Lattice path combinatorics for multiple product identities

Lattice paths are enumerated as walks on a lattice under the Delannoy criterion of vertical, horizontal and upward diagonal steps. Delannoy recursions are generalized for arbitrary weights in each of these directions, where the row elements of the Delannoy triangles correspond to lattice paths for all walks at a given length.     

Mathematical forms of the distribution of the product of two normal variables

This paper finds the mathematical forms of the distribution of the product where x and x follow a bivariate normal distribution In this paper the distribution when PT0 is expressed as an integral, a new, fundamental result. From this general form, six different cases can be distinguished depending on what is known about the parameters and p. The special cases are Aroian $year:1959 and (6) Additionally, we prove that if and as the distribution of the product approaches the Type III distribution. When p=0# Aroian $year:1959 and Aroian and Meeker $year:1977, give tables for various values of 6., 6 . The results in this paper will be used to provide brief tables for p^O in a separate paper     

Sparse additive models

Summary.  We present a new class of methods for high dimensional non-parametric regression and classification called sparse additive models. Our methods combine ideas from sparse linear modelling and additive non-parametric regression. We derive an algorithm for fitting the models that is practical and effective even when the number of covariates is larger than the sample size. Sparse additive models are essentially a functional version of the grouped lasso of Yuan and Lin. They are also closely related to the COSSO model of Lin and Zhang but decouple smoothing and sparsity, enabling the use of arbitrary non-parametric smoothers. We give an analysis of the theoretical properties of sparse additive models and present empirical results on synthetic and real data, showing that they can be effective in fitting sparse non-parametric models in high dimensional data.     

High Culture Orientation and the Attitudes and Values of College Students

Using survey data collected from a sample of college students, the authors explore variability in high culrure orientation. Parent's socioeconomic status, traditionally thought to be predictive of high culture orientation, was not significantly related to it in this sample. Factors found to be associated with high culture orientation include interpersonal experience, occupational orientation, and cultural knowledge and participation.     

Fertility desires and fertility: Hers,his, and theirs

The relationship between desired and achieved fertility may be misspecified by excluding husbands' fertility desires or by confounding effects of shared desires with the resolution of conflicting desires. Using couple data from the classic Princeton Fertility Surveys, we find relatively large husband effects on fertility outcomes as well as unique effects of spousal disagreement. Wives and husbands were equally likely to achieve fertility desires, and disagreeing couples experienced fertility rates midway between couples who wanted the same smaller or larger number of children. These conditions do not hold, however, when we include willingness to delay births for economic mobility as part of the measure of fertility desires. Among couples who both wanted a third child, only husbands' willingness to delay births had significant negative effects on birth rates.     

Trustees as servant-leaders: A report and reference guide

How have the servant-leader writings of Robert Greenleaf impacted upon society during the past twenty years? What influence has Greenleaf had upon trustees and others? And, what are people sayingtoday about servant-leadership? While this paper seeks to provide a partial answer to these questions, its intent is to serve as an informative report on the ever-widening influence of the servant-as-leader idea—and as a resource guide for others who may wish to delve more deeply into the notion of trustees as servant-leaders. In 1974, Robert Greenleaf publishedTrustees as Servants, in which he expressed his own thoughts concerning the special role which trustees can and should play within an institution—but usually don't. His delineation of some of the barriers and solutions to effective trusteeship has since been read by over 400,000 people and has come to represent a core element of what is now generally called “trustee education.” The central definition of servant-leadership, as defined by Greenleaf inThe Servant as Leader, is as follows: It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant—first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons; do they while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least, not be further deprived? The past two decades have witnessed the publication of a growing number of books and articles concerning servant-leadership and its applications in a number of key areas. This now includes its uses as: a working philosophy and model in both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions; the bringing together of servant-leadership and experiential education in the related area of “service-learning”; the use of servant-leadership within community leadership programs; its use in both formal management/leadership courses and by independent consultants working directly with institutions; as a core idea for several diverse areas of personal growth and personal transformation; and as the values base for trustee education. The attached bibliographies-in-progress are intended to provide suggested readings for those who are interested in finding out more about the role of trustees as servant-leaders.     

Some non-parametric tests for duration dependence: an application to UK business cycle data

A distinction between Fisher's implied data-generating process for Monte Carlo cycles and the more general Markov process leads to non-parametric tests for duration dependence. Tests are based on the method of moments, Tauchen's generalized method of moments (GMM) procedure, and a statistic whose null distribution probability limit is zero. Using finite-sample critical values obtained by Monte Carlo methods, our test results are remarkably consistent. The null distribution of the GMM test statistic for samples of the size considered is distinctly non-normal, so that asymptotic critical values give erroneous results. The tests are applied to UK business cycle data for 1854-1992. There is evidence for duration dependence in expansions but not in contractions.     

DISAGGREGATION IN MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS: SURVEY OF PROBLEMS AND RESEARCH

This paper addresses a class of problems, referred to as “disaggregation problems,” which lie between planning at the top level and the more detailed decisions of inventory control and scheduling at the bottom level. Most real-world problems are sufficiently complex to warrant a sequential or top-down approach to problem solving. However, researchers have paid scant attention to disaggregation until very recently. The resulting lack of an interfacing mechanism diminishes the utility of solution procedures for aggregate planning, inventory control, and scheduling. In order to draw attention to this gap, a taxonomy of disaggregation problems is developed for both manufacturing and service organizations. The purpose is to identify and classify problems, describe representative research, and identify unresolved issues.     

Cross‐Cultural Differences in Risk Perceptions of Disasters

Public risk perceptions of mass disasters carry considerable influences, both psychologically and economically, despite their oft‐times imprecise nature. Prior research has identified the presence of an optimistic bias that affects risk perception, but there is a dearth of literature examining how these perceptions differ among cultures—particularly with regard to mass disasters. The present study explores differences among Japanese, Argentinean, and North American mental health workers in their rates of the optimistic bias in risk perceptions as contrasted between natural disasters and terrorist events. The results indicate a significant difference among cultures in levels of perceived risk that do not correspond to actual exposure rates. Japanese groups had the highest risk perceptions for both types of hazards and North Americans and Argentineans had the lowest risk perceptions for terrorism. Additionally, participants across all cultures rated risk to self as lower than risk to others (optimistic bias) across all disaster types. These findings suggest that cultural factors may have a greater influence on risk perception than social exposure, and that the belief that one is more immune to disasters compared to others may be a cross‐cultural phenomenon.