Unobserved Heterogeneity in the Binary Logit Model with Cross-Sectional Data and Short Panels: A Finite Mixture Approach

This paper proposes a new approach to dealing with unobserved heterogeneity in applied research using the binary logit model with cross-sectional data and short panels. Unobserved heterogeneity is particularly important in non-linear regression models such as the binary logit model because, unlike in linear regression models, estimates of the effects of observed independent variables are biased even when omitted independent variables are uncorrelated with the observed independent variables. We propose an extension of the binary logit model based on a finite mixture approach in which we conceptualize the unobserved heterogeneity via latent classes. Simulation results show that our approach leads to considerably less bias in the estimated effects of the independent variables than the standard logit model. Furthermore, because identification of the unobserved heterogeneity is weak when the researcher has cross-sectional rather than panel data, we propose a simple approach that fixes latent class weights and improves identification and estimation. Finally, we illustrate the applicability of our new approach using Canadian survey data on public support for redistribution.binary logit model; unobserved heterogeneity; latent classes; simulation

Requisite Information Collaboration and Distributed Knowledge Management in Software Development

The paper suggests a framework advocating an integrated approach to software development stipulating the interconnection between Design, Organization and Business value networks (DOB). These three focus areas span collaborative development processes applying a range of facilitating tools, including distributed knowledge management product state models. The paper draws upon a series of discussion with Scandinavian IT Group (SIG). With an interest in how performance in their new organization develops SIG invited the research group to study measures of organizational performance and the use and effect of knowledge management tools in software development. The paper does not represent the viewpoint of SIG but outline our framework and major research questions. The paper is a research in progress contribution

Role of physiological ClC-1 Cl- ion channel regulation for the excitability and function of working skeletal muscle.

Electrical membrane properties of skeletal muscle fibers have been thoroughly studied over the last five to six decades. This has shown that muscle fibers from a wide range of species, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, are all characterized by high resting membrane permeability for Cl(-) ions. Thus, in resting human muscle, ClC-1 Cl(-) ion channels account for ∼80% of the membrane conductance, and because active Cl(-) transport is limited in muscle fibers, the equilibrium potential for Cl(-) lies close to the resting membrane potential. These conditions-high membrane conductance and passive distribution-enable ClC-1 to conduct membrane current that inhibits muscle excitability. This depressing effect of ClC-1 current on muscle excitability has mostly been associated with skeletal muscle hyperexcitability in myotonia congenita, which arises from loss-of-function mutations in the CLCN1 gene. However, given that ClC-1 must be drastically inhibited (∼80%) before myotonia develops, more recent studies have explored whether acute and more subtle ClC-1 regulation contributes to controlling the excitability of working muscle. Methods were developed to measure ClC-1 function with subsecond temporal resolution in action potential firing muscle fibers. These and other techniques have revealed that ClC-1 function is controlled by multiple cellular signals during muscle activity. Thus, onset of muscle activity triggers ClC-1 inhibition via protein kinase C, intracellular acidosis, and lactate ions. This inhibition is important for preserving excitability of working muscle in the face of activity-induced elevation of extracellular K(+) and accumulating inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. Furthermore, during prolonged activity, a marked ClC-1 activation can develop that compromises muscle excitability. Data from ClC-1 expression systems suggest that this ClC-1 activation may arise from loss of regulation by adenosine nucleotides and/or oxidation. The present review summarizes the current knowledge of the physiological factors that control ClC-1 function in active muscle

Open Source Software Acquisition: Beyond the Business Case

Lately we have seen a growing interest from both public and private organisations to adopt Open Source Software (OSS), not only for a few, specific applications but also on a more general level throughout the organisation. As a consequence, the organisations’ decisions on adoption of OSS are becoming increasingly more important and complex. We present three perspectives organisations can employ in their decisions: seeing OSS acquisition as a business case, as COTS acquisition, and as architectural change within a governance framework. We present case studies of decisions on OSS adoption, and categorise the decision criteria we have found. Our results indicate that for large-scale adoption of OSS, focus will be on architectural considerations: enterprise-wide architectures will at first be a barrier, but in the long term OSS’s support of open standards can be a major enabler for OSS adoption. In contrast, in smaller organisations and in small-scale adoption of OSS, the cheap price of OSS is a major enabler, as it provides a good opportunity for experiments and short-term economic benefits. For small organisations these experiments can lead to development of a common IT-architecture, and in larger organisations OSS can be adopted in niche-areas, without significantly violating an existing IT-architecture

Shia-muslimske ritualer blandt irakiske kvinder i København

Migration påvirker ofte, hvordan migranter praktiserer og fortolker deres religion. Denne artikel undersøger, hvordan en gruppe irakiske kvinders shia-muslimske ritualer i København bliver præget af den danske samfundskontekst. Udførelsen af ritualer et nyt sted og i nye sociale sammenhænge giver både begrænsninger og muligheder i forhold til at genskabe religiøse traditioner. Artiklen viser, at selvom de shia-muslimske ritualer på mange måder symboliserer de irakiske kvinders fortsatte tilknytning til Irak, er de også i høj grad præget af kvindernes hverdagsliv og sociale position i det danske samfund. Dette peger på betydningen af at inddrage den lokale samfundskontekst i analysen af minoritetsgruppers religiøse aktiviteter. Artiklen er baseret på 15 måneders feltarbejde blandt irakiske kvinder og deres familier i København

«Stillhet om manndommen». Pasienters erfaringer med antihormonell behandling

Videreutdanning i kreftsykepleieInnledning: Pasienter med prostatakreft mottar ofte ADT behandling for å hindre testiklene i å tilføre kroppen testosteron, med mål om sykdomskontroll eller kurasjon. Dette kan gi plagsomme bivirkninger for mannen, og kan påvirke deres seksuelle helse. Hensikten med litteraturstudien er å undersøke hvilke utfordringer som møtes, og hvilke tiltak som kan hjelpe pasienter med å håndtere endringene. Problemstilling: Hvilke erfaringer knyttet til seksuell helse opplever prostatakreftpasienter som mottar ADT behandling? Metode: Litteraturstudie med systematiske søk i anerkjente helsefaglige databaser som CINAHL, Medline og Pubmed. Ulike søkeord og kombinasjoner ble brukt, emneord ble tilpasset de ulike databasene. Artiklene ble analysert, og systematisert ut fra resultater, nøkkelfunn og temaer. Funn ble diskutert. Resultat: Åtte artikler ble inkludert i litteraturstudien. Artiklene ga oversikt over ulike bivirkninger pasienter opplever fysisk og emosjonelt og hvorvidt dette påvirket pasientene. Kunnskap om behandling og bivirkninger av ADT var lav sammenlignet med annen behandling til prostatakreft. Holdninger relatert til seksuell helse virker å være en bidragsyter til mangelfull kunnskap og kommunikasjon. Resultatene ble delt inn i tre hovedtema: 1) holdninger relatert til seksuell helse, 2) fysiske og emosjonelle endringer, 3) kunnskap, informasjon og kommunikasjon. Konklusjon: Pasienter som mottar ADT behandling opplever mangel på informasjon og kunnskap, hvilket gjør det utfordrende å håndtere bivirkninger som måtte oppstå. Økt initiativ og kunnskap fra helsepersonell kan bidra til økt forståelse og mestring av plagsomme opplevelser

Store og små fortællinger: Ritual og fællesskab blandt irakiske kvinder i København

Inden for den antropologiske migrationsforskning har studier af fællesskab primært beskæftiget sig med fællesskaber relateret til migranternes nationale, religiøse eller politiske identiteter. Det er dog vigtigt også at inddrage de konkrete, sociale relationer, der opstår mellem migranterne det sted, hvor de bor. Denne artikel diskuterer, hvordan shia-muslimske irakiske kvinder i København igennemderes religiøse aktiviteter skaber forskellige former for fællesskab. Med udgangspunkt i en analyse af kalenderritualet muharram undersøger den, hvordan kvinderne i selve ritualet relaterer sig til religiøse og nationale fællesskaber, og hvorledes kvindernes øvrige sociale samvær kan lede til mere konkrete fællesskaber, der dog også har deres begrænsninger.Great and Small Stories: Ritual and Community among Iraqi Women in CopenhagenAnthropological research on migration has primarily studied the topic of community in relation to migrants' national, religious, or political identities. Yet, it is important to also explore the concrete, social relations that develop among imigrants at the place where they are currently living. This article investigates how Shia Muslim Iraqi women in Copenhagen use religious rituals and stories to construct different kinds of community. Based on an analysis of the calendrical rite of Muharram, it examines the ways in which the women through the ritualrelate to abstract communities drawing on their religious and national identities. It also explores how women's other social interactions may lead to more concretecommunities that are based on shared presence, activities, and the exchange of gossip and personal stories. The religious milieu gains its importance because women can negotiate their sense of belonging in relation to both their socio-culturalbackground and their everyday lives as part of an ethnic minority in Denmark. Nevertheless, the sense of community constructed among women does not necessarily extend outside of the religious activities. The article argues that it is necessary to thoroughly examine the sometimes contingent forms of community and belonging constructed among ethnic minorities rather than taking for granted that such communities exist on the basis of people's shared point of origin