Measuring unemployment

The forecasts and assumptions of government and business regarding availability of labour are based in part on official statistics has been a matter of considerable debate in recent years. In this paper the author presents his views on the interpretation of the relevant U.K. statistics.     

Minimizing makespan in an ordered flow shop with?machine-dependent processing times

We consider a generalization of the proportionate flow shop problem with the makespan objective. Each job has a processing requirement and each machine has a characteristic value. In our case, we assume that the time a job occupies a machine is equal to the processing requirement of the job plus a setup time that is equal to the characteristic value of that machine. In this paper, we consider permutation schedules and show that the problem is solvable in polynomial time when the number of machines is fixed.     

A comparative analysis of public sector restructuring in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean

We examine public sector restructuring in North America and selected Commonwealth Caribbean nations. Although all the countries studied experienced significant restruc-turing in response to public debt pressures, there were major differences across coun-tries in the magnitude, pace, form, and the manner in which restructuring decisions were made. These differences reflect the state of economic development and institu-tional characteristics, e.g., the role of the state and the industrial relations system. In developing countries, international lending institutions played a major role in trans-forming the role of the state. In developed countries, the inherent stability of the eco-nomic systems and institutional pressures led to a gradualist approach to restructuring.     

Understanding increments in model performance metrics

The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is the most commonly reported measure of discrimination for prediction models with binary outcomes. However, recently it has been criticized for its inability to increase when important risk factors are added to a baseline model with good discrimination. This has led to the claim that the reliance on the AUC as a measure of discrimination may miss important improvements in clinical performance of risk prediction rules derived from a baseline model. In this paper we investigate this claim by relating the AUC to measures of clinical performance based on sensitivity and specificity under the assumption of multivariate normality. The behavior of the AUC is contrasted with that of discrimination slope. We show that unless rules with very good specificity are desired, the change in the AUC does an adequate job as a predictor of the change in measures of clinical performance. However, stronger or more numerous predictors are needed to achieve the same increment in the AUC for baseline models with good versus poor discrimination. When excellent specificity is desired, our results suggest that the discrimination slope might be a better measure of model improvement than AUC. The theoretical results are illustrated using a Framingham Heart Study example of a model for predicting the 10-year incidence of atrial fibrillation.     

Report on a case of sadism∗

While popular and psychoanalytic explanations of extramarital relations abound, no systematic sociological theory of such involvement has been presented to date. A partial theory of extramarital involvement is advanced in this paper. Based on the findings that the probability of involvement is related to socio‐economic status, the intensity of religious devoutness, residential background, premarital experience, the duration of marriage, level of marital satisfaction, and the degree of alienation, three propositions accounting for these relationships are set forth. On the basis of the theoretical propositions, the underlying dynamics of extramarital involvement are outlined and discussed.     

A survey of statistical methods on remote sensing in russian literature from 1976 to 1985

In this article we review the major areas of remote sensing in the Russian literature for the period 1976 to 1985 that use statistical methods to analyze the observed data. For each of the areas, the problems that have been studied and the statistical techniques that have been used are briefly described     

Tests of hypotheses based on ranks in the general linear model

A unified approach is developed for testing hypotheses in the general linear model based on the ranks of the residuals. It complements the nonparametric estimation procedures recently reported in the literature. The testing and estimation procedures together provide a robust alternative to least squares. The methods are similar in spirit to least squares so that results are simple to interpret. Hypotheses concerning a subset of specified parameters can be tested, while the remaining parameters are treated as nuisance parameters. Asymptotically, the test statistic is shown to have a chi-square distribution under the null hypothesis. This result is then extended to cover a sequence of contiguous alternatives from which the Pitman efficacy is derived. The general application of the test requires the consistent estimation of a functional of the underlying distribution and one such estimate is furnished.     

Parental Identity and Reflected‐Appraisals: Measurement and Gender Dynamics

A new theoretical model for parental identity, reflected‐appraisals, and behavior was proposed. Parental identity and behavior in married parents were then investigated as a function of partner's and perceived reflected‐appraisals, taking into account gender context effects. Sixty‐four married couples completed the Caregiving and Breadwinning Identity and Reflected‐Appraisal Inventory (CBIRAI), developed for this study to assess parental caregiving and breadwinning identity and reflected‐appraisals, as well as caregiving and breadwinning behavior measures. The model was confirmed for fathers and partially confirmed for mothers. Specifically, caregiving identity and behavior in fathers, and breadwinning identity in mothers were functions of perceived reflected‐appraisals. Limitations and implications are discussed.     

Heterosexual Masculinities,Anti‐homophobias,and Shifts in Hegemonic Masculinity: The Identity Practices of Black and White Heterosexual Men

In this study, I use in‐depth interview data with black and white heterosexual men to explore shifts in the role of homophobia in the social construction of heterosexual masculinities. A continuum is introduced to map a range of interactional practices through which these men enact heterosexual masculinities. Heterosexual men who, on one end of the continuum, construct their heterosexual masculinities through homophobic practices establish strong boundaries of social distance from gays. The other end documents heterosexual men's anti‐homophobias, moving from men who establish weak boundaries to those who blur them. These heterosexual men's anti‐homophobic stances trade on the prestige of being tolerant of gays, with black men's anti‐homophobias drawing on their experiences with racism.