Proportional Representation Research Articles

A Risk-Informed Decision-Support Framework for Optimal Operation of Hurricane-Impacted Transportation Networks

To reduce life threats and financial losses under hurricane weather and traffic conditions, stakeholders need to make a sequence of decisions (e.g., enforcing traffic control and/or broadcasting travel advisory) with the presence of various uncertainties, which could be formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP). To effectively solve the MDP for optimal operation of hurricane-impacted transportation networks, a risk-informed decision-support framework is proposed consisting of both a decision-making environment and tool. The decision-making environment involves essentially three coupled modules of hurricane hazard, transportation infrastructure, and traffic flow, where the uncertainties from natural environment, built environment, and human behavior are examined. Specifically, multiple correlated hazards for each specific storm are capsulated in the hurricane hazard module, representative hurricane-vulnerable infrastructure components and associated moving vehicles are evaluated in the transportation infrastructure module, and network-level traffic relations are addressed in the traffic flow module. In view of the complexity and intractability of a hurricane-transportation infrastructure-traffic system through full model representation, the efficient low-dimensional modeling approaches including both physics-based analytical and data-driven surrogate models are utilized in all these three simulation modules. Considering an explicit probabilistic model for the decision-making environment (and hence state transition function) is not available, the operation optimization (involving competing objectives of traffic safety and mobility) is accomplished through a deep reinforcement learning-based decision-making tool that learns to act optimally (involving both traffic control and travel advisory actions) by directly interacting with the environment. A hypothetical case study is conducted to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed framework as a testbed for optimal operation of hurricane-impacted transportation networks.

Electoral system preferences of citizens compared: evidence from a conjoint experiment in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom

AbstractElectoral systems fulfill different functions. Typically, they cannot meet all demands at the same time, so that the evaluation of specific electoral systems depends on subjective preferences about the single demands. We argue that it is the electorate which transfers its power to representatives and, therefore, its preferences should be considered in debates about electoral systems. Consequently, our contribution presents results of citizens’ demands regarding electoral system attributes. Specifically, we rely on a large-scale conjoint experiment conducted in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK in which subjects were asked to choose between two electoral systems which randomly differed on a set of attributes referring to electoral systems’ core functions. Our results show that all core functions are generally of importance for the respondents but reveal a higher preference for proportional electoral systems. These preferences are largely stable for citizens in different countries but also for other subgroups of subjects.

Stepwise liability: Between the preponderance rule and proportional liability

There are two familiar decision rules: the binary, preponderance of the evidence and the continuous, proportional liability rule. This article proposes a thought experiment. Instead of all-or-nothing or a continuous rule, the law can utilise a middle ground—assigning liability stepwise, according to the procedural progression of the case—stepwise liability. Stepwise liability relies on the gradual design of civil procedure. Under the current system, the plaintiff has to pass several procedural thresholds with increasing evidentiary requirements in order to proceed to trial. Examples are a motion to dismiss and then a summary judgment. I propose that, corresponding to the procedural progression of the case, after surviving each step the plaintiff will be entitled to a gradually increasing share of the damages. Stepwise liability offers several advantages relative to the traditional rules. It provides partial compensation where the defendant's liability falls short of the 50% threshold, hence restoring incentives to take care. Unlike the proportional rule, this outcome can be achieved without major modifications to the existing decision rules. Unlike both rules, the proposal enables plaintiffs to cash in with some award before trial. I analyse the foregoing advantages together with the potential pitfalls, such as over-deterrence, larger legal expenses, and the day-in-court ideal.

Measuring Closeness in Proportional Representation Systems

AbstractWe provide closed-form solutions for measuring electoral closeness of candidates in proportional representation (PR) systems. In contrast to plurality systems, closeness in PR systems cannot be directly inferred from votes. Our measure captures electoral closeness for both open- and closed-list systems and for both main families of seat allocation mechanisms. This unified measure quantifies the vote surplus (shortfall) for elected (nonelected) candidates. It can serve as an assignment variable in regression discontinuity designs or as a measure of electoral competitiveness. For illustration, we estimate the incumbency advantage for the parliaments in Switzerland, Honduras, and Norway.

Modeling and design of heterogeneous hierarchical bioinspired spider web structures using deep learning and additive manufacturing

Spider webs are incredible biological structures, comprising thin but strong silk filament and arranged into complex hierarchical architectures with striking mechanical properties (e.g., lightweight but high strength, achieving diverse mechanical responses). While simple 2D orb webs can easily be mimicked, the modeling and synthesis of 3D-based web structures remain challenging, partly due to the rich set of design features. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the heterogeneous graph structures of spider webs and use deep learning as a way to model and then synthesize artificial, bioinspired 3D web structures. The generative models are conditioned based on key geometric parameters (including average edge length, number of nodes, average node degree, and others). To identify graph construction principles, we use inductive representation sampling of large experimentally determined spider web graphs, to yield a dataset that is used to train three conditional generative models: 1) an analog diffusion model inspired by nonequilibrium thermodynamics, with sparse neighbor representation; 2) a discrete diffusion model with full neighbor representation; and 3) an autoregressive transformer architecture with full neighbor representation. All three models are scalable, produce complex, de novo bioinspired spider web mimics, and successfully construct graphs that meet the design objectives. We further propose an algorithm that assembles web samples produced by the generative models into larger-scale structures based on a series of geometric design targets, including helical and parametric shapes, mimicking, and extending natural design principles toward integration with diverging engineering objectives. Several webs are manufactured using 3D printing and tested to assess mechanical properties.

The gendered nature of ethnic minority candidate nomination: An analysis of the moderating role of district diversity, party affiliation and ethnic minorities’ visibility

ABSTRACT This paper investigates when party selectors prefer ethnic minority female over male candidates on their lists. We argue that the two competing strategies parties can follow (gaining the ethnic vote (‘ethnic community’ argument) versus not scaring ethnic majority voters (‘deterrence’ argument)) are dependent upon party ideology, district diversity and ethnic minorities’ visibility. Focusing on the 2018 local elections in Flanders (Belgium), we find that female Turkish/Maghrebi (i.e., visible ethnic minority) candidates outnumber their male counterparts in less diverse districts and rightist parties, whereas an opposite picture emerges in more diverse districts and leftist parties. Surprisingly, however, female candidates with less visible minority backgrounds outnumber their male counterparts in all contexts. These results imply a confirmation of the ‘ethnic community argument’, while casting doubts on the ‘deterrence’ argument. Taken together, our findings clearly highlight the conditionality of the selection of ethnic minority male versus female candidates in Proportional Representation list-systems.

Democracy: Should We Replace Elections with Random Selection?

Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore the claim that lotteries are more democratic than elections. The paper starts by looking at the two main forms of equality that give lotteries their democratic appeal: an individually equal chance to be selected for office, and the proportionate representation of groups in the legislature. It shows that they cannot be jointly realized and argues that their egalitarian appeal is more apparent than real. Finally, the paper considers the democratic reasons to value randomly selected assemblies, even if claims about their distinctively egalitarian properties are exaggerated.

Numerical Simulation of a Space-Fractional Molecular Beam Epitaxy Model without Slope Selection

In this paper, we introduce a space-fractional version of the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) model without slope selection to describe super-diffusion in the model. Compared to the classical MBE equation, the spatial discretization is an important issue in the space-fractional MBE equation because of the nonlocal nature of the fractional operator. To approximate the fractional operator, we employ the Fourier spectral method, which gives a full diagonal representation of the fractional operator and achieves spectral convergence regardless of the fractional power. And, to combine with the Fourier spectral method directly, we present a linear, energy stable, and second-order method. Then, it is possible to simulate the dynamics of the space-fractional MBE equation efficiently and accurately. By using the numerical method, we investigate the effect of the fractional power in the space-fractional MBE equation.

Mirror Symmetry for New Physics beyond the Standard Model in 4D Spacetime

The two discrete generators of the full Lorentz group O(1,3) in 4D spacetime are typically chosen to be parity inversion symmetry P and time reversal symmetry T, which are responsible for the four topologically separate components of O(1,3). Under general considerations of quantum field theory (QFT) with internal degrees of freedom, mirror symmetry is a natural extension of P, while CP symmetry resembles T in spacetime. In particular, mirror symmetry is critical as it doubles the full Dirac fermion representation in QFT and essentially introduces a new sector of mirror particles. Its close connection to T-duality and Calabi–Yau mirror symmetry in string theory is clarified. Extension beyond the Standard Model can then be constructed using both left- and right-handed heterotic strings guided by mirror symmetry. Many important implications such as supersymmetry, chiral anomalies, topological transitions, Higgs, neutrinos, and dark energy are discussed.

Metatranscriptome Analysis of Nasopharyngeal Swabs across the Varying Severity of COVID-19 Disease Demonstrated Unprecedented Species Diversity.

The recent global emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accelerated research in several areas of science whose valuable outputs and findings can help to address future health challenges in the event of emerging infectious agents. We conducted a comprehensive shotgun analysis targeting multiple aspects to compare differences in bacterial spectrum and viral presence through culture-independent RNA sequencing. We conducted a comparative analysis of the microbiome between healthy individuals and those with varying degrees of COVID-19 severity, including a total of 151 participants. Our findings revealed a noteworthy increase in microbial species diversity among patients with COVID-19, irrespective of disease severity. Specifically, our analysis revealed a significant difference in the abundance of bacterial phyla between healthy individuals and those infected with COVID-19. We found that Actinobacteria, among other bacterial phyla, showed a notably higher abundance in healthy individuals compared to infected individuals. Conversely, Bacteroides showed a lower abundance in the latter group. Infected people, regardless of severity and symptoms, have the same proportional representation of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteriales. In addition to SARS-CoV-2 and numerous phage groups, we identified sequences of clinically significant viruses such as Human Herpes Virus 1, Human Mastadenovirus D, and Rhinovirus A in several samples. Analyses were performed retrospectively, therefore, in the case of SARS-CoV-2 various WHO variants such as Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), Omicron (B.1.1.529), and 20C strains are represented. Additionally, the presence of specific virus strains has a certain effect on the distribution of individual microbial taxa.

Towards Adversarial Robustness for Multi-Mode Data through Metric Learning.

Adversarial attacks have become one of the most serious security issues in widely used deep neural networks. Even though real-world datasets usually have large intra-variations or multiple modes, most adversarial defense methods, such as adversarial training, which is currently one of the most effective defense methods, mainly focus on the single-mode setting and thus fail to capture the full data representation to defend against adversarial attacks. To confront this challenge, we propose a novel multi-prototype metric learning regularization for adversarial training which can effectively enhance the defense capability of adversarial training by preventing the latent representation of the adversarial example changing a lot from its clean one. With extensive experiments on CIFAR10, CIFAR100, MNIST, and Tiny ImageNet, the evaluation results show the proposed method improves the performance of different state-of-the-art adversarial training methods without additional computational cost. Furthermore, besides Tiny ImageNet, in the multi-prototype CIFAR10 and CIFAR100 where we reorganize the whole datasets of CIFAR10 and CIFAR100 into two and ten classes, respectively, the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art approach by 2.22% and 1.65%, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed multi-prototype method also outperforms its single-prototype version and other commonly used deep metric learning approaches as regularization for adversarial training and thus further demonstrates its effectiveness.

A practical strategy to use the ICD-11 for morbidity coding in the United States without a clinical modification.

The aim of this study was to derive and evaluate a practical strategy of replacing ICD-10-CM codes by ICD-11 for morbidity coding in the United States, without the creation of a Clinical Modification. A stepwise strategy is described, using first the ICD-11 stem codes from the Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (MMS) linearization, followed by exposing Foundation entities, then adding postcoordination (with existing codes and adding new stem codes if necessary), with creating new stem codes as the last resort. The strategy was evaluated by recoding 2 samples of ICD-10-CM codes comprised of frequently used codes and all codes from the digestive diseases chapter. Among the 1725 ICD-10-CM codes examined, the cumulative coverage at the stem code, Foundation, and postcoordination levels are 35.2%, 46.5% and 89.4% respectively. 7.1% of codes require new extension codes and 3.5% require new stem codes. Among the new extension codes, severity scale values and anatomy are the most common categories. 5.5% of codes are not one-to-one matches (1 ICD-10-CM code matched to 1 ICD-11 stem code or Foundation entity) which could be potentially challenging. Existing ICD-11 content can achieve full representation of almost 90% of ICD-10-CM codes, provided that postcoordination can be used and the coding guidelines and hierarchical structures of ICD-10-CM and ICD-11 can be harmonized. The various options examined in this study should be carefully considered before embarking on the traditional approach of a full-fledged ICD-11-CM.

Comparison Analysis of Open and Closed Proportional Election Systems in the Perspective of State Law in Indonesia

The development of elections in Indonesia has two systems, namely, closed proportional system and open proportional system. Both electoral systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. The implementation of both electoral systems has significant legal and political implications in the context of state law in Indonesia. This background explanation illustrates the existence of legal problems related to the electoral system in Indonesia and the legal implications of the application of each electoral system. The research used in this research is a combination of conceptual approach with comparative approach. The comparative analysis of open and closed proportional electoral systems in the perspective of state laws in Indonesia is conducted. It can be concluded that the implementation of an open or closed system cannot be viewed as a single solution to all legal problems in the country. Decisions on the most suitable electoral system for Indonesia must consider aspects of democracy, political participation, justice, and political stability. The selection of the right electoral system will have significant implications in building a democratic and effective political system.

Криза парламентської демократії та спроби її подолання в Другій Речі Посполитій у 1924-1926 рр.

The purpose of the article is to study the crisis period in the process of establish- ing parliamentary democracy in the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1924-1926. Research methodology. General scientifi c complex research methods (empirical, comparative, theoretical, analysis method) are applied. In the process of research, the authors were guided by the principles of historicism, objectivism and systematicity, thanks to which the source and historiographical material processed and involved in this scientifi c investigation is reliable and representative. The scientifi c novelty of the article is determined by the fact that the authors have made an attempt to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the positions of the leading Polish political parties towards the current model of parliamentary democracy, as well as their proposals for its reform. Conclusions. Th e article highlights the political debate in the Polish po- litical space regarding overcoming the crisis of parliamentary democracy through the reform of the electoral legislation and the Constitution of 1921. The party debate on issues of state and the legal system of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1924–1926. The main propos- als for reforming Polish statehood are characterized. It was found that most of the Polish political parties considered the lack of conditions for the creation of a stable parliamentary majority to be the main problem of the crisis in the country’s public life, which would facilitate the imple- mentation of a consistent and long-term government policy. At the same time, the principle of proportional representation, the practice of which led to the emergence of an unreasonably large number of parliamentary factions, was considered the most important drawback of electoral law. One of the proposed options for overcoming the crisis was a transition to a majoritarian electoral system, which would favor large parties and the creation of a strong parliamentary majority and a government based on it.

Political Configuration of Electoral System Law in Indonesia from State Administration Perspective

The massive number of money politic and clientelism cases occurring between legislative electoral candidates and the community should be eradicated, especially as the general election comes close. This article analyzed the causes of money politic and clientelism in the electoral system and which electoral system that Indonesia as a state should pursue in the legal political context. This normative juridical research discussed the subjects from the point of view of positive legal norms in Indonesia and focused on a statutory approach. The research data were collected by reviewing various literatures. From the research findings, it was concluded that the open-list proportional electoral system in Indonesia in Law No. 7 Year 2017 concerning General Election should be changed into a close-list one considering that the legal politic of the Law on General Election led to the many money politic cases occurring before and after the election. The Constitutional Court in its decision No. 144/PUU-XX/2022 rejected entirely the application for a change of proportional electoral system in the Law on General Election for many considerations and the upcoming general election in 2024 would still use the open-list proportional electoral system. Nevertheless, in the national legal political context, the party drafting the Law on General Election was authorized by the Constitutional Court to change the electoral system in the future on various requirements that they need to fulfill.

Protection of the obligor in administrative enforcement against realestate

Enforcement against real estate constitutes one of the enforcement measures applying to pecuniary obligations defined in administrative enforcement proceedings. It encroaches upon the property and personal rights of the obligor, triggering financial and legal consequences not only for the obligor concerned, but also for other persons extraneous to the enforcement, including family and household members, in the case of them using the real estate subject to enforcement for the purpose of accommodation. On the one hand it constitutes a burdensome form of enforcement for the obligor, because it applies to one of the fundamental rights protected under the Constitution, that of the property right to real estate. On the other, enforcement against real estate is costly, and does not always lead to the full satisfaction of the creditor. This is why one of the fundamental tasks placed before the legislator is to shape and ensure legal means for the obligor that would constitute a sufficient guarantee for their protection and would realise the constitutional principles of rule of law, equality, proportionality and social justice.

Krisis Nilai Demokrasi atas Gugatan Sistem Pemilu Proporsional Terbuka ke Mahkamah Konstitusi oleh Elemen Masyarakat

Democracy is government by the people. It is a system that is founded on the principle of people's sovereignty, with two main values attached to it, namely: freedom and equality. Freedom here automatically means freedom to be responsible and to move within the boundaries of the constitution, law and ethics. The electoral system is currently being widely discussed because there are requests from elements of society who are suing the open proportional electoral system to a closed proportional with the judicial review of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections filed on November 14, 2022. The lawsuit is registered with number 114/PPU/XX /2022 sues a number of articles in the Election Law which rely on Article 168 paragraph (2) concerning the open list proportional legislative election system. The petitioners argue that an open proportional electoral system is contrary to the constitution. This is because Article 18 paragraph (3) and Article 19 of the 1945 Constitution state that members of the DPR and DPRD are elected in elections, where the participants are political parties. On June 15, 2023 the Constitutional Court rejected the applicant's application in its entirety.

Response of microalgae size-class structure to nutrients differences in northern Yellow Sea, China.

Marine phytoplankton size-class structure affects ecological functions and shellfish culture. We use high-throughput sequencing and size-fractioned grading techniques to identify and analyze responses of phytoplankton differences in environmental variables at Donggang, northern Yellow Sea (high inorganic nitrogen (DIN)) and Changhai (low DIN) for 2021. The main environmental variables that correlate with differences in the proportional contributions of pico-, nano-, and microphytoplankton to the total phytoplankton community are inorganic phosphorus (DIP), nitrite to inorganic nitrogen ratio (NO2/dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN)), and ammonia nitrogen to inorganic nitrogen ratio (NH4/DIN), respectively. DIN, which contributes most to environmental differences, mainly positively correlates with changes in picophytoplankton biomass in high DIN waters. Nitrite (NO2) correlates mostly with changes in the proportional contribution of microphytoplankton in high DIN waters and nanophytoplankton in low DIN waters, and negatively correlates with changes in the biomass and proportional representation of microphytoplankton in low DIN waters. For near-shore phosphorus-limited waters, an increase in DIN may increase total microalgal biomass, but proportions of microphytoplankton may not increase; for high DIN waters, an increase in DIP may increase proportions of microphytoplankton, while for low DIN waters, an increase in DIP may preferentially increase proportions of picophytoplankton and nanophytoplankton. Picophytoplankton contributed little to the growth of two commercially cultured filter-feeding shellfish, Ruditapes philippinarum and Mizuhopecten yessoensis.

System polityczny Szwajcarii, czyli przypadek jedyny w swoim rodzaju

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SWITZERLAND OR ONE OF A KIND CASE Switzerland has a unique political system, because of its institutional curiosities and unique democratic procedures. It seems that everyone should be surprised by the same state construction that dialectically combines confederation with federation. The Swiss political system represents a rare model of assembly government, known also as parliamentary-committee system. Its main trait is the lack of power division as a foundation of democratic order. Bicameral parliament – the Federal Assembly, composed of the National Council as representation of people and the Council of States representing the cantons acts as supreme authority and appoints all remaining federal institutions. The mode of election of the National Council is based on strict proportional representation without electoral thresholds and with maximal openness of the whole electoral process. The Federal Council that is popularly considered as government is executive institution and always has seven members. The Swiss governments acts as a collective body without prime minister. One of the members of the Federal Council serves as president. He has only formal procedural duties and has no political prerogatives. And, what is important, contrary to the name of his office, the president is not head of federation, because this role falls to the entire Federal Council. Four strongest political parties of country are represented in the government, and in a result of this, the permanent cooperation of the Swiss system makes a unique consensus democracy.

Strategyproofness and Proportionality in Party-Approval Multiwinner Elections

In party-approval multiwinner elections the goal is to allocate the seats of a fixed-size committee to parties based on the approval ballots of the voters over the parties. In particular, each voter can approve multiple parties and each party can be assigned multiple seats. Two central requirements in this setting are proportional representation and strategyproofness. Intuitively, proportional representation requires that every sufficiently large group of voters with similar preferences is represented in the committee. Strategyproofness demands that no voter can benefit by misreporting her true preferences. We show that these two axioms are incompatible for anonymous party-approval multiwinner voting rules, thus proving a far-reaching impossibility theorem. The proof of this result is obtained by formulating the problem in propositional logic and then letting a SAT solver show that the formula is unsatisfiable. Additionally, we demonstrate how to circumvent this impossibility by considering a weakening of strategyproofness which requires that only voters who do not approve any elected party cannot manipulate. While most common voting rules fail even this weak notion of strategyproofness, we characterize Chamberlin-Courant approval voting within the class of Thiele rules based on this strategyproofness notion.