The Role of Similarity Cues in the Development of Trustin Sources of Information About GM Food

In evaluating complex new technologies, people are usually dependent on information provided by others, for example, experts or journalists, and have to determine whether they can trust these information sources. This article focuses on similarity as the basis for trust. The first experiment ( N  = 261) confirmed that a journalist writing about genetically modified (GM) food was trusted more when his attitude was congruent with that of his readers. In addition, the experiment showed that this effect was mediated by the perceived similarity of the journalist. The second experiment ( N  = 172) revealed that trust in a journalist writing about the focal domain of GM food was even influenced by him expressing a congruent attitude in an unrelated domain. This result supports a general similarity account of the congruence effect on trust, as opposed to a confirmatory bias account.     

Spatial Patterns of Marriage Migration in Turkey

Even though recent societal phenomena such as a heightened sense of individualism, economic well-being, and institutionalization have caused a shift in people's life course and made their lives less standard in developed societies, marriage still remains an important life course event in Turkey. Between the years 1995 and 2000 marriage migration comprised 7.4% of the interprovincial migration in Turkey, and of these marriage migrants 94% were woman. Young Turkish women tend toward marriage migration to escape the patriarchal family structure and gain more autonomy, economic security, and well-being. Focusing on the spatial patterns of marriage migration relationships in Turkey, this study seeks to reveal the economic and sociocultural background of male and female marriage migration and to visualize, explore, and model spatial data by using spatial data analysis (SDA) techniques. The results showed that marriage migration in different regions of Turkey varied by gender. Even though SDA techniques have previously been used in other social sciences studies, no other marriage migration study in the literature uses these techniques, thus enabling the article to contribute to the literature.     

Impact of recreational physical activity on bone mineral density in middle-aged men

Physical activity is known to exert beneficial effects on general health status of young, adult and elderly populations. Exercise (aside from genetic, hormonal, nutritional and pathological factors) also influences bone mineral density (BMD). Unfortunately, the association between physical exercise and BMD in adult population is controversial. Our aim was to assess relations between recreational physical activity and BMD in middle-aged men. We performed densitometry and hormonal measurements (total testosterone, free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol) in a homogenous group of 38 subjects. Among them, we distinguished 22 who had not engaged in any physical activity, and 16 who had recreationally exercised for about 10 years. Both groups did not differ in regard to hormonal status. Similarly, densitometry did not reveal any statistically significant differences in BMD between both groups of men. Upon our observation, we can hypothesize that recreational physical activity does not affect bone mineral density in middle-aged men.     

Elderly People's Perceptions of a Telehealthcare System: Relative Advantage,Compatibility, Complexity and Observability

The use of telehealthcare systems to promote independent living for elderly people is growing. The results presented in this article, derived from an initial user lab test of a telecare system—GiraffPlus—indicate that the crucial factor for adoption of telehealthcare systems is not usability but the system's ability to support autonomy in everyday life. Eleven users tested the usability and reported what they perceived as possible benefits of having such a system at home. To support autonomy, customization is crucial for the system to be perceived as meaningful for the individual. Our analysis confirms previous research.     

Are Adult Patients More Tolerant of Treatment Risks Than Parents of Juvenile Patients?

Understanding patient-specific differences in risk tolerance for new treatments that offer improved efficacy can assist in making difficult regulatory and clinical decisions for new treatments that offer both the potential for greater effectiveness in relieving disease symptoms, but also risks of disabling or fatal side effects. The aim of this study is to elicit benefit-risk trade-off preferences for hypothetical treatments with varying efficacy and risk levels using a stated-choice (SC) survey. We derive estimates of "maximum acceptable risk" (MAR) that can help decisionmakers identify welfare-enhancing alternatives. In the case of children, parent caregivers are responsible for treatment decisions and their risk tolerance may be quite different than adult patients' own tolerance for treatment-related risks. We estimated and compared the willingness of Crohn's disease (CD) patients and parents of juvenile CD patients to accept serious adverse event (SAE) risks in exchange for symptom relief. The analyzed data were from 345 patients over the age of 18 and 150 parents of children under the age of 18. The estimation results provide strong evidence that adult patients and parents of juvenile patients are willing to accept tradeoffs between treatment efficacy and risks of SAEs. Parents of juvenile CD patients are about as risk tolerant for their children as adult CD patients are for themselves for improved treatment efficacy. SC surveys provide a systematic method for eliciting preferences for benefit-risk tradeoffs. Understanding patients' own risk perceptions and their willingness to accept risks in return for treatment benefits can help inform risk management decision making.     

Associations Between 1980 U.S. Mortality Rates and Alternative Measures of Airborne Particle Concentration

We analyzed the 1980 U.S. vital statistics and available ambient air pollution data bases for sulfates and fine, inhalable, and total suspended particles. Using multiple regression analyses, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the association between various particle measures and total mortality. Results from the various analyses indicated the importance of considering particle size, composition, and source information in modeling of particle pollution health effects. Of the independent mortality predictors considered, particle exposure measures related to the respirable and/or toxic fraction of the aerosols, such as fine particles and sulfates, were most consistently and significantly associated with the reported SMSA-specific total annual mortality rates. On the other hand, particle mass measures that included coarse particles (e.g., total suspended particles and inhalable particles) were often found to be nonsignificant predictors of total mortality. Furthermore, based on the application of fine particle source apportionment, particles from industrial sources (e.g., from iron/steel emissions) and from coal combustion were suggested to be more significant contributors to human mortality than soil-derived particles.     

Nudging the particle filter

Statistics and Computing - We investigate a new sampling scheme aimed at improving the performance of particle filters whenever (a) there is a significant mismatch between the assumed model...