Sample size determinations when two binomial proportions are very small

Sample size determination for testing the hypothesis of equality of proportions with a specified type I and type I1 error probabilitiesis of ten based on normal approximation to the binomial distribution. When the proportionsinvolved are very small, the exact distribution of the test statistic may not follow the assumed distribution. Consequently, the sample size determined by the test statistic may not result in the sespecifiederror probabilities. In this paper the author proposes a square root formula and compares it with several existing sample size approximation methods. It is found that with small proportion (p≦.01) the squar eroot formula provides the closest approximation to the exact sample sizes which attain a specified type I and type II error probabilities. Thes quare root formula is simple inform and has the advantage that equal differencesare equally detectable.     

Midlife Crisis in Men: Affective Organization of Personal Meanings

The purpose of this article is to explore thespecific affective organization of personal meanings inmidlife crisis in men. Midlife crisis is described as aprocess of intensive transition of the self including the reinterpretation of timeperspective, reevaluation of life values and goals,confrontation with death as a personal event in thefuture, and planning of the second half of life.Personal meanings referring to past, present, and future wereinvestigated using a self-confrontation method that issensitive to the affective properties of individualexperiences. The intensity of midlife crisis wasinvestigated by means of a Midlife Crisis Scale in a sampleof 104 men in Poland. Three groups, one high in midlifecrisis (N = 27), one medium (N = 37), and one low inmidlife crisis (N = 40) were compared. It was found that the high crisis group had a lower level ofaffect referring to self-enhancement, a lower level ofpositive affect, and a higher level of negative affectthan both other groups. Moreover, time perspective played a differential role in the organizationof the self: in an intragroup comparison of the mostinfluential personal meanings, the high crisis groupshowed a higher level of negative affect than positive affect for personal meanings referring to thefuture, but not for personal meanings referring to thepast and the present. The relevance of affectiveorganization for midlife crisis is discussed.     

“生态哲学”:野性的力量

现代性由一些理性的概念酝酿形成.这些概念被法兰克福学派的哲学家们称之为“工具理性”,它们给功利主义以特殊待遇,将所有人的参数,如喜悦、游戏、梦想等,也就是通常意义上的“好的状况”束之高阁.这导致了世界的“荒芜”,完成了对生态的掠夺.一种极性的反向变化正在人们的思想中进行.这是被社会学家们(例如索罗金)称之为文化“饱和”的现象.这也引起了理性的另一种应用:“感性理智”.也就是说,迫使我们承认“人类动物”有着一部分动物性的东西:本能、激情、感情等等.由此,人们能够到达一种“生态哲学”;也就是说,智慧与“部屋(希腊语为“oikos”)”相关联.这就是被埃德加·莫兰称作应当重新予以重视的“土地一母亲”.也就是我所讲的“积极寻根”.     

Intersections of hate: Exploring the transecting dimensions of race,religion, gender,and family in Ku Klux Klan Web sites

ABSTRACT

The United States has a historical legacy of oppression and subjugation spanning an array of social locations, including class, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and others. Contemporary research has documented a growth in themes of prejudice and racism present in popular media, such as the Internet. This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring Internet manifestations of a social group that has been historically organized around an ideology of intolerance, prejudice, and hatred: The Ku Klux Klan. Findings from an intersectional content analysis of KKK Web sites reveal that prejudice exists on multiple axes of hate. Major themes include emphases on white solidarity, the cult of Aryan Christianity, Aryan Klan masculinity and heteronormative nuclear family values. These dimensions intersect to create a complex picture of the Klan’s self-proclaimed social supremacy. Implications regarding the use of the Internet as a vehicle of hate are considered.     

Elicitation of Decision-Makers'Preferences for Management of Major Hazards

A survey has been conducted among decision-makers from the urban area of Lyon (France). It aimed at elicitating attitudes toward industrial risk, with an emphasis on major hazards. The sample was quite small (23 individuals), but most of the actual decision-makers of the area belonged to it. A questionnaire allowed to look at the weights that are given to "catastrophic accidents," when compared to more usual ones. It showed that decision-makers are strongly "adverse to catastrophes." The findings support many risk management approaches that are based on assigning an "extra weight" to potential accidents that may cause a high number of casualties.     

Corporate environmental policy in Shell

In the last decade there has been a radical change in public attitudes to the environment—a change initiated by a young ‘green’ movement, which, years ago, was trying to make its real concern heard in both government and industry. Governments were seen to have little concern for the environment, and industry was typecast in the role of the dirty polluter. Most significantly, the three parties were seen as sitting in separate camps. Over the years, however, we in industry were forced to think our actions through towards their logical environmental conclusion. We were forced to develop an environmental appreciation which we did not have some time ago. In turn, the environmentalists and governments started to realize that industry is an essential player in society, and that balances can be struck which benefit both society and the environment. We have much to be grateful to these green pioneers for, even if we sometimes find that difficult to admit. This process resulted in industry, government and the ‘green’ movement learning to talk to each other. Dialogue, is most important if we are to ensure the continuation of a world fir for our children and grandchildren to grow up in. Dialogue ensures that the tide of change continues. In that process business should become part of the environmental solution, the provider of the resources needed to improve our world for the better rather than being portrayed as the problem.     

Simultaneous upper confidence bounds for distances from the best two-parameter exponentlal distribution

Consider k independent exponential distributions possibly with different location parameters and a common scale parameter. If the best population is defined to be the one having the largest mean or equivalently having the largest location parameter, we then derive a set of simultaneous upper confidence bounds for all distances of the means from the largest one. These bounds not only can serve as confidence intervals for all distances from the largest parameter but they also can be used to identify the best population. Relationships to ranking and selection procedures are pointed out. Cases in which scale parameters are known or unknown and samples are complete or type II censored are considered. Tables to implement this procedure are given.