On the number of separable partitions

Consider partitions of a given set A of n distinct points in general position in ℝ ^d into parts where each pair of parts can be separated by a hyperplane that contains a given set of points E. We consider the problem of counting and generating all such partitions (correcting a classic 1967 result of Harding about the number of such partitions into two parts). Applications of the result to partition problems are presented.     

Application of the characterization theory to the mixture model

This paper indicates the potential application of the characterization theory to the mixture model. It discusses a particular example of a mixture model and concludes that successful application of this theory can be made in order to choose the appropriate mixture model and the mixing parameter.     

Are Individuals’ Desired Family Sizes Stable? Evidence from West German Panel Data

Using West German panel data constructed from the 1988 and 1994/1995 wave of the DJI Familiensurvey, we analyze the stability and determinants of individuals’ total desired fertility. We find considerable variation of total desired fertility across respondents and across interviews. In particular, up to 50% of individuals report a different total desired fertility across survey waves. Multivariate analysis confirms the importance of background factors including growing up with both parents, having more siblings, and being Catholic for preference formation. Consistent with the idea that life course experiences provide new information regarding the expected costs and benefits of different family sizes, the influence of background factors on total desired fertility is strong early in life and weakens as subsequent life course experiences, including childbearing, take effect. Accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity, we estimate that an additional child may increase the total desired fertility of women with children by 0.14 children, less than what conventional estimates from cross-sectional data would have suggested.     

Distributions of the lifetimes of system components operating under an unknown common environment

SUMMARY Families of joint distributions for describing the lifetimes of a system of components that operate under an unknown environment, when the environment follows a Weibull distribution, are derived. The reliability function for this system is calculated and several properties of the aforementioned joint distributions are investigated.     

PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON GENDER AND MARITAL ROLE ATTITUDES: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION

This study examined parental influence on specific attitudes toward marital and parental roles and nonspecific gender-role attitudes. Respondents included 173 young adults (127 women and 46 men) and their parents. Young adults' scores on the Role Orientation scale of the Marital Statisfaction Inventory and on masculinity and femininity scales from two self-report inventories (the MMPI-2 and the Personal Attributes Questionnarie) were correlated with their parents' scores on a subset of these same measures. Results indicated that (a) marital and parental role attitudes among young adults are strongly related to specific marital role attitudes of their parents but only modestly related (for women) or unrelated (for men) to nonspecific gender-role attitudes of their parents; (b) broader gender-role attitudes of young men are moderately correlated with their father's attitudes but generally uncorrelated with their mother's attitudes regarding gender roles; and (c) the relationship of young women's gender-role attitudes to both maternal and paternal attitudes is generally weaker and more complex than for young men. Clinical implications of these findings for assessment and intervention with distressed couples are discussed.