Disaster and Development Paradigms: Too Close for Comfort?

The familiar distinctions between the disaster and development paradigms have become increasingly blurred. Yet, conceptual and policy dilemmas continue to pose challenges for the integration of the two paradigms into a single framework. Drawing on the literature and Ethiopia's Institutional Support Project, this article argues that the increased convergence of the two constructs may be too close for comfort, thus rendering the assertion that disaster‐risk reduction can help achieve sustainable development and vice versa mere rhetoric. Unless there is a shift from focusing on the hazard event to also recognising that disasters are not politically neutral, there is a danger of being locked into the hazard paradigm, despite the different labels, titles or metaphors that may be assigned to it.     

Field Practica in Social Work Administration: Tasks,Auspice, Selection Criteria and Outcomes

Abstract

This evaluative study of the field practicum in one MSW program in social work administration is based on data collected over a period of ten years on tasks performed by students, auspice of field placement agency and student prior experience in relation to outcomes of student performance and satisfaction. The findings revealed that better outcomes are associated with tasks performed on upper organizational levels, working with line staff, performing interactional tasks, interorganizational functions, in agencies under voluntary auspices. Data on age and prior experience of students indicate no support for using these criteria for selection of students for this type of education. The policy implications for social work education are discussed.     

Moment expressions and summary statistics for the complete and truncated weibull distribution

Traditionally, the moments of the Weibull distribution have been calculated using the standard Weibull (Johnson and Kotz, 1970) . This article will expand on that idea and cover the truncated cases for the standard Weibull distributions. Also, the same techniques used for the standard form will be used to derive the moment expressions for the three-parameter complete and truncated Weibull distributions. The summary statistics are then calculated from the moment expressions. Weibull moments involve the gamma and incomplete gamma functions.     

Parameter selection in modified histogram estimates

A multivariate modified histogram density estimate depending on a reference density g and a partition P has been proved to have good consistency properties according to several information theoretic criteria. Given an i.i.d. sample, we show how to select automatically both g and P so that the expected L ₁ error of the corresponding selected estimate is within a given constant multiple of the best possible error plus an additive term which tends to zero under mild assumptions. Our method is inspired by the combinatorial tools developed by Devroye and Lugosi [Devroye, L. and Lugosi, G., 2001, Combinatorial Methods in Density Estimation (New York, NY: Springer–Verlag)] and it includes a wide range of reference density and partition models. Results of simulations are also presented.     

On Combining Wavelets Expansion and Sparse Linear Models for Regression on Metabolomic Data and Biomarker Selection

Wavelet thresholding of spectra has to be handled with care when the spectra are the predictors of a regression problem. Indeed, a blind thresholding of the signal followed by a regression method often leads to deteriorated predictions. The scope of this article is to show that sparse regression methods, applied in the wavelet domain, perform an automatic thresholding: the most relevant wavelet coefficients are selected to optimize the prediction of a given target of interest. This approach can be seen as a joint thresholding designed for a predictive purpose. The method is illustrated on a real world problem where metabolomic data are linked to poison ingestion. This example proves the usefulness of wavelet expansion and the good behavior of sparse and regularized methods. A comparison study is performed between the two-steps approach (wavelet thresholding and regression) and the one-step approach (selection of wavelet coefficients with a sparse regression). The comparison includes two types of wavelet bases, various thresholding methods, and various regression methods and is evaluated by calculating prediction performances. Information about the location of the most important features on the spectra was also obtained and used to identify the most relevant metabolites involved in the mice poisoning.     

The Origins of Divergent Methodological Stances in Symbolic Interactionism*

Utilizing replies from a selected sample of contributors to the literature of symbolic interactionism, this paper examines the nature and extent of institutional ties among respondents holding similar views as to appropriate methodology in sociology. The specific institutional ties examined are those as: (1) fellow graduate students, (2) teachers and students, and (3) departmental colleagues. The methodological differences between the Chicago and Iowa schools, described in other studies, manifest themselves in the present sample, as do other views not neatly classifiable within either of these schools of symbolic interactionism. The more unconventional the conception of methodology held by a respondent, the more likely is the respondent to have been a fellow graduate student, a departmental colleague, and/or involved in a teacher-student relationship with other symbolic interactionists favoring the same conception. Respondents preferring the more orthodox methodological stances in modern sociology are less likely to have shared in such institutional ties.