Sample records for united states differences

  1. Operations: A Comparative Study of the United States and Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Cheng-Yao; Becker, Jerry; Byun, Mi-Ran; Yang, Der-Ching; Huang, Tsai-Wei

    2013-01-01

    This study examined (a) the differences in preservice teachers’ procedural knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, (b) the differences in preservice teachers’ conceptual knowledge in four areas of fraction operations in Taiwan and the United States, and (c) correlation in preservice teachers’ conceptual…

  2. Management of unstable angina pectoris and non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction in the United States and Canada (the TIMI III Registry).

    PubMed

    Anderson, H V; Gibson, R S; Stone, P H; Cannon, C P; Aguirre, F; Thompson, B; Knatterud, G L; Braunwald, E

    1997-06-01

    Management of Q-wave acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown to differ between the United States and Canada, with more catheterization and revascularization procedures performed in the United States, but with little or no apparent difference in clinical outcomes. No previous studies have evaluated management differences for the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina pectoris and non-Q-wave AMI. We therefore compared treatments and outcomes between 14 United States and 4 Canadian tertiary care centers participating in an observational registry of all consecutive admissions for unstable angina or non-Q-wave AMI between 1990 and 1993. A random, stratified sample was selected for detailed assessment and follow-up. There were 1,733 patients enrolled in United States centers and 642 in Canadian ones. In United States centers patients were less likely to receive intravenous nitroglycerin, heparin, beta blockers, calcium antagonists, or > or = 2 anti-ischemic agents. Coronary arteriography during index hospitalization was equally frequent in both countries (63.4% vs 66.9%, p = 0.781), but at 6 weeks and 1 year coronary arteriography was slightly less frequent in the United States patients. Revascularization by coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery was equivalent at 6 weeks and 1 year; however, there were trends toward less angioplasty and more bypass surgery in the United States than in Canada. Patients at United States centers stayed in the hospital fewer days than patients at Canadian centers (mean 8.2 vs 12.1 days, p <0.001). Death or AMI by 6 weeks was not different (4.8% vs 4.4%, p = 0.633), nor was it different at 1 year (10.0% vs 10.2%, p = 0.836). The combined outcome of death, AMI, or recurrent ischemia was more common in United States than in Canadian patients at 6 weeks (18.4% vs 13.9%, p = 0.004). Our findings indicate that United States physicians and hospitals did not consistently utilize more resources and were not more aggressive than their Canadian counterparts when treating acute coronary syndromes during this period.

  3. Business Students' Perception of Sales Careers: Differences between Students in Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karakaya, Fahri; Quigley, Charles; Bingham, Frank; Hari, Juerg; Nasir, Aslihan

    2014-01-01

    This research measures perceptual differences between sales and sales careers among business students studying in the United States, Switzerland, and Turkey. Earlier studies indicate that selling and a sales career are not viewed favorably by students in the United States and several other countries. This study expands on prior studies by…

  4. Variation in cash price of the generic medications most prescribed by dermatologists in pharmacies across the United States.

    PubMed

    Alghanem, Noor; Abokwidir, Manal; Fleischer, Alan B; Feldman, Steven R; Alghanem, Ward

    2017-03-01

    The United States has the highest drug costs in the world. Consumers complain about large price differences at pharmacies on generic drugs. To evaluate variation in cash prices of generic medications most prescribed in dermatology across different drugstores and states in United States. The 11 generic drugs most prescribed by dermatologists according to National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were assessed. By using Google, the most common used pharmacies in United States were listed, which are located at a random selection of six states. By calling the first available number of each pharmacy in the six states and asking about the generic cash price of the smallest stock size and the most prescribed type, the data were collected. Drug prices varied; the median cumulative price of the 11 medications was highest at Rite Aid ($1226) and lowest at Walmart ($795.34) with 35% difference. The prices at CVS differed by 20% across different states; however, the prices at Walmart, Rite Aid and Walgreens were consistent. New York has the highest and Iowa the lowest prices, especially at CVS, ($1160.79) versus ($931.32). There are varieties in the prices for the generic medications in different pharmacies and States.

  5. Losses of Ammonia and Nitrate from Agriculture and Their Effect on Nitrogen Recovery in the European Union and the United States between 1900 and 2050.

    PubMed

    van Grinsven, Hans J M; Bouwman, Lex; Cassman, Kenneth G; van Es, Harold M; McCrackin, Michelle L; Beusen, Arthur H W

    2015-03-01

    Historical trends and levels of nitrogen (N) budgets and emissions to air and water in the European Union and the United States are markedly different. Agro-environmental policy approaches also differ, with emphasis on voluntary or incentive-based schemes in the United States versus a more regulatory approach in the European Union. This paper explores the implications of these differences for attaining long-term policy targets for air and water quality. Nutrient surplus problems were more severe in the European Union than in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. The EU Nitrates and National Emission Ceilings directives contributed to decreases in fertilizer use, N surplus, and ammonia (NH) emissions, whereas in the United States they stabilized, although NH emissions are still increasing. These differences were analyzed using statistical data for 1900-2005 and the global IMAGE model. IMAGE could reproduce NH emissions and soil N surpluses at different scales (European Union and United States, country and state) and N loads in the Rhine and Mississippi. The regulation-driven changes during the past 25 yr in the European Union have reduced public concerns and have brought agricultural N loads to the aquatic environment closer to US levels. Despite differences in agro-environmental policies and agricultural structure (more N-fixing soybean and more spatially separated feed and livestock production in the United States than in the European Union), current N use efficiency in US and EU crop production is similar. IMAGE projections for the IAASTD-baseline scenario indicate that N loading to the environment in 2050 will be similar to current levels. In the United States, environmental N loads will remain substantially smaller than in the European Union, whereas agricultural production in 2050 in the United States will increase by 30% relative to 2005, as compared with an increase of 8% in the European Union. However, in the United States, even rigorous mitigation with maximum recycling of manure N and a 25% reduction in fertilizer use will not achieve the policy target to halve the N export to the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  6. National Perspectives on Data Protection.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yurow, Jane

    1983-01-01

    Discussion of different approaches to protecting personal information in Europe and the United States highlights data protection laws and agreements (international transfer of personal data, European laws, United States state and federal laws), United States and European views of privacy protection, national economic and political goals, and…

  7. The Contribution of National Disparities to International Differences in Mortality Between the United States and 7 European Countries

    PubMed Central

    Avendano, Mauricio; Berkman, Lisa F.; Bopp, Matthias; Deboosere, Patrick; Lundberg, Olle; Martikainen, Pekka; Menvielle, Gwenn; van Lenthe, Frank J.; Mackenbach, Johan P.

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. This study examined to what extent the higher mortality in the United States compared to many European countries is explained by larger social disparities within the United States. We estimated the expected US mortality if educational disparities in the United States were similar to those in 7 European countries. Methods. Poisson models were used to quantify the association between education and mortality for men and women aged 30 to 74 years in the United States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland for the period 1989 to 2003. US data came from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index and the European data came from censuses linked to national mortality registries. Results. If people in the United States had the same distribution of education as their European counterparts, the US mortality disadvantage would be larger. However, if educational disparities in mortality within the United States equaled those within Europe, mortality differences between the United States and Europe would be reduced by 20% to 100%. Conclusions. Larger educational disparities in mortality in the United States than in Europe partly explain why US adults have higher mortality than their European counterparts. Policies to reduce mortality among the lower educated will be necessary to bridge the mortality gap between the United States and European countries. PMID:25713947

  8. The contribution of national disparities to international differences in mortality between the United States and 7 European countries.

    PubMed

    van Hedel, Karen; Avendano, Mauricio; Berkman, Lisa F; Bopp, Matthias; Deboosere, Patrick; Lundberg, Olle; Martikainen, Pekka; Menvielle, Gwenn; van Lenthe, Frank J; Mackenbach, Johan P

    2015-04-01

    This study examined to what extent the higher mortality in the United States compared to many European countries is explained by larger social disparities within the United States. We estimated the expected US mortality if educational disparities in the United States were similar to those in 7 European countries. Poisson models were used to quantify the association between education and mortality for men and women aged 30 to 74 years in the United States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland for the period 1989 to 2003. US data came from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index and the European data came from censuses linked to national mortality registries. If people in the United States had the same distribution of education as their European counterparts, the US mortality disadvantage would be larger. However, if educational disparities in mortality within the United States equaled those within Europe, mortality differences between the United States and Europe would be reduced by 20% to 100%. Larger educational disparities in mortality in the United States than in Europe partly explain why US adults have higher mortality than their European counterparts. Policies to reduce mortality among the lower educated will be necessary to bridge the mortality gap between the United States and European countries.

  9. Kids in Germany: Comparing Students from Different Cultures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzhugh, William P.

    This unit of study, intended for intermediate grade students, focuses on comparing students from different cultures: Germany and the United States. The unit addresses National Social Studies Standards (NCSS) standards; presents an introduction, such as purpose/rationale; cites a recommended grade level; states objectives; provides a time…

  10. Early Adolescents' Responses upon Witnessing Peer Victimization: A Cross-Culture Comparison between Students in Taiwan and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ma, Ting-Lan; Bellmore, Amy

    2016-01-01

    To examine cross-cultural differences in behavior upon witnessing peer victimization and the reasons behind the behavior, this study evaluated the responses of early adolescents from both the United States and Taiwan. Two questions were addressed: (1) Do adolescents in Taiwan and in the United States differ in their willingness to help peer…

  11. Greater Perceived Age Discrimination in England than the United States: Results from HRS and ELSA

    PubMed Central

    Zaninotto, Paola; Steptoe, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. We examined cross-national differences in perceptions of age discrimination in England and the United States. Under the premise that the United States has had age discrimination legislation in place for considerably longer than England, we hypothesized that perceptions of age discrimination would be lower in the United States. Methods. We analyzed data from two nationally representative studies of aging, the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (n = 4,818) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 7,478). Respondents aged 52 years and older who attributed any experiences of discrimination to their age were treated as cases of perceived age discrimination. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios of experiencing perceived age discrimination in relation to selected sociodemographic factors. Results. Perceptions of age discrimination were significantly higher in England than the United States, with 34.8% of men and women in England reporting age discrimination compared with 29.1% in the United States. Associations between perceived age discrimination and older age and lower levels of household wealth were observed in both countries, but we found differences between England and the United States in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and education. Discussion. Our study revealed that levels of perceived age discrimination are lower in the United States than England and are less socially patterned. This suggests that differing social and political circumstances in the two countries may have an important role to play. PMID:26224759

  12. Chapter 7: Precipitation Change in the United States

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Easterling, D. R.; Kunkel, K. E.; Arnold, J. R.; Knutson, T.; LeGrande, A. N.; Leung, L. R.; Vose, R. S.; Waliser, D. E.; Wehner, M. F.

    2017-01-01

    Annual precipitation has decreased in much of the West, Southwest, and Southeast and increased in most of the Northern and Southern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. A national average increase of 4% in annual precipitation since 1901 is mostly a result of large increases in the fall season. Heavy precipitation events in most parts of the United States have increased in both intensity and frequency since 1901. There are important regional differences in trends, with the largest increases occurring in the northeastern United States. In particular, mesoscale convective systems (organized clusters of thunderstorms)-the main mechanism for warm season precipitation in the central part of the United States-have increased in occurrence and precipitation amounts since 1979. The frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events are projected to continue to increase over the 21st century (high confidence). Mesoscale convective systems in the central United States are expected to continue to increase in number and intensity in the future. There are, however, important regional and seasonal differences in projected changes in total precipitation: the northern United States, including Alaska, is projected to receive more precipitation in the winter and spring, and parts of the southwestern United States are projected to receive less precipitation in the winter and spring. Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover extent, North America maximum snow depth, snow water equivalent in the western United States, and extreme snowfall years in the southern and western United States have all declined, while extreme snowfall years in parts of the northern United States have increased. Projections indicate large declines in snowpack in the western United States and shifts to more precipitation falling as rain than snow in the cold season in many parts of the central and eastern United States.

  13. Condoned or condemned: the situational affordance of anger and shame in the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    Boiger, Michael; Mesquita, Batja; Uchida, Yukiko; Feldman Barrett, Lisa

    2013-04-01

    Two studies tested the idea that the situations that people encounter frequently and the situations that they associate most strongly with an emotion differ across cultures in ways that can be understood from what a culture condones or condemns. In a questionnaire study, N = 163 students from the United States and Japan perceived situations as more frequent to the extent that they elicited condoned emotions (anger in the United States, shame in Japan), and they perceived situations as less frequent to the extent that they elicited condemned emotions (shame in the United States, anger in Japan). In a second study, N = 160 students from the United States and Japan free-sorted the same situations. For each emotion, the situations could be organized along two cross-culturally common dimensions. Those situations that touched upon central cultural concerns were perceived to elicit stronger emotions. The largest cultural differences were found for shame; smaller, yet meaningful, differences were found for anger.

  14. Newborn screening policy in the United Kingdom & the United States: two different communities of practice.

    PubMed

    Patch, Christine

    2006-01-01

    Newborn screening is a rapidly developing area driven by both technological advances and public pressure. If they are not yet, all nurses working with mothers and children will soon be involved with implementing newborn-screening programs, and it is therefore important that they appreciate both the benefits and potential harms of such programs. In the United Kingdom, policy regarding the implementation of newborn-screening programs is developed at national level, and consideration of the introduction of new tests is subject to a formalized evaluation framework. In the United States, by contrast, each state develops its own screening program. Knowledge of developments in newborn screening in different countries that have diverse types of healthcare systems helps to inform nurses about the totality of healthcare for newborns, and assists them in becoming more knowledgeable about how international standards differ from those in the United States.

  15. Superfund explanation of significant difference for the record of decision (EPA region 2): Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY, September 5, 1996

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announce this Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) to explain modifications to the selected remedy for the final destruction and disposal of Love Canal dioxin-contaminated sewer and creek sediments. These modifications are embodied in proposed changes to a partial consent decree between the United States and the State of New York and the Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

  16. Greater Perceived Age Discrimination in England than the United States: Results from HRS and ELSA.

    PubMed

    Rippon, Isla; Zaninotto, Paola; Steptoe, Andrew

    2015-11-01

    We examined cross-national differences in perceptions of age discrimination in England and the United States. Under the premise that the United States has had age discrimination legislation in place for considerably longer than England, we hypothesized that perceptions of age discrimination would be lower in the United States. We analyzed data from two nationally representative studies of aging, the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (n = 4,818) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 7,478). Respondents aged 52 years and older who attributed any experiences of discrimination to their age were treated as cases of perceived age discrimination. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios of experiencing perceived age discrimination in relation to selected sociodemographic factors. Perceptions of age discrimination were significantly higher in England than the United States, with 34.8% of men and women in England reporting age discrimination compared with 29.1% in the United States. Associations between perceived age discrimination and older age and lower levels of household wealth were observed in both countries, but we found differences between England and the United States in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and education. Our study revealed that levels of perceived age discrimination are lower in the United States than England and are less socially patterned. This suggests that differing social and political circumstances in the two countries may have an important role to play. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

  17. Variation in child body mass index patterns by race/ethnicity and maternal nativity status in the United States and England.

    PubMed

    Martinson, Melissa L; McLanahan, Sara; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

    2015-02-01

    This paper examines body mass index (BMI) trajectories among children from different race/ethnic and maternal nativity backgrounds in the United States and England from early- to middle-childhood. This study is the first to examine race/ethnic and maternal nativity differences in BMI trajectories in both countries. We use two longitudinal birth cohort studies-The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 3,285) for the United States and the Millennium Cohort Study (n = 6,700) for England to estimate trajectories in child BMI by race/ethnicity and maternal nativity status using multilevel growth models. In the United States our sample includes white, black, and Hispanic children; in England the sample includes white, black, and Asian children. We find significant race/ethnic differences in the initial BMI and BMI trajectories of children in both countries, with all non-white groups having significantly steeper BMI growth trajectories than whites. Nativity differences in BMI trajectories vary by race/ethnic group and are only statistically significantly higher for children of foreign-born blacks in England. Disparities in BMI trajectories are pervasive in the United States and England, despite lower overall BMI among English children. Future studies should consider both race/ethnicity and maternal nativity status subgroups when examining disparities in BMI in the United States and England. Differences in BMI are apparent in early childhood, which suggests that interventions targeting pre-school age children may be most effective at stemming childhood disparities in BMI.

  18. Self-selection and earnings assimilation: immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel and the United States.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Yinon; Haberfeld, Yitchak

    2007-08-01

    Drawing on U.S. decennial census data and on Israeli census and longitudinal data, we compare the educational levels and earnings assimilation of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in the United States and Israel during 1968-2000. Because the doors to both countries were practically open to FSU immigrants between 1968 and 1989, when FSU immigrants were entitled to refugee visas in the United States, the comparison can be viewed as a natural experiment in immigrants' destination choices. The results suggest that FSU immigrants to the United States are of significantly higher educational level and experience significantly faster rates of earnings assimilation in their new destination than their counterparts who immigrated to Israel. We present evidence that patterns of self-selection in immigration to Israel and the United States--on both measured and unmeasured productivity-related traits--is the main reason for these results. When the immigration regulations in the United States changed in 1989, and FSU Jewish immigrants to the United States had to rely on family reunification for obtaining immigrant visas, the adverse effects of the policy change on the type of FSU immigrants coming to the United States were minor and short-lived As early as 1992, the gaps in the educational levels between FSU immigrants coming to Israel and to the United States returned to their pre-1989 levels, and the differences in earnings assimilation of post-1989 immigrants in the United States and Israel are similar to the differences detected in the 1980s.

  19. Language and Politics in the United States and Canada: Myths and Realities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ricento, Thomas, Ed.; Burnaby, Barbara, Ed.

    This collection includes the following essays on language and politics in North America: "Respecting the Citizens: Reflections on Language Policy in Canada and the United States" (Colin H. Williams); "The Politics of Language in Canada and the United States: Explaining the Differences" (Ronald Schmidt, Sr.); "Demographic…

  20. Information Access in Rural Areas of the United States: The Public Library's Role in the Digital Divide and the Implications of Differing State Funding Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thiele, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    In the United States, individual states have different means of determining and distributing funding. This influences library service and access to information particularly as it pertains to critical Internet access. Funding and service trends have changed, especially as it relates to public libraries, with some modifications working to their…

  1. Examination of Demographic Differences Between the United States Population and the United States Air Force

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-04-01

    realm of gender and race /ethnic background. Finally, analysis is accomplished on these differences and conclusions drawn to ascertain any consequences... Race /Ethnic Comparison ............................................................................................ 31 Hispanic Population...Population............................................................................ 36 Race /Ethnic by Gender Comparison

  2. Mathematics Classrooms in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stigler, James W.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Studies were conducted in Chinese, Japanese, and American classrooms during mathematics classes. Large cross-cultural differences were found in variables related to classroom structure and management. These paralleled differences in mathematics achievement among China, Japan, and the United States. (PCB)

  3. De Facto Language Policy in Legislation Defining Adult Basic Education in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanek, Jenifer

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of differing interpretation of federal education policy in three different states. The policy, the Workforce Investment Act Title II, has defined the services provided for adult English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Adult Basic Education programs in the United States since it was passed in 1998. At the…

  4. Comparison of work related fatal injuries in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand: method and overall findings

    PubMed Central

    Feyer, A; Williamson, A; Stout, N; Driscoll, T; Usher, H; Langley, J

    2001-01-01

    Objectives—To compare the extent, distribution, and nature of fatal occupational injury in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Setting—Workplaces in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Methods—Data collections based on vital records were used to compare overall rates and distribution of fatal injuries covering the period 1989–92 in Australia and the United States, and 1985–94 in New Zealand. Household labour force data (Australia and the United States) and census data (New Zealand) provided denominator data for calculation of rates. Case definition, case inclusion criteria, and classification of occupation and industry were harmonised across the three datasets. Results—New Zealand had the highest average annual rate (4.9/100 000), Australia an intermediate rate (3.8/100 000), and the United States the lowest rate (3.2/100 000) of fatal occupational injury. Much of the difference between countries was accounted for by differences in industry distribution. In each country, male workers, older workers, and those working in agriculture, forestry and fishing, in mining and in construction, were consistently at higher risk. Intentional fatal injury was more common in the United States, being rare in both Australia and New Zealand. This difference is likely to be reflected in the more common incidence of work related fatal injuries for sales workers in the United States compared with Australia and New Zealand. Conclusions—The present results contrasted with those obtained by a recent study that used published omnibus statistics, both in terms of absolute rates and relative ranking of the three countries. Such differences underscore the importance of using like datasets for international comparisons. The consistency of high risk areas across comparable data from comparable nations provides clear targets for further attention. At this stage, however, it is unclear whether the same specific occupations and/or hazards are contributing to the aggregated industry and occupation group rates reported here. PMID:11289530

  5. The Past, Present and Future of Geodemographic Research in the United States and United Kingdom

    PubMed Central

    Singleton, Alexander D.; Spielman, Seth E.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an extensive comparative review of the emergence and application of geodemographics in both the United States and United Kingdom, situating them as an extension of earlier empirically driven models of urban socio-spatial structure. The empirical and theoretical basis for this generalization technique is also considered. Findings demonstrate critical differences in both the application and development of geodemographics between the United States and United Kingdom resulting from their diverging histories, variable data economies, and availability of academic or free classifications. Finally, current methodological research is reviewed, linking this discussion prospectively to the changing spatial data economy in both the United States and United Kingdom. PMID:25484455

  6. Cigarette Smoking among Korean International College Students in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sa, Jaesin; Seo, Dong-Chul; Nelson, Toben F.; Lohrmann, David K.

    2013-01-01

    Objective and Participants: This study explored (1) the prevalence of cigarette smoking among South Korean international college students in the United States, (2) differences in smoking between on- and off-campus living arrangements, and (3) predictors of an increase in smoking over time in the United States Methods: An online survey was…

  7. School Choice in Spain and the United States: A Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Umpstead, Regina; Jankens, Benjamin; Ortega Gil, Pablo; Weiss, Linda; Umpstead, Bruce

    2016-01-01

    This article explores issues of school choice in Spain and the United States by examining the roles and functions of "centros concertados," publicly funded private schools in Spain, and public charter schools in the United States, to provide key insights into the similarities and differences between them. After making a national…

  8. International Students' Adjustment to American Higher Education Institutions in Northeast Texas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, Jiashi

    2013-01-01

    The rising number of international students studying in the United States makes the country a diverse educational region. Students from other countries who choose to study in the United States experience different learning systems, different social values, and different lifestyles from their home countries. According to Hofstede (1997),…

  9. Differences and Similarities between School Principals in Costa Rica and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ballestero, Victor; Wright, Sam

    2008-01-01

    The need for effective school leadership is a global concern. This paper provides a comparison of the school principal in Costa Rica to the United States. Differences and similarities are described for principals in both nations. Major differences for principals in Costa Rica include administrative salaries, selection procedures, induction, no…

  10. Behçet syndrome manifestations and activity in the United States versus Turkey -- a cross-sectional cohort comparison.

    PubMed

    Sibley, Cailin; Yazici, Yusuf; Tascilar, Koray; Khan, Nafiz; Bata, Yasmin; Yazici, Hasan; Goldbach-Mansky, Raphaela; Hatemi, Gulen

    2014-07-01

    To compare clinical manifestations and activity of Behçet syndrome (BS) in the United States versus Turkey using validated outcome measures. Consecutive patients with BS from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), New York University, and the University of Istanbul were evaluated. Disease activity was measured using the Behçet's Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS) and the Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) with quality of life measured by the Behçet Disease Quality of Life (BDQOL) form. One-way ANOVA, t-tests, and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Mean age did not differ between sites; however, more women were seen in the United States versus in Turkey (p < 0.001), and disease duration was longer in the United States (p = 0.02). Organ manifestations were similar for oral and genital ulcers, skin disease, arthralgia, eye disease, and thrombosis. However, more gastrointestinal (p < 0.001) and neurologic disease (p = 0.003) was seen in the United States. BSAS and BDCAF scores were worse in the United States compared to Turkey (p = 0.013 and < 0.001, respectively). Worse mean BDQOL scores were observed at the NIH compared to Istanbul (not significant). Multivariable regression models showed worse scores in ethnically atypical patients for BSAS and BDCAF (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001), American patients for BDCAF (p = 0.01), older age for BDCAF (p = 0.005), and women for BDQOL (p = 0.01). Demographic and clinical manifestations of BS differ between sites with higher disease activity in the United States compared to Turkey. Referral patterns, age, sex, ethnicity, and country of origin may be important in these differences. These observations raise the question of whether pathogenic mechanisms differ in Turkish and American patients.

  11. Competitive Electricity Market Regulation in the United States: A Primer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Flores-Espino, Francisco; Tian, Tian; Chernyakhovskiy, Ilya

    The electricity system in the United States is a complex mechanism where different technologies, jurisdictions and regulatory designs interact. Today, two major models for electricity commercialization operate in the United States. One is the regulated monopoly model, in which vertically integrated electricity providers are regulated by state commissions. The other is the competitive model, in which power producers can openly access transmission infrastructure and participate in wholesale electricity markets. This paper describes the origins, evolution, and current status of the regulations that enable competitive markets in the United States.

  12. A comparison of foetal and infant mortality in the United States and Canada.

    PubMed

    Ananth, Cande V; Liu, Shiliang; Joseph, K S; Kramer, Michael S

    2009-04-01

    Infant mortality rates are higher in the United States than in Canada. We explored this difference by comparing gestational age distributions and gestational age-specific mortality rates in the two countries. Stillbirth and infant mortality rates were compared for singleton births at >or=22 weeks and newborns weighing>or=500 g in the United States and Canada (1996-2000). Since menstrual-based gestational age appears to misclassify gestational duration and overestimate both preterm and postterm birth rates, and because a clinical estimate of gestation is the only available measure of gestational age in Canada, all comparisons were based on the clinical estimate. Data for California were excluded because they lacked a clinical estimate. Gestational age-specific comparisons were based on the foetuses-at-risk approach. The overall stillbirth rate in the United States (37.9 per 10,000 births) was similar to that in Canada (38.2 per 10,000 births), while the overall infant mortality rate was 23% (95% CI 19-26%) higher (50.8 vs 41.4 per 10,000 births, respectively). The gestational age distribution was left-shifted in the United States relative to Canada; consequently, preterm birth rates were 8.0 and 6.0%, respectively. Stillbirth and early neonatal mortality rates in the United States were lower at term gestation only. However, gestational age-specific late neonatal, post-neonatal and infant mortality rates were higher in the United States at virtually every gestation. The overall stillbirth rates (per 10,000 foetuses at risk) among Blacks and Whites in the United States, and in Canada were 59.6, 35.0 and 38.3, respectively, whereas the corresponding infant mortality rates were 85.6, 49.7 and 42.2, respectively. Differences in gestational age distributions and in gestational age-specific stillbirth and infant mortality in the United States and Canada underscore substantial differences in healthcare services, population health status and health policy between the two neighbouring countries.

  13. Comparison of Plastic Surgery Residency Training in United States and China.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Jianmin; Zhang, Boheng; Yin, Yiqing; Fang, Taolin; Wei, Ning; Lineaweaver, William C; Zhang, Feng

    2015-12-01

    Residency training is internationally recognized as the only way for the physicians to be qualified to practice independently. China has instituted a new residency training program for the specialty of plastic surgery. Meanwhile, plastic surgery residency training programs in the United States are presently in a transition because of restricted work hours. The purpose of this study is to compare the current characteristics of plastic surgery residency training in 2 countries. Flow path, structure, curriculum, operative experience, research, and evaluation of training in 2 countries were measured. The number of required cases was compared quantitatively whereas other aspects were compared qualitatively. Plastic surgery residency training programs in 2 countries differ regarding specific characteristics. Requirements to become a plastic surgery resident in the United States are more rigorous. Ownership structure of the regulatory agency for residency training in 2 countries is diverse. Training duration in the United States is more flexible. Clinical and research training is more practical and the method of evaluation of residency training is more reasonable in the United States. The job opportunities after residency differ substantially between 2 countries. Not every resident has a chance to be an independent surgeon and would require much more training time in China than it does in the United States. Plastic surgery residency training programs in the United States and China have their unique characteristics. The training programs in the United States are more standardized. Both the United States and China may complement each other to create training programs that will ultimately provide high-quality care for all people.

  14. Wealth "Dynamics" in the 1980s and 1990s: Sweden and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klevmarken, N. Anders; Lupton, Joseph P.; Stafford, Frank P.

    2003-01-01

    Given differences in public saving programs between Sweden and the United States, an examination of household private wealth accumulation in these two countries can be enlightening. In this paper we examine wealth inequality and mobility in Sweden and the United States over the past decade. We show that wealth inequality has been significantly…

  15. Beyond borders: comparative quantitative research on partner violence in the United States and Mexico.

    PubMed

    Frías, Sonia M; Angel, Ronald J

    2012-01-01

    We employ two surveys to identify similarities and differences in the risk of abuse among poor urban Mexican-origin women in the United States and Mexico. While the two surveys reveal basic structural similarity in the predictors of partner violence, the rate of violence among Mexican women is far lower than among either foreign-born or native-born Mexican origin women in the United States. While these differences may reflect reality, we argue that survey data must be interpreted cautiously and with an understanding of the cultural, economic, and political context in which the information is collected as well as methodological differences between the surveys.

  16. Medical Spending Differences in the United States and Canada: The Role of Prices, Procedures, and Administrative Expenses

    PubMed Central

    Pozen, Alexis; Cutler, David M.

    2011-01-01

    The United States far outspends Canada on health care, but the sources of additional spending are unclear. We evaluated the importance of incomes, administration, and medical interventions in this difference. Pooling various sources, we calculated medical personnel incomes, administrative expenses, and procedure volume and intensity for the United States and Canada. We found that Canada spent $1,589 per capita less on physicians and hospitals in 2002. Administration accounted for the largest share of this difference (39%), followed by incomes (31%), and more intensive provision of medical services (14%). Whether this additional spending is wasteful or warranted is unknown. PMID:20812461

  17. Child Care in the United States: Who Shapes State Policies for Children?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Guat Tin

    2006-01-01

    Child care research is traditionally interested in the effects of the child care experience on child development. This article examines a different question: Who shapes state child care policy in the United States? The study, based on 49 states, shows that contrary to expectations, women's political representation, governor's party affiliation,…

  18. Comparing the epidemic in U.S. and Britain.

    PubMed

    Harmon, K S

    1999-01-01

    Cultural differences between the United States and Britain influence how the AIDS/HIV epidemic is being addressed and why AIDS rates are smaller in the United Kingdom. The author proposes that highly diverse and racist societies, like in the United States, may cause distrust among different groups in the effort to challenge the spread of HIV/AIDS, leaving people to fend for themselves. Because of racism and distrust between ethnic and racial groups, as well as differences in financial resources between groups, the AIDS epidemic in the United States is being fought on too many fronts without the benefit of a uniform response. Ironically, this problem has also spurred a greater ability among US AIDS service providers to work with diverse communities during the course of the epidemic.

  19. Socioeconomic Segregation in Large Cities in France and the United States.

    PubMed

    Quillian, Lincoln; Lagrange, Hugues

    2016-08-01

    Past cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic segregation have been undercut by lack of comparability in measures, data, and concepts. Using IRIS data from the French Census of 2008 and the French Ministry of Finance as well as tract data from the American Community Survey (2006-2010) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Picture of Subsidized Households, and constructing measures to be as similar as possible, we compare socioeconomic segregation in metropolitan areas with a population of more than 1 million in France and the United States. We find much higher socioeconomic segregation in large metropolitan areas in the United States than in France. We also find (1) a strong pattern of low-income neighborhoods in central cities and high-income neighborhoods in suburbs in the United States, but varying patterns across metropolitan areas in France; (2) that high-income persons are the most segregated group in both countries; (3) that the shares of neighborhood income differences that can be explained by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition are similar in France and the United States; and (4) that government-assisted housing is disproportionately located in the poorest neighborhoods in the United States but is spread across many neighborhood income levels in France. We conclude that differences in government provision of housing assistance and levels of income inequality are likely important contributing factors to the Franco-U.S. difference in socioeconomic segregation.

  20. A 16-year time series of 1 km AVHRR satellite data of the conterminous United States and Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eidenshink, Jeff

    2006-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a 16-year time series of vegetation condition information for the conterminous United States and Alaska using 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The AVHRR data have been processed using consistent methods that account for radiometric variability due to calibration uncertainty, the effects of the atmosphere on surface radiometric measurements obtained from wide field-of-view observations, and the geometric registration accuracy. The conterminous United States and Alaska data sets have an atmospheric correction for water vapor, ozone, and Rayleigh scattering and include a cloud mask derived using the Clouds from AVHRR (CLAVR) algorithm. In comparison with other AVHRR time series data sets, the conterminous United States and Alaska data are processed using similar techniques. The primary difference is that the conterminous United States and Alaska data are at 1 km resolution, while others are at 8 km resolution. The time series consists of weekly and biweekly maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composites.

  1. National Culture-Management Practices: United States and Saudi Arabia Contrasted.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hashmi, Mahmud S.

    Successful conduct of business in Saudi Arabia requires attitudes and skills significantly different from those needed in the United States. Distinct societal differences can turn winning practices in one culture into failures in another. Despite Saudi Arabia's recent emergence as a wealthy marketplace, traditional values and a unique lifestyle…

  2. Literacy Coaching in the United States: Implications for Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lo, Mei-lan

    2012-01-01

    Literacy coaching has become a popular professional development approach in the United States over the last decade. To date, there has been little research on the different lived experiences and challenges of literacy coaches working in different contexts. Furthermore, research findings regarding the effectiveness of literacy coaching are…

  3. Symptoms experienced during menopausal transition: Korean women in South Korea and the United States.

    PubMed

    Im, Eun-Ok

    2003-10-01

    This article reports on cultural influences on symptoms experienced during menopausal transition of Korean women in South Korea and Korean immigrant women in the United States. Data from independent studies of two groups of Korean women were triangulated and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis indicated that Korean women in South Korea tended to report more symptoms than Korean immigrant women in the United States. Types and severity of prevalent symptoms were also found to be different between the two groups. The findings suggest that recent introduction of menopausal industries in South Korea and contextual influences on Korean women's work and immigration in the United States would be the reason for differences. Based on the findings, implications for future research are proposed.

  4. Map of forest ownership in the conterminous United States. [Scale 1:7,500,000].

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; Greg C. Liknes; Brett J. Butler

    2010-01-01

    This map depicts the spatial distribution of forest land across the conterminous United States, in 2007, differentiated into public vs. private forest land, and the percentage of corporate ownership of private forest land. Notable differences between eastern and western United States are evident on the map. Over two-thirds of western forest land is publicly owned, the...

  5. Political Values in Educational Finance: A Comparative Study of Canada and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawton, Stephen B.

    Equality of educational opportunity is a social goal in both the United States and Canada; yet, the nations differ considerably in their approaches and progress toward this objective. Canada appears to have achieved greater equality of condition vis-a-vis education than has the United States, judged by variation in expenditure per student among…

  6. Survival Comparison of Patients With Cystic Fibrosis in Canada and the United States: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Stephenson, Anne L; Sykes, Jenna; Stanojevic, Sanja; Quon, Bradley S; Marshall, Bruce C; Petren, Kristofer; Ostrenga, Josh; Fink, Aliza K; Elbert, Alexander; Goss, Christopher H

    2017-04-18

    In 2011, the median age of survival of patients with cystic fibrosis reported in the United States was 36.8 years, compared with 48.5 years in Canada. Direct comparison of survival estimates between national registries is challenging because of inherent differences in methodologies used, data processing techniques, and ascertainment bias. To use a standardized approach to calculate cystic fibrosis survival estimates and to explore differences between Canada and the United States. Population-based study. 42 Canadian cystic fibrosis clinics and 110 U.S. cystic fibrosis care centers. Patients followed in the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry (CCFR) and U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry (CFFPR) between 1990 and 2013. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare survival between patients followed in the CCFR (n = 5941) and those in the CFFPR (n = 45 448). Multivariable models were used to adjust for factors known to be associated with survival. Median age of survival in patients with cystic fibrosis increased in both countries between 1990 and 2013; however, in 1995 and 2005, survival in Canada increased at a faster rate than in the United States (P < 0.001). On the basis of contemporary data from 2009 to 2013, the median age of survival in Canada was 10 years greater than in the United States (50.9 vs. 40.6 years, respectively). The adjusted risk for death was 34% lower in Canada than the United States (hazard ratio, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.54 to 0.81]). A greater proportion of patients in Canada received transplants (10.3% vs. 6.5%, respectively [standardized difference, 13.7]). Differences in survival between U.S. and Canadian patients varied according to U.S. patients' insurance status. Ascertainment bias due to missing data or nonrandom loss to follow-up might affect the results. Differences in cystic fibrosis survival between Canada and the United States persisted after adjustment for risk factors associated with survival, except for private-insurance status among U.S. patients. Differential access to transplantation, increased posttransplant survival, and differences in health care systems may, in part, explain the Canadian survival advantage. U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

  7. United States Air Force Summer Research Program -- 1991. High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP) Reports, Volume 12: Rome Laboratory, Arnold Engineering Development Plan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-12-01

    UNITED STATES AIR FORCE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM -- 19k’ HIGH SCF-0)OL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (HSAP) REtFOC2TS VOLUME 12 ROME LABORATORY ARNOLD...capacity requirements. In the United States and Japan, it has 1.544 Mbps channels (23B+D), and Europe has 2.048 Mbps channels (30B+D). Both are provided over...because of the standard 64 kbps and the layered protocols. Even though the United States and Europe have different primary access channels, the basic

  8. Plastic Surgery Training Worldwide: Part 1. The United States and Europe

    PubMed Central

    Kamali, Parisa; van Paridon, Maaike W.; Ibrahim, Ahmed M. S.; Paul, Marek A.; Winters, Henri A.; Martinot-Duquennoy, Veronique; Noah, Ernst Magnus; Pallua, Norbert

    2016-01-01

    Background: Major differences exist in residency training, and the structure and quality of residency programs differ between different countries and teaching centers. It is of vital importance that a better understanding of the similarities and differences in plastic surgery training be ascertained as a means of initiating constructive discussion and commentary among training programs worldwide. In this study, the authors provide an overview of plastic surgery training in the United States and Europe. Methods: A survey was sent to select surgeons in 10 European countries that were deemed to be regular contributors to the plastic surgery literature. The questions focused on pathway to plastic surgery residency, length of training, required pretraining experience, training scheme, research opportunities, and examinations during and after plastic surgery residency. Results: Plastic surgery residency training programs in the United States differ from the various (selected) countries in Europe and are described in detail. Conclusions: Plastic surgery education is vastly different between the United States and Europe, and even within Europe, training programs remain heterogeneous. Standardization of curricula across the different countries would improve the interaction of different centers and facilitate the exchange of vital information for quality control and future improvements. The unique characteristics of the various training programs potentially provide a basis from which to learn and to gain from one another. PMID:27257571

  9. Rates of Student-Reported Antisocial Behavior, School Suspensions, and Arrests in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hemphill, Sheryl A.; McMorris, Barbara J.; Toumbourou, John W.; Herrenkohl, Todd I.; Catalano, Richard F.; Mathers, Megan

    2007-01-01

    Background: Few methodologically rigorous international comparisons of student-reported antisocial behavior have been conducted. This paper examines whether there are differences in the frequency of both antisocial behavior and societal responses to antisocial behavior in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States. These 2 states were…

  10. 75 FR 31465 - United States, State of Illinois, State of Colorado, and State of Indiana

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-03

    ..., and often offer full-service restaurants or in-service dining. Premiere theatres also differ from... selection is deemed not to be a suitable alternative, the United States shall in its sole discretion select... suitable alternative pursuant to Section VI(A). If AMC's selection is deemed not to be a suitable...

  11. LEGAL ASPECTS OF METROPOLITAN SOLUTIONS FOR PROBLEMS OF RACIAL ISOLATION.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1967

    PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BOTH WITHIN THE STATES AND FROM STATE TO STATE. IN SOME CASES SCHOOL DISTRICT STRUCTURE IS COTERMINOUS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL UNITS AND IS "DEPENDENT" ON THEM. HOWEVER, 78 PERCENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS ARE IN "INDEPENDENT" SCHOOL DISTRICTS…

  12. Generational Differences among a Small Group of Hmong Americans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vang, Pa Der

    2013-01-01

    Few studies have looked at the differences in culture, language, and educational attainments among generations of Hmong in the United States since the beginning of their immigration to the United States. This study of 195 Hmong participants examines the effects of generational status on Hmong immigrants across several factors including marriage…

  13. Defense of the United States. Aerospace Education III.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mickey, V. V.

    This publication, one in the series on Aerospace Education III, deals with the background of the defense system of the United States. Description of different wars in which this country was involved includes the development of new military organizations and different weapons. One chapter is devoted in its entirity to the organizational structure…

  14. Professionalism in Theatre for Young Audiences: Definition, Training, Working Conditions, Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oaks, Harold R.

    Interviews with representatives from ten foreign countries offer a base for the comparison of professionalism in children's theatre programs and indicate specific differences that exist in the United States and in each of the other countries. The United States differs from the other countries in its definition of professionalism, its lack of…

  15. Influence of Leader Behaviors on Creativity: A Comparative Study between South Korea and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hwang, Seog Joo

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates what are the relationships between different leader behaviors (i.e. supportive, participative, and controlling leader behaviors) and follower creativity, and whether the relationships differ between South Korea and the United States. Although creativity research suggests that supportive leader behaviors tend to enhance…

  16. Adjustment among Different Age and Ethnic Groups of Indochinese in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tran, Thanh V.

    1992-01-01

    Examined adjustment among different age and ethnic groups of Indochinese refugees in the United States. Findings from national probability sample of 3,414 respondents revealed that education, occupational status, urban/rural location in country of origin, English language ability, financial problems, gender, age, and length of U.S. residence had…

  17. Meritocracy, Tracking, and Elitism: Differentiated Citizenship Education in the United States and Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ho, Li-Ching

    2014-01-01

    Numerous studies have highlighted a clear civic achievement gap between students from different ethnic and economic backgrounds in countries such as Singapore and the United States. Concurrently, researchers from both countries have noted that access to government and civics classes and curricula differs considerably across and within schools and…

  18. The Role of Social Media in the Acculturation of South Asian Immigrants in the United States: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dayani, Dilshad

    2017-01-01

    Some South Asian immigrants in the United States experience acculturative stress as a result of sociocultural differences. Social media is a tool that can facilitate the process of acculturation of some ethnic groups in the United States such as Hispanics. The specific problem that the researcher examined in this study was that the use of social…

  19. What the United States Can Learn From Singapore's World-Class Mathematics System (and What Singapore Can Learn from the United States): An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ginsburg, Alan; Leinwand, Steven; Anstrom, Terry; Pollock, Elizabeth

    2005-01-01

    This exploratory study compares key features of the Singapore and U.S. mathematics systems in the primary grades, when students need to build a strong mathematics foundation. It identifies major differences between the mathematics frameworks, textbooks, assessments, and teachers in Singapore and the United States. It also presents initial results…

  20. Concepts and Skills in High School Calculus: An Examination of a Special Case in Japan and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Judson, Thomas W.; Nishimori, Toshiyuki

    2005-01-01

    In this study we investigated above-average high school calculus students from Japan and the United States in order to determine any differences in their conceptual understanding of calculus and their ability to use algebra to solve traditional calculus problems. We examined and interviewed 18 Calculus BC students in the United States and 26…

  1. A Comparative Study of Selected Secondary School Preservice Music Teacher Education Programs in the Republic of Korea and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Bo Yeon

    2015-01-01

    In this study, I investigated and compared secondary school preservice music teacher education programs in the Republic of Korea and in the United States of America. The purpose of this study was to identify similarities and differences between secondary school preservice music teacher education programs from Korea and the United States to…

  2. Behçet Syndrome Manifestations and Activity in the United States versus Turkey — A Cross-sectional Cohort Comparison

    PubMed Central

    Sibley, Cailin; Yazici, Yusuf; Tascilar, Koray; Khan, Nafiz; Bata, Yasmin; Yazici, Hasan; Goldbach-Mansky, Raphaela; Hatemi, Gulen

    2015-01-01

    Objective To compare clinical manifestations and activity of Behçet syndrome (BS) in the United States versus Turkey using validated outcome measures. Methods Consecutive patients with BS from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), New York University, and the University of Istanbul were evaluated. Disease activity was measured using the Behçet’s Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS) and the Behçet’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) with quality of life measured by the Behçet Disease Quality of Life (BDQOL) form. One-way ANOVA, t-tests, and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Results Mean age did not differ between sites; however, more women were seen in the United States versus in Turkey (p < 0.001), and disease duration was longer in the United States (p = 0.02). Organ manifestations were similar for oral and genital ulcers, skin disease, arthralgia, eye disease, and thrombosis. However, more gastrointestinal (p < 0.001) and neurologic disease (p = 0.003) was seen in the United States. BSAS and BDCAF scores were worse in the United States compared to Turkey (p = 0.013 and < 0.001, respectively). Worse mean BDQOL scores were observed at the NIH compared to Istanbul (not significant). Multivariable regression models showed worse scores in ethnically atypical patients for BSAS and BDCAF (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001), American patients for BDCAF (p = 0.01), older age for BDCAF (p = 0.005), and women for BDQOL (p = 0.01). Conclusion Demographic and clinical manifestations of BS differ between sites with higher disease activity in the United States compared to Turkey. Referral patterns, age, sex, ethnicity, and country of origin may be important in these differences. These observations raise the question of whether pathogenic mechanisms differ in Turkish and American patients. PMID:24931953

  3. Different contexts, different effects? Work time and mental health in the United States and Germany.

    PubMed

    Kleiner, Sibyl; Schunck, Reinhard; Schömann, Klaus

    2015-03-01

    This paper takes a comparative approach to the topic of work time and health, asking whether weekly work hours matter for mental health. We hypothesize that these relationships differ within the United States and Germany, given the more regulated work time environments within Germany and the greater incentives to work long hours in the United States. We further hypothesize that German women will experience greatest penalties to long hours. We use data from the German Socioeconomic Panel and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine hours effects on mental health score at midlife. The results support our initial hypothesis. In Germany, longer work time is associated with worse mental health, while in the United States, as seen in previous research, the associations are more complex. Our results do not show greater mental health penalties for German women and suggest instead a selection effect into work hours operating by gender. © American Sociological Association 2015.

  4. Economic Outcomes among Latino Migrants to Spain and the United States: Differences by Source Region and Legal Status

    PubMed Central

    Connor, Phillip; Massey, Douglas S.

    2011-01-01

    Using representative national surveys, this paper compares economic outcomes among Latin American migrants to Spain and the United States in the first cross-national comparison using quantitative data. Considering the geographic location and social proximity of each country with respect to Latin America, we detect a critical selection effect whereby the majority of Latin American migrants to Spain originate in South America from middle class backgrounds, whereas most migrants to the United States are Central Americans of lower class origins. This selection effect accounts for cross-national differences in the probability of employment, occupational attainment, and wages earned. Despite differences in the origins and characteristics of Latino immigrants to each country, demographic and human and social capital factors appear to operate similarly in both places; and when models are estimated separately by legal status, we find that effects are more accentuated for undocumented compared with documented migrants, especially in the United States. PMID:21776179

  5. Legal Teaching Methods to Diverse Student Cohorts: A Comparison between the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kraal, Diane

    2017-01-01

    This article makes a comparison across the unique educational settings of law and business schools in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand to highlight differences in teaching methods necessary for culturally and ethnically mixed student cohorts derived from high migration, student mobility, higher education rankings…

  6. Fighting Poverty: Attentive Policy Can Make a Huge Difference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smeeding, Timothy M.; Waldfogel, Jane

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses the implication of the implementation of anti-poverty policy in both the United Kingdom and the United States. International studies of child poverty usually find that the United States and United Kingdom are at the bottom of the league table in terms of child poverty. Indeed, the U.S. and U.K do not fare well in…

  7. Health-related quality of life of cataract patients: cross-cultural comparisons of utility and psychometric measures.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jae Eun; Fos, Peter J; Zuniga, Miguel A; Kastl, Peter R; Sung, Jung Hye

    2003-07-01

    This study was conducted to assess the presence and/or absence of cross-cultural differences or similarities between Korean and United States cataract patients. A systematic assessment was performed using utility and psychometric measures in the study population. A cross-sectional study design was used to examine the comparison of preoperative outcomes measures in cataract patients in Korea and the United States. Study subjects were selected using non-probabilistic methods and included 132 patients scheduled for cataract surgery in one eye. Subjects were adult cataract patients at Samsung and Kunyang General Hospital in Seoul, Korea, and Tulane University Hospital and Clinics in New Orleans, Louisiana. Preoperative utility was assessed using the verbal rating scale and standard reference gamble techniques. Current preoperative health status was assessed using the SF-36 and VF-14 surveys. Current preoperative Snellen visual acuity was used as a clinical measure of vision status. Korean patients were more likely to be younger (p = 0.001), less educated (p = 0.001), and to have worse Snellen visual acuity (p = 0.002) than United States patients. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that in contrast to Korean patients, United States patients were assessed to have higher scoring in general health, vitality, VF-14, and verbal rating for visual health. This higher scoring trend persisted after controlling for age, gender, education and Snellen visual acuity. The difference in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between the two countries was quite clear, especially in the older age and highly educated group. Subjects in Korea and the United States were significantly different in quality of life, functional status and clinical outcomes. Subjects in the United States had more favorable health outcomes than those in Korea. These differences may be caused by multiple factors, including country-specific differences in economic status, health care system, cultural value system, and health policy. Cross-cultural differences should be considered when making international comparisons of quality of life.

  8. Legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States.

    PubMed

    Yörük, Barış K

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States. State-level per capita consumption of beer, wine and spirits was analyzed using difference-in-differences econometric methods. United States. Five treatment states that repealed their laws restricting Sunday alcohol sales during 1990-2007 and 12 control states that retained their Sunday alcohol laws during the same period. Outcome measures are state-level per capita consumption of overall alcohol, beer, wine and spirits. Among the states that legalized Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Mexico experienced significant increases in overall alcohol consumption (P < 0.05). However, the effect of the legalization of Sunday alcohol sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on per capita alcohol consumption was insignificant (P = 0.964 and P = 0.367). Three out of five states in the United States that repealed their laws restricting Sunday sale of alcoholic beverages during 1990-2007 experienced significant increases in per capita alcohol consumption. This finding implies that increased alcohol availability leads to an increase in alcohol consumption. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  9. Spin, Unit Climate, and Aggression: Near Term, Long Term, and Reciprocal Predictors of Violence Among Workers in Military Settings

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-01

    differences in within-person variability in emotional state, known as “spin”) and group level variables (e.g., unit climate) hypothesized to impact...effort includes both individual level variables (e.g., differences in within-person variability in emotional state, known as “spin”) and group level...and unit level factors across time. At the individual level, we will examine within-person variability in emotion and interpersonal behaviors

  10. Household pesticide usage in the United States.

    PubMed

    Savage, E P; Keefe, T J; Wheeler, H W; Mounce, L; Helwic, L; Applehans, F; Goes, E; Goes, T; Mihlan, G; Rench, J; Taylor, D K

    1981-01-01

    A total of 10,000 U.S. households in 25 standard metropolitan statistical areas and 25 counties were included in the United States. More than 8,200 households granted an interview. Nine of every ten households in the United States used some types of pesticide in their house, garden, or yard. Households in the southeastern United States used the most pesticides. Although more than 500 different pesticide formulations were used by the sampled households, 15 pesticides accounted for 65.5% of all pesticides reported in this study. Thirteen of these 15 pesticides were insecticides, one was a herbicide, and one was a rodenticide.

  11. The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction: Report to the President of the United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-03-31

    What We Don’t Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 The United States Response: The Biodefense Shield . . . . . . . 508 Going Forward: Improving... Going Forward: A Different Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524 Protecting our Borders: The Department of Homeland Security...headquarters are felt only lightly. We understand the limits of organizational change, and many of our recommendations go beyond organizational issues and

  12. United States v. Lopez and the Demise of the Gun-Free School Zones Act: Legislative Over-Reaching or Judicial Nit-Picking?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russo, Charles J.

    1995-01-01

    In "United States v.Lopez," a highly fractured United States Supreme Court, in a five-to-four ruling that generated six different opinions, affirmed that Congress had exceeded its authority in adopting the Gun-Free School Zones Act. Provides an in-depth examination of the Court's ruling and concludes with an analysis of the legal issues…

  13. Test Format and the Variation of Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

    2016-01-01

    Prior research demonstrates the existence of gender achievement gaps and the variation in the magnitude of these gaps across states. This paper characterizes the extent to which the variation of gender achievement gaps on standardized tests across the United States can be explained by differing state accountability test formats. A comprehensive…

  14. Education, Social Capital and State Formation in Comparative Historical Perspective: Preliminary Investigations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beadie, Nancy

    2010-01-01

    The relationship between education and state formation in the United States differed from that in other countries in ways that have yet to be adequately accounted for in comparative and theoretical literatures. Specifically, in the northern United States, very high levels of mass school attendance and funding were achieved prior to and outside…

  15. A Summary and Analysis of Warrantless Arrest Statutes for Domestic Violence in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zeoli, April M.; Norris, Alexis; Brenner, Hannah

    2011-01-01

    In the United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted statutes that allow police officers to make warrantless arrests for domestic violence given probable cause; however, state laws differ from one another in multiple, important ways. Research on domestic violence warrantless arrest laws rarely describe them as anything…

  16. Equally inequitable? A cross-national comparative study of racial health inequalities in the United States and Canada.

    PubMed

    Ramraj, Chantel; Shahidi, Faraz Vahid; Darity, William; Kawachi, Ichiro; Zuberi, Daniyal; Siddiqi, Arjumand

    2016-07-01

    Prior research suggests that racial inequalities in health vary in magnitude across societies. This paper uses the largest nationally representative samples available to compare racial inequalities in health in the United States and Canada. Data were obtained from ten waves of the National Health Interview Survey (n = 162,271,885) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (n = 19,906,131) from 2000 to 2010. We estimated crude and adjusted odds ratios, and risk differences across racial groups for a range of health outcomes in each country. Patterns of racial health inequalities differed across the United States and Canada. After adjusting for covariates, black-white and Hispanic-white inequalities were relatively larger in the United States, while aboriginal-white inequalities were larger in Canada. In both countries, socioeconomic factors did not explain inequalities across racial groups to the same extent. In conclusion, while racial inequalities in health exist in both the United States and Canada, the magnitudes of these inequalities as well as the racial groups affected by them, differ considerably across the two countries. This suggests that the relationship between race and health varies as a function of the societal context in which it operates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The Cultural Influence in Accounting Standard Setting: A Comparative Analysis of the United States, Canada, and England.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bloom, Robert; And Others

    A study of the processes for establishing the principles and policies of measurement and disclosure in preparing financial reports examines differences in these processes in the United States, Canada, and England. Information was drawn from international accounting literature on standard setting. The differences and similarities in the…

  18. Income Inequality across Micro and Meso Geographic Scales in the Midwestern United States, 1979-2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peters, David J.

    2012-01-01

    This article examines the spatial distribution of income inequality and the socioeconomic factors affecting it using spatial analysis techniques across 16,285 block groups, 5,050 tracts, and 618 counties in the western part of the North Central Region of the United States. Different geographic aggregations result in different inequality outcomes,…

  19. Differences in liquor prices between control state-operated and license-state retail outlets in the United States.

    PubMed

    Siegel, Michael; DeJong, William; Albers, Alison B; Naimi, Timothy S; Jernigan, David H

    2013-02-01

    This study aims to compare the average price of liquor in the United States between retail alcohol outlets in states that have a monopoly ('control' states) with those that do not ('licence' states). A cross-sectional study of brand-specific alcohol prices in the United States. We determined the average prices in February 2012 of 74 brands of liquor among the 13 control states that maintain a monopoly on liquor sales at the retail level and among a sample of 50 license-state liquor stores, using their online-available prices. We calculated average prices for 74 brands of liquor by control versus license state. We used a random-effects regression model to estimate differences between control and license state prices-overall and by alcoholic beverage type. We also compared prices between the 13 control states. The overall mean price for the 74 brands was $27.79 in the license states [95% confidence interval (CI): $25.26-30.32] and $29.82 in the control states (95% CI: $26.98-32.66). Based on the random-effects linear regression model, the average liquor price was approximately $2 lower (6.9% lower) in license states. In the United States monopoly of alcohol retail outlets appears to be associated with slightly higher liquor prices. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  20. Image of the United States as a travel destination: a case study of United Kingdom college students

    Treesearch

    Sung Hee Park; Pavlina Latkova; Sarah Nicholls

    2007-01-01

    The youth travel market is a major growth segment of international tourism. The purpose of this study was to explore the travel behaviors and perceptions of United Kingdom college students with regards to the United States as a travel destination. Two objectives were formulated, to determine whether image dimensions differed based on (1) travel behavior, and (2) socio-...

  1. Global Diversity and Academic Success of Foreign-Trained Academic Neurosurgeons in the United States.

    PubMed

    Mistry, Akshitkumar M; Ganesh Kumar, Nishant; Reynolds, Rebecca A; Hale, Andrew T; Wellons, John C; Naftel, Robert P

    2017-08-01

    To quantify the proportion of academic neurosurgeons practicing in the United States who acquired residency training outside of the United States and compare their training backgrounds and academic success with those who received their residency training in the United States. We identified 1338 clinically active academic neurosurgeons from 104 programs that participated in the neurosurgery residency match in the United States in January-February 2015. Their training backgrounds, current academic positions, and history of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards between 2005 and 2014 were retrieved from publicly accessible sources. Eighty-four U.S. academic neurosurgeons (6.3%) received their residency training in 20 different countries outside of the United States/Puerto Rico, representing all major regions of the world. The majority trained in Canada (n = 48). We found no major differences between the foreign-trained and U.S.-trained neurosurgeons in male:female ratio, year of starting residency, proportion with positions in medical schools ranked in the top 15 by the U.S. News and World Report, general distribution of academic positions, and proportion with an NIH grant. Compared with U.S.-trained academic neurosurgeons, foreign-trained academic neurosurgeons had a significantly higher proportion of Ph.D. degrees (32.1% vs. 12.3%; P < 0.0001) and held more associate professorships (34.5% vs. 23.1%; P = 0.02). The academic practices of the foreign-trained neurosurgeons were widely distributed throughout the United States. A small group of U.S. academic neurosurgeons (6.3%) have acquired residency training outside of the United States, representing all major regions of the world. Their general demographic data and academic accomplishments are comparable to those of U.S.-trained neurosurgeons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Regional Variation in Breast Cancer Rates in the United States (Past Initiative)

    Cancer.gov

    Five institutions are being funded to conduct research using epidemiologic and statistical methods for determining whether various factors may account for the geographic differences in breast cancer rates in the United States.

  3. QUANTITATIVE SOIL DESCRIPTIONS FOR ECOREGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Researchers have defined ecological regions of the United States based on patterns in the coincidence of terrestrial, aquatic, abiotic and biotic characteristics that are associated with spatial differences in ecosystems. Ecoregions potentially facilitate regional research, monit...

  4. Dimensions of patient safety culture in family practice.

    PubMed

    Palacios-Derflingher, Luz; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pam; Zwicker, Karen; Harding, Brianne K; Casebeer, Ann

    2010-01-01

    Safety culture has been shown to affect patient safety in healthcare. While the United States and United Kingdom have studied the dimensions that reflect patient safety culture in family practice settings, to date, this has not been done in Canada. Differences in the healthcare systems between these countries and Canada may affect the dimensions found to be relevant here. Thus, it is important to identify and compare the dimensions from the United States and the United Kingdom in a Canadian context. The objectives of this study were to explore the dimensions of patient safety culture that relate to family practice in Canada and to determine if differences and similarities exist between dimensions found in Canada and those found in previous studies undertaken in the United States and the United Kingdom. A qualitative study was undertaken applying thematic analysis using focus groups with family practice offices and supplementary key stakeholders. Analysis of the data indicated that most of the dimensions from the United States and United Kingdom are appropriate in our Canadian context. Exceptions included owner/managing partner/leadership support for patient safety, job satisfaction and overall perceptions of patient safety and quality. Two unique dimensions were identified in the Canadian context: disclosure and accepting responsibility for errors. Based on this early work, it is important to consider differences in care settings when understanding dimensions of patient safety culture. We suggest that additional research in family practice settings is critical to further understand the influence of context on patient safety culture.

  5. A Comparison of the Six Principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of the United States and the Persons with Disability Act of Ghana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mumuni, Samad Dimbie

    2010-01-01

    This study compared the six principles of IDEIA of the United States and the Persons with Disability Act of Ghana with the view to determining their similarities and differences. Recommendations were made with the ultimate aim of exploring the need for change in the special education delivery systems in the United States and Ghana. The comparative…

  6. Recent blood pressure trends in adolescents from China, Korea, Seychelles and the United States of America, 1997-2012.

    PubMed

    Xi, Bo; Bovet, Pascal; Hong, Young M; Zong, Xin'nan; Chiolero, Arnaud; Kim, Hae S; Zhang, Tao; Zhao, Min

    2016-10-01

    Although the prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, secular trends in elevated blood pressure (BP) differ across populations. We aimed to compare recent BP and obesity trends in adolescents aged 10-19 years in China, Korea, Seychelles and the United States of America. Data in adolescents aged 10-19 years came from China (1997-2011, n = 8025), Korea (1998-2012, n = 10 119), Seychelles (1998-2012, n = 27 569) and the United States of America (1999-2012, n = 14 580). Elevated BP was defined as SBP or DBP equal to or above the referent sex, age and height-specific 95th percentile of the US Fourth Report. Overweight and obesity were defined using criteria of the International Obesity Task Force. Between 1997-2000 and 2011-2012, the prevalence of elevated BP decreased in Korea and did not change substantially in China and in the United States of America. The prevalence of elevated BP increased in Seychelles. In 2011-2012, the prevalence of elevated BP was 1.7% in the United States of America, 3.8% in China, 3.7% in Korea and 14.3% in Seychelles. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased over time and reached in 2011-2012 41.2% in the United States of America, 18.6% in China, 25.2% in Korea and 27.4% in Seychelles. Elevated BP was strongly associated with obesity in all countries. Although the prevalence of obesity increased markedly in the four countries, secular BP trends in adolescents differed in countries of different regions.

  7. Educational gradients in psychotropic medication use among older adults in Costa Rica and the United States.

    PubMed

    Domino, Marisa Elena; Dow, William H; Coto-Yglesias, Fernando

    2014-10-01

    The relationship of education, psychiatric diagnoses, and use of psychotropic medication has been explored in the United States, but little is known about this relationship in poorer countries, despite the high burden of mental illness in these countries. This study estimated educational gradients in diagnosis and psychotropic drug use in the United States and Costa Rica, a middle-income country with universal health insurance. Analyses were conducted by using data of older adults (≥60) from the 2005 U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (N=4,788) and the 2005 Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (N=2,827). Logistic regressions examined the effect of education level (low, medium, or high) and urban residence on the rates of self-reported mental health diagnoses, screening diagnosis, and psychotropic medication use with and without an associated psychiatric diagnosis. Rates of self-reported diagnoses were lower in the United States (12%) than in Costa Rica (20%), possibly reflecting differences in survey wording. In both countries, the odds of having depression were significantly lower among persons with high education. In Costa Rica, use of psychotropic medication among persons with self-reported diagnoses increased by education level. The educational gradients in medication use were different in the United States and Costa Rica, and stigma and access to care in these countries may play an important role in these differences, although type of insurance did not affect educational gradients in the United States. These analyses increase the evidence of the role of education in use of the health care system.

  8. Evidence for Mojave-Sonora megashear-Systematic left-lateral offset of Neoproterozoic to Lower Jurassic strata and facies, western United States and northwestern Mexico

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stewart, John H.

    2005-01-01

    Major successions as well as individual units of Neoproterozoic to Lower Jurassic strata and facies appear to be systematically offset left laterally from eastern California and western Nevada in the western United States to Sonora, Mexico. This pattern is most evident in units such as the "Johnnie oolite," a 1- to 2-m-thick oolite of the Neoproterozoic Rainstorm Member of the Johnnie Formation in the western United States and of the Clemente Formation in Sonora. The pattern is also evident in the Lower Cambrian Zabriskie Quartzite of the western United States and the correlative Proveedora Quartzite in Sonora. Matching of isopach lines of the Zabriskie Quartzite and Proveedora Quartzite suggests ???700-800 km of left-lateral offset. The offset pattern is also apparent in the distribution of distinctive lithologic types, unconformities, and fossil assemblages in other rocks ranging in age from Neoproterozoic to Early Jurassic. In the western United States, the distribution of facies in Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata indicates that the Cordilleran miogeocline trends north-south. A north-south trend is also suggested in Sonora, and if so is compatible with offset of the miogeocline but not with the ideas that the miogeocline wrapped around the continental margin and trends east-west in Sonora. An imperfect stratigraphic match of supposed offset segments along the megashear is apparent. Some units, such as the "Johnnie oolite" and Zabriskie-Proveedora, show almost perfect correspondence, but other units are significantly different. The differences seem to indicate that the indigenous succession of the western United States and offset segments in Mexico were not precisely side by side before offset but were separated by an area-now buried, eroded, or destroyed-that contained strata of intermediate facies. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

  9. Assessment of Whole-Class Instrumental Music Learning in England and the United States of America: An International Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Daniel; Fautley, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Despite ostensibly sharing a common language, music education terminology as used in England and the United States has many different practical meanings and corresponding connotations. In this comparative study, the authors consider these differences in relation to whole-class learning of instrumental music, a comparative newcomer to the English…

  10. Disturbance ecology of North American boreal forests and associated northern mixed/subalpine forests [Chapter 3

    Treesearch

    James K. Agee

    2000-01-01

    Disturbance dynamics differ in the three subregions of the North American boreal forest (taiga, western United States, and eastern United States) where lynx are found, resulting in a range of potential effects on lynx populations. Fire severity tends to be high in most of the forest types where lynx habitat occurs, although subsequent succession will differ...

  11. Inside out, outside in: A Comparative Analysis of Service-Learning's Development in the United States and South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanton, Timothy K.; Erasmus, Mabel A.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, two service-learning practitioners reflect on the development of the pedagogy of service-learning within higher education in two different contexts: the United States and South Africa. They examine and compare service-learning's evolution in these two different, distant parts of the world from the vantage points of their long…

  12. Children's Reasoning about Aggression: Differences between Japan and the United States and Implications for School Discipline

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bear, George G.; Manning, Maureen A.; Shiomi, Kunio

    2006-01-01

    Results are presented of a cross-cultural study of differences in the reasons that children in the United States and Japan give for refraining from common types of aggression. Over 200 children, primarily fifth-graders, were interviewed individually. The study was an extension of previous research showing that children who voice a self-centered or…

  13. Differences in Perceptions of Barriers to College Enrollment and the Completion of a Degree among Latinos in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becerra, David

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the differences in perceptions of barriers in education among Latinos in the United States based on the level of linguistic acculturation, generational status, academic achievement, and socioeconomic status of the participants. This study used data from the Pew Hispanic Research Center. Results indicated that later-generation…

  14. Private Landowner Attitudes Concerning Public Access for Outdoor Recreation: Cultural and Political Factors in the United States

    Treesearch

    Paul Gentle; John Berhstrom; H. Ken Cordell; Jeff Teasley

    1999-01-01

    In this article issues concerning national commonalities and regional differences in the United States regarding private land and outdoor recreation are reviewed. Based on the particular cultural and political backgrounds of each region, it is hypothesized that landowners will exhibit degrees of differences in their attitudes regarding public access to private land....

  15. Preliminary Report of a New System for Typing Salmonella typhimurium in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Wilson, Virginia R.; Hermann, George J.; Balows, Albert

    1971-01-01

    A new system is described for the bacteriophage typing of Salmonella typhimurium cultures isolated in the United States. The system is based upon one phage adapted to different S. typhimurium strains. PMID:4930284

  16. PARTS WASHING ALTERNATIVES STUDY - UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report has been written to assist the United States Coast Guard (USCG) industrial managers in determining the most cost effective and environmentally acceptable parts washing alternatives for their specific applications. An; evaluation was conducted on four different cleane...

  17. Global Properties of X-Ray Flashes and X-Ray-Rich Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakamoto, Takanori; Yamazaki, Ryo; Barthelmy, Scott; Gehrels, Neil; Osborne, Julian; Hullinger, Derek; Sato, Goro; Barbier, Louis; Cummings, Jay; Fenimore, Ed; Krimm, Hans; Lamb, Don; Markwardt, Craig; Palmer, David; Parsons, Ann; Stamatikos, Michael; Tueller, Jack

    Takanori Sakamoto, Taka.Sakamoto@nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ryo Yamazaki, ryo@theo.phys.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan Scott Barthelmy, scott@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Neil Gehrels, gehrels@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Julian Osborne, julo@star.le.ac.uk University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom Derek Hullinger, derek.hullinger@gmail.com Moxtek, Inc, Orem, Utah, United States Goro Sato, Goro.Sato@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Louis Barbier, lmb@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jay Cummings, jayc@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ed Fenimore, efenimore@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Hans Krimm, hans.krimm@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Don Lamb, d-lamb@uchicago.edu University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States Craig Markwardt, Craig.Markwardt@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States David Palmer, palmer@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Ann Parsons, Ann.M.Parsons@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Michael Stamatikos, michael@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jack Tueller, jack.tueller@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States We present the spectral and temporal characteristics of the prompt emission and X-ray afterglow emission of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (XRRs) detected and observed by Swift between December 2004 and September 2006. We compare these characteristics to a sample of conventional classical gamma-ray bursts (C-GRBs) observed during the same period. We confirm the correlation between Epeak and fluence noted by others and find further evidence that XRFs, XRRs and C-GRBs form a continuum. We also confirm that our known redshift sample is consistent with the correlation between the peak energy in the GRB rest frame (Epeak) and the isotropic radiated energy (Eiso), so called the Epeak-Eiso relation. The spectral properties of X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs are similar, but the temporal properties of XRFs and C-GRBs are quite different. We found that the light curves of C-GRB afterglows show a break to steeper indices (shallow-to-steep break) at much earlier times than do XRF afterglows. Moreover, the overall luminosity of XRF X-ray afterglows is systematically smaller by a factor of two or more compared to that of C-GRBs. These distinct differences between the X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs may be the key to understanding not only the mysterious shallow-to-steep break in X-ray afterglow light curves, but also the unique nature of XRFs.

  18. Language Education in Elementary Schools: Meeting the Needs of the Nation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubio, Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This article briefly reviews the social, political, and economic context that explains the present status of elementary language education in the United States and addresses the challenges identified by recent reports on the state of language education in the United States. Different curricular models of world language education--exploratory,…

  19. Financial Wealth Inequality in the United States and Great Britain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banks, James; Blundell, Richard; Smith, James P.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper, we describe the household wealth distribution in the United States and United Kingdom over the past two decades, and compare both wealth inequality and the form in which wealth is held. Unconditionally, there are large differences in financial wealth between the two countries at the top fifth of the wealth distribution. Even after…

  20. Analysis of elder abuse statutes across the United States, 2011-2012.

    PubMed

    Jirik, Stacey; Sanders, Sara

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the state elder abuse statutes in the United States and Washington DC during 2011-2012. The last review of elder abuse statutes occurred in 2001; thus, a reexamination is warranted given the increased awareness of elder abuse at the state and national level and the growing number of older adults in the United States. This descriptive study analyzed the following components of elder or dependent abuse statutes: definitions, reporting requirements, training, and consequences for failure to report. It was determined that differences remain in how states respond to elder abuse at the community-based level.

  1. The United States and Japan. A Wingspread Conference of Editors from Japan and the United States (Racine, Wisconsin, November 2-5, 1975).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Browne, Millard C.

    The purpose of this conference of news executives from Japan and the United States was to exchange views on the relationship of the two nations and to identify areas of common concern. In general, it was agreed that the two nations are getting along very well despite their cultural differences. The first session dealt with the U.S. role in Asia.…

  2. A New Type of Great Power Relationship Between the United States and China: The Military Dimension

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-01

    multipolar world system and a pro - spective security and economic partner of the United States. This stands midway between the panda-hug- ging and dragon...actually played different roles in East Asia, from victim to suzerain, from pro - moting the policies of openness and mutual respect characteristic of... Finlandization of Asia would be a profoundly destabilizing development that needs to be deterred. The United States therefore must steer a complex

  3. Flight training efforts would benefit from more flexible aviation regulatory structures.

    PubMed

    Bent, J

    1996-10-01

    Training and regulatory issues related to modern flight deck systems are reviewed. Philosophical differences in regulatory bodies in the United States and Europe are highlighted. Methods of changing regulations in Europe and the United States are discussed.

  4. Chimera states in bipartite networks of FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Zhi-Min; Cheng, Hong-Yan; Feng, Yuee; Li, Hai-Hong; Dai, Qiong-Lin; Yang, Jun-Zhong

    2018-04-01

    Chimera states consisting of spatially coherent and incoherent domains have been observed in different topologies such as rings, spheres, and complex networks. In this paper, we investigate bipartite networks of nonlocally coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) oscillators in which the units are allocated evenly to two layers, and FHN units interact with each other only when they are in different layers. We report the existence of chimera states in bipartite networks. Owing to the interplay between chimera states in the two layers, many types of chimera states such as in-phase chimera states, antiphase chimera states, and out-of-phase chimera states are classified. Stability diagrams of several typical chimera states in the coupling strength-coupling radius plane, which show strong multistability of chimera states, are explored.

  5. Challenges with secondary use of multi-source water-quality data in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sprague, Lori A.; Oelsner, Gretchen P.; Argue, Denise M.

    2017-01-01

    Combining water-quality data from multiple sources can help counterbalance diminishing resources for stream monitoring in the United States and lead to important regional and national insights that would not otherwise be possible. Individual monitoring organizations understand their own data very well, but issues can arise when their data are combined with data from other organizations that have used different methods for reporting the same common metadata elements. Such use of multi-source data is termed “secondary use”—the use of data beyond the original intent determined by the organization that collected the data. In this study, we surveyed more than 25 million nutrient records collected by 488 organizations in the United States since 1899 to identify major inconsistencies in metadata elements that limit the secondary use of multi-source data. Nearly 14.5 million of these records had missing or ambiguous information for one or more key metadata elements, including (in decreasing order of records affected) sample fraction, chemical form, parameter name, units of measurement, precise numerical value, and remark codes. As a result, metadata harmonization to make secondary use of these multi-source data will be time consuming, expensive, and inexact. Different data users may make different assumptions about the same ambiguous data, potentially resulting in different conclusions about important environmental issues. The value of these ambiguous data is estimated at \\$US12 billion, a substantial collective investment by water-resource organizations in the United States. By comparison, the value of unambiguous data is estimated at \\$US8.2 billion. The ambiguous data could be preserved for uses beyond the original intent by developing and implementing standardized metadata practices for future and legacy water-quality data throughout the United States.

  6. Comparisons and contrasts in the practice of nuclear cardiology in the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    DePuey, E Gordon

    2016-12-01

    There are interesting differences between the practice of Nuclear Cardiology in Japan and that in the United States and associated unique challenges. Differences in patient body habitus and the perceived importance of limiting patient radiation dose have resulted in different radiopharmaceutical and imaging protocol preferences. Governmental approval and reimbursement policies for various radiopharmaceuticals have promulgated adoption of different clinical applications. Both countries have experienced a significant decline in the number of nuclear cardiology studies performed, in part due to decreased governmental funding and reimbursement and to the emergence of competing modalities. Whereas precertification and test substitution have impacted negatively on the sustainability and growth of nuclear cardiology in the United States, in Japan those deterrents have not yet been encountered. Instead, communication barriers between nuclear medicine physicians and referring cardiologists are cited as a more significant barrier.

  7. The financial burden of out-of-pocket expenses in the United States and Canada: How different is the United States?

    PubMed Central

    Baird, Katherine E

    2016-01-01

    Background: This article compares the burden that medical cost-sharing requirements place on households in the United States and Canada. It estimates the probability that individuals with similar demographic features in the two countries have large medical expenses relative to income. Method: The study uses 2010 nationally representative household survey data harmonized for cross-national comparisons to identify individuals with high medical expenses relative to income. Using logistic regression, it estimates the probability of high expenses occurring among 10 different demographic groups in the two countries. Results: The results show the risk of large medical expenses in the United States is 1.5–4 times higher than it is in Canada, depending on the demographic group and spending threshold used. The United States compares least favorably when evaluating poorer citizens and when using a higher spending threshold. Conclusion: Recent health care reforms can be expected to reduce Americans’ catastrophic health expenses, but it will take very large reductions in out-of-pocket expenditures—larger than can be expected—if poorer and middle-class families are to have the financial protection from high health care costs that their counterparts in Canada have. PMID:26985389

  8. Behavioral Profiles of Children with Williams Syndrome from Spain and the United States: Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pérez-García, Débora; Brun-Gasca, Carme; Pérez-Jurado, Luis A.; Mervis, Carolyn B.

    2017-01-01

    To identify similarities and differences in the behavioral profile of children with Williams syndrome from Spain (n = 53) and the United States (n = 145), we asked parents of 6- to 14-year-olds with Williams syndrome to complete the Child Behavior Checklist 6-18. The distribution of raw scores was significantly higher for the Spanish sample than…

  9. The Human Rights of Infants and Toddlers: A Comparison of Child-Care Philosophies in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lally, J. Ronald

    2005-01-01

    This essay describes and analyzes economic rationalism, instrumental, and enrichment approaches to early care and education policy in the United States and abroad. The author proposes that differences in infant-toddler care and other services among nations can stem from differences in the way that societies define the basic rights of their…

  10. Differences in the Rates of Reading Problems in the United States and Japan: A Search for Causes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furukawa, James M.; Sakamoto, Takahiko

    It is estimated that approximately 15% of the school children in the United States have reading problems, while only about 1% of students in Japan have such difficulties. A joint study was conducted by researchers in the two countries to identify possible causes for this difference. Subjects were 61 Japanese kindergarten students in an urban…

  11. A comparison of above-ground dry-biomass estimators for trees in the Northeastern United States

    Treesearch

    James A. Westfall

    2012-01-01

    In the northeastern United States, both component and total aboveground tree dry-biomass estimates are available from several sources. In this study, comparisons were made among four methods to promote understanding of the similarities and differences in live-tree biomass estimators. The methods use various equations developed from biomass data collected in the United...

  12. Forest health monitoring in the United States: focus on national reports

    Treesearch

    Kurt Riitters; Kevin Potter

    2013-01-01

    The health and sustainability of United States forests have been monitored for many years from several different perspectives. The national Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program was established in 1990 by Federal and State agencies to develop a national system for monitoring and reporting on the status and trends of forest ecosystem health. We describe and illustrate...

  13. Gender Differences in Social Consequences of Perceived Overweight in the United States and Australia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tiggemann, Marika; Rothblum, Esther

    1988-01-01

    The attitudes of college students in Australia and the United States about body weight were investigated. The results indicate excessive and maladaptive concerns with weight, in general, and among women and American students in particular. (Author/BJV)

  14. Differences in the quality of information on the internet about lung cancer between the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    Goto, Yasushi; Sekine, Ikuo; Sekiguchi, Hiroshi; Yamada, Kazuhiko; Nokihara, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Noboru; Kunitoh, Hideo; Ohe, Yuichiro; Tamura, Tomohide

    2009-07-01

    Quality of information available over the Internet has been a cause for concern. Our goal was to evaluate the quality of information available on lung cancer in the United States and Japan and assess the differences between the two. We conducted a prospective, observational Web review by searching the word "lung cancer" in Japanese and English, using Google Japan (Google-J), Google United States (Google-U), and Yahoo Japan (Yahoo-J). The first 50 Web sites displayed were evaluated from the ethical perspective and for the validity of the information. The administrator of each Web site was also investigated. Ethical policies were generally well described in the Web sites displayed by Google-U but less well so in the sites displayed by Google-J and Yahoo-J. The differences in the validity of the information available was more striking, in that 80% of the Web sites generated by Google-U described the most appropriate treatment methods, whereas less than 50% of the Web sites displayed by Google-J and Yahoo-J recommended the standard therapy, and more than 10% advertised alternative therapy. Nonprofit organizations and public institutions were the primary Web site administrators in the United States, whereas commercial or personal Web sites were more frequent in Japan. Differences in the quality of information on lung cancer available over the Internet were apparent between Japan and the United States. The reasons for such differences might be tracked to the administrators of the Web sites. Nonprofit organizations and public institutions are the up-and-coming Web site administrators for relaying reliable medical information.

  15. Molecular Relationship between Strains of M. bovis from Mexico and Those from Countries with Free Trade of Cattle with Mexico.

    PubMed

    Milian-Suazo, Feliciano; Garcia-Casanova, Leticia; Robbe-Austerman, Suelee; Canto-Alarcon, Germinal Jorge; Barcenas-Reyes, Isabel; Stuber, Tod; Rodriguez-Hernandez, Elba; Flores-Villalva, Susana

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between spoligotypes of M. bovis from cattle in Mexico and those reported in countries with free trade of cattle with Mexico: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America. Mexican spoligotypes were obtained from isolates collected from cattle in different parts of the country. Spoligotypes from Canada and New Zealand were obtained from different reports in the literature. Those from the United States were obtained from the database of the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in APHIS-USDA. In order to perform the analysis in a single data set, spoligotypes were all converted to binary data and classified according to www.mbovis.org or www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081. Epidemiologic information included country and species infected. From 3,198 isolates, 174 different spoligotypes were obtained, 95 were orphans. Ninety one percent of the isolates came from the Unites States (n = 1,609) and Mexico (n = 1,323). Spoligotype SB0265 is shared between Canada and the United States in cattle and wildlife. Six spoligotypes, SB0673, SB0121, SB0145, SB0971, SB0140 and SB1165, were frequent in cattle and wildlife in the United States and cattle in Mexico, suggesting wide exchange of strains. Spoligotype SB0669 was found only in Mexico. Spoligotype SB0140 was the most common in Australia and the sixth in the United States and Mexico. In a phylogenetic analysis, spoligotype SB0140 appears as the oldest spoligotype in the data set, suggesting this as the ancestral spoligotype for all spoligotypes in the five countries. Some spoligotypes are shared by animals and humans, corroborating the zoonotic importance of M. bovis.

  16. Molecular Relationship between Strains of M. bovis from Mexico and Those from Countries with Free Trade of Cattle with Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Milian-Suazo, Feliciano; Garcia-Casanova, Leticia; Robbe-Austerman, Suelee; Canto-Alarcon, Germinal Jorge; Barcenas-Reyes, Isabel; Stuber, Tod; Rodriguez-Hernandez, Elba; Flores-Villalva, Susana

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between spoligotypes of M. bovis from cattle in Mexico and those reported in countries with free trade of cattle with Mexico: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America. Mexican spoligotypes were obtained from isolates collected from cattle in different parts of the country. Spoligotypes from Canada and New Zealand were obtained from different reports in the literature. Those from the United States were obtained from the database of the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in APHIS-USDA. In order to perform the analysis in a single data set, spoligotypes were all converted to binary data and classified according to www.mbovis.org or www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081. Epidemiologic information included country and species infected. From 3,198 isolates, 174 different spoligotypes were obtained, 95 were orphans. Ninety one percent of the isolates came from the Unites States (n = 1,609) and Mexico (n = 1,323). Spoligotype SB0265 is shared between Canada and the United States in cattle and wildlife. Six spoligotypes, SB0673, SB0121, SB0145, SB0971, SB0140 and SB1165, were frequent in cattle and wildlife in the United States and cattle in Mexico, suggesting wide exchange of strains. Spoligotype SB0669 was found only in Mexico. Spoligotype SB0140 was the most common in Australia and the sixth in the United States and Mexico. In a phylogenetic analysis, spoligotype SB0140 appears as the oldest spoligotype in the data set, suggesting this as the ancestral spoligotype for all spoligotypes in the five countries. Some spoligotypes are shared by animals and humans, corroborating the zoonotic importance of M. bovis. PMID:27171239

  17. An evaluation of 20th century climate for the Southeastern United States as simulated by Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) global climate models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    David E. Rupp,

    2016-05-05

    The 20th century climate for the Southeastern United States and surrounding areas as simulated by global climate models used in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) was evaluated. A suite of statistics that characterize various aspects of the regional climate was calculated from both model simulations and observation-based datasets. CMIP5 global climate models were ranked by their ability to reproduce the observed climate. Differences in the performance of the models between regions of the United States (the Southeastern and Northwestern United States) warrant a regional-scale assessment of CMIP5 models.

  18. Some ethical and psychiatric aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    Surman, Owen S; Cosimi, A B; Fukunishi, Isao; Kawaii, Tatsuo; Findley, John; Kita, Yoshiaki; Makuuchi, Masatoshi

    2002-01-01

    Cadaver sources are insufficient for the increasing demand for liver transplantation. Right-lobe liver transplantation from living donors is fully developed in Japan and has been rapidly increasing in the United States during the past 2 years, although donor risk is greater than in other types of solid organ transplantation. The authors examine the psychiatric and ethical aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in light of cultural differences between the United States and Japan.

  19. Seat belt use on interstate highways.

    PubMed Central

    Wells, J K; Williams, A F; Lund, A K

    1990-01-01

    More than 5,000 miles of limited-access highways in the eastern United States and Canada were traveled to observe seat belt use. Overall belt use was 58 percent in the United States and 79 percent in Canada. The data indicate that belt use in the United States follows a different pattern on interstate highways than on other streets and roads, with relatively high belt use rates (over 50 percent) appearing to be somewhat independent of belt use law provisions. PMID:2343969

  20. Differences across States in Higher Education Finance Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheslock, John J.; Hughes, Rodney P.

    2011-01-01

    In the United States, public higher education finance policy is primarily decided at the state level, and policies can vary dramatically across state lines. Data was used from 1989-1990 and 2008-2009 to describe these differences and how they have changed over time. Numerous aspects of each state's higher education system were examined--average…

  1. The Development of Young Children of Immigrants in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Washbrook, Elizabeth; Waldfogel, Jane; Bradbury, Bruce; Corak, Miles; Ghanghro, Ali Akbar

    2012-01-01

    In spite of important differences in some of the resources immigrant parents have to invest in their children, and in immigrant selection rules and settlement policies, there are significant similarities in the relative positions of four and five year old children of immigrants in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Children of immigrants underperform their counterparts with native-born parents in vocabulary tests, particularly if a language other than the official language is spoken at home, but are not generally disadvantaged in nonverbal cognitive domains, nor are there notable behavioral differences. These findings suggest that the cross-country differences in cognitive outcomes during the teen years documented in the existing literature are much less evident during the early years. PMID:22966925

  2. Factor structure and sex differences on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence in China, Japan and United States.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jianghong; Lynn, Richard

    2011-08-01

    This study presents data on the factor structure of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and sex and cultural differences in WPPSI test scores among 5- and 6-year-olds from China, Japan, and the United States. Results show the presence of a verbal and nonverbal factor structure across all three countries. Sex differences on the 10 subtests were generally consistent, with a male advantage on a subtest of spatial abilities (Mazes). Males in the Chinese sample obtained significantly higher Full Scale IQ scores than females and had lower variability in their test scores. These observations were not present in the Japan and United States samples. Mean Full Scale IQ score in the Chinese sample was 104.1, representing a 4-point increase from 1988 to 2004.

  3. Immigration and the health of U.S. black adults: does country of origin matter?

    PubMed

    Hamilton, Tod G; Hummer, Robert A

    2011-11-01

    Previous work suggests that regional variation in pre-migration exposure to racism and discrimination, measured by a region's racial composition, predicts differences in individual-level health among black immigrants to the United States. We exploit data on both region and country of birth for black immigrants in the United States and methodology that allows for the identification of arrival cohorts to test whether there are sending country differences in the health of black adults in the United States that support this proposition. While testing this hypothesis, we also document heterogeneity in health across arrival cohorts and by duration of U.S. residence among black immigrants. Using data on working-age immigrant and U.S.-born blacks taken from the 1996-2010 waves of the March Current Population Survey, we show that relative to U.S.-born black adults, black immigrants report significantly lower odds of fair/poor health. After controlling for relevant social and demographic characteristics, immigrants' cohort of arrival, and immigrants' duration in the United States, our models show only modest differences in health between African immigrants and black immigrants who migrate from the other major sending countries or regions. Results also show that African immigrants maintain their health advantage over U.S.-born black adults after more than 20 years in the United States. In contrast, black immigrants from the Caribbean who have been in the United States for more than 20 years appear to experience some downward health assimilation. In conclusion, after accounting for relevant factors, we find that there are only modest differences in black immigrant health across countries of origin. Black immigrants appear to be very highly selected in terms of good health, although there are some indications of negative health assimilation for black immigrants from the Caribbean. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Cervical cancer incidence in the United States in the US-Mexico border region, 1998-2003.

    PubMed

    Coughlin, Steven S; Richards, Thomas B; Nasseri, Kiumarss; Weiss, Nancy S; Wiggins, Charles L; Saraiya, Mona; Stinchcomb, David G; Vensor, Veronica M; Nielson, Carrie M

    2008-11-15

    Cervical cancer mortality rates have declined in the United States, primarily because of Papanicolaou testing. However, limited information is available about the incidence of the disease in the US-Mexico border region, where some of the poorest counties in the United States are located. This study was undertaken to help compare the patterns of cervical cancer incidence among women in the US-Mexico border region and other parts of the United States. Age-adjusted cervical cancer incidence rates for border counties in the states bordering Mexico (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) for the years 1998 to 2003 were compared with the rates for nonborder counties of the border states and with those of nonborder states. Differences were examined by age, race, ethnicity, rural residence, educational attainment, poverty, migration, stage of disease, and histology. Overall, Hispanic women had almost twice the cervical cancer incidence of non-Hispanic women in border counties, and Hispanic women in the border states had higher rates than did non-Hispanic women in nonborder states. In contrast, cervical cancer incidence rates among black women in the border counties were lower than those among black women in the nonborder states. Among white women, however, incidence rates were higher among those in nonborder states. Differences in cervical cancer incidence rates by geographic locality were also evident by age, urban/rural residence, migration from outside the United States, and stage of disease. Disparities in cervical cancer incidence in the US-Mexico border counties, when the incidence is compared with that of other counties and geographic regions, are evident. Of particular concern are the higher rates of late-stage cervical cancer diagnosed among women in the border states, especially because such cervical cancer is preventable.

  5. DISTRIBUTION OF DIOXINS, FURANS, AND COPLANAR PCBS IN DIFFERENT FAT MATRICES IN CATTLE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently collaborated on a statistically-based, national survey of dioxin-like compounds, including dioxins, furans, and coplanar PCBs, in the back fat from slaughtered ...

  6. Teaching Chinese as a Second Language: From Taiwan to the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Shuliang

    2014-01-01

    Teaching Chinese as a second language in Taiwan vs. in the United States. How are they different? What are the challenges to teachers? This article will bring to you interesting findings from the perspective of a native speaking Chinese teacher.

  7. SEX DIFFERENCES ON THE WISC-III AMONG CHILDREN IN SUDAN AND THE UNITED STATES.

    PubMed

    Bakhiet, Salaheldin F; Albursan, Ismael S; Al Qudah, Mohammad F; Abduljabbar, Adel S; Aljomaa, Suliman S; Toto, Howida Sirelkhatim Abdalrahim; Lynn, Richard

    2017-11-01

    The sex differences on the WISC-III are reported for the thirteen subtests, the Verbal and Performance IQs, the four Index IQs and the Full Scale IQs in Sudan and the United States. The sex differences are closely similar in the two samples with a correlation of 0.878 (p<0.001) for the thirteen subtests. Males obtained significantly higher Full Scale IQs in the two samples of 0.23d and 0.11d, respectively.

  8. SEX DIFFERENCES ON THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN-III IN BAHRAIN AND THE UNITED STATES.

    PubMed

    Bakhiet, Salaheldin Farah Attallah; Lynn, Richard

    2015-12-01

    Sex differences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) are reported for children in Bahrain and the United States. The results for the two samples were consistent in showing no significant differences in Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs, higher average scores by boys on the Block design and Mazes subtests of spatial ability, and higher average scores by girls on Coding. There was also greater variability in boys than in girls.

  9. Mourning dove population trend estimates from Call-Count and North American Breeding Bird Surveys

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sauer, J.R.; Dolton, D.D.; Droege, S.

    1994-01-01

    The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) Callcount Survey and the North American Breeding Bird Survey provide information on population trends of mourning doves throughout the continental United States. Because surveys are an integral part of the development of hunting regulations, a need exists to determine which survey provides precise information. We estimated population trends from 1966 to 1988 by state and dove management unit, and assessed the relative efficiency of each survey. Estimates of population trend differ (P lt 0.05) between surveys in 11 of 48 states; 9 of 11 states with divergent results occur in the Eastern Management Unit. Differences were probably a consequence of smaller sample sizes in the Callcount Survey. The Breeding Bird Survey generally provided trend estimates with smaller variances than did the Callcount Survey. Although the Callcount Survey probably provides more withinroute accuracy because of survey methods and timing, the Breeding Bird Survey has a larger sample size of survey routes and greater consistency of coverage in the Eastern Unit.

  10. Identification of a Fourth Haplotype of Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Swisher, Kylie D.; Henne, Donald C.; Crosslin, James M.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is a pest of potato and other solanaceous crops in North and Central America and New Zealand. Previous genotyping studies have demonstrated the presence of three different haplotypes of B. cockerelli in the United States corresponding to three geographical regions: Central, Western, and Northwestern. These studies utilized psyllids collected in the western and central United States between 1998 and 2011. In an effort to further genotype potato psyllids collected in the 2012 growing season, a fourth B. cockerelli haplotype was discovered corresponding to the Southwestern United States geographical region. High-resolution melting analyses identified this new haplotype using an amplicon generated from a portion of the B. cockerelli mitochondrial cytochrome coxidase subunit I gene. Sequencing of this gene, as well as use of a restriction enzyme assay, confirmed the identification of the novel B. cockerelli haplotype in the United States. PMID:25368079

  11. Differences in Academic Achievement of Students Involved in Extracurricular Activities in Seventh-Day Adventist Schools in the United States and Bermuda

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandiford, Anderson P.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined differences in the academic performance of students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 in Seventh-day Adventist schools in the United States and Bermuda based on their level of involvement in school music organizations--band or choir--and school sports--varsity or intramural--as measured by standardized achievement and ability tests.…

  12. Simulated response of conterminous United States ecosystems to climate change at different levels of fire suppression, CO2 emission rate, and growth response to CO2

    Treesearch

    James M. Lenihan; Dominique Bachelet; Ronald P. Neilson; Raymond Drapek

    2008-01-01

    A modeling experiment was designed to investigate the impact of fire management, CO2 emission rate, and the growth response to CO2 on the response of ecosystems in the conterminous United States to climate scenarios produced by three different general circulation models (GCMs) as simulated by the MCl Dynamic General...

  13. The epidemiology of drug promotion.

    PubMed

    Silverman, M

    1977-01-01

    A survey was conducted on the promotion of 28 prescription drugs in the form of 40 different products marketed in the United States and Latin America by 23 multinational pharmaceutical companies. Striking differences were found in the manner in which the identical drug, marketed by the identical company or its foreign affiliate, was described to physicians in the United States and to physicians in Latin America. In the United States, the listed indications were usually few in number, while the contraindications, warnings, and potential adverse reactions were given in extensive detail. In Latin America, the listed indications were far more numerous, while the hazards were usually minimized, glossed over, or totally ignored. The differences were not simply between the United States on the one hand and all the Latin American countries on the other. There were substantial differences within Latin America, with the same global company telling one story in Mexico, another in Central America, a third in Ecuador and Colombia, and yet another in Brazil. The companies have sought to defend these practices by contending that they are not breaking any Latin American laws. In some countries, however, such promotion is in clear violation of the law. The corporate ethics and social responsibilities concerned here call for examination and action.

  14. The effects of maternity leave on children's birth and infant health outcomes in the United States.

    PubMed

    Rossin, Maya

    2011-03-01

    This paper evaluates the impacts of unpaid maternity leave provisions of the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on children's birth and infant health outcomes in the United States. My identification strategy uses variation in pre-FMLA maternity leave policies across states and variation in which firms are covered by FMLA provisions. Using Vital Statistics data and difference-in-difference-in-difference methodology, I find that maternity leave led to small increases in birth weight, decreases in the likelihood of a premature birth, and substantial decreases in infant mortality for children of college-educated and married mothers, who were most able to take advantage of unpaid leave. My results are robust to the inclusion of numerous controls for maternal, child, and county characteristics, state, year, and month fixed effects, and state-year interactions, as well as across several different specifications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The Effects of Maternity Leave on Children's Birth and Infant Health Outcomes in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Rossin, Maya

    2013-01-01

    This paper evaluates the impacts of unpaid maternity leave provisions of the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on children's birth and infant health outcomes in the United States. My identification strategy uses variation in pre-FMLA maternity leave policies across states and variation in which firms are covered by FMLA provisions. Using Vital Statistics data and difference-in-difference-in-difference methodology, I find that maternity leave led to small increases in birth weight, decreases in the likelihood of a premature birth, and substantial decreases in infant mortality for children of college-educated and married mothers, who were most able to take advantage of unpaid leave. My results are robust to the inclusion of numerous controls for maternal, child, and county characteristics, state and year fixed effects, and state-year interactions, as well as across several different specifications. PMID:21300415

  16. Household Food Insecurity Is a Stronger Marker of Adequacy of Nutrient Intakes among Canadian Compared to American Youth and Adults.

    PubMed

    Kirkpatrick, Sharon I; Dodd, Kevin W; Parsons, Ruth; Ng, Carmina; Garriguet, Didier; Tarasuk, Valerie

    2015-07-01

    The most recent statistics indicate that the prevalence of food insecurity in the United States is double that in Canada, but the extent to which the nutrition implications of this problem differ between the countries is not known. This study was undertaken to compare adequacy of nutrient intakes in relation to household food insecurity among youth and adults in Canada and the United States. Data from comparable nationally representative surveys, the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 2003-2006 NHANES, were used to estimate prevalences of inadequate intakes of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, magnesium, and zinc among youth and adults in food-secure and food-insecure households. Potential differences in the composition of the populations between the 2 countries were addressed by using standardization, and analyses also accounted for participation in food and nutrition assistance programs in the United States. Larger gaps in the prevalences of inadequate intakes between those in food-secure and food-insecure households were observed in Canada than in the United States for calcium and magnesium. For calcium, the prevalences of inadequate intakes among those in food-secure and food-insecure households in Canada were 50% and 66%, respectively, compared with 50% and 51%, respectively, in the United States. For magnesium, the prevalences of inadequate intakes in Canada were 39% and 60% among those in food-secure and food-insecure households, respectively, compared with 60% and 61%, respectively, in the United States. These findings were largely unchanged after we accounted for participation in food and nutrition assistance programs in the United States. This study suggests that household food insecurity is a stronger marker of nutritional vulnerability in Canada than in the United States. The results highlight the need for research to elucidate the effects of domestic policies affecting factors such as food prices and fortification on the nutritional manifestations of food insecurity. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

  17. HLA class II and TNF genes in African Americans from the Southeastern United States: regional differences in allele frequencies.

    PubMed

    Kuffner, Tamara; Whitworth, William; Jairam, Maya; McNicholl, Janet

    2003-06-01

    Knowledge of population major histocompatibility complex gene frequencies is important for construction of organ donor pools and for studies of disease association. Human leukocyte antigen DRB1 (HLA-DRB1), HLA-DQB1, and TNFalpha -308 (G-A) promoter genetic typing was performed in 112 healthy, unrelated African Americans (AAs) from the southeastern United States. Allele frequencies were compared with published frequency data from other AA populations. Our AA population had the highest frequency of HLA- DRB1*09 (6.7%) reported in any AA population. The frequency of the TNF alpha -308A polymorphism was also high (14.4%), when compared with published frequencies in AAs. Significant regional differences in the distribution of most HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles were observed in all AA populations examined. The AA HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 frequencies also differed from published Caucasian frequencies. This is the first report describing the distribution of TNF alpha promoter alleles in the Southeastern United States. The high DRB1*09 and TNF alpha -308A allele frequencies of our population most resemble the frequencies of these alleles in certain West African populations. These varying major histocompatibility complex gene frequencies may reflect different regional population structures among AAs in the United States, which may be due to differences in ancestral origins, migration, and racial admixture.

  18. Different historical trajectories and family diversity among Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans in the United States.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Yu-Jin; You, Hyun-Kyung

    2008-07-01

    Chinese, Japanese, and Korean American families in the United States share several similarities, but they should not be interpreted as the sameness. Each group has gone through different immigration trajectories, and family members in a group have had different experiences. To get further knowledge of different family experiences in contemporary U.S. society, the trajectories of the family relationships among different Asian ethnic groups are examined. We specifically look at the time from arrival to World War II, from World War II to the 1960s, and after the 1960s.

  19. Antecedents of and Reactions to Emotions in the United States and Japan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsumoto, David; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Examines the degree of cultural similarity and specificity in the emotional experiences of subjects from the United States and Japan. Found a high degree of cultural agreement in the antecedent/evaluation process, but some differences in relative/expressive aspects of emotion. (Author/BJV)

  20. Intercultural Communication Problems in Japanese Multinationals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nishiyama, Kazuo

    Many large Japanese-owned multinational corporations have established successful subsidiaries in the United States, but distinct ethnic and cultural differences have caused communication problems between Japanese managers and American laborers and business people. Many top executives of the Japanese subsidiaries are sent to the United States on a…

  1. STATISTICAL ISSUES FOR MONITORING ECOLOGICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States funds a number of national monitoring programs to measure the status and trends of ecological and natural resources. Each of these programs has a unique focus: the scientific objectives are different as are the sample designs. However, individuals and committees...

  2. The Sanctuary Movement: A Study in Religious Confrontation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Jeffrey; Flannery, Mary Ann

    1990-01-01

    Examines the clash between the sanctuary movement and United States government regarding the admission to the United States of Central American refugees. Shows through an application of Kenneth Burke's dramatistic approach how different "scenes" operating for the two sides motivate opposing rhetorical agencies. Analyzes those agencies…

  3. Infectious laryngotracheitis genomics: What’s circulating in the backyard flocks from the United States?

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phylogenetic and comparative genomic studies of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) has mainly focused on the differences among live attenuated vaccines, vicinal revertants and natural recombinant strains from Australia, the United States, and China. This analysis suggests that most strains fr...

  4. Making a Good Impression at Work: National Differences in Employee Impression Management Behaviors in Japan, Korea, and the United States.

    PubMed

    Krieg, Alexander; Ma, Li; Robinson, Patricia

    2018-02-17

    Impression management has important implications for success at work. This study explores differences in impression management in the East and West by examining the use of self-promotion, ingratiation, and exemplification directed towards three targets: supervisors, peers, and subordinates among 945 company employees from Japan, Korea, and the United States. Our results show that Korean employees used all three strategies most frequently, followed by United States, and then Japanese employees. Japanese and Korean employees used impression management strategies differentially across the three targets, and U.S. employees used impression management equally across targets. This elucidates how cultural trends in hierarchical relationships impact social behavior within the workplace. A follow-up mediation analysis found that relational or labor mobility fully mediated country differences in impression management, suggesting that culture is also reflected in larger social ecological trends in employee's ability and likelihood to change jobs, which also account for impression management strategy usage. Theoretical and practical implications for international business are discussed. This research may be useful in aligning strategies foreign employees might employ for using impression management when in Japan, Korea, and the United States.

  5. The danger of imperfect regulation: OxyContin use in the United States and Canada.

    PubMed

    Lexchin, Joel; Kohler, Jillian Clare

    2011-01-01

    Drug companies aggressively market their products to increase sales and economic rewards. Different countries have different regulatory regimes for controlling promotion. In the United States control rests directly with the Food and Drug Administration whereas Canada relies on a mixture of voluntary self-regulation and an autonomous agency. Each method has significant weaknesses. We examine these weaknesses by analyzing the promotion of OxyContin (the time release version of the opioid oxycodone) by Purdue in Canada and the United States. We then look at the association between promotion and the misuse and abuse of OxyContin in both countries. Finally, we advance specific recommendations for regulating promotion for drugs that may have a high abuse potential.

  6. Ethnic Differences in Autism Eligibility in the United States Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrier, Michael J.; Hess, Kristen L.

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates ethnic differences for 295,945 children and youth with an autism eligibility reported to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) by 49 states plus the District of Columbia. Data analyses used relative difference, risk index, and risk ratio (RR). Results indicate that 80% of states report underrepresentation across…

  7. State Differences: The Key to Demographics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodgkinson, Harold

    1999-01-01

    This companion piece to a 1997 article examines United States demographic trends, such as diversity by age, "race" and U.S. Census racial classifications, wealth, transiency, suburbanization and sprawl, and immigration, focusing on differences among states and metro regions. Nothing, including achievement scores, social services, and…

  8. Portrait of Waldo Smith

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spilhaus, Fred

    2009-01-01

    In 1944, Waldo Smith was looking for a place where he could make a difference. He had taught in universities in the United States and Turkey, and he had worked as an engineer in the field of hydrology in the United States. Somehow, a chance meeting with John Adam Fleming, AGU's long-time General Secretary, led to Waldo's becoming the first executive officer employed by the Union. That, in turn, brought him the opportunity to make a difference.

  9. Casualty Profile of the United States Army in Afghanistan and Iraq

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-01

    sex, race, and ethnicity. They constructed death rates for members of the United States military deployed to Iraq between March 2003 and September...country. The authors first analyzed differences in death rates according to branch of service and concluded that there was a huge difference among...2003-2006 Second, the authors analyzed death rates according to component of service. Their study showed that the active-Army risk of death was three

  10. First Marriages in the United States: Data from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth. National Health Statistics Reports. Number 49

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Copen, Casey E.; Daniels, Kimberly; Vespa, Jonathan; Mosher, William D.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: This report shows trends and group differences in current marital status, with a focus on first marriages among women and men aged 15-44 years in the United States. Trends and group differences in the timing and duration of first marriages are also discussed. These data are based on the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth…

  11. 19 CFR 10.842 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States; (j) Knit-to-shape articles. “Knit-to-shape,” when used with... the meanings indicated unless either the context in which they are used requires a different meaning..., 2010, and ending on December 19, 2011; (c) Customs territory of the United States. “Customs territory...

  12. 19 CFR 10.842 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States; (j) Knit-to-shape articles. “Knit-to-shape,” when used with... the meanings indicated unless either the context in which they are used requires a different meaning..., 2010, and ending on December 19, 2011; (c) Customs territory of the United States. “Customs territory...

  13. Preferred Styles of Conflict Resolution. Mexico and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabrielidis, Cristina; Stephan, Walter G.; Ybarra, Oscar; Pearson, Virginia Dos Santos; Villareal, Lucila

    1997-01-01

    Examined cultural differences in preferences for conflict resolution styles using the dual-concern model with 103 college students in Mexico (collectivistic culture) and 91 college students in the United States (individualistic culture). Results suggest that independence of the self and interdependence of the self may be separate dimensions,…

  14. Capstone Experiences in Small MPA Programs in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Younhee

    2017-01-01

    A capstone experience, as an exit degree requirement, allows Master of Public Administration (MPA) students to build quasi-experimental practices by applying learned knowledge and skills throughout their curriculum in the United States. Accredited MPA programs have implemented their capstone courses differently to achieve required standards. Small…

  15. The Rediscovery of Heritage and Community Language Education in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jin Sook; Wright, Wayne E.

    2014-01-01

    Language and cultural preservation efforts among different communities of language speakers in the United States have received increasing attention as interest in linguistic rights and globalization continues to deepen. In addition to mounting evidence of the cognitive, psychological, and academic benefits of heritage language/community language…

  16. Control of Teacher Certification in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tobin, Kerri

    2012-01-01

    Teacher certification trends in the United States since World War II paint a complicated picture of powerful interests at different levels making demands and trying to institute disparate reforms. These patterns have varied over time, often because of teacher supply and demand. The federal government initiated its involvement when education…

  17. An Identification Key to Rodent Prey in Owl Pellets from the Northwestern and Southeastern United States: Employing Incisor Size to Distinguish among Genera

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hager, Stephen B.; Cosentino, Bradley J.

    2006-01-01

    We present an identification key to the common rodent prey found in owl pellets from the Northwestern (NW) and Southeastern (SE) United States that is based on differences in incisor size (arc diameter) among genera.

  18. Bilingual Preschool Education in the United States and Panama: A Comparative Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valdivia, Rebeca

    This paper compares bilingual education policy and practice in Panama and the United States. Particular issues studied include the following: the social context of bilingual education in the two countries; programming and policy differences; teacher qualifications; availability of age-appropriate materials; and administrative support, level of…

  19. Crisis in Feminism: The United States and France.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogsett, Charlotte

    Feminism is experiencing a similar dual crisis in the United States and France. One aspect of this crisis, the movement's alignment with other groups, is destructive, inevitably leading to the subordination of women's issues to "human" issues. The other dimension of the crisis, internal differences, is potentially creative, offering the…

  20. Evaluating socioeconomic and racial differences in traffic-related metrics in the United States using a GIS approach

    EPA Science Inventory

    Previous studies have reported that lower-income and minority populations are more likely to live near major roads. This study quantifies associations between socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic variables, and traffic-related exposure metrics for the United States. Using geograph...

  1. Temperament Styles of Children from Pakistan and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oakland, Thomas; Callueng, Carmelo; Rizwan, Muhammad; Aftab, Sobia

    2012-01-01

    Age, gender, and cross-national differences of children ages 9 through 16 in Pakistan (n = 463) and the United States (n = 500) are examined on four bipolar temperament styles: Extroversion-introversion, practical-imaginative, thinking-feeling, and organized-flexible. In general, Pakistani children prefer extroverted over introverted, practical…

  2. Associations Between Parenting Styles and Perceived Child Effortful Control Within Chinese Families in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Ching-Yu; Cheah, Charissa S. L.; Lamb, Michael E.; Zhou, Nan

    2017-01-01

    The current study examined the associations between parentally perceived child effortful control (EC) and the parenting styles of 122 Chinese mothers (36 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom, 40 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United States, and 46 Taiwanese mothers) of 5- to 7-year-old (M age = 5.82 years, SD = .805; 68 boys and 54 girls) children. The findings showed significant cultural group differences in mothers’ reported authoritarian parenting style. Significant associations also emerged between mothers’ reports of their children’s EC and some parenting dimensions, although there were no cultural group differences in perceived child EC. Different patterns of associations between perceived child EC and parenting styles in these three groups also demonstrated heterogeneity within the Chinese population, and highlighted the need to consider differences between original and receiving societies when seeking to understand parenting and child development in different immigrant groups. PMID:29276309

  3. Associations Between Parenting Styles and Perceived Child Effortful Control Within Chinese Families in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ching-Yu; Cheah, Charissa S L; Lamb, Michael E; Zhou, Nan

    2017-07-01

    The current study examined the associations between parentally perceived child effortful control (EC) and the parenting styles of 122 Chinese mothers (36 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom, 40 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United States, and 46 Taiwanese mothers) of 5- to 7-year-old ( M age = 5.82 years, SD = .805; 68 boys and 54 girls) children. The findings showed significant cultural group differences in mothers' reported authoritarian parenting style. Significant associations also emerged between mothers' reports of their children's EC and some parenting dimensions, although there were no cultural group differences in perceived child EC. Different patterns of associations between perceived child EC and parenting styles in these three groups also demonstrated heterogeneity within the Chinese population, and highlighted the need to consider differences between original and receiving societies when seeking to understand parenting and child development in different immigrant groups.

  4. A new state evaluation method of oil pump unit based on AHP and FCE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Yang; Liang, Wei; Qiu, Zeyang; Zhang, Meng; Lu, Wenqing

    2017-05-01

    In order to make an accurate state evaluation of oil pump unit, a comprehensive evaluation index should be established. A multi-parameters state evaluation method of oil pump unit is proposed in this paper. The oil pump unit is analyzed by Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), so evaluation index can be obtained based on FMEA conclusions. The weights of different parameters in evaluation index are discussed using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with expert experience. According to the evaluation index and the weight of each parameter, the state evaluation is carried out by Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) and the state is divided into five levels depending on status value, which is inspired by human body health. In order to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method, a state evaluation of oil pump used in a pump station is taken as an example.

  5. This is my neighborhood: comparing United States and Australian Oxford House Neighborhoods.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Joseph R; Jason, Leonard A; Blake, Ron; Davis, Margaret I; Olson, Bradley D

    2006-01-01

    The number of Oxford Houses, communal-living, mutual help settings for persons in recovery of alcohol and substance abuse, has spread across the United States and recently in and around Melbourne, Australia. In this study 55 US and 6 AU Houses were compared descriptively for their neighborhood characteristics. Across settings, there were greater similarities than significant differences in the locations. Results imply that Australian Oxford Houses are "safe and sober" settings for persons in recovery consistent with the original United States model in physical dwelling settings.

  6. Regulatory and scientific issues regarding use of foreign data in support of new drug applications in the United States: an FDA perspective.

    PubMed

    Khin, N A; Yang, P; Hung, H M J; Maung-U, K; Chen, Y-F; Meeker-O'Connell, A; Okwesili, P; Yasuda, S U; Ball, L K; Huang, S-M; O'Neill, R T; Temple, R

    2013-08-01

    Globalization of clinical research has led to an increase in clinical trials conducted outside of the United States that are submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in new drug applications. This article discusses the FDA's experience with these submissions in specific therapeutic areas, including the extent of this practice, differences between the effectiveness and safety outcomes of studies conducted inside and outside the United States, and the FDA's approach to acceptance of these trials.

  7. So Different yet so Similar: A Tale of Two Academic Libraries in the United States and Poland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cyran, Katarzyna

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this article is to present a comparison between two academic libraries: Indiana University Libraries in the United States and the Library of Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biala Podlaska, Poland. This comparison is based on data that each of these libraries published in statistical reports. Much of the information…

  8. Migrant children and migrants’ children: Nativity differences in school enrollment in Mexico and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Glick, Jennifer E.; Yabiku, Scott T.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND The growing prevalence of migrant children in diverse contexts requires a reconsideration of the intergenerational consequences of migration. To understand how migration and duration of residence are associated with children’s schooling, we need more comparative work that can point to the similarities and differences in outcomes for children across contexts. OBJECTIVE This paper addresses the importance of nativity and duration of residence for children’s school enrollment on both sides of a binational migration system: The United States and Mexico. The analyses are designed to determine whether duration of residence has a similar association with school enrollment across these different settings. METHODS The analyses are based on nationally representative household data from the 2010 Mexican Census and the 2006–2010 American Community Survey. Logistic regression models compare school enrollment patterns of Mexican and U.S.-born children of Mexican origin in the United States and those of Mexican and U.S.-born children in Mexico. Interactions for nativity/duration of residence and age are also included. RESULTS The results demonstrate that, adjusting for household resources and household-level migration experience, Mexican-born children in the United States and U.S.-born children in Mexico, particularly those who arrived recently, lag behind in school enrollment. These differences are most pronounced at older ages. CONCLUSIONS The comparisons across migration contexts point to greater school attrition and non-enrollment among older, recent migrant youth, regardless of the context. The interactions suggest that recent migration is associated with lower schooling for youth who engage in migration at older ages in both the United States and Mexico. PMID:28077926

  9. Legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Yörük, Barış K.

    2013-01-01

    Aims To investigate the relationship between legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States. Design State-level per capita consumption of beer, wine, and spirits was analyzed using difference-in-differences econometric methods. Setting United States. Participants 5 treatment states that repealed their laws restricting Sunday alcohol sales during 1990–2007 and 12 control states that retained their Sunday alcohol laws during the same period. Measurements Outcome measures are state-level per capita consumption of overall alcohol, beer, wine, and spirits. Findings Among the states that legalized Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico experienced significant increases in overall alcohol consumption (P<0.05). However, the effect of the legalization of Sunday alcohol sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on per capita alcohol consumption was insignificant (P=0.964 and P=0.367). Conclusions Three out of five states in the USA that repealed their laws restricting Sunday sale of alcoholic beverages during 1990–2007, experienced significant increases in per capita alcohol consumption. This finding implies that increased alcohol availability leads to an increase in alcohol consumption. PMID:24103041

  10. A personal experience of 2-year general thoracic surgery training programs in Japan and the United States.

    PubMed

    Hamaji, Masatsugu; Tanaka, Toru

    2013-03-01

    The objective of the study is to review and compare two countries' thoracic surgery training programs. Retrospective review of the first author's prospectively maintained operative case logs in two countries was performed. Each training program was established in a teaching hospital for its country's board requirement. Preoperative diagnosis, operative procedures and postoperative diagnosis were reviewed. The case volume (overall and in each category) was also reviewed. The ratio of each category and overall case volume was compared between the two programs by Chi-square test. p value was considered significant if it is <0.05. The overall case volumes were 169 cases in the Japanese institution and 456 cases in the United States' institution. The number ratio of each category's procedures and overall procedures was as follows: pleural cases, Japan 19.2 % versus the Unites States 20.6 % (p = 0.782), pulmonary cases, Japan 72.7 % versus the United States 36.8 % (p < 0.0001), mediastinal cases, Japan 8.1 % versus the United States 8.6 % (p = 0.678), diaphragm cases, Japan 0.62 % versus the United States 13.2 % (p = 0.0001), chest wall cases, Japan 1.2 % versus the United States 3.5 % (p = 0.0858), tracheobronchial cases, Japan 1.2 % versus the United States 1.8 % (p = 0.583). Regarding the approach, the ratios of each approach and overall cases are as follows: minimally invasive approach, Japan 78.3 % versus the United States 45.8 % (p < 0.0001), reoperative cases, Japan 0.62 % versus the United States 3.1 % (p = 0.0411). Case variety is different between the two countries. Our findings suggest that thoracic surgery training in the United States may be beneficial for Japanese medical graduates.

  11. A national streamflow network gap analysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kiang, Julie E.; Stewart, David W.; Archfield, Stacey A.; Osborne, Emily B.; Eng, Ken

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a gap analysis to evaluate how well the USGS streamgage network meets a variety of needs, focusing on the ability to calculate various statistics at locations that have streamgages (gaged) and that do not have streamgages (ungaged). This report presents the results of analysis to determine where there are gaps in the network of gaged locations, how accurately desired statistics can be calculated with a given length of record, and whether the current network allows for estimation of these statistics at ungaged locations. The analysis indicated that there is variability across the Nation’s streamflow data-collection network in terms of the spatial and temporal coverage of streamgages. In general, the Eastern United States has better coverage than the Western United States. The arid Southwestern United States, Alaska, and Hawaii were observed to have the poorest spatial coverage, using the dataset assembled for this study. Except in Hawaii, these areas also tended to have short streamflow records. Differences in hydrology lead to differences in the uncertainty of statistics calculated in different regions of the country. Arid and semiarid areas of the Central and Southwestern United States generally exhibited the highest levels of interannual variability in flow, leading to larger uncertainty in flow statistics. At ungaged locations, information can be transferred from nearby streamgages if there is sufficient similarity between the gaged watersheds and the ungaged watersheds of interest. Areas where streamgages exhibit high correlation are most likely to be suitable for this type of information transfer. The areas with the most highly correlated streamgages appear to coincide with mountainous areas of the United States. Lower correlations are found in the Central United States and coastal areas of the Southeastern United States. Information transfer from gaged basins to ungaged basins is also most likely to be successful when basin attributes show high similarity. At the scale of the analysis completed in this study, the attributes of basins upstream of USGS streamgages cover the full range of basin attributes observed at potential locations of interest fairly well. Some exceptions included very high or very low elevation areas and very arid areas.

  12. A Comparative Study of Faculty Members' Career Advancement (Promotion) Systems in the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran: "Case Analysis of the University of Tehran and Portland State University"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanaomi, Mohammad Mehdi; Asaadi, Robert Reza

    2017-01-01

    This article examines the similarities and differences in the systems for faculty career advancement in higher education institutions in the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The analysis focuses on two specific cases: the University of Tehran and Portland State University. Through this paired comparison, we draw out the similarities…

  13. Quality of Care for White and Hispanic Medicare Advantage Enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Rivera-Hernandez, Maricruz; Leyva, Bryan; Keohane, Laura M; Trivedi, Amal N

    2016-06-01

    Geographic, racial, and ethnic variations in quality of care and outcomes have been well documented among the Medicare population. Few data exist on beneficiaries living in Puerto Rico, three-quarters of whom enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA). To determine the quality of care provided to white and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico. A cross-sectional study of MA enrollees in 2011 was conducted, including white enrollees in the United States (n = 6 289 374), Hispanic enrollees in the United States (n = 795 039), and Hispanic enrollees in Puerto Rico (n = 267 016). The study was conducted from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011; data analysis took place from January 19, 2015, to January 2, 2016. Seventeen performance measures related to diabetes mellitus (including hemoglobin A1c control, retinal eye examination, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control, nephropathy screening, and blood pressure control), cardiovascular disease (including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control, blood pressure control, and use of a β-blocker after myocardial infarction), cancer screening (colorectal and breast), and appropriate medications (including systemic corticosteroids and bronchodilators for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs). Of the 7.35 million MA enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico in our study, 1.06 million (14.4%) were Hispanic. Approximately 25.1% of all Hispanic MA enrollees resided in Puerto Rico, which was more than those residing in any state. For 15 of the 17 measures assessed, Hispanic MA enrollees in Puerto Rico received worse care compared with Hispanics in the United States, with absolute differences in performance rates ranging from 2.2 percentage points for blood pressure control in diabetes mellitus (P = .03) to 31.3 percentage points for use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy (P < .01). Adjusted performance differences between Hispanic MA enrollees in Puerto Rico and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States exceeded 20 percentage points for 3 measures: use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy (-23.8 percentage points [95% CI, -30.9 to -16.8]), use of systemic corticosteroid in COPD exacerbation (-21.3 percentage points [95% CI, -27.5 to -15.1]), and use of bronchodilator therapy in COPD exacerbation (-22.7 percentage points [95% CI, -27.7 to -17.6]). We found modest differences in care between white and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States but substantially worse care for enrollees in Puerto Rico compared with their US counterparts. Major efforts are needed to improve care delivery on the island to a level equivalent to the United States.

  14. Quality of Care for White and Hispanic Medicare Advantage Enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico

    PubMed Central

    Rivera-Hernandez, Maricruz; Leyva, Bryan; Keohane, Laura M.; Trivedi, Amal N.

    2016-01-01

    IMPORTANCE Geographic, racial, and ethnic variations in quality of care and outcomes have been well documented among the Medicare population. Few data exist on beneficiaries living in Puerto Rico, three-quarters of whom enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA). OBJECTIVE To determine the quality of care provided to white and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study of MA enrollees in 2011 was conducted, including white enrollees in the United States (n = 6 289 374), Hispanic enrollees in the United States (n = 795 039), and Hispanic enrollees in Puerto Rico (n = 267 016). The study was conducted from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011; data analysis took place from January 19, 2015, to January 2, 2016. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Seventeen performance measures related to diabetes mellitus (including hemoglobin A1c control, retinal eye examination, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control, nephropathy screening, and blood pressure control), cardiovascular disease (including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control, blood pressure control, and use of a β-blocker after myocardial infarction), cancer screening (colorectal and breast), and appropriate medications (including systemic corticosteroids and bronchodilators for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs). RESULTS Of the 7.35 million MA enrollees in the United States and Puerto Rico in our study, 1.06 million (14.4%) were Hispanic. Approximately 25.1% of all Hispanic MA enrollees resided in Puerto Rico, which was more than those residing in any state. For 15 of the 17 measures assessed, Hispanic MA enrollees in Puerto Rico received worse care compared with Hispanics in the United States, with absolute differences in performance rates ranging from 2.2 percentage points for blood pressure control in diabetes mellitus (P = .03) to 31.3 percentage points for use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy (P < .01). Adjusted performance differences between Hispanic MA enrollees in Puerto Rico and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States exceeded 20 percentage points for 3 measures: use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy (−23.8 percentage points [95% CI, −30.9 to −16.8]), use of systemic corticosteroid in COPD exacerbation (−21.3 percentage points [95% CI, −27.5 to −15.1]), and use of bronchodilator therapy in COPD exacerbation (−22.7 percentage points [95% CI, −27.7 to −17.6]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We found modest differences in care between white and Hispanic MA enrollees in the United States but substantially worse care for enrollees in Puerto Rico compared with their US counterparts. Major efforts are needed to improve care delivery on the island to a level equivalent to the United States. PMID:27111865

  15. Standards and Practice for K-12 Physical Education in Japan: In Both Content and Approach, Japanese Physical Education Exhibits Similarities to, and Differences from, Physical Education in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nakai, Takashi; Metzler, Michael W.

    2005-01-01

    This article features the standards and practice for K-12 physical education in Japan. Physical education in Japan has many similarities to, and differences with, programs in the United States. Many of the main objectives for the school curriculum are the same; both systems promote major outcomes related to fitness and lifelong sport and physical…

  16. Watershed-scale response to climate change through the twenty-first century for selected basins across the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hay, Lauren E.; Markstrom, Steven; Ward-Garrison, Christian D.

    2011-01-01

    The hydrologic response of different climate-change emission scenarios for the twenty-first century were evaluated in 14 basins from different hydroclimatic regions across the United States using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), a process-based, distributed-parameter watershed model. This study involves four major steps: 1) setup and calibration of the PRMS model in 14 basins across the United States by local U.S. Geological Survey personnel; 2) statistical downscaling of the World Climate Research Programme’s Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 climate-change emission scenarios to create PRMS input files that reflect these emission scenarios; 3) run PRMS for the climate-change emission scenarios for the 14 basins; and 4) evaluation of the PRMS output.This paper presents an overview of this project, details of the methodology, results from the 14 basin simulations, and interpretation of these results. A key finding is that the hydrological response of the different geographical regions of the United States to potential climate change may be very different, depending on the dominant physical processes of that particular region. Also considered is the tremendous amount of uncertainty present in the climate emission scenarios and how this uncertainty propagates through the hydrologic simulations. This paper concludes with a discussion of the lessons learned and potential for future work.

  17. Differences in liquor prices between control state-operated and license-state retail outlets in the U.S.

    PubMed Central

    Siegel, Michael; DeJong, William; Albers, Alison B.; Naimi, Timothy S.; Jernigan, David H.

    2012-01-01

    Aims This study aims to compare the average price of liquor in the United States between retail alcohol outlets in states that have a monopoly ('control' states) with those that do not ('licence' states). Design A cross-sectional study of brand-specific alcohol prices in the United States. Setting We determined the average prices in February 2012 of 74 brands of liquor among the 13 control states that maintain a monopoly on liquor sales at the retail level and among a sample of 50 license-state liquor stores, using their online-available prices. Measurements We calculated average prices for 74 brands of liquor by control vs. license state. We used a random effects regression model to estimate differences between control and license state prices – overall and by alcoholic beverage type. We also compared prices between the 13 control states. Findings The overall mean price for the 74 brands was $27.79 in the license states (95% confidence interval [CI], $25.26–$30.32) and $29.82 in the control states (95% CI, $26.98–$32.66). Based on the random effects linear regression model, the average liquor price was approximately two dollars lower (6.9% lower) in license states. Conclusions In the United States monopoly of alcohol retail outlets appears to be associated with slightly higher liquor prices. PMID:22934914

  18. Refugee Resettlement Patterns and State-Level Health Care Insurance Access in the United States.

    PubMed

    Agrawal, Pooja; Venkatesh, Arjun Krishna

    2016-04-01

    We sought to evaluate the relationship between state-level implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and resettlement patterns among refugees. We linked federal refugee resettlement data to ACA expansion data and found that refugee resettlement rates are not significantly different according to state-level insurance expansion or cost. Forty percent of refugees have resettled to states without Medicaid expansion. The wide state-level variability in implementation of the ACA should be considered by federal agencies seeking to optimize access to health insurance coverage among refugees who have resettled to the United States.

  19. Brief report: Sex differences in suicide rates and suicide methods among adolescents in South Korea, Japan, Finland, and the US.

    PubMed

    Park, Subin

    2015-04-01

    Sex differences in suicide rates and suicide methods was compared among adolescents in South Korea, Japan, Finland, and the United States. This study analyzed suicide rates and suicide methods of adolescents aged 15-19 years in four countries, using the World Health Organization mortality database. Among both male and female adolescents, the most common method of suicide was jumping from heights in South Korea and hanging in Japan. In Finland, jumping in front of moving objects and firearms were frequently used by males, but not by females. In the United States, males were more likely to use firearms, and females were more likely to use poison. The male to female ratio of suicide rates was higher in the United States (3.8) and Finland (3.6) than in Korea (1.3) and Japan (1.9). Sex differences in suicide methods may contribute to differences in the suicide rates among males and female adolescents in different countries. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Distance Higher Education Experiences of Arab Gulf Students in the United States: A Cultural Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Harthi, Aisha S.

    2005-01-01

    This article reports on a phenomenological research study that was undertaken to provide cultural understanding about the nature of distance education experiences of Arab graduate students pursuing degree programs in the United States. As a theoretical framework, Hofstede's international difference dimensions and Hall's concept of low and high…

  1. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003. Population Characteristics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stoops, Nicole

    2004-01-01

    The population in the United States is becoming more educated, but significant differences in educational attainment remain with regard to age, sex, race, and origin. Nevertheless, the educational attainment of young adults (25 to 29 years), which provides a glimpse of our country's future, indicates dramatic improvement by groups who have…

  2. Functional diversity in summer annual grass and legume intercrops in the Northeastern United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A warm-season annual intercropping experiment was conducted across the Northeastern United States with four trials in 2013 and five trials in 2014 with four crop species selected based on differences in stature and nitrogen acquisition traits: 1) pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.); 2) sorghum suda...

  3. An ecoregional approach to the economic valuation of land- and water-based recreation in the United States

    Treesearch

    Gajana Bhat; John Bergsrom; R. Jeff Teasley

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes a framework for estimating the economic value of outdoor recreation across different ecoregions. Ten ecoregions in the continental United States were defined based on similarly functioning ecosystem characters. The individual travel cost method was employed to estimate recreation demand functions for activities such...

  4. Educational Attainment in the United States: Population Characteristics. Current Population Reports.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newburger, Eric C.; Curry, Andrea

    Although the United States' overall trend reflects a more educated population, significant differences in educational attainment remain with regard to age, sex, race, and origin. Nevertheless, the educational attainment of young adults (ages 25 to 29) indicates a dramatic improvement by groups who have historically been less educated. This report…

  5. A Psychometric Investigation of the Academic Motivation Scale Using a United States Sample.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cokley, Kevin O.; Bernard, Naijean; Cunningham, Dana; Motoike, Janice

    2001-01-01

    Examines the factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale with a United States student population. There was some support for a 7-factor structure. Evidence of construct validity examining the relationship with academic self concept and academic achievement is mixed. Discusses ethnic and gender differences in motivation. (Contains 37…

  6. Experiences of Japanese Visiting Scholars in the United States: An Exploration of Transition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shimmi, Yukiko

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons why Japanese visiting scholars visited the United States, their activities and experiences during their visits, their challenges and support for their transition, and personal and contextual factors that affected their transition in different stages. Although short-term international scholar…

  7. Characteristics of Inclusive Faith Communities: A Preliminary Survey of Inclusive Practices in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Megan M.; Kane, Lydia W.; Taylor, Courtney; Francis, Susan H.; Hodapp, Robert M.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Although participation in faith communities is important to many individuals with disabilities, few studies have examined differences between communities that are more (versus less) inclusive. This study investigated characteristics of faith communities in the United States related to greater inclusion. Methods: Participants were 160…

  8. Generations and Identity: The Japanese American.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kitano, Harry H. L.

    The story of people of Japanese descent in the United States is told in its historic context. The Japanese came to America with cultural values that differed greatly from the mainstream U.S. society. They were also set apart by appearance. Conflict between Japan and the United States exacerbated the problems between the Japanese Americans and the…

  9. 22 CFR 72.4 - Notifications of death.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Notifications of death. 72.4 Section 72.4... DEATHS AND ESTATES Reporting Deaths of United States Nationals § 72.4 Notifications of death. The... legal representative (if any, and if different from the next of kin), of the death of a United States...

  10. Froebel and the Rise of Educational Theory in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baader, Meika Sophia

    2004-01-01

    This contribution compares entries on Friedrich Froebel and the kindergarten in German and United States' histories of education from 1857 to 1933. In the American histories, Froebel appears as the great "hero" of education of the 19th century, whereas in the German histories, Pestalozzi is the "hero." This difference in the…

  11. Sexual Health Among Male College Students in the United States and the Netherlands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dodge, Brian; Sandfort, Theo G. M.; Yarber, William L.; de Wit, John

    2005-01-01

    Objectives: To assess differences in sexual health behaviors, outcomes, and potential sociocultural determinants among male college students in the United States and the Netherlands. Methods: Survey data were collected from random samples of students from both national cultures. Results: American men were more likely to report inadequate…

  12. Characteristics, Similarities, and Differences among Four-Year Cooperative Engineering Programs in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egbert, Robert I.; Stone, Lorene H.; Adams, David L.

    2011-01-01

    Four-year cooperative engineering programs are becoming more common in the United States. Cooperative engineering programs typically involve a "parent" institution with an established engineering program and one or more "satellite" institutions which typically have few or no engineering programs and are located in an area where…

  13. Canada and the United States. Perspective. Learning Activity Packet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maine Univ., Orono. New England - Atlantic Provinces - Quebec Center.

    The similarities and differences of Canada and the United States are explored in this Learning Activity Packet (LAP). Ten learning objectives are given which encourage students to examine: 1) the misconceptions Americans and Canadians have about each other and their ways of life; 2) the effect and influence of French and English exploration and…

  14. 22 CFR 3.4 - Restriction on acceptance of gifts and decorations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... the time of acceptance. However, should any dispute result from a difference of opinion concerning the... of the United States. (d) An employee may accept gifts of travel or expenses for travel taking place... favorably affected by employee travel wholly outside the United States, even though it would not normally...

  15. The Patentability of Living Organisms under 35 U.S.C. Section 101: In re Bergy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvard Law Review, 1978

    1978-01-01

    Examined is the In re Bergy decision in which a divided United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals held that a living micro-organism was patentable under section 101 of the United States Code. Differing views and problems with the decision are also discussed. (JMD)

  16. Differences between Adopted and Nonadopted Adolescents in Wilderness and Residential Treatment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bettmann, Joanna E.; Freeman, Pamela Clarkson; Parry, Kimber J.

    2015-01-01

    Adopted children are disproportionately represented in residential treatment programs in the United States. Adopted children in the United States constitute only 2% to 3% of the U.S population. Nevertheless, they comprise approximately 16.5% of the population in residential care. This descriptive study evaluated a sample of 473 psychological…

  17. Impacts and management implications of ice storms on forests in the southern United States

    Treesearch

    Don C. Bragg; Michael G Shelton; Boris Zeide

    2003-01-01

    Abstract: This review explores the ecological and silvicultural impacts of ice storms on forests in the southern United States. Different environmental factors like weather conditions, topography, vegetation, stand density, and management practices influence the degree of glaze damage a particular forest may experience. Additionally, the frequent...

  18. Marketing Crises in Tourism: Communication Strategies in the United States and Spain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonzalez-Herrero, Alfonso; Pratt, Cornelius B.

    1998-01-01

    Compares crisis-response strategies of marketing-communication professionals in tourism organizations (TOs) in the United States and Spain. Reports the extent to which they use proven crisis-management strategies. Indicates significant differences between the countries' TOs in both their extant plans for responding to marketing crises and in their…

  19. Adoption of precision agriculture technology in the Southeastern United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Agricultural production in the Southeast is diverse and differs from other regions of the United States (U.S.). Crops grown in the Southeast are specific to the region, such as cotton and peanuts. Corn farmers supply most of the grain produced to the poultry industry to support over 15 billion dolla...

  20. Tiered Intervention: History and Trends in Finland and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jahnukainen, Markku; Itkonen, Tiina

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the similarities and differences of relatively newly established tiered intervention models for the support of students with special needs in the United States (response to intervention) and in Finland (learning and schooling support). The current models in both countries consist of several tiers with fairly similar…

  1. Over- and Undercontrolled Referral Problems among Children and Adolescents from Thailand and the United States: The "Wat" and "Wai" of Cultural Differences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weisz, John R.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Compared Thailand to United States in regard to children's psychological problems and corresponding clinic referral patterns. Overcontrolled problems (somaticizing, fearfulness, nervous movements, worrying) were reported more often for Thai than for American youth. Undercontrolled problems (disobedience, fighting, lying, arguing) were reported…

  2. 22 CFR 72.4 - Notifications of death.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Notifications of death. 72.4 Section 72.4... DEATHS AND ESTATES Reporting Deaths of United States Nationals § 72.4 Notifications of death. The... legal representative (if any, and if different from the next of kin), of the death of a United States...

  3. 22 CFR 72.4 - Notifications of death.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Notifications of death. 72.4 Section 72.4... DEATHS AND ESTATES Reporting Deaths of United States Nationals § 72.4 Notifications of death. The... legal representative (if any, and if different from the next of kin), of the death of a United States...

  4. 22 CFR 72.4 - Notifications of death.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Notifications of death. 72.4 Section 72.4... DEATHS AND ESTATES Reporting Deaths of United States Nationals § 72.4 Notifications of death. The... legal representative (if any, and if different from the next of kin), of the death of a United States...

  5. 22 CFR 72.4 - Notifications of death.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Notifications of death. 72.4 Section 72.4... DEATHS AND ESTATES Reporting Deaths of United States Nationals § 72.4 Notifications of death. The... legal representative (if any, and if different from the next of kin), of the death of a United States...

  6. Precepts and Practices: Researching Identity Formation among Indian Hindu Adolescents in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Barbara D.

    1995-01-01

    Presents general comments on economic, political and demographic features of Indian Hindu community in the United States. Describes preliminary findings on precepts and practices related to identity formation among Indian Hindu youth. Highlights practices related to dress and hair behaviors and gender differences. Presents questions for further…

  7. Tuning the Discipline of History in the United States: Harmony (and Dissonance) in Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McInerney, Daniel J.

    2017-01-01

    Tuning's progress in the discipline of history in the United States since 2009 illustrates the project's continuing capacity to develop "educational structures and programmes on the basis of diversity and autonomy", maintaining the initiative's original European Union commitment in a markedly different academic environment across the…

  8. Latinas: Hispanic Women in the United States. The Hispanic Experience in America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garza, Hedda

    The term "Latinas" encompasses many different groups of women. Despite the disparities among the cultures of their countries of origin, Spanish-speaking peoples have been lumped as "Hispanics," and later "Latinos," in the United States. The Latino group is rapidly becoming the largest minority population in the United…

  9. Environmental and Genetic Influences on Prereading Skills in Australia, Scandinavia, and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samuelsson, Stefan; Byrne, Brian; Quain, Peter; Wadsworth, Sally; Corley, Robin; DeFries, John C.; Willcutt, Eric; Olson, Richard

    2005-01-01

    Individual differences in measures of prereading skills and in questionnaire measures of 4-5-year-old twins' print environments in Australia, Scandinavia, and the United States were explored with a behavioral-genetic design. Modest phenotypic correlations were found between environmental measures and the twins' print knowledge, general verbal…

  10. Cross-Cultural Issues of Office Technology Management: Comparing Canada and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gattiker, Urs E.; And Others

    Although the internationalization of business makes cross-cultural research on workers' attitudes toward computer-based technology valuable to management, cross-cultural studies are rare. A study was conducted to determine whether employees in the United States differ from Canadian employees in their evaluation of computer-based technology due to…

  11. Monitoring U.S. forest dynamics with Landsat [Chapter 12

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey G. Masek; Sean P. Healey

    2012-01-01

    Forest dynamics in the United States differ substantially from those in the developing world and thus present unique monitoring requirements. While deforestation and conversion to semipermanent agriculture dominate tropical forest dynamics, the area of forest land in the United States has remained fairly constant for the last 50-60 years (Birdsey and Lewis 2003)....

  12. Parents' Involvement in Children's Learning in the United States and China: Implications for Children's Academic and Emotional Adjustment

    PubMed Central

    Cheung, Cecilia Sin-Sze; Pomerantz, Eva M.

    2011-01-01

    This research examined parents' involvement in children's learning in the United States and China. Beginning in seventh grade, 825 American and Chinese children (mean age = 12.74 years) reported on their parents' involvement in their learning as well as their parents' psychological control and autonomy support every six months until the end of eighth grade. Information on children's academic and emotional adjustment was obtained. American (vs. Chinese) parents' involvement was associated less with their control and more with their autonomy support. Despite these different associations, parents' heightened involvement predicted children's enhanced engagement and achievement similarly in the United States and China. However, it predicted enhanced perceptions of competence and positive emotional functioning more strongly in the United States than China. PMID:21418057

  13. Tracing retail cannabis in the United States: geographic origin and cultivation patterns.

    PubMed

    Hurley, Janet M; West, Jason B; Ehleringer, James R

    2010-05-01

    Although cannabis is the most readily available and widely used illicit drug in the United States, there remains significant uncertainty about the importance of different production regions and trafficking patterns. We analysed 628 "retail" cannabis seizures from over 50 municipalities across the United States for hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios to predict their growth locations and environments. Results are presented for 22 consolidated retail locations across the United States. Evaluation of specimens from within these retail areas suggested that cannabis seizures had region-dependent origins, often from both domestic and foreign sources, and although indoor growth was common in many areas, there was also regional dependence in the proportions cultivated under indoor versus outdoor conditions. Street-available cannabis exhibits region-specific trafficking patterns, both Mexican- and Canadian-grown cannabis are apparently widely available, and indoor-grown cannabis appears to be cultivated and trafficked in both warm and cool weather localities throughout the United States. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. An assessment of differences in gridded precipitation datasets in complex terrain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henn, Brian; Newman, Andrew J.; Livneh, Ben; Daly, Christopher; Lundquist, Jessica D.

    2018-01-01

    Hydrologic modeling and other geophysical applications are sensitive to precipitation forcing data quality, and there are known challenges in spatially distributing gauge-based precipitation over complex terrain. We conduct a comparison of six high-resolution, daily and monthly gridded precipitation datasets over the Western United States. We compare the long-term average spatial patterns, and interannual variability of water-year total precipitation, as well as multi-year trends in precipitation across the datasets. We find that the greatest absolute differences among datasets occur in high-elevation areas and in the maritime mountain ranges of the Western United States, while the greatest percent differences among datasets relative to annual total precipitation occur in arid and rain-shadowed areas. Differences between datasets in some high-elevation areas exceed 200 mm yr-1 on average, and relative differences range from 5 to 60% across the Western United States. In areas of high topographic relief, true uncertainties and biases are likely higher than the differences among the datasets; we present evidence of this based on streamflow observations. Precipitation trends in the datasets differ in magnitude and sign at smaller scales, and are sensitive to how temporal inhomogeneities in the underlying precipitation gauge data are handled.

  15. Integration or specialization? Similarities and differences between Sweden and the United States in gerontology education and training.

    PubMed

    McCall, Mary E; Börjesson, Ulrika

    2017-01-01

    This article examines the similarities and differences in the education and training of gerontologists and others who work with older people in Sweden and the United States. It outlines the aging trends in both countries and assesses the level of training for those who provide care in a variety of fields. Both countries are aging, but the programs for gerontological training are quite different in the two countries, reflecting underlying cultural values. Sweden's education is generally more oriented toward the integration of some aging education in more disciplinary fields, such as nursing and social work and thus could benefit from more specialized, aging-specific courses. The United States is highly specialized, with multiple programs in various subfields of aging (e.g., geropsychology; aging services administration) and could benefit from integrating more aging knowledge into courses in other disciplines. The authors challenge professionals to consider if there is a basic but global curriculum and/or set of competencies in gerontology that could be agreed upon. As an increasingly global village, the ability to share and learn is more easily achievable. Sweden and the United States have much to learn from each other in terms of appropriately educating and training those who support our older people.

  16. What Happened to the Amateurs After Professionalization? The Amateurization of Astronomy in Britain and the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, T. R.

    2003-12-01

    For nearly two centuries, astronomers have felt the need for a journal in which to publish their results, a venue for meetings in which to discuss those results, and a means for standardizing techniques and coordinating programs within the discipline. These factors are typically the basis on which professional associations have been formed, but in many countries some form of an amateur organization now exists to serve these same purposes. In two case studies, this paper will explore the different paths along which amateur organizations have developed in response to radically different dynamics in the professionalization of astronomy. In Britain, several failures preceded the successful formation of the British Astronomical Association (BAA). Within no more than a decade after its founding, the BAA's specialized observing sections and credible journal were admired by professional and amateur astronomers alike, and served as a model for at least three failed attempts to form a similar organization in the United States. What emerged in the United States instead were six separate specialized observing associations, some of which now legitimately claim international status. This talk will consider how the radically different circumstances under which the professionalization of astronomy occurred in Britain and the United States influenced the amateurization of astronomy in both countries.

  17. The United States Leads Other Nations In Differences By Income In Perceptions Of Health And Health Care.

    PubMed

    Hero, Joachim O; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Blendon, Robert J

    2017-06-01

    We examined income gaps in the period 2011-13 in self-assessments of personal health and health care across thirty-two middle- and high-income countries. While high-income respondents were generally more positive about their health and health care in most countries, the gap between them and low-income respondents was much bigger in some than in others. The United States has among the largest income-related differences in each of the measures we studied, which assessed both respondents' past experiences and their confidence about accessing needed health care in the future. Relatively low levels of moral discomfort over income-based health care disparities despite broad awareness of unmet need indicate more public tolerance for health care inequalities in the United States than elsewhere. Nonetheless, over half of Americans felt that income-based health care inequalities are unfair, and these respondents were significantly more likely than their compatriots to support major health system reform-differences that reflect the country's political divisions. Given the many provisions in the Affordable Care Act that seek to reduce disparities, any replacement would also require attention to disparities or risk taking a step backward in an area where the United States is in sore need of improvement. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  18. Addressing Child Poverty: How Does the United States Compare With Other Nations?

    PubMed

    Smeeding, Timothy; Thévenot, Céline

    2016-04-01

    Poverty during childhood raises a number of policy challenges. The earliest years are critical in terms of future cognitive and emotional development and early health outcomes, and have long-lasting consequences on future health. In this article child poverty in the United States is compared with a set of other developed countries. To the surprise of few, results show that child poverty is high in the United States. But why is poverty so much higher in the United States than in other rich nations? Among child poverty drivers, household composition and parent's labor market participation matter a great deal. But these are not insurmountable problems. Many of these disadvantages can be overcome by appropriate public policies. For example, single mothers have a very high probability of poverty in the United States, but this is not the case in other countries where the provision of work support increases mothers' labor earnings and together with strong public cash support effectively reduces child poverty. In this article we focus on the role and design of public expenditure to understand the functioning of the different national systems and highlight ways for improvements to reduce child poverty in the United States. We compare relative child poverty in the United States with poverty in a set of selected countries. The takeaway is that the United States underinvests in its children and their families and in so doing this leads to high child poverty and poor health and educational outcomes. If a nation like the United States wants to decrease poverty and improve health and life chances for poor children, it must support parental employment and incomes, and invest in children's futures as do other similar nations with less child poverty. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Reason-Giving and Medical Futility: Contrasting Legal and Social Discourse in the United States With the United Kingdom and Ontario, Canada.

    PubMed

    Bosslet, Gabriel T; Baker, Mary; Pope, Thaddeus M

    2016-09-01

    Disputes regarding life-prolonging treatments are stressful for all parties involved. These disagreements are appropriately almost always resolved with intensive communication and negotiation. Those rare cases that are not require a resolution process that ensures fairness and due process. We describe three recent cases from different countries (the United States, United Kingdom, and Ontario, Canada) to qualitatively contrast the legal responses to intractable, policy-level disputes regarding end-of-life care in each of these countries. In so doing, we define the continuum of clinical and social utility among different types of dispute resolution processes and emphasize the importance of public reason-giving in the societal discussion regarding policy-level solutions to end-of-life treatment disputes. We argue that precedential, publicly available, written rulings for these decisions most effectively help to move the social debate forward in a way that is beneficial to clinicians, patients, and citizens. This analysis highlights the lack of such rulings within the United States. Copyright © 2016 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Mitochondrial DNA diversity of honey bees (Apis mellifera) from unmanaged colonies and swarms in the United States.

    PubMed

    Magnus, Roxane M; Tripodi, Amber D; Szalanski, Allen L

    2014-06-01

    To study the genetic diversity of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from unmanaged colonies in the United States, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial DNA COI-COII region. From the 530 to 1,230 bp amplicon, we observed 23 haplotypes from 247 samples collected from 12 states, representing three of the four A. mellifera lineages known to have been imported into the United States (C, M, and O). Six of the 13 C lineage haplotypes were not found in previous queen breeder studies in the United States. The O lineage accounted for 9% of unmanaged colonies which have not yet been reported in queen breeder studies. The M lineage accounted for a larger portion of unmanaged samples (7%) than queen breeder samples (3%). Based on our mitochondrial DNA data, the genetic diversity of unmanaged honey bees in the United States differs significantly from that of queen breeder populations (p < 0.00001). The detection of genetically distinct maternal lineages of unmanaged honey bees suggests that these haplotypes may have existed outside the managed honey bee population for a long period.

  1. Thresholds for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in England and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Karthikesalingam, Alan; Vidal-Diez, Alberto; Holt, Peter J.; Loftus, Ian M.; Schermerhorn, Marc L.; Soden, Peter A.; Landon, Bruce E.; Thompson, Matthew M.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND Thresholds for repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms vary considerably among countries. METHODS We examined differences between England and the United States in the frequency of aneurysm repair, the mean aneurysm diameter at the time of the procedure, and rates of aneurysm rupture and aneurysm-related death. Data on the frequency of repair of intact (nonruptured) abdominal aortic aneurysms, in-hospital mortality among patients who had undergone aneurysm repair, and rates of aneurysm rupture during the period from 2005 through 2012 were extracted from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Data on the aneurysm diameter at the time of repair were extracted from the U.K. National Vascular Registry (2014 data) and from the U.S. National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2013 data). Aneurysm-related mortality during the period from 2005 through 2012 was determined from data obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.K. Office of National Statistics. Data were adjusted with the use of direct standardization or conditional logistic regression for differences between England and the United States with respect to population age and sex. RESULTS During the period from 2005 through 2012, a total of 29,300 patients in England and 278,921 patients in the United States underwent repair of intact abdominal aortic aneurysms. Aneurysm repair was less common in England than in the United States (odds ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48 to 0.49; P<0.001), and aneurysm-related death was more common in England than in the United States (odds ratio, 3.60; 95% CI, 3.55 to 3.64; P<0.001). Hospitalization due to an aneurysm rupture occurred more frequently in England than in the United States (odds ratio, 2.23; 95% CI, 2.19 to 2.27; P<0.001), and the mean aneurysm diameter at the time of repair was larger in England (63.7 mm vs. 58.3 mm, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS We found a lower rate of repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms and a larger mean aneurysm diameter at the time of repair in England than in the United States and lower rates of aneurysm rupture and aneurysm-related death in the United States than in England. (Funded by the Circulation Foundation and others.) PMID:27959727

  2. A critique of social capital.

    PubMed

    Navarro, Vicente

    2002-01-01

    This article critiques the concepts of communitarianism and social capital as used in the United States and in Europe. For the United States, the author focuses on Robert Putnam's understanding of both concepts, showing that the apolitical analysis of the Progressive Era, of the progressive developments in Northern Italy, and of the situation of labor unions in the United States is not only insufficient but wrong. The critique also includes the difference between U.S. communitarianism and its European versions, Christian democracy and New Labour, and the limitations of both approaches. The uses and misuses of these concepts in the political debate are discussed.

  3. Refugee resettlement to the United States: recommendations for a new approach.

    PubMed

    Westermeyer, Joseph John

    2011-08-01

    Hmong acculturation to the United States has involved high prevalence of several psychosocial challenges: acculturation failure, welfare dependency, psychiatric disorder, mistrust, malignant youth gangs, and violence. Conversely, resettlement of the Thai Dam-a tribal group, also from Laos-has gone remarkably well in comparison. Strategies used for resettlement of these two groups differed greatly. Based on these differences, the author recommends a refugee resettlement strategy aimed at improved mental health and optimal acculturation for future refugee groups.

  4. Evaluation of XMX/2L-MIL Virtual Impactor Performance and Capture and Retention of Aerosol Particles in Two Different Collection Media

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-01

    The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air...Breiman, T. Hennessy, E. T. Umland, and others. (1995). Evaluation of the Magnitude of the 1993 Hantavirus Outbreak in the Southwestern United States. The...Retention of Aerosol Particles in Two Different Collection Media 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR (S

  5. Cosmetic surgery growth and correlations with financial indices: a comparative study of the United Kingdom and United States from 2002-2011.

    PubMed

    Nassab, Reza; Harris, Paul

    2013-05-01

    Over the past 10 years, there has been significant fluctuation in the yearly growth rates for cosmetic surgery procedures in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The authors compare cosmetic surgical procedure rates in the United Kingdom and United States with the macroeconomic climate of each region to determine whether there is a direct relationship between cosmetic surgery rates and economic health. The authors analyzed annual cosmetic surgery statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for 2002-2011 against economic indices from both regions, including the gross domestic product (GDP), consumer prices indices (CPI), and stock market reports. There was a 285.9% increase in the United Kingdom and a 1.1% increase in the United States in the number of procedures performed between 2002 and 2011. There were significant positive correlations between the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United Kingdom and both the GDP (r = 0.986, P < .01) and CPI (r = 0.955, P < .01). Analysis of the US growth rates failed to show a significant relationship with any indices. UK interest rates showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.668, P < .05) with procedures performed, whereas US interest rates showed a significant positive correlation. Data from the United States and United Kingdom suggest 2 very different growth patterns in the number of cosmetic surgeries being performed as compared with the economy in each region. Economic indices are accurate indicators of numbers of procedures being performed in the United Kingdom, whereas rates in the United States seem independent of those factors.

  6. Is more neonatal intensive care always better? Insights from a cross-national comparison of reproductive care.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Lindsay A; Goodman, David C; Little, George A

    2002-06-01

    Despite high per capita health care expenditure, the United States has crude infant survival rates that are lower than similarly developed nations. Although differences in vital recording and socioeconomic risk have been studied, a systematic, cross-national comparison of perinatal health care systems is lacking. To characterize systems of reproductive care for the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including a detailed analysis of neonatal intensive care and mortality. Comparison of selected indicators of reproductive care and mortality from 1993-2000 through a systematic review of journal and government publications and structured interviews of leaders in perinatal and neonatal care. Compared with the other 3 countries, the United States has more neonatal intensive care resources yet provides proportionately less support for preconception and prenatal care. Unlike the United States, the other countries provided free family planning services and prenatal and perinatal physician care, and the United Kingdom and Australia paid for all contraception. The United States has high neonatal intensive care capacity, with 6.1 neonatologists per 10 000 live births; Australia, 3.7; Canada, 3.3; and the United Kingdom, 2.7. For intensive care beds, the United States has 3.3 per 10 000 live births; Australia and Canada, 2.6; and the United Kingdom, 0.67. Greater neonatal intensive care resources were not consistently associated with lower birth weight-specific mortality. The relative risk (United States as reference) of neonatal mortality for infants <1000 g was 0.84 for Australia, 1.12 for Canada, and 0.99 for the United Kingdom; for 1000 to 2499 g infants, the relative risk was 0.97 for Australia, 1.26 for Canada, and 0.95 for the United Kingdom. As reported elsewhere, low birth weight rates were notably higher in the United States, partially explaining the high crude mortality rates. The United States has significantly greater neonatal intensive care resources per capita, compared with 3 other developed countries, without having consistently better birth weight-specific mortality. Despite low birth weight rates that exceed other countries, the United States has proportionately more providers per low birth weight infant, but offers less extensive preconception and prenatal services. This study questions the effectiveness of the current distribution of US reproductive care resources and its emphasis on neonatal intensive care.

  7. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015. Population Characteristics. Current Population Reports. P20-578

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Camille L.; Bauman, Kurt

    2016-01-01

    This report provides a portrait of educational attainment in the United States based on data collected from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The report examines educational attainment of the adult population by demographic and social characteristics such as age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and disability status, as well as differences in…

  8. Multicultural Education in the United States and Japan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagai, Hideo

    This paper compares multicultural education in U.S. and Japanese schools, analyzing multicultural education from the ethnic perspective. The paper notes that while the United States is a country with a long history of immigration and is composed of people with many different racial backgrounds, Japan is a country of a single race with only a few…

  9. School Climate and the Experience of LGBT Students: A Comparison of the United States and Israel

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pizmony-Levy, Oren; Kosciw, Joseph G.

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the school experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in the United States and Israel. Through comparison of the sociocultural and edu-cational contexts, the authors assess whether school experience of LGBT students differs or operates similarly across countries. The authors use data from the…

  10. The effects of climate, geography, and time on hemlock woolly adelgid and its natural enemies

    Treesearch

    R. Talbot, III Trotter

    2007-01-01

    Although the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has been documented in the western United States since the 1920s, it has not expressed outbreak dynamics, and has not behaved as a pest species. In the eastern United States however, the spatial and temporal dynamics of the HWA have been quite different.

  11. Does Segregation Still Matter? The Impact of Student Composition on Academic Achievement in High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rumberger, Russell W.; Palardy, Gregory J.

    2005-01-01

    The Coleman report, published 12 years after the Brown decision, confirmed that widespread school segregation in the United States created inequality of educational opportunity. This study examines whether racial and socioeconomic segregation, which is on the rise in the United States, is still contributing to the achievement differences among…

  12. Social versus biophysical availability of wood in the northern United States

    Treesearch

    Brett J. Butler; Ma Zhao; David B. Kittredge; Paul Catanzaro

    2010-01-01

    The availability of wood, be it harvested for sawlogs, pulpwood, biomass, or other products, is constrained by social and biophysical factors. Knowing the difference between social and biophysical availability is important for understanding what can realistically be extracted. This study focuses on the wood located in family forests across the northern United States....

  13. Perspectives of Play in Three Nations: A Comparative Study in Japan, the United States, and Sweden

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Izumi-Taylor, Satomi; Samuelsson, Ingrid Pramling; Rogers, Cosby Steele

    2010-01-01

    This reflective paper discusses findings about differences and similarities in perspectives on play among early childhood educators in Japan, the United States, and Sweden. Analysis of survey data collected from educators in those nations yielded six themes regarding the meanings and uses of play: (1) process of learning, (2) source of…

  14. Pathogenicity, fungicide resistance, and genetic variability of Phytophthora rubi isolates from raspberry (Rubus idaeus) in the Western United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Root rot of raspberry (Rubus idaeus), thought to be primarily caused by Phytophthora rubi, is an economically important disease in the western United States. The objectives of this study were to determine which Phytophthora species are involved in root rot, examine the efficacy of different isolatio...

  15. A Study of Three Cultures: Germany, Japan and the United States--An Overview of the TIMSS Case Study Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevenson, Harold W.

    1998-01-01

    Discusses case studies of the United States, Germany, and Japan included in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Highlights national standards, teacher training and working conditions, attitudes toward dealing with ability differences, and the place of school in adolescents' lives. Compared to Japanese and German…

  16. Trends in Tuberculosis Reported from the Appalachian Region: United States, 1993-2005

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Ryan M.; Armstrong, Lori R.; Pratt, Robert H.; Kammerer, J. Steve; Iademarco, Michael F.

    2008-01-01

    Context: Appalachia has been characterized by its poverty, a factor associated with tuberculosis, yet little is known about the disease in this region. Purpose: To determine whether Appalachian tuberculosis risk factors, trends, and rates differ from the rest of the United States. Methods: Analysis of tuberculosis cases reported to the Centers for…

  17. Comparative Longitudinal Consumer Information Research in Germany and the United States. German Studies Notes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thorelli, Hans B.; And Others

    The paper presents the text of a business and economics session at a conference on recent sociopolitical and socioeconomic developments in West Germany and the United States. Intended as a contribution to the dialogue between the two societies, the paper focuses on differences between average and sophisticated consumers within each country and…

  18. Exotic annual Bromus invasions: Comparisons among species and ecoregions in the western United States [Chapter 2

    Treesearch

    Matthew L. Brooks; Cynthia S. Brown; Jeanne C. Chambers; Carla M. D' Antonio; Jon E. Keeley; Jayne Belnap

    2016-01-01

    Exotic annual Bromus species are widely recognized for their potential to invade, dominate, and alter the structure and function of ecosystems. In this chapter, we summarize the invasion potential, ecosystem threats, and management strategies for different Bromus species within each of five ecoregions of the western United States. We characterize invasion...

  19. Bringing Educational Fundraising Back to Great Britain: A Comparison with the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Proper, Eve

    2009-01-01

    As a solution to dwindling government revenue, higher education in Great Britain has recently begun to increase fundraising. While it looks to the United States' higher education sector as a model, there are significant legal, historical and cultural differences between the two nations that could limit the British higher education sector's…

  20. Student and Faculty Attributions of Attrition in High and Low-Completing Doctoral Programs in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Susan K.

    2009-01-01

    Sixty doctoral students and 34 faculty members were interviewed in departments identified as having high and low doctoral student completion rates at one institution in the United States in order to examine the cultural contexts and structures that facilitate or hinder doctoral student completion. This paper outlines the differences in…

  1. Allozyme differentiation of intersterility groups of Heterobasidion annosum isolated from conifers in the western United States

    Treesearch

    W.J. Otrosina; T.E. Chase; F.W. Cobb

    1992-01-01

    Allozyme analysis was conducted on 64 isolates from basidiocarps of Heterobasidion annosum. The isolates belonged to the "S" and "P" intersterility groups and were collected from five conifer species found in the western United States. Ten allozyme loci distributed among eight enzyme systems were examined. Intersterility groups differed at nine...

  2. Suicide Notes from India and the United States: A Thematic Comparison

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leenaars, Antoon A.; Girdhar, Shalina; Dogra, T. D.; Wenckstern, Susanne; Leenaars, Lindsey

    2010-01-01

    Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be important; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. This study sought to investigate suicide notes drawn from India and the United States, as these countries have similar suicide rates but markedly different cultures. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual…

  3. A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Factors Associated with School Bullying in Japan and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, Jeanne M.; Anngela-Cole, Linda; Wakita, Juri

    2010-01-01

    Researchers in both Japan and in the United States have documented that bullying is a common and potentially damaging form of violence among children. The authors' review highlights distinct cross-cultural patterns of personal, family, peer, and school characteristics that predict gender differences in bullying and victimization. Cross-cultural…

  4. Regional impacts of technical change: the case of structural particleboard in the United States.

    Treesearch

    Zhi Xu; David N. Bengston; Hans M. Gregersen; Allen L. Lundgren

    1992-01-01

    Analyzes the regional impacts of research benefits in the United States due to the introduction of structural particleboard. The distribution of consumer benefits, producer benefits, direct employment impacts, and changes in wood requirements are analyzed for the four census regions. The distribution of benefits is found to differ widely between regions, indicating...

  5. "I Want to Do Things with Languages": A Male Karenni Refugee's Reconstructing Multilingual Capital

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duran, Chatwara Suwannamai

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses how a male Karenni refugee in the United States has constructed multilingual capital along the way of his multiple movements across national borders. As a member of an ethnic minority group in three different countries (Burma, Thailand, and the United States), he has invested in learning multiple languages throughout the…

  6. The Meaning of Work and Performance-Focused Work Attitudes among Midlevel Managers in the United States and Brazil

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuchinke, K. Peter; Cornachione, Edgard B., Jr.

    2010-01-01

    This survey-based study investigated work meaning and performance-focused work attitudes of some 315 midlevel managers in diverse industries in the United States and Brazil to determine similarities, differences, and relationships among absolute and relative meaning of work, work role identification, desired work outcomes, and job satisfaction,…

  7. 76 FR 30937 - Small Hydropower Development in the United States; Notice of Small/Low-Impact Hydropower Webinar

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-27

    ... Development in the United States; Notice of Small/Low-Impact Hydropower Webinar The Federal Energy Regulatory... projects. Specifically, the webinar will provide the opportunity for participants to learn the differences..., learn how to get more information and assistance from FERC staff, and ask questions. To register for...

  8. Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owens, Jayanti

    2016-01-01

    Why do men in the United States today complete less schooling than women? One reason may be gender differences in early self-regulation and prosocial behaviors. Scholars have found that boys' early behavioral disadvantage predicts their lower average academic achievement during elementary school. In this study, I examine longer-term effects: Do…

  9. Attitudes about Childlessness in the United States: Correlates of Positive, Neutral, and Negative Responses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koropeckyj-Cox, Tanya; Pendell, Gretchen

    2007-01-01

    The study used cross-sectional analyses of the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-1988, 1992-1994) to examine attitudes about childlessness in the United States. It (a) assesses prevalence of positive, neutral, and negative attitudes about childlessness and (b) identifies the correlates of different attitudes in the population. About…

  10. Race and Law in Britain and the United States. MRG Report No. 22.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Claiborne, Louis

    This report surveys American and British experiences in applying law to problems of race relations, and assesses the achievements and setbacks in each nation. An overview of racial issues in the course of United States and British history, beginning with the slavery issue, provides a perspective on the common and different problems experienced by…

  11. Preservice Teachers' Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Policy in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ajuwon, Paul M.; Laman, Effie; Earle, John Christopher

    2014-01-01

    The attitudes of 224 preservice teachers from eight universities in the United States were measured to determine if participants' sentiments, attitudes, and concerns about inclusion can be positively affected through a single course, i.e., using pre and post data gathered with one instrument. There were significant differences between a number of…

  12. Diversity and antifungal activity of the endophytic fungi associated with the native medicinal cactus Opuntia humifusa (Cactaceae) from the United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The endophytic fungal community associated with the native cactus Opuntia humifusa in the United States was investigated and its potential for providing antifungal compounds. A total of 108 endophytic fungal isolates were obtained and identified by molecular methods into 17 different taxa of the gen...

  13. Different Continents, Shared Challenges: Europe and the United States in the Digital Era for School Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cho, Vincent; Turner, Henry; Steiner, Adam

    2016-01-01

    Although today's unprecedented advancements in technology ought to serve as a springboard for innovations in teaching and learning, practices in many schools in the United States and around the globe remain unchanged. Indeed, Europe, too has struggled with this challenge. Using European technology initiatives as points of reflection, the authors…

  14. Master's in Economics Programs: Comparing Canada and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walstad, William; Milkman, Martin I.; McCoy, James P.

    2008-01-01

    The authors compare various characteristics of terminal master's of economics programs in Canada and the United States. As far as they know, this is the first article to present results from a survey of Canadian master's programs in economics. Using a Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test, they found significant differences between the Canadian and U.S.…

  15. Educational Finance and School Choice in the United States and Canada. Occasional Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawton, Stephen B.

    Both the United States and Canadian provinces have moved to enhance educational choice within their educational systems to improve educational productivity. In spite of this similarity of purpose and means, the two nations are taking very different approaches. Most Canadian provinces have moved to full provincial financing of schools and to the…

  16. Environmental aspects of engineering geological mapping in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Radbruch-Hall, Dorothy H.

    1979-01-01

    Many engineering geological maps at different scales have been prepared for various engineering and environmental purposes in regions of diverse geological conditions in the United States. They include maps of individual geological hazards and maps showing the effect of land development on the environment. An approach to assessing the environmental impact of land development that is used increasingly in the United States is the study of a single area by scientists from several disciplines, including geology. A study of this type has been made for the National Petroleum Reserve in northern Alaska. In the San Francisco Bay area, a technique has been worked out for evaluating the cost of different types of construction and land development in terms of the cost of a number of kinds of earth science factors. ?? 1979 International Association of Engineering Geology.

  17. Cross-National Variations in Behavioral Profiles Among Homeless Youth

    PubMed Central

    Milburn, Norweeta G.; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Rice, Eric; Mallet, Shelley; Rosenthal, Doreen

    2010-01-01

    Cross-national comparisons of homeless youth in Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles, CA, United States were conducted. Newly (n = 427) and experienced (n = 864) homeless youth were recruited from each site. Compared to Australia, homeless youth in the United States were younger, more likely to be in school or jail, demonstrated fewer sexual and substance use risk acts, fewer suicidal acts, and reported less need for social services. Across sites, experienced homeless youth were more likely to be older, male, engage in sexual and substance use, report greater need for social services, and make greater use of work, substance use, and health-related services. Homeless youth have different behavioral profiles in Australia and the United States, reflecting differences in the effectiveness of service systems in the two countries in keeping youth with fewer problems out of homelessness. PMID:16680537

  18. Cross-national variations in behavioral profiles among homeless youth.

    PubMed

    Milburn, Norweeta G; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Rice, Eric; Mallet, Shelley; Rosenthal, Doreen

    2006-03-01

    Cross-national comparisons of homeless youth in Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles, CA, United States were conducted. Newly (n = 427) and experienced (n = 864) homeless youth were recruited from each site. Compared to Australia, homeless youth in the United States were younger, more likely to be in school or jail, demonstrated fewer sexual and substance use risk acts, fewer suicidal acts, and reported less need for social services. Across sites, experienced homeless youth were more likely to be older, male, engage in sexual and substance use, report greater need for social services, and make greater use of work, substance use, and health-related services. Homeless youth have different behavioral profiles in Australia and the United States, reflecting differences in the effectiveness of service systems in the two countries in keeping youth with fewer problems out of homelessness.

  19. Kidney transplant graft outcomes in 379 257 recipients on 3 continents.

    PubMed

    Merion, Robert M; Goodrich, Nathan P; Johnson, Rachel J; McDonald, Stephen P; Russ, Graeme R; Gillespie, Brenda W; Collett, David

    2018-03-24

    Kidney transplant outcomes that vary by program or geopolitical unit may result from variability in practice patterns or health care delivery systems. In this collaborative study, we compared kidney graft outcomes among 4 countries (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand) on 3 continents. We analyzed transplant and follow-up registry data from 1988-2014 for 379 257 recipients of first kidney-only transplants using Cox regression. Compared to the United States, 1-year adjusted graft failure risk was significantly higher in the United Kingdom (hazard ratio [HR] 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-1.26, P < .001) and New Zealand (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.46, P < .001), but lower in Australia (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.96, P = .001). In contrast, long-term adjusted graft failure risk (conditional on 1-year function) was significantly higher in the United States compared to Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (HR 0.74, 0.75, and 0.74, respectively; each P < .001). Thus long-term kidney graft outcomes are approximately 25% worse in the United States than in 3 other countries with well-developed kidney transplant systems. Case mix differences and residual confounding from unmeasured factors were found to be unlikely explanations. These findings suggest that identification of potentially modifiable country-specific differences in care delivery and/or practice patterns should be sought. © 2018 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

  20. Antiabortion violence in the United States.

    PubMed

    Russo, Jennefer A; Schumacher, Kristin L; Creinin, Mitchell D

    2012-11-01

    This study was conducted to determine if an association exists between the amount of harassment and violence directed against abortion providers and the restrictiveness of state laws relating to family planning. We used responses from a July 2010 survey of 357 abortion providers in 50 states to determine their experience of antiabortion harassment and violence. Their responses were grouped and analyzed in relation to a published grading of state laws in the United States (A, B, C, D and F) as they relate to restrictions on family planning services. Group by group comparison of respondents illustrates that the difference in the number of reported incidents of minor vandalism by group is statistically significant (A vs. C, p=.07; A vs. D, p=.017; A vs. F, p=.0002). Incidents of harassment follow a similar pattern. There were no differences noted overall for violence or major vandalism. Major violence, including eight murders, is a new occurrence in the last two decades. Harassment of abortion providers in the United States has an association with the restrictiveness of state abortion laws. In the last two decades, murder of abortion providers has become an unfortunate part of the violence. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Molecular Epidemiology of Measles Viruses in the United States, 1997–2001

    PubMed Central

    Liffick, Stephanie L.; Rota, Jennifer S.; Katz, Russell S.; Redd, Susan; Papania, Mark; Bellini, William J.

    2002-01-01

    From 1997 to 2001, sequence data from 55 clinical specimens were obtained from confirmed measles cases in the United States, representing 21 outbreaks and 34 sporadic cases. Sequence analysis indicated the presence of 11 of the recognized genotypes. The most common genotypes detected were genotype D6, usually identified from imported cases from Europe, and genotype D5, associated with importations from Japan. A number of viruses belonging to genotype D4 were imported from India and Pakistan. Overall, viral genotypes were determined for 13 chains of transmission with an unknown source of virus, and seven different genotypes were identified. Therefore, the diversity of Measles virus genotypes observed in the United States from 1997 to 2001 reflected multiple imported sources of virus and indicated that no strain of measles is endemic in the United States. PMID:12194764

  2. Wind deployment in the United States: states, resources, policy, and discourse.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Elizabeth J; Stephens, Jennie C

    2009-12-15

    A transformation in the way the United States produces and uses energy is needed to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets for climate change mitigation. Wind power is an important low-carbon technology and the most rapidly growing renewable energy technology in the U.S. Despite recent advances in wind deployment, significant state-by-state variation in wind power distribution cannot be explained solely by wind resource patterns nor by state policy. Other factors embedded within the state-level socio-political context also contribute to wind deployment patterns. We explore this socio-political context in four U.S. states by integrating multiple research methods. Through comparative state-level analysis of the energy system, energy policy, and public discourse as represented in the media, we examine variation in the context for wind deployment in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Texas. Our results demonstrate that these states have different patterns of wind deployment, are engaged in different debates about wind power, and appear to frame the risks and benefits of wind power in different ways. This comparative assessment highlights the complex variation of the state-level socio-political context and contributes depth to our understanding of energy technology deployment processes, decision-making, and outcomes.

  3. Evaluating the SF-36 Health Survey (Version 2) in Older Vietnamese Americans

    PubMed Central

    Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Sorkin, Dara H.; Mangione, Carol M.; Gandek, Barbara; Hays, Ron D.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives The SF-36® Health Survey (Version 2; SF-36) was evaluated among older Vietnamese Americans to determine whether underlying dimensions of physical and mental health were similar to those of other groups in the United States. Method Field testing of participants from senior centers. Results The study provided support for the reliability and validity of the SF-36. Structural equation modeling provided confirmation of physical and mental health factors. However, the factor loadings for the SF-36 scales were more consistent with previous results from Asian countries than the typical pattern observed in the United States. Discussion As the older populations in the United States become more diverse, it is important to have standardized health-related quality of life measures. However, the conceptualization of physical and mental health and associations among different scales may be different for Asian immigrants than for other groups. Thus, the interpretation of the SF-36 scores needs to account for cultural differences. PMID:18381886

  4. An artificial neural network model for periodic trajectory generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shankar, S.; Gander, R. E.; Wood, H. C.

    A neural network model based on biological systems was developed for potential robotic application. The model consists of three interconnected layers of artificial neurons or units: an input layer subdivided into state and plan units, an output layer, and a hidden layer between the two outer layers which serves to implement nonlinear mappings between the input and output activation vectors. Weighted connections are created between the three layers, and learning is effected by modifying these weights. Feedback connections between the output and the input state serve to make the network operate as a finite state machine. The activation vector of the plan units of the input layer emulates the supraspinal commands in biological central pattern generators in that different plan activation vectors correspond to different sequences or trajectories being recalled, even with different frequencies. Three trajectories were chosen for implementation, and learning was accomplished in 10,000 trials. The fault tolerant behavior, adaptiveness, and phase maintenance of the implemented network are discussed.

  5. Refugee Resettlement Patterns and State-Level Health Care Insurance Access in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Venkatesh, Arjun Krishna

    2016-01-01

    We sought to evaluate the relationship between state-level implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and resettlement patterns among refugees. We linked federal refugee resettlement data to ACA expansion data and found that refugee resettlement rates are not significantly different according to state-level insurance expansion or cost. Forty percent of refugees have resettled to states without Medicaid expansion. The wide state-level variability in implementation of the ACA should be considered by federal agencies seeking to optimize access to health insurance coverage among refugees who have resettled to the United States. PMID:26890186

  6. Protocols and Hospital Mortality in Critically ill Patients: The United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness Outcomes Study

    PubMed Central

    Sevransky, Jonathan E.; Checkley, William; Herrera, Phabiola; Pickering, Brian W.; Barr, Juliana; Brown, Samuel M; Chang, Steven Y; Chong, David; Kaufman, David; Fremont, Richard D; Girard, Timothy D; Hoag, Jeffrey; Johnson, Steven B; Kerlin, Mehta P; Liebler, Janice; O'Brien, James; O'Keefe, Terence; Park, Pauline K; Pastores, Stephen M; Patil, Namrata; Pietropaoli, Anthony P; Putman, Maryann; Rice, Todd W.; Rotello, Leo; Siner, Jonathan; Sajid, Sahul; Murphy, David J; Martin, Greg S

    2015-01-01

    Objective Clinical protocols may decrease unnecessary variation in care and improve compliance with desirable therapies. We evaluated whether highly protocolized intensive care units have superior patient outcomes compared with less highly protocolized intensive care units. Design Observational study in which participating intensive care units completed a general assessment and enrolled new patients one day each week. Setting and Patients 6179 critically ill patients across 59 intensive care units in the United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness Outcomes Study Interventions: None Measurements and Main Results The primary exposure was the number of intensive care unit protocols; the primary outcome was hospital mortality. 5809 participants were followed prospectively and 5454 patients in 57 intensive care units had complete outcome data. The median number of protocols per intensive care unit was 19 (IQR 15 to 21.5). In single variable analyses, there were no differences in intensive care unit and hospital mortality, length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, or continuous sedation among individuals in intensive care units with a high vs. low number of protocols. The lack of association was confirmed in adjusted multivariable analysis (p=0.70). Protocol compliance with two ventilator management protocols was moderate and did not differ between intensive care units with high vs. low numbers of protocols for lung protective ventilation in ARDS (47% vs. 52%; p=0.28) and for spontaneous breathing trials (55% vs. 51%; p=0.27). Conclusions Clinical protocols are highly prevalent in United States intensive care units. The presence of a greater number of protocols was not associated with protocol compliance or patient mortality. PMID:26110488

  7. The impact of reforestation in the northeast United States on precipitation and surface temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Allyson

    Since the 1920s, forest coverage in the northeastern United States has recovered from disease, clearing for agricultural and urban development, and the demands of the timber industry. Such a dramatic change in ground cover can influence heat and moisture fluxes to the atmosphere, as measured in altered landscapes in Australia, Israel, and the Amazon. In this study, the impacts of recent reforestation in the northeastern United States on summertime precipitation and surface temperature were quantified by comparing average modern values to 1950s values. Weak positive (negative) relationships between reforestation and average monthly precipitation and daily minimum temperatures (average daily maximum surface temperature) were found. There was no relationship between reforestation and average surface temperature. Results of the observational analysis were compared with results obtained from reforestation scenarios simulated with the BUGS5 global climate model. The single difference between the model runs was the amount of forest coverage in the northeast United States; three levels of forest were defined - a grassland state, with 0% forest coverage, a completely forested state, with approximately 100% forest coverage, and a control state, with forest coverage closely resembling modern forest coverage. The three simulations were compared, and had larger magnitude average changes in precipitation and in all temperature variables. The difference in magnitudes between the model simulations observations was much larger than the difference in the amount of reforestation in each case. Additionally, unlike in observations, a negative relationship was found between average daily minimum temperature and amount of forest coverage, implying that additional factors influence temperature and precipitation in the real world that are not accounted for in the model.

  8. The (paper) work of medicine: understanding international medical costs.

    PubMed

    Cutler, David M; Ly, Dan P

    2011-01-01

    This paper draws on international evidence on medical spending to examine what the United States can learn about making its healthcare system more efficient. We focus primarily on understanding contemporaneous differences in the level of spending, generally from the 2000s. Medical spending differs across countries either because the price of services differs (for example, a coronary bypass surgery operation may cost more in the United States than in other countries) or because people receive more services in some countries than in others (for example, more bypass surgery operations). Within the price category, there are two further issues: whether factors earn different returns across countries and whether more clinical or administrative personnel are required to deliver the same care in different countries. We first present the results of a decomposition of healthcare spending along these lines in the United States and in Canada. We then delve into each component in more detail—administrative costs, factor prices, and the provision of care received—bringing in a broader range of international evidence when possible. Finally, we touch upon the organization of primary and chronic disease care and discuss possible gains in that area.

  9. Reported foodborne outbreaks due to fresh produce in the United States and European Union: trends and causes.

    PubMed

    Callejón, Raquel M; Rodríguez-Naranjo, M Isabel; Ubeda, Cristina; Hornedo-Ortega, Ruth; Garcia-Parrilla, M Carmen; Troncoso, Ana M

    2015-01-01

    The consumption of fruit and vegetables continues to rise in the United States and European Union due to healthy lifestyle recommendations. Meanwhile, the rate of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of these products remains high in both regions, representing a significant public health and financial issue. This study addresses the occurrence of reported foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables consumption in the United States and European Union during the period 2004-2012, where data are available. Special attention is paid to those pathogens responsible for these outbreaks, the mechanisms of contamination, and the fresh produce vehicles involved. Norovirus is shown to be responsible for most of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by Salmonella. Norovirus is mainly linked with the consumption of salad in the United States and of berries in the European Union, as demonstrated by the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Salmonella was the leading cause of multistate produce outbreaks in the United States and was the pathogen involved in the majority of sprouts-associated outbreaks. As is reflected in the MCA, the pattern of fresh produce outbreaks differed in the United States and European Union by the type of microorganism and the food vehicle involved.

  10. Substance Use, Mental Disorders and Physical Health of Caribbeans at-Home Compared to Those Residing in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Lacey, Krim K.; Powell Sears, Karen; Govia, Ishtar O.; Forsythe-Brown, Ivy; Matusko, Niki; Jackson, James S.

    2015-01-01

    This study compares the health conditions of domestic Caribbeans with those living in the United States to explore how national context and migration experiences might influence substance use (i.e., alcohol or drug) and other mental and physical health conditions. The study is based upon probability samples of non-institutionalized Caribbeans living in the United States (1621), Jamaica (1216) and Guyana (2068) 18 years of age and over. Employing descriptive statistics and multivariate analytic procedures, the results revealed that substance use and other physical health conditions and major depressive disorder and mania vary by national context, with higher rates among Caribbeans living in the United States. Context and generation status influenced health outcomes. Among first generation black Caribbeans, residing in the United States for a longer length of time is linked to poorer health outcomes. There were different socio-demographic correlates of health among at-home and abroad Caribbeans. The results of this study support the need for additional research to explain how national context, migratory experiences and generation status contribute to understanding substance use and mental disorders and physical health outcomes among Caribbean first generation and descendants within the United States, compared to those remaining in the Caribbean region. PMID:25590147

  11. Obesity and excess mortality among the elderly in the United States and Mexico.

    PubMed

    Monteverde, Malena; Noronha, Kenya; Palloni, Alberto; Novak, Beatriz

    2010-02-01

    Increasing levels of obesity could compromise future gains in life expectancy in low- and high-income countries. Although excess mortality associated with obesity and, more generally, higher levels of body mass index (BAI) have been investigated in the United States, there is little research about the impact of obesity on mortality in Latin American countries, where very the rapid rate of growth of prevalence of obesity and overweight occur jointly with poor socioeconomic conditions. The aim of this article is to assess the magnitude of excess mortality due to obesity and overweight in Mexico and the United States. For this purpose, we take advantage of two comparable data sets: the Health and Retirement Study 2000 and 2004 for the United States, and the Mexican Health and Aging Study 2001 and 2003 for Mexico. We find higher excess mortality risks among obese and overweight individuals aged 60 and older in Mexico than in the United States. Yet, when analyzing excess mortality among different socioeconomic strata, we observe greater gaps by education in the United States than in Mexico. We also find that although the probability of experiencing obesity-related chronic diseases among individuals with high BMI is larger for the U.S. elderly, the relative risk of dying conditional on experiencing these diseases is higher in Mexico.

  12. Learning Social Behaviors in Families during Childhood: A Comparative Study of Chinese Children in Taiwan and in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiang, Linda H.

    This study examined how Chinese children learn social behaviors in families during early childhood, and examined whether there are differences in social behaviors between Chinese children from Taiwan and Chinese children from the United States. The study also sought to glean strategies for parents, caretakers, and teachers to help cultivate…

  13. A Comparison of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses among Hispanic versus Non-Hispanic Workers in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurley, Dene T.; Lebbon, Angela R.

    2012-01-01

    This article investigates the trends and changes in patterns of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses among Hispanic workers versus non-Hispanic minority workers in the United States between 1992 and 2009. Injuries and illnesses are also examined by the severity of cases and across industry sectors. The differences in the mean share of…

  14. Parental Perceptions toward and Practices of Heritage Language Maintenance: Focusing on the United States and Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liang, Feng

    2018-01-01

    This study reviews 17 studies since the year of 2000 on the perceptions and practices of immigrant parents who reside in the United States or Canada with respect to their children's heritage language maintenance (HLM). The findings suggest that parental perceptions may change due to practical considerations and vary with different degrees of…

  15. The Role of Disordered-Eating Cognitions and Psychological Flexibility on Distress in Asian American and European American College Females in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masuda, Akihiko; Le, Jane; Cohen, Lindsey L.

    2014-01-01

    The present study investigated whether different forms of disordered-eating-related cognitions and psychological flexibility were associated with psychological distress among female Asian American and European American college students in the United States. Disordered-eating-related cognitions examined in the present study included thoughts (a)…

  16. The Duty to Succeed: Honor versus Happiness in College and Career Choices of East Asian Students in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dundes, Lauren; Cho, Eunice; Kwak, Spencer

    2009-01-01

    To better understand factors underlying educational and career choices, this study used both survey data from an online networking tool and data collected in college classrooms to gauge differences between Asians (primarily Korean) and white students in the United States. More Asians (41%) than whites (9%) prioritized prestige over happiness,…

  17. Culture and Compliance Gaining in the Classroom: A Preliminary Investigation of Chinese College Teachers' Use of Behavior Alteration Techniques.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Shuming

    1997-01-01

    Examines use of behavior alteration techniques (BATs) to gain student compliance in the Chinese context. Finds that Chinese college teachers use most the BATs that United States college teachers use; use many BATs even more frequently; but communicate behavior alteration messages that differ from those used by United States teachers. Notes that…

  18. Young Adolescents' Positioning of Human Rights: Findings from Colombia, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barton, Keith C.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated how young adolescents thought about the location of human rights issues and the nature of violations in differing geographic regions. Open-ended, task-based interviews were conducted with 116 students in Colombia, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States. Although students in each location pointed to…

  19. Black bear population and connectivity in the Sky Islands of Mexico and the United States

    Treesearch

    N. E. Lara-Diaz; C. A. Lopez-Gonzalez; H. Coronel-Arellano; A. Gonzalez-Bernal

    2013-01-01

    The Sky Island region is a mountainous region surrounded by grasslands, deserts and intermountain valleys, located between Mexico and the United States. However, different land management and human impact can have an effect on its wildlife populations. Currently, the border wall poses an immediate threat to the survival of black bears (Ursus americanus), considered an...

  20. Immigrant and Native-Born Adolescents' Civic Knowledge and Attitudes in Sweden and the United States: Emergent Citizenship within Developmental Niches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barber, Carolyn; Torney-Purta, Judith; Wilkenfeld, Britt; Ross, Jessica

    2015-01-01

    Using the Developmental Niche for Emergent Participatory Citizenship (Torney-Purta and Amadeo, 2011) as a framework, we examined differences between immigrant and native-born youth's civic knowledge and support for women's rights in Sweden and the United States, and explored whether experiences with peers and parents, and in formal and informal…

  1. The Fate of Ineffective Teachers; Will It Be Different in Indiana?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olin, Harlod E.

    2013-01-01

    It has been widely publicized that approximately 98% of the teachers in the United States are rated as satisfactory (Weisberg, Sexton, Mulhern, & Keeling, 2009). This has led many Americans to think that there are very few ineffective teachers in the United States. But is this true? This study indicated that a majority of the principals in the…

  2. Historical trends and projections of land use for the South-Central United States.

    Treesearch

    SoEun Ahn; Andrew J. Plantinga; Ralph J. Alig

    2000-01-01

    This report presents historical trends and future projections of forest, agricultural, and urban and other land uses for the South-Central United States. A land use share model is used to investigate the relation between the areas of land in alternative uses and economic and demographic factors influencing land use decisions. Two different versions of the empirical...

  3. Gender Differences in Promotion Experiences at Two Elite Private Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berheide, Catherine White; Christenson, Lisa; Linden, Rena; Bray, Una

    2013-01-01

    In colleges and universities throughout the United States, women are underrepresented at the rank of full professor. This national pattern holds true at two highly selective small private liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, one formerly a men's college and the other formerly a women's college. Analysis of personnel data at the former women's…

  4. PreK-6 Teachers' Beliefs about Inclusive Practices in the United States and South Korea: Cross Cultural Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeong, Hyunjeong

    2013-01-01

    The educational practice known as inclusion, which is based on values of equal opportunity and diversity, enables students with disabilities to attend the same general education classes as typically developing peers. Inclusion is a legal requirement in the United States and South Korea, but factors facilitating inclusion likely differ across…

  5. Development of Spatial Understanding in Japanese and American Children's Drawings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bleiker, Chuck; Marra, Kim

    This paper examines art, a discipline that bears striking parallels, and differences, in the way it is practiced and valued in the United States and Japan. In Japan, art is a valued part of the elementary curriculum warranting as much time as science and social studies. In the United States, art is generally thought of as something extra to do if…

  6. How I Became a "Different" English Speaker and Listener

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hashimoto, Ryota

    2016-01-01

    The author went to the United States to study applied linguistics. Although he was there for nine months, his English proficiency did not improve as much as he had hoped, considering that he was using English almost exclusively every day. After his time in the United States, he spent 10 months in Australia working and traveling on a working…

  7. Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Climate Change in the Southeastern United States

    Treesearch

    David Himmelfarb; John Schelhas; Sarah Hitchner; Cassandra Johnson Gaither; KathErine Dunbar; J. Peter Brosius

    2014-01-01

    Despite a global scientific consensus on the anthropogenic nature of climate change, the issue remains highly contentious in the United States, stifling public debate and action on the issue. Local perceptions of and attitudes toward climate change-how different groups of people outside of the professional climate science community make sense of changes in climate in...

  8. Trade Is Everybody's Business [and] Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aaronson, Susan A.

    Trade has been an important factor in United States from the 17th century to the present day. The United States was born out of a trade dispute with Great Britain. From the moment the founders first set pen to paper, trade has helped spur U.S. economic growth. This booklet covers trade topics such as policy, perspectives, difference in nations…

  9. An Examination of the Leadership Practices of University Presidents of Land-Grant Universities in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aldighrir, Wafa M.

    2013-01-01

    A great deal of research has been done to understand leadership styles in different organizational settings. In this study, the researcher focused on the leadership practices of university presidents of land-grant universities (LGUs) in the United States. The study examined the leadership practices of presidents of land-grant universities as…

  10. A Window into Different Cultural Worlds: Young Children's Everyday Activities in the United States, Brazil, and Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tudge, Jonathan R. H.; Doucet, Fabienne; Odero, Dolphine; Sperb, Tania M.; Piccinini, Cesar A.; Lopes, Rita S.

    2006-01-01

    A powerful means to understand young children's normative development in context is to examine their everyday activities. The daily activities of 79 children (3 years old) were observed, for 20 hr each, in their usual settings. Children were selected from 4 cultural groups: European American and African American (Greensboro, United States), Luo…

  11. 19 CFR 7.3 - Duty-free treatment of goods imported from insular possessions of the United States other than...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... INSULAR POSSESSIONS AND GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL STATION § 7.3 Duty-free treatment of goods imported from...) The goods became a new and different article of commerce as a result of production or manufacture... possession or the United States results from the original commercial transaction between the importer and the...

  12. Cultural Perspectives on Aging and Well-Being: A Comparison of Japan and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karasawa, Mayumi; Curhan, Katherine B.; Markus, Hazel Rose; Kitayama, Shinobu S.; Love, Gayle Dienberg; Radler, Barry T.; Ryff, Carol D.

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated age differences in multiple aspects of psychological well-being among midlife and older adults in Japan (N = 482) and the United States (N = 3,032) to test the hypothesis that older Japanese adults would rate aspects of their well-being (personal growth, purpose in life, positive relations with others) more highly that…

  13. Effects of silvicultural treatments in the Rocky Mountains

    Treesearch

    Sallie J. Hejl; Richard L. Hutto; Charles R. Preston; Deborah M. Finch

    1995-01-01

    Neotropical migrants have been affected by the loss and fragmentation of forests in the eastern United States (Askins et al. 1990). Changes in western forests and the effects of these changes on birds may be different from those in the East. While timber harvesting is widespread in the western United States, the purpose of silvicultural systems on public land is to...

  14. Assisting Students and Scholars from the People's Republic of China: A Handbook for Community Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donovan, Katherine C.

    This handbook suggests many different ways in which volunteers in community groups can assist students and scholars from the People's Republic of China (PRC) in adjusting to life in the United States. First, the introduction deals with the background of the attitudes and expectations of the men and women now coming to the United States and…

  15. Acquisition of English Grammatical Morphology by Native Mandarin-Speaking Children and Adolescents: Age-Related Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jia, Gisela; Fuse, Akiko

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: This 5-year longitudinal study investigated the acquisition of 6 English grammatical morphemes (i.e., regular and irregular past tense, 3rd person singular, progressive aspect-"ing", copula BE, and auxiliary DO) by 10 native Mandarin-speaking children and adolescents in the United States (arrived in the United States between 5…

  16. A Dichotomous Key to Tree Cones and Fruits of the Eastern United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Linda T.

    1991-01-01

    The author presents a dichotomous key to 29 tree cones, fruits, and nuts of eastern United States. Students can use the key to identify at least 10 species in a 1-hour laboratory assignment. This key uses reproductive structures that are significantly different from others. These structures are durable enough to be used in the laboratory for many…

  17. Regional patterns of postwildfire streamflow response in the Western United States: The importance of scale-specific connectivity

    Treesearch

    Dennis W. Hallema; Ge Sun; Kevin D. Bladon; Steven P. Norman; Peter V. Caldwell; Yongqiang Liu; Steven G. McNulty

    2017-01-01

    Wildfires can impact streamflow by modifying net precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, and hillslope run‐off pathways. Regional differences in fire trends and postwildfire streamflow responses across the conterminous United States have spurred concerns about the impact on streamflow in forests that serve as water resource areas. This is notably the...

  18. Transcontinental wilderness survey: comparing perceptions between wilderness users in the eastern and western United States

    Treesearch

    Nicholas Palso; Alan Graefe

    2008-01-01

    This study explores the differences in perceptions of wilderness between recreationists in the Eastern United States and those from the West, with a focus on definitions of wilderness areas and factors that may decrease enjoyment of the wilderness experience. The few studies performed on this comparison over the past 25 years have produced inconsistent results and...

  19. Geospatiotemporal data mining in an early warning system for forest threats in the United States

    Treesearch

    F.M. Hoffman; R.T. Mills; J. Kumar; S.S. Vulli; W.W. Hargrove

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the potential of geospatiotemporal data mining of multi-year land surface phenology data (250 m Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in this study) for the conterminous United States as part of an early warning system to identify threats to forest ecosystems. Cluster...

  20. Teachers' Attitudes toward Children with Autism: A Comparative Study of the United States and Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alamri, Abdulrahman; Tyler-Wood, Tandra

    2015-01-01

    Saudi Arabia (Saudi) and the United States (U.S.) both have procedures in place for identifying and serving individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the general classroom setting. To determine differences in teachers' attitude towards autism in Saudi and the U.S., data were gathered, compared, and contrasted from both general education…

  1. Serving the needs of Latino recreation visitors to urban proximate natural resource recreation areas

    Treesearch

    Deborah J. Chavez

    2008-01-01

    A major shift has occurred in the ethnic and racial profile of the United States, with large increases in the Latino population. Beyond the demographic profiles are the influences on other aspects of life in the United States, including urban-proximate natural resource recreation area management. Latino groups may have different expectations about natural resource...

  2. America in World War II: An Analysis of History Textbooks from England, Japan, Sweden, and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Stuart; Nicholls, Jason

    2005-01-01

    This study examined how textbooks from England, Japan, Sweden, and the United States portray America's role in World War II. Analysis of the central story lines revealed that historical information purveyed to students in different nations varies considerably. Accordingly, U.S. textbooks emphasize the significant and pre-eminent role that the…

  3. Investigation of early timber–concrete composite bridges in the United States

    Treesearch

    James P. Wacker; Alfredo Dias; Travis K. Hosteng

    2017-01-01

    The use of timber–concrete composite (TCC) bridges in the United States dates back to circa 1925. Two different TCC systems were constructed during this early period. The first system included a longitudinal nail-laminated deck composite with a concrete deck top layer. The second system included sawn timber stringers supporting a concrete deck top layer. Records...

  4. Studying Cross-Cultural Differences in the Development of Infant Temperament: People's Republic of China, the United States of America, and Spain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gartstein, Maria A.; Gonzalez, Carmen; Carranza, Jose A.; Ahadi, Stephan A.; Ye, Renmin; Rothbart, Mary K.; Yang, Suh Wen

    2006-01-01

    Investigated early development of temperament across three cultures: People's Republic of China (PRC), United States of America (US), and Spain, utilizing a longitudinal design (assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months of age). Selection of these countries presented an opportunity to conduct Eastern-Western/Individualistic-Collectivistic comparisons. The…

  5. Hospitals, finance, and health system reform in Britain and the United States, c. 1910-1950: historical revisionism and cross-national comparison.

    PubMed

    Gorsky, Martin

    2012-06-01

    Comparative histories of health system development have been variously influenced by the theoretical approaches of historical institutionalism, political pluralism, and labor mobilization. Britain and the United States have figured significantly in this literature because of their very different trajectories. This article explores the implications of recent research on hospital history in the two countries for existing historiographies, particularly the coming of the National Health Service in Britain. It argues that the two hospital systems initially developed in broadly similar ways, despite the very different outcomes in the 1940s. Thus, applying the conceptual tools used to explain the U.S. trajectory can deepen appreciation of events in Britain. Attention focuses particularly on working-class hospital contributory schemes and their implications for finance, governance, and participation; these are then compared with Blue Cross and U.S. hospital prepayment. While acknowledging the importance of path dependence in shaping attitudes of British bureaucrats toward these schemes, analysis emphasizes their failure in pressure group politics, in contrast to the United States. In both countries labor was also crucial, in the United States sustaining employment-based prepayment and in Britain broadly supporting system reform.

  6. Cross-national comparisons of gender differences in late-life depressive symptoms in Japan and the United States.

    PubMed

    Tiedt, Andrew D

    2013-05-01

    This study compared changes in self-reported depressive symptoms in the United States and Japan across 2 points in time. The investigation focused on the gendered processes of intergenerational coresidence and support as the primary distinctions between nations. Fixed-effects models were fit to examine the covariates of depressive symptoms in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging. Gender differences in depressive symptoms persisted across survey waves in both nations, with Japanese men reporting sharper increases by Time 2 than Japanese women. Getting older was associated with more depressive symptoms among Japanese men, whereas income provided a slight buffering effect. Coresiding with daughters also appeared to protect Japanese men and women with functional limitations from depressive symptoms. HRS data demonstrated that changes in marital status and physical health were correlated with increased depressive symptoms for men and women in the United States. The analyses revealed more variety in Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale reports by gender in Japan than in the United States. Future research should consider the diversity of contemporary Japanese households, reflecting new interpretations of traditional family support relationships.

  7. Cross-National Comparisons of Gender Differences in Late-Life Depressive Symptoms in Japan and the United States

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Objectives. This study compared changes in self-reported depressive symptoms in the United States and Japan across 2 points in time. The investigation focused on the gendered processes of intergenerational coresidence and support as the primary distinctions between nations. Methods. Fixed-effects models were fit to examine the covariates of depressive symptoms in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results. Gender differences in depressive symptoms persisted across survey waves in both nations, with Japanese men reporting sharper increases by Time 2 than Japanese women. Getting older was associated with more depressive symptoms among Japanese men, whereas income provided a slight buffering effect. Coresiding with daughters also appeared to protect Japanese men and women with functional limitations from depressive symptoms. HRS data demonstrated that changes in marital status and physical health were correlated with increased depressive symptoms for men and women in the United States. Discussion. The analyses revealed more variety in Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale reports by gender in Japan than in the United States. Future research should consider the diversity of contemporary Japanese households, reflecting new interpretations of traditional family support relationships. PMID:23591572

  8. Update: Influenza Activity in the United States During the 2016-17 Season and Composition of the 2017-18 Influenza Vaccine.

    PubMed

    Blanton, Lenee; Alabi, Noreen; Mustaquim, Desiree; Taylor, Calli; Kniss, Krista; Kramer, Natalie; Budd, Alicia; Garg, Shikha; Cummings, Charisse N; Chung, Jessie; Flannery, Brendan; Fry, Alicia M; Sessions, Wendy; Garten, Rebecca; Xu, Xiyan; Elal, Anwar Isa Abd; Gubareva, Larisa; Barnes, John; Dugan, Vivien; Wentworth, David E; Burns, Erin; Katz, Jacqueline; Jernigan, Daniel; Brammer, Lynnette

    2017-06-30

    During the 2016-17 influenza season (October 2, 2016-May 20, 2017) in the United States, influenza activity* was moderate. Activity remained low through November, increased during December, and peaked in February nationally, although there were regional differences in the timing of influenza activity. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominated through mid-March and were predominant overall for the season, but influenza B viruses were most commonly reported from late March through May. This report summarizes influenza activity in the United States during October 2, 2016-May 20, 2017 † and updates the previous summary (1).

  9. Attributing Crop Production in the United States Using Artificial Neural Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Pan, B.

    2017-12-01

    Crop production plays key role in supporting life, economy and shaping environment. It is on one hand influenced by natural factors including precipitation, temperature, energy, and on the other hand shaped by the investment of fertilizers, pesticides and human power. Successful attributing of crop production to different factors can help optimize resources and improve productivity. Based on the meteorological records from National Center for Environmental Prediction and state-wise crop production related data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, an artificial neural network was constructed to connect crop production with precipitation and temperature anormlies, capital input, labor input, energy input, pesticide consumption and fertilizer consumption. Sensitivity analysis were carried out to attribute their specific influence on crop production for each grid. Results confirmed that the listed factors can generally determine the crop production. Different state response differently to the pertubation of predictands. Their spatial distribution is visulized and discussed.

  10. Mortality of White Americans, African Americans, and Canadians: The Causes and Consequences for Health of Welfare State Institutions and Policies

    PubMed Central

    Kunitz, Stephen J; Pesis-Katz, Irena

    2005-01-01

    The life expectancy of African Americans has been substantially lower than that of white Americans for as long as records are available. The life expectancy of all Americans has been lower than that of all Canadians since the beginning of the 20th century. Until the 1970s this disparity was the result of the low life expectancy of African Americans. Since then, the life expectancy of white Americans has not improved as much as that of all Canadians. This article discusses two issues: racial disparities in the United States, and the difference in life expectancy between all Canadians and white Americans. Each country's political culture and institutions have shaped these differences, especially national health insurance in Canada and its absence in the United States. The American welfare state has contributed to and explains these differences. PMID:15787952

  11. 19 CFR 133.2 - Application to record trademark.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... on the basis of physical and material differences (see Lever Bros. Co. v. United States, 981 F.2d 1330 (D.C. Cir. 1993)), a description of any physical and material difference between the specific... instance, owners who assert that physical and material differences exist must state the basis for such a...

  12. 19 CFR 133.2 - Application to record trademark.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... on the basis of physical and material differences (see Lever Bros. Co. v. United States, 981 F.2d 1330 (D.C. Cir. 1993)), a description of any physical and material difference between the specific... instance, owners who assert that physical and material differences exist must state the basis for such a...

  13. 19 CFR 133.2 - Application to record trademark.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... on the basis of physical and material differences (see Lever Bros. Co. v. United States, 981 F.2d 1330 (D.C. Cir. 1993)), a description of any physical and material difference between the specific... instance, owners who assert that physical and material differences exist must state the basis for such a...

  14. 19 CFR 133.2 - Application to record trademark.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... on the basis of physical and material differences (see Lever Bros. Co. v. United States, 981 F.2d 1330 (D.C. Cir. 1993)), a description of any physical and material difference between the specific... instance, owners who assert that physical and material differences exist must state the basis for such a...

  15. 19 CFR 133.2 - Application to record trademark.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... on the basis of physical and material differences (see Lever Bros. Co. v. United States, 981 F.2d 1330 (D.C. Cir. 1993)), a description of any physical and material difference between the specific... instance, owners who assert that physical and material differences exist must state the basis for such a...

  16. Divergent projections of future land use in the United States arising from different models and scenarios

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sohl, Terry L.; Wimberly, Michael; Radeloff, Volker C.; Theobald, David M.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.

    2016-01-01

    A variety of land-use and land-cover (LULC) models operating at scales from local to global have been developed in recent years, including a number of models that provide spatially explicit, multi-class LULC projections for the conterminous United States. This diversity of modeling approaches raises the question: how consistent are their projections of future land use? We compared projections from six LULC modeling applications for the United States and assessed quantitative, spatial, and conceptual inconsistencies. Each set of projections provided multiple scenarios covering a period from roughly 2000 to 2050. Given the unique spatial, thematic, and temporal characteristics of each set of projections, individual projections were aggregated to a common set of basic, generalized LULC classes (i.e., cropland, pasture, forest, range, and urban) and summarized at the county level across the conterminous United States. We found very little agreement in projected future LULC trends and patterns among the different models. Variability among scenarios for a given model was generally lower than variability among different models, in terms of both trends in the amounts of basic LULC classes and their projected spatial patterns. Even when different models assessed the same purported scenario, model projections varied substantially. Projections of agricultural trends were often far above the maximum historical amounts, raising concerns about the realism of the projections. Comparisons among models were hindered by major discrepancies in categorical definitions, and suggest a need for standardization of historical LULC data sources. To capture a broader range of uncertainties, ensemble modeling approaches are also recommended. However, the vast inconsistencies among LULC models raise questions about the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of current modeling approaches. Given the substantial effects that land-use change can have on ecological and societal processes, there is a need for improvement in LULC theory and modeling capabilities to improve acceptance and use of regional- to national-scale LULC projections for the United States and elsewhere.

  17. A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Violence Shelter Staff Perceptions Regarding Barriers to Services in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States.

    PubMed

    Grubb, Jonathan A; Muftić, Lisa R

    2017-11-01

    Service provision for domestic violence (DV) survivors has been a long-standing staple of shelters in the United States. Although shelter services provide numerous benefits for survivors, barriers tied to acquisition remain a pressing concern when combatting DV. Nevertheless, there has been minimal research exploring barriers to service acquisition on a cross-national level. As such, the current research cross-nationally examines perceptions of shelter staff regarding acquisition barriers as well as the effectiveness of local agencies to meet survivor needs and differences in populations served in the United States (specifically Texas) as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data collection stemmed from self-report surveys originally constructed in English and translated into Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian. Results underscored differences between populations served, perceptions of local agencies assisting survivors of DV, and barriers tied to cultural and financial concerns. Implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.

  18. Global Perspective for Protecting Intellectual Property - Patenting in USA and Poland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grebski, Michalene Eva; Wolniak, Radosław

    2018-06-01

    Paper addresses the different methods for protecting intellectual property in modern knowledge-based economies. The focus of the paper is a comparison between the procedures for applying for patents in Poland and the United States. The comparison has been made from the perspective of the cost of obtaining and maintaining a patent in Poland, the United States and some other countries. The comparison has also been made from the perspective of the procedures for applying for a patent in different countries based on the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The paper also includes a comparison of the time needed for processing the patent application. Low cost provisional twelve-month patent pending protection available in the United States is also being discussed. The paper also provides some guidance and recommendations for conducting a patent search in order to validate the originality of the invention.

  19. Strain, negative emotions, and juvenile delinquency: the United States versus taiwan.

    PubMed

    Lin, Wen-Hsu; Dembo, Richard; Sellers, Christine S; Cochran, John; Mieczkowski, Thomas

    2014-04-01

    General strain theory (GST) is an established criminological theory. Although the theory has been examined by many and enjoys empirical support, some limitations of previous studies need to be addressed. Many previous studies rely heavily on samples from Western countries, mostly the United States; thus, possible cultural influences are ignored. Although a few studies have moved forward by using subjects from Asia (e.g., China, Korea), these studies only provide empirical results regarding whether GST is applicable in other cultures. However, these studies do not directly compare Western and Eastern countries. The present study used two samples from the United States and Taiwan to directly compare and contrast central GST propositions. Although most of the GST propositions are found to be similar between the U.S. and Taiwanese juveniles, some differences were also discovered. Explanation of these similarities and differences from their cultural perspectives are offered in this study.

  20. An analysis of the effects of suicide prevention facilities on suicide rates in the United States.

    PubMed Central

    Miller, H L; Coombs, D W; Leeper, J D; Barton, S N

    1984-01-01

    Since the 1960s, there has been a massive effort to reduce suicide mortality in the United States through prevention centers which invite suicidal persons to phone for supportive services. In spite of virtually total lack of evidence concerning the efficacy of these services, they proliferated until, by 1973, nearly every metropolitan area in the United States had at least one. Suicide rates increased slightly throughout this time. We studied 1968 through 1973, the years of greatest growth of suicide prevention facilities, comparing suicide rates in counties that added these centers with counties that did not do so. An association of centers with the reduction of suicides in young white females emerged. This finding was replicated on a different set of counties for a different time span. The results are discussed in light of the fact that this group constitutes the major clients of these centers. PMID:6703161

  1. A cluster of cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with human smuggling.

    PubMed

    Cannella, Anthony P; Nguyen, Bichchau M; Piggott, Caroline D; Lee, Robert A; Vinetz, Joseph M; Mehta, Sanjay R

    2011-06-01

    Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is rarely seen in the United States, and the social and geographic context of the infection can be a key to its diagnosis and management. Four Somali and one Ethiopian, in U.S. Border Patrol custody, came to the United States by the same human trafficking route: Djibouti to Dubai to Moscow to Havana to Quito; and then by ground by Columbia/Panama to the United States-Mexico border where they were detained. Although traveling at different times, all five patients simultaneously presented to our institution with chronic ulcerative skin lesions at different sites and stages of evolution. Culture of biopsy specimens grew Leishmania panamensis. Soon thereafter, three individuals from East Africa traveling the identical route presented with L. panamensis CL to physicians in Tacoma, WA. We document here the association of a human trafficking route and new world CL. Clinicians and public health officials should be aware of this emerging infectious disease risk.

  2. Accommodating the medical use of marijuana: surveying the differing legal approaches in Australia, the United States and Canada.

    PubMed

    Bogdanoski, Tony

    2010-02-01

    While the scientific and medical communities continue to be divided on the therapeutic benefits and risks of cannabis use, anecdotal evidence from medical users themselves suggests that using cannabis is indeed improving their quality of life by alleviating their pain and discomfort. Notwithstanding the benefits anecdotally claimed by these medical users and the existence of some scientific studies confirming their claims, criminal drug laws in all Australian and most United States jurisdictions continue to prohibit the possession, cultivation and supply of cannabis even for medical purposes. However, in contrast to Australia and most parts of the United States, the medical use of cannabis has been legal in Canada for about a decade. This article reviews these differing legal and regulatory approaches to accommodating the medical use of cannabis (namely, marijuana) as well as some of the challenges involved in legalising it for medical purposes.

  3. Ammonium carbonate is more attractive than apple and hawthorn fruit volatile lures to Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Washington State.

    PubMed

    Yee, Wee L; Nash, Meralee J; Goughnour, Robert B; Cha, Dong H; Linn, Charles E; Feder, Jeffrey L

    2014-08-01

    The apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), is an introduced, quarantine pest of apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen) in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In the eastern United States where the fly is native, fruit volatiles have been reported to be more attractive than ammonia compounds to R. pomonella. However, the opposite may be true in the western United States. Here, we determined whether newly identified western apple and western hawthorn fruit volatiles are more attractive than ammonium carbonate (AC) to R. pomonella in apple, black hawthorn, and ornamental hawthorn trees in western Washington State. In all three host trees, sticky red sphere or yellow panel traps baited with AC generally caught more flies than traps baited with lures containing the four newly developed fruit blends (modified eastern apple, western apple, western ornamental hawthorn, and western black hawthorn) or two older blends (eastern apple and eastern downy hawthorn). Fruit volatiles also displayed more variation among trapping studies conducted at different sites, in different host trees, and across years than AC. The results imply that traps baited with AC represent the best approach to monitoring R. pomonella in Washington State.

  4. Understanding human trafficking in the United States.

    PubMed

    Logan, T K; Walker, Robert; Hunt, Gretchen

    2009-01-01

    The topic of modern-day slavery or human trafficking has received increased media and national attention. However, to date there has been limited research on the nature and scope of human trafficking in the United States. This article describes and synthesizes nine reports that assess the U.S. service organizations' legal representative knowledge of, and experience with, human trafficking cases, as well as information from actual cases and media reports. This article has five main goals: (a) to define what human trafficking is, and is not; (b) to describe factors identified as contributing to vulnerability to being trafficked and keeping a person entrapped in the situation; (c) to examine how the crime of human trafficking differs from other kinds of crimes in the United States; (d) to explore how human trafficking victims are identified; and, (e) to provide recommendations to better address human trafficking in the United States.

  5. [Oral and maxillofacial surgery residency training in the United States: what can we learn].

    PubMed

    Ren, Y F

    2017-04-09

    China is currently in the process of establishing formal residency training programs in oral and maxillofacial surgery and other medical and dental specialties. Regulatory agencies, and educational and academic institutions in China are exploring mechanisms, goals and standards of residency training that meet the needs of the Chinese healthcare system. This article provides an introduction of residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States, with emphasis on the accreditation standard by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. As there are fundamental differences in the medical and dental education systems between China and United States, the training standards in the United States may not be entirely applicable in China. A competency-based training model that focus on overall competencies in medical knowledge, clinical skills and values at the time of graduation should be taken into consideration in a Chinese residency training program in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

  6. Enzootic Rabies Elimination from Dogs and Reemergence in Wild Terrestrial Carnivores, United States

    PubMed Central

    Reeder, Serena A.; Orciari, Lillian A.; Yager, Pamela A.; Franka, Richard; Blanton, Jesse D.; Zuckero, Letha; Hunt, Patrick; Oertli, Ernest H.; Robinson, Laura E.; Rupprecht, Charles E.

    2008-01-01

    To provide molecular and virologic evidence that domestic dog rabies is no longer enzootic to the United States and to identify putative relatives of dog-related rabies viruses (RVs) circulating in other carnivores, we studied RVs associated with recent and historic dog rabies enzootics worldwide. Molecular, phylogenetic, and epizootiologic evidence shows that domestic dog rabies is no longer enzootic to the United States. Nonetheless, our data suggest that independent rabies enzootics are now established in wild terrestrial carnivores (skunks in California and north-central United States, gray foxes in Texas and Arizona, and mongooses in Puerto Rico), as a consequence of different spillover events from long-term rabies enzootics associated with dogs. These preliminary results highlight the key role of dog RVs and human–dog demographics as operative factors for host shifts and disease reemergence into other important carnivore populations and highlight the need for the elimination of dog-related RVs worldwide. PMID:19046506

  7. Culicoides variipennis and bluetongue-virus epidemiology in the United States.

    PubMed

    Tabachnick, W J

    1996-01-01

    The bluetongue viruses are transmitted to ruminants in North America by Culicoides variipennis. US annual losses of approximately $125 million are due to restrictions on the movement of livestock and germplasm to bluetongue-free countries. Bluetongue is the most economically important arthropod-borne animal disease in the United States. Bluetongue is absent in the northeastern United States because of the inefficient vector ability there of C. variipennis for bluetongue. The vector of bluetongue virus elsewhere in the United States is C. variipennis sonorensis. The three C. variipennis subspecies differ in vector competence for bluetongue virus in the laboratory. Understanding C. variipennis genetic variation controlling bluetongue transmission will help identify geographic regions at risk for bluetongue and provide opportunities to prevent virus transmission. Information on C. variipennis and bluetongue epidemiology will improve trade and provide information to protect US livestock from domestic and foreign arthropod-borne pathogens.

  8. Comparative Study on Subjective Experience of Elder Abuse Between Older Korean Immigrants in the United States and Older Koreans in Korea.

    PubMed

    Chang, Miya

    2018-01-01

    This study examines the prevalence of elder abuse and the relationship between sociodemographic factors and elder abuse among older Koreans in the United States and Korea. Survey data from older Koreans aged between 60 and 79 years from the two countries ( n = 480) were analyzed descriptively and in binary logistic regressions. This study found a similar prevalence of elder abuse in the two samples, with 26% of older Korean immigrants in the United States reporting abuse and 23% of older Koreans in Korea reporting abuse. However, there were significant differences in the types of emotional abuse experienced by older Koreans in both countries. Reports of some types of emotional abuse, such as 'name calling' and 'silent treatment,' were significantly higher in the United States than in Korea. These findings expand our knowledge of the experience of elder abuse among older Koreans in both countries.

  9. Left, right, and meeting in the middle: Addressing addiction is something we can agree about.

    PubMed

    Narayanan, Arthi K; Harding, John D; Saba, Shaddy K; Conley, James; Gordon, Adam J

    2016-01-01

    The United States faces an addiction health crisis. Presidential election cycles in the United States are cause for creation of political party platforms. These platforms provide general stances and specific policies on a variety of issues. We undertook a review of the addiction policies of the 2016 Republican and Democratic platforms. Despite differences in focus, we found more similarities than differences between the two. We call upon those in political power to use every evidence-based policy at their disposal to promote addiction treatment and prevention.

  10. Comparison of the USGS 2001 NLCD to the 2002 USDA Census of Agriculture for the Upper Midwest United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Maxwell, S.K.; Wood, E.C.; Janus, A.

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2001 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) was compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2002 Census of Agriculture. We compared areal estimates for cropland at the state and county level for 14 States in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. Absolute differences between the NLCD and Census cropland areal estimates at the state level ranged from 1.3% (Minnesota) to 37.0% (Wisconsin). The majority of counties (74.5%) had differences of less than 100 km2. 7.2% of the counties had differences of more than 200 km2. Regions where the largest areal differences occurred were in southern Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, and generally occurred in areas with the lowest proportions of cropland (i.e., dominated by forest or grassland). Before using the 2001 NLCD for agricultural applications, such as mapping of specific crop types, users should be aware of the potential for misclassification errors, especially where the proportion of cropland to other land cover types is fairly low.

  11. Cross-cultural comparison of long-term care in the United States and Finland: Research done through a short-term study-abroad experience.

    PubMed

    Kruger, Tina M; Gilland, Sarah; Frank, Jacquelyn B; Murphy, Bridget C; English, Courtney; Meade, Jana; Morrow, Kaylee; Rush, Evan

    2017-01-01

    In May 2014, a short-term study-abroad experience was conducted in Finland through a course offered at Indiana State University (ISU). Students and faculty from ISU and Eastern Illinois University participated in the experience, which was created to facilitate a cross-cultural comparison of long-term-care settings in the United States and Finland. With its outstanding system of caring for the health and social needs of its aging populace, Finland is a logical model to examine when considering ways to improve the quality of life for older adults who require care in the United States . Those participating in the course visited a series of long-term-care facilities in the region surrounding Terre Haute, Indiana, then travelled to Lappeenranta, Finland to visit parallel sites. Through limited-participation observation and semistructured interviews, similarities and differences in experiences, educations, and policies affecting long-term care workers in the United States and Finland were identified and are described here.

  12. U.S. and Russian Strategic Perspectives of Iran: Different Views of Nuclear Proliferation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-03-01

    Minister Kozyrev visited the Gulf Cooperation Council in April 1992, and stated, “We have created a huge military-industrial complex. And now we need to...Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute Press, 2005), 298. 162 Keddie and Gadiorowski, 14-15. 163 Gary Sick, “The Clouded Mirror : The United States and...The Clouded Mirror ,” 195-196. 168 Hunter, 67. 55 between Iran and Iraq. Only this time, the United States visibly sided with Iraq as it

  13. Identifying Factors that Influence State-Specific Hunger Rates in the U.S.: A Simple Analytic Method for Understanding a Persistent Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Mark Evan; Weber, Bruce; Bernell, Stephanie

    2007-01-01

    An existing measure of food insecurity with hunger in the United States may serve as an effective indicator of quality of life. State level differences in that measure can reveal important differences in quality of life across places. In this study, we advocate and demonstrate two simple methods by which analysts can explore state-specific…

  14. The death of marriage? The effects of new forms of legal recognition on marriage rates in the United States.

    PubMed

    Dillender, Marcus

    2014-04-01

    Some conservative groups argue that allowing same-sex couples to marry reduces the value of marriage to opposite-sex couples. This article examines how changes in U.S. legal recognition laws occurring between 1995 and 2010 designed to include same-sex couples have altered marriage rates in the United States. Using a difference-in-differences strategy that compares how marriage rates change after legal recognition in U.S. states that alter legal recognition versus states that do not, I find no evidence that allowing same-sex couples to marry reduces the opposite-sex marriage rate. Although the opposite-sex marriage rate is unaffected by same-sex couples marrying, it decreases when domestic partnerships are available to opposite-sex couples.

  15. International boundary experiences by the United Nations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kagawa, A.

    2013-12-01

    Over the last few decades, the United Nations (UN) has been approached by Security Council and Member States on international boundary issues. The United Nations regards the adequate delimitation and demarcation of international boundaries as a very important element for the maintenance of peace and security in fragile post-conflict situations, establishment of friendly relationships and cross-border cooperation between States. This paper will present the main principles and framework the United Nations applies to support the process of international boundary delimitation and demarcation activities. The United Nations is involved in international boundary issues following the principle of impartiality and neutrality and its role as mediator. Since international boundary issues are multi-faceted, a range of expertise is required and the United Nations Secretariat is in a good position to provide diverse expertise within the multiple departments. Expertise in different departments ranging from legal, political, technical, administrative and logistical are mobilised in different ways to provide support to Member States depending on their specific needs. This presentation aims to highlight some of the international boundary projects that the United Nations Cartographic Section has been involved in order to provide the technical support to different boundary requirements as each international boundary issue requires specific focus and attention whether it be in preparation, delimitation, demarcation or management. Increasingly, the United Nations is leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate boundary delimitation and demarcation process between Member States. Through the presentation of the various case studies ranging from Iraq - Kuwait, Israel - Lebanon (Blue Line), Eritrea - Ethiopia, Cyprus (Green Line), Cameroon - Nigeria, Sudan - South Sudan, it will illustrate how geospatial technology is increasingly used to carry out the support. In having applied a range of geospatial solutions, some of the good practices that have been applied in preceding projects, but there have been challenges and limitations faced. However, these challenges need to be seen as an opportunity to improve the geospatial technology solutions in future international boundary projects. This presentation will also share the aspirations that the United Nations Cartographic Section has in becoming a facilitator in geospatial technical aspects related to international boundary issues as we increasingly develop our geospatial institutional knowledge base and expertise. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the need for more collaboration between different actors dealing with geospatial technology on borderland issues in order to meet the main goal of the United Nations - to live and work together as "We the Peoples of the United Nations".

  16. Socioeconomic and state-level differences in prenatal diagnosis and live birth prevalence of Down's syndrome in the United States.

    PubMed

    Khoshnood, B; Pryde, P; Blondel, B; Lee, K S

    2003-12-01

    Previous studies have shown socioeconomic disparities in the use of prenatal diagnosis in several countries, including France and the United States. Few studies however, have examined the impact of socioeconomic differences in prenatal testing on disparities in the live birth prevalence of congenital anomalies. In this article, we first review and further discuss some of the results of our previously published work that assesses: i) socioeconomic differences in the use of amniocentesis in the United States using data from national birth cohorts; and ii) impact of socioeconomic differences in prenatal diagnosis on the live birth prevalence of Down's syndrome (trisomy 21). We then present the results of a study that explores the potential effects of public policies regarding abortion on state-level differences in the live birth prevalence of Down's syndrome. We used birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics for the years 1989 to 1991 as well as data from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) state-by-state review of abortion rights. The main individual-level socioeconomic variables in the analyses were maternal ethnicity and education; the analyses of the interaction effects between maternal age and ethnicity are presented here. Interaction effects were assessed using logistic regression models with likelihood ratio tests. We used hierarchical logistic regression models for analyses of state-level effects while controlling for individual-level socioeconomic factors. We found substantial age-specific socioeconomic differences in the use of amniocentesis and in the rates of age-related increase in the live birth prevalence of Down's syndrome. In particular, African Americans and Mexican Americans were found to have lower odds of amniocentesis use and higher odds of Down's syndrome at birth. In addition, after controlling for maternal age, socioeconomic factors and prenatal care, we found that states which allowed public financing of abortion services for all or most circumstances had lower odds of Down's syndrome at birth. Unless socioeconomic differences in prenatal testing are addressed, the increasing use of prenatal testing might result in widening socioeconomic disparities in the live birth prevalence of Down's syndrome and other major congenital anomalies in future years.

  17. Consequence for dairy herds in the United States of imposing different standards for somatic cell count

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    New European Union (E.U.) regulations may require that a somatic cell count (SCC) limit of 400,000 cells/mL for milk be met by every farm that contributes to pooled milk exported to Europe. In the United States, the standard is 750,000 cells/mL. Because bulk tank SCC is not readily available through...

  18. Relevance of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Rangeland Management to Conditions in Patagonia (Argentina)

    Treesearch

    Andrés F. Cibils; Gabriel E. Oliva

    2006-01-01

    Patagonia’s rangelands are similar to those in western United States in terms of climate, topography, and vegetation physiognomy. However, differences in environmental, economic, and societal values do exist between regions. We assessed the usefulness of C&I (Criteria and Indicators) developed in the United States for other countries, and identified indicators not...

  19. Report to the President on the Use of Technology To Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, Washington, DC. Panel on Educational Technology.

    While a number of different approaches have been suggested for the improvement of K-12 education in the United States, one common element of many plans is the more extensive and more effective utilization of computer, networking, and other technologies in support of a broad program of systemic and curricular reform. The Panel on Educational…

  20. Evaluation Methods Used during the Assessment of an Academic Program at Micro-Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chinembiri, France

    2017-01-01

    This paper majors on the evaluation criteria and methods used for the assessment of health education programs in the United States. The choice of the topic is dictated by the fact that there is need to improve on the quality of the graduates that the different nursing and medical institutions in the United States produce. By looking at the…

  1. Afro-Caribbean and African American Students, Family Factors, and the Influence on Science Performance in the United States: The Untold Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinder, Patrice Juliet

    2012-01-01

    The primary objectives of this research were to explore achievement pattern differences and the influence of family factors on the achievement patterns of Afro-Caribbean and African American students within the United States (U.S.). The study utilized two research designs; a causal-comparative and a correlational design. A student family…

  2. Trapping Phyllophaga spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the United States and Canada using sex attractants

    Treesearch

    Paul S. Robbins; Steven R. Alm; Charles D. Armstrong; Anne L. Averill; Thomas C. Baker; Robert J. Bauernfiend; Frederick P. Baxendale; S. Kris Braman; Rick L. Brandenburg; Daniel B. Cash; Gary J. Couch; Richard S. Cowles; Robert L. Crocker; Zandra D. DeLamar; Timothy G. Dittl; Sheila M. Fitzpatrick; Kathy L. Flanders; Tom Forgatsch; Timothy J. Gibb; Bruce D. Gill; Daniel O. Gilrein; Clyde S. Gorsuch; Abner M. Hammond; Patricia D. Hastings; David W. Held; Paul R. Heller; Rose T. Hiskes; James L. Holliman; William G. Hudson; Michael G. Klein; Vera L. Krischik; David J. Lee; Charles E. Linn; Nancy J. Luce; Kenna E. MacKenzie; Catherine M. Mannion; Sridhar Polavarapu; Daniel A. Potter; Wendell L. Roelofs; Brian M. Rovals; Glenn A. Salsbury; Nathan M. Schiff; David J. Shetlar; Margaret Skinner; Beverly L. Sparks; Jessica A. Sutschek; Timothy P. Sutschek; Stanley R. Swier; Martha M. Sylvia; Niel J. Vickers; Patricia J. Vittum; Richard Weidman; Donald C. Weber; R. Chris Williamson; Michael G. Villani

    2006-01-01

    The sex pheromone of the scarab beetle, Phyllophaga anxia, is a blend of the methyl esters of two amino acids, L-valine and L-isoleucine. A field trapping study was conducted, deploying different blends of the two compounds at 59 locations in the United States and Canada. More than 57,000 males of 61 Phyllophaga species (Coleoptera...

  3. Culturally Diverse and Underserved Populations of Gifted Students in the United States and in Taiwan: Equitable Access to Gifted Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ho, Ya-Ting

    2014-01-01

    There is a continuing increase in the African American and Hispanic student populations in public schools. The students who are invited to gifted programs are overwhelmingly White. This is the situation in schools in the United States and also in Taiwan. Misunderstanding or unawareness of culture difference among educators might contribute to…

  4. Fundamental Fraction Knowledge of Preservice Elementary Teachers: A Cross-National Study in the United States and Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luo, Fenqjen; Lo, Jane-Jane; Leu, Yuh-Chyn

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to show the similarities as well as the differences of fundamental fraction knowledge owned by preservice elementary teachers from the United States (N = 89) and Taiwan (N = 85). To this end, we examined and compared their performance on an instrument including 15 multiple-choice test items. The items were categorized…

  5. Relational Inequality: Gender Earnings Inequality in U.S. and Japanese Manufacturing Plants in the Early 1980s

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avent-Holt, Dustin; Tomaskovic-Devey, Donald

    2012-01-01

    We examine the relational model of inequality using samples of employer-employee matched data from manufacturing plants in the United States and Japan. We argue that gender is a salient status characteristic in both the United States and Japan, but because of differences in gender politics, wage inequality will vary more across U.S. workplaces…

  6. Stockability: A major factor in productivity differences between Pinus taeda plantations in Hawaii and the Southeastern United States.

    Treesearch

    Dean S. DeBell; William R. Harms; Craig D. Whitesell

    1989-01-01

    Basal area and volume production in loblolly pine spacing trials in Hawaii were nearly double the average production in research plantings in the Southeastern United States. The higher productivity in Hawaii was associated, to some extent, with site index and more rapid growth of individual trees. Competition-related mortality, however, was considerably lower in Hawaii...

  7. Attitudes toward Business Ethics and Degree of Opinion Leadership of Future Managers In the United States, Finland, and China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comegys, Charles; Vaisanen, Jaani; Lupton, Robert A.; Rawlinson, David R.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes towards business ethics of future managers in three countries: the United State, Finland, and China, and determine whether business ethics attitudes differed by the student's major, class year, GPA, gender, age, and the number of ethics and religious studies courses completed. Additionally the…

  8. Becoming In/Competent Learners in the United States: Refugee Students' Academic Identities in the Figured World of Difference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bal, Aydin

    2014-01-01

    A practice-based dialectic theory of identity was used in this study to explore the cultural-historical context of an urban charter school in which a group of newly arrived Muslim Turk refugee students' academic identities were formed. The school, located in the Southwestern United States, was founded by a global Islamist movement. Ethnographic…

  9. Serving Students, Science, or Society? The Secondary School Physics Curriculum in the United States, 1930-65.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donahue, David M.

    1993-01-01

    Reviews the reform of secondary school physics in the United States from the 1930s through the mid-1960s. Describes the impact of progressive education, World War II, and the post-Sputnik reforms. Points out differences between past reform efforts and the current Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (CFR)

  10. Guidelines for Installation Natural Resource Protection during Training.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-10-01

    continental United States. Educational material was then developed which adapted the basic concept to differing installation terrain, vegetation , and climates...but absolutely forbidden for most of the year in others. The terrain and vegetation shown in the artwork accompanying each section may also have to...regions reflecting variations in vegetation , climate, and ecology in the continental United States: (1) Northeast, (2) Southeast, (3) Upper Midwest, (4

  11. The Importance of Ethical Training for the Improvement of Ethical Decision-Making: Evidence from Germany and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rottig, Daniel; Heischmidt, Kenneth A.

    2007-01-01

    Based on three independent samples from Germany and the United States, this exploratory, cross-cultural study examines empirically the importance of ethical training for the improvement of ethical decision-making. The results of the study reveal a significant difference in the use of corporate codes of conduct and ethical training, as well as…

  12. Integration of strategic inventory and monitoring programs for the forest lands, wood lands, range lands and agricultural lands of the United States

    Treesearch

    Raymond L. Czaplewski

    1999-01-01

    The United States Department of Agriculture uses the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to monitor the nation's forests and wood lands, and the National Resources Inventory (NRI) program to monitor the nation's agricultural and range lands. Although their measurement methods and sampling frames are very different, both programs are developing annual...

  13. Agricultural buffers at the rural-urban fiinge: an examination of approval by farmers, residents, and academics in the Midwestern United States

    Treesearch

    William C. Sullivan; Olin M. Anderson; Sarah Taylor Lovell

    2004-01-01

    In the Midwestern United States, urban areas most often expand by converting farmland into residential sites. This process puts households and working farms in close contact, often resulting in conflicts. Can agricultural buffers, which provide a variety of environmental and aesthetic benefits, help mediate this conflict? This study examined the approval of different...

  14. Variation in loblolly pine ring microfibril angle in the southeastern United States

    Treesearch

    Lewis Jordan; Rechun He; Daniel B. Hall; Alexander III Clark; Richard F. Daniels

    2007-01-01

    The effect of physiographic region on microfibril angle (MFA) in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the southern United States was evaluated. MFA was determined at 1.4, 4.6, 7.6, 10.7, and 13.7 m up the stem of 59 trees, representing five physiographic regions. A nonlinear mixed-effects model was developed to test for regional differences in the...

  15. Comparison of Health-Related Measures of Two Groups of Adolescents in a Rural Southeastern County in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sands, Charles D.; Hensarling, Robert W.; Angel, James B.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish baseline values on physiological parameters for 7-11 graders (n = 146) in a rural area of Alabama and to examine whether differences existed among the adolescents in the county. Design: Descriptive. Setting: Many adolescents in the southern portion of the United States suffer disproportionately…

  16. Comparative analysis of Edwardsiella tarda isolates from fish in the eastern United States suggests the existence of two genetically distinct species, Edwardsiella tarda and Edwardsiella pseudotarda sp. nov

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Edwardsiella tarda, a Gram-negative member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, is often implicated in significant losses in aquaculture facilities worldwide. Here, we assessed the intra-specific variability of a collection of E. tarda isolates from 4 different fish species in the eastern United State...

  17. A Cross-Cultural Examination of University Students' Motivation toward Band and Academics in Singapore and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tan, Leonard; Miksza, Peter

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to investigate how university band students' (non--music majors) motivational goal orientations toward band and academics differ across participants from Singapore (n = 200) and the United States (n = 227) and examine how they relate to a suite of adaptive dispositions (i.e., flow, grit, and commitment) relevant for…

  18. Human infections with influenza A(H3N2) variant virus in the United States, 2011-2012

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    BACKGROUND. During August 2011-April 2012, 13 human infections with influenza A(H3N2) variant (H3N2v) virus were identified in the United States; 8 occurred in the prior 2 years. This virus differs from previous variant influenza viruses in that it contains the matrix (M) gene from the Influenza A(H...

  19. Translanguaging in the Borderlands: Language Function in Theatre for Young Audiences Written in Spanish and English in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schildkret, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    In the United States, we tend to understand linguistic systems as separate and autonomous, and by this understanding, bilinguals are people who speak two different languages and switch between them. This understanding of bilingualism, however, does not reflect the reality of the way many bilinguals use language. Rather than "code-switch"…

  20. Contextualizing Obesity and Diabetes Policy: Exploring a Nested Statistical and Constructivist Approach at the Cross-National and Subnational Government Level in the United States and Brazil

    PubMed Central

    Gómez, Eduardo J.

    2017-01-01

    Background: This article conducts a comparative national and subnational government analysis of the political, economic, and ideational constructivist contextual factors facilitating the adoption of obesity and diabetes policy. Methods: We adopt a nested analytical approach to policy analysis, which combines cross-national statistical analysis with subnational case study comparisons to examine theoretical prepositions and discover alternative contextual factors; this was combined with an ideational constructivist approach to policy-making. Results: Contrary to the existing literature, we found that with the exception of cross-national statistical differences in access to healthcare infrastructural resources, the growing burden of obesity and diabetes, rising healthcare costs and increased citizens’ knowledge had no predictive affect on the adoption of obesity and diabetes policy. We then turned to a subnational comparative analysis of the states of Mississippi in the United States and Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil to further assess the importance of infrastructural resources, at two units of analysis: the state governments versus rural municipal governments. Qualitative evidence suggests that differences in subnational healthcare infrastructural resources were insufficient for explaining policy reform processes, highlighting instead other potentially important factors, such as state-civil societal relationships and policy diffusion in Mississippi, federal policy intervention in Rio Grande do Norte, and politicians’ social construction of obesity and the resulting differences in policy roles assigned to the central government. Conclusion: We conclude by underscoring the complexity of subnational policy responses to obesity and diabetes, the importance of combining resource and constructivist analysis for better understanding the context of policy reform, while underscoring the potential lessons that the United States can learn from Brazil. PMID:29179290

  1. Socioeconomic disadvantage and adolescent women's sexual and reproductive behavior: the case of five developed countries.

    PubMed

    Singh, S; Darroch, J E; Frost, J J

    2001-01-01

    Differences among developed countries in teenagers' patterns of sexual and reproductive behavior may partly reflect differences in the extent of disadvantage. However, to date, this potential contribution has received little attention. Researchers in Canada, France, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States used the most current survey and other data to study adolescent sexual and reproductive behavior. Comparisons were made within and across countries to assess the relationships between these behaviors and factors that may indicate disadvantage. Adolescent childbearing is more likely among women with low levels of income and education than among their better-off peers. Levels of childbearing are also strongly related to race, ethnicity and immigrant status, but these differences vary across countries. Early sexual activity has little association with income, but young women who have little education are more likely to initiate intercourse during adolescence than those who are better educated. Contraceptive use at first intercourse differs substantially according to socioeconomic status in some countries but not in others. Within countries, current contraceptive use does not differ greatly according to economic status, but at each economic level, use is higher in Great Britain than in the United States. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, U.S. women are the most likely to give birth as adolescents. In addition, larger proportions of adolescents are disadvantaged in the United States than in other developed countries. Comparatively widespread disadvantage in the United States helps explain why U.S. teenagers have higher birthrates andpregnancy rates than those in other developed countries. Improving U.S. teenagers' sexual and reproductive behavior requires strategies to reduce the numbers of young people growing up in disadvantaged conditions and to help those who are disadvantaged overcome the obstacles they face.

  2. Disparity in Dental Coverage Among Older Adult Populations: A Comparative Analysis Across Selected European Countries and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Manski, Richard; Moeller, John; Chen, Haiyan; Widström, Eeva; Lee, Jinkook; Listl, Stefan

    2014-01-01

    Background Insurance against the cost risks associated with prevention and treatment of oral diseases can reduce inequalities in dental care use and oral health. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of variation in dental insurance coverage for older adult populations within and between the United States and various European countries. Method The analyses relied on 2006/2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and 2004-2006 data from of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States for respondents aged 51 years and older. A series of logistic regression models was estimated to identify disparities in dental coverage. Results The highest extent of significant insurance differences between various population subgroups was found for the United States. In comparison with countries belonging to the Eastern and Southern welfare state regimes, a lower number of significant coverage differences occurred for Scandinavian countries. Countries categorized as having comprehensive public insurance coverage showed a tendency towards less insurance variation within their populations than countries categorized as not having comprehensive public coverage, exceptions being Poland and Switzerland. Conclusions The findings of the present study suggest that significant variations in dental coverage exist within all elderly populations examined and the extent of inequalities also differs between countries. By and large, the observed variations corroborate the perception that population dental coverage is more equally distributed under public subsidy. This could be relevant information for decision makers who seek to improve policies towards more equitable dental coverage. PMID:25363376

  3. Lifetime risk and persistence of psychiatric disorders across ethnic groups in the United States

    PubMed Central

    BRESLAU, JOSHUA; KENDLER, KENNETH S.; SU, MAXWELL; GAXIOLA-AGUILAR, SERGIO; KESSLER, RONALD C.

    2009-01-01

    Background Recent research in the United States has demonstrated striking health disparities across ethnic groups. Despite a longstanding interest in ethnic disadvantage in psychiatric epidemiology, patterns of psychiatric morbidity across ethnic groups have never been examined in a nationally representative sample. Method Ethnic differences in psychiatric morbidity are analyzed using data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). The three largest ethnic groups in the United States – Hispanics, Non-Hispanic Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites – were compared with respect to lifetime risk and persistence of three categories of psychiatric disorder: mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder. Results Where differences across ethnic groups were found in lifetime risk, socially disadvantaged groups had lower risk. Relative to Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics had lower lifetime risk of substance use disorder and Non-Hispanic Blacks had lower lifetime risk of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. Where differences were found in persistence of disorders, disadvantaged groups had higher risk. Hispanics with mood disorders were more likely to be persistently ill as were Non-Hispanic Blacks with respect to both mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Closer examination found these differences to be generally consistent across population subgroups. Conclusions Members of disadvantaged ethnic groups in the United States do not have an increased risk for psychiatric disorders. Members of these groups, however, do tend to have more persistent disorders. Future research should focus on explanations for these findings, including the possibility that these comparisons are biased, and on potential means of reducing the disparity in persistence of disorders across ethnic groups. PMID:15841868

  4. The American Military and the Far East, Proceedings of the Ninth Military History Symposium, United States Air Force Academy, 1-3 October 1980,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-10-01

    balance could ever be restored. The answer was not a simple one . For one thing , the war indicated that the United States and its allies had the...experience in a broad sense, so that they are all heirs to the horrors of war. If there is one thing that unites Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and...acted-upon than actors on the stage of international politics. But from Pearl Harbor onward things were very different. Americans were determined to

  5. Comparison of prescription reimbursement methodologies in Japan and the United States.

    PubMed

    Akaho, Eiichi; MacLaughlin, Eric J; Takeuchi, Yoshikazu

    2003-01-01

    To compare methods of prescription reimbursement in Japan and the United States. Data were obtained through interviews and a search of the pharmacy literature using MEDLINE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, the Iowa Drug Information Service, and the Internet. Search terms were pharmacy, dispensing fee, reimbursement, prescriptions, Japan, United States, and average wholesale price (AWP). A comprehensive search was done (i.e., no year limits were observed). Performed manually by the authors. The reimbursement systems for prescriptions differ widely between Japan and the United States. The reimbursement system in the United States is fairly straightforward and easy to understand; it is generally based on product cost (e.g., AWP minus a percentage) plus a small dispensing fee. The system in Japan is extremely complex. Reimbursement formulae have four components, including fees for professional dispensing, drug cost, counseling and administration, and medication supplies and devices. Additionally, various adjustments to the final amount are made based on dosage form, length of therapy, number of prescriptions dispensed by the pharmacy per month, and when the prescription is filled (e.g., after hours, on Sundays or holidays). In Japan, each pharmacist is limited to filling 40 prescriptions per day, but each "prescription" can involve several medication orders, making it difficult to compare Japanese pharmacists' workloads with those of their counterparts in the United States. In addition, Japanese pharmacists are provided remuneration for providing various cognitive services, such as taking a patient history, counseling a patient, consulting with a physician, and identifying drug-related problems. Japan and the United States have very different methods of reimbursing pharmacists for dispensing prescriptions, each with positive and negative features. Based on the features of pharmacy reimbursement systems in each country, perhaps the optimal pharmacy practice system would have workload limits that reflect safety standards and amount of support staff available, provide a fair and standardized method for determining drug cost, are relatively straightforward, pay for cognitive services, and provide care for all of citizens through of some type of national health care system.

  6. The impact of summer rainfall on the temperature gradient along the United States-Mexico border

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Balling, Robert C., Jr.

    1989-01-01

    The international border running through the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona and northern Sonora is marked by a sharp discontinuity in albedo and grass cover. The observed differences in surface properties are a result of long-term, severe overgrazing of the Mexican lands. Recently, investigators have shown the Mexican side of the border to have higher surface and air temperatures when compared to adjacent areas in the United State. The differences in temperatures appear to be more associated with differential evapotranspiration rates than with albedo changes along the border. In this study, the impact of summer rainfall on the observed seasonal and daily gradient in maximum temperature is examined. On a seasonal time scale, the temperature gradient increases with higher moisture levels, probably due to a vegetative response on the United States' side of the border; at the daily level, the gradient in maximum temperature decreases after a rain event as evaporation rates equalize between the countries. The results suggest that temperature differences between vegetated and overgrazed landscapes in arid areas are highly dependent upon the amount of moisture available for evapotranspiration.

  7. Does Superintendents' Leadership Styles Influence Principals' Performance?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Theresa D.

    2014-01-01

    Educational leaders across the United States face changes affecting the educational system related to federal and state mandates. The stress of those changes may be related to superintendents' longevity. The superintendent position has a mobility rate that is quite high. Every superintendent is different and may have a different leadership style…

  8. A personality theory of U.S. migration geography.

    PubMed

    Stetzer, F C

    1985-01-01

    "Neoclassical models of migration fail to account adequately for individual differences in propensity to migrate, rates of emigration from states and cities, and the generally high rates of population circulation common in the United States. This article proposes that migration propensity is related to an individual's personality. Using the facts that personality traits are generationally regenerative, both through inheritance and culture, and that the United States was settled in a series of migration waves from east to west, this theory predicts a spatial structuring of emigration rates which closely correspond to actual rates for states and major cities." excerpt

  9. Lightning-associated deaths--United States, 1980-1995.

    PubMed

    1998-05-22

    A lightning strike can cause death or various injuries to one or several persons. The mechanism of injury is unique, and the manifestations differ from those of other electrical injuries. In the United States, lightning causes more deaths than do most other natural hazards (e.g., hurricanes and tornadoes), although the incidence of lightning-related deaths has decreased since the 1950s. The cases described in this report illustrate diverse circumstances in which deaths attributable to lightning can occur. This report also summarizes data from the Compressed Mortality File of CDC's National Center for Health Statistics on lightning fatalities in the United States from 1980 through 1995, when 1318 deaths were attributed to lightning.

  10. The Curious Case of Cuba

    PubMed Central

    Reed, Gail A.

    2012-01-01

    As health professionals in the United States consider how to focus health care and coverage to ensure better, more equitable patient and population health outcomes, the experience of Cuba’s National Health System over the last 5 decades may provide useful insights. Although mutual awareness has been limited by long-term political hostilities between the United States and Cuban governments, the history and details of the Cuban health system indicate that their health system merits attention as an example of a national integrated approach resulting in improved health status. More extensive analysis of the principles, practices, and outcomes in Cuba is warranted to inform health system transformation in the United States, despite differences in political-social systems and available resources. PMID:22698011

  11. Crop Yield Simulations Using Multiple Regional Climate Models in the Southwestern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stack, D.; Kafatos, M.; Kim, S.; Kim, J.; Walko, R. L.

    2013-12-01

    Agricultural productivity (described by crop yield) is strongly dependent on climate conditions determined by meteorological parameters (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and solar radiation). California is the largest producer of agricultural products in the United States, but crops in associated arid and semi-arid regions live near their physiological limits (e.g., in hot summer conditions with little precipitation). Thus, accurate climate data are essential in assessing the impact of climate variability on agricultural productivity in the Southwestern United States and other arid regions. To address this issue, we produced simulated climate datasets and used them as input for the crop production model. For climate data, we employed two different regional climate models (WRF and OLAM) using a fine-resolution (8km) grid. Performances of the two different models are evaluated in a fine-resolution regional climate hindcast experiment for 10 years from 2001 to 2010 by comparing them to the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset. Based on this comparison, multi-model ensembles with variable weighting are used to alleviate model bias and improve the accuracy of crop model productivity over large geographic regions (county and state). Finally, by using a specific crop-yield simulation model (APSIM) in conjunction with meteorological forcings from the multi-regional climate model ensemble, we demonstrate the degree to which maize yields are sensitive to the regional climate in the Southwestern United States.

  12. Restricted Creativity: Advertising Agency Work Practices in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West, Douglas

    1993-01-01

    The extent to which relationships and work practices within advertising agencies differ in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and degree of similarity to practices of artists were examined. Responses from Senior Creative Directors at 303 agencies suggested that work practices did not differ significantly but were limited in efforts…

  13. Alcohol and Homicide in Russia and the United States: A Comparative Analysis*

    PubMed Central

    Landberg, Jonas; Norström, Thor

    2011-01-01

    Objective: The object of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the aggregate relationship between alcohol and homicide in Russia and in the United States. The comparison was based on the magnitude of the alcohol effect, the alcohol attributable fraction (AAF), and the degree to which total consumption could account for trends in homicide. Method: We analyzed total and sex-specific homicide rates for the age groups 15–64 years, 15–34 years, and 35–64 years. The study period was 1959–1998 for Russia and 1950–2002 for the United States. For the United States, alcohol consumption was gauged by sales of alcohol; for Russia, estimated unrecorded consumption was included as well. The data were analyzed through autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling. Results: The results show that, for Russia as well as for the United States, a 1 -L increase in consumption was associated with an increase in homicides of about 10%, although the absolute effect was markedly larger in Russia because of differences in homicide rates. The AAF estimates suggested that 73% and 57% of the homicides would be attributable to alcohol in Russia and in the United States, respectively. Most of the temporal variation in the Russian homicide rate could be accounted for by the trend in drinking, whereas the U.S. trend in total alcohol consumption had a more limited ability to predict the trend in homicides. Conclusions: We conclude that the role of alcohol in homicide seems to be larger in Russia than in the United States. PMID:21906499

  14. Primary CNS germ cell tumors in Japan and the United States: an analysis of 4 tumor registries

    PubMed Central

    McCarthy, Bridget J.; Shibui, Soichiro; Kayama, Takamasa; Miyaoka, Etsuo; Narita, Yoshitaka; Murakami, Michiko; Matsuda, Ayako; Matsuda, Tomohiro; Sobue, Tomotaka; Palis, Bryan E.; Dolecek, Therese A.; Kruchko, Carol; Engelhard, Herbert H.; Villano, J. Lee

    2012-01-01

    Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are relatively rare. Their incidence has been considered to be higher in East Asia than in the United States. This study estimates the incidence of CNS GCTs in Japan and the United States, investigates gender discrepancies in each country, and describes treatment outcomes. Data on primary CNS GCTs from 4 databases were utilized: population-based malignant incidence data from (1) the Japan Cancer Surveillance Research Group (2004–2006; 14 registries), malignant and nonmalignant incidence data from (2) the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (2004–2008; 17 registries), and hospital-based observed survival data from (3) the Brain Tumor Registry of Japan (1984–2000) and (4) the US National Cancer Data Base (1990–2003). Incidence rates per 100 000 for malignant GCTs were not statistically significantly different between Japan (males = 0.143, females = 0.046) and the United States (males = 0.118, females = 0.030). The malignant incidence-rate ratio was higher for pineal GCTs versus nonpineal (ie, the rest of the brain) GCTs in Japan (11.5:1 vs 1.9:1, respectively) and the United States (16.0:1 vs 1.7:1, respectively). In general, 5-year survival estimates were high: over 75% for all GCTs, and over 81% for germinomas, regardless of the type of treatment in either Japan or the United States. The incidence of primary GCTs is similar between Japan and the United States and has the same gender-based patterns by location. High rates of survival were observed in both countries. PMID:22869621

  15. Age of diagnosis of breast cancer in china: almost 10 years earlier than in the United States and the European union.

    PubMed

    Song, Qing-Kun; Li, Jing; Huang, Rong; Fan, Jin-Hu; Zheng, Rong-Shou; Zhang, Bao-Ning; Zhang, Bin; Tang, Zhong-Hua; Xie, Xiao-Ming; Yang, Hong-Jian; He, Jian-Jun; Li, Hui; Li, Jia-Yuan; Qiao, You-Lin; Chen, Wan-Qing

    2014-01-01

    The study aimed to describe the age distribution of breast cancer diagnosis among Chinese females for comparison with the United States and the European Union, and provide evidence for the screening target population in China. Median age was estimated from hospital databases from 7 tertiary hospitals in China. Population-based data in China, United States and European Union was extracted from the National Central Cancer Registry, SEER program and GLOBOCAN 2008, respectively. Age-standardized distribution of breast cancer at diagnosis in the 3 areas was estimated based on the World Standard Population 2000. The median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was around 50 in China, nearly 10 years earlier than United States and European Union. The diagnosis age in China did not vary between subgroups of calendar year, region and pathological characteristics. With adjustment for population structure, median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was 50~54 in China, but 55~59 in United States and European Union. The median diagnosis age of female breast cancer is much earlier in China than in the United States and the European Union pointing to racial differences in genetics and lifestyle. Screening programs should start at an earlier age for Chinese women and age disparities between Chinese and Western women warrant further studies.

  16. Variation in critical care services across North America and Western Europe.

    PubMed

    Wunsch, Hannah; Angus, Derek C; Harrison, David A; Collange, Olivier; Fowler, Robert; Hoste, Eric A J; de Keizer, Nicolette F; Kersten, Alexander; Linde-Zwirble, Walter T; Sandiumenge, Alberto; Rowan, Kathryn M

    2008-10-01

    Critical care represents a large percentage of healthcare spending in developed countries. Yet, little is known regarding international variation in critical care services. We sought to understand differences in critical care delivery by comparing data on the distribution of services in eight countries. Retrospective review of existing national administrative data. We identified sources of data in each country to provide information on acute care hospitals and beds, intensive care units and beds, intensive care admissions, and definitions of intensive care beds. Data were all referenced and from as close to 2005 as possible. United States, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Spain. Not available. None. No standard definition existed for acute care hospital or intensive care unit beds across countries. Hospital beds varied three-fold from 221/100,000 population in the United States to 593/100,000 in Germany. Adult intensive care unit beds also ranged seven-fold from 3.3/100,000 population in the United Kingdom to 24.0/100,000 in Germany. Volume of intensive care unit admissions per year varied ten-fold from 216/100,000 population in the United Kingdom to 2353/100,000 in Germany. The ratio of intensive care unit beds to hospital beds was highly correlated across all countries except the United States (r = .90). There was minimal correlation between the number of intensive care unit beds per capita and health care spending per capita (r = .45), but high inverse correlation between intensive care unit beds and hospital mortality for intensive care unit patients across countries (r = -.82). Absolute critical care services vary dramatically between countries with wide differences in both numbers of beds and volume of admissions. The number of intensive care unit beds per capita is not strongly correlated with overall health expenditure, but does correlate strongly with mortality. These findings demonstrate the need for critical care data from all countries, as they are essential for interpretation of studies, and policy decisions regarding critical care services.

  17. Complexity of intravenous iron nanoparticle formulations: implications for bioequivalence evaluation.

    PubMed

    Pai, Amy Barton

    2017-11-01

    Intravenous iron formulations are a class of complex drugs that are commonly used to treat a wide variety of disease states associated with iron deficiency and anemia. Venofer® (iron-sucrose) is one of the most frequently used formulations, with more than 90% of dialysis patients in the United States receiving this formulation. Emerging data from global markets outside the United States, where many iron-sucrose similars or copies are available, have shown that these formulations may have safety and efficacy profiles that differ from the reference listed drug. This may be attributable to uncharacterized differences in physicochemical characteristics and/or differences in labile iron release. As bioequivalence evaluation guidance evolves, clinicians should be educated on these potential clinical issues before a switch to the generic formulation is made in the clinical setting. © 2017 New York Academy of Sciences.

  18. Healthcare-seeking behaviors of older Iranian immigrants: health perceptions and definitions.

    PubMed

    Martin, Shadi Sahami

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how cultural differences influence the healthcare-seeking behaviors of older Iranian immigrants in the United States. Cultural differences were examined in a variety of areas, including definitions and perceptions of health, illness, and care. Using a phenomenological methodology, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with older Iranian immigrants. The findings of this study showed that participants' definitions of health, illness, and care differ significantly from mainstream Western definitions. An understanding of these cultural differences helps explain why older Iranian immigrants may or may not seek healthcare when they need it in the United States. Recommendations for change include cultural training for medical staff and the use of cultural brokers.

  19. From welfare states to welfare sectors: Explaining sectoral differences in occupational pensions with economic and political power of employees.

    PubMed

    Wiß, Tobias

    2015-12-01

    Studies analysing welfare have previously focused on countries as units. In the course of pension cuts and the increasing importance of occupational welfare, our traditional understanding of a homogeneous welfare state is being challenged. In this article, I distinguish between both economic individual power (employee skills) and political collective power (trade unions), and their relation with different occupational pensions. A combined analysis by both factors is not common, where employee skills and power resources are traditionally treated as separate, rival explanations of public welfare. Combining the 'method of difference' with the 'method of agreement', the article first presents the within-country variety of occupational pensions in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Occupational pensions in the same economic sectors across countries are then used as the units of analysis in order to illustrate the plausible determinants of economic individual power and political collective power.

  20. Continuing education requirements among State Occupational Therapy Regulatory Boards in the United States of America.

    PubMed

    Hall, Savannah R; Crifasi, Kristen A; Marinelli, Christina M; Yuen, Hon K

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the contents of each state's occupational therapy (OT) regulatory board requirements regarding licensees' acquisition of continuing education units in the United States of America. Data related to continuing education requirements from each OT regulatory board of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States were reviewed and categorized by two reviewers. Analysis was conducted based on the categorization of the continuing education requirements and activities required, allowed, and not allowed/not mentioned for continuing education units. Findings revealed non-uniformity and inconsistency of continuing education requirements for licensure renewal between OT regulatory boards and was coupled with lack of specific criteria for various continuing education activities. Continuing education requirements were not tailored to meet the needs of individual licensee's current and anticipated professional role and job responsibilities, with a negative bias towards presentation and publication allowed for continuing education units. Few boards mandated continuing education topics on ethics related to OT practice within each renewal cycle. OT regulatory boards should move towards unifying the reporting format of continuing education requirements across all states to reduce ambiguity and to ensure licensees are equipped to provide ethical and competent practice. Efforts could be made to enact continuing education requirements specific to the primary role of a particular licensee. Finally, assigning the amount of continuing education credits to be awarded for different activities should be based on research evidence rather than arbitrary determination.

  1. Cross-National Differences in Disability Among Elders: Transitions in Disability in Mexico and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Wong, Rebeca; Michaels-Obregon, Alejandra; Palloni, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. Little is known about how exposure to a combination of infectious and chronic conditions throughout the lifecourse could impact disability in old age. This paper compares 2 cohorts of adults who have aged under very different country contexts by contrasting disability transitions among elders in Mexico with elders in the United States. Methods. Data comes from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) and the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Estimated probabilities of 2-year transitions among disability states and mortality are presented for adults aged 50 and older. Results. The levels of disability prevalence and 2 year transitions are consistent with a higher rate of disability for the United States compared to Mexico. In 2-year transitions, the U.S. sample was more likely to transition to a disabled state or increase the number of disabilities than the Mexican counterparts, while Mexicans are more likely to move out of disability or reduce the number of disabilities reported. Discussion. The findings suggest that the current rate of disability in old age is lower for a less developed country compared with a developed society. We discuss implications, possible explanations, and likely future scenarios. PMID:25633135

  2. Cohort changes in educational disparities in smoking: France, Germany and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Pampel, Fred; Legleye, Stephane; Goffette, Celine; Piontek, Daniela; Kraus, Ludwig; Khlat, Myriam

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the evolution of educational disparities in smoking uptake across cohorts for men and women in three countries. Nationally representative surveys of adults in France, Germany and the United States in 2009–2010 include retrospective measures of age of uptake that are compared for three cohorts (born 1946–1960–1961–1975, and 1976–1992). Discrete logistic regressions and a relative measure of education are used to model smoking histories until age 34. The following patterns are found: a strengthening of educational disparities in the timing of uptake from older to younger cohorts; an earlier occurrence of the strengthening for men than women and for the United States than France or Germany; a faster pace of the epidemic in France than in the United States, and; a divide between the highest level of education and the others in the United States, as opposed to a gradient across categories in France. Those differences in smoking disparities across cohorts, genders and countries help identify the national and temporal circumstances that shape the size and direction of the relationship between education and health and the need for policies that target educational disparities. PMID:25037853

  3. Cohort changes in educational disparities in smoking: France, Germany and the United States.

    PubMed

    Pampel, Fred; Legleye, Stephane; Goffette, Céline; Piontek, Daniela; Kraus, Ludwig; Khlat, Myriam

    2015-02-01

    This study investigates the evolution of educational disparities in smoking uptake across cohorts for men and women in three countries. Nationally representative surveys of adults in France, Germany and the United States in 2009-2010 include retrospective measures of age of uptake that are compared for three cohorts (born 1946-1960, 1961-1975, and 1976-1992). Discrete logistic regressions and a relative measure of education are used to model smoking histories until age 34. The following patterns are found: a strengthening of educational disparities in the timing of uptake from older to younger cohorts; an earlier occurrence of the strengthening for men than women and for the United States than France or Germany; a faster pace of the epidemic in France than in the United States, and; a divide between the highest level of education and the others in the United States, as opposed to a gradient across categories in France. Those differences in smoking disparities across cohorts, genders and countries help identify the national and temporal circumstances that shape the size and direction of the relationship between education and health and the need for policies that target educational disparities. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  4. Analysis of Acceleration, Airspeed, and Gust-Velocity Data From a Four-Engine Transport Airplane Operating Over a Northwestern United States Alaska Route

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Engel, Jerome N.; Copp, Martin R.

    1959-01-01

    Acceleration, airspeed, and altitude data obtained with an NACA VGH recorder from a four-engine commercial transport airplane operating over a northwestern United States-Alaska route were evaluated to determine the magnitude and frequency of occurrence of gust and maneuver accelerations., operating airspeeds, and gust velocities. The results obtained were then compared with the results previously reported in NACA Technical Note 3475 for two similar airplanes operating over transcontinental routes in the United States. No large variations in the gust experience for the three operations were noted. The results indicate that the gust-load experience of the present operation closely approximated that of the central transcontinental route in the United States with which it is compared and showed differences of about 4 to 1 when compared with that of the southern transcontinental route in the United States. In general, accelerations due to gusts occurred much more frequently than those due to operational maneuvers. At a measured normal-acceleration increment of 0.5g, accelerations due to gusts occurred roughly 35 times more frequently than those due to operational maneuvers.

  5. International issues: Obtaining an adult neurology residency position in the United States: an overview.

    PubMed

    Jordan, Justin T; Sellner, Johann; Struhal, Walter; Schneider, Logan; Mayans, David

    2014-04-08

    Around the world, there are marked differences in neurology training, including training duration and degree of specialization. In the United States, adult neurology residency is composed of 1 year of internal medicine training (preliminary year) and 3 years of neurology-specific training. Child neurology, which is not the focus of this article, is 2 years of pediatrics and 3 years of neurology training. The route to adult neurology residency training in the United States is standardized and is similar to most other US specialties. Whereas US medical graduates often receive stepwise guidance from their medical school regarding application for residency training, international graduates often enter this complex process with little or no such assistance. Despite this discrepancy, about 10%-15% of residency positions in the United States are filled by international medical graduates.(1,2) In adult neurology specifically, 35% of matched positions were filled by international graduates in 2013, 75% of whom were not US citizens.(1) In an effort to provide a preliminary understanding of the application process and related terminology (table 1) and thereby encourage international residency applicants, we describe the steps necessary to apply for neurology residency in the United States.

  6. Mandating better buildings: a global review of building codes and prospects for improvement in the United States

    DOE PAGES

    Sun, Xiaojing; Brown, Marilyn A.; Cox, Matt; ...

    2015-03-11

    This paper provides a global overview of the design, implementation, and evolution of building energy codes. Reflecting alternative policy goals, building energy codes differ significantly across the United States, the European Union, and China. This review uncovers numerous innovative practices including greenhouse gas emissions caps per square meter of building space, energy performance certificates with retrofit recommendations, and inclusion of renewable energy to achieve “nearly zero-energy buildings”. These innovations motivated an assessment of an aggressive commercial building code applied to all US states, requiring both new construction and buildings with major modifications to comply with the latest version of themore » ASHRAE 90.1 Standards. Using the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), we estimate that by 2035, such building codes in the United States could reduce energy for space heating, cooling, water heating and lighting in commercial buildings by 16%, 15%, 20% and 5%, respectively. Impacts on different fuels and building types, energy rates and bills as well as pollution emission reductions are also examined.« less

  7. Low prevalence of chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in amphibians of U.S. headwater streams

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hossack, Blake R.; Adams, Michael J.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Pearl, Chistopher A.; Bettaso, James B.; Barichivich, William J.; Lowe, Winsor H.; True, Kimberly; Ware, Joy L.; Corn, Paul Stephen

    2010-01-01

    Many declines of amphibian populations have been associated with chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Despite the relatively high prevalence of chytridiomycosis in stream amphibians globally, most surveys in North America have focused primarily on wetland-associated species, which are frequently infected. To better understand the distribution and prevalence of Bd in headwater amphibian communities, we sampled 452 tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei and Ascaphus montanus) and 304 stream salamanders (seven species in the Dicamptodontidae and Plethodontidae) for Bd in 38, first- to third-order streams in five montane areas across the United States. We tested for presence of Bd by using PCR on skin swabs from salamanders and metamorphosed tailed frogs or the oral disc of frog larvae. We detected Bd on only seven individuals (0.93%) in four streams. Based on our study and results from five other studies that have sampled headwater- or seep-associated amphibians in the United States, Bd has been detected on only 3% of 1,322 individuals from 21 species. These results differ strongly from surveys in Central America and Australia, where Bd is more prevalent on stream-breeding species, as well as results from wetland-associated anurans in the same regions of the United States that we sampled. Differences in the prevalence of Bd between stream- and wetland-associated amphibians in the United States may be related to species-specific variation in susceptibility to chytridiomycosis or habitat differences.

  8. Comparison of behavioral characteristics of dogs in the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    Nagasawa, Miho; Kanbayashi, Shunichi; Mogi, Kazutaka; Serpell, James A; Kikusui, Takefumi

    2016-02-01

    This study examined the difference in dog owning between Japan and the United States, and the effect of these differences on dogs' behavioral characteristics. Behavioral evaluations of privately-owned dogs were obtained by using online questionnaire. We compared background and demographic information from the two countries and analyzed the effects of these differences on behavioral characteristics in dogs. The results indicated that there was a bias in the dog breeds kept in Japan compared to the United States and that Japanese dogs' body weight was lower than the US dogs. The main source of dog acquisition was pet stores in Japan and breeders and/or shelters in the United States. Multiple linear regression analysis found that Japanese dogs showed more aggression to household members and higher energy, restlessness and fear of non-social stimuli than US dogs, while US dogs showed more fear of unfamiliar persons, separation-related behavior and excitability. US dogs also showed higher levels of trainability and attachment to owners. The lower dog's body weight was, the higher the behavioral scores except for trainability were. When dogs that were obtained under 3 months of age were analyzed, the younger the dogs were when their owners obtained them, the higher the scores on some behavioral problem factors were. The higher rates of problem behaviors among Japanese dogs compared with US dogs suggest that the preference for small breed dogs and poor early development environment influenced the behavioral characteristics of dogs.

  9. Aging in a cultural context: cross-national differences in disability and the moderating role of personal control among older adults in the United States and England.

    PubMed

    Clarke, Philippa; Smith, Jacqui

    2011-07-01

    We investigate cross-national differences in late-life health outcomes and focus on an intriguing difference in beliefs about personal control found between older adult populations in the U.K. and United States. We examine the moderating role of control beliefs in the relationship between physical function and self-reported difficulty with daily activities. Using national data from the United States (Health and Retirement Study) and England (English Longitudinal Study on Ageing), we examine the prevalence in disability across the two countries and show how it varies according to the sense of control. Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between objective measures of physical function (gait speed) and disability and the modifying effects of control. Older Americans have a higher sense of personal control than the British, which operates as a psychological resource to reduce disability among older Americans. However, the benefits of control are attenuated as physical impairments become more severe. These results emphasize the importance of carefully considering cross-national differences in the disablement process as a result of cultural variation in underlying psychosocial resources. This paper highlights the role of culture in shaping health across adults aging in different sociopolitical contexts.

  10. The pattern of topical corticosteroid prescribing in the United States, 1989-1991.

    PubMed

    Stern, R S

    1996-08-01

    Topical corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of skin diseases. These preparations vary greatly in potency. They are available in both brand name and generic formulations, as well as in combination products. Our purpose was to determine the pattern of topical corticosteroids prescribing in the United States and the relation of patient and prescriber attributes to the type of corticosteroid preparation prescribed. Data from the 1989 to 1991 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to estimate the number of visits with a topical corticosteroid preparation prescribed and to identify prescribers with specific characteristics. In the United States, topical corticosteroids are prescribed or recommended at an average of 14 million visits per year to office-based health practitioners. Forty percent of these visits were to dermatologists. Dermatologists were 3.9 times more likely to prescribe very high potency steroids than were other physicians. Physicians other than dermatologists were 8.4 times more likely than dermatologists to prescribe combination agents containing moderate- or high-potency topical corticosteroids and an antiinfective agent. The pattern of topical corticosteroid prescribing is substantially different for dermatologists and other physicians. These differences may reflect differences in severity or complexity of the disease or differences in prescribing habits. The importance of these differences to the outcome of treated patients is not established.

  11. Aging in a Cultural Context: Cross-national Differences in Disability and the Moderating Role of Personal Control Among Older Adults in the United States and England

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Jacqui

    2011-01-01

    Objectives. We investigate cross-national differences in late-life health outcomes and focus on an intriguing difference in beliefs about personal control found between older adult populations in the U.K. and United States. We examine the moderating role of control beliefs in the relationship between physical function and self-reported difficulty with daily activities. Method. Using national data from the United States (Health and Retirement Study) and England (English Longitudinal Study on Ageing), we examine the prevalence in disability across the two countries and show how it varies according to the sense of control. Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between objective measures of physical function (gait speed) and disability and the modifying effects of control. Results. Older Americans have a higher sense of personal control than the British, which operates as a psychological resource to reduce disability among older Americans. However, the benefits of control are attenuated as physical impairments become more severe. Discussion. These results emphasize the importance of carefully considering cross-national differences in the disablement process as a result of cultural variation in underlying psychosocial resources. This paper highlights the role of culture in shaping health across adults aging in different sociopolitical contexts. PMID:21666145

  12. Analysis of urban regions using AVHRR thermal infrared data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wright, Bruce

    1993-01-01

    Using 1-km AVHRR satellite data, relative temperature difference caused by conductivity and inertia were used to distinguish urban and non urban land covers. AVHRR data that were composited on a biweekly basis and distributed by the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were used for the classification process. These composited images are based on the maximum normalized different vegetation index (NDVI) of each pixel during the 2-week period using channels 1 and 2. The resultant images are nearly cloud-free and reduce the need for extensive reclassification processing. Because of the physiographic differences between the Eastern and Western United States, the initial study was limited to the eastern half of the United States. In the East, the time of maximum difference between the urban surfaces and the vegetated non urban areas is the peak greenness period in late summer. A composite image of the Eastern United States for the 2-weel time period from August 30-Septmeber 16, 1991, was used for the extraction of the urban areas. Two channels of thermal data (channels 3 and 4) normalized for regional temperature differences and a composited NDVI image were classified using conventional image processing techniques. The results compare favorably with other large-scale urban area delineations.

  13. Choosing a Field: How Graduate Student Choices of Field Sites Reflect Different Ideas of "Real" Anthropology in Colombia and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macia, Laura

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the decisions and motivations of graduate students in cultural anthropology when defining the field sites and topics of their final projects. The decisions among students at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia are contrasted with those at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. A review of recent final projects…

  14. Optimizing the Navy’s Investment in Space Professionals

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-09-01

    UFO Ultra High Frequency Follow-On UHF Ultra High Frequency URL Unrestricted Line USA United States Army USAF United States Air Force USCYBERCOM...LEASAT), and eight UHF Follow-On ( UFO ) satellites all flying in geostationary orbit (GEO). NAVSOC is the principle Navy command that operates, manages...and maintains the DoD’s narrowband UHF capability from five different ground stations. The replacement satellite for the aging UFO system is the

  15. Modeling the longitudinal variation in wood specific gravity of planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in the United States

    Treesearch

    F. Antony; L. R. Schimleck; R. F. Daniels; Alexander Clark; D. B. Hall

    2010-01-01

    Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is a major plantation species grown in the southern United States, producing wood having a multitude of uses including pulp and lumber production. Specific gravity (SG) is an important property used to measure the quality of wood produced, and it varies regionally and within the tree with height and radius. SG at different height levels...

  16. The Mexico-United States Border: Public Policy and Chicano Economic Welfare. Studies in Human Resources Development No. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briggs, Vernon M., Jr.

    In 1970, the gross national product for the United States was over $974 billion; for Mexico, it was $33 billion. The U.S. per capita national income was approximately $4,300, while Mexico's was slightly above $500. Living as neighbors with the reality of these vast differences has led to the implementation of various policy measures by both…

  17. The future of housing in the United States: an econometric model of long-term predictions for the 2000 RPA timber assessment.

    Treesearch

    Claire A. Montgomery

    2001-01-01

    This report presents historical trends and future projections of forest, agricultural, and urban and other land uses for the South-Central United States. A land use share model is used to investigate the relation between the areas of land in alternative uses and economic and demographic factors influencing land use decisions. Two different versions of the empirical...

  18. Explaining Changes in the Patterns of Black Suicide in the United States from 1981 to 2002: An Age, Cohort, and Period Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joe, Sean

    2006-01-01

    To explore the different trends of suicide incidence among Blacks and possible contributing factors, the current study compared national epidemiologic data of suicide in the United States from 1981 to 2002. For the first time, period and birth-cohort effects on the incidence trends of Black suicide were evaluated using an age-period-cohort…

  19. Italy: A Study of the Educational System of Italy and a Guide to the Academic Placement of Students from Italy in Educational Institutions of the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capobianco, Joseph P.

    The educational system of Italy is described, and placement recommendations concerning students who want to study in the United States are presented. After a description of preschool, elementary, and middle school education, the different types of upper-secondary education system are considered (i.e., the lyceums, teacher training, and technical…

  20. A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Knowledge and Stigma Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder among College Students in Lebanon and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obeid, Rita; Daou, Nidal; DeNigris, Danielle; Shane-Simpson, Christina; Brooks, Patricia J.; Gillespie-Lynch, Kristen

    2015-01-01

    Although misconceptions associated with ASD are apparent worldwide, they may differ across cultures. This study compares knowledge and stigma associated with ASD in a country with limited autism resources, Lebanon, and a country with substantial autism resources, the United States (US). College students in the US (N = 346) and Lebanon (N = 329)…

  1. Vegetative characteristics of oak savannas in the southwestern United States: a comparative analysis with oak woodlands in the region

    Treesearch

    Peter F. Ffolliott; Gerald J. Gottfried

    2005-01-01

    Much has been learned about the oak woodlands of the Southwestern United States in recent years. However, comparable characterizations of the companion oak savannas are needed to help in enhancing the knowledge of all oak ecosystems in the Madrean Archipelago region. Oak savannas differ from oak woodlands in that they are more open in their structure with fewer trees...

  2. MMPI-2 characteristics of the Old Order Amish: a comparison of clinical, nonclinical, and United States normative samples.

    PubMed

    Knabb, Joshua J; Vogt, Ronald G; Newgren, Kevin P

    2011-12-01

    [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 23(4) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2011-12640-001). The article contains an error under the Participants and Procedure heading. This is addressed in the correction.] In the current study, we investigated Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) characteristics in an Old Order Amish nonclinical sample (N = 84), comparing these data with both the United States normative sample (N = 2,600) and a sample of Old Order Amish outpatients (N = 136). Consistent with our hypothesis, the Old Order Amish nonclinical group scored similarly to the United States normative sample and lower than the Old Order Amish outpatients on most scales. Thus, overall, the MMPI-2 appears to be sensitive to psychopathology, especially depression and psychosis, among Old Order Amish test takers. Still, several Validity, Clinical, Supplementary, Content, and Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) scale score differences materialized between the Old Order Amish nonclinical group and the United States group, suggesting that certain MMPI-2 scales may need to be interpreted differently for Old Order Amish test takers. Further MMPI-2 research is needed with the Old Order Amish to replicate and generalize our findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. A longitudinal ecological study of seasonal influenza deaths in relation to climate conditions in the United States from 1999 through 2011.

    PubMed

    Geier, David A; Kern, Janet K; Geier, Mark R

    2018-01-01

    Introduction: Influenza is an acute respiratory disease with significant annual global morbidity/mortality. Influenza transmission occurs in distinct seasonal patterns suggesting an importance of climate conditions on disease pathogenesis. This hypothesis-testing study evaluated microenvironment conditions within different demographic/geographical groups on seasonal influenza deaths in the United States. Materials and methods: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wonder online computer interface was utilized to integrate and analyze potential correlations in data generated from 1999 through 2011 for climate conditions of mean daily sunlight (KJ/m 2 ), mean daily maximum air temperature ( o C), mean daily minimum air temperature ( o C), and mean daily precipitation (mm) from the North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) database and on influenza mortality (ICD-10 codes:J09, J10, or J11) from the Underlying Cause of Death database. Results and discussion: Significant inverse correlations between the climate conditions of temperature, sunlight, and precipitation and seasonal influenza death rate were observed. Similar effects were observed among males and females, but when the data were separated by race and urbanization status significant differences were observed. Conclusion: This study highlights key factors that can help shape public health policy to deal with seasonal influenza in the United States and beyond.

  4. Childbearing across Partnerships in Australia, the United States, Norway and Sweden

    PubMed Central

    Thomson, Elizabeth; Lappegård, Trude; Carlson, Marcia; Evans, Ann; Gray, Edith

    2017-01-01

    This paper compares mothers’ experience of having children with more than one partner in two liberal welfare regimes (the United States and Australia) and two social democratic regimes (Sweden and Norway). We use survey-based union and birth histories in Australia and the United States and data from national population registers in Norway and Sweden to estimate the likelihood of experiencing childbearing across partnerships at any point in the childbearing career. We find that births with new partners constitute a substantial proportion of all births in each country we study. Despite quite different arrangements for social welfare, the determinants of childbearing across partnerships are very similar. Women who had their first birth at a very young age or who are less well educated are most likely to have children with different partners. Socioeconomic differentials in childbearing across partnerships appeared to be stronger in the United States, but not in comparison to differentials in childbearing in the same union. Thus, no strong evidence was found for a steeper educational gradient in the liberal as opposed to social democratic welfare regimes. The risk of childbearing across partnerships increased dramatically in all countries from the 1980s to the 2000s, and the educational differential also increased; again, however, the increases were not associated with welfare regime. PMID:24399143

  5. Understanding health-care access and utilization disparities among Latino children in the United States.

    PubMed

    Langellier, Brent A; Chen, Jie; Vargas-Bustamante, Arturo; Inkelas, Moira; Ortega, Alexander N

    2016-06-01

    It is important to understand the source of health-care disparities between Latinos and other children in the United States. We examine parent-reported health-care access and utilization among Latino, White, and Black children (≤17 years old) in the United States in the 2006-2011 National Health Interview Survey. Using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, we portion health-care disparities into two parts (1) those attributable to differences in the levels of sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., income) and (2) those attributable to differences in group-specific regression coefficients that measure the health-care 'return' Latino, White, and Black children receive on these characteristics. In the United States, Latino children are less likely than Whites to have a usual source of care, receive at least one preventive care visit, and visit a doctor, and are more likely to have delayed care. The return on sociodemographic characteristics explains 20-30% of the disparity between Latino and White children in the usual source of care, delayed care, and doctor visits and 40-50% of the disparity between Latinos and Blacks in emergency department use and preventive care. Much of the health-care disadvantage experienced by Latino children would persist if Latinos had the sociodemographic characteristics as Whites and Blacks. © The Author(s) 2014.

  6. The zone of social abandonment in cultural geography: on the street in the United States, inside the family in India.

    PubMed

    Marrow, Jocelyn; Luhrmann, Tanya Marie

    2012-09-01

    This essay examines the spaces across societies in which persons with severe mental illness lose meaningful social roles and are reduced to "bare life." Comparing ethnographic and interview data from the United States and India, we suggest that these processes of exclusion take place differently: on the street in the United States, and in the family household in India. We argue that cultural, historical, and economic factors determine which spaces become zones of social abandonment across societies. We compare strategies for managing and treating persons with psychosis across the United States and India, and demonstrate that the relative efficiency of state surveillance of populations and availability of public social and psychiatric services, the relative importance of family honor, the extent to which a culture of psychopharmaceutical use has penetrated social life, and other historical features, contribute to circumstances in which disordered Indian persons are more likely to be forcefully "hidden" in domestic space, whereas mentally ill persons in the United States are more likely to be expelled to the street. However, in all locations, social marginalization takes place by stripping away the subject's efficacy in social communication. That is, the socially "dead" lose communicative efficacy, a predicament, following Agamben, we describe as "bare voice."

  7. Increase of reliability of contact networks of electric transport, due to increase of strength of the joint unit of pipes of different diameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabitov, L. S.; Kashapov, N. F.; Gilmanshin, I. R.; Gatiyatov, I. Z.; Kuznetsov, I. L.

    2017-09-01

    The feature of the stress state of the supports of the contact networks is the presence of a joint of pipes of different diameters, the ultimate state of which is determined, as a rule, the strength of the weld. The proposed unit allows to increase the reliability and strength of the connection and also exclude the presence of a weld bead on the outer surface of the pipe of smaller diameter in the place of its attachment to the upper end of the support ring.

  8. A comparison of United States and United Kingdom EQ-5D health states valuations using a nonparametric Bayesian method.

    PubMed

    Kharroubi, Samer A; O'Hagan, Anthony; Brazier, John E

    2010-07-10

    Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative medical treatments relies on having a measure of effectiveness, and many regard the quality adjusted life year (QALY) to be the current 'gold standard.' In order to compute QALYs, we require a suitable system for describing a person's health state, and a utility measure to value the quality of life associated with each possible state. There are a number of different health state descriptive systems, and we focus here on one known as the EQ-5D. Data for estimating utilities for different health states have a number of features that mean care is necessary in statistical modelling.There is interest in the extent to which valuations of health may differ between different countries and cultures, but few studies have compared preference values of health states obtained from different countries. This article applies a nonparametric model to estimate and compare EQ-5D health state valuation data obtained from two countries using Bayesian methods. The data set is the US and UK EQ-5D valuation studies where a sample of 42 states defined by the EQ-5D was valued by representative samples of the general population from each country using the time trade-off technique. We estimate a utility function across both countries which explicitly accounts for the differences between them, and is estimated using the data from both countries. The article discusses the implications of these results for future applications of the EQ-5D and for further work in this field. Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Bias present in US federal agency power plant CO2 emissions data and implications for the US clean power plan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gurney, K. R.; Huang, J.; Coltin, K.

    2016-06-01

    Power plants constitute roughly 40% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. Climate change science, air pollution regulation, and potential carbon trading policies rely on accurate, unbiased quantification of these large point sources. Two US federal agencies—the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency—tabulate the emissions from US power plants using two different methodological approaches. We have analyzed those two data sets and have found that when averaged over all US facilities, the median percentage difference is less than 3%. However, this small difference masks large, non-Gaussian, positive and negative differences at individual facilities. For example, over the 2001-2009 time period, nearly one-half of the facilities have monthly emission differences that exceed roughly ±6% and one-fifth exceed roughly ±13%. It is currently not possible to assess whether one, or both, of the datasets examined here are responsible for the emissions difference. Differences this large at the individual facility level raise concerns regarding the operationalization of policy within the United States such as the recently announced Clean Power Plan. This policy relies on the achievement of state-level CO2 emission rate targets. When examined at the state-level we find that one-third of the states have differences that exceed 10% of their assigned reduction amount. Such levels of uncertainty raise concerns about the ability of individual states to accurately quantify emission rates in order to meet the regulatory targets.

  10. HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States

    MedlinePlus

    ... since they reflect the concentration of diagnoses after accounting for differences in population size across states. The ... to be at risk, with those under 35 accounting for 56% of new HIV diagnoses in 2016 ( ...

  11. Design characteristics of acute care units in china.

    PubMed

    Lu, Yi; Wang, Yijia

    2014-01-01

    To describe the current state of design characteristics of acute care units in China's public hospitals and compare these with characteristics with acute care units in the United States. The healthcare construction industry in China is one of the fastest growing sectors in China and, arguably, in the world. Understanding the physical design of acute care units in China is of great importance because it will influence a large population. Descriptive study was performed of unit configuration, size, patient visibility, distance to nursing station and supplies, and lighting conditions in 25 units in 19 public hospitals built after 2003. Data and information were collected based on spatial and visibility analysis. The study identified major design characteristics of the recently built (from 2003 onward) acute care units in China, comparing them, where appropriate, with those in U.S. It found there are three dominant types of unit layout: single-corridor (52%), triangular (36%), and double-corridor (12%). The number of private rooms is very low (11%), compared with two- or three-bed rooms. Centralized nursing stations are the only type of nurses' working area. China also has a large unit size in terms of number of patient beds. The average number of patient beds in a unit is 40.6 in China (versus 32.9 in U.S.). The care units in China have longer walking distance from nursing station to patient bedside. The percentage of beds visible from a nursing station is lower in China than in the U.S. The access to natural light and direct sunlight in patient rooms is greater in China compared with those in U.S.-100% of patient rooms in China have natural lighting. A majority of them face south or southeast and thus receiving direct sunlight (91.4%). Because of the differences in economies and building codes, there are dramatic differences between the spatial characteristics of acute care units in China and the United States. © 2014 Vendome Group, LLC.

  12. Hospital Utilization and Cost Trends in Canada and the United States

    PubMed Central

    Andersen, Ronald; Hull, John T.

    1969-01-01

    Differences in hospital costs and utilization between the United States and Canada are analyzed and an attempt made to measure the significance of various demographic, economic, and other factors thought to be related to the differences. Increases in utilization are traced to population increases and to actual increased use per person; and cost increases tied to general inflationary trends are separated from those attributable to specific hospital price increases. Differences in the financing and reimbursement mechanisms in the two countries are shown to have had little effect on relative cost increases, which in the period under consideration were parallelled by similar or greater increases in other industrialized nations. PMID:4981616

  13. Occupational therapy students' attitudes towards inclusion education in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Mu, Keli; Brown, Ted; Peyton, Claudia G; Rodger, Sylvia; Huang, Yan-Hua; Wu, Chin-Yu; Watson, Callie; Stagnitti, Karen; Hutton, Eve; Casey, Jackie; Hong, Chia Swee

    2010-03-01

    This international, cross-cultural study investigated the attitudes of occupational therapy students from Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Taiwan towards inclusive education for students with disabilities. The possible impact of professional education on students' attitudes was also explored. A total of 485 students from 11 entry-level occupational therapy education programmes from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Taiwan participated in the study. Among them, 264 were freshmen (first-year students) and 221 were seniors (final-year students). Data collected from a custom-designed questionnaire were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In general, the occupational therapy students reported having positive attitudes towards inclusion. Considerable differences, however, existed among the student groups from the four countries. Professional education appeared to have a significant impact on students' attitudes towards inclusion from first year to senior year. Although students were in favour of inclusion, they also cautioned that their support for inclusive practices depended on various factors such as adequate preparation, support and assistance to students with disabilities. Limitations of the study included the small, convenience sample and different degree structures of the participating programmes. Future research studies need to compare occupational therapy students' attitudes with students from other health care professions. A longitudinal study on the impact of the professional education programme on students' attitudes towards inclusive education is warranted.

  14. Explaining the low risk of preterm birth among arab americans in the United States: an analysis of 617451 births.

    PubMed

    El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M; Galea, Sandro

    2009-03-01

    Arab Americans have a lower risk for preterm birth than white Americans. We assessed factors that may contribute to the association between ethnicity and preterm birth risk in Michigan, the state with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States. Factors assessed as potential contributors to the ethnicity/preterm birth risk association were maternal age, parity, education, marital status, tobacco use, and maternal birthplace. Data were collected about all births in Michigan between 2000 and 2005. Stratified analyses, trivariate analyses, and manual stepwise logistic regression model building were used to assess potential contributors to the ethnicity/preterm birth risk association. Arab ethnicity was associated with lower preterm birth risk compared with non-Arab white subjects in the unadjusted model. Maternal birthplace inside or outside the United States explained 0.17 of the difference in preterm birth risk between Arab ethnicity and non-Arab white mothers; ethnic differences in marital status and tobacco use explained less of the observed ethnic difference in preterm birth risk. In the final model adjusted for all explanatory variables, Arab ethnicity was no longer associated with preterm birth risk. Maternal birthplace, marital status, and tobacco use may contribute to the preterm birth risk difference between Arab ethnicity and non-Arab white mothers. Additional work is needed to consider the mechanisms relating factors such as maternal birthplace and marital status to ethnic differences in preterm birth risk.

  15. 7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

  16. 7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

  17. 7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2014-01-01 2013-01-01 true United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

  18. 7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

  19. 7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

  20. Managing medical technology: lessons for the United States from Quebec and France.

    PubMed

    Rosenau, P V

    2000-01-01

    Important modifications to technology assessment, diffusion, adoption, and utilization must take place if the United States is to better employ medical technology and save resources so as to assure access for the uninsured and underinsured. The United States can learn from other health systems that are more successful in achieving these goals. The author selects for comparison the health systems of France and Quebec. The discussion focuses on the differences between the three systems in the management of medical technology on a range of policy-relevant dimensions, including health system structure, attitudes about planning versus market competition, government regulation, the balance between decentralization and centralization, the needs of the individual and those of the society, linkages between technology assessment and policy-making, and the importance of medical technology assessment for medical practice. Seven specific recommendations are made for better managing medical technology in the United States, drawing on what can be observed from the experiences of Quebec and France.

  1. Social processes underlying acculturation: a study of drinking behavior among immigrant Latinos in the Northeast United States

    PubMed Central

    LEE, CHRISTINA S.; LÓPEZ, STEVEN REGESER; COBLY, SUZANNE M.; TEJADA, MONICA; GARCÍA-COLL, CYNTHIA; SMITH, MARCIA

    2010-01-01

    Study Goals To identify social processes that underlie the relationship of acculturation and heavy drinking behavior among Latinos who have immigrated to the Northeast United States of America (USA). Method Community-based recruitment strategies were used to identify 36 Latinos who reported heavy drinking. Participants were 48% female, 23 to 56 years of age, and were from South or Central America (39%) and the Caribbean (24%). Six focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. Results Content analyses indicated that the social context of drinking is different in the participants’ countries of origin and in the United States. In Latin America, alcohol consumption was part of everyday living (being with friends and family). Nostalgia and isolation reflected some of the reasons for drinking in the USA. Results suggest that drinking in the Northeastern United States (US) is related to Latinos’ adaptation to a new sociocultural environment. Knowledge of the shifting social contexts of drinking can inform health interventions. PMID:20376331

  2. Cancer survivorship research in Europe and the United States: where have we been, where are we going, and what can we learn from each other?

    PubMed

    Rowland, Julia H; Kent, Erin E; Forsythe, Laura P; Loge, Jon Håvard; Hjorth, Lars; Glaser, Adam; Mattioli, Vittorio; Fosså, Sophie D

    2013-06-01

    The growing number of cancer survivors worldwide has led to of the emergence of diverse survivorship movements in the United States and Europe. Understanding the evolution of cancer survivorship within the context of different political and health care systems is important for identifying the future steps that need to be taken and collaborations needed to promote research among and enhance the care of those living after cancer. The authors first review the history of survivorship internationally and important related events in both the United States and Europe. Lessons learned from survivorship research are then broadly discussed, followed by examination of the infrastructure needed to sustain and advance this work, including platforms for research, assessment tools, and vehicles for the dissemination of findings. Future perspectives concern the identification of collaborative opportunities for investigators in Europe and the United States to accelerate the pace of survivorship science going forward. Copyright © 2013 American Cancer Society.

  3. Partisan Differences on Higher Education Accountability Policy: A Multi-State Study of Elected State Legislators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morse, Andrew Q.

    2014-01-01

    Public institutions in the United States face a policy challenge to adapt to accountability expectations among a variety of stakeholders (Bogue & Hall, 2012; Thelin, 2004; Richardson & Martinez, 2009). Among the major stakeholders are state legislators who hold fiscal and policy influence over public institutions, but these leaders have…

  4. Fundamental Causes of Health Disparities: Stratification, the Welfare State, and Health in the United States and Iceland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olafsdottir, Sigrun

    2007-01-01

    Research has established that those with higher social status have better health. Less is known about whether this relationship differs cross-nationally and whether it operates similarly across different institutional arrangements. To examine the relationship between stratification and health, two Western, industrialized societies at opposite ends…

  5. Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Teen Drug Arrests

    PubMed Central

    Corman, Hope; Dave, Dhaval; Kalil, Ariel; Reichman, Nancy E.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose This study exploits differences in the implementation of welfare reform across states and over time in the United States in the attempt to identify causal effects of welfare reform on youth arrests for drug-related crimes between 1990 and 2005, the period during which welfare reform unfolded. Methodology Using monthly arrest data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, we estimate the effects of welfare reform implementation on drug-related arrests among 15–17 year olds in the United States between 1990 and 2005. We use a difference-in-differences (DD) approach that exploits the implementation of welfare reform across states and over time to estimate effects for teens exposed to welfare reform. Findings The findings, based on numerous different model specifications, suggest that welfare reform had no statistically significant effect on teen drug arrests. Most estimates were positive and suggestive of a small (3%) increase in arrests. Originality/Value This study investigated the effects of a broad-based policy change that altered maternal employment, family income, and other family characteristics on youth drug arrests. PMID:28989228

  6. Motorists in four countries highlight differences among drinking-driving laws

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-03-11

    A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study surveyed more than 2,000 motorists in Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States. Motorists in Canada and Australia report being stopped and checked for alcohol far more frequently than ...

  7. Cameron's Dimensions of Effectiveness in Higher Education in the U.K.: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lysons, Art; Hatherly, David

    1992-01-01

    An approach to organizational effectiveness in higher education developed in the United States was applied to institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia to establish a basis for policy and organizational analysis. Higher reliability was found for the United Kingdom than for Australia, apparently related to cultural differences regarding…

  8. Why the racial gap in life expectancy is declining in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Firebaugh, Glenn; Acciai, Francesco; Noah, Aggie J.; Prather, Christopher; Nau, Claudia

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Blacks have lower life expectancy than whites in the United States. That disparity could be due to racial differences in the causes of death, with blacks being more likely to die of causes that affect the young, or it could be due to differences in the average ages of blacks and whites who die of the same cause. Prior studies fail to distinguish these two possibilities. OBJECTIVE In this study we determine how much of the 2000–10 reduction in the racial gap in life expectancy resulted from narrowing differences in the cause-specific mean age at death for blacks and whites, as opposed to changing cause-specific probabilities for blacks and whites. METHOD We introduce a method for separating the difference-in-probabilities and difference-inage components of group disparities in life expectancy. RESULTS Based on the new method, we find that 60% of the decline in the racial gap in life expectancy from 2000 to 2010 was attributable to reduction in the age component, largely because of declining differences in the age at which blacks and whites die of chronic diseases. CONCLUSION Our findings shed light on the sources of the declining racial gap in life expectancy in the United States, and help to identify where advances need to be made to achieve the goal of eliminating racial disparities in life expectancy. PMID:25580083

  9. Self-assembly in densely grafted macromolecules with amphiphilic monomer units: diagram of states.

    PubMed

    Lazutin, A A; Vasilevskaya, V V; Khokhlov, A R

    2017-11-22

    By means of computer modelling, the self-organization of dense planar brushes of macromolecules with amphiphilic monomer units was addressed and their state diagram was constructed. The diagram of states includes the following regions: disordered position of monomer units with respect to each other, strands composed of a few polymer chains and lamellae with different domain spacing. The transformation of lamellae structures with different domain spacing occurred within the intermediate region and could proceed through the formation of so-called parking garage structures. The parking garage structure joins the lamellae with large (on the top of the brushes) and small (close to the grafted surface) domain spacing, which appears like a system of inclined locally parallel layers connected with each other by bridges. The parking garage structures were observed for incompatible A and B groups in selective solvents, which result in aggregation of the side B groups and dense packing of amphiphilic macromolecules in the restricted volume of the planar brushes.

  10. Cross-Cultural Validity of the Ruminative Responses Scale in Argentina and the United States.

    PubMed

    Arana, Fernán G; Rice, Kenneth G

    2017-09-01

    Although frequently used in the United States, the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) has not been extensively studied in cross-cultural samples. The present study evaluated the factor structure of Treynor et al.'s 10-item version of the RRS in samples from Argentina ( N = 308) and the United States ( N = 371). In addition to testing measurement invariance between the countries, we evaluated whether the maladaptive implications of rumination were weaker for the Argentinians than for the U.S. group. Self-critical perfectionism was the criterion in those tests. Partial scalar invariance supported an 8-item version of the RRS. There were no differences in factor means or factor correlations in RRS dimensions between countries. Brooding and Reflection were positively correlated with self-critical perfectionism in both countries, with no significant differences in the sizes of these relations between the two samples. Results are discussed in terms of psychometric and cross-cultural implications for rumination.

  11. A Cluster of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Associated with Human Smuggling

    PubMed Central

    Cannella, Anthony P.; Nguyen, Bichchau M.; Piggott, Caroline D.; Lee, Robert A.; Vinetz, Joseph M.; Mehta, Sanjay R.

    2011-01-01

    Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is rarely seen in the United States, and the social and geographic context of the infection can be a key to its diagnosis and management. Four Somali and one Ethiopian, in U.S. Border Patrol custody, came to the United States by the same human trafficking route: Djibouti to Dubai to Moscow to Havana to Quito; and then by ground by Columbia/Panama to the United States - Mexico border where they were detained. Although traveling at different times, all five patients simultaneously presented to our institution with chronic ulcerative skin lesions at different sites and stages of evolution. Culture of biopsy specimens grew Leishmania panamensis. Soon thereafter, three individuals from East Africa traveling the identical route presented with L. panamensis CL to physicians in Tacoma, WA. We document here the association of a human trafficking route and new world CL. Clinicians and public health officials should be aware of this emerging infectious disease risk. PMID:21633017

  12. A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Symptom Reporting and Symptom Clusters in Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Park, Jumin; Johantgen, Mary E

    2017-07-01

    An understanding of symptoms in heart failure (HF) among different cultural groups has become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to compare symptom reporting and symptom clusters in HF patients between a Western (the United States) and an Eastern Asian sample (China and Taiwan). A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The data were obtained from a matched HF patient sample from the United States and China/Taiwan ( N = 240 in each). Eight selective items related to HF symptoms from the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire were analyzed. Compared with the U.S. sample, HF patients from China/Taiwan reported a lower level of symptom distress. Analysis of two different regional groups did not result in the same number of clusters using latent class approach: the United States (four classes) and China/Taiwan (three classes). The study demonstrated that symptom reporting and identification of symptom clusters might be influenced by cultural factors.

  13. Stress, Pregnancy, and Motherhood: Implications for Birth Weights in the Borderlands of Texas.

    PubMed

    Fleuriet, K Jill; Sunil, T S

    2017-03-01

    We argue that changes over time in how ideas of stress are incorporated into understandings of pregnancy and motherhood among Mexican immigrant women living in the United States may affect the documented increase of low birth weight infants born to those women. Stress has consistently been linked to low birth weight, and pregnant Mexican American and Mexican immigrant women differ in levels of perceived social stress. What is lacking is an explanation for these differences. We utilize a subset of 36 ethnographic interviews with pregnant immigrant women from northern Mexico and Mexican Americans living in south Texas to demonstrate how meanings of pregnancy and motherhood increasingly integrate notions of stress the longer immigrant Mexican women live in the United States. We situate our results within anthropological and sociological research on motherhood in the United States and Mexico, anthropological research in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, and interdisciplinary research on Hispanic rates of low birth weight. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

  14. The Genetic Ancestry of African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans across the United States

    PubMed Central

    Bryc, Katarzyna; Durand, Eric Y.; Macpherson, J. Michael; Reich, David; Mountain, Joanna L.

    2015-01-01

    Over the past 500 years, North America has been the site of ongoing mixing of Native Americans, European settlers, and Africans (brought largely by the trans-Atlantic slave trade), shaping the early history of what became the United States. We studied the genetic ancestry of 5,269 self-described African Americans, 8,663 Latinos, and 148,789 European Americans who are 23andMe customers and show that the legacy of these historical interactions is visible in the genetic ancestry of present-day Americans. We document pervasive mixed ancestry and asymmetrical male and female ancestry contributions in all groups studied. We show that regional ancestry differences reflect historical events, such as early Spanish colonization, waves of immigration from many regions of Europe, and forced relocation of Native Americans within the US. This study sheds light on the fine-scale differences in ancestry within and across the United States and informs our understanding of the relationship between racial and ethnic identities and genetic ancestry. PMID:25529636

  15. An international comparison of costs of end-of-life care for advanced lung cancer patients using health administrative data.

    PubMed

    Bremner, Karen E; Krahn, Murray D; Warren, Joan L; Hoch, Jeffrey S; Barrett, Michael J; Liu, Ning; Barbera, Lisa; Yabroff, K Robin

    2015-12-01

    Patterns of end-of-life cancer care differ in Canada and the United States; yet little is known about differences in service-specific and overall costs. The aim of this study was to compare end-of-life costs in Ontario, Canada, and the United States, using administrative health data. Advanced-stage nonsmall cell lung cancer patients who died from cancer at age ⩾ 65.5 years in 2001-2005 were selected from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database (N = 16,858) and the Ontario Cancer Registry (N = 8643). We estimated total and service-specific costs (2009 US dollars) in each of the last 6 months of life from the public payer perspectives for short-term and long-term survivors (lived < 180 and ⩾ 180 days post-diagnosis, respectively). Services were defined for comparisons between systems. Mean monthly costs increased as death approached, were higher in short-term than long-term survivors, and were generally higher in the United States than in Ontario until the month before death, when they were similar (long-term survivors: US$10,464 and US$10,094 (p = 0.53), short-term survivors US$14,455 and US$12,836 (p = 0.11), in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare and Ontario, respectively). Costs for Medicare hospice and Ontario's palliative care components were similar and increased closer to death. Inpatient hospitalization was the main cost driver with similar costs in both cohorts, despite lower utilization in the United States. The compositions of many services and costs differed. Costs for nonsmall cell lung cancer patients were slightly higher in the United States than Ontario until 1 month before death. Administrative data allow exploration and international comparisons of reimbursement policies, health-care delivery, and costs at the end of life. © The Author(s) 2015.

  16. Missing Lunch is Associated with Lower Intakes of Micronutrients from Foods and Beverages among Children and Adolescents in the United States.

    PubMed

    Mathias, Kevin C; Jacquier, Emma; Eldridge, Alison L

    2016-04-01

    In the United States, the lunch meal contributes more than 20% of the daily intakes of most micronutrients for children and adolescents consuming lunch. Seven percent to 20% of children and adolescents in the United States do not eat lunch on a given day. To identify differences in total micro- and macronutrient intakes of children consuming and missing lunch on a given day. Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the combined National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2009-2010 and 2011-2012. Dietary intake was assessed using the first day 24-hour recall of each respondent. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey sample represents the total noninstitutionalized civilian population residing in the United States. The sample used in this study included 4,755 children aged 4 to 18 years with complete data for all analyses. Total day, lunch, and nonlunch micronutrients, macronutrients, solid fats, and added sugar intakes were examined. Linear regression models controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household poverty status, and weekend were used to compare dietary intakes of lunch consumers and nonconsumers. Intakes from nonlunch sources were examined to determine the extent to which differences between lunch consumers and nonconsumers could be attributed to the lunch meal. Missing lunch was associated with lower micronutrient intakes, with the lunch meal primarily responsible for the higher micronutrient intakes of lunch consumers compared with nonconsumers. Missing lunch was also associated with lower energy, fiber, and sodium intakes. Added sugar and solid fat intakes of lunch consumers and nonconsumers were not significantly different. This study identifies potential concerns for children missing lunch with respect to micronutrient intakes and shows that the lunches consumed by children in the United States are an important source of essential nutrients, but also less healthful dietary components. Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Time motion analysis of nursing work in ICU, telemetry and medical-surgical units.

    PubMed

    Schenk, Elizabeth; Schleyer, Ruth; Jones, Cami R; Fincham, Sarah; Daratha, Kenn B; Monsen, Karen A

    2017-11-01

    This study examined nurses' work, comparing nursing interventions and locations across three units in a United States hospital using Omaha System standardized terminology as the organizing framework. The differences in nurses' acute-care work across unit types are not well understood. Prior investigators have used time-motion methodologies; few have compared differences across units, nor used standardized terminology. Nurse-observers recorded locations and interventions of nurses on three acute-care units using hand-held devices and web-based TimeCaT ™ software. Nursing interventions were mapped to Omaha System terms. Unit-differences were analysed. Nurses changed locations approximately every 2 min, and averaged approximately one intervention/minute. Unit differences were found in both the interventions performed and the locations. Most interventions were case-management related, demonstrating the nurses' patient management/coordination role. Unit differences in nursing interventions and location were found among three unit types. Omaha System terminology, as well as the observational method used, were found to be feasible and practical. Nursing work varies by unit, yet managers have not been armed with empirical data with which to make more informed decisions about nurses' work priorities, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction and cost. The results from this study will help them to do so. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. 31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

  19. 31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

  20. 31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

  1. 31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

  2. 31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

  3. 31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

  4. 31 CFR 500.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 500.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including U.S. trust territories...

  5. 31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

  6. 31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

  7. 31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

  8. 31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

  9. Depression Care in the United States

    PubMed Central

    González, Hector M.; Vega, William A.; Williams, David R.; Tarraf, Wassim; West, Brady T.; Neighbors, Harold W.

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To determine the prevalence and adequacy of depression care among different ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Design: Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) data were analyzed to calculate nationally representative estimates of depression care. Setting: The 48 coterminous United States. Participants: Household residents 18 years and older (N=15 762) participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Past-year depression pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy using American Psychiatric Association guideline-concordant therapies. Depression severity was assessed with the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report. Primary predictors were major ethnic/racial groups (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Caribbean black, African American, and non-Latino white) and World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview criteria for 12-month major depressive episode. Results: Mexican American and African American individuals meeting 12-month major depression criteria consistently and significantly had lower odds for any depression therapy and guideline-concordant therapies despite depression severity ratings not significantly differing between ethnic/racial groups. All groups reported higher use of any past-year psychotherapy and guideline-concordant psychotherapy compared with pharmacotherapy; however, Caribbean black and African American individuals reported the highest proportions of this use. Conclusions: Few Americans with recent major depression have used depression therapies and guideline-concordant therapies; however, the lowest rates of use were found among Mexican American and African American individuals. Ethnic/racial differences were found despite comparable depression care need. More Americans with recent major depression used psychotherapy over pharmacotherapy, and these differences were most pronounced among Mexican American and African American individuals. This report underscores the importance of disaggregating ethnic/racial groups and depression therapies in understanding and directing efforts to improve depression care in the United States. PMID:20048221

  10. Cross-border referral for early breast cancer: an analysis of radiation fractionation patterns

    PubMed Central

    Dayes, I.S.; Whelan, T.J.; Julian, J.A.; Kuettel, M.R.; Regmi, D.; Okawara, G.S.; Patel, M.; Reiter, H.I.; Dubois, S.

    2006-01-01

    Because of increasing waiting times for adjuvant radiation in the province of Ontario, patients from one Canadian centre were referred to two centres in the United States. This situation provided an opportunity to compare radiation practices. We performed a retrospective review of radiation prescribed to patients following breast-conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer. Patients with positive margins, 4 or more positive lymph nodes, recurrent disease, or large tumours (>5 cm) were excluded. For comparison, we reviewed a random sample of similar patients treated at the Canadian centre during the same period. A total of 120 referred and 217 non-referred patients were eligible for comparison. The analysis included 98 pairs of patients (N = 196), fully matched on age, nodal status, T stage, grade, and estrogen receptor (er) status. Mean patient age was 60.7 years. The median total dose and number of fractions differed between centres [6040 cGy in 32 fractions (United States) vs. 4250 cGy in 16 fractions (Canadian), both p < 0.001). Boost was used more often in the United States (97% vs. 9%, p < 0.001). Variation in prescribing patterns was seen. In the United States, seven different schedules for whole-breast irradiation were used; at the Canadian centre, two schedules were prescribed. Predicted radiobiologic effects of these schedules were calculated to be similar. Differences in fractionation patterns were observed between and within U.S. and Canadian centres. Such variability is likely to affect patient convenience and resource utilization. Although patient selection, referring surgeon, and change in policies may account for some of the observed differences, further research is necessary to better understand the causes. PMID:17576453

  11. A Multinational Study Examining the Cross Cultural Differences in Reported Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Israel, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matson, Johnny L.; Worley, Julie A.; Fodstad, Jill C.; Chung, Kyong-Mee; Suh, Dongsoo; Jhin, Hea Kyung; Ben-Itzchak, Esther; Zachor, Ditza A.; Furniss, Frederick

    2011-01-01

    Purportedly, there is a worldwide acceptance of diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); however, cultural differences in regards to what is considered normal development may affect the diagnosis despite the biological basis for the condition. The aim of the current study was to examine the differences in reports of symptoms of ASD…

  12. On the difference in the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 between deciduous and evergreen forests in the southeastern United States

    Treesearch

    Kimberly A. Novick; A. Christopher Oishi; Eric J. Ward; Mario B.S. Siqueira; Jehn-Yih Juang; Paul C. Stoy

    2015-01-01

    The southeastern United States is experiencing a rapid regional increase in the ratio of pine to deciduous forest ecosystems at the same time it is experiencing changes in climate. This study is focused on exploring how these shifts will affect the carbon sink capacity of southeastern US forests, which we show here are among the strongest carbon sinks in the...

  13. The Portrayal of Older People in Television Advertisements: A Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of the United States and South Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Byoungkwan; Kim, Bong-Chul; Han, Sangpil

    2006-01-01

    A cross-cultural content analysis of 2,295 prime-time television ads--859 ads from the United States and 1,436 ads from South Korea--was conducted to examine the differences in the portrayal of older people between U.S. and Korean ads. In two countries, the underrepresentation of older people in ads was found in terms of proportions of the actual…

  14. Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-01-01

    the top of its diplomatic and security agenda. Freedom of navigation is a universal concern, and mari- time cooperation and mechanisms for...calls for new multilateral mechanisms for advancing stability and commerce. However, the South China Sea has also become the epicenter of what...multilateral mechanisms for resolving differing claims in the South China Sea.8 In the decades ahead, the challenge for the United States will be

  15. Freud's free clinics: a tale of two continents.

    PubMed

    Richards, Arnold

    2013-12-01

    Two important schools of thought began in the nineteenth century in Central Europe: Marxism and psychoanalysis. They had much common but there were significant differences. The Marxist influence on early psychoanalysts played out in one way in Europe and another way in the United States. Freud and his Austro-Marxist colleagues were committed to human welfare and social justice. They established a network of clinics that offered psychoanalysis to patients of limited means. The free clinics movement did not cross the Atlantic. There was a cohort of Marxists in the United States who belonged to the United States Communist Party. They were not publicly socially committed, but this paper will try to show that their Marxism influenced their psychoanalytic theory, practice, and politics.

  16. A qualitative investigation of the cultural adjustment experiences of Asian international college women.

    PubMed

    Constantine, Madonna G; Kindaichi, Mai; Okazaki, Sumie; Gainor, Kathy A; Baden, Amanda L

    2005-05-01

    This qualitative study explored the cultural adjustment experiences of 15 Asian Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese international college women through semistructured interviews. By using consensual qualitative research methodology (C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), 6 primary domains or themes related to these women's cultural adjustment experiences were identified via data analysis: their feelings and thoughts about living in the United States, perceived differences between their country of origin and the United States, their English language acquisition and use, their prejudicial or discriminatory experiences in the United States, their peer and family networks, and their strategies for coping with cultural adjustment problems. Implications of the findings for mental health practice are discussed. Copyright (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

  17. A Re-Examination of Welfare States and Inequality in Rich Nations: How In-Kind Transfers and Indirect Taxes Change the Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garfinkel, Irwin; Rainwater, Lee; Smeeding, Timothy M.

    2006-01-01

    Previous studies find large cross-national differences in inequality amongst rich Western nations, due in large part to differences in the generosity of welfare state transfers. The United States is the least generous nation and the one having the most after-tax and transfer inequality. But these analyses are limited to the effects of cash and…

  18. Gauging interest of the general public in laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis eye surgery.

    PubMed

    Stein, Joshua D; Childers, David M; Nan, Bin; Mian, Shahzad I

    2013-07-01

    To assess interest among members of the general public in laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery and how levels of interest in this procedure have changed over time in the United States and other countries. Using the Google Trends Web site, we determined the weekly frequency of queries involving the term "LASIK" from January 1, 2007, through January 1, 2011, in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India. We fit separate regression models for each of the countries to assess whether residents of these countries differed in their querying rates on specific dates and over time. Similar analyses were performed to compare 4 US states. Additional regression models compared general public interest in LASIK surgery before and after the release of a 2008 Food and Drug Administration report describing complaints associated with this procedure. During 2007 to 2011, the Google query rate for "LASIK" was highest among persons residing in India, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. During this time period, the query rate declined by 40% in the United States, 24% in India, and 22% in the United Kingdom, and it increased by 8% in Canada. In all 4 of the US states examined, the query rate declined-by 52% in Florida, 56% in New York, 54% in Texas, and 42% in California. Interest in LASIK declined further among US citizens after the Food and Drug Administration report release. Interest among the general public in LASIK surgery has been waning in recent years.

  19. A Systematic Examination of Food Intake and Adaptation to the Food Environment by Refugees Settled in the United States1234

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Youfa; Min, Jungwon; Harris, Kisa; Khuri, Jacob; Anderson, Laura M

    2016-01-01

    The United States is the largest refugee resettlement country in the world. Refugees may face health-related challenges after resettlement in the United States, including higher rates of chronic diseases due to problems such as language barriers and difficulty adapting to new food environments. However, reported refugee diet challenges varied, and no systematic examination has been reported. This study examined refugee food intake pre- and postresettlement in the United States and differences in intake across various refugee groups. We systematically reviewed relevant studies that reported on refugee food intake and adaptation to the US food environment. We searched PubMed for literature published between January 1985 and April 2015, including cross-sectional and prospective studies. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. Limited research has been conducted, and most studies were based on small convenience samples. In general, refugees increased meat and egg consumption after resettling in the United States. Changes in refugee intake of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products varied by socioeconomic status, food insecurity, past food deprivation experience, length of stay in the United States, region of origin, and age. South Asians were more likely to maintain traditional diets, and increased age was associated with more conservative and traditional diets. Despite the abundance of food in the United States, postresettlement refugees reported difficulty in finding familiar or healthy foods. More research with larger samples and follow-up data are needed to study how refugees adapt to the US food environment and what factors may influence their food- and health-related outcomes. The work could inform future interventions to promote healthy eating and living among refugees and help to reduce health disparities. PMID:28140324

  20. A Systematic Examination of Food Intake and Adaptation to the Food Environment by Refugees Settled in the United States.

    PubMed

    Wang, Youfa; Min, Jungwon; Harris, Kisa; Khuri, Jacob; Anderson, Laura M

    2016-11-01

    The United States is the largest refugee resettlement country in the world. Refugees may face health-related challenges after resettlement in the United States, including higher rates of chronic diseases due to problems such as language barriers and difficulty adapting to new food environments. However, reported refugee diet challenges varied, and no systematic examination has been reported. This study examined refugee food intake pre- and postresettlement in the United States and differences in intake across various refugee groups. We systematically reviewed relevant studies that reported on refugee food intake and adaptation to the US food environment. We searched PubMed for literature published between January 1985 and April 2015, including cross-sectional and prospective studies. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. Limited research has been conducted, and most studies were based on small convenience samples. In general, refugees increased meat and egg consumption after resettling in the United States. Changes in refugee intake of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products varied by socioeconomic status, food insecurity, past food deprivation experience, length of stay in the United States, region of origin, and age. South Asians were more likely to maintain traditional diets, and increased age was associated with more conservative and traditional diets. Despite the abundance of food in the United States, postresettlement refugees reported difficulty in finding familiar or healthy foods. More research with larger samples and follow-up data are needed to study how refugees adapt to the US food environment and what factors may influence their food- and health-related outcomes. The work could inform future interventions to promote healthy eating and living among refugees and help to reduce health disparities. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

  1. The effect of adult children living in the United States on the likelihood of cognitive impairment for older parents living in Mexico.

    PubMed

    Downer, Brian; González-González, Cesar; Goldman, Noreen; Pebley, Anne R; Wong, Rebeca

    2018-01-01

    The increased risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes for older parents in Mexico who have an adult child living in the United States may contribute to an increased risk for cognitive impairment in this population. The objective of this study was to examine if older adults in Mexico who have one or more adult children living in the United States are more or less likely to develop cognitive impairment over an 11-year period compared to older adults who do not have any adult children living in the United States. Data for this study came from Wave I (2001) and Wave III (2012) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study. The final sample included 2609 participants aged 60 and over who were not cognitively impaired in 2001 and had one or more adult children (age ≥15). Participants were matched using a propensity score that was estimated with a multivariable logistic regression model that included sociodemographic characteristics and migration history of the older parents. Having one or more adult children living in the United States is associated with lower socioeconomic status and higher number of depressive symptoms, but greater social engagement for older parents living in Mexico. No significant differences in the odds for developing cognitive impairment according to having one or more adult children living in the United States were detected. In summary, having one or more adult children living in the United States was associated with characteristics that may increase and decrease the risk for cognitive impairment. This may contribute to the non-significant relationship between migration status of adult children and likelihood for cognitive impairment for older parents living in Mexico.

  2. International Differences in the Location and Use of Arteriovenous Accesses Created for Hemodialysis: Results From the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

    PubMed

    Pisoni, Ronald L; Zepel, Lindsay; Fluck, Richard; Lok, Charmaine E; Kawanishi, Hideki; Süleymanlar, Gültekin; Wasse, Haimanot; Tentori, Francesca; Zee, Jarcy; Li, Yun; Schaubel, Douglas; Burke, Steven; Robinson, Bruce

    2018-04-01

    Vascular access practice is strongly associated with clinical outcomes. There is substantial international variation in the use of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and grafts (AVGs), as well as AVF maturation time and location. Prospective cohort study. Hemodialysis patients participating in the prospective Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) from the United States, Japan, and Europe/ANZ (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand), including 3,850 patients receiving 4,247 new AVFs and 842 patients receiving 1,129 new AVGs in 2009 to 2015. AVF location trends were based on 38,868 AVFs recorded in DOPPS 1 to 5 cross-sections (1996-2015). Demographics, comorbid conditions, dialysis vintage, body mass index, facility percentage AVF use, median blood flow rate, and AVF location. AVF location; successful AVF/AVG use (≥30 days of continuous use); time-to-first successful AVF/AVG use (maturation). During DOPPS 1 to 5, the percentage of AVFs created in the lower arm was consistently ≥93% in Japan and 65% to 77% in Europe/ANZ, but in the United States, this value declined from 70% (DOPPS 1) to 32% (DOPPS 5). Patient characteristics associated with AVF location differed by region. Successful AVF use was 87% in Japan, 67% in Europe/ANZ, and 64% in the United States, whereas successful AVG use was 86%, 75%, and 78%, respectively. Successful AVF use was greater for upper- versus lower-arm AVFs in the United States, with little difference in Europe/ANZ and the opposite pattern in Japan. Median time until first successful AVF use was 10 days in Japan, 46 days in Europe/ANZ, and 82 days in United States; until first successful AVG use: 6, 24, and 29 days, respectively. Potential measurement error related to chart data abstraction in multiple hemodialysis facilities. Large international differences exist in AVF location, predictors of AVF location, successful use of AVFs, and time to first AVF/AVG use, challenging what constitutes best practice. The large US shift from lower- to upper-arm AVFs raises serious concerns about long-term health implications for some patients and how policies and practices aimed at increasing AVF use have affected AVF placement location. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. A multicenter study of plasma use in the United States.

    PubMed

    Triulzi, Darrell; Gottschall, Jerome; Murphy, Edward; Wu, Yanyun; Ness, Paul; Kor, Daryl; Roubinian, Nareg; Fleischmann, Debra; Chowdhury, Dhuly; Brambilla, Donald

    2015-06-01

    Detailed information regarding plasma use in the United States is needed to identify opportunities for practice improvement and design of clinical trials of plasma therapy. Ten US hospitals collected detailed medical information from the electronic health records for 1 year (2010-2011) for all adult patients transfused with plasma. A total of 72,167 units of plasma were transfused in 19,596 doses to 9269 patients. The median dose of plasma was 2 units (interquartile range, 2-4; range 1-72); 15% of doses were 1 unit, and 45% were 2 units. When adjusted by patient body weight (kg), the median dose was 7.3 mL/kg (interquartile range, 5.5-12.0). The median pretransfusion international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.9 (25%-75% interquartile range, 1.6-2.6). A total of 22.5% of plasma transfusions were given to patients with an INR of less than 1.6 and 48.5% for an INR of 2.0 or more. The median posttransfusion INR was 1.6 (interquartile range, 1.4-2.0). Only 42% of plasma transfusions resulted in a posttransfusion INR of less than 1.6. Correction of INR increased as the plasma dose increased from 1 to 4 units (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the INR response to different types of plasma. The most common issue locations were general ward (38%) and intensive care unit (ICU; 42%). This large database describing plasma utilization in the United States provides evidence for both inadequate dosing and unnecessary transfusion. Measures to improve plasma transfusion practice and clinical trials should be directed at patients on medical and surgical wards and in the ICU where plasma is most commonly used. © 2014 AABB.

  4. A multicenter study of plasma use in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Triulzi, Darrell; Gottschall, Jerome; Murphy, Edward; Wu, Yanyun; Ness, Paul; Kor, Daryl; Roubinian, Nareg; Fleischmann, Debra; Chowdhury, Dhuly; Brambilla, Donald

    2016-01-01

    Background Detailed information regarding plasma use in the United States is needed to identify opportunities for practice improvement and design of clinical trials of plasma therapy. Study Design and Methods Ten US hospitals collected detailed medical information from the electronic health records for 1 year (2010-2011) for all adult patients transfused with plasma. Results A total of 72,167 units of plasma were transfused in 19,596 doses to 9269 patients. The median dose of plasma was 2 units (interquartile range, 2-4; range 1-72); 15% of doses were 1 unit, and 45% were 2 units. When adjusted by patient body weight (kg), the median dose was 7.3 mL/kg (interquartile range, 5.5-12.0). The median pretransfusion international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.9 (25%-75% interquartile range, 1.6-2.6). A total of 22.5% of plasma transfusions were given to patients with an INR of less than 1.6 and 48.5% for an INR of 2.0 or more. The median posttransfusion INR was 1.6 (interquartile range, 1.4-2.0). Only 42% of plasma transfusions resulted in a posttransfusion INR of less than 1.6. Correction of INR increased as the plasma dose increased from 1 to 4 units (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the INR response to different types of plasma. The most common issue locations were general ward (38%) and intensive care unit (ICU; 42%). Conclusion This large database describing plasma utilization in the United States provides evidence for both inadequate dosing and unnecessary transfusion. Measures to improve plasma transfusion practice and clinical trials should be directed at patients on medical and surgical wards and in the ICU where plasma is most commonly used. PMID:25522888

  5. Regulating genetically modified food. Policy trajectories, political culture, and risk perceptions in the U.S., Canada, and EU.

    PubMed

    Wohlers, Anton E

    2010-09-01

    This paper examines whether national differences in political culture add an explanatory dimension to the formulation of policy in the area of biotechnology, especially with respect to genetically modified food. The analysis links the formulation of protective regulatory policies governing genetically modified food to both country and region-specific differences in uncertainty tolerance levels and risk perceptions in the United States, Canada, and European Union. Based on polling data and document analysis, the findings illustrate that these differences matter. Following a mostly opportunistic risk perception within an environment of high tolerance for uncertainty, policymakers in the United States and Canada modified existing regulatory frameworks that govern genetically modified food in their respective countries. In contrast, the mostly cautious perception of new food technologies and low tolerance for uncertainty among European Union member states has contributed to the creation of elaborate and stringent regulatory policies governing genetically modified food.

  6. Tuberculosis Caused by Mycobacterium africanum, United States, 2004-2013.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Aditya; Bloss, Emily; Heilig, Charles M; Click, Eleanor S

    2016-03-01

    Mycobacterium africanum is endemic to West Africa and causes tuberculosis (TB). We reviewed reported cases of TB in the United States during 2004-2013 that had lineage assigned by genotype (spoligotype and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit variable number tandem repeats). M. africanum caused 315 (0.4%) of 73,290 TB cases with lineage assigned by genotype. TB caused by M. africanum was associated more with persons from West Africa (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 253.8, 95% CI 59.9-1,076.1) and US-born black persons (aOR 5.7, 95% CI 1.2-25.9) than with US-born white persons. TB caused by M. africanum did not show differences in clinical characteristics when compared with TB caused by M. tuberculosis. Clustered cases defined as >2 cases in a county with identical 24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit genotypes, were less likely for M. africanum (aOR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1-0.4), which suggests that M. africanum is not commonly transmitted in the United States.

  7. Large 0/12 GMT Differences of US Vaisala RS80 Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redder, Chris; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The daily differences between the temperatures and heights taken at 0 GMT and 12 GMT by Vaisala RS80 rawinsondes have been calculated. The observations were obtained during selected months from 1998 - 2002 over North America, Europe and Australia. The daily differences are defined by the formula, Delta T = Delta T(sub 0) - 0.5(T(sub -12) - T(sub +12)) where AT is the 0/12 GMT difference, T(sub 0) is the 0 GMT observation and T(sub -12) and T(sub +12) are the 12 GMT observations taken just prior and after the 0 GMT synoptic time. If T(sub +12) is missing then Delta T = T(sub 0) - T(sub -12). A similar expression is used if T(sub -12) is missing. Monthly averages of the increments at each station that launch RS80 rawinsondes are then calculated. The results show positive systematic differences in the stratosphere with values as high as 5 K and 150 m at 10 hPa over the central United States. The values remain generally positive and gradually decrease as the levels descend into the upper troposphere but are still significant. In addition, the maximum at each level is just westward of 90 W at the highest levels and just eastward in the troposphere with smaller values along both coasts. In Canada as well as in Europe and Australia the differences are much smaller with no systematic patterns similar to those that exist over the contiguous United States. Time-series plots of the temperatures and heights at select stations in the United States show that the observed values taken at 0 GMT are consistently higher than those at 12 GMT. Over Canada the differences become much less apparent and some cases non-existent. The observations were obtained through National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) but were checked with data from other sources to verify that no modifications were made other than those at the stations. Since the data from outside the the United States exhibit no large systematic differences, the preliminary conclusion is that the large differences are artificial and probably originate from the post-processing software at the observing stations.

  8. Attracting Dynamics of Frontal Cortex Ensembles during Memory-Guided Decision-Making

    PubMed Central

    Seamans, Jeremy K.; Durstewitz, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    A common theoretical view is that attractor-like properties of neuronal dynamics underlie cognitive processing. However, although often proposed theoretically, direct experimental support for the convergence of neural activity to stable population patterns as a signature of attracting states has been sparse so far, especially in higher cortical areas. Combining state space reconstruction theorems and statistical learning techniques, we were able to resolve details of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) multiple single-unit activity (MSUA) ensemble dynamics during a higher cognitive task which were not accessible previously. The approach worked by constructing high-dimensional state spaces from delays of the original single-unit firing rate variables and the interactions among them, which were then statistically analyzed using kernel methods. We observed cognitive-epoch-specific neural ensemble states in ACC which were stable across many trials (in the sense of being predictive) and depended on behavioral performance. More interestingly, attracting properties of these cognitively defined ensemble states became apparent in high-dimensional expansions of the MSUA spaces due to a proper unfolding of the neural activity flow, with properties common across different animals. These results therefore suggest that ACC networks may process different subcomponents of higher cognitive tasks by transiting among different attracting states. PMID:21625577

  9. Chimera states: Effects of different coupling topologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bera, Bidesh K.; Majhi, Soumen; Ghosh, Dibakar; Perc, Matjaž

    2017-04-01

    Collective behavior among coupled dynamical units can emerge in various forms as a result of different coupling topologies as well as different types of coupling functions. Chimera states have recently received ample attention as a fascinating manifestation of collective behavior, in particular describing a symmetry breaking spatiotemporal pattern where synchronized and desynchronized states coexist in a network of coupled oscillators. In this perspective, we review the emergence of different chimera states, focusing on the effects of different coupling topologies that describe the interaction network connecting the oscillators. We cover chimera states that emerge in local, nonlocal and global coupling topologies, as well as in modular, temporal and multilayer networks. We also provide an outline of challenges and directions for future research.

  10. Selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in surficial materials of the conterminous United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Shacklette, Hansford T.; Boerngen, Josephine G.; Keith, John R.

    1974-01-01

    Concentrations of selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in 912, 911, and 910 samples, respectively, of soils and other regoliths from sites approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart throughout the United States are represented on maps by symbols showing five ranges of values. Histograms of the concentrations of these elements are also given. The geometric-mean concentrations (ppm) in the samples, grouped by area, are as follows: Selenium-- Entire United States, 0.31; Western United States, 0.25; and Eastern United States, 0.39. Fluorine-- Entire United States, 180; Western United States, 250; and Eastern United States, 115. Arsenic-- Entire United States, 5.8; Western United States, 6.1; and Eastern United States, 5.4.

  11. Water Pollution in School Curricula.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blum, Abraham

    1979-01-01

    Water pollution curriculum units of four environmental secondary science programs in Britain, Germany, Israel, and the United States are examined. Comparisons reveal the use of quite different approaches in central topic selection, use of the laboratory and other media, controversial issues, and teacher-student roles. (CS)

  12. Deliberating the risks of nanotechnologies for energy and health applications in the United States and United Kingdom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pidgeon, Nick; Harthorn, Barbara Herr; Bryant, Karl; Rogers-Hayden, Tee

    2009-02-01

    Emerging nanotechnologies pose a new set of challenges for researchers, governments, industries and citizen organizations that aim to develop effective modes of deliberation and risk communication early in the research and development process. These challenges derive from a number of issues including the wide range of materials and devices covered by the term `nanotechnology', the many different industrial sectors involved, the fact that many areas of nanotechnology are still at a relatively early stage of development, and uncertainty about the environmental, health and safety impacts of nanomaterials. Public surveys have found that people in the United States and Europe currently view the benefits of nanotechnologies as outweighing their risks although, overall, knowledge about nanotechnology remains very low. However, surveys cannot easily uncover the ways that people will interpret and understand the complexities of nanotechnologies (or any other topic about which they know very little) when asked to deliberate about it in more depth, so new approaches to engaging the public are needed. Here, we report the results of the first comparative United States-United Kingdom public engagement experiment. Based upon four concurrent half-day workshops debating energy and health nanotechnologies we find commonalities that were unexpected given the different risk regulatory histories in the two countries. Participants focused on benefits rather than risks and, in general, had a high regard for science and technology. Application context was much more salient than nation as a source of difference, with energy applications viewed in a substantially more positive light than applications in health and human enhancement in both countries. More subtle differences were present in views about the equitable distribution of benefits, corporate and governmental trustworthiness, the risks to realizing benefits, and in consumerist attitudes.

  13. Racial disparity in hospice use in the United States in 2002.

    PubMed

    Connor, S R; Elwert, F; Spence, C; Christakis, N A

    2008-04-01

    We used complete Centers for Disease Control death certificate records and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 100% Standard Analytic File for hospice claims for 2002 to examine differences in hospice utilization between African-American and white decedents living in the United States. White decedents were more likely to use hospice in the year before their death than African-American decedents (29% vs 22%). Cause-specific hospice utilization rates among women were consistently higher than among men within a given race. African-American decedents were consistently less likely to use hospice than white decedents for almost all conditions. Hospice utilization was lower among African-American than among white decedents in 31 of 40 states. The higher the overall hospice utilization in a state, the less the positive difference between white and African-American usage rates; that is, the more accepted hospice is, as measured by 'market share', the lower the racial disparity in its use.

  14. A comparison of Hong Kong and United Kingdom SF-6D health states valuations using a nonparametric Bayesian method.

    PubMed

    Kharroubi, Samer A; Brazier, John E; McGhee, Sarah

    2014-06-01

    There is interest in the extent to which valuations of health may differ between different countries and cultures, but few studies have compared preference values of health states obtained in different countries. The present study applies a nonparametric model to estimate and compare two HK and UK standard gamble values for six-dimensional health state short form (derived from short-form 36 health survey) (SF-6D) health states using Bayesian methods. The data set is the HK and UK SF-6D valuation studies in which two samples of 197 and 249 states defined by the SF-6D were valued by representative samples of the HK and UK general populations, respectively, both using the standard gamble technique. We estimated a function applicable across both countries that explicitly accounts for the differences between them, and is estimated using the data from both countries. The results suggest that differences in SF-6D health state valuations between the UK and HK general populations are potentially important. In particular, the valuations of Hong Kong were meaningfully higher than those of the United Kingdom for most of the selected SF-6D health states. The magnitude of these country-specific differences in health state valuation depended, however, in a complex way on the levels of individual dimensions. The new Bayesian nonparametric method is a powerful approach for analyzing data from multiple nationalities or ethnic groups to understand the differences between them and potentially to estimate the underlying utility functions more efficiently. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A novel pathogenic Mammalian orthoreovirus from diarrheic pigs and Swine blood meal in the United States.

    PubMed

    Thimmasandra Narayanappa, Athmaram; Sooryanarain, Harini; Deventhiran, Jagadeeswaran; Cao, Dianjun; Ammayappan Venkatachalam, Backiyalakshmi; Kambiranda, Devaiah; LeRoith, Tanya; Heffron, Connie Lynn; Lindstrom, Nicole; Hall, Karen; Jobst, Peter; Sexton, Cary; Meng, Xiang-Jin; Elankumaran, Subbiah

    2015-05-19

    Since May 2013, outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea have devastated the U.S. swine industry, causing immense economic losses. Two different swine enteric coronaviruses (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and Delta coronavirus) have been isolated from the affected swine population. The disease has been reported from at least 32 states of the United States and other countries, including Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Canada, Columbia, Ecuador, and Ukraine, with repeated outbreaks in previously infected herds. Here we report the isolation and characterization of a novel mammalian orthoreovirus 3 (MRV3) from diarrheic feces of piglets from these outbreaks in three states and ring-dried swine blood meal from multiple sources. MRV3 could not be isolated from healthy or pigs that had recovered from epidemic diarrhea from four states. Several MRV3 isolates were obtained from chloroform-extracted pig feces or blood meal in cell cultures or developing chicken embryos. Biological characterization of two representative isolates revealed trypsin resistance and thermostability at 90°C. NextGen sequencing of ultrapurified viruses indicated a strong homology of the S1 segment to mammalian and bat MRV3. Neonatal piglets experimentally infected with these viruses or a chloroform extract of swine blood meal developed severe diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis with 100% mortality within 3 days postinfection. Therefore, the novel porcine MRV3 may contribute to enteric disease along with other swine enteric viruses. The role of MRV3 in the current outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea in the United States remains to be determined, but the pathogenic nature of the virus warrants further investigations on its epidemiology and prevalence. Porcine orthoreoviruses causing diarrhea have been reported in China and Korea but not in the United States. We have isolated and characterized two pathogenic reassortant MRV3 isolates from swine fecal samples from porcine epidemic diarrhea outbreaks and ring-dried swine blood meal in the United States. These fecal and blood meal isolates or a chloroform extract of blood meal induced severe diarrhea and mortality in experimentally infected neonatal pigs. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses of two MRV3 isolates revealed that they are identical but differed significantly from nonpathogenic mammalian orthoreoviruses circulating in the United States. The present study provides a platform for immediate development of suitable vaccines and diagnostics to prevent and control porcine orthoreovirus diarrhea. Copyright © 2015 Thimmasandra Narayanappa et al.

  16. Elevated Influenza-Related Excess Mortality in South African Elderly Individuals, 1998–2005

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Cheryl; Simonsen, Lone; Kang, Jong-Won; Miller, Mark; McAnerney, Jo; Blumberg, Lucille; Schoub, Barry; Madhi, Shabir A.; Viboud, Cécile

    2010-01-01

    Background. Although essential to guide control measures, published estimates of influenza-related seasonal mortality for low- and middle-income countries are few. We aimed to compare influenza-related mortality among individuals aged ⩾65 years in South Africa and the United States. Methods. We estimated influenza-related excess mortality due to all causes, pneumonia and influenza, and other influenza-associated diagnoses from monthly age-specific mortality data for 1998–2005 using a Serfling regression model. We controlled for between-country differences in population age structure and nondemographic factors (baseline mortality and coding practices) by generating age-standardized estimates and by estimating the percentage excess mortality attributable to influenza. Results. Age-standardized excess mortality rates were higher in South Africa than in the United States: 545 versus 133 deaths per 100,000 population for all causes (P < .001) and 63 vs 21 deaths per 100,000 population for pneumonia and influenza (P=.03). Standardization for nondemographic factors decreased but did not eliminate between-country differences; for example, the mean percentage of winter deaths attributable to influenza was 16% in South Africa and 6% in the United States (P < .001). For all respiratory causes, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes, age-standardized excess death rates were 4—8-fold greater in South Africa than in the United States, and the percentage increase in winter deaths attributable to influenza was 2—4-fold higher. Conclusions. These data suggest that the impact of seasonal influenza on mortality among elderly individuals may be substantially higher in an African setting, compared with in the United States, and highlight the potential for influenza vaccination programs to decrease mortality. PMID:21070141

  17. An Evaluation of Historical Fire Occurrence, Drought and the El Niño Southern Oscillation in the Southcentral United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rooney, M.; Stambaugh, M. C.

    2016-12-01

    Wildfire occurrence in the forested ecosystems of the southcentral United States is driven by conditions of drought. Historically, fire intervals varied temporally and spatially - forced by climate, humans, and environmental conditions. Thus, proxy records are required to assess the relationships between fire occurrence, drought, and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Fire scar data from tree-rings are well-suited to assess historical fire regimes in this region, paired with reconstructions of drought and ENSO that have been developed from networks of ring-width chronologies across the United States. This study combines fire-scar data from twelve different sites in the southcentral United States, including two new fire-history reconstructions. Fire data incorporates 665 fires across Eastern Oklahoma and Northern Texas from 1637-2014. These robust reconstructions of post oak (Quercus stellata) evaluate the variability in fire activity and its association to drought and ENSO. Climate-explained growth variance in post-oak chronologies is strong in this region, providing powerful proxy information in the derived chronologies. In general, most fires occur during the La Niña portion of the ENSO cycle. Many severe fires correspond with drought, and results from super-posed epoch analysis suggest a significant relationship between fire event years and drought conditions in the full period of record. Analysis reveals differences in the relationships of fire, drought and ENSO through time, corresponding to changes in human settlement in the region. Understanding the spatial and temporal relationships that exist between fire occurrence, drought, and ENSO aid in quantifying disturbance characteristics and their associations to climate in the forested ecosystems of the southcentral United States.

  18. Trends in hydraulic fracturing distributions and treatment fluids, additives, proppants, and water volumes applied to wells drilled in the United States from 1947 through 2010: data analysis and comparison to the literature

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gallegos, Tanya J.; Varela, Brian A.

    2015-01-01

    Hydraulic fracturing is presently the primary stimulation technique for oil and gas production in low-permeability, unconventional reservoirs. Comprehensive, published, and publicly available information regarding the extent, location, and character of hydraulic fracturing in the United States is scarce. This national spatial and temporal analysis of data on nearly 1 million hydraulically fractured wells and 1.8 million fracturing treatment records from 1947 through 2010 (aggregated in Data Series 868) is used to identify hydraulic fracturing trends in drilling methods and use of proppants, treatment fluids, additives, and water in the United States. These trends are compared to the literature in an effort to establish a common understanding of the differences in drilling methods, treatment fluids, and chemical additives and of how the newer technology has affected the water use volumes and areal distribution of hydraulic fracturing. Historically, Texas has had the highest number of records of hydraulic fracturing treatments and associated wells in the United States documented in the datasets described herein. Water-intensive horizontal/directional drilling has also increased from 6 percent of new hydraulically fractured wells drilled in the United States in 2000 to 42 percent of new wells drilled in 2010. Increases in horizontal drilling also coincided with the emergence of water-based “slick water” fracturing fluids. As such, the most current hydraulic fracturing materials and methods are notably different from those used in previous decades and have contributed to the development of previously inaccessible unconventional oil and gas production target areas, namely in shale and tight-sand reservoirs. Publicly available derivative datasets and locations developed from these analyses are described.

  19. National Evaluation of US Newborn Screening System Components

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Therrell, Bradford L.; Hannon, W. Harry

    2006-01-01

    Newborn screening has existed as a state-based public health service since the early 1960s. Every state and most territorial jurisdictions have comprehensive newborn screening programs in place, but in the United States a national newborn screening policy does not exist. This results in different administrative infrastructures, screening…

  20. Worlds of Higher Education Transformed: Toward Varieties of Academic Capitalism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schulze-Cleven, Tobias; Olson, Jennifer R.

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the changing character and consequences of state authorities' evolving relationships with universities in the United States, Germany, and Norway--typical cases for different national worlds of higher education. It argues that across the three OECD countries, welfare states have strengthened market principles in university…

  1. Cross Cultural Differences in Challenging Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An International Examination between Israel, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chung, Kyong-Mee; Jung, Woohyun; Yang, Jae-won; Ben-Itzchak, Esther; Zachor, Ditza A.; Furniss, Frederick; Heyes, Katie; Matson, Johnny L.; Kozlowski, Alison M.; Barker, Alyse A.

    2012-01-01

    Challenging behaviors are deemed extremely common within the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) population. Numerous factors and their effects upon the presence and severity of challenging behaviors within this population have been investigated. However, there has been limited research to investigate the effects of cultural differences on challenging…

  2. Between the Fears and Hopes for a Different Future for the Nation-States: Scholarship Programs in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates from a Public Policy Standpoint

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilal, Kholoud T.

    2013-01-01

    As Bereday (1964) once said, comparative education research, in its most rudimentary form, begins with juxtaposition. When juxtaposing contemporary trends concerning higher education in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates--both of which currently provide substantial support to improve their higher education systems--differences abound in…

  3. 77 FR 5751 - Marine Recreational Fisheries of the United States; National Saltwater Angler Registry and State...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-06

    ... in carrying out surveys, it may be appropriate to utilize survey designs in USVI that are different... State under the qualifying regional survey option of the rule; and clarify and update various provisions... be designated as an Exempted State under the qualifying regional survey option of the rule; and (4...

  4. State Dream Acts: The Effect of In-State Resident Tuition Policies and Undocumented Latino Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flores, Stella M.

    2010-01-01

    This study examines the effect of in-state resident tuition legislation across the United States on the college enrollment odds of individuals likely to be undocumented Latino immigrants. The study employs a differences-indifferences strategy using data from the Current Population Survey's Merged Outgoing Rotation Groups. Foreign-born noncitizen…

  5. Negotiating Ojibwe Treaty Rights: Toward a Critical Geopolitics of State-Tribal Relations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silvern, Steven E.

    2008-01-01

    In this article the author provides a case study of how differing geographical imaginations are at the center of state-tribal relations in the United States. Specifically, he focuses on the political conflict between the state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Ojibwe over the continuing existence and exercise of Ojibwe off-reservation hunting,…

  6. Metabolic syndrome: prevalence among American Indian and Alaska native people living in the southwestern United States and in Alaska.

    PubMed

    Schumacher, Catherine; Ferucci, Elizabeth D; Lanier, Anne P; Slattery, Martha L; Schraer, Cynthia D; Raymer, Terry W; Dillard, Denise; Murtaugh, Maureen A; Tom-Orme, Lillian

    2008-12-01

    Metabolic syndrome occurs commonly in the United States. The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among American Indian and Alaska Native people. We measured the prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program, among four groups of American Indian and Alaska Native people aged 20 years and older. One group was from the southwestern United States (Navajo Nation), and three groups resided within Alaska. Prevalence rates were age-adjusted to the U.S. adult 2000 population and compared to rates for U.S. whites (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 1988-1994). Among participants from the southwestern United States, metabolic syndrome was found among 43.2% of men and 47.3% of women. Among Alaska Native people, metabolic syndrome was found among 26.5% of men and 31.2% of women. In Alaska, the prevalence rate varied by region, ranging among men from 18.9% (western Alaska) to 35.1% (southeast), and among women from 22.0% (western Alaska) to 38.4 % (southeast). Compared to U.S. whites, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women from all regions except western Alaska were more likely to have metabolic syndrome; men in western Alaska were less likely to have metabolic syndrome than U.S. whites, and the prevalence among women in western Alaska was similar to that of U.S. whites. The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome varies widely among different American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Differences paralleled differences in the prevalence rates of diabetes.

  7. Gender differences in intimate partner violence and alcohol use among Latino-migrant and seasonal farmworkers in rural southeastern North Carolina.

    PubMed

    Kim-Godwin, Yeoun Soo; Fox, Jane A

    2009-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess intimate partner violence (IPV) and alcohol use among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The 291 Latino participants were interviewed in Spanish at migrant camps and residences in 3 counties located in southeastern North Carolina. The findings of this study indicate significant gender differences in IPV and alcohol use among the Latino population in the southeastern United States. The findings also indicate that there is a serious problem of IPV and alcohol use among Latinos in the southeastern United States, suggesting the need for routine screening in primary care settings.

  8. RESEARCH: An Ecoregional Approach to the Economic Valuation of Land- and Water-Based Recreation in the United States

    PubMed

    Bhat; Bergstrom; Teasley; Bowker; Cordell

    1998-01-01

    / This paper describes a framework for estimating the economic value of outdoor recreation across different ecoregions. Ten ecoregions in the continental United States were defined based on similarly functioning ecosystem characters. The individual travel cost method was employed to estimate recreation demand functions for activities such as motor boating and waterskiing, developed and primitive camping, coldwater fishing, sightseeing and pleasure driving, and big game hunting for each ecoregion. While our ecoregional approach differs conceptually from previous work, our results appear consistent with the previous travel cost method valuation studies.KEY WORDS: Recreation; Ecoregion; Travel cost method; Truncated Poisson model

  9. The Acculturation of Parenting Cognitions: A Comparison of South Korean, Korean Immigrant, and European American Mothers

    PubMed Central

    Cote, Linda R.; Kwak, Keumjoo; Putnick, Diane L.; Chung, Hyun Jin; Bornstein, Marc H.

    2016-01-01

    A three-culture comparison – native South Korean, Korean immigrants to the United States, and native European American mothers – of two types of parenting cognitions – attributions and self-perceptions – was undertaken to explore cultural contributions to parenting cognitions and their adaptability among immigrant mothers. Attributions and self-perceptions of parenting were chosen because they influence parenting behavior and children’s development and vary cross-culturally. One hundred seventy-nine mothers of 20-month-old children participated: 73 South Korean, 50 Korean immigrant, and 56 European American. Korean mothers differed from European American mothers on four of the five types of attributions studied and on all four self-perceptions of parenting, and these differences were largely consistent with the distinct cultural values of South Korea and the United States. Generally, Korean immigrant mothers’ attributions for parenting more closely resembled those of mothers in the United States, whereas their self-perceptions of parenting more closely resembled those of mothers in South Korea. This study provides insight into similarities and differences in cultural models of parenting, and information about the acculturation of parenting cognitions among immigrants from South Korea. PMID:26912926

  10. Integrated watershed-scale response to climate change for selected basins across the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Markstrom, Steven L.; Hay, Lauren E.; Ward-Garrison, D. Christian; Risley, John C.; Battaglin, William A.; Bjerklie, David M.; Chase, Katherine J.; Christiansen, Daniel E.; Dudley, Robert W.; Hunt, Randall J.; Koczot, Kathryn M.; Mastin, Mark C.; Regan, R. Steven; Viger, Roland J.; Vining, Kevin C.; Walker, John F.

    2012-01-01

    A study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) evaluated the hydrologic response to different projected carbon emission scenarios of the 21st century using a hydrologic simulation model. This study involved five major steps: (1) setup, calibrate and evaluated the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) model in 14 basins across the United States by local USGS personnel; (2) acquire selected simulated carbon emission scenarios from the World Climate Research Programme's Coupled Model Intercomparison Project; (3) statistical downscaling of these scenarios to create PRMS input files which reflect the future climatic conditions of these scenarios; (4) generate PRMS projections for the carbon emission scenarios for the 14 basins; and (5) analyze the modeled hydrologic response. This report presents an overview of this study, details of the methodology, results from the 14 basin simulations, and interpretation of these results. A key finding is that the hydrological response of the different geographical regions of the United States to potential climate change may be different, depending on the dominant physical processes of that particular region. Also considered is the tremendous amount of uncertainty present in the carbon emission scenarios and how this uncertainty propagates through the hydrologic simulations.

  11. Phomopsis Stem Canker: A Reemerging Threat to Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in the United States.

    PubMed

    Mathew, Febina M; Alananbeh, Kholoud M; Jordahl, James G; Meyer, Scott M; Castlebury, Lisa A; Gulya, Thomas J; Markell, Samuel G

    2015-07-01

    Phomopsis stem canker causes yield reductions on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) on several continents, including Australia, Europe, and North America. In the United States, Phomopsis stem canker incidence has increased 16-fold in the Northern Great Plains between 2001 and 2012. Although Diaporthe helianthi was assumed to be the sole causal agent in the United States, a newly described species, D. gulyae, was found to be the primary cause of Phomopsis stem canker in Australia. To determine the identity of Diaporthe spp. causing Phomopsis stem canker in the Northern Great Plains, 275 infected stems were collected between 2010 and 2012. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region, elongation factor subunit 1-α, and actin gene regions of representative isolates, in comparison with those of type specimens, confirmed two species (D. helianthi and D. gulyae) in the United States. Differences in aggressiveness between the two species were determined using the stem-wound method in the greenhouse; overall, D. helianthi and D. gulyae did not vary significantly (P≤0.05) in their aggressiveness at 10 and 14 days after inoculation. These findings indicate that both Diaporthe spp. have emerged as sunflower pathogens in the United States, and have implications on the management of this disease.

  12. Regional variability in the accuracy of statistical reproductions of historical time series of daily streamflow at ungaged locations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farmer, W. H.; Archfield, S. A.; Over, T. M.; Kiang, J. E.

    2015-12-01

    In the United States and across the globe, the majority of stream reaches and rivers are substantially impacted by water use or remain ungaged. The result is large gaps in the availability of natural streamflow records from which to infer hydrologic understanding and inform water resources management. From basin-specific to continent-wide scales, many efforts have been undertaken to develop methods to estimate ungaged streamflow. This work applies and contrasts several statistical models of daily streamflow to more than 1,700 reference-quality streamgages across the conterminous United States using a cross-validation methodology. The variability of streamflow simulation performance across the country exhibits a pattern familiar to other continental scale modeling efforts performed for the United States. For portions of the West Coast and the dense, relatively homogeneous and humid regions of the eastern United States models produce reliable estimates of daily streamflow using many different prediction methods. Model performance for the middle portion of the United States, marked by more heterogeneous and arid conditions, and with larger contributing areas and sparser networks of streamgages, is consistently poor. A discussion of the difficulty of statistical interpolation and regionalization in these regions raises additional questions of data availability and quality, hydrologic process representation and dominance, and intrinsic variability.

  13. Meteorological conditions associated with increased incidence of West Nile virus disease in the United States, 2004-2012.

    PubMed

    Hahn, Micah B; Monaghan, Andrew J; Hayden, Mary H; Eisen, Rebecca J; Delorey, Mark J; Lindsey, Nicole P; Nasci, Roger S; Fischer, Marc

    2015-05-01

    West Nile virus (WNV) is a leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. Annual seasonal outbreaks vary in size and location. Predicting where and when higher than normal WNV transmission will occur can help direct limited public health resources. We developed models for the contiguous United States to identify meteorological anomalies associated with above average incidence of WNV neuroinvasive disease from 2004 to 2012. We used county-level WNV data reported to ArboNET and meteorological data from the North American Land Data Assimilation System. As a result of geographic differences in WNV transmission, we divided the United States into East and West, and 10 climate regions. Above average annual temperature was associated with increased likelihood of higher than normal WNV disease incidence, nationally and in most regions. Lower than average annual total precipitation was associated with higher disease incidence in the eastern United States, but the opposite was true in most western regions. Although multiple factors influence WNV transmission, these findings show that anomalies in temperature and precipitation are associated with above average WNV disease incidence. Readily accessible meteorological data may be used to develop predictive models to forecast geographic areas with elevated WNV disease risk before the coming season. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  14. Intervention Techniques Used With Autism Spectrum Disorder by Speech-Language Pathologists in the United States and Taiwan: A Descriptive Analysis of Practice in Clinical Settings.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, Ming-Yeh; Lynch, Georgina; Madison, Charles

    2018-04-27

    This study examined intervention techniques used with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States and Taiwan working in clinic/hospital settings. The research questions addressed intervention techniques used with children with ASD, intervention techniques used with different age groups (under and above 8 years old), and training received before using the intervention techniques. The survey was distributed through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to selected SLPs across the United States. In Taiwan, the survey (Chinese version) was distributed through the Taiwan Speech-Language Pathologist Union, 2018, to certified SLPs. Results revealed that SLPs in the United States and Taiwan used 4 common intervention techniques: Social Skill Training, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Picture Exchange Communication System, and Social Stories. Taiwanese SLPs reported SLP preparation program training across these common intervention strategies. In the United States, SLPs reported training via SLP preparation programs, peer therapists, and self-taught. Most SLPs reported using established or emerging evidence-based practices as defined by the National Professional Development Center (2014) and the National Standards Report (2015). Future research should address comparison of SLP preparation programs to examine the impact of preprofessional training on use of evidence-based practices to treat ASD.

  15. The vitamin D hypothesis revisited: race-based disparities in birth outcomes in the United States and ultraviolet light availability.

    PubMed

    Thayer, Zaneta M

    2014-04-15

    Skin color has been proposed to contribute to race-based health disparities in the United States because of differences in ultraviolet (UV) light-induced vitamin D synthesis. The prediction of this hypothesis, herein named the UVD hypothesis, is that racial disparities in health outcomes are correlated with UV light availability. This paper investigates whether UV light availability is associated with disparities in the rates of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) between whites and blacks, because these outcomes are thought to be influenced by vitamin D status and to shape disease risk in later life. Data on LBW and PTB from 2007 (n = 2,825,620 births) were compared with data on UV light exposure across the United States. Contrary to the predictions of the UVD hypothesis, LBW and PTB rate disparities were greatest in states with the highest UV light exposure. Notably, income inequality was positively and significantly related to LBW and PTB disparities, even after controlling for UV light availability. The results of this analysis demonstrate that there is a significant environmental gradient in racial disparities in birth outcomes in the United States, but other social or environmental factors associated with living in the southern United States are likely stronger contributors to disparities in birth outcomes than UV light-induced vitamin D status.

  16. 31 CFR 596.313 - United States person.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false United States person. 596.313 Section... General Definitions § 596.313 United States person. The term United States person means any United States... States, or any person in the United States. ...

  17. 31 CFR 596.313 - United States person.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false United States person. 596.313 Section... General Definitions § 596.313 United States person. The term United States person means any United States... States, or any person in the United States. ...

  18. 31 CFR 596.313 - United States person.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false United States person. 596.313 Section... General Definitions § 596.313 United States person. The term United States person means any United States... States, or any person in the United States. ...

  19. iRadioactivity--Possibilities and Limitations for Using Smartphones and Tablet PCs as Radioactive Counters: Examples for Studying Different Radioactive Principles in Physics Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuhn, Jochen; Molz, Alexander; Gröber, Sebastian; Frübis, Jan

    2014-01-01

    A study conducted in 2013 showed that about 70-80% of teens and young adults in the United States own a smartphone. Furthermore the number of tablet PC users in the United States will increase up to more than 80% by 2015. As a result, these devices have increasingly become everyday tools, particularly for the younger generation. In recent years,…

  20. Using a decision support system to estimate departures of present forest landscape patterns from historical reference condition—an example from the inland Northwest region of the United States.

    Treesearch

    P.F. Hessburg; K.M. Reynolds; R.B. Salter; M.B. Richmond

    2004-01-01

    Human settlement and management activities have altered the patterns and processes of forest landscapes across the inland northwest region of the United States (Hessburg et al. 2000C; Hessburg and Agee in press). As a consequence, many attributes of current disturbance regimes (e.g., the frequency, duration, severity, and extent of fires) differ markedly from those of...

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