A theory-based approach to understanding sexual behavior at Mardi Gras

Using the Triandis Model of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB), we considered the unique context of Mardi Gras, the annual festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, and how it might influence sexual behavior. This study utilized a two-stage, qualitative and quantitative methodological framework. Focus groups of past Mardi Gras participants were held to gather data to inform the development of the study instruments, and data were subsequently collected from 300 Mardi Gras participants in February 2004 using a pencil-and-paper questionnaire. For women, the TIB model did not significantly predict intentions to engage in sexual behavior at Mardi Gras. Cognitive beliefs and subjective social norms predicted intentions to engage in oral and vaginal sex among male participants. For men and women, peer sexual activity, intentions, and previous sexual experience predicted engaging in sexual behaviors at Mardi Gras. Situational conditions related to Mardi Gras culture predicted anal sex behavior. The TIB, as a guiding framework for the study, makes apparent the importance of cultural context when developing interventions related to sexuality that are to be implemented in a specific setting like Mardi Gras.     

An optimal investment and risk control policy for a bank under exponential utility

Motivated by the Basel Capital Accord Requirement (CAR), we analyze a risk control portfolio selection problem under exponential utility when a banker faces both Brownian and jump risks. The banker's risk process and the dynamics of the risky asset process are modeled as jump-diffusion processes. Assuming that the constraint set of all trading strategies is in a closed set, we study the terminal utility optimization problem via the backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE) under risk regulation paradigm. We construct the BSDE by means of the martingale optimality principle, giving conditions for the corresponding generator to be well defined in order to derive the bounds on the candidate optimal strategy. We then construct an internal model for the bank under Basel III CAR, which is formulated from the total risk-weighted assets (TRWA's) and bank capital. The results obtained from this model can be adopted within the banking sector when setting up asset investment strategies and advanced risk management models, as advocated by the Basel III Accord.     

Negative Career Outlook and the Working Alliance in Career Counseling

The authors investigated 3 dimensions of the working alliance—goal, task, and bond—and the reduction of negative career‐related thoughts. A pretest–posttest design revealed a significant reduction in negative career thoughts after an initial career counseling interview was provided to college students (N = 87). Regression analyses revealed that task predicted negative career thoughts. The findings offer evidence of the effectiveness of career counseling and of the contribution of working alliance to counseling as a process and outcome variable.     

The Role of the Environment in Sedentary Behavior in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

To compare amounts of sedentary behavior and physical activity in adults residing in planned group residential settings to those residing in private homes, this study recruited 31 older adults who resided in planned group residential settings (n = 13) and in private homes (n = 18). Daily activities were measured using the SenseWear Armband for 7 days. Estimates of the duration of daily activities performed across sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous intensities were captured. It was found that participants in planned group residential settings were older (age 85.9 ± 3.5 vs. 78.3 ± 7.2; p = 0.001) and spent more time in sedentary behaviors (12.7 ± 1.5 vs. 11.3 ± 1.6; p = 0.02) than participants in private homes. The difference was attenuated slightly after controlling for age and wear time (adjusted difference 1.2 ± 0.6 hours, p = 0.06). Thus, adults residing in planned group residential settings, which provide supportive services, were more sedentary than adults residing in private homes. The environment in which older adults live may contribute to sedentary behavior.     

A Goodness-of-Fit Test for a Class of Autoregressive Conditional Duration Models

This article develops a method for testing the goodness-of-fit of a given parametric autoregressive conditional duration model against unspecified nonparametric alternatives. The test statistics are functions of the residuals corresponding to the quasi maximum likelihood estimate of the given parametric model, and are easy to compute. The limiting distributions of the test statistics are not free from nuisance parameters. Hence, critical values cannot be tabulated for general use. A bootstrap procedure is proposed to implement the tests, and its asymptotic validity is established. The finite sample performances of the proposed tests and several other competing ones in the literature, were compared using a simulation study. The tests proposed in this article performed well consistently throughout, and they were either the best or close to the best. None of the tests performed uniformly the best. The tests are illustrated using an empirical example.     

A Simulator for Twenty20 Cricket

This paper develops a Twenty20 cricket simulator for matches between sides belonging to the International Cricket Council. As input, the simulator requires the probabilities of batting outcomes which are dependent on the batsman, the bowler, the number of overs consumed and the number of wickets lost. The determination of batting probabilities is based on an amalgam of standard classical estimation techniques and a hierarchical empirical Bayes approach where the probabilities of batting outcomes borrow information from related scenarios. Initially, the probabilities of batting outcomes are obtained for the first innings. In the second innings, the target score obtained from the first innings affects the aggressiveness of batting during the second innings. We use the target score to modify batting probabilities in the second innings simulation. This gives rise to the suggestion that teams may not be adjusting their second innings batting aggressiveness in an optimal way. The adequacy of the simulator is addressed through various goodness‐of‐fit diagnostics.