Empirical Theory Research Articles

Democracy and Climate Change for Realists: An Integrated Empirical and Normative Assessment

Abstract When scholars consider the relation between domestic political regimes and global climate change, they typically rely on assumptions about liberal democracy's core competencies with respect to environmental protection in general. As a result, an ostensibly normative debate pitting democracy against “eco-authoritarianism” depends for its resolution on causal theory and empirical analysis. I offer an integrated assessment of both empirical (causal) and normative (ethical) theories on democracy, autocracy, and climate change, concluding that democracy's superiority is less compellingly supported than regime-neutrality. Theoretically, the causal logic of environmentally protective democracy cannot readily be extended to climate change as a distinctive political problem. Empirically, my review of global statistical analyses of regime type and climate change reveals that the evidence is more consistent with regime-neutrality than democratic advantage. Regime-neutrality, in turn, revitalizes difficult normative arguments about trade-offs between democratic freedom and climatic stability. Something resembling the “win-win” situation of climate-fixing democracy may still be salvaged, theoretically. But political science's search for this outcome should take a realist turn: abandoning the liberal-authoritarian dichotomy in favor of a new one, pitting post-liberal forms of democracy against climate-fixing hybrid regimes.

Eliot’s Scientific Modernism: Newton, Einstein, and Adam Bede

Abstract This exploratory article argues that Eliot uses figurative language to embody her knowledge of theoretical physics by poetically infusing plot structure with moral meaning in Adam Bede, which contains a unified vision of characters, societal milieu, and astrophysical environment. The article’s interpretive analysis demonstrates the influence of Newton’s and, by implication, Einstein’s theoretical physics in Adam Bede’s text, which links characters to their natural environment, analogically identifying them with sun, moon, and Earth. Adam Bede’s key chapters highlight metaphorical solar-lunar imagery inspired by Newton’s laws of motion in the solar system, and amenable to comparisons with Einstein’s empirical photoelectric effect and relativity theory. Blinded by ignorance and arrogance, lunar Hetty and solar Arthur fall into a prolonged collision that violates societal norms personified in earthy Adam. The feminist social conscience of Eliot outpaces Lewes, who advised her to relegate sexually exploited Hetty to a short story, urging her to make mercurial evangelistic Dinah the novel’s female protagonist. Commensurate with Adam Bede’s analogical Newtonian character depiction, Eliot shows narratological inventiveness consistent with her knowledge of mathematics and hard sciences, amalgamating omniscient Newtonian narration interspersed with Einsteinian terse asides, indirect discourse, and avant-garde stream-of-consciousness technique.

Characterizing uninsured population in Mexico: a multinomial analysis

PurposeThis research highlights the importance of understanding the characteristics of the uninsured population in Mexico, as it is closely related to economic growth. Those characteristics that are not economic but behavioral are especially important to incentivize insurance purchases in the population with sufficient resources.Design/methodology/approachConsidering the main reason for not having insurance, this research classifies the Mexican adult population into four categories using a multinomial logit model and the National Survey of Financial Inclusion (2021).FindingsThe adult Mexican population can be divided into four categories: No money, Not aware or does not trust, No need, Other; this division allows comparisons between categories at 95% confidential level. The statistically significant variables were Mobile phone-ownership, Education level, Age, Financial behavior and Locality, while the variables, Financial literacy and Gender, were not. The variables that strongly characterize the uninsured population with sufficient resources (42.1%) are associated with economic factors (mobile phone ownership) and people’s behavior (Education level, Age, Financial behavior and Locality). This presents an excellent opportunity for policymakers to develop public policies encouraging insurance purchases.Originality/valueVarious empirical studies have focused on determining the economic, demographic and institutional factors that determine insurance tenure. Still, no empirical evidence has been found to characterize the uninsured population. This study aims to help policymakers develop public policy for the uninsured population to encourage them to purchase insurance. This research contributes to empirical theory in three ways: First, it identifies a large market in Mexico; the uninsured population in this country is about 80%. Second, it segments the adult population into categories to analyze better. Third, the characteristics of the population that has sufficient resources to take out insurance but has none can be found.

Large Sample Behavior of the Least Trimmed Squares Estimator

The least trimmed squares (LTS) estimator is popular in location, regression, machine learning, and AI literature. Despite the empirical version of least trimmed squares (LTS) being repeatedly studied in the literature, the population version of the LTS has never been introduced and studied. The lack of the population version hinders the study of the large sample properties of the LTS utilizing the empirical process theory. Novel properties of the objective function in both empirical and population settings of the LTS and other properties, are established for the first time in this article. The primary properties of the objective function facilitate the establishment of other original results, including the influence function and Fisher consistency. The strong consistency is established with the help of a generalized Glivenko–Cantelli Theorem over a class of functions for the first time. Differentiability and stochastic equicontinuity promote the establishment of asymptotic normality with a concise and novel approach.

Theoretical study on the lattice distortion and electronic structure in the Al–Co–Cr–Fe–Ni multicomponent alloys

At present, the phase structure design for multicomponent alloys (MCAs) is mainly based on the valence electron concentration (VEC). In this work, based on the classification of valence electrons by the empirical electron theory of solid and molecule (EET), the VEC is further dissected and found that the covalent electron concentration (CEC) can be used as a criterion for determining the phase structure of MCAs. The Alx(CoCrFeNi)1-x (x = 0, 1/24, 1/12 and 1/8) alloys are designed on the basis of the CEC. The effect of Al content on the lattice distortion in the FCC phase of the alloys by combining density functional theory (DFT) and EET. The results show that the degree of lattice distortion in the FCC phase gradually increases with the increase of Al content and the interatomic bonding decreases before the phase structure transition. The alloy reaches the criticality of the phase structure transition when the Al content is 9.48 at.%.

Public political philosophy in Poland: Phacts, phictions, and philennials

All over the world, political philosophers are increasingly told to deliver more ‘engagement’, ‘relevance’, or ‘impact’, without it being remotely clear what this should involve. Less analysis and more activism? Fewer principles and more policies? Less critique and more cooperation? Or something else altogether: a particular way of working with others that sits alongside, rather than replaces, what we already do as professional scholars. In support of this last possibility, my argument here has two stages. First, a flexible theory of ‘public political philosophy’ that others can adopt or amend as they see fit. Second, a development of that theory by way of a particular ‘case-study’: ‘inter-minority dialogue’ in Poland, and especially dialogue between, and about, Jewish and Muslim communities residing there. Note though, in advance, that this is not ‘development’ in the sense of either ‘testing’ an empirical theory or ‘applying’ a normative one. Instead I aim simply to sketch out a particular kind of conversation, between and amongst these groups, as well as local scholars, by setting out three ‘methods’ they can experiment with, each of which is intended to support, rather than supplant, whatever dialogues are already locally occurring. These three I call ‘phacts’, ‘phictions’, and ‘philennials’, and if they are far from a solution to any of the problems these communities face, they are at least a new contribution that philosophers are particularly well placed to facilitate.

Correlation of Valence electron structure and properties of monolayer graphene and MX2 (M=Mo, W; X=S, Se, Te): Empirical Electron Theory (EET) investigation

The atomically thin layers of transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) materials have garnered considerable attention due to their exceptional electrical, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Hence, it is important to investigate the mechanism of their excellent properties. In this paper, the study is focused on the correlation between valence electron structures (VESs) and mechanical as well as thermal properties of graphene and MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te) for revealing their essential mechanisms of properties with an empirical electron theory (EET). A model of Young's modulus is built for the monolayer graphene and MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te) based on the VES, which has been verified by the observed ones of elements in the 4th to 6th periods in the periodic table of elements. The calculated bond lengths and mechanical and thermal properties of graphene and MX2 are in good agreement with experimental ones. The study reveals that the thermal and mechanical properties of MX2 strongly depend on their valence electron structures. It shows that the melting point, cohesive energy, thermal conductivity, and Young's modulus are modulated by covalence electron pair nA, the averaged covalence electron per atom nc/atom, covalence electron pair nA and linear density of covalent electron on the strongest bond ρl, respectively. The study helps explain the thermal and mechanical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials and also supplies a reference for their design with high performance by modulating their valence electron structures.

Valence electron structures dependences of structural stability and properties of REX3 (RE = rare earth; X = In, Tl) and RE(In, Co)3 alloys

Abstract Intermetallic compounds REIn3 (RE = rare earth) have attracted much attention due to their unique characteristics: crystal field effect, Kondo effect, superconductivity, heavy fermion, and antiferromagnetism, and their cobalt diluted alloys exhibit the ferromagnetic half-metallic characteristics at room temperature. In this study, an empirical electron theory (EET) is employed to investigate systemically the valence electronic structure, the thermal and magnetic properties of REX 3 and their cobalt diluted alloys for revealing the mechanism of physical properties. The calculated bond length, melting point, and magnetic moment match the experimental ones very well. The study reveals that structural stability and physical properties of REX 3 and their cobalt dilute alloys are strongly related to their valence electron structures. It is suggested that the structural stability and cohesive energy depend upon the covalent electron, the melting point is modulated by covalent electron pair, and the magnetic moment is originated from 3d magnetic electron. The ferromagnetic characteristics of Co-diluted REIn3 alloys is originated from the introduction of strong ferromagnetic Co atom, but, a competition is caused between the electron transition from valence electron to magnetic electron on d orbit and its reversal electron transformation with increasing the content of cobalt, which results in the formations of diluted magnetic Gd(In,Co)3 alloy with minor amount of cobalt and strong magnetic Nd(In,Co)3 alloy with doping more Co atoms.

Influence of Composition on Mechanical Properties and Sound Speed of AlAs1−xPx for Various Pressures

The mechanical properties of AlAs1−xPx alloy under the influence of composition have been determined. The sound speed of AlAs1−xPx has been determined at various compositions. The studied properties were obtained with the effect of composition at various pressures. The predicted values were consistent with the available experimental results. The investigation used empirical method calculations based on empirical pseudo potential theory (EPM) with the virtual crystal approximation (VCA) to broaden the applications of ternary alloys and better investigate their potential as novel materials. AlAs1−xPx is a material that shows promise for usage in multi-junction solar cell designs because its properties can potentially be adjusted. The mechanical stability of AlAs1−xPx alloys was obtained according to these conditions C11 + 2C12 > 0, C44 > 0, and C11-C12 > 0. The obtained anisotropy factor was not equal to 1, indicating the presence of elastic anisotropy in the studied alloy in the applied composition range. The AlAs1−xPx alloy is a ductile material throughout the entire composition range at various pressures due to the Bu/Cs values exceeding 1.75.

여성 사이코패스 범죄자의 심리학적 특성 분석 연구 - 부산 정유정의 과외교사 살인사건 중심

This study started from a critical perspective on psychopathy research, which has been conducted with a focus on men, and was conducted with the purpose of theoretically deriving the psychological characteristics of female psychopaths and verifying them through cases. The research method was to derive the characteristics of female psychopaths based on empirical studies and theories conducted to date in advanced foreign countries and compare them with the characteristics of male psychopaths. In addition, we took a method of theoretically verifying the validity of the existing theory by comparing and analyzing the results of previous research on the characteristics of female psychopathic criminals with female psychopathic cases that occurred at home and abroad. Basic data for deriving the characteristics of general psychopathy include psychopathy measurement tools developed overseas: PCL-R, PPI-R, and CAPP, TriPM.

The Multiple Aspects of the Given—Ontological Remarks on Ernst Mach’s Empiricism

Philosophers often rely on sciences of their own time. This is especially true for scientists writing philosophical works. In the case of Ernst Mach, the scientific references are mainly to physics, physiology, evolutionary biology and—in a somewhat different manner—the new discipline of psychology. Like so many authors in the late 19th century, Mach had extreme confidence in the methods of the natural sciences. However, this trait, often called scientism or positivism, can easily be used in polemical accounts that obscure other aspects of Mach’s thought. Mach is well-known for both his analysis of sensations and his evolutionary conception of perception and knowledge. The tension between the ambition to clarify the empirical basis of perception on the one hand and the focus on the natural origins of human perception on the other hand is, however, considerable. A comparison of these two perspectives can contribute to an ontological understanding of experience that sheds new light on the much-discussed topic of sense data and at the same time clarifies the difference between experience and observation and the role of experimental science in this context. In some respects, Mach seems closer to William James than to his followers in the Vienna circle. The accusation of idealism made by Lenin in his influential critique of positivism overlooks the implications of this naturalist approach but offers the occasion to dwell on the ontological implications of something that can be called natural historicity. Comparisons with Aristotle, Bacon, Descartes and Kant situate the empiricist theory of perception.

A nonparametric test of [formula omitted]th-degree inverse stochastic dominance

This paper proposes a nonparametric test for mth-degree inverse stochastic dominance which is a powerful tool for ranking distribution functions according to social welfare. We construct the test based on empirical process theory. The test is shown to be asymptotically size controlled and consistent. The good finite sample properties of the test are illustrated via Monte Carlo simulations. We apply our test to the inequality growth in the United Kingdom from 1995 to 2010, and obtain a more complete ranking of the income distributions.

A review on recent applications of machine learning in mechanical properties of composites

AbstractComposites are undergoing extensive research and utilization due to their excellent mechanical properties, driven by human needs. Traditionally, the research methods in materials science predominantly rely on empirical theory or experimental trial and error approaches. However, the increased complexity of composite materials results in a greater intricacy in their mechanical behavior. Consequently, the utilization of traditional research methods may not achieve sufficient efficiency. Materials science is rapidly transitioning into a data‐driven era, with machine learning (ML) emerging as a potent tool to expedite materials development and enhance properties prediction. Significant advancements have been achieved in the application of ML to the study of composite mechanics. In this review article, we elucidate various ML methods employed in the construction of constitutive models for isotropic and anisotropic composites, and delve into the research on construction ML models that leverage input data derived from composite processes, structures, and environmental conditions to predict material mechanical properties. Additionally, we summarize recent noteworthy ML applications in composite design and optimization. Finally, possible prospective viewpoints are proposed for future development, with the aim of providing essential scientific guidance for advancing material science and technology through ML.Highlights Machine learning can address complexity in constitutive model of the anisotropic composites. Machine learning predicts mechanical properties of composites well by process and structure. Machine learning enhances efficiency in inverse design to optimize composites. Limitations, challenges, development trends of ML in composites.

Examining Food-Specific and General Inhibitory Control and Working Memory as Moderators of Relations Between Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Eating Pathology in Adults With Overweight/Obesity: A Preregistered, Cross-Sectional Study.

Empirical research and theory support the interaction of executive functions (e.g., inhibitory control, working memory) and emotion regulation in guiding goal-oriented behavior; however, applications to eating pathology (e.g., binge eating) are limited. Such research is scant with adults with overweight/obesity (AwO/O), a population reporting high levels of binge eating, emotion regulation difficulties, and deficits in inhibitory control and working memory. We tested interactions between emotion regulation and executive functioning in relation to eating pathology in AwO/O while considering stimuli-specific deficits (e.g., food-specific deficits) in behavioral task performance. AwO/O (N = 204; MBMI = 32.11; Mage = 38.30 [SD = 12.16]) completed a preregistered, online study assessing demographics and emotion regulation difficulties (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale), inhibitory control (go/no-go task, food and general stimuli), working memory (N-Back Task, food and general stimuli), binge eating (Binge Eating Scale), and disordered eating (Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire). There was limited evidence of moderation in models examining food-specific and general inhibitory control and working memory, emotion regulation difficulties, and binge eating. Preliminary support was found for emotion regulation difficulties to be more strongly associated with more disordered eating in AwO/O reporting more food-specific and general working memory deficits. Consistent, positive associations between emotion regulation difficulties and eating pathology were observed. Among adults with AwO/O, emotion regulation difficulties are closely related to eating pathology, regardless of performance on working memory and inhibitory control tasks. Clinicians and researchers working with AwO/O may consider how emotion regulation difficulties and working memory deficits work together to influence disordered eating.

On the Formation of Empirical Theories in Poorly Formalized Domains

On the Formation of Empirical Theories in Poorly Formalized Domains

On concentration of the empirical measure for radial transport costs

Let μ be a probability measure on Rd and μN its empirical measure with sample size N. We prove a concentration inequality for the optimal transport cost between μ and μN for radial cost functions with polynomial local growth, that can have superpolynomial global growth. This result generalizes and improves upon estimates of Fournier and Guillin. The proof combines ideas from empirical process theory with known concentration rates for compactly supported μ. By partitioning Rd into annuli, we infer a global estimate from local estimates on the annuli and conclude that the global estimate can be expressed as a sum of the local estimate and a mean-deviation probability for which efficient bounds are known.

Error Propagation in Asymptotic Analysis of the Data-Driven (s, S) Inventory Policy

Estimating Optimal Inventory Policies: Moving Beyond SAA and Empirical Process Theory In “Error Propagation in Asymptotic Analysis of the Data-Driven (s,S) Inventory Policy,” Zhang, Ye, and Haskell dive into the class multiperiod stochastic inventory control in a data-driven setting. They investigate the statistical properties of the data-driven $(s, S)$-policy obtained by recursively computing the empirical cost-to-go functions. In this setting, the empirical cost-to-go functions for the estimated parameters are not i.i.d. sums because of the error propagation. They establish a novel asymptotic representation for multi-sample $U$-processes in terms of i.i.d. sums. This representation enables them to apply empirical process theory to derive the influence functions of the estimated parameters and to establish joint asymptotic normality. Based on these results, they also propose an entirely data-driven estimator of the optimal expected cost and derive its asymptotic distribution. They demonstrate some useful applications of their asymptotic results, including sample size determination and interval estimation.

A systematic review of the Narrative Policy Framework: a future research agenda

The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) has become instrumental in understanding how policy narratives impact public policy processes. This article presents a systematic analysis of the historical development of NPF research, drawing on a review of 189 NPF articles to investigate its evolution. The findings are presented across five temporal stages, examining the use of the NPF’s theoretical elements. The analysis indicates a consistent focus on the core theoretical components, demonstrating the framework’s robustness. Additionally, the article examines whether the NPF’s ambition to bridge positivist and interpretivist approaches has been achieved. The proposed future research agenda highlights areas for further exploration. First, researchers are encouraged to combine the NPF with interpretivist approaches in policy narrative research. Second, our findings show a need for more in-depth analyses of specific narrative components, such as narrative characters, to gain deeper insights into their effects on policy processes. Third, there is a clear need to investigate whether and how practitioners are using NPF research to inform their communication strategies. This systematic analysis highlights patterns and trends in the literature, identifies gaps and proposes future avenues for empirical applications and theory development. Thus, this article offers new insights into the NPF, contributing to existing knowledge in the field.

Linear-quadratic Tobit regression model with a change point due to a covariate threshold

This paper considers a linear-quadratic Tobit regression model, which is developed for modelling the mixture structure with a line segment and a quadratic segment intersecting at an unknown change point. Due to the smoothness of such model structure, the regression coefficients and the change point can be obtained by directly maximising the likelihood function. The proposed estimator has rapid convergence rate and high estimation accuracy, without other computation burden. The asymptotic properties for the proposed estimator are derived by using empirical process theory. A sup-likelihood ratio test procedure is developed for testing the existence of a change point, and its limiting distributions are derived. The good finite sample performances of the proposed estimator are illustrated by numerical studies and empirical applications to the MGUS and GDP data.

Effective electronic properties and coupling for two-temperature model-molecular dynamics simulation of ultrafast laser ablation of nickel

ABSTRACT The accuracy of hybrid two temperature model-molecular dynamics (TTM-MD) simulations in predicting the ultrafast laser ablation phenomena in metals is influenced by the functional definition of subsystem properties and electronic-lattice coupling. In this work, laser ablation of nickel is simulated using hybrid TTM-MD with empirical and density function theory (DFT) derived electronic and coupling parameter sets. The investigation revealed that the empirically derived temperature-dependent parameterisation of electronic specific heat, thermal conductivity, and coupling factor enhanced the fidelity of electron–phonon nonequilibrium dynamics when used in conjunction with simple optical absorption models, aligning closely with prior experimental observations for nickel specimens. The TTM-MD setup is then coupled utilising two widely used coupling techniques – the temperature difference scaled and Langevin thermostat. It is found that the former exhibits increased tensile stress due to artificial enhancement of the collision cascade owing to deterministic nature of the coupling force. While the probabilistic nature of the Langevin thermostat offers more accurate predictions of the ablation threshold/yield. Under these conditions, the TTM-MD scheme is tested for a range of absorbed laser fluence, with ablation threshold, and the onset of phase explosion is determined as 115 and 270 mJ/cm2, respectively for a 1 picosecond (ps-) laser pulse.