Religiöse Identität und Wertbindungen von Jugendlichen in Deutschland

In analysing the religiousness of youth positions vary between the hypothesis that religiousness has decreased and the hypothesis that there is a specific youth religion. In this paper it is assumed that the development of religious identities and convictions depends on social contexts and family environments. The paper analyses different religious interpretative patterns adolescents generate in order to position themselves in relation to concepts of life and meaning in societies who are marked by the pluralization of values, the secularization of social relations and the individualization of life styles. Through case studies of youth from West Germany, East Germany and youth from migrant’s milieus—each group of which are brought up religiously in a different environments—it is shown how the religious identities of youth become established under specific social-historical conditions and conditions of socialisation.     

Quality of Work Life: Theoretical and Methodological Problems, and Presentation of a New Model and Measuring Instrument

Purpose: Ever since the concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) was first used over 30 years ago, a range of definitions and theoretical constructs have succeeded each other with the aim of mitigating the many problems facing the concept. A historical overview of the concept of QWL is presented here. Given the lack of consensus concerning the solutions that have been developed to date, a new definition of QWL is suggested, inspired by the research on a related concept, general Quality of Life (QOL) which, as the literature shows, has faced the same conceptualization and definition problems as QWL. Based on the suggested definition of QOL, a definition of QWL is provided and the measuring instrument that results therefrom (the Quality of Working Life Systemic Inventory – QWLSI) is presented. Finally, the solutions that this model and measuring instrument provide for the above-mentioned problems are discussed.     

Health-Related Quality of Life Models: Systematic Review of the Literature

Purpose: This review evaluates howtheory-driven models of health-related qualityof life (QoL) take into account themethodological and conceptual problemsbesetting the field. Methodology: 68 modelsformulated from 1965 to 2001 (60% of thosefound for each decade) were randomly selected.Two judges evaluated the models using ananalysis grid covering a) the models' level ofconceptualization (from less to moresophisticated); b) the definition of QoL; c)the distinction between factors that mayinfluence QoL and QoL per se; and d) thepresence of instruments as tools to measureQoL. A global score reflecting the overallquality of the models was also provided.Results: Of the 68 theory-driven modelssampled, approximately 35% were in the lesscomplex category, 15% were in the mostsophisticated group and nearly 50% were inbetween. QoL was not defined by at least 25%of authors. The distinction between factorsthat may influence QoL and QoL per se wasmade in less than 50% of models. Instrumentsused were identified by 78% of authors. Lessthan 3% of the models examined received themaximum global score. Conclusions: From 1965 to2001, a general improvement in the quality ofQoL models is identified. However, for manymodels, the questions used to analyze modelswere not always clearly addressed (many did noteven define QoL), rendering analysis quitedifficult. Overall, the field needs moresophisticated models and a better definition ofthe content and boundaries of the QoL concept.     

Extensions of stability selection using subsamples of observations and covariates

We introduce extensions of stability selection, a method to stabilise variable selection methods introduced by Meinshausen and Bühlmann (J R Stat Soc 72:417–473, 2010). We propose to apply a base selection method repeatedly to random subsamples of observations and subsets of covariates under scrutiny, and to select covariates based on their selection frequency. We analyse the effects and benefits of these extensions. Our analysis generalizes the theoretical results of Meinshausen and Bühlmann (J R Stat Soc 72:417–473, 2010) from the case of half-samples to subsamples of arbitrary size. We study, in a theoretical manner, the effect of taking random covariate subsets using a simplified score model. Finally we validate these extensions on numerical experiments on both synthetic and real datasets, and compare the obtained results in detail to the original stability selection method.     

Predicting weed invasion in a sugarcane cultivar using multispectral image

The cultivation of sugar cane has been gaining great focus in several countries due to its diversity of use. The modernization of agriculture has allowed high productivity, which is affected by the invasion of weeds. With sustainable agriculture, the use of herbicides has been increasingly avoided in society, requiring more effective weed control methods. In this paper, we propose a statistical model capable of identifying the invasion of weeds in the field, using four color spectra as regressor variables obtained by a multispectral camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle. With the exact identification of the weed infestation, it is possible to carry out the management in the field with herbicide applications in the exact places, thus avoiding the increase of the cost of production or even dispensing with the use of herbicides, effecting the mechanical removal of them. Results show that in the experimental field, it was possible to reduce herbicide spraying by 57%.     

The “Negative” Assimilation of Immigrants: a Counter-Example from the Canadian Labor Market

With Canadian data ranging from 1991 to 2011, this paper investigates the effects of the number of years since migration on the earnings of immigrants from the United States and the United Kingdom in Canada. The aim is to test whether the “negative assimilation” hypothesis proposed by Chiswick and Miller (Ind Labor Relat Rev 64(3):502–525, 2011) for immigrants to the United States is a universal finding for immigrants from countries with similar economic standing and skill transferability to those of the destination country. We also expand on Chiswick and Miller’s work by doing regressions for both males and females and by comparing to Chinese immigrants, a representative group from a less developed country. We find that the negative assimilation hypothesis does not hold for the Canadian labor market. Specifically, the assimilation rate is close to zero for U.K. immigrants and strictly positive for U.S. immigrants (although lower than that of a comparison group of Chinese immigrants). The assimilation rates are also higher for females than for males.     

Study of the association between gait variability and physical activity

Background

Gait variability can be considered an indirect measure of gait stability, in particular regarding temporal or spatial variability assessment. Physical activity, such as walking, is advised for the elderly and can be improved by gait stability. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between gait stability and physical activity in women of different age ranges.

Methods

Forty-two healthy women of different age ranges (18-40 yrs. and 65-75 yrs.) were recruited in the study. To assess physical activity, the subjects wore a multi-sensor activity monitor for a whole week, inferring the time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). MVPA were analysed in bouts of at least 10 subsequent minutes (MVPA_bouts) and in overall minutes (MVPA_tot). A kinematic analysis was performed with an optoelectronic system to calculate gait variability - expressed as standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variability (CV) of step width, stride length, stance and swing time (during treadmill walking at different speeds).

Results

Elderly women, with high walking speed (5 km/h), and moderate step width variability (CV = 8–27%), met the recommended levels of physical activity (MVPA_tot and MVPA_bouts). Furthermore, gait variability, adjusted for age and number of falls, was significantly and negatively associated with MVPA_tot only at 3.5 km/h, and with MVPA_bouts only at 4 km/h.

Conclusions

In a population of healthy elderly women, gait variability was significantly and negatively associated with the level of physical activity. Healthy elderly women, with moderate gait variability (step width variability), and high preferred walking speed, seem to be able to meet the recommended levels of physical activity.

     

La responsabilité à l’épreuve des nouvelles organisations économiques

The recent development of networks has engendered both the evanescence of “macro-actors” (i.e., big formal organizations) and new problems related to corporate social responsibility. The concept of “organization” must be redefined and analyzed so as to identify network externalities and the ways (including legal ones) of handling the consequences in terms of liability. The four brief contributions in this section — two by sociologists and two by jurists — outline an approach to the contemporary reality of organizations.     

Uncovering Some Causal Relationships Between Productivity Growth and the Structure of Economic Fluctuations: A Tentative Survey

This paper reviews the recent literature on the interactions between business cycles and growth. It focuses on the causality from cycles to growth, but also deals to some extent with the reverse causality. It discusses both “Keynesian” and “Schumpeterian” theories of cycles and growth.