Data-transformation approach to lifetimes data analysis: An overview

This article consists of a review and some remarks on the scope, common models, methods, their limitations and implications for the analysis of lifetime data. Also a new approach based upon data-transformations analogous to that of Box and Cox (1964) is introduced. The basic methods and theory of the subject are most familiarly and commonly encountered by the statistical community in the context of problems in reliability studies and survival analysis. However, they are also useful in areas of statistical applications such as goodness-of-fit and approximations for sampling distributions and are applicable in such diverse fields of applied research as economics, finance, sociology, meteorology and hydrology. The discussion includes examples from the mainstream statistical, social sciences and business literature.     

On optimality of a two-stage sawpling method for binomial populations

We consider a family of two-stage sampling methods for a binomial parameter that guarantee a certain precision. It is shown that, among all such methods, one due to Birnbaum and Healy minimizes the average expected second stage sample size with respect to a certain density on the parameter space. It does not, however, minimize the average expected second stage sample size with respect to the uniform density.     

An approximation method for bivariate and multvariate normal equiprobability contours

This paper presents a very simple approximation, having “graph” accuracy, for calculating bivariate normal probability contours. Such contours are useful in simultaneous inference and other applications. This method is then adapted to approximate roughly bivariate and multivariate normal union probabilities.     

Assessing behavior in children aged 12–24 months using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Behavioral and emotional problems in infants and toddlers are common, often persist and put children at risk of later mental health problems. Reliable, efficient, and sensitive tools are needed to identify young children who may benefit from further assessment and support. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), offers a brief, convenient means of screening for early problems, however, it lacks psychometric validation in infants. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the SDQ in children aged 12–24 months. Ninety-three participants, with children aged 12–24 months, completed the SDQ and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) online. Concurrent validity of the SDQ was assessed through comparison with the CBCL. The results demonstrated that key subscales of the SDQ and CBCL were significantly correlated (r range= −.19 to –.57). Key SDQ subscales showed moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha range = .38–.79, mean inter-item correlation range = .06–.43). The SDQ shows promising reliability and validity as a measure for rating the behavior of 12–24-months-old children, particularly for externalizing symptoms. Further research is needed to assess its predictive utility.     

Local and marginal control charts applied to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia reports in UK acute National Health Service trusts

Summary.  We consider the general problem of simultaneously monitoring multiple series of counts, applied in this case to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reports in 173 UK National Health Service acute trusts. Both within-trust changes from baseline ('local monitors') and overall divergence from the bulk of trusts ('relative monitors') are considered. After standardizing for type of trust and overall trend, a transformation to approximate normality is adopted and empirical Bayes shrinkage methods are used for estimating an appropriate baseline for each trust. Shewhart, exponentially weighted moving average and cumulative sum charts are then set up for both local and relative monitors: the current state of each is summarized by a p -value, which is processed by a signalling procedure that controls the false discovery rate. The performance of these methods is illustrated by using 4.5 years of MRSA data, and the appropriate use of such methods in practice is discussed.     

When is a bed not a bed? Exploring the interplay of the material and virtual in negotiating home-work boundaries

Working from home is often associated with possibilities of anytime-anyplace working and with a fusion of work and home. In this empirical paper, we explore how the sociomaterial contexts of home-working define and tether what is possible for home-workers in their negotiations with others. Drawing on qualitative data sets, Wengerian concepts are used by exploring the role of boundary objects and brokering in negotiating temporal and spatial boundaries around and across work and home. The home-workers’ bodies are shown to be the key boundary objects, through which technology objects and furniture objects are sometimes fused. Yet, such fusion is shown to be only temporary, always precariously situated and also mediated by identity-regulating norms and values of home-workers. The contribution of the paper is to highlight the limits of what is technologically possible by emphasising the role of the body and material objects in the home-working context.     

Volunteering Hierarchies in the Global South: Remuneration and Livelihoods

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This paper explores volunteering and inequality in the global South through an analysis of volunteering remuneration. We...     

Culture and change in nonprofit boards

The actions of boards, like all organizational behaviors, emerge from board culture, which is composed of members' customary practices, shared beliefs, and assumptions about reality. It is a board's culture that enables its participants to deal with ambiguity and complexity by providing familiar meanings and solutions to problems. Board development efforts that do not take these factors directly into account are likely to produce only superficial and short-term changes. This article presents alternative approaches to board development, using two levels of learning drawn from examinations of board cultures.