Large-scale Bayesian spatial modelling of air pollution for policy support

The potential effects of air pollution are a major concern both in terms of the environment and in relation to human health. In order to support environmental policy, there is a need for accurate measurements of the concentrations of pollutants at high geographical resolution over large regions. However, within such regions, there are likely to be areas where the monitoring information will be sparse and so methods are required to accurately predict concentrations. Set within a Bayesian framework, models are developed which exploit the relationships between pollution and geographical covariate information, such as land use, climate and transport variables together with spatial structure. Candidate models are compared based on their ability to predict a set of validation sites. The chosen model is used to perform large-scale prediction of nitrogen dioxide at a 1×1 km resolution for the entire EU. The models allow probabilistic statements to be made with regard to the levels of air pollution that might be experienced in each area. When combined with population data, such information can be invaluable in informing policy by indicating areas for which improvements may be given priority.     

A comparison of methods to obtain active parental consent for an international student survey

Many school-based research efforts require active parental consent for student participation. Maximizing rates of consent form return and agreement is an important issue, because sample representativeness may be compromised when these rates are low. This article compares two methods for obtaining active parental consent: return of consent forms in the mail versus return by students to their classrooms. The methods were tested in a pilot study of 46 schools (1,058 students), with half of the schools randomly allocated to each of the alternative methods. A hierarchical nonlinear model of consent form return and agreement rates suggests that the student-delivered method is more successful at producing higher rates of consent form return and agreement to participate in the study, after controlling for school-level characteristics. The authors discuss the findings and their implications for other researchers engaged in school-based research with adolescents.     

Sexual double standards: a review and methodological critique of two decades of research

A review of 30 studies published since 1980 found evidence for the continued existence of sexual double standards: different standards of sexual permissiveness for women and men. Experimental studies have included predominantly White North American college students; ethnographies, focus group and interview studies, and linguistic analyses have included more diverse samples. Studies show that sexual double standards are influenced by situational and interpersonal factors (e.g., the target's age, level of relationship commitment, and number of partners), and that double standards are local constructions, differing across ethnic and cultural groups. This review discusses methodological issues, including the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative approaches. It also discusses implications for women s high-risk sexual behavior and sexual identity, and suggests directions for future research.     

A comparison of performance outcomes between the Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test and the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test

This study examined the performance outcomes between two tests of manual dexterity, the Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test [1] and the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (1981). Even though the tests are constructed differently and are different versions of the Complete Minnesota Dexterity tests, both tests utilize the same instruction manual and the same normative data. The researchers measured 233 random participants at a Midwestern international airport and in the student center at a local university in Indiana. Each participant completed three trials of a subtest on both versions of the test. One sample t-tests on difference scores indicated statistically significant differences on outcomes of both subtest comparisons as well as overall test score differences (p < 0.000). These significantly different outcomes on the two tests illustrate the need to establish separate normative data on the latest version of the test, the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test.     

Adult Vocational Trajectory

Few of the sequential models of adult vocational development have based their theories on investigations using large samples. On the basis of interviews carried out with 786 adults randomly assigned after stratifying according to nine age strata, three socioeconomic classes, two sexes, and three working sectors, this article proposes a “spatial-temporal” model conceiving adult vocational development as a complex and constant readjustment in an always changing perception of personal space-time. More precisely, based on results describing phases of occupational life, this article presents two propositions of this model: the continuous alternation between states of instability and the interaction of influences.     

Examining fear and stress as mediators between disorder perceptions and personal health, depression, and anxiety

Research examining the effect of neighborhoods on personal health has often focused on neighborhood disorder, or visual cues in neighborhoods perceived as personally threatening or noxious. Neighborhood disorderliness is thought to elevate individuals’ fear of crime, thereby negatively impacting personal and mental health. Unfortunately, the pathways between disorder, fear of crime, and health have yet to be established. This study examines the pathways between neighborhood disorder, fear of crime, and three health outcomes. Using the Community, Crime and Health Survey, this study employs structural equation modeling to examine how general (being afraid of walking alone) and offense-specific fear of crime (being afraid of specific crimes) mediate the relationship between individuals’ disorder perceptions and self-rated health, depression and anxiety. Results show that fear of crime does mediate the relationship between disorder perceptions, self-rated health and depression, though the mediating pathways are weak. This study suggests that the disorder-fear of crime-health nexus should be re-examined theoretically.