Invariance properties of random vectors and stochastic processes based on the zonoid concept

Two integrable random vectors $\xi$ and $\xi^*$ in $\mathbb {R}^d$ are said to be zonoid equivalent if, for each $u\in \mathbb {R}^d$, the scalar products $\langle\xi,u\rangle$ and $\langle\xi^*,u\rangle$ have the same first absolute moments. The paper analyses stochastic processes whose finite-dimensional distributions are zonoid equivalent with respect to time shift (zonoid stationarity) and permutation of its components (swap invariance). While the first concept is weaker than the stationarity, the second one is a weakening of the exchangeability property. It is shown that nonetheless the ergodic theorem holds for swap-invariant sequences and the limits are characterised.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/13-BEJ519 the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

Invariance properties of random vectors and stochastic processes based on the zonoid concept

Two integrable random vectors ξ and ξ* in IRd are said to be zonoid equivalent if, for each u∈IRd, the scalar products 〈ξ,u〉 and 〈ξ*,u〉 have the same first absolute moments. The paper analyses stochastic processes whose finite-dimensional distributions are zonoid equivalent with respect to time shift (zonoid stationarity) and permutation of time moments (swap-invariance). While the first concept is weaker than the stationarity, the second one is a weakening of the exchangeability property. It is shown that nonetheless the ergodic theorem holds for swap invariant sequences and the limits are characterized

Factors related to the change in Swiss inpatient costs by disease : a 6-factor decomposition

There is currently little systematic knowledge about the contribution of different factors to the increase in health care spending in high-income countries such as Switzerland. The aim of this paper is to decompose inpatient care costs in the Swiss canton of Zurich by 100 diseases and 42 age/sex groups and to assess the contribution of six factors to the change in aggregate costs between 2013 and 2017. These six factors are population size, age and sex structure, inpatient treated prevalence, utilization in terms of stays per patient, length of stay per case, and costs per treatment day. Using detailed inpatient cost data at the case level, we find that the most important contributor to the change in disease-specific costs was a rise in costs per treatment day. For most conditions, this effect was partly offset by a reduction in the average length of stay. Changes in population size accounted for one third of the total increase, but population structure had only a small positive association with costs. The most expensive cases accounted for the largest part of the increase in costs, but the magnitude of this effect differed across diseases. A better understanding of the factors related to cost changes at the disease level over time is essential for the design of targeted health policies aiming at an affordable health care system

Policy instruments and self-reported impacts of the adoption of energy saving technologies in the DACH region

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High performance computation of landscape genomic models integrating local indices of spatial association

Since its introduction, landscape genomics has developed quickly with the increasing availability of both molecular and topo-climatic data. The current challenges of the field mainly involve processing large numbers of models and disentangling selection from demography. Several methods address the latter, either by estimating a neutral model from population structure or by inferring simultaneously environmental and demographic effects. Here we present Sam$\beta$ada, an integrated approach to study signatures of local adaptation, providing rapid processing of whole genome data and enabling assessment of spatial association using molecular markers. Specifically, candidate loci to adaptation are identified by automatically assessing genome-environment associations. In complement, measuring the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) for these candidate loci allows to detect whether similar genotypes tend to gather in space, which constitutes a useful indication of the possible kinship relationship between individuals. In this paper, we also analyze SNP data from Ugandan cattle to detect signatures of local adaptation with Sam$\beta$ada, BayEnv, LFMM and an outlier method (FDIST approach in Arlequin) and compare their results. Sam$\beta$ada is an open source software for Windows, Linux and MacOS X available at \url{http://lasig.epfl.ch/sambada}Comment: 1 figure in text, 1 figure in supplementary material The structure of the article was modified and some explanations were updated. The methods and results presented are the same as in the previous versio

Factors associated with the choice of supplementary hospital insurance in Switzerland : an analysis of the Swiss Health Survey

Background: Switzerland has universal coverage via mandatory health insurance that covers a generous basket of health services. In addition to the basic coverage, the insured can buy supplementary insurance for the inpatient sector. Supplementary hospital insurance in Switzerland provides additional services during inpatient stays. Little is known about which factors are associated with the choice of semi-private and private hospital insurances. However, this is of importance to policy makers and the insured population, who might be concerned about a “two-class” inpatient care system. Therefore, the aim of the paper was to explore the factors associated with supplementary hospital insurance enrolment in Switzerland. Methods: We used the five most recent waves of the representative Swiss Health Survey (1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017) to explore which factors are associated with supplementary hospital insurance enrolment in adults aged 25 or older. We estimated the same probit model for all five surveys waves and computed average marginal effects. Results: Our study shows that in all cross-sections the likelihood of enrolling in supplementary hospital insurance increased with higher age, education, household income and was higher for people with a strong preference for unrestricted choice of a specialist and with a higher-than-default deductible choice. The likelihood of supplementary hospital insurance enrolment was lower for the unemployed relative to their inactive counterparts and those living in rural areas relative to comparable urban residents. Ever-smoker status was not statistically significantly associated with supplementary hospital insurance choice. However, our findings indicated differences in estimates over the years regarding demographic as well as insurance-related variables. For example, women were more likely to choose supplementary hospital insurance than comparable men in earlier years. Conclusion: Most importantly, our results indicate that factors related to socioeconomic status – such as education, labour market status, and income – consistently show significant associations with the probability of having supplementary hospital insurance for the entire study period, as opposed to demographic variables – such as nationality and sex

ICF Core Sets for early post-acute rehabilitation facilities

OBJECTIVE: To identify candidate categories for International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for the reporting and measurement of functioning in patients in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. DESIGN: Prospective multi-centre cohort study. PATIENTS: Patients receiving rehabilitation interventions for musculoskeletal, neurological or cardiopulmonary injury or disease in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. METHODS: Functioning was coded using the ICF. The criterion for selecting candidate categories for the ICF Core Sets was based on their ability to discriminate between patients with high or low functioning status. Discrimination was assessed using multivariable regression models, the independent variables being all of the ICF categories of the respective comprehensive ICF Core Set. Analogue ratings of overall functioning as reported by patients and health professionals were used as dependent variables. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were included in the study (67 neurological, 37 cardiopulmonary, 61 musculoskeletal), mean age 67.5 years, 46.1 female. Selection yielded 38 cate-gories for neurological, 32 for cardiopulmonary, and 31 for musculoskeletal. CONCLUSION: The present selection of categories can be considered an initial proposal, serving to identify the issues most relevant for the assessment and monitoring of functioning in patients undergoing early post-acute rehabilitation for neurological, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal conditions

ICF Core Sets for early post-acute rehabilitation facilities

OBJECTIVE: To identify candidate categories for International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for the reporting and measurement of functioning in patients in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. DESIGN: Prospective multi-centre cohort study. PATIENTS: Patients receiving rehabilitation interventions for musculoskeletal, neurological or cardiopulmonary injury or disease in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. METHODS: Functioning was coded using the ICF. The criterion for selecting candidate categories for the ICF Core Sets was based on their ability to discriminate between patients with high or low functioning status. Discrimination was assessed using multivariable regression models, the independent variables being all of the ICF categories of the respective comprehensive ICF Core Set. Analogue ratings of overall functioning as reported by patients and health professionals were used as dependent variables. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were included in the study (67 neurological, 37 cardiopulmonary, 61 musculoskeletal), mean age 67.5 years, 46.1 female. Selection yielded 38 cate-gories for neurological, 32 for cardiopulmonary, and 31 for musculoskeletal. CONCLUSION: The present selection of categories can be considered an initial proposal, serving to identify the issues most relevant for the assessment and monitoring of functioning in patients undergoing early post-acute rehabilitation for neurological, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal conditions

Brief ICF Core Set for patients in geriatric post-acute rehabilitation facilities

OBJECTIVE: To identify candidate categories for International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for the reporting and clinical measurement of functioning in older patients in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. DESIGN: Prospective multi-centre cohort study. PATIENTS: Older patients receiving rehabilitation interventions in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities. METHODS: Functioning was coded using the ICF. The criterion for selecting candidate categories for the brief ICF Core Sets was based on their ability to discriminate between patients with high or low functioning status. Discrimination was assessed using multivariable regression models, the independent variables being all of the ICF categories of the respective comprehensive ICF Core Set. Analogue ratings of overall functioning as reported by patients and health professionals were used as dependent variables. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients were included in the study, mean age 80.4 years, 67.0 female. Selection yielded a total of 29 categories for the functioning part and 9 categories for the contextual part of the ICF. CONCLUSION: The present selection of categories can be considered an initial proposal, serving to identify the issues most relevant for the clinical assessment and monitoring of functioning in older patients undergoing early post-acute rehabilitation