Censorship and the Australian Public

Recently the authors with the assistance of a research grant from the Sebel Company of Australia, carried out a study of attitudes held by sub-groups within Australian society. One of the topical issues investigated was the desirability of censorship of the mass media. The results of this section of the inquiry, based on a questionnaire administered to 1,455 adults in Sydney and Melbourne, are presented in this article.     

A bootstrap test for time series linearity

A bootstrap algorithm is proposed for testing Gaussianity and linearity in stationary time series, and consistency of the relevant bootstrap approximations is proven rigorously for the first time. Subba Rao and Gabr (1980) and Hinich (1982) have formulated some well-known nonparametric tests for Gaussianity and linearity based on the asymptotic distribution of the normalized bispectrum. The proposed bootstrap procedure gives an alternative way to approximate the finite-sample null distribution of such test statistics. We revisit a modified form of Hinich's test utilizing kernel smoothing, and compare its performance to the bootstrap test on several simulated data sets and two real data sets—the S&P 500 returns and the quarterly US real GNP growth rate. Interestingly, Hinich's test and the proposed bootstrapped version yield substantially different results when testing Gaussianity and linearity of the GNP data.     

Drivers of soil carbon in residential ‘pure lawns’ in Auburn,Alabama

Urban land area is expanding worldwide and may contribute to long-term carbon (C) storage; however, little is known about potential drivers of soil C in urban areas. Residential areas are one of the largest urban land use zones and lawns can provide stable chronosequences for studying soil C dynamics. In residential lawns containing no trees (n?=?23), the relationships between soil C and four potential drivers [home age (1–51 years), yard maintenance practices (fertilization, irrigation, and bagging or mulching lawn clippings), soil nitrogen (N) and soil texture] were investigated. Soil C increased with home age at 0–15 cm depth by 0.026 kg C m^?2?yr^?1, declined by ?0.011 kg C m^?2?yr^?1 at 15–30 cm depth, and was stable at 30–50 cm depth. Soil C had a positive relationship with soil N (R ²?=?0.55) at the 0–15 cm depth. Soil C and N were not related to yard maintenance practices or soil texture. The low soil C sequestration rate and limited relationships between soil C and home age, yard maintenance, soil N and soil texture may have resulted from the positive influence of Auburn’s humid, subtropical climate on residue decomposition.     

Does an Immigrant Background Ameliorate Racial Disadvantage? The Socioeconomic Attainments of Second‐Generation African Americans1

Although there is a growing literature on the socioeconomic circumstances of the second generation, this issue has not been systematically considered for African Americans. To help fill this research gap, we investigate the extent to which the socioeconomic attainments of second‐generation African Americans differ from mainstream (i.e., third and higher generation) African Americans. Using data from the Current Population Survey and the 2000 Census, our results indicate that the schooling and wages of second‐generation African Americans consistently exceed those of third‐ and higher generation African Americans. Our findings also reveal that second‐generation African Americans do at least as well as whites in terms of years of schooling, but wage differentials differ significantly by gender. Second‐generation African‐American women earn wages that are at least as high as comparable white women, but second‐generation African‐American men earn wages that are, on average, about 16% less than measurably comparable white men. While no one theoretical perspective can account for all these results, they nonetheless indicate the continuing significance of racial disadvantage for African‐American men, including those with an immigrant background.     

How does information sharing affect first-tier suppliers’ flexibility? Evidence from the automotive industry in Sweden

This study addresses the critical research issue of how supplier delivery performance can be enhanced by integrating information sharing into volume and delivery flexibility. This study developed a research model to relate information sharing on demand forecasts and inventory data between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and first-tier suppliers. Based on a sample of 52 suppliers from automotive industry in Sweden, partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the model. The results confirm that sharing demand forecasts is a key enabler of supplier volume and delivery flexibility while sharing inventory data is not. The study contributes to enlarging the knowledge about supply chain management from the suppliers’ perspective. It also contributes to knowledge by validating the conceptual model and operationalisation of constructs. The study also has practical contribution in which management should focus on improving communication and collaboration practices with OEMs for effective sharing of demand forecasts.     

Psychometric Properties of the Family Inventory of Resources and Stressors in Families of Children with Emotional/Behavior Disorders: Ethnic/Racial and Developmental Differences

The Family Inventory of Resources and Stressors (FIRST) has been shown to have adequate psychometric properties in the assessment of families of children with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD). However, the extent to which ethnic/racial and developmental differences moderate the psychometric properties of this instrument is unknown. The study sample consisted of 150 families with an EBD child consecutively admitted to the Astor Transitions Program. This study seeks (1) to conduct a psychometric analysis of the FIRST subscales among African American and Hispanic/Latino families with older students versus early childhood students with EBD, and (2) to determine whether profiles will show greater stress for families of older students due to longer exposure to their EBD. Alpha coefficients were computed with a cutoff of 0.70 (or higher) indicating acceptable internal consistency reliability. Criterion variables reflecting family environment, mental health, and level of service correlated with relevant FIRST subscales assessed validity. Ethnic/racial and developmental effects were found to moderate the psychometric properties of the FIRST. No statistically significant between-group mean differences on the FIRST were found for families of early childhood versus older EBD students. Despite evidence of response bias on the part of families and lack of standardization during test administration by caseworkers, the current findings still reveal adequate reliability and limited validity of FIRST subscales.