Statistical test based on intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses

In this paper, the classical statistical test based on intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses in relation to the underlying population parametric is extended. In this approach, the type-I, type-II, power of test, and p-value are extended for intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses. Throughout the paper, some applied examples are provided for both parametric and non parametric cases to clarify the discussions.     

Women’s Well-Being in Iran: Territorial Analysis Using a Multidimensional Approach

This paper employs a multidimensional index for assessing women’s well-being in Iranian provinces using demographic and health survey macro data. Besides economic status as a traditional dimension for objective well-being, other factors such as health, education, risk, and technology as well as self-reported life satisfaction and happiness (psychological well-being) have been included as non-material well-being dimensions. We found that the values of women’s well-being are distributed unequally across the provinces. Southern provinces demonstrate the worst performances and central provinces have the best. Generally, Iranian women are in poor condition in terms of economic variables (e.g. income and participation in the job market), psychological well-being (life satisfaction), HIV literacy, use of the internet, and access to mass media. On the other hand, in recent years, they have made significant progress in education (such as the rate of literacy, high school degree), and health (safe pregnancy care and nutritional supplements).     

Inference for Income Distributions Using Grouped Data

We develop a general approach to estimation and inference for income distributions using grouped or aggregate data that are typically available in the form of population shares and class mean incomes, with unknown group bounds. We derive generic moment conditions and an optimal weight matrix that can be used for generalized method-of-moments (GMM) estimation of any parametric income distribution. Our derivation of the weight matrix and its inverse allows us to express the seemingly complex GMM objective function in a relatively simple form that facilitates estimation. We show that our proposed approach, which incorporates information on class means as well as population proportions, is more efficient than maximum likelihood estimation of the multinomial distribution, which uses only population proportions. In contrast to the earlier work of Chotikapanich, Griffiths, and Rao, and Chotikapanich, Griffiths, Rao, and Valencia, which did not specify a formal GMM framework, did not provide methodology for obtaining standard errors, and restricted the analysis to the beta-2 distribution, we provide standard errors for estimated parameters and relevant functions of them, such as inequality and poverty measures, and we provide methodology for all distributions. A test statistic for testing the adequacy of a distribution is proposed. Using eight countries/regions for the year 2005, we show how the methodology can be applied to estimate the parameters of the generalized beta distribution of the second kind (GB2), and its special-case distributions, the beta-2, Singh–Maddala, Dagum, generalized gamma, and lognormal distributions. We test the adequacy of each distribution and compare predicted and actual income shares, where the number of groups used for prediction can differ from the number used in estimation. Estimates and standard errors for inequality and poverty measures are provided. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

Survival analysis in supply chains using statistical flowgraph models: Predicting time to supply chain disruption

ABSTRACT

Random events such as a production machine breakdown in a manufacturing plant, an equipment failure within a transportation system, a security failure of information system, or any number of different problems may cause supply chain disruption. Although several researchers have focused on supply chain disruptions and have discussed the measures that companies should use to design better supply chains, or study the different ways that could help firms to mitigate the consequences of a supply chain disruption, the lack of an appropriate method to predict time to disruptive events is strongly felt. Based on this need, this paper introduces statistical flowgraph models (SFGMs) for survival analysis in supply chains. SFGMs provide an innovative approach to analyze time-to-event data. Time-to-event data analysis focuses on modeling waiting times until events of interest occur. SFGMs are useful for reducing multistate models into an equivalent binary-state model. Analysis from the SFGM gives an entire waiting time distribution as well as the system reliability (survivor) and hazard functions for any total or partial waiting time. The end results from a SFGM helps to identify the supply chain's strengths, and more importantly, weaknesses. Therefore, the results are a valuable decision support for supply chain managers to predict supply chain behaviors. Examples presented in this paper demonstrate with clarity the applicability of SFGMs to survival analysis in supply chains.     

Test-Retest Reliability of the End-User Computing Satisfaction Instrument

The development of reliable and valid measures of user-information satisfaction is becoming increasingly important to both practitioners and researchers. Measures of reliability include internal consistency and stability. Recent research has raised concerns about the stability of user information satisfaction measures. Using the test-retest correlation method, this article assesses short- and long-range stability of a 12-item scale for measuring end-user computing satisfaction. It examines the stability of individual items and subscales as well as the 12-item instrument. The results suggest that the instrument is internally consistent and stable.     

Empowering agricultural production cooperatives: a nationwide survey of definitions and strategies in Iran

The empowerment literature lacks a common understanding of the empowerment and the important elements in the empowerment process. This study aimed to create an empirically generated list of definitions and strategies for empowering agricultural production cooperatives (APCs). A nationwide survey was conducted in Iran to achieve the research objectives. Fifty-five (out of 80) government employees involved in agricultural cooperatives’ empowerment and 85 (out of 277) board members of cooperatives who participated in empowerment programmes, were randomly selected to participate in this research. The perceptions of the two groups were compared using t-test to reach consensus. In the end 19 agreed definitions and 32 strategies were provided for empowering the cooperatives. An exploratory factor analysis was used to determine what sets of definitions and what sets of strategies hang together. The study results suggest that empowerment actors in Iran are trying to make cooperative principles governthe cooperative. The article concludes with the discussion of strategies for strengthening empowerment in APCs and implications for human resource development (HRD).     

Anabolic-androgenic steroid effects on early morbid symptoms after open prostatectomy: A pilot study

Objectives.?Anabolic-androgenic steroids such as Nandrolone phenpropionate (NP) dramatically improve the tolerance to acute stress conditions, strength, and subsequently the quality of life in elderly men. We hypothesize that preoperative pulse-dose supraphysiological NP administration might improve the early morbid symptoms in older patients undergoing open prostatectomy.

Methods.?From 2005 to 2006, 54 patients with a mean age of 70 years, diagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia and hospitalized for open prostatectomy were enrolled in the study. They were randomly selected to receive preoperative supraphysiological NP (100 mg, intramuscularly, pulse-dose) or sesame oil placebo, prospectively. Early postoperative morbid symptoms including subjective urinary symptoms (dysuria, bladder retention sensation), incision site pain and general satisfaction of their current urinary condition were assessed by a 6-point scale, self-administrated questionnaire at 24 and 48 h, postoperatively. The sex hormone binding globulin and the testosterone levels were also measured.

Results.?The 24-h postoperative symptoms were significantly reduced in the NP group compared to the placebo (6.18 ± 2.81 versus 9.77 ± 2.15; P < 0.001). The postoperative symptoms were reported to have a decline in the 48 h following operation, though was calculated to be statistically insignificant (4.48 ± 2.32 versus 5.55 ± 1.84; P = 0.06). There was no complication attributed to NP therapy.

Conclusions.?The data supported the hypothesis that the preoperative anabolic steroid supplements (such as NP) could result in a better postoperative endurance in elderly men undergoing open prostatectomy. Further studies, longer and repeated pulse injections in a larger number of older men are mandatory to prove the claim.     

Marriage and Family Formation of the Second‐Generation Afghans in Iran: Insights from a Qualitative Study

In 2006, around 1.2 million documented Afghans remained in Iran, of whom half were second generation. This paper is based on the results of a qualitative study conducted in three settings: Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan, and draws on data collected via 80 in‐depth interviews and six focus group discussions with second generation Afghans in Iran. The aim of the paper is to explore the adaptation of second‐generation Afghans in Iran, particularly in relation to marriage and family formation. The results show that educational achievements and occupational skills of the second‐generation Afghans in Iran facilitated their adaptation to the host society, and inspired different marriage and family behaviors and aspirations in comparison with the first generation.     

A Congruence Construct of User Involvement

The MIS literature has devoted considerable attention to the relationship between user involvement and MIS success; unfortunately, this research has produced conflicting results. Recent research on a discrepancy model of user involvement has provided a framework for reconciling studies showing positive, negative, or no impact of involvement on user satisfaction. In this discrepancy model, individual differences between perceived and desired levels of involvement define three conditional states or frames of reference that govern the relationship between involvement and end-user satisfaction. The discrepancy model indicates that studies of user involvement need to control for individual differences by dividing respondents into three groups corresponding to these conditional states. Building upon the discrepancy concept, this paper presents a congruence construct of user involvement (i.e., a measure of involvement “relative” to an individual's desire to get involved) as an alternative way of modeling this contingency relationship. The reliability and validity of the involvement congruence construct are assessed. Perceived and congruence constructs of involvement are compared as predictors of end-user computing satisfaction. The results suggest that involvement congruence is a better predictor than perceived involvement and may offer theoretical as well as empirical advantages over the use of component measures. Furthermore, the congruence method of modeling the discrepancy effect has research design advantages (i.e., it does not require dividing respondents by frame of reference).