Support programmes for Roma children: do they help or promote exclusion?

This article critically examines current education programmes for Roma primary school students in the Czech Republic and the impact of these programmes. The research described here, based on in‐depth case studies, challenges popular beliefs in the ‘success’ of Roma oriented programmes, as well as the stereotypical negative images of Roma parents. The studies also explore the dilemmas experienced by teaching staff and their views of both Roma and the majority ‘non‐Roma’ children.     

“My nest is full:” Intergenerational relationships at midlife

Incorporating a life course perspective, this qualitative study used focus groups to explore the experiences of midlife adults who were simultaneously providing support to emerging adult children and aging parents. Results indicated that adults situated in middle generations held beliefs that endorsed family-based responsibility to both younger and older members. Parents gladly supported children despite their longer transition to adulthood. Often unanticipated but accepted, provisions of care to aging parents were experienced with ambivalence — a joy and a burden. The transition of their parents to greater dependence helped participants gain insights into the terrain of late life and encouraged reflections about the intersection of aging, independence, and family responsibility. Participants expressed intentions to preserve their own independence and spare their children of caregiving burdens through self-directed actions. Implications focused on negotiations of family relationships around issues of independence and family responsibilities as a way to reduce intergenerational ambivalence.     

Risk Assessment of the Carbon Nanotube Group

This study assessed the health risks via inhalation and derived the occupational exposure limit (OEL) for the carbon nanotube (CNT) group rather than individual CNT material. We devised two methods: the integration of the intratracheal instillation (IT) data with the inhalation (IH) data, and the “biaxial approach.” A four‐week IH test and IT test were performed in rats exposed to representative materials to obtain the no observed adverse effect level, based on which the OEL was derived. We used the biaxial approach to conduct a relative toxicity assessment of six types of CNTs. An OEL of 0.03 mg/m³ was selected as the criterion for the CNT group. We proposed that the OEL be limited to 15 years. We adopted adaptive management, in which the values are reviewed whenever new data are obtained. The toxicity level was found to be correlated with the Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET)‐specific surface area (BET‐SSA) of CNT, suggesting the BET‐SSA to have potential for use in toxicity estimation. We used the published exposure data and measurement results of dustiness tests to compute the risk in relation to particle size at the workplace and showed that controlling micron‐sized respirable particles was of utmost importance. Our genotoxicity studies indicated that CNT did not directly interact with genetic materials. They supported the concept that, even if CNT is genotoxic, it is secondary genotoxicity mediated via a pathway of genotoxic damage resulting from oxidative DNA attack by free radicals generated during CNT‐elicited inflammation. Secondary genotoxicity appears to involve a threshold.     

On improving convergence rate of Bernstein polynomial density estimator

This paper is concerned with the Bernstein estimator [Vitale, R.A. (1975), ‘A Bernstein Polynomial Approach to Density Function Estimation’, in Statistical Inference and Related Topics, ed. M.L. Puri, 2, New York: Academic Press, pp. 87–99] to estimate a density with support [0, 1]. One of the major contributions of this paper is an application of a multiplicative bias correction [Terrell, G.R., and Scott, D.W. (1980), ‘On Improving Convergence Rates for Nonnegative Kernel Density Estimators’, The Annals of Statistics, 8, 1160–1163], which was originally developed for the standard kernel estimator. Moreover, the renormalised multiplicative bias corrected Bernstein estimator is studied rigorously. The mean squared error (MSE) in the interior and mean integrated squared error of the resulting bias corrected Bernstein estimators as well as the additive bias corrected Bernstein estimator [Leblanc, A. (2010), ‘A Bias-reduced Approach to Density Estimation Using Bernstein Polynomials’, Journal of Nonparametric Statistics, 22, 459–475] are shown to be O(n^?8/9) when the underlying density has a fourth-order derivative, where n is the sample size. The condition under which the MSE near the boundary is O(n^?8/9) is also discussed. Finally, numerical studies based on both simulated and real data sets are presented.     

Benzene Risk Estimation Using Radiation Equivalent Coefficients

We estimated benzene risk using a novel framework of risk assessment that employed the measurement of radiation dose equivalents to benzene metabolites and a PBPK model. The highest risks for 1 μg/m³ and 3.2 mg/m³ life time exposure of benzene estimated with a linear regression were 5.4 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.3 × 10⁻³, respectively. Even though these estimates were based on in vitro chromosome aberration test data, they were about one-sixth to one-fourteenth that from other studies and represent a fairly good estimate by using radiation equivalent coefficient as an "internal standard."     

Weighted log-normal kernel density estimation

ABSTRACT

The log-normal (LN) kernel estimator of a density with support [0, ∞) was discussed by Jin and Kawczak (2003 Jin, X., Kawczak, J. (2003). Birnbaum–Saunders and lognormal kernel estimators for modelling durations in high frequency financial data. Ann. Econ. Finance 4:103–124. [Google Scholar]). The contribution of this paper is to suggest a new class of LN kernel estimators using the idea of weighted distribution. The asymptotic properties of the new class of estimators are studied. Also, numerical studies based on both simulated and real data set are presented.     

Compatibility of ethnic and national identifications under multicultural policies

Immigrants' national and ethnic identifications have been assumed to contradict each other. However, while studies in psychology generally support this association, under the condition in which national identifications are conceptualized as inclusive, ethnic identifications do not necessarily contradict national identifications. I hypothesize that in a country where tolerant multicultural policies are introduced, immigrants' ethnic and national identifications may be compatible. To test this hypothesis, data collected from respondents with an immigrant background in the European Social Survey 2014 were analysed with multilevel modelling. The results support the hypothesis: in a country with tolerant multicultural policies, ethnic and national identifications are positively associated, while in a country with strict policies, the identifications are negatively associated. This study indicates that the association between ethnic and national identifications is not always negative, but this is dependent on context.     

Aggression exhibited by older dementia clients toward staff in Japanese long-term care

This study examined the experiences of staff members from seven Japanese hospitals who had been treated aggressively by older dementia clients. Altogether, 170 questionnaires were analyzed. In the past year, 75.3% and 63.5% of staff members had experienced physical and verbal aggression, respectively. Working numerous night shifts, working shifts other than 3-shifts, and being allotted assignments with clients who had a lower average level of physical capacity were the factors associated with recurrent client aggression. Those staff members who spent adequate time caring for their clients, who gained client consent before providing care, and who tried to build a trusting relationship with their clients were found to have experienced less aggression. Burnout, which is likely to enhance the risk of the staff mistreatment and neglect of older clients, was found to be higher among those who experienced aggression.     

Characterization of topic-based online communities by combining network data and user generated content

Statistics and Computing - This study proposes a model for characterizing online communities by combining two types of data: network data and user-generated-content (UGC). The existing models for...