Remarks on the Absentminded Driver

Piccione and Rubinstein (1997) present and analyse the sequential decision problem of an “absentminded driver”. The driver's absentmindedness (imperfect recall) leads him to time-inconsistent strategy evaluations. His original evaluation gets replaced by a new one under impact of the information that the circumstances have changed, notwithstanding the fact that this change in circumstances has been expected by him all along. The time inconsistency in strategy evaluation suggests that such an agent might have reason to renege on his adopted strategy. As we shall see, however, this danger is only apparent. There is no serious problem of dynamic inconsistency in this case. My diagnosis of the case under consideration is in many respects similar to the one provided by Aumann, Hart and Perry (1997), but the analysis leading to this diagnosis is not quite the same. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Public Has to Define Itself

In the article texts by John Dewey, JürgenHabermas and Richard Rorty are discussed in thelight of different meanings of the Public. Thisis done by discussing foundational andnon-foundational claims on a philosophy ofpragmatism and democracy, and by looking atdifferent meanings of intersubjectivity. Onecrucial difference I am pointing at, is thatwhile Dewey's intersubjectivity is stemmingfrom philosophical arguments as well aspolitical, Habermas's intersubjectivity isrestricted to the level of (an almostscientific) philosophical abstractargumentation without any concrete language ofpolitics. When it comes to Rorty I stress thathe is far closer than Habermas to Dewey'spragmatism, especially his ambition to includethe specific individuals and to stressindividuality in a philosophy of communicationand public conduct.     

论心理契约的动态过程

本文对心理契约的形成、改变、破裂和补救的动态过程的研究现状进行了综述和分析,特别就研究中有关心理契约的形成规律和补救方式方面存在的问题进行了分析,并针对如何结合我国国情开展深入的实证研究提出了建议。     

Repeated Exposure to Forward Support-Surface Perturbation During Overground Walking Alters Upper-Body Kinematics and Step Parameters

Locomotion requires both proactive and reactive control strategies to maintain balance. The current study aimed to: (i) ascertain upper body postural responses following first exposure to a forward (slip) support-surface perturbation; (ii) investigate effects of repeated perturbation exposure; (iii) establish relationships between arms and other response components (trunk; center of mass control). Young adults (N = 11) completed 14 walking trials on a robotic platform; six elicited a slip response. Kinematic analyses were focused on extrapolated center of mass position (xCoM), bilateral upper- and forearm elevation velocity, trunk angular velocity, and step parameters. Results demonstrated that postural responses evoked in the first slip exposure were the largest in magnitude (e.g., reduced backward stability, altered reactive stepping, etc.) and preceded by anticipatory anterior adjustments of xCoM. In relation to the perturbed leg, the large contra- and ipsilateral arm responses observed (in first exposure) were characteristically asymmetric and scaled to the degree of peak trunk extension. With repeated exposure, xCoM anticipatory adjustments were altered and in turn, reduced posterior xCoM motion occurred following a slip (changes plateaued at second exposure). The few components of the slip response that persisted across multiple exposures did so at a lesser magnitude (e.g., step length and arms).     

一个新的中医研究范式:从非线性动力学的角度解读中医

西方对中医的研究多是利用随机控制试验来检验其疗效。通过讨论,认为这类研究有其局限性。同时探讨一种新的研究范式,即非线性动力学理论。认为这一理论能够提供理论依据来设计适合中医特征的临床试验,并可望得出为西方医学界所接受的研究结果。