Risk markers of severe psychological violence against women: a WorldSAFE multi-country study

This study was an attempt to determine the prevalence and significant risk factors associated with severe psychological violence in 6 WorldSAFE sites. The respondents were 3975 women aged 15–49 years and residing in selected urban areas in Chile, Egypt, the Philippines and India. Using a standard instrument translated locally, psychological violence was measured using items indicating the following domains: verbal abuse, fear and separation. A woman who had experienced severe psychological violence had admitted that she had experienced any of the above-mentioned behaviors ‘3 or more times’ in her lifetime (lifetime prevalence) or with her current partner during the past 12 months (current prevalence). The results showed a lifetime prevalence of severe psychological violence ranging from 10.5% of women in Egypt to about 50% in Chile and Trivandrum, India. Verbal abuse was most common among the different behavioral indicators. A woman's mental health status and partner alcohol use were found to be the common significant risk factors. Recommendations were made to facilitate efforts to address severe psychological violence in developing countries.     

Do overweight and obesity prevalence rates converge in Europe?

We exploit recently published data to evaluate the long-run evolution of overweight and obesity rates among European economies between 1975 and 2016. We find that overweight rates for both females and males converge in Europe. In particular, the convergence is driven by the nations in the EU. This fact is consistent with food patterns as well as trade, agricultural, and health policies that are common among EU members. Across our model specifications, the steady-state average overweight rate ranges between 60% and 77% for European female individuals and lies above 82% for their male counterparts. Confidence intervals suggest that such gender differences are statistically significant. In the EU, the point estimates of these rates are 62% and 91%, respectively. Obesity prevalence in Europe would reach long-term rates of 39% and 45% for females and males respectively, whereas these rates would be similar in the EU (approximately 28%).     

金庸现象的传播环境分析

金庸为处于现代文化虚根危机中的中国人提供了一种象征性的文化认同模式,从传播学视角而言,金庸现象的出现与传播环境息息相关,是特定的传播时代的产物。20世纪50年代香港特殊的文化际遇孕育并形成了金庸热;改革开放后的中国内地,由于社会转型的变化,伴随着大众文化的崛起而出现了金庸现象;金庸满足了20世纪全球华人对中国文化根基极其强烈的反思意识和认同渴望,为我们审视自己民族文化心理提供了一个完整而独特的视点。     

Smoking prevalence in the United States: Differences across socioeconomic groups

This paper uses recent US state-level data to examine smoking behavior across four population groups divided by age, literacy, income and ethnicity. Another contribution lies in the consideration of various smoking control policies and the full costs of smoking. Overall, the results show that non-price smoking policies are relatively more effective than price or tax policies in reducing smoking prevalence and that these policies gain effectiveness as the population begins to age.

A case-control study of anaemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in an adult population in the US: prevalence and impact on healthcare utilisation

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anaemia and its impact on healthcare utilisation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with claims for moderate-to-severe RA (ICD-9 code 714.x) treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs as well as controls without RA matched for age, gender and time in plan were selected from the MarketScan Research Database. Anaemia was identified by ICD-9 codes 280.x, 285.2x, 281.9, 285.9 and 284.8. The prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) for anaemia among RA patients versus controls were estimated. Overall disease burden was measured using the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI).

Results: The prevalence ratio for anaemia in RA patients was 2.2 (95% CI 2.1–2.4). Mean ECI was higher in RA (2.26) compared with control (1.02) patients (p<0.001), and RA patients with anaemia had a higher ECI compared with those without anaemia (3.95 vs. 2.08; p<0.001). Total healthcare costs in RA patients with anaemia were approximately twice those of RA patients without anaemia.

Conclusions: The prevalence of clinically diagnosed anaemia in RA patients in the claims database was 2.2 times higher than that in the comparable non-RA control group. RA patients with anaemia had significantly higher levels of co-morbidity and healthcare costs than RA patients without anaemia.     

Measures of economies with an arbitrarily large number of equilibria

Balasko (1978) shows that in a compact subset of the space of economies, not too many economies can have too many equilibria. We extend Balasko’s result to the whole set of economies for a suitable measure. We show that the measure of economies with a large number of equilibria approaches zero as this number tends to infinity. An analogous result in the infinite‐dimensional setting is also established.     

A new parametric model for converting excess mortality from clinical studies to insured population

We propose a new parametric model – the generalized excess mortality (GEM) model – for converting excess mortality from clinical to insured population. The GEM model has been formulated as a generalization of the excess death rate (EDR) model in terms of a single adjustment parameter (m) that accounts for a partial elimination of a clinical study’s EDR due to the underwriting selection process. The suggested value of the parameter m depends only on the ratio of the impairment’s prevalence rate in the insured population to that in the clinical population. The model’s development has been implemented in two phases: the design phase and the validation phase. In the design phase, the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I pertaining to three broad impairments (diabetes, coronary artery disease, and asthma) have been used. As a result, the following equation for the parameter m has been proposed: m_k?=?(P_i,k/P_c,k)ⁿ, where P_i,k, P_c,k are the prevalence rates of impairment k under study in the insured and the clinical populations, respectively, and n a single universal parameter with its value best approximated as n?=?0.5 (95% confidence interval 0.5–0.6). In the validation phase, several independent clinical studies of three other impairments (Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) were used. As it has been demonstrated in the validation phase, for a number of impairments, the GEM model can provide a better fit for observed insured population mortality than either one of the conventional EDR or mortality ratio models.     

Ritual legitimation, de-coupling and the budgetary process: managing organizational hypocrisies in a multinational company

The study of participation in the budgetary cycle has formed a prominent part of the research literature concerned with the budgetary process. More recently there has emerged a body of literature concerned with exploring the political and symbolic nature of the budgetary process. The paper reports upon the outcomes of an empirical study of the introduction of `budgetary participation' in a division of a European subsidiary of a large North American car manufacturer. We detail the long process of consultation and negotiation within the subsidiary, and between it and the European Headquarters. The study provides a revealing instance of the roles of formal budget participation as a ritual of control and legitimation without the substantive involvement of middle managers and suggested to us the introduction of de-coupling and organizational hypocrisy alongside the introduction of budget participation. The study pays close attention to the contingent effects of the wider political context of the division and the relationships between the division, its organizational context and organizational environment, and how this context played upon the budgetary process in the division. The outcomes that we analyse at `Delta' reflect the de-coupling strategies and organizational hypocrisies commonly found in public sector organizations. In this wider setting the corporation persists with the ritual of `tight' budget negotiation and target setting and apparent underachievement in performance. Yet we conclude that the complex technological and political context to the formation and siting of Delta continued and may continue to support its existence.$g0     

传染病的流行与医学革命的衍生

该文认为传染病的流行与人类社会的医学革命息息相关．它决定着医学革命的特点．而非典型性肺炎和高致病性禽流感的流行将会使第三次医学革命应运而生．卫生行政部门应尽快制定出合理使用抗生素的法律法规，加速对临床药师的培养，加强有关人员细菌耐药意识的培养，以适应世界范围内医学革命的需要。     

Response Format Effects in Encounter Norm Questions

Survey response format has been shown to influence norm prevalence (percentage reporting a norm) and the numerical value of the reported norm. This article summarizes an experiment where respondents were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the semi-open response format treatment, respondents (n = 817) “wrote in a number” for an acceptable number of visitor encounters. In the closed format treatment, individuals (n = 826) “circled a number” of acceptable encounters along a range of possible responses. Hypothesis 1 predicted that norm prevalence would be higher for the closed format than the semi-open. Hypothesis 2 predicted that the mean tolerance level would differ in the two treatments. Results supported hypothesis 1. The percent reporting a norm was statistically higher in the closed versus the semi-open treatment. Results failed to support hypothesis 2. The average tolerance levels for the closed and semi-open formats were statistically equivalent.