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This paper investigates alcohol consumption within cultures of football fandom through the innovative combination of theories of the carnivalesque and Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Focus groups (n = 79) were conducted with football supporters in England and Scotland. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) were also conducted with key organizational stakeholders. Research explored the importance and role of alcohol consumption for supporters when watching or attending matches.. Participants confirmed the cultural significance, perceived normalcy and historical links between football and alcohol consumption. Supporters highlighted the importance of the sociability, friendship, and social capital aspects of alcohol consumption. Participants believed football supporters are perceived differently in comparison with supporters of other sports, arguing that legislation surrounding alcohol consumption at other sports allowed supporters to enhance the carnivalesque by drinking alcohol, whereas football fans were more restricted. Participants agreed the habitus of excessive drinking and violence associated with football supporters led to a bad reputation, however, this view was outdated. Participants also recognized a growing drug culture in football. The findings draw attention to the alcohol-sport relationship and the contested relations, and diverging interests and influences, within the social field of football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the steady state behaviour of an M/G/1 queue with two types of general heterogeneous service and optional repeated service subject to server's breakdowns occurring randomly at any instant while serving the customers and delayed repair. We assume that customers arrive to the system according to a Poisson process with rate 'λ' and the server provides two types of general heterogeneous service. At the beginning of a service, a customer has the option to choose any one type of service. After completion of either type of service, the customer has the further option to repeat the same type of service. For this model, we first derive the joint distribution of state of the server and queue size by considering both elapsed and remaining time, which is one of the objectives of this paper. Secondly, we derive the probability generating function of the stationary queue size distribution at departure epoch. Next, we derive Laplace-Stieltjes transform of busy period distribution and waiting time distribution. Finally, we obtain some important performance measure and reliability indices of this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the role of mindfulness in organizational settings. A daily experience sampling method was used to explore the mechanism through which state mindfulness influences employees' work attentiveness. By collecting data from 153 full-time Chinese employees over 5 consecutive days, we used 765 matched cases to conduct a multilevel structural equation model with random slopes to test the conceptual model. The results showed that: 1) daily state mindfulness is positively related to employee work attentiveness; 2) employee moral self-efficacy mediates the indirect relationship between daily state mindfulness and work attentiveness; and 3) moral disengagement moderates the indirect relationship between state mindfulness and work attentiveness through moral self-efficacy, such that the indirect relationship will be weaker in the condition of low moral disengagement than in the condition of high moral disengagement. This research contributes to the work attentiveness literature by incorporating state mindfulness as a critical antecedent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with Monte Carlo simulation in case of dependent input random variables. We propose an algorithm to generate refined descriptive samples from dependent random variables for estimation of expectations of functions of output variables using the Iman and Conover algorithm to transform the dependent variables to independent ones. Therefore, such estimates obtained through a chosen mathematical model are compared with those obtained using the simple random sampling method, which proved that the former are the most efficient. Besides, using already published work on independent input variables, we can deduce in case of dependent input random variables, that asymptotically the variance of the RDS estimator is less than that of SRS estimator for any simulation function having finite second moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a method for sampling items that are checked on a pass/fail basis, with a view to a statement being made about the success/ failure rate for the purposes of promoting an organisation's product/service to potential clients/customers. Attention is paid to the appropriate use of statistical phrases for the statements and this leads to the use of Bayesian credible intervals, thus it exceeds what can be achieved with standard acceptance sampling techniques. The hypergeometric distribution is used to calculate successive stopping rules so that the resources used for sampling can be minimised. Extensions to the sampling procedure are considered to allow the potential for stronger and weaker statements to be made as sampling progresses. The relationship between the true error rate and the probabilities of making correct statements is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of INFOR is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Machine learning algorithms are widely applied to extract useful information, but the sample size is often an important factor in determining their reliability. The key issue that makes small dataset learning tasks difficult is that the information that such datasets contain cannot fully represent the characteristics of the entire population. The principal approach of this study to overcome this problem is systematically adding artificial samples to fill the data gaps; this research employs the mega-trend-diffusion technique to generate virtual samples to extend the data size. In this paper, a real, small dataset learning task in the array process of a thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel manufacturer is proposed, where there are only 20 samples used for learning the relationship between 15 inputs and 36 output attributes. The experiment results show that the approach is effective in building robust back-propagation neural network (BPN) and support vector regression (SVR) models. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is implemented with the 20 samples by using SVR to extract the relationship between the 15 factors and the 36 outputs to help engineers infer process knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In an effort to improve the performance of the linear sampling method in situations involving sparse data-sets, this method in inverse scattering has recently been extended from the frequency domain to the time domain. In this paper, we consider the relative merits of the time and multifrequency linear sampling methods for sparse, limited aperture, and data-sets. Among our conclusions are that, for limited aperture measurements single-frequency data can fail to reconstruct the scatterer, whereas both time and multifrequency domain data perform satisfactorily. On the other hand, if the aperture is too small all the sampling methods fail and increasing the number of measurements in a fixed size aperture is of no help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this paper, we present an exploratory, qualitative strand of a multiphase program evaluation of the Canadian-based SNAP® Youth Justice (SNAP YJ) model for males involved with the youth criminal justice system. SNAP YJ's therapeutic approach is founded on the evidence-based SNAP (Stop Now And Plan) model which focuses on strategies to enhance emotion regulation, self-control, and problem-solving for latency-aged children and their families. Integrating best practices from the literature, the SNAP YJ intervention uses technology (digital modules) to convey the manualized strategies and program sessions, engaging youth in an interactive manner. This systemic, cognitive behavioral intervention is designed to reduce further contact with the law and/or gang affiliation. The objectives of this study are to understand youth experiences of programing, enrich and contextualize preliminary outcome findings, and further develop programing through the inclusion of the youth perspective and feedback. Methods: A thematic analysis of 15 interviews with program participants from diverse backgrounds was conducted. Results: The results revealed a continuum of learning related to self-understanding and awareness of feelings; thinking and consequences; and prosocial skills and behavior. Discussion: Refinements to the program to target increased program effectiveness as a result of youth experiences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptive multivariate CUSUM (AMCUSUM) chart has received considerable attention because of its superior sensitivity against a range of mean shift sizes than that of the conventional non-adaptive multivariate CUSUM (MCUSUM) chart. Recently, weighted AMCUSUM (WAMCUSUM) charts with a fixed sampling interval (FSI) have been proposed, called the WAMCUSUM-FSI charts, which provide more sensitivity than the AMCUSUM-FSI charts. In this paper, we extend this work and propose WAMCUSUM charts with variable sampling interval (VSI), named the WAMCUSUM-VSI charts, for efficiently monitoring the mean of a multivariate normally distributed process. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to compute the average time to signal (ATS) and the adjusted ATS (AATS) profiles of the existing and proposed charts. It is found that the WAMCUSUM-VSI charts perform substantially and nearly uniformly better than the WAMCUSUM-FSI charts in terms of the ATS and AATS performance criterion. An example is given to explain the implementation of the WAMCUSUM charts with fixed and VSIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Balanced Sampling Plans Excluding Adjacent Units (BSA plans) first order inclusion probabilities are equal and second order inclusion probabilities are zero for pairs of units at a distance less than or equal to m and are constant for pairs of units which are at a distance greater than m. These plans are useful when the adjacent units in the population provide similar information. In this paper, an algorithm based on linear programming approach has been developed for construction of two-dimensional BSA plans under sharing a border and island adjacency schemes for m ≤ 2. Some results on existence of such BSA plans have also been obtained for each adjacency scheme separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal depression affects approximately 10% to 15% of women. Guidelines recommend supporting women to make informed treatment decisions; however, minimal evidence exists regarding this decision-making process. This study aimed to develop a constructivist grounded theory of prenatal antidepressant treatment decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled women from the community or specialty clinics (N = 31). Iterative data collection and analysis, theoretical sampling, and member checking supported model sufficiency. In the Creating Comfort in Choice theory that we developed, participants were highly conscious of societal stigma toward mental illness and prenatal medication use, so fear, anxiety, and guilt dominated decision-making. Participants navigated dynamically among three clusters of decision-making activities: seeking information, making sense of information, and self-soothing. "Seeking information" included internal and external processes. In "making sense of information," participants appraised available evidence. In "self-soothing," participants engaged in coping strategies to try to alleviate painful emotions. The Creating Comfort in Choice theory can support patient-oriented decision-making regarding prenatal mental healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis is an essential ingredient of model development and applications. For many uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques, sensitivity indices are calculated based on a relatively large sample to measure the importance of parameters in their contributions to uncertainties in model outputs. To statistically compare their importance, it is necessary that uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques provide standard errors of estimated sensitivity indices. In this paper, a delta method is used to analytically approximate standard errors of estimated sensitivity indices for a popular sensitivity analysis method, the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST). Standard errors estimated based on the delta method were compared with those estimated based on 20 sample replicates. We found that the delta method can provide a good approximation for the standard errors of both first-order and higher-order sensitivity indices. Finally, based on the standard error approximation, we also proposed a method to determine a minimum sample size to achieve the desired estimation precision for a specified sensitivity index. The standard error estimation method presented in this paper can make the FAST analysis computationally much more efficient for complex models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, including bioavailability assessment, various population PK measures, such as area under the curve (AUC), maximal concentration (Cmax) and time to maximal concentration (Tmax) are estimated. In this paper we compare a model-based approach, where parameters of a compartmental model are estimated and the explicit formulae for PK measures are used, and a model-independent approach, where numerical integration algorithms are used for AUC and sample estimates for Cmax and Tmax. Since regulatory agencies usually require the model-independent estimation of PK measures, we focus on the empirical approach while using the model-based approach and corresponding measures as a benchmark. We show how to "split" a single sampling grid into two or more subsets, which substantially reduces the number of samples taken for each patient, but often has little effect on the precision of estimation of PK measures in terms of mean squared error (MSE). We give explicit formulae for the MSE of the empirical estimator of AUC for a simple example and discuss how costs may be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many engineering systems and components have a very low probability of failure, the consequences of failures can be catastrophic. The low failure probability precludes the safety certification of such systems or components on the basis of repeated experiments. Therefore the certification must necessarily be done on the basis of adequately validated computational models. Conditional failure analysis (CFA) can be used to provide insight into the failure of a component and the most likely range of values of the input random variables associated with failure. It not only provides valuable information to the engineer for improvement of component design, but also helps to validate the mathematical models and probabilistic input distributions associated with reliability computations. The CFA technique outlined in this paper is based on generation of conditional failure samples obtained during computation of component reliability. It provides a graphical description of the failure region that can be used for failure analysis. The technique is illustrated for a practical design problem involving the fatigue crack growth limit state of a gas turbine engine component. The results can be applied to failure analysis and model validation of general aerospace components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the asymptotic and finite-sample properties of tests of equal forecast accuracy and encompassing applied to direct, multistep predictions from nested regression models. We first derive asymptotic distributions; these nonstandard distributions depend on the parameters of the data-generating process. We then use Monte Carlo simulations to examine finite-sample size and power. Our asymptotic approximation yields good size and power properties for some, but not all, of the tests; a bootstrap works reasonably well for all tests. The paper concludes with a reexamination of the predictive content of capacity utilization for inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology acceptance has been studied extensively within the IS discipline. Few, if any, have studied end users’ acceptance of newly implemented technologies within organisational contexts before end users start using the technology. Thus, by integrating variables from multiple relevant literature, this research attempts to answer this research question: will the introduction of a richer model for technology acceptance in a mandatory adoption environment, specifically in the pre-implementation phase, allow us to capture and account for the complexities of organisational technology implementations? The research model was tested in an organisational setting where a new content management system was being implemented. A total of 148 employees participated in this survey and partial least squares method was used to analyse the data to test the model. Implementation climate, valence, attitude, and perceived ease of use positively influence goal commitment to technology acceptance in a mandatory environment, and the model has displayed relatively large explanatory and predictive power. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By releasing the unbiasedness condition, we often obtain more accurate estimators due to the bias–variance trade-off. In this paper, we propose a class of shrinkage proportion estimators which show improved performance over the sample proportion. We provide the “optimal” amount of shrinkage. The advantage of the proposed estimators is given theoretically as well as explored empirically by simulation studies and real data analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users of social network sites (SNSs) use three main strategies that help to manage the privacy of their profile information: (1)limiting the level of data revealed, (2)using privacy settingsto exert control over data and (3)audience/friendship managementby being restrictive about whom to accept as a ‘friend’. Extant research does not show whether these strategies operate as independent mechanisms or whether they are interdependent and work as asystem. Given what offline privacy theorist Irwin Altman (1977) designates as themulti-mechanic natureof privacy protection, we test a model in which we expect to find that the three discerned strategies are related to one another. Structural equation modelling analysis performed on the subsample (n = 1564) of our study’s data – collected among 1743 adolescents by means of a paper-and-pencil survey – demonstrates that, in line with Altman’s vision of privacy protection, the three discerned strategies effectively operate as an interdependent system. In congruence with the hypotheses derived from extant research, we found that adolescents’ level of disclosure influences adolescents’ involvement in the two other discerned strategies: Adolescents with high levels of personal information disclosure share an increased tendency to have many friends on SNSs and a lower level of using privacy settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conduct a Monte Carlo simulation study to evaluate three propensity score (PS) scenarios for estimating an average treatment effect (ATE) in observational studies when treatment switching exists: (a) ignoring treatment switching in subjects (UPS), (b) removing subjects with treatment switching (RPS), and (c) adjusting for treatment switching effect (APS) with two inverse probability weighting estimators, IPW1 and IPW2. We evaluate these six estimators in terms of bias, mean squared error (MSE), empirical standard error (ESE), and coverage probability (CP) under various simulation scenarios. Simulation results show that the IPW2 estimator with RPS has relatively good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the historical impact of racial segregation and ongoing health and economic inequities between older Black and White adults is well documented, little is known about the relationships among race, individual- and neighborhood-resources, and formal volunteering in later life. This study explores this intersection. Individual-level data from 268 respondents aged 55+ were collected in the St. Louis metropolitan area through paper-based mail surveys. Objective neighborhood data were obtained at the zip code level from secondary sources and matched with respondents. Using exploratory factor analysis, we constructed a 14-item environmental scale with 3 neighborhood dimensions (economic, social, and built environment). Older Black adults had lower levels of education; had fewer financial assets; lived in neighborhoods with less economic resources and lower built environment scores; and fewer formally volunteered when compared to older White adults. Individual resources (financial assets, health) and neighborhood resources (social and built environment) were positively associated with formal volunteering among older Black adults. Only individual resources (age, marital status, financial assets, health) were associated with formal volunteering among older White adults. A coherent set of policies that bolsters individual and environmental capacities may increase the rate of volunteerism among older black adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new control chart is proposed by using an auxiliary variable and repetitive sampling in order to enhance the performance of detecting a shift in process mean. The product-difference type estimator of the mean is plotted on the proposed control chart, which utilizes the information of an auxiliary variable correlated with the main quality variable. The proposed control chart is based on the outer and inner control limits so that repetitive sampling is allowed when the plotted statistic falls between the two limits. The average run length (ARL) of the proposed control chart is evaluated using the Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed control chart is compared with the Riaz M control chart and the results show the outperformance of the proposed control chart in terms of the ARL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Acceptance sampling, a category of statistical quality control, deals with the confidence of the product's quality. In certain times, it is necessary to deal with the error in the demanding distribution counting on the sample size and the pertained population size, in determining the necessitated sample size for the acute exactitude. Further this sample size with minimized error is utilized in deriving the most beneficial OC curve. Neural networks have been used to train the data with the resulting error and their matching toleration level for the sample sizes of different population sizes. This trained network can be used to foster automated acceptance or rejection of the sample size to be used for a better OC curve based on the minimized error, ensuing time reduction of the burdened work. It is better explained in this paper with the geo-statistics data, using SAS program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The exponential–Poisson (EP) distribution with scale and shape parameters β>0 and λ∈ℝ, respectively, is a lifetime distribution obtained by mixing exponential and zero-truncated Poisson models. The EP distribution has been a good alternative to the gamma distribution for modelling lifetime, reliability and time intervals of successive natural disasters. Both EP and gamma distributions have some similarities and properties in common, for example, their densities may be strictly decreasing or unimodal, and their hazard rate functions may be decreasing, increasing or constant depending on their shape parameters. On the other hand, the EP distribution has several interesting applications based on stochastic representations involving maximum and minimum of iid exponential variables (with random sample size) which make it of distinguishable scientific importance from the gamma distribution. Given the similarities and different scientific relevance between these models, one question of interest is how to discriminate them. With this in mind, we propose a likelihood ratio test based on Cox's statistic to discriminate the EP and gamma distributions. The asymptotic distribution of the normalized logarithm of the ratio of the maximized likelihoods under two null hypotheses – data come from EP or gamma distributions – is provided. With this, we obtain the probabilities of correct selection. Hence, we propose to choose the model that maximizes the probability of correct selection (PCS). We also determinate the minimum sample size required to discriminate the EP and gamma distributions when the PCS and a given tolerance level based on some distance are before stated. A simulation study to evaluate the accuracy of the asymptotic probabilities of correct selection is also presented. The paper is motivated by two applications to real data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of monitoring process data that can be modelled by exponential distribution is considered when observations are from type-II censoring. Such data are common in many practical inspection environment. An average run length unbiased (ARL-unbiased) control scheme is developed when the in-control scale parameter is known. The performance of the proposed control charts are investigated in terms of the ARL and standard deviation of the run length. The effects of parameter estimation on the proposed control charts are also evaluated. Then, we consider the design of the ARL-unbiased control charts when the in-control scale parameter is estimated. Finally, an example is used to illustrate the implementation of the proposed control charts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a two-stage dispatching rule for the on-time delivery of an order-driven FAB is presented. Dispatching rules have a significant impact on the performance of FABs. Consequently, many such rules have been created, such as first in first out, earliest due data, operation due date, and critical ratio. Because these conventional dispatching rules make decisions only by considering the due date of each lot, they might not be suitable for dynamic order-driven FABs, for which it is very essential to monitor not only the due date of each lot but also the production rate of each step. In the first stage of the proposed two-stage dispatching rule, the production rate of each step is taken into account, and the due date of each lot is considered in the second stage. In this paper, the production rates of steps are computed by combining forward simulation and backward pegging. A simulation model, based on a wafer FAB data-set, has been developed, and simulation is conducted using commercial software SEEPLAN®. The simulation results clearly show the advantages of the proposed dispatching rule over existing rules. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to present the content validation, including a pilot test, of the Home Assessment of the Person-Environment Interaction (HoPE). The HoPE fills a gap for evaluating issues related to home adaptation. Using qualitative methods, a two-phase study was conducted: an expert consultation and a pilot test. The expert consultation was conducted via focus groups with occupational therapists ( n = 20), and individual interviews with adults who had undergone home adaptation ( n = 5). The pilot test was undertaken using a multiple case study design of four adults awaiting home adaptation. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NUD.IST software. In phase 1, experts agreed with the content of HoPE and suggested minor changes. In phase 2, HoPE enabled occupational therapists to identify handicap-creating situations. After both phases, the final version of HoPE is more comprehensive than other current tools and addresses the complex experiences of clients with whom occupational therapists work which suggests a new approach for practice regarding home adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinning is a well-known technique for producing skeleton-like shape features from digital binary objects in a topology-preserving way. Most of the existing thinning algorithms work on input images that are sampled on orthogonal grids; however, it is also possible to perform thinning on hexagonal grids (or triangular lattices). In this paper, we point out to the main similarities and differences between the topological properties of these two types of sampling schemes. We give various characterizations of simple points and present some new sufficient conditions for topology-preserving reductions working on hexagonal grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complications of an unsafe abortion are a major contributor to maternal deaths and morbidity in Africa. When abortions are performed in safe environments, such complications are almost all preventable. This paper reports results from a nationally representative health facility study conducted in Ethiopia in 2008. The safe abortion care (SAC) model, a monitoring approach to assess the amount, distribution, use and quality of abortion services, provided a framework. Data collection included key informant interviews with 335 health care providers, prospective data on 8911 women seeking treatment for abortion complications or induced abortion and review of facility logbooks. Although the existing hospitals perform most basic abortion care functions, the number of facilities providing basic and comprehensive abortion care for the population size fell far short of the recommended levels. Almost one-half (48%) of women treated for obstetric complications in the facilities had abortion complications. The use of appropriate abortion technologies in the first trimester and the provision of post-abortion contraception overall were reasonably strong, especially in private sector facilities. Following abortion law reform in 2005 and subsequent service expansion and improvements, Ethiopia remains committed to reducing complications from an unsafe abortion. This study provides the first national snapshot to measure changes in a dynamic abortion care environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bullying and lateral violence is a reality in the workplace for many nurses and has been explored in nursing literature for at least three decades. Using a postcolonial feminist approach this paper examines what contributes to bullying and lateral violence in the nursing workplace by deconstructing the findings from a British Columbia Nurses Union and Union of Psychiatric Nurses study. Theories of oppression and organizational context which have appeared in the literature serve to inform the discussion. A postcolonial lens provides an opportunity to come to grips with the insidiousness of bullying and lateral violence. An adaption of Phillips, Lawrence, and Hardy's (2004) framework is used to unpack discourses, actions, texts, and organizational practices to challenge taken-for-granted hegemonies in the workplace. Taking this different view has enabled new prisms of understanding to emerge from the contributing factors identified in the study. Based on this analysis it is clear that bullying and lateral violence is deeply institutionalized. Nurses, managers, and organizations need to interrupt and interrogate the embeddedness of bullying and lateral violence in order to create a civil workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. This paper analyzes the relation between gender role beliefs and prejudice toward gay men and lesbians in Chile. Participants were Chilean university students (N = 283). Results indicate that men are more prejudiced than women and religious people are more prejudiced than non-religious people. On the other hand, gender role beliefs mediate sex differences in prejudice. The participants' more traditional gender role beliefs hold more negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Men are more prejudiced than women, particularly in their attitudes toward gay men. In addition, sex differences in attitudes toward lesbians and gay men are mediated by gender role beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect is a mandated role of medical doctors, nurses, police and teachers in Victoria, Australia. This paper reports on a research study that sought to explicate how mandated professionals working in rural Victorian contexts identify a child/ren at risk and the decisions they make subsequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let σ t be the instantaneous cross-volatility of two continuous semimartingales X and Y. In this paper, we introduce some estimators for the class of integrated cross-volatilities of the form where g is a continuous function and processes X and Y are sampled with microstructure noise and in an asynchronous way. In finance, it is widely accepted that the processes X and Y are reasonable models for the log return of price processes of stock and currency and our estimator is relevant in the context of intra-day high-frequency trading. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we extend the work of Gjestvang and Singh [A new randomized response model, J. R. Statist. Soc. Ser. B (Methodological) 68 (2006), pp. 523–530] to propose a new unrelated question randomized response model that can be used for any sampling scheme. The interesting thing is that the estimator based on one sample is free from the use of known proportion of an unrelated character, unlike Horvitz et al. [The unrelated question randomized response model, Social Statistics Section, Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, 1967, pp. 65–72], Greenberg et al. [The unrelated question randomized response model: Theoretical framework, J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 64 (1969), pp. 520–539] and Mangat et al. [An improved unrelated question randomized response strategy, Calcutta Statist. Assoc. Bull. 42 (1992), pp. 167–168] models. The relative efficiency of the proposed model with respect to the existing competitors has been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling the underlying stochastic process is one of the main goals in the study of many dynamic phenomena, such as signal processing, system identification and time series. The issue is often addressed within the framework of ARMA (Autoregressive Moving Average) paradigm, so that the related task of identification of the 'true' order is crucial. As it is well known, the effectiveness of such an approach may be seriously compromised by misspecification errors since they may affect model capabilities in capturing dynamic structures of the process. As a result, inference and empirical outcomes may be heavily misleading. Despite the big number of available approaches aimed at determining the order of an ARMA model, the issue is still open. In this paper, we bring the problem in the framework of bootstrap theory in conjunction with the information-based criterion of Akaike (AIC), and a new method for ARMA model selection will be presented. A theoretical justification for the proposed approach as well as an evaluation of its small sample performances, via simulation study, are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the concept of the shrinkage technique [J.F. Thompson, Some shrinkage techniques for estimating the mean, J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 63 (1968), pp. 113-122], Bouza [Robustness of shrunken predictors in stratified populations, Biom. J. 36 (1994), pp. 95-102] studied the robustness of the shrunken predictors measured in terms of bias and mean square error in stratified sampling under super-population model ξ (0, 1:1). He showed that the robustness depends on stratified balanced sample and the difference between the common slope (β ) and uncommon slopes (βh) to strata. In the present paper, a new set of predictors is proposed under the model ξ (0, 1:1) in stratified sampling. The proposed predictors are compared with that due to Bouza [Robustness of shrunken predictors in stratified populations, Biom. J. 36 (1994), pp. 95-102] and it has been found more efficient under certain conditions. The robustness of the proposed predictors is also studied on the same lines as discussed by Bouza [Robustness of shrunken predictors in stratified populations, Biom. J. 36 (1994), pp. 95-102], and it has been found that robustness depends upon the difference between β and βh. A limited simulation study also showed that proposed predictors are more efficient than Bouza's predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the role of website usability in a B2C electronic commerce environment. The authors identify dimensions of website usability that have been examined in the literature and integrate those usability dimensions within an electronic commerce acceptance model using an e-commerce simulation. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship between several website usability and e-commerce variables (design credibility, content, interactivity, navigability, responsiveness, download delay, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and satisfaction with design) as well as trust, perceived risk, and intention to transact. The results demonstrate that website usability does influence several outcomes that are important for businesses to attract and retain customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kelejian (2008) introduces a J-type test for the situation in which a null linear regression model, Model0, is to be tested against one or more rival non-nested alternatives, Model1, ..., Model g , where typically the competing models possess endogenous spatial lags and spatially autoregressive error processes. Concentrating on the case g=1, in this paper we examine the finite sample properties of a spatial J statistic that is asymptotically [image omitted] under the null, and an alternative version that is conjectured to be approximately [image omitted] , both introduced by Kelejian. We demonstrate numerically that the tests are excessively liberal in some leading cases and conservative in others using the relevant chi-square asymptotic approximations, and explore how far this may be corrected using a simple bootstrap resampling method. Inference 'bootstrap' dans l'econometrie spatiale: le test 'J' Resume Kelejian (2008) presente un test de type J pour la situation dans laquelle on doit tester un modele a regression lineaire nulle, Model0, par rapport a une ou plusieurs alternatives concurrentes non imbriquees, Model1, ..., Model g , dans laquelle les modeles concurrents possedent generalement des retards spatiaux endogenes et des procedes d'erreur spatialement autoregressifs. En nous concentrant sur le cas g=1, nous examinons, dans la presente communication, les proprietes d'echantillon finies d'une statistique spatiale J qui se trouve asymptotiquement [image omitted] sous le zero, et une version alternative supposee etre egale a environ [image omitted] , introduites toutes les deux par Kelejian. Nous demontrons de facon numerique que les tests sont excessivement liberaux, dans certains des principaux cas, et plutot prudents dans d'autres, en faisant usage des approximations asymptotiques au chi carre, et nous explorons la mesure dans laquelle nous pouvons le corriger en appliquant un simple processus empirique re-echantillonne. La inferencia bootstrap en la econometria espacial: el test J Resumen Kelejian (2008) introduce un test de tipo J para la situacion en que un modelo de regresion lineal nulo, Model0, se pone a prueba contra una o mas alternativas rivales no anidadas, Model1, ..., Model g , donde tipicamente los modelos competidores poseen lapsos espaciales endogenos y procesos de error espacialmente autorregresivos. Concentrandose en el caso, g=1, este trabajo examina las propiedades de muestra finita de una estadistica espacial J que es asimptoticamente [image omitted] bajo el nulo, y una version alternativa que se conjetura que es aproximadamente [image omitted] , ambas introducidas por Kelejian. Demostramos numericamente que los tests son excesivamente liberales en ciertos casos destacados y conservadores en otros, utilizando las aproximaciones chi cuadradas oportunas, y exploramos hasta que punto esto podria corregirse empleando un metodo simple bootstrap de remuestreo. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper conducts simple Monte Carlo simulation investigations to ascertain the finite sample properties of the Zheng test when applied to familiar specification errors in the form of omitted and irrelevant variable problems. Results indicate that the respective estimated sizes underestimate the nominal sizes. In an omitted variable setting, the Zheng test performs rather well with estimated powers being sensitive to increasing bandwidth parameters. However, the test exhibited contrasting results in examining power performance for testing irrelevant regressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the wild bootstrap to compute empirically relevant critical values for the test statistics proposed by Emerson and Kao (2001). Monte Carlo simulations were then performed to evaluate the size and power properties of the bootstrapped tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the partial Koziol-Green regression model, the lifetime variable may he censored by two types of censoring variables. One is called informative because it satisfies the Koziol-Green assumption on proportionality of hazards and the other one is general, Brackers and Veraverbeke proposed a nonparametric estimator for the conditional lifetime distribution and obtained a Gaussian approximation for the corresponding process. In the present paper, we propose an appropriate resampling scheme and show that this leads to a valid bootstrap approximation for the process [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we develop a Bayesian analysis for the nonlinear regression model with errors that follow a continuous autoregressive process. In this way, unequally spaced observations do not present a problem in the analysis. We employ the Gibbs sampler, (see Gelfand, A., Smith, A. (1990). Sampling based approaches to calculating marginal densities. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 85:398-409., as the foundation for making Bayesian inferences. We illustrate these Bayesian inferences with an analysis of a real data-set. Using these same data, we contrast the Bayesian approach with a generalized least squares technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constructs a consistent model specification test based on the difference between the nonparametric kernel sum of squares of residuals and the sum of squares of residuals from a parametric null model. We establish the asymptotic normality of the proposed test statistic under the null hypothesis of correct parametric specification and show that the wild bootstrap method can be used to approximate the null distribution of the test statistic. Results from a small simulation study are reported to examine the finite sample performance of the proposed tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper shows how the average run length for a one-sided Cusum chart varies as a function of the length of the sampling interval between consecutive observations, the decision limit for the Cusum statistic, and the amount of autocorrelation between successive observations. It is shown that the rate of false alarms can be decreased considerably, without modifying the rate of valid alarms, by decreasing the sampling interval and appropriately increasing the decision interval. It is also shown that this can be done even when the shorter sampling interval induces moderate autocorrelation between successive observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sense of guilt in informal caregivers has been associated with lower levels of overall life-satisfaction, an increase in feelings of overwork, stress, and health problems, including anxiety and depression. Even though women who care for dependent relatives have higher levels of feelings of guilt than male caregivers, little research has been done on the dynamics of guilt from a gender perspective. This study examines the dynamics of this moral emotion in women caregivers' psychosocial health. This study is based on semi-structured interviews with nineteen Spanish women who are informal caregivers looking after dependent family members. The interviews were subsequently transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from qualitative analysis: first, doing more for the people being cared for than for oneself; secondly, being demanding on oneself; and thirdly, controlling one's own desires. The results show dynamics of self-control that seem to function as mechanisms for the women caregivers to avoid feelings of guilt, but at the price of taking on greater caring responsibilities, denying their own desires, and endangering their psychosocial health. We consider that intervention to help women reduce anticipatory guilt is essential, as these feelings put women caregivers' psychosocial health at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This online randomised controlled study evaluates benefits associated with structured topic-focussed narrative writing tasks versus unstructured narrative writing tasks, monitoring to what extent tasks impact well-being, psychopathology and satisfaction. Participants were randomised to structured topic-focussed or unstructured narrative writing conditions. Structured condition consisted of Conflict Analysis (CA), a self-guided narrative-based therapeutic assessment. Unstructured conditions consisted of narrative disclosure tasks about traumatic experiences. Both conditions consisted of ten 20-minute tasks completed within one week. One hundred and three participants completed baseline measures. Eighty-two participants completed two-week follow-up measures. Repeated measure ANOVA and t-tests were used to evaluate differences over time. Follow-up data suggest that CA participants had significantly improved outcomes when compared to narrative disclosure participants. Evidence supports continued structured narrative writing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop a model describing the process of how older adults with age-related macular degeneration develop physical activity self-efficacy. The primary aim of this research was to determine how adults with age-related macular degeneration living in a southeastern metropolitan area develop physical activity self-efficacy. Sixteen older adults with age-related macular degeneration participated in face-to-face interviews and observations of their regular physical activity. Grounded theory approach was used to identify emerging themes and a model describing the development of physical activity self-efficacy in this cohort. Five themes related to the development of physical activity self-efficacy emerged: 1) physical activity engagement, 2) self-management behaviors, 3) physical activity determinants, 4) strategies, and 5) self-perceived benefits. These themes were analyzed to produce a preliminary model describing the development of physical activity self-efficacy in older adults with age-related macular degeneration. Findings provide a preliminary model, which practitioners can use to facilitate self-efficacy and participation in physical activity in older adults with age-related macular degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new tightening concept has been incorporated into the single-level continuous sampling plan CSP-1, such that quality degradation will warrant sampling inspection to cease beyond a certain number of sampled items, until new evidence of good quality is established. The expressions of the performance measures for this new plan, such as the operating characteristic, average outgoing quality and average fraction inspected, are derived using a Markov chain model. The advantage of the tightened CSP-1 plan is that it is possible to lower the average outgoing quality limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various methods based on Student t variates have been suggested and used for obtaining simultaneous confidence intervals for several means, or for several contrasts among means. Determination of an overall confidence level for such intervals involves evaluating the probability mass of a multivariate t distribution over a hypercube centered at the origin, with sides paralleling the coordinate planes, or obtaining bounds for this probability mass. Since such distributions involve many nuisance parameters, an impossible number of tables would be necessary in order to make exact confidence intervals. In the virtual absence of tables, approximations and bounds become important. In this paper, an attempt has been made to investigate the adequacy of certain suggested approximations [2], [5], [8] by computing the exact distributions for some particular cases. These exact distributions have been compared with approximations. This paper is concerned with two-sided confidence intervals, rather than one-sided intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]