Black-White Differentials in Adult Homicide Mortality in the United States

Objective . This article examines individual level black-white differences in adult homicide mortality. Homicide is a major social problem and a central cause of preventable death in the United States. A homicide not only claims one life prematurely but can also devastate a family, friends, and a neighboring community. Methods . We link eight consecutive years of the National Health Interview Survey (1987–94) to the Multiple Cause of Death file through the National Death Index (1987–97), and use Cox proportional hazard models to examine the role of social factors in black-white homicide mortality in the United States. Results . We find that individual level sociodemographic characteristics—age, sex, marital status, education, employment status, and geographic factors—explain almost 35 percent of the racial differences in homicide mortality. Conclusions . These results demonstrate the contributions that National Center for Health Statistics data can make to criminological literature and reveal the mechanisms through which blacks experience higher homicide mortality than whites. Such illumination may lead to a reduction in the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States.     

On uniform approximation of Poisson variates by normal ones

In this paper the accuracy of the normal approximation to the Poisson is treated from the viewpoint of direct approximation of Poisson variables by normal ones. The conclusions that are derived on the accuracy of this approximation lead (among others) to very useful results on confidence limits for the mean of a linear combination of independent Poisson variables; these latter are employed in precise determination of the composition of a mixture of radioactive isotopes by means of a scintillation counter.     

Researching Chinese Cultural Understandings of Marriage via Similes and Metaphors on the World Wide Web

In an attempt to understand how changes in the societal context of Chinese marriage are reflected in Chinese cultural understandings of marriage, we explore Chinese similes and metaphors for marriage posted on the World Wide Web. Seven themes were found: You will have to decide whether a marriage will work for you, marriage is not about romantic love, marriage is bitter and sweet at the same time, marriage is strong and real, you must work at a marriage, marriage is risky, and marriage is not always taken seriously. The themes give a picture of cultural meanings for marriage in China that reflect more traditional ideas and such recent changes as the move to greater freedom of choice of spouse and greater ease of divorce. The themes provide cultural understandings both by characterizing contemporary marriage and by capturing advice about how to find a partner and make a marriage work.     

Statistical Design for Sampling and Analysis of Animal Populations for Chemical Contamination

A strategy for sampling of animal tissues and a statistical approach for analyzing data on body burdens of a parent chemical and its metabolites is presented such that the data may be evaluated in relation to the detection limit(s)of the analytical techniques used and the criterion levels established for acceptable tissue concentrations.     

The business of education: a new paradigm

Business as usual is not the answer these days. But how do you create a new paradigm for academic educational and research endeavors? There is increasing pressure to separate the costs of providing care to patients from those of educating students and residents. It is evident already that we will not enjoy the flexibility of the past to cross-subsidize the academic effort. Presented here is a case study--a joint venture between Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel HealthCare created to sustain the academic mission, as distinct from its clinical business, and promote innovation in medical education and research through intellectual leadership, dedicated state-of-the-art facilities, and a focused development effort.     

Reviews

Abstract

Trina Boukin Nolen reviews Dancing with Digital Natives, Stephanie Rosenblatt reviews The Embedded Librarian and Sarah D. Tusa reviews Collection Development in the Digital Age.     

A Descriptive Study of Home Modifications for People with Dementia and Barriers to Implementation

This study describes home environmental features, safety issues, and health-related modifications in a community dwelling sample of 82 elderly people with dementia. Main barriers to the accessibility of the homes were steps both inside and outside the home. The majority of the caregivers had made home modifications that pertained mainly to physical limitations. Home modifications to support cognitive deficits were made to a lesser extent. The main barrier to the implementation of home modifications to accommodate the care recipient's memory loss was skepticism about their usefulness. Regarding the removal of physical barriers, financial constraints were most frequently mentioned.