Has Opposition to Immigration Increased in the United States after the Economic Crisis? An Experimental Approach

We employ two population‐level experiments to accurately measure opposition to immigration before and after the economic crisis of 2008. Our design explicitly addresses social desirability bias, which is the tendency to give responses that are seen favorably by others and can lead to substantial underreporting of opposition to immigration. We find that overt opposition to immigration, expressed as support for a closed border, increases slightly after the crisis. However, once we account for social desirability bias, no significant increase remains. We conclude that the observed increase in anti‐immigration sentiment in the post‐crisis United States is attributable to greater expression of opposition rather than any underlying change in attitudes.     

Cultural Consumption Patterns in South Africa: An Investigation of the Theory of Cultural Omnivores

Contrary to Bourdieu’s theory (Distinction: A social critique of the judgment of taste. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press (1984)) that cultural consumption of so-called “high” versus popular culture is determined by socio-economic class, Peterson (Poetics 21:243–258, 1992; Poetics 33:257–282, 2005) finds that higher income and education groups are more likely to be “cultural omnivores”—consumers of a wide variety of both high and popular cultural goods. Omnivores were also found to be much less likely to exclude other cultures and to be more open to, and tolerant of, the views of others than those with narrower cultural tastes, called “cultural univores”. This article investigates the omnivore/univore hypothesis in a South African context, using survey data collected from 500 attendees of live theatre performances at the National Arts Festival in 2008. Multiple correspondence analysis (also called perceptual mapping) shows an interesting intermediate state between Boudieu-like high culture univores and Peterson omnivores, which could have interesting implications for the development of social tolerance in multi-cultural South Africa.     

Improved attribute acceptance sampling plans based on maxima nomination sampling

This paper demonstrates the use of maxima nomination sampling (MNS) technique in design and evaluation of single AQL, LTPD, and EQL acceptance sampling plans for attributes. We exploit the effect of sample size and acceptance number on the performance of our proposed MNS plans using operating characteristic (OC) curve. Among other results, we show that MNS acceptance sampling plans with smaller sample size and bigger acceptance number perform better than commonly used acceptance sampling plans for attributes based on simple random sampling (SRS) technique. Indeed, MNS acceptance sampling plans result in OC curves which, compared to their SRS counterparts, are much closer to the ideal OC curve. A computer program is designed which can be used to specify the optimum MNS acceptance sampling plan and to show, visually, how the shape of the OC curve changes when parameters of the acceptance sampling plan vary. Theoretical results and numerical evaluations are given.     

Predicting Condom Use Outcomes via the Information Motivation Behavioral Skills Model: An Analysis of Young Black Men

Objectives: This study examines the relationships between information motivation behavioral skills model constructs and their associations with consistent condom use and condom use problems among young Black men. Methods: The authors use baseline data collected from 702 participants in a randomized controlled trial. Analyses involved path modeling and bootstrapped standard errors to estimate associations. Results: Motivation had the largest association with consistent condom use, whereas condom application skills had the largest association with condom use problems. Conclusion: Motivation is the most important predictor of consistent condom use, whereas condom application skills are the most important predictor of condom use problems.     

Optimal payment time under permissible delay in payment for products with deterioration

A permissible credit period is usually allowed to a retailer to pay back the dues without paying any interest to the supplier. The retailer can pay the supplier either at the end of the credit period or later incurring interest charges on the unpaid balance for the overdue period. The retailer is expected to settle the account at a time before the end of the inventory cycle time because the payable interest rate is generally higher than the earned interest rate. A model for optimal cycle and payment times is developed here for a retailer in a deteriorating-item inventory situation where a supplier allows a specified credit period to the retailer for payment without penalty. Under these conditions, this supplier-and-retailer system is modelled as a cost minimization problem to determine the optimal payment time under various system parameters. An iterative search procedure is applied to solve the problem, and the overall findings indicate that the retailer always has an option to pay after the permissible credit period depending on unit purchase and selling price, the deterioration rate of the products and the interest rate.     

History of perinatal loss and maternal–fetal attachment behaviors

BackgroundMaternal–fetal attachment (MFA) is an important requirement for optimal maternal–infant adaptation. Current studies showed conflicting findings about whether a history of perinatal loss (fetal/neonatal death) affects maternal attachment in pregnancy.Research question“Does a history of perinatal loss affect maternal–fetal attachment behaviors?”MethodsOne hundred women with and without a history of PL were recruited using a convenience method of sampling, from prenatal care services affiliated to Shahid Behesti University of Medical Sciences. Data collected by questionnaires from a convenience sample of multiparous women in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy with no surviving children were compared with data from a selected cohort of primigravid women. The two groups of women were matched for health and literacy. The data collected included demographic characteristics and responses to 24 questions in five groups of behaviors on the Persian version of Cranly's Maternal–Fetal Attachment Scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS 13 and using t, ANOVA, Chi square, Pearson correlation and Mann–Whitney tests.FindingsFinding showed that total score of MFA for women with a history of PL (68.95 ± 9.20%) is not significantly different from this score for women without such a history (71.22 ± 11.75%; p < 0.05). Women with a history of PL had a significantly lower score for a subgroup of behaviors “differentiation of self from fetus” compared to women without of a history of PL (78.25 vs. 83.21%; p < 0.05). But, there were no statistically significant differences between two groups respecting to other subgroups of behaviors between two groups.ConclusionIn this study, a history of pregnancy loss was found to be associated with disturbances in the group of maternal–fetal attachment behaviors related to “differentiation of self from fetus” in a subsequent pregnancy.     

The “Tiering” of Citizenship and Residency and the “Hierarchization” of Migrant Communities: The United Arab Emirates in Historical Context

The local population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitutes less than 11.5 percent of the total population. In response to their growing numerical minority status, many Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including the UAE, have become more stringent about their citizenship, nationality, and employment policies. The natural questions to follow are: Why have UAE nationality and citizenship laws diverged from the anticipated “opening” of nationality and citizenship policies that some assumed would accompany globalization? In the specific context of the UAE, what factors have shaped and changed these policies over time?     

Corporate governance and the market reaction to stock repurchase announcement

This paper investigates the effect of corporate governance on market reaction around of a stock repurchase announcement. We argue that corporate governance affects the ability of a stock repurchase to alleviate agency costs related to free cash flows, and the credibility of the undervaluation signal sent by the announcement of buyback programs. We find a higher 3-day cumulative abnormal return to programs announced by firms with better corporate governance practices than those with bad governance (1.6% and 0.85% respectively), and the market reaction is significantly higher following the successive scandals in year 2001 (Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom??) and the resulting Sarbanes?COxley Act of 2002. Further investigations indicate that firms with a lower Free Cash Flow to Asset ratio have a higher market reaction, which is consistent with the information signaling hypothesis, and this is more significant in firms with good governance practices, and following post Sarbanes?COxley Act.     

A general location model with zero-inflated counts and skew normal outcomes

This paper proposes an extension of the general location model using a joint model for analyzing inflated counting outcomes and skew continuous outcomes. A zero-inflated binomial with batches of binomials or a zero-inflated Poisson with batches of Poissons is proposed for counting outcome and a skew normal distribution is assumed for continuous outcome. The EM algorithm is developed for estimation of parameters. The accuracy of estimations is evaluated using a simulation study. An application of our models for joint analysis of the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the weights of respondents for the American's Changing Lives study is enclosed.