Bounds and approximations for pairwise comparisons of independent multinormal means

Properties and relationships of some commonly used probability bounds, along with other recently developed bounds and approximations, are evaluated for their performance with pairwise comparisons. The comparisons are of independent sample means obtained from normal random variables with a common variance. Computational methods are presented and numerical results are used to further evaluate the performance of the bounds.     

Estimation of river and stream temperature trends under haphazard sampling

Long-term temporal trends in water temperature in rivers and streams are typically estimated under the assumption of evenly-spaced space-time measurements. However, sampling times and dates associated with historical water temperature datasets and some sampling designs may be haphazard. As a result, trends in temperature may be confounded with trends in time or space of sampling which, in turn, may yield biased trend estimators and thus unreliable conclusions. We address this concern using multilevel (hierarchical) linear models, where time effects are allowed to vary randomly by day and date effects by year. We evaluate the proposed approach by Monte Carlo simulations with imbalance, sparse data and confounding by trend in time and date of sampling. Simulation results indicate unbiased trend estimators while results from a case study of temperature data from the Illinois River, USA conform to river thermal assumptions. We also propose a new nonparametric bootstrap inference on multilevel models that allows for a relatively flexible and distribution-free quantification of uncertainties. The proposed multilevel modeling approach may be elaborated to accommodate nonlinearities within days and years when sampling times or dates typically span temperature extremes.     

Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Across the Life Course

Scant attention has been paid to social catalysts of the increase in religiosity in the maturational and aging process. Using the 1988 Gallup Survey, this paper first explores four major measures of religiosity (personal devotion, participation in public ritual, divine interaction, and preference for public or privatized religiosity) for seven age groups. Next, the impact of these religiosity measures on satisfaction with life is assessed for each of the major age categories. In light of these findings, the authors move toward developing a theory of religiosity and life course.     

NARRATIVE PRACTICE AND THE COHERENCE OF PERSONAL STORIES

While the sociological analysis of personal stories is becoming more sophisticated, it would benefit from a refined appreciation for narrative practice. The theme of this article is that the coherence of stories and the experiences they convey are reflexively related to the manifold activities and the increasingly diverse conditions of storytelling. Drawing on ethnographically assembled story material, we offer an empirically sensitizing vocabulary to illustrate how practice constitutes coherence through the interplay of narrative composition and the local conditions of storytelling. The vocabulary high-lights the growing need to think of personal stories and their coherence as an active ensemble of narrative practice, now "owned" as much by the diverse auspices of story-telling as by the storyteller (Alasuutari 1997).     

An investigation on the effects of emerging 4G transmissions on 3G networks

Within the last 10 years, technological advances have allowed personal wireless communications to become part of our global, information-centric culture. Cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and wireless computer networks allow for tetherless use anytime and almost anywhere. These wireless communication advances have quickly matured through three technological generations. Currently, wireless communications are considered to be in the third generation (3G) of deployment and are rapidly approaching the fourth (4G). As these wireless technologies advance to meet market demand, careful pre-market technical analysis of these new capabilities must be made to understand potential impact on existing communication systems. This paper provides a novel examination into the effects of 4G ultrawide band (UWB) signaling on a 3G wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. Through empirical and statistical analyses, we show that the throughput performance of the Wi-Fi system can be negatively impacted by up to 20%. We conclude that careful implementation of emerging 4G UWB systems must occur to mitigate the detriments to existing 3G communication systems.     

Upstream Oversight Assessment for Agrifood Nanotechnology: A Case Studies Approach

Although nanotechnology is broadly receiving attention in public and academic circles, oversight issues associated with applications for agriculture and food remain largely unexplored. Agrifood nanotechnology is at a critical stage in which informed analysis can help shape funding priorities, risk assessment, and oversight activities. This analysis is designed to help society and policymakers anticipate and prepare for challenges posed by complicated, convergent applications of agrifood nanotechnology. The goal is to identify data, risk assessment, regulatory policy, and engagement needs for overseeing these products so they can be addressed prior to market entry. Our approach, termed upstream oversight assessment (UOA), has potential as a key element of anticipatory governance. It relies on distinct case studies of proposed applications of agrifood nanotechnology to highlight areas that need study and attention. As a tool for preparation, UOA anticipates the types and features of emerging applications; their endpoints of use in society; the extent to which users, workers, ecosystems, or consumers will be exposed; the nature of the material and its safety; whether and where the technologies might fit into current regulatory system(s); the strengths and weaknesses of the system(s) in light of these novel applications; and the possible social concerns related to oversight for them.     

Improving Ethical Knowledge and Sensemaking from Cases through Elaborative Interrogation and Outcome Valence

The case-based approach to learning is popular among many applied fields. However, results of case-based education vary widely on case content and case presentation. This study examined two aspects of case-based education—outcome valence and case elaboration methods—in a two-day case-based Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) ethics education program. Results suggest that outcome information is an integral part of a quality case. Furthermore, valence consistent outcomes may have certain advantages over mixed valence outcome information. Finally, students enjoy and excel working with case material, and the use of elaborative interrogation techniques can significantly improve internally-focused ethical sensemaking strategies associated with personal biases, constraints, and emotions.