Ordinal equivalence of power notions in voting games

In this paper, we are concerned with the preorderings (SS) and (BC) induced in the set of players of a simple game by the Shapley–Shubik and the Banzhaf–Coleman's indices, respectively. Our main result is a generalization of Tomiyama's 1987 result on ordinal power equivalence in simple games; more precisely, we obtain a characterization of the simple games for which the (SS) and the (BC) preorderings coincide with the desirability preordering (T), a concept introduced by Isbell (1958), and recently reconsidered by Taylor (1995): this happens if and only if the game is swap robust, a concept introduced by Taylor and Zwicker (1993). Since any weighted majority game is swap robust, our result is therefore a generalization of Tomiyama's. Other results obtained in this paper say that the desirability relation keeps itself in all the veto-holder extensions of any simple game, and so does the (SS) preordering in all the veto-holder extensions of any swap robust simple game.     

An Empirical Nonlinear Data-Fitting Approach for Transforming Data to Normality

A general method is proposed by which nonnormally distributed data can be transformed to achieve approximate normality. The method uses an empirical nonlinear data-fitting approach and can be applied to a broad class of transformations including the Box-Cox, arcsine, generalized logit, and Weibull-type transformations. It is easy to implement using standard statistical software packages. Several examples are provided.     

Dementia with cerebrovascular disease

In this case study, we review the symptoms, cognitive testing, brain imaging, and brain pathology of a woman with dementia, for whom the neuropathological findings suggest a prominent contribution of cerebrovascular disease. Vascular dementia is the term commonly used for persons with dementia resulting from strokes, either clinically evident or subclinical "silent" events. "Mixed dementia" is the term used when there is an admixture of pathological findings related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular disease, as in this situation. In some cases of mixed dementia, the pathological involvement of AD may be the principal contributory cause of the cognitive symptoms, and in others, the vascular changes may give the greater contribution.     

Industrialized Animal Production—A Major Source of Nutrient and Microbial Pollution to Aquatic Ecosystems

Livestock production has undergone massive industrialization in recent decades. Nationwide, millions of swine, poultry, and cattle are raised and fed in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) owned by large, vertically integrated producer corporations. The amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in animal manure produced by CAFOs is enormous. For example, on the North Carolina Coastal Plain alone an estimated 124,000 metric tons of nitrogen and 29,000 metric tons of phosphorus are generated annually by livestock. CAFO wastes are largely either spread on fields as dry litter or pumped into waste lagoons and sprayed as liquid onto fields. Large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus enter the environment through runoff, percolation into groundwater, and volatilization of ammonia. Many CAFOs are located in nutrient-sensitive watersheds where the wastes contribute to the eutrophication of streams, rivers, and estuaries. There is as yet no comprehensive Federal policy in place to protect the environment and human health from CAFO generated pollutants.     

INTEGRATING EMPIRICAL RESEARCH INTO THE PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS: AN ILLUSTRATION

A number of critical questions have arisen surrounding the value of using empirical data and analytical procedures in the formulation of social and/or public policy. This exploratory study illustrates how multivariate analyses can contribute to an objective formulation of compromise positions on a complex public policy issue. Both multidimensional scaling and analysis of variance were used to study how the perceptions of three divergent key influential groups could be integrated into a final legislative package. This researchbased methodology provides a more logical approach to public policy formulation than that typically offered by political compromise.     

Experimental Analysis of Neighborhood Effects

Families, primarily female‐headed minority households with children, living in high‐poverty public housing projects in five U.S. cities were offered housing vouchers by lottery in the Moving to Opportunity program. Four to seven years after random assignment, families offered vouchers lived in safer neighborhoods that had lower poverty rates than those of the control group not offered vouchers. We find no significant overall effects of this intervention on adult economic self‐sufficiency or physical health. Mental health benefits of the voucher offers for adults and for female youth were substantial. Beneficial effects for female youth on education, risky behavior, and physical health were offset by adverse effects for male youth. For outcomes that exhibit significant treatment effects, we find, using variation in treatment intensity across voucher types and cities, that the relationship between neighborhood poverty rate and outcomes is approximately linear.     

“MANAGING THE DECISION SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY: A CASE FOR ETHICAL ANALYSIS?”-COMMENT

In the current issue of Decision Sciences, Brightman [2] argues that the growth of the discipline should be managed, and individual decision scientists must ultimately be held accountable for the ethical implications of implementing their research findings. The purpose of this comment is to examine several principles behind Brightman's arguments and to initiate a discussion of some of the important issues that have been raised. The distinction between the inquiry and technological imperatives and questions about the universality of moral reasoning at the ethical-principles leverl further Brightman's analysis and pose important considerations for decision scientists.     

Freezing the Master Production Schedule: Implications for Fill Rate*

Previous research examining alternative ways of dealing with schedule instability has shown that freezing a portion of the master production schedule (MPS) is a cost effective way to reduce instability. While it is often argued that MPS freezing limits the firm's ability to react to changing customer needs, the impact of freezing on customer service is not well understood. We examined the impact of freezing a specified portion of the MPS on the average fill rate under a wide variety of conditions using controlled simulation experiments. The results show that freezing can be implemented without causing a severe reduction in customer service.     

A GOAL PROGRAMMING MODEL FOR ALLOCATING HUMAN RESOURCES FOR THE GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE REGULATIONS

The Food and Drug Administration's final Good Laboratory Practice regulation will have a far-reaching effect on testing laboratories that are conducting nonclinical laboratory safety tests. This paper develops a goal programming decision model suitable for setting objectives, meeting budgetary and operational constraints, planning personnel utilization, and evaluating different proposals for allocating laboratory personnel to implement a program.