A Normative Approach to Measuring Classical Horizontal Inequity

This paper makes a new attack on the old problem of measuring horizontal inequity (HI). A local measure of HI is proposed, and aggregated into a global index. Whilst other approaches have captured the welfare gain which would come from eliminating HI revenue-neutrally, our global index provides a measure of the revenue gain per capita which would come from eliminating HI welfare-neutrally. When expressed as a fraction of mean post-tax income, the measure can be viewed as a negative component in the Blackorby and Donaldson (1984) index of tax progressivity, quantifying the loss of vertical performance arising from differences in the tax treatment of equals. Being money-metric, the measure can also be easily and intuitively interpreted. We propose non- parametric estimation procedures to obviate the important þidentification of equalsþ problem. To our knowledge, this provides the first consistent statistical solution to measuring classical horizontal inequity. The method is applied to the Canadian distributions of gross and net incomes in 1981 and 1990.

Pairwise likelihood estimation for multivariate mixed Poisson models generated by Gamma intensities

Estimating the parameters of multivariate mixed Poisson models is an important problem in image processing applications, especially for active imaging or astronomy. The classical maximum likelihood approach cannot be used for these models since the corresponding masses cannot be expressed in a simple closed form. This paper studies a maximum pairwise likelihood approach to estimate the parameters of multivariate mixed Poisson models when the mixing distribution is a multivariate Gamma distribution. The consistency and asymptotic normality of this estimator are derived. Simulations conducted on synthetic data illustrate these results and show that the proposed estimator outperforms classical estimators based on the method of moments. An application to change detection in low-flux images is also investigated

Une belle gauloise... A propos d'une fibule inscrite de Laon

International audienceA Roman brooch in shoe sole shape, found at Laon (Aisne), shows an inscription associating Latin and Gaulish : ave vimpi. The morphological study of the item, replaced in its typo-chronolgical context of the 2nd c. AD, gives the opportunity to re-examine the dali life accessories using the two languages, with special focus on the occurrences of the Gaulish word "vimpi".Une fibule romaine en forme de semelle de chaussure, trouvée à laon (Aisne), porte une inscription associant latin et gaulois : ave vimpi. L'étude morphologique de cet objet, replacé dans le cadre typo-chronologique du IIe s. de n. ère, fournit l'occasion de revenir sur les objets de la vie quotidienne utilisant ces deux langues, et notamment les attestations du mot gaulois "vimpi"

General practitioners' management of mental disorders: A rewarding practice with considerable obstacles

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Primary care improvement is the cornerstone of current reforms. Mental disorders (MDs) are a leading cause of morbidity worldwide and widespread in industrialised countries. MDs are treated mainly in primary care by general practitioners (GPs), even though the latter ability to detect, diagnose, and treat patients with MDs is often considered unsatisfactory. This article examines GPs' management of MDs in an effort to acquire more information regarding means by which GPs deal with MD cases, impact of such cases on their practices, factors that enable or hinder MD management, and patient-management strategies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study employs a mixed-method approach with emphasis on qualitative investigation. Based on a previous survey of 398 GPs in Quebec, Canada, 60 GPs representing a variety of practice settings were selected for further study. A 10-minute-long questionnaire comprising 27 items was administered, and 70-minute-long interviews were conducted. Quantitative (SPSS) and qualitative (NVivo) analyses were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At least 20% of GP visits were MD-related. GPs were comfortable managing common MDs, but not serious MDs. GPs' based their treatment of MDs on pharmacotherapy, support therapy, and psycho-education. They used clinical intuition with few clinical tools, and closely followed their patients with MDs. Practice features (salary or hourly fees payment; psycho-social teams on-site; strong informal networks), and GPs' individual characteristics (continuing medical education; exposure and interest in MDs; traits like empathy) favoured MD management. Collaboration with psychologists and psychiatrists was considered key to good MD management. Limited access to specialists, system fragmentation, and underdeveloped group practice and shared-care models were impediments. MD management was seen as burdensome because it required more time, flexibility, and emotional investment. Strategies exist to reduce the burden (one-problem-per-visit rule; longer time slots). GPs found MD practice rewarding as patients were seen as grateful and more complying with medical recommendations compared to other patients, generally leading to positive outcomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To improve MD management, this study highlights the importance of extending multidisciplinary GP practice settings with salary or hourly fee payment; access to psychotherapeutic and psychiatric expertise; and case-discussion training involving local networks of GPs and MD specialists that encourage both knowledge transfer and shared care.</p

VIQID: a no-reference bit stream-based visual quality impairment detector

In order to ensure adequate quality towards the end users at all time, video service providers are getting more interested in monitoring their video streams. Objective video quality metrics provide a means of measuring (audio)visual quality in an automated manner. Unfortunately, most of the current existing metrics cannot be used for real-time monitoring due to their dependencies on the original video sequence. In this paper we present a new objective video quality metric which classifies packet loss as visible or invisible based on information extracted solely from the captured encoded H.264/AVC video bit stream. Our results show that the visibility of packet loss can be predicted with a high accuracy, without the need for deep packet inspection. This enables service providers to monitor quality in real-time

LYON (David), Postmodernity

Publiée dans une collection destinée à présenter une notion en un court ouvrage, voici une bonne synthèse sur la postmodernité et sur le débat suscité par ce concept. Paradoxalement, cette notion issue d’auteurs essentiellement français a beaucoup plus mobilisé la sociologie anglo-saxonne que la sociologie française. D.L. (professeur de sociologie à Kingston, au Canada) rappelle la distinction entre le postmodernisme, qui met l’accent sur les aspects culturels, et la postmodernité, qui concer..

Gérald Bronner, L'empire des croyances

Cet ouvrage apporte une contribution très éclairante à la question clé qu'il pose d'entrée de jeu : « les progrès de la science, et de la connaissance en général, sont-ils en mesure de faire disparaître les croyances ? » Il s'agit des croyances au sens large, en tout domaine. G. Bronner constate qu'en fait, non seulement celles-ci ne disparaissent pas mais qu'elles se portent très bien. Comment expliquer ce paradoxe ? L'auteur commence par rejeter l'idée selon laquelle les croyances relèverai..