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Sample records for strengths predicted voting

  1. Do Implicit Attitudes Predict Actual Voting Behavior Particularly for Undecided Voters?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friese, Malte; Smith, Colin Tucker; Plischke, Thomas; Bluemke, Matthias; Nosek, Brian A.

    2012-01-01

    The prediction of voting behavior of undecided voters poses a challenge to psychologists and pollsters. Recently, researchers argued that implicit attitudes would predict voting behavior particularly for undecided voters whereas explicit attitudes would predict voting behavior particularly for decided voters. We tested this assumption in two studies in two countries with distinct political systems in the context of real political elections. Results revealed that (a) explicit attitudes predicted voting behavior better than implicit attitudes for both decided and undecided voters, and (b) implicit attitudes predicted voting behavior better for decided than undecided voters. We propose that greater elaboration of attitudes produces stronger convergence between implicit and explicit attitudes resulting in better predictive validity of both, and less incremental validity of implicit over explicit attitudes for the prediction of voting behavior. However, greater incremental predictive validity of implicit over explicit attitudes may be associated with less elaboration. PMID:22952898

  2. Justice blocks and predictability of U.S. Supreme Court votes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger Guimerà

    Full Text Available Successful attempts to predict judges' votes shed light into how legal decisions are made and, ultimately, into the behavior and evolution of the judiciary. Here, we investigate to what extent it is possible to make predictions of a justice's vote based on the other justices' votes in the same case. For our predictions, we use models and methods that have been developed to uncover hidden associations between actors in complex social networks. We show that these methods are more accurate at predicting justice's votes than forecasts made by legal experts and by algorithms that take into consideration the content of the cases. We argue that, within our framework, high predictability is a quantitative proxy for stable justice (and case blocks, which probably reflect stable a priori attitudes toward the law. We find that U.S. Supreme Court justice votes are more predictable than one would expect from an ideal court composed of perfectly independent justices. Deviations from ideal behavior are most apparent in divided 5-4 decisions, where justice blocks seem to be most stable. Moreover, we find evidence that justice predictability decreased during the 50-year period spanning from the Warren Court to the Rehnquist Court, and that aggregate court predictability has been significantly lower during Democratic presidencies. More broadly, our results show that it is possible to use methods developed for the analysis of complex social networks to quantitatively investigate historical questions related to political decision-making.

  3. Prediction of RNA-Binding Proteins by Voting Systems

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    C. R. Peng

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available It is important to identify which proteins can interact with RNA for the purpose of protein annotation, since interactions between RNA and proteins influence the structure of the ribosome and play important roles in gene expression. This paper tries to identify proteins that can interact with RNA using voting systems. Firstly through Weka, 34 learning algorithms are chosen for investigation. Then simple majority voting system (SMVS is used for the prediction of RNA-binding proteins, achieving average ACC (overall prediction accuracy value of 79.72% and MCC (Matthew’s correlation coefficient value of 59.77% for the independent testing dataset. Then mRMR (minimum redundancy maximum relevance strategy is used, which is transferred into algorithm selection. In addition, the MCC value of each classifier is assigned to be the weight of the classifier’s vote. As a result, best average MCC values are attained when 22 algorithms are selected and integrated through weighted votes, which are 64.70% for the independent testing dataset, and ACC value is 82.04% at this moment.

  4. Brief implicit association test: Validity and utility in prediction of voting behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavlović Maša D.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We employed the Brief Implicit Association Test (a recently developed short version of IAT to measure implicit political attitudes toward four political parties running for Serbian parliament. To test its criterion validity, we measured voting intention and actual voting behavior. In addition, we introduced political involvement as a potential moderator of the BIAT’s predictive and incremental validity. The BIAT demonstrated good internal and predictive validity, but lacked incremental validity over self-report measures. Predictive power of the BIAT was moderated by political involvement - the BIAT scores were stronger predictors of voting intention and behavior among voters highly involved in politics. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179018

  5. The Political Gender Gap: Gender Bias in Facial Inferences that Predict Voting Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiao, Joan Y.; Bowman, Nicholas E.; Gill, Harleen

    2008-01-01

    Background Throughout human history, a disproportionate degree of political power around the world has been held by men. Even in democracies where the opportunity to serve in top political positions is available to any individual elected by the majority of their constituents, most of the highest political offices are occupied by male leaders. What psychological factors underlie this political gender gap? Contrary to the notion that people use deliberate, rational strategies when deciding whom to vote for in major political elections, research indicates that people use shallow decision heuristics, such as impressions of competence solely from a candidate's facial appearance, when deciding whom to vote for. Because gender has previously been shown to affect a number of inferences made from the face, here we investigated the hypothesis that gender of both voter and candidate affects the kinds of facial impressions that predict voting behavior. Methodology/Principal Finding Male and female voters judged a series of male and female political candidates on how competent, dominant, attractive and approachable they seemed based on their facial appearance. Then they saw a series of pairs of political candidates and decided which politician they would vote for in a hypothetical election for President of the United States. Results indicate that both gender of voter and candidate affect the kinds of facial impressions that predict voting behavior. All voters are likely to vote for candidates who appear more competent. However, male candidates that appear more approachable and female candidates who appear more attractive are more likely to win votes. In particular, men are more likely to vote for attractive female candidates whereas women are more likely to vote for approachable male candidates. Conclusions/Significance Here we reveal gender biases in the intuitive heuristics that voters use when deciding whom to vote for in major political elections. Our findings underscore

  6. The political gender gap: gender bias in facial inferences that predict voting behavior.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Y Chiao

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Throughout human history, a disproportionate degree of political power around the world has been held by men. Even in democracies where the opportunity to serve in top political positions is available to any individual elected by the majority of their constituents, most of the highest political offices are occupied by male leaders. What psychological factors underlie this political gender gap? Contrary to the notion that people use deliberate, rational strategies when deciding whom to vote for in major political elections, research indicates that people use shallow decision heuristics, such as impressions of competence solely from a candidate's facial appearance, when deciding whom to vote for. Because gender has previously been shown to affect a number of inferences made from the face, here we investigated the hypothesis that gender of both voter and candidate affects the kinds of facial impressions that predict voting behavior. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: Male and female voters judged a series of male and female political candidates on how competent, dominant, attractive and approachable they seemed based on their facial appearance. Then they saw a series of pairs of political candidates and decided which politician they would vote for in a hypothetical election for President of the United States. Results indicate that both gender of voter and candidate affect the kinds of facial impressions that predict voting behavior. All voters are likely to vote for candidates who appear more competent. However, male candidates that appear more approachable and female candidates who appear more attractive are more likely to win votes. In particular, men are more likely to vote for attractive female candidates whereas women are more likely to vote for approachable male candidates. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Here we reveal gender biases in the intuitive heuristics that voters use when deciding whom to vote for in major political elections. Our

  7. Decisions among the undecided: implicit attitudes predict future voting behavior of undecided voters.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristjen B Lundberg

    Full Text Available Implicit attitudes have been suggested as a key to unlock the hidden preferences of undecided voters. Past research, however, offered mixed support for this hypothesis. The present research used a large nationally representative sample and a longitudinal design to examine the predictive utility of implicit and explicit attitude measures in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In our analyses, explicit attitudes toward candidates predicted voting better for decided than undecided voters, but implicit candidate attitudes were predictive of voting for both decided and undecided voters. Extending our examination to implicit and explicit racial attitudes, we found the same pattern. Taken together, these results provide convergent evidence that implicit attitudes predict voting about as well for undecided as for decided voters. We also assessed a novel explanation for these effects by evaluating whether implicit attitudes may predict the choices of undecided voters, in part, because they are neglected when people introspect about their confidence. Consistent with this idea, we found that the extremity of explicit but not implicit attitudes was associated with greater confidence. These analyses shed new light on the utility of implicit measures in predicting future behavior among individuals who feel undecided. Considering the prior studies together with this new evidence, the data seem to be consistent that implicit attitudes may be successful in predicting the behavior of undecided voters.

  8. Perceived health from biological motion predicts voting behaviour.

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    Kramer, Robin S S; Arend, Isabel; Ward, Robert

    2010-04-01

    Body motion signals socially relevant traits like the sex, age, and even the genetic quality of actors and may therefore facilitate various social judgements. By examining ratings and voting decisions based solely on body motion of political candidates, we considered how the candidates' motion affected people's judgements and voting behaviour. In two experiments, participants viewed stick figure motion displays made from videos of politicians in public debate. Participants rated the motion displays for a variety of social traits and then indicated their vote preference. In both experiments, perceived physical health was the single best predictor of vote choice, and no two-factor model produced significant improvement. Notably, although attractiveness and leadership correlated with voting behaviour, neither provided additional explanatory power to a single-factor model of health alone. Our results demonstrate for the first time that motion can produce systematic vote preferences.

  9. A theoretical adaptive model of thermal comfort - Adaptive Predicted Mean Vote (aPMV)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yao, Runming [School of Construction Management and Engineering, The University of Reading (United Kingdom); Faculty of Urban Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing University (China); Li, Baizhan [Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region' s Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University (China); Faculty of Urban Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing University (China); Liu, Jing [School of Construction Management and Engineering, The University of Reading (United Kingdom)

    2009-10-15

    This paper presents in detail a theoretical adaptive model of thermal comfort based on the ''Black Box'' theory, taking into account factors such as culture, climate, social, psychological and behavioural adaptations, which have an impact on the senses used to detect thermal comfort. The model is called the Adaptive Predicted Mean Vote (aPMV) model. The aPMV model explains, by applying the cybernetics concept, the phenomena that the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) is greater than the Actual Mean Vote (AMV) in free-running buildings, which has been revealed by many researchers in field studies. An Adaptive coefficient ({lambda}) representing the adaptive factors that affect the sense of thermal comfort has been proposed. The empirical coefficients in warm and cool conditions for the Chongqing area in China have been derived by applying the least square method to the monitored onsite environmental data and the thermal comfort survey results. (author)

  10. Cortisol and politics: variance in voting behavior is predicted by baseline cortisol levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Jeffrey A; Smith, Kevin B; Alford, John R; Guck, Adam; Birnie, Andrew K; Hibbing, John R

    2014-06-22

    Participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographics variables, but there is growing evidence that biological predispositions may also play a role in behavior related to political involvement. We examined the role of individual variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis parameters in explaining differences in self-reported and actual participation in political activities. Self-reported political activity, religious participation, and verified voting activity in U.S. national elections were collected from 105 participants, who were subsequently exposed to a standardized (nonpolitical) psychosocial stressor. We demonstrated that lower baseline salivary cortisol in the late afternoon was significantly associated with increased actual voting frequency in six national elections, but not with self-reported non-voting political activity. Baseline cortisol predicted significant variation in voting behavior above and beyond variation accounted for by traditional demographic variables (particularly age of participant in our sample). Participation in religious activity was weakly (and negatively) associated with baseline cortisol. Our results suggest that HPA-mediated characteristics of social, cognitive, and emotional processes may exert an influence on a trait as complex as voting behavior, and that cortisol is a better predictor of actual voting behavior, as opposed to self-reported political activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Cortisol and Politics: Variance in Voting Behavior is Predicted by Baseline Cortisol Levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Jeffrey A.; Smith, Kevin B.; Alford, John R.; Guck, Adam; Birnie, Andrew K.; Hibbing, John R.

    2014-01-01

    Participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographics variables, but there is growing evidence that biological predispositions may also play a role in behavior related to political involvement. We examined the role of individual variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis parameters in explaining differences in self-reported and actual participation in political activities. Self-reported political activity, religious participation, and verified voting activity in U.S. national elections were collected from 105 participants, who were subsequently exposed to a standardized (nonpolitical) psychosocial stressor. We demonstrated that lower baseline salivary cortisol in the late afternoon was significantly associated with increased actual voting frequency in six national elections, but not with self-reported non-voting political activity. Baseline cortisol predicted significant variation in voting behavior above and beyond variation accounted for by traditional demographic variables (particularly age of participant in our sample). Participation in religious activity was weakly (and negatively) associated with baseline cortisol. Our results suggest that HPA-mediated characteristics of social, cognitive, and emotional processes may exert an influence on a trait as complex as voting behavior, and that cortisol is a better predictor of actual voting behavior, as opposed to self-reported political activity. PMID:24835544

  12. Moral Foundations and Voting Intention in Italy

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    Patrizia Milesi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Based on the view of morality proposed by the Moral Foundations Theory, this paper investigates whether voting intention is associated with moral foundation endorsement in not perfectly bipolar electoral contexts. Three studies carried out in Italy from 2010 to 2013, showed that controlling for ideological orientation, moral foundation endorsement is associated with voting intention. In Study 1 and 3, in fictitious and real national elections, intention to vote for right-wing political groups rather than for left-wing rivals was associated with Sanctity, confirming previous results obtained in the U.S. Furthermore, as a function of the specific competing political groups in each of the examined contexts other moral foundations predicted voting intention. In Study 1, Care and Authority predicted voting intention for the major political groups rather than for an autonomist party that aimed at decreasing central government’s fiscal power in favor of fiscal regional autonomy. In Study 3, Loyalty predicted the intention to vote for the major parliamentarian parties rather than for a movement that aimed at capturing disaffection towards traditional politics. In Study 2, at real regional elections, Loyalty predicted voting intention for the incumbent right-wing governor rather than for the challengers and Fairness predicted voting intention for left-wing extra-parliamentarian political groups rather than for the major left-wing party. Thus multiple moral concerns can be associated with voting intention. In fragmented and unstable electoral contexts, at each election the context of the competing political groups may elicit specific moral concerns that can contribute to affect voting intention beyond ideological orientation.

  13. Parliament votes against building fifth power reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    After a heated three-day debate, Finland's parliament voted on September 24 to reject the proposal to build the country's fifth nuclear power reactor. As predicted, the vote was close: 107 voted against more nuclear power, 90 were in favor, two members of the 200-seat parliament were not present, and the speaker did not vote

  14. Could the outcome of the 2016 US elections have been predicted from past voting patterns?

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Schmitz, Peter MU

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In South Africa, a team of analysts has for some years been using statistical techniques to predict election outcomes during election nights in South Africa. The prediction method involves using statistical clusters based on past voting patterns...

  15. Voting Intention and Choices: Are Voters Always Rational and Deliberative?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, I-Ching; Chen, Eva E; Tsai, Chia-Hung; Yen, Nai-Shing; Chen, Arbee L P; Lin, Wei-Chieh

    2016-01-01

    Human rationality--the ability to behave in order to maximize the achievement of their presumed goals (i.e., their optimal choices)--is the foundation for democracy. Research evidence has suggested that voters may not make decisions after exhaustively processing relevant information; instead, our decision-making capacity may be restricted by our own biases and the environment. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which humans in a democratic society can be rational when making decisions in a serious, complex situation-voting in a local political election. We believe examining human rationality in a political election is important, because a well-functioning democracy rests largely upon the rational choices of individual voters. Previous research has shown that explicit political attitudes predict voting intention and choices (i.e., actual votes) in democratic societies, indicating that people are able to reason comprehensively when making voting decisions. Other work, though, has demonstrated that the attitudes of which we may not be aware, such as our implicit (e.g., subconscious) preferences, can predict voting choices, which may question the well-functioning democracy. In this study, we systematically examined predictors on voting intention and choices in the 2014 mayoral election in Taipei, Taiwan. Results indicate that explicit political party preferences had the largest impact on voting intention and choices. Moreover, implicit political party preferences interacted with explicit political party preferences in accounting for voting intention, and in turn predicted voting choices. Ethnic identity and perceived voting intention of significant others were found to predict voting choices, but not voting intention. In sum, to the comfort of democracy, voters appeared to engage mainly explicit, controlled processes in making their decisions; but findings on ethnic identity and perceived voting intention of significant others may suggest otherwise.

  16. Voting Intention and Choices: Are Voters Always Rational and Deliberative?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I-Ching Lee

    Full Text Available Human rationality--the ability to behave in order to maximize the achievement of their presumed goals (i.e., their optimal choices--is the foundation for democracy. Research evidence has suggested that voters may not make decisions after exhaustively processing relevant information; instead, our decision-making capacity may be restricted by our own biases and the environment. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which humans in a democratic society can be rational when making decisions in a serious, complex situation-voting in a local political election. We believe examining human rationality in a political election is important, because a well-functioning democracy rests largely upon the rational choices of individual voters. Previous research has shown that explicit political attitudes predict voting intention and choices (i.e., actual votes in democratic societies, indicating that people are able to reason comprehensively when making voting decisions. Other work, though, has demonstrated that the attitudes of which we may not be aware, such as our implicit (e.g., subconscious preferences, can predict voting choices, which may question the well-functioning democracy. In this study, we systematically examined predictors on voting intention and choices in the 2014 mayoral election in Taipei, Taiwan. Results indicate that explicit political party preferences had the largest impact on voting intention and choices. Moreover, implicit political party preferences interacted with explicit political party preferences in accounting for voting intention, and in turn predicted voting choices. Ethnic identity and perceived voting intention of significant others were found to predict voting choices, but not voting intention. In sum, to the comfort of democracy, voters appeared to engage mainly explicit, controlled processes in making their decisions; but findings on ethnic identity and perceived voting intention of significant others may suggest

  17. Improving Remote Voting Security with CodeVoting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joaquim, Rui; Ribeiro, Carlos; Ferreira, Paulo

    One of the major problems that prevents the spread of elections with the possibility of remote voting over electronic networks, also called Internet Voting, is the use of unreliable client platforms, such as the voter's computer and the Internet infrastructure connecting it to the election server. A computer connected to the Internet is exposed to viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, malware and other threats that can compromise the election's integrity. For instance, it is possible to write a virus that changes the voter's vote to a predetermined vote on election's day. Another possible attack is the creation of a fake election web site where the voter uses a malicious vote program on the web site that manipulates the voter's vote (phishing/pharming attack). Such attacks may not disturb the election protocol, therefore can remain undetected in the eyes of the election auditors.

  18. Voting Present

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    James Lo

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available During his time as a state senator in Illinois, Barack Obama voted “Present” 129 times, a deliberate act of nonvoting that subsequently became an important campaign issue during the 2008 presidential elections. In this article, I examine the use of Present votes in the Illinois state senate. I find evidence that Present votes can largely be characterized as protest votes used as a legislative tool by the minority party. Incorporating information from Present votes into a Bayesian polytomous item-response model, I find that this information increases the efficiency of ideal point estimates by approximately 35%. There is little evidence of significant moderation by Obama when Present votes are accounted for, though my results suggest that Obama’s voting record may have moderated significantly before his subsequent election to the U.S. Senate. My results also suggest that because legislative nonvoting may occur for a variety of reasons, naive inclusion of nonvoting behavior into vote choice models may lead to biased results.

  19. Could the outcome of the 2016 US elections have been predicted from past voting patterns?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitz, Peter M. U.; Holloway, Jennifer P.; Dudeni-Tlhone, Nontembeko; Ntlangu, Mbulelo B.; Koen, Renee

    2018-05-01

    In South Africa, a team of analysts has for some years been using statistical techniques to predict election outcomes during election nights in South Africa. The prediction method involves using statistical clusters based on past voting patterns to predict final election outcomes, using a small number of released vote counts. With the US presidential elections in November 2016 hitting the global media headlines during the time period directly after successful predictions were done for the South African elections, the team decided to investigate adapting their meth-od to forecast the final outcome in the US elections. In particular, it was felt that the time zone differences between states would affect the time at which results are released and thereby provide a window of opportunity for doing election night prediction using only the early results from the eastern side of the US. Testing the method on the US presidential elections would have two advantages: it would determine whether the core methodology could be generalised, and whether it would work to include a stronger spatial element in the modelling, since the early results released would be spatially biased due to time zone differences. This paper presents a high-level view of the overall methodology and how it was adapted to predict the results of the US presidential elections. A discussion on the clustering of spatial units within the US is also provided and the spatial distribution of results together with the Electoral College prediction results from both a `test-run' and the final 2016 presidential elections are given and analysed.

  20. Voting experiments: Bandwagon voting or false-consensus effect?

    OpenAIRE

    Ivo Bischoff; Henrik Egbert

    2008-01-01

    In an experiment designed to test for expressive voting, Tyran (JPubEc 2004) found a strong positive correlation between the participants' approval for a proposal to donate money for charity and their expected approval rate for fellow voters. This phenomenon can be due to bandwagon voting or a false consensus effect. The social science literature reports both effects for voting decisions. Replicating Tyran's experiment and adding new treatments, we provide evidence for a false consensus effec...

  1. On the performance of voting systems in spatial voting simulations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Negriu, A.; Piatecki, C.

    2012-01-01

    We study the performance of voting systems in terms of minimizing the overall social disutility of making a collective choice in an univariate voting space with ideological voting and perfect information. In order to obtain a distribution of the performance indicator for each of the 12 systems

  2. Accuracy gains of adding vote expectation surveys to a combined forecast of US presidential election outcomes

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    Andreas Graefe

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available In averaging forecasts within and across four-component methods (i.e. polls, prediction markets, expert judgment and quantitative models, the combined PollyVote provided highly accurate predictions for the US presidential elections from 1992 to 2012. This research note shows that the PollyVote would have also outperformed vote expectation surveys, which prior research identified as the most accurate individual forecasting method during that time period. Adding vote expectations to the PollyVote would have further increased the accuracy of the combined forecast. Across the last 90 days prior to the six elections, a five-component PollyVote (i.e. including vote expectations would have yielded a mean absolute error of 1.08 percentage points, which is 7% lower than the corresponding error of the original four-component PollyVote. This study thus provides empirical evidence in support of two major findings from forecasting research. First, combining forecasts provides highly accurate predictions, which are difficult to beat for even the most accurate individual forecasting method available. Second, the accuracy of a combined forecast can be improved by adding component forecasts that rely on different data and different methods than the forecasts already included in the combination.

  3. Voting Experiments: Measuring Vulnerability of Voting Procedures to Manipulation

    OpenAIRE

    Palguta, Jan

    2011-01-01

    A minimal reduction in strategic voter’s knowledge about other voters’ voting patterns severely limits her ability to strategically manipulate the voting outcome. In this paper I relax the implicit assumption made in the Gibbard-Satterthwaite’s impossibility theorem about strategic voter‘s complete information about all other voters’ preference profiles. Via a series of computation-based simulations I find that vulnerability to strategic voting is decreasing in the number of voters and increa...

  4. Toward more usable electronic voting: testing the usability of a smartphone voting system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Bryan A; Tossell, Chad C; Byrne, Michael D; Kortum, Philip

    2014-08-01

    The goal of this research was to assess the usability of a voting system designed for smart-phones. Smartphones offer remote participation in elections through the use of pervasive technology. Voting on these devices could, among other benefits, increase voter participation while allowing voters to use familiar technology. However, the usability of these systems has not been assessed. A mobile voting system optimized for use on a smartphone was designed and tested against traditional voting platforms for usability. There were no reliable differences between the smartphone-based system and other voting methods in efficiency and perceived usability. More important, though, smartphone owners committed fewer errors on the mobile voting system than on the traditional voting systems. Even with the known limitations of small mobile platforms in both displays and controls, a carefully designed system can provide a usable voting method. Much of the concern about mobile voting is in the area of security; therefore, although these results are promising, security concerns and usability issues arising from mitigating them must be strongly considered. The results of this experiment may help to inform current and future election and public policy officials about the benefits of allowing voters to vote with familiar hardware.

  5. Voting systems for environmental decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgman, Mark A; Regan, Helen M; Maguire, Lynn A; Colyvan, Mark; Justus, James; Martin, Tara G; Rothley, Kris

    2014-04-01

    Voting systems aggregate preferences efficiently and are often used for deciding conservation priorities. Desirable characteristics of voting systems include transitivity, completeness, and Pareto optimality, among others. Voting systems that are common and potentially useful for environmental decision making include simple majority, approval, and preferential voting. Unfortunately, no voting system can guarantee an outcome, while also satisfying a range of very reasonable performance criteria. Furthermore, voting methods may be manipulated by decision makers and strategic voters if they have knowledge of the voting patterns and alliances of others in the voting populations. The difficult properties of voting systems arise in routine decision making when there are multiple criteria and management alternatives. Because each method has flaws, we do not endorse one method. Instead, we urge organizers to be transparent about the properties of proposed voting systems and to offer participants the opportunity to approve the voting system as part of the ground rules for operation of a group. © 2014 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of the Society for Conservation Biology.

  6. Class voting and Left–Right party positions: A comparative study of 15 Western democracies, 1960–2005

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, G.; Evans, G.; Graaf, N.D. de

    2013-01-01

    Studies that explain the class voting have often focused on "bottom-up" social factors, but paid little attention to 'top-down' political factors. We argue that party positions on left–right ideology have an effect on the strength of class voting. This argument is tested by estimating the impact of

  7. Class voting and Left–Right party positions: A comparative study of 15 Western democracies, 1960–2005

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, Giedo

    2013-01-01

    Studies that explain the class voting have often focused on “bottom-up” social factors, but paid little attention to ‘top-down’ political factors. We argue that party positions on left–right ideology have an effect on the strength of class voting. This argument is tested by estimating the impact of

  8. Statistical analysis of Nomao customer votes for spots of France

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pálovics, Róbert; Daróczy, Bálint; Benczúr, András; Pap, Julia; Ermann, Leonardo; Phan, Samuel; Chepelianskii, Alexei D.; Shepelyansky, Dima L.

    2015-08-01

    We investigate the statistical properties of votes of customers for spots of France collected by the startup company Nomao. The frequencies of votes per spot and per customer are characterized by a power law distribution which remains stable on a time scale of a decade when the number of votes is varied by almost two orders of magnitude. Using the computer science methods we explore the spectrum and the eigenvalues of a matrix containing user ratings to geolocalized items. Eigenvalues nicely map to large towns and regions but show certain level of instability as we modify the interpretation of the underlying matrix. We evaluate imputation strategies that provide improved prediction performance by reaching geographically smooth eigenvectors. We point on possible links between distribution of votes and the phenomenon of self-organized criticality.

  9. Does Economic Education Make a Difference in Congress? How Economics Majors Vote on Trade

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Roark, J. Brian

    2012-01-01

    The author of this article expands the background theory of voting to incorporate the undergraduate majors of members of Congress. Examining nine votes on trade across the 109th and 110th Congresses reveals that economics majors are the only category of college major to vote in favor of free trade in a predictable way. Controls for a variety of…

  10. Improving Remote Voting Security with CodeVoting

    OpenAIRE

    Joaquim, Rui; Ribeiro, Carlos; Ferreira, Paulo

    2010-01-01

    One of the major problems that prevents the spread of elections with the possibility of remote voting over electronic networks, also called Internet Voting, is the use of unreliable client platforms, such as the voter’s computer and the Internet infrastructure connecting it to the election server. A computer connected to the Internet is exposed to viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, malware and other threats that can compromise the election’s integrity. For instance, it is pos...

  11. The Witness-Voting System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerck, Ed

    We present a new, comprehensive framework to qualitatively improve election outcome trustworthiness, where voting is modeled as an information transfer process. Although voting is deterministic (all ballots are counted), information is treated stochastically using Information Theory. Error considerations, including faults, attacks, and threats by adversaries, are explicitly included. The influence of errors may be corrected to achieve an election outcome error as close to zero as desired (error-free), with a provably optimal design that is applicable to any type of voting, with or without ballots. Sixteen voting system requirements, including functional, performance, environmental and non-functional considerations, are derived and rated, meeting or exceeding current public-election requirements. The voter and the vote are unlinkable (secret ballot) although each is identifiable. The Witness-Voting System (Gerck, 2001) is extended as a conforming implementation of the provably optimal design that is error-free, transparent, simple, scalable, robust, receipt-free, universally-verifiable, 100% voter-verified, and end-to-end audited.

  12. Secure Biometric E-Voting Scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Taha Kh.; Aborizka, Mohamed

    The implementation of the e-voting becomes more substantial with the rapid increase of e-government development. The recent growth in communications and cryptographic techniques facilitate the implementation of e-voting. Many countries introduced e-voting systems; unfortunately most of these systems are not fully functional. In this paper we will present an e-voting scheme that covers most of the e-voting requirements, smart card and biometric recognition technology were implemented to guarantee voter's privacy and authentication.

  13. Government instability shifts skin tone representations of and intentions to vote for political candidates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Chadly; Balcetis, Emily; Cole, Shana; West, Tessa V; Caruso, Eugene M

    2016-01-01

    Does government stability shift the way White and Black Americans represent and make voting decisions about political candidates? Participants judged how representative lightened, darkened, and unaltered photographs were of a racially ambiguous candidate ostensibly running for political office (Studies 1-3). When the governmental system was presented as stable, White participants who shared (vs. did not share) the candidate's political beliefs rated a lightened photo as more representative of the candidate, and Black participants who shared (vs. did not share) the candidate's political beliefs rated a darkened photo as more representative (Studies 1-3). However, under conditions of instability, both Whites and Blacks who shared (vs. did not share) the candidate's political beliefs rated a lightened photo as more representative (Study 3). Representations of (Studies 2 and 3) and actual differences in (Studies 4a and 4b) skin tone predicted intentions to vote for candidates, as a function of government stability and participants' race. Further evidence suggested that system stability shifted the motivations that guided voting decisions (Study 4a and 4b). When the system was stable, the motivation to enhance one's group predicted greater intentions to vote for lighter skinned candidates among Whites, and greater intentions to vote for darker skinned candidates among Blacks. When the system was unstable, however, lacking confidence in the sociopolitical system predicted intentions to vote for lighter skinned candidates among both Whites and Blacks. Implications for political leadership and social perception are discussed. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Self-tallying quantum anonymous voting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qingle; Yu, Chaohua; Gao, Fei; Qi, Haoyu; Wen, Qiaoyan

    2016-08-01

    Anonymous voting is a voting method of hiding the link between a vote and a voter, the context of which ranges from governmental elections to decision making in small groups like councils and companies. In this paper, we propose a quantum anonymous voting protocol assisted by two kinds of entangled quantum states. Particularly, we provide a mechanism of opening and permuting the ordered votes of all the voters in an anonymous manner; any party who is interested in the voting results can acquire a permutation copy and then obtains the voting result through a simple calculation. Unlike all previous quantum works on anonymous voting, our quantum anonymous protocol possesses the properties of privacy, self-tallying, nonreusability, verifiability, and fairness at the same time. In addition, we demonstrate that the entanglement of the quantum states used in our protocol makes an attack from an outside eavesdropper and inside dishonest voters impossible. We also generalize our protocol to execute the task of anonymous multiparty computation, such as anonymous broadcast and anonymous ranking.

  15. GPU-Vote: A Framework for Accelerating Voting Algorithms on GPU.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Braak, van den G.J.W.; Nugteren, C.; Mesman, B.; Corporaal, H.; Kaklamanis, C.; Papatheodorou, T.; Spirakis, P.G.

    2012-01-01

    Voting algorithms, such as histogram and Hough transforms, are frequently used algorithms in various domains, such as statistics and image processing. Algorithms in these domains may be accelerated using GPUs. Implementing voting algorithms efficiently on a GPU however is far from trivial due to

  16. Approval Voting and Parochialism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, Jonathan; Altman, Nicole Y.; Kroll, Stephan

    2005-01-01

    In hypothetical scenarios involving two groups (nations or groups of workers), subjects voted on three proposals: one helped group A (their group), one helped B, and one helped both groups, more than the average of the first two but less than their maximum. When subjects voted for one proposal, most voted for the one that helped group A. This…

  17. Personality and Attitude Determinants of Voting Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brigham, John C.; Severy, Lawrence J.

    1976-01-01

    Measures of racial attitude, conceptual style, commitment to candidate and electoral process, social-political evaluation, and voting intentions, were administered to white college students (N=320) before the 1972 Presidential election. Prediction of behavioral intentions becomes more powerful as attitudinal measures are made more directly…

  18. e-Bitter: Bitterant Prediction by the Consensus Voting From the Machine-Learning Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Suqing; Jiang, Mengying; Zhao, Chengwei; Zhu, Rui; Hu, Zhicheng; Xu, Yong; Lin, Fu

    2018-01-01

    In-silico bitterant prediction received the considerable attention due to the expensive and laborious experimental-screening of the bitterant. In this work, we collect the fully experimental dataset containing 707 bitterants and 592 non-bitterants, which is distinct from the fully or partially hypothetical non-bitterant dataset used in the previous works. Based on this experimental dataset, we harness the consensus votes from the multiple machine-learning methods (e.g., deep learning etc.) combined with the molecular fingerprint to build the bitter/bitterless classification models with five-fold cross-validation, which are further inspected by the Y-randomization test and applicability domain analysis. One of the best consensus models affords the accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, F1-score, and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.929, 0.918, 0.898, 0.954, 0.936, and 0.856 respectively on our test set. For the automatic prediction of bitterant, a graphic program "e-Bitter" is developed for the convenience of users via the simple mouse click. To our best knowledge, it is for the first time to adopt the consensus model for the bitterant prediction and develop the first free stand-alone software for the experimental food scientist.

  19. e-Bitter: Bitterant Prediction by the Consensus Voting From the Machine-learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Suqing; Jiang, Mengying; Zhao, Chengwei; Zhu, Rui; Hu, Zhicheng; Xu, Yong; Lin, Fu

    2018-03-01

    In-silico bitterant prediction received the considerable attention due to the expensive and laborious experimental-screening of the bitterant. In this work, we collect the fully experimental dataset containing 707 bitterants and 592 non-bitterants, which is distinct from the fully or partially hypothetical non-bitterant dataset used in the previous works. Based on this experimental dataset, we harness the consensus votes from the multiple machine-learning methods (e.g., deep learning etc.) combined with the molecular fingerprint to build the bitter/bitterless classification models with five-fold cross-validation, which are further inspected by the Y-randomization test and applicability domain analysis. One of the best consensus models affords the accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, F1-score, and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.929, 0.918, 0.898, 0.954, 0.936, and 0.856 respectively on our test set. For the automatic prediction of bitterant, a graphic program “e-Bitter” is developed for the convenience of users via the simple mouse click. To our best knowledge, it is for the first time to adopt the consensus model for the bitterant prediction and develop the first free stand-alone software for the experimental food scientist.

  20. Voting Varieties: Towards a Plural Sociology of Effective Voting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willibald Sonnleitner

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available In Mexico, the puzzling relationships between socioeconomic development and voting challenge the classical theories of modernization: in many regions the most participative territories are the poorest ones. To comprehend this contradictory geography of electoral participation, this research explores the varieties of voting in different contexts, levels and scales, focusing on diverse forms of electoral mobilization (based on community or identity; on corporatism and patronage; on psychological, social or territorial linkages; or on individual and rational choice. This invites to revisit the relations between “universal” suffrage and socio‐political inclusion and participation, on democratic contestation and representation, on governance and legitimacy. What conditions favor/inhibit free, egalitarian, autonomous and effective voting, in hybrid situations of transition from/to democratic/authoritarian regimes?

  1. Ethereum blockchain for electronic voting

    OpenAIRE

    Kairys, Lukas

    2017-01-01

    Electronic voting is very interesting challenge and there is no reliable and safe solution developed yet. This thesis goal is to analyse decentralised distributed ledger (blockchain) application for electronic remote voting. Ethereum blockchain and smart contracts enables creation of secure and reliable solution for e-voting.

  2. e-Bitter: Bitterant Prediction by the Consensus Voting From the Machine-Learning Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suqing Zheng

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In-silico bitterant prediction received the considerable attention due to the expensive and laborious experimental-screening of the bitterant. In this work, we collect the fully experimental dataset containing 707 bitterants and 592 non-bitterants, which is distinct from the fully or partially hypothetical non-bitterant dataset used in the previous works. Based on this experimental dataset, we harness the consensus votes from the multiple machine-learning methods (e.g., deep learning etc. combined with the molecular fingerprint to build the bitter/bitterless classification models with five-fold cross-validation, which are further inspected by the Y-randomization test and applicability domain analysis. One of the best consensus models affords the accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, F1-score, and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC of 0.929, 0.918, 0.898, 0.954, 0.936, and 0.856 respectively on our test set. For the automatic prediction of bitterant, a graphic program “e-Bitter” is developed for the convenience of users via the simple mouse click. To our best knowledge, it is for the first time to adopt the consensus model for the bitterant prediction and develop the first free stand-alone software for the experimental food scientist.

  3. Vote par sondage uniforme incorruptible

    OpenAIRE

    Blanchard , Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    International audience; Introduit en 2012 par David Chaum, le vote par sondage uniforme (random-sample voting) est un protocole de vote basé sur un choix d'une sous-population représentative , permettant de limiter les coûts tout en ayant de nombreux avantages, principalement lorsqu'il est couplé a d'autres techniques comme ThreeBallot. Nous analysons un problème de corruptibilité potentielle où les votants peuvent vendre leur vote au plus offrant et proposons une variation du protocole reméd...

  4. History of voting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosema, Martin; Moghaddam, Fathali M.

    2017-01-01

    Voting is the act of declaring a choice among a number of alternative options in the process of reaching a group decision on a particular matter. In politics, this mostly concerns the selection of a person for a specific position, such as a mayor or a member of parliament. The right to vote in

  5. Predicting the Compressive Strength of Concretes Made with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In most of these cases the cause of the collapse could be traced to the strength of the construction materials, mainly concrete. Secondly, experimental ... The compressive strength predictions were compared with predictions from an alternative model based on regression analysis. The results of the study show that for the ...

  6. What makes a vote, and what does a vote make?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalsgaard, Steffen; Gad, Christopher

    Digitalizing electoral processes entails substantial changes to the materialities on which such processes rely, and hence to how they are practiced, organized, and, in turn, how they may be analyzed and reflected upon. As researchers in the Danish strategic research project DemTech, which...... work-in-progress we will focus on one particular ‘problem’ which emerges in light of the project and the current efforts to digitalize electoral processes. That is, the problem of how a vote is constituted and defined as such; how the ways in which a vote works are related to its (potential) material...... of 'the state', ‘citizenship' and ‘democracy’, and what it means if a vote cannot be defined as one exact ‘thing’, but instead may, simultaneously, be many things at once....

  7. On improving the efficiency of tensor voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Rodrigo; Garcia, Miguel Angel; Puig, Domenec; Pizarro, Luis; Burgeth, Bernhard; Weickert, Joachim

    2011-11-01

    This paper proposes two alternative formulations to reduce the high computational complexity of tensor voting, a robust perceptual grouping technique used to extract salient information from noisy data. The first scheme consists of numerical approximations of the votes, which have been derived from an in-depth analysis of the plate and ball voting processes. The second scheme simplifies the formulation while keeping the same perceptual meaning of the original tensor voting: The stick tensor voting and the stick component of the plate tensor voting must reinforce surfaceness, the plate components of both the plate and ball tensor voting must boost curveness, whereas junctionness must be strengthened by the ball component of the ball tensor voting. Two new parameters have been proposed for the second formulation in order to control the potentially conflictive influence of the stick component of the plate vote and the ball component of the ball vote. Results show that the proposed formulations can be used in applications where efficiency is an issue since they have a complexity of order O(1). Moreover, the second proposed formulation has been shown to be more appropriate than the original tensor voting for estimating saliencies by appropriately setting the two new parameters.

  8. Predicting Flexural Strength of Concretes Incorporating River Gravel ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In most of these cases the cause of the collapse could be traced to the strength of the construction materials which is usually concrete. Secondly, experimental ... The flexural strength predictions were compared with predictions from an alternative model based on regression analysis. The results of the study show that for the ...

  9. Do Online Voting Patterns Reflect Evolved Features of Human Cognition? An Exploratory Empirical Investigation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Priestley

    Full Text Available Online votes or ratings can assist internet users in evaluating the credibility and appeal of the information which they encounter. For example, aggregator websites such as Reddit allow users to up-vote submitted content to make it more prominent, and down-vote content to make it less prominent. Here we argue that decisions over what to up- or down-vote may be guided by evolved features of human cognition. We predict that internet users should be more likely to up-vote content that others have also up-voted (social influence, content that has been submitted by particularly liked or respected users (model-based bias, content that constitutes evolutionarily salient or relevant information (content bias, and content that follows group norms and, in particular, prosocial norms. 489 respondents from the online social voting community Reddit rated the extent to which they felt different traits influenced their voting. Statistical analyses confirmed that norm-following and prosociality, as well as various content biases such as emotional content and originality, were rated as important motivators of voting. Social influence had a smaller effect than expected, while attitudes towards the submitter had little effect. This exploratory empirical investigation suggests that online voting communities can provide an important test-bed for evolutionary theories of human social information use, and that evolved features of human cognition may guide online behaviour just as it guides behaviour in the offline world.

  10. Do Online Voting Patterns Reflect Evolved Features of Human Cognition? An Exploratory Empirical Investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priestley, Maria; Mesoudi, Alex

    2015-01-01

    Online votes or ratings can assist internet users in evaluating the credibility and appeal of the information which they encounter. For example, aggregator websites such as Reddit allow users to up-vote submitted content to make it more prominent, and down-vote content to make it less prominent. Here we argue that decisions over what to up- or down-vote may be guided by evolved features of human cognition. We predict that internet users should be more likely to up-vote content that others have also up-voted (social influence), content that has been submitted by particularly liked or respected users (model-based bias), content that constitutes evolutionarily salient or relevant information (content bias), and content that follows group norms and, in particular, prosocial norms. 489 respondents from the online social voting community Reddit rated the extent to which they felt different traits influenced their voting. Statistical analyses confirmed that norm-following and prosociality, as well as various content biases such as emotional content and originality, were rated as important motivators of voting. Social influence had a smaller effect than expected, while attitudes towards the submitter had little effect. This exploratory empirical investigation suggests that online voting communities can provide an important test-bed for evolutionary theories of human social information use, and that evolved features of human cognition may guide online behaviour just as it guides behaviour in the offline world.

  11. Peer Effects in Legislative Voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harmon, Nikolaj Arpe; Fisman, Raymond; Kamenica, Emir

    2016-01-01

    variation in seating across the two venues of the Parliament (Brussels and Strasbourg), we show that this effect reflects persistent peer influence: a pair of MEPs who have sat together in the past are less likely to disagree on a vote even if they do not sit together during that particular vote.......Abstract We exploit seating rules in the European Parliament to estimate causal peer effects in legislative voting. We find that sitting next to each other reduces by 13 percent the likelihood that two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the same party differ in their vote. Using...

  12. Red Rural, Blue Rural: The Geography of Presidential Voting in Rural America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scala, Dante J.; Johnson, Kenneth M.

    2016-01-01

    Political commentators routinely treat rural America as an undifferentiated bastion of strength for Republicans. In fact, rural America is a deceptively simple term describing a remarkably diverse collection of places encompassing nearly 75 percent of the U.S. land area and 50 million people. Voting trends in this vast area are far from…

  13. Quality monitored distributed voting system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skogmo, David

    1997-01-01

    A quality monitoring system can detect certain system faults and fraud attempts in a distributed voting system. The system uses decoy voters to cast predetermined check ballots. Absent check ballots can indicate system faults. Altered check ballots can indicate attempts at counterfeiting votes. The system can also cast check ballots at predetermined times to provide another check on the distributed voting system.

  14. Thai Electoral Campaigning: Vote-Canvassing Networks and Hybrid Voting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anyarat Chattharakul

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Based on evidence gathered through participant observation, this article illuminates the nature of vote-canvassing, previously a black box in Thai electoral studies. Offering a close-up study of the internal mechanisms of an individual Thai election campaign, this article reveals that vote-canvasser networks are underpinned by long-term dyadic relationships, both hierarchical and horizontal, between the candidate, vote-canvassers and voters. These networks continue to be the most important factor in winning elections. This article documents how candidates draw up an election campaign map and identify voters along residential lines to maximise their vote-canvassing strategy. The findings of this article challenge Anek’s 1996 concept of “two democracies”, which argues that rural voters are influenced by money, local leaders, political factions and corrupt politicians while more well-educated, urban, middle-class voters are more oriented toward the alternative policies offered by competing parties. The case study of Kom’s election campaign showed that the role of the much-vaunted middle-class voters is not decisive, even in suburban areas of Bangkok. While political marketing has grown in importance in Thai elections, it has not displaced traditional electoral practices. Thai society is, in fact, deeply fragmented and diverse – too complex to be divided in such a simplistic manner. This article suggests that rather than undergoing a linear transformation, political hybridisation is a key trend in Thai election campaigns.

  15. Voting frequentia as an indicator of political activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Kryvoshein

    2017-07-01

    Found that the amount of voting frequentia depends on the political regime, the form of government and the level elections. Determined that democracies characterized by an autonomous form of voting frequentia and for undemocratic – mobilizational form of voting frequentia. Followed that the highest rate of participation in voting observed in countries with a parliamentary form of government and proportional electoral system, more than 2/3 of the voting frequentia observed in countries with a parliamentary form of government and majoritarian electoral systems, lowest level of voting frequentia observed in countries with a presidential form of government. It also notes that increased voting frequentia observed in countries where compulsory voting is set. Observed trend of dependency and level elections: electoral activity of elections on the local, regional and supra-national representative authority is much lower than in the presidential and parliamentary elections. Attention is drawn to in explaining the voting frequentia considered rational and irrational factors, since voting is a two-tiered process: active, politically defined part of the voters voted party ideologically and politically unbiased – rationally.

  16. Party brands and voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Sigge Winther; Larsen, Martin Vinæs

    2014-01-01

    heuristics and voting models. Next, the article measures the brand value of Danish parties by utilizing a representative association analysis. Finally, this measure is used to conduct the very first empirical analysis of a party brand's effect on voting behavior. Overall, the primary finding demonstrates...

  17. One Share-One Vote

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Thomas; Eklund, Johan E.

    Shares with more voting rights than cash flow rights provide their owners with a disproportional influence that is often found to destroy the value of outside equity. This is taken as evidence of discretionary use of power. However, concentration of power does not necessarily result from control...... enhancing mechanisms; it could also be that some shareholders retain a large block in a one share-one vote structure. In this paper, we develop a methodology to disentangle disproportionality, which allows us to test the effect of deviations from one share-one vote more precisely. Our empirical findings add...

  18. Voting Systems for Environmental Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    BURGMAN, MARK A; REGAN, HELEN M; MAGUIRE, LYNN A; COLYVAN, MARK; JUSTUS, JAMES; MARTIN, TARA G; ROTHLEY, KRIS

    2014-01-01

    Voting systems aggregate preferences efficiently and are often used for deciding conservation priorities. Desirable characteristics of voting systems include transitivity, completeness, and Pareto optimality, among others. Voting systems that are common and potentially useful for environmental decision making include simple majority, approval, and preferential voting. Unfortunately, no voting system can guarantee an outcome, while also satisfying a range of very reasonable performance criteria. Furthermore, voting methods may be manipulated by decision makers and strategic voters if they have knowledge of the voting patterns and alliances of others in the voting populations. The difficult properties of voting systems arise in routine decision making when there are multiple criteria and management alternatives. Because each method has flaws, we do not endorse one method. Instead, we urge organizers to be transparent about the properties of proposed voting systems and to offer participants the opportunity to approve the voting system as part of the ground rules for operation of a group. Sistemas de Votación para Decisiones Ambientales Resumen Los sistemas de votación agregan preferencias eficientemente y muy seguido se usan para decidir prioridades de conservación. Las características deseables de un sistema de votación incluyen la transitividad, lo completo que sean y la optimalidad de Pareto, entre otras. Los sistemas de votación que son comunes y potencialmente útiles para la toma de decisiones ambientales incluyen simple mayoría, aprobación y votación preferencial. Desafortunadamente, ningún sistema de votación puede garantizar un resultado y a la vez satisfacer un rango de criterios de desempeño muy razonable. Además, los métodos de votación pueden manipularse por los que toman las decisiones y votantes estratégicos si tienen el conocimiento de los patrones de votación y de las alianzas entre miembros dentro de las poblaciones votantes. Las

  19. One Share–One Vote

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eklund, Johan Erik; Poulsen, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Many European companies use some type of control-enhancing mechanism, such as dual class shares or a pyramid ownership structure. Such mechanisms cause deviations from the one share–one vote principle, allocating more voting rights than cash flow rights to some shares and, in turn, providing...

  20. Electronic voting systems for defending free will and resisting bribery and coercion based on ring anonymous signcryption scheme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsung-Chih Hsiao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Vote by ballot is the feature in a democratic society and the process of decision-making, tending to achieve the philosophy of democratic politics by having the public who are eligible to vote for competent candidates or leaders. With the rapid development of technologies and network applications, electronization has been actively promoted globally during the social transformation period that the concept of electronic voting is further derived. The major advantages of electronic voting, comparing with traditional voting, lie in the mobility strength of electronic voting, reducing a large amount of election costs and enhancing the convenience for the public. Electronic voting allows voters completing voting on the Internet that not only are climate and location restrictions overcome, but the voter turnout is also increased and the voting time is reduced for the public. With the development in the past three decades, electronic voting presents outstanding performance theoretically and practically. Nevertheless, it is regrettable that electronic voting schemes still cannot be completely open because of lures by money and threats. People to lure by money and threats would confirm the voters following their instructions through various methods that more factors would appear on election results, affecting the quality and fairness of the election. In this study, this project aims to design an electronic voting scheme which could actually defend voters’ free will so that lure of money and threats would fail. Furthermore, an electronic voting system based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography is proposed to ensure the efficiency and security, and Ring Signature and Signcryption are applied to reducing the computing costs. Moreover, this project also focuses on applying voting system to mobile devices. As the system efficiency and security are emphasized, voters do not need to participate in the election, but simply complete voting with smart phones, i

  1. General Election 2004: Empirical Validation of Voting Pattern in Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Arabi Idid

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The purpose of this study is to test the effects of the politically related socio-economic issues, personality of the new Prime Minister and the perceived strength of the ruling party, Barisan Nasional (BN, in influencing the outcomes of elections. It uses the data from the Star-IIUM Survey 2004 and the official election results of general election 2004 for the three northern states of Malaysia and applies the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. The study found that the personal attributes of the Prime Minister, the strength of the ruling party and the campaign issues positively influenced the popular votes secured by the BN candidates.

  2. Cognitive ability rivals the effect of political sophistication on ideological voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hebbelstrup Rye Rasmussen, Stig

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the impact of cognitive ability on ideological voting. We find, using a US sample and a Danish sample, that the effect of cognitive ability rivals the effect of the traditionally strongest predicter of ideological voting political sophistication. Furthermore, the results...... are consistent with the effect of cognitive ability being partly mediated by political sophistication. Much of the effect of cognitive ability remains however and is not explained by differences in education or Openness to experience either. The implications of these results for democratic theory are discussed....

  3. Cellular automata with voting rule

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makowiec, D.

    1996-01-01

    The chosen local interaction - the voting (majority) rule applied to the square lattice is known to cause the non ergodic cellular automata behaviour. Presented computer simulation results verify two cases of non ergodicity. The first one is implicated by the noise introduced to the local interactions and the second one follows properties of the initial lattice configuration selected at random. For the simplified voting rule - non symmetric voting, the critical behaviour has been explained rigorously. (author)

  4. The mathematics of elections and voting

    CERN Document Server

    Wallis, W D

    2014-01-01

    The Mathematics of Elections and Voting  takes an in-depth look at the mathematics in the context of voting and electoral systems, with focus on simple ballots, complex elections, fairness, approval voting, ties, fair and unfair voting, and manipulation techniques. The exposition opens with a sketch of the mathematics behind the various methods used in conducting elections. The reader is lead to a comprehensive picture of the theoretical background of mathematics and elections through an analysis of Condorcet’s Principle and Arrow’s Theorem of conditions in electoral fairness. Further detailed discussion of various related topics include: methods of manipulating the outcome of an election, amendments, and voting on small committees. In recent years, electoral theory has been introduced into lower-level mathematics courses, as a way to illustrate the role of mathematics in our everyday life.  Few books have studied voting and elections from a more formal mathematical viewpoint.  This text wi...

  5. Prediction of the strength of concrete radiation shielding based on LS-SVM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juncai, Xu; Qingwen, Ren; Zhenzhong, Shen

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • LS-SVM was introduced for prediction of the strength of RSC. • A model for prediction of the strength of RSC was implemented. • The grid search algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of the LS-SVM. • The performance of LS-SVM in predicting the strength of RSC was evaluated. - Abstract: Radiation-shielding concrete (RSC) and conventional concrete differ in strength because of their distinct constituents. Predicting the strength of RSC with different constituents plays a vital role in radiation shielding (RS) engineering design. In this study, a model to predict the strength of RSC is established using a least squares-support vector machine (LS-SVM) through grid search algorithm. The algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the LS-SVM on the basis of traditional prediction methods for conventional concrete. The predicted results of the LS-SVM model are compared with the experimental data. The results of the prediction are stable and consistent with the experimental results. In addition, the studied parameters exhibit significant effects on the simulation results. Therefore, the proposed method can be applied in predicting the strength of RSC, and the predicted results can be adopted as an important reference for RS engineering design

  6. 12 CFR 7.2022 - Voting trusts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Practices § 7.2022 Voting trusts. The shareholders of a national bank may establish a voting trust under the applicable law of a state selected by the participants and designated in the trust agreement, provided the... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Voting trusts. 7.2022 Section 7.2022 Banks and...

  7. Parsimonious data: How a single Facebook like predicts voting behavior in multiparty systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakob Bæk Kristensen

    Full Text Available This study shows how liking politicians' public Facebook posts can be used as an accurate measure for predicting present-day voter intention in a multiparty system. We highlight that a few, but selective digital traces produce prediction accuracies that are on par or even greater than most current approaches based upon bigger and broader datasets. Combining the online and offline, we connect a subsample of surveyed respondents to their public Facebook activity and apply machine learning classifiers to explore the link between their political liking behaviour and actual voting intention. Through this work, we show that even a single selective Facebook like can reveal as much about political voter intention as hundreds of heterogeneous likes. Further, by including the entire political like history of the respondents, our model reaches prediction accuracies above previous multiparty studies (60-70%. The main contribution of this paper is to show how public like-activity on Facebook allows political profiling of individual users in a multiparty system with accuracies above previous studies. Beside increased accuracies, the paper shows how such parsimonious measures allows us to generalize our findings to the entire population of a country and even across national borders, to other political multiparty systems. The approach in this study relies on data that are publicly available, and the simple setup we propose can with some limitations, be generalized to millions of users in other multiparty systems.

  8. Cognitive Properties of Approval Voting : an Experimental Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krzysztof Przybyszewski

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper summarizes two series of experiments demonstrating the cognitive properties of approval voting. The former series is devoted to mental processes induced in decision makers who use the method of approval voting. Based on cognitive effort, the use of choice strategies is presented in this paper. The observations of respondents show that most of them use relatively effortless strategy of eliminating alternatives and attributes. Few respondents use more sophisticated methods. The other series of experiments analyses the number of alternatives chosen in approval voting. It appears that the average number is not constant, even for similar votes but it depends on the subject of voting. The number of chosen alternatives and the subjective significance of the scope of voting are negatively or positively correlated in the case of special votes. The analyzed experiments show that the cognitive properties of approval voting have a diverse structure. (original abstract

  9. Do Altruistic Preferences Matter for Voting Outcomes?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahler, Daniel Gerszon

    2017-01-01

    and actual votes are analyzed by locating the Danish political parties in a political compass. Altruistic preferences are found to drive votes to the left and away from extreme candidates. A smaller U.S. survey on the 2016 presidential candidates (n = 400) yields similar results. The results suggest...... they would vote for if elections were held tomorrow, (2) the party they would vote for if they only were to consider what is best for themselves, and (3) the party they would vote for if they were to consider what is best for society as a whole. Differences in where individuals cast their altruistic, selsh...

  10. Voting by older adults with cognitive impairments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlawish, Jason

    2008-02-01

    This presidential election year reminds us of the importance of each vote and of the integrity of the electoral process. Recent elections have been decided by very narrow margins. In this context, the voting rights and capacity of persons with dementia warrant attention. About 4.5 million Americans currently live with dementia. Whether these citizens should vote raises a host of ethical, legal, and practical issues. At what point does someone lose the capacity to vote, and who decides? What kinds of assistance should these voters get, and who should provide it? And how can the voting rights of residents in long-term care facilities be protected?

  11. On improving the efficiency of tensor voting

    OpenAIRE

    Moreno, Rodrigo; Garcia, Miguel Angel; Puig, Domenec; Pizarro, Luis; Burgeth, Bernhard; Weickert, Joachim

    2011-01-01

    This paper proposes two alternative formulations to reduce the high computational complexity of tensor voting, a robust perceptual grouping technique used to extract salient information from noisy data. The first scheme consists of numerical approximations of the votes, which have been derived from an in-depth analysis of the plate and ball voting processes. The second scheme simplifies the formulation while keeping the same perceptual meaning of the original tensor voting: The stick tensor v...

  12. Prediction of potential compressive strength of Portland clinker from its mineralogy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svinning, K.; Høskuldsson, Agnar; Justnes, H.

    2010-01-01

    Based on a statistical model first applied for prediction of compressive strength up to 28 d from the microstructure of Portland cement, potential compressive strength of clinker has been predicted from its mineralogy. The prediction model was evaluated by partial least squares regression...

  13. Vote Buying In Lampung Local Election

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robi Cahyadi Kurniawan

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Vote buying in elections, both general elections and local elections is a phenomenon in Indonesian politics. Lampung Province has implemented direct elections simultaneously in December 2015 and February 2017. This study explains that vote buying can change voter choice in three regional head elections in Lampung Province. This study was conducted with the object of research residing in Way Kanan District on July 2014, Pringsewu District on February 2016 and Bandar Lampung City on November 2015. This study used a survey approach, using stratified random sampling method. The survey conducted on 662 respondents in each county or district and city object being studied. The results show that voters believe that vote buying will happen in local elections.Voters may be influenced their choice if given relief goods, gifts of money or the provision of project. The thesis in this study is vote buying can change voting choice of voters.

  14. 2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    Election Assistance Commission — This dataset contains data about domestic absentee voting, provisional balloting, poll books, polling place, precincts, poll workers, and voting technology used in...

  15. 2010 Election Administration and Voting Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    Election Assistance Commission — This dataset contains data about domestic absentee voting, provisional balloting, poll books, polling place, precincts, poll workers, and voting technology used in...

  16. receive signal strength prediction in the gsm band using wavelet

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    strength was measured on a Mobile Equipment (ME). One-dimensional ... used to predict the fading phenomenon of the GSM receive signal strength measured. Wavelet ... radio wavelength. The prediction is ... realized by reusing frequency in a dense or complex .... NETWORK SIGNAL PRO software, down loaded from.

  17. A correlation linking the predicted mean vote and the mean thermal vote based on an investigation on the human thermal comfort in short-haul domestic flights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giaconia, Carlo; Orioli, Aldo; Di Gangi, Alessandra

    2015-05-01

    The results of an experimental investigation on the human thermal comfort inside the cabin of some Airbus A319 aircrafts during 14 short-haul domestic flights, linking various Italian cities, are presented and used to define a correlation among the predicted mean vote (PMV), a procedure which is commonly used to assess the thermal comfort in inhabited environments, and the equivalent temperature and mean thermal vote (MTV), which are the parameters suggested by the European Standard EN ISO 14505-2 for the evaluation of the thermal environment in vehicles. The measurements of the radiant temperature, air temperature and relative humidity during flights were performed. The air temperature varied between 22.2 °C and 26.0 °C; the relative humidity ranged from 8.7% to 59.2%. The calculated values of the PMV varied from -0.16 to 0.90 and were confirmed by the answers of the passengers. The equivalent temperature was evaluated using the equations of Fanger or on the basis of the values of the skin temperature measured on some volunteers. The correlation linking the thermal sensation scales and zones used by the PMV and the MTV resulted quite accurate because the minimum value of the absolute difference between such environmental indexes equalled 0.0073 and the maximum difference did not exceed the value of 0.0589. Even though the equivalent temperature and the MTV were specifically proposed to evaluate the thermal sensation in vehicles, their use may be effectively extended to the assessment of the thermal comfort in airplanes or other occupied places. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  18. Tensor voting for robust color edge detection

    OpenAIRE

    Moreno, Rodrigo; García, Miguel Ángel; Puig, Domenec

    2014-01-01

    The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7584-8_9 This chapter proposes two robust color edge detection methods based on tensor voting. The first method is a direct adaptation of the classical tensor voting to color images where tensors are initialized with either the gradient or the local color structure tensor. The second method is based on an extension of tensor voting in which the encoding and voting processes are specifically tailored to ...

  19. The Relationship between Voting Knowledge and Voting Attitudes of Selected Ninth and Tenth Grade Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golden, Kathleen

    1985-01-01

    A study showed that the acquisition of voting knowledge in a civics class positively influenced ninth- and tenth-grade students' attitudes toward voting. Teachers should give students a solid foundation concerning the electoral process and encourage students to participate in the political process. (RM)

  20. Occupational-Specific Strength Predicts Astronaut-Related Task Performance in a Weighted Suit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Andrew; Kotarsky, Christopher J; Bond, Colin W; Hackney, Kyle J

    2018-01-01

    Future space missions beyond low Earth orbit will require deconditioned astronauts to perform occupationally relevant tasks within a planetary spacesuit. The prediction of time-to-completion (TTC) of astronaut tasks will be critical for crew safety, autonomous operations, and mission success. This exploratory study determined if the addition of task-specific strength testing to current standard lower body testing would enhance the prediction of TTC in a 1-G test battery. Eight healthy participants completed NASA lower body strength tests, occupationally specific strength tests, and performed six task simulations (hand drilling, construction wrenching, incline walking, collecting weighted samples, and dragging an unresponsive crewmember to safety) in a 48-kg weighted suit. The TTC for each task was recorded and summed to obtain a total TTC for the test battery. Linear regression was used to predict total TTC with two models: 1) NASA lower body strength tests; and 2) NASA lower body strength tests + occupationally specific strength tests. Total TTC of the test battery ranged from 20.2-44.5 min. The lower body strength test alone accounted for 61% of the variability in total TTC. The addition of hand drilling and wrenching strength tests accounted for 99% of the variability in total TTC. Adding occupationally specific strength tests (hand drilling and wrenching) to standard lower body strength tests successfully predicted total TTC in a performance test battery within a weighted suit. Future research should couple these strength tests with higher fidelity task simulations to determine the utility and efficacy of task performance prediction.Taylor A, Kotarsky CJ, Bond CW, Hackney KJ. Occupational-specific strength predicts astronaut-related task performance in a weighted suit. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(1):58-62.

  1. 12 CFR 708a.13 - Voting guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Voting guidelines. 708a.13 Section 708a.13... INSURED CREDIT UNIONS TO MUTUAL SAVINGS BANKS § 708a.13 Voting guidelines. A converting credit union must conduct its member vote on conversion in a fair and legal manner. NCUA provides the following guidelines...

  2. Defending majority voting systems against a strategic attacker

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levitin, Gregory; Hausken, Kjell; Ben Haim, Hanoch

    2013-01-01

    Voting systems used in technical and tactical decision making in pattern recognition and target detection, data handling, signal processing, distributed and secure computing etc. are considered. A maxmin two period game is analyzed where the defender first protects and chooses units for participation in voting. The attacker thereafter attacks a subset of units. It is shown that when the defender protects all the voting units, the optimal number of units chosen for voting is either one or the maximal possible odd number. When the defender protects only the units chosen for voting, the optimal number of chosen units increases with the defender resource superiority (i.e., more resources than the attacker) and with probability of providing correct output by any unit. The system success probability always increases in the total number of voting units, the defender–attacker resource ratio, and the probability that each voting unit produces a correct output. The system success probability increases in the attacker–defender contest intensity if the defender achieves per-unit resource superiority, and otherwise decreases in the contest intensity. The presented model and enumerative algorithm allow obtaining optimal voting system defense strategy for any combination of parameters: total number of units, attack and defense resources, unit success probability and contest intensity.

  3. Vote Markets, Latent Opportunism, and the Secret Ballot

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Justesen, Mogens Kamp; Bøttkjær, Louise Thorn; Gates, Scott

    The secret ballot is a cornerstone of modern democracy because it protects voter autonomy and allows voters to express their political preferences freely without fear of repercussions. In theory, the secret ballot is supposed to prevent vote buying – the exchange of votes for money or material...... goods – from operating during elections. Yet, empirical evidence from surveys around the world suggests that vote buying is a common feature of elections in new democracies. Indeed, a fundamental puzzle concerns why political parties use vote buying to mobilize electoral support when the secret ballot...... allows voters to renege on their commitments and vote as they please. In this paper, we address this puzzle by arguing that voter perceptions of ballot secrecy affect their responses to vote buying offers. Theoretically, we develop a game theoretical model, where voter beliefs in the secret ballot guide...

  4. Anonymous voting for multi-dimensional CV quantum system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Rong-Hua; Xiao Yi; Shi Jin-Jing; Guo Ying; Lee, Moon-Ho

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the design of anonymous voting protocols, CV-based binary-valued ballot and CV-based multi-valued ballot with continuous variables (CV) in a multi-dimensional quantum cryptosystem to ensure the security of voting procedure and data privacy. The quantum entangled states are employed in the continuous variable quantum system to carry the voting information and assist information transmission, which takes the advantage of the GHZ-like states in terms of improving the utilization of quantum states by decreasing the number of required quantum states. It provides a potential approach to achieve the efficient quantum anonymous voting with high transmission security, especially in large-scale votes. (paper)

  5. Political Economy of Committee Voting and Its Application

    OpenAIRE

    Takagi, Yuki

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation consists of three essays on information aggregation in committees and its application. The first essay analyzes how the distribution of votes affects the accuracy of group decisions. In a weighted voting system, votes are typically assigned based on the criteria that are unrelated to the voters’ ability to make a correct judgment. I introduce an information aggregation model in which voters are identical except for voting shares. If the information is free, the optimal weigh...

  6. [Voting by cognitively impaired persons: legal and ethical issues].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosquet, Antoine; Medjkane, Amar; Vinceneux, Philippe; Mahé, Isabelle

    2010-03-01

    In democratic countries, cognitively impaired persons are a substantial and growing group of citizens. Most of them are citizens with dementia. In dementia, cognitive impairment induces a loss of some capacities, resulting in vulnerability and increased need for assistance. Voting by cognitively impaired persons raises any questions about the integrity of the electoral process, the risk of fraud and the respect of their citizenship. In France, the law is not definite about the voting of cognitively impaired persons. An objective assessment for voting capacity may be useful both for professionals in charge of voting organisation and for guardianship judge in order to help him in his decision to remove or keep the voting right of persons placed under guardianship. Assessing the reality of voting by cognitively impaired citizens is necessary to advance respect for their right to vote.

  7. Impartiality, Friendship-networks and Voting Behavior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Charron, Nicholas

    2013-01-01

    What is the extent to which a country's political institutions impact aggregate voting behavior in a comparative perspective? More specifically, are citizens in some countries more inclined vote on the basis of ‘quality’ or ‘merit’ over ‘friendship’ or ‘loyalty’, and if so, why? This paper seeks...... impartial states than those with highly partial institutions. Using several measures of ‘friendship’, I find strong empirical evidence for this claim, even when controlling for myriad alternative factors and taking into account various voting regimes. The analysis gives us new insights on how political...

  8. Sistem Pemungutan Suara Elektronik Menggunakan Model Poll Site E-Voting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haryati Haryati

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available General elections is a regular agenda for a democtaric state, the applied paper based voting has several drawbacks, including spoiled ballots, inaccuracy in the counting of votes and reporting of election results which tends to be slow. Therefore , it needs to develop an electronic voting system that is user friendly for Indonesian people, which will reduce confusion from the previous system changes. Electronic voting aims at increasing participation, accuracy and efficiency of election results. Electrinoc voting has its own challenges to the implementation in Indonesia, ranging from the lack of legal protection, the heterogeneous level of education, culture, soceity and the digital gaps. The model developed in this thesis is the poll site e-voting, based on the rules of General Elections Commision (KPU as the organizer of the elections. In this model, people still go to the pools, using the ID number od ID card as a verification tool and voting at the voting booths provided. The system automatically stores the results in a database option, and after the spesified time will show both the results of the voting and other and other information required by the Commission. Voting system with a model of e-voting poll site is expected to have a good chance an a low level of risk to be applied in Indonesia.   Keywords : E-voting; Poll site; Rule based; Risk.

  9. Predicting vertebral bone strength by vertebral static histomorphometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Jesper Skovhus; Ebbesen, Ebbe Nils; Mosekilde, Lis

    2002-01-01

    of the entire vertebral bodies (L-2) were used for histomorphometry. The other iliac crest biopsies and the L-3 were destructively tested by compression. High correlation was found between BV/TV or Tb.Sp and vertebral bone strength (absolute value of r = 0.86 in both cases). Addition of Tb.Th significantly....... No gender-related differences were found in any of the relationships. Neither static histomorphometry nor biomechanical testing of iliac crest bone biopsies is a good predictor of vertebral bone strength.......The study investigates the relationship between static histomorphometry and bone strength of human lumbar vertebral bone. The ability of vertebral histomorphometry to predict vertebral bone strength was compared with that of vertebral densitometry, and also with histomorphometry and bone strength...

  10. Multi-Task Vehicle Detection with Region-of-Interest Voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Wenqing; Liu, Yao; Shen, Chen; Cai, Deng; Hua, Xian-Sheng

    2017-10-12

    Vehicle detection is a challenging problem in autonomous driving systems, due to its large structural and appearance variations. In this paper, we propose a novel vehicle detection scheme based on multi-task deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) and region-of-interest (RoI) voting. In the design of CNN architecture, we enrich the supervised information with subcategory, region overlap, bounding-box regression and category of each training RoI as a multi-task learning framework. This design allows the CNN model to share visual knowledge among different vehicle attributes simultaneously, thus detection robustness can be effectively improved. In addition, most existing methods consider each RoI independently, ignoring the clues from its neighboring RoIs. In our approach, we utilize the CNN model to predict the offset direction of each RoI boundary towards the corresponding ground truth. Then each RoI can vote those suitable adjacent bounding boxes which are consistent with this additional information. The voting results are combined with the score of each RoI itself to find a more accurate location from a large number of candidates. Experimental results on the real-world computer vision benchmarks KITTI and the PASCAL2007 vehicle dataset show that our approach achieves superior performance in vehicle detection compared with other existing published works.

  11. Poverty and vote buying: Survey-based evidence from Africa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Peter Sandholt; Justesen, Mogens K.

    2014-01-01

    Alongside the spread of democracy in the developing world, vote buying has emerged as an integral part of election campaigns. Yet, we know little about the causes of vote buying in young democracies. In this paper, we analyse the sources of vote buying in sub-Saharan African. Using data from...... the Afrobarometer, we focus on the impact of poverty on vote buying at the individual- and country-level. Results from multilevel regressions show that poor voters are significantly more likely to be targets of vote buying than wealthier voters. This effect increases when elections are highly competitive. Thus......, micro-level poverty seems to be an important source of vote buying in Africa and has major implications for the way electoral democracy operates....

  12. Digital herders and phase transition in a voting model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hisakado, M.; Mori, S.

    2011-07-01

    In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C1 and C2. We set two types of voters—herders and independents. The voting of independent voters is based on their fundamental values; on the other hand, the voting of herders is based on the number of votes. Herders always select the majority of the previous r votes, which are visible to them. We call them digital herders. We can accurately calculate the distribution of votes for special cases. When r >= 3, we find that a phase transition occurs at the upper limit of t, where t is the discrete time (or number of votes). As the fraction of herders increases, the model features a phase transition beyond which a state where most voters make the correct choice coexists with one where most of them are wrong. On the other hand, when r independent voters. Finally, we recognize the behavior of human beings by conducting simple experiments.

  13. Quantum anonymous voting with anonymity check

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horoshko, Dmitri; Kilin, Sergei

    2011-01-01

    We propose a new protocol for quantum anonymous voting having serious advantages over the existing protocols: it protects both the voters from a curious tallyman and all the participants from a dishonest voter in unconditional way. The central idea of the protocol is that the ballots are given back to the voters after the voting process, which gives a possibility for two voters to check the anonymity of the vote counting process by preparing a special entangled state of two ballots. Any attempt of cheating from the side of the tallyman results in destroying the entanglement, which can be detected by the voters.

  14. On Some Incompatible Properties of Voting Schemes

    OpenAIRE

    Chevallier-Mames , Benoît; Fouque , Pierre-Alain; Pointcheval , David; Stern , Julien; Traoré , Jacques

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we study the problem of simultaneously achieving several security properties, for voting schemes, without non-standard assumptions. More specifically, we focus on the universal veriability of the computation of the tally, on the unconditional privacy/anonymity of the votes, and on the receipt-freeness properties, for the most classical election processes. Under usual assumptions and efficiency requirements, we show that a voting system that wants to publish the final list of th...

  15. Verifiability of electronic voting: between confidence and trust

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter; Gutwirth, Serge; Poullet, Yves; De Hert, Paul

    2010-01-01

    When computing scientists speak about electronic voting, it is often in terms of trust. But there are two contradictory statements. First, they argue that it should not be necessary to trust e-voting systems, which would be the case if they are provably secure. Second, for an e-voting system to be

  16. Classroom Voting Questions to Stimulate Discussions in Precalculus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Kelly; Zullo, Holly; Huckaby, David A.; Storm, Christopher; Stewart, Ann

    2018-01-01

    Classroom voting can be an effective way to stimulate student discussions. In this pedagogy, the instructor poses a multiple-choice question to the class, and then allows a few minutes for consideration and small-group discussion before students vote, either with clickers, cell phones, or a non-electronic method. After the vote the instructor…

  17. Bandwagon voting or false-consensus effect in voting experiments? First results and methodological limits

    OpenAIRE

    Bischoff, Ivo; Egbert, Henrik

    2008-01-01

    In an experiment designed to test for expressive voting, Tyran (JPubEc 2004) found a strong positive correlation between the participants' approval to a proposal to donate money for charity and their expected approval rate for fellow voters. This phenomenon can be due to a bandwagon effect or a false consensus effect. Both effects have been reported for voting decisions in the social science literature. Redoing Tyran's experiment and adding new treatments, we provide evidence for a false cons...

  18. Digital herders and phase transition in a voting model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hisakado, M [Standard and Poor' s, Marunouchi 1-6-5, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo 100-0005 (Japan); Mori, S, E-mail: masato_hisakado@standardandpoors.com, E-mail: mori@sci.kitasato-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, Kitasato 1-15-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan)

    2011-07-08

    In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C{sub 1} and C{sub 2}. We set two types of voters-herders and independents. The voting of independent voters is based on their fundamental values; on the other hand, the voting of herders is based on the number of votes. Herders always select the majority of the previous r votes, which are visible to them. We call them digital herders. We can accurately calculate the distribution of votes for special cases. When r {>=} 3, we find that a phase transition occurs at the upper limit of t, where t is the discrete time (or number of votes). As the fraction of herders increases, the model features a phase transition beyond which a state where most voters make the correct choice coexists with one where most of them are wrong. On the other hand, when r < 3, there is no phase transition. In this case, the herders' performance is the same as that of the independent voters. Finally, we recognize the behavior of human beings by conducting simple experiments.

  19. Digital herders and phase transition in a voting model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hisakado, M; Mori, S

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C 1 and C 2 . We set two types of voters-herders and independents. The voting of independent voters is based on their fundamental values; on the other hand, the voting of herders is based on the number of votes. Herders always select the majority of the previous r votes, which are visible to them. We call them digital herders. We can accurately calculate the distribution of votes for special cases. When r ≥ 3, we find that a phase transition occurs at the upper limit of t, where t is the discrete time (or number of votes). As the fraction of herders increases, the model features a phase transition beyond which a state where most voters make the correct choice coexists with one where most of them are wrong. On the other hand, when r < 3, there is no phase transition. In this case, the herders' performance is the same as that of the independent voters. Finally, we recognize the behavior of human beings by conducting simple experiments.

  20. Predicting bending strength of fire-retardant-treated plywood from screw-withdrawal tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    J. E. Winandy; P. K. Lebow; W. Nelson

    This report describes the development of a test method and predictive model to estimate the residual bending strength of fire-retardant-treated plywood roof sheathing from measurement of screw-withdrawal force. The preferred test methodology is described in detail. Models were developed to predict loss in mean and lower prediction bounds for plywood bending strength as...

  1. 25 CFR 217.6 - Method of casting votes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Method of casting votes. 217.6 Section 217.6 Indians.... § 217.6 Method of casting votes. Within 30 days after an issue and any analysis provided for in §§ 217.4... superintendent in writing of the number of votes cast for and against the proposed or alternative solutions. If...

  2. Towards quantum-based privacy and voting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hillery, Mark; Ziman, Mario; Buzek, Vladimir; Bielikova, Martina

    2006-01-01

    The privacy of communicating participants is often of paramount importance, but in some situations it is an essential condition. A typical example is a fair (secret) voting. We analyze in detail communication privacy based on quantum resources, and we propose new quantum protocols. Possible generalizations that would lead to voting schemes are discussed

  3. Imagining class: A study into material social class position, subjective identification, and voting behavior across Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Hooge, Lorenzo; Achterberg, Peter; Reeskens, Tim

    2018-02-01

    The traditional approach to class voting has largely ignored the question whether material class positions coincide with subjective class identification. Following Sosnaud et al. (2013), this study evaluates party preferences when Europeans' material and subjective social class do not coincide. Seminal studies on voting behavior have suggested that members of lower classes are more likely to vote for the economic left and cultural right and that higher classes demonstrate the opposite pattern. Yet, these studies have on the one hand overlooked the possibility that there is a mismatch between the material class people can be classified in and the class they think they are part of, and on the other hand the consequences of this discordant class identification on voting behavior. Analyzing the 2009 wave of the European Elections Study, we find that the majority of the Europeans discordantly identify with the middle class, whereas only a minority of the lower and higher classes concordantly identify with their material social class. Further, material class only seems to predict economic voting behavior when it coincides with subjective class; for instance, individuals who have an inflated class identification are more likely to vote for the economic left, even when they materially can be classified as middle or high class. We conclude this paper with a discussion on scholarly debates concerning class and politics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Prediction of the residual strength of clay using functional networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.Z. Khan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Landslides are common natural hazards occurring in most parts of the world and have considerable adverse economic effects. Residual shear strength of clay is one of the most important factors in the determination of stability of slopes or landslides. This effect is more pronounced in sensitive clays which show large changes in shear strength from peak to residual states. This study analyses the prediction of the residual strength of clay based on a new prediction model, functional networks (FN using data available in the literature. The performance of FN was compared with support vector machine (SVM and artificial neural network (ANN based on statistical parameters like correlation coefficient (R, Nash--Sutcliff coefficient of efficiency (E, absolute average error (AAE, maximum average error (MAE and root mean square error (RMSE. Based on R and E parameters, FN is found to be a better prediction tool than ANN for the given data. However, the R and E values for FN are less than SVM. A prediction equation is presented that can be used by practicing geotechnical engineers. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to ascertain the importance of various inputs in the prediction of the output.

  5. Canada Votes: How We Elect Our Government. Second Revised Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granfield, Linda

    This information book provides a student text on voting procedures in Canada. The short sections provide easy reading on the federal electoral process in Canada. Students read about who can vote, how and when women and minorities won voting rights, the different parties, the voting process --both present and past, and election day happenings.…

  6. Digital Voting Systems and Communication in Classroom Lectures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiasen, Helle

    2015-01-01

    Studies on the use of digital voting systems in large group teaching situations have often focused on the ”non-anonymity” and control and testing functions that the technology provides. There has also been some interest in how students might use their votes tactically to gain “credits”. By focusing...... on an empirical study of students’ experiences with digital voting systems in lectures at two Danish universities, this study considers the premises and the contexts surrounding this technology. It will also aim to show that for both instructors and students, digital voting systems are a much broader resource...... than simply a device for facilitating ”non-anonymity”, test, control and allocation of credits. The case studies showed, for instance, that digital voting systems can be conducive to a more open approach in which the systems are used as communication tools and teaching resources in situations where...

  7. Analysis of the Voting Method used in the European Central Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Honorata Sosnowska

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Game theoreticians usually deal with standard voting methods such as plurality voting or approval voting. In reality however, some complicated non-standard voting methods are used. In this paper the voting method and rotation scheme have been presented used by the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB, as it enlarges to accommodate new members of the economic and monetary union. We present game theoretical approaches for analyzing this method and different methods of computing the Shapley value for games connected with voting under such rotation schemes. (original abstract

  8. Electronic Universal Vote

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristian USCATU

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In the days of informational society everything is going online. Most aspects of our lives have online components. Since democracy is a big issue, it could not escape this trend. Governments themselves are moving to the online environment for the purpose of improving their internal efficiency and their availability to the citizens, businesses and other parties interested. Since governments are the result of elections, elections have also been touched by the electronic fever. New electronic voting solutions arise and each one brings new debates with many arguments in their favor and against them. Accessibility and ease of use leads the arguments in favor of electronic voting over the internet, while fear of fraud is the main reason people are avoiding electronics and clinging on classic paper ballots.

  9. Eos a Universal Verifiable and Coercion Resistant Voting Protocol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Patachi, Stefan; Schürmann, Carsten

    2017-01-01

    Authority. Eos uses two mixing phases with the goal to break the connection between the voter and vote, not to preserve vote privacy (which is given already) but to guarantee coercion resistance by making it (nearly) impossible for a coercer to follow their vote through the bulletin board. Eos...

  10. Two kinds of Phase transitions in a Voting model

    OpenAIRE

    Hisakado, Masato; Mori, Shintaro

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C_0 and C_1. We consider two types of voters--herders and independents. The voting of independents is based on their fundamental values; on the other hand, the voting of herders is based on the number of previous votes. We can identify two kinds of phase transitions. One is an information cascade transition similar to a phase transition seen in Ising model. The other is a transition of super and normal diffusions. These phase trans...

  11. Empirical study on voting power in participatory forest planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vainikainen, N; Kangas, A; Kangas, J

    2008-07-01

    Multicriteria decision support systems are applied in natural resource management in order to clarify the planning process for the stakeholders, to make all available information usable and all objectives manageable. Especially when the public is involved in planning, the decision support system should be easy to comprehend, transparent and fair. Social choice theory has recently been applied to group decision-making in natural resources management to accomplish these objectives. Although voting forms the basis of democracy, and is usually taken as a fair method, the influence of voters over the outcome may vary. It is also possible to vote strategically to improve the results from each stakeholder's point of view. This study examines the use of social choice theory in revealing stakeholders' preferences in participatory forest planning, and the influence of different voters on the outcome. The positional voting rules examined were approval voting and Borda count, but both rules were slightly modified for the purposes of this study. The third rule examined, cumulative rule, resembles utilitarian voting rules. The voting rules were tested in a real participatory forest planning situation in eastern Lapland, Finland. All voting rules resulted in a different joint order of importance of the criteria. Yet, the preference orders produced had also a lot in common and the criteria could be divided into three quite distinct groups according to their importance. The influence of individual voters varied between the voting rules, and in each case different voter was the most influential.

  12. Preserving anonymity in e-voting system using voter non-repudiation oriented scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamid, Isredza Rahmi A.; Radzi, Siti Nafishah Md; Rahman, Nurul Hidayah Ab; Wen, Chuah Chai; Abdullah, Nurul Azma

    2017-10-01

    The voting system has been developed from traditional paper ballot to electronic voting (e-voting). The e-voting system has high potential to be widely used in election event. However, the e-voting system still does not meet the most important security properties which are voter's authenticity and non-repudiation. This is because voters can simply vote again by entering other people's identification number. In this project, an electronic voting using voter non-repudiation oriented scheme will be developed. This system contains ten modules which are log in, vote session, voter, candidate, open session, voting results, user account, initial score, logs and reset vote count. In order to ensure there would be no non-repudiation issue, a voter non-repudiation oriented scheme concept will be adapted and implemented in the system. This system will be built using Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 which only can be accessed using personal computers at the voting center. This project will be beneficial for future use in order to overcome non-repudiation issue.

  13. Models for predicting compressive strength and water absorption of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This work presents a mathematical model for predicting the compressive strength and water absorption of laterite-quarry dust cement block using augmented Scheffe's simplex lattice design. The statistical models developed can predict the mix proportion that will yield the desired property. The models were tested for lack of ...

  14. Sex, race, gender, and the presidential vote

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan B. Hansen

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Racial resentment has been shown to have a significant impact on voting by whites in recent presidential elections, and a much larger impact than the traditional gender-gap measure based on the male-female dichotomy. This analysis will use data from the American National Election Studies [ANES] to compare broader indicators of race and gender applicable to the Democratic and Republican parties as well as to respondents’ opinions of appropriate roles for women. Since the 1980s the parties have diverged considerably on abortion and women’s issues, and voters now view the Democrats as more supportive than Republicans of equality for women and reproductive rights. Perceptions of party differences on women’s issues strongly influenced vote choice, 1988–2008, and in 2008 had greater impact on whites’ votes than opinions on aid to blacks, abortion, gay marriage, or the economy. Although racial resentment was a strong predictor of the white vote in 2012 as in previous years, presidential voting was also significantly influenced by respondent sex as well as opinions on gender roles. Voters regarded the Democratic Party as “better for the interests of women,” and this proved to be a highly effective wedge issue for the Democrats in 2012.

  15. Alternative majority-voting methods for real-time computing systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Kang G.; Dolter, James W.

    1989-01-01

    Two techniques that provide a compromise between the high time overhead in maintaining synchronous voting and the difficulty of combining results in asynchronous voting are proposed. These techniques are specifically suited for real-time applications with a single-source/single-sink structure that need instantaneous error masking. They provide a compromise between a tightly synchronized system in which the synchronization overhead can be quite high, and an asynchronous system which lacks suitable algorithms for combining the output data. Both quorum-majority voting (QMV) and compare-majority voting (CMV) are most applicable to distributed real-time systems with single-source/single-sink tasks. All real-time systems eventually have to resolve their outputs into a single action at some stage. The development of the advanced information processing system (AIPS) and other similar systems serve to emphasize the importance of these techniques. Time bounds suggest that it is possible to reduce the overhead for quorum-majority voting to below that for synchronous voting. All the bounds assume that the computation phase is nonpreemptive and that there is no multitasking.

  16. E-voting in Europe: divergent democratic practice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Svensson, Jorgen S.; Leenes, R.E.

    2003-01-01

    Corresponding author Recent technological developments have opened up the possibility of electronic voting and this clearly provides some opportunities and threats. On the one hand, the new technology may help to make voting more cost effective and more convenient for the voter and may even increase

  17. 11 CFR 110.18 - Voting age population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 11 Federal Elections 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Voting age population. 110.18 Section 110.18 Federal Elections FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION GENERAL CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS AND... population of the United States, of each State, and of each Congressional district. The term voting age...

  18. Statistical approach to predict compressive strength of high workability slag-cement mortars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Memon, N.A.; Memon, N.A.; Sumadi, S.R.

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports an attempt made to develop empirical expressions to estimate/ predict the compressive strength of high workability slag-cement mortars. Experimental data of 54 mix mortars were used. The mortars were prepared with slag as cement replacement of the order of 0, 50 and 60%. The flow (workability) was maintained at 136+-3%. The numerical and statistical analysis was performed by using database computer software Microsoft Office Excel 2003. Three empirical mathematical models were developed to estimate/predict 28 days compressive strength of high workability slag cement-mortars with 0, 50 and 60% slag which predict the values accurate between 97 and 98%. Finally a generalized empirical mathematical model was proposed which can predict 28 days compressive strength of high workability mortars up to degree of accuracy 95%. (author)

  19. Legislator voting and behavioral science theory: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tung, Gregory J; Vernick, Jon S; Reiney, Erin V; Gielen, Andrea C

    2012-11-01

    To examine the application of behavioral science theories to explain the voting behavior of legislators for public health policies. We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that examined factors associated with legislator support, intention to vote, or actual votes on public health policies, emphasizing those grounded in behavior science theory. Twenty-one papers met our inclusion criteria, and 6 were explicitly grounded in a behavioral science theory. Behavioral science theories, and the theory of planned behavior in particular, provide a framework for understanding legislator voting behavior and can be used by advocates to advance pro-health policies.

  20. Internet voting: a conceptual challenge to democracy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Trauth, E.M.; Pieters, Wolter; Howcroft, D.; Butler, T.; Fitzgerald, B.; DeGross, J.I.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss the implications for social inclusion of the advent of Internet voting. Although the issue of social exclusion or social inclusion with regard to technological developments in the voting process is often approached as a matter of either security or turnout, we will take a

  1. models for predicting compressive strength and water absorption

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    presents a mathematical model for predicting the compressive strength and water absorption of laterite-quarry dust cement block using ... building and construction of new infrastructure and .... In (6), R is a vector containing the real ratios of the.

  2. Real-Time Straight-Line Detection for XGA-Size Videos by Hough Transform with Parallelized Voting Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Jungang; An, Fengwei; Zhang, Xiangyu; Chen, Lei; Mattausch, Hans Jürgen

    2017-01-30

    The Hough Transform (HT) is a method for extracting straight lines from an edge image. The main limitations of the HT for usage in actual applications are computation time and storage requirements. This paper reports a hardware architecture for HT implementation on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) with parallelized voting procedure. The 2-dimensional accumulator array, namely the Hough space in parametric form (ρ, θ), for computing the strength of each line by a voting mechanism is mapped on a 1-dimensional array with regular increments of θ. Then, this Hough space is divided into a number of parallel parts. The computation of (ρ, θ) for the edge pixels and the voting procedure for straight-line determination are therefore executable in parallel. In addition, a synchronized initialization for the Hough space further increases the speed of straight-line detection, so that XGA video processing becomes possible. The designed prototype system has been synthesized on a DE4 platform with a Stratix-IV FPGA device. In the application of road-lane detection, the average processing speed of this HT implementation is 5.4ms per XGA-frame at 200 MHz working frequency.

  3. The Consequences of Collective Discontent : A New Measure of Zeitgeist Predicts Voting for Extreme Parties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Bles, Anne Marthe; Postmes, Tom; LeKander-Kanis, Babet; Otjes, Simon

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, extreme right-wing and left-wing political parties and actors have gained popularity in many Western countries. What motivates people to vote for extreme right- or left-wing parties? In previous research, we showed that a collectively shared sense of doom and gloom about society can

  4. Shareholders proposals, vote outcome, and board composition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amani Khaled Bouresli

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the variables that affect vote outcome in shareholder proposals. We found that sponsor identity, proposal type, and board composition play a significant role in determining vote outcome. Furthermore, we found that the interaction between the prior performance with board composition is significant and has a negative coefficient. We conducted nonparametric tests to investigate changes in board’s major characteristics before and after targeting. The results indicate that some changes in management and boards occur after shareholder proposals. These changes, however, are unrelated to variables that impact vote outcome. We conclude that shareholders proposals are not effective at changing company behavior or corporate governance

  5. Dimension, Egalitarianism and Decisiveness of European Voting Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesc Carreras

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available An analysis of three major aspects has been carried out that may apply to any of the successive voting systems used for the European Union Council of Ministers, from the first one established in the Treaty of Rome in 1958 to the current one established in Lisbon. We mainly consider the voting systems designed for the enlarged European Union adopted in the Athens summit, held in April 2003 but this analysis can be applied to any other system. First, it is shown that the dimension of these voting systems does not, in general, reduce. Next, the egalitarian effects of superposing two or three weighted majority games (often by introducing additional consensus are considered. Finally, the decisiveness of these voting systems is evaluated and compared. (original abstract

  6. Security analysis of electronic voting and online banking systems

    OpenAIRE

    Tjøstheim, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    The main focus of this dissertation is on security analysis of electronic voting and online banking systems. Six papers form the basis of the thesis and include the following topics: a model for analysis of voting systems, a case study where we apply the proposed model, a new scheme for remote electronic voting, and three case studies of commercial online banking solutions in Norway.

  7. User research of a voting machine: Preliminary findings and experiences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, Menno D.T.; van Hoof, Joris Jasper; Gosselt, Jordi Franciscus

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes a usability study of the Nedap voting machine in the Netherlands. On the day of the national elections, 566 voters participated in our study immediately after having cast their real vote. The research focused on the correspondence between voter intents and voting results,

  8. ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS ON VOTE-POPULARITY FUNCTION FOR ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NICOLAE-MARIUS JULA

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The regional analysis in Romania confirms the hypothesis of a significant correlation between the status of the economy and political behaviour of the electors. The level and the dynamic of the unemployment at regional level have an influence on vote behaviour, as stated by the partisan political business cycle theory: in the areas with a higher unemployment rate there is a voting preference (tendency towards the political left wing. This conclusion is interesting for a political perspective. If the unemployment electors carry their votes toward left, the left wing government in office between 1992-1996 and 2000-2004 promotes an economic policy that outcomes in a diminishing the electoral support for this party: during these periods, the global unemployment rate decreased from 8.2% to 6.6% in first period (1992-1996 and from 12.3% to 6.3% in the second. Moreover, the partisan electoral behaviour hypothesis affirms that the private entrepreneurs and the self-employed vote toward right-wing parties. That means that electoral support for left party in office during the mentioned periods was also reduced by another result of the reform, namely the strong increase in the number of registered companies (large numbers of them are limited liability companies. A political analogous situation was recorded during the 1996-2000 legislatures. The global unemployment rate increased and the business environment became unfavourable, leading to a decrease of the electoral support for the right-wing governmental coalition in office.In Romania, regarding the elections from 2008-2009, a new electoral law was introduced. The main changes concerned the election of chairpersons of county councils by uninominal voting, separating general and presidential elections and the introduction uninominal voting system for parliamentary elections, with a correction of the total number of seats with the total number of votes obtained by each party on national level.

  9. Civitas: Toward a Secure Voting System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-01

    voting, we believe that remote vot- ing is the right problem to solve. One of our goals was therefore to strike a reasonable compromise between enabling...versions of this work. References [1] Ben Adida . Advances in Cryptographic Voting Systems. PhD thesis, MIT, Aug. 2006. [2] Roberto Araújo, Sébastien...3] Association for Computing Machinery. SIG elections. http://www.acm.org/sigs/elections, 2007. [4] Jonathan Bannet, David W. Price , Algis Rudys

  10. The wonders of CERN need your vote!

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Two of CERN's creations were chosen by the US news group CNN as their 'seven wonders of the modern world'. The LHC and the World Wide Web are among the leading entries you can vote for to find the greatest wonder of all. Cast your vote at: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2006/modern.wonders/

  11. Tensor voting for image correction by global and local intensity alignment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Jiaya; Tang, Chi-Keung

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a voting method to perform image correction by global and local intensity alignment. The key to our modeless approach is the estimation of global and local replacement functions by reducing the complex estimation problem to the robust 2D tensor voting in the corresponding voting spaces. No complicated model for replacement function (curve) is assumed. Subject to the monotonic constraint only, we vote for an optimal replacement function by propagating the curve smoothness constraint using a dense tensor field. Our method effectively infers missing curve segments and rejects image outliers. Applications using our tensor voting approach are proposed and described. The first application consists of image mosaicking of static scenes, where the voted replacement functions are used in our iterative registration algorithm for computing the best warping matrix. In the presence of occlusion, our replacement function can be employed to construct a visually acceptable mosaic by detecting occlusion which has large and piecewise constant color. Furthermore, by the simultaneous consideration of color matches and spatial constraints in the voting space, we perform image intensity compensation and high contrast image correction using our voting framework, when only two defective input images are given.

  12. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hisakado, M [Standard and Poor' s, Marunouchi 1-6-5, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo 100-0005 (Japan); Mori, S, E-mail: masato_hisakado@standardandpoors.co, E-mail: mori@sci.kitasato-u.ac.j [Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, Kitasato 1-15-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan)

    2010-08-06

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters-copycat and independent-and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  13. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hisakado, M; Mori, S

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters-copycat and independent-and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  14. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hisakado, M.; Mori, S.

    2010-08-01

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters—copycat and independent—and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  15. Two kinds of phase transitions in a voting model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hisakado, M.; Mori, S.

    2012-08-01

    In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C0 and C1. We consider two types of voters—herders and independents. The voting of independents is based on their fundamental values, while the voting of herders is based on the number of previous votes. We can identify two kinds of phase transitions. One is an information cascade transition similar to a phase transition seen in the Ising model. The other is a transition of super and normal diffusions. These phase transitions coexist. We compared our results to the conclusions of experiments and identified the phase transitions in the upper limit of the time t by using the analysis of human behavior obtained from experiments.

  16. Voting Experiences I

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jydebjerg, Camilla; Jakobsen, Tina Mou

    From 2008 to 2010, an EU-project ''My opinion my vote – MOTE'' is implemented. The aim of the project is to increase the political participation among people with learning disabilities. A qualitative interview survey of three rounds among 20 persons with learning disabilities and professional...

  17. 39 CFR 6.6 - Quorum and voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quorum and voting. 6.6 Section 6.6 Postal Service....6 Quorum and voting. As provided by 39 U.S.C. 205(c), the Board acts by resolution upon a majority... the compensation and benefits of the Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General, 39 U.S.C. 205(c...

  18. Prediction of Rowing Ergometer Performance from Functional Anaerobic Power, Strength and Anthropometric Components

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akça Firat

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research was to develop different regression models to predict 2000 m rowing ergometer performance with the use of anthropometric, anaerobic and strength variables and to determine how precisely the prediction models constituted by different variables predict performance, when conducted together in the same equation or individually. 38 male collegiate rowers (20.17 ± 1.22 years participated in this study. Anthropometric, strength, 2000 m maximal rowing ergometer and rowing anaerobic power tests were applied. Multiple linear regression procedures were employed in SPSS 16 to constitute five different regression formulas using a different group of variables. The reliability of the regression models was expressed by R2 and the standard error of estimate (SEE. Relationships of all parameters with performance were investigated through Pearson correlation coefficients. The prediction model using a combination of anaerobic, strength and anthropometric variables was found to be the most reliable equation to predict 2000 m rowing ergometer performance (R2 = 0.92, SEE= 3.11 s. Besides, the equation that used rowing anaerobic and strength test results also provided a reliable prediction (R2 = 0.85, SEE= 4.27 s. As a conclusion, it seems clear that physiological determinants which are affected by anaerobic energy pathways should also get involved in the processes and models used for performance prediction and talent identification in rowing.

  19. Online Voting System Based on Image Steganography and Visual Cryptography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biju Issac

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the implementation of an online voting system based on image steganography and visual cryptography. The system was implemented in Java EE on a web-based interface, with MySQL database server and Glassfish application server as the backend. After considering the requirements of an online voting system, current technologies on electronic voting schemes in published literature were examined. Next, the cryptographic and steganography techniques best suited for the requirements of the voting system were chosen, and the software was implemented. We have incorporated in our system techniques like the password hashed based scheme, visual cryptography, F5 image steganography and threshold decryption cryptosystem. The analysis, design and implementation phase of the software development of the voting system is discussed in detail. We have also used a questionnaire survey and did the user acceptance testing of the system.

  20. Bribery or just desserts? Evidence on the influence of Congressional reproductive policy voting patterns on PAC contributions from exogenous variation in the sex mix of legislator offspring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conley, Dalton; McCabe, Brian J

    2012-01-01

    Evidence on the relationship between political contributions and legislators' voting behavior is marred by concerns about endogeneity in the estimation process. Using a legislator's offspring sex mix as a truly exogenous variable, we employ an instrumental variable estimation procedure to predict the effect of voting behavior on political contributions. Following previous research, we find that a legislator's proportion daughters has a significant effect on voting behavior for women's issues, as measured by score in the "Congressional Record on Choice" issued by NARAL Pro-Choice America. In the second stage, we make a unique contribution by demonstrating a significant impact of exogenous voting behavior on PAC contributions, lending further credibility to the hypothesis that Political Action Committees respond to legislators' voting patterns by "rewarding" political candidates that vote in line with the positions of the PAC, rather than affecting those same votes - at least in this high-profile policy domain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Tunable Tensor Voting Improves Grouping of Membrane-Bound Macromolecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loss, Leandro A.; Bebis, George; Parvin, Bahram

    2009-04-15

    Membrane-bound macromolecules are responsible for structural support and mediation of cell-cell adhesion in tissues. Quantitative analysis of these macromolecules provides morphological indices for damage or loss of tissue, for example as a result of exogenous stimuli. From an optical point of view, a membrane signal may have nonuniform intensity around the cell boundary, be punctate or diffused, and may even be perceptual at certain locations along the boundary. In this paper, a method for the detection and grouping of punctate, diffuse curvilinear signals is proposed. Our work builds upon the tensor voting and the iterative voting frameworks to propose an efficient method to detect and refine perceptually interesting curvilinear structures in images. The novelty of our method lies on the idea of iteratively tuning the tensor voting fields, which allows the concentration of the votes only over areas of interest. We validate the utility of our system with synthetic and annotated real data. The effectiveness of the tunable tensor voting is demonstrated on complex phenotypic signals that are representative of membrane-bound macromolecular structures.

  2. Voting based object boundary reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Qi; Zhang, Like; Ma, Jingsheng

    2005-07-01

    A voting-based object boundary reconstruction approach is proposed in this paper. Morphological technique was adopted in many applications for video object extraction to reconstruct the missing pixels. However, when the missing areas become large, the morphological processing cannot bring us good results. Recently, Tensor voting has attracted people"s attention, and it can be used for boundary estimation on curves or irregular trajectories. However, the complexity of saliency tensor creation limits its applications in real-time systems. An alternative approach based on tensor voting is introduced in this paper. Rather than creating saliency tensors, we use a "2-pass" method for orientation estimation. For the first pass, Sobel d*etector is applied on a coarse boundary image to get the gradient map. In the second pass, each pixel puts decreasing weights based on its gradient information, and the direction with maximum weights sum is selected as the correct orientation of the pixel. After the orientation map is obtained, pixels begin linking edges or intersections along their direction. The approach is applied to various video surveillance clips under different conditions, and the experimental results demonstrate significant improvement on the final extracted objects accuracy.

  3. Tax Salience, Voting, and Deliberation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sausgruber, Rupert; Tyran, Jean-Robert

    Tax incentives can be more or less salient, i.e. noticeable or cognitively easy to process. Our hypothesis is that taxes on consumers are more salient to consumers than equivalent taxes on sellers because consumers underestimate the extent of tax shifting in the market. We show that tax salience...... biases consumers' voting on tax regimes, and that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism in the experimental laboratory. Pre-vote deliberation makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct and does not eliminate the bias in the typical committee. Yet, if voters can discuss...... their experience with the tax regimes they are less likely to be biased....

  4. Acceptance of voting technology: between confidence and trust

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter

    2006-01-01

    Social aspects of security of information systems are often discussed in terms of “actual security��? and “perceived security��?. This may lead to the hypothesis that e-voting is controversial because in paper voting, actual and perceived security coincide, whereas they do not in electronic systems.

  5. Vote. Election Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

    This election-education program is designed to help develop an informed electorate and to instill in future voters an appreciation of the importance of the right to vote. It provides a framework for discussions of the electoral process and gives students an opportunity to face the responsibilities and challenges associated with citizenship and…

  6. Vote Stuffing Control in IPTV-based Recommender Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatt, Rajen

    Vote stuffing is a general problem in the functioning of the content rating-based recommender systems. Currently IPTV viewers browse various contents based on the program ratings. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy clustering-based approach to remove the effects of vote stuffing and consider only the genuine ratings for the programs over multiple genres. The approach requires only one authentic rating, which is generally available from recommendation system administrators or program broadcasters. The entire process is automated using fuzzy c-means clustering. Computational experiments performed over one real-world program rating database shows that the proposed approach is very efficient for controlling vote stuffing.

  7. Quantum voting and violation of Arrow's impossibility theorem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Ning; Yunger Halpern, Nicole

    2017-06-01

    We propose a quantum voting system in the spirit of quantum games such as the quantum prisoner's dilemma. Our scheme enables a constitution to violate a quantum analog of Arrow's impossibility theorem. Arrow's theorem is a claim proved deductively in economics: Every (classical) constitution endowed with three innocuous-seeming properties is a dictatorship. We construct quantum analogs of constitutions, of the properties, and of Arrow's theorem. A quantum version of majority rule, we show, violates this quantum Arrow conjecture. Our voting system allows for tactical-voting strategies reliant on entanglement, interference, and superpositions. This contribution to quantum game theory helps elucidate how quantum phenomena can be harnessed for strategic advantage.

  8. Towards a Standard Architecture for Digital Voting Systems - Defining a Generalized Ballot Schema

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cochran, Dermot Robert

    2015-01-01

    Many electoral jurisdictions have their own distinctive voting schemes. There is no clear consensus about the ideal voting scheme for fair elections. Various systems for electronic and online voting have been either proposed or developed, but these systems tend to be aimed at particular vote...... counting schemes e.g. plurality. This paper proposes a way to decouple the ballot casting process from the vote counting scheme, using a generalized ballot schema....

  9. Gendering the vote for populist radical-right parties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spierings, N.; Zaslove, A.S.

    2015-01-01

    Why do more men than women vote for populist radical-right (PRR) parties? And do more men than women still vote for the PRR? Can attitudes regarding gender and gender equality explain these differences (if they exist)? These are the questions that Spierings and Zaslove explore in this article. They

  10. Inference of segmented color and texture description by tensor voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Jiaya; Tang, Chi-Keung

    2004-06-01

    A robust synthesis method is proposed to automatically infer missing color and texture information from a damaged 2D image by (N)D tensor voting (N > 3). The same approach is generalized to range and 3D data in the presence of occlusion, missing data and noise. Our method translates texture information into an adaptive (N)D tensor, followed by a voting process that infers noniteratively the optimal color values in the (N)D texture space. A two-step method is proposed. First, we perform segmentation based on insufficient geometry, color, and texture information in the input, and extrapolate partitioning boundaries by either 2D or 3D tensor voting to generate a complete segmentation for the input. Missing colors are synthesized using (N)D tensor voting in each segment. Different feature scales in the input are automatically adapted by our tensor scale analysis. Results on a variety of difficult inputs demonstrate the effectiveness of our tensor voting approach.

  11. Implementation of Self-Bias Transistor on Voting Logic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harzawardi Hasim; Syirrazie Che Soh

    2014-01-01

    Study in the eld of digital integrated circuit (IC) already become common to the modern industrial. Day by day we have been introduced with new gadget that was developed based on transistor. This paper will study the implementation of self-bias transistor on voting logic. The self-bias transistor will connected both on pull-up network and pull-down network. On previous research, study on comparison of total number of transistors, time propagation delay, and frequency between NAND and NOR gate of voting logic. It's show, with the same number of transistor, NAND gate achieve high frequency and low time propagation delay compare to NOR gate. We extend this analysis by comparing the total number of transistor, time propagation delay, frequency and power dissipation between common NAND gate with self-bias NAND gate. Extensive LTSpice simulations were performed using IBM 90 nm CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) process technology. The result show self-bias voting NAND gate consumes 54 % less power dissipation, 43% slow frequency and 43 % high time propagation delay compare to common voting NAND gate. (author)

  12. Predicting development of undrained shear strength in soft oil sands tailings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Masala, S. [Klohn Crippen Berger, Calgary, AB (Canada); Matthews, J. [Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2010-07-01

    This PowerPoint presentation discussed a method of predicting the development of undrained shear strength in soft oil sands tailings. Phenomenology charts of oil sands tailings ponds were used to present the suspension, density, stresses and hydrostatic behaviour of tailings. Sedimentation and consolidation processes were discussed. The charts demonstrated how the tailings slurry settles and consolidates, releases water and dissipates pore pressures. The slurry then develops intergranular stresses and increases in density. The increases correlate with increased resistance to deformation and decreased compressibility and hydraulic conductivity. A critical state soil mechanics (CSSM) was used to characterize the soft oil sands tailings. Undrained strength was determined using the concept of the undrained strength ratio (USR). The USR was determined using traditional geotechnical investigation methods. Settling of the non-consolidated (NC) soil deposits was simulated using the finite strain consolidation theory. The model was based on the premise that current effective stresses control undrained shear strength in the NC deposits. Case studies were used to demonstrate the predictive framework. tabs, figs.

  13. How Election Polls Shape Voting Behaviour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahlgaard, Jens Olav; Hansen, Jonas Hedegaard; Hansen, Kasper Møller

    2017-01-01

    This article investigates how election information such as opinion polls can influence voting intention. The bandwagon effect claims that voters ‘float along’: a party experiencing increased support receives more support, and vice versa. Through a large national survey experiment, evidence is fou...... that the effect of polls vary across sociodemographic groups, the results imply that bandwagon behaviour is based not on social or political contingencies, such as media or political institution, but on fundamentals of political cognition....... of a bandwagon effect among Danish voters. When voters are exposed to a news story describing either an upwards or downwards movement for either a small or large party, they tend to move their voting intentions in the according direction. The effect is strongest in the positive direction – that is, when a party......This article investigates how election information such as opinion polls can influence voting intention. The bandwagon effect claims that voters ‘float along’: a party experiencing increased support receives more support, and vice versa. Through a large national survey experiment, evidence is found...

  14. Creating Discussions with Classroom Voting in Linear Algebra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Kelly; Zullo, Holly; Duncan, Jonathan; Stewart, Ann; Snipes, Marie

    2013-01-01

    We present a study of classroom voting in linear algebra, in which the instructors posed multiple-choice questions to the class and then allowed a few minutes for consideration and small-group discussion. After each student in the class voted on the correct answer using a classroom response system, a set of clickers, the instructor then guided a…

  15. World Wide Web voted most wonderful wonder by web-wide world

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The results are in, and the winner is...the World Wide Web! An online survey conducted by the CNN news group ranks the World Wide Web-invented at CERN--as the most wonderful of the seven modern wonders of the world. (See Bulletin No. 49/2006.) There is currently no speculation about whether they would have had the same results had they distributed the survey by post. The World Wide Web won with a whopping 50 per cent of the votes (3,665 votes). The runner up was CERN again, with 16 per cent of voters (1130 votes) casting the ballot in favour of the CERN particle accelerator. Stepping into place behind CERN and CERN is 'None of the Above' with 8 per cent of the votes (611 votes), followed by the development of Dubai (7%), the bionic arm (7%), China's Three Gorges Damn (5%), The Channel Tunnel (4%), and France's Millau viaduct (3%). Thanks to everyone from CERN who voted. You can view the results on http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2006/modern.wonders/

  16. An efficient numerical target strength prediction model: Validation against analysis solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fillinger, L.; Nijhof, M.J.J.; Jong, C.A.F. de

    2014-01-01

    A decade ago, TNO developed RASP (Rapid Acoustic Signature Prediction), a numerical model for the prediction of the target strength of immersed underwater objects. The model is based on Kirchhoff diffraction theory. It is currently being improved to model refraction, angle dependent reflection and

  17. The design, purpose, and effects of voting advice applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosema, Martin; Anderson, Joel; Walgrave, Stefaan

    2014-01-01

    In recent electoral politics, one of the most striking internet-related developments is the increasingly widespread use of Voting Advice Applications (VAAs). In this introduction to the symposium devoted to analysing the design, purpose, and effects of voting advice applications, we briefly discuss

  18. Motion Detection in Ultrasound Image-Sequences Using Tensor Voting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inba, Masafumi; Yanagida, Hirotaka; Tamura, Yasutaka

    2008-05-01

    Motion detection in ultrasound image sequences using tensor voting is described. We have been developing an ultrasound imaging system adopting a combination of coded excitation and synthetic aperture focusing techniques. In our method, frame rate of the system at distance of 150 mm reaches 5000 frame/s. Sparse array and short duration coded ultrasound signals are used for high-speed data acquisition. However, many artifacts appear in the reconstructed image sequences because of the incompleteness of the transmitted code. To reduce the artifacts, we have examined the application of tensor voting to the imaging method which adopts both coded excitation and synthetic aperture techniques. In this study, the basis of applying tensor voting and the motion detection method to ultrasound images is derived. It was confirmed that velocity detection and feature enhancement are possible using tensor voting in the time and space of simulated ultrasound three-dimensional image sequences.

  19. 29 CFR 1922.4 - Responsibilities of the Board; voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Responsibilities of the Board; voting. 1922.4 Section 1922.4 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT § 1922.4 Responsibilities of the Board; voting. (a) Determinations and...

  20. Vote Buying or Campaign Promises? Electoral Strategies When Party Credibility is Limited

    OpenAIRE

    Hanusch, Marek; Keefer, Philip; Vlaicu, Razvan

    2016-01-01

    What explains significant variation across countries in the use of vote buying instead of campaign promises to secure voter support? This paper explicitly models the tradeoff parties face between engaging in vote buying and making campaign promises, and explores the distributional consequences of this decision, in a setting where party credibility can vary. When parties are less credible they spend more on vote buying and target vote buying more heavily toward groups that do not believe campa...

  1. Voting pattern of mental patients in a community state hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, M M; Grossman, S A

    1967-06-01

    The voting pattern of mental patients in a community-based state hospital was studied. Patients were polled on the New York City mayoralty race. A comparison to the vote of the general population revealed that the hospital sample vote resembled most closely the election results of the hospital district. The results highlight the advantage of community-centered mental health facilities, which undertake the treatment and rehabilitation of mental patients under conditions that maintain ties with family and community.

  2. An Ensemble Learning for Predicting Breakdown Field Strength of Polyimide Nanocomposite Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hai Guo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Using the method of Stochastic Gradient Boosting, ten SMO-SVR are constructed into a strong prediction model (SGBS model that is efficient in predicting the breakdown field strength. Adopting the method of in situ polymerization, thirty-two samples of nanocomposite films with different percentage compositions, components, and thicknesses are prepared. Then, the breakdown field strength is tested by using voltage test equipment. From the test results, the correlation coefficient (CC, the mean absolute error (MAE, the root mean squared error (RMSE, the relative absolute error (RAE, and the root relative squared error (RRSE are 0.9664, 14.2598, 19.684, 22.26%, and 25.01% with SGBS model. The result indicates that the predicted values fit well with the measured ones. Comparisons between models such as linear regression, BP, GRNN, SVR, and SMO-SVR have also been made under the same conditions. They show that CC of the SGBS model is higher than those of other models. Nevertheless, the MAE, RMSE, RAE, and RRSE of the SGBS model are lower than those of other models. This demonstrates that the SGBS model is better than other models in predicting the breakdown field strength of polyimide nanocomposite films.

  3. Internet voting: a monstrous alliance between democracy and technology?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter; Sudweeks, F.; Hrachovec, H.; Ess, C.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we aim at finding a cultural explanation of the controversy around the introduction of electronic voting, especially Internet voting. In her PhD thesis, Martijntje Smits (2002b) argues that controversies surrounding the introduction of new technologies can often be explained in terms

  4. The theory of voting and equilibria in noncooperative games

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Birgitte

    1993-01-01

    We consider the problem of modeling voting situations, seeking models and equilibrium concepts which are easier to incorporate in large sequential decision games than the models and solution concepts used by the "theory of voting." It is demonstrated that one can avoid using very refined solution...

  5. Compressive Strength Prediction of Square Concrete Columns Retrofitted with External Steel Collars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pudjisuryadi, P.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Transverse confining stress in concrete members, commonly provided by transverse reinforcement, has been recognized to enhance strength and ductility. Nowadays, the confining method has been further developed to external confinement approach. This type of confinement can be used for retrofitting existing concrete columns. Many external confining techniques have been proven to be successful in retrofitting circular columns. However, for square or rectangular columns, providing effective confining stress by external retrofitting method is not a simple task due to high stress concentration at column’s corners. This paper proposes an analytical model to predict the peak strength of square concrete columns confined by external steel collars. Comparison with the experimental results showed that the model can predict the peak strength reasonably well. However, it should be noted that relatively larger amount of steel is needed to achieve comparable column strength enhancement when it is compared with those of conve tional internally-confined columns.

  6. Executive compensation, financial performance and say on pay votes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoli Yuan

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 was passed as a response to the late-2000s recession. A shareholder opt-in executive pay vote was introduced as a solution to the managerial power problem. We examine the results of this recommended solution and prove its viability. We find that there is a stronger association between high CEO pay and low say-on-pay vote support for firms with negative financial performance. We also find the market-to-book ratio is significantly lower for companies that failed say-on-pay votes. Furthermore, regulated industries such as financial services are more likely receive unfavourable say-on-pay votes. We document an increase in the sensitivity of CEO pay to poor performance. Overall, these finds are consistent with calls for less “rewards for failure” that led to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

  7. Formulating the strength factor α for improved predictability of radiation hardening

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, L., E-mail: tanl@ornl.gov; Busby, J.T.

    2015-10-15

    Analytical equations were developed to calculate the strength factors of precipitates, Frank loops, and cavities in austenitic alloys, which strongly depend on barrier type, size, geometry and density, as well as temperature. Calculated strength factors were successfully used to estimate radiation hardening using the broadly employed dispersed barrier-hardening model, leading to good agreement with experimentally measured hardening in neutron-irradiated type 304 and 316 stainless steel variants. The formulated strength factor provides a route for more reliable hardening predictions and can be easily incorporated into component simulations and design.

  8. Linear Logical Voting Protocols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    DeYoung, Henry; Schürmann, Carsten

    2012-01-01

    Current approaches to electronic implementations of voting protocols involve translating legal text to source code of an imperative programming language. Because the gap between legal text and source code is very large, it is difficult to trust that the program meets its legal specification. In r...

  9. Comparing Youth Opinions toward Compulsory Voting across Five Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pesek, Jessamay T.

    2014-01-01

    This study uses a comparative case study design to examine youth (ages 13-20) opinions toward compulsory voting across five democratic countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. Youth responses toward compulsory voting demonstrate how youth come to learn about citizen rights and responsibilities with varied understandings…

  10. Expressive voting and political ideology in a laboratory democracy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiese, Rasmus; Jong-A-Pin, Richard

    2017-01-01

    We test the theory of expressive voting in relation to political ideology in a laboratory experiment. After deriving our hypotheses from a decision theoretic model, we examine voting decisions in an experiment in which we use the size of the electorate as the treatment variable. Using a Heckman

  11. Affinity communities in United Nations voting: Implications for democracy, cooperation, and conflict

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pauls, Scott D.; Cranmer, Skyler J.

    2017-10-01

    A network oriented examination of the co-voting network of the United Nations (UN) provides powerful insights into the international alignment of states, as well as normatively important processes such as democracy, defensive cooperation, and armed conflict. Here, we investigate the UN co-voting network using the tools of community detection and inductively identify "affinity communities" in which states articulate similar policy preferences through their voting patterns. Analysis of these communities reveals that there is more information contained in UN voting and co-voting patterns than has previously been thought. Affinity communities have complex relationships with some of the most normatively important international outcomes: they reflect transitions to democracy, have a feedback loop with the formation of defensive alliances, and actively help states avoid armed conflict.

  12. EU member states' voting for authorizing genetically engineered crops

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smart, Richard D.; Blum, Matthias; Wesseler, Justus

    2015-01-01

    Several authors suggest a gridlock of the European Union's (EU's) approval process for genetically engineered (GE) crops. We analyse the voting behaviour of EU Member States (MSs) for voting results from 2003 to 2015 on the approval of GE crops to test for a gridlock; no reliable data are

  13. Climate Change Beliefs Count: Relationships With Voting Outcomes at the 2010 Australian Federal Election

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rod McCrea

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Climate change is a political as well as an environmental issue. Climate change beliefs are commonly associated with voting behaviour, but are they associated with swings in voting behaviour? The latter are arguably more important for election outcomes. This paper investigates the predictive power of these beliefs on voting swings at the 2010 Australian federal election after controlling for a range of other related factors (demographic characteristics of voters, different worldviews about nature and the role of government, and the perceived opportunity cost of addressing climate change. Drawing on data from two nationally representative surveys of voters and data from the Australian Electoral Commission, this paper investigates relationships between climate change beliefs and voting swings at both the individual and electorate levels. At an individual level, a hypothetical 10% change in climate change beliefs was associated with a 2.6% swing from a conservative Coalition and a 2.0% swing toward Labor and 1.7% toward the Greens party, both left on the political spectrum. At the electorate level, this equates to a shift of 21 seats between the two main political parties (the Coalition and Labor in Australia’s 150 seat parliament, after allocating Green preferences. Given many seats are marginal, even modest shifts in climate change beliefs can be associated with changes in electoral outcomes. Thus, climate change is expected to remain a politically contested issue in countries like Australia where political parties seek to distinguish themselves, in part, by their responses to climate change.

  14. Theoretical predictions for alpha particle spectroscopic strengths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Draayer, J.P.

    1975-01-01

    Multinucleon transfers induced in heavy-ion reactions of the type ( 6 Li,d) furnish a selective probe with which to study the interplay between rotational and clustering phenomena so characteristic of the structure of the light sd-shell nuclei. For these nuclei, theoretical predictions for inter-band as well as intra-band transfer strengths can be made using recently tabulated results for angular momentum dependent SU 3 inclusion R 3 relative spectroscopic strengths and angular momentum independent SU 6 inclusion SU 3 coefficients of fractional parentage. The pure SU 3 (oscillator)-SU 4 (supermultiplet) symmetry limit agrees well with results obtained using available eigenfunctions determined in large shell model calculations. In particular, the scalar nature of a transferred ''alpha''-cluster insures that the effect of spatial symmetry admixtures in the initial and final states of the target and residual nuclei are minimized. Sum rule quantities provide a measure of the probable effects of symmetry breaking. Strength variations within a band are expected; transfers to core excited states are often favored. Results extracted from exact finite range DWBA analyses of ( 6 Li,d) data on 16 , 18 O, 20 , 21 , 22 Ne, 24 , 25 Mg show some anomalies in our understanding of the structure and/or reaction mechanisms. (18 figures) (U.S.)

  15. Diverging Life Expectancies and Voting Patterns in the 2016 US Presidential Election

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Objectives. To assess whether voting patterns in the 2016 US presidential election were correlated with long-run trends in county life expectancy. Methods. I examined county-level voting data from the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections and assessed Donald Trump’s share of the 2016 vote, change in the Republican vote share between 2008 and 2016, and changes in absolute numbers of Democratic and Republican votes. County-level estimates of life expectancy at birth were obtained for 1980 and 2014 from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Results. Changes in county life expectancy from 1980 to 2014 were strongly negatively associated with Trump’s vote share, with less support for Trump in counties experiencing greater survival gains. Counties in which life expectancy stagnated or declined saw a 10-percentage-point increase in the Republican vote share between 2008 and 2016. Conclusions. Residents of counties left out from broader life expectancy gains abandoned the Democratic Party in the 2016 presidential election. Since coming to power, the Trump administration has proposed cuts to health insurance for the poor, social programs, health research, and environmental and worker protections, which are key determinants of population health. Health gaps likely will continue to widen without significant public investment in population health. PMID:28817322

  16. Diverging Life Expectancies and Voting Patterns in the 2016 US Presidential Election.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bor, Jacob

    2017-10-01

    To assess whether voting patterns in the 2016 US presidential election were correlated with long-run trends in county life expectancy. I examined county-level voting data from the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections and assessed Donald Trump's share of the 2016 vote, change in the Republican vote share between 2008 and 2016, and changes in absolute numbers of Democratic and Republican votes. County-level estimates of life expectancy at birth were obtained for 1980 and 2014 from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Changes in county life expectancy from 1980 to 2014 were strongly negatively associated with Trump's vote share, with less support for Trump in counties experiencing greater survival gains. Counties in which life expectancy stagnated or declined saw a 10-percentage-point increase in the Republican vote share between 2008 and 2016. Residents of counties left out from broader life expectancy gains abandoned the Democratic Party in the 2016 presidential election. Since coming to power, the Trump administration has proposed cuts to health insurance for the poor, social programs, health research, and environmental and worker protections, which are key determinants of population health. Health gaps likely will continue to widen without significant public investment in population health.

  17. Creep-rupture strength prediction of an epoxy composite under tension

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krastev, R.K.; Zachariev, G.; Hristova, J.; Minster, Jiří

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 2 (2009), s. 207-214 ISSN 1385-2000 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20710524 Keywords : materials testing * creep * strength prediction Subject RIV: JI - Composite Materials Impact factor: 1.051, year: 2009

  18. Push button parliament–why India needs a non-partisan, recorded vote system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shalaka Patil

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Decisions of national importance are made by Parliamentary voting. Yet Indian Members of Parliament (MPs vote with a remarkable lack of freedom and accountability. The introduction of the Tenth Schedule in the Constitution has crippled free expression, since it provides that MPs voting against ‘any direction’ of their Party are liable to disqualification from the legislature In addition, except for Constitutional amendments, Indian Parliamentary Procedure Rules do not require votes of MPs to be recorded unless the Speaker’s decision is contested in the House. The result is that voting in the House has become mechanical, controlled by Party politics and devoid of responsibility. This paper comments on a general theory of democratic accountability through the lens of Parliamentary voting. It suggests that the voting system adopted in the Parliament is an effective indicator to measure the level of accountability of its Members. In the context of India, this paper argues that the level of accountability will increase to a desirable extent only when there is adoption of a recorded system for every important House vote. Upon examination of India’s record thus far (through the sample of the 14th Lok Sabha it becomes evident that the level of divisions (recorded votes is substantially lower than other countries. This leads the paper to probe, as to why that might be the case. Part II of the paper answers that question by examining the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The paper scrutinizes the disproportionate influence of the Party in decision making in the Parliament. Apart from dealing with the inherent problem of the Tenth Schedule, this paper suggests two procedural changes to make parliamentary expression more meaningful. Firstly, the recording of all important votes within the Parliament and secondly, registering Party whips with the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs so that the voter knows the clear stand of every Parliamentary

  19. Push button parliament–why India needs a non-partisan, recorded vote system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shalaka Patil

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Decisions of national importance are made by Parliamentary voting. Yet Indian Members of Parliament (MPs vote with a remarkable lack of freedom and accountability. The introduction of the Tenth Schedule in the Constitution has crippled free expression, since it provides that MPs voting against ‘any direction’ of their Party are liable to disqualification from the legislature  In addition, except for Constitutional amendments, Indian Parliamentary Procedure Rules do not require votes of MPs to be recorded unless the Speaker’s decision is contested in the House. The result is that voting in the House has become mechanical, controlled by Party politics and devoid of responsibility. This paper comments on a general theory of democratic accountability through the lens of Parliamentary voting. It suggests that the voting system adopted in the Parliament is an effective indicator to measure the level of accountability of its Members. In the context of India, this paper argues that the level of accountability will increase to a desirable extent only when there is adoption of a recorded system for every important House vote. Upon examination of India’s record thus far (through the sample of the 14th Lok Sabha it becomes evident that the level of divisions (recorded votes is substantially lower than other countries. This leads the paper to probe, as to why that might be the case. Part II of the paper answers that question by examining the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The paper scrutinizes the disproportionate influence of the Party in decision making in the Parliament. Apart from dealing with the inherent problem of the Tenth Schedule, this paper suggests two procedural changes to make parliamentary expression more meaningful. Firstly, the recording of all important votes within the Parliament and secondly, registering Party whips with the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs so that the voter knows the clear stand of every Parliamentary

  20. Marijuana policy opinions in Washington state since legalization: Would voters vote the same way?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subbaraman, Meenakshi Sabina; Kerr, William C

    2016-12-01

    In 2012, voters in Washington state approved Initiative 502 (I-502) which legalized recreational marijuana use at the state level. This study examines the relationship between demographics, marijuana and alcohol use, and voting outcomes, as well as how these variables relate to (i) whether voters would still vote the same way (a reflection of satisfaction with the new policy) and (ii) the likelihood of using marijuana purchased from legal retail stores. The sample consists of 2,007 adult Washington state residents recruited through Random Digit Dial between January and October 2014. Bivariate tests and multivariable regressions were used for analyses. Less than five percent of those who voted for marijuana legalization would change their votes, whereas 14% of those who voted against legalization would change their votes. In multivariable models controlling for demographics, substance use, and marijuana-related opinions, those who voted for legalization had half the odds of changing their votes than those who voted against it. Among past-year non-marijuana users, almost 10% were somewhat/very likely to use marijuana if they could buy it from a legal store. Past marijuana use, the belief that adults should be allowed to grow marijuana for personal use, and the belief that marijuana is not very risky for health were all related to increased likelihood of using marijuana purchased from legal stores. Since November 2012, support for marijuana legalization in Washington state has increased; accounting for the proportion of voters who would change their votes suggests that I-502 would pass today with even more votes in favor.

  1. Voting patterns and alliance formation in the European Parliament.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hix, Simon; Noury, Abdul; Roland, Gérard

    2009-03-27

    Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voluntarily formed transnational political groups and invariably follow the voting instructions of these groups. This is intriguing as there are few obvious incentives for doing so. Unlike national parties, for example, the political groups in the European Parliament are not punished by the electorate if they are divided on key issues, as citizens know very little about what goes on inside the European Parliament. This paper pieces together an explanation of why the European political groups exist and why they have become so powerful by looking at the determinants of group cohesion and by undertaking a spatial analysis of voting in the European Parliament. MEPs who share preferences on a range of issues on the European Union policy agenda have an incentive to establish a division-of-labour contract and to share the costs of collecting information. Once internal party policy specialization and agenda setting has been established, MEPs have incentives to follow the voting instructions of their group owing to the advantages of cohesion in a context of repeated voting.

  2. Electoral system, pesonal votes, and party choice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Søren Risbjerg

    Using local elections in Denmark as an example this paper shows that individual party choice is influenced both by individual level, municipality level, and national level characteristics. Some hypotheses about the effects of the electoral system on personal votes derived from a theory by Carey...... & Shugart (1995) are first tested using a fixed-effects model. The effect of the personal reputation of the candidates, measured by personal votes, on party choice is then tested using a multilevel multinomial logit model suggested by Rabe-Hesketh and Skrondal (2008). The paper shows that both the electoral...

  3. Design and Implementation of a Mobile Voting System Using a Novel Oblivious and Proxy Signature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shin-Yan Chiou

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Electronic voting systems can make the voting process much more convenient. However, in such systems, if a server signs blank votes before users vote, it may cause undue multivoting. Furthermore, if users vote before the signing of the server, voting information will be leaked to the server and may be compromised. Blind signatures could be used to prevent leaking voting information from the server; however, malicious users could produce noncandidate signatures for illegal usage at that time or in the future. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a novel oblivious signature scheme with a proxy signature function to satisfy security requirements such as information protection, personal privacy, and message verification and to ensure that no one can cheat other users (including the server. We propose an electronic voting system based on the proposed oblivious and proxy signature scheme and implement this scheme in a smartphone application to allow users to vote securely and conveniently. Security analyses and performance comparisons are provided to show the capability and efficiency of the proposed scheme.

  4. Indigenous Adoption of Internet Voting: A Case Study of Whitefish River First Nation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chelsea Gabel

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Indigenous communities and organizations are increasingly using digital technologies to build community capacity, strengthen community consultation, and improve political participation. In particular, Internet voting is a type of technology to which First Nations have been drawn. This article explores Whitefish River First Nation's (WRFN experience introducing Internet voting in the course of ratifying a new matrimonial real property law (MRP. Specifically, we examine the implications of Internet voting for political participation and electoral administration at the community level. Although community members’ uptake of Internet voting was very modest, we find the experience of adoption had other subtle impacts on community capacity, specifically in terms of empowering the community to pass its own laws and connecting youth and elders. With respect to administration, Internet voting provided an opportunity to connect with community members using technology, to modernize voting processes, and to better accommodate community members needs.

  5. Prediction on flexural strength of encased composite beam with cold-formed steel section

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khadavi, Tahir, M. M.

    2017-11-01

    A flexural strength of composite beam designed as boxed shaped section comprised of lipped C-channel of cold-formed steel (CFS) facing each other with reinforcement bars is proposed in this paper. The boxed shaped is kept restrained in position by a profiled metal decking installed on top of the beam to form a slab system. This profiled decking slab is cast by using self-compacting concrete where the concrete is in compression when load is applied to the beam. Reinforcement bars are used as shear connector between slab and CFS as beam. A numerical analysis method proposed by EC4 is used to predict the flexural strength of the proposed composite beam. It was assumed that elasto-plastic behaviour is developed in the cross -sectional of the proposed beam. The calculated predicted flexural strength of the proposed beam shows reasonable flexural strength for cold-formed composite beam.

  6. Voting Behaviour in the 2009 South African Election

    OpenAIRE

    Norbert Kersting

    2010-01-01

    This article analyses voting behaviour in the South African election of 2009 and draws conclusions regarding the significance of party affiliation and issue-based voting in South Africa. It demonstrates the low level of voter registration and voter turnout. In the 2009 election the Independent Electoral Commission had problems with electoral management for the first time; however, it was able to prevent electoral violence. During the campaign the newly founded COPE focused on institutional re...

  7. Voting behaviour in the 2009 South African election

    OpenAIRE

    Kersting, Norbert

    2009-01-01

    This article analyses voting behaviour in the South African election of 2009 and draws conclusions regarding the significance of party affiliation and issue-based voting in South Africa. It demonstrates the low level of voter registration and voter turnout. In the 2009 election the Independent Electoral Commission had problems with electoral management for the first time; however, it was able to prevent electoral violence. During the campaign the newly founded COPE focused on institutional re...

  8. The Drastic Outcomes from Voting Alliances in Three-Party Democratic Voting (1990 → 2013)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galam, Serge

    2013-04-01

    The drastic effect of local alliances in three-party competition is investigated in democratic hierarchical bottom-up voting. The results are obtained analytically using a model which extends a sociophysics frame introduced in 1986 (Galam in J. Math. Phys. 30:426, 1986) and 1990 (Galam in J. Stat. Phys. 61:943, 1990) to study two-party systems and the spontaneous formation of democratic dictatorship. It is worth stressing that the 1990 paper was published in the Journal of Statistical Physics, the first paper of its kind in this journal. It was shown how a minority in power can preserve its leadership using bottom-up democratic elections. However such a bias holds only down to some critical value of minimum support. The results were used latter to explain the sudden collapse of European communist parties in the nineties. The extension to three-party competition reveals the mechanisms by which a very small minority party can get a substantial representation at higher levels of the hierarchy when the other two competing parties are big. Additional surprising results are obtained, which enlighten the complexity of three-party democratic bottom-up voting. In particular, the unexpected outcomes of local voting alliances are singled out. Unbalanced democratic situations are exhibited with strong asymmetries between the actual bottom support of a party and its associated share of power at the top leadership. Subtle strategies are identified for a party to maximize its hold on the top leadership. The results are also valid to describe opinion dynamics with three competing opinions.

  9. ECLogger: Cross-Project Catch-Block Logging Prediction Using Ensemble of Classifiers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangeeta Lal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Software developers insert log statements in the source code to record program execution information. However, optimizing the number of log statements in the source code is challenging. Machine learning based within-project logging prediction tools, proposed in previous studies, may not be suitable for new or small software projects. For such software projects, we can use cross-project logging prediction. Aim: The aim of the study presented here is to investigate cross-project logging prediction methods and techniques. Method: The proposed method is ECLogger, which is a novel, ensemble-based, cross-project, catch-block logging prediction model. In the research We use 9 base classifiers were used and combined using ensemble techniques. The performance of ECLogger was evaluated on on three open-source Java projects: Tomcat, CloudStack and Hadoop. Results: ECLogger Bagging, ECLogger AverageVote, and ECLogger MajorityVote show a considerable improvement in the average Logged F-measure (LF on 3, 5, and 4 source -> target project pairs, respectively, compared to the baseline classifiers. ECLogger AverageVote performs best and shows improvements of 3.12% (average LF and 6.08% (average ACC – Accuracy. Conclusion: The classifier based on ensemble techniques, such as bagging, average vote, and majority vote outperforms the baseline classifier. Overall, the ECLogger AverageVote model performs best. The results show that the CloudStack project is more generalizable than the other projects.

  10. Ill-placed democracy: ethics consultations and the moral status of voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiester, Autumn M

    2011-01-01

    As groups around the country begin to craft standards for clinical ethics consultations, one focus of that work is the proper procedure for conducting ethics consults. From a recent empirical look into the workings of ethics consult services (ECSs), one worrisome finding is that some ECSs rely on a committee vote when making a recommendation. This article examines the practice of voting and its moral standing as a procedural strategy for arriving at a clinical ethics recommendation. I focus here on the type of clinical ethics conflicts that are most likely to lead an ECS to vote, namely, conflicts involving ethical uncertainty--or, in the Greek, aporia. I argue that in cases of aporia, voting on an ethics conflict is not a morally justifiable procedure. Then on the same grounds that I use to show that voting is ethically problematic, I raise broader concerns about the common practice of making recommendations by other procedures. In contrast to the standard approach of adjudicating between moral claims, I argue that ECSs can best resolve aporetic conflict through the process of clinical ethics mediation.

  11. Voting Behavior in Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Řádek Miroslav

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Department of Political Science at Alexander Dubcek University in Trencin prepared its own exit poll during election day on March 5, 2016. The survey asked seven questions that were aimed at determining the preferences of the respondents concerning not only the current but also past general elections. Interviewers surveyed the choice of political party or movement in parliamentary elections in 2016 as well as preferences in past elections. Followed by questions concerning motivation to vote - when did the respondents decide to go to vote and what or who inspired this decision. The survey also tried to found out how many preferential votes did the voters give to the candidates of political parties and movements. Final question asked about expectations for the future of individual respondents. This article is the information output of the survey. The interviewers were 124 university students and its return was 1,612 sheets. The aim of this paper is to communicate the findings of this unique survey, which is unprecedented in the Slovak political science.

  12. Challenges amp Solutions Of Adoption In Regards To Phone-Based Remote E-Voting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermann Ken Jamnadas

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Remote Voting Systems has not been universally adopted by most countries for their elections such as in the case of Fiji. Although mobile phones are quite prevalent around the world and the amount of smart phones sold is increasing at a rapid rate there have not been many elections which have capitalized on the use of Mobile Phones as a remote voting tool. This paper is a limited review of previous papers on remote voting systems. The aim was to study challenges of adoption of remote e-voting systems such as through a mobile phone and suggest innovative solutions to those challenges. As such we propose a combination of new policy solutions and technical solutions such as the use of QR code and checksum for vote verification the use of real time facial recognition systems and the leveraging of existing mobile hardware to ensure a secure anonymous and trustworthy remote voting system like it has never been before.

  13. Periodic Discordance Between Vote Equality and Representational Equality in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah K. Cowan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available American democracy has two central values that are often in tension: vote equality, that each vote has equal influence, and representational equality, that each elected official represents equal numbers of people. The electoral standard of “one person, one vote” ensures representational equality, and that often ensures vote equality. This relationship fails, however, under certain demographic conditions, namely, when a large, non-enfranchised population resides unevenly across jurisdictions. Then, representational equality is preserved and vote equality is violated. Prior to women’s suffrage, for example, western states had relatively fewer women than the remainder of the country, contributing to gross vote inequality, though rectified through extension of the franchise. Given recent high rates of immigration to some states, I ask whether the two values are in tension. I find that they are, and quantify the electoral consequences of this disjuncture at 13 House seats in 2010.

  14. Analyzing the behavior and reliability of voting systems comprising tri-state units using enumerated simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yacoub, Sherif

    2003-01-01

    Voting is a common technique used in combining results from peer experts, for multiple purposes, and in a variety of domains. In distributed decision making systems, voting mechanisms are used to obtain a decision by incorporating the opinion of multiple units. Voting systems have many applications in fault tolerant systems, mutual exclusion in distributed systems, and replicated databases. We are specifically interested in voting systems as used in decision-making applications. In this paper, we describe a synthetic experimental procedure to study the behavior of a variety of voting system configurations using a simulator to: analyze the state of each expert, apply a voting mechanism, and analyze the voting results. We introduce an enumerated-simulation approach and compare it to existing mathematical approaches. The paper studies the following behaviors of a voting system: (1) the reliability of the voting system, R; (2) the probability of reaching a consensus, P c ; (3) certainty index, T; and (4) the confidence index, C. The configuration parameters controlling the analysis are: (1) the number of participating experts, N, (2) the possible output states of an expert, and (3) the probability distribution of each expert states. We illustrate the application of this approach to a voting system that consists of N units, each has three states: correct (success), wrong (failed), and abstain (did not produce an output). The final output of the decision-making (voting) system is correct if a consensus is reached on a correct unit output, abstain if all units abstain from voting, and wrong otherwise. We will show that using the proposed approach, we can easily conduct studies to unleash several behaviors of a decision-making system with tri-state experts

  15. A Theory of Strategic Voting in Runoff Elections

    OpenAIRE

    Laurent Bouton

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzes the properties of runoff electoral systems when voters are strategic. A model of three-candidate runoff elections is presented, and two new features are included: the risk of upset victory in the second round is endogenous, and many types of runoff systems are considered. Three main results emerge. First, runoff elections produce equilibria in which only two candidates receive a positive fraction of the votes. Second, a sincere voting equilibrium does not always exist. Fin...

  16. Models for Strength Prediction of High-Porosity Cast-In-Situ Foamed Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenhui Zhao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A study was undertaken to develop a prediction model of compressive strength for three types of high-porosity cast-in-situ foamed concrete (cement mix, cement-fly ash mix, and cement-sand mix with dry densities of less than 700 kg/m3. The model is an extension of Balshin’s model and takes into account the hydration ratio of the raw materials, in which the water/cement ratio was a constant for the entire construction period for a certain casting density. The results show that the measured porosity is slightly lower than the theoretical porosity due to few inaccessible pores. The compressive strength increases exponentially with the increase in the ratio of the dry density to the solid density and increases with the curing time following the composite function A2ln⁡tB2 for all three types of foamed concrete. Based on the results that the compressive strength changes with the porosity and the curing time, a prediction model taking into account the mix constitution, curing time, and porosity is developed. A simple prediction model is put forward when no experimental data are available.

  17. The fluctuating female vote: politics, religion, and the ovulatory cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durante, Kristina M; Rae, Ashley; Griskevicius, Vladas

    2013-06-01

    Each month, many women experience an ovulatory cycle that regulates fertility. Although research has found that this cycle influences women's mating preferences, we proposed that it might also change women's political and religious views. Building on theory suggesting that political and religious orientation are linked to reproductive goals, we tested how fertility influenced women's politics, religiosity, and voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. In two studies with large and diverse samples, ovulation had drastically different effects on single women and women in committed relationships. Ovulation led single women to become more liberal, less religious, and more likely to vote for Barack Obama. In contrast, ovulation led women in committed relationships to become more conservative, more religious, and more likely to vote for Mitt Romney. In addition, ovulation-induced changes in political orientation mediated women's voting behavior. Overall, the ovulatory cycle not only influences women's politics but also appears to do so differently for single women than for women in relationships.

  18. Prediction of strength of wood composite materials using ultrasonic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmoud, M.K.; Emam, A.

    2005-01-01

    Wood is a biological material integrating a very large variability of its mechanical properties (tensile and compressive), on the two directional longitudinal and transverse Ultrasonic method has been utilized to measure both wood physical and / or wood mechanical properties. The aim of this article is to show the development of ultrasonic technique for quality evaluation of trees, wood material and wood based composites. For quality assessment of these products we discuss the nondestructive evaluation of different factors such as: moisture content, temperature, biological degradation induced by bacterial attack and fungal attack. These techniques were adapted for trees, timber and wood based composites. The present study discusses the prediction of tensile and compressive strength of wood composite materials using ultrasonic testing. Empirical relationships between the tensile properties, compression strength and ultrasonic were proposed. The experimental results indicate the possibility of establishing a relationship between tensile strength and compression values. Moreover, the fractures in tensile and compressive are discussed by photographic

  19. Analyzing the determinants of the voting behavior using a genetic algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Vizcaíno-González

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Using data about votes emitted by funds in meetings held by United States banks from 2003 to 2013, we apply a genetic algorithm to a set of financial variables in order to detect the determinants of the vote direction. Our findings indicate that there are three main explanatory factors: the market value of the firm, the shareholder activism measured as the total number of funds voting, and the temporal context, which reflects the influence of recent critical events affecting the banking industry, including bankruptcies, reputational failures, and mergers and acquisitions. As a result, considering that voting behavior has been empirically linked to reputational harms, these findings can be considered as a useful insight about the keys that should be taken into account in order to achieve an effective reputational risk management strategy.

  20. The strategic effect of the plurality vote at the district level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bochsler, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    The plurality vote (first-past-the-post) is one of the most restrictive electoral systems used for parliamentary elections. Empirically, its deterring effect on small political parties has been widely studied at the national level, while theoretical arguments highlight its strategic effect...... at the district level. This paper argues that the strategic effect, reducing the votes expressed for minor parties in plurality vote systems, is uneven across districts. The strongest strategic effect is expected in very competitive constituencies, where the two strongest candidates are in close competition...... with each other. The paper estimates the effect empirically, based on electoral results for minor political parties from six parliamentary democracies using the plurality vote. The methodology proposed in this paper allows me to separate sociological or geographical factors from strategic factors affecting...

  1. Strength development in concrete with wood ash blended cement and use of soft computing models to predict strength parameters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, S; Maniar, A; Suganya, O M

    2015-11-01

    In this study, Wood Ash (WA) prepared from the uncontrolled burning of the saw dust is evaluated for its suitability as partial cement replacement in conventional concrete. The saw dust has been acquired from a wood polishing unit. The physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of WA is presented and analyzed. The strength parameters (compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength) of concrete with blended WA cement are evaluated and studied. Two different water-to-binder ratio (0.4 and 0.45) and five different replacement percentages of WA (5%, 10%, 15%, 18% and 20%) including control specimens for both water-to-cement ratio is considered. Results of compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength showed that the strength properties of concrete mixture decreased marginally with increase in wood ash contents, but strength increased with later age. The XRD test results and chemical analysis of WA showed that it contains amorphous silica and thus can be used as cement replacing material. Through the analysis of results obtained in this study, it was concluded that WA could be blended with cement without adversely affecting the strength properties of concrete. Also using a new statistical theory of the Support Vector Machine (SVM), strength parameters were predicted by developing a suitable model and as a result, the application of soft computing in structural engineering has been successfully presented in this research paper.

  2. Predicting active school travel: The role of planned behavior and habit strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Despite strong support for predictive validity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) substantial variance in both intention and behavior is unaccounted for by the model’s predictors. The present study tested the extent to which habit strength augments the predictive validity of the TPB in relation to a currently under-researched behavior that has important health implications, namely children’s active school travel. Method Participants (N = 126 children aged 8–9 years; 59 % males) were sampled from five elementary schools in the west of Scotland and completed questionnaire measures of all TPB constructs in relation to walking to school and both walking and car/bus use habit. Over the subsequent week, commuting steps on school journeys were measured objectively using an accelerometer. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test the predictive utility of the TPB and habit strength in relation to both intention and subsequent behavior. Results The TPB accounted for 41 % and 10 % of the variance in intention and objectively measured behavior, respectively. Together, walking habit and car/bus habit significantly increased the proportion of explained variance in both intention and behavior by 6 %. Perceived behavioral control and both walking and car/bus habit independently predicted intention. Intention and car/bus habit independently predicted behavior. Conclusions The TPB significantly predicts children’s active school travel. However, habit strength augments the predictive validity of the model. The results indicate that school travel is controlled by both intentional and habitual processes. In practice, interventions could usefully decrease the habitual use of motorized transport for travel to school and increase children’s intention to walk (via increases in perceived behavioral control and walking habit, and decreases in car/bus habit). Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for changing these

  3. A triangle voting algorithm based on double feature constraints for star sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Qiaoyun; Zhong, Xuyang

    2018-02-01

    A novel autonomous star identification algorithm is presented in this study. In the proposed algorithm, each sensor star constructs multi-triangle with its bright neighbor stars and obtains its candidates by triangle voting process, in which the triangle is considered as the basic voting element. In order to accelerate the speed of this algorithm and reduce the required memory for star database, feature extraction is carried out to reduce the dimension of triangles and each triangle is described by its base and height. During the identification period, the voting scheme based on double feature constraints is proposed to implement triangle voting. This scheme guarantees that only the catalog star satisfying two features can vote for the sensor star, which improves the robustness towards false stars. The simulation and real star image test demonstrate that compared with the other two algorithms, the proposed algorithm is more robust towards position noise, magnitude noise and false stars.

  4. An acoustic method for predicting relative strengths of cohesive sediment deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, A. H.; Sanders, W. M.

    2017-12-01

    Cohesive sediment dynamics are fundamentally determined by sediment mineralogy, organic matter composition, ionic strength of water, and currents. These factors work to bind the cohesive sediments and to determine depositional rates. Once deposited the sediments exhibit a nonlinear response to stress and they develop increases in shear strength. Shear strength is critically important in resuspension, transport, creep, and failure predictions. Typically, shear strength is determined by point measurements, both indirectly from free-fall penetrometers or directly on cores with a shear vane. These values are then used to interpolate over larger areas. However, the remote determination of these properties would provide continuos coverage, yet it has proven difficult with sonar systems. Recently, findings from an acoustic study on cohesive sediments in a laboratory setting suggests that cohesive sediments may be differentiated using parametric acoustics; this method pulses two primary frequencies into the sediment and the resultant difference frequency is used to determine the degree of acoustic nonlinearity within the sediment. In this study, two marine clay species, kaolinite and montmorillonite, and two biopolymers, guar gum and xanthan gum were mixed to make nine different samples. The samples were evaluated in a parametric acoustic measurement tank. From the parametric acoustic measurements, the quadratic nonlinearity coefficient (beta) was determined. beta was correlated with the cation exchange capacity (CEC), an indicator of shear strength. The results indicate that increased acoustic nonlinearity correlates with increased CEC. From this work, laboratory measurements indicate that this correlation may be used evaluate geotechnical properties of cohesive sediments and may provide a means to predict sediment weakness in subaqueous environments.

  5. Truthful approximations to range voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Filos-Ratsika, Aris; Miltersen, Peter Bro

    We consider the fundamental mechanism design problem of approximate social welfare maximization under general cardinal preferences on a finite number of alternatives and without money. The well-known range voting scheme can be thought of as a non-truthful mechanism for exact social welfare...

  6. Analysis of Spatial Voting Patterns: An Approach in Political Socialization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimasewski, Ted

    1973-01-01

    Passage of the 26th Amendment gave young adults the right to vote. This study attempts to further student understanding of the electoral process by presenting a method for analyzing spatial voting patterns. The spatial emphasis adds another dimension to the temporal and behavioral-structural approaches in studying the American electoral system.…

  7. Strength development in concrete with wood ash blended cement and use of soft computing models to predict strength parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Chowdhury

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In this study, Wood Ash (WA prepared from the uncontrolled burning of the saw dust is evaluated for its suitability as partial cement replacement in conventional concrete. The saw dust has been acquired from a wood polishing unit. The physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of WA is presented and analyzed. The strength parameters (compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength of concrete with blended WA cement are evaluated and studied. Two different water-to-binder ratio (0.4 and 0.45 and five different replacement percentages of WA (5%, 10%, 15%, 18% and 20% including control specimens for both water-to-cement ratio is considered. Results of compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength showed that the strength properties of concrete mixture decreased marginally with increase in wood ash contents, but strength increased with later age. The XRD test results and chemical analysis of WA showed that it contains amorphous silica and thus can be used as cement replacing material. Through the analysis of results obtained in this study, it was concluded that WA could be blended with cement without adversely affecting the strength properties of concrete. Also using a new statistical theory of the Support Vector Machine (SVM, strength parameters were predicted by developing a suitable model and as a result, the application of soft computing in structural engineering has been successfully presented in this research paper.

  8. Public goods and voting on formal sanction schemes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Putterman, Louis; Tyran, Jean-Robert Karl; Kamei, Kenju

    2011-01-01

    The burgeoning literature on the use of sanctions to support the provision of public goods has largely neglected the use of formal or centralized sanctions. We let subjects playing a linear public goods game vote on the parameters of a formal sanction scheme capable of either resolving...... or exacerbating the free-rider problem, depending on parameter settings. Most groups quickly learned to choose parameters inducing efficient outcomes. We find that cooperative orientation, political attitude, gender and intelligence have a small but sometimes significant influence on voting....

  9. Public Goods and Voting on Formal Sanction Schemes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Putterman, Louis; Tyran, Jean-Robert; Kamei, Kenju

    The burgeoning literature on the use of sanctions to support public goods provision has largely neglected the use of formal or centralized sanctions. We let subjects playing a linear public goods game vote on the parameters of a formal sanction scheme capable both of resolving and of exacerbating...... the free-rider problem, depending on parameter settings. Most groups quickly learned to choose parameters inducing efficient outcomes. But despite uniform money payoffs implying common interest in those parameters, voting patterns suggest significant influence of cooperative orientation, political...

  10. Predicting of the compressive strength of RCA concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaskulski Roman

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the results of predicting the strength of 61 concretes made with the use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA. Five models in the form of first-order polynomials containing two to six variables characterizing the composition of the mixture were formulated for this purpose. Factors for unknowns were selected using linear regression in two variants: with and without additional coefficient. For each model, the average absolute error of the concrete strength estimation was determined. Because of the various consequences of underestimation and overestimation of the results, the analysis of models quality was carried out with the distinction of the two cases. The results indicate that the key to improving the quality of models is to take into account the quality of the aggregate expressed by the ACV parameter. Better match results were also obtained for models with more variables and the additional coefficient.

  11. Vote Counting as Mathematical Proof

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schürmann, Carsten; Pattinson, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    then consists of a sequence (or tree) of rule applications and provides an independently checkable certificate of the validity of the result. This reduces the need to trust, or otherwise verify, the correctness of the vote counting software once the certificate has been validated. Using a rule...

  12. 7 CFR 1205.204 - Voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... through the Internet during the voting period. A completed and signed CN-100 and supporting documentation.... Forms obtained via the Internet will be located at http://www.ams.usda.gov/Cotton. Upon request by...

  13. Trustworthy Voting: From Machine to System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paul, N.; Tanenbaum, A.S.

    2009-01-01

    The authors describe an electronic voting approach that takes a system view, incorporating a trustworthy process based on open source software, simplified procedures, and built-in redundant safeguards that prevent tampering. © 2009 IEEE.

  14. A hybrid approach to predict the relationship between tablet tensile strength and compaction pressure using analytical powder compression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Persson, Ann-Sofie; Alderborn, Göran

    2018-04-01

    The objective was to present a hybrid approach to predict the strength-pressure relationship (SPR) of tablets using common compression parameters and a single measurement of tablet tensile strength. Experimental SPR were derived for six pharmaceutical powders with brittle and ductile properties and compared to predicted SPR based on a three-stage approach. The prediction was based on the Kawakita b -1 parameter and the in-die Heckel yield stress, an estimate of maximal tensile strength, and a parameter proportionality factor α. Three values of α were used to investigate the influence of the parameter on the SPR. The experimental SPR could satisfactorily be described by the three stage model, however for sodium bicarbonate the tensile strength plateau could not be observed experimentally. The shape of the predicted SPR was to a minor extent influenced by the Kawakita b -1 but the width of the linear region was highly influenced by α. An increased α increased the width of the linear region and thus also the maximal predicted tablet tensile strength. Furthermore, the correspondence between experimental and predicted SPR was influenced by the α value and satisfactory predictions were in general obtained for α = 4.1 indicating the predictive potential of the hybrid approach. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Prediction of concrete compressive strength considering humidity and temperature in the construction of nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Seung Hee; Jang, Kyung Pil [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Myongji University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Bang, Jin-Wook [Department of Civil Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jang Hwa [Structural Engineering Research Division, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yun Yong, E-mail: yunkim@cnu.ac.kr [Structural Engineering Research Division, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-08-15

    Highlights: • Compressive strength tests for three concrete mixes were performed. • The parameters of the humidity-adjusted maturity function were determined. • Strength can be predicted considering temperature and relative humidity. - Abstract: This study proposes a method for predicting compressive strength developments in the early ages of concretes used in the construction of nuclear power plants. Three representative mixes with strengths of 6000 psi (41.4 MPa), 4500 psi (31.0 MPa), and 4000 psi (27.6 MPa) were selected and tested under various curing conditions; the temperature ranged from 10 to 40 °C, and the relative humidity from 40 to 100%. In order to consider not only the effect of the temperature but also that of humidity, an existing model, i.e. the humidity-adjusted maturity function, was adopted and the parameters used in the function were determined from the test results. A series of tests were also performed in the curing condition of a variable temperature and constant humidity, and a comparison between the measured and predicted strengths were made for the verification.

  16. Hip external rotation strength predicts hop performance after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kline, Paul W; Burnham, Jeremy; Yonz, Michael; Johnson, Darren; Ireland, Mary Lloyd; Noehren, Brian

    2018-04-01

    Quadriceps strength and single-leg hop performance are commonly evaluated prior to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, few studies have documented potential hip strength deficits after ACLR, or ascertained the relative contribution of quadriceps and hip strength to hop performance. Patients cleared for return to sports drills after ACLR were compared to a control group. Participants' peak isometric knee extension, hip abduction, hip extension, and hip external rotation (HER) strength were measured. Participants also performed single-leg hops, timed hops, triple hops, and crossover hops. Between-limb comparisons for the ACLR to control limb and the non-operative limb were made using independent two-sample and paired sample t tests. Pearson's correlations and stepwise multiple linear regression were used to determine the relationships and predictive ability of limb strength, graft type, sex, and limb dominance to hop performance. Sixty-five subjects, 20 ACLR [11F, age 22.8 (15-45) years, 8.3 ± 2 months post-op, mass 70.47 ± 12.95 kg, height 1.71 ± 0.08 m, Tegner 5.5 (3-9)] and 45 controls [22F, age 25.8 (15-45) years, mass 74.0 ± 15.2 kg, height 1.74 ± 0.1 m, Tegner 6 (3-7)], were tested. Knee extension (4.4 ± 1.5 vs 5.4 ± 1.8 N/kg, p = 0.02), HER (1.4 ± 0.4 vs 1.7 ± 0.5 N/kg, p = 0.04), single-leg hop (146 ± 37 vs 182 ± 38% limb length, p hop (417 ± 106 vs 519 ± 102% limb length, p hop (3.3 ± 2.0 vs 2.3 ± 0.6 s, p hop (364 ± 107 vs 446 ± 123% limb length, p = 0.01) were significantly impaired in the operative versus control subject limbs. Similar deficits existed between the operative and non-operative limbs. Knee extension and HER strength were significantly correlated with each of the hop tests, but only HER significantly predicted hop performance. After ACLR, patients have persistent HER strength, knee extension strength, and hop test deficits in the

  17. RIES: Internet voting in action

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hubbers, E.M.G.M.; Jacobs, B.P.F.; Pieters, Wolter

    2004-01-01

    RIES stands for Rijnland Internet Election System. It is an online voting system that was developed by one of the Dutch local authorities on water management. The system has been used twice in the fall of 2004 for in total approximately two million potential voters. In this paper we describe how

  18. Elections: DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-01

    Acknowledgments Contact Acknowledgments Related GAO Products Page 75 GAO-16-378 DOD Overseas Absentee Voting U.S. Postal Service: Actions... Products Page 76 GAO-16-378 DOD Overseas Absentee Voting Election Reform: Nine States’ Experiences Implementing Federal Requirements for...ELECTIONS DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting Challenges

  19. In vitro/in silico investigation of failure criteria to predict flexural strength of composite resins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Satoshi; Mehdawi, Idris Mohamed; Sakai, Takahiko; Abe, Tomohiro; Inoue, Sayuri; Imazato, Satoshi

    2018-01-30

    The aim of this study was to investigate a failure criterion to predict flexural strengths of composite resins (CR) by three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D-FEA). Models of flexural strength for test specimens of CR and rods comprising a three-point loading were designed. Calculation of Young's moduli and Poisson's ratios of CR were conducted using a modified McGee-McCullough model. Using the experimental CR, flexural strengths were measured by three-point bending tests with crosshead speed 1.0 mm/min and compared with the values determined by in silico analysis. The flexural strengths of experimental CR calculated using the maximum principal strain significantly correlated with those obtained in silico amongst the four types of failure criteria applied. The in silico analytical model established in this study was found to be effective to predict the flexural strengths of CR incorporating various silica filler contents by maximum principal strain.

  20. Forecasting the Senate vote on the Supreme Court vacancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott J. Basinger

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper forecasts current senators’ votes on Merrick Garland’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, in the unlikely case that a vote actually takes place. The forecasts are necessarily conditional, awaiting measurement of the nominee’s characteristics. Nonetheless, a model that combines parameters estimated from existing data with values of some measurable characteristics of senators—particularly their party affiliations, party loyalty levels, and ideological positions—is sufficient to identify potential swing voters in the Senate. By accounting for a more nuanced and refined understanding of the confirmation process, our model reveals that if President Obama were to nominate almost any nominee (conservative or liberal today, that nominee would be rejected if a vote was allowed to take place. So why nominate anyone at all? Obama’s hope for a successful confirmation must come from the stochastic component, that is, from outside the traditional decision-making calculus.

  1. Ideology, Party Systems and Corruption Voting in European Democracies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Charron, Nicholas; Bågenholm, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    What is the impact of corruption on citizens' voting behavior? There is a growing literature on an increasingly ubiquitous puzzle in many democratic countries: that corrupt officials continue to be re-elected by voters. In this study we address this issue with a novel theory and newly collected...... original survey data for 24 European countries. The crux of the argument is that voters' ideology is a salient factor in explaining why citizens would continue voting for their preferred party despite the fact that it has been involved in a corruption scandal. Developing a theory of supply (number...... of effective parties) and demand (voters must have acceptable ideological alternatives to their preferred party), we posit that there is a U-shaped relationship between the likelihood of corruption voting and where voters place themselves on the left/right spectrum. The further to the fringes, the more likely...

  2. How Election Polls Shape Voting Behaviour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahlgaard, Jens Olav; Hansen, Jonas Hedegaard; Hansen, Kasper Møller

    2017-01-01

    This article investigates how election information such as opinion polls can influence voting intention. The bandwagon effect claims that voters ‘float along’: a party experiencing increased support receives more support, and vice versa. Through a large national survey experiment, evidence is found...... of a bandwagon effect among Danish voters. When voters are exposed to a news story describing either an upwards or downwards movement for either a small or large party, they tend to move their voting intentions in the according direction. The effect is strongest in the positive direction – that is, when a party...... experiences increased support, more follows. Consistent effects are found across two different parties for a diverse national sample in a political context very different from earlier research on the bandwagon effects. Considering previous research and the fact that evidence is not found that suggests...

  3. Predicting the tensile strength of A UD basalt/ epoxy composite used for the confinement of concrete structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciniņa, I.; Zīle, O.; Andersons, J.

    2013-01-01

    The principal aim of the present research was to predict the strength of UD basalt fiber/epoxy matrix composites in tension along the reinforcement direction. Tension tests on single basalt fibers were performed to determine the functional form of their strength distribution and to evaluate the parameters of the distribution. Also, microbond tests were carried out to assess the interfacial shear strength of the fibers and polymer matrix. UD composite specimens were produced and tested for the longitudinal tensile strength. The predicted strength of the composite was found to exceed the experimental values by ca. 20%, which can be explained by imperfections in the fiber alignment, impregnation, and adhesion in the composite specimens.

  4. Mental illness and the right to vote: a review of legislation across the world.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhugra, Dinesh; Pathare, Soumitra; Gosavi, Chetna; Ventriglio, Antonio; Torales, Julio; Castaldelli-Maia, João; Tolentino, Edgardo Juan L; Ng, Roger

    2016-08-01

    The right to vote is an important right signifying freedom of thought as well as full citizenship in any setting. Right to vote is enshrined and protected by international human rights treaties. The right of 'everyone' to take part in the political process and elections is based on universal and equal suffrage. Although these International Conventions have been ratified by the large majority of United Nations Member States, their application across the globe is by no means universal. This study sets out to examine the domestic laws of UN Member States in order to explore whether individuals with mental health problems have the right to vote in actuality and, thu,s can participate in political life. Through various searches, electoral laws and Constitutions of 193 Member States of the United Nations were studied. The authors were able to find legislation and/or Constitutional provisions in 167 of the 193 Member States. Twenty-one countries (11%) only placed no restrictions on the right to vote by persons with mental health problems. Over one third of the countries (36%) deny all persons with any mental health problems a right to vote without any qualifier. Some of these discriminatory attitudes are reflected in the multiplicity of terms used to describe persons with mental health problems. Another 21 countries (11%) denied the right to vote to detained persons; of these, nine Member States specifically denied the right to vote to persons who were detained under the mental health law, while the remainder denied the right to vote to all those who were interdicted or judicially interdicted. It would appear that in many countries the denial of voting rights is attributed to a lack of ability to consent by the individuals with mental illness. Further exploration of explanation is required to understand these variations, which exist in spite of international treaties.

  5. RIES: Internet voting in action

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hubbers, E.M.G.M.; Jacobs, B.P.F.; Pieters, Wolter

    2005-01-01

    RIES stands for Rijnland Internet Election System. It is an online voting system that has been used twice in the fall of 2004 for in total over two million potential voters. In this paper we describe how this system works. Furthermore we describe how the system allowed us to independently verify the

  6. THE EFFICACY OF ANGLE-MATCHED ISOKINETIC KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR STRENGTH PARAMETERS IN PREDICTING AGILITY TEST PERFORMANCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greig, Matt; Naylor, James

    2017-10-01

    Agility is a fundamental performance element in many sports, but poses a high risk of injury. Hierarchical modelling has shown that eccentric hamstring strength is the primary determinant of agility performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between knee flexor and extensor strength parameters and a battery of agility tests. Controlled laboratory study. Nineteen recreational intermittent games players completed an agility battery and isokinetic testing of the eccentric knee flexors (eccH) and concentric knee extensors (conQ) at 60, 180 and 300°·s -1 . Peak torque and the angle at which peak torque occurred were calculated for eccH and conQ at each speed. Dynamic control ratios (eccH:conQ) and fast:slow ratios (300:60) were calculated using peak torque values, and again using angle-matched data, for eccH and conQ. The agility test battery differentiated linear vs directional changes and prescriptive vs reactive tasks. Linear regression showed that eccH parameters were generally a better predictor of agility performance than conQ parameters. Stepwise regression showed that only angle-matched strength ratios contributed to the prediction of each agility test. Trdaitionally calculated strength ratios using peak torque values failed to predict performance. Angle-matched strength parameters were able to account for 80% of the variation in T-test performance, 70% of deceleration distance, 55% of 10m sprint performance, and 44% of reactive change of direction speed. Traditionally calculated strength ratios failed to predict agility performance, whereas angle-matched strength ratios had better predictive ability and featured in a predictive stepwise model for each agility task. 2c.

  7. Experimental Study and Shear Strength Prediction for Reactive Powder Concrete Beams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maha M.S. Ridha

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Eighteen reactive powder concrete (RPC beams subjected to monotonic loading were tested to quantify the effect of a novel cementitious matrix materials on the shear behavior of longitudinally reinforced RPC beams without web reinforcement. The main test variables were the ratio of the shear span-to- effective depth (a/d, the ratio of the longitudinal reinforcement (ρw, the percentage of steel fibers volume fractions (Vf and the percentage of silica fume powder (SF. A massive experimental program was implemented with monitoring the concrete strain, the deflection and the cracking width and pattern for each RPC beam during the test at all the stages of the loading until failure. The findings of this paper showed that the addition of micro steel fibers (Lf/Df = 13/0.2 into the RPC mixture did not dramatically influence the initial diagonal cracking load whereas it improved the ultimate load capacity, ductility and absorbed energy. The shear design equations proposed by Ashour et al. and Bunni for high strength fiber reinforced concrete (HSFRC beams have been modified in this paper to predict the shear strength of slender RPC beams without web reinforcement and with a/d ≥ 2.5. The predictions of the modified equations are compared with Equations of Shine et al., Kwak et al. and Khuntia et al. Both of the modified equations in this paper gave satisfied predictions for the shear strength of the tested RPC beams with COV of 7.9% and 10%. Keywords: Beams, Ductility, Crack width, Absorbed energy, Reactive powder concrete, Steel fibers

  8. Clickers and Classroom Voting in a Transition to Advanced Mathematics Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockard, Shannon R.; Metcalf, Rebecca C.

    2015-01-01

    Clickers and classroom voting are used across a number of disciplines in a variety of institutions. There are several papers that describe the use of clickers in mathematics classrooms such as precalculus, calculus, statistics, and even differential equations. This paper describes a method of incorporating clickers and classroom voting in a…

  9. THE UNINOMINAL VOTE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE ROMANIAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PORUMBACEAN CLAUDIU

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Since 1990, after the first democratic elections inRomania, before each election, there were debates about the technical way inwhich elections should be conducted. If, as of May 20th 1990 and till the autumnof 2004, parliamentary elections held in Romania were conducted in the form ofproportional representation, by voting on political party lists, in electoraldistricts strictly drawn by type and capital district, after the 2004 electiondebates around the modification of the voting system were approached withincreased interest and very intense discussions at the decision – making levelswere initiated.Thus, after lengthy debates in parliament and inside the civil society, and alsofollowing the referendum on 25th of November 2007, initiated by the Presidentunder the Constitution of Romania (in consultation with the Parliament, it wasdecided that the Romanian electoral system would be modified from theproportional party lists voting method into the uninominal majority vote inelectoral constituencies and uninominal colleges (districts.The decision being thus taken by the voters, the Parliament started to discuss thesuggested bills and finally Law no. 35/2008 was passed in March 2008, this lawbeing known as the "law of the single vote".Law no. 35/2008 confirms the modification of the Romanian electoral systemand the November 2008 parliamentary elections were held under itsprerogatives. The consequences of the electoral changes are still commentedupon by the most prominent public life players in Romania.

  10. Novel Predictive Model of the Debonding Strength for Masonry Members Retrofitted with FRP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iman Mansouri

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Strengthening of masonry members using externally bonded (EB fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP composites has become a famous structural strengthening method over the past decade due to the popular advantages of FRP composites, including their high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance. In this study, gene expression programming (GEP, as a novel tool, has been used to predict the debonding strength of retrofitted masonry members. The predictions of the new debonding resistance model, as well as several other models, are evaluated by comparing their estimates with experimental results of a large test database. The results indicate that the new model has the best efficiency among the models examined and represents an improvement to other models. The root mean square errors (RMSE of the best empirical Kashyap model in training and test data were, respectively, reduced by 51.7% and 41.3% using the GEP model in estimating debonding strength.

  11. Prediction of Splitting Tensile Strength of Concrete Containing Zeolite and Diatomite by ANN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Gülbandılar

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed to investigate with two different artificial neural network (ANN prediction model for the behavior of concrete containing zeolite and diatomite. For purpose of constructing this model, 7 different mixes with 63 specimens of the 28, 56 and 90 days splitting tensile strength experimental results of concrete containing zeolite, diatomite, both zeolite and diatomite used in training and testing for ANN systems was gathered from the tests. The data used in the ANN models are arranged in a format of seven input parameters that cover the age of samples, Portland cement, zeolite, diatomite, aggregate, water and hyper plasticizer and an output parameter which is splitting tensile strength of concrete. In the model, the training and testing results have shown that two different ANN systems have strong potential as a feasible tool for predicting 28, 56 and 90 days the splitting tensile strength of concrete containing zeolite and diatomite.

  12. Prediction of Corrosion Resistance of Concrete Containing Natural Pozzolan from Compressive Strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    al-Swaidani, A. M.; Ismat, R.; Diyab, M. E.; Aliyan, S. D.

    2015-11-01

    A lot of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures in Syria have suffered from reinforcement corrosion which shortened significantly their service lives. Probably, one of the most effective approaches to make concrete structures more durable and concrete industry on the whole - more sustainable is to substitute pozzolan for a portion of Portland cement (PC). Syria is relatively rich in natural pozzolan. In the study, in order to predict the corrosion resistance from compressive strength, concrete specimens were produced with seven cement types: one plain Portland cement (control) and six natural pozzolan-based cements with replacement levels ranging from 10 to 35%. The development of the compressive strengths of concrete cube specimens with curing time has been investigated. Chloride penetrability has also been evaluated for all concrete mixes after three curing times of 7, 28 and 90 days. The effect on resistance of concrete against damage caused by corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel has been investigated using an accelerated corrosion test by impressing a constant anodic potential for 7, 28 and 90 days curing. Test results have been statistically analysed and correlation equations relating compressive strength and corrosion performance have been developed. Significant correlations have been noted between the compressive strength and both rapid chloride penetrability and corrosion initiation times. So, this prediction could be reliable in concrete mix design when using natural pozzolan as cement replacement.

  13. Vote. Speak Out. 3-6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

    The purpose of this election-education program is to help develop an informed electorate and to instill in future voters an appreciation of the importance of the right to vote. It provides a framework for discussions of the electoral process and gives students in grades three through six an opportunity to face the responsibilities and challenges…

  14. Iterative tensor voting for perceptual grouping of ill-defined curvilinear structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loss, Leandro A; Bebis, George; Parvin, Bahram

    2011-08-01

    In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for perceptual grouping and localization of ill-defined curvilinear structures. Our approach builds upon the tensor voting and the iterative voting frameworks. Its efficacy lies on iterative refinements of curvilinear structures by gradually shifting from an exploratory to an exploitative mode. Such a mode shifting is achieved by reducing the aperture of the tensor voting fields, which is shown to improve curve grouping and inference by enhancing the concentration of the votes over promising, salient structures. The proposed technique is validated on delineating adherens junctions that are imaged through fluorescence microscopy. However, the method is also applicable for screening other organisms based on characteristics of their cell wall structures. Adherens junctions maintain tissue structural integrity and cell-cell interactions. Visually, they exhibit fibrous patterns that may be diffused, heterogeneous in fluorescence intensity, or punctate and frequently perceptual. Besides the application to real data, the proposed method is compared to prior methods on synthetic and annotated real data, showing high precision rates.

  15. Workplace characteristics and working class vote for the old and new right

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arndt, Christoph; Rennwald, Line

    This paper focuses on the structural determinants of working class vote for new right and old right parties. We argue that the size of the company does matter in explaining the support of workers for these parties. In small-sized companies, there is greater proximity with the management than...... of old and new right parties - is strengthened. These arguments are tested through a set of multilevel models analysing the determinants of working class vote for new right parties in 16 European countries. Using data from the European Social Survey (2002-2010) and information on company size...... at the individual level, we find that workers in small companies are more right-wing and, consequently, vote for new and old right parties, whereas workers in larger companies are more likely to vote for social democrats indicating a continuation of the traditional working class milieu. This effect can be explained...

  16. Using the Maturity Method in Predicting the Compressive Strength of Vinyl Ester Polymer Concrete at an Early Age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nan Ji Jin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The compressive strength of vinyl ester polymer concrete is predicted using the maturity method. The compressive strength rapidly increased until the curing age of 24 hrs and thereafter slowly increased until the curing age of 72 hrs. As the MMA content increased, the compressive strength decreased. Furthermore, as the curing temperature decreased, compressive strength decreased. For vinyl ester polymer concrete, datum temperature, ranging from −22.5 to −24.6°C, decreased as the MMA content increased. The maturity index equation for cement concrete cannot be applied to polymer concrete and the maturity of vinyl ester polymer concrete can only be estimated through control of the time interval Δt. Thus, this study introduced a suitable scaled-down factor (n for the determination of polymer concrete’s maturity, and a factor of 0.3 was the most suitable. Also, the DR-HILL compressive strength prediction model was determined as applicable to vinyl ester polymer concrete among the dose-response models. For the parameters of the prediction model, applying the parameters by combining all data obtained from the three different amounts of MMA content was deemed acceptable. The study results could be useful for the quality control of vinyl ester polymer concrete and nondestructive prediction of early age strength.

  17. Springback Prediction and Compensation for a High Strength Steel Side Impact Beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutton, Trevor; Edwards, Richard; Blowey, Andrew

    2005-01-01

    Prediction of formability for sheet metal pressings has advanced to a high state of confidence in recent years. The major challenge is now to predict springback and, moreover, to assist in the design of tooling to correctly compensate for springback. This is particularly the case for materials now being routinely considered for automotive production, such as aluminium and ultra high strength steels, which are prone to greater degrees of springback than traditional mild steels. This paper presents a case study based on the tool design for an ultra high strength steel side impact beam. The forming and springback simulations, carried out using eta/DYNAFORM (based on the LS-DYNA solver), are reported and compared to measurements from the prototype panels. The analysis parameters used in the simulation are presented, and the sensitivity of the results to variation in physical properties is also reviewed. The process of compensating the tools based on the analysis prediction is described; finally, an automated springback compensation method is also applied and the results compared with the final tool design

  18. County community health associations of net voting shift in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason H Wasfy

    Full Text Available In the U.S. presidential election of 2016, substantial shift in voting patterns occurred relative to previous elections. Although this shift has been associated with both education and race, the extent to which this shift was related to public health status is unclear.To determine the extent to which county community health was associated with changes in voting between the presidential elections of 2016 and 2012.Ecological study with principal component analysis (PCA using principal axis method to extract the components, then generalized linear regression.General community.All counties in the United States.Physically unhealthy days, mentally unhealthy days, percent food insecure, teen birth rate, primary care physician visit rate, age-adjusted mortality rate, violent crime rate, average health care costs, percent diabetic, and percent overweight or obese.The percentage of Donald Trump votes in 2016 minus percentage of Mitt Romney votes in 2012 ("net voting shift".Complete public health data was available for 3,009 counties which were included in the analysis. The mean net voting shift was 5.4% (+/- 5.8%. Of these 3,009 counties, 2,641 (87.8% had positive net voting shift (shifted towards Trump and 368 counties (12.2% had negative net voting shift (shifted away from Trump. The first principal component ("unhealthy score" accounted for 68% of the total variance in the data. The unhealthy score included all health variables except primary care physician rate, violent crime rate, and health care costs. The mean unhealthy score for counties was 0.39 (SD 0.16. Higher normalized unhealthy score was associated with positive net voting shift (22.1% shift per unit unhealthy, p < 0.0001. This association was stronger in states that switched Electoral College votes from 2012 to 2016 than in other states (5.9% per unit unhealthy, p <0.0001.Substantial association exists between a shift toward voting for Donald Trump in 2016 relative to Mitt Romney in 2012

  19. A New Proxy Electronic Voting Scheme Achieved by Six-Particle Entangled States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Hai-Jing; Ding, Li-Yuan; Jiang, Xiu-Li; Li, Peng-Fei

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we use quantum proxy signature to construct a new secret electronic voting scheme. In our scheme, six particles entangled states function as quantum channels. The voter Alice, the Vote Management Center Bob, the scrutineer Charlie only perform two particles measurements on the Bell bases to realize the electronic voting process. So the scheme reduces the technical difficulty and increases operation efficiency. We use quantum key distribution and one-time pad to guarantee its unconditional security. The significant advantage of our scheme is that transmitted information capacity is twice as much as the capacity of other schemes.

  20. Weighted voting-based consensus clustering for chemical structure databases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saeed, Faisal; Ahmed, Ali; Shamsir, Mohd Shahir; Salim, Naomie

    2014-06-01

    The cluster-based compound selection is used in the lead identification process of drug discovery and design. Many clustering methods have been used for chemical databases, but there is no clustering method that can obtain the best results under all circumstances. However, little attention has been focused on the use of combination methods for chemical structure clustering, which is known as consensus clustering. Recently, consensus clustering has been used in many areas including bioinformatics, machine learning and information theory. This process can improve the robustness, stability, consistency and novelty of clustering. For chemical databases, different consensus clustering methods have been used including the co-association matrix-based, graph-based, hypergraph-based and voting-based methods. In this paper, a weighted cumulative voting-based aggregation algorithm (W-CVAA) was developed. The MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR) benchmark chemical dataset was used in the experiments and represented by the AlogP and ECPF_4 descriptors. The results from the clustering methods were evaluated by the ability of the clustering to separate biologically active molecules in each cluster from inactive ones using different criteria, and the effectiveness of the consensus clustering was compared to that of Ward's method, which is the current standard clustering method in chemoinformatics. This study indicated that weighted voting-based consensus clustering can overcome the limitations of the existing voting-based methods and improve the effectiveness of combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures.

  1. Capacity to Vote in Persons with Dementia and the Elderly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Javier Irastorza

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The capacity to vote in patients with mental illness is increasingly questioned. The objective of this study is to evaluate this capacity in a group of subjects with dementia (Alzheimer's disease and other elderly subjects without dementia. With a sample of 68 subjects with dementia and 25 controls living in a senior residence, a transversal study was carried out over 4 months. Subjects were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE and the Competence Assessment Tool for voting (CAT-V. The results were more positive for the Doe criteria (as part of the CAT-V, and a correlation was found with the MMSE in subjects with dementia and, to a lesser degree, in the controls. We conclude that the capacity to vote is related to cognitive deterioration and, within that, is more related to understanding and appreciation.

  2. Applying voting theory in natural resource management: a case of multiple-criteria group decision support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laukkanen, Sanna; Kangas, Annika; Kangas, Jyrki

    2002-02-01

    Voting theory has a lot in common with utility theory, and especially with group decision-making. An expected-utility-maximising strategy exists in voting situations, as well as in decision-making situations. Therefore, it is natural to utilise the achievements of voting theory also in group decision-making. Most voting systems are based on a single criterion or holistic preference information on decision alternatives. However, a voting scheme called multicriteria approval is specially developed for decision-making situations with multiple criteria. This study considers the voting theory from the group decision support point of view and compares it with some other methods applied to similar purposes in natural resource management. A case study is presented, where the approval voting approach is introduced to natural resources planning and tested in a forestry group decision-making process. Applying multicriteria approval method was found to be a potential approach for handling some challenges typical for forestry group decision support. These challenges include (i) utilising ordinal information in the evaluation of decision alternatives, (ii) being readily understandable for and treating equally all the stakeholders in possession of different levels of knowledge on the subject considered, (iii) fast and cheap acquisition of preference information from several stakeholders, and (iv) dealing with multiple criteria.

  3. A Voting TOPSIS Approach for Determining the Priorities of Areas Damaged in Disasters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanjin He

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the priority determination problem for areas that have been damaged during disasters. Relief distribution should be planned while considering the priorities of the damaged areas. To determine the priorities of the damaged areas, we first define four criteria and then propose a voting TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution that utilizes the fuzzy pair-wise comparison, data envelopment analysis, and TOPSIS. Since the voting TOPSIS is based on the voting results of multiple experts, it can be applied to urgent situations quickly, regardless of the consistency of comparison, the number of alternatives, and the number of participating experts. The proposed approach is validated using a real-world case, and this case analysis shows that the voting TOPSIS is viable.

  4. Dataset on predictive compressive strength model for self-compacting concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ofuyatan, O M; Edeki, S O

    2018-04-01

    The determination of compressive strength is affected by many variables such as the water cement (WC) ratio, the superplasticizer (SP), the aggregate combination, and the binder combination. In this dataset article, 7, 28, and 90-day compressive strength models are derived using statistical analysis. The response surface methodology is used toinvestigate the effect of the parameters: Varying percentages of ash, cement, WC, and SP on hardened properties-compressive strengthat 7,28 and 90 days. Thelevels of independent parameters are determinedbased on preliminary experiments. The experimental values for compressive strengthat 7, 28 and 90 days and modulus of elasticity underdifferent treatment conditions are also discussed and presented.These dataset can effectively be used for modelling and prediction in concrete production settings.

  5. Normal estimation for pointcloud using GPU based sparse tensor voting

    OpenAIRE

    Liu , Ming; Pomerleau , François; Colas , Francis; Siegwart , Roland

    2012-01-01

    International audience; Normal estimation is the basis for most applications using pointcloud, such as segmentation. However, it is still a challenging problem regarding computational complexity and observation noise. In this paper, we propose a normal estimation method for pointcloud using results from tensor voting. Comparing with other approaches, we show it has smaller estimation error. Moreover, by varying the voting kernel size, we find it is a flexible approach for structure extraction...

  6. Retiring from Voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhatti, Yosef; Hansen, Kasper Møller

    2012-01-01

    elections, we show how turnout for seniors falls more than 30 percentage points between ages 60 and 90. Though declining health matters, it is far from the entire story. Much of the turnout decline can be explained by the disruption of social ties. Withdrawing from the labour market demobilizes people....... Seniors also tend to live alone more often than the general population, meaning that they receive less social encouragement to vote. We also look into why turnout drops faster for women than for men. Women lose their social network earlier than men. They are on average widowed and live alone at an earlier...

  7. Estimating the Preferences of Central Bankers : An Analysis of Four Voting Records

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eijffinger, S.C.W.; Mahieu, R.J.; Raes, L.B.D.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract: This paper analyzes the voting records of four central banks (Sweden, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic) with spatial models of voting. We infer the policy preferences of the monetary policy committee members and use these to analyze the evolution in preferences over time and the

  8. Geography, culture, and religion: Explaining the bias in Eurovision song contest voting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spierdijk, L.; Vellekoop, M.H.

    This paper analyses votes cast in the Eurovision Song Contest in the period 1975 - 2003. We test whether accusations of 'political' voting among participants can be substantiated by looking at geographical influences. Our approach differs in two ways from earlier studies. First, we take into account

  9. Comments on "A Closed-Form Solution to Tensor Voting: Theory and Applications".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggiori, Emmanuel; Lotito, Pablo; Manterola, Hugo Luis; del Fresno, Mariana

    2014-12-01

    We comment on a paper that describes a closed-form formulation to Tensor Voting, a technique to perceptually group clouds of points, usually applied to infer features in images. The authors proved an analytic solution to the technique, a highly relevant contribution considering that the original formulation required numerical integration, a time-consuming task. Their work constitutes the first closed-form expression for the Tensor Voting framework. In this work we first observe that the proposed formulation leads to unexpected results which do not satisfy the constraints for a Tensor Voting output, hence they cannot be interpreted. Given that the closed-form expression is said to be an analytic equivalent solution, unexpected outputs should not be encountered unless there are flaws in the proof. We analyzed the underlying math to find which were the causes of these unexpected results. In this commentary we show that their proposal does not in fact provide a proper analytic solution to Tensor Voting and we indicate the flaws in the proof.

  10. County community health associations of net voting shift in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasfy, Jason H; Stewart, Charles; Bhambhani, Vijeta

    2017-01-01

    In the U.S. presidential election of 2016, substantial shift in voting patterns occurred relative to previous elections. Although this shift has been associated with both education and race, the extent to which this shift was related to public health status is unclear. To determine the extent to which county community health was associated with changes in voting between the presidential elections of 2016 and 2012. Ecological study with principal component analysis (PCA) using principal axis method to extract the components, then generalized linear regression. General community. All counties in the United States. Physically unhealthy days, mentally unhealthy days, percent food insecure, teen birth rate, primary care physician visit rate, age-adjusted mortality rate, violent crime rate, average health care costs, percent diabetic, and percent overweight or obese. The percentage of Donald Trump votes in 2016 minus percentage of Mitt Romney votes in 2012 ("net voting shift"). Complete public health data was available for 3,009 counties which were included in the analysis. The mean net voting shift was 5.4% (+/- 5.8%). Of these 3,009 counties, 2,641 (87.8%) had positive net voting shift (shifted towards Trump) and 368 counties (12.2%) had negative net voting shift (shifted away from Trump). The first principal component ("unhealthy score") accounted for 68% of the total variance in the data. The unhealthy score included all health variables except primary care physician rate, violent crime rate, and health care costs. The mean unhealthy score for counties was 0.39 (SD 0.16). Higher normalized unhealthy score was associated with positive net voting shift (22.1% shift per unit unhealthy, p Donald Trump in 2016 relative to Mitt Romney in 2012 and measures of poor public health. Although these results do not demonstrate causality, these results suggest a possible role for health status in political choices.

  11. Allegheny County Voting District (2016) Web Map

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This webmap demarcates municipal voting districts in Allegheny County. If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data...

  12. Allegheny County Voting District (2015) Web Map

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This webmap demarcates municipal voting districts in Allegheny County. If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data...

  13. Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gina Gallegos-Garcia

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC, which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE. With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI. Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps.

  14. Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallegos-Garcia, Gina; Tapia-Recillas, Horacio

    2015-01-01

    Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC), which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA) to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps.

  15. On Adapting the Tensor Voting Framework to Robust Color Image Denoising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Rodrigo; Garcia, Miguel Angel; Puig, Domenec; Julià, Carme

    This paper presents an adaptation of the tensor voting framework for color image denoising, while preserving edges. Tensors are used in order to encode the CIELAB color channels, the uniformity and the edginess of image pixels. A specific voting process is proposed in order to propagate color from a pixel to its neighbors by considering the distance between pixels, the perceptual color difference (by using an optimized version of CIEDE2000), a uniformity measurement and the likelihood of the pixels being impulse noise. The original colors are corrected with those encoded by the tensors obtained after the voting process. Peak to noise ratios and visual inspection show that the proposed methodology has a better performance than state-of-the-art techniques.

  16. Class voting in Western industrialized countries, 1945-1990: Systematizing and testing explanations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nieuwbeerta, P.; Ultee, W.C.

    1999-01-01

    Analyzing data obtained from the literature and our own calculations, significant differences were found among countries in their levels of class voting. The Scandinavian countries had the highest and Canada and the USA the lowest levels of class voting. Since the 1950s, there was a decline in

  17. Estimating the preferences of central bankers : an analysis of four voting records

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eijffinger, S.C.W.; Mahieu, R.J.; Raes, L.

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzes the voting records of four central banks (Sweden, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic) with spatial models of voting. We infer the policy preferences of the monetary policy committee members and use these to analyze the evolution in preferences over time and the differences in

  18. Comparison of Machine Learning Techniques for the Prediction of Compressive Strength of Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palika Chopra

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A comparative analysis for the prediction of compressive strength of concrete at the ages of 28, 56, and 91 days has been carried out using machine learning techniques via “R” software environment. R is digging out a strong foothold in the statistical realm and is becoming an indispensable tool for researchers. The dataset has been generated under controlled laboratory conditions. Using R miner, the most widely used data mining techniques decision tree (DT model, random forest (RF model, and neural network (NN model have been used and compared with the help of coefficient of determination (R2 and root-mean-square error (RMSE, and it is inferred that the NN model predicts with high accuracy for compressive strength of concrete.

  19. A Closed-Form Solution to Tensor Voting: Theory and Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Tai-Pang; Yeung, Sai-Kit; Jia, Jiaya; Tang, Chi-Keung; Medioni, Gerard

    2016-01-01

    We prove a closed-form solution to tensor voting (CFTV): given a point set in any dimensions, our closed-form solution provides an exact, continuous and efficient algorithm for computing a structure-aware tensor that simultaneously achieves salient structure detection and outlier attenuation. Using CFTV, we prove the convergence of tensor voting on a Markov random field (MRF), thus termed as MRFTV, where the structure-aware tensor at each input site reaches a stationary state upon convergence...

  20. PREDICTION OF GEOMAGNETIC STORM STRENGTH FROM INNER HELIOSPHERIC IN SITU OBSERVATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kubicka, M.; Möstl, C.; Amerstorfer, T.; Boakes, P. D.; Törmänen, O. [Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 8042 Graz (Austria); Feng, L. [Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, West Beijing Road 2 Nanjing, 210008 (China); Eastwood, J. P., E-mail: christian.moestl@oeaw.ac.at [Space and Atmospheric Physics, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

    2016-12-20

    Prediction of the effects of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on Earth strongly depends on knowledge of the interplanetary magnetic field southward component, B{sub z}. Predicting the strength and duration of B{sub z} inside a CME with sufficient accuracy is currently impossible, forming the so-called B{sub z} problem. Here, we provide a proof-of-concept of a new method for predicting the CME arrival time, speed, B{sub z}, and resulting disturbance storm time ( Dst ) index on Earth based only on magnetic field data, measured in situ in the inner heliosphere (<1 au). On 2012 June 12–16, three approximately Earthward-directed and interacting CMEs were observed by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory imagers and Venus Express (VEX) in situ at 0.72 au, 6° away from the Sun–Earth line. The CME kinematics are calculated using the drag-based and WSA–Enlil models, constrained by the arrival time at VEX , resulting in the CME arrival time and speed on Earth. The CME magnetic field strength is scaled with a power law from VEX to Wind . Our investigation shows promising results for the Dst forecast (predicted: −96 and −114 nT (from 2 Dst models); observed: −71 nT), for the arrival speed (predicted: 531 ± 23 km s{sup −1}; observed: 488 ± 30 km s{sup −1}), and for the timing (6 ± 1 hr after the actual arrival time). The prediction lead time is 21 hr. The method may be applied to vector magnetic field data from a spacecraft at an artificial Lagrange point between the Sun and Earth or to data taken by any spacecraft temporarily crossing the Sun–Earth line.

  1. Inequality Aversion and Voting on Redistribution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Höchtl, Wolfgang; Sausgruber, Rupert; Tyran, Jean-Robert

    of income classes. We experimentally study voting on redistribution between two income classes and show that the effect of inequality aversion is asymmetric. Inequality aversion is more likely to matter if the “rich” are in majority. With a “poor” majority, we find that redistribution outcomes look...

  2. Inequality aversion and voting on redistribution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Höchtl, Wolfgang; Sausgruber, Rupert; Tyran, Jean-Robert Karl

    2012-01-01

    of income classes. We experimentally study voting on redistribution between two income classes and show that the effect of inequality aversion is asymmetric. Inequality aversion is more likely to matter if the “rich” are in majority. With a “poor” majority, we find that redistribution outcomes look...

  3. Workplace Characteristics and Working Class Vote for the Old and New Right

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arndt, Christoph; Rennwald, Line

    2017-01-01

    This article focuses on the role of plant size for working class vote. We argue that workplace size does matter for political behaviour. Workers in smaller plants are less unionized and therefore base their voting decisions more strongly on their cultural attitudes, which undermine the support...... for social democratic parties. Using data from the European Social Survey (2002–2010), we find that workers in small plants have more right-wing attitudes and, consequently, vote for new and old right parties, contrarily to workers in larger plants. Our research points towards important structural...... explanations of working class support for the right and its cross-national differences....

  4. Frugal Bribery in Voting

    OpenAIRE

    Dey, Palash; Misra, Neeldhara; Narahari, Y.

    2015-01-01

    Bribery in elections is an important problem in computational social choice theory. However, bribery with money is often illegal in elections. Motivated by this, we introduce the notion of frugal bribery and formulate two new pertinent computational problems which we call Frugal-bribery and Frugal- $bribery to capture bribery without money in elections. In the proposed model, the briber is frugal in nature and this is captured by her inability to bribe votes of a certain kind, namely, non-vul...

  5. Strategic Voting in Heterogeneous Electorates: An Experimental Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Tyszler

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available We study strategic voting in a setting where voters choose from three options and Condorcet cycles may occur. We introduce in the electorate heterogeneity in preference intensity by allowing voters to differ in the extent to which they value the three options. Three information conditions are tested: uninformed, in which voters know only their own preference ordering and the own benefits from each option; aggregate information, in which in addition they know the aggregate realized distribution of the preference orderings and full information, in which they also know how the relative importance attributed to the options are distributed within the electorate. As a general result, heterogeneity seems to decrease the level of strategic voting in our experiment compared to the homogenous preference case that we study in a companion paper. Both theoretically and empirically (with data collected in a laboratory experiment, the main comparative static results obtained for the homogenous case carry over to the present setting with preference heterogeneity. Moreover, information about the realized aggregate distribution of preferences seems to be the element that best explains observed differences in voting behavior. Additional information about the realized distribution of preference intensity does not yield significant further changes.

  6. Policy voting, projection, and persuasion: an application of balance theory to electoral behavior

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, Max; Visser, Max

    1994-01-01

    In this article differences between rational, policy-based, and rationalized voting are discussed, and it is argued that these forms of electoral decision making are not properly analyzed in existing electoral studies. Policy voting, persuasion, and projection are then redefined as three possible

  7. A generalization of Paillier's public-key system with applications to electronic voting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Jurik, Mads Johan; Nielsen, Jesper Buus

    2010-01-01

    schemes. We show how the basic scheme for a yes/no vote can be easily adapted to casting a vote for up to t out of L candidates. The same basic building blocks can also be adapted to provide receipt-free elections, under appropriate physical assumptions. The scheme for 1 out of L elections can...

  8. Framing Electoral Transparency: A comparative analysis of three e-votes counting ceremonies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schürmann, Carsten; Markussen, Randi; Bélanger, Olivier

    2016-01-01

    in the field of e-voting has been proved to be di cult to tackle practically as well as analytically. In this paper we introduce the notion of ‘frames of transparency’ and deploy it to conduct a comparative analysis of three e-votes counting ceremonies in Norway, Estonia and Australia. We ask the question...

  9. Political Broadcast Advertising and Primary Election Voting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanat, John

    1974-01-01

    Results of a research project which hypothisized that: Other things being equal, the heavier a candidate's usage of broadcast advertising in a primary election campaign, the greater will be his share of the votes in the election. (Author/HB)

  10. Voting Patterns on Hungarian Parliamentary Elections in 2002–2006

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barnabás Rácz

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In the post–communist transitional era, Hungarian elections show diverse results among various areas, raising the question if there are firmly embedded differences between some parts of the country. In the light of the election returns between 1985–2006, it appears that there is a more or less definite pattern. This study will examine the 2006 legislative returns and compare the results with the previous trends and especially the 2002 data, testing the validity of the findings indicating the presence of some fairly constant regional standards of voting. As a main indicator of past trends we use mostly the territorial (party lists which provide more accurate picture of voting preferences that individual districts which in runoffs carry an indirect distortion of voters’ primary preferences by other considerations.2 For a deeper analysis of the recent 2002 and 2006 elections, we will compare the first run individual district voting outcomes, as they give the more accurate picture of the voters’ real preferences.

  11. Ethics of e-voting: an essay on requirements and values in Internet elections

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter; Becker, M.J.; Mishra, S.S.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate ethical issues involved in the development and implementation of Internet voting technology. From a phenomenological perspective, we describe how voting via the Internet mediates the relation between people and democracy. In this relation, trust plays a major role. The

  12. Ethics of e-voting: an essay on requirements and values in Internet elections

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter; Brey, P.A.E.; Becker, M.J.; Grodzinsky, F.S.; Introna, L.D.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate ethical issues involved in the development and implementation of Internet voting technology. From a phenomenological perspective, we describe how voting via the Internet mediates the relation between people and democracy. In this relation, trust plays a major role. The

  13. Why Czech Parliamentary party Groups Vote less Unitedly. The Role of Frequent Voting and Big Majorities in Passing Bills

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Linek, Lukáš; Rakušanová, Petra

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 41, č. 3 (2005), s. 423-442 ISSN 0038-0288 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : parliamentary party groups * Czech political parties * voting Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography Impact factor: 0.113, year: 2005

  14. Vote!

    CERN Multimedia

    Association du personnel

    2006-01-01

    This bulletin comes out at the same time as the public meetings end. The attendance at these meeting encourages us to believe that you feel more and more concerned by your employment conditions and by the Management's decisions in this area. We now must consolidate this interest with a vote. It is essential that you take a few minutes of your time to express your opinion in an electronic poll. Now is the time to seize the opportunity you have been given to influence your employment conditions for the coming five years. We will ask you to give your opinion on two packages, the first concerning the future salary level, the second concerning other employment conditions. In both cases, your participation and replies will determine what the Staff Association should do next and will be carefully watched by our negotiation partners*. We will also ask you to tell us to what extent you would be willing to take action in the event that you disagree with the proposals made by the Management. The Staff Association needs ...

  15. Central banks’ voting records and future policy

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Horváth, R.; Šmídková, K.; Zápal, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 4 (2012), s. 1-19 ISSN 1815-4654 Institutional support: PRVOUK-P23 Keywords : monetary policy * voting record * transparency Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.895, year: 2012 http://www.ijcb.org/journal/ijcb12q4a1.pdf

  16. Use of triangular membership function for prediction of compressive strength of concrete containing nanosilica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sakshi Gupta

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, application of fuzzy logic technique using triangular membership function for developing models for predicting compressive strength of concrete with partial replacement of cement with nanosilica has been carried out. For this, the data have been taken from various literatures and help in optimizing the constituents available and reducing cost and efforts in studying design to develop mixes by predefining suitable range for experimenting. The use of nanostructured materials in concrete can add many benefits that are directly related to the durability of various cementitious materials, besides the fact that it is possible to reduce the quantities of cement in the composite. Successful prediction by the model indicates that fuzzy logic could be a useful modelling tool for engineers and research scientists in the area of cement and concrete. Compressive strength values of concrete can be predicted in fuzzy logic models without attempting any experiments in a quite short period of time with tiny error rates.

  17. Allegheny County Voting District Boundaries (Spring 2017 - present)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This dataset demarcates municipal voting districts in Allegheny County.If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data...

  18. Voice and Handgrip Strength Predict Reproductive Success in a Group of Indigenous African Females

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorokowska, Agnieszka; Sorokowski, Piotr; Mberira, Mara; Bartels, Astrid; Gallup, Gordon G.

    2012-01-01

    Evolutionary accounts of human traits are often based on proxies for genetic fitness (e.g., number of sex partners, facial attractiveness). Instead of using proxies, actual differences in reproductive success is a more direct measure of Darwinian fitness. Certain voice acoustics such as fundamental frequency and measures of health such as handgrip strength correlate with proxies of fitness, yet there are few studies showing the relation of these traits to reproduction. Here, we explore whether the fundamental frequency of the voice and handgrip strength account for differences in actual reproduction among a population of natural fertility humans. Our results show that both fundamental frequency and handgrip strength predict several measures of reproductive success among a group of indigenous Namibian females, particularly amongst the elderly, with weight also predicting reproductive outcomes among males. These findings demonstrate that both hormonally regulated and phenotypic quality markers can be used as measures of Darwinian fitness among humans living under conditions that resemble the evolutionary environment of Homo sapiens. We also argue that these findings provide support for the Grandmother Hypothesis. PMID:22870251

  19. 7 CFR 900.304 - Who may vote.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Conduct of Referenda To Determine Producer Approval of Milk Marketing Orders To Be Made Effective Pursuant to Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as Amended § 900.304 Who may vote. (a) Each producer... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements...

  20. 7 CFR 900.307 - Time for voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Conduct of Referenda To Determine Producer Approval of Milk Marketing Orders To Be Made Effective Pursuant to Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as Amended § 900.307 Time for voting. There shall be... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements...

  1. From stochastic completion fields to tensor voting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Almsick, van M.A.; Duits, R.; Franken, E.M.; Haar Romenij, ter B.M.; Olsen, O.F.; Florack, L.M.J.; Kuijper, A.

    2005-01-01

    Several image processing algorithms imitate the lateral interaction of neurons in the visual striate cortex V1 to account for the correlations along contours and lines. Here we focus on two methodologies: tensor voting by Guy and Medioni, and stochastic completion fields by Mumford, Williams and

  2. a technological framework for transparent e-voting solution

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    Brazil, India, Kazakhstan, Peru, Russia, USA, UAE, and. Venezuela are legally ..... The wireless technology however, must be secure .... upon the reception of GSM network signal during its .... Wallach, “Analysis of an Electronic Voting System”,.

  3. A networked voting rule for democratic representation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández, Alexis R.; Gracia-Lázaro, Carlos; Brigatti, Edgardo; Moreno, Yamir

    2018-03-01

    We introduce a general framework for exploring the problem of selecting a committee of representatives with the aim of studying a networked voting rule based on a decentralized large-scale platform, which can assure a strong accountability of the elected. The results of our simulations suggest that this algorithm-based approach is able to obtain a high representativeness for relatively small committees, performing even better than a classical voting rule based on a closed list of candidates. We show that a general relation between committee size and representatives exists in the form of an inverse square root law and that the normalized committee size approximately scales with the inverse of the community size, allowing the scalability to very large populations. These findings are not strongly influenced by the different networks used to describe the individuals' interactions, except for the presence of few individuals with very high connectivity which can have a marginal negative effect in the committee selection process.

  4. A networked voting rule for democratic representation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brigatti, Edgardo; Moreno, Yamir

    2018-01-01

    We introduce a general framework for exploring the problem of selecting a committee of representatives with the aim of studying a networked voting rule based on a decentralized large-scale platform, which can assure a strong accountability of the elected. The results of our simulations suggest that this algorithm-based approach is able to obtain a high representativeness for relatively small committees, performing even better than a classical voting rule based on a closed list of candidates. We show that a general relation between committee size and representatives exists in the form of an inverse square root law and that the normalized committee size approximately scales with the inverse of the community size, allowing the scalability to very large populations. These findings are not strongly influenced by the different networks used to describe the individuals’ interactions, except for the presence of few individuals with very high connectivity which can have a marginal negative effect in the committee selection process. PMID:29657817

  5. Addressing the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by voting by persons with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlawish, Jason H; Bonnie, Richard J; Appelbaum, Paul S; Lyketsos, Constantine; James, Bryan; Knopman, David; Patusky, Christopher; Kane, Rosalie A; Karlan, Pamela S

    2004-09-15

    This article addresses an emerging policy problem in the United States participation in the electoral process by citizens with dementia. At present, health care professionals, family caregivers, and long-term care staff lack adequate guidance to decide whether individuals with dementia should be precluded from or assisted in casting a ballot. Voting by persons with dementia raises a series of important questions about the autonomy of individuals with dementia, the integrity of the electoral process, and the prevention of fraud. Three subsidiary issues warrant special attention: development of a method to assess capacity to vote; identification of appropriate kinds of assistance to enable persons with cognitive impairment to vote; and formulation of uniform and workable policies for voting in long-term care settings. In some instances, extrapolation from existing policies and research permits reasonable recommendations to guide policy and practice. However, in other instances, additional research is necessary.

  6. Prediction of failure strain and burst pressure in high yield-to-tensile strength ratio linepipe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Law, M.; Bowie, G.

    2007-01-01

    Failure pressures and strains were predicted for a number of burst tests as part of a project to explore failure strain in high yield-to-tensile strength ratio linepipe. Twenty-three methods for predicting the burst pressure and six methods of predicting the failure strain are compared with test results. Several methods were identified which gave accurate and reliable estimates of burst pressure. No method of accurately predicting the failure strain was found, though the best was noted

  7. Prediction of failure strain and burst pressure in high yield-to-tensile strength ratio linepipe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Law, M. [Institute of Materials and Engineering Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, NSW (Australia)]. E-mail: mlx@ansto.gov.au; Bowie, G. [BlueScope Steel Ltd., Level 11, 120 Collins St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 (Australia)

    2007-08-15

    Failure pressures and strains were predicted for a number of burst tests as part of a project to explore failure strain in high yield-to-tensile strength ratio linepipe. Twenty-three methods for predicting the burst pressure and six methods of predicting the failure strain are compared with test results. Several methods were identified which gave accurate and reliable estimates of burst pressure. No method of accurately predicting the failure strain was found, though the best was noted.

  8. Tensile properties and temperature-dependent yield strength prediction of GH4033 wrought superalloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Jianzuo [State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control and College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China); Li, Weiguo, E-mail: wgli@cqu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control and College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China); Zhang, Xianhe; Kou, Haibo; Shao, Jiaxing; Geng, Peiji; Deng, Yong [State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control and College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China); Fang, Daining [LTCS and College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

    2016-10-31

    The tensile properties of superalloy GH4033 have been evaluated at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1000 °C. Fracture surfaces and precipitation were observed using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The alloy mainly consisted of γ’ precipitate particles homogeneously dispersed in the γ matrix interior. The effects of dynamic strain aging and precipitation on the strength were verified. A temperature-dependent yield strength model was developed to describe the temperature and precipitation effects on the alloy's yield behaviour. The model is able to consider the effect of precipitation strengthening on the yield strength. The yield behaviour of the precipitation-strengthened superalloy was demonstrated to be adequately predictable over a wide range of temperatures. Note that this model reflects the quantitative relationship between the yield strength of the precipitation-strengthened superalloy and the temperature, the elastic modulus, the specific heat capacity at constant pressure, Poisson's ratio, the precipitate particle size and the volume fraction of the particles.

  9. Cohesion and Coalition Formation in the European Parliament: Roll-Call Votes and Twitter Activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherepnalkoski, Darko; Karpf, Andreas; Mozetič, Igor; Grčar, Miha

    2016-01-01

    We study the cohesion within and the coalitions between political groups in the Eighth European Parliament (2014-2019) by analyzing two entirely different aspects of the behavior of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the policy-making processes. On one hand, we analyze their co-voting patterns and, on the other, their retweeting behavior. We make use of two diverse datasets in the analysis. The first one is the roll-call vote dataset, where cohesion is regarded as the tendency to co-vote within a group, and a coalition is formed when the members of several groups exhibit a high degree of co-voting agreement on a subject. The second dataset comes from Twitter; it captures the retweeting (i.e., endorsing) behavior of the MEPs and implies cohesion (retweets within the same group) and coalitions (retweets between groups) from a completely different perspective. We employ two different methodologies to analyze the cohesion and coalitions. The first one is based on Krippendorff's Alpha reliability, used to measure the agreement between raters in data-analysis scenarios, and the second one is based on Exponential Random Graph Models, often used in social-network analysis. We give general insights into the cohesion of political groups in the European Parliament, explore whether coalitions are formed in the same way for different policy areas, and examine to what degree the retweeting behavior of MEPs corresponds to their co-voting patterns. A novel and interesting aspect of our work is the relationship between the co-voting and retweeting patterns.

  10. Clientelism and vote buying in local elections: A case study of Kartu Bintan Sejahtera

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Samnuzulsari

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study finds out clientelism and vote buying on Kartu Bintan Sejahtera (KBS in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands. The objective of this study is to understand the practices of clientelism and vote buying using KBS. This study based on case study research. The informants consist of General Election Commission of (KPUD Riau Islands, candidates of the governor of Riau Islands 2015-2020, candidates of Bintan Regent 2015-2020, along with their supporting parties and campaigning team, and bureaucracy of the implementation of KBS. The main findings of this study suggest that KBS is used as a clientelism and vote buying practices by the candidate of Riau Islands governor and Bintan Regent, 2015-2020 period. This study also finds that formal and informal political networks are utilized by the candidates as a clientelism and vote buying arenas. This study not only contributes to the literature of clientelism and vote buying, but also adds the literature of social policy in the context of Indonesian local politics setting. This study suggests that KBS is used as a media to obtain the support of the voters in the election of governor of Riau Islands and regent of Bintan 2015-2020. All candidates capitalize the issue of KBS to obtain the popularity. The patterns of the practice of clientelism and vote buying in KBS is by using various media campaigns to promote the success story of KBS. Not only in formal campaign but also in informal campaign, they always promote KBS as their success.

  11. Do authoritarians vote for authoritarians? Evidence from Latin America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mollie J. Cohen

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available During the 2016 presidential election campaign in the United States, scholars argued that authoritarian visions of the family are associated with support for Donald Trump, a candidate also noted to exhibit authoritarian or illiberal tendencies. Though it is plausible that “authoritarian” citizens (defined by parenting attitudes vote for “authoritarian” candidates (defined by disrespect for democratic institutions, past research provides relatively little guide regarding this relationship. One reason is that few US candidates announce overtly authoritarian views. Latin America, by contrast, has had many such candidates. We take advantage of this variation using the 2012 AmericasBarometer, which applied a battery of authoritarian parenting attitudes. We first describe mass authoritarianism across Latin America, showing it is associated with many social attitudes. We then examine authoritarians’ voting behavior, distinguishing between support for “mano dura” (“strong arm” candidates, who are usually rightists, and for candidates threatening violations of general civil liberties, who are often leftists in Latin America. We find that authoritarians tend to vote for right-wing authoritarian candidates, while authoritarianism boosts support for candidates threatening civil liberty violations only among citizens identifying on the ideological right. Education is the most consistent determinant reducing support for both leftist and rightist authoritarian candidates.

  12. Prediction of concrete strength in massive structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakamoto, T.; Makino, H.; Nakane, S.; Kawaguchi, T.; Ohike, T.

    1989-01-01

    Reinforced concrete structures of a nuclear power plant are mostly of mass concrete with cross-sectional dimensions larger than 1.0 m. The temperature of concrete inside after placement rises due to heat of hydration of cement. It is well known that concrete strengths of mass concrete structure subjected to such temperature hysteresis are generally not equal to strengths of cylinders subjected to standard curing. In order to construct a mass concrete structure of high reliability in which the specified concrete strength is satisfied by the specified age, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the strength gain property of concrete in the structure and its relationships with the water-cement ratio of the mix, strength of standard-cured cylinders and the internal temperature hysteresis. This report describes the result of studies on methods of controlling concrete strength in actual construction projects

  13. 75 FR 1525 - Walnuts Grown in California; Changes to Regulations Governing Voting Procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-12

    ...;Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each #0;week. #0; #0; #0; #0;#0... for voting by mail or telegram to include voting by e-mail and facsimile. In addition, reference to... U.S.C. 601-612), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has considered the economic impact of this...

  14. Analysing Vote Counting Algorithms Via Logic - And its Application to the CADE Election Scheme

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schürmann, Carsten; Beckert, Bernhard; Gore, Rejeev

    2013-01-01

    We present a method for using first-order logic to specify the semantics of preferences as used in common vote counting algorithms. We also present a corresponding system that uses Celf linear-logic programs to describe voting algorithms and which generates explicit examples when the algorithm de...

  15. Temptations of turnout and modernisation: e-voting discourses in the UK and the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter; van Haren, R.

    2007-01-01

    Purpose – The aim of the research described was to identify reasons for differences between discourses on electronic voting in the UK and The Netherlands, from a qualitative point of view. Design/methodology/approach – From both countries, eight e-voting experts were interviewed on their

  16. 2008 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    Election Assistance Commission — This dataset contains data about military and overseas voting for the 2008 election cycle. The dataset and corresponding report address ballot transmissions to, and...

  17. 2010 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    Election Assistance Commission — This dataset contains data about military and overseas voting for the 2010 election cycle. The dataset and corresponding report address ballot transmissions to, and...

  18. Robustness of public choice models of voting behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai UNGUREANU

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Modern economics modeling practice involves highly unrealistic assumptions. Since testing such models is not always an easy enterprise, researchers face the problem of determining whether a result is dependent (or not on the unrealistic details of the model. A solution for this problem is conducting robustness analysis. In its classical form, robustness analysis is a non-empirical method of confirmation – it raises our trust in a given result by implying it with from several different models. In this paper I argue that robustness analysis could be thought as a method of post-empirical failure. This form of robustness analysis involves assigning guilt for the empirical failure to a certain part of the model. Starting from this notion of robustness, I analyze a case of empirical failure from public choice theory or the economic approach of politics. Using the fundamental methodological principles of neoclassical economics, the first model of voting behavior implied that almost no one would vote. This was clearly an empirical failure. Public choice scholars faced the problem of either restraining the domain of their discipline or giving up to some of their neoclassical methodological features. The second solution was chosen and several different models of voting behavior were built. I will treat these models as a case for performing robustness analysis and I will determine which assumption from the original model is guilty for the empirical failure.

  19. Gender, populist attitudes, and voting: Explaining the gender gap in voting for populist radical right and populist radical left parties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spierings, N.; Zaslove, A.S.

    2017-01-01

    Empirical studies have demonstrated that compared to almost all other parties, populist radical right (PRR) parties draw more votes from men than from women. However, the two dominant explanations that are generally advanced to explain this disparity - gender differences regarding socio-economic

  20. The theoretical tensile strength of fcc crystals predicted from shear strength calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerny, M; Pokluda, J

    2009-01-01

    This work presents a simple way of estimating uniaxial tensile strength on the basis of theoretical shear strength calculations, taking into account its dependence on a superimposed normal stress. The presented procedure enables us to avoid complicated and time-consuming analyses of elastic stability of crystals under tensile loading. The atomistic simulations of coupled shear and tensile deformations in cubic crystals are performed using first principles computational code based on pseudo-potentials and the plane wave basis set. Six fcc crystals are subjected to shear deformations in convenient slip systems and a special relaxation procedure controls the stress tensor. The obtained dependence of the ideal shear strength on the normal tensile stress seems to be almost linearly decreasing for all investigated crystals. Taking these results into account, the uniaxial tensile strength values in three crystallographic directions were evaluated by assuming a collapse of the weakest shear system. Calculated strengths for and loading were found to be mostly lower than previously calculated stresses related to tensile instability but rather close to those obtained by means of the shear instability analysis. On the other hand, the strengths for loading almost match the stresses related to tensile instability.

  1. Did Your Mailed Ballot Count: The Unrecognized Unreliability of Voting By Mail

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alec Yasinsac

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Voting By Mail (VBM was developed to support absentee voters. It was originally intended to handle canonical absentee voters who now fall under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Act (UOCAVA and those with legally acceptable reasons for being unable to appear at the polls on Election Day. Its use slowly expanded to more casual justifications, such as those with planned Election Day travel. More recently, there has been a trend of further expansion to on-demand VBM in many states. As a result, the percentage of VBM ballots has skyrocketed, with little research regarding its impacts on security, privacy, reliability, and accuracy on U. S. elections. In virtually every close election, the outcome must await tabulation of VBM ballots. Yet, VBM may be the least reliable voting approach in wide spread use today. Vote By Mail fraud is recognized by some as possibly the single greatest security vulnerability in U. S. elections. The lack of in-person, at-the-polls accountability makes absentee ballots the tool of choice for those inclined to commit fraud," the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded in 1998, after a mayoral election in Miami was thrown out when officials learned that "vote brokers" had signed hundreds of phony absentee ballots.1 Conversely, others recognize theoretical weaknesses in VBM, but generally dismiss its practical impact [1, 2]. Others continue to promote VBM expansion [3, 4]. In this paper, we identify inherent, widespread vulnerability in VBM systems and illustrate their practical impact with numerous examples. We show specifically why VBM systems are not auditable and demonstrate how their unreliability can negatively impact real elections.

  2. Handgrip strength predicts functional decline at discharge in hospitalized male elderly: a hospital cohort study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen García-Peña

    Full Text Available Functional decline after hospitalization is a common adverse outcome in elderly. An easy to use, reproducible and accurate tool to identify those at risk would aid focusing interventions in those at higher risk. Handgrip strength has been shown to predict adverse outcomes in other settings. The aim of this study was to determine if handgrip strength measured upon admission to an acute care facility would predict functional decline (either incident or worsening of preexisting at discharge among older Mexican, stratified by gender. In addition, cutoff points as a function of specificity would be determined. A cohort study was conducted in two hospitals in Mexico City. The primary endpoint was functional decline on discharge, defined as a 30-point reduction in the Barthel Index score from that of the baseline score. Handgrip strength along with other variables was measured at initial assessment, including: instrumental activities of daily living, cognition, depressive symptoms, delirium, hospitalization length and quality of life. All analyses were stratified by gender. Logistic regression to test independent association between handgrip strength and functional decline was performed, along with estimation of handgrip strength test values (specificity, sensitivity, area under the curve, etc.. A total of 223 patients admitted to an acute care facility between 2007 and 2009 were recruited. A total of 55 patients (24.7% had functional decline, 23.46% in male and 25.6% in women. Multivariate analysis showed that only males with low handgrip strength had an increased risk of functional decline at discharge (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79-0.98, p = 0.01, with a specificity of 91.3% and a cutoff point of 20.65 kg for handgrip strength. Females had not a significant association between handgrip strength and functional decline. Measurement of handgrip strength on admission to acute care facilities may identify male elderly patients at risk of having functional decline

  3. Handgrip Strength Predicts Functional Decline at Discharge in Hospitalized Male Elderly: A Hospital Cohort Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Peña, Carmen; García-Fabela, Luis C.; Gutiérrez-Robledo, Luis M.; García-González, Jose J.; Arango-Lopera, Victoria E.; Pérez-Zepeda, Mario U.

    2013-01-01

    Functional decline after hospitalization is a common adverse outcome in elderly. An easy to use, reproducible and accurate tool to identify those at risk would aid focusing interventions in those at higher risk. Handgrip strength has been shown to predict adverse outcomes in other settings. The aim of this study was to determine if handgrip strength measured upon admission to an acute care facility would predict functional decline (either incident or worsening of preexisting) at discharge among older Mexican, stratified by gender. In addition, cutoff points as a function of specificity would be determined. A cohort study was conducted in two hospitals in Mexico City. The primary endpoint was functional decline on discharge, defined as a 30-point reduction in the Barthel Index score from that of the baseline score. Handgrip strength along with other variables was measured at initial assessment, including: instrumental activities of daily living, cognition, depressive symptoms, delirium, hospitalization length and quality of life. All analyses were stratified by gender. Logistic regression to test independent association between handgrip strength and functional decline was performed, along with estimation of handgrip strength test values (specificity, sensitivity, area under the curve, etc.). A total of 223 patients admitted to an acute care facility between 2007 and 2009 were recruited. A total of 55 patients (24.7%) had functional decline, 23.46% in male and 25.6% in women. Multivariate analysis showed that only males with low handgrip strength had an increased risk of functional decline at discharge (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.98, p = 0.01), with a specificity of 91.3% and a cutoff point of 20.65 kg for handgrip strength. Females had not a significant association between handgrip strength and functional decline. Measurement of handgrip strength on admission to acute care facilities may identify male elderly patients at risk of having functional decline, and

  4. 7 CFR 1230.631 - Challenge of votes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... the voting period, the ballots of producers may be challenged at the FSA county office. (b) Who can... in-person ballot or an absentee ballot whose name is posted on the In-Person Voter Registration List... notify all challenged persons that documentation such as sales documents, tax records, or other similar...

  5. The 'Snap Vote' of 462/1 BCE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Christian Ammitzbøll

    2014-01-01

    still holds that the absence of 4,000 politically conservative hoplites under the leadership of Kimon paved the way for radical democratic reform - championed by Ephialtes and voted through the Athenian assembly in a ‘snap vote’ by the mass of democratic rowers who remained in the city. This note re...

  6. Prediction of compressive strength up to 28 days from microstructure of Portland cement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svinning, K.; Høskuldsson, Agnar; Justnes, H.

    2008-01-01

    represented by curves from X-ray diffraction analysis and differential thermogravimetric analysis, as well as particle size distributions. PLS gave maximum explained variance in compressive strength at 1, 2, 7 and 28 days of 93%, 90%, 79% and 67%, respectively. The high explained variance makes the prediction...

  7. Can Governments Use Get Out the Vote Letters to Solve Europe’s Turnout Crisis?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhatti, Yosef; Dahlgaard, Jens Olav; Hansen, Jonas Hedegaard

    2018-01-01

    to vote in an upcoming Danish election is delivered to more than 60,000 first-time voters using direct personal letters. Eight different letters are designed, based on the calculus of voting and prospect theory. The sample is randomly divided into treatment groups or the control group. Using validated...

  8. Machine-Learning-Based Future Received Signal Strength Prediction Using Depth Images for mmWave Communications

    OpenAIRE

    Okamoto, Hironao; Nishio, Takayuki; Nakashima, Kota; Koda, Yusuke; Yamamoto, Koji; Morikura, Masahiro; Asai, Yusuke; Miyatake, Ryo

    2018-01-01

    This paper discusses a machine-learning (ML)-based future received signal strength (RSS) prediction scheme using depth camera images for millimeter-wave (mmWave) networks. The scheme provides the future RSS prediction of any mmWave links within the camera's view, including links where nodes are not transmitting frames. This enables network controllers to conduct network operations before line-of-sight path blockages degrade the RSS. Using the ML techniques, the prediction scheme automatically...

  9. The role of remote voting in encouraging return

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djordje Stefanovic

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Once there is a genuine possibility of going home, what influences a forced migrant’s decision to return to a pre-conflict residence, often in the face of very difficult conditions? What role can remote voting play?

  10. 7 CFR 1280.626 - Certification and voting procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 1280.626 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LAMB... Internet during the voting period. A completed and signed form LS-86 and supporting documentation, such as...

  11. Experimental Investigation and Prediction of Compressive Strength of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jisong Zhang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC has superior mechanical properties and durability to normal strength concrete. However, the high amount of cement, high environmental impact, and initial cost are regarded as disadvantages, restricting its wider application. Incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs in UHPC is an effective way to reduce the amount of cement needed while contributing to the sustainability and cost. This paper investigates the mechanical properties and microstructure of UHPC containing fly ash (FA and silica fume (SF with the aim of contributing to this issue. The results indicate that, on the basis of 30% FA replacement, the incorporation of 10% and 20% SF showed equivalent or higher mechanical properties compared to the reference samples. The microstructure and pore volume of the UHPCs were also examined. Furthermore, to minimise the experimental workload of future studies, a prediction model is developed to predict the compressive strength of the UHPC using artificial neural networks (ANNs. The results indicate that the developed ANN model has high accuracy and can be used for the prediction of the compressive strength of UHPC with these SCMs.

  12. Unavowed Abstention Can Overturn Poll Predictions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galam, Serge

    2018-03-01

    I revisit the 2017 French Presidential election which opposed the far right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen against the center candidate Emmanuel Macron. While voting intentions for Le Pen stuck below 50% and polls kept predicting her failure, I warned on the emergence of a novel phenomenon I defined as unavowed abstention, which could suddenly reverse the ranking at Le Pen benefit on the voting day. My warning got a massive media coverage. She eventually lost the runoff at a score worse than predicted by the polls. Using a quantitative mathematical framing, which reveals the existence of tipping points in respective turnouts, I show that the predicted phenomenon of unavowed abstention did happen. But instead of shattering the expected outcome, against all odds it occurred at Le Pen expense, therefore without impact on the final outcome. The results shed a new light on other national cases such as Obama and Trump victories in the US.

  13. Unavowed Abstention Can Overturn Poll Predictions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serge Galam

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available I revisit the 2017 French Presidential election which opposed the far right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen against the center candidate Emmanuel Macron. While voting intentions for Le Pen stuck below 50% and polls kept predicting her failure, I warned on the emergence of a novel phenomenon I defined as unavowed abstention, which could suddenly reverse the ranking at Le Pen benefit on the voting day. My warning got a massive media coverage. She eventually lost the runoff at a score worse than predicted by the polls. Using a quantitative mathematical framing, which reveals the existence of tipping points in respective turnouts, I show that the predicted phenomenon of unavowed abstention did happen. But instead of shattering the expected outcome, against all odds it occurred at Le Pen expense, therefore without impact on the final outcome. The results shed a new light on other national cases such as Obama and Trump victories in the US.

  14. Indicators of deprivation, voting patterns, and health status at area level in the Republic of Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelleher, C; Timoney, A; Friel, S; McKeown, D

    2002-01-01

    To determine what relation, if any, exists between mortality patterns, indicators of deprivation, general lifestyle and social attitudes, as exemplified by general election voting pattern, in the Republic of Ireland. A relation has been demonstrated previously between voting and mortality patterns in the United Kingdom. Cross sectional ecological study using three data sources. Standardised mortality ratios (SMR) were based on mortality rates at county level and 1996 census data from the Central Statistics Office, 1997 general election first preference voting data in all 41 constituencies were aggregated to county level. Selected reported measures of health status, lifestyle and social circumstances are from the first ever National survey on lifestyles, attitudes and nutrition (SLAN). This study comprised adults over 18 years sampled by post using the electoral register from 273 representative district electoral divisions. Univariate inter-relations were examined at individual level for the dataset as a whole, adjusting for age and at aggregated level for 26 county borough areas, which included the two largest cities and for 22 county areas, which afforded correlation with voting pattern, using the method of Pearson's correlation coefficient. 1,806,932 votes were cast nationally at the 1997 general election, representing a voter turnout of 65.92 %. There was an overall response rate of 62% to SLAN comprising 6539 adults (47% male). The demographic pattern of survey respondents was consistent with that of the general population over 18 years. At individual level there was a large number of highly significant inter-relations between indicators of deprivation, various measures of self rated health status and lifestyle factors. Aggregated at 26 county level percentage unemployed (r=0.408, p=0.038), and level of education (r=0.475, p=0.014) related significantly to SMR and inversely to both fruit and vegetable consumption (r= -0.672, p=0.001) and excess alcohol

  15. Collapse mechanisms and strength prediction of reinforced concrete pile caps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Uffe G.; Hoang, Linh Cao

    2012-01-01

    . Calculations have been compared with nearly 200 test results found in the literature. Satisfactory agreement has been found. The analyses are conducted on concentrically loaded caps supported by four piles. The paper briefly outlines how the approach may be extended to more complicated loadings and geometries......This paper describes an upper bound plasticity approach for strength prediction of reinforced concrete pile caps. A number of collapse mechanisms are identified and analysed. The procedure leads to an estimate of the load-carrying capacity and an identification of the critical collapse mechanism...

  16. Public Choice and Private Interest: Explaining the Vote for Property Tax Classification in Massachusetts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloom, Howard S.

    1979-01-01

    Argues that citizens' perceptions of their monetary self-interest can markedly influence their votes and that such self-interested voting requires clear definition of the alternatives, widespread publicity about the issues, and a simple presentation of what each alternative implies. Available from NTA-TIA, 21 East State Street, Columbus, OH 43215.…

  17. Psychosocial Correlates as Predictors of Voting Behaviour in Ogun ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    . ... The study examines the influence of some psychosocial factors (age, gender, perceived benefit, self-esteem, personality, and personal attributes of the candidate, religious and ethnic affiliation) on the voting behaviour of Nigerians.

  18. Comments on "A closed-form solution to Tensor voting: theory and applications"

    OpenAIRE

    Maggiori, Emmanuel; Lotito, Pablo Andres; Manterola, Hugo Luis; del Fresno, Mariana

    2017-01-01

    We comment on a paper that describes a closed-form formulation to Tensor Voting, a technique to perceptually group clouds of points, usually applied to infer features in images. The authors proved an analytic solution to the technique, a highly relevant contribution considering that the original formulation required numerical integration, a time-consuming task. Their work constitutes the first closed-form expression for the Tensor Voting framework. In this work we first observe that the propo...

  19. Iterative Tensor Voting for Perceptual Grouping of Ill-Defined Curvilinear Structures: Application to Adherens Junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loss, Leandro A.; Bebis, George; Parvin, Bahram

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for perceptual grouping and localization of ill-defined curvilinear structures. Our approach builds upon the tensor voting and the iterative voting frameworks. Its efficacy lies on iterative refinements of curvilinear structures by gradually shifting from an exploratory to an exploitative mode. Such a mode shifting is achieved by reducing the aperture of the tensor voting fields, which is shown to improve curve grouping and inference by enhancing the concentration of the votes over promising, salient structures. The proposed technique is applied to delineation of adherens junctions imaged through fluorescence microscopy. This class of membrane-bound macromolecules maintains tissue structural integrity and cell-cell interactions. Visually, it exhibits fibrous patterns that may be diffused, punctate and frequently perceptual. Besides the application to real data, the proposed method is compared to prior methods on synthetic and annotated real data, showing high precision rates. PMID:21421432

  20. Voting-based Classification for E-mail Spam Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bashar Awad Al-Shboul

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The problem of spam e-mail has gained a tremendous amount of attention. Although entities tend to use e-mail spam filter applications to filter out received spam e-mails, marketing companies still tend to send unsolicited e-mails in bulk and users still receive a reasonable amount of spam e-mail despite those filtering applications. This work proposes a new method for classifying e-mails into spam and non-spam. First, several e-mail content features are extracted and then those features are used for classifying each e-mail individually. The classification results of three different classifiers (i.e. Decision Trees, Random Forests and k-Nearest Neighbor are combined in various voting schemes (i.e. majority vote, average probability, product of probabilities, minimum probability and maximum probability for making the final decision. To validate our method, two different spam e-mail collections were used.

  1. VT Data - Voting Tabulation Areas per Decennial Redistricting 2012

    Data.gov (United States)

    Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) This layer represents the smallest voting tabulation area. In some cases, the geographic extent is a municipality, in other cases it is a section...

  2. 75 FR 1614 - Submission for OMB Review-2010 Election Administration and Voting Survey; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-12

    ... ballots cast; voter registration; overseas and military voting; Election Day activities; voting technology... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Karen Lynn-Dyson or Ms. Shelly Anderson at (202) 566-3100. SUPPLEMENTARY... transmitted, returned and submitted for counting (cast), and counted; (b) Total number of UOCAVA absentee...

  3. Intra-Campaign Changes in Voting Preferences: The Impact of Media and Party Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johann, David; Königslöw, Katharina Kleinen-von; Kritzinger, Sylvia; Thomas, Kathrin

    2018-01-01

    An increasing number of citizens change and adapt their party preferences during the electoral campaign. We analyze which short-term factors explain intra-campaign changes in voting preferences, focusing on the visibility and tone of news media reporting and party canvassing. Our analyses rely on an integrative data approach, linking data from media content analysis to public opinion data. This enables us to investigate the relative impact of news media reporting as well as party communication. Inherently, we overcome previously identified methodological problems in the study of communication effects on voting behavior. Our findings reveal that campaigns matter: Especially interpersonal party canvassing increases voters’ likelihood to change their voting preferences in favor of the respective party, whereas media effects are limited to quality news outlets and depend on individual voters’ party ambivalence.

  4. Intra-Campaign Changes in Voting Preferences: The Impact of Media and Party Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johann, David; Königslöw, Katharina Kleinen-von; Kritzinger, Sylvia; Thomas, Kathrin

    2018-01-01

    An increasing number of citizens change and adapt their party preferences during the electoral campaign. We analyze which short-term factors explain intra-campaign changes in voting preferences, focusing on the visibility and tone of news media reporting and party canvassing. Our analyses rely on an integrative data approach, linking data from media content analysis to public opinion data. This enables us to investigate the relative impact of news media reporting as well as party communication. Inherently, we overcome previously identified methodological problems in the study of communication effects on voting behavior. Our findings reveal that campaigns matter: Especially interpersonal party canvassing increases voters' likelihood to change their voting preferences in favor of the respective party, whereas media effects are limited to quality news outlets and depend on individual voters' party ambivalence.

  5. IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION: Pension Fund elections - Cancellation of the current voting procedure

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    As you are aware, voting is currently under way for the election of two members and two alternates to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. To this end, all members of the Pension Fund have recently received ballot papers. To ensure fair process, the Regulations for elections of the Pension Fund prescribe that all candidates standing for election must be given an equal amount of publicity space in the Weekly Bulletin to introduce themselves. Accordingly, as on previous occasions, each of the four candidates for this year's elections was granted a slot in the Weekly Bulletins of 11 October and 1 November 2004. While voting was already in process, a flash was published by the Staff Association, endorsing one of the four candidates and inviting members to vote for that particular person only. Thus, one candidate received substantial additional publicity compared to the other three candidates. The matter was raised at the meeting of the Governing Board of 2 November and the Board decided that the ...

  6. 7 CFR 900.302 - Associations eligible to vote.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Conduct of Referenda To Determine Producer Approval of Milk Marketing Orders To Be Made Effective Pursuant to Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as Amended § 900.302 Associations eligible to vote... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing...

  7. Sophisticated approval voting, ignorance priors, and plurality heuristics: a behavioral social choice analysis in a Thurstonian framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regenwetter, Michel; Ho, Moon-Ho R; Tsetlin, Ilia

    2007-10-01

    This project reconciles historically distinct paradigms at the interface between individual and social choice theory, as well as between rational and behavioral decision theory. The authors combine a utility-maximizing prescriptive rule for sophisticated approval voting with the ignorance prior heuristic from behavioral decision research and two types of plurality heuristics to model approval voting behavior. When using a sincere plurality heuristic, voters simplify their decision process by voting for their single favorite candidate. When using a strategic plurality heuristic, voters strategically focus their attention on the 2 front-runners and vote for their preferred candidate among these 2. Using a hierarchy of Thurstonian random utility models, the authors implemented these different decision rules and tested them statistically on 7 real world approval voting elections. They cross-validated their key findings via a psychological Internet experiment. Although a substantial number of voters used the plurality heuristic in the real elections, they did so sincerely, not strategically. Moreover, even though Thurstonian models do not force such agreement, the results show, in contrast to common wisdom about social choice rules, that the sincere social orders by Condorcet, Borda, plurality, and approval voting are identical in all 7 elections and in the Internet experiment. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

  8. Allegheny County Voting District Boundaries (Spring 2015 - Spring 2016)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This dataset demarcates municipal voting districts in Allegheny County. If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data...

  9. Allegheny County Voting District Boundaries (Fall 2016 - Spring 2017)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This dataset demarcates municipal voting districts in Allegheny County. If viewing this description on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center’s open data...

  10. An adaptive tensor voting algorithm combined with texture spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Gang; Su, Qing-tang; Lü, Gao-huan; Zhang, Xiao-feng; Liu, Yu-huan; He, An-zhi

    2015-01-01

    An adaptive tensor voting algorithm combined with texture spectrum is proposed. The image texture spectrum is used to get the adaptive scale parameter of voting field. Then the texture information modifies both the attenuation coefficient and the attenuation field so that we can use this algorithm to create more significant and correct structures in the original image according to the human visual perception. At the same time, the proposed method can improve the edge extraction quality, which includes decreasing the flocculent region efficiently and making image clear. In the experiment for extracting pavement cracks, the original pavement image is processed by the proposed method which is combined with the significant curve feature threshold procedure, and the resulted image displays the faint crack signals submerged in the complicated background efficiently and clearly.

  11. Underneath the culture of consensus: Transparency, credible commitments and voting in the Council of Ministers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finke, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    The Council of Ministers rarely records negative individual votes, much less rejected proposals. The literature explains this high level of support by the Council’s ’culture of consensus’ and the few negative votes are explained as signalling to the domestic audience. We introduce an alternative...

  12. Issue-handling beats leadership: Issues and Leaders model predicts Clinton will defeat Trump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Graefe

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The Issues and Leaders model predicts the national popular two-party vote in US presidential elections from people’s perceptions of the candidates’ issue-handling competence and leadership qualities. In previous elections from 1972 to 2012, the model’s Election Eve forecasts missed the actual vote shares by, on average, little more than one percentage point and thus reduced the error of the Gallup pre-election poll by 30%. This research note presents the model’s forecast prior to the 2016 election, when most polls show that voters view Republican candidate Donald Trump as the stronger leader but prefer the Democrat’s nominee Hillary Clinton when it comes to dealing with the issues. A month prior to Election Day, the model predicts that Clinton will win by four points, gaining 52.0% of the two-party vote.

  13. Voting rights for older children and civic education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Merry, Michael; Schinkel, Anders

    2016-01-01

    The issue of voting rights for older children has been high on the political and philosophical agenda for quite some time now, and not without reason. Aside from principled moral and philosophical reasons why it is an important matter, many economic, environmental, and political issues are currently

  14. Voting in central banks: theory versus stylized facts

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Horváth, R.; Šmídková, K.; Zápal, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 16, č. 4 (2016), s. 1-62 ISSN 1935-1682 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP402/12/G097 Institutional support: PRVOUK-P23 Keywords : monetary policy * voting record * collective decision-making Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.252, year: 2016

  15. The reconstruction of revocation againts the rights to vote or to be voted in public post for those who are found guilty in corruption case in Indonesia from a progressive legal perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinambunan, HSR.; Widodo, H.; Ahmad, GA.

    2018-01-01

    Revocation of the right to vote and elected in public office for corruption convicted by the court is absolutely necessary, but in view of the limitations amongst them, the judge shall state how long the right is revoked, and provide a detailed reason why the relevant person shall be subject to an additional penalty of revocation, the non-regulation of the criteria of corruption convicts as to which additional crimes of impunity may be imposed and elected in public office in law. The removal of the right to vote and to be elected in public post is coherent with the progressive law conception that promotes the integration of law and the values of justice in society. The progressive step by the judge in the revocation of the right to vote and elected to the corruption convicts is absolutely necessary, with the legal pluralism approach to encourage pro justice and progressive law enforcement. Revision to the Criminal Code and Law no. 31 of 1999, especially regarding the criteria of what corruption convicts who can be sentenced to additional revocation of the right to vote and be elected is a necessity.

  16. Optimistic Selection Rule Better Than Majority Voting System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiyama, Takuya; Obata, Takuya; Hoki, Kunihito; Ito, Takeshi

    A recently proposed ensemble approach to game-tree search has attracted a great deal of attention. The ensemble system consists of M computer players, where each player uses a different series of pseudo-random numbers. A combination of multiple players under the majority voting system would improve the performance of a Shogi-playing computer. We present a new strategy of move selection based on the search values of a number of players. The move decision is made by selecting one player from all M players. Each move is selected by referring to the evaluation value of the tree search of each player. The performance and mechanism of the strategy are examined. We show that the optimistic selection rule, which selects the player that yields the highest evaluation value, outperforms the majority voting system. By grouping 16 or more computer players straightforwardly, the winning rates of the strongest Shogi programs increase from 50 to 60% or even higher.

  17. Weaker lower extremity muscle strength predicts traumatic knee injury in youth female but not male athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryman Augustsson, Sofia; Ageberg, Eva

    2017-01-01

    The role of lower extremity (LE) muscle strength for predicting traumatic knee injury in youth athletes is largely unknown. The aim was to investigate the influence of LE muscle strength on traumatic knee injury in youth female and male athletes. 225 athletes (40% females) from sport senior high schools in Sweden were included in this case-control study. The athletes recorded any traumatic knee injury that had occurred during their high-school period in a web-based injury form. A one repetition maximum (1RM) barbell squat test was used to measure LE muscle strength. The 1RM was dichotomised to analyse 'weak' versus 'strong' athletes according to the median (weak median vs strong median ). 63 traumatic knee injuries, including 18 ACL injuries, were registered. The majority of injured female athletes were in the weak group compared with the strong group (p=0.0001). The odds of sustaining a traumatic knee injury and an ACL injury was 9.5 times higher and 7 times higher, respectively, in the weak median group compared with the strong median group in females (p ≤0.011). A relative 1RM squat ≤1.05 kg (105% of bodyweight) was established as the best cut-off value to distinguish high versus low risk of injury in female athletes. No strength-injury relationships were observed for the male athletes (p ≥0.348). Weaker LE muscle strength predicted traumatic knee injury in youth female athletes, but not in males. This suggests that LE muscle strength should be included in injury screening in youth female athletes.

  18. The costs of no – a two-dimensional issue-voting model of voter behavior in EU referendums

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beach, Derek

    ) (Svensson 1994, 2002)? The argument in this paper is that issue-voting is increasingly becoming the prevalent dynamic in EU referendums as voters become increasingly knowledgeable about EU affairs and believe that referendums are important questions worthy of the investment of significant time and effort...... in understanding the issues. However, in contrast to existing issue-voting arguments, I argue that the calculation of the utility of voting yes/no by voters has two distinct dimensions. Existing models are based upon the idea that voters undertake a utility calculation of the benefits of ratifying an EU treaty (or...... removing an opt-out), but this does not capture the separate reasoning of voters regarding what happens in the event that the country votes no....

  19. Legality, separation of powers, stability of electoral law: The impact of new voting technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Driza Maurer, Ardita

    2016-01-01

    Legality, separation of powers and stability of electoral law are some of the principles of the European constitutional heritage. They should be respected and implemented throughout the electoral process, including when new voting technologies are used. This paper discusses e-voting specific implementations of the principles or challenges to it. Ongoing and proposed improvements in legislation or practice are pinpointed.

  20. Entitlement to vote in the Canton of Geneva and entitlement to vote and eligibility for election in the Canton of Vaud

    CERN Multimedia

    DG Unit

    2011-01-01

    You are reminded that, at commune level, certain international civil servants and their family members: are entitled to vote in the Canton of Geneva are entitled to vote and are eligible for election in the Canton of Vaud. For further information, in particular regarding the special procedure to be followed to apply to exercise these entitlements, you are invited to consult the information published, in French only, on the Swiss Mission’s website (topic « Privileges and immunities (Manual) » : http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/fr/home/topics/intorg/un/unge/gepri/manvot/manvt1.html (for the Canton of Geneva), http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/fr/home/topics/intorg/un/unge/gepri/manvot/manvt2.html (for the Canton of Vaud). The dates of the forthcoming ballots are available on the official websites of the cantonal administrative authorities : for Geneva: http://www.ge.ch/votations-elections/prochains-scrutins/; for Vaud: http://www.vd.ch/fr/themes/etat-droit-financ...

  1. Entitlement to vote in the Canton of Geneva and entitlement to vote and eligibility for election in the Canton of Vaud

    CERN Multimedia

    DG Unit

    2009-01-01

    You are reminded that, at commune level, certain international civil servants and their family members: are entitled to vote in the Canton of Geneva are entitled to vote and are eligible for election in the Canton of Vaud. For further information, in particular regarding the special procedure to be followed to apply to exercise these entitlements, you are invited to consult the information published, in French only, on the Swiss Mission’s website: for the Canton of Genevafor the Canton of VaudThe dates of the forthcoming ballots are available on the official websites of the cantonal administrative authorities: for Geneva: referendum and forthcoming ballots ; for Vaud: forthcoming ballots In this context, please note, especially with regard to eligibility for election, that: in accordance with Articles S I 3.05 and I 3.06 of the Staff Rules "Members of the personnel wishing to take part in the public and political life of a State shall comply with the relevant legislat...

  2. The Theory and Implementation of Electronic Voting Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Groth, Jens; Salomonsen, Gorm

    2002-01-01

    scheme shorter and easier to compute and verify, for voters as well as authorities, than in currently known schemes. Finally, we discuss various issues connected with the security of a practical implementation of the scheme for on-line voting. Notably, this includes minimizing risks that are beyond what...

  3. The 26th Amendment and Youth Voting Rights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schamel, Wynell

    1996-01-01

    Describes learning activities to be used in conjunction with a facsimile of the 92nd Congress's joint resolution passing the 26th Amendment extending the voting franchise to 18-year-olds. These activities include document analysis, time lines, class discussions, and storytelling. Briefly reviews the amendment process. (MJP)

  4. Voting strategy for artifact reduction in digital breast tomosynthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Tao; Moore, Richard H.; Kopans, Daniel B.

    2006-01-01

    Artifacts are observed in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reconstructions due to the small number of projections and the narrow angular range that are typically employed in tomosynthesis imaging. In this work, we investigate the reconstruction artifacts that are caused by high-attenuation features in breast and develop several artifact reduction methods based on a 'voting strategy'. The voting strategy identifies the projection(s) that would introduce artifacts to a voxel and rejects the projection(s) when reconstructing the voxel. Four approaches to the voting strategy were compared, including projection segmentation, maximum contribution deduction, one-step classification, and iterative classification. The projection segmentation method, based on segmentation of high-attenuation features from the projections, effectively reduces artifacts caused by metal and large calcifications that can be reliably detected and segmented from projections. The other three methods are based on the observation that contributions from artifact-inducing projections have higher value than those from normal projections. These methods attempt to identify the projection(s) that would cause artifacts by comparing contributions from different projections. Among the three methods, the iterative classification method provides the best artifact reduction; however, it can generate many false positive classifications that degrade the image quality. The maximum contribution deduction method and one-step classification method both reduce artifacts well from small calcifications, although the performance of artifact reduction is slightly better with the one-step classification. The combination of one-step classification and projection segmentation removes artifacts from both large and small calcifications

  5. Reliability and considerations of electronic voting, a global vision

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jussibeth Tatiana Places Chungata

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This article is intended to perform an analysis of all the aspects that comprise and revolve around the use or implementation of new technologies in election processes such as automation of democracy; this is done through the collection of bibliographic information from articles, books, and other sources on concepts, differences, comparisons, methodology of citizen participation, experiences, among others. With the purpose of establishing the utility or inconveniences that may present this electronic voting system to use it in real elections. There are realized general descriptions of every topic, where little by little possible factors of adoption are explored or I reject to this new technology, clarifying in the functionality, used elements and factors to comply. As a result, it reflects on the positive and negative impact that have these systems in society, giving points to consider about this Automation at different stages which comprise the electoral processes, from the construction, configuration, storage up to the transmission and consolidation of results. Is leaves clear them criteria that is should evaluate a system of vote electronic that van from reliability to effectiveness in their processes, to determine the need and relationship of costs - benefits. Without leaving of side our country, there is described the current condition that has the system of electronic vote in our electoral processes, which until now has not been implemented, only has performed testing of printing in our community.

  6. Mechanisms for efficient voting with private information about preferences

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engelmann, Dirk; Grimm, V.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 122, č. 563 (2012), s. 1010-1041 ISSN 0013-0133 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : simple voting game * linking decisions * successful cooperation Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 2.118, year: 2012

  7. Voting on pensions: sex and marriage

    OpenAIRE

    Leroux, Marie-Louise; Pestieau, Pierre; Racionero, Maria

    2009-01-01

    Existing political economy models of pensions focus on age and productivity. In this paper we incorporate two additional individual characteristics: sex and marital status. We ignore the role of age, by assuming that people vote at the start of their life, and characterize the preferred rate of taxation that finances a Beveridgean pension scheme when individuals differ in wage, sex and marital status. We allow for two types of couples: one-breadwinner and two-breadwinner couples. Marriage poo...

  8. Predicting tensile strength of friction stir welded AA6061 aluminium alloy joints by a mathematical model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elangovan, K.; Balasubramanian, V.; Babu, S.

    2009-01-01

    AA6061 aluminium alloy (Al-Mg-Si alloy) has gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of light weight structures requiring a high strength-to weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. Compared to the fusion welding processes that are routinely used for joining structural aluminium alloys, friction stir welding (FSW) process is an emerging solid state joining process in which the material that is being welded does not melt and recast. This process uses a non-consumable tool to generate frictional heat in the abutting surfaces. The welding parameters such as tool rotational speed, welding speed, axial force etc., and tool pin profile play a major role in deciding the joint strength. An attempt has been made to develop a mathematical model to predict tensile strength of the friction stir welded AA6061 aluminium alloy by incorporating FSW process parameters. Four factors, five levels central composite design has been used to minimize number of experimental conditions. Response surface method (RSM) has been used to develop the model. Statistical tools such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), student's t-test, correlation co-efficient etc. have been used to validate the developed model. The developed mathematical model can be effectively used to predict the tensile strength of FSW joints at 95% confidence level

  9. Voting-based consensus clustering for combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Faisal

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although many consensus clustering methods have been successfully used for combining multiple classifiers in many areas such as machine learning, applied statistics, pattern recognition and bioinformatics, few consensus clustering methods have been applied for combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures. It is known that any individual clustering method will not always give the best results for all types of applications. So, in this paper, three voting and graph-based consensus clusterings were used for combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures to enhance the ability of separating biologically active molecules from inactive ones in each cluster. Results The cumulative voting-based aggregation algorithm (CVAA, cluster-based similarity partitioning algorithm (CSPA and hyper-graph partitioning algorithm (HGPA were examined. The F-measure and Quality Partition Index method (QPI were used to evaluate the clusterings and the results were compared to the Ward’s clustering method. The MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR dataset was used for experiments and was represented by two 2D fingerprints, ALOGP and ECFP_4. The performance of voting-based consensus clustering method outperformed the Ward’s method using F-measure and QPI method for both ALOGP and ECFP_4 fingerprints, while the graph-based consensus clustering methods outperformed the Ward’s method only for ALOGP using QPI. The Jaccard and Euclidean distance measures were the methods of choice to generate the ensembles, which give the highest values for both criteria. Conclusions The results of the experiments show that consensus clustering methods can improve the effectiveness of chemical structures clusterings. The cumulative voting-based aggregation algorithm (CVAA was the method of choice among consensus clustering methods.

  10. The calculus of get-out-the-vote in a high turnout setting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhatti, Yosef; Dahlgaard, Jens Olav; Hansen, Jonas Hedegaard

    Through a get-out-the-vote experiment we study the effect of eight different statements related to ‘the calculus of voting’ and prospect theory on voter turnout in a high salience election with proportional representation of multiple parties. The treatments are randomly assigned to more than 60...... several arguments (ITT: 1.3 percentage points, std.error. 0.62). This supports the idea that citizens are more convinced when receiving multiple arguments. There is no evidence of difference between versions of the letters emphasizing individual elements of the calculus of voting or whether the decision...

  11. Method for secure electronic voting system: face recognition based approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alim, M. Affan; Baig, Misbah M.; Mehboob, Shahzain; Naseem, Imran

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, we propose a framework for low cost secure electronic voting system based on face recognition. Essentially Local Binary Pattern (LBP) is used for face feature characterization in texture format followed by chi-square distribution is used for image classification. Two parallel systems are developed based on smart phone and web applications for face learning and verification modules. The proposed system has two tire security levels by using person ID followed by face verification. Essentially class specific threshold is associated for controlling the security level of face verification. Our system is evaluated three standard databases and one real home based database and achieve the satisfactory recognition accuracies. Consequently our propose system provides secure, hassle free voting system and less intrusive compare with other biometrics.

  12. Voting Power and Shareholder Activism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strand, Therese; Poulsen, Thomas; Thomsen, Steen

    2010-01-01

    The article discusses the development of a voting power theory that is applied to a unique data set on Swedish shareholder meetings. The authors hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between shareholder activism and the largest shareholder's sensitivity to greater participation by small...... shareholders. It is shown that firms' amenability to small shareholder influence results in more proposals by nomination committees that are dominated by large shareholders, but fewer proposals by other shareholders. The importance of local institutions are highlighted and a call for more research regarding...... shareholder activism in alternative institutional settings is mad...

  13. Number of Psychosocial Strengths Predicts Reduced HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Above and Beyond Syndemic Problems Among Gay and Bisexual Men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Trevor A; Noor, Syed W; Adam, Barry D; Vernon, Julia R G; Brennan, David J; Gardner, Sandra; Husbands, Winston; Myers, Ted

    2017-10-01

    Syndemics research shows the additive effect of psychosocial problems on high-risk sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men (GBM). Psychosocial strengths may predict less engagement in high-risk sexual behavior. In a study of 470 ethnically diverse HIV-negative GBM, regression models were computed using number of syndemic psychosocial problems, number of psychosocial strengths, and serodiscordant condomless anal sex (CAS). The number of syndemic psychosocial problems correlated with serodiscordant CAS (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.92; p = 0.001). When adding the number of psychosocial strengths to the model, the effect of syndemic psychosocial problems became non-significant, but the number of strengths-based factors remained significant (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.86; p = 0.002). Psychosocial strengths may operate additively in the same way as syndemic psychosocial problems, but in the opposite direction. Consistent with theories of resilience, psychosocial strengths may be an important set of variables predicting sexual risk behavior that is largely missing from the current HIV behavioral literature.

  14. Teaching Case: Analysis of an Electronic Voting System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Nik; Toohey, Danny

    2014-01-01

    This teaching case discusses the analysis of an electronic voting system. The development of the case was motivated by research into information security and management, but as it includes procedural aspects, organizational structure and personnel, it is a suitable basis for all aspects of systems analysis, planning and design tasks. The material…

  15. The Devil’s in the Details: Evaluating the One Person, One Vote Principle in American Politics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey W. Ladewig

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Ever since the Supreme Court instituted the one person, one vote principle in congressional elections based on its decision in Wesberry v. Sanders (1964, intrastate deviations from equal district populations have become smaller and smaller after each decennial reapportionment. Relying on equal total population as the standard to meet the Court’s principle, though, has raised some constitutional and practical questions stemming from, most basically, not every person has the right to vote. Specifically, there is considerable deviation between the current redistricting practices and a literal interpretation of this constitutional principle. This study systematically analyzes the differences between districts’ total populations and their voting age populations (VAPs. Further, we consider how congressional reapportionments since 1972 would change if, instead of states’ total populations, the standard for reapportioning seats were based on the VAP or the voting eligible population (VEP. Overall, the results indicate that the debate surrounding the appropriate apportionment and redistricting standard is not just normative, it also has notable practical consequences.

  16. Roll force prediction of high strength steel using foil rolling theory in cold skin pass rolling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Gil Ho; Jung, Jae Chook

    2013-01-01

    Skin pass rolling is a very important process for applying a certain elongation to a strip in the cold rolling and annealing processes, which play an important role in preventing the stretching of the yield point when the material is processed. The exact prediction of the rolling force is essential for obtaining a given elongation with the steel grade and strip size. Unlike hot rolling and cold rolling, skin pass rolling is used to apply an elongation of within 2% to the strip. Under a small reduction, it is difficult to predict the rolling force because the elastic deformation behavior of the rolls is complicated and a model for predicting the rolling force has not yet been established. Nevertheless, the exact prediction of the rolling force in skin pass rolling has gained increasing importance in recent times with the rapid development of high strength steels for use in automobiles. In this study, the possibility of predicting the rolling force in skin pass rolling for producing various steel grades was examined using foil rolling theory, which is known to have similar elastic deformation behavior of rolls in the roll bite. It was found that a noncircular arc model is more accurate than a circular model in predicting the roll force of high strength steel below TS 980 MPa in skin pass rolling

  17. E-Voting Solutions for Digital Democracy in Knowledge Society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marian STOICA

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Emergent technologies specific to current information and knowledge society, and social networks influence every aspect of our existence, from lucrative activities to recreational ones. There is no part of our life that is not influenced by the explosive development of general information and communication technologies. We witness a spectacular and until recently unimagined metamorphoses of work nature, business process reengineering, controversial evolution of social networks and new directions of electronic government. Over this background of changes, we take on the tasks of deepening the understanding of field that is largely unexplored, namely the electronic vote in digital democracy, without taking any side, pro or against this type of casting our electoral options. The current context encompasses technological, legislative, political, economic and social aspects. Even more, the context of electronic voting in digital democracy involves aspects regarding globalization, technical challenges concerning interoperability, data standardization and security.

  18. Voting rights for alien residents--who wants it?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tung, K R

    1985-01-01

    Foreign nationals permanently domiciled in Sweden have been entitled since 1975 to vote and to municipal and county council elections. This article examines some of the major issues associated with international migration and disenfranchisement of migrants created by a contradiction between economic and political rationale. The alien population of Sweden remained small for a long time, but during the 1960s it rose 1st to 300,000 and later to 400,000 persons. Since 1970, aliens have constituted roughly 5% of the total national population of 8.3 million. Surveys following the 3 elections held in Sweden so far have shown immigrants to be quite well informed concerning election procedures and the parties. In contrast to single males, women with children tend to be highly stable, because of favorable social security for women, particularly for women with children. Participation elections among women (55%) is higher than among men (49%), and married women (58%) are usually the highest participants. Class-voting is still rather strong in Sweden; the percentage difference in preference for Socialist parties between working-class and middle-class was as high 55% in 1960. Long term trends in the distribution of party-preference among immigrants are determined to a large extent by the policy on immigration regulation and political asylum for refugees and exiles. Another selectivity is due to the differential remigration rate. A 1976 study showed that although local franchise of immigrants is now the law of the land, some Swedes are still against the granting of voting rights and electability to immigrants. On the whole, there is clearly a psychological environment conducive, at least in Stockholm, to the task of putting local franchise reform into real practice.

  19. Senate Voting On the Strategic Defense Initiative: The Impact of the 1991 Gulf War

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James F. Pasley

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the effects of the success of the Patriot missile system in the 1991 Gulf War on Senate roll call votes for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI. Previous studies have shown that both Party Identification (PID and Ideology have had a significant effect on senators' votes on defense weapons systems. Using Logit regression techniques, this paper examines whether PID and Ideology, both of which are central to political identity, remained significant factors in three Senate votes on SDI; this paper is unique compare to previous studies of such matters in that it adds two additional explanatory variables to existing models: (1 the extent to which each state might benefit from SDI and (2 whether or not the senator from each state was up for re-election in 1992 It is hypothesized that the findings will suggest that external factors played a role in the SDI Senate votes in question. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the effects of the Gulf War Patriot missile successes led to greater legislative support (compared to support levels from previous years for the Strategic Defense Initiative among Democrats, those senators whose states would benefit from SDI funding, and those senators seeking re-election.

  20. Another issue comes out: gay rights policy voting in recent U.S. presidential elections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodebeck, Laurie A

    2015-01-01

    Drawing from the theory of policy voting, this study examines the impact of opinions about gay rights on voting for presidential candidates. Qualitative analysis of the major party platforms and candidate campaign rhetoric from the six presidential elections held between 1988 and 2008 indicates that Democratic and Republican presidential candidates began openly expressing opposing positions on gay rights issues in 1992. Quantitative analysis of public opinion shows that, starting in 1992 and continuing through 2008, gay rights issues became more salient to the public, and opinions about gay rights began to exert a significant effect on vote choice. The study concludes with a discussion of the partisan forces that shaped the electoral significance of gay rights issues during the period from 1988 to 2008 and speculation about the role of gay rights issues in shaping future partisan electoral strategy.

  1. The Synergy Between PAV and AdaBoost

    OpenAIRE

    WILBUR, W. JOHN; YEGANOVA, LANA; KIM, WON

    2005-01-01

    Schapire and Singer’s improved version of AdaBoost for handling weak hypotheses with confidence rated predictions represents an important advance in the theory and practice of boosting. Its success results from a more efficient use of information in weak hypotheses during updating. Instead of simple binary voting a weak hypothesis is allowed to vote for or against a classification with a variable strength or confidence. The Pool Adjacent Violators (PAV) algorithm is a method for converting a ...

  2. Should EU Citizens Living in other Member States Vote there in National Elections?

    OpenAIRE

    CAYALA, Philippe; SETH, Catriona; BAUBÖCK, Rainer

    2012-01-01

    The core right of EU citizenship is freedom of movement within the territory of the Union. But EU citizens who live in a member state other than their homeland cannot vote in the national elections of that country unless they first acquire its citizenship through naturalisation. In several member states they also lose their right to vote in national elections of their country of origin when they have lived abroad for too long. A group of EU citizens has started a European Citizens' Initiative...

  3. First order augmentation to tensor voting for boundary inference and multiscale analysis in 3D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Wai-Shun; Tang, Chi-Keung; Mordohai, Philippos; Medioni, Gérard

    2004-05-01

    Most computer vision applications require the reliable detection of boundaries. In the presence of outliers, missing data, orientation discontinuities, and occlusion, this problem is particularly challenging. We propose to address it by complementing the tensor voting framework, which was limited to second order properties, with first order representation and voting. First order voting fields and a mechanism to vote for 3D surface and volume boundaries and curve endpoints in 3D are defined. Boundary inference is also useful for a second difficult problem in grouping, namely, automatic scale selection. We propose an algorithm that automatically infers the smallest scale that can preserve the finest details. Our algorithm then proceeds with progressively larger scales to ensure continuity where it has not been achieved. Therefore, the proposed approach does not oversmooth features or delay the handling of boundaries and discontinuities until model misfit occurs. The interaction of smooth features, boundaries, and outliers is accommodated by the unified representation, making possible the perceptual organization of data in curves, surfaces, volumes, and their boundaries simultaneously. We present results on a variety of data sets to show the efficacy of the improved formalism.

  4. Towards Subject-Specific Strength Training Design through Predictive Use of Musculoskeletal Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Plüss

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Lower extremity dysfunction is often associated with hip muscle strength deficiencies. Detailed knowledge of the muscle forces generated in the hip under specific external loading conditions enables specific structures to be trained. The aim of this study was to find the most effective movement type and loading direction to enable the training of specific parts of the hip muscles using a standing posture and a pulley system. In a novel approach to release the predictive power of musculoskeletal modelling techniques based on inverse dynamics, flexion/extension and ab-/adduction movements were virtually created. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, three hip orientations and an external loading force that was systematically rotated around the body were simulated using a state-of-the art OpenSim model in order to establish ideal designs for training of the anterior and posterior parts of the M. gluteus medius (GM. The external force direction as well as the hip orientation greatly influenced the muscle forces in the different parts of the GM. No setting was found for simultaneous training of the anterior and posterior parts with a muscle force higher than 50% of the maximum. Importantly, this study has demonstrated the use of musculoskeletal models as an approach to predict muscle force variations for different strength and rehabilitation exercise variations.

  5. A NOVEL APPROACH TO SUPPORT MAJORITY VOTING IN SPATIAL GROUP MCDM USING DENSITY INDUCED OWA OPERATOR FOR SEISMIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Moradi

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Being one of the most frightening disasters, earthquakes frequently cause huge damages to buildings, facilities and human beings. Although the prediction of characteristics of an earthquake seems to be impossible, its loss and damage is predictable in advance. Seismic loss estimation models tend to evaluate the extent to which the urban areas are vulnerable to earthquakes. Many factors contribute to the vulnerability of urban areas against earthquakes including age and height of buildings, the quality of the materials, the density of population and the location of flammable facilities. Therefore, seismic vulnerability assessment is a multi-criteria problem. A number of multi criteria decision making models have been proposed based on a single expert. The main objective of this paper is to propose a model which facilitates group multi criteria decision making based on the concept of majority voting. The main idea of majority voting is providing a computational tool to measure the degree to which different experts support each other’s opinions and make a decision regarding this measure. The applicability of this model is examined in Tehran metropolitan area which is located in a seismically active region. The results indicate that neglecting the experts which get lower degrees of support from others enables the decision makers to avoid the extreme strategies. Moreover, a computational method is proposed to calculate the degree of optimism in the experts’ opinions.

  6. a Novel Approach to Support Majority Voting in Spatial Group Mcdm Using Density Induced Owa Operator for Seismic Vulnerability Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, M.; Delavar, M. R.; Moshiri, B.; Khamespanah, F.

    2014-10-01

    Being one of the most frightening disasters, earthquakes frequently cause huge damages to buildings, facilities and human beings. Although the prediction of characteristics of an earthquake seems to be impossible, its loss and damage is predictable in advance. Seismic loss estimation models tend to evaluate the extent to which the urban areas are vulnerable to earthquakes. Many factors contribute to the vulnerability of urban areas against earthquakes including age and height of buildings, the quality of the materials, the density of population and the location of flammable facilities. Therefore, seismic vulnerability assessment is a multi-criteria problem. A number of multi criteria decision making models have been proposed based on a single expert. The main objective of this paper is to propose a model which facilitates group multi criteria decision making based on the concept of majority voting. The main idea of majority voting is providing a computational tool to measure the degree to which different experts support each other's opinions and make a decision regarding this measure. The applicability of this model is examined in Tehran metropolitan area which is located in a seismically active region. The results indicate that neglecting the experts which get lower degrees of support from others enables the decision makers to avoid the extreme strategies. Moreover, a computational method is proposed to calculate the degree of optimism in the experts' opinions.

  7. Embryo Cell Membranes Reconstruction by Tensor Voting

    OpenAIRE

    Michelin , Gaël; Guignard , Léo; Fiuza , Ulla-Maj; Malandain , Grégoire

    2014-01-01

    International audience; Image-based studies of developing organs or embryos produce a huge quantity of data. To handle such high-throughput experimental protocols, automated computer-assisted methods are highly desirable. This article aims at designing an efficient cell segmentation method from microscopic images. The proposed approach is twofold: first, cell membranes are enhanced or extracted by the means of structure-based filters, and then perceptual grouping (i.e. tensor voting) allows t...

  8. An OMIC biomarker detection algorithm TriVote and its application in methylomic biomarker detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Cheng; Liu, Jiamei; Yang, Weifeng; Shu, Yayun; Wei, Zhipeng; Zheng, Weiwei; Feng, Xin; Zhou, Fengfeng

    2018-04-01

    Transcriptomic and methylomic patterns represent two major OMIC data sources impacted by both inheritable genetic information and environmental factors, and have been widely used as disease diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers. Modern transcriptomic and methylomic profiling technologies detect the status of tens of thousands or even millions of probing residues in the human genome, and introduce a major computational challenge for the existing feature selection algorithms. This study proposes a three-step feature selection algorithm, TriVote, to detect a subset of transcriptomic or methylomic residues with highly accurate binary classification performance. TriVote outperforms both filter and wrapper feature selection algorithms with both higher classification accuracy and smaller feature number on 17 transcriptomes and two methylomes. Biological functions of the methylome biomarkers detected by TriVote were discussed for their disease associations. An easy-to-use Python package is also released to facilitate the further applications.

  9. Vote for your favorite tourist attraction on "Le Dauphiné Libéré"

    CERN Multimedia

    2015-01-01

    Dear colleagues, During the summer, the French regional daily newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré has been inviting its readers to vote for their favourite tourist attraction (natural or otherwise) in the Bellegarde area and the Pays de Gex, and CERN is one of the nominees. This is a great opportunity for us to communicate directly with people living in the region, particularly those who have not yet had the chance to visit CERN, and who, thanks to this survey, might be curious to learn more about the Laboratory and pay us a visit. Remember, visits to CERN are free of charge all year round! We invite you to vote for CERN by clicking on this link: http://www.ledauphine.com/ain/2015/07/10/votez-pur-votre-site-prefere-dans-le-bassin-bellegardien-et-le-pays-de-gex. We’re counting on your votes! CERN Local Communication team

  10. Integration of Multi-Modal Biomedical Data to Predict Cancer Grade and Patient Survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, John H; Hoffman, Ryan; Kothari, Sonal; Wu, Po-Yen; Wang, May D

    2016-02-01

    The Big Data era in Biomedical research has resulted in large-cohort data repositories such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). These repositories routinely contain hundreds of matched patient samples for genomic, proteomic, imaging, and clinical data modalities, enabling holistic and multi-modal integrative analysis of human disease. Using TCGA renal and ovarian cancer data, we conducted a novel investigation of multi-modal data integration by combining histopathological image and RNA-seq data. We compared the performances of two integrative prediction methods: majority vote and stacked generalization. Results indicate that integration of multiple data modalities improves prediction of cancer grade and outcome. Specifically, stacked generalization, a method that integrates multiple data modalities to produce a single prediction result, outperforms both single-data-modality prediction and majority vote. Moreover, stacked generalization reveals the contribution of each data modality (and specific features within each data modality) to the final prediction result and may provide biological insights to explain prediction performance.

  11. Predicting the drying shrinkage behavior of high strength portland cement mortar under the combined influence of fine aggregate and steel micro fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zhengqi

    2017-01-01

    The workability, 28-day compressive strength and free drying shrinkage of a very high strength (121-142 MPa) steel micro fiber reinforced portland cement mortar were studied under a combined influence of fine aggregate content and fiber content. The test results showed that an increase in the fine aggregate content resulted in decreases in the workability, 28-day compressive strength and drying shrinkage of mortar at a fixed fiber content. An increase in the fiber content resulted in decreases in the workability and drying shrinkage of mortar, but an increase in the 28-day compressive strength of mortar at a fixed fine aggregate content. The modified Gardner model most accurately predicted the drying shrinkage development of the high strength mortars, followed by the Ross model and the ACI 209R-92 model. The Gardner model gave the least accurate prediction for it was developed based on a database of normal strength concrete. [es

  12. Predicting the drying shrinkage behavior of high strength portland cement mortar under the combined influence of fine aggregate and steel micro fiber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengqi Li

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The workability, 28-day compressive strength and free drying shrinkage of a very high strength (121-142 MPa steel micro fiber reinforced portland cement mortar were studied under a combined influence of fine aggregate content and fiber content. The test results showed that an increase in the fine aggregate content resulted in decreases in the workability, 28-day compressive strength and drying shrinkage of mortar at a fixed fiber content. An increase in the fiber content resulted in decreases in the workability and drying shrinkage of mortar, but an increase in the 28-day compressive strength of mortar at a fixed fine aggregate content. The modified Gardner model most accurately predicted the drying shrinkage development of the high strength mortars, followed by the Ross model and the ACI 209R-92 model. The Gardner model gave the least accurate prediction for it was developed based on a database of normal strength concrete.

  13. Electricity is the real target - nuclear energy the scapegoat. Comparison between nuclear energy and hydro power voting behaviour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aegerter, Irene

    1993-01-01

    As nuclear community sometimes feel desperate because the nuclear energy is a very special subject triggering so much controversy among women and young persons especially it has been found that the battle against nuclear energy is just a pretext. Comparing the campaign on a referendum against hydropower - voted in Switzerland in may 1992 it was found astonishingly that exactly the same arguments were applied as during the campaign for the phase out of nuclear energy in 1990. The results were presented at PIME 1991. Voting behaviour for nuclear energy and hydro power are comparable: the gender gap (32% acceptance by men versus 48% by women) found in the 1992 vote about stopping hydropower plants in Switzerland was bigger than the one found in the 1990 vote about nuclear energy. A detailed analysis of these data is presented

  14. One voice or different choice?: Vote defection of European Union member states in the United Nations General Assembly

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burmester, Nicolas; Jankowski, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Existing research suggests that European Union member states are increasingly able to act in concert in the United Nations General Assembly. Based on several hundred co-ordination meetings per year, the European Union ‘speaks with one voice’ on most of the resolutions voted upon in the United...... Nations General Assembly. However, little is known about instances where the European Union member states do not vote coherently. Three questions remain unanswered. First, which aspects affect deviating voting behaviour of European Union member states? Second, who are the most frequent defectors from...... the European Union’s majority position? Third, which voting blocs within the European Union can be identified? The article answers these questions in a quantitative design by controlling for domestic factors, issues of resolutions and the position of the United States. The results suggest that domestic aspects...

  15. Study on creep of fiber reinforced ultra-high strength concrete based on strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Wenjun; Wang, Tao

    2018-04-01

    To complement the creep performance of ultra-high strength concrete, the long creep process of fiber reinforced concrete was studied in this paper. The long-term creep process and regularity of ultra-high strength concrete with 0.5% PVA fiber under the same axial compression were analyzed by using concrete strength (C80/C100/C120) as a variable. The results show that the creep coefficient of ultra-high strength concrete decreases with the increase of concrete strength. Compared with ACI209R (92), GL2000 models, it is found that the predicted value of ACI209R (92) are close to the experimental value, and the creep prediction model suitable for this experiment is proposed based on ACI209R (92).

  16. Predicting hand function in older adults: evaluations of grip strength, arm curl strength, and manual dexterity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chiung-Ju; Marie, Deana; Fredrick, Aaron; Bertram, Jessica; Utley, Kristen; Fess, Elaine Ewing

    2017-08-01

    Hand function is critical for independence in activities of daily living for older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine how grip strength, arm curl strength, and manual dexterous coordination contributed to time-based versus self-report assessment of hand function in community-dwelling older adults. Adults aged ≥60 years without low vision or neurological disorders were recruited. Purdue Pegboard Test, Jamar hand dynamometer, 30-second arm curl test, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, and the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument were administered to assess manual dexterous coordination, grip strength, arm curl strength, time-based hand function, and self-report of hand function, respectively. Eighty-four adults (mean age = 72 years) completed the study. Hierarchical multiple regressions show that older adults with better arm curl strength (β = -.25, p function test. In comparison, older adults with better grip strength (β = .40, p function. The relationship between grip strength and hand function may be test-specific. Grip strength becomes a significant factor when the test requires grip strength to successfully complete the test tasks. Arm curl strength independently contributed to hand function in both time-based and self-report assessments, indicating that strength of extrinsic muscles of the hand are essential for hand function.

  17. An efficient method for tensor voting using steerable filters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Franken, E.M.; Almsick, van M.A.; Rongen, P.M.J.; Florack, L.M.J.; Haar Romenij, ter B.M.; Leonardis, A.; Bischof, H; Pinz, A.

    2006-01-01

    In many image analysis applications there is a need to extract curves in noisy images. To achieve a more robust extraction, one can exploit correlations of oriented features over a spatial context in the image. Tensor voting is an existing technique to extract features in this way. In this paper, we

  18. Education's impact on explanations of radical right-wing voting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lubbers, M.; Tolsma, J.

    2011-01-01

    One of the reactions to the large demographic changes in Europe due to migration has been the rise of radical right-wing parties. Previous research has shown that education is one of the most relevant explanations of this voting behaviour. By pooling the European Social Surveys from 2002, 2004, 2006

  19. Gender, populist attitudes, and voting: Explaining the gender gap in voting for populist radical right and populist radical left parties

    OpenAIRE

    Spierings, N.; Zaslove, A.S.

    2017-01-01

    Empirical studies have demonstrated that compared to almost all other parties, populist radical right (PRR) parties draw more votes from men than from women. However, the two dominant explanations that are generally advanced to explain this disparity - gender differences regarding socio-economic position and lower perceptions regarding the threat of immigrants - cannot fully explain the difference. The article contends that it might actually be gender differences regarding the conceptualisati...

  20. PERILAKU NON-VOTING DALAM PEMILIHAN KEPALA DAERAH KOTA PADANG PERIODE 2008-2013 (Studi Kasus di Kecamatan Koto Tangah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aina Aina

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The direct provincial and mayoral election often witnesses the tendency of low voter turnout, as happened in Padang city mayoral election in 2008. This research seeks to reveal the non-voting behavior and the causes of the behavior in Koto Tangah district, which has the lowest voter turnout; 42.51%. This research is a descriptive-qualitative where data is obtained by using in-depth interview technique and documentation study. Snowball sampling is used to select sample of voters who vote in Padang 2008 election. The data was then analyzed using qualitative method. The result shows that there were two types of non-voting behavior in Koto Tangah community in Padang 2008 mayoral election; (1 did not come to the ballot box; (2 did come to the ballot box but did not cast ballots properly. The behavior was caused by several factors; (1 psychological factor; (2 factor of political system; (3 factor of political trust; and (4 factor of socio-economic status. Psychological factor means non-voters’ characters tend to be apathetic and ignorant of politics. In terms of political system factor, non-voting behavior was driven by dissatisfaction with the government’s performance which showed no change. Political trust factor showed that most non-voters do not believe in the processes and results of the local elections. Meanwhile, in socio-economic status, most non-voters are educated. On the other hand, employment and income also contributed to the non-voting behavior. Key words: direct local election, Padang mayoral election, low voter turnout, non-voting behavior

  1. Voting for a Career

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egerod, Benjamin Carl Krag

    effects depending on the senator's career ambitions. While retiring senators are no longer accountable to anyone but themselves, revolving door politicians will be accountable to their future employers, because they depend on them for post-elective employment. During their final Congress, this should lead......I investigate how the revolving door affects voting in the Senate. The literature on final-term problems suggests that senators should become more extreme before they leave office, because they no longer are accountable to voters. Lack of electoral accountability could, however, have different...... revolving door senators to moderate themselves, while retiring ones should grow more partisan. Using data on post-elective career trajectories from 102nd to the 113th Senate, I present fixed effects estimates that back this claim. I show that the effect is driven by senators, who choose to resign...

  2. Predicting the Maximum Dynamic Strength in Bench Press: The High Precision of the Bar Velocity Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loturco, Irineu; Kobal, Ronaldo; Moraes, José E; Kitamura, Katia; Cal Abad, César C; Pereira, Lucas A; Nakamura, Fábio Y

    2017-04-01

    Loturco, I, Kobal, R, Moraes, JE, Kitamura, K, Cal Abad, CC, Pereira, LA, and Nakamura, FY. Predicting the maximum dynamic strength in bench press: the high precision of the bar velocity approach. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 1127-1131, 2017-The aim of this study was to determine the force-velocity relationship and test the possibility of determining the 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in "free weight" and Smith machine bench presses. Thirty-six male top-level athletes from 3 different sports were submitted to a standardized 1RM bench press assessment (free weight or Smith machine, in randomized order), following standard procedures encompassing lifts performed at 40-100% of 1RM. The mean propulsive velocity (MPV) was measured in all attempts. A linear regression was performed to establish the relationships between bar velocities and 1RM percentages. The actual and predicted 1RM for each exercise were compared using a paired t-test. Although the Smith machine 1RM was higher (10% difference) than the free weight 1RM, in both cases the actual and predicted values did not differ. In addition, the linear relationship between MPV and percentage of 1RM (coefficient of determination ≥95%) allow determination of training intensity based on the bar velocity. The linear relationships between the MPVs and the relative percentages of 1RM throughout the entire range of loads enable coaches to use the MPV to accurately monitor their athletes on a daily basis and accurately determine their actual 1RM without the need to perform standard maximum dynamic strength assessments.

  3. Theoretical prediction of pullout strengths for dental and orthopaedic screws with conical profile and buttress threads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Kao-Shang; Hou, Sheng-Mou; Lin, Shang-Chih

    2017-12-01

    The pullout strength of a screw is an indicator of how secure bone fragments are being held in place. Such bone-purchasing ability is sensitive to bone quality, thread design, and the pilot hole, and is often evaluated by experimental and numerical methods. Historically, there are some mathematical formulae to simulate the screw withdrawal from the synthetic bone. There are great variations in screw specifications. However, extensive investigation of the correlation between experimental and analytical results has not been reported in literature. Referring to the literature formulae, this study aims to evaluate the differences in the calculated pullout strengths. The pullout tests of the surgical screws are measured and the sawbone is used as the testing block. The absolute errors and correlation coefficients of the experimental and analytical results are calculated as the comparison baselines of the formulae. The absolute error of the dental, traumatic, and spinal groups are 21.7%, 95.5%, and 37.0%, respectively. For the screws with a conical profile and/or tiny threads, the calculated and measured results are not well correlated. The formulae are not accurate indicators of the pullout strengths of the screws where the design parameters are slightly varied. However, the experimental and numerical results are highly correlated for the cylindrical screws. The pullout strength of a conical screw is higher than that of its counterpart, but all formulae consistently predict the opposite results. In general, the bony purchase of the buttress threads is securer than that of the symmetric thread. An absolute error of up to 51.4% indicates the theoretical results cannot predict the actual value of the pullout strength. Only thread diameter, pitch, and depth are considered in the investigated formulae. The thread profile and shape should be formulated to modify the slippage mechanism at the bone-screw interfaces and simulate the strength change in the squeezed bones

  4. A voting-based star identification algorithm utilizing local and global distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Qiaoyun; Zhong, Xuyang; Sun, Junhua

    2018-03-01

    A novel star identification algorithm based on voting scheme is presented in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, the global distribution and local distribution of sensor stars are fully utilized, and the stratified voting scheme is adopted to obtain the candidates for sensor stars. The database optimization is employed to reduce its memory requirement and improve the robustness of the proposed algorithm. The simulation shows that the proposed algorithm exhibits 99.81% identification rate with 2-pixel standard deviations of positional noises and 0.322-Mv magnitude noises. Compared with two similar algorithms, the proposed algorithm is more robust towards noise, and the average identification time and required memory is less. Furthermore, the real sky test shows that the proposed algorithm performs well on the real star images.

  5. Sex, race, gender, and the presidential vote

    OpenAIRE

    Susan B. Hansen

    2016-01-01

    Racial resentment has been shown to have a significant impact on voting by whites in recent presidential elections, and a much larger impact than the traditional gender-gap measure based on the male-female dichotomy. This analysis will use data from the American National Election Studies [ANES] to compare broader indicators of race and gender applicable to the Democratic and Republican parties as well as to respondents’ opinions of appropriate roles for women. Since the 1980s the parties have...

  6. Strength and failure modes of ceramic multilayers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Bent F.; Toftegaard, Helmuth Langmaack; Linderoth, Søren

    2012-01-01

    A model was developed for the prediction of the tensile strength of thin, symmetric 3-layer sandwich specimens. The model predictions rationalize the effect of heat-treatment temperature on the strength of sandwich specimens consisting of an YSZ (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia) substrate coated with ...... and propagating into the substrate. These predictions are consistent with microstructural observations of the fracture surfaces. A good agreement was found between the measured strength values and model predictions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

  7. Prediction of soil shear strength in agricultural and natural environments of the Brazilian Cerrado

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reginaldo Barboza da Silva

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to develop uni- and multivariate models to predict maximum soil shear strength (τmax under different normal stresses (σn, water contents (U, and soil managements. The study was carried out in a Rhodic Haplustox under Cerrado (control area and under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems. Undisturbed soil samples were taken in the 0.00-0.05 m layer and subjected to increasing U and σn, in shear strength tests. The uni- and multivariate models - respectively τmax=10(a+bU and τmax=10(a+bU+cσn - were significant in all three soil management systems evaluated and they satisfactorily explain the relationship between U, σn, and τmax. The soil under Cerrado has the highest shear strength (τ estimated with the univariate model, regardless of the soil water content, whereas the soil under conventional tillage shows the highest values with the multivariate model, which were associated to the lowest water contents at the soil consistency limits in this management system.

  8. Development of a method to accurately calculate the Dpb and quickly predict the strength of a chemical bond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du, Xia; Zhao, Dong-Xia; Yang, Zhong-Zhi

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A method from new respect to characterize and measure the bond strength is proposed. ► We calculate the D pb of a series of various bonds to justify our approach. ► A quite good linear relationship of the D pb with the bond lengths for series of various bonds is shown. ► Take the prediction of strengths of C–H and N–H bonds for base pairs in DNA as a practical application of our method. - Abstract: A new approach to characterize and measure bond strength has been developed. First, we propose a method to accurately calculate the potential acting on an electron in a molecule (PAEM) at the saddle point along a chemical bond in situ, denoted by D pb . Then, a direct method to quickly evaluate bond strength is established. We choose some familiar molecules as models for benchmarking this method. As a practical application, the D pb of base pairs in DNA along C–H and N–H bonds are obtained for the first time. All results show that C 7 –H of A–T and C 8 –H of G–C are the relatively weak bonds that are the injured positions in DNA damage. The significance of this work is twofold: (i) A method is developed to calculate D pb of various sizable molecules in situ quickly and accurately; (ii) This work demonstrates the feasibility to quickly predict the bond strength in macromolecules

  9. Gene Expression Profiles for Predicting Metastasis in Breast Cancer: A Cross-Study Comparison of Classification Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Burton

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Machine learning has increasingly been used with microarray gene expression data and for the development of classifiers using a variety of methods. However, method comparisons in cross-study datasets are very scarce. This study compares the performance of seven classification methods and the effect of voting for predicting metastasis outcome in breast cancer patients, in three situations: within the same dataset or across datasets on similar or dissimilar microarray platforms. Combining classification results from seven classifiers into one voting decision performed significantly better during internal validation as well as external validation in similar microarray platforms than the underlying classification methods. When validating between different microarray platforms, random forest, another voting-based method, proved to be the best performing method. We conclude that voting based classifiers provided an advantage with respect to classifying metastasis outcome in breast cancer patients.

  10. Voting over Selective Immigration Policies with Immigration Aversion

    OpenAIRE

    Giuseppe Russo

    2011-01-01

    The claim that "skilled immigration is welcome" is often associated to the increasing adoption of selective immigration policies. I study the voting over differentiated immigration policies in a two-country, three-factor general equilibrium model where there exist skilled and unskilled workers, migration decisions are endogenous, enforcing immigration restriction is costly, and natives dislike unskilled immigration. According to my findings, decisions over border closure are made to protect t...

  11. The Context of Voting: Does Neighborhood Ethnic Diversity Affect Turnout?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhatti, Yosef; Danckert, Bolette; Hansen, Kasper Møller

    2017-01-01

    (mobilization theory), diminishes social cohesion that in turn makes voters likely to withdraw from voting (marginalization theory), or does not impact turnout at all. This study is one of the first to investigate the question using individual-level longitudinal data, which adds substantially to the causal...

  12. Prediction of the oscillator strengths for the electric dipole transitions in Th II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dembczynski, Jerzy [Institute of Control and Information Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 3A, 60-965 Poznan (Poland); Ruczkowski, Jaroslaw; Elantkowska, Magdalena [Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Metrology, Faculty of Technical Physics, Poznan University of Technology, Nieszawska 13B, 60-965 Poznan (Poland)

    2014-07-01

    In order to parametrize the oscillator strength, the matrix of angular coefficients of the possible transitions in multiconfiguration system were calculated. In the odd and even configuration systems, the fine structure eigenvectors for both parities were obtained, using our semiempirical method, which taken into account also the second order effects, resulting from the excitations from electronic closed shells to open shells and from open shells to empty shell. The correctness of the fine structure wave functions was verified by the comparison of calculated and experimental hyperfine structure constants for Th II available in the literature. The least square fit to experimental values for some transitions allow to obtain the values of radial parameters and predict the oscillator strengths values for all possible transitions from the levels under consideration. These calculations are necessary for the design of the nuclear frequency standard based on the thorium ion.

  13. Getting to grips with election night forecasting: Predicting the unpredictable world of politics

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Holloway, Jennifer P

    2009-04-23

    Full Text Available , it is an exhilarating experience being at the IEC's headquarters during the elections. "The whole building is abuzz, with political parties and media representatives all having their own booths and swarming around the floor. We have found that the smaller parties... with. Election night forecasting Predicting the unpredictable world of politics On 22 April 2009, after the voting population has used its right to cast its individual votes in the fourth democratic elections of South Africa, a team...

  14. Weather conditions and political party vote share in Dutch national parliament elections, 1971-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisinga, Rob; Te Grotenhuis, Manfred; Pelzer, Ben

    2012-11-01

    Inclement weather on election day is widely seen to benefit certain political parties at the expense of others. Empirical evidence for this weather-vote share hypothesis is sparse however. We examine the effects of rainfall and temperature on share of the votes of eight political parties that participated in 13 national parliament elections, held in the Netherlands from 1971 to 2010. This paper merges the election results for all Dutch municipalities with election-day weather observations drawn from all official weather stations well distributed over the country. We find that the weather parameters affect the election results in a statistically and politically significant way. Whereas the Christian Democratic party benefits from substantial rain (10 mm) on voting day by gaining one extra seat in the 150-seat Dutch national parliament, the left-wing Social Democratic (Labor) and the Socialist parties are found to suffer from cold and wet conditions. Cold (5°C) and rainy (10 mm) election day weather causes the latter parties to lose one or two parliamentary seats.

  15. Occupant feedback based model predictive control for thermal comfort and energy optimization: A chamber experimental evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Xiao; Wang, Qian; Srebric, Jelena

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • This study evaluates an occupant-feedback driven Model Predictive Controller (MPC). • The MPC adjusts indoor temperature based on a dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) model. • A chamber model for predicting chamber air temperature is developed and validated. • Experiments show that MPC using DTS performs better than using Predicted Mean Vote. - Abstract: In current centralized building climate control, occupants do not have much opportunity to intervene the automated control system. This study explores the benefit of using thermal comfort feedback from occupants in the model predictive control (MPC) design based on a novel dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) model. This DTS model based MPC was evaluated in chamber experiments. A hierarchical structure for thermal control was adopted in the chamber experiments. At the high level, an MPC controller calculates the optimal supply air temperature of the chamber heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, using the feedback of occupants’ votes on thermal sensation. At the low level, the actual supply air temperature is controlled by the chiller/heater using a PI control to achieve the optimal set point. This DTS-based MPC was also compared to an MPC designed based on the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) model for thermal sensation. The experiment results demonstrated that the DTS-based MPC using occupant feedback allows significant energy saving while maintaining occupant thermal comfort compared to the PMV-based MPC.

  16. Presidential Debate Watching, Issue Knowledge, Character Evaluation, and Vote Choice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benoit, William L.; Hansen, Glenn J.

    2004-01-01

    This study employs NES (National Election Survey) data from several presidential elections to investigate the effects of presidential debate watching on voters' issue knowledge, character evaluation, and vote choice. Debates can instill issue knowledge; however, voters are less likely to learn about incumbent presidents seeking re-election after a…

  17. Towards a Global History of Voting: Sovereignty, the Diffusion of Ideas, and the Enchanted Individual

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Gilmartin

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This article suggests a framework for moving toward a global history of voting and democracy that focuses less on the diffusion of European ideas (however important those ideas were than on embedding the history of voting within a worldwide history of ideas on sovereignty. The article posits a general framework for such a history focusing on a “conundrum of sovereignty” grounding legitimate rule in a space imagined as simultaneously within and outside worldly society. Rooted in a “secular theology” such ideas shaped in the 19th and 20th centuries the establishment of systems of mass voting (including the secret ballot, and the sovereignty of the “people” both in Europe and other parts of the world alike, in the process producing an image of the individual voter as an “enchanted individual.” The article looks at developments within Europe and in India in these terms.1

  18. So Close But So Far: Voting Propensity and Party Choice for Left-�Wing Parties

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bochsler, Daniel; Sciarini, Pascal

    2010-01-01

    While the bulk of the literature focuses on the vote for parties from different blocs, the purpose of our article is to study the vote for two parties that are ideologically very close to each other: The Social Democrats and the Greens in Switzerland. To that end, we develop a two-step model, where...... voters first make a selection of parties that are acceptable to them and then make their electoral choice out of this set of acceptable al- ternatives. We use voting propensities as a measure of the first, consideration step and we show that they strongly depend on the distance between voters and parties...... on the Left–Right scale. With regard to the second, choice stage of the electoral process we hypothesize about the factors that may account for the varying ability of the two par- ties to convert potential voters into real voters. Our empirical tests provide encourag- ing support for our hypotheses regarding...

  19. Predicting the Compressive Strength of Concretes Made with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cases of collapsed buildings and structures are prevalent in Nigeria. In most of these cases the cause of the collapse could be traced to the strength of the construction materials, mainly concrete. Secondly, experimental determination of the strength of concrete materials used in buildings and structures is quite expensive ...

  20. Memberships, Voting, Social Trust, and Online Participation in Emerging Adulthood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menard, Lauren Ann; Slater, Robert O.

    2012-01-01

    American political and civic engagement was examined by life stage and educational attainment levels in 2008 political data. Engaged proportions of older Americans were larger than young Americans for Memberships, Voting, and Social Trust. A larger proportion of Young Adults (23%) than Older Adults (19%), however, was found for Online…

  1. A Logical Analysis of Quantum Voting Protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rad, Soroush Rafiee; Shirinkalam, Elahe; Smets, Sonja

    2017-12-01

    In this paper we provide a logical analysis of the Quantum Voting Protocol for Anonymous Surveying as developed by Horoshko and Kilin in (Phys. Lett. A 375, 1172-1175 2011). In particular we make use of the probabilistic logic of quantum programs as developed in (Int. J. Theor. Phys. 53, 3628-3647 2014) to provide a formal specification of the protocol and to derive its correctness. Our analysis is part of a wider program on the application of quantum logics to the formal verification of protocols in quantum communication and quantum computation.

  2. LOCAL POLITICAL DYNAMICS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION DIRECTLY CONDUCTED TO VOTE FOR DISTRICT HEADS (PILKADA IN BADUNG REGENCY IN 2005

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anak Agung Gede Oka Wisnumurti

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The general election directly conducted to vote for the regent and vice regent(Pemilihan Kepala Daerah, abbreviated to Pilkada by the people in Badung Regency in2005 was the first one. The people’s direct involvement in the local political life movedhighly dynamically. The struggle for power by various strengths affected variousdimensions of the people’s lives; therefore, it is interesting to investigate the localpolitical dynamics in the Pilkada directly conducted in Badung Regency in 2005 in theperspective of cultural studies. There are three problems formulated in this study. Theyare (1 what was the dynamics of the Pilkada directly conducted in Badung Regency in2005 like?; (2 how the relation of strengths affected the local political dynamics in thePilkada directly conducted in Badung Regency in 2005?; (3 what were the implicationsand meanings of the local political dynamics of the Pilkada directly conducted in BadungRegency in 2005?The results of the study show that fluctuative changes took place continuouslywith regard to the form and functions of societal structure. Culturally, the people’sideology changed from being mono centric into being multi centric. The relation ofstrengths became segmented into three main strengths forming a new formation ofstrength referred to as trisula. This led to an institutional configuration, differentiation ofpower and locality sedimentation, and provided meanings to competition and tolerance,emancipatory, political comodification, adaptive leadership and local democratic culturalstrengthening.

  3. A Geometrical-based Vertical Gain Correction for Signal Strength Prediction of Downtilted Base Station Antennas in Urban Areas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodriguez, Ignacio; Nguyen, Huan Cong; Sørensen, Troels Bundgaard

    2012-01-01

    -based extension to standard empirical path loss prediction models can give quite reasonable accuracy in predicting the signal strength from tilted base station antennas in small urban macro-cells. Our evaluation is based on measurements on several sectors in a 2.6 GHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular network......, with electrical antenna downtilt in the range from 0 to 10 degrees, as well as predictions based on ray-tracing and 3D building databases covering the measurement area. Although the calibrated ray-tracing predictions are highly accurate compared with the measured data, the combined LOS/NLOS COST-WI model...

  4. Ising percolation in a three-state majority vote model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balankin, Alexander S.; Martínez-Cruz, M. A.; Gayosso Martínez, Felipe; Mena, Baltasar; Tobon, Atalo; Patiño-Ortiz, Julián; Patiño-Ortiz, Miguel; Samayoa, Didier

    2017-02-01

    In this Letter, we introduce a three-state majority vote model in which each voter adopts a state of a majority of its active neighbors, if exist, but the voter becomes uncommitted if its active neighbors are in a tie, or all neighbors are the uncommitted. Numerical simulations were performed on square lattices of different linear size with periodic boundary conditions. Starting from a random distribution of active voters, the model leads to a stable non-consensus state in which three opinions coexist. We found that the "magnetization" of the non-consensus state and the concentration of uncommitted voters in it are governed by an initial composition of system and are independent of the lattice size. Furthermore, we found that a configuration of the stable non-consensus state undergoes a second order percolation transition at a critical concentration of voters holding the same opinion. Numerical simulations suggest that this transition belongs to the same universality class as the Ising percolation. These findings highlight the effect of an updating rule for a tie between voter neighbors on the critical behavior of models obeying the majority vote rule whenever a strict majority exists.

  5. Voting on the environment: Price or ideology? Evidence from Swiss referendums

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bornstein, Nicholas [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, ENAC - INTER - REME, BP St. 16, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Lanz, Bruno [Economics for the Environment Consultancy Ltd - EFTEC, 73-75 Mortimer Street, London, W1W 7SQ (United Kingdom)

    2008-10-15

    Studies on preferences for environmental quality usually posit that price and income explain most of the observed choices. Incorporating recent advances in the economics of non-selfish behavior into the traditional public choice approach, we argue that the willingness to contribute to public goods as well as social norms need to be taken into account when analyzing environmental voting outcomes. We study aggregate results of three ballot proposals in Switzerland put to vote in the year 2000 which foresaw different tax schemes on fossil energy. Our main results show that the aggregate level choice pattern is to be explained by income as well as structural attributes that make costs and benefits of the projects vary. More importantly, our results underline the importance of including variables pertaining to the notion of ideology, both in terms of statistical fit and obtaining unbiased estimates for price and income determinants. (author)

  6. Voting on the environment: Price or ideology? Evidence from Swiss referendums

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bornstein, Nicholas; Lanz, Bruno

    2008-01-01

    Studies on preferences for environmental quality usually posit that price and income explain most of the observed choices. Incorporating recent advances in the economics of non-selfish behavior into the traditional public choice approach, we argue that the willingness to contribute to public goods as well as social norms need to be taken into account when analyzing environmental voting outcomes. We study aggregate results of three ballot proposals in Switzerland put to vote in the year 2000 which foresaw different tax schemes on fossil energy. Our main results show that the aggregate level choice pattern is to be explained by income as well as structural attributes that make costs and benefits of the projects vary. More importantly, our results underline the importance of including variables pertaining to the notion of ideology, both in terms of statistical fit and obtaining unbiased estimates for price and income determinants. (author)

  7. 3D statistical shape models incorporating 3D random forest regression voting for robust CT liver segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norajitra, Tobias; Meinzer, Hans-Peter; Maier-Hein, Klaus H.

    2015-03-01

    During image segmentation, 3D Statistical Shape Models (SSM) usually conduct a limited search for target landmarks within one-dimensional search profiles perpendicular to the model surface. In addition, landmark appearance is modeled only locally based on linear profiles and weak learners, altogether leading to segmentation errors from landmark ambiguities and limited search coverage. We present a new method for 3D SSM segmentation based on 3D Random Forest Regression Voting. For each surface landmark, a Random Regression Forest is trained that learns a 3D spatial displacement function between the according reference landmark and a set of surrounding sample points, based on an infinite set of non-local randomized 3D Haar-like features. Landmark search is then conducted omni-directionally within 3D search spaces, where voxelwise forest predictions on landmark position contribute to a common voting map which reflects the overall position estimate. Segmentation experiments were conducted on a set of 45 CT volumes of the human liver, of which 40 images were randomly chosen for training and 5 for testing. Without parameter optimization, using a simple candidate selection and a single resolution approach, excellent results were achieved, while faster convergence and better concavity segmentation were observed, altogether underlining the potential of our approach in terms of increased robustness from distinct landmark detection and from better search coverage.

  8. Early Election Returns and the Voting Behavior of Adolescent Voters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Leon; And Others

    1971-01-01

    High school students participated in a field experiment that tested the effects of exposure to early election returns in a nonpartisan referendum. Students in the brighter classes changed their vote less frequently, but when they changed their preferences they showed a greater bandwagon effect. Students in the classes of lower academic achievement…

  9. "All in Favour, Say Aye!" Voting in Pupils' Collaborative Talk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Ruth

    2015-01-01

    This paper draws on the findings of an Economic and Social Research Council and British Telecom-funded project which explored the teaching of collaborative talk in the secondary English classroom. During the analysis of the video data collected, voting was observed as a strategy in pupils' collaborative decision-making. Converse to its democratic…

  10. Electoral campaigns and their effect on voting. A study of the 2003 presidential elections in Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orlando D’ADAMO

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to explore empirically the potential influence presidential electoral campaigns may exert on the process of voting decision making. Four dimensions of this problem are analysed: 1. the communicational resources of a campaign that result most effective, 2. if the voters perceive the differential media exposure received by each of the candidates, 3. in case they do, if that perception has an impact on the positive image of the candidates and 4. the capacity of campaigns to operate changes on the voting decision. The obtained data indicate that in the memory they build of campaigns, the subjects recognize the predominance of television messages, perceive the differential media exposure of candidates, that this perception does not necessarily mean they have a positive image of those who received more media exposure, and that they point out the potential of the campaign to change their initial voting decision.

  11. A combined neural network and mechanistic approach for the prediction of corrosion rate and yield strength of magnesium-rare earth alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Birbilis, N., E-mail: nick.birbilis@monash.ed [ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, Monash University (Australia); CAST Co-operative Research Centre, Monash University (Australia); Cavanaugh, M.K. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University (United States); Sudholz, A.D. [ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, Monash University (Australia); Zhu, S.M.; Easton, M.A. [CAST Co-operative Research Centre, Monash University (Australia); Gibson, M.A. [CSIRO Division of Process Science and Engineering (Australia)

    2011-01-15

    Research highlights: This study presents a body of corrosion data for a set of custom alloys and displays this in multivariable space. These alloys represent the next generation of Mg alloys for auto applications. The data is processed using an ANN model, which makes it possible to yield a single expression for prediction of corrosion rate (and strength) as a function of any input composition (of Ce, La or Nd between 0 and 6 wt.%). The relative influence of the various RE elements on corrosion is assessed, with the outcome that Nd additions can offer comparable strength with minimal rise in corrosion rate. The morphology and solute present in the eutectic region itself (as opposed to just the intermetallic presence) was shown - for the first time - to also be a key contributor to corrosion. The above approach sets the foundation for rational alloy design of alloys with corrosion performance in mind. - Abstract: Additions of Ce, La and Nd to Mg were made in binary, ternary and quaternary combinations up to {approx}6 wt.%. This provided a dataset that was used in developing a neural network model for predicting corrosion rate and yield strength. Whilst yield strength increased with RE additions, corrosion rates also systematically increased, however, this depended on the type of RE element added and the combination of elements added (along with differences in intermetallic morphology). This work is permits an understanding of Mg-RE alloy performance, and can be exploited in Mg alloy design for predictable combinations of strength and corrosion resistance.

  12. A combined neural network and mechanistic approach for the prediction of corrosion rate and yield strength of magnesium-rare earth alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birbilis, N.; Cavanaugh, M.K.; Sudholz, A.D.; Zhu, S.M.; Easton, M.A.; Gibson, M.A.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → This study presents a body of corrosion data for a set of custom alloys and displays this in multivariable space. These alloys represent the next generation of Mg alloys for auto applications. → The data is processed using an ANN model, which makes it possible to yield a single expression for prediction of corrosion rate (and strength) as a function of any input composition (of Ce, La or Nd between 0 and 6 wt.%). → The relative influence of the various RE elements on corrosion is assessed, with the outcome that Nd additions can offer comparable strength with minimal rise in corrosion rate. → The morphology and solute present in the eutectic region itself (as opposed to just the intermetallic presence) was shown - for the first time - to also be a key contributor to corrosion. → The above approach sets the foundation for rational alloy design of alloys with corrosion performance in mind. - Abstract: Additions of Ce, La and Nd to Mg were made in binary, ternary and quaternary combinations up to ∼6 wt.%. This provided a dataset that was used in developing a neural network model for predicting corrosion rate and yield strength. Whilst yield strength increased with RE additions, corrosion rates also systematically increased, however, this depended on the type of RE element added and the combination of elements added (along with differences in intermetallic morphology). This work is permits an understanding of Mg-RE alloy performance, and can be exploited in Mg alloy design for predictable combinations of strength and corrosion resistance.

  13. Using Anisotropic 3D Minkowski Functionals for Trabecular Bone Characterization and Biomechanical Strength Prediction in Proximal Femur Specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagarajan, Mahesh B.; De, Titas; Lochmüller, Eva-Maria; Eckstein, Felix; Wismüller, Axel

    2017-01-01

    The ability of Anisotropic Minkowski Functionals (AMFs) to capture local anisotropy while evaluating topological properties of the underlying gray-level structures has been previously demonstrated. We evaluate the ability of this approach to characterize local structure properties of trabecular bone micro-architecture in ex vivo proximal femur specimens, as visualized on multi-detector CT, for purposes of biomechanical bone strength prediction. To this end, volumetric AMFs were computed locally for each voxel of volumes of interest (VOI) extracted from the femoral head of 146 specimens. The local anisotropy captured by such AMFs was quantified using a fractional anisotropy measure; the magnitude and direction of anisotropy at every pixel was stored in histograms that served as a feature vectors that characterized the VOIs. A linear multi-regression analysis algorithm was used to predict the failure load (FL) from the feature sets; the predicted FL was compared to the true FL determined through biomechanical testing. The prediction performance was measured by the root mean square error (RMSE) for each feature set. The best prediction performance was obtained from the fractional anisotropy histogram of AMF Euler Characteristic (RMSE = 1.01 ± 0.13), which was significantly better than MDCT-derived mean BMD (RMSE = 1.12 ± 0.16, p<0.05). We conclude that such anisotropic Minkowski Functionals can capture valuable information regarding regional trabecular bone quality and contribute to improved bone strength prediction, which is important for improving the clinical assessment of osteoporotic fracture risk. PMID:29170581

  14. Voting to Ban Same-Sex Marriage: Interests, Values, and Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    McVeigh, Rory; Diaz, Maria-Elena D.

    2009-01-01

    From 2000 through 2008, initiatives proposing to ban same-sex marriage were on the ballot in 28 states. Although same-sex marriage opponents scored lopsided victories in most cases, voting outcomes varied substantially at the county level. This article examines sources of that variation and argues that opposition to same-sex marriage should be…

  15. 17 CFR 270.32a-2 - Exemption for initial period from vote of security holders on independent public accountant for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... from vote of security holders on independent public accountant for certain registered separate accounts... from vote of security holders on independent public accountant for certain registered separate accounts... 32(a) of the Act that selection of an independent public accountant shall have been submitted for...

  16. System-level protection and hardware Trojan detection using weighted voting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Hany A M; Alkabani, Yousra; Selim, Gamal M I

    2014-07-01

    The problem of hardware Trojans is becoming more serious especially with the widespread of fabless design houses and design reuse. Hardware Trojans can be embedded on chip during manufacturing or in third party intellectual property cores (IPs) during the design process. Recent research is performed to detect Trojans embedded at manufacturing time by comparing the suspected chip with a golden chip that is fully trusted. However, Trojan detection in third party IP cores is more challenging than other logic modules especially that there is no golden chip. This paper proposes a new methodology to detect/prevent hardware Trojans in third party IP cores. The method works by gradually building trust in suspected IP cores by comparing the outputs of different untrusted implementations of the same IP core. Simulation results show that our method achieves higher probability of Trojan detection over a naive implementation of simple voting on the output of different IP cores. In addition, experimental results show that the proposed method requires less hardware overhead when compared with a simple voting technique achieving the same degree of security.

  17. A closed-form solution to tensor voting: theory and applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tai-Pang; Yeung, Sai-Kit; Jia, Jiaya; Tang, Chi-Keung; Medioni, Gérard

    2012-08-01

    We prove a closed-form solution to tensor voting (CFTV): Given a point set in any dimensions, our closed-form solution provides an exact, continuous, and efficient algorithm for computing a structure-aware tensor that simultaneously achieves salient structure detection and outlier attenuation. Using CFTV, we prove the convergence of tensor voting on a Markov random field (MRF), thus termed as MRFTV, where the structure-aware tensor at each input site reaches a stationary state upon convergence in structure propagation. We then embed structure-aware tensor into expectation maximization (EM) for optimizing a single linear structure to achieve efficient and robust parameter estimation. Specifically, our EMTV algorithm optimizes both the tensor and fitting parameters and does not require random sampling consensus typically used in existing robust statistical techniques. We performed quantitative evaluation on its accuracy and robustness, showing that EMTV performs better than the original TV and other state-of-the-art techniques in fundamental matrix estimation for multiview stereo matching. The extensions of CFTV and EMTV for extracting multiple and nonlinear structures are underway.

  18. System-level protection and hardware Trojan detection using weighted voting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hany A.M. Amin

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The problem of hardware Trojans is becoming more serious especially with the widespread of fabless design houses and design reuse. Hardware Trojans can be embedded on chip during manufacturing or in third party intellectual property cores (IPs during the design process. Recent research is performed to detect Trojans embedded at manufacturing time by comparing the suspected chip with a golden chip that is fully trusted. However, Trojan detection in third party IP cores is more challenging than other logic modules especially that there is no golden chip. This paper proposes a new methodology to detect/prevent hardware Trojans in third party IP cores. The method works by gradually building trust in suspected IP cores by comparing the outputs of different untrusted implementations of the same IP core. Simulation results show that our method achieves higher probability of Trojan detection over a naive implementation of simple voting on the output of different IP cores. In addition, experimental results show that the proposed method requires less hardware overhead when compared with a simple voting technique achieving the same degree of security.

  19. Prediction Of Tensile And Shear Strength Of Friction Surfaced Tool Steel Deposit By Using Artificial Neural Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manzoor Hussain, M.; Pitchi Raju, V.; Kandasamy, J.; Govardhan, D.

    2018-04-01

    Friction surface treatment is well-established solid technology and is used for deposition, abrasion and corrosion protection coatings on rigid materials. This novel process has wide range of industrial applications, particularly in the field of reclamation and repair of damaged and worn engineering components. In this paper, we present the prediction of tensile and shear strength of friction surface treated tool steel using ANN for simulated results of friction surface treatment. This experiment was carried out to obtain tool steel coatings of low carbon steel parts by changing contribution process parameters essentially friction pressure, rotational speed and welding speed. The simulation is performed by a 33-factor design that takes into account the maximum and least limits of the experimental work performed with the 23-factor design. Neural network structures, such as the Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN), were used to predict tensile and shear strength of tool steel sediments caused by friction.

  20. Evidence for the influence of the mere-exposure effect on voting in the Eurovision Song Contest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diarmuid B. Verrier

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The mere exposure, or familiarity, effect is the tendency for people to feel more positive about stimuli to which they have previously been exposed. The Eurovision Song Contest is a two-stage event, in which some contestants in the final will be more familiar to viewers than others. Thus, viewers' voting is likely to be influenced by this effect. Previous work attempting to demonstrate this effect in this context has been unable to control for contestant quality. The current study, which used a novel procedure to analyse the way in which contestant countries distributed their points (a function of how viewers voted in those countries between 2008 and 2011, showed that contestants did better if they previously appeared in a semifinal that was seen by voters. This is evidence that the mere exposure effect, alongside previously studied factors such as cultural and geographical closeness, influences the way viewers vote in the Eurovision.

  1. Marijuana experiences, voting behaviors and early perspectives regarding marijuana legalization among college students from two states

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Megan A; Whitehill, Jennifer M; Quach, Vincent; Midamba, Nikita; Manskopf, Inga

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand college students’ 1) views and experiences regarding marijuana, 2) voting behaviors, and 3) early perceptions of the impact of legislation. PARTICIPANTS College students from Washington and Wisconsin were interviewed between May–September 2013 METHODS Participants completed phone interviews assessing marijuana attitudes, intentions, behaviors, voting behaviors or intentions, and perceptions of the impact of legislation. RESULTS A total of 283 participants completed the interview (83.7% retention rate): 56.8% were female, 57.2% were from Wisconsin, and 74.6% were Caucasian. Almost half of Washington participants (46.3%) indicated that they voted for marijuana legalization. Participants most commonly responded that the legislation did not change their attitudes towards marijuana, though some participants discussed perceived safety of the product because legislation passed. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate similarities in views and experiences among college students from states affected and unaffected by legalization; legalization may increase perceptions of safety. PMID:26182234

  2. Elections for representatives of the personnel – Join, get involved, vote!

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2017-01-01

    Every two years in September, the CERN Staff Association organises the elections of representatives of the personnel. The process of renewing the Staff Council consists of several stages: Information for members of the personnel (MPE and MPA1); call for applications and search for candidates in different electoral colleges; election of delegates via electronic voting; announcement of the results and establishing a new Staff Council. This process will follow a specific timetable: Call for applications from Monday, 11 September to Friday, 13 October at 5 p.m. Voting from Monday, 23 October at noon to Monday 13, November at 5 p.m. Publication of the election results in the Echo newsletter on Tuesdays 21 November and 5 December. Staff Association Assizes (for the outgoing Council and the new Council) on Monday, 27 and Tuesday, 28 November. First meeting of the new Staff Council and election of a new Executive Committee on Tuesday, 5 December. Informing the personnel (MPE and MPA) The Staff Association uses s...

  3. The Relationship between the Brexit Vote and Individual Predictors of Prejudice: Collective Narcissism, Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka; Guerra, Rita; Simão, Cláudia

    2017-01-01

    The Leave campaign in the U.K., which advocated exiting the European Union, emphasized anxiety over immigration and the need to take control of the U.K.'s borders. Citizens who expressed concerns about immigration to the U.K. were more likely to vote to leave. Two correlational studies examined the previously unexplored question of whether the Brexit vote and support for the outcome of the E.U. referendum were linked to individual predictors of prejudice toward foreigners: British collective narcissism (a belief in national greatness), right wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. The results converged to indicate that all three variables were independently related to the perceived threat of immigrants and, via this variable, to the Brexit vote and a support for the outcome of the E.U. referendum. These variables explained the variance in the perceived threat of immigrants and support for the Brexit vote over and above other previously examined predictors such as age, education, or ethnicity, as well as, national identification and national attachment. PMID:29230185

  4. The Relationship between the Brexit Vote and Individual Predictors of Prejudice: Collective Narcissism, Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Golec de Zavala

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The Leave campaign in the U.K., which advocated exiting the European Union, emphasized anxiety over immigration and the need to take control of the U.K.'s borders. Citizens who expressed concerns about immigration to the U.K. were more likely to vote to leave. Two correlational studies examined the previously unexplored question of whether the Brexit vote and support for the outcome of the E.U. referendum were linked to individual predictors of prejudice toward foreigners: British collective narcissism (a belief in national greatness, right wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. The results converged to indicate that all three variables were independently related to the perceived threat of immigrants and, via this variable, to the Brexit vote and a support for the outcome of the E.U. referendum. These variables explained the variance in the perceived threat of immigrants and support for the Brexit vote over and above other previously examined predictors such as age, education, or ethnicity, as well as, national identification and national attachment.

  5. Prediction of fracture strength in Al2O3/SiCp ceramic matrix nanocomposites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Zhang and D.L. Chen

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Based primarily on a recent publication [S.M. Choi, H. Awaji, Sci. Tech. Adv. Mater. 6 (2005 2–10.], where the dislocations around the nano-sized particles in the intra-granular type of ceramic matrix nanocomposites (CMNCs were modeled, dislocation activities in Al2O3/SiCp CMNCs were discussed in relation to the processing conditions. The dislocations around the nano-sized particles, caused by the thermal mismatch between the ceramic matrix and nano-sized particles, were assumed to hold out the effect of Orowan-like strengthening, although the conventional Owowan loops induced by the movement of dislocations were unlikely in the ceramic matrix at room temperature. A model involving the yield strength of metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs, where the Owowan strengthening effect was taken into consideration, was thus modified and extended to predict the fracture strength of the intra-granular type of CMNCs without and with annealing. On the basis of the characteristics of dislocations in the CMNCs, the load-bearing effect and Orowan-like strengthening were considered before annealing, while the load-bearing effect and enhanced dislocation density strengthening were taken into account after annealing. The model prediction was found to be in agreement with the experimental data of Al2O3/SiCp nanocomposites reported in the literature.

  6. Muscle Strength Is a Poor Screening Test for Predicting Lower Extremity Injuries in Professional Male Soccer Players: A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakken, Arnhild; Targett, Stephen; Bere, Tone; Eirale, Cristiano; Farooq, Abdulaziz; Mosler, Andrea B; Tol, Johannes L; Whiteley, Rod; Khan, Karim M; Bahr, Roald

    2018-03-01

    Lower extremity muscle strength tests are commonly used to screen for injury risk in professional soccer. However, there is limited evidence on the ability of such tests in predicting future injuries. To examine the association between hip and thigh muscle strength and the risk of lower extremity injuries in professional male soccer players. Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Professional male soccer players from 14 teams in Qatar underwent a comprehensive strength assessment at the beginning of the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons. Testing consisted of concentric and eccentric quadriceps and hamstring isokinetic peak torques, eccentric hip adduction and abduction forces, and bilateral isometric adductor force (squeeze test at 45°). Time-loss injuries and exposure in training and matches were registered prospectively by club medical staff throughout each season. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs. In total, 369 players completed all strength tests and had registered injury and exposure data. Of these, 206 players (55.8%) suffered 538 lower extremity injuries during the 2 seasons; acute muscle injuries were the most frequent. Of the 20 strength measures examined, greater quadriceps concentric peak torque at 300 deg/s (HR, 1.005 [95% CI, 1.00-1.01]; P = .037) was the only strength measure identified as significantly associated with a risk of lower extremity injuries in multivariate analysis. Greater quadriceps concentric peak torque at 60 deg/s (HR, 1.004 [95% CI, 1.00-1.01]; P = .026) was associated with the risk of overuse injuries, and greater bilateral adductor strength adjusted for body weight (HR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.57-0.97; P = .032) was associated with a lower risk for any knee injury. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated poor predictive ability of the significant strength variables (area under the curve, 0.45-0.56). There was a weak association with the risk of

  7. An analytical method to assess the damage and predict the residual strength of a ship in a shoal grounding accident scenario

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Bin

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a simplified analytical method used to predict the residual ultimate strength of a ship hull after a shoal grounding accident is proposed. Shoal grounding accidents always lead to severe denting, though not tearing, of the ship bottom structure, which may threaten the global hull girder resistance and result in even worse consequences, such as hull collapse. Here, the degree of damage of the bottom structure is predicted by a series of analytical methods based on the plastic-elastic deformation mechanism. The energy dissipation of a ship bottom structure is obtained from individual components to determine the sliding distance of the seabed obstruction. Then, a new approach to assess the residual strength of the damaged ship subjected to shoal grounding is proposed based on the improved Smith's method. This analytical method is verified by comparing the results of the proposed method and those generated by numerical simulation using the software ABAQUS. The proposed analytical method can be used to assess the safety of a ship with a double bottom during its design phase and predict the residual ultimate strength of a ship after a shoal grounding accident occurs.

  8. Personality and Self-regulation as Determinants of Rational Decision Making in a Political Voting Situation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana A. Indina

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The association of self-regulation and personality factors with rational decision making was investigated using an experimental model of political voting. The results revealed different sets of personality characteristics for rational and emotional voters. A self-regulation/personality typology of decision making was then constructed, and traits representing self-regulation, cognition, and personality were examined as predispositions toward rational decision making. As a result, specific connections among these variables were uncovered, through which the primary role of the conscious self-regulation system in the management of rational decision making in a political voting context was established.

  9. Relevant factors for the voting decision in the 2002 presidential election: An analysis of the ESEB (Brazilian Electoral Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Carreirão

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The article investigates some of the most relevant factors for the voting de- cision in the 2002 presidential election by testing some of the main hypotheses about electoral behaviour in the country by means of logistic regression analyses based on data from the ESEB (Brazilian Electoral Study, a post-electoral survey conducted on a national sample of voters. In the models, taken as a whole, politi- cal opinions did not have much weight in the voting decision. Furthermore, they are unable to “explain” a very large share of voters’ positioning on a left-right scale or on a scale of voters’ “party sentiments”. All these “political” variables taken as a whole, in turn, “explain” only part of the evaluations that voters make of the government’s performance. The analysis shows that Brazilian voters’ voting deci- sion seems rather varied, since some variables were shown to be relevant to “ex- plain” the vote for a candidate, but not for the others. The variables shown to be more frequent (for all four candidates analysed and with more considerable weight were: voters’ religion, their “party sentiments”, their positioning on a left-right scale, the evaluations made of the then current government (in actual fact impor- tant only for the vote for Serra, the government’s candidate and the candidates’ attributes (especially “reliability” and “preparedness/competence”.

  10. The dissent voting behaviour of central bankers: what do we really know?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Horváth, R.; Rusnák, M.; Šmídková, K.; Zápal, Jan

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 46, č. 4 (2014), s. 450-461 ISSN 0003-6846 Grant - others:UK(CZ) UNCE 204005/2012 Institutional support: PRVOUK-P23 Keywords : monetary policy * voting record * dissent Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.613, year: 2014

  11. The Political Economy of Clean Air Legislation. An Analysis of Voting in the U.S. Senate on Amendments to the 1990 Clean Air Act

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burkey, M.L.; Durden, G.C.

    1998-01-01

    Much research in political science and economics has attempted to explain voting patterns among members of legislative bodies. In this paper we extend the existing analysis in three ways. First, we address the subject of voting on air quality regulation by the U.S. Senate. A subject of great importance and significance, such votes have not previously been the focus of much empirical investigation. Second, we develop an arguably more correct and effective methodology for measuring and understanding the ideological preferences of individual Senators, as revealed by their voting patterns on 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. Third, we apply the minimum chi-square methodology for estimating the determinants of Senator voting patterns on the issue. In Section 2, the economic theory of regulation is elaborated as it is specifically related to 1990 senate voting on amendments to the Clean Air Act. In Section 3, we provide a brief literature review, focusing on the principal-agent model and how voting patterns are influenced by campaign contributions, constituent socio-economic characteristics, and individual legislator ideology. In Section 4 we present a very simple model of the principal-agent relationship which underlies legislative voting behavior. In this section (supplemented by information in an appendix) we introduce a new methodology for creating a proxy variable to represent legislator ideology, comparing the new method with those previously used. Section 5 provides a chronological background on clean air legislation, and Section 6 discusses the data and proxy variables used for the empirical estimations. Section 7 contains a presentation and evaluation of three empirical techniques, including one not previously used, the minimum chi-square method which, we argue, is both appropriate and easily interpretable. This claim is based upon the fact that the dependent variable, SCORE, is neither continuous nor dichotomous, but ordered and categorical, constructed

  12. Swiss underground L/ILW repository at Wellenberg: How to proceed following the negative vote of the Canton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kowalski, E.; Fritschi, M.

    1996-01-01

    In Switzerland, the process of implementing a low- and intermediate-level waste repository is entering a crucial phase. Progress has been made in the technical and partly also in the political field. After extended investigations, the site of Wellenberg in Canton Nidwalden was selected in June 1993, followed by the submission of an application for a general license to the Swiss Federal Government in June 1994. The general license is only the first step in a comprehensive licensing procedure which consists of federal, cantonal and community licenses. In addition to the > licenses, a special mining concession must be applied for to the Canton, since the repository is considered as a facility which may interfere with hypothetical future mining projects and this falls within the jurisdiction of the Canton. In Canton Nidwalden, the mining concession can only be granted by a vote of the population. The people of the siting community of Wolfenschiessen previously agreed to host the company responsible for constructing and operating the repository (Nuclear Waste Management Cooperative Wellenberg - GNW) by a 63 % affirmative vote. Equally, the necessary community zone planning has been adapted by a 70 % affirmative vote. Unfortunately, the decisive cantonal vote on 25th June 1995 regarding the mining concession was negative by 52.5 %. This created a politically difficult situation, especially with regard to the Federal Government which does not believe that a geologically suitable site should be rejected for political reasons. This paper briefly covers the results of the site selection procedure and the characteristics of the selected site of Wellenberg, as well as the procedure applied to enhance project acceptance. It analyses the reasons for the negative cantonal vote and describes the measures taken to cope with the new situation

  13. Isokinetic strength assessment offers limited predictive validity for detecting risk of future hamstring strain in sport: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Brady; Bourne, Matthew N; Pizzari, Tania

    2018-03-01

    To examine the value of isokinetic strength assessment for predicting risk of hamstring strain injury, and to direct future research into hamstring strain injuries. Systematic review. Database searches for Medline, CINAHL, Embase, AMED, AUSPORT, SPORTDiscus, PEDro and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2017. Manual reference checks, ahead-of-press and citation tracking. Prospective studies evaluating isokinetic hamstrings, quadriceps and hip extensor strength testing as a risk factor for occurrence of hamstring muscle strain. Independent search result screening. Risk of bias assessment by independent reviewers using Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Best evidence synthesis and meta-analyses of standardised mean difference (SMD). Twelve studies were included, capturing 508 hamstring strain injuries in 2912 athletes. Isokinetic knee flexor, knee extensor and hip extensor outputs were examined at angular velocities ranging 30-300°/s, concentric or eccentric, and relative (Nm/kg) or absolute (Nm) measures. Strength ratios ranged between 30°/s and 300°/s. Meta-analyses revealed a small, significant predictive effect for absolute (SMD=-0.16, P=0.04, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.01) and relative (SMD=-0.17, P=0.03, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.014) eccentric knee flexor strength (60°/s). No other testing speed or strength ratio showed statistical association. Best evidence synthesis found over half of all variables had moderate or strong evidence for no association with future hamstring injury. Despite an isolated finding for eccentric knee flexor strength at slow speeds, the role and application of isokinetic assessment for predicting hamstring strain risk should be reconsidered, particularly given costs and specialised training required. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  14. Actions speak louder: a look at congressional votes on human life issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shannon, D; Mazpule, D

    1991-01-01

    The decision to bring a new life into the world is the most important decision a caring person can make. Many fundamental factors must be considered like: housing, income, food, clothing, etc. The terms pro-choice and pro-life are used to describe both sides of the abortion debate, a debate that is of critical importance when making that decision about new life. While most members of Congress who are pro-choice also support social programs that make raising children easier; most members who are pro-life do not support such social justice programs. It seems paradoxical that someone claiming to be pro-life would then be anti-social justice. To be truly pro-life, a person must not only support a woman's right to choose, but must also support programs and policies that help parents to raise healthy, happy, and productive children. Yet it is the very people who claim to be pro-life that fight equally as hard against choice and against social justice. They fight legal abortion, but they also fight legislation that would make abortion less necessary. This article includes charts of the voting records of all members of the 101st Congress on legislation supported by 7 pro-choice or pro-child organizations. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). The CDF, LCCR, and LCV do not have positions on abortion rights. The voting record of the JustLife Educational Fund are also given. In comparing the voting records, those that supported PPFA at least 75% of the time were labeled pro-choice, those that supported PPFA less than 25% of the time were called anti-choice, and those that supported it 26-74% of the time were called mixed. Once this determination is made, a comparison of their voting records for the other organizations clearly confirm that those

  15. 16 CFR 802.64 - Acquisitions of voting securities by certain institutional investors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... institutional investors. 802.64 Section 802.64 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION RULES, REGULATIONS... § 802.64 Acquisitions of voting securities by certain institutional investors. (a) Institutional investor. For purposes of this section, the term institutional investor means any entity of the following...

  16. predicting the compressive strength of concretes made with granite

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-03-01

    Mar 1, 2013 ... computational model based on artificial neural networks for the determination of the compressive strength of concrete ... Strength being the most important property of con- ... to cut corners use low quality concrete materials in .... manner of operation of natural neurons in the human body. ... the output ai.

  17. 78 FR 49276 - Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation; Request for Nominations for Voting Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-13

    ... 25 members, who are Special Government Employees, and 5 ex-officio, non-voting members. Members and... committees; and therefore, extends particular encouragement to nominations for appropriately qualified female...

  18. Prediction of shear and tensile strength of the diffusion bonded AA5083 and AA7075 aluminium alloy using ANN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sagai Francis Britto, A.; Raj, R. Edwin; Mabel, M. Carolin

    2017-01-01

    Diffusion bonding is a pressure welding technique to establish bonds by inter diffusion of atoms. Bonding characteristics were generated by varying the significant process conditions such as the bonding temperature, the pressing load and the duration of pressure while bonding the aluminium alloys AA5083 and AA7075. Deriving analytical correlation with the process variables to weld strength is quite involved due to the non-linear dependency of the process variables with the mechanical strength of the joints. An arbitrary function approximation mechanism, the artificial neural network (ANN) is therefore employed to develop the models for predicting the mechanical properties of the bonded joints. Back propagation technique, which alters the network weights to minimize the mean square error was used to develop the ANN models. The models were tested, validated and found to be satisfactory with good prediction accuracy.

  19. Prediction of shear and tensile strength of the diffusion bonded AA5083 and AA7075 aluminium alloy using ANN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sagai Francis Britto, A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, St.Xavier' s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil 629003,Tamil Nadu (India); Raj, R. Edwin, E-mail: redwinraj@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, St.Xavier' s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil 629003,Tamil Nadu (India); Mabel, M. Carolin [Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, St.Xavier' s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil 629003,Tamil Nadu (India)

    2017-04-24

    Diffusion bonding is a pressure welding technique to establish bonds by inter diffusion of atoms. Bonding characteristics were generated by varying the significant process conditions such as the bonding temperature, the pressing load and the duration of pressure while bonding the aluminium alloys AA5083 and AA7075. Deriving analytical correlation with the process variables to weld strength is quite involved due to the non-linear dependency of the process variables with the mechanical strength of the joints. An arbitrary function approximation mechanism, the artificial neural network (ANN) is therefore employed to develop the models for predicting the mechanical properties of the bonded joints. Back propagation technique, which alters the network weights to minimize the mean square error was used to develop the ANN models. The models were tested, validated and found to be satisfactory with good prediction accuracy.

  20. Voting Behaviour in the 2009 South African Election Wählerverhalten bei den südafrikanischen Wahlen von 2009

    OpenAIRE

    Norbert Kersting

    2009-01-01

    This article analyses voting behaviour in the South African election of 2009 and draws conclusions regarding the significance of party affiliation and issue-based voting in South Africa. It demonstrates the low level of voter registration and voter turnout. In the 2009 election the Independent Electoral Commission had problems with electoral management for the first time; however, it was able to prevent electoral violence. During the campaign the newly founded COPE focused on institutional re...

  1. A Maximum Muscle Strength Prediction Formula Using Theoretical Grade 3 Muscle Strength Value in Daniels et al.’s Manual Muscle Test, in Consideration of Age: An Investigation of Hip and Knee Joint Flexion and Extension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hideyuki Usa

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study attempted to develop a formula for predicting maximum muscle strength value for young, middle-aged, and elderly adults using theoretical Grade 3 muscle strength value (moment fair: Mf—the static muscular moment to support a limb segment against gravity—from the manual muscle test by Daniels et al. A total of 130 healthy Japanese individuals divided by age group performed isometric muscle contractions at maximum effort for various movements of hip joint flexion and extension and knee joint flexion and extension, and the accompanying resisting force was measured and maximum muscle strength value (moment max, Mm was calculated. Body weight and limb segment length (thigh and lower leg length were measured, and Mf was calculated using anthropometric measures and theoretical calculation. There was a linear correlation between Mf and Mm in each of the four movement types in all groups, excepting knee flexion in elderly. However, the formula for predicting maximum muscle strength was not sufficiently compatible in middle-aged and elderly adults, suggesting that the formula obtained in this study is applicable in young adults only.

  2. Response Scales in Voting Advice Applications : Do Different Designs Produce Different Outcomes?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosema, M.; Louwerse, T.

    2016-01-01

    Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) represent popular election campaign tools in many countries, enabling voters to discover which party or candidate provides the best match with their political preferences. This article examines the effects of design choices on these tools by focusing on the response

  3. Response Scales in Voting Advice Applications: Do Different Designs Produce Different Outcomes?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosema, Martin; Louwerse, Tom

    2016-01-01

    Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) represent popular election campaign tools in many countries, enabling voters to discover which party or candidate provides the best match with their political preferences. This article examines the effects of design choices on these tools by focusing on the response

  4. The effects of social media on political party perception and voting behavior

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riezebos, Peter; de Vries, Sjoerd A.; de Vries, Pieter Walter; de Zeeuw, Erik

    2011-01-01

    This study sought to determine to what extent social media influences political party perception (PPP) and political voting behavior. Based on literature a conceptual model was developed which measures political interest, political trust, religion and the use of social media and their effects on PPP

  5. Is the U.S. Fed voting record informative about future monetary policy?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Horváth, R.; Šmídková, K.; Zápal, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 62, č. 6 (2012), s. 478-484 ISSN 0015-1920 Institutional support: PRVOUK-P23 Keywords : monetary policy * voting record * transparency Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.340, year: 2012 http://journal.fsv.cuni.cz/storage/1259_478-484_---horvath.pdf

  6. 47 CFR 27.55 - Power strength limits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... following bands, the predicted or measured median field strength at any location on the geographical border... predicted or measured median field strength at any location on the geographical border of a licensee's... antenna mounting structure. (c) Power flux density limit for stations operating in the 746-757 MHz, 758...

  7. Prediction of zeolite-cement-sand unconfined compressive strength using polynomial neural network

    Science.gov (United States)

    MolaAbasi, H.; Shooshpasha, I.

    2016-04-01

    The improvement of local soils with cement and zeolite can provide great benefits, including strengthening slopes in slope stability problems, stabilizing problematic soils and preventing soil liquefaction. Recently, dosage methodologies are being developed for improved soils based on a rational criterion as it exists in concrete technology. There are numerous earlier studies showing the possibility of relating Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and Cemented sand (CS) parameters (voids/cement ratio) as a power function fits. Taking into account the fact that the existing equations are incapable of estimating UCS for zeolite cemented sand mixture (ZCS) well, artificial intelligence methods are used for forecasting them. Polynomial-type neural network is applied to estimate the UCS from more simply determined index properties such as zeolite and cement content, porosity as well as curing time. In order to assess the merits of the proposed approach, a total number of 216 unconfined compressive tests have been done. A comparison is carried out between the experimentally measured UCS with the predictions in order to evaluate the performance of the current method. The results demonstrate that generalized polynomial-type neural network has a great ability for prediction of the UCS. At the end sensitivity analysis of the polynomial model is applied to study the influence of input parameters on model output. The sensitivity analysis reveals that cement and zeolite content have significant influence on predicting UCS.

  8. The healthy Nordic diet predicts muscle strength 10 years later in old women, but not old men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perälä, Mia-Maria; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B; Männistö, Satu; Salonen, Minna K; Simonen, Mika; Kanerva, Noora; Rantanen, Taina; Pohjolainen, Pertti; Eriksson, Johan G

    2017-07-01

    a number of nutrients have been found to be associated with better muscle strength and mass; however, the role of the whole diet on muscle strength and mass remains still unknown. to examine whether the healthy Nordic diet predicts muscle strength, and mass 10 years later among men and women. about 1,072 participants belong to the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, born 1934-44. Diet was assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire during 2001-04. The Nordic diet score (NDS) was calculated. The score included Nordic fruits, vegetables, cereals, ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids, low-fat milk, fish, red meat, total fat and alcohol. Higher scores indicated better adherence to the healthy Nordic diet. Hand grip strength, leg strength (knee extension) and muscle mass were measured during the follow-up, between 2011 and 2013. in women, each 1-unit increase in the NDS was related to 1.83 N greater leg strength (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14-3.51; P = 0.034), and 1.44 N greater hand grip strength (95% CI: 0.04-2.84; P = 0.044). Women in the highest quartile of the NDS had on average 20.0 N greater knee extension results, and 14.2 N greater hand grip results than those in the lowest quartile. No such associations were observed among men. The NDS was not significantly related to muscle mass either in men or women. adherence to the healthy Nordic diet seems to protect from weaker muscle strength in old women. Therefore, the healthy Nordic diet may help to prevent disability. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  9. 75 FR 57807 - Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation; Request for Nominations for Voting Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-22

    ... consists of up to 25 members, who are Special Government Employees, and 5 ex-officio, non-voting members... for appropriately qualified female, minority, or disabled candidates. Dated: September 15, 2010...

  10. A molecular-mechanics based finite element model for strength prediction of single wall carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meo, M.; Rossi, M.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this work was to develop a finite element model based on molecular mechanics to predict the ultimate strength and strain of single wallet carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). The interactions between atoms was modelled by combining the use of non-linear elastic and torsional elastic spring. In particular, with this approach, it was tried to combine the molecular mechanics approach with finite element method without providing any not-physical data on the interactions between the carbon atoms, i.e. the CC-bond inertia moment or Young's modulus definition. Mechanical properties as Young's modulus, ultimate strength and strain for several CNTs were calculated. Further, a stress-strain curve for large deformation (up to 70%) is reported for a nanotube Zig-Zag (9,0). The results showed that good agreement with the experimental and numerical results of several authors was obtained. A comparison of the mechanical properties of nanotubes with same diameter and different chirality was carried out. Finally, the influence of the presence of defects on the strength and strain of a SWNT was also evaluated. In particular, the stress-strain curve a nanotube with one-vacancy defect was evaluated and compared with the curve of a pristine one, showing a reduction of the ultimate strength and strain for the defected nanotube. The FE model proposed demonstrate to be a reliable tool to simulate mechanical behaviour of carbon nanotubes both in the linear elastic field and the non-linear elastic field

  11. Commentary on Fiester's "Ill-placed democracy: ethics consultations and the moral status of voting".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubler, Nancy Neveloff

    2011-01-01

    Autumn Fiester identifies an important element in clinical ethics consultation (CEC) that she labels, from the Greek, aporia, "state of perplexity," evidenced in CEC as ethical ambiguity. Fiester argues that the inherent difficulties of cases so characterized render them inappropriate for voting and more amenable to mediation and the search for consensus. This commentary supports Fiester's analysis and adds additional reasons for rejecting voting as a process for resolving disputes in CEC including: it distorts the analysis by empowering individual voters preferences and biases rather than focusing on the interests and wishes of the patient and family; it offers an insufficiently sensitive model for resolving the awesome, nuanced, conflicted, and ethically complex issues surrounding life and death; it marginalizes minority opinions that may have moral validity.

  12. Habit strength is predicted by activity dynamics in goal-directed brain systems during training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwosta, Katharina; Ruge, Hannes; Goschke, Thomas; Wolfensteller, Uta

    2018-01-15

    Previous neuroscientific research revealed insights into the brain networks supporting goal-directed and habitual behavior, respectively. However, it remains unclear how these contribute to inter-individual differences in habit strength which is relevant for understanding not only normal behavior but also more severe dysregulations between these types of action control, such as in addiction. In the present fMRI study, we trained subjects on approach and avoidance behavior for an extended period of time before testing the habit strength of the acquired stimulus-response associations. We found that stronger habits were associated with a stronger decrease in inferior parietal lobule activity for approach and avoidance behavior and weaker vmPFC activity at the end of training for avoidance behavior, areas associated with the anticipation of outcome identity and value. VmPFC in particular showed markedly different activity dynamics during the training of approach and avoidance behavior. Furthermore, while ongoing training was accompanied by increasing functional connectivity between posterior putamen and premotor cortex, consistent with previous assumptions about the neural basis of increasing habitualization, this was not predictive of later habit strength. Together, our findings suggest that inter-individual differences in habitual behavior are driven by differences in the persistent involvement of brain areas supporting goal-directed behavior during training. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. "I Never Thought about It": Teaching People with Intellectual Disability to Vote

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agran, Martin; MacLean, William; Andren, Katherine Anne Kitchen

    2015-01-01

    Despite an increasing commitment in promoting the full inclusion of people with intellectual disability in their communities, it appears that few adults with intellectual disability participate in elections as registered voters. We surveyed a variety of stakeholders about voting by people with intellectual disability using quantitative and…

  14. 75 FR 27743 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-18

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... previously submitted by New Mexico. DATES: This notice is effective upon publication in the Federal Register... 27744

  15. For Many Students, Electoral Enthusiasm Runs up against Barriers to Voting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipka, Sara

    2008-01-01

    Stories of transient students missing deadlines or being misled about their voting rights are nothing new. But this year, the role younger voters played in Barack Obama's win in Iowa's Democratic presidential primary seems to have motivated a wave of college students in other states. Some of those students--and the campaigns courting them--are out…

  16. Student Elections Online: Dickinson College Uses Technology To Get Out the Vote.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dempsey, Paul

    2000-01-01

    Recently, Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, used the World Wide Web to combat student apathy and encourage students to participate in elections. This article explains: the pros and cons of online voting; planning for online elections; preparing the ballots; specific techniques for conducting online elections; HTML forms and common gateway interface…

  17. High School Community Service as a Predictor of Adult Voting and Volunteering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Daniel; Donnelly, Thomas M.; Youniss, James; Atkins, Robert

    2007-01-01

    The influences of high school community service participation, extracurricular involvement, and civic knowledge on voting and volunteering in early adulthood were examined using the National Educational Longitudinal Study. The major finding in this study is that both voluntary and school-required community service in high school were strong…

  18. Gerrymandering or geography? How Democrats won the popular vote but lost the Congress in 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas Goedert

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article assesses whether the antimajoritarian outcome in the 2012 US congressional elections was due more to deliberate partisan gerrymandering or asymmetric geographic distribution of partisans. The article first estimates an expected seats–votes slope by fitting past election results to a probit curve, and then measures how well parties performed in 2012 compared to this expectation in each state under various redistricting institutions. I find that while both parties exceeded expectations when controlling the redistricting process, a persistent pro-Republican bias is also present even when maps are drawn by courts or bipartisan agreement. This persistent bias is a greater factor in the nationwide disparity between seats and votes than intentional gerrymandering.

  19. Prediction on dielectric strength and boiling point of gaseous molecules for replacement of SF6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiaojuan; Hou, Hua; Wang, Baoshan

    2017-04-15

    Developing the environment-friendly insulation gases to replace sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) has attracted considerable experimental and theoretical attentions but without success. A computational methodology was presented herein for prediction on dielectric strength and boiling point of arbitrary gaseous molecules in the purpose of molecular design and screening. New structure-activity relationship (SAR) models have been established by combining the density-dependent properties of the electrostatic potential surface, including surface area and the statistical variance of the surface potentials, with the molecular properties including polarizability, electronegativity, and hardness. All the descriptors in the SAR models were calculated using density functional theory. The substitution effect of SF 6 by various functional groups was studied systematically. It was found that CF 3 is the most effective functional group to improve the dielectric strength due to the large surface area and polarizability. However, all the substitutes exhibit higher boiling points than SF 6 because the molecular hardness decreases. The balance between E r and T b could be achieved by minimizing the local polarity of the molecules. SF 5 CN and SF 5 CFO were found to be the potent candidates to replace SF 6 in view of their large dielectric strengths and low boiling points. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Conditions of vacuous voting in the boardroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darlene M. Andert

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The issue of U.S. corporate governance has been approached as a management structure without regard for the non-hierarchical oversight qualities that are embedded in the legal foundation of its birth. This paper reviews the: (1 U.S. federal Model Business Corporation that unifies the individual state corporate enabling statutes; and (2 The Delaware General Corporation Law that applies to over half of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and posits the structure of U.S. corporate governance is nonhierarchical, though practiced hierarchically. Further, it is not always the full board that creates board action, and asymmetrical communication and asymmetrical member action create the conditions for vacuous voting.

  1. 76 FR 1559 - Guidelines for the Use of Electronic Voting Systems in Union Officer Elections

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-11

    ... Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and the Department of Defense's Business Transformation Agency....regulations.gov , and during normal business hours at the above address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

  2. Thermal comfort in residential buildings - Failure to predict by Standard model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Becker, R. [Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Rabin Building, Technion City, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Paciuk, M. [National Building Research Institute, Technion - IIT, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

    2009-05-15

    A field study, conducted in 189 dwellings in winter and 205 dwellings in summer, included measurement of hygro-thermal conditions and documentation of occupant responses and behavior patterns. Both samples included both passive and actively space-conditioned dwellings. Predicted mean votes (PMV) computed using Fanger's model yielded significantly lower-than-reported thermal sensation (TS) values, especially for the winter heated and summer air-conditioned groups. The basic model assumption of a proportional relationship between thermal response and thermal load proved to be inadequate, with actual thermal comfort achieved at substantially lower loads than predicted. Survey results also refuted the model's second assumption that symmetrical responses in the negative and positive directions of the scale represent similar comfort levels. Results showed that the model's curve of predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) substantially overestimated the actual percentage of dissatisfied within the partial group of respondents who voted TS > 0 in winter as well as within the partial group of respondents who voted TS < 0 in summer. Analyses of sensitivity to possible survey-related inaccuracy factors (metabolic rate, clothing thermal resistance) did not explain the systematic discrepancies. These discrepancies highlight the role of contextual variables (local climate, expectations, available control) in thermal adaptation in actual settings. Collected data was analyzed statistically to establish baseline data for local standardized thermal and energy calculations. A 90% satisfaction criterion yielded 19.5 C and 26 C as limit values for passive winter and summer design conditions, respectively, while during active conditioning periods, set-point temperatures of 21.5 C and 23 C should be assumed for winter and summer, respectively. (author)

  3. Does muscle strength predict future musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Faber, A; Sell, L; Hansen, J V

    2012-01-01

    High muscle strength is considered relevant for preventing musculoskeletal disorders and long-term sickness absence. However, prospective studies on the association between muscle strength and future musculoskeletal disorders and long-term sickness absence are few and show contrasting results....

  4. Mesh Denoising based on Normal Voting Tensor and Binary Optimization

    OpenAIRE

    Yadav, S. K.; Reitebuch, U.; Polthier, K.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a tensor multiplication based smoothing algorithm that follows a two step denoising method. Unlike other traditional averaging approaches, our approach uses an element based normal voting tensor to compute smooth surfaces. By introducing a binary optimization on the proposed tensor together with a local binary neighborhood concept, our algorithm better retains sharp features and produces smoother umbilical regions than previous approaches. On top of that, we provide a stoc...

  5. EU issue voting: asset or liability? How European integration affects parties' electoral fortunes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, C.E.

    2010-01-01

    This study develops and tests arguments about how political parties’ electoral fortunes in national elections are influenced by voters’ preferences regarding the European Union (EU). To date, there is increasing evidence demonstrating the impact of EU issues on vote choice in national elections — a

  6. INCORPORATING MCDS AND VOTING INTO SWOT – BASIC IDEA AND EXPERIENCES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jyrki Kangas

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The idea in using Multiple Criteria Decision Support (MCDS and voting methods within a SWOT framework is to evaluate systematically the SWOT factors, and to assess them with respect to their priorities. The MCDS method applied initially, and most often, with SWOT has been the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, and the hybrid AHP-SWOT approach has been called the A’WOT. Any MCDS method can, however, be applied; the choice of the method depending on the strategy process in question. In this article, experiences of using the A’WOT method with AHP, SMART and SMAA-O techniques is summarized. In addition, an illustrative example of making use of social choice theory within SWOT framework is presented. The hybrid MCDS-SWOT approach has gained growing popularity, and it has been applied in different fields world-widely. It may provide not only a solid decision support but also an effective framework for learning in strategic decision support, as well as for communication in strategy processes with multiple stakeholders. The Voting-SWOT approach (VotSWOT fits especially well with participatory strategy processes, as it reflects decision makers’ and stakeholders’ natural ways of communication.

  7. Relationship between the edgewise compression strength of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The results of this study were used to determine the linear regression constants in the Maltenfort model by correlating the measured board edgewise compression strength (ECT) with the predicted strength, using the paper components' compression strengths, measured with the short-span compression test (SCT) and the ...

  8. The Vote of the Mexican Immigrants. An Analysis of the Results of the 2006 Presidential Election, to the light of political behavior theories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mgt. Octavio Adolfo Pérez Preciado

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The 2 of July of the 2006, the Mexican residents abroad could for the first time voted in a presidential election. According to the results given by the electoral federal institute (IFE, Felipe Calderon, candidate by the National Action Party (PAN of right oriented, was the one that obtained the majority of these suffrages, followed by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, candidate of the “alliance for the good of the people,” of leftist orientation. These was the most competitive election ever take place in Mexico. In the essay, electoral results of this election are analyzed to the light of different theories about the voting behavior of the emigrants. We concludes the vote of the Mexicans abroad reproduces and reflects so much the way in which the emigrants in their native place vote, as well as the political and cultural influence that exerts the conduct of the voter the political and electoral system of the new country of residence.

  9. Voting suffrage and the political budget cycle: Evidence from the London Metropolitan Boroughs 1902-1937.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aidt, Toke S; Mooney, Graham

    2014-04-01

    We study the opportunistic political budget cycle in the London Metropolitan Boroughs between 1902 and 1937 under two different suffrage regimes: taxpayer suffrage (1902-1914) and universal suffrage (1921-1937). We argue and find supporting evidence that the political budget cycle operates differently under the two types of suffrage. Taxpayer suffrage, where the right to vote and the obligation to pay local taxes are linked, encourages demands for retrenchment and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year tax cuts and savings on administration costs. Universal suffrage, where all adult residents can vote irrespective of their taxpayer status, creates demands for productive public services and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year hikes in capital spending and a reduction in current spending.

  10. A voting-based statistical cylinder detection framework applied to fallen tree mapping in terrestrial laser scanning point clouds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polewski, Przemyslaw; Yao, Wei; Heurich, Marco; Krzystek, Peter; Stilla, Uwe

    2017-07-01

    This paper introduces a statistical framework for detecting cylindrical shapes in dense point clouds. We target the application of mapping fallen trees in datasets obtained through terrestrial laser scanning. This is a challenging task due to the presence of ground vegetation, standing trees, DTM artifacts, as well as the fragmentation of dead trees into non-collinear segments. Our method shares the concept of voting in parameter space with the generalized Hough transform, however two of its significant drawbacks are improved upon. First, the need to generate samples on the shape's surface is eliminated. Instead, pairs of nearby input points lying on the surface cast a vote for the cylinder's parameters based on the intrinsic geometric properties of cylindrical shapes. Second, no discretization of the parameter space is required: the voting is carried out in continuous space by means of constructing a kernel density estimator and obtaining its local maxima, using automatic, data-driven kernel bandwidth selection. Furthermore, we show how the detected cylindrical primitives can be efficiently merged to obtain object-level (entire tree) semantic information using graph-cut segmentation and a tailored dynamic algorithm for eliminating cylinder redundancy. Experiments were performed on 3 plots from the Bavarian Forest National Park, with ground truth obtained through visual inspection of the point clouds. It was found that relative to sample consensus (SAC) cylinder fitting, the proposed voting framework can improve the detection completeness by up to 10 percentage points while maintaining the correctness rate.

  11. Ising percolation in a three-state majority vote model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balankin, Alexander S., E-mail: abalankin@ipn.mx [Grupo Mecánica Fractal, ESIME, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., 07738 (Mexico); Martínez-Cruz, M.A.; Gayosso Martínez, Felipe [Grupo Mecánica Fractal, ESIME, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., 07738 (Mexico); Mena, Baltasar [Laboratorio de Ingeniería y Procesos Costeros, Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sisal, Yucatán, 97355 (Mexico); Tobon, Atalo; Patiño-Ortiz, Julián; Patiño-Ortiz, Miguel; Samayoa, Didier [Grupo Mecánica Fractal, ESIME, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., 07738 (Mexico)

    2017-02-05

    Highlights: • Three-state non-consensus majority voter model is introduced. • Phase transition in the absorbing state non-consensus is revealed. • The percolation transition belongs to the universality class of Ising percolation. • The effect of an updating rule for a tie between voter neighbors is highlighted. - Abstract: In this Letter, we introduce a three-state majority vote model in which each voter adopts a state of a majority of its active neighbors, if exist, but the voter becomes uncommitted if its active neighbors are in a tie, or all neighbors are the uncommitted. Numerical simulations were performed on square lattices of different linear size with periodic boundary conditions. Starting from a random distribution of active voters, the model leads to a stable non-consensus state in which three opinions coexist. We found that the “magnetization” of the non-consensus state and the concentration of uncommitted voters in it are governed by an initial composition of system and are independent of the lattice size. Furthermore, we found that a configuration of the stable non-consensus state undergoes a second order percolation transition at a critical concentration of voters holding the same opinion. Numerical simulations suggest that this transition belongs to the same universality class as the Ising percolation. These findings highlight the effect of an updating rule for a tie between voter neighbors on the critical behavior of models obeying the majority vote rule whenever a strict majority exists.

  12. Ising percolation in a three-state majority vote model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balankin, Alexander S.; Martínez-Cruz, M.A.; Gayosso Martínez, Felipe; Mena, Baltasar; Tobon, Atalo; Patiño-Ortiz, Julián; Patiño-Ortiz, Miguel; Samayoa, Didier

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Three-state non-consensus majority voter model is introduced. • Phase transition in the absorbing state non-consensus is revealed. • The percolation transition belongs to the universality class of Ising percolation. • The effect of an updating rule for a tie between voter neighbors is highlighted. - Abstract: In this Letter, we introduce a three-state majority vote model in which each voter adopts a state of a majority of its active neighbors, if exist, but the voter becomes uncommitted if its active neighbors are in a tie, or all neighbors are the uncommitted. Numerical simulations were performed on square lattices of different linear size with periodic boundary conditions. Starting from a random distribution of active voters, the model leads to a stable non-consensus state in which three opinions coexist. We found that the “magnetization” of the non-consensus state and the concentration of uncommitted voters in it are governed by an initial composition of system and are independent of the lattice size. Furthermore, we found that a configuration of the stable non-consensus state undergoes a second order percolation transition at a critical concentration of voters holding the same opinion. Numerical simulations suggest that this transition belongs to the same universality class as the Ising percolation. These findings highlight the effect of an updating rule for a tie between voter neighbors on the critical behavior of models obeying the majority vote rule whenever a strict majority exists.

  13. Case studies of extended model-based flood forecasting: prediction of dike strength and flood impacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuparu, Dana; Bachmann, Daniel; Bogaard, Tom; Twigt, Daniel; Verkade, Jan; de Bruijn, Karin; de Leeuw, Annemargreet

    2017-04-01

    Flood forecasts, warning and emergency response are important components in flood risk management. Most flood forecasting systems use models to translate weather predictions to forecasted discharges or water levels. However, this information is often not sufficient for real time decisions. A sound understanding of the reliability of embankments and flood dynamics is needed to react timely and reduce the negative effects of the flood. Where are the weak points in the dike system? When, how much and where the water will flow? When and where is the greatest impact expected? Model-based flood impact forecasting tries to answer these questions by adding new dimensions to the existing forecasting systems by providing forecasted information about: (a) the dike strength during the event (reliability), (b) the flood extent in case of an overflow or a dike failure (flood spread) and (c) the assets at risk (impacts). This work presents three study-cases in which such a set-up is applied. Special features are highlighted. Forecasting of dike strength. The first study-case focusses on the forecast of dike strength in the Netherlands for the river Rhine branches Waal, Nederrijn and IJssel. A so-called reliability transformation is used to translate the predicted water levels at selected dike sections into failure probabilities during a flood event. The reliability of a dike section is defined by fragility curves - a summary of the dike strength conditional to the water level. The reliability information enhances the emergency management and inspections of embankments. Ensemble forecasting. The second study-case shows the setup of a flood impact forecasting system in Dumfries, Scotland. The existing forecasting system is extended with a 2D flood spreading model in combination with the Delft-FIAT impact model. Ensemble forecasts are used to make use of the uncertainty in the precipitation forecasts, which is useful to quantify the certainty of a forecasted flood event. From global

  14. Biases in the effects of family background characteristics on voting preference: The Dutch case

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, J. de; Graaf, N.D. de; Eisinga, R.N.

    2009-01-01

    This article examines whether intergenerational transmission of party preference is biased by retrospective and other-report measurement of family background characteristics [In our model the dependent variable is voting preference, while one of our explanatory variables is father's party

  15. The Effectiveness of Campaign Messages on Turnout and Vote Choice

    OpenAIRE

    Friedel, Sylvia

    2013-01-01

    In this dissertation, I study campaign effects on turnout and vote choice. I analyze different campaign messages and the way they affect voters across various situations. First, through an online survey experiment, I study the impact of campaign messages and ideological cues on voters as they make inferences on candidates. Next, through a field experiment, I test whether microtargeted messages or general messages on the economy have any effect on turnout. Lastly, using online survey data, I e...

  16. The Relationship between the Brexit Vote and Individual Predictors of Prejudice: Collective Narcissism, Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation

    OpenAIRE

    Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka; Guerra, Rita; Simão, Cláudia

    2017-01-01

    The Leave campaign in the U.K., which advocated exiting the European Union, emphasized anxiety over immigration and the need to take control of the U.K.'s borders. Citizens who expressed concerns about immigration to the U.K. were more likely to vote to leave. Two correlational studies examined the previously unexplored question of whether the Brexit vote and support for the outcome of the E.U. referendum were linked to individual predictors of prejudice toward foreigners: British collective ...

  17. The Election System of the Swiss Confederation: Counting of Votes and Establishment of Election Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magdalena A. Tarnavskaya

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the following article the author covers the process of counting the votes and the disclosure rules of establishment the election results in the Swiss Confederation. Switzerland along with other EU member states pays special attention to the determination of the election results. According to Art. 149 para. 2 Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation the elections to the National Council, which is one of two chambers of the Federal Assembly, are held according to proportional representation system. The Hagenbach-Bischoff system is used for allocating seats in National Council of the Swiss Con federation. However the above mentioned system for determining the quota of votes per each mandate creates ambiguous opinions among Swiss scientists and legal experts, which frequently comes up in discussions whether to modify it or not. In this article, the author also gives a brief description of the main political parties in Switzerland and statistics of seats allocation in 49 legislature of National Council following the elections of October 23, 2011. As a result, the author provides the full information on the process of votes counting and establishment of election results in the Swiss Confederation. The material presented in this article is particularly interesting and relevant in terms of improving the electoral legislation in the Russian Federation. The information presented by the author will be useful to all parties interested in electoral law.

  18. Biases in the effects of family background characteristics on voting preference : The Dutch case

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, J.; de Graaf, Nan Dirk; Eisinga, R.

    This article examines whether intergenerational transmission of party preference is biased by retrospective and other-report measurement of family background characteristics [In our model the dependent variable is voting preference, while one of our explanatory variables is father’s party

  19. 77 FR 27020 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-08

    ... distinct from independent surveys, media polls, or other outside agencies. Federal, state, and local election officials use these data to formulate policies relating to the voting and registration process. College institutions, political party committees, research groups, and other private organizations also...

  20. Open your eyes and vote!

    CERN Multimedia

    Rebecca Leam

    The CERN film-making club is organizing the second edition of the CinéGlobe International Short Film Festival and everyone is invited to attend a series of selection screenings in November to vote on which they like and think should be publicly shown in the Globe and at the Forum Meyrin in February 2010.   This year over 700 short films were submitted for three competitions: the majority for the general fiction category for films up to ten minutes in length, and others for science fiction (20 minutes) and science documentary (30 minutes). “In 2007 we had just one competition open to films from any genre. We decided to add the science related competitions to the second edition to make a stronger link with CERN as a physics lab,” explained Quentin King, Chairman of the Selection Committee and member of CERN’s film-making club, Open Your Eyes Films. “The entries are extremely diverse and touch on almost every aspect of life. The creativity of short...

  1. Modelling and Predicting the Breaking Strength and Mass Irregularity of Cotton Rotor-Spun Yarns Containing Cotton Fiber Recovered from Ginning Process by Using Artificial Neural Network Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Shanbeh

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the main methods to reduce the production costs is waste recycling which is the most important challenge for the future. Cotton wastes collected from ginning process have desirable properties which could be used during spinning process. The purpose of this study was to develop predictive models of breaking strength and mass irregularity (CV% of cotton waste rotor-spun yarns containing cotton waste collected from ginning process by using the artificial neural network trained with backpropagation algorithm. Artificial neural network models have been developed based on rotor diameter, rotor speed, navel type, opener roller speed, ginning waste proportion and yarn linear density as input parameters. The parameters of artificial neural network model, namely, learning, and momentum rate, number of hidden layers and number of hidden processing elements (neurons were optimized to get the best predictive models. The findings showed that the breaking strength and mass irregularity of rotor spun yarns could be predicted satisfactorily by artificial neural network. The maximum error in predicting the breaking strength and mass irregularity of testing data was 8.34% and 6.65%, respectively.

  2. A call of duty in hard times: Duty to vote and the Spanish Economic Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carol Galais

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Although scarce, the literature addressing the effects of the economy on voter turnout and political attitudes has yielded mixed results. By using individual, longitudinal data from Spain—a country devastated by the Great Recession—our study illuminates how the latest economic crisis has impacted citizens’ perceptions of voting. We analyze how economic conditions and perceptions of the economy have transformed the belief that voting is a civic duty, which is one of the strongest attitudinal predictors of turnout. Our results suggest that hard times slightly weaken citizens’ sense of civic duty, particularly among the youngest. However, the adverse effects of the economic crisis are compensated by the positive effects of the electoral context, and as a consequence there is no aggregate decline in civic duty during the period examined (2010–2012.

  3. Failure analysis of high strength pipeline with single and multiple corrosions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Yanfei; Zhang, Hong; Zhang, Juan; Li, Xin; Zhou, Jing

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We study failure of high strength pipelines with single corrosion. • We give regression equations for failure pressure prediction. • We propose assessment procedure for pipelines with multiple corrosions. - Abstract: Corrosion will compromise safety operation of oil and gas pipelines, accurate determination of failure pressure finds importance in residual strength assessment and corrosion allowance design of onshore and offshore pipelines. This paper investigates failure pressure of high strength pipeline with single and multiple corrosions using nonlinear finite element analysis. On the basis of developed regression equations for failure pressure prediction of high strength pipeline with single corrosion, the paper proposes an assessment procedure for predicting failure pressure of high strength pipeline with multiple corrosions. Furthermore, failure pressures predicted by proposed solutions are compared with experimental results and various assessment methods available in literature, where accuracy and versatility are demonstrated

  4. 75 FR 51759 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-23

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... previously submitted by California. DATES: This notice is effective upon publication in the Federal Register... plans submitted for publication provide information on how the respective state succeeded in carrying...

  5. Evaluation of size dependent design shear strength of reinforced ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    to the development of the size dependent models on the shear strength in ... predict the diagonal cracking strength and the ultimate shear strength of RC ... ing strength of normal beams was by Zsutty (1968) based on the data base available without .... The comparison of the calculated shear strength of the beams is shown.

  6. Fault diagnosis method for nuclear power plants based on neural networks and voting fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Gang; Ge Shengqi; Yang Li

    2010-01-01

    A new fault diagnosis method based on multiple neural networks (ANNs) and voting fusion for nuclear power plants (NPPs) was proposed in view of the shortcoming of single neural network fault diagnosis method. In this method, multiple neural networks that the types of neural networks were different were trained for the fault diagnosis of NPP. The operation parameters of NPP, which have important affect on the safety of NPP, were selected as the input variable of neural networks. The output of neural networks is fault patterns of NPP. The last results of diagnosis for NPP were obtained by fusing the diagnosing results of different neural networks by voting fusion. The typical operation patterns of NPP were diagnosed to demonstrate the effect of the proposed method. The results show that employing the proposed diagnosing method can improve the precision and reliability of fault diagnosis results of NPPs. (authors)

  7. Residual-strength determination in polymetric materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christensen, R.M.

    1981-10-01

    Kinetic theory of crack growth is used to predict the residual strength of polymetric materials acted upon by a previous history. Specifically, the kinetic theory is used to characterize the state of growing damage that occurs under a constant-stress (load) state. The load is removed before failure under creep-rupture conditions, and the residual instantaneous strength is determined from the theory by taking account of the damage accumulation under the preceding constant-load history. The rate of change of residual strength is found to be strongest when the duration of the preceding load history is near the ultimate lifetime under that condition. Physical explanations for this effect are given, as are numerical examples. Also, the theoretical prediction is compared with experimental data.

  8. Residual-strength determination in polymetric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christensen, R.M.

    1981-01-01

    Kinetic theory of crack growth is used to predict the residual strength of polymetric materials acted upon by a previous history. Specifically, the kinetic theory is used to characterize the state of growing damage that occurs under a constant-stress (load) state. The load is removed before failure under creep-rupture conditions, and the residual instantaneous strength is determined from the theory by taking account of the damage accumulation under the preceding constant-load history. The rate of change of residual strength is found to be strongest when the duration of the preceding load history is near the ultimate lifetime under that condition. Physical explanations for this effect are given, as are numerical examples. Also, the theoretical prediction is compared with experimental data

  9. Legal requirements governing proxy voting in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Werlauff, Erik

    2008-01-01

    The requirements in Danish company law concerning proxy voting in companies whose shares have been accepted for listing on a regulated market have been successively tightened in recent years, and corporate governance principles have also led to the introduction of several requirements concerning...... proxy holders. A thorough knowledge of these requirements is important not only for the listed companies but also for their advisers and investors in Denmark and abroad. This article considers these requirements as well as the additional requirements which will derive from Directive 2007....../36 on the exercise of shareholders' rights in listed companies, which must be implemented by 3 August 2009. It is pointed out that companies may provide with advantage in their articles of association for both the existing and the forthcoming requirements at this early stage....

  10. 75 FR 6643 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-10

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... plans previously submitted by New Jersey and Wisconsin. DATES: This notice is effective upon publication... the State plans submitted for publication provide information on how the respective State succeeded in...

  11. 75 FR 39671 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-12

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... plan previously submitted by South Dakota. DATES: This notice is effective upon publication in the... 254(a)(12), all the state plans submitted for publication provide information on how the respective...

  12. Racial Cleavage in Local Voting: The Case of School and Tax Issue Referendums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Button, James

    1993-01-01

    Explores voting behavior of African Americans and whites in local school and tax referenda to determine whether racial conflict is still a primal factor in noncandidate elections. Results for voters in 5 counties in Florida (over 1,699,000 voters) reveal African-American underregistration and the continuing importance of racial cleavage. (SLD)

  13. Registering to Vote Is Easy, Right? Active Learning and Attitudes about Voter Registration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gershtenson, Joseph; Plane, Dennis L.; Scacco, Joshua M.; Thomas, Jerry

    2013-01-01

    In a democracy, agents of political socialization, such as schools and parents, generally emphasize the importance of voting. While college students may be exposed briefly to voter registration as a barrier to participation, there is little evidence that the topic is given serious attention in the classroom. This research addresses how classroom…

  14. Engineering Solution for the Uniform Strength of Partially Cracked Concrete

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Elin A.; Hansen, Will; Brincker, Rune

    2005-01-01

    Significant computational resources are required to predict the remaining strength from numerical fracture analysis of a jointed plain concrete pavement that contains a partial depth crack. It is, therefore, advantageous when the failure strength can be adequately predicted with an engineering...

  15. Democratic accountability and the votes for nuclear energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradbury, F

    1980-10-01

    Political aspects of nuclear energy figured in United Kingdom elections during the 1970s as the issue of risks aroused popular interest. The failure of such a complex issue to make an impact at the polls reflects certain electoral inadequacies in the democratic process in that too much time elapsed between opportunities for citizens to express their will and this resulted in pressure groups replacing referenda. Nuclear issues illustrate the dilemma of risk assignment and risk assignment when the perception of risks is not balanced by clear information about the benefits. True democratic accountability would allow citizens to vote directly on each major issue rather than periodically electing a representative with a package of unrelated positions. 7 references. (DCK)

  16. Lifetime and residual strength of materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lauge Fuglsang

    1997-01-01

    of load amplitude, load average, fractional time under maximum load, and load frequency.The analysis includes prediction of residual strength (re-cycle strength) during the process of load cycling. It is concluded that number of cycles to failure is a very poor design criterion. It is demonstrated how...... the theory developed can be generalized also to consider non-harmonic load variations.Algorithms are presented for design purposes which may be suggested as qualified alternatives to the Palmgren-Miner's methods normally used in fatigue analysis of materials under arbitrary load variations. Prediction...

  17. 75 FR 41454 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-16

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... plans previously submitted by Alaska. DATES: This notice is effective upon publication in the Federal... programs. In accordance with HAVA Section 254(a)(12), all the state plans submitted for publication provide...

  18. 78 FR 77110 - Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-20

    ... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Publication of State Plan Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act... at www.eac.gov . DATES: This notice is effective upon publication in the Federal Register. FOR... publication provide information on how the respective State succeeded in carrying out its previous State plan...

  19. Vote choice and legacies of violence: evidence from the 2014 Colombian presidential elections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Weintraub

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Elections are regularly held in countries facing ongoing civil conflicts, including in India, Iraq, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Ukraine. Citizens frequently go to the polls having endured years of violence between armed groups and governments. A growing literature questions how violence conditions voters’ support for incumbents versus challengers, and for hawks versus doves. We analyze this relationship in the context of the 2014 presidential election in Colombia, an election defined by candidates’ positions on negotiations with the country’s largest insurgent group, the FARC. Our results show an inverted-U relationship between past insurgent violence and vote share for President Juan Manuel Santos, the pro-peace candidate: he performed better in communities with moderate levels of insurgent violence and poorly in communities with both very high and very low violence. We also find that areas where the FARC originally mounted attacks 50 years ago more strongly supported Santos. The article concludes by comparing these results with past studies of violence and vote choice in Israel, Turkey, and Spain.

  20. Fatigue Strength Prediction for Titanium Alloy TiAl6V4 Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuders, Stefan; Vollmer, Malte; Brenne, Florian; Tröster, Thomas; Niendorf, Thomas

    2015-09-01

    Selective laser melting (SLM), as a metalworking additive manufacturing technique, received considerable attention from industry and academia due to unprecedented design freedom and overall balanced material properties. However, the fatigue behavior of SLM-processed materials often suffers from local imperfections such as micron-sized pores. In order to enable robust designs of SLM components used in an industrial environment, further research regarding process-induced porosity and its impact on the fatigue behavior is required. Hence, this study aims at a transfer of fatigue prediction models, established for conventional process-routes, to the field of SLM materials. By using high-resolution computed tomography, load increase tests, and electron microscopy, it is shown that pore-based fatigue strength predictions for a titanium alloy TiAl6V4 have become feasible. However, the obtained accuracies are subjected to scatter, which is probably caused by the high defect density even present in SLM materials manufactured following optimized processing routes. Based on thorough examination of crack surfaces and crack initiation sites, respectively, implications for optimization of prediction accuracy of the models in focus are deduced.