Product-limit Estimators and Cox Regression with Missing Censoring Information

The Kaplan–Meier estimator of a survival function requires that the censoring indicator is always observed. A method of survival function estimation is developed when the censoring indicators are missing completely at random (MCAR). The resulting estimator is a smooth functional of the Nelson–Aalen estimators of certain cumulative transition intensities. The asymptotic properties of this estimator are derived. A simulation study shows that the proposed estimator has greater efficiency than competing MCAR-based estimators. The approach is extended to the Cox model setting for the estimation of a conditional survival function given a covariate.     

One mathematics for all: can it be realized in a multicultural,multilingual country?

In this paper, situated in the context of elementary and secondary school mathematics curriculum in India, I argue that centrally determined uniform curriculum would have very little to offer a large majority of students in a country that is diverse in many ways.     

A critique of the normative and descriptive foundations of subjective probability—with reference to agriculture

Subjective probability is currently accepted as an adequate analytical framework for research into choice under uncertainty. This study tries to challenge this on a number of grounds. We suggest that Savage's inferred probabilities do not take account of differences in uncertainty which may rationally determine behaviour. Secondly, utility functions used in economic theory may vary depending on the information content. Thirdly, it may provide an inefficient method of analysing observed economic behaviour. Fourthly, changes in utility functions may constitute part of what we think of as uncertainty, and fifthly, we mention problems with elicited subjective probabilities. Finally, some avenues for further research are suggested.     

Model-based confidence bands for survival functions

This paper focuses on a novel method of developing one-sample confidence bands for survival functions from right censored data. The approach is model-based, relying on a parametric model for the conditional expectation of the censoring indicator given the observed minimum, and derives its strength from easy access to a good-fitting model among a plethora of choices available for binary response data. The substantive methodological contribution is in exploiting a semiparametric estimator of the survival function to produce improved simultaneous confidence bands. To obtain critical values for computing the confidence bands, a two-stage bootstrap approach that combines the classical bootstrap with the more recent model-based regeneration of censoring indicators is proposed and a justification of its asymptotic validity is also provided. Several different confidence bands are studied using the proposed approach. Numerical studies, including robustness of the proposed bands to misspecification, are carried out to check efficacy. The method is illustrated using two lung cancer data sets.     

Towards standardization of field work practicum: experiential reflections from Delhi,India

ABSTRACT

Field work is the signature pedagogy of social work. As a central form of instruction, it enables the course of learning by enabling the students to perform the role of practitioner. Field work contains pedagogical norms with which students learn to connect and integrate theory and practice. The current paper delineates the pedagogy of field work practicum in the Indian context and attempts to explore the challenges in transaction of field work curriculum with respect to placement agencies, at the levels of supervisor and supervisee and the ever evolving and dynamic relationship between the two. Based on authors’ experiential accounts, the paper recommends few strategies for enhancing the scope of professional growth and learning within the broad realms of field work placement.     

Identifying and controlling for program-level differences in comparative cost analysis: lessons from the economic evaluation of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

Performing economic evaluations of established health care programs is essential to identify and control for underlying program-level variations and to make valid comparisons. At a time when the need for such evaluations is growing, health care professionals have limited information on the methodological challenges of performing these evaluations. In this study, we used the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program to illustrate these potential underlying variations. We performed site visits to four grantees and collected activity-based cost data from nine additional representative programs. We identified five specific types of cost factors that should be considered when evaluating and comparing health care programs: clinical services, service mix, in-kind contributions, indirect costs, and year-to-year expenditures of specific activities. A key lesson is that case studies and pilot testing should be performed before initiating cost analysis to identify underlying variation and to test appropriate methods to adequately control for these differences.     

Green supply chain management practices in India: an empirical study

This paper presents an empirical study of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in the Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Although the research in the area of GSCM has grown in recent times, the literature has yet to furnish an accepted explanation for why green practices are to be manifested in supply chain management given external and internal pressures. These MSMEs have been involved in such green supply chain practices only to the extent of their participation as suppliers, distributors and in other capacities as business partners. This study confirms and validates that Indian MSMEs face significant pressures from external stakeholders to adopt GSCM practices. Among internal pressures, on-the-job training forces MSMEs in India to adopt GSCM practices. It has been also established that external pressures and adoption of GSCM are fully mediated by internal pressures.     

Complexity and Adaptivity in Supply Networks: Building Supply Network Theory Using a Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective*

Supply networks are composed of large numbers of firms from multiple interrelated industries. Such networks are subject to shifting strategies and objectives within a dynamic environment. In recent years, when faced with a dynamic environment, several disciplines have adopted the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) perspective to gain insights into important issues within their domains of study. Research investigations in the field of supply networks have also begun examining the merits of complexity theory and the CAS perspective. In this article, we bring the applicability of complexity theory and CAS into sharper focus, highlighting its potential for integrating existing supply chain management (SCM) research into a structured body of knowledge while also providing a framework for generating, validating, and refining new theories relevant to real‐world supply networks. We suggest several potential research questions to emphasize how a CAS perspective can help in enriching the SCM discipline. We propose that the SCM research community adopt such a dynamic and systems‐level orientation that brings to the fore the adaptivity of firms and the complexity of their interrelations that are often inherent in supply networks.     

The soft side of knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and small to medium enterprises: an exploratory study to understand process improvement

Abstract

The study explores the soft side of knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and small to medium enterprises (SMEs), a topic which is often neglected in the knowledge management literature. The aim of this paper is to uncover the issues which emerge during formation of a partnership between heterogeneous organizations and universities. In addition, the study unfolds the criticalities of typical process improvement capability that supports the knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and SMEs. Using multiple cases, this study unravels the dominant elements that influence knowledge transfer process development, governance, implications and responsibilities. The major contribution of this study is the development of a framework based on empirical evidence using three knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs) which illustrates the way in which soft factors in knowledge transfer partnership phases may have an impact on success or failure of university–industry collaborations for innovation.