Yablo's paradox and referring to infinite objects

The blame for the semantic and set-theoretic paradoxes is often placed on self-reference and circularity. Some years ago, Yablo [1985; 1993] challenged this diagnosis, by producing a paradox that's liar-like but does not seem to involve circularity. But is Yablo's paradox really non-circular? In a recent paper, Beall [2001] has suggested that there are no means available to refer to Yablo's paradox without invoking descriptions, and since Priest [1997] has shown that any such description is circular, Beall concludes that Yablo's paradox itself is circular. In this paper, we argue that Beall's conclusion is unwarranted, given that (1) descriptions are not the only way to refer to Yablo's paradox, and (ii) we have no reason to believe that because the description involves self-reference, the denotation of the description is also circular. As a result, for all that's been said so far, we have no reason to believe that Yablo's paradox is circular.

Satisfaction with housework: Examining the paradox

This paper examines men's and women's levels of satisfaction with the domestic division of labour. In most households women continue to undertake the bulk of childcare and housework duties and consequently spend significantly greater amounts of time on domestic labour than men. Men report high levels of satisfaction with these arrangements, but surprisingly we find that almost half of our sample of women also report satisfaction with these arrangements. This finding has been reported in studies from several countries. Our paper attempts to explain this apparent paradox. Using data from a recent national survey in Australia we explore gender differences in levels of satisfaction with the domestic division of labour and examine women's levels of satisfaction with household work arrangements in relation to a number of factors such as labour force attachment, attitudes to Sender roles and husbands' participation in domestic labour. Our findings raise implications for the meaning of equity within the household.

Does the Mediterranean paradox extend to abdominal aortic aneurysm?

Background We sought to test, in men Undergoing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in Western Australia, clinical impressions that the prevalence of AAA is high in Dutch migrants and low in migrants from Mediterranean countries. Methods In a. population-based trial, men undergoing screening for AAA completed a questionnaire covering their place of birth, smoking habits and consumption of alcohol, meat, fish, salt and milk. We examined the variation by place of birth in the mean, median, 95th and 99th centiles of infrarenal aortic diameter and the prevalences of AAA defined by criteria of 30 mm, 50 mm and by the 95th and 99th centiles, in men born in Australia, of aortic diameter adjusted for height. Findings Overall, 12 203 (70.5%) of the 19 583 men took up the invitation to undergo ultrasound screening. The prevalence of AAA defined by absolute diameter was higher than average in men born in The Netherlands or Scotland (more of whom had ever smoked or smoked currently) and lower in men of Mediterranean origin (more of whom drank alcohol currently). There were no consistent relationships with simple dietary: data. Correction of aortic diameter for height eliminated the significant heterogeneity in prevalence of large AAA, although a threefold variation in prevalence of AAA exceeding the 95th centile of height-adjusted diameter in Australian men persisted. Interpretation In our cohort of men, which is subject to both 'healthy migrant' and 'survivor' effects, if it exists at all, any 'Mediterranean paradox' for AAA is more modest than that for coronary disease.

Simpson's paradox: A logically benign, empirically treacherous hydra

This article examines Simpson's paradox as applied to the theory of probabilites and percentages. The author discusses possible flaws in the paradox and compares it to the Sure Thing Principle, statistical inference, causal inference and probabilistic analyses of causation.

The paradox of commercialising public sector intellectual property

The juxtapositioning of government providing a public good through research and development investment on one hand and engaging in commercialisation of the research outcome on the other is a paradox. Using agricultural research as an example, we examine the nature of the paradox to determine if commercialisation potentially leads to a conflict in the role of public research institutions set up to fulfil public good responsibilities. We identify the reasons for the shift in policy towards commercialisation and greater exploitation of public sector intellectual property and how this has contributed to the emergence of the apparent inconsistency. We argue that the belief in working for public good is inherent and embedded in an organisation's history and its wider operating environment. We propose that the creation of public sector intellectual property and its commercialisation are influenced by the political, social and economic environment in which the public institutions operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paradox in ageing well: stories of older women in the Australian women's weeky

This Article does not have an abstract.

A refined solution to the first terrestrial Pb-isotope paradox

The first terrestrial Pb-isotope paradox refers to the fact that on average, rocks from the Earth's surface (i.e. the accessible Earth) plot significantly to the right of the meteorite isochron in a common Pb-isotope diagram. The Earth as a whole, however, should plot close to the meteorite isochron, implying the existence of at least one terrestrial reservoir that plots to the left of the meteorite isochron. The core and the lower continental crust are the two candidates that have been widely discussed in the past. Here we propose that subducted oceanic crust and associated continental sediment stored as garnetite slabs in the mantle Transition Zone or mid-lower mantle are an additional potential reservoir that requires consideration. We present evidence from the literature that indicates that neither the core nor the lower crust contains sufficient unradiogenic Pb to balance the accessible Earth. Of all mantle magmas, only rare alkaline melts plot significantly to the left of the meteorite isochron. We interpret these melts to be derived from the missing mantle reservoir that plots to the left of the meteorite isochron but, significantly, above the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-source mantle evolution line. Our solution to the paradox predicts the bulk silicate Earth to be more radiogenic in Pb-207/Pb-204 than present-day MORB-source mantle, which opens the possibility that undegassed primitive mantle might be the source of certain ocean island basalts (OIB). Further implications for mantle dynamics and oceanic magmatism are discussed based on a previously justified proposal that lamproites and associated rocks could derive from the Transition Zone.

The paradox of managerial downsizing

Delayering and the flattening of organizational hierarchies was a widespread trend through the 1990s. Peters (1992) in the USA promoted flattening as an organizational strategy and Keuning and Opheij (1994) promoted the prescriptions in Europe. Despite these strategies and apparent structural changes, the number and ratio of managers appears to have grown. This paradox of managerial downsizing has not been adequately probed in the literature. The predominant explanation, that there has been a 'myth of managerial downsizing', is associated with Gordon (1996). However, this debate has been shaped by the US experience and data. There is a need to reassess the dynamics of the 1990s in relation to other economies. This article focuses on a semi-peripheral economy, that of Australia. A study of the population of firms over time is necessary in order to resolve the issues. The article utilizes a comprehensive range of data, including several national surveys and a longitudinal database of all larger private-sector firms in Australia during the 1990s. The results indicate that the 'myth of managerial downsizing' must be rejected. There were dramatic effects on managers through the course of the 1990s in larger Australian firms. The dynamics of the process are analysed, tracking 4,153 firms across the decade and the paradox explained. The theoretical implications are discussed.

Competitive advantage in public-sector organizations: explaining the public good/sustainable competitive advantage paradox

Resource-based views of the firm and in particular Kay's (Why Firms Succeed. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1995) model of sustainable competitive advantage have been used to advance an understanding of differences in the competitive advantage of private-sector firms. We extend the analysis to a public-sector firm where its major purpose includes engaging in public good by giving away its knowledge base and services. The case highlights the paradox that many public-sector organizations face in simultaneously pursuing public good and sustainable competitive advantage. While Kay's model is applicable for understanding intergovernmental agency competition, we find it necessary to incorporate resource dependency theory to address the paradox. Implications for theory and practice are provided. (C) 2002 Elsevier Inc. All rights reseved.

Multivariate quantitative genetics and the Lek Paradox: Genetic variance in male sexually selected traits of Drosophila serrata under field control

Single male sexually selected traits have been found to exhibit substantial genetic variance, even though natural and sexual selection are predicted to deplete genetic variance in these traits. We tested whether genetic variance in multiple male display traits of Drosophila serrata was maintained under field conditions. A breeding design involving 300 field-reared males and their laboratory-reared offspring allowed the estimation of the genetic variance-covariance matrix for six male cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) under field conditions. Despite individual CHCs displaying substantial genetic variance under field conditions, the vast majority of genetic variance in CHCs was not closely associated with the direction of sexual selection measured on field phenotypes. Relative concentrations of three CHCs correlated positively with body size in the field, but not under laboratory conditions, suggesting condition-dependent expression of CHCs under field conditions. Therefore condition dependence may not maintain genetic variance in preferred combinations of male CHCs under field conditions, suggesting that the large mutational target supplied by the evolution of condition dependence may not provide a solution to the lek paradox in this species. Sustained sexual selection may be adequate to deplete genetic variance in the direction of selection, perhaps as a consequence of the low rate of favorable mutations expected in multiple trait systems.