Effectiveness of Monetary Incentives: Mail Surveys to Members of Multinational Professional Groups

Members of professional groups were much more likely to respond to a mail survey than nonmembers who were also experts in the area (43.7% versus 13.7%). A one-dollar (U.S.) prepaid monetary incentive increased the response rates, and it was as effective for members as for nonmembers (gains of 18.6% and 15.3%, respectively). Surprisingly, the U.S. dollar monetary incentive had a greater effect on foreign than U.S. response rates (gains of 32.6% and 12.9%, respectively).monetary incentives, marketing

Evaluation of a Phosphate Management Protocol to Achieve Optimum Serum Phosphate Levels in Hemodialysis Patients

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10512276 Copyright National Kidney Foundation, Inc. DOI: 10.1053/j.jrn.2008.05.003To evaluate the effectiveness of a protocol designed to optimize serum phosphate levels in patients undergoing regular hemodialysis (HD).Peer reviewe

Beyond Accuracy: Comparison of Criteria Used to Select Forecasting Methods

Two studies were conducted to examine expert opinions of criteria used to select forecasting techniques. In Study One, while accuracy was a dominant criterion, the ratings of five of thirteen criteria varied by the role of the forecaster. Researchers rated accuracy relatively higher than did practitioners, educators or decision-makers. Decision makers rated implementation-related criteria, such as ease criteria, relatively higher than the other groups. In Study Two, forecasting experts significantly varied their ratings on six of seven criteria according to situations. Other criteria were often as important or more important than accuracy, especially when the situation involved making many forecasts. In general, there was much agreement across roles and across situations that accuracy was the most important criterion, but other criteria were rated as being almost as important. In particular, factors related to implementation, such as ease of interpretation and ease of use, were highly rated

The New Settlement Tools

By protecting the right to a jury, the state and federal constitutions recognize the fundamental value of having civil and criminal disputes resolved by laypersons. Actual trials, however, are relatively rare, in part because parties seek to avoid the risks and cost of trials and courts seek to clear dockets efficiently. But as desirable as settlement may be, it can be a difficult way to resolve a dispute. Parties view their cases from different perspectives, and these perspectives often cause both sides to be overly optimistic and to expect unreasonably large or unreasonably small resolutions. This article describes a novel method of incorporating layperson perspectives to provide parties with more accurate information about the value of a case: We suggest that parties work with mediators or settlement judges to create mini-trials and recruit hundreds of online mock jurors to render decisions. By applying modern statistical techniques to these results, the mediators could show the parties the likelihood of possible outcomes and collect qualitative information about strengths and weaknesses for each side. These data will better inform the parties’ views and should thereby facilitate settlement

Effectiveness of Monetary Incentives: Mail Surveys to Members of Multinational Professional Groups

Members of professional groups were much more likely to respond to a mail survey than nonmembers who were also experts in the area (43.7% versus 13.7%). A one-dollar (U.S.)prepaid monetary incentive increased the response rates, and it was as effective for members as for nonmembers (gains of 18.6% and 15.3%, respectively). Surprisingly, the U.S. dollar monetary incentive had a greater effect on foreign than U.S. response rates (gains of 32.6% and 12.9%, respectively)

Aging, Immigration & Carework: A Literary Approach to Teaching Gerontology

This paper describes the use of a novel from the 1980s, Kate Quinton’s Days which documents an Irish immigrant’s challenges related to health, finances, housing, and the complex navigation of a fragmented health care system and social services, as a pedagogical tool in the classroom. The objectives were to bring to light to the topic of aging in the context of issues related to the experience of care work, immigration, and long-term care in later life. The authors describe the integration of a variety of pedagogical tools and the professor’s guided learning process a way to assist in informing students’ on the challenges that older persons and their care partners face as they attempt to navigate the landscape of care and identity . Reflections from the undergraduate gerontology students are highlighted, including how students were able to connect with the narrative of the protagonist, Kate Quinton, through her journey. Keywords: immigration, carework, aging, learning through literature DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/65-06 Publication date: February 29th 202

Potential Diffusion of Expert Systems in Forecasting

We drew upon findings from the diffusion literature to assess the prospects for the diffusion of expert systems in forecasting. Forecasters judged potential adoption of expert systems in relation to two techniques that had been widely adopted in the past, Box-Jenkins and scenarios. They also rated each technique on seven innovation characteristics: relative advantage, compatibility, divisibility, communicability, complexity, product risks, and psychological risks. The respondents were classified by four forecaster roles: researcher, educator, practitioner, and decision maker. In general, the expected probabilities of adoption for expert systems were slightly higher than for the two other techniques. Additionally, the respondents rated expert systems nearly equivalent to Box-Jenkins and scenarios on relative advantage and communicability. In relating the probabilities of adoption to the characteristic ratings, the groups perceived significant negative psychological and product risks with expert systems. However the experts, especially practitioners and decision makers, rated expert systems positive on compatibility, divisibility, and communicability, so it may be desirable to ensure that these positive traits are stressed with potential adopters, especially researchers and educators. © 2001 Elsevier Science In

Eating Disorder Prevention: Current Evidence-Base and Future Directions

Objective This narrative review sought to (a) characterize prevention programs that have produced reliable, reproducible, and clinically meaningful effects in efficacy trials, (b) discuss effectiveness trials that have tested whether prevention programs produce intervention effects under ecologically valid real-world conditions, (c) discuss dissemination efforts and research on dissemination, and (d) offer suggestions regarding directions for future research in this field. Conclusion A literature revealed that 6 prevention programs have produced significant reductions in eating disorder symptoms through at least 6-month follow-up and that 2 have significantly reduced future eating disorder onset. Effectiveness trials indicate that 2 prevention programs have produced effects under ecologically valid conditions that are only slightly attenuated. Although there have been few dissemination efforts, evidence suggests that a community participatory approach is most effective. Lastly, it would be useful to develop programs that produce larger and more persistent reductions in eating disorder symptoms and eating disorder onset, focus more on effectiveness trials that confirm that prevention programs produce clinically meaningful effects under real-world conditions, conduct meditational, mechanisms of action, and moderator research that provides stronger support for the intervention theory of prevention programs, and investigate the optimal methods of disseminating and implementing evidence-based prevention programs