Biplots in correspondence analysis

Conditions under which correspondence analysis maps are biplots are discussed, as well as the interpretation of such biplots. It is shown that the asymmetric map which jointly displays the profiles and the vertices which define the unit vectors in the profile space is a biplot. A number of different ways of interpreting this joint plot are discussed, some of these being dependent on the choice of the x2 metric in the profile space. Biplot axes can be defined and calibrated on the zero-to-one profile scale in the usual way to recover approximations to the individual profile elements. Finally, the biplot interpretation in the context of multiple correspondence analysis is discussed. It is pointed out that joint correspondence analysis leads to a joint display of several variables which can be calibrated in a similar fashion to recover profile elements of the subtables of the Burt matrix.     

An approach to evaluating sensitivity in Bayesian regression analyses

This paper presents a method for assessing the sensitivity of predictions in Bayesian regression analyses. In parametric Bayesian analyses there is a family s₀ of regression functions, parametrized by a finite-dimensional vector B. The family s₀ is a subset of R, the set of all possible regression functions. A prior π₀ on B induces a prior on R. This paper assesses sensitivity by computing bounds on the predictive probability of a fixed set K over a class of priors, Γ, induced by a class of families of regression functions, Γ_s, and a class of priors, Γ_π. This paper is divided into three parts which (1) define Γ, (2) describe an algorithm for finding accurate bounds on predictive probabilities over Γ and (3) illustrate the method with two examples. It is found that sensitivity to the family of regression functions can be much more important than sensitivity to π₀.     

Estimation of relaxation time distributions in magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging techniques can be used to measure some biophysical properties of tissue. In this context, the T₂ relaxation time is an important parameter for soft‐tissue contrast. The authors develop a new technique to estimate the integral of the distribution of T₂ relaxation time without imposing any constraint other than the monotonicity of the underlying cumulative relaxation time distribution. They explore the properties of the estimation and its applications for the analysis of breast tissue data. As they show, an extension of linear discriminant analysis is found to distinguish well between two classes of breast tissue.     

Reports of Conferences, Institutes, and Seminars

This quarter's column features reports from the 2011 Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference; the 2011 North Carolina Serials Conference; the 2011 Association of College and Research Libraries Conference; the 2011 Kansas Library Association Conference; the New England Technical Services Librarians Section of the New England Library Association Spring 2011 Conference; and the 2011 Texas Library Association Conference.     

The General Segmented Distribution

We develop a distribution supported on a bounded interval with a probability density function that is constructed from any finite number of linear segments. With an increasing number of segments, the distribution can approach any continuous density function of arbitrary form. The flexibility of the distribution makes it a useful tool for various modeling purposes. We further demonstrate that it is capable of fitting data with considerable precision—outperforming distributions recommended by previous studies. We suggest that this distribution is particularly effective in fitting data with sufficient observations that are skewed and multimodal.     

Systematic Effects of Capital Service Price Definition on Perceptions of Input Substitution

Earlier attempts at reconciling disparate substitution elasticity estimates examined differences in separability hypotheses, data bases, and estimation techniques, as well as methods employed to construct capital service prices. Although these studies showed that differences in elasticity estimates between two or three studies may be attributable to the aforementioned features of the econometric models, they have been unable to demonstrate this link statistically and establish the existence of systematic relationships between features of the econometric models and the perception of production technologies generated by those models. Using sectoral data covering the entire production side of the U.S. economy, we estimate 34 production models for alternative definitions of the capital service price. We employ substitution elasticities calculated from these models as dependent variables in the statistical search for systematic relationships between features of the econometric models and perceptions of the sectoral technology as characterized by the elasticities. Statistically significant systematic effects are found between the monotonicity and concavity properties of the cost functions and service price–technical change specifications as well as between substitution elasticities.