Towards a transparent deliberation protocol inspired from supply chain collaborative planning

International audienceIn this paper we propose a new deliberation process based on argumentation and bipolar decision making in a context of agreed common knowledge and priorities together with private preferences. This work is inspired from the supply chain management domain and more precisely by the "Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment" model which aims at selecting a procurement plan in collaborative supply chains

Hypothesis exploration with visualization of variance.

BackgroundThe Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics (CNP) at UCLA was an investigation into the biological bases of traits such as memory and response inhibition phenotypes-to explore whether they are linked to syndromes including ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and Schizophrenia. An aim of the consortium was in moving from traditional categorical approaches for psychiatric syndromes towards more quantitative approaches based on large-scale analysis of the space of human variation. It represented an application of phenomics-wide-scale, systematic study of phenotypes-to neuropsychiatry research.ResultsThis paper reports on a system for exploration of hypotheses in data obtained from the LA2K, LA3C, and LA5C studies in CNP. ViVA is a system for exploratory data analysis using novel mathematical models and methods for visualization of variance. An example of these methods is called VISOVA, a combination of visualization and analysis of variance, with the flavor of exploration associated with ANOVA in biomedical hypothesis generation. It permits visual identification of phenotype profiles-patterns of values across phenotypes-that characterize groups. Visualization enables screening and refinement of hypotheses about variance structure of sets of phenotypes.ConclusionsThe ViVA system was designed for exploration of neuropsychiatric hypotheses by interdisciplinary teams. Automated visualization in ViVA supports 'natural selection' on a pool of hypotheses, and permits deeper understanding of the statistical architecture of the data. Large-scale perspective of this kind could lead to better neuropsychiatric diagnostics

Representing Strategic International Human Resource Management: Is the Map the Territory?

This paper is focused on the emergent field of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). We suggest that SIHRM is becoming an integrated intellectual map in terms of: (1) the typologies created; (2) the language used; and (3) its pedagogy. Does the way in which we articulate SIHRM assist theory development or enact intellectual imperialism? Or both? It is argued that, by exploring the implications of SIHRM for theory, research, practice and teaching, we may raise awareness of current deficiencies and unanswered questions. Do we need to set a new course, or at least make explicit our navigational assumptions

Teologia ekonomiczna, rządzenie i neoliberalizm. Lekcje z "Królestwa i Chwały"

The aim of this paper is to examine Agamben’s engagement with economic theology in order to underscore its relevance for the critique of contemporary neoliberal politics. In the first part, I offer a summary of the central arguments of The Kingdom and the Glory. In particular, I focus on both the treatment of the notion of oikonomia in the early Christian discussions on the divine trinity and its relation to the providential paradigm of government. I then show how this genealogy of oikonomia is useful for a political analysis of the present. In doing so, I respond to some of the criticisms leveled against Agamben’s The Kingdom and the Glory by Alberto Toscano. Finally, I will conclude by showing how Agamben’s work is of particular importance for the study of neoliberal political rationality.Celem artykułu jest sprawdzenie Agambenowskich badań w obszarze teologii ekonomicznej w celu podkreślenia ich znaczenia dla krytyki współczesnej polityki neoliberalnej. W pierwszej części autor przedstawia podsumowanie głównych tez zawartych w książce Królestwo i chwała. W szczególności skupia się zarówno na ujęciu oikonomii we wczesnochrześcijańskich debatach na boską trójcą, jak i jej związku z prowidencjalnym paradygmatem rządzenia. Następnie pokazuje, jak ta genealogia oikonomii może być przydatna dla politycznej analizy teraźniejszości. Stanowi to jednocześnie odpowiedź na niektóre z zarzutów postawionych Królestwu i chwale przez Alberta Toscano. W końcowej części autor podsumowuje swoje rozważania, pokazując szczególne znaczenie prac Agambena dla badań nad polityczną racjonalnością neoliberalizmu

Culminating sovereignty : the reasoning behind Slovenia's strategy for recognition

El 26 de juny de 1991 Eslovènia va declarar la independència. Al cap de poc més de mig any, gran part del món havia reconegut el nou Estat. El reconeixement internacional s'acostuma a explicar només a causa de l'inici de les Guerres de Iugoslàvia, però suposa dos problemes. No permet entendre l'estratègia que va plantejar Eslovènia per aconseguir el reconeixement, i fa que el cas croat se li pugui atribuir una actitud similar, quan les accions d'ambdues repúbliques van ser molt diferents. Aquest treball busca entendre quins elements van determinar l'estratègia d'acció exterior eslovena entre 1989 i 1992, demostrant que el marc cultural i les característiques personals de Dimitrij Rupel, ex-Ministre d'Exteriors eslovè, van ser els elements claus que influïen sobre l'estratègia planejada pel reconeixement internacional.El 26 de junio de 1991 Eslovenia declaro la independencia. Poco más de medio año más tarde, gran parte del mundo había reconocido el nuevo Estado. El reconocimiento internacional se suele explicar a causa del inicio de las Guerras de Yugoslavia, pero esto supone dos problemas. No permite entender la estrategia que planteó Eslovenia para conseguir este reconocimiento y hace que el caso croata se le pueda atribuir una actitud similar, cuando las acciones de las dos repúblicas fueron muy diferentes. Este proyecto pretende entender qué elementos fueron determinantes para la estrategia de acción exterior eslovena entre 1989 i 1992, demostrando que el marco cultural i las características personales de Dimitrij Rupel, Exministro de Exteriores esloveno, fueron los elementos clave que influyeron sobre la estrategia planteada para el reconocimiento internacional.Slovenia declared its independence on the 26th of June 1991. Roughly half a year later, most of the world recognized the new country. This recognition is usually explained putting the start of the Yugoslavian wars as the reason for recognition, which presents two problems. It does not provide an understanding on the strategy that Slovenia carried out to favor the international recognition, and it makes the case with Croatia attributable to the same behavior, when the actions of both differed greatly. This project sheds light in the understanding of what elements determined Slovenia's foreign policy strategy between 1989 and 1992, in order to show that the Cultural framework and the personal characteristics of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitrij Rupel, were the key elements that influenced the strategy planned towards recognition

Identifying Risk Factors for Youth Hospitalization in Crisis Settings: A Classification and Regression Tree Analysis

Traditionally, treatment option for psychiatric crises was limited to psychiatric hospitalization. However, psychiatric hospitals are expensive and little evidence supports their utility. Youth returning from psychiatric hospitalizations often have difficulties readjusting to everyday life which can increase risk for negative outcomes. Alternative treatment options such as mobile crisis services might be useful for stabilizing youth in the community and garnering better long-term outcomes. For alternative treatment options to work, clinicians must be able to efficiently and accurately distinguish youth in need of psychiatric hospitalization and youth who could be served via an alternative service. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to examine the predictive utility of risk factors available at the time of the hospitalization decision and develop a decision tree that clinicians could use to aid in the decision-making process. Data consisted of 2,605 youth aged 4.0 – 19.5 years (M = 14.07, SD = 2.73, 56% female) who utilized the Mobile Crisis Response Team in the State of Nevada between 2014 and 2017. Using Random Forest, the 13 most important risk factors were identified. Classification and Regression Tree provided an interpretable, easy to use decision tree (accuracy = .88, AUC = .82). In summary, the most important risk factors for hospitalization reflected current functioning. Lifetime risk factors (e.g., diagnosis) were not strong predictors of acute decision-making when acute risk factors were available. Clinicians should attend to current symptoms (e.g., suicide behaviors, danger to others, poor judgment, psychotic symptoms) and environmental factors (e.g., poor functioning at home, poor caregiver supervision) that increase a youth’s risk for harming oneself or others when deciding whether to hospitalize or stabilize a youth in psychiatric crisis

The Price of everything The Value of Nothing: A (Truly) External Review Of BERL’s Study Of Harmful Alcohol and Drug Use

In March 2009, Business and Economic Research Limited ("BERL") published “Costs of Harmful Alcohol and Other Drug Use,” a report jointly commissioned by the Ministry of Health and ACC. BERL was asked to measure the costs of drug and alcohol abuse to New Zealand society, but not to evaluate specific interventions. BERL calculated annual social costs of alcohol and illicit drug consumption of $6.8 billion, including$4.8 billion in social costs from alcohol alone. The report was cited by Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer as evidence in support of greater regulation, gaining considerable media coverage. We find substantial flaws in BERL’s method that together account for well over 90% of BERL’s calculated costs of alcohol use. Corrected external costs of alcohol use amount to $662 million and are roughly matched by the$516 million collected in alcohol excise taxes. The BERL report is wholly inadequate for use in assisting policy development.costs and benefits of alcohol usage; alcohol policy; New Zealand; adequacy of consultancy reports

Democracy and Human Rights in the European-Asian Dialogue: A Clash of Cooperation Cultures?

Whereas the European Union (EU) favors a formal, binding, output-oriented, and to some extent supranational approach to cooperation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is based on informal, non-binding, process-oriented intergovernmental forms of cooperation. This article addresses the question of whether these differences between European and Asian cooperation norms or cultures can account for interregional cooperation problems in the areas of democracy and human rights within the institutional context of EU-ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The author argues that a clash of cooperation cultures basically occurs in both forms of interregional collaboration between Asia and Europe, with slight differences due to the institutional context: while disagreements over the question of democracy and human rights between the EU and ASEAN have led to a temporary and then a complete standstill in cooperation, the flexible institutional mechanisms of ASEM seem, at first glance, to mitigate the disruptive effects of such dialogues. Yet informality does not remove the issues from the agenda, as the recurrent disputes over Myanmar’s participation and the nonintervention norm favored by the Asian side of ASEM clearly indicate. Antagonistic cooperation cultures thus play a significant role in explaining the obstructive nature of the interregional human rights and democracy dialogue between Asia and Europe.cooperation culture, human rights, democracy, Myanmar, EU-ASEAN, ASEM

Basic Income, Eco-logical Ethics, and Interdependent Well-Being

A Basic Income (universal basic income or citizen’s income) could contribute to the means for living a dignified ecologically- and socially-aligned life characterized by well-being, freedom, and equality. After laying out key definitions, I reflect on moral and ethical issues regarding Basic Income’s implementation, backed by supportive theory and evidence. These arguments organise around interdependence in eco-social systems and core requirements of ontogenesis as well as the intersection and intertwining of socio-cultural, political, and economic factors, known as socio-ecological determinants of global health and well-being. Following that, I briefly make the case for why intersectional and intersubjective aspects should be closely held in contextualized view of Basic Income’s democratised drafting and provision

Contributions of anterior cingulate cortex and basolateral amygdala to decision confidence and learning under uncertainty.

The subjective sense of certainty, or confidence, in ambiguous sensory cues can alter the interpretation of reward feedback and facilitate learning. We trained rats to report the orientation of ambiguous visual stimuli according to a spatial stimulus-response rule that must be learned. Following choice, rats could wait a self-timed delay for reward or initiate a new trial. Waiting times increase with discrimination accuracy, demonstrating that this measure can be used as a proxy for confidence. Chemogenetic silencing of BLA shortens waiting times overall whereas ACC inhibition renders waiting times insensitive to confidence-modulating attributes of visual stimuli, suggesting contribution of ACC but not BLA to confidence computations. Subsequent reversal learning is enhanced by confidence. Both ACC and BLA inhibition block this enhancement but via differential adjustments in learning strategies and consistent use of learned rules. Altogether, we demonstrate dissociable roles for ACC and BLA in transmitting confidence and learning under uncertainty