A Nonparametric Test for the Ordered Alternative Based on Kendall's Correlation Coefficient

Several methods have been developed for testing the ordered alternative. These include the Jonckheere–Terpstra (JT) test (Jonckheere, 1954 Jonckheere , A. R. ( 1954 ). A distribution free k-sample test against ordered alternatives . Biometrika 41 : 133 – 145 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Terpstra, 1952 Terpstra , T. ( 1952 ). The asymptotic normality and consistency of Kendall's test against trend when ties are present in one ranking . Indigationes Mathematicae 14 : 327 – 333 . [Google Scholar]), a modified JT test (MJT) (Tryon and Hettmansperger, 1987 Tryon , V. P. , Hettmansperger , T. P. ( 1987 ). A class of nonparametric tests for homogeneity against ordered alternatives . Annals of Statistics 1 : 1061 – 1070 . [Google Scholar]), and a test proposed by Terpstra and Magel (TM) (Terpstra and Magel, 2003 Terpstra , J. T. , Magel , R. C. ( 2003 ). A new nonparametric test for the ordered alternative problem . Journal of Nonparametric Statistics 15 : 289 – 301 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), among others. This article proposes a new method for testing the ordered alternative. The proposed test is based on Kendall's tau statistic. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is given. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted comparing the estimated powers of the proposed test with existing tests under a variety of sample sizes and distributions.     

养禽产业集聚的交易成本分析

集聚模式是养禽产业发展的有效途径,其主要原因之一是集聚可以获得规模经济效益、降低交易成本。从养禽产业集聚的成本构成入手,采用博弈论方法,通过数学建模手段,深入分析了不同状态下养禽产业集聚的交易成本,得出：在追求交易成本降低时,必然引起资本空间分布的不平衡,这种不平衡直接影响集聚体的形成。     

Neural Correlates of Pathological Gamblers Preference for Immediate Rewards During the Iowa Gambling Task: An fMRI Study

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) involves exploratory learning via rewards and penalties, where most advantageous task performance requires subjects to forego potential large immediate rewards for small longer-term rewards to avoid larger punishments. Pathological gambling (PG) subjects perform worse on the IGT compared to controls, relating to their persistence at high risk decisions involving the continued choice of potential large immediate rewards despite experiencing larger punishments. We wished to determine if neural processing of risk and reward within striatal and frontal cortex is associated with this behaviour observed in PG. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity in response to a computerized version of the IGT. Thirteen male PG subjects with no active comorbidities were compared to 13 demographically matched control subjects. In agreement with previous behavioural studies, PG subjects performed worse on the IGT and made more high-risk choices compared to controls, particularly after experiencing wins and losses. During high-risk gambling decisions, fMRI demonstrated that PG subjects exhibited relatively increased frontal lobe and basal ganglia activation, particularly involving the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), caudate and amygdala. Increased activation of regions encompassing the extended reward pathway in PG subjects during high risk choices suggests that the persistence of PG may be due to the increased salience of immediate and greater potential monetary rewards relative to lower monetary rewards or potential future losses. Whether this over activation of the reward pathway is associated with the development of PG warrants further investigation.     

Systematic Review of Motives for Episodic Volunteering

Although episodic volunteers are a critical resource for many organisations, their motives for volunteering are poorly understood. A systematic review was conducted to describe empirical evidence about motives for episodic volunteering (EV) across sectors (sport, tourism, events, health and social welfare). Identified EV motives were then categorised using core functions from the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) for comparison across studies. Twelve databases (1990–December 2014) were searched. Thirty-three English language studies included results describing EV motives. Studies were predominantly cross-sectional, quantitative, event-based and originating in North America. Measurement of motives was also inconsistent. Common motives were helping others and socialising. Physical challenge and healing motives were specific to sport-based events and charity sport events, respectively. Over 80 % of motives were classified using VFI functions, particularly enhancement, values and social functions. The VFI supplemented by qualitative work may be efficacious to further identify EV motives and retention strategies.     

The view over one's shoulder: The causes and consequences of leader's envy of followers

We propose a social comparison-based framework in which leaders' meta-perceptions of power relative to their followers can be a source of envy, which can then lead to varied behaviors. We provide a model summarizing the main points of this framework, and develop propositions discussing how and when these effects operate. We start by discussing why perceived power differentials between leader and follower are expected to cause envy in the leader-follower relationship, and the contingencies that might affect such relationships. We then discuss how the aversive character of envy can provoke different types of action on the part of leaders aimed at reducing or eliminating this emotion. Furthermore, we propose different conditions that can increase the likelihood that the leader would choose one of these courses of action over another. Finally, we end with a discussion of the implications of leader-follower social comparisons and envy for research in the leadership field and for practice.     

ADOPTION:

In this article, we focus on how understandings of the past influence the process of integrating older special needs children into family life. We present the stories of two families who adopted older special needs children as they reconstructed the past, experinced the present, and projected the future. We draw upon social, pragmatic, and postmodern theories of the past to guide our interpretations and understandings of these families' adoption experiences. The dominant ideology of family influenced their story construction, and it was against this conception that their stories were evaluated. We followed the Litners and the Becks as they used the past to create stories that enabled and disabled their family life in the present and in the future. From the Litners' and the Becks' stories, we learned that when families are too limited by a cultural conception of an ideal adoptive family, their ability to use the past to create stories to help them live in the present and to project a shared future becomes restricted.
Our adoption failed because we understimated the past and overstimated our ability to create stories with happy endings. (Mrs. Beck)     

FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY IN A PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL SETTING: THE ROCHESTER EXPERIENCE

Collaboration between family therapists and physicians has attracted increasing attention in the field of family therapy. Family therapists practicing in medical settings encounter many stimulating oppoutunities and challenges. This paper focuses on the experience of the authors providing family therapy in a primary care medical setting which is also a family medicine residency program. The authors discuss the role of physician and patient expectations in treatment as well as the influence of the medical context on the development of family therpists.     

中国企业市场化进程初探

中国企业的市场化是中国经济体制改革的关键。从市场化概念的界定及其实现出发,提出了加速中国企业市场化进程的三点建议:大力发展非国有企业;加大国有企业市场化改革力度;强化和完善法制建设。     

Scared selfish: a culture of fear’s values in the age of terrorism

In the Age of Terrorism fear becomes a constant companion. This is particularly true in a society already beset by a culture of fear. We explore some cognitive effects of fear induced by victimization to explain America’s reaction to the events of 9/11. Using reliable measures of value orientations we find that exposure to violence produces a shift in value orientations toward values that are more self-enhancing. America’s seemingly fractured state may be explained in part by this effect.     

The structure of continuous-valued neutral monotonic social functions

This article consists of several results characterizing neutral monotonic social functions over alternative sets that are compact, convex subsets of Euclidean space. One major result is that a neutral monotonic social function is continuous-valued (i.e., does not make abrupt reversals) for all profiles of continuous-valued weak orderings if and only if it is simple (i.e., completely determined by a single set of decisive coalitions). A second major result is that a continuous-valued neutral monotonic social function will guarantee the existence of a socially undominated alternative for all profiles of continuousvalued, almost convex weak orderings if and only if the smallest empty intersection within the set of decisive coalitions is at least m+2 in size where m is the dimension of the alternative set.Associate Professor of Law, University of Southern California and Assistant Professor of Law and Economics, California Institute of Technology.This article is taken almost directly from a chapter of my Ph.D. dissertation (Strnad 1982). That chapter itself is substantially the same as an earlier paper, Strnad (1981). I have profited greatly from the suggestions, guidance and encouragement of Donald Brown in this work. Strnad (1981) was presented at the California Institute of Technology Theory Workshop in January 1982 and at the annual Public Choice Society Meetings in San Antonio, Texas on March 5–7, 1982. I am grateful to participants at both the Workshop and the Meetings for their comments. Comments by the referee and by Jerry Kramer, the editor, also were very helpful. Any remaining errors are solely my responsibility.Substantial financial support for this work has been provided by Summer Research Grants for 1981 and 1982 from the University of Southern California Law Center