Structural changes and unit roots in non-stationary time series

The problem of testing hypotheses of a unit root and a structural change in one-dimensional time series is considered. A non-parametric two-step method for solution of the problem is proposed. The method is based upon the modified Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic. At the first step of this method the hypothesis of stationarity of an obtained sample is tested against a unified alternative of a statistical non-stationarity of a time series (a unit root or a structural change). At the second step of the proposed method, in case of rejecting the stationarity hypothesis at the first step, the hypothesis of an unknown structural change is tested against the alternative of a unit root. We prove that probabilities of errors (false classification of hypotheses) of the proposed method converge to zero as the sample size tends to infinity.     

More Than Epistemology: Relationships in Applied Research With Underserved Communities

The nature and consequences of researcher-participant relationships are explored within methodological frameworks, and the impact of relationship roles and decisions are examined through an example of applied research with low-income women and an agency that serves them. Three types of relationship issues and decisions are discussed: (1) the construction of research relationships with two groups of participants: agency staff and agency clients; (2) the involvement of multiple researchers; and (3) the definition and boundaries of the research relationships pertinent to work with people and communities with limited resources. Researcher-participant relationship dilemmas and decisions have implications for the quality of our research and the lives of our participants.     

The supportive community: a new concept for enhancing the quality of life of elderly living in the community

This study examines supportive community programs in Israel, which aim to improve the quality of life of the elderly. These innovative programs pool existing resources to provide a benefits package that includes medical services, an emergency call switchboard, a "neighborhood facilitator," and social activities. Data were collected in 2000-2001 using qualitative and quantitative methods. The program provides specific services to meet needs that otherwise are not adequately addressed. The major contributions of the program reported by the members was increasing their personal security (two-thirds), easing the burden on their children (one-third), and enabling them to remain at home (one-quarter). The supportive community program enriches the variety of services available, thus providing the elderly with the choice of staying within their familiar surroundings of their homes and neighborhoods. This model appears to be both a cost-effective way to facilitate aging in place and a way to meet many of the elderly's essential needs, thereby maintaining their quality of life.     

Reorientalism and globalisation: transnational artists from India and representations of the ‘other’

In this article, I discuss some artists who have emigrated from India to the United States and the United Kingdom whose more recent work contains ‘Orientalising’ imagery influenced by the conjoined forces of the art market, collectors, biennales, globalisation, the Internet, the rapid development of India’s economy and its impact on the global art scene. It seems that fame and fortune for some Indian artists living in the West entails capitulating to the desire for exotic, ornate, sexual and stereotypical representations associated with Indian culture and religion. In contrast, I consider the direction taken by other artists who remain in their country of origin and portray life lived there without being particularly attentive to being Indian, although they may concentrate on social and political issues.     

A model for identifying the potential clientele for substance abuse programs

A model is presented that estimates the rates, numbers, and socio-demographic characteristics of potential clientele for substance abuse programs. Using the synthetic estimates technique and existing bodies of information, the model has been tested and cross validated with substance abuse related problem indicators across the counties of Oregon with good results. The model has both strengths and weaknesses and may be seen as being of greatest value to policymakers, planning agencies, and program administrators in the field of substance abuse and related service programs.     

Recommendations for research and public policy in gambling studies

The purpose of this article is to respond to and expand on the ideas presented by Father McGowan in The Ethics of Gambling Research: An Agenda for Mature Analysis. We provide specific recommendations for future research and public policy in the field of gambling studies. We suggest that key conceptual definitions—such as, problem, compulsive, and pathological gambling—should be clarified, established, and distinguished from one another before gambling research is conducted. Proper methodological procedures are recommended, where power analyses, pilot studies, and representative samples are appropriately conducted and analyzed. Retrospective and Prospective studies are considered and differentiated while Discrete Time Event History Analysis—namely, Life Tables Analysis and Discrete Time Logistic Regression—are proposed.     

Is Executive Cognitive Function Associated with Youth Gambling?

Our objectives for this report were to identify trajectories of youth gambling behavior, and to examine their relation to executive cognitive function (ECF) and associated problem behaviors. Philadelphia school children, enrolled at ages 10–12 years (n = 387; 49% male), completed three annual assessments of risk behaviors, ECF, impulsivity, problem behaviors and demographics. Across ages 10–15 years, using methods from Nagin et al., two groups were identified: Early Gamblers (n = 111) initiated early and continued in later assessments, and Later Gamblers (n = 276) initiated at later ages and gambled less. Betting money on cards and sports were the most frequently reported gambling behaviors. Using gambling group as outcome, final backward selection logistic regression model showed Early Gamblers are more likely male (P = 0.001), report more active coping (P = 0.042), impulsive behaviors (P ≤ 0.008), and have friends who gamble (P = 0.001). Groups were similar in ECF, parental monitoring, marital status, SES, and race. Early Gamblers had higher incidence of problem behaviors and drug use (all P ≤ 0.006). Two gambling groups were identified in early adolescence with Early Gamblers showing higher levels of impulsivity and comorbid problems but similar levels of ECF compared to Late Gamblers. As more gambling groups are identified through later adolescence, ECF may emerge as a relevant precursor of problem gambling at this later time.     

Effects of immigration on selected health risk behaviors of Black college students

The authors administered the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey to 1,219 college students who were attending a historically Black college located in New York City. They assessed the US-born Black students and Black students who emigrated to the United States for differences in risky sexual behaviors, risky dietary behaviors, and physical inactivity. They used bivariate and multiple regression analyses to analyze the data and observed significant differences between the US-born and non-US-born students in the behavioral domains of risky sexual behaviors (p = .003), risky dietary behaviors (p = .001), and physical inactivity (p = .010). They conclude that immigration is associated with health protective behavior in the domains of sexual behavior and physical activity among the Black college students attending this particular institution. However, in the domain of dietary intake, immigration status was associated with increased risk in these Black college students.     

Jury Selection in Child Sex Abuse Trials: A Case Analysis

Child sex abuse cases have been the target of considerable psycho-legal research. The present paper offers an analysis of psychological constructs for jury selection in child sex abuse cases from the defense perspective. The authors specifically delineate general and case-specific jury selection variables. General variables include authoritarianism, dogmatism, need for cognition, pretrial knowledge, and race/socioeconomic status. Case-specific variables include sexual attitudes, homonegativity, juror abuse history, and beliefs about children. The paper also provides a factual background of a representative case, incorporates relevant case law, identifies sources for voir dire and juror questionnaire items, and discusses lessons from the primary author's first experience as a trial consultant for the defense.