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Related Studies (relate + studies)
Selected AbstractsThe impact of victim-offender mediation: A cross-national perspectiveCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2000Mark S. Umbreit The field of victim-offender mediation, now in its third decade, has grown extensively throughout North America and Europe, with programs in more than twelve hundred communities. This article reports on results from three related studies on the consequences of participating in victim-offender mediation, including programs in four of the United States (Umbreit, 1996, 1994a, 1994b; Umbreit and Coates, 1993), four provinces of Canada (Umbreit, 1999, 1995c), and two cities in England (Umbreit and Roberts, 1996). VOM is implemented differently in various places, reflecting cultural norms and mores. Given innumerable ways of doing victim-offender mediation, are there common experiences shared among participants that can inform program delivery and justice policy? The VOM model was found to be a highly transportable and flexible program in diverse settings. High levels of client satisfaction with both the process and outcome were found, and a high level of fairness was expressed. VOM continues to be a promising model, reflecting the principles of the restorative justice movement and offering a firm foundation of practice wisdom and research from which other newer forms of victim-offender dialogue, such as family group conferences, circles, and boards, can benefit (Bazemore and Umbreit, 1999). [source] Family members of relatives with alcohol, drug and gambling problems: a set of standardized questionnaires for assessing stress, coping and strainADDICTION, Issue 11 2005Jim Orford ABSTRACT Aims To describe a set of standard questionnaire measures for the assessment of the needs of family members of relatives with alcohol, drug or gambling problems, and to present evidence of their reliability and validity from a series of related studies. Design Includes cross-sectional and repeated-measurement studies. Setting and participants Family members affected by and concerned about the problem drinking or drug-taking of close relatives in treatment and non-treatment samples in the United Kingdom (white and Sikh) and Mexico City; family members of untreated heavy drinkers; and family members of problem gamblers. Measurements Four measures derived from a stress,strain,coping,support model of alcohol, drugs and gambling problems and the family: Family Member Impact scale (FMI), Symptom Rating Test (SRT), Coping Questionnaire (CQ), and Hopefulness,Hopelessness scale (HOPE). FMI, SRT and CQ assess stress, strain and coping, respectively. The exact role of HOPE in the model remains to be determined. The support component remains unmeasured. Findings Results from a number of studies support the internal reliability, discriminant and construct validity and sensitivity to change of the SRT and its two constituent scales (psychological and physical symptoms) and at least two subscales of the CQ (engaged and tolerant,inactive coping). Although showing evidence of satisfactory reliability and some evidence of discriminant validity, further work may be required on the CQ withdrawal coping subscale. Evidence suggests that the FMI is reliable and valid and may have a factor structure that will support future research (distinguishing worrying behaviour from active disturbance). HOPE is a new measure showing promising characteristics. Conclusions A set of standard measures is available for helping to assess the needs of concerned and affected family members, derived from an explicit model of the family in relation to excessive drinking, drug taking or gambling. It may have a role to play in correcting the current neglect of the needs of such family members, estimated to be in the region of nearly a million adults in Britain alone. [source] Projections from the hippocampal region to the mammillary bodies in macaque monkeysEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 10 2005John P. Aggleton Abstract A combination of anterograde and retrograde tracers mapped the direct hippocampal and parahippocampal inputs to the mammillary bodies in two species of macaque monkey. Dense projections arose from pyramidal cells in layer III of the subiculum and prosubiculum, and terminated in the medial mammillary nucleus. While there was no evidence of an input from the dentate gyrus or fields CA1,3, a small contribution arose from the presubiculum and entorhinal cortices. All of the hippocampal and parahippocampal projections to the mammillary bodies appeared to use the fornix as a route. The caudal portions of the subiculum and prosubiculum contained the greatest numbers of cells projecting to the mammillary bodies. A light contralateral projection to the medial mammillary nucleus was also observed, although this appeared to arise primarily from the more rostral portions of the subiculum and prosubiculum. There was a crude topography within the medial mammillary nucleus, with the caudal subicular projections terminating in the mid and dorsal portions of the nucleus while the rostral subicular and entorhinal projections terminated in the ventral and lateral portions of the medial nucleus. Light ipsilateral projections throughout the lateral mammillary nucleus were sometimes observed. Comparisons with related studies of the macaque brain showed that the dense hippocampal projections to the mammillary bodies arise from a population of subicular cells separate from those that project to the anterior thalamic nuclei, even though the major output from the mammillary bodies is to the anterior thalamic nuclei. Other comparisons revealed underlying similarities with the corresponding projections in the rat brain. [source] EVOLUTION OF TEMPORAL ISOLATION IN THE WILD: GENETIC DIVERGENCE IN TIMING OF MIGRATION AND BREEDING BY INTRODUCED CHINOOK SALMON POPULATIONSEVOLUTION, Issue 4 2000Thomas P. Quinn Abstract. The timing of migration and breeding are key life-history traits; they are not only adaptations of populations to their environments, but can serve to increase reproductive isolation, facilitating further divergence among populations. As part of a study of divergence of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, populations, established in New Zealand from a common source in the early 1900s, we tested the hypotheses that the timing of migration and breeding are under genetic control and that the populations genetically differ in these traits despite phenotypic overlap in timing in the wild. Representatives of families from two populations were collected within a day or two of each other, reared in a common environment, and then released to sea from each of two different rivers, while other family representatives were retained in fresh water to maturity. The date of maturation of fish held in fresh water and the dates of return from the ocean and maturation of fish released to sea all showed significant differences between the two populations and among families within populations. The very high heritabilities and genetic correlations estimated for migration and maturation date indicated that these traits would respond rapidly to selection. Combined with the results of related studies on these chinook salmon populations, it appears that spawning time may not only evolve during the initial phases of divergence, but it may play an important role in accelerating divergence in other traits. [source] A model for evaluating the effect of fatigue crack repair by the infiltration methodFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 10 2000C. S. Shin Infiltration of foreign materials into a fatigue crack has previously been shown to be able to retard the crack and extend fatigue life. Most of the related studies were empirical and phenomenological in nature. To aid engineering decisions, it would be advantageous if the possible outcome of a repair can be evaluated beforehand. To this end, a crack closure model taking into account the additional closure effect of the infiltrant has been developed and verified against experimental results. With this model, the sensitivity of the repair effect to various parameters such as mechanical properties of the infiltrant, depth of penetration and infiltration load level can be assessed. [source] High-throughput behavioral phenotyping in the expanded panel of BXD recombinant inbred strainsGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2010V. M. Philip Genetic reference populations, particularly the BXD recombinant inbred (BXD RI) strains derived from C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice, are a valuable resource for the discovery of the bio-molecular substrates and genetic drivers responsible for trait variation and covariation. This approach can be profitably applied in the analysis of susceptibility and mechanisms of drug and alcohol use disorders for which many predisposing behaviors may predict the occurrence and manifestation of increased preference for these substances. Many of these traits are modeled by common mouse behavioral assays, facilitating the detection of patterns and sources of genetic coregulation of predisposing phenotypes and substance consumption. Members of the Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium (TMGC) have obtained phenotype data from over 250 measures related to multiple behavioral assays across several batteries: response to, and withdrawal from cocaine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; "ecstasy" (MDMA), morphine and alcohol; novelty seeking; behavioral despair and related neurological phenomena; pain sensitivity; stress sensitivity; anxiety; hyperactivity and sleep/wake cycles. All traits have been measured in both sexes in approximately 70 strains of the recently expanded panel of BXD RI strains. Sex differences and heritability estimates were obtained for each trait, and a comparison of early (N = 32) and recent (N = 37) BXD RI lines was performed. Primary data are publicly available for heritability, sex difference and genetic analyses using the MouseTrack database, and are also available in GeneNetwork.org for quantitative trait locus (QTL) detection and genetic analysis of gene expression. Together with the results of related studies, these data form a public resource for integrative systems genetic analysis of neurobehavioral traits. [source] Recent Changes in the Regulation of Financial Markets and Reporting in Canada,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2007Carla Carnaghan ABSTRACT The regulation of financial reporting and financial markets has undergone significant change in both the United States and Canada since 2000. In Canada, the regulatory regime is particularly complex and politically controversial, with much speculation about possible future directions. This paper's purpose is to explain the current regulatory environment as it stands in mid-2006 to assist those who teach or conduct research in this domain. On the basis of a review of existing regulations and related studies, this paper first provides an explanation of the major jurisdictional issues that affect financial reporting and regulation in Canada, including identifying the roles of the key players. Second, it identifies specific reporting changes that might be of particular relevance to prospective capital market researchers. Where relevant, comparisons are made with regulatory provisions in the United States, because the majority of capital markets research concerns U.S. securities exchanges regulation, and the Canadian regulations themselves often refer to U.S. regulations as a point of comparison. We find that the lack of a single national securities regulator in Canada and overlaps in federal and provincial jurisdiction and among regulatory bodies mean there is a large range of players involved in financial markets regulation. Ongoing efforts to improve integration include the new passport system, improved harmonization of securities regulation, and consideration of mergers between some of the involved organizations. Other changes have led to a greater emphasis in Canada on the regulation of continuous disclosure and corporate governance than was previously the case. Changes in specific reporting regulations and guidelines since 2002 have generally increased the amount of disclosure. [source] Assessing the predictive performance of artifIcial neural network-based classifiers based on different data preprocessing methods, distributions and training mechanismsINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Adrian Costea We analyse the implications of three different factors (preprocessing method, data distribution and training mechanism) on the classification performance of artificial neural networks (ANNs). We use three preprocessing approaches: no preprocessing, division by the maximum absolute values and normalization. We study the implications of input data distributions by using five datasets with different distributions: the real data, uniform, normal, logistic and Laplace distributions. We test two training mechanisms: one belonging to the gradient-descent techniques, improved by a retraining procedure, and the other is a genetic algorithm (GA), which is based on the principles of natural evolution. The results show statistically significant influences of all individual and combined factors on both training and testing performances. A major difference with other related studies is the fact that for both training mechanisms we train the network using as starting solution the one obtained when constructing the network architecture. In other words we use a hybrid approach by refining a previously obtained solution. We found that when the starting solution has relatively low accuracy rates (80,90%) the GA clearly outperformed the retraining procedure, whereas the difference was smaller to non-existent when the starting solution had relatively high accuracy rates (95,98%). As reported in other studies, we found little to no evidence of crossover operator influence on the GA performance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluation of the effect of a life review group program on self-esteem and life satisfaction in the elderlyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2008Kai-Jo Chiang Abstract Objective This study was aimed at evaluating whether a Life Review Group Program (LRGP) improved the self-esteem and life satisfaction in the elderly. Methods This randomized, controlled trial consisted of 75 elderly males from a Veterans' Home in Northern Taiwan, 36 of whom were in the experimental group and 39 of whom were in the control group. The subjects in the experimental group participated in an 8-week LRGP. Data were collected before and after the LRGP and again 1 month after the end of the program. Results The study subjects had a mean age of 78.13 years. The generalized estimating equation was used to compare alterations in the self-esteem and life satisfaction of the elderly before and after the intervention. The alterations in self-esteem and life satisfaction in the experimental group after the LRGP were significantly improved compared to the control group. One month after the LRGP was completed, the self-esteem and life satisfaction of the experimental group continued to improve when compared with pre-intervention levels. Conclusions Based on these results, the LRGP can potentially improve the self-affirmation, confidence, and self-esteem of the elderly and promote short-term life satisfaction. The results of this study provide a model for clinical evidence-based therapy, serving as a reference for related studies and evaluation of health-promoting programs, as well as improving the health and quality of care of the elderly. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] SiPep: a system for the prediction of tissue-specific minor histocompatibility antigensINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOGENETICS, Issue 4 2006M. Halling-Brown Summary Approximately 50 years ago it was found that inbred strains of mice were able to reject tumours and skin grafts from major histocompatibility complex (MHC) identical donors. They proposed that additional transplantation antigens must exist outside the MHC. These were described as minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAgs). Since then, related studies in humans have identified 16 human mHAgs. The aim of this work is to increase the number of known mHAgs by prediction of candidate minor histocompatibility loci by identifying coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) where the amino acid variation lies within an MHC-binding peptide and alters the ability of that peptide to bind. We have developed an algorithm called SiPep which uses peptide sequences derived from the flanking regions of known non-synonymous SNPs, various MHC-binding and proteolytic cleavage evaluation methods and protein expression data to predict mHAgs. We have processed 45094 SNPs using the SiPep algorithm and have stored the results in a database called SNPBinder. The facilities to process submitted proteins through the SiPep algorithm as well as the SNPBinder database are available to the public. A set of peptides that are predicted as possible mHAgs by the SiPep algorithm have been tested using refolding assays and gel filtration and the results are presented in this paper. The SiPep tools and SNPBinder database are available free of charge via the internet. An HTML interface providing search facilities can be found at the following address: http://www.sipep.org/. [source] Do researchers use pharmacists' communication as an outcome measure?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 4 2010A scoping review of pharmacist involvement in diabetes care Abstract Objectives, Pharmacy practice increasingly revolves around obtaining and interpreting information. We investigated whether and how pharmacy practice researchers design their studies in ways that acknowledge verbal communication between pharmacists and patients with diabetes. Methods, We conducted a scoping review of pharmacists' interventions with patients previously diagnosed as having diabetes with the aim of assessing how many used communication (quality and quantity) as an outcome measure. A scoping review identifies gaps in the literature and draws conclusions regarding the overall state of a research programme, but does not necessarily identify gaps in the quality of the studies reviewed. Quality assessment, therefore, was not conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched from 2003 to 2008 to identify relevant studies published in English. Reference lists of key studies were also scanned to identify additional studies. Randomized controlled trials and related studies of pharmacists verbal communication with diabetic patients were included. Key findings, Some 413 abstracts were identified through database and reference searching. Of these, 65 studies met abstract inclusion criteria and 16 studies met full-text inclusion criteria necessary for this review. The majority of included studies report on patients' health outcomes, beliefs about drugs, self-reported health-related quality-of-life scales or some combination of these measures as indicators of pharmacists' interventions. Nine studies included information on the duration of the initial interaction between pharmacists and patients with diabetes; 13 reported on the number of follow-up contacts with pharmacists, and seven studies indicated that pharmacists participating in interventions had received training in diabetes management or in patient-centred care. No studies included or evaluated transcripts of pharmacist,patient interactions. Summary, Results reveal a gap in the existing literature. In studies of diabetes, pharmacy practice researchers do not appear to consider the influence of pharmacists' communication skills on health outcomes. Future studies should be designed to incorporate a communication research component. [source] Factors affecting abundance and distribution of submerged and floating macrophytes in Lake Naivasha, KenyaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2009A. N. Ngari Abstract Macrophytes have been shown to perform important ecological roles in Lake Naivasha. Consequently, various studies regarding the impact of biotic factors on the macrophytes have been advanced but related studies on environmental parameters have lagged behind. In an attempt to address this gap, sampling on floating species and submergents was carried out in eight sampling sites in 2003 to investigate how they were influenced by a set of environmental factors. Soil texture (sandy sediments; P < 0.05, regression coefficient = ,0.749) and wind were the most important environmental parameters influencing the distribution and abundance of floating macrophytes. Combination of soil texture and lake-bed slope explained the most (86.3%) variation encountered in the submergents. Continuous translocation of the floating dominant water hyacinth to the western parts by wind has led to displacement of the submergents from those areas. In view of these findings, the maintenance and preservation of the steep Crescent Lake basin whose substratum is dominated by sand thus hosting most submergents remain important, if the whole functional purpose of the macrophytes is to be sustained. Résumé On a montré que les macrophytes jouent un rôle économique important dans le lac Naivasha. Par conséquent, diverses études ont été réalisées sur l'impact des facteurs biotiques sur les macrophytes, mais les études correspondantes sur les paramètres environnementaux sont à la traîne. Pour essayer de compenser cette lacune, en 2003, on a réalisé un échantillonnage des espèces flottantes et submergées sur huit sites d'échantillonnage pour étudier comment elles étaient influencées par un ensemble de facteurs environnementaux. La texture du sol (sédiments sableux, P < 0,05, coefficient de régression = 0,749) et le vent étaient les paramètres environnementaux les plus important quant à l'influence sur la distribution et l'abondance des macrophytes flottants. La combinaison de la texture du sol et de la pente du fond du lac expliquait la plus grande partie (86,3%) de la variation rencontrée chez les espèces submergées. Le déplacement continuel des jacinthes d'eau, qui est la plante flottante dominante, vers la partie ouest par le vent a entraîné le déménagement des espèces submergées hors de cette partie du lac. Au vu de ces résultats, il est important d'assurer l'entretien et la préservation de la pente raide du bassin du lac en forme de croissant si l'on peut conserver l'ensemble de la fonction des macrophytes. [source] A systematic review and meta-analysis on the therapeutic equivalence of statinsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2010T.-C. Weng MSc (Clin Pharm) Summary Background:, Statins are the most commonly prescribed agents for hypercholesterolemia because of their efficacy and tolerability. As the number of patients in need of statin therapy continues to increase, information regarding the relative efficacy and safety of statins is required for decision-making. Objective:, This study will use systematic review to compare the efficacy and safety profiles of different statins at different doses and determine the therapeutically equivalent doses of statins to achieve a specific level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering effect. Methods:, Publications of head-to-head randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of statins were retrieved from the Oregon state database (1966,2004), MEDLINE (2005-April of 2006), EMBASE (2005-April of 2006), and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry (up to the first quarter of 2006). The publications were evaluated with predetermined criteria by a reviewer before they were included in the review. The mean change in cholesterol level of each statin was calculated and weighted by number of subjects involved in each RCT. Where possible, meta-analysis was performed to generate pooled estimates of the cholesterol lowering effect of statins and the difference between statins. Results:, Seventy-five studies reporting RCTs of head-to-head comparisons on statins were included. Most studies had similar baseline characteristics, except the rosuvastatin related studies. A daily dose of atorvastatin 10 mg, fluvastatin 80 mg, lovastatin 40,80 mg, and simvastatin 20 mg could decrease LDL-C by 30,40%, and fluvastatin 40 mg, lovastatin 10,20 mg, pravastatin 20,40 mg, and simvastatin 10 mg could decrease LDL-C by 20,30%. The only two statins that could reduce LDL-C more than 40% were rosuvastatin and atorvastatin at a daily dose of 20 mg or higher. Meta-analysis indicated a statistically significant but clinically minor difference (<7%) between statins in cholesterol lowering effect. Comparisons of coronary heart disease prevention and safety could not be made because of insufficient data. Conclusions:, At comparable doses, statins are therapeutically equivalent in reducing LDL-C. [source] Factors affecting the ability of dental cements to alter the pH of lactic acid solutionsJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 12 2000M. Patel Two related studies have been carried out to determine the effect of (a) powder:liquid ratio and (b) relative amounts of cement on the extent of buffering of a lactic acid storage solution using zinc polycarboxylate and glass,ionomer cements (both water-activated). The effect of varying the powder:liquid ratio was found to be slight and not statistically significant. On the other hand, increasing the numbers of specimens in a given volume of storage solution was found to have a significant influence on the final pH (at the 0·0005 level of significance). The fact that powder:liquid ratio did not affect the final pH led to the conclusion that attack occurs mainly at the matrix of these cements, confirming previous findings about the acid erosion process. The finding that increasing the relative amount of cement to acid storage solution strongly influenced pH suggested that, under clinical conditions, buffering would be important. When five specimens were used, the final pH corresponded to that of arrested caries, from which it was concluded that these cements have the ability to be cariostatic in vivo. [source] International political marketing: a case study of United States soft power and public diplomacyJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008Henry H. Sun Political marketing can be categorized with three aspects: the election campaign as the origin of political marketing, the permanent campaign as a governing tool and international political marketing (IPM) which covers the areas of public diplomacy, marketing of nations, international political communication, national image, soft power and the cross-cultural studies of political marketing. IPM and the application of soft power have been practiced by nation-states throughout the modern history of international relations starting with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Nation-states promote the image of their country worldwide through public diplomacy, exchange mutual interests in their bilateral or multilateral relation with other countries, lobby for their national interests in international organizations and apply cultural and political communication strategies internationally to build up their soft power. In modern international relations, nation-states achieve their foreign policy goals by applying both hard power and soft power. Public diplomacy as part of IPM is a method in the creation of soft power, as well as, in the application of soft power. This paper starts with the definitional and conceptual review of political marketing. For the first time in publication, it establishes a theoretical model which provides a framework of the three aspects of political marketing, that is electoral political marketing (EPM), governmental political marketing (GPM) and IPM. This model covers all the main political exchanges among six inter-related components in the three pairs of political exchange process, that is candidates and party versus voters and interest groups in EPM ; governments, leaders and public servants versus citizens and interest groups in GPM, including political public relations and lobbying which have been categorized as the third aspect of political marketing in some related studies; and governments, interest group and activists versus international organizations and foreign subjects in IPM. This study further develops a model of IPM, which covers its strategy and marketing mix on the secondary level of the general political marketing model, and then, the third level model of international political choice behaviour based the theory of political choice behaviour in EPM. This paper continues to review the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy and defines their relation with IPM. It then reports a case study on the soft power and public diplomacy of the United States from the perspectives of applying IPM and soft power. Under the framework of IPM, it looks at the traditional principles of US foreign policy, that is Hamiltonians, Wilsonians, Jeffersonians and Jacksonians, and the application of US soft power in the Iraq War since 2003. The paper advances the argument that generally all nation states apply IPM to increase their soft power. The decline of US soft power is caused mainly by its foreign policy. The unilateralism Jacksonians and realism Hamiltonians have a historical trend to emphasize hard power while neglecting soft power. Numerous reports and studies have been conducted on the pros and cons of US foreign policy in the Iraq War, which are not the focus of this paper. From the aspect of IPM, this paper studies the case of US soft power and public diplomacy, and their effects in the Iraq War. It attempts to exam the application of US public diplomacy with the key concept of political exchange, political choice behaviour, the long-term approach and the non-government operation principles of public diplomacy which is a part of IPM. The case study confirms the relations among IPM, soft power and public diplomacy and finds that lessons can be learned from these practices of IPM. The paper concludes that there is a great demand for research both at a theoretical as well as practical level for IPM and soft power. It calls for further study on this subject. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Complexities of indigeneity and autochthony: An African exampleAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2009Michaela Pelican ABSTRACT In this article, I deal with the complexities of "indigeneity" and "autochthony," two distinct yet closely interrelated concepts used by various actors in local, national, and international arenas in Africa and elsewhere. With the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2007, hopes were high among activists and organizations that the precarious situation of many minority groups might be gradually improved. However, sharing the concerns of other scholars, I argue that discourses of indigeneity and autochthony are highly politicized, are subject to local and national particularities, and produce ambivalent, sometimes paradoxical, outcomes. My elaborations are based on in-depth knowledge of the case of the Mbororo in Cameroon, a pastoralist group and national minority recognized by the United Nations as an "indigenous people" although locally perceived as "strangers" and "migrants." For comparative purposes, and drawing on related studies, I integrate the Bagyeli and Baka (also known as Pygmies) of southern and southeastern Cameroon into my analysis, as they share the designation of indigenous people with the Mbororo and face similar predicaments. [indigeneity, autochthony, identity, United Nations, Cameroon] [source] Migration and the Tiebout-Tullock Hypothesis RevisitedAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Richard J. Cebula This study investigates, using state-level data for the period 2000,2005, the Tiebout hypothesis (as extended by Tullock) of "voting with one's feet." This analysis differs from previous related studies not only in its adoption of more current migration and other data but also in other ways. First, unlike most earlier related studies, it includes a separate measure of the overall cost of living; second, it examines per pupil (rather than per capita) outlays on public primary and secondary education; and third, in addition to property taxes, it also focuses on per capita state income tax burdens. Inclusion of the last of these variables in the analysis is based on studies that have found the existence of a state income tax to have influenced migration patterns and other studies that have found higher state income tax levels to have resulted in reduced per capita income growth over time. Moreover, including both property tax burdens and income tax burdens broadens the scope of the hypothesis. Strong empirical support for the Tiebout-Tullock hypothesis (as interpreted here) is obtained for the study period. [source] A Cross-National Comparison of the Internal Effects of Participation in Voluntary OrganizationsPOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2008Marc Morjé Howard This article draws on two recent and largely untapped sources of data to test empirically the Tocquevillian argument about the impact of involvement in civic organizations on individual attitudes and behaviors. Our analysis is based on two related studies , the European Social Survey (ESS) and the US ,Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy' (CID) survey , that incorporate innovative and detailed measures about respondents' involvement in voluntary associations in nineteen European countries and in the United States. These surveys provide us not only with rich individual-level data within a cross-national comparison, but they also allow us to develop and test a new measure of civic involvement that distinguishes between different levels of participation. After employing our ,civic involvement index' in pooled and individual country analyses, we find general support for the Tocquevillian argument. On average, those persons with greater levels of involvement in voluntary organizations also engage in more political acts, have higher life satisfaction and are by and large more trusting of others than those who do not. These findings highlight the general importance of actual involvement as opposed to nominal membership. [source] Crystal-crystal transformations in isotactic polybutene-1 oriented filaments and in thick molded rodsPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 6 2001Cheol-Ho Choi This paper reports two related studies of the Form II , Form I crystal-crystal transformation in isotactic polybutene-1. First, it was found that in melt spun filaments, the rate of transformation is higher in filaments possessing higher levels of crystalline orientation. Second, we consider the occurrence of this phase transformation in thick quenched cylindrical rods. It was found that the phase transformation occurs more rapidly in the core than at the surface of the part. It is hypothesized that the mechanism of the higher transformation rate in the core is due to the development of residual quench stresses associated with densification at solidification. These stress levels have been calculated and our results compared with earlier studies. [source] Semi-automatic tool to describe, store and compare proteomics experiments based on MIAPE compliant reportsPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 6 2010Salvador Martínez-Bartolomé Abstract The Human Proteome Organization's Proteomics Standards Initiative aims to develop new standards for data representation and exchange. The Proteomics Standards Initiative has defined the Minimum Information About a Proteomics Experiment (MIAPE) guidelines that specify the information that should be reported with a published experiment. With the aim of promoting the implementation of standard reporting guidelines, we have developed a web tool that helps to generate and store MIAPE compliant reports describing gel electrophoresis and MS-based experiments. The tool can be used in the reviewing phase of the proteomics publication process and can facilitate data interpretation through the comparison of related studies. [source] Disorganized Reasoning in Holocaust SurvivorsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2002Abraham Sagi PhD In 2 related studies of nonclinical Israeli samples, the long-term sequelae of traumatic Holocaust experiences were investigated from an attachment perspective. In each study. Holocaust survivors were compared with participants who had not experienced the Holocaust, and their attachment style and state of mind with regard to past and present attachment experiences as well as their state of mind regarding unresolved loss were assessed. In both studies, the Holocaust groups were found to be significantly more inclined to show disoriented thought processes around trauma than were the groups without Holocaust background. From an attachment perspective, the authors showed that even after 50 years, traumatic traces of Holocaust experiences are present in the survivors. [source] House Prices and InflationREAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2002Ali Anari The present paper examines the long-run impact of inflation on homeowner equity by investigating the relationship between house prices and the prices of nonhousing goods and services, rather than return series and inflation rates as in previous empirical studies on the inflation hedging ability of real estate. There are two reasons for this methodological departure from prior practice: (1) while the total return on housing cannot be accurately measured, the total return on housing is fully reflected in housing prices, and (2) given that using returns or differencing a time series leads to a loss of long-run information contained in the series, valuable long-run information can be captured by using prices. Also, unlike previous related studies, we exclude housing costs from goods and services prices to avoid potential bias in estimating how inflation affects housing prices. Monthly data series are collected for existing and for new house prices as well as the consumer price index excluding housing costs for the period 1968,2000. Based on both autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models and recursive regressions, the empirical results yield estimated Fisher coefficients that are consistently greater than one over the sample period. Thus, we infer that house prices are a stable inflation hedge in the long run. [source] Using Multimember District Elections to Estimate the Sources of the Incumbency AdvantageAMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Shigeo Hirano In this article we use a novel research design that exploits unique features of multimember districts to estimate and decompose the incumbency advantage in state legislative elections. Like some existing related studies we also use repeated observations on the same candidates to account for unobserved factors that remain constant across observations. Multimember districts have the additional feature of copartisans competing for multiple seats within the same district. This allows us to identify both the direct office-holder benefits and the incumbent quality advantage over nonincumbent candidates from the same party. We find that the overall incumbency advantage is of similar magnitude as that found in previous studies. We attribute approximately half of this advantage to incumbents' quality advantage over open-seat candidates and the remainder to direct office-holder benefits. However, we also find some evidence that direct office-holder benefits are larger in competitive districts than in safe districts and in states with relatively large legislative budgets per capita. [source] Artificial infestation of sorghum spikelets with eggs of Stenodiplosis sorghicola (Coquillett) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) by water injectionAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Adam T Hardy Abstract A technique for artificially infesting sorghum spikelets with eggs of sorghum midge is described and compared with natural oviposition achieved in a glasshouse cage trial. This technique was developed to facilitate antibiosis resistance related studies of midge biology, and to overcome the reduced and inconsistent oviposition achieved in sorghum lines that contain ovipositional-antixenosis resistance. Injecting an aqueous suspension of exactly two midge eggs between the glumes of individual sorghum spikelets using a micropipette produced consistent, low egg densities across five lines of varying resistance (0.8,1.2 eggs per spikelet; 50,70% infestation), while water injection of four to six eggs per spikelet in the same lines produced high and consistent egg densities (two to three eggs per spikelet; > 80% infestation). In contrast to both of the water-injection treatments, natural oviposition within the same five lines produced inconsistent egg densities, even when midge densities were adjusted to account for the variable levels of ovipositional antixenosis present in each line (one to four eggs per spikelet; 40,80% infestation). A bioassay was also conducted to determine the effect of suspending midge eggs in water on egg hatch, neonate survival and fitness. Aqueous suspensions of midge eggs stored for 4 h at room temperature produced 79% egg hatch. However, aqueous egg suspensions refrigerated at 4°C for 1,7 days reduced egg hatch (41,64%), lowered larval longevity and reduced maximum movement of neonate larvae. No eggs hatched after 14 days of refrigerated storage. [source] Bayesian Optimal Design for Phase II Screening TrialsBIOMETRICS, Issue 3 2008Meichun Ding Summary Most phase II screening designs available in the literature consider one treatment at a time. Each study is considered in isolation. We propose a more systematic decision-making approach to the phase II screening process. The sequential design allows for more efficiency and greater learning about treatments. The approach incorporates a Bayesian hierarchical model that allows combining information across several related studies in a formal way and improves estimation in small data sets by borrowing strength from other treatments. The design incorporates a utility function that includes sampling costs and possible future payoff. Computer simulations show that this method has high probability of discarding treatments with low success rates and moving treatments with high success rates to phase III trial. [source] Computational identification of altered metabolism using gene expression and metabolic pathwaysBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 4 2009Hojung Nam Abstract Understanding altered metabolism is an important issue because altered metabolism is often revealed as a cause or an effect in pathogenesis. It has also been shown to be an important factor in the manipulation of an organism's metabolism in metabolic engineering. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to measure the concentration levels of all metabolites in the genome-wide scale of a metabolic network; consequently, a method that infers the alteration of metabolism is beneficial. The present study proposes a computational method that identifies genome-wide altered metabolism by analyzing functional units of KEGG pathways. As control of a metabolic pathway is accomplished by altering the activity of at least one rate-determining step enzyme, not all gene expressions of enzymes in the pathway demonstrate significant changes even if the pathway is altered. Therefore, we measure the alteration levels of a metabolic pathway by selectively observing expression levels of significantly changed genes in a pathway. The proposed method was applied to two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene expression profiles measured in very high-gravity (VHG) fermentation. The method identified altered metabolic pathways whose properties are related to ethanol and osmotic stress responses which had been known to be observed in VHG fermentation because of the high sugar concentration in growth media and high ethanol concentration in fermentation products. With the identified altered pathways, the proposed method achieved best accuracy and sensitivity rates for the Red Star (RS) strain compared to other three related studies (gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA), significance analysis of microarray to gene set (SAM-GS), reporter metabolite), and for the CEN.PK 113-7D (CEN) strain, the proposed method and the GSEA method showed comparably similar performances. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 835,843. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A Festschrift in Honor of Professor R.W. SmithellsBIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Mary Seller This issue of Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, comprises a Festschrift, a tribute to Professor R. W. (Dick) Smithells (1924-2002). In the 1970s, Dick initiated a study on the prevention of neural tube defects (NTD) by periconceptional multivitamin and folic acid supplementation of ,at risk' women. A significantly positive result was obtained,the first time that the primary prevention of any congenital malformation had ever been achieved. This important discovery stimulated an explosion of similar and related studies, and over the years, an extension of research into many closely allied but disparate fields. The papers in this Festschrift tell some of this story. However, the story itself has, as yet, no ending, because despite Dick's pioneering work and all our accumulated knowledge, the precise cause of NTD, and its mechanism, remains unknown. The authors contributing to this issue dedicate their work to the memory of Dick, and together with many other scientists, doctors and patients worldwide acknowledge and pay homage to his inspiration, industry and foresight. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Organocatalytic Direct Vinylogous Michael Addition of ,,,-Unsaturated ,-Butyrolactam to ,,,-Unsaturated Aldehydes and an Illustration to Scaffold Diversity SynthesisCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 34 2010Xin Feng Ideal for scaffold diversity synthesis: The first organocatalytic direct vinylogous Michael addition of N -Boc ,,,-unsaturated ,-butyrolactam to ,,,-unsaturated aldehydes has been developed. The products with multiple orthogonal sets of functionalities were transformed into diverse enantioenriched natural-product-like or drug-like molecules with fused bi-, tri-, or polycyclic scaffolds (see scheme), which might have potential for biologically related studies. [source] Do we know when our clients get worse? an investigation of therapists' ability to detect negative client changeCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 1 2010Derek Hatfield Abstract Routine clinical judgment is often relied upon to detect client deterioration. How reliable are therapists' judgments of deterioration? Two related studies were conducted to investigate therapist detection of client deterioration and therapist treatment decisions in situations of deterioration. The first study examined therapists' ability to detect client deterioration through the review of therapy progress notes. Therapist treatment decisions in cases of client deterioration were also explored. Therapists had considerable difficulty recognizing client deterioration, challenging the assumption that routine clinical judgment is sufficient when attempting to detect client deterioration. A second study was a survey of therapists asking how they detect client deterioration and what treatment decisions they make in response. Symptom worsening was the most commonly stated cue of deterioration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: , Clinicians may have a difficult time detecting when their client's symptoms are worsening. , Outcome assessment strategies do exist to help clinicians detect client deterioration. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||