Local Peer Research Articles

P2P OLAP: Data model, implementation and case study

It is a common situation nowadays that business groups own different companies that operate in an autonomous way. Nevertheless, these companies must be requested to provide the headquarters with summarized information for decision-making. An architecture for cooperative interchange of decision-making information seems to be a natural solution for this problem. We propose the use of a peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture for addressing the problem of processing OLAP data in a distributed environment, in a way that all companies involved can maintain full autonomy over the use of its own data resources. In a scenario like this, data exchange between peers occurs when one of them, in the role of a local peer, receives a query and, for answering it, requests data available in other nodes, denoted acquaintances. No global schema is assumed to exist for any data under this computing paradigm. Henceforth, data provided by an acquaintance of a local peer must be adapted, in a manner that answers to queries posed by local peer users conform the view those users have of their data. Because multidimensional data normally consist of a collection of views of aggregated data, a careful translation process is needed in this case, in order to transform any summary concept that appears in a peer acquaintance into a summary concept meaningful to the requesting peer. We first present a model for multidimensional data distributed in a P2P network, and a query rewriting technique, that allows a local peer to propagate OLAP queries among its acquaintances, obtaining a meaningful and correct answer. Mappings are performed using a novel technique called revise and map, based on belief revision concepts. Revising a dimension instance allows to produce consistent aggregations when an OLAP query is answered at more than one node. We then describe an implementation of a P2P system for answering OLAP queries over a network of data warehouses. We apply our proposal to a real-world case study of an insurance group. Finally, we report the results of an experimental evaluation of our implementation, and discuss the issues that must be accounted for in this setting.

The development of peer educator‐based harm reduction programmes in northern Vietnam

Injecting drug use remains an important risk factor for transmission in Vietnam, with an estimated 50% of the 290 000 people living with HIV/AIDS reporting injecting drug use as a risk factor. Despite this, effective harm reduction interventions are generally lacking. This paper describes the implementation of peer-based harm reduction programmes in two rural provinces of Vietnam. Peer educators were trained in basic HIV prevention, including harm reduction. After significant preparation work with the Provincial AIDS Committees of Bac Giang and Thanh Hoa and other relevant national, provincial and local authorities, the interventions were commenced. Harm reduction interventions were delivered through outreach as well as on-site. This included needle and syringe distribution and collection. Community advocacy occurred throughout the life of the project. Local authorities and peers believed that while there was a general reduction in stigma and discrimination, legal barriers associated particularly with the carrying of injecting equipment remained. This impacted upon the ability of peer educators to work with their clients. Peer-based delivery of harm reduction intervention is acceptable. Harm reduction interventions, including needle and syringe programmes, are feasible and acceptable in these two rural Vietnamese provinces. Community acceptance and uptake of these interventions is key to successful expansion across the region. Active participation by families of drug users seems crucial. This initiative demonstrates that despite a difficult policy environment, peer-delivered needle and syringe programmes are feasible within a rural Asian environment as long as there is adequate local political and community support.

Table of Contents

Abstract Cover Story Report offers recommendations for good governance, ethical practices New report explores good governance, ethical practices Review these recommendations to lead more ethical unit Giving Success with online giving continues to grow Leaders & Innovators MARJORIE MATHISON HANCE, VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS, COLLEGE OF ST. CATHERINE Reach out to corporations to get them involved with college Did You Know? Internal relationships as important as external ones Trends Gain institutional support for resource development by educating community college presidents Of Counsel Court finds university alumni on zoning board didn't create conflict of interest Let donors know that some gifts are nondeductible; help them make good contribution choices Word of Advice Prevent conflict of interest when dealing with local government Managing Your Office Consider peer review to gain valuable insights about your unit Consultant versus peer review: Which is best for you? Word of Advice Prepare your staff for peer review Executive Briefing Colorado institution receives $3M gift Trumpeter's gift will launch music school Local tycoon helps erect new building Alum trustee gives to athletics Cornell's alumni give $8M for new program NAMES IN THE NEWS Institutions start year with new development, alumni relations hires

Risks and Benefits of Multiple Sexual Partnerships: Beliefs of Rural Nigerian Adolescent Males

Drawing on interview data from rural Nigeria, the article explores male youth perceptions of the risks and benefits of multiple sexual partnerships. Participants associated having multiple sexual partners with several harmful health and nonhealth outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections, and frequently confirmed that the practice also bolsters their sense of maleness and boosts their acceptance and ranking among peers. Young males' involvement in multiple sexual partnerships should not be seen as always consequent on their ignorance of and/or indifference to the risks inherent in the behavior. It could also result from the integrality of the behavior to the social processes through which male youths validate their masculinity, mark their transition from boyhood to malehood, and configure their identities to gain acceptance into a local male peer community. Sexuality education curricula that ignore adolescents' understandings of the benefits of their sexual practices may not deliver expected objectives.

Priorities, “street level bureaucracy” and the community mental health team

In the United Kingdom a combination of high profile incidents and reports personally critical of mental health policy in general and individual practitioners’ actions in particular (Sheppard 1995) highlight the pressures which operate on mental health professionals in the community (Mechanic 1995a). These pressures are exacerbated by policy contradictions and resource limitations. Consequently community mental health practitioners (e.g. psychiatrists, community psychiatric nurses and social workers) can be sensitive to political and managerial agendas which may have a negative impact on their implementation of individual care programs (Marks ef al. 1994). Using the concept of ’street level bureaucracy’ (Lipsky 1980), this paper examines recent literature. It is argued that practitioners’ reception and implementation of policy is influenced by the need to balance the tension between four elements: the political and policy imperatives, the agenda of local management, the professional and peer cultures in which practitioners operate and the balance of perceived personal advantage. It is further postulated that managers and policy makers may have a vested interest in not scrutinizing practitioners’ implementation of policy too vigorously as a way of deflecting responsibility for its consequences. The ’Care Programme Approach and recent legislative changes regarding community supervision (Department of Health 1995a) highlight the important and sometimes negative consequences for the service user that may result.

Algebraic query optimization for distributed top-k queries

Distributed top-k query processing is increasingly becoming an essential functionality in a large number of emerging application classes. This paper addresses the efficient algebraic optimization of top-k queries in wide-area distributed data repositories where the index lists for the attribute values (or text terms) of a query are distributed across a number of data peers and the computational costs include network latency, bandwidth consumption, and local peer work. We use a dynamic programming approach to find the optimal execution plan using compact data synopses for selectivity estimation that is the basis for our cost model. The optimized query is executed in a hierarchical way involving a small and fixed number of communication phases. We have performed experiments on real web data that show the benefits of distributed top-k query optimization both in network resource consumption and query response time.

Grocery Store Politics: Leading the Rural Community College

Rural America is characterized by decreasing populations, increasing poverty, limited economic growth, and limited access to cultural events. The context of the rural environment makes leading colleges in these locations different than in larger, more urban regions. The research reported here investigated the experience of rural community college leaders to determine more about the phenomenon of how they constructed their leadership given their rural context. Findings indicate less anonymity for rural community college leaders, a reliance on relationship building to accomplish goals, and a smaller local peer network to aid in reflecting upon the duties of the president.

The Diffusion of a Medical Innovation: Is Success in the Stars?

This paper relates the diffusion of the coronary stent to the presence of prominent or “star” physicians within a local peer group. The paper uses panel data on coronary care in Florida covering the period immediately following the 1995 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the stent, a significant improvement in coronary angioplasty. Adoption timing and utilization varied considerably across doctors between 1995 and 2001. We consider the role of asymmetric social influence among physicians based on professional status. Defining “star” status as having completed residency at a top‐ranked hospital, we find that the diffusion of stents by non‐stars depends positively on the number of stars practicing contemporaneously at the same hospitals, while we find no social influence in the opposite direction. The findings indicate that lack of local exposure to star physicians may slow adoption, and clustering of stars in a small number of hospitals may entail welfare costs.

Wounds Not Easily Healed: Exploring Trauma in Communication Studies

The study of trauma, a pervasive subtext throughout the field of communication, runs like an invisible thread that links the research of scholars who study a diverse range of discursive activities. It connects the work of researchers interested in the analysis of interpersonal, family, and organizational communication to critical theorists and historians who explore the symbolic dynamics that bind cultures in times of stress and political contest. This chapter attempts to expose these threads and develop a heuristic vocabulary for foregrounding these research practices and perspectives. The first half of the chapter explores the impact of trauma upon local peer communities—the way that it both binds and fragments people as they grapple with the wounds left by disaster, war, and disease. Issues of authority and stigma remain central to these discussions as the traumatized individual searches for a legitimate vocabulary through which to make sense of these experiences. The second half of this chapter explores the impact of trauma on collective identity and representation, particularly in the fields of history and popular culture. Here trauma can be addressed overtly through mass-mediated spectacles or run as an unconscious thread through the accumulated images and texts that constitute the fabric of society. By recognizing the symbolic dissonance produced by traumatic memory, exposing the complexities of these discursive practices provides insight into individual, national, and global responses to tragedy.

Hospital visiting in obstetrics and gynecology: A tool for the advancement of training

Objective To assess the improvement of obstetric and gynecologic training brought about by peer influence in Europe. Methods In 1996, the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (EBCOG) initiated a visiting process by international and local peers to improve training and decrease differences in health care standards. Results A large number of visits of obstetrics and gynecology departments have been conducted across Europe at teaching hospitals by the Hospital Visiting Committee. Compliance with the structured approach of the visiting policy and problems met during these visits are reported. Conclusion The program focuses on the continuous improvement of the competencies of all persons trained in the obstetrics and gynecology departments of teaching hospitals throughout Europe. It also increases the understanding of diversity in training methods and can gradually lead to the convergence of training and health care standards in Europe.

P8: Breastfeeding Basics: Smooth Sailing to the Island of Breastfeeding Paradise

Smooth Sailing to the Island of Breastfeeding Paradise is a 2-hour interactive prenatal breastfeeding class presented quarterly. It is facilitated by an Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services Nutritionist and Breastfeeding Peer Counselor through the Family Advocacy Center at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas. The class features a tropical theme and decorations. Topics presented include “All Aboard” (benefits of breastfeeding), “Avoiding Sharks and Pirates” (common breastfeeding myths), “Dinner Etiquette” (nutrition for breastfeeding mothers), “Island Excursion Training” (positioning, latch, pumps and other aids) and “Ask the Tour Guides” (questions/answers). Topics are addressed through a series of games that involve all participants. The class is offered one to two weeks prior to a breastfeeding support meeting and parents receive a follow-up letter inviting them to attend and thanking them for their participation in the prenatal class. A local health department peer counselor contacts attendees monthly through delivery and beyond. Each parent is provided a tote bag containing breastfeeding promotional items and written material. Upon completion of the class, participants should be able to list five benefits of breastfeeding, dispute common myths related to breastfeeding, demonstrate two or more breastfeeding positions, describe signs of appropriate latch and list three ways to know infant is getting enough breast milk. Evaluation of the class has consistently shown the goals of the class are being met and attendees enjoy the format. The class is provided free of charge.

Widening access to medical school: Dick Whittington Summer School

Initiatives in the USA aimed at widening access to medical education for students from non-traditional backgrounds failed to meet long-term targets despite impressive short-term successes. 3 These initiatives were based on a 'knowledge deficit' model, where students were seen as needing an additional input of factual knowledge. Contemporary research in the UK, however, resulted in a different conclusion. A recent London-based focus-group study of 68 academically able 14-16-year-oLd pupils, from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds, found striking differences in responses related to socioeconomic status. 4 Pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds saw medical school as being culturally alien and for 'posh' students, and regarded a career in medicine as having extrinsic rewards (money) but requiring prohibitive personal sacrifices. This is an echo of results from previous sociological research. An interview study of 15-year-old 'working-class' boys from diverse ethnic backgrounds in inner London, published in the year 2000, demonstrated a strong attachment to peer group and local'turf, with constructed 'rough' identities being used effectively as barriers to getting 'posh' jobs or on to courses. 5 Bourdieu views university attendance as being part of the normal middle-class life narrative,6'7 congruent with family and peer values. However, the choice of non-compulsory education for working- class pupils has been described as being more limited: often at variance with personal and cultural identity, and associated with financial risk and separation from a valued local peer group. 8 We used this research base to design our two initiatives on widening access.

Measuring Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Quality by Simple Case Volume

Monitoring health care and developing metrics to gauge optimum systems from suboptimum ones is a multidimensional effort that spans the spectrum of health services research and administration. The quality assessment tools for operative procedures range from policies requiring measurement of general compliance within medical society guidelines, in terms of medical indications and procedural techniques, to local hospital peer review and medical executive committee oversight focused on case review. Although these quality measures are certainly labor intensive and require the highest level of objective reasoning and judgment, simpler metrics have been proposed that offer better ease of use and objectivity. Probably the most practical of the simpler methods for operative procedures is the measurement of periodic operative count, usually by physician and hospital, and a comparison of this count to a specified number or threshold felt to signify the highest quality. Inherent in this comparison of volume and quality is the operation-specific assessment of volume and outcomes to support the notion of a positive or negative (ie, not flat) relationship. In virtually all analyses in which a significant relationship has been demonstrated, an inverse relationship between volume and adverse outcomes was seen.1,2 Such relationships have also been seen for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (AHA/ACC) Joint Task Force guidelines for PCI have recommended minimum threshold goals for hospitals and operators to ensure the highest quality of PCI care.3 See p 1171 Hannan et al have analyzed the New York State Percutaneous Coronary Interventions Reporting System (PICRS) database for all 34 nonfederal hospitals and all 264 PCI operators from 1998 to 2000.4 The authors draw on this comprehensive and unique reporting system and its high ascertainment to provide adjusted analysis for comparison of expected and observed adverse events. They have …

Ad hoc peer-to-peer network architecture for vehicle safety communications

This article addresses the design of an architecture for ad hoc peer-to-peer networking of neighboring vehicles to help achieve near-instantaneous communication for safety applications such as collision avoidance warnings. We propose a local peer group (LPG) architecture to organize neighboring vehicles that have frequently changing neighbors and have no inherent relationships with one another. We study two architectural alternatives for LPG in this article, and consider areas of improvement for ad hoc vehicle networking protocols to support safety communications including multihop throughput, connection setup time, and configuration.

Neighbors Matter: The Geography of Stock Market Participation

This paper provides direct evidence of a causal link between the stock market participation of individuals and that of the other members of the community in which they reside. We first establish the presence of a robust positive correlation between the probability that an individual owns stock and the level of stock market participation of one's community, as measured by reporting dividend income on tax returns. We also show that conditional on owning stock, an individual is likely to own more (relative to income) when community ownership is higher. These results are robust to a wide range of individual and community controls, including measures of the importance of local firms (which have large independent effects), and specification checks to ensure that the relation is not driven solely by ownership of stock of one's employer. We then provide evidence that this community effect is at least partially driven by word of mouth by showing that the effect is stronger in more sociable communities. To demonstrate causality, we employ a novel instrumental variables strategy that uses the stock ownership rates of the non-local parents of one's local peers to instrument for community ownership. Further, we also control for heterogeneity in risk preferences by including individual-level fixed effects. We conclude that a ten percentage-point increase in equity market participation of the members of one's community makes it four to five percentage points more like the individual will invest in stocks. We also provide estimates of a direct parental effect, as well as suggestive evidence that one's home state may have lasting effects on one's stock market participation.

Evaluating an Indigenous sexual health peer education project

Many Indigenous Australians are dealing with a wide range of sexual health issues including contraception, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. The Indigenous Peer Education Program provided training to young, marginalised and disadvantaged Indigenous people to become sexual health peer educators within their communities. The initiative comprised peer educator training, capacity building, and the development and dissemination of sexual health educational materials through an arts-based strategy. Evaluation involved a retrospective qualitative methodology, including document analysis, interviews and focus groups. The program was successful in training 22 young Indigenous peer educators and developing and disseminating more than 2,600 sexual health education resources to young Indigenous people and their community. The project had a positive immediate impact upon young Indigenous participants who reported and demonstrated increased knowledge of sexual health issues and skills as peer educators. The evaluation documented the program development and the immediate effects on participants, but did not enable an assessment of long-term effects for participants, service providers or the community. The evaluation identified areas for program improvement and challenges for program sustainability. The initiative was well supported within the local community and peer educators continued to engage in opportunistic sexual health promotion.

Urbanism and Friendship

Ever since Claude Fischer predicted the rise of friendship in cities in his “subcultural theory, ” many surveys on urbanism and friendship were conducted in Japan. Yet the results were mixed. This article addresses the empirical and theoretical issues on urbanism and friendship by analyzing the data of Nagoya Metropolitan Survey conducted in 2000. The results of the analysis show that, on the contrary to “the rise of friendship” hypothesis, the number of friends decreased with increased urbanism, mainly for those who had grown up in the region, because of the decline of local peer groups in the urban areas. Nevertheless, the more urban the area, the more middle-distance friends they had. The number of long-distance friends, on the other hand, was not affected by urbanism but by the respondent's history of residential mobility. The fact that many empirical associations are conditioned by residential history supports the “structuration” model of social networks, instead of the “choice-constraint” one, since the former emphasizes that the geographic distribution of relational resources is varied by one's history of residential mobility and that the reproduction of friendship is affected by urbanism as far as he or she has a lot of relational resources in the metropolitan area. Further, it is speculated that, on the macro level, while social networks within the metropolis may have been scarce in the earlier stage of urbanization due to the great share of immigrants, middle-distance friendship networks may flourish after one generation due to the increasing number of those who grew up in the region. Thus, this study brings temporal and spatial perspective into the theory of urbanism.

Editorial: Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

Editorial: Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

Traditional forest protection and woodlots in the coastal savannah of Ghana

There is increased international interest in religiously based restrictions on land and forest stand use. However, the extent to which so-called sacred groves represent earlier forest ecosystems, and their possible role in biodiversity conservation, are interrelated and complex issues, and neglected in the context of Ghanaian savannahs, which are believed to be in transition from a forested past. Geographical information system (GIS) analysis of time-series images, aerial photographs, statistical analysis of ecological field data and social surveys were used to investigate the Ghanaian savannah. Sacred groves were found to be similar in plant species content and structure to the deciduous forest of southern Ghana. Between 1960 and 1996, these groves experienced far fewer forest losses than unprotected tree stands (<20%, as opposed to up to 100%). Non-sacred groves also contained lower plant species richness and higher numbers of invasive species such as neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss). Sacred groves, while dependent on respect for religion, local cultural structures and individual peer pressure, offer a role that may support and also be supported by official conservation efforts.