The reflection effect for constant risk averse agents

Assume a decision maker has a preference relation over monetary lotteries. The reflection effect, first observed by Kahneman and Tversky, states that the preference order for two lotteries is reversed once they are multiplied by −1. The decision maker is constant risk averse (CRA) if adding the same constant to two distributions, or multiplying them by the same positive constant, will not change the preference relation between them. We combine these two axioms with the betweenness axiom and continuity, and prove a representation theorem. A technical curiosity is that the functions we get satisfy the betweenness axiom, yet are not necessarily Gâteaux (nor Fréchet) differentiable.     

Multiple-issue bargaining and axiomatic solutions

We study two-person, multiple-issue bargaining problems and identify four procedures by which the bargaining may take place. Drawing on some logic from non-cooperative game theory, we propose axioms which relate the outcomes of the procedures. We also promote a weak monotonicity axiom on solutions, called issue-by-issue monotonicity, which is geared toward multiple-issue bargaining. Our main result concerns the relationship between a sequential bargaining procedure — with the rule that agreements are implemented only after all issues are resolved — and global bargaining (in which all issues are negotiated simultaneously). If a bargaining solution predicts the same outcome with these two procedures, then we say that it satisfiesagenda independence. We prove that a solution satisfies axioms of efficiency, symmetry, scale invariance, issue-by-issue monotonicity, and agenda independence if and only if it is the Nash solution. This result provides new intuition for Nash's independence of irrelevant alternatives axiom. Among other results, we show that a solution is invariant to all four of the procedures and satisfies efficiency and symmetry if and only if it is the utilitarian solution with equal weights. We comment on the results of other authors who address multiple-issue bargaining.     

Bargaining conventions

This paper describes and defends a weaker version of Nash's axiom of independence of irrelevant alternatives which is called convention consistency.     

Ordering infinite utility streams: Efficiency,continuity, and no impatience

We study two related versions of the no-impatience postulate in the context of transitive and reflexive relations on infinite utility streams which are not necessarily complete. Both are excluded by the traditional (weak) anonymity axiom. We show explicit social welfare relations satisfying Strong Pareto and the weaker version of no-impatience that are compatible with continuity in all the traditional topologies in this field. However the stronger version of no-impatience is violated by all lower semi-continuous (in the sup or Campbell topologies) social welfare relations satisfying the Weak Pareto axiom.     

Complete ignorance and independence axiom: Optimism,pessimism, indecisiveness

This paper studies the compatibility between a group of axioms characterizing rational behavior under complete ignorance and Savage's independence axiom. The axioms of complete ignorance include symmetry with respect to events, dominance and transitivity of strict preferences — possibly a very partial ordering of the choices, incomparabilities being admitted. Savage's independence axiom is a basic requirement in many theories of choice under uncertainty or risk. It is shown here that these requirements are indeed compatible, but conjointly imply that the decision-maker only exhibits zones of either pure optimism or pure pessimism or indecisive patterns of behavior.     

A note on 3-Steiner intervals and betweenness

The geodesic and geodesic interval, namely the set of all vertices lying on geodesics between a pair of vertices in a connected graph, is a part of folklore in metric graph theory. It is also known that Steiner trees of a (multi) set with k (k>2) vertices, generalize geodesics. In Brešar et al. (2009) [1], the authors studied the k-Steiner intervals S(u₁,u₂,…,u_k) on connected graphs (k≥3) as the k-ary generalization of the geodesic intervals. The analogous betweenness axiom (b2) and the monotone axiom (m) were generalized from binary to k-ary functions as follows. For any u₁,…,u_k,x,x₁,…,x_k∈V(G) which are not necessarily distinct, The authors conjectured in Brešar et al. (2009) [1] that the 3-Steiner interval on a connected graph G satisfies the betweenness axiom (b2) if and only if each block of G is geodetic of diameter at most 2. In this paper we settle this conjecture. For this we show that there exists an isometric cycle of length 2k+1, k>2, in every geodetic block of diameter at least 3. We also introduce another axiom (b2(2)), which is meaningful only to 3-Steiner intervals and show that this axiom is equivalent to the monotone axiom.     

关于三角范畴的八面体公理

三角范畴是一个带有自同构且满足四条公理的加法范畴,其中的一条重要公理就是八面体公理,该公理形式复杂不易理解难以应用.在本文中,作者讨论了三角范畴定义中八面体公理的几个等价命题,给出了新的八面体公理的等价命题,证明了各个公理间的相互等价关系,同时简化了八面体的表达形式,并且给出了该定理的一个具体应用.     

On Shelah’s compactness of cardinals

We deal with the compactness property of cardinals presented by Shelah, who proved a compactness theorem for singular cardinals. We improve that result in eliminating axiom I there and show a new application of that theorem together with a straightforward proof of it for the special case discussed. We discuss compactness for regular cardinals and show some independence results: one of them, a part of which is due to A. Litman, is the independence from ZFC+GCH of the gap-one two cardinal problem for singular cardinals. This paper is based on the author’s M.Sc. thesis written at The Hebrew University under the supervision of Prof. Shelah, to whom he expresses his deep gratitude. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Aristotle's axiom in the foundations of geometry

In the foundations of non-Euclidean geometry without Dedekind's axiom, Archimedes' axiom suffices to insure that the geometry is hyperbolic, but this axiom is not necessary. The weaker axiom of Aristotle is necessary and sufficient; it uses only geometric variables, not integer variables.     

关于求解带线性互补约束的数学规划问题正则方法的一个注记

本文主要研究在某些较弱条件下求解带线性互补约束的数学规划问题(MPLCC)正则方法的收敛性.若衡约束规划线性独立约束规范条件(MPEC-LICQ)在由正则方法产生的点列的聚点处成立,且迭代点列满足二阶必要条件,同时,若比在文[7]中渐近弱非退化条件Ⅰ更弱的渐近弱非退化条件Ⅱ在聚点处也成立,那么所有这些聚点都是B-稳定点.此外,在弱MPEC-LICQ,二阶必要条件及渐近弱退化条件Ⅱ下,我们仍能证明通过正则方法所得的聚点都是B-稳定点.     

A Characterization of Ordered Sets and Lattices via Betweenness Relations

For a set X with at least 3 elements, we establish a canonical one to one correspondence between all betweenness relations satisfying certain axioms and all pairs of inverse orderings “<” and “>” defined on X for which the corresponding Hasse diagram is connected and all maximal chains contain at least 3 elements. For an ordering “<”, the corresponding betweenness relation B is given by $$B=\{(x,y,z)\in X^3\mid x<y<z {\rm \ or\ }z<y<x\}.$$ Moreover, by adding one more axiom, we obtain also a one to one correspondence between all pairs of dual lattices and all betweenness relations.     

An NTU value under complement reduced game

The paper follows Kalai and Samet’s (Econometrica 53:307–327, 1985) construction to define a possible extension of the equal allocation of nonseparable costs (EANSC) to games without transferable utilities. We offer a characterization of the EANSC based on the axiom of independence of irrelevant monotonic transformation [Chang and Hwang (Int J Game Theory 32:253–271, 2003) introduced this axiom, and they named it independence of irrelevant expansions. The referee points out that the terminology is inappropriate. So, we change the name.] introduced by Chang and Hwang (Int J Game Theory 32:253–271, 2003) as well as on several familiar axioms. Specifically, we show that the EANSC is the only solution to satisfy Pareto optimality, translation covariance, anonymity, TU-bilateral consistency (or TU-converse consistency), aggregate monotonicity, and independence of irrelevant monotonic transformation.     

Knowledge structure,knowledge granulation and knowledge distance in a knowledge base

One of the strengths of rough set theory is the fact that an unknown target concept can be approximately characterized by existing knowledge structures in a knowledge base. Knowledge structures in knowledge bases have two categories: complete and incomplete. In this paper, through uniformly expressing these two kinds of knowledge structures, we first address four operators on a knowledge base, which are adequate for generating new knowledge structures through using known knowledge structures. Then, an axiom definition of knowledge granulation in knowledge bases is presented, under which some existing knowledge granulations become its special forms. Finally, we introduce the concept of a knowledge distance for calculating the difference between two knowledge structures in the same knowledge base. Noting that the knowledge distance satisfies the three properties of a distance space on all knowledge structures induced by a given universe. These results will be very helpful for knowledge discovery from knowledge bases and significant for establishing a framework of granular computing in knowledge bases.     

关于群体决策的偏比映射

本文引进群体决策的决策个体和决策群体关于供选方案对的偏比度,以及偏比泛函概念.由此,定义了群体在供选方案集上的偏比映射,构造了相应的偏比公理系,并且建立了关于群体决策的偏比度分析的基本理论.最后,给出一个利用偏比映射进行群体排序的方法.特别是,文中表明,满足本文所提出的所有偏比公理的偏比映射是存在的.     

A constructive theory of ordered affine geometry

We give a constructive axiomatization of ordered geometry, based on an ordering with directed lines, and using constructions instead of existential axioms. A new duality is found such that, classically, equally and oppositely directed lines turn out dual to parallel and orthogonal lines. Principles such as the axiom of Pasch and ordered versions of the triangle axioms are shown to follow naturally from our approach. Then combinatorial properties of the geometrical plane are studied, and the relation to the usual axiomatization in terms of betweenness is established.     

Power Measures and Solutions for Games Under Precedence Constraints

Games under precedence constraints model situations, where players in a cooperative transferable utility game belong to some hierarchical structure, which is represented by an acyclic digraph (partial order). In this paper, we introduce the class of precedence power solutions for games under precedence constraints. These solutions are obtained by allocating the dividends in the game proportional to some power measure for acyclic digraphs. We show that all these solutions satisfy the desirable axiom of irrelevant player independence, which establishes that the payoffs assigned to relevant players are not affected by the presence of irrelevant players. We axiomatize these precedence power solutions using irrelevant player independence and an axiom that uses a digraph power measure. We give special attention to the hierarchical solution, which applies the hierarchical measure. We argue how this solution is related to the known precedence Shapley value, which does not satisfy irrelevant player independence, and thus is not a precedence power solution. We also axiomatize the hierarchical measure as a digraph power measure.     

Induced path transit function, monotone and Peano axioms

The induced path transit function J(u,v) in a graph consists of the set of all vertices lying on any induced path between the vertices u and v. A transit function J satisfies monotone axiom if x,y∈J(u,v) implies J(x,y)⊆J(u,v). A transit function J is said to satisfy the Peano axiom if, for any u,v,w∈V,x∈J(v,w), y∈J(u,x), there is a z∈J(u,v) such that y∈J(w,z). These two axioms are equivalent for the induced path transit function of a graph. Planar graphs for which the induced path transit function satisfies the monotone axiom are characterized by forbidden induced subgraphs.     

Global Convergence of a Smooth Approximation Method for Mathematical Programs with Complementarity Constraints

A new smoothing approach was given for solving the mathematical programs with complementarity constraints (MPCC) by using the aggregation technique. As the smoothing parameter tends to zero, if the KKT point sequence generated from the smoothed problems satisfies the second-order necessary condition, then any accumulation point of the sequence is a B-stationary point of MPCC if the linear independence constraint qualification (LICQ) and the upper level strict complementarity (ULSC) condition hold at the limit point. The ULSC condition is weaker than the lower level strict complementarity (LLSC) condition generally used in the literatures. Moreover, the method can be easily extended to the mathematical programs with general vertical complementarity constraints.     

HEREDITARY SOBRIETY AND THE CARDINALITY OF T 1 TOPOLOGIES ON COUNTABLE SETS

Abstract

A T ₀ space is called sober provided the only irreducibly closed sets are the closures of singletons; a closed set is irreducibly closed if it cannot be written as a union of two of its proper closed subsets. The relationship between hereditarily sober spaces and the lower separation axioms is examined; e.g., every hereditarily sober space satisfies axiom T _D (the derived set of every set is closed). For T ₁ spaces, hereditary sobriety is much weaker than Hausdorff, however an hereditarily sober T ₁ topology on a countably infinite set has cardinality of the continumn.