The exponentiated power exponential regression model with different regression structures: application in nursing data

We define the exponentiated power exponential distribution and propose a regression model with different systematic structures based on the new distribution. We show that the new regression model can be applied to dispersion data since it represents a parametric family of models that includes as sub-models some widely-known regression models. It then can be used more effectively in the analysis of real data. We use maximum likelihood estimation and derive the appropriate matrices for assessing local influence on the parameter estimates under different perturbation schemes. Some global-influence measurements are also investigated and simulation studies are performed to evaluate the accuracy of the estimates. We provide an application of the regression model with four systematic structures to nursing activities score data in the Unit of the Medical Clinic of University of São Paulo (USP) Hospital.     

Domain expansion of the pivotal mechanism

We propose a mechanism for the provision of public goods called the extended pivotal mechanism, which works on wider environments than quasi-linear ones. This mechanism is shown to be a natural extension of the pivotal (Clarke) mechanism because the restriction of the mechanism to the quasi-linear domain coincides with the pivotal mechanism, and because it is the only mechanism satisfying strategy-proofness, an efficient condition (partial efficiency), and an equity condition (the welfare lower bound property), which characterize the pivotal mechanism.     

Japanese Clocks and the History of Punctuality in Modern Japan

Although punctuality is well attained in present Japan, many foreign engineers who arrived in Japan from the mid 19th century observed that Japanese were seemingly indifferent to the clock, which leads us to a question about the origin of punctuality in modern Japan. The present paper first explains the time system and clocks in the Edo period, and then follows the origin and the evolution of punctuality in various sectors of Japanese society. Introducing the historian Sakae Tsunoyama’s two-layer theory to explain the origin of punctuality in modern Japan, the paper explores a question about when punctuality was attained and society accelerated in postwar Japan.

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Japanese Abstract  時間規律は現代の日本社会ではよく確立されている。 しかし、19 世紀末に日本に到来した多くの外国人技術者にとっては日本人が時計には無関心であるように思えた。このことは、近代日本における時間規律の起源という歴史的問題に導かれる。本稿は、最初に江戸時代における時刻制度と和時計について説明し、続いて日本社会の各領域における時間規律の起源と発展について追いかける。近代日本における時間規律の起源に関する歴史家角山榮による 2 層理論を紹介した上で、戦後日本における時間規律の達成、社会の加速化について検討する。

     

Genetic estimations for body size characters, development period and development rate in a coccinelid beetle,Harmonia axyridis

Heritabilities and genetic correlations for body size characters and development period in a coccinellid beetle,Harmonia axyridis were estimated by a sib-analysis experiment. Positive genetic correlations were detected between size characters and development rate. If this is upheld in the field, genetic variation would be eliminated, as the loci affecting the characters are supposed to be fixed. However, the results indicated moderate heritabilities for all characters. Possible explanations for the results are discussed.     

A consistent method of estimation for the parameters of the three-parameter inverse Gaussian distribution

In this paper, we propose a consistent method of estimation for the parameters of the three-parameter inverse Gaussian distribution. We then discuss some properties of these estimators and show by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study that the proposed estimators perform better than some other prominent estimators in terms of bias and root mean squared error. Finally, we present two real-life examples to illustrate the method of inference developed here.     

On estimation and diagnostics analysis in log-generalized gamma regression model for interval-censored data

The interval-censored survival data appear very frequently, where the event of interest is not observed exactly but it is only known to occur within some time interval. In this paper, we propose a location-scale regression model based on the log-generalized gamma distribution for modelling interval-censored data. We shall be concerned only with parametric forms. The proposed model for interval-censored data represents a parametric family of models that has, as special submodels, other regression models which are broadly used in lifetime data analysis. Assuming interval-censored data, we consider a frequentist analysis, a Jackknife estimator and a non-parametric bootstrap for the model parameters. We derive the appropriate matrices for assessing local influence on the parameter estimates under different perturbation schemes and present some techniques to perform global influence.     

A consistent parameter estimation in the three-parameter lognormal distribution

In this work, we propose a consistent method of estimation for the parameters of the three-parameter lognormal distribution. We then discuss some properties of these estimators and show by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study that the proposed estimators perform better than some other prominent estimators in terms of bias and root mean squared error. Finally, we present two real-life examples to illustrate the method of estimation proposed.     

Measuring Information Behavior: A Time Budget Survey in Japan

This paper discusses the results of a time budget survey which was conducted nationwide in Japan in 1995 on ‘information behavior’, that is, the amount of time people spent communicating and using information media ranging from conversations to computers. We propose a three-dimensional time budget survey as a method for measuring information behavior in actual life. The method classifies information behavior into 24 categories and measures them with respect to three factors, i.e. time, location and purpose of behavior. Our survey revealed that the total time spent on information behavior was about seven hours per day, of which about 45% was spent watching TV. The displacement effect of PC use on TV watching was estimated by a “time-shift matching” design. The results demonstrated that use of a PC does not significantly affect TV viewing, despite a large difference in TV viewing time between PC users and non-users.