bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using Historical Data for Bayesian Sample Size Determination
Authors: De Santis Fulvio 
Published: August 2006

SummaryWe consider the sample size determination (SSD) problem, which is a basic yet extremely important aspect of experimental design. Specifically, we deal with the Bayesian approach to SSD, which gives researchers the possibility of taking into account pre-experimental information and uncertainty on unknown parameters. At the design stage, this fact offers the advantage of removing or mitigating typical drawbacks of classical methods, which might lead to serious miscalculation of the sample size. In this context, the leading idea is to choose the minimal sample size that guarantees a probabilistic control on the performance of quantities that are derived from the posterior distribution and used for inference on parameters of interest. We are concerned with the use of historical data—i.e. observations from previous similar studies—for SSD. We illustrate how the class of power priors can be fruitfully employed to deal with lack of homogeneity between historical data and observations of the upcoming experiment. This problem, in fact, determines the necessity of discounting prior information and of evaluating the effect of heterogeneity on the optimal sample size. Some of the most popular Bayesian SSD methods are reviewed and their use, in concert with power priors, is illustrated in several medical experimental contexts.
A Latent Markov Model for Detecting Patterns of Criminal Activity
Authors: Bartolucci Francesco , Pennoni Fulvia , Francis Brian 
Published: August 2006

SummaryThe paper investigates the problem of determining patterns of criminal behaviour from official criminal histories, concentrating on the variety and type of offending convictions. The analysis is carried out on the basis of a multivariate latent Markov model which allows for discrete covariates affecting the initial and the transition probabilities of the latent process. We also show some simplifications which reduce the number of parameters substantially; we include a Rasch-like parameterization of the conditional distribution of the response variables given the latent process and a constraint of partial homogeneity of the latent Markov chain. For the maximum likelihood estimation of the model we outline an EM algorithm based on recursions known in the hidden Markov literature, which make the estimation feasible also when the number of time occasions is large. Through this model, we analyse the conviction histories of a cohort of offenders who were born in England and Wales in 1953. The final model identifies five latent classes and specifies common transition probabilities for males and females between 5-year age periods, but with different initial probabilities.
Finding the Best Treatment Under Heavy Censoring and Hidden Bias
Authors: Lee Myoung-jae , Häkkinen Unto , Rosenqvist Gunnar 
Published: August 2006

SummaryWe analyse male survival duration after hospitalization following an acute myocardial infarction with a large (N = 11024) Finnish data set to find the best performing hospital district (and to disseminate its treatment protocol). This is a multiple-treatment problem with 21 treatments (i.e. 21 hospital districts). The task of choosing the best treatment is difficult owing to heavy right censoring (73%), which makes the usual location measures (the mean and median) unidentified; instead, only lower quantiles are identified. There is also a sample selection issue that only those who made it to a hospital alive are observed (54%); this becomes a problem if we wish to know their potential survival duration after hospitalization, if they had survived to a hospital contrary to the fact. The data set is limited in its covariates—only age is available—but includes the distance to the hospital, which plays an interesting role. Given that only age and distance are observed, it is likely that there are unobserved confounders. To account for them, a sensitivity analysis is conducted following pair matching. All estimators employed point to a clear winner and the sensitivity analysis indicates that the finding is fairly robust.
Increased serum lipids are associated with higher CD4 lymphocyte count in HIV‐infected women
Authors: Floris‐Moore M , Howard AA , Lo Y , Arnsten JH , Santoro N , Schoenbaum EE 
Published: August 2006

ObjectiveHighly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been associated with dyslipidaemia; however, the roles of immune status and non‐HIV‐disease risk factors remain unclear.MethodsA cross‐sectional analysis of fasting lipids was carried out for 231 women, of whom 132 were HIV‐infected and 99 were uninfected. The concentrations of total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B (apo B) were measured. CD4 lymphocyte count, hepatitis C status, demographics, diet, and anthropometrics were also assessed.ResultsA total of 132 women were HIV‐infected [30 were antiretroviral‐naive, 68 were on protease inhibitors (PIs), and 34 were on non‐PI HAART]. HIV infection was associated with higher triglycerides, lower HDL‐C, and, among obese women, higher total cholesterol and LDL‐C. Non‐PI and PI HAART were each independently associated with higher total cholesterol, LDL‐C, and apo B, compared with being ART‐naive. Among HIV‐infected women, after adjustment for HAART use, women with a CD4 lymphocyte count≥500 cells/μL had total cholesterol 41.8 mg/dL (P=0.002) and LDL‐C 28.8 mg/dL (P=0.01) higher, on average, than women with a CD4 count <200 cells/μL. Women with a CD4 count of 200–499 cells/μL had total cholesterol 26.31 mg/dL higher, on average, than those with a CD4 count <200 cells/μL (P=0.04), although differences in LDL‐C did not reach significance (15.51 mg/dL; P=0.12). A higher CD4 count was also associated with higher apo B (P<0.001). Active hepatitis C infection was associated with lower total cholesterol, LDL‐C, triglycerides, and apo B.ConclusionsHigher CD4 lymphocyte counts were associated with higher lipid levels, suggesting that immune competence may independently affect the dyslipidaemia seen in the HAART era. In addition, it is important that hepatitis C status be assessed in studies of dyslipidaemia in the HIV‐infected population.
Persistent low‐level viraemia and virological failure in HIV‐1‐infected patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Sungkanuparph S , Groger RK , Overton ET , Fraser VJ , Powderly WG 
Published: August 2006

ObjectiveTo assess the prognostic significance of persistent low‐level viraemia (PLV, defined as persistent plasma viral loads of 51–1000 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL for at least 3 months) in patients who had achieved viral suppression on antiretroviral therapy (ART).MethodsA retrospective cohort of HIV‐infected patients who received ART, were followed‐up for ≥12 months, made regular visits to the clinic during which blood tests were performed for an ultrasensitive HIV RNA assay every 3 months, and achieved viral loads <50 copies/mL were evaluated. Virological failure was defined as two consecutive viral load measurements >1000 copies/mL.ResultsOf 362 patients, 78 (27.5%) experienced PLV. The demographics of patients with and without PLV were similar. PLV occurred at a mean (±standard deviation) of 22.6±16.9 months after ART initiation and lasted for 6.4±3.4 months. During a median follow‐up of 29.5 months, patients with PLV had a higher rate of virological failure (39.7% vs 9.2%; P<0.001). The median time to failure was 68.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 37.0–99.7] for patients with PLV and >72 months for patients without PLV (log rank test, P<0.001). By Cox regression, patients with PLV had a greater risk of virological failure [hazard ratio (HR) 3.8; 95% CI 2.2–6.4; P<0.001]. Among patients with PLV, a PLV of >400 copies/mL (HR 3.3; 95% CI 1.5–7.1; P=0.003) and a history of ART (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.0–5.7; P=0.042) predicted virological failure.ConclusionsPLV is associated with virological failure. Patients with a PLV >400 copies/mL and a history of ART experience are more likely to experience virological failure. Patients with PLV should be considered for treatment optimization and interventional studies.
Prevalence of protective antibody against measles in HIV‐infected children with immune recovery after highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Aurpibul L , Puthanakit T , Siriaksorn S , Sirisanthana T , Sirisanthana V 
Published: August 2006

ObjectivesThis study was conducted to determine the prevalence of measles‐protective antibody in HIV‐infected children with immune recovery after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).MethodsNinety‐six HIV‐infected children were enrolled in the study. Their mean age was 9.7±2.6 years, 47% were boys, and 47% were in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clinical category C. All participants had been treated with HAART until they achieved a CD4 cell percentage ≥15%. Three children with a history of clinical measles infection were not included in the data analysis.ResultsOnly 39 out of 93 children (42%) had a measles‐protective antibody level, defined as an anti‐measles immunoglobulin G (IgG) level ≥320 mIU/mL. There was no significant difference between the groups with and without protective levels of measles antibody in gender, clinical category, age at which HAART was started, duration of severe immune suppression, CD4 cell count and percentage, or plasma HIV RNA level before and after HAART.ConclusionsWe conclude that, despite a history of measles immunization and evidence of immune reconstitution after HAART, many healthy HIV‐infected children are still susceptible to measles.
Networks to Nerdistan: The Role of Labor Market Intermediaries in the Entry‐level IT Labor Market
Authors: CHAPPLE KAREN 
Published: August 2006

AbstractAlthough networks have long governed economic relations, they assume even more importance in a knowledge‐based economy. Yet, some argue that because of the lack of social networks and human capital, some groups are permanently ‘switched off’ the networks of the global economy. Evidence presented in this article suggests that instead there is latent potential for access to the network, due to the rise of networked community‐based organizations and the increasing accessibility of technology. Based on surveys and in‐depth interviews with almost 700 workers and training providers, I show how the switched off are entering jobs in information technology through network ties and the acquisition of soft skills, or communication and interaction skills. Although community‐based training providers are best positioned to help disadvantaged jobseekers enter the network society, changes in the US workforce development system are reinforcing network exclusivity, rather than facilitating this upward mobility.
Variations in Immigrant Incorporation in the Neighborhoods of Amsterdam
Authors: LOGAN JOHN R. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractAmsterdam’s immigrants of Caribbean and southern Mediterranean origin have been characterized as modestly segregated from Dutch residents, and their residential assimilation has been expected to proceed rapidly. This article tests the hypothesis of spatial assimilation using both aggregate data on levels of segregation and individual‐level analyses of the people who live in ethnic minority neighborhoods. Evidence is presented of assimilation for immigrants from the former colonies of Surinam and the Antilles, but Turks and Moroccans are shown to face stronger barriers. The former groups’ higher standing favors their mobility from ethnically distinct neighborhoods. There is a generational shift for Surinamese and Antilleans, while the Turks and Moroccans born in Amsterdam are as likely as the immigrant generation to settle in ethnic minority neighborhoods.
Using simulation to develop testable functionalist explanations: a case study of church survival
Authors: Chattoe Edmund 
Published: August 2006

AbstractMany arguments for and against functionalism have revolved around logical and methodological issues, discouraging attempts to develop testable functionalist theories. This paper takes a different approach, arguing that the problem with sociological functionalism is not its logic of explanation but the absence of appropriatetechniquesfor formalizing functionalist theories. The solution presented – agent‐based simulation – is illustrated by a case study: a functionalist account of church survival. The case study suggests that there is nothing wrong with the logic of functionalism properly formalized, illustrates how simulation can enable testing of functionalist explanations and suggests why existing sociological methods have not proved fruitful for this task. In the light of new techniques like simulation, the current neglect of functionalism may no longer be justified.
New ways of believing or belonging: is religion giving way to spirituality?1
Authors: Glendinning Tony , Bruce Steve 
Published: August 2006

AbstractIn this article, the presence of alternative spirituality and practices within the general culture and their relationship to institutional religion are examined using national survey data collected as part of the 2001 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Alternative practices are found to divide into two groups of interests: concerns with personal well‐being and interest in divination. Better‐educated women are much more likely to engage with holistic practices associated with well‐being; a minority of younger, less well‐educated women are more likely to have found horoscopes, astrology, fortune‐telling and tarot ‘important in their lives’. Churchgoers find divination antithetical to religion while the use and salience of a range of holistic practices is as acceptable among churchgoers as it is among non‐attenders and the secular (once allowance has been made for the connections between putatively alternative practices, gender, age and education). This underscores a focus on personal well‐being rather than alternative spirituality in the consumption of holistic products and practices within the general culture. The study findings are used to assess claims for a spiritual revolution in modern Britain.
The reproduction of gender: housework and attitudes towards gender equality in the home among Swedish boys and girls1
Authors: Evertsson Marie 
Published: August 2006

AbstractThe housework Swedish girls and boys age 10 to 18 do, and their attitudes towards gender equality in the home are studied. One aim is to see whether the work children do is gendered and if so, whether they follow their parents’, often gendered, pattern in housework. A second aim is to see whether children's attitudes are influenced by their parents’ attitudes and practices. When it comes to issues like these, Sweden is of special interest because in 1995, Sweden was appointed the most gender equal country in the world by the United Nations.The data used were the Swedish Child Level of Living Survey 2000 (see http://www.sofi.su.se/LNU2000/english.htm), a data set that includes extensive first‐hand information from both children and their parents. The results indicate that girls and boys in two‐parent families are more prone to engage in gender atypical work the more their parent of the same sex engages in this kind of work. The fact that girls still do more housework than boys in all families independent of, among other things, the parental division of housework and the mother's educational level indicates that housework to some extent signifies gender also to children. However, no clear relation is found between the parents’ division of work and the child's attitude towards gender equality in the home. Neither is there any clear relation between the parents’ attitude towards gender equality in the home and the children's attitude to the same topic.
Intimate relationships and changing patterns of money management at the beginning of the twenty‐first century1
Authors: Vogler Carolyn , Brockmann Michaela , Wiggins Richard D. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractDrawing on British data from two annual sweeps of theISSPeight years apart in 1994 and 2002, for modules focusing on ‘Family and Changing Gender Roles’, this paper examines the extent to which changes in women's labour market participation, changing ideologies/discourses of gender and changing forms of intimate relationships are affecting the ways in which couples organize household money, and the implications of such changes for recent theories of intimate relationships. The analysis indicates that by 2002, the type of relationship respondents had established, together with their social class position, were both independently related to the ways in which they managed money, after controlling for socio‐economic and cultural or discursive factors. Our findings also provide a degree of support for the thesis of a partial decline in the male breadwinner model of gender, as indicated by small declines in the use of the relatively inegalitarian female whole wage and housekeeping allowance systems which were most likely to be used by married couples and cohabiting fathers, expressing relatively traditional ideologies/discourses of breadwinning – and a slight increase in the use of the partial pool, which was most likely to be used by childless cohabiting couples in which male partners expressed less traditional ideologies of breadwinning and women were in middle‐class jobs with incomes high enough to facilitate partially separate finances. We also suggest, however, that in so far as cohabiting couples earning different amounts define equality as contributing equally to household expenditure, it is possible that rather than being associated with shifts to greater equality in access to money for personal spending and saving, the partial pool may be associated with marked inequalities, because it may enable gender inequalities generated in the labour market to be more directly transposed into inequalities within households, despite the decline of traditional discourses of male breadwinning and the increasing importance of egalitarian ideologies of co‐provisioning.
Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non‐clinic subjects
Authors: Burleson Daviss W. , Birmaher Boris , Melhem Nadine A. , Axelson David A. , Michaels Shana M. , Brent David A. 
Published: August 2006

Background:  Previous measures of pediatric depression have shown inconsistent validity in groups with differing demographics, comorbid diagnoses, and clinic or non‐clinic origins. The current study re‐examines the criterion validity of child‐ and parent‐versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ‐C, MFQ‐P) in a heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents from clinic and non‐clinic sources.Methods:  Among 470 consecutive youth completing semi‐structured interviews at a university‐based child psychiatry center, total scores from the 33‐item MFQ‐C and 34‐item MFQ‐P were examined across subjects with and without mood disorders using analysis of variance, and receiver operating characteristics analysis.Results:  Mean scores of the MFQ‐C and MFQ‐P, respectively, differed significantly (p < .0005) across youth having major depressive episodes (MDE) (33 and 32, n = 77), mood disorders not meeting criteria for current MDE (24 and 28, n = 75), and no mood disorders (12 and 10, n = 318). In the overall sample, areas under the curve (AUC) for discriminating MDE and any mood disorder, respectively, were .85 and .83 on the MFQ‐C, .86 and .90 on the MFQ‐P, and .89 and .90 on the MFQ‐C and MFQ‐P averaged together, suggesting moderate to high criterion validity. Similar findings were noted in subgroups divided by age, sex, race, comorbid psychopathology, and clinic or non‐clinic origins. AUCs of these MFQ scores compared favorably with those of the Beck's Depressive Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist's Anxious/Depressed scale and the Children's Depressive Rating Scale–Revised by the same raters. A score of 29 on the MFQ‐C (positive screen rate 21%, sensitivity 68%, specificity 88%) or 27 on the MFQ‐P (positive screen rate 23%, sensitivity 61%, specificity 85%) optimally discriminated youth with MDE from the rest of the sample.Conclusions:  The MFQ‐C and MFQ‐P, especially used in combination, validly identify MDE or other mood disorders in youth diverse in demographic and clinical characteristics.
Prenatal smoking predicts non‐responsiveness to an intervention targeting attention‐deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in elementary schoolchildren
Authors: Vuijk Patricia , Van Lier Pol A.C. , Huizink Anja C. , Verhulst Frank C. , Crijnen Alfons A.M. 
Published: August 2006

Patricia Vuijk 1, Pol A.C. van Lier 1,2, Anja C. Huizink 1, Frank C. Verhulst 1, Alfons A.M. Crijnen (2006). Prenatal smoking predicts non‐responsiveness to an intervention targeting attention‐deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in elementary schoolchildren. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(9), 891–901.The above article, published online on 22 August 2006, has been retracted by agreement between the Journal Editor‐in‐Chief, Tony Charman, ACAMH and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. After notifying the authors, the retraction has been agreed due to a concern surrounding the accuracy of some of the data that was not possible to resolve between the authors. Tony Charman
Editor‐in‐Chief The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Reference Patricia Vuijk, Pol A.C. van Lier, Anja C. Huizink, Frank C. Verhulst, & Alfons A.M. Crijnen (2006). Prenatal smoking predicts non‐responsiveness to an intervention targeting attention‐deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in elementary schoolchildren. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(9), 891–901. doi: 10.1111/j.1469‐7610.2006.01647.x
Emergency medical service and in‐hospital vital signs as predictors of subsequent PTSD symptom severity in pediatric injury patients
Authors: Nugent Nicole R. , Christopher Norman C. , Delahanty Douglas L. 
Published: August 2006

Background:  The present study investigated the extent to which heart rate (HR) levels soon after a traumatic event predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity assessed 6 weeks and 6 months later in child trauma victims.Methods:  Participants consisted of 82 children (56 boys, 26 girls) aged 8–18 who were admitted to a Midwestern trauma center. HR data were recorded from emergency medical services (EMS) records, upon admission to the emergency department (ED), for the first 20 minutes following admission, and upon discharge. Subsequent PTSD and depressive symptoms were assessed 6‐weeks and 6‐months post‐trauma.Results:  HR recorded during EMS transport was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms at 6 weeks (r = .42) and at 6 months (r = .35). After removing the variance associated with demographic variables and depressive symptoms, HR during EMS transport and averaged over the first 20 minutes following admission significantly predicted 6‐week PTSD symptoms. The first recorded EMS HR measure significantly predicted 6‐month PTSD symptoms. HR averaged over the first 20 minutes of EMS transport and averaged over the first 20 minutes following admission marginally predicted 6‐month PTSD symptoms (ps = .051 and .079, respectively).Conclusions:  The present findings suggest that physiological arousal soon after a traumatic event may be associated with increased risk for the development of PTSD symptoms in child trauma victims. These findings provide preliminary support for the use of acute cardiovascular levels as markers of child trauma victims at higher risk of developing symptoms of PTSD.