“Chemophobia” Today: Consumers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Chemicals

This mixed‐methods study investigated consumers’ knowledge of chemicals in terms of basic principles of toxicology and then related this knowledge, in addition to other factors, to their fear of chemical substances (i.e., chemophobia). Both qualitative interviews and a large‐scale online survey were conducted in the German‐speaking part of Switzerland. A Mokken scale was developed to measure laypeople's toxicological knowledge. The results indicate that most laypeople are unaware of the similarities between natural and synthetic chemicals in terms of certain toxicological principles. Furthermore, their associations with the term “chemical substances” and the self‐reported affect prompted by these associations are mostly negative. The results also suggest that knowledge of basic principles of toxicology, self‐reported affect evoked by the term “chemical substances,” risk‐benefit perceptions concerning synthetic chemicals, and trust in regulation processes are all negatively associated with chemophobia, while general health concerns are positively related to chemophobia. Thus, to enhance informed consumer decisionmaking, it might be necessary to tackle the stigmatization of the term “chemical substances” as well as address and clarify prevalent misconceptions.     

远海岛礁冷链物流体系优化模型及其集成算法

为研究远海岛礁渔获冷链物流的运行方案,本文选择了岛礁冷库储存中转和海上直接收购等两种不同的渔获运输方式,同时考虑了中转冷库选址、中转运输和直接收购船舶配备、航线配置、在渔场停留时间和渔获运输损耗等诸多复杂问题,构建了远海冷链物流体系组合优化模型。求解时,提出了一种以遗传算法（GA）为外部框架,以改进的模拟植物生长算法（PGSA）为内部模块,通过信息传递实现内外连接交互的集成算法。最后,以我国南海远海岛礁及渔场为实例进行分析,取得了较好效果。通过与传统遗传算法对比,本文优化结果、稳定性及计算速度等均有明显提高,从而证明了本文所建模型与算法的合理性和有效性。     

M&A and diversification strategies: what effect on quality of inventive activity?

Journal of Management and Governance - The aim of this paper is to examine how an acquirer’s diversification strategy shapes the multiple dimensions of inventive activity. Differing from...     

Bayesian networks for imputation

Summary.  Bayesian networks are particularly useful for dealing with high dimensional statistical problems. They allow a reduction in the complexity of the phenomenon under study by representing joint relationships between a set of variables through conditional relationships between subsets of these variables. Following Thibaudeau and Winkler we use Bayesian networks for imputing missing values. This method is introduced to deal with the problem of the consistency of imputed values: preservation of statistical relationships between variables ( statistical consistency ) and preservation of logical constraints in data ( logical consistency ). We perform some experiments on a subset of anonymous individual records from the 1991 UK population census.     

A weighted polynomial regression method for local fitting of spatial data

Typically, parametric approaches to spatial problems require restrictive assumptions. On the other hand, in a wide variety of practical situations nonparametric bivariate smoothing techniques has been shown to be successfully employable for estimating small or large scale regularity factors, or even the signal content of spatial data taken as a whole.We propose a weighted local polynomial regression smoother suitable for fitting of spatial data. To account for spatial variability, we both insert a spatial contiguity index in the standard formulation, and construct a spatial-adaptive bandwidth selection rule. Our bandwidth selector depends on the Gearys local indicator of spatial association. As illustrative example, we provide a brief Monte Carlo study case on equally spaced data, the performances of our smoother and the standard polynomial regression procedure are compared.This note, though it is the result of a close collaboration, was specifically elaborated as follows: paragraphs 1 and 2 by T. Sclocco and the remainder by M. Di Marzio. The authors are grateful to the referees for constructive comments and suggestions.     

基于卫星云图的视场坐标转化模型

利用卫星云图的灰度矩阵,可以换算出经纬度等信息,并由此对不同时刻的卫星数据进行有效的风矢度量。本文运用地心坐标系统,构建了几何模型,结合lagrange插值法给出了灰度矩阵元素行列号对应于经纬度坐标的换算公式;借助Matlab软件得出了灰度矩阵中对应行、列的经纬二维数组;并用Matlab将灰度矩阵转化为卫星云图,并添加经纬信息,统一坐标系统后用Matlab绘制海岸线。     

研究生心理素质教育现状及对策探析

加强研究生心理素质教育对于提高高校研究生整体素质将起到巨大的推动作用,但由于目前对于研究生心理素质教育认识不够,管理教育措施不到位,使得相关制度不够健全.因此,高校应加大对研究生心理素质教育研究的力度,制定研究生心理素质评价指标体系,并建立一支心理素质好的专业教育队伍,同时,发挥研究生心理素质教育社团的作用,以促进研究生心理素质教育工作顺利开展.     

Women and crime the world over

This article examines female crime rates in twenty-seven countries over the past thirtyfive years. The results show that there has been an overall increase in total crime rates for all of the countries, and that the more economically advanced and industrialized countries have higher crime rates than the less developed nations. All countries also experienced an increase in the percent of all crimes committed by women. The percentages of violent crimes committed by women—specifically homicide and robbery—were consistently low across countries and increased only slightly over time. The percentages of property and financial crimes committed by women—specifically theft and fraud—were consistently higher than the percentages for violent crimes, and have increased more substantially over time. In addition, an analysis of the most recent data revealed a positive and significant relationship between women's overall crime rates and the countries' economic development. In those countries in which women occupy a higher status, as measured by formal years of schooling and representation in the labor force, we found some positive and significant correlations with the arrest rates for theft and fraud. There were also some strong negative relationships between female arrest rates for homicide and their status in society.     

新冠肺炎疫情下对完善快递末端配送体系建设的思考——以重庆市为例

自新冠肺炎疫情发生以来,快递业为应急救援物资和人民群众日常基本生活物资运输和寄递服务、畅通经济循环、满足民生需要等方面做出了重要贡献,为疫情防控提供了强有力的支撑;但同时也暴露出了一些问题,集中体现在末端配送体系不健全、末端收投不畅等方面。在对电子商务和快递业发展现状进行分析的基础上,对快递末端配送的主要模式和发展趋势进行了论述,结合重庆市的实际情况,分析了其末端配送存在的不足,并从公共服务平台搭建、智能化无接触式配送构建、乡村快递服务网络完善、快递员队伍建设等方面提出了对策建议,以助推重庆经济社会高质量发展。     

Adjusted empirical likelihood models with estimating equations for accelerated life tests

This article proposes an adjusted empirical likelihood estimation (AMELE) method to model and analyze accelerated life testing data. This approach flexibly and rigorously incorporates distribution assumptions and regression structures by estimating equations within a semiparametric estimation framework. An efficient method is provided to compute the empirical likelihood estimates, and asymptotic properties are studied. Real-life examples and numerical studies demonstrate the advantage of the proposed methodology.