Order statistics and the length of the best-n-of-(2n − 1) competition

The best-4-of-7 series is a popular playoff format to decide the champion in most North American professional sports. World Series (best-4-of-7) type competitions give rise to interesting probabilistic and statistical questions. We determine the expected length of this type of series by relating it to a problem involving order statistics. We also calculate the variance of the length and provide a simple formula for series of fair games. The method can be extended to derive higher order moments. This novel approach leads to new results that can be formulated in closed forms in terms of the distribution function of various binomial distributions. The emphasis is on establishing the connection to order statistics and obtaining closed forms. The relation to the negative binomial distribution as well as to the sooner waiting time problem in sequential testing is also discussed. We also consider the case when ties are allowed in the single games.     

Senility,illness and death in Açvaghosa's ‘Buddhacări˘ta’The Feats of Buddha

Background An age-related decline in growth hormone (GH) level has been established, and this decline is associated with changes in body composition as well as a general increase in susceptibility to illness and a reduced sense of well-being. The current study, a first in Asia, sought to examine the effects of GH therapy on body composition and other endocrine and metabolic functions in a group of healthy elderly Chinese men.

Methods A total of 23 healthy elderly Chinese men, aged between 60 and 69 years, were injected subcutaneously, three times weekly, with 0.08 U/kg of recombinant GH for 6 months. Various hormones and biochemical parameters, together with percentage lean body mass and body fat, were measured before, 3 and 6 months after the start and 3 months after the cessation of GH therapy.

Results A significant increase in lean body mass, up to 9.1% over baseline values at 3 months post-therapy, and a significant decrease in body fat, up to 3.1%, were noted. GH therapy also induced variable and significant increases in levels of insulin growth factor (IGF-I), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), insulin, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and triglyceride and significant reductions in glucose and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels. No changes in testosterone, free androgen index and cholesterol were noted. A significant and independent correlation was noted between IGF-I and insulin, TSH, DHEAS, glucose and triglyceride levels.

Conclusions GH augmentation therapy was effective in improving the body composition of a group of elderly Chinese men. GH-induced positive changes in body composition in the elderly were probably a result of the direct effect of the GH. It is also possible that some of the changes were mediated through GH-induced changes in thyroid hormones, insulin, glucose, triglyceride and DHEAS. However, the mechanism of GH- induced changes in body composition remains to be defined.     

The metastases of winning: Svenska Spel advertisements through the lens of a Žižeko–Lacanian critique of ideology

In a time when the privileged market position of Svenska Spel is under intense scrutiny by EU officials and pro‐market ideologists, this study provides a critical reading of the advertisement material issued by this Swedish state‐run gambling operation. Drawing on a ?i?eko–Lacanian critique of ideology, the essay identifies and theorizes different kinds of enjoyment promoted in a number of TV advertisement campaigns issued by the company. By taking recourse to the Lacanian notion of jouissance, the study throws light on the radical ambiguity that resides in the gambling win – an ambiguity which manifests itself in the win being pictured as both pleasurable and painful. Moreover, the essay suggests that Svenska Spel entirely excludes the enjoyment derived from the gambling experience as such from its advertisement material, possibly as a consequence of the threat that the promotion of such enjoyment would pose to the company’s legitimacy.     

山梨酸工业废水生物处理可行性研究

山梨酸是一种食品防腐剂,对微生物生长具有抑制作用,其废水可生化性差,但是,在经过一定处理后的废水则具有可生性.用生物氧化法对高浓度山梨酸工业废水进行了试验性研究,结果表明CODcr去除率达91.3%,废水可以达标排放.     

间羧基苦胺酸偶氮变色酸与铜的显色反应研究

在磷酸介质中,Cu2+离子与间羧基苦胺酸偶氮变色酸反应生成络合比为12的稳定蓝色络合物,该络合物在663 nm处有最大吸收,其摩尔吸光系数为2.88×104L·mol-1·cm-1,Cu2+离子含量在0～25μg/25ml范围内遵守比尔定律,方法用于铝合金中铜含量的测定,铜的标准回收率在95%～102%之间,结果满意.     

微晶壳聚糖的制备及影响因素

微晶壳聚糖是用天然高聚物壳聚糖为原料制成的,影响微晶壳聚糖制品质量的因素有壳聚糖的浓度、降解时间、反应温度、碱的浓度以及使用超声降解技术等,综合各因素的最佳条件,可以得到结晶度超过85%的微晶壳聚糖制品.     

高层建筑结构的概念设计

在设计中任何地方都离不开概念设计,高层建筑结构中尤为突出,遵循概念设计的基本原则,掌握概念设计方法,用概念设计指导结构设计,能够推动结构技术水平的发展.     

Der einäugige Riese: „Lösungsorientiertes Coaching“ Vom Unsinn einer problematischen Fokussierung

Solution-orientated coaching. The nonsense of an one-sides focus The Author discusses the disadvantages of the solution-orientation approach in coaching. With respect to some prejudices in theories of psychology, the dangers of an one-sided solutionorientation are analyzed. Without an understanding of intrapsychic conflicts, solution-orientated interventions may reinfore dysfunctional coping mechanisms in the client. The unconscious attractiveness of these intervention techniques for people with bonding disorders is shown. In a case example, the difference between needs and avoidance as an alternative approach is discussed.     

Erfolgsfaktoren bei der Integration von Coaching und Entwicklungsprogrammen

Success factors for the integration of coaching and development programs This article describes possible ways to combine coaching and development programs for managers, that are based on the author’s practical experience. Such a combination can lead to a more intense and more sustainable competence growth than each individual approach. Both coaching and development program benefit from a combination. Adequately, a high level of integration is desirable. Such an integration will be successful if the structure of the program allows for embedding, special characteristics of the target group are considered, non-threatening labels are used, and the coaches/trainers are able to build a coherent bridge between the single elements.     

Sample size calculation for method validation using linear regression

In this article, we present a method for sample size calculation for studies involving both the intercept and slope parameters of a simple linear regression model. Some methods have been proposed in the literature to determine the adequate sample size. However, they are usually based on the line slope only. We propose a method based on the F statistic that involves both the intercept and the slope parameters of the model. The validation process is conducted by fitting a simple linear regression model and by testing a zero intercept and unity slope hypothesis. Compared to a traditional method and using Monte Carlo simulations, encouraging results attest for the clear superiority of the proposed method. The article ends with a real-life example showing the value of the new method in practice.