bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Creating an Optimal Warfarin Nomogram (CROWN) Study
Authors: Perlstein Todd S. , Goldhaber Samuel Z. , Nelson Kerrie , Joshi Victoria , Morgan T. , Lesko Lawrence J. , Lee Joo-Yeon , Gobburu Jogarao , Schoenfeld David , Kucherlapati Raju , Freeman Mason , Creager Mark
Published: November 2011

A significant proportion of warfarin dose variability is explained by variation in the genotypes of the cytochrome P450 CYP2C9 and the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, VKORC1, enzymes that influence warfarin metabolism and sensitivity, respectively. We sought to develop an optimal pharmacogenetic warfarin dosing algorithm that incorporated clinical and genetic information. We enroled patients initiating warfarin therapy. Genotyping was performed of the VKORC1, –1639G>A, the CYP2C9*2, 430C>T, and the CYP2C9*3, 1075C>A genotypes. The initial warfarin dosing algorithm (Algorithm A) was based upon established clinical practice and published warfarin pharmacogenetic information. Subsequent dosing algorithms (Algorithms B and Algorithm C) were derived from pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modelling of warfarin dose, international normalised ratio (INR), clinical and genetic factors from patients treated by the preceding algorithm(s). The primary outcome was the time in the therapeutic range, considered an INR of 1.8 to 3.2. A total of 344 subjects are included in the study analyses. The mean percentage time within the therapeutic range for each subject increased progressively from Algorithm A to Algorithm C from 58.9 (22.0), to 59.7 (23.0), to 65.8 (16.9) percent (p = 0.04). Improvement also occurred in most secondary endpoints, which included the per-patient percentage of INRs outside of the therapeutic range (p = 0.004), the time to the first therapeutic INR (p = 0.07), and the time to achieve stable therapeutic anticoagulation (p < 0.001). In conclusion, warfarin pharmacogenetic dosing can be optimised in real time utilising observed PK/PD information in an adaptive fashion.

Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00401414)
Let the People Speak
Authors: Nisbet Erik C. , Stoycheff Elizabeth
Published: November 2011

Democracy and press freedom have a long, intertwined history. This article builds on previous research examining democratic consolidation by developing a theoretical model to explicate the multilevel relationships between the openness of national media systems and citizens’ perceptions about press freedom in emerging democracies. We combine individual-level public opinion data from the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Survey with institutional data from Freedom House to examine institutional and individual predictors of perceived supply and citizen demand for press freedom. The results of the analyses demonstrate a relationship between characteristics of national media systems and citizen perceptions and preferences about press freedom, although individual factors such as educational attainment, reliance on print media, evaluations of media and state performance, and regime support play a more meaningful role in shaping perceptions about press freedom. Theoretical implications for understanding citizen attitudes about press freedom and their relationship with democratization are discussed.
Relational Turbulence and the Post-deployment Transition
Authors: Theiss Jennifer A. , Knobloch Leanne K.
Published: November 2011

This study applied the relational turbulence model to the communication of U.S. service members and at-home partners following the return from a tour of duty by evaluating three turbulence markers: (a) relational maintenance, (b) partner responsiveness, and(c) turmoil appraisals. Participants were 235 individuals (128 service members, 107at-home partners) who completed an online questionnaire within 6 months following reunion. Relational uncertainty and interference from partners predicted turbulence markers, and they partially mediated the association between relationship satisfaction and turbulence markers. Results suggest that the relational turbulence model is useful for illuminating the experiences of military couples during the post-deployment transition. Findings also point to turbulence markers that may be salient during a variety of relationship transitions.
Long-Term Effects of Brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Psychosis
Authors: Bach Patricia , Hayes Steven C. , Gallop Robert
Published: November 2011

A previous report explored the impact of a brief (four session) acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention as compared with treatment as usual (TAU) on rehospitalization over 4 months in a sample of 80 inpatients with psychosis. The present study extended the follow-up period to 1 year and used a more sophisticated survival analysis to take previous hospitalization and length of the current hospitalization into account. Those in the ACT condition showed reduced hospitalization as compared to those in TAU at 4 months post discharge and again at 1 year post discharge. A test of proportionality of hazard showed that survival curves continued to diverge in the 5- to 12-month postdischarge period after adjusting for differences in the 0 to 4 month period. Future directions are discussed.
Exploring the Role of Dedicated Online Biotechnology News Providers in the Innovation Economy
Authors: Morrison Michael , Cornips Lucas
Published: November 2011

In this article, the authors examine the role of dedicated online biotechnology news providers in disseminating and shaping stories of technological promise within the bioeconomy. In this field, communication of future-orientated claims is closely linked to a firm’s ability to attract speculative investment and so dedicated biotech news services play an important role in facilitating this interaction between technology producers and investors. Using the emerging field of regenerative medicine (RM) as a case study, the authors illustrate how coverage of RM biotechnologies and firms by these online news services acts to increase the intensity of promissory communication and how interaction between news providers can create dominant framings of particular events in which some aspects are emphasized while others are marginalized. Considered cumulatively, the authors show how these accounts ultimately present a highly linear account of technological innovation which renders the actions of multiple technoscientific actors meaningful to investors but at a cost to addressing the local contingencies of scientific research.
The Neoliberal Regulatory State, Industry Interests, and the Ideological Penetration of Scientific Knowledge
Authors: Abraham John , Ballinger Rachel
Published: November 2011

It is argued that neoliberal political ideology has redefined the regulatory state to have greater convergence of interests and goals with the pharmaceutical industry than previously, particularly regarding acceleration and cost reduction of drug development and regulatory review. Consequently, the pharmaceutical industry has been permitted to set the agenda about how shorter term and cheaper alternative carcinogenicity testing systems are investigated for validity. The authors contend that, with the tacit approval of the neoliberal regulatory state, the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical industry framed the process and interpretation of validating these new test systems, thereby influencing what counts as knowledge about the carcinogenic status of new pharmaceuticals. While such alternative tests were occasioned by “molecularization,” the framing of their validation was not determined by technoscientific logic or a lack of standards of validation, but by the sociopolitical goals of the controlling institutions. Indeed, a different validation process could have been conducted had the priority been to develop carcinogenicity testing in the interests of public-health protection. While the resulting validation indicated that the short-term alternative tests posed small risks to the commercial interests of pharmaceutical firms, they provided little reassurance that patients would not be exposed to greater risks than before from undetected carcinogens.
Effects of two different intensities of aerobic exercise on elderly people with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized pilot study
Authors: Varela Silvia , Ayán Carlos , Cancela José M , Martín Vicente
Published: November 2011

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different intensities of aerobic exercise on elderly people with mild cognitive impairment.

Design: A randomized trial.

Setting: Residential care homes for elderly people.

Subjects: Forty-eight patients were included in the study.

Interventions: The patients were randomized in three groups. Group A performed aerobic exercise at 40% of heart rate reserve, group B did the same at 60% and group C carried out recreational activities. The duration of the study was three months.

Main measures: Cognitive level and functional ability were assessed by means of the Mini Mental State Examination and the Timed Up and Go test before the intervention, at the end of it and three months later as a follow-up.

Results: After completion of the aerobic training programme, the patients’ Mini Mental State Examination scores improved marginally (group A from 19.8 ± 5.1 to 20.6 ± 7.3; group B from 20.8 ± 4.6 to 21 ± 5.4). A similar trend was observed for the Timed Up and Go test scores (group A from 18.8 ± 5.3 to 18.5 ± 5 seconds; group B from 15.4 ± 4.2 to 14.3 ± 5.1 seconds). However, no statistically significant differences were found at any time during the evaluation regarding cognitive level and functional autonomy among the three groups.

Conclusion: In this pilot study, intensity does not seem to be a determining factor when aerobic exercise is performed by people with mild cognitive impairment.
Comparing the Validity of the K6 When Assessing Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD Among Male and Female Jail Detainees
Authors: Kubiak Sheryl Pimlott , Beeble Marisa , Bybee Deborah
Published: November 2011

A lack of a consistent and valid approach to screening within the jail often hinders identification and treatment. Furthermore, screening instruments developed for jail populations are often inadequate in detecting serious depression and anxiety disorders in women. While the remedy thus far has been the use of separate screening instruments for men and women, others have suggested that the K6, a six-item measure validated in large epidemiologic studies, may hold promise. Building on prior research, this study assesses the validity of the K6 in detecting depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders among 494 male and 515 female jail detainees. The authors found that 15% of males and 36% of females meet criteria for serious mental illness on the K6, with receiver operating characteristics–area under the curve scores of .84 and .93, respectively. This study not only establishes the validity and efficiency of using the K6 for screening within jails but also suggests a need for adjusting scale cut points.
Algorithm-Driven Pharmacological Management of Bipolar Disorder in Connecticut Prisons
Authors: Kamath Jayesh , Zhang Wanli , Kesten Karen , Wakai Sara , Shelton Deborah , Trestman Robert
Published: November 2011

The objective of this study was to assess adaptation of the Texas Implementation of Medication Algorithm (TIMA) for bipolar disorder (BD) in the Connecticut Department of Correction. A nonrandomized sample of 20 males and 20 females, with diagnoses of BD Type I or II, was enrolled in the study. Two TIMA-trained psychiatrists treated the participants over a 12-week period following the TIMA protocol. The primary outcome measure was the Bipolar Disorder Symptom Scale. Secondary outcome measures evaluated global clinical status, comorbid symptomatology, and quality of life. Significant improvement was seen with the primary and secondary outcome measures ( p < .001). Subanalyses showed differences in outcomes based on gender and whether a manic or depression algorithm was used. Antidepressant and antipsychotic medication use decreased, with increase in anticonvulsant and anxiolytic medication usage. This pilot study confirmed the effectiveness and benefits of TIMA for BD adaptation in the correctional setting.
Incidence of migraine and tension-type headache in three different populations at risk within the German DMKG headache study
Authors: Khil Laura , Pfaffenrath Volker , Straube Andreas , Evers Stefan , Berger Klaus
Published: November 2011

Background: Unlike the prevalence, the incidence of headache disorders has attracted only little attention in epidemiological research. Different definitions of the ‘population at risk’ among the few published migraine and tension-type headache incidence studies limit their comparability and warrant further research. Therefore, we analysed data from the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG).

Methods: Incidences were assessed in the general population in Germany via standardized headache questions using the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICHD-2). The population was drawn from a 5-year age-group- stratified and gender-stratified random sample from the population register.

Results: Of the 1312 baseline participants examined between 2003 and 2004, 1122 (85.5%) participated in the follow-up in 2006 and were the basis for three different populations at risk. We found that the three populations differed in size, age, gender and incidence estimate. The total sample incidence of migraine ranged between 0% and 3.3% and of tension-type headache between 5.3% and 9.2% depending on the definition of ‘at risk’.

Conclusion: We concluded that one significant problem in headache incidence estimation is the definition of ‘at risk’, limiting comparability. Thus, this study supports the need for a common definition for prospective headache incidence estimations.
Characteristics of acute posttraumatic headache following mild head injury
Authors: Lieba-Samal Doris , Platzer Patrick , Seidel Stefan , Klaschterka Petra , Knopf Astrid , Wöber Christian
Published: November 2011

Background: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of acute posttraumatic headache (APTH) attributed to mild head injury within a prospective, observational study design.

Methods: We recruited 100 patients with acute mild head injury as defined in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICHD-2) presenting to the department of trauma surgery at the Medical University of Vienna. Patients underwent a detailed telephone interview between days 7 and 10 and between days 90 and 100 after the injury.

Results: The prevalence of APTH was 66%. APTH had occurred within 24 hours after the trauma in 78% and lasted for a median of 3.0 days. Headache was unilateral in 45%. Aggravation by physical activity, nausea and photo-/phonophobia was present in 49%, 42% and 55%, respectively. The prevalence of APTH was related to conditions of chronic pain (excluding headache), pre-existing episodic headache, number of posttraumatic symptoms, anxiety and depression. At follow-up at 90–100 days, posttraumatic headache had abated in all patients.

Conclusions: APTH attributed to mild head injury is a common but self-limiting condition frequently showing migrainous features. Participants with chronic pain other than headache, pre-existing headache and affective disorders are at higher risk of developing APTH. None of the patients developed chronic posttraumatic headache.
Characteristics of migraine visual aura in Southern Brazil and Northern USA
Authors: Queiroz Luiz Paulo , Friedman Deborah Isa , Rapoport Alan Mark , Purdy R Allan
Published: November 2011

Background: Migraine aura, made up of one or more neurological symptoms arising from the cortex or brainstem, is a complex neurological phenomenon. Visual aura is the most frequent aura manifestation. Studying the subjective components of visual aura makes it possible to identify common characteristics.

Objective: To thoroughly describe the characteristics of migraine visual aura in patients with migraine with aura.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, descriptive study of the visual aura of 122 migraine patients collected at two headache clinics in the Americas. This study was designed to determine the characteristics of a typical visual aura.

Results: The most common features of the visual aura in our study are that it occurs before the headache with a gap of less than 30 minutes, lasts 5 to 30 minutes, has a gradual onset, usually begins peripherally, is unilateral, and shimmers. Furthermore, the location of typical visual aura in the visual field has no fixed relationship to headache laterality, is slightly more often without color, and is often described as small bright dots and zigzag lines. Blurred vision, not typically considered to be an aura phenomenon of cortical origin, is in fact the most frequently reported visual symptom.

Conclusions: Migraine visual aura is heterogeneous and pleomorphic, and some of our findings run contrary to common beliefs.
Neuromodulation of the posterolateral hypothalamus for the treatment of chronic refractory cluster headache: Experience in five patients with a modified anatomical target
Authors: Seijo F , Saiz A , Lozano B , Santamarta E , Alvarez-Vega M , Seijo E , Fernández de León R , Fernández-González F , Pascual J
Published: November 2011

Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the posterior hypothalamus has been found to be effective in the treatment of refractory chronic cluster headache (CCH).

Methods: We report the long-term outcomes of five patients with refractory CCH on whom stimulation of a modified target of approximately 3 mm in radius, which included the posterolateral hypothalamus, the fasciculus mammillotegmentalis, the fasciculus mammillothalamicus and the fasciculus medialis telencephali, was performed. The stereotaxic coordinates were 4 mm from the third ventricle wall, 2 mm from behind the mid-intercommissural point and 5 mm from under the intercommissural line.

Results: All patients became pain-free for 1–2 weeks after the procedure, but then needed an average of 54 days to optimize stimulation parameters. After a mean follow-up of 33 months, two remain pain-free, two have an excellent response (>90% decrease in attack frequency) and in one the attacks have been reduced by half. There were no serious adverse events. Permanent myosis and euphoria/well-being feeling were seen in three patients. Other adverse events, such as diplopia, dizziness, global headache of cervical dystonia, were seen transiently related to an increase in stimulation parameters. Attacks reappeared transiently in two patients as a result of cable rupture and when the stimulator was disconnected.

Conclusions: Our results supports the efficacy of DBS in very refractory CCH with a slightly modified hypothalamic target conceived to avoid the lateral ventricle wall so as to extend the stimulated brain area and to decrease the morbidity of potential haemorrhagic complications.
A Prospective Evaluation of the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) as a Screening Tool for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk
Authors: Smith Helen C. , Johnson Robert J. , Shultz Sandra J. , Tourville Timothy , Holterman Leigh Ann , Slauterbeck James , Vacek Pamela M. , Beynnon Bruce D.
Published: November 2011

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are immediately disabling, costly, take a significant amount of time to rehabilitate, and are associated with an increased risk of developing posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the knee. Specific multiplanar movement patterns of the lower extremity, such as those associated with the drop vertical jump (DVJ) test, have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of suffering noncontact ACL injuries. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) has been developed as a tool that can be applied to identify individuals who display at-risk movement patterns during the DVJ.

Hypothesis: An increase in LESS score is associated with an increased risk of noncontact ACL injury.

Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: Over a 3-year interval, 5047 high school and college participants performed preseason DVJ tests that were recorded using commercial video cameras. All participants were followed for ACL injury during their sports season, and video data from injured participants and matched controls were then assessed with the LESS. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between LESS score and ACL injury risk in all participants as well as subgroups of female, male, high school, and college participants.

Results: There was no relationship between the risk of suffering ACL injury and LESS score whether measured as a continuous or a categorical variable. This was the case for all participants combined (odds ratio, 1.04 per unit increase in LESS score; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.35) as well as within each subgroup (odds ratio range, 0.99-1.14).

Conclusion: The LESS did not predict ACL injury in our cohort of high school and college athletes.
Self-Efficacy, Intrinsic Motivation, and Academic Outcomes Among Latino Middle School Students Participating in an After-School Program
Authors: Niehaus Kate , Rudasill Kathleen Moritz , Adelson Jill L.
Published: November 2011

This longitudinal study examined how academic self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and participation in an after-school program contributed to the academic achievement of Latino middle school students over the course of one school year. Participants were 47 Latino students in sixth through eighth grades who attended two public middle schools in which an after-school program was held that was specifically for Latino students. Results from ordinary least squares regression revealed that intrinsic motivation was positively associated with students GPAs, self-efficacy was a positive predictor of students’ school attendance and standardized math achievement scores, and attendance at the after-school program also contributed positively to students’ math achievement. Results from multilevel growth modeling showed that students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation remained stable across the school year and were not related to students’ degree of participation in the after-school program. Several avenues for future research within the Latino student population are discussed.
Estimating pollen productivity and relevant source area of pollen using lake sediments in Norway: How does lake size variation affect the estimates?
Authors: Hjelle Kari Loe , Sugita Shinya
Published: November 2011

This study aims to estimate relative pollen productivity (PPEs) of major pollen types and the relevant source area of pollen (RSAP) in a semi-open landscape in western Norway. Extended R-value (ERV) models are used to analyse a data set consisting of surface pollen assemblages from 34 lakes and vegetation survey around each site. Ordination techniques indicate relatively short gradients (<2.3 SD) both in the vegetation and pollen data sets. The lake sizes vary from 0.4 ha to 19.0 ha (mean=5.7 ha, sd=4.3 ha) but follow a normal distribution – a departure from the assumption of the ERV models that the lake size should be constant among sites. Simulations demonstrate that, if the sizes of circular-shaped lakes follow a normal distribution, the ERV model-based methods provide the expected PPE and RSAP values using a standardized lake radius. If the distribution is highly skewed or equally random around the mean, the results are not reliable. We apply the analytical strategy implied from the simulations to obtain relative PPEs and the RSAP in western Norway. PPEs for ten taxa ( Alnus, Fagus, Picea, Pinus, Quercus, Juniperus, Salix, Calluna, Cyperaceae, Rumex) relative to Poaceae are comparable with some of those previously obtained in different parts of Europe, indicating that there are general patterns of high and low pollen producers that will be useful for reconstruction purposes. The RSAP estimate is the area within a radius of 900–1100 m. This study demonstrates the importance of careful evaluation of the extent to which the departures from the model assumptions affect the outcomes from the ERV model-based analysis.
A 1416-year reconstruction of annual, multidecadal, and centennial variability in area burned for ponderosa pine forests of the southern Colorado Plateau region, Southwest USA
Authors: Roos Christopher I. , Swetnam Thomas W.
Published: November 2011

Fire history reconstructions from fire scars in tree rings have been valuable for assessing fire regime changes and their climatic controls. It has been asserted, however, that these two- to four-century long records from the western USA are unrepresentative of longer periods of the Holocene and are of limited use for understanding current or future fire regimes. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (800–1300 ce) is often suggested as a better analog for future Southwestern US climates but is beyond the chronological range of most fire-scar studies in this region. To evaluate fire regime changes over the past millennium, we build on centennial-length fire–climate studies to generate a 1416 year long reconstruction of fire activity in ponderosa pine forests of the Southern Colorado Plateau region of Arizona and New Mexico. We used a split-period calibration and verification protocol to test the reliability of a multiple regression model using annual and antecedent precipitation (reconstructed from tree-ring width chronologies) to predict the percentage of fire-scar localities (i.e. sites, N=45) that recorded extensive fires within those sites (>25% of recorder trees scarred) each year between 1700 and 1899 ce. The model explains approximately 50% of the variation in annual fire activity. Applying the model to the entire precipitation reconstruction provides a proxy for annual area burned since 572 ce. There are no statistically significant differences between the period available for fire-scar study (1600 ce–present) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (800–1300 ce) in terms of predicted annual area burned or the frequencies of regional fire years. Multidecadal and centennial variation in the frequencies of regional fire years, however, does indicate reduced surface fire frequencies from approximately 700–800 ce and 1360–1455ce. We hypothesize that these were periods when some forests were vulnerable to altered canopy structure, accumulated fuels, and increased fire severity.
Quantitative palaeoclimate reconstruction as an inverse problem: A Bayesian inference of late-Holocene climate on the eastern Tibetan Plateau from a peat cellulose δ18O record
Authors: Yu Shi-Yong , Kang Zhihai , Zhou Weijian
Published: November 2011

There has been a sustained need to quantify past climate changes from proxy records to better understand the driving mechanisms and thus to improve the prediction of the future. Transfer function is an intuitive and frequently used method in this regard. However, this method is unable to provide interpretive and predictive results from proxy records, because physical processes are not included. The inverse proxy modelling method opened up a new avenue for quantitative palaeoclimate reconstructions through the integration of proxy records with deterministic models. It is fundamentally different from the statistical approach, representing a conceptual advance in quantitative palaeoclimatology. Here we demonstrate the potential of this method by placing a mechanistic model and a 6000 year long peat cellulose δ18O record obtained from the high-cold and monsoonal eastern Tibetan Plateau ( c. 3500 m a.s.l.) in a Bayesian paradigm. In this worked example, the marginal posterior probability distributions of palaeoclimate variables such as the δ18O of soil water, temperature, and relative humidity were inferred jointly through the solution to an ill-posed inverse problem using the Markov chain-Monte Carlo method. Our results indicate that the observed variation of the peat cellulose δ18O record in this monsoonal area essentially reflects the changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of soil water, which is closely linked to that of rainfall. Compared with hydrology, temperature and humidity have little influence on the oxygen isotope fractionation of leaf water.
Age banding and its impact on children and their reading
Authors: Warren Claire , Maynard Sally
Published: November 2011

The study described here investigates the thoughts and opinions of young readers related to age banding on children’s books. Emphasizing the views of children themselves, rather than adults such as parents, librarians, teachers and authors, the research involved a series of three focus groups involving children aged 11–13 years. The discussions held by the focus groups revealed that participants thought that age banding is intended primarily for adults, and for readers younger than the participants. Age bands were thought to neglect individualism and to restrict autonomy; they were less obvious than other features on books so their position and appearance were significant.
Frailties in multi-state models: Are they identifiable? Do we need them?
Authors: Putter Hein , van Houwelingen Hans C
Published: November 2011

The inclusion of latent frailties in survival models can serve two purposes: (1) the modelling of dependence in clustered data, (2) explaining lack of fit of univariate survival models, like deviation from the proportional hazards assumption. Multi-state models are somewhere between univariate data and clustered data. Frailty models can help in understanding the dependence in sequential transitions (like in clustered data) and can be useful in explaining some strange phenomena in the effect of covariates in competing risks models (like in univariate data). The (im)possibilities of frailty models will be exemplified on a data set of breast cancer patients with death as absorbing state and local recurrence and distant metastasis as intermediate events.
Controlling false positive selections in high-dimensional regression and causal inference
Authors: Bühlmann Peter , Rütimann Philipp , Kalisch Markus
Published: November 2011

Guarding against false positive selections is important in many applications. We discuss methods based on subsampling and sample splitting for controlling the expected number of false positives and assigning p-values. They are generic and especially useful for high-dimensional settings. We review encouraging results for regression, and we discuss new adaptations and remaining challenges for selecting relevant variables, based on observational data, having a causal or interventional effect on a response of interest.
Variable selection for optimal treatment decision
Authors: Lu Wenbin , Zhang Hao Helen , Zeng Donglin
Published: November 2011

In decision-making on optimal treatment strategies, it is of great importance to identify variables that are involved in the decision rule, i.e. those interacting with the treatment. Effective variable selection helps to improve the prediction accuracy and enhance the interpretability of the decision rule. We propose a new penalized regression framework which can simultaneously estimate the optimal treatment strategy and identify important variables. The advantages of the new approach include: (i) it does not require the estimation of the baseline mean function of the response, which greatly improves the robustness of the estimator; (ii) the convenient loss-based framework makes it easier to adopt shrinkage methods for variable selection, which greatly facilitates implementation and statistical inferences for the estimator. The new procedure can be easily implemented by existing state-of-art software packages like LARS. Theoretical properties of the new estimator are studied. Its empirical performance is evaluated using simulation studies and further illustrated with an application to an AIDS clinical trial.
Some considerations of classification for high dimension low-sample size data
Authors: Zhang Lingsong , Lin Xihong
Published: November 2011

Abstarct

We review in this article several classification methods, especially for high-dimensional and low-sample size data. We discuss several desirable properties for classifiers in such settings, including predictability, consistency, generality, stability, robustness and sparsity. Specifically, a good classifier should have a small prediction error (predictability); converge to the Bayes-rule classifier asymptotically (consistency); be stable when adding/removing an observation (generality); be stable for different data sets of the same kind (stochastic stability); be stable when there are a small number of contaminated observations (robustness); and have a small number of variables in the classifier (interpretability or sparsity). Several simulation examples and real applications are used to illustrate the usefulness of the existing popular classifiers and compare their performance.
Influence of flowing parameter of magnetorheological polishing fluids (MRPFs) on the quality of processing polycrystalline glass ceramics
Authors: Gorodkin Gennadi , Novikova Zoya
Published: November 2011

The study of rheological characteristics for two types of magnetorheological polishing fluids (MRPFs), MRPF-1 based on cerium oxide abrasive particles and MRPF-2 based on nano-diamond abrasive particles, was carried out. Experiments on polishing of a polycrystalline sitall laser mirror substrates with these fluids using magnetorheological finishing process were executed. The surface structure of the samples after the polishing was investigated with the atomic force microscope. The results of surface measurements for the samples under the study polished with both MRPF-1 and MRPF-2 fluids are reported in comparison with the existed data obtained from a regular pitch polishing method. The lowest root-mean-square roughness of 0.2–0.4 nm was obtained for the samples polished with MRPF-2.
Psychometric Validation of the Youth Social Capital Scale in Greece
Authors: Koutra Kleio , Orfanos Philippos , Roumeliotaki Theano , Kritsotakis George , Kokkevi Anna , Philalithis Anastasios
Published: November 2011

Objectives: This article describes the psychometric validation of the Youth Social Capital scale (YSCS) in 16- to 17-year-old students living in rural and urban areas in Crete, Greece. Methods: Sampling was performed among 27 secondary education units of Heraklion Prefecture. The self-reported questionnaire was answered by 692 participants (response rate 96.3%). The validation of the scale included both internal consistency and construct, convergent and discriminant validity tests. Results: Exploratory factor analysis yielded five social capital factors. The overall Cronbach’s α was coefficient .771. Factor analysis revealed common patterns for many questions between the Greek and the original scales. Conclusions: This article supports the validity of the YSCS for assessing the social context of young individuals in Greece.
Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality to Assess Nicotine Cue Reactivity During Treatment
Authors: Kaganoff Eili , Bordnick Patrick S. , Carter Brian Lee
Published: November 2011

Cue reactivity assessments have been widely used to assess craving and attention to cues among cigarette smokers. Cue reactivity has the potential to offer insights into treatment decisions; however, the use of cue reactivity in treatment studies has been limited. This study assessed the feasibility of using a virtual reality–based cue reactivity assessment approach (VR-NCRAS) during treatment. In a clinical smoking cessation treatment study, 46 treatment-seeking nicotine-dependent adult smokers were assessed for cue reactivity at baseline, Week 4, and Week 10 of treatment. Measures of cue reactivity included subjective craving and attention to cues after exposure to two neutral and two smoking cue environments. Overall, feasibility of using VR-NCRAS was demonstrated and these findings support the use of the cue reactivity assessment during treatment, which can inform treatment decisions.
Extension, inflation and circumferential shearing of an annular cylinder for a class of compressible elastic bodies
Authors: Rajagopal KR , Saravanan U
Published: November 2011

This paper studies the classical problem of extension, inflation, and circumferential shearing of an annular cylinder for a new class of compressible elastic bodies wherein the left Cauchy–Green deformation tensor is given as a function of the Cauchy stress tensor. We use a semi-inverse method to study the problem by assuming forms for both the deformation field and the stress field. Focusing our attention on to three specific constitutive relations and two geometries corresponding to thick and thin annular cylinders, we study the qualitative features of the governing differential equations. The models are chosen so that they exhibit qualitatively different response features, one of them displaying a limiting stretch. The classical assumption that the hoop and axial stresses are nearly constant through the thickness of the thin annular cylinder subjected to inflation holds for this class of elastic bodies too. However, for thick-walled annular cylinders subjected to inflation at constant length and for a class of models that exhibits limiting stretch we find that stress “boundary layers” form and that the radial stretch is not monotonic.
Axisymmetric thermo-electro-elastic analysis of a piezoelectric half space
Authors: Kargarnovin MH , Hashemi R , Hashemi M , Sadeghi H
Published: November 2011

In this study, an analytical solution is presented for thermo-electro-elastic analysis of piezoelectric semi-infinite bodies. For this purpose, governing equations are derived for a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material under an axisymmetric thermo-electro-mechanical loading condition. A general closed-form analytical solution is presented for the complementary and particular parts of the components of the displacement vector and also for the electric potential function. Then, boundary conditions are imposed and in that case an explicit solution is obtained for piezoelectric semi-infinite bodies. Results show that when a piezoelectric half space is subjected to constant/ramp surface thermal loading the maximum absolute value of radial stress occurs at the surface of the body, whereas the maximum absolute value of stress in the normal direction of the half-space surface occurs not on the surface but somewhere near the surface of the body. Moreover, the peak values for these stress curves in the case of combined loadings are closest to the half-space surface and the farthest in the case of ramp decaying thermal loading. In contrast to the constant/ramp surface thermal loading, no clear maximum point for electric field distribution for the case of combined loadings can be seen in the normal direction to the half-space boundary.
Boundary regularity for self-controlling and Cosserat models of viscoplasticity: Interior estimates for models of power type
Authors: Kamiński Przemysław
Published: November 2011

We prove regularity up to boundary for self-controlling and Cosserat models (i.e. those possessing velocity in L2( H1)). The technique we use was recently discovered by Löbach and Frehse for the study of regularity for isotropic and kinematic hardening. In the second part of the paper we prove higher interior regularity for solutions to models of power type, for which the velocity field is less regular.
Can 401(k) Plans Provide Adequate Retirement Resources?
Authors: Brady Peter J.
Published: November 2011

Even though they have only existed since 1981, some analysts have concluded that 401(k) plans are a failure. For example, some argue that 401(k) plans are “coming up short” due to, among other factors, the low contribution rates of participants. A recent government report concluded that “low defined contribution plan savings may pose challenges to retirement security.” There are also proposals to replace 401(k) plans with mandated savings. This article illustrates that moderate 401(k) contribution rates can lead to adequate retirement income for many workers; that adequate asset accumulation can be achieved using only a 401(k) plan; and that these results do not rely on earning an investment premium on risky assets. Using Monte Carlo simulation techniques, this study also illustrates the investment risk faced by participants who choose to invest in risky assets, or who choose to make systematic withdrawals in retirement rather than annuitize their account balance.
‘Waving the banana’ at capitalism: Political theater and social movement strategy among New York’s ‘freegan’ dumpster divers
Authors: Barnard Alex V.
Published: November 2011

This article presents an ethnographic study of ‘freegans’, individuals who use behaviors like dumpster diving for discarded food and voluntary unemployment to protest against environmental degradation and capitalism. While freegans often present their ideology as a totalizing lifestyle which impacts all aspects of their lives, in practice, freegans emphasize what would seem to be the most repellant aspect of their movement: eating wasted food. New Social Movement (NSM) theory would suggest that behaviors like dumpster diving are intended to assert difference and an alternative identity, rather than make more traditional social movement claims. Through the lens of social dramaturgy, I engage with New Social Movement theory by arguing that unconventional tactics like dumpster diving can also have strategic components, serving to project a favorable image of movement organizations, recruit new participants, and achieve a positive portrayal in the mainstream media.
Mothers, whores and spells: Tradition and change in Portuguese sexuality
Authors: Pais José Machado
Published: November 2011

This article presents a case study looking at the social upheavals generated by the presence of young Brazilian women in a town in northern Portugal (Bragança) with strong traditionalist traits. Due to their situation as prostitutes, seducers and immigrants, these women were regarded as disturbing the social order. A number of women of the town, calling themselves the Mothers of Bragança, organized themselves into a social movement to drive the Brazilian women out of the town, accusing them of bewitching their husbands with charms and magic. Focusing on issues of social change, the research takes up the challenge of interpreting the mothers’ movement, the stereotypes associated with this movement and the Brazilian incomers, and also certain dilemmas of masculinity.
The eyes have it
Authors: Warren Carol AB
Published: November 2011

Our eyes may or may not be ‘the windows to the soul’, but they are certainly the semiotics of our intentions. The work of Simmel and Goffman puts the eyes at the center of everyday interaction, affording civil inattention or its opposite, uncivil attention. As one foundation of everyday social order, sometimes accompanied by gestures and sighs, the eyes function as a first stage of social control – a protective layering against verbal and physical escalations. Video cameras and other technologies have enhanced the presence of the eyes in social control – the Foucauldian gaze – but our own eyes are still at the center of social control in everyday life.
Seeds of kin, kin of seeds: The commodification of organic seeds and social relations in Costa Rica and Latvia
Authors: Aistara Guntra A.
Published: November 2011

This article employs multi-sited ethnography as a tool to explore the relationships among farmer seed exchange practices, intellectual property rights legislation, and biodiversity. Specifically, it investigates these issues in the historically, ecologically and culturally diverse contexts of the Costa Rican and Latvian organic agriculture movements, as these small countries negotiate their places in the economic trading blocs of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the European Union (EU), respectively. The juxtaposition of two such different cases reveals the micro-processes whereby the imposition of intellectual property rights on seeds replaces the centrality of social kin networks through which seeds are exchanged with bureaucratic transactions. This shift from exchanging seeds among kin to tracing the genetic lineage of seeds is part of a global process of commodification and control of seeds. Increasing efforts to “harmonize” intellectual property rights on seeds and plant varieties throughout the world will have profound impacts on food production, small farmer livelihoods and social networks, and agricultural biodiversity.
The Hobo to Doormen: The characters of qualitative analysis, past and present
Authors: Wynn Jonathan R.
Published: November 2011

Types, roles, and individuals have collectively held a place in qualitative research alongside and at times within neighborhood and community studies but have not enjoyed systematization. This article examines how ‘characters’ have been, and can be, developed for sociological analysis. Moving from an abridged history of what I will call ‘character-focused study’ – from Simmel, Park, and Hughes to more contemporary work – this article proposes seven common emphases on display throughout 21 qualitative studies drawn from this tradition. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential ramifications ethnographers should consider when making the methodological choice to include characters in the research design and writing of their work.
The politics of complex diversity: A European perspective
Authors: Kraus Peter A.
Published: November 2011

The concept of complex diversity points at a social and political context in which diversity has become a multidimensional and fluid empirical phenomenon. At the same time, it calls for a thorough discussion of the normative framework we rely upon when we talk about identity politics, integration or recognition. The article focuses on the main ethno-national and cultural expressions of complex diversity in present-day Europe. On this basis, it offers a critical interpretation of the dominant approach towards diverse identities that is connected to the process of European integration. Although diversity is being recurrently celebrated in Europe’s official political discourse, the term tends to be used in a superficial and biased way, which links it rather to the dynamics of the market than to a reflective identity politics. If we want to grasp the emancipatory potential of complex diversity, we have to tackle its challenges from a perspective that avoids essentializing culture yet is still aware of the key importance culturally grounded contexts of praxis have for articulating a politics of recognition.
National identities of Poles in Manchester: Modern and postmodern geographies
Authors: Bielewska Agnieszka
Published: November 2011

This article, based on a study carried out in Manchester between 2005 and 2008, contrasts two approaches toward national identity construction expressed by two distinct groups of Polish migrants to the UK; one leads to a strong modern national identity and the other produces a more recent postmodern identity. In both cases, I highlight the constant reproduction of national identity in everyday life and the distinct spatial contexts within which this takes place, and further discuss how national identity has evolved from a primarily collective experience to an individual one, along with the consequences of this transformation.
Intended and unintended consequences of the employer sanction law on Latino families
Authors: Ayón Cecilia , Gurrola Maria , Salas Lorraine Moya , Androff David , Krysik Judy
Published: November 2011

This study examined the consequences of the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA) on the lives of Latino families. Twenty-six Mexican immigrants participated in focus groups. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methods including open and axial coding. The results reveal that LAWA has met its objectives, as many undocumented individuals are no longer able to obtain jobs. Several ‘unintended consequences’ point to the use of exploitive employer practices, racial profiling in the form of workplace raids, and intensified anti-immigrant sentiment and racism toward Latinos resulting in economic hardships, changes to family dynamics, living in a constant state of fear, and relocation. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.