Role versatility among men who have sex with men in urban Peru

Role versatility refers to the practice in which individual men who have sex with men (MSM) play both insertive and receptive sexual roles over time. Versatility has been thought to be relatively uncommon among Latin American MSM but possibly rising. Versatility has also been shown to be a potentially large population-level risk factor for HIV infection. In this study we examine the correlates of versatile behavior and identity among 2,655 MSM in six Peruvian cities. Versatile behavior with recent male partners was found in 9% of men and versatile ("moderno") identity was reported by 16%. Significant predictors included high education, white-collar occupation, sex work, and residence in Lima. Age was not significant in any analysis. Since sex work is negatively correlated with other predictors, versatile men appear to comprise two distinct sub-populations. Insertive-only men appear to play a strong role in bridging the HIV epidemic between MSM and women.     

On the estimation of a binary response model in a selected population

A generalization of the Probit model is presented, with the extended skew-normal cumulative distribution as a link function, which can be used for modelling a binary response variable in the presence of selectivity bias. The estimate of the parameters via ML is addressed, and inference on the parameters expressing the degree of selection is discussed. The assumption underlying the model is that the selection mechanism influences the unmeasured factors and does not affect the explanatory variables. When this assumption is violated, but other conditional independencies hold, then the model proposed here is derived. In particular, the instrumental variable formula still applies and the model results at the second stage of the estimating procedure.     

Differential Mortality and the Design of the Italian System of Public Pensions

Abstract. This paper considers the issue of actuarial fairness of the new Italian public pension system in view of the recent trends in old‐age mortality and the survival differences by gender, birth cohort and region of residence. After reviewing the secular trends in elderly mortality in Italy, and the evolution of regional differences in survival over the last three decades, we evaluate the impact, on the conversion factors introduced by the Dini reform, of a further decline in elderly mortality over the next few decades. We compute the conversion factors using a close approximation to the unknown formula employed in the Dini reform but allowing for gender‐ and region‐specific survival probabilities. Our results leave no doubt about the importance of frequently updating the conversion factors in the light of the rapid increase in elderly survival. The paper also quantifies to what extent gender‐ and region‐specific conversion factors may differ from their currently legislated values, that only vary by age. Finally, we recognize that the actuarial fairness of the system introduced by the recent reform can only be guaranteed on average and that, in the presence of a heterogeneous population of individuals that differ considerably in their mortality prospects, the current system implies a substantial degree of redistribution from high‐mortality groups (typically characterized by low income and low wealth) to low‐mortality groups (typically characterized by high income and high wealth).     

Moving Ahead in Madrid: Aspirations and Expectations in the Spanish Second Generation

This paper examines determinants of aspirations and expectations among children of immigrants based on a statistically representative sample of 3,375 second generation youths interviewed in 101 public and private secondary schools in metropolitan Madrid. We review the past literature on status attainment in general and aspirations and expectations, in particular, and draw from it a set of six hypotheses to guide the analysis. Most theoretical statements in this field have been developed on the basis of U.S. data; studies in other immigrant-receiving countries, especially outside the Anglophone world, have been scarce. The study thus provides an opportunity to test and refine existing hypotheses in a different national context. We present breakdowns of educational and occupational aspirations and expectations by gender, parental education and type of school attended. This is followed by multivariate regressions of all four dependent variables on these three plus other predictors suggested by the research literature. This analysis ends with structural equation models - recursive and non-recursive - that provide an integrated theoretical statement of the causal structure of ambition in the Spanish context. Implications of our findings for theory and policy are examined. Suggestions for future research in this field are discussed.     

How does interpersonal justice affect outside directors’ governance behavior? A cross-cultural comparison

We examine the impact of interpersonal justice among outside directors on the board and between a director and the CEO regarding the director’s monitoring and resource provision behaviors in different cultural contexts. We argue that directors from individualistic countries are more influenced by CEO interpersonal justice while directors from collectivistic countries are more affected by the board interpersonal justice. Our main effect results indicate that interpersonal justice with board members is positively related to both monitoring and resource provision by a director, while CEO interpersonal justice is related only to resource provision. Our results also show different effects on the director’s behaviors between three countries, i.e., Canada, Singapore, and Spain. We found that CEO interpersonal justice is positively associated with resource provision in Canada, while board interpersonal justice is positively related to both monitoring and resource provision in Singapore and Spain. These results suggest that directors discharge their board duties differently by how they are treated by other directors and the CEO and that their governance behaviors vary by culture. This study contributes to the literature on comparative corporate governance by showing the differences in directors’ behaviors in different cultural contexts.     

Health related quality of life of women at the sixth week and sixth month postpartum by mode of birth

Background

Health-related quality of life of women in the postpartum period may depend on the mode of birth. However, previous findings are contradictory.

Developmental Changes and Individual Differences in Trust and Reciprocity in Adolescence

A Trust Game was used to examine trust and reciprocity development in 12–18‐year‐old‐adolescents (N = 496), as findings have been conflicting and transitions in adolescence remain elusive. Furthermore, this study tested the roles of gender, risk, and individual differences in empathy, impulsivity, and antisocial tendencies in trust and reciprocity. Results indicate stability in trust and a decrease in reciprocity across adolescence, but also show that trust and reciprocity choices were influenced by risk, and that empathy mediated the age‐related decrease in reciprocity. Males trusted more than females, but there were no gender differences in reciprocity. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences and adolescents’ sensitivities to varying contexts in explaining trust and reciprocity development in adolescence.     

Spatial variability of fish communities in a highly urbanised reef system

Urban Ecosystems - Rapid coastal development has generated interest in the ecology of human-modified marine environments. Coastal defence structures such as breakwaters and seawalls are...     

On the estimation of extreme directional multivariate quantiles

Abstract

In multivariate extreme value theory (MEVT), the focus is on analysis outside of the observable sampling zone, which implies that the region of interest is associated to high risk levels. This work provides tools to include directional notions into the MEVT, giving the opportunity to characterize the recently introduced directional multivariate quantiles (DMQ) at high levels. Then, an out-sample estimation method for these quantiles is given. A bootstrap procedure carries out the estimation of the tuning parameter in this multivariate framework and helps with the estimation of the DMQ. Asymptotic normality for the proposed estimator is provided and the methodology is illustrated with simulated data-sets. Finally, a real-life application to a financial case is also performed.     

Les conditions de travail dans le secteur tourné vers l'exportation du nord du Maroc: du cadre juridique à l'expérience vécue

Les entreprises exportatrices de produits manufacturés et de services implantées dans le nord du Maroc se caractérisent par une grande flexibilité, une main‐d'?uvre sous pression, étroitement encadrée, et la remise en question de certains droits au travail. Les auteurs examinent cette situation à partir du modèle théorique de l'«économie mondiale localisée», en tenant compte du type de l'entreprise, de la branche d'activité et de la catégorie professionnelle. Ils montrent que la réforme du marché du travail de 2004, qui visait à rendre la réglementation marocaine conforme aux conventions internationales, a eu pour effet de renforcer encore la position des sociétés transnationales.