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Predictive validity considerations in selection dictate choice of the predictor with the highest predictive validity. Implementation of this principle in any specific selection process inevitably entails choice between imperfectly correlated alternative predictors, real or hypothetical, which are equivalent in terms of predictive validity. We show that use of different predictors necessarily results in the admission of partially overlapping groups of candidates. The amount of non-overlap is inversely related to the correlation between predictors and to the selection ratio. For typical values of these factors, the amount of non-overlap is considerable (50%-80%). Thus, the predictor's identity affects the identity and characteristics of the admitted candidates independently of its validity and can be intentionally used to bias the selection outcomes in a desired direction.

This paper presents findings from a study on intergenerational transmission of philanthropic values and behavior among wealthy Israeli donors. The main findings show that the influence of the family is considerably greater than that of the environment, and that the family shapes the philanthropic behavior of the second-third generation. Discourse among family members also has a major impact on the continuity of philanthropic activity of the offspring. The paper enhances understanding of the contribution of philanthropic education, engagement in philanthropic activity, and participation in decision-making to the process of transmitting philanthropic values from parents to offspring., Author(s): Hillel Schmid [sup.1] , Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim [sup.2] , Ronit Nirel [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.9619.7, 0000 0004 1937 0538, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social [...]

Background: Children with hemato-oncological diseases or following stem cell transplantation (SCT) are at high risk for life-threatening infections; sepsis in this population constitutes a substantial proportion of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions. The current pediatric prognostic scoring tools to evaluate illness severity and mortality risk are designed for the general pediatric population and may not be adequate for this vulnerable subpopulation. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on all PICU admissions for sepsis in children with hemato-oncological diseases or post-SCT, in a single tertiary pediatric hospital between 2008 and 2021 (n = 233). We collected and analyzed demographic, clinical, and laboratory data and outcomes for all patients, and evaluated the accuracy of two major prognostic scoring tools, the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2) and the Pediatric Risk of Mortality III (PRISM III). Furthermore, we created a new risk-assessment model that contains additional parameters uniquely relevant to this population. Results: The survival rate for the cohort was 83%. The predictive accuracies of PELOD-2 and PRISM III, as determined by the area under the curve (AUC), were 83% and 78%, respectively. Nine new parameters were identified as clinically significant: age, SCT, viral infection, fungal infection, central venous line removal, vasoactive inotropic score, bilirubin level, C-reactive protein level, and prolonged neutropenia. Unique scoring systems were established by the integration of these new parameters into the algorithm; the new systems significantly improved their predictive accuracy to 91% (p = 0.01) and 89% (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: The predictive accuracies (AUC) of the PELOD-2 and PRISM III scores are limited in children with hemato-oncological diseases admitted to PICU with sepsis. These results highlight the need to develop a risk-assessment tool adjusted to this special population. Such new scoring should represent their unique characteristics including their degree of immunosuppression and be validated in a large multi-center prospective study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential granting of extra-examination time (EET) is commonly based on learning disabilities (LD) status: EET is granted to LD examinees and is denied to nondisabled examinees. We argue that LD serves as a proxy for the extent to which time limitation affects the examinee's test score (e). Hence, the validity of the LD-based EET granting policy depends on how well LD status serves as a proxy for e. Reanalysis of 11 comparative experimental studies of the effect of EET shows that LD status is a poor proxy for e. The proportion of nondisabled examinees who benefit from EET roughly equals the corresponding proportion among LD students. Implications of these results for the validity and fairness of this policy are discussed.

The regression-based discrepancy definition of learning disabilities has been suggested by Rutter and Yule as an improvement of the well-known and much criticized achievement-intelligence discrepancy definition, whereby the examinee's predicted reading attainment is substituted for the intelligence score in the discrepancy expression. Even though the regression-based discrepancy definition has been with us for more than 30 years, critical examination of this approach is scarce. This article fills this lacuna by examining the implications of two variables in the model on the diagnosis of learning disabilities: (a) the effect of predictive validity on the proportion of examinees identified as learning disabled, and (b) the effect of the predictor's identity on the identity of the examinees diagnosed with learning disabilities. Implications of these effects concerning the validity of the regression-based discrepancy model and of the results of its implementation are discussed. (Contains 5 figures and 2 notes.)

The article examines the question: What makes the difference between nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations providing home care services? The organizational properties examined are type of ownership and age of the organization. Multiple regression analysis was conducted in order to examine the relationships between these properties and process variables such as training workers, growth of clientele, and increase in income and expenses. The results reveal that structural properties such as age indeed affect the difference between nonprofit and for-profit home care organizations. Findings also indicate that type of ownership generates the differences between the organizations as well as the dynamics between them. KEYWORDS. Nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, ownership, age of organization

Summary: Most childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) protocols include high‐dose steroid therapy. However, the known potential of high‐dose steroids to significantly elevate intraocular pressure (IOP) and lead to glaucomatous optic neuropathy has not been intensively investigated in children with ALL. Moreover, as children with ALL do not routinely undergo IOP measurements, the need for IOP monitoring and therapy is unknown. We prospectively measured IOP in 90 children with newly diagnosed ALL attending a tertiary paediatric haematology/oncology centre, at diagnosis and at the middle and end of induction therapy. Ocular hypertension (IOP > 21 mm Hg) at any time point was documented in 64 children (71%), and the prevalence increased during induction. Thirty‐six children (40%) had elevated IOP at ALL diagnosis before therapy initiation, and stratification to non‐standard ALL was a risk factor. IOP reduction therapy was administered to 13 children (14%); none required surgery. Values normalised in all cases. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, dexamethasone therapy was a significant risk factor for ocular hypertension. High body mass index was an additional risk factor in children with elevated IOP at ALL diagnosis. Routine evaluation of IOP during steroid therapy is very important in children with ALL to ensure early intervention which may prevent permanent ocular damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for calculating the effect of cloud seeding is based on the use of a historical logarithmic model that compares unseeded and seeded rainfall over time. Two seeding experiments were carried out in Israel, out of which the first one resulted in an enhancement in rainfall by 15% while the second one produced a 13% increase compared to historical normal rainfall.

North African desert dust is the dominant aerosol type transported over the Mediterranean Basin (MB), followed by marine, anthropogenic, and biomass‐burning aerosol types. This basin is characterized by intense synoptic scale activity that has a substantial impact on the distribution of aerosols. A climatological research at a spatial resolution of 1° × 1° over the MB for the years 2000–2016 is presented here. We used a circulation to environment approach to examine the linkage between three objective circulation type classifications (CTCs) and two outcomes: aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom exponent (AE). This linkage, hereafter referred to as the 'synoptic skill', was assessed using tailored autoregressive linear regression and logistic models. We calculated (a) the total synoptic skill, accounting for the contribution of synoptic circulation type and the autoregressive components to AOD variability, and (b) the net synoptic skill, reflecting the contribution of the circulation type only. This novel approach enabled to differentiate between AOD distribution as controlled by the prevailing synoptic conditions to the one affected by climatic diurnal processes. Results for AOD showed maximal total synoptic skill during fall and summer (R2 ∼ 0.3) with highest values over parts of North Africa and the Middle East (R2 > 0.4). The net synoptic skill was highest (R2 ∼ 0.1) during winter and lowest (R2 ∼ 0.05) during summer. Geographic distribution showed low net values over North Africa and the Middle East (R2 < 0.06) and higher values over the Mediterranean Sea (R2 ∼ 0.1). For AE, the synoptic skill had a significant signature over Southern Europe during winter months (c‐statistic > 0.8). No single classification was superior in terms of mean synoptic skill, although for specific seasons and geographical locations one or the other of the three classifications showed higher performance. This study reflects some more evidences on the net contribution of CTCs to the distribution of AOD and AE over the MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subclinical cardiovascular changes have been associated with ambient particulate matter (PM) exposures within hours. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to look for additional evidence of effects associated with sub-daily PM exposure, this information is still limited because most studies of clinical events have lacked data on the onset time of symptoms to assess rapid increased risk. Objective: Our objective was to investigate associations between sub-daily exposures to PM and acute cardiac events using telemedicine data. Methods: We conducted a case-crossover study among telemedicine participants [greater than or equal to] 50 y of age who called a service center for cardiac-related symptoms and were transferred to a hospital in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel (2002-2013). Ambient [PM.sub.2.5] and [PM.sub.10-2.5] measured by monitors located in each city during the hours before the patient called with symptoms were compared with matched control periods. We investigated the sensitivity of these associations to more accurate symptom onset time and greater certainty of diagnosis. Results: We captured 12,661 calls from 7,617 subscribers experiencing ischemic (19%), arrhythmic (31%), or nonspecific (49%) cardiac events. PM concentrations were associated with small increases in the odds of cardiac events. For example, odds ratios for any cardiac event in association with a 10-[micro]g/[m.sup.3] increase in 6-h and 24-h average [PM.sub.2.5] were 1.008 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.998, 1.018] and 1.006 (95% CI: 0.995, 1.018), respectively, and for [PM.sub.10-2.5] were 1.003 (95% CI: 1.001, 1.006) and 1.003 (95% CI: 1.000, 1.007), respectively. Associations were stronger when using exposures matched to the call time rather than calendar date and for events with higher certainty of the diagnosis. Conclusions: Our analysis of telemedicine data suggests that risks of cardiac events in telemedicine participants [greater than or equal to] 50 y of age may increase within hours of PM exposures., Introduction Short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) has been linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Brook et al. 2010; Du et al. 2016; Munzel et al. 2017; Newby [...]

Summary: Mucormycosis has emerged as an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, but contemporary data in children are lacking. We conducted a nationwide multicentre study to investigate the characteristics of mucormycosis in children with haematological malignancies. The cohort included 39 children with mucormycosis: 25 of 1136 children (incidence 2·2%) with acute leukaemias prospectively enrolled in a centralized clinical registry in 2004–2017, and an additional 14 children with haematological malignancies identified by retrospective search of the databases of seven paediatric haematology centres. Ninety‐two percent of mucormycosis cases occurred in patients with acute leukaemias. Mucormycosis was significantly associated with high‐risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (OR 3·75; 95% CI 1·51–9·37; P = 0·004) and with increasing age (OR 3·58; 95% CI 1·24–9·77; P = 0·01). Fifteen patients (38%) died of mucormycosis. Rhinocerebral pattern was independently associated with improved 12‐week survival (OR 9·43; 95% CI 1·47–60·66; P = 0·02) and relapsed underlying malignancy was associated with increased 12‐week mortality (OR 6·42; 95% CI, 1·01–40·94; P = 0·05). In patients receiving frontline therapy for their malignancy (n = 24), one‐year cumulative mucormycosis‐related mortality was 21 ± 8% and five‐year overall survival was 70 ± 8%. This largest paediatric population‐based study of mucormycosis demonstrates that children receiving frontline therapy for their haematological malignancy are often salvageable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traffic-related air pollution has been linked to multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, few studies have examined pregnancy loss, targeting losses identified by hospital records, a large limitation as it does not capture events not reported to the medical system.Methods: We used a novel variation of the time-series design to determine the association, and identify the critical window of vulnerability, between week-to-week traffic-related air pollution and conceptions resulting in live births, using nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a traffic emissions tracer. We used information from all live births recorded at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA (2000-2013) and all live births in Tel Aviv District, Israel (2010-2013).Results: In Boston (68,969 live births), the strongest association was during the 15th week of gestation; for every 10 ppb of NO2 increase during that week, we observed a lower rate of live births (rate ratio [RR] = 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78, 0.97), using live birth-identified conceptions to infer pregnancy losses. In the Tel Aviv District (95,053 live births), the strongest estimate was during the 16th gestational week gestation (RR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76, 0.90 per 10 ppb of NO2).Conclusions: Using weekly conceptions ending in live birth rather than identified pregnancy losses, we comprehensively analyzed the relationship between air pollution and all pregnancy loss throughout gestation. The observed results, with remarkable similarity in two independent locations, suggest that higher traffic-related air pollution levels are associated with pregnancy loss, with strongest estimates between the 10th and 20th gestational weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]