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Now that people on mobile devices can easily choose their mode of communication (e.g., voice, text, video), survey designers can potentially allow respondents to answer questions in whatever mode they find momentarily convenient given their circumstances or that they chronically prefer. We conducted an experiment to explore how mode choice affects response quality, participation, and satisfaction in smartphone interviews. A total of 1,260 iPhone users were contacted on their iPhones by either a human or an automated interviewer via voice or SMS text. This created four modes: Human Voice, Human Text, Automated Voice, and Automated Text. In half of the initial contacts, respondents were required to choose their interview mode (which could be the contact mode); in the remaining half, the mode was simply assigned. Respondents who chose their interview modes provided more conscientious (fewer rounded and non-differentiated) answers, and they reported greater satisfaction with the interview. Although fewer respondents started the interview when given a choice of mode, a higher percentage of Mode Choice respondents who started the interview completed it. For certain mode transitions (e.g., from automated interview modes), there was no reduction in participation. The results demonstrate clear benefits and relatively few drawbacks resulting from mode choice, at least among these modes and with this sample of iPhone users, suggesting that further exploration of mode choice and the logistics of its implementation is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent does variation in political culture influence the number and types of corruption issues arising in U.S. states? Drawing upon Daniel Elazar's enduring typology of American political subcultures and using a new news-based measure of corruption issues, we find that political culture remains a "sticky" deep determinant of the distribution of corruption issues across states. Unlike previous empirical studies we do not treat political culture as a set of consensus values, but rather emphasize tensions that can arise when multiple political cultures coexist in a state. Our findings are of interest not only with respect to the enduring role of culture itself, but also in terms of how it might help us understand the growing number of actions that are legal, yet still seen by many as corrupt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the preferred theory for understanding international migration, social capital theory (SCT) structures current debate about Mexican population growth in new US metropolitan destinations. We review this literature to show that SCT does not cover the secondary migration of hundreds of thousands of Mexican migrants from traditional to new US metropolitan destinations. As a complement to previous SCT applications, we develop two hypotheses about this internal migration: one that identifies the increasing growth in secondary migration relative to other Mexican migration streams to new destinations, and one that specifies ethnic economic conditions as one of the factors leading Mexicans to migrate out of traditional destinations. Data are from 140 US metropolitan areas (metros) with 2,000 or more economically active adult Mexican migrants in 1990 and 2000. Two statistical models form the analysis: a contingency table and a multi-level model applied to a specially constructed data file merging metropolitan-level data from the 1990 Census with individual-level migration behaviour in 1995–2000 from 2000 Census data. The results are consistent with existing SCT explanations of Mexican population growth in new US metropolitan destinations since the 1990s and further show that the internal migration of Mexican migrants is a powerful contributor thereto. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States is generally regarded as more successful than most other societies at controlling corruption. But how accurate is that picture? I argue that corruption control in the US is more problematical than index scores suggest. Much corruption in the United States flies beneath the radar; while legal institutions are credible the United States often ‘controls’ abusive uses of wealth by removing restrictions that elsewhere are the focus of corruption. That strategy may reduce high-level bribery, but major questions of justice and accountability remain. In liberal democracies such as the US, whose corruption can be seen as ‘influence markets’, value-based controls, many applied through political processes, are crucial. If the political order is perceived by most citizens as inherently corrupt, those kinds of controls may be seriously undermined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents information on the lack of success in the anti-corruption efforts and the need of improvement in specific programs and agency frameworks. The nature of corruption control, law enforcement issue and the collective action problems are discussed. The challenges facing the reform activities, the problems in the checking corruption and the role of better-governed societies in this context are also discussed.

Early advocates of inspector general initiatives envisioned powerful IGs who would build integrity through investigations and law enforcement. But the limitations of compliance-based models of integrity have become evident. Fighting corruption can erode the political and institutional support an IG requires. Findings of corruption may persuade many that the IG is failing. Most IGs find that the job is what they make of it; scholars and reform advocates can help by developing better measurements and strategies for citizen education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral palsy will affect nearly 10% of the 60 000 very low-birth-weight infants born in the United States in the next year, and an even greater percentage will display some form of permanent neurological impairment resulting from injury to the preterm brain. The 2008 Neurobiology of Disease in Children Symposium, held in conjunction with the 37th annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society, aimed to define current knowledge and to develop specific aims for future clinical, translational, and fundamental science. A complex interplay of both destructive and developmental forces is responsible for injury to the preterm brain. Advances in imaging and histology have implicated a variety of cell types, though preoligodendrocyte injury remains the focus. Research into different mechanisms of injury is facilitating new neuroprotective and rehabilitative interventions. A cooperative effort is necessary to translate basic research findings into clinically effective therapies and better care for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the reforms proposed to reduce litigation in the U.S. It presents evidence which establishes the existence of a litigation explosion in the country. It also examines the proposal of fee shifting, the merits and consequences of statutorily-imposed caps on damages, the proposal of stricter limitations on the methods whereby lawyers solicit clients, and the legal principles restricting the nature and scope of permissible lawyer advertising.

The article focuses on the higher level of litigation explosion which consumes the productivity, profits and general effectiveness of industries in the U.S. It explores the reforms proposed by lawmakers and business leaders to reduce litigation and summarizes the evidences which establish the existence of litigation explosion. It evaluates the proposal of stricter limitations on the methods of litigation and reviews allegations that frivolous lawsuits impose burden on the legal system.

The article examines perceptions of intermodal shippers towards equipment types. Six characteristics of equipment in use have been discussed: cubic capacity; gross weight capacity; case of loading and unloading; protection of lading; cleanliness; and flexibility. Rail intermodal transportation has been a true success story for the U.S. railroads. An even greater success is the tremendous growth of the containerized segment. The growth of domestic containerization has come from the use of international containers. Once railroads and steamship lines began acquiring equipment to move the international ocean container traffic, the incentive was there to convince shippers to try containerization for domestic moves. The equipment has to be re-positioned at the ports to meet arriving vessels. Since the perceptions of the shipper-users of intermodal equipment are important to the resource acquisition process of railroads, a survey was designed to gather the data. Shipper perception of present intermodal equipment is mixed, but some general impressions can be assessed. Currently there is no single type of equipment that predominates for shipper favor. Although each has strong and weak characteristic perceptions, it appears that containers are gaining momentum in acceptance.

Discusses the political agenda of the New Christian Right (NCR) in the United States. Alliance of religious political action groups; Political agenda of NCR; Political strategies that NCR leaders and organizations pursue; Political activities of NCR; Participation in political campaigns.

Premature birth is a major public health problem in the United States and internationally. Infants born at or before 32 weeks' gestation (2% of all births in the United States in 2007) are at extremely high risk for death in the neonatal period or for pulmonary, visual, and neurodevelopmental morbidities with lifelong consequences including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, and brain injury. Risks for adverse outcomes increase with decreasing gestational age. The economic costs to care for these infants are also substantial (estimated at $26 billion in 2005 in the United States). It is clear that the need for strategies to improve outcomes for this high-risk population is great, and this need has prompted testing of new therapies with the potential to decrease pulmonary and other complications of prematurity. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) emerged as one such therapy. To provide health care professionals, families, and the general public with a responsible assessment of currently available data regarding the benefits and risks of iNO in premature infants, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the Office of Medical Applications of Research of the National Institutes of Health convened a consensus-development conference. Findings from a substantial body of experimental work in developing animals and other model systems suggest that nitric oxide may enhance lung growth and reduce lung inflammation independently of its effects on blood vessel resistance. Although this work demonstrates biological plausibility and the results of randomized controlled trials in term and near-term infants were positive, combined evidence from the 14 randomized controlled trials of iNO treatment in premature infants of ≤34 weeks' gestation shows equivocal effects on pulmonary outcomes, survival, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a common chronic disease with underlying inflammation of the airway. Advances in science have led to increased understanding of the heterogeneous nature of asthma and its complex mechanisms. Traditionally, asthma-practice guidelines have focused on optimizing lung function and the US FDA has required increases in lung function and reduction of exacerbation as primary outcomes in clinical trials of new asthma therapeutics. Improved lung function is a critical indicator of bronchodilator therapy, but the importance of long-term asthma control while maintained on controller medication is increasingly emphasized. The NIH asthma guidelines suggest the use of patient-reported outcomes, including health-related quality-of-life measures, to assess asthma control. Clinical practices and research studies concerning asthma can benefit from harmonizing the major outcome measures so that comparisons across studies can be made. In this article, we review common asthma outcome measures with a focus on recent efforts to harmonize outcomes for therapeutic clinical trials in asthma.