Estimation of parameters in DNA mixture analysis

In [7], a Bayesian network for analysis of mixed traces of DNA was presented using gamma distributions for modelling peak sizes in the electropherogram. It was demonstrated that the analysis was sensitive to the choice of a variance factor and hence this should be adapted to any new trace analysed. In this paper, we discuss how the variance parameter can be estimated by maximum likelihood to achieve this. The unknown proportions of DNA from each contributor can similarly be estimated by maximum likelihood jointly with the variance parameter. Furthermore, we discuss how to incorporate prior knowledge about the parameters in a Bayesian analysis. The proposed estimation methods are illustrated through a few examples of applications for calculating evidential value in casework and for mixture deconvolution.     

隐性采访的法理情多维思考

在新闻媒体竞争日益激烈的今天，隐性采访作为一种行之有效的采访手段，被越来越多地使用。但由于采访方式、内容以及目的的特殊性，这种职业行为引发了诸多法律的困惑、社会道德与职责的矛盾、以及情感倾向的争议与思考。     

中国企业会计准则体系建设的新起点——刘玉廷司长访谈

刘玉廷教授现任联合国会计与报告国际标准政府间专家组成员,财政部会计司司长,中国会计学会秘书长,财政部会计准则委员会办公室主任,全国会计硕士(MPACC)教育指导委员会副主任,教育部重点社科基地厦门大学会计发展研究中心学术委员会主席,财政部财政科学研究所、北京交通大学、东北财经大学博士生导师,长期从事会计准则与会计制度的理论与实务研究,起草和组织制定了若干全国性的会计制度并负责组织实施。2007年12月,围绕当前中国会计改革的热点问题——中国企业会计准则体系建设,与刘司长进行访谈,整理成文,共同行参考。     

Simulated employment interviews: A collaborative approach to gaining understanding of the graduate midwife employment process

Graduating midwives unsuccessful in gaining employment in their preferred model/location; or finding a job within a year of graduation are more likely to leave the profession. Obtaining post-graduate midwifery employment is competitive with midwifery students needing to confidently sell themselves to potential employers. Whilst midwifery students may be prepared with the requisite midwifery skills and knowledge, there is no guarantee of attaining a midwifery position upon graduation. Increasingly employers are requiring ‘soft skills’ including communication, teamwork, reflexivity and personal attributes of the individual to be able to effectively respond within different contexts. Demonstrating these skills within an employment interview requires confidence and knowledge in how to prepare. Designed with health service partners, simulated employment interviews were introduced into the final year of a Bachelor of Midwifery program as part of a suite of employability strategies connected to the student lifecycle. An exploratory evaluation study of students ‘experiences of a simulated employment interview was undertaken. The simulated interview emulated real employment interviews with students receiving immediate written and oral feedback. Evaluation through surveys, focus groups and individual interviews provided rich data around the effectiveness of this approach. Students, health service partners and academics found the simulated employment interview provided a valuable learning experience, assisting students to reflect, explore and further develop skills sought by employers. Collaboration with health service partners created an authentic process enabling students to receive feedback relevant to the real world of practice. Students were able to work through anxiety, gain confidence and exposure to employers in preparation for employment interviews.     

Impact of Social Work Practice in Public Defense

Public defenders are increasingly welcoming social workers into their practice, but there is little understanding of the impact of social work services in this context. This study used propensity score matching to determine the effect of social work services on public defense clients in terms of the number and severity of criminal charges when statistically controlling for pre-existing criminal history and demographic characteristics. Findings indicate that social work and non-social work clients were similar in terms of demographics and that clients in both groups were more likely to have incurred misdemeanor charges, but clients in the social work group experienced more, suggesting greater life disruption. When comparing clients who did and did not receive social work services, results indicate that the number of misdemeanor charges incurred during a two-year time period was lower for clients who received social work services. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

The Effects of Questionnaire Translation on Demographic Data and Analysis

The collection of demographic data in developing and, increasingly, developed countries often requires the translation of a survey instrument. This article addresses the implications for data and analysis of two of the most common modes of translation. The first, the officially sanctioned—though not empirically verified—method, involves the pre-fieldwork production of a standardized translation of the template questionnaire into all or most languages in which interviews are expected to be conducted. The second, rarely acknowledged in the literature but quite common in the field, occurs where there is a mismatch between the language of the questionnaire available to the interviewer and the language in which the actual interview is conducted. In this case, it is up to the interviewer to translate from the language of the questionnaire to the language of the interview. Using the 1998 Kenya DHS, in which 23% of interviews were translated in this non-standardized manner, we explore the effects of the two translation modes on three indicators of measurement error and on estimated multivariate relations. In general we find that the effects of non-standardized translation on univariate statistics—including higher-order variance structures—are rather moderate. The effects become magnified, however, when multivariate analysis is used. This suggests that the advantages of—and also costs associated with—standardized translation depend on the ultimate purposes of data collection.

Adult Exploration of Attachment Interview in Family Therapy

The Adult Exploration of Attachment Interview (AEAI) is a therapeutic interview developed by the author to assist adults to understand themselves and their relationships with others, especially with a partner, co‐parent and/or children. It is suitable for individuals and couples struggling to overcome repeated patterns of relating, helping to improve their intimate or parenting relationships through greater self and other understanding. The AEAI explores an adult's early relational learning, especially in regard to attachment needs, in order to allow change. The interview uses specific externalising language to help persons tolerate difficult memories, reduce guilt and shame and integrate their thoughts and feelings. It applies key implications of attachment theory and the approach is illustrated by examples from therapy.     

The influence of the interviewing style and the historical context on positioning shifts in the narrative of a Second World War Resistance member1

This article involves a study of the narrative of a Second World War Resistance member by means of an interview in which the interviewer explicitly inserts the historical context by selecting the topics for discussion and asking critical questions. The interview deals with three periods: the Wartime period; the First Wave of Reprisals; and the Second Wave of Reprisals. The analyses show that the interviewee's first and second‐level positionings shift along with changes in historical period and that they mirror the general historical image of the Resistance. These different positionings are highly consistent in themselves and this consistency is also present on the third level of positioning, because of the interviewee's fairly muted style of narrating, by which blatant inconsistencies are avoided and a general, ‘good’ identity is constructed. The article also demonstrates that the interview style adds another, important dimension to the analysis of identities in life stories.     

Southwest Ethnic Literature of China in English-speaking World---An Interview with Professor Mark Bender of Ohio University,USA

Professor Huang Li conducted an interview with Professor Mark Bender of Ohio Uni-versity in 2013.Their discussion focuses on the translation and propagation of the ethnic literature of Southwest China ...     

汉英口译流利性的访谈研究

本文通过以人事部三级口译实务2005年5月汉译英的真题为语料,搜集了100个英语专业大三学生的口译录音,并且对其以均等人数进行分组,分为较好学生和较差学生对照组进行口译流利性研究。通过与受试者访谈,总结出了流利性差异的原因,对汉英口译流利性的提高以及对汉译英口译的教学实践提出了建议。