Prior distributions on symmetric groups

Fully and partially ranked data arise in a variety of contexts. From a Bayesian perspective, attention has focused on distance-based models; in particular, the Mallows model and extensions thereof. In this paper, a class of prior distributions, the Binary Tree, is developed on the symmetric group. The attractive features of the class are: it provides a closed-form solution to the posterior distribution; and a simple way to interpret the parameters of the prior distribution. The advantages of the proposed method are illustrated by comparing it to metric-based models using data analyzed by other researchers in this context.This revised article was published online in August 2005 with the PDF paginated correctly.     

Probabilistic Subset Conjunction

The authors introduce subset conjunction as a classification rule by which an acceptable alternative must satisfy some minimum number of criteria. The rule subsumes conjunctive and disjunctive decision strategies as special cases. Subset conjunction can be represented in a binary-response model, for example, in a logistic regression, using only main effects or only interaction effects. This results in a confounding of the main and interaction effects when there is little or no response error. With greater response error, a logistic regression, even if it gives a good fit to data, can produce parameter estimates that do not reflect the underlying decision process. The authors propose a model in which the binary classification of alternatives into acceptable/unacceptable categories is based on a probabilistic implementation of a subset-conjunctive process. The satisfaction of decision criteria biases the odds toward one outcome or the other. The authors then describe a two-stage choice model in which a (possibly large) set of alternatives is first reduced using a subset-conjunctive rule, after which an alternative is selected from this reduced set of items. They describe methods for estimating the unobserved consideration probabilities from classification and choice data, and illustrate the use of the models for cancer diagnosis and consumer choice. They report the results of simulations investigating estimation accuracy, incidence of local optima, and model fit. The authors thank the Editor, the Associate Editor, and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions, and also thank Asim Ansari and Raghuram Iyengar for their helpful comments. They also thank Sawtooth Software, McKinsey and Company, and Intelliquest for providing the PC choice data, and the University of Wisconsin for making the breast-cancer data available at the machine learning archives.     

从佛教量论看翻译的实质及类型划分--兼论翻译理论中的不可译性问题

本文首先从佛教量论的角度对翻译的实质做出界定,指出翻译的实质是一种为他(社会性)的比量活动。根据翻译为他比量的实质,可以引导出翻译的两种类型：比知翻译和喻知翻译。比知翻译是具有事先直接约定性的语言传递活动;喻知翻译是没有事先直接约定的语言传递活动。根据从佛教量论对翻译实质和类型的规定,本文分析了不可译性问题,揭示出不可译性在认识论上的误区,指出不可译性是不可知论或怀疑论在翻译领域的显现。     

Long-Term Unemployment Among Young People: The Risk of Social Exclusion

The European Union considers long-term unemployment among youth an impediment to their full integration into society. The Commission of the European Union has, therefore, supported research into the mechanisms by which youth unemployment leads to social exclusion. This paper provides a brief summary of the project's findings. These imply that theories and previous research concerning social exclusion and social support can help explain the effects of youth unemployment although the phenomena vary from country to country. Results also suggest that the construct of social exclusion leads to interventions that reduce the personal and societal costs of youth unemployment.     

Linear relations amongk sets of variables

A family of solutions for linear relations amongk sets of variables is proposed. It is shown how these solutions apply fork=2, and how they can be generalized from there tok3.The family of solutions depends on three independent choices: (i) to what extent a solution may be influenced by differences in variances of components within each set; (ii) to what extent the sets may be differentially weighted with respect to their contribution to the solution—including orthogonality constraints; (iii) whether or not individual sets of variables may be replaced by an orthogonal and unit normalized basis.Solutions are compared with respect to their optimality properties. For each solution the appropriate stationary equations are given. For one example it is shown how the determinantal equation of the stationary equations can be interpreted.     

Soul,Myth and Cosmovision in a Changing World: Essentials of Analytical Psychology and the Descendent Path1

This essay addresses the key role of analytical psychology amid our changing world: to work towards an expansion of Humanity's worldview. In current times of utmost transformation, it becomes imperative that we embrace a total cosmovision, one that includes the 360 degrees of existence: not only the 180 diurnal degrees of ascent, light and order, yet also the descendent sphere, incorporating what is unconscious, nocturnal and mysterious. Integrating this lower realm in our psychic life, however, contrasts our Western worldview, in which these two domains are seemingly opposed and mutually excluding. Mythopoetic language, and the mythologems that manifest in different myths, provide the means of delving into the profound paradoxes at the core of the total cosmovision. Myths such as Añañuca (Chile), Osiris (Egypt), Dionysus (Greece) and Innana (Sumer), highlight the descending path, providing a symbolic narrative of an archetypical transformation or spin, a key moment of “turning on its own axis” that merges the realms of Life and Death, ascent and descent, birth and decay. To live this paradoxical and generative path of transformation, individuals must seek their personal myth not outside but within themselves, where springs the Suprasense.     

A Common Abstraction of MV-Algebras and Abelian l-groups

We investigate the class of strongly distributive pregroups, a common abstraction of MV-algebras and Abelian l-groups which was introduced by E.Casari. The main result of the paper is a representation theorem which yields both Chang's representation of MV-algebras and Clifford's representation of Abelian l-groups as immediate corollaries.     

When “decoy effect” meets gender bias: The role of choice set composition in hiring decisions

A large body of research has found evidence that hiring decisions are frequently subject to strong gender bias and has explored factors that help to predict and prevent such a bias from occurring. In this paper, we explore a novel factor that has received only little attention: the composition of the choice set. Drawing on prior research on the attraction effect of decoys in consumer choice and personnel decisions, we posit that when decision makers need to decide whether to hire a male or a female applicant for a stereotypically male position, the presence of a third applicant whose profile is asymmetrically dominated by one of the two applicants can in many circumstances strongly increase the odds that the male applicant will be selected, but will not be beneficial for the female applicant. We test our hypotheses in five experimental studies with different designs, experimental settings, and participant pools—including managers with professional experience in hiring decisions. Our results provide robust evidence demonstrating the strong effects of choice set composition on the emergence of gender bias. In addition, we found that the presence of asymmetrically dominated applicants makes decision makers more confident in their biased decisions and more likely to implement them immediately without searching for further information. Finally, our results also provide some initial evidence that our results for stereotypically male positions will be reversed when hiring decisions are made for stereotypically female positions where the presence of decoys instead gives an advantage to female over male applicants.     

On the Determination of Minimal Facets and Edges of a Polyhedral Set

In this paper we investigate the image of a polyhedral set under a linear map. Moreover, we present an algorithm for the determination of so-called minimal facets and certain minimal irredundant proper edges of a convex polyhedral set in ℝ³. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.