I propose the purpose our concept of actual causation serves is minimizing various cost in intervention practice. Actual causation has three features: non-redundant sufficiency, continuity and abnormality; these features correspond to the minimization of exploitative cost, exploratory cost and risk cost in intervention practice. Incorporating these three features, a definition of actual causati...

Risk analysis of production system, while the actual and appropriate data is not available, will cause wrong system parameters prediction and wrong decision making. In uncertainty condition, there are no appropriate measures for decision making. In epistemic uncertainty, we are confronted by the lack of data. Therefore, in calculating the system risk, we encounter vagueness that we have to use ...

There is a significant gap in understanding the risk of sexual victimization in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the variables that contribute to risk. Age appropriate sexual interest, limited sexual knowledge and experiences, and social deficits, may place adults with ASD at increased risk. Ninety-five adults with ASD and 117 adults without ASD completed questionnaires rega...

BACKGROUND Although percentage risk formats are commonly used to convey cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, people find it difficult to understand these representations. AIMS To compare the impact of providing a CVD risk message in either a traditional format (% risk) or using an analogy of risk (Heart-Age) on participants' risk perceptions and intention to make lifestyle changes. METHODS Fo...

Demand is growing for more realistic three-dimensional (3-D) image spaces that can enhance interpersonal communication. Existing 3-D image space systems are mainly based on computer graphics (CG); examples include Cybertown [1] and Interspace [2]. Unfortunately, the image spaces created by existing CG techniques are unnatural and certainly not attractive. There are two problems in creating phot...

Craniosynostoses are recognized as a group of birth defects that impair the skull structures by early closure of one or more sutures, causing an abnormal cranial shape. Among the "simple" craniosynostoses, (a single closed suture) the most common is scaphocephaly. The 3D CT scan is the most relevant and rapid diagnostic test. The authors present the personal experience of 98 scaphocephaly cases...

BACKGROUND Increasing the rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among groups not traditionally perceived as being at high risk has been advanced as a primary strategy in the effort to combat the HIV epidemic. METHODS We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of data from 146 868 participants aged 18 to 64 years in the 2000-2005 National Health Interview Surveys to describe ...

In order to assess how individual small investors have reacted to recent adverse events in world financial markets and whether these reactions are mediated by their risk attitudes, a survey was administered to N=120 members of a university community. The survey administered a standard risk tolerance instrument, augmented with questions on specific aspects of attitudes towards risk and uncertain...