Choosing summary statistics by least angle regression for approximate Bayesian computation

Bayesian statistical inference relies on the posterior distribution. Depending on the model, the posterior can be more or less difficult to derive. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in complex settings where the likelihood is analytically intractable. In such situations, approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) provides an attractive way of carrying out Bayesian inference. For obtaining reliable posterior estimates however, it is important to keep the approximation errors small in ABC. The choice of an appropriate set of summary statistics plays a crucial role in this effort. Here, we report the development of a new algorithm that is based on least angle regression for choosing summary statistics. In two population genetic examples, the performance of the new algorithm is better than a previously proposed approach that uses partial least squares.     

脱离“贫困陷阱”——以西南H村产业扶贫为例

扶贫背景下,深度贫困地区与其他地区相比,诸多限制性因素导致其自身无法实现跨越式发展,深度贫困群体脱贫存在对起始物质资产和人力资本交织的最低需要,即投入的“关键性门槛”.从长期来看,提高人力资本是脱贫并实现可持续发展的重要途径,在无法实现人力资本短期飞跃的现实情况下,则需要关注深度贫困地区外来物质资产的介入.西南M县H村展开的扶贫实践表明,用外来物质资产暂时替代人力资本,通过人工干预扶贫措施来实现村庄产业扶贫的成效显著,结果显示,H村的产业扶贫不仅带来了主营产业收入,同时也带来了明显的外溢收入,H村采用干预扶贫措施农户的收入显著高于未采用干预扶贫措施的农户.研究表明外部援助对于深度性贫困群体脱贫具有重要意义,同时也意识到摆脱深度贫困这一过程的复杂性,“输血”资源到“造血”功能的转化,需要重视人力资本的提升.     

重大公共卫生事件背景下的青年思想政治教育工作

新冠疫情的暴发作为一场全球性重大公共卫生事件对青年思想状况产生了较大影响。思想政治教育必须回应青年的思想关切,并给予及时的引导。基于重大公共卫生事件做好思想政治教育工作有五个基本着力点,即：以树立正确的灾难观为着力点,培养危机意识和担当精神;以倡导科学应对疫情为着力点,提高理性思辨能力和自我防护能力;以讲好中国抗疫经验为着力点,增强四个意识,坚定四个自信;以反思人与自然关系为着力点,增强自然保护意识和生态文明理念;以关注全球抗疫大局为着力点,筑牢人类命运共同体意识。     

关于大学人文教育困境的思考

“大学”是现代社会的产物,是守护人文精神的场所。但同时,市场、科技理性等这些现代社会的标志性成果也在侵蚀着大学的人文精神追求,使其表现出功利主义倾向。现代性的悖论造就了人文教育的艰难处境。能否走出这个悖论,关键在于大学能否保持对现代性的警惕和批判。     

Intercultural education in everyday practice

While there is substantive work in intercultural education, especially that which proposes intellectual or conceptual road maps for pedagogic interculturalism and, more specifically for the classroom, there is a need to surface the complexity of everyday intercultural classroom practices. This article reflects on some Singapore students’ responses to materials designed to help them engage critically with intercultural issues. These responses can be categorized into three types of tajectories: reifying, critical and conflicted. Reifying practices basically mean that students essentialize individuals, communities and countries despite (and perhaps because of) the intercultural approach to the teaching of communication. Critical trajectories, on the other hand, showcase students’ ability to identify stereotypes and provide much more nuanced characterizations of individuals and countries. Conflicted trajectories, however, seem to be the most dominant classroom practice: these are attempts of students to be critical but, in practice, their criticality is enmeshed in reifying tendencies. In other words, ‘criticality’ as it is envisioned is always incomplete on the ground. Thus, we need micro-lenses in interculturalism and intercultural education to help us critically reflect on and surface essentialisms, tensions and struggles in everyday classroom practice.     

Back to basics: explaining sample size in outcome trials,are statisticians doing a thorough job?

Time to event outcome trials in clinical research are typically large, expensive and high‐profile affairs. Such trials are commonplace in oncology and cardiovascular therapeutic areas but are also seen in other areas such as respiratory in indications like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Their progress is closely monitored and results are often eagerly awaited. Once available, the top line result is often big news, at least within the therapeutic area in which it was conducted, and the data are subsequently fully scrutinized in a series of high‐profile publications. In such circumstances, the statistician has a vital role to play in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of the trial. In particular, in drug development it is incumbent on the statistician to ensure at the outset that the sizing of the trial is fully appreciated by their medical, and other non‐statistical, drug development team colleagues and that the risk of delivering a statistically significant but clinically unpersuasive result is minimized. The statistician also has a key role in advising the team when, early in the life of an outcomes trial, a lower than anticipated event rate appears to be emerging. This paper highlights some of the important features relating to outcome trial sample sizing and makes a number of simple recommendations aimed at ensuring a better, common understanding of the interplay between sample size and power and the final result required to provide a statistically positive and clinically persuasive outcome. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于鲁棒性的关键链二次资源冲突消除策略

以关键链方法中的二次资源冲突困境为切入点,从鲁棒调度优化角度提出一种解决策略.首先,采用定量化建模对问题进行数学描述和表达,剖析插入输入缓冲引起二次资源冲突的原理,进而采用场景分析法从复杂的冲突表象中分解出四种基本的冲突场景构成要素.其次,基于鲁棒调度优化理论,探究各种冲突子问题的有效对策并归类,据此开发出一种消除二次资源冲突的局部重调度启发式协调策略;根据策略设计基于两次调度进程和两类缓冲动态消耗的鲁棒性指标,采用鲁棒性关键链项目调度问题输出鲁棒性最大的调度方案.再次,设计仿真程序和三个测试指标:项目实际按期完工率、活动开始时间偏差绝对值之和及偏差绝对值的方差;基于ProGen随机地生成测试算例集合进行数值实验.结果发现,以鲁棒性调度方案为依据安排项目的实施过程,三个统计指标值都优于以传统关键链调度方案为依据时相对应的指标值.结论表明:基于鲁棒调度优化的二次资源冲突消除策略及设计的关键链鲁棒性指标在项目实施中具有较好的稳定性效果.     

Evidence-based practice: a critical reflection

This article employs the process of critical reflection to uncover and challenge the hegemonic assumptions of evidence-based practice (EBP). The critical reflection process results in a re-conceptualisation of best practices that, while still honouring empirical research, is less hierarchical and more inclusive of a broad spectrum of interests than traditional EBP. Multidimensional Evidence-Based Practice (MEBP) validates consumer wisdom, professional experience, and qualitative research as equal partners to quantitative research in determining current state-of-the art best practices. Furthermore, MEBP incorporates a value-critical analysis of those best practices that can lead to improvements and innovations, so that ‘best practices’ becomes a dynamic rather than a static construct.