Showing papers on "Poison control published in 2004"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors randomly generate placebo laws in state-level data on female wages from the Current Population Survey and use OLS to compute the DD estimate of its "effect" as well as the standard error of this estimate.
Abstract: Most papers that employ Differences-in-Differences estimation (DD) use many years of data and focus on serially correlated outcomes but ignore that the resulting standard errors are inconsistent. To illustrate the severity of this issue, we randomly generate placebo laws in state-level data on female wages from the Current Population Survey. For each law, we use OLS to compute the DD estimate of its “effect” as well as the standard error of this estimate. These conventional DD standard errors severely understate the standard deviation of the estimators: we find an “effect” significant at the 5 percent level for up to 45 percent of the placebo interventions. We use Monte Carlo simulations to investigate how well existing methods help solve this problem. Econometric corrections that place a specific parametric form on the time-series process do not perform well. Bootstrap (taking into account the autocorrelation of the data) works well when the number of states is large enough. Two corrections based on asymptotic approximation of the variance-covariance matrix work well for moderate numbers of states and one correction that collapses the time series information into a “pre”- and “post”-period and explicitly takes into account the effective sample size works well even for small numbers of states.
9,397 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is reviewed that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.
Abstract: Many people are exposed to loss or potentially traumatic events at some point in their lives, and yet they continue to have positive emotional experiences and show only minor and transient disruptions in their ability to function. Unfortunately, because much of psychology’s knowledge about how adults cope with loss or trauma has come from individuals who sought treatment or exhibited great distress, loss and trauma theorists have often viewed this type of resilience as either rare or pathological. The author challenges these assumptions by reviewing evidence that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience. M ost people are exposed to at least one violent or life-threatening situation during the course of their lives (Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). As people progress through the life cycle, they are also increasingly confronted with the deaths of close friends and relatives. Not everyone copes with these potentially disturbing events in the same way. Some people experience acute distress from which they are unable to recover. Others suffer less intensely and for a much shorter period of time. Some people seem to recover quickly but then begin to experience unexpected health problems or difficulties concentrating or enjoying life the way they used to. However, large numbers of people manage to endure the temporary upheaval of loss or potentially traumatic events remarkably well, with no apparent disruption in their ability to function at work or in close relationships, and seem to move on to new challenges with apparent ease. This article is devoted to the latter group and to the question of resilience in the face of loss or potentially traumatic events. The importance of protective psychological factors in the prevention of illness is now well established (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Gruenewald, 2000). Moreover, developmental psychologists have shown that resilience is common among children growing up in disadvantaged conditions (e.g., Masten, 2001). Unfortunately, because most of the psychological knowledge base regarding the ways adults cope with loss or potential trauma has been derived from individuals who have experienced significant psychological problems or sought treatment, theorists working in this area have often underestimated and misunderstood resilience, viewing it either as a pathological state or as something seen only in rare and exceptionally healthy individuals. In this article, I challenge this view by reviewing evidence that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma represents a distinct trajectory from that of recovery, that resilience is more common than often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.
5,415 citations
TL;DR: These analyses show that smoking remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States, however, poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the lead cause of death.
Abstract: ContextModifiable behavioral risk factors are leading causes of mortality in
the United States. Quantifying these will provide insight into the effects
of recent trends and the implications of missed prevention opportunities.ObjectivesTo identify and quantify the leading causes of mortality in the United
States.DesignComprehensive MEDLINE search of English-language articles that identified
epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory studies linking risk behaviors and
mortality. The search was initially restricted to articles published during
or after 1990, but we later included relevant articles published in 1980 to
December 31, 2002. Prevalence and relative risk were identified during the
literature search. We used 2000 mortality data reported to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to identify the causes and number of deaths.
The estimates of cause of death were computed by multiplying estimates of
the cause-attributable fraction of preventable deaths with the total mortality
data.Main Outcome MeasuresActual causes of death.ResultsThe leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435 000 deaths;
18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (400 000
deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption (85 000 deaths; 3.5%). Other
actual causes of death were microbial agents (75 000), toxic agents (55 000),
motor vehicle crashes (43 000), incidents involving firearms (29 000),
sexual behaviors (20 000), and illicit use of drugs (17 000).ConclusionsThese analyses show that smoking remains the leading cause of mortality.
However, poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the
leading cause of death. These findings, along with escalating health care
costs and aging population, argue persuasively that the need to establish
a more preventive orientation in the US health care and public health systems
has become more urgent.
4,980 citations
TL;DR: For instance, this article argued that analytic reasoning cannot be effective unless it is guided by emotion and affect, and argued that rational decision making requires proper integration of both modes of thought.
Abstract: Modern theories in cognitive psychology and neuroscience indicate that there are two fundamental ways in which human beings comprehend risk. The “analytic system” uses algorithms and normative rules, such as probability calculus, formal logic, and risk assessment. It is relatively slow, effortful, and requires conscious control. The “experiential system” is intuitive, fast, mostly automatic, and not very accessible to conscious awareness. The experiential system enabled human beings to survive during their long period of evolution and remains today the most natural and most common way to respond to risk. It relies on images and associations, linked by experience to emotion and affect (a feeling that something is good or bad). This system represents risk as a feeling that tells us whether it is safe to walk down this dark street or drink this strange-smelling water. Proponents of formal risk analysis tend to view affective responses to risk as irrational. Current wisdom disputes this view. The rational and the experiential systems operate in parallel and each seems to depend on the other for guidance. Studies have demonstrated that analytic reasoning cannot be effective unless it is guided by emotion and affect. Rational decision making requires proper integration of both modes of thought. Both systems have their advantages, biases, and limitations. Now that we are beginning to understand the complex interplay between emotion and reason that is essential to rational behavior, the challenge before us is to think creatively about what this means for managing risk. On the one hand, how do we apply reason to temper the strong emotions engendered by some risk events? On the other hand, how do we infuse needed “doses of feeling” into circumstances where lack of experience may otherwise leave us too “coldly rational”? This article addresses these important questions.
2,847 citations
Book•
01 Mar 2004
TL;DR: This paper is a synopsis of a major report by the WHO which collates information on crashes worldwide and summarises the key findings and the recommendations of the report.
Abstract: This paper is a synopsis of a major report by the WHO which collates information on crashes worldwide. It summarises the key findings and the recommendations of the report. The central theme of the Report is the burden of road traffic injuries and the urgent need for governments and other key players to increase and sustain action to prevent road traffic injuries. The specific objectives are: to describe the burden, intensity, pattern and impacts of road traffic injuries at global, regional and national levels; to examine the key determinants and risk factors; to discuss interventions and strategies that can be employed to address the problem; and to make recommendations for action at local, national and international levels. Key findings include: road traffic injuries are a huge public health and development problem predicted to worsen if appropriate action is not taken; the majority of road traffic injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries; road safety should be addressed using a "systems approach;" road safety is a shared responsibility and public health has a key role to play; and road traffic injuries can be prevented. The Report concludes by offering six recommendations: identify a lead agency in government to guide the national road traffic safety effort; assess the problem, policies and institutional settings; prepare a national road safety strategy and plan of action; allocate financial and human resources to address the problem; implement specific actions to prevent road traffic crashes, minimize injuries and their consequences, and evaluate the impact of these actions; and support the development of national capacity and international co-operation.
2,691 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a computer-based search, supplemented by hand searches, was used to identify studies reported between 1980 and 2001 in which there was a quantified assessment of the validity of retrospective recall of major adverse experiences in childhood.
Abstract: Background: Influential studies have cast doubt on the validity of retrospective reports by adults of their own adverse experiences in childhood. Accordingly, many researchers view retrospective reports with scepticism.
Method: A computer-based search, supplemented by hand searches, was used to identify studies reported between 1980 and 2001 in which there was a quantified assessment of the validity of retrospective recall of sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical/emotional neglect or family discord, using samples of at least 40. Validity was assessed by means of comparisons with contemporaneous, prospectively obtained, court or clinic or research records; by agreement between retrospective reports of two siblings; and by the examination of possible bias with respect to differences between retrospective and prospective reports in their correlates and consequences. Medium- to long-term reliability of retrospective recall was determined from studies in which the test–retest period extended over at least 6 months.
Results: Retrospective reports in adulthood of major adverse experiences in childhood, even when these are of a kind that allow reasonable operationalisation, involve a substantial rate of false negatives, and substantial measurement error. On the other hand, although less easily quantified, false positive reports are probably rare. Several studies have shown some bias in retrospective reports. However, such bias is not sufficiently great to invalidate retrospective case-control studies of major adversities of an easily defined kind. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that little weight can be placed on the retrospective reports of details of early experiences or on reports of experiences that rely heavily on judgement or interpretation.
Conclusion: Retrospective studies have a worthwhile place in research, but further research is needed to examine possible biases in reporting.
2,379 citations
TL;DR: This article proposes a local algorithm to detect communities which outperforms the existing algorithms with respect to computational cost, keeping the same level of reliability and applies to a network of scientific collaborations, which, for its size, cannot be attacked with the usual methods.
Abstract: The investigation of community structures in networks is an important issue in many domains and disciplines This problem is relevant for social tasks (objective analysis of relationships on the web), biological inquiries (functional studies in metabolic and protein networks), or technological problems (optimization of large infrastructures) Several types of algorithms exist for revealing the community structure in networks, but a general and quantitative definition of community is not implemented in the algorithms, leading to an intrinsic difficulty in the interpretation of the results without any additional nontopological information In this article we deal with this problem by showing how quantitative definitions of community are implemented in practice in the existing algorithms In this way the algorithms for the identification of the community structure become fully self-contained Furthermore, we propose a local algorithm to detect communities which outperforms the existing algorithms with respect to computational cost, keeping the same level of reliability The algorithm is tested on artificial and real-world graphs In particular, we show how the algorithm applies to a network of scientific collaborations, which, for its size, cannot be attacked with the usual methods This type of local algorithm could open the way to applications to large-scale technological and biological systems
2,309 citations
TL;DR: This paper used rainfall variation as an instrumental variable for economic growth in 41 African countries during 1981-99 and found that growth is strongly negatively related to civil conflict: a negative growth shock of five percentage points increases the likelihood of conflict by one half the following year.
Abstract: Estimating the impact of economic conditions on the likelihood of civil conflict is difficult because of endogeneity and omitted variable bias. We use rainfall variation as an instrumental variable for economic growth in 41 African countries during 1981–99. Growth is strongly negatively related to civil conflict: a negative growth shock of five percentage points increases the likelihood of conflict by one‐half the following year. We attempt to rule out other channels through which rainfall may affect conflict. Surprisingly, the impact of growth shocks on conflict is not significantly different in richer, more democratic, or more ethnically diverse countries.
1,951 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a new accident model based on basic systems theory concepts, which provides a theoretical foundation for the introduction of unique new types of accident analysis, hazard analysis, accident prevention strategies including new approaches to designing for safety, risk assessment techniques, and approaches to design performance monitoring and safety metrics.
1,898 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the spectrum of ideas about what good citizenship is and what good citizens do that are embodied in democratic education programs and demonstrate that the narrow and often ideologically conservative conception of citizenship embedded in many current efforts at teaching for democracy reflects not arbitrary choices but, rather, political choices with political consequences.
Abstract: Educators and policymakers increasingly pursue programs that aim to strengthen democracy through civic education, service learning, and other pedagogies. Their underlying beliefs, however, differ. This article calls attention to the spectrum of ideas about what good citizenship is and what good citizens do that are embodied in democratic education programs. It offers analyses of a 2-year study of educational programs in the United States that aimed to promote democracy. Drawing on democratic theory and on findings from their study, the authors detail three conceptions of the “good” citizen—personally responsible, participatory, and justice oriented—that underscore political implications of education for democracy. The article demonstrates that the narrow and often ideologically conservative conception of citizenship embedded in many current efforts at teaching for democracy reflects not arbitrary choices but, rather, political choices with political consequences.
1,875 citations
TL;DR: The accumulation of multiple environmental risks rather than singular risk exposure may be an especially pathogenic aspect of childhood poverty as mentioned in this paper, where low-income children are read to relatively infrequently, watch more TV, and have less access to books and computers.
Abstract: Poor children confront widespread environmental inequities. Compared with their economically advantaged counterparts, they are exposed to more family turmoil, violence, separation from their families, instability, and chaotic households. Poor children experience less social support, and their parents are less responsive and more authoritarian. Low-income children are read to relatively infrequently, watch more TV, and have less access to books and computers. Low-income parents are less involved in their children's school activities. The air and water poor children consume are more polluted. Their homes are more crowded, noisier, and of lower quality. Low-income neighborhoods are more dangerous, offer poorer municipal services, and suffer greater physical deterioration. Predominantly low-income schools and day care are inferior. The accumulation of multiple environmental risks rather than singular risk exposure may be an especially pathogenic aspect of childhood poverty.
TL;DR: Land-use mix had the strongest association with obesity, and relationships among urban form, walk distance, and time in a car were stronger among white than black cohorts, while relationships among the built environment, travel patterns, and weight may vary across gender and ethnicity.
TL;DR: In this paper, meta-analytic reviews of sex differences in aggression from real-world settings are described, covering self-reports, observations, peer reports, and teacher reports of overall direct, physical, and indirect aggression.
Abstract: Meta-analytic reviews of sex differences in aggression from real-world settings are described. They cover self-reports, observations, peer reports, and teacher reports of overall direct, physical, ...
TL;DR: Empirical findings on the imperfect nature of self-assessment are reviewed and several interventions aimed at circumventing the consequences of such flawed assessments are discussed; these include training people to routinely make cognitive repairs correcting for biasedSelf-assessments and requiring people to justify their decisions in front of their peers.
Abstract: Research from numerous corners of psychological inquiry suggests that self-assessments of skill and character are often flawed in substantive and systematic ways. We review empirical findings on the imperfect nature of self-assessment and discuss implications for three real-world domains: health, education, and the workplace. In general, people's self-views hold only a tenuous to modest relationship with their actual behavior and performance. The correlation between self-ratings of skill and actual performance in many domains is moderate to meager-indeed, at times, other people's predictions of a person's outcomes prove more accurate than that person's self-predictions. In addition, people overrate themselves. On average, people say that they are "above average" in skill (a conclusion that defies statistical possibility), overestimate the likelihood that they will engage in desirable behaviors and achieve favorable outcomes, furnish overly optimistic estimates of when they will complete future projects, and reach judgments with too much confidence. Several psychological processes conspire to produce flawed self-assessments. Research focusing on health echoes these findings. People are unrealistically optimistic about their own health risks compared with those of other people. They also overestimate how distinctive their opinions and preferences (e.g., discomfort with alcohol) are among their peers-a misperception that can have a deleterious impact on their health. Unable to anticipate how they would respond to emotion-laden situations, they mispredict the preferences of patients when asked to step in and make treatment decisions for them. Guided by mistaken but seemingly plausible theories of health and disease, people misdiagnose themselves-a phenomenon that can have severe consequences for their health and longevity. Similarly, research in education finds that students' assessments of their performance tend to agree only moderately with those of their teachers and mentors. Students seem largely unable to assess how well or poorly they have comprehended material they have just read. They also tend to be overconfident in newly learned skills, at times because the common educational practice of massed training appears to promote rapid acquisition of skill-as well as self-confidence-but not necessarily the retention of skill. Several interventions, however, can be introduced to prompt students to evaluate their skill and learning more accurately. In the workplace, flawed self-assessments arise all the way up the corporate ladder. Employees tend to overestimate their skill, making it difficult to give meaningful feedback. CEOs also display overconfidence in their judgments, particularly when stepping into new markets or novel projects-for example, proposing acquisitions that hurt, rather then help, the price of their company's stock. We discuss several interventions aimed at circumventing the consequences of such flawed assessments; these include training people to routinely make cognitive repairs correcting for biased self-assessments and requiring people to justify their decisions in front of their peers. The act of self-assessment is an intrinsically difficult task, and we enumerate several obstacles that prevent people from reaching truthful self-impressions. We also propose that researchers and practitioners should recognize self-assessment as a coherent and unified area of study spanning many subdisciplines of psychology and beyond. Finally, we suggest that policymakers and other people who makes real-world assessments should be wary of self-assessments of skill, expertise, and knowledge, and should consider ways of repairing self-assessments that may be flawed.
TL;DR: The combination of fluoxetine with CBT offered the most favorable tradeoff between benefit and risk for adolescents with major depressive disorder.
Abstract: CONTEXT: Initial treatment of major depressive disorder in adolescents may include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). However, little is known about their relative or combined effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of 4 treatments among adolescents with major depressive disorder. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized controlled trial of a volunteer sample of 439 patients between the ages of 12 to 17 years with a primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The trial was conducted at 13 US academic and community clinics between spring 2000 and summer 2003. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of (1) fluoxetine alone (10 to 40 mg/d), (2) CBT alone, (3) CBT with fluoxetine (10 to 40 mg/d), or (4) placebo (equivalent to 10 to 40 mg/d). Placebo and fluoxetine alone were administered double-blind; CBT alone and CBT with fluoxetine were administered unblinded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised total score and, for responder analysis, a (dichotomized) Clinical Global Impressions improvement score. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, the combination of fluoxetine with CBT was statistically significant (P =.001) on the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised. Compared with fluoxetine alone (P =.02) and CBT alone (P =.01), treatment of fluoxetine with CBT was superior. Fluoxetine alone is a superior treatment to CBT alone (P =.01). Rates of response for fluoxetine with CBT were 71.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 62%-80%); fluoxetine alone, 60.6% (95% CI, 51%-70%); CBT alone, 43.2% (95% CI, 34%-52%); and placebo, 34.8% (95% CI, 26%-44%). On the Clinical Global Impressions improvement responder analysis, the 2 fluoxetine-containing conditions were statistically superior to CBT and to placebo. Clinically significant suicidal thinking, which was present in 29% of the sample at baseline, improved significantly in all 4 treatment groups. Fluoxetine with CBT showed the greatest reduction (P =.02). Seven (1.6%) of 439 patients attempted suicide; there were no completed suicides. CONCLUSION: The combination of fluoxetine with CBT offered the most favorable tradeoff between benefit and risk for adolescents with major depressive disorder. Language: en
TL;DR: There is a clear need for the development of more sensitive risk assessment tools, using not only BMD, but also other clinical predictors of fractures.
TL;DR: The authors conducted a meta-analysis of conscientiousness-related traits and the leading behavioral contributors to mortality in the United States to demonstrate the importance ofcientiousness' contribution to the health process through its relationship to health-related behaviors.
Abstract: Previous research has established conscientiousness as a predictor of longevity (H. S. Friedman et al., 1993; L. R. Martin & H. S. Friedman, 2000). To better understand this relationship, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of conscientiousness-related traits and the leading behavioral contributors to mortality in the United States (tobacco use, diet and activity patterns, excessive alcohol use, violence, risky sexual behavior, risky driving, suicide, and drug use). Data sources were located by combining conscientiousness-related terms and relevant health-related behavior terms in database searches as well as by retrieving dissertations and requesting unpublished data from electronic mailing lists. The resulting database contained 194 studies that were quantitatively synthesized. Results showed that conscientiousness-related traits were negatively related to all risky health-related behaviors and positively related to all beneficial health-related behaviors. This study demonstrates the importance of conscientiousness' contribution to the health process through its relationship to health-related behaviors.
TL;DR: The study provides strong evidence that ACEs are interrelated rather than occurring independently, and collecting information about exposure to other ACEs is advisable for studies that focus on the consequences of a specific ACE.
TL;DR: Strong evidence supports helmet use to prevent mild traumatic brain injury in motorcyclists and bicyclists and more high-quality research is needed into this area.
Abstract: Objective: We undertook a best-evidence synthesis on the incidence, risk factors and prevention of mild traumatic brain injury. Methods: Medline, Cinahl, PsycINFO and Embase were searched for relev ...
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that spatial structure reduces the proportion of cooperators for a wide range of parameters in unstructured snowdrift games, and in particular, spatial structure eliminates cooperation if the cost-to-benefit ratio of cooperation is high.
Abstract: Understanding the emergence of cooperation is a fundamental problem in evolutionary biology. Evolutionary game theory has become a powerful framework with which to investigate this problem. Two simple games have attracted most attention in theoretical and experimental studies: the Prisoner's Dilemma and the snowdrift game (also known as the hawk-dove or chicken game). In the Prisoner's Dilemma, the non-cooperative state is evolutionarily stable, which has inspired numerous investigations of suitable extensions that enable cooperative behaviour to persist. In particular, on the basis of spatial extensions of the Prisoner's Dilemma, it is widely accepted that spatial structure promotes the evolution of cooperation. Here we show that no such general predictions can be made for the effects of spatial structure in the snowdrift game. In unstructured snowdrift games, intermediate levels of cooperation persist. Unexpectedly, spatial structure reduces the proportion of cooperators for a wide range of parameters. In particular, spatial structure eliminates cooperation if the cost-to-benefit ratio of cooperation is high. Our results caution against the common belief that spatial structure is necessarily beneficial for cooperative behaviour.
TL;DR: Examining some of the main constituent processes of cognitive control as involved in dynamic decision making: goal-directed action selection, response activation and inhibition, performance monitoring, and reward-based learning finds medial frontal cortex is found to be involved in performance monitoring.
TL;DR: Vitamin D supplementation appears to reduce the risk of falls among ambulatory or institutionalized older individuals with stable health by more than 20%.
Abstract: ContextFalls among elderly individuals occur frequently, increase with age,
and lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. The role of vitamin D in
preventing falls among elderly people has not been well established.ObjectiveTo assess the effectiveness of vitamin D in preventing an older person
from falling.Data SourcesMEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register from January 1960
to February 2004, EMBASE from January 1991 to February 2004, clinical experts,
bibliographies, and abstracts. Search terms included trial terms: randomized-controlled trial or controlled-clinical
trial or random-allocation or double-blind method, or single-blind method or uncontrolled-trials with vitamin D terms: cholecalciferol or hydroxycholecalciferols or calcifediol or dihydroxycholecalciferols or calcitriol or vitamin
D/aa[analogs & derivates] or ergocalciferol or vitamin D/bl[blood]; and with accidental
falls or falls, and humans.Study SelectionWe included only double-blind randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of
vitamin D in elderly populations (mean age, 60 years) that examined falls
resulting from low trauma for which the method of fall ascertainment and definition
of falls were defined explicitly. Studies including patients in unstable health
states were excluded. Five of 38 identified studies were included in the primary
analysis and 5 other studies were included in a sensitivity analysis.Data ExtractionIndependent extraction by 3 authors using predefined data fields including
study quality indicators.Data SynthesisBased on 5 RCTs involving 1237 participants, vitamin D reduced the corrected
odds ratio (OR) of falling by 22% (corrected OR, 0.78; 95% confidence interval
[CI], 0.64-0.92) compared with patients receiving calcium or placebo. From
the pooled risk difference, the number needed to treat (NNT) was 15 (95% CI,
8-53), or equivalently 15 patients would need to be treated with vitamin D
to prevent 1 person from falling. The inclusion of 5 additional studies, involving
10 001 participants, in a sensitivity analysis resulted in a smaller
but still significant effect size (corrected RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80-0.96).
Subgroup analyses suggested that the effect size was independent of calcium
supplementation, type of vitamin D, duration of therapy, and sex, but reduced
sample sizes made the results statistically nonsignificant for calcium supplementation,
cholecalciferol, and among men.ConclusionsVitamin D supplementation appears to reduce the risk of falls among
ambulatory or institutionalized older individuals with stable health by more
than 20%. Further studies examining the effect of alternative types of vitamin
D and their doses, the role of calcium supplementation, and effects in men
should be considered.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effect of high school graduation on participation in criminal activity accounting for endogeneity of schooling and found that completing high school reduces the probability of incarceration by about.76% for whites and 3.4% for blacks.
Abstract: We estimate the effect of high school graduation on participation in criminal activity accounting for endogeneity of schooling. We begin by analyzing the effect of high school graduation on incarceration using Census data. Instrumental variable estimates using changes in state compulsory attendance laws as an instrument for high school graduation uncover a significant reduction in incarceration for both blacks and whites. When estimating the impact of high school graduation only, OLS and IV estimators estimate different weighted sums of the impact of each schooling progression on the probability of incarceration. We clarify the relationship between OLS and IV estimates and show that the 'weights' placed on the impact of each schooling progression can explain differences in the estimates. Overall, the estimates suggest that completing high school reduces the probability of incarceration by about .76 percentage points for whites and 3.4 percentage points for blacks. We corroborate these findings using FBI data on arrests that distinguish among different types of crimes. The biggest impacts of graduation are associated with murder, assault, and motor vehicle theft. We also examine the effect of drop out on self-reported crime in the NLSY and find that our estimates for imprisonment and arrest are caused by changes in criminal behavior and not educational differences in the probability of arrest or incarceration conditional on crime. We estimate that the externality of education is about 14-26% of the private return to schooling, suggesting that a significant part of the social return to education comes in the form of externalities from crime reduction.
TL;DR: Overall, effects due to treatment were in the small range, meaning that the current interventions have a minimal impact on reducing recidivism beyond the effect of being arrested.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed 14 recent cross-national econometric studies, and many qualitative studies, that cast light on the relationship between natural resources and civil war, concluding that collectively they imply four underlying regularities: first, oil increases the likelihood of conflict, particularly separatist conflict; second, ‘lootable’ commodities like gemstones and drugs do not make conflict more likely to begin, but they tend to lengthen existing conflicts; third, there is no apparent link between legal agricultural commodities, and finally, the association between primary commodities - a broad category that includes both oil and
Abstract: Since the late 1990s, there has been a flood of research on natural resources and civil war. This article reviews 14 recent cross-national econometric studies, and many qualitative studies, that cast light on the relationship between natural resources and civil war. It suggests that collectively they imply four underlying regularities: first, oil increases the likelihood of conflict, particularly separatist conflict; second, ‘lootable’ commodities like gemstones and drugs do not make conflict more likely to begin, but they tend to lengthen existing conflicts; third, there is no apparent link between legal agricultural commodities and civil war; and finally, the association between primary commodities - a broad category that includes both oil and agricultural goods - and the onset of civil war is not robust. The first section discusses the evidence for these four regularities and examines some theoretical arguments that could explain them. The second section suggests that some of the remaining inconsistenc...
TL;DR: An integrated Attention Network Test (ANT) to measure the efficiency of the three networks with adults was adapted to study the development of these networks during childhood and suggested that children like adults showed independence between theThree networks under some conditions.
TL;DR: There was consistent and methodologically sound evidence that children's prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury is good, with quick resolution of symptoms and little evidence of residual cognitive, behavioural or academic deficits.
Abstract: We searched the literature on the epidemiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and costs of mild traumatic brain injury. Of 428 studies related to prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury, 120 (28%) were accepted after critical review. These comprise our best-evidence synthesis on prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury. There was consistent and methodologically sound evidence that children's prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury is good, with quick resolution of symptoms and little evidence of residual cognitive, behavioural or academic deficits. For adults, cognitive deficits and symptoms are common in the acute stage, and the majority of studies report recovery for most within 3-12 months. Where symptoms persist, compensation/litigation is a factor, but there is little consistent evidence for other predictors. The literature on this area is of varying quality and causal inferences are often mistakenly drawn from cross-sectional studies.
TL;DR: These findings reflect a higher prevalence of concussion in high school football players than previously reported in the literature and future prevention initiatives should focus on education to improve athlete awareness of the signs of concussion and potential risks of unreported injury.
Abstract: Conclusions: These findings reflect a higher prevalence of concussion in high school football players than previously reported in the literature. The ultimate concern associated with unreported concussion is an athlete’s increased risk of cumulative or catastrophic effects from recurrent injury. Future prevention initiatives should focus on education to improve athlete awareness of the signs of concussion and potential risks of unreported injury.
TL;DR: This article found that civil wars emerging from coups or revolutions tend to be short and five factors are strongly related to civil war duration, including five factors that are found to be correlated with the duration of civil war.
Abstract: Five factors are shown to be strongly related to civil war duration. Civil wars emerging from coups or revolutions tend to be short. Civil wars in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have al...
TL;DR: Youth aggressor/targets are intense users of the Internet who view themselves as capable web users who report significant psychosocial challenge, including depressive symptomatology, problem behavior, and targeting of traditional bullying.
Abstract: Background: While most youth report positive experiences and activities online, little is known about experiences of Internet victimization and associated correlates of youth, specifically in regards to Internet harassment. Methods: The Youth Internet Safety Survey is a cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone survey of young regular Internet users in the United States. Interviews were conducted between the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000 and examined characteristics of Internet harassment, unwanted exposure to sexual material, and sexual solicitation that had occurred on the Internet in the previous year. One thousand, five hundred and one regular Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 years were interviewed, along with one parent or guardian. To assess the characteristics surrounding Internet harassment, four groups of youth were compared: 1) targets of aggression (having been threatened or embarrassed by someone; or feeling worried or threatened by someone’s actions); 2) online aggressors (making rude or nasty comments; or harassing or embarrassing someone with whom the youth was mad at); 3) aggressor/targets (youth who report both being an aggressor as well as a target of Internet harassment); and 4) non-harassment involved youth (being neither a target nor an aggressor online). Results: Of the 19% of young regular Internet users involved in online aggression, 3% were aggressor/targets, 4% reported being targets only, and 12% reported being online aggressors only. Youth aggressor/targets reported characteristics similar to conventional bully/victim youth, including many commonalities with aggressor-only youth, and significant psychosocial challenge. Conclusions: Youth aggressor/targets are intense users of the Internet who view themselves as capable web users. Beyond this, however, these youth report significant psychosocial challenge, including depressive symptomatology, problem behavior, and targeting of traditional bullying. Implications for intervention are discussed. Keywords: Internet, bully, adolescence, computers, depression, child development. Abbreviations: YISS: Youth Internet Safety Survey; AOR: Adjusted Odds Ratio.