Robust Tests for Treatment Effects Based on Censored Recurrent Event Data Observed over Multiple Periods

We derive semiparametric methods for estimating and testing treatment effects when censored recurrent event data are available over multiple periods. These methods are based on estimating functions motivated by a working “mixed-Poisson” assumption under which conditioning can eliminate subject-specific random effects. Robust pseudoscore test statistics are obtained via “sandwich” variance estimation. The relative efficiency of conditional versus marginal analyses is assessed analytically under a mixed time-homogeneous Poisson model. The robustness and empirical power of the semiparametric approach are assessed through simulation. Adaptations to handle recurrent events arising in crossover trials are described and these methods are applied to data from a two-period crossover trial of patients with bronchial asthma.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65405/1/j.1541-0420.2005.00357.x.pd

Images of Women in Abdelhak Serhane\u27s Le Soliel des Obscurs

Current trends in North African francophone literature include a movement towards the exploration of alienation and exile, most often in the form of novels written about Maghrebian immigrants in Europe. Yet this alienation exists within the North African context as well, and it is possible to feel alienated and exiled, as well as marginalized, within one\u27s homeland. This question is explored by Moroccan francophone author Abdelhak Serhane in his novel, Le Soleil des obscurs, which is the focus of this study. The purpose of the research is to examine the four principle female characters in the novel and relate them to the male protagonist. First, an overview of North African francophone literature is presented to provide framework for the novel. Then, a variety of current sociological and anthropological materials are reviewed to synthesize the background for an understanding of the novel\u27s social context. In order to give substance to the themes of alienation and exile, two short stories are briefly examined: Leila Sebbar\u27s Les Carnets de Sherazade, and Andree Chedid\u27s La Soudanaise. The majority of the study focuses on Le Soleil des obscurs. The research is divided into two parts: the female protagonists and the male protagonist. Lalla Ai cha, Lalla Batoul, Aouicha, and Mina are the central female characters. Each is examined at length, and their respective roles and attributes are discussed in terms of Moroccan society and culture. All four women are oppressed to different degrees; Mina and Aouicha remain marginalized from the norm by their actions. Soltane, the male protagonist, gradually reveals alienation and failure when related to the women. Serhane successfully portrays a society in which individuals are marginalized and oppressed by traditional mores and roles. Although pessimistic in subject, the novel itself brings hope, as Serhane unveils the conflict of marginality. He does not suggest any concrete solutions, yet the fact that he explores this conflict yields optimism, and his work can serve to awaken humanity to the problems associated with a society in which many of its rural members are alienated

Parallels in Practice: Applying Principles of Research Integrity and Ethics in Domestic Violence Fatality Review (DVFR)

Purpose Within the context of the big data society, new systems of data collection on domestic violence and abuse (DVA) have emerged. One such system is Domestic Violence Fatality Review (DVFR) which captures the various dimensions of gender, violence, and abuse required to form an evidence base for prevention. However, to date, there has been limited dialogue between practitioners and researchers about the ‘doing’ of DVFRs. Method As DVFR systems vary by jurisdiction, we conducted a case study of Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) in England and Wales. Applying the Research Integrity Framework (RIF) developed by the four Women’s Aid Federations in the United Kingdom (UK), this article examines both the practice of DHR and how it is utilised as data in research. Results Informed by our situated perspectives as researchers and/or practitioners working in the field, our analysis demonstrates how undertaking DHR as a practitioner parallels collecting, accessing, and analysing data from DHRs as a researcher. Guiding principles are identified to help practitioners and researchers navigate the parallel challenges they confront and, critically, inform dialogue between practice and research. Conclusions Implications for both professional practice and research are presented. To increase transparency and confidence, we argue that more attention should be afforded to the methodological and ethical issues inherent in both the practice of DHRs, and their utilisation as a source of data in research. While DHRs have differences to DVFRs in other jurisdictions, these findings also have implications for these other systems which will also be discussed

Senior Recital: Katherine Cook, clarinet

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Ms. Cook studies clarinet with John Warren.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1518/thumbnail.jp

The multiple burdens of zoonoses in low- and middle-income countries: why zoonoses are worse for the poor

Poor people have greater exposure to zoonoses through livestock keeping; living in agricultural communities; greater exposure to peri-domestic and wild animals; and less access to clean water and sanitation. Although their consumption of animal source products is low, the quality of these products is poor. In addition to human health burdens, zoonoses reduce livestock productivity and are important barriers to trade in livestock products, as well as causing more difficulty to quantify harms such as spillover to wildlife populations. These additional impacts also contribute to poverty in developing countries. However, the relation between poverty and zoonoses is complicated. Assessing the impacts of zoonoses helps prioritize management. Among the most important zoonoses in developing countries are leptospirosis, cysticercosis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and rabies and zoonoses causing foodborne disease. The COVID-19 pandemic also showed how lack of resilience leads to greater vulnerability of poor people to emerging zoonoses of high economic impact. Investment and innovation are urgently needed to tackle zoonoses in developing countries where they currently impose massive burdens on human, animal, and ecosystem health

Alterations to the Gastrointestinal Microbiome Associated with Methamphetamine Use among Young Men who have Sex with Men.

Methamphetamine (MA) use is a major public health problem in the United States, especially among people living with HIV (PLWH). Many MA-induced neurotoxic effects are mediated by inflammation and gut microbiota may play a role in this process, yet the effects of MA on the microbiome have not been adequately explored. Therefore, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on rectal swab samples from 381 men who have sex with men, 48% of whom were PLWH and 41% of whom used MA. We compared microbiome composition between MA users and non-users while testing for potential interactions with HIV and controlling for numerous confounders using inverse probability of treatment weighting. We found that MA use explained significant variation in overall composition (R2 = 0.005, p = 0.008) and was associated with elevated Finegoldia, Parvimonas, Peptoniphilus, and Porphyromonas and reduced Butyricicoccus and Faecalibacterium, among others. Genera including Actinomyces and Streptobacillus interacted with HIV status, such that they were increased in HIV+ MA users. Finegoldia and Peptoniphilus increased with increasing frequency of MA use, among others. In summary, MA use was associated with a microbial imbalance favoring pro-inflammatory bacteria, including some with neuroactive potential and others that have previously been associated with poor HIV outcomes

Mapping Alternative Impact: Alternative approaches to impact from co-produced research

No abstract available

The Sword and The Screen: The Japanese Period Film 1915-1960

“The Sword And The Screen: The Japanese Period Film 1915-1960” was a groundbreaking collaboration between the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University and the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, marking the first time Japan’s national film archive had co-sponsored an event with a foreign university. The film series presented rare Japanese samurai films from the collection of the National Film Center, highlighting the abundant variety of Japan\u27s most famous film genre. There are social critiques, melodramas, comedies, ghost films and even musicals, directed by some of the masters of Japanese cinema who, in part because they worked in popular cinema, have rarely been presented abroad. The event, which took place over a period of four weeks in January and February 2012, culminated with a symposium featuring such scholars as David Desser (Emeritus, University of Illinois) and Itakura Fumiaki (Curator, National Film Center, Tokyo). In conjunction with the series, the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University produced a pamphlet that features introductions to each of the twelve films shown, as well as critical overviews of the genre penned by Desser and Itakura. The publication was produced by the graduate students in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale under the supervision of Professor Aaron Gerow (East Asian Languages and Literatures; Film and Media Studies), and provides a detailed and enlightening introduction to one of the major streams of Japanese cinema.The film series was also supported by the Whitney Humanities Center, the Film Studies Center, and the Film Studies Program at Yale University