Analyzing time–frequency relationship between oil price and exchange rate in Pakistan through wavelets

This study analyzed the time–frequency relationship between oil price and exchange rate for Pakistan by using measures of continuous wavelet such as wavelet power, cross-wavelet power, and cross-wavelet coherency (WTC). The results of cross-wavelet analysis indicated that covariance between oil price and exchange rate is unable to give clear-cut results, but both variables have been in phase and out phase (i.e. they are anti-cyclical and cyclical in nature) in some or other durations. However, results of squared wavelet coherence disclose that both variables are out of phase and real exchange rate was leading during the entire period studied, corresponding to the 10–15 months’ scale. These results are the unique contribution of the present study, which would have not been drawn if one would have utilized any other time series or frequency domain-based approach. This finding provides evidence of anti-cyclical relationship between oil price and real effective exchange rate; however, in most of the period studied, real exchange rate was leading and passing anti-cycle effects on oil price shocks which is the major contribution of the study.     

Inference for the generalized Rayleigh distribution based on progressively censored data

In this paper, and based on a progressive type-II censored sample from the generalized Rayleigh (GR) distribution, we consider the problem of estimating the model parameters and predicting the unobserved removed data. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to estimate the scale and shape parameters. The Gibbs and Metropolis samplers are used to predict the life lengths of the removed units in multiple stages of the progressively censored sample. Artificial and real data analyses have been performed for illustrative purposes.     

A generalization of Turnbull’s estimator for nonparametric estimation of the conditional survival function with interval-censored data

Simple nonparametric estimates of the conditional distribution of a response variable given a covariate are often useful for data exploration purposes or to help with the specification or validation of a parametric or semi-parametric regression model. In this paper we propose such an estimator in the case where the response variable is interval-censored and the covariate is continuous. Our approach consists in adding weights that depend on the covariate value in the self-consistency equation proposed by Turnbull (J R Stat Soc Ser B 38:290–295, 1976), which results in an estimator that is no more difficult to implement than Turnbull’s estimator itself. We show the convergence of our algorithm and that our estimator reduces to the generalized Kaplan–Meier estimator (Beran, Nonparametric regression with randomly censored survival data, 1981) when the data are either complete or right-censored. We demonstrate by simulation that the estimator, bootstrap variance estimation and bandwidth selection (by rule of thumb or cross-validation) all perform well in finite samples. We illustrate the method by applying it to a dataset from a study on the incidence of HIV in a group of female sex workers from Kinshasa.     

Analysis of covariance under inverse Gaussian model

This paper considers the problem of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) under the assumption of inverse Gaussian distribution for response variable. We develop the essential methodology for estimating the model parameters via maximum likelihood method. The general form of the maximum likelihood estimator is obtained in color closed form. Adjusted treatment effects and adjusted covariate effects are given, too. We also provide the asymptotic distribution of the proposed estimators. A simulation study and a real world application are also performed to illustrate and evaluate the proposed methodology.     

浅谈排球训练中的心理学问题

排球训练的目的是为了使运动员获得身体素质、技术、战术及心理诸方面的能力.因此,在排球训练当中,不仅要练身体素质、技术、战术及应用,还必须对排球运动员所需要的心理特征施加有意识的训练.     

Politics−Bureaucracy Relationship in Bangladesh: Consequences for the Public Service Commission

The paper attempts to analyze the consequences of political pressure placed on the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Bangladesh. Through extensive literature review and empirical research, the authors conclude that the independence, efficiency and effectiveness of the PSC largely depend on the politics–administration relationship. Furthermore, this relationship is affected by regime types and it regulates the optimum functioning or malfunctioning of the institution.

The Bayesian elastic net regression

A Bayesian elastic net approach is presented for variable selection and coefficient estimation in linear regression models. A simple Gibbs sampling algorithm was developed for posterior inference using a location-scale mixture representation of the Bayesian elastic net prior for the regression coefficients. The penalty parameters are chosen through an empirical method that maximizes the data marginal likelihood. Both simulated and real data examples show that the proposed method performs well in comparison to the other approaches.     

Testing the equality of two independent regression models

In some situations, for example in agriculture, biology, hydrology, and psychology, researchers wish to determine whether the relationship between response variable and predictor variables differs in two populations. In other words, we are interested in comparing two regression models for two independent datasets. In this work, we will use the parametric and nonparametric methods to establish hypothesis testing for the equality of two independent regression models. Then the simulation study is provided to investigate the performance of the proposed method.     

ABU GHRAIB AS A MICROCOSM: THE STRANGE FACE OF EMPIRE AS A LIVED PRISON

Drawing on Derrida, Foucault, Dorothy Smith, Anzaldúa, Wallerstein, Said, and Gurdjieff, among others, this article argues that the strangeness of Abu Ghraib—“father of the strange (or of the stranger)”—has less to do with what went on inside the prison and more with the global prison yard. Strange is how we, global spectators of the prison abuses, continue to stand on shaky cardboard boxes of rising and falling empires with hoods of amnesia and evasion put on our minds, and sophisticated media wires of true or false fears manipulating our emotions. To escape from prison, a mystic once said, one must first realize one is in prison. The inquiry is used as grounds for advancing a discourse on Newtonian and quantal sociological imaginations in favor of a Sociology of Self-knowledge.     

A Sociological Review of the Reflections and Dimensions of Quality of Life of the Widows in Tehran

The article explores some of the theoretical perspectives on widows, followed by empirical findings on the issue in Tehran. Widowhood transition being pursued by drop in relations, is observed and examined from various dimensions, with the hope of improving the quality of life of the widows. Some of the socio-economic effects of widowhood as appraised by various thinkers and scientists, are reflected in the context. The phenomenon being in existence as long as socially regulated marriage continues under the cause-and-effect laws, needs probing with special reference to the modern time. That is, being subject to emotional crises, they need to be multi-dimensionally studied. Through a multi-method strategy, and with the use of questionnaire tool, data were collected. Widowhood as a common problem in old age is followed by the isolation, a period of change and new challenges, i.e., reflection of a major stressful life event. However, widows as a vulnerable social group are seen worldwide with commonalities. In other words, about half of the women householders in the world are widowed. The author reflects a clear and tangible picture of the widows’ quality of life, and their satisfaction with life through the tabulated data. Nevertheless, government and relevant agencies in Iran, need to work and plan hard to provide the widows with necessary security and support.