Axiomatization and implementation of a class of solidarity values for TU-games

A new class of values combining marginalistic and egalitarian principles is introduced for cooperative TU-games. It includes some modes of solidarity among the players by taking the collective contribution of some coalitions to the grand coalition into account. Relationships with other class of values such as the Egalitarian Shapley values and the Procedural values are discussed. We propose a strategic implementation of our class of values in subgame perfect Nash equilibrium. Two axiomatic characterizations are provided: one of the whole class of values, and one of each of its extreme points.     

Structure of National Perceptions of Social Needs Across EU Countries

Back in 1975, the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers defined the poor as “individuals or families whose resources are so small as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life of the Member State in which they live”. This widely quoted definition leaves room for discussion about what can be considered a “minimum acceptable way of life” in different countries and thus also whether national perceptions of minimum standards vary from one country to the next. The paper explores this latter issue by exploiting the first EU dataset allowing a comparative analysis of the items which citizens in the different Member States consider to be necessary for people to have an “acceptable” standard of living in the country where they live. It assesses the (in)variance of the structure of the perception of social needs between countries on the basis of an extension of the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method, and shows a high level of congruence between the 27 national patterns. An important consequence of this result is that it supports the approach which consists of measuring deprivation on the basis of a same set of (validated) items across all the Member States.     

Modelling population-based cancer survival trends using join point models for grouped survival data

Summary.  In the USA cancer as a whole is the second leading cause of death and a major burden to health care; thus medical progress against cancer is a major public health goal. There are many individual studies to suggest that cancer treatment breakthroughs and early diagnosis have significantly improved the prognosis of cancer patients. To understand better the relationship between medical improvements and the survival experience for the patient population at large, it is useful to evaluate cancer survival trends on the population level, e.g. to find out when and how much the cancer survival rates changed. We analyse population-based grouped cancer survival data by incorporating join points into the survival models. A join point survival model facilitates the identification of trends with significant change-points in cancer survival, when related to cancer treatments or interventions. The Bayesian information criterion is used to select the number of join points. The performance of the join point survival models is evaluated with respect to cancer prognosis, join point locations, annual percentage changes in death rates by year of diagnosis and sample sizes through intensive simulation studies. The model is then applied to grouped relative survival data for several major cancer sites from the 'Surveillance, epidemiology and end results' programme of the National Cancer Institute. The change-points in the survival trends for several major cancer sites are identified and the potential driving forces behind such change-points are discussed.     

电影制作和发行过程中的安全漏洞分析

电影产业主要关心的一个问题是非法的（即未经授权的）电影复制行为。尽管非法的电影拷贝已经借助便携式物理媒介而得到传播,但低成本的高速宽带连接和P2P文件共享网络则能提供极其高效的传播媒介。本文对电影的制作和发行过程进行了简要分析,并指出了一些潜在的安全漏洞,这些漏洞使得非法电影拷贝能够被那些试图再次传播之的人所获取。     

A critical review of end-user information system satisfaction research and a new research framework

This paper presents a critical review of research in end-user information system satisfaction (EUISS). An extensive literature search is conducted from which over 50 EUISS related papers are identified. It is found that the past research is dominated by the expectation disconfirmation approach. To provide more insights into the psychological processing of the information system performance construct and its impact upon EUISS, we propose an integrated conceptual model based on the equity and needs theories. The implications of the proposed model for EUISS are discussed, and suggestions are made for testing the model.     

创办全新一流学府探索

100余年来,我国的大学教育一直是在借鉴欧美、前苏联等的经验中发展壮大起来的。尤其从20世纪80年代开始,我国＂创办全新的世界一流大学＂的探索步伐明显加快。     

Liminal Stigma and Disaligning Activity: Online Comments about Trump's Family Separation Policy

In 2018, the Trump administration initiated a “zero-tolerance” border policy wherein they criminally prosecuted all individuals who were apprehended crossing the border without proper authorization. The policy change resulted in numerous migrant children being separated from their parents. Through a qualitative content analysis of 1500 YouTube comments made in response to CNN and ProPublica news coverage, we examine each side's aligning activity. Separation challengers claimed border crossers were innocent while condemning their opponents as racist, cruel, and otherwise shameful. Separation advocates bolstered their own claims of innocence by denying that the detainees are victims and condemning separation challengers as hypocrites, dishonest, complicit in illegal immigration, and generally loathsome. These findings show that, enabled by social media, aligning activity in stigma contests can produce a liminal stigma, where identities suffer the ideational aspects of stigma but not necessarily the loss of social status.     

Urban forest structure,ecosystem services and change in Syracuse,NY

The tree population within the City of Syracuse was assessed using a random sampling of plots in 1999, 2001 and 2009 to determine how the population and the ecosystem services these trees provide have changed over time. Ecosystem services and values for carbon sequestration, air pollution removal and changes in building energy use were derived using the i-Tree Eco model. In addition, photo interpretation of aerial images was used to determine changes in tree cover between the mid-1990s and 2009. Between the mid-1990s and 2003, tree cover in Syracuse exhibited a decline from 27.5 to 25.9 %, but subsequently increased to 26.9 % by 2009. The total tree population exhibited a similar pattern, dropping from 881,000 trees in 1999 to 862,000 in 2001, and then increasing to 1,087,000 trees in 2009. Most of this increase in the urban tree population is due to invasive or pioneer trees species, particularly Rhamnus cathartica, which has more than tripled in population between 2001 and 2009. Insects such as gypsy moth and emerald ash borer pose a substantial risk to altering future urban forest composition. The annual ecosystem services provided by the urban forest in relation to carbon sequestration, air pollution removal and reduction in building energy use are estimated at about $2.4 million per year. An improved understanding of urban forests and how they are changing can facilitate better management plans to sustain ecosystem services and desired forest structure for future generations.     

Sex Partner Type,Drug Use and Condom Use Self-Efficacy Among African Americans from Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Are Associations with Consistent Condom Use Moderated by Gender?

Gender inequalities in sexual behavior are explored from the perspective of the theory of gender and power. This study focused on the effect of sex partner type (steady versus casual), drug use, and condom use self-efficacy regarding consistent condom use (CCU) among a community-based sample of adults. The sample included 1,357 African American men and women (M age 37.0, SD 13.1 years; 44% women, 66% men) from 61 disadvantaged census block groups in Atlanta, GA as part of a study of individual and neighborhood characteristics and HIV risk-taking. Having a steady partner decreased the odds of CCU, while higher condom use self-efficacy increased the odds of CCU. Among non-drug users, having a drug-using partner was associated with decreased odds of condom use for women only. Women with drug-using partners, especially a steady partner, were least likely to report CCU. Therefore, interventions intended to empower CCU among women need to expand beyond acknowledging the reduced control that women who use drugs demonstrate to also consider those who have drug-using sexual partners.     

Adolescent Pathways to Co‐Occurring Problem Behavior: The Effects of Peer Delinquency and Peer Substance Use

Delinquency and substance use are more likely to co‐occur in adolescence compared to earlier and later developmental periods. The present study examined developmental pathways to co‐occurring problem behavior from 6th to 10th grade (N = 2,002), testing how peer delinquency and substance use were linked to transitioning between abstaining, delinquency, substance use, and co‐occurring problem behavior. Developmentally, most youth transition from abstinence to delinquent behavior and then escalate to co‐occurring problem behavior. Once co‐occurring problem behavior onsets, remitting to single‐problem behavior or abstinence is unlikely. The impact of peers on problem behavior is domain‐specific when individuals transition from abstaining to a single‐problem behavior, but is more general with respect to escalation of and desistance from problem behavior.