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PubMed1992

A food fair to promote dietary change in the Stockholm cancer prevention programme.

Involving organizations is crucial when developing community intervention strategies aimed at dietary change. This case study describes the use of a food fair as a change agent. The aim of the food fair was to obtain commitment and build up a network in the community comprised of professionals in the fields of food production, food distribution and information. The fair was organized in 1989 and intended to disseminate knowledge and information about healthy foods and encourage food industries, test kitchens and also publishing companies to develop and present products in accordance with the dietary objectives of the Stockholm Cancer Prevention Programme (ie a simultaneous reduction of fat and an increase in fibre intake). The food fair consisted of exhibitions and conferences/seminars. Policy makers, journalists, people in the educational and health professions and those working with food were invited to participate. Nearly 60 companies and organizations made presentations at the exhibition and 1,000 professionals attended the conferences and seminars. In all, 6,400 people visited the fair. Seventy-eight trade journals and newspapers and three radio stations reported on the fair. The food fair was so well received that a second fair was arranged in 1991.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2000

Bayesian predictive inference for time series count data.

Correlated count data arise often in practice, especially in repeated measures situations or instances in which observations are collected over time. In this paper, we consider a parametric model for a time series of counts by constructing a likelihood-based version of a model similar to that of Zeger (1988, Biometrika 75, 621-629). The model has the advantage of incorporating both overdispersion and autocorrelation. We consider a Bayesian approach and propose a class of informative prior distributions for the model parameters that are useful for prediction. The prior specification is motivated from the notion of the existence of data from similar previous studies, called historical data, which is then quantified into a prior distribution for the current study. We derive the Bayesian predictive distribution and use a Bayesian criterion, called the predictive L measure, for assessing the predictions for a given time series model. The distribution of the predictive L measure is also derived, which will enable us to compare the predictive ability for each model under consideration. Our methodology is motivated by a real data set involving yearly pollen counts, which is examined in some detail.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed2002

Bayesian methods for a three-state model for rodent carcinogenicity studies.

The objective of a chronic rodent bioassay is to assess the impact of a chemical compound on the development of tumors. However, most tumor types are not observable prior to necropsy, making direct estimation of the tumor incidence rate problematic. In such cases, estimation can proceed only if the study incorporates multiple interim sacrifices or we make use of simplified parametric or nonparametric models. In addition, it is widely accepted that other factors, such as weight, can be related to both dose level and tumor onset, confounding the association of interest. However, there is not typically enough information in the current study to assess such effects. The addition of historical data can help alleviate this problem. In this article, we propose a novel Bayesian semiparametric model for the analysis of data from rodent carcinogenicity studies. We develop informative prior distributions for covariate effects through the use of historical control data and outline a Gibbs sampling scheme. We implement the model by analyzing data from a National Toxicology Program chronic rodent bioassay.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Recruitment and retention: perceptions of rural mental health workers.

Recruitment and retention of professionals is a major issue in rural health care. Following a literature review and series of focus groups, a questionnaire to ascertain why professionals applied for, stayed in and would consider leaving rural mental health work was constructed. The questionnaire also included questions regarding possible initiatives that could be undertaken to improve recruitments. The questionnaire was distributed through informal networks to over 900 professionals. Four hundred and seventy eight questionnaires were returned, representing a 52% return rate. According to the response work related issues were generally more important than lifestyle/personal issues particularly as reasons for applying for rural work. Lack of organisational support and professional isolation were important detractors of rural work, with strong support being expressed for initiatives that would address these issues. The findings suggest that recruitment action might highlight the scope, variety, challenge and autonomy aspects of work, with retention focusing on professional support and contact and increased organisational support.

Australia↗
PubMed2004

Experiences of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries with recruiting and retaining physicians in rural areas.

OBJECTIVE: This present study discusses the potential pitfalls in measuring physician shortages in rural areas and presents existing evidence of the effectiveness of policy interventions designed to influence the geographical distribution of physicians. DESIGN: Information on the geographical distribution of physicians was derived from a survey of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and a desk review of the academic literature and policy documents of OECD governments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Whether policies have been effective in recruiting and retaining physicians in rural areas. RESULTS: Existing measures of physician shortages in rural areas may be misleading as they do not account for a number of supply side factors (e.g. physician productivity, mobility of physicians across areas) and demand-side factors (e.g. patient needs for physician services). Increases in the national number of physicians have narrowed, but not eliminated, shortages in rural areas. Some success in increasing physician supply to rural areas has been reported with educational, regulatory and financial policies; whereas countries' experiences with education-related funding policies are mixed. There is some evidence suggesting that the effectiveness of these policies can be enhanced by supporting occupational opportunities for the spouse/partner, education of children and accommodation. CONCLUSIONS: Although there has been little evaluation of policy interventions, physician shortages in rural areas may be reduced by supply side policies that focus on the physician in combination with measures to sustain the economic and social viability of rural communities.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1990

The Edridge-Green lecture vision at low light levels: role of spatial, temporal and contrast filters.

One of the most impressive features of our vision is the fact that we see with good sensitivity over such a large range of light levels. This process is usually termed light adaptation by which it is meant that the sensitivity of individual neurones within the retina automatically adapts to suit the prevailing lighting conditions. Although this is usually thought about in terms of single neurones, its effectiveness is greatly enhanced by the fact that individual neurones have distinctive properties. The fact that individual neurones can be considered as acting as neural filters along the dimensions of size, time, orientation and contrast means that visual information is distributed across the whole neuronal population which in turn plays an important role in extending our dynamic range. In this paper the distributed nature of visual processing is emphasized and its role in extending the range of light levels over which we can see is highlighted.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed2001

Characteristics of adult celiac disease in the USA: results of a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical spectrum of adults with celiac disease in the United States, where the disease is considered rare, is not known. We sought this information by distributing a survey. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed by way of a celiac newsletter, directly to celiac support groups, and through the Internet. RESULTS: Respondents (1,612) were from all United States except one. Seventy-five percent (1,138) were biopsy proven. Women predominated (2.9:1). The majority of respondents were diagnosed in their fourth to sixth decades. Symptoms were present a mean of 11 yr before diagnosis. Diarrhea was present in 85%. Diagnosis was considered prompt by only 52% and 31% had consulted two or more gastroenterologists. Improved quality of life after diagnosis was reported by 77%. Those diagnosed at age > or = 60 yr also reported improved quality of life. Five respondents had small intestinal malignancies (carcinoma 2, lymphoma 3) accounting for a relative risk of 300 (60-876) for the development of lymphoma and 67 (7-240) for adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with celiac disease in the United States have a long duration of symptoms and consider their diagnosis delayed. Improved quality of life after diagnosis is common. An increased risk of developing small intestine malignancies is present.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

HIV risk continuum.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Intelligibility of bandpass speech: effects of truncation or removal of transition bands.

An intelligibility of over 90% was reported for keywords in "everyday" 1/3-octave sentences centered on 1500 Hz and having steep transition band slopes of 100 dB/octave [Warren et al., Percept. Psychophys. 57, 175-182 (1995)]. A subsequent study by Warren and Bashford [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 106, L47-L52 (1999)] found that it was not the 1/3-octave passband, but the transition bands that were chiefly responsible for this high intelligibility: When the passband and transition bands were segregated using filter slopes of 1000 dB/octave, the isolated passband had an intelligibility score of only 24%, while the pair of transition bands had a score of over 80%. In the present study, experiment 1 examined the distribution of information along the transition bands' slopes by truncation at graded downpoints: Truncation at downpoints of 40 dB or more produced no significant change in intelligibility. Experiment 2 closed the gap separating the transition bands so that their slopes intersected at 1500 Hz. This triangular band had a negligible passband (as defined conventionally by 3-dB downpoints) and an intelligibility score of 60%; truncation at downpoints of 50 dB or more produced no significant change in intelligibility. Experiment 3 determined the intelligibilities of rectangular bands (1000-dB/octave slopes) centered on 1500 Hz. Their bandwidths ranged from 3 to 12 semitones in 1-semitone steps, resulting in intelligibility scores increasing monotonically from 14% to 94%. Calculations based upon experiments 2 and 3 showed that the triangular band truncated at 30-dB downpoints had half the intelligibility of a rectangular band having the same frequency range.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Identity and search in social networks.

Social networks have the surprising property of being "searchable": Ordinary people are capable of directing messages through their network of acquaintances to reach a specific but distant target person in only a few steps. We present a model that offers an explanation of social network searchability in terms of recognizable personal identities: sets of characteristics measured along a number of social dimensions. Our model defines a class of searchable networks and a method for searching them that may be applicable to many network search problems, including the location of data files in peer-to-peer networks, pages on the World Wide Web, and information in distributed databases.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1978

Implications of RNA-RNA splicing in evolution of eukaryotic cells.

The differences in the biochemistry of messenger RNA formation in eukaryotes compared to prokaryotes are so profound as to suggest that sequential prokaryotic to eukaryotic cell evolution seems unlikely. The recently discovered noncontiguous sequences in eukaryotic DNA that encode messenger RNA may reflect an ancient, rather than a new, distribution of information in DNA and that eukaryotes evolved independently of prokaryotes.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1988

Are general practitioners ready to prevent the spread of HIV?

General practitioners are excellently placed to assess a person's risk of being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to give advice on reducing that risk. Their attitudes to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and infection with HIV are, however, unknown. A questionnaire survey of 196 general practitioners in East Berkshire Health District was used to assess general practitioners' readiness to undertake opportunistic health education to prevent the spread of infection with HIV. Altogether 132 replied. Sixty four of them expressed little interest in health education about HIV, and one in six would not dissent from the notion that AIDS could be controlled only by criminalising homosexuality. Only 75 of them had initiated discussions about HIV with patients. Moreover, many underestimated the risks from heterosexual sex while exaggerating the risks from non-sexual contact. Advice from general practitioners if given extensively might reduce the spread of infection with HIV. How best this may be achieved needs to be considered urgently.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

General practitioners and management of infection with HIV.

General practitioners will have an increasingly important role in the management of patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the numbers of cases increase. Altogether 280 general practitioners working in Oxfordshire were sent a postal questionnaire inquiring about their education, knowledge, current practice, and attitudes in relation to managing infections with HIV. Of the 235 (84%) general practitioners who replied, nine out of 10 were giving advice about infection with HIV to their patients. One in two were testing patients for such infection, and one in four were caring for infected patients. Nevertheless, uncertainty remained about the risks of transmission of infection with HIV and general practitioners' knowledge of educational activities for their patients could be improved. The introduction of a facilitator to work with general practitioners in managing patients with AIDS or infection with HIV is planned, especially to help general practitioners develop the skills needed for prevention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Health information for the developing world.

Doctors and other health professionals in developing countries are missing out on relevant information about health. A lot of the information they need is available in the developed countries, and those who have it are happy to share it with them. But transporting information, like food or medicines, from one part of the world to another is not an easy task nor is it the complete answer to the information drought. It is one thing to ferry books and journals from Europe to Africa and another to make relevant information available to the right person at the right time at an affordable cost.

Books↗