Rational Considerations Research Articles

Agricultural Multi-Water Source Allocation Model Based on Interval Two-Stage Stochastic Robust Programming under Uncertainty

Numerous uncertainties and complexities exist in the agricultural irrigation water allocation system, that must be considered in the optimization of water resources allocation. In this paper, an agricultural multi-water source allocation model, consisting of stochastic robust programming and two-stage random programming and introducing interval numbers and random variables to represent the uncertainties, was proposed for the optimization of irrigation water allocation in Jiamusi City of Heilongjiang Province, China. The model could optimize the water allocaton to different crops of groundwater and surface water. Then, the optimal target value and the optimal water allocation of different water sources distributed to different crops could be obtained. The model optimized the economic benefits and stability of the agricultural irrigation water allocation system via the introduction of a the penalty cost variable measurement to the objective function. The results revealed that the total water shortage changed from [18.6, 32.3] × 108 m3 to [15.7, 26.2] × 108 m3 at a risk level ω from zero to five, indicating that the water shortage decreased and the reliability improved in the agricultural irrigation water allocation system. Additionally, the net economic benefits of irrigation changed from [287.21, 357.86] × 108 yuan to [253.23, 301.32] × 108 yuan, indicating that the economic benefit difference was reduced. Therefore, the model can be used by decision makers to develop appropriate water distribution schemes based on the rational consideration of the economic benefit, stability and risk of the agricultural irrigation water allocation system.

A matemática nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem em Física: funções e equações no estudo da quantidade de movimento e sua conservação

O presente estudo trata de uma pesquisa que buscou investigar a relação dialógica entre as aprendizagens significativas de conteúdos da Matemática (funções e equações lineares) e da Física (momento linear e conservação). Ou seja, procurou verificar as possibilidades dos conteúdos matemáticos contribuírem para o aprendizado significativo dos conteúdos da Física e estes para com o aprendizado significativo das funções e equações lineares, no âmbito da Matemática. A Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de David Ausubel, juntamente com alguns aportes da Teoria dos Campos Conceituais de Gérard Vergnaud e da Teoria da Mediação de Lev Vygotsky, constituíram-se no referencial teórico desta investigação, tanto para justificativa do problema como para a análise e tratamento dos resultados da investigação. A metodologia de pesquisa teve um enfoque preferencialmente qualitativo, de caráter interpretativo e descritivo, com alguns elementos quantitativos. Os dados foram coletados através de um processo de intervenção didática, constituído por estudos realizados em cinco classes de estudantes de Ensino Médio de distintas instituições do Ensino Médio do Sistema Educacional Brasileiro. Com base na análise dos resultados, concluiu-se que, embora os resultados não tenham sido suficientemente consistentes para um parecer mais abalizado e convincente sobre a possível relação de interferência dialógica entre possíveis aprendizados dos conteúdos matemáticos e físicos, os achados nos conduzem a concluir que os mesmos não são respaldados em considerações de cunhos racional e lógico, a saber: racional, uma vez que razões, como por exemplo, pouco tempo para o processo educativo e complexidade dos campos conceituais e outras já comentadas, não são substanciais para se falar em aprendizagem significativa; lógica, porque não se tendo convicção de aprendizagem dos citados conteúdos, pelas razões já explicitadas, logicamente, não se pode falar de possível interferência recíproca de aprendizados.

Perceptions, intentions and behavioral norms that affect pre-license driving among Arab youth in Israel

The present study examines reported pre-license driving among youth from the population of Arab citizens of Israel. The purpose of the present study is to examine which sociodemographic variables, attitudes and perceptions about safe driving and individual and societal behavioral norms are associated with pre-license driving. The research distinguished between the factors that actually contribute to pre-license driving (reported behavior, peer norms, gender and parents' messages) and the factors that explain the intention (parental authority, social norms, parents' messages and fear of road crashes). Even though there was a significant partial overlap (84%) between those who intend to drive without a license and those who reported driving without a license, the main factors that distinguish pre-license driving groups are different from the factors that distinguish the intention to drive before receiving a license.What is unique about the findings is the identification of the context in which social norms are influential and that in which parental authority is influential. The study indicated that in the case of pre-license driving, the main motivating factor is subjective norms, whereas in the case of expecting to drive without a license, the main motivating factor is the interaction between parental authority and the messages that parents convey.While actual behavior pertains to the behavioral level, we argue that intended behavior pertains to the cognitive level. At this level, rational considerations arise, such as fear of parental punishment and fear of accidents. These considerations compete with the influence of friends and their norms, and may outweigh them.The findings suggest that it is important to safeguard youth against the influence of peer pressure as early as the stage of behavioral intentions. Follow-up studies can simulate situations of pre-license driving due to social pressure and identify the factors that might affect young people’s decision-making. Moreover, providing parents with training before the accompaniment period is highly recommended.

Structural stability of gravity dams: a progressive assessment considering uncertainties in shear strength parameters

ABSTRACTStructural sliding stability of gravity dams is generally quantified using deterministic factor of safety, FSdet. Large FSdet (e.g. 3 in normal condition), are used in existing guidelines to guard against material and load uncertainties. Some guidelines allow an arbitrary reduction in FSdet (e.g. 2) when the knowledge in strength parameters increases from material test data. Yet, those reduced FSdet are not based on a rational consideration of uncertainties. Propagation of uncertainties could be done using probabilistic analyses, such as Monte-Carlo simulations (MC) which are complex and challenging for practical use. There is thus a need to develop simplified reliability based safety assessment procedures that could rationalise the adjustment of FSdet. This paper presents a progressive analysis methodology using four safety evaluation formats of increasing complexity: (i) deterministic, (ii) semi-probabilistic (partial coefficient), (iii) reliability based Adjustable Factor of Safety (AFS), and (iv) probabilistic. Comprehensive comparisons are made for the sliding safety evaluation of a 80 m gravity dam. Results are presented in terms of sliding factors of safety, allowable water levels, and demand/capacity ratios. It is shown that the AFS formulation, using direct integration, is simple and practical to use in complement to existing dam safety guidelines before undertaking MC simulations.

The Role of Psychology in Mediation

Parties approach disputes with rigid positions, invariably devoid of rational or commercial consideration. Parties in dispute seldom convince each other through logical argument. Psychological elements frequently obstruct the path to settlement. This paper offers mediators insights into the psychological drivers of human behaviour in conflict, providing a greater understanding of the diverse strategies adopted by parties in dispute.

The relativity of socio-cultural factors on young people’s access to higher education in Africa

The development of sociological discourse and research have focused attention on social issues from one that is primarily concerned with individual rationality to an explanation of cultural norms, values, religious beliefs and practices that places individuals within their social context. Through a critical review of existing literature which identifies the social processes through which young people’s access are mediated in African context, this paper developed a framework which provides understanding of how young people are confronted with various contradictory norms and social constrains with respect to their gender, economic status and relational positions in gaining access to higher education. Essentially, analysis of various empirical and non-empirical studies across Africa provided a clear conclusion that the capacity for securing access and retaining enrolment in higher educational institutions is not entirely determined by the rational considerations of young people, but principally depends on the various contexts in which certain beliefs, norms and values take place.

Public Policy Issues and Campaign Strategies: Examining Rationality and the Role of Social Media in a Legislative Election Within a Middle Eastern Context

AbstractWhile most studies from western countries emphasize rationality in electoral behavior, the present study proposes that rationality is also a driver of candidates’ behavior in a non‐Western context. The purpose of the present study is to map campaign content as well as campaign strategies of 214 candidates in the 2015 United Arab Emirates legislative elections. The qualitative analysis showed rational consideration drove the selection of both campaign strategies and public policy positions. Candidates decided to include patriotism and social and economic policy issues in their campaigns to attract votes. In addition, while candidates utilized social meda in their campaigns hoping to maximize their voter outreach, doing so was not necessarily decisive in garnering more votes. Thus, juxtaposed with social meda channels like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat, and GooglePlus, traditional campaigning strategies remained very potent.

Increasing the Influence of Permission Safety on App Selections by Changes in Visual Representation

Previous studies have shown that inclusion of a permission safety score/cue in the early stage of selecting an app assists users in making safer choices (Chen, Gates, Li, & Proctor, 2015; Gates, Chen, Li, & Proctor, 2014; Rajivan & Camp, 2016). Yet, user ratings were typically weighted more in app-selection decisions than a summary permission safety score, suggesting that app-associated risks are not fully understood or known by users. In daily interactions, people make privacy decisions not just based on rational considerations but also on heuristics (e.g., take the first, Dogruel, Joeckel, & Bowman, 2015). Interfaces of popular online services and systems sometimes exploit these heuristics and biases to nudge people to act in ways that are not always aligned with their own intentions (Stutzma, Gross, & Acquisti, 2013). On the contrary, the goal of present study was to evaluate various formats for presenting the permission safety scores to nudge users to make decisions that are in better agreement with their security and privacy objectives. With 2 studies, we found that a 3-color representation of permission safety promotes safe behavior and communicates privacy of apps well. In Experiment 1, the permission safety score was placed above or below the user rating, and it was conveyed by a number from 1 to 5 paired with a shield or lock icon. The user rating was presented as a number from 1 to 5, paired with a gray star. Participants completed six app-selection tasks, in which, for each, two apps out of six were chosen. The percentage of app selection was higher with increased safety as well as increased user ratings. Permission safety interacted with user rating: For apps with lower user ratings the permission safety did not influence app selection, but for apps with higher user ratings an increased permission safety score led to more app selection. However, neither location (above or below) nor the icon type showed a main effect, nor did they interact. In Experiment 2, the 3-level permission safety score was conveyed by color (red, yellow, green), emoticons (frown, neutral, smile), color with emoticons, or a number from 1 to 3 paired with a lock icon. Participants performed the same tasks as Experiment 1. The results were similar as Experiment 1 except that presentation format interacted with permission safety score. Further analysis showed that that the permission safety score had more influence on app selection when it was represented by conditions with color coding, indicating that permission safety was weighted more in the app-selection decisions when permission safety was presented with 3-color-coding. The role of color in enhancing risk perception is consistent with the role of color in enhancing hazard perception in warning literature (Wogalter, 2006). Given the relative quickness of the decision and the limited cues that users consider during app selection, their attention should be directed to more important app-specific privacy characteristics. Our results provided evidence that 3-color coding can shift users’ attention and influence users to make safer app selections. In designing a visual privacy rating to nudge people away from risky apps, leveraging visual attributes that are prevalent for conveying valence is recommended.

A balance between candidate- and party-centric representation under mixed-member systems: The evidence from voter behavior in Taiwan

Mixed-member systems are usually defined as electoral systems that combine SMDP and CLPR, both of which are more likely to induce party reputation-seeking. Building on the literature of electoral institutions, this article provides an explanation of how mixed-member systems structure voter behavior and achieve a balance between candidate- and party-centric representation. Using Taiwan as a case of MMS, this article tests hypotheses against survey data and investigates the determinants of voting decisions for the two ballots. By employing a Bayesian bivariate probit model, this article shows that, first, partisan factors affect voter behavior in both nominal and list ballots. However, it is affective rather than rational considerations for political parties that play the major role. Second, personal reputation influences voters' choices of the nominal and list vote, but only negative elements matter for the list vote. Finally, there is a moderately positive correlation between the two ballots, which potentially results from affective, partisan considerations.

Full thoracoscopic fissure based technique for major pulmonary resections: rational and basic considerations

We report the basics and rational of the technique for major pulmonary resections (MPR) that has been used in 1,050 patients. (I) Full thoracoscopic technique without access incision but with the number of ports that is necessary for optimal exposure. To minimize chest wall trauma and torquing, we use a deflectable scope and the diameter of instruments is reduced to 5 mm or even 3 mm. Their ergonomics and features are adapted to the specific requirements of thoracoscopic surgery. (II) Fissure based approach in order to achieve optimal vascular and lymph node dissection.

Successful strategies to be learnt from world-class universities

Abstract Throughout the present paper we want to argue the idea that higher education is strongly linked with research, innovation, and competitive advantage and thus plays a crucial role not only for the individual and societal development but also in the process of delivering the National and European Strategy, to drive forward growth. Universities are the main actors responsible to provide the highly skilled human capital that Europe needs in order to create jobs, successful businesses, and prosperity. The ambitious aim to become a world-class university has its roots not just in rational (financial) considerations, but also in the symbolic role of such universities. The rankings made the competition between the states very visible and thus, are most commonly recognized as an indicator of success due to excellence-driven policies. Within this work we bring arguments and examples about which are the most efficient strategies of world-class universities. The first section of the paper we argue the roles of universities within nowadays economic and social world. The second section of the paper highlights the conceptual issue of world-class universities, the motivation and the determinants of such a goal. Within sections three of the paper we benchmark the key factors of two main international ranking (the THES and SJTU) and we analyse the successful strategies of famous world-class universities. According to the research conclusions and to our considerations we suggest that a valid option would be for universities to follow the international trend towards becoming a world-class university. Also an opportunity would be to develop themselves into learning organizations.

Kerukunan Umat Beragama sebagai Cita-cita Etis (Tinjauan Perspektif Etika Filosofis-Religius)

This paper is a philosophical reflection and analysis by the writer, who is doing research on religious radicalism in Indonesia. The main idea is the principle of religious harmony as a social norm and ethical idealism. From the perspective of philosophical and religious ethics, the condition of harmonious diversity represents the social-good that should be manifested in ways that justified ethically as well. Theoritically, the norm of harmony contains etiquettes, rational consideration, and can be justified in terms of obligations and responsibilities, and in line with the principles of moderation.Keywords: Religious harmony, Ethics, Religion.

MODEL PENILAIAN KINERJA (PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL) KEPALA SEKOLAH MENENGAH PERTAMA NEGERI

The role of the principal is important for directing school life to achieve school goals. The principal appointment is attained through formal and rational consideration, determined by procedures, requirements, and regulations. This study is concerned with the development of performance appraisal model of junior high school principals and is aimed to achieve the following aims: 1) to detect rules and system regarding principals performance appraisal; 2) to verify and describe components, process and measures results of principals appraisal, and 3) to analyse Performance Based required by principals; and 4) to generate hypothetical models of principal performance appraisals in junior high school level. In order to have principals with all standard criteria, efforts to improve principal professional capacities are needed to conduct in a well-planned manner through continuous quality improvement. These improvements are mapped out intermittently so that principals profiles based on measures results of Principals Performance Appraisal can be put into actual. Performance appraisal is designed to identify data on principals performance.

A paradigm of permeability: Franz von Baader on love

ABSTRACTBavarian intellectual Franz Xaver von Baader (1765–1841) counts among the most prominent representatives of German Romanticism, although his name and fame have almost been forgotten. Baader was a key figure among the Romantic scene and an ardent defender of Catholicism in the aftermath of Enlightenment criticism on the Christian faith and tradition. Most interesting is that he did not construe his apologia on the basis of rational considerations only, as a counterattack as it were, but that he took a point of departure in a peculiar understanding of love. According to Baader, love is a concept and a reality which allows one to imagine the relation between creature and Creator and which intriguingly combines the distinctively human with the uniquely divine. In the present paper, I am continuing in the line of Ramón Betanzos’ outstanding study on Baader’s idea of love and argue that his intuitions reveal a solid synthesis of theological and philosophical insights which today is definitely worth reconsidering. In order to do that in an orderly fashion, I primordially focus on his concept of permeability and explore its metaphysical, epistemological and anthropological potential.

Budgeting by Priorities: Balancing Stability with Economic Responsiveness

This article investigates how the budget priorities of Arkansas state government departments vary with changes in economic conditions. the Arkansas Revenue Stabilization Act (ARSA) of 1945 established a formalized method of state budgeting by priorities. State funds are allocated, meaning the funds are legally made available, according to priority levels established each year by the Governor and the General Assembly. Those allocated funds are later distributed, meaning released for spending, according to priority levels as funds become available. in this study, we ask the research question: Are departmental budget priorities driven by stability or are they responsive to economic condition? Incrementalism suggests that incremental annual changes in the budget are based on the previous year's budget, they take place across-the-board, and that there lacks an in depth consideration of priorities. However, ARSA requires explicit prioritization within each department. Perceptions of economic conditions are likely to play into this prioritization. We hypothesize that the higher priority items will follow a more incremental pattern of mostly being based on the previous year's budget in favor of stability. We also hypothesize that the economy has a greater impact on the lower priority items in favor of economic responsiveness. Our findings suggest that incrementalism is a persistent influence across priority levels. However, there is rational consideration during an economic downturn that results in a decline in funding for lower priority budget items.

Obraz świata zakładany w pytaniach filozoficznych – na przykładzie fenomenologii (Ingarden) i tomizmu egzystencjalnego (Krąpiec)

W artykule przedstawiono, w jaki sposób za pomocą analizy pytań oraz udzielanych na nie odpowiedzi można dokonać eksplikacji zakładanego przez filozofów obrazów świata. Problem ten przedyskutowano na przykładzie tomistów i fenomenologów. Analiza pytań oraz udzielanych odpowiedzi pokazała, że za każdym sformułowanym pytaniem kryje się inny obraz świata, który decyduje o tym, jakie pytania się stawia w punkcie wyjścia teorii oraz jakich udziela się odpowiedzi. Wszystkie pytania i odpowiedzi są zawsze zrelatywizowane do określonego obrazu świata, który filozof przyjmuje, kierując się różnymi racjami: metodologicznymi, aksjologicznymi czy też społecznopsychologicznymi. W przypadku fenomenologów mamy do czynienia z platońskim obrazem świata, zaś w przypadku tomistów z obrazem arystotelesowskim.

B4-3 Study of the conditions and the measures of rational consideration to students in the university

B4-3 Study of the conditions and the measures of rational consideration to students in the university

RASIONALISASI AGAMA DALAM ARENA POLITIK: DARI PILIHAN IDEOLOGIS KE PERTIMBANGAN RASIONAL

This article describes the presence of Islamic party in West Sumatera resulting new dynamics in social and political structure of Minangkabau ethnic. Hence, muslims have boosted the strong and clean democracy because of their participation in politics particularly in 2004­2009 legislative election. Surprisingly, Islam is not always correlated with political choice. Eventhough the most population in West Sumatera is Islam, but their political choice is not always Islamic parties. The lose of Islam politics (Islamic Parties) in legislative election was the fact. This was seemingly because of shifting paradigm of constituent, from ideological consideration to rational consideration, from identity politics to national politics.

EMOTIONS AND REASONING IN MORAL DECISION MAKING

Purpose of the research is the study of relationship between emotional and rational factors in moral decisions making. Methodology. The work is primarily based on the analysis and synthesis of the main empirical studies of the problem, each of which uses the methods of those sciences in which they were conducted (neurosciences). Originality. In general, the process of moral decision making cannot be described by a single simple model that would see only emotional or rational factor in foundation of this process. Moral decision making is characterized by different types of interaction between emotions and rational considerations. The influence of emotional and rational factors on moral decision is nonlinear: moral decision, which person makes, isn’t proportional to those emotions that preceded it and isn't unambiguously determined by them, because rational reasoning and contextual factors can significantly change it. Similarly, the reasoning that precede the decision is not necessarily reflected in the decision, because it can be significantly corrected by those emotions that accompany it. Conclusions. The process of moral decision making involves complex, heterogeneous interaction between emotional and rational factors. There are three main types of such interaction: first, the reasoning serves to rationalize prior emotional response; second, there are cases when reasoning precedes emotional reactions and determines it; third, interaction between these factors is characterized by cyclic causality (emotion impacts reasoning, which in turn impacts emotions). The influence of emotions or rational reasoning on moral decision is nonlinear.

Joint Estimation of Cardiac Toxicity and Recurrence Risks After Comprehensive Nodal Photon Versus Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer

The study aims to perform joint estimation of the risk of recurrence caused by inadequate radiation dose coverage of lymph node targets and the risk of cardiac toxicity caused by radiation exposure to the heart. Delivered photon plans are compared with realistic proton plans, thereby providing evidence-based estimates of the heterogeneity of treatment effects in consecutive cases for the 2 radiation treatment modalities. Forty-one patients referred for postlumpectomy comprehensive nodal photon irradiation for left-sided breast cancer were included. Comparative proton plans were optimized by a spot scanning technique with single-field optimization from 2 en face beams. Cardiotoxicity risk was estimated with the model of Darby etal, and risk of recurrence following a compromise of lymph node coverage was estimated by a linear dose-response model fitted to the recurrence data from the recently published EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) 22922/10925 and NCIC-CTG (National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group) MA.20 randomized controlled trials. Excess absolute risk of cardiac morbidity was small with photon therapy at an attained age of 80years, with median values of 1.0% (range, 0.2%-2.9%) and 0.5% (range, 0.03%-1.0%) with and without cardiac risk factors, respectively, but even lower with proton therapy (0.13% [range, 0.02%-0.5%] and 0.06% [range, 0.004%-0.3%], respectively). The median estimated excess absolute risk of breast cancer recurrence after 10years was 0.10% (range, 0.0%-0.9%) with photons and 0.02% (range, 0.0%-0.07%) with protons. The association between age of the patient and benefit from proton therapy was weak, almost non-existing (Spearman rank correlations of -0.15 and -0.30 with and without cardiac risk factors, respectively). Modern photon therapy yields limited risk of cardiac toxicity in most patients, but proton therapy can reduce the predicted risk of cardiac toxicity by up to 2.9% and the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 0.9% in individual patients. Predicted benefit correlates weakly with age. Combined assessment of the risk from cardiac exposure and inadequate target coverage is desirable for rational consideration of competing photon and proton therapy plans.