A simple approach for monitoring business service time variation.

Control charts are effective tools for signal detection in both manufacturing processes and service processes. Much of the data in service industries comes from processes having nonnormal or unknown distributions. The commonly used Shewhart variable control charts, which depend heavily on the normality assumption, are not appropriately used here. In this paper, we propose a new asymmetric EWMA variance chart (EWMA-AV chart) and an asymmetric EWMA mean chart (EWMA-AM chart) based on two simple statistics to monitor process variance and mean shifts simultaneously. Further, we explore the sampling properties of the new monitoring statistics and calculate the average run lengths when using both the EWMA-AV chart and the EWMA-AM chart. The performance of the EWMA-AV and EWMA-AM charts and that of some existing variance and mean charts are compared. A numerical example involving nonnormal service times from the service system of a bank branch in Taiwan is used to illustrate the applications of the EWMA-AV and EWMA-AM charts and to compare them with the existing variance (or standard deviation) and mean charts. The proposed EWMA-AV chart and EWMA-AM charts show superior detection performance compared to the existing variance and mean charts. The EWMA-AV chart and EWMA-AM chart are thus recommended

Distributions that are both log-symmetric and R-symmetric

Two concepts of symmetry for the distributions of positive random variables Y are log-symmetry (symmetry of the distribution of logY) and R-symmetry. In this paper, we characterise the distributions that have both properties, which we call doubly symmetric. It turns out that doubly symmetric distributions constitute a subset of those distributions that are moment-equivalent to the lognormal distribution. They include the lognormal, some members of the Berg/Askey class of distributions, and a number of others for which we give an explicit construction (based on work of A.J. Pakes) and note some properties; Stieltjes classes, however, are not doubly symmetric

On normal characterizations by the distribution of linear forms, assuming finite variance

AbstractIf X1 and X2 are independent and identically distributed (i. i. d.) with finite variance, then (X1+X2)√2 has the same distribution as X1 if and only if X1 is normal with mean zero (Pólya [9]). The idea of using linear combinations of i. i. d. random variables to characterize the normal has since been extended to the case where σ∞i=1aiXi has the same distribution as X1. In particular if at least two of the ai's are non-zero and X1 has finite variance, then Laha and Lukacs [8] showed that X1 is normal. They also [7] established the same result without the assumption of finite variance. The purpose of this note is to present a different and easier proof of the characterization under the assumption of finite variance. The idea of the proof follows closely the approach used by Pólya in [9]. The same technique is also used to give a characterization of the exponential distribution

Conditionally specified distributions: an introduction

A bivariate distribution can sometimes be characterized completelybyproperties of its conditional distributions. The present article surveys available research in this area. Questions of compatibility of conditional specifications are addressed as are characterizations of distributions based on their having conditional distributions that are members of prescribed parametric families of distributions. The topics of compatibilityand near compatibilityof conditional distributions are discussed. Estimation strategies for conditionallyspecified distributions are summarized. Additionally, certain conditionally specified densities are shown to provide convenient flexible conjugate prior families in certain multiparameter Bayesian settings

Multivariate order statistics via multivariate concomitants

AbstractLet X¯1,…,X¯n denote a set of n independent identically distributed k-dimensional absolutely continuous random variables. A general class of complete orderings of such random vectors is supplied by viewing them as concomitants of an auxiliary random variable. The resulting definitions of multivariate order statistics subsume and extend orderings that have been previously proposed such as norm ordering and N-conditional ordering. Analogous concepts of multivariate record values and multivariate generalized order statistics are also described

Emergence of daptomycin resistance in daptomycin-naïve rabbits with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic joint infection is associated with resistance to host defense cationic peptides and mprF polymorphisms.

BackgroundPrevious studies of both clinically-derived and in vitro passage-derived daptomycin-resistant (DAP-R) Staphylococcus aureus strains demonstrated the coincident emergence of increased DAP MICs and resistance to host defense cationic peptides (HDP-R).MethodsIn the present investigation, we studied a parental DAP-susceptible (DAP-S) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain and three isogenic variants with increased DAP MICs which were isolated from both DAP-treated and DAP-untreated rabbits with prosthetic joint infections. These strains were compared for: in vitro susceptibility to distinct HDPs differing in size, structure, and origin; i.e.; thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal proteins [tPMPs] and human neutrophil peptide-1 [hNP-1]; cell membrane (CM) phospholipid and fatty acid content; CM order; envelope surface charge; cell wall thickness; and mprF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression profiles.ResultsIn comparison with the parental strain, both DAP-exposed and DAP-naive strains exhibited: (i) significantly reduced susceptibility to each HDP (P<0.05); (ii) thicker cell walls (P<0.05); (iii) increased synthesis of CM lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (L-PG); (iv) reduced content of CM phosphatidylglycerol (PG); and (v) SNPs within the mprF locus No significant differences were observed between parental or variant strains in outer CM content of L-PG, CM fluidity, CM fatty acid contents, surface charge, mprF expression profiles or MprF protein content. An isolate which underwent identical in vivo passage, but without evolving increased DAP MICs, retained parental phenotypes and genotype.ConclusionsTHESE RESULTS SUGGEST: i) DAP MIC increases may occur in the absence of DAP exposures in vivo and may be triggered by organism exposure to endogenous HDPs: and ii) gain-in-function SNPs in mprF may contribute to such HDP-DAP cross-resistance phenotypes, although the mechanism of this relationship remains to be defined

Scope and Predictive Genetic/Phenotypic Signatures of Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) Responsiveness and β-Lactam Sensitization in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Addition of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) to standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing medium reveals certain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains to be highly susceptible to β-lactams. We investigated the prevalence of this phenotype (NaHCO3 responsiveness) to two β-lactams among 58 clinical MRSA bloodstream isolates. Of note, ∼75% and ∼36% of isolates displayed the NaHCO3 responsiveness phenotype to cefazolin (CFZ) and oxacillin (OXA), respectively. Neither intrinsic β-lactam MICs in standard Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB) nor population analysis profiles were predictive of this phenotype. Several genotypic markers (clonal complex 8 [CC8]; agr I and spa t008) were associated with NaHCO3 responsiveness for OXA

The Pareto IV power series cure rate model with applications

Cutaneous melanoma is thought to be triggered by intense, occasional exposure to ultraviolet radiation, either from the sun or tanning beds, especially in people who are genetically predisposed to the disease. When skin cells are damaged by ultraviolet light in this way, often showing up as a sunburn, they are more prone to genetic defects that cause them to rapidly multiply and form potentially fatal (malignant) tumors. Melanoma originates in a type of skin cell called a melanocyte, such cells help produce the pigments of our skin, hair, andsd eyes. We propose a new cure rate survival regression model for predicting cutaneous melanoma. We assume that the unknown number of competing causes that can influence the survival time is governed by a power series Distribution and that the time until the tumor cells are activated follows the Pareto IV distribution. The parameter estimation is based on the EM algorithm which for this model can be implemented in a simple way in computational terms. Simulation studies are presented, showing the good performance of the proposed estimation procedure. Finally, two real applications related to a cutaneous melanoma and melanoma data sets are presented

Understanding young people's transitions in university halls through space and time

This article contributes to the theoretical discussion about young people's transitions through space and time. Space and time are complex overarching concepts that have creative potential in deepening understanding of transition. The focus of this research is young people's experiences of communal living in university halls. It is argued that particular space-time concepts draw attention to different facets of experience and in combination deepen the understanding of young people's individual and collective transitions. The focus of the article is the uses of the space-time concepts 'routine', 'representation', 'rhythm' and 'ritual' to research young people's experiences. The article draws on research findings from two studies in the North of England. © 2010 SAGE Publications