A GREAT DIVIDE?

Since 1980 most social scientists have found little evidence in support of popular and recurring commentaries that identify religion (and evangelical Protestants, in particular) as a major source of conservative political trends in the United States. But in the past several years a new line of research has reported results suggesting that earlier studies underestimated evidence that partisan change among specific religious groups has contributed to an emerging Republican electoral advantage. We assess this latter body of research, presenting the most comprehensive analysis to date of the effects of religious group memberships on political outcomes in national elections from 1972 through 2000. We address the limitations of past studies by incorporating advances in the measurement of religious denomination, adjudicating competing statistical models of the changing interrelationship of religion and voter alignments and extending previous investigations by simultaneously considering the impact of religion on (1) voting behavior, (2) partisanship, and (3) the representation of religious groups within the Democratic and Republican parties' electoral coalitions. Our results refine and extend past studies of religion and political change, providing evidence of limited changes in group-specific voting coupled with much larger changes in religion-based partisanship and party coalitions.     

Multiplicity: discussion points from the Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry multiplicity expert group

In May 2012, the Committee of Health and Medicinal Products issued a concept paper on the need to review the points to consider document on multiplicity issues in clinical trials. In preparation for the release of the updated guidance document, Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry held a one‐day expert group meeting in January 2013. Topics debated included multiplicity and the drug development process, the usefulness and limitations of newly developed strategies to deal with multiplicity, multiplicity issues arising from interim decisions and multiregional development, and the need for simultaneous confidence intervals (CIs) corresponding to multiple test procedures. A clear message from the meeting was that multiplicity adjustments need to be considered when the intention is to make a formal statement about efficacy or safety based on hypothesis tests. Statisticians have a key role when designing studies to assess what adjustment really means in the context of the research being conducted. More thought during the planning phase needs to be given to multiplicity adjustments for secondary endpoints given these are increasing in importance in differentiating products in the market place. No consensus was reached on the role of simultaneous CIs in the context of superiority trials. It was argued that unadjusted intervals should be employed as the primary purpose of the intervals is estimation, while the purpose of hypothesis testing is to formally establish an effect. The opposing view was that CIs should correspond to the test decision whenever possible. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SOCIAL STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE SOUTHERN BLACK BELT

Black Belt counties in the southeastern United States are among the very poorest of all. Much of the economic, political, and social landscape of the region still echoes the problems of its antebellum past. Black white relations in the region are still characterized by antagonisms at all levels of social life. In this study, I examine the impact of social and material conditions of the Black Belt on mental health. I use data from a sample of Black and White workers in North Carolina, a state that re ects many of the racial dynamics found across the Southeast. Findings show that racial patterns in psychological distress are associated with the strength of political and economic elites in the Black Belt who have historically maintained power through racial subjugation. In conclusion, I discuss the theoretical implications of the findings.     

NONLINEAR TUBE-FITTING FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ANATOMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES

We are concerned with the estimation of the exterior surface and interior summaries of tube-shaped anatomical structures. This interest is motivated by two distinct scientific goals, one dealing with the distribution of HIV microbicide in the colon and the other with measuring degradation in white-matter tracts in the brain. Our problem is posed as the estimation of the support of a distribution in three dimensions from a sample from that distribution, possibly measured with error. We propose a novel tube-fitting algorithm to construct such estimators. Further, we conduct a simulation study to aid in the choice of a key parameter of the algorithm, and we test our algorithm with validation study tailored to the motivating data sets. Finally, we apply the tube-fitting algorithm to a colon image produced by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and to a white-matter tract image produced using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).     

Temporal Dynamics Linking Aspects of Parent Monitoring with Early Adolescent Antisocial Behavior

This longitudinal study examined the covariation between parents' use of control and solicitation, youth willingness to self-disclose to parents, and youth antisocial behavior from ages 13 to 14. Structural equation analyses were conducted on a combined sample of Italian (N  =  152) and French Canadian (N  =  151) adolescents. Analyses tested for longitudinal cross-lagged effects while controlling for stability and all concurrent associations. Although bivariate correlations showed consistent associations among these constructs, both concurrently and over one year, SEM results revealed virtually no cross-lagged effects, after controlling for concurrent associations and stability. These findings suggest that the actual causal effects of parenting and youth behavior may best be conceptualized as occurring in the moment, rather than over extended periods of time. Results also showed that parental control and solicitation demonstrated very different associations with youth antisocial behavior, and should therefore be considered separately for research and prevention.     

Governance and the Future of Peak Bodies in Australia

This article reviews the literature on peak bodies in Australia, United States and Brittain. A key tension is identified between balancing the demands of government as funding body with accountability to the membership. The impact of neo‐liberal ideology is identified as constituting a threat to peak bodies by forcing amalgamations, focusing attention on government requirements, and undermining the legitimacy of peaks as truly representative of members' interests. It is argued that peak bodies will overcome this threat if they develop clear, transparent governance practices that demonstrate how members' views are identified and represented.     

Awareness and Concern about Large‐Scale Livestock and Poultry: Results from a Statewide Survey of Ohioans*

Abstract The development of large‐scale livestock facilities has become a controversial issue in many regions of the U.S in recent years. In this research, rural‐urban differences in familiarity and concern about large‐scale livestock facilities among Ohioans is examined as well as the relationship of social distance from agriculture and trust in risk managers to concern about large‐scale livestock facilities. Findings from a survey of Ohio residents reveal few differences between rural and urban Ohioans, although country, nonfarm residents were more likely than others to be aware of the issues. Greater trust of farmers was found to be related to lower levels of livestock concern. Environmental concern was strongly related to overall concern about large‐scale livestock development, while perceptions of economic benefits of livestock production were associated with lower overall concern. In general, the findings contribute to improved understanding of the increasingly complex relationship between farming and the social setting within which it occurs.     

A Mandate for Honesty: Jeff Young's No Bullshit Therapy

Jeff Young talks about having been trained to be formal with clients, and his gradual realisation that he could return to the more direct ways of speech he learned as a child, and combine that with warmth. He found that clients and fellow professionals welcomed a therapist who did not ‘beat around the bush’. Together, Jeff and Ron talk about when directness is appropriate, and how directness needs to be modified for particular clients.