Prediction of failure-a case study

Field data on the failure of grinding machines comprised of several subsystems are considered. A method is proposed to predict the subsystem that would cause the next failure of a selected machine. Also, the time-gap between the two successive failures of the machine is predicted.     

Estimation of the parameter in the problem of the nile

Estimation of the parameter in the problem of the Nile is treated as a decision problem with squared error loss, It is shown that the minimum risk scale equivariant estimator dominates the incomplete sufficient unbiased estimators considered by Iwase and Seto, Sharper bounds for the equivariant estimator are derived which may be used to obtain the values of the same from the sample with sufficient accuracy.     

Sequential analysis applied to testing the mean of an inverse gaussian distribution with known coefficient of variation

Given an inverse Gaussian distribution I(.μ,a²μ) with known coefficient of variation a, the hypothesis H_O: .μ <ce:glyph name="dbnd6"/> μ_o is tested against H₁: μ <ce:glyph name="dbnd6"/> μ₁ using the sequential probability ratio test. The maximum of the expected sample number is shown to occur when μ is approximately equal to the geometric mean of μ_oand μ₁ and it is shown that this maximum value depends on .μ_o and μ₁ only through their ratio. It is observed that the test can be used to discriminate between two one-sided hypotheses.     

Modified probability proportional to size sampling

Probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling is one of the most widely used designs for finite populations. We propose modifications to PPS designs with replacement and Rao–Hartley–Cochran design without replacement. These modifications consist of division of the population into two groups. Units in the first group are included in the sample with probability one. Under certain conditions, in both with and without replacement designs, the estimator of the population total based on the modified PPS sampling design is shown to be better than the corresponding estimator based on a PPS design. We illustrate our modification by an example and an application.     

A Cross-Cultural Content-Analytic Comparison of the Hookup Culture in U.S. and Dutch Teen Girl Magazines

This quantitative content analysis investigated the hookup culture in U.S. and Dutch teen girl magazines. Using Hofstede's cultural dimension of masculinity/femininity, the hookup culture (i.e., the relational context of sex, emotional context of sex, specific sexual activities, and contraceptives) was examined in 2,496 stories from all 2006 through 2008 issues of the three most popular U.S. (i.e., Seventeen, CosmoGirl! U.S. edition, and Teen) and Dutch teen girl magazines (i.e., Fancy, CosmoGirl! Netherlands edition, and Girlz!). Regarding the relational context of sex, stories about casual sex occurred more often in U.S. magazines, and Dutch magazines focused more on committed sex. Dutch magazines also emphasized sex within the emotional context of love more often than did U.S. magazines. In terms of sexual activities, coital sex was mentioned more often in U.S. coverage, while petting was mentioned more frequently in Dutch coverage. Condoms were covered more positively in U.S. magazines than in Dutch magazines. Overall, the hookup culture seems to be more visible in U.S. magazines for the occurrence of casual sex and lack of love stories, whereas it does not emerge in Dutch magazines due to the presence of committed sex and love-related articles.     

Childhood sexual abuse patterns, psychosocial correlates, and treatment outcomes among adults in drug abuse treatment

This study reports on the effects of having a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on treatment outcomes among substance abusing men and women (N = 2,434) in a national, multisite study of drug treatment outcomes. A history of CSA was reported by 27.2% of the women and 9.2% of the men. Controlling for gender, compared to patients without CSA, patients reporting CSA were younger at entry into the current drug treatment, were more likely to be White, were more likely to have a comorbid mental disorder, be alcohol or cocaine dependent, had higher levels of criminal activities, had a higher level of problem recognition, and had a more negative peer influence. Controlling for these correlates, a history of abuse was related to a lower likelihood of posttreatment abstinence.     

Short Notices

Michael R. Watts, The Dissenters, vol. I (From the Reformation to the French Revolution) (1978), xvii+543 (Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press, £15.00).

Jean Séguy, Les Assemblées Anabaptistes‐Meanonltes de France (Ecole des Hautes‐Etudes en sciences sociales [Société, Mouvements sociaux, et idéologies, le sine, Etudes XVII]) (Paris, 1977), 904 (Mouton, n.p.). (The Anabaptist‐Mennonite Communities in France.)

Joyce Oldham Appleby, Economic Thought and Ideology in Seventeenth‐Century England (1978), x+287 (Princeton U.P., Princeton, £11).

Carlo Capra, L'Età Rivoluzionaria e Napoleonica in Italia 1796–1815 (1978), 321 (Loescher, Turin, LIt. 4,900). (The Revolutionary and Napoleonic State in Italy 1796–1815.)

Kenneth Duncan, Ian Rutledge and Colin Harding (eds), Land and Labour in Latin America. Essays on the Development of Agrarian Capitalism in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries(1977), x+535 (Cambridge University Press, £17.50).

O. Nigel Boland, The Formation of a Colonial Society. Belize, from Conquest to Crown Colony (1977), xiv+240 (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, £11.25).

Christoph Kleßmann, Polnische Bergarbeiter im Ruhrgebiet 1870–1945 (1978)) 306 (Vandenhoeck &; Ruprecht, Göttingen, DM 52) (Polish Miners in the Ruhr 1870–1945).

Georg P. Meyer, Bibliographie zur deutschen Revolution 1981/1919 (1977), 186 (Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Gottingen, DM 13). (Bibliography of the German Revolution 1918/1919.)

Dirk Blastus, Kriminalität und Alltag. Zur Konffiktgeschichte des Alltagslebens im 19. Jahrhundert (1978), 95 (Kleine Vandenhoeck‐Reihe. Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Gottingen, DM 9.80). (Criminality and Everyday Life. On the History of Conflict in Everyday Life in the Nineteenth Century.)

Margaret Pelting, Cholera, Fever and English Medicine 1825–1865 (1978) x+342 (Oxford University Press, £7.50).     

Some identities among moments of order statistics

Some new identities among the m oments of order statistics are derived. These are more general in nature and are applicable when moments of Some extreme order statistics do not exist.     

“Consent is Good,Joyous, Sexy”: A banner campaign to market consent to college students

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study assessed the recall of, reaction to, and understanding of a brief campus banner campaign promoting consent in sexual relationships, and determined whether campaign exposure was associated with subsequent engagement in activities related to sexual assault education, awareness, and prevention. Participants: A stratified random sample of 1,200 undergraduates was recruited during fall of 2010; 628 (52.3%) participated. Methods: To account for history and maturation, an experimental research design was employed with an online survey. Results: Direct and indirect campaign exposure was associated with increased action. Students expressed primarily positive reactions to and appeared to understand the consent message. The campaign appealed to and was associated with increased activity among a wide range of students with one exception: a negative effect was observed for business students. Conclusions: Colorful banners with pithy, upbeat messages hold promise for engaging undergraduates in conversations and proactive activities related to sexual assault prevention.