photometers in the visual and mid-IR wavelength. These photometers have their own cadence, which can be independent from each other and the cadence of the spectral instruments. Ariel will be capable to do high cadence and high precision photometry in independent bands. There is also a possibility for synthetic Jsynth, Hsynth, and wide-band thermal infrared photometry from spectroscopic data. Although the cadence of the synthetic bands will be identical to that of the spectrographs, the precision of synthetic photometry in the suggested synthetic bands will be at least as precise as the optical data. We present the accuracy of these instruments. We also review selected fields of new science which will be opened up by the possibility of high cadence multiband space photometry, including stellar rotation, spin-orbit misalignment, orbital precession, planetary rotation and oblateness, tidal distortions, rings, and moons.
The impact of carbon disclosure mandates on emissions and financial operating performance
Authors: Downar Benedikt , Ernstberger Jürgen , Reichelstein Stefan , Schwenen Sebastian , Zaklan Aleksandar 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe examine the impact of a disclosure mandate for greenhouse gas emissions on firms’ subsequent emission levels and financial operating performance. For UK-incorporated listed firms a carbon disclosure mandate was adopted in 2013. Our difference-in-differences design shows that firms affected by the mandate reduced their emissions by about 8% relative to a control group of European firms. At the same time, our tests indicate that the treated firms experienced no significant changes in their gross margins. Taken together, our findings indicate that the reporting mandate had a real effect on the variable to be disclosed without adversely affecting the financial operating performance of the treated firms.
Experimental evidence on the effect of incentives and domain in risk aversion and discounting tasks
Authors: Mentzakis Emmanouil , Sadeh Jana 
Published: August 2021

AbstractEnvironmental policy evaluation is often criticised for employing discount rates that have little grounding in research. Yet, experimental research aimed at eliciting realistic rates will inevitably require strong assumptions of external validity, while also placing large cognitive demands on subjects by processing tasks of increased unfamiliarity. We use a controlled lab experiment to test the impact of incentives on risk aversion and discounting tasks for monetary and environmental goods. We find that, on average, incentives have little effect on risk aversion or discounting tasks in either domain. Exploring heterogeneity by treatment and socio-demographics some significant patterns emerge. Further, contrary to past work, we find evidence of domain (monetaryvs. environmental good) effects in both risk and discounting.