Caste based endogamy is one of the main characteristics of traditional caste system practiced in rural Pakistan. Members of different quoms do not inter-marry or at least do not prefer to marry out of their quom. While social acceptance for inter quom marriages among different landowning quoms is increasing in Punjabi villages, inter marriages between landowning quoms and service providing quom...

We study the diffusion of a product in two customer segments where the acceptance level in one segment affects the diffusion rate not only in that same segment, but also in the other. The inter-segment influence can be positive or negative, i.e., the acceptance level of the product in one segment can reinforce or impede its diffusion in the other. The model set-up also applies to the diffusion ...

background: sperm vitrification is a technique of ice and cryoprotectant free cryopreservation by direct plunging of sperm suspension into liquid nitrogen (ln2). the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of cryoprotectant free-vitrification on human sperm fine structure by msome technology and the fertility potential by zona binding assay (zba). methods: 20 normo-ejaculates were pr...

the present study is an attempt to contribute to the l2 acquisition research through finding an appropriate answer to the question usually asked by both language teachers and learners, namely how to learn vocabulary and how to retain meanings in memory over time. we have chosen to discover the effects of two major types of productive exercises, writing and oral production exercises, on the reme...

Imprecision in probability values (represented through credal sets) allows a more realistic modelling of uncertainty in decision problems. Uncertainties often lead to partially ordered preferences and, consequently, different criteria of choice may be taken into account. In this paper, we present an algorithm that evaluates an extended version of influence diagrams, where chance variables repre...

Influence diagrams allow for intuitive and yet precise description of complex situations involving decision making under uncertainty. Unfortunately, most of the problems described by influence diagrams are hard to solve. In this paper we discuss the complexity of approximately solving influence diagrams. We do not assume no-forgetting or regularity, which makes the class of problems we address ...