Review of Empirical Studies in Multiobjective Mathematical Programming: Subject Reflection of Nonlinear Utility and Learning

Multiple objective programming provides a means of aiding decision makers facing complex decisions where trade-offs among conflicting objectives must be reconciled. Interactive multiobjective programming provides a means for decision makers to learn what these trade-offs involve, while the mathematical program generates solutions that seek improvement of the implied utility of the decision maker. A variety of multiobjective programming techniques have been presented in the multicriteria decision-making literature. This study reviews published studies with human subjects where some of these techniques were applied. While all of the techniques have the ability to support decision makers under conditions of multiple objectives, a number of features in applying these systems have been tested by these studies. A general evolution of techniques is traced, starting with methods relying upon linear combinations of value, to more recent methods capable of reflecting nonlinear trade-offs of value. Support of nonlinear utility and enhancing decision-maker learning are considered.     

Consistency and Accuracy in Decision Aids: Experiments with Four Multiattribute Systems*

There have been a number of multiattribute decision aids developed to aid selection problems. Multiattribute value theory and the analytic hierarchy process are two commonly used techniques. Different systems can result in radically different conclusions if they inaccurately and inconsistently reflect the preference structure of decision makers, or if they are based on inappropriate theoretical models. This study examines the impact of the underlying theoretical model, the method in which preference information is elicited, and the structure of alternatives as influences on the results from using various decision aids. It was found that two systems based on the multiattribute value theory model were just as diverse in their conclusions as were results between AHP and the multiattribute value theory models. Therefore, accuracy of information reflecting decision maker preference is an important consideration. Feedback capable of assuring the decision maker that information provided is consistent is a necessary feature required of decision aids applied to selection problems. The study also found that the way in which information is elicited influenced the result more than did the underlying model. Exact numerical data for complex concepts such as attribute importance and alternative performance on attributes is not necessary, and elicitation procedures that are more natural for the user are likely to be more accurate.     

FIVE TYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MARRIAGES

This study developed a marital typology based on a nonrandom, national sample of 415 African-American couples who took the Enriching Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH) marital assessment inventory. Five types of African-American marriages were identified through cluster analysis using the positive couple agreement (PCA) scores in 10 relationship domains. Relationships between marital satisfaction, marital stability, and the five marital types were then analyzed. The five types (from highest marital satisfaction to lowest) were labeled as vitalized, harmonious, traditional, conflicted, and devitalized. The results were similar to findings in studies of ethnically mixed (predominantly European-American) marital samples including the number and characteristics of marital types.     

#BringBackOurGirls: digital communities supporting real-world change and influencing mainstream media agendas

#BringBackOurGirls shows the potential that cyber-communities have for setting the agenda for mainstream media sources around issues that are life-changing for women and girls around the world. The article examines the ways that social media communities sustained the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, bridging online and offline communities to form a united movement. The analysis is contextualized within the online community-organizing framework of Twitter Topic Networks, as theorized in a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center Internet and American Life Project. This essay studies the evolution of #BringBackOurGirls to analyze the ways that online communities can educate, organize, and mobilize publics.     

Elder abuse and oppression: voices of marginalized elders

The voices of elderly people from marginalized groups are rarely solicited, and the relationship between elder maltreatment and belonging to an oppressed group has not been adequately investigated. This article reviews the literature on oppression and elder abuse and describes findings from the secondary analysis of data from focus group discussions on elder abuse held with marginalized older adults and (quasi)professionals caring for them in two Canadian cities. Participants identified that increased vulnerability to elder abuse was related to oppression experienced as a consequence of ageism, sexism, ableism/disability, racism, heterosexism/homophobia, classism, and various intersecting types of oppression.     

大熊猫电刺激采精及精液冷冻保存研究

对卧龙自然保护区大熊猫研究中心的9只 5.5～16 .5 岁的雄性大熊猫进行了 17 次电刺激采精.其中 3 只是能进行自然交配并繁殖了后代的种公兽.比较研究了精液离心、不同稀释液和冷冻方法对大熊猫精液超低温冷冻保存后的活力、运动状态、精子和顶体形态的影响.细管冷冻是 1 种较好的超低温冷冻精液的方法.     

Effects of relative advantage on time use in farm families

An assumption of comparative advantage (CA) is that all members in efficient households specialize in market or household work. The CA for Oregon farm households was measured by differences between husbands and wives in wages and schooling for nonfarm work, and in farm decision-making responsibility and years lived on a farm for farm work. The spouse with the advantage is assumed to spend more time in that work sector and less time in household work than his (her) spouse. The hypothesis is supported for market work. For farm decision making, results are consistent with the hypothesis but not significant. Years lived on a farm is consistent for husbands, but wives who have the CA do significantly less farm work than wives of men who hold the CA. Experience may not be a good measure of CA, or perhaps farm work provides process satisfaction to farm men (and their wives) who work longer hours.She directs the Family Resource Management Graduate Program. Her research interests center on concepts and measures of management, household work, and well-being in the United States and across cultures.His current research interests include family saving and investing behavior. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1992. This research was funded by the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.     

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Rastogi, M., & Wieling, E. (Eds). (2005). Voices of color: First-person accounts of ethnic minority therapists .
Sue, D. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation .
Cozolino, L. J. (2002). The neuroscience of psychotherapy: Building and rebuilding the human brain .     

Typology of Gay Consumers’ Interaction Styles on Complaining Propensity

The purpose of this study is to develop a typology of gay male consumers based on self-concept variables related to social interactions. Openness about sexual orientation, collective self-esteem, stigma-consciousness, and negative evaluation were used to identify clusters of gay male consumers. An initial test sample (n = 125) suggested a three-cluster solution, and a validation sample (n = 247) established reproducibility of the proposed typology. Three clusters with distinct interaction styles emerged: “confident gay,” “diffident gay,” and “guarded gay.” Additionally, the usefulness of the typology is demonstrated by comparing the clusters on the basis of complaining propensity. Typologies of each cluster and implications for research and practice are discussed.