Income inequality and opinion expression gap in the American public: an analysis of policy priorities

Past scholarship has documented that the poor are more likely to withhold their policy preferences in public opinion surveys, suggesting income gaps in political engagement. Despite the wealth of scholarly interest in opinion formation, however, previous studies focused almost exclusively on opinion gaps in preferences, leaving income-related gaps in policy prioritisation virtually unexamined. Drawing on 596 public opinion surveys conducted with nearly 700,000 Americans over 55 years, we make a comprehensive attempt to examine income-level differences in “don’t know” responses to the most important problem (MIP) question. Our results show that the less affluent are more likely to say “don’t know” when asked about the MIP facing their country, even after controlling for various factors including educational attainment and political attention. Importantly, we also show that income-related differences in opinionation cross cut other socio-economic differences in policy prioritisation. These results have important implications for the study of public opinion.publishedVersio

Agenda dynamics and policy priorities in military regimes

Despite the policy-relevant aspirations of military regimes, scholars have shown surprisingly little interest in exploring the agenda dynamics and policy processes in these regimes. We sought to close this gap by analysing the original datasets of over 13,000 legislative speeches, public budgets, and the background characteristics of 160 representatives who served in the Consultative Assembly of the military regime of Kenan Evren in Turkey (1980–1983). Empirical analyses indicate that the regime’s policy priorities did not differ significantly from those of democratic governments, and that while representatives with military backgrounds showed far more interest in the core functions of the government, the process through which they were selected (whether or not directly appointed by the National Security Council) appeared to have no explanatory power. Perhaps more importantly, there were more similarities than differences between the military regime of Kenan Evren and the coalition, minority and majority governments of the 1970s and 1980s. Our findings imply that the effect of institutions on policy agendas is overstated.publishedVersio

Nonlinearity and Smooth Breaks in Unit Root Testing

We develop unit root tests that allow under the alternative hypothesis for a smooth transition between deterministic linear trends, around which stationary asymmetric adjustment may occur by employing exponential smooth transition auto-regressive (ESTAR) models The small sample properties of the newly developed test are briefly investigated and an application for investigating the PPP hypothesis for Argentina is provided

Nonlinearity and Smooth Breaks in Unit Root Testing

We develop unit root tests that allow under the alternative hypothesis for a smooth transition between deterministic linear trends, around which stationary asymmetric adjustment may occur by employing exponential smooth transition auto-regressive (ESTAR) models The small sample properties of the newly developed test are briefly investigated and an application for investigating the PPP hypothesis for Argentina is provided

Location of posterior superior alveolar artery and evaluation of maxillary sinus anatomy with computerized tomography: a clinical study

Objectives: Knowledge and evaluation of the maxillary sinus anatomy before sinus augmentation are essential for avoiding surgical complications. Posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) is the branch of maxillary artery that supplies lateral sinus wall and overlying membrane. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence, diameter, and location of the PSAA and its relationship to the alveolar ridge and to study the prevalence of the sinus pathology and septum using computerized tomography (CT) scans. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty‐one CT scans (242 sinuses) from patients undergoing sinus augmentation procedure and/or implant therapy were included. Lower border of the artery to the alveolar crest, bone height below the sinus floor to the ridge crest, distance of the artery to the medial sinus wall, diameter of the artery, and position of the artery were measured; presence of septa and pathology were recorded from CT sections. Results: Prevalence of sinus septa and sinus pathology was 16.1% and 24.8%, respectively. Artery was seen in 64.5% of all sinuses and was mostly intraosseous (68.2%). Mean diameter of PSAA was found 1.3 ± 0.5 mm. No significant correlation between the diameter of the artery and age was observed. Conclusions: The results from this study suggested that CT scan is a valuable tool in evaluating presence of sinus pathology, septa, and arteries before maxillary sinus surgery. Although variations exist in every patient, the findings from this study suggest limiting the superior border of the lateral window up to 18 mm from the ridge to avoid any potential vascular damage. To cite this article: Güncü GN, Yildirim YD, Wang H‐L, Tözüm TF. Location of posterior superior alveolar artery and evaluation of maxillary sinus anatomy with computerized tomography: a clinical study. Clin. Oral Impl. Res . 22 , 2011; 1164–1167. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐0501.2010.02071.xPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86838/1/j.1600-0501.2010.02071.x.pd

Is the use of videotape recording superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent times, medical schools have committed to developing good communication and history taking skills in students. However, there remains an unresolved question as to which constitutes the best educational method. Our study aims to investigate whether the use of videotape recording is superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills and the role of student self-assessment on history taking and communication skills.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized controlled trial was designed. The study was conducted with 52 of the Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine second year students. All students' performances of communication and history taking skills were assessed twice. Between these assessments, the study group had received both verbal and visual feedback by watching their video recordings on patient interview; the control group received only verbal feedback from the teacher.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although the self-assessment of the students did not change significantly, assessors' ratings increased significantly for videotaped interviews at the second time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Feedback based on videotaped interviews is superior to the feedback given solely based on the observation of assessors.</p

Global Confusion On The Diagnostic Criteria For Metabolic Syndrome: What Is The Point That Guidelines Can Not Agree?

Several international and national associations have proposed their own diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome. Regarding the heterogeneity of these guidelines, some authors refused the usage of metabolic syndrome definition. Here we aimed to analyze the differences between the diagnostic criteria proposed for metabolic syndrome. We reviewed and compared these different guidelines' criteria. We conclude that, despite the heterogeneity, there is a conceptual agreement on the definition of metabolic syndrome. But cut-off values and selection of diagnostic parameters are still conflicting. Diagnostic or definitive components of the syndrome (i.e., obesity, insulin resistance) should be considered separately from the associated-conditions (i.e., polycystic ovary, obstructive sleep apnea, microalbuminuria, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis etc.) of metabolic syndrome, during the course of diagnosis. Maintenance of the metabolic syndrome as a diagnostic category would still seem to be useful for an effective multiple cardiovascular risk prediction.Wo