Strong laws of large numbers for dependent heterogeneous processes: a synthesis of recent and new results

This paper surveys recent developments in the strong law of large numbers for dependent heterogeneous processes. We prove a generalised version of a recent strong law for Lz-mixingales, and also a new strong law for Lpmixingales. These results greatly relax the dependence and heterogeneity conditions relative to those currently cited, and introduce explicit trade-offs between dependence and heterogeneity. The results are applied to proving strong laws for near-epoch dependent functions of mixing processes. We contrast several methods for obtaining these results, including mapping directly to the mixingale properties, and applying a truncation argument.     

Do Donors Care? Some Australian Evidence

It is commonly believed that individuals would donate more to charity if they were assured that the funds would not be wasted. This is a common answer to survey type investigations into charitable giving. In this paper we adopt a law and finance approach to investigate the validity of this contention in the Australian context. We develop an Accountability Rights variable and relate that variable to charitable donations. The relationship between the two is statistically weak and not robust.     

The Clinical Effects of Massive Psychic Trauma in Families of Holocaust Survivors*

For years we have been treating numerous concentration camp survivors in the psychiatric clinics and hospitals of Israel. In recent years we have been seeing increasing numbers of the second generation suffering from a wide spectrum of emotional disorders, personality disturbances, borderline and psychotic states which are clearly related to the long-term effects of massive traumatization in the survivor parents. These effects are manifest in four inter-related areas of disturbance within the family—the parents' mental state, the family atmosphere, inter-personal functioning in the family and specific distortions in the parent-child interaction. Excessive talking about holocaust experiences to children, or the opposite —lack of communication, avoidance and denial of these experiences—are patterns frequently found in the children of survivors who seem to be most affected by the massive traumatization of the parents. It is postulated that therapy of the survivor parents can modify the transmissions of affects to the children. Family therapy is indicated whenever possible.     

An Observational Analysis of the Impact of Board Dynamics and Directors' Participation on Perceived Board Effectiveness

This study addresses calls for closer examination of board dynamics by offering an inside view of director interactions. Video observations of three board meetings at each of two Australian corporations matched with director interviews and secondary data reveal distinct patterns of director interactions, their sources of variation and their impact on perceived board effectiveness. The data reveal that director interactions are multidimensional and dynamic: while group interactions across agenda items are similar, with a few directors leading the discussion, the contributing directors change across items. Moreover, directors' inclusiveness and evenness of participation are associated with higher perceptions of board effectiveness. Lastly, the study found that director interactions change with the nature of the items, board climate and board meeting arrangements. The study contributes to the literature by moving beyond the individual‐level analysis of directors' skills or independence, and offering a detailed view of how the joint group and individual dimensions of board dynamics affect board functioning.     

Narrative skills predict peer adjustment across elementary school years

The importance of peer adjustment in middle childhood coincides with developing social cognitive and discursive skills that include the ability to make personal narrative accounts. Authoring personal stories promotes attention to the sequence of events, the causal connections between events, the moral significance of what has happened, and the motives that drive human action: these skills may be critical for the establishment and maintenance of satisfying peer relationships during elementary school. This study extended previous research by considering whether narrative skills in written stories about peer interactions predicted peer adjustment. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, 92 children wrote narratives about peer experiences and completed surveys on measures of peer adjustment for two school years. Cross‐lagged panel models indicated that chronological and thematic coherence and reports of moral concerns in narratives in the first year of the study contributed to lower peer disliking in the subsequent academic year. Reports of motives in Year 1 narratives contributed to lower levels of loneliness and peer victimization in Year 2. Writing personal narratives that are coherent and attentive to moral concerns and motives may be especially beneficial for children who have difficulty connecting with peers. We discuss implications for classroom practices.     

The potential for mycorrhizae to improve green roof function

The selection of plant species for use on green roofs has been based primarily on their ability to cope with the harsh climatic conditions of the urban rooftop environment. However, green roof plants must also survive in engineered substrates that often lack organic material and beneficial soil microorganisms such as mycorrhizal fungi. We review the literature on mycorrhizae in the context of green roof ecosystems, identifying aspects of green roof functioning that could be enhanced through the integration of mycorrhizal fungi. Although relatively few studies have addressed the influence of mycorrhizal symbiosis on green roof plants specifically, we include information from a variety of naturally occurring habitats with analogous growing conditions. The available literature suggests that the incorporation of mycorrhizal fungi can improve a number of green roof functional attributes, including plant diversity, drought resilience, leachate quality, nutrient use efficiency and carbon sequestration, all while reducing the need for external nutrient inputs. We present evidence that mycorrhizal fungi are of general benefit to green roof ecosystems, and can be effectively integrated into green roof design. We recommend methods for this integration and propose future research directions.     

Distress in Emerging Adults: Further Evaluation of the Painful Feelings About Divorce Scale

Young adults from divorced families experience clear emotional distress despite most not meeting diagnostic criteria for emotional disorders. Laumann-Billings and Emery (2000) developed the Painful Feelings About Divorce (PFAD) scale to assess the emotional distress emerging adults feel regarding childhood parental divorce. The study sample is undergraduates predominately between the ages of 18 and 22. This study adds to the literature by (a) further demonstrating the PFAD scale reliability and validity, (b) including participants with both divorced and separated but never married parents, and (c) assessing generalizability of the PFAD with a more diverse socioeconomic sample.     

Policy options when population growth slows: The case of Thailand

Thailand reached replacement-level fertility almost a decade ago, although there has been a lag in measuring and recognising the implications of this benchmark event. Fertility could well sink still lower. The momentum of population growth will ensure substantial further increase before the population levels off, but this is not true in all regions. For example, earlier and faster fertility decline in the North, and net outmigration, have led to a situation where some geographical and age segments of the North's population are decreasing. Population policy in Thailand since 1970 has had two major planks: to reduce fertility through an active family planning program, and to distribute population away from the large primate city of Bangkok. The paper discusses whether these policies may need to be modified as a result of the major demographic and socio economic changes that have been taking place. It also discusses the limits to population policy in terms of the likely efficacy of various measures that could be adopted, based on both an assessment of the Thailand situation and the experience of other low-fertility countries.     

Expansion of Secondary AND Tertiary Education in South East Asia: Some Implications for Australia

The number of secondary and tertiary graduates in South East Asia is growing very rapidly. Many interrelated issues arise. One is the need to improve equity of access to these levels of education. Another is the need to broaden the employment base for the better-educated beyond the professional and clerical jobs (largely in the public service) which have hitherto been available to most secondary and tertiary graduates. Yet another relates to the appropriate content of education at these levels, the appropriate rate of expansion and the ultimate target for the proportion of young people receiving tertiary education. There are many parallel issues for Australia, particularly as Australian educational policy, increasingly favouring the supply of places in Australian educational institutions on a full-fee basis, requires a greater “meshing” of educational systems with those in the region. Australia should also be aware that rapidly rising numbers of educated youth in an uncertain job market could lead to increased political instability in some South East Asian countries and an increase in applications for migration to Australia. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Australian Population Association Conference, Brisbane, 31 August-2 September 1988. The author would like to thank participants in that Conference, as well as Anthony Reid and Jamie Mackie, for valuable comments, though they are in no way responsible for remaining shortcomings in the paper.     

Is demographic uniformity inevitable?

Globalizing processes of industrialization and Westernization are creating a retreat from diversity in human experience. The paper discusses whether population trends are reinforcing this process and draws on findings about growth rates, the family and urbanization in Western countries. East and Southeast Asia and Latin America. The extent to which counterbalancing forces, including cultural resilience, are curbing homogenization is also examined.