RESEARCHING RELATIONSHIPS FROM AN ATTACHMENT PERSPECTIVE: THE USE OF BEHAVIOURAL,INTERVIEW, SELF‐REPORT AND PROJECTIVE MEASURES

Having demonstrated its credentials as one of the more elegant and robust conceptualisations of human relationships, attachment theory has considerable relevance to social work. Attachment‐based research has flourished over the past few years and it now includes an impressive array of studies across the lifespan. This article considers four different measures used in attachment‐based research, although more discussion is devoted to interview and projective measures because they specifically embrace a psychodynamic approach in their design and analytic focus. The aim of the article is to provide a brief overview of each measure and to offer some illustrative examples using practice‐related material.     

An access network design problem with end-to-end QoS constraints

In this paper, we present an access network design problem with end-to-end quality of service (QoS) requirement. The problem can be conceptualized as a two-level hierarchical location-allocation problem on the tree topology with nonlinear side constraints. The objective function of the nonlinear mixed integer programming model minimizes the total cost of switch and fiber cable, while satisfying demand within the prescribed level of QoS. By exploiting the inherent structure of the nonlinear QoS constraints, we develop linearization techniques for finding an optimal solution. Also, we devise an effective exact optimal algorithm within the context of disjunctive constraint generation. We present promising computational results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution procedure.     

Mixed integer (0–1) fractional programming for decision support in paper production industry

This paper presents an effective and efficient method for solving a special class of mixed integer fractional programming (FP) problems. We take a classical reformulation approach for continuous FP as a starting point and extend it for solving a more general class of mixed integer (0–1) fractional programming problems.To stress the practical relevance of the research we focus on a real-life application in paper production industry. The constantly advancing physical knowledge of large scale pulp and paper production did have a substantial impact on an existing DSS in which mixed integer (0–1) fractional programming is introduced. We show that the motivation to solve a real-life fractional programming problem can provide the basis for a new approach in a new context that has an added value of its own, even outside the given application area. We describe the main characteristics of the DSS, the necessity to develop a non-iterative solution procedure and demonstrate both the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach from practical data sets.     

动词复制句中的附加语控制

动词复制句（Verb－Copying Construction，VCC）是一种在汉语口语中经常使用的结构，用符号可以简单地表示为S＋VP1＋VP2，动词V2是动词V1的拷贝。这种结构本身具有独特的句法语义特征，也具有不同的句法变体。在其进行句法运算时，两个动词性结构首先独立运算，VP1作为附加语，VP2作为主句成分进入句法推导。通过附加语侧向移位、附加合并以及主题化特征核查等句法操作形成语言表达式。其句法变体的不同构型是因为不同的控制类型造成的。     

Staff rostering in call centers providing employee transportation

We address the staff rostering problem in call centers with the goal of balancing operational cost, agent satisfaction and customer service objectives. In metropolitan cities such as Istanbul and Mumbai, call centers provide the transportation of their staff so that shuttle costs constitute a significant part of the operational costs. We develop a mixed integer programming model that incorporates the shuttle requirements at the beginning and end of the shifts into the agent-shift assignment decisions, while considering the skill sets of the agents, and other constraints due to workforce regulations and agent preferences. We analyze model solutions for a banking call center under various management priorities to understand the interactions among the conflicting objectives. We show that considering transportation costs as well as agent preferences in agent-shift assignments provides significant benefits in terms of both cost savings and employee satisfaction.     

The Human Right to Leisure in Old Age: Reinforcement of the Rights of an Aging Population

The right to leisure is recognized as a human right under the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The actual meaning and material content of this human right is subject to debate. The aim of this study is to examine the extent and the context to which this human right is specifically recognized with regard to older persons. Methodologically, this study textually analyzed 17 different international older persons’ human rights documents. The findings reveal that in the majority of these documents there is no reference to the right to leisure. In the remaining documents, the right to leisure is mostly referred to indirectly or in a narrow legal construction. These findings support the notion that despite the growing body of knowledge regarding the importance of meaningful leisure in old age—and its empowering and anti-ageist nature—this knowledge has not transformed into a legal human rights discourse.     

Asymptotic relative efficiency of the linear discriminant function under partial nonrandom classification of the training data

This paper considers the problem where the linear discriminant rule is formed from training data that are only partially classified with respect to the two groups of origin. A further complication is that the data of unknown origin do not constitute an observed random sample from a mixture of the two under- lying groups. Under the assumption of a homoscedastic normal model, the overall error rate of the sample linear discriminant rule formed by maximum likelihood from the partially classified training data is derived up to and including terms of the first order in the case of univariate feature data. This first- order expansion of the sample rule so formed is used to define its asymptotic efficiency relative to the rule formed from a completely classified random training set and also to the rule formed from a completely unclassified random set.     

The empirical Bayes estimators of the parameter of the Poisson distribution with a conjugate gamma prior under Stein's loss function

For the hierarchical Poisson and gamma model, we calculate the Bayes posterior estimator of the parameter of the Poisson distribution under Stein's loss function which penalizes gross overestimation and gross underestimation equally and the corresponding Posterior Expected Stein's Loss (PESL). We also obtain the Bayes posterior estimator of the parameter under the squared error loss and the corresponding PESL. Moreover, we obtain the empirical Bayes estimators of the parameter of the Poisson distribution with a conjugate gamma prior by two methods. In numerical simulations, we have illustrated: The two inequalities of the Bayes posterior estimators and the PESLs; the moment estimators and the Maximum Likelihood Estimators (MLEs) are consistent estimators of the hyperparameters; the goodness-of-fit of the model to the simulated data. The numerical results indicate that the MLEs are better than the moment estimators when estimating the hyperparameters. Finally, we exploit the attendance data on 314 high school juniors from two urban high schools to illustrate our theoretical studies.     

Providing a secure base for LGBTQ young people in foster care: The role of foster carers

The experiences and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) young people in care have been overlooked in England, in both policy and research. This paper reports on findings from the first study of LGBTQ young people in care in England and focuses on the nature of foster carers' experiences and perspectives on caring for LGBTQ young people. Qualitative interviews regarding the fostering role in caring for LGBTQ young people were conducted with a sample of foster carers (n = 26) and analysed thematically. Foster carers described the importance of offering LGBTQ young people not only the nurturing relationships that all children in care need but also availability, sensitivity and acceptance to help young people manage stigma and other challenges associated with minority sexual orientation and gender identity. The Secure Base caregiving model provided a framework for analysing the different dimensions of these relationships. Understanding caregiving roles and relationships for LGBTQ young people in care has important implications for recruiting, training, matching and supporting foster carers to care for LGBTQ young people effectively.     

The Roles Played by the Staff and Workers’ Representative Congress in the Formation of Work Regulations

Article 4 of the Labor Contract Law lays down the right of the Staff and Workers’ Representative Congress (SWRC) to deliberate on the formulation of (intra-enterprise) work regulations, but this has become a “soft” law in judicial practice. The judicial criteria for judging the validity of work regulations are in essence determined by the judge’s judgment on their reasonableness. As an important embodiment of Chinese politics, economics and culture, the transformation of the SWRC that accompanied the market economy has not negated its value as an indigenous traditional resource. The SWRC does not just enjoy deliberative rights in the formation of regulations, as clearly specified in constitutional law, but also has rights under the law in local legislation and practice. Hence the system of work regulations is neither a unilateral decision on the part of management nor a contract, but rather an autonomous norm developed through the SWRC mechanism. Given the mandatory nature of Article 4 of the Labor Contract Law, regulations will only be valid after they have gone through a democratic process. The further development of the theory of normative system formation should endow the SWRC with greater rights and integrate it smoothly with the collective contract system to standardize collective labor relations.