New Shrinkage Parameters for the Liu-type Logistic Estimators

The binary logistic regression is a widely used statistical method when the dependent variable has two categories. In most of the situations of logistic regression, independent variables are collinear which is called the multicollinearity problem. It is known that multicollinearity affects the variance of maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) negatively. Therefore, this article introduces new shrinkage parameters for the Liu-type estimators in the Liu (2003) in the logistic regression model defined by Huang (2012) in order to decrease the variance and overcome the problem of multicollinearity. A Monte Carlo study is designed to show the goodness of the proposed estimators over MLE in the sense of mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE). Moreover, a real data case is given to demonstrate the advantages of the new shrinkage parameters.     

Randomization tests in recursive response-adaptive randomization procedures

In a randomized clinical trial, response-adaptive randomization procedures use the information gathered, including the previous patients' responses, to allocate the next patient. In this setting, we consider randomization-based inference. We provide an algorithm to obtain exact p-values for statistical tests that compare two treatments with dichotomous responses. This algorithm can be applied to a family of response adaptive randomization procedures which share the following property: the distribution of the allocation rule depends only on the imbalance between treatments and on the imbalance between successes for treatments 1 and 2 in the previous step. This family includes some outstanding response adaptive randomization procedures. We study a randomization test to contrast the null hypothesis of equivalence of treatments and we show that this test has a similar performance to that of its parametric counterpart. Besides, we study the effect of a covariate in the inferential process. First, we obtain a parametric test, constructed assuming a logit model which relates responses to treatments and covariate levels, and we give conditions that guarantee its asymptotic normality. Finally, we show that the randomization test, which is free of model specification, performs as well as the parametric test that takes the covariate into account.     

Diagnostics in elliptical regression models with stochastic restrictions applied to econometrics

We propose an influence diagnostic methodology for linear regression models with stochastic restrictions and errors following elliptically contoured distributions. We study how a perturbation may impact on the mixed estimation procedure of parameters in the model. Normal curvatures and slopes for assessing influence under usual schemes are derived, including perturbations of case-weight, response variable, and explanatory variable. Simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed methodology. An example with real-world economy data is presented as an illustration.     

Caught between different worlds: how transgendered women may be "forced" into risky sex

We qualitatively explored reasons why transgendered women may engage in sexual risk that could lead to HIV infection. Specifically, we conducted this investigation with transgendered women identifying as Black/African American. Interviews from 17 participants were audio taped and analyzed. Four themes emerged. Women commonly reported they had a strong need/desire to be loved by men. Many stated they had and would engage in unprotected sex to obtain and preserve such a relationship. Nearly all were currently using female hormones. Nine obtained their hormones through non-medical means including the Internet, transgendered friends, and street vendors. For these women hormone injections often involved sharing needles/syringes. Selling sex was a common practice and many women did so without the benefit of condom use. Finally, women experienced multiple forms of societal discrimination. By being caught between worlds (straight, gay, male, and female) transgendered women may be placed into situations where avoiding HIV risk is extremely difficult.     

Domestic violence screening and service acceptance among adult victims in a dependency court setting

Many child welfare systems are unable to effectively identify and address co-occurring domestic violence and child maltreatment. In response, the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence implemented a protocol to identify indicators of domestic violence in families involved with child protection proceedings. This article highlights data that demonstrate the ability of an outreach and screening process to identify adult victims of domestic violence in dependency court and to offer them appropriate intervention services.     

Response Order Effects in Dichotomous Categorical Questions Presented Orally: The Impact of Question and Respondent Attributes

Using data from 548 experiments in telephone surveys conductedby the Gallup Organization, we explored how attributes of questionsand respondents moderate response order effects in dichotomouscategorical questions. These effects were predominantly recencyeffects and occurred most in questions that were more difficultto comprehend (especially among respondents with the least education),with response choices that were more difficult to comprehend(because they were complete sentences instead of words or phrasesand because they were not mutually exclusive), and that wereasked after many prior questions. Recency effects were alsomore common in questions that explicitly or implicitly encouragedrespondents to wait until they had heard all the answer choicesbefore formulating a judgment than in questions that inducedrespondents to begin formulating a judgment before all the answerchoices had been read (especially among the least educated respondents).A study of interviewer behavior revealed patterns of pausingbetween and within sentences that help to explain why some typesof questions are especially prone to recency effects and othersare not.     

Protective and risk influences of drug use among a multiethnic sample of adolescent boys

A measurement model was analyzed to demonstrate a differential distribution and cumulative exposure to psychosocial risk and protective influences of adolescent drug use among ethnically-diverse adolescent samples. The sample included U.S.-born (US) Latino (N = 837), foreign-born (FB) Latino (N = 447), White (N = 632), and African American (N = 618) adolescent boys. Psychological Distress, Peer Drug Use, and Adolescent Drug Use were significantly positively correlated with Peer Drug Use and Adolescent Drug Use. In contrast, Family, School, law abidance, and guilt were significantly negatively correlated with Peer Drug Use and Adolescent Drug Use. Multiple group analyses indicated significant similarities and differences among US and FB Latinos, and Whites. Implications for early prevention, multi-level interventions, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

A use-and-transformation model for evaluating public R&D: illustrations from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) research

Evaluating federally funded research and development (R&D) presents unique challenges to both federal science agencies and evaluators. Often focusing only on outcome evaluative measures (such as productivity or economic value) can shortchange the true value of the federal investment. For example, program directors at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) talk about the "value added" of the new interdisciplinary science centers that they have funded-and they hope to be able to capture how funding can generate increased capacity for new cutting-edge research in the future. The purpose of this paper is to present a use-and-transformation model for evaluating public R&D, which explicitly focuses on measuring capacity-based metrics for evaluation instead of outcome-based metrics. The theory for the model presented here explicitly uses the concept of a Knowledge Value Collective that was introduced by Bozeman and Rogers [Bozeman, B., & Rogers, J. D. (2002). A churn model of scientific knowledge value: Internet researchers as a knowledge value collective. Research Policy, 31(5), 769-794; Rogers, J. D., & Bozeman, B. (2001). "Knowledge value alliances": An alternative to the R&D project focus in evaluation. Science Technology & Human Values, 26(1), 23-55].     

Continuity and change in work-life balance choices

This paper explores the ways in which the work-life balance choices made by heterosexual couples differ in different generations, how such choices are gendered, and the extent to which 'individualization' provides an adequate conceptualization of the effects of social change on heterosexual couples. It argues that processes of individualization need to be seen in the context of changing social institutions, and that it is the de-institutionalization of 'the family' and the life course that is leading to a de-gendering of work-life balance choices. The paper draws on findings from a restudy of the family and social change and a study of the gender dimensions of job insecurity both of which were carried out in the same geographical location. The studies provide evidence of generational change in work-life balance choices and increasing occupational differentiation between heterosexual partners. This leads to a situation where increasingly choices are made which blur gendered boundaries and which has been made possible by a process of de-institutionalization of the male breadwinner family. Our findings support the contention that processes of individualization are more apparent amongst younger than older generations and that, because of changes external to the family, there is more negotiation and pragmatism amongst younger generations about work-life choices.