Combination Of Inequalities Research Articles

Some novel results for DNNs via relaxed Lyapunov functionals

<abstract><p>The focus of this paper was to explore the stability issues associated with delayed neural networks (DNNs). We introduced a novel approach that departs from the existing methods of using quadratic functions to determine the negative definite of the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional's (LKFs) derivative $ \dot{V}(t) $. Instead, we proposed a new method that utilizes the conditions of positive definite quadratic function to establish the positive definiteness of LKFs. Based on this approach, we constructed a novel the relaxed LKF that contains delay information. In addition, some combinations of inequalities were extended and used to reduce the conservatism of the results obtained. The criteria for achieving delay-dependent asymptotic stability were subsequently presented in the framework of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, a numerical example confirmed the effectiveness of the theoretical result.</p></abstract>

The Imperialism of Democracy and Human Rights vs the Democracy and Human Rights of Imperialism

ABSTRACT Western discourse towards China had been hardening since it became clear to US leaders that their assumption that increasing trade and engagement with China would lead it to become a pale imitation of Western neoliberal financialised capitalisms was coming unravelled and China continued to adhere to its socialist commitments. In waging the US’s New Cold War on China with equal if not greater vigour than Trump, Biden merely replaced Trump’s “America First” stance with the traditionally hypocritical stance of imperialism that always pretends to do good for the world it seeks to dominate, oppress, exploit and otherwise destroy. The latest version of this discourse is about promoting human rights and democracy. At a time when US and Western democracies are being assailed by a toxic combination of inequality, poverty, distrust, social division and political disaffection and polarisation, at a time when US imperialism’s distinctly anti-democratic edge is becoming ever more evident, this stance is only facing mounting contradictions. The present article explores them.

Educational inequalities in smoking: The role of initiation versus quitting

The existing literature on educational inequalities in adult smoking has focused extensively on differences in current smoking and quitting, rather than on differences in never smoking regularly (initiation) by education in the adult population. Knowing the relative contribution of initiation versus quitting is critical for understanding the mechanisms that produce educational gradients in smoking because initiation and quitting occur at different points in the life course. Using data from 31 waves of the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (N = 587,174), the analyses show the relative likelihood of being a never versus former smoker by education, sex, and age from 1966 to 2010 and for birth cohorts from 1920 to 1979. The analyses also describe differences in the cumulative probability of quitting over the life course, and the role of initiation versus quitting in producing educational gaps in smoking. The results show that educational gaps in never smoking explain the bulk of the educational inequality in adult smoking. Differences in former smoking play a small and decreasing role in producing these gaps. This is true across the life course, whether measured at age 25 or age 50, and for both men and women. While the prevalence and age patterns of former smoking by education converge across birth cohorts, differences in never smoking by education increase dramatically. At the population level, educational gaps in adult smoking are produced by the combination of inequalities in initiation and quitting, with differences in initiation playing a larger role in producing the observed gaps. The portion of the gap explained by differences in quitting is itself a function of educational differences in initiation. Thus, educational gradients in adult smoking are tethered to experiences in adolescence. These findings have important implications for both understanding and addressing disparities in this important health behavior.

Revealing mental health status in Iran's capital: Putting equity and efficiency together

Information about urban health is often based on averages, while to better understand health status in urban areas, inequality should also be included. In this paper, we applied an achievement index approach in order to surmount this defect and to examine mental health status in Iran's capital, Tehran. The data we required for this study were taken from the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART) survey which was conducted in Tehran in 2007, covering people aged 15 and above. The concentration index, which is a commonly used measure of socioeconomic inequalities in health, was extended to enable the combination of inequality and averages and the formation of a mental health achievement index. Values from the standard concentration indices showed that mental disorders are concentrated disproportionately among the poor in Tehran. An extension of the standard concentration indices revealed that, in most of Tehran's districts, the mental health of populations in the poorest quintile is much worse than that of other groups. In addition, when we computed the achievement index and ranked districts according to this index, the ranking was different from the ranking by averages. These findings imply that mental health varies significantly across the economic groups of the population in Tehran and that efficiency-oriented strategies which target average level of mental health alone are not sufficient to improve mental health of all people especially mental health of the poor. Equity-oriented strategies which target the mental health inequalities should be considered as well.

Risk in International Politics

Representative governments under-invest in public goods that provide insurance against risk, The combination of inequality and risk aversion guarantees that the payoffs to insurance are skewed, so the median voter prefers a sub-optimally low level of investment. The problem is exacerbated by supermajority requirements or the need for international coordination. This accounts for some of the characteristic shortcomings of domestic public policy and represents an important obstacle to international cooperation. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Monetary Fund. The argument implies that delegation to international organizations with risk-averse preferences may be welfare enhancing.