Semi-doubly optimal concentric circles fitting with presence of heteroscedasticity

Previous studies focus on homogeneous and isotropic assumptions about the noisy data. Many methods have been developed recently for fitting concentric circles to data. In this paper, these statistical assumptions have been relaxed. To the best of our knowledge, only one iterative method has been recently developed. Due to its complexity, no such algorithm is available to compute the reliable maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). Accordingly, we have developed four new methods that outperform the existing methods including the orthogonal distance regression (ODR). We also discuss which of these methods is superior according to the four principles: statistical efficiency, accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency. Numerical experiments on synthetic and real images have been conducted to validate our findings.     

Children in immediate danger: Emergency removals in Finnish and Irish child protection

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of front‐line practices regarding emergency removals in Finnish and Irish child protection. It examines how the responses to children's immediate danger are framed by legislation and how front‐line practitioners assess the child's situation and make emergency placement decisions. The data consist of interviews with 16 Irish and 33 Finnish social workers. These child welfare protection systems respond differently to a task that appears to be similar. The Irish team‐based practice rests on the social workers' shared assessment of the child's needs, and the formal decision is made by the courts (or police officers at night‐time); and the Finnish practice involves only one single social worker who makes both the assessment and the removal decision. The Irish system is tightly time regulated, whereas the Finnish system provides a more flexible time frame. Both approaches put a lot of stress on social workers' practice, which also includes creative workarounds (e.g., “planned emergency removals” in Finland). Future research will need to explore these features from the point of view of a child's right to protection.     

A closer look at de-aliasing effects using an efficient foldover technique

Foldover techniques are used to reduce the confounding when some important effects (usually lower order effects) cannot be estimated independently. This article develops an efficient foldover mechanism for symmetric or asymmetric designs, whether regular or nonregular. In this paper, we take the uniformity criteria (UC) as the optimality measures to construct the optimal combined designs (initial design plus its corresponding foldover design) which have better capability of estimating lower order effects. The relationship between any initial design and its combined design is studied. A comparison study between the combined designs via different UC is provided. Equivalence between any combined design and its complementary combined design is investigated, which is a very useful constraint that reduce the search space. Using our results as benchmarks, we can implement a powerful algorithm for constructing optimal combined designs. Our work covers as well as gives results better than recent works of about 20 articles in the last few years as special cases. So this article is a good reference for constructing effective designs.     

Perceptions of Randomized Security Schedules

Security of infrastructure is a major concern. Traditional security schedules are unable to provide omnipresent coverage; consequently, adversaries can exploit predictable vulnerabilities to their advantage. Randomized security schedules, which randomly deploy security measures, overcome these limitations, but public perceptions of such schedules have not been examined. In this experiment, participants were asked to make a choice between attending a venue that employed a traditional (i.e., search everyone) or a random (i.e., a probability of being searched) security schedule. The absolute probability of detecting contraband was manipulated (i.e., 1/10, 1/4, 1/2) but equivalent between the two schedule types. In general, participants were indifferent to either security schedule, regardless of the probability of detection. The randomized schedule was deemed more convenient, but the traditional schedule was considered fairer and safer. There were no differences between traditional and random schedule in terms of perceived effectiveness or deterrence. Policy implications for the implementation and utilization of randomized schedules are discussed.     

Self‐Construal,Career Decision Self‐Efficacy,and Perceived Barriers Predict Mexican American Women's Life Satisfaction

This study used the social cognitive theory of well‐being (SCTW; Lent, 2004 ) to examine the role of career decision self‐efficacy (CDSE), perceived educational barriers, and independent self‐construal on the life satisfaction of 176 Mexican American college women. A 3‐step hierarchical regression analysis indicated that independent self‐construal, CDSE, and fewer perceived educational barriers significantly predicted greater life satisfaction among Mexican American college women above and beyond the influence of socioeconomic status and generational status. These findings are consistent with SCTW and highlight the need for counselors and researchers to be aware of the role that self‐construal, CDSE, and perceived educational barriers can have on Mexican American women's life satisfaction. Implications for practice at the secondary‐school and university levels are discussed.     

Feminine or feminist? Women’s media leadership

This paper presents a small-scale qualitative case study of five women’s experiences of leadership roles in Irish media industries. Relational Leadership Theory is used to examine whether there is a gendered dimension to women’s leadership and to explore why women’s participation in leadership has not resulted in significant feminist gains or changes to media organisations. The article finds that: the women saw their leadership as relational and simultaneously as socially constructed in a gendered manner. Moreover, the women led organisational change towards greater gender equality in the norms of media work. However, while the women’s leadership was relational and feminine, it was not necessarily feminist; it did not aim to generate systemic changes within the gendering of the media as an institution. The changes that the women wrought incorporated women into a system of production that remained nonetheless masculinist.     

基于分层MTO订单的准入策略研究

研究按订单生产(make to order,MTO)模式下随机订单的准入策略.本文提出的准入决策方法分为两步,首先在考虑随机订单的不同属性基础上,采用TOPSIS(technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution)方法计算新到订单与理想订单的接近程度,以此作为订单的综合收益,从而对新订单进行分层排序;其次采用MDP(Markov decision process)模型分别计算接受和拒绝订单的期望收益,从而决定是否接受该订单.研究发现,当市场需求接近或大于产能时,企业可从订单分层中获益;反之,市场需求显著小于产能时,分层不会带来额外收益.企业分层收益随需求增加或产能减少而递增,且与生产前置期呈倒U型关系.数值模拟发现,订单分层越精细,收益越大,且分层数约为需求与企业产能的比值时,订单分层收益接近最大值.     

Jackpot? Gender Differences in the Effects of Lottery Wins on Separation

In this study, information on small to modest lottery wins from the British Household Panel Survey (N = 2,563) was used to investigate the effect of income on separation. The analysis demonstrated that money matters within relationships. Lottery wins temporarily reduced the odds of separation after men won. Men spent more on leisure and became more satisfied with their leisure time and social lives after winning. Nevertheless, most of the effect of lottery wins on union stability was not mediated by changes in satisfaction; instead, a direct effect of wins on the threshold to leave relationships was observed. No effect on union stability was found when women won. Women did not spend their winnings on leisure time but instead saved or spent money on durable items. These types of spending did not increase satisfaction. The findings suggested that, within families, men acted relatively independently, whereas the behavior of women was more family oriented.     

改变道德习俗:生活德育的最佳切入路径

习俗有道德习俗与非道德习俗之分。道德习俗对人德性生成有巨大影响。这样,生活德育的最佳切入路径在改变道德习俗,其中,学校生活德育的最佳切入路径是改变学校的道德习俗;家庭和社会生活德育的最佳切入路径是改变本国、本地区的道德习俗。     

新型城镇化中的老城形象优化策略

城镇更新是城镇发展中"修复振兴、激发活力"的动力机制。而在拓展城镇规模,建设形成新城镇形象的过程中,保护老城风貌并采取各种优化、更新要素的方法传承形象特色,是不同历史阶段化解形象危机和传承文化特色的有效途径。尤其是在当前城乡一体、资源统筹的新型城镇化语境下,探索优化老城形象的策略,对未来城、镇、村的层级、梯度发展、增强城镇活力具有重要意义。本文从滁州老城物质风貌的显性与隐性形象要素入手,对形象要素"分裂、重构、整合"出的"生态、建筑、文化"等形态风貌关系进行分类分析,提出优化策略,为保护老城形象、传承文脉、转型发展注入新的活力。