Nonresponse of secondary respondents in multi-actor surveys: Determinants, consequences, and possible remedies

Multi-actor survey data are highly valuable for answering questions about family relations, but the collection of such data is complicated by nonresponse among secondary (nonresident) respondents. Little is known, however, about the degree to which nonresponse of secondary respondents is selective and about the degree to which selective nonresponse biases substantive findings. Using a large representative survey, we analyze nonresponse of nonresident adult children of primary respondents. Nonresponse appears strongly related to characteristics of the parent–child relationship and to characteristics of both parents and children. Consequences are examined for three dependent variables: children’s attitudes, children’s support giving to parents and children’s well-being. Heckman models, which correct for sample selection bias, show that selective response hardly biases the substantive estimates. keywords: values; intergenerational relations; well-being; non-response; survey methodolog

Prevalence and risk factors for bovine leptospirosis in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Foi investigada a prevalência de anticorpos antileptospira em fêmeas bovinas com idade igual ou superior a 24 meses, provenientes de 178 rebanhos de 22 municípios do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, bem como identificados fatores de risco associados à infecção. Foram analisadas 2.573 amostras de soro sangüíneo por meio do teste de soroaglutinação microscópica perante 10 sorovares de leptospira. Títulos iguais ou superiores a 100 para um ou mais sorovares foram detectados em 1.801 fêmeas (98,8%) de 161 (96,5%) rebanhos. O sorovar Hardjo (65,6%) foi apontado como o mais provável, seguido do sorovar Wolffi (12,3%). Os resultados demonstram que a leptospirose bovina se encontra presente em todos os municípios estudados, com alta prevalência, tanto em animais como em rebanhos. Os fatores de risco identificados neste estudo e associados à infecção por bactérias do gênero lepstopira foram o tipo de exploração pecuária de corte e a raça Zebu. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe prevalence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies was estimated for female cattle aged 24 months or older. The sample comprised 178 herds from 22 counties in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The risk factors associated with the presence of infeccion were investigated. A total of 2,573 blood serum samples were tested against 10 leptospira serovars using the microagglutination test (MAT). Titers of 100 or higher for one or more serovars were detected in 1,801 females (98.8%) from 161 herds (96.5%). Serovar Hardjo (65.6%) was the most frequent, followed by serovar Wolffi (12.3%). These results suggest that bovine leptospirosis is widespread in all the counties under study, with a high prevalence both at the animal and the herd level. Beef farms and the Zebu breed were associated to the higher risk of herd infection by leptospiras

Analyzing Childlessness

Childlessness has been on the rise in many European societies. In Germany, the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, childlessness has increased starting with the 1950s cohorts. In these countries, about 20 % of the women born around 1965 will remain childless. In southern Europe and the former state-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the rise in levels of childlessness is a more recent phenomenon. Yet among younger cohorts in these countries, childlessness has reached levels of 15 % or higher. In this introductory chapter, we summarize the long-term trends in childlessness and discuss the differences between European countries in the prevalence of childlessness. We also outline the structure and the logic of this volume

Derde meting van de monitor nazorg ex-gedetineerden

This report describes  the result of the third measurement of the Monitor of aftercare for former prisoners, which was carried out among former prisoners who were released from a penal institution in the period between 1 July 2010 and 1 December 2010. This research answers the following questions: To what extent did the situation regarding five areas of life - identity card, income, accommodation, debts, and care contact - change during imprisonment and in the first six months after release from imprisonment?To what extent did prisoners who were released from a penal institution in the second half of 2010 differ from prisoners who were released in the second half of 2008 and 2009 with regard to ability to keep or obtain an identity card, income, accommodation, debts, and contact with a care institution immediately prior to imprisonment, immediately after release from imprisonment, and six months after release from imprisonment? Inde

Validation of a daily automatic routine for dairy robotic milking and concentrates supply.

The feasibility and short term consequences of a robotic milking and concentrates supplementation routine in an automatic milking system dairy were tested. The system comprised a selection unit and a milking unit equipped with a milking robot. In a two-phase 34 day experiment with 16 Friesian-Holsteins, cows reported voluntarily to the selection unit throughout the day. Concentrates could be allocated in both the milking and selection unit. During the last 11 days, the milking robot was available for milking for 24 h a day. A set of variables and mathematical equations describing the visiting pattern and concentrates supplementation was devised. The selection unit occupation time (about 10 h/d), together with the number of visits (about 95 visits/d), provided a good performance measure of the system capacity. It proved possible to maintain daily automatically controlled milking and concentrates supplementation. Not all concentrates (about 90% of planned) were supplemented as planned. To achieve the planned allocation of all concentrates the system must allow for revision of allocation decision during the day based on individual consumption and visiting patterns. The use of a selection unit enables control of cow traffic and the concentrates allocation, but might slow down the traffic between the selection and milking units by a period of up to 5 min passage time. A mean shorter passage of 3?8 min/visit between the selection and milking unit, as compared with the exit time when cows are referred to the feeding area might indicate that cows prefer the milking unit to the feeding area. With a twice daily milking regime 95% of the milking visits to the selection unit were voluntary, which means that cows were brought to the unit only in 5% of all milkings. It is predicted that about 10% of all cows would be unable to adapt to the automatic milking system routine, and would have to be culled from the herd