Cost allocation in partition functionform games

A cooperative game in partition function form is proposed for a cost allocation problem. The game describes a real situation in which a payoff of any coalition does not only depend on the players in the coalition but also on the coalition structure of the other players. Solution concepts like the stable set and the core are analyzed. Relations of the concepts in the case of the game in partition function form and of an appropriately formulated game in characteristic function form are shown.partition function form game, core, stable set, cost allocation

Environmental projects implementation effectiveness in business structures within the corporate social responsibility

Rapid economic growth impacts our environment and consequently ecosystem services greatly. Recognizing the value and the need for conservation of ecosystem services is essential to business, the latter can reduce the risks as well as provide new opportunities for further development. It is quite possible that business can become a leading sector in environmental protection. As social corporate responsibility (CSR) in Ukraine becomes more and more popular, companies implement projects on energy efficiency, climate change, green building, and biodiversity conservation. However, the projects’ effectiveness should undergo assessment in order to prevent green-washing. This research aims at evaluating the companies’ performance in environmental projects implementation within the CSR. Its another attempt is to prove that environmental projects are a new trend that could become an effective tool for environmental protection

The myths and realities of Bayesian chronological modeling revealed

We review the history of Bayesian chronological modeling in archaeology and demonstrate that there has been a surge over the past several years in American archaeological applications. Most of these applications have been performed by archaeologists who are self-taught in this method because formal training opportunities in Bayesian chronological modeling are infrequently provided. We define and address misconceptions about Bayesian chronological modeling that we have encountered in conversations with colleagues and in anonymous reviews, some of which have been expressed in the published literature. Objectivity and scientific rigor is inherent in the Bayesian chronological modeling process. Each stage of this process is described in detail, and we present examples of this process in practice. Our concluding discussion focuses on the potential that Bayesian chronological modeling has for enhancing understandings of important topics

The Mississippian fin de siècle in the middle Cumberland region of Tennessee

Bayesian chronological modeling is used to investigate the chronology for a large-scale human depopulation event during the Mississippian period (AD 1000–1600) known as the Vacant Quarter phenomenon. The Middle Cumberland region (MCR) of Tennessee is within the Vacant Quarter area, and six villages from the final phase of Mississippian activity in the MCR have been subjected to radiocarbon dating. Complete radiocarbon datasets from these sites are presented within an interpretative Bayesian statistical framework. The results provide a unique history of each settlement and demonstrate that Mississippian occupations at each site likely terminated in the mid- to late fifteenth and possibly early sixteenth centuries AD, which is 50 to 100 years later than the most recent estimate for the timing of the Vacant Quarter. Mississippian abandonment in the MCR was relatively quick, likely occurring over less than a century. The exact reasons for abandonment are not entirely clear but appear to be linked to climate change. A radiocarbon simulation experiment indicates that future robust radiocarbon dating with well-selected samples could greatly improve the chronological precision for this late Mississippian activity. More broadly, this example demonstrates that model building with radiocarbon simulations can be used to address regional-scale chronological issues within the American Southeast and beyond

Bayesian chronological modeling of SunWatch, a fort ancient village in Dayton, Ohio

Radiocarbon results from houses, pits, and burials at the SunWatch site, Dayton, Ohio, are presented within an interpretative Bayesian statistical framework. The primary model incorporates dates from archaeological features in an unordered phase and uses charcoal outlier modeling (Bronk Ramsey 2009b) to account for issues of wood charcoal 14C dates predating their context. The results of the primary model estimate occupation lasted for 1–245 yr (95% probability), starting in cal AD 1175–1385 (95% probability) and ending in cal AD 1330–1470 (95% probability). An alternative model was created by placing the 14C dates into two unordered phases corresponding with horizontal stratigraphic relationships or distinct groups of artifacts thought to be temporally diagnostic. The results of the alternative model further suggest that there is some temporal separation between Group 1 and Group 2, which seems more likely in the event of a multicomponent occupation. Overall, the modeling results provide chronology estimates for SunWatch that are more accurate and precise than that provided in earlier studies. While it is difficult to determine with certainty if SunWatch had a single-component or multicomponent occupation, it is clear that SunWatch’s occupation lasted until the second half of the AD 1300s

Coupling mechanisms of insulin secretion - roles of mitochondrial metabolism and cAMP.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that increases tremendously in the western world. It is characterized by insulin resistance and defects in insulin secretion. Insulin resistance is tightly linked to obesity, and usually precedes the onset of type 2 diabetes. When insulin resistance develops, the pancreatic beta-cells compensate by in¬creasing their secretion of insulin, causing hyperinsulinemia. This state may not be a major risk factor per se; in fact, many people develop severe insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia without ever acquiring diabetes. However, beta-cells in some individuals, perhaps genetically predisposed, are unable to increase their secretion sufficiently to meet the new requirements. This leads to hyperglycemia, the main hallmark of diabetes. To be able to treat diabetes, the defects in the beta-cells causing impaired insulin secretion must be elucidated. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the mechanisms of insulin secretion, and especially what couples glucose stimulation of the beta-cell to insulin secretion. We have found that anaplerosis via pyruvate carboxylase is essential for both phases of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, presumably via generation of an increased ATP/ADP ratio. Further, we discovered that expression of PDK1 is upregulated in INS-1 832/13 cells cultured at high concentrations of glucose, and that knock-down of PDK1 enhances insulin secretion. Both these findings prove that mitochondrial metabolism is important for insulin secretion, and points to the involvement of pyruvate cycling. We have also showed that PKA signaling is stimulated by glucose, and that inhibition of PKA decreases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1 832/13 cells

Behavioral Interventions for Sexual Deviancy in Individuals with Developmental Disorders

Statistical analyses have found a significant proportion of crime is of a sexual nature and that reducing its occurrence is a complex problem that has had various solutions proposed. Therapy programs that focus on the reduction of sexually deviant behavior have been proposed by many clinicians and researchers in the psychological and rehabilitative fields which have shown varying degrees of success. As treatments have been developed across multiple disciplines there have been many paradigms developed around the development and corresponding treatment of sexually deviant behavior. Along with addressing the behavior itself, many programs have sought to address sexual deviancy based on the interaction it produces between the individual and the multiple social systems they are a part of with the goal of understanding development of such behavior from a broader scale outside the individual and preserving individual liberties while treating such individuals. The goal of this review is to summarize the methods of several programs based on a massive online search and to examine the trends among successful treatments as well as propose future directions for the treatment of individuals that engage in sexually deviant behavior