The core can be accessed with a bounded number of blocks

We show the existence of an upper bound for the number of blocks required to get from one imputation to another provided that accessibility holds. The bound depends only on the number of players in the TU game considered. For the class of games with non-empty cores this means that the core can be reached via a bounded sequence of blocks.     

Winner’s effort maximization in large contests

We investigate the temporal structure that maximizes the winner’s effort in large homogeneous contests. We find that the winner’s effort ranges from a lower bound of 0 to an upper bound of one third of the value of the prize, depending on the temporal structure; the upper (lower) bound is approached with an infinite number of players playing sequentially (simultaneously) in the first periods (period). Nevertheless, when the number of players is large but finite, we show that winner’s effort is maximized when all players play sequentially except in the very last period and that, within the family of such optimal temporal structures, more players play simultaneously in the very last period than sequentially in all other periods. Furthermore, out of all players, the percentage of those playing simultaneously in the very last period goes to 100% as the number of players grows larger and larger.     

Productivity Measurement from a Reference Technology: A Distance Function Approach

An approach to productivity measurement based on distance function measurement is developed in this paper. A series of reference technologies are constructed by augmenting observed inputs and outputs such that the resulting effective netputs are consistent with the weak axiom of profit maximization. Geometric means of year-ahead and year-back distance function values serve as measures of multifactor productivity changes. Both primal measures from the inner bound and dual measures from the outer bound of the reference technologies are calculated. Resulting productivity measures are similar to those derived using index number approaches, but potentially provide greater information regarding the reference technologies.     

Minimal manipulability: Unanimity and nondictatorship

This paper is concerned with the number of profiles at which a nondictatorial social choice function is manipulable. For three or more alternatives the lower bound is found for unanimous social choice functions. In the case of three alternatives the lower bound is found for surjective social choice functions. In both cases all social choice functions reaching the lower bound are characterized for more than two agents. In the case of two agents the characterized social choice functions form a subset of the set of all social choice functions reaching the minimum.     

Blanco proeven

Summary  (Uniformity trials)
Uniformity trials can give information about the variation between individual observations. The number of blocks in the following trial, necessary to decide upon the significance between the main effects, can be derived from the value of the coefficient of variation (b.sigma^x, %).     

A note on the estimation of total weight in chemical balance weighing designs

Summary This paper studies the problem of estimation of the total weight of objects using a chemical balance weighing design under the restriction |L−R| ≤a, whereL andR represent the number of objects placed on the left and right pans, respectively. A lower bound for the variance of the estimated total weight is given and a necessary and sufficient condition for this lower bound to be attained is obtained. Finally, weighing designs for which this lower bound is attainable are constructed.     

A note on the extension of tables for the Friedman statistic

Abstract  The tables for the Friedman rank-test arc extended using a sampling method. A table is given for the traditional significance levels .01, .025, .05 and .10 for number of blocks equal to 7 and 8 and for treatments of size 6 and 7. A brief discussion of available tables is also included along with an example of an application.     

施工中混凝土小型空心砌块墙体抗裂、抗渗能力的质量保证

相对于黏土砖而言,混凝土小型空心砌块属于一种新型建筑材料。在工程实践中,随着混凝土小型空心砌块墙体建筑的增多,混凝土小型空心砌块暴露出一些问题,如容易产生墙体裂缝及雨水渗漏等。文章就施工中混凝土小型空心砌块墙体的抗裂、抗渗能力的质量保证进行了阐述。     

Polygonal designs with blocks of size k≤10

The use of polygonal designs is motivated by the desire to avoid the selection of contiguous units in a sample from an ordered finite population. However very little is known about polygonal designs that have block size 5 or more. We present new polygonal designs with blocks of sizes 5 through 10, including the first designs with block sizes 9 and 10. For block sizes 5 through 7, we identify, with one possible exception, all values for the number of varieties for which a polygonal design exists. Received January 2001     

Rank tests and random blocking of classified data

From the literature on nonparametric rank tests, limiting distributions of Wilcoxon's test tor symmetry and ot Friedman's test for treatment effect are known for observations that are classified in blocks. It is assumed that there is no interaction between blocks and treatments. In the case of fixed blocks this assumption is quite reasonable, in the case of random blocks it is not, as the presence of a random interaction does not make testing for treatment effect superfluous. For classified, categorical data in random blocks the limiting distribution will be derived in this paper of Wilcoxon's rank test in a model which includes a random interaction between blocks and treatments.
An illustration is given by some data from a judgement comparison experiment for the image quality of Video Long Play discs.     

A stochastic bargaining process for n-person games

A stochastic bargaining process for a cooperative n-person game is investigated. The bargaining consists of proposing a sequence of utility vectors each of which improves upon (blocks) the foregoing one. In this sequence the proposals are chosen according to a transition probability fulfilling some regularity conditions. It can be proved that almost every sequence converges to an imputation in the core of the game. Further, the probability of ending up in a neighborhood of the core converges quickly to one as the number of proposals goes to infinity.     

区块链技术重塑税收征管系统实现路径探究

区块链技术具有去中心化、信息数据不能被篡改、分布式记账以及非对称加密等特点,越来越多地应用于各大领域与行业.区块链技术与税收征管的结合势必会重塑整个税收征管系统环境.区块链技术使得经济行为人的全部纳税信息以区块的形式在区块网络中存在,可提升纳税人的纳税遵从度;区块链技术信息记录和信息传输的技术特点可解决纳税信息缺失和纳...     

A regularization approach to the many instruments problem

This paper focuses on the estimation of a finite dimensional parameter in a linear model where the number of instruments is very large or infinite. In order to improve the small sample properties of standard instrumental variable (IV) estimators, we propose three modified IV estimators based on three different ways of inverting the covariance matrix of the instruments. These inverses involve a regularization or smoothing parameter. It should be stressed that no restriction on the number of instruments is needed and that all the instruments are used in the estimation. We show that the three estimators are asymptotically normal and attain the semiparametric efficiency bound. Higher-order analysis of the MSE reveals that the bias of the modified estimators does not depend on the number of instruments. Finally, we suggest a data-driven method for selecting the regularization parameter. Interestingly, our regularization techniques lead to a consistent nonparametric estimation of the optimal instrument.     

Minimum return guarantees with fund switching rights—An optimal stopping problem

Recently, there is a growing trend to offer guaranteed products where the investor is allowed to shift her account/investment value between multiple funds. The switching right is granted a finite number of times per year, i.e. it is American style with multiple exercise possibilities. In consequence, the pricing and the risk management is based on the switching strategy which maximizes the value of the guarantee put-option. We analyze the optimal stopping problem in the case of one switching right within different model classes and compare the exact price with the lower price bound implied by the optimal deterministic switching time. We show that, within the class of log-price processes with independent increments, the stopping problem is solved by a deterministic stopping time if (and only if) the price process is in addition continuous. Thus, in a sense, the Black and Scholes model is the only (meaningful) pricing model where the lower price bound gives the exact price. It turns out that even moderate deviations from the Black and Scholes model assumptions give a lower price bound which is really below the exact price. This is illustrated by means of a stylized stochastic volatility model setup.     

Labor union negotiations: stepping stones or stumbling blocks for a responsible downsizing strategy? Empirical tests in Taiwan

Firms have used organizational downsizing strategies for years. But organizational downsizing not only cannot surely improves firm performance, but also harms thousands of employees and their families. A number of scholars investigating organizational change suggest that ‘a responsible downsizing strategy’ can mitigate or solve this issue. As the major stakeholder in downsizing, labor unions naturally negotiate with firms to protect employee rights and benefits. Their negotiation, therefore, may either enhance or mitigate the effect of responsible downsizing strategy on firm performance. This study used a sample of 154 downsized local firms and multinational corporations in Taiwan to examine the research construct, and invited focus groups to have a further validated explanation. The findings show that labor union negotiation may act as either stepping stones or stumbling blocks. The results indicate that firms employing labor union negotiation experience higher downsizing performance than non-unionized firms do. However, labor union interventions can also become stumbling blocks. Labor union negotiation neutralize the positive effect of employee-caring practices on downsizing performance, leading to a decline in downsizing performance when firms increase employee participation and justice consideration in the downsizing process. The research findings provide implications for further scholarly research and management practices in terms of organization change, stakeholder management and labor–management relationship.     

Optimal extended complete block designs for dependent observations

Optimal designs under general dependence structures are usually difficult to specify theoretically or find algorithmically. However, they can sometimes be found for a specific dependence structure and a particular parameter value. In this paper, a class of generalized binary block designs with t treatments and b blocks of size k>t is considered. Each block consists of h consecutive complete blocks and, at the end, an incomplete block of size k−ht (if k > ht). For a suitable number of blocks, a universally optimal design is found for a first-order stationary autoregressive process with positive correlations. Optimal generalized binary designs and balanced block designs are also considered. Some constructions for a universally optimal design are described. A negative dependence parameter, and some other dependence structures, are also considered.     

框架填充墙砌体拉结筋“植筋法”施工工艺探析

框架填充墙砌体拉结筋,采用“植筋法”施工,拉结筋定位准确,方便墙体砌筑;不直接预埋拉结筋,也不需事先在钢筋混凝土结构柱(墙)中设置埋件,而且可以按砌块模数进行定位设置.与预埋方法比较,采用“植筋法”时,模板不需钻孔穿筋,避免了因混凝土施工时,由于振捣等原因而造成的拉结筋移位、歪斜,拉结筋施工时剔凿过深或面积过大,影响主筋保护层和削弱混凝土结构断面尺寸等质量问题.     

生态挡土墙的特点及适用范围探析

在生态环保、节能降耗日渐成为趋势的新时期,各类生态挡土墙都得到不同程度的应用。文章指出了普通生态挡土墙的生态特点及适用范围,重点分析了后垂型砌块挡土墙和溢水孔砌块挡土墙这类砌块加筋土挡土墙的生态特点和技术特征。     

城市交通战略、交通政策的表现形式——交通白皮书的编制研究

对交通白皮书的战略高度、编制年限、空间范围、编制内容、编制流程以及编制的方法和原则等进行了相关的分析和研究,旨在为国内其他城市交通白皮书的编制和进一步的相关研究提供参考。     

Robustness to the unavailability of data in block designs

We present general results for finding or boundingt _maxB , the maximum number of arbitrary whole blocks of observations which can be removed from a block design, and still leave all of the elementary treatment contrasts estimable. The block sizes may be larger than the number of treatments. The results are applied to BBDs, reinforced BIBDs and BBDs, BTIBDs, and a series of variance balanced incomplete block designs with two block sizes. Also given for most of these designs, are results fort _max, the maximum number of arbitrary, scattered observations that can become unavailable, and still leave all of the elementary treatment contrasts estimable.The work was undertaken while Dr. Whittinghill was visiting Ohio State University, and supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences Division, Colby College, Waterville, Maine.