Transportation Difficulty of Black and White Rural Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to understand self-reported transportation difficulty among rural older adults. We used data from the UAB Study of Aging (255 Black and 259 White), community-dwelling participants residing in rural areas. We examined the relationship of predisposing characteristics, enabling resources, and measures of need for care with self-reports of transportation difficulty. Blacks reported having more transportation difficulty than Whites (24.7% vs. 11.6%; p ≤ .05). When we introduced other variables, race differences disappeared, but there was a race by income interaction with transportation difficulty. Whites with lower incomes were more likely to have transportation difficulty than Whites with higher incomes. When data from Blacks and Whites were analyzed separately, income was the only variable associated with transportation difficulty among Whites. Among Blacks, income was not related to transportation difficulty but several variables other than income (age, gender, marital status, MMSE scores and depression) were.     

Using the dependent wild bootstrap for the nonparametric goodness-of-fit test for density functions

In this paper, we consider the well-known nonparametric consistent model-specification test for the stationary density function (see [Aït-Sahalia Y. Testing continuous-time models of the spot interest rate. Rev Financ Stud. 1996;9:385–426; Li Q. Nonparametric testing of closeness between two unknown distribution functions. Econ Rev. 1996;15:261–274; Fan Y, Ullah A. On goodness-of-fit tests for weakly dependent processes using kernel method. J Nonparametric Stat. 2000;11:337–360]) and reinvestigate it carefully using asymptotics and simulation. Our work reveals that the test is subject to power and size distortions, which are mainly caused by dependence or convergence rate changes under the null and alternative hypothesis. A dependent wild bootstrap is newly suggested as a feasible remedy to such distortions. Our result provides a complete explanation as well as a solution to the problem that experienced by Aït-Sahalia [Testing continuous-time models of the spot interest rate. Rev Financ Stud. 1996;9:385–426], that is, that the test rejects true models too often when independent and identically distributed asymptotic critical values are used.     

Outlier detection using difference-based variance estimators in multiple regression

In this article, we propose an outlier detection approach in a multiple regression model using the properties of a difference-based variance estimator. This type of a difference-based variance estimator was originally used to estimate error variance in a non parametric regression model without estimating a non parametric function. This article first employed a difference-based error variance estimator to study the outlier detection problem in a multiple regression model. Our approach uses the leave-one-out type method based on difference-based error variance. The existing outlier detection approaches using the leave-one-out approach are highly affected by other outliers, while ours is not because our approach does not use the regression coefficient estimator. We compared our approach with several existing methods using a simulation study, suggesting the outperformance of our approach. The advantages of our approach are demonstrated using a real data application. Our approach can be extended to the non parametric regression model for outlier detection.     

How to build nomogram for type 2 diabetes using a naïve Bayesian classifier technique

In this study, we introduced a method for building a Bayesian nomogram and proposed an appropriate nomogram for type 2 diabetes (T2D) using data from 13,474 subjects collected from the 2013–2015 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. We identified risk factors related to T2D, proposed a visual nomogram for T2D from a naïve Bayesian classifier model, and predicted incidence rates. Additionally, we computed confidence intervals for the influence of risk factors (attributes) and verified the proposed Bayesian nomogram using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Finally, we compared logistic regression and the Bayesian nomogram for T2D. The results of the analysis of the T2D data showed that the most influential factor among all attributes in the Bayesian nomogram was age group, and the highest risk factor for T2D incidence was cardiovascular disease. Dyslipidemia and hypertension also had significant impacts on T2D incidence while the effects of sex, smoking status, and employment status were relatively small compared to those of other variables. Using the proposed Bayesian nomogram, we can easily predict the incidence rate of T2D in an individual, and treatment plans can be established based on this information.     

Political discontent in South Korea

This paper examines the nature and sources of political discontent in South Korea, one of the most successful third-wave democracies in East Asia. The analysis of a recent national sample survey indicates that ordinary people are able to distinguish among regime principles, regime performance, and regime institutions, which constitute separate targets of political discontent. The analysis also indicates that sources of political discontent vary depending on its targets. Noteworthy is that official corruption is most consistently related to disbelief in democratic principles, democratic dissatisfaction, and institutional distrust. Furthermore, less free and fair elections are related to more democratic dissatisfaction and institutional distrust. The results suggest that the democracy in Korea confronts not only critical citizens but also disloyal citizens suspicious of democracy. The fact that institutional trust declined, democratic satisfaction ceased to grow, the view of democracy as a universal value weakened while desire for democracy remained high suggests that the new democracy in Korea faces considerable difficulty, if not a crisis.     

E-journal Management Systems

Abstract

Electronic journals are being added to library collections at exponential rates. Recent developments in e-journal management systems offer libraries a variety of solutions for enhancing the visibility and flexibility of their electronic journals. This article examines and compares Serials Solutions, JournalWebCite, TDNet, and Serials Cybrarian, four current e-journal management programs that create and integrate multiple lists of journal titles, regardless of format, into a single list. These systems can reduce or even eliminate common serials control problems for librarians. Readers will gain insights that will enable them to better understand and consider the value of an e-journal management system. Serials Review 2002; 28:176–194.     

The Marital Scales: Measurement of Intent,Attitudes, and Aspects Regarding Marital Relationships

Studies on marital relationships focus on intent to marry, global positive or negative attitudes toward marriage, and expectations for what married life will be like. There are currently no instruments capable of assessing all three of these areas. This study outlines the development and validation of the Marital Scales. One is designed to measure intent to marry (Intent to Marry Scale), another is for general attitudes toward marriage (General Attitudes Toward Marriage Scale), and the last scale measures expectations for marital relationships (Aspects of Marriage Scale). They are also designed to be applicable for any individual, regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. Results demonstrated excellent factor structure, and good internal reliability and construct validity for the instrument.