Reconciliation with the Utility of Chance by Elaborated Outcomes Destroys the Axiomatic Basis of Expected Utility Theory

Expected utility theory does not directly deal with the utility of chance. It has been suggested in the literature (Samuelson, 1952, Markowitz, 1959) that this can be remedied by an approach which explicitly models the emotional consequences which give rise to the utility of chance. We refer to this as the elaborated outcomes approach. It is argued that the elaborated outcomes approach destroys the possibility of deriving a representation theorem based on the usual axioms of expected utility theory. This is shown with the help of an example due to Markowitz. It turns out that the space of conceivable lotteries over elaborated outcomes is too narrow to permit the application of the axioms. Moreover it is shown that a representation theorem does not hold for the example.     

On the coase theorem and coalitional stability: the principle of equal relative concession

The Coase theorem is argued to be incompatible with bargaining set stability due to a tension between the grand coalition and sub-coalitions. We provide a counter-intuitive argument to demonstrate that the Coase theorem may be in complete consonance with bargaining set stability. We establish that an uncertainty concerning the formation of sub-coalitions will explain such compatibility: each agent fears that others may `gang up' against him and this fear forces the agents to negotiate. The grand coalition emerges from the negotiations if each agent uses the principle of equal relative sacrifice to determine the actual allocation. We also establish the rational basis for the choice of the principle of equal relative concession by the negotiating agents. Hence we argue that the Coase theorem will be valid even if there are stable sub-coalitions.     

A general central limit theorem and a subsampling variance estimator for α‐mixing point processes

We establish a central limit theorem for multivariate summary statistics of nonstationary α‐mixing spatial point processes and a subsampling estimator of the covariance matrix of such statistics. The central limit theorem is crucial for establishing asymptotic properties of estimators in statistics for spatial point processes. The covariance matrix subsampling estimator is flexible and model free. It is needed, for example, to construct confidence intervals and ellipsoids based on asymptotic normality of estimators. We also provide a simulation study investigating an application of our results to estimating functions.     

When is n large enough? Looking for the right sample size to estimate proportions

The central limit theorem indicates that when the sample size goes to infinite, the sampling distribution of means tends to follow a normal distribution; it is the basis for the most usual confidence interval and sample size formulas. This study analyzes what sample size is large enough to assume that the distribution of the estimator of a proportion follows a Normal distribution. Also, we propose the use of a correction factor in sample size formulas to ensure a confidence level even when the central limit theorem does not apply for these distributions.     

Another economy: towards a cultural dialectics between energy and society

The looming oil crisis, pollution, and climate change have pushed governments, corporations, and individuals to think of new policies, new objects/products and new manners to market them – usually under the label of “green economy” (or the shifting towards a sustainable economy).

The changes that are on the way as a result of the envisaged “green revolution” need a broad vision that couples the economy of energetic techniques with the related socio-cultural economy that is induced by, and at the same time reciprocally influences, the mere technical transformations.

Based on previous analysis of theories of socio-technological change and putting at its center the concept of subjectivation in social sciences, this article proposes a theoretical understanding of cultural shifts and their relationship with changes in the practices of production, transfer and use of energy.

First part presents a schema of subjectivation in triangulation, that links the biological level with the material culture and with the representational realm of normativities in our society. It will be developed through the example of electric vehicle as metaphor of the energetic transition. Through this understanding, second part deals with the modeling of the three items as a processual energetic system by using the concepts of surplus and expenditure. Within this frame, we show how disruptions in one of the poles of this model influences the others and bring about changes in the entire Anthropo-Social level. Third part proposes possible types of emerging subjectivities and advances the idea of extending the realm of consciousness to the energetic transfers and their potentiality.     

基于功率约束及节点频谱选择的认知协同路由

为了提升认知无线网络的数据传输效率,优化节点能量负载,提出一种协同路由算法。基于覆盖与底层技术的协作设计一种协同网络架构,该架构针对网络频带表现多样化提供了一种新的频谱选择策略,提升频谱资源效用。结合协同网络频谱选择时的干扰特性,根据频谱、干扰和功率约束关系,提出最大化链路容量的频谱及节点功率分配方法。在协同路由设计上引入了频谱效用参数,参数的度量标准涉及节点剩余能量和链路容量,以优化路由节点能量负载和传输效率为目的。仿真对比结果表明,算法有效地利用信道接入机会进行数据转发,提高了传输效率,相比基于竞争进化算法的多播路由方法,数据包传递成功率提升了1．4％,平均网络吞吐量高出8．4％,平均节点剩余能量高出3．2％,在均衡节点负载上性能良好。     

Theorizing the social: Émile Durkheim's theory of force and energy

This paper offers a new interpretation of Émile Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) as the basis for reconsidering the Tarde–Durkheim debate of 1903 and the distinctions between a theory of social force and a theory of social assemblage. Resisting traditional interpretations of Durkheim's scientism, this essay traces how concepts of force and energy are centrally developed in Elementary Forms to draw new lines between epistemology to ontology for twentieth-century theory. I argue that Durkheim develops an ‘energetic epistemology’ that conceives of the human capacity for shared meaning as a product of invested energy in the form of continually enacted and evolving material practice, thought, and attention. According to Durkheim, when a member of a collective perceives a god or feels belief, he or she actually perceives the accumulated energy of on-going creation and maintenance of objects and ideas by members of a collective. Sacred objects, images, and ideas bear the trace of collective energy the more they are carefully crafted, maintained in spaces that are specially arranged, and written into behavioural codes. This reading of Durkheim allows us to consider him in a lineage of social constructivists and, particularly, in relation to Ludwik Fleck, who has been largely confined to different theoretical discussions when his contributions to sociology have been acknowledged at all. By reconsidering Durkheim, we have occasion to rethink his sociology and understand how he redrew the lines between thought and action, between epistemology and ontology, through the material framework of energy and force.     

Asking about the future: methodological insights from energy biographies

Temporality is fundamental to qualitative longitudinal (QLL) research, inherent in the design of returning to participants over time, often to explore moments of change. Previous research has indicated that talking about the future can be difficult, yet there has been insufficient discussion of methodological developments to address these challenges. This paper presents insights from the Energy Biographies project, which has taken a QLL and multimodal approach to investigating how everyday energy use can be understood in relation to biographical pasts and imagined futures. In particular, we detail innovative techniques developed within the project (e.g. SMS photograph activities) to elicit data on anticipated futures, in ways that engender thinking about participants’ own biographical futures and wider societal changes. We conclude by considering some of the significant benefits and challenges such techniques present. These methodological insights have a wider relevance beyond the substantive topic for those interested in eliciting data about futures in qualitative research.     

中国石油战略安全因素分析

伴随着中国经济的快速崛起,中国能源战略安全问题逐渐突显出来。避免能源引发的国家冲突,制定有效的能源战略,这是我国政府十分重视的国家安全的战略问题。论文从国际关系和地缘政治的角度分析出发,在分析了4大国能源战略的基础上,提出了解决中国能源战略安全的基本思路:构建和谐的中美关系;加大石油储备量以防台海有事;积极建立与印度的友好关系突破美国的战略封锁;积极发展中日之间的能源合作;加强对俄罗斯的能源合作的工作力度。     

长三角地区能源效率及其影响因素分析

当前我国生产领域中的能源效率远低于发达国家,而长江三角洲是我国主要能耗地区,提高长三角地区的能源效率具有重要的现实意义。选取了长三角内部三省市14年的面板数据,利用能源强度评价长三角地区能源利用现状,通过实证分析长三角内部各省市的能源效率影响因素,结果发现产业结构和市场化程度对能源效率具有正面影响,外向化程度对能源结构具有负面影响。