Why the Difference Between Explanation and Argument Matters to Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brigandt, Ingo

2016-05-01

Contributing to the recent debate on whether or not explanations ought to be differentiated from arguments, this article argues that the distinction matters to science education. I articulate the distinction in terms of explanations and arguments having to meet different standards of adequacy. Standards of explanatory adequacy are important because they correspond to what counts as a good explanation in a science classroom, whereas a focus on evidence-based argumentation can obscure such standards of what makes an explanation explanatory. I provide further reasons for the relevance of not conflating explanations with arguments (and having standards of explanatory adequacy in view). First, what guides the adoption of the particular standards of explanatory adequacy that are relevant in a scientific case is the explanatory aim pursued in this context. Apart from explanatory aims being an important aspect of the nature of science, including explanatory aims in classroom instruction also promotes students seeing explanations as more than facts, and engages them in developing explanations as responses to interesting explanatory problems. Second, it is of relevance to science curricula that science aims at intervening in natural processes, not only for technological applications, but also as part of experimental discovery. Not any argument enables intervention in nature, as successful intervention specifically presupposes causal explanations. Students can fruitfully explore in the classroom how an explanatory account suggests different options for intervention.

Public School Teacher Use of Instructional Technology from an Organizational Culture Perspective: An Explanatory Case Study of Two Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spitzer, Bruce Alan; Stansbury, Susan

2004-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to study the organizational culture and context of two school sites in which instructional technology (IT) use by teachers is evident; to study what and who influences individual teacher preferences toward IT use; and to describe the relationship of Mary Douglas' (1982, 1989, 1992) grid and group…

Reporting and Methodology of Multivariable Analyses in Prognostic Observational Studies Published in 4 Anesthesiology Journals: A Methodological Descriptive Review.

PubMed

Guglielminotti, Jean; Dechartres, Agnès; Mentré, France; Montravers, Philippe; Longrois, Dan; Laouénan, Cedric

2015-10-01

Prognostic research studies in anesthesiology aim to identify risk factors for an outcome (explanatory studies) or calculate the risk of this outcome on the basis of patients' risk factors (predictive studies). Multivariable models express the relationship between predictors and an outcome and are used in both explanatory and predictive studies. Model development demands a strict methodology and a clear reporting to assess its reliability. In this methodological descriptive review, we critically assessed the reporting and methodology of multivariable analysis used in observational prognostic studies published in anesthesiology journals. A systematic search was conducted on Medline through Web of Knowledge, PubMed, and journal websites to identify observational prognostic studies with multivariable analysis published in Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, British Journal of Anaesthesia, and Anaesthesia in 2010 and 2011. Data were extracted by 2 independent readers. First, studies were analyzed with respect to reporting of outcomes, design, size, methods of analysis, model performance (discrimination and calibration), model validation, clinical usefulness, and STROBE (i.e., Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. A reporting rate was calculated on the basis of 21 items of the aforementioned points. Second, they were analyzed with respect to some predefined methodological points. Eighty-six studies were included: 87.2% were explanatory and 80.2% investigated a postoperative event. The reporting was fairly good, with a median reporting rate of 79% (75% in explanatory studies and 100% in predictive studies). Six items had a reporting rate <36% (i.e., the 25th percentile), with some of them not identified in the STROBE checklist: blinded evaluation of the outcome (11.9%), reason for sample size (15.1%), handling of missing data (36.0%), assessment of colinearity (17.4%), assessment of interactions (13.9%), and calibration (34.9%). When reported, a few methodological shortcomings were observed, both in explanatory and predictive studies, such as an insufficient number of events of the outcome (44.6%), exclusion of cases with missing data (93.6%), or categorization of continuous variables (65.1%.). The reporting of multivariable analysis was fairly good and could be further improved by checking reporting guidelines and EQUATOR Network website. Limiting the number of candidate variables, including cases with missing data, and not arbitrarily categorizing continuous variables should be encouraged.

Developing a Model and Applications for Probabilities of Student Success: A Case Study of Predictive Analytics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, Carol Elaine

2014-01-01

This case study relates to distance learning students on open access courses. It demonstrates the use of predictive analytics to generate a model of the probabilities of success and retention at different points, or milestones, in a student journey. A core set of explanatory variables has been established and their varying relative importance at…

Case Study of a Discontinued Start-Up Engineering Program: Critical Challenges and Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friess, Wilhelm A.

2017-01-01

The explanatory case study presented here analyzes the factors that have contributed to the failure of a start-up engineering program launched at an off-campus site, and aimed at imparting the first two years of the BSc Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Civil Engineering utilizing an integrated curriculum. Findings indicate the root cause for…

The Influence of Social Media on Saudi Graduate Students: An Explanatory Case Study of Six Saudi Graduate Students Studying in American Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhamadi, Asma Abdulmana

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative multiple participant case study was to identify the influence of social media on Saudi graduate students who are active social media users. Social media have been influencing Saudi students differently than those in other socio-cultural contexts due to the uniqueness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in terms of…

An Outsider View: The Perceptions of Visiting International Students on Teaching, Language and Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bavli, Bünyamin

2017-01-01

This study investigates how international visitor students studying temporarily at a public university in Turkey perceive teaching, language and culture. Qualitative explanatory single case study method was employed in the study. The data were obtained through face to face interview with 10 participants, and a focus group interview with 3…

Case formulation and management using pattern-based formulation (PBF) methodology: clinical case 1.

PubMed

Fernando, Irosh; Cohen, Martin

2014-02-01

A tool for psychiatric case formulation known as pattern-based formulation (PBF) has been recently introduced. This paper presents an application of this methodology in formulating and managing complex clinical cases. The symptomatology of the clinical presentation has been parsed into individual clinical phenomena and interpreted by selecting explanatory models. The clinical presentation demonstrates how PBF has been used as a clinical tool to guide clinicians' thinking, that takes a structured approach to manage multiple issues using a broad range of management strategies. In doing so, the paper also introduces a number of patterns related to the observed clinical phenomena that can be re-used as explanatory models when formulating other clinical cases. It is expected that this paper will assist clinicians, and particularly trainees, to better understand PBF methodology and apply it to improve their formulation skills.

Urban High School Students in STEM Programs: An Explanatory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oparaocha, Didacus O.

2017-01-01

Inequality of resources in urban schools is a structural barrier to college preparation, access to social capital, college success. Per the literature, a number of issues prevent urban STEM high school students from participating in this innovative learning experience. Studies have shown that STEM experiential learning can influence attitudes,…

Vantages on Scales: A Study of Russian Dimensional Adjectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tribushinina, Elena

2010-01-01

The central claim of this paper is that Vantage Theory is able to provide a much-needed explanatory account of the seemingly unrelated differences between lexical and morphological antonyms of dimensional adjectives in Slavic languages. In a case study, I compare two antonyms of the Russian adjective "vysokij" "high", a morphologically unrelated…

African American Teacher Candidates' Experiences in Teaching Secondary Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Takahiro; Hodge, Samuel Russell

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the teaching experiences of African American physical education teacher candidates in secondary physical education programs at urban schools. The research design was explanatory multiple-case study situated in positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999). The participants were seven…

The Schooling Experience of Adolescent Boys with AD/HD: An Australian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Kathryn; Mercer, K. Louise; Carrington, Suzanne

2016-01-01

This study explored the experience of schooling of six adolescent boys diagnosed with AD/HD from the perspectives of the boys, their mothers and their teachers. The study utilised social constructionism as the theoretical orientation and the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of AD/HD as the explanatory framework. Utilising a multiple,…

STEM Faculty and Indirect Costs: What Administrators Need to Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gossman, Susan

2016-01-01

The focus of this single site, qualitative case study was on public research university STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) faculty and their perspectives on, and behavior towards, indirect cost recovery. The explanatory scheme was derived from anthropological theory and incorporated organizational culture, resource dependency…

Industrial noise control: Some case histories, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, F. D.; Neal, C. L.; Smetana, F. O.

1974-01-01

A collection of solutions to industrial noise problems is presented. Each problem is described in simple terms, with noise measurements where available, and the solution is given, often with explanatory figures. Where the solution rationale is not obvious, an explanatory paragraph is usually appended. As a preface to these solutions, a short exposition is provided of some of the guiding concepts used by noise control engineers in devising their solutions.

Lexicography and Mathematics Learning: A Case Study of "Variable."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frawley, William

1992-01-01

Lexicography is shown to offer some useful new tools to researchers in mathematics education. The paper examines the relationship between the sublanguage of mathematics and the acquisition of mathematical knowledge, and also the use of definitions in research and curriculum design. An Explanatory Combinatorial Dictionary is advocated for improving…

Parent Predictors of Adolescents' Explanatory Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vélez, Clorinda E.; Krause, Elizabeth D.; Brunwasser, Steven M.; Freres, Derek R.; Abenavoli, Rachel M.; Gillham, Jane E.

2015-01-01

The current study tested the prospective relations (6-month lag) between three aspects of the parent-child relationship at Time 1 (T1) and adolescents' explanatory styles at Time 2 (T2): caregiving behaviors, parents' explanatory style for their own negative events, and parents' explanatory style for their children's negative events. The sample…

A Diversity of Voices: Physical Education Teachers' Beliefs about Inclusion and Teaching Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodge, Samuel; Ammah, Jonathan O. A.; Casebolt, Kevin M.; LaMaster, Kathryn; Hersman, Bethany; Samalot-Rivera, Amaury; Sato, Takahiro

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse the beliefs about inclusion and teaching students with disabilities of physical education teachers from various countries and cultures. The participants were 29 physical education teachers from Ghana (Africa), Japan, the US and Puerto Rico. The research method was explanatory multiple-case study situated in…

The Influence of International Service-Learning on Transcultural Self-Efficacy in Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates and Their Subsequent Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amerson, Roxanne

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explain how participation in an international service-learning project during a community health course influenced transcultural self-efficacy of baccalaureate nursing graduates following graduation and their subsequent clinical practice. A qualitative, explanatory case study was used to conduct telephone…

Writing Experiences of Community College Students with Self-Reported Writing Anxieties and Linguistic Insecurity: A Perspective for College Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Rochelle

2013-01-01

This explanatory case study researched the writing experiences of 11 community college students who differed subculturally and who were all part of the African diasporic community. The theoretical perspectives used for this study were Arthur Chickering's (1969) classical concept of academic competence and community dialect theory (Baxter &…

Exploratory case study of students' main explanatory approaches to science concepts and their states of mental engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicdao-Quita, Maria Isabel T.

This study explored students' dominant ways of operating in science; the types of structuring that is evident, not in terms of ideas, but in terms of how the students think about, imagine, and relate to the physical processes. As the study progressed, the investigation of the students' ideas went beyond their prior knowledge; other significant dimensions emerged as these students interacted with the heating process. The students demonstrated rich and dynamic pictures of the heating process, and from these images, a larger picture of the mental entities and processes dominant in their understanding of the physical phenomenon. Four Filipino students studying in the United States were individually observed in their science classes, were visited at home, and were interviewed about water being heated. The analysis of each student's data led to the two constructs, the main explanatory approach and the students' states of mental engagement (SOME), while the student was cognitively and affectively connected with the phenomenon. The features of the main explanatory approach include an explanatory element and an affective element that pervade the students' thinking about the phenomenon. It is common to and dominant in students' thinking across time. It is the approach of the student taken as a holistic organization within the student when he or she starts dealing with the phenomenon. One of the assumptions behind dealing with the main explanatory approach is that it is much more connected with what kind of person the student is and with the state of mental engagement (SOME) the student is in. SOME refers to the personal energy of a student as he or she relates to and becomes involved with the physical process--there is absorption into the object of study. SOME is related to energizing the main explanatory approach. The interconnectedness of these two constructs can be viewed as a different level of abstraction or interpretation of the students' ways of thinking about the physical process. This way of looking at students' understanding and its connection with students' states of mental engagement has opened up an area with many possibilities, one of which is how the affective structures play a significant role in the exploration of science concepts.

The Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic MedicineRTM Program for Women: An Explanatory Study Regarding Its Development and Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mensel, Ruth

2010-01-01

This study was designed to determine which factors contributed to the development and persistence of a women's leadership development program in higher education. The "Hedwig van Ameringen" Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine[R] "Program for Women" was the basis for this single-case study. To speculate about ELAM's development and…

Physicians' explanatory behaviours and legal liability in decided medical malpractice litigation cases in Japan.

PubMed

Hamasaki, Tomoko; Hagihara, Akihito

2011-04-21

A physician's duty to provide an adequate explanation to the patient is derived from the doctrine of informed consent and the physician's duty of disclosure. However, findings are extremely limited with respect to physicians' specific explanatory behaviours and what might be regarded as a breach of the physicians' duty to explain in an actual medical setting. This study sought to identify physicians' explanatory behaviours that may be related to the physicians' legal liability. We analysed legal decisions of medical malpractice cases between 1990 and 2009 in which the pivotal issue was the physician's duty to explain (366 cases). To identify factors related to the breach of the physician's duty to explain, an analysis was undertaken based on acknowledged breaches with regard to the physician's duty to explain to the patient according to court decisions. Additionally, to identify predictors of physicians' behaviours in breach of the duty to explain, logistic regression analysis was performed. When the physician's explanation was given before treatment or surgery (p = 0.006), when it was relevant or specific (p = 0.000), and when the patient's consent was obtained (p = 0.002), the explanation was less likely to be deemed inadequate or a breach of the physician's duty to explain. Patient factors related to physicians' legally problematic explanations were patient age and gender. One physician factor was related to legally problematic physician explanations, namely the number of physicians involved in the patient's treatment. These findings may be useful in improving physician-patient communication in the medical setting.

Physicians' explanatory behaviours and legal liability in decided medical malpractice litigation cases in Japan

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A physician's duty to provide an adequate explanation to the patient is derived from the doctrine of informed consent and the physician's duty of disclosure. However, findings are extremely limited with respect to physicians' specific explanatory behaviours and what might be regarded as a breach of the physicians' duty to explain in an actual medical setting. This study sought to identify physicians' explanatory behaviours that may be related to the physicians' legal liability. Methods We analysed legal decisions of medical malpractice cases between 1990 and 2009 in which the pivotal issue was the physician's duty to explain (366 cases). To identify factors related to the breach of the physician's duty to explain, an analysis was undertaken based on acknowledged breaches with regard to the physician's duty to explain to the patient according to court decisions. Additionally, to identify predictors of physicians' behaviours in breach of the duty to explain, logistic regression analysis was performed. Results When the physician's explanation was given before treatment or surgery (p = 0.006), when it was relevant or specific (p = 0.000), and when the patient's consent was obtained (p = 0.002), the explanation was less likely to be deemed inadequate or a breach of the physician's duty to explain. Patient factors related to physicians' legally problematic explanations were patient age and gender. One physician factor was related to legally problematic physician explanations, namely the number of physicians involved in the patient's treatment. Conclusion These findings may be useful in improving physician-patient communication in the medical setting. PMID:21510891

An Analysis of Teacher Perceptions of a Principal's Leadership Behaviors Associated with the Integration of a One-to-One Laptop Program for Students in a Parochial Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skevakis, Anthony

2010-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory single-case case study (Yin, 2003) was to investigate teachers' perceptions of a principal's leadership behavior associated with the integration of a one-to-one laptop program in a parochial secondary school. The sample included the school principal and teachers who have had at least one year of teaching experience…

Making the Case for Space: The Effect of Learning Spaces on Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byers, Terry; Imms, Wesley; Hartnell-Young, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

An explanatory, mixed method study examined the impact of learning spaces on teachers' pedagogy, student engagement and student learning outcomes in a technology-rich school setting. Its quasi-experimental design allowed examination of differences in these variables between two settings--'traditional' classrooms, and 'new generation learning…

An Explanatory Model of Teacher Movement within Ontario School Boards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibbald, Timothy M.

2017-01-01

Teacher movement within school boards is examined using multiple case study. Emergent themes achieved theoretical saturation and are consistent with the research literature. In this paper, the relationships between the themes are used to develop a substantive theoretical model of teacher movement within school boards. The model uses a two-phase…

Relationship between Self-Control and Facebook Use: Case of CEIT Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Firat, Mehmet

2017-01-01

This is an explanatory mixed-method study that analyzes the relationship between the variables of students' self-control and Facebook usage. TIME's online Facebook calculator and the Brief Self-Control Scale are used for data collection. The research participants are 60 students in a department of computer education and instructional technology…

High School Physical Educators' Beliefs about Teaching Differently Abled Students in an Urban Public School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hersman, Bethany L.; Hodge, Samuel R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine general physical education (GPE) teachers' beliefs about teaching differently abled students in inclusive classes.The participants were 5 GPE teachers from a large urban school district. The research method was explanatory multiple-case study situated in planned behavior theory. Data were gathered using a…

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…

A Mixed Methods Study of the Effects of a Modified High School Calendar on Student Achievement and Teacher Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watrous, Lorena Harper

2011-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods explanatory case study was to determine the impact of a reduced school calendar on student achievement for students in grades 9 through 12 in two rural school districts in Virginia and to explore meanings associated with this change. The study focused on two research questions: how does student performance during…

Modelling the association of dengue fever cases with temperature and relative humidity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-A generalised linear model with break-point analysis.

PubMed

Alkhaldy, Ibrahim

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to examine the role of environmental factors in the temporal distribution of dengue fever in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The relationship between dengue fever cases and climatic factors such as relative humidity and temperature was investigated during 2006-2009 to determine whether there is any relationship between dengue fever cases and climatic parameters in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. A generalised linear model (GLM) with a break-point was used to determine how different levels of temperature and relative humidity affected the distribution of the number of cases of dengue fever. Break-point analysis was performed to modelled the effect before and after a break-point (change point) in the explanatory parameters under various scenarios. Akaike information criterion (AIC) and cross validation (CV) were used to assess the performance of the models. The results showed that maximum temperature and mean relative humidity are most probably the better predictors of the number of dengue fever cases in Jeddah. In this study three scenarios were modelled: no time lag, 1-week lag and 2-weeks lag. Among these scenarios, the 1-week lag model using mean relative humidity as an explanatory variable showed better performance. This study showed a clear relationship between the meteorological variables and the number of dengue fever cases in Jeddah. The results also demonstrated that meteorological variables can be successfully used to estimate the number of dengue fever cases for a given period of time. Break-point analysis provides further insight into the association between meteorological parameters and dengue fever cases by dividing the meteorological parameters into certain break-points. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental Philosophy of Explanation Rising: The Case for a Plurality of Concepts of Explanation.

PubMed

Colombo, Matteo

2017-03-01

This paper brings together results from the philosophy and the psychology of explanation to argue that there are multiple concepts of explanation in human psychology. Specifically, it is shown that pluralism about explanation coheres with the multiplicity of models of explanation available in the philosophy of science, and it is supported by evidence from the psychology of explanatory judgment. Focusing on the case of a norm of explanatory power, the paper concludes by responding to the worry that if there is a plurality of concepts of explanation, one will not be able to normatively evaluate what counts as good explanation. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Adapting the concept of explanatory models of illness to the study of youth violence.

PubMed

Biering, Páll

2007-07-01

This study explores the feasibility of adapting Kleinman's concept of explanatory models of illness to the study of youth violence and is conducted within the hermeneutic tradition. Data were collected by interviewing 11 violent adolescents, their parents, and their caregivers. Four types of explanatory models representing the adolescent girls', the adolescent boys', the caregivers', and the parents' understanding of youth violence are found; they correspond sufficiently to Kleinman's concept and establish the feasibility of adapting it to the study of youth violence. The developmental nature of the parents' and adolescents' models makes it feasible to study them by means of hermeneutic methodology. There are some clinically significant discrepancies between the caregivers' and the clients' explanatory models; identifying such discrepancies is an essential step in the process of breaking down barriers to therapeutic communications. Violent adolescents should be encouraged to define their own explanatory models of violence through dialogue with their caregivers.

Explanatory models and distress in primary caregivers of patients with acute psychotic presentations: A study from South India.

PubMed

Joy, Deepa S; Manoranjitham, S D; Samuel, P; Jacob, K S

2017-11-01

Emotional distress among caregivers of people with mental illness is common, changes overtime and requires appropriate coping strategies to prevent long-term disability. Explanatory models, which underpin understanding of disease and illness, are crucial to coping. To study the association of explanatory models and distress among caregivers of people with acute psychotic illness. A total of 60 consecutive patients and their primary caregivers who presented to the Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, were recruited for the study. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) were used to assess severity of psychosis, explanatory models of illness and emotional distress. Standard bivariate and multivariable statistics were employed. Majority of the caregivers simultaneously held multiple models of illness, which included medical and non-medical perspectives. The GHQ-12 score were significantly lower in people who held multiple explanatory models of illness when compared to the caregivers who believed single explanations. Explanatory models affect coping in caregivers of patients with acute psychotic presentations. There is a need to have a broad-based approach to recovery and care.

A Qualitative Analysis Exploring Explanatory Models of Aggression and Violence in a Small Cohort of Rural Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents, Their Parents, and Selected Hospital Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Daniel C.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the etiology and cultural underpinnings of adolescent violence as collective case study analysis of three inter-related groups: psychiatrically hospitalized rural adolescents, their parent/guardian, and various hospital staff. Violence among adolescents is a serious societal issue that has had varying…

Troubling Theory in Case Study Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammersley, Martyn

2012-01-01

The article begins by examining the variety of meanings that can be given to the word "theory", the different attitudes that may be taken towards theories of these various types and some of the problems associated with them. The second half of the article focuses on one of these types, explanatory theory, and the question of what is required if…

A Study of Effects of MultiCollinearity in the Multivariable Analysis

PubMed Central

Yoo, Wonsuk; Mayberry, Robert; Bae, Sejong; Singh, Karan; (Peter) He, Qinghua; Lillard, James W.

2015-01-01

A multivariable analysis is the most popular approach when investigating associations between risk factors and disease. However, efficiency of multivariable analysis highly depends on correlation structure among predictive variables. When the covariates in the model are not independent one another, collinearity/multicollinearity problems arise in the analysis, which leads to biased estimation. This work aims to perform a simulation study with various scenarios of different collinearity structures to investigate the effects of collinearity under various correlation structures amongst predictive and explanatory variables and to compare these results with existing guidelines to decide harmful collinearity. Three correlation scenarios among predictor variables are considered: (1) bivariate collinear structure as the most simple collinearity case, (2) multivariate collinear structure where an explanatory variable is correlated with two other covariates, (3) a more realistic scenario when an independent variable can be expressed by various functions including the other variables. PMID:25664257

A Study of Effects of MultiCollinearity in the Multivariable Analysis.

PubMed

Yoo, Wonsuk; Mayberry, Robert; Bae, Sejong; Singh, Karan; Peter He, Qinghua; Lillard, James W

2014-10-01

A multivariable analysis is the most popular approach when investigating associations between risk factors and disease. However, efficiency of multivariable analysis highly depends on correlation structure among predictive variables. When the covariates in the model are not independent one another, collinearity/multicollinearity problems arise in the analysis, which leads to biased estimation. This work aims to perform a simulation study with various scenarios of different collinearity structures to investigate the effects of collinearity under various correlation structures amongst predictive and explanatory variables and to compare these results with existing guidelines to decide harmful collinearity. Three correlation scenarios among predictor variables are considered: (1) bivariate collinear structure as the most simple collinearity case, (2) multivariate collinear structure where an explanatory variable is correlated with two other covariates, (3) a more realistic scenario when an independent variable can be expressed by various functions including the other variables.

Structural realism versus deployment realism: A comparative evaluation.

PubMed

Lyons, Timothy D

2016-10-01

In this paper I challenge and adjudicate between the two positions that have come to prominence in the scientific realism debate: deployment realism and structural realism. I discuss a set of cases from the history of celestial mechanics, including some of the most important successes in the history of science. To the surprise of the deployment realist, these are novel predictive successes toward which theoretical constituents that are now seen to be patently false were genuinely deployed. Exploring the implications for structural realism, I show that the need to accommodate these cases forces our notion of "structure" toward a dramatic depletion of logical content, threatening to render it explanatorily vacuous: the better structuralism fares against these historical examples, in terms of retention, the worse it fares in content and explanatory strength. I conclude by considering recent restrictions that serve to make "structure" more specific. I show however that these refinements will not suffice: the better structuralism fares in specificity and explanatory strength, the worse it fares against history. In light of these case studies, both deployment realism and structural realism are significantly threatened by the very historical challenge they were introduced to answer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case Formulation in Psychotherapy: Revitalizing Its Usefulness as a Clinical Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sim, Kang; Gwee, Kok Peng; Bateman, Anthony

2005-01-01

Objective: Case formulation has been recognized to be a useful conceptual and clinical tool in psychotherapy as diagnosis itself does not focus on the underlying causes of a patient's problems. Case formulation can fill the gap between diagnosis and treatment, with the potential to provide insights into the integrative, explanatory, prescriptive,…

Mechanistic explanation, cognitive systems demarcation, and extended cognition.

PubMed

van Eck, Dingmar; Looren de Jong, Huib

2016-10-01

Approaches to the Internalism-Externalism controversy in the philosophy of mind often involve both (broadly) metaphysical and explanatory considerations. Whereas originally most emphasis seems to have been placed on metaphysical concerns, recently the explanation angle is getting more attention. Explanatory considerations promise to offer more neutral grounds for cognitive systems demarcation than (broadly) metaphysical ones. However, it has been argued that explanation-based approaches are incapable of determining the plausibility of internalist-based conceptions of cognition vis-à-vis externalist ones. On this perspective, improved metaphysics is the route along which to solve the Internalist-Externalist stalemate. In this paper we challenge this claim. Although we agree that explanation-orientated approaches have indeed so far failed to deliver solid means for cognitive system demarcation, we elaborate a more promising explanation-oriented framework to address this issue. We argue that the mutual manipulability account of constitutive relevance in mechanisms, extended with the criterion of 'fat-handedness', is capable of plausibly addressing the cognitive systems demarcation problem, and thus able to decide on the explanatory traction of Internalist vs. Externalist conceptions, on a case-by-case basis. Our analysis also highlights why some other recent mechanistic takes on the problem of cognitive systems demarcation have been unsuccessful. We illustrate our claims with a case on gestures and learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Explaining the sense of family coherence among husbands and wives: the Israeli case.

PubMed

Kulik, Liat

2009-12-01

This study examined variables belonging to the family environment that explain the sense of family coherence among husbands (n = 133) and wives (n = 133) in Israel. Specifically, the explanatory variables tested were spousal power relations (as expressed in equality in the division of household labor and decision making), and perceived family conflict. In general, the sense of family coherence among spouses was found to be high. Perceived family conflict contributed to explaining the sense of family coherence for both husbands and wives. Equality in the division of household labor and in decision making had a greater impact on husbands than wives. Family coherence correlated negatively with age for husbands and positively with income for wives. The explanatory variables had a greater impact on the sense of family coherence among husbands than among wives.

Modelling Analysis of Students' Processes of Generating Scientific Explanatory Hypotheses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Jongwon

2006-01-01

It has recently been determined that generating an explanatory hypothesis to explain a discrepant event is important for students' conceptual change. The purpose of this study is to investigate how students' generate new explanatory hypotheses. To achieve this goal, questions are used to identify students prior ideas related to electromagnetic…

Explaining and Selecting Treatments for Autism: Parental Explanatory Models in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shyu, Yea-Ing Lotus; Tsai, Jia-Ling; Tsai, Wen-Che

2010-01-01

Parental explanatory models about autism influence the type of therapy a child receives, the child's well-being, and the parents' own psychological adaptation. This qualitative study explored explanatory models used by parents of children with autism. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 parents of children with autism from a medical center…

Academic Judgment and Institutional Evaluation Made by Teachers According to Pupils' Explanatory Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jouffre, Stephane; Py, Jacques; Somat, Alain

2008-01-01

The influence of sixth-graders' explanatory activity was studied on their teachers' academic judgment. Concerning the pupils' explanatory activity, trait-related internal explanations were chosen more to explain positive events than negative ones, whereas the reverse was observed for effort/intention-related internal explanations. In response to…

Anxious bliss: a case study of dissociation in a Mexican nun.

PubMed

Lester, Rebecca J

2008-03-01

This is a case study of Celeste, postulant in a Roman Catholic convent in Mexico who experienced frequent episodes of leaving her body to commune with God. During these experiences, Celeste felt immersed in an ;incredibly beautiful profound silence' where ;time and space were broken.' But as much as Celeste craved these experiences, they also alarmed her; she was acutely aware that they might be indicative of psychological or neurological dysfunction. This article chronicles Celeste's struggles to make sense of her experiences in light of competing explanatory models. Her ultimate resolution suggests intriguing new directions for transcultural psychiatric research.

How is the Ideal Gas Law Explanatory?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woody, Andrea I.

2013-07-01

Using the ideal gas law as a comparative example, this essay reviews contemporary research in philosophy of science concerning scientific explanation. It outlines the inferential, causal, unification, and erotetic conceptions of explanation and discusses an alternative project, the functional perspective. In each case, the aim is to highlight insights from these investigations that are salient for pedagogical concerns. Perhaps most importantly, this essay argues that science teachers should be mindful of the normative and prescriptive components of explanatory discourse both in the classroom and in science more generally. Giving attention to this dimension of explanation not only will do justice to the nature of explanatory activity in science but also will support the development of robust reasoning skills in science students while helping them understand an important respect in which science is more than a straightforward collection of empirical facts, and consequently, science education involves more than simply learning them.

Attachment Security Balances Perspectives: Effects of Security Priming on Highly Optimistic and Pessimistic Explanatory Styles.

PubMed

Deng, Yanhe; Yan, Mengge; Chen, Henry; Sun, Xin; Zhang, Peng; Zeng, Xianglong; Liu, Xiangping; Lye, Yue

2016-01-01

Highly optimistic explanatory style (HOES) and highly pessimistic explanatory style (HPES) are two maladaptive ways to explain the world and may have roots in attachment insecurity. The current study aims to explore the effects of security priming - activating supportive representations of attachment security - on ameliorating these maladaptive explanatory styles. 57 participants with HOES and 57 participants with HPES were randomized into security priming and control conditions. Their scores of overall optimistic attribution were measured before and after priming. Security priming had a moderating effect: the security primed HOES group exhibited lower optimistic attribution, while the security primed HPES group evinced higher scores of optimistic attribution. Furthermore, the security primed HOES group attributed positive outcomes more externally, while the security primed HPES group attributed successful results more internally. The results support the application of security priming interventions on maladaptive explanatory styles. Its potential mechanism and directions for future study are also discussed.

Meteorological influences on the interannual variability of meningitis incidence in northwest Nigeria.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdussalam, Auwal; Monaghan, Andrew; Dukic, Vanja; Hayden, Mary; Hopson, Thomas; Leckebusch, Gregor

2013-04-01

Northwest Nigeria is a region with high risk of bacterial meningitis. Since the first documented epidemic of meningitis in Nigeria in 1905, the disease has been endemic in the northern part of the country, with epidemics occurring regularly. In this study we examine the influence of climate on the interannual variability of meningitis incidence and epidemics. Monthly aggregate counts of clinically confirmed hospital-reported cases of meningitis were collected in northwest Nigeria for the 22-year period spanning 1990-2011. Several generalized linear statistical models were fit to the monthly meningitis counts, including generalized additive models. Explanatory variables included monthly records of temperatures, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, sunshine and dustiness from weather stations nearest to the hospitals, and a time series of polysaccharide vaccination efficacy. The effects of other confounding factors -- i.e., mainly non-climatic factors for which records were not available -- were estimated as a smooth, monthly-varying function of time in the generalized additive models. Results reveal that the most important explanatory climatic variables are mean maximum monthly temperature, relative humidity and dustiness. Accounting for confounding factors (e.g., social processes) in the generalized additive models explains more of the year-to-year variation of meningococcal disease compared to those generalized linear models that do not account for such factors. Promising results from several models that included only explanatory variables that preceded the meningitis case data by 1-month suggest there may be potential for prediction of meningitis in northwest Nigeria to aid decision makers on this time scale.

Analyzing Science Teaching: A Case Study Based on Three Philosophical Models of Teaching. The Explanatory Modes Project, Background Paper No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munby, A. Hugh

The development of a category scheme for the systematic analysis of science classroom discourse is described. Three teaching models are discussed: the Impression Model, which depicts the mind of a student as receiving and storing external impressions; the Insight Model, which denies the possibility that ideas or knowledge can be conveyed by…

The Development of Accounting Education and Practice in an Environment of Socio-Economic Transformation in the Middle East: The Case of Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsharari, Nizar Mohammad

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of accounting education and practice as influenced by the socio-economic transformation in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents an explanatory study of how accounting education and practice has developed in relation to socio-economic change in Jordan, using the…

Conceptual Resources in Self-Developed Explanatory Models: The Importance of Integrating Conscious and Intuitive Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Meng-Fei; Brown, David E.

2010-01-01

This study explores the spontaneous explanatory models children construct, critique, and revise in the context of tasks in which children need to predict, observe, and explain phenomena involving magnetism. It further investigates what conceptual resources students use, and in what ways they use them, to construct explanatory models, and the…

Science and Human Behavior, dualism, and conceptual modification.

PubMed Central

Zuriff, G E

2003-01-01

Skinner's Science and Human Behavior is in part an attempt to solve psychology's problem with mind-body dualism by revising our everyday mentalistic conceptual scheme. In the case of descriptive mentalism (the use of mentalistic terms to describe behavior), Skinner offers behavioral "translations." In contrast, Skinner rejects explanatory mentalism (the use of mental concepts to explain behavior) and suggests how to replace it with a behaviorist explanatory framework. For experiential mentalism, Skinner presents a theory of verbal behavior that integrates the use of mentalistic language in first-person reports of phenomenal experience into a scientific framework. PMID:14964715

Science and Human Behavior, dualism, and conceptual modification.

PubMed

Zuriff, G E

2003-11-01

Skinner's Science and Human Behavior is in part an attempt to solve psychology's problem with mind-body dualism by revising our everyday mentalistic conceptual scheme. In the case of descriptive mentalism (the use of mentalistic terms to describe behavior), Skinner offers behavioral "translations." In contrast, Skinner rejects explanatory mentalism (the use of mental concepts to explain behavior) and suggests how to replace it with a behaviorist explanatory framework. For experiential mentalism, Skinner presents a theory of verbal behavior that integrates the use of mentalistic language in first-person reports of phenomenal experience into a scientific framework.

Representing Human Rights Violations in Darfur: Global Justice, National Distinctions.

PubMed

Savelsberg, Joachim J; Brehm, Hollie Nyseth

2015-09-01

This article examines how international judicial interventions in mass atrocity influence representations of violence. It relies on content analysis of 3,387 articles and opinion pieces in leading newspapers from eight Western countries, compiled into the Darfur Media Dataset, as well as in-depth interviews to assess how media frame violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. Overall, it finds that UN Security Council and International Criminal Court interventions increase representations of mass violence as crime in all countries under investigation, although each country applies the crime frame at a different level. Reporting suffering and categorizing the violence as genocide also varies across countries. Comparative case studies identify country specific structural and cultural forces that appear to account for these differences. Multilevel multivariate analyses confirm the explanatory power of cultural sensitivities and policy practices, while individual-and organization-level factors, such as reporters' gender and the newspapers' ideological orientation, also have explanatory power.

32 CFR 644.452 - Minor restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Minor restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required. 644.452 Section 644.452 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF... items of restoration involved. While this form is considered self-explanatory, the following is to be...

Validation of ACG Case-mix for equitable resource allocation in Swedish primary health care.

PubMed

Zielinski, Andrzej; Kronogård, Maria; Lenhoff, Håkan; Halling, Anders

2009-09-18

Adequate resource allocation is an important factor to ensure equity in health care. Previous reimbursement models have been based on age, gender and socioeconomic factors. An explanatory model based on individual need of primary health care (PHC) has not yet been used in Sweden to allocate resources. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent the ACG case-mix system could explain concurrent costs in Swedish PHC. Diagnoses were obtained from electronic PHC records of inhabitants in Blekinge County (approx. 150,000) listed with public PHC (approx. 120,000) for three consecutive years, 2004-2006. The inhabitants were then classified into six different resource utilization bands (RUB) using the ACG case-mix system. The mean costs for primary health care were calculated for each RUB and year. Using linear regression models and log-cost as dependent variable the adjusted R2 was calculated in the unadjusted model (gender) and in consecutive models where age, listing with specific PHC and RUB were added. In an additional model the ACG groups were added. Gender, age and listing with specific PHC explained 14.48-14.88% of the variance in individual costs for PHC. By also adding information on level of co-morbidity, as measured by the ACG case-mix system, to specific PHC the adjusted R2 increased to 60.89-63.41%. The ACG case-mix system explains patient costs in primary care to a high degree. Age and gender are important explanatory factors, but most of the variance in concurrent patient costs was explained by the ACG case-mix system.

The effect of a negative mood priming challenge on dysfunctional attitudes, explanatory style, and explanatory flexibility.

PubMed

Fresco, David M; Heimberg, Richard G; Abramowitz, Adrienne; Bertram, Tara L

2006-06-01

Ninety-seven undergraduates, 48 of whom had a history of self-reported major depression, completed measures of mood and cognitive style (e.g. explanatory style, explanatory flexibility, dysfunctional attitudes) prior to and directly after a negative mood priming challenge that consisted of listening to sad music and thinking about an upsetting past event. Eighteen of the previously depressed participants endorsed baseline levels of depression, explanatory style for negative events, and dysfunctional attitudes higher than levels reported by never depressed participants or euthymic participants with a history of depression. All three groups (never depressed participants, dysphoric participants with a history of depression, euthymic participants with a history of depression) demonstrated increases in dysphoria and dysfunctional attitudes in response to the negative mood priming challenge. Dysphoric participants with a history of depression, but not the other two groups, evidenced modest increases in explanatory style following the negative mood priming challenge. Finally, euthymic participants with a history of depression, but not the other two groups, evidenced drops in explanatory flexibility. Findings from the present study suggest that the cognitive theories of depression may benefit from examining both cognitive content and cognitive flexibility when assessing risk for depression.

'Food Sticking in My Throat': Videofluoroscopic Evaluation of a Common Symptom.

PubMed

Madhavan, Aarthi; Carnaby, Giselle D; Crary, Michael A

2015-06-01

Prevalence of the symptom of food 'sticking' during swallowing has been reported to range from 5 to 50%, depending on the assessment setting. However, limited objective evidence has emerged to clarify factors that contribute to this symptom. Three hundred and fifteen patient records from an outpatient dysphagia clinic were reviewed to identify patients with symptoms of 'food sticking in the throat.' Corresponding videofluoroscopic swallowing studies for patients with this complaint were reviewed for the following variables: accuracy of symptom localization, identification and characteristics (anatomic, physiologic) of an explanatory cause for the symptom, and the specific swallowed material that identified the explanatory cause. One hundred and forty one patients (45%) were identified with a complaint of food 'sticking' in their throat during swallowing. Prevalence of explanatory findings on fluoroscopy was 76% (107/141). Eighty five percent (91/107) of explanatory causes were physiologic in nature, while 15% (16/107) were anatomic. The majority of explanatory causes were identified in the esophagus (71%). Symptom localization was more accurate when the explanatory cause was anatomic versus physiologic (75 vs. 18%). A non-masticated marshmallow presented with the highest diagnostic yield in identification of explanatory causes (71%). Patients complaining of 'food sticking in the throat' are likely to present with esophageal irregularities. Thus, imaging studies of swallowing function should include the esophagus. A range of materials, including a non-masticated marshmallow, is helpful in determining the location and characteristics of swallowing deficits contributing to this symptom.

Explanatory models in patients with first episode depression: a study from north India.

PubMed

Grover, Sandeep; Kumar, Vineet; Chakrabarti, Subho; Hollikatti, Prabhakar; Singh, Pritpal; Tyagi, Shikha; Kulhara, Parmanand; Avasthi, Ajit

2012-09-01

The purpose of this work was to study the explanatory models of patients with first episode depression presenting to a tertiary care hospital located in North-western India. One hundred sixty four consecutive patients with diagnosis of first episode depression (except severe depression with psychotic symptoms) according to the International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision (ICD-10) and ≥18 years of age were evaluated for their explanatory models using the causal models section of Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC). The most common explanations given were categorized into Karma-deed-heredity category (77.4%), followed by psychological explanations (62.2%), weakness (50%) and social causes (40.2%). Among the various specific causes the commonly reported explanations by at least one-fourth of the sample in decreasing order were: will of god (51.2%), fate/chance (40.9%), weakness of nerves (37.8%), general weakness (34.7%), bad deeds (26.2%), evil eye (24.4%) and family problems (21.9%). There was some influence of sociodemographic features on the explanations given by the patients. From the study, it can be concluded that patients with first episode depression have multiple explanatory models for their symptoms of depression which are slightly different than those reported in previous studies done from other parts of India. Understanding the multiple explanatory models for their symptoms of depression can have important treatment implications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examining the Value of a Scaffolded Critique Framework to Promote Argumentative and Explanatory Writings Within an Argument-Based Inquiry Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Jeong-yoon; Hand, Brian

2017-12-01

This study investigated the value of using a scaffolded critique framework to promote two different types of writing—argumentative writing and explanatory writing—with different purposes within an argument-based inquiry approach known as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. A quasi-experimental design with sixth and seventh grade students taught by two teachers was used. A total of 170 students participated in the study, with 87 in the control group (four classes) and 83 in the treatment group (four classes). All students used the SWH templates as an argumentative writing to guide their written work and completed these templates during the SWH investigations of each unit. After completing the SWH investigations, both groups of students were asked to complete the summary writing task as an explanatory writing at the end of each unit. All students' writing samples were scored using analytical frameworks developed for the study. The results indicated that the treatment group performed significantly better on the explanatory writing task than the control group. In addition, the results of the partial correlation suggested that there is a very strong significantly positive relationship between the argumentative writing and the explanatory writing.

Analysis of Academic and Non-Academic Outcomes from a Bottom-up Comprehensive School Reform in the Absence of Student Level Data through Simulation Methods: A Mixed Methods Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sondergeld, Toni A.

2009-01-01

This dissertation examines the efficacy of a bottom-up comprehensive school reform (CSR) program by evaluating its impact on student achievement, attendance, and behavior outcomes through an explanatory mixed methods design. The CSR program (Gear Up) was implemented in an urban junior high school over the course of seven years allowing for…

The effects of spatial autoregressive dependencies on inference in ordinary least squares: a geometric approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Tony E.; Lee, Ka Lok

2012-01-01

There is a common belief that the presence of residual spatial autocorrelation in ordinary least squares (OLS) regression leads to inflated significance levels in beta coefficients and, in particular, inflated levels relative to the more efficient spatial error model (SEM). However, our simulations show that this is not always the case. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to examine this question from a geometric viewpoint. The key idea is to characterize the OLS test statistic in terms of angle cosines and examine the geometric implications of this characterization. Our first result is to show that if the explanatory variables in the regression exhibit no spatial autocorrelation, then the distribution of test statistics for individual beta coefficients in OLS is independent of any spatial autocorrelation in the error term. Hence, inferences about betas exhibit all the optimality properties of the classic uncorrelated error case. However, a second more important series of results show that if spatial autocorrelation is present in both the dependent and explanatory variables, then the conventional wisdom is correct. In particular, even when an explanatory variable is statistically independent of the dependent variable, such joint spatial dependencies tend to produce "spurious correlation" that results in over-rejection of the null hypothesis. The underlying geometric nature of this problem is clarified by illustrative examples. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of some possible remedies for this problem.

Policymaking ‘under the radar’: a case study of pesticide regulation to prevent intentional poisoning in Sri Lanka

PubMed Central

Pearson, Melissa; Zwi, Anthony B; Buckley, Nicholas A; Manuweera, Gamini; Fernando, Ravindra; Dawson, Andrew H; McDuie-Ra, Duncan

2015-01-01

Background Suicide in Sri Lanka is a major public health problem and in 1995 the country had one of the highest rates of suicide worldwide. Since then reductions in overall suicide rates have been largely attributed to efforts to regulate a range of pesticides. The evolution, context, events and implementation of the key policy decisions around regulation are examined. Methods This study was undertaken as part of a broader analysis of policy in two parts—an explanatory case study and stakeholder analysis. This article describes the explanatory case study that included an historical narrative and in-depth interviews. Results A timeline and chronology of policy actions and influence were derived from interview and document data. Fourteen key informants were interviewed and four distinct policy phases were identified. The early stages of pesticide regulation were dominated by political and economic considerations and strongly influenced by external factors. The second phase was marked by a period of local institution building, the engagement of local stakeholders, and expanded links between health and agriculture. During the third phase the problem of self-poisoning dominated the policy agenda and closer links between stakeholders, evidence and policymaking developed. The fourth and most recent phase was characterized by strong local capacity for policymaking, informed by evidence, developed in collaboration with a powerful network of stakeholders, including international researchers. Conclusions The policy response to extremely high rates of suicide from intentional poisoning with pesticides shows a unique and successful example of policymaking to prevent suicide. It also highlights policy action taking place ‘under the radar’, thus avoiding policy inertia often associated with reforms in lower and middle income countries. PMID:24362640

Schematic representation of case study research designs.

PubMed

Rosenberg, John P; Yates, Patsy M

2007-11-01

The paper is a report of a study to demonstrate how the use of schematics can provide procedural clarity and promote rigour in the conduct of case study research. Case study research is a methodologically flexible approach to research design that focuses on a particular case - whether an individual, a collective or a phenomenon of interest. It is known as the 'study of the particular' for its thorough investigation of particular, real-life situations and is gaining increased attention in nursing and social research. However, the methodological flexibility it offers can leave the novice researcher uncertain of suitable procedural steps required to ensure methodological rigour. This article provides a real example of a case study research design that utilizes schematic representation drawn from a doctoral study of the integration of health promotion principles and practices into a palliative care organization. The issues discussed are: (1) the definition and application of case study research design; (2) the application of schematics in research; (3) the procedural steps and their contribution to the maintenance of rigour; and (4) the benefits and risks of schematics in case study research. The inclusion of visual representations of design with accompanying explanatory text is recommended in reporting case study research methods.

Predictive and Explanatory Relationship Model between Procrastination, Motivation, Anxiety and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akpur, Ugur

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the predictive and explanatory relationship model between procrastination, motivation, anxiety and academic achievement of university students. Research Methods: In this study, a causal research design was used. The study group consisted of 211 participants. In order to determine their motivation…

Noise as an explanatory factor in work-related fatality reports

PubMed Central

Deshaies, Pierre; Martin, Richard; Belzile, Danny; Fortier, Pauline; Laroche, Chantal; Leroux, Tony; Nélisse, Hugues; Girard, Serge-André; Arcand, Robert; Poulin, Maurice; Picard, Michel

2015-01-01

Noise exposure in the workplace is a common reality in Québec, Canada as it is elsewhere. However, the extent to which noise acts as a causal or contributive factor in industrial work-related accidents has not been studied thoroughly despite its plausibility. This article aims to describe the importance or potential importance, during investigations looking into the specific causes of each work-related fatal accident, of noise as an explanatory factor. The written information contained in the accident reports pertaining to contextual and technical elements were used. The study used multiple case qualitative content analysis. This descriptive study was based on the content analysis of the 788 reports from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec [Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)] investigating the fatal work-related accidents between 1990 and 2005. The study was descriptive (number and percentages). Noise was explicitly stated as one of the explanatory factors for the fatal outcome in 2.2% (17/788) of the fatal accidents, particularly when the work involved vehicular movement or the need to communicate between workers. Noise was not typically considered a unique cause in the accident, notably because the investigators considered that the accident would have probably occurred due to other risk factors (for example, disregard of safety rules, shortcomings in work methods, and inadequate training). Noise is an important risk factor when communication is involved in work. Since noise is ubiquitous and may also interfere with vigilance and other risk factors for accidents, it may be a much more important contributing factor to accidents than is currently recognized. PMID:26356371

Noise as an explanatory factor in work-related fatality reports.

PubMed

Deshaies, Pierre; Martin, Richard; Belzile, Danny; Fortier, Pauline; Laroche, Chantal; Leroux, Tony; Nélisse, Hugues; Girard, Serge-André; Arcand, Robert; Poulin, Maurice; Picard, Michel

2015-01-01

Noise exposure in the workplace is a common reality in Québec, Canada as it is elsewhere. However, the extent to which noise acts as a causal or contributive factor in industrial work-related accidents has not been studied thoroughly despite its plausibility. This article aims to describe the importance or potential importance, during investigations looking into the specific causes of each work-related fatal accident, of noise as an explanatory factor. The written information contained in the accident reports pertaining to contextual and technical elements were used. The study used multiple case qualitative content analysis. This descriptive study was based on the content analysis of the 788 reports from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec [Workers' Compensation Board (WCB)] investigating the fatal work-related accidents between 1990 and 2005. The study was descriptive (number and percentages). Noise was explicitly stated as one of the explanatory factors for the fatal outcome in 2.2% (17/788) of the fatal accidents, particularly when the work involved vehicular movement or the need to communicate between workers. Noise was not typically considered a unique cause in the accident, notably because the investigators considered that the accident would have probably occurred due to other risk factors (for example, disregard of safety rules, shortcomings in work methods, and inadequate training). Noise is an important risk factor when communication is involved in work. Since noise is ubiquitous and may also interfere with vigilance and other risk factors for accidents, it may be a much more important contributing factor to accidents than is currently recognized.

Validation of an explanatory tool for data-fused displays for high-technology future aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, Georgina C. L.; Shanks, Craig R.; Selcon, Stephen J.

1996-05-01

As the number of sensor and data sources in the military cockpit increases, pilots will suffer high levels of workload which could result in reduced performance and the loss of situational awareness. A DRA research program has been investigating the use of data-fused displays in decision support and has developed and laboratory-tested an explanatory tool for displaying information in air combat scenarios. The tool has been designed to provide pictorial explanations of data that maintain situational awareness by involving the pilot in the hostile aircraft threat assessment task. This paper reports a study carried out to validate the success of the explanatory tool in a realistic flight simulation facility. Aircrew were asked to perform a threat assessment task, either with or without the explanatory tool providing information in the form of missile launch success zone envelopes, while concurrently flying a waypoint course within set flight parameters. The results showed that there was a significant improvement (p less than 0.01) in threat assessment accuracy of 30% when using the explanatory tool. This threat assessment performance advantage was achieved without a trade-off with flying task performance. Situational awareness measures showed no general differences between the explanatory and control conditions, but significant learning effects suggested that the explanatory tool makes the task initially more intuitive and hence less demanding on the pilots' attentional resources. The paper concludes that DRA's data-fused explanatory tool is successful at improving threat assessment accuracy in a realistic simulated flying environment, and briefly discusses the requirements for further research in the area.

Models, theory structure and mechanisms in biochemistry: The case of allosterism.

PubMed

Alleva, Karina; Díez, José; Federico, Lucia

2017-06-01

From the perspective of the new mechanistic philosophy, it has been argued that explanatory causal mechanisms in some special sciences such as biochemistry and neurobiology cannot be captured by any useful notion of theory, or at least by any standard notion. The goal of this paper is to show that a model-theoretic notion of theory, and in particular the structuralist notion of a theory-net already applied to other unified explanatory theories, adequately suits the MWC allosteric mechanism explanatory set-up. We also argue, contra some mechanistic claims questioning the use of laws in biological explanations, that the theory reconstructed in this way essentially contains non-accidental regularities that qualify as laws, and that taking into account these lawful components, it is possible to explicate the unified character of the theory. Finally, we argue that, contrary to what some mechanists also claim, functional explanations that do not fully specify the mechanistic structure are not defective or incomplete in any relevant sense, and that functional components are perfectly explanatory. The conclusion is that, as some authors have emphasized in other fields (Walmsley 2008), particular elements of traditional approaches do not contradict but rather complement the new mechanist philosophy, and taken together they may offer a more complete understanding of special sciences and the variety of explanations they provide. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Explanatory pluralism: An unrewarding prediction error for free energy theorists.

PubMed

Colombo, Matteo; Wright, Cory

2017-03-01

Courtesy of its free energy formulation, the hierarchical predictive processing theory of the brain (PTB) is often claimed to be a grand unifying theory. To test this claim, we examine a central case: activity of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic (DA) systems. After reviewing the three most prominent hypotheses of DA activity-the anhedonia, incentive salience, and reward prediction error hypotheses-we conclude that the evidence currently vindicates explanatory pluralism. This vindication implies that the grand unifying claims of advocates of PTB are unwarranted. More generally, we suggest that the form of scientific progress in the cognitive sciences is unlikely to be a single overarching grand unifying theory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determinants of Judgments of Explanatory Power: Credibility, Generality, and Statistical Relevance.

PubMed

Colombo, Matteo; Bucher, Leandra; Sprenger, Jan

2017-01-01

Explanation is a central concept in human psychology. Drawing upon philosophical theories of explanation, psychologists have recently begun to examine the relationship between explanation, probability and causality. Our study advances this growing literature at the intersection of psychology and philosophy of science by systematically investigating how judgments of explanatory power are affected by (i) the prior credibility of an explanatory hypothesis, (ii) the causal framing of the hypothesis, (iii) the perceived generalizability of the explanation, and (iv) the relation of statistical relevance between hypothesis and evidence. Collectively, the results of our five experiments support the hypothesis that the prior credibility of a causal explanation plays a central role in explanatory reasoning: first, because of the presence of strong main effects on judgments of explanatory power, and second, because of the gate-keeping role it has for other factors. Highly credible explanations are not susceptible to causal framing effects, but they are sensitive to the effects of normatively relevant factors: the generalizability of an explanation, and its statistical relevance for the evidence. These results advance current literature in the philosophy and psychology of explanation in three ways. First, they yield a more nuanced understanding of the determinants of judgments of explanatory power, and the interaction between these factors. Second, they show the close relationship between prior beliefs and explanatory power. Third, they elucidate the nature of abductive reasoning.

Determinants of Judgments of Explanatory Power: Credibility, Generality, and Statistical Relevance

PubMed Central

Colombo, Matteo; Bucher, Leandra; Sprenger, Jan

2017-01-01

Explanation is a central concept in human psychology. Drawing upon philosophical theories of explanation, psychologists have recently begun to examine the relationship between explanation, probability and causality. Our study advances this growing literature at the intersection of psychology and philosophy of science by systematically investigating how judgments of explanatory power are affected by (i) the prior credibility of an explanatory hypothesis, (ii) the causal framing of the hypothesis, (iii) the perceived generalizability of the explanation, and (iv) the relation of statistical relevance between hypothesis and evidence. Collectively, the results of our five experiments support the hypothesis that the prior credibility of a causal explanation plays a central role in explanatory reasoning: first, because of the presence of strong main effects on judgments of explanatory power, and second, because of the gate-keeping role it has for other factors. Highly credible explanations are not susceptible to causal framing effects, but they are sensitive to the effects of normatively relevant factors: the generalizability of an explanation, and its statistical relevance for the evidence. These results advance current literature in the philosophy and psychology of explanation in three ways. First, they yield a more nuanced understanding of the determinants of judgments of explanatory power, and the interaction between these factors. Second, they show the close relationship between prior beliefs and explanatory power. Third, they elucidate the nature of abductive reasoning. PMID:28928679

Explanatory Models of Illness: A Study of Within-Culture Variation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Elizabeth; Medin, Douglas

2006-01-01

The current studies explore causal models of heart attack and depression generated from American healers whom use distinct explanatory frameworks. Causal chains leading to two illnesses, heart attack and depression, were elicited from participant groups: registered nurses (RNs), energy healers, RN energy healers, and undergraduates. The…

[The picture of malingered symptom presentation in public opinion].

PubMed

Schlicht, D; Merten, Thomas

2014-09-01

The views held by health experts on certain topics may differ drastically from what appears to be obvious from observations in daily living or public opinion. This is true for a number of myths which continue to haunt the literature with respect to feigned health problems. Such myths tend to ignore or to distort the results of modern research. We performed two pilot studies: first a content analysis of 67 German- and English-language articles from newspapers, magazines or internet journals, and second, a survey on the experience of, and beliefs related to, exaggeration and symptom invention in health care and forensic assessment. A non-representative sample of 15 adults from the general population was interviewed. Most of them reported their own experiences or incidents in their social networks involving feigned health problems. Base rate estimates of malingering in five prototypical contexts ranged between 46 and 67 percent of cases. While the participants showed a preference for an adaptational explanatory model of malingering (selected for about 53% of cases of malingering), journalistic sources often employed pejorative language and combat rhetoric, aiming to arouse indignation or outrage in the readership. The majority of articles were classified to adhere to a criminological explanatory model. While the pilot character of the studies limits their generalisability, the results may be suited to question the validity of some long-held expert beliefs.

Prediction of 222Rn in Danish dwellings using geology and house construction information from central databases.

PubMed

Andersen, Claus E; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Andersen, Helle Primdal; Lind, Morten; Gravesen, Peter; Thomsen, Birthe L; Ulbak, Kaare

2007-01-01

A linear regression model has been developed for the prediction of indoor (222)Rn in Danish houses. The model provides proxy radon concentrations for about 21,000 houses in a Danish case-control study on the possible association between residential radon and childhood cancer (primarily leukaemia). The model was calibrated against radon measurements in 3116 houses. An independent dataset with 788 house measurements was used for model performance assessment. The model includes nine explanatory variables, of which the most important ones are house type and geology. All explanatory variables are available from central databases. The model was fitted to log-transformed radon concentrations and it has an R(2) of 40%. The uncertainty associated with individual predictions of (untransformed) radon concentrations is about a factor of 2.0 (one standard deviation). The comparison with the independent test data shows that the model makes sound predictions and that errors of radon predictions are only weakly correlated with the estimates themselves (R(2) = 10%).

Explanatory Models and Medication Adherence in Patients with Depression in South India

PubMed Central

Siddappa, Adarsh Lakkur; Raman, Rajesh; Hattur, Basavana Gowdappa

2017-01-01

Introduction Conceptualization of depression may have bearing on treatment seeking. It may affect adherence behaviour of the patients. Aim To find out the explanatory models and their relationship with socio-demographic variables and medication adherence in patients with depression. Materials and Methods Fifty-eight consecutive patients with depression in remission were recruited as per selection criteria. Socio-demographic details were collected. Patients were assessed using Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire (MDEMQ) and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS). Results Significant scores were observed in all dimensions of explanatory models. In the Mann-Whitney U test the patient’s marital status (MU=113.500, p=0.05, sig≤0.05, 2-tailed), and family history of mental illness (MU=165.5, p=0.03, sig≤0.05, 2-tailed) had a statistically significant group difference in the score of MDEMQ. In linear regression analysis, four predictors (MDEMQ subscales Stress, Western physiology, Non-Western physiology and Supernatural) had significantly predicted the value of MMAS (R2=0.937, f=153.558, p<0.001). Conclusion Findings of this study suggested that patients with depression harbor multidimensional explanatory model. The levels of explanatory models are inversely associated with levels of medication adherence. PMID:28274025

Insight, psychopathology, explanatory models and outcome of schizophrenia in India: a prospective 5-year cohort study.

PubMed

Johnson, Shanthi; Sathyaseelan, Manoranjitham; Charles, Helen; Jeyaseelan, Visalakshi; Jacob, Kuruthukulangara Sebastian

2012-09-27

The sole focus of models of insight on bio-medical perspectives to the complete exclusion of local, non-medical and cultural constructs mandates review. This study attempted to investigate the impact of insight, psychopathology, explanatory models of illness on outcome of first episode schizophrenia. Patients diagnosed to have DSM IV schizophrenia (n = 131) were assessed prospectively for insight, psychopathology, explanatory models of illness at baseline, 6, 12 and 60 months using standard instruments. Multiple linear and logistic regression and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were employed to assess predictors of outcome. We could follow up 95 (72.5%) patients. Sixty-five of these patients (68.4%) achieved remission. There was a negative relationship between psychosis rating and insight scores. Urban residence, fluctuating course of the initial illness, and improvement in global functioning at 6 months and lower psychosis rating at 12 months were significantly related to remission at 5 years. Insight scores, number of non-medical explanatory models and individual explanatory models held during the later course of the illness were significantly associated with outcome. Analysis of longitudinal data using GEE showed that women, rural residence, insight scores and number of non-medical explanatory models of illness held were significantly associated with BPRS scores during the study period. Insight, the disease model and the number of non-medical model positively correlated with improvement in psychosis arguing for a complex interaction between the culture, context and illness variables. These finding argue that insight and explanatory models are secondary to psychopathology, course and outcome of the illness. The awareness of mental illness is a narrative act in which people make personal sense of the many challenges they face. The course and outcome of the illness, cultural context, acceptable cultural explanations and the prevalent social stigma interact to produce a complex and multifaceted understanding of the issues. This complexity calls for a nuanced framing of insight.

Ethics and incentives: an evaluation and development of stakeholder theory in the health care industry.

PubMed

Elms, Heather; Berman, Shawn; Wicks, Andrew C

2002-10-01

This paper utilizes a qualitative case study of the health care industry and a recent legal case to demonstrate that stakeholder theory's focus on ethics, without recognition of the effects of incentives, severely limits the theory's ability to provide managerial direction and explain managerial behavior. While ethics provide a basis for stakeholder prioritization, incentives influence whether managerial action is consistent with that prioritization. Our health care examples highlight this and other limitations of stakeholder theory and demonstrate the explanatory and directive power added by the inclusion of the interactive effects of ethics and incentives in stakeholder ordering.

An Exploration of the Relationship between Optimistic Explanatory Style and Doctoral Study Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Constance V. S.

2012-01-01

Few studies have explored the positive characteristics that motivate doctoral students to pursue and complete their degree; research has historically focused on doctoral student attrition. To fully understand doctoral student success, research must focus on factors that contribute to completion. Based on Seligman's theory of explanatory style,…

Parental Explanatory Models of Child's Intellectual Disability: A Q Methodology Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Aesha; Montgomery, Diane

2016-01-01

This study with families caring for an individual with an intellectual disability in a mid-sized Indian city explored the diverse explanatory models that parents constructed of causes, preferred treatment approaches and perceived social effects of their child's intellectual disability. Seventeen mothers and three fathers rank ordered 48 disability…

Appreciative Accreditation: A Mixed Methods Explanatory Study of Appreciative Inquiry-Based Institutional Effectiveness Results in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thibodeau, John

2011-01-01

This study examined the effects of using Appreciative Inquiry in accreditation and related institutional effectiveness activities within higher education. Using an explanatory participant-selection mixed methods approach, qualitative data from a series of interviews were used to explain the experiences of individuals identified from quantitative…

Technology Adoption in Secondary Mathematics Teaching in Kenya: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamau, Leonard Mwathi

2014-01-01

This study examined the factors related to technology adoption by secondary mathematics teachers in Nyandarua and Nairobi counties in the Republic of Kenya. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, I collected qualitative data from interviews and classroom observations of six teachers to better understand statistical results from the…

Adaptive capacity of the Adjusted Clinical Groups Case-Mix System to the cost of primary healthcare in Catalonia (Spain): a observational study.

PubMed

Sicras-Mainar, Antoni; Velasco-Velasco, Soledad; Navarro-Artieda, Ruth; Prados-Torres, Alexandra; Bolibar-Ribas, Buenaventura; Violan-Fors, Concepción

2012-01-01

To describe the adaptive capacity of the Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG) system to the cost of care in primary healthcare centres in Catalonia (Spain). Retrospective study (multicentres) conducted using computerised medical records. 13 primary care teams in 2008 were included. All patients registered in the study centres who required care between 1 January and 31 December 2008 were finally studied. Patients not registered in the study centres during the study period were excluded. Demographic (age and sex), dependent (cost of care) and case-mix variables were studied. The cost model for each patient was established by differentiating the fixed and variable costs. To evaluate the adaptive capacity of the ACG system, Pearson's coefficient of variation and the percentage of outliers were calculated. To evaluate the explanatory power of the ACG system, the authors used the coefficient of determination (R(2)). The number of patients studied was 227 235 (frequency: 5.9 visits per person per year), with a mean of 4.5 (3.2) episodes and 8.1 (8.2) visits per patient per year. The mean total cost was €654.2. The explanatory power of the ACG system was 36.9% for costs (56.5% without outliers). 10 ACG categories accounted for 60.1% of all cases and 19 for 80.9%. 5 categories represented 71% of poor performance (N=78 887, 34.7%), particularly category 0300-Acute Minor, Age 6+ (N=26 909, 11.8%), which had a coefficient of variation =139% and 6.6% of outliers. The ACG system is an appropriate manner of classifying patients in routine clinical practice in primary healthcare centres in Catalonia, although improvements to the adaptive capacity through disaggregation of some categories according to age groups and, especially, the number of acute episodes in paediatric patients would be necessary to reduce intra-group variation.

Self-Consciousness and Assertiveness as Explanatory Variables of L2 Oral Ability: A Latent Variable Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ockey, Gary

2011-01-01

Drawing on current theories in personality, second-language (L2) oral ability, and psychometrics, this study investigates the extent to which self-consciousness and assertiveness are explanatory variables of L2 oral ability. Three hundred sixty first-year Japanese university students who were studying English as a foreign language participated in…

Older Men's Explanatory Model for Osteoporosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solimeo, Samantha L.; Weber, Thomas J.; Gold, Deborah T.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To explore the nature of men's experiences of osteoporosis by developing an understanding of men's explanatory models. Design and Methods: This descriptive study invited community-residing male osteoporosis patients aged 50+ to participate in interviews about osteoporosis. Participants were recruited from a hospital-affiliated bone…

How Is the Ideal Gas Law Explanatory?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woody, Andrea I.

2013-01-01

Using the ideal gas law as a comparative example, this essay reviews contemporary research in philosophy of science concerning scientific explanation. It outlines the inferential, causal, unification, and erotetic conceptions of explanation and discusses an alternative project, the functional perspective. In each case, the aim is to highlight…

Explaining the social gradient in sickness absence: a study of a general working population in Sweden.

PubMed

Löve, Jesper; Hensing, Gunnel; Holmgren, Kristina; Torén, Kjell

2013-06-05

Some previous studies have proposed potential explanatory factors for the social gradient in sickness absence. Yet, this research area is still in its infancy and in order to comprise the full range of socioeconomic positions there is a need for studies conducted on random population samples. The main aim of the present study was to investigate if somatic and mental symptoms, mental wellbeing, job strain, and physical work environment could explain the association between low socioeconomic position and belonging to a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees. This study was conducted on one random working population sample (n = 2763) and one sample of newly sick-listed cases of employees (n = 3044), drawn from the same random general population in western Sweden. Explanatory factors were self-rated 'Somatic and mental symptoms', 'Mental well-being', 'job strain', and 'physical work conditions' (i.e. heavy lifting and awkward work postures). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Somatic and mental symptoms, mental well-being, and job strain, could not explain the association between socioeconomic position and sickness absence in both women and men. However, physical work conditions explained the total association in women and much of this association in men. In men the gradient between Non-skilled manual OR 1.76 (1.24;2.48) and Skilled manual OR 1.59 (1.10;2.20), both in relation to Higher non-manual, remained unexplained. The present study strengthens the scientific evidence that social differences in physical work conditions seem to comprise a key element of the social gradient in sickness absence, particularly in women. Future studies should try to identify further predictors for this gradient in men.

Attributional (Explanatory) Thinking about Failure in New Achievement Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Raymond P.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Daniels, Lia M.; Haynes, Tara L.

2008-01-01

Attributional (explanatory) thinking involves the appraisal of factors that contribute to performance and is instrumental to motivation and goal striving. Little is understood, however, concerning attributional thinking when multiple causes are involved in the transition to new achievement settings. Our study examined such complex attributional…

Causes of Job Turnover in the Public School Superintendency: An Explanatory Analysis in the Western United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melver, Toby A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the factors that affect public school superintendent turnover in five western states. An explanatory theory was developed to cover all of the possible variables and show the relationship between those variables. The questions that guided this research study were: (1) What environmental…

Interparental Discord and Child Adjustment: Prospective Investigations of Emotional Security as an Explanatory Mechanism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, E. Mark; Schermerhorn, Alice C.; Davies, Patrick T.; Goeke-Morey, Marcie C.; Cummings, Jennifer S.

2006-01-01

Advancing the process-oriented study of links between interparental discord and child adjustment, 2 multimethod prospective tests of emotional security as an explanatory mechanism are reported. On the basis of community samples, with waves spaced 2 years apart, Study 1 (113 boys and 113 girls, ages 9-18) identified emotional security as a mediator…

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.

Aging and the Right to Terminate Medical Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haug, Marie

1978-01-01

Belief in right to terminate medical care in case of irreversible terminal illness is analyzed by age, education, health, and attitudes to patient rights. Although age is related to supporting right to halt treatment, with those over 65 least supportive, relation to professional care in general has more explanatory power. (Author)

Categorization and Analysis of Explanatory Writing in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Tracy S.

2011-01-01

The aim of this article is to present a scheme for coding and categorizing students' written explanations of mathematical problem-solving activities. The scheme was used successfully within a study project carried out to determine whether student problem-solving behaviour could be positively affected by writing explanatory strategies to…

The Rhetoric of Explanation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors, Robert J.

As background to an argument for purposive reintegration of discourse study, this paper examines the concept of explanatory discourse as it developed within the Western rhetorical tradition. Following a discussion of the rise of a rhetoric of explanation, the first section cites the roots of the explanatory pedagogy developing during the first…

Self-Explanation and Explanatory Feedback in Games: Individual Differences, Gameplay, and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killingsworth, Stephen S.; Clark, Douglas B.; Adams, Deanne M.

2015-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of two explanation-based approaches for increasing learning in educational games. The first involves asking students to explain their answers (self-explanation) and the second involves providing correct explanations (explanatory feedback). This study (1) compared self-explanation and explanatory…

[The neurodynamic core of consciousness and neural Darwinism].

PubMed

Ibáñez, A

In the last decades, the scientific study of consciousness in the scope of the cognitive neurosciences can be considered one of the greatest challenges of contemporary science. The Gerald Edelman theory of consciousness is one of the most promising and controversial perspectives. This theory stands out by its approach to topics usually rejected by other neurophysiologic theories of consciousness, as the case of the neurophysiologic explanation of qualia. The goal of this paper is to review the dynamic core theory of consciousness, presenting the main features of the theory, analyzing the explanation strategies, their empirical extensions, and elaborating some critical considerations about the possibility of the neuroscientific study of qualia. The central and additional theoretical components are analyzed, emphasizing its ontological, restrictive and explanatory assumptions. The properties of conscious phenomena and their cerebral correlates as advanced by the theory are described, and finally its experiments and empirical extensions are examined. The explanatory strategies of the theory are analyzed, based on conceptual isomorphism between the phenomenological properties and the neurophysiological and mathematical measures. Some criticisms could be raised about the limitations of the dynamic core theory, especially regarding its account of the so-called 'hard problem' of consciousness or qualia.

A Unified Framework for Association Analysis with Multiple Related Phenotypes

PubMed Central

Stephens, Matthew

2013-01-01

We consider the problem of assessing associations between multiple related outcome variables, and a single explanatory variable of interest. This problem arises in many settings, including genetic association studies, where the explanatory variable is genotype at a genetic variant. We outline a framework for conducting this type of analysis, based on Bayesian model comparison and model averaging for multivariate regressions. This framework unifies several common approaches to this problem, and includes both standard univariate and standard multivariate association tests as special cases. The framework also unifies the problems of testing for associations and explaining associations – that is, identifying which outcome variables are associated with genotype. This provides an alternative to the usual, but conceptually unsatisfying, approach of resorting to univariate tests when explaining and interpreting significant multivariate findings. The method is computationally tractable genome-wide for modest numbers of phenotypes (e.g. 5–10), and can be applied to summary data, without access to raw genotype and phenotype data. We illustrate the methods on both simulated examples, and to a genome-wide association study of blood lipid traits where we identify 18 potential novel genetic associations that were not identified by univariate analyses of the same data. PMID:23861737

Strengthening the implementation of Health in All Policies: a methodology for realist explanatory case studies.

PubMed

Shankardass, Ketan; Renahy, Emilie; Muntaner, Carles; O'Campo, Patricia

2015-05-01

To address macro-social and economic determinants of health and equity, there has been growing use of intersectoral action by governments around the world. Health in All Policies (HiAP) initiatives are a special case where governments use cross-sectoral structures and relationships to systematically address health in policymaking by targeting broad health determinants rather than health services alone. Although many examples of HiAP have emerged in recent decades, the reasons for their successful implementation--and for implementation failures--have not been systematically studied. Consequently, rigorous evidence based on systematic research of the social mechanisms that have regularly enabled or hindered implementation in different jurisdictions is sparse. We describe a novel methodology for explanatory case studies that use a scientific realist perspective to study the implementation of HiAP. Our methodology begins with the formulation of a conceptual framework to describe contexts, social mechanisms and outcomes of relevance to the sustainable implementation of HiAP. We then describe the process of systematically explaining phenomena of interest using evidence from literature and key informant interviews, and looking for patterns and themes. Finally, we present a comparative example of how Health Impact Assessment tools have been utilized in Sweden and Quebec to illustrate how this methodology uses evidence to first describe successful practices for implementation of HiAP and then refine the initial framework. The methodology that we describe helps researchers to identify and triangulate rich evidence describing social mechanisms and salient contextual factors that characterize successful practices in implementing HiAP in specific jurisdictions. This methodology can be applied to study the implementation of HiAP and other forms of intersectoral action to reduce health inequities involving multiple geographic levels of government in diverse settings. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2014; all rights reserved.

Explanatory style across the life span: evidence for stability over 52 years.

PubMed

Burns, M O; Seligman, M E

1989-03-01

Analyzed explanatory style across the life span. 30 Ss whose average age was 72 responded to questions about their current life and provided diaries or letters written in their youth, an average of 52 years earlier. A blind content analysis of explanatory style derived from these 2 sources revealed that explanatory style for negative events was stable throughout adult life (r = .54, p less than .002). In contrast, there appeared to be no stability of explanatory style for positive events between the same 2 time periods. These results suggest that explanatory style for negative events may persist across the life span and may constitute an enduring risk factor for depression, low achievement, and physical illness.

A near miss: the importance of context in a public health informatics project in a New Zealand case study.

PubMed

Wells, Stewart; Bullen, Chris

2008-01-01

This article describes the near failure of an information technology (IT) system designed to support a government-funded, primary care-based hepatitis B screening program in New Zealand. Qualitative methods were used to collect data and construct an explanatory model. Multiple incorrect assumptions were made about participants, primary care workflows and IT capacity, software vendor user knowledge, and the health IT infrastructure. Political factors delayed system development and it was implemented untested, almost failing. An intensive rescue strategy included system modifications, relaxation of data validity rules, close engagement with software vendors, and provision of intensive on-site user support. This case study demonstrates that consideration of the social, political, technological, and health care contexts is important for successful implementation of public health informatics projects.

The Mole as an Explanatory Device: How Do You Know a Mole if You See One? A Manual for Chemistry Students. Sample Teaching Materials: The Explanatory Modes Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Douglas A.

This booklet is designed to supplement the study of introductory chemistry. It deals particularly with the mole concept but also includes ideas for analyzing the kinds of statements that appear in all science textbooks and scientific writing. The material in the booklet should be studied after the completion of an introductory textbook study of…

Examining Explanatory Biases in Young Children's Biological Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Legare, Cristine H.; Gelman, Susan A.

2014-01-01

Despite the well-established literature on explanation in early childhood, little is known about what constrains children's explanations. State change and negative outcomes were examined as potential explanatory biases in the domain of naïve biology, extending upon previous work in the domain of naïve physics. In two studies, preschool children…

Accentuate the Positive: The Relationship between Positive Explanatory Style and Academic Achievement of Prospective Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Wanda

2006-01-01

This research examines 480 current event-explanation units using the CAVE technique (Schulman, Castellon, & Seligman, 1989) to note the relationship between positive and negative explanatory style and achievement of prospective early childhood and upper elementary female teachers. This study found a significant positive relationship between…

Applying Cognitive Linguistics to Teaching the Spanish Prepositions "Por" and "Para"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Yvonne

2009-01-01

L2 prepositions are traditionally taught in a non-explanatory manner by having students learn each use individually. This study examines the effectiveness of an alternative explanatory approach based on cognitive linguistics, which considers the multiple uses of a preposition as related. Consequently, learners can be shown a general schema that…

Interparental Conflict and Children's School Adjustment: The Explanatory Role of Children's Internal Representations of Interparental and Parent-Child Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturge-Apple, Melissa L.; Davies, Patrick T.; Winter, Marcia A.; Cummings, E. Mark; Schermerhorn, Alice

2008-01-01

This study examined how children's insecure internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships served as explanatory mechanisms in multiple pathways linking interparental conflict and parent emotional unavailability with the emotional and classroom engagement difficulties the children had in their adjustment to school. With…

Physical composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healey, Richard

2013-02-01

Atomistic metaphysics motivated an explanatory strategy which science has pursued with great success since the scientific revolution. By decomposing matter into its atomic and subatomic parts physics gave us powerful explanations and accurate predictions as well as providing a unifying framework for the rest of science. The success of the decompositional strategy has encouraged a widespread conviction that the physical world forms a compositional hierarchy that physics and other sciences are progressively articulating. But this conviction does not stand up to a closer examination of how physics has treated composition, as a variety of case studies will show.

A retrospective explanatory case study of the implementation of a bleeding management quality initiative, in an Australian cardiac surgery unit.

PubMed

Pearse, Bronwyn Louise; Rickard, Claire M; Keogh, Samantha; Lin Fung, Yoke

2018-03-09

Bleeding management in cardiac surgery is challenging. Many guidelines exist to support bleeding management; however, literature demonstrates wide variation in practice. In 2012, a quality initiative was undertaken at The Prince Charles Hospital, Australia to improve bleeding management for cardiac surgery patients. The implementation of the quality initiative resulted in significant reductions in the incidence of blood transfusion, re-exploration for bleeding; superficial leg and chest wound infections; length of hospital stay, and cost. Given the success of the initiative, we sought to answer the question; "How and why was the process of implementing a bleeding management quality initiative in the cardiac surgery unit successful, and sustainable?" A retrospective explanatory case study design was chosen to explore the quality initiative. Analysis of the evidence was reviewed through phases of the 'Knowledgeto Action' planned change model. Data was derived from: (1) document analysis, (2) direct observation of the local environment, (3) clinical narratives from interviews, and analysed with a triangulation approach. The study period extended from 10/2011 to 6/2013. Results demonstrated the complexity of changing practice, as well as the significant amount of dedicated time and effort required to support individual, department and system wide change. Results suggest that while many clinicians were aware of the potential to apply improved practice, numerous barriers and challenges needed to be overcome to implement change across multiple disciplines and departments. The key successful components of the QI were revealed through the case study analysis as: (1) an appropriately skilled project manager to facilitate the implementation process; (2) tools to support changes in workflow and decision making including a bleeding management treatment algorithm with POCCTs; (3) strong clinical leadership from the multidisciplinary team and; (4) the evolution of the project manager position into a perpetual clinical position to support sustainability. Copyright © 2018 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. All rights reserved.

Questions about Physics: The Case of a Turkish "Ask a Scientist" Website

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerdelen-Damar, Sevda; Eryilmaz, Ali

2010-01-01

The physics questions submitted to an "ask a scientist" website were classified with respect to field of interest in physics, type of requested information in the question (factual, explanatory, etc.), and motivation for asking the question (applicative or non-applicative). In addition, differences in the number of females' and males'…

32 CFR 644.453 - Major restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Improvements § 644.453 Major restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) Engineer... the item numbers on the Recapitulation sheet, part I of the form: (1) “1” to “6” Self-explanatory. (2) “7. Original Cost (Actual or Estimated) of Government-owned improvements, fixtures and alterations...

32 CFR 644.453 - Major restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Improvements § 644.453 Major restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) Engineer... the item numbers on the Recapitulation sheet, part I of the form: (1) “1” to “6” Self-explanatory. (2) “7. Original Cost (Actual or Estimated) of Government-owned improvements, fixtures and alterations...

32 CFR 644.452 - Minor restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Improvements § 644.452 Minor restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) In minor... improvements or alterations did not exceed $5,000; and (2) The net salvage value of Government improvements... items of restoration involved. While this form is considered self-explanatory, the following is to be...

32 CFR 644.453 - Major restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Improvements § 644.453 Major restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) Engineer... the item numbers on the Recapitulation sheet, part I of the form: (1) “1” to “6” Self-explanatory. (2) “7. Original Cost (Actual or Estimated) of Government-owned improvements, fixtures and alterations...

32 CFR 644.452 - Minor restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Improvements § 644.452 Minor restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) In minor... improvements or alterations did not exceed $5,000; and (2) The net salvage value of Government improvements... items of restoration involved. While this form is considered self-explanatory, the following is to be...

32 CFR 644.452 - Minor restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Improvements § 644.452 Minor restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) In minor... improvements or alterations did not exceed $5,000; and (2) The net salvage value of Government improvements... items of restoration involved. While this form is considered self-explanatory, the following is to be...

32 CFR 644.453 - Major restoration cases-determining extent of restoration required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Improvements § 644.453 Major restoration cases—determining extent of restoration required. (a) Engineer... the item numbers on the Recapitulation sheet, part I of the form: (1) “1” to “6” Self-explanatory. (2) “7. Original Cost (Actual or Estimated) of Government-owned improvements, fixtures and alterations...

Method and metaphysics in Clements's and Gleason's ecological explanations.

PubMed

Eliot, Christopher

2007-03-01

To generate explanatory theory, ecologists must wrestle with how to represent the extremely many, diverse causes behind phenomena in their domain. Early twentieth-century plant ecologists Frederic E. Clements and Henry A. Gleason provide a textbook example of different approaches to explaining vegetation, with Clements allegedly committed, despite abundant exceptions, to a law of vegetation, and Gleason denying the law in favor of less organized phenomena. However, examining Clements's approach to explanation reveals him not to be expressing a law, and instead to be developing an explanatory structure without laws, capable of progressively integrating causal complexity. Moreover, Clements and Gleason largely agree on the causes of vegetation; but, since causal understanding here underdetermines representation, they differ on how to integrate recognized causes into general theory--that is, in their methodologies. Observers of the case may have mistakenly assumed that scientific representation across the disciplines typically aims at laws like Newton's, and that representations always reveal scientists' metaphysical commitments. Ironically, in the present case, this assumption seems to have been made even by observers who regard Clements as nai ve for his alleged commitment to an ecological law.

Spatial analysis of participation in the Waterloo Residential Energy Efficiency Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ge Bella

Researchers are in broad agreement that energy-conserving actions produce economic as well as energy savings. Household energy rating systems (HERS) have been established in many countries to inform households of their house's current energy performance and to help reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, the national EnerGuide for Houses (EGH) program is delivered by many local delivery agents, including non-profit green community organizations. Waterloo Region Green Solutions is the local non-profit that offers the EGH residential energy evaluation service to local households. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the determinants of household's participation in the residential energy efficiency program (REEP) in Waterloo Region, to explain the relationship between the explanatory variables and REEP participation, and to propose ways to improve this kind of program. A spatial (trend) analysis was conducted within a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the spatial patterns of the REEP participation in Waterloo Region from 1999 to 2006. The impact of sources of information on participation and relationships between participation rates and explanatory variables were identified. GIS proved successful in presenting a visual interpretation of spatial patterns of the REEP participation. In general, the participating households tend to be clustered in urban areas and scattered in rural areas. Different sources of information played significant roles in reaching participants in different years. Moreover, there was a relationship between each explanatory variable and the REEP participation rates. Statistical analysis was applied to obtain a quantitative assessment of relationships between hypothesized explanatory variables and participation in the REEP. The Poisson regression model was used to determine the relationship between hypothesized explanatory variables and REEP participation at the CDA level. The results show that all of the independent variables have a statistically significant positive relationship with REEP participation. These variables include level of education, average household income, employment rate, home ownership, population aged 65 and over, age of home, and number of eligible dwellings. The logistic regression model was used to assess the ability of the hypothesized explanatory variables to predict whether or not households would participate in a second follow-up evaluation after completing upgrades to their home. The results show all the explanatory variables have significant relationships with the dependent variable. The increased rating score, average household income, aged population, and age of home are positively related to the dependent variable. While the dwelling size and education has negative relationships with the dependent variable. In general, the contribution of this work provides a practical understanding of how the energy efficiency program operates, and insight into the type of variables that may be successful in bringing about changes in performance in the energy efficiency project in Waterloo Region. Secondly, with the completion of this research, future residential energy efficiency programs can use the information from this research and emulate or expand upon the efforts and lessons learned from the Residential Energy Efficiency Project in Waterloo Region case study. Thirdly, this research also contributes to practical experience on how to integrate different datasets using GIS.

A glossary of terms for understanding political aspects in the implementation of Health in All Policies (HiAP).

PubMed

Oneka, Goldameir; Vahid Shahidi, Faraz; Muntaner, Carles; Bayoumi, Ahmed M; Mahabir, Deb Finn; Freiler, Alix; O'Campo, Patricia; Shankardass, Ketan

2017-08-01

Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a strategy that seeks to integrate health considerations into the development, implementation and evaluation of policies across various non-health sectors of the government. Over the past 15 years, there has been an increase in the uptake of HiAP by local, regional and national governments. Despite the growing popularity of this approach, most existing literature on HiAP implementation remains descriptive rather than explanatory in its orientation. Moreover, prior research has focused on the more technical aspects of the implementation process. Thus, studies that aim to 'build capacity to promote, implement and evaluate HiAP' abound. Conversely, there is little emphasis on the political aspects of HiAP implementation. Neglecting the role of politics in shaping the use of HiAP is problematic, since health and the strategies by which it is promoted are partially political.This glossary addresses the politics gap in the existing literature by drawing on theoretical concepts from political, policy, and public health sciences to articulate a framework for studying how political mechanisms influence HiAP implementation. To this end, the glossary forms part of an on-going multiple explanatory case study of HiAP implementation, HARMONICS (HiAP Analysis using Realist Methods on International Case Studies, harmonics-hiap.ca), and is meant to expand on a previously published glossary addressing the topic of HiAP implementation more broadly. Collectively, these glossaries offer a conceptual toolkit for understanding how politics explains implementation outcomes of HiAP. © 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.

Constructing and De-Constructing Cultural Values: An Explanatory Model of Teaching Behaviours.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boufoy-Bastick, Beatrice

This paper presents an explanatory model of cultural behaviors, which resulted from a 4-year ethnographic study of the different academic attainments in English of indigenous Fijians and the Indo-Fijians in the Fiji Islands. Fiji is a natural laboratory for investigating differential cultural behaviors because of these two culturally distinct main…

Human vs. Computer Diagnosis of Students' Natural Selection Knowledge: Testing the Efficacy of Text Analytic Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nehm, Ross H.; Haertig, Hendrik

2012-01-01

Our study examines the efficacy of Computer Assisted Scoring (CAS) of open-response text relative to expert human scoring within the complex domain of evolutionary biology. Specifically, we explored whether CAS can diagnose the explanatory elements (or Key Concepts) that comprise undergraduate students' explanatory models of natural selection with…

Parents' and Speech and Language Therapists' Explanatory Models of Language Development, Language Delay and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Julie; Goldbart, Juliet; Phillips, Julie

2007-01-01

Background: Parental and speech and language therapist (SLT) explanatory models may affect engagement with speech and language therapy, but there has been dearth of research in this area. This study investigated parents' and SLTs' views about language development, delay and intervention in pre-school children with language delay. Aims: The aims…

The Role of Scientific Modeling Criteria in Advancing Students' Explanatory Ideas of Magnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Meng-Fei; Brown, David E.

2015-01-01

Student construction of models is a strong focus of current research and practice in science education. In order to study in detail the interactions between students' model generation and evaluation and their development of explanatory ideas to account for magnetic phenomena, a multi-session teaching experiment was conducted with a small number of…

Divergent Explanatory Production (DEP): The Relationship between Resilience and Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández, Óscar Sánchez; Méndez, Francisco Xavier; Garber, Judy

2015-01-01

Introduction: The aim of the study is to describe and analyze a new test and construct, Divergent Explanatory Production (DEP), defined as the ability to observe adverse situations from various points of view. At the theoretical level, it is a bridge between the reformulated model of learned helplessness (as a resilience model), and creative…

On slaves and genes: "origins" and "processes" in genetic studies of the Brazilian population.

PubMed

Calvo-González, Elena

2014-01-01

In this article I examine how contemporary geneticists investigating the history and configuration of the Brazilian population engage with other academic disciplines. To do so I use as a case study some articles published by geneticists researching the presence of hemoglobin S variants in Brazil, in which there is a clear pretension to contribute to the analysis of issues such as slavery or Brazil's ethnic identity. By contrasting these studies with contemporary works from history and the social science, the explanatory centrality of "origin" in the genetic studies analyzed is problematized, as is the lack of interaction with the epistemological characteristics of other areas of knowledge.

Explanatory Style in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Unrecognized Predictor of Mortality

PubMed Central

Crowson, Aaron D.; Colligan, Robert C.; Matteson, Eric L.; Davis, John M.; Crowson, Cynthia S.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine whether pessimistic explanatory style altered the risk for and mortality of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Methods The study included subjects from a population-based cohort with incident RA and non-RA comparison cohort who completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results Among 148 RA and 135 non-RA subjects, pessimism was associated with development of rheumatoid factor positive (RF+) RA. Pessimism was associated with an increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR]:2.88 with similar magnitude to RF+ (HR:2.28). Conclusion Pessimistic explanatory style was associated with an increased risk of developing RA and increased mortality rate in patients with RA. PMID:28148754

Explanatory models concerning the effects of small-area characteristics on individual health.

PubMed

Voigtländer, Sven; Vogt, Verena; Mielck, Andreas; Razum, Oliver

2014-06-01

Material and social living conditions at the small-area level are assumed to have an effect on individual health. We review existing explanatory models concerning the effects of small-area characteristics on health and describe the gaps future research should try to fill. Systematic literature search for, and analysis of, studies that propose an explanatory model of the relationship between small-area characteristics and health. Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria. Using various theoretical approaches, almost all of the models are based on a three-tier structure linking social inequalities (posited at the macro-level), small-area characteristics (posited at the meso-level) and individual health (micro-level). No study explicitly defines the geographical borders of the small-area context. The health impact of the small-area characteristics is explained by specific pathways involving mediating factors (psychological, behavioural, biological). These pathways tend to be seen as uni-directional; often, causality is implied. They may be modified by individual factors. A number of issues need more attention in research on explanatory models concerning small-area effects on health. Among them are the (geographical) definition of the small-area context; the systematic description of pathways comprising small-area contextual as well as compositional factors; questions of direction of association and causality; and the integration of a time dimension.

La Vente promotionnelle: Vocabulaire general de la vente en magasin (Vocabulary Used for the Promotional Sale).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Villers-Sidani, Marie-Eva, Comp.; And Others

This vocabulary list consists of 84 commonly used terms and expressions pertaining to the sale of store merchandise. The vocabulary items are listed alphabetically in English, with the French equivalent given opposite the English. In many cases, explanatory notes and examples illustrating the use of individual items are included. An alphabetical…

Predicting Item Difficulty of Science National Curriculum Tests: The Case of Key Stage 2 Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Masri, Yasmine H.; Ferrara, Steve; Foltz, Peter W.; Baird, Jo-Anne

2017-01-01

Predicting item difficulty is highly important in education for both teachers and item writers. Despite identifying a large number of explanatory variables, predicting item difficulty remains a challenge in educational assessment with empirical attempts rarely exceeding 25% of variance explained. This paper analyses 216 science items of key stage…

An Explanatory Item Response Theory Approach for a Computer-Based Case Simulation Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahraman, Nilüfer

2014-01-01

Problem: Practitioners working with multiple-choice tests have long utilized Item Response Theory (IRT) models to evaluate the performance of test items for quality assurance. The use of similar applications for performance tests, however, is often encumbered due to the challenges encountered in working with complicated data sets in which local…

Explanatory Versus Pragmatic Trials: An Essential Concept in Study Design and Interpretation.

PubMed

Merali, Zamir; Wilson, Jefferson R

2017-11-01

Randomized clinical trials often represent the highest level of clinical evidence available to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention in clinical medicine. Although the process of randomization serves to maximize internal validity, the external validity, or generalizability, of such studies depends on several factors determined at the design phase of the trial including eligibility criteria, study setting, and outcomes of interest. In general, explanatory trials are optimized to demonstrate the efficacy of an intervention in a highly selected patient group; however, findings from these studies may not be generalizable to the larger clinical problem. In contrast, pragmatic trials attempt to understand the real-world benefit of an intervention by incorporating design elements that allow for greater generalizability and clinical applicability of study results. In this article we describe the explanatory-pragmatic continuum for clinical trials in greater detail. Further, a well-accepted tool for grading trials on this continuum is described, and applied, to 2 recently published trials pertaining to the surgical management of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Examining the Value of a Scaffolded Critique Framework to Promote Argumentative and Explanatory Writings within an Argument-Based Inquiry Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jang, Jeong-yoon; Hand, Brian

2017-01-01

This study investigated the value of using a scaffolded critique framework to promote two different types of writing--argumentative writing and explanatory writing--with different purposes within an argument-based inquiry approach known as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. A quasi-experimental design with sixth and seventh grade…

The coexistence of natural and supernatural explanations within and across domains and development.

PubMed

Busch, Justin T A; Watson-Jones, Rachel E; Legare, Cristine H

2017-03-01

People across highly diverse cultural contexts use both natural and supernatural explanations to explain questions of fundamental concern such as death, illness, and human origins. The present study examines the development of explanatory coexistence within and across domains of existential concern in individuals in Tanna, Vanuatu. We examined three age groups: 7- to 12-year-old children, 13- to 18-year-old adolescents, and 19- to 70-year-old adults (N = 72). Within the domain of death, biological and spontaneous explanations were most common across all ages. For illness, children showed the highest rates of explanatory coexistence, while adolescents and adults favoured biological explanations. Within the human origins domain, theistic explanations were most common across the age groups. Overall, these data show that coexistence reasoning in these domains is pervasive across cultures, yet at the same time it is deeply contextually specific, reflecting the nuanced differences in local ecologies and cultural beliefs. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Individuals across highly diverse cultural contexts use both natural and supernatural explanations to understand the events that occur in their lives. Context and cultural input play a large role in determining when and how individuals incorporate natural and supernatural explanations. The development of explanatory coexistence has primarily studied explanations for isolated domains. What does this study add? We examined explanatory coexistence in a culture with recent conversion to Christianity and formal education. The current research examines how individuals reason within and across the domains of human origins, illness, and death. Developmental differences associated with explanatory coexistence are examined. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

On Spatially Explicit Models of Epidemic and Endemic Cholera: The Haiti and Lake Kivu Case Studies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinaldo, A.; Bertuzzo, E.; Mari, L.; Finger, F.; Casagrandi, R.; Gatto, M.; Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.

2014-12-01

The first part of the Lecture deals with the predictive ability of mechanistic models for the Haitian cholera epidemic. Predictive models of epidemic cholera need to resolve at suitable aggregation levels spatial data pertaining to local communities, epidemiological records, hydrologic drivers, waterways, patterns of human mobility and proxies of exposure rates. A formal model comparison framework provides a quantitative assessment of the explanatory and predictive abilities of various model settings with different spatial aggregation levels. Intensive computations and objective model comparisons show that parsimonious spatially explicit models accounting for spatial connections have superior explanatory power than spatially disconnected ones for short-to intermediate calibration windows. In general, spatially connected models show better predictive ability than disconnected ones. We suggest limits and validity of the various approaches and discuss the pathway towards the development of case-specific predictive tools in the context of emergency management. The second part deals with approaches suitable to describe patterns of endemic cholera. Cholera outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the 1970s. Here we employ a spatially explicit, inhomogeneous Markov chain model to describe cholera incidence in eight health zones on the shore of lake Kivu. Remotely sensed datasets of chlorophyll a concentration in the lake, precipitation and indices of global climate anomalies are used as environmental drivers in addition to baseline seasonality. The effect of human mobility is also modelled mechanistically. We test several models on a multi-year dataset of reported cholera cases. Fourteen models, accounting for different environmental drivers, are selected in calibration. Among these, the one accounting for seasonality, El Nino Southern Oscillation, precipitation and human mobility outperforms the others in cross-validation.

Predicting High Quality AFQT with Youth Attitude Tracking Study Data

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

for propensities. The history of the art of mental aptitude and psychological testing is long and convoluted. Names like Sir Francis Galton of England...Qualification Test . The explanatory variables reflect individual demographic, educational and labor market characteristics at the time of YATS interview. The...the fiftieth percentile on the Armed Forces Qualification Test . The explanatory variables reflect individual demographic, educational and labor market

Writing Development in Secondary/Post Secondary Language Learning: Integrating Multiple Motivating Factors, Explanatory Feedback, and Explanatory Writing Tools to Increase Competence and Confidence in Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jefferson, Trevina

2013-01-01

Background: This study discusses data-driven results of newly-developed writing tools that are objective, easy, and less time-consuming than standard classroom writing strategies; additionally, multiple motivation triggers and peer evaluation are evaluated together with these new, modernized writing tools. The results are explained separately and…

The use of generalised additive models (GAM) in dentistry.

PubMed

Helfenstein, U; Steiner, M; Menghini, G

1997-12-01

Ordinary multiple regression and logistic multiple regression are widely applied statistical methods which allow a researcher to 'explain' or 'predict' a response variable from a set of explanatory variables or predictors. In these models it is usually assumed that quantitative predictors such as age enter linearly into the model. During recent years these methods have been further developed to allow more flexibility in the way explanatory variables 'act' on a response variable. The methods are called 'generalised additive models' (GAM). The rigid linear terms characterising the association between response and predictors are replaced in an optimal way by flexible curved functions of the predictors (the 'profiles'). Plotting the 'profiles' allows the researcher to visualise easily the shape by which predictors 'act' over the whole range of values. The method facilitates detection of particular shapes such as 'bumps', 'U-shapes', 'J-shapes, 'threshold values' etc. Information about the shape of the association is not revealed by traditional methods. The shapes of the profiles may be checked by performing a Monte Carlo simulation ('bootstrapping'). After the presentation of the GAM a relevant case study is presented in order to demonstrate application and use of the method. The dependence of caries in primary teeth on a set of explanatory variables is investigated. Since GAMs may not be easily accessible to dentists, this article presents them in an introductory condensed form. It was thought that a nonmathematical summary and a worked example might encourage readers to consider the methods described. GAMs may be of great value to dentists in allowing visualisation of the shape by which predictors 'act' and obtaining a better understanding of the complex relationships between predictors and response.

`Quantum Mechanics' and `Scientific Explanation' An Explanatory Strategy Aiming at Providing `Understanding'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadzidaki, Pandora

2008-01-01

Empirical studies persistently indicate that the usual explanatory strategies used in quantum mechanics (QM) instruction fail, in general, to yield understanding. In this study, we propose an instructional intervention, which: (a) incorporates into its subject matter a critical comparison of QM scientific content with the fundamental epistemological and ontological commitments of the prominent philosophical theories of explanation, a weak form of which we meet in QM teaching; (b) illuminates the reasons of their failure in the quantum domain; and (c) implements an explanatory strategy highly inspired by the epistemological pathways through which, during the birth-process of QM, science has gradually reached understanding. This strategy, an inherent element of which is the meta-cognitive and meta-scientific thinking, aims at leading learners not only to an essential understanding of QM worldview, but to a deep insight into the ‘Nature of Science’ as well.

Using Indirect Turbulence Measurements for Real-Time Parameter Estimation in Turbulent Air

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martos, Borja; Morelli, Eugene A.

2012-01-01

The use of indirect turbulence measurements for real-time estimation of parameters in a linear longitudinal dynamics model in atmospheric turbulence was studied. It is shown that measuring the atmospheric turbulence makes it possible to treat the turbulence as a measured explanatory variable in the parameter estimation problem. Commercial off-the-shelf sensors were researched and evaluated, then compared to air data booms. Sources of colored noise in the explanatory variables resulting from typical turbulence measurement techniques were identified and studied. A major source of colored noise in the explanatory variables was identified as frequency dependent upwash and time delay. The resulting upwash and time delay corrections were analyzed and compared to previous time shift dynamic modeling research. Simulation data as well as flight test data in atmospheric turbulence were used to verify the time delay behavior. Recommendations are given for follow on flight research and instrumentation.

Explanatory Models for Psychiatric Illness

PubMed Central

Kendler, Kenneth S.

2009-01-01

How can we best develop explanatory models for psychiatric disorders? Because causal factors have an impact on psychiatric illness both at micro levels and macro levels, both within and outside of the individual, and involving processes best understood from biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives, traditional models of science that strive for single broadly applicable explanatory laws are ill suited for our field. Such models are based on the incorrect assumption that psychiatric illnesses can be understood from a single perspective. A more appropriate scientific model for psychiatry emphasizes the understanding of mechanisms, an approach that fits naturally with a multicausal framework and provides a realistic paradigm for scientific progress, that is, understanding mechanisms through decomposition and reassembly. Simple subunits of complicated mechanisms can be usefully studied in isolation. Reassembling these constituent parts into a functioning whole, which is straightforward for simple additive mechanisms, will be far more challenging in psychiatry where causal networks contain multiple nonlinear interactions and causal loops. Our field has long struggled with the interrelationship between biological and psychological explanatory perspectives. Building from the seminal work of the neuronal modeler and philosopher David Marr, the author suggests that biology will implement but not replace psychology within our explanatory systems. The iterative process of interactions between biology and psychology needed to achieve this implementation will deepen our understanding of both classes of processes. PMID:18483135

The Relationship of Explanatory Flexibility to Explanatory Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Michael T.; Fresco, David M.

2007-01-01

Traditional cognitive vulnerability-stress models regarding the etiology of depression emphasize the content of the depressed individual's thoughts. One important cognitive content index, explanatory style, represents the habitual way that individuals assign causes to events that occur in their lives. A more contemporary model, however, emphasizes…

Perceived Risks and Normative Beliefs as Explanatory Models for College Student Alcohol Involvement: An Assessment of a Campus with Conventional Alcohol Control Policies and Enforcement Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Todd F.; Thombs, Dennis L.

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was to conduct a multivariate assessment of college student drinking motivations at a campus with conventional alcohol control policies and enforcement practices, including the establishment and dissemination of alcohol policies and the use of warnings to arouse fear of sanctions. Two explanatory models were compared:…

Serial killers with military experience: applying learning theory to serial murder.

PubMed

Castle, Tammy; Hensley, Christopher

2002-08-01

Scholars have endeavored to study the motivation and causality behind serial murder by researching biological, psychological, and sociological variables. Some of these studies have provided support for the relationship between these variables and serial murder. However, the study of serial murder continues to be an exploratory rather than explanatory research topic. This article examines the possible link between serial killers and military service. Citing previous research using social learning theory for the study of murder, this article explores how potential serial killers learn to reinforce violence, aggression, and murder in military boot camps. As with other variables considered in serial killer research, military experience alone cannot account for all cases of serial murder. Future research should continue to examine this possible link.

Examining Explanatory Style's Relationship to Efficacy and Burnout in Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fineburg, Amy Cheek

2010-01-01

Explanatory style, the ways in which people explain both good and bad events (Seligman, 1998), shares theoretical components with teachers' sense of efficacy (Tshannon-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001), which is how capable teachers feel about teaching. According to Bandura (1994), efficacy informs explanatory style, but this assertion does not…

Learning and teaching science as inquiry: A case study of elementary school teachers' investigations of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zee, Emily H.; Hammer, David; Bell, Mary; Roy, Patricia; Peter, Jennifer

2005-11-01

This case study documents an example of inquiry learning and teaching during a summer institute for elementary and middle school teachers. A small group constructed an explanatory model for an intriguing optical phenomenon that they were observing. Research questions included: What physics thinking did the learners express? What aspects of scientific inquiry were evident in what the learners said and did? What questions did the learners ask one another as they worked? How did these learners collaborate in constructing understanding? How did the instructor foster their learning? Data sources included video- and audio- tapes of instruction, copies of the participants' writings and drawings, field notes, interviews, and staff reflections. An interpretative narrative of what three group members said and did presents a detailed account of their learning process. Analyses of their utterances provide evidence of physics thinking, scientific inquiry, questioning, collaborative sense making, and insight into ways to foster inquiry learning.

Testing the hospital value proposition: an empirical analysis of efficiency and quality.

PubMed

Huerta, Timothy R; Ford, Eric W; Peterson, Lori T; Brigham, Keith H

2008-01-01

To assess the relationship between hospitals' X-inefficiency levels and overall care quality based on the National Quality Forum's 27 safe practices score and to improve the analytic strategy for assessing X-inefficiency. The 2005 versions of the American Hospital Association and Leapfrog Group's annual surveys were the basis of the study. Additional case mix indices and market variables were drawn from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data sources and the Area Resource File. Data envelopment analysis was used to determine hospitals' X-inefficiency scores relative to their market-level competitors. Regression was used to assess the relationship between X-inefficiency and quality, controlling for organizational and market characteristics. Expenses (total and labor expenditures), case-mix-adjusted admissions, length of stay, and licensed beds defined the X-inefficiency function. The overall National Quality Forum's safe practice score, health maintenance organization penetration, market share, and teaching status served as independent control variables in the regression. The National Quality Forum's safe practice scores are significantly and positively correlated to hospital X-inefficiency levels (beta = .105, p < or = .05). The analysis of the value proposition had very good explanatory power (adjusted R(2) = .414; p < or = .001; df = 7, 265). Contrary to earlier findings, health maintenance organization penetration and being a teaching hospital were positively related to X-inefficiency. Similar with others' findings, greater market share and for-profit ownership were negatively associated with X-inefficiency. Measurement of overall hospital quality is improving but can still be made better. Nevertheless, the National Quality Forum's measure is significantly related to efficiency and could be used to create differential pay-for-performance programs. A market-segmented analytic strategy for studying hospitals' efficiency yields results with a high degree of explanatory power.

Mechanisms of eyewitness suggestibility: tests of the explanatory role hypothesis.

PubMed

Rindal, Eric J; Chrobak, Quin M; Zaragoza, Maria S; Weihing, Caitlin A

2017-10-01

In a recent paper, Chrobak and Zaragoza (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(3), 827-844, 2013) proposed the explanatory role hypothesis, which posits that the likelihood of developing false memories for post-event suggestions is a function of the explanatory function the suggestion serves. In support of this hypothesis, they provided evidence that participant-witnesses were especially likely to develop false memories for their forced fabrications when their fabrications helped to explain outcomes they had witnessed. In three experiments, we test the generality of the explanatory role hypothesis as a mechanism of eyewitness suggestibility by assessing whether this hypothesis can predict suggestibility errors in (a) situations where the post-event suggestions are provided by the experimenter (as opposed to fabricated by the participant), and (b) across a variety of memory measures and measures of recollective experience. In support of the explanatory role hypothesis, participants were more likely to subsequently freely report (E1) and recollect the suggestions as part of the witnessed event (E2, source test) when the post-event suggestion helped to provide a causal explanation for a witnessed outcome than when it did not serve this explanatory role. Participants were also less likely to recollect the suggestions as part of the witnessed event (on measures of subjective experience) when their explanatory strength had been reduced by the presence of an alternative explanation that could explain the same outcome (E3, source test + warning). Collectively, the results provide strong evidence that the search for explanatory coherence influences people's tendency to misremember witnessing events that were only suggested to them.

Explanatory model of help-seeking and coping mechanisms among depressed women in three ethnic groups of Fars, Kurdish, and Turkish in Iran.

PubMed

Dejman, Masoumeh; Ekblad, Solvig; Forouzan, Ameneh-Setareh; Baradaran-Eftekhari, Monir; Malekafzali, Hossein

2008-07-01

As one of the most prevalent diseases globally and as an important cause of disability, depressive disorders are responsible for as many as one in every five visits to primary care doctors. Cultural variations in clinical presentation, sometimes make it difficult to recognize the disorder resulting in patients not being diagnosed and not receiving appropriate treatment. To address this issue, we conducted a qualitative pilot study on three ethnic groups including Fars, Kurdish, and Turkish in Iran to test the use of qualitative methods in exploring the explanatory models of help-seeking and coping with depression (without psychotic feature) among Iranian women. A qualitative study design was used based on an explanatory model of illness framework. Individual interviews were conducted with key informant (n=6), and depressed female patients (n=6). A hypothetical case vignette was also used in focus group discussions and individual interviews with lay people (three focus groups including 25 participants and six individual interviews; n=31). There were a few differences regarding help-seeking and coping mechanisms among the three ethnic groups studied. The most striking differences were in the area of treatment. Non-psychotic depressive disorder in all ethnicities was related to an external stressor, and symptoms of illness were viewed as a response to an event in the social world. Coping mechanisms involved two strategies: (1) solving problems by seeking social support from family and neighbors, religious practice, and engaging in pleasurable activities, and (2) seeking medical support from psychologists and family counselors. The Fars group was far more likely to recommend professional treatment and visiting psychiatrists whereas the other two ethnic groups (i.e., Turks and Kurds) preferred to consult family counselors, psychologists or other alternative care providers, and traditional healers. The study has educational and clinical implications. Cultural reframing of the patient's and family's perceptions about mental illness and depression may require community education. Family counseling, family therapy, and also religious practices can be used to empower the patient.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Have an Exceptional Explanatory Drive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, M. D.; Subiaul, Francys

2016-01-01

An "explanatory drive" motivates children to explain ambiguity. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders are interested in how systems work, but it is unknown whether they have an explanatory drive. We presented children with and without autism spectrum disorder unsolvable problems in a physical and in a social context and evaluated…

Evaluation of alternative model selection criteria in the analysis of unimodal response curves using CART

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ribic, C.A.; Miller, T.W.

1998-01-01

We investigated CART performance with a unimodal response curve for one continuous response and four continuous explanatory variables, where two variables were important (ie directly related to the response) and the other two were not. We explored performance under three relationship strengths and two explanatory variable conditions: equal importance and one variable four times as important as the other. We compared CART variable selection performance using three tree-selection rules ('minimum risk', 'minimum risk complexity', 'one standard error') to stepwise polynomial ordinary least squares (OLS) under four sample size conditions. The one-standard-error and minimum-risk-complexity methods performed about as well as stepwise OLS with large sample sizes when the relationship was strong. With weaker relationships, equally important explanatory variables and larger sample sizes, the one-standard-error and minimum-risk-complexity rules performed better than stepwise OLS. With weaker relationships and explanatory variables of unequal importance, tree-structured methods did not perform as well as stepwise OLS. Comparing performance within tree-structured methods, with a strong relationship and equally important explanatory variables, the one-standard-error-rule was more likely to choose the correct model than were the other tree-selection rules 1) with weaker relationships and equally important explanatory variables; and 2) under all relationship strengths when explanatory variables were of unequal importance and sample sizes were lower.

Explanatory models of psychosis amongst British South Asians.

PubMed

Bhikha, Aqeela; Farooq, Saeed; Chaudhry, Nasim; Naeem, Farooq; Husain, Nusrat

2015-08-01

A strong interest in the understanding, exploring, and extracting explanatory models of psychosis has recently arisen. Explanatory models (EMs) offer justifications and propose explanations when coping with and treating illnesses. Therefore, they may be important predictors of clinical outcome. Explanatory models of psychosis have been explored in many non-Western countries. However, very little research has examined EMs of psychosis in the UK. We therefore, aimed to elicit and describe explanatory models of psychosis amongst British South Asians, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. EMs of psychosis were examined using the Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI) in a cross-sectional sample of 45 patients. Most patients (55.5%) attributed their illness to supernatural causes. Few patients cited a biological (4.4%) cause. Majority of patients held dual EMs of psychosis (77.7%), combining prescribed medication and seeing a traditional healer as a treatment method. Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) was not significantly associated with EMs of psychosis. The results suggest that patients hold multi-explanatory models in order to make sense of their illness and these stem from deep rooted traditional beliefs. This highlights the importance of educational intervention, culturally adapted psychological interventions and possibly working together with traditional healers in the UK to provide a positive support system. Further work is required in order to fully understand the relationship between EMs of psychosis and DUP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using Students' Explanatory Models as Sources of Feedback: Conceptualizing Ocean Acidification and Its Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sezen-Barrie, A.; Stapleton, M.; Wolfson, J.

2017-12-01

This qualitative study focuses on students evidence-based explanatory models on how ocean acidification impacts oysters. Explanatory models are the crucial components of scientific endeavors as it helps scientists explain how the natural world functions and the reasons for the ways it functions. Moreover, these models assemble individual practices to understand how they work together to reach clear conclusions through scientific investigations. Due to their critical roles in making sense of authentic science, recent studies in science education suggest that these models should be part of the curriculum aligned with new science standards, i.e. Next Generation Science Standards, which stress the importance of engaging students in scientific practices. By collecting data from 400 secondary school students in Maryland, we aim to respond to the question: How can we use secondary school students' explanatory models to provide students with constructive feedback for more comprehensive learning of ocean acidification (the related evidence, causes and impact)? The data were analyzed through discourse analysis method. We highlighted and coded students' inscriptions (e.g., drawings, writings, and representations) that are signs of students' understanding (or lack thereof) of ocean acidification. These signs included explanations of pH levels, drawings of oyster growth, and inclusions of relevant data. The findings showed that the explanatory models can be critical forms of feedback as they reveal a) students' alternative conceptions on how ocean acidification impacts oysters or how acidification works in general; b) students' interpretations of oceans' (non)connectedness to Earth system; c) the choice of scientific representations and their sources; and d) the way students' integrate evidence or data from the investigations. Our work tackles an understanding of one of the most vital signs of modern climatic changes. Recent scientific evidence shows that if the change in ocean pH becomes too extreme, many organisms may not be able to adjust to this change. Based on our findings, we suggest that teachers can use explanatory models as sources of feedback to recognize how well their students conceptualize ocean acidification, integrate scientific practices, and use cultural artifacts of doing science.

32 CFR Attachment 3 to Part 855 - Landing Permit Application Instructions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

....13. Block 9c, Title. Self-explanatory. A3.1.14. Block 9d, Telephone Number. Self-explanatory. A3.1.15.... Block 3. Self-explanatory. (Users will not necessarily be denied landing rights if pilots are not... requested, it may be approved if warranted by unique circumstances. (The verification specified for each...

A critical review of dissociative trance and possession disorders: etiological, diagnostic, therapeutic, and nosological issues.

PubMed

During, Emmanuel H; Elahi, Fanny M; Taieb, Olivier; Moro, Marie-Rose; Baubet, Thierry

2011-04-01

Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fourth Edition, acknowledges the existence of dissociative trance and possession disorders, simply named dissociative trance disorder (DTD), it asks for further studies to assess its clinical utility in the DSM-5. To answer this question, we conducted the first review of the medical literature. The MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were searched from 1988 to 2010, seeking case reports of DTD according to the DSM or the International Classification of Diseases definitions. For each article, we collected epidemiologic and clinical data, explanatory models used by authors, treatments, and information on the outcome. We found 28 articles reporting 402 cases of patients with DTD worldwide. The data show an equal proportion of female and male patients, and a predominance of possession (69%), compared with trance (31%). Amnesia is reported by 20% of patients. Conversely, hallucinatory symptoms during possession episodes were found in 56% of patients and thus should feature as an important criterion. Somatic complaints are found in 34% of patients. Multiple explanatory models are simultaneously held and appear to be complementary. Data strongly suggest the inclusion of DTD in the DSM-5, provided certain adjustments are implemented. DTD is a widespread disorder that can be understood as a global idiom of distress, probably underdiagnosed in Western countries owing to cultural biases, whose incidence could increase given the rising flow of migration. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate management should result from a comprehensive evaluation both of sociocultural and of idiosyncratic issues, among which acculturation difficulties should systematically be considered, especially in cross-cultural settings.

Preliminary Evolutionary Explanations: A Basic Framework for Conceptual Change and Explanatory Coherence in Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kampourakis, Kostas; Zogza, Vasso

2009-10-01

This study aimed to explore secondary students’ explanations of evolutionary processes, and to determine how consistent these were, after a specific evolution instruction. In a previous study it was found that before instruction students provided different explanations for similar processes to tasks with different content. Hence, it seemed that the structure and the content of the task may have had an effect on students’ explanations. The tasks given to students demanded evolutionary explanations, in particular explanations for the origin of homologies and adaptations. Based on the conclusions from the previous study, we developed a teaching sequence in order to overcome students’ preconceptions, as well as to achieve conceptual change and explanatory coherence. Students were taught about fundamental biological concepts and the several levels of biological organization, as well as about the mechanisms of heredity and of the origin of genetic variation. Then, all these concepts were used to teach about evolution, by relating micro-concepts (e.g. genotypes) to macro-concepts (e.g. phenotypes). Moreover, during instruction students were brought to a conceptual conflict situation, where their intuitive explanations were challenged as emphasis was put on two concepts entirely opposed to their preconceptions: chance and unpredictability. From the explanations that students provided in the post-test it is concluded that conceptual change and explanatory coherence in evolution can be achieved to a certain degree by lower secondary school students through the suggested teaching sequence and the explanatory framework, which may form a basis for teaching further about evolution.

Using explanatory crop models to develop simple tools for Advanced Life Support system studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavazzoni, J.

2004-01-01

System-level analyses for Advanced Life Support require mathematical models for various processes, such as for biomass production and waste management, which would ideally be integrated into overall system models. Explanatory models (also referred to as mechanistic or process models) would provide the basis for a more robust system model, as these would be based on an understanding of specific processes. However, implementing such models at the system level may not always be practicable because of their complexity. For the area of biomass production, explanatory models were used to generate parameters and multivariable polynomial equations for basic models that are suitable for estimating the direction and magnitude of daily changes in canopy gas-exchange, harvest index, and production scheduling for both nominal and off-nominal growing conditions. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Independent Assessment Plan: LAV-25

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-27

Pages. Enter the total Block 7. Performing Organization Name(s) and number of pages. Address(es. Self -explanatory. Block 16. Price Code, Enter...organization Blocks 17. - 19. Security Classifications. performing the report. Self -explanatory. Enter U.S. Security Classification in accordance with U.S...Security Block 9. S oonsorina/Monitoring Acenc Regulations (i.e., UNCLASSIFIED). If form .Names(s) and Address(es). Self -explanatory. contains classified

[Validity of adjusted morbidity groups with respect to clinical risk groups in the field of primary care].

PubMed

Monterde, David; Vela, Emili; Clèries, Montse; García Eroles, Luis; Pérez Sust, Pol

2018-02-09

To compare the performance in terms of goodness of fit and explanatory power of 2morbidity groupers in primary care (PC): adjusted morbidity groups (AMG) and clinical risk groups (CRG). Cross-sectional study. PC in the Catalan Institute for the Health (CIH), Catalonia, Spain. Population allocated in primary care centers of the CIH for the year 2014. Three indicators of interest are analyzed such as urgent hospitalization, number of visits and spending in pharmacy. A stratified analysis by centers is applied adjusting generalized lineal models from the variables age, sex and morbidity grouping to explain each one of the 3variables of interest. The statistical measures to analyze the performance of the different models applied are the Akaike index, the Bayes index and the pseudo-variability explained by deviance change. The results show that in the area of the primary care the explanatory power of the AMGs is higher to that offered by the CRGs, especially for the case of the visits and the pharmacy. The performance of GMAs in the area of the CIH PC is higher than that shown by the CRGs. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Non-cereal food consumption, food insecurity and nutritional status of children and mothers: a case study in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Rabiul, Islam G M; Jahangir, Alam M; Buysse, J

2012-04-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of food insecurity derived from non-cereal food consumption on nutritional status of children and mothers in a poverty-prone region in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Nutritional Surveillance Project, 2005 of Helen Keller International were used to relate non-cereal food consumption and household food insecurity to nutritional status of children and their mothers. Multiple regressions were used to determine the association between the nutritional outcomes and the explanatory variables. In the case of binary and multi-level outcomes, logistic regressions were used as well. Non-cereal dietary diversity was found to have little predictive power on BMI and MUAC of mothers and on the nutritional status of the children. Maternal education is strongly associated with mothers' and children's nutritional status. Dietary diversity based on non-cereal food consumption can be a useful tool to investigate the nutritional status of poor households, but more studies are needed to verify these findings.

Comparing hospital costs: what is gained by accounting for more than a case-mix index?

PubMed

Hvenegaard, Anne; Street, Andrew; Sørensen, Torben Højmark; Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte

2009-08-01

We explore what effect controlling for various patient characteristics beyond a case-mix index (DRG) has on inferences drawn about the relative cost performance of hospital departments. We estimate fixed effect cost models in which 3754 patients are clustered within six Danish vascular departments. We compare a basic model including a DRG index only with models also including age and gender, health related characteristics, such as smoking status, diabetes, and American Society of Anesthesiogists score (ASA-score), and socioeconomic characteristics such as income, employment and whether the patient lives alone. We find that the DRG index is a robust and important explanatory factor and adding other routinely collected characteristics such as age and gender and other health related or socioeconomic characteristics do not seem to alter the results significantly. The results are more sensitive to choice of functional form, i.e. in particular to whether costs are log transformed. Our results suggest that the routinely collected characteristics such as DRG index, age and gender are sufficient when drawing inferences about relative cost performance. Adding health related or socioeconomic patient characteristics only slightly improves our model in terms of explanatory power but not when drawing inferences about relative performance. The results are, however, sensitive to whether costs are log transformed.

Against Explanatory Minimalism in Psychiatry.

PubMed

Thornton, Tim

2015-01-01

The idea that psychiatry contains, in principle, a series of levels of explanation has been criticized not only as empirically false but also, by Campbell, as unintelligible because it presupposes a discredited pre-Humean view of causation. Campbell's criticism is based on an interventionist-inspired denial that mechanisms and rational connections underpin physical and mental causation, respectively, and hence underpin levels of explanation. These claims echo some superficially similar remarks in Wittgenstein's Zettel. But attention to the context of Wittgenstein's remarks suggests a reason to reject explanatory minimalism in psychiatry and reinstate a Wittgensteinian notion of levels of explanation. Only in a context broader than the one provided by interventionism is that the ascription of propositional attitudes, even in the puzzling case of delusions, justified. Such a view, informed by Wittgenstein, can reconcile the idea that the ascription mental phenomena presupposes a particular level of explanation with the rejection of an a priori claim about its connection to a neurological level of explanation.

Against Explanatory Minimalism in Psychiatry

PubMed Central

Thornton, Tim

2015-01-01

The idea that psychiatry contains, in principle, a series of levels of explanation has been criticized not only as empirically false but also, by Campbell, as unintelligible because it presupposes a discredited pre-Humean view of causation. Campbell’s criticism is based on an interventionist-inspired denial that mechanisms and rational connections underpin physical and mental causation, respectively, and hence underpin levels of explanation. These claims echo some superficially similar remarks in Wittgenstein’s Zettel. But attention to the context of Wittgenstein’s remarks suggests a reason to reject explanatory minimalism in psychiatry and reinstate a Wittgensteinian notion of levels of explanation. Only in a context broader than the one provided by interventionism is that the ascription of propositional attitudes, even in the puzzling case of delusions, justified. Such a view, informed by Wittgenstein, can reconcile the idea that the ascription mental phenomena presupposes a particular level of explanation with the rejection of an a priori claim about its connection to a neurological level of explanation. PMID:26696908

On the predictive ability of mechanistic models for the Haitian cholera epidemic.

PubMed

Mari, Lorenzo; Bertuzzo, Enrico; Finger, Flavio; Casagrandi, Renato; Gatto, Marino; Rinaldo, Andrea

2015-03-06

Predictive models of epidemic cholera need to resolve at suitable aggregation levels spatial data pertaining to local communities, epidemiological records, hydrologic drivers, waterways, patterns of human mobility and proxies of exposure rates. We address the above issue in a formal model comparison framework and provide a quantitative assessment of the explanatory and predictive abilities of various model settings with different spatial aggregation levels and coupling mechanisms. Reference is made to records of the recent Haiti cholera epidemics. Our intensive computations and objective model comparisons show that spatially explicit models accounting for spatial connections have better explanatory power than spatially disconnected ones for short-to-intermediate calibration windows, while parsimonious, spatially disconnected models perform better with long training sets. On average, spatially connected models show better predictive ability than disconnected ones. We suggest limits and validity of the various approaches and discuss the pathway towards the development of case-specific predictive tools in the context of emergency management. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Examination of the Relation between TEOG Score of Turkish Revolution History and Kemalism Course and Reading Comprehension Skill (An Example of Explanatory Sequential Mixed Design)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuvaci, Ibrahim; Demir, Selçuk Besir

2016-01-01

This paper is aimed to determine the relation between reading comprehension skill and TEOG success. In this research, a mixed research method, sequential explanatory mixed design, is utilized to examine the relation between reading comprehension skills and TEOG success of 8th grade students throughly. In explanatory sequential mixed design…

Valuing psychiatric patients' stories: belief in and use of the supernatural in the Jamaican psychiatric setting.

PubMed

James, Caryl C A B; Carpenter, Karen A; Peltzer, Karl; Weaver, Steve

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to examine illness presentation and understand how psychiatric patients make meaning of the causes of their mental illnesses. Six Jamaican psychiatric patients were interviewed using the McGill Illness Narrative Interview Schedule. Of the 6, 3 representative case studies were chosen. The hermeneutic phenomenological approach and the common sense model were used in the formulation of patients' explanatory models. Results indicate that psychiatric patients actively conceptualized the causes and resultant treatment of their mental illnesses. Patients' satisfaction and compliance with treatment were dependent on the extent to which practitioners' conceptualization matched their own, as well as practitioners' acknowledgement of patients' concerns about causation, prognosis, and treatment.

A Pessimistic Explanatory Style is Prognostic for Poor Lung Cancer Survival

PubMed Central

Novotny, Paul; Colligan, Robert C.; Szydlo, Daniel W.; Clark, Matthew M.; Rausch, Sarah; Wampfler, Jason; Sloan, Jeff A.; Yang, Ping

2010-01-01

Background Several studies have demonstrated the importance of personality constructs on health behaviors and health status. Having a pessimistic outlook has been related to negative health behaviors and higher mortality. However, the construct has not been well explored in cancer populations. Methods Survival time of 534 adults, who were diagnosed with lung cancer and had a pessimistic explanatory style, was examined. The patients had completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) approximately 18.2 years prior to receiving their lung cancer diagnosis. MMPI Optimism-Pessimism (PSM) scores were divided into high (60 or more) and low scores (less than 60), and log-rank tests and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to determine survival differences. Multivariate Cox models were used for assessing prognostic values of pessimism along with other known predictors for lung cancer survival outcome. Booting strapping of the survival models was used as a sensitivity analysis. Results At the time of lung cancer diagnosis, patients were on average 67 years old; 48% were female; 85% had non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); 15% had small cell lung cancer (SCLC); 30% were stage I; 4% were stage II; 31% were stage III/limited; and 35% were stage IV/extensive. Patients who exhibited a non-pessimistic explanatory style survived approximately six months longer than patients classified as having a pessimistic explanatory style. Conclusion Among lung cancer patients, those having a pessimistic explanatory style experienced less favorable survival outcome, which may be related to cancer treatment decisions. Further research in this area is warranted. PMID:20139778

Development of a neural-based forecasting tool to classify recreational water quality using fecal indicator organisms.

PubMed

Motamarri, Srinivas; Boccelli, Dominic L

2012-09-15

Users of recreational waters may be exposed to elevated pathogen levels through various point/non-point sources. Typical daily notifications rely on microbial analysis of indicator organisms (e.g., Escherichia coli) that require 18, or more, hours to provide an adequate response. Modeling approaches, such as multivariate linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN), have been utilized to provide quick predictions of microbial concentrations for classification purposes, but generally suffer from high false negative rates. This study introduces the use of learning vector quantization (LVQ)--a direct classification approach--for comparison with MLR and ANN approaches and integrates input selection for model development with respect to primary and secondary water quality standards within the Charles River Basin (Massachusetts, USA) using meteorologic, hydrologic, and microbial explanatory variables. Integrating input selection into model development showed that discharge variables were the most important explanatory variables while antecedent rainfall and time since previous events were also important. With respect to classification, all three models adequately represented the non-violated samples (>90%). The MLR approach had the highest false negative rates associated with classifying violated samples (41-62% vs 13-43% (ANN) and <16% (LVQ)) when using five or more explanatory variables. The ANN performance was more similar to LVQ when a larger number of explanatory variables were utilized, but the ANN performance degraded toward MLR performance as explanatory variables were removed. Overall, the use of LVQ as a direct classifier provided the best overall classification ability with respect to violated/non-violated samples for both standards. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Explanatory Variables of the Differences in Perceptions of Cyberbullying: A Role-Based-Model Approach.

PubMed

Fernández-Antelo, Inmaculada; Cuadrado-Gordillo, Isabel

2018-04-01

The controversies that exist regarding the delimitation of the cyberbullying construct demonstrate the need for further research focused on determining the criteria that shape the structure of the perceptions that adolescents have of this phenomenon and on seeking explanations of this behavior. The objectives of this study were to (a) construct possible explanatory models of the perception of cyberbullying from identifying and relating the criteria that form this construct and (b) analyze the influence of previous cyber victimization and cyber aggression experiences in the construction of explanatory models of the perception of cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 2,148 adolescents (49.1% girls; SD = 0.5) aged from 12 to 16 years ( M = 13.9 years; SD = 1.2). The results have shown that previous cyber victimization and cyber aggression experiences lead to major differences in the explanatory models to interpret cyber-abusive behavior as cyberbullying episodes, or as social relationship mechanisms, or as a revenge reaction. We note that the aggressors' explanatory model is based primarily on a strong reciprocal relationship between the imbalance of power and intentionality, that it functions as a link promoting indirect causal relationships of the anonymity and repetition factors with the cyberbullying construct. The victims' perceptual structure is based on three criteria-imbalance of power, intentionality, and publicity-where the key factor in this structure is the intention to harm. These results allow to design more effective measures of prevention and intervention closely tailored to addressing directly the factors that are considered to be predictors of risk.

Whole Trait Theory

PubMed Central

Fleeson, William; Jayawickreme, Eranda

2014-01-01

Personality researchers should modify models of traits to include mechanisms of differential reaction to situations. Whole Trait Theory does so via five main points. First, the descriptive side of traits should be conceptualized as density distributions of states. Second, it is important to provide an explanatory account of the Big 5 traits. Third, adding an explanatory account to the Big 5 creates two parts to traits, an explanatory part and a descriptive part, and these two parts should be recognized as separate entities that are joined into whole traits. Fourth, Whole Trait Theory proposes that the explanatory side of traits consists of social-cognitive mechanisms. Fifth, social-cognitive mechanisms that produce Big-5 states should be identified. PMID:26097268

Explanatory style, dispositional optimism, and reported parental behavior.

PubMed

Hjelle, L A; Busch, E A; Warren, J E

1996-12-01

The relationship between two cognitive personality constructs (explanatory style and dispositional optimism) and retrospective self-reports of maternal and paternal behavior were investigated. College students (62 men and 145 women) completed the Life Orientation Test, Attributional Style Questionnaire, and Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire in a single session. As predicted, dispositional optimism was positively correlated with reported maternal and paternal warmth/acceptance and negatively correlated with aggression/hostility, neglect/indifference, and undifferentiated rejection during middle childhood. Unexpectedly, explanatory style was found to be more strongly associated with retrospective reports of paternal as opposed to maternal behavior. The implications of these results for future research concerning the developmental antecedents of differences in explanatory style and dispositional optimism are discussed.

Continuous water-quality monitoring and regression analysis to estimate constituent concentrations and loads in the Sheyenne River, North Dakota, 1980-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.

2007-01-01

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the North Dakota State Water Commission, to estimate water-quality constituent concentrations at seven sites on the Sheyenne River, N. Dak. Regression analysis of water-quality data collected in 1980-2006 was used to estimate concentrations for hardness, dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and sulfate. The explanatory variables examined for the regression relations were continuously monitored streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature. For the conditions observed in 1980-2006, streamflow was a significant explanatory variable for some constituents. Specific conductance was a significant explanatory variable for all of the constituents, and water temperature was not a statistically significant explanatory variable for any of the constituents in this study. The regression relations were evaluated using common measures of variability, including R2, the proportion of variability in the estimated constituent concentration explained by the explanatory variables and regression equation. R2 values ranged from 0.784 for calcium to 0.997 for dissolved solids. The regression relations also were evaluated by calculating the median relative percentage difference (RPD) between measured constituent concentration and the constituent concentration estimated by the regression equations. Median RPDs ranged from 1.7 for dissolved solids to 11.5 for sulfate. The regression relations also may be used to estimate daily constituent loads. The relations should be monitored for change over time, especially at sites 2 and 3 which have a short period of record. In addition, caution should be used when the Sheyenne River is affected by ice or when upstream sites are affected by isolated storm runoff. Almost all of the outliers and highly influential samples removed from the analysis were made during periods when the Sheyenne River might be affected by ice.

Towards a Capability Approach to Careers: Applying Amartya Sen's Thinking to Career Guidance and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Peter J.

2015-01-01

Amartya Sen's capability approach characterizes an individual's well-being in terms of what they are able to be, and what they are able to do. This framework for thinking has many commonalities with the core ideas in career guidance. Sen's approach is abstract and not in itself a complete or explanatory theory, but a case can be…

The explanatory structure of unexplainable events: Causal constraints on magical reasoning.

PubMed

Shtulman, Andrew; Morgan, Caitlin

2017-10-01

A common intuition, often captured in fiction, is that some impossible events (e.g., levitating a stone) are "more impossible" than others (e.g., levitating a feather). We investigated the source of this intuition, hypothesizing that graded notions of impossibility arise from explanatory considerations logically precluded by the violation at hand but still taken into account. Studies 1-4 involved college undergraduates (n = 357), and Study 5 involved preschool-aged children (n = 32). In Studies 1 and 2, participants saw pairs of magical spells that violated one of 18 causal principles-six physical, six biological, and six psychological-and were asked to indicate which spell would be more difficult to learn. Both spells violated the same causal principle but differed in their relation to a subsidiary principle. Participants' judgments of spell difficulty honored the subsidiary principle, even when participants were given the option of judging the two spells equally difficult. Study 3 replicated those effects with Likert-type ratings; Study 4 replicated them in an open-ended version of the task in which participants generated their own causal violations; and Study 5 replicated them with children. Taken together, these findings suggest that events that defy causal explanation are interpreted in terms of explanatory considerations that hold in the absence of such violations.

Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Explanatory Coexistence.

PubMed

Watson-Jones, Rachel E; Busch, Justin T A; Legare, Cristine H

2015-10-01

Natural and supernatural explanations are used to interpret the same events in a number of predictable and universal ways. Yet little is known about how variation in diverse cultural ecologies influences how people integrate natural and supernatural explanations. Here, we examine explanatory coexistence in three existentially arousing domains of human thought: illness, death, and human origins using qualitative data from interviews conducted in Tanna, Vanuatu. Vanuatu, a Melanesian archipelago, provides a cultural context ideal for examining variation in explanatory coexistence due to the lack of industrialization and the relatively recent introduction of Christianity and Western education. We argue for the integration of interdisciplinary methodologies from cognitive science and anthropology to inform research on explanatory coexistence. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Is work organisation associated with work status 3 months after injury? Results from a case-control study of New Zealand workers.

PubMed

Lilley, Rebbecca; Derrett, Sarah; Davie, Gabrielle

2015-01-01

Little empirical examination of the relationship between work organisational factors and return to work following injury has been undertaken despite the growing recognition of examining broader multi-dimensional contexts for recovery following injury. To explore relationships between pre-injury work organisational factors and work status (working/work absent) 3-month after injury among people employed prior to injury. Cases (work absent) and controls (working), selected from a larger study of injury outcomes according to reported work status 3-month after injury, completed a postal questionnaire. Work organisational factors were compared between cases and controls using univariate and multivariable analyses. One hundred and twelve participants completed the questionnaire (44 cases; 68 controls). Of 11 work organisation factors examined, organisational size was the only explanatory variable significantly associated with work status in the multivariable model. Higher odds of work absence were found in small (< 50 employees) (OR 5.6) and large (> 500 employees) (OR 7.2) workplaces, compared with medium-sized (50-500 employees) organisations. Variations in post-injury work patterns among those working pre-injury may be partly explained by organisation size. Future research examining work status following injury should examine the influence of work organisational factors in larger studies.

Spatially Resolved Measurements Of Plasma Density Irregularities In The Ionosphere F Region For Scintillation Studies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, E. A.; Russ, S.; Clark, D. C.; Latif, S.; Montalvo, C.

2016-12-01

This qualitative study focuses on students evidence-based explanatory models on how ocean acidification impacts oysters. Explanatory models are the crucial components of scientific endeavors as it helps scientists explain how the natural world functions and the reasons for the ways it functions. Moreover, these models assemble individual practices to understand how they work together to reach clear conclusions through scientific investigations. Due to their critical roles in making sense of authentic science, recent studies in science education suggest that these models should be part of the curriculum aligned with new science standards, i.e. Next Generation Science Standards, which stress the importance of engaging students in scientific practices. By collecting data from 400 secondary school students in Maryland, we aim to respond to the question: How can we use secondary school students' explanatory models to provide students with constructive feedback for more comprehensive learning of ocean acidification (the related evidence, causes and impact)? The data were analyzed through discourse analysis method. We highlighted and coded students' inscriptions (e.g., drawings, writings, and representations) that are signs of students' understanding (or lack thereof) of ocean acidification. These signs included explanations of pH levels, drawings of oyster growth, and inclusions of relevant data. The findings showed that the explanatory models can be critical forms of feedback as they reveal a) students' alternative conceptions on how ocean acidification impacts oysters or how acidification works in general; b) students' interpretations of oceans' (non)connectedness to Earth system; c) the choice of scientific representations and their sources; and d) the way students' integrate evidence or data from the investigations. Our work tackles an understanding of one of the most vital signs of modern climatic changes. Recent scientific evidence shows that if the change in ocean pH becomes too extreme, many organisms may not be able to adjust to this change. Based on our findings, we suggest that teachers can use explanatory models as sources of feedback to recognize how well their students conceptualize ocean acidification, integrate scientific practices, and use cultural artifacts of doing science.

Impact of multicollinearity on small sample hydrologic regression models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, Charles N.; Song, Peter

2013-06-01

Often hydrologic regression models are developed with ordinary least squares (OLS) procedures. The use of OLS with highly correlated explanatory variables produces multicollinearity, which creates highly sensitive parameter estimators with inflated variances and improper model selection. It is not clear how to best address multicollinearity in hydrologic regression models. Here a Monte Carlo simulation is developed to compare four techniques to address multicollinearity: OLS, OLS with variance inflation factor screening (VIF), principal component regression (PCR), and partial least squares regression (PLS). The performance of these four techniques was observed for varying sample sizes, correlation coefficients between the explanatory variables, and model error variances consistent with hydrologic regional regression models. The negative effects of multicollinearity are magnified at smaller sample sizes, higher correlations between the variables, and larger model error variances (smaller R2). The Monte Carlo simulation indicates that if the true model is known, multicollinearity is present, and the estimation and statistical testing of regression parameters are of interest, then PCR or PLS should be employed. If the model is unknown, or if the interest is solely on model predictions, is it recommended that OLS be employed since using more complicated techniques did not produce any improvement in model performance. A leave-one-out cross-validation case study was also performed using low-streamflow data sets from the eastern United States. Results indicate that OLS with stepwise selection generally produces models across study regions with varying levels of multicollinearity that are as good as biased regression techniques such as PCR and PLS.

Spatial analysis of trace elements in a moss bio-monitoring data over France by accounting for source, protocol and environmental parameters.

PubMed

Lequy, Emeline; Saby, Nicolas P A; Ilyin, Ilia; Bourin, Aude; Sauvage, Stéphane; Leblond, Sébastien

2017-07-15

Air pollution in trace elements (TE) remains a concern for public health in Europe. For this reasons, networks of air pollution concentrations or exposure are deployed, including a moss bio-monitoring programme in Europe. Spatial determinants of TE concentrations in mosses remain unclear. In this study, the French dataset of TE in mosses is analyzed by spatial autoregressive model to account for spatial structure of the data and several variables proven or suspected to affect TE concentrations in mosses. Such variables include source (atmospheric deposition and soil concentrations), protocol (sampling month, collector, and moss species), and environment (forest type and canopy density, distance to the coast or the highway, and elevation). Modeled atmospheric deposition was only available for Cd and Pb and was one of the main explanatory variables of the concentrations in mosses. Predicted soil content was also an important explanatory variable except for Cr, Ni, and Zn. However, the moss species was the main factor for all the studied TE. The other environmental variables affected differently the TE. In particular, the forest type and canopy density were important in most cases. These results stress the need for further research on the effect of the moss species on the capture and retention of TE, as well as for accounting for several variables and the spatial structure of the data in statistical analyses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accessibility and implementation in UK services of an effective depression relapse prevention programme – mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): ASPIRE study protocol

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a cost-effective psychosocial prevention programme that helps people with recurrent depression stay well in the long term. It was singled out in the 2009 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Depression Guideline as a key priority for implementation. Despite good evidence and guideline recommendations, its roll-out and accessibility across the UK appears to be limited and inequitably distributed. The study aims to describe the current state of MBCT accessibility and implementation across the UK, develop an explanatory framework of what is hindering and facilitating its progress in different areas, and develop an Implementation Plan and related resources to promote better and more equitable availability and use of MBCT within the UK National Health Service. Methods/Design This project is a two-phase qualitative, exploratory and explanatory research study, using an interview survey and in-depth case studies theoretically underpinned by the Promoting Action on Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework. Interviews will be conducted with stakeholders involved in commissioning, managing and implementing MBCT services in each of the four UK countries, and will include areas where MBCT services are being implemented successfully and where implementation is not working well. In-depth case studies will be undertaken on a range of MBCT services to develop a detailed understanding of the barriers and facilitators to implementation. Guided by the study’s conceptual framework, data will be synthesized across Phase 1 and Phase 2 to develop a fit for purpose implementation plan. Discussion Promoting the uptake of evidence-based treatments into routine practice and understanding what influences these processes has the potential to support the adoption and spread of nationally recommended interventions like MBCT. This study could inform a larger scale implementation trial and feed into future implementation of MBCT with other long-term conditions and associated co-morbidities. It could also inform the implementation of interventions that are acceptable and effective, but are not widely accessible or implemented. PMID:24884603

Interpreting the concordance statistic of a logistic regression model: relation to the variance and odds ratio of a continuous explanatory variable.

PubMed

Austin, Peter C; Steyerberg, Ewout W

2012-06-20

When outcomes are binary, the c-statistic (equivalent to the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) is a standard measure of the predictive accuracy of a logistic regression model. An analytical expression was derived under the assumption that a continuous explanatory variable follows a normal distribution in those with and without the condition. We then conducted an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations to examine whether the expressions derived under the assumption of binormality allowed for accurate prediction of the empirical c-statistic when the explanatory variable followed a normal distribution in the combined sample of those with and without the condition. We also examine the accuracy of the predicted c-statistic when the explanatory variable followed a gamma, log-normal or uniform distribution in combined sample of those with and without the condition. Under the assumption of binormality with equality of variances, the c-statistic follows a standard normal cumulative distribution function with dependence on the product of the standard deviation of the normal components (reflecting more heterogeneity) and the log-odds ratio (reflecting larger effects). Under the assumption of binormality with unequal variances, the c-statistic follows a standard normal cumulative distribution function with dependence on the standardized difference of the explanatory variable in those with and without the condition. In our Monte Carlo simulations, we found that these expressions allowed for reasonably accurate prediction of the empirical c-statistic when the distribution of the explanatory variable was normal, gamma, log-normal, and uniform in the entire sample of those with and without the condition. The discriminative ability of a continuous explanatory variable cannot be judged by its odds ratio alone, but always needs to be considered in relation to the heterogeneity of the population.

Insight in psychosis: Standards, science, ethics and value judgment.

PubMed

Jacob, K S

2017-06-01

The clinical assessment of insight solely employs biomedical perspectives and criteria to the complete exclusion of context and culture and to the disregard of values and value judgments. The aim of this discussion article is to examine recent research from India on insight and explanatory models in psychosis and re-examine the framework of assessment, diagnosis and management of insight and explanatory models. Recent research from India on insight in psychosis and explanatory models is reviewed. Recent research, which has used longitudinal data and adjusted for pretreatment variables, suggests that insight and explanatory models of illness at baseline do not predict course, outcome and treatment response in schizophrenia, which seem to be dependent on the severity and quality of the psychosis. It supports the view that people with psychosis simultaneously hold multiple and contradictory explanatory models of illness, which change over time and with the trajectory of the illness. It suggests that insight, like all explanatory models, is a narrative of the person's reality and a coping strategy to handle with the varied impact of the illness. This article argues that the assessment of insight necessarily involves value entailments, commitments and consequences. It supports a need for a broad-based approach to assess awareness, attribution and action related to mental illness and to acknowledge the role of values and value judgment in the evaluation of insight in psychosis.

Learned social hopelessness: the role of explanatory style in predicting social support during adolescence.

PubMed

Ciarrochi, Joseph; Heaven, Patrick C L

2008-12-01

Almost no research has examined the impact of explanatory style on social adjustment. We hypothesised that adolescents with a pessimistic style would be less likely to develop and maintain social support networks. Seven hundred and nineteen students (351 males and 366 females; 2 unknown; M(AGE) = 12.28, SD = .49) completed an anonymous survey in Grades 7 through 10. Explanatory style was assessed in Grades 7 and 9, sadness was assessed in Grades 7 through 10, and quantity and quality of social support was assessed in Grades 8, 9, and 10. Structural equation modelling was used to conduct cross-lagged panel analyses of the four waves of data. Pessimistic explanatory style predicted lower levels of social support, and lower social support from the family predicted higher levels of pessimistic explanatory style. Additional analyses suggested that the effects could not be explained by sadness or by assuming that pessimistic adolescents where less liked by their peers. Pessimistic adolescents feel unable to influence their social worlds in positive ways and consequently may not take actions to develop and maintain social support networks.

Strategies for the detection of hepatitis C viral infection in the general population.

PubMed

Caballería, L; Pera, G; Bernad, J; Canut, S; Navarro, E; Bruguera, M

2014-01-01

To evaluate which of the three studied strategies is the most effective to detect new cases of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in primary care. This is an observational, prospective, and multicentre study evaluating three strategies. Strategy 1: provide an explanatory letter to adults assigned to two primary care teams (PCTs), inviting them to have a blood test. Strategy 2: place posters and leaflets in PCTs advertising the possibility of laboratory tests. Strategy 3: reexamine HCV antibody test results in patients with hypertransaminasemia diagnosed within the last two years through electronic records, and determine anti-HCV status in undiagnosed cases. There were a total 598 participants (51% female with an average age of 50.6 ± 13 years). There were 238 people (4.1% of letters sent) in Strategy 1, 69 people (0.3% of potential participation) in Strategy 2, and 291 people (100% participation) from Strategy 3. One new case of HCV was found in both Strategy 1 and Strategy 2, representing a prevalence of 0.4 and 1.4%, respectively. Two new cases of HCV were found in Strategy 3, representing a prevalence of 0.7%. The three studied strategies for detecting new cases of HCV infection are ineffective, especially in regards to their cost and effort. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Divergence Palsy due to Divalproex and Oxcarbazepine.

PubMed

Bouffard, Marc Albert; Caplan, Louis R; Torun, Nurhan

This case series is the first to describe divergence palsy as an adverse effect of antiepileptic drug use. Diplopia is a common adverse effect of antiepileptic drugs, but no explanatory motility deficit has ever been reported. We present 2 patients, 1 on oxcarbazepine and 1 on divalproex, each with a normal examination result between spells and divergency palsy when symptomatic. Discontinuation of the antiepileptic medication led to resolution of the episodes in both cases. Rechallenge with the offending agent after washout in one patient resulted in recurrence of diplopia and divergence palsy, both resolving after subsequent withdrawal of the antiepileptic. Antiepileptic drugs may cause divergence palsy.

Seasonally adjusted birth frequencies follow the Poisson distribution.

PubMed

Barra, Mathias; Lindstrøm, Jonas C; Adams, Samantha S; Augestad, Liv A

2015-12-15

Variations in birth frequencies have an impact on activity planning in maternity wards. Previous studies of this phenomenon have commonly included elective births. A Danish study of spontaneous births found that birth frequencies were well modelled by a Poisson process. Somewhat unexpectedly, there were also weekly variations in the frequency of spontaneous births. Another study claimed that birth frequencies follow the Benford distribution. Our objective was to test these results. We analysed 50,017 spontaneous births at Akershus University Hospital in the period 1999-2014. To investigate the Poisson distribution of these births, we plotted their variance over a sliding average. We specified various Poisson regression models, with the number of births on a given day as the outcome variable. The explanatory variables included various combinations of years, months, days of the week and the digit sum of the date. The relationship between the variance and the average fits well with an underlying Poisson process. A Benford distribution was disproved by a goodness-of-fit test (p < 0.01). The fundamental model with year and month as explanatory variables is significantly improved (p < 0.001) by adding day of the week as an explanatory variable. Altogether 7.5% more children are born on Tuesdays than on Sundays. The digit sum of the date is non-significant as an explanatory variable (p = 0.23), nor does it increase the explained variance. INERPRETATION: Spontaneous births are well modelled by a time-dependent Poisson process when monthly and day-of-the-week variation is included. The frequency is highest in summer towards June and July, Friday and Tuesday stand out as particularly busy days, and the activity level is at its lowest during weekends.

Induction-related cost of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia in France.

PubMed

Nerich, Virginie; Lioure, Bruno; Rave, Maryline; Recher, Christian; Pigneux, Arnaud; Witz, Brigitte; Escoffre-Barbe, Martine; Moles, Marie-Pierre; Jourdan, Eric; Cahn, Jean Yves; Woronoff-Lemsi, Marie-Christine

2011-04-01

The economic profile of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is badly known. The few studies published on this disease are now relatively old and include small numbers of patients. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the induction-related cost of 500 patients included in the AML 2001 trial, and to determine the explanatory factors of cost. "Induction" patient's hospital stay from admission for "induction" to discharge after induction. The study was performed from the French Public Health insurance perspective, restrictive to hospital institution costs. The average management of a hospital stay for "induction" was evaluated according to the analytical accounting of Besançon University Teaching Hospital and the French public Diagnosis-Related Group database. Multiple linear regression was used to search for explanatory factors. Only direct medical costs were included: treatment and hospitalisation. Mean induction-related direct medical cost was estimated at €41,852 ± 6,037, with a mean length of hospital stay estimated at 36.2 ± 10.7 days. After adjustment for age, sex and performance status, only two explanatory factors were found: an additional induction course and salvage course increased induction-related cost by 38% (± 4) and 15% (± 1) respectively, in comparison to one induction. These explanatory factors were associated with a significant increase in the mean length of hospital stay: 45.8 ± 11.6 days for 2 inductions and 38.5 ± 15.5 if the patient had a salvage course, in comparison to 32.9 ± 7.7 for one induction (P < 10⁻⁴). This result is robust and was confirmed by sensitivity analysis. Consideration of economic constraints in health care is now a reality. Only the control of length of hospital stay may lead to a decrease in induction-related cost for patients with AML.

Hospital adoption of medical technology: an empirical test of alternative models.

PubMed Central

Teplensky, J. D.; Pauly, M. V.; Kimberly, J. R.; Hillman, A. L.; Schwartz, J. S.

1995-01-01

OBJECTIVE. This study examines hospital motivations to acquire new medical technology, an issue of considerable policy relevance: in this case, whether, when, and why hospitals acquire a new capital-intensive medical technology, magnetic resonance imaging equipment (MRI). STUDY DESIGN. We review three common explanations for medical technology adoption: profit maximization, technological preeminence, and clinical excellence, and incorporate them into a composite model, controlling for regulatory differences, market structures, and organizational characteristics. All four models are then tested using Cox regressions. DATA SOURCES. The study is based on an initial sample of 637 hospitals in the continental United States that owned or leased an MRI unit as of 31 December 1988, plus nonadopters. Due to missing data the final sample consisted of 507 hospitals. The data, drawn from two telephone surveys, are supplemented by the AHA Survey, census data, and industry and academic sources. PRINCIPAL FINDING. Statistically, the three individual models account for roughly comparable amounts of variance in past adoption behavior. On the basis of explanatory power and parsimony, however, the technology model is "best." Although the composite model is statistically better than any of the individual models, it does not add much more explanatory power adjusting for the number of variables added. CONCLUSIONS. The composite model identified the importance a hospital attached to being a technological leader, its clinical requirements, and the change in revenues it associated with the adoption of MRI as the major determinants of adoption behavior. We conclude that a hospital's adoption behavior is strongly linked to its strategic orientation. PMID:7649751

Variations in non-prescription drug consumption and expenditure: Determinants and policy implications.

PubMed

Otto, Monica; Armeni, Patrizio; Jommi, Claudio

2018-01-31

This paper analyses the determinants of cross-regional variations in expenditure and consumption for non-prescription drugs using the Italian Health Care Service as a case study. This research question has never been posed in other literature contributions. Per capita income, the incidence of elderly people, the presence of distribution points alternative to community pharmacies (para-pharmacies and drug corners in supermarkets), and the disease prevalence were included as possible explanatory variables. A trade-off between consumption of non-prescription and prescription-only drugs was also investigated. Correlation was tested through linear regression models with regional fixed-effects. Demand-driven variables, including the prevalence of the target diseases and income, were found to be more influential than supply-side variables, such as the presence of alternative distribution points. Hence, the consumption of non-prescription drugs appears to respond to needs and is not induced by the supply. The expected trade-off between consumption for prescription-only and non-prescription drugs was not empirically found: increasing the use of non-prescription drugs did not automatically imply savings on prescription-only drugs covered by third payers. Despite some caveats (the short period of time covered by the longitudinal data and some missing monthly data), the regression model revealed a high explanatory power of the variability and a strong predictive ability of future values. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ethnic heterogeneity, social capital and psychological distress in Sweden.

PubMed

Johnson-Singh, Charisse M; Rostila, Mikael; Ponce de Leon, Antonio; Forsell, Yvonne; Engström, Karin

2018-05-25

Ethnic heterogeneity has been linked to both protective and detrimental effects on mental health. Few studies have investigated the role of social capital in this relationship and none have found that it has an explanatory role. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between two measures of ethnic heterogeneity and psychological distress in Stockholm County, as well as the explanatory role of social capital for individuals with Swedish-background, foreign-background and those who are foreign-born. This study used data collected from respondents aged 18-64 to the 2002, 2006, 2010 baseline questionnaires of the Stockholm Public Health Cohort and was linked with individual and area-level register information. Ethnic heterogeneity was the main exposure, measured by: 1) ethnic density, defined as the proportion of first and second generation immigrants with 2 foreign-born parents; and 2) ethnic diversity, using the fragmentation index. Social capital measures of individual and contextual-level social support and horizontal trust were the main explanatory factors of interest. The outcome, psychological distress, was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire-12 with a 2/3 cut-off. Prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using multi-level poisson regression with robust variances. Age and sex adjusted analyses for the whole study population demonstrated that a 10% increase in ethnic density or diversity was associated with a 1.06 (1.05-1.07) times higher prevalence of psychological distress. In the stratified analyses, both foreign-born respondents and those with Swedish-background showed increasing prevalence of psychological distress with increasing ethnic heterogeneity. However, this trend was entirely explained by socioeconomic factors in the Swedish-background respondents and by additional adjustments for individual and contextual social support and horizontal trust for the foreign-born. Further adjustment for contextual horizontal trust showed ethnic heterogeneity to be protective for respondents Swedish-background. There was no clear trend between ethnic heterogeneity and psychological distress for respondents with foreign-background. The association between ethnic heterogeneity and psychological distress differs by ethnic background. There was no difference in this association based on the measure of ethnic heterogeneity used, nor in the explanatory role of social capital between ethnic heterogeneity measures. Socioeconomic indicators and some elements of individual and contextual social capital are important explanatory factors of the excess risk of psychological distress with regards to ethnic heterogeneity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of learner knowledge and case complexity on handover accuracy and cognitive load: results from a simulation study.

PubMed

Young, John Q; van Dijk, Savannah M; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Custers, Eugene J; Irby, David M; Ten Cate, Olle

2016-09-01

The handover represents a high-risk event in which errors are common and lead to patient harm. A better understanding of the cognitive mechanisms of handover errors is essential to improving handover education and practice. This paper reports on an experiment conducted to study the effects of learner knowledge, case complexity (i.e. cases with or without a clear diagnosis) and their interaction on handover accuracy and cognitive load. Participants were 52 Dutch medical students in Years 2 and 6. The experiment employed a repeated-measures design with two explanatory variables: case complexity (simple or complex) as the within-subject variable, and learner knowledge (as indicated by illness script maturity) as the between-subject covariate. The dependent variables were handover accuracy and cognitive load. Each participant performed a total of four simulated handovers involving two simple cases and two complex cases. Higher illness script maturity predicted increased handover accuracy (p < 0.001) and lower cognitive load (p = 0.007). Case complexity did not independently affect either outcome. For handover accuracy, there was no interaction between case complexity and illness script maturity. For cognitive load, there was an interaction effect between illness script maturity and case complexity, indicating that more mature illness scripts reduced cognitive load less in complex cases than in simple cases. Students with more mature illness scripts performed more accurate handovers and experienced lower cognitive load. For cognitive load, these effects were more pronounced in simple than complex cases. If replicated, these findings suggest that handover curricula and protocols should provide support that varies according to the knowledge of the trainee. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

The Development of Valid Subtypes for Depression in Primary Care Settings

PubMed Central

Karasz, Alison

2009-01-01

A persistent theme in the debate on the classification of depressive disorders is the distinction between biological and environmental depressions. Despite decades of research, there remains little consensus on how to distinguish between depressive subtypes. This preliminary study describes a method that could be useful, if implemented on a larger scale, in the development of valid subtypes of depression in primary care settings, using explanatory models of depressive illness. Seventeen depressed Hispanic patients at an inner city general practice participated in explanatory model interviews. Participants generated illness narratives, which included details about symptoms, cause, course, impact, health seeking, and anticipated outcome. Two distinct subtypes emerged from the analysis. The internal model subtype was characterized by internal attributions, specifically the notion of an “injured self.” The external model subtype conceptualized depression as a reaction to life situations. Each subtype was associated with a distinct constellation of clinical features and health seeking experiences. Future directions for research using explanatory models to establish depressive subtypes are explored. PMID:18414123

Locating the Social Origins of Mental Illness: The Explanatory Models of Mental Illness Among Clergy from Different Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds.

PubMed

Leavey, Gerard; Loewenthal, Kate; King, Michael

2016-10-01

Clergy have historically provided 'healing' through various spiritual and medical modalities and even in modern, developed welfare economies they may still be an important help-seeking resource. Partnerships between religion and psychiatry are regularly advocated, but there is scant research on clergy explanatory models of illness. This paper aimed to explore their relationship with psychiatry and to examine how clergy in various faith groups conceptualised mental health problems. In this qualitative study using in-depth interviews, these issues were explored with 32 practising clergy in the UK from a range of different Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith organisations and ethnic backgrounds. This paper presents findings related to clergy explanatory models of mental illness and, in particular, how the social factors involved in causation are tinged with spiritual influences and implications, and how the meanings of mental distress assume a social and moral significance in distinctive localised matters.

Symbolic interactionism in grounded theory studies: women surviving with HIV/AIDS in rural northern Thailand.

PubMed

Klunklin, Areewan; Greenwood, Jennifer

2006-01-01

Although it is generally acknowledged that symbolic interactionism and grounded theory are connected, the precise nature of their connection remains implicit and unexplained. As a result, many grounded theory studies are undertaken without an explanatory framework. This in turn results in the description rather than the explanation of data determined. In this report, the authors make explicit and explain the nature of the connections between symbolic interactionism and grounded theory research. Specifically, they make explicit the connection between Blumer's methodological principles and processes and grounded theory methodology. In addition, the authors illustrate the explanatory power of symbolic interactionism in grounded theory using data from a study of the HIV/AIDS experiences of married and widowed Thai women.

Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, Third Edition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidelmann, P. Kenneth; Urban, S. E.

2010-01-01

"The Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac" (hereafter "The Explanatory Supplement") is a comprehensive reference book on the topic of positional astronomy, covering the theories and algorithms used to produce "The Astronomical Almanac" (AsA), an annual publication produced jointly by the Nautical Almanac Office of the US Naval Observatory (USNO) and Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO) of the UK Hydrographic Office. The first edition of The Explanatory Supplement appeared in 1961 and was reprinted with amendments during the 1970s. The second edition was printed in 1992 and reprinted until 2006. Since the second edition, several changes have taken place in positional astronomy regarding reference systems and internationally accepted models, data sets, and computational methods; these have been incorporated into the AsA. Additionally, the data presented in the AsA have been modified over the years, with new tables being added and some being discontinued. Given these changes, a new edition of The Explanatory Supplement is appropriate. The third edition has been in development for the last few years and will be available in 2010. The book is organized similarly to the second (1991) edition, with each chapter written by subject matter experts. Authors from USNO and HMNAO contributed to the majority of the book, but there are authors from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Technical University of Dresden, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, University of Texas Austin, and University of Virginia. This paper will discuss this latest edition of the Explanatory Supplement.

Factors of land abandonment in mountainous Mediterranean areas: the case of Montenegrin settlements.

PubMed

Kerckhof, Annelies; Spalevic, Velibor; Van Eetvelde, Veerle; Nyssen, Jan

2016-01-01

Land use changes have been investigated in the surroundings of 14 rural Montenegrin settlements in order to get specific information about trends in land abandonment since around 1950. Permanently, seasonally and less inhabited settlements with different geographic conditions were studied. This was done by interviewing local inhabitants, which enabled a holistic approach to reveal the underlying processes of land abandonment. According to the observed patterns of land use change, the study sites can be categorized into intensified, urbanized, extensified, overgrown and forested cases. The category of extensified settlements is characterized by a highly reduced agricultural management intensity, resulting in an increase in grasslands and fruit trees at the expense of cropland. This land use change is mainly related to emigrating and aging inhabitants, having less livestock. Such extensive land use is found in both permanently inhabited and abandoned villages. Only some studied settlements became largely overgrown by bushes and forest. The steep average slope gradients and a large distance to the nearest city are explanatory factors of such land abandonment. Land use intensification takes place in low-lying areas located nearby towns.

Research of Water Level Prediction for a Continuous Flood due to Typhoons Based on a Machine Learning Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakatsugawa, M.; Kobayashi, Y.; Okazaki, R.; Taniguchi, Y.

2017-12-01

This research aims to improve accuracy of water level prediction calculations for more effective river management. In August 2016, Hokkaido was visited by four typhoons, whose heavy rainfall caused severe flooding. In the Tokoro river basin of Eastern Hokkaido, the water level (WL) at the Kamikawazoe gauging station, which is at the lower reaches exceeded the design high-water level and the water rose to the highest level on record. To predict such flood conditions and mitigate disaster damage, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of prediction as well as to prolong the lead time (LT) required for disaster mitigation measures such as flood-fighting activities and evacuation actions by residents. There is the need to predict the river water level around the peak stage earlier and more accurately. Previous research dealing with WL prediction had proposed a method in which the WL at the lower reaches is estimated by the correlation with the WL at the upper reaches (hereinafter: "the water level correlation method"). Additionally, a runoff model-based method has been generally used in which the discharge is estimated by giving rainfall prediction data to a runoff model such as a storage function model and then the WL is estimated from that discharge by using a WL discharge rating curve (H-Q curve). In this research, an attempt was made to predict WL by applying the Random Forest (RF) method, which is a machine learning method that can estimate the contribution of explanatory variables. Furthermore, from the practical point of view, we investigated the prediction of WL based on a multiple correlation (MC) method involving factors using explanatory variables with high contribution in the RF method, and we examined the proper selection of explanatory variables and the extension of LT. The following results were found: 1) Based on the RF method tuned up by learning from previous floods, the WL for the abnormal flood case of August 2016 was properly predicted with a lead time of 6 h. 2) Based on the contribution of explanatory variables, factors were selected for the MC method. In this way, plausible prediction results were obtained.

Sharpening method of satellite thermal image based on the geographical statistical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Pengcheng; Hu, Shixiong; Zhang, Haijun; Guo, Guangmeng

2016-04-01

To improve the effectiveness of thermal sharpening in mountainous regions, paying more attention to the laws of land surface energy balance, a thermal sharpening method based on the geographical statistical model (GSM) is proposed. Explanatory variables were selected from the processes of land surface energy budget and thermal infrared electromagnetic radiation transmission, then high spatial resolution (57 m) raster layers were generated for these variables through spatially simulating or using other raster data as proxies. Based on this, the local adaptation statistical relationship between brightness temperature (BT) and the explanatory variables, i.e., the GSM, was built at 1026-m resolution using the method of multivariate adaptive regression splines. Finally, the GSM was applied to the high-resolution (57-m) explanatory variables; thus, the high-resolution (57-m) BT image was obtained. This method produced a sharpening result with low error and good visual effect. The method can avoid the blind choice of explanatory variables and remove the dependence on synchronous imagery at visible and near-infrared bands. The influences of the explanatory variable combination, sampling method, and the residual error correction on sharpening results were analyzed deliberately, and their influence mechanisms are reported herein.

Health sector costs of self-reported food allergy in Europe: a patient-based cost of illness study.

PubMed

Fox, Margaret; Mugford, Miranda; Voordouw, Jantine; Cornelisse-Vermaat, Judith; Antonides, Gerrit; de la Hoz Caballer, Belen; Cerecedo, Inma; Zamora, Javier; Rokicka, Ewa; Jewczak, Maciej; Clark, Allan B; Kowalski, Marek L; Papadopoulos, Nikos; Knulst, Anna C; Seneviratne, Suranjith; Belohlavkova, Simona; Asero, Roberto; de Blay, Frederic; Purohit, Ashok; Clausen, Michael; Flokstra de Blok, Bertine; Dubois, Anthony E; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Burney, Peter; Frewer, Lynn J; Mills, Clare E N

2013-10-01

Food allergy is a recognized health problem, but little has been reported on its cost for health services. The EuroPrevall project was a European study investigating the patterns, prevalence and socio-economic cost of food allergy. To investigate the health service cost for food-allergic Europeans and the relationship between severity and cost of illness. Participants recruited through EuroPrevall studies in a case-control study in four countries, and cases only in five countries, completed a validated economics questionnaire. Individuals with possible food allergy were identified by clinical history, and those with food-specific immunoglobulin E were defined as having probable allergy. Data on resource use were used to estimate total health care costs of illness. Mean costs were compared in the case-control cohorts. Regression analysis was conducted on cases from all 9 countries to assess impact of country, severity and age group. Food-allergic individuals had higher health care costs than controls. The mean annual cost of health care was international dollars (I$)2016 for food-allergic adults and I$1089 for controls, a difference of I$927 (95% confidence interval I$324-I$1530). A similar result was found for adults in each country, and for children, and was not sensitive to baseline demographic differences. Cost was significantly related to severity of illness in cases in nine countries. Food allergy is associated with higher health care costs. Severity of allergic symptoms is a key explanatory factor.

The Association between Regional Environmental Factors and Road Trauma Rates: A Geospatial Analysis of 10 Years of Road Traffic Crashes in British Columbia, Canada

PubMed Central

Brubacher, Jeffrey R.; Chan, Herbert; Erdelyi, Shannon; Schuurman, Nadine; Amram, Ofer

2016-01-01

Background British Columbia, Canada is a geographically large jurisdiction with varied environmental and socio-cultural contexts. This cross-sectional study examined variation in motor vehicle crash rates across 100 police patrols to investigate the association of crashes with key explanatory factors. Methods Eleven crash outcomes (total crashes, injury crashes, fatal crashes, speed related fatal crashes, total fatalities, single-vehicle night-time crashes, rear-end collisions, and collisions involving heavy vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists) were identified from police collision reports and insurance claims and mapped to police patrols. Six potential explanatory factors (intensity of traffic law enforcement, speed limits, climate, remoteness, socio-economic factors, and alcohol consumption) were also mapped to police patrols. We then studied the association between crashes and explanatory factors using negative binomial models with crash count per patrol as the response variable and explanatory factors as covariates. Results Between 2003 and 2012 there were 1,434,239 insurance claim collisions, 386,326 police reported crashes, and 3,404 fatal crashes. Across police patrols, there was marked variation in per capita crash rate and in potential explanatory factors. Several factors were associated with crash rates. Percent roads with speed limits ≤ 60 km/hr was positively associated with total crashes, injury crashes, rear end collisions, and collisions involving pedestrians, cyclists, and heavy vehicles; and negatively associated with single vehicle night-time crashes, fatal crashes, fatal speeding crashes, and total fatalities. Higher winter temperature was associated with lower rates of overall collisions, single vehicle night-time collisions, collisions involving heavy vehicles, and total fatalities. Lower socio-economic status was associated with higher rates of injury collisions, pedestrian collisions, fatal speeding collisions, and fatal collisions. Regions with dedicated traffic officers had fewer fatal crashes and fewer fatal speed related crashes but more rear end crashes and more crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians. The number of traffic citations per 1000 drivers was positively associated with total crashes, fatal crashes, total fatalities, fatal speeding crashes, injury crashes, single vehicle night-time crashes, and heavy vehicle crashes. Possible explanations for these associations are discussed. Conclusions There is wide variation in per capita rates of motor vehicle crashes across BC police patrols. Some variation is explained by factors such as climate, road type, remoteness, socioeconomic variables, and enforcement intensity. The ability of explanatory factors to predict crash rates would be improved if considered with local traffic volume by all travel modes. PMID:27099930

Can work ability explain the social gradient in sickness absence: a study of a general population in Sweden.

PubMed

Löve, Jesper; Holmgren, Kristina; Torén, Kjell; Hensing, Gunnel

2012-03-07

Understanding the reasons for the social gradient in sickness absence might provide an opportunity to reduce the general rates of sickness absence. The complete explanation for this social gradient still remains unclear and there is a need for studies using randomized working population samples. The main aim of the present study was to investigate if self-reported work ability could explain the association between low socioeconomic position and belonging to a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees. The two study samples consisted of a randomized working population (n = 2,763) and a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees (n = 3,044), 19-64 years old. Both samples were drawn from the same randomized general population. Socioeconomic status was measured with occupational position and physical and mental work ability was measured with two items extracted from the work ability index. There was an association between lower socioeconomic status and belonging to the sick-listed sample among both women and men. In men the crude Odds ratios increased for each downwards step in socioeconomic status, OR 1.32 (95% CI 0.98-1.78), OR 1.53 (1.05-2.24), OR 2.80 (2.11-3.72), and OR 2.98 (2.27-3.90). Among women this gradient was not as pronounced. Physical work ability constituted the strongest explanatory factor explaining the total association between socioeconomic status and being sick-listed in women. However, among men, the association between skilled non-manual, OR 2.07 (1.54-2.78), and non-skilled manual, OR 2.03 (1.53-2.71) positions in relation to being sick-listed remained. The explanatory effect of mental work ability was small. Surprisingly, even in the sick-listed sample most respondents had high mental and physical work ability. These results suggest that physical work ability may be an important key in explaining the social gradient in sickness absence, particularly in women. Hence, it is possible that the factors associated with the social gradient in sickness absence may differ, to some extent, between women and men.

Seasonality of tuberculosis in Israel, 2001-2011.

PubMed

Margalit, I; Block, C; Mor, Z

2016-12-01

Several studies have suggested that the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) varies with the seasons. To determine the seasonality of TB in Israel and to explore possible associations with climatic variables. Laboratory-confirmed TB cases reported between 2001 and 2011 in individuals resident in Israel for at least 1 year before diagnosis were included in the study. Climatic variables included average temperature and average ultraviolet radiation. The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of the population was also recorded. Of all 2653 TB cases, incidence peaked during spring (n = 712) and reached its nadir during the fall (n = 577), with a case proportion amplitude (CPA) of 5.1% (P = 0.036). Individuals born in the Horn of Africa exhibited a CPA of 9.5% (P = 0.077). Mean population 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was significantly correlated with the seasonal pattern of the disease. Southern Israel had the highest global radiation and, counter-instinctively, the highest TB incidence. TB exhibited a seasonal tendency in Israel, with the spring peak/fall nadir pattern found elsewhere. Vitamin D is suspected to be an explanatory variable for this seasonal phenomenon. The finding that the highest incidence is in the area receiving the highest global radiation suggests population-related vulnerability to vitamin D deficiency.

Agricultural disturbance response models for invertebrate and algal metrics from streams at two spatial scales within the U.S.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waite, Ian R.

2014-01-01

As part of the USGS study of nutrient enrichment of streams in agricultural regions throughout the United States, about 30 sites within each of eight study areas were selected to capture a gradient of nutrient conditions. The objective was to develop watershed disturbance predictive models for macroinvertebrate and algal metrics at national and three regional landscape scales to obtain a better understanding of important explanatory variables. Explanatory variables in models were generated from landscape data, habitat, and chemistry. Instream nutrient concentration and variables assessing the amount of disturbance to the riparian zone (e.g., percent row crops or percent agriculture) were selected as most important explanatory variable in almost all boosted regression tree models regardless of landscape scale or assemblage. Frequently, TN and TP concentration and riparian agricultural land use variables showed a threshold type response at relatively low values to biotic metrics modeled. Some measure of habitat condition was also commonly selected in the final invertebrate models, though the variable(s) varied across regions. Results suggest national models tended to account for more general landscape/climate differences, while regional models incorporated both broad landscape scale and more specific local-scale variables.

Interpreting the concordance statistic of a logistic regression model: relation to the variance and odds ratio of a continuous explanatory variable

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background When outcomes are binary, the c-statistic (equivalent to the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) is a standard measure of the predictive accuracy of a logistic regression model. Methods An analytical expression was derived under the assumption that a continuous explanatory variable follows a normal distribution in those with and without the condition. We then conducted an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations to examine whether the expressions derived under the assumption of binormality allowed for accurate prediction of the empirical c-statistic when the explanatory variable followed a normal distribution in the combined sample of those with and without the condition. We also examine the accuracy of the predicted c-statistic when the explanatory variable followed a gamma, log-normal or uniform distribution in combined sample of those with and without the condition. Results Under the assumption of binormality with equality of variances, the c-statistic follows a standard normal cumulative distribution function with dependence on the product of the standard deviation of the normal components (reflecting more heterogeneity) and the log-odds ratio (reflecting larger effects). Under the assumption of binormality with unequal variances, the c-statistic follows a standard normal cumulative distribution function with dependence on the standardized difference of the explanatory variable in those with and without the condition. In our Monte Carlo simulations, we found that these expressions allowed for reasonably accurate prediction of the empirical c-statistic when the distribution of the explanatory variable was normal, gamma, log-normal, and uniform in the entire sample of those with and without the condition. Conclusions The discriminative ability of a continuous explanatory variable cannot be judged by its odds ratio alone, but always needs to be considered in relation to the heterogeneity of the population. PMID:22716998

Global dengue death before and after the new World Health Organization 2009 case classification: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

PubMed

Low, Gary Kim-Kuan; Ogston, Simon A; Yong, Mun-Hin; Gan, Seng-Chiew; Chee, Hui-Yee

2018-06-01

Since the introduction of 2009 WHO dengue case classification, no literature was found regarding its effect on dengue death. This study was to evaluate the effect of 2009 WHO dengue case classification towards dengue case fatality rate. Various databases were used to search relevant articles since 1995. Studies included were cohort and cross-sectional studies, all patients with dengue infection and must report the number of death or case fatality rate. The Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal checklist was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the full-texts. The studies were grouped according to the classification adopted: WHO 1997 and WHO 2009. Meta-regression was employed using a logistic transformation (log-odds) of the case fatality rate. The result of the meta-regression was the adjusted case fatality rate and odds ratio on the explanatory variables. A total of 77 studies were included in the meta-regression analysis. The case fatality rate for all studies combined was 1.14% with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.82-1.58%. The combined (unadjusted) case fatality rate for 69 studies which adopted WHO 1997 dengue case classification was 1.09% with 95% CI of 0.77-1.55%; and for eight studies with WHO 2009 was 1.62% with 95% CI of 0.64-4.02%. The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio of case fatality using WHO 2009 dengue case classification was 1.49 (95% CI: 0.52, 4.24) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.26, 2.63) respectively, compared to WHO 1997 dengue case classification. There was an apparent increase in trend of case fatality rate from the year 1992-2016. Neither was statistically significant. The WHO 2009 dengue case classification might have no effect towards the case fatality rate although the adjusted results indicated a lower case fatality rate. Future studies are required for an update in the meta-regression analysis to confirm the findings. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hill's Heuristics and Explanatory Coherentism in Epidemiology.

PubMed

Dammann, Olaf

2018-01-01

In this essay, I argue that Ted Poston's theory of explanatory coherentism is well-suited as a tool for causal explanation in the health sciences, particularly in epidemiology. Coherence has not only played a role in epidemiology for more than half a century as one of Hill's viewpoints, it can also provide background theory for the development of explanatory systems by integrating epidemiologic evidence with a diversity of other error-independent data. I propose that computational formalization of Hill's viewpoints in an explanatory coherentist framework would provide an excellent starting point for a formal epistemological (knowledge-theoretical) project designed to improve causal explanation in the health sciences. As an example, I briefly introduce Paul Thagard's ECHO system and offer my responses to possible objections to my proposal. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Does IQ explain socio-economic differentials in total and cardiovascular disease mortality? Comparison with the explanatory power of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Vietnam Experience Study.

PubMed

Batty, G David; Shipley, Martin J; Dundas, Ruth; Macintyre, Sally; Der, Geoff; Mortensen, Laust H; Deary, Ian J

2009-08-01

The aim of this study was to examine the explanatory power of intelligence (IQ) compared with traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the relationship of socio-economic disadvantage with total and CVD mortality, that is the extent to which IQ may account for the variance in this well-documented association. Cohort study of 4289 US male former military personnel with data on four widely used markers of socio-economic position (early adulthood and current income, occupational prestige, and education), IQ test scores (early adulthood and middle-age), a range of nine established CVD risk factors (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total blood cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, blood glucose, resting heart rate, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s), and later mortality. We used the relative index of inequality (RII) to quantify the relation between each index of socio-economic position and mortality. Fifteen years of mortality surveillance gave rise to 237 deaths (62 from CVD and 175 from 'other' causes). In age-adjusted analyses, as expected, each of the four indices of socio-economic position was inversely associated with total, CVD, and 'other' causes of mortality, such that elevated rates were evident in the most socio-economically disadvantaged men. When IQ in middle-age was introduced to the age-adjusted model, there was marked attenuation in the RII across the socio-economic predictors for total mortality (average 50% attenuation in RII), CVD (55%), and 'other' causes of death (49%). When the nine traditional risk factors were added to the age-adjusted model, the comparable reduction in RII was less marked than that seen after IQ adjustment: all-causes (40%), CVD (40%), and 'other' mortality (43%). Adding IQ to the latter model resulted in marked, additional explanatory power for all outcomes in comparison to the age-adjusted analyses: all-causes (63%), CVD (63%), and 'other' mortality (65%). When we utilized IQ in early adulthood rather than middle-age as an explanatory variable, the attenuating effect on the socio-economic gradient was less pronounced although the same pattern was still present. In the present analyses of socio-economic gradients in total and CVD mortality, IQ appeared to offer greater explanatory power than that apparent for traditional CVD risk factors.

Cross-cultural perspectives on physician and lay models of the common cold.

PubMed

Baer, Roberta D; Weller, Susan C; de Alba García, Javier García; Rocha, Ana L Salcedo

2008-06-01

We compare physicians and laypeople within and across cultures, focusing on similarities and differences across samples, to determine whether cultural differences or lay-professional differences have a greater effect on explanatory models of the common cold. Data on explanatory models for the common cold were collected from physicians and laypeople in South Texas and Guadalajara, Mexico. Structured interview materials were developed on the basis of open-ended interviews with samples of lay informants at each locale. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from each sample on causes, symptoms, and treatments for the common cold. Consensus analysis was used to estimate the cultural beliefs for each sample. Instead of systematic differences between samples based on nationality or level of professional training, all four samples largely shared a single-explanatory model of the common cold, with some differences on subthemes, such as the role of hot and cold forces in the etiology of the common cold. An evaluation of our findings indicates that, although there has been conjecture about whether cultural or lay-professional differences are of greater importance in understanding variation in explanatory models of disease and illness, systematic data collected on community and professional beliefs indicate that such differences may be a function of the specific illness. Further generalizations about lay-professional differences need to be based on detailed data for a variety of illnesses, to discern patterns that may be present. Finally, a systematic approach indicates that agreement across individual explanatory models is sufficient to allow for a community-level explanatory model of the common cold.

On the effect of networks of cycle-tracks on the risk of cycling. The case of Seville.

PubMed

Marqués, R; Hernández-Herrador, V

2017-05-01

We analyze the evolution of the risk of cycling in Seville before and after the implementation of a network of segregated cycle tracks in the city. Specifically, we study the evolution of the risk for cyclists of being involved in a collision with a motor vehicle, using data reported by the traffic police along the period 2000-2013, i.e. seven years before and after the network was built. A sudden drop of such risk was observed after the implementation of the network of bikeways. We study, through a multilinear regression analysis, the evolution of the risk by means of explanatory variables representing changes in the built environment, specifically the length of the bikeways and a stepwise jump variable taking the values 0/1 before/after the network was implemented. We found that this last variable has a high value as explanatory variable, even higher than the length of the network, thus suggesting that networking the bikeways has a substantial effect on cycling safety by itself and beyond the mere increase in the length of the bikeways. We also analyze safety in numbers through a non-linear regression analysis. Our results fully agree qualitatively and quantitatively with the results previously reported by Jacobsen (2003), thus providing an independent confirmation of Jacobsen's results. Finally, the mutual causal relationships between the increase in safety, the increase in the number of cyclists and the presence of the network of bikeways are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposing the impact of Citizens Advice Bureau services on health: a realist evaluation protocol.

PubMed

Forster, N; Dalkin, S M; Lhussier, M; Hodgson, P; Carr, S M

2016-01-20

Welfare advice services can be used to address health inequalities, for example, through Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Recent reviews highlight evidence for the impact of advice services in improving people's financial position and improving mental health and well-being, daily living and social relationships. There is also some evidence for the impact of advice services in increasing accessibility of health services, and reducing general practitioner appointments and prescriptions. However, direct evidence for the impact of advice services on lifestyle behaviour and physical health is currently much less well established. There is a need for greater empirical testing of theories around the specific mechanisms through which advice services and associated financial or non-financial benefits may generate health improvements. A realist evaluation will be conducted, operationalised in 5 phases: building the explanatory framework; refining the explanatory framework; testing the explanatory framework through empirical data (mixed methods); development of a bespoke data recording template to capture longer term impact; and verification of findings with a range of CAB services. This research will therefore aim to build, refine and test an explanatory framework about how CAB services can be optimally implemented to achieve health improvement. The study was approved by the ethics committee at Northumbria University, UK. Project-related ethical issues are described and quality control aspects of the study are considered. A stakeholder mapping exercise will inform the dissemination of results in order to ensure all relevant institutions and organisations are targeted. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Explanatory Variables Associated with Campylobacter and Escherichia coli Concentrations on Broiler Chicken Carcasses during Processing in Two Slaughterhouses.

PubMed

Pacholewicz, Ewa; Swart, Arno; Wagenaar, Jaap A; Lipman, Len J A; Havelaar, Arie H

2016-12-01

This study aimed at identifying explanatory variables that were associated with Campylobacter and Escherichia coli concentrations throughout processing in two commercial broiler slaughterhouses. Quantative data on Campylobacter and E. coli along the processing line were collected. Moreover, information on batch characteristics, slaughterhouse practices, process performance, and environmental variables was collected through questionnaires, observations, and measurements, resulting in data on 19 potential explanatory variables. Analysis was conducted separately in each slaughterhouse to identify which variables were related to changes in concentrations of Campylobacter and E. coli during the processing steps: scalding, defeathering, evisceration, and chilling. Associations with explanatory variables were different in the slaughterhouses studied. In the first slaughterhouse, there was only one significant association: poorer uniformity of the weight of carcasses within a batch with less decrease in E. coli concentrations after defeathering. In the second slaughterhouse, significant statistical associations were found with variables, including age, uniformity, average weight of carcasses, Campylobacter concentrations in excreta and ceca, and E. coli concentrations in excreta. Bacterial concentrations in excreta and ceca were found to be the most prominent variables, because they were associated with concentration on carcasses at various processing points. Although the slaughterhouses produced specific products and had different batch characteristics and processing parameters, the effect of the significant variables was not always the same for each slaughterhouse. Therefore, each slaughterhouse needs to determine its particular relevant measures for hygiene control and process management. This identification could be supported by monitoring changes in bacterial concentrations during processing in individual slaughterhouses. In addition, the possibility that management and food handling practices in slaughterhouses contribute to the differences in bacterial contamination between slaughterhouses needs further investigation.

Mind what mother says: narrative input and theory of mind in typical children and those on the autism spectrum.

PubMed

Slaughter, Virginia; Peterson, Candida C; Mackintosh, Emily

2007-01-01

In 2 studies mothers read wordless storybooks to their preschool-aged children; narratives were analyzed for mental state language. Children's theory-of-mind understanding (ToM) was concurrently assessed. In Study 1, children's (N=30; M age 3 years 9 months) ToM task performance was significantly correlated with mothers' explanatory, causal, and contrastive talk about cognition, but not with mothers' simple mentions of cognition. In Study 2, the same pattern was found in an older sample of typically developing children (N=24; M age 4 years 7 months), whereas for children on the autism spectrum (N=24; M age 6 years 7.5 months), ToM task performance was uniquely correlated with mothers' explanatory, causal, and contrastive talk about emotions.

A prospective cohort study to evaluate peridomestic infection as a determinant of dengue transmission: Protocol

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Vector control programs, which have focused mainly on the patient house and peridomestic areas around dengue cases, have not produced the expected impact on transmission. This project will evaluate the assumption that the endemic/epidemic transmission of dengue begins around peridomestic vicinities of the primary cases. Its objective is to assess the relationship between symptomatic dengue case exposure and peridomestic infection incidence. Methods/Design A prospective cohort study will be conducted (in Tepalcingo and Axochiapan, in the state of Morelos, Mexico), using the state surveillance system for the detection of incident cases. Paired blood specimens will be collected from both the individuals who live with the incident cases and a sample of subjects residing within a 25-meter radius of such cases (exposed cohort), in order to measure dengue-specific antibodies. Other subjects will be selected from areas which have not presented any incident cases within 200 meters, during the two months preceding the sampling (non-exposed cohort). Symptomatic/asymptomatic incident infection will be considered as the dependent variable, exposure to confirmed dengue cases, as the principal variable, and the socio-demographic, environmental and socio-cultural conditions of the subjects, as additional explanatory variables. Discussion Results indicating a high infection rate among the exposed subjects would justify the application of peridomestic control measures and call for an evaluation of alternate causes for insufficient program impact. On the other hand, a low incidence of peridomestic-infected subjects would support the hypothesis that infection occurs outside the domicile, and would thus explain why the vector control measures applied in the past have exerted such a limited impact on cases incidence rates. The results of the present study may therefore serve to reassess site selection for interventions of this type. PMID:22471857

Explanatory variables for adult patients' self-reported recovery after acute lateral ankle sprain.

PubMed

van Rijn, Rogier M; Willemsen, Sten P; Verhagen, Arianne P; Koes, Bart W; Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita M A

2011-01-01

Longitudinal research on musculoskeletal disorders often makes use of a single measure of recovery, despite the large variation in reported recovery that exists. Patients with an acute ankle sprain often experience no pain or functional disability following treatment, yet report not being fully recovered, or vice versa. The purpose of this study was to find explanatory variables for reporting recovery by analyzing the extent to which different outcomes (eg, pain intensity) were associated with recovery and how baseline scores of different variables influence this association in adult patients after acute lateral ankle sprain. This was a cohort study based on data collected in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). This study was constructed within the framework of an RCT. One hundred two patients who incurred an acute ankle sprain were included. Recovery, pain intensity, giving way of the ankle, and Ankle Function Score (AFS) were assessed during the RCT at baseline and at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months postinjury. Mean differences were calculated between baseline and follow-up. Associations were calculated using linear mixed models, and the influence of baseline scores on these associations was determined using linear regression with interaction. Associations were found between recovery and the mean differences of pain during running on flat and rough surfaces (4 and 8 weeks, 3 months) and between recovery and the mean difference of giving way of the ankle during walking on a rough surface (8 weeks, 3 months). This study used data collected from an RCT. Therefore, the study was limited to the outcomes measured in that trial, and some explanatory factors easily could have been missed. This study is the first to identify explanatory variables for reporting recovery in adults after ankle sprain. Pain intensity and giving way of the ankle measured during high ankle load activities make it easier to measure and to generalize recovery in this population and should be the primary outcome measures of interest. This study indicates the huge need to reach consensus about primary outcome measures for research in patients sustaining ankle sprains.

Spatial distribution of psychotic disorders in an urban area of France: an ecological study.

PubMed

Pignon, Baptiste; Schürhoff, Franck; Baudin, Grégoire; Ferchiou, Aziz; Richard, Jean-Romain; Saba, Ghassen; Leboyer, Marion; Kirkbride, James B; Szöke, Andrei

2016-05-18

Previous analyses of neighbourhood variations of non-affective psychotic disorders (NAPD) have focused mainly on incidence. However, prevalence studies provide important insights on factors associated with disease evolution as well as for healthcare resource allocation. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of prevalent NAPD cases in an urban area in France. The number of cases in each neighbourhood was modelled as a function of potential confounders and ecological variables, namely: migrant density, economic deprivation and social fragmentation. This was modelled using statistical models of increasing complexity: frequentist models (using Poisson and negative binomial regressions), and several Bayesian models. For each model, assumptions validity were checked and compared as to how this fitted to the data, in order to test for possible spatial variation in prevalence. Data showed significant overdispersion (invalidating the Poisson regression model) and residual autocorrelation (suggesting the need to use Bayesian models). The best Bayesian model was Leroux's model (i.e. a model with both strong correlation between neighbouring areas and weaker correlation between areas further apart), with economic deprivation as an explanatory variable (OR = 1.13, 95% CI [1.02-1.25]). In comparison with frequentist methods, the Bayesian model showed a better fit. The number of cases showed non-random spatial distribution and was linked to economic deprivation.

A site specific model and analysis of the neutral somatic mutation rate in whole-genome cancer data.

PubMed

Bertl, Johanna; Guo, Qianyun; Juul, Malene; Besenbacher, Søren; Nielsen, Morten Muhlig; Hornshøj, Henrik; Pedersen, Jakob Skou; Hobolth, Asger

2018-04-19

Detailed modelling of the neutral mutational process in cancer cells is crucial for identifying driver mutations and understanding the mutational mechanisms that act during cancer development. The neutral mutational process is very complex: whole-genome analyses have revealed that the mutation rate differs between cancer types, between patients and along the genome depending on the genetic and epigenetic context. Therefore, methods that predict the number of different types of mutations in regions or specific genomic elements must consider local genomic explanatory variables. A major drawback of most methods is the need to average the explanatory variables across the entire region or genomic element. This procedure is particularly problematic if the explanatory variable varies dramatically in the element under consideration. To take into account the fine scale of the explanatory variables, we model the probabilities of different types of mutations for each position in the genome by multinomial logistic regression. We analyse 505 cancer genomes from 14 different cancer types and compare the performance in predicting mutation rate for both regional based models and site-specific models. We show that for 1000 randomly selected genomic positions, the site-specific model predicts the mutation rate much better than regional based models. We use a forward selection procedure to identify the most important explanatory variables. The procedure identifies site-specific conservation (phyloP), replication timing, and expression level as the best predictors for the mutation rate. Finally, our model confirms and quantifies certain well-known mutational signatures. We find that our site-specific multinomial regression model outperforms the regional based models. The possibility of including genomic variables on different scales and patient specific variables makes it a versatile framework for studying different mutational mechanisms. Our model can serve as the neutral null model for the mutational process; regions that deviate from the null model are candidates for elements that drive cancer development.

How relevant is environmental quality to per capita health expenditures? Empirical evidence from panel of developing countries.

PubMed

Yahaya, Adamu; Nor, Norashidah Mohamed; Habibullah, Muzafar Shah; Ghani, Judhiana Abd; Noor, Zaleha Mohd

2016-01-01

Developing countries have witnessed economic growth as their GDP keeps increasing steadily over the years. The growth led to higher energy consumption which eventually leads to increase in air pollutions that pose a danger to human health. People's healthcare demand, in turn, increase due to the changes in the socioeconomic life and improvement in the health technology. This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of environmental quality on per capital health expenditure in 125 developing countries within a panel cointegration framework from 1995 to 2012. We found out that a long-run relationship exists between per capita health expenditure and all explanatory variables as they were panel cointegrated. The explanatory variables were found to be statistically significant in explaining the per capita health expenditure. The result further revealed that CO2 has the highest explanatory power on the per capita health expenditure. The impact of the explanatory power of the variables is greater in the long-run compared to the short-run. Based on this result, we conclude that environmental quality is a powerful determinant of health expenditure in developing countries. Therefore, developing countries should as a matter of health care policy give provision of healthy air a priority via effective policy implementation on environmental management and control measures to lessen the pressure on health care expenditure. Moreover more environmental proxies with alternative methods should be considered in the future research.

Explanatory Power of Multi-scale Physical Descriptors in Modeling Benthic Indices Across Nested Ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holburn, E. R.; Bledsoe, B. P.; Poff, N. L.; Cuhaciyan, C. O.

2005-05-01

Using over 300 R/EMAP sites in OR and WA, we examine the relative explanatory power of watershed, valley, and reach scale descriptors in modeling variation in benthic macroinvertebrate indices. Innovative metrics describing flow regime, geomorphic processes, and hydrologic-distance weighted watershed and valley characteristics are used in multiple regression and regression tree modeling to predict EPT richness, % EPT, EPT/C, and % Plecoptera. A nested design using seven ecoregions is employed to evaluate the influence of geographic scale and environmental heterogeneity on the explanatory power of individual and combined scales. Regression tree models are constructed to explain variability while identifying threshold responses and interactions. Cross-validated models demonstrate differences in the explanatory power associated with single-scale and multi-scale models as environmental heterogeneity is varied. Models explaining the greatest variability in biological indices result from multi-scale combinations of physical descriptors. Results also indicate that substantial variation in benthic macroinvertebrate response can be explained with process-based watershed and valley scale metrics derived exclusively from common geospatial data. This study outlines a general framework for identifying key processes driving macroinvertebrate assemblages across a range of scales and establishing the geographic extent at which various levels of physical description best explain biological variability. Such information can guide process-based stratification to avoid spurious comparison of dissimilar stream types in bioassessments and ensure that key environmental gradients are adequately represented in sampling designs.

The role of patients' explanatory models and daily-lived experience in hypertension self-management.

PubMed

Bokhour, Barbara G; Cohn, Ellen S; Cortés, Dharma E; Solomon, Jeffrey L; Fix, Gemmae M; Elwy, A Rani; Mueller, Nora; Katz, Lois A; Haidet, Paul; Green, Alexander R; Borzecki, Ann M; Kressin, Nancy R

2012-12-01

Uncontrolled hypertension remains a significant problem for many patients. Few interventions to improve patients' hypertension self-management have had lasting effects. Previous work has focused largely on patients' beliefs as predictors of behavior, but little is understood about beliefs as they are embedded in patients' social contexts. This study aims to explore how patients' "explanatory models" of hypertension (understandings of the causes, mechanisms or pathophysiology, course of illness, symptoms and effects of treatment) and social context relate to their reported daily hypertension self-management behaviors. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with a diverse group of patients at two large urban Veterans Administration Medical centers. PARTICIPANTS (OR PATIENTS OR SUBJECTS): African-American, white and Latino Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care patients with uncontrolled blood pressure. We conducted thematic analysis using tools of grounded theory to identify key themes surrounding patients' explanatory models, social context and hypertension management behaviors. Patients' perceptions of the cause and course of hypertension, experiences of hypertension symptoms, and beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment were related to different hypertension self-management behaviors. Moreover, patients' daily-lived experiences, such as an isolated lifestyle, serious competing health problems, a lack of habits and routines, barriers to exercise and prioritizing lifestyle choices, also interfered with optimal hypertension self-management. Designing interventions to improve patients' hypertension self-management requires consideration of patients' explanatory models and their daily-lived experience. We propose a new conceptual model - the dynamic model of hypertension self-management behavior - which incorporates these key elements of patients' experiences.

Analysis of the individual factors affecting mobile phone use while driving in France: socio-demographic characteristics, car and phone use in professional and private contexts.

PubMed

Brusque, Corinne; Alauzet, Aline

2008-01-01

In France, as in many other countries, phoning while driving is legally restricted because of its negative impact on driving performance which increases accident risk. Nevertheless, it is still a frequently observed practice and one which has not been analyzed in detail. This study attempts to identify the profiles of those who use mobile phones while at the wheel and determine the forms taken by this use. A representative sample of 1973 French people was interviewed by phone on their driving practices and mobile phone use in everyday life and their mobile phone use while driving. Logistics regressions have been conducted to highlight the explanatory factors of phoning while driving. Strong differences between males and females have been shown. For the male population, age is the main explanatory factor of phoning while driving, followed by phone use for work-related reasons and extensive mobile phone use in everyday life. For females, high mileage and intensive use of mobile phone are the only two explanatory factors. We defined the intensive phone use at the wheel group as drivers who receive or send at least five or more calls per day while driving. There is no socio-demographic variable related to this practice. Car and phone uses in everyday life are the only explanatory factors for this intensive mobile use of the phone at the wheel.

Long-term change in a behavioural trait: truncated spawning distribution and demography in Northeast Arctic cod

PubMed Central

Opdal, Anders Frugård; Jørgensen, Christian

2015-01-01

Harvesting may be a potent driver of demographic change and contemporary evolution, which both may have great impacts on animal populations. Research has focused on changes in phenotypic traits that are easily quantifiable and for which time series exist, such as size, age, sex, or gonad size, whereas potential changes in behavioural traits have been under-studied. Here, we analyse potential drivers of long-term changes in a behavioural trait for the Northeast Arctic stock of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, namely choice of spawning location. For 104 years (1866–1969), commercial catches were recorded annually and reported by county along the Norwegian coast. During this time period, spawning ground distribution has fluctuated with a trend towards more northerly spawning. Spawning location is analysed against a suite of explanatory factors including climate, fishing pressure, density dependence, and demography. We find that demography (age or age at maturation) had the highest explanatory power for variation in spawning location, while climate had a limited effect below statistical significance. As to potential mechanisms, some effects of climate may act through demography, and explanatory variables for demography may also have absorbed direct evolutionary change in migration distance for which proxies were unavailable. Despite these caveats, we argue that fishing mortality, either through demographic or evolutionary change, has served as an effective driver for changing spawning locations in cod, and that additional explanatory factors related to climate add no significant information. PMID:25336028

Continuous water-quality monitoring and regression analysis to estimate constituent concentrations and loads in the Red River of the North at Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, 2003-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galloway, Joel M.

2014-01-01

The Red River of the North (hereafter referred to as “Red River”) Basin is an important hydrologic region where water is a valuable resource for the region’s economy. Continuous water-quality monitors have been operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, City of Grand Forks, and City of East Grand Forks at the Red River at Fargo, North Dakota, from 2003 through 2012 and at Grand Forks, N.Dak., from 2007 through 2012. The purpose of the monitoring was to provide a better understanding of the water-quality dynamics of the Red River and provide a way to track changes in water quality. Regression equations were developed that can be used to estimate concentrations and loads for dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, nitrate plus nitrite, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment using explanatory variables such as streamflow, specific conductance, and turbidity. Specific conductance was determined to be a significant explanatory variable for estimating dissolved solids concentrations at the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks. The regression equations provided good relations between dissolved solid concentrations and specific conductance for the Red River at Fargo and at Grand Forks, with adjusted coefficients of determination of 0.99 and 0.98, respectively. Specific conductance, log-transformed streamflow, and a seasonal component were statistically significant explanatory variables for estimating sulfate in the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks. Regression equations provided good relations between sulfate concentrations and the explanatory variables, with adjusted coefficients of determination of 0.94 and 0.89, respectively. For the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks, specific conductance, streamflow, and a seasonal component were statistically significant explanatory variables for estimating chloride. For the Red River at Grand Forks, a time component also was a statistically significant explanatory variable for estimating chloride. The regression equations for chloride at the Red River at Fargo provided a fair relation between chloride concentrations and the explanatory variables, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.66 and the equation for the Red River at Grand Forks provided a relatively good relation between chloride concentrations and the explanatory variables, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.77. Turbidity and streamflow were statistically significant explanatory variables for estimating nitrate plus nitrite concentrations at the Red River at Fargo and turbidity was the only statistically significant explanatory variable for estimating nitrate plus nitrite concentrations at Grand Forks. The regression equation for the Red River at Fargo provided a relatively poor relation between nitrate plus nitrite concentrations, turbidity, and streamflow, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.46. The regression equation for the Red River at Grand Forks provided a fair relation between nitrate plus nitrite concentrations and turbidity, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.73. Some of the variability that was not explained by the equations might be attributed to different sources contributing nitrates to the stream at different times. Turbidity, streamflow, and a seasonal component were statistically significant explanatory variables for estimating total phosphorus at the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks. The regression equation for the Red River at Fargo provided a relatively fair relation between total phosphorus concentrations, turbidity, streamflow, and season, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.74. The regression equation for the Red River at Grand Forks provided a good relation between total phosphorus concentrations, turbidity, streamflow, and season, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.87. For the Red River at Fargo, turbidity and streamflow were statistically significant explanatory variables for estimating suspended-sediment concentrations. For the Red River at Grand Forks, turbidity was the only statistically significant explanatory variable for estimating suspended-sediment concentration. The regression equation at the Red River at Fargo provided a good relation between suspended-sediment concentration, turbidity, and streamflow, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.95. The regression equation for the Red River at Grand Forks provided a good relation between suspended-sediment concentration and turbidity, with an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.96.

Understanding children's science identity through classroom interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mijung

2018-01-01

Research shows that various stereotypes about science and science learning, such as science being filled with hard and dry content, laboratory experiments, and male-dominated work environments, have resulted in feelings of distance from science in students' minds. This study explores children's experiences of science learning and science identity. It asks how children conceive of doing science like scientists and how they develop views of science beyond the stereotypes. This study employs positioning theory to examine how children and their teacher position themselves in science learning contexts and develop science identity through classroom interactions. Fifteen students in grades 4-6 science classrooms in Western Canada participated in this study. Classroom activities and interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and analysed to examine how the teacher and students position each other as scientists in the classroom. A descriptive explanatory case analysis showed how the teacher's positioning acted to develop students' science identity with responsibilities of knowledge seeking, perseverance, and excitement about science.

Assessing the performance of remotely-sensed flooding indicators and their potential contribution to early warning for leptospirosis in Cambodia

PubMed Central

Ledien, Julia; Sorn, Sopheak; Hem, Sopheak; Huy, Rekol; Buchy, Philippe

2017-01-01

Remote sensing can contribute to early warning for diseases with environmental drivers, such as flooding for leptospirosis. In this study we assessed whether and which remotely-sensed flooding indicator could be used in Cambodia to study any disease for which flooding has already been identified as an important driver, using leptospirosis as a case study. The performance of six potential flooding indicators was assessed by ground truthing. The Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) was used to estimate the Risk Ratio (RR) of being infected by leptospirosis when exposed to floods it detected, in particular during the rainy season. Chi-square tests were also calculated. Another variable—the time elapsed since the first flooding of the year—was created using MNDWI values and was also included as explanatory variable in a generalized linear model (GLM) and in a boosted regression tree model (BRT) of leptospirosis infections, along with other explanatory variables. Interestingly, MNDWI thresholds for both detecting water and predicting the risk of leptospirosis seroconversion were independently evaluated at -0.3. Value of MNDWI greater than -0.3 was significantly related to leptospirosis infection (RR = 1.61 [1.10–1.52]; χ2 = 5.64, p-value = 0.02, especially during the rainy season (RR = 2.03 [1.25–3.28]; χ2 = 8.15, p-value = 0.004). Time since the first flooding of the year was a significant risk factor in our GLM model (p-value = 0.042). These results suggest that MNDWI may be useful as a risk indicator in an early warning remote sensing tool for flood-driven diseases like leptospirosis in South East Asia. PMID:28704461

Assessing the performance of remotely-sensed flooding indicators and their potential contribution to early warning for leptospirosis in Cambodia.

PubMed

Ledien, Julia; Sorn, Sopheak; Hem, Sopheak; Huy, Rekol; Buchy, Philippe; Tarantola, Arnaud; Cappelle, Julien

2017-01-01

Remote sensing can contribute to early warning for diseases with environmental drivers, such as flooding for leptospirosis. In this study we assessed whether and which remotely-sensed flooding indicator could be used in Cambodia to study any disease for which flooding has already been identified as an important driver, using leptospirosis as a case study. The performance of six potential flooding indicators was assessed by ground truthing. The Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) was used to estimate the Risk Ratio (RR) of being infected by leptospirosis when exposed to floods it detected, in particular during the rainy season. Chi-square tests were also calculated. Another variable-the time elapsed since the first flooding of the year-was created using MNDWI values and was also included as explanatory variable in a generalized linear model (GLM) and in a boosted regression tree model (BRT) of leptospirosis infections, along with other explanatory variables. Interestingly, MNDWI thresholds for both detecting water and predicting the risk of leptospirosis seroconversion were independently evaluated at -0.3. Value of MNDWI greater than -0.3 was significantly related to leptospirosis infection (RR = 1.61 [1.10-1.52]; χ2 = 5.64, p-value = 0.02, especially during the rainy season (RR = 2.03 [1.25-3.28]; χ2 = 8.15, p-value = 0.004). Time since the first flooding of the year was a significant risk factor in our GLM model (p-value = 0.042). These results suggest that MNDWI may be useful as a risk indicator in an early warning remote sensing tool for flood-driven diseases like leptospirosis in South East Asia.

Meat consumption, meat cooking and risk of lung cancer among Uruguayan men.

PubMed

De Stefani, Eduardo; Ronco, Alvaro L; Boffetta, Paolo; Deneo-Pellegrini, Hugo; Acosta, Gisele; Mendilaharsu, María

2010-01-01

A case-control study was conducted in Uruguay, including 876 male cases of lung cancer and 876 male hospitalized controls, frequency matched for age (ten-year intervals), residence and hospital. The following explanatory variables were included in the study: fried red meat, barbecued red meat, boiled red meat, and salted red meat. These items were log transformed and energy-adjusted by the residuals method. The following potential confounders were included into the models: age, residence, hospital, education, family history of lung cancer, body mass index, smoking index, alcohol drinking, mate consumption, total energy intake, non-meat fatty foods and total fruits. The main objective was to estimate the odds ratios associated with lung cancer risk. Whereas fried meat, barbecued meat, and salted meat were positively associated with risk (OR of the highest quartile of salted meat versus the lowest, 2.90, 95 % CI 1.99-4.25, p-value for trend<0.0001), boiled red meat was mainly protective. We conclude that salted meat was the main risk factor. The mechanisms could be related to the content of N-nitroso compounds in salted meat.

The determinations of remote sensing satellite data delivery service quality: A positivistic case study in Chinese context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Jiahua; Yan, Xiangbin; Tan, Qiaoqiao; Li, Yijun

2014-03-01

With the development of remote sensing technology, remote-sensing satellite has been widely used in many aspects of national construction. Big data with different standards and massive users with different needs, make the satellite data delivery service to be a complex giant system. How to deliver remote-sensing satellite data efficiently and effectively is a big challenge. Based on customer service theory, this paper proposes a hierarchy conceptual model for examining the determinations of remote-sensing satellite data delivery service quality in the Chinese context. Three main dimensions: service expectation, service perception and service environment, and 8 sub-dimensions are included in the model. Large amount of first-hand data on the remote-sensing satellite data delivery service have been obtained through field research, semi-structured questionnaire and focused interview. A positivist case study is conducted to validate and develop the proposed model, as well as to investigate the service status and related influence mechanisms. Findings from the analysis demonstrate the explanatory validity of the model, and provide potentially helpful insights for future practice.

Quality of care and investment in property, plant, and equipment in hospitals.

PubMed Central

Levitt, S W

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVE. This study explores the relationship between quality of care and investment in property, plant, and equipment (PPE) in hospitals. DATA SOURCES. Hospitals' investment in PPE was derived from audited financial statements for the fiscal years 1984-1989. Peer Review Organization (PRO) Generic Quality Screen (GQS) reviews and confirmed failures between April 1989 and September 1990 were obtained from the Massachusetts PRO. STUDY DESIGN. Weighted least squares regression models used PRO GQS confirmed failure rates as the dependent variable, and investment in PPE as the key explanatory variable. DATA EXTRACTION. Investment in PPE was standardized, summed by the hospital over the six years, and divided by the hospital's average number of beds in that period. The number of PRO reviewed cases with one or more GQS confirmed failures was divided by the total number of cases reviewed to create confirmed failure rates. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Investment in PPE in Massachusetts hospitals is correlated with GQS confirmed failure rates. CONCLUSIONS. A financial variable, investment in PPE, predicts certain dimensions of quality of care in hospitals. PMID:8113054

[THREE CASES OF ACCIDENTAL AUTO-INJECTION OF ADRENALINE].

PubMed

Yanagida, Noriyuki; Iikura, Katsuhito; Ogura, Kiyotake; Wang, Ling-jen; Asaumi, Tomoyuki; Sato, Sakura; Ebisawa, Motohiro

2015-12-01

Reports on accidental auto-injection of adrenaline are few. We encountered three cases of accidental injection of adrenaline. In this study, we have examined and reported the clinical courses and symptoms of our cases. CASE 1 involved a female physician in her 50s who had attended an explanatory meeting on auto-injection of adrenaline. She mistook EpiPen® to be the EpiPen trainer and accidentally injected herself with 0.3 mg EpiPen®. Her systolic/diastolic pressure peaked at 7 min to reach 144/78 mmHg and decreased to 120/77 mmHg at 14 min. Except for palpitation after 7 min, the only subjective symptom was local pain at the injection site. CASE 2 was noted in a 6-year-old boy. He accidentally pierced his right forefinger with 0.15 mg EpiPen®, and after 20 min, his right forefinger was swollen. The swelling improved 80 min after the accidental injection. CASE 3 was noted in a 4-year-old girl. She accidentally injected herself with 0.15 mg EpiPen®. Her systolic/diastolic pressure peaked at 23 min to reach 123/70 mmHg and decreased to 96/86 mmHg at 28 min. Severe adverse effects of accidental auto-injection of adrenaline were not observed in these three cases. Our findings suggest that while handling adrenaline auto-injectors, we should keep in mind the possibility of accidental injection.

Quality of care and investment in property, plant, and equipment in hospitals.

PubMed

Levitt, S W

1994-02-01

This study explores the relationship between quality of care and investment in property, plant, and equipment (PPE) in hospitals. Hospitals' investment in PPE was derived from audited financial statements for the fiscal years 1984-1989. Peer Review Organization (PRO) Generic Quality Screen (GQS) reviews and confirmed failures between April 1989 and September 1990 were obtained from the Massachusetts PRO. Weighted least squares regression models used PRO GQS confirmed failure rates as the dependent variable, and investment in PPE as the key explanatory variable. Investment in PPE was standardized, summed by the hospital over the six years, and divided by the hospital's average number of beds in that period. The number of PRO reviewed cases with one or more GQS confirmed failures was divided by the total number of cases reviewed to create confirmed failure rates. Investment in PPE in Massachusetts hospitals is correlated with GQS confirmed failure rates. A financial variable, investment in PPE, predicts certain dimensions of quality of care in hospitals.

The explanatory role of relationship power and control in domestic violence against women in Nicaragua: a feminist psychology analysis.

PubMed

Grose, Rose Grace; Grabe, Shelly

2014-08-01

This study offers a feminist psychology analysis of various aspects of relationship power and control and their relative explanatory contribution to understanding physical, psychological, and sexual violence against women. Findings from structured interviews with 345 women from rural Nicaragua (M age = 44) overwhelmingly demonstrate that measures of power and control reflecting interpersonal relationship dynamics have the strongest predictive power for explaining violence when compared in multivariate analyses to several of the more commonly used measures. These findings have implications for future research and the evaluation of interventions designed to decrease levels of violence against women. © The Author(s) 2014.

Explanatory chapter: introducing exogenous DNA into cells.

PubMed

Koontz, Laura

2013-01-01

The ability to efficiently introduce DNA into cells is essential for many experiments in biology. This is an explanatory chapter providing an overview of the various methods for introducing DNA into bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antecedents and characteristics of lean thinking implementation in a Swedish hospital: a case study.

PubMed

Ulhassan, Waqar; Sandahl, Christer; Westerlund, Hugo; Henriksson, Peter; Bennermo, Marie; von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Thor, Johan

2013-01-01

Despite the reported success of Lean in health care settings, it is unclear why and how organizations adopt Lean and how Lean transforms work design and, in turn, affects employees' work. This study investigated a cardiology department's journey to adopt and adapt Lean. The investigation was focused on the rationale and evolution of the Lean adoption to illuminate how a department with a long quality improvement history arrived at the decision to introduce Lean, and how Lean influenced employees' daily work. This is an explanatory single case study based on semistructured interviews, nonparticipant observations, and document studies. Guided by a Lean model, we undertook manifest content analysis of the data. We found that previous improvement efforts may facilitate the introduction of Lean but may be less important when forecasting whether Lean will be sustained over time. Contextual factors seemed to influence both what Lean tools were implemented and how well the changes were sustained. For example, adoption of Lean varied with the degree to which staff saw a need for change. Work redesign and teamwork were found helpful to improve patient care whereas problem solving was found helpful in keeping the staff engaged and sustaining the results over time.

Differential reporting of mixed DNA profiles and its impact on jurists' evaluation of evidence. An international analysis.

PubMed

de Keijser, Jan W; Malsch, Marijke; Luining, Egge T; Weulen Kranenbarg, Marleen; Lenssen, Dominique J H M

2016-07-01

While DNA analysis is considered by many the gold standard in forensic science, there is ample room for variation in interpretation and reporting. This seems especially the case when working with (complex) mixed DNA profiles. Two consecutive studies on differential DNA reporting were conducted. In Study 1, we first examined type and magnitude of differences when forensic DNA experts across institutes and jurisdictions are handed an identical forensic case with mixed profiles. In Study 2, we explore the impact of the observed differential reporting on jurists' evaluation of the DNA evidence. 19 DNA expert reports from forensic institutes across Western jurisdictions were obtained. Differences between the reports were many and include extensiveness of the reports, explanations of technical issues, use of explanatory appendices, level of reporting, use of context information, and, most markedly, type and substantive content of the conclusions. In Study 2, a group of criminal law students judged a selection of these reports in a quasi experimental study design. Findings show that these differing reports have quite different evidentiary value for jurists, depending on which expert authored the report. It is argued that the impact of differential reporting on jurists' evaluation was so fundamental and substantive that it is seems reasonable to claim that in an actual court case it could make the difference between acquittal and conviction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection of relevant input variables in storm water quality modeling by multiobjective evolutionary polynomial regression paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creaco, E.; Berardi, L.; Sun, Siao; Giustolisi, O.; Savic, D.

2016-04-01

The growing availability of field data, from information and communication technologies (ICTs) in "smart" urban infrastructures, allows data modeling to understand complex phenomena and to support management decisions. Among the analyzed phenomena, those related to storm water quality modeling have recently been gaining interest in the scientific literature. Nonetheless, the large amount of available data poses the problem of selecting relevant variables to describe a phenomenon and enable robust data modeling. This paper presents a procedure for the selection of relevant input variables using the multiobjective evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR-MOGA) paradigm. The procedure is based on scrutinizing the explanatory variables that appear inside the set of EPR-MOGA symbolic model expressions of increasing complexity and goodness of fit to target output. The strategy also enables the selection to be validated by engineering judgement. In such context, the multiple case study extension of EPR-MOGA, called MCS-EPR-MOGA, is adopted. The application of the proposed procedure to modeling storm water quality parameters in two French catchments shows that it was able to significantly reduce the number of explanatory variables for successive analyses. Finally, the EPR-MOGA models obtained after the input selection are compared with those obtained by using the same technique without benefitting from input selection and with those obtained in previous works where other data-modeling techniques were used on the same data. The comparison highlights the effectiveness of both EPR-MOGA and the input selection procedure.

Dietary restrictions in healing among speakers of Iquito, an endangered language of the Peruvian Amazon

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Ethnobotanical research was carried out with speakers of Iquito, a critically endangered Amazonian language of the Zaparoan family. The study focused on the concept of "dieting" (siyan++ni in Iquito), a practice involving prohibitions considered necessary to the healing process. These restrictions include: 1) foods and activities that can exacerbate illness, 2) environmental influences that conflict with some methods of healing (e.g. steam baths or enemas) and 3) foods and activities forbidden by the spirits of certain powerful medicinal plants. The study tested the following hypotheses: H1 - Each restriction will correlate with specific elements in illness explanatory models and H2 - Illnesses whose explanatory models have personalistic elements will show a greater number and variety of restrictions than those based on naturalistic reasoning. Methods The work was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in the Alto Nanay region of Peru. In structured interviews, informants gave explanatory models for illness categories, including etiologies, pathophysiologies, treatments and dietary restrictions necessary for 49 illnesses. Seventeen botanical vouchers for species said to have powerful spirits that require diets were also collected. Results All restrictions found correspond to some aspect of illness explanatory models. Thirty-five percent match up with specific illness etiologies, 53% correspond to particular pathophysiologies, 18% correspond with overall seriousness of the illness and 18% are only found with particular forms of treatment. Diets based on personalistic reasoning have a significantly higher average number of restrictions than those based on naturalistic reasoning. Conclusions Dieting plays a central role in healing among Iquito speakers. Specific prohibitions can be explained in terms of specific aspects of illness etiologies, pathophysiologies and treatments. Although the Amazonian literature contains few studies focusing on dietary proscriptions over a wide range of illnesses, some specific restrictions reported here do correspond with trends seen in other Amazonian societies, particularly those related to sympathetic reasoning and for magical and spiritual uses of plants. PMID:21745400

Dietary restrictions in healing among speakers of Iquito, an endangered language of the Peruvian Amazon.

PubMed

Jernigan, Kevin A

2011-07-11

Ethno botanical research was carried out with speakers of Iquitos, a critically endangered Amazonian language of the Zaparoan family. The study focused on the concept of "dieting" (siyan++ni in Iquitos), a practice involving prohibitions considered necessary to the healing process. These restrictions include: 1) foods and activities that can exacerbate illness, 2) environmental influences that conflict with some methods of healing (e.g. steam baths or enemas) and 3) foods and activities forbidden by the spirits of certain powerful medicinal plants. The study tested the following hypotheses: H1--Each restriction will correlate with specific elements in illness explanatory models and H2--Illnesses whose explanatory models have personality elements will show a greater number and variety of restrictions than those based on naturalistic reasoning. The work was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in the Alto Nanay region of Peru. In structured interviews, informants gave explanatory models for illness categories, including etiologies, pathophysiologies, treatments and dietary restrictions necessary for 49 illnesses. Seventeen botanical vouchers for species said to have powerful spirits that require diets were also collected. All restrictions found correspond to some aspect of illness explanatory models. Thirty-five percent match up with specific illness etiologies, 53% correspond to particular pathophysiologies, 18% correspond with overall seriousness of the illness and 18% are only found with particular forms of treatment. Diets based on personalistic reasoning have a significantly higher average number of restrictions than those based on naturalistic reasoning. Dieting plays a central role in healing among Iquitos speakers. Specific prohibitions can be explained in terms of specific aspects of illness etiologies, pathophysiologies and treatments. Although the Amazonian literature contains few studies focusing on dietary proscriptions over a wide range of illnesses, some specific restrictions reported here do correspond with trends seen in other Amazonian societies, particularly those related to sympathetic reasoning and for magical and spiritual uses of plants.

Canonical Commonality Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leister, K. Dawn

Commonality analysis is a method of partitioning variance that has advantages over more traditional "OVA" methods. Commonality analysis indicates the amount of explanatory power that is "unique" to a given predictor variable and the amount of explanatory power that is "common" to or shared with at least one predictor…

Consumer-operated service program members' explanatory models of mental illness and recovery.

PubMed

Hoy, Janet M

2014-10-01

Incorporating individuals' understandings and explanations of mental illness into service delivery offers benefits relating to increased service relevance and meaning. Existing research delineates explanatory models of mental illness held by individuals in home, outpatient, and hospital-based contexts; research on models held by those in peer-support contexts is notably absent. In this article, I describe themes identified within and across explanatory models of mental illness and recovery held by mental health consumers (N = 24) at one peer center, referred to as a consumer-operated service center (COSP). Participants held explanatory models inclusive of both developmental stressors and biomedical causes, consistent with a stress-diathesis model (although no participant explicitly referenced such). Explicit incorporation of stress-diathesis constructs into programming at this COSP offers the potential of increasing service meaning and relevance. Identifying and incorporating shared meanings across individuals' understandings of mental illness likewise can increase relevance and meaning for particular subgroups of service users. © The Author(s) 2014.

Endosymbiosis and its implications for evolutionary theory.

PubMed

O'Malley, Maureen A

2015-08-18

Historically, conceptualizations of symbiosis and endosymbiosis have been pitted against Darwinian or neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory. In more recent times, Lynn Margulis has argued vigorously along these lines. However, there are only shallow grounds for finding Darwinian concepts or population genetic theory incompatible with endosymbiosis. But is population genetics sufficiently explanatory of endosymbiosis and its role in evolution? Population genetics "follows" genes, is replication-centric, and is concerned with vertically consistent genetic lineages. It may also have explanatory limitations with regard to macroevolution. Even so, asking whether population genetics explains endosymbiosis may have the question the wrong way around. We should instead be asking how explanatory of evolution endosymbiosis is, and exactly which features of evolution it might be explaining. This paper will discuss how metabolic innovations associated with endosymbioses can drive evolution and thus provide an explanatory account of important episodes in the history of life. Metabolic explanations are both proximate and ultimate, in the same way genetic explanations are. Endosymbioses, therefore, point evolutionary biology toward an important dimension of evolutionary explanation.

Self-rated health and health-strengthening factors in community-living frail older people.

PubMed

Ebrahimi, Zahra; Dahlin-Ivanoff, Synneve; Eklund, Kajsa; Jakobsson, Annika; Wilhelmson, Katarina

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to analyse the explanatory power of variables measuring health-strengthening factors for self-rated health among community-living frail older people. Frailty is commonly constructed as a multi-dimensional geriatric syndrome ascribed to the multi-system deterioration of the reserve capacity in older age. Frailty in older people is associated with decreased physical and psychological well-being. However, knowledge about the experiences of health in frail older people is still limited. The design of the study was cross-sectional. The data were collected between October 2008 and November 2010 through face-to-face structured interviews with older people aged 65-96 years (N = 161). Binary logistic regression was used to analyse whether a set of explanatory relevant variables is associated with self-rated health. The results from the final model showed that satisfaction with one's ability to take care of oneself, having 10 or fewer symptoms and not feeling lonely had the best explanatory power for community-living frail older peoples' experiences of good health. The results indicate that a multi-disciplinary approach is desirable, where the focus should not only be on medical problems but also on providing supportive services to older people to maintain their independence and experiences of health despite frailty. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Explanatory factors and predictors of fatigue in persons with rheumatoid arthritis: A longitudinal study.

PubMed

Feldthusen, Caroline; Grimby-Ekman, Anna; Forsblad-d'Elia, Helena; Jacobsson, Lennart; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa

2016-04-28

To investigate the impact of disease-related aspects on long-term variations in fatigue in persons with rheumatoid arthritis. Observational longitudinal study. Sixty-five persons with rheumatoid arthritis, age range 20-65 years, were invited to a clinical examination at 4 time-points during the 4 seasons. Outcome measures were: general fatigue rated on visual analogue scale (0-100) and aspects of fatigue assessed by the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire. Disease-related variables were: disease activity (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), pain threshold (pressure algometer), physical capacity (six-minute walk test), pain (visual analogue scale (0-100)), depressive mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, depression subscale), personal factors (age, sex, body mass index) and season. Multivariable regression analysis, linear mixed effects models were applied. The strongest explanatory factors for all fatigue outcomes, when recorded at the same time-point as fatigue, were pain threshold and depressive mood. Self-reported pain was an explanatory factor for physical aspects of fatigue and body mass index contributed to explaining the consequences of fatigue on everyday living. For predicting later fatigue pain threshold and depressive mood were the strongest predictors. Pain threshold and depressive mood were the most important factors for fatigue in persons with rheumatoid arthritis.

Hierarchy of models: From qualitative to quantitative analysis of circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaves, M.; Preto, M.

2013-06-01

A hierarchy of models, ranging from high to lower levels of abstraction, is proposed to construct "minimal" but predictive and explanatory models of biological systems. Three hierarchical levels will be considered: Boolean networks, piecewise affine differential (PWA) equations, and a class of continuous, ordinary, differential equations' models derived from the PWA model. This hierarchy provides different levels of approximation of the biological system and, crucially, allows the use of theoretical tools to more exactly analyze and understand the mechanisms of the system. The Kai ABC oscillator, which is at the core of the cyanobacterial circadian rhythm, is analyzed as a case study, showing how several fundamental properties—order of oscillations, synchronization when mixing oscillating samples, structural robustness, and entrainment by external cues—can be obtained from basic mechanisms.

Explanatory Unification by Proofs in School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Komatsu, Kotaro; Fujita, Taro; Jones, Keith; Naoki, Sue

2018-01-01

Kitcher's idea of 'explanatory unification', while originally proposed in the philosophy of science, may also be relevant to mathematics education, as a way of enhancing student thinking and achieving classroom activity that is closer to authentic mathematical practice. There is, however, no mathematics education research treating explanatory…

The Physical Basis of the Leap Second

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-07

ralentissement du mouvement de rotation de la terre, (Paris: G. Baillière) Explanatory Supplement 1961, Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris...Beard, R. L., & Bartholomew, T. R. 2001, Metrologia , 38, 509 Newcomb, S. 1895a, Astronomical Papers Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris and

29 CFR 780.1001 - General explanatory statement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Employment of Home- workers in Making Wreaths; Exemption From Minimum Wage, Overtime Compensation, and Child... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General explanatory statement. 780.1001 Section 780.1001 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STATEMENTS...

Spatial regression analysis on 32 years of total column ozone data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knibbe, J. S.; van der A, R. J.; de Laat, A. T. J.

2014-08-01

Multiple-regression analyses have been performed on 32 years of total ozone column data that was spatially gridded with a 1 × 1.5° resolution. The total ozone data consist of the MSR (Multi Sensor Reanalysis; 1979-2008) and 2 years of assimilated SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY) ozone data (2009-2010). The two-dimensionality in this data set allows us to perform the regressions locally and investigate spatial patterns of regression coefficients and their explanatory power. Seasonal dependencies of ozone on regressors are included in the analysis. A new physically oriented model is developed to parameterize stratospheric ozone. Ozone variations on nonseasonal timescales are parameterized by explanatory variables describing the solar cycle, stratospheric aerosols, the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and stratospheric alternative halogens which are parameterized by the effective equivalent stratospheric chlorine (EESC). For several explanatory variables, seasonally adjusted versions of these explanatory variables are constructed to account for the difference in their effect on ozone throughout the year. To account for seasonal variation in ozone, explanatory variables describing the polar vortex, geopotential height, potential vorticity and average day length are included. Results of this regression model are compared to that of a similar analysis based on a more commonly applied statistically oriented model. The physically oriented model provides spatial patterns in the regression results for each explanatory variable. The EESC has a significant depleting effect on ozone at mid- and high latitudes, the solar cycle affects ozone positively mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, stratospheric aerosols affect ozone negatively at high northern latitudes, the effect of QBO is positive and negative in the tropics and mid- to high latitudes, respectively, and ENSO affects ozone negatively between 30° N and 30° S, particularly over the Pacific. The contribution of explanatory variables describing seasonal ozone variation is generally large at mid- to high latitudes. We observe ozone increases with potential vorticity and day length and ozone decreases with geopotential height and variable ozone effects due to the polar vortex in regions to the north and south of the polar vortices. Recovery of ozone is identified globally. However, recovery rates and uncertainties strongly depend on choices that can be made in defining the explanatory variables. The application of several trend models, each with their own pros and cons, yields a large range of recovery rate estimates. Overall these results suggest that care has to be taken in determining ozone recovery rates, in particular for the Antarctic ozone hole.

Continuous water-quality monitoring and regression analysis to estimate constituent concentrations and loads in the Red River of the North, Fargo, North Dakota, 2003-05

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.

2006-01-01

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, to estimate water-quality constituent concentrations in the Red River of the North at Fargo, North Dakota. Regression analysis of water-quality data collected in 2003-05 was used to estimate concentrations and loads for alkalinity, dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, total nitrite plus nitrate, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment. The explanatory variables examined for regression relation were continuously monitored physical properties of water-streamflow, specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. For the conditions observed in 2003-05, streamflow was a significant explanatory variable for all estimated constituents except dissolved solids. pH, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen were not statistically significant explanatory variables for any of the constituents in this study. Specific conductance was a significant explanatory variable for alkalinity, dissolved solids, sulfate, and chloride. Turbidity was a significant explanatory variable for total phosphorus and suspended sediment. For the nutrients, total nitrite plus nitrate, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, cosine and sine functions of time also were used to explain the seasonality in constituent concentrations. The regression equations were evaluated using common measures of variability, including R2, or the proportion of variability in the estimated constituent explained by the regression equation. R2 values ranged from 0.703 for total nitrogen concentration to 0.990 for dissolved-solids concentration. The regression equations also were evaluated by calculating the median relative percentage difference (RPD) between measured constituent concentration and the constituent concentration estimated by the regression equations. Median RPDs ranged from 1.1 for dissolved solids to 35.2 for total nitrite plus nitrate. Regression equations also were used to estimate daily constituent loads. Load estimates can be used by water-quality managers for comparison of current water-quality conditions to water-quality standards expressed as total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). TMDLs are a measure of the maximum amount of chemical constituents that a water body can receive and still meet established water-quality standards. The peak loads generally occurred in June and July when streamflow also peaked.

Design of an impact evaluation using a mixed methods model--an explanatory assessment of the effects of results-based financing mechanisms on maternal healthcare services in Malawi.

PubMed

Brenner, Stephan; Muula, Adamson S; Robyn, Paul Jacob; Bärnighausen, Till; Sarker, Malabika; Mathanga, Don P; Bossert, Thomas; De Allegri, Manuela

2014-04-22

In this article we present a study design to evaluate the causal impact of providing supply-side performance-based financing incentives in combination with a demand-side cash transfer component on equitable access to and quality of maternal and neonatal healthcare services. This intervention is introduced to selected emergency obstetric care facilities and catchment area populations in four districts in Malawi. We here describe and discuss our study protocol with regard to the research aims, the local implementation context, and our rationale for selecting a mixed methods explanatory design with a quasi-experimental quantitative component. The quantitative research component consists of a controlled pre- and post-test design with multiple post-test measurements. This allows us to quantitatively measure 'equitable access to healthcare services' at the community level and 'healthcare quality' at the health facility level. Guided by a theoretical framework of causal relationships, we determined a number of input, process, and output indicators to evaluate both intended and unintended effects of the intervention. Overall causal impact estimates will result from a difference-in-difference analysis comparing selected indicators across intervention and control facilities/catchment populations over time.To further explain heterogeneity of quantitatively observed effects and to understand the experiential dimensions of financial incentives on clients and providers, we designed a qualitative component in line with the overall explanatory mixed methods approach. This component consists of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with providers, service user, non-users, and policy stakeholders. In this explanatory design comprehensive understanding of expected and unexpected effects of the intervention on both access and quality will emerge through careful triangulation at two levels: across multiple quantitative elements and across quantitative and qualitative elements. Combining a traditional quasi-experimental controlled pre- and post-test design with an explanatory mixed methods model permits an additional assessment of organizational and behavioral changes affecting complex processes. Through this impact evaluation approach, our design will not only create robust evidence measures for the outcome of interest, but also generate insights on how and why the investigated interventions produce certain intended and unintended effects and allows for a more in-depth evaluation approach.

Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanser, Steven E.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Leu, Matthias; Nielsen, Scott E.

2011-01-01

The Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS is a tool that extends the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS 10 Desktop application to aid with the visualization of relationships between two raster GIS datasets. A dose-response curve is a line graph commonly used in medical research to examine the effects of different dosage rates of a drug or chemical (for example, carcinogen) on an outcome of interest (for example, cell mutations) (Russell and others, 1982). Dose-response curves have recently been used in ecological studies to examine the influence of an explanatory dose variable (for example, percentage of habitat cover, distance to disturbance) on a predicted response (for example, survival, probability of occurrence, abundance) (Aldridge and others, 2008). These dose curves have been created by calculating the predicted response value from a statistical model at different levels of the explanatory dose variable while holding values of other explanatory variables constant. Curves (plots) developed using the Dose-Response Calculator overcome the need to hold variables constant by using values extracted from the predicted response surface of a spatially explicit statistical model fit in a GIS, which include the variation of all explanatory variables, to visualize the univariate response to the dose variable. Application of the Dose-Response Calculator can be extended beyond the assessment of statistical model predictions and may be used to visualize the relationship between any two raster GIS datasets (see example in tool instructions). This tool generates tabular data for use in further exploration of dose-response relationships and a graph of the dose-response curve.

Long-term change in a behavioural trait: truncated spawning distribution and demography in Northeast Arctic cod.

PubMed

Opdal, Anders Frugård; Jørgensen, Christian

2015-04-01

Harvesting may be a potent driver of demographic change and contemporary evolution, which both may have great impacts on animal populations. Research has focused on changes in phenotypic traits that are easily quantifiable and for which time series exist, such as size, age, sex, or gonad size, whereas potential changes in behavioural traits have been under-studied. Here, we analyse potential drivers of long-term changes in a behavioural trait for the Northeast Arctic stock of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, namely choice of spawning location. For 104 years (1866-1969), commercial catches were recorded annually and reported by county along the Norwegian coast. During this time period, spawning ground distribution has fluctuated with a trend towards more northerly spawning. Spawning location is analysed against a suite of explanatory factors including climate, fishing pressure, density dependence, and demography. We find that demography (age or age at maturation) had the highest explanatory power for variation in spawning location, while climate had a limited effect below statistical significance. As to potential mechanisms, some effects of climate may act through demography, and explanatory variables for demography may also have absorbed direct evolutionary change in migration distance for which proxies were unavailable. Despite these caveats, we argue that fishing mortality, either through demographic or evolutionary change, has served as an effective driver for changing spawning locations in cod, and that additional explanatory factors related to climate add no significant information. © 2014 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pathological Left-Handedness: An Explanatory Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satz, Paul

Reported was an explanatory conceptual model for pathological left-handedness (PLH) and related hypotheses, some of which could not be tested empirically due to lack of information. The model was reported to provide an explanation for the relationship between handedness and specific learning disability, and handedness and cerebral dominance for…

Self-Regulatory Climate: A Social Resource for Student Regulation and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Curt M.; Forsyth, Patrick B.; Dollarhide, Ellen; Miskell, Ryan; Ware, Jordan

2015-01-01

Background/Context: Schools have differential effects on student learning and development, but research has not generated much explanatory evidence of the social-psychological pathway to better achievement outcomes. Explanatory evidence of how normative conditions enable students to thrive is particularly relevant in the urban context where…

Students' Conceptions of the "Reality Status" of Electrons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mashhadi, Azam; Woolnough, Brian

Science has many explanatory concepts that have been proposed to account for the observable features of things. Such explanatory concepts often have associated with them hidden or unseen "theoretical entities." The electron is a key concept in understanding phenomena described by science. The question arises, however, as to how students…

Learning Molecular Behaviour May Improve Student Explanatory Models of the Greenhouse Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Sara E.; Gold, Anne U.

2018-01-01

We assessed undergraduates' representations of the greenhouse effect, based on student-generated concept sketches, before and after a 30-min constructivist lesson. Principal component analysis of features in student sketches revealed seven distinct and coherent explanatory models including a new "Molecular Details" model. After the…

A spatially filtered multilevel model to account for spatial dependency: application to self-rated health status in South Korea

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This study aims to suggest an approach that integrates multilevel models and eigenvector spatial filtering methods and apply it to a case study of self-rated health status in South Korea. In many previous health-related studies, multilevel models and single-level spatial regression are used separately. However, the two methods should be used in conjunction because the objectives of both approaches are important in health-related analyses. The multilevel model enables the simultaneous analysis of both individual and neighborhood factors influencing health outcomes. However, the results of conventional multilevel models are potentially misleading when spatial dependency across neighborhoods exists. Spatial dependency in health-related data indicates that health outcomes in nearby neighborhoods are more similar to each other than those in distant neighborhoods. Spatial regression models can address this problem by modeling spatial dependency. This study explores the possibility of integrating a multilevel model and eigenvector spatial filtering, an advanced spatial regression for addressing spatial dependency in datasets. Methods In this spatially filtered multilevel model, eigenvectors function as additional explanatory variables accounting for unexplained spatial dependency within the neighborhood-level error. The specification addresses the inability of conventional multilevel models to account for spatial dependency, and thereby, generates more robust outputs. Results The findings show that sex, employment status, monthly household income, and perceived levels of stress are significantly associated with self-rated health status. Residents living in neighborhoods with low deprivation and a high doctor-to-resident ratio tend to report higher health status. The spatially filtered multilevel model provides unbiased estimations and improves the explanatory power of the model compared to conventional multilevel models although there are no changes in the signs of parameters and the significance levels between the two models in this case study. Conclusions The integrated approach proposed in this paper is a useful tool for understanding the geographical distribution of self-rated health status within a multilevel framework. In future research, it would be useful to apply the spatially filtered multilevel model to other datasets in order to clarify the differences between the two models. It is anticipated that this integrated method will also out-perform conventional models when it is used in other contexts. PMID:24571639

Logic as Marr's Computational Level: Four Case Studies.

PubMed

Baggio, Giosuè; van Lambalgen, Michiel; Hagoort, Peter

2015-04-01

We sketch four applications of Marr's levels-of-analysis methodology to the relations between logic and experimental data in the cognitive neuroscience of language and reasoning. The first part of the paper illustrates the explanatory power of computational level theories based on logic. We show that a Bayesian treatment of the suppression task in reasoning with conditionals is ruled out by EEG data, supporting instead an analysis based on defeasible logic. Further, we describe how results from an EEG study on temporal prepositions can be reanalyzed using formal semantics, addressing a potential confound. The second part of the article demonstrates the predictive power of logical theories drawing on EEG data on processing progressive constructions and on behavioral data on conditional reasoning in people with autism. Logical theories can constrain processing hypotheses all the way down to neurophysiology, and conversely neuroscience data can guide the selection of alternative computational level models of cognition. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

In-Service Physical Educators' Experiences of Online Adapted Physical Education Endorsement Courses.

PubMed

Sato, Takahiro; Haegele, Justin A; Foot, Rachel

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate in-service physical education (PE) teachers' experiences during online adapted physical education (APE) graduate courses. Based on andragogy theory (adult learning theory) we employed a descriptive qualitative methodology using an explanatory case study design. The participants (6 female and 3 male) were in-service PE teachers enrolled in an online graduate APE endorsement program. Data collection included journal reflection reports and face-to-face interviews. A constant comparative method was used to interpret the data. Three interrelated themes emerged from the participants' narratives. The first theme, instructor communication, exposes the advantages and disadvantages the participants perceived regarding communication while enrolled in the online APE graduate courses. The second theme, bulletin board discussion experiences, described participants' perceptions of the use of the bulletin board discussion forum. Lastly, the final theme, assessment experiences, described how the participants learned knowledge and skills through online courses related to assessment and evaluation.

Explanatory models of addictive behaviour among native German, Russian-German, and Turkish youth.

PubMed

Penka, S; Heimann, H; Heinz, A; Schouler-Ocak, M

2008-01-01

In Germany, the public system of addiction treatment is used less by migrants with addictive disorders than by their non-migrant counterparts. To date, the literature has focused primarily on language, sociocultural factors, and residence status when discussing access barriers to this part of the health care system. However, little attention has been paid to cultural differences in explanatory models of addictive behaviour. This is surprising when we consider the important role played by popular knowledge in a population's perceptions of and responses to illnesses, including their causes, symptoms, and treatment. In the present study, we examined explanatory models of addictive behaviour and of mental disorders in 124 native German und Russian-German youth and compared these models to those observed in an earlier study of 144 German and Turkish youth. We employed the free listing technique German and to compile the terms that participating subjects used to describe addictive behaviour. Subsequently, we examined how a subset of our study population assigned these terms to the respective disorders by means of the pile sort method. Although the explanatory models used by the German and Russian-German youth in our study were surprisingly similar, those employed by Turkish youth did not make any fundamental distinction between illegal and legal drugs (e.g. alcohol and nicotine). German and Russian-German youth regarded eating disorders as "embarrassing" or "disgraceful", but Turkish youth did not. Unlike our German and Russian-German subjects, the Turkish youth did not classify eating disorders as being addictive in nature. Moreover, medical concepts crucial to a proper understanding of dependence disorders (e.g. the term "physical dependence") were characterised by almost half of our Turkish subjects as useless in describing addictions. These findings show that it is impossible to translate medical or everyday concepts of disease and treatment properly into a different language without considering the connotations and implications of each term as it relates to the respective culture. Terms that are central to Western medical models of disease may otherwise be misunderstood, misinterpreted, or simply rejected.

Examining school effectiveness at the fourth grade: A hierarchical analysis of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stemler, Steven Edward

This study explored school effectiveness in mathematics and science at the fourth grade using data from IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Fourteen of the 26 countries participating in TIMSS at the fourth grade possessed sufficient between-school variability in mathematics achievement to justify the creation of explanatory models of school effectiveness while 13 countries possessed sufficient between-school variability in science achievement. Exploratory models were developed using variables drawn from student, teacher, and school questionnaires. The variables were chosen to represent the domains of student involvement, instructional methods, classroom organization, school climate, and school structure. Six explanatory models for each subject were analyzed using two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and were compared to models using only school mean SES as an explanatory variable. The amount of variability in student achievement in mathematics attributable to differences between schools ranged from 16% in Cyprus to 56% in Latvia, while the amount of between-school variance in science achievement ranged from 12% in Korea to 59% in Latvia. In general, about one-quarter of the variability in mathematics and science achievement was found to lie between schools. The research findings revealed that after adjusting for differences in student backgrounds across schools, the most effective schools in mathematics and science had students who reported seeing a positive relationship between hard work, belief in their own abilities, and achievement. In addition, more effective schools had students who reported less frequent use of computers and calculators in the classroom. These relationships were found to be stable across explanatory models, cultural contexts, and subject areas. This study has contributed a unique element to the literature by examining school effectiveness at the fourth grade across two subject areas and across 14 different countries. The results indicate that further exploration of the relationship between school effectiveness and student locus of control warrants serious consideration. Future research on school effectiveness is recommended, perhaps using trend data and looking at different grade levels.

Refinement of regression models to estimate real-time concentrations of contaminants in the Menomonee River drainage basin, southeast Wisconsin, 2008-11

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baldwin, Austin K.; Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A.; Magruder, Christopher

2013-01-01

In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District initiated a study to develop regression models to estimate real-time concentrations and loads of chloride, suspended solids, phosphorus, and bacteria in streams near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To collect monitoring data for calibration of models, water-quality sensors and automated samplers were installed at six sites in the Menomonee River drainage basin. The sensors continuously measured four potential explanatory variables: water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Discrete water-quality samples were collected and analyzed for five response variables: chloride, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, Escherichia coli bacteria, and fecal coliform bacteria. Using the first year of data, regression models were developed to continuously estimate the response variables on the basis of the continuously measured explanatory variables. Those models were published in a previous report. In this report, those models are refined using 2 years of additional data, and the relative improvement in model predictability is discussed. In addition, a set of regression models is presented for a new site in the Menomonee River Basin, Underwood Creek at Wauwatosa. The refined models use the same explanatory variables as the original models. The chloride models all used specific conductance as the explanatory variable, except for the model for the Little Menomonee River near Freistadt, which used both specific conductance and turbidity. Total suspended solids and total phosphorus models used turbidity as the only explanatory variable, and bacteria models used water temperature and turbidity as explanatory variables. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), used to compare the coefficients in the original models to those in the refined models calibrated using all of the data, showed that only 3 of the 25 original models changed significantly. Root-mean-squared errors (RMSEs) calculated for both the original and refined models using the entire dataset showed a median improvement in RMSE of 2.1 percent, with a range of 0.0–13.9 percent. Therefore most of the original models did almost as well at estimating concentrations during the validation period (October 2009–September 2011) as the refined models, which were calibrated using those data. Application of these refined models can produce continuously estimated concentrations of chloride, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, E. coli bacteria, and fecal coliform bacteria that may assist managers in quantifying the effects of land-use changes and improvement projects, establish total maximum daily loads, and enable better informed decision making in the future.

Categorization and analysis of explanatory writing in mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, Tracy S.

2011-10-01

The aim of this article is to present a scheme for coding and categorizing students' written explanations of mathematical problem-solving activities. The scheme was used successfully within a study project carried out to determine whether student problem-solving behaviour could be positively affected by writing explanatory strategies to mathematical problem-solving processes. The rationale for the study was the recognized importance of mathematical problem-solving, the widely acknowledged challenge of teaching problem-solving skills directly and the evidence in the literature that writing in mathematics provides a tool for learning. The study was carried out in a first-year mathematics course at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Students' written submissions were categorized and analysed through use of an adaptation of a journal entry classification scheme. The scheme successfully observed positive changes over the experimental period in students' level of engagement with the mathematical material and with their stance towards knowledge.

Strategies to Reduce the Negative Effects of Spoken Explanatory Text on Integrated Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Anne-Marie; Marcus, Nadine; Ayres, Paul

2017-01-01

Two experiments involving 125 grade-10 students learning about commerce investigated strategies to overcome the transient information effect caused by explanatory spoken text. The transient information effect occurs when learning is reduced as a result of information disappearing before the learner has time to adequately process it, or link it…

The Development and Application of the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Manfred Max; Bergman, Zinette; Gravett, Sarah

2011-01-01

This article develops the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions based on 80 essays of school principals and their representatives in Gauteng. It reveals the degree and kinds of school dysfunctions, as well as their interconnectedness with actors, networks, and domains. The model provides a basis for theory-based analyses of specific…

Combined Descriptive and Explanatory Information Improves Peers' Perceptions of Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Jonathan M.; Ferguson, Jane E.; Herzinger, Caitlin V.; Jackson, Jennie N.; Marino, Christine A.

2004-01-01

Authors examined the combined effects of descriptive and explanatory information on peers' perceptions and behavioral intentions toward an unfamiliar child with autism. Children (N=576; M age=10.06 years) were randomly assigned to view two videotapes of a boy engaging in typical and autistic behaviors receiving either descriptive (AUT-D) or…

CAVEing the MMPI for an Optimism-Pessimism Scale: Seligman's Attributional Model and the Assessment of Explanatory Style.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colligan, Robert C.; And Others

1994-01-01

Developed bipolar Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Optimism-Pessimism (PSM) scale based on results on Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanation applied to MMPI. Reliability and validity indices show that PSM scale is highly accurate and consistent with Seligman's theory that pessimistic explanatory style predicts increased…

Schoolyard Science. Grades 2-4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdue, Peggy K.

This book includes 25 science activities in the fields of environmental science, soil science, life science, and physical science. The activities are designed to be used in outdoor settings. Each activity is composed of two parts--an explanatory section for the teacher and a student lab sheet. The teacher explanatory section begins with a brief…

Explanatory Model for Sound Amplification in a Stethoscope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eshach, H.; Volfson, A.

2015-01-01

In the present paper we suggest an original physical explanatory model that explains the mechanism of the sound amplification process in a stethoscope. We discuss the amplification of a single pulse, a continuous wave of certain frequency, and finally we address the resonant frequencies. It is our belief that this model may provide students with…

Mind and Meaning: Piaget and Vygotsky on Causal Explanation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beilin, Harry

1996-01-01

Piaget's theory has been characterized as descriptive and not explanatory, not qualifying as causal explanation. Piaget was consistent in showing how his theory was both explanatory and causal. Vygotsky also endorsed causal-genetic explanation but, on the basis of knowledge of only Piaget's earliest works, he claimed that Piaget's theory was not…

'Hypotheses, everywhere only hypotheses!': on some contexts of Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology.

PubMed

Feest, Uljana

2007-03-01

In 1894, Wilhelm Dilthey published an article in which he formulated a critique of what he called 'explanatory psychology', contrasting it with his own conception of 'descriptive psychology'. Dilthey's descriptive psychology, in turn, was to provide the basis for Dilthey's specific philosophy of the human sciences (Geisteswissenschaften). In this paper, I contextualize Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology. I show that while this critique comes across as very broad and sweeping, he in fact had specific opponents in mind, namely, scholars who, like him, attempted to theorize about the relationship between the individual and society, between psychology and the other human sciences. Dilthey's critique of explanatory psychology is the flipside of his critique of sociology, which he had already formulated. He challenged both because he felt that they gave the wrong kind of answer to the task of overcoming metaphysics within the human sciences. In particular, I identify the founders of Völkerpsychologie, Moritz Lazarus and Heymann Steinthal, and (more importantly) their student, Georg Simmel, as Dilthey's targets. I provide textual and historical evidence for this thesis.

Body Fat Percentage Prediction Using Intelligent Hybrid Approaches

PubMed Central

Shao, Yuehjen E.

2014-01-01

Excess of body fat often leads to obesity. Obesity is typically associated with serious medical diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Accordingly, knowing the body fat is an extremely important issue since it affects everyone's health. Although there are several ways to measure the body fat percentage (BFP), the accurate methods are often associated with hassle and/or high costs. Traditional single-stage approaches may use certain body measurements or explanatory variables to predict the BFP. Diverging from existing approaches, this study proposes new intelligent hybrid approaches to obtain fewer explanatory variables, and the proposed forecasting models are able to effectively predict the BFP. The proposed hybrid models consist of multiple regression (MR), artificial neural network (ANN), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and support vector regression (SVR) techniques. The first stage of the modeling includes the use of MR and MARS to obtain fewer but more important sets of explanatory variables. In the second stage, the remaining important variables are served as inputs for the other forecasting methods. A real dataset was used to demonstrate the development of the proposed hybrid models. The prediction results revealed that the proposed hybrid schemes outperformed the typical, single-stage forecasting models. PMID:24723804

A combination of low serum concentrations of vitamins K1 and D is associated with increased risk of hip fractures in elderly Norwegians: a NOREPOS study.

PubMed

Finnes, T E; Lofthus, C M; Meyer, H E; Søgaard, A J; Tell, G S; Apalset, E M; Gjesdal, C; Grimnes, G; Schei, B; Blomhoff, R; Samuelsen, S O; Holvik, K

2016-04-01

The present study investigated the risk of incident hip fractures according to serum concentrations of vitamin K1 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in elderly Norwegians during long-term follow-up. The results showed that the combination of low concentrations of both vitamin D and K1 provides a significant risk factor for hip fractures. This case-cohort study aims to investigate the associations between serum vitamin K1 and hip fracture and the possible effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) on this association. The source cohort was 21,774 men and women aged 65 to 79 years who attended Norwegian community-based health studies during 1994-2001. Hip fractures were identified through hospital registers during median follow-up of 8.2 years. Vitamins were determined in serum obtained at baseline in all hip fracture cases (n = 1090) and in a randomly selected subcohort (n = 1318). Cox proportional hazards regression with quartiles of serum vitamin K1 as explanatory variable was performed. Analyses were further performed with the following four groups as explanatory variable: I: vitamin K1 ≥ 0.76 and 25(OH)D ≥ 50 nmol/l, II: vitamin K1 ≥ 0.76 and 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l, III: vitamin K1 < 0.76 and 25(OH)D ≥ 50 nmol/l, and IV: vitamin K1 < 0.76 and 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l. Age- and sex-adjusted analyses revealed an inverse association between quartiles of vitamin K1 and the risk of hip fracture. Further, a 50 % higher risk of hip fracture was observed in subjects with both low vitamin K1 and 25(OH)D compared with subjects with high vitamin K1 and 25(OH)D (HR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.18-1.90). The association remained statistically significant after adjusting for body mass index, smoking, triglycerides, and serum α-tocopherol. No increased risk was observed in the groups low in one vitamin only. Combination of low concentrations of vitamin K1 and 25(OH)D is associated with increased risk of hip fractures.

The impact of aging and hearing status on verbal short-term memory.

PubMed

Verhaegen, Clémence; Collette, Fabienne; Majerus, Steve

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of hearing status on age-related decrease in verbal short-term memory (STM) performance. This was done by administering a battery of verbal STM tasks to elderly and young adult participants matched for hearing thresholds, as well as to young normal-hearing control participants. The matching procedure allowed us to assess the importance of hearing loss as an explanatory factor of age-related STM decline. We observed that elderly participants and hearing-matched young participants showed equal levels of performance in all verbal STM tasks, and performed overall lower than the normal-hearing young control participants. This study provides evidence for recent theoretical accounts considering reduced hearing level as an important explanatory factor of poor auditory-verbal STM performance in older adults.

Comparison between splines and fractional polynomials for multivariable model building with continuous covariates: a simulation study with continuous response.

PubMed

Binder, Harald; Sauerbrei, Willi; Royston, Patrick

2013-06-15

In observational studies, many continuous or categorical covariates may be related to an outcome. Various spline-based procedures or the multivariable fractional polynomial (MFP) procedure can be used to identify important variables and functional forms for continuous covariates. This is the main aim of an explanatory model, as opposed to a model only for prediction. The type of analysis often guides the complexity of the final model. Spline-based procedures and MFP have tuning parameters for choosing the required complexity. To compare model selection approaches, we perform a simulation study in the linear regression context based on a data structure intended to reflect realistic biomedical data. We vary the sample size, variance explained and complexity parameters for model selection. We consider 15 variables. A sample size of 200 (1000) and R(2)  = 0.2 (0.8) is the scenario with the smallest (largest) amount of information. For assessing performance, we consider prediction error, correct and incorrect inclusion of covariates, qualitative measures for judging selected functional forms and further novel criteria. From limited information, a suitable explanatory model cannot be obtained. Prediction performance from all types of models is similar. With a medium amount of information, MFP performs better than splines on several criteria. MFP better recovers simpler functions, whereas splines better recover more complex functions. For a large amount of information and no local structure, MFP and the spline procedures often select similar explanatory models. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Oral health of 65-year olds in Sweden and Norway: a global question and ICF, the latest conceptual model from WHO.

PubMed

Ekbäck, Gunnar; Åstrøm, Anne Nordrehaug; Klock, Kristin; Ordell, Sven; Unell, Lennart

2012-07-01

The aims of this study were to identify explanatory factors of satisfaction with oral health among Norwegian and Swedish 65 year olds in terms of items from four different domains of ICF and to compare the strengths of the various ICF domains in explaining satisfaction with oral health. Further it was to assess whether the explanatory factors of ICF domains vary between Norway and Sweden. In 2007, standardized questionnaires were mailed to all the residents in certain counties of Sweden and Norway who were born in 1942. Response rates were 73.1% (n = 6078) in Sweden and 56.0% (n = 4062) in Norway. In total, 33 questions based on four different ICF domains were chosen to explain satisfaction with oral health. Logistic regression showed that four different ICF domains in terms of body function, body structure, activity/participation and environmental factors explained, respectively, 53%, 31%, 12% and 34% of the explanatory variance in the satisfaction with oral health. In the final analysis, only nine items were statistically significant (p < 0.05). This study indicates that ICF as a conceptual model could cover a broad spectrum of factors embedded in OHRQoL measured by a global question in Sweden and Norway. Nine items, representing four ICF domains, were important in the final model for explaining satisfaction with oral health.

Azúcar y nervios: explanatory models and treatment experiences of Hispanics with diabetes and depression.

PubMed

Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Hansen, Marissa C; Palinkas, Lawrence A; Ell, Kathleen

2008-06-01

This study examined the explanatory models of depression, perceived relationships between diabetes and depression, and depression treatment experiences of low-income, Spanish-speaking, Hispanics with diabetes and depression. A purposive sample (n=19) was selected from participants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial conducted in Los Angeles, California (United States) testing the effectiveness of a health services quality improvement intervention. Four focus groups followed by 10 in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using the methodology of coding, consensus, co-occurrence, and comparison, an analytical strategy rooted in grounded theory. Depression was perceived as a serious condition linked to the accumulation of social stressors. Somatic and anxiety-like symptoms and the cultural idiom of nervios were central themes in low-income Hispanics' explanatory models of depression. The perceived reciprocal relationships between diabetes and depression highlighted the multiple pathways by which these two illnesses impact each other and support the integration of diabetes and depression treatments. Concerns about depression treatments included fears about the addictive and harmful properties of antidepressants, worries about taking too many pills, and the stigma attached to taking psychotropic medications. This study provides important insights about the cultural and social dynamics that shape low-income Hispanics' illness and treatment experiences and support the use of patient-centered approaches to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes and depression.

“Azúcar y Nervios: Explanatory Models and Treatment Experiences of Hispanics with Diabetes and Depression”

PubMed Central

Hansen, Marissa C; Palinkas, Lawrence A; Ell, Kathleen

2008-01-01

This study examined the explanatory models of depression, perceived relationships between diabetes and depression, and depression treatment experiences of low-income, Spanish-speaking, Hispanics with diabetes and depression. A purposive sample (n =19) was selected from participants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial conducted in Los Angeles, California (US) testing the effectiveness of a health services quality improvement intervention. Four focus groups followed by 10 in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using the methodology of coding, consensus, co-occurrence, and comparison, an analytical strategy rooted in grounded theory. Depression was perceived as a serious condition linked to the accumulation of social stressors. Somatic and anxiety-like symptoms and the cultural idiom of nervios were central themes in low-income Hispanics’ explanatory models of depression. The perceived reciprocal relationships between diabetes and depression highlighted the multiple pathways by which these two illnesses impact each other and support the integration of diabetes and depression treatments. Concerns about depression treatments included fears about the addictive and harmful properties of antidepressants, worries about taking too many pills, and the stigma attached to taking psychotropic medications. This study provides important insights about the cultural and social dynamics that shape low-income Hispanics’ illness and treatment experiences and support the use of patient-centered approaches to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes and depression. PMID:18339466

Motivated explanation

PubMed Central

Patterson, Richard; Operskalski, Joachim T.; Barbey, Aron K.

2015-01-01

Although motivation is a well-established field of study in its own right, and has been fruitfully studied in connection with attribution theory and belief formation under the heading of “motivated thinking,” its powerful and pervasive influence on specifically explanatory processes is less well explored. Where one has a strong motivation to understand some event correctly, one is thereby motivated to adhere as best one can to normative or “epistemic” criteria for correct or accurate explanation, even if one does not consciously formulate or apply such criteria. By contrast, many of our motivations to explain introduce bias into the processes involved in generating, evaluating, or giving explanations. Non-epistemic explanatory motivations, or following Kunda's usage, “directional” motivations, include self-justification, resolution of cognitive dissonance, deliberate deception, teaching, and many more. Some of these motivations lead to the relaxation or violation of epistemic norms; others enhance epistemic motivation, so that one engages in more careful and thorough generational and evaluative processes. We propose that “real life” explanatory processes are often constrained by multiple goals, epistemic and directional, where these goals may mutually reinforce one another or may conflict, and where our explanations emerge as a matter of weighing and satisfying those goals. We review emerging evidence from psychology and neuroscience to support this framework and to elucidate the central role of motivation in human thought and explanation. PMID:26528166

Childhood trauma, antisocial personality typologies and recent violent acts among inpatient males with severe mental illness: exploring an explanatory pathway.

PubMed

Bruce, Matt; Laporte, Dionne

2015-03-01

Prevalence of childhood trauma is elevated among individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) compared to the general population and associated with poor prognosis, substance misuse, lower treatment compliance and violence. Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) typologies (childhood vs adult onset) also represent possible mediating mechanisms to explain risk of violence among men with SMI. The current study aimed to explore an explanatory pathway linking childhood traumatic exposure, antisocial personality typologies and risk of violent behaviour among adult male inpatients with SMI. A total of 162 male inpatients with SMI were examined using a cross-sectional survey design. Information was extracted from medical files, interviews and official criminal records. Fifty-two participants (32.1%) reported experiencing a childhood trauma before 15. This group was 2.8 times more likely to engage in violent acts within the past 6months than those without such a history. Furthermore, those with childhood onset ASPD (early starters) were more likely to report childhood trauma and engage in violence compared to adult onset ASPD (late starters) and those without antisocial histories. Multivariate analyses revealed that early starter ASPD was the only variable that independently predicted violence and mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and recent violent acts. A significant subset of men reporting trauma and antisocial conduct from childhood (early starter ASPD) is at considerably elevated risk of engaging in violent behaviours. Assessment of antisocial typologies in men with SMI may assist effective and defensible case prioritisation, resource allocation and treatment planning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time predictive seasonal influenza model in Catalonia, Spain

PubMed Central

Basile, Luca; Oviedo de la Fuente, Manuel; Torner, Nuria; Martínez, Ana; Jané, Mireia

2018-01-01

Influenza surveillance is critical to monitoring the situation during epidemic seasons and predictive mathematic models may aid the early detection of epidemic patterns. The objective of this study was to design a real-time spatial predictive model of ILI (Influenza Like Illness) incidence rate in Catalonia using one- and two-week forecasts. The available data sources used to select explanatory variables to include in the model were the statutory reporting disease system and the sentinel surveillance system in Catalonia for influenza incidence rates, the official climate service in Catalonia for meteorological data, laboratory data and Google Flu Trend. Time series for every explanatory variable with data from the last 4 seasons (from 2010–2011 to 2013–2014) was created. A pilot test was conducted during the 2014–2015 season to select the explanatory variables to be included in the model and the type of model to be applied. During the 2015–2016 season a real-time model was applied weekly, obtaining the intensity level and predicted incidence rates with 95% confidence levels one and two weeks away for each health region. At the end of the season, the confidence interval success rate (CISR) and intensity level success rate (ILSR) were analysed. For the 2015–2016 season a CISR of 85.3% at one week and 87.1% at two weeks and an ILSR of 82.9% and 82% were observed, respectively. The model described is a useful tool although it is hard to evaluate due to uncertainty. The accuracy of prediction at one and two weeks was above 80% globally, but was lower during the peak epidemic period. In order to improve the predictive power, new explanatory variables should be included. PMID:29513710

Somatization revisited: diagnosis and perceived causes of common mental disorders.

PubMed

Henningsen, Peter; Jakobsen, Thorsten; Schiltenwolf, Marcus; Weiss, Mitchell G

2005-02-01

The assessment of somatoform disorders is complicated by persistent theoretical and practical questions of classification and assessment. Critical rethinking of professional concepts of somatization suggests the value of complementary assessment of patients' illness explanatory models of somatoform and other common mental disorders. We undertook this prospective study to assess medically unexplained somatic symptoms and their patient-perceived causes of illness and to show how patients' explanatory models relate to professional diagnoses of common mental disorders and how they may predict the short-term course of illness. Tertiary care patients (N=186) with prominent somatoform symptoms were evaluated with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, a locally adapted Explanatory Model Interview to elicit patients' illness experience (priority symptoms) and perceived causes, and clinical self-report questionnaires. The self-report questionnaires were administered at baseline and after 6 months. Diagnostic overlap between somatoform, depressive, and anxiety disorders occurred frequently (79.6%). Patients explained pure somatoform disorders mainly with organic causal attributions; they explained pure depressive and/or anxiety disorders mainly with psychosocial perceived causes, and patients in the diagnostic overlap group typically reported mixed causal attributions. In this last group, among patients with similar levels of symptom severity, organic perceived causes were related to a lower physical health sum score on the MOS Short Form, and psychosocial perceived causes were related to less severe depressive symptoms, assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at 6 months. Among patients meeting criteria for comorbid somatoform with anxiety and/or depressive disorders, complementary assessment of patient-perceived causes, a key element of illness explanatory models, was related to levels of functional impairment and short-term prognosis. For such patients, causal attributions may be particularly useful to clarify clinically significant features of common mental disorders and thereby contribute to clinical assessment.

Little Bayesians or Little Einsteins? Probability and Explanatory Virtue in Children's Inferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Angie M.; Johnson, Samuel G. B.; Koven, Marissa L.; Keil, Frank C.

2017-01-01

Like scientists, children seek ways to explain causal systems in the world. But are children scientists in the strict Bayesian tradition of maximizing posterior probability? Or do they attend to other explanatory considerations, as laypeople and scientists--such as Einstein--do? Four experiments support the latter possibility. In particular, we…

An Explanatory Mixed-Methods Approach to Tracing "Career Pathways" Policy in Virginia: How School Counselors and Student Demographics Influence Implementation Fidelity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ormsmith, Michael Isaac

2014-01-01

This explanatory mixed-methods policy analysis describes how school counselors' thoughts and attitudes contribute to the implementation fidelity of the Academic and Career Plan (ACP) policy in a suburban Virginia school division. A quantitative survey investigated counselor thoughts about the policy, implementation behaviors, and counselor ideas…

Science Is an Action Word! Grades 1-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdue, Peggy K.

This book includes 20 science activities in the fields of scientific method, earth science, life science, and physical science. Each activity is composed of two parts--an explanatory section for the teacher and a student lab sheet. The explanatory section begins with a brief introduction designed to give an overview of the activity's main concept.…

Why Do Adolescents Use Drugs? A Common Sense Explanatory Model from the Social Actor's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuno-Gutierrez, Bertha Lidia; Rodriguez-Cerda, Oscar; Alvarez-Nemegyei, Jose

2006-01-01

Analysis was made of the common sense explanations of 60 Mexican teenage illicit drug users in rehabilitation to determine their drug use debut. The explanatory model was separated into three blocks, two of which contained common sense aspects: interaction between subject's plane and the collectivity; and relationship between subject's interior…

Alternative Certification Programs & Pre-Service Teacher Preparedness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehler, Adrie; Feldhaus, Charles Robert; Fernandez, Eugenia; Hundley, Stephen

2013-01-01

This explanatory sequential mixed methods research study investigated motives and purpose exhibited by professionals transitioning from careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to secondary education. The study also analyzed personal perceptions of teaching preparedness, and explored barriers to successful teaching. STEM career…

Using Mixed Methods to Evaluate a Community Intervention for Sexual Assault Survivors: A Methodological Tale.

PubMed

Campbell, Rebecca; Patterson, Debra; Bybee, Deborah

2011-03-01

This article reviews current epistemological and design issues in the mixed methods literature and then examines the application of one specific design, a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, in an evaluation of a community-based intervention to improve postassault care for sexual assault survivors. Guided by a pragmatist epistemological framework, this study collected quantitative and qualitative data to understand how the implementation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program affected prosecution rates of adult sexual assault cases in a large midwestern community. Quantitative results indicated that the program was successful in affecting legal systems change and the qualitative data revealed the mediating mechanisms of the intervention's effectiveness. Challenges of implementing this design are discussed, including epistemological and practical difficulties that developed from blending methodologies into a single project. © The Author(s) 2011.

Online inferential and textual processing by adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during reading comprehension: Evidence from a probing method.

PubMed

Yeari, Menahem; Avramovich, Adi; Schiff, Rachel

2017-06-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle particularly with grasping the implicit, inferential level of narratives that is crucial for story comprehension. However, these studies used offline tasks (i.e., after story presentation), used indirect measurements (e.g., identifying main ideas), and/or yielded inconclusive results using think-aloud techniques. Moreover, most studies were conducted with preschool or elementary school children with ADHD, using listening or televised story comprehension. In this study, we were interested in examining the spontaneous, immediate activation and/or suppression of forward-predictive inferences, backward-explanatory inferences, and inference-evoking textual information, as they occur online during reading comprehension by adolescents with ADHD. Participants with and without ADHD read short narrative texts, each of which included a predictive sentence, a bridging sentence that referred back to the predictive sentence via actualization of the predicted event, and two intervening sentences positioned between the predictive and bridging sentences that introduced a temporary transition from the main (predictive) episode. Activation and suppression of inferential and/or textual information were assessed using naming times of word probes that were implied by the preceding text, explicitly mentioned in it, or neither when following control texts. In some cases, a true-false inferential or textual question followed the probe. Naming facilitations were observed for the control but not for the ADHD group, in responding to inference probes that followed the predictive and bridging sentences, and to text probes that followed the predictive sentences. Participants with ADHD were accurate, albeit slower, than controls in answering the true-false questions. Adolescents with ADHD have difficulties in generating predictive and explanatory inferences and in retaining relevant textual information in working memory while reading, although they can answer questions after reading when texts are relatively short. These findings are discussed with regard to development of comprehension strategies for individuals with ADHD.

Do nurses wish to continue working for the UK National Health Service? A comparative study of three generations of nurses.

PubMed

Robson, Andrew; Robson, Fiona

2015-01-01

To identify the combination of variables that explain nurses' continuation intention in the UK National Health Service. This alternative arena has permitted the replication of a private sector Australian study. This study provides understanding about the issues that affect nurse retention in a sector where employee attrition is a key challenge, further exacerbated by an ageing workforce. A quantitative study based on a self-completion survey questionnaire completed in 2010. Nurses employed in two UK National Health Service Foundation Trusts were surveyed and assessed using seven work-related constructs and various demographics including age generation. Through correlation, multiple regression and stepwise regression analysis, the potential combined effect of various explanatory variables on continuation intention was assessed, across the entire nursing cohort and in three age-generation groups. Three variables act in combination to explain continuation intention: work-family conflict, work attachment and importance of work to the individual. This combination of significant explanatory variables was consistent across the three generations of nursing employee. Work attachment was identified as the strongest marginal predictor of continuation intention. Work orientation has a greater impact on continuation intention compared with employer-directed interventions such as leader-member exchange, teamwork and autonomy. UK nurses are homogeneous across the three age-generations regarding explanation of continuation intention, with the significant explanatory measures being recognizably narrower in their focus and more greatly concentrated on the individual. This suggests that differentiated approaches to retention should perhaps not be pursued in this sectoral context. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The association between depression and emotional and social loneliness in older persons and the influence of social support, cognitive functioning and personality: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Peerenboom, L; Collard, R M; Naarding, P; Comijs, H C

2015-08-15

We investigated the association between old age depression and emotional and social loneliness. A cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO). A total of 341 participants diagnosed with a depressive disorder, and 125 non-depressed participants were included. Depression diagnosis was confirmed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Emotional and social loneliness were assessed using the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Socio-demographic variables, social support variables, depression characteristics (Inventory of Depressive Symptoms), cognitive functioning (Mini Mental State Examination) and personality factors (the NEO- Five Factor Inventory and the Pearlin Mastery Scale) were considered as possible explanatory factors or confounders. (Multiple) logistic regression analyses were performed. Depression was strongly associated with emotional loneliness, but not with social loneliness. A higher sense of neuroticism and lower sense of mastery were the most important explanatory factors. Also, we found several other explanatory and confounding factors in the association of depression and emotional loneliness; a lower sense of extraversion and higher severity of depression. We performed a cross-sectional observational study. Therefore we cannot add evidence in regard to causation; whether depression leads to loneliness or vice versa. Depression in older persons is strongly associated with emotional loneliness but not with social loneliness. Several personality traits and the severity of depression are important in regard to the association of depression and emotional loneliness. It is important to develop interventions in which both can be treated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Study on the Spatial Abilities of Prospective Social Studies Teachers: A Mixed Method Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurt, Eyüp; Tünkler, Vural

2016-01-01

This study investigated prospective social studies teachers' spatial abilities. It was conducted with 234 prospective teachers attending Social Studies Teaching departments at Education Faculties of two universities in Central and Southern Anatolia. This study, designed according to the explanatory-sequential design, is a mixed research method,…

Fraying connections of caring women: an exemplar of including difference in the development of explanatory frameworks.

PubMed

Wuest, J

1997-01-01

While research exploring diverse groups enhances understanding of their unique perspectives and experiences, it also contributes to the exclusion of such groups from mainstream frameworks and solutions. The feminist grounded theory method allows for inclusion of marginalized groups through theoretical sensitivity to feminist theory and theoretical sampling. This paper demonstrates how this approach results in an explanatory framework that accounts for diverse realities in a study of women's caring. Fraying connections were identified as women's initial response to competing and changing caring demands. The range of dimensions and properties of fraying connections was identified through theoretical sampling guided by the emerging themes and theoretical sensitivity to issues of gender, culture, age, ability, class, and sexual orientation.

The self, attributional processes and abnormal beliefs: towards a model of persecutory delusions.

PubMed

Bentall, R P; Kinderman, P; Kaney, S

1994-03-01

In this paper we review a series of recent investigations into cognitive abnormalities associated with persecutory delusions. Studies indicate that persecutory delusions are associated with abnormal attention to threat-related stimuli, an explanatory bias towards attributing negative outcomes to external causes and biases in information processing relating to the self-concept. We propose an integrative model to account for these findings in which it is hypothesized that, in deluded patients, activation of self/ideal discrepancies by threat-related information triggers defensive explanatory biases, which have the function of reducing the self/ideal discrepancies but result in persecutory ideation. We conclude by discussing the implications of this model for the cognitive-behavioural treatment of paranoid delusions.

An Explanatory Model of Self-Service on the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Dave; Livermore, Celia Romm; Farag, Neveen Awad

This chapter describes research that identifies and classifies the dimensions of self-service activity enabled through the Internet. Self-service is effected by organizations providing ways and means whereby customers perform tasks related to the procurement of goods and services. We describe how an instrument used to measure Internet-based self-service was developed, validated and applied. The results from applying the instrument to a large number of Web sites, covering a range of industries, countries and cultures, are analyzed and discussed. The study presents a model in which type of industry, level of technological development, income and cultural factors are proposed as explanatory variables for Web-based self-service. We conclude with an assessment of this program of research’s achievements so far.

Parental explanatory models of ADHD: gender and cultural variations.

PubMed

Bussing, Regina; Gary, Faye A; Mills, Terry L; Garvan, Cynthia Wilson

2003-10-01

This study describes parents' explanatory models of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examines model variation by child characteristics. Children with ADHD (N = 182) were identified from a school district population of elementary school students. A reliable coding system was developed for parental responses obtained in ethnographic interviews in order to convert qualitative into numerical data for quantitative analysis. African-American parents were less likely to connect the school system to ADHD problem identification, expressed fewer worries about ADHD-related school problems, and voiced fewer preferences for school interventions than Caucasian parents, pointing to a potential disconnect with the school system. More African-American than Caucasian parents were unsure about potential causes of and treatments for ADHD, indicating a need for culturally appropriate parent education approaches.

Spatial effects, sampling errors, and task specialization in the honey bee.

PubMed

Johnson, B R

2010-05-01

Task allocation patterns should depend on the spatial distribution of work within the nest, variation in task demand, and the movement patterns of workers, however, relatively little research has focused on these topics. This study uses a spatially explicit agent based model to determine whether such factors alone can generate biases in task performance at the individual level in the honey bees, Apis mellifera. Specialization (bias in task performance) is shown to result from strong sampling error due to localized task demand, relatively slow moving workers relative to nest size, and strong spatial variation in task demand. To date, specialization has been primarily interpreted with the response threshold concept, which is focused on intrinsic (typically genotypic) differences between workers. Response threshold variation and sampling error due to spatial effects are not mutually exclusive, however, and this study suggests that both contribute to patterns of task bias at the individual level. While spatial effects are strong enough to explain some documented cases of specialization; they are relatively short term and not explanatory for long term cases of specialization. In general, this study suggests that the spatial layout of tasks and fluctuations in their demand must be explicitly controlled for in studies focused on identifying genotypic specialists.

Methodological issues in oral health research: intervention studies.

PubMed

O'Mullane, Denis; James, Patrice; Whelton, Helen; Parnell, Carmel

2012-02-01

To provide a broad overview of methodological issues in the design and evaluation of intervention studies in dental public health, with particular emphasis on explanatory trials, pragmatic trials and complex interventions. We present a narrative summary of selected publications from the literature outlining both historical and recent challenges in the design and evaluation of intervention studies and describe some recent tools that may help researchers to address these challenges. It is now recognised that few intervention studies in dental public health are purely explanatory or pragmatic. We describe the PRECIS tool which can be used by trialists to assess and display the position of their trial on a continuum between the extremes of explanatory and pragmatic trials. The tool aims to help trialists make design decisions that are in line with their stated aims. The increasingly complex nature of dental public health interventions presents particular design and evaluation challenges. The revised Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance for the development and evaluation of complex interventions which emphasises the importance of planning and process evaluation is a welcome development. We briefly describe the MRC guidance and outline some examples of complex interventions in the field of oral health. The role of observational studies in monitoring public health interventions when the conduct of RCTs is not appropriate or feasible is acknowledged. We describe the STROBE statement and outline the implications of the STROBE guidelines for dental public health. The methodological challenges in the design, conduct and reporting of intervention studies in oral health are considerable. The need to provide reliable evidence to support innovative new strategies in oral health policy is a major impetus in these fields. No doubt the 'Methodological Issues in Oral Health Research' group will have further opportunities to highlight this work. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

A study of low-cost reliable actuators for light aircraft. Part B: Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eijsink, H.; Rice, M.

1978-01-01

Computer programs written in FORTRAN are given for time response calculations on pneumatic and linear hydraulic actuators. The programs are self-explanatory with comment statements. Program output is also included.

Using Foreign Virtual Patients With Medical Students in Germany: Are Cultural Differences Evident and Do They Impede Learning?

PubMed

Walldorf, Jens; Jähnert, Tina; Berman, Norman B; Fischer, Martin R

2016-09-27

Learning with virtual patients (VPs) is considered useful in medical education for fostering clinical reasoning. As the authoring of VPs is highly demanding, an international exchange of cases might be desirable. However, cultural differences in foreign VPs might hamper learning success. We investigated the need for support for using VPs from the United States at a German university, with respect to language and cultural differences. Our goal was to better understand potential implementation barriers of a intercultural VP exchange. Two VPs were presented to 30 German medical students featuring a cultural background different from German standards with respect to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, ethical aspects, role models, and language (as identified by a cultural adaptation framework). Participants were assigned to two groups: 14 students were advised to complete the cases without further instructions (basic group), and 16 students received written explanatory supplemental information specifically with regard to cultural differences (supplement group). Using a 6-point scale (6=strongly agree), we analyzed the results of an integrated assessment of learning success as well as an evaluation of cases by the students on usefulness for learning and potential issues regarding the language and cultural background. The German students found it motivating to work with cases written in English (6-point scale, 4.5 points). The clinical relevance of the VPs was clearly recognized (6 points), and the foreign language was considered a minor problem in this context (3 points). The results of the integrated learning assessment were similar in both groups (basic 53% [SD 4] vs supplement 52% [SD 4] correct answers, P=.32). However, students using the supplemental material more readily realized culturally different diagnostic and therapeutic strategies (basic 4 vs supplement 5 points, P=.39) and were less affirmative when asked about the transferability of cases to a German context (basic 5 vs supplement 3 points, P=.048). German students found English VPs to be highly clinically relevant, and they rated language problems much lower than they rated motivation to work on cases in English. This should encourage the intercultural exchange of VPs. The provision of supplemental explanatory material facilitates the recognition of cultural differences and might help prevent unexpected learning effects.

Sakhalin Island terrain intelligence

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1943-01-01

This folio of maps and explanatory tables outlines the principal terrain features of Sakhalin Island. Each map and table is devoted to a specialized set of problems; together they cover the subjects of terrain appreciation, climate, rivers, water supply, construction materials, suitability for roads, suitability for airfields, fuels and other mineral resources, and geology. In most cases, the map of the island is divided into two parts: N. of latitude 50° N., Russian Sakhalin, and south of latitude 50° N., Japanese Sakhalin or Karafuto. These maps and data were compiled by the United States Geological Survey during the period from March to September, 1943.

`Been There Done That': Disentangling Option Value Effects from User Heterogeneity When Valuing Natural Resources with a Use Component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyssenko, Nikita; Martínez-Espiñeira, Roberto

2012-11-01

Endogeneity bias arises in contingent valuation studies when the error term in the willingness to pay (WTP) equation is correlated with explanatory variables because observable and unobservable characteristics of the respondents affect both their WTP and the value of those variables. We correct for the endogeneity of variables that capture previous experience with the resource valued, humpback whales, and with the geographic area of study. We consider several endogenous behavioral variables. Therefore, we apply a multivariate Probit approach to jointly model them with WTP. In this case, correcting for endogeneity increases econometric efficiency and substantially corrects the bias affecting the estimated coefficients of the experience variables, by isolating the decreasing effect on option value caused by having already experienced the resource. Stark differences are unveiled between the marginal effects on WTP of previous experience of the resource in an alternative location versus experience in the location studied, Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada).

'Been there done that': disentangling option value effects from user heterogeneity when valuing natural resources with a use component.

PubMed

Lyssenko, Nikita; Martínez-Espiñeira, Roberto

2012-11-01

Endogeneity bias arises in contingent valuation studies when the error term in the willingness to pay (WTP) equation is correlated with explanatory variables because observable and unobservable characteristics of the respondents affect both their WTP and the value of those variables. We correct for the endogeneity of variables that capture previous experience with the resource valued, humpback whales, and with the geographic area of study. We consider several endogenous behavioral variables. Therefore, we apply a multivariate Probit approach to jointly model them with WTP. In this case, correcting for endogeneity increases econometric efficiency and substantially corrects the bias affecting the estimated coefficients of the experience variables, by isolating the decreasing effect on option value caused by having already experienced the resource. Stark differences are unveiled between the marginal effects on WTP of previous experience of the resource in an alternative location versus experience in the location studied, Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada).

Climate and Leishmaniasis in French Guiana

PubMed Central

Roger, Amaury; Nacher, Mathieu; Hanf, Matthieu; Drogoul, Anne Sophie; Adenis, Antoine; Basurko, Celia; Dufour, Julie; Sainte Marie, Dominique; Blanchet, Denis; Simon, Stephane; Carme, Bernard; Couppié, Pierre

2013-01-01

To study the link between climatic variables and the incidence of leishmaniasis a study was conducted in Cayenne, French Guiana. Patients infected between January 1994 and December 2010. Meteorological data were studied in relation to the incidence of leishmaniasis using an ARIMA model. In the final model, the infections were negatively correlated with rainfall (with a 2-month lag) and with the number of days with rainfall > 50 mm (lags of 4 and 7 months). The variables that were positively correlated were temperature and the Multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation Index with lags of 8 and 4 months, respectively. Significantly greater correlations were observed in March for rainfall and in November for the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index. Climate thus seems to be a non-negligible explanatory variable for the fluctuations of leishmaniasis. A decrease in rainfall is linked to increased cases 2 months later. This easily perceptible point could lead to an interesting prevention message. PMID:23939706

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.

Learned Social Hopelessness: The Role of Explanatory Style in Predicting Social Support during Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciarrochi, Joseph; Heaven, Patrick C. L.

2008-01-01

Background: Almost no research has examined the impact of explanatory style on social adjustment. We hypothesised that adolescents with a pessimistic style would be less likely to develop and maintain social support networks. Methods: Seven hundred and nineteen students (351 males and 366 females; 2 unknown; M[subscript AGE] = 12.28, SD = 0.49)…

Use of real-time monitoring to predict concentrations of select constituents in the Menomonee River drainage basin, Southeast Wisconsin, 2008-9

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baldwin, Austin K.; Graczyk, David J.; Robertson, Dale M.; Saad, David A.; Magruder, Christopher

2012-01-01

The models to estimate chloride concentrations all used specific conductance as the explanatory variable, except for the model for the Little Menomonee River near Freistadt, which used both specific conductance and turbidity as explanatory variables. Adjusted R2 values for the chloride models ranged from 0.74 to 0.97. Models to estimate total suspended solids and total phosphorus used turbidity as the only explanatory variable. Adjusted R2 values ranged from 0.77 to 0.94 for the total suspended solids models and from 0.55 to 0.75 for the total phosphorus models. Models to estimate indicator bacteria used water temperature and turbidity as the explanatory variables, with adjusted R2 values from 0.54 to 0.69 for Escherichia coli bacteria models and from 0.54 to 0.74 for fecal coliform bacteria models. Dissolved oxygen was not used in any of the final models. These models may help managers measure the effects of land-use changes and improvement projects, establish total maximum daily loads, estimate important water-quality indicators such as bacteria concentrations, and enable informed decision making in the future.

Multiple Use One-Sided Hypotheses Testing in Univariate Linear Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishnamoorthy, K.; Kulkarni, Pandurang M.; Mathew, Thomas

1996-01-01

Consider a normally distributed response variable, related to an explanatory variable through the simple linear regression model. Data obtained on the response variable, corresponding to known values of the explanatory variable (i.e., calibration data), are to be used for testing hypotheses concerning unknown values of the explanatory variable. We consider the problem of testing an unlimited sequence of one sided hypotheses concerning the explanatory variable, using the corresponding sequence of values of the response variable and the same set of calibration data. This is the situation of multiple use of the calibration data. The tests derived in this context are characterized by two types of uncertainties: one uncertainty associated with the sequence of values of the response variable, and a second uncertainty associated with the calibration data. We derive tests based on a condition that incorporates both of these uncertainties. The solution has practical applications in the decision limit problem. We illustrate our results using an example dealing with the estimation of blood alcohol concentration based on breath estimates of the alcohol concentration. In the example, the problem is to test if the unknown blood alcohol concentration of an individual exceeds a threshold that is safe for driving.

Belief models in first episode schizophrenia in South India.

PubMed

Saravanan, Balasubramanian; Jacob, K S; Johnson, Shanthi; Prince, Martin; Bhugra, Dinesh; David, Anthony S

2007-06-01

Existing evidence indicates that dissonance between patients' and professionals' explanatory models affects engagement of patients with psychiatric services in Western and non-Western countries. To assess qualitatively the explanatory models (EMs) of psychosis and their association with clinical variables in a representative sample of first episode patients with schizophrenia in South India. One hundred and thirty one patients with schizophrenia presenting consecutively were assessed. Measures included the patient's explanatory models, and clinician ratings of insight, symptoms of psychosis, and functioning on standard scales. The majority of patients (70%) considered spiritual and mystical factors as the cause of their predicament; 22% held multiple models of illness. Patients who held a biomedical concept of disease had significantly higher scores on the insight scale compared to those who held non-medical beliefs. Multivariate analyses identified three factors associated with holding of spiritual/mystical models (female sex, low education and visits to traditional healers); and a single factor (high level of insight) for the endorsement of biological model. Patients with schizophrenia in this region of India hold a variety of non-medical belief models, which influence patterns of health seeking. Those holding non-medical explanatory models are likey to be rated as having less insight.

Some methodological issues in the longitudinal analysis of demographic data.

PubMed

Krishinan, P

1982-12-01

Most demographic data are macro (or aggregate) in nature. Some relevant methodological issues are presented here in a time series study using aggregate data. The micro-macro distinction is relative. Time enters into the micro and macro variables in different ways. A simple micro model of rural-urban migration is given. Method 1 is to assume homogeneity in behavior. Method 2 is a Bayesian estimation. A discusssion of the results follows. Time series models of aggregate data are given. The nature of the model--predictive or explanatory--must be decided on. Explanatory models in longitudinal studies have been developed. Ways to go to the micro level from the macro are discussed. The aggregation-disaggregation problem in demography is not similar to that in econometrics. To understand small populations, separate micro level data have to be collected and analyzed and appropriate models developed. Both types of models have their uses.

An explanatory model for state Medicaid per capita prescription drug expenditures.

PubMed

Roy, Sanjoy; Madhavan, S Suresh

2012-01-01

Rising prescription drug expenditure is a growing concern for publicly funded drug benefit programs like Medicaid. To be able to contain drug expenditures in Medicaid, it is important that cause(s) for such increases are identified. This study attempts to establish an explanatory model for Medicaid prescription drugs expenditure based on the impacts of key influencers/predictors identified using a comprehensive framework of drug utilization. A modified Andersen's behavior model of health services utilization is employed to identify potential determinants of pharmaceutical expenditures in state Medicaid programs. Level of federal matching funds, access to primary care, severity of diseases, unemployment, and education levels were found to be key influencers of Medicaid prescription drug expenditure. Increases in all, except education levels, were found to result in increases in drug expenditures. Findings from this study could better inform intervention policies and cost-containment strategies for state Medicaid drug benefit programs.

Access to health programs at the workplace and the reduction of work presenteeism: a population-based cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Bustillos, Arnaldo Sanchez; Trigoso, Oswaldo Ortiz

2013-11-01

To examine access to health programs at workplace as a determinant of presenteeism among adults. Data source was a subsample of the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey. The outcome was self-reported reduced activities at work (presenteeism). The explanatory variable was self-reported access to a health program at workplace. Logistic regression was used to measure the association between outcome and explanatory variables adjusting for potential confounders. Adjusting for sex, age, education, income, work stress, and chronic conditions, presenteeism was not associated with having access to a health program at workplace (adjusted odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.65). The odds of presenteeism were higher in workers who reported high work stress and those with chronic medical conditions. This study found that access to health programs at workplace is not significantly associated with a decline in presenteeism.

Remotely sensed vegetation moisture as explanatory variable of Lyme borreliosis incidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, J. M.; Verstraeten, W. W.; Maes, P.; Clement, J.; Aerts, J. M.; Farifteh, J.; Lagrou, K.; Van Ranst, M.; Coppin, P.

2012-08-01

The strong correlation between environmental conditions and abundance and spatial spread of the tick Ixodes ricinus is widely documented. I. ricinus is in Europe the main vector of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen causing Lyme borreliosis (LB). Humidity in vegetated systems is a major factor in tick ecology and its effects might translate into disease incidence in humans. Time series of two remotely sensed indices with sensitivity to vegetation greenness and moisture were tested as explanatory variables of LB incidence. Wavelet-based multiresolution analysis allowed the examination of these signals at different temporal scales in study sites in Belgium, where increases in LB incidence were reported in recent years. The analysis showed the potential of the tested indices for disease monitoring, the usefulness of analyzing the signal in different time frames and the importance of local characteristics of the study area for the selection of the vegetation index.

Tentative explanatory variable of lung dust concentration in gold miners exposed to crystalline silica.

PubMed

Dufresne, A; Loosereewanich, P; Bégin, R; Dion, C; Ecobichon, D; Muir, D C; Ritchie, A C; Perrault, G

1998-01-01

The first objective of the study was to investigate the relationships between quantitative lung mineral dust burdens, dust exposure history, and pathological fibrosis grading in silicotic workers. The second objective was to evaluate the association between particle size parameters, concentration of retained silica particles and the severity of the silicosis. Sixty-seven paraffin-embedded lung tissue samples of silicotic patients were analyzed. The cases of silicosis included 39 non-lung cancer patients and 28 patients with lung cancer. All of the cases were gold miners in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Particles, both angular and fibrous, were extracted from lung parenchyma by a bleach digestion method, mounted on copper microscopic grids by a carbon replica technique, and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Quartz concentration was also determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) on a silver membrane filter after the extraction from the lung parenchyma. Total particles, silica, clay, and quartz also increase in concentration with increased age at death, although the trends are not statistically significant. Quartz concentration has a statistically significant correlation with the silicosis severity score (r = +0.45, p < 0.001), with the geometric mean concentration increasing from 2.24 micrograms/mg in the group having silicosis severity score less than 1 to 4.80 micrograms/mg in group with highest score. Quartz concentration is the only significant explanatory variable of the silicosis severity with a regression coefficient of +0.41 (p < 0.001). Among several dust exposure variables extracted from the work history of the miners, the calendar year of first exposure was the primary significant determinant of lung retained total particles, silica, and clay minerals, except for quartz. A statistically significant linear relationship between lung quartz concentration and silicosis severity in the gold miners was observed (p < 0.001). Among the several types of lung particles detected, quartz was the only significant determinant of the silicosis severity in the gold miners in this study and vice versa, although it explained only 20% of the variation in the severity. This study suggested no significant linear relationship between the duration of dust exposure and the lung burden of any particle types in the gold miners.

Regional brain volumes and cognition in childhood epilepsy: does size really matter?

PubMed

Zelko, Frank A; Pardoe, Heath R; Blackstone, Sarah R; Jackson, Graeme D; Berg, Anne T

2014-05-01

Recent studies have correlated neurocognitive function and regional brain volumes in children with epilepsy. We tested whether brain volume differences between children with and without epilepsy explained differences in neurocognitive function. The study sample included 108 individuals with uncomplicated non-syndromic epilepsy (NSE) and 36 healthy age- and gender-matched controls. Participants received a standardized cognitive battery. Whole brain T1-weighted MRI was obtained and volumes analyzed with FreeSurfer (TM). Total brain volume (TBV) was significantly smaller in cases. After adjustment for TBV, cases had significantly larger regional grey matter volumes for total, frontal, parietal, and precentral cortex. Cases had poorer performance on neurocognitive indices of intelligence and variability of sustained attention. In cases, TBV showed small associations with intellectual indices of verbal and perceptual ability, working memory, and overall IQ. In controls, TBV showed medium associations with working memory and variability of sustained attention. In both groups, small associations were seen between some TBV-adjusted regional brain volumes and neurocognitive indices, but not in a consistent pattern. Brain volume differences did not account for cognitive differences between the groups. Patients with uncomplicated NSE have smaller brains than controls but areas of relative grey matter enlargement. That this relative regional enlargement occurs in the context of poorer overall neurocognitive functioning suggests that it is not adaptive. However, the lack of consistent associations between case-control differences in brain volumes and cognitive functioning suggests that brain volumes have limited explanatory value for cognitive functioning in childhood epilepsy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Case-Mix for Performance Management: A Risk Algorithm Based on ICD-10-CM.

PubMed

Gao, Jian; Moran, Eileen; Almenoff, Peter L

2018-06-01

Accurate risk adjustment is the key to a reliable comparison of cost and quality performance among providers and hospitals. However, the existing case-mix algorithms based on age, sex, and diagnoses can only explain up to 50% of the cost variation. More accurate risk adjustment is desired for provider performance assessment and improvement. To develop a case-mix algorithm that hospitals and payers can use to measure and compare cost and quality performance of their providers. All 6,048,895 patients with valid diagnoses and cost recorded in the US Veterans health care system in fiscal year 2016 were included in this study. The dependent variable was total cost at the patient level, and the explanatory variables were age, sex, and comorbidities represented by 762 clinically homogeneous groups, which were created by expanding the 283 categories from Clinical Classifications Software based on ICD-10-CM codes. The split-sample method was used to assess model overfitting and coefficient stability. The predictive power of the algorithms was ascertained by comparing the R, mean absolute percentage error, root mean square error, predictive ratios, and c-statistics. The expansion of the Clinical Classifications Software categories resulted in higher predictive power. The R reached 0.72 and 0.52 for the transformed and raw scale cost, respectively. The case-mix algorithm we developed based on age, sex, and diagnoses outperformed the existing case-mix models reported in the literature. The method developed in this study can be used by other health systems to produce tailored risk models for their specific purpose.

Orchestrating Mathematical Discourse: Affordances and Hindrances for Novice Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Carrie Wilkerson

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the mathematical discourse within novice elementary teachers' classrooms. More specifically, this study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods design to first quantitatively analyze the relationship between teachers' discourse practices and teacher attributes and school context. Next, a…

The Impact of Generational Differences on Organizational Relationships: A Communication Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salahuddin, Mecca M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to investigate the relationship between an individual's generation and the communication styles used with other generations, and explore the influence of intergenerational communication styles on organizational relationships. The study utilized the Global Perceptions of…

Direction dependence analysis: A framework to test the direction of effects in linear models with an implementation in SPSS.

PubMed

Wiedermann, Wolfgang; Li, Xintong

2018-04-16

In nonexperimental data, at least three possible explanations exist for the association of two variables x and y: (1) x is the cause of y, (2) y is the cause of x, or (3) an unmeasured confounder is present. Statistical tests that identify which of the three explanatory models fits best would be a useful adjunct to the use of theory alone. The present article introduces one such statistical method, direction dependence analysis (DDA), which assesses the relative plausibility of the three explanatory models on the basis of higher-moment information about the variables (i.e., skewness and kurtosis). DDA involves the evaluation of three properties of the data: (1) the observed distributions of the variables, (2) the residual distributions of the competing models, and (3) the independence properties of the predictors and residuals of the competing models. When the observed variables are nonnormally distributed, we show that DDA components can be used to uniquely identify each explanatory model. Statistical inference methods for model selection are presented, and macros to implement DDA in SPSS are provided. An empirical example is given to illustrate the approach. Conceptual and empirical considerations are discussed for best-practice applications in psychological data, and sample size recommendations based on previous simulation studies are provided.

Exploring the explaining quality of physics online explanatory videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulgemeyer, Christoph; Peters, Cord H.

2016-11-01

Explaining skills are among the most important skills educators possess. Those skills have also been researched in recent years. During the same period, another medium has additionally emerged and become a popular source of information for learners: online explanatory videos, chiefly from the online video sharing website YouTube. Their content and explaining quality remain to this day mostly unmonitored, as well is their educational impact in formal contexts such as schools or universities. In this study, a framework for explaining quality, which has emerged from surveying explaining skills in expert-novice face-to-face dialogues, was used to explore the explaining quality of such videos (36 YouTube explanatory videos on Kepler’s laws and 15 videos on Newton’s third law). The framework consists of 45 categories derived from physics education research that deal with explanation techniques. YouTube provides its own ‘quality measures’ based on surface features including ‘likes’, views, and comments for each video. The question is whether or not these measures provide valid information for educators and students if they have to decide which video to use. We compared the explaining quality with those measures. Our results suggest that there is a correlation between explaining quality and only one of these measures: the number of content-related comments.

Social support and clinical and functional outcome in people with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Vázquez Morejón, Antonio J; León Rubio, Jose Mª; Vázquez-Morejón, Raquel

2018-05-01

The impact of Social Support (SS) on the clinical and functional evolution of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia was studied from a multidimensional concept of SS in the framework of the vulnerability-stress model. In total, 152 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) treated in a Community Mental Health Unit were assessed using the Mannheim Interview on Social Support (MISS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Then they were followed up for 3 years with a final assessment for the period using the Social Functioning Scale. The impact of SS was explored in clinical and functional measurements with a multiple regression analysis in a 3-year longitudinal prospective design. The quality of Global Social Support (GSS) and satisfaction with GSS appeared to be protective factors from frequency and duration of hospital admissions, with explanatory intensity varying from 9% in survival time to relapse to 13% in number of relapses. Concerning functional measurements, GSS quantity, quality and satisfaction showed an explanatory power for several different dimensions of social functioning, varying from 12% in isolation to 20% in communication. The results confirm SS as a protective factor in the evolution of schizophrenia patients and enable the SS variables with the most explanatory power in their clinical and functional evolution to be identified.

Explanatory models of diabetes in urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.

PubMed

de-Graft Aikins, Ama; Awuah, Raphael Baffour; Pera, Tuula Anneli; Mendez, Montserrat; Ogedegbe, Gbenga

2015-01-01

The objective of the study was to examine explanatory models of diabetes and diabetes complications among urban poor Ghanaians living with diabetes and implications for developing secondary prevention strategies. Twenty adults with type 2 diabetes were recruited from three poor communities in Accra. Qualitative data were obtained using interviews that run between 40 and 90 minutes. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed thematically, informed by the 'explanatory model of disease' concept. Respondents associated diabetes and its complications with diet, family history, lifestyle factors (smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and physical inactivity), psychological stress and supernatural factors (witchcraft and sorcery). These associations were informed by biomedical and cultural models of diabetes and disease. Subjective experience, through a process of 'body-listening,' constituted a third model on which respondents drew to theorise diabetes complications. Poverty was an important mediator of poor self-care practices, including treatment non-adherence. The biomedical model of diabetes was a major source of legitimate information for self-care practices. However, this was understood and applied through a complex framework of cultural theories of chronic disease, the biopsychological impact of everyday illness experience and the disempowering effects of poverty. An integrated biopsychosocial approach is proposed for diabetes intervention in this research community.

Independent contrasts and PGLS regression estimators are equivalent.

PubMed

Blomberg, Simon P; Lefevre, James G; Wells, Jessie A; Waterhouse, Mary

2012-05-01

We prove that the slope parameter of the ordinary least squares regression of phylogenetically independent contrasts (PICs) conducted through the origin is identical to the slope parameter of the method of generalized least squares (GLSs) regression under a Brownian motion model of evolution. This equivalence has several implications: 1. Understanding the structure of the linear model for GLS regression provides insight into when and why phylogeny is important in comparative studies. 2. The limitations of the PIC regression analysis are the same as the limitations of the GLS model. In particular, phylogenetic covariance applies only to the response variable in the regression and the explanatory variable should be regarded as fixed. Calculation of PICs for explanatory variables should be treated as a mathematical idiosyncrasy of the PIC regression algorithm. 3. Since the GLS estimator is the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE), the slope parameter estimated using PICs is also BLUE. 4. If the slope is estimated using different branch lengths for the explanatory and response variables in the PIC algorithm, the estimator is no longer the BLUE, so this is not recommended. Finally, we discuss whether or not and how to accommodate phylogenetic covariance in regression analyses, particularly in relation to the problem of phylogenetic uncertainty. This discussion is from both frequentist and Bayesian perspectives.

Using Qualitative Methods to Explore Lay Explanatory Models, Health-Seeking Behaviours and Self-Care Practices of Podoconiosis Patients in North-West Ethiopia.

PubMed

Banks, Harrison S; Tsegay, Girmay; Wubie, Moges; Tamiru, Abreham; Davey, Gail; Cooper, Max

2016-08-01

Podoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) is a chronic, non-infectious disease resulting from exposure of bare feet to red-clay soil in tropical highlands. This study examined lay beliefs about three under-researched aspects of podoconiosis patients' care: explanatory models, health-seeking behaviours and self-care. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were undertaken with 34 participants (19 male, 15 female) between April-May 2015 at podoconiosis treatment centres across East and West Gojjam regions in north-west Ethiopia. Explanatory models for podoconiosis included contamination from blood, magic, soil or affected individuals. Belief in heredity or divine punishment often delayed clinic attendance. All participants had tried holy water treatment and some, holy soil. Herbal treatments were considered ineffectual, costly and appeared to promote fluid escape. Motivators for clinic attendance were failure of traditional treatments and severe or disabling symptoms. Patients did not report self-treatment with antibiotics. Self-care was hindered by water being unavailable or expensive and patient fatigue. A pluralistic approach to podoconiosis self-treatment was discovered. Holy water is widely valued, though some patients prefer holy soil. Priests and traditional healers could help promote self-care and "signpost" patients to clinics. Change in behaviour and improving water access is key to self-care.

Are ecological and evolutionary theories scientific?

PubMed

Murray, B G

2001-05-01

Scientists observe nature, search for generalizations, and provide explanations for why the world is as it is. Generalizations are of two kinds. The first are descriptive and inductive, such as Boyle's Law. They are derived from observations and therefore refer to observables (in this case, pressure and volume). The second are often imaginative and form the axioms of a deductive theory, such as Newton's Laws of Motion. They often refer to unobservables (e.g. inertia and gravitation). Biology has many inductive generalizations (e.g. Bergmann's Rule and 'all cells arise from preexisting cells') but few, if any, recognized universal laws and virtually no deductive theory. Many biologists and philosophers of biology have agreed that predictive theory is inappropriate in biology, which is said to be more complex than physics, and that one can have nonpredictive explanations, such as the neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Other philosophers dismiss nonpredictive, explanatory theories, including evolutionary 'theory', as metaphysics. Most biologists do not think of themselves as philosophers or give much thought to the philosophical basis of their research. Nevertheless, their philosophy shows in the way they do research. The plethora of ad hoc (i.e. not universal) hypotheses indicates that biologists are reluctant inductivists in that the search for generalization does not have a high priority. Biologists test their hypotheses by verification. Theoretical physicists, in contrast, are deductive unifiers and test their explanatory hypotheses by falsification. I argue that theoretical biology (concerned with unobservables, such as fitness and natural selection) is not scientific because it lacks universal laws and predictive theory. In order to make this argument, I review the differences between verificationism and falsificationism, induction and deduction, and descriptive and explanatory laws. I show how these differ with a specific example of a successful and still useful (even if now superseded as explanatory) deductive theory, Newton's Theory of Motion. I also review some of the philosophical views expressed on these topics because philosophers seem to be even more divided than biologists, which is not at all helpful. The fact that biology does not have predictive theories does not constitute irrefutable evidence that it cannot have them. The only way to falsify this philosophical hypothesis, however, is to produce a predictive theory with universal biological laws. I have proposed such a theory, but it has been presented piecemeal. At the end of this paper, I bring the pieces together into a deductive theory on the evolution of life history traits (e.g. clutch size, mating relationships, sexual size dimorphism).

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Rogers, Harold [R-KY-5

2013-03-04

03/26/2013 Became Public Law No: 113-6. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Notes: A House explanatory statement was printed in the March 6, 2013, Congressional Record, beginning on page H1029. A Senate explanatory statement was printed in the March 11, 2013, Congressional Record, beginning on page S1287. Tracker: This bill has the status Became LawHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Explanatory Pluralism and the (Dis)Unity of Science: The Argument from Incompatible Counterfactual Consequences

PubMed Central

Gijsbers, Victor

2016-01-01

What is the relationship between different sciences or research approaches that deal with the same phenomena, for instance, with the phenomena of the human mind? Answers to this question range from a monist perspective according to which one of these approaches is privileged over the others, through an integrationist perspective according to which they must strive to form a unity greater than the sum of its parts, to an isolationist perspective according to which each of them has its own autonomous sphere of validity. In order to assess these perspectives in this article, I discuss the debates about the unity of science and about explanatory pluralism. The most pressing issue turns out to be the choice between the integrative and the isolationist perspective: the question is whether the integrative tendencies in science should be fully indulged in or whether they should be held in check by acknowledging that a certain amount of isolation is necessary. I argue that the issue can be further distilled into the question of whether two true explanations of the same fact can ever fail to be combinable into one single explanation. I show that this can indeed be the case, namely, when the explanations have incompatible counterfactual consequences, something that is often the case when we try to combine explanations from different sciences or research approaches. These approaches thus embody perspectives on the world that are to a certain extent autonomous. This leads to the conclusion that although interdisciplinarity may have many advantages, we should not take the project of integration too far. At the end of the day, the different research approaches with their different perspectives and insights must remain precisely that: different and somewhat disunified. PMID:27014099

Explanatory Pluralism and the (Dis)Unity of Science: The Argument from Incompatible Counterfactual Consequences.

PubMed

Gijsbers, Victor

2016-01-01

What is the relationship between different sciences or research approaches that deal with the same phenomena, for instance, with the phenomena of the human mind? Answers to this question range from a monist perspective according to which one of these approaches is privileged over the others, through an integrationist perspective according to which they must strive to form a unity greater than the sum of its parts, to an isolationist perspective according to which each of them has its own autonomous sphere of validity. In order to assess these perspectives in this article, I discuss the debates about the unity of science and about explanatory pluralism. The most pressing issue turns out to be the choice between the integrative and the isolationist perspective: the question is whether the integrative tendencies in science should be fully indulged in or whether they should be held in check by acknowledging that a certain amount of isolation is necessary. I argue that the issue can be further distilled into the question of whether two true explanations of the same fact can ever fail to be combinable into one single explanation. I show that this can indeed be the case, namely, when the explanations have incompatible counterfactual consequences, something that is often the case when we try to combine explanations from different sciences or research approaches. These approaches thus embody perspectives on the world that are to a certain extent autonomous. This leads to the conclusion that although interdisciplinarity may have many advantages, we should not take the project of integration too far. At the end of the day, the different research approaches with their different perspectives and insights must remain precisely that: different and somewhat disunified.

A comparison of data-driven groundwater vulnerability assessment methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorichetta, Alessandro; Ballabio, Cristiano; Masetti, Marco; Robinson, Gilpin R.; Sterlacchini, Simone

2013-01-01

Increasing availability of geo-environmental data has promoted the use of statistical methods to assess groundwater vulnerability. Nitrate is a widespread anthropogenic contaminant in groundwater and its occurrence can be used to identify aquifer settings vulnerable to contamination. In this study, multivariate Weights of Evidence (WofE) and Logistic Regression (LR) methods, where the response variable is binary, were used to evaluate the role and importance of a number of explanatory variables associated with nitrate sources and occurrence in groundwater in the Milan District (central part of the Po Plain, Italy). The results of these models have been used to map the spatial variation of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate in the region, and we compare the similarities and differences of their spatial patterns and associated explanatory variables. We modify the standard WofE method used in previous groundwater vulnerability studies to a form analogous to that used in LR; this provides a framework to compare the results of both models and reduces the effect of sampling bias on the results of the standard WofE model. In addition, a nonlinear Generalized Additive Model has been used to extend the LR analysis. Both approaches improved discrimination of the standard WofE and LR models, as measured by the c-statistic. Groundwater vulnerability probability outputs, based on rank-order classification of the respective model results, were similar in spatial patterns and identified similar strong explanatory variables associated with nitrate source (population density as a proxy for sewage systems and septic sources) and nitrate occurrence (groundwater depth).

A catalyst for system change: a case study of child health network formation, evolution and sustainability in Canada.

PubMed

McPherson, Charmaine; Ploeg, Jenny; Edwards, Nancy; Ciliska, Donna; Sword, Wendy

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine key processes and supportive and inhibiting factors involved in the development, evolution, and sustainability of a child health network in rural Canada. This study contributes to a relatively new research agenda aimed at understanding inter-organizational and cross-sectoral health networks. These networks encourage collaboration focusing on complex issues impacting health - issues that individual agencies cannot effectively address alone. This paper presents an overview of the study findings. An explanatory qualitative case study approach examined the Network's 13-year lifespan. Data sources were documents and Network members, including regional and 71 provincial senior managers from 11 child and youth service sectors. Data were collected through 34 individual interviews and a review of 127 documents. Interview data were analyzed using framework analysis methods; Prior's approach guided document analysis. Three themes related to network development, evolution and sustainability were identified: (a) Network relationships as system triggers, (b) Network-mediated system responsiveness, and (c) Network practice as political. Study findings have important implications for network organizational development, collaborative practice, interprofessional education, public policy, and public system responsiveness research. Findings suggest it is important to explicitly focus on relationships and multi-level socio-political contexts, such as supportive policy environments, in understanding health networks. The dynamic interplay among the Network members; central supportive and inhibiting factors; and micro-, meso-, and macro-organizational contexts was identified.

Moral panic, moral regulation, and the civilizing process.

PubMed

Hier, Sean

2016-09-01

This article compares two analytical frameworks ostensibly formulated to widen the focus of moral panic studies. The comparative analysis suggests that attempts to conceptualize moral panics in terms of decivilizing processes have neither substantively supplemented the explanatory gains made by conceptualizing moral panic as a form of moral regulation nor provided a viable alternative framework that better explains the dynamics of contemporary moral panics. The article concludes that Elias's meta-theory of the civilizing process potentially provides explanatory resources to investigate a possible historical-structural shift towards the so-called age of (a)moral panic; the analytical demands of such a project, however, require a sufficiently different line of inquiry than the one encouraged by both the regulatory and decivilizing perspectives on moral panic. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2016.

Examination of the Relationships between Fifth Graders' Self-Regulated Learning Strategies, Motivational Beliefs, Attitudes, and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ocak, Gurbuz; Yamac, Ahmet

2013-01-01

The aim of current study was to examine predictor and explanatory relationships between fifth graders' self-regulated learning strategies, motivational beliefs, attitudes towards mathematics, and academic achievement. The study was conducted on a sample of 204 students studying in the primary schools of Afyonkarahisar province. Motivated…

Communication Channels as Implementation Determinants of Performance Management Framework in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sang, Jane

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study to assess communication channels as implementation determinants of performance management framework In Kenya at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). The communication theory was used to inform the study. This study adopted an explanatory design. The target sampled 510 respondents through simple random and stratified…

The Preparedness of Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers to Teach Statistics: A Cross-Institutional Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovett, Jennifer Nickell

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to provide researchers, mathematics educators, and statistics educators information about the current state of preservice secondary mathematics teachers' preparedness to teach statistics. To do so, this study employed an explanatory mixed methods design to quantitatively examine the statistical knowledge and statistics…

An explanatory heuristic gives rise to the belief that words are well suited for their referents.

PubMed

Sutherland, Shelbie L; Cimpian, Andrei

2015-10-01

The mappings between the words of a language and their meanings are arbitrary. There is, for example, nothing inherently dog-like about the word dog. And yet, building on prior evidence (e.g., Brook, 1970; Piaget, 1967), the six studies reported here (N=1062) suggest that both children and (at least to some extent) adults see a special "fit" between objects and their names, as if names were particularly suitable or appropriate for the objects they denote. These studies also provide evidence for a novel proposal concerning the source of these nominal fit beliefs. Specifically, beliefs about nominal fit may be a byproduct of the heuristic processes that people use to make sense of the world more generally (Cimpian & Salomon, 2014a). In sum, the present studies provide new insights into how people conceive of language and demonstrate that these conceptions are rooted in the processes that underlie broader explanatory reasoning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examining Development of Curriculum Knowledge of Prospective Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin, Ömer; Soylu, Yasin

2017-01-01

Explanatory-confirmatory research design, one of the mixed methods research designs, was used in this study to investigate Curriculum Knowledge developments of prospective teachers regarding algebra. Cross-sectional study method, as a type of descriptive research and one of the non-experimental research designs, was used to collect quantitative…

Educational Research in Educational Practice: Predictors of Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysenko, Larysa V.; Abrami, Philip C.; Dagenais, Christian; Janosz, Michel

2014-01-01

This study investigates the predictors of school practitioners' (N = 2,425) use of educational research. The suggested model explained significantly but modestly the infrequent use of educational research by practitioners. Of the four factors in the study, "opinions about research" had the most explanatory power. The results are…

Productive Academic Talk during Inquiry-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillies, Robyn M.

2013-01-01

This study reports on the types of academic talk that contribute to enhanced explanatory responses, reasoning, problem-solving and learning. The study involved 10 groups of 3-4 students who were provided with one of three linguistic tools (i.e. Cognitive Questioning, Philosophy for Children and Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)) to scaffold…

Revista de Investigacion Educativa, 1999 (Journal of Educational Research, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Revista de Investigacion Educativa, 1999

1999-01-01

Articles in this volume, written in Spanish, focus on the following: intellectual style and academic performance; an explanatory integrated model of academic goals, learning strategies, and academic performance; a comparative situational study of drug addiction; early childhood depression and academic performance: a comparative study of patients…

The Relationship between the Emotional Intelligence of Secondary Public School Principals and School Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashworth, Stephanie R.

2013-01-01

The study examined the relationship between secondary public school principals' emotional intelligence and school performance. The correlational study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods model. The non-probability sample consisted of 105 secondary public school principals in Texas. The emotional intelligence characteristics of the…

Effects of Childhood Aggression on Parenting during Adolescence: The Role of Parental Psychological Need Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Haan, Amaranta D.; Soenens, Bart; Dekovic, Maja; Prinzie, Peter

2013-01-01

The current study examined the explanatory role of satisfaction of parental psychological needs in effects of childhood aggression on various adolescent-perceived parenting behaviors in middle adolescence. Research questions were examined in a large multi-informant, prospective community study of ethnic majority Belgian families…

Support, Belonging, Motivation, and Engagement in the College Classroom: A Mixed Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zumbrunn, Sharon; McKim, Courtney; Buhs, Eric; Hawley, Leslie R.

2014-01-01

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined how belonging perceptions, academic motivation, and engagement might mediate the relationship between academic contextual characteristics and achievement using structural equation modeling and qualitative follow-up interviews with college students from a large, Midwestern university. In the…

Family Mediators of Acculturation and Adolescent Sexual Behavior among Latino Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent; Bouris, Alida; Jaccard, James; Lesesne, Catherine A.; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Kalogerogiannis, Kosta

2009-01-01

The present study develops and evaluates a theoretical framework of mediators of the relationship between acculturation and adolescent sexual behavior. Four hundred Latino mother-adolescent dyads from the Bronx, New York were interviewed. The study explored the relationship between intentions to have sexual intercourse and explanatory variables…

A Study of "Career Pathways" Policy with Implications for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ormsmith, Michael I.; Mansfield, Katherine Cumings

2014-01-01

This explanatory mixed-methods study began with a quantitative survey to investigate counselor beliefs and implementation behaviors related to providing college and career planning services to high school students. Survey results informed the development and implementation of interview protocol designed to provide deeper insight into counselors'…

Teacher Perceptions of Principals' Leadership Qualities: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauserman, Cal P.; Ivankova, Nataliya V.; Stick, Sheldon L.

2013-01-01

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study utilized the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire, responses to open-ended questions, and in-depth interviews to identify transformational leadership qualities that were present among principals in Alberta, Canada. The first quantitative phase consisted of a random sample of 135 schools (with…

Outcome Studies of Social, Behavioral, and Educational Interventions: Emerging Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Mark W.; Guo, Shenyang; Ellis, Alan R.; Thompson, Aaron M.; Wike, Traci L.; Li, Jilan

2011-01-01

This article describes the core features of outcome research and then explores issues confronting researchers who engage in outcome studies. Using an intervention research perspective, descriptive and explanatory methods are distinguished. Emphasis is placed on the counterfactual causal perspective, designing programs that fit culture and context,…

Diagnostic and Remedial Learning Strategy Based on Conceptual Graphs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jong, BinShyan; Lin, TsongWuu; Wu, YuLung; Chan, Teyi

2004-01-01

Numerous scholars have applied conceptual graphs for explanatory purposes. This study devised the Remedial-Instruction Decisive path (RID path) algorithm for diagnosing individual student learning situation. This study focuses on conceptual graphs. According to the concepts learned by students and the weight values of relations among these…

Valuing improved wetland quality using choice modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, Mark; Bennett, Jeff; Blamey, Russell

1999-09-01

The main stated preference technique used for estimating environmental values is the contingent valuation method. In this paper the results of an application of an alternative technique, choice modeling, are reported. Choice modeling has been developed in the marketing and transport applications but has only been used in a handful of environmental applications, most of which have focused on use values. The case study presented here involves the estimation of the nonuse environmental values provided by the Macquarie Marshes, a major wetland in New South Wales, Australia. Estimates of the nonuse value the community places on preventing job losses are also presented. The reported models are robust, having high explanatory power and variables that are statistically significant and consistent with expectations. These results provide support for the hypothesis that choice modeling can be used to estimate nonuse values for both environmental and social consequences of resource use changes.

The journey of recovery and empowerment embraced by nature - clients' perspectives on nature-based rehabilitation in relation to the role of the natural environment.

PubMed

Pálsdóttir, Anna María; Persson, Dennis; Persson, Birgitta; Grahn, Patrik

2014-07-14

This paper presents findings from real life situations, a longitudinal single case study on the role of natural environments in nature-based rehabilitation (NBR) for individuals with stress-related mental disorders, at the Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden in Sweden. A sample of 43 former clients voluntarily participated in semi-structured interview, and the data were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three main superordinate themes were identified as the three phases of NBR-Prelude, Recuperating and Empowerment-explaining and illuminating the role of the natural environments in each phase. An explanatory model of NBR in this context is presented including the three phases of NBR, IRP supportive occupations and a pyramid of supporting environments. A new component of supportive environments was identified and herby named, Social quietness, an important component facilitating personal and intimate engagement with the natural environments.

Shifting Gears: Triage and Traffic in Urban India.

PubMed

Solomon, Harris

2017-09-01

While studies of triage in clinical medical literature tend to focus on the knowledge required to carry out sorting, this article details the spatial features of triage. It is based on participation observation of traffic-related injuries in a Mumbai hospital casualty ward. It pays close attention to movement, specifically to adjustments, which include moving bodies, changes in treatment priority, and interruptions in care. The article draws on several ethnographic cases of injury and its aftermath that gather and separate patients, kin, and bystanders, all while a triage medical authority is charged with sorting them out. I argue that attention must be paid to differences in movement, which can be overlooked if medical decision-making is taken to be a static verdict. The explanatory significance of this distinction between adjustment and adjudication is a more nuanced understanding of triage as an iterative, spatial process. © 2017 by the American Anthropological Association.

Toward a Psychology of Surrogate Decision Making.

PubMed

Tunney, Richard J; Ziegler, Fenja V

2015-11-01

In everyday life, many of the decisions that we make are made on behalf of other people. A growing body of research suggests that we often, but not always, make different decisions on behalf of other people than the other person would choose. This is problematic in the practical case of legally designated surrogate decision makers, who may not meet the substituted judgment standard. Here, we review evidence from studies of surrogate decision making and examine the extent to which surrogate decision making accurately predicts the recipient's wishes, or if it is an incomplete or distorted application of the surrogate's own decision-making processes. We find no existing domain-general model of surrogate decision making. We propose a framework by which surrogate decision making can be assessed and a novel domain-general theory as a unifying explanatory concept for surrogate decisions. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Journey of Recovery and Empowerment Embraced by Nature — Clients’ Perspectives on Nature-Based Rehabilitation in Relation to the Role of the Natural Environment

PubMed Central

Pálsdóttir, Anna María; Persson, Dennis; Persson, Birgitta; Grahn, Patrik

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from real life situations, a longitudinal single case study on the role of natural environments in nature-based rehabilitation (NBR) for individuals with stress-related mental disorders, at the Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden in Sweden. A sample of 43 former clients voluntarily participated in semi-structured interview, and the data were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three main superordinate themes were identified as the three phases of NBR—Prelude, Recuperating and Empowerment—explaining and illuminating the role of the natural environments in each phase. An explanatory model of NBR in this context is presented including the three phases of NBR, IRP supportive occupations and a pyramid of supporting environments. A new component of supportive environments was identified and herby named, Social quietness, an important component facilitating personal and intimate engagement with the natural environments. PMID:25026080

Developing Passenger Demand Models for International Aviation from/to Egypt: A Case Study of Cairo Airport and Egyptair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, Khaled A.; Fattah, Nabil Abdel; Reda, Hala R.

2003-01-01

This research is concerned with developing passenger demand models for international aviation from/to Egypt. In this context, aviation sector in Egypt is represented by the biggest and main airport namely Cairo airport as well as by the main Egyptian international air carrier namely Egyptair. The developed models utilize two variables to represent aviation demand, namely total number of international flights originating from and attracted to Cairo airport as well as total number of passengers using Egyptair international flights originating from and attracted to Cairo airport. Such demand variables were related, using different functional forms, to several explanatory variables including population, GDP and number of foreign tourists. Finally, two models were selected based on their logical acceptability, best fit and statistical significance. To demonstrate usefulness of developed models, these were used to forecast future demand patterns.

Managing for efficiency in health care: the case of Greek public hospitals.

PubMed

Mitropoulos, Panagiotis; Mitropoulos, Ioannis; Sissouras, Aris

2013-12-01

This paper evaluates the efficiency of public hospitals with two alternative conceptual models. One model targets resource usage directly to assess production efficiency, while the other model incorporates financial results to assess economic efficiency. Performance analysis of these models was conducted in two stages. In stage one, we utilized data envelopment analysis to obtain the efficiency score of each hospital, while in stage two we took into account the influence of the operational environment on efficiency by regressing those scores on explanatory variables that concern the performance of hospital services. We applied these methods to evaluate 96 general hospitals in the Greek national health system. The results indicate that, although the average efficiency scores in both models have remained relatively stable compared to past assessments, internal changes in hospital performances do exist. This study provides a clear framework for policy implications to increase the overall efficiency of general hospitals.

Structures and Relationships between the Business Executive and Information Technology Executive at the University: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollman, Angela K.

2014-01-01

This study uses an explanatory mixed methods methodology to attempt to determine the reporting relationships between business and IT executives within the university. The study also explores IT and business executives thoughts on these relationships. Supporting research from organizational studies and business-IT alignment is combined in order to…

The Source of Tok Pisin Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goulden, Rick J.

1989-01-01

The source of the similarities and differences produced by pidginization is a central question studied in Pidgin-Creole linguistics. Several explanatory approaches are discussed that have guided research in this area, including simplification, substratum, independent innovation, and universals. (27 references) (Author/OD)

Explaining the Development of False Memories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyna, Valerie F.; Holliday, Robyn; Marche, Tammy

2002-01-01

Reviews explanatory dimensions of children's false memory relevant to forensic practice: measurement, development, social factors, individual differences, varieties of memories and memory judgments, and varieties of procedures inducing false memories. Asserts that recent studies fail to use techniques that separate acquiescence from memory…

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 1050 - DOE Form 3735.2-Foreign Gifts Statement

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... should always be indicated in item 1; if the employee is the recipient of the gift then items 5 and 6... information should be included in items 5 and 6. Item 2.Self explanatory. Items 3 and 4.The Office or Division... employee or a spouse or dependent. Items 5 and 6.See above, Item 1. Item 7.Self explanatory. Item 8.Self...

Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Obey, David R. [D-WI-7

2009-02-23

03/11/2009 Became Public Law No: 111-8. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Notes: An explanatory statement was submitted by Mr. Obey, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations "as if it were a joint explanatory statement of a committee of conference." See the statement in the 2/23/2009 Congressional Record or in the House Appropriations committee print. Tracker: This bill has the status Became LawHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

A model for field toxicity tests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kaiser, Mark S.; Finger, Susan E.

1996-01-01

Toxicity tests conducted under field conditions present an interesting challenge for statistical modelling. In contrast to laboratory tests, the concentrations of potential toxicants are not held constant over the test. In addition, the number and identity of toxicants that belong in a model as explanatory factors are not known and must be determined through a model selection process. We present one model to deal with these needs. This model takes the record of mortalities to form a multinomial distribution in which parameters are modelled as products of conditional daily survival probabilities. These conditional probabilities are in turn modelled as logistic functions of the explanatory factors. The model incorporates lagged values of the explanatory factors to deal with changes in the pattern of mortalities over time. The issue of model selection and assessment is approached through the use of generalized information criteria and power divergence goodness-of-fit tests. These model selection criteria are applied in a cross-validation scheme designed to assess the ability of a model to both fit data used in estimation and predict data deleted from the estimation data set. The example presented demonstrates the need for inclusion of lagged values of the explanatory factors and suggests that penalized likelihood criteria may not provide adequate protection against overparameterized models in model selection.

Achieving Integration in Mixed Methods Designs—Principles and Practices

PubMed Central

Fetters, Michael D; Curry, Leslie A; Creswell, John W

2013-01-01

Mixed methods research offers powerful tools for investigating complex processes and systems in health and health care. This article describes integration principles and practices at three levels in mixed methods research and provides illustrative examples. Integration at the study design level occurs through three basic mixed method designs—exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and convergent—and through four advanced frameworks—multistage, intervention, case study, and participatory. Integration at the methods level occurs through four approaches. In connecting, one database links to the other through sampling. With building, one database informs the data collection approach of the other. When merging, the two databases are brought together for analysis. With embedding, data collection and analysis link at multiple points. Integration at the interpretation and reporting level occurs through narrative, data transformation, and joint display. The fit of integration describes the extent the qualitative and quantitative findings cohere. Understanding these principles and practices of integration can help health services researchers leverage the strengths of mixed methods. PMID:24279835

Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices.

PubMed

Fetters, Michael D; Curry, Leslie A; Creswell, John W

2013-12-01

Mixed methods research offers powerful tools for investigating complex processes and systems in health and health care. This article describes integration principles and practices at three levels in mixed methods research and provides illustrative examples. Integration at the study design level occurs through three basic mixed method designs-exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and convergent-and through four advanced frameworks-multistage, intervention, case study, and participatory. Integration at the methods level occurs through four approaches. In connecting, one database links to the other through sampling. With building, one database informs the data collection approach of the other. When merging, the two databases are brought together for analysis. With embedding, data collection and analysis link at multiple points. Integration at the interpretation and reporting level occurs through narrative, data transformation, and joint display. The fit of integration describes the extent the qualitative and quantitative findings cohere. Understanding these principles and practices of integration can help health services researchers leverage the strengths of mixed methods. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality and Repeated Measurement of Explanatory Risk Factors in a 25 Years Follow-Up

PubMed Central

Skalická, Věra; Ringdal, Kristen; Witvliet, Margot I.

2015-01-01

Background Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality can be explained by different groups of risk factors. However, little is known whether repeated measurement of risk factors can provide better explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in health. Our study examines the extent to which relative educational and income inequalities in mortality might be explained by explanatory risk factors (behavioral, psychosocial, biomedical risk factors and employment) measured at two points in time, as compared to one measurement at baseline. Methods and Findings From the Norwegian total county population-based HUNT Study (years 1984–86 and 1995–1997, respectively) 61 513 men and women aged 25–80 (82.5% of all enrolled) were followed-up for mortality in 25 years until 2009, employing a discrete time survival analysis. Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality were observed. As compared to their highest socioeconomic counterparts, the lowest educated men had an OR (odds ratio) of 1.41 (95% CI 1.29–1.55) and for the lowest income quartile OR = 1.59 (1.48–1.571), for women OR = 1.35 (1.17–1.55), and OR = 1.40 (1.28–1.52), respectively. Baseline explanatory variables attenuated the association between education and income with mortality by 54% and 54% in men, respectively, and by 69% and 18% in women. After entering time-varying variables, this attainment increased to 63% and 59% in men, respectively, and to 25% (income) in women, with no improvement in regard to education in women. Change in biomedical factors and employment did not amend the explanation. Conclusions Addition of a second measurement for risk factors provided only a modest improvement in explaining educational and income inequalities in mortality in Norwegian men and women. Accounting for change in behavior provided the largest improvement in explained inequalities in mortality for both men and women, as compared to measurement at baseline. Psychosocial factors explained the largest share of income inequalities in mortality for men, but repeated measurement of these factors contributed only to modest improvement in explanation. Further comparative research on the relative importance of explanatory pathways assessed over time is needed. PMID:25853571

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and repeated measurement of explanatory risk factors in a 25 years follow-up.

PubMed

Skalická, Věra; Ringdal, Kristen; Witvliet, Margot I

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality can be explained by different groups of risk factors. However, little is known whether repeated measurement of risk factors can provide better explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in health. Our study examines the extent to which relative educational and income inequalities in mortality might be explained by explanatory risk factors (behavioral, psychosocial, biomedical risk factors and employment) measured at two points in time, as compared to one measurement at baseline. From the Norwegian total county population-based HUNT Study (years 1984-86 and 1995-1997, respectively) 61 513 men and women aged 25-80 (82.5% of all enrolled) were followed-up for mortality in 25 years until 2009, employing a discrete time survival analysis. Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality were observed. As compared to their highest socioeconomic counterparts, the lowest educated men had an OR (odds ratio) of 1.41 (95% CI 1.29-1.55) and for the lowest income quartile OR = 1.59 (1.48-1.571), for women OR = 1.35 (1.17-1.55), and OR = 1.40 (1.28-1.52), respectively. Baseline explanatory variables attenuated the association between education and income with mortality by 54% and 54% in men, respectively, and by 69% and 18% in women. After entering time-varying variables, this attainment increased to 63% and 59% in men, respectively, and to 25% (income) in women, with no improvement in regard to education in women. Change in biomedical factors and employment did not amend the explanation. Addition of a second measurement for risk factors provided only a modest improvement in explaining educational and income inequalities in mortality in Norwegian men and women. Accounting for change in behavior provided the largest improvement in explained inequalities in mortality for both men and women, as compared to measurement at baseline. Psychosocial factors explained the largest share of income inequalities in mortality for men, but repeated measurement of these factors contributed only to modest improvement in explanation. Further comparative research on the relative importance of explanatory pathways assessed over time is needed.

Design and statistical problems in prevention.

PubMed

Gullberg, B

1996-01-01

Clinical and epidemiological research in osteoporosis can benefit from using the methods and techniques established in the area of chronic disease epidemiology. However, attention has to be given to the special characteristics such as the multifactorial nature and the fact that the subjects usually are of high ages. In order to evaluate prevention it is of course first necessary to detect and confirm reversible risk factors. The advantage and disadvantage of different design (cross-sectional, cohort and case-control) are well known. The effects of avoidable biases, e.g. selection, observation and confounding have to be balanced against practical conveniences like time, expenses, recruitment etc. The translation of relative risks into population attributable risks (etiologic fractions, prevented fractions) are complex and are usually performed under unrealistic, simplified assumptions. The consequences of interactions (synergy) between risk factors are often neglected. The multifactorial structure requires application of more advanced multi-level statistical techniques. The common strategy in prevention to target a cluster of risk factors in order to avoid the multifactorial nature implies that in the end it is impossible to separate each unique factor. Experimental designs for evaluating prevention like clinical trials and intervention have to take into account the distinction between explanatory and pragmatic studies. An explanatory approach is similar to an idealized laboratory trial while the pragmatic design is more realistic, practical and has a general public health perspective. The statistical techniques to be used in osteoporosis research are implemented in easy available computer-packages like SAS, SPSS, BMDP and GLIM. In addition to the traditional logistic regression methods like Cox analysis and Poisson regression also analysis of repeated measurement and cluster analysis are relevant.

A Comparison of Juror Decision Making in Race-Based and Sexual Orientation-Based Hate Crime Cases.

PubMed

Gamblin, Bradlee W; Kehn, Andre; Vanderzanden, Karen; Ruthig, Joelle C; Jones, Kelly M; Long, Brittney L

2018-05-01

Several constructs have been identified as relevant to the juror decision-making process in hate crime cases. However, there is a lack of research on the relationships between these constructs and their variable influence across victim group. The purpose of the current study was to reexamine factors relevant to the juror decision-making process in hate crime cases within a structural model, and across victim group, to gauge the relative strength and explanatory power of various predictors. In the current study, 313 participants sentenced a perpetrator found guilty of a hate crime committed against either a Black man or a gay man; participants also responded to individual difference measures relevant to mock juror hate crime decision making, including prejudice toward the victim's social group. Using path analysis, we explored the role of juror prejudice on sentencing decisions in hate crime cases as well as similarities and differences based on the victimized group. Results indicated that, when the victim was a Black man, modern racism influenced sentencing both directly and indirectly through perpetrator blame attributions, explaining 18% of the variance in sentencing. In contrast, when the victim was a gay man, modern homophobia did not directly predict sentencing, and the overall model explained only 4% of the variance in sentencing, suggesting variables beyond juror prejudice may be better suited to explain juror decision making in sexual orientation-based hate crimes. The current study suggests that the role of juror prejudice in hate crime cases varies as a function of the victimized group and raises questions about the importance of juror prejudice in the sentencing of hate crime cases, particularly antigay prejudice. The importance of blame attributions, social dominance orientation, and juror beliefs regarding penalty enhancements for hate crime cases, as well as policy implications, are also addressed.

Intentions to Perform Non-Pharmaceutical Protective Behaviors during Influenza Outbreaks in Sweden: A Cross-Sectional Study following a Mass Vaccination Campaign

PubMed Central

Timpka, Toomas; Spreco, Armin; Gursky, Elin; Eriksson, Olle; Dahlström, Örjan; Strömgren, Magnus; Ekberg, Joakim; Pilemalm, Sofie; Karlsson, David; Hinkula, Jorma; Holm, Einar

2014-01-01

Failure to incorporate the beliefs and attitudes of the public into theoretical models of preparedness has been identified as a weakness in strategies to mitigate infectious disease outbreaks. We administered a cross-sectional telephone survey to a representative sample (n = 443) of the Swedish adult population to examine whether self-reported intentions to improve personal hygiene and increase social distancing during influenza outbreaks could be explained by trust in official information, self-reported health (SF-8), sociodemographic factors, and determinants postulated in protection motivation theory, namely threat appraisal and coping appraisal. The interviewees were asked to make their appraisals for two scenarios: a) an influenza with low case fatality and mild lifestyle impact; b) severe influenza with high case fatality and serious disturbances of societal functions. Every second respondent (50.0%) reported high trust in official information about influenza. The proportion that reported intentions to take deliberate actions to improve personal hygiene during outbreaks ranged between 45–85%, while less than 25% said that they intended to increase social distancing. Multiple logistic regression models with coping appraisal as the explanatory factor most frequently contributing to the explanation of the variance in intentions showed strong discriminatory performance for staying home while not ill (mild outbreaks: Area under the curve [AUC] 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.82;0.89), severe outbreaks AUC 0.82 (95% CI 0.77;0.85)) and acceptable performance with regard to avoiding public transportation (AUC 0.78 (0.74;0.82), AUC 0.77 (0.72;0.82)), using handwash products (AUC 0.70 (0.65;0.75), AUC 0.76 (0.71;0.80)), and frequently washing hands (AUC 0.71 (0.66;0.76), AUC 0.75 (0.71;0.80)). We conclude that coping appraisal was the explanatory factor most frequently included in statistical models explaining self-reported intentions to carry out non-pharmaceutical health actions in the Swedish outlined context, and that variations in threat appraisal played a smaller role in these models despite scientific uncertainties surrounding a recent mass vaccination campaign. PMID:24608557

Intentions to perform non-pharmaceutical protective behaviors during influenza outbreaks in Sweden: a cross-sectional study following a mass vaccination campaign.

PubMed

Timpka, Toomas; Spreco, Armin; Gursky, Elin; Eriksson, Olle; Dahlström, Örjan; Strömgren, Magnus; Ekberg, Joakim; Pilemalm, Sofie; Karlsson, David; Hinkula, Jorma; Holm, Einar

2014-01-01

Failure to incorporate the beliefs and attitudes of the public into theoretical models of preparedness has been identified as a weakness in strategies to mitigate infectious disease outbreaks. We administered a cross-sectional telephone survey to a representative sample (n = 443) of the Swedish adult population to examine whether self-reported intentions to improve personal hygiene and increase social distancing during influenza outbreaks could be explained by trust in official information, self-reported health (SF-8), sociodemographic factors, and determinants postulated in protection motivation theory, namely threat appraisal and coping appraisal. The interviewees were asked to make their appraisals for two scenarios: a) an influenza with low case fatality and mild lifestyle impact; b) severe influenza with high case fatality and serious disturbances of societal functions. Every second respondent (50.0%) reported high trust in official information about influenza. The proportion that reported intentions to take deliberate actions to improve personal hygiene during outbreaks ranged between 45-85%, while less than 25% said that they intended to increase social distancing. Multiple logistic regression models with coping appraisal as the explanatory factor most frequently contributing to the explanation of the variance in intentions showed strong discriminatory performance for staying home while not ill (mild outbreaks: Area under the curve [AUC] 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.82;0.89), severe outbreaks AUC 0.82 (95% CI 0.77;0.85)) and acceptable performance with regard to avoiding public transportation (AUC 0.78 (0.74;0.82), AUC 0.77 (0.72;0.82)), using handwash products (AUC 0.70 (0.65;0.75), AUC 0.76 (0.71;0.80)), and frequently washing hands (AUC 0.71 (0.66;0.76), AUC 0.75 (0.71;0.80)). We conclude that coping appraisal was the explanatory factor most frequently included in statistical models explaining self-reported intentions to carry out non-pharmaceutical health actions in the Swedish outlined context, and that variations in threat appraisal played a smaller role in these models despite scientific uncertainties surrounding a recent mass vaccination campaign.

Inventing Homo gardarensis: prestige, pressure, and human evolution in interwar Scandinavia.

PubMed

Kjaergaard, Peter C

2014-06-01

In the 1920s there were still very few fossil human remains to support an evolutionary explanation of human origins. Nonetheless, evolution as an explanatory framework was widely accepted. This led to a search for ancestors in several continents with fierce international competition. With so little fossil evidence available and the idea of a Missing Link as a crucial piece of evidence in human evolution still intact, many actors participated in the scientific race to identify the human ancestor. The curious case of Homo gardarensis serves as an example of how personal ambitions and national pride were deeply interconnected as scientific concerns were sometimes slighted in interwar palaeoanthropology.

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Klamath Mountains study unit, 2010: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth

2014-01-01

Groundwater quality in the Klamath Mountains (KLAM) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in Del Norte, Humboldt, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA Priority Basin Project was designed to provide a spatially unbiased, statistically robust assessment of the quality of untreated (raw) groundwater in the primary aquifer system. The assessment is based on water-quality data and explanatory factors for groundwater samples collected in 2010 by the USGS from 39 sites and on water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) water-quality database. The primary aquifer system was defined by the depth intervals of the wells listed in the CDPH water-quality database for the KLAM study unit. The quality of groundwater in the primary aquifer system may be different from that in the shallower or deeper water-bearing zones; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. This study included two types of assessments: (1) a status assessment, which characterized the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements, and (2) an understanding assessment, which evaluated the natural and human factors potentially affecting the groundwater quality. The assessments were intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources in the primary aquifer system of the KLAM study unit, not the quality of treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentrations divided by the health- or aesthetic-based benchmark concentrations) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal or California regulatory or non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. A relative-concentration greater than (>) 1.0 indicates a concentration greater than a benchmark, and a relative-concentration less than or equal to (≤) 1.0 indicates a concentration less than or equal to a benchmark. Relative-concentrations of organic constituents were classified as “high” (relative-concentration > 1.0), “moderate” (0.1 Aquifer-scale proportion was used in the status assessment as the primary metric for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the area of the primary aquifer system with a relative-concentration greater than 1.0 for a particular constituent or class of constituents; percentage is based on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the percentages of the primary aquifer system with moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. The KLAM study unit includes more than 8,800 square miles (mi2), but only those areas near the sampling sites, about 920 mi2, are included in the areal assessment of the study unit. Two statistical approaches—grid-based and spatially weighted—were used to evaluate aquifer-scale proportions for individual constituents and classes of constituents. To confirm this methodology, 90 percent confidence intervals were calculated for the grid-based high aquifer-scale proportions and were compared to the spatially weighted results, which were found to be within these confidence intervals in all cases. Grid-based results were selected for use in the status assessment unless, as was observed in a few cases, a grid-based result was zero and the spatially weighted result was not zero, in which case, the spatially weighted result was used. The status assessment showed that inorganic constituents with human-health benchmarks were detected at high relative-concentrations in 2.6 percent of the primary aquifer system and at moderate relative-concentrations in 10 percent of the system. The high aquifer-scale proportion for inorganic constituents mainly reflected the high aquifer-scale proportions of boron. Inorganic constituents with secondary maximum contaminant levels were detected at high relative-concentrations in 13 percent of the primary aquifer system and at moderate relative-concentrations in 10 percent of the system. The constituents present at high relative-concentrations included iron and manganese. Organic constituents with human-health benchmarks were not detected at high relative-concentrations, but were detected at moderate relative-concentrations in 1.9 percent of the primary aquifer system. The 1.9 percent reflected a spatially weighted moderate aquifer-scale proportion for the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether. Of the 148 organic constituents analyzed, 14 constituents were detected. Only one organic constituent had a detection frequency of greater than 10 percent—the trihalomethane, chloroform. The second component of this study, the understanding assessment, identified the natural and human factors that may have affected the groundwater quality in the KLAM study unit by evaluating statistical correlations between water-quality constituents and potential explanatory factors. The potential explanatory factors evaluated were aquifer lithology, land use, hydrologic conditions, depth, groundwater age, and geochemical conditions. Results of the statistical evaluations were used to explain the occurrence and distribution of constituents in the KLAM study unit. Groundwater age distribution (modern, mixed, or pre-modern), redox class (oxic, mixed, or anoxic), and dissolved oxygen concentration were the explanatory factors that best explained occurrence patterns of the inorganic constituents. High concentrations of boron were found to be associated with groundwater classified as mixed or pre-modern with respect to groundwater age. Boron was also negatively correlated to dissolved oxygen and positively correlated to specific conductance. Iron and manganese concentrations were strongly associated with low dissolved oxygen concentrations, anoxic and mixed redox classifications, and pre-modern groundwater. Specific conductance concentrations were found to be related to pre-modern groundwater, low dissolved oxygen concentrations, and high pH. Chloroform was selected for additional evaluation in the understanding assessment because it was detected in more than 10 percent of wells sampled in the KLAM study unit. Septic tank density was the only explanatory factor that was found to relate to chloroform concentrations.

A Study of Trial and Error Learning in Technology, Engineering, and Design Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franzen, Marissa Marie Sloan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to determine if trial and error learning was an effective, practical, and efficient learning method for Technology, Engineering, and Design Education students at the post-secondary level. A mixed methods explanatory research design was used to measure the viability of the learning source. The study sample was…

A Qualitative Study on the Contribution of Educational Administrators' Use of Social Media to Educational Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayram, Arslan

2017-01-01

The phenomenology design which is one of the qualitative research methods was employed in this research that aimed to reveal the contribution of educational administrators' usage of social media to educational administration. The research is an explanatory study survey model. The study groups were selected using convenience sampling method.…

Some Lexical Redundancy Rules for English Nouns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starosta, Stanley

In line with current thinking in transformational grammar, syntax as a system can and should be studied before a study is made of the use of that system. Chomsky's lexical redundancy rule is an area for further study, possibly to come closer to defining and achieving explanatory adequacy. If it is observed that English nouns come in two types,…

A Question of Effectiveness: Recruitment of Special Educators within High School Peer Support Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zascavage, Victoria; Winterman, Kathy; Armstrong, Philip; Schroeder-Steward, Jennifer

2008-01-01

The present study combines information about support groups for students with disabilities from 187 East Texas high schools with explanatory variables taken from data of the Texas Education Agency Academic Excellence Indicator System. This study is a tangential section of a larger study on the influence of peer support groups in East Texas…

Theoretical reflections on governance in health regions.

PubMed

Bretas, Nilo; Shimizu, Helena Eri

2017-04-01

This article analyzes governance in health regions, through the contributions of two studies: one on a governance model and the other on duties in the management of public policies networks. The former conducted a meta-analysis of 137 case studies in the literature on collaborative governance aimed at preparing an explanatory and analytical model. Authors identified critical variables that will influence the results: a previous history of conflict or cooperation, incentives for participation, power imbalances, leadership and institutional design. They also identified key factors: face-to-face dialogue, trust building and development of commitment and shared vision. The latter study examined networks of public policies in the analytic tradition and the perspective of governance, incorporating concepts from the field of political science, economics and interorganizational relations, in order to support the management of public policies networks. The study identified network management as equivalent to a strategic game involving functions: network activation, framework of relations, intermediation, facilitation and consensus building and mediation and arbitration. The combination of the two reflections provides a conceptual reference for better understanding of governance in health regions.

Recent molecular genetic studies and methodological issues in suicide research.

PubMed

Tsai, Shih-Jen; Hong, Chen-Jee; Liou, Ying-Jay

2011-06-01

Suicide behavior (SB) spans a spectrum ranging from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Strong evidence suggests a genetic susceptibility to SB, including familial heritability and common occurrence in twins. This review addresses recent molecular genetic studies in SB that include case-control association, genome gene-expression microarray, and genome-wide association (GWA). This work also reviews epigenetics in SB and pharmacogenetic studies of antidepressant-induced suicide. SB fulfills criteria for a complex genetic phenotype in which environmental factors interact with multiple genes to influence susceptibility. So far, case-control association approaches are still the mainstream in SB genetic studies, although whole genome gene-expression microarray and GWA studies have begun to emerge in recent years. Genetic association studies have suggested several genes (e.g., serotonin transporter, tryptophan hydroxylase 2, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor) related to SB, but not all reports support these findings. The case-control approach while useful is limited by present knowledge of disease pathophysiology. Genome-wide studies of gene expression and genetic variation are not constrained by our limited knowledge. However, the explanatory power and path to clinical translation of risk estimates for common variants reported in genome-wide association studies remain unclear because of the presence of rare and structural genetic variation. As whole genome sequencing becomes increasingly widespread, available genomic information will no longer be the limiting factor in applying genetics to clinical medicine. These approaches provide exciting new avenues to identify new candidate genes for SB genetic studies. The other limitation of genetic association is the lack of a consistent definition of the SB phenotype among studies, an inconsistency that hampers the comparability of the studies and data pooling. In summary, SB involves multiple genes interacting with non-genetic factors. A better understanding of the SB genes by combining whole genome approaches with case-control association studies, may potentially lead to developing effective screening, prevention, and management of SB. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecological and cosmological coexistence thinking in a hypervariable environment: causal models of economic success and failure among farmers, foragers, and fishermen of southwestern Madagascar

PubMed Central

Tucker, Bram; Tsiazonera; Tombo, Jaovola; Hajasoa, Patricia; Nagnisaha, Charlotte

2015-01-01

A fact of life for farmers, hunter-gatherers, and fishermen in the rural parts of the world are that crops fail, wild resources become scarce, and winds discourage fishing. In this article we approach subsistence risk from the perspective of “coexistence thinking,” the simultaneous application of natural and supernatural causal models to explain subsistence success and failure. In southwestern Madagascar, the ecological world is characterized by extreme variability and unpredictability, and the cosmological world is characterized by anxiety about supernatural dangers. Ecological and cosmological causes seem to point to different risk minimizing strategies: to avoid losses from drought, flood, or heavy winds, one should diversify activities and be flexible; but to avoid losses caused by disrespected spirits one should narrow one’s range of behaviors to follow the code of taboos and offerings. We address this paradox by investigating whether southwestern Malagasy understand natural and supernatural causes as occupying separate, contradictory explanatory systems (target dependence), whether they make no categorical distinction between natural and supernatural forces and combine them within a single explanatory system (synthetic thinking), or whether they have separate natural and supernatural categories of causes that are integrated into one explanatory system so that supernatural forces drive natural forces (integrative thinking). Results from three field studies suggest that (a) informants explain why crops, prey, and market activities succeed or fail with reference to natural causal forces like rainfall and pests, (b) they explain why individual persons experience success or failure primarily with supernatural factors like God and ancestors, and (c) they understand supernatural forces as driving natural forces, so that ecology and cosmology represent distinct sets of causes within a single explanatory framework. We expect that future cross-cultural analyses may find that this form of “integrative thinking” is common in unpredictable environments and is a cognitive strategy that accompanies economic diversification. PMID:26528205

Ecological and cosmological coexistence thinking in a hypervariable environment: causal models of economic success and failure among farmers, foragers, and fishermen of southwestern Madagascar.

PubMed

Tucker, Bram; Tsiazonera; Tombo, Jaovola; Hajasoa, Patricia; Nagnisaha, Charlotte

2015-01-01

A fact of life for farmers, hunter-gatherers, and fishermen in the rural parts of the world are that crops fail, wild resources become scarce, and winds discourage fishing. In this article we approach subsistence risk from the perspective of "coexistence thinking," the simultaneous application of natural and supernatural causal models to explain subsistence success and failure. In southwestern Madagascar, the ecological world is characterized by extreme variability and unpredictability, and the cosmological world is characterized by anxiety about supernatural dangers. Ecological and cosmological causes seem to point to different risk minimizing strategies: to avoid losses from drought, flood, or heavy winds, one should diversify activities and be flexible; but to avoid losses caused by disrespected spirits one should narrow one's range of behaviors to follow the code of taboos and offerings. We address this paradox by investigating whether southwestern Malagasy understand natural and supernatural causes as occupying separate, contradictory explanatory systems (target dependence), whether they make no categorical distinction between natural and supernatural forces and combine them within a single explanatory system (synthetic thinking), or whether they have separate natural and supernatural categories of causes that are integrated into one explanatory system so that supernatural forces drive natural forces (integrative thinking). Results from three field studies suggest that (a) informants explain why crops, prey, and market activities succeed or fail with reference to natural causal forces like rainfall and pests, (b) they explain why individual persons experience success or failure primarily with supernatural factors like God and ancestors, and (c) they understand supernatural forces as driving natural forces, so that ecology and cosmology represent distinct sets of causes within a single explanatory framework. We expect that future cross-cultural analyses may find that this form of "integrative thinking" is common in unpredictable environments and is a cognitive strategy that accompanies economic diversification.

Modeling Effects of Temperature, Soil, Moisture, Nutrition and Variety As Determinants of Severity of Pythium Damping-Off and Root Disease in Subterranean Clover

PubMed Central

You, Ming P.; Rensing, Kelly; Renton, Michael; Barbetti, Martin J.

2017-01-01

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is a critical pasture legume in Mediterranean regions of southern Australia and elsewhere, including Mediterranean-type climatic regions in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Pythium damping-off and root disease caused by Pythium irregulare is a significant threat to subterranean clover in Australia and a study was conducted to define how environmental factors (viz. temperature, soil type, moisture and nutrition) as well as variety, influence the extent of damping-off and root disease as well as subterranean clover productivity under challenge by this pathogen. Relationships were statistically modeled using linear and generalized linear models and boosted regression trees. Modeling found complex relationships between explanatory variables and the extent of Pythium damping-off and root rot. Linear modeling identified high-level (4 or 5-way) significant interactions for each dependent variable (dry shoot and root weight, emergence, tap and lateral root disease index). Furthermore, all explanatory variables (temperature, soil, moisture, nutrition, variety) were found significant as part of some interaction within these models. A significant five-way interaction between all explanatory variables was found for both dry shoot and root dry weights, and a four way interaction between temperature, soil, moisture, and nutrition was found for both tap and lateral root disease index. A second approach to modeling using boosted regression trees provided support for and helped clarify the complex nature of the relationships found in linear models. All explanatory variables showed at least 5% relative influence on each of the five dependent variables. All models indicated differences due to soil type, with the sand-based soil having either higher weights, greater emergence, or lower disease indices; while lowest weights and less emergence, as well as higher disease indices, were found for loam soil and low temperature. There was more severe tap and lateral root rot disease in higher moisture situations. PMID:29184544

Multiple causes of nonstationarity in the Weihe annual low-flow series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Bin; Xiong, Lihua; Chen, Jie; Xu, Chong-Yu; Li, Lingqi

2018-02-01

Under the background of global climate change and local anthropogenic activities, multiple driving forces have introduced various nonstationary components into low-flow series. This has led to a high demand on low-flow frequency analysis that considers nonstationary conditions for modeling. In this study, through a nonstationary frequency analysis framework with the generalized linear model (GLM) to consider time-varying distribution parameters, the multiple explanatory variables were incorporated to explain the variation in low-flow distribution parameters. These variables are comprised of the three indices of human activities (HAs; i.e., population, POP; irrigation area, IAR; and gross domestic product, GDP) and the eight measuring indices of the climate and catchment conditions (i.e., total precipitation P, mean frequency of precipitation events λ, temperature T, potential evapotranspiration (EP), climate aridity index AIEP, base-flow index (BFI), recession constant K and the recession-related aridity index AIK). This framework was applied to model the annual minimum flow series of both Huaxian and Xianyang gauging stations in the Weihe River, China (also known as the Wei He River). The results from stepwise regression for the optimal explanatory variables show that the variables related to irrigation, recession, temperature and precipitation play an important role in modeling. Specifically, analysis of annual minimum 30-day flow in Huaxian shows that the nonstationary distribution model with any one of all explanatory variables is better than the one without explanatory variables, the nonstationary gamma distribution model with four optimal variables is the best model and AIK is of the highest relative importance among these four variables, followed by IAR, BFI and AIEP. We conclude that the incorporation of multiple indices related to low-flow generation permits tracing various driving forces. The established link in nonstationary analysis will be beneficial to analyze future occurrences of low-flow extremes in similar areas.

Understanding burnout according to individual differences: ongoing explanatory power evaluation of two models for measuring burnout types

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The classic determination of burnout is by means of the dimensions exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy. A new definition of the syndrome is based on clinical subtypes, consisting of “frenetic” (involved, ambitious, overloaded), “underchallenged” (indifferent, bored, with lack of personal development) and “worn-out” (neglectful, unacknowledged, with little control). The dimensions of overload, lack of development and neglect form a shortened version of this perspective. The aims of this study were to estimate and to compare the explanatory power of both typological models, short and long, with the standard measurement. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey with a randomly sample of university employees (n=409). Multivariate linear regression models were constructed between the “Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey” (MBI-GS) dimensions, as dependent variables, and the “Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire” (BCSQ-36 and BCSQ-12) dimensions, as independent variables. Results The BCSQ-36 subscales together explained 53% of ‘exhaustion’ (p<0.001), 59% of ‘cynicism’ (p<0.001) and 37% of ‘efficacy’ (p<0.001), while BCSQ-12 subscales explained 44% of ‘exhaustion’ (p<0.001), 44% of ‘cynicism’ (p<0.001), and 30% of ‘efficacy’ (p<0.001). The difference in the explanatory power of both models was significant for ‘exhaustion’ (p<0.001), and for ‘cynicism’ (p<0.001) and ‘efficacy (p<0.001). Conclusions Both BCSQ-36 and BCSQ-12 demonstrate great explanatory power over the standard MBI-GS, while offering a useful characterization of the syndrome for the evaluation and design of interventions tailored to the characteristics of each individual. The BCSQ-36 may be very useful in mental health services, given that it provides a good deal of information, while the BCSQ-12 could be used as a screening measure in primary care consultations owing to its simplicity and functional nature. PMID:23110723

A Structural Equation Model Explaining 8th Grade Students' Mathematics Achievements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurt, Eyüp; Sünbül, Ali Murat

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate, via a model, the explanatory and predictive relationships among the following variables: Mathematical Problem Solving and Reasoning Skills, Sources of Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Spatial Ability, and Mathematics Achievements of Secondary School 8th Grade Students. The sample group of the study, itself…

The Value of Mixed Methods Research: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKim, Courtney A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the perceived value of mixed methods research for graduate students. The quantitative phase was an experiment examining the effect of a passage's methodology on students' perceived value. Results indicated students scored the mixed methods passage as more valuable than those who…

Uncovering Productive Morphosyntax in French-Learning Toddlers: A Multidimensional Methodology Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barriére, Isabelle; Goyet, Louise; Kresh, Sarah; Legendre, Géraldine; Nazzi, Thierry

2016-01-01

The present study applies a multidimensional methodological approach to the study of the acquisition of morphosyntax. It focuses on evaluating the degree of productivity of an infrequent subject-verb agreement pattern in the early acquisition of French and considers the explanatory role played by factors such as input frequency, semantic…

Conflicts Management Model in School: A Mixed Design Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Soner

2016-01-01

The object of this study is to evaluate the reasons for conflicts occurring in school according to perceptions and views of teachers and resolution strategies used for conflicts and to build a model based on the results obtained. In the research, explanatory design including quantitative and qualitative methods has been used. The quantitative part…

Education Policy Influence Efficacy: Teacher Beliefs in Their Ability to Change Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinnant-Crawford, Brandi

2016-01-01

Guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) this study sought to understand how teachers view themselves as educational policy actors and to construct an instrument that measures teacher beliefs about their aptitude to advocate for changes in educational policy. This study employed a sequential explanatory design, characterized by quantitative data…

Toward a Better Understanding of Student Perceptions of Writing Feedback: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zumbrunn, Sharon; Marrs, Sarah; Mewborn, Caitlin

2016-01-01

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated the writing feedback perceptions of middle and high school students (N = 598). The predictive and mediational roles of writing self-efficacy and perceptions of writing feedback on student writing self-regulation aptitude were examined using mediation regression analysis. To augment the…

The Role of Attitudes in the Development of Russian as a Foreign Language: A Retrospective Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bátyi, Szilvia

2017-01-01

The article reports the findings of a retrospective study which looked at Hungarian learners' attitudes towards Russian people, the Russian language and teachers of Russian. Mixed-methods sequential explanatory design (Ivankova, Creswell, & Stick, 2006) was applied which combines the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data…

Auditory Processing of Amplitude Envelope Rise Time in Adults Diagnosed with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasquini, Elisabeth S.; Corriveau, Kathleen H.; Goswami, Usha

2007-01-01

Studies of basic (nonspeech) auditory processing in adults thought to have developmental dyslexia have yielded a variety of data. Yet there has been little consensus regarding the explanatory value of auditory processing in accounting for reading difficulties. Recently, however, a number of studies of basic auditory processing in children with…

Superintendent Leadership and Student Achievement in Suburban High Schools: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellner, Steven Reese

2012-01-01

This research study explored the critical nature of the connection between student achievement and superintendent leadership. A great deal of scholarship has addressed either student achievement or leadership and previous evidence has suggested the impact of both parental education and racioethnicity on student achievement, but few studies have…

Preliminary Evolutionary Explanations: A Basic Framework for Conceptual Change and Explanatory Coherence in Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kampourakis, Kostas; Zogza, Vasso

2009-01-01

This study aimed to explore secondary students' explanations of evolutionary processes, and to determine how consistent these were, after a specific evolution instruction. In a previous study it was found that before instruction students provided different explanations for similar processes to tasks with different content. Hence, it seemed that…

Adult Learners' Knowledge of Fraction Addition and Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muckridge, Nicole A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine adult developmental mathematics (ADM) students' knowledge of fraction addition and subtraction as it relates to their demonstrated fraction schemes and ability to disembed in multiplicative contexts with whole numbers. The study was conducted using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design. In the first…

Toward Greater Specificity in Identifying Associations among Interparental Aggression, Child Emotional Reactivity to Conflict, and Child Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Patrick T.; Cicchetti, Dante; Martin, Meredith J.

2012-01-01

This study examined specific forms of emotional reactivity to conflict and temperamental emotionality as explanatory mechanisms in pathways among interparental aggression and child psychological problems. Participants of the multimethod, longitudinal study included 201 two-year-old children and their mothers who had experienced elevated violence…

Advancing theory of family conflict at the end of life: a hospice case study.

PubMed

Boelk, Amy Z; Kramer, Betty J

2012-11-01

Although family conflict is a common occurrence for families involved in caregiving for a dying family member, it has not been examined in the hospice context. The purpose of this study was to advance theory of family conflict at the end of life through replication and expansion of a case study involving professional perspectives in the context of a managed care program for low-income elders with advanced chronic disease in their last six months of life, by exploring the perceptions of professionals and family caregivers experiencing conflict in the hospice context. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 15 hospice family caregivers experiencing substantial family conflict, and focus groups with 37 professionals employed in a large multicounty and nonprofit hospice in the Midwest U.S. Dimensional analysis, a method for the generation of grounded theory, was used to refine and expand an explanatory matrix of family conflict at the end of life. The initial matrix was expanded through the inclusion of eight new and two refined categories, strengthening our understanding of family conflict as a complex phenomenon influenced by salient contextual variables, conditions, and factors that may contribute to a number of negative outcomes for patients, family members, and professionals. The study findings are discussed in terms of implications for assessment and intervention. Copyright © 2012 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards a computational(ist) neurobiology of language: Correlational, integrated, and explanatory neurolinguistics*

PubMed Central

Poeppel, David

2014-01-01

We outline what an integrated approach to language research that connects experimental, theoretical, and neurobiological domains of inquiry would look like, and ask to what extent unification is possible across domains. At the center of the program is the idea that computational/representational (CR) theories of language must be used to investigate its neurobiological (NB) foundations. We consider different ways in which CR and NB might be connected. These are (1) A Correlational way, in which NB computation is correlated with the CR theory; (2) An Integrated way, in which NB data provide crucial evidence for choosing among CR theories; and (3) an Explanatory way, in which properties of NB explain why a CR theory is the way it is. We examine various questions concerning the prospects for Explanatory connections in particular, including to what extent it makes sense to say that NB could be specialized for particular computations. PMID:25914888

Towards a computational(ist) neurobiology of language: Correlational, integrated, and explanatory neurolinguistics.

PubMed

Embick, David; Poeppel, David

2015-05-01

We outline what an integrated approach to language research that connects experimental, theoretical, and neurobiological domains of inquiry would look like, and ask to what extent unification is possible across domains. At the center of the program is the idea that computational/representational (CR) theories of language must be used to investigate its neurobiological (NB) foundations. We consider different ways in which CR and NB might be connected. These are (1) A Correlational way, in which NB computation is correlated with the CR theory; (2) An Integrated way, in which NB data provide crucial evidence for choosing among CR theories; and (3) an Explanatory way, in which properties of NB explain why a CR theory is the way it is. We examine various questions concerning the prospects for Explanatory connections in particular, including to what extent it makes sense to say that NB could be specialized for particular computations.

Exploring the post-genomic world: differing explanatory and manipulatory functions of post-genomic sciences

PubMed Central

Holmes, Christina; Carlson, Siobhan M.; McDonald, Fiona; Jones, Mavis; Graham, Janice

2016-01-01

Richard Lewontin proposed that the ability of a scientific field to create a narrative for public understanding garners it social relevance. This article applies Lewontin's conceptual framework of the functions of science (manipulatory and explanatory) to compare and explain the current differences in perceived societal relevance of genetics/genomics and proteomics. We provide three examples to illustrate the social relevance and strong cultural narrative of genetics/genomics for which no counterpart exists for proteomics. We argue that the major difference between genetics/genomics and proteomics is that genomics has a strong explanatory function, due to the strong cultural narrative of heredity. Based on qualitative interviews and observations of proteomics conferences, we suggest that the nature of proteins, lack of public understanding, and theoretical complexity exacerbates this difference for proteomics. Lewontin's framework suggests that social scientists may find that omics sciences affect social relations in different ways than past analyses of genetics. PMID:27134568

The realizers and vehicles of mental representation.

PubMed

Drayson, Zoe

2018-04-01

The neural vehicles of mental representation play an explanatory role in cognitive psychology that their realizers do not. Cognitive psychology individuates neural structures as representational vehicles in terms of the specific causal properties to which cognitive mechanisms are sensitive. Explanations that appeal to properties of vehicles can capture generalisations which are not available at the level of their neural realizers. In this paper, I argue that the individuation of realizers as vehicles restricts the sorts of explanations in which they can participate. I illustrate this with reference to Rupert's (2011) claim that representational vehicles can play an explanatory role in psychology in virtue of their quantity or proportion. I propose that such quantity-based explanatory claims can apply only to realizers and not to vehicles, in virtue of the particular causal role that vehicles play in psychological explanations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the post-genomic world: differing explanatory and manipulatory functions of post-genomic sciences.

PubMed

Holmes, Christina; Carlson, Siobhan M; McDonald, Fiona; Jones, Mavis; Graham, Janice

2016-01-02

Richard Lewontin proposed that the ability of a scientific field to create a narrative for public understanding garners it social relevance. This article applies Lewontin's conceptual framework of the functions of science (manipulatory and explanatory) to compare and explain the current differences in perceived societal relevance of genetics/genomics and proteomics. We provide three examples to illustrate the social relevance and strong cultural narrative of genetics/genomics for which no counterpart exists for proteomics. We argue that the major difference between genetics/genomics and proteomics is that genomics has a strong explanatory function, due to the strong cultural narrative of heredity. Based on qualitative interviews and observations of proteomics conferences, we suggest that the nature of proteins, lack of public understanding, and theoretical complexity exacerbates this difference for proteomics. Lewontin's framework suggests that social scientists may find that omics sciences affect social relations in different ways than past analyses of genetics.

Spatial modelling of landscape aesthetic potential in urban-rural fringes.

PubMed

Sahraoui, Yohan; Clauzel, Céline; Foltête, Jean-Christophe

2016-10-01

The aesthetic potential of landscape has to be modelled to provide tools for land-use planning. This involves identifying landscape attributes and revealing individuals' landscape preferences. Landscape aesthetic judgments of individuals (n = 1420) were studied by means of a photo-based survey. A set of landscape visibility metrics was created to measure landscape composition and configuration in each photograph using spatial data. These metrics were used as explanatory variables in multiple linear regressions to explain aesthetic judgments. We demonstrate that landscape aesthetic judgments may be synthesized in three consensus groups. The statistical results obtained show that landscape visibility metrics have good explanatory power. Ultimately, we propose a spatial modelling of landscape aesthetic potential based on these results combined with systematic computation of visibility metrics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Explanatory Model of Dating Violence Risk Factors in Spanish Adolescents.

PubMed

Aizpitarte, Alazne; Alonso-Arbiol, Itziar; Van de Vijver, Fons J R

2017-12-01

Dating violence is a serious public health issue that needs further understanding in terms of risk factors that may be involved in it. The main goal of this study was to test a mediational model of dating violence risk factors. The sample was composed of 477 secondary and college students from Spain (59% females). A dynamic developmental explanatory model considering aggressiveness, insecure attachment, interparental conflict, and peer dating violence was tested using a multigroup structural equation model. Aggressiveness partially mediated the relation between anxious attachment and dating violence and fully mediated the association between interparental conflict resolution and dating violence. Furthermore, perceived peer dating violence was a direct predictor of dating violence. Implications for prevention and intervention plans are discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2017 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Insight in Psychosis: An Indicator of Severity of Psychosis, an Explanatory Model of Illness, and a Coping Strategy

PubMed Central

Jacob, K. S.

2016-01-01

Recent studies related to insight, explanatory models (EMs) of illness and their relationship to outcome of psychosis are reviewed. The traditional argument that insight predicts outcome in psychosis is not supported by recent longitudinal data, which has been analyzed using multivariable statistics that adjust for severity and quality of illness. While all cognition will have a neurobiological representation, if “insight” is related to the primary psychotic process, then insight cannot be seen as an independent predictor of outcome but a part of the progression of illness. The evidence suggests insight, like all EMs, is belief which interacts with the trajectory of the person's illness and the local culture to produce a unique understanding of the illness for the particular individual and his/her family. PMID:27335513

Using Qualitative Methods to Explore Lay Explanatory Models, Health-Seeking Behaviours and Self-Care Practices of Podoconiosis Patients in North-West Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Banks, Harrison S.; Tsegay, Girmay; Wubie, Moges; Tamiru, Abreham; Davey, Gail; Cooper, Max

2016-01-01

Background Podoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) is a chronic, non-infectious disease resulting from exposure of bare feet to red-clay soil in tropical highlands. This study examined lay beliefs about three under-researched aspects of podoconiosis patients’ care: explanatory models, health-seeking behaviours and self-care. Methods In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were undertaken with 34 participants (19 male, 15 female) between April-May 2015 at podoconiosis treatment centres across East and West Gojjam regions in north-west Ethiopia. Results Explanatory models for podoconiosis included contamination from blood, magic, soil or affected individuals. Belief in heredity or divine punishment often delayed clinic attendance. All participants had tried holy water treatment and some, holy soil. Herbal treatments were considered ineffectual, costly and appeared to promote fluid escape. Motivators for clinic attendance were failure of traditional treatments and severe or disabling symptoms. Patients did not report self-treatment with antibiotics. Self-care was hindered by water being unavailable or expensive and patient fatigue. Conclusion A pluralistic approach to podoconiosis self-treatment was discovered. Holy water is widely valued, though some patients prefer holy soil. Priests and traditional healers could help promote self-care and “signpost” patients to clinics. Change in behaviour and improving water access is key to self-care. PMID:27536772

The PRECIS-2 tool has good interrater reliability and modest discriminant validity.

PubMed

Loudon, Kirsty; Zwarenstein, Merrick; Sullivan, Frank M; Donnan, Peter T; Gágyor, Ildikó; Hobbelen, Hans J S M; Althabe, Fernando; Krishnan, Jerry A; Treweek, Shaun

2017-08-01

PRagmatic Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS)-2 is a tool that could improve design insight for trialists. Our aim was to validate the PRECIS-2 tool, unlike its predecessor, testing the discriminant validity and interrater reliability. Over 80 international trialists, methodologists, clinicians, and policymakers created PRECIS-2 helping to ensure face validity and content validity. The interrater reliability of PRECIS-2 was measured using 19 experienced trialists who used PRECIS-2 to score a diverse sample of 15 randomized controlled trial protocols. Discriminant validity was tested with two raters to independently determine if the trial protocols were more pragmatic or more explanatory, with scores from the 19 raters for the 15 trials as predictors of pragmatism. Interrater reliability was generally good, with seven of nine domains having an intraclass correlation coefficient over 0.65. Flexibility (adherence) and recruitment had wide confidence intervals, but raters found these difficult to rate and wanted more information. Each of the nine PRECIS-2 domains could be used to differentiate between trials taking more pragmatic or more explanatory approaches with better than chance discrimination for all domains. We have assessed the validity and reliability of PRECIS-2. An elaboration study and web site provide guidance to help future users of the tool which is continuing to be tested by trial teams, systematic reviewers, and funders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Beyond the Central Dogma: Model-Based Learning of How Genes Determine Phenotypes

PubMed Central

Reinagel, Adam; Bray Speth, Elena

2016-01-01

In an introductory biology course, we implemented a learner-centered, model-based pedagogy that frequently engaged students in building conceptual models to explain how genes determine phenotypes. Model-building tasks were incorporated within case studies and aimed at eliciting students’ understanding of 1) the origin of variation in a population and 2) how genes/alleles determine phenotypes. Guided by theory on hierarchical development of systems-thinking skills, we scaffolded instruction and assessment so that students would first focus on articulating isolated relationships between pairs of molecular genetics structures and then integrate these relationships into an explanatory network. We analyzed models students generated on two exams to assess whether students’ learning of molecular genetics progressed along the theoretical hierarchical sequence of systems-thinking skills acquisition. With repeated practice, peer discussion, and instructor feedback over the course of the semester, students’ models became more accurate, better contextualized, and more meaningful. At the end of the semester, however, more than 25% of students still struggled to describe phenotype as an output of protein function. We therefore recommend that 1) practices like modeling, which require connecting genes to phenotypes; and 2) well-developed case studies highlighting proteins and their functions, take center stage in molecular genetics instruction. PMID:26903496

Analyzing the influence of institutions on health policy development in Uganda: a case study of the decision to abolish user fees.

PubMed

Moat, K A; Abelson, J

2011-12-01

During the 2001 election campaign, President Yoweri Museveni announced he was abolishing user fees for health services in Uganda. No analysis has been carried out to explain how he was able to initiate such an important policy decision without encountering any immediate barriers. To explain this outcome through in-depth policy analysis driven by the application of key analytical frameworks. An explanatory case study informed by analytical frameworks from the institutionalism literature was undertaken. Multiple data sources were used including: academic literature, key government documents, grey literature, and a variety of print media. According to the analytical frameworks employed, several formal institutional constraints existed that would have reduced the prospects for the abolition of user fees. However, prevalent informal institutions such as "Big Man" presidentialism and clientelism that were both 'competing' and 'complementary' can be used to explain the policy outcome. The analysis suggests that these factors trumped the impact of more formal institutional structures in the Ugandan context. Consideration should be given to the interactions between formal and informal institutions in the analysis of health policy processes in Uganda, as they provide a more nuanced understanding of how each set of factors influence policy outcomes.

Oral cancer: the association between nation-based alcohol-drinking profiles and oral cancer mortality.

PubMed

Petti, Stefano; Scully, Crispian

2005-09-01

The unclear association between different nation-based alcohol-drinking profiles and oral cancer mortality was investigated using, as observational units, 20 countries from Europe, Northern America, Far Eastern Asia, with cross-nationally comparable data. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were run with male age-standardised, mortality rate (ASMR) as explanatory variable and annual adult alcohol consumption, adult smoking prevalence, life expectancy, as explanatory. Large between-country differences in ASMR (range, 0.88-6.87 per 100,000) were found, but the mean value was similar to the global estimate (3.31 vs. 3.09 per 100,000). Differences in alcohol consumption (2.06-21.03 annual litres per capita) and in distribution between beverages were reported. Wine was the most prevalent alcoholic beverage in 45% of cases. Significant increases in ASMR for every litre of pure ethanol (0.15 per 100,000; 95 CI, 0.01-0.29) and spirits (0.26 per 100,000; 95 CI, 0.03-0.49), non-significant effects for beer and wine were estimated. The impact of alcohol on oral cancer deaths would be higher than expected and the drinking profile could affect cancer mortality, probably because of the different drinking pattern of spirit drinkers, usually consuming huge alcohol quantities on single occasions, and the different concentrations of ethanol and cancer-preventing compounds such as polyphenols, in the various beverages.

Random parameter models for accident prediction on two-lane undivided highways in India.

PubMed

Dinu, R R; Veeraragavan, A

2011-02-01

Generalized linear modeling (GLM), with the assumption of Poisson or negative binomial error structure, has been widely employed in road accident modeling. A number of explanatory variables related to traffic, road geometry, and environment that contribute to accident occurrence have been identified and accident prediction models have been proposed. The accident prediction models reported in literature largely employ the fixed parameter modeling approach, where the magnitude of influence of an explanatory variable is considered to be fixed for any observation in the population. Similar models have been proposed for Indian highways too, which include additional variables representing traffic composition. The mixed traffic on Indian highways comes with a lot of variability within, ranging from difference in vehicle types to variability in driver behavior. This could result in variability in the effect of explanatory variables on accidents across locations. Random parameter models, which can capture some of such variability, are expected to be more appropriate for the Indian situation. The present study is an attempt to employ random parameter modeling for accident prediction on two-lane undivided rural highways in India. Three years of accident history, from nearly 200 km of highway segments, is used to calibrate and validate the models. The results of the analysis suggest that the model coefficients for traffic volume, proportion of cars, motorized two-wheelers and trucks in traffic, and driveway density and horizontal and vertical curvatures are randomly distributed across locations. The paper is concluded with a discussion on modeling results and the limitations of the present study. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying the physical and anthropometric qualities explanatory of paddling adolescents.

PubMed

Sinclair, Wade H; Leicht, Anthony S; Eady, Troy W; Marshall, Nick J; Woods, Carl T

2017-12-01

This study aimed to identify the physical and/or anthropometric qualities explanatory of adolescent surf lifesavers participating in paddling activities. Cross-sectional observational study. A total of 53 (14-18years) male participants were recruited and classified into two groups; paddlers (n=30; actively participating in paddling), non-paddlers (n=23; not actively participating in paddling). All participants completed a testing battery that consisted of 16 physical (isometric strength and muscular endurance) and anthropometric (height, mass, segment lengths and breadths) assessments. Binary logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves were built to identify the physical and/or anthropometric qualities most explanatory of paddling status (two levels: 1=paddlers, 0=non-paddlers). Significant between group differences were noted for 14 of the 16 assessments (P<0.05; d=0.59-1.29). However, it was the combination of horizontal shoulder abduction isometric strength, body mass, and sitting height that provided the greatest association with paddling status (Akaike Information Criterion=47.13). This full model successfully detected 87% and 70% of the paddlers and non-paddlers, respectively, with an area under the curve of 84.2%. These results indicate that there are distinctive physical and anthropometric qualities that may be advantageous for prospective paddling athletes to possess. Practitioners should integrate assessments of horizontal shoulder abduction isometric strength, body mass, and sitting height, as well as their subsequent cut-off thresholds, into talent detection programs focused toward the recognition of performance potential in paddling-oriented sports. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproductive practices by patterns of marriage among Iranian women: study protocol for an explanatory sequential mixed methods design.

PubMed

Taghizadeh, Ziba; Vedadhir, Abouali; Behmanesh, Fereshteh; Ebadi, Abbas; Pourreza, Abulghasem; Abbasi-Shavazi, Mohammad Jalal

2015-09-18

Nowadays, nearly half of the world population lives in societies with low fertility or the below-replacement fertility. This potentially grounds the critical situation of reduction in the workforce and causes the aging of population due to an overall increase in life expectancy and standard of living. Hence, population and its transitions including the issue of fertility decline has become a topic of intense debate in the agenda-setting and policy-making processes in both the developed and developing countries. In this view, what can practically be done to respond to the fertility decline that entails effectively addressing the determinants of fertility change? In line with the literature, how people form their marriages or patterns of marriage is amongst influencing factors which potentially affect their reproductive practices as diverse societies recognize different conventions for marriage. This study is to examine women's reproductive practices by the various patterns of marriage using the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. This study has an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the follow-up explanations variant model, with two strands. This design will be implemented in two distinct phases. In the first phase, a cross-sectional quantitative study will be done using a cluster sampling strategy on 850 married women 15-49 years old living in Babol city, Iran. In order to obtain a deeper understanding of the results of the quantitative phase, researchers will implement a qualitative research in the second phase of this study. This design will provide an explanation of the quantitative research results using the qualitative evidence. As patterns of marriage have implications for the status of women, their health and fertility, the result of this study can provide a rich source of information for the required health-related interventions and policies are required to put the demographic changes on the right track at micro and macro level and improve the reproductive practices of women at micro level.

Single-implant overdentures retained by the Novaloc attachment system: study protocol for a mixed-methods randomized cross-over trial.

PubMed

de Souza, Raphael F; Bedos, Christophe; Esfandiari, Shahrokh; Makhoul, Nicholas M; Dagdeviren, Didem; Abi Nader, Samer; Jabbar, Areej A; Feine, Jocelyne S

2018-04-23

Overdentures retained by a single implant in the midline have arisen as a minimal implant treatment for edentulous mandibles. The success of this treatment depends on the performance of a single stud attachment that is susceptible to wear-related retention loss. Recently developed biomaterials used in attachments may result in better performance of the overdentures, offering minimal retention loss and greater patient satisfaction. These biomaterials include resistant polymeric matrixes and amorphous diamond-like carbon applied on metallic components. The objective of this explanatory mixed-methods study is to compare Novaloc, a novel attachment system with such characteristics, to a traditional alternative for single implants in the mandible of edentate elderly patients. We will carry out a randomized cross-over clinical trial comparing Novaloc attachments to Locators for single-implant mandibular overdentures in edentate elderly individuals. Participants will be followed for three months with each attachment type; patient-based, clinical, and economic outcomes will be gathered. A sample of 26 participants is estimated to be required to detect clinically relevant differences in terms of the primary outcome (patient ratings of general satisfaction). Participants will choose which attachment they wish to keep, then be interviewed about their experiences and preferences with a single implant prosthesis and with the two attachments. Data from the quantitative and qualitative assessments will be integrated through a mixed-methods explanatory strategy. A last quantitative assessment will take place after 12 months with the preferred attachment; this latter assessment will enable measurement of the attachments' long-term wear and maintenance requirements. Our results will lead to evidence-based recommendations regarding these systems, guiding providers and patients when making decisions on which attachment systems and implant numbers will be most appropriate for individual cases. The recommendation of a specific attachment for elderly edentulous patients may combine positive outcomes from patient perspectives with low cost, good maintenance, and minimal invasiveness. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03126942 . Registered on 13 April 2017.

The Category of Alienation in Educational Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osin, E. N.

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the explanatory possibilities and limitations of the concept of alienation within the framework of educational psychology studies. Research into various phenomena associated with alienation (frustration and burnout, extrinsic motivation, cynicism, etc.) is often limited by the ontological realm of the individual, whereas the…

The Determinants of College Student Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Adam A.

2010-01-01

This study attempts to add to the college student dropout literature by examining persistence decisions at private, non-selective university using previously unstudied explanatory variables and advanced econometric methods. Three main contributions are provided. First, proprietary data obtained from a type of university that is underrepresented in…

Characterizing Resilience and Growth Among Soldiers: A Trajectory Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

casualties of cruel environments or bad genetics . Positive psychology challenges the assumptions of the disease model. It calls for as much focus on...by psychologists, under several different rubrics : dispositional optimism by Carver and Scheier (1981), hope by Snyder (2000), and explanatory style

Philosophical, Psychological, and Ethological Approaches to the Search for Intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waller, S.

2010-04-01

How we define intelligence determines how we will look for it, as well as what explanatory approaches we will accept. This paper discusses the gaps between disciplines that study intelligence, and seeks to develop a more complete and expansive understanding of intelligence.

Predictive Modeling of a Fecal Indicator at a Subtropical Marine Beach

EPA Science Inventory

The Virtual Beach Model Builder (VBMB) is a software tool that can be used to develop predictive models at beaches based on microbial data and observations (explanatory variables) that describe hydrometeorological and biogeochemical conditions. During the summer of 2008, a study...

Expectancy Effects on Self-Reported Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Simulated Neurofeedback: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Lee, Grace J; Suhr, Julie A

2018-03-31

Expectancy is a psychological factor that can impact treatment effectiveness. Research on neurofeedback for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggests expectancy may contribute to treatment outcomes, though evidence for expectancy as an explanatory factor is sparse. This pilot study investigated the effects of expectancies on self-reported ADHD symptoms in simulated neurofeedback. Forty-six adults who were concerned that they had ADHD expected to receive active neurofeedback, but were randomly assigned to receive a placebo with false feedback indicating attentive (positive false feedback) or inattentive (negative false feedback) states. Effects of the expectancy manipulation were measured on an ADHD self-report scale. Large expectancy effects were found, such that individuals who received positive false feedback reported significant decreases in ADHD symptoms, whereas individuals who received negative false feedback reported significant increases in ADHD symptoms. Findings suggest that expectancy should be considered as an explanatory mechanism for ADHD symptom change in response to neurofeedback.

The Importance of Field in Understanding Persistence among Science and Engineering Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyer, Mary

Many contemporary studies of persistence in science and engineering majors find that students' gender is an important explanatory variable in understanding why students leave and stay in their majors. This study revisits an earlier report by this author to explore the relative impact of gender on persistence when field of major is held constant, using the same data as the earlier work, drawing on survey responses from 285 students in required biology and engineering courses. The author argues two points: that effects of field on students' persistence are often misinterpreted as gender effects and that gender is too often understood in the narrow sense of students' sex. The author finds that when field is taken into account, students' sex has little explanatory power for understanding persistence rates. In contrast, students' positive experiences with and positive attitudes about gender equity significantly enhance commitments to science and engineering majors, advanced degrees, and careers. The results suggest the need for field-specific interventions to promote the advancement of undergraduate women in science and engineering.

Understanding First Generation College Student Experiences and Interaction with Belongingness, Identity, and Social Capital: An Explanatory Mixed Method Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boone, Hank Joseph Reyes

This master's thesis is a mixed method explanatory study focusing on First Generation College student's (FGS) engineering degree experiences. Constructs used to understand their experiences were future time perspective, belongingness, engineering identity, social capital, and social identity complexity. An upper level engineering students' communications class was surveyed at a western land grant institution. Analysis showed FGS had more engineering belongingness than peers having at least one parent graduate college. The qualitative population was then upper level engineering FGS who reported high belongingness. Data showed the five interview participants communicated belongingness in terms of engineering identity. They became an engineer when they had experiences using engineering knowledge. Participants often accessed parents and family to make academic and career decisions, but some accessed more individuals (i.e. professors, engineers, peers). Lastly, participants appeared to compartmentalize their FGS identity to outside the engineering classroom while they formed their engineering identity through the degree program.

Striving towards efficiency in the Greek hospitals by reviewing case mix classifications.

PubMed

Polyzos, Nicholas M

2002-09-01

In order to verify the efficiency level of Greek public hospitals, this paper evaluates the most recent indicators. Relevant data were collected from the two following databases: (a) hospitals' utilisation data generally and per clinical speciality [Ministry of Health, Athens, (Data based) 1995]; (b) Patients' and hospitals' characteristics per diagnosis [National Statistical Office, Athens, (Data based) 1993]. As explanatory variables, the study examines supply and demand factors following case mix classifications. Firstly, average length of stay (ALOS) and secondly, cost per case were regressed as dependent variables. The study highlights the extent of variability across hospitals for different groups of patients with the same condition. The results specify the most important factors that affect ALOS and cost pertaining to efficiency. Per speciality analysis shows occupancy, size-type of the hospital, beds and doctors per speciality, access and use of outpatient services, and surgical operations, etc. as the most significant factors. Per disease-diagnosis analysis shows age of over 65 years, gender, residence, marital status, surgical operation and insurance as the most important factors. General cost analysis in all National Health Systems (NHS) hospitals shows that economies of scale appear in: (a) district and/or specialised hospitals of 250-400 beds; (b) regional and/or teaching hospitals of over but near to 400 beds. Consequently, the author determines the 'Greek' Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs), based on the cost per clinical speciality in the nine basic specialities and on the cost per diagnosis of the top 15 diagnoses. Further to the scientific results, such studies will enhance much necessary discussions on the organisation of service delivery and financing, by following case mix classification. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.

Dimensions of integration in interdisciplinary explanations of the origin of evolutionary novelty.

PubMed

Love, Alan C; Lugar, Gary L

2013-12-01

Many philosophers of biology have embraced a version of pluralism in response to the failure of theory reduction but overlook how concepts, methods, and explanatory resources are in fact coordinated, such as in interdisciplinary research where the aim is to integrate different strands into an articulated whole. This is observable for the origin of evolutionary novelty-a complex problem that requires a synthesis of intellectual resources from different fields to arrive at robust answers to multiple allied questions. It is an apt locus for exploring new dimensions of explanatory integration because it necessitates coordination among historical and experimental disciplines (e.g., geology and molecular biology). These coordination issues are widespread for the origin of novel morphologies observed in the Cambrian Explosion. Despite an explicit commitment to an integrated, interdisciplinary explanation, some potential disciplinary contributors are excluded. Notable among these exclusions is the physics of ontogeny. We argue that two different dimensions of integration-data and standards-have been insufficiently distinguished. This distinction accounts for why physics-based explanatory contributions to the origin of novelty have been resisted: they do not integrate certain types of data and differ in how they conceptualize the standard of uniformitarianism in historical, causal explanations. Our analysis of these different dimensions of integration contributes to the development of more adequate and integrated explanatory frameworks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sources of difficulty in assessment: example of PISA science items

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Hebel, Florence; Montpied, Pascale; Tiberghien, Andrée; Fontanieu, Valérie

2017-03-01

The understanding of what makes a question difficult is a crucial concern in assessment. To study the difficulty of test questions, we focus on the case of PISA, which assesses to what degree 15-year-old students have acquired knowledge and skills essential for full participation in society. Our research question is to identify PISA science item characteristics that could influence the item's proficiency level. It is based on an a-priori item analysis and a statistical analysis. Results show that only the cognitive complexity and the format out of the different characteristics of PISA science items determined in our a-priori analysis have an explanatory power on an item's proficiency levels. The proficiency level cannot be explained by the dependence/independence of the information provided in the unit and/or item introduction and the competence. We conclude that in PISA, it appears possible to anticipate a high proficiency level, that is, students' low scores for items displaying a high cognitive complexity. In the case of a middle or low cognitive complexity level item, the cognitive complexity level is not sufficient to predict item difficulty. Other characteristics play a crucial role in item difficulty. We discuss anticipating the difficulties in assessment in a broader perspective.

Heteroscedasticity as a Basis of Direction Dependence in Reversible Linear Regression Models.

PubMed

Wiedermann, Wolfgang; Artner, Richard; von Eye, Alexander

2017-01-01

Heteroscedasticity is a well-known issue in linear regression modeling. When heteroscedasticity is observed, researchers are advised to remedy possible model misspecification of the explanatory part of the model (e.g., considering alternative functional forms and/or omitted variables). The present contribution discusses another source of heteroscedasticity in observational data: Directional model misspecifications in the case of nonnormal variables. Directional misspecification refers to situations where alternative models are equally likely to explain the data-generating process (e.g., x → y versus y → x). It is shown that the homoscedasticity assumption is likely to be violated in models that erroneously treat true nonnormal predictors as response variables. Recently, Direction Dependence Analysis (DDA) has been proposed as a framework to empirically evaluate the direction of effects in linear models. The present study links the phenomenon of heteroscedasticity with DDA and describes visual diagnostics and nine homoscedasticity tests that can be used to make decisions concerning the direction of effects in linear models. Results of a Monte Carlo simulation that demonstrate the adequacy of the approach are presented. An empirical example is provided, and applicability of the methodology in cases of violated assumptions is discussed.

Iron overload secondary to cirrhosis: a mimic of hereditary haemochromatosis?

PubMed

Abu Rajab, Murad; Guerin, Leana; Lee, Pauline; Brown, Kyle E

2014-10-01

Hepatic iron deposition unrelated to hereditary haemochromatosis is common in cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether hepatic haemosiderosis secondary to cirrhosis is associated with iron deposition in extrahepatic organs. Records of consecutive adult patients with cirrhosis who underwent autopsy were reviewed. Storage iron was assessed by histochemical staining of sections of liver, heart, pancreas and spleen. HFE genotyping was performed on subjects with significant liver, cardiac and/or pancreatic iron. The 104 individuals were predominantly male (63%), with a mean age of 55 years. About half (46%) had stainable hepatocyte iron, 2+ or less in most cases. In six subjects, there was heavy iron deposition (4+) in hepatocytes and biliary epithelium. All six of these cases had pancreatic iron and five also had cardiac iron. None of these subjects had an explanatory HFE genotype. In this series, heavy hepatocyte iron deposition secondary to cirrhosis was commonly associated with pancreatic and cardiac iron. Although this phenomenon appears to be relatively uncommon, the resulting pattern of iron deposition is similar to haemochromatosis. Patients with marked hepatic haemosiderosis secondary to cirrhosis may be at risk of developing extrahepatic complications of iron overload. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluating a Newly Developed Differentiation Approach in Terms of Student Achievement and Teachers' Opinions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altintas, Esra; Ozdemir, Ahmet S.

2015-01-01

This study aims to evaluate a differentiation approach that was recently developed to teach mathematics to gifted middle school students in terms of its practice by teachers by studying the effect of the approach on achievement among both gifted and non-gifted students. From mixed research methods, the study used an explanatory design. It was…

Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Problems: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sivertsen, Borge; Posserud, Maj-Britt; Gillberg, Christopher; Lundervold, Astri J.; Hysing, Mari

2012-01-01

This study examined the prevalence and chronicity of sleep problems in children who manifest problems believed to be typical of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Using data from a longitudinal total population study, symptoms of ASD, insomnia and potential explanatory factors were assessed at ages 7-9 and 11-13. Children were included in a group…

How Students Choose a College: Understanding the Role of Internet Based Resources in the College Choice Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burdett, Kimberli R.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how current internet-based resources are affecting the college choice process. An explanatory mixed methods design was used, and the study involved collecting qualitative data after a quantitative phase to explain the quantitative data in greater depth. An additional study was…

Analysis of Due Process Decisions in Idaho: 2004 to 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wattam, Marni Jo

2014-01-01

This study used an explanatory mixed methods design to examine special education due process outcomes in Idaho for the time period of January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012. The study was done in two phases. Phase one of the study explored what types of special education related issues are being brought before the state hearing officer(s) as due process…

Understanding University Students' Thoughts and Practices about Digital Citizenship: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Nuri

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate university students' thoughts and practices concerning digital citizenship. An explanatory mixed methods design was used, and it involved collecting qualitative data after a quantitative phase in order to follow up on the quantitative data in more depth. In the first quantitative phase of the study, a…

The Impact of Normative Environments on Learner Motivation and L2 Reading Ability Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sasaki, Miyuki; Kozaki, Yoko; Ross, Steven J.

2017-01-01

This study explores the effects of various motivational variables operating within 44 English classes on 1-year-long gains in the English reading proficiency of 1,149 Japanese university students. The study adds new knowledge to the recent outcomes of second language (L2) motivational studies in 3 major ways. First, the explanatory variables…

Examining the Literacy Histories of Doctoral Students in an Educational Studies Program through Surveys and Interviews: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams-Budde, Melissa; Howard, Christy; Jolliff, Grant; Myers, Joy

2014-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to explain the relationship between literacy experiences over time and the literacy identities of the doctoral students in a teacher education and higher education program. The quantitative phase, surveying 36 participants, revealed a positive correlation between participant's…

Building a Concrete Foundation: A Mixed-Method Study of Teaching Styles and the Use of Concrete, Representational, and Abstract Mathematics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thigpen, L. Christine

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore teaching styles and how frequently teachers with a variety of teaching styles incorporate multiple representations, such as manipulatives, drawings, counters, etc., in the middle school mathematics classroom. Through this explanatory mixed methods study it was possible to collect the quantitative data in…

Using a Market Ratio Factor in Faculty Salary Equity Studies. Professional File Number 103, Spring 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luna, Andrew L.

2007-01-01

This study used two multiple regression analyses to develop an explanatory model to determine which model might best explain faculty salaries. The central purpose of the study was to determine if using a single market ratio variable was a stronger predictor for faculty salaries than the use of dummy variables representing various disciplines.…

Theory-based explanation as intervention.

PubMed

Weisman, Kara; Markman, Ellen M

2017-10-01

Cogent explanations are an indispensable means of providing new information and an essential component of effective education. Beyond this, we argue that there is tremendous untapped potential in using explanations to motivate behavior change. In this article we focus on health interventions. We review four case studies that used carefully tailored explanations to address gaps and misconceptions in people's intuitive theories, providing participants with a conceptual framework for understanding how and why some recommended behavior is an effective way of achieving a health goal. These case studies targeted a variety of health-promoting behaviors: (1) children washing their hands to prevent viral epidemics; (2) parents vaccinating their children to stem the resurgence of infectious diseases; (3) adults completing the full course of an antibiotic prescription to reduce antibiotic resistance; and (4) children eating a variety of healthy foods to improve unhealthy diets. Simply telling people to engage in these behaviors has been largely ineffective-if anything, concern about these issues is mounting. But in each case, teaching participants coherent explanatory frameworks for understanding health recommendations has shown great promise, with such theory-based explanations outperforming state-of-the-art interventions from national health authorities. We contrast theory-based explanations both with simply listing facts, information, and advice and with providing a full-blown educational curriculum, and argue for providing the minimum amount of information required to understand the causal link between a target behavior and a health outcome. We argue that such theory-based explanations lend people the motivation and confidence to act on their new understanding.

A mathematical programming method for formulating a fuzzy regression model based on distance criterion.

PubMed

Chen, Liang-Hsuan; Hsueh, Chan-Ching

2007-06-01

Fuzzy regression models are useful to investigate the relationship between explanatory and response variables with fuzzy observations. Different from previous studies, this correspondence proposes a mathematical programming method to construct a fuzzy regression model based on a distance criterion. The objective of the mathematical programming is to minimize the sum of distances between the estimated and observed responses on the X axis, such that the fuzzy regression model constructed has the minimal total estimation error in distance. Only several alpha-cuts of fuzzy observations are needed as inputs to the mathematical programming model; therefore, the applications are not restricted to triangular fuzzy numbers. Three examples, adopted in the previous studies, and a larger example, modified from the crisp case, are used to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach. The results indicate that the proposed model has better performance than those in the previous studies based on either distance criterion or Kim and Bishu's criterion. In addition, the efficiency and effectiveness for solving the larger example by the proposed model are also satisfactory.

Hypertension in the very old; prevalence, awareness, treatment and control: a cross-sectional population-based study in a Spanish municipality.

PubMed

Aguado, Alba; López, Flora; Miravet, Sonia; Oriol, Pilar; Fuentes, M Isabel; Henares, Belén; Badia, Teresa; Esteve, Lluis; Peligro, Javier

2009-05-08

Information on hypertension in the very elderly is sparse. Until recently evidence of benefits from pharmacological treatment was inconclusive. We estimated the prevalence of hypertension in subjects aged 80 or more, the proportion of awareness, treatment and control. Explanatory variables associated with good control were also studied. Cross sectional, population-based study, conducted in Martorell, an urban Spanish municipality, in 2005. By simple random sampling from the census, 323 subjects aged 80 or more were included. Patients were visited at home or in the geriatric institution and after giving informed consent, the study variables were collected. These included: supine and standing blood pressure and information about diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. The estimation and 95% confidence interval were obtained and a logistic regression model was used to study explanatory variables associated with blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. The prevalence of hypertension was 72.8% (95%CI: 69.5-76.6%) and 93% of the patients were aware of this condition, of whom 96.3% (95%CI: 93.65-97.9%) had been prescribed pharmacological treatment and 30.7% (95%CI: 25.8 - 36.1%) had blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. Some of the patients (43%) had one antihypertensive drug and 39.5% had two in combination. Explanatory variables associated with blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg included prescription of a diuretic, OR: 0.31 (95%CI: 0.14-0.66), and history of ischemic heart disease, OR: 0.21 (95%CI: 0.1-0.47). The prevalence of hypertension in population aged 80 or more was over 70%. Most patients were aware of this condition and they had antihypertensive medication prescribed. Approximately one third of treated patients had blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. Patients with heart disease and with diuretics had more frequently blood pressure below this value.

Hypertension in the very old; prevalence, awareness, treatment and control: a cross-sectional population-based study in a Spanish municipality

PubMed Central

Aguado, Alba; López, Flora; Miravet, Sonia; Oriol, Pilar; Fuentes, M Isabel; Henares, Belén; Badia, Teresa; Esteve, Lluis; Peligro, Javier

2009-01-01

Background Information on hypertension in the very elderly is sparse. Until recently evidence of benefits from pharmacological treatment was inconclusive. We estimated the prevalence of hypertension in subjects aged 80 or more, the proportion of awareness, treatment and control. Explanatory variables associated with good control were also studied. Methods Cross sectional, population-based study, conducted in Martorell, an urban Spanish municipality, in 2005. By simple random sampling from the census, 323 subjects aged 80 or more were included. Patients were visited at home or in the geriatric institution and after giving informed consent, the study variables were collected. These included: supine and standing blood pressure and information about diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. The estimation and 95% confidence interval were obtained and a logistic regression model was used to study explanatory variables associated with blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. Results The prevalence of hypertension was 72.8% (95%CI: 69.5 – 76.6%) and 93% of the patients were aware of this condition, of whom 96.3% (95%CI: 93.65 – 97.9%) had been prescribed pharmacological treatment and 30.7% (95%CI: 25.8 – 36.1%) had blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. Some of the patients (43%) had one antihypertensive drug and 39.5% had two in combination. Explanatory variables associated with blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg included prescription of a diuretic, OR: 0.31 (95%CI: 0.14 – 0.66), and history of ischemic heart disease, OR: 0.21 (95%CI: 0.1 – 0.47). Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension in population aged 80 or more was over 70%. Most patients were aware of this condition and they had antihypertensive medication prescribed. Approximately one third of treated patients had blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg. Patients with heart disease and with diuretics had more frequently blood pressure below this value. PMID:19426484

Inferential consequences of modeling rather than measuring snow accumulation in studies of animal ecology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cross, Paul C.; Klaver, Robert W.; Brennan, Angela; Creel, Scott; Beckmann, Jon P.; Higgs, Megan D.; Scurlock, Brandon M.

2013-01-01

Abstract. It is increasingly common for studies of animal ecology to use model-based predictions of environmental variables as explanatory or predictor variables, even though model prediction uncertainty is typically unknown. To demonstrate the potential for misleading inferences when model predictions with error are used in place of direct measurements, we compared snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow depth as predicted by the Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS) to field measurements of SWE and snow depth. We examined locations on elk (Cervus canadensis) winter ranges in western Wyoming, because modeled data such as SNODAS output are often used for inferences on elk ecology. Overall, SNODAS predictions tended to overestimate field measurements, prediction uncertainty was high, and the difference between SNODAS predictions and field measurements was greater in snow shadows for both snow variables compared to non-snow shadow areas. We used a simple simulation of snow effects on the probability of an elk being killed by a predator to show that, if SNODAS prediction uncertainty was ignored, we might have mistakenly concluded that SWE was not an important factor in where elk were killed in predatory attacks during the winter. In this simulation, we were interested in the effects of snow at finer scales (2) than the resolution of SNODAS. If bias were to decrease when SNODAS predictions are averaged over coarser scales, SNODAS would be applicable to population-level ecology studies. In our study, however, averaging predictions over moderate to broad spatial scales (9–2200 km2) did not reduce the differences between SNODAS predictions and field measurements. This study highlights the need to carefully evaluate two issues when using model output as an explanatory variable in subsequent analysis: (1) the model’s resolution relative to the scale of the ecological question of interest and (2) the implications of prediction uncertainty on inferences when using model predictions as explanatory or predictor variables.

Relationships between Teacher Characteristics and Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulze, Kurt Ronald

2014-01-01

Too often, teachers are using educational technology resources for administrative purposes instead of using these resources in a constructivist manner to enhance student learning. The study site was well behind the national average in overall educational technology use categories. The purpose of this explanatory correlational research was to…

Qualitative Audience Research: Toward an Integrative Approach to Reception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Klaus Bruhn

1987-01-01

Analyzes research about the mass communication audience and describes a theoretical and methodological framework for further empirical studies. Discusses the (1) explanatory value of qualitative research; (2) social and cultural implications of the reception process, with special reference to television; and (3) applications and social relevance…

Diagrammatic Literacy in Secondary Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kragten, Marco; Admiraal, Wilfried; Rijlaarsdam, Gert

2013-01-01

Students in secondary science education seem to have difficulties with understanding diagrams. The present study focused on explanatory factors that predict students' difficulties with process diagrams, i.e., diagrams that describe a process consisting of components that are related by arrows. From 18 compulsory national Biology exams of…

Public Views on the Gendering of Mathematics and Related Careers: International Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forgasz, Helen; Leder, Gilah; Tan, Hazel

2014-01-01

Mathematics continues to be an enabling discipline for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-based university studies and related careers. Explanatory models for females' underrepresentation in higher level mathematics and STEM-based courses comprise learner-related and environmental variables--including societal beliefs. Using…

Pathways between Acculturation and Health: Does the Measure Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miranda, Patricia Y.; Gonzalez, Hector M.; Tarraf, Wassim

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the association between acculturation and functional health using multiple proxies of acculturation to examine explanatory pathways to clarify disparate health findings. A population-based cross-sectional, multistage probability sample from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies…

Comparing HE Policies in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleiklie, Ivar; Michelsen, Svein

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for a comparative analysis of Higher Education policies that enables us to investigate the explanatory power of structural characteristics of politico-administrative systems. The policies that are studied aim at improving the efficiency and quality of institutional performance. The…

Adolescent Self-Reported and Peer-Reported Self-Esteem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donnell, William James

1979-01-01

The study is an examination of the relationship between adolescents' self-reported and peer-reported self-esteem and how this relationship is affected by sex, race, and age variables. Significant sex and race variations interacted with age. Explanatory hypotheses for these findings are given. (Author/KC)

Drought tolerance in cacao is mediated by root phenotypic plasticity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study aimed to evaluate phenotypic relationships and their direct and indirect effects through path analysis, and evaluate the use of the phenotypic plasticity index as criteria for the estimation of the basic and explanatory variables used to analysis several cacao progenies subjected to soil ...

The utility of Cox's Interaction Model to direct the assessment and prevention of adolescent aggression.

PubMed

DiNapoli, Pamela Pershing

2003-02-01

The current study of violence prevention is hampered by a lack of consensus on the definition of violence. There is, however, some agreement about the behavioral cues that may predict violent behavior such as aggression. Although it has been shown that individual-level variables (e.g., race, gender, and ethnicity) are correlated with aggressive behavior, it is clear that they alone are not explanatory of aggressive behavior. This article demonstrates how the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior is an important health behavior framework for the assessment of aggression in adolescents, offering insight into the contextual nature of adolescent aggression. Victimization and witnessing of violence, frequently identified to be precursors of adolescent aggression in current epidemiologic studies, are examined within this framework. On the basis of the interactional nature of the phenomenon, necessary components for successful prevention programs are suggested. Finally, future research implications calling for a well-designed study that integrates individual and contextual variables with the use of this theory-driven explanatory framework are proposed. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Marital Conflict in Early Childhood and Adolescent Disordered Eating: Emotional Insecurity about the Marital Relationship as an Explanatory Mechanism

PubMed Central

George, Melissa W.; Fairchild, Amanda J.; Cummings, E. Mark; Davies, Patrick T.

2017-01-01

Disordered eating behaviors, including frequent dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors (e.g., vomiting and skipping meals for weight loss) and binge eating are prevalent among adolescents. While negative, conflict-ridden family environments have long been implicated as problematic and a contributing factor to the development of disordered eating, few studies have examined the influence of marital conflict exposure in childhood to understand the development of these behaviors in adolescence. The current study investigates the impact of marital conflict, children’s emotional insecurity about the marital relationship, and disordered eating behaviors in early adolescence in a prospective, longitudinal study of a community sample of 236 families in Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S. Full structural mediation analyses utilizing robust latent constructs of marital conflict and emotional insecurity about the marital relationship, support children’s emotional insecurity as an explanatory mechanism for the influence of marital conflict on adolescent disordered eating behaviors. Findings are discussed with important implications for the long-term impact of marital conflict and the development of disordered eating in adolescence. PMID:25113902

Analysis of injury severity of drivers involved in single- and two-vehicle crashes on highways in Ontario.

PubMed

Lee, Chris; Li, Xuancheng

2014-10-01

This study analyzes driver's injury severity in single- and two-vehicle crashes and compares the effects of explanatory variables among various types of crashes. The study identified factors affecting injury severity and their effects on severity levels using 5-year crash records for provincial highways in Ontario, Canada. Considering heteroscedasticity in the effects of explanatory variables on injury severity, the heteroscedastic ordered logit (HOL) models were developed for single- and two-vehicle crashes separately. The results of the models show that there exists heteroscedasticity for young drivers (≤30), safety equipment and ejection in the single-vehicle crash model, and female drivers, safety equipment and head-on collision in the two-vehicle crash models. The results also show that young car drivers have opposite effects between single-car and car-car crashes, and sideswipe crashes have opposite effects between car-car and truck-truck crashes. The study demonstrates that separate HOL models for single-vehicle and different types of two-vehicle crashes can identify differential effects of factors on driver's injury severity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marital conflict in early childhood and adolescent disordered eating: emotional insecurity about the marital relationship as an explanatory mechanism.

PubMed

George, Melissa W; Fairchild, Amanda J; Mark Cummings, E; Davies, Patrick T

2014-12-01

Disordered eating behaviors, including frequent dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors (e.g., vomiting and skipping meals for weight loss) and binge eating are prevalent among adolescents. While negative, conflict-ridden family environments have long been implicated as problematic and a contributing factor to the development of disordered eating, few studies have examined the influence of marital conflict exposure in childhood to understand the development of these behaviors in adolescence. The current study investigates the impact of marital conflict, children's emotional insecurity about the marital relationship, and disordered eating behaviors in early adolescence in a prospective, longitudinal study of a community sample of 236 families in Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S. Full structural mediation analyses utilizing robust latent constructs of marital conflict and emotional insecurity about the marital relationship, support children's emotional insecurity as an explanatory mechanism for the influence of marital conflict on adolescent disordered eating behaviors. Findings are discussed with important implications for the long-term impact of marital conflict and the development of disordered eating in adolescence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Missed Nursing Care and Unit-Level Nurse Workload in the Acute and Post-Acute Settings.

PubMed

Orique, Sabrina B; Patty, Christopher M; Woods, Ellen

2016-01-01

This study replicates previous research on the nature and causes of missed nursing care and adds an explanatory variable: unit-level nurse workload (patient turnover percentage). The study was conducted in California, which legally mandates nurse staffing ratios. Findings demonstrated no significant relationship between patient turnover and missed nursing care.

Parents' School Satisfaction and Academic Socialization Predict Adolescents' Autonomous Motivation: A Mixed-Method Study of Low-Income Ethnic Minority Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suizzo, Marie-Anne; Jackson, Karen Moran; Pahlke, Erin; McClain, Shannon; Marroquin, Yesenia; Blondeau, Lauren A.; Hong, KyongJoo

2016-01-01

In this mixed-methods study, we used an explanatory sequential design to investigate the processes through which parental involvement influences adolescents' achievement motivation. One hundred twenty low-income urban parents and their sixth-grade adolescents completed questionnaires, and a subsample of 11 mothers and 11 adolescents were…

Effects of Three Pedagogies on Learning Outcomes in a Psychology of Gender Lecture: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reber, Jeffrey S.; Downs, Samuel D.; Peterson Nelson, Julie A.

2017-01-01

This study employed a quasi-experimental design to test the effects of three pedagogies on learning outcomes in a simulated psychology of gender lecture. Results showed that meaning and relational pedagogies, as well as a combination of meaning, relational, and explanatory pedagogies, significantly improved participant learning beyond self-study…

The Remodeling Process: A Grounded Theory Study of Perceptions of Treatment among Adult Male Incest Offenders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheela, Rochelle A.

1992-01-01

Conducted grounded theory study to explore incest offender perceptions of treatment to generate explanatory theory of sexual abuse treatment process. Findings from theoretical sampling of 20 adult male incest offenders revealed that offenders felt remodeling process occurred as they faced discovery of their abuse and went through treatment.…

Child and Adolescent Predictors of Male Intimate Partner Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theobald, Delphine; Farrington, David P.

2012-01-01

Background: This study addresses to what extent child and adolescent explanatory factors predict male perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood. Methods: We use prospective longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD). The CSDD is a survey of 411 male born in the 1950s in an inner London area. The men…

Individual Differences and Intervention Flaws: A Sequential Explanatory Study of College Students' Copy-and-Paste Note Taking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igo, L. Brent; Kiewra, Kenneth A.; Bruning, Roger

2008-01-01

In this study, qualitative themes and quantitative findings from previous research were used to justify the exploration of four experimental, note-taking conditions and the impact of those conditions on student learning from Web-based text. However, puzzling results obtained from dependent measures of student learning were quite inconsistent with…

Attitudes toward Using Social Networking Sites in Educational Settings with Underperforming Latino Youth: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Keith E.; Curwen, Margie Sauceda; Howard, Nicol R.; Colón-Muñiz, Anaida

2015-01-01

The researchers examined the online social networking attitudes of underperforming Latino high school students in an alternative education program that uses technology as the prime venue for learning. A sequential explanatory mixed methods study was used to cross-check multiple sources of data explaining students' levels of comfort with utilizing…

How and Why Digital Generation Teachers Use Technology in the Classroom: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lan; Worch, Eric; Zhou, YuChun; Aguiton, Rhonda

2015-01-01

While teachers' conservative attitude toward technology has been identified as a barrier to effective technology integration in classrooms, it is often optimistically assumed that this issue will resolve when the digital generation enters the teaching profession (Morris, 2012). Using a mixed methodology approach, this study aimed to examine the…

Students' Preferences and Opinions on Design of a Mobile Marketing Education Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozata, Zeynep; Ozdama Keskin, Nilgun

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to define and better understand business school students' opinions and preferences on the design of a mobile marketing education application. To accomplish this purpose an explanatory mixed methods study design was used and the data was collected sequentially. First, a questionnaire was conducted with 168 business…

Faculty and Administrator Perspectives of Merit Pay Compensation Systems in Private Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Anne L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study is to explore faculty and administrator perspectives of faculty merit pay compensation systems in private, higher education institutions. The study focuses on 10 small, private, four-year institutions which are religiously affiliated. All institutions are located in Nebraska, Iowa, and…

Model of Values-Based Management Process in Schools: A Mixed Design Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Soner

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the school administrators' values-based management behaviours according to the teachers' perceptions and opinions and, accordingly, to build a model of values-based management process in schools. The study was conducted using explanatory design which is inclusive of both quantitative and qualitative methods.…

Motivating Factors for Teaching and Studying Music at Two-Year Colleges: A Survey of Faculty and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, John R.; Williams, Yolanda Y.; Vu, Kinh T.; Collins, Tracey R.; Clementson, Casey J.; Berberick, David M.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore what motivates faculty and student involvement in this educational environment and how student participation in music coursework contributes to current musical endeavors. The research team utilized a modified explanatory sequential mixed methods design to collect survey data and focus group data from…

Gender Differences in Coping among Elite Table Tennis Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirimoglu, Huseyin

2011-01-01

The current study aims to investigate the explanatory power of social support and coping in relation to a competitive sport event between male and female table tennis players. 246 university students table tennis players (120 men and 126 women) from different region and part of Turkey were invited to participate in a survey study included the…

Educating Linguistically Diverse Students: A Mixed Methods Study of Elementary Teachers' Coursework, Attitudes, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenfield, Renée A.

2016-01-01

This study followed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Phase I involved the collection of quantitative data to examine inservice teachers' (N = 69) attitudes about language and linguistic diversity as well as their teacher education coursework. All participants were graduates from the same teacher education program. Phase II included…

Attitudes towards Knowledge Management of School Administrators and Teachers Working in Turkish Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Soner; Yigit, Yakup

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate attitudes of school administrators and teachers working in Turkish schools towards knowledge management. In this research, an explanatory design incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods was used. The quantitative strand of the study was designed as a survey model, and the data was collected from…

Importance and Effectiveness of Student Health Services at a South Texas University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaig, Marilyn M.

2013-01-01

The study examined the health needs of students at a south Texas university and documented the utility of the student health center. The descriptive study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential design (ESD). The non-probability sample consisted of 140 students who utilized the university's health center during the period of March 23-30,…

Teachers' Adoptation Level of Student Centered Education Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arseven, Zeynep; Sahin, Seyma; Kiliç, Abdurrahman

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify how far the student centered education approach is applied in the primary, middle and high schools in Düzce. Explanatory design which is one type of mixed research methods and "sequential mixed methods sampling" were used in the study. 685 teachers constitute the research sample of the quantitative…

Patterns of Teacher's Instructional Moves: What Makes Mathematical Instructional Practices Unique?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinter, Holly Henderson

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in fourth-grade teachers' use of instructional moves in the implementation of standards-based mathematical teaching practices. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the study consisted of two phases: quantitative selection and qualitative analysis. The first phase of the study…

A Mixed Methods Study of the Relationship between Student Perceptions of Teacher-Student Interactions and Motivation in Middle Level Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smart, Julie B.

2014-01-01

This mixed-methods study examined the relationship between middle level science students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions and students' science motivation, particulary their efficacy, value, and goal orientation for learning science. In this sequential explanatory design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected in two phases,…

Learning by Teaching: Can It Be Utilized to Develop Inquiry Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aslan, Safiye

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the effect of learning by teaching on inquiry skills. With its explanatory sequential design, this particular study focuses on interrogating whether learning by teaching has an effect on prospective science teachers' inquiry skills and to unveil how it does so, only if it had an effect. The current research is…

Investigating Practices in Teacher Education That Promote and Inhibit Technology Integration Transfer in Early Career Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brenner, Aimee M.; Brill, Jennifer M.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify instructional technology integration strategies and practices in preservice teacher education that contribute to the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills to the instructional practices of early career teachers. This study used a two-phase, sequential explanatory strategy. Data were…

Social Cohesion as a Real-Life Phenomenon: Assessing the Explanatory Power of the Universalist and Particularist Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janmaat, Jan Germen

2011-01-01

Unlike most studies on social cohesion, this study explores the concept as a real-life macro-level phenomenon. It assesses to what extent the conceptions of social cohesion suggested by several macro-level approaches represent coherent empirically observable forms of social cohesion. Additionally it discusses two perspectives on social…

The family as a determinant of stunting in children living in conditions of extreme poverty: a case-control study.

PubMed

Reyes, Hortensia; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo; Sandoval, Araceli; Castillo, Raúl; Santos, José Ignacio; Doubova, Svetlana V; Gutiérrez, Gonzalo

2004-11-30

Malnutrition in children can be a consequence of unfavourable socioeconomic conditions. However, some families maintain adequate nutritional status in their children despite living in poverty. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether family-related factors are determinants of stunting in young Mexican children living in extreme poverty, and whether these factors differ between rural or urban contexts. A case-control study was conducted in one rural and one urban extreme poverty level areas in Mexico. Cases comprised stunted children aged between 6 and 23 months. Controls were well-nourished children. Independent variables were defined in five dimensions: family characteristics; family income; household allocation of resources and family organisation; social networks; and child health care. Information was collected from 108 cases and 139 controls in the rural area and from 198 cases and 211 controls in the urban area. Statistical analysis was carried out separately for each area; unconditional multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to obtain the best explanatory model for stunting. In the rural area, a greater risk of stunting was associated with father's occupation as farmer and the presence of family networks for child care. The greatest protective effect was found in children cared for exclusively by their mothers. In the urban area, risk factors for stunting were father with unstable job, presence of small social networks, low rate of attendance to the Well Child Program activities, breast-feeding longer than six months, and two variables within the family characteristics dimension (longer duration of parents' union and migration from rural to urban area). This study suggests the influence of the family on the nutritional status of children under two years of age living in extreme poverty areas. Factors associated with stunting were different in rural and urban communities.Therefore, developing and implementing health programs to tackle malnutrition should take into account such differences that are consequence of the social, economic, and cultural contexts in which the family lives.

Dynamic factor analysis of groundwater quality trends in an agricultural area adjacent to Everglades National Park.

PubMed

Muñoz-Carpena, R; Ritter, A; Li, Y C

2005-11-01

The extensive eastern boundary of Everglades National Park (ENP) in south Florida (USA) is subject to one of the most expensive and ambitious environmental restoration projects in history. Understanding and predicting the water quality interactions between the shallow aquifer and surface water is a key component in meeting current environmental regulations and fine-tuning ENP wetland restoration while still maintaining flood protection for the adjacent developed areas. Dynamic factor analysis (DFA), a recent technique for the study of multivariate non-stationary time-series, was applied to study fluctuations in groundwater quality in the area. More than two years of hydrological and water quality time series (rainfall; water table depth; and soil, ground and surface water concentrations of N-NO3-, N-NH4+, P-PO4(3-), Total P, F-and Cl-) from a small agricultural watershed adjacent to the ENP were selected for the study. The unexplained variability required for determining the concentration of each chemical in the 16 wells was greatly reduced by including in the analysis some of the observed time series as explanatory variables (rainfall, water table depth, and soil and canal water chemical concentration). DFA results showed that groundwater concentration of three of the agrochemical species studied (N-NO3-, P-PO4(3-)and Total P) were affected by the same explanatory variables (water table depth, enriched topsoil, and occurrence of a leaching rainfall event, in order of decreasing relative importance). This indicates that leaching by rainfall is the main mechanism explaining concentration peaks in groundwater. In the case of N-NH4+, in addition to leaching, groundwater concentration is governed by lateral exchange with canals. F-and Cl- are mainly affected by periods of dilution by rainfall recharge, and by exchange with the canals. The unstructured nature of the common trends found suggests that these are related to the complex spatially and temporally varying land use patterns in the watershed. The results indicate that peak concentrations of agrochemicals in groundwater could be reduced by improving fertilization practices (by splitting and modifying timing of applications) and by operating the regional canal system to maintain the water table low, especially during the rainy periods.

Dynamic factor analysis of groundwater quality trends in an agricultural area adjacent to Everglades National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Carpena, R.; Ritter, A.; Li, Y. C.

2005-11-01

The extensive eastern boundary of Everglades National Park (ENP) in south Florida (USA) is subject to one of the most expensive and ambitious environmental restoration projects in history. Understanding and predicting the water quality interactions between the shallow aquifer and surface water is a key component in meeting current environmental regulations and fine-tuning ENP wetland restoration while still maintaining flood protection for the adjacent developed areas. Dynamic factor analysis (DFA), a recent technique for the study of multivariate non-stationary time-series, was applied to study fluctuations in groundwater quality in the area. More than two years of hydrological and water quality time series (rainfall; water table depth; and soil, ground and surface water concentrations of N-NO 3-, N-NH 4+, P-PO 43-, Total P, F -and Cl -) from a small agricultural watershed adjacent to the ENP were selected for the study. The unexplained variability required for determining the concentration of each chemical in the 16 wells was greatly reduced by including in the analysis some of the observed time series as explanatory variables (rainfall, water table depth, and soil and canal water chemical concentration). DFA results showed that groundwater concentration of three of the agrochemical species studied (N-NO 3-, P-PO 43-and Total P) were affected by the same explanatory variables (water table depth, enriched topsoil, and occurrence of a leaching rainfall event, in order of decreasing relative importance). This indicates that leaching by rainfall is the main mechanism explaining concentration peaks in groundwater. In the case of N-NH 4+, in addition to leaching, groundwater concentration is governed by lateral exchange with canals. F -and Cl - are mainly affected by periods of dilution by rainfall recharge, and by exchange with the canals. The unstructured nature of the common trends found suggests that these are related to the complex spatially and temporally varying land use patterns in the watershed. The results indicate that peak concentrations of agrochemicals in groundwater could be reduced by improving fertilization practices (by splitting and modifying timing of applications) and by operating the regional canal system to maintain the water table low, especially during the rainy periods.

'Individualism-collectivism' as an explanatory device for mental illness stigma.

PubMed

Papadopoulos, Chris; Foster, John; Caldwell, Kay

2013-06-01

The aim of this study is investigate whether the cross-cultural value paradigm 'individualism-collectivism' is a useful explanatory model for mental illness stigma on a cultural level. Using snowball sampling, a quantitative questionnaire survey of 305 individuals from four UK-based cultural groups (white-English, American, Greek/Greek Cypriot, and Chinese) was carried out. The questionnaire included the 'Community Attitudes to Mental Illness scale' and the 'vertical-horizontal individualism-collectivism scale'. The results revealed that the more stigmatizing a culture's mental illness attitudes are, the more likely collectivism effectively explains these attitudes. In contrast, the more positive a culture's mental illness attitudes, the more likely individualism effectively explains attitudes. We conclude that a consideration of the individualism-collectivism paradigm should be included in any future research aiming to provide a holistic understanding of the causes of mental illness stigma, particularly when the cultures stigmatization levels are particularly high or low.

Obligatory Effort [Hishtadlut] as an Explanatory Model: A Critique of Reproductive Choice and Control.

PubMed

Teman, Elly; Ivry, Tsipy; Goren, Heela

2016-06-01

Studies on reproductive technologies often examine women's reproductive lives in terms of choice and control. Drawing on 48 accounts of procreative experiences of religiously devout Jewish women in Israel and the US, we examine their attitudes, understandings and experiences of pregnancy, reproductive technologies and prenatal testing. We suggest that the concept of hishtadlut-"obligatory effort"-works as an explanatory model that organizes Haredi women's reproductive careers and their negotiations of reproductive technologies. As an elastic category with negotiable and dynamic boundaries, hishtadlut gives ultra-orthodox Jewish women room for effort without the assumption of control; it allows them to exercise discretion in relation to medical issues without framing their efforts in terms of individual choice. Haredi women hold themselves responsible for making their obligatory effort and not for pregnancy outcomes. We suggest that an alternative paradigm to autonomous choice and control emerges from cosmological orders where reproductive duties constitute "obligatory choices."

Imperfect information facilitates the evolution of reciprocity.

PubMed

Kurokawa, Shun

2016-06-01

The existence of cooperation demands explanation since cooperation is costly to the actor. Reciprocity has long been regarded as a potential explanatory mechanism for the existence of cooperation. Reciprocity is a mechanism wherein a cooperator responds to an opponent's behavior by switching his/her own behavior. Hence, a possible problematic case relevant to the theory of reciprocity evolution arises when the mechanism is such that the information regarding an opponent's behavior is imperfect. Although it has been confirmed also by previous theoretical studies that imperfect information interferes with the evolution of reciprocity, this argument is based on the assumption that there are no mistakes in behavior. And, a previous study presumed that it might be expected that when such mistakes occur, reciprocity can more readily evolve in the case of imperfect information than in the case of perfect information. The reason why the previous study considers so is that in the former case, reciprocators can miss defections incurred by other reciprocators' mistakes due to imperfect information, allowing cooperation to persist when such reciprocators meet. However, contrary to this expectation, the previous study has shown that even when mistakes occur, imperfect information interferes with the evolution of reciprocity. Nevertheless, the previous study assumed that payoffs are linear (i.e., that the effect of behavior is additive and there are no synergetic effects). In this study, we revisited the same problem but removed the assumption that payoffs are linear. We used evolutionarily stable strategy analysis to compare the condition for reciprocity to evolve when mistakes occur and information is imperfect with the condition for reciprocity to evolve when mistakes occur and information is perfect. Our study revealed that when payoffs are not linear, imperfect information can facilitate the evolution of reciprocity when mistakes occur; while when payoffs are linear, imperfect information disturbs the evolution of reciprocity even when mistakes occur. Imperfect information can encourage the evolution of cooperation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of meteorological factors on the incidence of bacillary dysentery in Beijing, China: A time series analysis (1970-2012).

PubMed

Yan, Long; Wang, Hong; Zhang, Xuan; Li, Ming-Yue; He, Juan

2017-01-01

Influence of meteorological variables on the transmission of bacillary dysentery (BD) is under investigated topic and effective forecasting models as public health tool are lacking. This paper aimed to quantify the relationship between meteorological variables and BD cases in Beijing and to establish an effective forecasting model. A time series analysis was conducted in the Beijing area based upon monthly data on weather variables (i.e. temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, vapor pressure, and wind speed) and on the number of BD cases during the period 1970-2012. Autoregressive integrated moving average models with explanatory variables (ARIMAX) were built based on the data from 1970 to 2004. Prediction of monthly BD cases from 2005 to 2012 was made using the established models. The prediction accuracy was evaluated by the mean square error (MSE). Firstly, temperature with 2-month and 7-month lags and rainfall with 12-month lag were found positively correlated with the number of BD cases in Beijing. Secondly, ARIMAX model with covariates of temperature with 7-month lag (β = 0.021, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.004-0.038) and rainfall with 12-month lag (β = 0.023, 95% CI: 0.009-0.037) displayed the highest prediction accuracy. The ARIMAX model developed in this study showed an accurate goodness of fit and precise prediction accuracy in the short term, which would be beneficial for government departments to take early public health measures to prevent and control possible BD popularity.

How pragmatic is it? Lessons learned using PRECIS and RE-AIM for determining pragmatic characteristics of research.

PubMed

Gaglio, Bridget; Phillips, Siobhan M; Heurtin-Roberts, Suzanne; Sanchez, Michael A; Glasgow, Russell E

2014-08-28

The need for high-quality evidence that is applicable in real-world, routine settings continues to increase. Pragmatic trials are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in real-world settings, whereas explanatory trials aim to test whether an intervention works under optimal situations. There is a continuum between explanatory and pragmatic trials. Most trials have aspects of both, making it challenging to label and categorize a trial and to evaluate its potential for translation into practice. We summarize our experience applying the Pragmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS) combined with external validity items based on the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to three studies to provide a more robust and comprehensive assessment of trial characteristics related to translation of research. We summarize lessons learned using domains from the combined frameworks for use in study planning, evaluating specific studies, and reviewing the literature and make recommendations for future use. A variety of coders can be trained to use the PRECIS and RE-AIM domains. These domains can also be used for diverse purposes, content areas, and study types, but are not without challenges. Both PRECIS and RE-AIM domains required modification in two of the three studies to evaluate and rate domains specific to study type. Lessons learned involved: dedicating enough time for training activities related to the domains; use of reviewers with a range of familiarity with specific study protocols; how to best adapt ratings that reflect complex study designs; and differences of opinion regarding the value of creating a composite score for these criteria. Combining both frameworks can specifically help identify where and how a study is and is not pragmatic. Using both PRECIS and RE-AIM allows for standard reporting of key study characteristics related to pragmatism and translation. Such measures should be used more consistently to help plan more pragmatic studies, evaluate progress, increase transparency of reporting, and integrate literature to facilitate translation of research into practice and policy.

Explanatory model for sound amplification in a stethoscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshach, H.; Volfson, A.

2015-01-01

In the present paper we suggest an original physical explanatory model that explains the mechanism of the sound amplification process in a stethoscope. We discuss the amplification of a single pulse, a continuous wave of certain frequency, and finally we address the resonant frequencies. It is our belief that this model may provide students with opportunities to not only better understand the amplification mechanism of a stethoscope, but also to strengthen their understanding of sound, pressure, waves, resonance modes, etc.

The use of random forests in modelling short-term air pollution effects based on traffic and meteorological conditions: A case study in Wrocław.

PubMed

Kamińska, Joanna A

2018-07-01

Random forests, an advanced data mining method, are used here to model the regression relationships between concentrations of the pollutants NO 2 , NO x and PM 2.5 , and nine variables describing meteorological conditions, temporal conditions and traffic flow. The study was based on hourly values of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, air pressure and relative humidity, temporal variables, and finally traffic flow, in the two years 2015 and 2016. An air quality measurement station was selected on a main road, located a short distance (40 m) from a large intersection equipped with a traffic flow measurement system. Nine different time subsets were defined, based among other things on the climatic conditions in Wrocław. An analysis was made of the fit of models created for those subsets, and of the importance of the predictors. Both the fit and the importance of particular predictors were found to be dependent on season. The best fit was obtained for models created for the six-month warm season (April-September) and for the summer season (June-August). The most important explanatory variable in the models of concentrations of nitrogen oxides was traffic flow, while in the case of PM 2.5 the most important were meteorological conditions, in particular temperature, wind speed and wind direction. Temporal variables (except for month in the case of PM 2.5 ) were found to have no significant effect on the concentrations of the studied pollutants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.