Reproducibility of clinical data I: continuous outcomes

Across a variety of clinical settings, repeated measurements on an individual, obtained under identical circumstances, often differ from one another. This implies the measurements lack perfect reproducibility. Topics related to reproducibility of clinical measurements are introduced in this paper. In this first of two parts, continuous outcomes are addressed. The intraclass correlation coefficient, ρ, has been the traditional coefficient of reproducibility for continuous outcomes. The importance of ρ regarding observations on an individual, and observations among populations, is outlined. Estimation and inferential procedures for ρ are reviewed and worked examples are provided. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Penalized contrast estimator for adaptive density deconvolution

The authors consider the problem of estimating the density g of independent and identically distributed variables X_I, from a sample Z₁,… Z_n such that Z_I = X_I + σ? for i = 1,…, n, and E is noise independent of X, with σ? having a known distribution. They present a model selection procedure allowing one to construct an adaptive estimator of g and to find nonasymptotic risk bounds. The estimator achieves the minimax rate of convergence, in most cases where lower bounds are available. A simulation study gives an illustration of the good practical performance of the method.     

Integration of migrants — an extraordinary undertaking? An analysis of Swiss policy and handling of resident immigrants; a municipal example—Bern

Migration and multiculturalism are key topics in politics, in the media, in education and in the social sciences. It is a phenomenon that has been discussed again and again during the last fifteen years with the aim to find solutions. A theoretical set of points of consideration is established in the first chapter in order to understand how migration is running counter to the ‘normal’ condition and development of society, and tends to cause problems in various contexts. Case histories in the second chapter show how communities are handling the consequences of immigration in practice and in the framework of the specific prevailing national and welfare state structures, and especially how communities are meeting the challenge politically and with their system of social services. In the final chapter the most important findings are summarized.     

The politics of sexuality: Toward a radical-critical approach

From a radical-critical perspective, the gap between the everyday world as experienced and the sociological world as theorized is nowhere so apparent as in the area of human sexuality. Conventional research on human sexuality appears atheoretical, ahistorical, and reductionistic. The viability of a radical-critical alternative is demonstrated with examples of research and theory in three sub-areas: (1) sexuality as identity (socialization approach); (2) sexuality as ideology (comparative and historical approach); and (3) sexuality as power (political-economic approach). The paper discusses three distinguishing characteristics of the radical-critical perspective. The approach: (1) is holistic and historical; (2) urges theoretical explanation for each topic of sexuality under investigation; and (3) offers a critical evaluation of thestatus quo and calls for radical change.     

Economic Recession and Mental Health: Some Conceptual Issues

The greatest burden of economic recession falls on the unemployed. Research in this area has resulted in a general consensus that the large majority of the unemployed are psychologically impaired. From the voluminous relevant literature, three conceptual issues are singled out for discussion: the research style—that is, the dominant questions investigated and the corresponding research procedures; explanations for the mental state of the unemployed and the role of theory; and the concept of mental health as involving more than the absence of mental illness.     

Street children in Trinidad and Tobago: understanding their lives and experiences

A community-based action research process, over a three-year period, employed interviews and participant observations with five children living on the streets in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Data revealed violence in the family to be a contributing factor to children's presence on the streets: it was also a feature of their lives on the streets. A complex pattern emerged of violence, hostility, and distorted social interactions amidst negative attitudes and disdainful behaviour all around them. It is argued that, although it is not easy, more people – professionals and citizens – would do well to listen to, and understand the lives of, street children in order to be motivated for change.     

Women in Religion: A Sociological Perspective*

Religious ministry, theology, and even the study of religion in history and sociology have been done for so long from a male point of view that the burgeoning activity and reflection of women scholars and activists are not yet researched or deliberated when male scholars define the parameters for interpretation and name the problems as they perceive them. Current scholarship is sadly lacking in its address of modern problems in religious perspective, especially as attempts are made to understand the new pressures on population and institutions.