Perceptions concerning research integrity and the practice of data audit in the biotechnology industry

A survey was conducted in order to evaluate the responses of biotechnology executives concerning their perceptions of the frequency of questionable R & D studies performed in their companies and to assess the extent to which their companies voluntarily conducted data audits. Data audit was found to be commonly practiced on a voluntary basis by biotechnology companies, in contrast to its almost lack of practice by universities. However, public companies were more likely to practice data auditing than privately held companies. Moreover, the likelihood that managers suspected or detected questionable studies in their companies was significantly increased if the company practiced data auditing.     

Why Does More Housework Lower Women's Wages? Testing Hypotheses Involving Job Effort and Hours Flexibility

Objective . The purpose of this paper is to test two hypotheses regarding the observed negative relation between housework time and wages for women. Methods . Regression analysis is performed to determine the robustness of the housework-wage relation to controls for effort and job flexibility. The data contain self-reported flexibility measures and unique information on effort that can be normalized to reduce individual-specific heterogeneity in reporting. Results . Reported work effort and flexible working conditions are found to be significant determinants of wages, but not at the expense of housework time. Conclusion . The evidence fails to support a link between housework and wages based on either job effort or hours flexibility, but the finding that only time spent on housework on job days is negatively related to wages suggests that time constraints are a critical factor.     

Gender inequities in technology in developing nations: Females and computers in traditional cultures

The acceptance of innovations, including computer technology in traditional non-Western societies, has generally been a difficult struggle, especially with females, when these innovations challenge or imply changes to long-held customary designations of functions along gender lines. The introduction of computers in traditional cultures has customarily met with such apprehension and reservation. When they have been accepted, computers have solely been the domain of males, a mentality rooted in the belief that anything mechanical is male, and also in the myths concerning the technological competence of females. An understanding of computer technology and its socio-cultural, political and economic consequences in developing, traditional user nations may shed some light on impediments for females as they venture into this traditional, cultural, gender-biased world of technology.     

Bayesian analysis under accelerated failure time models with error-prone time-to-event outcomes

Lifetime Data Analysis - We consider accelerated failure time models with error-prone time-to-event outcomes. The proposed models extend the conventional accelerated failure time model by allowing...     

Utilizing Bayesian predictive power in clinical trial design

The Bayesian paradigm provides an ideal platform to update uncertainties and carry them over into the future in the presence of data. Bayesian predictive power (BPP) reflects our belief in the eventual success of a clinical trial to meet its goals. In this paper we derive mathematical expressions for the most common types of outcomes, to make the BPP accessible to practitioners, facilitate fast computations in adaptive trial design simulations that use interim futility monitoring, and propose an organized BPP-based phase II-to-phase III design framework.     

The Special Historical Section of the Journal of American College Health

Abstract

Objective: To identify human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV vaccine–related attitudes among college-aged women and the relationship between HPV vaccine uptake and subsequent sexual behaviors. Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Google Scholar searches were performed from 2006, the date after the first HPV vaccine became available, to present. Results: Of the 13 studies identified, most were cross-sectional. College-aged women saw HPV infection as serious and had positive attitudes toward the HPV vaccine. Barriers (ie, cost, lack of insurance coverage) existed that prevented women from obtaining the vaccine and many women did not see themselves at risk for HPV. The vaccine uptake rate, although increasing, has been slow. Conclusion: College-aged women in the United States may need unbiased information about HPV and HPV vaccine. Studies that focus on risk perception and the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, vaccine uptake, and sexual behaviors are needed to inform interventions and public health programs.