Puerto rican drug users’ experiences of physical and sexual abuse: Comparisons based on sexual identities

This study integrates the results of quantitative and qualitative methods to elucidate the association between sexual identity and physical and sexual abuse among Puerto Rican drug users. A structured questionnaire was administered to 800 subjects in New York and 399 in Puerto Rico. A total of 93 subjects (7.9%) self‐identified as homosexual or bisexual. Gay males were significantly more likely than heterosexual males to report first occurrence of physical abuse by a family member in childhood. Both gay and bisexual males were more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to report first experiencing unwanted sex in childhood and intimate partner physical abuse later in life. Lesbians were more likely than female heterosexuals to report unwanted sex in childhood. Qualitative data were collected through in‐depth life histories with 21 subjects and suggest that gay and lesbian subjects perceive antihomosexual prejudice on the part of family members as one cause of childhood physical and sexual abuse.     

Cross-country determinants of life satisfaction: exploring different determinants across groups in society

This paper explores a wide range of cross-country determinants of life satisfaction exploiting a database of 90,000 observations in 70 countries. We distinguish four groups of aggregate variables as potential determinants of satisfaction: political, economic, institutional, and human development and culture. We use ordered probit to investigate the importance of these variables on individual life satisfaction and test the robustness of our results with Extreme Bounds Analysis. The results show that only a small number of factors, such as openness, business climate, postcommunism, the number of chambers in parliament, Christian majority, and infant mortality, robustly influence life satisfaction across countries while the importance of many variables suggested in the previous literature is not confirmed. This remains largely true when the analysis splits national populations according to gender, income, and political orientation also. We thank Stephen Lea, participants at the 30th IAREP conference in Prague and the referees of this journal for comments on earlier versions. Gilles Winkler provided excellent research assistance.     

WOMEN'S RISING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASED LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION

This paper examines the secular increase in the labor market activity of married women in the United States from 1975 to 1991. The research stresses two findings consistent with the hypothesis that married women increased their attachment to the labor force during this time period. First, increasing duration, not incidence, of married women's employment spells contributes the most to the increase in their rate of employment from 1975 to 1991. Second, the increase in married women's employment over the 1980s is largely due to their increased willingness to work more at any given wage, not their rising wage opportunities. ( JEL J22, J31, J64)     

Adaptive weights smoothing with applications to image restoration

We propose a new method of nonparametric estimation which is based on locally constant smoothing with an adaptive choice of weights for every pair of data points. Some theoretical properties of the procedure are investigated. Then we demonstrate the performance of the method on some simulated univariate and bivariate examples and compare it with other nonparametric methods. Finally we discuss applications of this procedure to magnetic resonance and satellite imaging.     

Estimation of parameters of mixed failure time distribution

The problem of estimation of parameters of a mixture of degenerate and exponential distributions is considered. A new sampling scheme is proposed and the exact bias and the mean square error (MSE) of the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters is derived. Moment estimators, their approximate biases and the MSE are obtained. Asymptotic distributions of the estimators are also obtained for both the cases.     

Single sampling plans indexed by point op control and inflection point

Three tables for selection of single sampling plans with any one of the following combinations of entry parameters are givens.

1) the indifference quality level and the average outgoing quality limit.

2) the indifference quality level with relative slope of the OC curve at that quality leve land.

3) the quality level corresponding to the inflection point with relative slope of the OC curve at that quality level.

A table enabling the transition from one set of parameters to match the OC curve of other similar sets is also given.     

The Active Civic Involvement of Russia's Citizens

Every Saturday the head of the curriculum department, Akim Ivanovich Lysak, and I discuss what was done and consult with one another on what we will do during the coming week. We draw up a plan which indicates the responsibilities of the principal and the head of the curriculum department and the matters requiring our joint efforts.     

Role of social welfare in European suicide prevention

Yur'yev A, Värnik A, Värnik P, Sisask M, Leppik L. Role of social welfare in European suicide prevention The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between suicide mortality and social expenditure in 26 European countries, explore attitudes towards welfare systems and their relationship with suicide mortality, and compare attitudes towards welfare provision in Eastern and Western Europe. The World Health Organization suicide data and Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development social expenditure data for 1980–2005 were used. Data on attitudes towards welfare systems were taken from the European Social Survey. Differences between mean scores for attitudes in Western and Eastern European countries were calculated. Correlations between social expenditure and suicide trends were negative in most countries for both genders. Inverse correlations between attitudes towards welfare provision and suicide mortality rates were demonstrated for males only. Differences in attitudes were found between Eastern and Western European countries; for example, confidence in the welfare system was found to be stronger in Western Europe. Higher social expenditure and greater confidence in welfare provision appear to have suicide‐preventive effects.     

Measurement bias and multidimensionality; an illustration of bias detection in multidimensional measurement models

Restricted factor analysis can be used to investigate measurement bias. A prerequisite for the detection of measurement bias through factor analysis is the correct specification of the measurement model. We applied restricted factor analysis to two subtests of a Dutch cognitive ability test. These two examples serve to illustrate the relationship between multidimensionality and measurement bias. We conclude that measurement bias implies multidimensionality, whereas multidimensionality shows up as measurement bias only if multidimensionality is not properly accounted for in the measurement model.