Large-scale Quantitative Studies Research Articles

The Texture of Hardship: Qualitative Sociology of Poverty, 1995–2005

Focusing on the past decade, this review considers advances in the qualitative study of working poverty, welfare reform, patterns of family formation, neighborhood effects, class-based patterns of childhood socialization, and the growing European literature on social exclusion. We highlight the increasing importance of qualitative research embedded in large-scale quantitative studies of poverty. Within each of these areas, we suggest new directions for research that take into account the changing contours of poverty, including the increasing diversity of poor neighborhoods (reflecting the in-migration of the foreign born) and the growth of poverty in the older suburbs surrounding the city centers. The reintroduction of the language of class has been a hallmark of the past decade, drawing it closer to some of the original concerns of sociologists in the 1940s, contrasted with a nearly universal emphasis on race and ethnicity characteristic of more recent decades.

Cultural Dissimilarities in General Practice: Development and Validation of a Patient’s Cultural Background Scale

Due to increased migration physicians encounter more communication difficulties due to poor language proficiency and different culturally defined views about illness. This study aimed to develop and validate a 'patient's cultural background scale' in order to classify patients based on culturally conditioned norms instead of on ethnicity. A total of 986 patients from 38 multi-ethnic general practices were included. From a list of 36 questions, non-contributing and non-consistent questions were deleted and from the remaining questions the scale was constructed by principal component analysis. Comparing the scale with two other methods of construction assessed internal validity. Comparing the found dimensions with known dimensions from literature assessed the construct validity. Criterion validity was determined by comparing the patient's score with criteria assumed or known to have relationship with cultural background. Criterion validity was reasonably good but poor for income. A valid patient's cultural background scale was developed, for use in large-scale quantitative studies.

Reviews of two methods texts

As we do not have a specific article for the methods section of the journal this time, we have decided to consider two methods texts, one reprinted in 2005 and the other published this year. One will attract those of you undertaking large-scale quantitative evaluations or case studies while the other is for novice qualitative evaluators interested in the health field. What these books have in common, however, is that both authors are Australian. David de Vaus is currently a Professor of Social Science at La Trobe University while Emily Hansen is a Research Fellow in the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Tasmania. Consequently, most of the examples within both books have arisen from Antipodean studies.

Assessment of mutual understanding of physician patient encounters: development and validation of a mutual understanding scale (MUS) in a multicultural general practice setting

Mutual understanding between physician and patient is essential for good quality of care; however, both parties have different views on health complaints and treatment. This study aimed to develop and validate a measure of mutual understanding (MU) in a multicultural setting. The study included 986 patients from 38 general practices. GPs completed a questionnaire and patients were interviewed after the consultation. To assess mutual understanding the answers from GP and patient to questions about different consultation aspects were compared. An expert panel, using nominal group technique, developed criteria for mutual understanding on consultation aspects and secondly, established a ranking to combine all aspects into an overall consultation judgement. Regarding construct validity, patients’ ethnicity, age and language proficiency were the most important predictors for MU. Regarding criterion validity, all GP-related criteria (the GPs perception of his ability to explain to the patient, the patient's ability to explain to the GP, and the patient's understanding of consultation aspects), were well-related to MU. The same can be said of patient's consultation satisfaction and feeling that the GP was considerate. We conclude that the Mutual Understanding Scale is regarded a reliable and valid measure to be used in large-scale quantitative studies.

Quantitative information management for the biochemical computation of cellular networks.

Understanding complex protein networks within cells requires the ability to develop quantitative models and to numerically compute the properties and behavior of the networks. To carry out such computational analysis, it is necessary to use modeling tools and information management systems (IMSs) where the quantitative data, associated to its biological context, can be stored, curated, and reliably retrieved. We have focused on the biochemical computation of cellular interactions and developed an IMS that stores both quantitative information on the cellular components and their interactions, and the basic reactions governing those interactions. This information can be used to construct pathways and eventually large-scale networks. This system, SigPath, is available on the Internet (http://www.sigpath.org). Key features of the approach include (i) the use of background information (for example, names of molecules, aliases, and accession codes) to ease data submission and link this quantitative database with other qualitative databases, (ii) a strategy to allow refinement of information over time by multiple users, (iii) the development of a data representation that stores both qualitative and quantitative information, and (iv) features to assist contributors and users in assembling custom quantitative models from the information stored in the IMS. Currently, models assembled in SigPath can be automatically exported to several computing environments, such as Kinetikit/Genesis, Virtual Cell, Jarnac/JDesigner, and JSim. We anticipate that, when appropriately populated, such a system will be useful for large-scale quantitative studies of cell-signaling networks and other cellular networks. SigPath is distributed under the GNU General Public License.

Development and standardization of multiplexed antibody microarrays for use in quantitative proteomics

BackgroundQuantitative proteomics is an emerging field that encompasses multiplexed measurement of many known proteins in groups of experimental samples in order to identify differences between groups. Antibody arrays are a novel technology that is increasingly being used for quantitative proteomics studies due to highly multiplexed content, scalability, matrix flexibility and economy of sample consumption. Key applications of antibody arrays in quantitative proteomics studies are identification of novel diagnostic assays, biomarker discovery in trials of new drugs, and validation of qualitative proteomics discoveries. These applications require performance benchmarking, standardization and specification.ResultsSix dual-antibody, sandwich immunoassay arrays that measure 170 serum or plasma proteins were developed and experimental procedures refined in more than thirty quantitative proteomics studies. This report provides detailed information and specification for manufacture, qualification, assay automation, performance, assay validation and data processing for antibody arrays in large scale quantitative proteomics studies.ConclusionThe present report describes development of first generation standards for antibody arrays in quantitative proteomics. Specifically, it describes the requirements of a comprehensive validation program to identify and minimize antibody cross reaction under highly multiplexed conditions; provides the rationale for the application of standardized statistical approaches to manage the data output of highly replicated assays; defines design requirements for controls to normalize sample replicate measurements; emphasizes the importance of stringent quality control testing of reagents and antibody microarrays; recommends the use of real-time monitors to evaluate sensitivity, dynamic range and platform precision; and presents survey procedures to reveal the significance of biomarker findings.

Learning about students’ knowledge and thinking in science through large-scale quantitative studies

The main issue addressed in this article is that there is much to learn about students’ knowledge and thinking in science from largescale international quantitative studies beyond overall score measures. Response patterns on individual or groups of items can give valuable diagnostic insight into students’ conceptual understanding, but there is also a danger of drawing conclusions that may be too simple and nonvalid. We discuss how responses to multiple-choice items could be interpreted, and we also show how responses on constructed-response items can be systematised and analysed. Finally, we study, empirically, interactions between item characteristics and student responses. It is demonstrated that even small changes in the item wording and/or the item format may have a substantial influence on the response pattern. Therefore, we argue that interpretations of results from these kinds of studies should be based on a thorough analysis of the actual items used. We further argue that diagnostic information should be an integrated part of the international research aims of such large-scale studies. Examples of items and student responses presented are taken from The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

De Bruikbaarheid Van de Content-based Approach in de Nederlandse Context

The content-based approach (CBA) to language teaching offers opportunities for language and content teaching in the Netherlands in a wide variety of contexts, varying from elementary school Dutch as L2 to university EFL-teaching. In order to promote the exchange of experiences and research from these different fields, this article proposes Dutch equivalents to key terminology (such as 'sheltered content', 'adjunct'model) as well as a common research focus. In empirical research, thoughtful attention should be paid to the teaching process within content-oriented language teaching. Therefore, characteristics of CBA- curricula and didactic procedures are summarized. It is argued that, in the present phase of development, small-scale case studies with a focus on the teacher and the teaching process are to be preferred over large scale quantitative studies with a focus on learner outcomes. More emphasis should be put on the content learning that takes place simultaneously with language learning.

Automated 3-D montage synthesis from laser-scanning confocal images: Application to quantitative tissue-level cytological analysis

This paper presents a landmark based method for efficient, robust, and automated computational synthesis of high-resolution, two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) wide-area images of a specimen from a series of overlapping partial views. The synthesized image is the set union of the areas or volumes covered by the partial views, and is called the "montage." This technique is used not only to produce gray-level montages, but also to montage the results of automated image analysis, such as 3-D cell segmentation and counting, so as to generate large representations that are equivalent to processing the large wide-area image at high resolution. The method is based on computing a concise set of feature-tagged landmarks in each partial view, and establishing correspondences between the landmarks using a combinatorial point matching algorithm. This algorithm yields a spatial transformation linking the partial views that can be used to create the montage. Such processing can be a first step towards high-resolution large-scale quantitative tissue studies. A detailed example using 3-D laser-scanning confocal microscope images of acriflavine-stained hippocampal sections of rat brain is presented to illustrate the method.

Subject, project or self? Thoughts on ethical dilemmas for social and medical researchers

In this paper we address an important but sadly neglected area; namely some of the ethical issues which arise for social and medical researchers in the course of their work. Our concern is for a wide spectrum of researchers using the full range of social research methods from small-scale in-depth qualitative work through to large scale quantitative studies. The unifying factor is that they all have an element of contact and hence the potential for interaction between the researcher and the subject. In our experience (with the exception of some ethnographers) few if any social researchers will have had adequate training about the interactional aspects of their work. As a result they are unprepared for the ethical dilemmas and conflict of loyalties which they might experience. To understand these issues it is important to look at the context within which such research is undertaken.

Techniques for clearing ovules for studies of megagametophyte and early postfertilization development in Rhododendron.

Using ovule clearing, more than 33,600 ovules of Rhododendron nuttallii T. W. Booth (Ericaceae) were examined for megagametophyte and early postfertilization stages at daily intervals from anthesis until 3 weeks after pollination. Pretreatments with amyloglucosidase to digest integumentary and gametophyte starch and Stockwell's bleach to remove tannins from the integumentary epidermis were necessary. Ovules were cleared by a combination or modifications of Herr's four-and-a-half or Stelly's hemalum-methyl salicylate techniques and were observed using differential interference contrast optics. The method proved suitable for large-scale quantitative studies of ovule development and fertilization. A general protocol is suggested as a starting point for ovule clearing studies.

Self-Esteem and Achievement of Black and White Adolescents

This study measures the self-esteem and academic achievement of 798 black and white adolescents as they move from sixth to seventh grade in a large Midwestern city. Our findings, in many instances, do not fit widespread preconceptions, but support other recent, large-scale quantitative studies. The basic findings involving selfesteem are as follows: (1) black children appear to have higher, rather than lower, self-esteem than whites; (2) girls of both races demonstrate lower self-esteem than do boys, with white girls exhibiting the lowest self-esteem of all; (3) among black children, those from broken families fare worse in terms of self-esteem in desegregated than in segregated schools. In terms of academic achievement, school desegregation is related to the marks the black children receive in school and their achievement in standardized tests. The black children in segregated schools receive somewhat higher marks than their desegregated peers, but score significantly lower in national standardized tests even when parental occupation, parental education, family structure and the child's educational aspirations are held constant.

Fluorescent Sand Tracers

ABSTRACT Proper comprehension of significant environments inducing sediment migration can be obtained with sand tracers. Several methods and materials have been experimented with since 1938 to mark clastic particles for their use as tracers in sand transport studies. Recent advances in chemical technology enable large scale, economic preparation of luminescent tracer sand through the application of synthetic organic dyes and coating polymers. The most useful fluorescent dyes belong in the class xanthenes. A wide variety of adhesive resins may be utilized, especially from among amino and acrylic resins. An evaluation of materials used and techniques applied indicate a variety of tracers is obtainable with respect to differentiation by color and effective duration in the environment. Fluorescent tracers show advantages over radioactive material and have been used in large scale quantitative studies of sediment transport in the United States, the U.S.S.R., and Great Britain.

Sex-Courting Concerns of a Class of Twelfth Grade Girls

As courtship norms change from the traditional to those of the peer group it can be expected that confusion will result regarding proper behavior in the sex-courting relationship. Large-scale quantitative studies are needed to determine what problems this confusion creates; but until these have been carried out small qualitative studies of individual high school classes may be both provocative and revealing. The present study examines the sex-dating concerns of girls in the senior class of a high school in a small-town university community of about 6000 population. The study is based on a series of pretested objective check questions and four questions requiring written statements from the respondent. The study covered all the boys [(40)] and girls [(47)] in the senior class present on the day the survey was conducted. The responses of the boys will be presented in a later paper. Twenty-five per cent of the fathers of students involved in the study were professional men 16 per cent businessmen 18 per cent skilled workers 12 per cent semi-skilled and unskilled workers 8 per cent farm owners 6 per cent farm laborers and 15 per cent unclassified. The mean age for puberty of the girls was 12.5 years and 14.6 years for age when dating began. Twenty-six per cent of the girls reported that they had never gone steady. For the rest the mean age for beginning steady dating was 15.4 years. Their present dating status was reported as follows: not dating 10 per cent (although some had dated in the past); dating the field 34 per cent; going steady 30 per cent; engaged 13 per cent; married 13 per cent. (excerpt)