Measuring rates of word‐final nasal velarization: The effect of dialect contact on in‐group and out‐group exchanges1

Three Salvadoran corpora were used to analyze word‐final nasal variation in a situation of dialect contact. To determine the effect of ethnicity on the variation, two different interviewers, one an out‐group member and a speaker of Mexican Spanish, the other an in‐group member and a speaker of Salvadoran Spanish, interacted with Salvadorans, born or claiming family ties to San Sebastián, El Salvador, now living in the Holly Spring area of Houston. To explore the impact of the speech community, the same Mexican interviewer gathered data in Segundo Barrio, which – unlike Holly Spring – is an area of Houston where Mexicans are the overwhelming majority. The Houston data were compared to data gathered in situ in San Sebastián, the latter serving as the control group used to quantify possible modifications in the contact speech samples. The Houston data showed that Salvadorans interviewed by an in‐group member of the community produced higher rates of nasal velarization; their velarization rates closely matched the patterns characteristic of the non‐contact variety. In addition, Salvadorans in Holly Spring velarized more than their counterparts in Segundo Barrio. The Houston informants used lower frequencies of nasal velarization to out‐group interviewers, thus showing accommodation and producing linguistic patterns closer to those found in the contact Mexican variety.     

Small area estimation of expenditure means and ratios under a unit-level bivariate linear mixed model

Under a unit-level bivariate linear mixed model, this paper introduces small area predictors of expenditure means and ratios, and derives approximations and estimators of the corresponding mean squared errors. For the considered model, the REML estimation method is implemented. Several simulation experiments, designed to analyze the behavior of the introduced fitting algorithm, predictors and mean squared error estimators, are carried out. An application to real data from the Spanish household budget survey illustrates the behavior of the proposed statistical methodology. The target is the estimation of means of food and non-food household annual expenditures and of ratios of food household expenditures by Spanish provinces.     

西班牙产品与品牌在中国市场的消费者认知分析

在实地调查的基础上,分析了在中国市场上消费者对西班牙产品与服务的认知情况,以及西班牙品牌与企业的知名度等。研究结果表明,只有的少量西班牙品牌具有较高的知名度,西班牙的体育和旅游项目等具有较好的原产地效应。但是,从总体水平上说,消费者对西班牙品牌与企业缺乏了解,这是西班牙企业在中国市场面临的主要挑战。     

Improving the Measurement of the Relationship between Opportunities and Income: Evidence from Longitudinal Data from Chile

The relationship between exogenous circumstances faced in early childhood (opportunities) and earnings has been increasingly studied in the past decade. In this article we assess the sensitivity of this relationship to different income measures. Typically the empirical evidence is based on short‐term income measures that suffer from variability and measurement error. Using longitudinal data from Chile, we find that when four‐ and seven‐year earnings are used, the relationship between inequality of opportunity and income inequality is significantly higher than that obtained with yearly measures. Monte Carlo simulations with several data‐generating processes confirm this result. This supports policies targeted to reduce long‐term income inequality via providing equal opportunity to individuals at early stages in life.     

Migration as an Adaptation Strategy for Atoll Island States

Adopting a policy of migration can be one possible adaptation strategy against climate change. It has been forecasted that if the worst predictions regarding climate change and sea level rise become reality atolls around the world could become submerged in the future. This would render them uninhabitable and could lead to questions about whether Atoll Island States could still be considered as States. The international community has been avoiding any commitment to create a convention that would protect people displaced by climate change. In order to solve such potential problems, the authors will argue that a framework of bilateral agreements, initiatives, and national policies could constitute a viable solution for the various interested parties. The article will discuss the characteristics of Atoll Island States, touching on possible solutions for climate change displacement which have been discussed by the governments and civil society of the affected States.     

On a length-biased life distribution based on the sinh-normal model

In this article, we characterize a new life distribution based on the sinh-normal model. Specifically, we find the density, the distribution function, and the moments of the new model. In addition, we carry out a brief graphical analysis of its density. Furthermore, we derive some properties and transformations related to the new distribution. Moreover, we conduct a study of its hazard rate. Finally, we present an example that illustrates the obtained results and a computational implementation of these results.     

Child Psychiatry in the Chinese Setting

This article introduces the history and social background and describes the present situation of child psychiatry in China. Certain Chinese social, political and cultural issues are explored, as the one-child policy and the Chinese family structure. Numerous currents of thought coexist in Chinese child psychiatry. Four examples of mental health disorders in child and adolescent psychiatry and their treatments in the Chinese public health care system are described (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anorexia nervosa, posttraumatic stress disorder and internet addiction).     

Urban bird conservation: presenting stakeholder-specific arguments for the development of bird-friendly cities

Following the call from the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity “Cities & Biodiversity Outlook” project to better preserve urban biodiversity, this paper presents stakeholder-specific statements for bird conservation in city environments. Based upon the current urban bird literature we focus upon habitat fragmentation, limited habitat availability, lack of the native vegetation and vegetation structure as the most important challenges facing bird conservation in cities. We follow with an overview of the stakeholders in cities, and identify six main groups having the greatest potential to improve bird survival in cities: i) urban planners, urban designers and (landscape) architects, ii) urban developers and engineers, iii) homeowners and tenants, iv) companies and industries, v) landscaping and gardening firms, vi) education professionals. Given that motivation to act positively for urban birds is linked to stakeholder-specific advice, we present ten statements for bird-friendly cities that are guided by an action perspective and argument for each stakeholder group. We conclude with a discussion on how the use of stakeholder-specific arguments can enhance and rapidly advance urban bird conservation action.     

The Clinical Relevance of Divergence in Adolescent–Parent Reports of Adolescent Depression and Anxiety

This study examines associations between adolescent problem behaviors and adolescent–parent disagreement in ratings of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms. Adolescent–parent dyads (N?=?463; mean age?=?12.68 years; 48.5% female; 78.2% White and 21.8% non-White) reported on adolescent depression and anxiety using parallel scales from the Youth Self Report (Achenbach et al., J Emot Behav Disord 10:194–203, 2002) and the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach and Rescorla, The manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles, University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Burlington, 2001) across four waves. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between discrepancy scores and adolescent behavioral outcomes: incidence of adolescent past-year substance use (alcohol use, binge drinking, marijuana use, and nonmedical use of controlled medications), delinquency, self-harm behavior, and aggression. Findings showed that larger adolescent–parent divergence scores of depression were associated with higher odds of marijuana use, non-medical use of controlled medications, alcohol use, binge drinking, in-school delinquency, illegal behavior, self-harm behavior, and clinically significant levels of aggressive behavior. Results further revealed that larger divergence scores on anxiety were associated with higher odds of in-school delinquency, illegal behavior, self-harm behavior, and clinically significant levels of aggressive behavior. Adolescent–parent reporting discrepancy on adolescent’s depression and anxiety symptoms may be indicative of adolescent’s social, emotional, and behavioral problems, and the disagreement may signal further need for assessment of the adolescent.