Identifiability and estimation of recursive max‐linear models

We address the identifiability and estimation of recursive max‐linear structural equation models represented by an edge‐weighted directed acyclic graph (DAG). Such models are generally unidentifiable and we identify the whole class of DAG s and edge weights corresponding to a given observational distribution. For estimation, standard likelihood theory cannot be applied because the corresponding families of distributions are not dominated. Given the underlying DAG, we present an estimator for the class of edge weights and show that it can be considered a generalized maximum likelihood estimator. In addition, we develop a simple method for identifying the structure of the DAG. With probability tending to one at an exponential rate with the number of observations, this method correctly identifies the class of DAGs and, similarly, exactly identifies the possible edge weights.     

Einkommenseinbu?en durch Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland:

The article analyses the consequences of unemployment for earned income after reentering employment. The magnitude of these effects and their changes over the life course are described on the basis of existing research as well as own empirical analyses. The latter are based on administrative data from the German Pension Insurance (Versicherungskontenstichprobe VSKT 2006). Since previous studies differ with regard to both, sample definitions and the applied methods of causal analysis, our own empirical analysis of age- and gender-specific effects is based upon various methods of analysis while using a common dataset. We can show that income and wage penalties due to unemployment increase significantly with age. Moreover, women??s overall financial losses are higher than men??s, especially in the youngest age group.     

Altersstruktur und Karrierewege der Professorinnen und Professoren in der deutschen Soziologie

The personnel structure on the professorial level is relevant under aspects of both labor-market research and sociology of knowledge. On the basis of a current internet-based data collection of age and career characteristics of the present professors at departments of sociology at German universities, the paper describes cohort composition, qualification process and regional mobility of academic sociologists. Individual-level data allows for the analysis of simple correlations as well as cohort analyses. Age distribution is clearly unequal, even among young East German faculty members. The analysis of characteristics of the different qualification stages shows that this period is rather extended and how hard it is to enter a tenured position. Mobility is higher during the qualification period then after obtaining full professorship. There is a great homogeneity among professors of sociology with respect to age, sex, native country and qualification process. The results suggest that a more foresighted personnel policy and promotion of young sociologists seems necessary and that future studies on the dynamics of research, the development of themes and on scientific productivity in the field are needed.     

Les migrations Est‐ouest dans le debat politique et scientifique en france et en allemagne

Les auteurs de ce texte comparent les discours dominants et la recherche menée en France et en Allemagne de 1990 à 1993 sur les migrations en provenance de l'Europe de l'Est. Ils montrent comment les recherches sont fortement influencées par le débat politique et constatent la divergence d'approche: en France, peu touchée par ces migrations, l'accent est sur l'élargissement du champ migratoire européen, alors qu'en Allemagne, la destination privilégiée de ces migrations, la recherche et le débat sont davantage centrés sur ce pays.     

Dementia spousal caregivers and past transgressions: Measuring and understanding forgiveness experiences

ABSTRACT

The transition from “wife” to “caregiver” for a cognitively impaired husband can be an overwhelming experience. Communication patterns change and small conflicts can grow, at times bringing angry feelings and new burdens. Engagement with forgiveness processes may benefit wives by lowering resentment over past tensions, restoring trust, and enhancing the overall caregiving experience. This study examined the utility of the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI) within a sample of caregiving wives. Our intent was to better understand this population’s experience with forgiveness when other contextual factors were likely to influence this process. Forgiveness scores on the EFI were positively related to the cognitive status of the care recipient, a particularly important finding for clinical intervention, and inversely related to marital distress and state anxiety.     

Job demands,job control,and mental health in an 11-year follow-up study: Normal and reversed relationships

Abstract

Despite numerous studies of the demand-control model, there is a need for more longitudinal studies to test not only the normal, but also the reversed and reciprocal relationships between work characteristics and mental health. There is also a need for more studies of the multiplicative interaction between demands and control with respect to mental health, which is different from the simple additive effect of the two variables. This is a longitudinal study with an exceptionally long period of follow-up (11 years), with the focus on normal as well as reciprocal and reversed causality between work characteristics and mental health, as measured by reliable instruments close to the original definitions of Karasek. The study was based on a sample of 439 Norwegian employees of different occupations who had stayed in the same profession during the follow-up period. The results were in agreement with the hypothesis that low job control, and in particular low control in combination with high demands (“high strain jobs”), has a negative effect on mental health. There was a significant multiplicative interaction between demands and control, indicating a “buffering” effect of job control. Job demands alone were not significantly associated with mental health. The reversed relationship hypothesis was supported for job demands, but not for job control.     

Independent exploratory factor analysis with application to atmospheric science data

The independent exploratory factor analysis method is introduced for recovering independent latent sources from their observed mixtures. The new model is viewed as a method of factor rotation in exploratory factor analysis (EFA). First, estimates for all EFA model parameters are obtained simultaneously. Then, an orthogonal rotation matrix is sought that minimizes the dependence between the common factors. The rotation of the scores is compensated by a rotation of the initial loading matrix. The proposed approach is applied to study winter monthly sea-level pressure anomalies over the Northern Hemisphere. The North Atlantic Oscillation, the North Pacific Oscillation, and the Scandinavian pattern are identified among the rotated spatial patterns with a physically interpretable structure.     

The flood algorithm—a multivariate, self-organizing-map-based, robust location and covariance estimator

Self-organizing maps (SOMs) introduced by Kohonen (Biol. Cybern. 43(1):59–69, 1982) are well-known in the field of artificial neural networks. The way SOMs are performing is very intuitive, leading to great popularity and numerous applications (related to statistics: classification, clustering). The result of the unsupervised learning process performed by SOMs is a non-linear, low-dimensional projection of the high-dimensional input data, that preserves certain features of the underlying data, e.g. the topology and probability distribution (Lee and Verleysen in Nonlinear Dimensionality Reduction, Springer, 2007; Kohonen in Self-organizing Maps, 3rd edn., Springer, 2001).     

Court orders and custody evaluations in Israel

Seven categories of concern entered into custody judgments--continuity, emotional welfare, support systems, children's wishes, parental agreement, caretaking, and child abuse. The literature points to the first four categories and caretaking as vital considerations for children's best interests. Beyond these findings, visiting rights were granted in all cases for the noncustodial parent, the family was always seen together, and the children were involved in discussion in the majority of cases. It is hoped that this study of social work practice in one country will add insight into the complex issue of custody and aid in the improvement of care for all children.