bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The MEE Principle in Data Classification: A Perceptron-Based Analysis
Authors: Silva Luís M. , Marques de Sá J. , Alexandre Luís A.
Published: June 2010

This letter focuses on the issue of whether risk functionals derived from information-theoretic principles, such as Shannon or Rényi's entropies, are able to cope with the data classification problem in both the sense of attaining the risk functional minimum and implying the minimum probability of error allowed by the family of functions implemented by the classifier, here denoted by min Pe. The analysis of this so-called minimization of error entropy (MEE) principle is carried out in a single perceptron with continuous activation functions, yielding continuous error distributions. In spite of the fact that the analysis is restricted to single perceptrons, it reveals a large spectrum of behaviors that MEE can be expected to exhibit in both theory and practice. In what concerns the theoretical MEE, our study clarifies the role of the parameters controlling the perceptron activation function (of the squashing type) in often reaching the minimum probability of error. Our study also clarifies the role of the kernel density estimator of the error density in achieving the minimum probability of error in practice.
Incentives for Personal Votes and Women’s Representation in Legislatures
Authors: Thames Frank C. , Williams Margaret S.
Published: June 2010

To explain the gender gap in legislatures, scholars have identified several socio-economic, political, and cultural factors that undermine women’s representation. One explanation focuses on electoral institutions. Proportional representation systems with higher district magnitudes have been shown to increase the percentage of women in legislatures.The authors contend that solely concentrating on district magnitude ignores other critical electoral rules that will affect women’s representation. To better understand electoral system effects, scholars must understand how electoral rules beside district magnitude create incentives for candidates to obtain personal votes.The authors argue that those systems with weak incentives for personal votes (party-centered systems) increase women’s representation in comparison with systems that feature strong incentives for personal votes (candidate-centered systems). Using a data set of 57 countries between 1980 and 2005, the authors show that party-centered systems are more conducive to women’s representation.
The resettling process: A case study of a Bantu refugee’s journey to the USA
Authors: Gallagher Vongkhamphra Erin , Davis Cindy , Adem Nejib
Published: June 2010

This study provides a case example of a Somali Bantu refugee’s resettlement journey in order to explore how to better meet the needs of future refugees. As the number of refugees grows, it is essential for social work professionals to actively explore various options to address global refugee concerns.
Coping with the trauma of war: Former child soldiers in post-conflict Sierra Leone
Authors: Denov Myriam
Published: June 2010

Children across the globe have been implicated in armed conflict as both victims and participants. During Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, thousands of children, both boys and girls, participated directly in armed conflict or were recruited for labour or sexual exploitation in armed groups. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 80 children formerly associated with Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, this paper explores children’s experiences of violence during the armed conflict, traces the realities that children faced in the aftermath of the war, and examines the ways in which participants attempted to cope with the war’s profound after-effects. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for social work.
Supervision: A force for change? Three stories told
Authors: Bradley Greta , Engelbrecht Lambert , Höjer Staffan
Published: June 2010

Drawing on research, we contextualize social work and describe the role of supervisors in child welfare settings in South Africa, England and Sweden. Exploratory frameworks and models of supervision illustrate how it has been influenced by principles of New Public Management and the concluding discussion proposes an agenda for change.
Religion and Habitus: Exploring the Relationship Between Religious Involvement and Educational Outcomes and Orientations Among Urban African American Students
Authors: Barrett Brian
Published: June 2010

Large, lingering, and recently widening gaps in educational achievement exist amid growing differences in access to educational opportunity along lines of race and socioeconomic status among American students. Recognizing these gaps and developing strategies for eliminating them is essential. Previous research has documented a positive relationship between religious involvement and a wide range of adolescent outcomes. Most importantly, for the purposes of this article, these outcomes include educational resilience, attainment, and achievement. However, relatively little is known about the factors behind the relationship between religious involvement and educational outcomes especially for those students most often marginalized within the mainstream education system. This article seeks in particular to explore the influence of religious involvement on the educational outcomes of urban African American adolescents. It draws primarily on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Christian Smith in constructing a theoretical framework employed in the qualitative analysis of interview data illustrating some mechanisms by which religious involvement can serve to promote positive educational outcomes among these students.
Kin Support and Parenting Practices Among Low-Income African American Mothers: Moderating Effects of Mothers’ Psychological Adjustment
Authors: Taylor Ronald
Published: June 2010

Moderating effects of psychological adjustment on the relationship of kinship support with parenting practices were assessed among 204 low-income African American mothers of adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that kinship support, optimism, and self-esteem were positively associated with mothers’ emotional support of their adolescents. Moderating effects of mothers’ adjustment revealed that the positive association of kinship support with emotional support was less apparent when mothers were more depressed. Additional evidence of moderation was found, in that the positive association of kinship support with emotional support was more apparent when mothers had higher levels of self-esteem. Kinship support and optimism were positively associated with mothers’ maintenance of organization in the family. Evidence of the moderating effects of mothers’ adjustment revealed that the positive association of kinship support with family organization was more evident when mothers had higher levels of self-esteem. Findings were discussed in terms of the need for more research on the contexts in which social support occurs.
Description of an Academic Community Partnership Lifestyle Program for Lower Income Minority Adults at Risk for Diabetes
Authors: Delgadillo Adriana T. , Grossman Melanie , Santoyo-Olsson Jasmine , Gallegos-Jackson Elisa , Kanaya Alka M. , Stewart Anita L.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Translating strategies and approaches from the successful clinically based Diabetes Prevention Program’s lifestyle intervention to community settings is a key next step. This article describes a lifestyle program developed in partnership by researchers at a major university and public health professionals at a local health department.

Methods

The Live Well, Be Well (LWBW) program was designed to meet the needs of lower income, minority, and low-literacy adults at risk for diabetes. It was adapted from interventions with demonstrated efficacy and delivered in Spanish and English by health department staff. The program consisted of a 6-month active phase and a 6-month maintenance phase and was primarily telephone based, with one in-person planning session and several group workshops. In-person and group sessions were held in convenient community-based settings. Counselors provided education and skills training to modify diet and increase physical activity. Self-selected and attainable goal-setting and action plans were emphasized to enhance self-efficacy. LWBW is the intervention component of a randomized trial with primary outcomes of fasting glucose, weight, and other clinical measures.

Conclusions

The program provides a unique translational model for implementing diabetes risk reduction programs for underserved populations. Individually tailored and non-prescriptive, it utilized existing health department infrastructure, focused on telephone counseling, used culturally appropriate, low-literacy materials, and was delivered in local, community-based facilities.
Pragmatism and intolerance: Nietzsche and Rorty
Authors: Fanning Bryan , Mooney Timothy
Published: June 2010

Richard Rorty’s muscular liberalism and pragmatic intolerance draw sustenance from Nietzsche as well as from the earlier American pragmatists. We set out the ways in which Rorty adopts and adapts their ideas. We go on to suggest that the cultural ethnocentrism that he advocates carries certain risks, and can be divorced all too easily from his own qualifications, particularly in the post-9-11 scenario. It is our contention that Isaiah Berlin’s case for a pluralist liberalism warrants serious consideration as an alternative.
Leadership and Probation Officer practice in New Zealand
Authors: Dale Michael Philip , Trlin Andrew
Published: June 2010

The nature and importance of the relationship between leadership and probation practice is considered drawing upon information collected from Probation Officers and Service Managers as part of a study on probation practice and the contribution of leadership to the achievement of effective service delivery. The participants asserted that the quality of the relationship between Service Managers (holding a positional leadership role) and Probation Officers (as practitioners) is likely to exert a positive influence upon Probation Officer work performance and that the practice credibility of Service Managers (based upon the clear articulation of professional values, the possession of knowledge, and demonstration of expertise) was associated with the development of trust, respect, confidence and willing following amongst staff. Participants also suggested that the management style employed by senior managers (reflective of the impact of New Public Management) is at variance with the practitioners’ desire for leadership that places emphasis upon practice. Three challenges facing senior managers in the New Zealand Community Probation Service are identified which, if engaged, offer solutions to issues concerning the relationship between leadership, practice and ultimately effective service delivery.
Organizational and Leadership Implications for Transformational Development
Authors: Gorlorwulu John , Rahschulte Tim
Published: June 2010

Transformational development is a concept of change that originated in the Christian context but has now become generally used in the work of both secular and faith-based organizations. The growing use of the concept by organizations that are fundamentally different has naturally led to some confusion about what the concept means and what it takes to effectively implement it. In this article, we describe the key features of the concept and how they are important in determining the organizational requirements for its effective implementation. Drawing on a few cases, the paper highlights the centrality of faith in transformational development work.
Transformation, Proclamation and Mission in the New Testament: Examining the Case of 1 Peter
Authors: Fagbemi Stephen Ayodeji A.
Published: June 2010

How is the NT concept of mission to be understood in relation to proclamation and transformation? Or in what ways do transformation, proclamation and mission interact in the New Testament? Although 1 Peter does not speak overtly of mission, the interaction between proclamation and transformation would give an indication of the presence of mission. Looking specifically at the First Letter of Peter, this paper seeks to examine how the interaction of these three subjects might inform another way not only of understanding mission but also of doing it. Within its own context, 1 Peter offers a particularly vital and insightful dimension on this subject.
Development of Eastern Christian Iconography
Authors: D-Vasilescu Elena Ene
Published: June 2010

In Orthodox Christianity icons play a central role in the Liturgy, which they complete and explain. In front of these images, the faithful enter a process of communication with the holy person depicted. That is possible because icons convey the spiritual energies of the archetype of the holy person or of the sacred event they represent. Icon-painters follow Hermeneias — Grammar books — containing canonical indications to help them in their work. These books also give attention to the material elements from which the icons are made; since they are a part of God’s creation, they also need to be treated with reverence. The history of Eastern Christian iconography will be presented as an alternation of moments when an ‘abstract’ style of painting was employed with moments when a more naturalistic/realistic approach was at work.
Mini extracorporeal circuit cardiopulmonary bypass system: a review
Authors: Curtis Nathan , Vohra Hunaid A , Ohri Sunil K
Published: June 2010

Improved knowledge of the pathophysiological processes experienced in response to cardiopulmonary bypass has led to new developments in extracorporeal technology and understanding. The use of mini extracorporeal circuits (MECC) is rapidly expanding in clinical practice. The mini extracorporeal circuit differs by a greatly reduced tubing length and the number of components when compared with current circuit designs. The MECC is believed to offer potential benefits to the surgical patient by reducing the systemic inflammatory response that remains strongly implicated in post-operative organ dysfunction. We present a review of the available literature and find the MECC to show an acceptable safety profile with a reduction in post-operative complications and transfusion requirements and no evidence of any negative impairment to the surgeon, anaesthetist or perfusionist. The observed post-bypass inflammatory response is seen to be lower after MECC bypass and this is of clear clinical benefit.
Pathophysiological aspects of cardiotomy suction usage
Authors: Svitek Vladimir , Lonsky Vladimir , Anjum Faraz
Published: June 2010

Cardiotomy suction is used for preservation of autologous blood during on-pump cardiac surgery at present. Controversially, the exclusion of cardiotomy suction in some types of operations (coronary artery bypass surgery) is not necessarily associated with an increased transfusion requirement. On the other hand, the use of cardiotomy suction causes an amplification of systemic inflammatory response and a resulting coagulopathy, as well as exacerbation of the microembolic load and hemolysis. This leads to a tendency towards increased blood loss, transfusion requirement and organ dysfunction. On the basis of these facts, it is appropriate to reconsider routine use of cardiotomy suction in on-pump coronary artery surgery.
The Aging of the State Government Workforce: Trends and Implications
Authors: Lewis Gregory B. , Yoon Jik Cho
Published: June 2010

The aging of the baby boom generation, combined with the success of the New Public Management in downsizing the federal government, has led to a rapidly aging federal service, a reduced flow of new blood, and a looming “tsunami” of retirements that are forcing the federal service to reconsider many of its human resource practices. Are state government workforces undergoing the same transformation? Using the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Census 5% Public Use Microdata Samples and the 2001-2007 American Community Surveys, the authors find that state governments have older workers than any other sector and that the mean age of their workforce has risen nearly as much as that of the federal civil service. Thus, the retirement tsunami may hit states harder than the federal government. The authors examine the effects of this coming tsunami on turnover, institutional memory, diversity, and educational qualifications.
Immunohistochemical Identification of Collagen in the Equine Lung
Authors: Furness M. C. , Bienzle D. , Caswell J. L. , DeLay J. , Viel L.
Published: June 2010

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in the horse is a disease characterized by reversible bronchoconstriction and by mucus and neutrophil accumulation in the airways. It has been hypothesized that in horses with RAO, remodeling changes occur that are similar to those described in humans with asthma. Although collagen fibrils are present surrounding normal airways, they are a prominent feature of airway remodeling in human asthma with evidence of enhanced collagen III and I fibril deposition. An immunolabeling method was developed to identify collagen I and III in equine lung and to describe the collagen fiber type and distribution within the walls of the noncartilagenous bronchioles. The health status of 14 horses was characterized by clinical respiratory exam, bronchoalveolar lavage cytology, and pulmonary function tests. Following postmortem examination and histological assessment, horses were divided into RAO-affected (n = 4) and nonaffected (n = 10) groups. Eight sections per horse from all lung regions were evaluated histologically. Results of the study showed that collagens I and III were present in the lamina propria and adventitial area of the noncartilaginous bronchioles. There was clear staining differentiation between collagen I or III, airway smooth muscle, and the airway epithelium. Collagen I and III were present in the lamina propria and adventitial areas of the noncartilaginous bronchioles of horses, and there was no significant difference in the relative amount of collagen I and III between this group of RAO-affected and nonaffected horses.
Dab Is Dead
Authors: Goddard Grant
Published: June 2010

The digital dream has turned out to be the Titanic of commercial radio, says Grant Goddard. It seems the industry has lost its way
Radio Silence
Authors: Gojayev Vugar
Published: June 2010

Vugar Gojayev reports on Azerbaijan’s diminishing media landscape
Make Me Beautiful
Authors: Salehi Omid
Published: June 2010

Photographer Omid Salehi on the craze for cosmetic surgery in a country where the veil is mandatory
The World Strikes Back
Authors: Maryniak Irena
Published: June 2010

New media is transforming the relationship between broadcasters and audiences. Irena Maryniak reports
Real Lives
Authors: Siddiqi Shirazuddin
Published: June 2010

Even the Taliban are fans of New Home, New Life — one of the most popular dramas in radio history. Director Shirazuddin Siddiqi reflects on its success
Culture of caution
Authors: Semukanya Martin
Published: June 2010

Martin Semukanya reports on the legacy of the genocide in Rwanda
Rules of Engagement
Authors: Eismont Maria
Published: June 2010

Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy is well known for being a bastion of free speech. Editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov tells Maria Eismont how he does it
Good Morning, Belgrade
Authors: van Heteren Adrienne
Published: June 2010

Adrienne van Heteren recalls her time at B92 — a small radio station at the forefront of the anti-war movement during the darkest days of the Yugoslav conflict
Electrodeposition of Silk Fibroin on Metal Substrates
Authors: Maniglio Devid , Bonani Walter , Bortoluzzi Gabrio , Servoli Eva , Motta Antonella , Migliaresi Claudio
Published: June 2010

Silk fibroin, one of the most promising natural materials for tissue engineering, has positive interactions with the biological environment, particularly in the field of bone and cartilage regeneration. A new approach was developed to create hydrogels from water-based fibroin solutions by applying an electric field to effect protein migration and coagulation at the anode (Aluminium or Ti6Al4V alloy) of an electrochemical cell. The process was easily controlled by the voltage applied to the electrodes (3, 10, and 30 V), solution concentration (1%, 2%, 2.6% w/v), time (up to 100 s) and electrode distance (1—6 mm). The hydrogel thickness can be increased up to 60 μm and, depending on processing conditions, porous coatings or compact films can be obtained. The ability of electrodeposited fibroin hydrogels to coat metal objects with complex shape and surface morphology, together with the acclaimed properties of fibroin, makes it a promising technique to enhance the osteointegration of dental or orthopedic prostheses.
Codes of Fair Competition: The National Recovery Act, 1933-1935, and the Women’s Dress Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Marcketti Sara B.
Published: June 2010

Controversial issues prevalent in today’s ready-to-wear apparel industry include the right of workers to join unions, the proliferation of sweatshops and sweatshop conditions, and design piracy. The idea of forming codes of conduct to establish criteria of ethical business practices is not new to the apparel industry. Indeed, the women’s dress manufacturing industry discussed and debated codes of fair competition under the New Deal Policies of the National Recovery Act (NRA) of 1933 to 1935. Primary sources for this study included governmental hearings in the establishment of the NRA Dress Code, The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, and the Journal of the Patent Office Society. The history of the NRA codes implemented in the U.S. women’s ready-to-wear apparel industry provides an important case study highlighting the difficulties and complexities of creating and achieving industry-wide standard practices through self-regulation. The failure of the NRA demonstrates that even with the joint cooperation of industry, labor, and consumer groups and the backing of the force of law, codes of fair competition proved impossible to enforce.
Socioemotional Wealth and Earnings Management in Private Family Firms
Authors: Stockmans Annelies , Lybaert Nadine , Voordeckers Wim
Published: June 2010

Earnings management in firms has several different motivations. This article examines the preserving of socioemotional wealth as a motive for earnings management in specific types of private family firms by looking at the generational stage, the management team, and the CEO position. The authors’ results suggest that socioemotional wealth may play a role as motive for upward earnings management when firm performance is poor. Under this condition, first-generation and founder-led private family firms seem to have greater incentive to engage in upward earnings management because of the preservation of their socioemotional wealth.
The Intersection of Family Business and Audit Research: Potential Opportunities
Authors: Trotman Andrew J. , Trotman Ken T.
Published: June 2010

Previous research has illustrated the importance of family businesses and significant differences between family and nonfamily businesses. Such differences will likely affect auditing for family versus nonfamily businesses. The authors emphasize experimental research labeled as “audit judgment and decision making research.” They argue that some aspects of people, tasks, and environment are different between family and nonfamily businesses and that these differences affect auditor judgments. A range of theoretical frameworks applicable to auditing research related to family businesses are considered. The authors suggest potential research opportunities related to auditor judgments, auditor—client negotiations, the demand for auditing, audit quality, corporate governance, and internal audit.
Trade union interventions in work-life balance
Authors: Rigby Mike , O'Brien-Smith Fiona
Published: June 2010

Work-life balance has received increasing attention during the last decade but successful action to help employees to manage their work and non-work lives has been slow to develop and there has been a failure to translate policies into take-up. Trade union intervention might be expected to help resolve these problems but evidence on their role has been limited.

The current research, based on empirical data derived from interviews with union representatives, considers the union role in the retailing and media sectors, examining their definition of and engagement with work-life balance issues and intervention strategies. It locates their approach against current discussions of the national discourse on work-life balance and trade union strategy.

Although in both sectors trade union engagement with work-life balance was evident, differences could be traced to the impact of structural variables. In neither case did work-life balance, as defined by respondents, represent a common interest area with employers.
Conflict and repression in an Argentinean car factory: a cycle of resistance from a worker’s perspective
Authors: Atzeni Maurizio
Published: June 2010

This article presents a worker’s account of two factory occupations in Argentina. This reconstruction, rather than focusing on the role of specific agents, allows an unveiling of the dynamics through which the clash between the employer’s drive for profitability and workers’ interests in defence of their salaries developed. A cycle of conflict, resistance, repression and finally workers’ subordination and acceptance of flexible employment conditions can be identified. Despite the tendency of the capitalist mode of production to produce divisions among workers in the workplace and society, the article highlights the importance of direct action, solidarity and democratic organising as workers’ tools to react to and transform the system.
The Right Reason for Caesar to Confess Christ as Lord: Oliver O’Donovan and Arguments for the Christian State
Authors: McIlroy David
Published: June 2010

The ostensible arguments advanced by Oliver O’Donovan for a confessionally Christian constitutional order are not persuasive, even in the terms of his own scheme, because they presuppose that such a confession may be required as a representative act. Within his theory lies, however, the assumption that confessing Christ is fundamental to all right decision-making, including the political. This renders the confession of Christ not merely a possibility for legitimate governments but rather essential to just political judgments. If O’Donovan’s ostensible arguments prove too little, the underlying logic of his position claims too much. O’Donovan is mistaken in his assumption that political judgments must be placed within the same comprehensive moral vision as personal decisions. Because political judgments bear only an indirect relationship to absolute right they may be rightly made without the express confession of Christ in the constitutional order.
Tacrolimus is an alternative therapeutic option for the treatment of refractory lupus nephritis
Authors: Lee T. , Oh K-H. , Joo KW , Kim YS , Ahn C. , Han JS , Kim S. , Chin HJ
Published: June 2010

We conducted an open-labeled, prospective study to determine the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus as an alternative therapeutic option for those patients with refractory lupus nephritis. The study population comprised one male and eight female patients with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis. All patients had failed to respond to sufficient intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy with proteinuria of ≥1 g/day and active urinary sediments. Tacrolimus (0.1 mg/kg/day) was administered for 1 year with adjusting drug level (4—10 µg/l). The mean serum creatinine level and spot urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) at baseline were 1.39 mg/dl and 2.27, respectively. After the treatment, proteinuria reduced significantly from median UPCR value of 2.19 (range, 1.19—3.34) to 0.44 (range, 0.12—2.13) (p < 0.05). Seven (78%) of the nine patients showed a complete clinical response, which was defined as stabilization in the disease-activity markers and serum creatinine level with reduction of ≥50% in UPCR; two patients showed complete remission with UPCR <0.2. One patient showed treatment failure because of the disease progression. No serious adverse effects were observed during the study. This study demonstrates that tacrolimus can show a significant therapeutic response in cases that are refractory to the standard regimen for diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis.
Good outcomes with mycophenolate-cyclosporine-based induction protocol in children with severe proliferative lupus nephritis
Authors: Aragon E. , Chan YH , Ng KH , Lau YW , Tan PH , Yap HK
Published: June 2010

The outcomes of children with severe proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) were examined using a new mycophenolate and cyclosporine-based (MMF—CSA) induction protocol. Sixteen children with LN (WHO class III and IV), 31.3% of whom required dialysis at induction, were retrospectively studied. Median MMF dose was 942 mg/m 2/day. Thirteen patients (81%) with persistent proteinuria received CSA. Clinical and laboratory parameters were compared at pre-induction, 6 and 12 months. Treatment outcome was defined by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), renal function, haematuria, proteinuria and serological markers (complements C3, C4 and anti-dsDNA). Comparing these parameters at induction, 6 months and 12 months, respectively, SLEDAI (25.4 ± 8.7 versus 3.2 ± 2.9 versus 2.9 ± 2.8), serum C3 (47 ± 21 versus 107 ± 27 versus 111 ± 38 mg/dl), C4 (12 ± 14 versus 23 ± 14 versus 22 ± 11 mg/dl) and urine protein (6.97 ± 7.09 versus 0.98 ± 1.56 versus 0.21 ± 0.13 g/ day/1. 73 m2) improved significantly (p < 0.05). Anti-dsDNA titres decreased in 73% by 6 and 12 months (p < 0.05). Complete renal remission was achieved in 7/16 (43.8%) at 6 months and 12/16 (75%) at 12 months, the rest achieving partial remission with no treatment failures. In conclusion, a combination MMF—CSA protocol is an effective therapeutic alternative for induction of children with severe proliferative LN, resulting in significant clinical and serological improvement with minimal adverse effects.
What Middle School Students Need From Their General Music Class (and How We Can Help)
Authors: Davis Virginia Wayman
Published: June 2010

The middle school general music class is a course that holds many possibilities and challenges. In this research-based article, teachers are encouraged to “teach for transfer,” to create worthwhile learning activities that prepare students for music making in the adult community. Three needs of the middle school music student are discussed: active, hands-on learning challenges, which involve the student in music-making; in-depth exploration of focused listening, which acquaints students with the availability of listening opportunities and teaches them what to listen for; and opportunities for social connection, drawing together students and teachers in a community of music makers.
Race and Refugeity: Ethnocinema as Radical Pedagogy
Authors: Harris Anne
Published: June 2010

This article introduces Cross-Marked: Sudanese Australian Young Women Talk Education, a series of seven short films made collaboratively with Sudanese young women from refugee backgrounds, examining their education experiences in Australia. The author frames this research through the emerging practice of ethnocinema and its relationship with ethnographic documentary. The coparticipants examine the prevailing social conditions for connectedness/disconnectedness in the context of a sometimes-hostile contemporary educational climate, as does the author/researcher through autoethnographic reflections on practice. The films use a “performative ethnography” to disrupt the folds and pleats of conventional stories told of and about the pedagogies of belonging and becoming. The films draw on the informants’ social practices of self to trouble teleological narratives of identity, and they offer a territory of possibilities for learning to “see more critically, think at a more critical level, and to recognise the forces that subtly shape their lives” (Kincheloe & McLaren)
Teaching Critical Thinking to Nurses in a Ugandan Hospital
Authors: Thompson Cheryl W.
Published: June 2010

A partnership that was established to provide cross-cultural learning for senior-level community health nursing students from the United States also provided a learning opportunity for nurses at a pediatric neurosurgical hospital in Uganda. The faculty who accompanied the students on the study abroad to the CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda provided an educational session on critical thinking in response to request from the hospital administrators. Learning outcomes were evidenced through informal one-on-one interactions following the sessions. Even a small contribution such as this teaching intervention in cross-cultural exchange may affirm the belief that “each drop counts” as the nurses may obtain skills that enhance their ability to contribute to saving the lives of their patients.
How Does Program Composition Affect the Revenues of Nonprofit Organizations?: Investigating a Benefits Theory of Nonprofit Finance
Authors: Wilsker Amanda L. , Young Dennis R.
Published: June 2010

Nonprofit organizations draw financial support from multiple sources including contributions, earned income, government support, and returns on investment, but the source of variation in income portfolios is not well understood. The authors draw on a ‘‘benefits theory of nonprofit finance’’ to illuminate the relationship between the programs and services that a nonprofit provides and the sources from which it obtains income. The authors analyze detailed revenue and expenditure data from eighty-seven Jewish Community Centers, estimating models that show significant associations between expenditures on particular types of services and the sources of an organization’s revenue. Specifically, expenditures on services of a more private goods nature are associated with greater reliance on earned income while expenditures on services of a more public goods nature are associated with greater reliance on charitable sources. Results are potentially important for nonprofit management practice because they suggest closer coordination of an organization’s resource development strategy with its programming.
Social Identities, Ethnic Diversity, and Tax Morale
Authors: Xin Li Sherry
Published: June 2010

This article investigates the impact of individuals’ social identities on their tax attitudes and how these effects on the micro level are translated to the impact of a country’s ethnic heterogeneity on the public’s overall tax morale. The author finds that both ethnic and national identities play important roles shaping tax morale, and these effects depend on the country’s population heterogeneity. Overall, ethnically fractionalized countries have poorer tax morale than homogeneous ones, suggesting a higher cost of tax collection for the former. This is consistent with previous findings that suggest detrimental impact of ethnic fractionalization on public sector performance.
Tiebout Competition, Yardstick Competition, and Tax Instrument Choice: Evidence from Ohio School Districts
Authors: Hall Joshua C. , Ross Justin M.
Published: June 2010

Previous research has shown that Tiebout-style fiscal competition among local governments reduces the likelihood of adopting income taxes. This literature has not yet considered the impact of yardstick competition on tax instrument choice. This article uses spatial econometrics to test for yardstick competition in the decision to adopt an income tax. The results, based on Ohio school district data, indicate that school districts are more likely to adopt an income tax if their neighbors have already done so. While a negative correlation of Tiebout competition on district income tax adoption persists, controlling for spatial dependence reduces the statistical significance of the effect.
Understanding the work of medical transcriptionists in the production of medical records
Authors: Cora Garcia Angela , David Gary C , Chand Donald
Published: June 2010

Efforts to improve healthcare by reducing medical errors often center on the accuracy of medical records. At the same time, the impact of new technologies such as speech recognition technology on the process of producing medical records has not been sufficiently examined. In this article we analyzed interview data from medical transcriptionists (MTs) describing how they do the work of transcription to produce accurate medical records from doctors’ dictation. We found that medical transcriptionists rely on several types of skills that current speech recognition technology lacks. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the design and implementation of SRT systems for the production of medical records and for how the work of MTs can help reduce medical errors.
Chart documentation quality and its relationship to the validity of administrative data discharge records
Authors: So Lawrence , Beck Cynthia A , Brien Susan , Kennedy James , Feasby Thomas E , Ghali William A , Hude Quan
Published: June 2010

The validity of administrative data may be vulnerable to how well physicians document medical charts. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between chart documentation quality and the validity of administrative data. The charts for patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy were re-abstracted and rated for the quality of documentation. Poorly and well-documented charts were compared by patient, physician, and hospital variables, as well as on agreement between the administrative and re-abstracted data. Of the 2061 charts reviewed, 42.6 per cent were rated well documented. The proportion of charts well documented varied from 14.6 to 87.5 per cent across 17 hospitals, but did not vary significantly by patient characteristics. The kappa statistic was generally higher for well-documented charts than for poorly documented charts, but varied across comorbidities. In conclusion, poorly documented hospital charts tend to be translated into invalid administrative data, which reduces the communication of clinical information among healthcare providers.
The efficiency of clinical trial designs for predictive biomarker validation
Authors: Young KY , Laird A. , Zhou XH
Published: June 2010

Background The rapid advance of molecular genetic technology and of molecular diagnostics companies have set the stage for a new era in personalized treatments. Biomarkers such as gene expressions may be integrated into the anatomically based tumor-node-metastasis staging system to provide information for risk stratification and treatment selection. With the assumption that preliminary results show evidence that a biomarker has predictive value, the marker-based designs are geared to assess the purported predictive value in a clinical trial.

Purpose In this article, we compared the efficiency of the traditional design, which does not involve a biomarker, to several alternative designs in terms of the sample size required in each trial.

Methods We first derived the variance formulas for the two-sample t-tests under the various designs when the biomarker assay is imperfect, and then conducted numerical and simulation studies to evaluate the performance of the various designs. Results Based on numerical and simulation studies, we conclude that the marker-based strategy designs are less efficient than the traditional design in general. Since the biomarker assay is imperfect in a realistic setting, the estimated sample size for each alternative design is influenced by the sensitivity and specificity of the assay and the prevalence of the biomarker in the population of interest as well as the parameters involved in a standard sample size calculation.

Limitations Due to limitations of a simulation study, it is not clear whether our results can be generalized to other parameter settings that are different from the ones used in the simulation study.

Conclusions The marker-based strategy designs are less efficient than the traditional design in general. If there is no treatment effect among marker-negative patients, it is still feasible to use the marker-based strategy design I if the assay sensitivity is high. If the treatment effect among marker-negative patients is half of the effect among marker-positive patients, the marker prevalence must be relatively high and the sensitivity of the assay must be very high for the marker-based strategy design I to approximate the efficiency of the traditional design. The efficiency of the marker-based strategy design II relative to the traditional design is low in all scenarios considered under the current study. Clinical Trials 2010; 7: 557—566. http://ctj.sagepub.com
Bayesian adaptive randomization designs for targeted agent development
Authors: Lee J. Jack , Xuemin Gu  , Suyu Liu
Published: June 2010

Background With better understanding of the disease’s etiology and mechanism, many targeted agents are being developed to tackle the root cause of problems, hoping to offer more effective and less toxic therapies. Targeted agents, however, do not work for everyone. Hence, the development of target agents requires the evaluation of prognostic and predictive markers. In addition, upon the identification of each patient’s marker profile, it is desirable to treat patients with best available treatments in the clinical trial accordingly.

Methods Many designs have recently been proposed for the development of targeted agents. These include the simple randomization design, marker stratified design, marker strategy design, efficient targeted design, etc. In contrast to the frequentist designs with equal randomization, we propose novel Bayesian adaptive randomization designs that allow evaluating treatments and markers simultaneously, while providing more patients with effective treatments according to the patients’ marker profiles. Early stopping rules can be implemented to increase the efficiency of the designs.

Results Through simulations, the operating characteristics of different designs are compared and contrasted. By carefully choosing the design parameters, types I and II errors can be controlled for Bayesian designs. By incorporating adaptive randomization and early stopping rules, the proposed designs incorporate rational learning from the interim data to make informed decisions. Bayesian design also provides a formal way to incorporate relevant prior information. Compared with previously published designs, the proposed design can be more efficient, more ethical, and is also more flexible in the study conduct.

Limitations Response adaptive randomization requires the response to be assessed in a relatively short time period. The infrastructure must be set up to allow timely and more frequent monitoring of interim results.

Conclusion Bayesian adaptive randomization designs are distinctively suitable for the development of multiple targeted agents with multiple biomarkers. Clinical Trials 2010; 7: 584—596. http://ctj.sagepub.com
Assessing contamination and compliance in the prostate component of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial
Authors: Pinsky Paul F , Black Amanda , Kramer Barnett S , Miller Anthony , Prorok Philip C , Berg Christine
Published: June 2010

Background Recently, the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial published 7-year complete prostate cancer mortality results, which showed no benefit of screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE). An issue of concern was the substantial level of ‘contamination’, or use of PSA and DRE in control arm men.

Purpose To provide a detailed description of contamination in PLCO.

Methods Surveys inquiring about the most recent PSA and DRE use were given to a sample of control arm men throughout the screening phase of PLCO (years 0—5). A probability model was utilized to translate survey results into actual frequency counts of tests. To assess the impact of contamination, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) incidence rates from the pre-screening era (1985—1987) as well as contemporaneous rates, were applied to PLCO person-years of observation.

Results Of 38,350 control arm men, 2427 were surveyed. Pre-trial screening and college education were statistically significantly associated with increased contamination rates. The estimated mean number of screening PSAs (DREs) in the control arm was 2.7 (1.1); this compares to 5.0 (3.5) in the screened arm. 1984 and 2538 prostate cancers were observed in the control and screened arms, respectively, during the screening phase. In the absence of screening, 960 and 949 would have been expected; with contemporaneous incidence rates, 1630 and 1611 were expected.

Limitations Due to the limitations of the surveys, in terms of both reach and scope, the exact level of PSA and DRE use in control arm men cannot be known.

Conclusions Use of prostate screening by control arm men was substantial, but also substantially less than in screened arm men. Detailed quantitative analyses of screening use across arms are critical for understanding current and future findings from the prostate component of PLCO. Clinical Trials 2010; 7: 303—311. http:// ctj.sagepub.com
Predicting missing quality of life data that were later recovered: an empirical comparison of approaches
Authors: Fielding Shona , Fayers Peter , Ramsay Craig
Published: June 2010

Background and Purpose The aim was to compare simple imputation, multiple imputation, and modeling approaches to deal with ‘missing’ quality of life data. Data were obtained from five clinical trials, which employed a reminder system for follow-up questionnaires. Previous studies have compared imputation strategies by artificially removing data according to prespecified mechanisms. Our approach differs from previous study as actual collected data are utilized.

Methods Data obtained by reminder were initially treated as missing. These missing values were imputed using a variety of simple and multiple imputation strategies. The trials were analyzed using the imputed datasets, and the resulting treatment effects compared to analyses using the full dataset including responses following reminders. A repeated measures model was also carried out on the available data and the pattern mixture models were employed. The accuracy of the different strategies was assessed by calculating the bias seen in the calculated treatment difference compared to the actual observed treatment difference.

Results Baseline carried forward or last value carried forward were shown to be the best simple imputation methods in this setting. Multiple imputation using a regression model or predictive mean match model tended to provide treatment difference estimates with the least bias when compared to the actual observed data. Pattern mixture models did not perform well. Overall, the multiple imputation procedures were generally the least biased approaches.

Limitations A number of imputation and modeling procedures have been investigated but this list is not exhaustive. All the example datasets come from the same data source and perhaps studies from additional disease areas would have been useful. However, we feel the results are generalizable to other quality of life outcomes and clinical areas.

Conclusions Multiple imputation is recommended for missing quality of life data as it makes the assumption of missing at random which in the quality of life setting is more plausible than the assumption of missing completely at random for which most simple imputation methods are based. Pattern mixture models can be complex and did not perform well in this setting. Clinical Trials 2010; 7: 333—342. http://ctj.sagepub.com