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We explore the special relationships regarding a joint project of creating a Grand Lodge in Puerto Rico, with the aid of the Cuban one, to first obtain Masonic independence from Spain, to later obtain political and economic independence, thus, revealing an uncommonly close relationship between two Grand Lodges. We first review the common roots of these two islands. We then analyze the Cuban Grand Lodge’s views of the principal events and characters. Later, we analyze the context of these events. To finally re-analyze these events from the perspective of the Puerto Rican freemasonry. And we close with some conclusions.

Reseña del libro de Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction de Andreas Önnerfors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. 160 páginas. ISBN: 978-0198-79-6-275.

This paper presents a critical analysis of the last 250 years of Cuban political history, from a perspective of its integration in the Spanish Caribbean. We discuss how the traditional Cuban political and ideological intolerance has contributed to the creation of an inefficient model of regime succession that has taken the country to its current stage. We present and examine several national and international conditions that we believe are necessary to achieve a peaceful transition toward an open and pluralistic system. We analyze and compare the transitions in Brazil, Mexico and Spain. And we draw several conclusions that may be applicable to the Cuban case.

The study of the Civil Society (CS) has, in the last twenty years, become a hot topic. For, its large impact in events of world importance, such as the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall and, more recently, the Awakening of the Muslim countries of North Africa. Such events have been associated with the existence and activity of groups within the CS. And their absence in other countries has been associated with their lack of political change. All this suggests that SC is an important factor in such political evolutions. The present paper reviews the literature on the Cuban CS to investigate: (1) how has it been studied and, (2) what is the current state of its health, its composition, and to estimate its capacity to interact within the Cuban society, which has recently started to change. Some researchers have approached the study of Cuban CS as one composed of political dissidents and religious groups, distorting the problem. For, there are other social groups, not necessarily religious or political, that have been ignored, or that have barely been considered, and whose contributions are of great importance to the CS. In our paper we undertake a brief review of the Cuban CS before the 1959 revolution, and of its replacement by a new one, stemming from such revolution. We then perform a critical analysis of several papers on the Cuban CS that have been grouped under three important themes. After such discussion, we derive some conclusions about the current state, as well as about the future of the Cuban CS.

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACTDiscrete event simulation has been nurtured by statistical analysis for many years. The converse is not true. However, recent advances in computer technology and software development have made PC's running specialized simulation languages readily available. This paper discusses how discrete event simulation, implemented via specialized simulation languages (e.g., GPSS) can become a useful teaching resource and motivate statistics students. In addition, simulation helps to present more effectively interdisciplinary case studies, to increase group learning and to relieve students and instructors from statistical drudgery. Examples of teaching with such GPSS simulation approach are developed.

We present a statistical and historical analysis of the development of the Grand Lodge of Cuba during 1945–2010, based on our demographic study of this institution. Research identifies and evaluates important factors that have contributed to membership growth and decline, in the second half of the 20th Century. Important characteristics of this institution are identified and discussed, as they relate to the development of the evolving Cuban civil society.

A Monte Carlo power study of 10 multivariate normality goodness-of-fit tests is presented. First, multivariate goodness-of-fit methods and non-normal alternatives are classified according to their characteristics. Then, a measurement tool is defined, validated, and used to assess the performance of the methods, which are then ranked by type of alternative they best detect. Finally, Monte Carlo-derived empirical critical values for the 8 procedures, valid when samples are too small to invoke asymptotic theory, are provided.

A new procedure for assessing distributional assumptions of multivariate data, with graphical applications, is presented and illustrated using a real industrial example. The procedure is based on transforming the multivariate sample into a set of uncorrelated samples and representing the order statistics of each transformed sample by linked vectors in a two dimensional space.

This paper presents alternative methods to forecast or predict failure trends when the data violates the assumptions associated with least squares linear regression. Simulations based on actual case studies validated that least squares linear regression may provide a biased model in the presence of messy data. Non-parametric regression methods provide robust forecasting models less sensitive to non-constant variability, outliers, and small data sets.

Discrete event simulation has benefited from statistical analysis but the reverse is not true. Recent advances in computer technology and software development have made it possible to have PC's running specialized simulation languages readily available. The paper discusses how discrete event simulation, developed via specialized simulation languages (e.g., GPSS), can become a useful class resource to teach and motivate statistics students. In addition, simulation helps to present, more effectively, interdisciplinary case studies, to increase group learning and to relieve students and instructors from statistical drudgery. Examples of such GPSS simulation are developed.

Four theoretical methods providing total system reliability bounds from sub-system test data are numerically compared through a simulation study. The methods in question, Kramer, El Bawazini-Buehler, Grubts and Mann-Grubbs, are compared with respect to the observed coverage of the true reliability as well as to the (empirical) form of their statistical distribution. The effects of several factors (pre-specified confidence level, system structure, truncation procedure) on the performance of these bounds are also studied. Finally, based upon the experimental results, recommendations are given as to which bound to use.

Four theoretical methods providing approximations to total system reliability bounds from subsystem test data are compared through a Monte Carlo study. The system bounds in question, Kraemer, El Mawazini-Buehler, Grubbs and Mann-Grubbs, are valid asymptotically, i.e. when the number of failures observed is large. However, their small sample properties, and the closed forms of their small sample distributions, are unknown. In practice, when a system cannot be tested as a whole, the number of observed failures may be small. Hence, the practical importance for the study of the small sample properties of these bounds. Lacking this information, we perform a numerical study of these small sample properties, as well as a comparison of the bounds.

A simulation model approach for the forecast of software and productivity is presented. The approach represents an industrial engineering solution to a software engineering problem. It is based on a statistical model that describes the software variable size and effort as a product of a signal plus random noise. A roadmap for its construction, validation and operation is developed. Its advantages and disadvantages with respect to other existing procedures are discussed. Finally, its implementation and use are illustrated with a real-life numerical example.