A comparison of robust regression techniques for the estimation of weibull parameters

In this paper several alternative robust reqression techniques are compared for estimating parameters of a Weibull distribution . In addition to the usual least squares (L₂) and least absolute deviation (L₁) methods, a number of one-step reweighting schemes based on the L₁residuals are considered. The results of an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulation experiments demonstrate that the Anscmbe reweighting scheme generally produces the best Weibull estimates over the range of sample sizes and parameter values studied.     

Alcohol Advertising in College Newspapers: A 7-Year Follow-up

Abstract

The authors report on the frequency and nature of alcohol advertisements in a representative sample of college newspapers from 1984/85 and compare these with results of a similar study conducted 7 years earlier, in 1977/78. On average, nearly 24 column inches of space per issùe were devoted to national alcohol advertisements in 1984/85. This represents a significant decrease from an earlier period. The space devoted to national alcohol advertisements, however, still far exceeded that for comparison products (books, soft drinks). Local alcohol advertisements averaged 20 column inches per issue and were somewhat more frequent than in the previous study. The content of the advertisements differed markedly from the messages presented 7 years earlier. Although national alcohol advertisements in 1977/78 frequently ridiculed education and study, none did so in 1984/85, when appeals were to taste and product quality instead. Fantasy themes also were relatively common. Very few national alcohol advertisements featured athletes or group drinking. Sponsorship of campus activities by the alcohol industry, however, had increased since the earlier study. In contrast to national advertisements, many local advertisements consisted of inducements to drink through special offers and happy hours. Some encouraged irresponsible and heavy drinking. Interestingly, alcohol advertisements were just as frequent in papers from states with higher minimum drinking ages and were more frequent in papers from campuses with higher proportions of women students.     

Editor’s Introduction: Semiotics and Sociology

This article provides a brief summary of the individual papers in the issue, indicating their logical and thematic connections as well as their relationship to Charles S. Peirce’s semiotics and Norbert Wiley’s model of ‘the semiotic self.’ The significance of the articles for the future development of sociology is also considered.     

The Impact of Stigma on the Child with Obesity: Implications for Social Work Practice and Research

Childhood obesity has greatly increased in the past 20 years and is highly stigmatized in today’s society. The effectiveness of obesity prevention efforts is threatened by the systemic impact of stigma that surrounds obesity. As childhood obesity increases so to does the responsibility of social workers to implement multi level interventions that not only assist children who are experiencing stigmatization, but are aimed at reducing stigmatization. This article reviews the origins of overweight stigmatization and the psychosocial influences of such stigmatization. The implications for social work practice and research from a systemic approach are addressed.     

Logistic regression analysis of epidemiologic data: theory and practice

The use of logistic regression analysis is widely applicable to epidemiologic studies concerned with quantifying an association between a study factor (i.e., an exposure variable) and a health outcome (i.e., disease status). This paper reviews the general characteristics of the logistic model and illustrates its use in epidemiologic inquiry. Particular emphasis is given to the control of extraneous variables in the context of follow-up and case-control studies. Techniques for both unconditional and conditional maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters in the logistic model are described and illustrated. A general analysis strategy is also presented which incorporates the assessment of both interaction and confounding in quantifying an exposure-disease association of interest.     

Modeling the contemporaneous relationship in a continuous variable panel model

Continuous-variable panel models are widely used in social and business research to assess the relationships between variables over time given measurements at several waves on a single sample of individuals. Emphasis is often placed on estimating and testing the cross-effects which are the regression coefficients indicating the lagged effect of one variable on another. For the simple two-variable model we consider the problem of incorpomating the contemporaneous relationship between the variables into the model. Three extensions of the “independent regressions” model are considered. Their similarities and differences are examined. The use of the models is illustrated by examining data on the attitudes toward the criminal justice system and capital punishment for a panel of petit jurors.     

Homeless in the Mind: A Case-History of Personal Life in and out of a Close Orthodox Community

A sociogenetic theoretical framework is applied to Berger, Berger} and Kellner’s (1973) concept of cultural homelessness, extending its use beyond the sociological effects of modernity to the psychological development of persons who are closely tied to their collective-cultural contexts. The theory is grounded in the bi-directionality of cultural transmission, and the construction of culture in different cultural members. The construction of internal personal cultures is brought about by the individual with the support of social others. The processes by which cultural messages are internalized and externalize back into the culture explain how feeling at home or not at home are normal aspects of socialization. An illustrative example of a retrospective case-history of a woman’s feeling of homelessness in an ultra-orthodox community shows how the individual internalizes and transforms cultural norms. Examples of further applications of the theoretical principles are presented, and implications of feelings of homelessness for understanding the normal processes of socialization.