English Language Proficiency Among the Foreign Born in the United States, 1980–2007: Duration,Age, Cohort Effects

This study employs pooled data from the 1980 through 2000 censuses and 2001 through 2007 American Community Survey data to study English language proficiency among foreign‐born in a dynamic framework. Our findings show continuing significance of duration of stay and age at migration and declining English language proficiency across successive cohorts. Additionally, analysis enabled by availability of single‐year data from 2000 to 2007 indicates acquisition of language proficiency as steepest during first 9 years upon arrival and for migrating age group 6–17. Further, we find significant differences by education, regions of origin, racial groups, and by regions of residence.     

Crisis,charisma, values,and voting behavior in the 2004 presidential election

This study extends Pillai and Williams [1998, Pillai, R., Williams, E.A., Lowe, K.B., & Jung, D.I. (2003). Personality, transformational leadership, trust, and the 2000 U.S. presidential vote. The Leadership Quarterly, 14, 161–192] and examines leadership in the context of the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Data were collected at two time periods from respondents in three locations across two major regions of the U.S. Our results indicate that respondents' perception of crisis was related to charismatic leadership in the negative direction for the incumbent George W. Bush and in the positive direction for the challenger John Kerry. For Bush and Kerry the relationship between crisis and voting behavior was mediated by charismatic leadership. For Bush, decisiveness was related to charismatic leadership, which in turn predicted voting behavior. For Kerry, decisiveness and charismatic leadership predicted voting behavior. Implications of the findings for leadership research, in particular with respect to an incumbent and the challenger to an incumbent leader, are discussed.     

Modeling a cross-sectional response variable with longitudinal predictors: an example of pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity

We wish to model pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a function of longitudinal measurements of pulse pressure (PP) at the same and prior visits at which the PWV is measured. A number of approaches are compared. First, we use the PP at the same visit as the PWV in a linear regression model. In addition, we use the average of all available PPs as the explanatory variable in a linear regression model. Next, a two-stage process is applied. The longitudinal PP is modeled using a linear mixed-effects model. This modeled PP is used in the regression model to describe PWV. An approach for using the longitudinal PP data is to obtain a measure of the cumulative burden, the area under the PP curve. This area under the curve is used as an explanatory variable to model PWV. Finally, a joint Bayesian model is constructed similar to the two-stage model.