A Non-Gaussian Spatial Process Model for Opacity of Flocculated Paper

ABSTRACT.  Product quality in the paper-making industry can be assessed by opacity of a linear trace through continuous production sheets, summarized in spectral form. We adopt a class of non-Gaussian stochastic models for continuous spatial variation to describe data of this type. The model has flexible covariance structure, physically interpretable parameters and allows several scales of variation for the underlying process. We derive the spectral properties of the model, and develop methods of parameter estimation based on maximum likelihood in the frequency domain. The methods are illustrated using sample data from a UK mill.     

Modelling conditional distributions in bivariate survival

Conditional distributions for bivariate survival can be obtained via a model for the joint distribution, or, as has sometimes been suggested, by modelling the conditioned variable directly, with the conditioning variable included as a covariate. A quantitative comparison of estimated covariate effects and predictive distributions under the two approaches is given. The results are illustrated in a novel frailty application.     

An integrated approach for manpower planning in the service sector

The manpower planning problem receives considerable attention by the management of service organizations because they are typically labor intensive. Not only must optimal staff sizes be determined over an extended horizon, but optimal staff schedules which assign labor to tours of duty and specific tasks, given the available staff size, must also be found. Adding to the complexity arising from the interrelatedness of the staff-sizing and staff-scheduling problems is the existence of the conflicting multiple objectives of minimizing costs and maximizing customer service. The few methodologies reported in the literature which treat the complete manpower planning problem as stated above have several shortcomings. Some techniques place a severe strain on computational capabilities. Also, these methods confound the specification of the goal levels with the analysis of the relative goal weightings. Often the specification of the desired goal levels is made at a different level in the organizational hierarchy than the specification of the relative importance of the various goals. This paper suggests an approach which overcomes these shortcomings. The methodology utilizes a simulation model with an imbedded heuristic procedure for the staff-scheduling problem to identify realistic aggregate staff-size goals to be used in a multiple-objective staff-sizing model. The methodology is applied to the manpower planning problem of a large sectional center post office and the managerial benefits are discussed.     

The advantages and limitations of seeking sex online: a comparison of reasons given for online and offline sexual liaisons by men who have sex with men

The Internet has developed as a major site for sexual activity, both cybersex and for making contacts for sex in real life (IRL). As part of a major study of HIV-risk behavior on the Internet and IRL , we obtained on-line responses from 1,017 Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. Open-ended questions solicited responses regarding whether respondents preferred to meet sexual partners first IRL (48.4%), on the Internet (31.6%), or "it depends" (20%), and "why?". Data were analyzed by theme, with themes grouped into overarching domains. Data indicate that for those preferring the Internet, themes represented were ease of Internet use, its advantages for people who were shy, and its anonymity, safety, the excitement and opportunity for experimentation of Internet contact, ability to avoid interpersonal contact, and control of visuals and the environment. Reasons for preferring meeting IRL included some of the same themes, but emphasizing the importance of a "real presence" and the possibility to build a relationship. Where "it depends", key themes were contextual: mood, time, setting, alcohol and drug use, sexual needs and urgency, and relationship intentions. Antagonistic advantages were often noted for cybersex and IRL. These data suggest that motivations for making Internet sexual contact in MSM are complex, depend on the context and nature of the relationship sought, and that the Internet has allowed the development of a class of sexual contacts located between IRL and fantasy.     

Association Football and the Representation of Homosexuality by the Print Media: A Case Study of Anton Hysén

In March 2011, Anton Hysén (a semiprofessional footballer currently playing in the Swedish fourth division) became only the second association football (soccer) player of any professional disposition to publicly declare his homosexuality while still playing the game. This article provides a textual analysis of the print media’s reaction to Hysén coming out and examines whether, in 2011, they portray more inclusive notions toward homosexuality than they did in 1990 when British footballer Justin Fashanu came out. The results advance inclusive masculinity theory as a number of print media sources (mostly British) interview Hysén in the weeks immediately after he came out and publish articles that challenge homophobia. Highlighting a change since 1990, a significant number of articles stress the need for the key stakeholders in football (players, fans, clubs, agents, the authorities, and the media) to accept gay players.     

Gender Differences in Preschool Aggression During Free Play and Structured Interactions: An Observational Study

We observed 48 children from rural preschools (M=64 months old) in two different social contexts to test hypotheses about the type (relational, physical, verbal, nonverbal), contextual independence, and sociometry of girls’ and boys’ aggressive tactics. We predicted and generally found that (1) girls displayed more relational aggression than boys while boys displayed more physical and verbal aggression than girls, and that children received more physical and verbal aggression from male peers, and tended to receive more relational aggression from female peers, (2) behavioral observations of aggression corresponded with teacher reports of children's aggressive styles, (3) aggression observed during free play predicted children's aggressive styles in a structured setting at both the group and individual levels, and (4) aggressive tactics were associated with projected sociometric characteristics (dominance and peer acceptance).     

Low Birth Weight and Parental Investment: Do Parents Favor the Fittest Child?

Do parents contribute to birth weight disparities in status attainment? This study uses a nationally representative sample of 8,550 children and 1,450 twins from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort to investigate whether, as recent studies have suggested, parents favor healthier children. Children with poor health are found to receive fewer parental investments, including breast‐feeding and quality parent–child interaction, but results from between‐ and within‐family regression models, using low birth weight as a proxy for child health, find no evidence that parents compensate for or reinforce child health endowments. Instead, birth‐weight disparities in parental investment are linked with observable family, maternal, and child sociodemographic characteristics. Our results raise doubts about the utility of human capital models to explain health disparities in parental investment and shed new light on the broad spectrum of disadvantage faced by children with poor health.     

The Advantages and Limitations of Seeking Sex Online: A Comparison of Reasons Given for Online and Offline Sexual Liaisons by Men Who Have Sex With Men

Australian young adults reported how often they wanted to use condoms in both romantic (n = 667) and casual relationship (n = 152) contexts and how often they thought their partners wanted to use condoms. Young adults wanted to use condoms more often than they perceived their partners to in both casual and romantic relationship contexts. Gender interactions showed that this pattern was especially strong among young women. Women seemed to underestimate the frequency at which their male partners wanted to use condoms. Furthermore, both the participants' condom use desires and perceptions of their partners' condom use desires predicted condom use behavior. Results suggest that gendered expectations may play a part in how often individuals perceive their partners to want to use condoms, which, in effect, may determine condom use behavior.     

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Social Work Students

It has been identified that undergraduate social work students have distinctive learning needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of a group of undergraduate social work students enrolled at a large Australian university. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Index of Learning Styles and Success Types Learning Style Type Indicator was distributed to 606 students enrolled in an undergraduate social work degree at one metropolitan Australian university. A total of 116 questionnaires were returned, providing a response rate of 19.14%. The results indicated that converging and assimilating, intuitive and sensing, thinking, judging and perceiving learning styles were favoured by this group of social work students. It is recommended that educators understand and take into consideration the learning style preferences of undergraduate social work students when developing curricula and evaluating teaching approaches, especially when planning and implementing education initiatives. This will help create effective learning environments, appropriate learning opportunities and a contemporary curriculum for social work students.