Erosion of belief in “social rationality”: How game theory and social choice theory changed the understanding and modeling of social rationality

This article discusses how the developments in game theory and social choice theory profoundly transformed our understanding and modeling of social rationality in the social sciences due to the erosion of the concept of social optimum. I discuss the Prisoner’s Dilemma and relevant examples of social situations, analyze the difficulties that arise when games are repeated, and finally, check how the main results of social choice theory influenced our understanding of the “best” social outcome

The Collective Action Problems of Political Consolidation: Evidence from Poland

The 1989 Eastern European revolutions produced systematic failures in which various social, economic, and political players to coordinate on mutually beneficial solutions. The old institutional grid--political, economic, and social--was destroyed and the new institutions were still in the making. The collective action problems born in this institutional vacuum contributed to political instability, economic under-performance, and social inefficiencies. This paper examines the cooperation and lack of cooperation among Polish political parties in the 1990s as examples of the failure to reach agreement among political actors

ANALYSING THE INFLUENCE OF THE REINFORCED CONCRETE CHIMNEY GEOMETRY CHANGES ON THE STRESSES IN THE CHIMNEY SHAFT

Analysis of the reinforced concrete chimney geometry changes and their influence on the stresses in the chimney mantle was made. All the changes were introduced to a model chimney and compared. Relations between the stresses in the mantle of the chimney and the deformations determined by the change of the chimney's vertical axis geometry were investigated. The vertical axis of chimney was described by linear function (corresponding to the real rotation of the chimney together with the foundation), and by parabolic function (corresponding to the real dislocation of the chimney under the influence of the horizontal forces - wind). The positive stress pattern in the concrete as well as the negative stress pattern in the reinforcing steel have been presented. The two cases were compared. Analysis of the stress changes in the chimney mantle depending on the modification in the thickness of the mantle (the thickness of the chimney mantle was altered in the linear or the abrupt way) was carried out. The relation between the stresses and the chimney's diameter change from the bottom to the top of the chimney was investigated. All the analyses were conducted by means of a specially developed computer program created in Mathematica environment. The program makes it also possible to control calculations and to visualize the results of the calculations at every stage of the calculation process

Minimal supersymmetric standard model with gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking and neutrinoless double beta decay

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking and trilinear R-parity violation is applied to the description of neutrinoless double beta decay. A detailed study of limits on the parameter space coming from the B to (X,gamma) processes by using the recent CLEO results is performed. The importance of two-nucleon and pion-exchange realizations of neutrinoless double beta decay together with gluino and neutralino contributions to this process are addressed. We have deduced new limits on the trilinear R-parity breaking parameter lambda_{111}' from the non-observability of 0 nu beta beta in several medium and heavy open-shell nuclei for different gauge mediated breaking scenarios. In general, they are stronger than those known from other analyses. Also some studies with respect to the future neutrinoless double beta decay projects are presented.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Most significant geosites of the Cieszyn Foothills, Outer flysch Carpathians, Poland and Czech Republic

The article provides a review of the most important geotouristic attractions within the Cieszyn Foothills, Outer Flysch Carpathians in Poland and adjacent part of the Czech Republic. The best geosites, which can be visited during a short 1-2 day visit in the Polish Carpathians were selected. The present paper contains the description of the classic localities exposing the oldest deposits and igneous rocks of the Silesian Unit. The geotouristic objects are important because the represent scenic sites as well as geosites with educational values supplying limitless information about the geological history, as well as the history of earth sciences research

A hunter-gatherer-farmer population model: Lie symmetries, exact solutions and their interpretation

The Lie symmetry classification of the known three-component reaction-diffusion system modelling the spread of an initially localized population of farmers into a region occupied by hunter-gatherers is derived. The Lie symmetries obtained for reducing the system in question to systems of ODEs and constructing exact solutions are applied. Several exact solutions of traveling front type are found, their properties are identified and biological interpretation is discussed