A detailed explanation and graphical representation of the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method with its application in health inequalities

AbstractThis paper introduces the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method to be applied in explaining inequality in health outcome across any two groups. In order to understand every aspect of the inequality, multiple regression model can be used in a way to decompose the inequality into contributing factors. The method can therefore be indicated to what extent of the difference in mean predicted outcome between two groups is due to differences in the levels of observable characteristics (acceptable and fair). Assuming the identical characteristics in the two groups, the remaining inequality can be due to differential effects of the characteristics, maybe discrimination, and unobserved factors that not included in the model. Thus, using the decomposition methods can identify the contribution of each particular factor in moderating the current inequality. Accordingly, more detailed information can be provided for policy-makers, especially concerning modifiable factors. The method is theoretically described in detail and schematically presented. In the following, some criticisms of the model are reviewed, and several statistical commands are represented for performing the method, as well. Furthermore, the application of it in the health inequality with an applied example is presented.

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Nonlinear singular one dimensional thermo-elasticity coupled system and double Laplace decomposition methods

Filomat ◽

10.2298/fil1720269g ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (20) ◽

pp. 6269-6280

Author(s):

Hassan Gadain

Keyword(s):

Laplace Transform ◽

Decomposition Method ◽

Adomian Decomposition Method ◽

Coupled System ◽

Decomposition Methods ◽

One Dimensional ◽

Convergence Proof ◽

Double Laplace Transform ◽

Adomian Decomposition

In this work, combined double Laplace transform and Adomian decomposition method is presented to solve nonlinear singular one dimensional thermo-elasticity coupled system. Moreover, the convergence proof of the double Laplace transform decomposition method applied to our problem. By using one example, our proposed method is illustrated and the obtained results are confirmed.

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A new customised placental weight standard redefines the relationship between maternal obesity and extremes of placental size and is more closely associated with pregnancy complications than an existing population standard

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174419000576 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 350-359

Author(s):

Jacqueline M. Wallace ◽

Joeleita P. Agard ◽

Graham W. Horgan

Keyword(s):

Pregnancy Complications ◽

Maternal Obesity ◽

Population Based ◽

Multiple Regression Model ◽

Placental Weight ◽

Morbidly Obese ◽

Obese Women ◽

Entire Cohort ◽

Multiparous Women ◽

The Difference

AbstractPlacental weight is a valuable indicator of its function, predicting both pregnancy outcome and lifelong health. Population-based centile charts of weight-for-gestational-age and parity are useful for identifying extremes of placental weight but fail to consider maternal size. To address this deficit, a multiple regression model was fitted to derive coefficients for predicting normal placental weight using records from healthy pregnancies of nulliparous/multiparous women of differing height and weight (n = 107,170 deliveries, 37–43 weeks gestation). The difference between actual and predicted placental weight generated a z-score/individual centile for the entire cohort including women with pregnancy complications (n = 121,591). The association between maternal BMI and placental weight extremes defined by the new customised versus population-based standard was investigated by logistic regression, as was the association between low placental weight and pregnancy complications. Underweight women had a greater risk of low placental weight [<10thcentile, OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.66, 2.05)] and obese women had a greater risk of high placental weight [>90th centile, OR 1.98 (95% CI 1.88, 2.10)] using a population standard. After customisation, the risk of high placental weight in obese/morbidly obese women was attenuated [OR 1.17 (95% CI 1.09, 1.25)]/no longer significant, while their risk of low placental weight was 59%–129% higher (P < 0.001). The customised placental weight standard was more closely associated with stillbirth, hypertensive disease, placental abruption and neonatal death than the population standard. Our customised placental weight standard reveals higher risk of relative placental growth restriction leading to lower than expected birthweights in obese women, and a stronger association between low placental weight and pregnancy complications generally. Further, it provides an alternative tool for defining placental weight extremes with implications for the placental programming of chronic disease.

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A Note on the Decomposition Methods for Support Vector Regression

Neural Computation ◽

10.1162/089976602753712936 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1267-1281 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Shuo-Peng Liao ◽

Hsuan-Tien Lin ◽

Chih-Jen Lin

Keyword(s):

Support Vector Regression ◽

Decomposition Method ◽

Decomposition Methods ◽

Support Vector ◽

Dual Formulation ◽

Working Set ◽

Number Of Iterations

The dual formulation of support vector regression involves two closely related sets of variables. When the decomposition method is used, many existing approaches use pairs of indices from these two sets as the working set. Basically, they select a base set first and then expand it so all indices are pairs. This makes the implementation different from that for support vector classification. In addition, a larger optimization subproblem has to be solved in each iteration. We provide theoretical proofs and conduct experiments to show that using the base set as the working set leads to similar convergence (number of iterations). Therefore, by using a smaller working set while keeping a similar number of iterations, the program can be simpler and more efficient.

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Earnings and Investment Differentials Between Migrants and Natives: A Study of Female Street Vendors in Bengaluru City

Environment and Urbanization Asia ◽

10.1177/0975425321990318 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 097542532199031

Author(s):

Channamma Kambara ◽

Indrajit Bairagya

Keyword(s):

Labour Market ◽

Decomposition Method ◽

Significant Contribution ◽

Street Vendors ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Difference ◽

Rate Of Returns

This article explores whether there exists any difference in the earnings of self-employed migrant and native street vendors in a metro city, and if so, in what ways this difference is prominent. In order to accomplish the objective, we have collected data from women street vendors from Bengaluru city. The results depict that although there is no significant difference in the earnings between native and migrant street vendors, a significant difference exists in the size of investments made by them, that is, to earn the same amount of income, migrants need to invest more than natives. Moreover, the results, based on the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition method, indicate that the pre-labour market endowment factors do not make a significant contribution to the overall difference in the rate of returns. The difference, instead, mainly exists because of the coefficient differences, which can be attributed to discrimination.

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Performance and style in the work of Olgyay and Olgyay

Architectural Research Quarterly ◽

10.1017/s1359135514000475 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 167-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

David Leatherbarrow ◽

Richard Wesley

Keyword(s):

Graphical Representation ◽

Building Design ◽

The United States ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Control Device ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Open Architecture ◽

Form Generation ◽

The Difference ◽

Building Energy Analysis

The sun control device has to be on the outside of the building, an element of the facade, an element of architecture. And because this device is so important a part of our open architecture, it may develop into as characteristic a form as the Doric column.Victor Olgyay (1910–1970), a Hungarian architect who came to the United States in 1947 with his twin brother and collaborator, Aladár (1910–1963), is best known today as the author of Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism (1963), an important book often referenced in the environmental building design field [1]. As leaders in research in bioclimatic architecture from the early 1950s to the late 1960s, the Olgyay brothers could be considered the ‘fathers’ of contemporary environmental building design. Their research and publications laid the foundation for much of the building simulation software in use today. Other than the difference between working on graph paper and using computer-generated graphics, there is little difference between Autodesk's Ecotect Analysis (simulation and building energy analysis software) and the Olgyays' techniques for the analysis of environmental factors and graphical representation of climate. The manner in which the Olgyays established connections between building design and the science of climate laid the foundation for the development of environmental simulation, one of contemporary architecture's leading methods of form generation. Victor Olgyay's teaching, however, represents another kind of thinking, a broader concern for architecture, beyond energy performance. ‘The primary task of architecture,’ Olgyay announced to his students, ‘is to act in man's favour; to interpose itself between man and his natural surroundings in order to remove the environmental load from his shoulders.

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Policy for increasing feeder stock of Bali cattle (Bos javonicus domesticus) in Kupang District

Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine ◽

10.31248/jasvm2020.242 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 235-248

Author(s):

Maria Krova ◽

◽

M. F. Lalus ◽

Markus M. Kleden ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systems Approach ◽

Population Based ◽

Supply Management ◽

Stock Management ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Policy Interventions ◽

Innovation And Technology ◽

Calving Rate ◽

Bali Cattle ◽

The Difference

The scarcity of feeder stock of Bali cattle (Bos javonicus domesticus) in Kupang Regency is currently increasing. One of the contributing factors is the difference in management between the fattening business that produces beef cattle and the breeding business that produces feeders and heifers. The research aims to determine: the interaction between actors to increase the supply of feeder; the behavior of feeder population based on actual stock management, and the necessary policy interventions to increase the supply of feeder. The research was conducted by applying a dynamics systems approach. This modelling used ventana systems software. Data and mental models were collected through observation, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with key informants. The results showed that the interaction between actors was limited to the marketing of cattle for both local and domestic markets. The actual feeders supply management shows that cattle population tends to decline due to low calving rate (70%), high calves mortality (35%), and the high slaughtering of productive females (80%). The necessary policy interventions are to implement various efforts to increase the calving rate to be 80%, reduce the mortality rate by applying 2% feed supplementation, and reduce the sales of productive females to be 50%. The actual supply management of Bali feeders needs to be engineered by increasing stakeholder services that coordinate synergistically for learning innovation and technology. It is necessary to establish a breeder cooperative to suppress the sale of productive cows as the cause of its high slaughtering

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Modifiable Factors and Delays Associated with Neonatal Deaths and Stillbirths in Jordan: Findings from Facility-Based Neonatal Death and Stillbirth Audits

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1730434 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad S. Alyahya ◽

Yousef S. Khader ◽

Nihaya A Al-Sheyab ◽

Khulood K. Shattnawi ◽

Omar F. Altal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cost Of Care ◽

Delay Model ◽

Case Review ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Neonatal Deaths ◽

Staff Members ◽

Danger Signs ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

Review Form ◽

The Cost

Objective This study employed the “three-delay” model to investigate the types of critical delays and modifiable factors that contribute to the neonatal deaths and stillbirths in Jordan. Study Design A triangulation research method was followed in this study to present the findings of death review committees (DRCs), which were formally established in five major hospitals across Jordan. The DRCs used a specific death summary form to facilitate identifying the type of delay, if any, and to plan specific actions to prevent future similar deaths. A death case review form with key details was also filled immediately after each death. Moreover, data were collected from patient notes and medical records, and further information about a specific cause of death or the contributing factors, if needed, were collected. Results During the study period (August 1, 2019–February 1, 2020), 10,726 births, 156 neonatal deaths, and 108 stillbirths were registered. A delay in recognizing the need for care and in the decision to seek care (delay 1) was believed to be responsible for 118 (44.6%) deaths. Most common factors included were poor awareness of when to seek care, not recognizing the problem or the danger signs, no or late antenatal care, and financial constraints and concern about the cost of care. Delay 2 (delay in seeking care or reaching care) was responsible for nine (3.4%) cases. Delay 3 (delay in receiving care) was responsible for 81 (30.7%) deaths. The most common modifiable factors were the poor or lack of training that followed by heavy workload, insufficient staff members, and no antenatal documentation. Effective actions were initiated across all the five hospitals in response to the delays to reduce preventable deaths. Conclusion The formation of the facility-based DRCs was vital in identifying critical delays and modifiable factors, as well as developing initiatives and actions to address modifiable factors. Key Points

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The Psychological Puzzle: Contributing Factors to the Top-Down Politicization of Intelligence

Elements ◽

10.6017/eurj.v12i1.9302 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Moretti

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Intelligence Community ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Symbiotic Relationship ◽

Rational Decision ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Political Leaders ◽

Top Down ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Rational Decision Making

Policy and intelligence are intimately intertwined. Policymakers need intelligence to make decisions, while the intelligence community derives significance from its ability to provide policy makers with reliable information. In this symbiotic relationship, it is healthy for intelligence consumers to at times check and direct the work of intelligence producers. However, if undertaken maliciously, this checking mechanism manifests as top-down politicization. Here, leaders use intelligence post facto to legitimize their policies instead of using it to guide them, reversing the rational decision-making process. Certain factors may compel leaders to manipulate intelligence to reflect their policy preferences. This essay demonstrates how three distinct processes of top-down politicization can arise from ambiguous evidence, the psychology of intelligence consumers, and the nature of the leaders’ political positions and responsibilities. It then proceeds to argue that political leaders’ psychology is the most potent source of top-down politicization.

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Low Frequency of Adenylate Kinase Release into Cerebrospinal Fluid during Balanced, Normotensive Anaesthesia and a Non-Orthognathic Surgical Procedure

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/030006059702500206 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 92-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M Enlund ◽

O Mentell ◽

L Edmark ◽

G Ronquist

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Adenylate Kinase ◽

Orthognathic Surgery ◽

Cell Injury ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Brain Cell ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Oscillating Saw ◽

The Difference ◽

Increased Activity

Activity of strictly intracellular enzymes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may indicate leakage from dysfunctional brain cells. Increased activity of adenylate kinase (AK) in the CSF is indicative of brain cell injury arising from several sources, among them orthognathic surgery. The mechanism in the latter case is obscure, but the use of an oscillating saw which generates vibrations, and the site of surgery close to the brain may be contributing factors. Anaesthesia may also play a role. In the present study, CSF-AK activity was measured after hysterectomy and was compared with activity after orthognathic surgery in two other studies. Four of 19 patients (21%) in the present study expressed pathological activity, compared with 34 of 47 (72%) orthognathic patients in the two other studies. No firm conclusion may be drawn from historical comparisons, and the difference in activity seen between the two types of surgery might not necessarily be the result of surgical factors. Until this is investigated further, however, we conclude that there may be a difference in postoperative CSF-AK activity between orthognathic and lower abdominal surgery.

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A Parallel Method for Accelerating Visualization for Vector Tiles

Abstracts of the ICA ◽

10.5194/ica-abs-1-124-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

Wei Hu ◽

Lin Li ◽

Chao Wu ◽

Hang Zhang ◽

Haihong Zhu

Keyword(s):

Parallel Computing ◽

Decomposition Method ◽

Computing Time ◽

Decomposition Methods ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Accurate Estimation ◽

Parallel Visualization ◽

Linear Regressions ◽

Geographical Feature ◽

Feature Visualization

Abstract. Vector tile technology is developing rapidly and has received increasing attention in recent years. Compared to the raster tile, the vector tile has shown incomparable advantages, such as flexible map styles, suitability for high-resolution screens and ease of interaction. Recent studies on vector tiles have mostly focused on improving the efficiency on the server side and have overlooked the efficiency on the client side, which would actually affect user experience. Parallel computing provides solutions to this issue. Parallel visualization for vector tiles is a typical example of embarrassing parallelism, because there is no need for communications between computing units during parallel computing. Therefore, the performance of parallel visualization for vector tiles mainly depends on how the workload is accurately estimated and evenly decomposed onto the computing units.The estimation of workload of vector tile visualization is essentially an accurate estimation of the computing time of geographical feature visualization in the tile. This article uses the computational weight to represent the computing time of geographical feature visualization. The visualization process for geographical feature consists of three main steps: retrieving geographical feature, symbolizing geographical feature and rendering geographical feature. This article analysis the influential factors and building the computational weight functions (CWFs) of different types of geographical feature (point, linear and area) in different visualization steps. Then, by analysing the linear relationship between the influential factors and the computing time of geographical feature visualization, the coefficients of CWFs can be obtained by linear regressions. The goodness of fit of all the linear regressions are significant (R2&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;0.9), which means the computing time of geographical feature visualization, can be accurately estimated by CWFs.Once the computational weight of vector tiles is calculated, the workload decomposition is the next key issue. The traditional decomposition methods widely used in spatial domain decomposition are based on evenly divided spatial areas, such as vertical decomposition, horizontal decomposition and so on. However, the distribution of geographical features are usually uneven, the traditional decomposition methods may introduce large imbalance of workload for parallel computing and degrade the efficiency and performance. This article proposes a workload decomposition method based on the computational weight of vector tiles to improve the parallel visualization efficiency of vector tiles. Experiments show that the computational efficiency of parallel visualization of vector tiles with the proposed workload decomposition method is 18.6% higher than that with traditional decomposition methods.

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