The scope of this paper is twofold. First, we use the Kolmogorov-Sinai Entropy to estimate lower bounds for dominant eigenvalues of nonnegative matrices. The lower bound is better than the Rayleigh quotient. Second, we use this estimate to give a nontrivial lower bound for the gaps of dominant eigenvalues ofA and A+V.

BACKGROUND The global and within-country epidemiology of cervical cancer exemplifies health inequity. Public health programs may reduce absolute risk but increase inequity; inequity may be further compounded by screening programs. In this context, we aimed to explore what the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine might have on health equity allowing for uncertainty surrounding the long-t...

Identification in censored regression analysis and hazard models of duration outcomes relies on the condition that censoring points are independent of latent outcomes, an assumption which may be questionable in many settings. This note proposes a test for this assumption based on a Kolmogorov-Smirnov-like test statistic comparing two different nonparametric estimators for the latent outcome cdf...

According to Dr Turcotte, this program “would have no effect on the absolute risk of dying” and therefore should not be implemented because it contradicts a principle of public health practice. There is no reference to support this statement, and its rigorous application would mean the end of most of Canada’s existing public health programs. As Dr Turcotte accepts that 30% of deaths from colore...

OBJECTIVE To understand general practitioners' (GPs) use of individual risk factors (blood pressure and cholesterol levels) versus absolute risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management decision-making. DESIGN Randomised experiment. Absolute risk, systolic blood pressure (SBP), cholesterol ratio (total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (TC/HDL)) and age were systematically varied in...

A standard result states that under decreasing absolute risk aversion the indifference premium of the insured is a decreasing function of wealth. This has been interpreted to mean that insurance is an inferior good, which has been considered as a puzzle in insurance theory, in particular since the result does not seem to explain observed behavior in insurance markets. We reformulate the standar...

We use household survey data to construct a direct measure of absolute risk aversion based on the maximum price a consumer is willing to pay to enter a lottery. We relate this measure to consumers’ endowment and attributes and to measures of background risk. We ...nd that risk aversion is a decreasing function of endowment thus rejecting CARA preferences but that the elasticity to consumption i...

BACKGROUND Treatment failure defined as progression of disease after initiation of ART or when the anti-HIV medications can't control the infection. One of the major concerns over the rapid scaling up of ART is the emergence and transmission of HIV drug resistant strains at the population level due to treatment failure. This could lead to the failure of basic ART programs. Thus this study aimed...