Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the fallopian tubes that is becoming increasingly common, is characterized by pain in the abdomen and other symptoms similar to those of appendicitis and ectopic pregnancy. A variety of organisms has been associated with it: gonococcus, chlamydia, and mycoplasma, almost all of which are sexually transmitted. They can also enter the pelvic cavity through several mechanisms (flare-ups of infection following menstruation; IUD insertions; abortions; and operations which involve entering the pelvic cavity). Gonococcal and chlamydial infections are usually asymptomatic and can live in the mucous membranes of the mouth, eye, and anus as well as in the urogenital tract. PID attacks usually occur during and immediately after menstruation when there is no mucus plug in the fallopian tube at that time. To control PID, women have to diagnose seemingly minor infections and treat them appropriately. Women who are having routine gynecological checkups should be tested for gonococcus and vaginal infections. Although IUD use has been associated with PID attacks, other forms of contraception - pills, condoms, and foam, protect against PID attack.     

Non-salary retention incentives for social workers in public mental health

While workers' reasons for leaving jobs are myriad, little is known of what might induce workers to remain in jobs. The literature reports that money, alone, is not sufficiently persuasive as an incentive. This study of social workers in the public mental health system in Colorado reveals the incentive value of a set of non-salary retention measures. The findings of the study show that measures which furthered professional enrichment, contribution to the profession, and the exercise of professional autonomy are rated most highly. Cross-tabulations with some demographic variables reveal significant findings. Recommendations for implementing the findings are presented.     

Electronic markets in support of procurement processes along the automotive supply chain

Since the introduction of the internet, firms have continued to seek ways to use these public networks to gain competitive advantage. The procurement function is beginning to take on greater strategic importance as these networks started providing firms wider opportunities such as choices of suppliers. This aims not only to reduce procurement costs, but also to build stronger relationships with suppliers to improve quality and flexibility in meeting customer demand. This type of linkage of firms with their suppliers when the product manufactured is complex and supply-chain is heavily tiered, such as the case of the automobile industry, creates challenges to any electronic market or exchange that is aiming to support such a system. Based on discussions with some key individuals in an automotive supply chain and an in-depth analysis of a supply-chain segment, this paper explores the role electronic markets may have to play, if they are to support the procurement processes of various agents along the supply chain.     

Guiding Resource Allocations Based on Terrorism Risk

Establishing tolerable levels of risk is one of the most contentious and important risk management decisions. With every regulatory or funding decision for a risk management program, society decides whether or not risk is tolerable. The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant program designed to enhance security and overall preparedness to prevent, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism by providing financial assistance for planning, equipment, training, and exercise needs of large urban areas. After briefly reviewing definitions of terrorism risk and rationales for risk-based resource allocation, this article compares estimates of terrorism risk in urban areas that received UASI funding in 2004 to other federal risk management decisions. This comparison suggests that UASI allocations are generally consistent with other federal risk management decisions. However, terrorism risk in several cities that received funding is below levels that are often tolerated in other risk management contexts. There are several reasons why the conclusions about terrorism risk being de minimis in specific cities should be challenged. Some of these surround the means used to estimate terrorism risk for this study. Others involve the comparison that is made to other risk management decisions. However, many of the observations reported are valid even if reported terrorism risk estimates are several orders of magnitude too low. Discussion of resource allocation should be extended to address risk tolerance and include explicit comparisons, like those presented here, to other risk management decisions.     

The roles of vertical and shared leadership in the enactment of executive corruption: Implications for research and practice

Recent scandals involving executive leadership have vaulted the topic of executive corruption to a central concern in the organizational literature. History suggests that power can corrupt and that absolute power can be an especially toxic influence. In this paper we propose that the propensity for corruption (as measured by CEO responsibility disposition) of leaders and the degree to which leadership is shared are key factors in understanding the potential for executive corruption. More specifically, shared leadership is proposed as a moderator that can deter corruptive tendencies by providing checks and balances capable of reducing the potential for corrupt behavior. A conceptual model is offered along with propositions to help guide future research and practice.     

Estimating the proportion of true null hypotheses, with application to DNA microarray data

Summary.  We consider the problem of estimating the proportion of true null hypotheses, π ₀, in a multiple-hypothesis set-up. The tests are based on observed p -values. We first review published estimators based on the estimator that was suggested by Schweder and Spjøtvoll. Then we derive new estimators based on nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation of the p -value density, restricting to decreasing and convex decreasing densities. The estimators of π ₀ are all derived under the assumption of independent test statistics. Their performance under dependence is investigated in a simulation study. We find that the estimators are relatively robust with respect to the assumption of independence and work well also for test statistics with moderate dependence.     

Intersecting Lorenz Curves, the Degree of Downside Inequality Aversion, and Tax Reforms

This paper clarifies the conceptual distinction of downside inequality aversion (or transfer sensitivity) as a normative criterion for judging income distributions from the Pigou-Dalton principle of transfers. We show that when the Lorenz curves of two income distributions intersect, how the change from one distribution to the other is judged by an inequality index exhibiting downside inequality aversion often depends on the relative strengths of its downside inequality aversion and inequality aversion. For additive inequality indices or their monotonic transformations, a measure characterizing the strength of an index’s downside inequality aversion against its inequality aversion is shown to determine the ranking by the index of two distributions whose Lorenz curves cross once. The precise condition under which the same result generalizes to the case of multiple-crossing Lorenz curves is also identified. The results are particularly useful in understanding the distributional impact of tax reforms. I received exceptionally helpful comments from Mike Hoy, Peter Lambert, the Editor, Buhong Zheng, and an anonymous referee. The remaining errors and shortcomings are my own – W.H. Chiu     

The Roles of Group Membership, Beliefs, and Norms in Ecological Risk Perception

Variability in ecological risk perceptions was investigated by surveying members of four stakeholder groups commonly involved in environmental policy debates. Fifty-six individuals from government, industry, environmental, and general-public groups completed a risk-perception survey in which they evaluated 34 environmental hazards on 17 attributes and also evaluated the riskiness and acceptability of each hazard. In addition, participants reported their environmental beliefs and norms using Dunlap et al.'s revised New Ecological Paradigm Scale and modified versions of Schwartz's Awareness of Consequences and Personal Norms Scales. Group membership was predictive of participants' scores on the belief and norm scales. Factor analysis of attribute ratings (averaged across participants) revealed the anticipated three oblique factors: ecological impacts, scientific understanding, and aesthetic impacts. Factor patterns were very similar for the four stakeholder groups. Factors from the aggregate analysis were predictive of individuals' riskiness judgments, but these relationships were moderated by participants' group membership, beliefs, and norms. Compared to members of other groups, members of the general public placed less emphasis on ecological impacts and more emphasis on the other two factors when judging the ecological riskiness of hazards. To our knowledge, these results represent the first formal tests of interactions between hazard characteristics and participant characteristics in determining riskiness judgments, and illustrate how traditional psychometric analyses can be successfully coupled with individual-difference measures to improve the understanding of risk perception.