Weighted Scoring Committees

Weighted committees allow shareholders, party leaders, etc. to wield different numbers of votes or voting weights as they decide between multiple candidates by a given social choice method. We consider committees that apply scoring methods such as plurality, Borda, or antiplurality rule. Many different weights induce the same mapping from committee members’ preferences to winning candidates. The numbers of respective weight equivalence classes and hence of structurally distinct plurality committees, Borda commitees, etc. differ widely. There are 6, 51, and 5 plurality, Borda, and antiplurality committees, respectively, if three players choose between three candidates and up to 163 (229) committees for scoring rules in between plurality and Borda (Borda and antiplurality). A key implication is that plurality, Borda, and antiplurality rule are much less sensitive to weight changes than other scoring rules. We illustrate the geometry of weight equivalence classes, with a map of all Borda classes, and identify minimal integer representations.

Choice of pharmacy, professional perceptions, and career plans of students in three Nigerian schools of pharmacy

Background: A progressive increase in the number of students admitted to study pharmacy in Nigeria has not been met with sufficient documented evidence of their preferences and motivations. Studies on this would aid in designing a programme that matches student expectations, whilst maintaining regulatory requirements. Aim: This study evaluated students’ preferences in wanting to study pharmacy, perceptions of the profession and career choice. Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among students of all study years across three Nigerian Schools of Pharmacy after obtaining approval from their managements. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The response rate of the study was 87.5%. Most students from the three universities reported a preference for pharmacy as their first choice of course: 733 (86.0%) for University of Nigeria (UNN), 66 (71.7%) for Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) and 48 (45.3%) for Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). The students’ mean perception of pharmacy was 77.6±13.5%. However, 69.1% (UNN), 64.1% (NAU) and 59.4% (ESUT) students preferred academic pharmacy to other practice areas in pharmacy. Conclusions: Pharmacy was the preferred course of choice for most students currently enrolled in the programme. The students had generally positive perceptions towards the profession.

How to Assess Quantitatively Party-Level Committee Placements

This chapter explains methodological choices. It offers greater detail about how the dependent variable is coded. Because of the three-outcome variable (high policy, public goods, or distributive committee type), the discrete choice method of multinomial logistic (MNL) regression is used. It permits assessing the extent to which parties make tradeoffs across both committee types and models of party personnel (expertise and electoral–constituency). The chapter explains the reasons why MNL is preferable to binomial logistic regression by a comparison of results on one of the book’s party cases (the German Christian Democratic Union) under either regression format and calculates predicted probabilities for Bundestag committee placement using some of our independent variables. It also explains that some parties (those in Israel and Japan) do not make tradeoffs across committee types to the same degree as parties in our others cases, and are therefore analyzed with binomial logistic regression instead. An index of overlap of committee types on which individual members serve is developed and shown for all parties covered in the book.

Sweetness profiles of glycosylated rebaudioside A and its binary mixtures with allulose and maltitol

Rebaudioside A is a promising natural alternative sweetener but they produce increased bitterness, astringency, and unpleasant aftertastes. Glycosylation and blending with different sweeteners are known to improve the sensory characteristics of rebaudioside A. The present study was conducted to identify the relative sweetness and sensory profile of glycosyl rebaudioside A (g-reb A). The relative sweetness of g-reb A compared to 5% sucrose was determined using the two-alternative forced choice method. The sensory profiles of g-reb A and its mixtures with allulose and maltitol (1:1 ratio) were compared to those of rebaudioside A, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside M, sucralose, allulose, maltitol, and sucrose using descriptive analysis conducted by eight trained panelists. The relative sweetness of g-reb A was 155, which was lower than that of rebaudioside A. In addition, the bitter taste and aftertaste, astringency, and sweet onset of g-reb A were decreased compared to those of rebaudioside A.

The trajectory of counterfactual simulation in development

Young children often struggle to answer the question “what would have happened?” particularly in cases where the adult-like “correct” answer has the same outcome as the event that actually occurred. Previous work has assumed that children fail because they cannot engage in accurate counterfactual simulations. Children have trouble considering what to change and what to keep fixed when comparing counterfactual alternatives to reality. However, most developmental studies on counterfactual reasoning have relied on binary yes/no responses to counterfactual questions about complex narratives and so have only been able to document when these failures occur but not why and how. Here, we investigate counterfactual reasoning in a domain in which specific counterfactual possibilities are very concrete: simple collision interactions. In Experiment 1, we show that 5- to 10-year-old children (recruited from schools and museums in Connecticut) succeed in making predictions but struggle to answer binary counterfactual questions. In Experiment 2, we use a multiple-choice method to allow children to select a specific counterfactual possibility. We find evidence that 4- to 6-year-old children (recruited online from across the United States) do conduct counterfactual simulations, but the counterfactual possibilities younger children consider differ from adult-like reasoning in systematic ways. Experiment 3 provides further evidence that young children engage in simulation rather than using a simpler visual matching strategy. Together, these experiments show that the developmental changes in counterfactual reasoning are not simply a matter of whether children engage in counterfactual simulation but also how they do so.

Effectiveness Test of Piper methysticum Extract Against Crocidolomia pavonana larvae

Application synthetic insecticide with high frequency and continuously can give to negative impact. Alternative control which secures is botanical insecticide. This research aimed to effectiveness tests of P. methysticum plant against C. pavonana larvae using root and leaves this plant. The tested insecticide activity including mortality and feeding inhibition tests. The extract was tested at five concentration levels and repeated five times. The results showed that P. methysticum root extract was able to cause C. pavonana larvae mortality of 94% with a concentration of 419.7 gram/100 ml in water meanwhile, the testing using leaves extract causes mortality 98% from concentration 342 gr/100 ml in water. The feeding inhibition test showed the P. methysticum roots extract give effect with very weak criteria at some concentrations used a no choice method while Leaves extract P. methysticum does not show feeding inhibition.

Feeding Inhibition by Chitosan on Larvae of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The high usage of synthetic insecticides for controlling Spodoptera litura could be detrimental to the environment, especially on non-target organisms. Therefore, more environmentally friendly pest management techniques should be used, for example, using a natural product such as chitosan. The objective of this study was to understand the effect of feeding inhibition by chitosan on the feeding activity of the third instar larvae of S. litura. The feeding inhibition test was carried out using the choice methods in a factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with seven treatments: i.e. chitosan 5×103, 15×103, 25×103, 35×103, 45×103 ppm and profenofos 0.18×103, 0.34×103 ppm, and one control treatment. The test of the choice methods was carried out by three larval laying positions: (1) between the control and treatment feeds (Position A), (2) above the treated feed (Position B), and (3) above the control feed (Position C), and were replicated three times. The non-choice test was done in a completely randomized design (CRD) with seven treatments plus control and were replicated four times. The results showed that the chitosan in the concentration range of 5×103‒45×103 ppm reduced feeding by S. litura larvae by 2.587 to 34.974% in the choice method, and 11.610 to 50,712% in the non-choice method. This feeding inhibition increased significantly with the increment of chitosan concentration. However, the inhibition effects by chitosan was weaker than the inhibition by profenofos LC50 in both tests at a concentration of 0.34×103 ppm: 44.331% and 62.491% respectively. In conclusion, chitosan with a concentration of 45×103 ppm at all larval laying positions showed the highest value of feeding inhibition activity on the third instar larvae of S. litura compared to other chitosan concentrations in both methods.

Optimization of operation scheme for express freight railway

With the high-speed development of industrialization process and the Internet e-commerce in China, the number of the fast cargoes is increasing. The transportation demands of customer should be provided in a convenient and efficient way. However, compared to road and aviation, railway express freight network is lagging in China, the market share is relatively low, and the service is still in a low level. The operation scheme of railway express freight train can improve the railway efficiency. This paper studies the railway express freight train schemes on several related questions. They are as follows: (1) We analyze the factors of operating express freight train. (2) Based on the assumption of the shortest path for the flow of traffic, the operation scheme of express freight railways is optimized by establishing a multitarget model with making the largest railway revenue and the largest satisfaction of cargo owner. (3) The multitarget model is proposed to be converted into a single-target model. It is the case of carrying out the operation scheme in the four logistics node cities of the southwest China. The following conclusions are taken: (1) The choice method of the flow path is generally analyzed by heuristic method, which is more accurate. (2) We establish a multiobjective optimization model on the base of getting the maximum of transport revenue and satisfying the cargo owner’s demand.