Interpreting Null Results from Measurements with Uncertain Correlations: An Info‐Gap Approach

Null events—not detecting a pernicious agent—are the basis for declaring the agent is absent. Repeated nulls strengthen confidence in the declaration. However, correlations between observations are difficult to assess in many situations and introduce uncertainty in interpreting repeated nulls. We quantify uncertain correlations using an info‐gap model, which is an unbounded family of nested sets of possible probabilities. An info‐gap model is nonprobabilistic and entails no assumption about a worst case. We then evaluate the robustness, to uncertain correlations, of estimates of the probability of a null event. This is then the basis for evaluating a nonprobabilistic robustness‐based confidence interval for the probability of a null.     

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Validity of the Orientations to Happiness Scale

The orientations to happiness scale (OTH) was designed to measure three routes to happiness: pleasure (hedonia), meaning (eudaimonia) and engagement (flow). Past research utilising the scale suggests that all orientations predict life satisfaction, with meaning and engagement the stronger predictors relative to pleasure. However, these findings are inconsistent with other research; one plausible explanation being that the OTH scale lacks validity. This was tested by having participants (N = 107) complete the OTH scale and the Satisfaction with Life scale, prior to completing an online diary reporting actual instances of hedonic and eudaimonic behaviour. Although meaning predicted eudaimonic behaviour, the pleasure orientation was unrelated to hedonic behaviour. Further, hedonic behaviour was more strongly related to life satisfaction than eudaimonic behaviour; inconsistent with OTH scale results. These findings challenge the validity of the OTH scale, and subsequently bring into question those conclusions drawn from past research utilising the OTH scale.     

论经济法的几个关键词——兼论王保树教授对经济法的贡献

关键词是人们认识事物的关键,认识了事物的关键词就能够提纲挈领地认识事物。经济法亦然,经济法的关键词包括经济法学说、调整对象、社会公共性、社会整体调节机制、经济法体系等,对这些关键词的科学论述,能够正确地认识经济法。其中王保树教授对这些关键词作出过重要解说。     

It Takes Two for a Culture War

This article examines the tense relations between religious and secular in Israel and the prospects for what has been described by different observers as a “culture war.” Specifically, the consequences and implication of the challenges to church‐state arrangements by social, economic, and demographic changes, and growing religious‐secular tensions are studied. The empirical investigation of these issues relies on a survey (n = 508) of a representative, random sample of the adult Jewish population in Israel. Research findings indicate that the culture war scenario exaggerates the actual state of affairs because secularism in Israel is lacking coherence and commitment and alternatives that circumvent conflict are available. Rather than a culture war between the religious and secular camps in Israel, different battles are taking place, waged in different realms with different constituencies, tactics, strategies, and levels of commitment whose combined outcome is yet to be determined.     

Border estimation of a two-dimensional uniform distribution if data are measured with additive error

The paper considers estimation of the boundary of an elliptical domain when the data without a measurement error are distributed uniformly on this domain but are superimposed by random errors. The problem is solved in two phases. In the first phase the domain is subdivided into thin slices and the endpoints of these slices are estimated within the framework of a corresponding one-dimensional problem. In the second phase the estimated endpoints are used to estimate the boundary using the total least-squares curve fitting procedure.