Students' Attitudes Toward Religion

A study of the value structure of students investigates correlations of value hierarchies with religious/secular orientations and exposure to school curricula incorporating a course in Orthodox culture.     

A class of integral operators generated by random variables

H. Kres Statistisehe Tafeln zur multlvariaten Analysis. Springer-Verlag, Berlin- Heidel-berg-New York 1975, XVIII, 431 S., 26 Tab., DM 48.

D. Rasch: Einführung in die mathematische Statistik - WahrscheinUcllkeitsrechnung und Grundlagen der mathematlsehan Statistlk. VEB Deutscher Verlag delr Wissenschaften, Berlin 1976, 371 S., 37 Abb., 46 'I'ab., 40,– M.

D. Rasch: Einführung in die muthematisehe Statlstik - II .Anweuduugen, VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin 1976.

Donald L. Snyder: Random Point Processes. -JohnWiley &; Sons, New York 1975,485 S.     

Evaluation of scheduling strategies for a dynamic job shop in a tool-shared,flexible manufacturing environment

A two-phase approach is used to examine the impact of job scheduling rules and tool selection policies for a dynamic job shop system in a tool-shared, flexible manufacturing environment. The first phase develops a generalized simulation model and analyses 'simple' job scheduling rules and tool selection policies under various operating scenarios. The results from this investigation are then used to develop and analyse various bi-criteria rules in the second phase of this study. The results show that the scheduling rules have the most significant impact on system performance, particularly at high shop load levels. Tool selection policies affect some of the performance measures, most notably, proportion of tardy jobs, to a lesser degree. Higher machine utilizations can be obtained at higher tool duplication levels but at the expense of increased tooling costs and lower tool utilization. The results also show that using different processing time distributions may have a significant impact on shop performance.     

The burdens of social capital: How socially-involved people dealt with stress after Hurricane Katrina

Research shows that those with greater social capital enjoy better physical and mental health. The current study illuminates a paradox of social capital which may afflict those involved in traumatic events. Several years of survey data reveal a dynamic picture of the link between social capital and stress following Hurricane Katrina. Results reveal that initially after Katrina, those who were more socially embedded carried the greatest load with respect to helping the displaced population, thus experiencing more stress. But over time, the most socially-involved then snapped back from their stressful experiences more rapidly than isolates. This confirms that over the course of stressful events, social involvement first exposes people to more stress, but as time passes, provides them a significant buffer against negative psychosocial experiences.     

Shadow Insurance

Life insurers use reinsurance to move liabilities from regulated and rated companies that sell policies to shadow reinsurers, which are less regulated and unrated off‐balance‐sheet entities within the same insurance group. U.S. life insurance and annuity liabilities ceded to shadow reinsurers grew from $11 billion in 2002 to $364 billion in 2012. Life insurers using shadow insurance, which capture half of the market share, ceded 25 cents of every dollar insured to shadow reinsurers in 2012, up from 2 cents in 2002. By relaxing capital requirements, shadow insurance could reduce the marginal cost of issuing policies and thereby improve retail market efficiency. However, shadow insurance could also reduce risk‐based capital and increase expected loss for the industry. We model and quantify these effects based on publicly available data and plausible assumptions.     

Inference on Causal Effects in a Generalized Regression Kink Design

We consider nonparametric identification and estimation in a nonseparable model where a continuous regressor of interest is a known, deterministic, but kinked function of an observed assignment variable. We characterize a broad class of models in which a sharp “Regression Kink Design” (RKD or RK Design) identifies a readily interpretable treatment‐on‐the‐treated parameter (Florens, Heckman, Meghir, and Vytlacil (2008)). We also introduce a “fuzzy regression kink design” generalization that allows for omitted variables in the assignment rule, noncompliance, and certain types of measurement errors in the observed values of the assignment variable and the policy variable. Our identifying assumptions give rise to testable restrictions on the distributions of the assignment variable and predetermined covariates around the kink point, similar to the restrictions delivered by Lee (2008) for the regression discontinuity design. Using a kink in the unemployment benefit formula, we apply a fuzzy RKD to empirically estimate the effect of benefit rates on unemployment durations in Austria.     

Further Beyond the Basic Background Check: Predicting Future Unethical Behavior

In this paper, we analyze the ethical issues of using honesty and integrity tests in employment screening. Our focus will be on the United States context: legal requirements related to applicant privacy differ in other countries, but we posit that our proposed balancing test is broadly applicable. We start by discussing why companies have ethical and legal obligations, based on a stakeholder analysis, to assess the integrity of potential employees. We then move to a consideration of how companies currently use background checks as a pre‐employment screening tool, noting their limitations. We then take up honesty and integrity testing, focusing particularly on the problems of false positives and due process. We offer a balancing test for the use of honesty and integrity testing that takes in three factors: (1) the potential harm posed by a dishonest employee in a particular job, (2) the linkage between the test and the assessment process, and (3) the accuracy and validity of the honesty and integrity test. We conclude with implications for practice and future research.     

中国优秀学术论文急速外流的原因及应对策略

通过对2014年中国SCI和SSCI学术论文外流情况的统计,当前学术论文外流的严重情况被全面和具体地呈现出来。通过系统梳理学术论文外流的相关研究,一方面从国家对论文外流缺乏宏观引导、科研考核机制刺激优秀论文外流、我国缺乏具有国际影响力的期刊以及国内期刊运作机制与国际化水平尚待提升4个方面揭示学术论文外流的具体原因;另一方面从宏观层面提出加强国家引导、集中优势资源打造国际顶级期刊、调整科研绩效考评政策、深化期刊体制改革、设立国内科技论文评奖机制5个方面的应对措施。