On the L1‐consistency of wavelet density estimates

The authors analyze the L₁ performance of wavelet density estimators. They prove that under mild conditions on the family of wavelets, such estimates are universally consistent in the L₁ sense.     

A hierarchical modelling approach for measuring reliability of and agreement between two types of magnetic field dosimeter

Summary.  The paper describes how to use hierarchical models to assess the reliability of and agreement between two or more types of measurement device. The idea is illustrated by fitting a linear model with nested random effects to a set of data that was obtained from the calibration of two samples of extremely low frequency magnetic field meters. The paper focuses on the formulation of a suitable model that accounts for the various aspects of the calibration protocol and the subsequent interpretation of the parameter estimates. The approach is very flexible and can easily be tuned to the various needs arising in the measurement agreement framework. It can be seen as an extension of the common practice of using a one-way random-effects model to retrieve a measure of agreement.     

Wealth in Middle and Old Age in Mexico: The Role of International Migration1

This article examines the impact that past migration to the U.S. has on the current economic well‐being of individuals in middle or old age who have returned to Mexico. A priori, the net effect of U.S. migration on wealth among return migrants is difficult to predict; there are counteracting factors that can affect wealth positively or negatively. Using data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study 2001 and correcting for selection factors, the long‐term effect of U.S. migration for return migrants was found consistently positive in terms of their accumulated personal wealth at middle and old age. This article speculates about the possible mechanisms that can explain this apparent advantage.     

A Country on the Move: International Migration in Post‐Communist Albania1

Albania is a country on the move. This mobility plays a key role in household‐level strategies to cope with the economic hardship of transition. With the relaxing of controls on emigration at the beginning of the 1990s, international migration has exploded, becoming the single most important political, social, and economic phenomenon in post‐communist Albania. Based on the 1989 and 2001 population censuses we estimate that over 600,000 Albanians live abroad, mostly in nearby Greece and Italy, with the vast majority coming from a limited number of districts located at the coastal and transport gateways to these destination countries, as well as Tirana. The available data also suggest that a similar number have considered migrating, and of these, half have tried and failed. Almost one‐half of the children who since 1990 no longer live with their parents are now living abroad, a number of almost exodus proportions. This article also identifies clear patterns of temporary migration, with Greece being by far the most important destination and rural areas from the Center and North‐East of the country being the primary origins of these flows. Although migration, with the resulting remittances, has become an indispensable part of Albanian economic development, there is increasing consensus on the necessity to devise more appropriate, sustainable strategies to lift households out of poverty and promote the country's growth.     

Balanced Asymmetrical Nearly Orthogonal Designs for first and second order effect estimation

A method for constructing asymmetrical (mixed-level) designs, satisfying the balancing and interaction estimability requirements with a number of runs as small as possible, is proposed in this paper. The method, based on a heuristic procedure, uses a new optimality criterion formulated here. The proposed method demonstrates efficiency in terms of searching time and optimality of the attained designs. A complete collection of such asymmetrical designs with two- and three-level factors is available. A technological application is also presented.