Probabilities in Probable Cause and Beyond: Statistical Versus Concrete Harms

Colb surfaces the statistical versus concrete harms disparity in judicial (and more broadly, human) reactions to probability-based behavior. In particular, it identifies the disparity in case law that either explicitly relies on the distinction as a normatively proper ground for legal decisions or that operates in a manner best explained by resort to this distinction. Though the paper is primarily descriptive, it suggests, tentatively, that lawmakers, judges, and juries should exercise greater care and deliberation in applying what may seem like a natural approach to distinguishing between permissible and impermissible harm. It is thus a plea for conscious consideration of the statistical-concrete distinction, which is sometimes applied in an unthinking fashion

The Conviction of Andrea Yates: A Narrative of Denial

This piece discusses the case of Andrea Yates, the woman who confessed to drowning her five children to death and was subsequently convicted of murder (though the conviction has since been overturned). In this piece, Colb contends that Andrea Yates was convicted because of the jurors’ emotional/psychological response to the possibility that post-partum psychosis could cause an otherwise decent person to commit such brutal acts. As a symptom of denial, Colb argues, the jury rejected the insanity defense and thereby reassured itself that only evil people could do what Yates did. If that were the case, then it would be fine to continue to ignore the issue of mental illness in general and its impact on post-partum women in particular

The Conviction of Andrea Yates: A Narrative of Denial

Den nationella inköpssamordningen i Sverige bedrivs av två inköpscentraler, dels SKI som verkar inom den kommunala sektorn, dels SIC som svarar för den statliga inköpssamordningen. SKI kan enligt 2 kap. 9 § LOU iklä sig två funktioner: ombuds- och ramavtalsfunktionen. SIC ska däremot enligt förordningen om statlig inköpssamordning upphandla ramavtal till myndigheter under regeringen. Enligt 3 § i förordningen om statlig inköpssamordning ska myndigheter under regeringen avropa från de ramavtal som SIC upphandlar, medan en upphandlande myndighet får anskaffa byggentreprenader, varor och tjänster med hjälp av SKI enligt 4 kap. 22 § LOU. I denna uppsats undersöks om de nationella inköpscentralerna behöver motta uppdrag från upphandlande myndigheter innan inköpscentralerna upphandlar ramavtal och hur upphandlande myndigheter blir avropsberättigade till inköpscentralernas ramavtal. Av domstolsavgöranden framgår att vissa åtgärder krävs för att en upphandlande myndighet ska bli avropsberättigad till SKI:s ramavtal. En av dessa åtgärder är att en myndighet måste lämna ett uppdrag till inköpscentralen, dels för att myndigheten ska kunna bli avropsberättigad, dels för att inköpscentralen ska få upphandla ramavtal för myndighetens räkning. Dessutom krävs att myndigheten godkänner SKI:s allmänna villkor, inte avstegsanmäler sig och att SKI anger myndigheten som avropsberättigad i förfrågningsunderlaget. En myndighet under regeringen blir däremot automatiskt avropsberättigad till SIC:s ramavtal, varför något uppdrag inte är nödvändigt. I uppsatsen tydliggörs också att trenden bland upphandlande myndigheter är att deras upphandlingskompetens försämras, något som leder till att allt fler myndigheter väljer att avropa från SKI:s ramavtal. Fler avropare per ramavtal medför att den generella oförutsebarheten att uppskatta avropsvolymer ökar. Stora ramavtal riskerar att påverka konkurrensen negativt och stå i strid med artikel 32.2 femte stycket i det klassiska direktivet, eftersom konkurrensen riskerar att förhindras, begränsas eller snedvridas genom att stora ramavtal utestänger små leverantörer från att delta i ramavtalsupphandlingarna. Små leverantörer riskerar därmed att försvinna från den offentliga marknaden. De nationella inköpscentralernas arbetssätt har fått utstå en hel del kritik för att bland annat vara oförutsebara. Av den anledningen presenteras i uppsatsen arbetsmetoder som tänkbara lösningar på detta problem. Dock tydliggörs att lösningarna varken är tillfredställande för inköpscentralerna eller gynnsamma för konkurrensen på lång sikt

On a conjecture about enumerating (2+2)(2+2)-free posets

Recently, Kitaev and Remmel posed a conjecture concerning the generating function for the number of unlabeled $(2+2)$-free posets with respect to number of elements and number of minimal elements. In this paper, we present a combinatorial proof of this conjecture

The effects of video compression on acceptability of images for monitoring life sciences experiments

Future manned space operations for Space Station Freedom will call for a variety of carefully planned multimedia digital communications, including full-frame-rate color video, to support remote operations of scientific experiments. This paper presents the results of an investigation to determine if video compression is a viable solution to transmission bandwidth constraints. It reports on the impact of different levels of compression and associated calculational parameters on image acceptability to investigators in life-sciences research at ARC. Three nonhuman life-sciences disciplines (plant, rodent, and primate biology) were selected for this study. A total of 33 subjects viewed experimental scenes in their own scientific disciplines. Ten plant scientists viewed still images of wheat stalks at various stages of growth. Each image was compressed to four different compression levels using the Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) standard algorithm, and the images were presented in random order. Twelve and eleven staffmembers viewed 30-sec videotaped segments showing small rodents and a small primate, respectively. Each segment was repeated at four different compression levels in random order using an inverse cosine transform (ICT) algorithm. Each viewer made a series of subjective image-quality ratings. There was a significant difference in image ratings according to the type of scene viewed within disciplines; thus, ratings were scene dependent. Image (still and motion) acceptability does, in fact, vary according to compression level. The JPEG still-image-compression levels, even with the large range of 5:1 to 120:1 in this study, yielded equally high levels of acceptability. In contrast, the ICT algorithm for motion compression yielded a sharp decline in acceptability below 768 kb/sec. Therefore, if video compression is to be used as a solution for overcoming transmission bandwidth constraints, the effective management of the ratio and compression parameters according to scientific discipline and experiment type is critical to the success of remote experiments

A study of video frame rate on the perception of moving imagery detail

The rate at which each frame of color moving video imagery is displayed was varied in small steps to determine what is the minimal acceptable frame rate for life scientists viewing white rats within a small enclosure. Two, twenty five second-long scenes (slow and fast animal motions) were evaluated by nine NASA principal investigators and animal care technicians. The mean minimum acceptable frame rate across these subjects was 3.9 fps both for the slow and fast moving animal scenes. The highest single trial frame rate averaged across all subjects for the slow and the fast scene was 6.2 and 4.8, respectively. Further research is called for in which frame rate, image size, and color/gray scale depth are covaried during the same observation period

On a refinement of Wilf-equivalence for permutations

Recently, Dokos et al. conjectured that for all $k, m\geq 1$, the patterns $12\ldots k(k+m+1)\ldots (k+2)(k+1)$ and $(m+1)(m+2)\ldots (k+m+1)m\ldots 21$ are $maj$-Wilf-equivalent. In this paper, we confirm this conjecture for all $k\geq 1$ and $m=1$. In fact, we construct a descent set preserving bijection between $12\ldots k (k-1)$-avoiding permutations and $23\ldots k1$-avoiding permutations for all $k\geq 3$. As a corollary, our bijection enables us to settle a conjecture of Gowravaram and Jagadeesan concerning the Wilf-equivalence for permutations with given descent sets