Determinants of Subjective Well-Being in Adolescent Children of Recipients of the Oportunidades Human Development Program in Mexico

This study was conducted with adolescent children from a probabilistic sample with national representation from both rural and urban areas, in Mexican households eligible for services from the federal social program known as Oportunidades and characterized by conditions of extreme poverty. Participating were 1,093 youth of whom 61 % live in urban localities and 56 % are males, with an average age of 14.92 (±1.29) years and an average number of completed years of schooling of 8.33 (±1.71). The results indicated that the subjective well-being of these adolescents was dependent on a positive self-concept (self-esteem and strength), positive interactions with their parents (respectful, understanding and close) and with their friends (supportive), with importance placed on their studies, and the absence of emotional upset (stress or depression). Among the population studied, males and those younger, as well as those who only study, reported greater subjective well-being.     

Tobacco,Marijuana, and Alcohol Use in University Students: A Cluster Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Segmentation of populations may facilitate development of targeted substance abuse prevention programs. The authors aimed to partition a national sample of university students according to profiles based on substance use. Participants: The authors used 2008–2009 data from the National College Health Assessment from the American College Health Association. The sample consisted of 111,245 individuals from 158 institutions. Methods: The sample was partitioned using cluster analysis according to current substance use behaviors. The association of cluster membership with individual and institutional characteristics was examined. Results: Cluster analysis yielded 6 distinct clusters. Three individual factors—gender, year in school, and fraternity/sorority membership—were the most strongly associated with cluster membership. Conclusions: In a large sample of university students, the authors were able to identify 6 distinct patterns of substance abuse. It may be valuable to target specific populations of college-aged substance users based on individual factors. However, comprehensive intervention will require a multifaceted approach.     

On the Skew-Normal-Cauchy Distribution

A fixed effects one-way layout model of analysis of variance is considered where the variances are taken to be possibly unequal. Conservative single-stage procedures based on Banerjee’s method for the solution of the Behrens-Fisher problem are proposed for the following multiple comparisons problems: 1) all pairwise comparisons with a control population mean, and 2) all pairwise comparisons and all linear contrasts among the means. Since these procedures are likely to be very conservative in practice, approximate procedures based on Welch’s method for the solution of the Behrens-Fisher problem are suggested as alternatives. Monte Carlo studies indicate that the latter are much less conservative and hence may be better in practice. Both these sets of procedures need only the tables of the Student’s t-distribution for their application and are very simple to use. Exact two-stage procedures are proposed for the following multiple comparisons problems: 1) all pairwise comparisons and all linear contrasts among the means, and 2) all linear combinations of the means.     

Mean-squared errors of small-area estimators under a unit-level multivariate model

This work deals with estimating the vector of means of certain characteristics of small areas. In this context, a unit level multivariate model with correlated sampling errors is considered. An approximation is obtained for the mean-squared and cross-product errors of the empirical best linear unbiased predictors of the means, when model parameters are estimated either by maximum likelihood (ML) or by restricted ML. This approach has been implemented on a Monte Carlo study using social and labour data from the Spanish Labour Force Survey.     

Multimarket pioneers: Does multimarket contact improve their performance?

First-mover advantages (FMA) and multimarket contact (MMC) have evolved independently in the strategic management literature. This is surprising because FMA erode as a result of competition which, in turn, is affected by MMC. This paper links these literatures through the concept of spheres of influence and analyses the effect of MMC on pioneers' profitability. We use the order of market entry to identify spheres of influence and to determine their distribution among multimarket firms. The distribution of spheres of influence allows us to distinguish between reciprocal MMC and non-reciprocal MMC and to study how each of them determines pioneers' profitability. We test our hypotheses in the mobile telecommunications industry. Our findings show that reciprocal MMC has a positive effect on pioneers’ results, but non-reciprocal MMC negatively affects them.     

Recycling the idea of race: socio-political agenda,transnational business culture,and diversity management in Brazil

ABSTRACT

This article intends to contribute to the line of studies that critically addresses diversity management, bringing the Brazilian experience into the discussion. It aims to demonstrate how large Brazilian companies and transnational corporations operating in the country have been recycling the idea of race in order to cope with the greatest politicisation of debates on the racial issue within the Brazilian public sphere since the late twentieth century. This phenomenon is related to changes in the political actions of the black movement in Brazil, which since the same period has been absorbing the new socio-political agenda existing within the global network of anti-racism advocacy. This is an agenda in which two purposes have a central importance: the battle against racial inequality and the demand for affirmative action policies. The data presented in this paper are part of broader research in which, by means of the biographical method and the ethnographic fieldwork, the social trajectories and career paths of two generations of Brazilian black executives were analysed.     

Bayesian methods for the cross-design synthesis of epidemiological and toxicological evidence

Summary.  Systematic review and synthesis (meta-analysis) methods are now increasingly used in many areas of health care research. We investigate the potential usefulness of these methods for combining human and animal data in human health risk assessment of exposure to environmental chemicals. Currently, risk assessments are often based on narrative review and expert judgment, but systematic review and formal synthesis methods offer a more transparent and rigorous approach. The method is illustrated by using the example of trihalomethane exposure and its possible association with low birth weight. A systematic literature review identified 13 relevant studies (five epidemiological and eight toxicological). Study-specific dose–response slope estimates were obtained for each of the studies and synthesized by using Bayesian meta-analysis models. Sensitivity analyses of the results obtained to the assumptions made suggest that some assumptions are critical. It is concluded that systematic review methods should be used in the synthesis of evidence for environmental standard setting, that meta-analysis will often be a valuable approach in these contexts and that sensitivity analyses are an important component of the approach whether or not formal synthesis methods (such as systematic review and meta-analysis) are used.     

Productivity growth,external shocks,and capital inflows in Chile: A general equilibrium analysis

This paper uses a computable general equilibrium model to analyze the growth path of the Chilean economy during 1977–1981. During that period a comprehensive package of reforms liberalized international trade and removed restrictive labor legislation. As a result of the reforms, there were large changes in relative prices and in the structure of production and demand, and the economy enjoyed unprecedented growth with declining inflation. But large macroeconomic imbalance become evident toward the end of the period and in 1982 Chile experienced an abrupt and severe recession. Taking the real exchange rate as an exogenous policy variable, and using the observed levels of employment growth and foreign capital inflows, this paper compares model-generated growth paths with those of the economy. First, the benchmark simulation path is used to estimate the magnitude and pattern of growth and productivity change during the 1971–1981 period. Next, counter-factual simulations are used to assess how Chile's economic performance would have differed if (a) external events had been different; and (b) foreign capital inflows had been different. The analysis suggests that the macroeconomic imbalances that led to the crisis in 1982 were exacerbated by the large capital inflows and real exchange rate appreciation that resulted from the use of the exchange rate as a stabilization device.     

Sociodemographic characteristics of gay and lesbian victims of intimate partner psychological abuse in Spain and Latin America / Características sociodemográficas de gais y lesbianas víctimas de abuso psicológico en pareja en España e Hispanoamérica

Psychological abuse in same-sex couples has hardly been studied in Spain and Latin America, despite its importance in society and public health. The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of psychological abuse in same-sex couples in Spain and Latin America and analyse the associated sociodemographic characteristics. An online survey was conducted with 663 gay and lesbian respondents from Spain and Latin America. Of the total sample, 10.6% reported that they perceived themselves as victims of psychological abuse from their partner (9.6% in gay men and 10.7% in lesbians). In gay men, differences were found between victims and non-victims on the sociodemographic variables of age, professional status, and daily alcohol consumption. In lesbians, significant differences were found between victims and non-victims in the country and professional status variables. When comparing gay and lesbian victims, significant differences were found in professional status and alcohol consumption. This study contributes to better understanding of this phenomenon, and it reveals the need for further research.