Bayesian local influence for survival models

The aim of this paper is to develop a Bayesian local influence method (Zhu et al. 2009, submitted) for assessing minor perturbations to the prior, the sampling distribution, and individual observations in survival analysis. We introduce a perturbation model to characterize simultaneous (or individual) perturbations to the data, the prior distribution, and the sampling distribution. We construct a Bayesian perturbation manifold to the perturbation model and calculate its associated geometric quantities including the metric tensor to characterize the intrinsic structure of the perturbation model (or perturbation scheme). We develop local influence measures based on several objective functions to quantify the degree of various perturbations to statistical models. We carry out several simulation studies and analyze two real data sets to illustrate our Bayesian local influence method in detecting influential observations, and for characterizing the sensitivity to the prior distribution and hazard function.     

Two‐sample empirical likelihood ratio tests for medians in application to biomarker evaluations

The median is a commonly used parameter to characterize biomarker data. In particular, with two vastly different underlying distributions, comparing medians provides different information than comparing means; however, very few tests for medians are available. We propose a series of two‐sample median‐specific tests using empirical likelihood methodology and investigate their properties. We present the technical details of incorporating the relevant constraints into the empirical likelihood function for in‐depth median testing. An extensive Monte Carlo study shows that the proposed tests have excellent operating characteristics even under unfavourable occasions such as non‐exchangeability under the null hypothesis. We apply the proposed methods to analyze biomarker data from Western blot analysis to compare normal cells with bronchial epithelial cells from a case–control study. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 39: 671–689; 2011. © 2011 Statistical Society of Canada     

A sequential conditional probability ratio test procedure for comparing diagnostic tests

In this paper, we derive sequential conditional probability ratio tests to compare diagnostic tests without distributional assumptions on test results. The test statistics in our method are nonparametric weighted areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves. By using the new method, the decision of stopping the diagnostic trial early is unlikely to be reversed should the trials continue to the planned end. The conservatism reflected in this approach to have more conservative stopping boundaries during the course of the trial is especially appealing for diagnostic trials since the end point is not death. In addition, the maximum sample size of our method is not greater than a fixed sample test with similar power functions. Simulation studies are performed to evaluate the properties of the proposed sequential procedure. We illustrate the method using data from a thoracic aorta imaging study.     

Resistance as a means of creating accountability in child welfare institutions

This paper investigates the identity constructions of youths who are objects of special interventions in the area of child welfare. The aim of the paper was to explore the various dimensions of resistance to institutional identities among youths in special schools and foster‐care institutions. Interviews were conducted with adolescents aged between 12 and 15, identified as having social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The analysis generates knowledge about society's interventions as well as how adolescents respond to offered institutional identities by adopting different kinds of discursive resistance. The paper highlights the different types of discursive resistance that adolescents use to present themselves as accountable individuals and discusses the importance of considering resistance as a positive force rather than as something that must be defeated.     

Social work and the shadow father: lessons for engaging fathers in Northern Ireland

The legislative framework of social work practice has consistently highlighted the need to work in partnership with parents, with far‐reaching implications for families. However, the importance of engaging fathers in social work practice is an issue that has received limited attention within academic debate and research. A research study undertaken across six family centres, investigated paternal involvement in family centre social work in Northern Ireland. The study involved 46 semi‐structured interviews with social workers, fathers and mothers. This paper presents the views of 22 social workers on the barriers to paternal involvement in family centre interventions. A range of factors were identified which served to inhibit or promote engagement of fathers. There were substantially more deterrents than promoters, a clear indicator of the problematic nature of paternal involvement. The findings highlight that both attitudes and practices of social workers influence the engagement of fathers. Recommendations drawn from the findings are presented for the development of father – inclusive social work practices and research.     

西藏农牧区水电开发的法律问题研究

以西藏农牧区水电开发的生态环境保护为主题,以翔实的数据,全面介绍了农牧区水电开发的现状、积极价 值与负面影响,总结了“十二五”以来,西藏自治区农牧区的小水电发展取得的显著成效,但与此同时也伴随着诸多问 题,例如农牧区小水电开发的权利归属不明确,相关立法不健全,管理制度不完善,没有整体规划,开发中严重破坏了 当地的自然生态环境等问题。在此基础上,通过对西藏自治区农牧区小水电开发过程中出现的相应生态环境问题进 行剖析,提出了完善自治区在农牧区水电开发、利用等方面的法律体系,明确农牧区水能资源开发、利用权;完善水能 资源开发、利用的管理体制;强化生态环境保护在法律中的地位等解决措施。     

Toward Defining the Causal Role of Consciousness: Using Models of Memory and Moral Judgment from Cognitive Neuroscience to Expand the Sociological Dual‐Process Model

What role does “discursive consciousness” play in decision‐making? How does it interact with “practical consciousness?” These two questions constitute two important gaps in strong practice theory that extend from Pierre Bourdieu's habitus to Stephen Vaisey's sociological dual‐process model and beyond. The goal of this paper is to provide an empirical framework that expands the sociological dual‐process model in order to fill these gaps using models from cognitive neuroscience. In particular, I use models of memory and moral judgment that highlight the importance of executive functions and semantic memory. I outline each model as it pertains to the aforementioned gaps in strong practice theory. I then use the models from cognitive neuroscience to create an expanded dual‐process model that addresses how and when conscious mental systems override and interact with subconscious mental systems in the use of cultural ends for decision‐making. Finally, using this expanded model I address the sociological debate over the use of interview and survey data. My analysis reveals that surveys and interviews both elicit information encoded in declarative memory and differ primarily in the process of information retrieval that is required of respondents.     

Culture‐Inclusive Theories of Self and Social Interaction: The Approach of Multiple Philosophical Paradigms

In view of the fact that culture‐inclusive psychology has been eluded or relatively ignored by mainstream psychology, the movement of indigenous psychology is destined to develop a new model of man that incorporates both causal psychology and intentional psychology as suggested by Vygotsky (1927). Following the principle of cultural psychology: “one mind, many mentalities” (Shweder et al., 1998), the Mandala Model of Self (Hwang, 2011a,b) and Face and Favor Model (Hwang, 1987, 2012) were constructed to represent the universal mechanisms of self and social interaction that can be applied to any culture; both models can be used as conceptual frameworks for analyzing mentalities of people in any given culture. Taking research works from Foundations of Chinese Psychology: Confucian Social Relation as exemplars (Hwang, 2012), this article illustrates how to construct culture‐inclusive theories of Confucianism by multiple philosophical paradigms. The mechanism of culture‐inclusive theory can be applied to explain qualitative research findings on lifeworld events of people in a particular society. It can also be utilized to predict results of quantitative research conducted to verify theoretical propositions in the scientific microworld by empirical methods.     

Activation,Public Employment Services and their Clients: The Role of Social Class in a Continental Welfare State

This article fills a gap in the existing literature by investigating how public employment service (PES) staff actually deal with their clients under a continental regime of activation. The results reported here are based on interviews both with PES staff and their unemployed clients in Germany. We argue that due to its Bismarckian origins as an insurance‐based system of ‘unemployment protection’, Germany's system of unemployment compensation is attractive not only for the marginalized, but also for core workers. As a result, PES staff deal with clients from very heterogeneous class backgrounds. We demonstrate that social class is a significant factor in client outcomes, and that earlier research has perhaps overemphasized the role of frontline staff as ‘street‐level bureaucrats’. While staff do have considerable power, the result of the encounters between the administration and clients also depends on the capabilities of the clients, which, in turn, are strongly related to social class.