The basic principles of uncertain information fusion. An organised review of merging rules in different representation frameworks.

We propose and advocate basic principles for the fusion of incomplete or uncertain information items, that should apply regardless of the formalism adopted for representing pieces of information coming from several sources. This formalism can be based on sets, logic, partial orders, possibility theory, belief functions or imprecise probabilities. We propose a general notion of information item representing incomplete or uncertain information about the values of an entity of interest. It is supposed to rank such values in terms of relative plausibility, and explicitly point out impossible values. Basic issues affecting the results of the fusion process, such as relative information content and consistency of information items, as well as their mutual consistency, are discussed. For each representation setting, we present fusion rules that obey our principles, and compare them to postulates specific to the representation proposed in the past. In the crudest (Boolean) representation setting (using a set of possible values), we show that the understanding of the set in terms of most plausible values, or in terms of non-impossible ones matters for choosing a relevant fusion rule. Especially, in the latter case our principles justify the method of maximal consistent subsets, while the former is related to the fusion of logical bases. Then we consider several formal settings for incomplete or uncertain information items, where our postulates are instantiated: plausibility orderings, qualitative and quantitative possibility distributions, belief functions and convex sets of probabilities. The aim of this paper is to provide a unified picture of fusion rules across various uncertainty representation settings.

Handling the transfer of power: a note on the 1964 origins of the Douglas‐Home rules

Opposition is rarely a good preparation for government. The only post‐war government to enter office confident, well‐acquainted with the Civil Service and with a fund of administrative experience to draw on was the Attlee administration formed in 1945. The longer a party spends in opposition the more these assets disappear. Labour, by the end of the long period of Conservative rule in 1951–64, was largely unfamiliar with the burdens of office. This formed the background to the formulation of the Douglas‐Home rules, whereby informal contact is permitted between the Civil Service and the Opposition in advance of a general election. Since 1964 this arrangement has gradually become more extensive (especially after Neil Kinnock complained that the period for contact was too brief during the run‐up to the 1992 election) and more formalised. In late 1993 John Major agreed that contacts could be made from early 1996 in advance of the next election, rather than only during the last six months of a parliament, as had by then become the convention.’ The object of this short paper is, however, to explain how these rules originated.

Effort, reward and self-reported mental health: a simulation study on negative affectivity bias.

Background : In the present article, we propose an alternative method for dealing with negative affectivity (NA) biases in research, while investigating the association between a deleterious psychosocial environment at work and poor mental health. First, we investigated how strong NA must be to cause an observed correlation between the independent and dependent variables. Second, we subjectively assessed whether NA can have a large enough impact on a large enough number of subjects to invalidate the observed correlations between dependent and independent variables.Methods : We simulated 10,000 populations of 300 subjects each, using the marginal distribution of workers in an actual population that had answered the Siegrist's questionnaire on effort and reward imbalance (ERI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).Results : The results of the present study suggested that simulated NA has a minimal effect on the mean scores for effort and reward. However, the correlations between the effort and reward imbalance (ERI) ratio and the GHQ score might be important, even in simulated populations with a limited NA.Conclusions : When investigating the relationship between the ERI ratio and the GHQ score, we suggest the following rules for the interpretation of the results: correlations with an explained variance of 5% and below should be considered with caution; correlations with an explained variance between 5% and 10% may result from NA, although this effect does not seem likely; and correlations with an explained variance of 10% and above are not likely to be the result of NA biases. [Authors]

Forcing Usage Rules in PublicWireless LANs

Langattomien lähiverkkojen yleistyessä nopeasti suurten verkkojen teknologiana käyttösääntöjen valvonta tulee tarpeelliseksi. Tässä työssä kuvataan, kuinka käyttäjät voidaan pakottaa noudattamaan käyttösääntöjä julkisissa WLAN-verkoissa. Työssä käsiteltävät ongelmat koskevat menetelmiä epäluotettavien DHCP-palvelinten paljastamiseksi sekä omia IP-osoitteita käyttävien käyttäjien paljastamiseksi tilanteissa, jolloin IP-osoite ei ole virallisen DHCP-palvelimen myöntämä. Jokaisen menetelmän kohdalla pohditaan, kuinka tällaisia käyttäjiä voidaan estää rikkomasta käyttösääntöjä. Lisäksi pohditaan keskitetyn tietojen keruun hyödyntämistä kuvattujen tehtävien suorittamiseksi. Esitetyt ratkaisut on erityisesti suunniteltu testiverkkoa varten, mutta yleiset ideat ovat toimivia missä tahansa langattomassa verkossa.

An analysis of protocols and publications suggested that most discontinuations of clinical trials were not based on preplanned interim analyses or stopping rules.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency of interim analyses, stopping rules, and data safety and monitoring boards (DSMBs) in protocols of randomized controlled trials (RCTs); to examine these features across different reasons for trial discontinuation; and to identify discrepancies in reporting between protocols and publications. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We used data from a cohort of RCT protocols approved between 2000 and 2003 by six research ethics committees in Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. RESULTS: Of 894 RCT protocols, 289 prespecified interim analyses (32.3%), 153 stopping rules (17.1%), and 257 DSMBs (28.7%). Overall, 249 of 894 RCTs (27.9%) were prematurely discontinued; mostly due to reasons such as poor recruitment, administrative reasons, or unexpected harm. Forty-six of 249 RCTs (18.4%) were discontinued due to early benefit or futility; of those, 37 (80.4%) were stopped outside a formal interim analysis or stopping rule. Of 515 published RCTs, there were discrepancies between protocols and publications for interim analyses (21.1%), stopping rules (14.4%), and DSMBs (19.6%). CONCLUSION: Two-thirds of RCT protocols did not consider interim analyses, stopping rules, or DSMBs. Most RCTs discontinued for early benefit or futility were stopped without a prespecified mechanism. When assessing trial manuscripts, journals should require access to the protocol.

La comtesse de Sennecey : drame en trois actes, mêlé de chants. [Suivi de] Edgard et sa bonne : comédie en un acte, mêlée de chant. Livr. 116 / par MM. Bayard et d'Ennery ; par MM. Labiche et Marc-Michel

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 116e et 117e livraisons

Manon Lescaut : Drame en cinq actes, mêlé de chant. [suivi de] Les mémoires de Richelieu : comédie-vaudeville en 1 acte. Livr. 119 / par MM. Théodore Barrière et Marc Fournier ; par M. d'Ennery

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 118e et 119e livraisons

Manon Lescaut : Drame en cinq actes, mêlé de chant. [suivi de] Les mémoires de Richelieu : comédie-vaudeville en 1 acte. Livr. 119 / par MM. Théodore Barrière et Marc Fournier ; par M. d'Ennery

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 118e et 119e livraisons

Manon Lescaut : Drame en cinq actes, mêlé de chant. [suivi de] Les mémoires de Richelieu : comédie-vaudeville en 1 acte. Livr. 119 / par MM. Théodore Barrière et Marc Fournier ; par M. d'Ennery

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 118e et 119e livraisons

Si j'étais roi !... : opéra-comique en trois actes et quatre tableaux. [Suivi de] La dame aux jambes d'azur : pochade en un acte. Livr. 302 / par MM. Dennery et Brésil ; musique de M. Adolphe Adam...par MM. Marc-Michel et E. Labiche

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 301e et 302e livraisons

Si j'étais roi !... : opéra-comique en trois actes et quatre tableaux. [Suivi de] La dame aux jambes d'azur : pochade en un acte. Livr. 301 / par MM. Dennery et Brésil ; musique de M. Adolphe Adam...par MM. Marc-Michel et E. Labiche

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 301e et 302e livraisons

La bête du bon Dieu : drame en cinq actes et six tableaux. [Suivi de] Le mobilier de Bamboche : vaudeville en un acte. Livr. 308 / par MM. Marc Fournier et A. Decourcelle, musique de M. Gondois ; par M. Delacour

Collection : Théâtre contemporain illustré ; 308e et 309e livraisons