Currently there is no universally accepted definition of remission in anxiety disorders. This may be causing significantly different estimates of treatment efficacy across anxiety disorders. The aim ...of this paper was to determine not only the overall remission rate in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, but also to examine whether the different definitions of remission lead to significantly different remission rates. From the initial 228 abstracts reviewed by the authors, 100 articles were retained. The overall mean remission rate was 51.0%. Remission rates were highest when remission was defined as good end state functioning or no longer meeting criteria for the primary diagnosis. Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder had the highest remission rates, while those of obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder had the lowest remission rates. Rates of remission differed by certain demographic (e.g., older age) and clinical (e.g., medication use) characteristics. Although CBT is an empirically supported treatment for anxiety disorders, it is clear that there is room for improvement, as many patients do not achieve remission status.
•There is no universally accepted definition of remission in anxiety disorders.•We conducted a meta-analysis of remission in cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT).•The overall remission rate for the intent-to-treat samples was 48% at post-treatment and 54% at follow up while the remission rate for completer samples was 53% at post-treatment and 56% at follow up.•Remission rates differed by definition, diagnosis, and various patient factors.•Although CBT is effective for anxiety, there is significant room for improvement.
Societies' relative use of private and public services is an abiding and significant issue of scholarly and policy interest. For higher education, however, there has hitherto been no comprehensive ...dataset and, accordingly, no extensive, reliable analysis of the private-public distribution. As this article provides both the dataset and the analysis, it allows us to discover both the size and geographical shape of global private higher education. Having grown greatly for decades, the private sector now holds a third (32.9%) of the world's total higher education enrollment. We find striking patterns of concentration and dispersion. The several largest country systems account for much of the private enrollment but, simultaneously, private sectors now exist in all but a few systems; a stunning 97.6% of the world's present enrollment is in systems with dual-sector provision. Societies no longer rely exclusively on public provision. We discover too that private enrollment concentrates mostly in developing regions, though it is noteworthy in developed regions as well. Asia and Latin America are the twin giants but in all regions, at least 10% of students are in the private sector. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Atmospheres data product suite includes three algorithms applied to retrieve midvisible aerosol optical depth (AOD): the Enhanced Deep Blue ...(DB) and Dark Target (DT) algorithms over land, and a DT over‐water algorithm. All three have been refined in the recent “Collection 6” (C6) MODIS reprocessing. In particular, DB has been expanded to cover vegetated land surfaces as well as brighter desert/urban areas. Additionally, a new “merged” data set which draws from all three algorithms is included in the C6 products. This study is intended to act as a point of reference for new and experienced MODIS data users with which to understand the global and regional characteristics of the C6 DB, DT, and merged data sets, based on MODIS Aqua data. This includes validation against Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observations at 111 sites, focused toward regional and categorical (surface/aerosol type) analysis. Neither algorithm consistently outperforms the other, although in many cases the retrieved AOD and the level of its agreement with AERONET are very similar. In many regions the DB, DT, and merged data sets are all suitable for quantitative applications, bearing in mind that they cannot be considered independent, while in other cases one algorithm does consistently outperform the other. Usage recommendations and caveats are thus somewhat complicated and regionally dependent.
Key PointsNew enhanced MODIS Collection 6 aerosol data availableThis study compares and validates the two over‐land algorithms usedUsage recommendations are provided
In the social sciences, there is a longstanding tension between data collection methods that facilitate quantification and those that are open to unanticipated information. Advances in technology now ...enable new, hybrid methods that combine some of the benefits of both approaches. Drawing inspiration from online information aggregation systems like Wikipedia and from traditional survey research, we propose a new class of research instruments called wiki surveys. Just as Wikipedia evolves over time based on contributions from participants, we envision an evolving survey driven by contributions from respondents. We develop three general principles that underlie wiki surveys: they should be greedy, collaborative, and adaptive. Building on these principles, we develop methods for data collection and data analysis for one type of wiki survey, a pairwise wiki survey. Using two proof-of-concept case studies involving our free and open-source website www.allourideas.org, we show that pairwise wiki surveys can yield insights that would be difficult to obtain with other methods.
In addition to the standard resolution product (10km), the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 6 (C006) data release included a higher resolution (3km). Other than ...accommodations for the two different resolutions, the 10 and 3km Dark Target (DT) algorithms are basically the same. In this study, we perform global validation of the higher-resolution aerosol optical depth (AOD) over global land by comparing against AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) measurements. The MODIS-AERONET collocated data sets consist of 161410 high-confidence AOD pairs from 2000 to 2015 for Terra MODIS and 2003 to 2015 for Aqua MODIS. We find that 62.5 and 68.4% of AODs retrieved from Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS, respectively, fall within previously published expected error bounds of +/-(0.05+0.2 × AOD), with a high correlation (R = 0.87). The scatter is not random, but exhibits a mean positive bias of ∼ 0.06 for Terra and ∼ 0.03 for Aqua. These biases for the 3km product are approximately 0.03 larger than the biases found in similar validations of the 10km product. The validation results for the 3km product did not have a relationship to aerosol loading (i.e., true AOD), but did exhibit dependence on quality flags, region, viewing geometry, and aerosol spatial variability. Time series of global MODIS-AERONET differences show that validation is not static, but has changed over the course of both sensors' lifetimes, with Terra MODIS showing more change over time. The likely cause of the change of validation over time is sensor degradation, but changes in the distribution of AERONET stations and differences in the global aerosol system itself could be contributing to the temporal variability of validation.
Exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a leading risk factor for mortality. We develop global estimates of annual PM2.5 concentrations and trends for 1998–2018 using advances in ...satellite observations, chemical transport modeling, and ground-based monitoring. Aerosol optical depths (AODs) from advanced satellite products including finer resolution, increased global coverage, and improved long-term stability are combined and related to surface PM2.5 concentrations using geophysical relationships between surface PM2.5 and AOD simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model with updated algorithms. The resultant annual mean geophysical PM2.5 estimates are highly consistent with globally distributed ground monitors (R 2 = 0.81; slope = 0.90). Geographically weighted regression is applied to the geophysical PM2.5 estimates to predict and account for the residual bias with PM2.5 monitors, yielding even higher cross validated agreement (R 2 = 0.90–0.92; slope = 0.90–0.97) with ground monitors and improved agreement compared to all earlier global estimates. The consistent long-term satellite AOD and simulation enable trend assessment over a 21 year period, identifying significant trends for eastern North America (−0.28 ± 0.03 μg/m3/yr), Europe (−0.15 ± 0.03 μg/m3/yr), India (1.13 ± 0.15 μg/m3/yr), and globally (0.04 ± 0.02 μg/m3/yr). The positive trend (2.44 ± 0.44 μg/m3/yr) for India over 2005–2013 and the negative trend (−3.37 ± 0.38 μg/m3/yr) for China over 2011–2018 are remarkable, with implications for the health of billions of people.
As more information about global aerosol properties has become available from remotely sensed retrievals and in situ measurements, it is prudent to evaluate this new information, both on its own and ...in the context of satellite retrieval algorithms. Using the climatology of almucantur retrievals from global Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun photometer sites, we perform cluster analysis to determine aerosol type as a function of location and season. We find that three spherical‐derived types (describing fine‐sized dominated aerosol) and one spheroid‐derived types (describing coarse‐sized dominated aerosol, presumably dust) generally describe the range of AERONET observed global aerosol properties. The fine‐dominated types are separated mainly by their single scattering albedo (ω0), ranging from nonabsorbing aerosol (ω0 ∼ 0.95) in developed urban/industrial regions, to moderately absorbing aerosol (ω0 ∼ 0.90) in forest fire burning and developing industrial regions, to absorbing aerosol (ω0 ∼ 0.85) in regions of savanna/grassland burning. We identify the dominant aerosol type at each site, and extrapolate to create seasonal 1° × 1° maps of expected aerosol types. Each aerosol type is bilognormal, with dynamic (function of optical depth) size parameters (radius, standard deviation, volume distribution) and complex refractive index. Not only are these parameters interesting in their own right, they can also be applied to aerosol retrieval algorithms, such as to aerosol retrieval over land from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. Independent direct‐Sun AERONET observations of spectral aerosol optical depth (τ) are consistent the spectral dependence of the models, indicating that our derived aerosol models are relevant.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with high morbidity and functional impairment in the absence of effective treatment. Exposure therapy for PTSD is a trauma-focused treatment that ...typically includes in vivo and/or imaginal exposure. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine the overall efficacy of exposure therapy for PTSD compared to various control conditions. We also assessed the efficacy of individual exposure-based treatments and the potentially moderating impact of various demographic, clinical, and treatment-related factors. PsycINFO and Medline were searched for randomized controlled trials of exposure-based therapies for adult PTSD. A total of 934 abstracts were screened for initial eligibility; of these, 65 articles met inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis (total N = 4929 patients). Exposure therapy showed large effects relative to waitlist and treatment-as-usual, a small effect relative to non-trauma-focused comparators and a negligible effect relative to other trauma-focused treatments or medication. At follow-up most effects sizes were stable, except for a medium effect favoring exposure over medication. The individual exposure-based therapies examined were similarly effective. Moderator analyses revealed larger effect sizes in studies with fewer sessions, younger samples, fewer participants diagnosed with substance use disorder, and fewer participants on psychiatric medication. Effect sizes were also larger in studies of refugees and civilians compared to military samples, studies of PTSD related to natural disasters and transportation accidents vs. other traumatic events, and studies of individual vs. group therapy. Findings support the overall efficacy of exposure therapy and highlight that there are a number of efficacious exposure-based therapies available.
•Exposure therapy showed large effects relative to waitlist and treatment-as-usual.•Exposure showed small effects or no effects relative to active treatment conditions.•Effect sizes largely were stable from posttreatment to follow-up.•Individual exposure-based therapies were similarly effective.•Several treatment and sample characteristics moderated the effects of exposure.
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