Gender Differences for Specific Body Regions When Looking at Men and Women

The goal of the present study was to provide first evidence for gender differences in gaze patterns while looking at the body of men and women. For this purpose participants were exposed to 30 pictures of 15 male and 15 female models in casual clothing. The individual scan paths were recorded using an eye-tracker. The results show that both male and female observers primarily gaze at people’s face. Only after this initial face-scan, men look significantly earlier and longer at women’s breasts, while women look earlier at men’s legs. These observations uncover important aspects of the pattern of the human gaze at others and particularly reveal important gender differences.     

Implementing Box–Cox Quantile Regression

The Box–Cox quantile regression model introduced by Powell (1991 Powell , J. ( 1991 ). Estimation of monotonic regression models under quantile restrictions . In: Barnett , W. , Powell , J. , Tauchen , G. , eds. Nonparametric and Semiparametric Methods in Econometrics . New York , NY : Cambridge University Press , pp. 357 – 384 . [Google Scholar]) is a flexible and numerically attractive extension of linear quantile regression techniques. Chamberlain (1994 Chamberlain , G. ( 1994 ). Quantile regression, censoring, and the structure of wages . In: Sims , C. , ed. Advances in Econometrics: Sixth World Congress . Vol. 1 . Econometric Society Monograph . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press . [Google Scholar]) and Buchinsky (1995 Buchinsky , M. ( 1995 ). Quantile regression, Box–Cox transformation model, and the U.S. wage structure, 1963–1987 . Journal of Econometrics 65 : 109 – 154 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) suggest a two stage estimator for this model but the objective function in stage two of their method may not be defined in an application. We suggest a modification of the estimator which is easy to implement. A simulation study demonstrates that the modified estimator works well in situations, where the original estimator is not well defined.     

Simple non-parametric estimators for unemployment duration analysis

Summary.  We consider an extension of conventional univariate Kaplan–Meier-type estimators for the hazard rate and the survivor function to multivariate censored data with a censored random regressor. It is an Akritas-type estimator which adapts the non-parametric conditional hazard rate estimator of Beran to more typical data situations in applied analysis. We show with simulations that the estimator has nice finite sample properties and our implementation appears to be fast. As an application we estimate non-parametric conditional quantile functions with German administrative unemployment duration data.     

On the role of data,statistics and decisions in a pandemic

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis - A pandemic poses particular challenges to decision-making because of the need to continuously adapt decisions to rapidly changing evidence and available...     

Social bonding and loneliness after network disruption: A longitudinal study of East German refugees

After the 1989 breakdown of the communist system, 235 East Germans were interviewed three times during the two years following their transition to West Berlin. In moving to the west, the migrants had to deal with various stressors, among them the lack of social ties in their new environment. Fortunately, the number of their new friends increased steadily, and loneliness declined. These changes, however, differed between sexes and age groups. Men made more friends than women, in particular same-sex friends, whereas women knitted ties with both sexes. The young built larger networks than the intermediate age group. Loneliness emerged as an inhibiting factor in the bonding process. The study demonstrates how well these refugees coped with a social crisis. It also examines the roles that loneliness and social bonding played in the readjustment process.     

Species change in an urban setting—ground and rove beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Staphylinidae) in Berlin

The influence of environmental parameters on epigeic beetle communities of forest fragments in an urbanization gradient was studied in Berlin. Eight deciduous forests along a rural to urban gradient were sampled with pitfall traps. Species richness did not decline across the rural to urban gradient. As expected, impervious surface cover as an indicator of urbanization correlated not only with habitat fragmentation and heat island effect but also with altered soil properties. The proportion of forest specialist staphylinid species decreased with increasing urbanization. The differences between staphylinid communities of neighboring forest fragments were enhanced in the most urban parts, probably due to increased habitat fragmentation. Furthermore, the loss of flightless species with increasing habitat isolation emphasized the influence of habitat fragmentation. The carabid communities revealed the urbanization effects not as clearly as the staphylinid communities, but both taxa revealed that direct anthropogenic habitat alteration, indicated by removal of decaying wood, favors open-habitat specialists. The extent of the urbanization influence seems to vary seasonally. Environmental parameters associated with urbanization explain the ordination of species communities in the winter better than in the summer. Heat island effect is suggested as an explanation for this difference.     

Explaining the ending of Sweden's nuclear phase-out policy: a new approach by referring to the advocacy coalition framework theory

Sweden has been a role model for many European countries as regards the phasing-out of nuclear power. Nuclear power policy became a strong political issue in 1976, much earlier than in other countries. Sweden was the first country in the world to decide to phase out nuclear energy. A non-binding referendum on this subject was held in 1980. As a result, parliament decided to ban nuclear power after 2010. The main aim of the paper is to understand the complex process of policy change throughout various periods in the Swedish phase-out policy by applying the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) theory. The ACF was designed in 1988 by Sabatier and Jenkins Smith to explain, for example, coalition structure and behavior, belief and policy change in controversial/debatable policy subsystems. In February 2009, the Swedish center-right alliance announced a position paper regarding plans to overturn a 30-year ban on new atomic plants, as a part of a new impulse to increase energy security and fight global warming. Based on a decision taken in the Swedish Parliament in June 2010, when a small majority approved these two aims, Sweden reversed its nuclear power phase-out. This paper will analyze the most relevant factors that led to such a radical policy change.     

Simulating competing cointegration tests in a bivariate system

In this paper, we consider the size and power of a set of cointegration tests in a number of Monte Carlo simulations. The behaviour of the competing methods is investigated in diff erent situations, including diff erent levels of variance and correlation in the error processes. The impact of violations of the common factor restriction (CFR) implied by the Engle-Granger framework is studied in these situations. The reactions to changes in the CFR condition depend on the error correlation. When the correlation is non-positive, the power increases with increasing CFR violations for the error correction model (ECM) test, while the other tests react in the opposite direction. We also note the reaction to diff erences in the error variances in the data-generating process. For positive correlation and equal variances, the reaction to changes in the CFR violations diff ers somewhat between the tests. We conclude that the ECM and the Z-tests show the best performance over diff erent parameter combinations. In most situations the ECM is best. Therefore, if we had to recommend a unit root test, it would be the ECM, especially for small samples. However, we do not think that one should use just one test, but two or more. Of course, the portfolio of tests we have considered here only represents a subset of the possible tests.     

The Role of Child Characteristics and Peer Experiences in the Development of Peer Cooperation

Cooperation with peers is challenging for young children, and there are large individual differences in the development of cooperation. The roles of child characteristics and peer experiences for peer interaction during free play have been studied extensively, but it is unclear which factors predict young children's successful cooperation at different points in development. In this study, 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐year‐old children were observed during a peer cooperation task. Both their interactive behavior and cooperation success were examined, and the association of these variables with child characteristics and peer experiences was explored. Results showed that successful peer cooperation increased with age. Moreover, early individual differences in peer cooperation were related to temperamental characteristics, and, among older children, the rate of cooperation was related to prior peer experience.