Contribution analysis to analyze the effects of the health impact assessment at the local level: A case of urban revitalization

The health impact assessment (HIA) is a tool used to estimate the potential impact on health of non-health-related proposals prior to implementation. While it is increasingly used in Quebec, Canada, studies have not analyzed its medium-term impacts and potential long-term impacts. We conducted a contribution analysis using in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, as well as documents, observation and images related to HIA in order to analyze its impacts on the revitalization of road infrastructure, parks and green spaces, and residential housing. Our analysis not only reflects on the decision-making process through the adoption and implementation of HIA recommendations, but also on the link between actions implemented in the field and health outcomes.     

Driven by Inequalities: Exploring the Resurgence of Domestic Work in U.S. Cities

Domestic work, once the most common occupation for women around the globe, was thought to be well on its way to extinction at the end of the twentieth century. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, evidence began to appear that domestic work was in many places again becoming a growth occupation. My goal in this article is to examine the factors related to the recent expansion of domestic work in countries in the Global North, using the United States as a case study. I draw on U.S. Census data to document the resurgence of domestic work both nationally and in many large cities across the country, and then use multivariate analysis to compare rates of domestic work across these cities. The results indicate that rates of domestic work are highly related to variables measuring structural inequalities (racialization of the labor force, immigration, and economic polarization), while showing little relationship with variables measuring unmet care needs (care dependency ratios, female/maternal labor force participation, and availability of institutional care options). These findings underline the urgency of providing protections to domestic workers and point to the need for scholarship that better theorizes the relationships among unpaid care and different forms of paid care.     

Perceptions of paternal involvement and labour pain management in Chinese couples during childbirth: A qualitative study

BackgroundLabour pain is an individual experience embedded in a socio-cultural context. In childbirth, the father’s involvement provides important support to the mother during labour. However, few published studies have evaluated couples’ experiences of paternal involvement and labour pain management in the Chinese context.AimThis study aimed to understand the experience of labour pain management and the father’s involvement in childbirth from the perspectives of women and their partners in Hong Kong.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative design was adopted. A purposive sample of 45 Chinese parents was recruited at the postnatal unit of a regional hospital. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews within 1 month after birth. The data were subjected to content analysis.FindingsThe findings revealed six major themes: the mothers’ experience of labour pain, effectiveness of pain relief measures, mothers’ perceptions of support from their partners, mothers’ perceptions of support from healthcare professionals, fathers’ experience of involvement in childbirth and suggested improvements to maternity services.DiscussionChinese mothers experienced intense labour pain and used various pain relief measures. Both parents considered the involvement of fathers and support from healthcare professionals to be highly significant during childbirth.ConclusionsThis study highlights the need for a family-centred model of care during childbirth that involves both parents in the decision-making process. Chinese maternity services should implement individualised birth plans that acknowledge both parents’ expectations and preferences, thus promoting a positive childbirth experience for the parents.     

构建和谐铁路路风系统的理性选择

铁路路风是指铁路的行业风气,是铁路企业和铁路职工经营管理素质、理想纪律素养、职业道德风貌的外在表现,反映铁路企业管理水平和职工精神面貌的综合指标。铁路路风质量的优劣,集中反映在铁路运输产品——旅客和货物的位移质量上。运输产品的全部质量特征包括安全、准确、舒适、迅速、经济、便利和文明服务等诸多方面。旅客和货主就是根据这些来全面判断路风质量优劣的。必须从整体上对路风质量实行全面控制,不能顾此失彼。     

我国股东代表诉讼实用性的经济学分析

设置股东代表诉讼的目的是为了完善公司治理,强化股东的经营监督和抑制违法的作用。但由于股东提起代表诉讼是为了公司和全体股东的利益,如何降低原告股东的诉讼成本对实现股东代表诉讼的立法目的具有重要的意义。     

民族工作时代主题与加快民族发展问题研究

民族工作必须体现时代的精神,党中央在我国社会主义建设的关键时期提出的各民族需“共同团结奋斗,共同繁荣发展”,顺应了时代的要求。少数民族的发展只有在建设中国特色社会主义的共同事业中才能逐步解决。     

Diagnostics of multiple group influential observations for logistic regression models

In this paper, two new multiple influential observation detection methods, GCD.GSPR and mCD*, are introduced for logistic regression. The proposed diagnostic measures are compared with the generalized difference in fits (GDFFITS) and the generalized squared difference in beta (GSDFBETA), which are multiple influential diagnostics. The simulation study is conducted with one, two and five independent variable logistic regression models. The performance of the diagnostic measures is examined for a single contaminated independent variable for each model and in the case where all the independent variables are contaminated with certain contamination rates and intensity. In addition, the performance of the diagnostic measures is compared in terms of the correct identification rate and swamping rate via a frequently referred to data set in the literature.     

Optimal scheduling replacement policies for a system with multiple random works

From the economical viewpoint in reliability theory, this paper addresses a scheduling replacement problem for a single operating system which works at random times for multiple jobs. The system is subject to stochastic failure which results the imperfect maintenance activity based on some random failure mechanism: minimal repair due to type-I (repairable) failure, or corrective replacement due to type-II (non-repairable) failure. Three scheduling models for the system with multiple jobs are considered: a single work, N tandem works, and N parallel works. To control the deterioration process, the preventive replacement is planned to undergo at a scheduling time T or the job's completion time of for each model. The objective is to determine the optimal scheduling parameters (T^* or N^*) that minimizes the mean cost rate function in a finite time horizon for each model. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed analytical model. Because the framework and analysis are general, the proposed models extend several existing results.     

Toward an integrated Bayesian network approach to measurement error detection and correction

In this article, the quality of data produced by national statistical institutes and by governmental institutions is considered. In particular, the problem of measurement error is analyzed and an integrated Bayesian network decision support system based on non-parametric Bayesian networks is proposed for its detection and correction. Non-parametric Bayesian networks are graphical models expressing dependence structure via bivariate copulas associated to the edges of the graph. The network structure and the misreport probability are estimated using a validation sample. The Bayesian network model is proposed to decide: (i) which records have to be corrected; (ii) the kind and amount of correction to be adopted. The proposed correction procedure is applied to the Banca d’Italia Survey on Household Income and Wealth and, specifically, the bond amounts are analyzed. Finally, the sensitivity of the conditional distribution of the true value random variable given the observed one to different evidence configurations is studied.     

On Hotelling’s T2 test in a special paired sample case

In a special paired sample case, Hotelling’s T² test based on the differences of the paired random vectors is the likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the paired random vectors have the same mean; with respect to a special group of affine linear transformations it is the uniformly most powerful invariant test for the general alternative of a difference in mean. We present an elementary straightforward proof of this result. The likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the covariance structure is of the assumed special form is derived and discussed. Applications to real data are given.