Pair-copula constructions of multiple dependence

Building on the work of Bedford, Cooke and Joe, we show how multivariate data, which exhibit complex patterns of dependence in the tails, can be modelled using a cascade of pair-copulae, acting on two variables at a time. We use the pair-copula decomposition of a general multivariate distribution and propose a method to perform inference. The model construction is hierarchical in nature, the various levels corresponding to the incorporation of more variables in the conditioning sets, using pair-copulae as simple building blocs. Pair-copula decomposed models also represent a very flexible way to construct higher-dimensional coplulae. We apply the methodology to a financial data set. Our approach represents the first step towards developing of an unsupervised algorithm that explores the space of possible pair-copula models, that also can be applied to huge data sets automatically

Pair-copula constructions of multiple dependence

Building on the work of Bedford, Cooke and Joe, we show how multivariate data, which exhibit complex patterns of dependence in the tails, can be modelled using a cascade of pair-copulae, acting on two variables at a time. We use the pair-copula decomposition of a general multivariate distribution and propose a method to perform inference. The model construction is hierarchical in nature, the various levels corresponding to the incorporation of more variables in the conditioning sets, using pair-copulae as simple building blocs. Pair-copula decomposed models also represent a very flexible way to construct higher-dimensional coplulae. We apply the methodology to a financial data set. Our approach represents the first step towards developing of an unsupervised algorithm that explores the space of possible pair-copula models, that also can be applied to huge data sets automatically

Flipped Gaming: The Teachers Role When Using the Students as Content Providers

In order to activate students and make them active contributors in a class, the concept of “Flipped Classroom” has been used at several Universities, also at The Inland University of Applied Sciences Norway. Flipping the classroom and making the students contribute, and being active, has supported the students learning outcome. Generally, when using games for learning, the game scenario is either decided by the lecturer/teacher, or defined by the designers and/or producers of the game used. In this paper we will explore how the teachers/lecturers role changes when the scenarios to be played in the game environment are defined and developed by the students themselves. The methodological approach is mainly qualitative and the data are observations from gaming sessions, minutes from review processes and interviews with faculty staff responsible for the course. The paper will present how the lecturer/teacher changes role from being the center of attention and the provider of knowledge, to a facilitator that both empower the students and enables the students to contribute towards developing increased understanding and enhanced learning outcome. By enabling the students to contribute in such a way, the support towards the reflection processes described by Donald Schön in his work “The reflective practitioner” from 1991, is being supported in all stages. The reflection before action is when they discuss and agree on scenario, they need to reflect in action upon action, and they need to reflect on action when finished gaming. These reflection processes need to be facilitated in order to support the learning process and when flipping the gaming, this is one of the roles of the facilitator; the lecturer/teacher. The paper will present a project called “Seed corn 2017 – Pedagogical Use of Games in Crisis Management Education”, using a course at The Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Rena, Norway, and the results from the research.publishedVersio

Emotional problems in preadolescents in Norway: the role of gender, ethnic minority status, and home- and school-related hassles

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>"The gender gap" refers to a lifelong higher rate of emotional problems in girls, as compared to boys, that appears during adolescence. The gender gap is a well-replicated finding among older adolescents and is assumed to be a cross-cultural phenomenon. However, these cross-cultural studies have not investigated the gender gap in ethnic minorities but sampled ethnic majority adolescents in different countries. Some studies that investigated the gender gap across ethnic groups indirectly (by presenting emotional problem scores stratified by gender and ethnic group) indicate that the gender gap is less prominent or even absent among minorities. The aims of this study were to assess whether the gender gap is found in both majority and minority preadolescents, and to investigate whether a possible (gender and ethnic) group difference can be accounted for by differences in home or school hassles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants were 902 preadolescent students (aged 10 to 12) from two cities in Norway. We collected self-report measures of emotional problems and home and school hassles. Using mediated moderation analysis we tested whether the interaction effect between gender and ethnic minority background on emotional problems was mediated by home or school hassles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The gender gap in emotional problems was restricted to ethnic majority preadolescents. School hassles but not home hassles accounted in part for this effect.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The absence of the gender gap among minority as opposed to majority preadolescents may indicate that social circumstances may postpone or hamper the emergence and magnitude of the gender gap in ethnic minority preadolescents. In this study, school hassles partly accounted for the combined gender and ethnic group differences on emotional problems. This indicates that school hassles may play a role in the higher levels of emotional problems in preadolescent minority boys and consequently the absence of a gender gap found in our minority sample.</p

Chronic fatigue syndromes: real illnesses that people can recover from

The ‘Oslo Chronic Fatigue Consortium’ consists of researchers and clinicians who question the current narrative that chronic fatigue syndromes, including post-covid conditions, are incurable diseases. Instead, we propose an alternative view, based on research, which offers more hope to patients. Whilst we regard the symptoms of these conditions as real, we propose that they are more likely to reflect the brain's response to a range of biological, psychological, and social factors, rather than a specific disease process. Possible causes include persistent activation of the neurobiological stress response, accompanied by associated changes in immunological, hormonal, cognitive and behavioural domains. We further propose that the symptoms are more likely to persist if they are perceived as threatening, and all activities that are perceived to worsen them are avoided. We also question the idea that the best way to cope with the illness is by prolonged rest, social isolation, and sensory deprivation. Instead, we propose that recovery is often possible if patients are helped to adopt a less threatening understanding of their symptoms and are supported in a gradual return to normal activities. Finally, we call for a much more open and constructive dialogue about these conditions. This dialogue should include a wider range of views, including those of patients who have recovered from them

A Goodness-of-fit Test for Copulae Based on the Probability Integral Transform

Copulae is a growing field of interest and application for dependency modelling. There is however no predominant way of choosing the copula model that best fits a given data set. We introduce a new goodness-of-fit test, based on the probability integral transform. The test is consistent, numerically efficient and incorporates a weighting functionality. Results show that the test performs well and that the weighting functionality is very powerful. Applied to stock portfolios the test strongly rejects the Gaussian and the Clayton copulae, while the Student's t copula provides a good fit

Mannsrolle og stereotypi : En analyse av den impliserte leser i Bjarte Breiteigs Surrogater og Ari Behns Trist som faen i lys av resepsjonsteori og mannsrolleforskning

Sammendrag Med utgangspunkt i resepsjonsteorien, og da spesielt Umberto Ecos (1981) modelleser-begrep og Wolfgang Isers (1981) teori om ubestemtheten som forutsetning for tomme plasser, analyserer jeg den impliserte leser i Ari Behns Trist som faen, og i Bjarte Breiteigs Surrogater. Analysen blir utført med støtte i begreper hentet fra mannsrolleforskningen. Særlig henter jeg begreper fra Elisabeth Badinters (1995) teori om de tre ulike mannsrollene, samt fra Michael Kaufmans (1994) teori om Men s Contradictory Experiences of Power . Gjennom analysen finner jeg ut at de fleste tekstene konstituerer et maskulint univers ved bruk av stereotype oppfatninger om mannen, slik Robert Brannon (1976) skisserer mannsrollen: No Sissy Stuff, Be a Big Wheel, Be a Sturdy Oak, Give em Hell. Ved hjelp av stereotypier, enten i form av menn som opptrer i tekstens periferi, eller som en integrert del av hovedpersonen, konstitueres det jeg har valgt å kalle for en rolleklemme . Med dette begrepet mener jeg den klemma menn kommer i når holdninger og handlingsstrategier de er sosialisert til å benytte seg av ikke fungerer slik de forventer. I både Breiteigs og Behns tekster stiller den impliserte leser seg aksepterende til det fortalte. Ved å videreformidle også de stereotype holdningene til de mannlige hovedpersonene på en aksepterende måte, fremmer den impliserte leser en sympatisk lesemåte hos den faktiske leser. På denne måten blir en impliser mannsrolle med sterke ambivalente trekk synliggjort. Rolleklemme blir en hovedkonflikt som med støtte i den maskuline impliserte leseren tydeliggjøres. Jeg finner også klare forskjeller på de impliserte leserne i tekstene. Mens Breiteigs impliserte leser stiller større krav til den faktiske leseren, er Behns tekster i større grad rettet mot en tenkt modelleser. Videre sporer jeg en dualisme hos den impliserte instansen i Behns tekster: Tekstene kan enten realiseres som morsomme tekster som feirer det maskuline, eller som tekster som belyser en identitetskonflikt hos hovedpersonen. Likevel fremstår den singulære impliserte leser som mer kompleks og krevende i Breiteigs noveller. Jeg konkluderer med at den impliserte leser i begge verkene har klare maskuline trekk, men at dette ikke nødvendigvis ekskluderer kvinnelige faktiske lesere, fordi man i følge Weinreich (2001) alltid vil søke å likne den impliserte leser i størst mulig grad under leseakten