On ordinal utility, cardinal utility, and random utility

Though the Random Utility Model (RUM) was conceived  entirely in terms of ordinal utility, the apparatus throughwhich it is widely practised exhibits properties of  cardinal utility.  The adoption of cardinal utility as a  working operation of ordinal is perfectly valid, provided  interpretations drawn from that operation remain faithful  to ordinal utility.  The paper considers whether the latterrequirement holds true for several measurements commonly  derived from RUM.  In particular it is found that  measurements of consumer surplus change may depart from  ordinal utility, and exploit the cardinality inherent in  the practical apparatus.

Ion temperature anisotropy across a magnetotail reconnection jet

A significant fraction of the energy released by magnetotail reconnection appears to go into ion heating, but this heating is generally anisotropic. We examine ARTEMIS dual-spacecraft observations of a long-duration magnetotail exhaust generated by anti-parallel reconnection in conjunction with Particle-In-Cell simulations, showing spatial variations in the anisotropy across the outflow far (> 100di) downstream of the X-line. A consistent pattern is found in both the spacecraft data and the simulations: Whilst the total temperature across the exhaust is rather constant, near the boundaries Ti,|| dominates. The plasma is well-above the firehose threshold within patchy spatial regions at |BX| ∈ [0.1, 0.5]B0, suggesting that the drive for the instability is strong and the instability is too weak to relax the anisotropy. At the mid-plane (|BX|0.1 B0), Ti,⊥ > Ti,|| and ions undergo Speiser-like motion despite the large distance from the X-line

Golden Cables of Sympathy: The Transatlantic Sources of Nineteenth-Century Feminism

An intricate network of contacts developed among women in Europe and North America over the course of the nineteenth century. These women created virtual communities through communication, support, and a shared ideology. Forged across boundaries of nationality, language, ethnic origin, and even class, these connections laid the foundation for the 1888 International Council of Women and formed the beginnings of an international women\u27s movement. This matrix extended throughout England and the Continent and included Scandinavia and Finland. In a remarkable display of investigative research, Margaret McFadden describes the burgeoning avenues of communication in the nineteenth century that led to an explosion in the number of international contacts among women. This network blossomed because of increased travel opportunities; advances in women\u27s literacy and education; increased activity in the temperance, abolitionist, and peace reform movements; and the emergence of female evangelicals, political revolutionaries, and expatriates. Particular attention is paid to five women whose decades of work helped give birth to the women\u27s movement by century\u27s end. These “mothers of the matrix include Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton of the United States, Anna Doyle Wheeler of Ireland, Fredrika Bremer of Sweden, and Frances Power Cobbe of England. Despite their philosophic differences, these leaders recognized the value of friendship and advocacy among women and shared an affinity for bringing together people from different cultural settings. McFadden demonstrates without question that the traditions of transatlantic female communication are far older than most historians realize and that the women\u27s movement was inherently international. No other scholar has painted so complete a picture of the golden cables that linked the women who saw the Atlantic and the borders within Europe as bridges rather than barriers to improving their status. Margaret McFadden, professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and founder of the Women\u27s Studies Program at Appalachian State University, is the editor of NWSA journal. Students of women’s history will find an assemblage that illuminates the effect on women of a developing transatlantic context. —Contemporary Sociology What is so remarkable about the book is that it confirms what we know had to be—namely that there was a precondition for the women\u27s movement, and that it was global. McFadden has made that past come alive. —Dana Greene, St. Mary\u27s College of Maryland Demonstrates without a question that the tradition of transatlantic communication are far older than most historians realize and that the women’s movement was inherently international. —Educational Book Review Impressively researched and important. . . . Helps open the way to a whole further area of exploration in women’s history. —Historian Replete with notes and bibliography, this women’s studies book . . . plows new ground. —Journal of the West A pioneering, wide-ranging work. This study will pave the way to new discoveries about nineteenth-century feminist networks, as well as clarify the complexity of their linkages. —Karen Offen, Stanford University A highly original and interdisciplinary work. McFadden argues that a variety of connections among women throughout the nineteenth century underlay the emergence of the international women\u27s organizations at the end of the century. This is an important argument not made anywhere else. —Leila Rupp, Ohio State University An excellent introduction to a number of important women and the ways they communicated. —Library Journal What has previously been a gray area of assumptions about the precursors to the international women’s organizations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has been made clear and explicit by McFadden’s work. —NWSA Journal Wide-ranging and engaging. . . . McFadden has recreated a nineteenth-century world of female association. —Ohio History McFadden’s thorough research, particularly on women who might not be familiar to an Anglo-American audience, is remarkable. —Victorian Studieshttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_gender_and_sexuality_studies/1001/thumbnail.jp

Holographic predictions for cosmological 3-point functions

We present the holographic predictions for cosmological 3-point correlators, involving both scalar and tensor modes, for a universe which started in a non-geometric holographic phase. Holographic formulae relate the cosmological 3-point functions to stress tensor correlation functions of a holographically dual three-dimensional non-gravitational QFT. We compute these correlators at 1-loop order for a theory containing massless scalars, fermions and gauge fields, and present an extensive analysis of the constraints due to Ward identities showing that they uniquely determine the correlators up to a few constants. We define shapes for all cosmological bispectra and compare the holographic shapes to the slow-roll ones, finding that some are distinguishable while others, perhaps surprisingly, are not.Comment: 51pp; 4 fig

Development and Psychometric Validation of the Dementia Attitudes Scale

This study employed qualitative construct mapping and factor analysis to construct a scale to measure attitudes toward dementia. Five family caregivers, five professionals, and five college students participated in structured interviews. Qualitative analysis of the interviews led to a 46-item scale, which was reduced to 20 items following principal axis factoring with two different samples: college students (N = 302) and certified nursing assistant students (N = 145). Confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted with another sample of college students (N = 157). The final scale, titled the Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS), essentially had a two-factor structure; the factors were labeled “dementia knowledge” and “social comfort.” Total-scale Cronbach's alphas ranged 0.83–0.85. Evidence for convergent validity was promising, as the DAS correlated significantly with scales that measured ageism and attitudes toward disabilities (range of correlations = 0.44–0.55; mean correlation = 0.50). These findings demonstrate the reliability and validity of the DAS, supporting its use as a research tool

The Holographic Universe

We present a holographic description of four-dimensional single-scalar inflationary universes in terms of a three-dimensional quantum field theory. The holographic description correctly reproduces standard inflationary predictions in their regime of applicability. In the opposite case, wherein gravity is strongly coupled at early times, we propose a holographic description in terms of perturbative QFT and present models capable of satisfying the current observational constraints while exhibiting a phenomenology distinct from standard inflation. This provides a qualitatively new method for generating a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of primordial cosmological perturbations.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figs; extended version of arXiv:0907.5542 including background material and detailed derivations. To appear in Proceedings of 1st Mediterranean Conference on Classical and Quantum Gravit

The Pendulum Has Swung: How Do We Ensure a Life Course Approach to Immunisation in Australia?

Rather than concentrating primarily on children and adolescents, there has been a shift in the discourse around immunisation to encompass a whole-of-life approach. Despite this acknowledgement and ongoing high burdens of vaccine preventable diseases in adults, coverage for some adult risk groups remains sub-optimal. This study aimed to explore key informant's and stakeholder's perceptions of factors impacting provision of immunisation programs for Australian adults and to identify strategies to promote acceptance and uptake. Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with people involved in adult immunisation program delivery, advocacy, policy or research between September 2020 and June 2021. Transcripts were inductively analysed, with the resulting themes categorised into the five influences on vaccination gaps that have informed program planning in other countries: Access, Affordability, Awareness, Acceptance and Activation. Participants spoke of improvements in the provision of vaccines to adults, however, ongoing challenges persisted. Participants agreed that the focus or emphasis of policies and the promotion/communication strategies has been on childhood vaccination in Australia, however there is a sense that the “pendulum has swung.” These included understanding of eligibility amongst the Australian population and the reluctance of some health providers to dedicate time to exploring immunisation needs with adult patients. In comparison to the childhood vaccination program, there has been a lack of data available on coverage for adult vaccines on the national immunisation program. This has contributed to the ongoing challenges of identifying and promoting certain vaccines. At a government level, questions were raised about why the Australian government has never set an aspirational target for adult vaccination (i.e., influenza or pneumococcal) coverage. While significant improvements have been made in adult immunisation uptake, there are still gaps across the program. While the system remains under stress because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not appropriate to implement any additional programs. There needs to be strong commitment to establish the value of adult vaccination in the eyes of community members, policy makers and healthcare professionals. Having a national adult immunisation strategic plan would help advance action

“I Feel Like It’s One of Those Things that Everyone Feels the Same Way About, No One Wants to Discuss It”: A Qualitative Examination of Female College Students’ Pap Smear Experience

The purpose of this study was to examine female college students’ Pap smear experience and communication with their provider before, during, and after the exam. In fall 2019, 158 female college students completed an online survey with closed and open-ended questions. Open-ended responses from participants reporting a previous Pap smear (n=36) were qualitatively analyzed to generate themes to explain female college students’ Pap smear experience and communication behavior with their provider before, during, and after the exam. The main themes identified included: Uncomfortable, Low Patient Engagement, Provider Support, and Provider Trust. Female college students overwhelmingly reported discomfort around the exam and were unaware of how to communicate with their provider; however, participants reported satisfaction with their care when the provider offered support and guidance. Findings suggest a need to develop strategies to address discomfort and enhance female college students’ communication skills with providers concerning the Pap smear exam