Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
David Griffiths, W. Douglas Stirling, and K. Laurence Weldon, Understanding Data: Principles and Practice of Statistics
Ingwer Borg and Patrick Groenen, Modern Multidimensional Scaling: Theory and Applications
Jeffrey H. Dorfman, Bayesian Economics Through Numerical Methods: A Guide to Econometrics and Decision-making with Prior Information
Marek Musiela and Marek Rutkowski, Martingale Methods in Financial Modelling: Theory and Applications
Aad W. van der Vaart and Jon A. Wellner, Weak Convergence and Empirical Processes     

Single sampling plans indexed by point op control and inflection point

Three tables for selection of single sampling plans with any one of the following combinations of entry parameters are givens.

1) the indifference quality level and the average outgoing quality limit.

2) the indifference quality level with relative slope of the OC curve at that quality leve land.

3) the quality level corresponding to the inflection point with relative slope of the OC curve at that quality level.

A table enabling the transition from one set of parameters to match the OC curve of other similar sets is also given.     

A Note on Superiority Comparisons of Homogeneous Linear Estimators

This note extends some results on homogeneous linear estimators to the general, even nonlinear case.A Sufficient condition for the difference of mean square error matrices of minimum conditional mean square error estimator and minimum average risk linear estimator to be postive definite is derived.     

ORDER SELECTION IN ARMA MODELS USING THE FOCUSED INFORMATION CRITERION

This paper develops a new approach for order selection in autoregressive moving average models using the focused information criterion. This criterion minimizes the asymptotic mean squared error of the estimator of a parameter of interest. Simulation studies indicate that the suggested criterion is quite effective and comparable to the Akaike information criterion, the corrected Akaike information criterion and the Bayesian information criterion in autoregressive moving average order selection. The use of the focused information criterion for the simultaneous selection of regression variables and order of the error process in a linear regression model with autoregressive moving average errors is also considered.     

Using quantile averages in matched observational studies

In two observational studies, one investigating the effects of minimum wage laws on employment and the other of the effects of exposures to lead, an estimated treatment effect's sensitivity to hidden bias is examined. The estimate uses the combined quantile averages that were introduced in 1981 by B. M. Brown as simple, efficient, robust estimates of location admitting both exact and approximate confidence intervals and significance tests. Closely related to Gastwirth's estimate and Tukey's trimean, the combined quantile average has asymptotic efficiency for normal data that is comparable with that of a 15% trimmed mean, and higher efficiency than the trimean, but it has resistance to extreme observations or breakdown comparable with that of the trimean and better than the 15% trimmed mean. Combined quantile averages provide consistent estimates of an additive treatment effect in a matched randomized experiment. Sensitivity analyses are discussed for combined quantile averages when used in a matched observational study in which treatments are not randomly assigned. In a sensitivity analysis in an observational study, subjects are assumed to differ with respect to an unobserved covariate that was not adequately controlled by the matching, so that treatments are assigned within pairs with probabilities that are unequal and unknown. The sensitivity analysis proposed here uses significance levels, point estimates and confidence intervals based on combined quantile averages and examines how these inferences change under a range of assumptions about biases due to an unobserved covariate. The procedures are applied in the studies of minimum wage laws and exposures to lead. The first example is also used to illustrate sensitivity analysis with an instrumental variable.     

统计指数的两套体系及其因素分析

统计指数有两套体系：一是综合指数体系；二是平均指标指数体系。两套体系有内在的联系。统计指数体系因素分析是对经济现象进行定量分析的一种方法。     

普通高校成人学历教育地位作用申论

从一般意义来看,普通高校成人学历教育是提高劳动者素质和推动经济社会发展的有效手段,是促进社会主义精神文明建设的有力途径,是我国高等教育和成人教育的重要组成部分,对人的现代化和挖掘人的潜力均具有重要意义。从现实意义来看,普通高校成人学历教育对当前我国有效地迎接知识经济的挑战,实现终身教育和学习化社会,加速我国高等教育大众化的步伐,以及劳动者就业和再就业,加速企业和农村的改革均具有重要的作用。     

西方若干道德观念在我国表现的实证研究

为了进一步了解西方观念对普通中国公众的影响程度,在最近进行的问卷调查中设置了相关提问。通过对回收的有效问卷的数据分析,不难发现,与行为相关的观念如提前消费观念、婚前财产公证、平等的朋友关系等易于并且已经被多数人所接受;而与价值相关的观念如个人本位意识、宽恕精神等不易被人们所认同。这表明,西方观念对中国人的影响仍停留在外在的行为方面,价值观念方面的影响并不显著。     

马克思与罗尔斯平等原则的比较

马克思与罗尔斯的平等原则具有高度的同一性,主要体现在他们的平等原则都源于对资本主义不平等现象的深刻反思,并且他们都极为反对平均主义。马克思与罗尔斯平等原则的差异性主要体现在两个方面,一是马克思关注的是当下人的不平等状况而罗尔斯的平等原则却是倾向于未来的,二是罗尔斯认为人们的平等应是权利层面的平等而马克思认为的平等则是法律面前的平等。     

基于平均报酬模型的强化学习算法研究

对于有吸收目标状态的循环任务,比较合理的方法是采用基于平均报酬模型的强化学习.平均报酬模型强化学习具有收敛速度快、鲁棒性强等优点.本文介绍了平均报酬模型强化学习的3个主要算法:R学习、H学习和LC学习,并给出了平均报酬模型强化学习的主要应用及研究方向.