Oosagitta gen. nov. from tropical Africa, with revision of two species and description of four new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae)

After our taxonomic revision of Ootheca Chevrolat, 1837, and the description of Oothecoides Kortenhaus & Wagner, 2011 and Ootibia Kortenhaus & Wagner, 2012, it became clear that a further four galerucine species, closely related to the above named taxa, form a distinct monophyletic group, that constitutes a new genus, Oosagitta gen. nov. with O. anningae sp. nov., O. geescheae sp. nov., O. melanopicta sp. nov. and O. thomasi sp. nov.. Exosoma angolensis Laboissière, 1939, the type species of the new genus, and Ergana minuta Laboissière, 1937 are newly transferred to Oosagitta gen. nov. All species of Oosagitta gen. nov. are characterized by a broad body and pronotum, a more or less convex dorsum and short legs, and as such are most similar to the other above named genera. The antennae of Oosagitta gen. nov. are distinctly longer than those of Ootheca, Oothecoides and Ootibia. Genital structures of the males allow a reliable identifi cation of the genus. (Re-) descriptions are given for all species, including semi-schematic illustrations depicting the habitus outline, shape of the basal antennomeres and the median lobe. Photographs of the name-bearing types and distribution maps are provided

Do Targeted Hiring Subsidies and Profiling Techniques Reduce Unemployment?

To reduce unemployment targeted hiring subsidies for long-term unemployed are often recommended. To explore their effect on employment and wages, we devise a model with two types of unemployed and two methods of search, a public employment service (PES) and random search. The eligibility of a new match depends on the applicant’s unemployment duration and on the method of search. The hiring subsidy raises job destruction and extends contrary to Mortensen-Pissarides (1999, 2003) the duration of a job search, so that equilibrium unemployment increases. Like the subsidy, organizational reforms, which advance the search effectiveness of the PES, crowd out the active jobseekers and reduce overall employment as well as social welfare. Nevertheless, reforms are a visible success for the PES and its target group, as they significantly increase the service’s placement rate and lower the duration of a job search via the PESMatching model; hiring subsidy; endogenous separation rate; active labour market policy; PES; random search

Base Period, Qualifying Period and the Equilibrium Rate of Unemployment

Unemployment benefits, benefit duration, base period and qualifying period are constituent parameters of the unemployment insurance system in most OECD countries. From economic research we know that the amount and duration of unemployment benefits increase unemployment. To analyze the effects of the other two parameters we use a matching model with search frictions and show that there is a trade-off between the qualifying and the base period on the one hand and the amount and duration of the unemployment benefits on the other. A country that combines a high level of unemployment benefits with a long benefit duration can neutralize the effect on the equilibrium rate of unemployment with a long qualifying and/or a short base period. -- Lohnersatzleistungen, Anspruchsdauern, Rahmenfristen und Anwartschaftszeiten sind konstituierende Parameter der Arbeitslosenversicherungen in den meisten OECD Ländern. Ökonomische Untersuchungen zeigen, dass Höhe und Dauer der Lohnersatzleistungen die Arbeitslosigkeit erhöhen. Im Rahmen eines Matching-Modells untersuchen wir die Wirkung der anderen beiden Parameter und zeigen, dass ein trade-off zwischen der Anwartschaftszeit und der Rahmenfrist auf der einen und der Höhe und der Dauer der Lohnersatzleistungen auf der anderen Seite existiert. Ein Land mit einer hohen Arbeitslosenunterstützung und langer Anspruchsdauer kann die Wirkung auf die Arbeitslosenquote durch eine lange Anwartschaftszeit und eine kurze Rahmenfrist neutralisieren.Unemployment insurance,base period,qualifying period

Analysis of quantum error correction with symmetric hypergraph states

Graph states have been used to construct quantum error correction codes for independent errors. Hypergraph states generalize graph states, and symmetric hypergraph states have been shown to allow for the correction of correlated errors. In this paper, it is shown that symmetric hypergraph states are not useful for the correction of independent errors, at least for up to 30 qubits. Furthermore, error correction for error models with protected qubits is explored. A class of known graph codes for this scenario is generalized to hypergraph codes.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures; corrected number of figures; 16.02.2018: removed minor inconsistencies in font choice, added supplemental files 23.02.2018: added journal re

Job Security as an Endogenous Job Characteristic

This paper develops a hedonic model of job security (JS). Workers with heterogeneous JS-preferences pay the hedonic price for JS to employers, who incur labor-hoarding costs from supplying JS. In contrast to the Wage-Bill Argument, equilibrium unemployment is strictly positive, as workers with weak JS-preferences trade JS for higher wages. The relation between optimal job insecurity and the perceived dismissal probability is hump-shaped. If firms observe demand, but workers do not, separation is not contractible and firms dismiss workers at-will. Although the workers are risk-averse, they respond to the one-sided private information by trading wage-risk for a higher JS. With two-sided private information, even JS-neutral workers pay the price for a JS guarantee, if their risk premium associated with the wage-replacement risk is larger than the social net loss from production.job security; hedonic market; implicit contract theory; guaranteed employment contract; severance pay contract; asymmetric information; prudence

A Hiring Subsidy for Long-Term Unemployed in a Search Model with PES and Random Search

Our search model combines two search methods, the public employment service (PES) and random search. The separation rate is endogenous, the job matching process consists of three stages. In the first and the second respectively the short-term (STU) and the long-term unemployed (LTU) randomly search for a vacancy. In the last stage the PES matches registered jobseekers with registered vacancies. The LTU cause training costs and, during the training period, have a lower marginal product than the STU. The effects of the hiring subsidy and of profiling techniques to increase the effectiveness of the PES depend on the target group. For target groups, who have relatively low private search costs in comparison with their productivity, not only the hiring subsidy but also the job placement activities of the PES are counterproductive and reduce overall employment.matching model, hiring subsidy, endogenous separation rate, active labour market policy, PES and search market

Preferences of the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum, for Nutritionally Different Dog Foods

Triboliumcastaneum, known as the red flour beetle (RFB)is a common pest of stored grain and milled grain products.Thisresearch studied how RFBs orient to and lay eggs in their standard flour diet and in two kinds of dog food.We tested whether RFBs have a preference toward two different dog foods, one with low protein, the “Light” food, and the other with high protein, the “Dark” food. We predicted the beetles would prefer the Light kibble with the lower protein.When given the choice between the two foods, 60% of beetlespreferredthe Light product, which had only 20% of the protein as the dark food, which was chosen by 40% of beetles. When the beetles were given the choice between either Light or Dark kibble, vs. their regular flour-based lab diet, flour was the preferred food. However, the two-choice test showed a higher proportion of beetles were in the Light compared to Dark food. These results are important because they will help the pet food industry further understand what the RFBs prefer, and thus help us take appropriate measures to prevent infestation