The Partial Linear Model in High Dimensions

Partial linear models have been widely used as flexible method for modelling linear components in conjunction with non‐parametric ones. Despite the presence of the non‐parametric part, the linear, parametric part can under certain conditions be estimated with parametric rate. In this paper, we consider a high‐dimensional linear part. We show that it can be estimated with oracle rates, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalty for the linear part and a smoothness penalty for the nonparametric part.     

Detecting T cell activation using a varying dimension Bayesian model

The detection of T cell activation is critical in many immunological assays. However, detecting T cell activation in live tissues remains a challenge due to highly noisy data. We developed a Bayesian probabilistic model to identify T cell activation based on calcium flux, a increase in intracellular calcium concentration that occurs during T cell activation. Because a T cell has unknown number of flux events, the implementation of posterior inference requires trans-dimensional posterior simulation. The model is able to detect calcium flux events at the single cell level from simulated data, as well as from noisy biological data.     

A Jackknifed estimators for the negative binomial regression model

Shrinkage estimator is a commonly applied solution to the general problem caused by multicollinearity. Recently, the ridge regression (RR) estimators for estimating the ridge parameter k in the negative binomial (NB) regression have been proposed. The Jackknifed estimators are obtained to remedy the multicollinearity and reduce the bias. A simulation study is provided to evaluate the performance of estimators. Both mean squared error (MSE) and the percentage relative error (PRE) are considered as the performance criteria. The simulated result indicated that some of proposed Jackknifed estimators should be preferred to the ML method and ridge estimators to reduce MSE and bias.     

Nonparametric Bayesian inference in applications

Nonparametric Bayesian (BNP) inference is concerned with inference for infinite dimensional parameters, including unknown distributions, families of distributions, random mean functions and more. Better computational resources and increased use of massive automated or semi-automated data collection makes BNP models more and more common. We briefly review some of the main classes of models, with an emphasis on how they arise from applied research questions, and focus in more depth only on BNP models for spatial inference as a good example of a class of inference problems where BNP models can successfully address limitations of parametric inference.     

Huxley's Brave New World — and Ours

The article discusses the continuing relevance of Huxley's dystopic novel in a contemporary, post‐political context in which a passive nihilist version of “happiness” is elevated to the level of a political and ethical ideal and “freedom” is taken for granted. Significantly, although Huxley's target was Stalinism when he wrote the novel, revisiting Brave New World forces one to reflect on contemporary, “democratic” versions of totalitarianism as well. And yet Huxley himself did not follow the political and ethical consequences of his critique. The article seeks to map these consequences by rethinking the maxims of the brave new world in relation to three main themes: biopolitics, nihilism and network society. Indeed, seen through this conceptual prism, there is a remarkable homology between Huxley's Brave New World and our world.     

Financial Inclusion Through Public Works Program: Does Gender-Based Violence Make a Difference?

The study investigates the impact of gender-related violence on financial inclusion. Exploiting the staggered rollout of a major public works program across Indian districts, we find evidence that households in states with gender-related violence are less likely to own a bank account, notwithstanding the fact that districts in these states were early implementers of the public works program. These findings are however, different after the government launched a massive program to promote universal financial inclusion. To be more specific, we find evidence of an increase in account ownership consistent during this period by over 100 percentage points, although the use of bank account by working women declines significantly. These findings of increased access are consistent with the bargaining theory, which suggests by gaining greater resources, women also gain more power. However, low use of accounts highlights the theory of male backlash as a response to undermined economic role at home. Overall, these results suggest that any attempt at ensuring universal financial inclusion needs to adequately take on board the aspect of gender-related violence, which can be the outcome of not only economic, but also social and cultural factors.     

Plastic surgery in gynaecology: Factors affecting women’s decision to undergo labiaplasty. Mind the risk of body dysmorphic disorder: A review

ABSTRACT

Aesthetic surgery of the female genitalia is on the rise. Many procedures are performed. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder and often goes unrecognized in plastic surgery. This review examines actual knowledge of plastic surgery in gynecology, knowledge of motivational factors of women, and BDD. We carried out a systematic electronic search. We used a combination of relevant keywords to construct the search strategy. Included studies were systematic reviews or primary studies published 1990–2017 and containing information about BDD. Reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, and assessed quality, undertaking narrative synthesis. The research revealed a variety of plastic procedures available and why women consider undergoing labia reduction surgery.     

Baghdadi Jews in Hong Kong: converting cultural,social and economic capital among three transregional networks

This article is an analysis of the attempts of Baghdadi Jewish traders in Hong Kong in the second half of the nineteenth century to construct and convert cultural, social and economic capital within and between the transregional networks of the Baghdadi diaspora, the Jewish diaspora and the British colonial elite. The analysis of the multiple and multi‐directional intersections between the cultural, social and economic characteristics of the three networks shows that Baghdadi social capital accounted for significant ruptures and disjunctures between the increasing cosmopolitanization, deterritorialization and hybridization of the Baghdadi traders' cultural identities and the definition of Baghdadi cultural capital. An understanding of the role of Baghdadi social capital in accounting for the construction and convertibility of cultural, social and economic capital among these three transregional networks helps to explain the reproduction of social inequalities under increasing conditions of globalization, that is, under conditions that potentially augmented the number of sources defining cultural capital.