Representing the negotiation process with a rule-based formalism

The objective of this paper is to introduce a flexible approach to the structuring of negotiations. The process of negotiations with its intricacies is discussed, and drawbacks of quantitative methods are analyzed. The decomposition of the negotiation process into a certain hierarchical structure is presented. This structure is represented with and/or trees used for knowledge representation in artificial intelligence. The definitions of flexibility and reactions to the opponent's moves are introduced with the help of a rule-based formalism. The implications of these definitions for the analysis of the negotiation process are presented. The approach is illustrated with a set of hypothetical examples.     

Good jobs and bad jobs for Indonesia's informal workers

In contrast to the majority of studies that have treated informal workers as a single homogeneous group, this article accounts for the possibility of “winners” and “losers” among informal workers. Applying unconditional quantile regressions to data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey, the authors are able to estimate the formal–informal wage gaps for different segments of the earnings distribution. Although the evidence confirms the existence of a substantial earnings penalty for many informal workers, there is also a group who earn roughly similar incomes to formal workers. The findings are consistent with Fields's (1990 and 2005) model of heterogeneous informal employment.     

Les gagnants et les perdants de l'emploi informel en Indonésie

Dans la plupart des études, les travailleurs de l’économie informelle sont présentés comme un tout homogène. Les auteurs considèrent pourtant qu'il peut y avoir parmi eux des gagnants et des perdants. En utilisant des régressions quantiles sur distribution non conditionnelle et des données issues d'une enquête auprès des ménages indonésiens (IFLS), ils estiment l’écart de rémunération entre travailleurs formels et travailleurs informels à différents points de la répartition des gains. Ils montrent que la pénalité de revenu aux dépens des travailleurs informels, manifeste et sensible pour certains d'entre eux, n'est pas systématique, confirmant ainsi la thèse de Fields (1990 et 2005) sur l'emploi informel hétérogène.     

A proposal for a new screening paradigm and tool called Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY)

The Exercise Assessment and Screening for You (EASY) is a tool developed to help older individuals, their health care providers, and exercise professionals identify different types of exercise and physical activity regimens that can be tailored to meet the existing health conditions, illnesses, or disabilities of older adults. The EASY tool includes 6 screening questions that were developed based on an expert roundtable and follow-up panel activities. The philosophy behind the EASY is that screening should be a dynamic process in which participants learn to appreciate the importance of engaging in regular exercise, attending to health changes, recognizing a full range of signs and symptoms that might indicate potentially harmful events, and becoming familiar with simple safety tips for initiating and progressively increasing physical activity patterns. Representing a paradigm shift from traditional screening approaches that focus on potential risks of exercising, this tool emphasizes the benefits of exercise and physical activity for all individuals.     

The impact of a national strategy to increase physical activity among older adults on national organizations

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of the National Blueprint (NB) on the policies, programs, and organizational culture of selected national organizations. The theoretical model selected to assess the impact of the NB on organizational behavior was Burke's system theory of organizational change. Three organizations, AARP, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Administration on Aging (AoA), were selected for the study. Two individuals in each of these organizations were selected for interview. Semistructured interviews and document reviews were used in the data-collection process. Findings showed that the publication and establishment of the NB resulted in changes in the operating procedures of AARP, ACSM, and AoA. The results were broadly consistent with Burke's system theory of organizational change. The publication of the NB was shown to affect the behavior of organizational leaders, organizational culture, policies, programs, and individual and organizational performance. The new information generated has increased our understanding of the impact of health campaigns on organizational behavior.     

Testing the difference between two Kolmogorov–Smirnov values in the context of receiver operating characteristic curves

The maximum vertical distance between a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and its chance diagonal is a common measure of effectiveness of the classifier that gives rise to this curve. This measure is known to be equivalent to a two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic; so the absolute difference D between two such statistics is often used informally as a measure of difference between the corresponding classifiers. A significance test of D is of great practical interest, but the available Kolmogorov–Smirnov distribution theory precludes easy analytical construction of such a significance test. We, therefore, propose a Monte Carlo procedure for conducting the test, using the binormal model for the underlying ROC curves. We provide Splus/R routines for the computation, tabulate the results for a number of illustrative cases, apply the methods to some practical examples and discuss some implications.