Cost-efficient designs based on linearly associated biomarkers

A major limiting factor in much of the epidemiological and environmental researches is the cost of measuring the biomarkers or analytes of interest. Often, the number of specimens available for analysis is greater than the number of assays that is budgeted for. These assays are then performed on a random sample of specimens. Regression calibration is then utilized to infer biomarker levels of expensive assays from other correlated biomarkers that are relatively inexpensive to obtain and analyze. In other contexts, use of pooled specimens has been shown to increase efficiency in estimation. In this article, we examine two types of pooling in lieu of a random sample. The first is random (or traditional) pooling, and we characterize the second as “optimal” pooling. The second, which we propose for regression analysis, is pooling based on specimens ranked on the less expensive biomarker. The more expensive assay is then performed on the pool of relatively similar measurements. The optimal nature of this technique is also exemplified via Monte Carlo evaluations and real biomarker data. By displaying the considerable robustness of our method via a Monte Carlo study, it is shown that the proposed pooling design is a viable option whenever expensive assays are considered.     

Likelihood‐Based Estimation of Latent Generalized ARCH Structures

GARCH models are commonly used as latent processes in econometrics, financial economics, and macroeconomics. Yet no exact likelihood analysis of these models has been provided so far. In this paper we outline the issues and suggest a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm which allows the calculation of a classical estimator via the simulated EM algorithm or a Bayesian solution in O(T) computational operations, where T denotes the sample size. We assess the performance of our proposed algorithm in the context of both artificial examples and an empirical application to 26 UK sectorial stock returns, and compare it to existing approximate solutions.     

Controlling for initial endowment and experience in binary choice tasks

Learning literature typically assumes that initial attractions to choose each possible alternative are given exogenously. However, evidence shows that current behaviour depends on past experiences. In this paper, we design an experiment to control for the initial experience in decisions from experience by providing decision makers with an exogenous history (successful vs. unsuccessful) prior to initiating the decision task. Moreover, varying the initial endowment level for fixed histories we investigate the income effect. We are also interested in analysing the duration of both effects (history and income). We find significant treatment effects in the sense that more risk taking behaviour is associated with good histories and with low income levels. According to previous literature, our results confirm the transitory nature of both effects, although the duration of the income effect doubles the duration of the history effect. In the long run, risky choice behaviour converges across different treatments.     

Towards an adequate and sustainable replacement rate in defined benefit pension systems: The case of Spain

The main objective of this article is to determine, based on internal data, replacement rates for a defined benefit pension system, with two aims: the adequacy of pensions – measured in terms of the expenditure of retirees – and the sustainability of the system. For this purpose two instruments are used: the internal rate of return, and techniques based on systems of notional accounts. These figures, derived from internal data, will serve, by comparison with the replacement rate of the system, to assess whether the system tends more towards adequacy or sustainability. The system studied is that of Spain.     

Childhood in Children's Eyes: Analysis of a Discourse among Middle‐Income Sectors in Santiago,Chile

This article describes the results of a qualitative study, based on the perspective of critical discourse analysis, which explores the discourse on childhood of 10‐ and 11‐year‐old boys and girls from a middle‐income socioeconomic sector in Santiago, Chile. Among the findings, a complex and relational notion of childhood is highlighted. The children perceive themselves as overwhelmed and subjected to excessive demands by grown‐ups, and conceive of adulthood as a state without real freedom due to the excessive demands of work and family.     

Strict Uncertainty: A Criterion for Moderately Pessimistic Decision Makers*

This paper proposes a decision rule to rank actions under strict uncertainty, the available information being limited to the states of nature, the set of alternative rows, and the consequence of choosing every row if a given state occurs. This rule is suitable to moderately pessimistic individuals and social groups, these agents being neither maximax nor maximin decision makers but people who assume that the best outcome from the action will not occur. For these decision makers the paper shows the existence of a consistent weight system in which one and only one weight is attached to each state of the world under plausible conditions of domination. Most of the traditional axioms are satisfied by the proposed ranking approach. In the frame of disappointment (measured by ranges of column dispersion), the meaning of some controversial postulates used in the literature is explained. The proposed criterion is a departure from Laplace's (1825) rule and from the remaining standard criteria. Only in the special case of equal column dispersion do both Laplace's rule and the proposed weights lead to the same solution.     

Study about upper limb on highly repetitive work in maquila operations

Industrial work is a very active sector in the economy of countries; an important part of people's work is done using the upper extremities. The purpose of this project is to characterize the effect of upper extremity work, analyze its relationship with the hand strength and the presence of fatigue and develop a model with the ability to estimate recovery times for the shoulder using variables different from the biomechanical variables.     

The Nordic Paradox and intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Sweden: A background overview

The global public health problem of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is typically tied to gender inequality. Contrary to what would be expected, however, a 2012 survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) showed lifetime prevalence rates of IPVAW in the Nordic countries which were among the highest of the 28 EU member states, despite these countries being rated as some of the most gender‐equal in the world. The aim of this article is to enable a furthered understanding of this Nordic Paradox through providing an overview of knowledge about IPVAW in Sweden in relation to the apparent paradox. It assembles information on IPVAW prevalence, on Sweden's legal and policy framework, on perceived remaining challenges and limitations in responses to IPVAW, and on potential explanations for the Nordic Paradox as expressed in previous research. We conclude that a clear resolution to the Nordic Paradox has not yet been established. Further research is therefore needed.     

The joy of ruling: an experimental investigation on collective giving

We analyse team dictator games with different voting mechanisms in the laboratory. Individuals vote to select a donation for all group members. Standard Bayesian analysis makes the same prediction for all three mechanisms: participants should cast the same vote regardless of the voting mechanism used to determine the common donation level. Our experimental results show that subjects fail to choose the same vote. We show that their behaviour is consistent with a joy of ruling: individuals get an extra utility when they determine the voting outcome.     

From the Replacement Rate to the Synthetic Indicator: A Global and Gender Measure of Pension Adequacy in the European Union

To measure the adequacy of pension systems in the world, one of the most commonly used indicators is the Replacement Rate. Our work is based on the statement that this indicator is imperfect itself to measure adequacy because it does not collect the multiple dimensions that it involves while being a static measurement. Consequently and based on the data provided by “The 2015 Pension Adequacy Report: current and future income adequacy in old age in the European Union” of the European Commission, in this paper we select a set of variables that are considered representative to measure the adequacy of pension systems from a dynamic and multidimensional perspective, and based on them, a synthetic adequacy indicator is developed. This indicator aims to compare European pension systems from the adequacy objective and to carry out continuous monitoring of the effects that the reform processes may have on the adequacy of pensions. The analysis is completed with the calculation of a gender indicator on pension adequacy for the European Union (EU-28) which identifies the still existing gap between men and women.