Sample records for binary logit regression

  1. Modelling of binary logistic regression for obesity among secondary students in a rural area of Kedah

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamaruddin, Ainur Amira; Ali, Zalila; Noor, Norlida Mohd.; Baharum, Adam; Ahmad, Wan Muhamad Amir W.

    2014-07-01

    Logistic regression analysis examines the influence of various factors on a dichotomous outcome by estimating the probability of the event's occurrence. Logistic regression, also called a logit model, is a statistical procedure used to model dichotomous outcomes. In the logit model the log odds of the dichotomous outcome is modeled as a linear combination of the predictor variables. The log odds ratio in logistic regression provides a description of the probabilistic relationship of the variables and the outcome. In conducting logistic regression, selection procedures are used in selecting important predictor variables, diagnostics are used to check that assumptions are valid which include independence of errors, linearity in the logit for continuous variables, absence of multicollinearity, and lack of strongly influential outliers and a test statistic is calculated to determine the aptness of the model. This study used the binary logistic regression model to investigate overweight and obesity among rural secondary school students on the basis of their demographics profile, medical history, diet and lifestyle. The results indicate that overweight and obesity of students are influenced by obesity in family and the interaction between a student's ethnicity and routine meals intake. The odds of a student being overweight and obese are higher for a student having a family history of obesity and for a non-Malay student who frequently takes routine meals as compared to a Malay student.

  2. Logits and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! A Brief Look at the Simple Math of Logistic Regression and How It Can Improve Dissemination of Results

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osborne, Jason W.

    2012-01-01

    Logistic regression is slowly gaining acceptance in the social sciences, and fills an important niche in the researcher's toolkit: being able to predict important outcomes that are not continuous in nature. While OLS regression is a valuable tool, it cannot routinely be used to predict outcomes that are binary or categorical in nature. These…

  3. Generalized Partial Least Squares Approach for Nominal Multinomial Logit Regression Models with a Functional Covariate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albaqshi, Amani Mohammed H.

    2017-01-01

    Functional Data Analysis (FDA) has attracted substantial attention for the last two decades. Within FDA, classifying curves into two or more categories is consistently of interest to scientists, but multi-class prediction within FDA is challenged in that most classification tools have been limited to binary response applications. The functional…

  4. Flexible link functions in nonparametric binary regression with Gaussian process priors.

    PubMed

    Li, Dan; Wang, Xia; Lin, Lizhen; Dey, Dipak K

    2016-09-01

    In many scientific fields, it is a common practice to collect a sequence of 0-1 binary responses from a subject across time, space, or a collection of covariates. Researchers are interested in finding out how the expected binary outcome is related to covariates, and aim at better prediction in the future 0-1 outcomes. Gaussian processes have been widely used to model nonlinear systems; in particular to model the latent structure in a binary regression model allowing nonlinear functional relationship between covariates and the expectation of binary outcomes. A critical issue in modeling binary response data is the appropriate choice of link functions. Commonly adopted link functions such as probit or logit links have fixed skewness and lack the flexibility to allow the data to determine the degree of the skewness. To address this limitation, we propose a flexible binary regression model which combines a generalized extreme value link function with a Gaussian process prior on the latent structure. Bayesian computation is employed in model estimation. Posterior consistency of the resulting posterior distribution is demonstrated. The flexibility and gains of the proposed model are illustrated through detailed simulation studies and two real data examples. Empirical results show that the proposed model outperforms a set of alternative models, which only have either a Gaussian process prior on the latent regression function or a Dirichlet prior on the link function. © 2015, The International Biometric Society.

  5. Flexible Link Functions in Nonparametric Binary Regression with Gaussian Process Priors

    PubMed Central

    Li, Dan; Lin, Lizhen; Dey, Dipak K.

    2015-01-01

    Summary In many scientific fields, it is a common practice to collect a sequence of 0-1 binary responses from a subject across time, space, or a collection of covariates. Researchers are interested in finding out how the expected binary outcome is related to covariates, and aim at better prediction in the future 0-1 outcomes. Gaussian processes have been widely used to model nonlinear systems; in particular to model the latent structure in a binary regression model allowing nonlinear functional relationship between covariates and the expectation of binary outcomes. A critical issue in modeling binary response data is the appropriate choice of link functions. Commonly adopted link functions such as probit or logit links have fixed skewness and lack the flexibility to allow the data to determine the degree of the skewness. To address this limitation, we propose a flexible binary regression model which combines a generalized extreme value link function with a Gaussian process prior on the latent structure. Bayesian computation is employed in model estimation. Posterior consistency of the resulting posterior distribution is demonstrated. The flexibility and gains of the proposed model are illustrated through detailed simulation studies and two real data examples. Empirical results show that the proposed model outperforms a set of alternative models, which only have either a Gaussian process prior on the latent regression function or a Dirichlet prior on the link function. PMID:26686333

  6. A stratification approach using logit-based models for confounder adjustment in the study of continuous outcomes.

    PubMed

    Tan, Chuen Seng; Støer, Nathalie C; Chen, Ying; Andersson, Marielle; Ning, Yilin; Wee, Hwee-Lin; Khoo, Eric Yin Hao; Tai, E-Shyong; Kao, Shih Ling; Reilly, Marie

    2017-01-01

    The control of confounding is an area of extensive epidemiological research, especially in the field of causal inference for observational studies. Matched cohort and case-control study designs are commonly implemented to control for confounding effects without specifying the functional form of the relationship between the outcome and confounders. This paper extends the commonly used regression models in matched designs for binary and survival outcomes (i.e. conditional logistic and stratified Cox proportional hazards) to studies of continuous outcomes through a novel interpretation and application of logit-based regression models from the econometrics and marketing research literature. We compare the performance of the maximum likelihood estimators using simulated data and propose a heuristic argument for obtaining the residuals for model diagnostics. We illustrate our proposed approach with two real data applications. Our simulation studies demonstrate that our stratification approach is robust to model misspecification and that the distribution of the estimated residuals provides a useful diagnostic when the strata are of moderate size. In our applications to real data, we demonstrate that parity and menopausal status are associated with percent mammographic density, and that the mean level and variability of inpatient blood glucose readings vary between medical and surgical wards within a national tertiary hospital. Our work highlights how the same class of regression models, available in most statistical software, can be used to adjust for confounding in the study of binary, time-to-event and continuous outcomes.

  7. No rationale for 1 variable per 10 events criterion for binary logistic regression analysis.

    PubMed

    van Smeden, Maarten; de Groot, Joris A H; Moons, Karel G M; Collins, Gary S; Altman, Douglas G; Eijkemans, Marinus J C; Reitsma, Johannes B

    2016-11-24

    Ten events per variable (EPV) is a widely advocated minimal criterion for sample size considerations in logistic regression analysis. Of three previous simulation studies that examined this minimal EPV criterion only one supports the use of a minimum of 10 EPV. In this paper, we examine the reasons for substantial differences between these extensive simulation studies. The current study uses Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate small sample bias, coverage of confidence intervals and mean square error of logit coefficients. Logistic regression models fitted by maximum likelihood and a modified estimation procedure, known as Firth's correction, are compared. The results show that besides EPV, the problems associated with low EPV depend on other factors such as the total sample size. It is also demonstrated that simulation results can be dominated by even a few simulated data sets for which the prediction of the outcome by the covariates is perfect ('separation'). We reveal that different approaches for identifying and handling separation leads to substantially different simulation results. We further show that Firth's correction can be used to improve the accuracy of regression coefficients and alleviate the problems associated with separation. The current evidence supporting EPV rules for binary logistic regression is weak. Given our findings, there is an urgent need for new research to provide guidance for supporting sample size considerations for binary logistic regression analysis.

  8. Study on Commercialization of Biogasification Systems in Ishikari Bay New Port Area - Proposal of Estimation Method of Collectable Amount of Food Waste by using Binary Logit Model -

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watanabe, Sho; Furuichi, Toru; Ishii, Kazuei

    This study proposed an estimation method for collectable amount of food waste considering the food waste generator's cooperation ratio ant the amount of food waste generation, and clarified the factors influencing the collectable amount of food waste. In our method, the cooperation ratio was calculated by using the binary logit model which is often used for the traffic multiple choice question. In order to develop a more precise binary logit model, the factors influencing on the cooperation ratio were extracted by a questionnaire survey asking food waste generator's intention, and the preference investigation was then conducted at the second step. As a result, the collectable amount of food waste was estimated to be 72 [t/day] in the Ishikari bay new port area under a condition of current collection system by using our method. In addition, the most critical factor influencing on the collectable amount of food waste was the treatment fee for households, and was the permitted mixture degree of improper materials for retail trade and restaurant businesses

  9. [Logistic regression model of noninvasive prediction for portal hypertensive gastropathy in patients with hepatitis B associated cirrhosis].

    PubMed

    Wang, Qingliang; Li, Xiaojie; Hu, Kunpeng; Zhao, Kun; Yang, Peisheng; Liu, Bo

    2015-05-12

    To explore the risk factors of portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) in patients with hepatitis B associated cirrhosis and establish a Logistic regression model of noninvasive prediction. The clinical data of 234 hospitalized patients with hepatitis B associated cirrhosis from March 2012 to March 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. The dependent variable was the occurrence of PHG while the independent variables were screened by binary Logistic analysis. Multivariate Logistic regression was used for further analysis of significant noninvasive independent variables. Logistic regression model was established and odds ratio was calculated for each factor. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of model were evaluated by the curve of receiver operating characteristic (ROC). According to univariate Logistic regression, the risk factors included hepatic dysfunction, albumin (ALB), bilirubin (TB), prothrombin time (PT), platelet (PLT), white blood cell (WBC), portal vein diameter, spleen index, splenic vein diameter, diameter ratio, PLT to spleen volume ratio, esophageal varices (EV) and gastric varices (GV). Multivariate analysis showed that hepatic dysfunction (X1), TB (X2), PLT (X3) and splenic vein diameter (X4) were the major occurring factors for PHG. The established regression model was Logit P=-2.667+2.186X1-2.167X2+0.725X3+0.976X4. The accuracy of model for PHG was 79.1% with a sensitivity of 77.2% and a specificity of 80.8%. Hepatic dysfunction, TB, PLT and splenic vein diameter are risk factors for PHG and the noninvasive predicted Logistic regression model was Logit P=-2.667+2.186X1-2.167X2+0.725X3+0.976X4.

  10. The Application of the Cumulative Logistic Regression Model to Automated Essay Scoring

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haberman, Shelby J.; Sinharay, Sandip

    2010-01-01

    Most automated essay scoring programs use a linear regression model to predict an essay score from several essay features. This article applied a cumulative logit model instead of the linear regression model to automated essay scoring. Comparison of the performances of the linear regression model and the cumulative logit model was performed on a…

  11. Investigating risk factors of traffic casualties at private highway-railroad grade crossings in the United States.

    PubMed

    Haleem, Kirolos

    2016-10-01

    Private highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGCs) are intersections of highways and railroads on roadways that are not maintained by a public authority. Since no public authority maintains private HRGCs, fatal and injury crashes at these locations are of concern. However, no study has been conducted at private HRGCs to identify the safety issues that might exist and how to alleviate them. This study identifies the significant predictors of traffic casualties (including both injuries and fatalities) at private HRGCs in the U.S. using six years of nationwide crashes from 2009 to 2014. Two levels of injury severity were considered, injury (including fatalities and injuries) and no injury. The study investigates multiple predictors, e.g., temporal crash characteristics, geometry, railroad, traffic, vehicle, and environment. The study applies both the mixed logit and binary logit models. The mixed logit model was found to outperform the binary logit model. The mixed logit model revealed that drivers who did not stop, railroad equipment that struck highway users, higher train speeds, non-presence of advance warning signs, concrete road surface type, and cloudy weather were associated with an increase in injuries and fatalities. For example, a one-mile-per-hour higher train speed increases the probability of fatality by 22%. On the contrary, male drivers, PM peak periods, and presence of warning devices at both approaches were associated with a fatality reduction. Potential strategies are recommended to alleviate injuries and fatalities at private HRGCs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A Bayesian Approach for Nonlinear Structural Equation Models with Dichotomous Variables Using Logit and Probit Links

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Sik-Yum; Song, Xin-Yuan; Cai, Jing-Heng

    2010-01-01

    Analysis of ordered binary and unordered binary data has received considerable attention in social and psychological research. This article introduces a Bayesian approach, which has several nice features in practical applications, for analyzing nonlinear structural equation models with dichotomous data. We demonstrate how to use the software…

  13. Analysis of stationary and dynamic factors affecting highway accident occurrence: A dynamic correlated grouped random parameters binary logit approach.

    PubMed

    Fountas, Grigorios; Sarwar, Md Tawfiq; Anastasopoulos, Panagiotis Ch; Blatt, Alan; Majka, Kevin

    2018-04-01

    Traditional accident analysis typically explores non-time-varying (stationary) factors that affect accident occurrence on roadway segments. However, the impact of time-varying (dynamic) factors is not thoroughly investigated. This paper seeks to simultaneously identify pre-crash stationary and dynamic factors of accident occurrence, while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. Using highly disaggregate information for the potential dynamic factors, and aggregate data for the traditional stationary elements, a dynamic binary random parameters (mixed) logit framework is employed. With this approach, the dynamic nature of weather-related, and driving- and pavement-condition information is jointly investigated with traditional roadway geometric and traffic characteristics. To additionally account for the combined effect of the dynamic and stationary factors on the accident occurrence, the developed random parameters logit framework allows for possible correlations among the random parameters. The analysis is based on crash and non-crash observations between 2011 and 2013, drawn from urban and rural highway segments in the state of Washington. The findings show that the proposed methodological framework can account for both stationary and dynamic factors affecting accident occurrence probabilities, for panel effects, for unobserved heterogeneity through the use of random parameters, and for possible correlation among the latter. The comparative evaluation among the correlated grouped random parameters, the uncorrelated random parameters logit models, and their fixed parameters logit counterpart, demonstrate the potential of the random parameters modeling, in general, and the benefits of the correlated grouped random parameters approach, specifically, in terms of statistical fit and explanatory power. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Constrained and Unconstrained Partial Adjacent Category Logit Models for Ordinal Response Variables

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fullerton, Andrew S.; Xu, Jun

    2018-01-01

    Adjacent category logit models are ordered regression models that focus on comparisons of adjacent categories. These models are particularly useful for ordinal response variables with categories that are of substantive interest. In this article, we consider unconstrained and constrained versions of the partial adjacent category logit model, which…

  15. Effect of driver's age and side of impact on crash severity along urban freeways: a mixed logit approach.

    PubMed

    Haleem, Kirolos; Gan, Albert

    2013-09-01

    This study identifies geometric, traffic, environmental, vehicle-related, and driver-related predictors of crash injury severity on urban freeways. The study takes advantage of the mixed logit model's ability to account for unobserved effects that are difficult to quantify and may affect the model estimation, such as the driver's reaction at the time of crash. Crashes of 5 years occurring on 89 urban freeway segments throughout the state of Florida in the United States were used. Examples of severity predictors explored include traffic volume, distance of the crash to the nearest ramp, and detailed driver's age, vehicle types, and sides of impact. To show how the parameter estimates could vary, a binary logit model was compared with the mixed logit model. It was found that the at-fault driver's age, traffic volume, distance of the crash to the nearest ramp, vehicle type, side of impact, and percentage of trucks significantly influence severity on urban freeways. Additionally, young at-fault drivers were associated with a significant severity risk increase relative to other age groups. It was also observed that some variables in the binary logit model yielded illogic estimates due to ignoring the random variation of the estimation. Since the at-fault driver's age and side of impact were significant random parameters in the mixed logit model, an in-depth investigation was performed. It was noticed that back, left, and right impacts had the highest risk among middle-aged drivers, followed by young drivers, very young drivers, and finally, old and very old drivers. To reduce side impacts due to lane changing, two primary strategies can be recommended. The first strategy is to conduct campaigns to convey the hazardous effect of changing lanes at higher speeds. The second is to devise in-vehicle side crash avoidance systems to alert drivers of a potential crash risk. The study provided a promising approach to screening the predictors before fitting the mixed logit model using the random forest technique. Furthermore, potential countermeasures were proposed to reduce the severity of impacts. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. On the potential of models for location and scale for genome-wide DNA methylation data

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background With the help of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), increasing knowledge on the role of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation in disease processes is obtained. In addition, EWAS aid the understanding of behavioral and environmental effects on DNA methylation. In terms of statistical analysis, specific challenges arise from the characteristics of methylation data. First, methylation β-values represent proportions with skewed and heteroscedastic distributions. Thus, traditional modeling strategies assuming a normally distributed response might not be appropriate. Second, recent evidence suggests that not only mean differences but also variability in site-specific DNA methylation associates with diseases, including cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare different modeling strategies for methylation data in terms of model performance and performance of downstream hypothesis tests. Specifically, we used the generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) framework to compare beta regression with Gaussian regression on raw, binary logit and arcsine square root transformed methylation data, with and without modeling a covariate effect on the scale parameter. Results Using simulated and real data from a large population-based study and an independent sample of cancer patients and healthy controls, we show that beta regression does not outperform competing strategies in terms of model performance. In addition, Gaussian models for location and scale showed an improved performance as compared to models for location only. The best performance was observed for the Gaussian model on binary logit transformed β-values, referred to as M-values. Our results further suggest that models for location and scale are specifically sensitive towards violations of the distribution assumption and towards outliers in the methylation data. Therefore, a resampling procedure is proposed as a mode of inference and shown to diminish type I error rate in practically relevant settings. We apply the proposed method in an EWAS of BMI and age and reveal strong associations of age with methylation variability that are validated in an independent sample. Conclusions Models for location and scale are promising tools for EWAS that may help to understand the influence of environmental factors and disease-related phenotypes on methylation variability and its role during disease development. PMID:24994026

  17. Estimation of social value of statistical life using willingness-to-pay method in Nanjing, China.

    PubMed

    Yang, Zhao; Liu, Pan; Xu, Xin

    2016-10-01

    Rational decision making regarding the safety related investment programs greatly depends on the economic valuation of traffic crashes. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the social value of statistical life in the city of Nanjing in China. A stated preference survey was conducted to investigate travelers' willingness to pay for traffic risk reduction. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at stations, shopping centers, schools, and parks in different districts in the urban area of Nanjing. The respondents were categorized into two groups, including motorists and non-motorists. Both the binary logit model and mixed logit model were developed for the two groups of people. The results revealed that the mixed logit model is superior to the fixed coefficient binary logit model. The factors that significantly affect people's willingness to pay for risk reduction include income, education, gender, age, drive age (for motorists), occupation, whether the charged fees were used to improve private vehicle equipment (for motorists), reduction in fatality rate, and change in travel cost. The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to generate the distribution of value of statistical life (VSL). Based on the mixed logit model, the VSL had a mean value of 3,729,493 RMB ($586,610) with a standard deviation of 2,181,592 RMB ($343,142) for motorists; and a mean of 3,281,283 RMB ($505,318) with a standard deviation of 2,376,975 RMB ($366,054) for non-motorists. Using the tax system to illustrate the contribution of different income groups to social funds, the social value of statistical life was estimated. The average social value of statistical life was found to be 7,184,406 RMB ($1,130,032). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Winter weather demand considerations.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-04-01

    Winter weather has varied effects on travel behavior. Using 418 survey responses from the Northern Virginia : commuting area of Washington, D.C. and binary logit models, this study examines travel related changes under : different types of winter wea...

  19. Modeling the Effect of Enlarging Seating Room on Passengers' Preference of Taiwan's Domestic Airlines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lu, Jin-Long; Tsai, Li-Non

    2003-01-01

    This study addresses the need for measuring the effect of enlarging seating room in airplane on passengers' preferences of airline in Taiwan. The results can assist Taiwan's domestic air carriers in better understanding their customers' expectations. Stated choice experiment is used to incorporate passengers' trade-offs in the preferred measurement, and three major attributes are taken into account in the stated choice experiment: (1) type of seat (enlarged or not), (2) price, and (3) brand names of airlines. Furthermore, a binary logit model is used to model the choice behavior of air passengers. The findings show that the type of seat is a major significant variable; price and airline's brand are also significant as well. It concludes that air carriers should put more emphasis on the issue of improving the quality of seat comfort. Keywords: Passengers' preference, Enlarged seating room, Stated choice experiment, Binary logit model.

  20. Sample size determination for logistic regression on a logit-normal distribution.

    PubMed

    Kim, Seongho; Heath, Elisabeth; Heilbrun, Lance

    2017-06-01

    Although the sample size for simple logistic regression can be readily determined using currently available methods, the sample size calculation for multiple logistic regression requires some additional information, such as the coefficient of determination ([Formula: see text]) of a covariate of interest with other covariates, which is often unavailable in practice. The response variable of logistic regression follows a logit-normal distribution which can be generated from a logistic transformation of a normal distribution. Using this property of logistic regression, we propose new methods of determining the sample size for simple and multiple logistic regressions using a normal transformation of outcome measures. Simulation studies and a motivating example show several advantages of the proposed methods over the existing methods: (i) no need for [Formula: see text] for multiple logistic regression, (ii) available interim or group-sequential designs, and (iii) much smaller required sample size.

  1. Logit and probit model in toll sensitivity analysis of Solo-Ngawi, Kartasura-Palang Joglo segment based on Willingness to Pay (WTP)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Handayani, Dewi; Cahyaning Putri, Hera; Mahmudah, AMH

    2017-12-01

    Solo-Ngawi toll road project is part of the mega project of the Trans Java toll road development initiated by the government and is still under construction until now. PT Solo Ngawi Jaya (SNJ) as the Solo-Ngawi toll management company needs to determine the toll fare that is in accordance with the business plan. The determination of appropriate toll rates will affect progress in regional economic sustainability and decrease the traffic congestion. These policy instruments is crucial for achieving environmentally sustainable transport. Therefore, the objective of this research is to find out how the toll fare sensitivity of Solo-Ngawi toll road based on Willingness To Pay (WTP). Primary data was obtained by distributing stated preference questionnaires to four wheeled vehicle users in Kartasura-Palang Joglo artery road segment. Further data obtained will be analysed with logit and probit model. Based on the analysis, it is found that the effect of fare change on the amount of WTP on the binomial logit model is more sensitive than the probit model on the same travel conditions. The range of tariff change against values of WTP on the binomial logit model is 20% greater than the range of values in the probit model . On the other hand, the probability results of the binomial logit model and the binary probit have no significant difference (less than 1%).

  2. The Application of Censored Regression Models in Low Streamflow Analyses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kroll, C.; Luz, J.

    2003-12-01

    Estimation of low streamflow statistics at gauged and ungauged river sites is often a daunting task. This process is further confounded by the presence of intermittent streamflows, where streamflow is sometimes reported as zero, within a region. Streamflows recorded as zero may be zero, or may be less than the measurement detection limit. Such data is often referred to as censored data. Numerous methods have been developed to characterize intermittent streamflow series. Logit regression has been proposed to develop regional models of the probability annual lowflows series (such as 7-day lowflows) are zero. In addition, Tobit regression, a method of regression that allows for censored dependent variables, has been proposed for lowflow regional regression models in regions where the lowflow statistic of interest estimated as zero at some sites in the region. While these methods have been proposed, their use in practice has been limited. Here a delete-one jackknife simulation is presented to examine the performance of Logit and Tobit models of 7-day annual minimum flows in 6 USGS water resource regions in the United States. For the Logit model, an assessment is made of whether sites are correctly classified as having at least 10% of 7-day annual lowflows equal to zero. In such a situation, the 7-day, 10-year lowflow (Q710), a commonly employed low streamflow statistic, would be reported as zero. For the Tobit model, a comparison is made between results from the Tobit model, and from performing either ordinary least squares (OLS) or principal component regression (PCR) after the zero sites are dropped from the analysis. Initial results for the Logit model indicate this method to have a high probability of correctly classifying sites into groups with Q710s as zero and non-zero. Initial results also indicate the Tobit model produces better results than PCR and OLS when more than 5% of the sites in the region have Q710 values calculated as zero.

  3. Predicting longitudinal trajectories of health probabilities with random-effects multinomial logit regression.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xian; Engel, Charles C

    2012-12-20

    Researchers often encounter longitudinal health data characterized with three or more ordinal or nominal categories. Random-effects multinomial logit models are generally applied to account for potential lack of independence inherent in such clustered data. When parameter estimates are used to describe longitudinal processes, however, random effects, both between and within individuals, need to be retransformed for correctly predicting outcome probabilities. This study attempts to go beyond existing work by developing a retransformation method that derives longitudinal growth trajectories of unbiased health probabilities. We estimated variances of the predicted probabilities by using the delta method. Additionally, we transformed the covariates' regression coefficients on the multinomial logit function, not substantively meaningful, to the conditional effects on the predicted probabilities. The empirical illustration uses the longitudinal data from the Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old. Our analysis compared three sets of the predicted probabilities of three health states at six time points, obtained from, respectively, the retransformation method, the best linear unbiased prediction, and the fixed-effects approach. The results demonstrate that neglect of retransforming random errors in the random-effects multinomial logit model results in severely biased longitudinal trajectories of health probabilities as well as overestimated effects of covariates on the probabilities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yiwen; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin; Sun, Wei

    2016-01-01

    Data with multivariate count responses frequently occur in modern applications. The commonly used multinomial-logit model is limiting due to its restrictive mean-variance structure. For instance, analyzing count data from the recent RNA-seq technology by the multinomial-logit model leads to serious errors in hypothesis testing. The ubiquity of over-dispersion and complicated correlation structures among multivariate counts calls for more flexible regression models. In this article, we study some generalized linear models that incorporate various correlation structures among the counts. Current literature lacks a treatment of these models, partly due to the fact that they do not belong to the natural exponential family. We study the estimation, testing, and variable selection for these models in a unifying framework. The regression models are compared on both synthetic and real RNA-seq data. PMID:28348500

  5. Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yiwen; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin; Sun, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Data with multivariate count responses frequently occur in modern applications. The commonly used multinomial-logit model is limiting due to its restrictive mean-variance structure. For instance, analyzing count data from the recent RNA-seq technology by the multinomial-logit model leads to serious errors in hypothesis testing. The ubiquity of over-dispersion and complicated correlation structures among multivariate counts calls for more flexible regression models. In this article, we study some generalized linear models that incorporate various correlation structures among the counts. Current literature lacks a treatment of these models, partly due to the fact that they do not belong to the natural exponential family. We study the estimation, testing, and variable selection for these models in a unifying framework. The regression models are compared on both synthetic and real RNA-seq data.

  6. Demand for Health Insurance by Military Retirees

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-01

    Plans,” The Journal of Health Economics 16, No. 2 (1997): 231–247 and Bruce A. Strombom, Thomas C. Buchmueller, and Paul J. Feldstein, “Switching Costs...Initiative: Volume 3. Health Care Utilization and Costs,” R -4244/3-HA (Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1993). 10 probit regression model for TRICARE...Solomon (1998) Stanford University employees, panel data, 1994–95 HMO vs. PPO and FFS Logit -0.29 Fixed-Effects Logit -0.97 Barringer and Mitchell

  7. Working hours and depressive symptoms over 7 years: evidence from a Korean panel study.

    PubMed

    Ahn, Seoyeon

    2018-04-01

    This study aims to examine how working hours influence depressive symptoms and the association between working hours and depressive symptoms differently across genders. The sample consists of salaried workers aged 25-64 years who participated in two consecutive waves of the seven-wave Korean Welfare Panel Study (2007-2013) (n = 6813 individuals, 27,986 observations) which is a survey of a nationally representative sample of the South Korean population. I apply logit regression and fixed-effects logit regression to examine the causal relation between (intra-)individual changes of working hours and depressive symptoms over a 7-year period. Results from logit model and fixed-effects logit model show that less than 30 h of work per week and more than 60 h of work per week are associated with significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms. Sex-stratified analyses reveal that women who worked over 60 h per week were at increased risk of showing depressive symptoms compared with women who worked 30-40 h per week. No significant increase in depressive symptoms was seen in men who worked more than 60 h per week. However, men working less than 30 h per week are more likely to report higher levels of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that work arrangement affects the mental health of men and women differently.

  8. An analysis of factors affecting participation behavior of limited resource farmers in agricultural cost-share programs in Alabama

    Treesearch

    Okwudili Onianwa; Gerald Wheelock; Buddhi Gyawali; Jianbang Gan; Mark Dubois; John Schelhas

    2004-01-01

    This study examines factors that affect the participation behavior of limited resource farmers in agricultural cost-share programs in Alabama. The data were generated from a survey administered to a sample of limited resource farm operators. A binary logit model was employed to analyze the data. Results indicate that college education, age, gross sales, ratio of owned...

  9. Preferences for the sex-composition of children in Europe: a multilevel examination of its effect on progression to a third child.

    PubMed

    Mills, Melinda; Begall, Katia

    2010-03-01

    Comparative research on the preferred sex of children in Western societies has generally focused on women only and ignored the role of gender equity and the need for children's economic support in old age. A multilevel analysis extends existing research by examining, for both men and women and across 24 European countries, the effect of the preferred sex-composition of offspring on whether parents have or intend to have a third child. Using the European Social Survey (2004/5), a multilevel (random coefficient) ordered logit regression of that intention (N = 3,323) and a binary logistic multilevel model of the transition to a third child (N = 6,502) demonstrate the presence of a mixed-sex preference. In countries with a high risk of poverty in old age, a preference for sons is found, particularly for men. In societies where there is lower gender equity, both men and women have a significant preference for boys.

  10. Cognitive overload? An exploration of the potential impact of cognitive functioning in discrete choice experiments with older people in health care.

    PubMed

    Milte, Rachel; Ratcliffe, Julie; Chen, Gang; Lancsar, Emily; Miller, Michelle; Crotty, Maria

    2014-07-01

    This exploratory study sought to investigate the effect of cognitive functioning on the consistency of individual responses to a discrete choice experiment (DCE) study conducted exclusively with older people. A DCE to investigate preferences for multidisciplinary rehabilitation was administered to a consenting sample of older patients (aged 65 years and older) after surgery to repair a fractured hip (N = 84). Conditional logit, mixed logit, heteroscedastic conditional logit, and generalized multinomial logit regression models were used to analyze the DCE data and to explore the relationship between the level of cognitive functioning (specifically the absence or presence of mild cognitive impairment as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination) and preference and scale heterogeneity. Both the heteroscedastic conditional logit and generalized multinomial logit models indicated that the presence of mild cognitive impairment did not have a significant effect on the consistency of responses to the DCE. This study provides important preliminary evidence relating to the effect of mild cognitive impairment on DCE responses for older people. It is important that further research be conducted in larger samples and more diverse populations to further substantiate the findings from this exploratory study and to assess the practicality and validity of the DCE approach with populations of older people. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The relationship between venture capital investment and macro economic variables via statistical computation method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aygunes, Gunes

    2017-07-01

    The objective of this paper is to survey and determine the macroeconomic factors affecting the level of venture capital (VC) investments in a country. The literary depends on venture capitalists' quality and countries' venture capital investments. The aim of this paper is to give relationship between venture capital investment and macro economic variables via statistical computation method. We investigate the countries and macro economic variables. By using statistical computation method, we derive correlation between venture capital investments and macro economic variables. According to method of logistic regression model (logit regression or logit model), macro economic variables are correlated with each other in three group. Venture capitalists regard correlations as a indicator. Finally, we give correlation matrix of our results.

  12. Quality and provider choice: a multinomial logit-least-squares model with selectivity.

    PubMed Central

    Haas-Wilson, D; Savoca, E

    1990-01-01

    A Federal Trade Commission survey of contact lens wearers is used to estimate a multinomial logit-least-squares model of the joint determination of provider choice and quality of care in the contact lens industry. The effect of personal and industry characteristics on a consumer's choice among three types of providers--opticians, ophthalmologists, and optometrists--is estimated via multinomial logit. The regression model of the quality of care has two features that distinguish it from previous work in the area. First, it uses an outcome rather than a structural or process measure of quality. Quality is measured as an index of the presence of seven potentially pathological eye conditions caused by poorly fitted lenses. Second, the model controls for possible selection bias that may arise from the fact that the sample observations on quality are generated by consumers' nonrandom choices of providers. The multinomial logit estimates of provider choice indicate that professional regulations limiting the commercial practices of optometrists shift demand for contact lens services away from optometrists toward ophthalmologists. Further, consumers are more likely to have their lenses fitted by opticians in states that require the licensing of opticians. The regression analysis of variations in quality across provider types shows a strong positive selection bias in the estimate of the quality of care received by consumers of ophthalmologists' services. Failure to control for this selection bias results in an overestimate of the quality of care provided by ophthalmologists. PMID:2312308

  13. Comparison of IRT Likelihood Ratio Test and Logistic Regression DIF Detection Procedures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atar, Burcu; Kamata, Akihito

    2011-01-01

    The Type I error rates and the power of IRT likelihood ratio test and cumulative logit ordinal logistic regression procedures in detecting differential item functioning (DIF) for polytomously scored items were investigated in this Monte Carlo simulation study. For this purpose, 54 simulation conditions (combinations of 3 sample sizes, 2 sample…

  14. The arcsine is asinine: the analysis of proportions in ecology.

    PubMed

    Warton, David I; Hui, Francis K C

    2011-01-01

    The arcsine square root transformation has long been standard procedure when analyzing proportional data in ecology, with applications in data sets containing binomial and non-binomial response variables. Here, we argue that the arcsine transform should not be used in either circumstance. For binomial data, logistic regression has greater interpretability and higher power than analyses of transformed data. However, it is important to check the data for additional unexplained variation, i.e., overdispersion, and to account for it via the inclusion of random effects in the model if found. For non-binomial data, the arcsine transform is undesirable on the grounds of interpretability, and because it can produce nonsensical predictions. The logit transformation is proposed as an alternative approach to address these issues. Examples are presented in both cases to illustrate these advantages, comparing various methods of analyzing proportions including untransformed, arcsine- and logit-transformed linear models and logistic regression (with or without random effects). Simulations demonstrate that logistic regression usually provides a gain in power over other methods.

  15. An Objective Screening Method for Major Depressive Disorder Using Logistic Regression Analysis of Heart Rate Variability Data Obtained in a Mental Task Paradigm.

    PubMed

    Sun, Guanghao; Shinba, Toshikazu; Kirimoto, Tetsuo; Matsui, Takemi

    2016-01-01

    Heart rate variability (HRV) has been intensively studied as a promising biological marker of major depressive disorder (MDD). Our previous study confirmed that autonomic activity and reactivity in depression revealed by HRV during rest and mental task (MT) conditions can be used as diagnostic measures and in clinical evaluation. In this study, logistic regression analysis (LRA) was utilized for the classification and prediction of MDD based on HRV data obtained in an MT paradigm. Power spectral analysis of HRV on R-R intervals before, during, and after an MT (random number generation) was performed in 44 drug-naïve patients with MDD and 47 healthy control subjects at Department of Psychiatry in Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital. Logit scores of LRA determined by HRV indices and heart rates discriminated patients with MDD from healthy subjects. The high frequency (HF) component of HRV and the ratio of the low frequency (LF) component to the HF component (LF/HF) correspond to parasympathetic and sympathovagal balance, respectively. The LRA achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 80.0 and 79.0%, respectively, at an optimum cutoff logit score (0.28). Misclassifications occurred only when the logit score was close to the cutoff score. Logit scores also correlated significantly with subjective self-rating depression scale scores ( p  < 0.05). HRV indices recorded during a MT may be an objective tool for screening patients with MDD in psychiatric practice. The proposed method appears promising for not only objective and rapid MDD screening but also evaluation of its severity.

  16. Investigation of hit-and-run crash occurrence and severity using real-time loop detector data and hierarchical Bayesian binary logit model with random effects.

    PubMed

    Xie, Meiquan; Cheng, Wen; Gill, Gurdiljot Singh; Zhou, Jiao; Jia, Xudong; Choi, Simon

    2018-02-17

    Most of the extensive research dedicated to identifying the influential factors of hit-and-run (HR) crashes has utilized typical maximum likelihood estimation binary logit models, and none have employed real-time traffic data. To fill this gap, this study focused on investigating factors contributing to HR crashes, as well as the severity levels of HR. This study analyzed 4-year crash and real-time loop detector data by employing hierarchical Bayesian models with random effects within a sequential logit structure. In addition to evaluation of the impact of random effects on model fitness and complexity, the prediction capability of the models was examined. Stepwise incremental sensitivity and specificity were calculated and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to graphically illustrate the predictive performance of the model. Among the real-time flow variables, the average occupancy and speed from the upstream detector were observed to be positively correlated with HR crash possibility. The average upstream speed and speed difference between upstream and downstream speeds were correlated with the occurrence of severe HR crashes. In addition to real-time factors, other variables found influential for HR and severe HR crashes were length of segment, adverse weather conditions, dark lighting conditions with malfunctioning street lights, driving under the influence of alcohol, width of inner shoulder, and nighttime. This study suggests the potential traffic conditions of HR and severe HR occurrence, which refer to relatively congested upstream traffic conditions with high upstream speed and significant speed deviations on long segments. The above findings suggest that traffic enforcement should be directed toward mitigating risky driving under the aforementioned traffic conditions. Moreover, enforcement agencies may employ alcohol checkpoints to counter driving under the influence (DUI) at night. With regard to engineering improvements, wider inner shoulders may be constructed to potentially reduce HR cases and street lights should be installed and maintained in working condition to make roads less prone to such crashes.

  17. Emotional Reactions to Stress among Adolescent Boys and Girls: An Examination of the Mediating Mechanisms Proposed by General Strain Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sigfusdottir, Inga-Dora; Silver, Eric

    2009-01-01

    This study examines the effects of negative life events on anger and depressed mood among a sample of 7,758 Icelandic adolescents, measured as part of the National Survey of Icelandic Adolescents (Thorlindsson, Sigfusdottir, Bernburg, & Halldorsson, 1998). Using multiple linear regression and multinomial logit regression, we find that (a)…

  18. Community forestry as perceived by local people around Cross River National Park, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ezebilo, Eugene E

    2012-01-01

    The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang (Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

  19. Community Forestry as Perceived by Local People Around Cross River National Park, Nigeria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ezebilo, Eugene E.

    2012-01-01

    The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang ( Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

  20. Analysis of Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on Vannamei Shrimp using binary logit model approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oktaviana, P. P.; Fithriasari, K.

    2018-04-01

    Mostly Indonesian citizen consume vannamei shrimp as their food. Vannamei shrimp also is one of Indonesian exports comodities mainstay. Vannamei shrimp in the ponds and markets could be contaminated by Salmonella sp bacteria. This bacteria will endanger human health. Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on vannamei shrimp could be affected by many factors. This study is intended to identify what factors that supposedly influence the Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on vannamei shrimp. The researchers used the testing result of Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on vannamei shrimp as response variable. This response variable has two categories: 0 = if testing result indicate that there is no Salmonella sp on vannamei shrimp; 1 = if testing result indicate that there is Salmonella sp on vannamei shrimp. There are four factors that supposedly influence the Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on vannamei shrimp, which are the testing result of Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on farmer hand swab; the subdistrict of vannamei shrimp ponds; the fish processing unit supplied by; and the pond are in hectare. This four factors used as predictor variables. The analysis used is Binary Logit Model Approach according to the response variable that has two categories. The analysis result indicates that the factors or predictor variables which is significantly affect the Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on vannamei shrimp are the testing result of Salmonella sp bacterial contamination on farmer hand swab and the subdistrict of vannamei shrimp ponds.

  1. Prevalence of abortion and stillbirth in a beef cattle system in Southeastern Mexico.

    PubMed

    Segura-Correa, José C; Segura-Correa, Victor M

    2009-12-01

    Prenatal mortality is an important cause of production losses in the livestock industry. This study estimates the prevalences of abortion and stillbirth in a beef cattle system and determines the significance of some risk factors, in the tropics of Mexico. Data were obtained from a Zebu cattle herd and their crosses with Bos taurus breeds, in Yucatan, Mexico. The logit of the probability of an abortion or stillbirth was modeled using binary logistic regression. The risk factors tested were: year of abortion (or calving), season of abortion (or calving), parity number and dam breed group. The effect of twins on stillbirth was tested using Fisher exact test. Of the 4175 calvings studied 49 were abortions (1.17%). Significant factors in the logistic regression analysis for abortions were season of abortion and parity number. The risk of abortion was lower in the dry seasons compared to the rainy and windy seasons (P = 0.009). The risk of abortion was higher in second parity cows followed by the third and first parity cows, as compared to older cows (P = 0.015). Of the 4126 births, 87 were stillbirths (2.11%). Significant factors in the logistic regression analysis for stillbirth were year of calving (P = 0.0001) and parity number (P < 0.001). The risk of stillbirth in first parity cows was 2.6 times that of old cows. Of the total births, 15 were twins (0.36%) of which 7 were born dead calves. Herd owners must focus on the significant risk factors under their control to reduce the prevalence of prenatal mortality.

  2. Ordered LOGIT Model approach for the determination of financial distress.

    PubMed

    Kinay, B

    2010-01-01

    Nowadays, as a result of the global competition encountered, numerous companies come up against financial distresses. To predict and take proactive approaches for those problems is quite important. Thus, the prediction of crisis and financial distress is essential in terms of revealing the financial condition of companies. In this study, financial ratios relating to 156 industrial firms that are quoted in the Istanbul Stock Exchange are used and probabilities of financial distress are predicted by means of an ordered logit regression model. By means of Altman's Z Score, the dependent variable is composed by scaling the level of risk. Thus, a model that can compose an early warning system and predict financial distress is proposed.

  3. Effects of truck traffic on crash injury severity on rural highways in Wyoming using Bayesian binary logit models.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Mohamed M; Franke, Rebecca; Ksaibati, Khaled; Shinstine, Debbie S

    2018-08-01

    Roadway safety is an integral part of a functioning infrastructure. A major use of the highway system is the transport of goods. The United States has experienced constant growth in the amount of freight transported by truck in the last few years. Wyoming is experiencing a large increase in truck traffic on its local and county roads due to an increase in oil and gas production. This study explores the involvement of heavy trucks in crashes and their significance as a predictor of crash severity and addresses the effect that large truck traffic is having on the safety of roadways for various road classifications. Studies have been done on the factors involved in and the causation of heavy truck crashes, but none address the causation and effect of roadway classifications on truck crashes. Binary Logit Models (BLM) with Bayesian inferences were utilized to classify heavy truck involvement in severe and non-severe crashes using ten years (2002-2011) of historical crash data in the State of Wyoming. From the final main effects model, various interactions proved to be significant in predicting the severity of crashes and varied depending on the roadway classification. The results indicated the odds of a severe crash increase to 2.3 and 4.5 times when a heavy truck is involved on state and interstate highways respectively. The severity of crashes is significantly increased when road conditions were not clear, icy, and during snowy weather conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Academic Achievement of Girls in Rural Schools in Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mungai, A. M.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the effect of two family factors (financial, social capital) and school factors on students' achievement. One hundred eighty two, seventh-grade female students from nine schools in Muranga district, Kenya, were studied. The statistical procedures included logit regression, cross-tabulations, frequency counting and chi-square…

  5. An association between neighbourhood wealth inequality and HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa.

    PubMed

    Brodish, Paul Henry

    2015-05-01

    This paper investigates whether community-level wealth inequality predicts HIV serostatus using DHS household survey and HIV biomarker data for men and women ages 15-59 pooled from six sub-Saharan African countries with HIV prevalence rates exceeding 5%. The analysis relates the binary dependent variable HIV-positive serostatus and two weighted aggregate predictors generated from the DHS Wealth Index: the Gini coefficient, and the ratio of the wealth of households in the top 20% wealth quintile to that of those in the bottom 20%. In separate multilevel logistic regression models, wealth inequality is used to predict HIV prevalence within each statistical enumeration area, controlling for known individual-level demographic predictors of HIV serostatus. Potential individual-level sexual behaviour mediating variables are added to assess attenuation, and ordered logit models investigate whether the effect is mediated through extramarital sexual partnerships. Both the cluster-level wealth Gini coefficient and wealth ratio significantly predict positive HIV serostatus: a 1 point increase in the cluster-level Gini coefficient and in the cluster-level wealth ratio is associated with a 2.35 and 1.3 times increased likelihood of being HIV positive, respectively, controlling for individual-level demographic predictors, and associations are stronger in models including only males. Adding sexual behaviour variables attenuates the effects of both inequality measures. Reporting eleven plus lifetime sexual partners increases the odds of being HIV positive over five-fold. The likelihood of having more extramarital partners is significantly higher in clusters with greater wealth inequality measured by the wealth ratio. Disaggregating logit models by sex indicates important risk behaviour differences. Household wealth inequality within DHS clusters predicts HIV serostatus, and the relationship is partially mediated by more extramarital partners. These results emphasize the importance of incorporating higher-level contextual factors, investigating behavioural mediators, and disaggregating by sex in assessing HIV risk in order to uncover potential mechanisms of action and points of preventive intervention.

  6. An association between neighborhood wealth inequality and HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa

    PubMed Central

    Brodish, Paul Henry

    2016-01-01

    Summary This paper investigates whether community-level wealth inequality predicts HIV serostatus, using DHS household survey and HIV biomarker data for men and women ages 15-59 pooled from six sub-Saharan African countries with HIV prevalence rates exceeding five percent. The analysis relates the binary dependent variable HIV positive serostatus and two weighted aggregate predictors generated from the DHS Wealth Index: the Gini coefficient, and the ratio of the wealth of households in the top 20% wealth quintile to that of those in the bottom 20%. In separate multilevel logistic regression models, wealth inequality is used to predict HIV prevalence within each SEA, controlling for known individual-level demographic predictors of HIV serostatus. Potential individual-level sexual behavior mediating variables are added to assess attenuation, and ordered logit models investigate whether the effect is mediated through extramarital sexual partnerships. Both the cluster-level wealth Gini coefficient and wealth ratio significantly predict positive HIV serostatus: a 1 point increase in the cluster-level Gini coefficient and in the cluster-level wealth ratio is associated with a 2.35 and 1.3 times increased likelihood of being HIV positive, respectively, controlling for individual-level demographic predictors, and associations are stronger in models including only males. Adding sexual behavior variables attenuates the effects of both inequality measures. Reporting 11 plus lifetime sexual partners increases the odds of being HIV positive over five-fold. The likelihood of having more extramarital partners is significantly higher in clusters with greater wealth inequality measured by the wealth ratio. Disaggregating logit models by sex indicates important risk behavior differences. Household wealth inequality within DHS clusters predicts HIV serostatus, and the relationship is partially mediated by more extramarital partners. These results emphasize the importance of incorporating higher-level contextual factors, investigating behavioral mediators, and disaggregating by sex in assessing HIV risk in order to uncover potential mechanisms of action and points of preventive intervention PMID:24406021

  7. Determinants of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Risk Perceptions in Youth Populations: A Multivariate Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denham, Bryan E.

    2009-01-01

    Grounded conceptually in social cognitive theory, this research examines how personal, behavioral, and environmental factors are associated with risk perceptions of anabolic-androgenic steroids. Ordinal logistic regression and logit log-linear models applied to data gathered from high-school seniors (N = 2,160) in the 2005 Monitoring the Future…

  8. An Analysis of Losses to the Southern Commercial Timberland Base

    Treesearch

    Ian A. Munn; David Cleaves

    1998-01-01

    Demographic and physical factors influencing the conversion of commercial timberland iu the south to non-forestry uses between the last two Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) surveys were investigated. GIS techniques linked Census data and FIA plot level data. Multinomial logit regression identified factors associated with losses to the timberland base. Conversion to...

  9. Gaussian Process Regression Model in Spatial Logistic Regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sofro, A.; Oktaviarina, A.

    2018-01-01

    Spatial analysis has developed very quickly in the last decade. One of the favorite approaches is based on the neighbourhood of the region. Unfortunately, there are some limitations such as difficulty in prediction. Therefore, we offer Gaussian process regression (GPR) to accommodate the issue. In this paper, we will focus on spatial modeling with GPR for binomial data with logit link function. The performance of the model will be investigated. We will discuss the inference of how to estimate the parameters and hyper-parameters and to predict as well. Furthermore, simulation studies will be explained in the last section.

  10. How do patient characteristics influence informal payments for inpatient and outpatient health care in Albania: Results of logit and OLS models using Albanian LSMS 2005

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Informal payments for health care are common in most former communist countries. This paper explores the demand side of these payments in Albania. By using data from the Living Standard Measurement Survey 2005 we control for individual determinants of informal payments in inpatient and outpatient health care. We use these results to explain the main factors contributing to the occurrence and extent of informal payments in Albania. Methods Using multivariate methods (logit and OLS) we test three models to explain informal payments: the cultural, economic and governance model. The results of logit models are presented here as odds ratios (OR) and results from OLS models as regression coefficients (RC). Results Our findings suggest differences in determinants of informal payments in inpatient and outpatient care. Generally our results show that informal payments are dependent on certain characteristics of patients, including age, area of residence, education, health status and health insurance. However, they are less dependent on income, suggesting homogeneity of payments across income categories. Conclusions We have found more evidence for the validity of governance and economic models than for the cultural model. PMID:21605459

  11. Do You Know What You Owe? Students' Understanding of Their Student Loans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andruska, Emily A.; Hogarth, Jeanne M.; Fletcher, Cynthia Needles; Forbes, Gregory R.; Wohlgemuth, Darin R.

    2014-01-01

    Using a data set that augments a student survey with administrative data from the Iowa State University Office of Financial Aid, the authors posed two questions: Do students know whether they have student loans? Do students know how much they owe on outstanding student loans? We used logistic and ordered logit regressions to answer these…

  12. The Impact of School Socioeconomic Status on Student-Generated Teacher Ratings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agnew, Steve

    2011-01-01

    This paper uses ordinary least squares, logit and probit regressions, along with chi-square analysis applied to nationwide data from the New Zealand ratemyteacher website to establish if there is any correlation between student ratings of their teachers and the socioeconomic status of the school the students attend. The results show that students…

  13. Real-time Mainshock Forecast by Statistical Discrimination of Foreshock Clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nomura, S.; Ogata, Y.

    2016-12-01

    Foreshock discremination is one of the most effective ways for short-time forecast of large main shocks. Though many large earthquakes accompany their foreshocks, discreminating them from enormous small earthquakes is difficult and only probabilistic evaluation from their spatio-temporal features and magnitude evolution may be available. Logistic regression is the statistical learning method best suited to such binary pattern recognition problems where estimates of a-posteriori probability of class membership are required. Statistical learning methods can keep learning discreminating features from updating catalog and give probabilistic recognition of forecast in real time. We estimated a non-linear function of foreshock proportion by smooth spline bases and evaluate the possibility of foreshocks by the logit function. In this study, we classified foreshocks from earthquake catalog by the Japan Meteorological Agency by single-link clustering methods and learned spatial and temporal features of foreshocks by the probability density ratio estimation. We use the epicentral locations, time spans and difference in magnitudes for learning and forecasting. Magnitudes of main shocks are also predicted our method by incorporating b-values into our method. We discuss the spatial pattern of foreshocks from the classifier composed by our model. We also implement a back test to validate predictive performance of the model by this catalog.

  14. [Socio-demographic and health factors associated with the institutionalization of dependent people].

    PubMed

    Ayuso Gutiérrez, Mercedes; Pozo Rubio, Raúl Del; Escribano Sotos, Francisco

    2010-01-01

    The analysis of the effect that different variables have in the probability that dependent people are institutionalized is a topic scantily studied in Spain. The aim of the work is to analyze as certain socio-demographic and health factors can influence probability of dependent person living in a residence. A cross-section study has been conducted from a representative sample of the dependent population in Cuenca (Spain) in February, 2009. We have obtained information for people with level II and III of dependence. A binary logit regression model has been estimated to identify those factors related to the institutionalization of dependent people. People with ages between 65-74 years old are six times more likely to be institutionalized than younger people (< 65 years old); this probability increases sixteen times for those individuals with ages equal or higher than 95 years. The probability of institutionalization of people who live in an urban area is three times the probability of people who live in a rural area. People who need pharmacological, psychotherapy or rehabilitation treatments have between two and four times more probability of being institutionalized that those who do not need those. Age, marital status, place of residence, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases and four times of medical treatment are the principal variables associated with the institutionalization of dependent people.

  15. Alcohol Use-Related Problems Among a Rural Indian Population of West Bengal: An Application of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

    PubMed

    Barik, Anamitra; Rai, Rajesh Kumar; Chowdhury, Abhijit

    2016-03-01

    To examine alcohol use and related problems among a rural subset of the Indian population. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used as part of Health and Demographic Surveillance of 36,611 individuals aged ≥18 years. From this survey data on 3671 current alcohol users were analysed using bivariate and multivariate ordered logit regression. Over 19% of males and 2.4% of females were current alcohol users. Mean ethanol consumption on a typical drinking day among males was estimated to be higher (96.3 gm) than females (56.5 gm). Mean AUDIT score was 11 among current alcohol users. AUDIT showed in the ordered logit regression estimated alcohol use-related problems to be low among women, Scheduled Tribes and unmarried people, whereas alcohol use-related problems registered high among Muslims. This rural population appears to be in need of an effective intervention program, perhaps targeting men and the household, aimed at reducing the level of alcohol use and related problems. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  16. Multilevel Models for Binary Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powers, Daniel A.

    2012-01-01

    The methods and models for categorical data analysis cover considerable ground, ranging from regression-type models for binary and binomial data, count data, to ordered and unordered polytomous variables, as well as regression models that mix qualitative and continuous data. This article focuses on methods for binary or binomial data, which are…

  17. Assessing coastal plain wetland composition using advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pantaleoni, Eva

    Establishing wetland gains and losses, delineating wetland boundaries, and determining their vegetative composition are major challenges that can be improved through remote sensing studies. We used the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) to separate wetlands from uplands in a study of 870 locations on the Virginia Coastal Plain. We used the first five bands from each of two ASTER scenes (6 March 2005 and 16 October 2005), covering the visible to the short-wave infrared region (0.52-2.185mum). We included GIS data layers for soil survey, topography, and presence or absence of water in a logistic regression model that predicted the location of over 78% of the wetlands. While this was slightly less accurate (78% vs. 86%) than current National Wetland Inventory (NWI) aerial photo interpretation procedures of locating wetlands, satellite imagery analysis holds great promise for speeding wetland mapping, lowering costs, and improving update frequency. To estimate wetland vegetation composition classes, we generated a classification and regression tree (CART) model and a multinomial logistic regression (logit) model, and compared their accuracy in separating woody wetlands, emergent wetlands and open water. The overall accuracy of the CART model was 73.3%, while for the logit model was 76.7%. The CART producer's accuracy of the emergent wetlands was higher than the accuracy from the multinomial logit (57.1% vs. 40.7%). However, we obtained the opposite result for the woody wetland category (68.7% vs. 52.6%). A McNemar test between the two models and NWI maps showed that their accuracies were not statistically different. We conducted a subpixel analysis of the ASTER images to estimate canopy cover of forested wetlands. We used top-of-atmosphere reflectance from the visible and near infrared bands, Delta Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and a tasseled cap brightness, greenness, and wetness in linear regression model with canopy cover as the dependent variable. The model achieved an adjusted-R 2 of 0.69 (RMSE = 2.7%) for canopy cover less than 16%, and an adjusted-R 2 of 0.04 (RMSE = 19.8%) for higher canopy cover values. Taken together, these findings suggest that satellite remote sensing, in concert with other spatial data, has strong potential for mapping both wetland presence and type.

  18. Gender, Alcohol Consumption Patterns, and Engagement in Sexually Intimate Behaviors among Adolescents and Young Adults in Nha Trang, Viet Nam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaljee, Linda M.; Green, Mackenzie S.; Zhan, Min; Riel, Rosemary; Lerdboon, Porntip; Lostutter, Ty W.; Tho, Le Huu; Luong, Vo Van; Minh, Truong Tan

    2011-01-01

    A randomly selected cross-sectional survey was conducted with 880 youth (16 to 24 years) in Nha Trang City to assess relationships between alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors. A timeline followback method was employed. Chi-square, generalized logit modeling and logistic regression analyses were performed. Of the sample, 78.2% male and 56.1%…

  19. Binary logistic regression-Instrument for assessing museum indoor air impact on exhibits.

    PubMed

    Bucur, Elena; Danet, Andrei Florin; Lehr, Carol Blaziu; Lehr, Elena; Nita-Lazar, Mihai

    2017-04-01

    This paper presents a new way to assess the environmental impact on historical artifacts using binary logistic regression. The prediction of the impact on the exhibits during certain pollution scenarios (environmental impact) was calculated by a mathematical model based on the binary logistic regression; it allows the identification of those environmental parameters from a multitude of possible parameters with a significant impact on exhibitions and ranks them according to their severity effect. Air quality (NO 2 , SO 2 , O 3 and PM 2.5 ) and microclimate parameters (temperature, humidity) monitoring data from a case study conducted within exhibition and storage spaces of the Romanian National Aviation Museum Bucharest have been used for developing and validating the binary logistic regression method and the mathematical model. The logistic regression analysis was used on 794 data combinations (715 to develop of the model and 79 to validate it) by a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0). The results from the binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that from six parameters taken into consideration, four of them present a significant effect upon exhibits in the following order: O 3 >PM 2.5 >NO 2 >humidity followed at a significant distance by the effects of SO 2 and temperature. The mathematical model, developed in this study, correctly predicted 95.1 % of the cumulated effect of the environmental parameters upon the exhibits. Moreover, this model could also be used in the decisional process regarding the preventive preservation measures that should be implemented within the exhibition space. The paper presents a new way to assess the environmental impact on historical artifacts using binary logistic regression. The mathematical model developed on the environmental parameters analyzed by the binary logistic regression method could be useful in a decision-making process establishing the best measures for pollution reduction and preventive preservation of exhibits.

  20. Impact of socioeconomic status and medical conditions on health and healthcare utilization among aging Ghanaians.

    PubMed

    Saeed, Bashiru Ii; Xicang, Zhao; Yawson, Alfred Edwin; Nguah, Samuel Blay; Nsowah-Nuamah, Nicholas N N

    2015-03-20

    This study attempts to examine the impact of socioeconomic and medical conditions in health and healthcare utilization among older adults in Ghana. Five separate models with varying input variables were estimated for each response variable. Data (Wave 1 data) were drawn from the World Health Organization Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) conducted during 2007-2008 and included a total of 4770 respondents aged 50+ and 803 aged 18-49 in Ghana. Ordered logits was estimated for self-rated health, and binary logits for functional limitation and healthcare utilization. Our results show that the study provides enough grounds for further research on the interplay between socioeconomic and medical conditions on one hand and the health of the aged on the other. Controlling for socioeconomic status substantially contributes significantly to utilization. Also, aged women experience worse health than men, as shown by functioning assessment, self-rated health, chronic conditions and functional limitations. Women have higher rates of healthcare utilization, as shown by significantly higher rates of hospitalization and outpatient encounters. Expansion of the national health insurance scheme to cover the entire older population--for those in both formal and informal employments--is likely to garner increased access and improved health states for the older population.

  1. Preserving Institutional Privacy in Distributed binary Logistic Regression.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yuan; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Ohno-Machado, Lucila

    2012-01-01

    Privacy is becoming a major concern when sharing biomedical data across institutions. Although methods for protecting privacy of individual patients have been proposed, it is not clear how to protect the institutional privacy, which is many times a critical concern of data custodians. Built upon our previous work, Grid Binary LOgistic REgression (GLORE)1, we developed an Institutional Privacy-preserving Distributed binary Logistic Regression model (IPDLR) that considers both individual and institutional privacy for building a logistic regression model in a distributed manner. We tested our method using both simulated and clinical data, showing how it is possible to protect the privacy of individuals and of institutions using a distributed strategy.

  2. Migrant female head porters' enrolment in and utilisation and renewal of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Kumasi, Ghana.

    PubMed

    Boateng, Simon; Amoako, Prince; Poku, Adjoa Afriyie; Baabereyir, Anthony; Gyasi, Razak Mohammed

    2017-01-01

    As a social protection policy, Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) aims to improve access to healthcare, especially for the vulnerable. Migrant female head porters ( kayayoo ), who are part of the informal economic workforce, are underscored as an ethnic minority and vulnerable group in Ghana. This study aimed to analyse the factors associated with enrolment in and renewal and utilisation of the NHIS among migrant female head porters in the Kumasi Metropolis. We purposively sampled 392 migrant female head porters in the Kejetia, Asafo and Bantama markets. We used a binary logit regression model to estimate associations among baseline characteristics, convenience and benefit factors and enrolment in and renewal and utilisation of the NHIS. Age and income significantly increased the probability of NHIS enrolment, renewal and utilisation. Long waiting times at NHIS offices significantly reduced the likelihood of renewal, while provision of drugs highly significantly increased the tendency for migrant female head porters to enrol in, renew and use the NHIS. Consulting and surgery also significantly increased renewal and utilisation of the NHIS. Political commitment is imperative for effective implementation of the decentralisation policy of the NHIS through the National Health Insurance Authority in Kumasi. We argue that retail offices should be well equipped with logistic facilities to ensure convenience in NHIS initial enrolment and renewal processes by citizenry, and by vulnerable groups in particular.

  3. Part-Time Community-College Faculty and the Desire for Full-Time Tenure-Track Positions: Results of a Single Institution Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacoby, Dan

    2005-01-01

    According to data derived from a community-college survey in the state of Washington, the majority of part-time faculty prefer full-time work. Using a logit regression analysis, the study reported in this paper suggests that typical part-timers enter their part-time teaching situations with the intent of becoming full-time, but gradually become…

  4. Logic regression and its extensions.

    PubMed

    Schwender, Holger; Ruczinski, Ingo

    2010-01-01

    Logic regression is an adaptive classification and regression procedure, initially developed to reveal interacting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genetic association studies. In general, this approach can be used in any setting with binary predictors, when the interaction of these covariates is of primary interest. Logic regression searches for Boolean (logic) combinations of binary variables that best explain the variability in the outcome variable, and thus, reveals variables and interactions that are associated with the response and/or have predictive capabilities. The logic expressions are embedded in a generalized linear regression framework, and thus, logic regression can handle a variety of outcome types, such as binary responses in case-control studies, numeric responses, and time-to-event data. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the logic regression methodology, list some applications in public health and medicine, and summarize some of the direct extensions and modifications of logic regression that have been proposed in the literature. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Performance and separation occurrence of binary probit regression estimator using maximum likelihood method and Firths approach under different sample size

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lusiana, Evellin Dewi

    2017-12-01

    The parameters of binary probit regression model are commonly estimated by using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method. However, MLE method has limitation if the binary data contains separation. Separation is the condition where there are one or several independent variables that exactly grouped the categories in binary response. It will result the estimators of MLE method become non-convergent, so that they cannot be used in modeling. One of the effort to resolve the separation is using Firths approach instead. This research has two aims. First, to identify the chance of separation occurrence in binary probit regression model between MLE method and Firths approach. Second, to compare the performance of binary probit regression model estimator that obtained by MLE method and Firths approach using RMSE criteria. Those are performed using simulation method and under different sample size. The results showed that the chance of separation occurrence in MLE method for small sample size is higher than Firths approach. On the other hand, for larger sample size, the probability decreased and relatively identic between MLE method and Firths approach. Meanwhile, Firths estimators have smaller RMSE than MLEs especially for smaller sample sizes. But for larger sample sizes, the RMSEs are not much different. It means that Firths estimators outperformed MLE estimator.

  6. The associations between self-reported sleep duration and adolescent health outcomes: what is the role of time spent on Internet use?

    PubMed

    Do, Young Kyung; Shin, Eunhae; Bautista, Mary Ann; Foo, Kelvin

    2013-02-01

    This study aimed to examine the associations of self-reported sleep duration with adolescent health outcomes, taking into account time spent on Internet use. We used data from the 2008-2009 Korea Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, a cross-sectional online survey of middle and high school students aged 13-18years in South Korea (N=136,589) to examine the associations of self-reported sleep duration with four mental and physical health measures, e.g. self-report of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, weight status, and self-rated health. The binary logit and generalized ordered logit models controlled for time spent on Internet use for non-study purposes and other factors. Shorter self-reported sleep duration was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and overweight or obese status, and a lower likelihood of reporting better self-rated health, even after accounting for time spent on Internet use. Excessive Internet use was found to be an independent risk factor for these outcomes. Among in-school adolescents in South Korea, shorter sleep duration and excessive Internet use are independently and additively associated with multiple indicators of adverse health status. Excessive Internet use may have not only direct adverse health consequences, but also have indirect negative effects through sleep deprivation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. An Analysis of Army Dentists Using Logistic Regression: A Discrete-Time Logit Model for Predicting Retention

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-10

    Reports (0704 0188), 1215 Jefferson Devis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202 4302 Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other...NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) US Army Medical Department Center and School BLDG 2841 MCCS-HGE-HA (Army-Baylor Program in Health & Business Administration...been used to model negative occurrences in the medical field, such as time to death from a certain disease. However, questions of whether and when

  8. Complementarity in dietary supplements and foods: are supplement users vegetable eaters?

    PubMed

    Kang, Hyoung-Goo; Joo, Hailey Hayeon; Choi, Kyong Duk; Lee, Dongmin; Moon, Junghoon

    2017-01-01

    Background : The consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dietary supplements correlate. Most previous studies have aimed to identify the determinants of supplement uses or the distinct features of supplement users; this literature lacks a discussion on dietary supplement consumption as a predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption. Objective : This study examines how dietary supplement consumption correlates with fruit and vegetable consumption by combining scanner data and surveys of Korean household grocery shopping. Methods : Propensity score matching (PSM) is used to identify the relationship between dietary supplement consumption and fruit and vegetable consumption in a household. A logit regression using supplement consumption as the dependent variable is used. Then, the supplement takers (the treatment group) are matched with non-takers (the control group) based on the propensity scores estimated in the logit regression. The fruit and vegetable consumption levels of the groups are then compared. Results : We found that dietary supplement use is associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. This supports the health consciousness hypothesis based on attention bias, availability heuristics, the focusing effect, and the consumption episode effect. It rejects the health substitute hypothesis based on economic substitutes and mental accounting. Conclusions : Future research on the health benefits of dietary supplements should address the complementary consumption of fruits/vegetables and their health benefits to avoid misstating the health effects of supplements.

  9. Complementarity in dietary supplements and foods: are supplement users vegetable eaters?

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Hyoung-Goo; Joo, Hailey Hayeon; Choi, Kyong Duk; Lee, Dongmin; Moon, Junghoon

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: The consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dietary supplements correlate. Most previous studies have aimed to identify the determinants of supplement uses or the distinct features of supplement users; this literature lacks a discussion on dietary supplement consumption as a predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption. Objective: This study examines how dietary supplement consumption correlates with fruit and vegetable consumption by combining scanner data and surveys of Korean household grocery shopping. Methods: Propensity score matching (PSM) is used to identify the relationship between dietary supplement consumption and fruit and vegetable consumption in a household. A logit regression using supplement consumption as the dependent variable is used. Then, the supplement takers (the treatment group) are matched with non-takers (the control group) based on the propensity scores estimated in the logit regression. The fruit and vegetable consumption levels of the groups are then compared. Results: We found that dietary supplement use is associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. This supports the health consciousness hypothesis based on attention bias, availability heuristics, the focusing effect, and the consumption episode effect. It rejects the health substitute hypothesis based on economic substitutes and mental accounting. Conclusions: Future research on the health benefits of dietary supplements should address the complementary consumption of fruits/vegetables and their health benefits to avoid misstating the health effects of supplements. PMID:28904529

  10. Predicting Social Trust with Binary Logistic Regression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adwere-Boamah, Joseph; Hufstedler, Shirley

    2015-01-01

    This study used binary logistic regression to predict social trust with five demographic variables from a national sample of adult individuals who participated in The General Social Survey (GSS) in 2012. The five predictor variables were respondents' highest degree earned, race, sex, general happiness and the importance of personally assisting…

  11. Willingness to pay for cattle and buffalo insurance: an analysis of dairy farmers in central India.

    PubMed

    Khan, Mohd Ameer; Chander, Mahesh; Bardhan, Dwaipayan

    2013-02-01

    In India, insurance market especially in agricultural sector is usually underdeveloped. The idea of livestock insurance emerged in India before three decades, yet, it has not operated in a significant way till date. It is well noted that livestock insurance scheme is the relevant strategy in managing different risks related to livestock farming but very little attention has been paid to address the livestock insurance needs of the dairy farmers. This study, therefore, addresses the basic question that how many people and to what extent they are willing to pay for livestock insurance and determine the main factors which influence insurance participation of dairy farmers. The data was collected from Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh in India with a sample survey of 120 cattle and buffalo farmers. For eliciting willingness to pay, a contingent valuation scenario was presented to dairy animal owners in the group of five to six. A logit discrete binary regression model was used to know the factors influencing adoption of livestock insurance. The results suggest that most of the farmers were willing to participate in cattle and buffalo insurance. The amount of premium varies across different breeds of dairy animals. The low level of education of many dairy farmers have negatively influenced the decision to purchase livestock insurance. Farmers having more experience in rearing dairy animals are more likely to be willing to pay for cattle and buffalo insurance.

  12. Investigating the disparities in cervical cancer screening among Namibian women.

    PubMed

    Kangmennaang, Joseph; Thogarapalli, Nandini; Mkandawire, Paul; Luginaah, Isaac

    2015-08-01

    We examined the influence of knowledge and information, health care access and different socio-economic variables on women's decision to screen for cervical cancer using a nationally representative dataset. We use hierarchical binary logit regression models to explore the determinants of screening for cervical cancer among women who reported hearing about cervical cancer. This enabled us to include the effect of unobserved heterogeneity at the cluster level that may affect screening behaviors. Among women who have heard about cervical cancer (N=6542), only 39% of them did undergo screening with a mean age of 33 years. The univariate results reveal that women who are educated, insured, can afford money needed for treatment and reported distance not a barrier to accessing healthcare were more likely to screen. Our multivariate results indicate that insured women (OR=1.89, p=0.001) and women who had access to information through education and contact with a health worker (OR=1.41, p=0.001) were more likely to undertake screening compared to uninsured women and those with no contact with a health personnel, after controlling for relevant variables. The adoption of a universal health insurance scheme that ensures equity in access to health care and extension of public health information targeting women in rural communities especially within the Caprivi region may be needed for a large scale increase in cervical cancer screening in Namibia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. A novel hybrid method of beta-turn identification in protein using binary logistic regression and neural network

    PubMed Central

    Asghari, Mehdi Poursheikhali; Hayatshahi, Sayyed Hamed Sadat; Abdolmaleki, Parviz

    2012-01-01

    From both the structural and functional points of view, β-turns play important biological roles in proteins. In the present study, a novel two-stage hybrid procedure has been developed to identify β-turns in proteins. Binary logistic regression was initially used for the first time to select significant sequence parameters in identification of β-turns due to a re-substitution test procedure. Sequence parameters were consisted of 80 amino acid positional occurrences and 20 amino acid percentages in sequence. Among these parameters, the most significant ones which were selected by binary logistic regression model, were percentages of Gly, Ser and the occurrence of Asn in position i+2, respectively, in sequence. These significant parameters have the highest effect on the constitution of a β-turn sequence. A neural network model was then constructed and fed by the parameters selected by binary logistic regression to build a hybrid predictor. The networks have been trained and tested on a non-homologous dataset of 565 protein chains. With applying a nine fold cross-validation test on the dataset, the network reached an overall accuracy (Qtotal) of 74, which is comparable with results of the other β-turn prediction methods. In conclusion, this study proves that the parameter selection ability of binary logistic regression together with the prediction capability of neural networks lead to the development of more precise models for identifying β-turns in proteins. PMID:27418910

  14. A novel hybrid method of beta-turn identification in protein using binary logistic regression and neural network.

    PubMed

    Asghari, Mehdi Poursheikhali; Hayatshahi, Sayyed Hamed Sadat; Abdolmaleki, Parviz

    2012-01-01

    From both the structural and functional points of view, β-turns play important biological roles in proteins. In the present study, a novel two-stage hybrid procedure has been developed to identify β-turns in proteins. Binary logistic regression was initially used for the first time to select significant sequence parameters in identification of β-turns due to a re-substitution test procedure. Sequence parameters were consisted of 80 amino acid positional occurrences and 20 amino acid percentages in sequence. Among these parameters, the most significant ones which were selected by binary logistic regression model, were percentages of Gly, Ser and the occurrence of Asn in position i+2, respectively, in sequence. These significant parameters have the highest effect on the constitution of a β-turn sequence. A neural network model was then constructed and fed by the parameters selected by binary logistic regression to build a hybrid predictor. The networks have been trained and tested on a non-homologous dataset of 565 protein chains. With applying a nine fold cross-validation test on the dataset, the network reached an overall accuracy (Qtotal) of 74, which is comparable with results of the other β-turn prediction methods. In conclusion, this study proves that the parameter selection ability of binary logistic regression together with the prediction capability of neural networks lead to the development of more precise models for identifying β-turns in proteins.

  15. [Econometric and ethical validation of regression logistics. Reducing of the number of patients in the evaluation of mortality].

    PubMed

    Castiel, D; Herve, C

    1992-01-01

    In general, a large number of patients is needed to conclude whether the results of a therapeutic strategy are significant or not. One can lower this number with a logit. The method has been proposed in an article published recently (Cost-utility analysis of early thrombolytic therapy, Pharmaco Economics, 1992). The present article is an essay aimed at validating the method, both from the econometric and ethical points of view.

  16. POLO: a user's guide to Probit Or LOgit analysis.

    Treesearch

    Jacqueline L. Robertson; Robert M. Russell; N.E. Savin

    1980-01-01

    This user's guide provides detailed instructions for the use of POLO (Probit Or LOgit), a computer program for the analysis of quantal response data such as that obtained from insecticide bioassays by the techniques of probit or logit analysis. Dosage-response lines may be compared for parallelism or...

  17. Propensity scores-potential outcomes framework to incorporate severity probabilities in the highway safety manual crash prediction algorithm.

    PubMed

    Sasidharan, Lekshmi; Donnell, Eric T

    2014-10-01

    Accurate estimation of the expected number of crashes at different severity levels for entities with and without countermeasures plays a vital role in selecting countermeasures in the framework of the safety management process. The current practice is to use the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Highway Safety Manual crash prediction algorithms, which combine safety performance functions and crash modification factors, to estimate the effects of safety countermeasures on different highway and street facility types. Many of these crash prediction algorithms are based solely on crash frequency, or assume that severity outcomes are unchanged when planning for, or implementing, safety countermeasures. Failing to account for the uncertainty associated with crash severity outcomes, and assuming crash severity distributions remain unchanged in safety performance evaluations, limits the utility of the Highway Safety Manual crash prediction algorithms in assessing the effect of safety countermeasures on crash severity. This study demonstrates the application of a propensity scores-potential outcomes framework to estimate the probability distribution for the occurrence of different crash severity levels by accounting for the uncertainties associated with them. The probability of fatal and severe injury crash occurrence at lighted and unlighted intersections is estimated in this paper using data from Minnesota. The results show that the expected probability of occurrence of fatal and severe injury crashes at a lighted intersection was 1 in 35 crashes and the estimated risk ratio indicates that the respective probabilities at an unlighted intersection was 1.14 times higher compared to lighted intersections. The results from the potential outcomes-propensity scores framework are compared to results obtained from traditional binary logit models, without application of propensity scores matching. Traditional binary logit analysis suggests that the probability of occurrence of severe injury crashes is higher at lighted intersections compared to unlighted intersections, which contradicts the findings obtained from the propensity scores-potential outcomes framework. This finding underscores the importance of having comparable treated and untreated entities in traffic safety countermeasure evaluations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Three-dimensional prediction of soil physical, chemical, and hydrological properties in a forested catchment of the Santa Catalina CZO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shepard, C.; Holleran, M.; Lybrand, R. A.; Rasmussen, C.

    2014-12-01

    Understanding critical zone evolution and function requires an accurate assessment of local soil properties. Two-dimensional (2D) digital soil mapping provides a general assessment of soil characteristics across a sampled landscape, but lacks the ability to predict soil properties with depth. The utilization of mass-preserving spline functions enable the extrapolation of soil properties with depth, extending predictive functions to three-dimensions (3D). The present study was completed in the Marshall Gulch (MG) catchment, located in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 30 km northwest of Tucson, Arizona, as part of the Santa Catalina-Jemez Mountains Critical Zone Observatory. Twenty-four soil pits were excavated and described following standard procedures. Mass-preserving splines were used to extrapolate mass carbon (kg C m-2); percent clay, silt, and sand (%); sodium mass flux (kg Na m-2); and pH for 24 sampled soil pits in 1-cm depth increments. Saturated volumetric water content (θs) and volumetric water content at 10 kPa (θ10) were predicted using ROSETTA and established empirical relationships. The described profiles were all sampled to differing depths; to compensate for the unevenness of the profile descriptions, the soil depths were standardized from 0.0 to 1.0 and then split into five equal standard depth sections. A logit-transformation was used to normalize the target variables. Step-wise regressions were calculated using available environmental covariates to predict the properties of each variable across the catchment in each depth section, and interpolated model residuals added back to the predicted layers to generate the final soil maps. Logit-transformed R2 for the predictive functions varied widely, ranging from 0.20 to 0.79, with logit-transformed RMSE ranging from 0.15 to 2.77. The MG catchment was further classified into clusters with similar properties based on the environmental covariates, and representative depth functions for each target variable in each cluster calculated. Mass-preserving splines combined with stepwise regressions are an effective tool for predicting soil physical, chemical, and hydrological properties with depth, enhancing our understanding of the critical zone.

  19. Attitude towards the incorporation of the selective collection of biowaste in a municipal solid waste management system. A case study

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

    Bernad-Beltrán, D.; Simó, A.; Bovea, M.D., E-mail: bovea@uji.es

    Highlights: • Attitude towards incorporating biowaste selective collection is analysed. • Willingness to participate and to pay in biowaste selective collection is obtained. • Socioeconomic aspects affecting WtParticipate and WtPay are identified. - Abstract: European waste legislation has been encouraging for years the incorporation of selective collection systems for the biowaste fraction. European countries are therefore incorporating it into their current municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems. However, this incorporation involves changes in the current waste management habits of households. In this paper, the attitude of the public towards the incorporation of selective collection of biowaste into an existing MSWMmore » system in a Spanish municipality is analysed. A semi-structured telephone interview was used to obtain information regarding aspects such as: level of participation in current waste collection systems, willingness to participate in selective collection of biowaste, reasons and barriers that affect participation, willingness to pay for the incorporation of the selective collection of biowaste and the socioeconomic characteristics of citizens who are willing to participate and pay for selective collection of biowaste. The results showed that approximately 81% of the respondents were willing to participate in selective collection of biowaste. This percentage would increase until 89% if the Town Council provided specific waste bins and bags, since the main barrier to participate in the new selective collection system is the need to use specific waste bin and bags for the separation of biowaste. A logit response model was applied to estimate the average willingness to pay, obtaining an estimated mean of 7.5% on top of the current waste management annual tax. The relationship of willingness to participate and willingness to pay for the implementation of this new selective collection with the socioeconomic variables (age, gender, size of the household, work, education and income) was analysed. Chi-square independence tests and binary logistic regression was used for willingness to participate, not being obtained any significant relationship. Chi-square independence tests, ordinal logistic regression and ordinary linear regression was applied for willingness to pay, obtaining statistically significant relationship for most of the socioeconomic variables.« less

  20. Face Alignment via Regressing Local Binary Features.

    PubMed

    Ren, Shaoqing; Cao, Xudong; Wei, Yichen; Sun, Jian

    2016-03-01

    This paper presents a highly efficient and accurate regression approach for face alignment. Our approach has two novel components: 1) a set of local binary features and 2) a locality principle for learning those features. The locality principle guides us to learn a set of highly discriminative local binary features for each facial landmark independently. The obtained local binary features are used to jointly learn a linear regression for the final output. This approach achieves the state-of-the-art results when tested on the most challenging benchmarks to date. Furthermore, because extracting and regressing local binary features are computationally very cheap, our system is much faster than previous methods. It achieves over 3000 frames per second (FPS) on a desktop or 300 FPS on a mobile phone for locating a few dozens of landmarks. We also study a key issue that is important but has received little attention in the previous research, which is the face detector used to initialize alignment. We investigate several face detectors and perform quantitative evaluation on how they affect alignment accuracy. We find that an alignment friendly detector can further greatly boost the accuracy of our alignment method, reducing the error up to 16% relatively. To facilitate practical usage of face detection/alignment methods, we also propose a convenient metric to measure how good a detector is for alignment initialization.

  1. Logit Models for the Analysis of Two-Way Categorical Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Draxler, Clemens

    2011-01-01

    This article discusses the application of logit models for the analyses of 2-way categorical observations. The models described are generalized linear models using the logit link function. One of the models is the Rasch model (Rasch, 1960). The objective is to test hypotheses of marginal and conditional independence between explanatory quantities…

  2. Odds Ratio, Delta, ETS Classification, and Standardization Measures of DIF Magnitude for Binary Logistic Regression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Monahan, Patrick O.; McHorney, Colleen A.; Stump, Timothy E.; Perkins, Anthony J.

    2007-01-01

    Previous methodological and applied studies that used binary logistic regression (LR) for detection of differential item functioning (DIF) in dichotomously scored items either did not report an effect size or did not employ several useful measures of DIF magnitude derived from the LR model. Equations are provided for these effect size indices.…

  3. Estimating the economic benefits of maintaining residential lake levels at an irrigation reservoir: A contingent valuation study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loomis, John; Smith, Adam; Huszar, Paul

    2005-08-01

    The contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to estimate homeowners' willingness to pay for water leasing to maintain stable lake levels at an irrigation reservoir in a residential neighborhood. A binary logit model was used to analyze households' voter referendum responses for maintaining the lake level. The median willingness to pay (WTP) was found to be $368 per year for lakefront residents and $59 per year for off-lake residents. The median WTP for lakefront residents was significantly different from off-lake residents at the 90% confidence level. Using the median WTP for lakefront and nonlakefront residents, we found that the increase in homeowner association fees would generate approximately $43,000, enough money to lease sufficient water to reach the target higher lake level in a normal water year.

  4. School Progress Among Children of Same-Sex Couples.

    PubMed

    Watkins, Caleb S

    2018-06-01

    This study uses logit regressions on a pooled sample of children from the 2012, 2013, and 2014 American Community Survey to perform a nationally representative analysis of school progress for a large sample of 4,430 children who reside with same-sex couples. Odds ratios from regressions that compare children between different-sex married couples and same-sex couples fail to show significant differences in normal school progress between households across a variety of sample compositions. Likewise, marginal effects from regressions that compare children with similar family dynamics between different-sex married couples and same-sex couples fail to predict significantly higher probabilities of grade retention for children of same-sex couples. Significantly lower grade retention rates are sometimes predicted for children of same-sex couples than for different-sex married couples, but these differences are sensitive to sample exclusions and do not indicate causal benefits to same-sex parenting.

  5. Categorical Data Analysis Using a Skewed Weibull Regression Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caron, Renault; Sinha, Debajyoti; Dey, Dipak; Polpo, Adriano

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we present a Weibull link (skewed) model for categorical response data arising from binomial as well as multinomial model. We show that, for such types of categorical data, the most commonly used models (logit, probit and complementary log-log) can be obtained as limiting cases. We further compare the proposed model with some other asymmetrical models. The Bayesian as well as frequentist estimation procedures for binomial and multinomial data responses are presented in details. The analysis of two data sets to show the efficiency of the proposed model is performed.

  6. [The importance of memory bias in obtaining age of menarche by recall method in Brazilian adolescents].

    PubMed

    Castilho, Silvia Diez; Nucci, Luciana Bertoldi; Assuino, Samanta Ramos; Hansen, Lucca Ortolan

    2014-06-01

    To compare the age at menarche obtained by recall method according to the time elapsed since the event, in order to verify the importance of the recall bias. Were evaluated 1,671 girls (7-18 years) at schools in Campinas-SP regarding the occurrence of menarche by the status quo method (menarche: yes or no) and the recall method (date of menarche, for those who mentioned it). The age at menarche obtained by the status quo method was calculated by logit, which considers the whole group, and the age obtained by the recall method was calculated as the average of the mentioned age at menarche. In this group, the age at menarche was obtained by the difference between the date of the event and the date of birth. Girls who reported menarche (883, 52.8%) were divided into four groups according to the time elapsed since the event. To analyze the results, we used ANOVA and logistic regression for the analysis, with a significance level of 0.05. The age at menarche calculated by logit was 12.14 y/o (95% CI 12.08 to 12.20). Mean ages obtained by recall were: for those who experienced menarche within the previous year 12.26 y/o (±1.14), between > 1-2 years before, 12.29 y (±1.22); between > 2-3 years before, 12.23 y/o (±1.27); and more than 3 years before, 11.55y/o (±1.24), p < 0.001. The age at menarche obtained by the recall method was similar for girls who menstruated within the previous 3 years (and approaches the age calculated by logit); when more than 3 years have passed, the recall bias was significant.

  7. Markov switching multinomial logit model: An application to accident-injury severities.

    PubMed

    Malyshkina, Nataliya V; Mannering, Fred L

    2009-07-01

    In this study, two-state Markov switching multinomial logit models are proposed for statistical modeling of accident-injury severities. These models assume Markov switching over time between two unobserved states of roadway safety as a means of accounting for potential unobserved heterogeneity. The states are distinct in the sense that in different states accident-severity outcomes are generated by separate multinomial logit processes. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach, two-state Markov switching multinomial logit models are estimated for severity outcomes of accidents occurring on Indiana roads over a four-year time period. Bayesian inference methods and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations are used for model estimation. The estimated Markov switching models result in a superior statistical fit relative to the standard (single-state) multinomial logit models for a number of roadway classes and accident types. It is found that the more frequent state of roadway safety is correlated with better weather conditions and that the less frequent state is correlated with adverse weather conditions.

  8. The two faces of enhancing utilization of health-care services: determinants of patient initiation and retention in rural Burkina Faso.

    PubMed Central

    Mugisha, Frederick; Bocar, Kouyate; Dong, Hengjin; Chepng'eno, Gloria; Sauerborn, Rainer

    2004-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors that determine whether a patient will initiate treatment within a system of health-care services, and the factors that determine whether the patient will be retained in the chosen system, in Nouna, rural Burkina Faso. METHODS: The data used were pooled from four rounds of a household survey conducted in Nouna, rural Burkina Faso. The ongoing demographic surveillance system provided a sampling framework for this survey in which 800 households were sampled using a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. More than one treatment episode was observed for a single episode of illness per patient. The multinomial logit model was used to explore the determinants of patient initiation to systems of modern, traditional and home treatment, and a binary logit model was used to explore the determinants of patient retention within the chosen health-care provider system. FINDINGS: The results suggest that the determinants of patient initiation and their subsequent retention are different. Household income, education, urban residence and expected competency of the provider are positive predictors of initiation, but not of retention, for modern health-care services. Only perceived quality of care positively predicted retention in modern health-care services. CONCLUSION: Interventions focusing on patient initiation and patient retention are likely to be different. Policies directed at enhancing initiation for modern health-care services would primarily focus on reducing financial barriers, while those directed at increasing retention would primarily focus on attributes that improve the perceived quality of care. PMID:15375446

  9. Network-constrained group lasso for high-dimensional multinomial classification with application to cancer subtype prediction.

    PubMed

    Tian, Xinyu; Wang, Xuefeng; Chen, Jun

    2014-01-01

    Classic multinomial logit model, commonly used in multiclass regression problem, is restricted to few predictors and does not take into account the relationship among variables. It has limited use for genomic data, where the number of genomic features far exceeds the sample size. Genomic features such as gene expressions are usually related by an underlying biological network. Efficient use of the network information is important to improve classification performance as well as the biological interpretability. We proposed a multinomial logit model that is capable of addressing both the high dimensionality of predictors and the underlying network information. Group lasso was used to induce model sparsity, and a network-constraint was imposed to induce the smoothness of the coefficients with respect to the underlying network structure. To deal with the non-smoothness of the objective function in optimization, we developed a proximal gradient algorithm for efficient computation. The proposed model was compared to models with no prior structure information in both simulations and a problem of cancer subtype prediction with real TCGA (the cancer genome atlas) gene expression data. The network-constrained mode outperformed the traditional ones in both cases.

  10. Gender differences in farmers' responses to climate change adaptation in Yongqiao District, China.

    PubMed

    Jin, Jianjun; Wang, Xiaomin; Gao, Yiwei

    2015-12-15

    This study examines the gender differences in farmers' responses to climate change adaption in Yongqiao District, China. A random sampling technique was used to select 220 household heads, while descriptive statistics and binary logit models were used to analyze the data obtained from the households. We determine that male and female respondents are not significantly different in their knowledge and perceptions of climate change, but there is a gender difference in adopting climate change adaptation measures. Male-headed households are more likely to adopt new technology for water conservation and to increase investment in irrigation infrastructure. The research also indicates that the adaptation decisions of male and female heads are influenced by different sets of factors. The findings of this research help to elucidate the determinants of climate change adaptation decisions for male and female-headed households and the strategic interventions necessary for effective adaptation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Examining the Risk Factors Associated With Hypertension Among the Elderly in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Boateng, Godfred Odei; Luginaah, Isaac N; Taabazuing, Mary-Margaret

    2015-10-01

    This study sought to examine the risk factors associated with hypertension among the elderly in Ghana. We focused on the association between chronic diseases, socioeconomic factors, and being hypertensive. Data for the study were drawn from Wave 1 of the 2007/2008 Ghana Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). A binary logit model was used to estimate the effect of other noncommunicable diseases, psychosocial factors, lifestyle factors, and sociocultural and biosocial factors on the elderly being hypertensive. Elderly Ghanaians who had been diagnosed with arthritis, angina, diabetes, and asthma were significantly more likely to be hypertensive. Additionally, those depressed were found to be 1.22 times more likely to be hypertensive. Prevention and control of hypertension are complex and demand multistakeholder collaboration including governments, educational institutions, media, food and beverage industry, and a conscious focus on personal lifestyle factors. © The Author(s) 2015.

  12. A comparison of methods for the analysis of binomial clustered outcomes in behavioral research.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Alberto; Comelli, Mario

    2016-12-01

    In behavioral research, data consisting of a per-subject proportion of "successes" and "failures" over a finite number of trials often arise. This clustered binary data are usually non-normally distributed, which can distort inference if the usual general linear model is applied and sample size is small. A number of more advanced methods is available, but they are often technically challenging and a comparative assessment of their performances in behavioral setups has not been performed. We studied the performances of some methods applicable to the analysis of proportions; namely linear regression, Poisson regression, beta-binomial regression and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs). We report on a simulation study evaluating power and Type I error rate of these models in hypothetical scenarios met by behavioral researchers; plus, we describe results from the application of these methods on data from real experiments. Our results show that, while GLMMs are powerful instruments for the analysis of clustered binary outcomes, beta-binomial regression can outperform them in a range of scenarios. Linear regression gave results consistent with the nominal level of significance, but was overall less powerful. Poisson regression, instead, mostly led to anticonservative inference. GLMMs and beta-binomial regression are generally more powerful than linear regression; yet linear regression is robust to model misspecification in some conditions, whereas Poisson regression suffers heavily from violations of the assumptions when used to model proportion data. We conclude providing directions to behavioral scientists dealing with clustered binary data and small sample sizes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Associations of financial stressors and physical intimate partner violence perpetration.

    PubMed

    Schwab-Reese, Laura M; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Parker, Edith

    2016-12-01

    Contextual factors, such as exposure to stressors, may be antecedents to IPV perpetration. These contextual factors may be amenable to modification through intervention and prevention. However, few studies have examined specific contextual factors. To begin to address this gap, we examined the associations between financial stressors and three types of physical IPV perpetration. This analysis used data from Wave IV of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We used logistic regression to examine the associations of financial stressors and each type of IPV (minor, severe, causing injury), and multinomial logit regression to examine the associations of financial stressors and patterns of co-occurring types of IPV perpetration (only minor; only severe; minor and severe; minor, severe, and causing injury; compared with no perpetration). Fewer men perpetrated threats/minor physical IPV (6.7 %) or severe physical IPV (3.4 %) compared with women (11.4 % and 8.8 %, respectively). However, among physical IPV perpetrators, a higher percentage of men (32.0 %) than women (21.0 %) reported their partner was injured as a result of the IPV. In logistic regression models of each type of IPV perpetration, both the number of stressors experienced and several types of financial stressors were associated with perpetrating each type of IPV. Utilities nonpayment, housing nonpayment, food insecurity, and no phone service were associated with increased odds of perpetrating each form of IPV in adjusted analysis. Eviction was associated with perpetrating severe physical IPV but not threats/minor IPV or IPV causing injury. In multinomial logit regression comparing patterns of IPV perpetration to perpetrating no physical IPV, the relationships of financial stressors were less consistent. Food insecurity was associated with perpetrating only minor physical IPV. Comparatively, overall number of financial stressors and four types of financial stressors (utilities nonpayment, housing nonpayment, food insecurity, and disconnected phone service) were associated with perpetrating all three forms of physical IPV. Combined with prior research, our results suggested interventions to improve financial well-being may be a novel way to reduce physical IPV perpetration.

  14. Associations of financial stressors and physical intimate partner violence perpetration.

    PubMed

    Schwab-Reese, Laura M; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Parker, Edith

    Contextual factors, such as exposure to stressors, may be antecedents to IPV perpetration. These contextual factors may be amenable to modification through intervention and prevention. However, few studies have examined specific contextual factors. To begin to address this gap, we examined the associations between financial stressors and three types of physical IPV perpetration. This analysis used data from Wave IV of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We used logistic regression to examine the associations of financial stressors and each type of IPV (minor, severe, causing injury), and multinomial logit regression to examine the associations of financial stressors and patterns of co-occurring types of IPV perpetration ( only minor; only severe; minor and severe; minor, severe, and causing injury; compared with no perpetration). Fewer men perpetrated threats/minor physical IPV (6.7 %) or severe physical IPV (3.4 %) compared with women (11.4 % and 8.8 %, respectively). However, among physical IPV perpetrators, a higher percentage of men (32.0 %) than women (21.0 %) reported their partner was injured as a result of the IPV. In logistic regression models of each type of IPV perpetration, both the number of stressors experienced and several types of financial stressors were associated with perpetrating each type of IPV. Utilities nonpayment, housing nonpayment, food insecurity, and no phone service were associated with increased odds of perpetrating each form of IPV in adjusted analysis. Eviction was associated with perpetrating severe physical IPV but not threats/minor IPV or IPV causing injury. In multinomial logit regression comparing patterns of IPV perpetration to perpetrating no physical IPV, the relationships of financial stressors were less consistent. Food insecurity was associated with perpetrating only minor physical IPV. Comparatively, overall number of financial stressors and four types of financial stressors (utilities nonpayment, housing nonpayment, food insecurity, and disconnected phone service) were associated with perpetrating all three forms of physical IPV. Combined with prior research, our results suggested interventions to improve financial well-being may be a novel way to reduce physical IPV perpetration.

  15. Predicting the occurrence of wildfires with binary structured additive regression models.

    PubMed

    Ríos-Pena, Laura; Kneib, Thomas; Cadarso-Suárez, Carmen; Marey-Pérez, Manuel

    2017-02-01

    Wildfires are one of the main environmental problems facing societies today, and in the case of Galicia (north-west Spain), they are the main cause of forest destruction. This paper used binary structured additive regression (STAR) for modelling the occurrence of wildfires in Galicia. Binary STAR models are a recent contribution to the classical logistic regression and binary generalized additive models. Their main advantage lies in their flexibility for modelling non-linear effects, while simultaneously incorporating spatial and temporal variables directly, thereby making it possible to reveal possible relationships among the variables considered. The results showed that the occurrence of wildfires depends on many covariates which display variable behaviour across space and time, and which largely determine the likelihood of ignition of a fire. The joint possibility of working on spatial scales with a resolution of 1 × 1 km cells and mapping predictions in a colour range makes STAR models a useful tool for plotting and predicting wildfire occurrence. Lastly, it will facilitate the development of fire behaviour models, which can be invaluable when it comes to drawing up fire-prevention and firefighting plans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A unifying theory for genetic epidemiological analysis of binary disease data

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Genetic selection for host resistance offers a desirable complement to chemical treatment to control infectious disease in livestock. Quantitative genetics disease data frequently originate from field studies and are often binary. However, current methods to analyse binary disease data fail to take infection dynamics into account. Moreover, genetic analyses tend to focus on host susceptibility, ignoring potential variation in infectiousness, i.e. the ability of a host to transmit the infection. This stands in contrast to epidemiological studies, which reveal that variation in infectiousness plays an important role in the progression and severity of epidemics. In this study, we aim at filling this gap by deriving an expression for the probability of becoming infected that incorporates infection dynamics and is an explicit function of both host susceptibility and infectiousness. We then validate this expression according to epidemiological theory and by simulating epidemiological scenarios, and explore implications of integrating this expression into genetic analyses. Results Our simulations show that the derived expression is valid for a range of stochastic genetic-epidemiological scenarios. In the particular case of variation in susceptibility only, the expression can be incorporated into conventional quantitative genetic analyses using a complementary log-log link function (rather than probit or logit). Similarly, if there is moderate variation in both susceptibility and infectiousness, it is possible to use a logarithmic link function, combined with an indirect genetic effects model. However, in the presence of highly infectious individuals, i.e. super-spreaders, the use of any model that is linear in susceptibility and infectiousness causes biased estimates. Thus, in order to identify super-spreaders, novel analytical methods using our derived expression are required. Conclusions We have derived a genetic-epidemiological function for quantitative genetic analyses of binary infectious disease data, which, unlike current approaches, takes infection dynamics into account and allows for variation in host susceptibility and infectiousness. PMID:24552188

  17. A unifying theory for genetic epidemiological analysis of binary disease data.

    PubMed

    Lipschutz-Powell, Debby; Woolliams, John A; Doeschl-Wilson, Andrea B

    2014-02-19

    Genetic selection for host resistance offers a desirable complement to chemical treatment to control infectious disease in livestock. Quantitative genetics disease data frequently originate from field studies and are often binary. However, current methods to analyse binary disease data fail to take infection dynamics into account. Moreover, genetic analyses tend to focus on host susceptibility, ignoring potential variation in infectiousness, i.e. the ability of a host to transmit the infection. This stands in contrast to epidemiological studies, which reveal that variation in infectiousness plays an important role in the progression and severity of epidemics. In this study, we aim at filling this gap by deriving an expression for the probability of becoming infected that incorporates infection dynamics and is an explicit function of both host susceptibility and infectiousness. We then validate this expression according to epidemiological theory and by simulating epidemiological scenarios, and explore implications of integrating this expression into genetic analyses. Our simulations show that the derived expression is valid for a range of stochastic genetic-epidemiological scenarios. In the particular case of variation in susceptibility only, the expression can be incorporated into conventional quantitative genetic analyses using a complementary log-log link function (rather than probit or logit). Similarly, if there is moderate variation in both susceptibility and infectiousness, it is possible to use a logarithmic link function, combined with an indirect genetic effects model. However, in the presence of highly infectious individuals, i.e. super-spreaders, the use of any model that is linear in susceptibility and infectiousness causes biased estimates. Thus, in order to identify super-spreaders, novel analytical methods using our derived expression are required. We have derived a genetic-epidemiological function for quantitative genetic analyses of binary infectious disease data, which, unlike current approaches, takes infection dynamics into account and allows for variation in host susceptibility and infectiousness.

  18. Genomic-Enabled Prediction of Ordinal Data with Bayesian Logistic Ordinal Regression.

    PubMed

    Montesinos-López, Osval A; Montesinos-López, Abelardo; Crossa, José; Burgueño, Juan; Eskridge, Kent

    2015-08-18

    Most genomic-enabled prediction models developed so far assume that the response variable is continuous and normally distributed. The exception is the probit model, developed for ordered categorical phenotypes. In statistical applications, because of the easy implementation of the Bayesian probit ordinal regression (BPOR) model, Bayesian logistic ordinal regression (BLOR) is implemented rarely in the context of genomic-enabled prediction [sample size (n) is much smaller than the number of parameters (p)]. For this reason, in this paper we propose a BLOR model using the Pólya-Gamma data augmentation approach that produces a Gibbs sampler with similar full conditional distributions of the BPOR model and with the advantage that the BPOR model is a particular case of the BLOR model. We evaluated the proposed model by using simulation and two real data sets. Results indicate that our BLOR model is a good alternative for analyzing ordinal data in the context of genomic-enabled prediction with the probit or logit link. Copyright © 2015 Montesinos-López et al.

  19. Bayesian Inference for the Stereotype Regression Model: Application to a Case-control Study of Prostate Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Ahn, Jaeil; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Banerjee, Mousumi; Cooney, Kathleen A.

    2011-01-01

    Summary The stereotype regression model for categorical outcomes, proposed by Anderson (1984) is nested between the baseline category logits and adjacent category logits model with proportional odds structure. The stereotype model is more parsimonious than the ordinary baseline-category (or multinomial logistic) model due to a product representation of the log odds-ratios in terms of a common parameter corresponding to each predictor and category specific scores. The model could be used for both ordered and unordered outcomes. For ordered outcomes, the stereotype model allows more flexibility than the popular proportional odds model in capturing highly subjective ordinal scaling which does not result from categorization of a single latent variable, but are inherently multidimensional in nature. As pointed out by Greenland (1994), an additional advantage of the stereotype model is that it provides unbiased and valid inference under outcome-stratified sampling as in case-control studies. In addition, for matched case-control studies, the stereotype model is amenable to classical conditional likelihood principle, whereas there is no reduction due to sufficiency under the proportional odds model. In spite of these attractive features, the model has been applied less, as there are issues with maximum likelihood estimation and likelihood based testing approaches due to non-linearity and lack of identifiability of the parameters. We present comprehensive Bayesian inference and model comparison procedure for this class of models as an alternative to the classical frequentist approach. We illustrate our methodology by analyzing data from The Flint Men’s Health Study, a case-control study of prostate cancer in African-American men aged 40 to 79 years. We use clinical staging of prostate cancer in terms of Tumors, Nodes and Metastatsis (TNM) as the categorical response of interest. PMID:19731262

  20. Understanding the role of violence as a social determinant of preterm birth.

    PubMed

    Masho, Saba W; Cha, Susan; Chapman, Derek A; Chelmow, David

    2017-02-01

    Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality. Although major strides have been made in identifying risk factors for preterm birth, the complexities between social and individual risk factors are not well understood. This study examines the association between neighborhood youth violence and preterm birth. A 10-year live birth registry data set (2004 through 2013) from Richmond, VA, a mid-sized, racially diverse city, was analyzed (N = 27,519). Data were geocoded and merged with census tract and police report data. Gestational age at birth was classified as <32 weeks, 32-36 weeks, and term ≥37 weeks. Using police report data, youth violence rates were calculated for each census tract area and categorized into quartiles. Hierarchical models were examined fitting multilevel logistic regression models incorporating randomly distributed census tract-specific intercepts assuming a binary distribution and a logit link function. Nearly a fifth of all births occurred in areas with the highest quartiles of violence. After adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, paternal presence, parity, adequacy of prenatal care, pregnancy complications, history of preterm birth, insurance, and tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, census tracts with the highest level of violence had 38% higher odds of very preterm births (adjusted odds ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.80), than census tracts with the lowest level of violence. There is an association between high rate of youth violence and very preterm birth. Findings from this study may help inform future research to develop targeted interventions aimed at reducing community violence and very preterm birth in vulnerable populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Modeling pedestrian gap crossing index under mixed traffic condition.

    PubMed

    Naser, Mohamed M; Zulkiple, Adnan; Al Bargi, Walid A; Khalifa, Nasradeen A; Daniel, Basil David

    2017-12-01

    There are a variety of challenges faced by pedestrians when they walk along and attempt to cross a road, as the most recorded accidents occur during this time. Pedestrians of all types, including both sexes with numerous aging groups, are always subjected to risk and are characterized as the most exposed road users. The increased demand for better traffic management strategies to reduce the risks at intersections, improve quality traffic management, traffic volume, and longer cycle time has further increased concerns over the past decade. This paper aims to develop a sustainable pedestrian gap crossing index model based on traffic flow density. It focusses on the gaps accepted by pedestrians and their decision for street crossing, where (Log-Gap) logarithm of accepted gaps was used to optimize the result of a model for gap crossing behavior. Through a review of extant literature, 15 influential variables were extracted for further empirical analysis. Subsequently, data from the observation at an uncontrolled mid-block in Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was gathered and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Binary Logit Model (BLM) techniques were employed to analyze the results. From the results, different pedestrian behavioral characteristics were considered for a minimum gap size model, out of which only a few (four) variables could explain the pedestrian road crossing behavior while the remaining variables have an insignificant effect. Among the different variables, age, rolling gap, vehicle type, and crossing were the most influential variables. The study concludes that pedestrians' decision to cross the street depends on the pedestrian age, rolling gap, vehicle type, and size of traffic gap before crossing. The inferences from these models will be useful to increase pedestrian safety and performance evaluation of uncontrolled midblock road crossings in developing countries. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Unitary Response Regression Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipovetsky, S.

    2007-01-01

    The dependent variable in a regular linear regression is a numerical variable, and in a logistic regression it is a binary or categorical variable. In these models the dependent variable has varying values. However, there are problems yielding an identity output of a constant value which can also be modelled in a linear or logistic regression with…

  3. Optimization of binary thermodynamic and phase diagram data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bale, Christopher W.; Pelton, A. D.

    1983-03-01

    An optimization technique based upon least squares regression is presented to permit the simultaneous analysis of diverse experimental binary thermodynamic and phase diagram data. Coefficients of polynomial expansions for the enthalpy and excess entropy of binary solutions are obtained which can subsequently be used to calculate the thermodynamic properties or the phase diagram. In an interactive computer-assisted analysis employing this technique, one can critically analyze a large number of diverse data in a binary system rapidly, in a manner which is fully self-consistent thermodynamically. Examples of applications to the Bi-Zn, Cd-Pb, PbCl2-KCl, LiCl-FeCl2, and Au-Ni binary systems are given.

  4. Bayesian informative dropout model for longitudinal binary data with random effects using conditional and joint modeling approaches.

    PubMed

    Chan, Jennifer S K

    2016-05-01

    Dropouts are common in longitudinal study. If the dropout probability depends on the missing observations at or after dropout, this type of dropout is called informative (or nonignorable) dropout (ID). Failure to accommodate such dropout mechanism into the model will bias the parameter estimates. We propose a conditional autoregressive model for longitudinal binary data with an ID model such that the probabilities of positive outcomes as well as the drop-out indicator in each occasion are logit linear in some covariates and outcomes. This model adopting a marginal model for outcomes and a conditional model for dropouts is called a selection model. To allow for the heterogeneity and clustering effects, the outcome model is extended to incorporate mixture and random effects. Lastly, the model is further extended to a novel model that models the outcome and dropout jointly such that their dependency is formulated through an odds ratio function. Parameters are estimated by a Bayesian approach implemented using the user-friendly Bayesian software WinBUGS. A methadone clinic dataset is analyzed to illustrate the proposed models. Result shows that the treatment time effect is still significant but weaker after allowing for an ID process in the data. Finally the effect of drop-out on parameter estimates is evaluated through simulation studies. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Quantitative analysis of binary polymorphs mixtures of fusidic acid by diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance FT-NIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and multivariate calibration.

    PubMed

    Guo, Canyong; Luo, Xuefang; Zhou, Xiaohua; Shi, Beijia; Wang, Juanjuan; Zhao, Jinqi; Zhang, Xiaoxia

    2017-06-05

    Vibrational spectroscopic techniques such as infrared, near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy have become popular in detecting and quantifying polymorphism of pharmaceutics since they are fast and non-destructive. This study assessed the ability of three vibrational spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis to quantify a low-content undesired polymorph within a binary polymorphic mixture. Partial least squares (PLS) regression and support vector machine (SVM) regression were employed to build quantitative models. Fusidic acid, a steroidal antibiotic, was used as the model compound. It was found that PLS regression performed slightly better than SVM regression in all the three spectroscopic techniques. Root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) were ranging from 0.48% to 1.17% for diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy and 1.60-1.93% for diffuse reflectance FT-NIR spectroscopy and 1.62-2.31% for Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy offers significant advantages in providing accurate measurement of polymorphic content in the fusidic acid binary mixtures, while Raman spectroscopy is the least accurate technique for quantitative analysis of polymorphs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Applications manual for logit modes of express bus-fringe parking choices.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1976-01-01

    Manual computations and computerized applications of logit models are described. The models demonstrated reflect travel behavior concerning express bus-fringe parking transit. The specific travel issues addressed include the basic automobile vs. expr...

  7. Think twice before you book? Modelling the choice of public vs private dentist in a choice experiment.

    PubMed

    Kiiskinen, Urpo; Suominen-Taipale, Anna Liisa; Cairns, John

    2010-06-01

    This study concerns the choice of primary dental service provider by consumers. If the health service delivery system allows individuals to choose between public-care providers or if complementary private services are available, it is typically assumed that utilisation is a three-stage decision process. The patient first makes a decision to seek care, and then chooses the service provider. The final stage, involving decisions over the amount and form of treatment, is not considered here. The paper reports a discrete choice experiment (DCE) designed to evaluate attributes affecting individuals' choice of dental-care provider. The feasibility of the DCE approach in modelling consumers' choice in the context of non-acute need for dental care is assessed. The aim is to test whether a separate two-stage logit, a multinomial logit, or a nested logit best fits the choice process of consumers. A nested logit model of indirect utility functions is estimated and inclusive value (IV) constraints are tested for modelling implications. The results show that non-trading behaviour has an impact on the choice of appropriate modelling technique, but is to some extent dependent on the choice of scenarios offered. It is concluded that for traders multinomial logit is appropriate, whereas for non-traders and on average the nested logit is the method supported by the analyses. The consistent finding in all subgroup analyses is that the traditional two-stage decision process is found to be implausible in the context of consumer's choice of dental-care provider.

  8. Temperature dependence of nucleation rate in a binary solid solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, H. Y.; Philippe, T.; Duguay, S.; Blavette, D.

    2012-12-01

    The influence of regression (partial dissolution) effects on the temperature dependence of nucleation rate in a binary solid solution has been studied theoretically. The results of the analysis are compared with the predictions of the simplest Volmer-Weber theory. Regression effects are shown to have a strong influence on the shape of the curve of nucleation rate versus temperature. The temperature TM at which the maximum rate of nucleation occurs is found to be lowered, particularly for low interfacial energy (coherent precipitation) and high-mobility species (e.g. interstitial atoms).

  9. Assessing Success on the Uniform CPA Exam: A Logit Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brahmasrene, Tantatape; Whitten, Donna

    2001-01-01

    A logit model was used to test the likelihood of success of 231 candidates on the Uniform Certified Public Accountants Examination. Significant determinants of success included undergraduate grade point average, age, private accounting experience, and gender. (SK)

  10. Logistic Regression: Concept and Application

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cokluk, Omay

    2010-01-01

    The main focus of logistic regression analysis is classification of individuals in different groups. The aim of the present study is to explain basic concepts and processes of binary logistic regression analysis intended to determine the combination of independent variables which best explain the membership in certain groups called dichotomous…

  11. Are patients referred to rehabilitation diagnosed accurately?

    PubMed

    Tederko, Piotr; Krasuski, Marek; Nyka, Izabella; Mycielski, Jerzy; Tarnacka, Beata

    2017-07-17

    An accurate diagnosis of the leading health condition and comorbidities is a prerequisite for safe and effective rehabilitation. The problem of diagnostic errors in physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) has not been addressed sufficiently. The responsibility of a referring physician is to determine indications and contraindications for rehabilitation. To assess the rate of and risk factors for inaccurate referral diagnoses (RD) in patients referred to a rehabilitation facility. We hypothesized that inaccurate RD would be more common in patients 1) referred by non-PRM physicians; 2) waiting longer for the admission; 3) older patients. Retrospective observational study. 1000 randomly selected patients admitted between 2012 and 2016 to a day- rehabilitation center (DRC). University DRC specialized in musculoskeletal diseases. On admission all cases underwent clinical verification of RD. Inappropriateness regarding primary diagnoses and comorbidities were noted. Influence of several factors affecting probability of inaccurate RD was analyzed with multiple binary regression model applied to 6 categories of diseases. The rate of inaccurate RD was 25.2%. Higher frequency of inaccurate RD was noted among patients referred by non-PRM specialists (30.3% vs 17.3% in cases referred by PRM specialists). Application of logit regression showed highly significant influence of the specialty of a referring physician on the odds of inaccurate RD (joint Wald test ch2(6)=38.98, p- value=0.000), controlling for the influence of other variables. This may reflect a suboptimal knowledge of the rehabilitation process and a tendency to neglect of comorbidities by non-PRM specialists. The rate of inaccurate RD did not correlate with time between referral and admission (joint Wald test of all odds ratios equal to 1, chi2(6)=5.62, p-value=0.467), however, mean and median waiting times were relatively short (35.7 and 25 days respectively).A high risk of overlooked multimorbidity was revealed in elderly patients (all odds ratios for variable age significantly higher than 1). Hypotheses 1 and 3 were confirmed. Over 25% of patients referred to DRC had inaccurate RD. Risk factors for inaccurate RD include referral by a non-PRM specialist and elderly age. Verification of RD should be routinely introduced to PRM practice.

  12. The importance of job training to job satisfaction of older workers.

    PubMed

    Leppel, Karen; Brucker, Eric; Cochran, Jeremy

    2012-01-01

    If job training has positive impacts on worker satisfaction, then job training can have desirable consequences for an organization that result both directly through its effects on productivity and indirectly through its effects on job satisfaction. Furthermore, the aging of the workforce implies that older workers will become increasingly important to firms and to the economy. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the relationship between job training and job satisfaction, focusing in particular on U.S. workers born in 1964 or earlier. The results of ordered logit regression analysis indicate that availability and quality of training received directly affect job satisfaction.

  13. Low Vision Rehabilitation for Adult African Americans in Two Settings.

    PubMed

    Draper, Erin M; Feng, Rui; Appel, Sarah D; Graboyes, Marcy; Engle, Erin; Ciner, Elise B; Ellenberg, Jonas H; Stambolian, Dwight

    2016-07-01

    The Vision Rehabilitation for African Americans with Central Vision Impairment (VISRAC) study is a demonstration project evaluating how modifications in vision rehabilitation can improve the use of functional vision. Fifty-five African Americans 40 years of age and older with central vision impairment were randomly assigned to receive either clinic-based (CB) or home-based (HB) low vision rehabilitation services. Forty-eight subjects completed the study. The primary outcome was the change in functional vision in activities of daily living, as assessed with the Veteran's Administration Low-Vision Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-48). This included scores for overall visual ability and visual ability domains (reading, mobility, visual information processing, and visual motor skills). Each score was normalized into logit estimates by Rasch analysis. Linear regression models were used to compare the difference in the total score and each domain score between the two intervention groups. The significance level for each comparison was set at 0.05. Both CB and HB groups showed significant improvement in overall visual ability at the final visit compared with baseline. The CB group showed greater improvement than the HB group (mean of 1.28 vs. 0.87 logits change), though the group difference is not significant (p = 0.057). The CB group visual motor skills score showed significant improvement over the HB group score (mean of 3.30 vs. 1.34 logits change, p = 0.044). The differences in improvement of the reading and visual information processing scores were not significant (p = 0.054 and p = 0.509) between groups. Neither group had significant improvement in the mobility score, which was not part of the rehabilitation program. Vision rehabilitation is effective for this study population regardless of location. Possible reasons why the CB group performed better than the HB group include a number of psychosocial factors as well as the more standardized distraction-free work environment within the clinic setting.

  14. Reading Ability and Reading Engagement in Older Adults With Glaucoma

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen, Angeline M.; van Landingham, Suzanne W.; Massof, Robert W.; Rubin, Gary S.; Ramulu, Pradeep Y.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose. We evaluated the impact of glaucoma-related vision loss on reading ability and reading engagement in 10 reading activities. Methods. A total of 63 glaucoma patients and 59 glaucoma suspect controls self-rated their level of reading difficulty for 10 reading items, and responses were analyzed using Rasch analysis to determine reading ability. Reading engagement was assessed by asking subjects to report the number of days per week they engaged in each reading activity. Reading restriction was determined as a decrement in engagement. Results. Glaucoma subjects more often described greater reading difficulty than controls for all tasks except puzzles (P < 0.05). The most difficult reading tasks involved puzzles, books, and finances, while the least difficult reading tasks involved notes, bills, and mail. In multivariable weighted least squares regression models of Rasch-estimated person measures of reading ability, less reading ability was found for glaucoma patients compared to controls (β = −1.60 logits, P < 0.001). Among glaucoma patients, less reading ability was associated with more severe visual field (VF) loss (β = −0.68 logits per 5-dB decrement in better-eye VF mean deviation [MD], P < 0.001) and contrast sensitivity (β = −0.76 logits per 0.1-unit lower log CS, P < 0.001). Each 5-dB decrement in the better-eye VF MD was associated with book reading on 18% fewer days (P = 0.003) and newspaper reading on 10% fewer days (P = 0.008). No statistically significant reading restriction was observed for other reading activities (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Glaucoma patients have less reading ability and engage less in a variety of different reading activities, particularly those requiring sustained reading. Future work should evaluate the mechanisms underlying reading disability in glaucoma to determine how patients can maintain reading ability and engagement. PMID:25052992

  15. A Comparison of Methods for Nonparametric Estimation of Item Characteristic Curves for Binary Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Young-Sun

    2007-01-01

    This study compares the performance of three nonparametric item characteristic curve (ICC) estimation procedures: isotonic regression, smoothed isotonic regression, and kernel smoothing. Smoothed isotonic regression, employed along with an appropriate kernel function, provides better estimates and also satisfies the assumption of strict…

  16. A computer tool for a minimax criterion in binary response and heteroscedastic simple linear regression models.

    PubMed

    Casero-Alonso, V; López-Fidalgo, J; Torsney, B

    2017-01-01

    Binary response models are used in many real applications. For these models the Fisher information matrix (FIM) is proportional to the FIM of a weighted simple linear regression model. The same is also true when the weight function has a finite integral. Thus, optimal designs for one binary model are also optimal for the corresponding weighted linear regression model. The main objective of this paper is to provide a tool for the construction of MV-optimal designs, minimizing the maximum of the variances of the estimates, for a general design space. MV-optimality is a potentially difficult criterion because of its nondifferentiability at equal variance designs. A methodology for obtaining MV-optimal designs where the design space is a compact interval [a, b] will be given for several standard weight functions. The methodology will allow us to build a user-friendly computer tool based on Mathematica to compute MV-optimal designs. Some illustrative examples will show a representation of MV-optimal designs in the Euclidean plane, taking a and b as the axes. The applet will be explained using two relevant models. In the first one the case of a weighted linear regression model is considered, where the weight function is directly chosen from a typical family. In the second example a binary response model is assumed, where the probability of the outcome is given by a typical probability distribution. Practitioners can use the provided applet to identify the solution and to know the exact support points and design weights. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Public-private sector partnership in household waste management as perceived by residents in south-west Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ezebilo, Eugene E; Animasaun, Emmanuel D

    2012-08-01

    In most developing countries public-private sector partnership is becoming increasingly applied in household waste management service delivery especially in urban areas to reduce cost and improve effectiveness. This paper reports a study of householders' perceptions of public-private sector partnership in provision of household waste management services in Ilorin, south-west Nigeria. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 224 households for the study. The data generated from the survey were analysed using a binary logit model. The results show that most of the respondents were of the opinion that the public-private partnership has not been able to improve household waste management services. Time taken to visit solid waste collection point, income and marital status negatively influenced their perceptions, while activities of sanitary inspectors, occupation and gender had positive influence. The public-private partnership will be more effective and sustainable if the public sector could pay more attention to performance monitoring and accountability.

  18. Potential Influence of Metro on Bus: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selvakumar, M.; Abishek Reddy, M.; Sathish, V.; Venkatesh, R.

    2018-03-01

    A modal shift occurs when one mode of transport has a comparative advantage in a similar market over another. The present work concerns with the development of modal shift model for urban travel in Chennai, India. The modal shift model was calibrated using binary logit technique and validated using hold-out sample method. The validated model was used to predict the probability of shift in selected corridor. The recent introduction of metro rail in Chennai has lead to an increasing competition among public transport modes. To study the influence of metro on bus transport, a Stated Preference (SP) survey was conducted among express bus travellers. Using the SP survey data, a modal shift model was calibrated to estimate the plausible shift from bus to metro. Results indicate that variables like fare-difference, age, and income play an important role in the shift behaviour. When metro fare increases with respect to express bus fare, bus passengers are less willing to use metro and vice-versa.

  19. Age and gender differences in conviction and crash occurrence subsequent to being directed to Iowa's driver improvement program.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei; Gkritza, Konstantina; Keren, Nir; Nambisan, Shashi

    2011-10-01

    This paper investigates potential gender and age differences in conviction and crash occurrence subsequent to being directed to attend Iowa's Driver Improvement Program (DIP). Binary logit models were developed to investigate the factors that influence conviction occurrence after DIP by gender and age. Because of the low crash occurrence subsequent to DIP, association rules were applied to investigate the factors that influence crash occurrence subsequent to DIP, in lieu of econometric models. There were statistical significant differences by driver gender, age, and conviction history in the likelihood of subsequent convictions. However, this paper found no association between DIP outcome, crash history, and crash occurrence. Evaluating the differences in conviction and crash occurrence subsequent to DIP between female and male drivers, and among different age groups can lead to improvements of the effectiveness of DIPs and help to identify low-cost intervention measures, customized based on drivers' gender and age, for improving driving behaviors. Copyright © 2011 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Potential Influence of Metro on Bus: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selvakumar, M.; Abishek Reddy, M.; Sathish, V.; Venkatesh, R.

    2018-06-01

    A modal shift occurs when one mode of transport has a comparative advantage in a similar market over another. The present work concerns with the development of modal shift model for urban travel in Chennai, India. The modal shift model was calibrated using binary logit technique and validated using hold-out sample method. The validated model was used to predict the probability of shift in selected corridor. The recent introduction of metro rail in Chennai has lead to an increasing competition among public transport modes. To study the influence of metro on bus transport, a Stated Preference (SP) survey was conducted among express bus travellers. Using the SP survey data, a modal shift model was calibrated to estimate the plausible shift from bus to metro. Results indicate that variables like fare- difference, age, and income play an important role in the shift behaviour. When metro fare increases with respect to express bus fare, bus passengers are less willing to use metro and vice-versa.

  1. Multinomial logistic regression modelling of obesity and overweight among primary school students in a rural area of Negeri Sembilan

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

    Ghazali, Amirul Syafiq Mohd; Ali, Zalila; Noor, Norlida Mohd

    Multinomial logistic regression is widely used to model the outcomes of a polytomous response variable, a categorical dependent variable with more than two categories. The model assumes that the conditional mean of the dependent categorical variables is the logistic function of an affine combination of predictor variables. Its procedure gives a number of logistic regression models that make specific comparisons of the response categories. When there are q categories of the response variable, the model consists of q-1 logit equations which are fitted simultaneously. The model is validated by variable selection procedures, tests of regression coefficients, a significant test ofmore » the overall model, goodness-of-fit measures, and validation of predicted probabilities using odds ratio. This study used the multinomial logistic regression model to investigate obesity and overweight among primary school students in a rural area on the basis of their demographic profiles, lifestyles and on the diet and food intake. The results indicated that obesity and overweight of students are related to gender, religion, sleep duration, time spent on electronic games, breakfast intake in a week, with whom meals are taken, protein intake, and also, the interaction between breakfast intake in a week with sleep duration, and the interaction between gender and protein intake.« less

  2. Multinomial logistic regression modelling of obesity and overweight among primary school students in a rural area of Negeri Sembilan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghazali, Amirul Syafiq Mohd; Ali, Zalila; Noor, Norlida Mohd; Baharum, Adam

    2015-10-01

    Multinomial logistic regression is widely used to model the outcomes of a polytomous response variable, a categorical dependent variable with more than two categories. The model assumes that the conditional mean of the dependent categorical variables is the logistic function of an affine combination of predictor variables. Its procedure gives a number of logistic regression models that make specific comparisons of the response categories. When there are q categories of the response variable, the model consists of q-1 logit equations which are fitted simultaneously. The model is validated by variable selection procedures, tests of regression coefficients, a significant test of the overall model, goodness-of-fit measures, and validation of predicted probabilities using odds ratio. This study used the multinomial logistic regression model to investigate obesity and overweight among primary school students in a rural area on the basis of their demographic profiles, lifestyles and on the diet and food intake. The results indicated that obesity and overweight of students are related to gender, religion, sleep duration, time spent on electronic games, breakfast intake in a week, with whom meals are taken, protein intake, and also, the interaction between breakfast intake in a week with sleep duration, and the interaction between gender and protein intake.

  3. PARAMETRIC AND NON PARAMETRIC (MARS: MULTIVARIATE ADDITIVE REGRESSION SPLINES) LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS FOR PREDICTION OF A DICHOTOMOUS RESPONSE VARIABLE WITH AN EXAMPLE FOR PRESENCE/ABSENCE OF AMPHIBIANS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The purpose of this report is to provide a reference manual that could be used by investigators for making informed use of logistic regression using two methods (standard logistic regression and MARS). The details for analyses of relationships between a dependent binary response ...

  4. Analyzing Student Learning Outcomes: Usefulness of Logistic and Cox Regression Models. IR Applications, Volume 5

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Chau-Kuang

    2005-01-01

    Logistic and Cox regression methods are practical tools used to model the relationships between certain student learning outcomes and their relevant explanatory variables. The logistic regression model fits an S-shaped curve into a binary outcome with data points of zero and one. The Cox regression model allows investigators to study the duration…

  5. Analysis of Binary Adherence Data in the Setting of Polypharmacy: A Comparison of Different Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Esserman, Denise A.; Moore, Charity G.; Roth, Mary T.

    2009-01-01

    Older community dwelling adults often take multiple medications for numerous chronic diseases. Non-adherence to these medications can have a large public health impact. Therefore, the measurement and modeling of medication adherence in the setting of polypharmacy is an important area of research. We apply a variety of different modeling techniques (standard linear regression; weighted linear regression; adjusted linear regression; naïve logistic regression; beta-binomial (BB) regression; generalized estimating equations (GEE)) to binary medication adherence data from a study in a North Carolina based population of older adults, where each medication an individual was taking was classified as adherent or non-adherent. In addition, through simulation we compare these different methods based on Type I error rates, bias, power, empirical 95% coverage, and goodness of fit. We find that estimation and inference using GEE is robust to a wide variety of scenarios and we recommend using this in the setting of polypharmacy when adherence is dichotomously measured for multiple medications per person. PMID:20414358

  6. Environmental, Spatial, and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Nonfatal Injuries in Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Irianti, Sri; Prasetyoputra, Puguh

    2017-01-01

    Background . The determinants of injuries and their reoccurrence in Indonesia are not well understood, despite their importance in the prevention of injuries. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the environmental, spatial, and sociodemographic factors associated with the reoccurrence of injuries among Indonesian people. Methods . Data from the 2013 round of the Indonesia Baseline Health Research (IBHR 2013) were analysed using a two-part hurdle regression model. A logit regression model was chosen for the zero-hurdle part , while a zero-truncated negative binomial regression model was selected for the counts part . Odds ratio (OR) and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were the measures of association, respectively. Results . The results suggest that living in a household with distant drinking water source, residing in slum areas, residing in Eastern Indonesia, having low educational attainment, being men, and being poorer are positively related to the likelihood of experiencing injury. Moreover, being a farmer or fishermen, having low educational attainment, and being men are positively associated with the frequency of injuries. Conclusion . This study would be useful to prioritise injury prevention programs in Indonesia based on the environmental, spatial, and sociodemographic characteristics.

  7. Assessment of Malawian Mothers’ Malaria Knowledge, Healthcare Preferences and Timeliness of Seeking Fever Treatments for Children Under Five

    PubMed Central

    Oyekale, Abayomi Samuel

    2015-01-01

    Malaria is one of the major public health problems in Malawi, contributing to the majority of morbidity and mortality among children under five. Ignorance of malaria symptoms results in delayed treatment, which often degenerates into fatal emergencies. This study analyzed the impact of maternal malaria knowledge on healthcare preferences and timeliness of treating children with reported fever. The Malaria Indicator Survey data for 2012, which were adequately weighted, were analyzed using multinomial logit and Poisson regression models. The results showed low maternal average years of formal education (3.52) and average mothers’ age was 27.97 years. Majority of the women (84.98%) associated fever with malaria, while 44.17% associated it with chilling. Also, 54.42% and 32.43% of the children were treated for fever on the same day and the following day that fever started, respectively. About 9.70% paid for fever treatment from their regular incomes, while 51.38% sought treatment from either public or private health centers. Multinomial Logit regression results showed that relative to using of other treatments, probabilities of selecting private hospitals and public health centers increased with age of the household heads, resident in urban areas, mothers’ years of education, number of days taken off for treatment, paying medical bills from regular, occasional and borrowed incomes, and knowledge of diarrhea and shivering as symptoms of malaria. In the Poisson regression results, timeliness of seeking treatment was significantly enhanced by knowledge of fever as malaria symptom, residence in northern and central regions of Malawi and use of income from sale of assets to pay medical bills (p < 0.10).However, delays in treating children was motivated by age of the household heads, number of days taken off to care for sick child and usage of regular, borrowed and other incomes to pay medical bills. (p < 0.05). It was concluded that efficiency of public sector in treating malaria holds significant prospects for fighting malaria in Malawi. However, adequate efforts should be channeled in enhancing the knowledge of women on malaria symptoms, among others. PMID:25584420

  8. Assessment of Malawian mothers' malaria knowledge, healthcare preferences and timeliness of seeking fever treatments for children under five.

    PubMed

    Oyekale, Abayomi Samuel

    2015-01-09

    Malaria is one of the major public health problems in Malawi, contributing to the majority of morbidity and mortality among children under five. Ignorance of malaria symptoms results in delayed treatment, which often degenerates into fatal emergencies. This study analyzed the impact of maternal malaria knowledge on healthcare preferences and timeliness of treating children with reported fever. The Malaria Indicator Survey data for 2012, which were adequately weighted, were analyzed using multinomial logit and Poisson regression models. The results showed low maternal average years of formal education (3.52) and average mothers' age was 27.97 years. Majority of the women (84.98%) associated fever with malaria, while 44.17% associated it with chilling. Also, 54.42% and 32.43% of the children were treated for fever on the same day and the following day that fever started, respectively. About 9.70% paid for fever treatment from their regular incomes, while 51.38% sought treatment from either public or private health centers. Multinomial Logit regression results showed that relative to using of other treatments, probabilities of selecting private hospitals and public health centers increased with age of the household heads, resident in urban areas, mothers' years of education, number of days taken off for treatment, paying medical bills from regular, occasional and borrowed incomes, and knowledge of diarrhea and shivering as symptoms of malaria. In the Poisson regression results, timeliness of seeking treatment was significantly enhanced by knowledge of fever as malaria symptom, residence in northern and central regions of Malawi and use of income from sale of assets to pay medical bills (p < 0.10).However, delays in treating children was motivated by age of the household heads, number of days taken off to care for sick child and usage of regular, borrowed and other incomes to pay medical bills. (p < 0.05). It was concluded that efficiency of public sector in treating malaria holds significant prospects for fighting malaria in Malawi. However, adequate efforts should be channeled in enhancing the knowledge of women on malaria symptoms, among others.

  9. Velocity Curve Analysis of Spectroscopic Binary Stars AI Phe, GM Dra, HD 93917 and V502 Oph by Nonlinear Regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karami, K.; Mohebi, R.

    2007-08-01

    We introduce a new method to derive the orbital parameters of spectroscopic binary stars by nonlinear least squares of (o-c). Using the measured radial velocity data of the four double lined spectroscopic binary systems, AI Phe, GM Dra, HD 93917 and V502 Oph, we derived both the orbital and combined spectroscopic elements of these systems. Our numerical results are in good agreement with the those obtained using the method of Lehmann-Filhé.

  10. A general regression framework for a secondary outcome in case-control studies.

    PubMed

    Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J

    2014-01-01

    Modern case-control studies typically involve the collection of data on a large number of outcomes, often at considerable logistical and monetary expense. These data are of potentially great value to subsequent researchers, who, although not necessarily concerned with the disease that defined the case series in the original study, may want to use the available information for a regression analysis involving a secondary outcome. Because cases and controls are selected with unequal probability, regression analysis involving a secondary outcome generally must acknowledge the sampling design. In this paper, the author presents a new framework for the analysis of secondary outcomes in case-control studies. The approach is based on a careful re-parameterization of the conditional model for the secondary outcome given the case-control outcome and regression covariates, in terms of (a) the population regression of interest of the secondary outcome given covariates and (b) the population regression of the case-control outcome on covariates. The error distribution for the secondary outcome given covariates and case-control status is otherwise unrestricted. For a continuous outcome, the approach sometimes reduces to extending model (a) by including a residual of (b) as a covariate. However, the framework is general in the sense that models (a) and (b) can take any functional form, and the methodology allows for an identity, log or logit link function for model (a).

  11. Beyond logistic regression: structural equations modelling for binary variables and its application to investigating unobserved confounders.

    PubMed

    Kupek, Emil

    2006-03-15

    Structural equation modelling (SEM) has been increasingly used in medical statistics for solving a system of related regression equations. However, a great obstacle for its wider use has been its difficulty in handling categorical variables within the framework of generalised linear models. A large data set with a known structure among two related outcomes and three independent variables was generated to investigate the use of Yule's transformation of odds ratio (OR) into Q-metric by (OR-1)/(OR+1) to approximate Pearson's correlation coefficients between binary variables whose covariance structure can be further analysed by SEM. Percent of correctly classified events and non-events was compared with the classification obtained by logistic regression. The performance of SEM based on Q-metric was also checked on a small (N = 100) random sample of the data generated and on a real data set. SEM successfully recovered the generated model structure. SEM of real data suggested a significant influence of a latent confounding variable which would have not been detectable by standard logistic regression. SEM classification performance was broadly similar to that of the logistic regression. The analysis of binary data can be greatly enhanced by Yule's transformation of odds ratios into estimated correlation matrix that can be further analysed by SEM. The interpretation of results is aided by expressing them as odds ratios which are the most frequently used measure of effect in medical statistics.

  12. Nested Logit Models for Multiple-Choice Item Response Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suh, Youngsuk; Bolt, Daniel M.

    2010-01-01

    Nested logit item response models for multiple-choice data are presented. Relative to previous models, the new models are suggested to provide a better approximation to multiple-choice items where the application of a solution strategy precedes consideration of response options. In practice, the models also accommodate collapsibility across all…

  13. Logit Estimation of a Gravity Model of the College Enrollment Decision.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leppel, Karen

    1993-01-01

    A study investigated the factors influencing students' decisions about attending a college to which they had been admitted. Logit analysis confirmed gravity model predictions that geographic distance and student ability would most influence the enrollment decision and found other variables, although affecting earlier stages of decision making, did…

  14. Exploratory multinomial logit model-based driver injury severity analyses for teenage and adult drivers in intersection-related crashes.

    PubMed

    Wu, Qiong; Zhang, Guohui; Ci, Yusheng; Wu, Lina; Tarefder, Rafiqul A; Alcántara, Adélamar Dely

    2016-05-18

    Teenage drivers are more likely to be involved in severely incapacitating and fatal crashes compared to adult drivers. Moreover, because two thirds of urban vehicle miles traveled are on signal-controlled roadways, significant research efforts are needed to investigate intersection-related teenage driver injury severities and their contributing factors in terms of driver behavior, vehicle-infrastructure interactions, environmental characteristics, roadway geometric features, and traffic compositions. Therefore, this study aims to explore the characteristic differences between teenage and adult drivers in intersection-related crashes, identify the significant contributing attributes, and analyze their impacts on driver injury severities. Using crash data collected in New Mexico from 2010 to 2011, 2 multinomial logit regression models were developed to analyze injury severities for teenage and adult drivers, respectively. Elasticity analyses and transferability tests were conducted to better understand the quantitative impacts of these factors and the teenage driver injury severity model's generality. The results showed that although many of the same contributing factors were found to be significant in the both teenage and adult driver models, certain different attributes must be distinguished to specifically develop effective safety solutions for the 2 driver groups. The research findings are helpful to better understand teenage crash uniqueness and develop cost-effective solutions to reduce intersection-related teenage injury severities and facilitate driver injury mitigation research.

  15. Plasma myelin basic protein assay using Gilford enzyme immunoassay cuvettes.

    PubMed

    Groome, N P

    1981-10-01

    The assay of myelin basic protein in body fluids has potential clinical importance as a routine indicator of demyelination. Preliminary details of a competitive enzyme immunoassay for this protein have previously been published by the author (Groome, N. P. (1980) J. Neurochem. 35, 1409-1417). The present paper now describes the adaptation of this assay for use on human plasma and various aspects of routine data processing. A commercially available cuvette system was found to have advantages over microtitre plates but required a permuted arrangement of sample replicates for consistent results. For dose interpolation, the standard curve could be fitted to a three parameter non-linear equation by regression analysis or linearised by the logit/log transformation.

  16. College binge drinking: deviant versus mainstream behavior.

    PubMed

    Leppel, Karen

    2006-01-01

    College binge drinking is examined from the perspectives of two cultures. The traditional culture views binging as deviant; the second culture promotes it. In this context, logit regression is used to explore the effects of various factors, including student employment and parental education. Employed students are less likely to binge than are students who are not employed. Also, students whose mother is a college graduate, but whose father is not, are more likely to binge than other students. The prescriptions for reducing binge drinking are different when the behavior is perceived as mainstream rather than deviant. The research calls for the development of a process for promoting cultural change in an environment of continually changing student leadership.

  17. On the development of a semi-nonparametric generalized multinomial logit model for travel-related choices

    PubMed Central

    Ye, Xin; Pendyala, Ram M.; Zou, Yajie

    2017-01-01

    A semi-nonparametric generalized multinomial logit model, formulated using orthonormal Legendre polynomials to extend the standard Gumbel distribution, is presented in this paper. The resulting semi-nonparametric function can represent a probability density function for a large family of multimodal distributions. The model has a closed-form log-likelihood function that facilitates model estimation. The proposed method is applied to model commute mode choice among four alternatives (auto, transit, bicycle and walk) using travel behavior data from Argau, Switzerland. Comparisons between the multinomial logit model and the proposed semi-nonparametric model show that violations of the standard Gumbel distribution assumption lead to considerable inconsistency in parameter estimates and model inferences. PMID:29073152

  18. On the development of a semi-nonparametric generalized multinomial logit model for travel-related choices.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ke; Ye, Xin; Pendyala, Ram M; Zou, Yajie

    2017-01-01

    A semi-nonparametric generalized multinomial logit model, formulated using orthonormal Legendre polynomials to extend the standard Gumbel distribution, is presented in this paper. The resulting semi-nonparametric function can represent a probability density function for a large family of multimodal distributions. The model has a closed-form log-likelihood function that facilitates model estimation. The proposed method is applied to model commute mode choice among four alternatives (auto, transit, bicycle and walk) using travel behavior data from Argau, Switzerland. Comparisons between the multinomial logit model and the proposed semi-nonparametric model show that violations of the standard Gumbel distribution assumption lead to considerable inconsistency in parameter estimates and model inferences.

  19. Application of a Multidimensional Nested Logit Model to Multiple-Choice Test Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bolt, Daniel M.; Wollack, James A.; Suh, Youngsuk

    2012-01-01

    Nested logit models have been presented as an alternative to multinomial logistic models for multiple-choice test items (Suh and Bolt in "Psychometrika" 75:454-473, 2010) and possess a mathematical structure that naturally lends itself to evaluating the incremental information provided by attending to distractor selection in scoring. One potential…

  20. Reduction from cost-sensitive ordinal ranking to weighted binary classification.

    PubMed

    Lin, Hsuan-Tien; Li, Ling

    2012-05-01

    We present a reduction framework from ordinal ranking to binary classification. The framework consists of three steps: extracting extended examples from the original examples, learning a binary classifier on the extended examples with any binary classification algorithm, and constructing a ranker from the binary classifier. Based on the framework, we show that a weighted 0/1 loss of the binary classifier upper-bounds the mislabeling cost of the ranker, both error-wise and regret-wise. Our framework allows not only the design of good ordinal ranking algorithms based on well-tuned binary classification approaches, but also the derivation of new generalization bounds for ordinal ranking from known bounds for binary classification. In addition, our framework unifies many existing ordinal ranking algorithms, such as perceptron ranking and support vector ordinal regression. When compared empirically on benchmark data sets, some of our newly designed algorithms enjoy advantages in terms of both training speed and generalization performance over existing algorithms. In addition, the newly designed algorithms lead to better cost-sensitive ordinal ranking performance, as well as improved listwise ranking performance.

  1. Determinants of Health Insurance Coverage among People Aged 45 and over in China: Who Buys Public, Private and Multiple Insurance

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Yinzi; Hou, Zhiyuan; Zhang, Donglan

    2016-01-01

    Background China is reforming and restructuring its health insurance system to achieve the goal of universal coverage. This study aims to understand the determinants of public, private and multiple insurance coverage among people of retirement-age in China. Methods We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey 2011 and 2013, a nationally representative survey of Chinese people aged 45 and over. Multinomial logit regression was performed to identify the determinants of public, private and multiple health insurance coverage. We also conducted logit regression to examine the association between public insurance coverage and demand for private insurance. Results In 2013, 94.5% of this population had at least one type of public insurance, and 12.2% purchased private insurance. In general, we found that rural residents were less likely to be uninsured (Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) = 0.40, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.34–0.47) and were less likely to buy private insurance (RRR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.16–0.31). But rural-to-urban migrants were more likely to be uninsured (RRR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.24–1.57). Public health insurance coverage may crowd out private insurance market (Odds Ratio = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48–0.63), particularly among enrollees of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance. There exists a huge socioeconomic disparity in both public and private insurance coverage. Conclusion The migrants, the poor and the vulnerable remained in the edge of the system. The growing private insurance market did not provide sufficient financial protection and did not cover the people with the greatest need. To achieve universal coverage and reduce socioeconomic disparity, China should integrate the urban and rural public insurance schemes across regions and remove the barriers for the middle-income and low-income to access private insurance. PMID:27564320

  2. Are regional variations in activity of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests outcomes? A nation-wide population-based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Nishi, Taiki; Kamikura, Takahisa; Funada, Akira; Myojo, Yasuhiro; Ishida, Tetsuya; Inaba, Hideo

    2016-01-01

    Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) impacts the rates of bystander CPR (BCPR) and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). This study aimed to elucidate whether regional variations in indexes for BCPR and emergency medical service (EMS) may be associated with OHCA outcomes. We conducted a population-based observational study involving 157,093 bystander-witnessed, resuscitation-attempted OHCAs without physician involvement between 2007 and 2011. For each index of BCPR and EMS, we classified the 47 prefectures into the following three groups: advanced, intermediate, and developing regions. Nominal logit analysis followed by multivariable logistic regression including OHCA backgrounds was employed to examine the association between neurologically favourable 1-month survival, and regional classifications based on BCPR- and EMS-related indexes. Logit analysis including all regional classifications revealed that the number of BLS training course participants per population or bystander's own performance of BCPR without DA-CPR was not associated with the survival. Multivariable logistic regression including the OHCA backgrounds known to be associated with survival (BCPR provision, arrest aetiology, initial rhythm, patient age, time intervals of witness-to-call and call-to-arrival at patient), the following regional classifications based on DA-CPR but not on EMS were associated with survival: sensitivity of DA-CPR [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for advanced region; those for intermediate region, with developing region as reference, 1.277 (1.131-1.441); 1.162 (1.058-1.277)]; the proportion of bystanders to follow DA-CPR [1.749 (1.554-1.967); 1.280 (1.188-1.380)]. Good outcomes of bystander-witnessed OHCAs correlate with regions having higher sensitivity of DA-CPR and larger proportion of bystanders to follow DA-CPR. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. An Odds Ratio Approach for Detecting DDF under the Nested Logit Modeling Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terzi, Ragip; Suh, Youngsuk

    2015-01-01

    An odds ratio approach (ORA) under the framework of a nested logit model was proposed for evaluating differential distractor functioning (DDF) in multiple-choice items and was compared with an existing ORA developed under the nominal response model. The performances of the two ORAs for detecting DDF were investigated through an extensive…

  4. Identifying Measurement Disturbance Effects Using Rasch Item Fit Statistics and the Logit Residual Index.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mount, Robert E.; Schumacker, Randall E.

    1998-01-01

    A Monte Carlo study was conducted using simulated dichotomous data to determine the effects of guessing on Rasch item fit statistics and the Logit Residual Index. Results indicate that no significant differences were found between the mean Rasch item fit statistics for each distribution type as the probability of guessing the correct answer…

  5. The crux of the method: assumptions in ordinary least squares and logistic regression.

    PubMed

    Long, Rebecca G

    2008-10-01

    Logistic regression has increasingly become the tool of choice when analyzing data with a binary dependent variable. While resources relating to the technique are widely available, clear discussions of why logistic regression should be used in place of ordinary least squares regression are difficult to find. The current paper compares and contrasts the assumptions of ordinary least squares with those of logistic regression and explains why logistic regression's looser assumptions make it adept at handling violations of the more important assumptions in ordinary least squares.

  6. Wet-season spatial variability of N2O emissions from a tea field in subtropical central China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, X.; Liu, X.; Li, Y.; Shen, J.; Wang, Y.; Zou, G.; Li, H.; Song, L.; Wu, J.

    2015-01-01

    Tea fields emit large amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere. Obtaining accurate estimations of N2O emissions from tea-planted soils is challenging due to strong spatial variability. We examined the spatial variability of N2O emissions from a red-soil tea field in Hunan province, China, on 22 April 2012 (in a wet season) using 147 static mini chambers approximately regular gridded in a 4.0 ha tea field. The N2O fluxes for a 30 min snapshot (10-10.30 a.m.) ranged from -1.73 to 1659.11 g N ha-1 d-1 and were positively skewed with an average flux of 102.24 g N ha-1 d-1. The N2O flux data were transformed to a normal distribution by using a logit function. The geostatistical analyses of our data indicated that the logit-transformed N2O fluxes (FLUX30t) exhibited strong spatial autocorrelation, which was characterized by an exponential semivariogram model with an effective range of 25.2 m. As observed in the wet season, the logit-transformed soil ammonium-N (NH4Nt), soil nitrate-N (NO3Nt), soil organic carbon (SOCt), total soil nitrogen (TSNt) were all found to be significantly correlated with FLUX30t (r=0.57-0.71, p<0.001). Three spatial interpolation methods (ordinary kriging, regression kriging and cokriging) were applied to estimate the spatial distribution of N2O emissions over the study area. Cokriging with NH4Nt and NO3Nt as covariables (r= 0.74 and RMSE =1.18) outperformed ordinary kriging (r= 0.18 and RMSE =1.74), regression kriging with the sample position as a predictor (r= 0.49 and RMSE =1.55) and cokriging with SOCt as a covariable (r= 0.58 and RMSE =1.44). The predictions of the three kriging interpolation methods for the total N2O emissions of the 4.0 ha tea field ranged from 148.2 to 208.1 g N d-1, based on the 30 min snapshots obtained during the wet season. Our findings suggested that to accurately estimate the total N2O emissions over a region, the environmental variables (e.g., soil properties) and the current land use pattern (e.g., tea row transects in the present study) must be included in spatial interpolation. Additionally, compared with other kriging approaches, the cokriging prediction approach showed great advantages in being easily deployed, and more importantly providing accurate regional estimation of N2O emissions from tea-planted soils.

  7. Wet-season spatial variability in N2O emissions from a tea field in subtropical central China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, X.; Liu, X.; Li, Y.; Shen, J.; Wang, Y.; Zou, G.; Li, H.; Song, L.; Wu, J.

    2015-06-01

    Tea fields emit large amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere. Obtaining accurate estimations of N2O emissions from tea-planted soils is challenging due to strong spatial variability. We examined the spatial variability in N2O emissions from a red-soil tea field in Hunan Province, China, on 22 April 2012 (in a wet season) using 147 static mini chambers approximately regular gridded in a 4.0 ha tea field. The N2O fluxes for a 30 min snapshot (10:00-10:30 a.m.) ranged from -1.73 to 1659.11 g N ha-1 d-1 and were positively skewed with an average flux of 102.24 g N ha-1 d-1. The N2O flux data were transformed to a normal distribution by using a logit function. The geostatistical analyses of our data indicated that the logit-transformed N2O fluxes (FLUX30t) exhibited strong spatial autocorrelation, which was characterized by an exponential semivariogram model with an effective range of 25.2 m. As observed in the wet season, the logit-transformed soil ammonium-N (NH4Nt), soil nitrate-N (NO3Nt), soil organic carbon (SOCt) and total soil nitrogen (TSNt) were all found to be significantly correlated with FLUX30t (r = 0.57-0.71, p < 0.001). Three spatial interpolation methods (ordinary kriging, regression kriging and cokriging) were applied to estimate the spatial distribution of N2O emissions over the study area. Cokriging with NH4Nt and NO3Nt as covariables (r = 0.74 and RMSE = 1.18) outperformed ordinary kriging (r = 0.18 and RMSE = 1.74), regression kriging with the sample position as a predictor (r = 0.49 and RMSE = 1.55) and cokriging with SOCt as a covariable (r = 0.58 and RMSE = 1.44). The predictions of the three kriging interpolation methods for the total N2O emissions of 4.0 ha tea field ranged from 148.2 to 208.1 g N d-1, based on the 30 min snapshots obtained during the wet season. Our findings suggested that to accurately estimate the total N2O emissions over a region, the environmental variables (e.g., soil properties) and the current land use pattern (e.g., tea row transects in the present study) must be included in spatial interpolation. Additionally, compared with other kriging approaches, the cokriging prediction approach showed great advantages in being easily deployed and, more importantly, providing accurate regional estimation of N2O emissions from tea-planted soils.

  8. Occupational Choice: A Conditional Logit Model with Special Reference to Wage Subsidies and Occupational Choice. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boskin, Michael J.

    A model of occupational choice based on the theory of human capital is developed and estimated by conditional logit analysis. The empirical results estimated the probability of individuals with certain characteristics (such as race, sex, age, and education) entering each of 11 occupational groups. The results indicate that individuals tend to…

  9. Stochastic modeling of consumer preferences for health care institutions.

    PubMed

    Malhotra, N K

    1983-01-01

    This paper proposes a stochastic procedure for modeling consumer preferences via LOGIT analysis. First, a simple, non-technical exposition of the use of a stochastic approach in health care marketing is presented. Second, a study illustrating the application of the LOGIT model in assessing consumer preferences for hospitals is given. The paper concludes with several implications of the proposed approach.

  10. Random preferences towards bioenergy environmental externalities: a case study of woody biomass based electricity in the Southern United States

    Treesearch

    Andres Susaeta; Pankaj Lal; Janaki Alavalapati; Evan Mercer

    2011-01-01

    This paper contrasts alternate methodological approaches of investigating public preferences, the random parameter logit (RPL) where tastes and preferences of respondents are assumed to be heterogeneous and the conditional logit (CL) approach where tastes and preferences remain fixed for individuals. We conducted a choice experiment to assess preferences for woody...

  11. Who Is Overeducated and Why? Probit and Dynamic Mixed Multinomial Logit Analyses of Vertical Mismatch in East and West Germany

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boll, Christina; Leppin, Julian Sebastian; Schömann, Klaus

    2016-01-01

    Overeducation potentially signals a productivity loss. With Socio-Economic Panel data from 1984 to 2011 we identify drivers of educational mismatch for East and West medium and highly educated Germans. Addressing measurement error, state dependence and unobserved heterogeneity, we run dynamic mixed multinomial logit models for three different…

  12. Applied Statistics: From Bivariate through Multivariate Techniques [with CD-ROM

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warner, Rebecca M.

    2007-01-01

    This book provides a clear introduction to widely used topics in bivariate and multivariate statistics, including multiple regression, discriminant analysis, MANOVA, factor analysis, and binary logistic regression. The approach is applied and does not require formal mathematics; equations are accompanied by verbal explanations. Students are asked…

  13. Advances in nonmarket valuation econometrics: Spatial heterogeneity in hedonic pricing models and preference heterogeneity in stated preference models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoo, Jin Woo

    In my 1st essay, the study explores Pennsylvania residents. willingness to pay for development of renewable energy technologies such as solar power, wind power, biomass electricity, and other renewable energy using a choice experiment method. Principle component analysis identified 3 independent attitude components that affect the variation of preference, a desire for renewable energy and environmental quality and concern over cost. The results show that urban residents have a higher desire for environmental quality and concern less about cost than rural residents and consequently have a higher willingness to pay to increase renewable energy production. The results of sub-sample analysis show that a representative respondent in rural (urban) Pennsylvania is willing to pay 3.8(5.9) and 4.1(5.7)/month for increasing the share of Pennsylvania electricity generated from wind power and other renewable energy by 1 percent point, respectively. Mean WTP for solar and biomass electricity was not significantly different from zero. In my second essay, heterogeneity of individual WTP for various renewable energy technologies is investigated using several different variants of the multinomial logit model: a simple MNL with interaction terms, a latent class choice model, a random parameter mixed logit choice model, and a random parameter-latent class choice model. The results of all models consistently show that respondents. preference for individual renewable technology is heterogeneous, but the degree of heterogeneity differs for different renewable technologies. In general, the random parameter logit model with interactions and a hybrid random parameter logit-latent class model fit better than other models and better capture respondents. heterogeneity of preference for renewable energy. The impact of the land under agricultural conservation easement (ACE) contract on the values of nearby residential properties is investigated using housing sales data in two Pennsylvania Counties. The spatial-lag (SLM), the spatial error (SEM) and the spatial error component (SEC) models were compared. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) model is estimated to study the spatial heterogeneity of the marginal implicit prices of ACE impact within each county. New hybrid spatial hedonic models, the GWR-SEC and a modified GWR-SEM, are estimated such that both spatial autocorrelation and heterogeneity are accounted. The results show that the coefficient of land under easement contract varies spatially within one county, but not within the other county studied. Also, ACE's are found to have both positive and negative impacts on the values of nearby residential properties. Among global spatial models, the SEM fit better than the SLM and the SEC. Statistical goodness of fit measures showed that the GWR-SEC model fit better than the GWR or the GWR-SEC model. Finally, the GWR-SEC showed spatial autocorrelation is stronger in one county than in the other county.

  14. Spatial properties of snow cover in the Upper Merced River Basin: implications for a distributed snow measurement network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouffon, T.; Rice, R.; Bales, R.

    2006-12-01

    The spatial distributions of snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow depth within a 1, 4, and 16 km2 grid element around two automated snow pillows in a forested and open- forested region of the Upper Merced River Basin (2,800 km2) of Yosemite National Park were characterized using field observations and analyzed using binary regression trees. Snow surveys occurred at the forested site during the accumulation and ablation seasons, while at the open-forest site a survey was performed only during the accumulation season. An average of 130 snow depth and 7 snow density measurements were made on each survey, within the 4 km2 grid. Snow depth was distributed using binary regression trees and geostatistical methods using the physiographic parameters (e.g. elevation, slope, vegetation, aspect). Results in the forest region indicate that the snow pillow overestimated average SWE within the 1, 4, and 16 km2 areas by 34 percent during ablation, but during accumulation the snow pillow provides a good estimate of the modeled mean SWE grid value, however it is suspected that the snow pillow was underestimating SWE. However, at the open forest site, during accumulation, the snow pillow was 28 percent greater than the mean modeled grid element. In addition, the binary regression trees indicate that the independent variables of vegetation, slope, and aspect are the most influential parameters of snow depth distribution. The binary regression tree and multivariate linear regression models explain about 60 percent of the initial variance for snow depth and 80 percent for density, respectively. This short-term study provides motivation and direction for the installation of a distributed snow measurement network to fill the information gap in basin-wide SWE and snow depth measurements. Guided by these results, a distributed snow measurement network was installed in the Fall 2006 at Gin Flat in the Upper Merced River Basin with the specific objective of measuring accumulation and ablation across topographic variables with the aim of providing guidance for future larger scale observation network designs.

  15. HYPOTHESIS TESTING FOR HIGH-DIMENSIONAL SPARSE BINARY REGRESSION

    PubMed Central

    Mukherjee, Rajarshi; Pillai, Natesh S.; Lin, Xihong

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we study the detection boundary for minimax hypothesis testing in the context of high-dimensional, sparse binary regression models. Motivated by genetic sequencing association studies for rare variant effects, we investigate the complexity of the hypothesis testing problem when the design matrix is sparse. We observe a new phenomenon in the behavior of detection boundary which does not occur in the case of Gaussian linear regression. We derive the detection boundary as a function of two components: a design matrix sparsity index and signal strength, each of which is a function of the sparsity of the alternative. For any alternative, if the design matrix sparsity index is too high, any test is asymptotically powerless irrespective of the magnitude of signal strength. For binary design matrices with the sparsity index that is not too high, our results are parallel to those in the Gaussian case. In this context, we derive detection boundaries for both dense and sparse regimes. For the dense regime, we show that the generalized likelihood ratio is rate optimal; for the sparse regime, we propose an extended Higher Criticism Test and show it is rate optimal and sharp. We illustrate the finite sample properties of the theoretical results using simulation studies. PMID:26246645

  16. Experimental and statistical study on fracture boundary of non-irradiated Zircaloy-4 cladding tube under LOCA conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Narukawa, Takafumi; Yamaguchi, Akira; Jang, Sunghyon; Amaya, Masaki

    2018-02-01

    For estimating fracture probability of fuel cladding tube under loss-of-coolant accident conditions of light-water-reactors, laboratory-scale integral thermal shock tests were conducted on non-irradiated Zircaloy-4 cladding tube specimens. Then, the obtained binary data with respect to fracture or non-fracture of the cladding tube specimen were analyzed statistically. A method to obtain the fracture probability curve as a function of equivalent cladding reacted (ECR) was proposed using Bayesian inference for generalized linear models: probit, logit, and log-probit models. Then, model selection was performed in terms of physical characteristics and information criteria, a widely applicable information criterion and a widely applicable Bayesian information criterion. As a result, it was clarified that the log-probit model was the best among the three models to estimate the fracture probability in terms of the degree of prediction accuracy for both next data to be obtained and the true model. Using the log-probit model, it was shown that 20% ECR corresponded to a 5% probability level with a 95% confidence of fracture of the cladding tube specimens.

  17. Body mass index and employment status: A new look.

    PubMed

    Kinge, Jonas Minet

    2016-09-01

    Earlier literature has usually modelled the impact of obesity on employment status as a binary choice (employed, yes/no). I provide new evidence on the impact of obesity on employment status by treating the dependent variable as a as a multinomial choice variable. Using data from a representative English survey, with measured height and weight on parents and children, I define employment status as one of four: working; looking for paid work; permanently not working due to disability; and, looking after home or family. I use a multinomial logit model controlling for a set of covariates. I also run instrumental variable models, instrumenting for Body Mass Index (BMI) based on genetic variation in weight. I find that BMI and obesity significantly increase the probability of "not working due to disability". The results for the other employment outcomes are less clear. My findings also indicate that BMI affects employment through its effect on health. Factors other than health may be less important in explaining the impact of BMI/obesity on employment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Networks Versus Need: Drivers of Urban Out-Migration in the Brazilian Amazon

    PubMed Central

    VanWey, Leah K.

    2014-01-01

    As urbanization rates rise globally, it becomes increasingly important to understand the factors associated with urban out-migration. In this paper, we examine the drivers of urban out-migration among young adults in two medium-sized cities in the Brazilian Amazon—Altamira and Santarém—focusing on the roles of social capital, human capital, and socioeconomic deprivation. Using household survey data from 1,293 individuals in the two cities, we employ an event history model to assess factors associated with migration and a binary logit model to understand factors associated with remitting behavior. We find that in Altamira, migration tends to be an individual-level opportunistic strategy fostered by extra-local family networks, while in Santarém, migration tends to be a household-level strategy driven by socioeconomic deprivation and accompanied by remittances. These results indicate that urban out-migration in Brazil is a diverse social process, and that the relative roles of extra-local networks versus economic need can function quite differently between geographically proximate but historically and socioeconomically distinct cities. PMID:25419021

  19. Predictors of functional vision changes after cataract surgery: the PROVISION study.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Varun; Popovic, Marko; Holmes, Julie; Robinson, Tammy; Mak, Michael; Mohaghegh P, S Mohammad; Eino, Dalia; Mann, Keith; Kobetz, Lawrence; Gusenbauer, Kaela; Barbosa, Joshua

    2016-08-01

    To ascertain whether time-to-treatment, sex, age, preoperative functional vision scores, education, and ocular comorbidities predict change in functional vision pre- to postoperatively in patients receiving cataract surgery. Prospective cohort study. Three hundred and forty-three cataract patients at the Hamilton Regional Eye Institute. Participants 18 years or older scheduled to undergo cataract surgery completed the Catquest-9SF functional vision questionnaire on the day of their surgery and were mailed a survey 2-3 months postoperatively. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine the ability of predictors to explain variability in functional vision change between questionnaire administrations. One hundred and sixty-six patients completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires. Mean age of the cohort was 73.8 ± 8.1 years. Most patients were female (59.6%), had cataract surgery performed for the first time (66.9%), and had spent a mean time of 20.3 ± 20.7 weeks waiting for surgery. Functional vision improved in 83.7% of patients. The mean baseline Catquest-9SF score was the only significant predictor of functional vision improvement (adjusted R(2) = 0.47; F1,159 = 144.6; p < 0.001). Controlling for other variables, functional vision improved by 0.74 logits when mean baseline survey score increased by 1 logit. In most patients, functional vision improved after cataract surgery. Mean baseline Catquest-9SF score was a moderate predictor of the observed improvement. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Impact of presumed service-connected diagnosis on the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare utilization patterns of Vietnam-Theater Veterans

    PubMed Central

    Fried, Dennis A.; Rajan, Mangala; Tseng, Chin-lin; Helmer, Drew

    2018-01-01

    Abstract During the Vietnam War, the US military sprayed almost 20 million gallons of Agent Orange (AO), an herbicide contaminated with dioxin, over Vietnam. Approximately, 2.7 million US military personnel may have been exposed to AO during their deployment. Ordinarily, veterans who can demonstrate a nexus between a diagnosed condition and military service are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service-connected disability compensation. Vietnam Veterans have had difficulty, however, establishing a nexus between AO exposure and certain medical conditions that developed many years after the war. In response, VA has designated certain conditions as “presumed service connected” for Vietnam Veterans who were present and possibly exposed. Veterans with any of these designated conditions do not have to document AO exposure, making it easier for them to access the VA disability system. The extent to which VA healthcare utilization patterns reflect easier access afforded those with diagnosed presumptive conditions remains unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we hypothesized that Vietnam Veterans with diagnosed presumptive conditions would be heavier users of the VA healthcare system than those without these conditions. In our analysis of 85,699 Vietnam Veterans, we used binary and cumulative logit multivariable regression to assess associations between diagnosed presumptive conditions and VA healthcare utilization in 2013. We found that diagnosed presumptive conditions were associated with higher odds of 5+ VHA primary care visits (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.93–2.07), 5+ specialty care visits (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 2.04–2.18), emergency department use (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11–1.34), and hospitalization (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.17–1.29). Consistent with legislative intent, presumptive policies appear to facilitate greater VA system utilization for Vietnam Veterans who may have been exposed to AO. PMID:29742706

  1. Impact of presumed service-connected diagnosis on the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare utilization patterns of Vietnam-Theater Veterans: A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Fried, Dennis A; Rajan, Mangala; Tseng, Chin-Lin; Helmer, Drew

    2018-05-01

    During the Vietnam War, the US military sprayed almost 20 million gallons of Agent Orange (AO), an herbicide contaminated with dioxin, over Vietnam. Approximately, 2.7 million US military personnel may have been exposed to AO during their deployment. Ordinarily, veterans who can demonstrate a nexus between a diagnosed condition and military service are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service-connected disability compensation. Vietnam Veterans have had difficulty, however, establishing a nexus between AO exposure and certain medical conditions that developed many years after the war. In response, VA has designated certain conditions as "presumed service connected" for Vietnam Veterans who were present and possibly exposed. Veterans with any of these designated conditions do not have to document AO exposure, making it easier for them to access the VA disability system. The extent to which VA healthcare utilization patterns reflect easier access afforded those with diagnosed presumptive conditions remains unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we hypothesized that Vietnam Veterans with diagnosed presumptive conditions would be heavier users of the VA healthcare system than those without these conditions. In our analysis of 85,699 Vietnam Veterans, we used binary and cumulative logit multivariable regression to assess associations between diagnosed presumptive conditions and VA healthcare utilization in 2013. We found that diagnosed presumptive conditions were associated with higher odds of 5+ VHA primary care visits (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.93-2.07), 5+ specialty care visits (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 2.04-2.18), emergency department use (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11-1.34), and hospitalization (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.17-1.29). Consistent with legislative intent, presumptive policies appear to facilitate greater VA system utilization for Vietnam Veterans who may have been exposed to AO.

  2. America's Democracy Colleges: The Civic Engagement of Community College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Angeli Newell, Mallory

    2014-01-01

    This study explored the civic engagement of current two- and four-year students to explore whether differences exist between the groups and what may explain the differences. Using binary logistic regression and Ordinary Least Squares regression it was found that community-based engagement was lower for two- than four-year students, though…

  3. Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis of Cigarette Use among High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adwere-Boamah, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to predict high school students' cigarette smoking behavior from selected predictors from 2009 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. The specific target student behavior of interest was frequent cigarette use. Five predictor variables included in the model were: a) race, b) frequency of…

  4. The Effect of Latent Binary Variables on the Uncertainty of the Prediction of a Dichotomous Outcome Using Logistic Regression Based Propensity Score Matching.

    PubMed

    Szekér, Szabolcs; Vathy-Fogarassy, Ágnes

    2018-01-01

    Logistic regression based propensity score matching is a widely used method in case-control studies to select the individuals of the control group. This method creates a suitable control group if all factors affecting the output variable are known. However, if relevant latent variables exist as well, which are not taken into account during the calculations, the quality of the control group is uncertain. In this paper, we present a statistics-based research in which we try to determine the relationship between the accuracy of the logistic regression model and the uncertainty of the dependent variable of the control group defined by propensity score matching. Our analyses show that there is a linear correlation between the fit of the logistic regression model and the uncertainty of the output variable. In certain cases, a latent binary explanatory variable can result in a relative error of up to 70% in the prediction of the outcome variable. The observed phenomenon calls the attention of analysts to an important point, which must be taken into account when deducting conclusions.

  5. Logit-normal mixed model for Indian monsoon precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dietz, L. R.; Chatterjee, S.

    2014-09-01

    Describing the nature and variability of Indian monsoon precipitation is a topic of much debate in the current literature. We suggest the use of a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), specifically, the logit-normal mixed model, to describe the underlying structure of this complex climatic event. Four GLMM algorithms are described and simulations are performed to vet these algorithms before applying them to the Indian precipitation data. The logit-normal model was applied to light, moderate, and extreme rainfall. Findings indicated that physical constructs were preserved by the models, and random effects were significant in many cases. We also found GLMM estimation methods were sensitive to tuning parameters and assumptions and therefore, recommend use of multiple methods in applications. This work provides a novel use of GLMM and promotes its addition to the gamut of tools for analysis in studying climate phenomena.

  6. Patient choice modelling: how do patients choose their hospitals?

    PubMed

    Smith, Honora; Currie, Christine; Chaiwuttisak, Pornpimol; Kyprianou, Andreas

    2018-06-01

    As an aid to predicting future hospital admissions, we compare use of the Multinomial Logit and the Utility Maximising Nested Logit models to describe how patients choose their hospitals. The models are fitted to real data from Derbyshire, United Kingdom, which lists the postcodes of more than 200,000 admissions to six different local hospitals. Both elective and emergency admissions are analysed for this mixed urban/rural area. For characteristics that may affect a patient's choice of hospital, we consider the distance of the patient from the hospital, the number of beds at the hospital and the number of car parking spaces available at the hospital, as well as several statistics publicly available on National Health Service (NHS) websites: an average waiting time, the patient survey score for ward cleanliness, the patient safety score and the inpatient survey score for overall care. The Multinomial Logit model is successfully fitted to the data. Results obtained with the Utility Maximising Nested Logit model show that nesting according to city or town may be invalid for these data; in other words, the choice of hospital does not appear to be preceded by choice of city. In all of the analysis carried out, distance appears to be one of the main influences on a patient's choice of hospital rather than statistics available on the Internet.

  7. Using a metal detector to determine lead sinker abundance in waterbird habitat

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Duerr, A.E.; DeStefano, S.

    2000-01-01

    Waterbirds have died of lead poisoning from ingesting lead fishing sinkers in the United States and Europe. Estimating abundance and distribution of sinkers in the environment will help researchers to understand the potential effects of lead poisoning from sinker ingestion. We used a metal detector to test how environmental conditions and sinker characteristics affected detection of sinkers. Odds of detecting a lead sinker depended on the interaction of sinker mass and depth where it was buried (P=0.002). The odds of detecting a sinker increased with mass and decreased with depth buried. Lead split-shot sinkers were less detectable than tin, brass, and stainless steel sinkers. Detecting lead sinkers was not influenced by sinker shape, substrate type, or whether we searched underwater or on land. We developed a model to determine the proportion of sinkers detected when this detector is used to search for sinkers, so sinker abundance can be estimated. The log odds (Logit) of detecting a lead sinker with mass M g buried D cm below the surface was Logit Y= -1.63 + 4.20 M - 0.45 D - 0.27 MD + 0.0002 D2. The probability of detecting a lead sinker was e(Logit Y)/(1 + e(Logit Y)). At the surface, 90% of sinkers with mass 0.9 g will be detected.

  8. Radiomorphometric analysis of frontal sinus for sex determination.

    PubMed

    Verma, Saumya; Mahima, V G; Patil, Karthikeya

    2014-09-01

    Sex determination of unknown individuals carries crucial significance in forensic research, in cases where fragments of skull persist with no likelihood of identification based on dental arch. In these instances sex determination becomes important to rule out certain number of possibilities instantly and helps in establishing a biological profile of human remains. The aim of the study is to evaluate a mathematical method based on logistic regression analysis capable of ascertaining the sex of individuals in the South Indian population. The study was conducted in the department of Oral Medicine and Radiology. The right and left areas, maximum height, width of frontal sinus were determined in 100 Caldwell views of 50 women and 50 men aged 20 years and above, with the help of Vernier callipers and a square grid with 1 square measuring 1mm(2) in area. Student's t-test, logistic regression analysis. The mean values of variables were greater in men, based on Student's t-test at 5% level of significance. The mathematical model based on logistic regression analysis gave percentage agreement of total area to correctly predict the female gender as 55.2%, of right area as 60.9% and of left area as 55.2%. The areas of the frontal sinus and the logistic regression proved to be unreliable in sex determination. (Logit = 0.924 - 0.00217 × right area).

  9. Logit-normal mixed model for Indian Monsoon rainfall extremes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dietz, L. R.; Chatterjee, S.

    2014-03-01

    Describing the nature and variability of Indian monsoon rainfall extremes is a topic of much debate in the current literature. We suggest the use of a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), specifically, the logit-normal mixed model, to describe the underlying structure of this complex climatic event. Several GLMM algorithms are described and simulations are performed to vet these algorithms before applying them to the Indian precipitation data procured from the National Climatic Data Center. The logit-normal model was applied with fixed covariates of latitude, longitude, elevation, daily minimum and maximum temperatures with a random intercept by weather station. In general, the estimation methods concurred in their suggestion of a relationship between the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and extreme rainfall variability estimates. This work provides a valuable starting point for extending GLMM to incorporate the intricate dependencies in extreme climate events.

  10. Strategies for controlling item exposure in computerized adaptive testing with the partial credit model.

    PubMed

    Davis, Laurie Laughlin; Dodd, Barbara G

    2008-01-01

    Exposure control research with polytomous item pools has determined that randomization procedures can be very effective for controlling test security in computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The current study investigated the performance of four procedures for controlling item exposure in a CAT under the partial credit model. In addition to a no exposure control baseline condition, the Kingsbury-Zara, modified-within-.10-logits, Sympson-Hetter, and conditional Sympson-Hetter procedures were implemented to control exposure rates. The Kingsbury-Zara and the modified-within-.10-logits procedures were implemented with 3 and 6 item candidate conditions. The results show that the Kingsbury-Zara and modified-within-.10-logits procedures with 6 item candidates performed as well as the conditional Sympson-Hetter in terms of exposure rates, overlap rates, and pool utilization. These two procedures are strongly recommended for use with partial credit CATs due to their simplicity and strength of their results.

  11. Intrafirm planning and mathematical modeling of owner's equity in industrial enterprises

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponomareva, S. V.; Zheleznova, I. V.

    2018-05-01

    The article aims to review the different approaches to intrafirm planning of owner's equity in industrial enterprises. Since charter capital, additional capital and reserve capital do not change in the process of enterprise activity, the main interest lies on the field of share repurchases from shareholders and retained earnings within the owner's equity of the enterprise. In order to study the effect of share repurchases on the activities of the enterprise, let us use such mathematical methods as event study and econometric modeling. This article describes the step-by-step algorithm of carrying out event study and justifies the choice of Logit model in econometric analysis. The article represents basic results of conducted regression analysis on the effect of share repurchases on the key financial indicators in industrial enterprises.

  12. The effect of consumers’ perception to the satisfaction of use of traditional medicines in Medan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siregar, R. S.; Supriana, T.; Haryanti, S.

    2018-02-01

    Consumption of chemical medicines fluctuated in 2009-2014, whereas the consumption of solid traditional medicine increased in 2009-2014. The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of consumers’s perception on the consumption of traditional medicinal plants. The data was analysed by using a binomial logit regression analysis. It is found that the consumers’s perceptions affect customer satisfaction simultaneously are the health benefits variable, quality of traditional medicine variable, price of traditional medicine and available product; the health benefits variable and quality of traditional medicine variable partially have significant effects to customers’s satisfaction simultaneously satisfaction partially; the health benefit variable and quality of traditional medicine is found to have a marginal effect of 7% and 4%, respectively.

  13. Disentangling WTP per QALY data: different analytical approaches, different answers.

    PubMed

    Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte; Kjaer, Trine

    2012-03-01

    A large random sample of the Danish general population was asked to value health improvements by way of both the time trade-off elicitation technique and willingness-to-pay (WTP) using contingent valuation methods. The data demonstrate a high degree of heterogeneity across respondents in their relative valuations on the two scales. This has implications for data analysis. We show that the estimates of WTP per QALY are highly sensitive to the analytical strategy. For both open-ended and dichotomous choice data we demonstrate that choice of aggregated approach (ratios of means) or disaggregated approach (means of ratios) affects estimates markedly as does the interpretation of the constant term (which allows for disproportionality across the two scales) in the regression analyses. We propose that future research should focus on why some respondents are unwilling to trade on the time trade-off scale, on how to interpret the constant value in the regression analyses, and on how best to capture the heterogeneity in preference structures when applying mixed multinomial logit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Logistic regression for circular data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Daffaie, Kadhem; Khan, Shahjahan

    2017-05-01

    This paper considers the relationship between a binary response and a circular predictor. It develops the logistic regression model by employing the linear-circular regression approach. The maximum likelihood method is used to estimate the parameters. The Newton-Raphson numerical method is used to find the estimated values of the parameters. A data set from weather records of Toowoomba city is analysed by the proposed methods. Moreover, a simulation study is considered. The R software is used for all computations and simulations.

  15. A study of the kinetics and isotherms for Cr(VI) adsorption in a binary mixture of Cr(VI)-Ni(II) using hierarchical porous carbon obtained from pig bone.

    PubMed

    Li, Chengxian; Huang, Zhe; Huang, Bicheng; Liu, Changfeng; Li, Chengming; Huang, Yaqin

    2014-01-01

    Cr(VI) adsorption in a binary mixture Cr(VI)-Ni(II) using the hierarchical porous carbon prepared from pig bone (HPC) was investigated. The various factors affecting adsorption of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions such as initial concentration, pH, temperature and contact time were analyzed. The results showed excellent efficiency of Cr(VI) adsorption by HPC. The kinetics and isotherms for Cr(VI) adsorption from a binary mixture Cr(VI)-Ni(II) by HPC were studied. The adsorption equilibrium described by the Langmuir isotherm model is better than that described by the Freundlich isotherm model for the binary mixture in this study. The maximum adsorption capacity was reliably found to be as high as 192.68 mg/g in the binary mixture at pH 2. On fitting the experimental data to both pseudo-first- and second-order equations, the regression analysis of the second-order equation gave a better R² value.

  16. Development and validation of a mortality risk model for pediatric sepsis.

    PubMed

    Chen, Mengshi; Lu, Xiulan; Hu, Li; Liu, Pingping; Zhao, Wenjiao; Yan, Haipeng; Tang, Liang; Zhu, Yimin; Xiao, Zhenghui; Chen, Lizhang; Tan, Hongzhuan

    2017-05-01

    Pediatric sepsis is a burdensome public health problem. Assessing the mortality risk of pediatric sepsis patients, offering effective treatment guidance, and improving prognosis to reduce mortality rates, are crucial.We extracted data derived from electronic medical records of pediatric sepsis patients that were collected during the first 24 hours after admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the Hunan Children's hospital from January 2012 to June 2014. A total of 788 children were randomly divided into a training (592, 75%) and validation group (196, 25%). The risk factors for mortality among these patients were identified by conducting multivariate logistic regression in the training group. Based on the established logistic regression equation, the logit probabilities for all patients (in both groups) were calculated to verify the model's internal and external validities.According to the training group, 6 variables (brain natriuretic peptide, albumin, total bilirubin, D-dimer, lactate levels, and mechanical ventilation in 24 hours) were included in the final logistic regression model. The areas under the curves of the model were 0.854 (0.826, 0.881) and 0.844 (0.816, 0.873) in the training and validation groups, respectively.The Mortality Risk Model for Pediatric Sepsis we established in this study showed acceptable accuracy to predict the mortality risk in pediatric sepsis patients.

  17. Development and validation of a mortality risk model for pediatric sepsis

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Mengshi; Lu, Xiulan; Hu, Li; Liu, Pingping; Zhao, Wenjiao; Yan, Haipeng; Tang, Liang; Zhu, Yimin; Xiao, Zhenghui; Chen, Lizhang; Tan, Hongzhuan

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Pediatric sepsis is a burdensome public health problem. Assessing the mortality risk of pediatric sepsis patients, offering effective treatment guidance, and improving prognosis to reduce mortality rates, are crucial. We extracted data derived from electronic medical records of pediatric sepsis patients that were collected during the first 24 hours after admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the Hunan Children's hospital from January 2012 to June 2014. A total of 788 children were randomly divided into a training (592, 75%) and validation group (196, 25%). The risk factors for mortality among these patients were identified by conducting multivariate logistic regression in the training group. Based on the established logistic regression equation, the logit probabilities for all patients (in both groups) were calculated to verify the model's internal and external validities. According to the training group, 6 variables (brain natriuretic peptide, albumin, total bilirubin, D-dimer, lactate levels, and mechanical ventilation in 24 hours) were included in the final logistic regression model. The areas under the curves of the model were 0.854 (0.826, 0.881) and 0.844 (0.816, 0.873) in the training and validation groups, respectively. The Mortality Risk Model for Pediatric Sepsis we established in this study showed acceptable accuracy to predict the mortality risk in pediatric sepsis patients. PMID:28514310

  18. Safety performance of traffic phases and phase transitions in three phase traffic theory.

    PubMed

    Xu, Chengcheng; Liu, Pan; Wang, Wei; Li, Zhibin

    2015-12-01

    Crash risk prediction models were developed to link safety to various phases and phase transitions defined by the three phase traffic theory. Results of the Bayesian conditional logit analysis showed that different traffic states differed distinctly with respect to safety performance. The random-parameter logit approach was utilized to account for the heterogeneity caused by unobserved factors. The Bayesian inference approach based on the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method was used for the estimation of the random-parameter logit model. The proposed approach increased the prediction performance of the crash risk models as compared with the conventional logit model. The three phase traffic theory can help us better understand the mechanism of crash occurrences in various traffic states. The contributing factors to crash likelihood can be well explained by the mechanism of phase transitions. We further discovered that the free flow state can be divided into two sub-phases on the basis of safety performance, including a true free flow state in which the interactions between vehicles are minor, and a platooned traffic state in which bunched vehicles travel in successions. The results of this study suggest that a safety perspective can be added to the three phase traffic theory. The results also suggest that the heterogeneity between different traffic states should be considered when estimating the risks of crash occurrences on freeways. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Changes in cigarette prices, affordability, and brand-tier consumption after a tobacco tax increase in Thailand: Evidence from the Global Adult Tobacco Surveys, 2009 and 2011

    PubMed Central

    Husain, Muhammad Jami; Kostova, Deliana; Mbulo, Lazarous; Benjakul, Sarunya; Kengganpanich, Mondha; Andes, Linda

    2017-01-01

    Despite the 2009 implementation of a tobacco tax increase in Thailand, smoking rates remained unchanged between 2009 and 2011. Prior evidence has linked cigarette tax increases to compensatory behaviours aimed at lowering the cost of smoking, such as switching to lower-priced cigarette brands. Using data from 2009 and 2011 Global Adult Tobacco Surveys in Thailand, we estimated unadjusted changes in cigarette prices paid, cigarette affordability, and consumption of cigarettes in three price categories classified as upper-, middle-, and lower-priced brand tiers (or price tertiles). We used ordered logit regression to analyse the correlates of price-tier choice and to estimate the change in price-tier consumption adjusted for demographic and region characteristics. Between 2009 and 2011, real cigarette prices increased, but the affordability of cigarettes remained unchanged overall. There was a significant reduction in the consumption of cigarette brands in the top price-tier overall, accompanied by increases in the consumption of brands in the bottom and middle price-tiers, depending on the region. Adjusted estimates from the logit models indicate that, on average, the proportion of smokers selecting brands from upper- and middle price-tiers decreased while consumption of lower price-tier brands increased during the study period. The estimated shifts in consumption from more expensive to less expensive cigarette brands and the overall lack of change in cigarette affordability in Thailand between 2009 and 2011 are both factors that may have contributed to the observed lack of change in smoking rates after the 2009 tax increase. PMID:28579499

  20. Drivers of multidimensional eco-innovation: empirical evidence from the Brazilian industry.

    PubMed

    da Silva Rabêlo, Olivan; de Azevedo Melo, Andrea Sales Soares

    2018-03-08

    The study analyses the relationships between the main drivers of eco-innovation introduced by innovative industries, focused on cooperation strategy. Eco-innovation is analysed by means of a multidimensional identification strategy, showing the relationships between the independent variables and the variable of interest. The literature discussing environmental innovation is different from the one discussing other types of innovation inasmuch as it seeks to grasp its determinants and to mostly highlight the relevance of environmental regulation. The key feature of this paper is that it ascribes special relevance to cooperation strategy with external partners and to the propensity of innovative industry introducing eco-innovation. A sample of 35,060 Brazilian industries were analysed, between 2003 and 2011, by means of Binomial, Multinomial and Ordinal logistic regressions with microdata collected with the research and innovation department (PINTEC) from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). The econometric results estimated by the Logit Multinomial method suggest that the cooperation with external partners practiced by innovative industries facilitates the adoption of eco-innovation in dimension 01 with probability of 64.59%, 57.63% in dimension 02 and 81.02% in dimension 03. The data reveal that the higher the degree of eco-innovation complexity, the harder industries seek to obtain cooperation with external partners. When calculating with the Logit Ordinal and Binomial models, cooperation increases the probability that the industry is eco-innovative in 65.09% and 89.34%, respectively. Environmental regulation and innovation in product and information management were also positively correlated as drivers of eco-innovation.

  1. Contributing factors to vehicle to vehicle crash frequency and severity under rainfall.

    PubMed

    Jung, Soyoung; Jang, Kitae; Yoon, Yoonjin; Kang, Sanghyeok

    2014-09-01

    This study combined vehicle to vehicle crash frequency and severity estimations to examine factor impacts on Wisconsin highway safety in rainy weather. Because of data deficiency, the real-time water film depth, the car-following distance, and the vertical curve grade were estimated with available data sources and a GIS analysis to capture rainy weather conditions at the crash location and time. Using a negative binomial regression for crash frequency estimation, the average annual daily traffic per lane, the interaction between the posted speed limit change and the existence of an off-ramp, and the interaction between the travel lane number change and the pavement surface material change were found to increase the likelihood of vehicle to vehicle crashes under rainfall. However, more average daily rainfall per month and a wider left shoulder were identified as factors that decrease the likelihood of vehicle to vehicle crashes. In the crash severity estimation using the multinomial logit model that outperformed the ordered logit model, the travel lane number, the interaction between the travel lane number and the slow grade, the deep water film, and the rear-end collision type were more likely to increase the likelihood of injury crashes under rainfall compared with crashes involving only property damage. As an exploratory data analysis, this study provides insight into potential strategies for rainy weather highway safety improvement, specifically, the following weather-sensitive strategies: road design and ITS implementation for drivers' safety awareness under rainfall. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Getting the right balance? A mixed logit analysis of the relationship between UK training doctors’ characteristics and their specialties using the 2013 National Training Survey

    PubMed Central

    Chalkley, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Objective To analyse how training doctors’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics vary according to the specialty that they are training for. Design Descriptive statistics and mixed logistic regression analysis of cross-sectional survey data to quantify evidence of systematic relationships between doctors’ characteristics and their specialty. Setting Doctors in training in the United Kingdom in 2013. Participants 27 530 doctors in training but not in their foundation year who responded to the National Training Survey 2013. Main outcome measures Mixed logit regression estimates and the corresponding odds ratios (calculated separately for all doctors in training and a subsample comprising those educated in the UK), relating gender, age, ethnicity, place of studies, socioeconomic background and parental education to the probability of training for a particular specialty. Results Being female and being white British increase the chances of being in general practice with respect to any other specialty, while coming from a better-off socioeconomic background and having parents with tertiary education have the opposite effect. Mixed results are found for age and place of studies. For example, the difference between men and women is greatest for surgical specialties for which a man is 12.121 times more likely to be training to a surgical specialty (relative to general practice) than a woman (p-value<0.01). Doctors who attended an independent school which is proxy for doctor’s socioeconomic background are 1.789 and 1.413 times more likely to be training for surgical or medical specialties (relative to general practice) than those who attended a state school (p-value<0.01). Conclusions There are systematic and substantial differences between specialties in respect of training doctors’ gender, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic background. The persistent underrepresentation in some specialties of women, minority ethnic groups and of those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds will impact on the representativeness of the profession into the future. Further research is needed to understand how the processes of selection and the self-selection of applicants into specialties gives rise to these observed differences. PMID:28801397

  3. Depressive symptoms are associated with salivary shedding of Epstein-Barr virus in female adolescents: The role of sex differences.

    PubMed

    Ford, Jodi L; Stowe, Raymond P

    2017-12-01

    Adolescent females have a higher prevalence of depression in comparison to their male peers - a disparity that has been increasing over the past decade. Depression is of concern as it is associated with chronic disease and to immune dysregulation, which may be one mechanism linking depression to future pathology. This study examined the extent to which sex moderated the association between depressive symptoms and immune dysregulation during adolescence using Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation, a biomarker of cellular immune response, as a model. A representative community sample of 259 female and 279 male adolescents aged 11-17 years who were EBV IgG positive were examined. Trained interviewers collected the data during two home visits, one week apart. Depressive symptoms were measured at the first visit using the 9 item short-form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. EBV biomarkers were collected via saliva at the second visit and included a qualitative measure of EBV viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin G to assess prior EBV infection and a quantitative measure of EBV DNA to assess the number of viral copies shed in the saliva. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, increasing depressive symptoms were significantly associated with salivary shedding of EBV DNA for adolescent females only (logit=0.66, se=0.30, p<0.05), and the interaction between sex and depressive symptoms on salivary shedding of EBV DNA was statistically significant (logit=-1.19, se=0.42, p<0.01). Sensitivity analyses were conducted in which sex was examined as a moderator in the relationship between depressive symptoms and salivary EBV DNA quantitative copies via Tobit regression; results were consistent with the presented findings. Depressive symptoms are associated with EBV reactivation among EBV positive female adolescents, but not males. Future research is needed to examine EBV reactivation in female adolescents as a mechanism linking depression to future chronic disease and the role of sex hormones in explaining sex differences in the relationship between depressive symptoms and EBV reactivation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Summary goodness-of-fit statistics for binary generalized linear models with noncanonical link functions.

    PubMed

    Canary, Jana D; Blizzard, Leigh; Barry, Ronald P; Hosmer, David W; Quinn, Stephen J

    2016-05-01

    Generalized linear models (GLM) with a canonical logit link function are the primary modeling technique used to relate a binary outcome to predictor variables. However, noncanonical links can offer more flexibility, producing convenient analytical quantities (e.g., probit GLMs in toxicology) and desired measures of effect (e.g., relative risk from log GLMs). Many summary goodness-of-fit (GOF) statistics exist for logistic GLM. Their properties make the development of GOF statistics relatively straightforward, but it can be more difficult under noncanonical links. Although GOF tests for logistic GLM with continuous covariates (GLMCC) have been applied to GLMCCs with log links, we know of no GOF tests in the literature specifically developed for GLMCCs that can be applied regardless of link function chosen. We generalize the Tsiatis GOF statistic originally developed for logistic GLMCCs, (TG), so that it can be applied under any link function. Further, we show that the algebraically related Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) and Pigeon-Heyse (J(2) ) statistics can be applied directly. In a simulation study, TG, HL, and J(2) were used to evaluate the fit of probit, log-log, complementary log-log, and log models, all calculated with a common grouping method. The TG statistic consistently maintained Type I error rates, while those of HL and J(2) were often lower than expected if terms with little influence were included. Generally, the statistics had similar power to detect an incorrect model. An exception occurred when a log GLMCC was incorrectly fit to data generated from a logistic GLMCC. In this case, TG had more power than HL or J(2) . © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/London School of Economics.

  5. The intermediate endpoint effect in logistic and probit regression

    PubMed Central

    MacKinnon, DP; Lockwood, CM; Brown, CH; Wang, W; Hoffman, JM

    2010-01-01

    Background An intermediate endpoint is hypothesized to be in the middle of the causal sequence relating an independent variable to a dependent variable. The intermediate variable is also called a surrogate or mediating variable and the corresponding effect is called the mediated, surrogate endpoint, or intermediate endpoint effect. Clinical studies are often designed to change an intermediate or surrogate endpoint and through this intermediate change influence the ultimate endpoint. In many intermediate endpoint clinical studies the dependent variable is binary, and logistic or probit regression is used. Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe a limitation of a widely used approach to assessing intermediate endpoint effects and to propose an alternative method, based on products of coefficients, that yields more accurate results. Methods The intermediate endpoint model for a binary outcome is described for a true binary outcome and for a dichotomization of a latent continuous outcome. Plots of true values and a simulation study are used to evaluate the different methods. Results Distorted estimates of the intermediate endpoint effect and incorrect conclusions can result from the application of widely used methods to assess the intermediate endpoint effect. The same problem occurs for the proportion of an effect explained by an intermediate endpoint, which has been suggested as a useful measure for identifying intermediate endpoints. A solution to this problem is given based on the relationship between latent variable modeling and logistic or probit regression. Limitations More complicated intermediate variable models are not addressed in the study, although the methods described in the article can be extended to these more complicated models. Conclusions Researchers are encouraged to use an intermediate endpoint method based on the product of regression coefficients. A common method based on difference in coefficient methods can lead to distorted conclusions regarding the intermediate effect. PMID:17942466

  6. Modelling Status Food Security Households Disease Sufferers Pulmonary Tuberculosis Uses the Method Regression Logistics Binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wulandari, S. P.; Salamah, M.; Rositawati, A. F. D.

    2018-04-01

    Food security is the condition where the food fulfilment is managed well for the country till the individual. Indonesia is one of the country which has the commitment to create the food security becomes main priority. However, the food necessity becomes common thing means that it doesn’t care about nutrient standard and the health condition of family member, so in the fulfilment of food necessity also has to consider the disease suffered by the family member, one of them is pulmonary tuberculosa. From that reasons, this research is conducted to know the factors which influence on household food security status which suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis in the coastal area of Surabaya by using binary logistic regression method. The analysis result by using binary logistic regression shows that the variables wife latest education, house density and spacious house ventilation significantly affect on household food security status which suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis in the coastal area of Surabaya, where the wife education level is University/equivalent, the house density is eligible or 8 m2/person and spacious house ventilation 10% of the floor area has the opportunity to become food secure households amounted to 0.911089. While the chance of becoming food insecure households amounted to 0.088911. The model household food security status which suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis in the coastal area of Surabaya has been conformable, and the overall percentages of those classifications are at 71.8%.

  7. The Determinants of Organic Vegetable Purchasing in Jabodetabek Region, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Slamet, Alim Setiawan; Nakayasu, Akira; Bai, Hu

    2016-12-07

    Over the last few years, the global market of organic vegetables has grown. This is due to increased consumer concern regarding environmental and health issues, especially for food products. This study aims to examine factors that influence consumer behavior in purchasing organic vegetables. In this study, data were obtained from household surveys conducted in the Jabodetabek region (Greater Jakarta) from February to March 2015. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and a binary logit model were used to analyze the data. Subsequently, the results show that consumers with fewer family members and have a higher income, and are price tolerant, are more likely to purchase organic vegetables. Meanwhile, female consumers are less likely to buy organic vegetables. Another important finding is that positive attitude towards organic products, safety and health, environmental concerns, as well as degree of trust in organic attributes, are the determinants of organic vegetable purchasing among consumers. Therefore, based on the study results, the following recommendations are needed for organic vegetable development in Indonesia: (a) implementing an appropriate pricing strategy; (b) encouraging organic labeling and certification for vegetables; and (c) intensively promoting organic food with respect to consumers' motives and concerns on health, safety, as well as environmental sustainability.

  8. Study on mobile phone use while driving in a sample of Iranian drivers.

    PubMed

    Arvin, Ramin; Khademi, Mostafa; Razi-Ardakani, Hesamoddin

    2017-06-01

    The use of cell phone is a significant source of driver distraction. Phone use while driving can impair a number of factors critical for safe driving which can cause serious traffic safety problems. The objective of this paper was to investigate the frequency of using cell phones while driving in Iran's roads through an observational survey with a random sample of drivers, to recognize contributing factors to cell phone usage and to understand the magnitude of the problem. A total of 1794 observations were collected from 12 sites at controlled intersections, entrance and exit points of highways. The cell phone use rate among drivers (talking or texting) was estimated at 10% which is significantly higher than that in other countries such as Australia, USA and Canada. Rate of cell phone use among younger drivers (14.15%) was higher in comparison with other groups. In order to identify factors affecting cell phone use while driving, a binary logit model is estimated. Variables which significantly contribute to the rate of using cell phone were found to be the age of driver, number of passengers, presence of kids under the age of 8, time of observation, vehicle price and type of car.

  9. Small area estimation of proportions with different levels of auxiliary data.

    PubMed

    Chandra, Hukum; Kumar, Sushil; Aditya, Kaustav

    2018-03-01

    Binary data are often of interest in many small areas of applications. The use of standard small area estimation methods based on linear mixed models becomes problematic for such data. An empirical plug-in predictor (EPP) under a unit-level generalized linear mixed model with logit link function is often used for the estimation of a small area proportion. However, this EPP requires the availability of unit-level population information for auxiliary data that may not be always accessible. As a consequence, in many practical situations, this EPP approach cannot be applied. Based on the level of auxiliary information available, different small area predictors for estimation of proportions are proposed. Analytic and bootstrap approaches to estimating the mean squared error of the proposed small area predictors are also developed. Monte Carlo simulations based on both simulated and real data show that the proposed small area predictors work well for generating the small area estimates of proportions and represent a practical alternative to the above approach. The developed predictor is applied to generate estimates of the proportions of indebted farm households at district-level using debt investment survey data from India. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Influence of socio-demographic factors on physical activity participation in a sample of adults in Penang, Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Cheah, Y K

    2011-12-01

    Given the importance of physical activity to health, this study investigated the socio-demographic determinants of physical activity participation in a sample of adults in Penang. Through convenience sampling, a total of 398 adults agreed to answer a prepared questionnaire on their socio-demographic background and physical activity participation. The data were analysed using the binary logit model. Frequent physical activity participation is defined as taking part more than 11 times in leisure-time physical activity such as swimming and jogging, each time lasting more than 15 minutes in a typical month, whereas participation that is less than the frequency and time duration specified above is referred to as infrequent physical activity. Age, male, being Chinese, high educational attainment, self-rated excellent health status and presence of family illnesses are positively associated with the likelihood of frequent participation in physical activity. On the contrary, being married, having low income and residing in rural areas are inversely related with the propensity of frequent physical activity participation. The majority in this sample of adults do not participate in physical activity frequently, and the reasons given include lack of health awareness, limited leisure time, budget constraints, and lack of sports amenities.

  11. The Determinants of Organic Vegetable Purchasing in Jabodetabek Region, Indonesia

    PubMed Central

    Slamet, Alim Setiawan; Nakayasu, Akira; Bai, Hu

    2016-01-01

    Over the last few years, the global market of organic vegetables has grown. This is due to increased consumer concern regarding environmental and health issues, especially for food products. This study aims to examine factors that influence consumer behavior in purchasing organic vegetables. In this study, data were obtained from household surveys conducted in the Jabodetabek region (Greater Jakarta) from February to March 2015. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and a binary logit model were used to analyze the data. Subsequently, the results show that consumers with fewer family members and have a higher income, and are price tolerant, are more likely to purchase organic vegetables. Meanwhile, female consumers are less likely to buy organic vegetables. Another important finding is that positive attitude towards organic products, safety and health, environmental concerns, as well as degree of trust in organic attributes, are the determinants of organic vegetable purchasing among consumers. Therefore, based on the study results, the following recommendations are needed for organic vegetable development in Indonesia: (a) implementing an appropriate pricing strategy; (b) encouraging organic labeling and certification for vegetables; and (c) intensively promoting organic food with respect to consumers’ motives and concerns on health, safety, as well as environmental sustainability. PMID:28231181

  12. Modeling uncertainty in producing natural gas from tight sands

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

    Chermak, J.M.; Dahl, C.A.; Patrick, R.H

    1995-12-31

    Since accurate geologic, petroleum engineering, and economic information are essential ingredients in making profitable production decisions for natural gas, we combine these ingredients in a dynamic framework to model natural gas reservoir production decisions. We begin with the certainty case before proceeding to consider how uncertainty might be incorporated in the decision process. Our production model uses dynamic optimal control to combine economic information with geological constraints to develop optimal production decisions. To incorporate uncertainty into the model, we develop probability distributions on geologic properties for the population of tight gas sand wells and perform a Monte Carlo study tomore » select a sample of wells. Geological production factors, completion factors, and financial information are combined into the hybrid economic-petroleum reservoir engineering model to determine the optimal production profile, initial gas stock, and net present value (NPV) for an individual well. To model the probability of the production abandonment decision, the NPV data is converted to a binary dependent variable. A logit model is used to model this decision as a function of the above geological and economic data to give probability relationships. Additional ways to incorporate uncertainty into the decision process include confidence intervals and utility theory.« less

  13. The effect of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Aidoo, Eric Nimako; Amoh-Gyimah, Richard; Ackaah, Williams

    2013-04-01

    The number of pedestrians who have died as a result of being hit by vehicles has increased in recent years, in addition to vehicle passenger deaths. Many pedestrians who were involved in road traffic accident died as a result of the driver leaving the pedestrian who was struck unattended at the scene of the accident. This paper seeks to determine the effect of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana. Using pedestrian accident data extracted from the National Road Traffic Accident Database at the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana, a binary logit model was employed in the analysis. The results from the estimated model indicate that fatal accidents, unclear weather, nighttime conditions, and straight and flat road sections without medians and junctions significantly increase the likelihood that the vehicle driver will leave the scene after hitting a pedestrian. Thus, integrating median separation and speed humps into road design and construction and installing street lights will help to curb the problem of pedestrian hit-and-run accidents in Ghana. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Structural bias in the sentencing of felony defendants.

    PubMed

    Sutton, John R

    2013-09-01

    As incarceration rates have risen in the US, so has the overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos among prison inmates. Whether and to what degree these disparities are due to bias in the criminal courts remains a contentious issue. This article pursues two lines of argument toward a structural account of bias in the criminal law, focusing on (1) cumulative disadvantages that may accrue over successive stages of the criminal justice process, and (2) the contexts of racial disadvantage in which courts are embedded. These arguments are tested using case-level data on male defendants charged with felony crimes in urban US counties in 2000. Multilevel binary and ordinal logit models are used to estimate contextual effects on pretrial detention, guilty pleas, and sentence severity, and cumulative effects are estimated as conditional probabilities that are allowed to vary by race across all three outcomes. Results yield strong, but qualified, evidence of cumulative disadvantage accruing to black and Latino defendants, but do not support the contextual hypotheses. When the cumulative effects of bias are taken into account, the estimated probability of the average African American or Latino felon going to prison is 26% higher than that of the average Anglo. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Completing the Remedial Sequence and College-Level Credit-Bearing Math: Comparing Binary, Cumulative, and Continuation Ratio Logistic Regression Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davidson, J. Cody

    2016-01-01

    Mathematics is the most common subject area of remedial need and the majority of remedial math students never pass a college-level credit-bearing math class. The majorities of studies that investigate this phenomenon are conducted at community colleges and use some type of regression model; however, none have used a continuation ratio model. The…

  16. Is the perceived placebo effect comparable between adults and children? A meta-regression analysis.

    PubMed

    Janiaud, Perrine; Cornu, Catherine; Lajoinie, Audrey; Djemli, Amina; Cucherat, Michel; Kassai, Behrouz

    2017-01-01

    A potential larger perceived placebo effect in children compared with adults could influence the detection of the treatment effect and the extrapolation of the treatment benefit from adults to children. This study aims to explore this potential difference, using a meta-epidemiological approach. A systematic review of the literature was done to identify trials included in meta-analyses evaluating a drug intervention with separate data for adults and children. The standardized mean change and the proportion of responders (binary outcomes) were used to calculate the perceived placebo effect. A meta-regression analysis was conducted to test for the difference between adults and children of the perceived placebo effect. For binary outcomes, the perceived placebo effect was significantly more favorable in children compared with adults (β = 0.13; P = 0.001). Parallel group trials (β = -1.83; P < 0.001), subjective outcomes (β = -0.76; P < 0.001), and the disease type significantly influenced the perceived placebo effect. The perceived placebo effect is different between adults and children for binary outcomes. This difference seems to be influenced by the design, the disease, and outcomes. Calibration of new studies for children should consider cautiously the placebo effect in children.

  17. Locally Weighted Score Estimation for Quantile Classification in Binary Regression Models

    PubMed Central

    Rice, John D.; Taylor, Jeremy M. G.

    2016-01-01

    One common use of binary response regression methods is classification based on an arbitrary probability threshold dictated by the particular application. Since this is given to us a priori, it is sensible to incorporate the threshold into our estimation procedure. Specifically, for the linear logistic model, we solve a set of locally weighted score equations, using a kernel-like weight function centered at the threshold. The bandwidth for the weight function is selected by cross validation of a novel hybrid loss function that combines classification error and a continuous measure of divergence between observed and fitted values; other possible cross-validation functions based on more common binary classification metrics are also examined. This work has much in common with robust estimation, but diers from previous approaches in this area in its focus on prediction, specifically classification into high- and low-risk groups. Simulation results are given showing the reduction in error rates that can be obtained with this method when compared with maximum likelihood estimation, especially under certain forms of model misspecification. Analysis of a melanoma data set is presented to illustrate the use of the method in practice. PMID:28018492

  18. Perceived Race-Based Discrimination, Employment Status, and Job Stress in a National Sample of Black Women: Implications for Health Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Mays, Vickie M.; Coleman, Lerita M.; Jackson, James S.

    2013-01-01

    Previous research has not systematically examined the relationship of perceived race-based discriminations to labor force participation or job related stresses–problems experienced by Black women. The present study investigated the relative contributions of perceived race-based discriminations and sociodemographic characteristics to employment status and job stress in a national probability sample (the National Survey of Black Americans; J. S. Jackson, 1991) of Black women in the United States. Logit and polychotomous logistic regression analyses revealed that Black women’s current employment status was best explained by sociodemographic measures. In contrast, the combination of perceived discrimination and sociodemographics differentially affects patterns of employment status and perceived job stress in the work environment of Black women. Implications of these findings for the health of African American women are discussed. PMID:9547054

  19. Classification and regression tree analysis vs. multivariable linear and logistic regression methods as statistical tools for studying haemophilia.

    PubMed

    Henrard, S; Speybroeck, N; Hermans, C

    2015-11-01

    Haemophilia is a rare genetic haemorrhagic disease characterized by partial or complete deficiency of coagulation factor VIII, for haemophilia A, or IX, for haemophilia B. As in any other medical research domain, the field of haemophilia research is increasingly concerned with finding factors associated with binary or continuous outcomes through multivariable models. Traditional models include multiple logistic regressions, for binary outcomes, and multiple linear regressions for continuous outcomes. Yet these regression models are at times difficult to implement, especially for non-statisticians, and can be difficult to interpret. The present paper sought to didactically explain how, why, and when to use classification and regression tree (CART) analysis for haemophilia research. The CART method is non-parametric and non-linear, based on the repeated partitioning of a sample into subgroups based on a certain criterion. Breiman developed this method in 1984. Classification trees (CTs) are used to analyse categorical outcomes and regression trees (RTs) to analyse continuous ones. The CART methodology has become increasingly popular in the medical field, yet only a few examples of studies using this methodology specifically in haemophilia have to date been published. Two examples using CART analysis and previously published in this field are didactically explained in details. There is increasing interest in using CART analysis in the health domain, primarily due to its ease of implementation, use, and interpretation, thus facilitating medical decision-making. This method should be promoted for analysing continuous or categorical outcomes in haemophilia, when applicable. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Introduction to the use of regression models in epidemiology.

    PubMed

    Bender, Ralf

    2009-01-01

    Regression modeling is one of the most important statistical techniques used in analytical epidemiology. By means of regression models the effect of one or several explanatory variables (e.g., exposures, subject characteristics, risk factors) on a response variable such as mortality or cancer can be investigated. From multiple regression models, adjusted effect estimates can be obtained that take the effect of potential confounders into account. Regression methods can be applied in all epidemiologic study designs so that they represent a universal tool for data analysis in epidemiology. Different kinds of regression models have been developed in dependence on the measurement scale of the response variable and the study design. The most important methods are linear regression for continuous outcomes, logistic regression for binary outcomes, Cox regression for time-to-event data, and Poisson regression for frequencies and rates. This chapter provides a nontechnical introduction to these regression models with illustrating examples from cancer research.

  1. Linear regression analysis and its application to multivariate chromatographic calibration for the quantitative analysis of two-component mixtures.

    PubMed

    Dinç, Erdal; Ozdemir, Abdil

    2005-01-01

    Multivariate chromatographic calibration technique was developed for the quantitative analysis of binary mixtures enalapril maleate (EA) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in tablets in the presence of losartan potassium (LST). The mathematical algorithm of multivariate chromatographic calibration technique is based on the use of the linear regression equations constructed using relationship between concentration and peak area at the five-wavelength set. The algorithm of this mathematical calibration model having a simple mathematical content was briefly described. This approach is a powerful mathematical tool for an optimum chromatographic multivariate calibration and elimination of fluctuations coming from instrumental and experimental conditions. This multivariate chromatographic calibration contains reduction of multivariate linear regression functions to univariate data set. The validation of model was carried out by analyzing various synthetic binary mixtures and using the standard addition technique. Developed calibration technique was applied to the analysis of the real pharmaceutical tablets containing EA and HCT. The obtained results were compared with those obtained by classical HPLC method. It was observed that the proposed multivariate chromatographic calibration gives better results than classical HPLC.

  2. Valuing Non-market Benefits of Rehabilitation of Hydrologic Cycle Improvements in the Anyangcheon Watershed: Using Mixed Logit Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoo, J.; Kong, K.

    2010-12-01

    This research the findings from a discrete-choice experiment designed to estimate the economic benefits associated with the Anyangcheon watershed improvements in Rep. of Korea. The Anyangcheon watershed has suffered from streamflow depletion and poor stream quality, which often negatively affect instream and near-stream ecologic integrity, as well as water supply. Such distortions in the hydrologic cycle mainly result from rapid increase of impermeable area due to urbanization, decreases of baseflow runoff due to groundwater pumping, and reduced precipitation inputs driven by climate forcing. As well, combined sewer overflows and increase of non-point source pollution from urban regions decrease water quality. The appeal of choice experiments (CE) in economic analysis is that it is based on random utility theory (McFadden, 1974; Ben-Akiva and Lerman, 1985). In contrast to contingent valuation method (CVM), which asks people to choose between a base case and a specific alternative, CE asks people to choice between cases that are described by attributes. The attributes of this study were selected from hydrologic vulnerability components that represent flood damage possibility, instreamflow depletion, water quality deterioration, form of the watershed and tax. Their levels were divided into three grades include status quo. Two grades represented the ideal conditions. These scenarios were constructed from a 35 orthogonal main effect design. This design resulted in twenty-seven choice sets. The design had nine different choice scenarios presented to each respondent. The most popular choice models in use are the conditional logit (CNL). This model provides closed-form choice probability calculation. The shortcoming of CNL comes from irrelevant alternatives (IIA). In this paper, the mixed logit (ML) is applied to allow the coefficient’s variation for random taste heterogeneity in the population. The mixed logit model(with normal distributions for the attributes) fit the data best, indication that allowing for both heterogeneous preferences across households and correlation between repeated choices may represent actual choice behaviors best of all the estimated models. The annual benefits to improve of the Anyancheon watershed for 1% improvement of each attribute was 406.7 billion Won(0.34 billion USD). This study is expected to contribute to the decision-making process for policy-makers by providing useful methodological framework and quantitative information related to watershed improvement projects.Table 1. Estimated Results of Conditional Logit and Mixed Logit Model 1) t-values are shown in brackets

  3. Binary Logistic Regression Analysis for Detecting Differential Item Functioning: Effectiveness of R[superscript 2] and Delta Log Odds Ratio Effect Size Measures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hidalgo, Mª Dolores; Gómez-Benito, Juana; Zumbo, Bruno D.

    2014-01-01

    The authors analyze the effectiveness of the R[superscript 2] and delta log odds ratio effect size measures when using logistic regression analysis to detect differential item functioning (DIF) in dichotomous items. A simulation study was carried out, and the Type I error rate and power estimates under conditions in which only statistical testing…

  4. Binary logistic regression modelling: Measuring the probability of relapse cases among drug addict

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, Mohd Tahir; Alias, Siti Nor Shadila

    2014-07-01

    For many years Malaysia faced the drug addiction issues. The most serious case is relapse phenomenon among treated drug addict (drug addict who have under gone the rehabilitation programme at Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Centre, PUSPEN). Thus, the main objective of this study is to find the most significant factor that contributes to relapse to happen. The binary logistic regression analysis was employed to model the relationship between independent variables (predictors) and dependent variable. The dependent variable is the status of the drug addict either relapse, (Yes coded as 1) or not, (No coded as 0). Meanwhile the predictors involved are age, age at first taking drug, family history, education level, family crisis, community support and self motivation. The total of the sample is 200 which the data are provided by AADK (National Antidrug Agency). The finding of the study revealed that age and self motivation are statistically significant towards the relapse cases..

  5. Use of antidementia drugs in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

    PubMed

    López-Pousa, Secundino; Calvó-Perxas, Laia; Lejarreta, Saioa; Cullell, Marta; Meléndez, Rosa; Hernández, Erélido; Bisbe, Josep; Perkal, Héctor; Manzano, Anna; Roig, Anna Maria; Turró-Garriga, Oriol; Vilalta-Franch, Joan; Garre-Olmo, Josep

    2012-06-01

    Clinical evidence indicates that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are not efficacious to treat frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The British Association for Psychopharmacology recommends avoiding the use of AChEI and memantine in patients with FTLD. Cross-sectional design using 1092 cases with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 64 cases with FTLD registered by the Registry of Dementias of Girona. Bivariate analyses were performed, and binary logistic regressions were used to detect variables associated with antidementia drugs consumption. The AChEIs were consumed by 57.6% and 42.2% of the patients with AD and FTLD, respectively. Memantine was used by 17.2% and 10.9% of patients with AD and FTLD, respectively. Binary logistic regressions yielded no associations with antidementia drugs consumption. There is a discrepancy regarding clinical practice and the recommendations based upon clinical evidence. The increased central nervous system drug use detected in FTLD requires multicentric studies aiming at finding the best means to treat these patients.

  6. Constraints on the Dynamical Environments of Supermassive Black-Hole Binaries Using Pulsar-Timing Arrays.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Stephen R; Simon, Joseph; Sampson, Laura

    2017-05-05

    We introduce a technique for gravitational-wave analysis, where Gaussian process regression is used to emulate the strain spectrum of a stochastic background by training on population-synthesis simulations. This leads to direct Bayesian inference on astrophysical parameters. For pulsar timing arrays specifically, we interpolate over the parameter space of supermassive black-hole binary environments, including three-body stellar scattering, and evolving orbital eccentricity. We illustrate our approach on mock data, and assess the prospects for inference with data similar to the NANOGrav 9-yr data release.

  7. Covariate Imbalance and Adjustment for Logistic Regression Analysis of Clinical Trial Data

    PubMed Central

    Ciolino, Jody D.; Martin, Reneé H.; Zhao, Wenle; Jauch, Edward C.; Hill, Michael D.; Palesch, Yuko Y.

    2014-01-01

    In logistic regression analysis for binary clinical trial data, adjusted treatment effect estimates are often not equivalent to unadjusted estimates in the presence of influential covariates. This paper uses simulation to quantify the benefit of covariate adjustment in logistic regression. However, International Conference on Harmonization guidelines suggest that covariate adjustment be pre-specified. Unplanned adjusted analyses should be considered secondary. Results suggest that that if adjustment is not possible or unplanned in a logistic setting, balance in continuous covariates can alleviate some (but never all) of the shortcomings of unadjusted analyses. The case of log binomial regression is also explored. PMID:24138438

  8. A new strategy to analyze possible association structures between dynamic nocturnal hormone activities and sleep alterations in humans.

    PubMed

    Kalus, Stefanie; Kneib, Thomas; Steiger, Axel; Holsboer, Florian; Yassouridis, Alexander

    2009-04-01

    The human sleep process shows dynamic alterations during the night. Methods are needed to examine whether and to what extent such alterations are affected by internal, possibly time-dependent, factors, such as endocrine activity. In an observational study, we examined simultaneously sleep EEG and nocturnal levels of renin, growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (between 2300 and 0700) in 47 healthy volunteers comprising 24 women (41.67 +/- 2.93 yr of age) and 23 men (37.26 +/- 2.85 yr of age). Hormone concentrations were measured every 20 min. Conventional sleep stage scoring at 30-s intervals was applied. Semiparametric multinomial logit models are used to study and quantify possible time-dependent hormone effects on sleep stage transition courses. Results show that increased cortisol levels decrease the probability of transition from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep to wakefulness (WAKE) and increase the probability of transition from REM to non-REM (NREM) sleep, irrespective of the time in the night. Via the model selection criterion Akaike's information criterion, it was found that all considered hormone effects on transition probabilities with the initial state WAKE change with time. Similarly, transition from slow-wave sleep (SWS) to light sleep (LS) is affected by a "hormone-time" interaction for cortisol and renin, but not GH. For example, there is a considerable increase in the probability of SWS-LS transition toward the end of the night, when cortisol concentrations are very high. In summary, alterations in human sleep possess dynamic forms and are partially influenced by the endocrine activity of certain hormones. Statistical methods, such as semiparametric multinomial and time-dependent logit regression, can offer ambitious ways to investigate and estimate the association intensities between the nonstationary sleep changes and the time-dependent endocrine activities.

  9. Weather impacts on single-vehicle truck crash injury severity.

    PubMed

    Naik, Bhaven; Tung, Li-Wei; Zhao, Shanshan; Khattak, Aemal J

    2016-09-01

    The focus of this paper is on illustrating the feasibility of aggregating data from disparate sources to investigate the relationship between single-vehicle truck crash injury severity and detailed weather conditions. Specifically, this paper presents: (a) a methodology that combines detailed 15-min weather station data with crash and roadway data, and (b) an empirical investigation of the effects of weather on crash-related injury severities of single-vehicle truck crashes. Random parameters ordinal and multinomial regression models were used to investigate crash injury severity under different weather conditions, taking into account the individual unobserved heterogeneity. The adopted methodology allowed consideration of environmental, roadway, and climate-related variables in single-vehicle truck crash injury severity. Results showed that wind speed, rain, humidity, and air temperature were linked with single-vehicle truck crash injury severity. Greater recorded wind speed added to the severity of injuries in single-vehicle truck crashes in general. Rain and warmer air temperatures were linked to more severe crash injuries in single-vehicle truck crashes while higher levels of humidity were linked to less severe injuries. Random parameters ordered logit and multinomial logit, respectively, revealed some individual heterogeneity in the data and showed that integrating comprehensive weather data with crash data provided useful insights into factors associated with single-vehicle truck crash injury severity. The research provided a practical method that combined comprehensive 15-min weather station data with crash and roadway data, thereby providing useful insights into crash injury severity of single-vehicle trucks. Those insights are useful for future truck driver educational programs and for truck safety in different weather conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

  10. Adjunctive Self-hypnotic Relaxation for Outpatient Medical Procedures: A Prospective Randomized Trial with Women Undergoing Large Core Breast Biopsy

    PubMed Central

    Lang, Elvira V.; Berbaum, Kevin S.; Faintuch, Salomao; Hatsiopoulou, Olga; Halsey, Noami; Li, Xinyu; Berbaum, Michael L.; Laser, Eleanor; Baum, Janet

    2008-01-01

    Medical procedures in outpatient settings have limited options of managing pain and anxiety pharmacologically. We therefore assessed whether this can be achieved by adjunct self-hypnotic relaxation in a common and particularly anxiety provoking procedure. 236 women referred for large core needle breast biopsy to an urban tertiary university-affiliated medical center were prospectively randomized to receive standard care (n=76), structured empathic attention (n= 82), or self-hypnotic relaxation (n=78) during their procedures. Patients’ self-ratings at 10 minute-intervals of pain and anxiety on 0–10 verbal analog scales with 0=no pain/anxiety at all, 10=worst pain/anxiety possible, were compared in an ordinal logistic regression model. Women’s anxiety increased significantly in the standard group (logit slope = 0.18, p < 0.001), did not change in the empathy group (slope = −0.04, p = 0.45), and decreased significantly in the hypnosis group (slope = −0.27, p < 0.001). Pain increased significantly in all three groups (logit slopes: standard care = 0.53, empathy = 0.37, hypnosis = 0.34; all p < 0.001) though less steeply with hypnosis and empathy than standard care (p = 0.024 and p = 0.018 respectively). Room time and cost were not significantly different in an univariate ANOVA despite hypnosis and empathy requiring an additional professional: 46 minutes/$161 for standard care, 43 minutes/$163 for empathy, and 39 minutes/$152 for hypnosis. We conclude that, while both structured empathy and hypnosis decrease procedural pain and anxiety, hypnosis provides more powerful anxiety relief without undue cost and thus appears attractive for outpatient pain management. PMID:16959427

  11. Quality of life of the most severely vision-impaired.

    PubMed

    Crewe, Julie M; Morlet, Nigel; Morgan, William H; Spilsbury, Katrina; Mukhtar, Aqif; Clark, Antony; Ng, Jonathon Q; Crowley, Margaret; Semmens, James B

    2011-01-01

    To explore the interaction between vision impairment, perceived quality of life loss and willingness to trade remaining life for vision gain. Community-based cross-sectional study. Legally blind or severely vision-impaired people selected randomly from the Association for the Blind of Western Australia register. Individuals were examined by consultant ophthalmologists and completed the Impact of Vision Impairment profile quality of life assessment and a Time Trade-Off evaluation. Vision-related utility values were calculated. The results were analysed using univariate and multivariate regression methods. IVI Rasch Logits and TTO utility values (TTO UV). 156 people volunteered to contribute to the study. The median age was 80 (19-97) years, and 56% were female. Being legally blind (logMAR > 1) (95% CI 1.1 to 5.2, P = 0.003), clinically depressed (95% CI -11.2 to -1.8, P = 0.007) or more than 40 years of age (95% CI 0.9 to 8.1, P = 0.015) significantly lowered overall impact of vision impairment scores. The emotional domain of impact of vision impairment was associated with willingness to trade part of remaining life. A 5-Logit increase in impact of vision impairment emotional score resulted in a 21% (95% CI 10 to 31) decrease in the odds of being likely to trade life for sight. The Australian definition of blindness compared with World Health Organisation or USA best separates those with perceived loss and appears useful in identifying vision loss-related morbidity. These results suggest that emotional health and lack of depression are important determinants for quality and value of life. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2011 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  12. The choice of discount brand cigarettes: a comparative analysis of International Tobacco Control surveys in Canada and the USA (2002-2005).

    PubMed

    Nargis, Nigar; Fong, Geoffrey T; Chaloupka, Frank J; Li, Qiang

    2014-03-01

    Increasing tobacco taxes to increase price is a proven tobacco control measure. This article investigates how smokers respond to tax and price increases in their choice of discount brand cigarettes versus premium brands. To estimate how increase in the tax rate can affect smokers' choice of discount brands versus premium brands. Using data from International Tobacco Control surveys in Canada and the USA, a logit model was constructed to estimate the probability of choosing discount brand cigarettes in response to its price changes relative to premium brands, controlling for individual-specific demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and regional effects. The self-reported price of an individual smoker is used in a random-effects regression model to impute price and to construct the price ratio for discount and premium brands for each smoker, which is used in the logit model. An increase in the ratio of price of discount brand cigarettes to the price of premium brands by 0.1 is associated with a decrease in the probability of choosing discount brands by 0.08 in Canada. No significant effect is observed in case of the USA. The results of the model explain two phenomena: (1) the widened price differential between premium and discount brand cigarettes contributed to the increased share of discount brand cigarettes in Canada in contrast to a relatively steady share in the USA during 2002-2005 and (2) increasing the price ratio of discount brands to premium brands-which occurs with an increase in specific excise tax-may lead to upward shifting from discount to premium brands rather than to downward shifting. These results underscore the significance of studying the effectiveness of tax increases in reducing overall tobacco consumption, particularly for specific excise taxes.

  13. Global Evidence on the Association between Cigarette Graphic Warning Labels and Cigarette Smoking Prevalence and Consumption

    PubMed Central

    Ngo, Anh; Cheng, Kai-Wen; Huang, Jidong; Chaloupka, Frank J.

    2018-01-01

    Background: In 2011, the courts ruled in favor of tobacco companies in preventing the implementation of graphic warning labels (GWLs) in the US, stating that FDA had not established the effectiveness of GWLs in reducing smoking. Methods: Data came from various sources: the WHO MPOWER package (GWLs, MPOWER policy measures, cigarette prices), Euromonitor International (smoking prevalence, cigarette consumption), and the World Bank database (countries’ demographic characteristics). The datasets were aggregated and linked using country and year identifiers. Fractional logit regressions and OLS regressions were applied to examine the associations between GWLs and smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption, controlling for MPOWER policy scores, cigarette prices, GDP per capita, unemployment, population aged 15–64 (%), aged 65 and over (%), year indicators, and country fixed effects. Results: GWLs were associated with a 0.9–3 percentage point decrease in adult smoking prevalence and were significantly associated with a reduction of 230–287 sticks in per capita cigarette consumption, compared to countries without GWLs. However, the association between GWLs and cigarette consumption became statistically insignificant once country indicators were included in the models. Conclusions: The implementation of GWLs may be associated with reduced cigarette smoking. PMID:29495581

  14. Mapping individuals' earthquake preparedness in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Guochun; Han, Ziqiang; Xu, Weijin; Gong, Yue

    2018-05-01

    Disaster preparedness is critical for reducing potential impact. This paper contributes to current knowledge of disaster preparedness using representative national sample data from China, which faces high earthquake risks in many areas of the country. The adoption of earthquake preparedness activities by the general public, including five indicators of material preparedness and five indicators of awareness preparedness, were surveyed and 3245 respondents from all 31 provinces of Mainland China participated in the survey. Linear regression models and logit regression models were used to analyze the effects of potential influencing factors. Overall, the preparedness levels are not satisfied, with a material preparation score of 3.02 (1-5), and awareness preparation score of 2.79 (1-5), nationally. Meanwhile, residents from western China, which has higher earthquake risk, have higher degrees of preparedness. The concern for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the concern for building safety and participation in public affairs are consistent positive predictors of both material and awareness preparedness. The demographic and socioeconomic variables' effects, such as gender, age, education, income, urban/rural division, and building size, vary according to different preparedness activities. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical contribution and potential implementation.

  15. Global Evidence on the Association between Cigarette Graphic Warning Labels and Cigarette Smoking Prevalence and Consumption.

    PubMed

    Ngo, Anh; Cheng, Kai-Wen; Shang, Ce; Huang, Jidong; Chaloupka, Frank J

    2018-02-28

    Background : In 2011, the courts ruled in favor of tobacco companies in preventing the implementation of graphic warning labels (GWLs) in the US, stating that FDA had not established the effectiveness of GWLs in reducing smoking. Methods : Data came from various sources: the WHO MPOWER package (GWLs, MPOWER policy measures, cigarette prices), Euromonitor International (smoking prevalence, cigarette consumption), and the World Bank database (countries' demographic characteristics). The datasets were aggregated and linked using country and year identifiers. Fractional logit regressions and OLS regressions were applied to examine the associations between GWLs and smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption, controlling for MPOWER policy scores, cigarette prices, GDP per capita, unemployment, population aged 15-64 (%), aged 65 and over (%), year indicators, and country fixed effects. Results : GWLs were associated with a 0.9-3 percentage point decrease in adult smoking prevalence and were significantly associated with a reduction of 230-287 sticks in per capita cigarette consumption, compared to countries without GWLs. However, the association between GWLs and cigarette consumption became statistically insignificant once country indicators were included in the models. Conclusions : The implementation of GWLs may be associated with reduced cigarette smoking.

  16. SU-F-T-104: Determining the NTCP Parameters of Pharyngeal Constrictors and Proximal Esophagus for Radiation Induced Swallowing Problems Recorded Six Months After Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors

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

    Mavroidis, P; Price, A; Kostich, M

    Purpose: To estimate the radiobiological parameters of four NTCP models that describe the dose-response relations of pharyngeal constrictors and proximal esophagus regarding the severity of patient reported swallowing problems 6 months post chemo-radiotherapy. To identify the section/structure that best correlates with the manifestation of the clinical endpoints. Finally, to compare the goodness-of-fit of those models. Methods: Forty-three patients were treated on a prospective multi-institutional phase II study for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All the patients received 60 Gy IMRT and they reported symptoms using the novel patient reported outcome version of the CTCAE. We derived the individual patient dosimetric datamore » of superior, medium and inferior sections of pharyngeal constrictors (SPC, MPC and IPC), superior and inferior sections of esophagus (SES and IES) as separate structures as well as combinations. The Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB), Relative Seriality (RS), Logit and Relative Logit (RL) NTCP models were used to fit the patient data. The fitting of the different models was assessed through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the Odds Ratio methods. Results: The AUC values were highest for the SPC for Grade ≥ 2 (0.719 for the RS and RL models, and 0.716 for LKB and Logit). For Grade ≥ 1, the respective values were 0.699 for RS, LKB and Logit and 0.676 for RL. For MPC the AUC values varied between 0.463–0.477, for IPC between 0.396–0.458, for SES between 0.556–0.613 and for IES between 0.410–0.519. The Odds Ratio for the SPC was 15.6 (1.7–146.4) for RS, LKB and Logit for NTCP of 55%. Conclusion: All the examined NTCP models could fit the clinical data with similar accuracy. The SPC appear to correlate best with the clinical endpoints of swallowing problems. A prospective study could establish the use of NTCP values of SPC as a constraint in treatment planning.« less

  17. SU-D-204-05: Fitting Four NTCP Models to Treatment Outcome Data of Salivary Glands Recorded Six Months After Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors

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

    Mavroidis, P; Price, A; Kostich, M

    Purpose: To estimate the radiobiological parameters of four popular NTCP models that describe the dose-response relations of salivary glands to the severity of patient reported dry mouth 6 months post chemo-radiotherapy. To identify the glands, which best correlate with the manifestation of those clinical endpoints. Finally, to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the NTCP models. Methods: Forty-three patients were treated on a prospective multiinstitutional phase II study for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All the patients received 60 Gy IMRT and they reported symptoms using the novel patient reported outcome version of the CTCAE. We derived the individual patient dosimetric data ofmore » the parotid and submandibular glands (SMG) as separate structures as well as combinations. The Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB), Relative Seriality (RS), Logit and Relative Logit (RL) NTCP models were used to fit the patients data. The fitting of the different models was assessed through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the Odds Ratio methods. Results: The AUC values were highest for the contralateral parotid for Grade ≥ 2 (0.762 for the LKB, RS, Logit and 0.753 for the RL). For the salivary glands the AUC values were: 0.725 for the LKB, RS, Logit and 0.721 for the RL. For the contralateral SMG the AUC values were: 0.721 for LKB, 0.714 for Logit and 0.712 for RS and RL. The Odds Ratio for the contralateral parotid was 5.8 (1.3–25.5) for all the four NTCP models for the radiobiological dose threshold of 21Gy. Conclusion: It was shown that all the examined NTCP models could fit the clinical data well with very similar accuracy. The contralateral parotid gland appears to correlated best with the clinical endpoints of severe/very severe dry mouth. An EQD2Gy dose of 21Gy appears to be a safe threshold to be used as a constraint in treatment planning.« less

  18. Modelling long-term fire occurrence factors in Spain by accounting for local variations with geographically weighted regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martínez-Fernández, J.; Chuvieco, E.; Koutsias, N.

    2013-02-01

    Humans are responsible for most forest fires in Europe, but anthropogenic factors behind these events are still poorly understood. We tried to identify the driving factors of human-caused fire occurrence in Spain by applying two different statistical approaches. Firstly, assuming stationary processes for the whole country, we created models based on multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression to find factors associated with fire density and fire presence, respectively. Secondly, we used geographically weighted regression (GWR) to better understand and explore the local and regional variations of those factors behind human-caused fire occurrence. The number of human-caused fires occurring within a 25-yr period (1983-2007) was computed for each of the 7638 Spanish mainland municipalities, creating a binary variable (fire/no fire) to develop logistic models, and a continuous variable (fire density) to build standard linear regression models. A total of 383 657 fires were registered in the study dataset. The binary logistic model, which estimates the probability of having/not having a fire, successfully classified 76.4% of the total observations, while the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model explained 53% of the variation of the fire density patterns (adjusted R2 = 0.53). Both approaches confirmed, in addition to forest and climatic variables, the importance of variables related with agrarian activities, land abandonment, rural population exodus and developmental processes as underlying factors of fire occurrence. For the GWR approach, the explanatory power of the GW linear model for fire density using an adaptive bandwidth increased from 53% to 67%, while for the GW logistic model the correctly classified observations improved only slightly, from 76.4% to 78.4%, but significantly according to the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), from 3451.19 to 3321.19. The results from GWR indicated a significant spatial variation in the local parameter estimates for all the variables and an important reduction of the autocorrelation in the residuals of the GW linear model. Despite the fitting improvement of local models, GW regression, more than an alternative to "global" or traditional regression modelling, seems to be a valuable complement to explore the non-stationary relationships between the response variable and the explanatory variables. The synergy of global and local modelling provides insights into fire management and policy and helps further our understanding of the fire problem over large areas while at the same time recognizing its local character.

  19. Linkage Analysis of Urine Arsenic Species Patterns in the Strong Heart Family Study

    PubMed Central

    Gribble, Matthew O.; Voruganti, Venkata Saroja; Cole, Shelley A.; Haack, Karin; Balakrishnan, Poojitha; Laston, Sandra L.; Tellez-Plaza, Maria; Francesconi, Kevin A.; Goessler, Walter; Umans, Jason G.; Thomas, Duncan C.; Gilliland, Frank; North, Kari E.; Franceschini, Nora; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2015-01-01

    Arsenic toxicokinetics are important for disease risks in exposed populations, but genetic determinants are not fully understood. We examined urine arsenic species patterns measured by HPLC-ICPMS among 2189 Strong Heart Study participants 18 years of age and older with data on ∼400 genome-wide microsatellite markers spaced ∼10 cM and arsenic speciation (683 participants from Arizona, 684 from Oklahoma, and 822 from North and South Dakota). We logit-transformed % arsenic species (% inorganic arsenic, %MMA, and %DMA) and also conducted principal component analyses of the logit % arsenic species. We used inverse-normalized residuals from multivariable-adjusted polygenic heritability analysis for multipoint variance components linkage analysis. We also examined the contribution of polymorphisms in the arsenic metabolism gene AS3MT via conditional linkage analysis. We localized a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 10 (LOD 4.12 for %MMA, 4.65 for %DMA, and 4.84 for the first principal component of logit % arsenic species). This peak was partially but not fully explained by measured AS3MT variants. We also localized a QTL for the second principal component of logit % arsenic species on chromosome 5 (LOD 4.21) that was not evident from considering % arsenic species individually. Some other loci were suggestive or significant for 1 geographical area but not overall across all areas, indicating possible locus heterogeneity. This genome-wide linkage scan suggests genetic determinants of arsenic toxicokinetics to be identified by future fine-mapping, and illustrates the utility of principal component analysis as a novel approach that considers % arsenic species jointly. PMID:26209557

  20. Modeling pedestrian shopping behavior using principles of bounded rationality: model comparison and validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Wei; Timmermans, Harry

    2011-06-01

    Models of geographical choice behavior have been dominantly based on rational choice models, which assume that decision makers are utility-maximizers. Rational choice models may be less appropriate as behavioral models when modeling decisions in complex environments in which decision makers may simplify the decision problem using heuristics. Pedestrian behavior in shopping streets is an example. We therefore propose a modeling framework for pedestrian shopping behavior incorporating principles of bounded rationality. We extend three classical heuristic rules (conjunctive, disjunctive and lexicographic rule) by introducing threshold heterogeneity. The proposed models are implemented using data on pedestrian behavior in Wang Fujing Street, the city center of Beijing, China. The models are estimated and compared with multinomial logit models and mixed logit models. Results show that the heuristic models are the best for all the decisions that are modeled. Validation tests are carried out through multi-agent simulation by comparing simulated spatio-temporal agent behavior with the observed pedestrian behavior. The predictions of heuristic models are slightly better than those of the multinomial logit models.

  1. Controlled pattern imputation for sensitivity analysis of longitudinal binary and ordinal outcomes with nonignorable dropout.

    PubMed

    Tang, Yongqiang

    2018-04-30

    The controlled imputation method refers to a class of pattern mixture models that have been commonly used as sensitivity analyses of longitudinal clinical trials with nonignorable dropout in recent years. These pattern mixture models assume that participants in the experimental arm after dropout have similar response profiles to the control participants or have worse outcomes than otherwise similar participants who remain on the experimental treatment. In spite of its popularity, the controlled imputation has not been formally developed for longitudinal binary and ordinal outcomes partially due to the lack of a natural multivariate distribution for such endpoints. In this paper, we propose 2 approaches for implementing the controlled imputation for binary and ordinal data based respectively on the sequential logistic regression and the multivariate probit model. Efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms are developed for missing data imputation by using the monotone data augmentation technique for the sequential logistic regression and a parameter-expanded monotone data augmentation scheme for the multivariate probit model. We assess the performance of the proposed procedures by simulation and the analysis of a schizophrenia clinical trial and compare them with the fully conditional specification, last observation carried forward, and baseline observation carried forward imputation methods. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. RBSURFpred: Modeling protein accessible surface area in real and binary space using regularized and optimized regression.

    PubMed

    Tarafder, Sumit; Toukir Ahmed, Md; Iqbal, Sumaiya; Tamjidul Hoque, Md; Sohel Rahman, M

    2018-03-14

    Accessible surface area (ASA) of a protein residue is an effective feature for protein structure prediction, binding region identification, fold recognition problems etc. Improving the prediction of ASA by the application of effective feature variables is a challenging but explorable task to consider, specially in the field of machine learning. Among the existing predictors of ASA, REGAd 3 p is a highly accurate ASA predictor which is based on regularized exact regression with polynomial kernel of degree 3. In this work, we present a new predictor RBSURFpred, which extends REGAd 3 p on several dimensions by incorporating 58 physicochemical, evolutionary and structural properties into 9-tuple peptides via Chou's general PseAAC, which allowed us to obtain higher accuracies in predicting both real-valued and binary ASA. We have compared RBSURFpred for both real and binary space predictions with state-of-the-art predictors, such as REGAd 3 p and SPIDER2. We also have carried out a rigorous analysis of the performance of RBSURFpred in terms of different amino acids and their properties, and also with biologically relevant case-studies. The performance of RBSURFpred establishes itself as a useful tool for the community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Sociodemographic and health-lifestyle determinants of obesity risks in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Tan, Andrew K G; Dunn, Richard A; Samad, Mohamed Ismail Abdul; Feisul, Mustapha Idzwan

    2011-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the sociodemographic and health-lifestyle factors that affect the likelihood of obesity among Malaysians. Data were obtained from the Malaysian Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance-1. The cross-sectional population-based survey consisted of 2447 observations, with an obesity prevalence rate of 17.2%. Based on logit regression analysis, the results suggest that obesity risks in Malaysia are affected by gender, education level, family history, health conditions, smoking status, and ethnic backgrounds. Specifically, Malaysians more likely to be obese are females (5.3%), lower educated (0.9%), those with history of family illnesses (4.8%), and nonsmokers (6.4%). However, Chinese (9.3%) and other (5.5%) ethnic groups are less likely to be obese when compared with Malays. Based on these results, several policy implications are discussed vis-à-vis obesity risks in Malaysia.

  4. The demand for statin: the effect of copay on utilization and compliance.

    PubMed

    Thiebaud, Patrick; Patel, Bimal V; Nichol, Michael B

    2008-01-01

    Increasing drug costs in the US have prompted employers and insurers alike to turn to higher drug copays for cost containment. The effect of rising copays on compliance with statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) treatment has received surprisingly little attention in the applied literature. This paper uses pharmacy claims data from a commercially insured adult population to determine the effect of copay change on compliance at the individual level. Fixed effect logit and Poisson regressions estimate the effect of copays on monthly likelihood of high compliance and average monthly days of supply respectively. Higher copays reduce compliance among statin users, with less compliant patients responding more strongly to copay change than compliant patients. These results suggest that specific financial incentives given to less compliant patients could improve compliance with statin treatment at a relatively low cost. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Performance of the likelihood ratio difference (G2 Diff) test for detecting unidimensionality in applications of the multidimensional Rasch model.

    PubMed

    Harrell-Williams, Leigh; Wolfe, Edward W

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has investigated the influence of sample size, model misspecification, test length, ability distribution offset, and generating model on the likelihood ratio difference test in applications of item response models. This study extended that research to the evaluation of dimensionality using the multidimensional random coefficients multinomial logit model (MRCMLM). Logistic regression analysis of simulated data reveal that sample size and test length have a large effect on the capacity of the LR difference test to correctly identify unidimensionality, with shorter tests and smaller sample sizes leading to smaller Type I error rates. Higher levels of simulated misfit resulted in fewer incorrect decisions than data with no or little misfit. However, Type I error rates indicate that the likelihood ratio difference test is not suitable under any of the simulated conditions for evaluating dimensionality in applications of the MRCMLM.

  6. Empowerment and physical violence throughout women's reproductive life in Mexico.

    PubMed

    Castro, Roberto; Casique, Irene; Brindis, Claire D

    2008-06-01

    This article analyzes intimate partner violence (IPV) against women aged 15 to 21, 30 to 34, and 45 to 49, based on the 2003 National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relationships (in Spanish, ENDIREH) in Mexico. The authors examined the degree of women's empowerment and autonomy in relation to their partners. Logit regression analyses showed that variables significantly associated with physical violence varied between the three age groups, suggesting that women followed specific trajectories throughout their reproductive lives. Some dimensions of empowerment reduced the risk of violence (women's ability to decide whether to work, when to have sexual relations, and the extent of their partners' participation in household chores). Other dimensions (women's decision making regarding reproductive matters) increased such risk. Thus, access to resources meant to empower women did not automatically decrease the risk of violence. The authors recommend specific interventions tailored to each age group, aimed at breaking the cycle of violence.

  7. Multiple Sclerosis and Catastrophic Health Expenditure in Iran.

    PubMed

    Juyani, Yaser; Hamedi, Dorsa; Hosseini Jebeli, Seyede Sedighe; Qasham, Maryam

    2016-09-01

    There are many disabling medical conditions which can result in catastrophic health expenditure. Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most costly medical conditions through the world which encounter families to the catastrophic health expenditures. This study aims to investigate on what extent Multiple sclerosis patients face catastrophic costs. This study was carried out in Ahvaz, Iran (2014). The study population included households that at least one of their members suffers from MS. To analyze data, Logit regression model was employed by using the default software STATA12. 3.37% of families were encountered with catastrophic costs. Important variables including brand of drug, housing, income and health insurance were significantly correlated with catastrophic expenditure. This study suggests that although a small proportion of MS patients met the catastrophic health expenditure, mechanisms that pool risk and cost (e.g. health insurance) are required to protect them and improve financial and access equity in health care.

  8. Study of the uses of Information and Communication Technologies by Pain Treatment Unit Physicians.

    PubMed

    Muriel Fernandez, Jorge; Sánchez Ledesma, María José; López Millan, Manuel; García Cenador, María Begoña

    2017-05-01

    Adequate use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in health has been shown to save the patient and caregiver time, improve access to the health system, improve diagnosis and control of disease or treatment. All this results in cost savings, and more importantly, they help improve the quality of service and the lives of patients. The purpose of this study is to analyse the differences in the uses of this ICTs between those physicians that belong to Pain Treatment Units (PU) and other physicians that work in pain not linked to these PUs. An online survey, generated by Netquest online survey tool, was sent to both groups of professionals and the data collected was statistical analysed through a logistic regression methodology which is the Logit binomial model. Our results show that those physicians that belong to PUs use ICTs more frequently and consider it more relevant to their clinical practice.

  9. [Factor associated with medicines utilization and expenditure in Mexico].

    PubMed

    Wirtz, Veronika J; Serván-Mori, Edson; Heredia-Pi, Ileana; Dreser, Anahí; Ávila-Burgos, Leticia

    2013-01-01

    To analyze medicine utilization and expenditure and associated factors in Mexico, as well as to discuss their implications for pharmaceutical policy. Analysis of a sample of 193,228 individuals from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012. Probability and amount of expenditure were estimated using logit, probit and quantile regression models, evaluating three dimensions of access to medicines: (1) likelihood of utilization of medicines in the event of a health problem, (2) probability of incurring expenses and (3) amount spent on medicines. Individuals affiliated to IMSS were more likely to use medicines (OR=1.2, p<0.05). Being affiliated to the IMSS, ISSSTE or SP reduced the likelihood of spending compared to those without health insurance (about RM 0.7, p<0.01). Median expenditures varied between 195.3 and 274.2 pesos. Factors associated with the use and expenditure on medicines indicate that inequities in the access to medicines persist.

  10. Binary dislocation junction formation and strength in hexagonal close-packed crystals

    DOE PAGES

    Wu, Chi -Chin; Aubry, Sylvie; Arsenlis, Athanasios; ...

    2015-12-17

    This work examines binary dislocation interactions, junction formation and junction strengths in hexagonal close-packed ( hcp ) crystals. Through a line-tension model and dislocation dynamics (DD) simulations, the interaction and dissociation of different sets of binary junctions are investigated involving one dislocation on the (011¯0) prismatic plane and a second dislocation on one of the following planes: (0001) basal, (11¯00) prismatic, (11¯01) primary pyramidal, or (2¯112) secondary pyramidal. Varying pairs of Burgers vectors are chosen from among the common types the basal type < a > 1/3 < 112¯0 >, prismatic type < c > <0001>, and pyramidal type 1/3 < 112¯3¯ >. For binary interaction due to dislocation intersection, both the analytical results and DD-simulations indicate a relationship between symmetry of interaction maps and the relative magnitude of the Burgers vectors that constitute the junction. Using analytical formulae, a simple regressive model is also developed to represent the junction yield surface. The equation is treated as a degenerated super elliptical equation to quantify the aspect ratio and tilting angle. Lastly, the results provide analytical insights on binary dislocation interactions that may occur in general hcp metals.« less

  11. Guidance for the utility of linear models in meta-analysis of genetic association studies of binary phenotypes.

    PubMed

    Cook, James P; Mahajan, Anubha; Morris, Andrew P

    2017-02-01

    Linear mixed models are increasingly used for the analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of binary phenotypes because they can efficiently and robustly account for population stratification and relatedness through inclusion of random effects for a genetic relationship matrix. However, the utility of linear (mixed) models in the context of meta-analysis of GWAS of binary phenotypes has not been previously explored. In this investigation, we present simulations to compare the performance of linear and logistic regression models under alternative weighting schemes in a fixed-effects meta-analysis framework, considering designs that incorporate variable case-control imbalance, confounding factors and population stratification. Our results demonstrate that linear models can be used for meta-analysis of GWAS of binary phenotypes, without loss of power, even in the presence of extreme case-control imbalance, provided that one of the following schemes is used: (i) effective sample size weighting of Z-scores or (ii) inverse-variance weighting of allelic effect sizes after conversion onto the log-odds scale. Our conclusions thus provide essential recommendations for the development of robust protocols for meta-analysis of binary phenotypes with linear models.

  12. Paradoxical ventilator associated pneumonia incidences among selective digestive decontamination studies versus other studies of mechanically ventilated patients: benchmarking the evidence base

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Introduction Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) appears to have a more compelling evidence base than non-antimicrobial methods for the prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). However, the striking variability in ventilator associated pneumonia-incidence proportion (VAP-IP) among the SDD studies remains unexplained and a postulated contextual effect remains untested for. Methods Nine reviews were used to source 45 observational (benchmark) groups and 137 component (control and intervention) groups of studies of SDD and studies of three non-antimicrobial methods of VAP prevention. The logit VAP-IP data were summarized by meta-analysis using random effects methods and the associated heterogeneity (tau2) was measured. As group level predictors of logit VAP-IP, the mode of VAP diagnosis, proportion of trauma admissions, the proportion receiving prolonged ventilation and the intervention method under study were examined in meta-regression models containing the benchmark groups together with either the control (models 1 to 3) or intervention (models 4 to 6) groups of the prevention studies. Results The VAP-IP benchmark derived here is 22.1% (95% confidence interval; 95% CI; 19.2 to 25.5; tau2 0.34) whereas the mean VAP-IP of control groups from studies of SDD and of non-antimicrobial methods, is 35.7 (29.7 to 41.8; tau2 0.63) versus 20.4 (17.2 to 24.0; tau2 0.41), respectively (P < 0.001). The disparity between the benchmark groups and the control groups of the SDD studies, which was most apparent for the highest quality studies, could not be explained in the meta-regression models after adjusting for various group level factors. The mean VAP-IP (95% CI) of intervention groups is 16.0 (12.6 to 20.3; tau2 0.59) and 17.1 (14.2 to 20.3; tau2 0.35) for SDD studies versus studies of non-antimicrobial methods, respectively. Conclusions The VAP-IP among the intervention groups within the SDD evidence base is less variable and more similar to the benchmark than among the control groups. These paradoxical observations cannot readily be explained. The interpretation of the SDD evidence base cannot proceed without further consideration of this contextual effect. PMID:21214897

  13. Levels and patterns of physical activity and sedentary time among superdiverse adolescents in East London: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Curry, Whitney B; Dagkas, Symeon; Wilson, Marcia

    2017-06-01

    Little is known about the physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) habits of adolescents from superdiverse communities in the UK. The objectives of this study are to examine and report the patterns of PA/ST among adolescents in East London living in superdiverse communities, to identify opportunities/barriers to PA and inform policy/practice. A total of 1260 young people (aged 11-13 years) from seven secondary schools in East London completed a questionnaire on PA/ST over the past seven days as part of the Newham's Every Child a Sports Person (NECaSP) intervention. Socio-demographic and anthropometric data were obtained. Significance tests were conducted to determine differences between socio-demographic and anthropometric predictors and PA/ST. Multinomial logit regression was used to explore the effects of ethnicity, sex, and body mass index (BMI) on PA levels. Males were significantly more likely to engage in PA at least five times during school in the past week (U = 5.07, z = -11.76, p < .05). Obese participants were less likely to report engaging in PA five times in the past week (U = 4.11, z =-1.17, p < .05). Black Caribbean girls (U = 5.08, z = -1.92, p < .05) were significantly more likely to report engaging in no activity. Multinomial logit regression analyses revealed that girls with higher BMI were less likely to engage in PA at least four times after school in the last week than boys (b = .11, Wald X 2 (1) = 9.81, p < .01). Walking (36.4%), jogging/running (29.9%), and football (28%) were the most frequently reported activities. Engaging girls in PA during and after school is important and making sports clubs and activities available and attractive to this target group may help increase engagement in PA and reduce ST. Findings support the need for more sex-specific and culturally responsive pedagogy in schools with curricula that respects diversity and individuality and has meaning and value amongst superdiverse young people. Finally, we need to extend current work presented and provide substantial evidence of the ways young people from minority ethnic groups process and act on the public health policy and the ways they understand and enact PA.

  14. Getting the right balance? A mixed logit analysis of the relationship between UK training doctors' characteristics and their specialties using the 2013 National Training Survey.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez Santana, Idaira; Chalkley, Martin

    2017-08-11

    To analyse how training doctors' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics vary according to the specialty that they are training for. Descriptive statistics and mixed logistic regression analysis of cross-sectional survey data to quantify evidence of systematic relationships between doctors' characteristics and their specialty. Doctors in training in the United Kingdom in 2013. 27 530 doctors in training but not in their foundation year who responded to the National Training Survey 2013. Mixed logit regression estimates and the corresponding odds ratios (calculated separately for all doctors in training and a subsample comprising those educated in the UK), relating gender, age, ethnicity, place of studies, socioeconomic background and parental education to the probability of training for a particular specialty. Being female and being white British increase the chances of being in general practice with respect to any other specialty, while coming from a better-off socioeconomic background and having parents with tertiary education have the opposite effect. Mixed results are found for age and place of studies. For example, the difference between men and women is greatest for surgical specialties for which a man is 12.121 times more likely to be training to a surgical specialty (relative to general practice) than a woman (p-value<0.01). Doctors who attended an independent school which is proxy for doctor's socioeconomic background are 1.789 and 1.413 times more likely to be training for surgical or medical specialties (relative to general practice) than those who attended a state school (p-value<0.01). There are systematic and substantial differences between specialties in respect of training doctors' gender, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic background. The persistent underrepresentation in some specialties of women, minority ethnic groups and of those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds will impact on the representativeness of the profession into the future. Further research is needed to understand how the processes of selection and the self-selection of applicants into specialties gives rise to these observed differences. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. Examining driver injury severity outcomes in rural non-interstate roadway crashes using a hierarchical ordered logit model.

    PubMed

    Chen, Cong; Zhang, Guohui; Huang, Helai; Wang, Jiangfeng; Tarefder, Rafiqul A

    2016-11-01

    Rural non-interstate crashes induce a significant amount of severe injuries and fatalities. Examination of such injury patterns and the associated contributing factors is of practical importance. Taking into account the ordinal nature of injury severity levels and the hierarchical feature of crash data, this study employs a hierarchical ordered logit model to examine the significant factors in predicting driver injury severities in rural non-interstate crashes based on two-year New Mexico crash records. Bayesian inference is utilized in model estimation procedure and 95% Bayesian Credible Interval (BCI) is applied to testing variable significance. An ordinary ordered logit model omitting the between-crash variance effect is evaluated as well for model performance comparison. Results indicate that the model employed in this study outperforms ordinary ordered logit model in model fit and parameter estimation. Variables regarding crash features, environment conditions, and driver and vehicle characteristics are found to have significant influence on the predictions of driver injury severities in rural non-interstate crashes. Factors such as road segments far from intersection, wet road surface condition, collision with animals, heavy vehicle drivers, male drivers and driver seatbelt used tend to induce less severe driver injury outcomes than the factors such as multiple-vehicle crashes, severe vehicle damage in a crash, motorcyclists, females, senior drivers, driver with alcohol or drug impairment, and other major collision types. Research limitations regarding crash data and model assumptions are also discussed. Overall, this research provides reasonable results and insight in developing effective road safety measures for crash injury severity reduction and prevention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Psychometric Evaluation of a Cultural Competency Assessment Instrument for Health Professionals

    PubMed Central

    Haywood, Sonja H.; Goode, Tawara; Gao, Yong; Smith, Kristyn; Bronheim, Suzanne; Flocke, Susan A; Zyzanski, Steve

    2012-01-01

    Background Few valid and reliable measures exist for health care professionals interested in determining their levels of cultural and linguistic competence. Objective To evaluate the measurement properties of the Cultural Competence Health Practitioner Assessment (CCHPA-129). Methods The CCHPA-129 is a 129-item web-based instrument, developed by the National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC). Responses on the CCHPA -129 were examined using factor analysis; Rasch modeling; and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across race, ethnicity, gender, and profession. Subjects 2504 practitioners, including 1864 nurses (RN/LPN,/BSN); 341 clinicians (PA/NP); and 299 physicians (MD/DO), who completed the CCHPA-129 online between 2005 and 2008. Results Three factors representing domains of knowledge, adapting practice, and promoting health for culturally and linguistically diverse populations accounted for 46% of the variance. Among Knowledge factor items, 53% (23/43) fit the Rasch model, item difficulties ranged from −1.01 logits (least difficult) to +1.11 logits (most difficult), separation index (SI) 13.82, and Cronbach’s α 0.92. Forty-seven percent (21/44) Adapting Practice factor items fit the model, item difficulties −0.07 to +1.11 logits, SI 11.59, Cronbach’s α 0.88; and 58% (23/39). Promoting Health factor items fit the model, item difficulties −1.01 to +1.38 logits, SI 22.64, Cronbach’s α 0.92. Early evidence of validity was established by known groups having statistically different scores. Conclusion The 67-item CCHPA-67 is psychometrically sound. This shorted instrument can be used to establish associations between practitioners’ cultural and linguistic competence and health outcomes as well as to evaluate interventions to increase practitioners’ cultural and linguistic competence. PMID:22437625

  17. Item Banking Enables Stand-Alone Measurement of Driving Ability.

    PubMed

    Khadka, Jyoti; Fenwick, Eva K; Lamoureux, Ecosse L; Pesudovs, Konrad

    2016-12-01

    To explore whether large item sets, as used in item banking, enable important latent traits, such as driving, to form stand-alone measures. The 88-item activity limitation (AL) domain of the glaucoma module of the Eye-tem Bank was interviewer-administered to patients with glaucoma. Rasch analysis was used to calibrate all items in AL domain on the same interval-level scale and test its psychometric properties. Based on Rasch dimensionality metrics, the AL scale was separated into subscales. These subscales underwent separate Rasch analyses to test whether they could form stand-alone measures. Independence of these measures was tested with Bland and Altman (B&A) Limit of Agreement (LOA). The AL scale was completed by 293 patients (median age, 71 years). It demonstrated excellent precision (3.12). However, Rasch analysis dimensionality metrics indicated that the domain arguably had other dimensions which were driving, luminance, and reading. Once separated, the remaining AL items, driving and luminance subscales, were unidimensional and had excellent precision of 4.25, 2.94, and 2.22, respectively. The reading subscale showed poor precision (1.66), so it was not examined further. The luminance subscale demonstrated excellent agreement (mean bias, 0.2 logit; 95% LOA, -2.2 to 3.3 logit); however, the driving subscale demonstrated poor agreement (mean bias, 1.1 logit; 95% LOA, -4.8 to 7.0 logit) with the AL scale. These findings indicate that driving items in the AL domain of the glaucoma module were perceived and responded to differently from the other AL items, but the reading and luminance items were not. Therefore, item banking enables stand-alone measurement of driving ability in glaucoma.

  18. Retargeted Least Squares Regression Algorithm.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xu-Yao; Wang, Lingfeng; Xiang, Shiming; Liu, Cheng-Lin

    2015-09-01

    This brief presents a framework of retargeted least squares regression (ReLSR) for multicategory classification. The core idea is to directly learn the regression targets from data other than using the traditional zero-one matrix as regression targets. The learned target matrix can guarantee a large margin constraint for the requirement of correct classification for each data point. Compared with the traditional least squares regression (LSR) and a recently proposed discriminative LSR models, ReLSR is much more accurate in measuring the classification error of the regression model. Furthermore, ReLSR is a single and compact model, hence there is no need to train two-class (binary) machines that are independent of each other. The convex optimization problem of ReLSR is solved elegantly and efficiently with an alternating procedure including regression and retargeting as substeps. The experimental evaluation over a range of databases identifies the validity of our method.

  19. Comparing methods for estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects using observational data from health care databases.

    PubMed

    Wendling, T; Jung, K; Callahan, A; Schuler, A; Shah, N H; Gallego, B

    2018-06-03

    There is growing interest in using routinely collected data from health care databases to study the safety and effectiveness of therapies in "real-world" conditions, as it can provide complementary evidence to that of randomized controlled trials. Causal inference from health care databases is challenging because the data are typically noisy, high dimensional, and most importantly, observational. It requires methods that can estimate heterogeneous treatment effects while controlling for confounding in high dimensions. Bayesian additive regression trees, causal forests, causal boosting, and causal multivariate adaptive regression splines are off-the-shelf methods that have shown good performance for estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects in observational studies of continuous outcomes. However, it is not clear how these methods would perform in health care database studies where outcomes are often binary and rare and data structures are complex. In this study, we evaluate these methods in simulation studies that recapitulate key characteristics of comparative effectiveness studies. We focus on the conditional average effect of a binary treatment on a binary outcome using the conditional risk difference as an estimand. To emulate health care database studies, we propose a simulation design where real covariate and treatment assignment data are used and only outcomes are simulated based on nonparametric models of the real outcomes. We apply this design to 4 published observational studies that used records from 2 major health care databases in the United States. Our results suggest that Bayesian additive regression trees and causal boosting consistently provide low bias in conditional risk difference estimates in the context of health care database studies. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Risk of Recurrence in Operated Parasagittal Meningiomas: A Logistic Binary Regression Model.

    PubMed

    Escribano Mesa, José Alberto; Alonso Morillejo, Enrique; Parrón Carreño, Tesifón; Huete Allut, Antonio; Narro Donate, José María; Méndez Román, Paddy; Contreras Jiménez, Ascensión; Pedrero García, Francisco; Masegosa González, José

    2018-02-01

    Parasagittal meningiomas arise from the arachnoid cells of the angle formed between the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and the brain convexity. In this retrospective study, we focused on factors that predict early recurrence and recurrence times. We reviewed 125 patients with parasagittal meningiomas operated from 1985 to 2014. We studied the following variables: age, sex, location, laterality, histology, surgeons, invasion of the SSS, Simpson removal grade, follow-up time, angiography, embolization, radiotherapy, recurrence and recurrence time, reoperation, neurologic deficit, degree of dependency, and patient status at the end of follow-up. Patients ranged in age from 26 to 81 years (mean 57.86 years; median 60 years). There were 44 men (35.2%) and 81 women (64.8%). There were 57 patients with neurologic deficits (45.2%). The most common presenting symptom was motor deficit. World Health Organization grade I tumors were identified in 104 patients (84.6%), and the majority were the meningothelial type. Recurrence was detected in 34 cases. Time of recurrence was 9 to 336 months (mean: 84.4 months; median: 79.5 months). Male sex was identified as an independent risk for recurrence with relative risk 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1.21-6.15), P = 0.014. Kaplan-Meier curves for recurrence had statistically significant differences depending on sex, age, histologic type, and World Health Organization histologic grade. A binary logistic regression was made with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test with P > 0.05; sex, tumor size, and histologic type were used in this model. Male sex is an independent risk factor for recurrence that, associated with other factors such tumor size and histologic type, explains 74.5% of all cases in a binary regression model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A fashion model with social interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakayama, Shoichiro; Nakamura, Yasuyuki

    2004-06-01

    In general, it is difficult to investigate social phenomena mathematically or quantitatively due to non-linear interactions. Statistical physics can provide powerful methods for studying social phenomena with interactions, and could be very useful for them. In this study, we take a focus on fashion as a social phenomenon with interaction. The social interaction considered here are “bandwagon effect” and “snob effect.” In the bandwagon effect, the correlation between one's behavior and others is positive. People feel fashion weary or boring when it is overly popular. This is the snob effect. It is assumed that the fashion phenomenon is formed by the aggregation of individual's binary choice, that is, the fashion is adopted or not. We formulate the fashion phenomenon as the logit model, which is based on the random utility theory in social science, especially economics. The model derived here basically has the similarity with the pioneering model by Weidlich (Phys. Rep. 204 (1991) 1), which was derived from the master equation, the Langevin equation, or the Fokker-Planck equation. This study seems to give the behavioral or behaviormetrical foundation to his model. As a result of dynamical analysis, it is found that in the case that both the bandwagon effect and the snob effect work, periodic or chaotic behavior of fashion occurs under certain conditions.

  2. Are math readiness and personality predictive of first-year retention in engineering?

    PubMed

    Moses, Laurie; Hall, Cathy; Wuensch, Karl; De Urquidi, Karen; Kauffmann, Paul; Swart, William; Duncan, Steve; Dixon, Gene

    2011-01-01

    On the basis of J. G. Borkowski, L. K. Chan, and N. Muthukrishna's model of academic success (2000), the present authors hypothesized that freshman retention in an engineering program would be related to not only basic aptitude but also affective factors. Participants were 129 college freshmen with engineering as their stated major. Aptitude was measured by SAT verbal and math scores, high school grade-point average (GPA), and an assessment of calculus readiness. Affective factors were assessed by the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (FFI; P. I. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 2007), and the Nowicki-Duke Locus of Control (LOC) scale (S. Nowicki & M. Duke, 1974). A binary logistic regression analysis found that calculus readiness and high school GPA were predictive of retention. Scores on the Neuroticism and Openness subscales from the NEO-FFI and LOC were correlated with retention status, but Openness was the only affective factor with a significant unique effect in the binary logistic regression. Results of the study lend modest support to Borkowski's model.

  3. [Willingness of Patients with Obesity to Use New Media in Rehabilitation Aftercare].

    PubMed

    Dorow, M; Löbner, M; Stein, J; Kind, P; Markert, J; Keller, J; Weidauer, E; Riedel-Heller, S G

    2017-06-01

    Digital media offer new possibilities in rehabilitation aftercare. This study investigates the rehabilitants' willingness to use new media (sms, internet, social networks) in rehabilitation aftercare and factors that are associated with the willingness to use media-based aftercare. 92 rehabilitants (patients with obesity) filled in a questionnaire on the willingness to use new media in rehabilitation aftercare. In order to identify influencing factors, binary logistic regression models were calculated. 3 quarters of the rehabilitants (76.1%) reported that they would be willing to use new media in rehabilitation aftercare. The binary logistic regression model yielded two factors that were associated with the willingness to use media-based aftercare: the possession of a smartphone and the willingness to receive telephone counseling for aftercare. The majority of the rehabilitants was willing to use new media in rehabilitation aftercare. The reasons for refusal of media-based aftercare need to be examined more closely. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  4. Statistical power to detect violation of the proportional hazards assumption when using the Cox regression model.

    PubMed

    Austin, Peter C

    2018-01-01

    The use of the Cox proportional hazards regression model is widespread. A key assumption of the model is that of proportional hazards. Analysts frequently test the validity of this assumption using statistical significance testing. However, the statistical power of such assessments is frequently unknown. We used Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the statistical power of two different methods for detecting violations of this assumption. When the covariate was binary, we found that a model-based method had greater power than a method based on cumulative sums of martingale residuals. Furthermore, the parametric nature of the distribution of event times had an impact on power when the covariate was binary. Statistical power to detect a strong violation of the proportional hazards assumption was low to moderate even when the number of observed events was high. In many data sets, power to detect a violation of this assumption is likely to be low to modest.

  5. Statistical power to detect violation of the proportional hazards assumption when using the Cox regression model

    PubMed Central

    Austin, Peter C.

    2017-01-01

    The use of the Cox proportional hazards regression model is widespread. A key assumption of the model is that of proportional hazards. Analysts frequently test the validity of this assumption using statistical significance testing. However, the statistical power of such assessments is frequently unknown. We used Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the statistical power of two different methods for detecting violations of this assumption. When the covariate was binary, we found that a model-based method had greater power than a method based on cumulative sums of martingale residuals. Furthermore, the parametric nature of the distribution of event times had an impact on power when the covariate was binary. Statistical power to detect a strong violation of the proportional hazards assumption was low to moderate even when the number of observed events was high. In many data sets, power to detect a violation of this assumption is likely to be low to modest. PMID:29321694

  6. Spectroscopic and Chemometric Analysis of Binary and Ternary Edible Oil Mixtures: Qualitative and Quantitative Study.

    PubMed

    Jović, Ozren; Smolić, Tomislav; Primožič, Ines; Hrenar, Tomica

    2016-04-19

    The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy coupled with the multivariate numerical methodology for qualitative and quantitative analysis of binary and ternary edible oil mixtures. Four pure oils (extra virgin olive oil, high oleic sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, and sunflower oil), as well as their 54 binary and 108 ternary mixtures, were analyzed using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in combination with principal component and discriminant analysis, partial least-squares, and principal component regression. It was found that the composition of all 166 samples can be excellently represented using only the first three principal components describing 98.29% of total variance in the selected spectral range (3035-2989, 1170-1140, 1120-1100, 1093-1047, and 930-890 cm(-1)). Factor scores in 3D space spanned by these three principal components form a tetrahedral-like arrangement: pure oils being at the vertices, binary mixtures at the edges, and ternary mixtures on the faces of a tetrahedron. To confirm the validity of results, we applied several cross-validation methods. Quantitative analysis was performed by minimization of root-mean-square error of cross-validation values regarding the spectral range, derivative order, and choice of method (partial least-squares or principal component regression), which resulted in excellent predictions for test sets (R(2) > 0.99 in all cases). Additionally, experimentally more demanding gas chromatography analysis of fatty acid content was carried out for all specimens, confirming the results obtained by FTIR-ATR coupled with principal component analysis. However, FTIR-ATR provided a considerably better model for prediction of mixture composition than gas chromatography, especially for high oleic sunflower oil.

  7. Comparison of robustness to outliers between robust poisson models and log-binomial models when estimating relative risks for common binary outcomes: a simulation study.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wansu; Shi, Jiaxiao; Qian, Lei; Azen, Stanley P

    2014-06-26

    To estimate relative risks or risk ratios for common binary outcomes, the most popular model-based methods are the robust (also known as modified) Poisson and the log-binomial regression. Of the two methods, it is believed that the log-binomial regression yields more efficient estimators because it is maximum likelihood based, while the robust Poisson model may be less affected by outliers. Evidence to support the robustness of robust Poisson models in comparison with log-binomial models is very limited. In this study a simulation was conducted to evaluate the performance of the two methods in several scenarios where outliers existed. The findings indicate that for data coming from a population where the relationship between the outcome and the covariate was in a simple form (e.g. log-linear), the two models yielded comparable biases and mean square errors. However, if the true relationship contained a higher order term, the robust Poisson models consistently outperformed the log-binomial models even when the level of contamination is low. The robust Poisson models are more robust (or less sensitive) to outliers compared to the log-binomial models when estimating relative risks or risk ratios for common binary outcomes. Users should be aware of the limitations when choosing appropriate models to estimate relative risks or risk ratios.

  8. Occupant Perceptions and a Health Outcome in Retail Stores

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

    Zhao, Mingjie; Kim, Yang-Seon; Srebric, Jelena

    Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in commercial buildings, such as retail stores, can affect employee satisfaction, productivity, and health. This study administered an IEQ survey to retail employees and found correlations between measured IEQ parameters and the survey responses. The survey included 611 employees in 14 retail stores located in Pennsylvania (climate zone 5A) and Texas (climate zone 2A). The survey questionnaire featured ratings of different aspects of IEQ, including thermal comfort, lighting and noise level, indoor smells, overall cleanness, and environmental quality. Simultaneously with the survey, on-site physical measurements were taken to collect data of relative humidity levels, air exchangemore » rates, dry bulb temperatures, and contaminant concentrations. This data was analyzed using multinomial logit regression with independent variables being the measured IEQ parameters, employees’ gender, and age. This study found that employee perception of stuffy smells is related to formaldehyde and PM10 concentrations. Furthermore, the survey also asked the employees to report an annual frequency of common colds as a health indicator. The regression analysis showed that the cold frequency statistically correlates with the measured air exchange rates, outdoor temperatures, and indoor PM concentrations. Overall, the air exchange rate is the most influential parameter on the employee perception of the overall environmental quality and self-reported health outcome.« less

  9. Short communication: Effect of heat stress on nonreturn rate of Italian Holstein cows.

    PubMed

    Biffani, S; Bernabucci, U; Vitali, A; Lacetera, N; Nardone, A

    2016-07-01

    The data set consisted of 1,016,856 inseminations of 191,012 first, second, and third parity Holstein cows from 484 farms. Data were collected from year 2001 through 2007 and included meteorological data from 35 weather stations. Nonreturn rate at 56 d after first insemination (NR56) was considered. A logit model was used to estimate the effect of temperature-humidity index (THI) on reproduction across parities. Then, least squares means were used to detect the THI breakpoints using a 2-phase linear regression procedure. Finally, a multiple-trait threshold model was used to estimate variance components for NR56 in first and second parity cows. A dummy regression variable (t) was used to estimate NR56 decline due to heat stress. The NR56, both for first and second parity cows, was significantly (unfavorable) affected by THI from 4 d before 5 d after the insemination date. Additive genetic variances for NR56 increased from first to second parity both for general and heat stress effect. Genetic correlations between general and heat stress effects were -0.31 for first parity and -0.45 for second parity cows. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Trail impacts in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal: a logistic regression analysis.

    PubMed

    Nepal, S K

    2003-09-01

    A trail study was conducted in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal, during 1997-1998. Based on that study, this paper examines the spatial variability of trail conditions and analyzes factors that influence trail conditions. Logistic regression (multinomial logit model) is applied to examine the influence of use and environmental factors on trail conditions. The assessment of trail conditions is based on a four-class rating system: (class I, very little damaged; class II, moderately damaged, class III, heavily damaged; and class IV, severely damaged). Wald statistics and a model classification table have been used for data interpretation. Results indicate that altitude, trail gradient, hazard potential, and vegetation type are positively associated with trail condition. Trails are more degraded at higher altitude, on steep gradients, in areas with natural hazard potential, and within shrub/grassland zones. Strong correlations between high levels of trail degradation and higher frequencies of visitors and lodges were found. A detailed analysis of environmental and use factors could provide valuable information to park managers in their decisions about trail design, layout and maintenance, and efficient and effective visitor management strategies. Comparable studies on high alpine environments are needed to predict precisely the effects of topographic and climatic extremes. More refined approaches and experimental methods are necessary to control the effects of environmental factors.

  11. Patient satisfaction, empowerment, and health and disability status effects of a disease management-health promotion nurse intervention among Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities.

    PubMed

    Friedman, Bruce; Wamsley, Brenda R; Liebel, Dianne V; Saad, Zabedah B; Eggert, Gerald M

    2009-12-01

    To report the impact on patient and informal caregiver satisfaction, patient empowerment, and health and disability status of a primary care-affiliated disease self-management-health promotion nurse intervention for Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and recent significant health services use. The Medicare Primary and Consumer-Directed Care Demonstration was a 24-month randomized controlled trial that included a nurse intervention. The present study (N = 766) compares the nurse (n = 382) and control (n = 384) groups. Generalized linear models for repeated measures, linear regression, and ordered logit regression were used. The patients whose activities of daily living (ADL) were reported by the same respondent at baseline and 22 months following baseline had significantly fewer dependencies at 22 months than did the control group (p = .038). This constituted the vast majority of respondents. In addition, patient satisfaction significantly improved for 6 of 7 domains, whereas caregiver satisfaction improved for 2 of 8 domains. However, the intervention had no effect on empowerment, self-rated health, the SF-36 physical and mental health summary scores, and the number of dependencies in instrumental ADL. If confirmed in other studies, this intervention holds the potential to reduce the rate of functional decline and improve satisfaction for Medicare beneficiaries with ADL dependence.

  12. Health disparities among immigrant and non-immigrant elders: the association of acculturation and education.

    PubMed

    Lum, Terry Y; Vanderaa, Julianne P

    2010-10-01

    Guided by the theories of human capital and acculturation, this study investigated the association of immigrant status among older people with their physical and mental health outcomes, health services utilization, and health insurance coverage. Specifically, it examined the interactive effects of immigrant status, education, acculturation, race, and ethnicity on these dependent variables. The study used a national representation sample of 7,345 older Americans from the first wave of the Asset and Health Dynamic of the Oldest Old study (AHEAD) survey. We used both logistic regression and ordered logit regression for our multivariate analyses. The findings are as follows: (1) immigrant status was negatively associated with level of depression, number of IADL difficulties, and on types of health insurance coverage. Immigrant status had a significant relationship only with the utilization of outpatient surgery, but not on other health services utilization. (2) There were significant interactive effects of race and ethnicity and immigrant status on these dependent variables. The findings support the existence of double jeopardy among those who are simultaneously an immigrant and a member of a racial and ethnic minority group in the United States. (3) Acculturation has strong associations with health insurance coverage and with number of difficulties with IADL.

  13. Interrelationships Between Receiver/Relative Operating Characteristics Display, Binomial, Logit, and Bayes' Rule Probability of Detection Methodologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Generazio, Edward R.

    2014-01-01

    Unknown risks are introduced into failure critical systems when probability of detection (POD) capabilities are accepted without a complete understanding of the statistical method applied and the interpretation of the statistical results. The presence of this risk in the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) community is revealed in common statements about POD. These statements are often interpreted in a variety of ways and therefore, the very existence of the statements identifies the need for a more comprehensive understanding of POD methodologies. Statistical methodologies have data requirements to be met, procedures to be followed, and requirements for validation or demonstration of adequacy of the POD estimates. Risks are further enhanced due to the wide range of statistical methodologies used for determining the POD capability. Receiver/Relative Operating Characteristics (ROC) Display, simple binomial, logistic regression, and Bayes' rule POD methodologies are widely used in determining POD capability. This work focuses on Hit-Miss data to reveal the framework of the interrelationships between Receiver/Relative Operating Characteristics Display, simple binomial, logistic regression, and Bayes' Rule methodologies as they are applied to POD. Knowledge of these interrelationships leads to an intuitive and global understanding of the statistical data, procedural and validation requirements for establishing credible POD estimates.

  14. Application of two-dimensional binary fingerprinting methods for the design of selective Tankyrase I inhibitors.

    PubMed

    Muddukrishna, B S; Pai, Vasudev; Lobo, Richard; Pai, Aravinda

    2017-11-22

    In the present study, five important binary fingerprinting techniques were used to model novel flavones for the selective inhibition of Tankyrase I. From the fingerprints used: the fingerprint atom pairs resulted in a statistically significant 2D QSAR model using a kernel-based partial least square regression method. This model indicates that the presence of electron-donating groups positively contributes to activity, whereas the presence of electron withdrawing groups negatively contributes to activity. This model could be used to develop more potent as well as selective analogues for the inhibition of Tankyrase I. Schematic representation of 2D QSAR work flow.

  15. Food insufficiency and food insecurity as risk factors for physical disability among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon: Evidence from an observational study.

    PubMed

    Salti, Nisreen; Ghattas, Hala

    2016-10-01

    Potential interactions between malnutrition and disability are increasingly recognized, and both are important global health issues. Causal effects working from nutrition to disability and from disability back to nutrition present an empirical challenge to measuring either of these effects. However, disability affects nutrition whatever the cause of disability, whereas nutrition is likelier to affect disease-related disability than war- or work-related disability. This paper investigates the association of food insufficiency with the risk of physical disability. Data on disability by cause allow us to address the difficulty of reverse causality. Multinomial logit regressions of disability by cause on food insufficiency are run using survey data from 2010 on 2575 Palestinian refugee households in Lebanon. Controls include household sociodemographic, health and economic characteristics. Regressions of food insufficiency on disability by cause are also run. Disability has a significant coefficient in regressions of food insufficiency, whatever the cause of disability; but in regressions of disability on food insufficiency, food insufficiency is significant only for disease-related disability (log odds of disease-related disability .78 higher, p = .008). The difference in the results by cause of disability is evidence of a significant association between food insufficiency and disease-related disability, net of any reverse effect from disability to food access. The association between disease-related disability and food insufficiency is statistically significant suggesting that even taking into account feedback from disability to nutrition, nutrition is an effective level of intervention to avert the poverty-disability trap resulting from the impoverishing effect of disability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Modification of the Sandwich Estimator in Generalized Estimating Equations with Correlated Binary Outcomes in Rare Event and Small Sample Settings

    PubMed Central

    Rogers, Paul; Stoner, Julie

    2016-01-01

    Regression models for correlated binary outcomes are commonly fit using a Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) methodology. GEE uses the Liang and Zeger sandwich estimator to produce unbiased standard error estimators for regression coefficients in large sample settings even when the covariance structure is misspecified. The sandwich estimator performs optimally in balanced designs when the number of participants is large, and there are few repeated measurements. The sandwich estimator is not without drawbacks; its asymptotic properties do not hold in small sample settings. In these situations, the sandwich estimator is biased downwards, underestimating the variances. In this project, a modified form for the sandwich estimator is proposed to correct this deficiency. The performance of this new sandwich estimator is compared to the traditional Liang and Zeger estimator as well as alternative forms proposed by Morel, Pan and Mancl and DeRouen. The performance of each estimator was assessed with 95% coverage probabilities for the regression coefficient estimators using simulated data under various combinations of sample sizes and outcome prevalence values with an Independence (IND), Autoregressive (AR) and Compound Symmetry (CS) correlation structure. This research is motivated by investigations involving rare-event outcomes in aviation data. PMID:26998504

  17. Logistic Regression and Path Analysis Method to Analyze Factors influencing Students’ Achievement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noeryanti, N.; Suryowati, K.; Setyawan, Y.; Aulia, R. R.

    2018-04-01

    Students' academic achievement cannot be separated from the influence of two factors namely internal and external factors. The first factors of the student (internal factors) consist of intelligence (X1), health (X2), interest (X3), and motivation of students (X4). The external factors consist of family environment (X5), school environment (X6), and society environment (X7). The objects of this research are eighth grade students of the school year 2016/2017 at SMPN 1 Jiwan Madiun sampled by using simple random sampling. Primary data are obtained by distributing questionnaires. The method used in this study is binary logistic regression analysis that aims to identify internal and external factors that affect student’s achievement and how the trends of them. Path Analysis was used to determine the factors that influence directly, indirectly or totally on student’s achievement. Based on the results of binary logistic regression, variables that affect student’s achievement are interest and motivation. And based on the results obtained by path analysis, factors that have a direct impact on student’s achievement are students’ interest (59%) and students’ motivation (27%). While the factors that have indirect influences on students’ achievement, are family environment (97%) and school environment (37).

  18. An Attempt at Quantifying Factors that Affect Efficiency in the Management of Solid Waste Produced by Commercial Businesses in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Worku, Yohannes; Muchie, Mammo

    2012-01-01

    Objective. The objective was to investigate factors that affect the efficient management of solid waste produced by commercial businesses operating in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Methods. Data was gathered from 1,034 businesses. Efficiency in solid waste management was assessed by using a structural time-based model designed for evaluating efficiency as a function of the length of time required to manage waste. Data analysis was performed using statistical procedures such as frequency tables, Pearson's chi-square tests of association, and binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios estimated from logistic regression analysis were used for identifying key factors that affect efficiency in the proper disposal of waste. Results. The study showed that 857 of the 1,034 businesses selected for the study (83%) were found to be efficient enough with regards to the proper collection and disposal of solid waste. Based on odds ratios estimated from binary logistic regression analysis, efficiency in the proper management of solid waste was significantly influenced by 4 predictor variables. These 4 influential predictor variables are lack of adherence to waste management regulations, wrong perception, failure to provide customers with enough trash cans, and operation of businesses by employed managers, in a decreasing order of importance. PMID:23209483

  19. The Use of Linear Instrumental Variables Methods in Health Services Research and Health Economics: A Cautionary Note

    PubMed Central

    Terza, Joseph V; Bradford, W David; Dismuke, Clara E

    2008-01-01

    Objective To investigate potential bias in the use of the conventional linear instrumental variables (IV) method for the estimation of causal effects in inherently nonlinear regression settings. Data Sources Smoking Supplement to the 1979 National Health Interview Survey, National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, and simulated data. Study Design Potential bias from the use of the linear IV method in nonlinear models is assessed via simulation studies and real world data analyses in two commonly encountered regression setting: (1) models with a nonnegative outcome (e.g., a count) and a continuous endogenous regressor; and (2) models with a binary outcome and a binary endogenous regressor. Principle Findings The simulation analyses show that substantial bias in the estimation of causal effects can result from applying the conventional IV method in inherently nonlinear regression settings. Moreover, the bias is not attenuated as the sample size increases. This point is further illustrated in the survey data analyses in which IV-based estimates of the relevant causal effects diverge substantially from those obtained with appropriate nonlinear estimation methods. Conclusions We offer this research as a cautionary note to those who would opt for the use of linear specifications in inherently nonlinear settings involving endogeneity. PMID:18546544

  20. Prediction of cold and heat patterns using anthropometric measures based on machine learning.

    PubMed

    Lee, Bum Ju; Lee, Jae Chul; Nam, Jiho; Kim, Jong Yeol

    2018-01-01

    To examine the association of body shape with cold and heat patterns, to determine which anthropometric measure is the best indicator for discriminating between the two patterns, and to investigate whether using a combination of measures can improve the predictive power to diagnose these patterns. Based on a total of 4,859 subjects (3,000 women and 1,859 men), statistical analyses using binary logistic regression were performed to assess the significance of the difference and the predictive power of each anthropometric measure, and binary logistic regression and Naive Bayes with the variable selection technique were used to assess the improvement in the predictive power of the patterns using the combined measures. In women, the strongest indicators for determining the cold and heat patterns among anthropometric measures were body mass index (BMI) and rib circumference; in men, the best indicator was BMI. In experiments using a combination of measures, the values of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in women were 0.776 by Naive Bayes and 0.772 by logistic regression, and the values in men were 0.788 by Naive Bayes and 0.779 by logistic regression. Individuals with a higher BMI have a tendency toward a heat pattern in both women and men. The use of a combination of anthropometric measures can slightly improve the diagnostic accuracy. Our findings can provide fundamental information for the diagnosis of cold and heat patterns based on body shape for personalized medicine.

  1. Association of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Vitamin D with Depression and Obesity: A Population-Based Study.

    PubMed

    Goltz, Annemarie; Janowitz, Deborah; Hannemann, Anke; Nauck, Matthias; Hoffmann, Johanna; Seyfart, Tom; Völzke, Henry; Terock, Jan; Grabe, Hans Jörgen

    2018-06-19

    Depression and obesity are widespread and closely linked. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vitamin D are both assumed to be associated with depression and obesity. Little is known about the interplay between vitamin D and BDNF. We explored the putative associations and interactions between serum BDNF and vitamin D levels with depressive symptoms and abdominal obesity in a large population-based cohort. Data were obtained from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)-Trend (n = 3,926). The associations of serum BDNF and vitamin D levels with depressive symptoms (measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire) were assessed with binary and multinomial logistic regression models. The associations of serum BDNF and vitamin D levels with obesity (measured by the waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) were assessed with binary logistic and linear regression models with restricted cubic splines. Logistic regression models revealed inverse associations of vitamin D with depression (OR = 0.966; 95% CI 0.951-0.981) and obesity (OR = 0.976; 95% CI 0.967-0.985). No linear association of serum BDNF with depression or obesity was found. However, linear regression models revealed a U-shaped association of BDNF with WHR (p < 0.001). Vitamin D was inversely associated with depression and obesity. BDNF was associated with abdominal obesity, but not with depression. At the population level, our results support the relevant roles of vitamin D and BDNF in mental and physical health-related outcomes. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Headspace quantification of pure and aqueous solutions of binary mixtures of key volatile organic compounds in Swiss cheeses using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Castada, Hardy Z; Wick, Cheryl; Harper, W James; Barringer, Sheryl

    2015-01-15

    Twelve volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have recently been identified as key compounds in Swiss cheese with split defects. It is important to know how these VOCs interact in binary mixtures and if their behavior changes with concentration in binary mixtures. Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) was used for the headspace analysis of VOCs commonly found in Swiss cheeses. Headspace (H/S) sampling and quantification checks using SIFT-MS and further linear regression analyses were carried out on twelve selected aqueous solutions of VOCs. Five binary mixtures of standard solutions of VOCs were also prepared and the H/S profile of each mixture was analyzed. A very good fit of linearity for the twelve VOCs (95% confidence level) confirms direct proportionality between the H/S and the aqueous concentration of the standard solutions. Henry's Law coefficients were calculated with a high degree of confidence. SIFT-MS analysis of five binary mixtures showed that the more polar compounds reduced the H/S concentration of the less polar compounds, while the addition of a less polar compound increased the H/S concentration of the more polar compound. In the binary experiment, it was shown that the behavior of a compound in the headspace can be significantly affected by the presence of another compound. Thus, the matrix effect plays a significant role in the behavior of molecules in a mixed solution. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Predictors of Employment Outcomes for State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers with HIV/AIDS

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Youngoh; Schaller, James; Bellini, James

    2010-01-01

    In this study, the authors investigated the effects of demographic, medical, and vocational rehabilitation service variables on employment outcomes of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors of employment outcomes using two groups drawn from Rehabilitation Services Administration…

  4. Dynamics of Volunteering in Older Europeans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hank, Karsten; Erlinghagen, Marcel

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the dynamics of volunteering in the population aged 50 years or older across 11 Continental European countries. Design and Methods: Using longitudinal data from the first 2 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we run multivariate regressions on a set of binary-dependent variables indicating…

  5. Who Benefits from Tuition Discounts at Public Universities?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hillman, Nicholas W.

    2010-01-01

    This article uses data from the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to provide insight about the range of tuition discounting practices at public institutions. Specifically, it examines the characteristics of students who receive tuition discounts from public four-year colleges and universities. A binary logistic regression is applied to…

  6. An Examination of Master's Student Retention & Completion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barry, Melissa; Mathies, Charles

    2011-01-01

    This study was conducted at a research-extensive public university in the southeastern United States. It examined the retention and completion of master's degree students across numerous disciplines. Results were derived from a series of descriptive statistics, T-tests, and a series of binary logistic regression models. The findings from binary…

  7. Graduate Unemployment in South Africa: Social Inequality Reproduced

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldry, Kim

    2016-01-01

    In this study, I examine the influence of demographic and educational characteristics of South African graduates on their employment/unemployment status. A sample of 1175 respondents who graduated between 2006 and 2012 completed an online survey. Using binary logistic regression, the strongest determinants of unemployment were the graduates' race,…

  8. Commitment of Licensed Social Workers to Aging Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simons, Kelsey; Bonifas, Robin; Gammonley, Denise

    2011-01-01

    This study sought to identify client, professional, and employment characteristics that enhance licensed social workers' commitment to aging practice. A series of binary logistic regressions were performed using data from 181 licensed, full-time social workers who reported aging as their primary specialty area as part of the 2004 NASW's national…

  9. Optimizing the parameters of the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman, Källman, and Logit+EUD models for the rectum - a comparison between normal tissue complication probability and clinical data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trojková, Darina; Judas, Libor; Trojek, Tomáš

    2014-11-01

    Minimizing the late rectal toxicity of prostate cancer patients is a very important and widely-discussed topic. Normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models can be used to evaluate competing treatment plans. In our work, the parameters of the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB), Källman, and Logit+EUD models are optimized by minimizing the Brier score for a group of 302 prostate cancer patients. The NTCP values are calculated and are compared with the values obtained using previously published values for the parameters. χ2 Statistics were calculated as a check of goodness of optimization.

  10. Use of generalized ordered logistic regression for the analysis of multidrug resistance data.

    PubMed

    Agga, Getahun E; Scott, H Morgan

    2015-10-01

    Statistical analysis of antimicrobial resistance data largely focuses on individual antimicrobial's binary outcome (susceptible or resistant). However, bacteria are becoming increasingly multidrug resistant (MDR). Statistical analysis of MDR data is mostly descriptive often with tabular or graphical presentations. Here we report the applicability of generalized ordinal logistic regression model for the analysis of MDR data. A total of 1,152 Escherichia coli, isolated from the feces of weaned pigs experimentally supplemented with chlortetracycline (CTC) and copper, were tested for susceptibilities against 15 antimicrobials and were binary classified into resistant or susceptible. The 15 antimicrobial agents tested were grouped into eight different antimicrobial classes. We defined MDR as the number of antimicrobial classes to which E. coli isolates were resistant ranging from 0 to 8. Proportionality of the odds assumption of the ordinal logistic regression model was violated only for the effect of treatment period (pre-treatment, during-treatment and post-treatment); but not for the effect of CTC or copper supplementation. Subsequently, a partially constrained generalized ordinal logistic model was built that allows for the effect of treatment period to vary while constraining the effects of treatment (CTC and copper supplementation) to be constant across the levels of MDR classes. Copper (Proportional Odds Ratio [Prop OR]=1.03; 95% CI=0.73-1.47) and CTC (Prop OR=1.1; 95% CI=0.78-1.56) supplementation were not significantly associated with the level of MDR adjusted for the effect of treatment period. MDR generally declined over the trial period. In conclusion, generalized ordered logistic regression can be used for the analysis of ordinal data such as MDR data when the proportionality assumptions for ordered logistic regression are violated. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Development and validation of an energy-balance knowledge test for fourth- and fifth-grade students.

    PubMed

    Chen, Senlin; Zhu, Xihe; Kang, Minsoo

    2017-05-01

    A valid test measuring children's energy-balance (EB) knowledge is lacking in research. This study developed and validated the energy-balance knowledge test (EBKT) for fourth and fifth grade students. The original EBKT contained 25 items but was reduced to 23 items based on pilot result and intensive expert panel discussion. De-identified data were collected from 468 fourth and fifth grade students enrolled in four schools to examine the psychometric properties of the EBKT items. The Rasch model analysis was conducted using the Winstep 3.65.0 software. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis flagged 1 item (item #4) functioning differently between boys and girls, which was deleted. The final 22-item EBKT showed desirable model-data fit indices. The items had large variability ranging from -3.58 logit (item #10, the easiest) to 1.70 logit (item #3, the hardest). The average person ability on the test was 0.28 logit (SD = .78). Additional analyses supported known-group difference validity of the EBKT scores in capturing gender- and grade-based ability differences. The test was overall valid but could be further improved by expanding test items to discern various ability levels. For lack of a better test, researchers and practitioners may use the EBKT to assess fourth- and fifth-grade students' EB knowledge.

  12. Influence of Immunology Knowledge on Healthcare and Healthy Lifestyle.

    PubMed

    Abu Kassim, Noor Lide; Saleh Huddin, Afiqah Binti; Daoud, Jamal Ibrahim; Rahman, Mohammad Tariqur

    2016-01-01

    Completing a course in Immunology is expected to improve health care knowledge (HCK), which in turn is anticipated to influence a healthy lifestyle (HLS), controlled use of health care services (HCS) and an awareness of emerging health care concerns (HCC). This cross-sectional study was designed to determine whether these interrelationships are empirically supported. Participants involved in this study were government servants from two ministries in Malaysia (n = 356) and university students from a local university (n = 147). Participants were selected using the non-random purposive sampling method. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire, which had been validated in a pilot study involving similar subjects. The questionnaire items were analyzed using Rasch analysis, SPSS version 21 and AMOS version 22. Results have shown that participants who followed a course in Immunology (CoI) had a higher primary HCK (Mean = 0.69 logit, SD = 1.29 logits) compared with those who had not (Mean = -0.27logit, SD = 1.26 logits). Overall, there were significant correlations among the HLS, the awareness of emerging HCC, and the controlled use of HCS (p <0.001). However, no significant correlations were observed between primary HCK and the other variables. However, significant positive correlation was observed between primary HCK and controlled use of HCS for the group without CoI. Path analysis showed that the awareness of emerging HCC exerted a positive influence on controlled use of HCS (β = 0.156, p < .001) and on HLS (β = 0.224, p < .001). These findings suggest that having CoI helps increase primary HCK which influences controlled use of HCS but does not necessarily influence HLS. Hence, introducing Immunology at various levels of education and increasing the public awareness of emerging HCC might help to improve population health en masse. In addition, further investigations on the factors affecting HLS is required to provide a better understanding on the relationship between primary HCK and HLS.

  13. Determining Barriers to Use of Edible School Gardens in Illinois.

    PubMed

    Loftus, Lucy; Spaulding, Aslihan D; Steffen, Richard; Kopsell, Dave; Nnakwe, Nweze

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to gather data regarding the awareness, perceived benefits, interest in, and barriers to establishment of edible school gardens in Illinois public schools. Setting/Design: This study used an online survey design. Participants included Illinois public elementary school principals and superintendents. Region and community population, current edible garden use, perception (Likert scale) of garden benefits, interest in establishment of a school edible garden, and barriers to establishment of a school edible garden were the variables of interest. Logit regression and Kruskal-Wallis with follow-up where p < 0.05 were performed. Elementary school principals and superintendents are aware of gardens and their potential benefits to students, but many barriers exist that make their use challenging. Funding, staff and volunteer support, and class time were identified as the major barriers. Region affected likelihood of garden use, and community population size also affected the odds of having an edible school garden. Data suggest that edible garden use would increase with provision of resources and organization of dedicated supporters.

  14. Modeling the coupled return-spread high frequency dynamics of large tick assets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Curato, Gianbiagio; Lillo, Fabrizio

    2015-01-01

    Large tick assets, i.e. assets where one tick movement is a significant fraction of the price and bid-ask spread is almost always equal to one tick, display a dynamics in which price changes and spread are strongly coupled. We present an approach based on the hidden Markov model, also known in econometrics as the Markov switching model, for the dynamics of price changes, where the latent Markov process is described by the transitions between spreads. We then use a finite Markov mixture of logit regressions on past squared price changes to describe temporal dependencies in the dynamics of price changes. The model can thus be seen as a double chain Markov model. We show that the model describes the shape of the price change distribution at different time scales, volatility clustering, and the anomalous decrease of kurtosis. We calibrate our models based on Nasdaq stocks and we show that this model reproduces remarkably well the statistical properties of real data.

  15. Racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension prevalence: reconsidering the role of chronic stress.

    PubMed

    Hicken, Margaret T; Lee, Hedwig; Morenoff, Jeffrey; House, James S; Williams, David R

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the association between anticipatory stress, also known as racism-related vigilance, and hypertension prevalence in Black, Hispanic, and White adults. We used data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, a population-representative sample of adults (n = 3105) surveyed in 2001 to 2003, to regress hypertension prevalence on the interaction between race/ethnicity and vigilance in logit models. Blacks reported the highest vigilance levels. For Blacks, each unit increase in vigilance (range = 0-12) was associated with a 4% increase in the odds of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00, 1.09). Hispanics showed a similar but nonsignificant association (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.12), and Whites showed no association (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.87, 1.03). Vigilance may represent an important and unique source of chronic stress that contributes to the well-documented higher prevalence of hypertension among Blacks than Whites; it is a possible contributor to hypertension among Hispanics but not Whites.

  16. A multilevel model for comorbid outcomes: obesity and diabetes in the US.

    PubMed

    Congdon, Peter

    2010-02-01

    Multilevel models are overwhelmingly applied to single health outcomes, but when two or more health conditions are closely related, it is important that contextual variation in their joint prevalence (e.g., variations over different geographic settings) is considered. A multinomial multilevel logit regression approach for analysing joint prevalence is proposed here that includes subject level risk factors (e.g., age, race, education) while also taking account of geographic context. Data from a US population health survey (the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System or BRFSS) are used to illustrate the method, with a six category multinomial outcome defined by diabetic status and weight category (obese, overweight, normal). The influence of geographic context is partly represented by known geographic variables (e.g., county poverty), and partly by a model for latent area influences. In particular, a shared latent variable (common factor) approach is proposed to measure the impact of unobserved area influences on joint weight and diabetes status, with the latent variable being spatially structured to reflect geographic clustering in risk.

  17. The effects of mandatory health insurance on equity in access to outpatient care in Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Hidayat, Budi; Thabrany, Hasbullah; Dong, Hengjin; Sauerborn, Rainer

    2004-09-01

    This paper examines the effects of mandatory health insurance on access and equity in access to public and private outpatient care in Indonesia. Data from the second round of the 1997 Indonesian Family Life Survey were used. We adopted the concentration index as a measure of equity, and this was calculated from actual data and from predicted probability of outpatient-care use saved from a multinomial logit regression. The study found that a mandatory insurance scheme for civil servants (Askes) had a strongly positive impact on access to public outpatient care, while a mandatory insurance scheme for private employees (Jamsostek) had a positive impact on access to both public and private outpatient care. The greatest effects of Jamsostek were observed amongst poor beneficiaries. A substantial increase in access will be gained by expanding insurance to the whole population. However, neither Askes nor Jamsostek had a positive impact on equity. Policy implications are discussed.

  18. Emotional balances in experimental consumer choices.

    PubMed

    Mengov, George; Egbert, Henrik; Pulov, Stefan; Georgiev, Kalin

    2008-11-01

    This paper presents an experiment, which builds a bridge over the gap between neuroscience and the analysis of economic behaviour. We apply the mathematical theory of Pavlovian conditioning, known as Recurrent Associative Gated Dipole (READ), to analyse consumer choices in a computer-based experiment. Supplier reputations, consumer satisfaction, and customer reactions are operationally defined and, together with prices, related to READ's neural dynamics. We recorded our participants' decisions with their timing, and then mapped those decisions on a sequence of events generated by the READ model. To achieve this, all constants in the differential equations were determined using simulated annealing with data from 129 people. READ predicted correctly 96% of all consumer choices in a calibration sample (n=1290), and 87% in a test sample (n=903), thus outperforming logit models. The rank correlations between self-assessed and dipole-generated consumer satisfactions were 89% in the calibration sample and 78% in the test sample, surpassing by a wide margin the best linear regression model.

  19. Exploring the climate change concerns of striped catfish producers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Anh Lam; Truong, Minh Hoang; Verreth, Johan Aj; Leemans, Rik; Bosma, Roel H; De Silva, Sena S

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the perceptions on and adaptations to climate change impacts of 235 pangasius farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Data were collected using semi-structured household surveys in six provinces, from three regions along the Mekong river branches. A Chi-Square test was used to determine the association between variables, and a logit regression model was employed to identify factors correlated with farmer's perception and adaptation. Less than half of respondents were concerned about climate change and sought suitable adaptation measures to alleviate its impacts. Improving information on climate change and introducing early warning systems could improve the adaptive capacity of pangasius farmers, in particularly for those farmers, who were not concerned yet. Farmers relied strongly on technical support from government agencies, but farmers in the coastal provinces did not express the need for training by these institutions. This contrasting result requires further assessment of the effectiveness of adaptation measures such as breeding salinity tolerant pangasius.

  20. HMO penetration and quality of care: the case of breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Decker, S L; Hempstead, K

    1999-01-01

    In theory, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) receiving a fixed payment rate per enrolled member have an incentive to coordinate services and emphasize prevention and early detection of disease in order to minimize costs of care. This article tests whether higher HMO penetration rates across counties in the United States and across time improve the use of mammography services, the chance of early rather than late detection of breast cancer, and ultimately improve breast cancer survival. We use two data sets to test the effect of HMO penetration on use of breast cancer services and on breast cancer health outcomes for women aged 55 to 64 years. These data sources are matched with county-level data on HMO penetration and other market variables from the Bureau of Health Profession's Area Resource File. Results of logit regression show evidence that HMO penetration positively affects the probability of recent mammography receipt. However, we do not find a statistically significant relationship between HMO penetration and either stage of diagnosis or breast cancer survival.

  1. Predicting subscriber dissatisfaction and improving retention in the wireless telecommunications industry.

    PubMed

    Mozer, M C; Wolniewicz, R; Grimes, D B; Johnson, E; Kaushansky, H

    2000-01-01

    Competition in the wireless telecommunications industry is fierce. To maintain profitability, wireless carriers must control churn, which is the loss of subscribers who switch from one carrier to another.We explore techniques from statistical machine learning to predict churn and, based on these predictions, to determine what incentives should be offered to subscribers to improve retention and maximize profitability to the carrier. The techniques include logit regression, decision trees, neural networks, and boosting. Our experiments are based on a database of nearly 47,000 U.S. domestic subscribers and includes information about their usage, billing, credit, application, and complaint history. Our experiments show that under a wide variety of assumptions concerning the cost of intervention and the retention rate resulting from intervention, using predictive techniques to identify potential churners and offering incentives can yield significant savings to a carrier. We also show the importance of a data representation crafted by domain experts. Finally, we report on a real-world test of the techniques that validate our simulation experiments.

  2. [The role of supply-side characteristics of services in AIDS mortality in Mexico].

    PubMed

    Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio; Serván-Mori, Edson; Silverman-Retana, Omar; Contreras-Loya, David; Romero-Martínez, Martín; Magis-Rodríguez, Carlos; Uribe-Zúñiga, Patricia; Lozano, Rafael

    2015-01-01

    To document the association between supply-side determinants and AIDS mortality in Mexico between 2008 and 2013. We analyzed the SALVAR database (system for antiretroviral management, logistics and surveillance) as well as data collected through a nationally representative survey in health facilities. We used multivariate logit regression models to estimate the association between supply-side characteristics, namely management, training and experience of health care providers, and AIDS mortality, distinguishing early and non-early mortality and controlling for clinical indicators of the patients. Clinic status of the patients (initial CD4 and viral load) explain 44.4% of the variability of early mortality across clinics and 13.8% of the variability in non-early mortality. Supply-side characteristics increase explanatory power of the models by 16% in the case of early mortality, and 96% in the case of non-early mortality. Aspects of management and implementation of services contribute significantly to explain AIDS mortality in Mexico. Improving these aspects of the national program, can similarly improve its results.

  3. Nurses who do not nurse: factors that predict non-nursing work in the U.S. registered nursing labor market.

    PubMed

    Black, Lisa; Spetz, Joanne; Harrington, Charlene

    2010-01-01

    Registered nurses (RNs) who work outside of nursing have seldom been examined. This aim of this study was to compare the 122,178 (4%) of RNs who are employed outside of nursing to those who work in nursing jobs in terms of sociodemographic, market, and political variables to determine if these groups are substantively different from one another. Using a logit regression model, wages were a significant predictor of working outside of nursing for unmarried nurses but not for married nurses. Married and unmarried male nurses were more likely to work outside of nursing. Baccalaureate education, children under age 6, higher family income, and years since graduation increased the odds of working outside of nursing for married nurses. Ultimately, identifying characteristics on which these groups differ may inform future policy directions that could target nurses who may leave nursing at a time when retention efforts might be effective to alter their trajectory away from the profession.

  4. Alcohol and Other Drug Use in Middle School: The Interplay of Gender, Peer Victimization, and Supportive Social Relationships

    PubMed Central

    Wormington, Stephanie V.; Anderson, Kristen G.; Tomlinson, Kristin L.; Brown, Sandra A.

    2015-01-01

    The current study examined the impact of supportive social relationships (i.e., teacher support, adult support, school relatedness) and peer victimization on middle school students’ substance use. Over 3,000 middle school students reported on alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, supportive social relationships, and instances in which they were the victim of aggressive behavior. Mixed-effects logit regression analyses revealed complementary patterns of results across types of substances. Students who perceived high levels of social support were less likely to report alcohol and drug use initiation, particularly at low levels of peer victimization. Gender moderated the negative effect of peer victimization, with highly victimized boys most likely to report alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Results indicated a complex interplay of social influences and moderating variables in predicting early onset alcohol and other drug use, one that researchers should consider when studying adolescents’ decisions to use alcohol and other drugs. PMID:26294803

  5. Interferon-based anti-viral therapy for hepatitis C virus infection after renal transplantation: an updated meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Wei, Fang; Liu, Junying; Liu, Fen; Hu, Huaidong; Ren, Hong; Hu, Peng

    2014-01-01

    Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent in renal transplant (RT) recipients. Currently, interferon-based (IFN-based) antiviral therapies are the standard approach to control HCV infection. In a post-transplantation setting, however, IFN-based therapies appear to have limited efficacy and their use remains controversial. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IFN-based therapies for HCV infection post RT. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Web of Knowledge, and The Cochrane Library (1997-2013) for clinical trials in which transplant patients were given Interferon (IFN), pegylated interferon (PEG), interferon plus ribavirin (IFN-RIB), or pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RIB). The Sustained Virological Response (SVR) and/or drop-out rates were the primary outcomes. Summary estimates were calculated using the random-effects model of DerSimonian and Laird, with heterogeneity and sensitivity analysis. We identified 12 clinical trials (140 patients in total). The summary estimate for SVR rate, drop-out rate and graft rejection rate was 26.6% (95%CI, 15.0-38.1%), 21.1% (95% CI, 10.9-31.2%) and 4% (95%CI: 0.8%-7.1%), respectively. The overall SVR rate in PEG-based and standard IFN-based therapy was 40.6% (24/59) and 20.9% (17/81), respectively. The most frequent side-effect requiring discontinuation of treatment was graft dysfunction (14 cases, 45.1%). Meta-regression analysis showed the covariates included contribute to the heterogeneity in the SVR logit rate, but not in the drop-out logit rate. The sensitivity analyses by the random model yielded very similar results to the fixed-effects model. IFN-based therapy for HCV infection post RT has poor efficacy and limited safety. PEG-based therapy is a more effective approach for treating HCV infection post-RT than standard IFN-based therapy. Future research is required to develop novel strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy and tolerability, and reduce the liver-related morbidity and mortality in this important patient population.

  6. Street choice logit model for visitors in shopping districts.

    PubMed

    Kawada, Ko; Yamada, Takashi; Kishimoto, Tatsuya

    2014-09-01

    In this study, we propose two models for predicting people's activity. The first model is the pedestrian distribution prediction (or postdiction) model by multiple regression analysis using space syntax indices of urban fabric and people distribution data obtained from a field survey. The second model is a street choice model for visitors using multinomial logit model. We performed a questionnaire survey on the field to investigate the strolling routes of 46 visitors and obtained a total of 1211 street choices in their routes. We proposed a utility function, sum of weighted space syntax indices, and other indices, and estimated the parameters for weights on the basis of maximum likelihood. These models consider both street networks, distance from destination, direction of the street choice and other spatial compositions (numbers of pedestrians, cars, shops, and elevation). The first model explains the characteristics of the street where many people tend to walk or stay. The second model explains the mechanism underlying the street choice of visitors and clarifies the differences in the weights of street choice parameters among the various attributes, such as gender, existence of destinations, number of people, etc. For all the attributes considered, the influences of DISTANCE and DIRECTION are strong. On the other hand, the influences of Int.V, SHOPS, CARS, ELEVATION, and WIDTH are different for each attribute. People with defined destinations tend to choose streets that "have more shops, and are wider and lower". In contrast, people with undefined destinations tend to choose streets of high Int.V. The choice of males is affected by Int.V, SHOPS, WIDTH (positive) and CARS (negative). Females prefer streets that have many shops, and couples tend to choose downhill streets. The behavior of individual persons is affected by all variables. The behavior of people visiting in groups is affected by SHOP and WIDTH (positive).

  7. The choice of discount brand cigarettes: A comparative analysis of International Tobacco Control (ITC) Surveys in Canada and the United States (2002–2005)

    PubMed Central

    Nargis, Nigar; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Chaloupka, Frank J.; Li, Qiang

    2014-01-01

    Background Increasing tobacco taxes to increase price is a proven tobacco control measure. This paper investigates how smokers respond to tax and price increases in their choice of discount brand cigarettes vs. premium brands. Objective To estimate how increase in the tax rate can affect smokers’ choice of discount brands versus premium brands. Methods Using data from ITC Surveys in Canada and the United States, a logit model was constructed to estimate the probability of choosing discount brand cigarettes in response to its price changes relative to premium brands, controlling for individual-specific demographic and socio-economic characteristics and regional effects. The self-reported price of an individual smoker is used in a random-effects regression model to impute price and to construct the price ratio for discount and premium brands for each smoker, which is used in the logit model. Findings An increase in the ratio of price of discount brand cigarettes to the price of premium brands by 0.1 is associated with a decrease in the probability of choosing discount brands by 0.08 in Canada. No significant effect is observed in case of the United States. Conclusion The results of the model explain two phenomena: (1) the widened price differential between premium and discount brand cigarettes contributed to the increased share of discount brand cigarettes in Canada in contrast to a relatively steady share in the United States during 2002–2005, and (2) increasing the price ratio of discount brands to premium brands—which occurs with an increase in specific excise tax—may lead to upward shifting from discount to premium brands rather than to downward shifting. These results underscore the significance of studying the effectiveness of tax increases in reducing overall tobacco consumption, particularly for specific excise taxes. PMID:23986408

  8. Street Choice Logit Model for Visitors in Shopping Districts

    PubMed Central

    Kawada, Ko; Yamada, Takashi; Kishimoto, Tatsuya

    2014-01-01

    In this study, we propose two models for predicting people’s activity. The first model is the pedestrian distribution prediction (or postdiction) model by multiple regression analysis using space syntax indices of urban fabric and people distribution data obtained from a field survey. The second model is a street choice model for visitors using multinomial logit model. We performed a questionnaire survey on the field to investigate the strolling routes of 46 visitors and obtained a total of 1211 street choices in their routes. We proposed a utility function, sum of weighted space syntax indices, and other indices, and estimated the parameters for weights on the basis of maximum likelihood. These models consider both street networks, distance from destination, direction of the street choice and other spatial compositions (numbers of pedestrians, cars, shops, and elevation). The first model explains the characteristics of the street where many people tend to walk or stay. The second model explains the mechanism underlying the street choice of visitors and clarifies the differences in the weights of street choice parameters among the various attributes, such as gender, existence of destinations, number of people, etc. For all the attributes considered, the influences of DISTANCE and DIRECTION are strong. On the other hand, the influences of Int.V, SHOPS, CARS, ELEVATION, and WIDTH are different for each attribute. People with defined destinations tend to choose streets that “have more shops, and are wider and lower”. In contrast, people with undefined destinations tend to choose streets of high Int.V. The choice of males is affected by Int.V, SHOPS, WIDTH (positive) and CARS (negative). Females prefer streets that have many shops, and couples tend to choose downhill streets. The behavior of individual persons is affected by all variables. The behavior of people visiting in groups is affected by SHOP and WIDTH (positive). PMID:25379274

  9. A comparison of multiple imputation methods for incomplete longitudinal binary data.

    PubMed

    Yamaguchi, Yusuke; Misumi, Toshihiro; Maruo, Kazushi

    2018-01-01

    Longitudinal binary data are commonly encountered in clinical trials. Multiple imputation is an approach for getting a valid estimation of treatment effects under an assumption of missing at random mechanism. Although there are a variety of multiple imputation methods for the longitudinal binary data, a limited number of researches have reported on relative performances of the methods. Moreover, when focusing on the treatment effect throughout a period that has often been used in clinical evaluations of specific disease areas, no definite investigations comparing the methods have been available. We conducted an extensive simulation study to examine comparative performances of six multiple imputation methods available in the SAS MI procedure for longitudinal binary data, where two endpoints of responder rates at a specified time point and throughout a period were assessed. The simulation study suggested that results from naive approaches of a single imputation with non-responders and a complete case analysis could be very sensitive against missing data. The multiple imputation methods using a monotone method and a full conditional specification with a logistic regression imputation model were recommended for obtaining unbiased and robust estimations of the treatment effect. The methods were illustrated with data from a mental health research.

  10. Self-declared stock ownership and association with positive trial outcome in randomized controlled trials with binary outcomes published in general medical journals: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Falk Delgado, Alberto; Falk Delgado, Anna

    2017-07-26

    Describe the prevalence and types of conflicts of interest (COI) in published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in general medical journals with a binary primary outcome and assess the association between conflicts of interest and favorable outcome. Parallel-group RCTs with a binary primary outcome published in three general medical journals during 2013-2015 were identified. COI type, funding source, and outcome were extracted. Binomial logistic regression model was performed to assess association between COI and funding source with outcome. A total of 509 consecutive parallel-group RCTs were included in the study. COI was reported in 74% in mixed funded RCTs and in 99% in for-profit funded RCTs. Stock ownership was reported in none of the non-profit RCTs, in 7% of mixed funded RCTs, and in 50% of for-profit funded RCTs. Mixed-funded RCTs had employees from the funding company in 11% and for-profit RCTs in 76%. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that stock ownership in the funding company among any of the authors was associated with a favorable outcome (odds ratio = 3.53; 95% confidence interval = 1.59-7.86; p < 0.01). COI in for-profit funded RCTs is extensive, because the factors related to COI are not fully independent, a multivariable analysis should be cautiously interpreted. However, after multivariable adjustment only stock ownership from the funding company among authors is associated with a favorable outcome.

  11. Health care seeking patterns and determinants of out-of-pocket expenditure for Malaria for the children under-five in Uganda

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background The objectives of this study were to assess the patterns of treatment seeking behaviour for children under five with malaria; and to examine the statistical relationship between out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) on malaria treatment for under-fives and source of treatment, place of residence, education and wealth characteristics of Uganda households. OOP expenditure on health care is now a development concern due to its negative effect on households’ ability to finance consumption of other basic needs. Methods The 2009 Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey was the source of data on treatment seeking behaviour for under-five children with malaria, and patterns and levels of OOP expenditure for malaria treatment. Binomial logit and Log-lin regression models were estimated. In logit model the dependent variable was a dummy (1=incurred some OOP, 0=none incurred) and independent variables were wealth quintiles, rural versus urban, place of treatment, education level, sub-region, and normal duty disruption. The dependent variable in Log-lin model was natural logarithm of OOP and the independent variables were the same as mentioned above. Results Five key descriptive analysis findings emerge. First, malaria is quite prevalent at 44.7% among children below the age of five. Second, a significant proportion seeks treatment (81.8%). Third, private providers are the preferred option for the under-fives for the treatment of malaria. Fourth, the majority pay about 70.9% for either consultation, medicines, transport or hospitalization but the biggest percent of those who pay, do so for medicines (54.0%). Fifth, hospitalization is the most expensive at an average expenditure of US$7.6 per child, even though only 2.9% of those that seek treatment are hospitalized. The binomial logit model slope coefficients for the variables richest wealth quintile, Private facility as first source of treatment, and sub-regions Central 2, East central, Mid-eastern, Mid-western, and Normal duties disrupted were positive and statistically significant at 99% level of confidence. On the other hand, the Log-lin model slope coefficients for Traditional healer, Sought treatment from one source, Primary educational level, North East, Mid Northern and West Nile variables had a negative sign and were statistically significant at 95% level of confidence. Conclusion The fact that OOP expenditure is still prevalent and private provider is the preferred choice, increasing public provision may not be the sole answer. Plans to improve malaria treatment should explicitly incorporate efforts to protect households from high OOP expenditures. This calls for provision of subsidies to enable the private sector to reduce prices, regulation of prices of malaria medicines, and reduction/removal of import duties on such medicines. PMID:23721217

  12. Attitudes towards Participation in Business Development Programmes: An Ethnic Comparison in Sweden

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbasian, Saeid; Yazdanfar, Darush

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate whether there are any differences between the attitudes towards participation in development programmes of entrepreneurs who are immigrants and those who are native-born. Design/methodology/approach: Several statistical methods, including a binary logistic regression model, were used to analyse a…

  13. 2004 Carolyn Sherif Award Address: Heart Disease and Gender Inequity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Travis, Cheryl Brown

    2005-01-01

    Individual patient records from the National Hospital Discharge Survey for 1988 and 1998 comprising approximately 10 million cases were the basis for a binary logistic regression model to predict coronary artery bypass graft. Patterns in 1988 and in 1998 indicated a dramatic and pernicious gender discrepancy in medical decisions involving bypass…

  14. Factors Affecting Code Status in a University Hospital Intensive Care Unit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Scoy, Lauren Jodi; Sherman, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The authors collected data on diagnosis, hospital course, and end-of-life preparedness in patients who died in the intensive care unit (ICU) with "full code" status (defined as receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation), compared with those who didn't. Differences were analyzed using binary and stepwise logistic regression. They found no…

  15. Impact of Perceived Risk and Friend Influence on Alcohol and Marijuana Use among Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merianos, Ashley L.; Rosen, Brittany L.; Montgomery, LaTrice; Barry, Adam E.; Smith, Matthew Lee

    2017-01-01

    We performed a secondary analysis of Adolescent Health Risk Behavior Survey data (N=937), examining associations between lifetime alcohol and marijuana use with intrapersonal (i.e., risk perceptions) and interpersonal (e.g., peer approval and behavior) factors. Multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses contend students reporting lifetime…

  16. Comparison between students and residents on determinants of willingness to separate waste and waste separation behaviour in Zhengzhou, China.

    PubMed

    Dai, Xiaoping; Han, Yuping; Zhang, Xiaohong; Hu, Wei; Huang, Liangji; Duan, Wenpei; Li, Siyi; Liu, Xiaolu; Wang, Qian

    2017-09-01

    A better understanding of willingness to separate waste and waste separation behaviour can aid the design and improvement of waste management policies. Based on the intercept questionnaire survey data of undergraduate students and residents in Zhengzhou City of China, this article compared factors affecting the willingness and behaviour of students and residents to participate in waste separation using two binary logistic regression models. Improvement opportunities for waste separation were also discussed. Binary logistic regression results indicate that knowledge of and attitude to waste separation and acceptance of waste education significantly affect the willingness of undergraduate students to separate waste, and demographic factors, such as gender, age, education level, and income, significantly affect the willingness of residents to do so. Presence of waste-specific bins and attitude to waste separation are drivers of waste separation behaviour for both students and residents. Improved education about waste separation and facilities are effective to stimulate waste separation, and charging on unsorted waste may be an effective way to improve it in Zhengzhou.

  17. [Optimization of diagnosis indicator selection and inspection plan by 3.0T MRI in breast cancer].

    PubMed

    Jiang, Zhongbiao; Wang, Yunhua; He, Zhong; Zhang, Lejun; Zheng, Kai

    2013-08-01

    To optimize 3.0T MRI diagnosis indicator in breast cancer and to select the best MRI scan program. Totally 45 patients with breast cancers were collected, and another 35 patients with benign breast tumor served as the control group. All patients underwent 3.0T MRI, including T1- weighted imaging (T1WI), fat suppression of the T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) sequence. With operation pathology results as the gold standard in the diagnosis of breast diseases, the pathological results of benign and malignant served as dependent variables, and the diagnostic indicators of MRI were taken as independent variables. We put all the indicators of MRI examination under Logistic regression analysis, established the Logistic model, and optimized the diagnosis indicators of MRI examination to further improve MRI scan of breast cancer. By Logistic regression analysis, some indicators were selected in the equation, including the edge feature of the tumor, the time-signal intensity curve (TIC) type and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value when b=500 s/mm2. The regression equation was Logit (P)=-21.936+20.478X6+3.267X7+ 21.488X3. Valuable indicators in the diagnosis of breast cancer are the edge feature of the tumor, the TIC type and the ADC value when b=500 s/mm2. Combining conventional MRI scan, DWI and dynamic enhanced MRI is a better examination program, while MRS is the complementary program when diagnosis is difficult.

  18. Determination of riverbank erosion probability using Locally Weighted Logistic Regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ioannidou, Elena; Flori, Aikaterini; Varouchakis, Emmanouil A.; Giannakis, Georgios; Vozinaki, Anthi Eirini K.; Karatzas, George P.; Nikolaidis, Nikolaos

    2015-04-01

    Riverbank erosion is a natural geomorphologic process that affects the fluvial environment. The most important issue concerning riverbank erosion is the identification of the vulnerable locations. An alternative to the usual hydrodynamic models to predict vulnerable locations is to quantify the probability of erosion occurrence. This can be achieved by identifying the underlying relations between riverbank erosion and the geomorphological or hydrological variables that prevent or stimulate erosion. Thus, riverbank erosion can be determined by a regression model using independent variables that are considered to affect the erosion process. The impact of such variables may vary spatially, therefore, a non-stationary regression model is preferred instead of a stationary equivalent. Locally Weighted Regression (LWR) is proposed as a suitable choice. This method can be extended to predict the binary presence or absence of erosion based on a series of independent local variables by using the logistic regression model. It is referred to as Locally Weighted Logistic Regression (LWLR). Logistic regression is a type of regression analysis used for predicting the outcome of a categorical dependent variable (e.g. binary response) based on one or more predictor variables. The method can be combined with LWR to assign weights to local independent variables of the dependent one. LWR allows model parameters to vary over space in order to reflect spatial heterogeneity. The probabilities of the possible outcomes are modelled as a function of the independent variables using a logistic function. Logistic regression measures the relationship between a categorical dependent variable and, usually, one or several continuous independent variables by converting the dependent variable to probability scores. Then, a logistic regression is formed, which predicts success or failure of a given binary variable (e.g. erosion presence or absence) for any value of the independent variables. The erosion occurrence probability can be calculated in conjunction with the model deviance regarding the independent variables tested. The most straightforward measure for goodness of fit is the G statistic. It is a simple and effective way to study and evaluate the Logistic Regression model efficiency and the reliability of each independent variable. The developed statistical model is applied to the Koiliaris River Basin on the island of Crete, Greece. Two datasets of river bank slope, river cross-section width and indications of erosion were available for the analysis (12 and 8 locations). Two different types of spatial dependence functions, exponential and tricubic, were examined to determine the local spatial dependence of the independent variables at the measurement locations. The results show a significant improvement when the tricubic function is applied as the erosion probability is accurately predicted at all eight validation locations. Results for the model deviance show that cross-section width is more important than bank slope in the estimation of erosion probability along the Koiliaris riverbanks. The proposed statistical model is a useful tool that quantifies the erosion probability along the riverbanks and can be used to assist managing erosion and flooding events. Acknowledgements This work is part of an on-going THALES project (CYBERSENSORS - High Frequency Monitoring System for Integrated Water Resources Management of Rivers). The project has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund - ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: THALES. Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund.

  19. A Study of Commuters’ Decision-Making When Delaying Departure for Work-Home Trips

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Que, Fangjie; Wang, Wei

    2017-12-01

    Studies on the travel behaviors and patterns of residents are important to the arrangement of urban layouts and urban traffic planning. However, research on the characteristics of the decision-making behavior regarding departure time is not fully expanded yet. In this paper, the research focuses on commuters’ decision-making behavior regarding departure delay. According to the 2013 travel survey data of Suzhou City, a nested logit (NL) model was built to represent the probabilities of individual choices. Parameter calibration was conducted, so that the significant factors influencing the departure delay were obtained. Ultimately, the results of the NL model indicated that it performed better and with higher precision, compared to the traditional multinomial logit (MNL) model.

  20. Healthy Aging Among Older Black and White Men: What Is the Role of Mastery?

    PubMed

    Latham-Mintus, Kenzie; Vowels, Ashley; Huskins, Kyle

    2018-01-11

    This research explores black-white differences in healthy aging and investigates whether mastery acts as a buffer against poor health for older black and white men. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (2008-2012), a series of binary logit models were created to assess healthy aging over a 2-year period. Healthy aging was defined as good subjective health and free of disability at both waves. Mastery was lagged, and analyses (n = 4,892) controlled for social and health factors. Black-white disparities in healthy aging were observed, where older black men had lower odds of healthy aging. Mastery was associated with higher odds of healthy aging, and race moderated the relationship between mastery and healthy aging. The predicted probability of healthy aging was relatively flat across all levels of mastery among black men, yet white men saw consistent gains in the probability of healthy aging with higher levels of mastery. In race-stratified models, mastery was not a significant predictor of healthy aging among black men. High levels of mastery are linked to positive health-often acting as a buffer against stressful life events. However, among older black men, higher levels of mastery did not necessarily equate to healthy aging. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Ordinal probability effect measures for group comparisons in multinomial cumulative link models.

    PubMed

    Agresti, Alan; Kateri, Maria

    2017-03-01

    We consider simple ordinal model-based probability effect measures for comparing distributions of two groups, adjusted for explanatory variables. An "ordinal superiority" measure summarizes the probability that an observation from one distribution falls above an independent observation from the other distribution, adjusted for explanatory variables in a model. The measure applies directly to normal linear models and to a normal latent variable model for ordinal response variables. It equals Φ(β/2) for the corresponding ordinal model that applies a probit link function to cumulative multinomial probabilities, for standard normal cdf Φ and effect β that is the coefficient of the group indicator variable. For the more general latent variable model for ordinal responses that corresponds to a linear model with other possible error distributions and corresponding link functions for cumulative multinomial probabilities, the ordinal superiority measure equals exp(β)/[1+exp(β)] with the log-log link and equals approximately exp(β/2)/[1+exp(β/2)] with the logit link, where β is the group effect. Another ordinal superiority measure generalizes the difference of proportions from binary to ordinal responses. We also present related measures directly for ordinal models for the observed response that need not assume corresponding latent response models. We present confidence intervals for the measures and illustrate with an example. © 2016, The International Biometric Society.

  2. Deletion Diagnostics for Alternating Logistic Regressions

    PubMed Central

    Preisser, John S.; By, Kunthel; Perin, Jamie; Qaqish, Bahjat F.

    2013-01-01

    Deletion diagnostics are introduced for the regression analysis of clustered binary outcomes estimated with alternating logistic regressions, an implementation of generalized estimating equations (GEE) that estimates regression coefficients in a marginal mean model and in a model for the intracluster association given by the log odds ratio. The diagnostics are developed within an estimating equations framework that recasts the estimating functions for association parameters based upon conditional residuals into equivalent functions based upon marginal residuals. Extensions of earlier work on GEE diagnostics follow directly, including computational formulae for one-step deletion diagnostics that measure the influence of a cluster of observations on the estimated regression parameters and on the overall marginal mean or association model fit. The diagnostic formulae are evaluated with simulations studies and with an application concerning an assessment of factors associated with health maintenance visits in primary care medical practices. The application and the simulations demonstrate that the proposed cluster-deletion diagnostics for alternating logistic regressions are good approximations of their exact fully iterated counterparts. PMID:22777960

  3. Detection of melamine in milk powders using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging combined with regression coefficient of partial least square regression model.

    PubMed

    Lim, Jongguk; Kim, Giyoung; Mo, Changyeun; Kim, Moon S; Chao, Kuanglin; Qin, Jianwei; Fu, Xiaping; Baek, Insuck; Cho, Byoung-Kwan

    2016-05-01

    Illegal use of nitrogen-rich melamine (C3H6N6) to boost perceived protein content of food products such as milk, infant formula, frozen yogurt, pet food, biscuits, and coffee drinks has caused serious food safety problems. Conventional methods to detect melamine in foods, such as Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), are sensitive but they are time-consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive. In this research, near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging technique combined with regression coefficient of partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was used to detect melamine particles in milk powders easily and quickly. NIR hyperspectral reflectance imaging data in the spectral range of 990-1700nm were acquired from melamine-milk powder mixture samples prepared at various concentrations ranging from 0.02% to 1%. PLSR models were developed to correlate the spectral data (independent variables) with melamine concentration (dependent variables) in melamine-milk powder mixture samples. PLSR models applying various pretreatment methods were used to reconstruct the two-dimensional PLS images. PLS images were converted to the binary images to detect the suspected melamine pixels in milk powder. As the melamine concentration was increased, the numbers of suspected melamine pixels of binary images were also increased. These results suggested that NIR hyperspectral imaging technique and the PLSR model can be regarded as an effective tool to detect melamine particles in milk powders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Measures of clustering and heterogeneity in multilevel Poisson regression analyses of rates/count data

    PubMed Central

    Austin, Peter C.; Stryhn, Henrik; Leckie, George; Merlo, Juan

    2017-01-01

    Multilevel data occur frequently in many research areas like health services research and epidemiology. A suitable way to analyze such data is through the use of multilevel regression models. These models incorporate cluster‐specific random effects that allow one to partition the total variation in the outcome into between‐cluster variation and between‐individual variation. The magnitude of the effect of clustering provides a measure of the general contextual effect. When outcomes are binary or time‐to‐event in nature, the general contextual effect can be quantified by measures of heterogeneity like the median odds ratio or the median hazard ratio, respectively, which can be calculated from a multilevel regression model. Outcomes that are integer counts denoting the number of times that an event occurred are common in epidemiological and medical research. The median (incidence) rate ratio in multilevel Poisson regression for counts that corresponds to the median odds ratio or median hazard ratio for binary or time‐to‐event outcomes respectively is relatively unknown and is rarely used. The median rate ratio is the median relative change in the rate of the occurrence of the event when comparing identical subjects from 2 randomly selected different clusters that are ordered by rate. We also describe how the variance partition coefficient, which denotes the proportion of the variation in the outcome that is attributable to between‐cluster differences, can be computed with count outcomes. We illustrate the application and interpretation of these measures in a case study analyzing the rate of hospital readmission in patients discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure. PMID:29114926

  5. A local equation for differential diagnosis of β-thalassemia trait and iron deficiency anemia by logistic regression analysis in Southeast Iran.

    PubMed

    Sargolzaie, Narjes; Miri-Moghaddam, Ebrahim

    2014-01-01

    The most common differential diagnosis of β-thalassemia (β-thal) trait is iron deficiency anemia. Several red blood cell equations were introduced during different studies for differential diagnosis between β-thal trait and iron deficiency anemia. Due to genetic variations in different regions, these equations cannot be useful in all population. The aim of this study was to determine a native equation with high accuracy for differential diagnosis of β-thal trait and iron deficiency anemia for the Sistan and Baluchestan population by logistic regression analysis. We selected 77 iron deficiency anemia and 100 β-thal trait cases. We used binary logistic regression analysis and determined best equations for probability prediction of β-thal trait against iron deficiency anemia in our population. We compared diagnostic values and receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve related to this equation and another 10 published equations in discriminating β-thal trait and iron deficiency anemia. The binary logistic regression analysis determined the best equation for best probability prediction of β-thal trait against iron deficiency anemia with area under curve (AUC) 0.998. Based on ROC curves and AUC, Green & King, England & Frazer, and then Sirdah indices, respectively, had the most accuracy after our equation. We suggest that to get the best equation and cut-off in each region, one needs to evaluate specific information of each region, specifically in areas where populations are homogeneous, to provide a specific formula for differentiating between β-thal trait and iron deficiency anemia.

  6. A new method for constructing networks from binary data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Borkulo, Claudia D.; Borsboom, Denny; Epskamp, Sacha; Blanken, Tessa F.; Boschloo, Lynn; Schoevers, Robert A.; Waldorp, Lourens J.

    2014-08-01

    Network analysis is entering fields where network structures are unknown, such as psychology and the educational sciences. A crucial step in the application of network models lies in the assessment of network structure. Current methods either have serious drawbacks or are only suitable for Gaussian data. In the present paper, we present a method for assessing network structures from binary data. Although models for binary data are infamous for their computational intractability, we present a computationally efficient model for estimating network structures. The approach, which is based on Ising models as used in physics, combines logistic regression with model selection based on a Goodness-of-Fit measure to identify relevant relationships between variables that define connections in a network. A validation study shows that this method succeeds in revealing the most relevant features of a network for realistic sample sizes. We apply our proposed method to estimate the network of depression and anxiety symptoms from symptom scores of 1108 subjects. Possible extensions of the model are discussed.

  7. Depression and incident dementia. An 8-year population-based prospective study.

    PubMed

    Luppa, Melanie; Luck, Tobias; Ritschel, Franziska; Angermeyer, Matthias C; Villringer, Arno; Riedel-Heller, Steffi G

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of depression (categorical diagnosis; major depression, MD) and depressive symptoms (dimensional diagnosis and symptom patterns) on incident dementia in the German general population. Within the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA 75+), a representative sample of 1,265 individuals aged 75 years and older were interviewed every 1.5 years over 8 years (mean observation time 4.3 years; mean number of visits 4.2). Cox proportional hazards and binary logistic regressions were used to estimate the effect of baseline depression and depressive symptoms on incident dementia. The incidence of dementia was 48 per 1,000 person-years (95% confidence interval (CI) 45-51). Depressive symptoms (Hazard ratio HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05), and in particular mood-related symptoms (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.14), showed a significant impact on the incidence of dementia only in univariate analysis, but not after adjustment for cognitive and functional impairment. MD showed only a significant impact on incidence of dementia in Cox proportional hazards regression, but not in binary logistic regression models. The present study using different diagnostic measures of depression on future dementia found no clear significant associations of depression and incident dementia. Further in-depth investigation would help to understand the nature of depression in the context of incident dementia.

  8. Psychological trauma symptoms and Type 2 diabetes prevalence, glucose control, and treatment modality among American Indians in the Strong Heart Family Study

    PubMed Central

    Jacob, Michelle M.; Gonzales, Kelly L.; Calhoun, Darren; Beals, Janette; Muller, Clemma Jacobsen; Goldberg, Jack; Nelson, Lonnie; Welty, Thomas K.; Howard, Barbara V.

    2013-01-01

    Aims The aims of this paper are to examine the relationship between psychological trauma symptoms and Type 2 diabetes prevalence, glucose control, and treatment modality among 3,776 American Indians in Phase V of the Strong Heart Family Study. Methods This cross-sectional analysis measured psychological trauma symptoms using the National Anxiety Disorder Screening Day instrument, diabetes by American Diabetes Association criteria, and treatment modality by four categories: no medication, oral medication only, insulin only, or both oral medication and insulin. We used binary logistic regression to evaluate the association between psychological trauma symptoms and diabetes prevalence. We used ordinary least squares regression to evaluate the association between psychological trauma symptoms and glucose control. We used binary logistic regression to model the association of psychological trauma symptoms with treatment modality. Results Neither diabetes prevalence (22-31%; p = 0.19) nor control (8.0-8.6; p = 0.25) varied significantly by psychological trauma symptoms categories. However, diabetes treatment modality was associated with psychological trauma symptoms categories, as people with greater burden used either no medication, or both oral and insulin medications (odds ratio = 3.1, p < 0.001). Conclusions The positive relationship between treatment modality and psychological trauma symptoms suggests future research investigate patient and provider treatment decision making. PMID:24051029

  9. A simple measure of cognitive reserve is relevant for cognitive performance in MS patients.

    PubMed

    Della Corte, Marida; Santangelo, Gabriella; Bisecco, Alvino; Sacco, Rosaria; Siciliano, Mattia; d'Ambrosio, Alessandro; Docimo, Renato; Cuomo, Teresa; Lavorgna, Luigi; Bonavita, Simona; Tedeschi, Gioacchino; Gallo, Antonio

    2018-05-04

    Cognitive reserve (CR) contributes to preserve cognition despite brain damage. This theory has been applied to multiple sclerosis (MS) to explain the partial relationship between cognition and MRI markers of brain pathology. Our aim was to determine the relationship between two measures of CR and cognition in MS. One hundred and forty-seven MS patients were enrolled. Cognition was assessed using the Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery and the Stroop Test. CR was measured as the vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-R score (VOC) and the number of years of formal education (EDU). Regression analysis included raw score data on each neuropsychological (NP) test as dependent variables and demographic/clinical parameters, VOC, and EDU as independent predictors. A binary logistic regression analysis including clinical/CR parameters as covariates and absence/presence of cognitive deficits as dependent variables was performed too. VOC, but not EDU, was strongly correlated with performances at all ten NP tests. EDU was correlated with executive performances. The binary logistic regression showed that only the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and VOC were independently correlated with the presence/absence of CD. The lower the VOC and/or the higher the EDSS, the higher the frequency of CD. In conclusion, our study supports the relevance of CR in subtending cognitive performances and the presence of CD in MS patients.

  10. Preferences for tap water attributes within couples: An exploration of alternative mixed logit parameterizations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scarpa, Riccardo; Thiene, Mara; Hensher, David A.

    2012-01-01

    Preferences for attributes of complex goods may differ substantially among members of households. Some of these goods, such as tap water, are jointly supplied at the household level. This issue of jointness poses a series of theoretical and empirical challenges to economists engaged in empirical nonmarket valuation studies. While a series of results have already been obtained in the literature, the issue of how to empirically measure these differences, and how sensitive the results are to choice of model specification from the same data, is yet to be clearly understood. In this paper we use data from a widely employed form of stated preference survey for multiattribute goods, namely choice experiments. The salient feature of the data collection is that the same choice experiment was applied to both partners of established couples. The analysis focuses on models that simultaneously handle scale as well as preference heterogeneity in marginal rates of substitution (MRS), thereby isolating true differences between members of couples in their MRS, by removing interpersonal variation in scale. The models employed are different parameterizations of the mixed logit model, including the willingness to pay (WTP)-space model and the generalized multinomial logit model. We find that in this sample there is some evidence of significant statistical differences in values between women and men, but these are of small magnitude and only apply to a few attributes.

  11. Predictors of Gender Inequalities in the Rank of Full Professor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heijstra, Thamar; Bjarnason, Thoroddur; Rafnsdóttir, Gudbjörg Linda

    2015-01-01

    This article examines whether age, work-related, and family-related predictors explain differences in the academic advancement of women and men in Iceland. Survey data were analyzed by binary logistic regression. The findings put that women climb the academic career ladder at a slower pace than men. This finding puts one of the widely known…

  12. South Texas Mexican American Use of Traditional Folk and Mainstream Alternative Therapies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez, Leslie N.

    2009-01-01

    A telephone survey was conducted with a large sample of Mexican Americans from border (n = 1,001) and nonborder (n = 1,030) regions in Texas. Patterns of traditional folk and mainstream complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use were analyzed with two binary logistic regressions, using gender, self-rated health, confidence in medical…

  13. Propensity of University Students in the Region of Antofagasta, Chile to Create Enterprise

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romani, Gianni; Didonet, Simone; Contuliano, Sue-Hellen; Portilla, Rodrigo

    2013-01-01

    The authors aim to discuss the propensity or intention to create enterprise among university students in the region of Antofagasta, Chile, and to analyze the factors that influence the step from desire to intention. 681 students were surveyed. The data were analyzed by binary logistical regression. The results show that curriculum is among the…

  14. Cigarette smoking and cutaneous damage in systemic lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Turchin, Irina; Bernatsky, Sasha; Clarke, Ann E; St-Pierre, Yvan; Pineau, Christian A

    2009-12-01

    To evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and cutaneous damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our study was performed in SLE clinic registry cohort patients, all of whom fulfilled revised American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE; patients are followed prospectively with annual assessments that include collection of demographic variables, smoking history, disease activity (SLE Disease Activity Index version 2000, SLEDAI-2K), medications, and damage scores (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index). Cumulative cutaneous damage scores were used for the primary analyses. Logistic and logit regression models were performed to examine potential associations between current smoking and cutaneous damage, controlling for age, sex, race, lupus disease duration, antimalarial or immunosuppressant use, and anti-DNA and anti-SSA antibody status. Of our sample (N = 276), 92% were women and 73.7% were Caucasian; the mean age was 45.1 years, mean disease duration 13.5 years, and 17.5% were current smokers. In the regression analyses, current cigarette smoking was associated with total cutaneous damage (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.10, 6.81) and with scarring (OR 4.70, 95 CI 1.04, 21.2). In additional analyses, current smoking was also associated with active lupus rash (OR 6.18, 95% CI 1.63, 23.3). Current cigarette smoking may be associated with cutaneous damage and active lupus rash in SLE, suggesting another reason to emphasize smoking cessation in patients with SLE.

  15. Spatial analysis of land use and shallow groundwater vulnerability in the watershed adjacent to Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    LaMotte, A.E.; Greene, E.A.

    2007-01-01

    Spatial relations between land use and groundwater quality in the watershed adjacent to Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia, USA were analyzed by the use of two spatial models. One model used a logit analysis and the other was based on geostatistics. The models were developed and compared on the basis of existing concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen in samples from 529 domestic wells. The models were applied to produce spatial probability maps that show areas in the watershed where concentrations of nitrate in groundwater are likely to exceed a predetermined management threshold value. Maps of the watershed generated by logistic regression and probability kriging analysis showing where the probability of nitrate concentrations would exceed 3 mg/L (>0.50) compared favorably. Logistic regression was less dependent on the spatial distribution of sampled wells, and identified an additional high probability area within the watershed that was missed by probability kriging. The spatial probability maps could be used to determine the natural or anthropogenic factors that best explain the occurrence and distribution of elevated concentrations of nitrate (or other constituents) in shallow groundwater. This information can be used by local land-use planners, ecologists, and managers to protect water supplies and identify land-use planning solutions and monitoring programs in vulnerable areas. ?? 2006 Springer-Verlag.

  16. Calibration power of the Braden scale in predicting pressure ulcer development.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hong-Lin; Cao, Ying-Juan; Wang, Jing; Huai, Bao-Sha

    2016-11-02

    Calibration is the degree of correspondence between the estimated probability produced by a model and the actual observed probability. The aim of this study was to investigate the calibration power of the Braden scale in predicting pressure ulcer development (PU). A retrospective analysis was performed among consecutive patients in 2013. The patients were separated into training a group and a validation group. The predicted incidence was calculated using a logistic regression model in the training group and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used for assessing the goodness of fit. In the validation cohort, the observed and the predicted incidence were compared by the Chi-square (χ 2 ) goodness of fit test for calibration power. We included 2585 patients in the study, of these 78 patients (3.0%) developed a PU. Between the training and validation groups the patient characteristics were non-significant (p>0.05). In the training group, the logistic regression model for predicting pressure ulcer was Logit(P) = -0.433*Braden score+2.616. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed no goodness fit (χ 2 =13.472; p=0.019). In the validation group, the predicted pressure ulcer incidence also did not fit well with the observed incidence (χ 2 =42.154, p=0.000 by Braden scores; and χ 2 =17.223, p=0.001 by Braden scale risk classification). The Braden scale has low calibration power in predicting PU formation.

  17. Assessing the predictors for training in management amongst hospital managers and chief executive officers: a cross-sectional study of hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ochonma, Ogbonnia Godfrey; Nwatu, Stephen Ikechukwu

    2018-06-14

    There is a compelling need for management training amongst hospital managers in Nigeria mostly because management was never a part of the curricula in medical schools and this has resulted in their deficiencies in effective policymaking, planning and bottom line management. There has been no study to the best of our knowledge on the need and likely factors that may influence the acquisition of such training by hospital managers and this in effect was the reason for this study. Data for this study came from a cross-sectional survey distributed amongst management staff in twenty five (25) hospitals that were purposively selected. One hundred and twenty five (125) questionnaires were distributed, out of which one hundred and four (104) were answered and returned giving a response rate of 83.2%. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to summarize the results. Decisions were made at 5% level of significance. A binary logistic regression was performed on the data to predict the logit of being formally and informally trained in health management. These statistical techniques were done using the IBM SPSS version 20. The result revealed a high level of formal and informal trainings amongst the respondent managers. In formal management training, only few had no training (27.9%) while in informal management training, all had obtained a form of training of which in-service training predominates (84.6%). Most of the administrators/managers also had the intention of attending healthcare management programme within the next five years (62.5%). Socio-demographically, age (p = .032) and academic qualification (p < .001) had significant influence on training. Number of hospital beds (p < .001) and number of staff (p < .001) including managers' current designation (p < .001) also had significant influence on training. Our work did establish the critical need for both formal and informal trainings in health management for health care managers. Emphasis on training should be directed at younger managers who are the least likely to acquire such trainings, the smaller and private hospitals who are less likely to encourage such trainings amongst their staff and the least educated amongst health managers.

  18. Spectroscopic and DFT study of solvent effects on the electronic absorption spectra of sulfamethoxazole in neat and binary solvent mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Almandoz, M. C.; Sancho, M. I.; Blanco, S. E.

    2014-01-01

    The solvatochromic behavior of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was investigated using UV-vis spectroscopy and DFT methods in neat and binary solvent mixtures. The spectral shifts of this solute were correlated with the Kamlet and Taft parameters (α, β and π*). Multiple lineal regression analysis indicates that both specific hydrogen-bond interaction and non specific dipolar interaction play an important role in the position of the absorption maxima in neat solvents. The simulated absorption spectra using TD-DFT methods were in good agreement with the experimental ones. Binary mixtures consist of cyclohexane (Cy)-ethanol (EtOH), acetonitrile (ACN)-dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), ACN-dimethylformamide (DMF), and aqueous mixtures containing as co-solvents DMSO, ACN, EtOH and MeOH. Index of preferential solvation was calculated as a function of solvent composition and non-ideal characteristics are observed in all binary mixtures. In ACN-DMSO and ACN-DMF mixtures, the results show that the solvents with higher polarity and hydrogen bond donor ability interact preferentially with the solute. In binary mixtures containing water, the SMX molecules are solvated by the organic co-solvent (DMSO or EtOH) over the whole composition range. Synergistic effect is observed in the case of ACN-H2O and MeOH-H2O, indicating that at certain concentrations solvents interact to form association complexes, which should be more polar than the individual solvents of the mixture.

  19. Design and analysis of simple choice surveys for natural resource management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fieberg, John; Cornicelli, Louis; Fulton, David C.; Grund, Marrett D.

    2010-01-01

    We used a simple yet powerful method for judging public support for management actions from randomized surveys. We asked respondents to rank choices (representing management regulations under consideration) according to their preference, and we then used discrete choice models to estimate probability of choosing among options (conditional on the set of options presented to respondents). Because choices may share similar unmodeled characteristics, the multinomial logit model, commonly applied to discrete choice data, may not be appropriate. We introduced the nested logit model, which offers a simple approach for incorporating correlation among choices. This forced choice survey approach provides a useful method of gathering public input; it is relatively easy to apply in practice, and the data are likely to be more informative than asking constituents to rate attractiveness of each option separately.

  20. A comparison of adaptive sampling designs and binary spatial models: A simulation study using a census of Bromus inermis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Irvine, Kathryn M.; Thornton, Jamie; Backus, Vickie M.; Hohmann, Matthew G.; Lehnhoff, Erik A.; Maxwell, Bruce D.; Michels, Kurt; Rew, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    Commonly in environmental and ecological studies, species distribution data are recorded as presence or absence throughout a spatial domain of interest. Field based studies typically collect observations by sampling a subset of the spatial domain. We consider the effects of six different adaptive and two non-adaptive sampling designs and choice of three binary models on both predictions to unsampled locations and parameter estimation of the regression coefficients (species–environment relationships). Our simulation study is unique compared to others to date in that we virtually sample a true known spatial distribution of a nonindigenous plant species, Bromus inermis. The census of B. inermis provides a good example of a species distribution that is both sparsely (1.9 % prevalence) and patchily distributed. We find that modeling the spatial correlation using a random effect with an intrinsic Gaussian conditionally autoregressive prior distribution was equivalent or superior to Bayesian autologistic regression in terms of predicting to un-sampled areas when strip adaptive cluster sampling was used to survey B. inermis. However, inferences about the relationships between B. inermis presence and environmental predictors differed between the two spatial binary models. The strip adaptive cluster designs we investigate provided a significant advantage in terms of Markov chain Monte Carlo chain convergence when trying to model a sparsely distributed species across a large area. In general, there was little difference in the choice of neighborhood, although the adaptive king was preferred when transects were randomly placed throughout the spatial domain.

  1. Categorical QSAR models for skin sensitization based on local lymph node assay measures and both ground and excited state 4D-fingerprint descriptors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Jianzhong; Kern, Petra S.; Gerberick, G. Frank; Santos-Filho, Osvaldo A.; Esposito, Emilio X.; Hopfinger, Anton J.; Tseng, Yufeng J.

    2008-06-01

    In previous studies we have developed categorical QSAR models for predicting skin-sensitization potency based on 4D-fingerprint (4D-FP) descriptors and in vivo murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) measures. Only 4D-FP derived from the ground state (GMAX) structures of the molecules were used to build the QSAR models. In this study we have generated 4D-FP descriptors from the first excited state (EMAX) structures of the molecules. The GMAX, EMAX and the combined ground and excited state 4D-FP descriptors (GEMAX) were employed in building categorical QSAR models. Logistic regression (LR) and partial least square coupled logistic regression (PLS-CLR), found to be effective model building for the LLNA skin-sensitization measures in our previous studies, were used again in this study. This also permitted comparison of the prior ground state models to those involving first excited state 4D-FP descriptors. Three types of categorical QSAR models were constructed for each of the GMAX, EMAX and GEMAX datasets: a binary model (2-state), an ordinal model (3-state) and a binary-binary model (two-2-state). No significant differences exist among the LR 2-state model constructed for each of the three datasets. However, the PLS-CLR 3-state and 2-state models based on the EMAX and GEMAX datasets have higher predictivity than those constructed using only the GMAX dataset. These EMAX and GMAX categorical models are also more significant and predictive than corresponding models built in our previous QSAR studies of LLNA skin-sensitization measures.

  2. Noise exposure-response relationships established from repeated binary observations: Modeling approaches and applications.

    PubMed

    Schäffer, Beat; Pieren, Reto; Mendolia, Franco; Basner, Mathias; Brink, Mark

    2017-05-01

    Noise exposure-response relationships are used to estimate the effects of noise on individuals or a population. Such relationships may be derived from independent or repeated binary observations, and modeled by different statistical methods. Depending on the method by which they were established, their application in population risk assessment or estimation of individual responses may yield different results, i.e., predict "weaker" or "stronger" effects. As far as the present body of literature on noise effect studies is concerned, however, the underlying statistical methodology to establish exposure-response relationships has not always been paid sufficient attention. This paper gives an overview on two statistical approaches (subject-specific and population-averaged logistic regression analysis) to establish noise exposure-response relationships from repeated binary observations, and their appropriate applications. The considerations are illustrated with data from three noise effect studies, estimating also the magnitude of differences in results when applying exposure-response relationships derived from the two statistical approaches. Depending on the underlying data set and the probability range of the binary variable it covers, the two approaches yield similar to very different results. The adequate choice of a specific statistical approach and its application in subsequent studies, both depending on the research question, are therefore crucial.

  3. The mechanical properties of high speed GTAW weld and factors of nonlinear multiple regression model under external transverse magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Lin; Chang, Yunlong; Li, Yingmin; He, Youyou

    2013-05-01

    A transverse magnetic field was introduced to the arc plasma in the process of welding stainless steel tubes by high-speed Tungsten Inert Gas Arc Welding (TIG for short) without filler wire. The influence of external magnetic field on welding quality was investigated. 9 sets of parameters were designed by the means of orthogonal experiment. The welding joint tensile strength and form factor of weld were regarded as the main standards of welding quality. A binary quadratic nonlinear regression equation was established with the conditions of magnetic induction and flow rate of Ar gas. The residual standard deviation was calculated to adjust the accuracy of regression model. The results showed that, the regression model was correct and effective in calculating the tensile strength and aspect ratio of weld. Two 3D regression models were designed respectively, and then the impact law of magnetic induction on welding quality was researched.

  4. The logistic model for predicting the non-gonoactive Aedes aegypti females.

    PubMed

    Reyes-Villanueva, Filiberto; Rodríguez-Pérez, Mario A

    2004-01-01

    To estimate, using logistic regression, the likelihood of occurrence of a non-gonoactive Aedes aegypti female, previously fed human blood, with relation to body size and collection method. This study was conducted in Monterrey, Mexico, between 1994 and 1996. Ten samplings of 60 mosquitoes of Ae. aegypti females were carried out in three dengue endemic areas: six of biting females, two of emerging mosquitoes, and two of indoor resting females. Gravid females, as well as those with blood in the gut were removed. Mosquitoes were taken to the laboratory and engorged on human blood. After 48 hours, ovaries were dissected to register whether they were gonoactive or non-gonoactive. Wing-length in mm was an indicator for body size. The logistic regression model was used to assess the likelihood of non-gonoactivity, as a binary variable, in relation to wing-length and collection method. Of the 600 females, 164 (27%) remained non-gonoactive, with a wing-length range of 1.9-3.2 mm, almost equal to that of all females (1.8-3.3 mm). The logistic regression model showed a significant likelihood of a female remaining non-gonoactive (Y=1). The collection method did not influence the binary response, but there was an inverse relationship between non-gonoactivity and wing-length. Dengue vector populations from Monterrey, Mexico display a wide-range body size. Logistic regression was a useful tool to estimate the likelihood for an engorged female to remain non-gonoactive. The necessity for a second blood meal is present in any female, but small mosquitoes are more likely to bite again within a 2-day interval, in order to attain egg maturation. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

  5. Acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits among Hispanics in United States-Mexico border communities.

    PubMed

    Ghaddar, Suad; Brown, Cynthia J; Pagán, José A; Díaz, Violeta

    2010-09-01

    To explore the relationship between acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits in the largely Hispanic populations living in underserved communities in the United States of America along the U.S.-Mexico border. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2006 to June 2008 using survey data from the Alliance for a Healthy Border, a program designed to reduce health disparities in the U.S.-Mexico border region by funding nutrition and physical activity education programs at 12 federally qualified community health centers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. The survey included questions on acculturation, diet, exercise, and demographic factors and was completed by 2,381 Alliance program participants, of whom 95.3% were Hispanic and 45.4% were under the U.S. poverty level for 2007. Chi-square (χ2) and Student's t tests were used for bivariate comparisons between acculturation and dietary and physical activity measures. Linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to control for factors associated with nutrition and exercise. Based on univariate tests and confirmed by regression analysis controlling for sociodemographic and health variables, less acculturated survey respondents reported a significantly higher frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and healthier dietary habits than those who were more acculturated. Adjusted binary logistic regression confirmed that individuals with low language acculturation were less likely to engage in physical activity than those with moderate to high acculturation (odds ratio 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.59-0.95). Findings confirmed an association between acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits and supported the hypothesis that acculturation in border community populations tends to decrease the practice of some healthy dietary habits while increasing exposure to and awareness of the importance of other healthy behaviors.

  6. Predicting High School Students' Interest in Majoring in a STEM Field: Insight into High School Students' Postsecondary Plans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lichtenberger, Eric; George-Jackson, Casey

    2013-01-01

    This study examined how various individual, family, and school level contextual factors impact the likelihood of planning to major in one of the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields for high school students. A binary logistic regression model was developed to determine the extent to which each of the covariates helped to…

  7. Community-Based Juvenile Reentry Services: The Effects of Service Dosage on Juvenile and Adult Recidivism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abrams, Laura S.; Terry, Diane; Franke, Todd M.

    2011-01-01

    In this study the authors examined the influence of length of participation in a community-based reentry program on the odds of reconviction in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. A structured telephone survey of reentry program alumni was conducted with 75 transition-age (18-25 year-old) young men. Binary logistic regression analysis…

  8. Predicators of Success for Undergraduate Students Reinstated after an Academic Dismissal at a Small Midwest Private University Campus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meador, Ryan E.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined students who successfully applied for reinstatement after being academically dismissed for the first time in order to discover indicators of future success. This study examined 666 students' appeals filed at the DeVry University Kansas City campus between 2004 and 2009. Binary logistic regression was used to discover if a…

  9. Experiences That Predict Early Career Teacher Commitment to and Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whipp, Joan L.; Geronime, Lara

    2017-01-01

    Correlation analysis was used to analyze what experiences before and during teacher preparation for 72 graduates of an urban teacher education program were associated with urban commitment, first job location, and retention in urban schools for 3 or more years. Binary logistic regression was then used to analyze whether urban K-12 schooling,…

  10. Won't You Be My Neighbor? Using an Ecological Approach to Examine the Impact of Community on Revictimization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obasaju, Mayowa A.; Palin, Frances L.; Jacobs, Carli; Anderson, Page; Kaslow, Nadine J.

    2009-01-01

    An ecological model is used to explore the moderating effects of community-level variables on the relation between childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) within a sample of 98 African American women from low incomes. Results from hierarchical, binary logistics regressions analyses show that…

  11. The cost of acquiring public hunting access on family forests lands

    Treesearch

    Michael A. Kilgore; Stephanie A. Snyder; Joesph M. Schertz; Steven J. Taff

    2008-01-01

    To address the issue of declining access to private forest land in the United States for hunting, over 1,000 Minnesota family forest owners were surveyed to estimate the cost of acquiring non-exclusive public hunting access rights. The results indicate landowner interest in selling access rights is extremely modest. Using binary logistic regression, the mean annual...

  12. Exploring the Effects of Managerial Ownership on the Decision to Go Private: A Behavioral Agency Model Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valenti, Alix; Schneider, Marguerite

    2012-01-01

    This paper utilizes the behavioral agency model to investigate why many formerly public companies have been converted to privately held corporations. Using a matched pairs sample and categorical binary regression, and controlling for effects found in previous studies, we explore how the equity ownership of those entrusted to manage firms, the…

  13. Understanding the Gap between Cognitive Abilities and Daily Living Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Average Intelligence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncan, Amie W.; Bishop, Somer L.

    2015-01-01

    Daily living skills standard scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2nd edition were examined in 417 adolescents from the Simons Simplex Collection. All participants had at least average intelligence and a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regressions were used to examine the prevalence and…

  14. Sociodemographic Barriers to Early Detection of Autism: Screening and Evaluation Using the M-CHAT, M-CHAT-R, and Follow-Up

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khowaja, Meena K.; Hazzard, Ann P.; Robins, Diana L.

    2015-01-01

    Parents (n = 11,845) completed the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (or its latest revision) at pediatric visits. Using sociodemographic predictors of maternal education and race, binary logistic regressions were utilized to examine differences in autism screening, diagnostic evaluation participation rates and outcomes, and reasons for…

  15. The Effect of Participating in Indiana's Twenty-First Century Scholars Program on College Enrollments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toutkoushian, Robert K.; Hossler, Don; DesJardins, Stephen L.; McCall, Brian; Gonzalez Canche, Manuel S.

    2015-01-01

    Our study adds to prior work on Indiana's Twenty-first Century Scholars(TFCS) program by focusing on whether participating in--rather than completing--the program affects the likelihood of students going to college and where they initially enrolled. We first employ binary and multinomial logistic regression to obtain estimates of the impact of the…

  16. Sample size adjustments for varying cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials with binary outcomes analyzed with second-order PQL mixed logistic regression.

    PubMed

    Candel, Math J J M; Van Breukelen, Gerard J P

    2010-06-30

    Adjustments of sample size formulas are given for varying cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials with a binary outcome when testing the treatment effect with mixed effects logistic regression using second-order penalized quasi-likelihood estimation (PQL). Starting from first-order marginal quasi-likelihood (MQL) estimation of the treatment effect, the asymptotic relative efficiency of unequal versus equal cluster sizes is derived. A Monte Carlo simulation study shows this asymptotic relative efficiency to be rather accurate for realistic sample sizes, when employing second-order PQL. An approximate, simpler formula is presented to estimate the efficiency loss due to varying cluster sizes when planning a trial. In many cases sampling 14 per cent more clusters is sufficient to repair the efficiency loss due to varying cluster sizes. Since current closed-form formulas for sample size calculation are based on first-order MQL, planning a trial also requires a conversion factor to obtain the variance of the second-order PQL estimator. In a second Monte Carlo study, this conversion factor turned out to be 1.25 at most. (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. A binary genetic programing model for teleconnection identification between global sea surface temperature and local maximum monthly rainfall events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Danandeh Mehr, Ali; Nourani, Vahid; Hrnjica, Bahrudin; Molajou, Amir

    2017-12-01

    The effectiveness of genetic programming (GP) for solving regression problems in hydrology has been recognized in recent studies. However, its capability to solve classification problems has not been sufficiently explored so far. This study develops and applies a novel classification-forecasting model, namely Binary GP (BGP), for teleconnection studies between sea surface temperature (SST) variations and maximum monthly rainfall (MMR) events. The BGP integrates certain types of data pre-processing and post-processing methods with conventional GP engine to enhance its ability to solve both regression and classification problems simultaneously. The model was trained and tested using SST series of Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea as potential predictors as well as classified MMR events at two locations in Iran as predictand. Skill of the model was measured in regard to different rainfall thresholds and SST lags and compared to that of the hybrid decision tree-association rule (DTAR) model available in the literature. The results indicated that the proposed model can identify potential teleconnection signals of surrounding seas beneficial to long-term forecasting of the occurrence of the classified MMR events.

  18. Predicting the "graduate on time (GOT)" of PhD students using binary logistics regression model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shariff, S. Sarifah Radiah; Rodzi, Nur Atiqah Mohd; Rahman, Kahartini Abdul; Zahari, Siti Meriam; Deni, Sayang Mohd

    2016-10-01

    Malaysian government has recently set a new goal to produce 60,000 Malaysian PhD holders by the year 2023. As a Malaysia's largest institution of higher learning in terms of size and population which offers more than 500 academic programmes in a conducive and vibrant environment, UiTM has taken several initiatives to fill up the gap. Strategies to increase the numbers of graduates with PhD are a process that is challenging. In many occasions, many have already identified that the struggle to get into the target set is even more daunting, and that implementation is far too ideal. This has further being progressing slowly as the attrition rate increases. This study aims to apply the proposed models that incorporates several factors in predicting the number PhD students that will complete their PhD studies on time. Binary Logistic Regression model is proposed and used on the set of data to determine the number. The results show that only 6.8% of the 2014 PhD students are predicted to graduate on time and the results are compared wih the actual number for validation purpose.

  19. The likelihood of achieving quantified road safety targets: a binary logistic regression model for possible factors.

    PubMed

    Sze, N N; Wong, S C; Lee, C Y

    2014-12-01

    In past several decades, many countries have set quantified road safety targets to motivate transport authorities to develop systematic road safety strategies and measures and facilitate the achievement of continuous road safety improvement. Studies have been conducted to evaluate the association between the setting of quantified road safety targets and road fatality reduction, in both the short and long run, by comparing road fatalities before and after the implementation of a quantified road safety target. However, not much work has been done to evaluate whether the quantified road safety targets are actually achieved. In this study, we used a binary logistic regression model to examine the factors - including vehicle ownership, fatality rate, and national income, in addition to level of ambition and duration of target - that contribute to a target's success. We analyzed 55 quantified road safety targets set by 29 countries from 1981 to 2009, and the results indicate that targets that are in progress and with lower level of ambitions had a higher likelihood of eventually being achieved. Moreover, possible interaction effects on the association between level of ambition and the likelihood of success are also revealed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Smooth Scalar-on-Image Regression via Spatial Bayesian Variable Selection

    PubMed Central

    Goldsmith, Jeff; Huang, Lei; Crainiceanu, Ciprian M.

    2013-01-01

    We develop scalar-on-image regression models when images are registered multidimensional manifolds. We propose a fast and scalable Bayes inferential procedure to estimate the image coefficient. The central idea is the combination of an Ising prior distribution, which controls a latent binary indicator map, and an intrinsic Gaussian Markov random field, which controls the smoothness of the nonzero coefficients. The model is fit using a single-site Gibbs sampler, which allows fitting within minutes for hundreds of subjects with predictor images containing thousands of locations. The code is simple and is provided in less than one page in the Appendix. We apply this method to a neuroimaging study where cognitive outcomes are regressed on measures of white matter microstructure at every voxel of the corpus callosum for hundreds of subjects. PMID:24729670

  1. A model to predict progression in brain-injured patients.

    PubMed

    Tommasino, N; Forteza, D; Godino, M; Mizraji, R; Alvarez, I

    2014-11-01

    The study of brain death (BD) epidemiology and the acute brain injury (ABI) progression profile is important to improve public health programs, organ procurement strategies, and intensive care unit (ICU) protocols. The purpose of this study was to analyze the ABI progression profile among patients admitted to ICUs with a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤8, as well as establishing a prediction model of probability of death and BD. This was a retrospective analysis of prospective data that included all brain-injured patients with GCS ≤8 admitted to a total of four public and private ICUs in Uruguay (N = 1447). The independent predictor factors of death and BD were studied using logistic regression analysis. A hierarchical model consisting of 2 nested logit regression models was then created. With these models, the probabilities of death, BD, and death by cardiorespiratory arrest were analyzed. In the first regression, we observed that as the GCS decreased and age increased, the probability of death rose. Each additional year of age increased the probability of death by 0.014. In the second model, however, BD risk decreased with each year of age. The presence of swelling, mass effect, and/or space-occupying lesion increased BD risk for the same given GCS. In the presence of injuries compatible with intracranial hypertension, age behaved as a protective factor that reduced the probability of BD. Based on the analysis of the local epidemiology, a model to predict the probability of death and BD can be developed. The organ potential donation of a country, region, or hospital can be predicted on the basis of this model, customizing it to each specific situation.

  2. Using data mining to predict success in a weight loss trial.

    PubMed

    Batterham, M; Tapsell, L; Charlton, K; O'Shea, J; Thorne, R

    2017-08-01

    Traditional methods for predicting weight loss success use regression approaches, which make the assumption that the relationships between the independent and dependent (or logit of the dependent) variable are linear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between common demographic and early weight loss variables to predict weight loss success at 12 months without making this assumption. Data mining methods (decision trees, generalised additive models and multivariate adaptive regression splines), in addition to logistic regression, were employed to predict: (i) weight loss success (defined as ≥5%) at the end of a 12-month dietary intervention using demographic variables [body mass index (BMI), sex and age]; percentage weight loss at 1 month; and (iii) the difference between actual and predicted weight loss using an energy balance model. The methods were compared by assessing model parsimony and the area under the curve (AUC). The decision tree provided the most clinically useful model and had a good accuracy (AUC 0.720 95% confidence interval = 0.600-0.840). Percentage weight loss at 1 month (≥0.75%) was the strongest predictor for successful weight loss. Within those individuals losing ≥0.75%, individuals with a BMI (≥27 kg m -2 ) were more likely to be successful than those with a BMI between 25 and 27 kg m -2 . Data mining methods can provide a more accurate way of assessing relationships when conventional assumptions are not met. In the present study, a decision tree provided the most parsimonious model. Given that early weight loss cannot be predicted before randomisation, incorporating this information into a post randomisation trial design may give better weight loss results. © 2017 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

  3. Estimating riparian understory vegetation cover with beta regression and copula models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eskelson, Bianca N.I.; Madsen, Lisa; Hagar, Joan C.; Temesgen, Hailemariam

    2011-01-01

    Understory vegetation communities are critical components of forest ecosystems. As a result, the importance of modeling understory vegetation characteristics in forested landscapes has become more apparent. Abundance measures such as shrub cover are bounded between 0 and 1, exhibit heteroscedastic error variance, and are often subject to spatial dependence. These distributional features tend to be ignored when shrub cover data are analyzed. The beta distribution has been used successfully to describe the frequency distribution of vegetation cover. Beta regression models ignoring spatial dependence (BR) and accounting for spatial dependence (BRdep) were used to estimate percent shrub cover as a function of topographic conditions and overstory vegetation structure in riparian zones in western Oregon. The BR models showed poor explanatory power (pseudo-R2 ≤ 0.34) but outperformed ordinary least-squares (OLS) and generalized least-squares (GLS) regression models with logit-transformed response in terms of mean square prediction error and absolute bias. We introduce a copula (COP) model that is based on the beta distribution and accounts for spatial dependence. A simulation study was designed to illustrate the effects of incorrectly assuming normality, equal variance, and spatial independence. It showed that BR, BRdep, and COP models provide unbiased parameter estimates, whereas OLS and GLS models result in slightly biased estimates for two of the three parameters. On the basis of the simulation study, 93–97% of the GLS, BRdep, and COP confidence intervals covered the true parameters, whereas OLS and BR only resulted in 84–88% coverage, which demonstrated the superiority of GLS, BRdep, and COP over OLS and BR models in providing standard errors for the parameter estimates in the presence of spatial dependence.

  4. Integration of logistic regression and multicriteria land evaluation to simulation establishment of sustainable paddy field zone in Indramayu Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nahib, Irmadi; Suryanta, Jaka; Niedyawati; Kardono, Priyadi; Turmudi; Lestari, Sri; Windiastuti, Rizka

    2018-05-01

    Ministry of Agriculture have targeted production of 1.718 million tons of dry grain harvest during period of 2016-2021 to achieve food self-sufficiency, through optimization of special commodities including paddy, soybean and corn. This research was conducted to develop a sustainable paddy field zone delineation model using logistic regression and multicriteria land evaluation in Indramayu Regency. A model was built on the characteristics of local function conversion by considering the concept of sustainable development. Spatial data overlay was constructed using available data, and then this model was built upon the occurrence of paddy field between 1998 and 2015. Equation for the model of paddy field changes obtained was: logit (paddy field conversion) = - 2.3048 + 0.0032*X1 – 0.0027*X2 + 0.0081*X3 + 0.0025*X4 + 0.0026*X5 + 0.0128*X6 – 0.0093*X7 + 0.0032*X8 + 0.0071*X9 – 0.0046*X10 where X1 to X10 were variables that determine the occurrence of changes in paddy fields, with a result value of Relative Operating Characteristics (ROC) of 0.8262. The weakest variable in influencing the change of paddy field function was X7 (paddy field price), while the most influential factor was X1 (distance from river). Result of the logistic regression was used as a weight for multicriteria land evaluation, which recommended three scenarios of paddy fields protection policy: standard, protective, and permissive. The result of this modelling, the priority paddy fields for protected scenario were obtained, as well as the buffer zones for the surrounding paddy fields.

  5. Regression analysis for solving diagnosis problem of children's health

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cherkashina, Yu A.; Gerget, O. M.

    2016-04-01

    The paper includes results of scientific researches. These researches are devoted to the application of statistical techniques, namely, regression analysis, to assess the health status of children in the neonatal period based on medical data (hemostatic parameters, parameters of blood tests, the gestational age, vascular-endothelial growth factor) measured at 3-5 days of children's life. In this paper a detailed description of the studied medical data is given. A binary logistic regression procedure is discussed in the paper. Basic results of the research are presented. A classification table of predicted values and factual observed values is shown, the overall percentage of correct recognition is determined. Regression equation coefficients are calculated, the general regression equation is written based on them. Based on the results of logistic regression, ROC analysis was performed, sensitivity and specificity of the model are calculated and ROC curves are constructed. These mathematical techniques allow carrying out diagnostics of health of children providing a high quality of recognition. The results make a significant contribution to the development of evidence-based medicine and have a high practical importance in the professional activity of the author.

  6. Use of Two-Part Regression Calibration Model to Correct for Measurement Error in Episodically Consumed Foods in a Single-Replicate Study Design: EPIC Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Agogo, George O.; van der Voet, Hilko; Veer, Pieter van’t; Ferrari, Pietro; Leenders, Max; Muller, David C.; Sánchez-Cantalejo, Emilio; Bamia, Christina; Braaten, Tonje; Knüppel, Sven; Johansson, Ingegerd; van Eeuwijk, Fred A.; Boshuizen, Hendriek

    2014-01-01

    In epidemiologic studies, measurement error in dietary variables often attenuates association between dietary intake and disease occurrence. To adjust for the attenuation caused by error in dietary intake, regression calibration is commonly used. To apply regression calibration, unbiased reference measurements are required. Short-term reference measurements for foods that are not consumed daily contain excess zeroes that pose challenges in the calibration model. We adapted two-part regression calibration model, initially developed for multiple replicates of reference measurements per individual to a single-replicate setting. We showed how to handle excess zero reference measurements by two-step modeling approach, how to explore heteroscedasticity in the consumed amount with variance-mean graph, how to explore nonlinearity with the generalized additive modeling (GAM) and the empirical logit approaches, and how to select covariates in the calibration model. The performance of two-part calibration model was compared with the one-part counterpart. We used vegetable intake and mortality data from European Prospective Investigation on Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. In the EPIC, reference measurements were taken with 24-hour recalls. For each of the three vegetable subgroups assessed separately, correcting for error with an appropriately specified two-part calibration model resulted in about three fold increase in the strength of association with all-cause mortality, as measured by the log hazard ratio. Further found is that the standard way of including covariates in the calibration model can lead to over fitting the two-part calibration model. Moreover, the extent of adjusting for error is influenced by the number and forms of covariates in the calibration model. For episodically consumed foods, we advise researchers to pay special attention to response distribution, nonlinearity, and covariate inclusion in specifying the calibration model. PMID:25402487

  7. Measurement of faculty anesthesiologists' quality of clinical supervision has greater reliability when controlling for the leniency of the rating anesthesia resident: a retrospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Dexter, Franklin; Ledolter, Johannes; Hindman, Bradley J

    2017-06-01

    Our department monitors the quality of anesthesiologists' clinical supervision and provides each anesthesiologist with periodic feedback. We hypothesized that greater differentiation among anesthesiologists' supervision scores could be obtained by adjusting for leniency of the rating resident. From July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015, our department has utilized the de Oliveira Filho unidimensional nine-item supervision scale to assess the quality of clinical supervision provided by faculty as rated by residents. We examined all 13,664 ratings of the 97 anesthesiologists (ratees) by the 65 residents (raters). Testing for internal consistency among answers to questions (large Cronbach's alpha > 0.90) was performed to rule out that one or two questions accounted for leniency. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to compare ratees while controlling for rater leniency vs using Student t tests without rater leniency. The mean supervision scale score was calculated for each combination of the 65 raters and nine questions. The Cronbach's alpha was very large (0.977). The mean score was calculated for each of the 3,421 observed combinations of resident and anesthesiologist. The logits of the percentage of scores equal to the maximum value of 4.00 were normally distributed (residents, P = 0.24; anesthesiologists, P = 0.50). There were 20/97 anesthesiologists identified as significant outliers (13 with below average supervision scores and seven with better than average) using the mixed-effects logistic regression with rater leniency entered as a fixed effect but not by Student's t test. In contrast, there were three of 97 anesthesiologists identified as outliers (all three above average) using Student's t tests but not by logistic regression with leniency. The 20 vs 3 was significant (P < 0.001). Use of logistic regression with leniency results in greater detection of anesthesiologists with significantly better (or worse) clinical supervision scores than use of Student's t tests (i.e., without adjustment for rater leniency).

  8. Novel spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous determination of timolol and dorzolamide in their binary mixture.

    PubMed

    Lotfy, Hayam Mahmoud; Hegazy, Maha A; Rezk, Mamdouh R; Omran, Yasmin Rostom

    2014-05-21

    Two smart and novel spectrophotometric methods namely; absorbance subtraction (AS) and amplitude modulation (AM) were developed and validated for the determination of a binary mixture of timolol maleate (TIM) and dorzolamide hydrochloride (DOR) in presence of benzalkonium chloride without prior separation, using unified regression equation. Additionally, simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra were developed and validated for simultaneous determination of the binary mixture namely; simultaneous ratio subtraction (SRS), ratio difference (RD), ratio subtraction (RS) coupled with extended ratio subtraction (EXRS), constant multiplication method (CM) and mean centering of ratio spectra (MCR). The proposed spectrophotometric procedures do not require any separation steps. Accuracy, precision and linearity ranges of the proposed methods were determined and the specificity was assessed by analyzing synthetic mixtures of both drugs. They were applied to their pharmaceutical formulation and the results obtained were statistically compared to that of a reported spectrophotometric method. The statistical comparison showed that there is no significant difference between the proposed methods and the reported one regarding both accuracy and precision. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Zero adjusted models with applications to analysing helminths count data.

    PubMed

    Chipeta, Michael G; Ngwira, Bagrey M; Simoonga, Christopher; Kazembe, Lawrence N

    2014-11-27

    It is common in public health and epidemiology that the outcome of interest is counts of events occurrence. Analysing these data using classical linear models is mostly inappropriate, even after transformation of outcome variables due to overdispersion. Zero-adjusted mixture count models such as zero-inflated and hurdle count models are applied to count data when over-dispersion and excess zeros exist. Main objective of the current paper is to apply such models to analyse risk factors associated with human helminths (S. haematobium) particularly in a case where there's a high proportion of zero counts. The data were collected during a community-based randomised control trial assessing the impact of mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel in Malawi, and a school-based cross sectional epidemiology survey in Zambia. Count data models including traditional (Poisson and negative binomial) models, zero modified models (zero inflated Poisson and zero inflated negative binomial) and hurdle models (Poisson logit hurdle and negative binomial logit hurdle) were fitted and compared. Using Akaike information criteria (AIC), the negative binomial logit hurdle (NBLH) and zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) showed best performance in both datasets. With regards to zero count capturing, these models performed better than other models. This paper showed that zero modified NBLH and ZINB models are more appropriate methods for the analysis of data with excess zeros. The choice between the hurdle and zero-inflated models should be based on the aim and endpoints of the study.

  10. Detecting nonsense for Chinese comments based on logistic regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhuolin, Ren; Guang, Chen; Shu, Chen

    2016-07-01

    To understand cyber citizens' opinion accurately from Chinese news comments, the clear definition on nonsense is present, and a detection model based on logistic regression (LR) is proposed. The detection of nonsense can be treated as a binary-classification problem. Besides of traditional lexical features, we propose three kinds of features in terms of emotion, structure and relevance. By these features, we train an LR model and demonstrate its effect in understanding Chinese news comments. We find that each of proposed features can significantly promote the result. In our experiments, we achieve a prediction accuracy of 84.3% which improves the baseline 77.3% by 7%.

  11. Regression trees for predicting mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease: What improvement is achieved by using ensemble-based methods?

    PubMed Central

    Austin, Peter C; Lee, Douglas S; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Tu, Jack V

    2012-01-01

    In biomedical research, the logistic regression model is the most commonly used method for predicting the probability of a binary outcome. While many clinical researchers have expressed an enthusiasm for regression trees, this method may have limited accuracy for predicting health outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the improvement that is achieved by using ensemble-based methods, including bootstrap aggregation (bagging) of regression trees, random forests, and boosted regression trees. We analyzed 30-day mortality in two large cohorts of patients hospitalized with either acute myocardial infarction (N = 16,230) or congestive heart failure (N = 15,848) in two distinct eras (1999–2001 and 2004–2005). We found that both the in-sample and out-of-sample prediction of ensemble methods offered substantial improvement in predicting cardiovascular mortality compared to conventional regression trees. However, conventional logistic regression models that incorporated restricted cubic smoothing splines had even better performance. We conclude that ensemble methods from the data mining and machine learning literature increase the predictive performance of regression trees, but may not lead to clear advantages over conventional logistic regression models for predicting short-term mortality in population-based samples of subjects with cardiovascular disease. PMID:22777999

  12. Missing Data in Alcohol Clinical Trials with Binary Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Hallgren, Kevin A.; Witkiewitz, Katie; Kranzler, Henry R.; Falk, Daniel E.; Litten, Raye Z.; O’Malley, Stephanie S.; Anton, Raymond F.

    2017-01-01

    Background Missing data are common in alcohol clinical trials for both continuous and binary endpoints. Approaches to handle missing data have been explored for continuous outcomes, yet no studies have compared missing data approaches for binary outcomes (e.g., abstinence, no heavy drinking days). The present study compares approaches to modeling binary outcomes with missing data in the COMBINE study. Method We included participants in the COMBINE Study who had complete drinking data during treatment and who were assigned to active medication or placebo conditions (N=1146). Using simulation methods, missing data were introduced under common scenarios with varying sample sizes and amounts of missing data. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of naltrexone (vs. placebo) in predicting any drinking and any heavy drinking outcomes at the end of treatment using four analytic approaches: complete case analysis (CCA), last observation carried forward (LOCF), the worst-case scenario of missing equals any drinking or heavy drinking (WCS), and multiple imputation (MI). In separate analyses, these approaches were compared when drinking data were manually deleted for those participants who discontinued treatment but continued to provide drinking data. Results WCS produced the greatest amount of bias in treatment effect estimates. MI usually yielded less biased estimates than WCS and CCA in the simulated data, and performed considerably better than LOCF when estimating treatment effects among individuals who discontinued treatment. Conclusions Missing data can introduce bias in treatment effect estimates in alcohol clinical trials. Researchers should utilize modern missing data methods, including MI, and avoid WCS and CCA when analyzing binary alcohol clinical trial outcomes. PMID:27254113

  13. Missing Data in Alcohol Clinical Trials with Binary Outcomes.

    PubMed

    Hallgren, Kevin A; Witkiewitz, Katie; Kranzler, Henry R; Falk, Daniel E; Litten, Raye Z; O'Malley, Stephanie S; Anton, Raymond F

    2016-07-01

    Missing data are common in alcohol clinical trials for both continuous and binary end points. Approaches to handle missing data have been explored for continuous outcomes, yet no studies have compared missing data approaches for binary outcomes (e.g., abstinence, no heavy drinking days). This study compares approaches to modeling binary outcomes with missing data in the COMBINE study. We included participants in the COMBINE study who had complete drinking data during treatment and who were assigned to active medication or placebo conditions (N = 1,146). Using simulation methods, missing data were introduced under common scenarios with varying sample sizes and amounts of missing data. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of naltrexone (vs. placebo) in predicting any drinking and any heavy drinking outcomes at the end of treatment using 4 analytic approaches: complete case analysis (CCA), last observation carried forward (LOCF), the worst case scenario (WCS) of missing equals any drinking or heavy drinking, and multiple imputation (MI). In separate analyses, these approaches were compared when drinking data were manually deleted for those participants who discontinued treatment but continued to provide drinking data. WCS produced the greatest amount of bias in treatment effect estimates. MI usually yielded less biased estimates than WCS and CCA in the simulated data and performed considerably better than LOCF when estimating treatment effects among individuals who discontinued treatment. Missing data can introduce bias in treatment effect estimates in alcohol clinical trials. Researchers should utilize modern missing data methods, including MI, and avoid WCS and CCA when analyzing binary alcohol clinical trial outcomes. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

  14. Correlates of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation Among Latino Children and Adolescents with Acanthosis Nigricans.

    PubMed

    Wen, Ming; Su, Dejun

    2015-10-01

    Little is known about leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) correlates in high-risk youth prone to obesity, insulin resistance, and associated morbidities. This study examined LTPA correlates among Latino youth identified with acanthosis nigricans (AN), a skin condition typically caused by metabolic impairment. Data were collected on 305 AN-positive Latino youth of ages 5-15 and one of their biological parents in 2012 from Texas. Ordinal logit regression was performed to analyze the data. Five health and behavioral LTPA correlates were identified, including child time spent in TV watching or videogame playing (OR of highest quartile vs. lowest quartile = 0.45; p = 0.01), child fair/poor health (OR 0.42; p = 0.01), parent obesity (OR 0.63; p = 0.06), parent daily physical exercise for more than 30 min (OR 2.20; p < 0.01), and parent housework time (OR 0.76; p < 0.05). Parent socioeconomic status was insignificant. For at-risk Latino youth, physical activity intervention strategies should take both behavioral and health factors into account.

  15. Gender, Alcohol Consumption Patterns, and Engagement in Sexually Intimate Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Nha Trang, Viet Nam

    PubMed Central

    Kaljee, Linda M.; Green, Mackenzie S.; Zhan, Min; Riel, Rosemary; Lerdboon, Porntip; Lostutter, Ty W.; Tho, Le Huu; Van Luong, Vo; Minh, Truong Tan

    2010-01-01

    A randomly selected cross-sectional survey was conducted with 880 youth (16 to 24 years) in Nha Trang City to assess relationships between alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors. A timeline followback method was employed. Chi-square, generalized logit modeling and logistic regression analyses were performed. Of the sample, 78.2% male and 56.1% female respondents ever consumed alcohol. Males reporting sexual behaviors (vaginal, anal, oral sex) had a significantly higher calculated peak BAC of 0.151 compared to 0.082 for males reporting no sexual intimacy (p < .0001). Females reporting sexual behaviors had a peak BAC of 0.072 compared to 0.027 for those reporting no sexual intimacy (p = .016). Fifty percent of (33/66) males and 30.4% (7/23) females report event specific drinking and engagement in sexual behaviors. Males reporting 11+ drinks in 30 days had more sexual partners than those reporting 1 to 10 drinks (p = .037). Data suggest different physical and psychosocial mediators between alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors by gender. PMID:21373363

  16. Statin initiation by GPs in WA--a structured vignette study.

    PubMed

    Stafford, Leanne; Harmer, Nichola; Dhaliwal, Satvinder; Jiwa, Moyez

    2009-09-01

    Statins are recommended for all patients with known coronary heart disease. This pilot study investigated statin initiation by a Western Australian general practitioner cohort and the influence of prescriber and patient characteristics on prescribing. A structured vignette questionnaire was posted to members of the Fremantle GP Network. Respondents indicated their prescribing decisions for nine hypothetical patients who had recently suffered a myocardial infarction. Data analysis utilised logistic regression analyses and a generalised linear model with a logit link function. Fifty-five GPs responded (16.0% response rate). In over 20% of cases a statin was not prescribed. Male (OR 4.71; 95% CI: 1.24-17.87) and GPs with fewer years in practice (4.50; 1.21-16.77) were more likely to prescribe appropriately. Younger patients (2.21; 1.38-3.53), and those with diabetes (1.74; 1.09-2.76) or hypercholesterolaemia (4.81; 2.88-8.03) were more likely to receive therapy. Prescribing practices failed to comply with current guidelines in a significant number of cases. Further research to confirm these findings is warranted.

  17. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hypertension Prevalence: Reconsidering the Role of Chronic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Hedwig; Morenoff, Jeffrey; House, James S.; Williams, David R.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. We investigated the association between anticipatory stress, also known as racism-related vigilance, and hypertension prevalence in Black, Hispanic, and White adults. Methods. We used data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, a population-representative sample of adults (n = 3105) surveyed in 2001 to 2003, to regress hypertension prevalence on the interaction between race/ethnicity and vigilance in logit models. Results. Blacks reported the highest vigilance levels. For Blacks, each unit increase in vigilance (range = 0–12) was associated with a 4% increase in the odds of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00, 1.09). Hispanics showed a similar but nonsignificant association (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.12), and Whites showed no association (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.87, 1.03). Conclusions. Vigilance may represent an important and unique source of chronic stress that contributes to the well-documented higher prevalence of hypertension among Blacks than Whites; it is a possible contributor to hypertension among Hispanics but not Whites. PMID:24228644

  18. A Multilevel Model for Comorbid Outcomes: Obesity and Diabetes in the US

    PubMed Central

    Congdon, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Multilevel models are overwhelmingly applied to single health outcomes, but when two or more health conditions are closely related, it is important that contextual variation in their joint prevalence (e.g., variations over different geographic settings) is considered. A multinomial multilevel logit regression approach for analysing joint prevalence is proposed here that includes subject level risk factors (e.g., age, race, education) while also taking account of geographic context. Data from a US population health survey (the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System or BRFSS) are used to illustrate the method, with a six category multinomial outcome defined by diabetic status and weight category (obese, overweight, normal). The influence of geographic context is partly represented by known geographic variables (e.g., county poverty), and partly by a model for latent area influences. In particular, a shared latent variable (common factor) approach is proposed to measure the impact of unobserved area influences on joint weight and diabetes status, with the latent variable being spatially structured to reflect geographic clustering in risk. PMID:20616977

  19. Business cycles, hypertension and cardiovascular disease: evidence from the Icelandic economic collapse.

    PubMed

    Asgeirsdottir, Tinna Laufey; Olafsdottir, Thorhildur; Ragnarsdottir, Dagny Osk

    2014-08-01

    Business cycles affect people's lives. A growing literature examines their effect on health outcomes. The available studies on the relationship between ambient economic conditions and cardiovascular health show mixed results. They are furthermore limited in their outcome measures, focusing mostly on mortality. We examined the relationship between economic conditions and cardiovascular disease and hypertension, using the Icelandic economic collapse of 2008. Logit regression analyses are used to examine the relationship between economic conditions and the probability of reporting a cardiovascular disease or hypertension. We furthermore investigated potential mediators of this relationship. The data used come from a health and lifestyle survey carried out by the Public Health Institute of Iceland in 2007 and 2009. The crisis was positively related to hypertension in males but no statistically significant relationship was found for females. The mediation analyses indicated partial mediation through changes in working hours and stress level, but negligible mediation through changes in income. The male hypertension was, however, suppressed by concurrent changes in smoking and body weight. Only examining mortality effects of society-wide economic conditions may understate the overall effect on cardiovascular health.

  20. Causal explanations for class inequality in health--an empirical analysis.

    PubMed

    Lundberg, O

    1991-01-01

    One of the most important issues for research on social class inequalities in health are the causes behind such differences. So far, the debate on class inequalities in health has mainly been centred around hypotheses on artefactual and selectional processes. Although most contributors to this branch of research have argued in favour of causal explanations, these have gained very little systematic scrutiny. In this article, several possible causal factors are singled out for empirical testing. The effect of these factors on class differences in physical and mental illness is studied by means of logit regressions. On the basis of these analyses, it is shown that physical working conditions are the prime source of class inequality in physical illness, although economic hardship during upbringing and health related behaviours also contribute. For class inequality in mental illness these three factors plus weak social network are important. In sum, a large part of the class differences in physical as well as mental illness can be understood as a result of systematic differences between classes in living conditions, primarily differences in working conditions.

  1. Gendered health inequalities in mental well-being? The Nordic countries in a comparative perspective.

    PubMed

    Olafsdottir, Sigrun

    2017-03-01

    The aims of this study were to: (a) compare gender differences in mental well-being in the Nordic countries with gender differences in 28 other countries around the world; and (b) evaluate whether gender differences in the Nordic countries remain when other social and lifestyle factors are taken into account. Data were obtained from 32 countries around the world that participated in the 2011 health module of the International Social Survey Programme. Ordered logit regression models were used to evaluate whether gender differences remained significant when other social and lifestyle factors were considered. Gender differences in mental well-being in the Nordic countries are not particularly small and the four countries do not cluster together. The gender differences remain when other social and lifestyle factors are taken into account. There appears to be a similar Nordic health paradox for mental well-being outcomes as for physical health outcomes. Although there may be multiple reasons for this, continued gender equality, including sex segregation in the labour market and gendered expectations, are considered to play a part.

  2. Introduction to methodology of dose-response meta-analysis for binary outcome: With application on software.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chao; Jia, Pengli; Yu, Liu; Xu, Chang

    2018-05-01

    Dose-response meta-analysis (DRMA) is widely applied to investigate the dose-specific relationship between independent and dependent variables. Such methods have been in use for over 30 years and are increasingly employed in healthcare and clinical decision-making. In this article, we give an overview of the methodology used in DRMA. We summarize the commonly used regression model and the pooled method in DRMA. We also use an example to illustrate how to employ a DRMA by these methods. Five regression models, linear regression, piecewise regression, natural polynomial regression, fractional polynomial regression, and restricted cubic spline regression, were illustrated in this article to fit the dose-response relationship. And two types of pooling approaches, that is, one-stage approach and two-stage approach are illustrated to pool the dose-response relationship across studies. The example showed similar results among these models. Several dose-response meta-analysis methods can be used for investigating the relationship between exposure level and the risk of an outcome. However the methodology of DRMA still needs to be improved. © 2018 Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  3. Predicting tree species presence and basal area in Utah: A comparison of stochastic gradient boosting, generalized additive models, and tree-based methods

    Treesearch

    Gretchen G. Moisen; Elizabeth A. Freeman; Jock A. Blackard; Tracey S. Frescino; Niklaus E. Zimmermann; Thomas C. Edwards

    2006-01-01

    Many efforts are underway to produce broad-scale forest attribute maps by modelling forest class and structure variables collected in forest inventories as functions of satellite-based and biophysical information. Typically, variants of classification and regression trees implemented in Rulequest's© See5 and Cubist (for binary and continuous responses,...

  4. Modeling Student Performance in Mathematics Using Binary Logistic Regression at Selected Secondary Schools a Case Study of Mtwara Municipality and Ilemela District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mabula, Salyungu

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the performance of secondary school students in Mathematics at the Selected Secondary Schools in Mtwara Municipality and Ilemela District by Absenteeism, Conduct, Type of School and Gender as explanatory Factors. The data used in the study was collected from documented records of 250 form three students with 1:1 gender…

  5. Factors That Contributed to Gifted Students' Success on STEM Pathways: The Role of Race, Personal Interests, and Aspects of High School Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steenbergen-Hu, Saiying; Olszewski-Kubilius, Paula

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we conducted binary logistic regression on survey data collected from 244 past participants of a Talent Search program who attended regular high schools but supplemented their regular high school education with enriched or accelerated math and science learning activities. The participants completed an online survey 4 to 6 years…

  6. Diagnostic accuracy of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus type 16 early antigens in the detection of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer.

    PubMed

    Dahlstrom, Kristina R; Anderson, Karen S; Field, Matthew S; Chowell, Diego; Ning, Jing; Li, Nan; Wei, Qingyi; Li, Guojun; Sturgis, Erich M

    2017-12-15

    Because of the current epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), a screening strategy is urgently needed. The presence of serum antibodies to HPV-16 early (E) antigens is associated with an increased risk for OPC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of antibodies to a panel of HPV-16 E antigens in screening for OPC. This case-control study included 378 patients with OPC, 153 patients with nonoropharyngeal head and neck cancer (non-OPC), and 782 healthy control subjects. The tumor HPV status was determined with p16 immunohistochemistry and HPV in situ hybridization. HPV-16 E antibody levels in serum were identified with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A trained binary logistic regression model based on the combination of all E antigens was predefined and applied to the data set. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for distinguishing HPV-related OPC from controls were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the association of head and neck cancer with the antibody status. Of the 378 patients with OPC, 348 had p16-positive OPC. HPV-16 E antibody levels were significantly higher among patients with p16-positive OPC but not among patients with non-OPC or among controls. Serology showed high sensitivity and specificity for HPV-related OPC (binary classifier: 83% sensitivity and 99% specificity for p16-positive OPC). A trained binary classification algorithm that incorporates information about multiple E antibodies has high sensitivity and specificity and may be advantageous for risk stratification in future screening trials. Cancer 2017;123:4886-94. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  7. Is parenting style a predictor of suicide attempts in a representative sample of adolescents?

    PubMed

    Donath, Carolin; Graessel, Elmar; Baier, Dirk; Bleich, Stefan; Hillemacher, Thomas

    2014-04-26

    Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are serious but not rare conditions in adolescents. However, there are several research and practical suicide-prevention initiatives that discuss the possibility of preventing serious self-harm. Profound knowledge about risk and protective factors is therefore necessary. The aim of this study is a) to clarify the role of parenting behavior and parenting styles in adolescents' suicide attempts and b) to identify other statistically significant and clinically relevant risk and protective factors for suicide attempts in a representative sample of German adolescents. In the years 2007/2008, a representative written survey of N = 44,610 students in the 9th grade of different school types in Germany was conducted. In this survey, the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was investigated as well as potential predictors including parenting behavior. A three-step statistical analysis was carried out: I) As basic model, the association between parenting and suicide attempts was explored via binary logistic regression controlled for age and sex. II) The predictive values of 13 additional potential risk/protective factors were analyzed with single binary logistic regression analyses for each predictor alone. Non-significant predictors were excluded in Step III. III) In a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, all significant predictor variables from Step II and the parenting styles were included after testing for multicollinearity. Three parental variables showed a relevant association with suicide attempts in adolescents - (all protective): mother's warmth and father's warmth in childhood and mother's control in adolescence (Step I). In the full model (Step III), Authoritative parenting (protective: OR: .79) and Rejecting-Neglecting parenting (risk: OR: 1.63) were identified as significant predictors (p < .001) for suicidal attempts. Seven further variables were interpreted to be statistically significant and clinically relevant: ADHD, female sex, smoking, Binge Drinking, absenteeism/truancy, migration background, and parental separation events. Parenting style does matter. While children of Authoritative parents profit, children of Rejecting-Neglecting parents are put at risk - as we were able to show for suicide attempts in adolescence. Some of the identified risk factors contribute new knowledge and potential areas of intervention for special groups such as migrants or children diagnosed with ADHD.

  8. Driven to Support: Individual- and County-Level Factors Associated With Public Support for Active Transportation Policies.

    PubMed

    Cradock, Angie L; Barrett, Jessica L; Chriqui, Jamie F; Evenson, Kelly R; Goins, Karin Valentine; Gustat, Jeanette; Heinrich, Katie M; Perry, Cynthia K; Scanze, Michele; Schmid, Thomas L; Tabak, Rachel G; Umstattd Meyer, M Renee; Valko, Cheryl

    2018-03-01

    To assess predictors of stated support for policies promoting physically active transportation. Cross-sectional. US counties selected on county-level physical activity and obesity health status. Participants completing random-digit dialed telephone survey (n = 906). Survey measures assessed stated support for 5 policies to promote physically active transportation, access to active transportation facilities, and time spent in a car. County-level estimates included household car dependence and funding for bicycle-pedestrian projects. Multivariable generalized linear mixed models using binary distribution and logit link, accounting for clustering within county. Respondents supported policies for accommodating bicyclists and pedestrians through street improvements (89%), school active transportation programs (75%), employer-funded active commuting incentives (67%), and allocation of public funding (68%) and tax support (56%) for building and maintaining public transit. Residents spending >2 h/d (vs <0.7 hours) in cars were more likely to support street (odds ratio [OR]: 1.87; confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-3.22) and public transit (OR: 1.85; CI: 1.24-2.77) improvements. Residents in counties investing >$1.6 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements expressed greater support for funding (OR: 1.71; CI: 1.04-2.83) and tax increases (OR: 1.73; CI: 1.08-2.75) for transit improvements compared to those with lower prior investments (<$276 100). Support for policies to enable active transportation is higher where relevant investments in active transportation infrastructure are large (>$1.6 M), public transit is nearby, and respondents drive >2 h/d.

  9. Who Wants to Save the Forest? Characterizing Community-Led Monitoring in Prey Lang, Cambodia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turreira-García, Nerea; Meilby, Henrik; Brofeldt, Søren; Argyriou, Dimitris; Theilade, Ida

    2018-06-01

    Community monitoring is believed to be successful only where there is sustained funding, legislation for communities to enforce rules, clear tenure rights, and an enabling environment created by the state. Against this backdrop, we present the case of an autonomous grassroots-monitoring network that took the initiative to protect their forest, in a context, where no external incentives and rule enforcement power were provided. The aim was to analyze the socio-demographic and economic backgrounds, motivations and achievements of forest monitors, compared to non-monitors in the same communities. A total of 137 interviews were conducted in four villages bordering Prey Lang forest in Cambodia. We used binary logit models to identify the factors that influenced the likelihood of being a monitor. Results show that there were few (22%, n = 30) active monitors. Active monitors were intrinsically motivated forest-users, and not specifically associated with a particular gender, ethnicity, or residence-time in that area. The most common interventions were with illegal loggers, and the monitors had a general feeling of success in stopping the illegal activities. Most (73%, n = 22) of them had been threatened by higher authorities and loggers. Our results show that despite the lack of power to enforce rules, absence of external funding and land-ownership rights, and enduring threats of violence and conflicts, autonomous community monitoring may take place when community members are sufficiently motivated by the risk of losing their resources.

  10. Impact of family characteristics by marital status of cohabitating adult children on depression among Korean older adults.

    PubMed

    Kim, Juyeong; Choi, Young; Choi, Jae Woo; Nam, Jin Young; Park, Eun-Cheol

    2017-12-01

    To identify the association between different living arrangements of intergenerational household composition and depression in older adults. Data from the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging, the first to fourth waves, were used. Using the first wave as baseline, our analysis included 5046 participants aged ≥60 years with at least one living child. Depression was measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Factors investigated included living arrangements according to household composition and the marital status of a cohabiting adult child. A generalized estimating equation with the logit link for binary outcomes was used to examine the association between living arrangements and depression. Compared with the older adults living with a married child and grandchildren, those living alone, those living with an unmarried child, and those living with an unmarried child and grandchildren were more likely to have depression (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.75; OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.66; OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.27-2.01). In particular, women were more likely to have depression than men in the association between living arrangements and depression. Efforts should be made to provide social services for older adults living alone and those living with an unmarried child in a two-/three-generation family, in particular, for those who are female. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2527-2536. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  11. Logistic quantile regression provides improved estimates for bounded avian counts: A case study of California Spotted Owl fledgling production

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cade, Brian S.; Noon, Barry R.; Scherer, Rick D.; Keane, John J.

    2017-01-01

    Counts of avian fledglings, nestlings, or clutch size that are bounded below by zero and above by some small integer form a discrete random variable distribution that is not approximated well by conventional parametric count distributions such as the Poisson or negative binomial. We developed a logistic quantile regression model to provide estimates of the empirical conditional distribution of a bounded discrete random variable. The logistic quantile regression model requires that counts are randomly jittered to a continuous random variable, logit transformed to bound them between specified lower and upper values, then estimated in conventional linear quantile regression, repeating the 3 steps and averaging estimates. Back-transformation to the original discrete scale relies on the fact that quantiles are equivariant to monotonic transformations. We demonstrate this statistical procedure by modeling 20 years of California Spotted Owl fledgling production (0−3 per territory) on the Lassen National Forest, California, USA, as related to climate, demographic, and landscape habitat characteristics at territories. Spotted Owl fledgling counts increased nonlinearly with decreasing precipitation in the early nesting period, in the winter prior to nesting, and in the prior growing season; with increasing minimum temperatures in the early nesting period; with adult compared to subadult parents; when there was no fledgling production in the prior year; and when percentage of the landscape surrounding nesting sites (202 ha) with trees ≥25 m height increased. Changes in production were primarily driven by changes in the proportion of territories with 2 or 3 fledglings. Average variances of the discrete cumulative distributions of the estimated fledgling counts indicated that temporal changes in climate and parent age class explained 18% of the annual variance in owl fledgling production, which was 34% of the total variance. Prior fledgling production explained as much of the variance in the fledgling counts as climate, parent age class, and landscape habitat predictors. Our logistic quantile regression model can be used for any discrete response variables with fixed upper and lower bounds.

  12. Combining binary decision tree and geostatistical methods to estimate snow distribution in a mountain watershed

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Balk, Benjamin; Elder, Kelly

    2000-01-01

    We model the spatial distribution of snow across a mountain basin using an approach that combines binary decision tree and geostatistical techniques. In April 1997 and 1998, intensive snow surveys were conducted in the 6.9‐km2 Loch Vale watershed (LVWS), Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Binary decision trees were used to model the large‐scale variations in snow depth, while the small‐scale variations were modeled through kriging interpolation methods. Binary decision trees related depth to the physically based independent variables of net solar radiation, elevation, slope, and vegetation cover type. These decision tree models explained 54–65% of the observed variance in the depth measurements. The tree‐based modeled depths were then subtracted from the measured depths, and the resulting residuals were spatially distributed across LVWS through kriging techniques. The kriged estimates of the residuals were added to the tree‐based modeled depths to produce a combined depth model. The combined depth estimates explained 60–85% of the variance in the measured depths. Snow densities were mapped across LVWS using regression analysis. Snow‐covered area was determined from high‐resolution aerial photographs. Combining the modeled depths and densities with a snow cover map produced estimates of the spatial distribution of snow water equivalence (SWE). This modeling approach offers improvement over previous methods of estimating SWE distribution in mountain basins.

  13. Multicomponent ionic liquid CMC prediction.

    PubMed

    Kłosowska-Chomiczewska, I E; Artichowicz, W; Preiss, U; Jungnickel, C

    2017-09-27

    We created a model to predict CMC of ILs based on 704 experimental values published in 43 publications since 2000. Our model was able to predict CMC of variety of ILs in binary or ternary system in a presence of salt or alcohol. The molecular volume of IL (V m ), solvent-accessible surface (Ŝ), solvation enthalpy (Δ solv G ∞ ), concentration of salt (C s ) or alcohol (C a ) and their molecular volumes (V ms and V ma , respectively) were chosen as descriptors, and Kernel Support Vector Machine (KSVM) and Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) as regression methodologies to create the models. Data was split into training and validation set (80/20) and subjected to bootstrap aggregation. KSVM provided better fit with average R 2 of 0.843, and MSE of 0.608, whereas EA resulted in R 2 of 0.794 and MSE of 0.973. From the sensitivity analysis it was shown that V m and Ŝ have the highest impact on ILs micellization in both binary and ternary systems, however surprisingly in the presence of alcohol the V m becomes insignificant/irrelevant. Micelle stabilizing or destabilizing influence of the descriptors depends upon the additives. Previous attempts at modelling the CMC of ILs was generally limited to small number of ILs in simplified (binary) systems. We however showed successful prediction of the CMC over a range of different systems (binary and ternary).

  14. Risk factors associated with the presence and severity of food insecurity in rural Honduras.

    PubMed

    Ben-Davies, Maureen E; Kinlaw, Alan; Estrada Del Campo, Yaniré; Bentley, Margaret E; Siega-Riz, Anna Maria

    2014-01-01

    To identify factors associated with the presence and severity of food insecurity among a sample of Honduran caregivers of young children. Cross-sectional study in which the dependent variable, household food insecurity, was measured using a fourteen-item questionnaire developed and validated in a population of similar cultural context. A predictive modelling strategy used backwards elimination in logistic regression and multinomial logit regression models to compute odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for food insecurity. Rural Honduras in the department of Intibucá, between March and April 2009. Two-hundred and ninety-eight Honduran caregivers of children aged 6-18 months. Ninety-three per cent of households were classified as having some degree of food insecurity (mild, moderate or severe). After controlling for caregiver age and marital status, compared with caregivers with more than primary-school education, those with less than primary-school education had 3·47 (95% CI 1·34, 8·99) times the odds of severe food insecurity and 2·29 (95% CI 1·00, 5·25) times the odds of moderate food insecurity. Our results also found that child anthropometric status was not associated with the presence or severity of food insecurity. These results show that among the sociodemographic factors assessed, food insecurity in rural Honduras is associated with maternal education. Understanding key factors associated with food insecurity that are unique to Honduras can inform the design of interventions to effectively mitigate the negative impact of food insecurity on children.

  15. Topics in Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling and its Monte Carlo Computations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tak, Hyung Suk

    The first chapter addresses a Beta-Binomial-Logit model that is a Beta-Binomial conjugate hierarchical model with covariate information incorporated via a logistic regression. Various researchers in the literature have unknowingly used improper posterior distributions or have given incorrect statements about posterior propriety because checking posterior propriety can be challenging due to the complicated functional form of a Beta-Binomial-Logit model. We derive data-dependent necessary and sufficient conditions for posterior propriety within a class of hyper-prior distributions that encompass those used in previous studies. Frequency coverage properties of several hyper-prior distributions are also investigated to see when and whether Bayesian interval estimates of random effects meet their nominal confidence levels. The second chapter deals with a time delay estimation problem in astrophysics. When the gravitational field of an intervening galaxy between a quasar and the Earth is strong enough to split light into two or more images, the time delay is defined as the difference between their travel times. The time delay can be used to constrain cosmological parameters and can be inferred from the time series of brightness data of each image. To estimate the time delay, we construct a Gaussian hierarchical model based on a state-space representation for irregularly observed time series generated by a latent continuous-time Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Our Bayesian approach jointly infers model parameters via a Gibbs sampler. We also introduce a profile likelihood of the time delay as an approximation of its marginal posterior distribution. The last chapter specifies a repelling-attracting Metropolis algorithm, a new Markov chain Monte Carlo method to explore multi-modal distributions in a simple and fast manner. This algorithm is essentially a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm with a proposal that consists of a downhill move in density that aims to make local modes repelling, followed by an uphill move in density that aims to make local modes attracting. The downhill move is achieved via a reciprocal Metropolis ratio so that the algorithm prefers downward movement. The uphill move does the opposite using the standard Metropolis ratio which prefers upward movement. This down-up movement in density increases the probability of a proposed move to a different mode.

  16. Sexual orientation, social capital and daily tobacco smoking: a population-based study.

    PubMed

    Lindström, Martin; Axelsson, Jakob; Modén, Birgit; Rosvall, Maria

    2014-06-06

    Studies have suggested poorer health in the homosexual and bisexual groups compared to heterosexuals. Tobacco smoking, which is a health-related behavior associated with psychosocial stress, may be one explanation behind such health differences. Social capital, i.e. the generalized trust in other people and social participation/social networks which decreases the costs of social interaction, has been suggested to affect health through psychosocial pathways and through norms connected with health related behaviours, The aim of this study is to investigate the association between sexual orientation and daily tobacco smoking, taking social capital into account and analyzing the attenuation of the logit after the introduction of social participation, trust and their combination in the models. In 2008 a cross-sectional public health survey was conducted in southern Sweden with a postal questionnaire with 28,198 participants aged 18-80 (55% participation rate). This study was restricted to 24,348 participants without internally missing values on all included variables. Associations between sexual orientation and tobacco smoking were analyzed with logistic regression analysis. Overall, 11.9% of the men and 14.8% of the women were daily tobacco smokers. Higher and almost unaltered odds ratios of daily smoking compared to heterosexuals were observed for bisexual men and women, and for homosexual men throughout the analyses. The odds ratios of daily smoking among homosexual women were not significant. Only for the "other" sexual orientation group the odds ratios of daily smoking were reduced to not significant levels among both men and women, with a corresponding 54% attenuation of the logit in the "other" group among men and 31.5% among women after the inclusion of social participation and trust. In addition, only the "other" sexual orientation group had higher odds ratios of low participation than heterosexuals. Bisexual men and women and homosexual men, but not homosexual women, are daily smokers to a higher extent than heterosexuals. Only for the "other" sexual orientation group the odds ratios of daily smoking were reduced to not significant levels after adjustments for covariates including trust and social participation.

  17. The impacts of health, education, family planning and electrification programs on fertility, mortality and child schooling in East Java, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Wirakartakusumah, M D

    1988-06-01

    This paper examines the effects of public health, family planning, education, electrification, and water supply programs on fertility, child mortality, and school enrollment decisions of rural households in East Java, Indonesia. The theoretical model assumes that parents maximize a utility function, subject to 1) a budget constraint that equates income with expenditures on children (including schooling and health inputs), and 2) a production function that relates health inputs to child survival possibilities. Public programs affect prices of contraceptives, schooling and health inputs, and environmental conditions that in turn affect child survival. Data are taken from the 1980 East Java Population Survey, the Socio-economic Survey, and the Detailed Village Census. The final sample consists of 3170 rural households with married women of childbearing age. Ordinary least squares and logit regressions of recent fertility, child mortality, and school enrollment on program and household variables yielded the following findings. 1) The presence of maternal and child health clinics reduced fertility but not mortality. 2) The presence of public health centers strongly reduced mortality but not fertility. 3) The presence of contraceptive distribution centers had no effect on fertility. 4) School attendance rates were influenced positively by the availability of primary and secondary schools. 5) Health and family planning programs had no effects on schooling. 6) The availability of public latrines reduced fertility and mortality. 7) The water supply variable did not affect the dependent variables when ordinary least squares techniques were applied but had statistically significant impact when logit methods were used. 8) Electricity supply had little effect on the dependent variables. 9) The mother's schooling had a strong positive correlation with children's schooling but no effect on fertility or mortality. 10) Household expenditures were related positively to school attendance and negatively to mortality. 11) There was little or no interaction between household variables and presence of government programs. 12) Subprovincial area measures of service availability appeared more appropriate for public health and family planning services, while village-level measures appeared more appropriate for schooling.

  18. Exploratory Analysis of Survey Data for Understanding Adoption of Novel Aerospace Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, Lauren M.

    In order to meet the increasing demand for manned and unmanned flight, the air transportation system must constantly evolve. As new technologies or operational procedures are conceived, we must determine their effect on humans in the system. In this research, we introduce a strategy to assess how individuals or organizations would respond to a novel aerospace system. We employ the most appropriate and sophisticated exploratory analysis techniques on the survey data to generate insight and identify significant variables. We employ three different methods for eliciting views from individuals or organizations who are affected by a system: an opinion survey, a stated preference survey, and structured interviews. We conduct an opinion survey of both the general public and stakeholders in the unmanned aircraft industry to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding unmanned aircraft. We complete a statistical analysis of the multiple-choice questions using multinomial logit and multivariate probit models and conduct qualitative analysis on free-text questions. We next present a stated preference survey of the general public on the use of an unmanned aircraft package delivery service. We complete a statistical analysis of the questions using multinomial logit, ordered probit, linear regression, and negative binomial models. Finally, we discuss structured interviews conducted on stakeholders from ANSPs and airlines operating in the North Atlantic. We describe how these groups may choose to adopt a new technology (space-based ADS-B) or operational procedure (in-trail procedures). We discuss similarities and differences between the stakeholders groups, the benefits and costs of in-trail procedures and space-based ADS-B as reported by the stakeholders, and interdependencies between the groups interviewed. To demonstrate the value of the data we generated, we explore how the findings from the surveys can be used to better characterize uncertainty in the cost-benefit analysis of aerospace systems. We demonstrate how the findings from the opinion and stated preference surveys can be infused into the cost-benefit analysis of an unmanned aircraft delivery system. We also demonstrate how to apply the findings from the interviews to characterize uncertainty in the estimation of the benefits of space-based ADS-B.

  19. Impacts of geographical locations and sociocultural traits on the Vietnamese entrepreneurship.

    PubMed

    Vuong, Quan Hoang

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents new results obtained from investigating the data from a 2015 Vietnamese entrepreneurs' survey, containing 3071 observations. Evidence from the estimations using multinomial logits was found to support relationships between several sociocultural factors and entrepreneurship-related performance or traits. Specifically, those relationships include: (a) Active participation in entrepreneurs' social networks and reported value of creativity; (b) CSR-willingness and reported entrepreneurs' perseverance; (c) Transforming of sociocultural values and entrepreneurs' decisiveness; and, (d) Lessons learned from others' failures and perceived chance of success. Using geographical locations as the control variate, evaluations of the baseline-category logits models indicate their varying effects on the outcomes when combined with the sociocultural factors that are found to be statistically significant. Empirical probabilities that give further detail about behavioral patterns are provided; and toward the end, the paper offers some conclusions with some striking insights and useful explanations on the Vietnamese entrepreneurship processes.

  20. Stability of Mixed-Strategy-Based Iterative Logit Quantal Response Dynamics in Game Theory

    PubMed Central

    Zhuang, Qian; Di, Zengru; Wu, Jinshan

    2014-01-01

    Using the Logit quantal response form as the response function in each step, the original definition of static quantal response equilibrium (QRE) is extended into an iterative evolution process. QREs remain as the fixed points of the dynamic process. However, depending on whether such fixed points are the long-term solutions of the dynamic process, they can be classified into stable (SQREs) and unstable (USQREs) equilibriums. This extension resembles the extension from static Nash equilibriums (NEs) to evolutionary stable solutions in the framework of evolutionary game theory. The relation between SQREs and other solution concepts of games, including NEs and QREs, is discussed. Using experimental data from other published papers, we perform a preliminary comparison between SQREs, NEs, QREs and the observed behavioral outcomes of those experiments. For certain games, we determine that SQREs have better predictive power than QREs and NEs. PMID:25157502

  1. Multinomial mixture model with heterogeneous classification probabilities

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holland, M.D.; Gray, B.R.

    2011-01-01

    Royle and Link (Ecology 86(9):2505-2512, 2005) proposed an analytical method that allowed estimation of multinomial distribution parameters and classification probabilities from categorical data measured with error. While useful, we demonstrate algebraically and by simulations that this method yields biased multinomial parameter estimates when the probabilities of correct category classifications vary among sampling units. We address this shortcoming by treating these probabilities as logit-normal random variables within a Bayesian framework. We use Markov chain Monte Carlo to compute Bayes estimates from a simulated sample from the posterior distribution. Based on simulations, this elaborated Royle-Link model yields nearly unbiased estimates of multinomial and correct classification probability estimates when classification probabilities are allowed to vary according to the normal distribution on the logit scale or according to the Beta distribution. The method is illustrated using categorical submersed aquatic vegetation data. ?? 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

  2. Longitudinal analysis of categorical epidemiological data: a study of Three Mile Island.

    PubMed

    Fienberg, S E; Bromet, E J; Follmann, D; Lambert, D; May, S M

    1985-11-01

    The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979 led to an unprecedented set of events with potentially life threatening implications. This paper focusses on the analysis of a longitudinal study of the psychological well-being of the mothers of young children living within 10 miles of the plant. The initial analyses of the data utilize loglinear/logit model techniques from the contingency table literature, and involve the fitting of a sequence of logit models. The inadequancies of these analyses are noted, and a new class of mixture models for logistic response structures is introduced to overcome the noted shortcomings. The paper includes a brief outline of the methodology relevant for the fitting of these models using the method of maximum likelihood, and then the model is applied to the TMI data. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the substantive implications of the mixture model analysis.

  3. Virtualized healthcare delivery: understanding users and their usage patterns of online medical consultations.

    PubMed

    Jung, Changmi; Padman, Rema

    2014-12-01

    Virtualization of healthcare delivery via patient portals has facilitated the increasing interest in online medical consultations due to its benefits such as improved convenience and flexibility, lower cost, and time savings. Despite this growing interest, adoption by both consumers and providers has been slow, and little is known about users and their usage and adoption patterns. To learn characteristics of online healthcare consumers and understand their patterns of adoption and usage of online clinical consultation services (or eVisits delivered via the portal) such as adoption time for portal users, whether adoption hazard changes over time, and what factors influence patients to become early/late adopters. Using online medical consultation records between April 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010 from four ambulatory practices affiliated with a major healthcare provider, we conduct simple descriptive analysis to understand the users of online clinical consults and their usage patterns. Multilevel Logit regression is employed to measure the effect of patient and primary care provider characteristics on the likelihood of eVisit adoption by the patient, and survival analysis and Ordered Logit regression are applied to study eVisit adoption patterns that delineate elements describing early or late adopters. On average, eVisit adopters are younger and predominantly female. Their primary care providers participate in the eVisit service, highlighting the importance of physician's role in encouraging patients to utilize the service. Patients who are familiar with the patient portal are more likely to use the service, as are patients with more complex health issues. Younger and female patients have higher adoption hazard, but gender does not affect the decision of adopting early vs. late. These adopters also access the patient portal more frequently before adoption, indicating that they are potentially more involved in managing their health. The majority of eVisits are submitted during business hours, with female physicians responding faster (from submission to reply), on average. This study addresses virtualization of primary care delivery via patient portals and online clinical consultations and examines factors that distinguish eVisit adopters from patient portal users. Among many delineating characteristics, it is particularly significant that familiarity with the patient portal service and participation of primary care provider are found to be key elements that motivate patients to become an eVisit user and early/late adopter. These findings can be used by provider organizations to design and implement strategies to improve uptake of online medical consultations to complement traditional office visits. Offering such alternative channels of care delivery may potentially improve access, efficiency and outcomes for both patients and providers alike. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Genome-wide regression and prediction with the BGLR statistical package.

    PubMed

    Pérez, Paulino; de los Campos, Gustavo

    2014-10-01

    Many modern genomic data analyses require implementing regressions where the number of parameters (p, e.g., the number of marker effects) exceeds sample size (n). Implementing these large-p-with-small-n regressions poses several statistical and computational challenges, some of which can be confronted using Bayesian methods. This approach allows integrating various parametric and nonparametric shrinkage and variable selection procedures in a unified and consistent manner. The BGLR R-package implements a large collection of Bayesian regression models, including parametric variable selection and shrinkage methods and semiparametric procedures (Bayesian reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces regressions, RKHS). The software was originally developed for genomic applications; however, the methods implemented are useful for many nongenomic applications as well. The response can be continuous (censored or not) or categorical (either binary or ordinal). The algorithm is based on a Gibbs sampler with scalar updates and the implementation takes advantage of efficient compiled C and Fortran routines. In this article we describe the methods implemented in BGLR, present examples of the use of the package, and discuss practical issues emerging in real-data analysis. Copyright © 2014 by the Genetics Society of America.

  5. Partial Least Squares with Structured Output for Modelling the Metabolomics Data Obtained from Complex Experimental Designs: A Study into the Y-Block Coding.

    PubMed

    Xu, Yun; Muhamadali, Howbeer; Sayqal, Ali; Dixon, Neil; Goodacre, Royston

    2016-10-28

    Partial least squares (PLS) is one of the most commonly used supervised modelling approaches for analysing multivariate metabolomics data. PLS is typically employed as either a regression model (PLS-R) or a classification model (PLS-DA). However, in metabolomics studies it is common to investigate multiple, potentially interacting, factors simultaneously following a specific experimental design. Such data often cannot be considered as a "pure" regression or a classification problem. Nevertheless, these data have often still been treated as a regression or classification problem and this could lead to ambiguous results. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of designing a hybrid target matrix Y that better reflects the experimental design than simple regression or binary class membership coding commonly used in PLS modelling. The new design of Y coding was based on the same principle used by structural modelling in machine learning techniques. Two real metabolomics datasets were used as examples to illustrate how the new Y coding can improve the interpretability of the PLS model compared to classic regression/classification coding.

  6. Identifying predictive features in drug response using machine learning: opportunities and challenges.

    PubMed

    Vidyasagar, Mathukumalli

    2015-01-01

    This article reviews several techniques from machine learning that can be used to study the problem of identifying a small number of features, from among tens of thousands of measured features, that can accurately predict a drug response. Prediction problems are divided into two categories: sparse classification and sparse regression. In classification, the clinical parameter to be predicted is binary, whereas in regression, the parameter is a real number. Well-known methods for both classes of problems are briefly discussed. These include the SVM (support vector machine) for classification and various algorithms such as ridge regression, LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator), and EN (elastic net) for regression. In addition, several well-established methods that do not directly fall into machine learning theory are also reviewed, including neural networks, PAM (pattern analysis for microarrays), SAM (significance analysis for microarrays), GSEA (gene set enrichment analysis), and k-means clustering. Several references indicative of the application of these methods to cancer biology are discussed.

  7. Calibration and validation of the Physical Activity Barrier Scale for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

    PubMed

    Lee, Miyoung; Zhu, Weimo; Ackley-Holbrook, Elizabeth; Brower, Diana G; McMurray, Bryan

    2014-07-01

    It is critical to employ accurate measures when assessing physical activity (PA) barriers in any subpopulation, yet existing measures are not appropriate for persons with blindness or visual impairment (PBVI) due to a lack of validity or reliability evidence. To develop and calibrate a PA barrier scale for PBVI. An expert panel (n = 3) and 18 PBVI were recruited to establish content validity for a PA barriers subscale; 160 PBVI (96 females) completed the scale along with the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities for calibration. To establish construct-related validity evidence, Confirmative factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were applied. To investigate internal consistency and reliability, Cronbach's alpha and the reliability coefficient (R) were employed, respectively. Following CFA and Rasch analyses, five items were eliminated due to misfits; reliability coefficients were unchanged upon deletion of these items. The barriers perceived by PBVI to have the most negative impact on PA included "lack of self-discipline" (logit = 1.40) and "lack of motivation" (logit = 1.27). "Too many stairs in the exercise facility" (logit = -1.49) was perceived to have the least impact. The newly-developed scale was found to be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating PA barriers in PBVI. To enhance promotion of health-producing levels of PA in PBVI, practitioners should consider applying this new tool as a precursor to programs aimed at improving PA participation in this group. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Binary Logistic Regression Analysis in Assessment and Identifying Factors That Influence Students' Academic Achievement: The Case of College of Natural and Computational Science, Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zewude, Bereket Tessema; Ashine, Kidus Meskele

    2016-01-01

    An attempt has been made to assess and identify the major variables that influence student academic achievement at college of natural and computational science of Wolaita Sodo University in Ethiopia. Study time, peer influence, securing first choice of department, arranging study time outside class, amount of money received from family, good life…

  9. The Impact of Additional Weekdays of Active Commuting to School on Children Achieving a Criterion of 300+ Minutes of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daly-Smith, Andy J. W.; McKenna, Jim; Radley, Duncan; Long, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the value of additional days of active commuting for meeting a criterion of 300+ minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 60+ mins/day x 5) during the school week. Methods: Based on seven-day diaries supported by teachers, binary logistic regression analyses were used to predict achievement of MVPA…

  10. Minimizing effects of methodological decisions on interpretation and prediction in species distribution studies: An example with background selection

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Talbert, Marian; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Brown, Cynthia; Kumar, Sunil; Manier, Daniel; Talbert, Colin; Holcombe, Tracy R.

    2017-01-01

    Evaluating the conditions where a species can persist is an important question in ecology both to understand tolerances of organisms and to predict distributions across landscapes. Presence data combined with background or pseudo-absence locations are commonly used with species distribution modeling to develop these relationships. However, there is not a standard method to generate background or pseudo-absence locations, and method choice affects model outcomes. We evaluated combinations of both model algorithms (simple and complex generalized linear models, multivariate adaptive regression splines, Maxent, boosted regression trees, and random forest) and background methods (random, minimum convex polygon, and continuous and binary kernel density estimator (KDE)) to assess the sensitivity of model outcomes to choices made. We evaluated six questions related to model results, including five beyond the common comparison of model accuracy assessment metrics (biological interpretability of response curves, cross-validation robustness, independent data accuracy and robustness, and prediction consistency). For our case study with cheatgrass in the western US, random forest was least sensitive to background choice and the binary KDE method was least sensitive to model algorithm choice. While this outcome may not hold for other locations or species, the methods we used can be implemented to help determine appropriate methodologies for particular research questions.

  11. Social Impact of Stigma Regarding Tuberculosis Hindering Adherence to Treatment: A Cross Sectional Study Involving Tuberculosis Patients in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Chowdhury, Md Rocky Khan; Rahman, Md Shafiur; Mondal, Md Nazrul Islam; Sayem, Abu; Billah, Baki

    2015-01-01

    Stigma, considered a social disease, is more apparent in developing societies which are driven by various social affairs, and influences adherence to treatment. The aim of the present study was to examine levels of social stigma related to tuberculosis (TB) in sociodemographic context and identify the effects of sociodemographic factors on stigma. The study sample consisted of 372 TB patients. Data were collected using stratified sampling with simple random sampling techniques. T tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were performed to examine correlations between stigma and sociodemographic variables. Approximately 85.9% of patients had experienced stigma. The most frequent indicator of the stigma experienced by patients involved problems taking part in social programs (79.5%). Mean levels of stigma were significantly higher in women (55.5%), illiterate individuals (60.8%), and villagers (60.8%) relative to those of other groups. Chi-square tests revealed that education, monthly family income, and type of patient (pulmonary and extrapulmonary) were significantly associated with stigma. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that stigma was influenced by sex, education, and type of patient. Stigma is one of the most important barriers to treatment adherence. Therefore, in interventions that aim to reduce stigma, strong collaboration between various institutions is essential.

  12. The Mantel-Haenszel procedure revisited: models and generalizations.

    PubMed

    Fidler, Vaclav; Nagelkerke, Nico

    2013-01-01

    Several statistical methods have been developed for adjusting the Odds Ratio of the relation between two dichotomous variables X and Y for some confounders Z. With the exception of the Mantel-Haenszel method, commonly used methods, notably binary logistic regression, are not symmetrical in X and Y. The classical Mantel-Haenszel method however only works for confounders with a limited number of discrete strata, which limits its utility, and appears to have no basis in statistical models. Here we revisit the Mantel-Haenszel method and propose an extension to continuous and vector valued Z. The idea is to replace the observed cell entries in strata of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure by subject specific classification probabilities for the four possible values of (X,Y) predicted by a suitable statistical model. For situations where X and Y can be treated symmetrically we propose and explore the multinomial logistic model. Under the homogeneity hypothesis, which states that the odds ratio does not depend on Z, the logarithm of the odds ratio estimator can be expressed as a simple linear combination of three parameters of this model. Methods for testing the homogeneity hypothesis are proposed. The relationship between this method and binary logistic regression is explored. A numerical example using survey data is presented.

  13. The Mantel-Haenszel Procedure Revisited: Models and Generalizations

    PubMed Central

    Fidler, Vaclav; Nagelkerke, Nico

    2013-01-01

    Several statistical methods have been developed for adjusting the Odds Ratio of the relation between two dichotomous variables X and Y for some confounders Z. With the exception of the Mantel-Haenszel method, commonly used methods, notably binary logistic regression, are not symmetrical in X and Y. The classical Mantel-Haenszel method however only works for confounders with a limited number of discrete strata, which limits its utility, and appears to have no basis in statistical models. Here we revisit the Mantel-Haenszel method and propose an extension to continuous and vector valued Z. The idea is to replace the observed cell entries in strata of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure by subject specific classification probabilities for the four possible values of (X,Y) predicted by a suitable statistical model. For situations where X and Y can be treated symmetrically we propose and explore the multinomial logistic model. Under the homogeneity hypothesis, which states that the odds ratio does not depend on Z, the logarithm of the odds ratio estimator can be expressed as a simple linear combination of three parameters of this model. Methods for testing the homogeneity hypothesis are proposed. The relationship between this method and binary logistic regression is explored. A numerical example using survey data is presented. PMID:23516463

  14. Cluster randomised crossover trials with binary data and unbalanced cluster sizes: application to studies of near-universal interventions in intensive care.

    PubMed

    Forbes, Andrew B; Akram, Muhammad; Pilcher, David; Cooper, Jamie; Bellomo, Rinaldo

    2015-02-01

    Cluster randomised crossover trials have been utilised in recent years in the health and social sciences. Methods for analysis have been proposed; however, for binary outcomes, these have received little assessment of their appropriateness. In addition, methods for determination of sample size are currently limited to balanced cluster sizes both between clusters and between periods within clusters. This article aims to extend this work to unbalanced situations and to evaluate the properties of a variety of methods for analysis of binary data, with a particular focus on the setting of potential trials of near-universal interventions in intensive care to reduce in-hospital mortality. We derive a formula for sample size estimation for unbalanced cluster sizes, and apply it to the intensive care setting to demonstrate the utility of the cluster crossover design. We conduct a numerical simulation of the design in the intensive care setting and for more general configurations, and we assess the performance of three cluster summary estimators and an individual-data estimator based on binomial-identity-link regression. For settings similar to the intensive care scenario involving large cluster sizes and small intra-cluster correlations, the sample size formulae developed and analysis methods investigated are found to be appropriate, with the unweighted cluster summary method performing well relative to the more optimal but more complex inverse-variance weighted method. More generally, we find that the unweighted and cluster-size-weighted summary methods perform well, with the relative efficiency of each largely determined systematically from the study design parameters. Performance of individual-data regression is adequate with small cluster sizes but becomes inefficient for large, unbalanced cluster sizes. When outcome prevalences are 6% or less and the within-cluster-within-period correlation is 0.05 or larger, all methods display sub-nominal confidence interval coverage, with the less prevalent the outcome the worse the coverage. As with all simulation studies, conclusions are limited to the configurations studied. We confined attention to detecting intervention effects on an absolute risk scale using marginal models and did not explore properties of binary random effects models. Cluster crossover designs with binary outcomes can be analysed using simple cluster summary methods, and sample size in unbalanced cluster size settings can be determined using relatively straightforward formulae. However, caution needs to be applied in situations with low prevalence outcomes and moderate to high intra-cluster correlations. © The Author(s) 2014.

  15. Methodologies for Evaluating the Impact of Contraceptive Social Marketing Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bertrand, Jane T.; And Others

    1989-01-01

    An overview of the evaluation issues associated with contraceptive social marketing programs is provided. Methodologies covered include survey techniques, cost-effectiveness analyses, retail audits of sales data, time series analysis, nested logit analysis, and discriminant analysis. (TJH)

  16. Predicting allergic contact dermatitis: a hierarchical structure activity relationship (SAR) approach to chemical classification using topological and quantum chemical descriptors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basak, Subhash C.; Mills, Denise; Hawkins, Douglas M.

    2008-06-01

    A hierarchical classification study was carried out based on a set of 70 chemicals—35 which produce allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and 35 which do not. This approach was implemented using a regular ridge regression computer code, followed by conversion of regression output to binary data values. The hierarchical descriptor classes used in the modeling include topostructural (TS), topochemical (TC), and quantum chemical (QC), all of which are based solely on chemical structure. The concordance, sensitivity, and specificity are reported. The model based on the TC descriptors was found to be the best, while the TS model was extremely poor.

  17. Association Between Socio-Demographic Background and Self-Esteem of University Students.

    PubMed

    Haq, Muhammad Ahsan Ul

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to scrutinize self-esteem of university students and explore association of self-esteem with academic achievement, gender and other factors. A sample of 346 students was selected from Punjab University, Lahore Pakistan. Rosenberg self-esteem scale with demographic variables was used for data collection. Besides descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression and t test were used for analysing the data. Significant gender difference was observed, self-esteem was significantly higher in males than females. Logistic regression indicates that age, medium of instruction, family income, student monthly expenditures, GPA and area of residence has direct effect on self-esteem; while number of siblings showed an inverse effect.

  18. glmnetLRC f/k/a lrc package: Logistic Regression Classification

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

    2016-06-09

    Methods for fitting and predicting logistic regression classifiers (LRC) with an arbitrary loss function using elastic net or best subsets. This package adds additional model fitting features to the existing glmnet and bestglm R packages. This package was created to perform the analyses described in Amidan BG, Orton DJ, LaMarche BL, et al. 2014. Signatures for Mass Spectrometry Data Quality. Journal of Proteome Research. 13(4), 2215-2222. It makes the model fitting available in the glmnet and bestglm packages more general by identifying optimal model parameters via cross validation with an customizable loss function. It also identifies the optimal threshold formore » binary classification.« less

  19. Impact of First Eye versus Second Eye Cataract Surgery on Visual Function and Quality of Life.

    PubMed

    Shekhawat, Nakul S; Stock, Michael V; Baze, Elizabeth F; Daly, Mary K; Vollman, David E; Lawrence, Mary G; Chomsky, Amy S

    2017-10-01

    To compare the impact of first eye versus second eye cataract surgery on visual function and quality of life. Cohort study. A total of 328 patients undergoing separate first eye and second eye phacoemulsification cataract surgeries at 5 veterans affairs centers in the United States. Patients with previous ocular surgery, postoperative endophthalmitis, postoperative retinal detachment, reoperation within 30 days, dementia, anxiety disorder, hearing difficulty, or history of drug abuse were excluded. Patients received complete preoperative and postoperative ophthalmic examinations for first eye and second eye cataract surgeries. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured 30 to 90 days preoperatively and postoperatively. Patients completed the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) 30 to 90 days preoperatively and postoperatively. The NEI-VFQ scores were calculated using a traditional subscale scoring algorithm and a Rasch-refined approach producing visual function and socioemotional subscale scores. Postoperative NEI-VFQ scores and improvement in NEI-VFQ scores comparing first eye versus second eye cataract surgery. Mean age was 70.4 years (±9.6 standard deviation [SD]). Compared with second eyes, first eyes had worse mean preoperative BCVA (0.55 vs. 0.36 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), P < 0.001), greater mean BCVA improvement after surgery (-0.50 vs. -0.32 logMAR, P < 0.001), and slightly worse postoperative BCVA (0.06 vs. 0.03 logMAR, P = 0.039). Compared with first eye surgery, second eye surgery resulted in higher postoperative NEI-VFQ scores for nearly all traditional subscales (P < 0.001), visual function subscale (-3.85 vs. -2.91 logits, P < 0.001), and socioemotional subscale (-2.63 vs. -2.10 logits, P < 0.001). First eye surgery improved visual function scores more than second eye surgery (-2.99 vs. -2.67 logits, P = 0.021), but both first and second eye surgeries resulted in similar improvements in socioemotional scores (-1.62 vs. -1.51 logits, P = 0.255). Second eye cataract surgery improves visual function and quality of life well beyond levels achieved after first eye cataract surgery alone. For certain socioemotional aspects of quality of life, second eye cataract surgery results in comparable improvement to first eye cataract surgery. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved.

  20. A model of the evaporation of binary-fuel clusters of drops

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harstad, K.; Bellan, J.

    1991-01-01

    A formulation has been developed to describe the evaporation of dense or dilute clusters of binary-fuel drops. The binary fuel is assumed to be made of a solute and a solvent whose volatility is much lower than that of the solute. Convective flow effects, inducing a circulatory motion inside the drops, are taken into account, as well as turbulence external to the cluster volume. Results obtained with this model show that, similar to the conclusions for single isolated drops, the evaporation of the volatile is controlled by liquid mass diffusion when the cluster is dilute. In contrast, when the cluster is dense, the evaporation of the volatile is controlled by surface layer stripping, that is, by the regression rate of the drop, which is in fact controlled by the evaporation rate of the solvent. These conclusions are in agreement with existing experimental observations. Parametric studies show that these conclusions remain valid with changes in ambient temperature, initial slip velocity between drops and gas, initial drop size, initial cluster size, initial liquid mass fraction of the solute, and various combinations of solvent and solute. The implications of these results for computationally intensive combustor calculations are discussed.

  1. Estimating the Probability of Rare Events Occurring Using a Local Model Averaging.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jin-Hua; Chen, Chun-Shu; Huang, Meng-Fan; Lin, Hung-Chih

    2016-10-01

    In statistical applications, logistic regression is a popular method for analyzing binary data accompanied by explanatory variables. But when one of the two outcomes is rare, the estimation of model parameters has been shown to be severely biased and hence estimating the probability of rare events occurring based on a logistic regression model would be inaccurate. In this article, we focus on estimating the probability of rare events occurring based on logistic regression models. Instead of selecting a best model, we propose a local model averaging procedure based on a data perturbation technique applied to different information criteria to obtain different probability estimates of rare events occurring. Then an approximately unbiased estimator of Kullback-Leibler loss is used to choose the best one among them. We design complete simulations to show the effectiveness of our approach. For illustration, a necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) data set is analyzed. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

  2. Automated particle identification through regression analysis of size, shape and colour

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez Luna, J. C.; Cooper, J. M.; Neale, S. L.

    2016-04-01

    Rapid point of care diagnostic tests and tests to provide therapeutic information are now available for a range of specific conditions from the measurement of blood glucose levels for diabetes to card agglutination tests for parasitic infections. Due to a lack of specificity these test are often then backed up by more conventional lab based diagnostic methods for example a card agglutination test may be carried out for a suspected parasitic infection in the field and if positive a blood sample can then be sent to a lab for confirmation. The eventual diagnosis is often achieved by microscopic examination of the sample. In this paper we propose a computerized vision system for aiding in the diagnostic process; this system used a novel particle recognition algorithm to improve specificity and speed during the diagnostic process. We will show the detection and classification of different types of cells in a diluted blood sample using regression analysis of their size, shape and colour. The first step is to define the objects to be tracked by a Gaussian Mixture Model for background subtraction and binary opening and closing for noise suppression. After subtracting the objects of interest from the background the next challenge is to predict if a given object belongs to a certain category or not. This is a classification problem, and the output of the algorithm is a Boolean value (true/false). As such the computer program should be able to "predict" with reasonable level of confidence if a given particle belongs to the kind we are looking for or not. We show the use of a binary logistic regression analysis with three continuous predictors: size, shape and color histogram. The results suggest this variables could be very useful in a logistic regression equation as they proved to have a relatively high predictive value on their own.

  3. Using a binary logistic regression method and GIS for evaluating and mapping the groundwater spring potential in the Sultan Mountains (Aksehir, Turkey)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozdemir, Adnan

    2011-07-01

    SummaryThe purpose of this study is to produce a groundwater spring potential map of the Sultan Mountains in central Turkey, based on a logistic regression method within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Using field surveys, the locations of the springs (440 springs) were determined in the study area. In this study, 17 spring-related factors were used in the analysis: geology, relative permeability, land use/land cover, precipitation, elevation, slope, aspect, total curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, wetness index, stream power index, sediment transport capacity index, distance to drainage, distance to fault, drainage density, and fault density map. The coefficients of the predictor variables were estimated using binary logistic regression analysis and were used to calculate the groundwater spring potential for the entire study area. The accuracy of the final spring potential map was evaluated based on the observed springs. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by calculating the relative operating characteristics. The area value of the relative operating characteristic curve model was found to be 0.82. These results indicate that the model is a good estimator of the spring potential in the study area. The spring potential map shows that the areas of very low, low, moderate and high groundwater spring potential classes are 105.586 km 2 (28.99%), 74.271 km 2 (19.906%), 101.203 km 2 (27.14%), and 90.05 km 2 (24.671%), respectively. The interpretations of the potential map showed that stream power index, relative permeability of lithologies, geology, elevation, aspect, wetness index, plan curvature, and drainage density play major roles in spring occurrence and distribution in the Sultan Mountains. The logistic regression approach has not yet been used to delineate groundwater potential zones. In this study, the logistic regression method was used to locate potential zones for groundwater springs in the Sultan Mountains. The evolved model was found to be in strong agreement with the available groundwater spring test data. Hence, this method can be used routinely in groundwater exploration under favourable conditions.

  4. Low-Level Stratus Prediction Using Binary Statistical Regression: A Progress Report Using Moffett Field Data.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-12-01

    analysis; such work is not reported here. It seems pos- sible that a robust principle component analysis may he informa- tive (see Gnanadesikan (1977...Statistics in Atmospheric Sciences, American Meteorological Soc., Boston, Mass. (1979) pp. 46-48. a Gnanadesikan , R., Methods for Statistical Data...North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 20742 Dr. R. Gnanadesikan Bell Telephone Lab Murray Hill, NJ 07733 -%.. *5%a: *1 *15 I ,, - . . , ,, ... . . . . . . NO

  5. Collisional redistribution of radiation. II - The effects of degeneracy on the equations of motion for the density matrix. III - The equation of motion for the correlation function and the scattered spectrum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burnett, K.; Cooper, J.

    1980-01-01

    The effect of correlations between an absorber atom and perturbers in the binary-collision approximation are applied to degenerate atomic systems. A generalized absorption profile which specifies the final state of the atom after an absorption event is related to the total intensities of Rayleigh scattering and fluorescence from the atom. It is suggested that additional dynamical information to that obtainable from ordinary absorption experiments is required in order to describe redistributed atomic radiation. The scattering of monochromatic radiation by a degenerate atom is computed in a binary-collision approximation; an equation of motion is derived for the correlation function which is valid outside the quantum-regression regime. Solutions are given for the weak-field conditions in terms of generalized absorption and emission profiles that depend on the indices of the atomic multipoles.

  6. A comparative study of the use of powder X-ray diffraction, Raman and near infrared spectroscopy for quantification of binary polymorphic mixtures of piracetam.

    PubMed

    Croker, Denise M; Hennigan, Michelle C; Maher, Anthony; Hu, Yun; Ryder, Alan G; Hodnett, Benjamin K

    2012-04-07

    Diffraction and spectroscopic methods were evaluated for quantitative analysis of binary powder mixtures of FII(6.403) and FIII(6.525) piracetam. The two polymorphs of piracetam could be distinguished using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that Raman and NIR spectroscopy are most suitable for quantitative analysis of this polymorphic mixture. When the spectra are treated with the combination of multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and second derivative data pretreatments, the partial least squared (PLS) regression model gave a root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.94 and 0.99%, respectively. FIII(6.525) demonstrated some preferred orientation in PXRD analysis, making PXRD the least preferred method of quantification. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Two-Part and Related Regression Models for Longitudinal Data

    PubMed Central

    Farewell, V.T.; Long, D.L.; Tom, B.D.M.; Yiu, S.; Su, L.

    2017-01-01

    Statistical models that involve a two-part mixture distribution are applicable in a variety of situations. Frequently, the two parts are a model for the binary response variable and a model for the outcome variable that is conditioned on the binary response. Two common examples are zero-inflated or hurdle models for count data and two-part models for semicontinuous data. Recently, there has been particular interest in the use of these models for the analysis of repeated measures of an outcome variable over time. The aim of this review is to consider motivations for the use of such models in this context and to highlight the central issues that arise with their use. We examine two-part models for semicontinuous and zero-heavy count data, and we also consider models for count data with a two-part random effects distribution. PMID:28890906

  8. Advanced spectrophotometric chemometric methods for resolving the binary mixture of doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride.

    PubMed

    Katsarov, Plamen; Gergov, Georgi; Alin, Aylin; Pilicheva, Bissera; Al-Degs, Yahya; Simeonov, Vasil; Kassarova, Margarita

    2018-03-01

    The prediction power of partial least squares (PLS) and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) methods have been studied for simultaneous quantitative analysis of the binary drug combination - doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride. Analysis of first-order UV overlapped spectra was performed using different PLS models - classical PLS1 and PLS2 as well as partial robust M-regression (PRM). These linear models were compared to MCR-ALS with equality and correlation constraints (MCR-ALS-CC). All techniques operated within the full spectral region and extracted maximum information for the drugs analysed. The developed chemometric methods were validated on external sample sets and were applied to the analyses of pharmaceutical formulations. The obtained statistical parameters were satisfactory for calibration and validation sets. All developed methods can be successfully applied for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of doxylamine and pyridoxine both in laboratory-prepared mixtures and commercial dosage forms.

  9. The As-Cu-Ni System: A Chemical Thermodynamic Model for Ancient Recycling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabatini, Benjamin J.

    2015-12-01

    This article is the first thermodynamically reasoned ancient metal system assessment intended for use by archaeologists and archaeometallurgists to aid in the interpretation of remelted/recycled copper alloys composed of arsenic and copper, and arsenic, copper, and nickel. These models are meant to fulfill two main purposes: first, to be applied toward the identification of progressive and regressive temporal changes in artifact chemistry that would have occurred due to recycling, and second, to provide thermodynamic insight into why such metal combinations existed in antiquity. Built on well-established thermodynamics, these models were created using a combination of custom-written software and published binary thermodynamic systems data adjusted to within the boundary conditions of 1200°C and 1 atm. Using these parameters, the behavior of each element and their likelihood of loss in the binaries As-Cu, As-Ni, Cu-Ni, and ternary As-Cu-Ni, systems, under assumed ancient furnace conditions, was determined.

  10. Airport Choice in Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area: An Application of the Conditional Logit Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moreno, Marcelo Baena; Muller, Carlos

    2003-01-01

    Using the conditional LOGIT model, this paper addresses the airport choice in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area. In this region, Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) and Congonhas Airport (CGH) compete for passengers flying to several domestic destinations. The airport choice is believed to be a result of the tradeoff passengers perform considering airport access characteristics, airline level of service characteristics and passenger experience with the analyzed airports. It was found that access time to the airports better explain the airport choice than access distance, whereas direct flight frequencies gives better explanation to the airport choice than the indirect (connections and stops) and total (direct plus indirect) flight frequencies. Out of 15 tested variables, passenger experience with the analyzed airports was the variable that best explained the airport choice in the region. Model specifications considering 1, 2 or 3 variables were tested. The model specification most adjusted to the observed data considered access time, direct flight frequencies in the travel period (morning or afternoon peak) and passenger experience with the analyzed airports. The influence of these variables was therefore analyzed across market segments according to departure airport and flight duration criteria. The choice of GRU (located neighboring Sao Paulo city) is not well explained by the rationality of access time economy and the increase of the supply of direct flight frequencies, while the choice of CGH (located inside Sao Paulo city) is. Access time was found to be more important to passengers flying shorter distances while direct flight frequencies in the travel period were more significant to those flying longer distances. Keywords: Airport choice, Multiple airport region, Conditional LOGIT model, Access time, Flight frequencies, Passenger experience with the analyzed airports, Transportation planning

  11. A practical method to test the validity of the standard Gumbel distribution in logit-based multinomial choice models of travel behavior

    DOE PAGES

    Ye, Xin; Garikapati, Venu M.; You, Daehyun; ...

    2017-11-08

    Most multinomial choice models (e.g., the multinomial logit model) adopted in practice assume an extreme-value Gumbel distribution for the random components (error terms) of utility functions. This distributional assumption offers a closed-form likelihood expression when the utility maximization principle is applied to model choice behaviors. As a result, model coefficients can be easily estimated using the standard maximum likelihood estimation method. However, maximum likelihood estimators are consistent and efficient only if distributional assumptions on the random error terms are valid. It is therefore critical to test the validity of underlying distributional assumptions on the error terms that form the basismore » of parameter estimation and policy evaluation. In this paper, a practical yet statistically rigorous method is proposed to test the validity of the distributional assumption on the random components of utility functions in both the multinomial logit (MNL) model and multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model. Based on a semi-nonparametric approach, a closed-form likelihood function that nests the MNL or MDCEV model being tested is derived. The proposed method allows traditional likelihood ratio tests to be used to test violations of the standard Gumbel distribution assumption. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate that the proposed test yields acceptable Type-I and Type-II error probabilities at commonly available sample sizes. The test is then applied to three real-world discrete and discrete-continuous choice models. For all three models, the proposed test rejects the validity of the standard Gumbel distribution in most utility functions, calling for the development of robust choice models that overcome adverse effects of violations of distributional assumptions on the error terms in random utility functions.« less

  12. A practical method to test the validity of the standard Gumbel distribution in logit-based multinomial choice models of travel behavior

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

    Ye, Xin; Garikapati, Venu M.; You, Daehyun

    Most multinomial choice models (e.g., the multinomial logit model) adopted in practice assume an extreme-value Gumbel distribution for the random components (error terms) of utility functions. This distributional assumption offers a closed-form likelihood expression when the utility maximization principle is applied to model choice behaviors. As a result, model coefficients can be easily estimated using the standard maximum likelihood estimation method. However, maximum likelihood estimators are consistent and efficient only if distributional assumptions on the random error terms are valid. It is therefore critical to test the validity of underlying distributional assumptions on the error terms that form the basismore » of parameter estimation and policy evaluation. In this paper, a practical yet statistically rigorous method is proposed to test the validity of the distributional assumption on the random components of utility functions in both the multinomial logit (MNL) model and multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model. Based on a semi-nonparametric approach, a closed-form likelihood function that nests the MNL or MDCEV model being tested is derived. The proposed method allows traditional likelihood ratio tests to be used to test violations of the standard Gumbel distribution assumption. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate that the proposed test yields acceptable Type-I and Type-II error probabilities at commonly available sample sizes. The test is then applied to three real-world discrete and discrete-continuous choice models. For all three models, the proposed test rejects the validity of the standard Gumbel distribution in most utility functions, calling for the development of robust choice models that overcome adverse effects of violations of distributional assumptions on the error terms in random utility functions.« less

  13. Analysis of hourly crash likelihood using unbalanced panel data mixed logit model and real-time driving environmental big data.

    PubMed

    Chen, Feng; Chen, Suren; Ma, Xiaoxiang

    2018-06-01

    Driving environment, including road surface conditions and traffic states, often changes over time and influences crash probability considerably. It becomes stretched for traditional crash frequency models developed in large temporal scales to capture the time-varying characteristics of these factors, which may cause substantial loss of critical driving environmental information on crash prediction. Crash prediction models with refined temporal data (hourly records) are developed to characterize the time-varying nature of these contributing factors. Unbalanced panel data mixed logit models are developed to analyze hourly crash likelihood of highway segments. The refined temporal driving environmental data, including road surface and traffic condition, obtained from the Road Weather Information System (RWIS), are incorporated into the models. Model estimation results indicate that the traffic speed, traffic volume, curvature and chemically wet road surface indicator are better modeled as random parameters. The estimation results of the mixed logit models based on unbalanced panel data show that there are a number of factors related to crash likelihood on I-25. Specifically, weekend indicator, November indicator, low speed limit and long remaining service life of rutting indicator are found to increase crash likelihood, while 5-am indicator and number of merging ramps per lane per mile are found to decrease crash likelihood. The study underscores and confirms the unique and significant impacts on crash imposed by the real-time weather, road surface, and traffic conditions. With the unbalanced panel data structure, the rich information from real-time driving environmental big data can be well incorporated. Copyright © 2018 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Median infectious dose (ID₅₀) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus isolate MN-184 via aerosol exposure.

    PubMed

    Cutler, Timothy D; Wang, Chong; Hoff, Steven J; Kittawornrat, Apisit; Zimmerman, Jeffrey J

    2011-08-05

    The median infectious dose (ID(50)) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus isolate MN-184 was determined for aerosol exposure. In 7 replicates, 3-week-old pigs (n=58) respired 10l of airborne PRRS virus from a dynamic aerosol toroid (DAT) maintained at -4°C. Thereafter, pigs were housed in isolation and monitored for evidence of infection. Infection occurred at virus concentrations too low to quantify by microinfectivity assays. Therefore, exposure dose was determined using two indirect methods ("calculated" and "theoretical"). "Calculated" virus dose was derived from the concentration of rhodamine B monitored over the exposure sequence. "Theoretical" virus dose was based on the continuous stirred-tank reactor model. The ID(50) estimate was modeled on the proportion of pigs that became infected using the probit and logit link functions for both "calculated" and "theoretical" exposure doses. Based on "calculated" doses, the probit and logit ID(50) estimates were 1 × 10(-0.13)TCID(50) and 1 × 10(-0.14)TCID(50), respectively. Based on "theoretical" doses, the probit and logit ID(50) were 1 × 10(0.26)TCID(50) and 1 × 10(0.24)TCID(50), respectively. For each point estimate, the 95% confidence interval included the other three point estimates. The results indicated that MN-184 was far more infectious than PRRS virus isolate VR-2332, the only other PRRS virus isolate for which ID(50) has been estimated for airborne exposure. Since aerosol ID(50) estimates are available for only these two isolates, it is uncertain whether one or both of these isolates represent the normal range of PRRS virus infectivity by this route. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Frontal lobe function and behavioral changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a study from Southwest China.

    PubMed

    Wei, QianQian; Chen, XuePing; Zheng, ZhenZhen; Huang, Rui; Guo, XiaoYan; Cao, Bei; Zhao, Bi; Shang, Hui-Fang

    2014-12-01

    Despite growing interest, the frequency and characteristics of frontal lobe functional and behavioral deficits in Chinese people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as their impact on the survival of ALS patients, remain unknown. The Chinese version of the frontal assessment battery (FAB) and frontal behavioral inventory (FBI) were used to evaluate 126 sporadic ALS patients and 50 healthy controls. The prevalence of frontal lobe dysfunction was 32.5%. The most notable impairment domain of the FAB was lexical fluency (30.7%). The binary logistic regression model revealed that an onset age older than 45 years (OR 5.976, P = 0.002) and a lower educational level (OR 0.858, P = 0.002) were potential determinants of an abnormal FAB. Based on the FBI score, 46.0% of patients showed varied degrees of frontal behavioral changes. The most common impaired neurobehavioral domains were irritability (25.4%), logopenia (20.6%) and apathy (19.0%). The binary logistic regression model revealed that the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised scale score (OR 0.127, P = 0.001) was a potential determinant of an abnormal FBI. Frontal functional impairment and the severity of frontal behavioral changes were not associated with the survival status or the progression of ALS by the cox proportional hazard model and multivariate regression analyses, respectively. Frontal lobe dysfunction and frontal behavioral changes are common in Chinese ALS patients. Frontal lobe dysfunction may be related to the onset age and educational level. The severity of frontal behavioral changes may be associated with the ALSFRS-R. However, the frontal functional impairment and the frontal behavioral changes do not worsen the progression or survival of ALS.

  16. U.S. school travel, 2009 an assessment of trends.

    PubMed

    McDonald, Noreen C; Brown, Austin L; Marchetti, Lauren M; Pedroso, Margo S

    2011-08-01

    The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has set a goal of increasing walking and biking to school by 50% within 5 years. Meeting the goal requires a detailed understanding of the current patterns of school travel. To document nationally representative estimates of the amount of school travel and the modes used to access school in 2009 and compare these levels with 1969, 1995, and 2001. The National Household Travel Survey collected data on the travel patterns of 150,147 households in 2008 and 2009. Analyses, conducted in 2010, documented the time, vehicle miles traveled, and modes used by American students to reach school. A binary logit model assessed the influence of trip, child, and household characteristics on the decision to walk to school. In 2009, 12.7% of K-8 students usually walked or biked to school compared with 47.7% in 1969. Rates of walking and biking to school were higher on the trip home from school in each survey year. During the morning peak period, school travel accounted for 5%-7% of vehicle miles traveled in 2009 and 10%-14% of all private vehicles on the road. There have been sharp increases in driving children to school since 1969 and corresponding decreases in walking to school. This increase is particularly evident in the number of vehicle trips generated by parents dropping children at school and teens driving themselves. The NHTS survey provides a unique opportunity to monitor these trends in the future. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Expedited Medicaid Enrollment, Mental Health Service Use, and Criminal Recidivism Among Released Prisoners With Severe Mental Illness.

    PubMed

    Morrissey, Joseph P; Domino, Marisa E; Cuddeback, Gary S

    2016-08-01

    This study investigated whether Washington State's 2006 policy of expediting Medicaid enrollment for offenders with severe mental illness released from state prisons increased Medicaid access and use of community mental health services while decreasing criminal recidivism. A quasi-experimental design with linked administrative data was used to select all prisoners with a severe mental illness (schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) released during the policy's first two years (January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2007), and those referred for expedited Medicaid (N=895) were separated from a propensity-weighted control group of those not referred (N=2,191). Measures included binary indicators of Medicaid enrollment, other public insurance enrollment, postrelease use of inpatient and outpatient health services, and any postrelease criminal justice contacts. All data were collapsed to person-level observations during the 12 months after the index release, and outcomes were estimated via propensity-weighted logit models. Referral for expedited Medicaid on release from prison greatly increased Medicaid enrollment (p<.01) and use of community mental health and general medical services (p<.01) for persons with severe mental illness. No evidence was found that expediting Medicaid reduced criminal recidivism. Expediting Medicaid was associated with increased Medicaid enrollment and both mental health and general medical service use, but study findings strongly suggest that rather than relying on indirect spillover effects from Medicaid to reduce criminal recidivism, advocates and policy makers would better address the needs of offenders with severe mental illness through direct interventions targeted at underlying causes of recidivism.

  18. Understanding traffic crash under-reporting: Linking police and medical records to individual and crash characteristics.

    PubMed

    Janstrup, Kira H; Kaplan, Sigal; Hels, Tove; Lauritsen, Jens; Prato, Carlo G

    2016-08-17

    This study aligns to the body of research dedicated to estimating the underreporting of road crash injuries and adds the perspective of understanding individual and crash factors contributing to the decision to report a crash to the police, the hospital, or both. This study focuses on road crash injuries that occurred in the province of Funen, Denmark, between 2003 and 2007 and were registered in the police, the hospital, or both authorities. Underreporting rates are computed with the capture-recapture method, and the probability for road crash injuries in police records to appear in hospital records (and vice versa) is estimated with joint binary logit models. The capture-recapture analysis shows high underreporting rates of road crash injuries in Denmark and the growth of underreporting not only with the decrease in injury severity but also with the involvement of cyclists (reporting rates of about 14% for serious injuries and 7% for slight injuries) and motorcyclists (reporting rates of about 35% for serious injuries and 10% for slight injuries). Model estimates show that the likelihood of appearing in both data sets is positively related to helmet and seat belt use, number of motor vehicles involved, alcohol involvement, higher speed limit, and females being injured. This study adds significantly to the literature about underreporting by recognizing that understanding the heterogeneity in the reporting rate of road crashes may lead to devising policy measures aimed at increasing the reporting rate by targeting specific road user groups (e.g., males, young road users) or specific situational factors (e.g., slight injuries, arm injuries, leg injuries, weekend).

  19. Determining Barriers and Facilitators Associated With Willingness to Use a Personal Health Information Management System to Support Worksite Wellness Programs.

    PubMed

    Neyens, David M; Childers, Ashley Kay

    2017-07-01

    To determine the barriers and facilitators associated with willingness to use personal health information management (PHIM) systems to support an existing worksite wellness program (WWP). The study design involved a Web-based survey. The study setting was a regional hospital. Hospital employees comprised the study subjects. Willingness, barriers, and facilitators associated with PHIM were measured. Bivariate logit models were used to model two binary dependent variables. One model predicted the likelihood of believing PHIM systems would positively affect overall health and willingness to use. Another predicted the likelihood of worrying about online security and not believing PHIM systems would benefit health goals. Based on 333 responses, believing PHIM systems would positively affect health was highly associated with willingness to use PHIM systems (p < .01). Those comfortable online were 7.22 times more willing to use PHIM systems. Participants in exercise-based components of WWPs were 3.03 times more likely to be willing to use PHIM systems. Those who worried about online security were 5.03 times more likely to believe PHIM systems would not help obtain health goals. Comfort with personal health information online and exercise-based WWP experience was associated with willingness to use PHIM systems. However, nutrition-based WWPs did not have similar effects. Implementation barriers relate to technology anxiety and trust in security, as well as experience with specific WWP activities. Identifying differences between WWP components and addressing technology concerns before implementation of PHIM systems into WWPs may facilitate improved adoption and usage.

  20. Three quantitative approaches to the diagnosis of abdominal pain in children: practical applications of decision theory.

    PubMed

    Klein, M D; Rabbani, A B; Rood, K D; Durham, T; Rosenberg, N M; Bahr, M J; Thomas, R L; Langenburg, S E; Kuhns, L R

    2001-09-01

    The authors compared 3 quantitative methods for assisting clinicians in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in children, where the most common important endpoint is whether the patient has appendicitis. Pretest probability in different age and sex groups were determined to perform Bayesian analysis, binary logistic regression was used to determine which variables were statistically significantly likely to contribute to a diagnosis, and recursive partitioning was used to build decision trees with quantitative endpoints. The records of all children (1,208) seen at a large urban emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of abdominal pain were immediately reviewed retrospectively (24 to 72 hours after the encounter). Attempts were made to contact all the patients' families to determine an accurate final diagnosis. A total of 1,008 (83%) families were contacted. Data were analyzed by calculation of the posttest probability, recursive partitioning, and binary logistic regression. In all groups the most common diagnosis was abdominal pain (ICD-9 Code 789). After this, however, the order of the most common final diagnoses for abdominal pain varied significantly. The entire group had a pretest probability of appendicitis of 0.06. This varied with age and sex from 0.02 in boys 2 to 5 years old to 0.16 in boys older than 12 years. In boys age 5 to 12, recursive partitioning and binary logistic regression agreed on guarding and anorexia as important variables. Guarding and tenderness were important in girls age 5 to 12. In boys age greater than 12, both agreed on guarding and anorexia. Using sensitivities and specificities from the literature, computed tomography improved the posttest probability for the group from.06 to.33; ultrasound improved it from.06 to.48; and barium enema improved it from.06 to.58. Knowing the pretest probabilities in a specific population allows the physician to evaluate the likely diagnoses first. Other quantitative methods can help judge how much importance a certain criterion should have in the decision making and how much a particular test is likely to influence the probability of a correct diagnosis. It now should be possible to make these sophisticated quantitative methods readily available to clinicians via the computer. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.

  1. Is parenting style a predictor of suicide attempts in a representative sample of adolescents?

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are serious but not rare conditions in adolescents. However, there are several research and practical suicide-prevention initiatives that discuss the possibility of preventing serious self-harm. Profound knowledge about risk and protective factors is therefore necessary. The aim of this study is a) to clarify the role of parenting behavior and parenting styles in adolescents’ suicide attempts and b) to identify other statistically significant and clinically relevant risk and protective factors for suicide attempts in a representative sample of German adolescents. Methods In the years 2007/2008, a representative written survey of N = 44,610 students in the 9th grade of different school types in Germany was conducted. In this survey, the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was investigated as well as potential predictors including parenting behavior. A three-step statistical analysis was carried out: I) As basic model, the association between parenting and suicide attempts was explored via binary logistic regression controlled for age and sex. II) The predictive values of 13 additional potential risk/protective factors were analyzed with single binary logistic regression analyses for each predictor alone. Non-significant predictors were excluded in Step III. III) In a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, all significant predictor variables from Step II and the parenting styles were included after testing for multicollinearity. Results Three parental variables showed a relevant association with suicide attempts in adolescents – (all protective): mother’s warmth and father’s warmth in childhood and mother’s control in adolescence (Step I). In the full model (Step III), Authoritative parenting (protective: OR: .79) and Rejecting-Neglecting parenting (risk: OR: 1.63) were identified as significant predictors (p < .001) for suicidal attempts. Seven further variables were interpreted to be statistically significant and clinically relevant: ADHD, female sex, smoking, Binge Drinking, absenteeism/truancy, migration background, and parental separation events. Conclusions Parenting style does matter. While children of Authoritative parents profit, children of Rejecting-Neglecting parents are put at risk – as we were able to show for suicide attempts in adolescence. Some of the identified risk factors contribute new knowledge and potential areas of intervention for special groups such as migrants or children diagnosed with ADHD. PMID:24766881

  2. Anger and Desire for Retribution among Bereaved Parents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drenovsky, Cynthia K.

    1994-01-01

    Logit results show suddenness of death contributes to likelihood parent will feel anger while anticipatory socialization to death or recency of death decreases odds of feeling anger toward child. All variables decrease likelihood parents will feel desire to punish someone for death of child. (BF)

  3. Dropout from Secondary Education: All's Well That Begins Well

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Witte, Kristof; Rogge, Nicky

    2013-01-01

    Despite the increased attention to students leaving secondary education without a diploma numerous students still dropout yearly. This paper makes a distinction between the "individual perspective" and the "institutional perspective" of dropping out. The former is explored by multinominal logit models. We observe that…

  4. Measuring Developmental Students' Mathematics Anxiety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ding, Yanqing

    2016-01-01

    This study conducted an item-level analysis of mathematics anxiety and examined the dimensionality of mathematics anxiety in a sample of developmental mathematics students (N = 162) by Multi-dimensional Random Coefficients Multinominal Logit Model (MRCMLM). The results indicate a moderately correlated factor structure of mathematics anxiety (r =…

  5. Willingness to Pay for Improving the Residential Waste Disposal System in Korea: A Choice Experiment Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ku, Se-Ju; Yoo, Seung-Hoon; Kwak, Seung-Jun

    2009-08-01

    This study attempts to apply choice experiments with regard to the residential waste disposal system (RWDS) in Korea by considering various attributes that are related to RWDS. Using data from a survey conducted on 492 households, the empirical analysis yields estimates of the willingness to pay for a clean food-waste collection facility, the collection of small items (such as obsolete mobile phones and add-ons for personal computers), and a more convenient large waste disposal system. The estimation results of multinomial logit models are quite similar to those of nested logit models. The results reveal that residents have preferences for the cleanliness of facilities and the collection of small items. In Korea, residents are required to purchase and attach stickers for the disposal of large items; they want to be able to obtain stickers at not only village offices but also supermarkets. On the other hand, the frequency of waste collection is not a significant factor in the choice of the improved waste management program.

  6. Reviews Equipment: Data logger Book: Imagined Worlds Equipment: Mini data loggers Equipment: PICAXE-18M2 data logger Books: Engineering: A Very Short Introduction and To Engineer Is Human Book: Soap, Science, & Flat-Screen TVs Equipment: uLog and SensorLab Web Watch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2012-07-01

    WE RECOMMEND Data logger Fourier NOVA LINK: data logging and analysis To Engineer is Human Engineering: essays and insights Soap, Science, & Flat-Screen TVs People, politics, business and science overlap uLog sensors and sensor adapter A new addition to the LogIT range offers simplicity and ease of use WORTH A LOOK Imagined Worlds Socio-scientific predictions for the future Mini light data logger and mini temperature data logger Small-scale equipment for schools SensorLab Plus LogIT's supporting software, with extra features HANDLE WITH CARE CAXE110P PICAXE-18M2 data logger Data logger 'on view' but disappoints Engineering: A Very Short Introduction A broad-brush treatment fails to satisfy WEB WATCH Two very different websites for students: advanced physics questions answered and a more general BBC science resource

  7. Application of LogitBoost Classifier for Traceability Using SNP Chip Data

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Hyunsung; Cho, Seoae; Kim, Heebal; Seo, Kang-Seok

    2015-01-01

    Consumer attention to food safety has increased rapidly due to animal-related diseases; therefore, it is important to identify their places of origin (POO) for safety purposes. However, only a few studies have addressed this issue and focused on machine learning-based approaches. In the present study, classification analyses were performed using a customized SNP chip for POO prediction. To accomplish this, 4,122 pigs originating from 104 farms were genotyped using the SNP chip. Several factors were considered to establish the best prediction model based on these data. We also assessed the applicability of the suggested model using a kinship coefficient-filtering approach. Our results showed that the LogitBoost-based prediction model outperformed other classifiers in terms of classification performance under most conditions. Specifically, a greater level of accuracy was observed when a higher kinship-based cutoff was employed. These results demonstrated the applicability of a machine learning-based approach using SNP chip data for practical traceability. PMID:26436917

  8. Application of LogitBoost Classifier for Traceability Using SNP Chip Data.

    PubMed

    Kim, Kwondo; Seo, Minseok; Kang, Hyunsung; Cho, Seoae; Kim, Heebal; Seo, Kang-Seok

    2015-01-01

    Consumer attention to food safety has increased rapidly due to animal-related diseases; therefore, it is important to identify their places of origin (POO) for safety purposes. However, only a few studies have addressed this issue and focused on machine learning-based approaches. In the present study, classification analyses were performed using a customized SNP chip for POO prediction. To accomplish this, 4,122 pigs originating from 104 farms were genotyped using the SNP chip. Several factors were considered to establish the best prediction model based on these data. We also assessed the applicability of the suggested model using a kinship coefficient-filtering approach. Our results showed that the LogitBoost-based prediction model outperformed other classifiers in terms of classification performance under most conditions. Specifically, a greater level of accuracy was observed when a higher kinship-based cutoff was employed. These results demonstrated the applicability of a machine learning-based approach using SNP chip data for practical traceability.

  9. Willingness to pay for improving the residential waste disposal system in Korea: a choice experiment study.

    PubMed

    Ku, Se-Ju; Yoo, Seung-Hoon; Kwak, Seung-Jun

    2009-08-01

    This study attempts to apply choice experiments with regard to the residential waste disposal system (RWDS) in Korea by considering various attributes that are related to RWDS. Using data from a survey conducted on 492 households, the empirical analysis yields estimates of the willingness to pay for a clean food-waste collection facility, the collection of small items (such as obsolete mobile phones and add-ons for personal computers), and a more convenient large waste disposal system. The estimation results of multinomial logit models are quite similar to those of nested logit models. The results reveal that residents have preferences for the cleanliness of facilities and the collection of small items. In Korea, residents are required to purchase and attach stickers for the disposal of large items; they want to be able to obtain stickers at not only village offices but also supermarkets. On the other hand, the frequency of waste collection is not a significant factor in the choice of the improved waste management program.

  10. Compensation of hospital-based physicians.

    PubMed Central

    Steinwald, B

    1983-01-01

    This study is concerned with methods of compensating hospital-based physicians (HBPs) in five medical specialties: anesthesiology, pathology, radiology, cardiology, and emergency medicine. Data on 2232 nonfederal, short-term general hospitals came from a mail questionnaire survey conducted in Fall 1979. The data indicate that numerous compensation methods exist but these methods, without much loss of precision, can be reduced to salary, percentage of department revenue, and fee-for-service. When HBPs are compensated by salary or percentage methods, most patient billing is conducted by the hospital. In contrast, most fee-for-service HBPs bill their patients directly. Determinants of HBP compensation methods are investigated via multinomial logit analysis. This analysis indicates that choice of HBP compensation methods are investigated via multinomial logit analysis. This analysis indicates that choice of HBP compensation methods is sensitive to a number of hospital characteristics and attributes of both the hospital and physicians' services markets. The empirical findings are discussed in light of past conceptual and empirical research on physician compensation, and current policy issues in the health services sector. PMID:6841112

  11. Antimicrobial Activity of Aroma Compounds against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Improvement of Microbiological Stability of Soft Drinks as Assessed by Logistic Regression▿

    PubMed Central

    Belletti, Nicoletta; Kamdem, Sylvain Sado; Patrignani, Francesca; Lanciotti, Rosalba; Covelli, Alessandro; Gardini, Fausto

    2007-01-01

    The combined effects of a mild heat treatment (55°C) and the presence of three aroma compounds [citron essential oil, citral, and (E)-2-hexenal] on the spoilage of noncarbonated beverages inoculated with different amounts of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain were evaluated. The results, expressed as growth/no growth, were elaborated using a logistic regression in order to assess the probability of beverage spoilage as a function of thermal treatment length, concentration of flavoring agents, and yeast inoculum. The logit models obtained for the three substances were extremely precise. The thermal treatment alone, even if prolonged for 20 min, was not able to prevent yeast growth. However, the presence of increasing concentrations of aroma compounds improved the stability of the products. The inhibiting effect of the compounds was enhanced by a prolonged thermal treatment. In fact, it influenced the vapor pressure of the molecules, which can easily interact within microbial membranes when they are in gaseous form. (E)-2-Hexenal showed a threshold level, related to initial inoculum and thermal treatment length, over which yeast growth was rapidly inhibited. Concentrations over 100 ppm of citral and thermal treatment longer than 16 min allowed a 90% probability of stability for bottles inoculated with 105 CFU/bottle. Citron gave the most interesting responses: beverages with 500 ppm of essential oil needed only 3 min of treatment to prevent yeast growth. In this framework, the logistic regression proved to be an important tool to study alternative hurdle strategies for the stabilization of noncarbonated beverages. PMID:17616627

  12. International Climate Migration: Evidence for the Climate Inhibitor Mechanism and the Agricultural Pathway

    PubMed Central

    Nawrotzki, Raphael J.; Bakhtsiyarava, Maryia

    2016-01-01

    Research often assumes that, in rural areas of developing countries, adverse climatic conditions increase (climate driver mechanism) rather than reduce (climate inhibitor mechanism) migration, and that the impact of climate on migration is moderated by changes in agricultural productivity (agricultural pathway). Using representative census data in combination with high-resolution climate data derived from the novel Terra Populus system, we explore the climate-migration relationship in rural Burkina Faso and Senegal. We construct four threshold-based climate measures to investigate the effect of heat waves, cold snaps, droughts and excessive precipitation on the likelihood of household-level international outmigration. Results from multi-level logit models show that excessive precipitation increases international migration from Senegal while heat waves decrease international mobility in Burkina Faso, providing evidence for the climate inhibitor mechanism. Consistent with the agricultural pathway, interaction models and results from a geographically weighted regression (GWR) reveal a conditional effect of droughts on international outmigration from Senegal, which becomes stronger in areas with high levels of groundnut production. Moreover, climate change effects show a clear seasonal pattern, with the strongest effects appearing when heat waves overlap with the growing season and when excessive precipitation occurs prior to the growing season. PMID:28943813

  13. Widowed Mothers’ Coresidence With Adult Children

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. Coresidence is one way that middle-aged offspring assist vulnerable, aging parents. This study investigated which characteristics of widowed mothers and adult children predict coresidence. When coresidence occurred, the analysis explored how individual children’s characteristics were associated with their coresidence with the mother. Method. Survey data from adults 53–54 years old in 1993 (N = 2,324) and a random sibling reported about their living situation, other siblings, and their mother, median age 80. Results. Logistic regressions revealed that mothers in poor health, who were older, and who had a daughter were more likely to live with a child. Among coresiding families, results from discrete choice conditional logit models showed that widowed mothers were more likely to live with an unmarried son than an unmarried daughter. Married children were less likely to coreside than unmarried children, but married daughters were more likely than married sons to coreside. Past receipt of financial help from parents was not associated with coresidence. Coresidence was more likely for those with a close relationship with the mother. Discussion. The discussion considers coresidence as an intergenerational transfer and its importance for the contemporary aging society. Data are needed on characteristics of all offspring to test theories about parent–child relationships. PMID:24013798

  14. International Climate Migration: Evidence for the Climate Inhibitor Mechanism and the Agricultural Pathway.

    PubMed

    Nawrotzki, Raphael J; Bakhtsiyarava, Maryia

    2017-05-01

    Research often assumes that, in rural areas of developing countries, adverse climatic conditions increase (climate driver mechanism) rather than reduce (climate inhibitor mechanism) migration, and that the impact of climate on migration is moderated by changes in agricultural productivity (agricultural pathway). Using representative census data in combination with high-resolution climate data derived from the novel Terra Populus system, we explore the climate-migration relationship in rural Burkina Faso and Senegal. We construct four threshold-based climate measures to investigate the effect of heat waves, cold snaps, droughts and excessive precipitation on the likelihood of household-level international outmigration. Results from multi-level logit models show that excessive precipitation increases international migration from Senegal while heat waves decrease international mobility in Burkina Faso, providing evidence for the climate inhibitor mechanism. Consistent with the agricultural pathway, interaction models and results from a geographically weighted regression (GWR) reveal a conditional effect of droughts on international outmigration from Senegal, which becomes stronger in areas with high levels of groundnut production. Moreover, climate change effects show a clear seasonal pattern, with the strongest effects appearing when heat waves overlap with the growing season and when excessive precipitation occurs prior to the growing season.

  15. The cycle of victimization: The relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent peer victimization.

    PubMed

    Benedini, Kristen M; Fagan, Abigail A; Gibson, Chris L

    2016-09-01

    Child maltreatment has been demonstrated to have many short- and long-term harmful consequences for victims, but whether or not child abuse is associated with an increased risk of peer victimization during adolescence is unclear. This study analyzed prospective data from 831 children and parents participating in the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) to investigate the relationships between child physical and sexual abuse and adolescent victimization by peers, as well as the potential for gender to moderate these relationships. Results from ordinal logit regression models indicated that children who were physically abused prior to age 12, based on official reports, parent reports, and child reports, had a greater risk of experiencing more intimidation and physical assault by peers at age 16. Having a history of sexual abuse predicted more physical assault but not intimidation. There was no evidence that gender moderated these relationships; in all cases, the relationship between abuse and revictimization was similar for boys and girls. The findings emphasize the need to provide victims of abuse with assistance to help prevent a cycle of victimization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Regression to the Mean and Changes in Risk Behavior following Study Enrollment in a Cohort of US Women at Risk for HIV

    PubMed Central

    Hughes, James P.; Haley, Danielle F.; Frew, Paula M.; Golin, Carol E.; Adimora, Adaora A; Kuo, Irene; Justman, Jessica; Soto-Torres, Lydia; Wang, Jing; Hodder, Sally

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Reductions in risk behaviors are common following enrollment in HIV prevention studies. We develop methods to quantify the proportion of change in risk behaviors that can be attributed to regression to the mean versus study participation and other factors. Methods A novel model that incorporates both regression to the mean and study participation effects is developed for binary measures. The model is used to estimate the proportion of change in the prevalence of “unprotected sex in the past 6 months” that can be attributed to study participation versus regression to the mean in a longitudinal cohort of women at risk for HIV infection who were recruited from ten US communities with high rates of HIV and poverty. HIV risk behaviors were evaluated using audio computer-assisted self-interviews at baseline and every 6 months for up to 12 months. Results The prevalence of “unprotected sex in the past 6 months” declined from 96% at baseline to 77% at 12 months. However, this change could be almost completely explained by regression to the mean. Conclusions Analyses that examine changes over time in cohorts selected for high or low risk behaviors should account for regression to the mean effects. PMID:25883065

  17. Predicting binary, discrete and continued lncRNA-disease associations via a unified framework based on graph regression.

    PubMed

    Shi, Jian-Yu; Huang, Hua; Zhang, Yan-Ning; Long, Yu-Xi; Yiu, Siu-Ming

    2017-12-21

    In human genomes, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted more and more attention because their dysfunctions are involved in many diseases. However, the associations between lncRNAs and diseases (LDA) still remain unknown in most cases. While identifying disease-related lncRNAs in vivo is costly, computational approaches are promising to not only accelerate the possible identification of associations but also provide clues on the underlying mechanism of various lncRNA-caused diseases. Former computational approaches usually only focus on predicting new associations between lncRNAs having known associations with diseases and other lncRNA-associated diseases. They also only work on binary lncRNA-disease associations (whether the pair has an association or not), which cannot reflect and reveal other biological facts, such as the number of proteins involved in LDA or how strong the association is (i.e., the intensity of LDA). To address abovementioned issues, we propose a graph regression-based unified framework (GRUF). In particular, our method can work on lncRNAs, which have no previously known disease association and diseases that have no known association with any lncRNAs. Also, instead of only a binary answer for the association, our method tries to uncover more biological relationship between a pair of lncRNA and disease, which may provide better clues for researchers. We compared GRUF with three state-of-the-art approaches and demonstrated the superiority of GRUF, which achieves 5%~16% improvement in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). GRUF also provides a predicted confidence score for the predicted LDA, which reveals the significant correlation between the score and the number of RNA-Binding Proteins involved in LDAs. Lastly, three out of top-5 LDA candidates generated by GRUF in novel prediction are verified indirectly by medical literature and known biological facts. The proposed GRUF has two advantages over existing approaches. Firstly, it can be used to work on lncRNAs that have no known disease association and diseases that have no known association with any lncRNAs. Secondly, instead of providing a binary answer (with or without association), GRUF works for both discrete and continued LDA, which help revealing the pathological implications between lncRNAs and diseases.

  18. Classifying machinery condition using oil samples and binary logistic regression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, J.; Cripps, E.; Lau, John W.; Hodkiewicz, M. R.

    2015-08-01

    The era of big data has resulted in an explosion of condition monitoring information. The result is an increasing motivation to automate the costly and time consuming human elements involved in the classification of machine health. When working with industry it is important to build an understanding and hence some trust in the classification scheme for those who use the analysis to initiate maintenance tasks. Typically "black box" approaches such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and support vector machines (SVM) can be difficult to provide ease of interpretability. In contrast, this paper argues that logistic regression offers easy interpretability to industry experts, providing insight to the drivers of the human classification process and to the ramifications of potential misclassification. Of course, accuracy is of foremost importance in any automated classification scheme, so we also provide a comparative study based on predictive performance of logistic regression, ANN and SVM. A real world oil analysis data set from engines on mining trucks is presented and using cross-validation we demonstrate that logistic regression out-performs the ANN and SVM approaches in terms of prediction for healthy/not healthy engines.

  19. Modeling the dynamics of urban growth using multinomial logistic regression: a case study of Jiayu County, Hubei Province, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nong, Yu; Du, Qingyun; Wang, Kun; Miao, Lei; Zhang, Weiwei

    2008-10-01

    Urban growth modeling, one of the most important aspects of land use and land cover change study, has attracted substantial attention because it helps to comprehend the mechanisms of land use change thus helps relevant policies made. This study applied multinomial logistic regression to model urban growth in the Jiayu county of Hubei province, China to discover the relationship between urban growth and the driving forces of which biophysical and social-economic factors are selected as independent variables. This type of regression is similar to binary logistic regression, but it is more general because the dependent variable is not restricted to two categories, as those previous studies did. The multinomial one can simulate the process of multiple land use competition between urban land, bare land, cultivated land and orchard land. Taking the land use type of Urban as reference category, parameters could be estimated with odds ratio. A probability map is generated from the model to predict where urban growth will occur as a result of the computation.

  20. First trimester vaginal bleeding and adverse pregnancy outcomes among Chinese women: from a large cohort study in China.

    PubMed

    Sun, Lu; Tao, Fangbiao; Hao, Jiahu; Su, Puyu; Liu, Fang; Xu, Rong

    2012-08-01

    To examine the effect of first trimester vaginal bleeding on adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm delivery, low birth weight and small for gestational age. This is a prospective population-based cohort study. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 4342 singleton pregnancies by trained doctors. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Vaginal bleeding occurred among 1050 pregnant women, the incidence of vaginal bleeding was 24.2%, 37.4% of whom didn't see a doctor, 62.6% of whom saw a doctor for vaginal bleeding. Binary logistic regression demonstrated that bleeding with seeing a doctor was significantly associated with preterm birth (RR 1.84, 95% CI 1.25-2.69) and bleeding without seeing a doctor was related to increased of low birth weight (RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.34-4.75) and was 1.97-fold increased of small for gestational age (RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.19-3.25). These results suggest that first trimester vaginal bleeding is an increased risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery and small for gestational age. Find ways to reduce the risk of vaginal bleeding and lower vaginal bleeding rate may be helpful to reduce the incidence of preterm birth, low birth weight and small for gestational age.

  1. National health insurance subscription and maternal healthcare utilisation across mothers' wealth status in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Ameyaw, Edward Kwabena; Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim; Appiah, Francis

    2017-12-01

    This study is against the backdrop that despite the forty-nine percent decline in Maternal Mortality Rate in Ghana, the situation still remains high averaging 319 per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2015. To examine the relationship between National Health Insurance and maternal healthcare utilisation across three main wealth quintiles (Poor, Middle and Rich). The study employed data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Both descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression were conducted. Descriptively, rich women had high antenatal attendance and health facility deliveries represented by 96.5% and 95.6% respectively. However, the binary logistic regression results revealed that poor women owning NHIS are 7% (CI = 1.76-2.87) more likely to make at least four antenatal care visits compared to women in the middle wealth quintile (5%, CI = 2.12-4.76) and rich women (2%, CI = 1.14-4.14). Similarly, poor women who owned the NHIS are 14% (CI = 1.42-2.13) likely to deliver in health facility than women in the middle and rich wealth quintile. The study has vindicated the claim that NHIS Scheme is pro-poor in Ghana. The Ministry of Health should target women in the rural area to be enrolled on the NHIS to improve maternal healthcare utilisation since poverty is principally a rural phenomenon in Ghana.

  2. Portugal and Angola: similarities and differences in Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and risk factors in pregnant women.

    PubMed

    Lobo, M L; Patrocinio, G; Sevivas, T; DE Sousa, B; Matos, O

    2017-01-01

    In this study we determined the presence of IgM/IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in sera of 155 and 300 pregnant women from Lisbon (Portugal) and Luanda (Angola), respectively, and evaluated the potential risk factors associated with this infection. DNA detection was performed by PCR assays targeting T. gondii regions (RE/B1). Overall, 21·9% (10·9% IgG, 10·9% IgG/IgM) of the Lisbon women and 27·3% (23·7%, IgG, 2% IgM, 1·7% IgG/IgM) of the Luanda women had antibodies to T. gondii. Single variable and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Based on the latter, contacts with cats (family/friends), and having more than two births were identified as risk factors for Toxoplasma infection in Lisbon women. In Luanda, the risk factors for T. gondii infection suggested by the single variable analysis (outdoor contact with cats and consumption of pasteurized milk/dairy products) were not confirmed by binary logistic regression. This study shows original data from Angola, and updated data from Portugal in the study of infection by T. gondii in pregnant women, indicating that the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies is high enough to alert the government health authorities and implement appropriate measures to control this infection.

  3. Prevalence and Extrinsic Risk Factors for Dental Erosion in Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Mafla, Ana C; Cerón-Bastidas, Ximena A; Munoz-Ceballos, Maria E; Vallejo-Bravo, Diana C; Fajardo-Santacruz, Maria C

    This manuscript examined the prevalence and extrinsic risk factors for dental erosion (DE) in early and middle adolescents in Pasto, Colombia. Dental erosion was evaluated in a random sample of 384 individuals aged 10-15 years attending three primary and high schools in this cross-sectional study. Clinical dental assessment for DE was done using O'Sullivan index. Data on general sociodemographic variables and extrinsic risks factors were obtained. Descriptive and univariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Dental erosion was observed in 57.3% of individuals. The univariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that frequency of drinking natural fruit juices (OR 2.670, 95% CI 1.346 - 5.295, P=0.004) and their pH (OR 2.303, 95% CI 1.292 - 4.107, P=0.004) were more associated with the odd of DE in early adolescence. However, a high SES (OR 10.360, 95% CI 3.700 - 29.010, P<0.001) and frequency of snacks with artificial lemon taste (OR 3.659, 95% CI 1.506 - 8.891, P=0.003) were highly associated with the risk of DE in middle adolescence. The results suggest that DE is a prevalent condition in adolescents living in a city in southern Colombia. The transition from early to middle adolescence implies new bio-psychosocial changes, which increase the risk for DE.

  4. Risk estimation using probability machines

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Logistic regression has been the de facto, and often the only, model used in the description and analysis of relationships between a binary outcome and observed features. It is widely used to obtain the conditional probabilities of the outcome given predictors, as well as predictor effect size estimates using conditional odds ratios. Results We show how statistical learning machines for binary outcomes, provably consistent for the nonparametric regression problem, can be used to provide both consistent conditional probability estimation and conditional effect size estimates. Effect size estimates from learning machines leverage our understanding of counterfactual arguments central to the interpretation of such estimates. We show that, if the data generating model is logistic, we can recover accurate probability predictions and effect size estimates with nearly the same efficiency as a correct logistic model, both for main effects and interactions. We also propose a method using learning machines to scan for possible interaction effects quickly and efficiently. Simulations using random forest probability machines are presented. Conclusions The models we propose make no assumptions about the data structure, and capture the patterns in the data by just specifying the predictors involved and not any particular model structure. So they do not run the same risks of model mis-specification and the resultant estimation biases as a logistic model. This methodology, which we call a “risk machine”, will share properties from the statistical machine that it is derived from. PMID:24581306

  5. Cerebrovascular risk factors for patients with cerebral watershed infarction: A case-control study based on computed tomography angiography in a population from Southwest China.

    PubMed

    Dong, Mei-Xue; Hu, Ling; Huang, Yuan-Jun; Xu, Xiao-Min; Liu, Yang; Wei, You-Dong

    2017-07-01

    To determine cerebrovascular risk factors for patients with cerebral watershed infarction (CWI) from Southwest China.Patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke were categorized into internal CWI (I-CWI), external CWI (E-CWI), or non-CWI (patients without CWI) groups. Clinical data were collected and degrees of steno-occlusion of all cerebral arteries were scored. Arteries associated with the circle of Willis were also assessed. Data were compared using Pearson chi-squared tests for categorical data and 1-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests for continuous data, as appropriate. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent cerebrovascular risk factors for CWI.Compared with non-CWI, I-CWI had higher degrees of steno-occlusion of the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery, ipsilateral carotid artery, and contralateral middle cerebral artery. E-CWI showed no significant differences. All the 3 arteries were independent cerebrovascular risk factors for I-CWI confirmed by multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. I-CWI had higher degrees of steno-occlusion of the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery compared with E-CWI. No significant differences were found among arteries associated with the circle of Willis.The ipsilateral middle cerebral artery, carotid artery, and contralateral middle cerebral artery were independent cerebrovascular risk factors for I-CWI. No cerebrovascular risk factor was identified for E-CWI.

  6. A binary logistic regression model with complex sampling design of unmet need for family planning among all women aged (15-49) in Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Workie, Demeke Lakew; Zike, Dereje Tesfaye; Fenta, Haile Mekonnen; Mekonnen, Mulusew Admasu

    2017-09-01

    Unintended pregnancy related to unmet need is a worldwide problem that affects societies. The main objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and determinants of unmet need for family planning among women aged (15-49) in Ethiopia. The Performance Monitoring and Accountability2020/Ethiopia was conducted in April 2016 at round-4 from 7494 women with two-stage-stratified sampling. Bi-variable and multi-variable binary logistic regression model with complex sampling design was fitted. The prevalence of unmet-need for family planning was 16.2% in Ethiopia. Women between the age range of 15-24 years were 2.266 times more likely to have unmet need family planning compared to above 35 years. Women who were currently married were about 8 times more likely to have unmet need family planning compared to never married women. Women who had no under-five child were 0.125 times less likely to have unmet need family planning compared to those who had more than two-under-5. The key determinants of unmet need family planning in Ethiopia were residence, age, marital-status, education, household members, birth-events and number of under-5 children. Thus the Government of Ethiopia would take immediate steps to address the causes of high unmet need for family planning among women.

  7. Risk estimation using probability machines.

    PubMed

    Dasgupta, Abhijit; Szymczak, Silke; Moore, Jason H; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E; Malley, James D

    2014-03-01

    Logistic regression has been the de facto, and often the only, model used in the description and analysis of relationships between a binary outcome and observed features. It is widely used to obtain the conditional probabilities of the outcome given predictors, as well as predictor effect size estimates using conditional odds ratios. We show how statistical learning machines for binary outcomes, provably consistent for the nonparametric regression problem, can be used to provide both consistent conditional probability estimation and conditional effect size estimates. Effect size estimates from learning machines leverage our understanding of counterfactual arguments central to the interpretation of such estimates. We show that, if the data generating model is logistic, we can recover accurate probability predictions and effect size estimates with nearly the same efficiency as a correct logistic model, both for main effects and interactions. We also propose a method using learning machines to scan for possible interaction effects quickly and efficiently. Simulations using random forest probability machines are presented. The models we propose make no assumptions about the data structure, and capture the patterns in the data by just specifying the predictors involved and not any particular model structure. So they do not run the same risks of model mis-specification and the resultant estimation biases as a logistic model. This methodology, which we call a "risk machine", will share properties from the statistical machine that it is derived from.

  8. Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Expression in Unresectable Gastric Cancers: Relationship with CT Characteristics.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jeong Sub; Kim, Se Hyung; Im, Seock-Ah; Kim, Min A; Han, Joon Koo

    2017-01-01

    To retrospectively analyze the qualitative CT features that correlate with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-expression in pathologically-proven gastric cancers. A total of 181 patients with pathologically-proven unresectable gastric cancers with HER2-expression (HER2-positive [n = 32] and negative [n = 149]) were included. CT features of primary gastric and metastatic tumors were reviewed. The prevalence of each CT finding was compared in both groups. Thereafter, binary logistic regression determined the most significant differential CT features. Clinical outcomes were compared using Kaplan-Meier method. HER2-postive cancers showed lower clinical T stage (21.9% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.015), hyperattenuation on portal phase (62.5% vs. 30.9%; p = 0.003), and was more frequently metastasized to the liver (62.5% vs. 32.2%; p = 0.001), than HER2-negative cancers. On binary regression analysis, hyperattenuation of the tumor (odds ratio [OR], 4.68; p < 0.001) and hepatic metastasis (OR, 4.43; p = 0.001) were significant independent factors that predict HER2-positive cancers. Median survival of HER2-positive cancers (13.7 months) was significantly longer than HER2-negative cancers (9.6 months) ( p = 0.035). HER2-positive gastric cancers show less-advanced T stage, hyperattenuation on the portal phase, and frequently metastasize to the liver, as compared to HER2-negative cancers.

  9. Predicting juvenile recidivism: new method, old problems.

    PubMed

    Benda, B B

    1987-01-01

    This prediction study compared three statistical procedures for accuracy using two assessment methods. The criterion is return to a juvenile prison after the first release, and the models tested are logit analysis, predictive attribute analysis, and a Burgess procedure. No significant differences are found between statistics in prediction.

  10. Choice-Based Segmentation as an Enrollment Management Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Mark R.

    2002-01-01

    This article presents an approach to enrollment management based on target marketing strategies developed from a choice-based segmentation methodology. Students are classified into "switchable" or "non-switchable" segments based on their probability of selecting specific majors. A modified multinomial logit choice model is used to identify…

  11. The Mixed Effects Trend Vector Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Rooij, Mark; Schouteden, Martijn

    2012-01-01

    Maximum likelihood estimation of mixed effect baseline category logit models for multinomial longitudinal data can be prohibitive due to the integral dimension of the random effects distribution. We propose to use multidimensional unfolding methodology to reduce the dimensionality of the problem. As a by-product, readily interpretable graphical…

  12. Evaluation of Statistical Methods for Modeling Historical Resource Production and Forecasting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nanzad, Bolorchimeg

    This master's thesis project consists of two parts. Part I of the project compares modeling of historical resource production and forecasting of future production trends using the logit/probit transform advocated by Rutledge (2011) with conventional Hubbert curve fitting, using global coal production as a case study. The conventional Hubbert/Gaussian method fits a curve to historical production data whereas a logit/probit transform uses a linear fit to a subset of transformed production data. Within the errors and limitations inherent in this type of statistical modeling, these methods provide comparable results. That is, despite that apparent goodness-of-fit achievable using the Logit/Probit methodology, neither approach provides a significant advantage over the other in either explaining the observed data or in making future projections. For mature production regions, those that have already substantially passed peak production, results obtained by either method are closely comparable and reasonable, and estimates of ultimately recoverable resources obtained by either method are consistent with geologically estimated reserves. In contrast, for immature regions, estimates of ultimately recoverable resources generated by either of these alternative methods are unstable and thus, need to be used with caution. Although the logit/probit transform generates high quality-of-fit correspondence with historical production data, this approach provides no new information compared to conventional Gaussian or Hubbert-type models and may have the effect of masking the noise and/or instability in the data and the derived fits. In particular, production forecasts for immature or marginally mature production systems based on either method need to be regarded with considerable caution. Part II of the project investigates the utility of a novel alternative method for multicyclic Hubbert modeling tentatively termed "cycle-jumping" wherein overlap of multiple cycles is limited. The model is designed in a way that each cycle is described by the same three parameters as conventional multicyclic Hubbert model and every two cycles are connected with a transition width. Transition width indicates the shift from one cycle to the next and is described as weighted coaddition of neighboring two cycles. It is determined by three parameters: transition year, transition width, and gamma parameter for weighting. The cycle-jumping method provides superior model compared to the conventional multicyclic Hubbert model and reflects historical production behavior more reasonably and practically, by better modeling of the effects of technological transitions and socioeconomic factors that affect historical resource production behavior by explicitly considering the form of the transitions between production cycles.

  13. Palliative radiotherapy practice within Western European countries: impact of the radiotherapy financing system?

    PubMed

    Lievens, Y; Van den Bogaert, W; Rijnders, A; Kutcher, G; Kesteloot, K

    2000-09-01

    To analyze the reimbursement modalities for radiotherapy in the different Western European countries, as well as to investigate if these differences have an impact on the palliative radiotherapy practice for bone metastases. A questionnaire was sent to 565 radiotherapy centres included in the 1997 ESTRO directory. In this questionnaire the reimbursement strategy applied in the different centres was assessed, with respect to the use of a budget (departmental or hospital budget), case payment and/or fee-for-service reimbursement. The differences were analyzed according to country and to type and size of the radiotherapy centre. A total of 170 centres (86% of the responders) returned the questionnaire. Most frequent is budget reimbursement: some form of budget reimbursement is found in 69% of the centres, whereas 46% of the centres are partly reimbursed through fee-for-service and 35% through case payment. The larger the department, the more frequent the reimbursement through a budget or a case payment system and the less the importance of fee-for-service reimbursement (chi(2): P=0.0012; logit: P=0.0055). Whereas private centres are almost equally reimbursed by fee-for-service financing as by budget or case payment, radiotherapy departments in university hospitals receive the largest part of their financial resources through a budget or by case payment (83%) (chi(2): P=0.002; logit: P=0.0073). A correlation between the country and the radiotherapy reimbursement system was also demonstrated (P=0.002), radiotherapy centres in Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom being almost entirely reimbursed through a budget and/or case payment and centres in Germany and Switzerland mostly through a fee-for-service system. In budget and case payment financing lower total number of fractions and lower total dose (chi(2): P=0.003; logit: P=0.0120) as well as less shielding blocks (chi(2): P=0.003; logit: P=0.0066) are used. A same tendency is found for the use of isodose calculations and field set-up, but without being statistically significant (P=0.264 and P=0.061 res.). The type of the centre and the reimbursement modality influence the fractionation regimen independently (P=0.0274). This is not the case for the centre size and the reimbursement, which were found to exert correlated effects on the fractionation schedule (P=0.1042). Reimbursement systems seem to influence radiotherapy practice. One should therefore aim to develop reimbursement criteria that pursue to deliver, not only the best qualitative, but also the most cost-effective treatments to the patients.

  14. An appraisal of convergence failures in the application of logistic regression model in published manuscripts.

    PubMed

    Yusuf, O B; Bamgboye, E A; Afolabi, R F; Shodimu, M A

    2014-09-01

    Logistic regression model is widely used in health research for description and predictive purposes. Unfortunately, most researchers are sometimes not aware that the underlying principles of the techniques have failed when the algorithm for maximum likelihood does not converge. Young researchers particularly postgraduate students may not know why separation problem whether quasi or complete occurs, how to identify it and how to fix it. This study was designed to critically evaluate convergence issues in articles that employed logistic regression analysis published in an African Journal of Medicine and medical sciences between 2004 and 2013. Problems of quasi or complete separation were described and were illustrated with the National Demographic and Health Survey dataset. A critical evaluation of articles that employed logistic regression was conducted. A total of 581 articles was reviewed, of which 40 (6.9%) used binary logistic regression. Twenty-four (60.0%) stated the use of logistic regression model in the methodology while none of the articles assessed model fit. Only 3 (12.5%) properly described the procedures. Of the 40 that used the logistic regression model, the problem of convergence occurred in 6 (15.0%) of the articles. Logistic regression tends to be poorly reported in studies published between 2004 and 2013. Our findings showed that the procedure may not be well understood by researchers since very few described the process in their reports and may be totally unaware of the problem of convergence or how to deal with it.

  15. Assessment of Weighted Quantile Sum Regression for Modeling Chemical Mixtures and Cancer Risk

    PubMed Central

    Czarnota, Jenna; Gennings, Chris; Wheeler, David C

    2015-01-01

    In evaluation of cancer risk related to environmental chemical exposures, the effect of many chemicals on disease is ultimately of interest. However, because of potentially strong correlations among chemicals that occur together, traditional regression methods suffer from collinearity effects, including regression coefficient sign reversal and variance inflation. In addition, penalized regression methods designed to remediate collinearity may have limitations in selecting the truly bad actors among many correlated components. The recently proposed method of weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression attempts to overcome these problems by estimating a body burden index, which identifies important chemicals in a mixture of correlated environmental chemicals. Our focus was on assessing through simulation studies the accuracy of WQS regression in detecting subsets of chemicals associated with health outcomes (binary and continuous) in site-specific analyses and in non-site-specific analyses. We also evaluated the performance of the penalized regression methods of lasso, adaptive lasso, and elastic net in correctly classifying chemicals as bad actors or unrelated to the outcome. We based the simulation study on data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program (NCI-SEER) case–control study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to achieve realistic exposure situations. Our results showed that WQS regression had good sensitivity and specificity across a variety of conditions considered in this study. The shrinkage methods had a tendency to incorrectly identify a large number of components, especially in the case of strong association with the outcome. PMID:26005323

  16. Assessment of weighted quantile sum regression for modeling chemical mixtures and cancer risk.

    PubMed

    Czarnota, Jenna; Gennings, Chris; Wheeler, David C

    2015-01-01

    In evaluation of cancer risk related to environmental chemical exposures, the effect of many chemicals on disease is ultimately of interest. However, because of potentially strong correlations among chemicals that occur together, traditional regression methods suffer from collinearity effects, including regression coefficient sign reversal and variance inflation. In addition, penalized regression methods designed to remediate collinearity may have limitations in selecting the truly bad actors among many correlated components. The recently proposed method of weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression attempts to overcome these problems by estimating a body burden index, which identifies important chemicals in a mixture of correlated environmental chemicals. Our focus was on assessing through simulation studies the accuracy of WQS regression in detecting subsets of chemicals associated with health outcomes (binary and continuous) in site-specific analyses and in non-site-specific analyses. We also evaluated the performance of the penalized regression methods of lasso, adaptive lasso, and elastic net in correctly classifying chemicals as bad actors or unrelated to the outcome. We based the simulation study on data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program (NCI-SEER) case-control study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to achieve realistic exposure situations. Our results showed that WQS regression had good sensitivity and specificity across a variety of conditions considered in this study. The shrinkage methods had a tendency to incorrectly identify a large number of components, especially in the case of strong association with the outcome.

  17. A Note on the Heterogeneous Choice Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rohwer, Goetz

    2015-01-01

    The heterogeneous choice model (HCM) has been proposed as an extension of the standard logit and probit models, which allows taking into account different error variances of explanatory variables. In this note, I show that in an important special case, this model is just another way to specify an interaction effect.

  18. Saving for Success: Financial Education and Savings Goal Achievement in Individual Development Accounts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grinstead, Mary L.; Mauldin, Teresa; Sabia, Joseph J.; Koonce, Joan; Palmer, Lance

    2011-01-01

    Using microdata from the American Dream Demonstration, the current study examines factors associated with savings and savings goal achievement (indicated by a matched withdrawal) among participants of individual development account (IDA) programs. Multinomial logit results show that hours of participation in financial education programs, higher…

  19. Entrepreneurship and Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santana Vega, Lidia E.; González-Morales, Olga; Feliciano García, Luis

    2016-01-01

    This work studied the entrepreneurial aspirations of 3,987 adolescents regarding self-employment and the influence of gender, age, nationality, type of school, location of the school, educational level and performance. The Logit model is used to analyze the data. The results indicate that the pupils' aspirations to be self-employed increase in the…

  20. Freight Demand Characteristics and Mode Choice: An Analysis of the Results of Modeling with Disaggregate Revealed Preference Data

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-12-01

    This paper analyzes the freight demand characteristics that drive modal choice by means of a large scale, national, disaggregate revealed preference database for shippers in France in 1988, using a nested logit. Particular attention is given to priva...

  1. Multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Testing for Indonesia Junior High School Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuo, Bor-Chen; Daud, Muslem; Yang, Chih-Wei

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes a curriculum-based multidimensional computerized adaptive test that was developed for Indonesia junior high school Biology. In adherence to the Indonesian curriculum of different Biology dimensions, 300 items was constructed, and then tested to 2238 students. A multidimensional random coefficients multinomial logit model was…

  2. Monitoring Antitobacco Sentiment among Community Leaders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bechtel, Gordon G.; Lyons-Lepke, Elaine M.

    2003-01-01

    Two public health objectives, one methodological and the other substantive, are realized in the present study. First, average survey ratings are replaced by negated mean cumulative logits (MCLs), which have the advantage of interitem commensuration. Second, these negated MCLs improve the analysis of two Florida tobacco control surveys of community…

  3. Modelling Student Misconceptions Using Nested Logit Item Response Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yildiz, Mustafa

    2017-01-01

    Student misconceptions have been studied for decades from a curricular/instructional perspective and from the assessment/test level perspective. Numerous misconception assessment tools have been developed in order to measure students' misconceptions relative to the correct content. Often, these tools are used to make a variety of educational…

  4. The Impact of Nontraditional Training on the Occupational Attainment of Women.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Streker-Seeborg, Irmtraud; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Using a logit model of occupational attainment, researchers found that economically disadvantaged women who received nontraditional training were much less likely to be employed in male-dominated occupations and received lower hourly wages. Direct labor market discrimination seems to be responsible for the inhibited occupational attainment of…

  5. Using Neural Networks to Predict MBA Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Naik, Bijayananda; Ragothaman, Srinivasan

    2004-01-01

    Predicting MBA student performance for admission decisions is crucial for educational institutions. This paper evaluates the ability of three different models--neural networks, logit, and probit to predict MBA student performance in graduate programs. The neural network technique was used to classify applicants into successful and marginal student…

  6. Predicting Faculty Membership--Application of Student Choice Logit Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kopanidis, Foula Zografina; Shaw, Michael John

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Educational institutions are caught between increasing their offer rates and attracting and retaining those prospective students who are most suited to course completion. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the influence of demographic and psychological constructs on students' preferences when choosing to study in a particular…

  7. A Multimonial Logit Analysis of Teenage Fertility and High School Completion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ribar, David C.

    1993-01-01

    Uses data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine economic, institutional, and sociological antecedents of high school completion and adolescent fertility. Welfare generosity appears to have a significant positive effect on adolescent childbearing. Other important determinants of teenage parenthood and educational attainment…

  8. Reconsidering the use of rankings in the valuation of health states: a model for estimating cardinal values from ordinal data

    PubMed Central

    Salomon, Joshua A

    2003-01-01

    Background In survey studies on health-state valuations, ordinal ranking exercises often are used as precursors to other elicitation methods such as the time trade-off (TTO) or standard gamble, but the ranking data have not been used in deriving cardinal valuations. This study reconsiders the role of ordinal ranks in valuing health and introduces a new approach to estimate interval-scaled valuations based on aggregate ranking data. Methods Analyses were undertaken on data from a previously published general population survey study in the United Kingdom that included rankings and TTO values for hypothetical states described using the EQ-5D classification system. The EQ-5D includes five domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) with three possible levels on each. Rank data were analysed using a random utility model, operationalized through conditional logit regression. In the statistical model, probabilities of observed rankings were related to the latent utilities of different health states, modeled as a linear function of EQ-5D domain scores, as in previously reported EQ-5D valuation functions. Predicted valuations based on the conditional logit model were compared to observed TTO values for the 42 states in the study and to predictions based on a model estimated directly from the TTO values. Models were evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between predictions and mean observations, and the root mean squared error of predictions at the individual level. Results Agreement between predicted valuations from the rank model and observed TTO values was very high, with an ICC of 0.97, only marginally lower than for predictions based on the model estimated directly from TTO values (ICC = 0.99). Individual-level errors were also comparable in the two models, with root mean squared errors of 0.503 and 0.496 for the rank-based and TTO-based predictions, respectively. Conclusions Modeling health-state valuations based on ordinal ranks can provide results that are similar to those obtained from more widely analyzed valuation techniques such as the TTO. The information content in aggregate ranking data is not currently exploited to full advantage. The possibility of estimating cardinal valuations from ordinal ranks could also simplify future data collection dramatically and facilitate wider empirical study of health-state valuations in diverse settings and population groups. PMID:14687419

  9. Cascaded face alignment via intimacy definition feature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hailiang; Lam, Kin-Man; Chiu, Man-Yau; Wu, Kangheng; Lei, Zhibin

    2017-09-01

    Recent years have witnessed the emerging popularity of regression-based face aligners, which directly learn mappings between facial appearance and shape-increment manifolds. We propose a random-forest based, cascaded regression model for face alignment by using a locally lightweight feature, namely intimacy definition feature. This feature is more discriminative than the pose-indexed feature, more efficient than the histogram of oriented gradients feature and the scale-invariant feature transform feature, and more compact than the local binary feature (LBF). Experimental validation of our algorithm shows that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance when testing on some challenging datasets. Compared with the LBF-based algorithm, our method achieves about twice the speed, 20% improvement in terms of alignment accuracy and saves an order of magnitude on memory requirement.

  10. A FORTRAN technique for correlating a circular environmental variable with a linear physiological variable in the sugar maple.

    PubMed

    Pease, J M; Morselli, M F

    1987-01-01

    This paper deals with a computer program adapted to a statistical method for analyzing an unlimited quantity of binary recorded data of an independent circular variable (e.g. wind direction), and a linear variable (e.g. maple sap flow volume). Circular variables cannot be statistically analyzed with linear methods, unless they have been transformed. The program calculates a critical quantity, the acrophase angle (PHI, phi o). The technique is adapted from original mathematics [1] and is written in Fortran 77 for easier conversion between computer networks. Correlation analysis can be performed following the program or regression which, because of the circular nature of the independent variable, becomes periodic regression. The technique was tested on a file of approximately 4050 data pairs.

  11. Binary Logistic Regression Versus Boosted Regression Trees in Assessing Landslide Susceptibility for Multiple-Occurring Regional Landslide Events: Application to the 2009 Storm Event in Messina (Sicily, southern Italy).

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lombardo, L.; Cama, M.; Maerker, M.; Parisi, L.; Rotigliano, E.

    2014-12-01

    This study aims at comparing the performances of Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) methods in assessing landslide susceptibility for multiple-occurrence regional landslide events within the Mediterranean region. A test area was selected in the north-eastern sector of Sicily (southern Italy), corresponding to the catchments of the Briga and the Giampilieri streams both stretching for few kilometres from the Peloritan ridge (eastern Sicily, Italy) to the Ionian sea. This area was struck on the 1st October 2009 by an extreme climatic event resulting in thousands of rapid shallow landslides, mainly of debris flows and debris avalanches types involving the weathered layer of a low to high grade metamorphic bedrock. Exploiting the same set of predictors and the 2009 landslide archive, BLR- and BRT-based susceptibility models were obtained for the two catchments separately, adopting a random partition (RP) technique for validation; besides, the models trained in one of the two catchments (Briga) were tested in predicting the landslide distribution in the other (Giampilieri), adopting a spatial partition (SP) based validation procedure. All the validation procedures were based on multi-folds tests so to evaluate and compare the reliability of the fitting, the prediction skill, the coherence in the predictor selection and the precision of the susceptibility estimates. All the obtained models for the two methods produced very high predictive performances, with a general congruence between BLR and BRT in the predictor importance. In particular, the research highlighted that BRT-models reached a higher prediction performance with respect to BLR-models, for RP based modelling, whilst for the SP-based models the difference in predictive skills between the two methods dropped drastically, converging to an analogous excellent performance. However, when looking at the precision of the probability estimates, BLR demonstrated to produce more robust models in terms of selected predictors and coefficients, as well as of dispersion of the estimated probabilities around the mean value for each mapped pixel. The difference in the behaviour could be interpreted as the result of overfitting effects, which heavily affect decision tree classification more than logistic regression techniques.

  12. Regression to the mean and changes in risk behavior following study enrollment in a cohort of U.S. women at risk for HIV.

    PubMed

    Hughes, James P; Haley, Danielle F; Frew, Paula M; Golin, Carol E; Adimora, Adaora A; Kuo, Irene; Justman, Jessica; Soto-Torres, Lydia; Wang, Jing; Hodder, Sally

    2015-06-01

    Reductions in risk behaviors are common following enrollment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention studies. We develop methods to quantify the proportion of change in risk behaviors that can be attributed to regression to the mean versus study participation and other factors. A novel model that incorporates both regression to the mean and study participation effects is developed for binary measures. The model is used to estimate the proportion of change in the prevalence of "unprotected sex in the past 6 months" that can be attributed to study participation versus regression to the mean in a longitudinal cohort of women at risk for HIV infection who were recruited from ten U.S. communities with high rates of HIV and poverty. HIV risk behaviors were evaluated using audio computer-assisted self-interviews at baseline and every 6 months for up to 12 months. The prevalence of "unprotected sex in the past 6 months" declined from 96% at baseline to 77% at 12 months. However, this change could be almost completely explained by regression to the mean. Analyses that examine changes over time in cohorts selected for high- or low- risk behaviors should account for regression to the mean effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. [A strategy for assessing environmental influence on airway allergy using a regression binary tree-based method].

    PubMed

    Yoshioka, Fumi; Azuma, Emiko; Nakajima, Takae; Hashimoto, Masafumi; Toyoshima, Kyoichiro; Komachi, Yoshio

    2004-08-01

    To clarify the living environment factors that increase the risk of allergic sensitization to house dust mites, we applied a regression binary tree-based method (CART, Classification & Regression Trees) to an epidemiological study on airway allergy. The utility of the tree map in personal sanitary guidance for preventing allergic sensitization was examined with respect to feasibility and validity. A questionnaire was given to 386 healthy adult women, asking them about their individual living environments. Also, blood samples were collected to measure Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp)-specific IgE, the presence/absence of Dp-sensitization being expressed as positive/negative. The questionnaire consisted of nine items on (1) home ventilation by keeping windows open, (2) personal or family smoking habits, (3) use of air conditioners in hot weather, (4) type of flooring (tatami/wooden/carpet) in the living room, (5) visible mold proliferation in the kitchen, (6) type of housing (concrete/wooden), (7) residential area (heavy or light traffic area) (8) heating system (use of unventilated combustion appliances), and (9) frequency of cleaning (every day or less often). There also were queries on the past history of airway allergic diseases, such as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. CART and a multivariate logistic regression analysis (MLRA) were performed. The subjects were first classified into two groups, with and without a history of airway allergic diseases (Groups WPH and WOPH). In each group, the involvement of living environment factors in Dp-sensitization was examined using CART and MLRA. In the MLRA study, individual living environment factors showed promotional or suppressive effects on Dp-sensitization with differences between the two groups. With respect to the CART results, the two groups were first split by the factor that had the most significant odds ratio for MLRA. In Group WPH, which had a Dp-sensitization risk of 19.5%, the first split was by the factor of visible mold proliferation in the kitchen into the factor-present group with a risk value of 45.5% and the factor-absent group with 13.5%. The mold proliferation group was split with reference to frequent cleaning, and the risk rose to 75% in the factor-absent group and to 100% when family smoking habits were reported. Group WOPH (the risk: 10.8%) was first split into two groups according to the use of air conditioners in hot weather for more than 6 hours a day or less, which showed risk values of 16.7% and 6.9%, respectively. The risk of the group that intensively used air conditioners fell to 8.3% with tatami as flooring in the living room, and, if others, rose to 20.8%. The risk of the factor-lacking group fell to 4.0% without wooden flooring. CART analysis enables us to express complex relationships between living environment factors and Dp-sensitization simply by a binary regression tree, pointing to preventive strategies that can be flexibly changed according to the individual living environments of the subjects.

  14. The cross-validated AUC for MCP-logistic regression with high-dimensional data.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Dingfeng; Huang, Jian; Zhang, Ying

    2013-10-01

    We propose a cross-validated area under the receiving operator characteristic (ROC) curve (CV-AUC) criterion for tuning parameter selection for penalized methods in sparse, high-dimensional logistic regression models. We use this criterion in combination with the minimax concave penalty (MCP) method for variable selection. The CV-AUC criterion is specifically designed for optimizing the classification performance for binary outcome data. To implement the proposed approach, we derive an efficient coordinate descent algorithm to compute the MCP-logistic regression solution surface. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed method and its comparison with the existing methods including the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC) or Extended BIC (EBIC). The model selected based on the CV-AUC criterion tends to have a larger predictive AUC and smaller classification error than those with tuning parameters selected using the AIC, BIC or EBIC. We illustrate the application of the MCP-logistic regression with the CV-AUC criterion on three microarray datasets from the studies that attempt to identify genes related to cancers. Our simulation studies and data examples demonstrate that the CV-AUC is an attractive method for tuning parameter selection for penalized methods in high-dimensional logistic regression models.

  15. Methods for calculating confidence and credible intervals for the residual between-study variance in random effects meta-regression models

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Meta-regression is becoming increasingly used to model study level covariate effects. However this type of statistical analysis presents many difficulties and challenges. Here two methods for calculating confidence intervals for the magnitude of the residual between-study variance in random effects meta-regression models are developed. A further suggestion for calculating credible intervals using informative prior distributions for the residual between-study variance is presented. Methods Two recently proposed and, under the assumptions of the random effects model, exact methods for constructing confidence intervals for the between-study variance in random effects meta-analyses are extended to the meta-regression setting. The use of Generalised Cochran heterogeneity statistics is extended to the meta-regression setting and a Newton-Raphson procedure is developed to implement the Q profile method for meta-analysis and meta-regression. WinBUGS is used to implement informative priors for the residual between-study variance in the context of Bayesian meta-regressions. Results Results are obtained for two contrasting examples, where the first example involves a binary covariate and the second involves a continuous covariate. Intervals for the residual between-study variance are wide for both examples. Conclusions Statistical methods, and R computer software, are available to compute exact confidence intervals for the residual between-study variance under the random effects model for meta-regression. These frequentist methods are almost as easily implemented as their established counterparts for meta-analysis. Bayesian meta-regressions are also easily performed by analysts who are comfortable using WinBUGS. Estimates of the residual between-study variance in random effects meta-regressions should be routinely reported and accompanied by some measure of their uncertainty. Confidence and/or credible intervals are well-suited to this purpose. PMID:25196829

  16. Clusters of anthropometric indicators of body fat associated with maximum oxygen uptake in adolescents

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate different clusters of anthropometric indicators (body mass index | BMI |, waist circumference | WC |, waist-to-height ratio | WHtR |, triceps skinfold |TR SF|, subscapular skinfold |SE SF|, sum of the triceps and subscapular skinfolds | ΣTR + SE |, and sum of the triceps, subscapular and suprailiac folds | ΣTR + SE + SI|) associated with the VO2max levels in adolescents. Methods The study included 1,132 adolescents (aged 14–19 years) enrolled in public schools of São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil, in the 2014 academic year. The dependent variable was the cluster of anthropometric indicators (BMI, WC, WHtR, TR SF, SE SF, SI SF, ΣTR + SE and ΣTR + SE + SI) of excess body fat. The independent variable was maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), estimated by the modified Canadian aerobic fitness test—mCAFT. Control variables were: age, skin color, economic level, maternal education, physical activity and sexual maturation. Multinomial logistic regression was used for associations between the dependent and independent variables. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify the association between adolescents with all anthropometric indicators in excess and independent variables. Results One in ten adolescents presented all anthropometric indicators of excess body fat. Multinomial regression showed that with each increase of one VO2max unit, the odds of adolescents having three, four, five or more anthropometric indicators of excess body fat decreased by 0.92, 0.85 and 0.73 times, respectively. In the binary regression, this fact was reconfirmed, demonstrating that with each increase of one VO2max unit, the odds of adolescents having simultaneously the eight anthropometric indicators of excess body fat decreased by 0.55. Conclusion It was concluded that with each increase of one VO2max unit, adolescents decreased the odds of simultaneously presenting three or more anthropometric indicators of excess body fat, regardless of biological, economic and lifestyle factors. In addition, the present study identified that one in ten adolescents had all anthropometric indicators of excess body fat. PMID:29534098

  17. Clusters of anthropometric indicators of body fat associated with maximum oxygen uptake in adolescents.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, Eliane Cristina de Andrade; Nunes, Heloyse Elaine Gimenes; Silva, Diego Augusto Santos

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate different clusters of anthropometric indicators (body mass index | BMI |, waist circumference | WC |, waist-to-height ratio | WHtR |, triceps skinfold |TR SF|, subscapular skinfold |SE SF|, sum of the triceps and subscapular skinfolds | ΣTR + SE |, and sum of the triceps, subscapular and suprailiac folds | ΣTR + SE + SI|) associated with the VO2max levels in adolescents. The study included 1,132 adolescents (aged 14-19 years) enrolled in public schools of São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil, in the 2014 academic year. The dependent variable was the cluster of anthropometric indicators (BMI, WC, WHtR, TR SF, SE SF, SI SF, ΣTR + SE and ΣTR + SE + SI) of excess body fat. The independent variable was maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), estimated by the modified Canadian aerobic fitness test-mCAFT. Control variables were: age, skin color, economic level, maternal education, physical activity and sexual maturation. Multinomial logistic regression was used for associations between the dependent and independent variables. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify the association between adolescents with all anthropometric indicators in excess and independent variables. One in ten adolescents presented all anthropometric indicators of excess body fat. Multinomial regression showed that with each increase of one VO2max unit, the odds of adolescents having three, four, five or more anthropometric indicators of excess body fat decreased by 0.92, 0.85 and 0.73 times, respectively. In the binary regression, this fact was reconfirmed, demonstrating that with each increase of one VO2max unit, the odds of adolescents having simultaneously the eight anthropometric indicators of excess body fat decreased by 0.55. It was concluded that with each increase of one VO2max unit, adolescents decreased the odds of simultaneously presenting three or more anthropometric indicators of excess body fat, regardless of biological, economic and lifestyle factors. In addition, the present study identified that one in ten adolescents had all anthropometric indicators of excess body fat.

  18. Quantitative Structure – Property Relationship Modeling of Remote Liposome Loading Of Drugs

    PubMed Central

    Cern, Ahuva; Golbraikh, Alexander; Sedykh, Aleck; Tropsha, Alexander; Barenholz, Yechezkel; Goldblum, Amiram

    2012-01-01

    Remote loading of liposomes by trans-membrane gradients is used to achieve therapeutically efficacious intra-liposome concentrations of drugs. We have developed Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR) models of remote liposome loading for a dataset including 60 drugs studied in 366 loading experiments internally or elsewhere. Both experimental conditions and computed chemical descriptors were employed as independent variables to predict the initial drug/lipid ratio (D/L) required to achieve high loading efficiency. Both binary (to distinguish high vs. low initial D/L) and continuous (to predict real D/L values) models were generated using advanced machine learning approaches and five-fold external validation. The external prediction accuracy for binary models was as high as 91–96%; for continuous models the mean coefficient R2 for regression between predicted versus observed values was 0.76–0.79. We conclude that QSPR models can be used to identify candidate drugs expected to have high remote loading capacity while simultaneously optimizing the design of formulation experiments. PMID:22154932

  19. Multivariate meta-analysis using individual participant data

    PubMed Central

    Riley, R. D.; Price, M. J.; Jackson, D.; Wardle, M.; Gueyffier, F.; Wang, J.; Staessen, J. A.; White, I. R.

    2016-01-01

    When combining results across related studies, a multivariate meta-analysis allows the joint synthesis of correlated effect estimates from multiple outcomes. Joint synthesis can improve efficiency over separate univariate syntheses, may reduce selective outcome reporting biases, and enables joint inferences across the outcomes. A common issue is that within-study correlations needed to fit the multivariate model are unknown from published reports. However, provision of individual participant data (IPD) allows them to be calculated directly. Here, we illustrate how to use IPD to estimate within-study correlations, using a joint linear regression for multiple continuous outcomes and bootstrapping methods for binary, survival and mixed outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 10 hypertension trials, we then show how these methods enable multivariate meta-analysis to address novel clinical questions about continuous, survival and binary outcomes; treatment–covariate interactions; adjusted risk/prognostic factor effects; longitudinal data; prognostic and multiparameter models; and multiple treatment comparisons. Both frequentist and Bayesian approaches are applied, with example software code provided to derive within-study correlations and to fit the models. PMID:26099484

  20. Forest amenities and location choice in the Southwest

    Treesearch

    Michael S. Hand; Jennifer A. Thacher; Daniel R. McCollum; Robert P. Berrens

    2008-01-01

    Locations with natural characteristics, such as forests, are thought to be attractive residential locations. This proposition is tested in the Southwest United States, composed of Arizona and New Mexico. This paper presents a conditional logit model of location choice estimated with household observations from the U.S. Census, geographic information system (GIS) data,...

  1. Self-Reported Frequency and Perceived Severity of Being Bullied among Elementary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Li-Ming

    2015-01-01

    Background: This study reports students' perspectives on the frequency and perceived severity of being bullied. Methods: A sample of 1816 elementary school students completed self-report surveys of perceived severity and frequency of being bullied. A Rasch technique aligned different victimized behaviors on interval logit scales. A 4-fold schema…

  2. The Postsecondary Resource Trinity Model: Exploring the Interaction between Socioeconomic, Academic, and Institutional Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giani, Matt S.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to revisit the widely held assumption that the impact of socioeconomic background declines steadily across educational transitions, particularly at the postsecondary level. Sequential logit modeling, a staple methodological approach for estimating the relative impact of SES across educational stages, is applied to a…

  3. Minimum Wages and Teenagers' Enrollment--Employment Outcomes: A Multinominal Logit Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ehrenberg, Ronald G.; Marcus, Alan J.

    1982-01-01

    This paper tests the hypothesis that the effect of minimum wage legislation on teenagers' education decisions is asymmetrical across family income classes, with the legislation inducing children from low-income families to reduce their levels of schooling and children from higher-income families to increase their educational attainment. (Author)

  4. Does race matter in landowners' participation in conservation incentive programs?

    Treesearch

    Jianbang Gan; Okwuldili O. Onianwa; John Schelhas; Gerald C. Wheelock; Mark R. Dubois

    2005-01-01

    This study investigated and compared the participation behavior of white and minority small landowners in Alabama in eight conservation incentive programs. Using nonparametric tests and logit modeling, we found both similarities and differences in participation behavior between these two landowner groups. Both white and minority landowners tended not to participate in...

  5. The Sex Difference in Depression across 29 Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hopcroft, Rosemary L.; Bradley, Dana Burr

    2007-01-01

    The sex difference in depression is well documented in westernized, developed societies, although there has been little quantitative cross-cultural research on the topic. In this study, we use multilevel logit models to examine sex differences in depression across 29 countries using data from the World Values Survey. We find that in no country are…

  6. Optional contributions have positive effects for volunteering public goods games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Qi-Qing; Li, Zhen-Peng; Fu, Chang-He; Wang, Lai-Sheng

    2011-11-01

    Public goods (PG) games with the volunteering mechanism are referred to as volunteering public goods (VPG) games, in which loners are introduced to the PG games, and a loner obtains a constant payoff but not participating the game. Considering that small contributions may have positive effects to encourage more players with bounded rationality to contribute, this paper introduces optional contributions (high value or low value) to these typical VPG games-a cooperator can contribute a high or low payoff to the public pools. With the low contribution, the logit dynamics show that cooperation can be promoted in a well mixed population comparing to the typical VPG games, furthermore, as the multiplication factor is greater than a threshold, the average payoff of the population is also enhanced. In spatial VPG games, we introduce a new adjusting mechanism that is an approximation to best response. Some results in agreement with the prediction of the logit dynamics are found. These simulation results reveal that for VPG games the option of low contributions may be a better method to stimulate the growth of cooperation frequency and the average payoff of the population.

  7. A panel multinomial logit analysis of elderly living arrangements: evidence from Aging In Manitoba longitudinal data, Canada.

    PubMed

    Sarma, Sisira; Simpson, Wayne

    2007-12-01

    Utilizing a unique longitudinal survey linked with home care use data, this paper analyzes the determinants of elderly living arrangements in Manitoba, Canada using a random effects multinomial logit model that accounts for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Because current home ownership is potentially endogenous in a living arrangements choice model, we use prior home ownership as an instrument. We also use prior home care use as an instrument for home care and use a random coefficient framework to account for unobserved health status. After controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors and accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity, we find that home care and home ownership reduce the probability of living in a nursing home. Consistent with previous studies, we find that age is a strong predictor of nursing home entry. We also find that married people, those who have lived longer in the same community, and those who are healthy are more likely to live independently and less likely to be institutionalized or to cohabit with individuals other than their spouse.

  8. Syndromic surveillance models using Web data: the case of scarlet fever in the UK.

    PubMed

    Samaras, Loukas; García-Barriocanal, Elena; Sicilia, Miguel-Angel

    2012-03-01

    Recent research has shown the potential of Web queries as a source for syndromic surveillance, and existing studies show that these queries can be used as a basis for estimation and prediction of the development of a syndromic disease, such as influenza, using log linear (logit) statistical models. Two alternative models are applied to the relationship between cases and Web queries in this paper. We examine the applicability of using statistical methods to relate search engine queries with scarlet fever cases in the UK, taking advantage of tools to acquire the appropriate data from Google, and using an alternative statistical method based on gamma distributions. The results show that using logit models, the Pearson correlation factor between Web queries and the data obtained from the official agencies must be over 0.90, otherwise the prediction of the peak and the spread of the distributions gives significant deviations. In this paper, we describe the gamma distribution model and show that we can obtain better results in all cases using gamma transformations, and especially in those with a smaller correlation factor.

  9. How uncertain is the future of electric vehicle market: Results from Monte Carlo simulations using a nested logit model

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

    Liu, Changzheng; Oak Ridge National Lab.; Lin, Zhenhong

    Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are widely regarded as an important component of the technology portfolio designed to accomplish policy goals in sustainability and energy security. However, the market acceptance of PEVs in the future remains largely uncertain from today's perspective. By integrating a consumer choice model based on nested multinomial logit and Monte Carlo simulation, this study analyzes the uncertainty of PEV market penetration using Monte Carlo simulation. Results suggest that the future market for PEVs is highly uncertain and there is a substantial risk of low penetration in the early and midterm market. Top factors contributing to market sharemore » variability are price sensitivities, energy cost, range limitation, and charging availability. The results also illustrate the potential effect of public policies in promoting PEVs through investment in battery technology and infrastructure deployment. Here, continued improvement of battery technologies and deployment of charging infrastructure alone do not necessarily reduce the spread of market share distributions, but may shift distributions toward right, i.e., increase the probability of having great market success.« less

  10. A Multilevel Logit Estimation on the Determinants of Utilization of Preventive Health Care and Healthy Lifestyle Practice in China

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Lida; Liu, Jianye; Habibov, Nazim N

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide policy implications by estimating the individual and community level determinants of preventive health-care utilization in China based upon data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Two different frameworks, a human capital model and a psychological-behavioral model, are tested using a multilevel logit estimation. The results demonstrate different patterns for medical and nonmedical preventive activities. There is a strong correlation between having medical insurance and utilizing preventive health services. For the usage of medical-related preventive health care (MP), age, gender, education, urban residence, and medical insurance are strong predictors. High income did not provide much of an increase in the usage level of MP, but the lack of income was a huge obstacle for low-income people to overcome. Community variation in number of facilities accounted for about one third of the total variation in the utilization of MP. The utilization of MP in China remains dependent upon the individual's social-economic conditions. PMID:26688776

  11. Preference elicitation approach for measuring the willingness to pay for liver cancer treatment in Korea.

    PubMed

    Cho, Donghun; Jo, Changik

    2015-09-01

    The Korean government has expanded the coverage of the national insurance scheme for four major diseases: cancers, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and rare diseases. This policy may have a detrimental effect on the budget of the national health insurance agency. Like taxes, national insurance premiums are levied on the basis of the income or wealth of the insured. Using a preference elicitation method, we attempted to estimate how much people are willing to pay for insurance premiums that would expand their coverage for liver cancer treatment. We calculated the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) through the marginal rate of substitution between the two attributes of the insurance premium and the total annual treatment cost by adopting conditional logit and mixed logit models. The effects of various other terms that could interact with socioeconomic status were also estimated, such as gender, income level, educational attainment, age, employment status, and marital status. The estimated MWTP values of the monthly insurance premium for liver cancer treatment range from 4,130 KRW to 9,090 KRW.

  12. How uncertain is the future of electric vehicle market: Results from Monte Carlo simulations using a nested logit model

    DOE PAGES

    Liu, Changzheng; Oak Ridge National Lab.; Lin, Zhenhong; ...

    2016-12-08

    Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are widely regarded as an important component of the technology portfolio designed to accomplish policy goals in sustainability and energy security. However, the market acceptance of PEVs in the future remains largely uncertain from today's perspective. By integrating a consumer choice model based on nested multinomial logit and Monte Carlo simulation, this study analyzes the uncertainty of PEV market penetration using Monte Carlo simulation. Results suggest that the future market for PEVs is highly uncertain and there is a substantial risk of low penetration in the early and midterm market. Top factors contributing to market sharemore » variability are price sensitivities, energy cost, range limitation, and charging availability. The results also illustrate the potential effect of public policies in promoting PEVs through investment in battery technology and infrastructure deployment. Here, continued improvement of battery technologies and deployment of charging infrastructure alone do not necessarily reduce the spread of market share distributions, but may shift distributions toward right, i.e., increase the probability of having great market success.« less

  13. Do classic blood biomarkers of JSLE identify active lupus nephritis? Evidence from the UK JSLE Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Smith, E M D; Jorgensen, A L; Beresford, M W

    2017-10-01

    Background Lupus nephritis (LN) affects up to 80% of juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) patients. The value of commonly available biomarkers, such as anti-dsDNA antibodies, complement (C3/C4), ESR and full blood count parameters in the identification of active LN remains uncertain. Methods Participants from the UK JSLE Cohort Study, aged <16 years at diagnosis, were categorized as having active or inactive LN according to the renal domain of the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group score. Classic biomarkers: anti-dsDNA, C3, C4, ESR, CRP, haemoglobin, total white cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets and immunoglobulins were assessed for their ability to identify active LN using binary logistic regression modeling, with stepAIC function applied to select a final model. Receiver-operating curve analysis was used to assess diagnostic accuracy. Results A total of 370 patients were recruited; 191 (52%) had active LN and 179 (48%) had inactive LN. Binary logistic regression modeling demonstrated a combination of ESR, C3, white cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes and IgG to be best for the identification of active LN (area under the curve 0.724). Conclusions At best, combining common classic blood biomarkers of lupus activity using multivariate analysis provides a 'fair' ability to identify active LN. Urine biomarkers were not included in these analyses. These results add to the concern that classic blood biomarkers are limited in monitoring discrete JSLE manifestations such as LN.

  14. The rate of adherence to urate-lowering therapy and associated factors in Chinese gout patients: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Yin, Rulan; Cao, Haixia; Fu, Ting; Zhang, Qiuxiang; Zhang, Lijuan; Li, Liren; Gu, Zhifeng

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to assess adherence rate and predictors of non-adherence with urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in Chinese gout patients. A cross-sectional study was administered to 125 gout patients using the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR) for adherence to ULT. Patients were asked to complete the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication version II, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Confidence in Gout Treatment Questionnaire, Gout Knowledge Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Data were analyzed by independent sample t test, rank sum test, Chi-square analysis as well as binary stepwise logistic regression modeling. The data showed that the rate of adherence (CQR ≥80%) to ULT was 9.6% in our investigated gout patients. Adherence was associated with functional capacity, gout-related knowledge, satisfaction with medication, confidence in gout treatment and mental components summary. Multivariable analysis of binary stepwise logistic regression identified gout-related knowledge and satisfaction of effectiveness with medication was the independent risk factors of medication non-adherence. Patients unaware of gout-related knowledge, or with low satisfaction of effectiveness with medication, were more likely not to adhere to ULT. Non-adherence to ULT among gout patients is exceedingly common, particularly in patients unaware of gout-related knowledge, or with low satisfaction of effectiveness with medication. These findings could help medical personnel develop useful interventions to improve gout patients' medication adherence.

  15. Financial performance monitoring of the technical efficiency of critical access hospitals: a data envelopment analysis and logistic regression modeling approach.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Asa B; Kerr, Bernard J; Bastian, Nathaniel D; Fulton, Lawrence V

    2012-01-01

    From 1980 to 1999, rural designated hospitals closed at a disproportionally high rate. In response to this emergent threat to healthcare access in rural settings, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 made provisions for the creation of a new rural hospital--the critical access hospital (CAH). The conversion to CAH and the associated cost-based reimbursement scheme significantly slowed the closure rate of rural hospitals. This work investigates which methods can ensure the long-term viability of small hospitals. This article uses a two-step design to focus on a hypothesized relationship between technical efficiency of CAHs and a recently developed set of financial monitors for these entities. The goal is to identify the financial performance measures associated with efficiency. The first step uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to differentiate efficient from inefficient facilities within a data set of 183 CAHs. Determining DEA efficiency is an a priori categorization of hospitals in the data set as efficient or inefficient. In the second step, DEA efficiency is the categorical dependent variable (efficient = 0, inefficient = 1) in the subsequent binary logistic regression (LR) model. A set of six financial monitors selected from the array of 20 measures were the LR independent variables. We use a binary LR to test the null hypothesis that recently developed CAH financial indicators had no predictive value for categorizing a CAH as efficient or inefficient, (i.e., there is no relationship between DEA efficiency and fiscal performance).

  16. Hierarchical faunal filters: An approach to assessing effects of habitat and nonnative species on native fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Quist, M.C.; Rahel, F.J.; Hubert, W.A.

    2005-01-01

    Understanding factors related to the occurrence of species across multiple spatial and temporal scales is critical to the conservation and management of native fishes, especially for those species at the edge of their natural distribution. We used the concept of hierarchical faunal filters to provide a framework for investigating the influence of habitat characteristics and normative piscivores on the occurrence of 10 native fishes in streams of the North Platte River watershed in Wyoming. Three faunal filters were developed for each species: (i) large-scale biogeographic, (ii) local abiotic, and (iii) biotic. The large-scale biogeographic filter, composed of elevation and stream-size thresholds, was used to determine the boundaries within which each species might be expected to occur. Then, a local abiotic filter (i.e., habitat associations), developed using binary logistic-regression analysis, estimated the probability of occurrence of each species from features such as maximum depth, substrate composition, submergent aquatic vegetation, woody debris, and channel morphology (e.g., amount of pool habitat). Lastly, a biotic faunal filter was developed using binary logistic regression to estimate the probability of occurrence of each species relative to the abundance of nonnative piscivores in a reach. Conceptualising fish assemblages within a framework of hierarchical faunal filters is simple and logical, helps direct conservation and management activities, and provides important information on the ecology of fishes in the western Great Plains of North America. ?? Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004.

  17. Racial residential segregation and preterm birth: built environment as a mediator.

    PubMed

    Anthopolos, Rebecca; Kaufman, Jay S; Messer, Lynne C; Miranda, Marie Lynn

    2014-05-01

    Racial residential segregation has been associated with preterm birth. Few studies have examined mediating pathways, in part because, with binary outcomes, indirect effects estimated from multiplicative models generally lack causal interpretation. We develop a method to estimate additive-scale natural direct and indirect effects from logistic regression. We then evaluate whether segregation operates through poor-quality built environment to affect preterm birth. To estimate natural direct and indirect effects, we derive risk differences from logistic regression coefficients. Birth records (2000-2008) for Durham, North Carolina, were linked to neighborhood-level measures of racial isolation and a composite construct of poor-quality built environment. We decomposed the total effect of racial isolation on preterm birth into direct and indirect effects. The adjusted total effect of an interquartile increase in racial isolation on preterm birth was an extra 27 preterm events per 1000 births (risk difference = 0.027 [95% confidence interval = 0.007 to 0.047]). With poor-quality built environment held at the level it would take under isolation at the 25th percentile, the direct effect of an interquartile increase in isolation was 0.022 (-0.001 to 0.042). Poor-quality built environment accounted for 35% (11% to 65%) of the total effect. Our methodology facilitates the estimation of additive-scale natural effects with binary outcomes. In this study, the total effect of racial segregation on preterm birth was partially mediated by poor-quality built environment.

  18. Socioeconomic and Demographic Disparities in Knowledge of Reproductive Healthcare among Female University Students in Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Islam Mondal, Md. Nazrul; Nasir Ullah, Md. Monzur Morshad; Khan, Md. Nuruzzaman; Islam, Mohammad Zamirul; Islam, Md. Nurul; Moni, Sabiha Yasmin; Hoque, Md. Nazrul; Rahman, Md. Mashiur

    2015-01-01

    Background: Reproductive health (RH) is a critical component of women’s health and overall well-being around the world, especially in developing countries. We examine the factors that determine knowledge of RH care among female university students in Bangladesh. Methods: Data on 300 female students were collected from Rajshahi University, Bangladesh through a structured questionnaire using purposive sampling technique. The data were used for univariate analysis, to carry out the description of the variables; bivariate analysis was used to examine the associations between the variables; and finally, multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression model) was used to examine and fit the model and interpret the parameter estimates, especially in terms of odds ratios. Results: The results revealed that more than one-third (34.3%) respondents do not have sufficient knowledge of RH care. The χ2-test identified the significant (p < 0.05) associations between respondents’ knowledge of RH care with respondents’ age, education, family type, watching television; and knowledge about pregnancy, family planning, and contraceptive use. Finally, the binary logistic regression model identified respondents’ age, education, family type; and knowledge about family planning, and contraceptive use as the significant (p < 0.05) predictors of RH care. Conclusions and Global Health Implications: Knowledge of RH care among female university students was found unsatisfactory. Government and concerned organizations should promote and strengthen various health education programs to focus on RH care especially for the female university students in Bangladesh. PMID:27622005

  19. Factors associated with trait anger level of juvenile offenders in Hubei province: A binary logistic regression analysis.

    PubMed

    Tang, Li-Na; Ye, Xiao-Zhou; Yan, Qiu-Ge; Chang, Hong-Juan; Ma, Yu-Qiao; Liu, De-Bin; Li, Zhi-Gen; Yu, Yi-Zhen

    2017-02-01

    The risk factors of high trait anger of juvenile offenders were explored through questionnaire study in a youth correctional facility of Hubei province, China. A total of 1090 juvenile offenders in Hubei province were investigated by self-compiled social-demographic questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II (STAXI-II). The risk factors were analyzed by chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and binary logistic regression analysis with SPSS 19.0. A total of 1082 copies of valid questionnaires were collected. High trait anger group (n=316) was defined as those who scored in the upper 27th percentile of STAXI-II trait anger scale (TAS), and the rest were defined as low trait anger group (n=766). The risk factors associated with high level of trait anger included: childhood emotional abuse, childhood sexual abuse, step family, frequent drug abuse, and frequent internet using (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Birth sequence, number of sibling, ranking in the family, identity of the main care-taker, the education level of care-taker, educational style of care-taker, family income, relationship between parents, social atmosphere of local area, frequent drinking, and frequent smoking did not predict to high level of trait anger (P>0.05). It was suggested that traumatic experience in childhood and unhealthy life style may significantly increase the level of trait anger in adulthood. The risk factors of high trait anger and their effects should be taken into consideration seriously.

  20. The influence of endometriosis-related symptoms on work life and work ability: a study of Danish endometriosis patients in employment.

    PubMed

    Hansen, Karina E; Kesmodel, Ulrik S; Baldursson, Einar B; Schultz, Rikke; Forman, Axel

    2013-07-01

    Little is known about the implications of endometriosis on women's work life. This study aimed at examining the relation between endometriosis-related symptoms and work ability in employed women with endometriosis. In a cohort study, 610 patients with diagnosed endometriosis and 751 reference women completed an electronic survey based on the Endometriosis Health Profile 30-questionnaire and the Work Ability Index (short form). Percentages were reported for all data. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess risk factors for low work ability. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.025 in all analyses. In binary analyses a diagnosis of endometriosis was associated with more sick days, work disturbances due to symptoms, lower work ability and a wide number of other implications on work life in employed women. Moreover, a higher pain level and degree of symptoms were associated with low work ability. Full regression analysis indicated that tiredness, frequent pain, a higher daily pain level, a higher number of sick days and feeling depressed at work were associated with low work ability. A long delay from symptom onset to diagnosis was associated with low work ability. These data indicate a severe impact of endometriosis on the work ability of employed women with endometriosis and add to the evidence that this disease represents a significant socio-economic burden. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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