LOCATION OF PARTICULAR POINTS IN NON-PARAMETRIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS

In the random-design non-parametric regression model, the locations of particular values of the regression function or its derivatives are estimated. This paper investigates several stochastic modes of convergence and finds their rate of convergence under regularity assumptions, for a wide class of non-parametric estimators. The approach finds two natural fields of application: estimation of zeros/extrema and non-parametric absolute calibration.     

Les poubelles du Québec: d'un enjeu de groupe de pression à un enjeu de mouvement social

How has the problem of solid waste and its management become a major socio-political issue in Quebec? Our research identifies the main dimensions of this social question. It presents, on the one hand, quantitative data concerning this subject and, on the other, an analysis of certain recent collective actions that have taken place in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. Our study shows how such collective actions characterize social conflict and become part of a socio-political issue—that surrounding solid waste and its management. Our research demonstrates that the socio-political issue of waste management is not only a question revolving around the actions of pressure groups, but that it extends to collective action characteristic of social movements. That is why Quebec's garbage cans represent a socio-political issue capable of profoundly influencing society in the near future. Comment le problème des déchets solides et celui de leur gestion sociale sont-ils devenus un enjeu sociopolitique d'envergure au Québec? Notre recherche précise les principales dimensions de cette question sociale en présentant d'une part les données quantitatives sur le sujet et, d'autre part, une analyse de certaines actions collectives récentes, à Montréal et ailleurs au Québec, qui constituent en luttes sociales, puis en enjeu sociopolitique, le problème des déchets solides et de leur gestion. La recherche démontre que l'enjeu sociopolitique que constituent les déchets n'est alors plus une question relevant uniquement de différents groupes de pression, mais qu'il s'étend plutôt à des pratiques caractéristiques d'un mouvement social. C'est pourquoi les poubelles du Québec représentent, à plu-sieurs égards, un enjeu sociopolitique capable de marquer profondé-ment le devenir de notre société.     

Assessing uncertain ventures using experts' judgments in the form of subjective probabilities

The paper deals with a procedure known as ASPRO which has been successfull applied at Shell Oil Company. Section II addresses general problems encountered in using subjective assessment procedures. Section III introduces ASPRO's decomposition process which is designed to alleviate some of the problems. The decomposition process produces a questionnaire, the answers to which are the inputs to the ASPRO assessment procedure. Examples of the questionnaire for assessing political risks to oil investment ventures and analyzing new product sectors are given. Section IV explains how the respondents assess the component parts, and Section V outlines the mechanical procedures which are used to combine the assessments. Examples of how ASPRO's output can be used to communicate the respondents' quantified judgments are given in Section VI. Conclusions are in Section VII.     

Dispositional and Organizational Influences on Sustained Volunteerism: An Interactionist Perspective

Community service often involves sustained prosocial actions by individuals. This article focuses on one kind of such actions, volunteerism. Volunteerism involves long–term, planned, prosocial behaviors that benefit strangers, and usually occur in an organizational setting. A selective review of the literature on the correlates of volunteerism is presented. One part of the review concerns the relationship between dispositional variables and volunteerism; it includes new data from an on–line survey that show significant relationships among personality traits, religiosity, and volunteer activities. The other part concerns how organizational variables, alone and in combination with dispositional variables, are related to volunteerism. A theoretical model of the causes of sustained volunteerism is presented and the practical implications of this model are discussed.     

Knowledge-based resolution of conflicting expert opinions

If several agents must collectively choose one of several possible acts (or compute a single joint control strategy) and if they disagree about the probable

consequences of the acts, then how can they resolve their differences and make a choice? The statistics and management science literatures offer several probability aggregation formulas for solving this problem. This paper discusses an alternative that emphasizes knowledge-based resolution of conflicting probability judgments.     

Wilhelm Reich in the alternative therapies and clinical social work

This paper raises questions concerning the use of Wilhelm Reich's discoveries in the alternative therapies as they impinge on clinical social work. Clinical social workers use Reich's theoretical concepts and treatment techniques that come to them second-hand from the alternative therapies. Social work graduate schools appear not to recommend him to students. Reich's theoretical and treatment concepts concerning body or muscular armor and its three-layered structure are discussed. Red and black fascism is related to the secondary layer in discussion of the sociopolitical character. Questions related to orgonomic counseling for social workers are raised and recommendations made for social work to open channels of communication with the American College of Orgonomy.