75 FR 2551 - National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-15

... Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health Insurance Policy The... average cost of a health insurance policy as it relates to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation... revised amounts of an average cost of a health insurance policy, as determined by the Secretary, are to be...

77 FR 801 - National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-06

... Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health Insurance Policy The... average cost of a health insurance policy as it relates to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation... revised amounts of an average cost of a health insurance policy, as determined by the Secretary, are to be...

76 FR 5180 - National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-28

... Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Revised Amount of the Average Cost of a Health Insurance Policy The... average cost of a health insurance policy as it relates to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation... revised amounts of an average cost of a health insurance policy, as determined by the Secretary, are to be...

Alternatives to national average income data as eligibility criteria for international subsidies: a social justice perspective.

PubMed

Shebaya, Sirine; Sutherland, Andrea; Levine, Orin; Faden, Ruth

2010-12-01

Current strategies to address global inequities in access to life-saving vaccines use averaged national income data to determine eligibility. While largely successful in the lowest income countries, we argue that this approach could lead to significant inefficiencies from the standpoint of justice if applied to middle-income countries, where income inequalities are large and lead to national averages that obscure truly needy populations. Instead, we suggest alternative indicators more sensitive to social justice concerns that merit consideration by policy-makers developing new initiatives to redress health inequities in middle-income countries. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Focus on Teacher Salaries: An Update on Average Salaries and Recent Legislative Actions in the SREB States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale F.

Focused state efforts have helped teacher salaries in Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states move toward the national average. Preliminary 2000-01 estimates put SREB's average teacher salary at its highest point in 22 years compared to the national average. The SREB average teacher salary is approximately 90 percent of the national…

Comparative Analysis of the Mathematics Problems Given at International Tests and at the Romanian National Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchis, Iuliana

2009-01-01

The results of the Romanian pupils on international tests PISA and TIMSS in Mathematics are below the average. These poor results have many explications. In this article we compare the Mathematics problems given on these international tests with those given on national tests in Romania.

Using National Data to Estimate Average Cost Effectiveness of EFNEP Outcomes by State/Territory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baral, Ranju; Davis, George C.; Blake, Stephanie; You, Wen; Serrano, Elena

2013-01-01

This report demonstrates how existing national data can be used to first calculate upper limits on the average cost per participant and per outcome per state/territory for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). These upper limits can then be used by state EFNEP administrators to obtain more precise estimates for their states,…

Beyond Horse Race Comparisons of National Performance Averages: Math Performance Variation within and between Classrooms in 38 Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Min-Hsiung

2009-01-01

Reports of international studies of student achievement often receive public attention worldwide. However, this attention overly focuses on the national rankings of average student performance. To move beyond the simplistic comparison of national mean scores, this study investigates (a) country differences in the measures of variability as well as…

Nation as Context: Comparing Child-Care Systems across Nations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubeck, Sally

1995-01-01

Reviews recent trends in female employment and preschool provision in the United States and Europe, discussing how governments have responded to the issues. "Nation as context," a type of cross-national research, is developed by comparing and contrasting child care and early education systems in Germany, France, and the United States.…

Evaluating and Comparing the Effects of Group Contingencies on Mathematics Accuracy in a First-Grade Classroom: Class Average Criteria versus Unknown Small-Group Average Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Katelyn C.; Skinner, Christopher H.; Moore, Tara C.; McCurdy, Merilee; Ciancio, Dennis; Cihak, David F.

2017-01-01

An adapted alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare the effects of two group contingency interventions on mathematics assignment accuracy in an intact first-grade classroom. Both an interdependent contingency with class-average criteria (16 students) and a dependent contingency with criteria based on the average of a smaller,…

Health, social and economic consequences of dementias: a comparative national cohort study.

PubMed

Frahm-Falkenberg, S; Ibsen, R; Kjellberg, J; Jennum, P

2016-09-01

Dementia causes morbidity, disability and mortality, and as the population ages the societal burden will grow. The direct health costs and indirect costs of lost productivity and social welfare of dementia were estimated compared with matched controls in a national register based cohort study. Using records from the Danish National Patient Registry (1997-2009) all patients with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or dementia not otherwise specified and their partners were identified and compared with randomly chosen controls matched for age, gender, geographical area and civil status. Direct health costs included primary and secondary sector contacts, medical procedures and medication. Indirect costs included the effect on labor supply. All cost data were extracted from national databases. The entire cohort was followed for the entire period - before and after diagnosis. In all, 78 715 patients were identified and compared with 312 813 matched controls. Patients' partners were also identified and matched with a control group. Patients had lower income and higher mortality and morbidity rates and greater use of medication. Social- and health-related vulnerability was identified years prior to diagnosis. The average annual additional cost of direct healthcare costs and lost productivity in the years before diagnosis was 2082 euros per patient over and above that of matched controls, and 4544 euros per patient after the time of diagnosis. Dementias cause significant morbidity and mortality, consequently generating significant socioeconomic costs. © 2016 EAN.

Is the burden of oral diseases higher in urban disadvantaged community compared to the national prevalence?

PubMed

Jaafar, Nasruddin; Hakim, Hina; Mohd Nor, Nor Azlida; Mohamed, Asma; Saub, Roslan; Esa, Rashidah; Doss, Jennifer; Mohd Yusof, Zamros Yuzadi; Ab-Murat, Norintan; Abu Kassim, Noor Lide; Majid, Hazreen Abdul

2014-01-01

The urban low income has often been assumed to have the greatest dental treatment needs compared to the general population. However, no studies have been carried out to verify these assumptions. This study was conducted to assess whether there was any difference between the treatment needs of an urban poor population as compared to the general population in order to design an intervention programme for this community. A random sampling of living quarters (households) in the selected areas was done. 586 adults over 19 years old living in these households were clinically examined using World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Survey criteria 4th edition (1997). The overall prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, denture wearers and temporomandibular joint problems were 70.5%, 97.1%, 16.7% and 26%, respectively. The majority (80.5%) needed some form of dental treatment. The highest treatment needs were found in the oldest age group while the lowest were in the youngest group (19-29 years) (p = 0.000). The most prevalent periodontal problem was calculus; regardless of gender, ethnicity and age. Significantly more females (20.5%) wore prosthesis than males (11.1%) (p = 0.003). Prosthetic status and need significantly increased with age (p = 0.000). About one in four adults had Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) problems. Overall, it was surprising to note that the oral disease burden related to caries, prosthetic status and treatment need were lower in this population as compared to the national average (NOHSA, 2010). However, their periodontal disease status and treatment needs were higher compared to the national average indicating a poor oral hygiene standard. The evidence does not show that the overall oral disease burden and treatment needs in this urban disadvantaged adult population as higher than the national average, except for periodontal disease. The older age groups and elderly were identified as the most in need for oral health intervention and

Is the burden of oral diseases higher in urban disadvantaged community compared to the national prevalence?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The urban low income has often been assumed to have the greatest dental treatment needs compared to the general population. However, no studies have been carried out to verify these assumptions. This study was conducted to assess whether there was any difference between the treatment needs of an urban poor population as compared to the general population in order to design an intervention programme for this community. Methods A random sampling of living quarters (households) in the selected areas was done. 586 adults over 19 years old living in these households were clinically examined using World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Survey criteria 4th edition (1997). Results The overall prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, denture wearers and temporomandibular joint problems were 70.5%, 97.1%, 16.7% and 26%, respectively. The majority (80.5%) needed some form of dental treatment. The highest treatment needs were found in the oldest age group while the lowest were in the youngest group (19-29 years) (p = 0.000). The most prevalent periodontal problem was calculus; regardless of gender, ethnicity and age. Significantly more females (20.5%) wore prosthesis than males (11.1%) (p = 0.003). Prosthetic status and need significantly increased with age (p = 0.000). About one in four adults had Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) problems. Overall, it was surprising to note that the oral disease burden related to caries, prosthetic status and treatment need were lower in this population as compared to the national average (NOHSA, 2010). However, their periodontal disease status and treatment needs were higher compared to the national average indicating a poor oral hygiene standard. Conclusions The evidence does not show that the overall oral disease burden and treatment needs in this urban disadvantaged adult population as higher than the national average, except for periodontal disease. The older age groups and elderly were identified as the most in

A comparative analysis of 9 multi-model averaging approaches in hydrological continuous streamflow simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsenault, Richard; Gatien, Philippe; Renaud, Benoit; Brissette, François; Martel, Jean-Luc

2015-10-01

This study aims to test whether a weighted combination of several hydrological models can simulate flows more accurately than the models taken individually. In addition, the project attempts to identify the most efficient model averaging method and the optimal number of models to include in the weighting scheme. In order to address the first objective, streamflow was simulated using four lumped hydrological models (HSAMI, HMETS, MOHYSE and GR4J-6), each of which were calibrated with three different objective functions on 429 watersheds. The resulting 12 hydrographs (4 models × 3 metrics) were weighted and combined with the help of 9 averaging methods which are the simple arithmetic mean (SAM), Akaike information criterion (AICA), Bates-Granger (BGA), Bayes information criterion (BICA), Bayesian model averaging (BMA), Granger-Ramanathan average variant A, B and C (GRA, GRB and GRC) and the average by SCE-UA optimization (SCA). The same weights were then applied to the hydrographs in validation mode, and the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency metric was measured between the averaged and observed hydrographs. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the accuracy of weighted methods to that of individual models. A Kruskal-Wallis test and a multi-objective optimization algorithm were then used to identify the most efficient weighted method and the optimal number of models to integrate. Results suggest that the GRA, GRB, GRC and SCA weighted methods perform better than the individual members. Model averaging from these four methods were superior to the best of the individual members in 76% of the cases. Optimal combinations on all watersheds included at least one of each of the four hydrological models. None of the optimal combinations included all members of the ensemble of 12 hydrographs. The Granger-Ramanathan average variant C (GRC) is recommended as the best compromise between accuracy, speed of execution, and simplicity.

76 FR 44573 - Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates, and Administrative Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day Care Homes for the Period July 1, 2011 Through June 30, 2012...

78 FR 45176 - Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates, and Administrative Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day Care Homes for the Period July 1, 2013 Through June 30, 2014...

76 FR 43254 - Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-20

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates, and Administrative Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day Care Homes for the Period July 1, 2011 Through June 30, 2012...

A Conversion Formula for Comparing Pulse Oximeter Desaturation Rates Obtained with Different Averaging Times

PubMed Central

Vagedes, Jan; Bialkowski, Anja; Wiechers, Cornelia; Poets, Christian F.; Dietz, Klaus

2014-01-01

Objective The number of desaturations determined in recordings of pulse oximeter saturation (SpO2) primarily depends on the time over which values are averaged. As the averaging time in pulse oximeters is not standardized, it varies considerably between centers. To make SpO2 data comparable, it is thus desirable to have a formula that allows conversion between desaturation rates obtained using different averaging times for various desaturation levels and minimal durations. Methods Oxygen saturation was measured for 170 hours in 12 preterm infants with a mean number of 65 desaturations <90% per hour of arbitrary duration by using a pulse oximeter in a 2–4 s averaging mode. Using 7 different averaging times between 3 and 16 seconds, the raw red-to-infrared data were reprocessed to determine the number of desaturations (D). The whole procedure was carried out for 7 different minimal desaturation durations (≥1, ≥5, ≥10, ≥15, ≥20, ≥25, ≥30 s) below SpO2 threshold values of 80%, 85% or 90% to finally reach a conversion formula. The formula was validated by splitting the infants into two groups of six children each and using one group each as a training set and the other one as a test set. Results Based on the linear relationship found between the logarithm of the desaturation rate and the logarithm of the averaging time, the conversion formula is: D2 = D1 (T2/T1)c, where D2 is the desaturation rate for the desired averaging time T2, and D1 is the desaturation rate for the original averaging time T1, with the exponent c depending on the desaturation threshold and the minimal desaturation duration. The median error when applying this formula was 2.6%. Conclusion This formula enables the conversion of desaturation rates between different averaging times for various desaturation thresholds and minimal desaturation durations. PMID:24489887

A conversion formula for comparing pulse oximeter desaturation rates obtained with different averaging times.

PubMed

Vagedes, Jan; Bialkowski, Anja; Wiechers, Cornelia; Poets, Christian F; Dietz, Klaus

2014-01-01

The number of desaturations determined in recordings of pulse oximeter saturation (SpO2) primarily depends on the time over which values are averaged. As the averaging time in pulse oximeters is not standardized, it varies considerably between centers. To make SpO2 data comparable, it is thus desirable to have a formula that allows conversion between desaturation rates obtained using different averaging times for various desaturation levels and minimal durations. Oxygen saturation was measured for 170 hours in 12 preterm infants with a mean number of 65 desaturations <90% per hour of arbitrary duration by using a pulse oximeter in a 2-4 s averaging mode. Using 7 different averaging times between 3 and 16 seconds, the raw red-to-infrared data were reprocessed to determine the number of desaturations (D). The whole procedure was carried out for 7 different minimal desaturation durations (≥ 1, ≥ 5, ≥ 10, ≥ 15, ≥ 20, ≥ 25, ≥ 30 s) below SpO2 threshold values of 80%, 85% or 90% to finally reach a conversion formula. The formula was validated by splitting the infants into two groups of six children each and using one group each as a training set and the other one as a test set. Based on the linear relationship found between the logarithm of the desaturation rate and the logarithm of the averaging time, the conversion formula is: D2 = D1 (T2/T1)(c), where D2 is the desaturation rate for the desired averaging time T2, and D1 is the desaturation rate for the original averaging time T1, with the exponent c depending on the desaturation threshold and the minimal desaturation duration. The median error when applying this formula was 2.6%. This formula enables the conversion of desaturation rates between different averaging times for various desaturation thresholds and minimal desaturation durations.

Averaging Models: Parameters Estimation with the R-Average Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vidotto, G.; Massidda, D.; Noventa, S.

2010-01-01

The Functional Measurement approach, proposed within the theoretical framework of Information Integration Theory (Anderson, 1981, 1982), can be a useful multi-attribute analysis tool. Compared to the majority of statistical models, the averaging model can account for interaction effects without adding complexity. The R-Average method (Vidotto &…

Greenhouse gas emissions and the Australian diet--comparing dietary recommendations with average intakes.

PubMed

Hendrie, Gilly A; Ridoutt, Brad G; Wiedmann, Thomas O; Noakes, Manny

2014-01-08

Nutrition guidelines now consider the environmental impact of food choices as well as maintaining health. In Australia there is insufficient data quantifying the environmental impact of diets, limiting our ability to make evidence-based recommendations. This paper used an environmentally extended input-output model of the economy to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) for different food sectors. These data were augmented with food intake estimates from the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey. The GHGe of the average Australian diet was 14.5 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per person per day. The recommended dietary patterns in the Australian Dietary Guidelines are nutrient rich and have the lowest GHGe (~25% lower than the average diet). Food groups that made the greatest contribution to diet-related GHGe were red meat (8.0 kg CO2e per person per day) and energy-dense, nutrient poor "non-core" foods (3.9 kg CO2e). Non-core foods accounted for 27% of the diet-related emissions. A reduction in non-core foods and consuming the recommended serves of core foods are strategies which may achieve benefits for population health and the environment. These data will enable comparisons between changes in dietary intake and GHGe over time, and provide a reference point for diets which meet population nutrient requirements and have the lowest GHGe.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Australian Diet—Comparing Dietary Recommendations with Average Intakes

PubMed Central

Hendrie, Gilly A.; Ridoutt, Brad G.; Wiedmann, Thomas O.; Noakes, Manny

2014-01-01

Nutrition guidelines now consider the environmental impact of food choices as well as maintaining health. In Australia there is insufficient data quantifying the environmental impact of diets, limiting our ability to make evidence-based recommendations. This paper used an environmentally extended input-output model of the economy to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) for different food sectors. These data were augmented with food intake estimates from the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey. The GHGe of the average Australian diet was 14.5 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per person per day. The recommended dietary patterns in the Australian Dietary Guidelines are nutrient rich and have the lowest GHGe (~25% lower than the average diet). Food groups that made the greatest contribution to diet-related GHGe were red meat (8.0 kg CO2e per person per day) and energy-dense, nutrient poor “non-core” foods (3.9 kg CO2e). Non-core foods accounted for 27% of the diet-related emissions. A reduction in non-core foods and consuming the recommended serves of core foods are strategies which may achieve benefits for population health and the environment. These data will enable comparisons between changes in dietary intake and GHGe over time, and provide a reference point for diets which meet population nutrient requirements and have the lowest GHGe. PMID:24406846

75 FR 41793 - Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

... adjustments to the national average payment rates for meals and snacks served in child care centers, outside... payment rates for meals and snacks served in day care homes; and the administrative reimbursement rates...] Lunch and Centers Breakfast supper \\1\\ Snack Contingous States: Paid 0.26 0.26 0.06 Reduced Price 1.18 2...

Estimating Gestational Age With Sonography: Regression-Derived Formula Versus the Fetal Biometric Average.

PubMed

Cawyer, Chase R; Anderson, Sarah B; Szychowski, Jeff M; Neely, Cherry; Owen, John

2018-03-01

To compare the accuracy of a new regression-derived formula developed from the National Fetal Growth Studies data to the common alternative method that uses the average of the gestational ages (GAs) calculated for each fetal biometric measurement (biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length). This retrospective cross-sectional study identified nonanomalous singleton pregnancies that had a crown-rump length plus at least 1 additional sonographic examination with complete fetal biometric measurements. With the use of the crown-rump length to establish the referent estimated date of delivery, each method's (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development regression versus Hadlock average [Radiology 1984; 152:497-501]), error at every examination was computed. Error, defined as the difference between the crown-rump length-derived GA and each method's predicted GA (weeks), was compared in 3 GA intervals: 1 (14 weeks-20 weeks 6 days), 2 (21 weeks-28 weeks 6 days), and 3 (≥29 weeks). In addition, the proportion of each method's examinations that had errors outside prespecified (±) day ranges was computed by using odds ratios. A total of 16,904 sonograms were identified. The overall and prespecified GA range subset mean errors were significantly smaller for the regression compared to the average (P < .01), and the regression had significantly lower odds of observing examinations outside the specified range of error in GA intervals 2 (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.31) and 3 (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.32) than the average method. In a contemporary unselected population of women dated by a crown-rump length-derived GA, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development regression formula produced fewer estimates outside a prespecified margin of error than the commonly used Hadlock average; the differences were most pronounced for GA estimates at 29 weeks and later. �

Estimation of national forest visitor spending averages from National Visitor Use Monitoring: round 2

Treesearch

Eric M. White; Darren B. Goodding; Daniel J. Stynes

2013-01-01

The economic linkages between national forests and surrounding communities have become increasingly important in recent years. One way national forests contribute to the economies of surrounding communities is by attracting recreation visitors who, as part of their trip, spend money in communities on the periphery of the national forest. We use survey data collected...

Comparative Financial Statistics for Public Two-Year Colleges: FY 1993 National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickmeyer, Nathan; Meeker, Bradley

This report provides comparative information derived from a national sample of 516 public two-year colleges, highlighting financial statistics for fiscal year, 1992-93. This report provides space for colleges to compare their institutional statistics with national sample medians, quartile data for the national sample, and statistics presented in a…

Comparative Financial Statistics for Public Two-Year Colleges: FY 1991 National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickmeyer, Nathan; Cirino, Anna Marie

This report provides comparative financial information derived from a national sample of 503 public two-year colleges. The report includes space for colleges to compare their institutional statistics with data provided on national sample medians; quartile data for the national sample; and statistics presented in various formats, including tables,…

Monthly average polar sea-ice concentration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schweitzer, Peter N.

1995-01-01

The data contained in this CD-ROM depict monthly averages of sea-ice concentration in the modern polar oceans. These averages were derived from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) instruments aboard satellites of the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program from 1978 through 1992. The data are provided as 8-bit images using the Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Demographic characteristics, social competence, and behavior problems in children with gender identity disorder: a cross-national, cross-clinic comparative analysis.

PubMed

Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T; Owen, Allison; Kaijser, Vanessa G; Bradley, Susan J; Zucker, Kenneth J

2003-02-01

This study examined demographic characteristics, social competence, and behavior problems in clinic-referred children with gender identity problems in Toronto, Canada (N = 358), and Utrecht, The Netherlands (N = 130). The Toronto sample was, on average, about a year younger than the Utrecht sample at referral, had a higher percentage of boys, had a higher mean IQ, and was less likely to be living with both parents. On the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), both groups showed, on average, clinical range scores in both social competence and behavior problems. A CBCL-derived measure of poor peer relations showed that boys in both clinics had worse ratings than did the girls. A multiple regression analysis showed that poor peer relations were the strongest predictor of behavior problems in both samples. This study-the first cross-national, cross-clinic comparative analysis of children with gender identity disorder-found far more similarities than differences in both social competence and behavior problems. The most salient demographic difference was age at referral. Cross-national differences in factors that might influence referral patterns are discussed.

High Dengue Case Capture Rate in Four Years of a Cohort Study in Nicaragua Compared to National Surveillance Data

PubMed Central

Standish, Katherine; Kuan, Guillermina; Avilés, William; Balmaseda, Angel; Harris, Eva

2010-01-01

Dengue is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions; however, under-reporting of cases to national surveillance systems hinders accurate knowledge of disease burden and costs. Laboratory-confirmed dengue cases identified through the Nicaraguan Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study (PDCS) were compared to those reported from other health facilities in Managua to the National Epidemiologic Surveillance (NES) program of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health. Compared to reporting among similar pediatric populations in Managua, the PDCS identified 14 to 28 (average 21.3) times more dengue cases each year per 100,000 persons than were reported to the NES. Applying these annual expansion factors to national-level data, we estimate that the incidence of confirmed pediatric dengue throughout Nicaragua ranged from 300 to 1000 cases per 100,000 persons. We have estimated a much higher incidence of dengue than reported by the Ministry of Health. A country-specific expansion factor for dengue that allows for a more accurate estimate of incidence may aid governments and other institutions calculating disease burden, costs, resource needs for prevention and treatment, and the economic benefits of drug and vaccine development. PMID:20300515

Weighted south-wide average pulpwood prices

Treesearch

James E. Granskog; Kevin D. Growther

1991-01-01

Weighted average prices provide a more accurate representation of regional pulpwood price trends when production volumes valy widely by state. Unweighted South-wide average delivered prices for pulpwood, as reported by Timber Mart-South, were compared to average annual prices weighted by each state's pulpwood production from 1977 to 1986. Weighted average prices...

75 FR 41796 - National School Lunch, Special Milk, and School Breakfast Programs, National Average Payments...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

..., afterschool snacks and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School... Factors and to the maximum Federal reimbursement rates for lunches and afterschool snacks served to... afterschool snacks served under the National School Lunch Program are rounded down to the nearest whole cent...

Focus on Teacher Salaries: What Teacher Salary Averages Don't Show.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale

Traditional comparisons of teacher salary averages fail to consider factors beyond pay raises that affect those averages. Salary averages do not show: regional and national variations among states' average salaries; the variation of salaries within an individual state; variations in the cost of living; the highest degree earned by teachers and the…

Manufacturer's Policies Concerning Average Fuel Economy Standards

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-01-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been given the responsibility for implementing the average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles mandated by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (P.L. 94-163). The standards...

Comparative Financial Statistics for Public Two-Year Colleges: FY 1992 National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickmeyer, Nathan; Cirino, Anna Marie

This report, the 15th in an annual series, provides comparative information derived from a national sample of 544 public two-year colleges, highlighting financial statistics for fiscal year 1991-92. The report offers space for colleges to compare their institutional statistics with data provided on national sample medians; quartile data for the…

Comparative Financial Statistics for Public Two-Year Colleges: FY 1995 National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeker, Bradley

Based on responses by 405 public two-year colleges in the United States to 2 surveys, this report provides comparative financial information for fiscal year 1994-95. The report provides space for colleges to compare their institutional statistics with national sample medians, quartile data for the national sample, and tables and graphs of…

Comparative Financial Statistics for Public Two-Year Colleges: FY 1994 National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickmeyer, Nathan; Meeker, Bradley

Based on responses by 427 public two-year colleges in the United States to two surveys, this report provides comparative financial information for fiscal year 1993-94. The report provides space for colleges to compare their institutional statistics with national sample medians, quartile data for the national sample, and tables and graphs of…

Implications of sustainable development considerations for comparability across nationally determined contributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyer, Gokul; Calvin, Katherine; Clarke, Leon; Edmonds, James; Hultman, Nathan; Hartin, Corinne; McJeon, Haewon; Aldy, Joseph; Pizer, William

2018-01-01

An important component of the Paris Agreement is the assessment of comparability across nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Indeed, game-theory literature on international environmental agreements highlights the need for comparable emission-mitigation efforts by countries to avoid free-riding1. At the same time, there are well-recognized links between mitigation and other national priorities, including but not limited to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)2-6, which raises the question of how such links might influence comparability assessments. Here, using a global integrated assessment model7, we demonstrate that geographical distributions of the influence of meeting the domestic mitigation component of the NDCs on a subset of the broader SDGs may not align with distributions of effort across NDCs obtained from conventional emissions-based or cost-based comparability metrics8-11. This implies that comparability assessments would be altered if interactions between mitigation and other SDGs were accounted for. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the extent to which these distributions differ depends on the degree to which mitigation activities directly affect broader SDGs domestically and indirectly affect international goals, and whether these effects are synergistic or antagonistic. Our analysis provides a foundation for assessing how comparability across NDCs could be better understood in the larger context of sustainability.

Vaccination Rates among Adolescents in Minnesota as Compared with the United States: Not "Above Average".

PubMed

Jacobson, Robert M; Rogacki, Brianna; Thompson, David M; Roberts, James R; Margolis, Benyamin; Darden, Paul M

2015-01-01

Because adolescents make relatively few visits to clinics for preventive care, their vaccination rates suffer. We examined rates among Minnesota youths to see how they compared with those among teens throughout the United States. We used National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) data to estimate vaccination rates for 13- to 17-year-olds in Minnesota from 2008 through 2013 and compared them to national rates for MCV4, Tdap and HPV vaccines. We also examined rates of provider recommendation for each of the three vaccines and rates of parental intention to vaccinate against HPV. We found rates for all three vaccinations increased between 2008 and 2013, but they continue to be low for both MCV4 (69%) and HPV (38% of females and 9% of males completed the three-dose series in 2013). Fortunately, the percentage of Minnesota clinicians recommending those vaccines is increasing (the percentage recommending HPV vaccination for females increased from 55% in 2008 to 74% in 2013; however, only 44% recommended it for males in 2013). The percentage of parents in Minnesota reporting intent to vaccinate their female children against HPV rose from 52% in 2008 to 58% in 2013; the percentage intending to vaccinate their male children rose from 16% in 2010 to 47% in 2013. Clinicians and public health officials must address how we can improve HPV vaccination rates among adolescents.

Teacher Salary and National Achievement: A Cross-National Analysis of 30 Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akiba, Motoko; Chiu, Yu-Lun; Shimizu, Kazuhiko; Liang, Guodong

2012-01-01

Using national teacher salary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and student achievement data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this study compared secondary school teacher salary in 30 countries and examined the relationship between average teacher salary and national…

Comparing Rising Powers: The Case of Pre-World War II Japanese Nationalism and Contemporary Chinese Nationalism

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

S) AND ADDRESS(ES) N/A 10. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of...military force, economy, and religion, to name only a few, are frequently referred to by scholars as sources for uniting people under the banner...main drivers of Japanese nationalism before 1945, and are these same factors driving Chinese nationalism today? After comparing similarities between

1954 midsummer fuel moistures in Oregon and Washington national forests compared with other years.

Treesearch

Owen P. Cramer

1955-01-01

For the third successive year mid-fire-season fuel moistures on national forests of Oregon and Washington averaged higher than in the preceding year, and forest flammability was correspondingly lower. Generally high fuel-moisture conditions during 1954 are reflected in fire occurrence, which approached an all-time low. Fuel-moisture ratings are based on the 25 lowest...

1951 midsummer fuel moistures in Oregon and Washington national forests compared with other years.

Treesearch

Owen P. Cramer

1952-01-01

During the past four years on most Oregon and Washington national forests average midsummer fuel moisture has shown a general downward trend. Conversely, the lowering fuel moistures have caused a rising trend in midsummer forest inflammability. These trends have been brought to light by an analysis of readings from fuel moisture indicator sticks during the midsummer...

The contribution of trees outside forests to national tree biomass and carbon stocks--a comparative study across three continents.

PubMed

Schnell, Sebastian; Altrell, Dan; Ståhl, Göran; Kleinn, Christoph

2015-01-01

In contrast to forest trees, trees outside forests (TOF) often are not included in the national monitoring of tree resources. Consequently, data about this particular resource is rare, and available information is typically fragmented across the different institutions and stakeholders that deal with one or more of the various TOF types. Thus, even if information is available, it is difficult to aggregate data into overall national statistics. However, the National Forest Monitoring and Assessment (NFMA) programme of FAO offers a unique possibility to study TOF resources because TOF are integrated by default into the NFMA inventory design. We have analysed NFMA data from 11 countries across three continents. For six countries, we found that more than 10% of the national above-ground tree biomass was actually accumulated outside forests. The highest value (73%) was observed for Bangladesh (total forest cover 8.1%, average biomass per hectare in forest 33.4 t ha(-1)) and the lowest (3%) was observed for Zambia (total forest cover 63.9%, average biomass per hectare in forest 32 t ha(-1)). Average TOF biomass stocks were estimated to be smaller than 10 t ha(-1). However, given the large extent of non-forest areas, these stocks sum up to considerable quantities in many countries. There are good reasons to overcome sectoral boundaries and to extend national forest monitoring programmes on a more systematic basis that includes TOF. Such an approach, for example, would generate a more complete picture of the national tree biomass. In the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation, international climate mitigation programmes (e.g. Clean Development Mechanism and Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation) focus on forest trees without considering the impact of TOF, a consideration this study finds crucial if accurate measurements of national tree biomass and carbon pools are required.

A Comparative Analysis of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Model Predictions for Rayleigh-Taylor Instability and Mixing with Constant and Complex Accelerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schilling, Oleg

2016-11-01

Two-, three- and four-equation, single-velocity, multicomponent Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models, based on the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate or lengthscale, are used to simulate At = 0 . 5 Rayleigh-Taylor turbulent mixing with constant and complex accelerations. The constant acceleration case is inspired by the Cabot and Cook (2006) DNS, and the complex acceleration cases are inspired by the unstable/stable and unstable/neutral cases simulated using DNS (Livescu, Wei & Petersen 2011) and the unstable/stable/unstable case simulated using ILES (Ramaprabhu, Karkhanis & Lawrie 2013). The four-equation models couple equations for the mass flux a and negative density-specific volume correlation b to the K- ɛ or K- L equations, while the three-equation models use a two-fluid algebraic closure for b. The lengthscale-based models are also applied with no buoyancy production in the L equation to explore the consequences of neglecting this term. Predicted mixing widths, turbulence statistics, fields, and turbulent transport equation budgets are compared among these models to identify similarities and differences in the turbulence production, dissipation and diffusion physics represented by the closures used in these models. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Alcatraz Island Ferry Comparability Analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-08-31

This report presents a summary of an analysis comparing the ferry operated between San Francisco and Alcatraz Island with : similar water transportation services. The analysis was performed to assist the National Park Service in determining the rates...

Instantaneous, phase-averaged, and time-averaged pressure from particle image velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Kat, Roeland

2015-11-01

Recent work on pressure determination using velocity data from particle image velocimetry (PIV) resulted in approaches that allow for instantaneous and volumetric pressure determination. However, applying these approaches is not always feasible (e.g. due to resolution, access, or other constraints) or desired. In those cases pressure determination approaches using phase-averaged or time-averaged velocity provide an alternative. To assess the performance of these different pressure determination approaches against one another, they are applied to a single data set and their results are compared with each other and with surface pressure measurements. For this assessment, the data set of a flow around a square cylinder (de Kat & van Oudheusden, 2012, Exp. Fluids 52:1089-1106) is used. RdK is supported by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship.

Comparison of food consumption in Indian adults between national and sub-national dietary data sources.

PubMed

Aleksandrowicz, Lukasz; Tak, Mehroosh; Green, Rosemary; Kinra, Sanjay; Haines, Andy

2017-04-01

Accurate data on dietary intake are important for public health, nutrition and agricultural policy. The National Sample Survey is widely used by policymakers in India to estimate nutritional outcomes in the country, but has not been compared with other dietary data sources. To assess relative differences across available Indian dietary data sources, we compare intake of food groups across six national and sub-national surveys between 2004 and 2012, representing various dietary intake estimation methodologies, including Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES), FFQ, food balance sheets (FBS), and 24-h recall (24HR) surveys. We matched data for relevant years, regions and economic groups, for ages 16-59. One set of national HCES and the 24HR showed a decline in food intake in India between 2004-2005 and 2011-2012, whereas another HCES and FBS showed an increase. Differences in intake were smallest between the two HCES (1 % relative difference). Relative to these, FFQ and FBS had higher intake (13 and 35 %), and the 24HR lower intake (-9 %). Cereal consumption had high agreement across comparisons (average 5 % difference), whereas fruit and nuts, eggs, meat and fish and sugar had the least (120, 119, 56 and 50 % average differences, respectively). Spearman's coefficients showed high correlation of ranked food group intake across surveys. The underlying methods of the compared data highlight possible sources of under- or over-estimation, and influence their relevance for addressing various research questions and programmatic needs.

Reproducing multi-model ensemble average with Ensemble-averaged Reconstructed Forcings (ERF) in regional climate modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erfanian, A.; Fomenko, L.; Wang, G.

2016-12-01

Multi-model ensemble (MME) average is considered the most reliable for simulating both present-day and future climates. It has been a primary reference for making conclusions in major coordinated studies i.e. IPCC Assessment Reports and CORDEX. The biases of individual models cancel out each other in MME average, enabling the ensemble mean to outperform individual members in simulating the mean climate. This enhancement however comes with tremendous computational cost, which is especially inhibiting for regional climate modeling as model uncertainties can originate from both RCMs and the driving GCMs. Here we propose the Ensemble-based Reconstructed Forcings (ERF) approach to regional climate modeling that achieves a similar level of bias reduction at a fraction of cost compared with the conventional MME approach. The new method constructs a single set of initial and boundary conditions (IBCs) by averaging the IBCs of multiple GCMs, and drives the RCM with this ensemble average of IBCs to conduct a single run. Using a regional climate model (RegCM4.3.4-CLM4.5), we tested the method over West Africa for multiple combination of (up to six) GCMs. Our results indicate that the performance of the ERF method is comparable to that of the MME average in simulating the mean climate. The bias reduction seen in ERF simulations is achieved by using more realistic IBCs in solving the system of equations underlying the RCM physics and dynamics. This endows the new method with a theoretical advantage in addition to reducing computational cost. The ERF output is an unaltered solution of the RCM as opposed to a climate state that might not be physically plausible due to the averaging of multiple solutions with the conventional MME approach. The ERF approach should be considered for use in major international efforts such as CORDEX. Key words: Multi-model ensemble, ensemble analysis, ERF, regional climate modeling

Improving consensus structure by eliminating averaging artifacts

PubMed Central

KC, Dukka B

2009-01-01

Background Common structural biology methods (i.e., NMR and molecular dynamics) often produce ensembles of molecular structures. Consequently, averaging of 3D coordinates of molecular structures (proteins and RNA) is a frequent approach to obtain a consensus structure that is representative of the ensemble. However, when the structures are averaged, artifacts can result in unrealistic local geometries, including unphysical bond lengths and angles. Results Herein, we describe a method to derive representative structures while limiting the number of artifacts. Our approach is based on a Monte Carlo simulation technique that drives a starting structure (an extended or a 'close-by' structure) towards the 'averaged structure' using a harmonic pseudo energy function. To assess the performance of the algorithm, we applied our approach to Cα models of 1364 proteins generated by the TASSER structure prediction algorithm. The average RMSD of the refined model from the native structure for the set becomes worse by a mere 0.08 Å compared to the average RMSD of the averaged structures from the native structure (3.28 Å for refined structures and 3.36 A for the averaged structures). However, the percentage of atoms involved in clashes is greatly reduced (from 63% to 1%); in fact, the majority of the refined proteins had zero clashes. Moreover, a small number (38) of refined structures resulted in lower RMSD to the native protein versus the averaged structure. Finally, compared to PULCHRA [1], our approach produces representative structure of similar RMSD quality, but with much fewer clashes. Conclusion The benchmarking results demonstrate that our approach for removing averaging artifacts can be very beneficial for the structural biology community. Furthermore, the same approach can be applied to almost any problem where averaging of 3D coordinates is performed. Namely, structure averaging is also commonly performed in RNA secondary prediction [2], which could also benefit

National Launch System comparative economic analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, A.

1992-01-01

Results are presented from an analysis of economic benefits (or losses), in the form of the life cycle cost savings, resulting from the development of the National Launch System (NLS) family of launch vehicles. The analysis was carried out by comparing various NLS-based architectures with the current Shuttle/Titan IV fleet. The basic methodology behind this NLS analysis was to develop a set of annual payload requirements for the Space Station Freedom and LEO, to design launch vehicle architectures around these requirements, and to perform life-cycle cost analyses on all of the architectures. A SEI requirement was included. Launch failure costs were estimated and combined with the relative reliability assumptions to measure the effects of losses. Based on the analysis, a Shuttle/NLS architecture evolving into a pressurized-logistics-carrier/NLS architecture appears to offer the best long-term cost benefit.

Averaging in SU(2) open quantum random walk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, Ampadu

2014-03-01

We study the average position and the symmetry of the distribution in the SU(2) open quantum random walk (OQRW). We show that the average position in the central limit theorem (CLT) is non-uniform compared with the average position in the non-CLT. The symmetry of distribution is shown to be even in the CLT.

Comparing Local TV News with National TV News in Cancer Coverage: An Exploratory Content Analysis

PubMed Central

Lee, Chul-joo; Long, Marilee; Slater, Michael D.; Song, Wen

2014-01-01

We compared local TV news with national TV news in terms of cancer coverage using a nationally representative sample of local nightly TV and national network TV (i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN) cancer news stories that aired during 2002 and 2003. Compared to national TV news, local TV cancer stories were (a) much shorter in length, (b) less likely to report on cancer prevention (i.e., preventive behaviors and screening tests), and (c) less likely to reference national organizations (i.e., NCI, ACS, NIH, CDC, FDA) that have made clear recommendations about ways to prevent cancer. The implications of these findings for health communication research and cancer education were discussed. PMID:24750022

40 CFR 63.5710 - How do I demonstrate compliance using emissions averaging?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Boat Manufacturing Standards for Open... section to compute the weighted-average MACT model point value for each open molding resin and gel coat...

Education determines a nation's health, but what determines educational outcomes? A cross-national comparative analysis.

PubMed

Siddiqi, Arjumand; Kawachi, Ichiro; Berkman, Lisa; Hertzman, Clyde; Subramanian, S V

2012-02-01

This study is premised on the notion that public health policy should address not only health itself, but also primary determinants of health. We examined the effect of national policies on educational outcomes, in particular, on adolescent reading literacy (ARL). We compared the effect of traditional policy indicators--national income and educational spending--with income inequality, a measure of redistributive policies. We used Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data that provide a rare opportunity to test policy effects after accounting for competing individual-, school-, and country-level explanations. Our sample consisted of 119,814 students, 5126 schools, and 24 countries. Multilevel/Hierarchical regression findings were striking: GDP had a significant, but negligible effect on ARL scores (β=0.002, SE=0.0008), while educational spending had no significant effect. By contrast, income inequality exhibited a larger inverse association (β=-1.15, SE=0.57). Among the wealthy nations in OECD, additional economic prosperity and educational spending is trumped by distribution of income for its effect on ARL. Our study yielded a striking result about education, a major determinant of health. Not only is income inequality a significant determinant of ARL scores, but direct spending on education and overall national economic prosperity are not.

Comparative analysis of age dynamics of average values of body dimensions in children from birth to 7 years.

PubMed

Deryabin, Vasily E; Krans, Valentina M; Fedotova, Tatiana K

2005-07-01

Mean values of different body dimensions in different age cohorts of children make it possible to learn a lot about their dynamic changes. Their comparative analysis, as is usually practiced, in fact leads to a simple description of changes in measurement units (mm or cm) at the average level of some body dimension during a shorter or longer period of time. To estimate comparative intensity of the growth process of different body dimensions, the authors use the analogue of Mahalanobis distance, the so-called Kullback divergence (1967), which does not demand stability of dispersion or correlation coefficients of dimensions in compared cohorts of children. Most of the dimensions, excluding skinfolds, demonstrate growth dynamics with gradually reducing increments from birth to 7 years. Body length has the highest integrative increment, leg length about 94% of body length, body mass 77%, and trunk and extremities circumferences 56%. Skinfolds have a non-monotonic pattern of accumulated standardized increments with some increase until 1-2 years of age.

Trait valence and the better-than-average effect.

PubMed

Gold, Ron S; Brown, Mark G

2011-12-01

People tend to regard themselves as having superior personality traits compared to their average peer. To test whether this "better-than-average effect" varies with trait valence, participants (N = 154 students) rated both themselves and the average student on traits constituting either positive or negative poles of five trait dimensions. In each case, the better-than-average effect was found, but trait valence had no effect. Results were discussed in terms of Kahneman and Tversky's prospect theory.

Quaternion Averaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markley, F. Landis; Cheng, Yang; Crassidis, John L.; Oshman, Yaakov

2007-01-01

Many applications require an algorithm that averages quaternions in an optimal manner. For example, when combining the quaternion outputs of multiple star trackers having this output capability, it is desirable to properly average the quaternions without recomputing the attitude from the the raw star tracker data. Other applications requiring some sort of optimal quaternion averaging include particle filtering and multiple-model adaptive estimation, where weighted quaternions are used to determine the quaternion estimate. For spacecraft attitude estimation applications, derives an optimal averaging scheme to compute the average of a set of weighted attitude matrices using the singular value decomposition method. Focusing on a 4-dimensional quaternion Gaussian distribution on the unit hypersphere, provides an approach to computing the average quaternion by minimizing a quaternion cost function that is equivalent to the attitude matrix cost function Motivated by and extending its results, this Note derives an algorithm that deterniines an optimal average quaternion from a set of scalar- or matrix-weighted quaternions. Rirthermore, a sufficient condition for the uniqueness of the average quaternion, and the equivalence of the mininiization problem, stated herein, to maximum likelihood estimation, are shown.

Comparative study on the National Renal Disease Registry in America, England and Iran.

PubMed

Ajami, Sima; Askarianzadeh, Mahdi; Saghaeiannejad-Isfahani, Sakineh; Mortazavi, Mojgan; Ehteshami, Asghar

2014-01-01

A disease registry is a database that includes information about people diagnosed with specific types of diseases. The registry collects information that can be used for capturing, managing, and organizing specific information for patients. The aim of this study was to identify and compare the National Renal Disease Registry (NRDR) in selected countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Iran. Retrieval of data of the NRDR performed through scholars responsible in related agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and Renal Disease charity, and data registries in the United States, United Kingdom, and Iran. This research was an applied and descriptive, comparative study. The study population consisted of the National Renal Disease Registry of the selected countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Iran, from which data were collected using forms that were designed according to the study objectives. Sources of data were researchers, scholars responsible in related agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and Renal Disease charity, data registries, articles, books, journals, databases, websites, and related documents. Data were gathered through phone, e-mail, study, observation, and interview. The researchers collected data for each country based on the study objectives and then put them in comparative tables. Data were analyzed by descriptive, comparative, and theoretical methods. There is no NRDR in Iran to report the short- and long-term results of renal disease. Most of the renal transplant teams report their own results as single-center experiences. America and Britain have pre-eminent national registry of renal disease, compared to other countries. The Iranian Society of Nephrology should be actively involved to create a National Renal Registry in Iran. The registry should have representatives from the universities, government, armed forces, and private sectors. Researchers proposed

Teachers' Self-Perceptions in England and Germany: Methodological Nationalism and Negative Points of Reference in Comparative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Bargen, Imke

2017-01-01

The field of comparative education traditionally compares nations and cultures to gain a deeper understanding of educational phenomena. The nation-state often functions as the only unit of comparison, which increases methodological nationalism. It is dangerous to draw simplistic conclusions because they focus on national particularities alone and…

Version 8 SBUV Ozone Profile Trends Compared with Trends from a Zonally Averaged Chemical Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenfield, Joan E.; Frith, Stacey; Stolarski, Richard

2004-01-01

Linear regression trends for the years 1979-2003 were computed using the new Version 8 merged Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) data set of ozone profiles. These trends were compared to trends computed using ozone profiles from the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) zonally averaged coupled model. Observed and modeled annual trends between 50 N and 50 S were a maximum in the higher latitudes of the upper stratosphere, with southern hemisphere (SH) trends greater than northern hemisphere (NH) trends. The observed upper stratospheric maximum annual trend is -5.5 +/- 0.9 % per decade (1 sigma) at 47.5 S and -3.8 +/- 0.5 % per decade at 47.5 N, to be compared with the modeled trends of -4.5 +/- 0.3 % per decade in the SH and -4.0 +/- 0.2% per decade in the NH. Both observed and modeled trends are most negative in winter and least negative in summer, although the modeled seasonal difference is less than observed. Model trends are shown to be greatest in winter due to a repartitioning of chlorine species and the increasing abundance of chlorine with time. The model results show that trend differences can occur depending on whether ozone profiles are in mixing ratio or number density coordinates, and on whether they are recorded on pressure or altitude levels.

A comparison of average wages with age-specific wages for assessing indirect productivity losses: analytic simplicity versus analytic precision.

PubMed

Connolly, Mark P; Tashjian, Cole; Kotsopoulos, Nikolaos; Bhatt, Aomesh; Postma, Maarten J

2017-07-01

Numerous approaches are used to estimate indirect productivity losses using various wage estimates applied to poor health in working aged adults. Considering the different wage estimation approaches observed in the published literature, we sought to assess variation in productivity loss estimates when using average wages compared with age-specific wages. Published estimates for average and age-specific wages for combined male/female wages were obtained from the UK Office of National Statistics. A polynomial interpolation was used to convert 5-year age-banded wage data into annual age-specific wages estimates. To compare indirect cost estimates, average wages and age-specific wages were used to project productivity losses at various stages of life based on the human capital approach. Discount rates of 0, 3, and 6 % were applied to projected age-specific and average wage losses. Using average wages was found to overestimate lifetime wages in conditions afflicting those aged 1-27 and 57-67, while underestimating lifetime wages in those aged 27-57. The difference was most significant for children where average wage overestimated wages by 15 % and for 40-year-olds where it underestimated wages by 14 %. Large differences in projecting productivity losses exist when using the average wage applied over a lifetime. Specifically, use of average wages overestimates productivity losses between 8 and 15 % for childhood illnesses. Furthermore, during prime working years, use of average wages will underestimate productivity losses by 14 %. We suggest that to achieve more precise estimates of productivity losses, age-specific wages should become the standard analytic approach.

Dissociating Averageness and Attractiveness: Attractive Faces Are Not Always Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBruine, Lisa M.; Jones, Benedict C.; Unger, Layla; Little, Anthony C.; Feinberg, David R.

2007-01-01

Although the averageness hypothesis of facial attractiveness proposes that the attractiveness of faces is mostly a consequence of their averageness, 1 study has shown that caricaturing highly attractive faces makes them mathematically less average but more attractive. Here the authors systematically test the averageness hypothesis in 5 experiments…

Work Hours and Self rated Health of Hospital Doctors in Norway and Germany. A comparative study on national samples

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The relationship between extended work hours and health is well documented among hospital doctors, but the effect of national differences in work hours on health is unexplored. The study examines the relationship between work hours and self rated health in two national samples of hospital doctors. Methods The study population consisted of representative samples of 1,260 German and 562 Norwegian hospital doctors aged 25-65 years (N = 1,822) who received postal questionnaires in 2006 (Germany) and 2008 (Norway). The questionnaires contained items on demography, work hours (number of hours per workday and on-call per month) and self rated subjective health on a five point scale - dichotomized into "good" (above average) and "average or below". Results Compared to Norway, a significantly higher proportion of German doctors exceeded a 9 hour work day (58.8% vs. 26.7%) and 60 hours on-call per month (63.4% vs. 18.3%). Every third (32.2%) hospital doctor in Germany worked more than this, while this pattern was rare in Norway (2.9%). In a logistic regression model, working in Norway (OR 4.17; 95% CI 3.02-5.73), age 25-44 years (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.29-2.14) and not exceeding 9 hour work day and 60 hours on-call per month (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.03-1.77) were all independent significant predictors of good self reported health. Conclusion A lower percentage of German hospital doctors reported self rated health as "good", which is partly explained by the differences in work time pattern. Initiatives to increase doctors' control over their work time are recommended. PMID:21338494

The influence of community well-being on mortality among Registered First Nations people.

PubMed

Oliver, Lisa N; Penney, Chris; Peters, Paul A

2016-07-20

Living in a community with lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher mortality. However, few studies have examined associations between community socioeconomic characteristics and mortality among the First Nations population. The 1991-to-2006 Census Mortality and Cancer Cohort follow-up, which tracked a 15% sample of Canadians aged 25 or older, included 57,300 respondents who self-identified as Registered First Nations people or Indian band members. The Community Well-Being Index (CWB), a measure of the social and economic well-being of communities, consists of income, education, labour force participation, and housing components. A dichotomous variable was used to indicate residence in a community with a CWB score above or below the average for First Nations communities. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated for First Nations cohort members in communities with CWB scores above and below the First Nations average. Cox proportional hazards models examined the impact of CWB when controlling for individual characteristics. The ASMR for First Nations cohort members in communities with a below-average CWB was 1,057 per 100,000 person-years at risk, compared with 912 for those in communities with an above-average CWB score. For men, living in a community with below-average income and labour force participation CWB scores was associated with an increased hazard of death, even when individual socioeconomic characteristics were taken into account. Women in communities with below-average income scores had an increased hazard of death. First Nations people in communities with below-average CWB scores tended to have higher mortality rates. For some components of the CWB, effects remained even when individual socioeconomic characteristics were taken into account.

Average cross-responses in correlated financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shanshan; Schäfer, Rudi; Guhr, Thomas

2016-09-01

There are non-vanishing price responses across different stocks in correlated financial markets, reflecting non-Markovian features. We further study this issue by performing different averages, which identify active and passive cross-responses. The two average cross-responses show different characteristic dependences on the time lag. The passive cross-response exhibits a shorter response period with sizeable volatilities, while the corresponding period for the active cross-response is longer. The average cross-responses for a given stock are evaluated either with respect to the whole market or to different sectors. Using the response strength, the influences of individual stocks are identified and discussed. Moreover, the various cross-responses as well as the average cross-responses are compared with the self-responses. In contrast to the short-memory trade sign cross-correlations for each pair of stocks, the sign cross-correlations averaged over different pairs of stocks show long memory.

Average spectral efficiency analysis of FSO links over turbulence channel with adaptive transmissions and aperture averaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aarthi, G.; Ramachandra Reddy, G.

2018-03-01

In our paper, the impact of adaptive transmission schemes: (i) optimal rate adaptation (ORA) and (ii) channel inversion with fixed rate (CIFR) on the average spectral efficiency (ASE) are explored for free-space optical (FSO) communications with On-Off Keying (OOK), Polarization shift keying (POLSK), and Coherent optical wireless communication (Coherent OWC) systems under different turbulence regimes. Further to enhance the ASE we have incorporated aperture averaging effects along with the above adaptive schemes. The results indicate that ORA adaptation scheme has the advantage of improving the ASE performance compared with CIFR under moderate and strong turbulence regime. The coherent OWC system with ORA excels the other modulation schemes and could achieve ASE performance of 49.8 bits/s/Hz at the average transmitted optical power of 6 dBm under strong turbulence. By adding aperture averaging effect we could achieve an ASE of 50.5 bits/s/Hz under the same conditions. This makes ORA with Coherent OWC modulation as a favorable candidate for improving the ASE of the FSO communication system.

Comparing Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations to James Madison's Federalist #10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundell, Jean

1987-01-01

Presents a lesson which calls upon students to compare Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONS to James Madison's FEDERALIST #10 to see how the ancient concept of individual rights and liberties was used to describe both economic and governmental systems. Presents questions to provide the basis for comparison. (GEA)

A Martian PFS average spectrum: Comparison with ISO SWS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Formisano, V.; Encrenaz, T.; Fonti, S.; Giuranna, M.; Grassi, D.; Hirsh, H.; Khatuntsev, I.; Ignatiev, N.; Lellouch, E.; Maturilli, A.; Moroz, V.; Orleanski, P.; Piccioni, G.; Rataj, M.; Saggin, B.; Zasova, L.

2005-08-01

The evaluation of the planetary Fourier spectrometer performance at Mars is presented by comparing an average spectrum with the ISO spectrum published by Lellouch et al. [2000. Planet. Space Sci. 48, 1393.]. First, the average conditions of Mars atmosphere are compared, then the mixing ratios of the major gases are evaluated. Major and minor bands of CO 2 are compared, from the point of view of features characteristics and bands depth. The spectral resolution is also compared using several solar lines. The result indicates that PFS radiance is valid to better than 1% in the wavenumber range 1800-4200 cm -1 for the average spectrum considered (1680 measurements). The PFS monochromatic transfer function generates an overshooting on the left-hand side of strong narrow lines (solar or atmospheric). The spectral resolution of PFS is of the order of 1.3 cm -1 or better. A large number of narrow features to be identified are discovered.

AVERAGE ANNUAL SOLAR UV DOSE OF THE CONTINENTAL US CITIZEN

EPA Science Inventory

The average annual solar UV dose of US citizens is not known, but is required for relative risk assessments of skin cancer from UV-emitting devices. We solved this problem using a novel approach. The EPA's "National Human Activity Pattern Survey" recorded the daily ou...

Coping Strategies Applied to Comprehend Multistep Arithmetic Word Problems by Students with Above-Average Numeracy Skills and Below-Average Reading Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nortvedt, Guri A.

2011-01-01

This article discusses how 13-year-old students with above-average numeracy skills and below-average reading skills cope with comprehending word problems. Compared to other students who are proficient in numeracy and are skilled readers, these students are more disadvantaged when solving single-step and multistep arithmetic word problems. The…

A Comparison of Linking Methods for Estimating National Trends in International Comparative Large-Scale Assessments in the Presence of Cross-national DIF

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sachse, Karoline A.; Roppelt, Alexander; Haag, Nicole

2016-01-01

Trend estimation in international comparative large-scale assessments relies on measurement invariance between countries. However, cross-national differential item functioning (DIF) has been repeatedly documented. We ran a simulation study using national item parameters, which required trends to be computed separately for each country, to compare…

49 CFR 525.11 - Termination of exemption; amendment of alternative average fuel economy standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Termination of exemption; amendment of alternative average fuel economy standard. 525.11 Section 525.11 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EXEMPTIONS FROM AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS...

Grade Point Average: What's Wrong and What's the Alternative?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soh, Kay Cheng

2011-01-01

Grade point average (GPA) has been around for more than two centuries. However, it has created a lot of confusion, frustration, and anxiety to GPA-producers and users alike, especially when used across-nation for different purposes. This paper looks into the reasons for such a state of affairs from the perspective of educational measurement. It…

Comparing national infectious disease surveillance systems: China and the Netherlands.

PubMed

Vlieg, Willemijn L; Fanoy, Ewout B; van Asten, Liselotte; Liu, Xiaobo; Yang, Jun; Pilot, Eva; Bijkerk, Paul; van der Hoek, Wim; Krafft, Thomas; van der Sande, Marianne A; Liu, Qi-Yong

2017-05-08

Risk assessment and early warning (RAEW) are essential components of any infectious disease surveillance system. In light of the International Health Regulations (IHR)(2005), this study compares the organisation of RAEW in China and the Netherlands. The respective approaches towards surveillance of arboviral disease and unexplained pneumonia were analysed to gain a better understanding of the RAEW mode of operation. This study may be used to explore options for further strengthening of global collaboration and timely detection and surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks. A qualitative study design was used, combining data retrieved from the literature and from semi-structured interviews with Chinese (5 national-level and 6 provincial-level) and Dutch (5 national-level) experts. The results show that some differences exist such as in the use of automated electronic components of the early warning system in China ('CIDARS'), compared to a more limited automated component in the Netherlands ('barometer'). Moreover, RAEW units in the Netherlands focus exclusively on infectious diseases, while China has a broader 'all hazard' approach (including for example chemical incidents). In the Netherlands, veterinary specialists take part at the RAEW meetings, to enable a structured exchange/assessment of zoonotic signals. Despite these differences, the main conclusion is that for the two infections studied, the early warning system in China and the Netherlands are remarkably similar considering their large differences in infectious disease history, population size and geographical setting. Our main recommendations are continued emphasis on international corporation that requires insight into national infectious disease surveillance systems, the usage of a One Health approach in infectious disease surveillance, and further exploration/strengthening of a combined syndromic and laboratory surveillance system.

A Comparative Study of Creativity and Cognitive Problem-Solving Strategies of High-IQ and Average Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russo, Christine Fiorella

2004-01-01

This study assessed the creative thinking abilities of high-IQ and average students on fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Seventeen high-IQ fifth and sixth graders and 20 average fifth and sixth graders were given 4 batteries of Torrance's Verbal and Figural Tests (A and B) as pretests and posttests and three Future Problem…

Lagrangian averages, averaged Lagrangians, and the mean effects of fluctuations in fluid dynamics.

PubMed

Holm, Darryl D.

2002-06-01

We begin by placing the generalized Lagrangian mean (GLM) equations for a compressible adiabatic fluid into the Euler-Poincare (EP) variational framework of fluid dynamics, for an averaged Lagrangian. This is the Lagrangian averaged Euler-Poincare (LAEP) theorem. Next, we derive a set of approximate small amplitude GLM equations (glm equations) at second order in the fluctuating displacement of a Lagrangian trajectory from its mean position. These equations express the linear and nonlinear back-reaction effects on the Eulerian mean fluid quantities by the fluctuating displacements of the Lagrangian trajectories in terms of their Eulerian second moments. The derivation of the glm equations uses the linearized relations between Eulerian and Lagrangian fluctuations, in the tradition of Lagrangian stability analysis for fluids. The glm derivation also uses the method of averaged Lagrangians, in the tradition of wave, mean flow interaction. Next, the new glm EP motion equations for incompressible ideal fluids are compared with the Euler-alpha turbulence closure equations. An alpha model is a GLM (or glm) fluid theory with a Taylor hypothesis closure. Such closures are based on the linearized fluctuation relations that determine the dynamics of the Lagrangian statistical quantities in the Euler-alpha equations. Thus, by using the LAEP theorem, we bridge between the GLM equations and the Euler-alpha closure equations, through the small-amplitude glm approximation in the EP variational framework. We conclude by highlighting a new application of the GLM, glm, and alpha-model results for Lagrangian averaged ideal magnetohydrodynamics. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

How Young Is Standard Average European?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haspelmath, Martin

1998-01-01

An analysis of Standard Average European, a European linguistic area, looks at 11 of its features (definite, indefinite articles, have-perfect, participial passive, antiaccusative prominence, nominative experiencers, dative external possessors, negation/negative pronouns, particle comparatives, A-and-B conjunction, relative clauses, verb fronting…

Systematic review of colorectal cancer screening guidelines for average-risk adults: Summarizing the current global recommendations.

PubMed

Bénard, Florence; Barkun, Alan N; Martel, Myriam; von Renteln, Daniel

2018-01-07

To summarize and compare worldwide colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations in order to identify similarities and disparities. A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CENTRAL and ISI Web of knowledge identifying all average-risk CRC screening guideline publications within the last ten years and/or position statements published in the last 2 years. In addition, a hand-search of the webpages of National Gastroenterology Society websites, the National Guideline Clearinghouse, the BMJ Clinical Evidence website, Google and Google Scholar was performed. Fifteen guidelines were identified. Six guidelines were published in North America, four in Europe, four in Asia and one from the World Gastroenterology Organization. The majority of guidelines recommend screening average-risk individuals between ages 50 and 75 using colonoscopy (every 10 years), or flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS, every 5 years) or fecal occult blood test (FOBT, mainly the Fecal Immunochemical Test, annually or biennially). Disparities throughout the different guidelines are found relating to the use of colonoscopy, rank order between test, screening intervals and optimal age ranges for screening. Average risk individuals between 50 and 75 years should undergo CRC screening. Recommendations for optimal surveillance intervals, preferred tests/test cascade as well as the optimal timing when to start and stop screening differ regionally and should be considered for clinical decision making. Furthermore, local resource availability and patient preferences are important to increase CRC screening uptake, as any screening is better than none.

Comparing Phytophthora ramorum diagnostic protocols for the national Sudden Oak death stream monitoring program

Treesearch

W. Sutton; E.M. Hansen; P. Reeser; A. Kanaskie

2008-01-01

Oregon was a participant in the pilot test of the national stream monitoring protocol for SOD. We routinely and continuously monitor about 50 streams in and near the SOD quarantine area in southwest Oregon using foliage baits. For the national protocol, we added six additional streams beyond the area of known infestation, and compared results from different diagnostic...

National forest visitor spending averages and the influence of trip-type and recreation activity.

Treesearch

Eric M. White; Daniel I. Stynes

2008-01-01

Estimates of national forest recreation visitor spending serve us inputs to regional economic analyses and help to identify the economic linkages between national forest recreation use and local forest communities. When completing recreation-related analyses, managers, planners, and researchers frequently think of visitors in terms of recreation activity. When...

20 CFR 404.211 - Computing your average indexed monthly earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... averages to make them comparable to the averages for 1951-1990. (d) Indexing your earnings. (1) The first step in indexing your social security earnings is to find the relationship (under paragraph (d)(2) of... average wage of all workers in your indexing year. As a general rule, your indexing year is the second...

20 CFR 404.211 - Computing your average indexed monthly earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... averages to make them comparable to the averages for 1951-1990. (d) Indexing your earnings. (1) The first step in indexing your social security earnings is to find the relationship (under paragraph (d)(2) of... average wage of all workers in your indexing year. As a general rule, your indexing year is the second...

20 CFR 404.211 - Computing your average indexed monthly earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... averages to make them comparable to the averages for 1951-1990. (d) Indexing your earnings. (1) The first step in indexing your social security earnings is to find the relationship (under paragraph (d)(2) of... average wage of all workers in your indexing year. As a general rule, your indexing year is the second...

20 CFR 404.211 - Computing your average indexed monthly earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... averages to make them comparable to the averages for 1951-1990. (d) Indexing your earnings. (1) The first step in indexing your social security earnings is to find the relationship (under paragraph (d)(2) of... average wage of all workers in your indexing year. As a general rule, your indexing year is the second...

20 CFR 404.211 - Computing your average indexed monthly earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... averages to make them comparable to the averages for 1951-1990. (d) Indexing your earnings. (1) The first step in indexing your social security earnings is to find the relationship (under paragraph (d)(2) of... average wage of all workers in your indexing year. As a general rule, your indexing year is the second...

Comparing daily temperature averaging methods: the role of surface and atmosphere variables in determining spatial and seasonal variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, Jase; Carleton, Andrew M.

2018-05-01

The two main methods for determining the average daily near-surface air temperature, twice-daily averaging (i.e., [Tmax+Tmin]/2) and hourly averaging (i.e., the average of 24 hourly temperature measurements), typically show differences associated with the asymmetry of the daily temperature curve. To quantify the relative influence of several land surface and atmosphere variables on the two temperature averaging methods, we correlate data for 215 weather stations across the Contiguous United States (CONUS) for the period 1981-2010 with the differences between the two temperature-averaging methods. The variables are land use-land cover (LULC) type, soil moisture, snow cover, cloud cover, atmospheric moisture (i.e., specific humidity, dew point temperature), and precipitation. Multiple linear regression models explain the spatial and monthly variations in the difference between the two temperature-averaging methods. We find statistically significant correlations between both the land surface and atmosphere variables studied with the difference between temperature-averaging methods, especially for the extreme (i.e., summer, winter) seasons (adjusted R2 > 0.50). Models considering stations with certain LULC types, particularly forest and developed land, have adjusted R2 values > 0.70, indicating that both surface and atmosphere variables control the daily temperature curve and its asymmetry. This study improves our understanding of the role of surface and near-surface conditions in modifying thermal climates of the CONUS for a wide range of environments, and their likely importance as anthropogenic forcings—notably LULC changes and greenhouse gas emissions—continues.

Preparation and Properties of Nanocomposites from Pristine and Modified SWCNTs of Comparable Average Aspect Ratios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Joseph G.; Delozier, Donavon M.; Watson, Kent A.; Connell, John W.; Bekyarova, E.; Haddon, R.; Yu, A.

2008-01-01

Low color, flexible, space-durable polyimide films with inherent and robust electrical conductivity to dissipate electrostatic charge (ESC) have been under investigation as part of a materials development activity for future NASA space missions. The use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is one means to achieving this goal. Even though the concentration of SWCNTs needed to achieve ESC dissipation is typically low, it is dependent upon purity, size, dispersion, and functionalization. In this study, SWCNTs prepared by the electric arc discharge method were used to synthesize nanocomposites using the LaRC(TradeMark) CP2 backbone as the matrix. Pristine and functionalized SWCNTs were mixed with an alkoxysilane terminated amide acid of LaRC(TradeMark) CP2 and the soluble imide form of the polymer and the resultant nanocomposites evaluated for mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Due to the preparative conditions for the pristine and functionalized SWCNTs, the average aspect ratio for both was comparable. This permitted the assessment of SWCNT functionalization with respect to various interactions (e.g. van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, covalent bond formation, etc.) with the matrix and the macroscopic effects upon nanocomposite properties. The results of this study are described herein.

National Hospital Input Price Index

PubMed Central

Freeland, Mark S.; Anderson, Gerard; Schendler, Carol Ellen

1979-01-01

The national community hospital input price index presented here isolates the effects of prices of goods and services required to produce hospital care and measures the average percent change in prices for a fixed market basket of hospital inputs. Using the methodology described in this article, weights for various expenditure categories were estimated and proxy price variables associated with each were selected. The index is calculated for the historical period 1970 through 1978 and forecast for 1979 through 1981. During the historical period, the input price index increased an average of 8.0 percent a year, compared with an average rate of increase of 6.6 percent for overall consumer prices. For the period 1979 through 1981, the average annual increase is forecast at between 8.5 and 9.0 percent. Using the index to deflate growth in expenses, the level of real growth in expenditures per inpatient day (net service intensity growth) averaged 4.5 percent per year with considerable annual variation related to government and hospital industry policies. PMID:10309052

National hospital input price index.

PubMed

Freeland, M S; Anderson, G; Schendler, C E

1979-01-01

The national community hospital input price index presented here isolates the effects of prices of goods and services required to produce hospital care and measures the average percent change in prices for a fixed market basket of hospital inputs. Using the methodology described in this article, weights for various expenditure categories were estimated and proxy price variables associated with each were selected. The index is calculated for the historical period 1970 through 1978 and forecast for 1979 through 1981. During the historical period, the input price index increased an average of 8.0 percent a year, compared with an average rate of increase of 6.6 percent for overall consumer prices. For the period 1979 through 1981, the average annual increase is forecast at between 8.5 and 9.0 per cent. Using the index to deflate growth in expenses, the level of real growth in expenditures per inpatient day (net service intensity growth) averaged 4.5 percent per year with considerable annual variation related to government and hospital industry policies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Security Personnel System as Compared to the General Schedule Personnel System

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA JOINT APPLIED PROJECT Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Security...Applied Project 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Security Personnel System as Compared to the General...compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the new personnel system (NSPS) versus the General Schedule (GS) personnel system currently

Conservative-variable average states for equilibrium gas multi-dimensional fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iannelli, G. S.

1992-01-01

Modern split component evaluations of the flux vector Jacobians are thoroughly analyzed for equilibrium-gas average-state determinations. It is shown that all such derivations satisfy a fundamental eigenvalue consistency theorem. A conservative-variable average state is then developed for arbitrary equilibrium-gas equations of state and curvilinear-coordinate fluxes. Original expressions for eigenvalues, sound speed, Mach number, and eigenvectors are then determined for a general average Jacobian, and it is shown that the average eigenvalues, Mach number, and eigenvectors may not coincide with their classical pointwise counterparts. A general equilibrium-gas equation of state is then discussed for conservative-variable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Euler formulations. The associated derivations lead to unique compatibility relations that constrain the pressure Jacobian derivatives. Thereafter, alternative forms for the pressure variation and average sound speed are developed in terms of two average pressure Jacobian derivatives. Significantly, no additional degree of freedom exists in the determination of these two average partial derivatives of pressure. Therefore, they are simultaneously computed exactly without any auxiliary relation, hence without any geometric solution projection or arbitrary scale factors. Several alternative formulations are then compared and key differences highlighted with emphasis on the determination of the pressure variation and average sound speed. The relevant underlying assumptions are identified, including some subtle approximations that are inherently employed in published average-state procedures. Finally, a representative test case is discussed for which an intrinsically exact average state is determined. This exact state is then compared with the predictions of recent methods, and their inherent approximations are appropriately quantified.

Estimation of average annual streamflows and power potentials for Alaska and Hawaii

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verdin, Kristine L.

2004-05-01

This paper describes the work done to develop average annual streamflow estimates and power potential for the states of Alaska and Hawaii. The Elevation Derivatives for National Applications (EDNA) database was used, along with climatic datasets, to develop flow and power estimates for every stream reach in the EDNA database. Estimates of average annual streamflows were derived using state-specific regression equations, which were functions of average annual precipitation, precipitation intensity, drainage area, and other elevation-derived parameters. Power potential was calculated through the use of the average annual streamflow and the hydraulic head of each reach, which is calculated from themore » EDNA digital elevation model. In all, estimates of streamflow and power potential were calculated for over 170,000 stream segments in the Alaskan and Hawaiian datasets.« less

Cross-national comparability of the WHOQOL-BREF: a measurement invariance approach.

PubMed

Theuns, Peter; Hofmans, Joeri; Mazaheri, Mehrdad; Van Acker, Frederik; Bernheim, Jan L

2010-03-01

To evaluate whether the WHOQOL-BREF measures the QOL construct in the same way across nations. Students from Flanders, Belgium and Iran completed the WHOQOL-BREF as part of a larger Quality of Life questionnaire. Their responses were compared using a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. In general, the QOL construct appears rather similar in both cultures; however, participants from both countries seem to respond differently to particular items of the WHOQOL-BREF. Especially for the physical and psychological domain, this is problematic, because none of their indicators works in the same way across samples. Notwithstanding some limitations of this study, it must be concluded that the WHOQOL-BREF should only be used with great caution in cross-national comparisons. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Validity of cancer diagnosis in the National Health Insurance database compared with the linked National Cancer Registry in Taiwan.

PubMed

Kao, Wei-Heng; Hong, Ji-Hong; See, Lai-Chu; Yu, Huang-Ping; Hsu, Jun-Te; Chou, I-Jun; Chou, Wen-Chi; Chiou, Meng-Jiun; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Kuo, Chang-Fu

2017-08-16

We aimed to evaluate the validity of cancer diagnosis in the National Health Insurance (NHI) database, which has routinely collected the health information of almost the entire Taiwanese population since 1995, compared with the Taiwan National Cancer Registry (NCR). There were 26,542,445 active participants registered in the NHI database between 2001 and 2012. National Cancer Registry and NHI database records were compared for cancer diagnosis; date of cancer diagnosis; and 1, 2, and 5 year survival. In addition, the 10 leading causes of cancer deaths in Taiwan were analyzed. There were 908,986 cancer diagnoses in NCR and NHI database and 782,775 (86.1%) in both, with 53,192 (5.9%) in the NHI database only and 73,019 (8.0%) in the NCR only. The positive predictive value of the NHI database cancer diagnoses was 94% for all cancers; the positive predictive value of the 10 specific cancers ranged from 95% (lung cancer) to 82% (cervical cancer). The date of diagnosis in the NHI database was generally delayed by a median of 15 days (interquartile range 8-18) compared with the NCR. The 1, 2, and 5 year survival rates were 71.21%, 60.85%, and 47.44% using the NHI database and were 71.18%, 60.17%, and 46.09% using NCR data. Recording of cancer diagnoses and survival estimates based on these diagnosis codes in the NHI database are generally consistent with the NCR. Studies using NHI database data must pay careful attention to eligibility and record linkage; use of both sources is recommended. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A comparative study of DIGNET, average, complete, single hierarchical and k-means clustering algorithms in 2D face image recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thanos, Konstantinos-Georgios; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2014-06-01

The study in this paper belongs to a more general research of discovering facial sub-clusters in different ethnicity face databases. These new sub-clusters along with other metadata (such as race, sex, etc.) lead to a vector for each face in the database where each vector component represents the likelihood of participation of a given face to each cluster. This vector is then used as a feature vector in a human identification and tracking system based on face and other biometrics. The first stage in this system involves a clustering method which evaluates and compares the clustering results of five different clustering algorithms (average, complete, single hierarchical algorithm, k-means and DIGNET), and selects the best strategy for each data collection. In this paper we present the comparative performance of clustering results of DIGNET and four clustering algorithms (average, complete, single hierarchical and k-means) on fabricated 2D and 3D samples, and on actual face images from various databases, using four different standard metrics. These metrics are the silhouette figure, the mean silhouette coefficient, the Hubert test Γ coefficient, and the classification accuracy for each clustering result. The results showed that, in general, DIGNET gives more trustworthy results than the other algorithms when the metrics values are above a specific acceptance threshold. However when the evaluation results metrics have values lower than the acceptance threshold but not too low (too low corresponds to ambiguous results or false results), then it is necessary for the clustering results to be verified by the other algorithms.

Religion and National Identification in Europe: Comparing Muslim Youth in Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden

PubMed Central

Fleischmann, Fenella; Phalet, Karen

2017-01-01

How inclusive are European national identities of Muslim minorities and how can we explain cross-cultural variation in inclusiveness? To address these questions, we draw on large-scale school-based surveys of Muslim minority and non-Muslim majority and other minority youth in five European countries (Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey [CILS]; Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden). Our double comparison of national identification across groups and countries reveals that national identities are less strongly endorsed by all minorities compared with majority youth, but national identification is lowest among Muslims. This descriptive evidence resonates with public concerns about the insufficient inclusion of immigrant minorities in general, and Muslims in particular, in European national identities. In addition, significant country variation in group differences in identification suggest that some national identities are more inclusive of Muslims than others. Taking an intergroup relations approach to the inclusiveness of national identities for Muslims, we establish that beyond religious commitment, positive intergroup contact (majority friendship) plays a major role in explaining differences in national identification in multigroup multilevel mediation models, whereas experiences of discrimination in school do not contribute to this explanation. Our comparative findings thus establish contextual variation in the inclusiveness of intergroup relations and European national identities for Muslim minorities. PMID:29386688

Some series of intuitionistic fuzzy interactive averaging aggregation operators.

PubMed

Garg, Harish

2016-01-01

In this paper, some series of new intuitionistic fuzzy averaging aggregation operators has been presented under the intuitionistic fuzzy sets environment. For this, some shortcoming of the existing operators are firstly highlighted and then new operational law, by considering the hesitation degree between the membership functions, has been proposed to overcome these. Based on these new operation laws, some new averaging aggregation operators namely, intuitionistic fuzzy Hamacher interactive weighted averaging, ordered weighted averaging and hybrid weighted averaging operators, labeled as IFHIWA, IFHIOWA and IFHIHWA respectively has been proposed. Furthermore, some desirable properties such as idempotency, boundedness, homogeneity etc. are studied. Finally, a multi-criteria decision making method has been presented based on proposed operators for selecting the best alternative. A comparative concelebration between the proposed operators and the existing operators are investigated in detail.

Addressing Child Poverty: How Does the United States Compare With Other Nations?

PubMed

Smeeding, Timothy; Thévenot, Céline

2016-04-01

Poverty during childhood raises a number of policy challenges. The earliest years are critical in terms of future cognitive and emotional development and early health outcomes, and have long-lasting consequences on future health. In this article child poverty in the United States is compared with a set of other developed countries. To the surprise of few, results show that child poverty is high in the United States. But why is poverty so much higher in the United States than in other rich nations? Among child poverty drivers, household composition and parent's labor market participation matter a great deal. But these are not insurmountable problems. Many of these disadvantages can be overcome by appropriate public policies. For example, single mothers have a very high probability of poverty in the United States, but this is not the case in other countries where the provision of work support increases mothers' labor earnings and together with strong public cash support effectively reduces child poverty. In this article we focus on the role and design of public expenditure to understand the functioning of the different national systems and highlight ways for improvements to reduce child poverty in the United States. We compare relative child poverty in the United States with poverty in a set of selected countries. The takeaway is that the United States underinvests in its children and their families and in so doing this leads to high child poverty and poor health and educational outcomes. If a nation like the United States wants to decrease poverty and improve health and life chances for poor children, it must support parental employment and incomes, and invest in children's futures as do other similar nations with less child poverty. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration : light truck average fuel economy standard, model year 1999

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-04-18

Section 32902(a) of title 49, United States Code, requires the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe by regulation, at least 18 months in advance of each model year, average fuel economy standards (known as "Corporate Average Fuel Economy" or "CAF...

Forest resources of the Hoosier National Forest, 2005

Treesearch

Christoper W. Woodall; Judith A. Perez; Thomas R. Thake

2007-01-01

The first annual inventory of the Hoosier National Forest reports more than 200,000 forest land acres dominated by oaks, maples, and hickories with annual growth exceeding annual mortality by a factor of seven. When compared to forests in the rest of Indiana, the Hoosier's forests are on average older, have greater biomass per acre, and possess a greater...

Institutions and national development in Latin America: a comparative study

PubMed Central

Portes, Alejandro; Smith, Lori D.

2013-01-01

We review the theoretical and empirical literatures on the role of institutions on national development as a prelude to present a more rigorous and measurable definition of the concept and a methodology to study this relationship at the national and subnational levels. The existing research literature features conflicting definitions of the concept of “institutions” and empirical tests based mostly on reputational indices, with countries as units of analysis. The present study’s methodology is based on a set of five strategic organizations studied comparatively in five Latin American countries. These include key federal agencies, public administrative organizations, and stock exchanges. Systematic analysis of results show a pattern of differences between economically-oriented institutions and those entrusted with providing basic services to the general population. Consistent differences in institutional quality also emerge across countries, despite similar levels of economic development. Using the algebraic methods developed by Ragin, we test six hypotheses about factors determining the developmental character of particular institutions. Implications of results for theory and for methodological practices of future studies in this field are discussed. PMID:26543407

Model averaging and muddled multimodel inferences.

PubMed

Cade, Brian S

2015-09-01

Three flawed practices associated with model averaging coefficients for predictor variables in regression models commonly occur when making multimodel inferences in analyses of ecological data. Model-averaged regression coefficients based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) weights have been recommended for addressing model uncertainty but they are not valid, interpretable estimates of partial effects for individual predictors when there is multicollinearity among the predictor variables. Multicollinearity implies that the scaling of units in the denominators of the regression coefficients may change across models such that neither the parameters nor their estimates have common scales, therefore averaging them makes no sense. The associated sums of AIC model weights recommended to assess relative importance of individual predictors are really a measure of relative importance of models, with little information about contributions by individual predictors compared to other measures of relative importance based on effects size or variance reduction. Sometimes the model-averaged regression coefficients for predictor variables are incorrectly used to make model-averaged predictions of the response variable when the models are not linear in the parameters. I demonstrate the issues with the first two practices using the college grade point average example extensively analyzed by Burnham and Anderson. I show how partial standard deviations of the predictor variables can be used to detect changing scales of their estimates with multicollinearity. Standardizing estimates based on partial standard deviations for their variables can be used to make the scaling of the estimates commensurate across models, a necessary but not sufficient condition for model averaging of the estimates to be sensible. A unimodal distribution of estimates and valid interpretation of individual parameters are additional requisite conditions. The standardized estimates or equivalently the t

Model averaging and muddled multimodel inferences

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cade, Brian S.

2015-01-01

Three flawed practices associated with model averaging coefficients for predictor variables in regression models commonly occur when making multimodel inferences in analyses of ecological data. Model-averaged regression coefficients based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) weights have been recommended for addressing model uncertainty but they are not valid, interpretable estimates of partial effects for individual predictors when there is multicollinearity among the predictor variables. Multicollinearity implies that the scaling of units in the denominators of the regression coefficients may change across models such that neither the parameters nor their estimates have common scales, therefore averaging them makes no sense. The associated sums of AIC model weights recommended to assess relative importance of individual predictors are really a measure of relative importance of models, with little information about contributions by individual predictors compared to other measures of relative importance based on effects size or variance reduction. Sometimes the model-averaged regression coefficients for predictor variables are incorrectly used to make model-averaged predictions of the response variable when the models are not linear in the parameters. I demonstrate the issues with the first two practices using the college grade point average example extensively analyzed by Burnham and Anderson. I show how partial standard deviations of the predictor variables can be used to detect changing scales of their estimates with multicollinearity. Standardizing estimates based on partial standard deviations for their variables can be used to make the scaling of the estimates commensurate across models, a necessary but not sufficient condition for model averaging of the estimates to be sensible. A unimodal distribution of estimates and valid interpretation of individual parameters are additional requisite conditions. The standardized estimates or equivalently the

Is cepstrum averaging applicable to circularly polarized electric-field data?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tunnell, T.

1990-04-01

In FY 1988 a cepstrum averaging technique was developed to eliminate the ground reflections from charged particle beam (CPB) electromagnetic pulse (EMP) data. The work was done for the Los Alamos National Laboratory Project DEWPOINT at SST-7. The technique averages the cepstra of horizontally and vertically polarized electric field data (i.e., linearly polarized electric field data). This cepstrum averaging technique was programmed into the FORTRAN codes CEP and CEPSIM. Steve Knox, the principal investigator for Project DEWPOINT, asked the authors to determine if the cepstrum averaging technique could be applied to circularly polarized electric field data. The answer is, Yes, but some modifications may be necessary. There are two aspects to this answer that we need to address, namely, the Yes and the modifications. First, regarding the Yes, the technique is applicable to elliptically polarized electric field data in general: circular polarization is a special case of elliptical polarization. Secondly, regarding the modifications, greater care may be required in computing the phase in the calculation of the complex logarithm. The calculation of the complex logarithm is the most critical step in cepstrum-based analysis. This memorandum documents these findings.

Model averaging techniques for quantifying conceptual model uncertainty.

PubMed

Singh, Abhishek; Mishra, Srikanta; Ruskauff, Greg

2010-01-01

In recent years a growing understanding has emerged regarding the need to expand the modeling paradigm to include conceptual model uncertainty for groundwater models. Conceptual model uncertainty is typically addressed by formulating alternative model conceptualizations and assessing their relative likelihoods using statistical model averaging approaches. Several model averaging techniques and likelihood measures have been proposed in the recent literature for this purpose with two broad categories--Monte Carlo-based techniques such as Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation or GLUE (Beven and Binley 1992) and criterion-based techniques that use metrics such as the Bayesian and Kashyap Information Criteria (e.g., the Maximum Likelihood Bayesian Model Averaging or MLBMA approach proposed by Neuman 2003) and Akaike Information Criterion-based model averaging (AICMA) (Poeter and Anderson 2005). These different techniques can often lead to significantly different relative model weights and ranks because of differences in the underlying statistical assumptions about the nature of model uncertainty. This paper provides a comparative assessment of the four model averaging techniques (GLUE, MLBMA with KIC, MLBMA with BIC, and AIC-based model averaging) mentioned above for the purpose of quantifying the impacts of model uncertainty on groundwater model predictions. Pros and cons of each model averaging technique are examined from a practitioner's perspective using two groundwater modeling case studies. Recommendations are provided regarding the use of these techniques in groundwater modeling practice.

Efficacy of Gastrografin® Compared with Standard Conservative Treatment in Management of Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction at Mulago National Referral Hospital

PubMed Central

Haule, Caspar; Ongom, Peter A; Kimuli, Timothy

2013-01-01

Introduction The treatment of adhesive small bowel obstruction is controversial, with both operative and non-operative management practiced in different centers worldwide. Non-operative management is increasingly getting popular, though operative rates still remain high. A study to compare the efficacy of an oral water-soluble medium (Gastrografin®) with standard conservative management, both non-operative methods, in the management of this condition was conducted in a tertiary Sub Saharan hospital. Methods An open randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted between September 2012 and March 2013 at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital, Uganda. Fifty patients of both genders, with adhesive small bowel obstruction, in the hospital’s emergency and general surgical wards were included. Randomisation was to Gastrografin® and standard conservative treatment groups. The primary outcomes were: the time interval between admission and relief of obstruction, the length of hospital stay, and the rates of operative surgery. Results All 50 recruited patients were followed up and analysed; 25 for each group. In the Gastrografin® group, 22 (88%) patients had relief of obstruction following the intervention, with 3 (12%) requiring surgery. The conservative treatment group had 16 (64%) patients relieved of obstruction conservatively, and 9 (36%) required surgery. The difference in operative rates between the two groups was not statistically significance (P = 0.67). Average time to relief of obstruction was shorter in the Gastrografin® group (72.52 hrs) compared to the conservative treatment group (117.75 hrs), a significant difference (P = 0.023). The average length of hospital stay was shorter in the Gastrografin® group (5.62 days) compared to the conservative treatment group (10.88 days), a significant difference (P = 0.04). Conclusion The use of Gastrografin® in patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction helps in earlier resolution of obstruction and

Efficacy of Gastrografin® Compared with Standard Conservative Treatment in Management of Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

PubMed

Haule, Caspar; Ongom, Peter A; Kimuli, Timothy

2013-12-01

The treatment of adhesive small bowel obstruction is controversial, with both operative and non-operative management practiced in different centers worldwide. Non-operative management is increasingly getting popular, though operative rates still remain high. A study to compare the efficacy of an oral water-soluble medium (Gastrografin ® ) with standard conservative management, both non-operative methods, in the management of this condition was conducted in a tertiary Sub Saharan hospital. An open randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted between September 2012 and March 2013 at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital, Uganda. Fifty patients of both genders, with adhesive small bowel obstruction, in the hospital's emergency and general surgical wards were included. Randomisation was to Gastrografin ® and standard conservative treatment groups. The primary outcomes were: the time interval between admission and relief of obstruction, the length of hospital stay, and the rates of operative surgery. All 50 recruited patients were followed up and analysed; 25 for each group. In the Gastrografin ® group, 22 (88%) patients had relief of obstruction following the intervention, with 3 (12%) requiring surgery. The conservative treatment group had 16 (64%) patients relieved of obstruction conservatively, and 9 (36%) required surgery. The difference in operative rates between the two groups was not statistically significance ( P = 0.67 ). Average time to relief of obstruction was shorter in the Gastrografin ® group (72.52 hrs) compared to the conservative treatment group (117.75 hrs), a significant difference ( P = 0.023 ). The average length of hospital stay was shorter in the Gastrografin ® group (5.62 days) compared to the conservative treatment group (10.88 days), a significant difference ( P = 0.04 ). The use of Gastrografin ® in patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction helps in earlier resolution of obstruction and reduces the length of

Bull Market Helped Endowments Earn Average of 17.2% in 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicklin, Julie L.

1997-01-01

The National Association of College and University Business Officers' annual survey of 1996 college endowment performance found the rate of return up 15.5% from the previous year, the best since 1986. The average institution had 51.6% of endowment in domestic stocks, 25.5% in domestic fixed-income investments, 9.5% in foreign stock, 5.4% in cash…

Averaging processes in granular flows driven by gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Giulia; Armanini, Aronne

2016-04-01

One of the more promising theoretical frames to analyse the two-phase granular flows is offered by the similarity of their rheology with the kinetic theory of gases [1]. Granular flows can be considered a macroscopic equivalent of the molecular case: the collisions among molecules are compared to the collisions among grains at a macroscopic scale [2,3]. However there are important statistical differences in dealing with the two applications. In the two-phase fluid mechanics, there are two main types of average: the phasic average and the mass weighed average [4]. The kinetic theories assume that the size of atoms is so small, that the number of molecules in a control volume is infinite. With this assumption, the concentration (number of particles n) doesn't change during the averaging process and the two definitions of average coincide. This hypothesis is no more true in granular flows: contrary to gases, the dimension of a single particle becomes comparable to that of the control volume. For this reason, in a single realization the number of grain is constant and the two averages coincide; on the contrary, for more than one realization, n is no more constant and the two types of average lead to different results. Therefore, the ensamble average used in the standard kinetic theory (which usually is the phasic average) is suitable for the single realization, but not for several realization, as already pointed out in [5,6]. In the literature, three main length scales have been identified [7]: the smallest is the particles size, the intermediate consists in the local averaging (in order to describe some instability phenomena or secondary circulation) and the largest arises from phenomena such as large eddies in turbulence. Our aim is to solve the intermediate scale, by applying the mass weighted average, when dealing with more than one realizations. This statistical approach leads to additional diffusive terms in the continuity equation: starting from experimental

Retrieval of Areal-averaged Spectral Surface Albedo from Transmission Data Alone: Computationally Simple and Fast Approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Barnard, James C.; Flynn, Connor J.

We introduce and evaluate a simple retrieval of areal-averaged surface albedo using ground-based measurements of atmospheric transmission alone at five wavelengths (415, 500, 615, 673 and 870nm), under fully overcast conditions. Our retrieval is based on a one-line semi-analytical equation and widely accepted assumptions regarding the weak spectral dependence of cloud optical properties, such as cloud optical depth and asymmetry parameter, in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. To illustrate the performance of our retrieval, we use as input measurements of spectral atmospheric transmission from Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR). These MFRSR data are collected at two well-established continental sitesmore » in the United States supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The areal-averaged albedos obtained from the MFRSR are compared with collocated and coincident Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) white-sky albedo. In particular, these comparisons are made at four MFRSR wavelengths (500, 615, 673 and 870nm) and for four seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall) at the ARM site using multi-year (2008-2013) MFRSR and MODIS data. Good agreement, on average, for these wavelengths results in small values (≤0.01) of the corresponding root mean square errors (RMSEs) for these two sites. The obtained RMSEs are comparable with those obtained previously for the shortwave albedos (MODIS-derived versus tower-measured) for these sites during growing seasons. We also demonstrate good agreement between tower-based daily-averaged surface albedos measured for “nearby” overcast and non-overcast days. Thus, our retrieval originally developed for overcast conditions likely can be extended for non-overcast days by interpolating between overcast retrievals.« less

National Character Does Not Reflect Mean Personality Trait Levels in 49 Cultures

PubMed Central

Abdel-Khalek, A. M.; Ádám, N.; Adamovová, L.; Ahn, C.-k.; Ahn, H.-n.; Alansari, B. M.; Alcalay, L.; Allik, J.; Angleitner, A.; Avia, A.; Ayearst, L. E.; Barbaranelli, C.; Beer, A.; Borg-Cunen, M. A.; Bratko, D.; Brunner-Sciarra, M.; Budzinski, L.; Camart, N.; Dahourou, D.; De Fruyt, F.; de Lima, M. P.; del Pilar, G. E. H.; Diener, E.; Falzon, R.; Fernando, K.; Ficková, E.; Fischer, R.; Flores-Mendoza, C.; Ghayur, M. A.; Gülgöz, S.; Hagberg, B.; Halberstadt, J.; Halim, M. S.; Hřebíčková, M.; Humrichouse, J.; Jensen, H. H.; Jocic, D. D.; Jónsson, F. H.; Khoury, B.; Klinkosz, W.; Knežević, G.; Lauri, M. A.; Leibovich, N.; Martin, T. A.; Marušić, I.; Mastor, K. A.; Matsumoto, D.; McRorie, M.; Meshcheriakov, B.; Mortensen, E. L.; Munyae, M.; Nagy, J.; Nakazato, K.; Nansubuga, F.; Oishi, S.; Ojedokun, A. O.; Ostendorf, F.; Paulhus, D. L.; Pelevin, S.; Petot, J.-M.; Podobnik, N.; Porrata, J. L.; Pramila, V. S.; Prentice, G.; Realo, A.; Reátegui, N.; Rolland, J.-P.; Rossier, J.; Ruch, W.; Rus, V. S.; Sánchez-Bernardos, M. L.; Schmidt, V.; Sciculna-Calleja, S.; Sekowski, A.; Shakespeare-Finch, J.; Shimonaka, Y.; Simonetti, F.; Sineshaw, T.; Siuta, J.; Smith, P. B.; Trapnell, P. D.; Trobst, K. K.; Wang, L.; Yik, M.; Zupančič, A.

2009-01-01

Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a “kernel of truth,” or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings (N = 3,989) from 49 cultures and compared them to the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable, but did not converge with assessed traits (Mdn r = .04). Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity. PMID:16210536

Analysis and comparison of safety models using average daily, average hourly, and microscopic traffic.

PubMed

Wang, Ling; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Wang, Xuesong; Yu, Rongjie

2018-02-01

There have been plenty of traffic safety studies based on average daily traffic (ADT), average hourly traffic (AHT), or microscopic traffic at 5 min intervals. Nevertheless, not enough research has compared the performance of these three types of safety studies, and seldom of previous studies have intended to find whether the results of one type of study is transferable to the other two studies. First, this study built three models: a Bayesian Poisson-lognormal model to estimate the daily crash frequency using ADT, a Bayesian Poisson-lognormal model to estimate the hourly crash frequency using AHT, and a Bayesian logistic regression model for the real-time safety analysis using microscopic traffic. The model results showed that the crash contributing factors found by different models were comparable but not the same. Four variables, i.e., the logarithm of volume, the standard deviation of speed, the logarithm of segment length, and the existence of diverge segment, were positively significant in the three models. Additionally, weaving segments experienced higher daily and hourly crash frequencies than merge and basic segments. Then, each of the ADT-based, AHT-based, and real-time models was used to estimate safety conditions at different levels: daily and hourly, meanwhile, the real-time model was also used in 5 min intervals. The results uncovered that the ADT- and AHT-based safety models performed similar in predicting daily and hourly crash frequencies, and the real-time safety model was able to provide hourly crash frequency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy Use Savings for a Typical New Residential Dwelling Unit Based on the 2009 and 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2006 IECC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Mendon, Vrushali V.; Goel, Supriya

2012-06-01

The 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC) require a substantial improvement in energy efficiency compared to the 2006 IECC. This report averages the energy use savings for a typical new residential dwelling unit based on the 2009 and 2012 IECC compared to the 2006 IECC. Results are reported by the eight climate zones in the IECC and for the national average.

Tropospheric ozone in the Nisqually River Drainage, Mount Rainier National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, D.L.; Bowers, Darci

1999-01-01

We quantified the summertime distribution of tropospheric ozone in the topographically complex Nisqually River drainage of Mount Rainier National Park from 1994 to 1997. Passive ozone samplers were used along an elevational transect to measure weekly average ozone concentrations ranging from 570 m to 2040 m elevation. Weekly average ozone concentrations were positively correlated with elevation, with the highest concentrations consistently measured at the highest sampling site (Panorama Point). Weekly average ozone concentrations at Mount Rainier National Park are considerably higher than those in the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area to the west. The anthropogenic contribution to ozone within the Nisqually drainage was evaluated by comparing measurements at this location with measurements from a 'reference' site in the western Olympic Mountains. The comparison suggests there is a significant anthropogenic source of ozone reaching the Cascade Range via atmospheric transport from urban areas to the west. In addition. temporal (week to week) variation in ozone distribution is synchronous within the Nisqually drainage, which indicates that subregional patterns are detectable with weekly averages. The Nisqually drainage is likely the 'hot spot' for air pollution in Mount Rainier National Park. By using passive ozone samplers in this drainage in conjunction with a limited number of continuous analyzers, the park will have a robust monitoring approach for measuring tropospheric ozone over time and protecting vegetative and human health.

"A Nation at Risk" and "Sputnik": Compared and Reconsidered

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanningmeier, Erwin V.

2010-01-01

Recent scholarship has suggested that: "A Nation at Risk" had put education on the national agenda," that it "catapulted education near to the top of the national political agenda," and that it started "an ambitious and well-publicized elementary and secondary education reform ... that has already lasted for more than a quarter of a century." The…

Viewpoint: observations on scaled average bioequivalence.

PubMed

Patterson, Scott D; Jones, Byron

2012-01-01

The two one-sided test procedure (TOST) has been used for average bioequivalence testing since 1992 and is required when marketing new formulations of an approved drug. TOST is known to require comparatively large numbers of subjects to demonstrate bioequivalence for highly variable drugs, defined as those drugs having intra-subject coefficients of variation greater than 30%. However, TOST has been shown to protect public health when multiple generic formulations enter the marketplace following patent expiration. Recently, scaled average bioequivalence (SABE) has been proposed as an alternative statistical analysis procedure for such products by multiple regulatory agencies. SABE testing requires that a three-period partial replicate cross-over or full replicate cross-over design be used. Following a brief summary of SABE analysis methods applied to existing data, we will consider three statistical ramifications of the proposed additional decision rules and the potential impact of implementation of scaled average bioequivalence in the marketplace using simulation. It is found that a constraint being applied is biased, that bias may also result from the common problem of missing data and that the SABE methods allow for much greater changes in exposure when generic-generic switching occurs in the marketplace. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A comparative study of the proposed models for the components of the national health information system.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Maryam; Damanabi, Shahla; Sadoughi, Farahnaz

2014-04-01

National Health Information System plays an important role in ensuring timely and reliable access to Health information, which is essential for strategic and operational decisions that improve health, quality and effectiveness of health care. In other words, using the National Health information system you can improve the quality of health data, information and knowledge used to support decision making at all levels and areas of the health sector. Since full identification of the components of this system - for better planning and management influential factors of performanceseems necessary, therefore, in this study different attitudes towards components of this system are explored comparatively. This is a descriptive and comparative kind of study. The society includes printed and electronic documents containing components of the national health information system in three parts: input, process and output. In this context, search for information using library resources and internet search were conducted, and data analysis was expressed using comparative tables and qualitative data. The findings showed that there are three different perspectives presenting the components of national health information system Lippeveld and Sauerborn and Bodart model in 2000, Health Metrics Network (HMN) model from World Health Organization in 2008, and Gattini's 2009 model. All three models outlined above in the input (resources and structure) require components of management and leadership, planning and design programs, supply of staff, software and hardware facilities and equipment. Plus, in the "process" section from three models, we pointed up the actions ensuring the quality of health information system, and in output section, except for Lippeveld Model, two other models consider information products and use and distribution of information as components of the national health information system. the results showed that all the three models have had a brief discussion about the

Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans: Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Logan, J.; James, T. L.

2009-03-01

Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

A Comparative Review of Music Education in Mainland China and the United States: From Nationalism to Multiculturalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Wai-Chung

2016-01-01

This paper attempts to compare interactions between social changes and the integration of nationalism and multiculturalism in the context of music education by focusing on the ways in which the governmental politics of mainland China and the United States have managed nationalism and diversity in school music education. This paper also explores…

Explanation-Construction in Fourth-Grade Classrooms in Germany and the USA: A cross-national comparative video study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, Cory; Lange, Kim; Möller, Kornelia; Biggers, Mandy; Laux, Mira; Zangori, Laura

2014-09-01

To help explain the differences in students' performance on internationally administered science assessments, cross-national, video-based observational studies have been advocated, but none have yet been conducted at the elementary level for science. The USA and Germany are two countries with large formal education systems whose students underperform those from peers on internationally administered standardized science assessments. However, evidence from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Exam assessment suggests fourth-grade students (9-10 year-olds) in the USA perform higher than those in Germany, despite more instructional time devoted to elementary science in Germany. The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze fourth-grade classroom science in both countries to learn more about how teachers and students engage in scientific inquiry, particularly explanation-construction. Videorecordings of US and German science instruction (n 1 = 42, n 2 = 42) were sampled from existing datasets and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Despite German science lessons being, on average, twice as long as those in the USA, study findings highlight many similarities between elementary science in terms of scientific practices and features of scientific inquiry. However, they also illustrate crucial differences around the scientific practice of explanation-construction. While students in German classrooms were afforded more substantial opportunities to formulate evidence-based explanations, US classrooms were more strongly characterized by opportunities for students to actively compare and evaluate evidence-based explanations. These factors may begin to help account for observed differences in student achievement and merit further study grounded in international collaboration.

49 CFR 537.9 - Determination of fuel economy values and average fuel economy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Determination of fuel economy values and average fuel economy. 537.9 Section 537.9 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AUTOMOTIVE FUEL ECONOMY REPORTS § 537.9 Determination of fuel...

Comparing Vibrationally Averaged Nuclear Shielding Constants by Quantum Diffusion Monte Carlo and Second-Order Perturbation Theory.

PubMed

Ng, Yee-Hong; Bettens, Ryan P A

2016-03-03

Using the method of modified Shepard's interpolation to construct potential energy surfaces of the H2O, O3, and HCOOH molecules, we compute vibrationally averaged isotropic nuclear shielding constants ⟨σ⟩ of the three molecules via quantum diffusion Monte Carlo (QDMC). The QDMC results are compared to that of second-order perturbation theory (PT), to see if second-order PT is adequate for obtaining accurate values of nuclear shielding constants of molecules with large amplitude motions. ⟨σ⟩ computed by the two approaches differ for the hydrogens and carbonyl oxygen of HCOOH, suggesting that for certain molecules such as HCOOH where big displacements away from equilibrium happen (internal OH rotation), ⟨σ⟩ of experimental quality may only be obtainable with the use of more sophisticated and accurate methods, such as quantum diffusion Monte Carlo. The approach of modified Shepard's interpolation is also extended to construct shielding constants σ surfaces of the three molecules. By using a σ surface with the equilibrium geometry as a single data point to compute isotropic nuclear shielding constants for each descendant in the QDMC ensemble representing the ground state wave function, we reproduce the results obtained through ab initio computed σ to within statistical noise. Development of such an approach could thereby alleviate the need for any future costly ab initio σ calculations.

Comparing Spray Characteristics from Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) National Combustion Code (NCC) Calculations Against Experimental Data for a Turbulent Reacting Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iannetti, Anthony C.; Moder, Jeffery P.

2010-01-01

Developing physics-based tools to aid in reducing harmful combustion emissions, like Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Unburnt Hydrocarbons (UHC s), and Sulfur Dioxides (SOx), is an important goal of aeronautics research at NASA. As part of that effort, NASA Glenn Research Center is performing a detailed assessment and validation of an in-house combustion CFD code known as the National Combustion Code (NCC) for turbulent reacting flows. To assess the current capabilities of NCC for simulating turbulent reacting flows with liquid jet fuel injection, a set of Single Swirler Lean Direct Injection (LDI) experiments performed at the University of Cincinnati was chosen as an initial validation data set. This Jet-A/air combustion experiment operates at a lean equivalence ratio of 0.75 at atmospheric pressure and has a 4 percent static pressure drop across the swirler. Detailed comparisons of NCC predictions for gas temperature and gaseous emissions (CO and NOx) against this experiment are considered in a previous work. The current paper is focused on detailed comparisons of the spray characteristics (radial profiles of drop size distribution and at several radial rakes) from NCC simulations against the experimental data. Comparisons against experimental data show that the use of the correlation for primary spray break-up implemented by Raju in the NCC produces most realistic results, but this result needs to be improved. Given the single or ten step chemical kinetics models, use of a spray size correlation gives similar, acceptable results

Building the genomic nation: ‘Homo Brasilis’ and the ‘Genoma Mexicano’ in comparative cultural perspective

PubMed Central

Kent, Michael; García-Deister, Vivette; López-Beltrán, Carlos; Santos, Ricardo Ventura; Schwartz-Marín, Ernesto; Wade, Peter

2015-01-01

This article explores the relationship between genetic research, nationalism and the construction of collective social identities in Latin America. It makes a comparative analysis of two research projects – the ‘Genoma Mexicano’ and the ‘Homo Brasilis’ – both of which sought to establish national and genetic profiles. Both have reproduced and strengthened the idea of their respective nations of focus, incorporating biological elements into debates on social identities. Also, both have placed the unifying figure of the mestizo/mestiço at the heart of national identity constructions, and in so doing have displaced alternative identity categories, such as those based on race. However, having been developed in different national contexts, these projects have had distinct scientific and social trajectories: in Mexico, the genomic mestizo is mobilized mainly in relation to health, while in Brazil the key arena is that of race. We show the importance of the nation as a frame for mobilizing genetic data in public policy debates, and demonstrate how race comes in and out of focus in different Latin American national contexts of genomic research, while never completely disappearing. PMID:27479999

Multifractal detrending moving-average cross-correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2011-07-01

There are a number of situations in which several signals are simultaneously recorded in complex systems, which exhibit long-term power-law cross correlations. The multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MFDCCA) approaches can be used to quantify such cross correlations, such as the MFDCCA based on the detrended fluctuation analysis (MFXDFA) method. We develop in this work a class of MFDCCA algorithms based on the detrending moving-average analysis, called MFXDMA. The performances of the proposed MFXDMA algorithms are compared with the MFXDFA method by extensive numerical experiments on pairs of time series generated from bivariate fractional Brownian motions, two-component autoregressive fractionally integrated moving-average processes, and binomial measures, which have theoretical expressions of the multifractal nature. In all cases, the scaling exponents hxy extracted from the MFXDMA and MFXDFA algorithms are very close to the theoretical values. For bivariate fractional Brownian motions, the scaling exponent of the cross correlation is independent of the cross-correlation coefficient between two time series, and the MFXDFA and centered MFXDMA algorithms have comparative performances, which outperform the forward and backward MFXDMA algorithms. For two-component autoregressive fractionally integrated moving-average processes, we also find that the MFXDFA and centered MFXDMA algorithms have comparative performances, while the forward and backward MFXDMA algorithms perform slightly worse. For binomial measures, the forward MFXDMA algorithm exhibits the best performance, the centered MFXDMA algorithms performs worst, and the backward MFXDMA algorithm outperforms the MFXDFA algorithm when the moment order q<0 and underperforms when q>0. We apply these algorithms to the return time series of two stock market indexes and to their volatilities. For the returns, the centered MFXDMA algorithm gives the best estimates of hxy(q) since its hxy(2) is closest to 0

75 FR 21155 - National Equal Pay Day, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-23

... America A Proclamation Throughout our Nation's history, extraordinary women have broken barriers to... Equal Pay Day symbolizes the day when an average American woman's earnings finally match what an average... celebrate the strength and vibrancy women add to our economy. Our Nation's workforce includes more women...

National Ridesharing Demonstration Program : Comparative Evaluation Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-08-01

The report evaluates 17 projects of the National Ridesharing Demonstration Program, with detailed analysis of five sites where a workplace survey was conducted--Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Portland, and Seattle. Among the topics covered are project...

A Comparative Study of the Proposed Models for the Components of the National Health Information System

PubMed Central

Ahmadi, Maryam; Damanabi, Shahla; Sadoughi, Farahnaz

2014-01-01

Introduction: National Health Information System plays an important role in ensuring timely and reliable access to Health information, which is essential for strategic and operational decisions that improve health, quality and effectiveness of health care. In other words, using the National Health information system you can improve the quality of health data, information and knowledge used to support decision making at all levels and areas of the health sector. Since full identification of the components of this system – for better planning and management influential factors of performanceseems necessary, therefore, in this study different attitudes towards components of this system are explored comparatively. Methods: This is a descriptive and comparative kind of study. The society includes printed and electronic documents containing components of the national health information system in three parts: input, process and output. In this context, search for information using library resources and internet search were conducted, and data analysis was expressed using comparative tables and qualitative data. Results: The findings showed that there are three different perspectives presenting the components of national health information system Lippeveld and Sauerborn and Bodart model in 2000, Health Metrics Network (HMN) model from World Health Organization in 2008, and Gattini’s 2009 model. All three models outlined above in the input (resources and structure) require components of management and leadership, planning and design programs, supply of staff, software and hardware facilities and equipment. Plus, in the “process” section from three models, we pointed up the actions ensuring the quality of health information system, and in output section, except for Lippeveld Model, two other models consider information products and use and distribution of information as components of the national health information system. Conclusion: the results showed that all the

Comparing cancer screening estimates: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and National Health Interview Survey.

PubMed

Sauer, Ann Goding; Liu, Benmei; Siegel, Rebecca L; Jemal, Ahmedin; Fedewa, Stacey A

2018-01-01

Cancer screening prevalence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), designed to provide state-level estimates, and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), designed to provide national estimates, are used to measure progress in cancer control. A detailed description of the extent to which recent cancer screening estimates vary by key demographic characteristics has not been previously described. We examined national prevalence estimates for recommended breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening using data from the 2012 and 2014 BRFSS and the 2010 and 2013 NHIS. Treating the NHIS estimates as the reference, direct differences (DD) were calculated by subtracting NHIS estimates from BRFSS estimates. Relative differences were computed by dividing the DD by the NHIS estimates. Two-sample t-tests (2-tails), were performed to test for statistically significant differences. BRFSS screening estimates were higher than those from NHIS for breast (78.4% versus 72.5%; DD=5.9%, p<0.0001); colorectal (65.5% versus 57.6%; DD=7.9%, p<0.0001); and cervical (83.4% versus 81.8%; DD=1.6%, p<0.0001) cancers. DDs were generally higher in racial/ethnic minorities than whites, in the least educated than most educated persons, and in uninsured than insured persons. For example, the colorectal cancer screening DD for whites was 7.3% compared to ≥8.9% for blacks and Hispanics. Despite higher prevalence estimates in BRFSS compared to NHIS, each survey has a unique and important role in providing information to track cancer screening utilization among various populations. Awareness of these differences and their potential causes is important when comparing the surveys and determining the best application for each data source. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors That Predict Marijuana Use and Grade Point Average among Undergraduate College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coco, Marlena B.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that predict marijuana use and grade point average among undergraduate college students using the Core Institute national database. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to collect data on students' attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to substance use in college. The sample used in this…

Aerodynamic surface stress intermittency and conditionally averaged turbulence statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, William; Lanigan, David

2015-11-01

Aeolian erosion is induced by aerodynamic stress imposed by atmospheric winds. Erosion models prescribe that sediment flux, Q, scales with aerodynamic stress raised to exponent, n, where n > 1 . Since stress (in fully rough, inertia-dominated flows) scales with incoming velocity squared, u2, it follows that q ~u2n (where u is some relevant component of the flow). Thus, even small (turbulent) deviations of u from its time-mean may be important for aeolian activity. This rationale is augmented given that surface layer turbulence exhibits maximum Reynolds stresses in the fluid immediately above the landscape. To illustrate the importance of stress intermittency, we have used conditional averaging predicated on stress during large-eddy simulation of atmospheric boundary layer flow over an arid, bare landscape. Conditional averaging provides an ensemble-mean visualization of flow structures responsible for erosion `events'. Preliminary evidence indicates that surface stress peaks are associated with the passage of inclined, high-momentum regions flanked by adjacent low-momentum regions. We characterize geometric attributes of such structures and explore streamwise and vertical vorticity distribution within the conditionally averaged flow field. This work was supported by the National Sci. Foundation, Phys. and Dynamic Meteorology Program (PM: Drs. N. Anderson, C. Lu, and E. Bensman) under Grant # 1500224. Computational resources were provided by the Texas Adv. Comp. Center at the Univ. of Texas.

Threaded average temperature thermocouple

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, Stanley W. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

A threaded average temperature thermocouple 11 is provided to measure the average temperature of a test situs of a test material 30. A ceramic insulator rod 15 with two parallel holes 17 and 18 through the length thereof is securely fitted in a cylinder 16, which is bored along the longitudinal axis of symmetry of threaded bolt 12. Threaded bolt 12 is composed of material having thermal properties similar to those of test material 30. Leads of a thermocouple wire 20 leading from a remotely situated temperature sensing device 35 are each fed through one of the holes 17 or 18, secured at head end 13 of ceramic insulator rod 15, and exit at tip end 14. Each lead of thermocouple wire 20 is bent into and secured in an opposite radial groove 25 in tip end 14 of threaded bolt 12. Resulting threaded average temperature thermocouple 11 is ready to be inserted into cylindrical receptacle 32. The tip end 14 of the threaded average temperature thermocouple 11 is in intimate contact with receptacle 32. A jam nut 36 secures the threaded average temperature thermocouple 11 to test material 30.

Expanding the g-Nexus: Further Evidence Regarding the Relations among National IQ, Religiosity and National Health Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Charlie L.

2009-01-01

The current study seeks to better understand how religiosity and health are positioned within the g-nexus. Specifically, the degree to which differences in average IQ across nations is associated with differences in national religiosity (i.e., belief rate) and national health statistics independent of differences in national wealth is examined.…

A Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans. Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Logan, Jeffrey; James, Ted L.

2009-03-01

Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

Passive quantum error correction of linear optics networks through error averaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshman, Ryan J.; Lund, Austin P.; Rohde, Peter P.; Ralph, Timothy C.

2018-02-01

We propose and investigate a method of error detection and noise correction for bosonic linear networks using a method of unitary averaging. The proposed error averaging does not rely on ancillary photons or control and feedforward correction circuits, remaining entirely passive in its operation. We construct a general mathematical framework for this technique and then give a series of proof of principle examples including numerical analysis. Two methods for the construction of averaging are then compared to determine the most effective manner of implementation and probe the related error thresholds. Finally we discuss some of the potential uses of this scheme.

Using NDVI to assess departure from average greenness and its relation to fire business

Treesearch

Robert E. Burgan; Roberta A. Hartford; Jeffery C. Eidenshink

1996-01-01

A new satellite-derived vegetation greenness map, departure from average, is designed to compare current-year vegetation greenness with average greenness for the same time of year. Live-fuel condition as portrayed on this map, and the calculated 1,000-hour fuel moistures, are compared to fire occurrence and area burned in Montana and Idaho during the 1993 and 1994 fire...

Average of delta: a new quality control tool for clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Jones, Graham R D

2016-01-01

Average of normals is a tool used to control assay performance using the average of a series of results from patients' samples. Delta checking is a process of identifying errors in individual patient results by reviewing the difference from previous results of the same patient. This paper introduces a novel alternate approach, average of delta, which combines these concepts to use the average of a number of sequential delta values to identify changes in assay performance. Models for average of delta and average of normals were developed in a spreadsheet application. The model assessed the expected scatter of average of delta and average of normals functions and the effect of assay bias for different values of analytical imprecision and within- and between-subject biological variation and the number of samples included in the calculations. The final assessment was the number of patients' samples required to identify an added bias with 90% certainty. The model demonstrated that with larger numbers of delta values, the average of delta function was tighter (lower coefficient of variation). The optimal number of samples for bias detection with average of delta was likely to be between 5 and 20 for most settings and that average of delta outperformed average of normals when the within-subject biological variation was small relative to the between-subject variation. Average of delta provides a possible additional assay quality control tool which theoretical modelling predicts may be more valuable than average of normals for analytes where the group biological variation is wide compared with within-subject variation and where there is a high rate of repeat testing in the laboratory patient population. © The Author(s) 2015.

Engaging national organizations for knowledge translation: comparative case studies in knowledge value mapping.

PubMed

Lane, Joseph P; Rogers, Juan D

2011-09-12

Government sponsors of research and development, along with their funded investigators, are increasingly tasked with demonstrating evidence of knowledge use by nontraditional audiences. This requires efforts to translate their findings for effective communication. For technology-related knowledge, these audiences include clinicians, consumers, manufacturers, public policy agencies, and knowledge brokers. One potentially efficient approach is to communicate research findings through relevant national organizations. However, this requires an understanding of how such organizations view and treat research knowledge, which can be determined through knowledge-value mapping. Do knowledge values differ between national organizations representing different audiences? Can a deeper understanding of knowledge values help sponsors, investigators, and organizations better communicate research findings to stakeholders? A series of comparative case studies on knowledge-value mapping were derived through interviews with spokespersons for six national organizations. The semi-structured interviews followed a 10-item questionnaire to characterize different ways in which each organization engages with research-based knowledge. Each participating organization represents a particular stakeholder group, while all share a common interest in the research subject matter. Each national organization considers the value of the research knowledge in the context of their organization's mission and the interests of their members. All are interested in collaborating with researchers to share relevant findings, while they vary along the following dimensions of knowledge engagement: create, identify, translate, adapt, communicate, use, promote, absorptive capacity, and recommendations for facilitation. The principles of knowledge translation suggest that investigators can increase use by tailoring the format and context of their findings to the absorptive capacity of nonscholars. Greater absorption

Average diurnal variation of summer lightning over the Florida peninsula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maier, L. M.; Krider, E. P.; Maier, M. W.

1984-01-01

Data derived from a large network of electric field mills are used to determine the average diurnal variation of lightning in a Florida seacoast environment. The variation at the NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station area is compared with standard weather observations of thunder, and the variation of all discharges in this area is compared with the statistics of cloud-to-ground flashes over most of the South Florida peninsula and offshore waters. The results show average diurnal variations that are consistent with statistics of thunder start times and the times of maximum thunder frequency, but that the actual lightning tends to stop one to two hours before the recorded thunder. The variation is also consistent with previous determinations of the times of maximum rainfall and maximum rainfall rate.

African Americans and Mathematics Outcomes on National Assessment of Educational Progress: Parental and Individual Influences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Richard, III; Morton, Crystal Hill

2013-01-01

This study investigated within group differences between African American female and male students who participated in the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. Using results from participating states, we compare average scale scores of African American students based on home regulatory environment and interest…

RHIC BPM system average orbit calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michnoff,R.; Cerniglia, P.; Degen, C.

2009-05-04

RHIC beam position monitor (BPM) system average orbit was originally calculated by averaging positions of 10000 consecutive turns for a single selected bunch. Known perturbations in RHIC particle trajectories, with multiple frequencies around 10 Hz, contribute to observed average orbit fluctuations. In 2006, the number of turns for average orbit calculations was made programmable; this was used to explore averaging over single periods near 10 Hz. Although this has provided an average orbit signal quality improvement, an average over many periods would further improve the accuracy of the measured closed orbit. A new continuous average orbit calculation was developed justmore » prior to the 2009 RHIC run and was made operational in March 2009. This paper discusses the new algorithm and performance with beam.« less

What's in a country average? Wealth, gender, and regional inequalities in immunization in India.

PubMed

Pande, Rohini P; Yazbeck, Abdo S

2003-12-01

Recent attention to Millennium Development Goals by the international development community has led to the formation of targets to measure country-level achievements, including achievements on health status indicators such as childhood immunization. Using the example of immunization in India, this paper demonstrates the importance of disaggregating national averages for a better understanding of social disparities in health. Specifically, the paper uses data from the India National Family Health Survey 1992-93 to analyze socioeconomic, gender, urban-rural and regional inequalities in immunization in India for each of the 17 largest states. Results show that, on average, southern states have better immunization levels and lower immunization inequalities than many northern states. Wealth and regional inequalities are correlated with overall levels of immunization in a non-linear fashion. Gender inequalities persist in most states, including in the south, and seem unrelated to overall immunization or the levels of other inequalities measured here. This suggests that the gender differentials reflect deep-seated societal factors rather than health system issues per se. The disaggregated information and analysis used in this paper allows for setting more meaningful targets than country averages. Additionally, it helps policy makers and planners to understand programmatic constraints and needs by identifying disparities between sub-groups of the population, including strong and weak performers at the state and regional levels.

Numerical Simulations of Homogeneous Turbulence Using Lagrangian-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohseni, Kamran; Shkoller, Steve; Kosovic, Branko; Marsden, Jerrold E.; Carati, Daniele; Wray, Alan; Rogallo, Robert

2000-01-01

The Lagrangian-averaged Navier-Stokes (LANS) equations are numerically evaluated as a turbulence closure. They are derived from a novel Lagrangian averaging procedure on the space of all volume-preserving maps and can be viewed as a numerical algorithm which removes the energy content from the small scales (smaller than some a priori fixed spatial scale alpha) using a dispersive rather than dissipative mechanism, thus maintaining the crucial features of the large scale flow. We examine the modeling capabilities of the LANS equations for decaying homogeneous turbulence, ascertain their ability to track the energy spectrum of fully resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS), compare the relative energy decay rates, and compare LANS with well-accepted large eddy simulation (LES) models.

Runoff and leaching of metolachlor from Mississippi River alluvial soil during seasons of average and below-average rainfall.

PubMed

Southwick, Lloyd M; Appelboom, Timothy W; Fouss, James L

2009-02-25

The movement of the herbicide metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] via runoff and leaching from 0.21 ha plots planted to corn on Mississippi River alluvial soil (Commerce silt loam) was measured for a 6-year period, 1995-2000. The first three years received normal rainfall (30 year average); the second three years experienced reduced rainfall. The 4-month periods prior to application plus the following 4 months after application were characterized by 1039 +/- 148 mm of rainfall for 1995-1997 and by 674 +/- 108 mm for 1998-2000. During the normal rainfall years 216 +/- 150 mm of runoff occurred during the study seasons (4 months following herbicide application), accompanied by 76.9 +/- 38.9 mm of leachate. For the low-rainfall years these amounts were 16.2 +/- 18.2 mm of runoff (92% less than the normal years) and 45.1 +/- 25.5 mm of leachate (41% less than the normal seasons). Runoff of metolachlor during the normal-rainfall seasons was 4.5-6.1% of application, whereas leaching was 0.10-0.18%. For the below-normal periods, these losses were 0.07-0.37% of application in runoff and 0.22-0.27% in leachate. When averages over the three normal and the three less-than-normal seasons were taken, a 35% reduction in rainfall was characterized by a 97% reduction in runoff loss and a 71% increase in leachate loss of metolachlor on a percent of application basis. The data indicate an increase in preferential flow in the leaching movement of metolachlor from the surface soil layer during the reduced rainfall periods. Even with increased preferential flow through the soil during the below-average rainfall seasons, leachate loss (percent of application) of the herbicide remained below 0.3%. Compared to the average rainfall seasons of 1995-1997, the below-normal seasons of 1998-2000 were characterized by a 79% reduction in total runoff and leachate flow and by a 93% reduction in corresponding metolachlor movement via these routes

40 CFR 89.204 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... are defined as follows: (1) Eligible engines rated at or above 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (2) Eligible engines rated under 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (3) Marine diesel engines rated at or above 19 kW constitute an averaging set...

40 CFR 89.204 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... are defined as follows: (1) Eligible engines rated at or above 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (2) Eligible engines rated under 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (3) Marine diesel engines rated at or above 19 kW constitute an averaging set...

40 CFR 89.204 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... are defined as follows: (1) Eligible engines rated at or above 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (2) Eligible engines rated under 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (3) Marine diesel engines rated at or above 19 kW constitute an averaging set...

40 CFR 89.204 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... are defined as follows: (1) Eligible engines rated at or above 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (2) Eligible engines rated under 19 kW, other than marine diesel engines, constitute an averaging set. (3) Marine diesel engines rated at or above 19 kW constitute an averaging set...

42 CFR 412.212 - National rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... discharge classified within a DRG, the national rate equals the product of— (1) The national average... under § 412.60(b)) for that DRG. (d) Adjusting for different area wage levels. CMS adjusts the...

National-scale exposure prediction for long-term concentrations of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in South Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Sun-Young; Song, Insang

2017-07-01

The limited spatial coverage of the air pollution data available from regulatory air quality monitoring networks hampers national-scale epidemiological studies of air pollution. The present study aimed to develop a national-scale exposure prediction model for estimating annual average concentrations of PM 10 and NO 2 at residences in South Korea using regulatory monitoring data for 2010. Using hourly measurements of PM 10 and NO 2 at 277 regulatory monitoring sites, we calculated the annual average concentrations at each site. We also computed 322 geographic variables in order to represent plausible local and regional pollution sources. Using these data, we developed universal kriging models, including three summary predictors estimated by partial least squares (PLS). The model performance was evaluated with fivefold cross-validation. In sensitivity analyses, we compared our approach with two alternative approaches, which added regional interactions and replaced the PLS predictors with up to ten selected variables. Finally, we predicted the annual average concentrations of PM 10 and NO 2 at 83,463 centroids of residential census output areas in South Korea to investigate the population exposure to these pollutants and to compare the exposure levels between monitored and unmonitored areas. The means of the annual average concentrations of PM 10 and NO 2 for 2010, across regulatory monitoring sites in South Korea, were 51.63 μg/m3 (SD = 8.58) and 25.64 ppb (11.05), respectively. The universal kriging exposure prediction models yielded cross-validated R 2 s of 0.45 and 0.82 for PM 10 and NO 2 , respectively. Compared to our model, the two alternative approaches gave consistent or worse performances. Population exposure levels in unmonitored areas were lower than in monitored areas. This is the first study that focused on developing a national-scale point wise exposure prediction approach in South Korea, which will allow national exposure assessments and

Alternatives to the Moving Average

Treesearch

Paul C. van Deusen

2001-01-01

There are many possible estimators that could be used with annual inventory data. The 5-year moving average has been selected as a default estimator to provide initial results for states having available annual inventory data. User objectives for these estimates are discussed. The characteristics of a moving average are outlined. It is shown that moving average...

States' Average College Tuition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eglin, Joseph J., Jr.; And Others

This report presents statistical data on trends in tuition costs from 1980-81 through 1995-96. The average tuition for in-state undergraduate students of 4-year public colleges and universities for academic year 1995-96 was approximately 8.9 percent of median household income. This figure was obtained by dividing the students' average annual…

Average Temperatures in the Southwestern United States, 2000-2015 Versus Long-Term Average

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This indicator shows how the average air temperature from 2000 to 2015 has differed from the long-term average (1895??2015). To provide more detailed information, each state has been divided into climate divisions, which are zones that share similar climate features. For more information: www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators

Expansion and growth of structure observables in a macroscopic gravity averaged universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijenayake, Tharake; Ishak, Mustapha

2015-03-01

We investigate the effect of averaging inhomogeneities on expansion and large-scale structure growth observables using the exact and covariant framework of macroscopic gravity (MG). It is well known that applying the Einstein's equations and spatial averaging do not commute and lead to the averaging problem and backreaction terms. For the MG formalism applied to the Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric, the extra term can be encapsulated as an averaging density parameter denoted ΩA . An exact isotropic cosmological solution of MG for the flat FLRW metric is already known in the literature; we derive here an anisotropic exact solution. Using the isotropic solution, we compare the expansion history to current available data of distances to supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, cosmic microwave background last scattering surface data, and Hubble constant measurements, and find -0.05 ≤ΩA≤0.07 (at the 95% confidence level). For the flat metric case this reduces to -0.03 ≤ΩA≤0.05 . The positive part of the intervals can be rejected if a mathematical (and physical) prior is taken into account. We also find that the inclusion of this term in the fits can shift the values of the usual cosmological parameters by a few to several percents. Next, we derive an equation for the growth rate of large-scale structure in MG that includes a term due to the averaging and assess its effect on the evolution of the growth compared to that of the Lambda cold dark matter (Λ CDM ) concordance model. We find that an ΩA term of an amplitude range of [-0.04 ,-0.02 ] lead to a relative deviation of the growth from that of the Λ CDM of up to 2%-4% at late times. Thus, the shift in the growth could be of comparable amplitude to that caused by similar changes in cosmological parameters like the dark energy density parameter or its equation of state. The effect could also be comparable in amplitude to some systematic effects considered for future surveys. This

Numerical and experimental research on pentagonal cross-section of the averaging Pitot tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jili; Li, Wei; Liang, Ruobing; Zhao, Tianyi; Liu, Yacheng; Liu, Mingsheng

2017-07-01

Averaging Pitot tubes have been widely used in many fields because of their simple structure and stable performance. This paper introduces a new shape of the cross-section of an averaging Pitot tube. Firstly, the structure of the averaging Pitot tube and the distribution of pressure taps are given. Then, a mathematical model of the airflow around it is formulated. After that, a series of numerical simulations are carried out to optimize the geometry of the tube. The distribution of the streamline and pressures around the tube are given. To test its performance, a test platform was constructed in accordance with the relevant national standards and is described in this paper. Curves are provided, linking the values of flow coefficient with the values of Reynolds number. With a maximum deviation of only  ±3%, the results of the flow coefficient obtained from the numerical simulations were in agreement with those obtained from experimental methods. The proposed tube has a stable flow coefficient and favorable metrological characteristics.

Dynamic testing and test anxiety amongst gifted and average-ability children.

PubMed

Vogelaar, Bart; Bakker, Merel; Elliott, Julian G; Resing, Wilma C M

2017-03-01

Dynamic testing has been proposed as a testing approach that is less disadvantageous for children who may be potentially subject to bias when undertaking conventional assessments. For example, those who encounter high levels of test anxiety, or who are unfamiliar with standardized test procedures, may fail to demonstrate their true potential or capabilities. While dynamic testing has proven particularly useful for special groups of children, it has rarely been used with gifted children. We investigated whether it would be useful to conduct a dynamic test to measure the cognitive abilities of intellectually gifted children. We also investigated whether test anxiety scores would be related to a progression in the children's test scores after dynamic training. Participants were 113 children aged between 7 and 8 years from several schools in the western part of the Netherlands. The children were categorized as either gifted or average-ability and split into an unguided practice or a dynamic testing condition. The study employed a pre-test-training-post-test design. Using linear mixed modelling analysis with a multilevel approach, we inspected the growth trajectories of children in the various conditions and examined the impact of ability and test anxiety on progression and training benefits. Dynamic testing proved to be successful in improving the scores of the children, although no differences in training benefits were found between gifted and average-ability children. Test anxiety was shown to influence the children's rate of change across all test sessions and their improvement in performance accuracy after dynamic training. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

The statistical average of optical properties for alumina particle cluster in aircraft plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jingying; Bai, Lu; Wu, Zhensen; Guo, Lixin

2018-04-01

We establish a model for lognormal distribution of monomer radius and number of alumina particle clusters in plume. According to the Multi-Sphere T Matrix (MSTM) theory, we provide a method for finding the statistical average of optical properties for alumina particle clusters in plume, analyze the effect of different distributions and different detection wavelengths on the statistical average of optical properties for alumina particle cluster, and compare the statistical average optical properties under the alumina particle cluster model established in this study and those under three simplified alumina particle models. The calculation results show that the monomer number of alumina particle cluster and its size distribution have a considerable effect on its statistical average optical properties. The statistical average of optical properties for alumina particle cluster at common detection wavelengths exhibit obvious differences, whose differences have a great effect on modeling IR and UV radiation properties of plume. Compared with the three simplified models, the alumina particle cluster model herein features both higher extinction and scattering efficiencies. Therefore, we may find that an accurate description of the scattering properties of alumina particles in aircraft plume is of great significance in the study of plume radiation properties.

Average household exposure to newspaper coverage about the harmful effects of hormone therapy and population-based declines in hormone therapy use.

PubMed

Haas, Jennifer S; Miglioretti, Diana L; Geller, Berta; Buist, Diana S M; Nelson, David E; Kerlikowske, Karla; Carney, Patricia A; Dash, Sarah; Breslau, Erica S; Ballard-Barbash, Rachel

2007-01-01

The news media facilitated the rapid dissemination of the findings from the estrogen plus progestin therapy arm of the Women's Health Initiative (EPT-WHI). To examine the relationship between the potential exposure to newspaper coverage and subsequent hormone therapy (HT) use. DESIGN/POPULATION: Population-based cohort of women receiving mammography at 7 sites (327,144 postmenopausal women). The outcome was the monthly prevalence of self-reported HT use. Circulation data for local, regional, and national newspapers was used to create zip-code level measures of the estimated average household exposure to newspaper coverage that reported the harmful effects of HT in July 2002. Women had an average potential household exposure of 1.4 articles. There was substantial variation in the level of average household exposure to newspaper coverage; women from rural sites received less than women from urban sites. Use of HT declined for all average potential exposure groups after the publication of the EPT-WHI. HT prevalence among women who lived in areas where there was an average household exposure of at least 3 articles declined significantly more (45 to 27%) compared to women who lived in areas with <1 article (43 to 31%) during each of the subsequent 5 months (relative risks 0.86-0.92; p < .006 for all). Greater average household exposure to newspaper coverage about the harms associated with HT was associated with a large population-based decline in HT use. Further studies should examine whether media coverage directly influences the health behavior of individual women.

Engaging national organizations for knowledge translation: Comparative case studies in knowledge value mapping

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Government sponsors of research and development, along with their funded investigators, are increasingly tasked with demonstrating evidence of knowledge use by nontraditional audiences. This requires efforts to translate their findings for effective communication. For technology-related knowledge, these audiences include clinicians, consumers, manufacturers, public policy agencies, and knowledge brokers. One potentially efficient approach is to communicate research findings through relevant national organizations. However, this requires an understanding of how such organizations view and treat research knowledge, which can be determined through knowledge-value mapping. Do knowledge values differ between national organizations representing different audiences? Can a deeper understanding of knowledge values help sponsors, investigators, and organizations better communicate research findings to stakeholders? Methods A series of comparative case studies on knowledge-value mapping were derived through interviews with spokespersons for six national organizations. The semi-structured interviews followed a 10-item questionnaire to characterize different ways in which each organization engages with research-based knowledge. Each participating organization represents a particular stakeholder group, while all share a common interest in the research subject matter. Results Each national organization considers the value of the research knowledge in the context of their organization's mission and the interests of their members. All are interested in collaborating with researchers to share relevant findings, while they vary along the following dimensions of knowledge engagement: create, identify, translate, adapt, communicate, use, promote, absorptive capacity, and recommendations for facilitation. Conclusions The principles of knowledge translation suggest that investigators can increase use by tailoring the format and context of their findings to the absorptive

The Astronomy Diagnostic Test: Comparing Your Class to Others

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufnagel, B.; Deming, G.

1999-05-01

A standard diagnostic test can be a powerful tool to assess the conceptual understanding of students, as has been proven for undergraduate physics instruction over the last ten years (e.g., E.F. Redish and R.N. Steinberg 1999, Physics Today, 52:1, 24). If you are now using, or are considering adopting, a more interactive teaching style such as that used by Eric Mazur (Peer Instruction: a User's Manual, [Prentice-Hall: 1997]) or Michael Zeilik and his collaborators (1997, AJP, 65:12, 987), you may want to use a standard diagnostic test designed for undergraduate astronomy classes. Details of the validation of the ADT are at Slater et al., also presented in this session. A comparative database of ADT scores, by class and by question, can help the instructor assess student preparedness and the effectiveness of alternative teaching methods. In the spring of 1999, 19 astronomy instructors at 7 state universities, 4 community colleges, 4 liberal arts schools, 1 woman's college and 1 technical university across the USA gave the ADT to their classes once at the beginning of the course, and again at the end of the course. The average pre-course ADT scores by class from these ~ 1000 students show two surprising results: the conceptual understanding of introductory classes is about the same (34%) regardless of type of school, geographic location, or average student age. However, there is a significant gender difference, with females scoring an average of 29% and males 39%, with the standard errors both less than 1%. The Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) and its comparative by-class database will be available at the National Institute for Science Education (NISE) website after 1 June 1999. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation through Grant DGE-9714489, and by the generosity of the participating astronomy instructors.

National mortality rates: the impact of inequality?

PubMed

Wilkinson, R G

1992-08-01

Although health is closely associated with income differences within each country there is, at best, only a weak link between national mortality rates and average income among the developed countries. On the other hand, there is evidence of a strong relationship between national mortality rates and the scale of income differences within each society. These three elements are coherent if health is affected less by changes in absolute material standards across affluent populations than it is by relative income or the scale of income differences and the resulting sense of disadvantage within each society. Rather than socioeconomic mortality differentials representing a distribution around given national average mortality rates, it is likely that the degree of income inequality indicates the burden of relative deprivation on national mortality rates.

The Stock Performance of C. Everett Koop Award Winners Compared With the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

PubMed

Goetzel, Ron Z; Fabius, Raymond; Fabius, Dan; Roemer, Enid C; Thornton, Nicole; Kelly, Rebecca K; Pelletier, Kenneth R

2016-01-01

To explore the link between companies investing in the health and well-being programs of their employees and stock market performance. Stock performance of C. Everett Koop National Health Award winners (n = 26) was measured over time and compared with the average performance of companies comprising the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. The Koop Award portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 Index. In the 14-year period tracked (2000-2014), Koop Award winners' stock values appreciated by 325% compared with the market average appreciation of 105%. This study supports prior and ongoing research demonstrating a higher market valuation--an affirmation of business success by Wall Street investors--of socially responsible companies that invest in the health and well-being of their workers when compared with other publicly traded firms.

Choriocapillaris Imaging Using Multiple En Face Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Image Averaging.

PubMed

Uji, Akihito; Balasubramanian, Siva; Lei, Jianqin; Baghdasaryan, Elmira; Al-Sheikh, Mayss; Sadda, SriniVas R

2017-11-01

Imaging of the choriocapillaris in vivo is challenging with existing technology. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), if optimized, could make the imaging less challenging. To investigate multiple en face image averaging on OCTA images of the choriocapillaris. Observational, cross-sectional case series at a referral institutional practice in Los Angeles, California. From the original cohort of 21 healthy individuals, 17 normal eyes of 17 participants were included in the study. The study dates were August to September 2016. All participants underwent OCTA imaging of the macula covering a 3 × 3-mm area using OCTA software (Cirrus 5000 with AngioPlex; Carl Zeiss Meditec). One eye per participant was repeatedly imaged to obtain 9 OCTA cube scan sets. Registration was first performed using superficial capillary plexus images, and this transformation was then applied to the choriocapillaris images. The 9 registered choriocapillaris images were then averaged. Quantitative parameters were measured on binarized OCTA images and compared with the unaveraged OCTA images. Vessel caliber measurement. Seventeen eyes of 17 participants (mean [SD] age, 35.1 [6.0] years; 9 [53%] female; and 9 [53%] of white race/ethnicity) with sufficient image quality were included in this analysis. The single unaveraged images demonstrated a granular appearance, and the vascular pattern was difficult to discern. After averaging, en face choriocapillaris images showed a meshwork appearance. The mean (SD) diameter of the vessels was 22.8 (5.8) µm (range, 9.6-40.2 µm). Compared with the single unaveraged images, the averaged images showed more flow voids (1423 flow voids [95% CI, 967-1909] vs 1254 flow voids [95% CI, 825-1683], P < .001), smaller average size of the flow voids (911 [95% CI, 301-1521] µm2 vs 1364 [95% CI, 645-2083] µm2, P < .001), and greater vessel density (70.7% [95% CI, 61.9%-79.5%] vs 61.9% [95% CI, 56.0%-67.8%], P < .001). The distribution of the

The average Indian female nose.

PubMed

Patil, Surendra B; Kale, Satish M; Jaiswal, Sumeet; Khare, Nishant; Math, Mahantesh

2011-12-01

This study aimed to delineate the anthropometric measurements of the noses of young women of an Indian population and to compare them with the published ideals and average measurements for white women. This anthropometric survey included a volunteer sample of 100 young Indian women ages 18 to 35 years with Indian parents and no history of previous surgery or trauma to the nose. Standardized frontal, lateral, oblique, and basal photographs of the subjects' noses were taken, and 12 standard anthropometric measurements of the nose were determined. The results were compared with published standards for North American white women. In addition, nine nasal indices were calculated and compared with the standards for North American white women. The nose of Indian women differs significantly from the white nose. All the nasal measurements for the Indian women were found to be significantly different from those for North American white women. Seven of the nine nasal indices also differed significantly. Anthropometric analysis suggests differences between the Indian female nose and the North American white nose. Thus, a single aesthetic ideal is inadequate. Noses of Indian women are smaller and wider, with a less projected and rounded tip than the noses of white women. This study established the nasal anthropometric norms for nasal parameters, which will serve as a guide for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in Indian women.

It's not just average faces that are attractive: computer-manipulated averageness makes birds, fish, and automobiles attractive.

PubMed

Halberstadt, Jamin; Rhodes, Gillian

2003-03-01

Average faces are attractive. We sought to distinguish whether this preference is an adaptation for finding high-quality mates (the direct selection account) or whether it reflects more general information-processing mechanisms. In three experiments, we examined the attractiveness of birds, fish, and automobiles whose averageness had been manipulated using digital image manipulation techniques common in research on facial attractiveness. Both manipulated averageness and rated averageness were strongly associated with attractiveness in all three stimulus categories. In addition, for birds and fish, but not for automobiles, the correlation between subjective averageness and attractiveness remained significant when the effect of subjective familiarity was partialled out. The results suggest that at least two mechanisms contribute to the attractiveness of average exemplars. One is a general preference for familiar stimuli, which contributes to the appeal of averageness in all three categories. The other is a preference for averageness per se, which was found for birds and fish, but not for automobiles, and may reflect a preference for features signaling genetic quality in living organisms, including conspecifics.

BOREAS AES Five-Day Averaged Surface Meteorological and Upper Air Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Strub, Richard; Newcomer, Jeffrey A.

2000-01-01

The Canadian Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) provided BOREAS with hourly and daily surface meteorological data from 23 of the AES meteorological stations located across Canada and upper air data from 1 station at The Pas, Manitoba. Due to copyright restrictions on the full resolution surface meteorological data, this data set contains 5-day average values for the surface parameters. The upper air data are provided in their full resolution form. The 5-day averaging was performed in order to create a data set that could be publicly distributed at no cost. Temporally, the surface meteorological data cover the period of January 1975 to December 1996 and the upper air data cover the period of January 1961 to November 1996. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files, and are classified as AFM-staff data. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Using Flexible Busing to Meet Average Class Size Targets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felt, Andrew J.; Koelemay, Ryan; Richter, Alexander

2008-01-01

This article describes a method of flexible redistricting for K-12 public school districts that allows students from the same geographical region to be bused to different schools, with the goal of meeting average class size (ACS) target ranges. Results of a case study on a geographically large school district comparing this method to a traditional…

Mild Dermatoglyphic Deviations in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Average Intellectual Abilities as Compared to Typically Developing Boys

PubMed Central

de Bruin, Esther I.; Graham, John H.; Huizink, Anja C.

2014-01-01

Dermatoglyphics, ridge constellations on the hands and feet, are permanently formed by the second trimester of pregnancy. Consequently, they are considered “fossilized” evidence of a specific prenatal period. A high frequency of dermatoglyphic anomalies, or a high rate of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (discordance), is an indication of developmental instability (prenatal disturbances) prior to 24-week gestation. Most dermatoglyphic studies in psychiatry focus on adult schizophrenia. Studies on dermatoglyphic deviances and autism are sparse, include severely disturbed and intellectually retarded patients with autism, and are carried out mainly in non-Western European populations. In this study, finger print patterns, atd-angles, and palmar flexion crease patterns (PFCs) are compared between Western European adolescent teenage males, of average intellect, with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; n = 46) and typically developing adolescent teenage males (TD; n = 49). Boys with ASD had a higher rate of discordance in their finger print patterns than TD boys. Thus, the hypothesized prenatal disturbances that play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia and severe autism might not be specific to these severe psychiatric disorders but might also be involved in the etiology of varying degrees of ASD. PMID:25478224

40 CFR 91.1304 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Averaging. (a) A manufacturer may use averaging across engine families to demonstrate a zero or positive... credits obtained through trading. (b) Beginning in model year 2004, credits used to demonstrate a zero or...

40 CFR 91.1304 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Averaging. (a) A manufacturer may use averaging across engine families to demonstrate a zero or positive... credits obtained through trading. (b) Beginning in model year 2004, credits used to demonstrate a zero or...

40 CFR 91.1304 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Averaging. (a) A manufacturer may use averaging across engine families to demonstrate a zero or positive... credits obtained through trading. (b) Beginning in model year 2004, credits used to demonstrate a zero or...

40 CFR 91.1304 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Averaging. (a) A manufacturer may use averaging across engine families to demonstrate a zero or positive... credits obtained through trading. (b) Beginning in model year 2004, credits used to demonstrate a zero or...

40 CFR 91.1304 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Averaging. (a) A manufacturer may use averaging across engine families to demonstrate a zero or positive... credits obtained through trading. (b) Beginning in model year 2004, credits used to demonstrate a zero or...

When Is the Local Average Treatment Close to the Average? Evidence from Fertility and Labor Supply

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebenstein, Avraham

2009-01-01

The local average treatment effect (LATE) may differ from the average treatment effect (ATE) when those influenced by the instrument are not representative of the overall population. Heterogeneity in treatment effects may imply that parameter estimates from 2SLS are uninformative regarding the average treatment effect, motivating a search for…

Lagrangian averaging with geodesic mean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Marcel

2017-11-01

This paper revisits the derivation of the Lagrangian averaged Euler (LAE), or Euler-α equations in the light of an intrinsic definition of the averaged flow map as the geodesic mean on the volume-preserving diffeomorphism group. Under the additional assumption that first-order fluctuations are statistically isotropic and transported by the mean flow as a vector field, averaging of the kinetic energy Lagrangian of an ideal fluid yields the LAE Lagrangian. The derivation presented here assumes a Euclidean spatial domain without boundaries.

Lagrangian averaging with geodesic mean.

PubMed

Oliver, Marcel

2017-11-01

This paper revisits the derivation of the Lagrangian averaged Euler (LAE), or Euler- α equations in the light of an intrinsic definition of the averaged flow map as the geodesic mean on the volume-preserving diffeomorphism group. Under the additional assumption that first-order fluctuations are statistically isotropic and transported by the mean flow as a vector field, averaging of the kinetic energy Lagrangian of an ideal fluid yields the LAE Lagrangian. The derivation presented here assumes a Euclidean spatial domain without boundaries.

Draft environmental impact statement : corporate average fuel economy standards, passenger cars and light trucks, model years 2011-2015.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to disclose and analyze the potential environmental impacts of the proposed new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards a...

Cardiovascular risk factor associations in adults with psychosis and adults in a national comparator sample.

PubMed

Foley, Debra L; Mackinnon, Andrew; Morgan, Vera A; Watts, Gerald F; Shaw, Jonathan E; Magliano, Dianna J; Castle, David J; McGrath, John J; Waterreus, Anna; Galletly, Cherrie A

2015-08-01

Antipsychotic drug treatment alters status on key risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to test whether cardiovascular risk factor associations differ in adults with psychosis and adults from the general community. Data were analysed for those aged 25-64 years from a nationally representative psychosis sample (n = 1,457) and a national comparator sample (n = 8,866). The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to estimate the association among tobacco use, body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic and systolic blood pressure and fasting total-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and plasma glucose. The robust Levene test was used to test for sample differences in variance. Correlations among cardiovascular risk indicators and between cardiovascular risk indicators and age were often significantly weaker in those with psychosis than in those from the national comparator sample. This was not due to a reduction in variance within the psychosis sample. Risk prediction that synthesizes multivariate risk indicator data needs to be connected to verified cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in those with psychosis to determine if standard risk calculators adequately discriminate those at high, medium and low future risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Until then the clinical implications of low or absent correlations among cardiovascular risk indicators and their low or absent association with increasing age is unclear but may indicate that risk equations commonly used in the general population may not be applicable for those with treated psychosis. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

National mortality rates: the impact of inequality?

PubMed Central

Wilkinson, R G

1992-01-01

Although health is closely associated with income differences within each country there is, at best, only a weak link between national mortality rates and average income among the developed countries. On the other hand, there is evidence of a strong relationship between national mortality rates and the scale of income differences within each society. These three elements are coherent if health is affected less by changes in absolute material standards across affluent populations than it is by relative income or the scale of income differences and the resulting sense of disadvantage within each society. Rather than socioeconomic mortality differentials representing a distribution around given national average mortality rates, it is likely that the degree of income inequality indicates the burden of relative deprivation on national mortality rates. PMID:1636827

Learning Style Preferences of Gifted, Average- Ability, and Special Needs Students: A Multivariate Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pyryt, Michael C.; Sandals, Lauran H.; Begoray, John

1998-01-01

Compared learning-style preferences of intellectually gifted, average-ability, and special-needs students on the Learning Style Inventory. Also examined the general differences among ability level and gender. Analyses indicated that gifted students preferred learning alone, being self-motivated, and using tactile learning approaches, and that…

Light propagation in the averaged universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bagheri, Samae; Schwarz, Dominik J., E-mail: s_bagheri@physik.uni-bielefeld.de, E-mail: dschwarz@physik.uni-bielefeld.de

Cosmic structures determine how light propagates through the Universe and consequently must be taken into account in the interpretation of observations. In the standard cosmological model at the largest scales, such structures are either ignored or treated as small perturbations to an isotropic and homogeneous Universe. This isotropic and homogeneous model is commonly assumed to emerge from some averaging process at the largest scales. We assume that there exists an averaging procedure that preserves the causal structure of space-time. Based on that assumption, we study the effects of averaging the geometry of space-time and derive an averaged version of themore » null geodesic equation of motion. For the averaged geometry we then assume a flat Friedmann-Lemaître (FL) model and find that light propagation in this averaged FL model is not given by null geodesics of that model, but rather by a modified light propagation equation that contains an effective Hubble expansion rate, which differs from the Hubble rate of the averaged space-time.« less

Favre-Averaged Turbulence Statistics in Variable Density Mixing of Buoyant Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charonko, John; Prestridge, Kathy

2014-11-01

Variable density mixing of a heavy fluid jet with lower density ambient fluid in a subsonic wind tunnel was experimentally studied using Particle Image Velocimetry and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence to simultaneously measure velocity and density. Flows involving the mixing of fluids with large density ratios are important in a range of physical problems including atmospheric and oceanic flows, industrial processes, and inertial confinement fusion. Here we focus on buoyant jets with coflow. Results from two different Atwood numbers, 0.1 (Boussinesq limit) and 0.6 (non-Boussinesq case), reveal that buoyancy is important for most of the turbulent quantities measured. Statistical characteristics of the mixing important for modeling these flows such as the PDFs of density and density gradients, turbulent kinetic energy, Favre averaged Reynolds stress, turbulent mass flux velocity, density-specific volume correlation, and density power spectra were also examined and compared with previous direct numerical simulations. Additionally, a method for directly estimating Reynolds-averaged velocity statistics on a per-pixel basis is extended to Favre-averages, yielding improved accuracy and spatial resolution as compared to traditional post-processing of velocity and density fields.

In-situ and path-averaged measurements of aerosol optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Binsbergen, Sven A.; Grossmann, Peter; February, Faith J.; Cohen, Leo H.; van Eijk, Alexander M. J.; Stein, Karin U.

2017-09-01

This paper compares in-situ and path-averaged measurements of the electro-optical transmission, with emphasis on aerosol effects. The in-situ sensors consisted of optical particle counters (OPC), the path-averaged data was provided by a 7-wavelength transmissometer (MSRT) and scintillometers (BLS). Data were collected at two sites: a homogeneous test site in Northern Germany, and over the inhomogeneous False Bay near Cape Town, South Africa. A retrieval algorithm was developed to infer characteristics of the aerosol size distribution (Junge approximation) from the MSRT data. A comparison of the various sensors suggests that the optical particle counters are over optimistic in their estimate of the transmission. For the homogeneous test site, in-situ and path-averaged sensors yield similar results. For the inhomogeneous test site, sensors may react differently or temporally separated to meteorological events such as a change in wind speed and/or direction.

Average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer and the association with the marginalization index in Mexico in 2000 and 2010.

PubMed

Cervantes, Claudio Alberto Dávila; Botero, Marcela Agudelo

2014-05-01

The objective of this study was to calculate average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer in Mexico in 2000 and 2010. Data on mortality in women aged between 20 and 84 years was obtained from the National Institute for Statistics and Geography. Age-specific mortality rates and average years of life lost, which is an estimate of the number of years that a person would have lived if he or she had not died prematurely, were estimated for both diseases. Data was disaggregated into five-year age groups and socioeconomic status based on the 2010 marginalization index obtained from the National Population Council. A decrease in average years of life lost due to cervical cancer (37.4%) and an increase in average years of life lost due breast cancer (8.9%) was observed during the period studied. Average years of life lost due to cervical cancer was greater among women living in areas with a high marginalization index, while average years of life lost due to breast cancer was greater in women from areas with a low marginalization index.

The Stock Performance of C. Everett Koop Award Winners Compared With the Standard & Poor's 500 Index

PubMed Central

Goetzel, Ron Z.; Fabius, Raymond; Fabius, Dan; Roemer, Enid C.; Thornton, Nicole; Kelly, Rebecca K.; Pelletier, Kenneth R.

2016-01-01

Objective: To explore the link between companies investing in the health and well-being programs of their employees and stock market performance. Methods: Stock performance of C. Everett Koop National Health Award winners (n = 26) was measured over time and compared with the average performance of companies comprising the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. Results: The Koop Award portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 Index. In the 14-year period tracked (2000–2014), Koop Award winners’ stock values appreciated by 325% compared with the market average appreciation of 105%. Conclusions: This study supports prior and ongoing research demonstrating a higher market valuation—an affirmation of business success by Wall Street investors—of socially responsible companies that invest in the health and well-being of their workers when compared with other publicly traded firms. PMID:26716843

Impact of B-Scan Averaging on Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography Image Quality before and after Cataract Surgery

PubMed Central

Podkowinski, Dominika; Sharian Varnousfaderani, Ehsan; Simader, Christian; Bogunovic, Hrvoje; Philip, Ana-Maria; Gerendas, Bianca S.

2017-01-01

Background and Objective To determine optimal image averaging settings for Spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with and without cataract. Study Design/Material and Methods In a prospective study, the eyes were imaged before and after cataract surgery using seven different image averaging settings. Image quality was quantitatively evaluated using signal-to-noise ratio, distinction between retinal layer image intensity distributions, and retinal layer segmentation performance. Measures were compared pre- and postoperatively across different degrees of averaging. Results 13 eyes of 13 patients were included and 1092 layer boundaries analyzed. Preoperatively, increasing image averaging led to a logarithmic growth in all image quality measures up to 96 frames. Postoperatively, increasing averaging beyond 16 images resulted in a plateau without further benefits to image quality. Averaging 16 frames postoperatively provided comparable image quality to 96 frames preoperatively. Conclusion In patients with clear media, averaging 16 images provided optimal signal quality. A further increase in averaging was only beneficial in the eyes with senile cataract. However, prolonged acquisition time and possible loss of details have to be taken into account. PMID:28630764

Results of external quality-assurance program for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and National Trends Network during 1985

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, M.H.; Schroder, L.J.; Willoughby, T.C.

1988-01-01

External quality assurance monitoring of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and National Trends Network (NTN) was performed by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1985. The monitoring consisted of three primary programs: (1) an intersite comparison program designed to assess the precision and accuracy of onsite pH and specific conductance measurements made by NADP and NTN site operators; (2) a blind audit sample program designed to assess the effect of routine field handling on the precision and bias of NADP and NTN wet deposition data; and (3) an interlaboratory comparison program designed to compare analytical data from the laboratory processing NADP and NTN samples with data produced by other laboratories routinely analyzing wet deposition samples and to provide estimates of individual laboratory precision. An average of 94% of the site operators participated in the four voluntary intersite comparisons during 1985. A larger percentage of participating site operators met the accuracy goal for specific conductance measurements (average, 87%) than for pH measurements (average, 67%). Overall precision was dependent on the actual specific conductance of the test solution and independent of the pH of the test solution. Data for the blind audit sample program indicated slight positive biases resulting from routine field handling for all analytes except specific conductance. These biases were not large enough to be significant for most data users. Data for the blind audit sample program also indicated that decreases in hydrogen ion concentration were accompanied by decreases in specific conductance. Precision estimates derived from the blind audit sample program indicate that the major source of uncertainty in wet deposition data is the routine field handling that each wet deposition sample receives. Results of the interlaboratory comparison program were similar to results of previous years ' evaluations, indicating that the participating laboratories

EVALUATION OF THE HTA CORE MODEL FOR NATIONAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT REPORTS: COMPARATIVE STUDY AND EXPERIENCES FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

PubMed

Kõrge, Kristina; Berndt, Nadine; Hohmann, Juergen; Romano, Florence; Hiligsmann, Mickael

2017-01-01

The health technology assessment (HTA) Core Model® is a tool for defining and standardizing the elements of HTA analyses within several domains for producing structured reports. This study explored the parallels between the Core Model and a national HTA report. Experiences from various European HTA agencies were also investigated to determine the Core Model's adaptability to national reports. A comparison between a national report on Genetic Counseling, produced by the Cellule d'expertise médicale Luxembourg, and the Core Model was performed to identify parallels in terms of relevant and comparable assessment elements (AEs). Semi-structured interviews with five representatives from European HTA agencies were performed to assess their user experiences with the Core Model. The comparative study revealed that 50 percent of the total number (n = 144) of AEs in the Core Model were relevant for the national report. Of these 144 AEs from the Core Model, 34 (24 percent) were covered in the national report. Some AEs were covered only partly. The interviewees emphasized flexibility in using the Core Model and stated that the most important aspects to be evaluated include characteristics of the disease and technology, clinical effectiveness, economic aspects, and safety. In the present study, the national report covered an acceptable number of AEs of the Core Model. These results need to be interpreted with caution because only one comparison was performed. The Core Model can be used in a flexible manner, applying only those elements that are relevant from the perspective of the technology assessment and specific country context.

40 CFR 80.205 - How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? 80.205 Section 80.205 Protection of... ADDITIVES Gasoline Sulfur Gasoline Sulfur Standards § 80.205 How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? (a) The annual refinery or importer average and...

40 CFR 80.205 - How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? 80.205 Section 80.205 Protection of... ADDITIVES Gasoline Sulfur Gasoline Sulfur Standards § 80.205 How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? (a) The annual refinery or importer average and...

40 CFR 80.205 - How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? 80.205 Section 80.205 Protection of... ADDITIVES Gasoline Sulfur Gasoline Sulfur Standards § 80.205 How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? (a) The annual refinery or importer average and...

40 CFR 80.205 - How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? 80.205 Section 80.205 Protection of... ADDITIVES Gasoline Sulfur Gasoline Sulfur Standards § 80.205 How is the annual refinery or importer average and corporate pool average sulfur level determined? (a) The annual refinery or importer average and...

Student Engagement in Two Countries: A Comparative Study Using National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kandiko, C. B.

2008-01-01

To compare college and university student engagement in two countries with different responses to global forces, Canada and the United States (US), a series of hierarchical linear regression (HLM) models were developed to analyse data from the 2006 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Overall, students in the U.S.…

Comparing Anesthesiology Residency Training Structure and Requirements in Seven Different Countries on Three Continents.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Satoshi; Tanaka, Pedro; Madsen, Matias V; Macario, Alex

2017-02-26

Little has been published comparing the graduate medical education training structure and requirements across multiple countries. The goal of this study was to summarize and compare the characteristics of anesthesiology training programs in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Denmark, and Switzerland as a way to better understand efforts to train anesthesiologists in different countries. Two physicians trained in each of the seven countries (convenience sample) were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The interview was facilitated by use of a predetermined questionnaire that included, for example, the duration of post-medical school training and national requirements for certain rotations, a number of cases, faculty supervision, national in-training written exams, and duty hour limits. These data were augmented by review of each country's publicly available residency training documents as available on the internet. Post-medical school anesthesia residency duration varied: three years (Brazil), four years (USA), five years (Canada and Switzerland), six years (Japan and Denmark) to nine years (UK), as did the number of explicitly required clinical rotations of a defined duration: zero (Denmark), one (Switzerland and UK), four (Brazil), six (Canada), and 12 (USA). Minimum case requirements exist in the USA, Japan, and Brazil, but not in the other countries. National written exams taken during training exist for all countries studied except Japan and Denmark. The countries studied increasingly aim to have competency-based education with milestone assessments. Training duty hour limits also varied including for example 37 hours/week averaged over a one month with limitations on night duties (Denmark), a weekly average of 48 hours taken over a 17 week period (UK), 50 hours/week maximum (Switzerland), 60 hours/week maximum (Brazil), and 80 hours/week averaged over four weeks (USA). Some countries have highly structured training programs with multiple national

Towards National eHealth Implementation--a comparative study on WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit in Iran.

PubMed

Riazi, Hossein; Jafarpour, Maryam; Bitaraf, Ehsan

2014-01-01

Experiences has shown that utilization of ICT in health sector requires national commitment and planned efforts to make the best use of existing capacity. Establishing the main directions as well as planning the detailed steps needed are key to achieving longer-term goals such as health sector efficiency, reform or more fundamental transformation. Collaboration between the health and ICT sectors, both public and private, is central to this effort. As the major United Nations agencies for health and telecommunications respectively, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have recognized the importance of collaboration for eHealth in their global resolutions, which encourage countries to develop national eHealth strategies; the National eHealth Strategy Toolkit is the proof of these recommendations. In this study a mapping of eHealth components in WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit and our national eHealth vision is presented.

Creating the Evidence through Comparative Effectiveness Research for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice by Deploying a National Intervention Network and a National Data Repository

PubMed Central

Pechacek, Judith; Cerra, Frank; Brandt, Barbara; Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Delaney, Connie

2015-01-01

Background: There is currently a resurgence of interest in interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) and its potential to positively impact health outcomes at both the patient level and population level, healthcare delivery, and health professions education. This resurgence of interest led to the creation of the National Center on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice and Education in October 2012. Methods: This paper describes three intertwined knowledge generation strategies of the National Center on Interprofessional Practice and Education: (1) the development of a Nexus Incubator Network, (2) the undertaking of comparative effectiveness research, and (3) the creation of a National Center Data Repository. Results: As these strategies are implemented over time they will result in the production of empirically grounded knowledge regarding the direction and scope of the impact, if any, of IPECP on well-defined health and healthcare outcomes including the possible improvement of the patient experience of care. Conclusions: Among the motivating factors for the National Center and the three strategies adopted and addressed herein is the need for rigorously produced, scientifically sound evidence regarding IPECP and whether or not it has the capacity to positively affect the patient experience of care, the health of populations, and the per capita cost of healthcare. PMID:27417753

Determining GPS average performance metrics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, G. V.

1995-01-01

Analytic and semi-analytic methods are used to show that users of the GPS constellation can expect performance variations based on their location. Specifically, performance is shown to be a function of both altitude and latitude. These results stem from the fact that the GPS constellation is itself non-uniform. For example, GPS satellites are over four times as likely to be directly over Tierra del Fuego than over Hawaii or Singapore. Inevitable performance variations due to user location occur for ground, sea, air and space GPS users. These performance variations can be studied in an average relative sense. A semi-analytic tool which symmetrically allocates GPS satellite latitude belt dwell times among longitude points is used to compute average performance metrics. These metrics include average number of GPS vehicles visible, relative average accuracies in the radial, intrack and crosstrack (or radial, north/south, east/west) directions, and relative average PDOP or GDOP. The tool can be quickly changed to incorporate various user antenna obscuration models and various GPS constellation designs. Among other applications, tool results can be used in studies to: predict locations and geometries of best/worst case performance, design GPS constellations, determine optimal user antenna location and understand performance trends among various users.

Conifer regeneration on burned and unburned clearcuts on granitic soils of the Klamath National Forest

Treesearch

Danny Heavilan

1977-01-01

Regeneration was studied on a mixed conifer stand on granitic soils on the Klamath National Forest. Six years after logging and hand planting with Douglas-fir, stocking and growth on cutblocks where slash had been broadcast burned was compared with that on similar unburned cutblocks. Conifers were seven times more plentiful on the unburned areas, the average height of...

National CT Colonography Trial (ACRIN 6664): Comparison of Three Full-Laxative Bowel Preparations in More Than 2500 Average-Risk Patients

PubMed Central

Hara, Amy K.; Kuo, Mark D.; Blevins, Meridith; Chen, Mei-Hsiu; Yee, Judy; Dachman, Abraham; Menias, Christine O.; Siewert, Betina; Cheema, Jugesh I.; Obregon, Richard G.; Fidler, Jeff L.; Zimmerman, Peter; Horton, Karen M.; Coakley, Kevin; Iyer, Revathy B.; Halvorsen, Robert A.; Casola, Giovanna; Johnson, C. Daniel

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to compare the effect of three different full-laxative bowel preparations on patient compliance, residual stool and fluid, reader confidence, and polyp detection at CT colonography (CTC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 2531 patients underwent CTC followed by colonoscopy for the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) National CTC Trial. Of this total, 2525 patients used one of three bowel preparations with bisacodyl tablets and stool and fluid tagging: 4 L of polyethylene glycol (PEG); 90 mL of phosphosoda; or 300 mL of magnesium citrate. Patients reported percent compliance with the bowel preparation and radiologists graded each CTC examination for the amount of residual fluid and stool on a scale from 1 (none) to 4 (nondiagnostic). Reader confidence for true-positive findings was reported on a 5-point scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high). Sensitivity and specificity for detecting polyps ≥ 6 mm and ≥ 1 cm compared with colonoscopy were calculated for each preparation. RESULTS The most commonly prescribed preparation was phosphosoda (n = 1403) followed by PEG (n = 1020) and magnesium citrate (n = 102). Phosphosoda had the highest patient compliance (p = 0.01), least residual stool (p < 0.001), and highest reader confidence versus PEG for examinations with polyps (p = 0.06). Magnesium citrate had significantly more residual fluid compared with PEG and phosphosoda (p = 0.006). The sensitivity and specificity for detecting colon polyps ≥ 6 mm and ≥ 1 cm did not differ significantly between preparations. CONCLUSION Polyp detection was comparable for all three preparations, although phosphosoda had significantly higher patient compliance and the least residual stool. PMID:21512073

Pediatric retropharyngeal abscesses: a national perspective.

PubMed

Lander, Lina; Lu, Sam; Shah, Rahul K

2008-12-01

To determine the resource utilization and national variation in the management of pediatric retropharyngeal abscesses. The Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) 2003 was analyzed. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 478.24 was the inclusion criteria. One thousand three hundred and twenty-one admissions with retropharyngeal abscess were sampled from the KID in 2003; there were no deaths. The mean age of patients was 5.1 years (S.D. 4.4 years); 63% were male. Of all admissions, 563 (43%) patients underwent surgical drainage of their infection; surgical patients had longer length of stays and total charges than patients managed medically. The average state spending per admission varied from $5126 (Utah) to $27,776 (California). There was seasonal variation in admissions with the highest percentage of admissions occurring in March (10.7%) and lowest in August (3.8%). Indicators of increased resource utilization included age (older patients), increased length of stay, non-elective admission, discharge quarter, and number of other diagnoses on record. There is a statistically significant decrease in the length of stay and total charges in patients admitted in the Midwest compared to other regions of the country. This study demonstrates national demographics and normative data on a commonly treated pediatric disease process, retropharyngeal space infections. The average demographic of such a patient is a 5-year-old male from an urban location admitted in a non-elective fashion via the emergency department. The mean total charges were $16,377; 90% of admissions had total charges less than $28,511. Patients who underwent surgical procedures had mean total charges of $22,013. There exists significant national variation in resource utilization for this commonly treated disease process.

Comparing National Water Model Inundation Predictions with Hydrodynamic Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egbert, R. J.; Shastry, A.; Aristizabal, F.; Luo, C.

2017-12-01

The National Water Model (NWM) simulates the hydrologic cycle and produces streamflow forecasts, runoff, and other variables for 2.7 million reaches along the National Hydrography Dataset for the continental United States. NWM applies Muskingum-Cunge channel routing which is based on the continuity equation. However, the momentum equation also needs to be considered to obtain better estimates of streamflow and stage in rivers especially for applications such as flood inundation mapping. Simulation Program for River NeTworks (SPRNT) is a fully dynamic model for large scale river networks that solves the full nonlinear Saint-Venant equations for 1D flow and stage height in river channel networks with non-uniform bathymetry. For the current work, the steady-state version of the SPRNT model was leveraged. An evaluation on SPRNT's and NWM's abilities to predict inundation was conducted for the record flood of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 along the Neuse River in North Carolina. This event was known to have been influenced by backwater effects from the Hurricane's storm surge. Retrospective NWM discharge predictions were converted to stage using synthetic rating curves. The stages from both models were utilized to produce flood inundation maps using the Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) method which uses the local relative heights to provide a spatial representation of inundation depths. In order to validate the inundation produced by the models, Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar data in the VV and VH polarizations along with auxiliary data was used to produce a reference inundation map. A preliminary, binary comparison of the inundation maps to the reference, limited to the five HUC-12 areas of Goldsboro, NC, yielded that the flood inundation accuracies for NWM and SPRNT were 74.68% and 78.37%, respectively. The differences for all the relevant test statistics including accuracy, true positive rate, true negative rate, and positive predictive value were found

Average M shell fluorescence yields for elements with 70≤Z≤92

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahoul, A.; Deghfel, B.; Aylikci, V.; Aylikci, N. K.; Nekkab, M.

2015-03-01

The theoretical, experimental and analytical methods for the calculation of average M-shell fluorescence yield (ω¯M ) of different elements are very important because of the large number of their applications in various areas of physical chemistry and medical research. In this paper, the bulk of the average M-shell fluorescence yield measurements reported in the literature, covering the period 1955 to 2005 are interpolated by using an analytical function to deduce the empirical average M-shell fluorescence yield in the atomic range of 70≤Z≤92. The results were compared with the theoretical and fitted values reported by other authors. Reasonable agreement was typically obtained between our result and other works.

75 FR 25323 - Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-07

...EPA and NHTSA are issuing this joint Final Rule to establish a National Program consisting of new standards for light-duty vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. This joint Final Rule is consistent with the National Fuel Efficiency Policy announced by President Obama on May 19, 2009, responding to the country's critical need to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. EPA is finalizing greenhouse gas emissions standards under the Clean Air Act, and NHTSA is finalizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended. These standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016, and represent a harmonized and consistent National Program. Under the National Program, automobile manufacturers will be able to build a single light-duty national fleet that satisfies all requirements under both programs while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices. NHTSA's final rule also constitutes the agency's Record of Decision for purposes of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis.

76 FR 74853 - 2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-01

...EPA and NHTSA, on behalf of the Department of Transportation, are issuing this joint proposal to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017-2025. This proposal extends the National Program beyond the greenhouse gas and corporate average fuel economy standards set for model years 2012-2016. On May 21, 2010, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum requesting that NHTSA and EPA develop through notice and comment rulemaking a coordinated National Program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of light-duty vehicles for model years 2017- 2025. This proposal, consistent with the President's request, responds to the country's critical need to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. NHTSA is proposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act, and EPA is proposing greenhouse gas emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. These standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium- duty passenger vehicles, and represent a continued harmonized and consistent National Program. Under the National Program for model years 2017-2025, automobile manufacturers would be able to continue building a single light-duty national fleet that satisfies all requirements under both programs while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices. EPA is also proposing a minor change to the regulations applicable to MY 2012-2016, with respect to air conditioner performance and measurement of nitrous oxides.

A comparative analysis of ethnomedicinal practices for treating gastrointestinal disorders used by communities living in three national parks (Korea).

PubMed

Kim, Hyun; Song, Mi-Jang; Brian, Heldenbrand; Choi, Kyoungho

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the ethnomedicinal practices on gastrointestinal disorders within communities in Jirisan National Park, Gayasan National Park, and Hallasan National Park of Korea. Data was collected through participant observations and indepth interviews with semistructured questionnaires. Methods for comparative analysis were accomplished using the informant consensus factor, fidelity level, and internetwork analysis. A total of 490 ethnomedicinal practices recorded from the communities were classified into 110 families, 176 genera, and 220 species that included plants, animals, fungi, and alga. The informant consensus factor values in the disorder categories were enteritis, and gastralgia (1.0), followed by indigestion (0.94), constipation (0.93), and abdominal pain and gastroenteric trouble (0.92). In terms of fidelity levels, 71 plant species showed fidelity levels of 100%. The internetwork analysis between disorders and all medicinal species are grouped in the center by the four categories of indigestion, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gastroenteric trouble, respectively. Regarding the research method of this study, the comparative analysis methods will contribute to the availability of orally transmitted ethnomedicinal knowledge. Among the methods of analysis, the use of internetwork analysis as a tool for analysis in this study provides imperative internetwork maps between gastrointestinal disorders and medicinal species.

Conversion of National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) Database into Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership-Common Data Model (OMOP-CDM).

PubMed

You, Seng Chan; Lee, Seongwon; Cho, Soo-Yeon; Park, Hojun; Jung, Sungjae; Cho, Jaehyeong; Yoon, Dukyong; Park, Rae Woong

2017-01-01

It is increasingly necessary to generate medical evidence applicable to Asian people compared to those in Western countries. Observational Health Data Sciences a Informatics (OHDSI) is an international collaborative which aims to facilitate generating high-quality evidence via creating and applying open-source data analytic solutions to a large network of health databases across countries. We aimed to incorporate Korean nationwide cohort data into the OHDSI network by converting the national sample cohort into Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership-Common Data Model (OMOP-CDM). The data of 1.13 million subjects was converted to OMOP-CDM, resulting in average 99.1% conversion rate. The ACHILLES, open-source OMOP-CDM-based data profiling tool, was conducted on the converted database to visualize data-driven characterization and access the quality of data. The OMOP-CDM version of National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) can be a valuable tool for multiple aspects of medical research by incorporation into the OHDSI research network.

The Status of White Spruce Plantations on Lake States National Forests

Treesearch

Glen W. Erickson; H. Michael Rauscher

1985-01-01

Summarizes information about white spruce plantations as of 1982. Based on average site index, the Superior National Forest in Minnesota and the Hiawatha and Huron-Manistee in Michigan contain climate-soil-seed source complexes that are, on the average, less productive for white spruce than on the other National Forests

Effects of Participation in Formal Leadership Training in International Students Compared to Domestic Students: A National Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collier, Daniel A.; Rosch, David M.; Houston, Derek A.

2017-01-01

International student enrollment has experienced dramatic increases on U.S. campuses. Using a national dataset, the study explores and compares international and domestic students' incoming and post-training levels of motivation to lead, leadership self-efficacy, and leadership skill using inverse-probability weighting of propensity scores to…

Synoptic observations of Jupiter's radio emissions: Average Statistical properties observed by Voyager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. K.; Carr, T. D.; Thieman, J. R.; Schauble, J. J.; Riddle, A. C.

1980-01-01

Observations of Jupiter's low frequency radio emissions collected over one month intervals before and after each Voyager encounter were analyzed. Compilations of occurrence probability, average power flux density and average sense of circular polarization are presented as a function of central meridian longitude, phase of Io, and frequency. The results are compared with ground based observations. The necessary geometrical conditions are preferred polarization sense for Io-related decametric emission observed by Voyager from above both the dayside and nightside hemispheres are found to be essentially the same as are observed in Earth based studies. On the other hand, there is a clear local time dependence in the Io-independent decametric emission. Io appears to have an influence on average flux density of the emission down to below 2 MHz. The average power flux density spectrum of Jupiter's emission has a broad peak near 9MHz. Integration of the average spectrum over all frequencies gives a total radiated power for an isotropic source of 4 x 10 to the 11th power W.

Comparing Weighted and Unweighted Grade Point Averages in Predicting College Success of Diverse and Low-Income College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warne, Russell T.; Nagaishi, Chanel; Slade, Michael K.; Hermesmeyer, Paul; Peck, Elizabeth Kimberli

2014-01-01

While research has shown the statistical significance of high school grade point averages (HSGPAs) in predicting future academic outcomes, the systems with which HSGPAs are calculated vary drastically across schools. Some schools employ unweighted grades that carry the same point value regardless of the course in which they are earned; other…

A Comparative Study of Average, Linked Mastoid, and REST References for ERP Components Acquired during fMRI

PubMed Central

Yang, Ping; Fan, Chenggui; Wang, Min; Li, Ling

2017-01-01

In simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, average reference (AR), and digitally linked mastoid (LM) are popular re-referencing techniques in event-related potential (ERP) analyses. However, they may introduce their own physiological signals and alter the EEG/ERP outcome. A reference electrode standardization technique (REST) that calculated a reference point at infinity was proposed to solve this problem. To confirm the advantage of REST in ERP analyses of synchronous EEG-fMRI studies, we compared the reference effect of AR, LM, and REST on task-related ERP results of a working memory task during an fMRI scan. As we hypothesized, we found that the adopted reference did not change the topography map of ERP components (N1 and P300 in the present study), but it did alter the task-related effect on ERP components. LM decreased or eliminated the visual working memory (VWM) load effect on P300, and the AR distorted the distribution of VWM location-related effect at left posterior electrodes as shown in the statistical parametric scalp mapping (SPSM) of N1. ERP cortical source estimates, which are independent of the EEG reference choice, were used as the golden standard to infer the relative utility of different references on the ERP task-related effect. By comparison, REST reference provided a more integrated and reasonable result. These results were further confirmed by the results of fMRI activations and a corresponding EEG-only study. Thus, we recommend the REST, especially with a realistic head model, as the optimal reference method for ERP data analysis in simultaneous EEG-fMRI studies. PMID:28529472

A Comparative Study of Average, Linked Mastoid, and REST References for ERP Components Acquired during fMRI.

PubMed

Yang, Ping; Fan, Chenggui; Wang, Min; Li, Ling

2017-01-01

In simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, average reference (AR), and digitally linked mastoid (LM) are popular re-referencing techniques in event-related potential (ERP) analyses. However, they may introduce their own physiological signals and alter the EEG/ERP outcome. A reference electrode standardization technique (REST) that calculated a reference point at infinity was proposed to solve this problem. To confirm the advantage of REST in ERP analyses of synchronous EEG-fMRI studies, we compared the reference effect of AR, LM, and REST on task-related ERP results of a working memory task during an fMRI scan. As we hypothesized, we found that the adopted reference did not change the topography map of ERP components (N1 and P300 in the present study), but it did alter the task-related effect on ERP components. LM decreased or eliminated the visual working memory (VWM) load effect on P300, and the AR distorted the distribution of VWM location-related effect at left posterior electrodes as shown in the statistical parametric scalp mapping (SPSM) of N1. ERP cortical source estimates, which are independent of the EEG reference choice, were used as the golden standard to infer the relative utility of different references on the ERP task-related effect. By comparison, REST reference provided a more integrated and reasonable result. These results were further confirmed by the results of fMRI activations and a corresponding EEG-only study. Thus, we recommend the REST, especially with a realistic head model, as the optimal reference method for ERP data analysis in simultaneous EEG-fMRI studies.

A Comparative Study of Standardized Infinity Reference and Average Reference for EEG of Three Typical Brain States

PubMed Central

Zheng, Gaoxing; Qi, Xiaoying; Li, Yuzhu; Zhang, Wei; Yu, Yuguo

2018-01-01

The choice of different reference electrodes plays an important role in deciphering the functional meaning of electroencephalography (EEG) signals. In recent years, the infinity zero reference using the reference electrode standard technique (REST) has been increasingly applied, while the average reference (AR) was generally advocated as the best available reference option in previous classical EEG studies. Here, we designed EEG experiments and performed a direct comparison between the influences of REST and AR on EEG-revealed brain activity features for three typical brain behavior states (eyes-closed, eyes-open and music-listening). The analysis results revealed the following observations: (1) there is no significant difference in the alpha-wave-blocking effect during the eyes-open state compared with the eyes-closed state for both REST and AR references; (2) there was clear frontal EEG asymmetry during the resting state, and the degree of lateralization under REST was higher than that under AR; (3) the global brain functional connectivity density (FCD) and local FCD have higher values for REST than for AR under different behavior states; and (4) the value of the small-world network characteristic in the eyes-closed state is significantly (in full, alpha, beta and gamma frequency bands) higher than that in the eyes-open state, and the small-world effect under the REST reference is higher than that under AR. In addition, the music-listening state has a higher small-world network effect than the eyes-closed state. The above results suggest that typical EEG features might be more clearly presented by applying the REST reference than by applying AR when using a 64-channel recording. PMID:29593490

Average Emissivity Curve of BATSE Gamma-Ray Bursts with Different Intensities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitrofanov, Igor G.; Anfimov, Dimitrij S.; Litvak, Maxim L.; Briggs, Michael S.; Paciesas, W. S.; Pendleton, Geoffrey N.; Preece, Robert D.

1998-01-01

Six intensity groups with $/sim 150$ BATSE gamma-ray bursts each are compared using average emissivity curves. Time-stretch factors for each of the dimmer groups are estimated with respect to the brightest group. Which serves as the reference taking into account the systematics of counts-produced noise effects and choice statistics. The effect of stretching/intensity anti-correlation is found at the average back slopes of bursts with good statistical significance. A stretch factor $/sim 2$ is found between the 150 dimmest bursts with peak flux $less than 0.45$ ph cm$(exp -2)$ s$(exp -1)$, and the 147 brightest bursts with peak flux $greater than 4.1$ ph cm$(exp -2}$ s$(exp -1)$. On the other hand, only a marginally significant stretching effect $V(sub ec) 1.4$ is seen at the average rise fronts.

Constructive Epistemic Modeling: A Hierarchical Bayesian Model Averaging Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, F. T. C.; Elshall, A. S.

2014-12-01

Constructive epistemic modeling is the idea that our understanding of a natural system through a scientific model is a mental construct that continually develops through learning about and from the model. Using the hierarchical Bayesian model averaging (HBMA) method [1], this study shows that segregating different uncertain model components through a BMA tree of posterior model probabilities, model prediction, within-model variance, between-model variance and total model variance serves as a learning tool [2]. First, the BMA tree of posterior model probabilities permits the comparative evaluation of the candidate propositions of each uncertain model component. Second, systemic model dissection is imperative for understanding the individual contribution of each uncertain model component to the model prediction and variance. Third, the hierarchical representation of the between-model variance facilitates the prioritization of the contribution of each uncertain model component to the overall model uncertainty. We illustrate these concepts using the groundwater modeling of a siliciclastic aquifer-fault system. The sources of uncertainty considered are from geological architecture, formation dip, boundary conditions and model parameters. The study shows that the HBMA analysis helps in advancing knowledge about the model rather than forcing the model to fit a particularly understanding or merely averaging several candidate models. [1] Tsai, F. T.-C., and A. S. Elshall (2013), Hierarchical Bayesian model averaging for hydrostratigraphic modeling: Uncertainty segregation and comparative evaluation. Water Resources Research, 49, 5520-5536, doi:10.1002/wrcr.20428. [2] Elshall, A.S., and F. T.-C. Tsai (2014). Constructive epistemic modeling of groundwater flow with geological architecture and boundary condition uncertainty under Bayesian paradigm, Journal of Hydrology, 517, 105-119, doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.05.027.

Underestimates of unintentional firearm fatalities: comparing Supplementary Homicide Report data with the National Vital Statistics System

PubMed Central

Barber, C; Hemenway, D; Hochstadt, J; Azrael, D

2002-01-01

Objective: A growing body of evidence suggests that the nation's vital statistics system undercounts unintentional firearm deaths that are not self inflicted. This issue was examined by comparing how unintentional firearm injuries identified in police Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data were coded in the National Vital Statistics System. Methods: National Vital Statistics System data are based on death certificates and divide firearm fatalities into six subcategories: homicide, suicide, accident, legal intervention, war operations, and undetermined. SHRs are completed by local police departments as part of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports program. The SHR divides homicides into two categories: "murder and non-negligent manslaughter" (type A) and "negligent manslaughter" (type B). Type B shooting deaths are those that are inflicted by another person and that a police investigation determined were inflicted unintentionally, as in a child killing a playmate after mistaking a gun for a toy. In 1997, the SHR classified 168 shooting victims this way. Using probabilistic matching, 140 of these victims were linked to their death certificate records. Results: Among the 140 linked cases, 75% were recorded on the death certificate as homicides and only 23% as accidents. Conclusion: Official data from the National Vital Statistics System almost certainly undercount firearm accidents when the victim is shot by another person. PMID:12226128

Aerosol optical properties inferred from in-situ and path-averaged measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Binsbergen, Sven A.; Grossmann, Peter; Cohen, Leo H.; van Eijk, Alexander M. J.; Stein, Karin U.

2017-09-01

This paper compares in-situ and path-averaged measurements of the electro-optical transmission, with emphasis on aerosol effects. The in-situ sensors consisted of optical particle counters (OPC) and a visibility meter, the path-averaged data was provided by a 7-wavelength transmissometer (MSRT) and a scintillometer (BLS). Data was collected at a test site in Northern Germany. A retrieval algorithm was developed to infer characteristics of the aerosol size distribution (Junge approximation) from the MSRT data. A comparison of the various sensors suggests that the optical particle counters are over-optimistic in their estimate of the transmission.

Comparing oral health care utilization estimates in the United States across three nationally representative surveys.

PubMed

Macek, Mark D; Manski, Richard J; Vargas, Clemencia M; Moeller, John F

2002-04-01

To compare estimates of dental visits among adults using three national surveys. Cross-sectional data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and National Health Expenditure surveys (NMCES, NMES, MEPS). This secondary data analysis assessed whether overall estimates and stratum-specific trends are different across surveys. Dental visit data are age standardized via the direct method to the 1990 population of the United States. Point estimates, standard errors, and test statistics are generated using SUDAAN. Sociodemographic, stratum-specific trends are generally consistent across surveys; however, overall estimates differ (NHANES III [364-day estimate] versus 1993 NHIS: -17.5 percent difference, Z = 7.27, p value < 0.001; NHANES III [365-day estimate] vs. 1993 NHIS: 5.4 percent difference, Z = -2.50, p value = 0.006; MEPS vs. 1993 NHIS: -29.8 percent difference, Z = 16.71, p value < 0.001). MEPS is the least susceptible to intrusion, telescoping, and social desirability. Possible explanations for discrepancies include different reference periods, lead-in statements, question format, and social desirability of responses. Choice of survey should depend on the hypothesis. If trends are necessary, choice of survey should not matter however, if health status or expenditure associations are necessary, then surveys that contain these variables should be used, and if accurate overall estimates are necessary, then MEPS should be used. A validation study should be conducted to establish "true" utilization estimates.

Child anthropometry data quality from Demographic and Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and National Nutrition Surveys in the West Central Africa region: are we comparing apples and oranges?

PubMed Central

Corsi, Daniel J.; Perkins, Jessica M.; Subramanian, S. V.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: There has been limited work comparing survey characteristics and assessing the quality of child anthropometric data from population-based surveys. Objective: To investigate survey characteristics and indicators of quality of anthropometric data in children aged 0–59 months from 23 countries in the West Central Africa region. Methods: Using established methodologies and criteria to examine child age, sex, height, and weight, we conducted a comprehensive assessment and scoring of the quality of anthropometric data collected in 100 national surveys. Results: The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collected data from a greater number of younger children than older children while the opposite was found for the National Nutrition Surveys (NNS). Missing or implausible height/weight data proportions were 12% and 8% in MICS and DHS compared to 3% in NNS. Average data quality scores were 14 in NNS, 33 in DHS, and 41 in MICS. Conclusions: Although our metric of data quality suggests that data from the NNS appear more consistent and robust, it is equally important to consider its disadvantages related to access and lack of broader socioeconomic information. In comparison, the DHS and MICS are publicly-accessable for research and provide socioeconomic context essential for assessing and addressing the burden of undernutrition within and between countries. The strengths and weaknesses of data from these three sources should be carefully considered when seeking to determine the burden of child undernutrition and its variation within countries. PMID:28641057

Child anthropometry data quality from Demographic and Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and National Nutrition Surveys in the West Central Africa region: are we comparing apples and oranges?

PubMed

Corsi, Daniel J; Perkins, Jessica M; Subramanian, S V

2017-01-01

There has been limited work comparing survey characteristics and assessing the quality of child anthropometric data from population-based surveys. To investigate survey characteristics and indicators of quality of anthropometric data in children aged 0-59 months from 23 countries in the West Central Africa region. Using established methodologies and criteria to examine child age, sex, height, and weight, we conducted a comprehensive assessment and scoring of the quality of anthropometric data collected in 100 national surveys. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collected data from a greater number of younger children than older children while the opposite was found for the National Nutrition Surveys (NNS). Missing or implausible height/weight data proportions were 12% and 8% in MICS and DHS compared to 3% in NNS. Average data quality scores were 14 in NNS, 33 in DHS, and 41 in MICS. Although our metric of data quality suggests that data from the NNS appear more consistent and robust, it is equally important to consider its disadvantages related to access and lack of broader socioeconomic information. In comparison, the DHS and MICS are publicly-accessable for research and provide socioeconomic context essential for assessing and addressing the burden of undernutrition within and between countries. The strengths and weaknesses of data from these three sources should be carefully considered when seeking to determine the burden of child undernutrition and its variation within countries.

Cosmological ensemble and directional averages of observables

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bonvin, Camille; Clarkson, Chris; Durrer, Ruth

We show that at second order, ensemble averages of observables and directional averages do not commute due to gravitational lensing—observing the same thing in many directions over the sky is not the same as taking an ensemble average. In principle this non-commutativity is significant for a variety of quantities that we often use as observables and can lead to a bias in parameter estimation. We derive the relation between the ensemble average and the directional average of an observable, at second order in perturbation theory. We discuss the relevance of these two types of averages for making predictions of cosmologicalmore » observables, focusing on observables related to distances and magnitudes. In particular, we show that the ensemble average of the distance in a given observed direction is increased by gravitational lensing, whereas the directional average of the distance is decreased. For a generic observable, there exists a particular function of the observable that is not affected by second-order lensing perturbations. We also show that standard areas have an advantage over standard rulers, and we discuss the subtleties involved in averaging in the case of supernova observations.« less

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues. Volume 2. National Security Policy and Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

1998 National War College paper entitled “U.S. National Se- curity Structure: A New Model for the 21st Century” defines the national security community ...fueled by revolu- tions in communications and information management, the emergence of a truly global market and world economy, the primacy of economic...collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions , searching existing data sources

Parents' Reactions to Finding Out That Their Children Have Average or above Average IQ Scores.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dirks, Jean; And Others

1983-01-01

Parents of 41 children who had been given an individually-administered intelligence test were contacted 19 months after testing. Parents of average IQ children were less accurate in their memory of test results. Children with above average IQ experienced extremely low frequencies of sibling rivalry, conceit or pressure. (Author/HLM)

Creating "Intelligent" Ensemble Averages Using a Process-Based Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Noel; Taylor, Patrick

2014-05-01

The CMIP5 archive contains future climate projections from over 50 models provided by dozens of modeling centers from around the world. Individual model projections, however, are subject to biases created by structural model uncertainties. As a result, ensemble averaging of multiple models is used to add value to individual model projections and construct a consensus projection. Previous reports for the IPCC establish climate change projections based on an equal-weighted average of all model projections. However, individual models reproduce certain climate processes better than other models. Should models be weighted based on performance? Unequal ensemble averages have previously been constructed using a variety of mean state metrics. What metrics are most relevant for constraining future climate projections? This project develops a framework for systematically testing metrics in models to identify optimal metrics for unequal weighting multi-model ensembles. The intention is to produce improved ("intelligent") unequal-weight ensemble averages. A unique aspect of this project is the construction and testing of climate process-based model evaluation metrics. A climate process-based metric is defined as a metric based on the relationship between two physically related climate variables—e.g., outgoing longwave radiation and surface temperature. Several climate process metrics are constructed using high-quality Earth radiation budget data from NASA's Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument in combination with surface temperature data sets. It is found that regional values of tested quantities can vary significantly when comparing the equal-weighted ensemble average and an ensemble weighted using the process-based metric. Additionally, this study investigates the dependence of the metric weighting scheme on the climate state using a combination of model simulations including a non-forced preindustrial control experiment, historical simulations, and

40 CFR 89.204 - Averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Provisions § 89.204 Averaging. (a) Requirements for Tier 1 engines rated at or above 37 kW. A manufacturer... credits obtained through trading. (b) Requirements for Tier 2 and later engines rated at or above 37 kW and Tier 1 and later engines rated under 37 kW. A manufacturer may use averaging to offset an emission...

Who Needs More Sleep? Comparing Undergraduate and Graduate Students' Sleep Habits in a National U.S. Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oswalt, Sara B.; Wyatt, Tammy J.

2015-01-01

Sleep disorders and deficits are a national U.S. health concern, and college students report more sleep difficulties than the general population. Most published studies examine college students as a homogenous population or focus on professional (e.g. medical) students. This study compares sleep patterns of undergraduate and graduate students from…

Average M shell fluorescence yields for elements with 70≤Z≤92

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kahoul, A., E-mail: ka-abdelhalim@yahoo.fr; LPMRN laboratory, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi University, Bordj-Bou-Arreridj 34030; Deghfel, B.

2015-03-30

The theoretical, experimental and analytical methods for the calculation of average M-shell fluorescence yield (ω{sup ¯}{sub M}) of different elements are very important because of the large number of their applications in various areas of physical chemistry and medical research. In this paper, the bulk of the average M-shell fluorescence yield measurements reported in the literature, covering the period 1955 to 2005 are interpolated by using an analytical function to deduce the empirical average M-shell fluorescence yield in the atomic range of 70≤Z≤92. The results were compared with the theoretical and fitted values reported by other authors. Reasonable agreement wasmore » typically obtained between our result and other works.« less

Comparative economic evaluation of data from the ACRIN National CT Colonography Trial with three cancer intervention and surveillance modeling network microsimulations.

PubMed

Vanness, David J; Knudsen, Amy B; Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Iris; Rutter, Carolyn M; Gareen, Ilana F; Herman, Benjamin A; Kuntz, Karen M; Zauber, Ann G; van Ballegooijen, Marjolein; Feuer, Eric J; Chen, Mei-Hsiu; Johnson, C Daniel

2011-11-01

To estimate the cost-effectiveness of computed tomographic (CT) colonography for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in average-risk asymptomatic subjects in the United States aged 50 years. Enrollees in the American College of Radiology Imaging Network National CT Colonography Trial provided informed consent, and approval was obtained from the institutional review board at each site. CT colonography performance estimates from the trial were incorporated into three Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network CRC microsimulations. Simulated survival and lifetime costs for screening 50-year-old subjects in the United States with CT colonography every 5 or 10 years were compared with those for guideline-concordant screening with colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy plus either sensitive unrehydrated fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), and no screening. Perfect and reduced screening adherence scenarios were considered. Incremental cost-effectiveness and net health benefits were estimated from the U.S. health care sector perspective, assuming a 3% discount rate. CT colonography at 5- and 10-year screening intervals was more costly and less effective than FOBT plus flexible sigmoidoscopy in all three models in both 100% and 50% adherence scenarios. Colonoscopy also was more costly and less effective than FOBT plus flexible sigmoidoscopy, except in the CRC-SPIN model assuming 100% adherence (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: $26,300 per life-year gained). CT colonography at 5- and 10-year screening intervals and colonoscopy were net beneficial compared with no screening in all model scenarios. The 5-year screening interval was net beneficial over the 10-year interval except in the MISCAN model when assuming 100% adherence and willingness to pay $50,000 per life-year gained. All three models predict CT colonography to be more costly and less effective than non-CT colonographic screening but net beneficial compared with no

Our nation's highways 2000

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-04-29

The information in this publication provides a condensed overview of facts and figures about the Nation's Highways. This publication is designed to be of interest to the average citizen. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the source of the ...

Sickness absence in the private sector of Greece: comparing shipyard industry and national insurance data.

PubMed

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C; Merekoulias, Georgios; Tanagra, Dimitra; Konstantinou, Eleni C; Mikelatou, Efi; Jelastopulu, Eleni

2012-04-01

Approximately 3% of employees are absent from work due to illness daily in Europe, while in some countries sickness absence exceeds 20 days per year. Based on a limited body of reliable studies, Greek employees in the private sector seem to be absent far less frequently (<5 days/year) compared to most of the industrialized world. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece, using shipyard and national insurance data. Detailed data on absenteeism of employees in a large shipyard company during the period 1999-2006 were utilized. National data on compensated days due to sickness absence concerning all employees (around 2 million) insured by the Social Insurance Institute (IKA, the largest insurance scheme in Greece) were retrieved from the Institute's annual statistical reports for the period 1987-2006. Sick-leave days per employee and sick-leave rate (%) were calculated, among other indicators. In the shipyard cohort, the employment time loss due to sick leave was 1%. The mean number of sick-leave days per employee in shipyards ranged between 4.6 and 8.7 and sick-leave rate (sickness absenteeism rate) varied among 2% and 3.7%. The corresponding indicators for IKA were estimated between 5 and 6.3 sick-leave days per insured employee (median 5.8), and 2.14-2.72% (median 2.49%), respectively. Short sick-leave spells (<4 days) may account at least for the 25% of the total number of sick-leave days, currently not recorded in national statistics. The level of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece was found to be higher than the suggested by previous reports and international comparative studies, but still remains one of the lowest in the industrialized world. In the 20-years national data, the results also showed a 7-year wave in sickness absence indexes (a decrease during the period 1991-1997 and an increase in 1998-2004) combined with a small yet significant decline as a general trend. These

Sickness Absence in the Private Sector of Greece: Comparing Shipyard Industry and National Insurance Data

PubMed Central

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C.; Merekoulias, Georgios; Tanagra, Dimitra; Konstantinou, Eleni C.; Mikelatou, Efi; Jelastopulu, Eleni

2012-01-01

Approximately 3% of employees are absent from work due to illness daily in Europe, while in some countries sickness absence exceeds 20 days per year. Based on a limited body of reliable studies, Greek employees in the private sector seem to be absent far less frequently (<5 days/year) compared to most of the industrialized world. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece, using shipyard and national insurance data. Detailed data on absenteeism of employees in a large shipyard company during the period 1999–2006 were utilized. National data on compensated days due to sickness absence concerning all employees (around 2 million) insured by the Social Insurance Institute (IKA, the largest insurance scheme in Greece) were retrieved from the Institute’s annual statistical reports for the period 1987–2006. Sick-leave days per employee and sick-leave rate (%) were calculated, among other indicators. In the shipyard cohort, the employment time loss due to sick leave was 1%. The mean number of sick-leave days per employee in shipyards ranged between 4.6 and 8.7 and sick-leave rate (sickness absenteeism rate) varied among 2% and 3.7%. The corresponding indicators for IKA were estimated between 5 and 6.3 sick-leave days per insured employee (median 5.8), and 2.14–2.72% (median 2.49%), respectively. Short sick-leave spells (<4 days) may account at least for the 25% of the total number of sick-leave days, currently not recorded in national statistics. The level of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece was found to be higher than the suggested by previous reports and international comparative studies, but still remains one of the lowest in the industrialized world. In the 20-years national data, the results also showed a 7-year wave in sickness absence indexes (a decrease during the period 1991–1997 and an increase in 1998–2004) combined with a small yet significant decline as a general trend. These

Regional Child Care Trends: Comparing Georgia to Its Neighbors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waits, Lauren; Monaco, Malina; Beck, Lisa; Edwards, Jennifer

As child care becomes an increasingly important public policy issue on the national level, there is emerging concern about Georgia's readiness to meet the needs of its children in care. This study documented the state of child care in Georgia in comparison to other states, to national averages, and to national standards. A group of 12 comparison…

Estimating Watershed-Averaged Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Fluxes using Streamflow Measurements in a Semi-Arid, High Altitude Montane Catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrington, C.; Gonzalez-Pinzon, R.

2014-12-01

Streamflow through the Middle Rio Grande Valley is largely driven by snowmelt pulses and monsoonal precipitation events originating in the mountain highlands of New Mexico (NM) and Colorado. Water managers rely on results from storage/runoff models to distribute this resource statewide and to allocate compact deliveries to Texas under the Rio Grande Compact agreement. Prevalent drought conditions and the added uncertainty of climate change effects in the American southwest have led to a greater call for accuracy in storage model parameter inputs. While precipitation and evapotranspiration measurements are subject to scaling and representativeness errors, streamflow readings remain relatively dependable and allow watershed-average water budget estimates. Our study seeks to show that by "Doing Hydrology Backwards" we can effectively estimate watershed-average precipitation and evapotranspiration fluxes in semi-arid landscapes of NM using fluctuations in streamflow data alone. We tested this method in the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) in the Jemez Mountains of central NM. This method will be further verified by using existing weather stations and eddy-covariance towers within the VCNP to obtain measured values to compare against our model results. This study contributes to further validate this technique as being successful in humid and semi-arid catchments as the method has already been verified as effective in the former setting.

[Evaluation of the influence of humidity and temperature on the drug stability by initial average rate experiment].

PubMed

He, Ning; Sun, Hechun; Dai, Miaomiao

2014-05-01

To evaluate the influence of temperature and humidity on the drug stability by initial average rate experiment, and to obtained the kinetic parameters. The effect of concentration error, drug degradation extent, humidity and temperature numbers, humidity and temperature range, and average humidity and temperature on the accuracy and precision of kinetic parameters in the initial average rate experiment was explored. The stability of vitamin C, as a solid state model, was investigated by an initial average rate experiment. Under the same experimental conditions, the kinetic parameters obtained from this proposed method were comparable to those from classical isothermal experiment at constant humidity. The estimates were more accurate and precise by controlling the extent of drug degradation, changing humidity and temperature range, or by setting the average temperature closer to room temperature. Compared with isothermal experiments at constant humidity, our proposed method saves time, labor, and materials.

Instrument to average 100 data sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuma, G. B.; Birchenough, A. G.; Rice, W. J.

1977-01-01

An instrumentation system is currently under development which will measure many of the important parameters associated with the operation of an internal combustion engine. Some of these parameters include mass-fraction burn rate, ignition energy, and the indicated mean effective pressure. One of the characteristics of an internal combustion engine is the cycle-to-cycle variation of these parameters. A curve-averaging instrument has been produced which will generate the average curve, over 100 cycles, of any engine parameter. the average curve is described by 2048 discrete points which are displayed on an oscilloscope screen to facilitate recording and is available in real time. Input can be any parameter which is expressed as a + or - 10-volt signal. Operation of the curve-averaging instrument is defined between 100 and 6000 rpm. Provisions have also been made for averaging as many as four parameters simultaneously, with a subsequent decrease in resolution. This provides the means to correlate and perhaps interrelate the phenomena occurring in an internal combustion engine. This instrument has been used successfully on a 1975 Chevrolet V8 engine, and on a Continental 6-cylinder aircraft engine. While this instrument was designed for use on an internal combustion engine, with some modification it can be used to average any cyclically varying waveform.

Dynamic Model Averaging in Large Model Spaces Using Dynamic Occam's Window.

PubMed

Onorante, Luca; Raftery, Adrian E

2016-01-01

Bayesian model averaging has become a widely used approach to accounting for uncertainty about the structural form of the model generating the data. When data arrive sequentially and the generating model can change over time, Dynamic Model Averaging (DMA) extends model averaging to deal with this situation. Often in macroeconomics, however, many candidate explanatory variables are available and the number of possible models becomes too large for DMA to be applied in its original form. We propose a new method for this situation which allows us to perform DMA without considering the whole model space, but using a subset of models and dynamically optimizing the choice of models at each point in time. This yields a dynamic form of Occam's window. We evaluate the method in the context of the problem of nowcasting GDP in the Euro area. We find that its forecasting performance compares well with that of other methods.

Health and health-related indicators in slum, rural, and urban communities: a comparative analysis.

PubMed

Mberu, Blessing U; Haregu, Tilahun Nigatu; Kyobutungi, Catherine; Ezeh, Alex C

2016-01-01

It is generally assumed that urban slum residents have worse health status when compared with other urban populations, but better health status than their rural counterparts. This belief/assumption is often because of their physical proximity and assumed better access to health care services in urban areas. However, a few recent studies have cast doubt on this belief. Whether slum dwellers are better off, similar to, or worse off as compared with rural and other urban populations remain poorly understood as indicators for slum dwellers are generally hidden in urban averages. The aim of this study was to compare health and health-related indicators among slum, rural, and other urban populations in four countries where specific efforts have been made to generate health indicators specific to slum populations. We conducted a comparative analysis of health indicators among slums, non-slums, and all urban and rural populations as well as national averages in Bangladesh, Kenya, Egypt, and India. We triangulated data from demographic and health surveys, urban health surveys, and special cross-sectional slum surveys in these countries to assess differences in health indicators across the residential domains. We focused the comparisons on child health, maternal health, reproductive health, access to health services, and HIV/AIDS indicators. Within each country, we compared indicators for slums with non-slum, city/urban averages, rural, and national indicators. Between-country differences were also highlighted. In all the countries, except India, slum children had much poorer health outcomes than children in all other residential domains, including those in rural areas. Childhood illnesses and malnutrition were higher among children living in slum communities compared to those living elsewhere. Although treatment seeking was better among slum children as compared with those in rural areas, this did not translate to better mortality outcomes. They bear a disproportionately

A Stochastic Model of Space-Time Variability of Mesoscale Rainfall: Statistics of Spatial Averages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, Prasun K.; Bell, Thomas L.

2003-01-01

A characteristic feature of rainfall statistics is that they depend on the space and time scales over which rain data are averaged. A previously developed spectral model of rain statistics that is designed to capture this property, predicts power law scaling behavior for the second moment statistics of area-averaged rain rate on the averaging length scale L as L right arrow 0. In the present work a more efficient method of estimating the model parameters is presented, and used to fit the model to the statistics of area-averaged rain rate derived from gridded radar precipitation data from TOGA COARE. Statistical properties of the data and the model predictions are compared over a wide range of averaging scales. An extension of the spectral model scaling relations to describe the dependence of the average fraction of grid boxes within an area containing nonzero rain (the "rainy area fraction") on the grid scale L is also explored.

Evidence from the national health account: the case of Dubai

PubMed Central

Hamidi, Samer

2014-01-01

Introduction National health accounts (NHAs) provide useful information to aid in understanding the health care financing system. This article aims to present a profile of health system financing in Dubai using data from the NHA. We also aim to compare the provider structure of financing schemes in Dubai with those of the State of Qatar and selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Methods The author analyzed secondary data published in NHAs for Dubai and Qatar, and data collected by the OECD countries and publicly available from the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), for 25 OECD countries for comparative analysis. All health financing measures used are as defined in the international System of Health Accounts (SHA). Results In Dubai, only 33% of current health expenditure (CHE) is funded by the government. However, the public sector is the main source of health funding in Qatar and most OECD countries, with an average of 79% and 72%, respectively. Households in Dubai spent about 22% of CHE, equivalent to an average US$187 per capita, ranking the highest among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and compared with 20% of CHE across OECD countries. Hospitals in Dubai accounted for 48% of CHE, which is much higher than Qatar (40%) and the OECD average (36%). Conclusion The Dubai health care financing system differs substantially from that in OECD countries, as it is more private oriented. The findings point to several potential opportunities for growth and improvement. Policy areas that may be addressed using the information presented in this article are broad and include the following: shift from hospital care to ambulatory and day care, sustainability of health finance, shift the cost of health care to the private sector, introduce cost-containment measures, revise payment systems for health providers, and produce subnational accounts for non-communicable diseases. More investment in the translation of

Average luminosity distance in inhomogeneous universes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostov, Valentin Angelov

Using numerical ray tracing, the paper studies how the average distance modulus in an inhomogeneous universe differs from its homogeneous counterpart. The averaging is over all directions from a fixed observer not over all possible observers (cosmic), thus it is more directly applicable to our observations. Unlike previous studies, the averaging is exact, non-perturbative, an includes all possible non-linear effects. The inhomogeneous universes are represented by Sweese-cheese models containing random and simple cubic lattices of mass- compensated voids. The Earth observer is in the homogeneous cheese which has an Einstein - de Sitter metric. For the first time, the averaging is widened to include the supernovas inside the voids by assuming the probability for supernova emission from any comoving volume is proportional to the rest mass in it. For voids aligned in a certain direction, there is a cumulative gravitational lensing correction to the distance modulus that increases with redshift. That correction is present even for small voids and depends on the density contrast of the voids, not on their radius. Averaging over all directions destroys the cumulative correction even in a non-randomized simple cubic lattice of voids. Despite the well known argument for photon flux conservation, the average distance modulus correction at low redshifts is not zero due to the peculiar velocities. A formula for the maximum possible average correction as a function of redshift is derived and shown to be in excellent agreement with the numerical results. The formula applies to voids of any size that: (1) have approximately constant densities in their interior and walls, (2) are not in a deep nonlinear regime. The actual average correction calculated in random and simple cubic void lattices is severely damped below the predicted maximum. That is traced to cancelations between the corrections coming from the fronts and backs of different voids at the same redshift from the

The National Curriculum: A Study to Compare Levels of Attainment with Data from APU Science Surveys (1980-4).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, R. M.

1990-01-01

Compared are the levels of attainment for the Science in the National Curriculum assessment in Great Britain in 1989 and the performance of students on the application of science concepts part of the Assessment of Performance Unit-Science carried out in 1980-84. (KR)

High-tech rural clinics and hospitals in Japan: a comparison to the Japanese average.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Okayama, Masanobu; Inoue, Kazuo; Kajii, Eiji

2004-10-01

Japanese medical facilities are noted for being heavily equipped with high-tech equipment compared to other industrialised countries. Rural facilities are anecdotally said to be better equipped than facilities in other areas due to egalitarian health resource diffusion policies by public sectors whose goal is to secure fair access to modern medical technologies among the entire population. To show the technology status of rural practice and compare it to the national level. Nationwide postal survey. Questionnaires were sent to the directors of 1362 public hospitals and clinics (of the 1723 municipalities defined as 'rural' by four national laws). Information was collected about the technologies they possessed. The data were compared with figures from a national census of all hospitals and clinics. A total of 766 facilities responded (an effective response rate of 56%). Rural facilities showed higher possession rates in most comparable technologies than the national level. It is noted that almost all rural hospitals had gastroscopes and colonoscopes and their possession rates of bronchoscopes and dialysis equipment were twice as high as the national level. The discrepancy in possession rates between rural and national was even more remarkable in clinics than in hospitals. Rural clinics owned twice as many abdominal ultrasonographs, and three times as many gastroscopes, colonoscopes, defibrillators and computed tomography scanners as the national level. Rural facilities are equipped with more technology than urban ones. Government-led, tax based, technology diffusion in the entire country seems to have attained its goal. What is already known on this subject: As a general tendency in both developing and developed countries, rural medical facilities are technologically less equipped than their urban counterparts. What does this paper add?: In Japan, rural medical facilities are technologically better equipped than urban facilities.

Comparative effectiveness of epsilon-aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid on postoperative bleeding following cardiac surgery during a national medication shortage.

PubMed

Blaine, Kevin P; Press, Christopher; Lau, Ken; Sliwa, Jan; Rao, Vidya K; Hill, Charles

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (εACA) and tranexamic acid (TXA) in contemporary clinical practice during a national medication shortage. A retrospective cohort study. The study was performed in all consecutive cardiac surgery patients (n=128) admitted to the cardiac-surgical intensive care unit after surgery at a single academic center immediately before and during a national medication shortage. Demographic, clinical, and outcomes data were compared by descriptive statistics using χ 2 and t test. Surgical drainage and transfusions were compared by multivariate linear regression for patients receiving εACA before the shortage and TXA during the shortage. In multivariate analysis, no statistical difference was found for surgical drain output (OR 1.10, CI 0.97-1.26, P=.460) or red blood cell transfusion requirement (OR 1.79, CI 0.79-2.73, P=.176). Patients receiving εACA were more likely to receive rescue hemostatic medications (OR 1.62, CI 1.02-2.55, P=.041). Substitution of εACA with TXA during a national medication shortage produced equivalent postoperative bleeding and red cell transfusions, although patients receiving εACA were more likely to require supplemental hemostatic agents. Published by Elsevier Inc.

40 CFR 76.11 - Emissions averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.11 Emissions averaging. (a) General... averaging plan is in compliance with the Acid Rain emission limitation for NOX under the plan only if the...

40 CFR 76.11 - Emissions averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.11 Emissions averaging. (a) General... averaging plan is in compliance with the Acid Rain emission limitation for NOX under the plan only if the...

High average power pockels cell

DOEpatents

Daly, Thomas P.

1991-01-01

A high average power pockels cell is disclosed which reduces the effect of thermally induced strains in high average power laser technology. The pockels cell includes an elongated, substantially rectangular crystalline structure formed from a KDP-type material to eliminate shear strains. The X- and Y-axes are oriented substantially perpendicular to the edges of the crystal cross-section and to the C-axis direction of propagation to eliminate shear strains.

Examining national trends in worker health with the National Health Interview Survey.

PubMed

Luckhaupt, Sara E; Sestito, John P

2013-12-01

To describe data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), both the annual core survey and periodic occupational health supplements (OHSs), available for examining national trends in worker health. The NHIS is an annual in-person household survey with a cross-sectional multistage clustered sample design to produce nationally representative health data. The 2010 NHIS included an OHS. Prevalence rates of various health conditions and health behaviors among workers based on multiple years of NHIS core data are available. In addition, the 2010 NHIS-OHS data provide prevalence rates of selected health conditions, work organization factors, and occupational exposures among US workers by industry and occupation. The publicly available NHIS data can be used to identify areas of concern for various industries and for benchmarking data from specific worker groups against national averages.

Increased fMRI Sensitivity at Equal Data Burden Using Averaged Shifted Echo Acquisition

PubMed Central

Witt, Suzanne T.; Warntjes, Marcel; Engström, Maria

2016-01-01

There is growing evidence as to the benefits of collecting BOLD fMRI data with increased sampling rates. However, many of the newly developed acquisition techniques developed to collect BOLD data with ultra-short TRs require hardware, software, and non-standard analytic pipelines that may not be accessible to all researchers. We propose to incorporate the method of shifted echo into a standard multi-slice, gradient echo EPI sequence to achieve a higher sampling rate with a TR of <1 s with acceptable spatial resolution. We further propose to incorporate temporal averaging of consecutively acquired EPI volumes to both ameliorate the reduced temporal signal-to-noise inherent in ultra-fast EPI sequences and reduce the data burden. BOLD data were collected from 11 healthy subjects performing a simple, event-related visual-motor task with four different EPI sequences: (1) reference EPI sequence with TR = 1440 ms, (2) shifted echo EPI sequence with TR = 700 ms, (3) shifted echo EPI sequence with every two consecutively acquired EPI volumes averaged and effective TR = 1400 ms, and (4) shifted echo EPI sequence with every four consecutively acquired EPI volumes averaged and effective TR = 2800 ms. Both the temporally averaged sequences exhibited increased temporal signal-to-noise over the shifted echo EPI sequence. The shifted echo sequence with every two EPI volumes averaged also had significantly increased BOLD signal change compared with the other three sequences, while the shifted echo sequence with every four EPI volumes averaged had significantly decreased BOLD signal change compared with the other three sequences. The results indicated that incorporating the method of shifted echo into a standard multi-slice EPI sequence is a viable method for achieving increased sampling rate for collecting event-related BOLD data. Further, consecutively averaging every two consecutively acquired EPI volumes significantly increased the measured BOLD signal change and the

Your Average Nigga

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Vershawn Ashanti

2004-01-01

"Your Average Nigga" contends that just as exaggerating the differences between black and white language leaves some black speakers, especially those from the ghetto, at an impasse, so exaggerating and reifying the differences between the races leaves blacks in the impossible position of either having to try to be white or forever struggling to…

Simultaneous and Comparable Numerical Indicators of International, National and Local Collaboration Practices in English-Medium Astrophysics Research Papers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Méndez, David I.; Alcaraz, M. Ángeles

2016-01-01

Introduction: We report an investigation on collaboration practices in research papers published in the most prestigious English-medium astrophysics journals. Method: We propose an evaluation method based on three numerical indicators to study and compare, in absolute terms, three different types of collaboration (international, national and…

A spectral measurement method for determining white OLED average junction temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yiting; Narendran, Nadarajah

2016-09-01

The objective of this study was to investigate an indirect method of measuring the average junction temperature of a white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on temperature sensitivity differences in the radiant power emitted by individual emitter materials (i.e., "blue," "green," and "red"). The measured spectral power distributions (SPDs) of the white OLED as a function of temperature showed amplitude decrease as a function of temperature in the different spectral bands, red, green, and blue. Analyzed data showed a good linear correlation between the integrated radiance for each spectral band and the OLED panel temperature, measured at a reference point on the back surface of the panel. The integrated radiance ratio of the spectral band green compared to red, (G/R), correlates linearly with panel temperature. Assuming that the panel reference point temperature is proportional to the average junction temperature of the OLED panel, the G/R ratio can be used for estimating the average junction temperature of an OLED panel.

More controlling child-feeding practices are found among parents of boys with an average body mass index compared with parents of boys with a high body mass index.

PubMed

Brann, Lynn S; Skinner, Jean D

2005-09-01

To determine if differences existed in mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their sons' weight, controlling child-feeding practices (ie, restriction, monitoring, and pressure to eat), and parenting styles (ie, authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive) by their sons' body mass index (BMI). One person (L.S.B.) interviewed mothers and boys using validated questionnaires and measured boys' weight and height; fathers completed questionnaires independently. Subjects were white, preadolescent boys and their parents. Boys were grouped by their BMI into an average BMI group (n=25; BMI percentile between 33rd and 68th) and a high BMI group (n=24; BMI percentile > or = 85th). Multivariate analyses of variance and analyses of variance. Mothers and fathers of boys with a high BMI saw their sons as more overweight (mothers P=.03, fathers P=.01), were more concerned about their sons' weight (P<.0001, P=.004), and used pressure to eat with their sons less often than mothers and fathers of boys with an average BMI (P<.0001, P<.0001). In addition, fathers of boys with a high BMI monitored their sons' eating less often than fathers of boys with an average BMI (P=.006). No differences were found in parenting by boys' BMI groups for either mothers or fathers. More controlling child-feeding practices were found among mothers (pressure to eat) and fathers (pressure to eat and monitoring) of boys with an average BMI compared with parents of boys with a high BMI. A better understanding of the relationships between feeding practices and boys' weight is necessary. However, longitudinal research is needed to provide evidence of causal association.

Variation of wet deposition chemistry in Sequoia National Park, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Parsons, David J.

1987-01-01

Sequoia National Park has monitored wet deposition chemistry in conjunction with the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and National Trends Network (NADP/NTN), on a weekly basis since July, 1980. Annual deposition of H, NO3 and SO4 (0.045, 3.6, and 3.9 kg ha−1 a−1, respectively) is relatively low compared to that measured in the eastern United States, or in the urban Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Weekly ion concentrations are highly variable. Maximum concentrations of 324,162, and 156 μeq ol−1 of H, NO3 and SO4 have been recorded for one low volume summer storm (1.4 mm). Summer concentrations of NO3 and SO4 average two and five times higher, respectively, than concentrations reported for remote areas in the world. There is considerable variability in the ionic concentration of low volume samples, and much less variability in moderate and high volume samples.

Hospital Evaluations by Social Media: A Comparative Analysis of Facebook Ratings among Performance Outliers.

PubMed

Glover, McKinley; Khalilzadeh, Omid; Choy, Garry; Prabhakar, Anand M; Pandharipande, Pari V; Gazelle, G Scott

2015-10-01

An increasing number of hospitals and health systems utilize social media to allow users to provide feedback and ratings. The correlation between ratings on social media and more conventional hospital quality metrics remains largely unclear, raising concern that healthcare consumers may make decisions on inaccurate or inappropriate information regarding quality. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which hospitals utilize social media and whether user-generated metrics on Facebook(®) correlate with a Hospital Compare(®) metric, specifically 30-day all cause unplanned hospital readmission rates. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted among all U.S. hospitals performing outside the confidence interval for the national average on 30-day hospital readmission rates as reported on Hospital Compare. Participants were 315 hospitals performing better than U.S. national rate on 30-day readmissions and 364 hospitals performing worse than the U.S. national rate. The study analyzed ratings of hospitals on Facebook's five-star rating scale, 30-day readmission rates, and hospital characteristics including beds, teaching status, urban vs. rural location, and ownership type. Hospitals performing better than the national average on 30-day readmissions were more likely to use Facebook than lower-performing hospitals (93.3 % vs. 83.5 %; p < 0.01). The average rating for hospitals with low readmission rates (4.15 ± 0.31) was higher than that for hospitals with higher readmission rates (4.05 ± 0.41, p < 0.01). Major teaching hospitals were 14.3 times more likely to be in the high readmission rate group. A one-star increase in Facebook rating was associated with increased odds of the hospital belonging to the low readmission rate group by a factor of 5.0 (CI: 2.6-10.3, p <  0.01), when controlling for hospital characteristics and Facebook-related variables. Hospitals with lower rates of 30-day hospital-wide unplanned readmissions have

Turbine Engine Flowpath Averaging Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

u~%x AEDC- TMR- 8 I-G 1 • R. P TURBINE ENGINE FLOWPATH AVERAGING TECHNIQUES T. W. Skiles ARO, Inc. October 1980 Final Report for Period...COVERED 00-01-1980 to 00-10-1980 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Turbine Engine Flowpath Averaging Techniques 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c...property for gas turbine engines were investigated. The investigation consisted of a literature review and review of turbine engine current flowpath

Evaluation of average daily gain prediction by level one of the 1996 National Research Council beef model and development of net energy adjusters.

PubMed

Block, H C; Klopfenstein, T J; Erickson, G E

2006-04-01

Two data sets were developed to evaluate and refine feed energy predictions with the beef National Research Council (NRC, 1996) model level 1. The first data set included pen means of group-fed cattle from 31 growing trials (201 observations) and 17 finishing trials (154 observations) representing over 7,700 animals fed outside in dirt lots. The second data set consisted of 15 studies with individually fed cattle (916 observations) fed in a barn. In each data set, actual ADG was compared with ADG predicted with the NRC model level 1, assuming thermoneutral environmental conditions. Next, the observed ADG (kg), TDN intake (kg/d), and TDN concentration (kg/kg of DM) were used to develop equations to adjust the level 1 predicted diet NEm and NEg (diet NE adjusters) to be applied to more accurately predict ADG. In both data sets, the NRC (1996) model level 1 inaccurately predicted ADG (P < 0.001 for slope = 1; intercept = 0 when observed ADG was regressed on predicted ADG). The following nonlinear relationships to adjust NE based on observed ADG, TDN intake, and TDN concentration were all significant (P < 0.001): NE adjuster = 0.7011 x 10(-0.8562 x ADG) + 0.8042, R2 = 0.325, s(y.x) = 0.136 kg; NE adjuster = 4.795 10(-0.3689 x TDN intake) + 0.8233, R2 x = 0.714, s(y.x) = 0.157 kg; and NE adjuster = 357 x 10(-5.449 x TDN concentration) + 0.8138, R2 = 0.754, s(y.x) = 0.127 kg. An NE adjuster < 1 indicates overprediction of ADG. The average NE adjustment required for the pen-fed finishing trials was 0.820, whereas the (P < 0.001) adjustment of 0.906 for individually fed cattle indicates that the pen-fed environment increased NE requirements. The use of these equations should improve ADG prediction by the NRC (1996) model level 1, although the equations reflect limitations of the data from which they were developed and are appropriate only over the range of the developmental data set. There is a need for independent evaluation of the ability of the equations to improve ADG

University Leaders' Strategies in the Global Environment: A Comparative Study of Universitas Indonesia and the Australian National University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon; Sawir, Erlenawati

2006-01-01

In a global environment in which global, national and local nodes relate freely within common networks, all research universities must pursue strategies for building global capacity and facilitating cross-border staff and student movement and research collaboration. The study compares readings of the global environment, global and international…

Average dynamics of a finite set of coupled phase oscillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dima, Germán C., E-mail: gdima@df.uba.ar; Mindlin, Gabriel B.

2014-06-15

We study the solutions of a dynamical system describing the average activity of an infinitely large set of driven coupled excitable units. We compared their topological organization with that reconstructed from the numerical integration of finite sets. In this way, we present a strategy to establish the pertinence of approximating the dynamics of finite sets of coupled nonlinear units by the dynamics of its infinitely large surrogate.

Average dynamics of a finite set of coupled phase oscillators.

PubMed

Dima, Germán C; Mindlin, Gabriel B

2014-06-01

We study the solutions of a dynamical system describing the average activity of an infinitely large set of driven coupled excitable units. We compared their topological organization with that reconstructed from the numerical integration of finite sets. In this way, we present a strategy to establish the pertinence of approximating the dynamics of finite sets of coupled nonlinear units by the dynamics of its infinitely large surrogate.

40 CFR 60.2943 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.2943 Section 60.2943 Protection of Environment... SOURCES Operator Training and Qualification Monitoring § 60.2943 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.2975 to calculate...

40 CFR 60.2943 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.2943 Section 60.2943 Protection of Environment... SOURCES Operator Training and Qualification Monitoring § 60.2943 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.2975 to calculate...

40 CFR 60.2943 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.2943 Section 60.2943 Protection of Environment... SOURCES Operator Training and Qualification Monitoring § 60.2943 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.2975 to calculate...

Facial Plastic Surgery Patient Resources Exceed National Institute Recommendations.

PubMed

Chu, Michael W; Cook, Julia A; Tholpady, Sunil S; Schmalbach, Cecelia E; Momeni, Arash

2017-05-01

Patient education is essential in enhancing the physician-patient therapeutic alliance, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. The American Medical Association and National Institute of Health recommend that information be written at a 6th-grade reading level, but online resources often exceed patient literacy. The purpose of this study is to assess readability of online material for facial plastics procedures presented on academic plastic surgery and otolaryngology websites.An Internet search was performed of all academic institutions that had both plastic surgery and otolaryngology training programs who offered patient information on facial plastic surgery procedures. National society websites for both plastic surgery and otolaryngology were also analyzed. All procedural information was compiled and readability analyses were performed. A 2-tailed Z-test was used to compare scores, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.Sixty-three programs were identified; 42 had educational material. The overall average readability for all information was at a 10th-grade reading level. The national plastic surgery website had a significantly higher word count and number of syllables per word compared to the national otolaryngology website (P < 0.001, P = 0.04).The complexity of written resources represents an obstacle to online patient education and efforts to improve readability could benefit patients seeking medical information online. Current online education materials are a potential hindrance to patient education, satisfaction, and decision making. Healthcare institutions should consider writing new materials with simpler language that would be accessible to patients.

40 CFR 600.510-12 - Calculation of average fuel economy and average carbon-related exhaust emissions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Calculation of average fuel economy and average carbon-related exhaust emissions. 600.510-12 Section 600.510-12 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY AND CARBON-RELATED EXHAUST EMISSIONS OF MOTOR VEHICLES Fuel Economy Regulation...

40 CFR 60.2943 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Use Equation 2 in § 60.2975 to calculate the 12-hour rolling averages for concentrations of carbon... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.2943 Section 60.2943 Protection of Environment... 16, 2006 Monitoring § 60.2943 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate...

40 CFR 60.2943 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Use Equation 2 in § 60.2975 to calculate the 12-hour rolling averages for concentrations of carbon... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.2943 Section 60.2943 Protection of Environment... 16, 2006 Monitoring § 60.2943 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate...

Vibrationally averaged dipole moments of methane and benzene isotopologues.

PubMed

Arapiraca, A F C; Mohallem, J R

2016-04-14

DFT-B3LYP post-Born-Oppenheimer (finite-nuclear-mass-correction (FNMC)) calculations of vibrationally averaged isotopic dipole moments of methane and benzene, which compare well with experimental values, are reported. For methane, in addition to the principal vibrational contribution to the molecular asymmetry, FNMC accounts for the surprisingly large Born-Oppenheimer error of about 34% to the dipole moments. This unexpected result is explained in terms of concurrent electronic and vibrational contributions. The calculated dipole moment of C6H3D3 is about twice as large as the measured dipole moment of C6H5D. Computational progress is advanced concerning applications to larger systems and the choice of appropriate basis sets. The simpler procedure of performing vibrational averaging on the Born-Oppenheimer level and then adding the FNMC contribution evaluated at the equilibrium distance is shown to be appropriate. Also, the basis set choice is made by heuristic analysis of the physical behavior of the systems, instead of by comparison with experiments.

Averaging and Adding in Children's Worth Judgements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlottmann, Anne; Harman, Rachel M.; Paine, Julie

2012-01-01

Under the normative Expected Value (EV) model, multiple outcomes are additive, but in everyday worth judgement intuitive averaging prevails. Young children also use averaging in EV judgements, leading to a disordinal, crossover violation of utility when children average the part worths of simple gambles involving independent events (Schlottmann,…

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices

PubMed Central

Schorer, Jörg; Rienhoff, Rebecca; Fischer, Lennart; Baker, Joseph

2017-01-01

In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players (n = 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball ‘talent’ and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches (n = 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players (n = 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport. PMID:28744238

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices.

PubMed

Schorer, Jörg; Rienhoff, Rebecca; Fischer, Lennart; Baker, Joseph

2017-01-01

In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players ( n = 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball 'talent' and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches ( n = 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players ( n = 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport.

Impact of Bias-Correction Type and Conditional Training on Bayesian Model Averaging over the Northeast United States

Treesearch

Michael J. Erickson; Brian A. Colle; Joseph J. Charney

2012-01-01

The performance of a multimodel ensemble over the northeast United States is evaluated before and after applying bias correction and Bayesian model averaging (BMA). The 13-member Stony Brook University (SBU) ensemble at 0000 UTC is combined with the 21-member National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Short-Range Ensemble Forecast (SREF) system at 2100 UTC....

40 CFR 60.3042 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.3042 Section 60.3042 Protection of Environment... Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Monitoring § 60.3042 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.3076 to...

40 CFR 60.3042 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.3042 Section 60.3042 Protection of Environment... Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Monitoring § 60.3042 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.3076 to...

40 CFR 60.3042 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.3042 Section 60.3042 Protection of Environment... Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Monitoring § 60.3042 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.3076 to...

40 CFR 60.3042 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.3042 Section 60.3042 Protection of Environment... Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Monitoring § 60.3042 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.3076 to...

40 CFR 60.3042 - How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? 60.3042 Section 60.3042 Protection of Environment... Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Monitoring § 60.3042 How do I convert my 1-hour arithmetic averages into the appropriate averaging times and units? (a) Use Equation 1 in § 60.3076 to...

Nasal potential difference: Best or average result for CFTR function as diagnostic criteria for cystic fibrosis?

PubMed

Keenan, Katherine; Avolio, Julie; Rueckes-Nilges, Claudia; Tullis, Elizabeth; Gonska, Tanja; Naehrlich, Lutz

2015-05-01

The current practice of averaging the nasal potential difference (NPD) results of right and left nostril measurements reduce inter-individual variability but may underestimate individual CFTR function. Best NPD response to Cl(-)-free and isoproterenol perfusion (=largest ΔPD(0Cl/Iso)) from the right and left nostril was compared to the average result in 13 cystic fibrosis (CF), 78 query-CF patients and 22 healthy controls from 2 cohorts. Despite moderate to good correlation (p<0.001) between right and left measured ΔPD(0Cl/Iso), we observed large differences in some individuals. A comparison of average versus best ΔPD(0Cl/Iso) showed only moderate agreement (Giessen κ=0.538; Toronto κ=0.607). Averaging ΔPD(0Cl/Iso) showed a lower composite chloride response compared to best ΔPD(0Cl/Iso) and altered diagnostic NPD interpretation in 30 of 113 (27%) subjects. The current practice of averaging the NPD results of right and left nostril measurements leads to an underestimation of the individual CFTR function and should be reconsidered. Copyright © 2014 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 51.2561 - Average moisture content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Average moisture content. 51.2561 Section 51.2561... STANDARDS) United States Standards for Grades of Shelled Pistachio Nuts § 51.2561 Average moisture content. (a) Determining average moisture content of the lot is not a requirement of the grades, except when...

Beliefs about Obedience Levels in Studies Conducted within the Milgram Paradigm: Better than Average Effect and Comparisons of Typical Behaviors by Residents of Various Nations.

PubMed

Grzyb, Tomasz; Dolinski, Dariusz

2017-01-01

The article presents studies examining whether the better than average (BTA) effect appears in opinions regarding obedience of individuals participating in an experiment conducted in the Milgram paradigm. Participants are presented with a detailed description of the experiment, asked to declare at what moment an average participant would cease their participation in the study, and then asked to declare at what moment they themselves would quit the experiment. It turned out that the participants demonstrated a strong BTA effect. This effect also concerned those who had known the results of the Milgram experiment prior to the study. Interestingly, those individuals-in contrast to naive participants-judged that the average person would remain obedient for longer, but at the same time prior familiarity with the Milgram experiment did not impact convictions as to own obedience. By the same token, the BTA effect size was larger among those who had previously heard of the Milgram experiment than those who had not. Additionally, study participants were asked to estimate the behavior of the average resident of their country (Poland), as well as of average residents of several other European countries. It turned out that in participants' judgment the average Pole would withdraw from the experiment quicker than the average Russian and average German, but later than average residents of France and England.

Beliefs about Obedience Levels in Studies Conducted within the Milgram Paradigm: Better than Average Effect and Comparisons of Typical Behaviors by Residents of Various Nations

PubMed Central

Grzyb, Tomasz; Dolinski, Dariusz

2017-01-01

The article presents studies examining whether the better than average (BTA) effect appears in opinions regarding obedience of individuals participating in an experiment conducted in the Milgram paradigm. Participants are presented with a detailed description of the experiment, asked to declare at what moment an average participant would cease their participation in the study, and then asked to declare at what moment they themselves would quit the experiment. It turned out that the participants demonstrated a strong BTA effect. This effect also concerned those who had known the results of the Milgram experiment prior to the study. Interestingly, those individuals—in contrast to naive participants—judged that the average person would remain obedient for longer, but at the same time prior familiarity with the Milgram experiment did not impact convictions as to own obedience. By the same token, the BTA effect size was larger among those who had previously heard of the Milgram experiment than those who had not. Additionally, study participants were asked to estimate the behavior of the average resident of their country (Poland), as well as of average residents of several other European countries. It turned out that in participants’ judgment the average Pole would withdraw from the experiment quicker than the average Russian and average German, but later than average residents of France and England. PMID:28979232

Is There a Global Common Core to Social Work?: A Cross-National Comparative Study of BSW Graduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Idit

2005-01-01

This article reports findings from a cross-national comparative study that examined the commonalities and differences in professional ideology among social work graduates in 10 countries by studying their attitudes toward poverty and the goals of social work. The major finding is the substantial similarity in the students' professional ideology…

Average variograms to guide soil sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerry, R.; Oliver, M. A.

2004-10-01

To manage land in a site-specific way for agriculture requires detailed maps of the variation in the soil properties of interest. To predict accurately for mapping, the interval at which the soil is sampled should relate to the scale of spatial variation. A variogram can be used to guide sampling in two ways. A sampling interval of less than half the range of spatial dependence can be used, or the variogram can be used with the kriging equations to determine an optimal sampling interval to achieve a given tolerable error. A variogram might not be available for the site, but if the variograms of several soil properties were available on a similar parent material and or particular topographic positions an average variogram could be calculated from these. Averages of the variogram ranges and standardized average variograms from four different parent materials in southern England were used to suggest suitable sampling intervals for future surveys in similar pedological settings based on half the variogram range. The standardized average variograms were also used to determine optimal sampling intervals using the kriging equations. Similar sampling intervals were suggested by each method and the maps of predictions based on data at different grid spacings were evaluated for the different parent materials. Variograms of loss on ignition (LOI) taken from the literature for other sites in southern England with similar parent materials had ranges close to the average for a given parent material showing the possible wider application of such averages to guide sampling.

Human perceptions of colour rendition vary with average fidelity, average gamut, and gamut shape

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Royer, MP; Wilkerson, A.; Wei, M.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate how subjective impressions of color quality vary with changes in average fidelity, average gamut, and gamut shape (which considers the specific hues that are saturated or desaturated). Twenty-eight participants each evaluated 26 lighting conditions—created using four, seven-channel, tunable LED luminaires—in a 3.1 m by 3.7 m room filled with objects selected to cover a range of hue, saturation, and lightness. IES TM-30 fidelity index (Rf) values ranged from 64 to 93, IES TM-30 gamut index (Rg¬) values from 79 to 117, and IES TM-30 Rcs,h1 values (a proxy for gamut shape) from -19% tomore » 26%. All lighting conditions delivered the same nominal illuminance and chromaticity. Participants were asked to rate each condition on eight point semantic differential scales for saturated-dull, normal-shifted, and like-dislike. They were also asked one multiple choice question, classifying the condition as saturated, dull, normal, or shifted. The findings suggest that gamut shape is more important than average gamut for human preference, where reds play a more important role than other hues. Additionally, average fidelity alone is a poor predictor of human perceptions, although Rf was somewhat better than CIE Ra. The most preferred source had a CIE Ra value of 68, and 9 of the top 12 rated products had a CIE Ra value of 73 or less, which indicates that the commonly used criteria of CIE Ra ≥ 80 may be excluding a majority of preferred light sources.« less

Determining average path length and average trapping time on generalized dual dendrimer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ling; Guan, Jihong

2015-03-01

Dendrimer has wide number of important applications in various fields. In some cases during transport or diffusion process, it transforms into its dual structure named Husimi cactus. In this paper, we study the structure properties and trapping problem on a family of generalized dual dendrimer with arbitrary coordination numbers. We first calculate exactly the average path length (APL) of the networks. The APL increases logarithmically with the network size, indicating that the networks exhibit a small-world effect. Then we determine the average trapping time (ATT) of the trapping process in two cases, i.e., the trap placed on a central node and the trap is uniformly distributed in all the nodes of the network. In both case, we obtain explicit solutions of ATT and show how they vary with the networks size. Besides, we also discuss the influence of the coordination number on trapping efficiency.

Propulsion and Energetics Panel Working Group 14 on Suitable Averaging Techniques in Non-Uniform Internal Flows

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

PANEL WORKING GROUP 14 on SUITABLE AVERAGING TECHNIQUES IN NON-UNIFORM INTERNAL FLOWS Edited by M.Pianko Office National d’Etudes et de...d’Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales Pratt and Whitney Government Products Division Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International , Inc. Teledyne CAE...actions exerted by individual components on the gas flow must be known. These specific component effects are distributed internally within the

Average is Over

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliazar, Iddo

2018-02-01

The popular perception of statistical distributions is depicted by the iconic bell curve which comprises of a massive bulk of 'middle-class' values, and two thin tails - one of small left-wing values, and one of large right-wing values. The shape of the bell curve is unimodal, and its peak represents both the mode and the mean. Thomas Friedman, the famous New York Times columnist, recently asserted that we have entered a human era in which "Average is Over" . In this paper we present mathematical models for the phenomenon that Friedman highlighted. While the models are derived via different modeling approaches, they share a common foundation. Inherent tipping points cause the models to phase-shift from a 'normal' bell-shape statistical behavior to an 'anomalous' statistical behavior: the unimodal shape changes to an unbounded monotone shape, the mode vanishes, and the mean diverges. Hence: (i) there is an explosion of small values; (ii) large values become super-large; (iii) 'middle-class' values are wiped out, leaving an infinite rift between the small and the super large values; and (iv) "Average is Over" indeed.

A Comparison of Averaged and Full Models to Study the Third-Body Perturbation

PubMed Central

Solórzano, Carlos Renato Huaura; Prado, Antonio Fernando Bertachini de Almeida

2013-01-01

The effects of a third-body travelling in a circular orbit around a main body on a massless satellite that is orbiting the same main body are studied under two averaged models, single and double, where expansions of the disturbing function are made, and the full restricted circular three-body problem. The goal is to compare the behavior of these two averaged models against the full problem for long-term effects, in order to have some knowledge of their differences. The single averaged model eliminates the terms due to the short period of the spacecraft. The double average is taken over the mean motion of the satellite and the mean motion of the disturbing body, so removing both short period terms. As an example of the methods, an artificial satellite around the Earth perturbed by the Moon is used. A detailed study of the effects of different initial conditions in the orbit of the spacecraft is made. PMID:24319348

A comparison of averaged and full models to study the third-body perturbation.

PubMed

Solórzano, Carlos Renato Huaura; Prado, Antonio Fernando Bertachini de Almeida

2013-01-01

The effects of a third-body travelling in a circular orbit around a main body on a massless satellite that is orbiting the same main body are studied under two averaged models, single and double, where expansions of the disturbing function are made, and the full restricted circular three-body problem. The goal is to compare the behavior of these two averaged models against the full problem for long-term effects, in order to have some knowledge of their differences. The single averaged model eliminates the terms due to the short period of the spacecraft. The double average is taken over the mean motion of the satellite and the mean motion of the disturbing body, so removing both short period terms. As an example of the methods, an artificial satellite around the Earth perturbed by the Moon is used. A detailed study of the effects of different initial conditions in the orbit of the spacecraft is made.

Universality, correlations, and rankings in the Brazilian universities national admission examinations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Roberto; Lamb, Luis C.; Barbosa, Marcia C.

2016-09-01

We analyze the scores obtained by students who have taken the ENEM examination, The Brazilian High School National Examination which is used in the admission process at Brazilian universities. The average high schools scores from different disciplines are compared through the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results show a very large correlation between the performance in the different school subjects. Even though the students' scores in the ENEM form a Gaussian due to the standardization, we show that the high schools' scores form a bimodal distribution that cannot be used to evaluate and compare students performance over time. We also show that this high schools distribution reflects the correlation between school performance and the economic level (based on the average family income) of the students. The ENEM scores are compared with a Brazilian non standardized exam, the entrance examination from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The analysis of the performance of the same individuals in both tests shows that the two tests not only select different abilities, but also lead to the admission of different sets of individuals. Our results indicate that standardized tests might be an interesting tool to compare performance of individuals over the years, but not of institutions.

20 CFR 226.62 - Computing average monthly compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Computing average monthly compensation. 226... RETIREMENT ACT COMPUTING EMPLOYEE, SPOUSE, AND DIVORCED SPOUSE ANNUITIES Years of Service and Average Monthly Compensation § 226.62 Computing average monthly compensation. The employee's average monthly compensation is...

Patterns of Recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding to Diagnostic Radiology Departments: Analysis Using the NIH RePORTER System.

PubMed

Franceschi, Ana M; Rosenkrantz, Andrew B

2017-09-01

This study aimed to characterize recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for diagnostic radiology departments at US medical schools. This retrospective study did not use private identifiable information and thus did not constitute human subjects research. The public NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditure and Results system was used to extract information regarding 887 NIH awards in 2015 to departments of "Radiation-Diagnostic/Oncology." Internet searches were conducted to identify each primary investigator (PI)'s university web page, which was used to identify the PI's departmental affiliation, gender, degree, and academic rank. A total of 649 awards to diagnostic radiology departments, based on these web searches, were included; awards to radiation oncology departments were excluded. Characteristics were summarized descriptively. A total of 61 unique institutions received awards. The top five funded institutions represented 33.6% of all funding. The most common institutes administering these awards were the National Cancer Institute (29.0%) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (21.6%). Women received 15.9% of awards and 13.3% of funding, with average funding per award of $353,512 compared to $434,572 for men. PhDs received 77.7% of all awards, with average funding per award of $457,413 compared to $505,516 for MDs. Full professors received 51.2% of awards (average funding per award of $532,668), compared to assistant professors who received 18.4% of awards ($260,177). Average funding was $499,859 for multiple-PI awards vs. $397,932 for single-PI awards. Common spending categories included "neurosciences," "cancer," "prevention," and "aging." NIH funding for diagnostic radiology departments has largely been awarded to senior-ranking male PhD investigators, commonly at large major academic medical centers. Initiatives are warranted to address such disparities and promote greater diversity in NIH funding

Average dynamics of a finite set of coupled phase oscillators

PubMed Central

Dima, Germán C.; Mindlin, Gabriel B.

2014-01-01

We study the solutions of a dynamical system describing the average activity of an infinitely large set of driven coupled excitable units. We compared their topological organization with that reconstructed from the numerical integration of finite sets. In this way, we present a strategy to establish the pertinence of approximating the dynamics of finite sets of coupled nonlinear units by the dynamics of its infinitely large surrogate. PMID:24985426

National data on stroke outcomes in Thailand.

PubMed

Kongbunkiat, Kannikar; Kasemsap, Narongrit; Thepsuthammarat, Kaewjai; Tiamkao, Somsak; Sawanyawisuth, Kittisak

2015-03-01

Stroke is a major public health problem worldwide. There are limited data on national stroke prevalence and outcomes after the beginning of the thrombolytic therapy era in Thailand. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with mortality in stroke patients in Thailand using the national reimbursement databases. Clinical data retrieved included individuals under the universal coverage, social security, and civil servant benefit systems between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010. The stroke diagnosis code was based on the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision system including G45 (transient cerebral ischemic attacks and related syndromes), I61 (intracerebral hemorrhage), and I63 (cerebral infarction). The prevalence and stroke outcomes were calculated from these coded data. Factors associated with death were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. We found that the most frequent stroke subtype was cerebral infarction with a prevalence of 122 patients per 100,000 of population, an average length of hospital stay of 6.8 days, an average hospital charge of 20,740 baht (∼$USD 691), a mortality rate of 7%, and thrombolytic prescriptions of 1%. The significant factors associated with stroke mortality were septicemia, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, status epilepticus, and heart failure. In conclusion, the prevalence and outcomes of stroke in Thailand were comparable with other countries. The era of thrombolytic therapy has just begun in Thailand. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Artificial Intelligence Can Predict Daily Trauma Volume and Average Acuity.

PubMed

Stonko, David P; Dennis, Bradley M; Betzold, Richard D; Peetz, Allan B; Gunter, Oliver L; Guillamondegui, Oscar D

2018-04-19

The goal of this study was to integrate temporal and weather data in order to create an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict trauma volume, the number of emergent operative cases, and average daily acuity at a level 1 trauma center. Trauma admission data from TRACS and weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was collected for all adult trauma patients from July 2013-June 2016. The ANN was constructed using temporal (time, day of week), and weather factors (daily high, active precipitation) to predict four points of daily trauma activity: number of traumas, number of penetrating traumas, average ISS, and number of immediate OR cases per day. We trained a two-layer feed-forward network with 10 sigmoid hidden neurons via the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation algorithm, and performed k-fold cross validation and accuracy calculations on 100 randomly generated partitions. 10,612 patients over 1,096 days were identified. The ANN accurately predicted the daily trauma distribution in terms of number of traumas, number of penetrating traumas, number of OR cases, and average daily ISS (combined training correlation coefficient r = 0.9018+/-0.002; validation r = 0.8899+/- 0.005; testing r = 0.8940+/-0.006). We were able to successfully predict trauma and emergent operative volume, and acuity using an ANN by integrating local weather and trauma admission data from a level 1 center. As an example, for June 30, 2016, it predicted 9.93 traumas (actual: 10), and a mean ISS score of 15.99 (actual: 13.12); see figure 3. This may prove useful for predicting trauma needs across the system and hospital administration when allocating limited resources. Level III STUDY TYPE: Prognostic/Epidemiological.

A Microgenetic Analysis of Strategic Variability in Gifted and Average-Ability Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steiner, Hillary Hettinger

2006-01-01

Many researchers have described cognitive differences between gifted and average-performing children. Regarding strategy use, the gifted advantage is often associated with differences such as greater knowledge of strategies, quicker problem solving, and the ability to use strategies more appropriately. The current study used microgenetic methods…

How Are We Educating Agricultural Students? A National Profile of Leadership Capacities and Involvement in College Compared to Non-Agricultural Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosch, David M.; Coers, Natalie

2013-01-01

Given the importance of leadership development within the various agricultural professions, a national sample (n = 461) of students with agriculture-related majors from 55 colleges was compared to a similarly-sized random peer group from the same institutions. The data were analyzed to compare the agricultural student sample to their peers with…

Frequentist Model Averaging in Structural Equation Modelling.

PubMed

Jin, Shaobo; Ankargren, Sebastian

2018-06-04

Model selection from a set of candidate models plays an important role in many structural equation modelling applications. However, traditional model selection methods introduce extra randomness that is not accounted for by post-model selection inference. In the current study, we propose a model averaging technique within the frequentist statistical framework. Instead of selecting an optimal model, the contributions of all candidate models are acknowledged. Valid confidence intervals and a [Formula: see text] test statistic are proposed. A simulation study shows that the proposed method is able to produce a robust mean-squared error, a better coverage probability, and a better goodness-of-fit test compared to model selection. It is an interesting compromise between model selection and the full model.

Can the national surgical quality improvement program provide surgeon-specific outcomes?

PubMed

Kuhnen, Angela H; Marcello, Peter W; Roberts, Patricia L; Read, Thomas E; Schoetz, David J; Rusin, Lawrence C; Hall, Jason F; Ricciardi, Rocco

2015-02-01

Efforts to improve the quality of surgical care and reduce morbidity and mortality have resulted in outcomes reporting at the service and institutional level. Surgeon-specific outcomes are not readily available. The aim of this study is to compare surgeon-specific outcomes from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and 100% capture institutional quality data. We conducted a cohort study evaluating institutional and surgeon-specific outcomes following colorectal surgery procedures at 1 institution over 5 years. All patients who underwent an operation by a colorectal surgeon at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012 were identified. Thirty-day mortality, reoperation, urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, pneumonia, superficial surgical site infection, and organ space infection were the primary outcomes measured. We compared annual and 5-year institutional and surgeon-specific adverse event rates between the data sets. In addition, we categorized individual surgeons as low-outlier, average, or high-outlier in relation to aggregate averages and determined the concordance between the data sets in identifying outliers. Concordance was designated if the 2 databases classified outlier status similarly for the same adverse event category. In the 100% capture institutional data, 6459 operative encounters were identified in comparison with 1786 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program encounters (28% sampled). Annual aggregate adverse event rates were similar between the institutional data and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. For annual surgeon-specific comparisons, concordance in identifying outliers between the 2 data sets was 51.4%, and gross discordance between outlier status was in 8.2%. Five-year surgeon-specific comparisons demonstrated 59% concordance in identifying outlier status with 8.2% gross discordance for the group. The inclusion of data from only 1 academic referral center is a

Spatial averaging errors in creating hemispherical reflectance (albedo) maps from directional reflectance data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimes, D. S.; Kerber, A. G.; Sellers, P. J.

1993-01-01

Spatial averaging errors which may occur when creating hemispherical reflectance maps for different cover types from direct nadir technique to estimate the hemispherical reflectance are assessed by comparing the results with those obtained with a knowledge-based system called VEG (Kimes et al., 1991, 1992). It was found that hemispherical reflectance errors provided by using VEG are much less than those using the direct nadir techniques, depending on conditions. Suggestions are made concerning sampling and averaging strategies for creating hemispherical reflectance maps for photosynthetic, carbon cycle, and climate change studies.

A method for determining average beach slope and beach slope variability for U.S. sandy coastlines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doran, Kara S.; Long, Joseph W.; Overbeck, Jacquelyn R.

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards compares measurements of beach morphology with storm-induced total water levels to produce forecasts of coastal change for storms impacting the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastlines of the United States. The wave-induced water level component (wave setup and swash) is estimated by using modeled offshore wave height and period and measured beach slope (from dune toe to shoreline) through the empirical parameterization of Stockdon and others (2006). Spatial and temporal variability in beach slope leads to corresponding variability in predicted wave setup and swash. For instance, seasonal and storm-induced changes in beach slope can lead to differences on the order of 1 meter (m) in wave-induced water level elevation, making accurate specification of this parameter and its associated uncertainty essential to skillful forecasts of coastal change. A method for calculating spatially and temporally averaged beach slopes is presented here along with a method for determining total uncertainty for each 200-m alongshore section of coastline.

Health and health-related indicators in slum, rural, and urban communities: a comparative analysis

PubMed Central

Mberu, Blessing U.; Haregu, Tilahun Nigatu; Kyobutungi, Catherine; Ezeh, Alex C.

2016-01-01

Background It is generally assumed that urban slum residents have worse health status when compared with other urban populations, but better health status than their rural counterparts. This belief/assumption is often because of their physical proximity and assumed better access to health care services in urban areas. However, a few recent studies have cast doubt on this belief. Whether slum dwellers are better off, similar to, or worse off as compared with rural and other urban populations remain poorly understood as indicators for slum dwellers are generally hidden in urban averages. Objective The aim of this study was to compare health and health-related indicators among slum, rural, and other urban populations in four countries where specific efforts have been made to generate health indicators specific to slum populations. Design We conducted a comparative analysis of health indicators among slums, non-slums, and all urban and rural populations as well as national averages in Bangladesh, Kenya, Egypt, and India. We triangulated data from demographic and health surveys, urban health surveys, and special cross-sectional slum surveys in these countries to assess differences in health indicators across the residential domains. We focused the comparisons on child health, maternal health, reproductive health, access to health services, and HIV/AIDS indicators. Within each country, we compared indicators for slums with non-slum, city/urban averages, rural, and national indicators. Between-country differences were also highlighted. Results In all the countries, except India, slum children had much poorer health outcomes than children in all other residential domains, including those in rural areas. Childhood illnesses and malnutrition were higher among children living in slum communities compared to those living elsewhere. Although treatment seeking was better among slum children as compared with those in rural areas, this did not translate to better mortality

40 CFR 86.449 - Averaging provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Later New Motorcycles, General Provisions § 86.449 Averaging provisions. (a) This section describes how... credits may not be banked for use in later model years, except as specified in paragraph (j) of this... average emission levels are at or below the applicable standards in § 86.410-2006. (2) Compliance with the...

40 CFR 63.846 - Emission averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... averaging. (a) General. The owner or operator of an existing potline or anode bake furnace in a State that... by total aluminum production. (c) Anode bake furnaces. The owner or operator may average TF emissions from anode bake furnaces and demonstrate compliance with the limits in Table 3 of this subpart using...

40 CFR 63.846 - Emission averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... averaging. (a) General. The owner or operator of an existing potline or anode bake furnace in a State that... by total aluminum production. (c) Anode bake furnaces. The owner or operator may average TF emissions from anode bake furnaces and demonstrate compliance with the limits in Table 3 of this subpart using...

40 CFR 63.846 - Emission averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... averaging. (a) General. The owner or operator of an existing potline or anode bake furnace in a State that... by total aluminum production. (c) Anode bake furnaces. The owner or operator may average TF emissions from anode bake furnaces and demonstrate compliance with the limits in Table 3 of this subpart using...

40 CFR 63.846 - Emission averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... averaging. (a) General. The owner or operator of an existing potline or anode bake furnace in a State that... by total aluminum production. (c) Anode bake furnaces. The owner or operator may average TF emissions from anode bake furnaces and demonstrate compliance with the limits in Table 3 of this subpart using...

40 CFR 63.846 - Emission averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... averaging. (a) General. The owner or operator of an existing potline or anode bake furnace in a State that... by total aluminum production. (c) Anode bake furnaces. The owner or operator may average TF emissions from anode bake furnaces and demonstrate compliance with the limits in Table 3 of this subpart using...

Measured emotional intelligence ability and grade point average in nursing students.

PubMed

Codier, Estelle; Odell, Ellen

2014-04-01

For most schools of nursing, grade point average is the most important criteria for admission to nursing school and constitutes the main indicator of success throughout the nursing program. In the general research literature, the relationship between traditional measures of academic success, such as grade point average and postgraduation job performance is not well established. In both the general population and among practicing nurses, measured emotional intelligence ability correlates with both performance and other important professional indicators postgraduation. Little research exists comparing traditional measures of intelligence with measured emotional intelligence prior to graduation, and none in the student nurse population. This exploratory, descriptive, quantitative study was undertaken to explore the relationship between measured emotional intelligence ability and grade point average of first year nursing students. The study took place at a school of nursing at a university in the south central region of the United States. Participants included 72 undergraduate student nurse volunteers. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, version 2, an instrument for quantifying emotional intelligence ability. Pre-admission grade point average was reported by the school records department. Total emotional intelligence (r=.24) scores and one subscore, experiential emotional intelligence(r=.25) correlated significantly (>.05) with grade point average. This exploratory, descriptive study provided evidence for some relationship between GPA and measured emotional intelligence ability, but also demonstrated lower than average range scores in several emotional intelligence scores. The relationship between pre-graduation measures of success and level of performance postgraduation deserves further exploration. The findings of this study suggest that research on the relationship between traditional and nontraditional

Measuring Socioeconomic Inequalities With Predicted Absolute Incomes Rather Than Wealth Quintiles: A Comparative Assessment Using Child Stunting Data From National Surveys.

PubMed

Fink, Günther; Victora, Cesar G; Harttgen, Kenneth; Vollmer, Sebastian; Vidaletti, Luís Paulo; Barros, Aluisio J D

2017-04-01

To compare the predictive power of synthetic absolute income measures with that of asset-based wealth quintiles in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using child stunting as an outcome. We pooled data from 239 nationally representative household surveys from LMICs and computed absolute incomes in US dollars based on households' asset rank as well as data on national consumption and inequality levels. We used multivariable regression models to compare the predictive power of the created income measure with the predictive power of existing asset indicator measures. In cross-country analysis, log absolute income predicted 54.5% of stunting variation observed, compared with 20% of variation explained by wealth quintiles. For within-survey analysis, we also found absolute income gaps to be predictive of the gaps between stunting in the wealthiest and poorest households (P < .001). Our results suggest that absolute income levels can greatly improve the prediction of stunting levels across and within countries over time, compared with models that rely solely on relative wealth quintiles.

Bioindicators in the MIDUS National Study: Protocol, Measures, Sample, and Comparative Context

PubMed Central

Love, Gayle Dienberg; Seeman, Teresa E.; Weinstein, Maxine; Ryff, Carol D.

2010-01-01

Objectives MIDUS is a national study of health and aging among individuals aged 25 to 74 at baseline(1995/96). Longitudinal survey assessments (2004/05), were followed by biological assessments on a subsample aged 35–85. To facilitate public use, we describe the protocol, measures, and sample. Methods Respondents traveled to clinics for a two-day data collection protocol that included fasting blood specimens, 12-hour urine specimen, medical history, physical exam, bone densitometry, a laboratory challenge (heart rate variability, blood pressure, respiration, salivary cortisol). Results Response rates for the biological protocol (N = 1,255) were 39.3%, or 43.1% (adjusting for those who could not be located or contacted). Reasons for non-participation were travel, family obligations, and being too busy. Respondents were comparable to the recruitment pool on most demographic characteristics and health assessments. Discussion Strengths of the protocol vis-à-vis other similar studies include opportunities to link biological factors with diverse content from other MIDUS projects. PMID:20876364

Occupational exposure assessment of magnetic fields generated by induction heating equipment-the role of spatial averaging.

PubMed

Kos, Bor; Valič, Blaž; Kotnik, Tadej; Gajšek, Peter

2012-10-07

Induction heating equipment is a source of strong and nonhomogeneous magnetic fields, which can exceed occupational reference levels. We investigated a case of an induction tempering tunnel furnace. Measurements of the emitted magnetic flux density (B) were performed during its operation and used to validate a numerical model of the furnace. This model was used to compute the values of B and the induced in situ electric field (E) for 15 different body positions relative to the source. For each body position, the computed B values were used to determine their maximum and average values, using six spatial averaging schemes (9-285 averaging points) and two averaging algorithms (arithmetic mean and quadratic mean). Maximum and average B values were compared to the ICNIRP reference level, and E values to the ICNIRP basic restriction. Our results show that in nonhomogeneous fields, the maximum B is an overly conservative predictor of overexposure, as it yields many false positives. The average B yielded fewer false positives, but as the number of averaging points increased, false negatives emerged. The most reliable averaging schemes were obtained for averaging over the torso with quadratic averaging, with no false negatives even for the maximum number of averaging points investigated.

Dynamic Testing of Gifted and Average-Ability Children's Analogy Problem Solving: Does Executive Functioning Play a Role?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogelaar, Bart; Bakker, Merel; Hoogeveen, Lianne; Resing, Wilma C. M.

2017-01-01

In this study, dynamic testing principles were applied to examine progression of analogy problem solving, the roles that cognitive flexibility and metacognition play in children's progression as well as training benefits, and instructional needs of 7- to 8-year-old gifted and average-ability children. Utilizing a pretest training posttest control…

Structuring Collaboration in Mixed-Ability Groups to Promote Verbal Interaction, Learning, and Motivation of Average-Ability Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saleh, Mohammad; Lazonder, Ard W.; Jong, Ton de

2007-01-01

Average-ability students often do not take full advantage of learning in mixed-ability groups because they hardly engage in the group interaction. This study examined whether structuring collaboration by group roles and ground rules for helping behavior might help overcome this participatory inequality. In a plant biology course, heterogeneously…

Properties of model-averaged BMDLs: a study of model averaging in dichotomous response risk estimation.

PubMed

Wheeler, Matthew W; Bailer, A John

2007-06-01

Model averaging (MA) has been proposed as a method of accounting for model uncertainty in benchmark dose (BMD) estimation. The technique has been used to average BMD dose estimates derived from dichotomous dose-response experiments, microbial dose-response experiments, as well as observational epidemiological studies. While MA is a promising tool for the risk assessor, a previous study suggested that the simple strategy of averaging individual models' BMD lower limits did not yield interval estimators that met nominal coverage levels in certain situations, and this performance was very sensitive to the underlying model space chosen. We present a different, more computationally intensive, approach in which the BMD is estimated using the average dose-response model and the corresponding benchmark dose lower bound (BMDL) is computed by bootstrapping. This method is illustrated with TiO(2) dose-response rat lung cancer data, and then systematically studied through an extensive Monte Carlo simulation. The results of this study suggest that the MA-BMD, estimated using this technique, performs better, in terms of bias and coverage, than the previous MA methodology. Further, the MA-BMDL achieves nominal coverage in most cases, and is superior to picking the "best fitting model" when estimating the benchmark dose. Although these results show utility of MA for benchmark dose risk estimation, they continue to highlight the importance of choosing an adequate model space as well as proper model fit diagnostics.

Development of a high average current polarized electron source with long cathode operational lifetime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

C. K. Sinclair; P. A. Adderley; B. M. Dunham

Substantially more than half of the electromagnetic nuclear physics experiments conducted at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Laboratory) require highly polarized electron beams, often at high average current. Spin-polarized electrons are produced by photoemission from various GaAs-based semiconductor photocathodes, using circularly polarized laser light with photon energy slightly larger than the semiconductor band gap. The photocathodes are prepared by activation of the clean semiconductor surface to negative electron affinity using cesium and oxidation. Historically, in many laboratories worldwide, these photocathodes have had short operational lifetimes at high average current, and havemore » often deteriorated fairly quickly in ultrahigh vacuum even without electron beam delivery. At Jefferson Lab, we have developed a polarized electron source in which the photocathodes degrade exceptionally slowly without electron emission, and in which ion back bombardment is the predominant mechanism limiting the operational lifetime of the cathodes during electron emission. We have reproducibly obtained cathode 1/e dark lifetimes over two years, and 1/e charge density and charge lifetimes during electron beam delivery of over 2?105???C/cm2 and 200 C, respectively. This source is able to support uninterrupted high average current polarized beam delivery to three experimental halls simultaneously for many months at a time. Many of the techniques we report here are directly applicable to the development of GaAs photoemission electron guns to deliver high average current, high brightness unpolarized beams.« less

What difference a decade? The costs of psychosis in Australia in 2000 and 2010: comparative results from the first and second Australian national surveys of psychosis.

PubMed

Neil, Amanda L; Carr, Vaughan J; Mihalopoulos, Cathrine; Mackinnon, Andrew; Lewin, Terry J; Morgan, Vera A

2014-03-01

To assess differences in costs of psychosis between the first and second Australian national surveys of psychosis and examine them in light of policy developments. Cost differences due to changes in resource use and/or real price rises were assessed by minimizing differences in recruitment and costing methodologies between the two surveys. For each survey, average annual societal costs of persons recruited through public specialized mental health services in the census month were assessed through prevalence-based, bottom-up cost-of-illness analyses. The first survey costing methodology was employed as the reference approach. Unit costs were specific to each time period (2000, 2010) and expressed in 2010 Australian dollars. There was minimal change in the average annual costs of psychosis between the surveys, although newly included resources in the second survey's analysis cost AUD$3183 per person. Among resources common to each analysis were significant increases in the average annual cost per person for ambulatory care of AUD$7380, non-government services AUD$2488 and pharmaceuticals AUD$1892, and an upward trend in supported accommodation costs. These increases were offset by over a halving of mental health inpatient costs of AUD$11,790 per person and a 84.6% (AUD$604) decrease in crisis accommodation costs. Productivity losses, the greatest component cost, changed minimally, reflecting the magnitude and constancy of reduced employment levels of individuals with psychosis across the surveys. Between 2000 and 2010 there was little change in total average annual costs of psychosis for individuals receiving treatment at public specialized mental health services. However, there was a significant redistribution of costs within and away from the health sector in line with government initiatives arising from the Second and Third National Mental Health Plans. Non-health sector costs are now a critical component of cost-of-illness analyses of mental illnesses reflecting

HiLASE: development of fully diode pumped disk lasers with high average power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divoky, M.; Smrz, M.; Chyla, M.; Sikocinski, P.; Severova, P.; Novák, O.; Huynh, J.; Nagisetty, S. S.; Miura, T.; Liberatore, C.; Pilař, J.; Slezak, O.; Sawicka, M.; Jambunathan, V.; Gemini, L.; Vanda, J.; Svabek, R.; Endo, A.; Lucianetti, A.; Rostohar, D.; Mason, P. D.; Phillips, P. J.; Ertel, K.; Banerjee, S.; Hernandez-Gomez, C.; Collier, J. L.; Mocek, T.

2015-02-01

An overview of Czech national R&D project HiLASE (High average power pulsed LASEr) is presented. The HiLASE project aims at development of pulsed DPSSL for hi-tech industrial applications. HiLASE will be a user oriented facility with several laser systems with output parameters ranging from a few picosecond pulses with energy of 5 mJ to 0.5 J and repetition rate of 1-100 kHz (based on thin disk technology) to systems with 100 J output energy in nanosecond pulses with repetition rate of 10 Hz (based on multi-slab technology).

Experimental Investigation of the Differences Between Reynolds-Averaged and Favre-Averaged Velocity in Supersonic Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Seasholtz, R. G.

2005-01-01

Recent advancement in the molecular Rayleigh scattering based technique allowed for simultaneous measurement of velocity and density fluctuations with high sampling rates. The technique was used to investigate unheated high subsonic and supersonic fully expanded free jets in the Mach number range of 0.8 to 1.8. The difference between the Favre averaged and Reynolds averaged axial velocity and axial component of the turbulent kinetic energy is found to be small. Estimates based on the Morkovin's "Strong Reynolds Analogy" were found to provide lower values of turbulent density fluctuations than the measured data.

Determinants of College Grade Point Averages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Paul Dean

2012-01-01

Chapter 2: The Role of Class Difficulty in College Grade Point Averages. Grade Point Averages (GPAs) are widely used as a measure of college students' ability. Low GPAs can remove a students from eligibility for scholarships, and even continued enrollment at a university. However, GPAs are determined not only by student ability but also by the…

Hybrid Reynolds-Averaged/Large Eddy Simulation of a Cavity Flameholder; Assessment of Modeling Sensitivities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baurle, R. A.

2015-01-01

Steady-state and scale-resolving simulations have been performed for flow in and around a model scramjet combustor flameholder. The cases simulated corresponded to those used to examine this flowfield experimentally using particle image velocimetry. A variety of turbulence models were used for the steady-state Reynolds-averaged simulations which included both linear and non-linear eddy viscosity models. The scale-resolving simulations used a hybrid Reynolds-averaged / large eddy simulation strategy that is designed to be a large eddy simulation everywhere except in the inner portion (log layer and below) of the boundary layer. Hence, this formulation can be regarded as a wall-modeled large eddy simulation. This effort was undertaken to formally assess the performance of the hybrid Reynolds-averaged / large eddy simulation modeling approach in a flowfield of interest to the scramjet research community. The numerical errors were quantified for both the steady-state and scale-resolving simulations prior to making any claims of predictive accuracy relative to the measurements. The steady-state Reynolds-averaged results showed a high degree of variability when comparing the predictions obtained from each turbulence model, with the non-linear eddy viscosity model (an explicit algebraic stress model) providing the most accurate prediction of the measured values. The hybrid Reynolds-averaged/large eddy simulation results were carefully scrutinized to ensure that even the coarsest grid had an acceptable level of resolution for large eddy simulation, and that the time-averaged statistics were acceptably accurate. The autocorrelation and its Fourier transform were the primary tools used for this assessment. The statistics extracted from the hybrid simulation strategy proved to be more accurate than the Reynolds-averaged results obtained using the linear eddy viscosity models. However, there was no predictive improvement noted over the results obtained from the explicit

Calculations of High-Temperature Jet Flow Using Hybrid Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes Formulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdol-Hamid, Khaled S.; Elmiligui, Alaa; Giriamaji, Sharath S.

2008-01-01

Two multiscale-type turbulence models are implemented in the PAB3D solver. The models are based on modifying the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations. The first scheme is a hybrid Reynolds-averaged- Navier Stokes/large-eddy-simulation model using the two-equation k(epsilon) model with a Reynolds-averaged-Navier Stokes/large-eddy-simulation transition function dependent on grid spacing and the computed turbulence length scale. The second scheme is a modified version of the partially averaged Navier Stokes model in which the unresolved kinetic energy parameter f(sub k) is allowed to vary as a function of grid spacing and the turbulence length scale. This parameter is estimated based on a novel two-stage procedure to efficiently estimate the level of scale resolution possible for a given flow on a given grid for partially averaged Navier Stokes. It has been found that the prescribed scale resolution can play a major role in obtaining accurate flow solutions. The parameter f(sub k) varies between zero and one and is equal to one in the viscous sublayer and when the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes turbulent viscosity becomes smaller than the large-eddy-simulation viscosity. The formulation, usage methodology, and validation examples are presented to demonstrate the enhancement of PAB3D's time-accurate turbulence modeling capabilities. The accurate simulations of flow and turbulent quantities will provide a valuable tool for accurate jet noise predictions. Solutions from these models are compared with Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes results and experimental data for high-temperature jet flows. The current results show promise for the capability of hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes and large eddy simulation and partially averaged Navier Stokes in simulating such flow phenomena.

The balanced survivor average causal effect.

PubMed

Greene, Tom; Joffe, Marshall; Hu, Bo; Li, Liang; Boucher, Ken

2013-05-07

Statistical analysis of longitudinal outcomes is often complicated by the absence of observable values in patients who die prior to their scheduled measurement. In such cases, the longitudinal data are said to be "truncated by death" to emphasize that the longitudinal measurements are not simply missing, but are undefined after death. Recently, the truncation by death problem has been investigated using the framework of principal stratification to define the target estimand as the survivor average causal effect (SACE), which in the context of a two-group randomized clinical trial is the mean difference in the longitudinal outcome between the treatment and control groups for the principal stratum of always-survivors. The SACE is not identified without untestable assumptions. These assumptions have often been formulated in terms of a monotonicity constraint requiring that the treatment does not reduce survival in any patient, in conjunction with assumed values for mean differences in the longitudinal outcome between certain principal strata. In this paper, we introduce an alternative estimand, the balanced-SACE, which is defined as the average causal effect on the longitudinal outcome in a particular subset of the always-survivors that is balanced with respect to the potential survival times under the treatment and control. We propose a simple estimator of the balanced-SACE that compares the longitudinal outcomes between equivalent fractions of the longest surviving patients between the treatment and control groups and does not require a monotonicity assumption. We provide expressions for the large sample bias of the estimator, along with sensitivity analyses and strategies to minimize this bias. We consider statistical inference under a bootstrap resampling procedure.

Comparisons of Learning Ease and Transfer Propensity in Poor and Average Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Jeanne D.; Zajakowski, Amy

1991-01-01

Assisted and unassisted performance of 14 average readers and 14 readers with learning disabilities (ages 10-13) were compared on a reading comprehension task. The groups differed in how easily they learned to find the main idea under different topic sentence placement conditions, with the learning-disabled readers requiring significantly more…

Trends in Average Living Children at the Time of Terminal Contraception: A Time Series Analysis Over 27 Years Using ARIMA (p, d, q) Nonseasonal Model.

PubMed

Mumbare, Sachin S; Gosavi, Shriram; Almale, Balaji; Patil, Aruna; Dhakane, Supriya; Kadu, Aniruddha

2014-10-01

India's National Family Welfare Programme is dominated by sterilization, particularly tubectomy. Sterilization, being a terminal method of contraception, decides the final number of children for that couple. Many studies have shown the declining trend in the average number of living children at the time of sterilization over a short period of time. So this study was planned to do time series analysis of the average children at the time of terminal contraception, to do forecasting till 2020 for the same and to compare the rates of change in various subgroups of the population. Data was preprocessed in MS Access 2007 by creating and running SQL queries. After testing stationarity of every series with augmented Dickey-Fuller test, time series analysis and forecasting was done using best-fit Box-Jenkins ARIMA (p, d, q) nonseasonal model. To compare the rates of change of average children in various subgroups, at sterilization, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied. Forecasting showed that the replacement level of 2.1 total fertility rate (TFR) will be achieved in 2018 for couples opting for sterilization. The same will be achieved in 2020, 2016, 2018, and 2019 for rural area, urban area, Hindu couples, and Buddhist couples, respectively. It will not be achieved till 2020 in Muslim couples. Every stratum of population showed the declining trend. The decline for male children and in rural area was significantly faster than the decline for female children and in urban area, respectively. The decline was not significantly different in Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist couples.

Dynamic Model Averaging in Large Model Spaces Using Dynamic Occam’s Window*

PubMed Central

Onorante, Luca; Raftery, Adrian E.

2015-01-01

Bayesian model averaging has become a widely used approach to accounting for uncertainty about the structural form of the model generating the data. When data arrive sequentially and the generating model can change over time, Dynamic Model Averaging (DMA) extends model averaging to deal with this situation. Often in macroeconomics, however, many candidate explanatory variables are available and the number of possible models becomes too large for DMA to be applied in its original form. We propose a new method for this situation which allows us to perform DMA without considering the whole model space, but using a subset of models and dynamically optimizing the choice of models at each point in time. This yields a dynamic form of Occam’s window. We evaluate the method in the context of the problem of nowcasting GDP in the Euro area. We find that its forecasting performance compares well with that of other methods. PMID:26917859

Monthly streamflow forecasting with auto-regressive integrated moving average

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir, Najah; Samsudin, Ruhaidah; Shabri, Ani

2017-09-01

Forecasting of streamflow is one of the many ways that can contribute to better decision making for water resource management. The auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was selected in this research for monthly streamflow forecasting with enhancement made by pre-processing the data using singular spectrum analysis (SSA). This study also proposed an extension of the SSA technique to include a step where clustering was performed on the eigenvector pairs before reconstruction of the time series. The monthly streamflow data of Sungai Muda at Jeniang, Sungai Muda at Jambatan Syed Omar and Sungai Ketil at Kuala Pegang was gathered from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia. A ratio of 9:1 was used to divide the data into training and testing sets. The ARIMA, SSA-ARIMA and Clustered SSA-ARIMA models were all developed in R software. Results from the proposed model are then compared to a conventional auto-regressive integrated moving average model using the root-mean-square error and mean absolute error values. It was found that the proposed model can outperform the conventional model.

Vibrationally averaged dipole moments of methane and benzene isotopologues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arapiraca, A. F. C.; Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais, Coordenação de Ciências, CEFET-MG, Campus I, 30.421-169 Belo Horizonte, MG; Mohallem, J. R., E-mail: rachid@fisica.ufmg.br

DFT-B3LYP post-Born-Oppenheimer (finite-nuclear-mass-correction (FNMC)) calculations of vibrationally averaged isotopic dipole moments of methane and benzene, which compare well with experimental values, are reported. For methane, in addition to the principal vibrational contribution to the molecular asymmetry, FNMC accounts for the surprisingly large Born-Oppenheimer error of about 34% to the dipole moments. This unexpected result is explained in terms of concurrent electronic and vibrational contributions. The calculated dipole moment of C{sub 6}H{sub 3}D{sub 3} is about twice as large as the measured dipole moment of C{sub 6}H{sub 5}D. Computational progress is advanced concerning applications to larger systems and the choice ofmore » appropriate basis sets. The simpler procedure of performing vibrational averaging on the Born-Oppenheimer level and then adding the FNMC contribution evaluated at the equilibrium distance is shown to be appropriate. Also, the basis set choice is made by heuristic analysis of the physical behavior of the systems, instead of by comparison with experiments.« less

Proteins QSAR with Markov average electrostatic potentials.

PubMed

González-Díaz, Humberto; Uriarte, Eugenio

2005-11-15

Classic physicochemical and topological indices have been largely used in small molecules QSAR but less in proteins QSAR. In this study, a Markov model is used to calculate, for the first time, average electrostatic potentials xik for an indirect interaction between aminoacids placed at topologic distances k within a given protein backbone. The short-term average stochastic potential xi1 for 53 Arc repressor mutants was used to model the effect of Alanine scanning on thermal stability. The Arc repressor is a model protein of relevance for biochemical studies on bioorganics and medicinal chemistry. A linear discriminant analysis model developed correctly classified 43 out of 53, 81.1% of proteins according to their thermal stability. More specifically, the model classified 20/28, 71.4% of proteins with near wild-type stability and 23/25, 92.0% of proteins with reduced stability. Moreover, predictability in cross-validation procedures was of 81.0%. Expansion of the electrostatic potential in the series xi0, xi1, xi2, and xi3, justified the use of the abrupt truncation approach, being the overall accuracy >70.0% for xi0 but equal for xi1, xi2, and xi3. The xi1 model compared favorably with respect to others based on D-Fire potential, surface area, volume, partition coefficient, and molar refractivity, with less than 77.0% of accuracy [Ramos de Armas, R.; González-Díaz, H.; Molina, R.; Uriarte, E. Protein Struct. Func. Bioinf.2004, 56, 715]. The xi1 model also has more tractable interpretation than others based on Markovian negentropies and stochastic moments. Finally, the model is notably simpler than the two models based on quadratic and linear indices. Both models, reported by Marrero-Ponce et al., use four-to-five time more descriptors. Introduction of average stochastic potentials may be useful for QSAR applications; having xik amenable physical interpretation and being very effective.

Barriers to accessing substance abuse treatment in Mexico: national comparative analysis by migration status.

PubMed

Guerrero, Erick G; Villatoro, Jorge Ameth; Kong, Yinfei; Fleiz, Clara; Vega, William A; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena

2014-07-30

We examined Mexican migrants' perceived barriers to entering substance abuse treatment and potential differences by gender. This study analyzed a subset of household data collected in Mexico in 2011 via the Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (National Survey of Addictions). A sample of 1,143 individuals who reported using illicit drugs was analyzed using multivariate negative binomial models to determine direct and moderated relationships of gender, migrant status, and drug dependence with perceived barriers to accessing treatment. Significant findings included disparities in drug dependence by migrant status. Compared with non-migrant men, women who have traveled to the United States was associated with fewer (1.3) barriers to access treatment. Fewer barriers to access care were associated with individuals residing in other regions of the country, compared to those living in Mexico City. Drug dependence, gender, migration status and regional location are factors associated with access to needed treatment. Implications for health care policy to develop treatment services infrastructure and for future research are discussed in the context of ongoing drug policy reform in Mexico.

Barriers to accessing substance abuse treatment in Mexico: national comparative analysis by migration status

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background We examined Mexican migrants’ perceived barriers to entering substance abuse treatment and potential differences by gender. Methods This study analyzed a subset of household data collected in Mexico in 2011 via the Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (National Survey of Addictions). A sample of 1,143 individuals who reported using illicit drugs was analyzed using multivariate negative binomial models to determine direct and moderated relationships of gender, migrant status, and drug dependence with perceived barriers to accessing treatment. Results Significant findings included disparities in drug dependence by migrant status. Compared with non-migrant men, women who have traveled to the United States was associated with fewer (1.3) barriers to access treatment. Fewer barriers to access care were associated with individuals residing in other regions of the country, compared to those living in Mexico City. Conclusions Drug dependence, gender, migration status and regional location are factors associated with access to needed treatment. Implications for health care policy to develop treatment services infrastructure and for future research are discussed in the context of ongoing drug policy reform in Mexico. PMID:25074067

Systematic review of the relationship of Helicobacter pylori infection with geographical latitude, average annual temperature and average daily sunshine.

PubMed

Lu, Chao; Yu, Ye; Li, Lan; Yu, Chaohui; Xu, Ping

2018-04-17

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a worldwide threat to human health with high prevalence. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between latitude, average annual temperature, average daily sunshine time and H. pylori infection. The PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov , EBSCO and Web of Science databases were searched to identify studies reporting H. pylori infection. Latitude 30° was the cut-off level for low and mid-latitude areas. We obtained information for latitude, average annual temperature, average daily sunshine, and Human Development Index (HDI) from reports of studies of the relationships with H. pylori infection. Of the 51 studies included, there was significant difference in H. pylori infection between the low- and mid-latitude areas (P = 0.05). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of H. pylori infection in each 15°-latitude zone analyzed (P = 0.061). Subgroup analysis revealed the highest and lowest H. pylori infection rates in the developing regions at > 30° latitude subgroup and the developed regions at < 30° latitude subgroup, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that average annual temperature, average daily sunshine time and HDI were significantly correlated with H. pylori infection (P = 0.009, P < 0.001, P < 0.001), while there was no correlation between H. pylori infection and latitude. Our analysis showed that higher average annual temperature was associated with lower H. pylori infection rates, while average daily sunshine time correlated positively with H. pylori infection. HDI was also found to be a significant factor, with higher HDI associated with lower infection rates. These findings provide evidence that can be used to devise strategies for the prevention and control of H. pylori.

20 CFR 404.220 - Average-monthly-wage method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... average-monthly-wage method if it is to your advantage. Being eligible for either the average-monthly-wage method or the modified average-monthly-wage method does not preclude your eligibility under the old-start...

Local and national trends in general surgery residents' operative experience: do work hour limitations negatively affect case volume in small community-based programs?

PubMed

Markelov, Alexey; Sakharpe, Aniket; Kohli, Harjeet; Livert, David

2011-12-01

The goals of this study were to analyze the impact of work hour restrictions on the operative case volume at a small community-based general surgery residency training program and compare changes with the national level. Annual national resident case log data from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website and case logs of graduating Easton Hospital residents (years 2002-2009) were used for analysis. Weighted average change in total number of cases in our institution was -1.20 (P = 0.52) vs 1.78 (P = 0.07) for the national program average with statistically significant difference on comparison (P = 0.027). We also found significant difference in case volume changes at the national level compared with our institution for the following ACGME defined subcategories: alimentary tract [8.19 (P < 0.01) vs -1.08 (P = 0.54)], abdomen [8.48 (P < 0.01) vs -6.29 (P < 0.01)], breast [1.91 (P = 0.89) vs -3.6 (P = 0.02)], and vascular [4.03 (P = 0.02) vs -3.98 (P = 0.01)]. Comparing the national trend to the community hospital we see that there is total increase in cases at the national level whereas there is a decrease in case volume at the community hospital. These trends can also be followed in ACGME defined subcategories which form the major case load for a general surgical training such as alimentary tract, abdominal, breast, and vascular procedures. We hypothesize that work hour restrictions have been favorable for the larger programs, as these programs were able to better integrate the night float system, restructure their call schedule, and implement institutional modifications which are too resource demanding for smaller training programs.

Analyzing average and conditional effects with multigroup multilevel structural equation models

PubMed Central

Mayer, Axel; Nagengast, Benjamin; Fletcher, John; Steyer, Rolf

2014-01-01

Conventionally, multilevel analysis of covariance (ML-ANCOVA) has been the recommended approach for analyzing treatment effects in quasi-experimental multilevel designs with treatment application at the cluster-level. In this paper, we introduce the generalized ML-ANCOVA with linear effect functions that identifies average and conditional treatment effects in the presence of treatment-covariate interactions. We show how the generalized ML-ANCOVA model can be estimated with multigroup multilevel structural equation models that offer considerable advantages compared to traditional ML-ANCOVA. The proposed model takes into account measurement error in the covariates, sampling error in contextual covariates, treatment-covariate interactions, and stochastic predictors. We illustrate the implementation of ML-ANCOVA with an example from educational effectiveness research where we estimate average and conditional effects of early transition to secondary schooling on reading comprehension. PMID:24795668

Average Annual Rainfall Over the Globe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, D. C.

2013-12-01

The atmospheric recycling of water is a very important phenomenon on the globe because it not only refreshes the water but it also redistributes it over land and oceans/rivers/lakes throughout the globe. This is made possible by the solar energy intercepted by the Earth. The half of the globe facing the Sun, on the average, intercepts 1.74×1017 J of solar radiation per second and it is divided over various channels as given in Table 1. It keeps our planet warm and maintains its average temperature2 of 288 K with the help of the atmosphere in such a way that life can survive. It also recycles the water in the oceans/rivers/ lakes by initial evaporation and subsequent precipitation; the average annual rainfall over the globe is around one meter. According to M. King Hubbert the amount of solar power going into the evaporation and precipitation channel is 4.0×1016 W. Students can verify the value of average annual rainfall over the globe by utilizing this part of solar energy. This activity is described in the next section.

Comparison of region-of-interest-averaged and pixel-averaged analysis of DCE-MRI data based on simulations and pre-clinical experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Dianning; Zamora, Marta; Oto, Aytekin; Karczmar, Gregory S.; Fan, Xiaobing

2017-09-01

Differences between region-of-interest (ROI) and pixel-by-pixel analysis of dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI data were investigated in this study with computer simulations and pre-clinical experiments. ROIs were simulated with 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 different pixels. For each pixel, a contrast agent concentration as a function of time, C(t), was calculated using the Tofts DCE-MRI model with randomly generated physiological parameters (K trans and v e) and the Parker population arterial input function. The average C(t) for each ROI was calculated and then K trans and v e for the ROI was extracted. The simulations were run 100 times for each ROI with new K trans and v e generated. In addition, white Gaussian noise was added to C(t) with 3, 6, and 12 dB signal-to-noise ratios to each C(t). For pre-clinical experiments, Copenhagen rats (n  =  6) with implanted prostate tumors in the hind limb were used in this study. The DCE-MRI data were acquired with a temporal resolution of ~5 s in a 4.7 T animal scanner, before, during, and after a bolus injection (<5 s) of Gd-DTPA for a total imaging duration of ~10 min. K trans and v e were calculated in two ways: (i) by fitting C(t) for each pixel, and then averaging the pixel values over the entire ROI, and (ii) by averaging C(t) over the entire ROI, and then fitting averaged C(t) to extract K trans and v e. The simulation results showed that in heterogeneous ROIs, the pixel-by-pixel averaged K trans was ~25% to ~50% larger (p  <  0.01) than the ROI-averaged K trans. At higher noise levels, the pixel-averaged K trans was greater than the ‘true’ K trans, but the ROI-averaged K trans was lower than the ‘true’ K trans. The ROI-averaged K trans was closer to the true K trans than pixel-averaged K trans for high noise levels. In pre-clinical experiments, the pixel-by-pixel averaged K trans was ~15% larger than the ROI-averaged K trans. Overall, with the Tofts model, the extracted

A Comparative Study on Seismic Analysis of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) with Other Building Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bari, Md. S.; Das, T.

2013-09-01

Tectonic framework of Bangladesh and adjoining areas indicate that Bangladesh lies well within an active seismic zone. The after effect of earthquake is more severe in an underdeveloped and a densely populated country like ours than any other developed countries. Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) was first established in 1993 to provide guidelines for design and construction of new structure subject to earthquake ground motions in order to minimize the risk to life for all structures. A revision of BNBC 1993 is undergoing to make this up to date with other international building codes. This paper aims at the comparison of various provisions of seismic analysis as given in building codes of different countries. This comparison will give an idea regarding where our country stands when it comes to safety against earth quake. Primarily, various seismic parameters in BNBC 2010 (draft) have been studied and compared with that of BNBC 1993. Later, both 1993 and 2010 edition of BNBC codes have been compared graphically with building codes of other countries such as National Building Code of India 2005 (NBC-India 2005), American Society of Civil Engineering 7-05 (ASCE 7-05). The base shear/weight ratios have been plotted against the height of the building. The investigation in this paper reveals that BNBC 1993 has the least base shear among all the codes. Factored Base shear values of BNBC 2010 are found to have increased significantly than that of BNBC 1993 for low rise buildings (≤20 m) around the country than its predecessor. Despite revision of the code, BNBC 2010 (draft) still suggests less base shear values when compared to the Indian and American code. Therefore, this increase in factor of safety against the earthquake imposed by the proposed BNBC 2010 code by suggesting higher values of base shear is appreciable.

Hybrid Reynolds-Averaged/Large-Eddy Simulations of a Coaxial Supersonic Free-Jet Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baurle, Robert A.; Edwards, Jack R.

2010-01-01

Reynolds-averaged and hybrid Reynolds-averaged/large-eddy simulations have been applied to a supersonic coaxial jet flow experiment. The experiment was designed to study compressible mixing flow phenomenon under conditions that are representative of those encountered in scramjet combustors. The experiment utilized either helium or argon as the inner jet nozzle fluid, and the outer jet nozzle fluid consisted of laboratory air. The inner and outer nozzles were designed and operated to produce nearly pressure-matched Mach 1.8 flow conditions at the jet exit. The purpose of the computational effort was to assess the state-of-the-art for each modeling approach, and to use the hybrid Reynolds-averaged/large-eddy simulations to gather insight into the deficiencies of the Reynolds-averaged closure models. The Reynolds-averaged simulations displayed a strong sensitivity to choice of turbulent Schmidt number. The initial value chosen for this parameter resulted in an over-prediction of the mixing layer spreading rate for the helium case, but the opposite trend was observed when argon was used as the injectant. A larger turbulent Schmidt number greatly improved the comparison of the results with measurements for the helium simulations, but variations in the Schmidt number did not improve the argon comparisons. The hybrid Reynolds-averaged/large-eddy simulations also over-predicted the mixing layer spreading rate for the helium case, while under-predicting the rate of mixing when argon was used as the injectant. The primary reason conjectured for the discrepancy between the hybrid simulation results and the measurements centered around issues related to the transition from a Reynolds-averaged state to one with resolved turbulent content. Improvements to the inflow conditions were suggested as a remedy to this dilemma. Second-order turbulence statistics were also compared to their modeled Reynolds-averaged counterparts to evaluate the effectiveness of common turbulence closure

Comparing surgical infections in National Surgical Quality Improvement Project and an Institutional Database.

PubMed

Selby, Luke V; Sjoberg, Daniel D; Cassella, Danielle; Sovel, Mindy; Weiser, Martin R; Sepkowitz, Kent; Jones, David R; Strong, Vivian E

2015-06-15

Surgical quality improvement requires accurate tracking and benchmarking of postoperative adverse events. We track surgical site infections (SSIs) with two systems; our in-house surgical secondary events (SSE) database and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP). The SSE database, a modification of the Clavien-Dindo classification, categorizes SSIs by their anatomic site, whereas NSQIP categorizes by their level. Our aim was to directly compare these different definitions. NSQIP and the SSE database entries for all surgeries performed in 2011 and 2012 were compared. To match NSQIP definitions, and while blinded to NSQIP results, entries in the SSE database were categorized as either incisional (superficial or deep) or organ space infections. These categorizations were compared with NSQIP records; agreement was assessed with Cohen kappa. The 5028 patients in our cohort had a 6.5% SSI in the SSE database and a 4% rate in NSQIP, with an overall agreement of 95% (kappa = 0.48, P < 0.0001). The rates of categorized infections were similarly well matched; incisional rates of 4.1% and 2.7% for the SSE database and NSQIP and organ space rates of 2.6% and 1.5%. Overall agreements were 96% (kappa = 0.36, P < 0.0001) and 98% (kappa = 0.55, P < 0.0001), respectively. Over 80% of cases recorded by the SSE database but not NSQIP did not meet NSQIP criteria. The SSE database is an accurate, real-time record of postoperative SSIs. Institutional databases that capture all surgical cases can be used in conjunction with NSQIP with excellent concordance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The causal meaning of Fisher’s average effect

PubMed Central

LEE, JAMES J.; CHOW, CARSON C.

2013-01-01

Summary In order to formulate the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection, Fisher defined the average excess and average effect of a gene substitution. Finding these notions to be somewhat opaque, some authors have recommended reformulating Fisher’s ideas in terms of covariance and regression, which are classical concepts of statistics. We argue that Fisher intended his two averages to express a distinction between correlation and causation. On this view, the average effect is a specific weighted average of the actual phenotypic changes that result from physically changing the allelic states of homologous genes. We show that the statistical and causal conceptions of the average effect, perceived as inconsistent by Falconer, can be reconciled if certain relationships between the genotype frequencies and non-additive residuals are conserved. There are certain theory-internal considerations favouring Fisher’s original formulation in terms of causality; for example, the frequency-weighted mean of the average effects equaling zero at each locus becomes a derivable consequence rather than an arbitrary constraint. More broadly, Fisher’s distinction between correlation and causation is of critical importance to gene-trait mapping studies and the foundations of evolutionary biology. PMID:23938113

Properties of bright solitons in averaged and unaveraged models for SDG fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ajit; Kumar, Atul

1996-04-01

Using the slowly varying envelope approximation and averaging over the fibre cross-section the evolution equation for optical pulses in semiconductor-doped glass (SDG) fibres is derived from the nonlinear wave equation. Bright soliton solutions of this equation are obtained numerically and their properties are studied and compared with those of the bright solitons in the unaveraged model.

Investigation of timing effects in modified composite quadrupolar echo pulse sequences by mean of average Hamiltonian theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mananga, Eugene Stephane

2018-01-01

The utility of the average Hamiltonian theory and its antecedent the Magnus expansion is presented. We assessed the concept of convergence of the Magnus expansion in quadrupolar spectroscopy of spin-1 via the square of the magnitude of the average Hamiltonian. We investigated this approach for two specific modified composite pulse sequences: COM-Im and COM-IVm. It is demonstrated that the size of the square of the magnitude of zero order average Hamiltonian obtained on the appropriated basis is a viable approach to study the convergence of the Magnus expansion. The approach turns to be efficient in studying pulse sequences in general and can be very useful to investigate coherent averaging in the development of high resolution NMR technique in solids. This approach allows comparing theoretically the two modified composite pulse sequences COM-Im and COM-IVm. We also compare theoretically the current modified composite sequences (COM-Im and COM-IVm) to the recently published modified composite pulse sequences (MCOM-I, MCOM-IV, MCOM-I_d, MCOM-IV_d).

Average BER of subcarrier intensity modulated free space optical systems over the exponentiated Weibull fading channels.

PubMed

Wang, Ping; Zhang, Lu; Guo, Lixin; Huang, Feng; Shang, Tao; Wang, Ranran; Yang, Yintang

2014-08-25

The average bit error rate (BER) for binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation in free-space optical (FSO) links over turbulence atmosphere modeled by the exponentiated Weibull (EW) distribution is investigated in detail. The effects of aperture averaging on the average BERs for BPSK modulation under weak-to-strong turbulence conditions are studied. The average BERs of EW distribution are compared with Lognormal (LN) and Gamma-Gamma (GG) distributions in weak and strong turbulence atmosphere, respectively. The outage probability is also obtained for different turbulence strengths and receiver aperture sizes. The analytical results deduced by the generalized Gauss-Laguerre quadrature rule are verified by the Monte Carlo simulation. This work is helpful for the design of receivers for FSO communication systems.

The effect of lactation length on greenhouse gas emissions from the national dairy herd.

PubMed

Wall, E; Coffey, M P; Pollott, G E

2012-11-01

Many governments have signed up to greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) reduction programmes under their national climate change obligations. Recently, it has been suggested that the use of extended lactations in dairy herds could result in reduced GHGE. Dairy GHGE were modelled on a national basis and the model was used to compare emissions from lactations of three different lengths (305, 370 and 440 days), and a current 'base' scenario on the basis of maintaining current milk production levels. In addition to comparing GHGE from the average 'National Herd' under these scenarios, results were used to investigate how accounting for lactations of different lengths might alter the estimation of emissions calculated from the National Inventory methodology currently recommended by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Data for the three lactation length scenarios were derived from nationally recorded dairy performance information and used in the GHGE model. Long lactations required fewer milking cows and replacements to maintain current milk yield levels than short ones, but GHGEs were found to rise from 1214 t of CO2 equivalent (CE)/farm per year for lactations of 305 days to 1371 t CE/farm per year for 440-day lactations. This apparent anomaly can be explained by the less efficient milk production (kg milk produced per kg cow weight) found in later lactation, a more pronounced effect in longer lactations. The sensitivity of the model to changes in replacement rate, persistency and level of milk yield was investigated. Changes in the replacement rate from 25% to 20% and in persistency by −10% to +20% resulted in very small changes in GHGE. Differences in GHGE due to the level of milk yield were much more dramatic with animals in the top 10% for yield, producing about 25% less GHGE/year than the average animal. National Inventory results were investigated using a more realistic spread of lactation lengths than recommended for such calculations using emissions

Aperture averaging in strong oceanic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gökçe, Muhsin Caner; Baykal, Yahya

2018-04-01

Receiver aperture averaging technique is employed in underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) systems to mitigate the effects of oceanic turbulence, thus to improve the system performance. The irradiance flux variance is a measure of the intensity fluctuations on a lens of the receiver aperture. Using the modified Rytov theory which uses the small-scale and large-scale spatial filters, and our previously presented expression that shows the atmospheric structure constant in terms of oceanic turbulence parameters, we evaluate the irradiance flux variance and the aperture averaging factor of a spherical wave in strong oceanic turbulence. Irradiance flux variance variations are examined versus the oceanic turbulence parameters and the receiver aperture diameter are examined in strong oceanic turbulence. Also, the effect of the receiver aperture diameter on the aperture averaging factor is presented in strong oceanic turbulence.

A new Faraday rotator for high average power lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khazanov, E A

2001-04-30

The new design of a Faraday rotator is proposed which allows one to compensate partially the radiation depolarisation in magneto-optical elements induced by heating due to the laser radiation absorption. The new design is compared analytically and numerically with a conventional design for the cases of glass and crystal magneto-optical media. It is shown that a rotator, which provides the compensation for birefringence in active elements with the accuracy up to 1 % at the average laser radiation power of 1 kW in the rotator, can be created. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Trends in Outcomes and Hospitalization Charges of Infant Botulism in the United States: A Comparative Analysis Between Kids' Inpatient Database and National Inpatient Sample.

PubMed

Opila, Tamara; George, Asha; El-Ghanem, Mohammad; Souayah, Nizar

2017-02-01

New therapeutic strategies, including immune globulin intravenous, have emerged in the past two decades for the management of botulism. However, impact on outcomes and hospitalization charges among infants (aged ≤1 year) with botulism in the United States is unknown. We analyzed the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) and National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for in-hospital outcomes and charges for infant botulism cases from 1997 to 2009. Demographics, discharge status, mortality, length of stay, and hospitalization charges were reported from the two databases and compared. Between 1997 and 2009, 504 infant hospitalizations were captured in KID', and 340 hospitalizations from NIS, for comparable years. A significant decrease was observed in mean length of stay for 'KID (P < 0.01); a similar decrease was observed for the NIS. The majority of patients were discharged to home. Despite an initial decrease after 1997, an increasing trend was observed for 'KID/NIS mean hospital charges from 2000 to 2009 (from $57,659/$56,309 to $143,171/$106,378; P < 0.001/P < 0.001). A linear increasing trend was evident when examining mean daily hospitalization charges for both databases. In conducting a subgroup analysis of the 'KID database, the youngest patients with infantile botulism (≤1.9 months) displayed the highest average number of procedures during their hospitalization (P < .001) and the highest rate of mechanical ventilation (P < .001), compared with their older counterparts. Infant botulism cases have demonstrated a significant increase in hospitalization charges over the years despite reduced length of stay. Additionally, there were significantly higher daily adjusted hospital charges and an increased rate of routine discharges for immune globulin intravenous-treated patients. More controlled studies are needed to define the criteria for cost-effective use of intravenous immune globulin in the population with infant botulism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All

Heuristic approach to capillary pressures averaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coca, B.P.

1980-10-01

Several methods are available to average capillary pressure curves. Among these are the J-curve and regression equations of the wetting-fluid saturation in porosity and permeability (capillary pressure held constant). While the regression equation seem completely empiric, the J-curve method seems to be theoretically sound due to its expression based on a relation between the average capillary radius and the permeability-porosity ratio. An analysis is given of each of these methods.

The calculation of average error probability in a digital fibre optical communication system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rugemalira, R. A. M.

1980-03-01

This paper deals with the problem of determining the average error probability in a digital fibre optical communication system, in the presence of message dependent inhomogeneous non-stationary shot noise, additive Gaussian noise and intersymbol interference. A zero-forcing equalization receiver filter is considered. Three techniques for error rate evaluation are compared. The Chernoff bound and the Gram-Charlier series expansion methods are compared to the characteristic function technique. The latter predicts a higher receiver sensitivity

The Speech Intelligibility Index and the Pure-Tone Average as Predictors of Lexical Ability in Children Fit with Hearing Aids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stiles, Derek J.; Bentler, Ruth A.; McGregor, Karla K.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To determine whether a clinically obtainable measure of audibility, the aided Speech Intelligibility Index (SII; American National Standards Institute, 2007), is more sensitive than the pure-tone average (PTA) at predicting the lexical abilities of children who wear hearing aids (CHA). Method: School-age CHA and age-matched children with…

Growth of Jobs with Above Average Earnings Projected at All Education Levels. Issues in Labor Statistics. Summary 94-2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment to grow by almost 26.4 million over the 1992-2005 period. The majority of these new jobs will be in higher-paying occupations. Entry requirements of the new jobs in occupations having above-average earnings will range from no more than a high school education to a bachelor's degree or…

National Survey of Patients’ Bill of Rights Statutes

PubMed Central

Jacob, Dan M.; Hochhauser, Mark; Parker, Ruth M.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND Despite vigorous national debate between 1999–2001 the federal patients’ bill of rights (PBOR) was not enacted. However, states have enacted legislation and the Joint Commission defined an accreditation standard to present patients with their rights. Because such initiatives can be undermined by overly complex language, we surveyed the readability of hospital PBOR documents as well as texts mandated by state law. METHODS State Web sites and codes were searched to identify PBOR statutes for general patient populations. The rights addressed were compared with the 12 themes presented in the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) PBOR text of 2002. In addition, we obtained PBOR texts from a sample of hospitals in each state. Readability was evaluated using Prose, a software program which reports an average of eight readability formulas. RESULTS Of 23 states with a PBOR statute for the general public, all establish a grievance policy, four protect a private right of action, and one stipulates fines for violations. These laws address an average of 7.4 of the 12 AHA themes. Nine states’ statutes specify PBOR text for distribution to patients. These documents have an average readability of 15th grade (range, 11.6, New York, to 17.0, Minnesota). PBOR documents from 240 US hospitals have an average readability of 14th grade (range, 8.2 to 17.0). CONCLUSIONS While the average U.S. adult reads at an 8th grade reading level, an advanced college reading level is routinely required to read PBOR documents. Patients are not likely to learn about their rights from documents they cannot read. PMID:19189192

7 CFR 1410.44 - Average adjusted gross income.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Average adjusted gross income. 1410.44 Section 1410... Average adjusted gross income. (a) Benefits under this part will not be available to persons or legal entities whose average adjusted gross income exceeds $1,000,000 or as further specified in part 1400...

7 CFR 1410.44 - Average adjusted gross income.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Average adjusted gross income. 1410.44 Section 1410... Average adjusted gross income. (a) Benefits under this part will not be available to persons or legal entities whose average adjusted gross income exceeds $1,000,000 or as further specified in part 1400...

Readability of neurosurgery-related patient education materials provided by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.

PubMed

Schmitt, Paul J; Prestigiacomo, Charles J

2013-11-01

Most professional organizations now provide patient information material, and not all of this material is appropriate for the average American adult to comprehend. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services recommend that patient education materials be written at the sixth-grade level. Our aim was to assess the readability of neurosurgery-related patient education material and compare it with The American Medical Association, NIH, and United States Department of Health and Human Services recommendations. Materials provided by the American Association of Neurologic Surgeons (AANS) and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and National Institutes of Health were assessed with the Flesch-Kincaid grade level and Flesch Reading Ease score with Microsoft Office Word software. None of the articles had Flesch-Kincaid grade levels at or below the sixth-grade level. All articles on the AANS Conditions and Treatments section were written at or above the ninth-grade level; three of the AANS Camera-Ready Fact Sheets and four of the NIH/NLM articles were written between the seventh- and eighth-grade levels. Current patient education material provided by the AANS is written well above the recommended level. Material from the NLM and NIH performed better, but was still above the recommended sixth-grade level. Education materials should contain information relevant to patients' conditions, be accurate in the information they present, and be written with the average patient in mind. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Averaged kick maps: less noise, more signal…and probably less bias

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pražnikar, Jure; Afonine, Pavel V.; Gunčar, Gregor

2009-09-01

Averaged kick maps are the sum of a series of individual kick maps, where each map is calculated from atomic coordinates modified by random shifts. These maps offer the possibility of an improved and less model-biased map interpretation. Use of reliable density maps is crucial for rapid and successful crystal structure determination. Here, the averaged kick (AK) map approach is investigated, its application is generalized and it is compared with other map-calculation methods. AK maps are the sum of a series of kick maps, where each kick map is calculated from atomic coordinates modified by random shifts. As such, theymore » are a numerical analogue of maximum-likelihood maps. AK maps can be unweighted or maximum-likelihood (σ{sub A}) weighted. Analysis shows that they are comparable and correspond better to the final model than σ{sub A} and simulated-annealing maps. The AK maps were challenged by a difficult structure-validation case, in which they were able to clarify the problematic region in the density without the need for model rebuilding. The conclusion is that AK maps can be useful throughout the entire progress of crystal structure determination, offering the possibility of improved map interpretation.« less

Lagrangian-averaged model for magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and the absence of bottlenecks.

PubMed

Pietarila Graham, Jonathan; Mininni, Pablo D; Pouquet, Annick

2009-07-01

We demonstrate that, for the case of quasiequipartition between the velocity and the magnetic field, the Lagrangian-averaged magnetohydrodynamics (LAMHD) alpha model reproduces well both the large-scale and the small-scale properties of turbulent flows; in particular, it displays no increased (superfilter) bottleneck effect with its ensuing enhanced energy spectrum at the onset of the subfilter scales. This is in contrast to the case of the neutral fluid in which the Lagrangian-averaged Navier-Stokes alpha model is somewhat limited in its applications because of the formation of spatial regions with no internal degrees of freedom and subsequent contamination of superfilter-scale spectral properties. We argue that, as the Lorentz force breaks the conservation of circulation and enables spectrally nonlocal energy transfer (associated with Alfvén waves), it is responsible for the absence of a viscous bottleneck in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), as compared to the fluid case. As LAMHD preserves Alfvén waves and the circulation properties of MHD, there is also no (superfilter) bottleneck found in LAMHD, making this method capable of large reductions in required numerical degrees of freedom; specifically, we find a reduction factor of approximately 200 when compared to a direct numerical simulation on a large grid of 1536;{3} points at the same Reynolds number.

Thomson scattering in the average-atom approximation.

PubMed

Johnson, W R; Nilsen, J; Cheng, K T

2012-09-01

The average-atom model is applied to study Thomson scattering of x-rays from warm dense matter with emphasis on scattering by bound electrons. Parameters needed to evaluate the dynamic structure function (chemical potential, average ionic charge, free electron density, bound and continuum wave functions, and occupation numbers) are obtained from the average-atom model. The resulting analysis provides a relatively simple diagnostic for use in connection with x-ray scattering measurements. Applications are given to dense hydrogen, beryllium, aluminum, and titanium plasmas. In the case of titanium, bound states are predicted to modify the spectrum significantly.

Calculating High Speed Centrifugal Compressor Performance from Averaged Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Fangyuan; Fleming, Ryan; Key, Nicole L.

2012-12-01

To improve the understanding of high performance centrifugal compressors found in modern aircraft engines, the aerodynamics through these machines must be experimentally studied. To accurately capture the complex flow phenomena through these devices, research facilities that can accurately simulate these flows are necessary. One such facility has been recently developed, and it is used in this paper to explore the effects of averaging total pressure and total temperature measurements to calculate compressor performance. Different averaging techniques (including area averaging, mass averaging, and work averaging) have been applied to the data. Results show that there is a negligible difference in both the calculated total pressure ratio and efficiency for the different techniques employed. However, the uncertainty in the performance parameters calculated with the different averaging techniques is significantly different, with area averaging providing the least uncertainty.

Inverse methods for estimating primary input signals from time-averaged isotope profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passey, Benjamin H.; Cerling, Thure E.; Schuster, Gerard T.; Robinson, Todd F.; Roeder, Beverly L.; Krueger, Stephen K.

2005-08-01

Mammalian teeth are invaluable archives of ancient seasonality because they record along their growth axes an isotopic record of temporal change in environment, plant diet, and animal behavior. A major problem with the intra-tooth method is that intra-tooth isotope profiles can be extremely time-averaged compared to the actual pattern of isotopic variation experienced by the animal during tooth formation. This time-averaging is a result of the temporal and spatial characteristics of amelogenesis (tooth enamel formation), and also results from laboratory sampling. This paper develops and evaluates an inverse method for reconstructing original input signals from time-averaged intra-tooth isotope profiles. The method requires that the temporal and spatial patterns of amelogenesis are known for the specific tooth and uses a minimum length solution of the linear system Am = d, where d is the measured isotopic profile, A is a matrix describing temporal and spatial averaging during amelogenesis and sampling, and m is the input vector that is sought. Accuracy is dependent on several factors, including the total measurement error and the isotopic structure of the measured profile. The method is shown to accurately reconstruct known input signals for synthetic tooth enamel profiles and the known input signal for a rabbit that underwent controlled dietary changes. Application to carbon isotope profiles of modern hippopotamus canines reveals detailed dietary histories that are not apparent from the measured data alone. Inverse methods show promise as an effective means of dealing with the time-averaging problem in studies of intra-tooth isotopic variation.

The Inaccuracy of National Character Stereotypes

PubMed Central

McCrae, Robert R.; Chan, Wayne; Jussim, Lee; De Fruyt, Filip; Löckenhoff, Corinna E.; De Bolle, Marleen; Costa, Paul T.; Hřebíčková, Martina; Graf, Sylvie; Realo, Anu; Allik, Jüri; Nakazato, Katsuharu; Shimonaka, Yoshiko; Yik, Michelle; Ficková, Emília; Brunner-Sciarra, Marina; Reátigui, Norma; de Figueora, Nora Leibovich; Schmidt, Vanina; Ahn, Chang-kyu; Ahn, Hyun-nie; Aguilar-Vafaie, Maria E.; Siuta, Jerzy; Szmigielska, Barbara; Cain, Thomas R.; Crawford, Jarret T.; Mastor, Khairul Anwar; Rolland, Jean-Pierre; Nansubuga, Florence; Miramontez, Daniel R.; Benet-Martínez, Veronica; Rossier, Jérôme; Bratko, Denis; Marušić, Iris; Halberstadt, Jamin; Yamaguchi, Mami; Knežević, Goran; Purić, Danka; Martin, Thomas A.; Gheorghiu, Mirona; Smith, Peter B.; Barbaranelli, Claudio; Wang, Lei; Shakespeare-Finch, Jane; Lima, Margarida P.; Klinkosz, Waldemar; Sekowski, Andrzej; Alcalay, Lidia; Simonetti, Franco; Avdeyeva, Tatyana V.; Pramila, V. S.; Terracciano, Antonio

2013-01-01

Consensual stereotypes of some groups are relatively accurate, whereas others are not. Previous work suggesting that national character stereotypes are inaccurate has been criticized on several grounds. In this article we (a) provide arguments for the validity of assessed national mean trait levels as criteria for evaluating stereotype accuracy; and (b) report new data on national character in 26 cultures from descriptions (N=3,323) of the typical male or female adolescent, adult, or old person in each. The average ratings were internally consistent and converged with independent stereotypes of the typical culture member, but were weakly related to objective assessments of personality. We argue that this conclusion is consistent with the broader literature on the inaccuracy of national character stereotypes. PMID:24187394

Kinetic energy equations for the average-passage equation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Richard W.; Adamczyk, John J.

1989-01-01

Important kinetic energy equations derived from the average-passage equation sets are documented, with a view to their interrelationships. These kinetic equations may be used for closing the average-passage equations. The turbulent kinetic energy transport equation used is formed by subtracting the mean kinetic energy equation from the averaged total instantaneous kinetic energy equation. The aperiodic kinetic energy equation, averaged steady kinetic energy equation, averaged unsteady kinetic energy equation, and periodic kinetic energy equation, are also treated.

Determining average yarding distance.

Treesearch

Roger H. Twito; Charles N. Mann

1979-01-01

Emphasis on environmental and esthetic quality in timber harvesting has brought about increased use of complex boundaries of cutting units and a consequent need for a rapid and accurate method of determining the average yarding distance and area of these units. These values, needed for evaluation of road and landing locations in planning timber harvests, are easily and...

Average Revisited in Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Jane; Chick, Helen

2012-01-01

This paper analyses the responses of 247 middle school students to items requiring the concept of average in three different contexts: a city's weather reported in maximum daily temperature, the number of children in a family, and the price of houses. The mixed but overall disappointing performance on the six items in the three contexts indicates…

Water quality in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Wisconsin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graczyk, D.J.

1986-01-01

A water quality study of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, was conducted during the period 1975-83. Concentrations of most constituents analyzed, and constituent loads and yields were lower in the Scenic Riverway than in other Wisconsin streams. Water quality samples were collected at 10 stations throughout the study area and were compared to analyses of samples from selected National Stream Quality Accounting Network stations (NASWAN) and the Hydrologic Bench-Mark Network (HBMN) station in Wisconsin. The average suspended sediment (SS) concentration for 9 of the 10 stations in this study was 7.7 mg/L. The concentrations of major cations and anionsmore » at two of the stations were similar to concentrations at the HBMN station Popple River near Fence. Mean total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 0.08 mg/L at the study stations and from 0.03 to 0.16 mg/L at selected NASQAN stations. Concentrations of trace metals were below safe drinking water standards at all the study sites, except for iron and manganese which exceeded drinking water standards at some of the study sites. Pesticides were sampled at the St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls and above and below cranberry bogs that drain into the Namekagon River. Average annual loads of SS, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and dissolved solids were calculated by a flow duration curve method. Suspended sediment yields ranged from 1.9 to 13.3 tons/sq mi. The average SS yield for Wisconsin is 80 tons/sq mi. total phosphorus and other constituents exhibited the same trend. 26 refs., 10 figs., 12 tabs.« less

Comparing adults who use cannabis medically with those who use recreationally: Results from a national sample.

PubMed

Lin, Lewei A; Ilgen, Mark A; Jannausch, Mary; Bohnert, Kipling M

2016-10-01

Cannabis has been legalized for medical use in almost half of the states in the U.S. Although laws in these states make the distinction between medical and recreational use of cannabis, the prevalence of people using medical cannabis and how distinct this group is from individuals using cannabis recreationally is unknown at a national level. Data came from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). All adults endorsing past year cannabis use who reported living in a state that had legalized medical cannabis were divided into recreational cannabis use only and medical cannabis use. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared across these two groups. 17% of adults who used cannabis in the past year used cannabis medically. There were no significant differences between those who used medically versus recreationally in race, education, past year depression and prevalence of cannabis use disorders. In adjusted analyses, those with medical cannabis use were more likely to have poorer health and lower levels of alcohol use disorders and non-cannabis drug use. A third of those who reported medical cannabis use endorsed daily cannabis use compared to 11% in those who reported recreational use exclusively. Adults who use medical and recreational cannabis shared some characteristics, but those who used medical cannabis had higher prevalence of poor health and daily cannabis use. As more states legalize cannabis for medical use, it is important to better understand similarities and differences between people who use cannabis medically and recreationally. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing adults who use cannabis medically with those who use recreationally: Results from a national sample

PubMed Central

Lin, Lewei A.; Ilgen, Mark A.; Jannausch, Mary; Bohnert, Kipling M.

2016-01-01

Objectives Cannabis has been legalized for medical use in almost half of the states in the U.S. Although laws in these states make the distinction between medical and recreational use of cannabis, the prevalence of people using medical cannabis and how distinct this group is from individuals using cannabis recreationally is unknown at a national level. Methods Data came from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). All adults endorsing past year cannabis use who reported living in a state that had legalized medical cannabis were divided into recreational cannabis use only and medical cannabis use. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared across these two groups. Results 17% of adults who used cannabis in the past year used cannabis medically. There were no significant differences between those who used medically versus recreationally in race, education, past year depression and prevalence of cannabis use disorders. In adjusted analyses, those with medical cannabis use were more likely to have poorer health and lower levels of alcohol use disorders and non-cannabis drug use. A third of those who reported medical cannabis use endorsed daily cannabis use compared to 11% in those who reported recreational use exclusively. Conclusions Adults who use medical and recreational cannabis shared some characteristics, but those who used medical cannabis had higher prevalence of poor health and daily cannabis use. As more states legalize cannabis for medical use, it is important to better understand similarities and differences between people who use cannabis medically and recreationally. PMID:27262964

The National Poisons Information Centre in Sri Lanka: the first ten years.

PubMed

Fernando, Ravindra

2002-01-01

Poisoning is a major health concern in Sri Lanka, which has a very high morbidity and mortality from pesticide poisoning. Poisoning, which continues to be in the first five leading causes of death, accounts for about 80,000 hospitalizations and over 3,000 deaths per year. The National Poisons Information Centre in Sri Lanka, thefirst such centre to be established in South Asia, completed 10 years service in 1997. The 4,070 calls received in thefirst 10 years are analyzed and compared with the national hospitalization pattern. The recorded data sheets of all enquiries received from 1988 to 1997 were analyzed retrospectively to study (1) purpose of enquiry, (2) category of enquirer, (3) circumstances of poisoning, (4) gender of victim, (5) age of victim, (6) type of poison, and (7) outcome. Items (6) and (7) were compared with the national hospital statistics for 1998. Of the 4,070 enquiries, 92% concerned specific patients and 6% were for information on poisons. Almost 90% of the enquiries were from medical or paramedical personnel, 5% from relatives or friends, and 3% from the victims. Nearly 38% of enquiries concerned pesticides compared to 27% of poisoning hospitalizations. Medicinal agents were the subject of 20% of enquiries compared to 13% of hospitalizations. The major discrepancy was for snake bites, accounting for only 6% of enquiries but 42% of hospitalizations. Sex distribution of enquiries showed more males than females. Thirty-seven percent of the victims were young adults-15-29years age group. Nearly 49% of the enquiries were for suicidal attempts. Seventy-one percent of the victims recovered. Although enquiries to the NPIC averaged only 0.5% of poisoning hospitalizations, they were sufficiently representative of the national pattern to predict that increasing utilization of the NPIC would offer a much needed service, both for

A Complier Average Causal Effect Analysis of the Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise Study.

PubMed

Carmody, Thomas; Greer, Tracy L; Walker, Robrina; Rethorst, Chad D; Trivedi, Madhukar H

2018-06-01

Exercise is a promising treatment for substance use disorders, yet an intention-to-treat analysis of a large, multi-site study found no reduction in stimulant use for exercise versus health education. Exercise adherence was sub-optimal; therefore, secondary post-hoc complier average causal effects (CACE) analysis was conducted to determine the potential effectiveness of adequately dosed exercise. The STimulant use Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise study was a randomized controlled trial comparing a 12 kcal/kg/week (KKW) exercise dose versus a health education control conducted at nine residential substance use treatment settings across the U.S. that are affiliated with the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Participants were sedentary but medically approved for exercise, used stimulants within 30 days prior to study entry, and received a DSM-IV stimulant abuse or dependence diagnosis within the past year. A CACE analysis adjusted to include only participants with a minimum threshold of adherence (at least 8.3 KKW) and using a negative-binomial hurdle model focused on 218 participants who were 36.2% female, mean age 39.4 years ( SD =11.1), and averaged 13.0 ( SD =9.2) stimulant use days in the 30 days before residential treatment. The outcome was days of stimulant use as assessed by the self-reported TimeLine Follow Back and urine drug screen results. The CACE-adjusted analysis found a significantly lower probability of relapse to stimulant use in the exercise group versus the health education group (41.0% vs. 55.7%, p <.01) and significantly lower days of stimulant use among those who relapsed (5.0 days vs. 9.9 days, p <.01). The CACE adjustment revealed significant, positive effects for exercise. Further research is warranted to develop strategies for exercise adherence that can ensure achievement of an exercise dose sufficient to produce a significant treatment effect.

Sample Size Bias in Judgments of Perceptual Averages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Paul C.; Kimura, Nicole M.; Smith, Andrew R.; Marshall, Lindsay D.

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that people exhibit a sample size bias when judging the average of a set of stimuli on a single dimension. The more stimuli there are in the set, the greater people judge the average to be. This effect has been demonstrated reliably for judgments of the average likelihood that groups of people will experience negative,…

Average volume of alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality in African Americans: the NHEFS cohort.

PubMed

Sempos, Christopher T; Rehm, Jürgen; Wu, Tiejian; Crespo, Carlos J; Trevisan, Maurizio

2003-01-01

To analyze the relationship between average volume of alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality in African Americans. Prospective cohort study--the NHANES Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study (NHEFS)--with baseline data collected 1971 through 1975 as part of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) and follow-up through 1992. The analytic data set consisted of 2054 African American men (n = 768) and women (n = 1,286), 25 to 75 years of age, who were followed for approximately 19 years. Alcohol was measured with a quantity-frequency measure at baseline. All-cause mortality. No J-shaped curve was found in the relationship between average volume of alcohol consumption and mortality for male or female African Americans. Instead, no beneficial effect appeared and mortality increased with increasing average consumption for more than one drink a day. The reason for not finding the J-shape in African Americans may be the result of the more detrimental drinking patterns in this ethnicity and consequently the lack of protective effects of alcohol on coronary heart disease. Taking into account sampling design did not substantially change the results from the models, which assumed a simple random sample. If this result can be confirmed in other samples, alcohol policy, especially prevention, should better incorporate patterns of drinking into programs.

Spatial and Temporal scales of time-averaged 700 MB height anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gutzler, D.

1981-01-01

The monthly and seasonal forecasting technique is based to a large extent on the extrapolation of trends in the positions of the centers of time averaged geopotential height anomalies. The complete forecasted height pattern is subsequently drawn around the forecasted anomaly centers. The efficacy of this technique was tested and time series of observed monthly mean and 5 day mean 700 mb geopotential heights were examined. Autocorrelation statistics are generated to document the tendency for persistence of anomalies. These statistics are compared to a red noise hypothesis to check for evidence of possible preferred time scales of persistence. Space-time spectral analyses at middle latitudes are checked for evidence of periodicities which could be associated with predictable month-to-month trends. A local measure of the average spatial scale of anomalies is devised for guidance in the completion of the anomaly pattern around the forecasted centers.

Historical bac-barrier shoreline changes, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prouty, J.S.

1989-09-01

Historical progradation rates of the Laguna Madre shoreline at Padre Island National Seashore have varied considerably, largely in response to rainfall fluctuations and perhaps grazing pressure. Analysis of aerial photographs indicates that near the northern margin of the National Seashore the shoreline prograded at an average rate of 26 ft/year between 1941 and 1950. The average rate of progradation increased to 42 ft/year between 1950 and 1964. Average rates then slowed in the late 1960s, and since 1969 the shoreline has prograded at an average rate of only 1 ft/year. Some areas of the shoreline are presently eroding. Early mapsmore » and accounts suggest that a century ago North Padre Island was largely vegetated. Overgrazing and a series of droughts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries denuded the island, and prevailing winds blew sand westward across the island into Laguna Madre. With higher than average rainfall in the past 2 decades and less grazing, the island has significantly revegetated. Winds now carry less sand to Laguna Madre; reduced sand supply is a major cause of present-day shoreline retreat.« less

OrthoANI: An improved algorithm and software for calculating average nucleotide identity.

PubMed

Lee, Imchang; Ouk Kim, Yeong; Park, Sang-Cheol; Chun, Jongsik

2016-02-01

Species demarcation in Bacteria and Archaea is mainly based on overall genome relatedness, which serves a framework for modern microbiology. Current practice for obtaining these measures between two strains is shifting from experimentally determined similarity obtained by DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) to genome-sequence-based similarity. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) is a simple algorithm that mimics DDH. Like DDH, ANI values between two genome sequences may be different from each other when reciprocal calculations are compared. We compared 63 690 pairs of genome sequences and found that the differences in reciprocal ANI values are significantly high, exceeding 1 % in some cases. To resolve this problem of not being symmetrical, a new algorithm, named OrthoANI, was developed to accommodate the concept of orthology for which both genome sequences were fragmented and only orthologous fragment pairs taken into consideration for calculating nucleotide identities. OrthoANI is highly correlated with ANI (using BLASTn) and the former showed approximately 0.1 % higher values than the latter. In conclusion, OrthoANI provides a more robust and faster means of calculating average nucleotide identity for taxonomic purposes. The standalone software tools are freely available at http://www.ezbiocloud.net/sw/oat.

Preference for facial averageness: Evidence for a common mechanism in human and macaque infants

PubMed Central

Damon, Fabrice; Méary, David; Quinn, Paul C.; Lee, Kang; Simpson, Elizabeth A.; Paukner, Annika; Suomi, Stephen J.; Pascalis, Olivier

2017-01-01

Human adults and infants show a preference for average faces, which could stem from a general processing mechanism and may be shared among primates. However, little is known about preference for facial averageness in monkeys. We used a comparative developmental approach and eye-tracking methodology to assess visual attention in human and macaque infants to faces naturally varying in their distance from a prototypical face. In Experiment 1, we examined the preference for faces relatively close to or far from the prototype in 12-month-old human infants with human adult female faces. Infants preferred faces closer to the average than faces farther from it. In Experiment 2, we measured the looking time of 3-month-old rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) viewing macaque faces varying in their distance from the prototype. Like human infants, macaque infants looked longer to faces closer to the average. In Experiments 3 and 4, both species were presented with unfamiliar categories of faces (i.e., macaque infants tested with adult macaque faces; human infants and adults tested with infant macaque faces) and showed no prototype preferences, suggesting that the prototypicality effect is experience-dependent. Overall, the findings suggest a common processing mechanism across species, leading to averageness preferences in primates. PMID:28406237

Maximum likelihood estimation for periodic autoregressive moving average models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vecchia, A.V.

1985-01-01

A useful class of models for seasonal time series that cannot be filtered or standardized to achieve second-order stationarity is that of periodic autoregressive moving average (PARMA) models, which are extensions of ARMA models that allow periodic (seasonal) parameters. An approximation to the exact likelihood for Gaussian PARMA processes is developed, and a straightforward algorithm for its maximization is presented. The algorithm is tested on several periodic ARMA(1, 1) models through simulation studies and is compared to moment estimation via the seasonal Yule-Walker equations. Applicability of the technique is demonstrated through an analysis of a seasonal stream-flow series from the Rio Caroni River in Venezuela.

Declining average daily census. Part 1: Implications and options.

PubMed

Weil, T P

1985-12-01

A national trend toward declining average daily (inpatient) census (ADC) started in late 1982 even before the Medicare prospective payment system began. The decrease in total days will continue despite an increasing number of aged persons in the U.S. population. This decline could have been predicted from trends during 1978 to 1983, such as increasing available beds but decreasing occupancy, 100 percent increases in hospital expenses, and declining lengths of stay. Assuming that health care costs will remain as a relatively fixed part of the gross national product and no major medical advances will occur in the next five years, certain implications and options exist for facilities experiencing a declining ADC. This article discusses several considerations: Attempts to improve market share; Reduction of full-time equivalent employees; Impact of greater acuity of illness among remaining inpatients; Implications of increasing the number of physicians on medical staffs; Option of a closed medical staff by clinical specialty; Unbundling with not-for-profit and profit-making corporations; Review of mergers, consolidations, and multihospital systems to decide when this option is most appropriate; Sale of a not-for-profit hospital to an investor-owned chain, with implications facing Catholic hospitals choosing this option; Impact and difficulty of developing meaningful alternative health care systems with the hospital's medical staff; Special problems of teaching hospitals; The social issue of the hospital shifting from the community's health center to a cost center; Increased turnover of hospital CEOs; With these in mind, institutions can then focus on solutions that can sometimes be used in tandem to resolve this problem's impact. The second part of this article will discuss some of them.

Calculation of the Average Cost per Case of Dengue Fever in Mexico Using a Micro-Costing Approach

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Introduction The increasing burden of dengue fever (DF) in the Americas, and the current epidemic in previously unaffected countries, generate major costs for national healthcare systems. There is a need to quantify the average cost per DF case. In Mexico, few data are available on costs, despite DF being endemic in some areas. Extrapolations from studies in other countries may prove unreliable and are complicated by the two main Mexican healthcare systems (the Secretariat of Health [SS] and the Mexican Social Security Institute [IMSS]). The present study aimed to generate specific average DF cost-per-case data for Mexico using a micro-costing approach. Methods Expected medical costs associated with an ideal management protocol for DF (denoted ´ideal costs´) were compared with the medical costs of current treatment practice (denoted ´real costs´) in 2012. Real cost data were derived from chart review of DF cases and interviews with patients and key personnel from 64 selected hospitals and ambulatory care units in 16 states for IMSS and SS. In both institutions, ideal and real costs were estimated using the program, actions, activities, tasks, inputs (PAATI) approach, a micro-costing technique developed by us. Results Clinical pathways were obtained for 1,168 patients following review of 1,293 charts. Ideal and real costs for SS patients were US$165.72 and US$32.60, respectively, in the outpatient setting, and US$587.77 and US$490.93, respectively, in the hospital setting. For IMSS patients, ideal and real costs were US$337.50 and US$92.03, respectively, in the outpatient setting, and US$2,042.54 and US$1,644.69 in the hospital setting. Conclusions The markedly higher ideal versus real costs may indicate deficiencies in the actual care of patients with DF. It may be necessary to derive better estimates with micro-costing techniques and compare the ideal protocol with current practice when calculating these costs, as patients do not always receive optimal care

A Comparative Cost Analysis of Commodity Foods from the U. S. Department of Agriculture in the National School Lunch Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Cora

2009-01-01

Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program receive a portion of their federal funding as commodity foods rather than cash payments. This research compared the product costs and estimated total procurement costs of commodity and commercial foods from the school district perspective using data from 579 Minnesota ordering sites in…

LANDSAT-4 horizon scanner full orbit data averages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanley, J. P.; Bilanow, S.

1983-01-01

Averages taken over full orbit data spans of the pitch and roll residual measurement errors of the two conical Earth sensors operating on the LANDSAT 4 spacecraft are described. The variability of these full orbit averages over representative data throughtout the year is analyzed to demonstrate the long term stability of the sensor measurements. The data analyzed consist of 23 segments of sensor measurements made at 2 to 4 week intervals. Each segment is roughly 24 hours in length. The variation of full orbit average as a function of orbit within a day as a function of day of year is examined. The dependence on day of year is based on association the start date of each segment with the mean full orbit average for the segment. The peak-to-peak and standard deviation values of the averages for each data segment are computed and their variation with day of year are also examined.

Mental disorders among English-speaking Mexican immigrants to the US compared to a national sample of Mexicans.

PubMed

Breslau, Joshua; Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio; Borges, Guilherme; Castilla-Puentes, Ruby Cecilia; Kendler, Kenneth S; Medina-Mora, Maria-Elena; Su, Maxwell; Kessler, Ronald C

2007-05-30

Our understanding of the relationship between immigration and mental health can be advanced by comparing immigrants pre- and post-immigration with residents of the immigrants' home countries. DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders were assessed using identical methods in representative samples of English-speaking Mexican immigrants to the US, a subsample of the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCSR), and Mexicans, the Mexican National Comorbidity Survey (MNCS). Retrospective reports of age of onset of disorders and, in the immigrant sample, age of immigration were analyzed to study the associations of pre-existing mental disorders with immigration and of immigration with the subsequent onset and persistence of mental disorders. Pre-existing anxiety disorders predicted immigration (OR=3.0; 95% CI 1.2-7.4). Immigration predicted subsequent onset of anxiety (OR=1.9; 95% CI 0.9-3.9) and mood (OR=2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.0) disorders and persistence of anxiety (OR=3.7 95% CI 1.2-11.2) disorders. The results are inconsistent with the "healthy immigrant" hypothesis (that mentally healthy people immigrate) and partly consistent with the "acculturation stress" hypothesis (i.e., that stresses of living in a foreign culture promote mental disorder). Replication and extension of these results in a larger bi-national sample using a single field staff are needed.

Scale-invariant Green-Kubo relation for time-averaged diffusivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Philipp; Barkai, Eli; Kantz, Holger

2017-12-01

In recent years it was shown both theoretically and experimentally that in certain systems exhibiting anomalous diffusion the time- and ensemble-averaged mean-squared displacement are remarkably different. The ensemble-averaged diffusivity is obtained from a scaling Green-Kubo relation, which connects the scale-invariant nonstationary velocity correlation function with the transport coefficient. Here we obtain the relation between time-averaged diffusivity, usually recorded in single-particle tracking experiments, and the underlying scale-invariant velocity correlation function. The time-averaged mean-squared displacement is given by 〈δ2¯〉 ˜2 DνtβΔν -β , where t is the total measurement time and Δ is the lag time. Here ν is the anomalous diffusion exponent obtained from ensemble-averaged measurements 〈x2〉 ˜tν , while β ≥-1 marks the growth or decline of the kinetic energy 〈v2〉 ˜tβ . Thus, we establish a connection between exponents that can be read off the asymptotic properties of the velocity correlation function and similarly for the transport constant Dν. We demonstrate our results with nonstationary scale-invariant stochastic and deterministic models, thereby highlighting that systems with equivalent behavior in the ensemble average can differ strongly in their time average. If the averaged kinetic energy is finite, β =0 , the time scaling of 〈δ2¯〉 and 〈x2〉 are identical; however, the time-averaged transport coefficient Dν is not identical to the corresponding ensemble-averaged diffusion constant.

High-Achieving and Average Students' Reading Growth: Contrasting School and Summer Trajectories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rambo-Hernandez, Karen E.; McCoach, D. Betsy

2015-01-01

Much is unknown about how initially high-achieving students grow academically, especially given the measurement issues inherent in assessing growth for the highest performing students. This study compared initially high-achieving and average students' growth in reading (in a cohort of third-grade students from 2,000 schools) over 3 years.…

Regional grassland productivity responses to precipitation during multiyear above- and below-average rainfall periods.

PubMed

Petrie, Matthew D; Peters, Debra P C; Yao, Jin; Blair, John M; Burruss, Nathan D; Collins, Scott L; Derner, Justin D; Gherardi, Laureano A; Hendrickson, John R; Sala, Osvaldo E; Starks, Patrick J; Steiner, Jean L

2018-05-01

There is considerable uncertainty in the magnitude and direction of changes in precipitation associated with climate change, and ecosystem responses are also uncertain. Multiyear periods of above- and below-average rainfall may foretell consequences of changes in rainfall regime. We compiled long-term aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and precipitation (PPT) data for eight North American grasslands, and quantified relationships between ANPP and PPT at each site, and in 1-3 year periods of above- and below-average rainfall for mesic, semiarid cool, and semiarid warm grassland types. Our objective was to improve understanding of ANPP dynamics associated with changing climatic conditions by contrasting PPT-ANPP relationships in above- and below-average PPT years to those that occurred during sequences of multiple above- and below-average years. We found differences in PPT-ANPP relationships in above- and below-average years compared to long-term site averages, and variation in ANPP not explained by PPT totals that likely are attributed to legacy effects. The correlation between ANPP and current- and prior-year conditions changed from year to year throughout multiyear periods, with some legacy effects declining, and new responses emerging. Thus, ANPP in a given year was influenced by sequences of conditions that varied across grassland types and climates. Most importantly, the influence of prior-year ANPP often increased with the length of multiyear periods, whereas the influence of the amount of current-year PPT declined. Although the mechanisms by which a directional change in the frequency of above- and below-average years imposes a persistent change in grassland ANPP require further investigation, our results emphasize the importance of legacy effects on productivity for sequences of above- vs. below-average years, and illustrate the utility of long-term data to examine these patterns. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Scalable Robust Principal Component Analysis Using Grassmann Averages.

PubMed

Hauberg, Sren; Feragen, Aasa; Enficiaud, Raffi; Black, Michael J

2016-11-01

In large datasets, manual data verification is impossible, and we must expect the number of outliers to increase with data size. While principal component analysis (PCA) can reduce data size, and scalable solutions exist, it is well-known that outliers can arbitrarily corrupt the results. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art approaches for robust PCA are not scalable. We note that in a zero-mean dataset, each observation spans a one-dimensional subspace, giving a point on the Grassmann manifold. We show that the average subspace corresponds to the leading principal component for Gaussian data. We provide a simple algorithm for computing this Grassmann Average ( GA), and show that the subspace estimate is less sensitive to outliers than PCA for general distributions. Because averages can be efficiently computed, we immediately gain scalability. We exploit robust averaging to formulate the Robust Grassmann Average (RGA) as a form of robust PCA. The resulting Trimmed Grassmann Average ( TGA) is appropriate for computer vision because it is robust to pixel outliers. The algorithm has linear computational complexity and minimal memory requirements. We demonstrate TGA for background modeling, video restoration, and shadow removal. We show scalability by performing robust PCA on the entire Star Wars IV movie; a task beyond any current method. Source code is available online.

Local and average structure of Mn- and La-substituted BiFeO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Bo; Selbach, Sverre M.

2017-06-01

The local and average structure of solid solutions of the multiferroic perovskite BiFeO3 is investigated by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The average experimental structure is determined by Rietveld refinement and the local structure by total scattering data analyzed in real space with the pair distribution function (PDF) method. With equal concentrations of La on the Bi site or Mn on the Fe site, La causes larger structural distortions than Mn. Structural models based on DFT relaxed geometry give an improved fit to experimental PDFs compared to models constrained by the space group symmetry. Berry phase calculations predict a higher ferroelectric polarization than the experimental literature values, reflecting that structural disorder is not captured in either average structure space group models or DFT calculations with artificial long range order imposed by periodic boundary conditions. Only by including point defects in a supercell, here Bi vacancies, can DFT calculations reproduce the literature results on the structure and ferroelectric polarization of Mn-substituted BiFeO3. The combination of local and average structure sensitive experimental methods with DFT calculations is useful for illuminating the structure-property-composition relationships in complex functional oxides with local structural distortions.

Local and average structure of Mn- and La-substituted BiFeO 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Bo; Selbach, Sverre M.

2017-06-01

The local and average structure of solid solutions of the multiferroic perovskite BiFeO 3 is investigated by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The average experimental structure is determined by Rietveld refinement and the local structure by total scattering data analyzed in real space with the pair distribution function (PDF) method. With equal concentrations of La on the Bi site or Mn on the Fe site, La causes larger structural distortions than Mn. Structural models based on DFT relaxed geometry give an improved fit to experimental PDFs compared to models constrained by the space groupmore » symmetry. Berry phase calculations predict a higher ferroelectric polarization than the experimental literature values, reflecting that structural disorder is not captured in either average structure space group models or DFT calculations with artificial long range order imposed by periodic boundary conditions. Only by including point defects in a supercell, here Bi vacancies, can DFT calculations reproduce the literature results on the structure and ferroelectric polarization of Mn-substituted BiFeO 3. The combination of local and average structure sensitive experimental methods with DFT calculations is useful for illuminating the structure-property-composition relationships in complex functional oxides with local structural distortions.« less

Determinants of psychogeriatric inpatient length of stay and direct medical costs: a 6-year longitudinal study using a national database in Taiwan.

PubMed

Liu, Chin-Ming; Li, Chu-Shiu; Liu, Chwen-Chi; Tu, Chu-Chin

2012-08-01

This research examined factors related to the average length of hospital stay (LOS) and average direct medical costs (DMC) for 2291 psychogeriatric inpatients (aged 65 and over) admitted for the first time to a psychiatric ward in 2002. Hospitalization claim data of these inpatients were traced for the subsequent 6 years (2002-2007) from the dataset of Taiwan's National Health Insurance program. Analysis was carried out using the t-test, χ(2) -test and zero truncated Tobit regression. Mean LOS and mean DMC were significantly different according to sex, psychiatric diagnosis, institution type, ownership type, and number of hospitalizations, but age was the exception. Both LOS and DMC exhibited downward U-shape for the number of hospitalizations. Factors significantly associated with longer LOS and higher DMC were: male sex; schizophrenic and delusional disorders (compared with dementia); and public institution (compared with private hospital). Compared with dementia, organic mental and anxiety disorders had significantly shorter LOS, and affective disorders had shorter LOS but higher DMC. Community and psychiatric hospitals (compared with general hospital) significantly influenced LOS but not DMC. Our results can be used as a reference for providers and policymakers to improve psychiatric care efficiency and carry out National Health Insurance financial reform for psychogeriatric inpatients. © 2012 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2012 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

An empirical investigation on the forecasting ability of mallows model averaging in a macro economic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yip Chee; Hock-Eam, Lim

2012-09-01

This paper investigates the forecasting ability of Mallows Model Averaging (MMA) by conducting an empirical analysis of five Asia countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and China's GDP growth rate. Results reveal that MMA has no noticeable differences in predictive ability compared to the general autoregressive fractional integrated moving average model (ARFIMA) and its predictive ability is sensitive to the effect of financial crisis. MMA could be an alternative forecasting method for samples without recent outliers such as financial crisis.

The Influence of Averageness on Adults' Perceptions of Attractiveness: The Effect of Early Visual Deprivation.

PubMed

Vingilis-Jaremko, Larissa; Maurer, Daphne; Rhodes, Gillian; Jeffery, Linda

2016-08-03

Adults who missed early visual input because of congenital cataracts later have deficits in many aspects of face processing. Here we investigated whether they make normal judgments of facial attractiveness. In particular, we studied whether their perceptions are affected normally by a face's proximity to the population mean, as is true of typically developing adults, who find average faces to be more attractive than most other faces. We compared the judgments of facial attractiveness of 12 cataract-reversal patients to norms established from 36 adults with normal vision. Participants viewed pairs of adult male and adult female faces that had been transformed 50% toward and 50% away from their respective group averages, and selected which face was more attractive. Averageness influenced patients' judgments of attractiveness, but to a lesser extent than controls. The results suggest that cataract-reversal patients are able to develop a system for representing faces with a privileged position for an average face, consistent with evidence from identity aftereffects. However, early visual experience is necessary to set up the neural architecture necessary for averageness to influence perceptions of attractiveness with its normal potency. © The Author(s) 2016.

Modern average global sea-surface temperature

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schweitzer, Peter N.

1993-01-01

The data contained in this data set are derived from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Multichannel Sea Surface Temperature data (AVHRR MCSST), which are obtainable from the Distributed Active Archive Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. The JPL tapes contain weekly images of SST from October 1981 through December 1990 in nine regions of the world ocean: North Atlantic, Eastern North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Agulhas, Indian, Southeast Pacific, Southwest Pacific, Northeast Pacific, and Northwest Pacific. This data set represents the results of calculations carried out on the NOAA data and also contains the source code of the programs that made the calculations. The objective was to derive the average sea-surface temperature of each month and week throughout the whole 10-year series, meaning, for example, that data from January of each year would be averaged together. The result is 12 monthly and 52 weekly images for each of the oceanic regions. Averaging the images in this way tends to reduce the number of grid cells that lack valid data and to suppress interannual variability.

Ordinary or peculiar men? Comparing the customers of prostitutes with a nationally representative sample of men.

PubMed

Monto, Martin A; Milrod, Christine

2014-07-01

Recent media attention implies that prostitution seeking is widespread, an "ordinary" aspect of masculine sexual behavior. Other accounts suggest that customers are "peculiar," characterized by distinct qualities, perversions, or psychological impairments. Using the nationally representative General Social Survey (GSS), this study demonstrates that prostitution seeking is relatively uncommon. Only about 14% of men in the United States report having ever paid for sex, and only 1% report having done so during the previous year. Furthermore, this study dissects whether customers are ordinary or peculiar by comparing a new sample of active customers who solicit sex on the Internet with an older sample of arrested customers, a sample of customers from the GSS, and a nationally representative sample of noncustomers. The customers of Internet sexual service providers differed greatly from men in general and also from other customers. The remaining samples of customers differed slightly from noncustomers in general. We argue for a balanced perspective that recognizes the significant variety among customers. There is no evidence of a peculiar quality that differentiates customers in general from men who have not paid for sex. © The Author(s) 2013.

Reduction of Averaging Time for Evaluation of Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields from Cellular Base Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Byung Chan; Park, Seong-Ook

In order to determine exposure compliance with the electromagnetic fields from a base station's antenna in the far-field region, we should calculate the spatially averaged field value in a defined space. This value is calculated based on the measured value obtained at several points within the restricted space. According to the ICNIRP guidelines, at each point in the space, the reference levels are averaged over any 6min (from 100kHz to 10GHz) for the general public. Therefore, the more points we use, the longer the measurement time becomes. For practical application, it is very advantageous to spend less time for measurement. In this paper, we analyzed the difference of average values between 6min and lesser periods and compared it with the standard uncertainty for measurement drift. Based on the standard deviation from the 6min averaging value, the proposed minimum averaging time is 1min.

Cross-National Prevalence of Traditional Bullying, Traditional Victimization, Cyberbullying and Cyber-Victimization: Comparing Single-Item and Multiple-Item Approaches of Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yanagida, Takuya; Gradinger, Petra; Strohmeier, Dagmar; Solomontos-Kountouri, Olga; Trip, Simona; Bora, Carmen

2016-01-01

Many large-scale cross-national studies rely on a single-item measurement when comparing prevalence rates of traditional bullying, traditional victimization, cyberbullying, and cyber-victimization between countries. However, the reliability and validity of single-item measurement approaches are highly problematic and might be biased. Data from…

Analysis of the covariance function and aperture averaged fluctuations of irradiance to calculate Cn2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauble, Galen D.; Wayne, David T.

2017-09-01

The growth of optical communication has created a need to correctly characterize the atmospheric channel. Atmospheric turbulence along a given channel can drastically affect optical communication signal quality. One means of characterizing atmospheric turbulence is through measurement of the refractive index structure parameter, Cn2. When calculating Cn2 from the scintillation index, σΙ2,the point aperture scintillation index is required. Direct measurement of the point aperture scintillation index is difficult at long ranges due to the light collecting abilities of small apertures. When aperture size is increased past the atmospheric correlation width, aperture averaging decreases the scintillation index below that of the point aperture scintillation index. While the aperture averaging factor can be calculated from theory, it does not often agree with experimental results. Direct measurement of the aperture averaging factor via the pupil plane irradiance covariance function allows conversion from the aperture averaged scintillation index to the point aperture scintillation index. Using a finite aperture, camera, and detector, the aperture averaged scintillation index and aperture averaging factor are measured in parallel and the point aperture scintillation index is calculated. A new instrument built by SSC Pacific was used to collect scintillation data at the Townes Institute Science and Technology Experimentation Facility (TISTEF). This new instrument's data was then compared to BLS900 data. The results show that direct measurement of the aperture averaging factor is achievable using a camera and matches well with groundtruth instrumentation.

Comparing adult cannabis treatment-seekers enrolled in a clinical trial with national samples of cannabis users in the United States

PubMed Central

McClure, Erin A.; King, Jacqueline S.; Wahle, Aimee; Matthews, Abigail G.; Sonne, Susan C.; Lofwall, Michelle R.; McRae-Clark, Aimee L.; Ghitza, Udi E.; Martinez, Melissa; Cloud, Kasie; Virk, Harvir S.; Gray, Kevin M.

2017-01-01

Background Cannabis use rates are increasing among adults in the United States (US) while the perception of harm is declining. This may result in an increased prevalence of cannabis use disorder and the need for more clinical trials to evaluate efficacious treatment strategies. Clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating treatment, yet study samples are rarely representative of the target population. This finding has not yet been established for cannabis treatment trials. This study compared demographic and cannabis use characteristics of a cannabis cessation clinical trial sample (run through National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network) with three nationally representative datasets from the US; 1) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, and 3) Treatment Episodes Data Set – Admissions. Methods Comparisons were made between the clinical trial sample and appropriate cannabis using sub-samples from the national datasets, and propensity scores were calculated to determine the degree of similarity between samples. Results Results showed that the clinical trial sample was significantly different from all three national datasets, with the clinical trial sample having greater representation among older adults, African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, adults with more education, non-tobacco users, and daily and almost daily cannabis users. Conclusions These results are consistent with previous studies of other substance use disorder populations and extend sample representation issues to a cannabis use disorder population. This illustrates the need to ensure representative samples within cannabis treatment clinical trials to improve the generalizability of promising findings. PMID:28511033

Comparing adult cannabis treatment-seekers enrolled in a clinical trial with national samples of cannabis users in the United States.

PubMed

McClure, Erin A; King, Jacqueline S; Wahle, Aimee; Matthews, Abigail G; Sonne, Susan C; Lofwall, Michelle R; McRae-Clark, Aimee L; Ghitza, Udi E; Martinez, Melissa; Cloud, Kasie; Virk, Harvir S; Gray, Kevin M

2017-07-01

Cannabis use rates are increasing among adults in the United States (US) while the perception of harm is declining. This may result in an increased prevalence of cannabis use disorder and the need for more clinical trials to evaluate efficacious treatment strategies. Clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating treatment, yet study samples are rarely representative of the target population. This finding has not yet been established for cannabis treatment trials. This study compared demographic and cannabis use characteristics of a cannabis cessation clinical trial sample (run through National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network) with three nationally representative datasets from the US; 1) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, and 3) Treatment: Episodes Data Set - Admissions. Comparisons were made between the clinical trial sample and appropriate cannabis using sub-samples from the national datasets, and propensity scores were calculated to determine the degree of similarity between samples. showed that the clinical trial sample was significantly different from all three national datasets, with the clinical trial sample having greater representation among older adults, African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, adults with more education, non-tobacco users, and daily and almost daily cannabis users. These results are consistent with previous studies of other substance use disorder populations and extend sample representation issues to a cannabis use disorder population. This illustrates the need to ensure representative samples within cannabis treatment clinical trials to improve the generalizability of promising findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of the 80-hour workweek on surgical exposure and national in-training examination scores in an orthopedic residency program.

PubMed

Froelich, John; Milbrandt, Joseph C; Allan, D Gordon

2009-01-01

This study examines the impact of the 80-hour workweek on the number of surgical cases performed by PGY-2 through PGY-5 orthopedic residents. We also evaluated orthopedic in-training examination (OITE) scores during the same time period. Data were collected from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) national database for 3 academic years before and 5 years after July 1, 2003. CPT surgical procedure codes logged by all residents 3 years before and 5 years after implementation of the 80-hour workweek were compared. The average raw OITE scores for each class obtained during the same time period were also evaluated. Data were reported as the mean +/- standard deviation (SD), and group means were compared using independent t-tests. No statistical difference was noted in the number of surgical procedure codes logged before or after the institution of the 80-hour week during any single year of training. However, an increase in the number of CPT codes logged in the PGY-3 years after 2003 did approach significance (457.7 vs 551.9, p = 0.057). Overall, the average number of cases performed per resident increased each year after implementation of the work-hour restriction (464.4 vs 515.5 cases). No statistically significant difference was noted in the raw OITE scores before or after work-hour restrictions for our residents or nationally. We found no statistical difference for each residency class in the average number of cases performed or OITE scores, although the total number of cases performed has increased after implementation of the work-hour restrictions. We also found no statistical difference in the national OITE scores. Our data suggest that the impact of the 80-hour workweek has not had a detrimental effect on these 2 resident training measurements.

The effects of noise in cardiac diffusion tensor imaging and the benefits of averaging complex data.

PubMed

Scott, Andrew D; Nielles-Vallespin, Sonia; Ferreira, Pedro F; McGill, Laura-Ann; Pennell, Dudley J; Firmin, David N

2016-05-01

There is growing interest in cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI), but, unlike other diffusion MRI applications, there has been little investigation of the effects of noise on the parameters typically derived. One method of mitigating noise floor effects when there are multiple image averages, as in cDTI, is to average the complex rather than the magnitude data, but the phase contains contributions from bulk motion, which must be removed first. The effects of noise on the mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), helical angle (HA) and absolute secondary eigenvector angle (E2A) were simulated with various diffusion weightings (b values). The effect of averaging complex versus magnitude images was investigated. In vivo cDTI was performed in 10 healthy subjects with b = 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 s/mm(2). A technique for removing the motion-induced component of the image phase present in vivo was implemented by subtracting a low-resolution copy of the phase from the original images before averaging the complex images. MD, FA, E2A and the transmural gradient in HA were compared for un-averaged, magnitude- and complex-averaged reconstructions. Simulations demonstrated an over-estimation of FA and MD at low b values and an under-estimation at high b values. The transition is relatively signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) independent and occurs at a higher b value for FA (b = 1000-1250 s/mm(2)) than MD (b ≈ 250 s/mm(2)). E2A is under-estimated at low and high b values with a transition at b ≈ 1000 s/mm(2), whereas the bias in HA is comparatively small. The under-estimation of FA and MD at high b values is caused by noise floor effects, which can be mitigated by averaging the complex data. Understanding the parameters of interest and the effects of noise informs the selection of the optimal b values. When complex data are available, they should be used to maximise the benefit from the acquisition of multiple averages. The combination of

47 CFR 1.959 - Computation of average terrain elevation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 1.959 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Wireless..., average terrain elevation must be calculated by computer using elevations from a 30 second point or better..., if the results differ significantly from the computer derived averages. (a) Radial average terrain...

47 CFR 1.959 - Computation of average terrain elevation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Section 1.959 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Wireless..., average terrain elevation must be calculated by computer using elevations from a 30 second point or better..., if the results differ significantly from the computer derived averages. (a) Radial average terrain...

Conceptual Analysis of System Average Water Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.

2016-12-01

Averaging over time and area, the precipitation in an ecosystem (SAP - system average precipitation) depends on the average surface temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the system if uniform convection is assumed. RH depends on the evapotranspiration of the system (SAE - system average evapotranspiration). There is a non-linear relationship between SAP and SAE. Studying this relationship can lead mechanistic understanding of the ecosystem health status and trend under different setups. If SAP is higher than SAE, the system will have a water runoff which flows out through rivers. If SAP is lower than SAE, irrigation is needed to maintain the vegetation status. This presentation will give a conceptual analysis of the stability in this relationship under different assumed areas, water or forest coverages, elevations and latitudes. This analysis shows that desert is a stable system. Water circulation in basins is also stabilized at a specific SAP based on the basin profile. It further shows that deforestation will reduce SAP, and can flip the system to an irrigation required status. If no irrigation is provided, the system will automatically reduce to its stable point - desert, which is extremely difficult to turn around.

Race and socioeconomic disparities in national stoma reversal rates.

PubMed

Zafar, Syed Nabeel; Changoor, Navin R; Williams, Kibileri; Acosta, Rafael D; Greene, Wendy R; Fullum, Terrence M; Haider, Adil H; Cornwell, Edward E; Tran, Daniel D

2016-04-01

Many temporary stomas are never reversed leading to significantly worse quality of life. Recent evidence suggests a lower rate of reversal among minority patients. Our study aimed to elucidate disparities in national stoma closure rates by race, medical insurance status, and household income. Five years of data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2008 to 2012) was used to identify the annual rates of stoma formation and annual rates of stoma closure. Stomas labeled as "permanent" or those created secondary to colorectal cancers were excluded. Temporary stoma closure rates were calculated, and differences were tested with the chi-square test. Separate analyses were performed by race/ethnicity, insurance status, and household income. Nationally representative estimates were calculated using discharge-level weights. The 5-year average annual rate of temporary stoma creation was 76,551 per year (46% colostomies and 54% ileostomies). The annual rate of stoma reversal was 50,155 per year that equated to an annual reversal rate of 65.5%. Reversal rates were higher among white patients compared with black patients (67% vs 56%, P < .001) and among privately insured patients compared with uninsured patients (88% vs 63%, P < .001). Reversal rates increased as the household income increased from 61% in the lowest income quartile to 72% in the highest quartile (P < .001). Stark disparities exist in national rates of stoma closure. Stoma closure is associated with race, insurance, and income status. This study highlights the lack of access to surgical health care among patients of minority race and low-income status. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Adolescent Sexual Initiation and Physical/Psychological Symptoms: A Comparative Analysis of Five Nations

PubMed Central

Farhat, Tilda; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Godeau, Emmanuelle; Gabhainn, Saoirse Nic

2010-01-01

Although most people in developed countries experience sexual initiation during adolescence, little is known about inter-country variability in the psychosocial correlates of early initiation. Population-based samples of 15-year-olds (n = 6,111, 52% female) who participated in the Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children Study (Finland, Scotland, France and Poland, 1997/1998) or the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (United States, 1996) self-reported sexual intercourse experience and physical (headaches, trouble sleeping) or psychological (unhappiness, loneliness, sadness, moodiness) symptoms. Analyses were conducted stratified by gender. Sexual initiation prevalence and symptoms scores varied significantly across nations. In adjusted models, sexual initiation was not related to symptoms among boys in any nation, but significantly positively related to symptoms among girls in Poland and the US. Results support variability by gender and nation in the relationship between adolescents’ sexual initiation and physical/psychological symptoms. Empirically investigating specific features of national contexts that generate these differences should be explored further. PMID:20333456

Early adolescent sexual initiation and physical/psychological symptoms: a comparative analysis of five nations.

PubMed

Madkour, Aubrey Spriggs; Farhat, Tilda; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Godeau, Emmanuelle; Nic Gabhainn, Saoirse

2010-10-01

Although most people in developed countries experience sexual initiation during adolescence, little is known about inter-country variability in the psychosocial correlates of early initiation. Population-based samples of 15-year-olds (n = 6,111, 52% female) who participated in the Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children Study (Finland, Scotland, France and Poland, 1997/1998) or the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (United States, 1996) self-reported sexual intercourse experience and physical (headaches, trouble sleeping) or psychological (unhappiness, loneliness, sadness, moodiness) symptoms. Analyses were conducted stratified by gender. Sexual initiation prevalence and symptoms scores varied significantly across nations. In adjusted models, sexual initiation was not related to symptoms among boys in any nation, but significantly positively related to symptoms among girls in Poland and the US. Results support variability by gender and nation in the relationship between adolescents' sexual initiation and physical/psychological symptoms. Empirically investigating specific features of national contexts that generate these differences should be explored further.

Compensatory Education: An Analysis of National Versus State and Local Evaluations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickney, Benjamin D.

Discrepancies between the pessimistic national evaluations and the more encouraging state and local evaluations of compensatory education programs are explored in this paper. A conventional explanation for the discrepancies, namely, that the averaging of test scores from a large national sample "cancels out" the results of successful…

Regularized Dual Averaging Image Reconstruction for Full-Wave Ultrasound Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Matthews, Thomas P; Wang, Kun; Li, Cuiping; Duric, Neb; Anastasio, Mark A

2017-05-01

Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) holds great promise for breast cancer screening. Waveform inversion-based image reconstruction methods account for higher order diffraction effects and can produce high-resolution USCT images, but are computationally demanding. Recently, a source encoding technique has been combined with stochastic gradient descent (SGD) to greatly reduce image reconstruction times. However, this method bundles the stochastic data fidelity term with the deterministic regularization term. This limitation can be overcome by replacing SGD with a structured optimization method, such as the regularized dual averaging method, that exploits knowledge of the composition of the cost function. In this paper, the dual averaging method is combined with source encoding techniques to improve the effectiveness of regularization while maintaining the reduced reconstruction times afforded by source encoding. It is demonstrated that each iteration can be decomposed into a gradient descent step based on the data fidelity term and a proximal update step corresponding to the regularization term. Furthermore, the regularization term is never explicitly differentiated, allowing nonsmooth regularization penalties to be naturally incorporated. The wave equation is solved by the use of a time-domain method. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through computer simulation and experimental studies. The results suggest that the dual averaging method can produce images with less noise and comparable resolution to those obtained by the use of SGD.

Differences across payors in charges for agency-based home health services: evidence from the National Home and Hospice Care Survey.

PubMed Central

Freedman, V A; Reschovsky, J D

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate charge and payment differentials for home health services across different payors. DATA SOURCES: The 1992 National Home and Hospice Care Survey, a nationally representative survey of home and hospice care agencies and their patients, collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. STUDY DESIGN: We compare the average charge for a Medicare home health visit to the average charge for patients with other sources of payment. In making such comparisons, we control for differences across payors in service mix and agency characteristics. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Agencies charge various payors different amounts for similar services, and Medicare is consistently charged more than other payors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings imply the potential existence of payment differentials across payors for home health services, with Medicare and privately insured patients likely to be paying more than others for similar services. Such conclusions raise the possibility that, as in other segments of the healthcare market, cost-shifting and price discrimination might exist within the home health industry. Future research should explore these issues, along with the question of whether Medicare is paying too much for home health services. PMID:9327812

Predicting Secchi disk depth from average beam attenuation in a deep, ultra-clear lake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, G.L.; Hoffman, R.L.; Hargreaves, B.R.; Collier, R.W.

2007-01-01

We addressed potential sources of error in estimating the water clarity of mountain lakes by investigating the use of beam transmissometer measurements to estimate Secchi disk depth. The optical properties Secchi disk depth (SD) and beam transmissometer attenuation (BA) were measured in Crater Lake (Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA) at a designated sampling station near the maximum depth of the lake. A standard 20 cm black and white disk was used to measure SD. The transmissometer light source had a nearly monochromatic wavelength of 660 nm and a path length of 25 cm. We created a SD prediction model by regression of the inverse SD of 13 measurements recorded on days when environmental conditions were acceptable for disk deployment with BA averaged over the same depth range as the measured SD. The relationship between inverse SD and averaged BA was significant and the average 95% confidence interval for predicted SD relative to the measured SD was ??1.6 m (range = -4.6 to 5.5 m) or ??5.0%. Eleven additional sample dates tested the accuracy of the predictive model. The average 95% confidence interval for these sample dates was ??0.7 m (range = -3.5 to 3.8 m) or ??2.2%. The 1996-2000 time-series means for measured and predicted SD varied by 0.1 m, and the medians varied by 0.5 m. The time-series mean annual measured and predicted SD's also varied little, with intra-annual differences between measured and predicted mean annual SD ranging from -2.1 to 0.1 m. The results demonstrated that this prediction model reliably estimated Secchi disk depths and can be used to significantly expand optical observations in an environment where the conditions for standardized SD deployments are limited. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Optimal Budget Allocation for Sample Average Approximation

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

an optimization algorithm applied to the sample average problem. We examine the convergence rate of the estimator as the computing budget tends to...regime for the optimization algorithm . 1 Introduction Sample average approximation (SAA) is a frequently used approach to solving stochastic programs...appealing due to its simplicity and the fact that a large number of standard optimization algorithms are often available to optimize the resulting sample

Programmable noise bandwidth reduction by means of digital averaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poklemba, John J. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Predetection noise bandwidth reduction is effected by a pre-averager capable of digitally averaging the samples of an input data signal over two or more symbols, the averaging interval being defined by the input sampling rate divided by the output sampling rate. As the averaged sample is clocked to a suitable detector at a much slower rate than the input signal sampling rate the noise bandwidth at the input to the detector is reduced, the input to the detector having an improved signal to noise ratio as a result of the averaging process, and the rate at which such subsequent processing must operate is correspondingly reduced. The pre-averager forms a data filter having an output sampling rate of one sample per symbol of received data. More specifically, selected ones of a plurality of samples accumulated over two or more symbol intervals are output in response to clock signals at a rate of one sample per symbol interval. The pre-averager includes circuitry for weighting digitized signal samples using stored finite impulse response (FIR) filter coefficients. A method according to the present invention is also disclosed.

20 CFR 404.221 - Computing your average monthly wage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... your average monthly wage, we consider all the wages, compensation, self-employment income, and deemed... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Computing your average monthly wage. 404.221... DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Computing Primary Insurance Amounts Average-Monthly-Wage Method of Computing...

20 CFR 404.221 - Computing your average monthly wage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... your average monthly wage, we consider all the wages, compensation, self-employment income, and deemed... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Computing your average monthly wage. 404.221... DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Computing Primary Insurance Amounts Average-Monthly-Wage Method of Computing...

Model averaging in linkage analysis.

PubMed

Matthysse, Steven

2006-06-05

Methods for genetic linkage analysis are traditionally divided into "model-dependent" and "model-independent," but there may be a useful place for an intermediate class, in which a broad range of possible models is considered as a parametric family. It is possible to average over model space with an empirical Bayes prior that weights models according to their goodness of fit to epidemiologic data, such as the frequency of the disease in the population and in first-degree relatives (and correlations with other traits in the pleiotropic case). For averaging over high-dimensional spaces, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) has great appeal, but it has a near-fatal flaw: it is not possible, in most cases, to provide rigorous sufficient conditions to permit the user safely to conclude that the chain has converged. A way of overcoming the convergence problem, if not of solving it, rests on a simple application of the principle of detailed balance. If the starting point of the chain has the equilibrium distribution, so will every subsequent point. The first point is chosen according to the target distribution by rejection sampling, and subsequent points by an MCMC process that has the target distribution as its equilibrium distribution. Model averaging with an empirical Bayes prior requires rapid estimation of likelihoods at many points in parameter space. Symbolic polynomials are constructed before the random walk over parameter space begins, to make the actual likelihood computations at each step of the random walk very fast. Power analysis in an illustrative case is described. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A comparative analysis of hardwood sawtimber quality of national forests versus adjacent lands

Treesearch

William G. Luppold; John E. Baumgras; Raymond M. Sheffield; Raymond M. Sheffield

1998-01-01

Since the mid 1980s, increased public scrutiny of timber sales in national forests and changes in Forest Service policy have resulted in delayed or reduced sales of hardwood sawtimber. As a result, the hardwood industry has become increasingly concerned about future supplies of timber from national forests. On the surface, these concerns seem difficult to understand...

Cruise survey of oxidant air pollution injury to Pinus ponderosa and Pinus jeffreyi in Saguaro National Monument, Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duriscoe, D.M.

1990-08-01

The yellow pine populations in Saguaro National Monument, Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were surveyed in 1986 to evaluate and quantify the extent and severity of ozone injury (chlorotic mottle) to foliage of ponderosa and Jeffrey pines. A total of 3780 trees were observed. Severity of ozone injury was quantified, using an approximate square root transformation of the percentage of foliage exhibiting chlorotic mottle in branches pruned from each tree. Foliage of different ages was examined separately. Of all trees examined at Saguaro National Monument, 15% had visible chlorotic mottle; at Yosemite, 28%; and atmore » Sequoia and Kings Canyon, 39%. Severity of injury averaged very slight for all three parks, with least injury at Saguaro and greatest at Sequoia and Kings Canyon.« less

National Trends in Demographics and Outcomes Following Cervical Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

PubMed Central

Vonck, Caroline E.; Tanenbaum, Joseph E.; Smith, Gabriel A.; Benzel, Edward C.; Mroz, Thomas E.; Steinmetz, Michael P.

2017-01-01

Study Design: Retrospective trends analysis. Objectives: Cervical fusion is a common adjunctive surgical modality used in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The purpose of this study was to quantify national trends in patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and outcomes in the surgical management of CSM. Methods: This was a retrospective study that used the National Inpatient Sample. The sample included all patients over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of CSM who underwent cervical fusion from 2003 to 2013. The outcome measures were in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and hospital charges. Chi-square tests were performed to compare categorical variables. Independent t tests were performed to compare continuous variables. Results: We identified 62 970 patients with CSM who underwent cervical fusion from 2003 to 2013. The number of fusions performed per year in the treatment of CSM increased from 3879 to 8181. The average age of all fusion patients increased from 58.2 to 60.6 years (P < .001). Length of stay did not change significantly from a mean of 3.7 days. In-hospital mortality decreased from 0.6% to 0.3% (P < .01). Hospital charges increased from $49 445 to $92 040 (P < .001). Conclusions: This study showed a dramatic increase in cervical fusions to treat CSM from 2003 to 2013 concomitant with increasing age of the patient population. Despite increases in average age and number of comorbidities, length of stay remained constant and a decrease in mortality was seen across the study period. However, hospital charges increased dramatically.

Measuring Time-Averaged Blood Pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothman, Neil S.

1988-01-01

Device measures time-averaged component of absolute blood pressure in artery. Includes compliant cuff around artery and external monitoring unit. Ceramic construction in monitoring unit suppresses ebb and flow of pressure-transmitting fluid in sensor chamber. Transducer measures only static component of blood pressure.

Early Adolescent Sexual Initiation as a Problem Behavior: A Comparative Study of Five Nations

PubMed Central

Madkour, Aubrey Spriggs; Farhat, Tilda; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Godeau, Emmanuelle; Gabhainn, Saoirse Nic

2010-01-01

Purpose Using a Problem Behavior Theory (PBT) framework, this paper examines the extent to which psychosocial correlates of early sexual initiation (before age 16) vary across developed nations. Methods Fifteen-year-old participants (n=5,624) in the 1997-1998 WHO collaborative Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey (Finland, Scotland, France and Poland) and the 1996 US Add Health survey self-reported substance use (alcohol and tobacco), school attachment, positive parental communication, and early sexual intercourse experience. Stratifying by gender, we performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses controlling for family socioeconomic status, family structure, and nation fixed effects. Results Self-reported early sexual experience, substance use, school attachment and positive communication with parents varied significantly across nations for both boys and girls. In both crude and adjusted analyses, substance use was positively associated with early sexual experience among boys and girls across nations, although associations were stronger in Europe than the US (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] range 1.56-3.74). School attachment was similarly inversely related to early sexual experience among boys and girls across nations (AOR range 0.63-0.94). However, positive parent communication was significantly inversely related to early sexual experience only among US females (AOR 0.50). Conclusions Findings overall supported the fit of early adolescent sexual initiation as a risk behavior within a PBT framework cross-nationally, suggesting that similar factors could be targeted to prevent early sexual initiation across some developed nations. However further research is warranted examining the temporality of these relationships. PMID:20864009

Assessing the average sodium content of prepacked foods with nutrition declarations: the importance of sales data.

PubMed

Korošec, Živa; Pravst, Igor

2014-09-04

Processed foods are recognized as a major contributor to high dietary sodium intake, associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Different public health actions are being introduced to reduce sodium content in processed foods and sodium intake in general. A gradual reduction of sodium content in processed foods was proposed in Slovenia, but monitoring sodium content in the food supply is essential to evaluate the progress. Our primary objective was to test a new approach for assessing the sales-weighted average sodium content of prepacked foods on the market. We show that a combination of 12-month food sales data provided by food retailers covering the majority of the national market and a comprehensive food composition database compiled using food labelling data represent a robust and cost-effective approach to assessing the sales-weighted average sodium content of prepacked foods. Food categories with the highest sodium content were processed meats (particularly dry cured meat), ready meals (especially frozen pizza) and cheese. The reported results show that in most investigated food categories, market leaders in the Slovenian market have lower sodium contents than the category average. The proposed method represents an excellent tool for monitoring sodium content in the food supply.

Assessing the Average Sodium Content of Prepacked Foods with Nutrition Declarations: The Importance of Sales Data

PubMed Central

Korošec, Živa; Pravst, Igor

2014-01-01

Processed foods are recognized as a major contributor to high dietary sodium intake, associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Different public health actions are being introduced to reduce sodium content in processed foods and sodium intake in general. A gradual reduction of sodium content in processed foods was proposed in Slovenia, but monitoring sodium content in the food supply is essential to evaluate the progress. Our primary objective was to test a new approach for assessing the sales-weighted average sodium content of prepacked foods on the market. We show that a combination of 12-month food sales data provided by food retailers covering the majority of the national market and a comprehensive food composition database compiled using food labelling data represent a robust and cost-effective approach to assessing the sales-weighted average sodium content of prepacked foods. Food categories with the highest sodium content were processed meats (particularly dry cured meat), ready meals (especially frozen pizza) and cheese. The reported results show that in most investigated food categories, market leaders in the Slovenian market have lower sodium contents than the category average. The proposed method represents an excellent tool for monitoring sodium content in the food supply. PMID:25192028

Stability analysis of switched cellular neural networks: A mode-dependent average dwell time approach.

PubMed

Huang, Chuangxia; Cao, Jie; Cao, Jinde

2016-10-01

This paper addresses the exponential stability of switched cellular neural networks by using the mode-dependent average dwell time (MDADT) approach. This method is quite different from the traditional average dwell time (ADT) method in permitting each subsystem to have its own average dwell time. Detailed investigations have been carried out for two cases. One is that all subsystems are stable and the other is that stable subsystems coexist with unstable subsystems. By employing Lyapunov functionals, linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), Jessen-type inequality, Wirtinger-based inequality, reciprocally convex approach, we derived some novel and less conservative conditions on exponential stability of the networks. Comparing to ADT, the proposed MDADT show that the minimal dwell time of each subsystem is smaller and the switched system stabilizes faster. The obtained results extend and improve some existing ones. Moreover, the validness and effectiveness of these results are demonstrated through numerical simulations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using School-Level Student Achievement to Engage in Formative Evaluation: Comparative School-Level Rates of Oral Reading Fluency Growth Conditioned by Initial Skill for Second Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, Kelli D.; Stoolmiller, Michael L.; Baker, Scott K.; Fien, Hank; Kame'enui, Edward J.

2015-01-01

We present a method for data-based decision making at the school level using student achievement data. We demonstrate the potential of a national assessment database [i.e., the University of Oregon DIBELS Data System (DDS)] to provide comparative levels of school-level data on average student achievement gains. Through the DDS as a data source,…

Spatially averaged flow over a wavy boundary revisited

USGS Publications Warehouse

McLean, S.R.; Wolfe, S.R.; Nelson, J.M.

1999-01-01

Vertical profiles of streamwise velocity measured over bed forms are commonly used to deduce boundary shear stress for the purpose of estimating sediment transport. These profiles may be derived locally or from some sort of spatial average. Arguments for using the latter procedure are based on the assumption that spatial averaging of the momentum equation effectively removes local accelerations from the problem. Using analogies based on steady, uniform flows, it has been argued that the spatially averaged velocity profiles are approximately logarithmic and can be used to infer values of boundary shear stress. This technique of using logarithmic profiles is investigated using detailed laboratory measurements of flow structure and boundary shear stress over fixed two-dimensional bed forms. Spatial averages over the length of the bed form of mean velocity measurements at constant distances from the mean bed elevation yield vertical profiles that are highly logarithmic even though the effect of the bottom topography is observed throughout the water column. However, logarithmic fits of these averaged profiles do not yield accurate estimates of the measured total boundary shear stress. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

Construction-related eye injuries in Irish nationals and non-nationals: attitudes and strategies for prevention.

PubMed

Connell, P P; Saddak, T; Harrison, I; Kelly, S; Bobart, A; McGettrick, P; Collum, L T M

2007-03-01

Construction-related ocular injuries are an important cause of vision loss but few studies on the incidence, epidemiology and nature of these injuries exist. Due to the perceived increase in occupation-related eye injuries in non-nationals we aimed to investigate the nature of such injuries presenting to a single eye unit over a two-month period. One hundred and fifty-five patients presenting to the accident and emergency department with construction related ocular injury were examined. Of 155 patients, 80 were Irish and 75 nonnational, of whom 60, 21.3 and 6.7% were Polish, Lithuanian and Romanian, respectively. Common causative factors included hammering, grinding, drilling and splash injury. Average rate of eyewear protection usage was 35%, with attendance at safety courses highest in Irish nationals. A penetrating eye injury rate of 4.9% overall was observed, all in non-nationals. Construction related ocular injury is a serious cause of visual loss in non-nationals. Greater adherence to safety regulations and training is required.

Describing the evolution of mobile technology usage for Latino patients and comparing findings to national mHealth estimates

PubMed Central

Ford, Kelsey; Terp, Sophie; Abramson, Tiffany; Ruiz, Ryan; Camilon, Marissa; Coyne, Christopher J; Lam, Chun Nok; Menchine, Michael; Burner, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Objectives Describe the change in mobile technology used by an urban Latino population between 2011 and 2014, and compare findings with national estimates. Materials and Methods Patients were surveyed on medical history and mobile technology use. We analyzed specific areas of mobile health capacity stratified by chronic disease, age, language preference, and educational attainment. Results Of 2144 Latino patients, the percentage that owned a cell phone and texted were in-line with Pew estimates, but app usage was not. Patients with chronic disease had reduced access to mobile devices (P < .001) and lower use of mobile phone functionalities. Discussion Prior research suggests that Latinos can access mHealth; however, we observed lower rates among Latino patients actively seeking heath care. Conclusion Published national estimates do not accurately reflect the mobile technology use of Latino patients served by our public safety-net facility. The difference is greater for older, less educated patients with chronic disease. PMID:26995564

Applications of Analytical Self-Similar Solutions of Reynolds-Averaged Models for Instability-Induced Turbulent Mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartland, Tucker; Schilling, Oleg

2017-11-01

Analytical self-similar solutions to several families of single- and two-scale, eddy viscosity and Reynolds stress turbulence models are presented for Rayleigh-Taylor, Richtmyer-Meshkov, and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability-induced turbulent mixing. The use of algebraic relationships between model coefficients and physical observables (e.g., experimental growth rates) following from the self-similar solutions to calibrate a member of a given family of turbulence models is shown. It is demonstrated numerically that the algebraic relations accurately predict the value and variation of physical outputs of a Reynolds-averaged simulation in flow regimes that are consistent with the simplifying assumptions used to derive the solutions. The use of experimental and numerical simulation data on Reynolds stress anisotropy ratios to calibrate a Reynolds stress model is briefly illustrated. The implications of the analytical solutions for future Reynolds-averaged modeling of hydrodynamic instability-induced mixing are briefly discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Parameterization of eddy sensible heat transports in a zonally averaged dynamic model of the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Genthon, Christophe; Le Treut, Herve; Sadourny, Robert; Jouzel, Jean

1990-01-01

A Charney-Branscome based parameterization has been tested as a way of representing the eddy sensible heat transports missing in a zonally averaged dynamic model (ZADM) of the atmosphere. The ZADM used is a zonally averaged version of a general circulation model (GCM). The parameterized transports in the ZADM are gaged against the corresponding fluxes explicitly simulated in the GCM, using the same zonally averaged boundary conditions in both models. The Charney-Branscome approach neglects stationary eddies and transient barotropic disturbances and relies on a set of simplifying assumptions, including the linear appoximation, to describe growing transient baroclinic eddies. Nevertheless, fairly satisfactory results are obtained when the parameterization is performed interactively with the model. Compared with noninteractive tests, a very efficient restoring feedback effect between the modeled zonal-mean climate and the parameterized meridional eddy transport is identified.

Athletic Performance at the National Basketball Association Combine After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

PubMed

Mehran, Nima; Williams, Phillip N; Keller, Robert A; Khalil, Lafi S; Lombardo, Stephen J; Kharrazi, F Daniel

2016-05-01

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are significant injuries in elite-level basketball players. In-game statistical performance after ACL reconstruction has been demonstrated; however, few studies have reviewed functional performance in National Basketball Association (NBA)-caliber athletes after ACL reconstruction. To compare NBA Combine performance of athletes after ACL reconstruction with an age-, size-, and position-matched control group of players with no previous reported knee injury requiring surgery. We hypothesized that there is no difference between the 2 groups in functional performance. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. A total of 1092 NBA-caliber players who participated in the NBA Combine between 2000 and 2015 were reviewed. Twenty-one athletes were identified as having primary ACL reconstruction prior to participation in the combine. This study group was compared with an age-, size-, and position-matched control group in objective functional performance testing, including the shuttle run test, lane agility test, three-quarter court sprint, vertical jump (no step), and maximum vertical jump (running start). With regard to quickness and agility, both ACL-reconstructed athletes and controls scored an average of 11.5 seconds in the lane agility test and 3.1 seconds in the shuttle run test (P = .745 and .346, respectively). Speed and acceleration was measured by the three-quarter court sprint, in which both the study group and the control group averaged 3.3 seconds (P = .516). In the maximum vertical jump, which demonstrates an athlete's jumping ability with a running start, the ACL reconstruction group had an average height of 33.6 inches while the controls averaged 33.9 inches (P = .548). In the standing vertical jump, the ACL reconstruction group averaged 28.2 inches while the control group averaged 29.2 inches (P = .067). In athletes who are able to return to sport and compete at a high level such as the NBA Combine, there is no

Warp-averaging event-related potentials.

PubMed

Wang, K; Begleiter, H; Porjesz, B

2001-10-01

To align the repeated single trials of the event-related potential (ERP) in order to get an improved estimate of the ERP. A new implementation of the dynamic time warping is applied to compute a warp-average of the single trials. The trilinear modeling method is applied to filter the single trials prior to alignment. Alignment is based on normalized signals and their estimated derivatives. These features reduce the misalignment due to aligning the random alpha waves, explaining amplitude differences in latency differences, or the seemingly small amplitudes of some components. Simulations and applications to visually evoked potentials show significant improvement over some commonly used methods. The new implementation of the dynamic time warping can be used to align the major components (P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) of the repeated single trials. The average of the aligned single trials is an improved estimate of the ERP. This could lead to more accurate results in subsequent analysis.

Measuring the motor output of the pontomedullary reticular formation in the monkey: do stimulus-triggered averaging and stimulus trains produce comparable results in the upper limbs?

PubMed

Herbert, Wendy J; Davidson, Adam G; Buford, John A

2010-06-01

The pontomedullary reticular formation (PMRF) of the monkey produces motor outputs to both upper limbs. EMG effects evoked from stimulus-triggered averaging (StimulusTA) were compared with effects from stimulus trains to determine whether both stimulation methods produced comparable results. Flexor and extensor muscles of scapulothoracic, shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints were studied bilaterally in two male M. fascicularis monkeys trained to perform a bilateral reaching task. The frequency of facilitation versus suppression responses evoked in the muscles was compared between methods. Stimulus trains were more efficient (94% of PMRF sites) in producing responses than StimulusTA (55%), and stimulus trains evoked responses from more muscles per site than from StimulusTA. Facilitation (72%) was more common from stimulus trains than StimulusTA (39%). In the overall results, a bilateral reciprocal activation pattern of ipsilateral flexor and contralateral extensor facilitation was evident for StimulusTA and stimulus trains. When the comparison was restricted to cases where both methods produced a response in a given muscle from the same site, agreement was very high, at 80%. For the remaining 20%, discrepancies were accounted for mainly by facilitation from stimulus trains when StimulusTA produced suppression, which was in agreement with the under-representation of suppression in the stimulus train data as a whole. To the extent that the stimulus train method may favor transmission through polysynaptic pathways, these results suggest that polysynaptic pathways from the PMRF more often produce facilitation in muscles that would typically demonstrate suppression with StimulusTA.

Upscaling the Navier-Stokes Equation for Turbulent Flows in Porous Media Using a Volume Averaging Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Brian; He, Xiaoliang; Apte, Sourabh

2017-11-01

Turbulent flows through porous media are encountered in a number of natural and engineered systems. Many attempts to close the Navier-Stokes equation for such type of flow have been made, for example using RANS models and double averaging. On the other hand, Whitaker (1996) applied volume averaging theorem to close the macroscopic N-S equation for low Re flow. In this work, the volume averaging theory is extended into the turbulent flow regime to posit a relationship between the macroscale velocities and the spatial velocity statistics in terms of the spatial averaged velocity only. Rather than developing a Reynolds stress model, we propose a simple algebraic closure, consistent with generalized effective viscosity models (Pope 1975), to represent the spatial fluctuating velocity and pressure respectively. The coefficients (one 1st order, two 2nd order and one 3rd order tensor) of the linear functions depend on averaged velocity and gradient. With the data set from DNS, performed with inertial and turbulent flows (pore Re of 300, 500 and 1000) through a periodic face centered cubic (FCC) unit cell, all the unknown coefficients can be computed and the closure is complete. The macroscopic quantity calculated from the averaging is then compared with DNS data to verify the upscaling. NSF Project Numbers 1336983, 1133363.

7 CFR 1437.11 - Average market price and payment factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Average market price and payment factors. 1437.11... ASSISTANCE PROGRAM General Provisions § 1437.11 Average market price and payment factors. (a) An average... average market price by the applicable payment factor (i.e., harvested, unharvested, or prevented planting...

Asynchronous Gossip for Averaging and Spectral Ranking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borkar, Vivek S.; Makhijani, Rahul; Sundaresan, Rajesh

2014-08-01

We consider two variants of the classical gossip algorithm. The first variant is a version of asynchronous stochastic approximation. We highlight a fundamental difficulty associated with the classical asynchronous gossip scheme, viz., that it may not converge to a desired average, and suggest an alternative scheme based on reinforcement learning that has guaranteed convergence to the desired average. We then discuss a potential application to a wireless network setting with simultaneous link activation constraints. The second variant is a gossip algorithm for distributed computation of the Perron-Frobenius eigenvector of a nonnegative matrix. While the first variant draws upon a reinforcement learning algorithm for an average cost controlled Markov decision problem, the second variant draws upon a reinforcement learning algorithm for risk-sensitive control. We then discuss potential applications of the second variant to ranking schemes, reputation networks, and principal component analysis.

Benchmarking statistical averaging of spectra with HULLAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapisch, Marcel; Busquet, Michel

2008-11-01

Knowledge of radiative properties of hot plasmas is important for ICF, astrophysics, etc When mid-Z or high-Z elements are present, the spectra are so complex that one commonly uses statistically averaged description of atomic systems [1]. In a recent experiment on Fe[2], performed under controlled conditions, high resolution transmission spectra were obtained. The new version of HULLAC [3] allows the use of the same model with different levels of details/averaging. We will take advantage of this feature to check the effect of averaging with comparison with experiment. [1] A Bar-Shalom, J Oreg, and M Klapisch, J. Quant. Spectros. Rad. Transf. 65, 43 (2000). [2] J. E. Bailey, G. A. Rochau, C. A. Iglesias et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 265002-4 (2007). [3]. M. Klapisch, M. Busquet, and A. Bar-Shalom, AIP Conference Proceedings 926, 206-15 (2007).

Books average previous decade of economic misery.

PubMed

Bentley, R Alexander; Acerbi, Alberto; Ormerod, Paul; Lampos, Vasileios

2014-01-01

For the 20(th) century since the Depression, we find a strong correlation between a 'literary misery index' derived from English language books and a moving average of the previous decade of the annual U.S. economic misery index, which is the sum of inflation and unemployment rates. We find a peak in the goodness of fit at 11 years for the moving average. The fit between the two misery indices holds when using different techniques to measure the literary misery index, and this fit is significantly better than other possible correlations with different emotion indices. To check the robustness of the results, we also analysed books written in German language and obtained very similar correlations with the German economic misery index. The results suggest that millions of books published every year average the authors' shared economic experiences over the past decade.

Abnormal chemical element concentrations in lichens of Isle Royale National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, J.P.

1995-01-01

Lichens have been used for many years to monitor changes in deposited airborne chemical elements in many areas, but few studies have focused on areas suspected of experiencing slightly elevated pollution. Detection of subtle patterns of slightly elevated pollutants calls for developing several lines of evidence as opposed to single line studies used in heavily polluted areas. This study of two lichen species, Hypogymnia physodes and Evernia mesomorpha, in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan compares the concentrations and ranks of elements with the concentrations and ranks of the elements in the earth's crust, changes in element concentrations over a nine year period, and the geography of element concentrations in the park. S, Zn, Pb, Cd and Se were elevated in both species and higher in rank compared to the concentrations and ranks in the earth's crust. Toxic elements increased 123% in Hypogymnia and 62% in Evernia over 9 years, compared to increases of 45% and 59% for non-toxic elements in each species, respectively. Geographically, the lichens at certain localities with higher exposures experienced higher than average element concentrations. Finally, tissue concentrations of Mn, S and Se at some localities were above levels known to be either toxic or similar to those found in polluted areas. These four lines of evidence suggest that Isle Royale National Park is experiencing the onset of chronic air pollution stress from a number of sources.

Computer usage and national energy consumption: Results from a field-metering study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Desroches, Louis-Benoit; Fuchs, Heidi; Greenblatt, Jeffery

The electricity consumption of miscellaneous electronic loads (MELs) in the home has grown in recent years, and is expected to continue rising. Consumer electronics, in particular, are characterized by swift technological innovation, with varying impacts on energy use. Desktop and laptop computers make up a significant share of MELs electricity consumption, but their national energy use is difficult to estimate, given uncertainties around shifting user behavior. This report analyzes usage data from 64 computers (45 desktop, 11 laptop, and 8 unknown) collected in 2012 as part of a larger field monitoring effort of 880 households in the San Francisco Baymore » Area, and compares our results to recent values from the literature. We find that desktop computers are used for an average of 7.3 hours per day (median = 4.2 h/d), while laptops are used for a mean 4.8 hours per day (median = 2.1 h/d). The results for laptops are likely underestimated since they can be charged in other, unmetered outlets. Average unit annual energy consumption (AEC) for desktops is estimated to be 194 kWh/yr (median = 125 kWh/yr), and for laptops 75 kWh/yr (median = 31 kWh/yr). We estimate national annual energy consumption for desktop computers to be 20 TWh. National annual energy use for laptops is estimated to be 11 TWh, markedly higher than previous estimates, likely reflective of laptops drawing more power in On mode in addition to greater market penetration. This result for laptops, however, carries relatively higher uncertainty compared to desktops. Different study methodologies and definitions, changing usage patterns, and uncertainty about how consumers use computers must be considered when interpreting our results with respect to existing analyses. Finally, as energy consumption in On mode is predominant, we outline several energy savings opportunities: improved power management (defaulting to low-power modes after periods of inactivity as well as power scaling), matching the rated

A Comparison of How Gifted/LD and Average/LD Boys Cope with School Frustration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Mary Ruth

1992-01-01

Gifted learning-disabled and average learning-disabled middle school boys (n=42) in grades 6-9 were compared on ways they cope with difficult school situations. Although no group differences were found on the Coping Resources Inventory, significant differences were found in the actual strategies the groups reported using, with gifted students…

12 CFR 702.105 - Weighted-average life of investments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Weighted-average life of investments. 702.105... PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION Net Worth Classification § 702.105 Weighted-average life of investments. Except as provided below (Table 3), the weighted-average life of an investment for purposes of §§ 702.106(c...

12 CFR 702.105 - Weighted-average life of investments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Weighted-average life of investments. 702.105... PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION Net Worth Classification § 702.105 Weighted-average life of investments. Except as provided below (Table 3), the weighted-average life of an investment for purposes of §§ 702.106(c...

12 CFR 702.105 - Weighted-average life of investments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Weighted-average life of investments. 702.105... PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION Net Worth Classification § 702.105 Weighted-average life of investments. Except as provided below (Table 3), the weighted-average life of an investment for purposes of §§ 702.106(c...

12 CFR 702.105 - Weighted-average life of investments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Weighted-average life of investments. 702.105... PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION Net Worth Classification § 702.105 Weighted-average life of investments. Except as provided below (Table 3), the weighted-average life of an investment for purposes of §§ 702.106(c...

12 CFR 702.105 - Weighted-average life of investments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Weighted-average life of investments. 702.105... PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION Net Worth Classification § 702.105 Weighted-average life of investments. Except as provided below (Table 3), the weighted-average life of an investment for purposes of §§ 702.106(c...

The Impact of a Language Learning Task on Instructional Outcomes in Two Student Populations: High-Ability and Average-Ability Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolova, Ofelia; Taylor, Gregory

2003-01-01

High-ability (n=97) and average-ability students (n=84) were asked to read a Spanish passage on a computer and use glosses provided for certain words to aid in comprehension or create glosses using a Spanish-English dictionary and annotation software (experimental task). High-ability students performed significantly better after the experimental…

Utilization of Practice Session Average Inertial Load to Quantify College Football Injury Risk.

PubMed

Wilkerson, Gary B; Gupta, Ashish; Allen, Jeff R; Keith, Clay M; Colston, Marisa A

2016-09-01

Wilkerson, GB, Gupta, A, Allen, JR, Keith, CM, and Colston, MA. Utilization of practice session average inertial load to quantify college football injury risk. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2369-2374, 2016-Relatively few studies have investigated the potential injury prevention value of data derived from recently developed wearable technology for measurement of body mass accelerations during the performance of sport-related activities. The available evidence has been derived from studies focused on avoidance of overtraining syndrome, which is believed to induce a chronically fatigued state that can be identified through monitoring of inertial load accumulation. Reduced variability in movement patterns is also believed to be an important injury risk factor, but no evidence currently exists to guide interpretation of data derived from inertial measurement units (IMUs) in this regard. We retrospectively analyzed archived data for a cohort of 45 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-football bowl subdivision football players who wore IMUs on the upper back during practice sessions to quantify any associations between average inertial load measured during practice sessions and occurrence of musculoskeletal sprains and strains. Both the coefficient of variation for average inertial load and frequent exposure to game conditions were found to be strongly associated with injury occurrence. Having either or both of the 2 risk factors provided strong discrimination between injured and noninjured players (χ = 9.048; p = 0.004; odds ratio = 8.04; 90% CI: 2.39, 27.03). Our findings may facilitate identification of individual football players who are likely to derive the greatest benefit from training activities designed to reduce injury risk through improved adaptability to rapidly changing environmental demands.

Applications of high average power nonlinear optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velsko, S.P.; Krupke, W.F.

1996-02-05

Nonlinear optical frequency convertors (harmonic generators and optical parametric oscillators are reviewed with an emphasis on high average power performance and limitations. NLO materials issues and NLO device designs are discussed in reference to several emerging scientific, military and industrial commercial applications requiring {approx} 100 watt average power level in the visible and infrared spectral regions. Research efforts required to enable practical {approx} 100 watt class NLO based laser systems are identified.