Partial logistic relevance vector machines in survival analysis

The use of relevance vector machines to flexibly model hazard rate functions is explored. This technique is adapted to survival analysis problems through the partial logistic approach. The method exploits the Bayesian automatic relevance determination procedure to obtain sparse solutions and it incorporates the flexibility of kernel-based models. Example results are presented on literature data from a head-and-neck cancer survival study using Gaussian and spline kernels. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the influence of hyperprior distribution parameters. The proposed method is then contrasted with other flexible hazard regression methods, in particular the HARE model proposed by Kooperberg et al. [16]. A simulation study is conducted to carry out the comparison. The model developed in this paper exhibited good performance in the prediction of hazard rate. The application of this sparse Bayesian technique to a real cancer data set demonstrated that the proposed method can potentially reveal characteristics of the hazards, associated with the dynamics of the studied diseases, which may be missed by existing modeling approaches based on different perspectives on the bias vs. variance balance.     

Economic analysis of public water supply in the Piscataqua river watershed

The southeastern portion of New Hampshire is experiencing a rapid growth in population. Many small semi-rural communities are becoming suburban complexes with mushrooming residential developments. These communities are, as a consequence, confronted with expanding demands for municipal services. The situation creates an urgent need for planning efforts that will aid decision makers in the choice among alternative systems for providing these municipal services.

The authors were aware of these needs and were interested in the economic problem involved. Little guidance is to be found in the literature, since most approaches are based on the technical engineering aspects of design and construction. It became apparent that little had been done to combine engineering design and economic evaluation in a comprehensive approach.

The intent of this paper was to analyze the water supply system problem from an economic viewpoint. The study reviews the characteristics of water supply systems and identifies the economic problems associated with them and is, then, primarily an exploratory study conducted on a theoretical basis. It is not a research study in the sense of conducting an analysis or analyses of empirical data.

This exploratory study will hopefully provide a basis for the conduct of future research and the development of some quantitative procedures that will be useful to planners and decision makers.     

Until Further Notice: Post-Modernity and Socio-Territorial Belonging

One of social theory's main concerns is the analysis of the changes that take place in human societies. This article systematizes existing knowledge about the characteristics of post-modern societies by incorporating it into Ferdinand Tönnies’ classical theory of societal change. Post-modern societies are defined as societies in which people are essentially separated, yet still tightly connected in spite of everything that divides them. Tönnies characterizes community as ‘organic’ and society as ‘mechanic’. In this article, contemporary societies are defined as ‘digital’. Their ‘psychological’ foundation, or founding will, is found in the concept of ‘imagination’. New forms of relationships accompany the coming of the digital society. Relationships with other individuals and with the territory are defined as ‘fluid’.     

The pill and partnerships: the impact of the birth control pill on cohabitation

This paper investigates the impact on cohabitation behavior of the introduction and dispersion of the birth control pill in the USA during the 1960s and early 1970s. A theoretical model generates several predictions that are tested using the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households. Empirically, the causal effect is identified by exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in state laws granting access to the pill to unmarried women under age 21. The evidence shows that the pill was a catalyst that increased cohabitation’s role in selecting marriage partners, but did little in the short run to promote cohabitation as a substitute for marriage.     

Testing for Independence of Wage Drift and Minimum Contractual Wage: An Empirical Investigation Using Italian Aggregate Time Series

A theoretical two-stage bargaining model for wage drift and minimum contractual wage is discussed and its implication in terms of Granger-causality between the two variables is tested by using Italian aggregate time series. Empirical evidence suggests rejecting the independence of the two series. This result has, in turn, implications for policy analysis. Our findings seem to indicate the appropriateness of a policy oriented towards decentralized wage setting.     

Academic Autonomy and Freedom under Pressure: Severely Limited,or Alive and Kicking?

Academic freedom and the autonomy of academic institutions (their freedom from outside interference) are core values in contemporary academic life. This article outlines changes that have taken place in the last few decades that impact academic freedom and autonomy to at least some degree. These include the increasing catering by universities to stake-holders in the environment, increasing professionalization of university administrations, an evolving pattern of broadening authority over internal university decision-making, and an increasing attention to student (i.e. customer) needs. Two case studies -- one of recent decisions in the University of California system and the other at the University of Oslo -- illustrate the theoretical points in the article and point to the need to know a lot more about academic autonomy and academic freedom, especially in an environment of changing management practices and scarce resource bases for many institutions. The cases were selected because of the authors’ familiarity with them and are examples meant to illuminate some of the challenges and complexities inherent in the phenomena and to inspire further research on academic freedom and autonomy utilizing the instrumental and institutional perspectives from organization theory that are the core of our theoretical analysis.     

Towards sustainable hybrid relationships in cash-for-care systems

Welfare state services are currently challenged by a key contemporary issue relating to citizens’ independence. But very little attention has been paid to how this affects the relationships between providers and receivers of welfare services. As the objective of cash-for-care systems is to enhance users’ independence by giving them the role of an employer in relation to their care workers, this article focuses on the implications of this system for user–care-worker relationships. Based on the findings of a qualitative cross-national study in Norway and the United Kingdom, the article suggests that the British system tends to foster one of two kinds of relationships – a master–servant type of relationship or a strong solidarity/emotionally-based relationship – while the Norwegian system rather tends to encourage a more professional type of relationship. In everyday practice, however, relationships can be mixed types or they can even resist the direction more usually taken within the particular cash-for-care system.     

Maternal singing of lullabies during pregnancy and after birth: Effects on mother–infant bonding and on newborns’ behaviour. Concurrent Cohort Study

Background

Mother–infant bonding is of great importance for the development and the well-being of the baby. The aim of this Concurrent Cohort Study was to investigate the effects of mothers singing lullabies on bonding, newborns’ behaviour and maternal stress.