Working group 3: What are and how do we measure the pros and cons of existing approaches?

WG3 discussed both the pros and cons of existing schemes as well as metrics to measure relative advantages and disadvantages. We first provide a list of the current operational techniques and their respective advantages and disadvantages that were discussed in the WG. We do not claim that the list is complete, and we note that the pros and cons are neither exhaustive nor quantitative. Nevertheless, it may be useful to note the WG’s consensus on the general advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly-used schemes. We then list our recommendations for evaluating model uncertainty schemes. At the end is a short list pertaining to recommendations for further development of methods to represent model uncertainty

Family Business Restructuring:A Review and Research Agenda

Although business restructuring occurs frequently and it is important for the prosperity of family firms across generations, research on family firms has largely evolved separately from research on business restructuring. This is a missed opportunity, since the two domains are complementary, and understanding the context, process, content, and outcome dimensions is relevant to both research streams. We address this by examining the intersection between research on business restructuring and family firms to improve our knowledge of each area and inform future research. To achieve this goal, we review and organize research across different dimensions to create an integrative framework. Building on current research, we focus on 88 studies at the intersection of family firm and business restructuring research to develop a model that identifies research needs and suggests directions for future research

Long-term healthcare provider availability following large-scale hurricanes: A difference-in-differences study.

BackgroundHurricanes Katrina and Sandy were two of the most significant disasters of the 21st century that critically impacted communities and the health of their residents. Despite the assumption that disasters affect access to healthcare, to our knowledge prior studies have not rigorously examined availability of healthcare providers following disasters.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine availability of healthcare providers following large-scale hurricanes.MethodsUsing historical data on healthcare providers from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System and county-level population characteristics, we conducted a quasi-experimental study to examine the effect of large-scale hurricanes on healthcare provider availability in the short-term and long-term. We separately examined availability of primary care physicians, medical specialists, surgeons, and nurse practitioners. A difference-in-differences analysis was used to control for time variant factors comparing county-level health care provider availability in affected and unaffected counties the year before Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, to five years after each storm.ResultsCounties affected by Hurricane Katrina compared to unaffected locales experienced a decrease of 3.59 primary care physicians per 10,000 population (95% CI: -6.5, -0.7), medical specialists (decrease of 5.9 providers per 10,000 (95% CI: -11.3, -0.5)), and surgeons (decrease of 2.1 (95% CI: -3.8, -0.37)). However, availability of nurse practitioners did not change appreciably. Counties affected by Hurricane Sandy exhibited less pronounced changes. Changes in availability of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, medical specialists, and surgeons were not statistically significant.ConclusionLarge-scale hurricanes appear to affect availability of healthcare providers for up to several years following impact of the storm. Effects vary depending on the characteristics of the community. Primary care physicians and medical specialists availability was the most impacted, potentially having long-term implications for population health in the context of disaster recovery

Hodgkin's lymphoma in Chinese migrants to British Columbia: A 25-year survey

Background: Compared with the West, Hodgkin's lymphoma in Oriental countries is characterized by a lower incidence rate and a higher proportion of mixed cellularity histology. Both environmental and genetic factors may be involved. Patients and methods: The incidence and pattern of pathology of Hodgkin's lymphoma in the migrant Chinese population (0.4 million) in British Columbia (population 3.2 million) were studied. From a computerized database, all Hodgkin's lymphoma cases diagnosed in British Columbia from 1970 to 1997 were identified. Chinese descent was determined using patient surname by standard methodology and verified from the treatment record or by patient interview. The corresponding figures from the Chinese population in Hong Kong were used for comparison. For incidence rates, the age-specific incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma in Hong Kong was obtained from the government cancer registry. For comparison of histology subtypes, 200 Hodgkin's lymphoma records from a Hong Kong regional referral center for the same time period were reviewed. Crude and age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by 5-year intervals in terms of age and calendar year, and relative rates were compared between the three populations. Results: From 1970 to 1997, Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed in 34 Chinese patients in BC, with 24 cases diagnosed from 1970 to 1994. Thus, the crude and age-adjusted incidence rates from 1970 to 1994 were 0.91 and 1.14 per 100 000 per year in the British Columbia Chinese migrant population. Within the same period, 1862 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma were diagnosed in British Columbia, giving a provincial background crude and age-adjusted incidence rates of 5.2 and 4.87 per 100 000 per year. The number of cases in the Hong Kong Chinese population (1970-1994) was 404, giving crude and age-adjusted incidence rates of 0.32 and 0.31 per 100 000 per year, respectively. Corrected for age and calendar year trends, the observed 25-year incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma in British Columbia Chinese was significantly lower than expected from the British Columbia background population [24 observed versus 71 expected cases; standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 0.34; 90% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.48; P <0.0001]. On the other hand, it is higher than that expected by extrapolating from the Hong Kong Chinese population (24 observed versus 8.5 expected cases; SIR = 2.81; 90% CI 1.94-3.95; P <0.0001). The difference is mainly accounted for by young patients with nodular sclerosis type disease in the migrant population. Conclusions: Although any conclusion about the impact of migration on Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence and types in the Chinese population must be considered tentative due to the small number of observed cases and confounding variables such as age, changing diagnostic standards and secular trends in Hodgkin's lymphoma rates, our data demonstrate a tendency for the Chinese population of British Columbia to take on a Western pattern of Hodgkin's lymphoma. This observation provides additional evidence that both genetic and environmental influences play a role in the pathogenesis of this lymphoma, and that environmental factors can exert their influence over a relatively short period of time. © 2004 European Society for Medical Oncology.link_to_OA_fulltex

Modulation of cancer cell survival pathways using multivalent liposomal therapeutic antibody constructs

10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-06-0159Molecular Cancer Therapeutics63844-855MCTO