Stochastic properties of conditionally independent mixture models

This paper deals with aging properties and stochastic comparisons of multivariate mixture models, having conditionally independent marginal distributions.     

Estimation of common location parameter of several heterogeneous exponential populations based on generalized order statistics

In this article, several independent populations following exponential distribution with common location parameter and unknown and unequal scale parameters are considered. From these populations, several independent samples of generalized order statistics (gos) are drawn. Under the setup of gos, the problem of estimation of common location parameter is discussed and various estimators of common location parameter are derived. The authors obtained maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), modified MLE and uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator of common location parameter. Furthermore, under scaled-squared error loss function, a general inadmissibility result of invariant estimator is proposed. The derived results are further reduced for upper record values which is a special case of gos. Finally, simulation study and real life example are reported to show the performances of various competing estimators in terms of percentage risk improvement.     

Test for comparing complete expectations of life of two groups

Abstract

Complete expectation of life of an individual gives an intuitive and interesting perspective on the ageing process and is an important concept in the insurance sector for determination of premium. We propose a new test for testing equality of complete expectations of life of two groups/populations. Power of the new test is calculated through simulations and compared with the power of the tests given by Berger, Boos, and Guess (1988 Berger, R. L., D. D. Boos, and F. M. Guess. 1988. Tests and confidence sets for comparing two mean residual life functions. Biometrics 44 (1):103–15.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and Aly (1997 Aly, E. E. A. A. 1997. Nonparametric tests for comparing two mean residual life functions. Lifetime Data Analysis 3 (4):353–66.[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). It is observed that the proposed test statistic is more powerful than the competing tests for the cases considered in this paper. A real life illustration is included.     

On approximate least squares estimators of parameters of one-dimensional chirp signal

Chirp signals are quite common in many natural and man-made systems such as audio signals, sonar, and radar. Estimation of the unknown parameters of a signal is a fundamental problem in statistical signal processing. Recently, Kundu and Nandi [Parameter estimation of chirp signals in presence of stationary noise. Stat Sin. 2008;75:187–201] studied the asymptotic properties of least squares estimators (LSEs) of the unknown parameters of a simple chirp signal model under the assumption of stationary noise. In this paper, we propose periodogram-type estimators called the approximate least squares estimators (ALSEs) to estimate the unknown parameters and study the asymptotic properties of these estimators under the same error assumptions. It is observed that the ALSEs are strongly consistent and asymptotically equivalent to the LSEs. Similar to the periodogram estimators, these estimators can also be used as initial guesses to find the LSEs of the unknown parameters. We perform some numerical simulations to see the performance of the proposed estimators and compare them with the LSEs and the estimators proposed by Lahiri et al. [Efficient algorithm for estimating the parameters of two dimensional chirp signal. Sankhya B. 2013;75(1):65–89]. We have analysed two real data sets for illustrative purposes.     

The Quest for Inclusion: Jewish-Israeli Gay Men's Perceptions of Gays in the Media

This article seeks to understand the gendered dynamics of political leadership in contemporary Israeli society by examining how the Israeli press dealt with the issue of Tzipi Livni's “womanhood” and “feminine style” (or lack thereof) in the course of the 2008–2009 campaign. By analyzing the media debate surrounding Livni's candidacy to the premiership, I am able to complicate the discussion concerning the media's treatment of the issue of gender and political leadership in general and in Israel in particular. The main sources of data are some fifty items published in the daily national newspapers during the election campaign, and Livni's website. Employing a rhetorical analysis, I chart the persistent power of gender ideologies in Israeli public and political discourses and outline the ways in which they are accepted, contested and subverted. I find that although creative appropriation attempts were made to produce an alternative leadership discourse, these came fairly late in the campaign and were unfocused, and thus, ultimately, were unable to pose a serious challenge to Israeli gender ideologies concerning leadership.     

Table or Circles: A Comparison of Two Methods for Choosing Among Career Alternatives

A sample of 182 young adults about to choose their college major were randomly assigned to 2 guidance methods aimed at facilitating choosing among promising career alternatives: Table‐for‐Choice and Circles‐for‐Choice. Table‐for‐Choice was perceived as more effective, but individuals' confidence in their choice was higher in the Circles‐for‐Choice condition. More factors that serve to compare and evaluate the options were listed by participants in the Circles‐for‐Choice condition. No interaction emerged between the participant's decision‐making style and the usefulness of the two methods. Both methods were perceived as more useful for participants who were already at the choice stage than for those who were only at the prescreening or the in‐depth explorations stage.     

The Role of Social Networks in the Immigration Decision-making Process: The Case of North American Immigration to Israel

This study focuses on the role of social networks in the decision-making process in migration which occurs between developed countries, specifically in immigration from North America to Israel. The central declared motives for immigration were religious; nevertheless, “materialistic” issues were also mentioned. The decision-making process was long, usually taking from 2 to 10 years. Information was gathered via personal contacts from social networks, during visits to Israel, and from Jewish organisations. The Internet also played a major role in this process. Networks that were set up by Israeli and Jewish organisations were found to be especially effective in organising immigration because they connected non-numerous dispersed individuals, who were thinking about Aliyah, and needed various kinds of support.     

Assessment of hospital services and patient reactions

This paper deals with the study of assessment of hospital services and patient reactions carried out amongst 473 respondents, both in-door (3 wards) and out-door patients in M.L.B. Medical College Hospital, Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh). The patients were from three wards medical, surgical and gynaecological wards and consisted of 373 discharged and 100 out-door patients.