The Pleasures of Computer Gaming: Essays on Cultural History,Theory and Aesthetics

How do editorial cartoons represent gambling? What can visually oriented thinking give to gambling research? The answers are rooted in the expanding research about visual culture, methodologies and data in social sciences and cultural studies. The discussion about 170 editorial cartoons from the Finnish print media, from 1961 to 2005, shows how the cartoons profile the Finnish gambler and what emotions are associated with gambling. The discussion then turns to Finnish gambling culture and gambling's role in society. Space, communication, power relations, and the use of gambling as a political metaphor are highlighted. The assessment demonstrates the value of popular-cultural data for gambling studies. The examination complements the existing cartoon research and visual-cultural studies and has interdisciplinary pedagogical potential.     

Helping people to sort it out: The role of social support in the Job Strain Model

This paper reports three studies of occupational stress investigating the role of social support as an intervening variable in the Job Strain Model (Karasek, 1979). A computer simulated mail-sorting work environment was used to assess the effect of demands, control and social support on measures of strain, satisfaction, and perceived and actual task performance. The first experiment ( N =60) tests the basic Job Strain Model by manipulating levels of task demand and control. The second experiment ( N =120) compares high and low levels of two types of social support (informational support and emotional support) to determine whether and how they interact with extreme conditions of the Job Strain Model (high strain and low strain). The final experiment ( N =90) investigates positive and negative forms of social support (praise and criticism) in relation to extreme job strain conditions. Results show that the job strain model is consistent with the stress and performance data, although stress showed no Demand ×Control interaction. Social supports increased arousal, satisfaction and perceived performance, but did not affect stress or task performance. Moreover, contrary to buffer theories, social supports did not interact with the job strain variables. Congruence between preferred and experienced emotional support levels also predicted performance.     

新时期民族文化工作的几个问题

各民族之间的交流有许多层面.其中,文化交流是最深层的交流,是心灵的交流.少数民族文化是中华文化的重要组成部分.弘扬中华文化,建设56个民族共有的精神家园,就要保护和发展好丰富多彩的少数民族文化.当今世界,工业化、信息化、城镇化、市场化、国际化是社会发展的大趋势,同时也对各民族的传统文化造成巨大冲击.当前,迫切需要我们从概念、理念、现状、趋势、应对策略等方面,系统地思考少数民族文化的保护和发展问题.对于少数民族文化来说,保护是发展的基础,发展是最好的保护.民族文化资源是很多民族地区的优势资源.充分地利用好这个优势资源,就有可能形成新的经济增长点.同时,要在民族文化自觉的基础上树立民族文化价值自信,要通过政策法规来推进民族文化的保护和发展.     

希腊悲剧和文学的阿伦特

希腊雅典的悲剧对阿伦特思考政治自由有双重意义。第一,悲剧包含许多思考现代政治自由可以运用的文学主题。第二,悲剧的"说故事"本身就是一种对政治自由的提示。阿伦特以理想的雅典来阐述这样一个现代政治的基本观点,那就是,政治自由与公共自由同为一体,没有政治自由就不可能有真正的公共生活。阿伦特设想一种无需借助传统或外加权威,照样能有机运作的政治群体模式。雅典城邦为她提供了想象的空间。     

Centralized and non-centralized ethics review: a five nation study

The research ethics review process is now an inherent part of conducting research and a topic of much discussion. On the negative side it has been presented as cumbersome, expensive, time consuming, and potentially a system that does not adequately deal with the concerns it was set up to address. One common, but often controversial, proposal to address some of these concerns has been the institutionalization of centralized systems of review. This paper uses data on the review systems in place in five countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA and the U.K.), some with and some without versions of centralized review, to explore issues related to centralization of the review process. It suggests that there are at least three types of systems (fully centralized, dual, and decentralized or multicommittee) in place; all are made up of two, interrelated components (the administrative and ethics review). We suggest that both components need to be considered in discussions about centralized review. Serious consideration of centralization of the administrative component may address many concerns. Centralization of the ethics review may provide a context that deals with other issues and may encourage reviews that more effectively focus on the ethical issues involved.     

澳大利亚人的生态观——透过文学作品看澳大利亚人生态意识的演变(1788-2008)

文章通过分析早期以来至今澳大利亚具有代表性的作家的文学作品来审视从殖民时期到现在人们对"自然"或"土地"的态度的变迁:早期的移民怀着寻求"伊甸园"的理想来到澳大利亚这块土地上,结果却发现在这崭新而陌生的环境中,生存和"战胜自然"成了他们的当务之急,于是过度开发和利用自然资源使得生态环境遭到了严重破坏;后来,由于人们越来越多地认识到土著居民与自然之间的和谐关系,也由于各种环境运动蓬勃兴起,再加之近年来产生的文学理论——生态批评——将环保意识不断灌输给人们,于是,人们逐渐开始关注、热爱、保护并尊重这块"与众不同"的土地。本文提及的作家包括肯德尔、劳森、斯特德、凯瑟琳.苏珊娜.普理查德、朱迪斯.赖特及约翰.金塞拉,另外作者本人的部分诗歌也被引用。     

Algorithms for the construction of optimizing distributions

We will consider the following problem.Maximise Φ(p)over P={p=(p₁,P₂,…,p_j):P_j≧0,∑p_j=1}". We require to calcute an optimizing distribution. Examples arise in optimal regression design,maximum likelihood estimation and stratified sazmpling problems. A class of multiplicative algorithms, indexed by functions which depend on the derivatives of Φ(·)is considered for solving this problem.Iterations are of the form:p_j ^(r+1)αp_j ^(r)f(x_j ^(r)), where x_{j (r)}=d_j ^(r) or F_j ^(r)and d_j ^(r)=?Φ/?p_j While F_j ^(r)=D_j ^(r)?∑p_i ^(r)d_i ^(r) (a directional derivative)at p=p^(r)f(·)satisfies some suitable properties and may depend on one or more free parameters. These iterations neatly submit to the constraints ofv the problem. Some results will be reported and extensions to problems dependin on two or more distributions and to problems with additional constraints will be considered.     

A Range-Based Multivariate Stochastic Volatility Model for Exchange Rates

In this paper we present a parsimonious multivariate model for exchange rate volatilities based on logarithmic high–low ranges of daily exchange rates. The multivariate stochastic volatility model decomposes the log range of each exchange rate into two independent latent factors, which could be interpreted as the underlying currency specific components. Owing to the empirical normality of the logarithmic range measure the model can be estimated conveniently with the standard Kalman filter methodology. Our results show that our model fits the exchange rate data quite well. Exchange rate news seems to be currency specific and allows identification of currency contributions to both exchange rate levels and exchange rate volatilities.     

Fuzzy Autoregressive Rules: Towards Linguistic Time Series Modeling

Fuzzy rule–based models, a key element in soft computing (SC), have arisen as an alternative for time series analysis and modeling. One difference with preexisting models is their interpretability in terms of human language. Their interactions with other components have also contributed to a huge development in their identification and estimation procedures. In this article, we present fuzzy rule–based models, their links with some regime-switching autoregressive models, and how the use of soft computing concepts can help the practitioner to solve and gain a deeper insight into a given problem. An example on a realized volatility series is presented to show the forecasting abilities of a fuzzy rule–based model.