On a system of nonhomogeneous components sharing a common frailty

The components of a reliability system subjected to a common random environment usually have dependent lifetimes. This paper studies the stochastic properties of such a system with lifetimes of the components following multivariate frailty models and multivariate mixed proportional reversed hazard rate (PRHR) models, respectively. Through doing stochastic comparison, we devote to throwing a new light on how the random environment affects the number of working components of a reliability system and on assessing the performance of a k-out-of-n system.     

阻沙率在沙漠公路高大沙丘段防沙体系设计中的应用

在工程防沙设计中，阻沙率和输沙强度均是确定防护类型及其宽度的重要指标。从工程实际出发，结合典型地形特征，运用实测的阻沙率指标，优化沙漠公路高大沙丘段防沙体系的设计，用理论指导实践的同时，并在实践施工中加以较好地运用，从实践效果上，以阻沙率这一风沙物理指标为依据，确定高大沙丘段的防沙设计参数，是符合实际和可行的方法。     

Hazard rate ordering of the second-order statistics from multiple-outlier PHR samples

In this paper, we compare the hazard rate functions of the second-order statistics arising from two sets of independent multiple-outlier proportional hazard rates (PHR) samples. It is proved that the submajorization order between the sample size vectors together with the supermajorization order between the hazard rate vectors imply the hazard rate ordering between the corresponding second-order statistics from multiple-outlier PHR random variables. The results established here provide theoretical guidance both for the winner's price for the bid in the second-price reverse auction in auction theory and fail-safe system design in reliability. Some numerical examples are also provided for illustration.     

Racial diversity in the suburbs: how race-neutral responses to demographic change perpetuate inequity in suburban school districts

Suburbs across the US are experiencing dramatic demographic shifts, yet there is little research available on how suburban school districts are dealing with these changes. In this article, we examine the discourses surrounding race and demographic change in three suburban school districts that have been undergoing rapid demographic changes and which contain demographically distinct areas within their district boundaries. Utilizing a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach, we analyze how the policy context (federal and state) frames actors’ discourses and understandings of race, paying particular attention to the political and institutional factors affecting school policy. We illustrate how the discourse, in turn, is related to the actions (or inactions) taken by district and school leaders to respond to demographic change. We conclude the article by discussing policy implications and potential challenges districts may face in the future if efforts to purposively address racial changes continue to be avoided.     

超声波提取胡椒中有效成分条件优化

试验研究温度、时间、超声波频率对超声波-食用乙醇提取胡椒有效成分的影响,以胡椒粗提取物的提取率为指标,正交实验确定较适宜提取条件为,温度55℃、时间55 min,超声波频率60 KHz,胡椒粗提取物的提取率为4.29%.     

区域碳锁定的判定研究--以云南省为例

通过建立包括陆地、湿地和海洋的碳承载力、碳超载率的计算模型，采用供需平衡法建立了区域碳锁定时间和趋势的判定模型。以有着“植物王国”和“基因宝库”之称以及水电资源相对丰富的云南省为例，对该省的碳锁定时间、趋势进行了实证研究。实证分析结果显示，云南省自2002年后开始出现了碳锁定现象且趋势越来越严重，若不进行强有力的外界干扰，这种趋势将一直延续下去。结合即使“十一·五”低碳目标的完成也没能减轻云南省碳锁定加剧的趋势，提出把减轻碳超载、控制能源消费总量、提升碳承载力纳入低碳经济发展的目标管理。     

Testing dominance of biometric functions

The hazard rate (HR) and mean residual lifetime are two of the most practical and best-known functions in biometry, reliability, statistics and life testing. Recently, the reversed HR function is found to have interesting properties useful in additional areas such as censored data and forensic science. For these three biometric functions, we propose testing methods that they take on a known functional form against that they dominate or are dominated by this known form. This goodness-of-fit-type testing is wider in applications and more interesting than the long-standing testing procedures for exponentiality against the monotonicity of these functions or even the change point problems. This is so since we can test against any choice of the survival distribution and not just exponentiality. For this general testing, we present easy to implement tests and generalize them into classes of statistics that could lead to more powerful and efficient testing.     

A bootstrap control chart for inverse Gaussian percentiles

The conventional Shewhart-type control chart is developed essentially on the central limit theorem. Thus, the Shewhart-type control chart performs particularly well when the observed process data come from a near-normal distribution. On the other hand, when the underlying distribution is unknown or non-normal, the sampling distribution of a parameter estimator may not be available theoretically. In this case, the Shewhart-type charts are not available. Thus, in this paper, we propose a parametric bootstrap control chart for monitoring percentiles when process measurements have an inverse Gaussian distribution. Through extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the behaviour and performance of the proposed bootstrap percentile charts. The average run lengths of the proposed percentage charts are investigated.     

中国企业储蓄率变动原因探析

我国国民储蓄率一直居高不下,其中企业部门的储蓄率变动逐渐引起人们的关注。研究发现,国民储蓄率自2008年增势减缓,主要因为企业部门储蓄率出现下降,企业支付的劳动者报酬、财产支出以及融资渠道的变化是企业储蓄变动的主要原因。进一步通过E-G协整法探究企业储蓄率对国民经济、投资率的影响,发现企业部门对经济发展和投资水平起到积极作用。最后,根据企业部门的国民地位和储蓄率变动趋势给出密切关注企业储蓄率、合理降低居民储蓄率的相关建议。     

Critical Realism,Dialectics, and Qualitative Research Methods

Critical realism has been an important advance in social science methodology because it develops a qualitative theory of causality which avoids some of the pitfalls of empiricist theories of causality. But while there has been ample work exploring the relationship between critical realism and qualitative research methods there has been noticeably less work exploring the relationship between dialectical critical realism and qualitative research methods. This seems strange especially since the founder of the philosophy of critical realism, Roy Bhaskar, employs and develops a range of dialectical concepts in his later work in order to extend the main tenets of critical realism. The aim of this paper is to draw on Bhaskar's later work, as well as Marxism, to reorient a critical realist methodology towards a dialectical approach for qualitative research. In particular, the paper demonstrates how dialectical critical realism can begin to provide answers to three common criticisms made against original critical realist methodology: that the qualitative theory of causal powers and structures developed by critical realists is problematic; that critical realist methodology contains values which prove damaging to empirical research; and that critical realists often have difficulties in researching everyday qualitative dilemmas that people face in their daily lives.