Pseudo‐likelihood ratio tests for semiparametric multivariate copula model selection

The authors propose pseudo‐likelihood ratio tests for selecting semiparametric multivariate copula models in which the marginal distributions are unspecified, but the copula function is parameterized and can be misspecified. For the comparison of two models, the tests differ depending on whether the two copulas are generalized nonnested or generalized nested. For more than two models, the procedure is built on the reality check test of White (2000). Unlike White (2000), however, the test statistic is automatically standardized for generalized nonnested models (with the benchmark) and ignores generalized nested models asymptotically. The authors illustrate their approach with American insurance claim data.     

“以人为本”：当代教师应积极追求的教育理念

培养具有开拓精神和创新能力的全面发展的学生的教育理念已经成为时代潮流。人性化、信息化和终身化早已成为教育的价值取向并成为教育的明显特征。“以人为本”的教育理念要求当代教师在教育工作中更应重视人的和谐发展,充分尊重学生个性;并能够熟练运用现代化信息技术手段,在更广阔的范围实现教育资源共享;终身教育观要求教师不断提高科研能力,积极追求由“经验型”向“科研型”、“创新型”转化。     

Testing circular symmetry

The author addresses the problem of testing circular data for reflective symmetry about an unknown central direction and proposes a simple omnibus test based on the sample second sine moment about an estimation of this direction. Under quite general conditions, for an underlying distribution which is reflectively symmetric, the large‐sample asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is standard normal. Randomization and bootstrap variants of the test are also introduced, and the operating characteristics of different versions of the test are investigated in a Monte Carlo study. The large‐sample and bootstrap versions of the test are applied in the analysis of two illustrative examples drawn from the circular statistics literature.     

Economic hardship in the family of origin and children's psychological well‐Being in adulthood

Past research consistently indicates that poverty and economic hardship have negative consequences for children. Few studies, however, have examined whether these consequences persist into adulthood. This study addresses this gap by assessing whether economic resources in the family of origin have long‐term effects on psychological well‐being in adulthood. Specifically, we test two processes—one involving interpersonal processes in the family of origin, and the other involving children's socioeconomic attainment—that may help to explain the link between early economic factors and later well‐being. Using 17‐year longitudinal data from two generations (N= 589), we find evidence that economic hardship in the family of origin predicts later adult well‐being through the parents’ marital relationship, the parent‐teen relationship, children's educational attainment, and children's earned income. Supplementary analyses suggest that economic hardship is particularly problematic when it is of long duration or when it occurs during adolescence.     

The deinstitutionalization of American marriage

This article argues that marriage has undergone a process of deinstitutionalization—a weakening of the social norms that define partners' behavior—over the past few decades. Examples are presented involving the increasing number and complexity of cohabiting unions and the emergence of same‐sex marriage. Two transitions in the meaning of marriage that occurred in the United States during the 20th century have created the social context for deinstitutionalization. The first transition, noted by Ernest Burgess, was from the institutional marriage to the companionate marriage. The second transition was to the individualized marriage in which the emphasis on personal choice and self‐development expanded. Although the practical importance of marriage has declined, its symbolic significance has remained high and may even have increased. It has become a marker of prestige and personal achievement. Examples of its symbolic significance are presented. The implications for the current state of marriage and its future direction are discussed.     

民事诉讼举证责任的分配

举证责任的分配是举证责任的核心问题。举证责任包括行为责任和结果责任两方面的含义。“谁主张,谁举证”的一般分配原则,不能合理、有效地解决结果责任的分配。结果责任的分配所要解决的问题是,当诉讼即将终结时若案件事实仍然真伪不明,由谁承担不利的诉讼后果。我国现行的司法解释,完善了举证责任分配的有关规则,但结果责任的分配,尚需确立明确的标准和分配的规则。民事诉讼证据立法需要从实体法和程序法进一步完善,公平、科学地解决举证责任的分配。     

Exploring Nonnormative Coresidence in Urban China: Living With Wives’ Parents

We model histories between two cohorts of urban Chinese couples (N = 1,191) of a rarely studied living arrangement—coresidence with the wife's parents—using a dynamic life history analysis in contrast to previous cross‐sectional studies of coresidence. We examine patterns of entry into and exit from coresidence with the wife's parents, comparing the predictive power of modernization theory to the effect of demographic change and the resources and needs of each generation. Given China's well‐known patrilineal family system, we find a surprisingly high number of couples ever residing nonnormatively, and significant differences between cohorts in what determines the pattern of coresidence. Resources and needs that reflect conscious choices to coreside most strongly influence nonnormative coresidence. Its importance may increase as the children of the One‐Child Family Policy grow up and marry.     

试论中国朝鲜族艺术歌曲的音乐美学特征

中国朝鲜族艺术歌曲形成于延边这一特定的空间。就整体而言,主要以传统的调式调性为基础,同时积极吸收西方音乐文化的精髓,从而形成了具有鲜明个性特征的旋律。它还具有中国传统民谣五声调式音调的特点,因而与其它民族的歌曲相比,具有多层次的调式意义。另外,它还有机地结合了传统音乐长短的特点,从而显示出乐天性、明朗性等具有复合性的音乐美学风格特征。     

Emotional harm and neglect: the legal response

This paper reports on a study of the extent to which child protection applications brought to the Melbourne Children's Court in Victoria, Australia, were based on emotional/psychological harm or neglect of a child and what factors were presented as evidence of harm or neglect. The study examined records of 208 court‐ordered pre‐trial conferences heard in the court between February and July 2002. What was found was that, although cases involving emotional abuse have increased in terms of child protection applications, they remain cases that are difficult to decide. While in 1998/9 emotional harm was a ground in 25.7% of child protection matters completed in the Family Division of the Children's Court of Victoria, legal decision‐makers are reluctant to make a finding of child abuse in these cases because there is less accuracy in the determination of emotional harm and negligible legal criteria available to guide decision‐making. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reproducibility of clinical data I: continuous outcomes

Across a variety of clinical settings, repeated measurements on an individual, obtained under identical circumstances, often differ from one another. This implies the measurements lack perfect reproducibility. Topics related to reproducibility of clinical measurements are introduced in this paper. In this first of two parts, continuous outcomes are addressed. The intraclass correlation coefficient, ρ, has been the traditional coefficient of reproducibility for continuous outcomes. The importance of ρ regarding observations on an individual, and observations among populations, is outlined. Estimation and inferential procedures for ρ are reviewed and worked examples are provided. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.