Fuzzy vs. Minmax Weighted Multiobjective Linear Programming Illustrative Comparisons

This paper compares two approaches to the solution of weighted multiobjective linear programming problems: the fuzzy linear programming method and the minmax distance metric. The two models produce an identical solution for equally weighted objectives, but the solutions differ when the objectives are unequally weighted. This is due to the underlying meaning of the weights attached to each solution method. The paper illustrates the graphical meaning of the weights and the implications to the decision maker.     

中、韩企业投资税收扶持制度的比较

企业投资左右着一个国家经济的成长。现在,韩国企业的国内投资明显减少已成为迫在眉睫的问题。本文将以影响企业(设备)投资的各种因素中的税收和税收扶持制度为中心进行研究。本文认为,虽然税收和税收扶持制度不是企业在决定投资地点时的重要因素,但分析在日趋白热化的东北亚地区的竞争中,韩国和中国的税收和税收扶持制度在投资时所起的作用却也不无意义。     

The cluster correlation-network support vector machine for high-dimensional binary classification

ABSTRACT

Identifying homogeneous subsets of predictors in classification can be challenging in the presence of high-dimensional data with highly correlated variables. We propose a new method called cluster correlation-network support vector machine (CCNSVM) that simultaneously estimates clusters of predictors that are relevant for classification and coefficients of penalized SVM. The new CCN penalty is a function of the well-known Topological Overlap Matrix whose entries measure the strength of connectivity between predictors. CCNSVM implements an efficient algorithm that alternates between searching for predictors’ clusters and optimizing a penalized SVM loss function using Majorization–Minimization tricks and a coordinate descent algorithm. This combining of clustering and sparsity into a single procedure provides additional insights into the power of exploring dimension reduction structure in high-dimensional binary classification. Simulation studies are considered to compare the performance of our procedure to its competitors. A practical application of CCNSVM on DNA methylation data illustrates its good behaviour.     

The Value of the Relationship in Volunteer Home Support Programs Working with Vulnerable Families

This paper reports on a program evaluation project that included interviews with 35 parents from high-risk backgrounds who received home volunteer support as part of the Dalwood Volunteer Home Support Program. It provides insight into the meaning and value parents attach to the volunteer relationship. The evaluation findings suggest that home volunteer support was associated with parent perception of increased wellbeing, decreased social isolation, and an improved relationship with their child. The results also suggest that parents perceived their relationship with their volunteer as significant in providing a secure base relationship.     

老年人生活满意度影响因素研究

随着我国人口老龄化程度的不断加深,对老年人生活满意度影响因素进行研究非常必要。本文利用在山东的调查数据对影响老年人生活满意度的个人及家庭因素进行了分析,结果发现老年人健康状况、家庭经济条件、老年人在家庭中的经济地位和儿子对老人的经济支持对老年人的生活满意度影响显著。     

The Elderly and the Extended Household in Portugal: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Portugal, a southern European country, is expected to exhibit a relatively large proportion of extended households. However, following some general trends associated with large social transformations, Portugal is also expected to have an increasingly larger proportion of nuclear families. We use data from the eight waves of ECHP (European Community Household Panel), covering the years from 1994 to 2001, to establish whether these expectations are justified. Among the nuclear households that include elderly members, we isolate those corresponding to single-person households, since they are particularly relevant for policy purposes. Separate analyses are carried out for the elderly with health problems and for those with no health problems, in order to detect different patterns of living arrangements. We also project the living arrangements until 2005, based on an age-period-cohort analysis. We find that the extended households are a very significant form of living arrangement with reference to the Portuguese elderly, and a living arrangement whose importance is not declining over time. In particular, the oldest old constitutes the group that tends to be found living most frequently in extended households, while those with health problems start much earlier than those with no health problems to live in extended households as they grow older. The proportion of individuals aged 65+ living alone has somewhat decreased, but the proportion of this type of household largely increases with age.

Working with Older People with Alcohol Problems: Insight from Specialist Substance Misuse Professionals and their Service Users

Significant numbers of older people worldwide have a drinking level or pattern which places them at risk of harm. In England, older people are more likely to be admitted to hospital for an alcohol-related condition than younger people and levels of alcohol-related harm are increasing fastest in this population. Whilst alcohol problems in older people are highly treatable, they frequently go undetected or ignored. The aim of this study was to develop guidelines for health and social care workers on what intervention strategies are likely to work best with older drinkers. Insight from alcohol practitioners who specialise in working with older people and the perspectives of older people receiving alcohol treatment were gained through focus groups and individual interviews. This paper reports some of the key findings including a perception that health and social care workers often did not intervene when alcohol misuse was suspected because of ageist attitudes and false beliefs about older people's drinking. Participants however acknowledged that social workers faced difficult choices in relation to the ‘right’ of older people with alcohol problems to continue to drink and the ‘risk’ associated with them doing so. The implications for social work education and training are discussed.     

Some Empirical Findings on Short-Term Forecasting: Technique Complexity and Combinations

The purpose of this research is to determine if prior findings that favor simple forecasting techniques and technique combinations hold true in a short-term forecasting environment, where demand data can be quite volatile. Twenty-two time series of daily data from a real business setting are used to test one-period ahead forecasts, the epitome of short-term forecasting. The time series vary systematically as to data volatility and forecast difficulty. Forecast accuracy is measured in terms of both mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean percentage error (MPE).     

河北省保障性住房建设融资问题及对策建议

保障性住房是政府为中低收入住房困难家庭所提供的限定标准、价格或租金的住房,一般由廉租住房、经济适用住房和政策性租赁住房构成。本文对河北省保障性住房建设融资工作的现状及存在的问题进行了分析,提出了相关对策建议,以期为河北省保障性住房建设融资提供理论参考与经验借鉴。     

老年人消费状况及其性别差异——以浙江省为例

在浙江省,无论城乡,老年人的消费状况均存在着显著的性别差异.表现在:女性老年人的月消费总支出低于男性;“饮食/食品”和“居住(房屋水电)”等最基本的生活消费支出比例往往高于男性;医疗月均费用少于男性,而医疗费占总消费支出的比例却高于男性;有人情往来的比例比男性略高,而支出均值却比男性低;对子女经济支持的均值低于男性、承受力弱于男性;低消费人群的比例显著大于男性,而中、高消费人群的比例却明显低于男性;对月最低生活费的评价均值低于男性;持较低评价值的比例多于男性,持较高评价值的比例少于男性;在经济上更感到拮据和困难等等.这些情况均表明:浙江省女性老年人的消费水平显著低于男性老年人.同时,由恩格尔系数反映出,女性老年人的生活水平也不如男性老年人.这就再次说明了:改善女性老年人的生活状况应该“成为政策行动的一个优先领域”.