Mandatory HIV/AIDS Testing: An Ethical Issue

Should HIV/AIDS testing be required for health care workers and patients? This study compared the perceptions of 64 health care professionals and 97 nursing students on mandatory HIV testing, the risk of accidental infection, the appropriate industry response to infection, and the placement of costs. Significant differences were found between the two groups. While health care professionals favored testing for patients, students favored mandatory testing for both health care workers and patients. Students also viewed the risk of HIV/AIDS infection by a patient as significantly higher than did health care workers. Overall younger respondents tended to favor mandatory testing and also thought that hospitals should bear the cost.     

一种基于假设检验的数据筛选算法

数据筛选在大数据处理过程中处于至关重要的地位。如何运用合适的数据筛选算法从大量数据中筛选出有价值的数据是目前需要解决的重要问题之一。文章综合利用统计假设检验的方法设计了一种系统的实验组和对照组差异性的数据筛选算法,并利用MATLAB软件实现了该算法。最后将该算法应用于自闭症的基因表达谱数据(23520个基因),分别筛选出了实验组和对照组表达谱差异较大的244个基因作为自闭症相关的基因。通过基因注释,发现目前文献中已知的与自闭症相关的基因FIGF、MED13、NDRG4、POU3F2、USP8等在筛选的244个基因中,表明了该算法的有效性。     

语言教学测试反拨效应说略

在了解了国内外学者对反拨效应研究的基础上,详细介绍了语言测试的正向反拨、负向反拨,进而分析了语言测试出现负向反拨的原因,即测试内容的局限、测试结果的效度以及语言测试的信度和效度的矛盾,并对如何化负向反拨为正向反拨提出了一些建议。     

On a hyperplane arrangement problem and tighter analysis of an error-tolerant pooling design

In this paper, we formulate and investigate the following problem: given integers d,k and r where k>r≥1,d≥2, and a prime power q, arrange d hyperplanes on to maximize the number of r-dimensional subspaces of each of which belongs to at least one of the hyperplanes. The problem is motivated by the need to give tighter bounds for an error-tolerant pooling design based on finite vector spaces. This work is partially supported by NSF CAREER Award CCF-0347565.     

Estimation of proportions by group testing with retesting of positive groups

Abstract

When estimating a proportion p by group testing, and it is desired to increase precision, it is sometimes impractical to obtain additional individuals but it is possible to retest groups formed from the individuals within the groups that test positive at the first stage. Hepworth and Watson assessed four methods of retesting, and recommended a random regrouping of individuals from the first stage. They developed an estimator of p for their proposed method, and, because of the analytic complexity, used simulation to examine its variance properties. We now provide an analytical solution to the variance of the estimator, and compare its performance with the earlier simulated results. We show that our solution gives an acceptable approximation in a reasonable range of circumstances.     

Hypothesis testing via a penalized-likelihood approach

It is illustrated in this paper that hypothesis testing procedures can be derived based on the penalized likelihood approach. Based on this point of view, many traditional hypothesis tests, including the two-sample mean test, score test, and Hotelling’s $T^2$ test are revisited under the penalized likelihood framework. Similar framework is also applicable to the empirical likelihood.     

Means Testing and the Heterogeneity of Housing Assets: Funding Long-Term Care in Spain

The access to publicly funded long‐term care (LTC) in Spain has been traditionally rationed through the use of means tests based on individuals’ current income and needs. However, individuals’ wealth, primarily housing assets, is progressively taken into account. Parallel to this feature, the responsibilities for the organization of LTC services have been devolved to region‐states – autonomous communities (ACs), giving rise to some regional heterogeneity, though limited evidence has been reported on the underlying determinants. This paper examines the current role of housing assets in determining public and private funding for long‐term care in Spain. Secondly, we present a qualitative and quantitative examination of the regional heterogeneity in the provision and public funding criteria determining eligibility for public support for LTC. Finally, we report survey evidence on the individual's willingness to sell (WTS) their housing assets in order to either totally or partially finance the access to LTC. Our findings suggest that housing assets are the main source of wealth accumulation at old age. Yet there is significant regional heterogeneity in the access to LTC resulting from regional differences in the means testing criteria. Progressively, all ACs are considering housing assets in their means testing criteria. Interestingly, individuals’ willingness to sell their housing assets declines with age and is more common among less skilled and widowed individuals.     

The Assessment of Radiation Exposures in Native American Communities from Nuclear Weapons Testing in Nevada

Native Americans residing in a broad region downwind from the Nevada Test Site during the 1950s and 1960s received significant radiation exposures from nuclear weapons testing. Because of differences in diet, activities, and housing, their radiation exposures are only very imperfectly represented in the Department of Energy dose reconstructions. There are important missing pathways, including exposures to radioactive iodine from eating small game. The dose reconstruction model assumptions about cattle feeding practices across a year are unlikely to apply to the native communities as are other model assumptions about diet. Thus exposures from drinking milk and eating vegetables have not yet been properly estimated for these communities. Through consultations with members of the affected communities, these deficiencies could be corrected and the dose reconstruction extended to Native Americans. An illustration of the feasibility of extending the dose reconstruction is provided by a sample calculation to estimate radiation exposures to the thyroid from eating radio-iodine-contaminated rabbit thyroids after the Sedan test. The illustration is continued with a discussion of how the calculation results may be used to make estimates for other tests and other locations.     

On the first order regression procedure of estimation for incomplete regression models

This article discusses some properties of the first order regression method for imputation of missing values on an explanatory variable in linear regression model and presents an estimation strategy based on hypothesis testing. This work was carried out before Professor V.K. Srivastava passed away in 2001. The author is grateful to the referees for their illuminating comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

在模式识别下的萃取液温度控制方法研究

离子污染测试仪是用于对清洗后PCB板残存的离子污染物含量进行测试的仪器。由于萃取液温度直接影响离子污染物的溶解程度,因而需通过精确控制萃取液温度的方式来保证更高级别的污染物被检测到。在工程应用中,采用常规PID控制方法难以达到要求的控制精度。该文提出了一种基于模式识别的萃取液温度智能控制方法,通过对系统动态特征的模式分类,结合专家经验在线自动调整控制规律,使系统保持预定的温度。仿真研究表明,该方法与传统PID控制方法相比,具有更好的控制效果和更强的鲁棒性。实际应用时超调量小于0.5℃,控制精度可达±0.2℃,满足系统设计要求。