Construction of Fuzzy Control Charts Based on Weighted Possibilistic Mean

The problem of constructing control charts for fuzzy data has been considered in literature. The proposed transformation approaches and direct fuzzy approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. The representative values charts based on transformation methods are often recommended in practical application. For representing a fuzzy set by a crisp value, the weight of importance of the members assigned with some membership levels in a fuzzy set should be considered, and the possibility theory can be employed to deal with such problem. In this article, we propose to employ the weighted possibilistic mean (WPM), weighted interval valued possibilistic mean (WIVPM) of fuzzy number as a sort of representative values for the fuzzy attribute data, and establish new fuzzy control charts with WPM and WIVPM. The performance of the charts is compared to the existing fuzzy charts with a fuzzy c-chart example via newly defined average number of inspection for variation of control state.     

Assessment of modeling longitudinal binary data based on graphical methods

Longitudinal categorical data are commonly applied in a variety of fields and are frequently analyzed by generalized estimating equation (GEE) method. Prior to making further inference based on the GEE model, the assessment of model fit is crucial. Graphical techniques have long been in widespread use for assessing the model adequacy. We develop alternative graphical approaches utilizing plots of marginal model-checking condition and local mean deviance to assess the GEE model with logit link for longitudinal binary responses. The applications of the proposed procedures are illustrated through two longitudinal binary datasets.     

Record-breaking data: a parametric comparison of the inverse-sampling and the random-sampling schemes

In many industrial quality control experiments and destructive stress testing, the only available data are successive minima (or maxima)i.e., record-breaking data. There are two sampling schemes used to collect record-breaking data: random sampling and inverse sampling. For random sampling, the total sample size is predetermined and the number of records is a random variable while in inverse-sampling the number of records to be observed is predetermined; thus the sample size is a random variable. The purpose of this papper is to determinevia simulations, which of the two schemes, if any, is more efficient. Since the two schemes are equivalent asymptotically, the simulations were carried out for small to moderate sized record-breaking samples. Simulated biases and mean square errors of the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters using the two sampling schemes were compared. In general, it was found that if the estimators were well behaved, then there was no significant difference between the mean square errors of the estimates for the two schemes. However, for certain distributions described by both a shape and a scale parameter, random sampling led to estimators that were inconsistent. On the other hand, the estimated obtained from inverse sampling were always consistent. Moreover, for moderated sized record-breaking samples, the total sample size that needs to be observed is smaller for inverse sampling than for random sampling.     

Infill asymptotics for adaptive kernel estimators of spatial intensity

We apply the Abramson principle to define adaptive kernel estimators for the intensity function of a spatial point process. We derive asymptotic expansions for the bias and variance under the regime that n independent copies of a simple point process in Euclidean space are superposed. The method is illustrated by means of a simple example and applied to tornado data.     

Support for a Fluid-Continuum Model of Sexual Orientation: A Large-Scale Internet Study

In a study with 17,785 subjects obtained over the Internet from the United States and 47 other countries, Kinsey's hypothesis that sexual orientation lies on a continuum was supported. Self-identifications of subjects as gay, straight, bisexual, and other corresponded to broad, skewed distributions, suggesting that such terms are misleading for many people. Sexual orientation range—roughly, how much flexibility someone has in expressing sexual orientation—was also measured. The results support a fluid-continuum model of sexual orientation, according to which genetic and environmental factors determine both the size of the sexual orientation range and the point at which an individual's sexual orientation is centered on the continuum.     

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.     

An Additive–Multiplicative Restricted Mean Residual Life Model

The mean residual life measures the expected remaining life of a subject who has survived up to a particular time. When survival time distribution is highly skewed or heavy tailed, the restricted mean residual life must be considered. In this paper, we propose an additive–multiplicative restricted mean residual life model to study the association between the restricted mean residual life function and potential regression covariates in the presence of right censoring. This model extends the proportional mean residual life model using an additive model as its covariate dependent baseline. For the suggested model, some covariate effects are allowed to be time‐varying. To estimate the model parameters, martingale estimating equations are developed, and the large sample properties of the resulting estimators are established. In addition, to assess the adequacy of the model, we investigate a goodness of fit test that is asymptotically justified. The proposed methodology is evaluated via simulation studies and further applied to a kidney cancer data set collected from a clinical trial.     

The exponential–Weibull lifetime distribution

In this paper, we propose a new three-parameter model called the exponential–Weibull distribution, which includes as special models some widely known lifetime distributions. Some mathematical properties of the proposed distribution are investigated. We derive four explicit expressions for the generalized ordinary moments and a general formula for the incomplete moments based on infinite sums of Meijer's G functions. We also obtain explicit expressions for the generating function and mean deviations. We estimate the model parameters by maximum likelihood and determine the observed information matrix. Some simulations are run to assess the performance of the maximum likelihood estimators. The flexibility of the new distribution is illustrated by means of an application to real data.     

General results for the Kumaraswamy-G distribution

For any continuous baseline G distribution [G.M. Cordeiro and M. de Castro, A new family of generalized distributions, J. Statist. Comput. Simul. 81 (2011), pp. 883–898], proposed a new generalized distribution (denoted here with the prefix ‘Kw-G’ (Kumaraswamy-G)) with two extra positive parameters. They studied some of its mathematical properties and presented special sub-models. We derive a simple representation for the Kw-G density function as a linear combination of exponentiated-G distributions. Some new distributions are proposed as sub-models of this family, for example, the Kw-Chen [Z.A. Chen, A new two-parameter lifetime distribution with bathtub shape or increasing failure rate function, Statist. Probab. Lett. 49 (2000), pp. 155–161], Kw-XTG [M. Xie, Y. Tang, and T.N. Goh, A modified Weibull extension with bathtub failure rate function, Reliab. Eng. System Safety 76 (2002), pp. 279–285] and Kw-Flexible Weibull [M. Bebbington, C.D. Lai, and R. Zitikis, A flexible Weibull extension, Reliab. Eng. System Safety 92 (2007), pp. 719–726]. New properties of the Kw-G distribution are derived which include asymptotes, shapes, moments, moment generating function, mean deviations, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, reliability, Rényi entropy and Shannon entropy. New properties of the order statistics are investigated. We discuss the estimation of the parameters by maximum likelihood. We provide two applications to real data sets and discuss a bivariate extension of the Kw-G distribution.     

高校思想政治教育网络教育手段的理性分析

网络技术运用于高校思想政治教育,不仅丰富了思想政治教育的途径和方式,而且也有效地拓展了思想政治教育的空间。但是由于思想观念、技术水平的差异性,网络为思想政治教育提供的手段并没有得到充分地开发利用。因此,大胆实施改革创新,不断完善网络教育手段和方式,是促使思想政治教育功能得以最大程度发挥的重要基础。