Interfamily economic exchange: A function of culture or economics?

This study explores differences in inter-household exchange of goods and services in Anglo- and Mexican-American families controlling for income level and for ethnicity. The extent of such exchange, its perceived importance to the family's quality of life, satisfaction with the exchange, and the relation of persons in the exchange process are examined. Significant differences are found more often between higher income Anglo- and Mexican-Americans than between low-income families, both in the family providing goods and services for others and in the receipt of them. Higher income Mexican-American families are more likely than their Anglo- counterparts to exchange with relatives. Ethnic effects are more prevalent in higher income households than in low-income households. Economic effects are more predominant than ethnic effects.This study contributes to interregional Agricultural Experiment Station Research Project NC-128, Quality of Life as Influenced by Area of Residence. Cooperating states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas.Flora L. Williams' current research interests include income adequacy, financial problems, and indicators of change in economic well-being. She is an Associate Professor, Consumer Sciences and Retailing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.     

Confidence distributions applied to propagating uncertainty to inference based on estimating the local false discovery rate: A fiducial continuum from confidence sets to empirical Bayes set estimates as the number of comparisons increases

Empirical Bayes estimates of the local false discovery rate can reflect uncertainty about the estimated prior by supplementing their Bayesian posterior probabilities with confidence levels as posterior probabilities. This use of coherent fiducial inference with hierarchical models generates set estimators that propagate uncertainty to varying degrees. Some of the set estimates approach estimates from plug-in empirical Bayes methods for high numbers of comparisons and can come close to the usual confidence sets given a sufficiently low number of comparisons.     

重温马克思两大发现的诞生及其关系——对目前《资本论》研究中一种倾向的辩诘

在否认剩余价值理论科学性的同时承认唯物史观,是当下《资本论》研究中的一种重要倾向。要分析这种倾向就得重温马克思两大发现的诞生及其关系。马克思通过政治经济学研究得到了其第一个科学发现,即被称为唯物史观的＂人类历史的发展规律＂;在这个发现的指导下,马克思进一步研究政治经济学而作出了第二个科学发现,即以剩余价值理论为基础的＂资产阶级社会的特殊的运动规律＂;第二个发现对第一个发现又起到了证成作用。因而这两个科学发现之间是普遍性与特殊性的关系,而不是哲学与科学的关系,也不是两种哲学的关系。脱离剩余价值理论的唯物史观与脱离唯物史观的剩余价值理论一样,都是不能成立的。     

Allocation of resources in asymmetric competitions: How do the weak maintain a chance of winning?

To maintain a chance of occasionally beating a stronger player in a competition waged over several fields, a weaker player should give up on some of the fields and concentrate resources on the remaining ones. But when do weak players actually do this? And which fields do they give up when the fields differ in their likelihood of being assessed? We report an experimental study of resource allocation in which asymmetric pairs of players compete over asymmetric fields. Symmetric players and symmetric fields are used for control. We find that players behave as follows: (1) Average wins are the same in the symmetric and asymmetric fields conditions and correspond to relative player strength. (2) The proportion of fields given up on decreases with a player’s greater relative strength, increases for asymmetric field likelihoods, and increases when competitions are framed in meaningful context; this proportion is related to wins. (3) When field likelihoods are asymmetric, players’ resource allocation is correlated with likelihood. Wins generally increase with that correlation but the relation is different for players of different strength. (4) The proportion of fields given up on and the correlation with likelihood change with experience towards the values corresponding to higher wins.     

Countering Overseas Power in Global Value Chains: Information Asymmetries and Subcontracting in the Plastics Industry

Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) and Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis have been deployed in the strategic and international management literatures to address questions of power in dyadic relationships and global production networks, respectively. This paper integrates the two theoretical approaches in order to expand RDT, using insights from Hirschman's exit/voice model to show the options available to some firms but not others. Using the relationship between buyers and contract manufacturers from GVC analysis, we find a correlation between firm size and choice of strategic action in response to contract manufacturers' dependence on buyers. Large firms follow an acquiescence strategy while small manufacturers follow an avoidance strategy, able to use both exit and voice strategies. Enabled by scale or control over information, both of these approaches successfully reduce uncertainty and provide a source of sustained competitive advantage. Using a study of the production chain in consumer plastics manufacturing in China, we show how dependent firms respond to GVC induced pressure. We find that based on the size of the contract manufacturer, the range of strategic responses to power is constrained by the nature of the dependency in global value chains. This opens important insights into the role that structural characteristics of organizations (like size) play in determining strategic freedom.     

Uncovering the Mystery of How Users Find and Use eBooks through Guerilla Usability Testing

Abstract

This case study focuses on user research that was conducted to enhance our users’ ebook discovery experience. We took an outward-facing approach by seeking the users’ perspectives. We wanted to know: How do users find ebooks? How do they perceive multiple records for the same title? Would users find additional metadata useful, such as download availability, file format, and chapter titles? We coordinated guerilla usability testing in our library lobby, inspired by low-overhead, high-impact user experience work at other academic libraries. The resulting data gave us a much-needed new perspective of ebook usage that supplements what we already know from our day-to-day work.     

“互联网+”时代公共图书馆馆藏资源共享的路径探索

面向用户需要、满足用户需求是公共图书馆馆藏资源共享服务的根本导向。在“互联网+”时代,开展针对性、增值性服务是公共图书馆功能和价值实现的重要体现。“互联网+”时代公共图书馆馆藏资源共享具有多元、服务、共赢的特征,在推动馆藏资源共享的实践中,公共图书馆要借助信息技术建设信息数据和信息共享平台的统一标准,打造用户一体化体验模式,并积极引入社会力量助力资源共享建设,以期实现跨越式发展。     

氧气的发现及其哲学意蕴 ——兼论拉瓦锡的研究纲领

拉瓦锡对氧气的发现作出了重要贡献。氧气的发现取决于其背后思维范式和研究纲领的转变。他运用已掌握的经验知识和丰富理论,以客观事实为准则,审查燃素说的一切观念范畴;确立正确的思想观念,以彻底的批判精神和无畏的创新意识开展新的理论思考和实验研究,深刻分析实验现象,揭示出燃素说的逻辑矛盾性,发现了氧气及其在燃烧反应中的作用;使用精确的语言表述氧气及其性质,阐述燃烧现象的本质和规律。氧气的发现是认识上由特殊到普遍、实践上由抽象到具体的结合过程,是事实、观念和语言三者辩证交织的结果。     

Faculty Performance Evaluation: Modeling to Improve Personnel Decisions*

Based on likely future changes in faculty evaluation practices, this paper examines how institutions of higher education might operationalize performance evaluation as related to research, teaching, and service. A model is developed that allows coupling performance evaluation and relevant market considerations with merit pay, tenure, and promotion decisions. The approach is specifically applicable to tenure-track faculty members in colleges and universities.