Histogram estimation of radon-nikodym derivatives for strong mixing data

Nonparametric inference for point processes is discussed by way of histograms, which provide a nice tool for the analysis of on-line data. The construction of histograms depends on a sequence of partitions, which we take tc be nonenibedded to allow partitions with sets of equal measure. This presents some theoretical problems, which are addressed with an assumption on the decomposition of second order moments. In another direction, we drop the usual independence assumption on the sample, replacing it by a strong mixing assumption. Under this setting, we study the convergence of the histogram in probability, which depends on approximation conditions between the distributions of random pairs and the product of their marginal distributions, and^almost completely, which is based on the decomposition of the second order moments. This last convergence is stated on two versions according to the assumption of Laplace transforms or the Cramer moment conditions. These are somewhat stronger, but enable us to recover the usual condition on the decrease rate of sets on each partition. In the final section we prove that the finite dimensional distributions converge in distribution to a Gaussian centered vector with a specified covariance.     

Using Empathy to Improve Intergroup Attitudes and Relations

Recently, social psychologists have given considerable attention to the possibility that empathy can be used to improve intergroup attitudes and relations. For this possibility to bear practical fruit, it is important to know what is meant by empathy because different researchers use the term to refer to different psychological states. It is also important to understand how each of these empathy states might affect intergroup relations by reviewing theory and research on the psychological processes involved, and it is important to consider the limitations of each form of empathy as a source of improved intergroup relations. Finally, it is important to consider the role of different empathy states in existing programs designed to improve intergroup relations, whether in protracted political conflicts, in educational settings, or via media. In this article, we pursue each of these goals.     

Changing Policy Environments in Europe and the Resilience of the Third Sector

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - In the article, we analyse the impact of changing policy environments on the development of the third sector in Europe....     

A Framework for the Complexity of High-Multiplicity Scheduling Problems

The purpose of this note is to propose a complexity framework for the analysis of high multiplicity scheduling problems. Part of this framework relies on earlier work aiming at the definition of output-sensitive complexity measures for the analysis of algorithms which produce “large” outputs. However, different classes emerge according as we look at schedules as sets of starting times, or as related single-valued mappings.     

Paralympics 2012 legacy: accessible housing and disability equality or inequality?

The golden summer of sport is now over, but what is the legacy of London 2012 for disabled people? Nadia Ahmed, a disabled student, discusses the difficulties she has faced in finding accessible accommodation in London. She argues that while the Games are over, the United Kingdom still has lots of hurdles to leap when it comes to disability. The article focuses on her own personal experience of not being able to get wheelchair-accessible accommodation in Tower Hamlets, a London borough that is a close neighbour of Stratford where the Olympic and Paralympic games were held. The article raises questions about disability equality following the Paralympics.     

Coverage with k-transmitters in the presence of obstacles

For a fixed integer k≥0, a k-transmitter is an omnidirectional wireless transmitter with an infinite broadcast range that is able to penetrate up to k “walls”, represented as line segments in the plane. We develop lower and upper bounds for the number of k-transmitters that are necessary and sufficient to cover a given collection of line segments, polygonal chains and polygons.     

Religious residue: The impact of childhood religious socialization on the religiosity of nones in France,Germany, Great Britain,and Sweden

One of the distinguishing features of religious life in Western Europe in recent decades has been the sharp increase in the proportion of people who identify as unaffiliated with any religious tradition (religious nones). Non-affiliation entails a rejection of religious belonging, not the absence of all religious belief and practice; yet the determinants of religiosity among nones have not been fully explored. Drawing on data from the 1998–2018 ISSP surveys in four West European countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, and Sweden), I test the impact of childhood religious socialization on the religiosity of unaffiliated adults by comparing lifelong nones, who were never religiously affiliated, with disaffiliates, who were raised within a religious tradition and have since exited organized religious life. Disaffiliates are consistently more religious than lifelong nones due to religious residue from childhood, with greater residue found among those who were more religiously committed as children. Religious decline among the unaffiliated over time, combined with the increasing proportion of lifelong nones and second-generation lifelong nones who lack even an inherited, minimal religious residue, suggest that secularization will gather momentum.     

Does Intergenerational Educational Mobility Shape the Well-Being of Young Europeans? Evidence from the European Social Survey

The level of accessibility to basic services is an important issue because it is closely related to social inclusion and social capital, key aspects of societal well-being. There is a large and growing literature on access to health care in an era of dwindling public resources due to recent economic downturns. Health care is an essential service, but it is not the only basic service. The literature on access to basic services including, but not limited to, health care is relatively small. The paper aims at contributing to the literature by providing a new index to measure and monitor household accessibility to basic services. A study of Italian regions is presented. It is shown that northern regions have more accessible basic services than central, southern and island regions. A longitudinal comparison has been performed. The results are very worrying because show that policy makers have failed in reducing regional (and in particular north–south) disparities in basic service accessibility. Measuring and monitoring the level of accessibility is central for an adequate provision of basic services and for exploring how the delivery of basic services in the most problematic regions can be improved.     

Mobility and Nunavut Inuit youth: lessons from Northern Youth Abroad

In this paper we examine the impacts of the mobility that Nunavut Inuit youth experience with Northern Youth Abroad (NYA), a Canadian volunteer travel program that sends northern youth to southern Canada and Botswana. Using a case study approach and drawing from archival research and interviews with 10 former participants, a staff member, and a member of the board of directors, we argue that NYA illustrates how volunteer travel programs for Indigenous youth can yield distinct benefits for its participants in comparison to mainstream volunteer travel programs, particularly with regard to participants' sense of cultural identity and pride. By enabling participants to foster career goals and a deeper sense of cultural pride, NYA presents a counter-example to some of the common critiques of volunteer tourism programs, and illustrates the complex interconnections between cultural pride, well-being, and career advancement for Nunavut Inuit youth.     

Begrenzte Wahl – Gelegenheitsstrukturen und Erwerbsmuster in Paarhaushalten im europäischen Vergleich

This article investigates employment patterns in couple households—and in particular their variability according to the presence and age of children. The aim of the comparative analysis of ten European countries, using data from the European Social Survey (2004/05 and 2006/07), is to explain the pronounced cross-country differences with regard to empirically relevant household employment patterns—focusing on their variability across an ideal-typical family life-cycle. Explanatory factors include the social policy framework (family and tax policies), socio-economic and labor market conditions (wage level, unemployment, the availability of part-time work) as well as national gender cultures (societal ideals regarding gender roles and childcare). The article discusses the relationship between these structural and cultural factors, on the one hand, and actual practices of gendered employment behaviour, on the other. It concludes that, in order to account for the complexity of causal relations, the explanation of gendered employment patterns ought to be country-specific.