A stratified unrelated question randomized response model using Neyman allocation

This paper applies stratified random sampling using Neyman allocation to Mangat et al. (1992 Mangat, N.S., Singh, R., Singh, S. (1992). An improved unrelated question randomized response strategy. Cal. Stat. Assoc. Bull. 42:277–281.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) unrelated question randomized response (RR) strategy for both completely truthful reporting and less than completely truthful reporting. It is shown that, for the prior information given, our new model is more efficient in terms of variance (in the case of completely truthful reporting) and mean square error (in terms of less than completely truthful reporting) than Kim and Elam's (2007 Kim, J.M., Elam, M.E. (2007). A stratified unrelated question randomized response model. Stat. Papers 48:215–233.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) model. Numerical illustrations and graphs are also given in support of the present study.     

从“志在富民”到“文化自觉”:费孝通先生晚年的思想转向

本文是对费孝通先生晚年思想转向之成因的研究。费孝通晚年的研究强调理论与实践并重，力倡"文化自觉"，由早年注重西方文化变而偏重于中国传统文化。通过对费孝通晚年著作的详细考察，本文认为，费孝通的思想转向是他在对中国现实社会的不间断的调查、实践和反思中形成的。这种思想转向是一种"社会科学"的转向，而不是文化立场的转变。本文以四个部分来论述这种转向的发生。前两个部分讨论费孝通晚年谱写的"两篇文章"，即小城镇和乡镇企业研究、民族和边区开发研究。在这两个领域的经验研究中，费孝通都遇到了社会学和人类学上的挑战，他发现：乡村工业、民族和边区的发展都不只是经济社会政策的问题，甚至也不是经济和社会结构的问题，而是和其背后"只能意会、不能言传"的心态和文化有关。如何把握这些心态和文化，是本文的第三个部分，即费孝通晚年社会学方法论的主要内容。费先生从英国人类学家Leach因《江村经济》所提出的两个方法论问题入手，在生命的最后十多年里展开了漫长而严谨的反思。反思的结果一方面是对社会学研究方法论的新看法，也是对上述两个经验问题的总回答，另一方面是对"文化自觉"理论的方法论补充。本文的最后一个部分讨论的是费孝通作为一个社会科学家，晚年如何身体力行，在"差序格局"中"推己及人"，延续了中国传统文化中以天下为己任的士大夫精神，是为真正的"文化自觉"。     

Bayesian estimation of rare sensitive attribute

Randomized response models have been used to estimate a population proportion of a sensitive attribute. A randomized device is typically employed to protect respondent's privacy in a survey. In addition, an unrelated question is asked to improve the statistical efficiency. In this article, we propose Bayesian estimation of rare sensitive attribute using randomized response technique, which includes a rare unrelated attribute. Two cases are considered, the proportion of a rare unrelated attribute is known and unknown. A simulation study is conducted to assess the performance of the models using mean absolute error and coverage probability. The results show that the performance depends on the parameters and is robust to priors.     

Multiple-class classification: Ordinal and categorical labels

We study multiple-class classification problems. Both ordinal and categorical labeled cases are discussed. The common approaches for multiple-class classification are built on binary classifiers, in which one-versus-one and one-versus-rest are typical approaches. When the number of classes is large, then these binary-classifier-based methods may suffer from either computational costs or the highly imbalanced sample sizes in their training stage. In order to alleviate the computational burden and the imbalanced training data issue in multiple-class classification problems, we propose a method that has competitive performance and retains the ease of model interpretation, which is essential for a prognostic/predictive model.     

Ambivalence in Older Parent–Adult Child Relationships: Mixed Feelings,Mixed Measures

This research compared direct and indirect measures of ambivalence, 2 commonly used strategies for measuring intergenerational ambivalence between older parents and their adult children. Directly and indirectly measured ambivalence, corresponding to felt and potential manifestations of the construct, were contrasted with each other and across generations. Data were derived from 253 older parent–adult child dyads participating in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in 2005. Direct and indirect measures of ambivalence were moderately correlated with each other within each generation. Children expressed greater indirect ambivalence than their parents but were no different than their mothers or fathers in their levels of direct ambivalence. Multivariate regression analyses examining the relationship between each type of ambivalence with individual and relationship characteristics found differences in associations across equations. The results suggest that direct and indirect measures are related but represent 2 distinct conceptions of ambivalence. This research highlights the challenges in understanding the full complexity of intergenerational relations and suggests that both generational perspectives be considered in future research.     

Impact of an Overt Response System on Staff Performance and Maintenance of Computer-Based Instruction

Interactive Computer Based Instruction (CBI) systems involve teaching strategies to facilitate greater response opportunities during training in an effort to improve learner performance. The current study investigated the effect of online staff training videos with and without overt response requirements on posttest and maintenance test scores across six block-randomized instructional modules for four employees of a university located in the southeastern region of the United States. The overt response consisted of multiple-choice questions administered throughout select teaching modules using an alternating treatment design. Findings suggest that learning occurred as a result of the CBI training; however, the effectiveness of the overt response system varied across individuals, with no discernible differentiation between learning gains associated with response requirements. Other areas of research for expanding the efficacy of CBI and overt response systems are highlighted.     

An EWMA chart for monitoring process mean

In the statistical process control literature, there exists several improved quality control charts based on cost-effective sampling schemes, including the ranked set sampling (RSS) and median RSS (MRSS). A generalized cost-effective RSS scheme has been recently introduced for efficiently estimating the population mean, namely varied L RSS (VLRSS). In this article, we propose a new exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart for monitoring the process mean using VLRSS, named the EWMA-VLRSS chart, under both perfect and imperfect rankings. The EWMA-VLRSS chart encompasses the existing EWMA charts based on RSS and MRSS (named the EWMA-RSS and EWMA-MRSS charts). We use extensive Monte Carlo simulations to compute the run length characteristics of the EWMA-VLRSS chart. The proposed chart is then compared with the existing EWMA charts. It is found that, with either perfect or imperfect rankings, the EWMA-VLRSS chart is more sensitive than the EWMA-RSS and EWMA-MRSS charts in detecting small to large shifts in the process mean. A real dataset is also used to explain the working of the EWMA-VLRSS chart.     

A new estimator of proportion with a linear function using data from two-decks randomized response model

A new estimator for estimating the proportion of a potentially sensitive attribute in survey sampling has been introduced by solving a linear equation. The proposed estimator has been compared with the estimator proposed by Odumade and Singh (2009) with equal protection to all of the respondents. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator are investigated through exact numerical illustrations for different choices of parameters. A non randomized response approach has been suggested. A scope for further research has also been pointed out.     

Response‐adaptive designs for binary responses: How to offer patient benefit while being robust to time trends?

Response‐adaptive randomisation (RAR) can considerably improve the chances of a successful treatment outcome for patients in a clinical trial by skewing the allocation probability towards better performing treatments as data accumulates. There is considerable interest in using RAR designs in drug development for rare diseases, where traditional designs are not either feasible or ethically questionable. In this paper, we discuss and address a major criticism levelled at RAR: namely, type I error inflation due to an unknown time trend over the course of the trial. The most common cause of this phenomenon is changes in the characteristics of recruited patients—referred to as patient drift. This is a realistic concern for clinical trials in rare diseases due to their lengthly accrual rate. We compute the type I error inflation as a function of the time trend magnitude to determine in which contexts the problem is most exacerbated. We then assess the ability of different correction methods to preserve type I error in these contexts and their performance in terms of other operating characteristics, including patient benefit and power. We make recommendations as to which correction methods are most suitable in the rare disease context for several RAR rules, differentiating between the 2‐armed and the multi‐armed case. We further propose a RAR design for multi‐armed clinical trials, which is computationally efficient and robust to several time trends considered.     

Meningococcal serogroup B outbreak response University of Wisconsin-Madison

A meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) outbreak at a large public university prompted an emergency response to immunize undergraduates. Objective: To report on a successful meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccine clinic response at a large public university. Methods: We assembled the team leaders to write this case report. Results: Activation of the emergency plan and points of dispensing required cooperation of many units on campus under the leadership of university health officials with support from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state division of public health and the city-county health department. Significant efforts to provide consistent messages to students and parents regarding the outbreak and the availability of the MenB vaccines were made. Volunteers were recruited to staff the clinics alongside university healthcare providers. Over 22,000 doses of vaccine were administered. Conclusion: We report our experience and lessons learned which may be helpful to universities in preventing and responding to disease outbreaks.