A Comparison of Ambient Casino Sound and Music: Effects on Dissociation and on Perceptions of Elapsed Time While Playing Slot Machines

This research examined the effects of a casino’s auditory character on estimates of elapsed time while gambling. More specifically, this study varied whether the sound heard while gambling was ambient casino sound alone or ambient casino sound accompanied by music. The tempo and volume of both the music and ambient sound were varied to manipulate temporal engagement and introspection. One hundred and sixty (males = 91) individuals played slot machines in groups of 5–8, after which they provided estimates of elapsed time. The findings showed that the typical ambient casino auditive environment, which characterizes the majority of gaming venues, promotes understated estimates of elapsed duration of play. In contrast, when music is introduced into the ambient casino environment, it appears to provide a cue of interval from which players can more accurately reconstruct elapsed duration of play. This is particularly the case when the tempo of the music is slow and the volume is high. Moreover, the confidence with which time estimates are held (as reflected by latency of response) is higher in an auditive environment with music than in an environment that is comprised of ambient casino sounds alone. Implications for casino management are discussed.     

Veblen in Reverse: Evidence from the Multinational Time-Use Archive

This paper explores the historical change in the work-leisure balance using time-diary evidence. Much of the recent discussion of this balance in the developed world has focused on paid work alone. What follows takes a different approach, considering the balance of all work time (paid plus unpaid) against leisure time and observes a tendency over recent decades for leisure to decline relative to work in this broad sense. Much is changing, in employment, family and consumption terms over this period. One possibility is that the relative increase in work time reflects the reversal of the status/leisure gradient: the financially privileged classes, which once had more leisure than others, now have less. But the paper closes with the speculation that this increase in work time for both men and women may be indirectly connected with the phenomenon of the women’s “dual burden”, via an unconsidered but nevertheless important principle of fairness in the distribution of work within households.     

Taking into account the rescheduling problem during the scheduling phase

The scheduling problem in production management has been studied for a considerable time, and several types of software are used. A problem arises in updating the production planning, or ‘rescheduling’, when an unexpected event occurs in the shop control. Solving this problem is difficult because the implications of such events are usually impossible to forecast. To prevent this problem, we propose to manipulate a set of equivalent schedules during the short time schedule. Then, if an unexpected event prevents realization of a given schedule, it will be possible to find an equivalent one, without full rescheduling. The primary requirement is to find a formal representation of a set of schedules. This has already been explored using CPM graphs with nodes associated to a set of tasks. We propose in this paper to use an extension of such graphs, PQR trees, that represent both precedence and group constraints. We first reiterate the notion of PQR trees. We present methods to take into account date constraints in such a structure, and we give a model for the general job-shop problem.     

News

U. S. National Income Series Revised—Congress Votes No on Censuses of Business and Manufactures—Britain Revises Living Cost Index-U. S. and U. K. Surveys Uncover Lacks in Statistical Training-Forthcoming Statistical Conferences     

Robust estimation of AR coefficients under simultaneously influencing outliers and missing values

A family of robust estimators for coefficients of Gaussian AR(p) time series under simultaneously influencing distortions of two types: outliers and missing values, is proposed. The estimators are based on special properties of the Cauchy probability distribution; consistency and the asymptotic normality of these estimators are proven. An approximate solution of the problem of minimization of the asymptotic variance within the proposed family of estimators is found. Performance of the proposed estimators is illustrated for simulated time series and for real data sets.     

Modern Myths

This article outlines some basic characteristics of modern myths that fundamentally differ from the traditional myths on which most myth research is based, namely: their relation to time, and their relation to themselves. The article also takes a closer look at the implications these differences have for our present state of Being. The aim is not to offer yet another variation on the academic discussion of myths, but rather to provide a starting point for further discussion about the peculiarities and impacts pertaining to modern myths.     

缩短供应链多阶响应周期的物流模式研究

为了满足最终客户的多样化、及时化的需求,供应链的物流模式成了缩短供应链多阶响应周期的一个重要的研究领域。对比传统的物流模式,快速响应的供应链物流模式的主要改进点在制造商及其以下的节点企业的物流上。四种物流模式对于缩短供应链最终用户的响应周期有极大的意义和作用,它们是:基于制造商的直销模式、以批发商为改进点的零售支持型批发物流和区域零售支持型综合批发物流,以及以零售商为切入点的产销联盟的物流模式,并且它们各自不同的适用范围取决于供应链的运作特点和行业特征。     

文学经典品格谈

本文从已经证明是能够超越时空的、世界公认其为典范的文学作品中,归纳出些许认定文学品格的准则,并就其中的部分准则举例展开论述,对我国议论中的“百年文学经典”提出作者自己的见解。     

单模光纤的极化模式色散及其测量

本文分析了实用单模光纤的极化模式色散及其测量方法。在实用单模光纤中,由于双折射现象导致两个正交极化模式在传榆过程中改变极化方向并产生时延差即色散,从而使光波脉冲展宽,产生误码,因此限制了光纤的通道容量和传输距离。     

A weighted polynomial regression method for local fitting of spatial data

Typically, parametric approaches to spatial problems require restrictive assumptions. On the other hand, in a wide variety of practical situations nonparametric bivariate smoothing techniques has been shown to be successfully employable for estimating small or large scale regularity factors, or even the signal content of spatial data taken as a whole.We propose a weighted local polynomial regression smoother suitable for fitting of spatial data. To account for spatial variability, we both insert a spatial contiguity index in the standard formulation, and construct a spatial-adaptive bandwidth selection rule. Our bandwidth selector depends on the Gearys local indicator of spatial association. As illustrative example, we provide a brief Monte Carlo study case on equally spaced data, the performances of our smoother and the standard polynomial regression procedure are compared.This note, though it is the result of a close collaboration, was specifically elaborated as follows: paragraphs 1 and 2 by T. Sclocco and the remainder by M. Di Marzio. The authors are grateful to the referees for constructive comments and suggestions.