Pop science and pop theology: new ways of exploring an old dialogue

While the contemporary media scene often reinforces the conflict model of science and religion, it also may offer new opportunities in moving present discussions of science and religion forward. Looking at news reporting, the new priesthood of scientific celebrities and the universal popularity of The Simpsons and Star Wars, this article argues that in the importance of the person, imagination and narrative, the scientist and the theologian can rediscover older and fruitful resources

Fast Bayesian parameter estimation for stochastic logistic growth models

The transition density of a stochastic, logistic population growth model with multiplicative intrinsic noise is analytically intractable. Inferring model parameter values by fitting such stochastic differential equation (SDE) models to data therefore requires relatively slow numerical simulation. Where such simulation is prohibitively slow, an alternative is to use model approximations which do have an analytically tractable transition density, enabling fast inference. We introduce two such approximations, with either multiplicative or additive intrinsic noise, each derived from the linear noise approximation of the logistic growth SDE. After Bayesian inference we find that our fast LNA models, using Kalman filter recursion for computation of marginal likelihoods, give similar posterior distributions to slow arbitrarily exact models. We also demonstrate that simulations from our LNA models better describe the characteristics of the stochastic logistic growth models than a related approach. Finally, we demonstrate that our LNA model with additive intrinsic noise and measurement error best describes an example set of longitudinal observations of microbial population size taken from a typical, genome-wide screening experiment.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures and 2 table

HIV-related tuberculosis in South Africa - clinical features and outcome

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The Common Sense of Contract Formation

What parties know and think they know about contract law affects their obligations under the law and their intuitive obligations toward one another. Drawing on a series of new experimental questionnaire studies, this Article makes two contributions.First, it lays out what information and beliefs ordinary individuals have about how to form contracts with one another. We find that the colloquial understanding of contract law is almost entirely focused on formalization rather than actual assent, though the modern doctrine of contract formation takes the opposite stance. The second Part of the Article tries to get at whether this misunderstanding matters. Is it the case that, and when do, beliefs and misunderstandings about the nature of legal rules affect parties’ interactions with each other and with the legal system? We find that, indeed, information that a contract has been legally formed has behavioral effects, enhancing parties’ commitments to a deal even when there are no associated formal sanctions. However, we also document a series of situations in which misunderstandings have limited practical repercussions, because even parties who believe that legal obligation is about formalities take seriously the moral obligations associated with informal promises and exchanges. We conclude with brief speculations about the implications of these results for consumer contracts

Employment Training — A Government Perspective

Federal involvement in employment training, from the establishment of the Royal Military College in 1884 to the legislation of the National Training Program in 1982, has been to ensure a qualified Canadian labour force. The evolving Canadian economy and the changing world of work have required a federal role varying from passive financing to direct training involvement. An examination of current and future demographic and employment trends, altered demand patterns, changing technology, new challenges of employment and unemployment, and a narrowing global community; in Federal reports and papers indicates that a com- prehensive, cooperative human resource strategy is essential to Canadian econo- mic health and international competitiveness.Aussi loin que l'on remonte, c'est-à-dire en 1884 lors de la fondation du Collège militaire royal, jusqu'à nos jours et à l'adoption de la Loi créant le Programme national de formation en 1982, le gouvernement fédéral a eu pour objectif d'assurer, de par sa participation à la formation professionnelle, la création d'une population active qualifiée. L'évolution de la conjoncture économique au pays et la transformation du monde du travail lui ont tour à tour demandé de s'en tenir à un rôle de financier passif ou, à l'autre extrême, d'intervenir directement dans le domaine. Les rapports et documents produits par l'administration fédérale ont examiné les tendances de l'emploi de la population, tant actuelles que futures, de la nouvelle physionomie de la demande, de l'évolution technologique, des défis que suscitent les problèmes liés au chômage et à l'emploi, et de l'univer-salisation de la société. Ils mettent en évidence la nécessité d'une stratégie globale et coopérative en matière de ressources humaines pour assurer la santé de l'éco-nomie canadienne et défendre la position concurrentielle du Canada sur les marchés internationaux

Breach Is For Suckers

This Article presents results from three experiments offering evidence that parties see breach of contract as a form of exploitation that makes disappointed promisees into Suckers. In psychology, being a sucker turns on a three-part definition: betrayal, inequity, and intention. We used web-based questionnaires to test the effect of each of the three factors separately. Our results support the hypothesis that when breach of contract cues an exploitation schema, people become angry, offended, and inclined to retaliate even when retaliation is costly. This theory offers a useful advance because it explains why victims of breach demand more than similarly situated tort victims and why breaches to engorge gain are perceived to be more immoral than breaches to avoid loss. In general, the sucker theory provides an explanatory framework for recent experimental work showing that individuals view breach as a moral harm. We describe the implications of this theory for doctrinal problems like liquidated damages, willful breach, and promissory estoppel. We then suggest an agenda for further research

The Psychology of Contract Precautions

This research tests the intuition that parties to a contract approach each other differently before the contract is formed than they do once it is finalized. We argue that one of the most important determinants of self-protective behavior is whether the promisee considers herself to be in negotiations or already in an ongoing contract relationship. That shift affects precaution taking even when it has no practical bearing on the costs and benefits of self-protection: the moment of contracting is a reference point that frames the costs and benefits of taking precautions. We present the results of three questionnaire studies in which respondents indicate that they would be more likely to protect their own interests—by requesting a liquidated damages clause, by purchasing a warranty, or by shopping around to ensure the best deal—when the contract is not yet finalized than they would when they understand the agreement to be finalized. We discuss competing explanations for this phenomenon, including both prospect theory and cognitive dissonance. Finally, we explore some doctrinal implications for work on disclosure, modification, and promissory estoppel