A note on the choice of the number of slices in sliced inverse regression

Sliced inverse regression (SIR) is a clever technique for reducing the dimension of the predictor in regression problems, thus avoiding the curse of dimensionality. There exist many contributions on various aspects of the performance of SIR. Up to now, few attention has been paid to the problem of choosing the number of slices within the SIR procedure appropriately. The aim of this paper is to show that especially the estimation of the reduced dimension can be strongly in?uenced by the chosen number of slices. --dimension reduction,estimation of dimension

Is there a Superior Distance Function for Matching in Small Samples?

The study contributes to the development of ’standards’ for the application of matching algorithms in empirical evaluation studies. The focus is on the first step of the matching procedure, the choice of an appropriate distance function. Supplementary o most former studies, the simulation is strongly based on empirical evaluation ituations. This reality orientation induces the focus on small samples. Furthermore, ariables with different scale levels must be considered explicitly in the matching rocess. The choice of the analysed distance functions is determined by the results of former theoretical studies and recommendations in the empirical literature. Thus, in the simulation, two balancing scores (the propensity score and the index score) and the Mahalanobis distance are considered. Additionally, aggregated statistical distance functions not yet used for empirical evaluation are included. The matching outcomes are compared using non-parametrical scale-specific tests for identical distributions of the characteristics in the treatment and the control groups. The simulation results show that, in small samples, aggregated statistical distance functions are the better choice for summarising similarities in differently scaled variables compared to the commonly used measures.distance functions, matching, microeconometric evaluation, propensity score, simulation

A Survey of Psychologists’ Attitudes Towards and Utilization of Exposure Therapy for PTSD

Although research supports the efficacy of exposure therapy for PTSD, some evidence suggests that exposure is under-utilized in general clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess licensed psychologists’ use of imaginal exposure for PTSD and to investigate perceived barriers to its implementation. A total of 852 psychologists from 3 states were randomly selected and surveyed. An additional 50 members of a trauma special interest group of a national behavior therapy organization were also surveyed. The main survey results indicate that a large majority of licensed doctoral level psychologists do not report use of exposure therapy to treat patients with PTSD. Although approximately half of the main study sample reported that they were at least somewhat familiar with exposure for PTSD, only a small minority used it to treat PTSD in their clinical practice. Even among psychologists with strong interest and training in behavioral treatment for PTSD, exposure therapy is not completely accepted or widely used. Clinicians also appear to perceive a significant number of barriers to implementing exposure

Steuerung Alt Entfernen / Re-boot Science

Wissen, Wissenssammlungen und Wissensordnungen haben sich im Laufe der Jahre verändert, ebenso wie die Wissensproduktion, die Schaffung neuen Wissens, die Wissenschaft selbst. Der Baum des Wissens, arbor porphyriana oder auch arbor scientiae war seit der Antike eine gültige Metapher und das Klassifikationsschema für die Struktur des Wissens, die epistemologische Ordnung. So lehnte auch Denis Diderot die Ordnung seiner berühmten Enzyklopädie an die Baumstruktur des Wissens von Francis Bacon an. (...

Neoliberal Economic, Social, and Spatial Restructuring: Valparaíso and Its Agricultural Hinterland

The analysis of the neoliberal restructuring of Chilean port cities and their hinterland suggests there was a functional coupling of neoliberalisation, precarisation, reterritorialisation, extraction, and logistics. To address this process properly, we expanded the boundaries of our analytical scale to include not only the port city, but also its hinterland, and be able to examine the flow of commodities and labour. The analysis demonstrated that the effects of neoliberal restructuring of Valparaíso and its hinterland has had interconnected ambivalent effects. Although social and economic restructuring of agricultural hinterland and port terminals in Chile increased land and port productivity and economic competitiveness, this pattern of capitalist modernisation benefitted neither the increasing masses of temporary precarious workers in the countryside nor port cities such as Valparaíso, marked by territorial inequality, socioecological damage, urban poverty, and a growing sense of closure of the littoral and reduced access to the ocean. These negative externalities and frictions have triggered local political controversies, commercial and economic disputes, labour strikes, and urban and socio-territorial conflicts

Specificity of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test in Social Phobia

The specificity of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test (SISST) was evaluated in sample of 277 patients seeking treatment for anxiety. Both the positive and negative scales significantly discriminated between patients diagnosed with social phobia and other anxiety disorder patients. Patients with social phobia scored significantly higher on the negative scale and significantly lower on the positive scale as compared with other treatment-seeking anxiety disorder patients. Negative SISST scores were significantly correlated with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The positive scale was significantly correlated with the BDI. Despite this relationship, differences in BAI and BDI scores did not account for SISST findings. The present study provides further support for the use of the SISST with clinical populations

Control of TRPM3 Ion Channels by Protein Kinase CK2-Mediated Phosphorylation in Pancreatic β-Cells of the Line INS-1

In pancreatic β-cells of the line INS-1, glucose uptake and metabolism induce the openings of Ca2+-permeable TRPM3 channels that contribute to the elevation of the intracellular Ca2+ concen tration and the fusion of insulin granules with the plasma membrane. Conversely, glucose-induced Ca2+ signals and insulin release are reduced by the activity of the serine/threonine kinase CK2. There fore, we hypothesized that TRPM3 channels might be regulated by CK2 phosphorylation. We used recombinant TRPM3α2 proteins, native TRPM3 proteins from INS-1 β-cells, and TRPM3-derived oligopeptides to analyze and localize CK2-dependent phosphorylation of TRPM3 channels. The func tional consequences of CK2 phosphorylation upon TRPM3-mediated Ca2+ entry were investigated in Fura-2 Ca2+-imaging experiments. Recombinant TRPM3α2 channels expressed in HEK293 cells displayed enhanced Ca2+ entry in the presence of the CK2 inhibitor CX-4945 and their activity was strongly reduced after CK2 overexpression. TRPM3α2 channels were phosphorylated by CK2 in vitro at serine residue 1172. Accordingly, a TRPM3α2 S1172A mutant displayed enhanced Ca2+ entry. The TRPM3-mediated Ca2+ entry in INS-1 β-cells was also strongly increased in the presence of CX-4945 and reduced after overexpression of CK2. Our study shows that CK2-mediated phosphorylation controls TRPM3 channel activity in INS-1 β-cells

Lokalisation von Proteinen in Kernmembranen mit der SDS-Gefrierbruch-Immunzytochemie

Diese Arbeit verfolgte das Ziel, mit Hilfe der Sodium Dodecyl Sulfat (SDS)-Gefrierbruch-Immunzytochemie neue Erkenntnisse über die Lokalisation von Proteinen (LAP2ß, Emerin, Caveolin-1, Adipophilin) in Kernmembranen zu gewinnen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass mit der SDS-Gefrierbruch-Immunzytochemie Unterschiede in der Verteilung von Proteinen in den Kernmembranen präzise lokalisiert werden können. Ferner kann die spezifische Membranhälfte eindeutig identifiziert werden, in der ein Protein integriert ist. Am Beispiel von Adipophilin konnte gezeigt werden, dass seine Kopplung an GFP zu einer Umverteilung und einer Umorientierung in den Kernmembranen von transfizierten Zellen führen kann. Insgesamt kann festgestellt werden, dass die SDS-Gefrierbruch-Immunzytochemie bei der Darstellung von Membranen allen bisherigen Methoden überlegen ist und zur Zeit die Methode der Wahl bei der Lokalisation von Membran-Proteinen in situ darstellt