Understanding the undelaying mechanism of HA-subtyping in the level of physic-chemical characteristics of protein.

PubMed

Ebrahimi, Mansour; Aghagolzadeh, Parisa; Shamabadi, Narges; Tahmasebi, Ahmad; Alsharifi, Mohammed; Adelson, David L; Hemmatzadeh, Farhid; Ebrahimie, Esmaeil

2014-01-01

The evolution of the influenza A virus to increase its host range is a major concern worldwide. Molecular mechanisms of increasing host range are largely unknown. Influenza surface proteins play determining roles in reorganization of host-sialic acid receptors and host range. In an attempt to uncover the physic-chemical attributes which govern HA subtyping, we performed a large scale functional analysis of over 7000 sequences of 16 different HA subtypes. Large number (896) of physic-chemical protein characteristics were calculated for each HA sequence. Then, 10 different attribute weighting algorithms were used to find the key characteristics distinguishing HA subtypes. Furthermore, to discover machine leaning models which can predict HA subtypes, various Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, and Neural Network models were trained on calculated protein characteristics dataset as well as 10 trimmed datasets generated by attribute weighting algorithms. The prediction accuracies of the machine learning methods were evaluated by 10-fold cross validation. The results highlighted the frequency of Gln (selected by 80% of attribute weighting algorithms), percentage/frequency of Tyr, percentage of Cys, and frequencies of Try and Glu (selected by 70% of attribute weighting algorithms) as the key features that are associated with HA subtyping. Random Forest tree induction algorithm and RBF kernel function of SVM (scaled by grid search) showed high accuracy of 98% in clustering and predicting HA subtypes based on protein attributes. Decision tree models were successful in monitoring the short mutation/reassortment paths by which influenza virus can gain the key protein structure of another HA subtype and increase its host range in a short period of time with less energy consumption. Extracting and mining a large number of amino acid attributes of HA subtypes of influenza A virus through supervised algorithms represent a new avenue for understanding and predicting possible future structure of influenza pandemics.

Understanding the Underlying Mechanism of HA-Subtyping in the Level of Physic-Chemical Characteristics of Protein

PubMed Central

Ebrahimi, Mansour; Aghagolzadeh, Parisa; Shamabadi, Narges; Tahmasebi, Ahmad; Alsharifi, Mohammed; Adelson, David L.

2014-01-01

The evolution of the influenza A virus to increase its host range is a major concern worldwide. Molecular mechanisms of increasing host range are largely unknown. Influenza surface proteins play determining roles in reorganization of host-sialic acid receptors and host range. In an attempt to uncover the physic-chemical attributes which govern HA subtyping, we performed a large scale functional analysis of over 7000 sequences of 16 different HA subtypes. Large number (896) of physic-chemical protein characteristics were calculated for each HA sequence. Then, 10 different attribute weighting algorithms were used to find the key characteristics distinguishing HA subtypes. Furthermore, to discover machine leaning models which can predict HA subtypes, various Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, and Neural Network models were trained on calculated protein characteristics dataset as well as 10 trimmed datasets generated by attribute weighting algorithms. The prediction accuracies of the machine learning methods were evaluated by 10-fold cross validation. The results highlighted the frequency of Gln (selected by 80% of attribute weighting algorithms), percentage/frequency of Tyr, percentage of Cys, and frequencies of Try and Glu (selected by 70% of attribute weighting algorithms) as the key features that are associated with HA subtyping. Random Forest tree induction algorithm and RBF kernel function of SVM (scaled by grid search) showed high accuracy of 98% in clustering and predicting HA subtypes based on protein attributes. Decision tree models were successful in monitoring the short mutation/reassortment paths by which influenza virus can gain the key protein structure of another HA subtype and increase its host range in a short period of time with less energy consumption. Extracting and mining a large number of amino acid attributes of HA subtypes of influenza A virus through supervised algorithms represent a new avenue for understanding and predicting possible future structure of influenza pandemics. PMID:24809455

The imperative of culture: a quantitative analysis of the impact of culture on workforce engagement, patient experience, physician engagement, value-based purchasing, and turnover.

PubMed

Owens, Katie; Eggers, Jim; Keller, Stephanie; McDonald, Audrey

2017-01-01

Current uncertainty for the future of the health care landscape is placing an increasing amount of pressure on leadership teams to be prepared to steer their organization forward in a number of potential directions. It is commonly recognized among health care leaders that culture will either enable or disable organizational success. However, very few studies empirically link culture to health care-specific performance outcomes. Nearly every health care organization in the US specifies its cultural aspirations through mission and vision statements and values. Ambitions of patient-centeredness, care for the community, workplace of choice, and world-class quality are frequently cited; yet, little definitive research exists to quantify the importance of building high-performing cultures. Our study examined the impact of cultural attributes defined by a culture index (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88) on corresponding performance with key health care measures. We mapped results of the culture index across data sets, compared results, and evaluated variations in performance among key indicators for leaders. Organizations that perform in the top quartile for our culture index statistically significantly outperformed those in the bottom quartile on all but one key performance indicator tested. The culture top quartile organizations outperformed every domain for employee engagement, physician engagement, patient experience, and overall value-based purchasing performance with statistical significance. Culture index top quartile performers also had a 3.4% lower turnover rate than the bottom quartile performers. Finally, culture index top quartile performers earned an additional 1% on value-based purchasing. Our findings demonstrate a meaningful connection between performance in the culture index and organizational performance. To best impact these key performance outcomes, health care leaders should pay attention to culture and actively steer workforce engagement in attributes that represent the culture index, such as treating patients as valued customers, having congruency between employee and organizational values, promoting employee pride, and encouraging the feeling that being a member of the organization is rewarding, in order to leverage culture as a competitive advantage.

The imperative of culture: a quantitative analysis of the impact of culture on workforce engagement, patient experience, physician engagement, value-based purchasing, and turnover

PubMed Central

Owens, Katie; Eggers, Jim; Keller, Stephanie; McDonald, Audrey

2017-01-01

Current uncertainty for the future of the health care landscape is placing an increasing amount of pressure on leadership teams to be prepared to steer their organization forward in a number of potential directions. It is commonly recognized among health care leaders that culture will either enable or disable organizational success. However, very few studies empirically link culture to health care-specific performance outcomes. Nearly every health care organization in the US specifies its cultural aspirations through mission and vision statements and values. Ambitions of patient-centeredness, care for the community, workplace of choice, and world-class quality are frequently cited; yet, little definitive research exists to quantify the importance of building high-performing cultures. Our study examined the impact of cultural attributes defined by a culture index (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88) on corresponding performance with key health care measures. We mapped results of the culture index across data sets, compared results, and evaluated variations in performance among key indicators for leaders. Organizations that perform in the top quartile for our culture index statistically significantly outperformed those in the bottom quartile on all but one key performance indicator tested. The culture top quartile organizations outperformed every domain for employee engagement, physician engagement, patient experience, and overall value-based purchasing performance with statistical significance. Culture index top quartile performers also had a 3.4% lower turnover rate than the bottom quartile performers. Finally, culture index top quartile performers earned an additional 1% on value-based purchasing. Our findings demonstrate a meaningful connection between performance in the culture index and organizational performance. To best impact these key performance outcomes, health care leaders should pay attention to culture and actively steer workforce engagement in attributes that represent the culture index, such as treating patients as valued customers, having congruency between employee and organizational values, promoting employee pride, and encouraging the feeling that being a member of the organization is rewarding, in order to leverage culture as a competitive advantage. PMID:29355220

Contributions from associative and explicit sequence knowledge to the execution of discrete keying sequences.

PubMed

Verwey, Willem B

2015-05-01

Research has provided many indications that highly practiced 6-key sequences are carried out in a chunking mode in which key-specific stimuli past the first are largely ignored. When in such sequences a deviating stimulus occasionally occurs at an unpredictable location, participants fall back to responding to individual stimuli (Verwey & Abrahamse, 2012). The observation that in such a situation execution still benefits from prior practice has been attributed to the possibility to operate in an associative mode. To better understand the contribution to the execution of keying sequences of motor chunks, associative sequence knowledge and also of explicit sequence knowledge, the present study tested three alternative accounts for the earlier finding of an execution rate increase at the end of 6-key sequences performed in the associative mode. The results provide evidence that the earlier observed execution rate increase can be attributed to the use of explicit sequence knowledge. In the present experiment this benefit was limited to sequences that are executed at the moderately fast rates of the associative mode, and occurred at both the earlier and final elements of the sequences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential Effects of Monovalent Cations and Anions on Key Nanoparticle Attributes

EPA Science Inventory

Understanding the key particle attributes such as particle size, size distribution and surface charge of both the nano- and micron-sized particles is the first step in drug formulation as such attributes are known to directly influence several characteristics of drugs including d...

A Privacy-Preserving Platform for User-Centric Quantitative Benchmarking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrmann, Dominik; Scheuer, Florian; Feustel, Philipp; Nowey, Thomas; Federrath, Hannes

We propose a centralised platform for quantitative benchmarking of key performance indicators (KPI) among mutually distrustful organisations. Our platform offers users the opportunity to request an ad-hoc benchmarking for a specific KPI within a peer group of their choice. Architecture and protocol are designed to provide anonymity to its users and to hide the sensitive KPI values from other clients and the central server. To this end, we integrate user-centric peer group formation, exchangeable secure multi-party computation protocols, short-lived ephemeral key pairs as pseudonyms, and attribute certificates. We show by empirical evaluation of a prototype that the performance is acceptable for reasonably sized peer groups.

Chapter 2. Selecting Key Habitat Attributes for Monitoring

Treesearch

Gregory D. Hayward; Lowell H. Suring

2013-01-01

The success of habitat monitoring programs depends, to a large extent, on carefully selecting key habitat attributes to monitor. The challenge of choosing a limited but sufficient set of attributes will differ depending on the objectives of the monitoring program. In some circumstances, such as managing National Forest System lands for threatened and endangered species...

Neural Correlates of Belief and Emotion Attribution in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Lee, Junghee; Horan, William P.; Wynn, Jonathan K.; Green, Michael F.

2016-01-01

Impaired mental state attribution is a core social cognitive deficit in schizophrenia. With functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study examined the extent to which the core neural system of mental state attribution is involved in mental state attribution, focusing on belief attribution and emotion attribution. Fifteen schizophrenia outpatients and 14 healthy controls performed two mental state attribution tasks in the scanner. In a Belief Attribution Task, after reading a short vignette, participants were asked infer either the belief of a character (a false belief condition) or a physical state of an affair (a false photograph condition). In an Emotion Attribution Task, participants were asked either to judge whether character(s) in pictures felt unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral emotion (other condition) or to look at pictures that did not have any human characters (view condition). fMRI data were analyzing focusing on a priori regions of interest (ROIs) of the core neural systems of mental state attribution: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and precuneus. An exploratory whole brain analysis was also performed. Both patients and controls showed greater activation in all four ROIs during the Belief Attribution Task than the Emotion Attribution Task. Patients also showed less activation in the precuneus and left TPJ compared to controls during the Belief Attribution Task. No significant group difference was found during the Emotion Attribution Task in any of ROIs. An exploratory whole brain analysis showed a similar pattern of neural activations. These findings suggest that while schizophrenia patients rely on the same neural network as controls do when attributing beliefs of others, patients did not show reduced activation in the key regions such as the TPJ. Further, this study did not find evidence for aberrant neural activation during emotion attribution or recruitment of compensatory brain regions in schizophrenia. PMID:27812142

The maintenance of key biodiversity attributes through ecosystem restoration operations

Treesearch

Robert W. Gray; Bruce A. Blackwell

2008-01-01

The requirement to manage for key biodiversity attributes in dry forest ecosystems is mandated in the Forest Practices Code Act of British Columbia. These attributes include snags, large old trees, and large organic debris. In the Squamish Forest District dry forest restoration activities center on the use of thinning operations followed by prescribed fire to restore...

Impact of attributed audit on procedural performance in cardiac electrophysiology catheter laboratory.

PubMed

Sawhney, V; Volkova, E; Shaukat, M; Khan, F; Segal, O; Ahsan, S; Chow, A; Ezzat, V; Finlay, M; Lambiase, P; Lowe, M; Dhinoja, M; Sporton, S; Earley, M J; Hunter, R J; Schilling, R J

2018-06-01

Audit has played a key role in monitoring and improving clinical practice. However, audit often fails to drive change as summative institutional data alone may be insufficient to do so. We hypothesised that the practice of attributed audit, wherein each individual's procedural performance is presented will have a greater impact on clinical practice. This hypothesis was tested in an observational study evaluating improvement in fluoroscopy times for AF ablation. Retrospective analyses of fluoroscopy times in AF ablations at the Barts Heart Centre (BHC) from 2012-2017. Fluoroscopy times were compared pre- and post- the introduction of attributed audit in 2012 at St Bartholomew's Hospital (SBH). In order to test the hypothesis, this concept was introduced to a second group of experienced operators from the Heart Hospital (HH) as part of a merger of the two institutions in 2015 and change in fluoroscopy times recorded. A significant drop in fluoroscopy times (33.3 ± 9.14 to 8.95 ± 2.50, p < 0.0001) from 2012-2014 was noted after the introduction of attributed audit. At the time of merger, a significant difference in fluoroscopy times between operators from the two centres was seen in 2015. Each operator's procedural performance was shared openly at the audit meeting. Subsequent audits showed a steady decrease in fluoroscopy times for each operator with the fluoroscopy time (min, mean±SD) decreasing from 13.29 ± 7.3 in 2015 to 8.84 ± 4.8 (p < 0.0001) in 2017 across the entire group. Systematic improvement in fluoroscopy times for AF ablation procedures was noted byevaluating individual operators' performance. Attributing data to physicians in attributed audit can promptsignificant improvement and hence should be adopted in clinical practice.

Choices Behind Numbers: a Review of the Major Air Pollution Health Impact Assessments in Europe.

PubMed

Malmqvist, E; Oudin, A; Pascal, M; Medina, S

2018-03-01

The aim of this review is to identify the key contextual and methodological differences in health impact assessments (HIA) of ambient air pollution performed for Europe. We limited our review to multi-country reviews. An additional aim is to quantify some of these differences by applying them in a HIA template in three European cities. Several HIAs of ambient air pollution have been performed for Europe, and their key results have been largely disseminated. Different studies have, however, come up with substantial differences in attributed health effects. It is of importance to review the background contributing to these differences and to quantify their importance for decision makers who will use them. We identified several methodological differences that could explain the discrepancy behind the number of attributable deaths or years of life lost. The main differences are due to the exposure-response functions chosen, the ways of assessing air pollution levels, the air pollution scenarios and the study population. In the quantification part, we found that using risk estimates from the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) instead of the American Cancer Society (ACS) study could nearly double the attributable burden of ambient air pollution. This study provides some insights into the differential results in previously published HIAs on air pollution in Europe. These results are important for stakeholders in order to make informed decisions.

Policy reconciliation for access control in dynamic cross-enterprise collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preuveneers, D.; Joosen, W.; Ilie-Zudor, E.

2018-03-01

In dynamic cross-enterprise collaborations, different enterprises form a - possibly temporary - business relationship. To integrate their business processes, enterprises may need to grant each other limited access to their information systems. Authentication and authorization are key to secure information handling. However, access control policies often rely on non-standardized attributes to describe the roles and permissions of their employees which convolutes cross-organizational authorization when business relationships evolve quickly. Our framework addresses the managerial overhead of continuous updates to access control policies for enterprise information systems to accommodate disparate attribute usage. By inferring attribute relationships, our framework facilitates attribute and policy reconciliation, and automatically aligns dynamic entitlements during the evaluation of authorization decisions. We validate our framework with a Industry 4.0 motivating scenario on networked production where such dynamic cross-enterprise collaborations are quintessential. The evaluation reveals the capabilities and performance of our framework, and illustrates the feasibility of liberating the security administrator from manually provisioning and aligning attributes, and verifying the consistency of access control policies for cross-enterprise collaborations.

Conjoint Analysis of Study Abroad Preferences: Key Attributes, Segments and Implications for Increasing Student Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garver, Michael S.; Divine, Richard L.

2008-01-01

An adaptive conjoint analysis was performed on the study abroad preferences of a sample of undergraduate college students. The results indicate that trip location, cost, and time spent abroad are the three most important determinants of student preference for different study abroad trip scenarios. The analysis also uncovered four different study…

A scheme of hidden-structure attribute-based encryption with multiple authorities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, J.; Weng, A. X.

2018-05-01

In the most of the CP-ABE schemes with hidden access structure, both all the user attributes and the key generation are managed by only one authority. The key generation efficiency will decrease as the number of user increases, and the data will encounter security issues as the only authority is attacked. We proposed a scheme of hidden-structure attribute-based encryption with multiple authorities, which introduces multiple semi-trusted attribute authorities, avoiding the threat even though one or more authorities are attacked. We also realized user revocation by managing a revocation list. Based on DBDH assumption, we proved that our scheme is of IND-CMA security. The analysis shows that our scheme improves the key generation efficiency.

Comparing Selections of Environmental Variables for Ecological Studies: A Focus on Terrain Attributes.

PubMed

Lecours, Vincent; Brown, Craig J; Devillers, Rodolphe; Lucieer, Vanessa L; Edinger, Evan N

2016-01-01

Selecting appropriate environmental variables is a key step in ecology. Terrain attributes (e.g. slope, rugosity) are routinely used as abiotic surrogates of species distribution and to produce habitat maps that can be used in decision-making for conservation or management. Selecting appropriate terrain attributes for ecological studies may be a challenging process that can lead users to select a subjective, potentially sub-optimal combination of attributes for their applications. The objective of this paper is to assess the impacts of subjectively selecting terrain attributes for ecological applications by comparing the performance of different combinations of terrain attributes in the production of habitat maps and species distribution models. Seven different selections of terrain attributes, alone or in combination with other environmental variables, were used to map benthic habitats of German Bank (off Nova Scotia, Canada). 29 maps of potential habitats based on unsupervised classifications of biophysical characteristics of German Bank were produced, and 29 species distribution models of sea scallops were generated using MaxEnt. The performances of the 58 maps were quantified and compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the various combinations of environmental variables. One of the combinations of terrain attributes-recommended in a related study and that includes a measure of relative position, slope, two measures of orientation, topographic mean and a measure of rugosity-yielded better results than the other selections for both methodologies, confirming that they together best describe terrain properties. Important differences in performance (up to 47% in accuracy measurement) and spatial outputs (up to 58% in spatial distribution of habitats) highlighted the importance of carefully selecting variables for ecological applications. This paper demonstrates that making a subjective choice of variables may reduce map accuracy and produce maps that do not adequately represent habitats and species distributions, thus having important implications when these maps are used for decision-making.

Milestones in Rotorcraft Aeromechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne

2011-01-01

The subject of this paper is milestones in rotorcraft aeromechanics. Aeromechanics covers much of what the engineer needs: performance, loads, vibration, stability, flight dynamics, noise. These topics cover many of the key performance attributes, and many of the often-encountered problems in rotorcraft designs. A milestone is a critical achievement, a turning point, an event marking a significant change or stage in development. The milestones identified and discussed include the beginnings of aeromechanics with autogyro analysis, ground resonance, aeromechanics books, unsteady aerodynamics and airloads, nonuniform inflow and wakes, beams and dynamics, comprehensive analysis, computational fluid dynamics, and rotor airloads tests. The focus on milestones limits the scope of the history, but allows the author to acknowledge his choices for key steps in the development of the science and engineering of rotorcraft.

Diagnostic Profiles: A Standard Setting Method for Use with a Cognitive Diagnostic Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skaggs, Gary; Hein, Serge F.; Wilkins, Jesse L. M.

2016-01-01

This article introduces the Diagnostic Profiles (DP) standard setting method for setting a performance standard on a test developed from a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM), the outcome of which is a profile of mastered and not-mastered skills or attributes rather than a single test score. In the DP method, the key judgment task for panelists is a…

Performance Evaluation of a Database System in a Multiple Backend Configurations,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

leaving a systemn process , the * internal performance measuremnents of MMSD have been carried out. Mathodo lo.- gies for constructing test databases...access d i rectory data via the AT, EDIT, and CDT. In designing the test database, one of the key concepts is the choice of the directory attributes in...internal timing. These requests are selected since they retrieve the seIaI lest portion of the test database and the processing time for each request is

Privacy authentication using key attribute-based encryption in mobile cloud computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan Kumar, M.; Vijayan, R.

2017-11-01

Mobile Cloud Computing is becoming more popular in nowadays were users of smartphones are getting increased. So, the security level of cloud computing as to be increased. Privacy Authentication using key-attribute based encryption helps the users for business development were the data sharing with the organization using the cloud in a secured manner. In Privacy Authentication the sender of data will have permission to add their receivers to whom the data access provided for others the access denied. In sender application, the user can choose the file which is to be sent to receivers and then that data will be encrypted using Key-attribute based encryption using AES algorithm. In which cipher created, and that stored in Amazon Cloud along with key value and the receiver list.

Variations in the implementation and characteristics of chiropractic services in VA.

PubMed

Lisi, Anthony J; Khorsan, Raheleh; Smith, Monica M; Mittman, Brian S

2014-12-01

In 2004, the US Department of Veterans Affairs expanded its delivery of chiropractic care by establishing onsite chiropractic clinics at select facilities across the country. Systematic information regarding the planning and implementation of these clinics and describing their features and performance is lacking. To document the planning, implementation, key features and performance of VA chiropractic clinics, and to identify variations and their underlying causes and key consequences as well as their implications for policy, practice, and research on the introduction of new clinical services into integrated health care delivery systems. Comparative case study of 7 clinics involving site visit-based and telephone-based interviews with 118 key stakeholders, including VA clinicians, clinical leaders and administrative staff, and selected external stakeholders, as well as reviews of key documents and administrative data on clinic performance and service delivery. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a mixed inductive (exploratory) and deductive approach. Interview data revealed considerable variations in clinic planning and implementation processes and clinic features, as well as perceptions of clinic performance and quality. Administrative data showed high variation in patterns of clinic patient care volume over time. A facility's initial willingness to establish a chiropractic clinic, along with a higher degree of perceived evidence-based and collegial attributes of the facility chiropractor, emerged as key factors associated with higher and more consistent delivery of chiropractic services and higher perceived quality of those services.

Analysis of a Decision Support System for CASE Tool Selection and the Specification of an Ada to SQL Abstract Interface

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

34 foreign keys" ,which are keys inherited from conlected entities, the keys would already be defined in the connected entity’s domain primiti le definition...defined for the rootnode re!ationship because all attributes are foreign keys and they are already defined in the connected entities domain primitive...can exchange data with other tools including other tools in the tool vendor’s tool 99 Upper CASE Tool Charactcrizcs set. The important attributes are

Constructing the informatics and information technology foundations of a medical device evaluation system: a report from the FDA unique device identifier demonstration.

PubMed

Drozda, Joseph P; Roach, James; Forsyth, Thomas; Helmering, Paul; Dummitt, Benjamin; Tcheng, James E

2018-02-01

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the need to improve the tracking of medical device safety and performance, with implementation of Unique Device Identifiers (UDIs) in electronic health information as a key strategy. The FDA funded a demonstration by Mercy Health wherein prototype UDIs were incorporated into its electronic information systems. This report describes the demonstration's informatics architecture. Prototype UDIs for coronary stents were created and implemented across a series of information systems, resulting in UDI-associated data flow from manufacture through point of use to long-term follow-up, with barcode scanning linking clinical data with UDI-associated device attributes. A reference database containing device attributes and the UDI Research and Surveillance Database (UDIR) containing the linked clinical and device information were created, enabling longitudinal assessment of device performance. The demonstration included many stakeholders: multiple Mercy departments, manufacturers, health system partners, the FDA, professional societies, the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, and information system vendors. The resulting system of systems is described in detail, including entities, functions, linkage between the UDIR and proprietary systems using UDIs as the index key, data flow, roles and responsibilities of actors, and the UDIR data model. The demonstration provided proof of concept that UDIs can be incorporated into provider and enterprise electronic information systems and used as the index key to combine device and clinical data in a database useful for device evaluation. Keys to success and challenges to achieving this goal were identified. Fundamental informatics principles were central to accomplishing the system of systems model. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Etanercept (Enbrel®) alternative storage at ambient temperature.

PubMed

Shannon, Edel; Daffy, Joanne; Jones, Heather; Paulson, Andrea; Vicik, Steven M

2017-01-01

Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, including tumor necrosis factor inhibitors such as etanercept (Enbrel ® ), have improved outcomes for patients with rheumatic and other inflammatory diseases, with sustained remission being the optimal goal for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Flexible and convenient treatment options, compatible with modern lifestyle, are important in helping patients maintain treatment and manage their disease. Etanercept drug product (DP) is available in lyophilized powder (Lyo) for solution injection, prefilled syringe, and prefilled pen presentations and is typically stored under refrigerated conditions. We aimed to generate a comprehensive analytical data package from stability testing of key quality attributes, consistent with regulatory requirements, to determine whether the product profile of etanercept is maintained at ambient temperature. Test methods assessing key attributes of purity, quality, potency, and safety were performed over time, following storage of etanercept DP presentations under a range of conditions. Results and statistical analysis from stability testing (based on size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis Coomassie) across all etanercept presentations (10 and 25 mg/vial Lyo DP; 25 and 50 mg prefilled syringe DP; 50 mg prefilled pen DP) showed key stability-indicating parameters were within acceptable limits through the alternative storage condition of 25°C±2°C for 1 month. Stability testing performed in line with regulatory requirements supports a single period of storage for etanercept DP at an alternative storage condition of 25°C±2°C for up to 1 month within the approved expiry of the product. This alternative storage condition represents further innovation in the etanercept product lifecycle, providing greater flexibility and enhanced overall convenience for patients.

Attribution of global foodborne disease to specific foods: Findings from a World Health Organization structured expert elicitation.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Sandra; Devleesschauwer, Brecht; Aspinall, Willy; Cooke, Roger; Corrigan, Tim; Havelaar, Arie; Angulo, Frederick; Gibb, Herman; Kirk, Martyn; Lake, Robin; Speybroeck, Niko; Torgerson, Paul; Hald, Tine

2017-01-01

Recently the World Health Organization, Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) estimated that 31 foodborne diseases (FBDs) resulted in over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths worldwide in 2010. Knowing the relative role importance of different foods as exposure routes for key hazards is critical to preventing illness. This study reports the findings of a structured expert elicitation providing globally comparable food source attribution estimates for 11 major FBDs in each of 14 world subregions. We used Cooke's Classical Model to elicit and aggregate judgments of 73 international experts. Judgments were elicited from each expert individually and aggregated using both equal and performance weights. Performance weighted results are reported as they increased the informativeness of estimates, while retaining accuracy. We report measures of central tendency and uncertainty bounds on food source attribution estimate. For some pathogens we see relatively consistent food source attribution estimates across subregions of the world; for others there is substantial regional variation. For example, for non-typhoidal salmonellosis, pork was of minor importance compared to eggs and poultry meat in the American and African subregions, whereas in the European and Western Pacific subregions the importance of these three food sources were quite similar. Our regional results broadly agree with estimates from earlier European and North American food source attribution research. As in prior food source attribution research, we find relatively wide uncertainty bounds around our median estimates. We present the first worldwide estimates of the proportion of specific foodborne diseases attributable to specific food exposure routes. While we find substantial uncertainty around central tendency estimates, we believe these estimates provide the best currently available basis on which to link FBDs and specific foods in many parts of the world, providing guidance for policy actions to control FBDs.

A study of usability principles and interface design for mobile e-books.

PubMed

Wang, Chao-Ming; Huang, Ching-Hua

2015-01-01

This study examined usability principles and interface designs in order to understand the relationship between the intentions of mobile e-book interface designs and users' perceptions. First, this study summarised 4 usability principles and 16 interface attributes, in order to conduct usability testing and questionnaire survey by referring to Nielsen (1993), Norman (2002), and Yeh (2010), who proposed the usability principles. Second, this study used the interviews to explore the perceptions and behaviours of user operations through senior users of multi-touch prototype devices. The results of this study are as follows: (1) users' behaviour of operating an interactive interface is related to user prior experience; (2) users' rating of the visibility principle is related to users' subjective perception but not related to user prior experience; however, users' ratings of the ease, efficiency, and enjoyment principles are related to user prior experience; (3) the interview survey reveals that the key attributes affecting users' behaviour of operating an interface include aesthetics, achievement, and friendliness. This study conducts experiments to explore the effects of users’ prior multi-touch experience on users’ behaviour of operating a mobile e-book interface and users’ rating of usability principles. Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were performed. By applying protocol analysis, key attributes affecting users’ behaviour of operation were determined.

Performance indicators: healthcare professionals' views.

PubMed

Gu, Xiuzhu; Itoh, Kenji

2016-08-08

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to capture factors behind professional views of indicator usefulness as a common structure for assessing healthcare performance and their important characteristics to design limited key performance indicators (PIs) for holistic hospital management. Design/methodology/approach - Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which hospital manager/staff respondents were asked to rate the 52 PIs' usefulness. In total, 228 manager and 894 staff responses were collected. Findings - Eight factors were elicited from manager and staff responses as performance measures with 72 percent cumulative variance accounted for. Hospital managers and staff showed similar performance measure perceptions: high-utility acknowledgment on safety, operational efficiency and patient/employee satisfaction but relatively low-employee development concerns. Manager indicator usefulness perceptions were rather homogeneous and significantly higher than staff for almost all performance measures. Practical implications - Homogeneous manager views mean that a single key PI set for hospital management may be established regardless of hospital attributes. The following aspects may be measures that should be managed in a healthcare organization based on their key PIs: patient/employee safety, operational efficiency, financial effectiveness and patient/employee satisfaction. Originality/value - This is a pilot study on hospital management PIs in Japan. The eight-dimensional factor structure and findings about healthcare provider perceptions may be useful for healthcare management.

Designing IS Curricula for Practical Relevance: Applying Baseball's "Moneyball" Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surendra, Nanda C.; Denton, James W.

2009-01-01

Baseball's "Moneyball" theory states that the baseball market undervalues some attributes (and players with these attributes) that are key contributors to wins while overvaluing other attributes. Teams who correctly evaluate attributes that contribute to wins have higher winning percentages with relatively low payrolls. We applied the Moneyball…

An experimental assessment of physical educators' expectations and attitudes: the importance of student weight and gender.

PubMed

Peterson, Jamie Lee; Puhl, Rebecca M; Luedicke, Joerg

2012-09-01

At school, physical education (PE) teachers and coaches may be key supports for physical activity. Unfortunately, PE teachers may endorse negative stereotypes and attitudes toward overweight youth. These biases may influence the amount of instruction physical educators provide to students and their participation in PE or other physical activity. This study assessed physical educators' (N = 162) ability and performance expectations, attributions, and attitudes toward overweight and non-overweight students. Physical educators endorsed inferior ability expectations for overweight students compared to non-overweight students. Poorer performance expectations were limited to overweight female targets, but when controlling for participant characteristics, this effect became marginally significant for overweight male targets. There was a trend such that participants endorsed more external attributions for the abilities and performance of overweight female students, yet this effect was reduced to marginal significance when controlling for participant characteristics. Participants endorsed more negative attitudes for both overweight males and females compared to non-overweight youth. Findings indicate that physical educators' expectations, attributions, and attitudes regarding students may be negatively influenced by youth body weight, and differ by student gender. The potential effect of physical educators' weight bias on adolescent participation in physical activity and its implications for students' physical health, academic achievement, and social development are discussed. © 2012, American School Health Association.

Properties and Performance Attributes of Novel Co-Extruded Polyolefin Battery Separator Materials. Part 1; Mechanical Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Richard S.; Guzik, Monica; Skierski, Michael

2011-01-01

As NASA prepares for its next era of manned spaceflight missions, advanced energy storage technologies are being developed and evaluated to address future mission needs and technical requirements and to provide new mission-enabling technologies. Cell-level components for advanced lithium-ion batteries possessing higher energy, more reliable performance and enhanced, inherent safety characteristics are actively under development within the NASA infrastructure. A key component for safe and reliable cell performance is the cell separator, which separates the two energetic electrodes and functions to prevent the occurrence of an internal short-circuit while enabling ionic transport. Recently, a new generation of co-extruded separator films has been developed by ExxonMobil Chemical and introduced into their battery separator product portfolio. Several grades of this new separator material have been evaluated with respect to dynamic mechanical properties and safety-related performance attributes. This paper presents the results of these evaluations in comparison to a current state-ofthe-practice separator material. The results are discussed with respect to potential opportunities to enhance the inherent safety characteristics and reliability of future, advanced lithium-ion cell chemistries.

Characteristics of Effective Disaster Responders and Leaders: A Survey of Disaster Medical Practitioners.

PubMed

King, Richard V; Larkin, Gregory Luke; Fowler, Raymond L; Downs, Dana L; North, Carol S

2016-10-01

To identify key attributes of effective disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders, thereby informing the ongoing development of a capable disaster health workforce. We surveyed emergency response practitioners attending a conference session, the EMS State of the Science: A Gathering of Eagles. We used open-ended questions to ask participants to describe key characteristics of successful disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders. Of the 140 session attendees, 132 (94%) participated in the survey. All responses were categorized by using a previously developed framework. The most frequently mentioned characteristics were related to incident command/disaster knowledge, teamwork/interpersonal skills, performing one's role, and cognitive abilities. Other identified characteristics were related to communication skills, adaptability/flexibility, problem solving/decision-making, staying calm and cool under stress, personal character, and overall knowledge. The survey findings support our prior focus group conclusion that important characteristics of disaster responders and leaders are not limited to the knowledge and skills typically included in disaster training. Further research should examine the extent to which these characteristics are consistently associated with actual effective performance of disaster response personnel and determine how best to incorporate these attributes into competency models, processes, and tools for the development of an effective disaster response workforce. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 4).

Key attributes of agricultural innovations in semi-arid smallholder farming systems in south-west Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutsvangwa-Sammie, Eness P.; Manzungu, Emmanuel; Siziba, Shephard

2018-06-01

In Sub-Sahara Africa, which includes Zimbabwe, about 80% of the population depends on agriculture for subsistence, employment and income. Agricultural production and productivity are, however, low. This has been attributed to a lack of appropriate innovations despite the huge investments that have been made to promote 'innovations' as a means to safeguarding agriculture-based livelihoods, which raises the question of how innovations are conceptualized, designed and implemented. This paper explores the key attributes of agricultural innovations by assessing how innovations are conceptualized, designed and implemented in semi-arid smallholder farming systems in south-west Zimbabwe. The study gathered information from 13 key informants and a household survey of 239 farmer households from Gwanda and Insiza districts. Results showed a multiplicity of understandings of agricultural innovations among different stakeholders. However, novelty/newness, utility and adaptability were identified as the major attributes. In general, farmers characterized agricultural innovations as 'something new and mostly introduced by NGOs' but did not associate them with the key attributes of utility and adaptability. More crop-related innovations were identified despite the area being suitable for livestock production. The paper concludes that, rather than view the multiple and sometimes competing understandings of agricultural innovations as undesirable, this should be used to promote context specific innovations which stand a better chance of enhancing agriculture-based livelihoods.

Trust, Respect and Friendship: The Key Attributes of Significant Others in the Lives of Young Working Men

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Plessis, Karin; Corney, Tim

2011-01-01

A sample of 146 male construction industry apprentices (predominantly young men) in Australia self-reported on their significant relationships, as well as the key attributes of these relationships. The findings indicated that the young men shared events, disclosed confidences and looked for help and support from family, romantic partners and close…

A Taxonomy-Based Approach to Shed Light on the Babel of Mathematical Models for Rice Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Confalonieri, Roberto; Bregaglio, Simone; Adam, Myriam; Ruget, Francoise; Li, Tao; Hasegawa, Toshihiro; Yin, Xinyou; Zhu, Yan; Boote, Kenneth; Buis, Samuel;

Sensitivity analyses of factors influencing CMAQ performance for fine particulate nitrate.

PubMed

Shimadera, Hikari; Hayami, Hiroshi; Chatani, Satoru; Morino, Yu; Mori, Yasuaki; Morikawa, Tazuko; Yamaji, Kazuyo; Ohara, Toshimasa

2014-04-01

Improvement of air quality models is required so that they can be utilized to design effective control strategies for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system was applied to the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan in winter 2010 and summer 2011. The model results were compared with observed concentrations of PM2.5 sulfate (SO4(2-)), nitrate (NO3(-)) and ammonium, and gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonia (NH3). The model approximately reproduced PM2.5 SO4(2-) concentration, but clearly overestimated PM2.5 NO3(-) concentration, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). This study conducted sensitivity analyses of factors associated with the model performance for PM2.5 NO3(-) concentration, including temperature and relative humidity, emission of nitrogen oxides, seasonal variation of NH3 emission, HNO3 and NH3 dry deposition velocities, and heterogeneous reaction probability of dinitrogen pentoxide. Change in NH3 emission directly affected NH3 concentration, and substantially affected NH4NO3 concentration. Higher dry deposition velocities of HNO3 and NH3 led to substantial reductions of concentrations of the gaseous species and NH4NO3. Because uncertainties in NH3 emission and dry deposition processes are probably large, these processes may be key factors for improvement of the model performance for PM2.5 NO3(-). The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system clearly overestimated the concentration of fine particulate nitrate in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for factors associated with the model performance for nitrate. Ammonia emission and dry deposition of nitric acid and ammonia may be key factors for improvement of the model performance.

National Security Personnel System (NSPS): An Analysis of Key Stakeholders’ Perceptions during DoD’s Implementation of NSPS

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

62 1. KPP 1: High Performing Workplace and Environment................65 a. Attribute 1. System...source for employee values and actions. The stereotypical value of the federal government employee, especially under the GS system, was job security...most directly met by this model is job security. This job security is often stereotyped by the saying; you cannot fire a government employee

A keyword searchable attribute-based encryption scheme with attribute update for cloud storage.

PubMed

Wang, Shangping; Ye, Jian; Zhang, Yaling

2018-01-01

Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) scheme is a new type of data encryption primitive, which is very suitable for data cloud storage for its fine-grained access control. Keyword-based searchable encryption scheme enables users to quickly find interesting data stored in the cloud server without revealing any information of the searched keywords. In this work, we provide a keyword searchable attribute-based encryption scheme with attribute update for cloud storage, which is a combination of attribute-based encryption scheme and keyword searchable encryption scheme. The new scheme supports the user's attribute update, especially in our new scheme when a user's attribute need to be updated, only the user's secret key related with the attribute need to be updated, while other user's secret key and the ciphertexts related with this attribute need not to be updated with the help of the cloud server. In addition, we outsource the operation with high computation cost to cloud server to reduce the user's computational burden. Moreover, our scheme is proven to be semantic security against chosen ciphertext-policy and chosen plaintext attack in the general bilinear group model. And our scheme is also proven to be semantic security against chosen keyword attack under bilinear Diffie-Hellman (BDH) assumption.

A keyword searchable attribute-based encryption scheme with attribute update for cloud storage

PubMed Central

Wang, Shangping; Zhang, Yaling

2018-01-01

Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) scheme is a new type of data encryption primitive, which is very suitable for data cloud storage for its fine-grained access control. Keyword-based searchable encryption scheme enables users to quickly find interesting data stored in the cloud server without revealing any information of the searched keywords. In this work, we provide a keyword searchable attribute-based encryption scheme with attribute update for cloud storage, which is a combination of attribute-based encryption scheme and keyword searchable encryption scheme. The new scheme supports the user's attribute update, especially in our new scheme when a user's attribute need to be updated, only the user's secret key related with the attribute need to be updated, while other user's secret key and the ciphertexts related with this attribute need not to be updated with the help of the cloud server. In addition, we outsource the operation with high computation cost to cloud server to reduce the user's computational burden. Moreover, our scheme is proven to be semantic security against chosen ciphertext-policy and chosen plaintext attack in the general bilinear group model. And our scheme is also proven to be semantic security against chosen keyword attack under bilinear Diffie-Hellman (BDH) assumption. PMID:29795577

Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary theories.

PubMed

Cook, David A; Artino, Anthony R

2016-10-01

To succinctly summarise five contemporary theories about motivation to learn, articulate key intersections and distinctions among these theories, and identify important considerations for future research. Motivation has been defined as the process whereby goal-directed activities are initiated and sustained. In expectancy-value theory, motivation is a function of the expectation of success and perceived value. Attribution theory focuses on the causal attributions learners create to explain the results of an activity, and classifies these in terms of their locus, stability and controllability. Social- cognitive theory emphasises self-efficacy as the primary driver of motivated action, and also identifies cues that influence future self-efficacy and support self-regulated learning. Goal orientation theory suggests that learners tend to engage in tasks with concerns about mastering the content (mastery goal, arising from a 'growth' mindset regarding intelligence and learning) or about doing better than others or avoiding failure (performance goals, arising from a 'fixed' mindset). Finally, self-determination theory proposes that optimal performance results from actions motivated by intrinsic interests or by extrinsic values that have become integrated and internalised. Satisfying basic psychosocial needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness promotes such motivation. Looking across all five theories, we note recurrent themes of competence, value, attributions, and interactions between individuals and the learning context. To avoid conceptual confusion, and perhaps more importantly to maximise the theory-building potential of their work, researchers must be careful (and precise) in how they define, operationalise and measure different motivational constructs. We suggest that motivation research continue to build theory and extend it to health professions domains, identify key outcomes and outcome measures, and test practical educational applications of the principles thus derived. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Optimizing a machine learning based glioma grading system using multi-parametric MRI histogram and texture features

PubMed Central

Hu, Yu-Chuan; Li, Gang; Yang, Yang; Han, Yu; Sun, Ying-Zhi; Liu, Zhi-Cheng; Tian, Qiang; Han, Zi-Yang; Liu, Le-De; Hu, Bin-Quan; Qiu, Zi-Yu; Wang, Wen; Cui, Guang-Bin

2017-01-01

Current machine learning techniques provide the opportunity to develop noninvasive and automated glioma grading tools, by utilizing quantitative parameters derived from multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. However, the efficacies of different machine learning methods in glioma grading have not been investigated.A comprehensive comparison of varied machine learning methods in differentiating low-grade gliomas (LGGs) and high-grade gliomas (HGGs) as well as WHO grade II, III and IV gliomas based on multi-parametric MRI images was proposed in the current study. The parametric histogram and image texture attributes of 120 glioma patients were extracted from the perfusion, diffusion and permeability parametric maps of preoperative MRI. Then, 25 commonly used machine learning classifiers combined with 8 independent attribute selection methods were applied and evaluated using leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) strategy. Besides, the influences of parameter selection on the classifying performances were investigated. We found that support vector machine (SVM) exhibited superior performance to other classifiers. By combining all tumor attributes with synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE), the highest classifying accuracy of 0.945 or 0.961 for LGG and HGG or grade II, III and IV gliomas was achieved. Application of Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) attribute selection strategy further improved the classifying accuracies. Besides, the performances of LibSVM, SMO, IBk classifiers were influenced by some key parameters such as kernel type, c, gama, K, etc. SVM is a promising tool in developing automated preoperative glioma grading system, especially when being combined with RFE strategy. Model parameters should be considered in glioma grading model optimization. PMID:28599282

Optimizing a machine learning based glioma grading system using multi-parametric MRI histogram and texture features.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Yan, Lin-Feng; Hu, Yu-Chuan; Li, Gang; Yang, Yang; Han, Yu; Sun, Ying-Zhi; Liu, Zhi-Cheng; Tian, Qiang; Han, Zi-Yang; Liu, Le-De; Hu, Bin-Quan; Qiu, Zi-Yu; Wang, Wen; Cui, Guang-Bin

2017-07-18

Current machine learning techniques provide the opportunity to develop noninvasive and automated glioma grading tools, by utilizing quantitative parameters derived from multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. However, the efficacies of different machine learning methods in glioma grading have not been investigated.A comprehensive comparison of varied machine learning methods in differentiating low-grade gliomas (LGGs) and high-grade gliomas (HGGs) as well as WHO grade II, III and IV gliomas based on multi-parametric MRI images was proposed in the current study. The parametric histogram and image texture attributes of 120 glioma patients were extracted from the perfusion, diffusion and permeability parametric maps of preoperative MRI. Then, 25 commonly used machine learning classifiers combined with 8 independent attribute selection methods were applied and evaluated using leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) strategy. Besides, the influences of parameter selection on the classifying performances were investigated. We found that support vector machine (SVM) exhibited superior performance to other classifiers. By combining all tumor attributes with synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE), the highest classifying accuracy of 0.945 or 0.961 for LGG and HGG or grade II, III and IV gliomas was achieved. Application of Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) attribute selection strategy further improved the classifying accuracies. Besides, the performances of LibSVM, SMO, IBk classifiers were influenced by some key parameters such as kernel type, c, gama, K, etc. SVM is a promising tool in developing automated preoperative glioma grading system, especially when being combined with RFE strategy. Model parameters should be considered in glioma grading model optimization.

Use of a scenario-neutral approach to identify the key hydro-meteorological attributes that impact runoff from a natural catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Danlu; Westra, Seth; Maier, Holger R.

2017-11-01

Scenario-neutral approaches are being used increasingly for assessing the potential impact of climate change on water resource systems, as these approaches allow the performance of these systems to be evaluated independently of climate change projections. However, practical implementations of these approaches are still scarce, with a key limitation being the difficulty of generating a range of plausible future time series of hydro-meteorological data. In this study we apply a recently developed inverse stochastic generation approach to support the scenario-neutral analysis, and thus identify the key hydro-meteorological variables to which the system is most sensitive. The stochastic generator simulates synthetic hydro-meteorological time series that represent plausible future changes in (1) the average, extremes and seasonal patterns of rainfall; and (2) the average values of temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (uz) as variables that drive PET. These hydro-meteorological time series are then fed through a conceptual rainfall-runoff model to simulate the potential changes in runoff as a function of changes in the hydro-meteorological variables, and runoff sensitivity is assessed with both correlation and Sobol' sensitivity analyses. The method was applied to a case study catchment in South Australia, and the results showed that the most important hydro-meteorological attributes for runoff were winter rainfall followed by the annual average rainfall, while the PET-related meteorological variables had comparatively little impact. The high importance of winter rainfall can be related to the winter-dominated nature of both the rainfall and runoff regimes in this catchment. The approach illustrated in this study can greatly enhance our understanding of the key hydro-meteorological attributes and processes that are likely to drive catchment runoff under a changing climate, thus enabling the design of tailored climate impact assessments to specific water resource systems.

A design space exploration for control of Critical Quality Attributes of mAb.

PubMed

Bhatia, Hemlata; Read, Erik; Agarabi, Cyrus; Brorson, Kurt; Lute, Scott; Yoon, Seongkyu

2016-10-15

A unique "design space (DSp) exploration strategy," defined as a function of four key scenarios, was successfully integrated and validated to enhance the DSp building exercise, by increasing the accuracy of analyses and interpretation of processed data. The four key scenarios, defining the strategy, were based on cumulative analyses of individual models developed for the Critical Quality Attributes (23 Glycan Profiles) considered for the study. The analyses of the CQA estimates and model performances were interpreted as (1) Inside Specification/Significant Model (2) Inside Specification/Non-significant Model (3) Outside Specification/Significant Model (4) Outside Specification/Non-significant Model. Each scenario was defined and illustrated through individual models of CQA aligning the description. The R(2), Q(2), Model Validity and Model Reproducibility estimates of G2, G2FaGbGN, G0 and G2FaG2, respectively, signified the four scenarios stated above. Through further optimizations, including the estimation of Edge of Failure and Set Point Analysis, wider and accurate DSps were created for each scenario, establishing critical functional relationship between Critical Process Parameters (CPPs) and Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs). A DSp provides the optimal region for systematic evaluation, mechanistic understanding and refining of a QbD approach. DSp exploration strategy will aid the critical process of consistently and reproducibly achieving predefined quality of a product throughout its lifecycle. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Toolkit to Implement Graduate Attributes in Geography Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spronken-Smith, Rachel; McLean, Angela; Smith, Nell; Bond, Carol; Jenkins, Martin; Marshall, Stephen; Frielick, Stanley

2016-01-01

This article uses findings from a project on engagement with graduate outcomes across higher education institutions in New Zealand to produce a toolkit for implementing graduate attributes in geography curricula. Key facets include strong leadership; academic developers to facilitate conversations about graduate attributes and teaching towards…

Evaluation of the effectiveness of color attributes for video indexing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chupeau, Bertrand; Forest, Ronan

2001-10-01

Color features are reviewed and their effectiveness assessed in the application framework of key-frame clustering for abstracting unconstrained video. Existing color spaces and associated quantization schemes are first studied. Description of global color distribution by means of histograms is then detailed. In our work, 12 combinations of color space and quantization were selected, together with 12 histogram metrics. Their respective effectiveness with respect to picture similarity measurement was evaluated through a query-by-example scenario. For that purpose, a set of still-picture databases was built by extracting key frames from several video clips, including news, documentaries, sports and cartoons. Classical retrieval performance evaluation criteria were adapted to the specificity of our testing methodology.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of color attributes for video indexing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chupeau, Bertrand; Forest, Ronan

2001-01-01

Color features are reviewed and their effectiveness assessed in the application framework of key-frame clustering for abstracting unconstrained video. Existing color spaces and associated quantization schemes are first studied. Description of global color distribution by means of histograms is then detailed. In our work, twelve combinations of color space and quantization were selected, together with twelve histogram metrics. Their respective effectiveness with respect to picture similarity measurement was evaluated through a query-be-example scenario. For that purpose, a set of still-picture databases was built by extracting key-frames from several video clips, including news, documentaries, sports and cartoons. Classical retrieval performance evaluation criteria were adapted to the specificity of our testing methodology.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of color attributes for video indexing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chupeau, Bertrand; Forest, Ronan

2000-12-01

Color features are reviewed and their effectiveness assessed in the application framework of key-frame clustering for abstracting unconstrained video. Existing color spaces and associated quantization schemes are first studied. Description of global color distribution by means of histograms is then detailed. In our work, twelve combinations of color space and quantization were selected, together with twelve histogram metrics. Their respective effectiveness with respect to picture similarity measurement was evaluated through a query-be-example scenario. For that purpose, a set of still-picture databases was built by extracting key-frames from several video clips, including news, documentaries, sports and cartoons. Classical retrieval performance evaluation criteria were adapted to the specificity of our testing methodology.

To explore preferences and willingness to pay for attributes regarding stoma appliances amongst patients in the UK, France and Germany.

PubMed

Nafees, Beenish; Lloyd, Andrew; Elkin, Eric; Porret, Terri

2015-04-01

To explore patient preferences regarding stoma appliances in the UK, France and Germany and to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes of stoma appliances. A discrete choice (DCE) survey was developed based on published literature, attributes of current available appliances and qualitative interviews with patients from the UK (N = 3), France (N = 2) and Germany (N = 2). Members from a patient panel in the UK, France and Germany were asked to participate in the DCE survey and to fill out two quality of life (QoL) questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the conditional logit model whereby the coefficients obtained from the model provided an estimate of the (log) odds ratios (ORs) of preference for attributes. WTP was estimated for each level of a given identified attribute. Seven key attributes were identified for the DCE survey: comfort and elastic flexibility, skin problems, early detection of leakage, leakage, filter performance, service/help after hospital discharge and out-of-pocket cost. A total of 415 participants (166 patients in UK, 99 in France, and 150 in Germany) completed the questionnaires. All attributes were significant predictors of choice. The two most important drivers of preference were the attributes comfort and elastic flexibility and skin problems which resulted in high WTP values. Appliances which were able to detect episodes of leakage were also of high importance to participants' appliances. The results show the importance of different attributes of stoma appliances for patients. Improving comfort and elastic flexibility, and risk of skin problems were the most important aspects of appliances. The WTP values indicate the value people place on improvement in each attribute of appliances.

The Paralympic athlete: a systematic review of the psychosocial literature.

PubMed

Jefferies, Philip; Gallagher, Pamela; Dunne, Simon

2012-09-01

There is a lack of knowledge of the psychosocial wellbeing and attributes of Paralympic athletes. Such knowledge may reveal what contributes to exceptional performance. To systematically review the literature on psychosocial wellbeing and attributes of the Paralympic athlete. Systematic literature review. Five key databases that index psychosocial literature were searched: CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SportsDiscus. Sixteen papers were found that met the inclusion criteria. The studies were characterised by heterogeneity of design, sample characteristics, outcome assessment and outcomes examined. The emerging thematic areas are 1) participation, motivations and goals; 2) mental imagery; 3) stress and coping; 4) personality; 5) attitudes towards other disabled-bodied athlete groups; 6) knowledge and attitudes towards doping; and 7) transitions to retirement. Relative to the biomechanical aspects of the Paralympian, the psychosocial literature remains limited and diffuse. Nonetheless an understanding of the psychosocial profile of these athletes complements the extant physiological and technological knowledge in enabling a holistic view of what contributes to the successful Paralympic athlete and may facilitate the team working to optimize performance and wellbeing in these high-performing individuals.

Perception of touch quality in piano tones.

PubMed

Goebl, Werner; Bresin, Roberto; Fujinaga, Ichiro

2014-11-01

Both timbre and dynamics of isolated piano tones are determined exclusively by the speed with which the hammer hits the strings. This physical view has been challenged by pianists who emphasize the importance of the way the keyboard is touched. This article presents empirical evidence from two perception experiments showing that touch-dependent sound components make sounds with identical hammer velocities but produced with different touch forms clearly distinguishable. The first experiment focused on finger-key sounds: musicians could identify pressed and struck touches. When the finger-key sounds were removed from the sounds, the effect vanished, suggesting that these sounds were the primary identification cue. The second experiment looked at key-keyframe sounds that occur when the key reaches key-bottom. Key-bottom impact was identified from key motion measured by a computer-controlled piano. Musicians were able to discriminate between piano tones that contain a key-bottom sound from those that do not. However, this effect might be attributable to sounds associated with the mechanical components of the piano action. In addition to the demonstrated acoustical effects of different touch forms, visual and tactile modalities may play important roles during piano performance that influence the production and perception of musical expression on the piano.

Gender Attribution and Gender Agreement in French Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boloh, Yves; Ibernon, Laure; Royer, Stephanie; Escudier, Frederique; Danillon, Aurelia

2009-01-01

Previous studies on grammatical gender in French individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have led to conflicting findings and interpretations regarding keys abilities--gender attribution and gender agreement. New production data from a larger SW sample (N = 24) showed that gender attribution scores in SW participants exactly mirrored those of…

Using a multidimensional unfolding approach to assess multiple sclerosis patient preferences for disease-modifying therapy: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Sempere, Angel Perez; Vera-Lopez, Vanesa; Gimenez-Martinez, Juana; Ruiz-Beato, Elena; Cuervo, Jesús; Maurino, Jorge

2017-01-01

Purpose Multidimensional unfolding is a multivariate method to assess preferences using a small sample size, a geometric model locating individuals and alternatives as points in a joint space. The objective was to evaluate relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patient preferences toward key disease-modifying therapy (DMT) attributes using multidimensional unfolding. Patients and methods A cross-sectional pilot study in RRMS patients was conducted. Drug attributes included relapse prevention, disease progression prevention, side-effect risk and route and schedule of administration. Assessment of preferences was performed through a five-card game. Patients were asked to value attributes from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Results A total of 37 patients were included; the mean age was 38.6 years, and 78.4% were female. Disease progression prevention was the most important factor (51.4%), followed by relapse prevention (40.5%). The frequency of administration had the lowest preference rating for 56.8% of patients. Finally, 19.6% valued the side-effect risk attribute as having low/very low importance. Conclusion Patients’ perspective for DMT attributes may provide valuable information to facilitate shared decision-making. Efficacy attributes were the most important drug characteristics for RRMS patients. Multidimensional unfolding seems to be a feasible approach to assess preferences in multiple sclerosis patients. Further elicitation studies using multidimensional unfolding with other stated choice methods are necessary to confirm these findings. PMID:28615928

Data warehouse model for monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) using goal oriented approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Mohammed Thajeel; Ta'a, Azman; Bakar, Muhamad Shahbani Abu

2016-08-01

The growth and development of universities, just as other organizations, depend on their abilities to strategically plan and implement development blueprints which are in line with their vision and mission statements. The actualizations of these statements, which are often designed into goals and sub-goals and linked to their respective actors are better measured by defining key performance indicators (KPIs) of the university. The proposes ReGADaK, which is an extended the GRAnD approach highlights the facts, dimensions, attributes, measures and KPIs of the organization. The measures from the goal analysis of this unit serve as the basis of developing the related university's KPIs. The proposed data warehouse schema is evaluated through expert review, prototyping and usability evaluation. The findings from the evaluation processes suggest that the proposed data warehouse schema is suitable for monitoring the University's KPIs.

Research pressure instrumentation for NASA Space Shuttle main engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, P. J.; Nussbaum, P.; Gustafson, G.

1984-01-01

The development of prototype pressure transducers which are targeted to meet the Space Shuttle Main Engine SSME performance design goals is discussed. The fabrication, testing and delivery of 10 prototype units is examined. Silicon piezoresistive strain sensing technology is used to achieve the objectives of advanced state-of-the-art pressure sensors in terms of reliability, accuracy and ease of manufacture. Integration of multiple functions on a single chip is the key attribute of this technology.

Attribution of global foodborne disease to specific foods: Findings from a World Health Organization structured expert elicitation

PubMed Central

Devleesschauwer, Brecht; Aspinall, Willy; Cooke, Roger; Corrigan, Tim; Havelaar, Arie; Angulo, Frederick; Gibb, Herman; Kirk, Martyn; Lake, Robin; Speybroeck, Niko; Torgerson, Paul; Hald, Tine

2017-01-01

Background Recently the World Health Organization, Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) estimated that 31 foodborne diseases (FBDs) resulted in over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths worldwide in 2010. Knowing the relative role importance of different foods as exposure routes for key hazards is critical to preventing illness. This study reports the findings of a structured expert elicitation providing globally comparable food source attribution estimates for 11 major FBDs in each of 14 world subregions. Methods and findings We used Cooke’s Classical Model to elicit and aggregate judgments of 73 international experts. Judgments were elicited from each expert individually and aggregated using both equal and performance weights. Performance weighted results are reported as they increased the informativeness of estimates, while retaining accuracy. We report measures of central tendency and uncertainty bounds on food source attribution estimate. For some pathogens we see relatively consistent food source attribution estimates across subregions of the world; for others there is substantial regional variation. For example, for non-typhoidal salmonellosis, pork was of minor importance compared to eggs and poultry meat in the American and African subregions, whereas in the European and Western Pacific subregions the importance of these three food sources were quite similar. Our regional results broadly agree with estimates from earlier European and North American food source attribution research. As in prior food source attribution research, we find relatively wide uncertainty bounds around our median estimates. Conclusions We present the first worldwide estimates of the proportion of specific foodborne diseases attributable to specific food exposure routes. While we find substantial uncertainty around central tendency estimates, we believe these estimates provide the best currently available basis on which to link FBDs and specific foods in many parts of the world, providing guidance for policy actions to control FBDs. PMID:28910293

Data-Dictionary-Editing Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cumming, A. P.

1989-01-01

Access to data-dictionary relations and attributes made more convenient. Data Dictionary Editor (DDE) application program provides more convenient read/write access to data-dictionary table ("descriptions table") via data screen using SMARTQUERY function keys. Provides three main advantages: (1) User works with table names and field names rather than with table numbers and field numbers, (2) Provides online access to definitions of data-dictionary keys, and (3) Provides displayed summary list that shows, for each datum, which data-dictionary entries currently exist for any specific relation or attribute. Computer program developed to give developers of data bases more convenient access to the OMNIBASE VAX/IDM data-dictionary relations and attributes.

The World's Best Anglo-American Universities' Knowledge Management Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tower, Greg; Plummer, Julie; Ridgewell, Brenda; Goforth, Emily; Tower, Spence

2009-01-01

Key knowledge management attributes of the world's most prestigious Anglo-American universities are surprisingly under-reported especially by best ranked USA institutions. This leads to calls for more transparency.

Imaging for Appendicitis: Should Radiation-induced Cancer Risks Affect Modality Selection?

PubMed Central

Kiatpongsan, Sorapop; Meng, Lesley; Eisenberg, Jonathan D.; Herring, Maurice; Avery, Laura L.; Kong, Chung Yin

2014-01-01

Purpose To compare life expectancy (LE) losses attributable to three imaging strategies for appendicitis in adults—computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US) followed by CT for negative or indeterminate US results, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging—by using a decision-analytic model. Materials and Methods In this model, for each imaging strategy, LE losses for 20-, 40-, and 65-year-old men and women were computed as a function of five key variables: baseline cohort LE, test performance, surgical mortality, risk of death from delayed diagnosis (missed appendicitis), and LE loss attributable to radiation-induced cancer death. Appendicitis prevalence, test performance, mortality rates from surgery and missed appendicitis, and radiation doses from CT were elicited from the published literature and institutional data. LE loss attributable to radiation exposure was projected by using a separate organ-specific model that accounted for anatomic coverage during a typical abdominopelvic CT examination. One- and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate effects of model input variability on results. Results Outcomes across imaging strategies differed minimally—for example, for 20-year-old men, corresponding LE losses were 5.8 days (MR imaging), 6.8 days (combined US and CT), and 8.2 days (CT). This order was sensitive to differences in test performance but was insensitive to variation in radiation-induced cancer deaths. For example, in the same cohort, MR imaging sensitivity had to be 91% at minimum (if specificity were 100%), and MR imaging specificity had to be 62% at minimum (if sensitivity were 100%) to incur the least LE loss. Conversely, LE loss attributable to radiation exposure would need to decrease by 74-fold for combined US and CT, instead of MR imaging, to incur the least LE loss. Conclusion The specific imaging strategy used to diagnose appendicitis minimally affects outcomes. Paradigm shifts to MR imaging owing to concerns over radiation should be considered only if MR imaging test performance is very high. © RSNA, 2014 PMID:24988435

The internal processes and behavioral dynamics of hospital boards: an exploration of differences between high- and low-performing hospitals.

PubMed

Kane, Nancy M; Clark, Jonathan R; Rivenson, Howard L

2009-01-01

Nonprofit hospital boards are under increasing pressure to improve financial, clinical, and charitable and community benefit performance. Most research on board effectiveness focuses on variables measuring board structure and attributes associated with competing ideal models of board roles. However, the results do not provide clear evidence that one role is superior to another and suggest that in practice boards pursue hybrid roles. Board dynamics and processes have received less attention from researchers, but emerging theoretical frameworks highlight them as key to effective corporate governance. We explored differences in board processes and behavioral dynamics between financially high- and low-performing hospitals, with the goal of developing a better understanding of the best board practices in nonprofit hospitals. A comparative case study approach allowed for in-depth, qualitative assessments of how the internal workings of boards differ between low- and high-performing facilities. Boards of hospitals with strong financial performance exhibited behavioral dynamics and internal processes that differed in important ways from those of hospitals with poor financial performance. Boards need to actively attend to key processes and foster positive group dynamics in decision making to be more effective in governing hospitals.

Development of clinical pharmacy key performance indicators for hospital pharmacists using a modified Delphi approach.

PubMed

Fernandes, Olavo; Gorman, Sean K; Slavik, Richard S; Semchuk, William M; Shalansky, Steve; Bussières, Jean-François; Doucette, Douglas; Bannerman, Heather; Lo, Jennifer; Shukla, Simone; Chan, Winnie W Y; Benninger, Natalie; MacKinnon, Neil J; Bell, Chaim M; Slobodan, Jeremy; Lyder, Catherine; Zed, Peter J; Toombs, Kent

2015-06-01

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable measures of quality. There are no published, systematically derived clinical pharmacy KPIs (cpKPIs). A group of hospital pharmacists aimed to develop national cpKPIs to advance clinical pharmacy practice and improve patient care. A cpKPI working group established a cpKPI definition, 8 evidence-derived cpKPI critical activity areas, 26 candidate cpKPIs, and 11 cpKPI ideal attributes in addition to 1 overall consensus criterion. Twenty-six clinical pharmacists and hospital pharmacy leaders participated in an internet-based 3-round modified Delphi survey. Panelists rated 26 candidate cpKPIs using 11 cpKPI ideal attributes and 1 overall consensus criterion on a 9-point Likert scale. A meeting was facilitated between rounds 2 and 3 to debate the merits and wording of candidate cpKPIs. Consensus was reached if 75% or more of panelists assigned a score of 7 to 9 on the consensus criterion during the third Delphi round. All panelists completed the 3 Delphi rounds, and 25/26 (96%) attended the meeting. Eight candidate cpKPIs met the consensus definition: (1) performing admission medication reconciliation (including best-possible medication history), (2) participating in interprofessional patient care rounds, (3) completing pharmaceutical care plans, (4) resolving drug therapy problems, (5) providing in-person disease and medication education to patients, (6) providing discharge patient medication education, (7) performing discharge medication reconciliation, and (8) providing bundled, proactive direct patient care activities. A Delphi panel of hospital pharmacists was successful in determining 8 consensus cpKPIs. Measurement and assessment of these cpKPIs will serve to advance clinical pharmacy practice and improve patient care. © The Author(s) 2015.

Metabolomic approach for determination of key volatile compounds related to beef flavor in glutathione-Maillard reaction products.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Mi; Kwon, Goo Young; Kim, Kwang-Ok; Kim, Young-Suk

2011-10-10

The non-targeted analysis, combining gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS) and sensory evaluation, was applied to investigate the relationship between volatile compounds and the sensory attributes of glutathione-Maillard reaction products (GSH-MRPs) prepared under different reaction conditions. Volatile compounds in GSH-MRPs correlating to the sensory attributes were determined using partial least-squares (PLS) regression. Volatile compounds such as 2-methylfuran-3-thiol, 3-sulfanylpentan-2-one, furan-2-ylmethanethiol, 2-propylpyrazine, 1-furan-2-ylpropan-2-one, 1H-pyrrole, 2-methylthiophene, and 2-(furan-2-ylmethyldisulfanylmethyl)furan could be identified as possible key contributors to the beef-related attributes of GSH-MRPs. In this study, we demonstrated that the unbiased non-targeted analysis based on metabolomic approach allows the identification of key volatile compounds related to beef flavor in GSH-MRPs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of physiology in the development of golf performance.

PubMed

Smith, Mark F

2010-08-01

The attainment of consistent high performance in golf requires effective physical conditioning that is carefully designed and monitored in accordance with the on-course demands the player will encounter. Appreciating the role that physiology plays in the attainment of consistent performance, and how a player's physicality can inhibit performance progression, supports the notion that the application of physiology is fundamental for any player wishing to excel in golf. With cardiorespiratory, metabolic, hormonal, musculoskeletal and nutritional demands acting on the golfer within and between rounds, effective physical screening of a player will ensure physiological and anatomical deficiencies that may influence performance are highlighted. The application of appropriate golf-specific assessment methods will ensure that physical attributes that have a direct effect on golf performance can be measured reliably and accurately. With the physical development of golf performance being achieved through a process of conditioning with the purpose of inducing changes in structural and metabolic functions, training must focus on foundation whole-body fitness and golf-specific functional strength and flexibility activities. For long-term player improvement to be effective, comprehensive monitoring will ensure the player reaches an optimal physical state at predetermined times in the competitive season. Through continual assessment of a player's physical attributes, training effectiveness and suitability, and the associated adaptive responses, key physical factors that may impact most on performance success can be determined.

Enhancing Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) Level-0 Physical Process Security Using Field Device Distinct Native Attribute Features

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

Lopez, Juan; Liefer, Nathan C.; Busho, Colin R.

Here, the need for improved Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CIKR) security is unquestioned and there has been minimal emphasis on Level-0 (PHY Process) improvements. Wired Signal Distinct Native Attribute (WS-DNA) Fingerprinting is investigated here as a non-intrusive PHY-based security augmentation to support an envisioned layered security strategy. Results are based on experimental response collections from Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) Differential Pressure Transmitter (DPT) devices from three manufacturers (Yokogawa, Honeywell, Endress+Hauer) installed in an automated process control system. Device discrimination is assessed using Time Domain (TD) and Slope-Based FSK (SB-FSK) fingerprints input to Multiple Discriminant Analysis, Maximum Likelihood (MDA/ML)more » and Random Forest (RndF) classifiers. For 12 different classes (two devices per manufacturer at two distinct set points), both classifiers performed reliably and achieved an arbitrary performance benchmark of average cross-class percent correct of %C > 90%. The least challenging cross-manufacturer results included near-perfect %C ≈ 100%, while the more challenging like-model (serial number) discrimination results included 90%< %C < 100%, with TD Fingerprinting marginally outperforming SB-FSK Fingerprinting; SB-FSK benefits from having less stringent response alignment and registration requirements. The RndF classifier was most beneficial and enabled reliable selection of dimensionally reduced fingerprint subsets that minimize data storage and computational requirements. The RndF selected feature sets contained 15% of the full-dimensional feature sets and only suffered a worst case %CΔ = 3% to 4% performance degradation.« less

The World's Best Anglo-American Universities' Knowledge Management Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tower, Greg; Plummer, Julie; Ridgewell, Brenda; Goforth, Emily; Tower, Spence

2008-01-01

Key knowledge management attributes of the world's most prestigious Anglo-American universities are surprisingly under-reported especially by best ranked USA institutions. This leads to calls for more transparency. (Contains 2 tables.)

Bidirectional RNN for Medical Event Detection in Electronic Health Records.

PubMed

Jagannatha, Abhyuday N; Yu, Hong

2016-06-01

Sequence labeling for extraction of medical events and their attributes from unstructured text in Electronic Health Record (EHR) notes is a key step towards semantic understanding of EHRs. It has important applications in health informatics including pharmacovigilance and drug surveillance. The state of the art supervised machine learning models in this domain are based on Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) with features calculated from fixed context windows. In this application, we explored recurrent neural network frameworks and show that they significantly out-performed the CRF models.

Views, Beliefs, & Opinions of Business Education by State Employment Service Managers in the Pacific Northwest, Secondary Principals in the Pacific Northwest, Chief State School Officers throughout the United States, State Directors of Employment & Training throughout the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yopp, Martha C.

State employment service managers in the Pacific Northwest, secondary principals in the Pacific Northwest, chief state school officers throughout the United States, and state directors of employment and training throughout the United States were asked to rate students on a list of 15 attributes seen as key to performance on the job. Their…

Polysilicon for everything?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, M. C. L.; McNie, Mark E.; Bunyan, Robert J.; King, David O.; Carline, Roger T.; Wilson, Rebecca; Gillham, J. P.

1998-09-01

We review some of the attractive attributes of microengineering and relate them to features of the highly successful silicon microelectronics industry. We highlight the need for cost effective functionality rather than ultimate performance as a driver for success and review key examples of polysilicon devices from this point of view. The effective exploitation of the data generated by the cost effective polysilicon sensors is also considered and we conclude that `non traditional' data analysis will need to be exploited if full use is to be made of polysilicon devices.

TechTuning: Stress Management For 3D Through-Silicon-Via Stacking Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radojcic, Riko; Nowak, Matt; Nakamoto, Mark

2011-09-01

The concerns with managing mechanical stress distributions and the consequent effects on device performance and material integrity, for advanced TSV based technologies 3D are outlined. A model and simulation based Design For Manufacturability (DFM) type of a flow for managing the mechanical stresses throughout Si die, stack and package design is proposed. The key attributes of the models and simulators required to fuel the proposed flow are summarized. Finally, some of the essential infrastructure and the Supply Chain support items are described.

Diversity Leadership in the U.S. Department of Defense: Analysis of the Key Roles, Responsibilities, and Attributes of Diversity Leaders

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

reviewing courses that are similar to the ones desired or by evaluating the administrative and instructional reputation of the institutions or...involved in evaluating them. For example, one DoD interviewee described how his or her current role relates to diver- sity programs, stating: Because I...divisions and senior leaders at the company. . . . Each division CEO’s bonus is tied to meeting those diversity performance goals. There’s a quanti

Scientific Uncertainties in Climate Change Detection and Attribution Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santer, B. D.

2017-12-01

It has been claimed that the treatment and discussion of key uncertainties in climate science is "confined to hushed sidebar conversations at scientific conferences". This claim is demonstrably incorrect. Climate change detection and attribution studies routinely consider key uncertainties in observational climate data, as well as uncertainties in model-based estimates of natural variability and the "fingerprints" in response to different external forcings. The goal is to determine whether such uncertainties preclude robust identification of a human-caused climate change fingerprint. It is also routine to investigate the impact of applying different fingerprint identification strategies, and to assess how detection and attribution results are impacted by differences in the ability of current models to capture important aspects of present-day climate. The exploration of the uncertainties mentioned above will be illustrated using examples from detection and attribution studies with atmospheric temperature and moisture.

Determining the key drivers and mitigating factors that influence the role of the Nurse and/or Midwife Consultant: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Fernandez, Ritin S; Sheppard-Law, Suzanne; Manning, Vicki

2017-06-01

Globally, many nurses and midwives are working at an advanced practice level. The role of a Nurse and/or Midwife Consultant encompasses a diverse and complex interaction between five specified domains namely Clinical Service and Consultancy, Clinical Leadership, Research, Education, and Clinical Services Planning and Management. The objective of this replication study was to identify the key drivers and mitigating factors that impact the role of Australian Nurse and/or Midwife Consultants. Cross-sectional survey. The study was conducted in a large metropolitan health district in Sydney, Australia. Participants for this study consisted of all Nurse and/or Midwife Consultants working within a health district in New South Wales (NSW). Data were collected by an anonymous online survey. Key drivers and mitigating factors perceived to influence their role were identified using previously implemented instruments. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Responses were obtained from 122 Nurse and/or Midwife Consultants. The number of years of experience as a Nurse and/or Midwife Consultant ranged from 6 months to 25.5 years. Personal attributes which included personal motivation and own communication skills were identified as key drivers to role performance with a mean score of 7.7±0.6. Other key drivers included peer support, organisational culture, personal attributes, professional learning, Nurse and/or Midwife Consultant experience, and collaborative relationships. Of the 14 mitigating factors to the role, the most common factors were lack of resources to set up and develop the role (2.6 ± 0.9), lack of secretarial support (2.6 ± 1.1), lack of managerial support (2.45 ± 1.1), and lack of understanding of the role by other health professionals (2.40 ± 0.8). Understanding the key drivers and mitigating factors that influence the role of the Nurse and/or Midwife Consultant is important for healthcare managers. Given the changing landscape of nursing and midwifery practice, organisational strategies to provide ongoing support to address the mitigating factors are urgently needed. It is pivotal that nursing management implement strategies to empower Nurse and/or Midwife Consultants to perform and reach their potential to deliver advanced nursing care.

Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment: pre-assessment report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Assal, Timothy J.; Melcher, Cynthia P.; Carr, Natasha B.

2015-01-01

An overview on the ecology and management issues for each Conservation Element is provided, including distribution and ecology, landscape structure and dynamics, and associated species of management concern affiliated with each Conservation Element. For each Conservation Element, effects of the Change Agents are described. An overview of potential key ecological attributes and potential Change Agents are summarized by conceptual models and tables. The tables provide an organizational framework and background information for evaluating the key ecological attributes and Change Agents in Phase II.

Control of multi-joint arm movements for the manipulation of touch in keystroke by expert pianists

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Production of a variety of finger-key touches in the piano is essential for expressive musical performance. However, it remains unknown how expert pianists control multi-joint finger and arm movements for manipulating the touch. The present study investigated differences in kinematics and kinetics of the upper-limb movements while expert pianists were depressing a key with two different touches: pressed and struck. The former starts key-depression with the finger-tip contacting the key, whereas the latter involves preparatory arm-lift before striking the key. To determine the effect of individual muscular torque (MUS) as well as non-muscular torques on joint acceleration, we performed a series of inverse and forward dynamics computations. Results The pressed touch showed smaller elbow extension velocity, and larger shoulder and finger flexion velocities during key-depression compared with the struck touch. The former touch also showed smaller elbow extension acceleration directly attributed to the shoulder MUS. In contrast, the shoulder flexion acceleration induced by elbow and wrist MUS was greater for the pressed touch than the struck touch. Towards the goal of producing the target finger-key contact dynamics, the pressed and struck touches effectively took advantage of the distal-to-proximal and proximal-to-distal inter-segmental dynamics, respectively. Furthermore, a psychoacoustic experiment confirmed that a tone elicited by the pressed touch was perceived softer than that by the struck touch. Conclusion The present findings suggest that manipulation of tone timbre depends on control of inter-segmental dynamics in piano keystroke. PMID:20630085

Development of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) methods for controlled release pellet coating.

PubMed

Avalle, P; Pollitt, M J; Bradley, K; Cooper, B; Pearce, G; Djemai, A; Fitzpatrick, S

2014-07-01

This work focused on the control of the manufacturing process for a controlled release (CR) pellet product, within a Quality by Design (QbD) framework. The manufacturing process was Wurster coating: firstly layering active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) onto sugar pellet cores and secondly a controlled release (CR) coating. For each of these two steps, development of a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) method is discussed and also a novel application of automated microscopy as the reference method. Ultimately, PAT methods should link to product performance and the two key Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) for this CR product are assay and release rate, linked to the API and CR coating steps respectively. In this work, the link between near infra-red (NIR) spectra and those attributes was explored by chemometrics over the course of the coating process in a pilot scale industrial environment. Correlations were built between the NIR spectra and coating weight (for API amount), CR coating thickness and dissolution performance. These correlations allow the coating process to be monitored at-line and so better control of the product performance in line with QbD requirements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Synopsis of Interfacial Phenomena in Lithium-Based Polymer Electrolyte Electrochemical Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Richard S.; Bennett, William R.

2007-01-01

The interfacial regions between electrode materials, electrolytes and other cell components play key roles in the overall performance of lithium-based batteries. For cell chemistries employing lithium metal, lithium alloy or carbonaceous materials (i.e., lithium-ion cells) as anode materials, a "solid electrolyte interphase" (SEI) layer forms at the anode/electrolyte interface, and the properties of this "passivating" layer significantly affect the practical cell/battery quality and performance. A thin, ionically-conducting SEI on the electrode surface can beneficially reduce or eliminate undesirable side reactions between the electrode and the electrolyte, which can result in a degradation in cell performance. The properties and phenomena attributable to the interfacial regions existing at both anode and cathode surfaces can be characterized to a large extent by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and related techniques. The intention of the review herewith is to support the future development of lithium-based polymer electrolytes by providing a synopsis of interfacial phenomena that is associated with cell chemistries employing either lithium metal or carbonaceous "composite" electrode structures which are interfaced with polymer electrolytes (i.e., "solvent-free" as well as "plasticized" polymer-binary salt complexes and single ion-conducting polyelectrolytes). Potential approaches to overcoming poor cell performance attributable to interfacial effects are discussed.

[Traditional Chinese Medicine data management policy in big data environment].

PubMed

Liang, Yang; Ding, Chang-Song; Huang, Xin-di; Deng, Le

2018-02-01

As traditional data management model cannot effectively manage the massive data in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) due to the uncertainty of data object attributes as well as the diversity and abstraction of data representation, a management strategy for TCM data based on big data technology is proposed. Based on true characteristics of TCM data, this strategy could solve the problems of the uncertainty of data object attributes in TCM information and the non-uniformity of the data representation by using modeless properties of stored objects in big data technology. Hybrid indexing mode was also used to solve the conflicts brought by different storage modes in indexing process, with powerful capabilities in query processing of massive data through efficient parallel MapReduce process. The theoretical analysis provided the management framework and its key technology, while its performance was tested on Hadoop by using several common traditional Chinese medicines and prescriptions from practical TCM data source. Result showed that this strategy can effectively solve the storage problem of TCM information, with good performance in query efficiency, completeness and robustness. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Five key attributes can increase marine protected areas performance for small-scale fisheries management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Franco, Antonio; Thiriet, Pierre; di Carlo, Giuseppe; Dimitriadis, Charalampos; Francour, Patrice; Gutiérrez, Nicolas L.; Jeudy de Grissac, Alain; Koutsoubas, Drosos; Milazzo, Marco; Otero, María Del Mar; Piante, Catherine; Plass-Johnson, Jeremiah; Sainz-Trapaga, Susana; Santarossa, Luca; Tudela, Sergi; Guidetti, Paolo

2016-12-01

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have largely proven to be effective tools for conserving marine ecosystem, while socio-economic benefits generated by MPAs to fisheries are still under debate. Many MPAs embed a no-take zone, aiming to preserve natural populations and ecosystems, within a buffer zone where potentially sustainable activities are allowed. Small-scale fisheries (SSF) within buffer zones can be highly beneficial by promoting local socio-economies. However, guidelines to successfully manage SSFs within MPAs, ensuring both conservation and fisheries goals, and reaching a win-win scenario, are largely unavailable. From the peer-reviewed literature, grey-literature and interviews, we assembled a unique database of ecological, social and economic attributes of SSF in 25 Mediterranean MPAs. Using random forest with Boruta algorithm we identified a set of attributes determining successful SSFs management within MPAs. We show that fish stocks are healthier, fishermen incomes are higher and the social acceptance of management practices is fostered if five attributes are present (i.e. high MPA enforcement, presence of a management plan, fishermen engagement in MPA management, fishermen representative in the MPA board, and promotion of sustainable fishing). These findings are pivotal to Mediterranean coastal communities so they can achieve conservation goals while allowing for profitable exploitation of fisheries resources.

Weakly supervised visual dictionary learning by harnessing image attributes.

PubMed

Gao, Yue; Ji, Rongrong; Liu, Wei; Dai, Qionghai; Hua, Gang

2014-12-01

Bag-of-features (BoFs) representation has been extensively applied to deal with various computer vision applications. To extract discriminative and descriptive BoF, one important step is to learn a good dictionary to minimize the quantization loss between local features and codewords. While most existing visual dictionary learning approaches are engaged with unsupervised feature quantization, the latest trend has turned to supervised learning by harnessing the semantic labels of images or regions. However, such labels are typically too expensive to acquire, which restricts the scalability of supervised dictionary learning approaches. In this paper, we propose to leverage image attributes to weakly supervise the dictionary learning procedure without requiring any actual labels. As a key contribution, our approach establishes a generative hidden Markov random field (HMRF), which models the quantized codewords as the observed states and the image attributes as the hidden states, respectively. Dictionary learning is then performed by supervised grouping the observed states, where the supervised information is stemmed from the hidden states of the HMRF. In such a way, the proposed dictionary learning approach incorporates the image attributes to learn a semantic-preserving BoF representation without any genuine supervision. Experiments in large-scale image retrieval and classification tasks corroborate that our approach significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art unsupervised dictionary learning approaches.

Five key attributes can increase marine protected areas performance for small-scale fisheries management.

PubMed

Di Franco, Antonio; Thiriet, Pierre; Di Carlo, Giuseppe; Dimitriadis, Charalampos; Francour, Patrice; Gutiérrez, Nicolas L; Jeudy de Grissac, Alain; Koutsoubas, Drosos; Milazzo, Marco; Otero, María Del Mar; Piante, Catherine; Plass-Johnson, Jeremiah; Sainz-Trapaga, Susana; Santarossa, Luca; Tudela, Sergi; Guidetti, Paolo

2016-12-01

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have largely proven to be effective tools for conserving marine ecosystem, while socio-economic benefits generated by MPAs to fisheries are still under debate. Many MPAs embed a no-take zone, aiming to preserve natural populations and ecosystems, within a buffer zone where potentially sustainable activities are allowed. Small-scale fisheries (SSF) within buffer zones can be highly beneficial by promoting local socio-economies. However, guidelines to successfully manage SSFs within MPAs, ensuring both conservation and fisheries goals, and reaching a win-win scenario, are largely unavailable. From the peer-reviewed literature, grey-literature and interviews, we assembled a unique database of ecological, social and economic attributes of SSF in 25 Mediterranean MPAs. Using random forest with Boruta algorithm we identified a set of attributes determining successful SSFs management within MPAs. We show that fish stocks are healthier, fishermen incomes are higher and the social acceptance of management practices is fostered if five attributes are present (i.e. high MPA enforcement, presence of a management plan, fishermen engagement in MPA management, fishermen representative in the MPA board, and promotion of sustainable fishing). These findings are pivotal to Mediterranean coastal communities so they can achieve conservation goals while allowing for profitable exploitation of fisheries resources.

Development of a Technical Basis and Guidance for Advanced SMR Function Allocation

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

Jacques Hugo; David Gertman; Jeffrey Joe

This report presents the results from three key activities for FY13 that influence the definition of new concepts of operations for advanced Small Modular Reactors (AdvSMR: a) the development of a framework for the analysis of the functional environmental, and structural attributes, b) the effect that new technologies and operational concepts would have on the way functions are allocated to humans or machines or combinations of the two, and c) the relationship between new concepts of operations, new function allocations, and human performance requirements.

Advanced plastic scintillators for fast neutron discrimination

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

Feng, Patrick L; Anstey, Mitchell; Doty, F. Patrick

2014-09-01

The present work addresses the need for solid-state, fast neutron discriminating scintillators that possess higher light yields and faster decay kinetics than existing organic scintillators. These respective attributes are of critical importance for improving the gamma-rejection capabilities and increasing the neutron discrimination performance under high-rate conditions. Two key applications that will benefit from these improvements include large-volume passive detection scenarios as well as active interrogation search for special nuclear materials. Molecular design principles were employed throughout this work, resulting in synthetically tailored materials that possess the targeted scintillation properties.

Self-organization in chronic pain: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Monsivais, Diane

2005-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the concept of self-organization in chronic pain using Rodgers' (2000) evolutionary approach. This article describes the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of self-organization in chronic pain. Self-organization in chronic pain may be achieved through the attributes of being believed, accessing credible resources, and taking action and responsibility. Self-organization occurs when the patient with pain develops a transformed identity, new insights, and is an active, in-control participant in care. Chronic pain is a common and costly problem, and recognition of the key attributes of self-organization in this condition is an important step in promoting positive health outcomes. Rehabilitation nurses play a key role in providing credible resources and working with the patient to take action and responsibility.

Structural instability of the CoO 4 tetrahedral chain in SrCoO 3-δ thin films

DOE PAGES

Glamazda, A.; Choi, Kwang-yong; Lemmens, P.; ...

2015-08-31

Raman scattering experiments together with detailed lattice dynamic calculations are performed to elucidate crystallographic and electronic peculiarities of SrCoO 3-δ films. We observe that the 85 cm -1 phonon mode involving the rotation of a CoO 4 tetrahedron undergoes a hardening by 21 cm -1 when the temperature is decreased. In addition, new phonon modes appear at 651.5 and 697.6 cm -1 . The latter modes are attributed to the Jahn-Teller activated modes. Upon cooling from room temperature, all phonons exhibit an exponential-like increase of intensity with a characteristic energy of about 103–107 K. We attribute this phenomenon to anmore » instability of the CoO 4 tetrahedral chain structure, which constitutes a key ingredient to understand the electronic and structural properties of the brownmillerite SrCoO 2.5.« less

Research on manufacturing service behavior modeling based on block chain theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Guangli; Liu, Ming; Yu, Shuqin; Liu, Yali; Zhang, Xu

2018-04-01

According to the attribute characteristics of processing craft, the manufacturing service behavior is divided into service attribute, basic attribute, process attribute, resource attribute. The attribute information model of manufacturing service is established. The manufacturing service behavior information is successfully divided into public and private domain. Additionally, the block chain technology is introduced, and the information model of manufacturing service based on block chain principle is established, which solves the problem of sharing and secreting information of processing behavior, and ensures that data is not tampered with. Based on the key pairing verification relationship, the selective publishing mechanism for manufacturing information is established, achieving the traceability of product data, guarantying the quality of processing quality.

Revisiting the relationship between attributional style and academic performance

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Abstract Previous research into the relationship between attributions and academic performance has produced contradictory findings that have not been resolved. The present research examines the role of specific dimensions of attributional style in predicting subsequent academic performance in a sample of pupils (N = 979) from both high‐ and low‐achieving schools. Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses indicate that internal, stable, and global, attributional styles for positive events predict higher levels of academic performance. Global attributions for negative events were related to poorer performance across all schools. Stable attributions for negative events were related to higher levels of performance in high‐achieving schools but not in low‐achieving schools. Higher levels of internality for negative events were associated with higher performance only in low achieving schools. PMID:27594711

12 CFR 7.5005 - National bank acting as digital certification authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... persons associated with a particular public/private key pair. As part of this service, the bank may also maintain a listing or repository of public keys. (b) A national bank may issue digital certificates verifying attributes in addition to identity of persons associated with a particular public/private key pair...

12 CFR 7.5005 - National bank acting as digital certification authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... persons associated with a particular public/private key pair. As part of this service, the bank may also maintain a listing or repository of public keys. (b) A national bank may issue digital certificates verifying attributes in addition to identity of persons associated with a particular public/private key pair...

12 CFR 7.5005 - National bank acting as digital certification authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... persons associated with a particular public/private key pair. As part of this service, the bank may also maintain a listing or repository of public keys. (b) A national bank may issue digital certificates verifying attributes in addition to identity of persons associated with a particular public/private key pair...

12 CFR 7.5005 - National bank acting as digital certification authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... persons associated with a particular public/private key pair. As part of this service, the bank may also maintain a listing or repository of public keys. (b) A national bank may issue digital certificates verifying attributes in addition to identity of persons associated with a particular public/private key pair...

On Supporting Physical Skill Discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Koichi; Suwa, Masaki; Kato, Takaaki

One of the main difficulties in motor skill acquisition is attributed to body control based on wrong mental models. This is true to various domains such as playing sports and playing musical instruments. In order to acquire adequate motor skill by modifying false belief, we need to help people find appropriate key points in achieving a body control and integrate them. In this paper, we investigate three approaches to realize such support. The first one is to encourage exploration of the relations among key points constituting a motor skill, using a technique of meta-cognitive verbalization. The second one is to represent a motor skill by appropriate mechanical models. The third one is to integrate rules for component tasks in achieving a compound task. These three approaches, we argue, help people build an integrated mental model consisting of multiple relations among various key points, one that seems to be indispensable for acquisition of motor skills. These ideas suggest the possibility to create new skill rules to perform difficult tasks automatically.

Applying organization science to assess the management performance of Marine Protected Areas: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Scianna, Claudia; Niccolini, Federico; Bianchi, Carlo Nike; Guidetti, Paolo

2018-06-18

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are important tools to achieve marine conservation and resources management goals. The management effectiveness of MPAs (the degree to which MPAs achieve their goals) is highly variable and can be affected by many MPA attributes, for example their design, enforcement and age. Another key factor possibly affecting MPA management effectiveness is the management performance, here conceived according to Horigue et al. definition (2014) as the "level of effort exerted to enhance and sustain management of MPAs". Organization Science (OS), the discipline that studies organizations, can offer a useful framework to assess and interpret MPA management performance. Using an exploratory multiple case study approach, we applied OS principles to 11 Mediterranean MPAs in order to: i) characterize several MPA organizational features; ii) assess MPA management performance (evaluated as the effort deployed in, for example, planning the future, formalizing measurable goals, and implementing specific strategies). Results show that a number of organizational features and networking attributes are highly variable among the MPAs we have studied. For instance, goals are seldom measurable and the strategy to achieve goals is not systematically pursued. Two relevant outcomes emerge from this exploratory study: i) the management performance of the MPAs considered needs considerable improvements; ii) the methods and the approach proposed could help MPAs' managers and policy makers to understand how to improve their management performance and, consequently, their effectiveness. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A mixed methods evaluation of the maternal-newborn dashboard in Ontario: dashboard attributes, contextual factors, and facilitators and barriers to use: a study protocol.

PubMed

Dunn, Sandra; Sprague, Ann E; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Graham, Ian D; Taljaard, Monica; Fell, Deshayne; Peterson, Wendy E; Darling, Elizabeth; Harrold, JoAnn; Smith, Graeme N; Reszel, Jessica; Lanes, Andrea; Truskoski, Carolyn; Wilding, Jodi; Weiss, Deborah; Walker, Mark

2016-05-04

There are wide variations in maternal-newborn care practices and outcomes across Ontario. To help institutions and care providers learn about their own performance, the Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario has implemented an audit and feedback system, the Maternal-Newborn Dashboard (MND), for all hospitals providing maternal-newborn care. The dashboard provides (1) near real-time feedback, with site-specific and peer comparison data about six key performance indicators; (2) a visual display of evidence-practice gaps related to the indicators; and (3) benchmarks to provide direction for practice change. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the dashboard, dashboard attributes, contextual factors, and facilitation/support needs that influence the use of this audit and feedback system to improve performance. The objectives of this study are to (1) evaluate the effect of implementing the dashboard across Ontario; (2) explore factors that potentially explain differences in the use of the MND among hospitals; (3) measure factors potentially associated with differential effectiveness of the MND; and (4) identify factors that predict differences in hospital performance. A mixed methods design includes (1) an interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the effect of the intervention on six indicators, (2) key informant interviews with a purposeful sample of directors/managers from up to 20 maternal-newborn care hospitals to explore factors that influence the use of the dashboard, (3) a provincial survey of obstetrical directors/managers from all maternal-newborn hospitals in the province to measure factors that influence the use of the dashboard, and (4) a multivariable generalized linear mixed effects regression analysis of the indicators at each hospital to quantitatively evaluate the change in practice following implementation of the dashboard and to identify factors most predictive of use. Study results will provide essential data to develop knowledge translation strategies for facilitating practice change, which can be further evaluated through a future cluster randomized trial.

PKI-based secure mobile access to electronic health services and data.

PubMed

Kambourakis, G; Maglogiannis, I; Rouskas, A

2005-01-01

Recent research works examine the potential employment of public-key cryptography schemes in e-health environments. In such systems, where a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is established beforehand, Attribute Certificates (ACs) and public key enabled protocols like TLS, can provide the appropriate mechanisms to effectively support authentication, authorization and confidentiality services. In other words, mutual trust and secure communications between all the stakeholders, namely physicians, patients and e-health service providers, can be successfully established and maintained. Furthermore, as the recently introduced mobile devices with access to computer-based patient record systems are expanding, the need of physicians and nurses to interact increasingly with such systems arises. Considering public key infrastructure requirements for mobile online health networks, this paper discusses the potential use of Attribute Certificates (ACs) in an anticipated trust model. Typical trust interactions among doctors, patients and e-health providers are presented, indicating that resourceful security mechanisms and trust control can be obtained and implemented. The application of attribute certificates to support medical mobile service provision along with the utilization of the de-facto TLS protocol to offer competent confidentiality and authorization services is also presented and evaluated through experimentation, using both the 802.11 WLAN and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks.

Inhibition of platelet activation by lachrymatory factor synthase (LFS)-silenced (tearless) onion juice.

PubMed

Thomson, Susan J; Rippon, Paula; Butts, Chrissie; Olsen, Sarah; Shaw, Martin; Joyce, Nigel I; Eady, Colin C

2013-11-06

Onion and garlic are renowned for their roles as functional foods. The health benefits of garlic are attributed to di-2-propenyl thiosulfinate (allicin), a sulfur compound found in disrupted garlic but not found in disrupted onion. Recently, onions have been grown with repressed lachrymatory factor synthase (LFS) activity, which causes these onions to produce increased amounts of di-1-propenyl thiosulfinate, an isomer of allicin. This investigation into the key health attributes of LFS-silenced (tearless) onions demonstrates that they have some attributes more similar to garlic and that this is likely due to the production of novel thiosulfinate or metabolites. The key finding was that collagen-induced in vitro platelet aggregation was significantly reduced by tearless onion extract over normal onion extract. Thiosulfinate or derived compounds were shown not to be responsible for the observed changes in the inflammatory response of AGS (stomach adenocarcinoma) cells to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) when pretreated with model onion juices. A preliminary rat feeding trial indicated that the tearless onions may also play a key role in reducing weight gain.

Aroma improvement by repeated freeze-thaw treatment during Tuber melanosporum fermentation

PubMed Central

Xiao, Deng-Rong; Liu, Rui-Sang; He, Long; Li, Hong-Mei; Tang, Ya-Ling; Liang, Xin-Hua; Chen, Tao; Tang, Ya-Jie

2015-01-01

The aroma attributes of sulfurous, mushroom and earthy are the most important characteristics of the aroma of Tuber melanosporum. However, these three aroma attributes are absent in the T. melanosporum fermentation system. To improve the quality of the aroma, repeated freeze-thaw treatment (RFTT) was adopted to affect the interplay of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Using RFTT, not only was the score on the hedonic scale of the aroma increased from the “liked slightly” to the “liked moderately” grade, but the aroma attributes of sulfurous, mushroom and earthy could also be smelled in the T. melanosporum fermentation system for the first time. A total of 29 VOCs were identified, and 9 compounds were identified as the key discriminative volatiles affected by RFTT. Amino acid analysis revealed that methionine, valine, serine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and threonine were the key substrates associated with the biosynthesis of the 9 key discriminative VOCs. This study noted that amino acid metabolism played an important role in the regulation of the aroma of the T. melanosporum fermentation system. PMID:26607288

Attributional processes in the learned helplessness paradigm: behavioral effects of global attributions.

PubMed

Mikulincer, M

1986-12-01

Following the learned helplessness paradigm, I assessed in this study the effects of global and specific attributions for failure on the generalization of performance deficits in a dissimilar situation. Helplessness training consisted of experience with noncontingent failures on four cognitive discrimination problems attributed to either global or specific causes. Experiment 1 found that performance in a dissimilar situation was impaired following exposure to globally attributed failure. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral effects of the interaction between stable and global attributions of failure. Exposure to unsolvable problems resulted in reduced performance in a dissimilar situation only when failure was attributed to global and stable causes. Finally, Experiment 3 found that learned helplessness deficits were a product of the interaction of global and internal attribution. Performance deficits following unsolvable problems were recorded when failure was attributed to global and internal causes. Results were discussed in terms of the reformulated learned helplessness model.

High capacity hydrogen storage materials: attributes for automotive applications and techniques for materials discovery.

PubMed

Yang, Jun; Sudik, Andrea; Wolverton, Christopher; Siegel, Donald J

2010-02-01

Widespread adoption of hydrogen as a vehicular fuel depends critically upon the ability to store hydrogen on-board at high volumetric and gravimetric densities, as well as on the ability to extract/insert it at sufficiently rapid rates. As current storage methods based on physical means--high-pressure gas or (cryogenic) liquefaction--are unlikely to satisfy targets for performance and cost, a global research effort focusing on the development of chemical means for storing hydrogen in condensed phases has recently emerged. At present, no known material exhibits a combination of properties that would enable high-volume automotive applications. Thus new materials with improved performance, or new approaches to the synthesis and/or processing of existing materials, are highly desirable. In this critical review we provide a practical introduction to the field of hydrogen storage materials research, with an emphasis on (i) the properties necessary for a viable storage material, (ii) the computational and experimental techniques commonly employed in determining these attributes, and (iii) the classes of materials being pursued as candidate storage compounds. Starting from the general requirements of a fuel cell vehicle, we summarize how these requirements translate into desired characteristics for the hydrogen storage material. Key amongst these are: (a) high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen density, (b) thermodynamics that allow for reversible hydrogen uptake/release under near-ambient conditions, and (c) fast reaction kinetics. To further illustrate these attributes, the four major classes of candidate storage materials--conventional metal hydrides, chemical hydrides, complex hydrides, and sorbent systems--are introduced and their respective performance and prospects for improvement in each of these areas is discussed. Finally, we review the most valuable experimental and computational techniques for determining these attributes, highlighting how an approach that couples computational modeling with experiments can significantly accelerate the discovery of novel storage materials (155 references).

Room temperature solid-state quantum emitters in the telecom range.

PubMed

Zhou, Yu; Wang, Ziyu; Rasmita, Abdullah; Kim, Sejeong; Berhane, Amanuel; Bodrog, Zoltán; Adamo, Giorgio; Gali, Adam; Aharonovich, Igor; Gao, Wei-Bo

2018-03-01

On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (~5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ~1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies.

Attributional Gender Bias: Teachers' Ability and Effort Explanations for Students' Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espinoza, Penelope; Arêas da Luz Fontes, Ana B.; Arms-Chavez, Clarissa J.

2014-01-01

Research is presented on the attributional gender bias: the tendency to generate different attributions (explanations) for female versus male students' performance in math. Whereas boys' successes in math are attributed to ability, girls' successes are attributed to effort; conversely, boys' failures in math are attributed to a…

Managing Dive Tourism for the Sustainable Use of Coral Reefs: Validating Diver Perceptions of Attractive Site Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uyarra, Maria C.; Watkinson, Andrew R.; Côté, Isabelle M.

2009-01-01

It has been argued that strategies to manage natural areas important for tourism and recreation should integrate an understanding of tourist preferences for specific natural features. However, the accuracy of tourist recalled perceptions of environmental attributes, which are usually derived from post hoc surveys and used to establish management priorities, is currently unmeasured. We tested the validity of the relationship between tourist-stated preferences and actual condition of coral reefs around the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Using standardized questionnaires, we asked 200 divers to select their most and least favorite dive sites and the attributes that contributed to that selection. We also carried out ecological surveys at 76 of the 81 dives sites around the island to assess the actual conditions of the attributes indicated as important for site selection. Fish- and coral-related attributes were key features affecting dive enjoyment. In general, divers appeared to be able to perceive differences between sites in the true condition of biological attributes such as fish species richness, total number of fish schools, live coral cover, coral species richness, and reef structural complexity, although men and women divers differed in their ability to perceive/recall some of the attributes. Perceived differences in environmental attributes, such as surface conditions, underwater current, and the likelihood of encountering rare fish and sea turtles, were not empirically validated. The fact that divers perceive correctly differences in the condition of some of the key biological attributes that affect dive enjoyment reinforces the need to maintain overall reef condition at satisfactory levels. However, variation in accuracy of perceptions owing to demographic factors and attribute type suggests the need for caution when using public perceptions to develop environmental management strategies, particularly for coral reefs.

Managing dive tourism for the sustainable use of coral reefs: validating diver perceptions of attractive site features.

PubMed

Uyarra, Maria C; Watkinson, Andrew R; Côté, Isabelle M

2009-01-01

It has been argued that strategies to manage natural areas important for tourism and recreation should integrate an understanding of tourist preferences for specific natural features. However, the accuracy of tourist recalled perceptions of environmental attributes, which are usually derived from post hoc surveys and used to establish management priorities, is currently unmeasured. We tested the validity of the relationship between tourist-stated preferences and actual condition of coral reefs around the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Using standardized questionnaires, we asked 200 divers to select their most and least favorite dive sites and the attributes that contributed to that selection. We also carried out ecological surveys at 76 of the 81 dives sites around the island to assess the actual conditions of the attributes indicated as important for site selection. Fish- and coral-related attributes were key features affecting dive enjoyment. In general, divers appeared to be able to perceive differences between sites in the true condition of biological attributes such as fish species richness, total number of fish schools, live coral cover, coral species richness, and reef structural complexity, although men and women divers differed in their ability to perceive/recall some of the attributes. Perceived differences in environmental attributes, such as surface conditions, underwater current, and the likelihood of encountering rare fish and sea turtles, were not empirically validated. The fact that divers perceive correctly differences in the condition of some of the key biological attributes that affect dive enjoyment reinforces the need to maintain overall reef condition at satisfactory levels. However, variation in accuracy of perceptions owing to demographic factors and attribute type suggests the need for caution when using public perceptions to develop environmental management strategies, particularly for coral reefs.

Consumer Perception of Retail Pork Bacon Attributes Using Adaptive Choice-based Conjoint Analysis and Maximum Differential Scaling.

PubMed

McLean, K G; Hanson, D J; Jervis, S M; Drake, M A

2017-11-01

Bacon is one of the most recognizable consumer pork products and is differentiated by appearance, flavor, thickness, and several possible product claims. The objective of this study was to explore the attributes of retail bacon that influence consumers to purchase and consume bacon. An Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) survey was designed for attributes of raw American-style bacon. An ACBC survey (N = 1410 consumers) and Kano questioning were applied to determine the key attributes that influenced consumer purchase. Attributes included package size, brand, thickness, label claims, flavor, price, and images of the bacon package displaying fat:lean ratio. Maximum Difference Scaling (MaxDiff) was used to rank appeal of 20 different bacon images with variable fat:lean ration and slice shape. The most important attribute for bacon purchase was price followed by fat:lean appearance and then flavor. Three consumer clusters were identified with distinct preferences. For 2 clusters, price was not the primary attribute. Understanding preferences of distinct consumer clusters will enable manufacturers to target consumers and make more appealing bacon. Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) is a research technique that allows consumers to react to assembled products and identify product attributes that they prefer. Kano questions allow researchers to look at the individual aspects of a product and understand consumer sentiment and expectations towards those product qualities while Maximum Difference scaling allows consumers to directly rank single attributes of a product relative to one another. A combination of these 3 approaches can provide key understandings on consumer perception of retail bacon allowing companies to optimize and maximize their development and advertising resources. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Signal Trees: Communicating Attribution of Climate Change Impacts Through Causal Chain Illustrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cutting, H.

2016-12-01

Communicating the attribution of current climate change impacts is a key task for engagment with the general public, news media and policy makers, particularly as climate events unfold in real time. The IPCC WGII in AR5 validated the use of causal chain illustrations to depict attribution of individual climate change impacts. Climate Signals, an online digital platform for mapping and cataloging climate change impacts (launched in May of 2016), explores the use of such illustrations for communicating attribution. The Climate Signals project has developed semi-automated graphing software to produce custom attribution trees for numerous climate change events. This effort offers lessons for engagement of the general public and policy makers in the attribution of climate change impacts.

Developing an Automated Technique for Translating a Relational Database into an Equivalent Network One.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

OF ENGI- E V ALY UNCLASSIFIED DEC 84 AFIT/CS/MATH/84D-4 F /G 9/2 N somhhmmhlm EohhmhohhohhEE mhhhhhhmhhmhln LI .~ I 28 111251.0 111IL25 1111-4 11...nontransitively dependent on the primary key, then the relation * - R is in the third normal form (3NF). •~ 8 A relation R is in the Boyce/ Codd Normal Form...with attributes AIA2 ... An and functional dependencies F , and if X is a subset of the attributes, then X is a key of R if: 1. X --> AIA A is in the

Attribute based encryption for secure sharing of E-health data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charanya, R.; Nithya, S.; Manikandan, N.

2017-11-01

Distributed computing is one of the developing innovations in IT part and information security assumes a real part. It includes sending gathering of remote server and programming that permit the unified information and online access to PC administrations. Distributed computing depends on offering of asset among different clients are additionally progressively reallocated on interest. Cloud computing is a revolutionary computing paradigm which enables flexible, on-demand and low-cost usage of computing resources. The reasons for security and protection issues, which rise on the grounds that the health information possessed by distinctive clients are put away in some cloud servers rather than under their own particular control”z. To deal with security problems, various schemes based on the Attribute-Based Encryption have been proposed. In this paper, in order to make ehealth data’s more secure we use multi party in cloud computing system. Where the health data is encrypted using attributes and key policy. And the user with a particular attribute and key policy alone will be able to decrypt the health data after it is verified by “key distribution centre” and the “secure data distributor”. This technique can be used in medical field for secure storage of patient details and limiting to particular doctor access. To make data’s scalable secure we need to encrypt the health data before outsourcing.

Absolute pitch among students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music: a large-scale direct-test study.

PubMed

Deutsch, Diana; Li, Xiaonuo; Shen, Jing

2013-11-01

This paper reports a large-scale direct-test study of absolute pitch (AP) in students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Overall note-naming scores were very high, with high scores correlating positively with early onset of musical training. Students who had begun training at age ≤5 yr scored 83% correct not allowing for semitone errors and 90% correct allowing for semitone errors. Performance levels were higher for white key pitches than for black key pitches. This effect was greater for orchestral performers than for pianists, indicating that it cannot be attributed to early training on the piano. Rather, accuracy in identifying notes of different names (C, C#, D, etc.) correlated with their frequency of occurrence in a large sample of music taken from the Western tonal repertoire. There was also an effect of pitch range, so that performance on tones in the two-octave range beginning on Middle C was higher than on tones in the octave below Middle C. In addition, semitone errors tended to be on the sharp side. The evidence also ran counter to the hypothesis, previously advanced by others, that the note A plays a special role in pitch identification judgments.

Parental Health Attributions of Childhood Health and Illness: Development of the Pediatric Cultural Health Attributions Questionnaire (Pedi-CHAQ).

PubMed

Vaughn, Lisa M; McLinden, Daniel J; Shellmer, Diana; Baker, Raymond C

2011-01-01

The causes attributed to childhood health and illness across cultures (cultural health attributions) are key factors that are now more frequently identified as affecting the health outcomes of children. Research suggests that the causes attributed to an event such as illness are thought to affect subsequent motivation, emotional response, decision making, and behavior. To date, there is no measure of health attributions appropriate for use with parents of pediatric patients. Using the Many-Facets approach to Rasch analysis, this study assesses the psychometrics of a newly developed instrument, the Pediatric Health Attributions Questionnaire (Pedi-CHAQ), a measure designed to assess the cultural health attributions of parents in diverse communities. Results suggest acceptable Rasch model statistics of fit and reliability for the Pedi-CHAQ. A shortened version of the questionnaire was developed as a result of this study and next steps are discussed.

Maternal sensitivity: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Shin, Hyunjeong; Park, Young-Joo; Ryu, Hosihn; Seomun, Gyeong-Ae

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to report a concept analysis of maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity is a broad concept encompassing a variety of interrelated affective and behavioural caregiving attributes. It is used interchangeably with the terms maternal responsiveness or maternal competency, with no consistency of use. There is a need to clarify the concept of maternal sensitivity for research and practice. A search was performed on the CINAHL and Ovid MEDLINE databases using 'maternal sensitivity', 'maternal responsiveness' and 'sensitive mothering' as key words. The searches yielded 54 records for the years 1981-2007. Rodgers' method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to analyse the material. Four critical attributes of maternal sensitivity were identified: (a) dynamic process involving maternal abilities; (b) reciprocal give-and-take with the infant; (c) contingency on the infant's behaviour and (d) quality of maternal behaviours. Maternal identity and infant's needs and cues are antecedents for these attributes. The consequences are infant's comfort, mother-infant attachment and infant development. In addition, three positive affecting factors (social support, maternal-foetal attachment and high self-esteem) and three negative affecting factors (maternal depression, maternal stress and maternal anxiety) were identified. A clear understanding of the concept of maternal sensitivity could be useful for developing ways to enhance maternal sensitivity and to maximize the developmental potential of infants. Knowledge of the attributes of maternal sensitivity identified in this concept analysis may be helpful for constructing measuring items or dimensions.

Getting off on the Wrong Foot: Longitudinal Effects of Hispanic Students' Stability Attributions Following Poor Initial Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Cody B.; Yang, Yan

2012-01-01

Though studies have established that following poor performance, attributions to stable causes affect the performance of minority students, few studies have explored the impact of stability attributions over time. This study explored attributions following initial failure among a predominantly Hispanic student population. We measured students'…

Properties and Performance Attributes of Novel Co-extruded Polyolefin Battery Separator Materials. Part 2; Electrical Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Richard S.

2013-01-01

As NASA prepares for its next era of manned spaceflight missions, advanced energy storage technologies are being developed and evaluated to address and enhance future mission needs and technical requirements. Cell-level components for advanced lithium-ion batteries possessing higher energy, more reliable performance and enhanced, inherent safety characteristics have been under development within the NASA infrastructure. A key component for safe and reliable cell performance is the cell separator, which separates the two energetic electrodes and functions to inhibit the occurrence of an internal short circuit but preserves an ionic current. Recently, a new generation of co-extruded separator films has been developed by ExxonMobil Chemical and introduced into their battery separator product portfolio. Several grades of this new separator material were evaluated with respect to dynamic mechanical properties and safety-related performance attributes, and the results of these evaluations were previously reported in "Part 1: Mechanical Properties" of this publication. This current paper presents safety-related performance results for these novel materials obtained by employing a complementary experimental methodology, which involved the analysis of separator impedance characteristics as a function of temperature. The experimental results from this study are discussed with respect to potential cell safety enhancement for future aerospace as well as for terrestrial energy storage needs, and they are compared with pertinent mechanical properties of these materials, as well as with current state-of-the practice separator materials.

Introducing care pathway commissioning to primary dental care: measuring performance.

PubMed

Harris, R; Bridgman, C; Ahmad, M; Bowes, L; Haley, R; Saleem, S; Singh, R; Taylor, S

2011-12-09

Care pathways have been used in a variety of ways: firstly to support quality improvement through standardising clinical processes, but also for secondary purposes, by purchasers of healthcare, to monitor activity and health outcomes and to commission services. This paper focuses on reporting a secondary use of care pathways: to commission and monitor performance of primary dental care services. Findings of a project involving three dental practices implementing a system based on rating patients according to their risk of disease and need for care are outlined. Data from surgery-based clinical databases and interviews from commissioners and providers are reported. The use of both process and outcome key performance indicators in this context is discussed, as well as issues which arise such as attributability of outcome measures and strategic approaches to improving quality of care.

Advanced information processing system - Status report. [for fault tolerant and damage tolerant data processing for aerospace vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brock, L. D.; Lala, J.

1986-01-01

The Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS) is designed to provide a fault tolerant and damage tolerant data processing architecture for a broad range of aerospace vehicles. The AIPS architecture also has attributes to enhance system effectiveness such as graceful degradation, growth and change tolerance, integrability, etc. Two key building blocks being developed by the AIPS program are a fault and damage tolerant processor and communication network. A proof-of-concept system is now being built and will be tested to demonstrate the validity and performance of the AIPS concepts.

Multidatabase Query Processing with Uncertainty in Global Keys and Attribute Values.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheuermann, Peter; Li, Wen-Syan; Clifton, Chris

1998-01-01

Presents an approach for dynamic database integration and query processing in the absence of information about attribute correspondences and global IDs. Defines different types of equivalence conditions for the construction of global IDs. Proposes a strategy based on ranked role-sets that makes use of an automated semantic integration procedure…

A SYNTHESIS OF PROGRESS AND UNCERTAINTIES IN ATTRIBUTING THE SOURCES OF MERCURY IN DEPOSITION

EPA Science Inventory

A panel of international experts was convened in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2005 as part of the 8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. Our charge was to address the state of science pertinent to source attribution; specifically our key question was "For a give...

Dynamics of Western Career Attributes in the Russian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khapova, Svetlana N.; Korotov, Konstantin

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to raise awareness of the dynamic character of career and its key attributes, and the embeddedness of their definitions and meanings in national social, political and economic contexts. Design/methodology/approach: Features of three recent distinct social, political and economic situations in Russia are used…

Quality Improvement in Virtual Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahdiuon, Rouhollah; Masoumi, Davoud; Farasatkhah, Maghsoud

2017-01-01

The article aims to explore the attributes of quality and quality improvement including the process and specific actions associated with these attributes--that contribute enhancing quality in Iranian Virtual Higher Education (VHE) institutions. A total of 16 interviews were conducted with experts and key actors in Iranian virtual higher education.…

Estimating and validating harvesting system production through computer simulation

Treesearch

John E. Baumgras; Curt C. Hassler; Chris B. LeDoux

1993-01-01

A Ground Based Harvesting System Simulation model (GB-SIM) has been developed to estimate stump-to-truck production rates and multiproduct yields for conventional ground-based timber harvesting systems in Appalachian hardwood stands. Simulation results reflect inputs that define harvest site and timber stand attributes, wood utilization options, and key attributes of...

An Agent-Based Intervention to Assist Drivers Under Stereotype Threat: Effects of In-Vehicle Agents' Attributional Error Feedback.

PubMed

Joo, Yeon Kyoung; Lee-Won, Roselyn J

2016-10-01

For members of a group negatively stereotyped in a domain, making mistakes can aggravate the influence of stereotype threat because negative stereotypes often blame target individuals and attribute the outcome to their lack of ability. Virtual agents offering real-time error feedback may influence performance under stereotype threat by shaping the performers' attributional perception of errors they commit. We explored this possibility with female drivers, considering the prevalence of the "women-are-bad-drivers" stereotype. Specifically, we investigated how in-vehicle voice agents offering error feedback based on responsibility attribution (internal vs. external) and outcome attribution (ability vs. effort) influence female drivers' performance under stereotype threat. In addressing this question, we conducted an experiment in a virtual driving simulation environment that provided moment-to-moment error feedback messages. Participants performed a challenging driving task and made mistakes preprogrammed to occur. Results showed that the agent's error feedback with outcome attribution moderated the stereotype threat effect on driving performance. Participants under stereotype threat had a smaller number of collisions when the errors were attributed to effort than to ability. In addition, outcome attribution feedback moderated the effect of responsibility attribution on driving performance. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Sense of agency in continuous action: Assistance-induced performance improvement is self-attributed even with knowledge of assistance.

PubMed

Inoue, Kazuya; Takeda, Yuji; Kimura, Motohiro

2017-02-01

In a task involving continuous action to achieve a goal, the sense of agency increases with an improvement in task performance that is induced by unnoticed computer assistance. This study investigated how explicit instruction about the existence of computer assistance affects the increase of sense of agency that accompanies performance improvement. Participants performed a continuous action task in which they controlled the direction of motion of a dot to a goal by pressing keys. When instructions indicated the absence of assistance, the sense of agency increased with performance improvement induced by computer assistance, replicating previous findings. Interestingly, this increase of sense of agency was also observed even when instructions indicated the presence of assistance. These results suggest that even when a plausible cause of performance improvement other than one's own action exists, the improvement can be misattributed to one's own control of action, resulting in an increased sense of agency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An attentional drift diffusion model over binary-attribute choice.

PubMed

Fisher, Geoffrey

2017-11-01

In order to make good decisions, individuals need to identify and properly integrate information about various attributes associated with a choice. Since choices are often complex and made rapidly, they are typically affected by contextual variables that are thought to influence how much attention is paid to different attributes. I propose a modification of the attentional drift-diffusion model, the binary-attribute attentional drift diffusion model (baDDM), which describes the choice process over simple binary-attribute choices and how it is affected by fluctuations in visual attention. Using an eye-tracking experiment, I find the baDDM makes accurate quantitative predictions about several key variables including choices, reaction times, and how these variables are correlated with attention to two attributes in an accept-reject decision. Furthermore, I estimate an attribute-based fixation bias that suggests attention to an attribute increases its subjective weight by 5%, while the unattended attribute's weight is decreased by 10%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Population attributable risk of key modifiable risk factors associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria.

PubMed

Ogbo, Felix Akpojene; Page, Andrew; Idoko, John; Agho, Kingsley E

2018-02-13

Non-exclusive breastfeeding (non-EBF) is a risk factor for many of the 2300 under-five deaths occurring daily in Nigeria - a developing country with approximately 40 million children. This study aimed to quantify and compare the attributable burden of key modifiable risk factors associated with non-EBF in Nigeria to inform strategic policy responses and initiatives. Relative risk and exposure prevalence for selected modifiable risk factors were used to calculate population attributable fractions based on Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys data for the period (1999-2013). Scenarios based on feasible impact of community-based interventions in reducing exposure prevalence were also considered to calculate comparative potential impact fractions. In Nigeria, an estimated 22.8% (95% Confidence Interval, CI: 9.2-37.0%) of non-EBF was attributable to primary and no maternal education; 24.7% (95% CI: 9.5-39.5%) to middle and poor household wealth, 9.7% (1.7-18.1%) to lower number (1-3) and no antenatal care visits; 18.8% (95% CI: 6.9-30.8%) to home delivery and 16.6% (95% CI: 3.0-31.3%) to delivery assisted by a non-health professional. In combination, more than half of all cases of non-EBF (64.5%; 95% CI: 50.0-76.4%) could be attributed to those modifiable risk factors. Scenarios based on feasible impacts of community-based approaches to improve health service access and human capacity suggest that an avoidable burden of non-EBF practice of approximately 11% (95% CI: -5.4; 24.7) is achievable. Key modifiable risk factors contribute significantly to non-EBF in Nigerian women. Community-based initiatives and appropriate socio-economic government policies that specifically consider those modifiable risk factors could substantially reduce non-EBF practice in Nigeria.

Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, Natasha B.; Melcher, Cynthia P.

2015-08-28

We evaluated Management Questions (Core and Integrated) for each species and community for the Wyoming Basin REA. Core Management Questions address primary management issues, including (1) where is the Conservation Element, and what are its key ecological attributes (characteristics of species and communities that may affect their long-term persistence or viability); (2) what and where are the Change Agents; and (3) how do the Change Agents affect the key ecological attributes? Integrated Management Questions synthesize the Core Management Questions as follows: (1) where are the areas with high landscape-level ecological values; (2) where are the areas with high landscape-level risks; and (3) where are the potential areas for conservation, restoration, and development? The associated maps and key findings for each Management Question are summarized for each Conservation Element in individual chapters. Additional chapters on landscape intactness and an REA synthesis are included.

Service user involvement in mental health care: an evolutionary concept analysis.

PubMed

Millar, Samantha L; Chambers, Mary; Giles, Melanie

2016-04-01

The concept of service user involvement is an evolving concept in the mental health-care literature. This study sought to explore and analyse the concept of service user involvement as used in within the field of mental health care. An evolutionary concept analysis was conducted using a literature-based sample extracted from an electronic database search. One hundred and thirty-four papers met the inclusion criteria and were analysed to discover key attributes, antecedents and consequences of service user involvement and to produce a definition of the concept. Five key attributes of service user involvement within the context of mental health care were identified: a person-centred approach, informed decision making, advocacy, obtaining service user views and feedback and working in partnership. Clarity of the attributes and definition of the concept of service user involvement aims to promote understanding of the concept among key stakeholders including mental health professionals, service users and community and voluntary organizations. The findings of the research have utility in the areas of theory and policy development, research on service user involvement in mental health care and service user involvement in mental health practice. Directions for further research regarding the concept are identified. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Developing critical consciousness or justifying the system? A qualitative analysis of attributions for poverty and wealth among low-income racial/ethnic minority and immigrant women

PubMed Central

Godfrey, Erin B.; Wolf, Sharon

2015-01-01

Objectives Economic inequality is a growing concern in the United States and globally. The current study uses qualitative techniques to (1) explore the attributions low-income racial/ethnic minority and immigrant women make for poverty and wealth in the U.S., and (2) clarify important links between attributions, critical consciousness development and system justification theory. Methods In-depth interview transcripts from 19 low-income immigrant Dominican and Mexican and native African-American mothers in a large Northeastern city were analyzed using open coding techniques. Interview topics included perceptions of current economic inequality and mobility and experiences of daily economic hardships. Results Almost all respondents attributed economic inequality to individual factors (character flaws, lack of hard work). Structural explanations for poverty and wealth were expressed by less than half the sample and almost always paired with individual explanations. Moreover, individual attributions included system-justifying beliefs such as the belief in meritocracy and equality of opportunity and structural attributions represented varying levels of critical consciousness. Conclusions Our analysis sheds new light on how and why individuals simultaneously hold individual and structural attributions and highlights key links between system justification and critical consciousness. It shows that critical consciousness and system justification do not represent opposite stances along a single underlying continuum, but are distinct belief systems and motivations. It also suggests that the motive to justify the system is a key psychological process impeding the development of critical consciousness. Implications for scholarship and intervention are discussed. PMID:25915116

Developing critical consciousness or justifying the system? A qualitative analysis of attributions for poverty and wealth among low-income racial/ethnic minority and immigrant women.

PubMed

Godfrey, Erin B; Wolf, Sharon

2016-01-01

Economic inequality is a growing concern in the United States and globally. The current study uses qualitative techniques to (a) explore the attributions low-income racial/ethnic minority and immigrant women make for poverty and wealth in the U.S., and (b) clarify important links between attributions, critical consciousness development, and system justification theory. In-depth interview transcripts from 19 low-income immigrant Dominican and Mexican and native African American mothers in a large Northeastern city were analyzed using open coding techniques. Interview topics included perceptions of current economic inequality and mobility and experiences of daily economic hardships. Almost all respondents attributed economic inequality to individual factors (character flaws, lack of hard work). Structural explanations for poverty and wealth were expressed by fewer than half the sample and almost always paired with individual explanations. Moreover, individual attributions included system-justifying beliefs such as the belief in meritocracy and equality of opportunity and structural attributions represented varying levels of critical consciousness. Our analysis sheds new light on how and why individuals simultaneously hold individual and structural attributions and highlights key links between system justification and critical consciousness. It shows that critical consciousness and system justification do not represent opposite stances along a single underlying continuum, but are distinct belief systems and motivations. It also suggests that the motive to justify the system is a key psychological process impeding the development of critical consciousness. Implications for scholarship and intervention are discussed. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Room temperature solid-state quantum emitters in the telecom range

PubMed Central

Bodrog, Zoltán; Adamo, Giorgio; Gali, Adam

2018-01-01

On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (~5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ~1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies. PMID:29670945

An importance-performance analysis of hospital information system attributes: A nurses' perspective.

PubMed

Cohen, Jason F; Coleman, Emma; Kangethe, Matheri J

2016-02-01

Health workers have numerous concerns about hospital IS (HIS) usage. Addressing these concerns requires understanding the system attributes most important to their satisfaction and productivity. Following a recent HIS implementation, our objective was to identify priorities for managerial intervention based on user evaluations of the performance of the HIS attributes as well as the relative importance of these attributes to user satisfaction and productivity outcomes. We collected data along a set of attributes representing system quality, data quality, information quality, and service quality from 154 nurse users. Their quantitative responses were analysed using the partial least squares approach followed by an importance-performance analysis. Qualitative responses were analysed using thematic analysis to triangulate and supplement the quantitative findings. Two system quality attributes (responsiveness and ease of learning), one information quality attribute (detail), one service quality attribute (sufficient support), and three data quality attributes (records complete, accurate and never missing) were identified as high priorities for intervention. Our application of importance-performance analysis is unique in HIS evaluation and we have illustrated its utility for identifying those system attributes for which underperformance is not acceptable to users and therefore should be high priorities for intervention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resilience of Florida Keys coral communities following large scale disturbances

EPA Science Inventory

The decline of coral reefs in the Caribbean over the last 40 years has been attributed to multiple chronic stressors and episodic large-scale disturbances. This study assessed the resilience of coral communities in two different regions of the Florida Keys reef system between 199...

A Response-Time Approach to Comparing Generalized Rational and Take-the-Best Models of Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergert, F. Bryan; Nosofsky, Robert M.

2007-01-01

The authors develop and test generalized versions of take-the-best (TTB) and rational (RAT) models of multiattribute paired-comparison inference. The generalized models make allowances for subjective attribute weighting, probabilistic orders of attribute inspection, and noisy decision making. A key new test involves a response-time (RT)…

The scenic impact of key forest attributes and long-term management alternatives for hardwood forests

Treesearch

R.G. Ribe

1991-01-01

The problem of identifying the scenic value of forest attributes and management plans is empirically explored. A sample of hardwood forests in Wisconsin, representing a diversity of management histories, is analyzed through photographs and field inventories. Scenic beauty judgements of the photographs by a diversity of respondents yield general scenic beauty estimates...

Chapter 4. Monitoring vegetation composition and structure as habitat attributes

Treesearch

Thomas E. DeMeo; Mary M. Manning; Mary M. Rowland; Christina D. Vojta; Kevin S. McKelvey; C. Kenneth Brewer; Rebecca S.H. Kennedy; Paul A. Maus; Bethany Schulz; James A. Westfall; Timothy J. Mersmann

2013-01-01

Vegetation composition and structure are key components of wildlife habitat (Mc- Comb et al. 2010, Morrison et al. 2006) and are, therefore, essential components of all wildlife habitat monitoring. The objectives of this chapter are to describe common habitat attributes derived from vegetation composition and structure and to provide guidance for obtaining and using...

Innovations in cold chain equipment for immunization supply chains.

PubMed

Robertson, Joanie; Franzel, Lauren; Maire, Denis

2017-04-19

Since 2010, numerous new technologies have entered the immunization cold chain equipment market. The World Health Organization (WHO) Immunization Devices Programme-Performance, Quality and Safety (PQS)-has played a key role in bringing these to market. In this article, the authors explore the emergence of new cold chain equipment technologies from 2004 to 2016 and the role of PQS in this evolution. This review focuses on three major vaccine cold chain technology innovations-solar direct-drive refrigerators, long-term passive cold boxes, and equipment with user-independent freeze prevention. For the review, we used online data from WHO PQS, a literature search, and unpublished research reports. Timelines with key milestones in the emergence of the three focus technologies show delays of between one and three years between earliest field trials and publication of WHO specifications; procurement builds after the WHO prequalification of initial devices. The timelines show the role of PQS as both gatekeeper and enabler for cold chain equipment technologies. The use of target product profiles by PQS has increased its ability to signal preferred attributes and to engage with manufacturers during the product-development stage. Procurement data show how demand for solar direct-drive refrigerators increased over time. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is employing demand-generation strategies to try to drive procurement of technologies with favorable technical attributes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Automated Extraction of Substance Use Information from Clinical Texts.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Chen, Elizabeth S; Pakhomov, Serguei; Arsoniadis, Elliot; Carter, Elizabeth W; Lindemann, Elizabeth; Sarkar, Indra Neil; Melton, Genevieve B

2015-01-01

Within clinical discourse, social history (SH) includes important information about substance use (alcohol, drug, and nicotine use) as key risk factors for disease, disability, and mortality. In this study, we developed and evaluated a natural language processing (NLP) system for automated detection of substance use statements and extraction of substance use attributes (e.g., temporal and status) based on Stanford Typed Dependencies. The developed NLP system leveraged linguistic resources and domain knowledge from a multi-site social history study, Propbank and the MiPACQ corpus. The system attained F-scores of 89.8, 84.6 and 89.4 respectively for alcohol, drug, and nicotine use statement detection, as well as average F-scores of 82.1, 90.3, 80.8, 88.7, 96.6, and 74.5 respectively for extraction of attributes. Our results suggest that NLP systems can achieve good performance when augmented with linguistic resources and domain knowledge when applied to a wide breadth of substance use free text clinical notes.

Preferences of processing companies for attributes of Swiss milk: a conjoint analysis in a business-to-business market.

PubMed

Boesch, I

2013-04-01

This study aimed to determine key attributes of milk that drive a processor's supply decisions and possibilities for differentiation based on these product attributes. Feedback-driven exploration was applied to derive product attributes relevant to the buying decision. Conjoint analysis with hierarchical Bayes estimation methods was used to determine the relative importance of attributes. Results show that the technical aspects of milk, as well as the price and country of origin, dominate the buying decision. Potential for differentiation was found for environmental and societal attributes as well as freedom from genetically modified products. Product and supplier criteria also provide the potential to segment the market if the price premium is held within limits. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Key Questions for Reviewing Virtual Charter School Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NJ1), 2011

2011-01-01

This document contains key questions to consider when evaluating virtual charter school proposals.The insert is designed to help authorizers evaluate school quality and capacity in light of the distinctive attributes of virtual schooling. These questions address major functional areas as well essential questions that authorizers should ask of…

Understanding the Emergence of Disruptive Innovation in Air Force Science and Technology Organizations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

respect to various key attributes. Although the principles of low-end and new market disruption play the most significant role in the fluid and...crucial role in the emergence of breakthrough and game changing ideas. By examining these key elements with regard to industry innovation, a base...that help define the key characteristics of an innovative culture: strong customer focus, collaboration, effective processes , creative people

Beyond mean functional traits: Influence of functional trait profiles on forest structure, production, and mortality across the eastern US

Treesearch

Matthew B. Russell; Christopher W. Woodall; Anthony W. D' Amato; Grant M. Domke; Sassan S. Saatchi

2014-01-01

Plant functional traits (PFTs) have increased in popularity in recent years to describe various ecosystems and biological phenomena while advancing general ecological principles. To date, few have investigated distributional attributes of individual PFTs and their relationship with key attributes and processes of forest ecosystems. The objective of this study was to...

Predicting Social and Communicative Ability in School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study of the Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burger-Caplan, Rebecca; Saulnier, Celine; Jones, Warren; Klin, Ami

2016-01-01

The Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice is introduced as a measure of implicit social cognitive ability in children, addressing a key challenge in quantification of social cognitive function in autism spectrum disorder, whereby individuals can often be successful in explicit social scenarios, despite marked social adaptive deficits. The…

Detection of Q-Matrix Misspecification Using Two Criteria for Validation of Cognitive Structures under the Least Squares Distance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Sonia J.; Ordoñez, Xavier G.; Ponsoda, Vincente; Revuelta, Javier

2014-01-01

Cognitive Diagnostic Models (CDMs) aim to provide information about the degree to which individuals have mastered specific attributes that underlie the success of these individuals on test items. The Q-matrix is a key element in the application of CDMs, because contains links item-attributes representing the cognitive structure proposed for solve…

Consumer perception of balsamic vinegar: A cross-cultural study between Korea and Italy.

PubMed

Torri, Luisa; Jeon, Seon-Young; Piochi, Maria; Morini, Gabriella; Kim, Kwang-Ok

2017-01-01

Understanding cross-cultural differences in food perception is a key issue of food research in order to understand consumer behaviour in different countries. The objective of this study was to explore potential cultural differences of balsamic vinegar perception between Korean and Italian consumers using the sorted napping method. Nine balsamic vinegars different in terms of ingredients, aging time, and origin were evaluated by Korean (n=50) and Italian (n=49) consumers using sorted napping. Familiarity and food matching were also examined. Descriptive analysis was performed to verify the attitude of the consumers in product description. The results obtained from two groups of consumers in Korea and Italy revealed a higher description attitude of the Italians (higher number of total elicited attributes, of attributes in common with the trained panel, of attributes shared with the vocabulary reported in literature, of significant specific positive product-attribute associations). Italian subjects generated various descriptors associated with the European gastronomic culture (aromatic herbs, fortified wine, dried figs, Indian fig, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese), whereas Korean consumers used more terms related to the Asian food culture (red ginseng, Chinese medicine, Japanese apricot, teriyaki sauce, persimmon vinegar, balloon flower roots). Moreover, cultural differences of food matching were also observed: the Italians would pair the balsamic vinegars mainly with vegetables, fruits and cheese, while Koreans would combine the balsamic vinegars preferably with bread, vegetables and meat. In conclusion, familiarity resulted the main factors for cross-cultural differentiation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Understanding Skill in EVA Mass Handling. Volume 3; Empirical Developments and Conclusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riccio, Gary E.; McDonald, P. Vernon

1998-01-01

Key attributes of skilled mass handling were identified through an examination of lessons learned by the extravehicular activity operational community. These qualities were translated into measurable quantities. The operational validity of the ground-based investigation was improved by building a device that increased the degrees of freedom of extravehicular mobility unit motion on the Precision Air-Bearing Floor. The results revealed subtle patterns of interaction between motions of an orbital replacement unit mockup and mass handler that should be important for effective performance on orbit. The investigation also demonstrated that such patterns can be measured with a variety of common instruments and under imperfect conditions of observation.

Research pressure instrumentation for NASA space shuttle main engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, P. J.; Nussbaum, P.; Gustafson, G.

1985-01-01

The breadboard feasibility model of a silicon piezoresistive pressure transducer suitable for space shuttle main engine (SSME) applications was demonstrated. The development of pressure instrumentation for the SSME was examined. The objective is to develop prototype pressure transducers which are targeted to meet the SSME performance design goals and to fabricate, test and deliver a total of 10 prototype units. Effective utilization of the many advantages of silicon piezoresistive strain sensing technology to achieve the objectives of advanced state-of-the-art pressure sensors for reliability, accuracy and ease of manufacture is analyzed. Integration of multiple functions on a single chip is the key attribute of the technology.

Classification of Complete Proteomes of Different Organisms and Protein Sets Based on Their Protein Distributions in Terms of Some Key Attributes of Proteins

PubMed Central

Ma, Yue; Tuskan, Gerald A.

2018-01-01

The existence of complete genome sequences makes it important to develop different approaches for classification of large-scale data sets and to make extraction of biological insights easier. Here, we propose an approach for classification of complete proteomes/protein sets based on protein distributions on some basic attributes. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by determining protein distributions in terms of two attributes: protein lengths and protein intrinsic disorder contents (ID). The protein distributions based on L and ID are surveyed for representative proteome organisms and protein sets from the three domains of life. The two-dimensional maps (designated as fingerprints here) from the protein distribution densities in the LD space defined by ln(L) and ID are then constructed. The fingerprints for different organisms and protein sets are found to be distinct with each other, and they can therefore be used for comparative studies. As a test case, phylogenetic trees have been constructed based on the protein distribution densities in the fingerprints of proteomes of organisms without performing any protein sequence comparison and alignments. The phylogenetic trees generated are biologically meaningful, demonstrating that the protein distributions in the LD space may serve as unique phylogenetic signals of the organisms at the proteome level. PMID:29686995

Over-reassurance and undersupport after a 'false alarm': a systematic review of the impact on subsequent cancer symptom attribution and help seeking.

PubMed

Renzi, Cristina; Whitaker, Katriina L; Wardle, Jane

2015-02-04

This literature review examined research into the impact of a previous 'all-clear' or non-cancer diagnosis following symptomatic presentation ('false alarm') on symptom attribution and delays in help seeking for subsequent possible cancer symptoms. The comprehensive literature review included original research based on quantitative, qualitative and mixed data collection methods. We used a combination of search strategies, including in-depth searches of electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsychInfo), searching key authors and articles listed as 'related' in PubMed, and reference lists. We performed a narrative synthesis of key themes shared across studies. The review included studies published after 1990 and before February 2014 reporting information on adult patients having experienced a false alarm following symptomatic presentation. We excluded false alarms in the context of screening. We evaluated the effect of a 'false alarm' on symptom attribution and help seeking for new or recurrent possible cancer symptoms. Overall, 1442 papers were screened and 121 retrieved for full-text evaluation. Among them, 19 reported on false alarms and subsequent symptom attribution or help seeking. They used qualitative (n=14), quantitative (n=3) and mixed methods (n=2). Breast (n=7), gynaecological (n=3), colorectal (n=2), testicular (n=2), and head and neck cancers (n=2) were the most studied. Two broad themes emerged underlying delays in help seeking: (1) over-reassurance from the previous 'all-clear' diagnosis leading to subsequent symptoms being interpreted as benign, and (2) unsupportive healthcare experiences in which symptoms were dismissed, leaving patients concerned about appearing hypochondriacal or uncertain about the appropriate next actions. The evidence suggested that the effect of a false alarm can persist for months and even years. In conclusion, over-reassurance and undersupport of patients after a false alarm can undermine help seeking in the case of new or recurrent potential cancer symptoms, highlighting the need for appropriate patient information when investigations rule out cancer. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Cross-Lagged Associations between Kindergarten Teachers' Causal Attributions and Children's Task Motivation and Performance in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natale, Katja; Viljaranta, Jaana; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2009-01-01

The present study investigated whether kindergarten teachers' causal attributions would predict children's reading-related task motivation and performance, or whether it is rather children's motivation and performance that contribute to teachers' causal attributions. To investigate this, 69 children (five to six years old at baseline) and their…

Valuing Attributes of Home Palliative Care With Service Users: A Pilot Discrete Choice Experiment.

PubMed

Gomes, Barbara; de Brito, Maja; Sarmento, Vera P; Yi, Deokhee; Soares, Duarte; Fernandes, Jacinta; Fonseca, Bruno; Gonçalves, Edna; Ferreira, Pedro L; Higginson, Irene J

2017-12-01

Discrete choice experiment (DCE) is a quantitative method that helps determine which service attributes are most valued by people and consequently improve their well-being. The objective of this study was to test a new DCE on home palliative care (HPC). Cross-sectional survey using the DCE method with adult patients and their family caregivers, users of three HPC services in Portugal. Service attributes were based on a Cochrane review, a meta-ethnography, and the few existing DCEs on HPC: 1) team's availability, 2) support for family caregivers, 3) homecare support, 4) information and planning, and 5) waiting time. The experimental design consisted in three blocks of eight choice sets where participants chose between two service alternatives that combined different levels of each attribute. We piloted the DCE using cognitive interviewing. Interviews were analyzed for difficulties using Tourangeau's model of information processing. The DCE was conducted with 21 participants of 37 eligible (10 patients with median Palliative Performance Scale score = 45, 11 caregivers). Most participants found the DCE easy (median 2 from 1 to 5), although two patients did not finish the exercise. Key difficulties related to comprehension (e.g., waiting time sometimes understood as response time for visit instead of time from referral to care start) and judgment (e.g., indecision due to similar service alternatives). The DCE method is feasible and acceptable but not all patients are able to participate. In the main study phase, we will give more attention to the explanation of the waiting time attribute. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A PKI Approach for Deploying Modern Secure Distributed E-Learning and M-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kambourakis, Georgios; Kontoni, Denise-Penelope N.; Rouskas, Angelos; Gritzalis, Stefanos

2007-01-01

While public key cryptography is continuously evolving and its installed base is growing significantly, recent research works examine its potential use in e-learning or m-learning environments. Public key infrastructure (PKI) and attribute certificates (ACs) can provide the appropriate framework to effectively support authentication and…

Internships: The Key to Career Preparation, Professional Development, and Career Advancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurst, Jessica L.; Thye, Ann; Wise, Chris Leiran

2014-01-01

In today's competitive job market, students who lack real-world experience face major obstacles. Many professional positions require previous experience; therefore, relevant work experience is a key attribute that any entry-level family and consumer Sciences (FCS) professional can offer a potential employer. Internships provide one of the…

A UK medical devices regulator's perspective on registries.

PubMed

Wilkinson, John; Crosbie, Andy

2016-04-01

Registries are powerful tools to support manufacturers in the fulfilment of their obligations to perform post-market surveillance and post-market clinical follow-up of implantable medical devices. They are also a valuable resource for regulators in support of regulatory action as well as in providing information around the safety of new and innovative technologies. Registries can provide valuable information on the relative performance of both generic types and manufacturer's individual products and they complement other sources of information about device performance such as post-market clinical studies and adverse incident reporting. This paper describes the experience of the UK medical device regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - of working with registries to monitor the safety and performance of medical devices. Based upon this experience, the authors identify a number of attributes for a registry which they consider to be key if the registry is to contribute effectively to the work of regulators on patient safety monitoring and medical device regulation.

Performance Feedback Processing Is Positively Biased As Predicted by Attribution Theory.

PubMed

Korn, Christoph W; Rosenblau, Gabriela; Rodriguez Buritica, Julia M; Heekeren, Hauke R

2016-01-01

A considerable literature on attribution theory has shown that healthy individuals exhibit a positivity bias when inferring the causes of evaluative feedback on their performance. They tend to attribute positive feedback internally (e.g., to their own abilities) but negative feedback externally (e.g., to environmental factors). However, all empirical demonstrations of this bias suffer from at least one of the three following drawbacks: First, participants directly judge explicit causes for their performance. Second, participants have to imagine events instead of experiencing them. Third, participants assess their performance only after receiving feedback and thus differences in baseline assessments cannot be excluded. It is therefore unclear whether the classically reported positivity bias generalizes to setups without these drawbacks. Here, we aimed at establishing the relevance of attributions for decision-making by showing an attribution-related positivity bias in a decision-making task. We developed a novel task, which allowed us to test how participants changed their evaluations in response to positive and negative feedback about performance. Specifically, we used videos of actors expressing different facial emotional expressions. Participants were first asked to evaluate the actors' credibility in expressing a particular emotion. After this initial rating, participants performed an emotion recognition task and did--or did not--receive feedback on their veridical performance. Finally, participants re-rated the actors' credibility, which provided a measure of how they changed their evaluations after feedback. Attribution theory predicts that participants change their evaluations of the actors' credibility toward the positive after receiving positive performance feedback and toward the negative after negative performance feedback. Our results were in line with this prediction. A control condition without feedback showed that correct or incorrect performance alone could not explain the observed positivity bias. Furthermore, participants' behavior in our task was linked to the most widely used measure of attribution style. In sum, our findings suggest that positive and negative performance feedback influences the evaluation of task-related stimuli, as predicted by attribution theory. Therefore, our study points to the relevance of attribution theory for feedback processing in decision-making and provides a novel outlook for decision-making biases.

Performance Feedback Processing Is Positively Biased As Predicted by Attribution Theory

PubMed Central

Rodriguez Buritica, Julia M.; Heekeren, Hauke R.

2016-01-01

A considerable literature on attribution theory has shown that healthy individuals exhibit a positivity bias when inferring the causes of evaluative feedback on their performance. They tend to attribute positive feedback internally (e.g., to their own abilities) but negative feedback externally (e.g., to environmental factors). However, all empirical demonstrations of this bias suffer from at least one of the three following drawbacks: First, participants directly judge explicit causes for their performance. Second, participants have to imagine events instead of experiencing them. Third, participants assess their performance only after receiving feedback and thus differences in baseline assessments cannot be excluded. It is therefore unclear whether the classically reported positivity bias generalizes to setups without these drawbacks. Here, we aimed at establishing the relevance of attributions for decision-making by showing an attribution-related positivity bias in a decision-making task. We developed a novel task, which allowed us to test how participants changed their evaluations in response to positive and negative feedback about performance. Specifically, we used videos of actors expressing different facial emotional expressions. Participants were first asked to evaluate the actors’ credibility in expressing a particular emotion. After this initial rating, participants performed an emotion recognition task and did—or did not—receive feedback on their veridical performance. Finally, participants re-rated the actors’ credibility, which provided a measure of how they changed their evaluations after feedback. Attribution theory predicts that participants change their evaluations of the actors’ credibility toward the positive after receiving positive performance feedback and toward the negative after negative performance feedback. Our results were in line with this prediction. A control condition without feedback showed that correct or incorrect performance alone could not explain the observed positivity bias. Furthermore, participants’ behavior in our task was linked to the most widely used measure of attribution style. In sum, our findings suggest that positive and negative performance feedback influences the evaluation of task-related stimuli, as predicted by attribution theory. Therefore, our study points to the relevance of attribution theory for feedback processing in decision-making and provides a novel outlook for decision-making biases. PMID:26849646

The Marketability of Technical Graduates from Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) Offering Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): A Case from Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajadurai, Jegatheesan; Sapuan, Noraina Mazuin; Daud, Salina; Abidin, Nurazariah

2018-01-01

Technical, Vocational Education and Training has been viewed as a means of developing a nation. The marketability of technical graduates is reliant on whether these graduates possess the attributes demanded by their respective industries. Hence, this study aims to investigate the gap between the key attributes of Higher Education Institutions'…

Amateur boxing: physical and physiological attributes.

PubMed

Chaabène, Helmi; Tabben, Montassar; Mkaouer, Bessem; Franchini, Emerson; Negra, Yassine; Hammami, Mehrez; Amara, Samiha; Chaabène, Raja Bouguezzi; Hachana, Younés

2015-03-01

Boxing is one of the oldest combat sports. The aim of the current review is to critically analyze the amateur boxer's physical and physiological characteristics and to provide practical recommendations for training as well as new areas of scientific research. High-level male and female boxers show a propensity for low body fat levels. Although studies on boxer somatotypes are limited, the available information shows that elite-level male boxers are characterized by a higher proportion of mesomorphy with a well-developed muscle mass and a low body fat level. To help support the overall metabolic demands of a boxing match and to accelerate the recovery process between rounds, athletes of both sexes require a high level of cardiorespiratory fitness. International boxers show a high peak and mean anaerobic power output. Muscle strength in both the upper and lower limbs is paramount for a fighter's victory and is one of the keys to success in boxing. As boxing punches are brief actions and very dynamic, high-level boxing performance requires well-developed muscle power in both the upper and lower limbs. Albeit limited, the available studies reveal that isometric strength is linked to high-level boxing performance. Future investigations into the physical and physiological attributes of boxers are required to enrich the current data set and to help create a suitable training program.

Identifying the ideal profile of French yogurts for different clusters of consumers.

PubMed

Masson, M; Saint-Eve, A; Delarue, J; Blumenthal, D

2016-05-01

Identifying the sensory properties that affect consumer preferences for food products is an important feature of product development. Different methods, such as external preference mapping or partial least squares regression, are used to establish relationships between sensory data and consumer preferences and to identify sensory attributes that drive consumer preferences, by highlighting optimum products. Plain French yogurts were evaluated by a sensory profiling method performed by 12 trained judges. In parallel, 180 consumers were asked to score their overall liking and complete a cognitive restraint questionnaire. After hierarchical cluster analysis on the liking scores, preference mapping using a quadratic regression model was performed. Five clusters of consumers were identified as a function of different preference patterns. Contrary to our expectations, fat levels were not discriminating. For each cluster, the results of preference mapping enabled the identification of optimum products. A comparison of the 5 sensory profiles revealed numerous differences between key sensory attributes. For example, one consumer cluster had a strong preference for products perceived as very thick, grainy, but with a less flowing texture, less sticky, whey presence and color, in contrast to other clusters. In addition, each segment of consumers was characterized according to the results of the cognitive restraint questionnaire. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring MERCI: exploring data mining techniques for examining the neurologic outcomes of stroke patients undergoing endo-vascular therapy at Erlanger Southeast Stroke Center.

PubMed

McNabb, Matthew; Cao, Yu; Devlin, Thomas; Baxter, Blaise; Thornton, Albert

2012-01-01

Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia (MERCI) has been supported by medical trials as an improved method of treating ischemic stroke past the safe window of time for administering clot-busting drugs, and was released for medical use in 2004. The importance of analyzing real-world data collected from MERCI clinical trials is key to providing insights on the effectiveness of MERCI. Most of the existing data analysis on MERCI results has thus far employed conventional statistical analysis techniques. To the best of our knowledge, advanced data analytics and data mining techniques have not yet been systematically applied. To address the issue in this thesis, we conduct a comprehensive study on employing state of the art machine learning algorithms to generate prediction criteria for the outcome of MERCI patients. Specifically, we investigate the issue of how to choose the most significant attributes of a data set with limited instance examples. We propose a few search algorithms to identify the significant attributes, followed by a thorough performance analysis for each algorithm. Finally, we apply our proposed approach to the real-world, de-identified patient data provided by Erlanger Southeast Regional Stroke Center, Chattanooga, TN. Our experimental results have demonstrated that our proposed approach performs well.

A longitudinal analysis of nursing home outcomes.

PubMed

Porell, F; Caro, F G; Silva, A; Monane, M

1998-10-01

To investigate resident and facility attributes associated with long-term care health outcomes in nursing homes. Quarterly Management Minutes Questionnaire (MMQ) survey data for Medicaid case-mix reimbursement of nursing homes in Massachusetts from 1991 to 1994, for specification of outcomes and resident attributes. Facility attributes are specified from cost report data. Multivariate logistic and "state-dependence" regression models are estimated for survival, ADL functional status, incontinence status, and mental status outcomes from longitudinal residence histories of Medicaid residents spanning 3 to 36 months in length. Outcomes are specified to be a function of resident demographic and diagnostic attributes and facility-level operating and nurse staffing attributes. The estimated parameters for resident demographic and diagnostic attributes showed a great deal of construct validity with respect to clinical expectations regarding risk factors for adverse outcomes. Few facility attributes were associated with outcomes generally, and none was significantly associated with all four outcomes. The absence of uniform associations between facility attributes and the various long-term care health outcomes studied suggests that strong facility performance on one health outcome may coexist with much weaker performance on other outcomes. This has implications for the aggregation of individual facility performance measures on multiple outcomes and the development of overall outcome performance measures.

Interface-designed Membranes with Shape-controlled Patterns for High-performance Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Yukwon; Kim, Dong Jun; Koh, Jong Kwan; Ji, Yunseong; Kim, Jong Hak; Shul, Yong-Gun

2015-11-01

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is a promising zero-emission power generator for stationary/automotive applications. However, key issues, such as performance and costs, are still remained for an economical commercialization. Here, we fabricated a high-performance membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using an interfacial design based on well-arrayed micro-patterned membranes including circles, squares and hexagons with different sizes, which are produced by a facile elastomeric mold method. The best MEA performance is achieved using patterned Nafion membrane with a circle 2 μm in size, which exhibited a very high power density of 1906 mW/cm2 at 75 °C and Pt loading of 0.4 mg/cm2 with 73% improvement compared to the commercial membrane. The improved performance are attributed to the decreased MEA resistances and increased surface area for higher Pt utilization of over 80%. From these enhanced properties, it is possible to operate at lower Pt loading of 0.2 mg/cm2 with an outstanding performance of 1555 mW/cm2 and even at air/low humidity operations.

Cognitive assessment in mathematics with the least squares distance method.

PubMed

Ma, Lin; Çetin, Emre; Green, Kathy E

2012-01-01

This study investigated the validation of comprehensive cognitive attributes of an eighth-grade mathematics test using the least squares distance method and compared performance on attributes by gender and region. A sample of 5,000 students was randomly selected from the data of the 2005 Turkish national mathematics assessment of eighth-grade students. Twenty-five math items were assessed for presence or absence of 20 cognitive attributes (content, cognitive processes, and skill). Four attributes were found to be misspecified or nonpredictive. However, results demonstrated the validity of cognitive attributes in terms of the revised set of 17 attributes. The girls had similar performance on the attributes as the boys. The students from the two eastern regions significantly underperformed on the most attributes.

Gender attribution and gender agreement in French Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Boloh, Yves; Ibernon, Laure; Royer, Stéphanie; Escudier, Frédérique; Danillon, Aurélia

2009-01-01

Previous studies on grammatical gender in French individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have led to conflicting findings and interpretations regarding keys abilities--gender attribution and gender agreement. New production data from a larger WS sample (N=24) showed that gender attribution scores in WS participants exactly mirrored those of controls: all groups overwhelmingly relied on the masculine as the default gender. WS participants' agreement scores were far lower than those of CA-controls though not significantly below those of MA-controls. They also did not improve with age, which might suggest a permanent disability in this area.

Electrophysiological Activity Generated during the Implicit Association Test: A Study Using Event-Related Potentials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Toole, Catriona; Barnes-Holmes, Dermot

2009-01-01

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) examines the differential association of 2 target concepts with 2 attribute concepts. Responding is predicted to be faster on consistent trials, when concepts that are associated in memory share a response key, than on inconsistent trials, when less associated items share a key. In the current study,…

Global payment contract attitudes and comprehension among internal medicine physicians.

PubMed

Allen-Dicker, Joshua; Herzig, Shoshana J; Kerbel, Russell

2015-08-01

Global payment contracts (GPCs) are increasingly common agreements between insurance payers and healthcare providers that incorporate aspects of risk adjustment, capitation, and pay-for-performance. Physicians are often viewed as potential barriers to implementation of organizational change, but little is known about internist opinion on GPC involvement or specific internist attributes that might predict GPC support. We aimed to investigate internist and internal medicine subspecialist support of GPC involvement, and to identify associations among physician attributes, GPC knowledge, and GPC support. Cross-sectional. General medicine and internal medicine subspecialist physicians within the Beth Israel Deaconess Department of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, were surveyed 4 years after care organization entry into a GPC. Measurements collected included reported support for GPC involvement, reason for support, and demonstrated comprehension of key GPC details. Of the 281 respondents (49% response rate), 85% reported supporting involvement in a GPC. In a multivariate ordinal logistic regression model, exposure to prior information about GPCs, demonstrated comprehension of key GPC details, longer time since completion of residency, and lower clinical time commitment were all independently associated with higher levels of GPC involvement support. Four years since first engaging in a global payment contract, a majority of internal medicine physician respondents support this decision. Understanding predictors of physician support for GPC involvement within our care organization may help other health systems to approach organizational change. Health system leaders debating GPC involvement should consider engaging physicians via educational interventions geared toward improving GPC support.

Using analytic hierarchy process to identify the nurses with high stress-coping capability: model and application.

PubMed

F C Pan, Frank

2014-03-01

Nurses have long been relied as the major labor force in hospitals. Featured with complicated and highly labor-intensive job requirement, multiple pressures from different sources was inevitable. Success in identifying stresses and accordingly coping with such stresses is important for job performance of nurses, and service quality of a hospital. Purpose of this research is to identify the determinants of nurses' capabilities. A modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was adopted. Overall, 105 nurses from several randomly selected hospitals in southern Taiwan were investigated to generate factors. Ten experienced practitioners were included as the expert in the AHP to produce weights of each criterion. Six nurses from two regional hospitals were then selected to test the model. Four factors are then identified as the second level of hierarchy. The study result shows that the family factor is the most important factor, and followed by the personal attributes. Top three sub-criteria that attribute to the nurse's stress-coping capability are children's education, good career plan, and healthy family. The practical simulation provided evidence for the usefulness of this model. The study suggested including these key determinants into the practice of human-resource management, and restructuring the hospital's organization, creating an employee-support system as well as a family-friendly working climate. The research provided evidence that supports the usefulness of AHP in identifying the key factors that help stabilizing a nursing team.

Using Analytic Hierarchy Process to Identify the Nurses with High Stress-Coping Capability: Model and Application

PubMed Central

F. C. PAN, Frank

2014-01-01

Abstract Background Nurses have long been relied as the major labor force in hospitals. Featured with complicated and highly labor-intensive job requirement, multiple pressures from different sources was inevitable. Success in identifying stresses and accordingly coping with such stresses is important for job performance of nurses, and service quality of a hospital. Purpose of this research is to identify the determinants of nurses' capabilities. Methods A modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was adopted. Overall, 105 nurses from several randomly selected hospitals in southern Taiwan were investigated to generate factors. Ten experienced practitioners were included as the expert in the AHP to produce weights of each criterion. Six nurses from two regional hospitals were then selected to test the model. Results Four factors are then identified as the second level of hierarchy. The study result shows that the family factor is the most important factor, and followed by the personal attributes. Top three sub-criteria that attribute to the nurse's stress-coping capability are children's education, good career plan, and healthy family. The practical simulation provided evidence for the usefulness of this model. Conclusion The study suggested including these key determinants into the practice of human-resource management, and restructuring the hospital's organization, creating an employee-support system as well as a family-friendly working climate. The research provided evidence that supports the usefulness of AHP in identifying the key factors that help stabilizing a nursing team. PMID:25988086

What vehicle features are considered important when buying an automobile? An examination of driver preferences by age and gender.

PubMed

Vrkljan, Brenda H; Anaby, Dana

2011-02-01

Certain vehicle features can help drivers avoid collisions and/or protect occupants in the event of a crash, and therefore, might play an important role when deciding which vehicle to purchase. The objective of this study was to examine the importance attributed to key vehicle features (including safety) that drivers consider when buying a car and its association with age and gender. A sample of 2,002 Canadian drivers aged 18 years and older completed a survey that asked them to rank the importance of eight vehicle features if they were to purchase a vehicle (storage, mileage, safety, price, comfort, performance, design, and reliability). ANOVA tests were performed to: (a) determine if there were differences in the level of importance between features and; (b) examine the effect of age and gender on the importance attributed to these features. Of the features examined, safety and reliability were the most highly rated in terms of importance, whereas design and performance had the lowest rating. Differences in safety and performance across age groups were dependent on gender. This effect was most evident in the youngest and oldest age groups. Safety and reliability were considered the most important features. Age and gender play a significant role in explaining the importance of certain features. Targeted efforts for translating safety-related information to the youngest and oldest consumers should be emphasized due to their high collision, injury, and fatality rates. Copyright © 2011 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bidding Behavior in a Multi-attribute First-price Auction

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

of applying key features of the multi-unit auction to proxy buyer /seller marginal valuations of the attributes of a job. Two experiments were...compensation package show promise in ascertaining buyer /seller marginal valuations of a job. This research effort was supported by a grant from the...auctions observed in the goods market, as measured by maximizing consumer and producer surplus, are likely to have promising applications to labor markets

Survey of the perceptions of key stakeholders on the attributes of the South African Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

PubMed

Benson, F G; Musekiwa, A; Blumberg, L; Rispel, L C

2016-10-25

An effective and efficient notifiable diseases surveillance system (NDSS) is essential for a rapid response to disease outbreaks, and the identification of priority diseases that may cause national, regional or public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs). Regular assessments of country-based surveillance system are needed to enable countries to respond to outbreaks before they become PHEICs. As part of a broader evaluation of the NDSS in South Africa, the aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of key stakeholders on the national NDSS attributes of acceptability, flexibility, simplicity, timeliness and usefulness. During 2015, we conducted a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of communicable diseases coordinators and surveillance officers, as well as members of NDSS committees. Individuals with less than 1 year experience of the NDSS were excluded. Consenting participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire elicited information on demographic information and perceptions of the NDSS attributes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the unconditional logistic regression model. Most stakeholders interviewed (53 %, 60/114) were involved in disease control and response. The median number of years of experience with the NDSS was 11 years (inter-quartile range (IQR): 5 to 20 years). Regarding the NDSS attributes, 25 % of the stakeholders perceived the system to be acceptable, 51 % to be flexible, 45 % to be timely, 61 % to be useful, and 74 % to be simple. Health management stakeholders perceived the system to be more useful and timely compared to the other stakeholders. Those with more years of experience were less likely to perceive the NDSS system as acceptable (OR 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.84-1.00, p = 0.041); those in disease detection were less likely to perceive it as timely (OR 0.10, 95 % CI: 0.01-0.96, p = 0.046) and those participating in National Outbreak Response Team were less likely to perceive it as useful (OR 0.38, 95 % CI: 0.16-0.93, p = 0.034). The overall poor perceptions of key stakeholder on the system attributes are a cause for concern. The study findings should inform the revitalisation and reform of the NDSS in South Africa, done in consultation and partnership with the key stakeholders.

Cross-Situational Specificity in Managers’ Perceptions of Subordinate Performance, Attributions, and Leader Behaviors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-20

Dansereau et al., 1975; Davis & Luthans , 1979; Zahn & Wolf, 1981). For example, Dansereau et al. (1975) reported that leaders tended to develop a...of Subordinate Performance,6PEFRIGO.RPRTNMR Attributions, and Leader Behaviors PEORIGRGRPRTNMR GT-ONR-2. IBR 82-7 17. UTHO~s)S CONTRACT OR GRANT...8217 performance, causes (attributions of subordinates’ performance, and leader behaviors employed toward subordinates aL-u were examined from the standpoint of

Attributes of quality programs in universities in developing countries: Case studies of two private universities in Ecuador and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uriguen, Monica I.

This study sought to identify the key attributes of high-quality programs with an eye toward helping developing countries such as Ecuador advance program quality. The dissertation is divided into five chapters: (1) introduction to high-quality programs; (2) literature review of attributes of high-quality programs; (3) grounded theory method (including interviews with 60 individuals) used to identify program attributes that enhance student learning; (4) findings; and (5) conclusions and recommendations. Following are the five clusters and thirteen attributes of high-quality programs that I identified: Cluster One: Highly Qualified Participants: (1) Highly Qualified Faculty, and (2) Highly Qualified Students; Cluster Two: Learning-Centered Cultures: (3) Shared Program Direction Focused on Learning, (4) Real-World Learning Experiences, (5) Reading-Centered Culture, and (6) Supportive and Risk-Taking Environment; Cluster Three: Interactive Teaching and Learning: (7) Integrative learning: Theory with Practice, Self with Subject, and (8) Exclusive Tutoring and Mentoring; Cluster Four: Connected Program Requirements: (9) Planned Breadth and Depth Course Work, and (10) Tangible Products; and Cluster Five: Adequate Resources: (11) Support for Students, (12) Support for Faculty, and (13) Support for Campus Infrastructure. The study was guided by Haworth and Conrad's (1997) "Engagement Theory of High-Quality Programs." Eleven of the attributes of high-quality programs are closely connected to Haworth and Conrad's theory and the other two attributes---real-world learning experiences and a reading-centered culture---make the signature theoretical contributions of the study. Real-world learning experiences encourage the active involvement of stakeholders in designing curricula with real-world learning experiences. The second attribute---a reading-centered culture---has never before been identified in the literature. There are four key differences between Haworth and Conrad's theory and the theory developed in this study. This study identified four attributes that are highly important in Ecuador and, possibly, other developing countries: highly-qualified faculty, highly-qualified students, reading-centered cultures, and real-world learning experiences. If Latin American universities implement the recommendations proposed in the study, particularly Ecuadorian universities, there is a foundation for envisioning a better future for Ecuadorian universities.

A longitudinal analysis of nursing home outcomes.

PubMed Central

Porell, F; Caro, F G; Silva, A; Monane, M

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate resident and facility attributes associated with long-term care health outcomes in nursing homes. DATA SOURCES: Quarterly Management Minutes Questionnaire (MMQ) survey data for Medicaid case-mix reimbursement of nursing homes in Massachusetts from 1991 to 1994, for specification of outcomes and resident attributes. Facility attributes are specified from cost report data. STUDY DESIGN: Multivariate logistic and "state-dependence" regression models are estimated for survival, ADL functional status, incontinence status, and mental status outcomes from longitudinal residence histories of Medicaid residents spanning 3 to 36 months in length. Outcomes are specified to be a function of resident demographic and diagnostic attributes and facility-level operating and nurse staffing attributes. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The estimated parameters for resident demographic and diagnostic attributes showed a great deal of construct validity with respect to clinical expectations regarding risk factors for adverse outcomes. Few facility attributes were associated with outcomes generally, and none was significantly associated with all four outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of uniform associations between facility attributes and the various long-term care health outcomes studied suggests that strong facility performance on one health outcome may coexist with much weaker performance on other outcomes. This has implications for the aggregation of individual facility performance measures on multiple outcomes and the development of overall outcome performance measures. PMID:9776939

Using Job Analysis Techniques to Understand Training Needs for Promotores de Salud.

PubMed

Ospina, Javier H; Langford, Toshiko A; Henry, Kimberly L; Nelson, Tristan Q

2018-04-01

Despite the value of community health worker programs, such as Promotores de Salud, for addressing health disparities in the Latino community, little consensus has been reached to formally define the unique roles and duties associated with the job, thereby creating unique job training challenges. Understanding the job tasks and worker attributes central to this work is a critical first step for developing the training and evaluation systems of promotores programs. Here, we present the process and findings of a job analysis conducted for promotores working for Planned Parenthood. We employed a systematic approach, the combination job analysis method, to define the job in terms of its work and worker requirements, identifying key job tasks, as well as the worker attributes necessary to effectively perform them. Our results suggest that the promotores' job encompasses a broad range of activities and requires an equally broad range of personal characteristics to perform. These results played an important role in the development of our training and evaluation protocols. In this article, we introduce the technique of job analysis, provide an overview of the results from our own application of this technique, and discuss how these findings can be used to inform a training and performance evaluation system. This article provides a template for other organizations implementing similar community health worker programs and illustrates the value of conducting a job analysis for clarifying job roles, developing and evaluating job training materials, and selecting qualified job candidates.

Methods to assess performance of models estimating risk of death in intensive care patients: a review.

PubMed

Cook, D A

2006-04-01

Models that estimate the probability of death of intensive care unit patients can be used to stratify patients according to the severity of their condition and to control for casemix and severity of illness. These models have been used for risk adjustment in quality monitoring, administration, management and research and as an aid to clinical decision making. Models such as the Mortality Prediction Model family, SAPS II, APACHE II, APACHE III and the organ system failure models provide estimates of the probability of in-hospital death of ICU patients. This review examines methods to assess the performance of these models. The key attributes of a model are discrimination (the accuracy of the ranking in order of probability of death) and calibration (the extent to which the model's prediction of probability of death reflects the true risk of death). These attributes should be assessed in existing models that predict the probability of patient mortality, and in any subsequent model that is developed for the purposes of estimating these probabilities. The literature contains a range of approaches for assessment which are reviewed and a survey of the methodologies used in studies of intensive care mortality models is presented. The systematic approach used by Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy provides a framework to incorporate these theoretical considerations of model assessment and recommendations are made for evaluation and presentation of the performance of models that estimate the probability of death of intensive care patients.

Knowledge about food classification systems and value attributes provides insight for understanding complementary food choices in Mexican working mothers.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Oliveros, Maria Guadalupe; Bisogni, Carole A; Frongillo, Edward A

2014-12-01

Knowledge about mothers' perceptions of food classification and values about complementary feeding is necessary for designing educational and food supply interventions targeted to young children. To determine classification, attributes, and consumption/preparation routines of key complementary foods, 44 mothers of children < 2 y of age in 14 manufacturing businesses were studied. Using 31 key foods, we conducted free-listings, pile-sort, and food attributes exercises. Hierarchical clustering showed that mothers identified nine classes of key foods, including milk derivatives, complements, junk food, infant products, chicken parts, and other meats. From multidimensional scaling, mothers used three primary classification systems: food groups, food introduction stages, and food processing. Secondary classification systems were healthy-junk, heavy-light, hot-cold, good-bad fat, and main dish-complement. Child health and nutrition, particularly vitamin content, were salient attributes. Fruits and vegetables were preferred for initiating complementary feeding on the second month of age. Consumption of guava, mango, and legumes, however, was associated with digestive problems (empacho). Red meats were viewed as cold-type, heavy, and hard, not suitable for young children, but right for toddlers. Chicken liver was considered nutritious but dirty and bitter. Egg and fish were viewed as a vitamin source but potentially allergenic. Mothers valued vitamin content, flavor, and convenience of processed foods, but some were suspicious about expiration date, chemical and excessive sugar content and overall safety of these foods. Mothers' perceptions and values may differ from those of nutritionists and program designers, and should be addressed when promoting opportune introduction of complementary foods in social programs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The improved dissolution performance of a post processing treated spray-dried crystalline solid dispersion of poorly soluble drugs.

PubMed

Chan, Siok-Yee; Toh, Seok-Ming; Khan, Nasir Hayat; Chung, Yin-Ying; Cheah, Xin-Zi

2016-11-01

Solution-mediated transformation has been cited as one of the main problems that deteriorate dissolution performances of solid dispersion (SD). This is mainly attributed by the recrystallization tendency of poorly soluble drug. Eventually, it will lead to extensive agglomeration which is a key process in reducing the dissolution performance of SD and offsets the true benefit of SD system. Here, a post-processing treatment is suggested in order to reduce the recrystallization tendency and hence bring forth the dissolution advantage of SD system. The current study investigates the effect of a post processing treatment on dissolution performance of SD in comparison to their performances upon production. Two poorly soluble drugs were spray dried into SD using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as hydrophilic carrier. The obtained samples were post processing treated by exposure to high humidity, i.e. 75% RH at room temperature. The physical properties and release rate of the SD system were characterized upon production and after the post-processing treatment. XRPD, Infrared and DSC results showed partial crystallinity of the fresh SD systems. Crystallinity of these products was further increased after the post-processing treatment at 75% RH. This may be attributed to the high moisture absorption of the SD system that promotes recrystallization process of the drug. However, dissolution efficiencies of the post-treated systems were higher and more consistent than the fresh SD. The unexpected dissolution trend was further supported by the results intrinsic dissolution and solubility studies. An increase of crystallinity in a post humidity treated SD did not exert detrimental effect to their dissolution profiles. A more stabilized system with a preferable enhanced dissolution rate was obtained by exposing the SD to a post processing humidity treatment.

Coherent ultra dense wavelength division multiplexing passive optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahpari, Ali; Ferreira, Ricardo; Ribeiro, Vitor; Sousa, Artur; Ziaie, Somayeh; Tavares, Ana; Vujicic, Zoran; Guiomar, Fernando P.; Reis, Jacklyn D.; Pinto, Armando N.; Teixeira, António

2015-12-01

In this paper, we firstly review the progress in ultra-dense wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (UDWDM-PON), by making use of the key attributes of this technology in the context of optical access and metro networks. Besides the inherit properties of coherent technology, we explore different modulation formats and pulse shaping. The performance is experimentally demonstrated through a 12 × 10 Gb/s bidirectional UDWDM-PON over hybrid 80 km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) and optical wireless link. High density, 6.25 GHz grid, Nyquist shaped 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) and digital frequency shifting are some of the properties exploited together in the tests. Also, bidirectional transmission in fiber, relevant in the context, is analyzed in terms of nonlinear and back-reflection effects on receiver sensitivity. In addition, as a basis for the discussion on market readiness, we experimentally demonstrate real-time detection of a Nyquist-shaped quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) signal using simple 8-bit digital signal processing (DSP) on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

"The part of me that you bring out": ideal similarity and the Michelangelo phenomenon.

PubMed

Rusbult, Caryl E; Kumashiro, Madoka; Kubacka, Kaska E; Finkel, Eli J

2009-01-01

This work examines the Michelangelo phenomenon, an interpersonal model of the means by which people move closer to (vs. further from) their ideal selves. The authors propose that partner similarity--similarity to the ideal self, in particular--plays an important role in this process. Across 4 studies employing diverse designs and measurement techniques, they observed consistent evidence that when partners possess key elements of one another's ideal selves, each person affirms the other by eliciting important aspects of the other's ideals, each person moves closer to his or her ideal self, and couple well-being is enhanced. Partner similarity to the actual self also accounts for unique variance in key elements of this model. The associations of ideal similarity and actual similarity with couple well-being are fully attributable to the Michelangelo process, to partner affirmation and target movement toward the ideal self. The authors also performed auxiliary analyses to rule out several alternative interpretations of these findings.

Opening the Implicit Leadership Theories' Black Box: An Experimental Approach with Conjoint Analysis.

PubMed

Tavares, Gustavo M; Sobral, Filipe; Goldszmidt, Rafael; Araújo, Felipe

2018-01-01

Although research on implicit leadership theories (ILTs) has concentrated on determining which attributes define a leadership prototype, little attention has been paid to testing the relative importance of each of these attributes for individuals' leadership perceptions. Building on socio-cognitive theories of impression processes, we experimentally explore the formation of leadership perceptions based on the recognition of six key attributes in a series of three experimental studies comprising 566 US-based participants recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results show that while certain attributes play an important role in the leader categorization process, others are less relevant. We also demonstrate that some attributes' importance is contingent on the presence of other attributes and on the leadership schema type activated in respondents' minds. Consistent with the Leadership Categorization Theory, our findings support the premise that individuals cognitively hold a superordinate leadership prototype, which imposes constraints on their more basic level prototypes. We discuss the implications of these results for leadership theory and practice.

Quality Attributes for Mission Flight Software: A Reference for Architects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilmot, Jonathan; Fesq, Lorraine; Dvorak, Dan

2016-01-01

In the international standards for architecture descriptions in systems and software engineering (ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010), "concern" is a primary concept that often manifests itself in relation to the quality attributes or "ilities" that a system is expected to exhibit - qualities such as reliability, security and modifiability. One of the main uses of an architecture description is to serve as a basis for analyzing how well the architecture achieves its quality attributes, and that requires architects to be as precise as possible about what they mean in claiming, for example, that an architecture supports "modifiability." This paper describes a table, generated by NASA's Software Architecture Review Board, which lists fourteen key quality attributes, identifies different important aspects of each quality attribute and considers each aspect in terms of requirements, rationale, evidence, and tactics to achieve the aspect. This quality attribute table is intended to serve as a guide to software architects, software developers, and software architecture reviewers in the domain of mission-critical real-time embedded systems, such as space mission flight software.

Hierarchical competitions subserving multi-attribute choice

PubMed Central

Hunt, Laurence T; Dolan, Raymond J; Behrens, Timothy EJ

2015-01-01

Valuation is a key tenet of decision neuroscience, where it is generally assumed that different attributes of competing options are assimilated into unitary values. Such values are central to current neural models of choice. By contrast, psychological studies emphasize complex interactions between choice and valuation. Principles of neuronal selection also suggest competitive inhibition may occur in early valuation stages, before option selection. Here, we show behavior in multi-attribute choice is best explained by a model involving competition at multiple levels of representation. This hierarchical model also explains neural signals in human brain regions previously linked to valuation, including striatum, parietal and prefrontal cortex, where activity represents competition within-attribute, competition between attributes, and option selection. This multi-layered inhibition framework challenges the assumption that option values are computed before choice. Instead our results indicate a canonical competition mechanism throughout all stages of a processing hierarchy, not simply at a final choice stage. PMID:25306549

Academic procrastination: the relationship between causal attribution styles and behavioral postponement.

PubMed

Badri Gargari, Rahim; Sabouri, Hossein; Norzad, Fatemeh

2011-01-01

This research was conducted to study the relationship between attribution and academic procrastination in University Students. The subjects were 203 undergraduate students, 55 males and 148 females, selected from English and French language and literature students of Tabriz University. Data were gathered through Procrastination Assessment Scale-student (PASS) and Causal Dimension Scale (CDA) and were analyzed by multiple regression analysis (stepwise). The results showed that there was a meaningful and negative relation between the locus of control and controllability in success context and academic procrastination. Besides, a meaningful and positive relation was observed between the locus of control and stability in failure context and procrastination. It was also found that 17% of the variance of procrastination was accounted by linear combination of attributions. We believe that causal attribution is a key in understanding procrastination in academic settings and is used by those who have the knowledge of Causal Attribution styles to organize their learning.

Rank and independence in contingency table

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsumoto, Shusaku

2004-04-01

A contingency table summarizes the conditional frequencies of two attributes and shows how these two attributes are dependent on each other. Thus, this table is a fundamental tool for pattern discovery with conditional probabilities, such as rule discovery. In this paper, a contingency table is interpreted from the viewpoint of statistical independence and granular computing. The first important observation is that a contingency table compares two attributes with respect to the number of equivalence classes. For example, a n x n table compares two attributes with the same granularity, while a m x n(m >= n) table compares two attributes with different granularities. The second important observation is that matrix algebra is a key point of analysis of this table. Especially, the degree of independence, rank plays a very important role in evaluating the degree of statistical independence. Relations between rank and the degree of dependence are also investigated.

Wavefront attributes in anisotropic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanelle, C.; Abakumov, I.; Gajewski, D.

2018-07-01

Surface-measured wavefront attributes are the key ingredient to multiparameter methods, which are nowadays standard tools in seismic data processing. However, most operators are restricted to application to isotropic media. Whereas application of an isotropic operator will still lead to satisfactory stack results, further processing steps that interpret isotropic stacking parameters in terms of wavefront attributes will lead to erroneous results if anisotropy is present but not accounted for. In this paper, we derive relationships between the stacking parameters and anisotropic wavefront attributes that allow us to apply the common reflection surface type operator to 3-D media with arbitrary anisotropy for the zero-offset and finite-offset configurations including converted waves. The operator itself is expressed in terms of wavefront attributes that are measured in the acquisition surface, that is, no model assumptions are made. Numerical results confirm that the accuracy of the new anisotropic operator is of the same magnitude as that of its isotropic counterpart.

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

Brooker, A.; Gonder, J.; Lopp, S.

The Automotive Deployment Option Projection Tool (ADOPT) is a light-duty vehicle consumer choice and stock model supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. It estimates technology improvement impacts on U.S. light-duty vehicles sales, petroleum use, and greenhouse gas emissions. ADOPT uses techniques from the multinomial logit method and the mixed logit method estimate sales. Specifically, it estimates sales based on the weighted value of key attributes including vehicle price, fuel cost, acceleration, range and usable volume. The average importance of several attributes changes nonlinearly across its range and changes with income. For several attributes, a distribution ofmore » importance around the average value is used to represent consumer heterogeneity. The majority of existing vehicle makes, models, and trims are included to fully represent the market. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations are enforced. The sales feed into the ADOPT stock model. It captures key aspects for summing petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions This includes capturing the change in vehicle miles traveled by vehicle age, the creation of new model options based on the success of existing vehicles, new vehicle option introduction rate limits, and survival rates by vehicle age. ADOPT has been extensively validated with historical sales data. It matches in key dimensions including sales by fuel economy, acceleration, price, vehicle size class, and powertrain across multiple years. A graphical user interface provides easy and efficient use. It manages the inputs, simulation, and results.« less

Race, Class, and the Attributional Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Sandra; Long, Anna

1986-01-01

Two experiments were performed to examine the process of attributional thinking in Black and White children who differed in social class. Blacks did not display a less adaptive attributional pattern than did whites following actual performance on exams, and no differences existed in children's understanding of the meaning of causes. (Author/LMO)

Self-Handicapping by Task Choice: An Attribute Ambiguity Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handelsman, Mitchell M.; And Others

Self-handicapping strategies are behaviors or choices of performance settings which allow people to maintain self-esteem by avoiding negative self-relevant attributions. People will behave in such a way that accurate, nonambiguous attributions about their performance cannot be made. Research on self-handicapping has focused on clinically relevant…

Utility Green-Pricing Programs: What Defines Success? (Topical Issues Brief)

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

Swezey, B.; Bird, L.

2001-09-13

''Green pricing'' is an optional service through which customers can support a greater level of investment by their electric utility in renewable energy technologies. Electric utilities in 29 states are now implementing green-pricing programs. This report examines important elements of green-pricing programs, including the different types of programs offered, the premiums charged, customer response, and additional factors that experience indicates are key to the development of successful programs. The best-performing programs tend to share a number of common attributes related to product design, value creation, product pricing, and program implementation. The report ends with a list of ''best practices'' formore » utilities to follow when developing and implementing programs.« less

Beyond Moore's Law: Harnessing spatial-digital disruptive technologies for Digital Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foresman, Timothy W.

2016-11-01

Moore's law will reach its plateau by 2020. Big data, however, will continue to increase as the Internet of Things and social media converge into the new era of ‘huge data’. Disruptive technologies, including big data and cloud computing are forces impacting business and government communities. The truth of our collective future is suggested to align with the Digital Earth (DE) vision. Benefits of technological advances will be manifested from business performance improvements based on capitalizing the locational attributes of corporate and government assets - the foundation of big data. Better governance and better business represents a key foundation for sustainability and therefore should be explicit DE guiding principles.

Superior control of HIV-1 replication by CD8+ T cells is reflected by their avidity, polyfunctionality, and clonal turnover

PubMed Central

Almeida, Jorge R.; Price, David A.; Papagno, Laura; Arkoub, Zaïna Aït; Sauce, Delphine; Bornstein, Ethan; Asher, Tedi E.; Samri, Assia; Schnuriger, Aurélie; Theodorou, Ioannis; Costagliola, Dominique; Rouzioux, Christine; Agut, Henri; Marcelin, Anne-Geneviève; Douek, Daniel; Autran, Brigitte; Appay, Victor

2007-01-01

The key attributes of CD8+ T cell protective immunity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain unclear. We report that CD8+ T cell responses specific for Gag and, in particular, the immunodominant p24 epitope KK10 correlate with control of HIV-1 replication in human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)–B27 patients. To understand further the nature of CD8+ T cell–mediated antiviral efficacy, we performed a comprehensive study of CD8+ T cells specific for the HLA-B27–restricted epitope KK10 in chronic HIV-1 infection based on the use of multiparametric flow cytometry together with molecular clonotypic analysis and viral sequencing. We show that B27-KK10–specific CD8+ T cells are characterized by polyfunctional capabilities, increased clonal turnover, and superior functional avidity. Such attributes are interlinked and constitute the basis for effective control of HIV-1 replication. These data on the features of effective CD8+ T cells in HIV infection may aid in the development of successful T cell vaccines. PMID:17893201

Pharmaceutical product development: A quality by design approach

PubMed Central

Pramod, Kannissery; Tahir, M. Abu; Charoo, Naseem A.; Ansari, Shahid H.; Ali, Javed

2016-01-01

The application of quality by design (QbD) in pharmaceutical product development is now a thrust area for the regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry. International Conference on Harmonization and United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) emphasized the principles and applications of QbD in pharmaceutical development in their guidance for the industry. QbD attributes are addressed in question-based review, developed by USFDA for chemistry, manufacturing, and controls section of abbreviated new drug applications. QbD principles, when implemented, lead to a successful product development, subsequent prompt regulatory approval, reduce exhaustive validation burden, and significantly reduce post-approval changes. The key elements of QbD viz., target product quality profile, critical quality attributes, risk assessments, design space, control strategy, product lifecycle management, and continual improvement are discussed to understand the performance of dosage forms within design space. Design of experiments, risk assessment tools, and process analytical technology are also discussed for their role in QbD. This review underlines the importance of QbD in inculcating science-based approach in pharmaceutical product development. PMID:27606256

Pharmaceutical product development: A quality by design approach.

PubMed

Pramod, Kannissery; Tahir, M Abu; Charoo, Naseem A; Ansari, Shahid H; Ali, Javed

2016-01-01

The application of quality by design (QbD) in pharmaceutical product development is now a thrust area for the regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry. International Conference on Harmonization and United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) emphasized the principles and applications of QbD in pharmaceutical development in their guidance for the industry. QbD attributes are addressed in question-based review, developed by USFDA for chemistry, manufacturing, and controls section of abbreviated new drug applications. QbD principles, when implemented, lead to a successful product development, subsequent prompt regulatory approval, reduce exhaustive validation burden, and significantly reduce post-approval changes. The key elements of QbD viz., target product quality profile, critical quality attributes, risk assessments, design space, control strategy, product lifecycle management, and continual improvement are discussed to understand the performance of dosage forms within design space. Design of experiments, risk assessment tools, and process analytical technology are also discussed for their role in QbD. This review underlines the importance of QbD in inculcating science-based approach in pharmaceutical product development.

Learning probabilistic models of hydrogen bond stability from molecular dynamics simulation trajectories.

PubMed

Chikalov, Igor; Yao, Peggy; Moshkov, Mikhail; Latombe, Jean-Claude

2011-02-15

Hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) play a key role in both the formation and stabilization of protein structures. They form and break while a protein deforms, for instance during the transition from a non-functional to a functional state. The intrinsic strength of an individual H-bond has been studied from an energetic viewpoint, but energy alone may not be a very good predictor. This paper describes inductive learning methods to train protein-independent probabilistic models of H-bond stability from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation trajectories of various proteins. The training data contains 32 input attributes (predictors) that describe an H-bond and its local environment in a conformation c and the output attribute is the probability that the H-bond will be present in an arbitrary conformation of this protein achievable from c within a time duration Δ. We model dependence of the output variable on the predictors by a regression tree. Several models are built using 6 MD simulation trajectories containing over 4000 distinct H-bonds (millions of occurrences). Experimental results demonstrate that such models can predict H-bond stability quite well. They perform roughly 20% better than models based on H-bond energy alone. In addition, they can accurately identify a large fraction of the least stable H-bonds in a conformation. In most tests, about 80% of the 10% H-bonds predicted as the least stable are actually among the 10% truly least stable. The important attributes identified during the tree construction are consistent with previous findings. We use inductive learning methods to build protein-independent probabilistic models to study H-bond stability, and demonstrate that the models perform better than H-bond energy alone.

Group attributional training as an effective approach to human resource development under team work systems.

PubMed

Wang, Z M

1994-07-01

An experimental programme of group attributional training under team work system was conducted as part of human resource development in Chinese industrial enterprises. One hundred and ten shopfloor employees participated in the study. Among them, 58 employees took part in the factorial-designed experiment to find out the effects of attributions on performance, and 52 employees of ten work groups participated in the group attributional training programme twice a week for two months. The results showed that the group attributional training was effective in modifying employees' attributional patterns and enhancing group performance and satisfaction. On the basis of the results, an attributional model of work motivation is proposed, and its theoretical and practical implications for human resource management discussed.

Evaluating Common Hypotheses for Violence in Central America

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

53  Table 6.  Key Police Statistics , 2013 ........................................................................58  Table 7.  Length of...unemployment and the lack of social mobility as a key driver to delinquency , especially for young adult males.5 Some attribute increasing violence in...as well as statistics and other metrics that might reveal correlations between policies and violence rates. 13 II. EVALUATING THE STRUCTURAL

Drawing with Light and Clay: Teaching and Learning in the Art Studio as Pathways to Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albertson, Constant; Davidson, Miriam

2007-01-01

In this essay, Albertson and Davidson explore the attributes of photography and ceramic arts education to identify eight key elements integral to engagement in these art studios for under-served and disenchanted learners. They suggest that these key elements can provide numerous clues as to how teachers and school communities might reimagine both…

Attribution of somatic symptoms in hypochondriasis.

PubMed

Neng, Julia M B; Weck, Florian

2015-01-01

The misinterpretation of bodily symptoms as an indicator of a serious illness is a key feature of the criteria and the cognitive-behavioural models of hypochondriasis. Previous research suggests that individuals suffering from health anxiety endorse attributions of physical disease, whereas persons with elevated general anxiety have the tendency to attribute psychological causes to their symptoms. However, whether a somatic attribution style is specific to patients with hypochondriasis, as opposed to those with anxiety disorders, has not yet been investigated and is therefore part of the present study. Fifty patients with hypochondriasis, 50 patients with a primary anxiety disorder and 50 healthy participants were presented with nine common bodily sensations and had to spontaneously attribute possible causes to the symptoms. Patients with hypochondriasis differed from patients with anxiety disorders and healthy controls in giving significantly fewer normalizing explanations, but attributing more often in terms of moderate or serious diseases. Patients with anxiety disorders also made significantly fewer normalizing attributions and more somatic attributions to a severe illness than healthy controls. There were no differences between the groups in the frequency of psychological attributions and somatic attributions concerning mild diseases. The present study demonstrates that hypochondriasis is associated with a disorder-specific attribution style connecting somatic symptoms primarily with moderate and serious diseases. By contrast, normalizing attributions are largely omitted from consideration by patients with hypochondriasis. The findings conform with the cognitive conception of hypochondriasis and support the strategy of modifying symptom attributions, as practiced in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Classification of Complete Proteomes of Different Organisms and Protein Sets Based on Their Protein Distributions in Terms of Some Key Attributes of Proteins

DOE PAGES

Guo, Hao-Bo; Ma, Yue; Tuskan, Gerald A.; ...

2018-01-01

The existence of complete genome sequences makes it important to develop different approaches for classification of large-scale data sets and to make extraction of biological insights easier. Here, we propose an approach for classification of complete proteomes/protein sets based on protein distributions on some basic attributes. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by determining protein distributions in terms of two attributes: protein lengths and protein intrinsic disorder contents (ID). The protein distributions based on L and ID are surveyed for representative proteome organisms and protein sets from the three domains of life. The two-dimensional maps (designated as fingerprints here)more » from the protein distribution densities in the LD space defined by ln( L ) and ID are then constructed. The fingerprints for different organisms and protein sets are found to be distinct with each other, and they can therefore be used for comparative studies. As a test case, phylogenetic trees have been constructed based on the protein distribution densities in the fingerprints of proteomes of organisms without performing any protein sequence comparison and alignments. The phylogenetic trees generated are biologically meaningful, demonstrating that the protein distributions in the LD space may serve as unique phylogenetic signals of the organisms at the proteome level.« less

Quantifying the Relative Contribution of Factors to Household Vehicle Miles of Travel

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

Garikapati, Venu; Singh, Abhilash C.; Astroza, Sebastian

Household vehicle miles of travel (VMT) has been exhibiting a steady growth in post-recession years in the United States and has reached record levels in 2017. With transportation accounting for 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, planning professionals are increasingly seeking ways to curb vehicular travel to advance sustainable, vibrant, and healthy communities. Although there is considerable understanding of the various factors that influence household vehicular travel, there is little knowledge of their relative contribution to explaining variance in household VMT. This paper presents a holistic analysis to identify the relative contribution of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, built environment attributes,more » residential self-selection effects, and social and spatial dependency effects in explaining household VMT production. The modeling framework employs a simultaneous equations model of residential location (density) choice and household VMT generation. The analysis is performed using household travel survey data from the New York metropolitan region. Model results showed insignificant spatial dependency effects, with socio-demographic variables explaining 33 percent, density (as a key measure of built environment attributes) explaining 12 percent, and self-selection effects explaining 11 percent of the total variance in the logarithm of household VMT. The remaining 44 percent remains unexplained and attributable to omitted variables and unobserved idiosyncratic factors, calling for further research in this domain to better understand the relative contribution of various drivers of household VMT.« less

Classification of Complete Proteomes of Different Organisms and Protein Sets Based on Their Protein Distributions in Terms of Some Key Attributes of Proteins

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

Guo, Hao-Bo; Ma, Yue; Tuskan, Gerald A.

The existence of complete genome sequences makes it important to develop different approaches for classification of large-scale data sets and to make extraction of biological insights easier. Here, we propose an approach for classification of complete proteomes/protein sets based on protein distributions on some basic attributes. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by determining protein distributions in terms of two attributes: protein lengths and protein intrinsic disorder contents (ID). The protein distributions based on L and ID are surveyed for representative proteome organisms and protein sets from the three domains of life. The two-dimensional maps (designated as fingerprints here)more » from the protein distribution densities in the LD space defined by ln( L ) and ID are then constructed. The fingerprints for different organisms and protein sets are found to be distinct with each other, and they can therefore be used for comparative studies. As a test case, phylogenetic trees have been constructed based on the protein distribution densities in the fingerprints of proteomes of organisms without performing any protein sequence comparison and alignments. The phylogenetic trees generated are biologically meaningful, demonstrating that the protein distributions in the LD space may serve as unique phylogenetic signals of the organisms at the proteome level.« less

Topsoil moisture mapping using geostatistical techniques under different Mediterranean climatic conditions.

PubMed

Martínez-Murillo, J F; Hueso-González, P; Ruiz-Sinoga, J D

2017-10-01

Soil mapping has been considered as an important factor in the widening of Soil Science and giving response to many different environmental questions. Geostatistical techniques, through kriging and co-kriging techniques, have made possible to improve the understanding of eco-geomorphologic variables, e.g., soil moisture. This study is focused on mapping of topsoil moisture using geostatistical techniques under different Mediterranean climatic conditions (humid, dry and semiarid) in three small watersheds and considering topography and soil properties as key factors. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a resolution of 1×1m was derived from a topographical survey as well as soils were sampled to analyzed soil properties controlling topsoil moisture, which was measured during 4-years. Afterwards, some topography attributes were derived from the DEM, the soil properties analyzed in laboratory, and the topsoil moisture was modeled for the entire watersheds applying three geostatistical techniques: i) ordinary kriging; ii) co-kriging considering as co-variate topography attributes; and iii) co-kriging ta considering as co-variates topography attributes and gravel content. The results indicated topsoil moisture was more accurately mapped in the dry and semiarid watersheds when co-kriging procedure was performed. The study is a contribution to improve the efficiency and accuracy of studies about the Mediterranean eco-geomorphologic system and soil hydrology in field conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patient perspectives of telemedicine quality

PubMed Central

LeRouge, Cynthia M; Garfield, Monica J; Hevner, Alan R

2015-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to explore the quality attributes required for effective telemedicine encounters from the perspective of the patient. Methods We used a multi-method (direct observation, focus groups, survey) field study to collect data from patients who had experienced telemedicine encounters. Multi-perspectives (researcher and provider) were used to interpret a rich set of data from both a research and practice perspective. Results The result of this field study is a taxonomy of quality attributes for telemedicine service encounters that prioritizes the attributes from the patient perspective. We identify opportunities to control the level of quality for each attribute (ie, who is responsible for control of each attribute and when control can be exerted in relation to the encounter process). This analysis reveals that many quality attributes are in the hands of various stakeholders, and all attributes can be addressed proactively to some degree before the encounter begins. Conclusion Identification of the quality attributes important to a telemedicine encounter from a patient perspective enables one to better design telemedicine encounters. This preliminary work not only identifies such attributes, but also ascertains who is best able to address quality issues prior to an encounter. For practitioners, explicit representation of the quality attributes of technology-based systems and processes and insight on controlling key attributes are essential to implementation, utilization, management, and common understanding. PMID:25565781

Analysis of multiuser mixed RF/FSO relay networks for performance improvements in Cloud Computing-Based Radio Access Networks (CC-RANs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alimi, Isiaka A.; Monteiro, Paulo P.; Teixeira, António L.

2017-11-01

The key paths toward the fifth generation (5G) network requirements are towards centralized processing and small-cell densification systems that are implemented on the cloud computing-based radio access networks (CC-RANs). The increasing recognitions of the CC-RANs can be attributed to their valuable features regarding system performance optimization and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, realization of the stringent requirements of the fronthaul that connects the network elements is highly demanding. In this paper, considering the small-cell network architectures, we present multiuser mixed radio-frequency/free-space optical (RF/FSO) relay networks as feasible technologies for the alleviation of the stringent requirements in the CC-RANs. In this study, we use the end-to-end (e2e) outage probability, average symbol error probability (ASEP), and ergodic channel capacity as the performance metrics in our analysis. Simulation results show the suitability of deployment of mixed RF/FSO schemes in the real-life scenarios.

Attributional Bias Instrument (ABI): Validation of a Measure to Assess Ability and Effort Explanations for Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espinoza, Penelope P.; Quezada, Stephanie A.; Rincones, Rodolfo; Strobach, E. Natalia; Gutierrez, Maria Armida Estrada

2012-01-01

The present work investigates the validation of a newly developed instrument, the attributional bias instrument, based on achievement attribution theories that distinguish between effort and ability explanations of behavior. The instrument further incorporates the distinction between explanations for success versus failure in academic performance.…

Teachers' and Parental Attribution for School Performance of Ethnic Majority and Minority Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wissink, Inge B.; de Haan, Mariette

2013-01-01

This study examines whether teachers' and parental attributions for children's school performance differ depending on the ethnic background of the child. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, real-life attributions within 54 teacher-parent conversations (15 ethnic majority; 39 minority) were examined. The results indicated that,…

Attributions or Retributions: Student Ratings and the Perceived Causes of Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theall, Michael; And Others

The nature and extent of variations in student attributions about performance in their courses were studied, and the relationships between the attributions and responses on certain items of a student ratings questionnaire were determined. Causal or predictive relationships among these variables were also investigated. Data were collected using:…

Nursery Cultural Practices and Morphological Attributes of Longleaf Pine Bare-Root Stock as Indicators of Early Field Performance

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

Glyndon E. Hatchell, Research Forester, Retired Institute for Mycorrhizal Research and Development Athens, Georgia and H. David Muse, Professor Department of Mathematics University of North Alabama Florence, Alabama

1990-02-01

A large study of morphological attributes of longleaf pine nursery stock at the Savannah River site of the various attributes measured, only number of lateral roots and seedling diameters were related to performance. Lateral root pruning in the nursery also improved performance. Both survival and growth during the first two years were strongly correlated with larger stem diameter and larger root system development.

Are attributes of organizational performance in large health care organizations relevant in primary care practices?

PubMed

Orzano, A John; Tallia, Alfred F; Nutting, Paul A; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill; Crabtree, Benjamin F

2006-01-01

Are organizational attributes associated with better health outcomes in large health care organizations applicable to primary care practices? In comparative case studies of two community family practices, it was found that attributes of organizational performance identified in larger health care organizations must be tailored to their unique context of primary care. Further work is required to adapt or establish the significance of the attributes of management infrastructure and information mastery.

Feeling lucky? Using search engines to assess perceptions of urban sustainability

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

Keirstead, James

2009-02-15

The sustainability of urban environments is an important issue at both local and international scales. Indicators are frequently used by decision-makers seeking to improve urban performance but these metrics can be dependent on sparse quantitative data. This paper explores the potential of an alternative approach, using an internet search engine to quickly gather qualitative data on the key attributes of cities. The method is applied to 21 world cities and the results indicate that, while the technique does shed light on direct and indirect aspects of sustainability, the validity of derived metrics as objective indicators of long-term sustainability is questionable.more » However the method's ability to provide subjective short-term assessments is more promising and it could therefore play an important role in participatory policy exercises such as public consultations. A number of promising technical improvements to the method's performance are also highlighted.« less

Adiabatic quantum optimization for associative memory recall

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

Seddiqi, Hadayat; Humble, Travis S.

Hopfield networks are a variant of associative memory that recall patterns stored in the couplings of an Ising model. Stored memories are conventionally accessed as fixed points in the network dynamics that correspond to energetic minima of the spin state. We show that memories stored in a Hopfield network may also be recalled by energy minimization using adiabatic quantum optimization (AQO). Numerical simulations of the underlying quantum dynamics allow us to quantify AQO recall accuracy with respect to the number of stored memories and noise in the input key. We investigate AQO performance with respect to how memories are storedmore » in the Ising model according to different learning rules. Our results demonstrate that AQO recall accuracy varies strongly with learning rule, a behavior that is attributed to differences in energy landscapes. Consequently, learning rules offer a family of methods for programming adiabatic quantum optimization that we expect to be useful for characterizing AQO performance.« less

Adiabatic Quantum Optimization for Associative Memory Recall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seddiqi, Hadayat; Humble, Travis

2014-12-01

Hopfield networks are a variant of associative memory that recall patterns stored in the couplings of an Ising model. Stored memories are conventionally accessed as fixed points in the network dynamics that correspond to energetic minima of the spin state. We show that memories stored in a Hopfield network may also be recalled by energy minimization using adiabatic quantum optimization (AQO). Numerical simulations of the underlying quantum dynamics allow us to quantify AQO recall accuracy with respect to the number of stored memories and noise in the input key. We investigate AQO performance with respect to how memories are stored in the Ising model according to different learning rules. Our results demonstrate that AQO recall accuracy varies strongly with learning rule, a behavior that is attributed to differences in energy landscapes. Consequently, learning rules offer a family of methods for programming adiabatic quantum optimization that we expect to be useful for characterizing AQO performance.

Adiabatic quantum optimization for associative memory recall

DOE PAGES

Seddiqi, Hadayat; Humble, Travis S.

2014-12-22

Hopfield networks are a variant of associative memory that recall patterns stored in the couplings of an Ising model. Stored memories are conventionally accessed as fixed points in the network dynamics that correspond to energetic minima of the spin state. We show that memories stored in a Hopfield network may also be recalled by energy minimization using adiabatic quantum optimization (AQO). Numerical simulations of the underlying quantum dynamics allow us to quantify AQO recall accuracy with respect to the number of stored memories and noise in the input key. We investigate AQO performance with respect to how memories are storedmore » in the Ising model according to different learning rules. Our results demonstrate that AQO recall accuracy varies strongly with learning rule, a behavior that is attributed to differences in energy landscapes. Consequently, learning rules offer a family of methods for programming adiabatic quantum optimization that we expect to be useful for characterizing AQO performance.« less

Attributional Effects in Interpersonal Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Craig A.

Research has shown that attributing failure to lack of ability leads to lower motivation than does attributing the failure to lack of effort. An attributional model of motivation and performance following failure was tested with college students (N=63), who were preselected on the basis of their attributional styles for interpersonal failures, as…

Causal Attributions for Success or Failure of Students in College Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortes-Suarez, Gina; Sandiford, Janice R.

2008-01-01

Research in the field of attribution theory and academic achievement suggests a relationship between a student's attributional style and achievement. Theorists and researchers contend that attributions influence individual reactions to success and failure. They also report that individuals use attributions to explain and justify their performance.…

Advanced Proton Conducting Polymer Electrolytes for Electrochemical Capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Han

Research on solid electrochemical energy storage devices aims to provide high performance, low cost, and safe operation solutions for emerging applications from flexible consumer electronics to microelectronics. Polymer electrolytes, minimizing device sealing and liquid electrolyte leakage, are key enablers for these next-generation technologies. In this thesis, a novel proton-conducing polymer electrolyte system has been developed using heteropolyacids (HPAs) and polyvinyl alcohol for electrochemical capacitors. A thorough understanding of proton conduction mechanisms of HPAs together with the interactions among HPAs, additives, and polymer framework has been developed. Structure and chemical bonding of the electrolytes have been studied extensively to identify and elucidate key attributes affecting the electrolyte properties. Numerical models describing the proton conduction mechanism have been applied to differentiate those attributes. The performance optimization of the polymer electrolytes through additives, polymer structural modifications, and synthesis of alternative HPAs has achieved several important milestones, including: (a) high proton mobility and proton density; (b) good ion accessibility at electrode/electrolyte interface; (c) wide electrochemical stability window; and (d) good environmental stability. Specifically, high proton mobility has been addressed by cross-linking the polymer framework to improve the water storage capability at normal-to-high humidity conditions (e.g. 50-80% RH) as well as by incorporating nano-fillers to enhance the water retention at normal humidity levels (e.g. 30-60% RH). High proton density has been reached by utilizing additional proton donors (i.e. acidic plasticizers) and by developing different HPAs. Good ion accessibility has been achieved through addition of plasticizers. Electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte system has also been investigated and expanded by utilizing HPAs with different heteroatoms. The optimized polymer electrolyte demonstrated even higher proton conductivity than pure HPAs and the enabled electrochemical capacitors have demonstrated an exceptionally high rate capability of 50 Vs-1 in cyclic voltammograms and a 10 ms time constant in impedance analyses.

Identifying Key Attributes for Protein Beverages.

PubMed

Oltman, A E; Lopetcharat, K; Bastian, E; Drake, M A

2015-06-01

This study identified key attributes of protein beverages and evaluated effects of priming on liking of protein beverages. An adaptive choice-based conjoint study was conducted along with Kano analysis to gain insight on protein beverage consumers (n = 432). Attributes evaluated included label claim, protein type, amount of protein, carbohydrates, sweeteners, and metabolic benefits. Utility scores for levels and importance scores for attributes were determined. Subsequently, two pairs of clear acidic whey protein beverages were manufactured that differed by age of protein source or the amount of whey protein per serving. Beverages were evaluated by 151 consumers on two occasions with or without priming statements. One priming statement declared "great flavor," the other priming statement declared 20 g protein per serving. A two way analysis of variance was applied to discern the role of each priming statement. The most important attribute for protein beverages was sweetener type, followed by amount of protein, followed by type of protein followed by label claim. Beverages with whey protein, naturally sweetened, reduced sugar and ≥15 g protein per serving were most desired. Three consumer clusters were identified, differentiated by their preferences for protein type, sweetener and amount of protein. Priming statements positively impacted concept liking (P < 0.05) but had no effect on overall liking (P > 0.05). Consistent with trained panel profiles of increased cardboard flavor with higher protein content, consumers liked beverages with 10 g protein more than beverages with 20 g protein (6.8 compared with 5.7, P < 0.05). Protein beverages must have desirable flavor for wide consumer appeal. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Are there pollination syndromes in the Australian epacrids (Ericaceae: Styphelioideae)? A novel statistical method to identify key floral traits per syndrome

PubMed Central

Johnson, Karen A.

2013-01-01

Background and Aims Convergent floral traits hypothesized as attracting particular pollinators are known as pollination syndromes. Floral diversity suggests that the Australian epacrid flora may be adapted to pollinator type. Currently there are empirical data on the pollination systems for 87 species (approx. 15 % of Australian epacrids). This provides an opportunity to test for pollination syndromes and their important morphological traits in an iconic element of the Australian flora. Methods Data on epacrid–pollinator relationships were obtained from published literature and field observation. A multivariate approach was used to test whether epacrid floral attributes related to pollinator profiles. Statistical classification was then used to rank floral attributes according to their predictive value. Data sets excluding mixed pollination systems were used to test the predictive power of statistical classification to identify pollination models. Key Results Floral attributes are correlated with bird, fly and bee pollination. Using floral attributes identified as correlating with pollinator type, bird pollination is classified with 86 % accuracy, red flowers being the most important predictor. Fly and bee pollination are classified with 78 and 69 % accuracy, but have a lack of individually important floral predictors. Excluding mixed pollination systems improved the accuracy of the prediction of both bee and fly pollination systems. Conclusions Although most epacrids have generalized pollination systems, a correlation between bird pollination and red, long-tubed epacrids is found. Statistical classification highlights the relative importance of each floral attribute in relation to pollinator type and proves useful in classifying epacrids to bird, fly and bee pollination systems. PMID:23681546

Abstracting Attribute Space for Transfer Function Exploration and Design.

PubMed

Maciejewski, Ross; Jang, Yun; Woo, Insoo; Jänicke, Heike; Gaither, Kelly P; Ebert, David S

2013-01-01

Currently, user centered transfer function design begins with the user interacting with a one or two-dimensional histogram of the volumetric attribute space. The attribute space is visualized as a function of the number of voxels, allowing the user to explore the data in terms of the attribute size/magnitude. However, such visualizations provide the user with no information on the relationship between various attribute spaces (e.g., density, temperature, pressure, x, y, z) within the multivariate data. In this work, we propose a modification to the attribute space visualization in which the user is no longer presented with the magnitude of the attribute; instead, the user is presented with an information metric detailing the relationship between attributes of the multivariate volumetric data. In this way, the user can guide their exploration based on the relationship between the attribute magnitude and user selected attribute information as opposed to being constrained by only visualizing the magnitude of the attribute. We refer to this modification to the traditional histogram widget as an abstract attribute space representation. Our system utilizes common one and two-dimensional histogram widgets where the bins of the abstract attribute space now correspond to an attribute relationship in terms of the mean, standard deviation, entropy, or skewness. In this manner, we exploit the relationships and correlations present in the underlying data with respect to the dimension(s) under examination. These relationships are often times key to insight and allow us to guide attribute discovery as opposed to automatic extraction schemes which try to calculate and extract distinct attributes a priori. In this way, our system aids in the knowledge discovery of the interaction of properties within volumetric data.

Infants' Use of Category Knowledge and Object Attributes when Segregating Objects at 8.5 Months of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Needham, Amy; Cantlon, Jessica F.; Ormsbee Holley, Susan M.

2006-01-01

The current research investigates infants' perception of a novel object from a category that is familiar to young infants: key rings. We ask whether experiences obtained outside the lab would allow young infants to parse the visible portions of a partly occluded key ring display into one single unit, presumably as a result of having categorized it…

Genetic tools for advancement of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as a cyanobacterial chassis

DOE PAGES

Ruffing, Anne M.; Jensen, Travis J.; Strickland, Lucas M.

2016-11-10

Successful implementation of modified cyanobacteria as hosts for industrial applications requires the development of a cyanobacterial chassis. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 embodies key attributes for an industrial host, including a fast growth rate and high salt, light, and temperature tolerances. Here, this study addresses key limitations in the advancement of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as an industrial chassis.

Genetic tools for advancement of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as a cyanobacterial chassis

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

Ruffing, Anne M.; Jensen, Travis J.; Strickland, Lucas M.

Successful implementation of modified cyanobacteria as hosts for industrial applications requires the development of a cyanobacterial chassis. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 embodies key attributes for an industrial host, including a fast growth rate and high salt, light, and temperature tolerances. Here, this study addresses key limitations in the advancement of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 as an industrial chassis.

Air Force Air Refueling: The KC-X Aircraft Acquisition Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-04

7 Boom vs . Probe and Drogue Air Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Capacity vs ...consideration must be given to a few key attributes. For example, a tanker aircraft’s method of dispensing fuel – flying boom vs . probe and drogue – is a key...flight, which can add considerable flexibility to certain air operations. Boom vs . Probe and Drogue Air Refueling.32 Aircraft can be equipped to be

A Computational Framework for Quantitative Evaluation of Movement during Rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yinpeng; Duff, Margaret; Lehrer, Nicole; Sundaram, Hari; He, Jiping; Wolf, Steven L.; Rikakis, Thanassis

2011-06-01

This paper presents a novel generalized computational framework for quantitative kinematic evaluation of movement in a rehabilitation clinic setting. The framework integrates clinical knowledge and computational data-driven analysis together in a systematic manner. The framework provides three key benefits to rehabilitation: (a) the resulting continuous normalized measure allows the clinician to monitor movement quality on a fine scale and easily compare impairments across participants, (b) the framework reveals the effect of individual movement components on the composite movement performance helping the clinician decide the training foci, and (c) the evaluation runs in real-time, which allows the clinician to constantly track a patient's progress and make appropriate adaptations to the therapy protocol. The creation of such an evaluation is difficult because of the sparse amount of recorded clinical observations, the high dimensionality of movement and high variations in subject's performance. We address these issues by modeling the evaluation function as linear combination of multiple normalized kinematic attributes y = Σwiφi(xi) and estimating the attribute normalization function φi(ṡ) by integrating distributions of idealized movement and deviated movement. The weights wi are derived from a therapist's pair-wise comparison using a modified RankSVM algorithm. We have applied this framework to evaluate upper limb movement for stroke survivors with excellent results—the evaluation results are highly correlated to the therapist's observations.

Attribution of Responsibility and Valence of Success and Failure in Relation to Initial Confidence and Task Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feather, N. T.

1969-01-01

Deals with the hypothesis that initial self-confidence and actual task performance determine whether the subject will attribute responsibility to himself or to luck. The data support the hypothesis and reveal distinct differences between males and female subjects in self-confidence and attribution of responsibility. Tables, graphs, and…

Attributional Theory in Investigating Public Music Performance in Higher Music Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider Grings, Ana Francisca; Hentschke, Liane

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the causes attributed by undergraduate music students to situations of failure and success in public music performance. Attributional Theory has been used in this research as the theoretical framework to understand how situations of success and failure are interpreted by the person of the activity.…

Achievement, attributions, self-efficacy, and goal setting by accounting undergraduates.

PubMed

Cheng, Pi-Yueh; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2010-02-01

Correlations were examined between two measures of accounting self-efficacy achievement goal setting, attributions, and scores on the Accounting Practice Achievement Test, obtained 1 yr. apart for 124 freshmen in junior college. Analysis indicated favorable attribution contributed to a higher mean score on accounting self-efficacy. Students with higher perceived self-efficacy performed better on the proficiency tests. Those with higher self-efficacy also set higher goals for subsequent achievement tests. Moreover, students who set higher achievement goals performed better. Goal setting mediated the relation of initial self-efficacy with subsequent test performance. However, the amount of variance accounted for by self-efficacy was small. An effective method for enhancing performance on an accounting achievement test might be to increase beneficial attributions, self-efficacy in accounting, and to encourage setting reasonable achievement goals.

Interface-designed Membranes with Shape-controlled Patterns for High-performance Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

PubMed Central

Jeon, Yukwon; Kim, Dong Jun; Koh, Jong Kwan; Ji, Yunseong; Kim, Jong Hak; Shul, Yong-Gun

2015-01-01

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is a promising zero-emission power generator for stationary/automotive applications. However, key issues, such as performance and costs, are still remained for an economical commercialization. Here, we fabricated a high-performance membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using an interfacial design based on well-arrayed micro-patterned membranes including circles, squares and hexagons with different sizes, which are produced by a facile elastomeric mold method. The best MEA performance is achieved using patterned Nafion membrane with a circle 2 μm in size, which exhibited a very high power density of 1906 mW/cm2 at 75 °C and Pt loading of 0.4 mg/cm2 with 73% improvement compared to the commercial membrane. The improved performance are attributed to the decreased MEA resistances and increased surface area for higher Pt utilization of over 80%. From these enhanced properties, it is possible to operate at lower Pt loading of 0.2 mg/cm2 with an outstanding performance of 1555 mW/cm2 and even at air/low humidity operations. PMID:26552839

Mental state attribution in schizophrenia: what distinguishes patients with "poor" from patients with "fair" mentalising skills?

PubMed

Brüne, M; Schaub, D

2012-07-01

Although many patients with schizophrenia are impaired in mental states attribution abilities, a significant number perform within normal or near-normal ranges in mental state attribution tasks. No studies have analysed cognitive or behavioural differences between patients with - to some extent - preserved mental state attribution skills and those with poor mentalising abilities. To examine characteristics of "poor" and "fair" mentalisers, 58 patients with schizophrenia performed a mental state attribution task, a test of general intelligence, and two executive functioning tests. "Poor" and "fair" mentalising skills were defined according to a median-split procedure; the median score in the patient group was also within two standard deviations of the control group. In addition, patients' social behavioural skills and psychopathological profiles were rated. Patients performing within normal or near normal ranges on the mental state attribution task had fewer social behavioural abnormalities than patients with poor mentalising abilities (even when controlled for intelligence), but did not differ in executive functioning. Fair mental state performers showed less disorganisation and excitement symptoms than poor performers. The degree of disorganisation mediated the influence of mental state attribution on social behavioural skills. Schizophrenia patients with (partially) preserved mentalising skills have fewer behavioural problems in the social domain than patients with poor mentalising abilities. Conceptual disorganisation mediates the prediction of social behavioural skills through mentalising skills, suggesting that disorganised patients may require special attention regarding social-cognitive skills training. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Improving Predictions of Tree Drought Mortality in the Community Land Model Using Hydraulic Physiology Theory and its Effects on Carbon Metabolism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNellis, B.; Hudiburg, T. W.

2017-12-01

Tree mortality due to drought is predicted to have increasing impacts on ecosystem structure and function during the 21st century. Models can attempt to predict which forests are most at risk from drought, but novel environments may preclude analysis that relies on past observations. The inclusion of more mechanistic detail may reduce uncertainty in predictions, but can also compound model complexity, especially in global models. The Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5), itself a component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM), has recently integrated cohort-based demography into its dynamic vegetation component and is in the process of coupling this demography to a model of plant hydraulic physiology (FATES-Hydro). Previous treatment of drought stress and plant mortality within CLM has been relatively broad, but a detailed hydraulics module represents a key step towards accurate mortality prognosis. Here, we examine the structure of FATES-Hydro with respect to two key physiological attributes: tissue osmotic potentials and embolism refilling. Specifically, we ask how FATES-Hydro captures mechanistic realism within each attribute and how much support there is within the physiological literature for its further elaboration within the model structure. Additionally, connections to broader aspects of carbon metabolism within FATES are explored to better resolve emergent consequences of drought stress on ecosystem function and tree demographics. An on-going field experiment in managed stands of Pinus ponderosa and mixed conifers is assessed for model parameterization and performance across PNW forests, with important implications for future forest management strategy.

Preventing Unintended Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Data Following Anonymisation.

PubMed

Smith, Chris

2017-01-01

Errors and anomalies during the capture and processing of health data have the potential to place personally identifiable values into attributes of a dataset that are expected to contain non-identifiable values. Anonymisation focuses on those attributes that have been judged to enable identification of individuals. Attributes that are judged to contain non-identifiable values are not considered, but may be included in datasets that are shared by organisations. Consequently, organisations are at risk of sharing datasets that unintendedly disclose personally identifiable values through these attributes. This would have ethical and legal implications for organisations and privacy implications for individuals whose personally identifiable values are disclosed. In this paper, we formulate the problem of unintended disclosure following anonymisation, describe the necessary steps to address this problem, and discuss some key challenges to applying these steps in practice.

Learned helplessness, attributional style, and depression in epilepsy. Bozeman Epilepsy Surgery Consortium.

PubMed

Hermann, B P; Trenerry, M R; Colligan, R C

1996-07-01

We wished to examine the relevance of the theory of learned helplessness in general, and attributional style in particular, to the understanding of depression among patients with epilepsy. Patients with lateralized temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (right = 73, left = 70) were administered two self-report depression inventories [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D)]. Depression scores were examined in relation to a key component of the revised theory of learned helplessness (attributional style) using the Optimism/Pessimism Scale. Attributional style was significantly associated with increased self-reported depression and remained significant when the effects of several confounding variables were controlled [age, age at onset, laterality of TLE, sex, and method variance]. The results indicate that the concept of learned helplessness in general, and attributional style in particular, are related to the genesis of depression in epilepsy. Because they are known to be related to depression in the general population, and because specific techniques for intervention and prevention are available, greater consideration of learned helplessness and attributional style in the genesis of depression in epilepsy may be worthwhile.

Training employees as a management attribute of successful companies.

PubMed

Khumalo, R

2001-12-01

This paper discusses training as an important attribute of successful companies and identified as characteristic of excellent Zimbabwean companies. Although confident this attribute contributes to successful performance by companies in which it is applied, it is possible that contributions could be more effective were all characteristics implemented collectively. However, the research suggests that training alone can offer significant improvement in employees' performance.

Attributing the Risk of Late Onset of the Rainy Season in Southern Africa to Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolski, P.; Stone, D. A.; Tadross, M. A.; Hewitson, B.; Wehner, M. F.

2015-12-01

Rainfed subsistence agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 96% of all cropland. This, combined with strong intra-seasonal and interannual variability of rains makes food production sensitive to climate variations, and increases the potential and frequent occurrence of climate-triggered famines. Farmers often identify the timing of the onset of the growing season (in many areas dependent predominantly on rainfall) as a key climate characteristic which influences crop yields, influences planting activities, and can be used to adapt to changing seasonal conditions without requiring additional resources. It is thus important to understand factors affecting the timing of the onset of rains, particularly how anthropogenic climate change may increase the risk of later onsets. Here, we present a study designed to assess the level of influence of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on the risk of late onset in southern Africa. Considering numerous definitions of rainy season onset, we use one that describes onset related to the growing of maize, as it is the most wide-ranging and consumed staple in the region. Attribution is done using a risk-based event attribution methodology in which we use dedicated simulations by AGCMs (HadAM3p-N96 and CAM5.1-1degree) performed in the framework of the Climate of the 20th Century Plus (C20C+) Detection and Attribution Project. These simulations enable comparison of event (in our case the timing of the onset of a particular rainy season) probabilities under real world climates with those under a climate that might have been had human activities not emitted greenhouse gases. The fraction of risk of later onsets, attributable to an increase in greenhouse gases, is done in a spatially-explicit way for onset events derived from observed and reanalysis data for the 2007-2014 period.

An Improved Simulated Annealing Technique for Enhanced Mobility in Smart Cities.

PubMed

Amer, Hayder; Salman, Naveed; Hawes, Matthew; Chaqfeh, Moumena; Mihaylova, Lyudmila; Mayfield, Martin

2016-06-30

Vehicular traffic congestion is a significant problem that arises in many cities. This is due to the increasing number of vehicles that are driving on city roads of limited capacity. The vehicular congestion significantly impacts travel distance, travel time, fuel consumption and air pollution. Avoidance of traffic congestion and providing drivers with optimal paths are not trivial tasks. The key contribution of this work consists of the developed approach for dynamic calculation of optimal traffic routes. Two attributes (the average travel speed of the traffic and the roads' length) are utilized by the proposed method to find the optimal paths. The average travel speed values can be obtained from the sensors deployed in smart cities and communicated to vehicles via the Internet of Vehicles and roadside communication units. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to three other algorithms: the simulated annealing weighted sum, the simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution and the Dijkstra algorithm. The weighted sum and technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution methods are used to formulate different attributes in the simulated annealing cost function. According to the Sheffield scenario, simulation results show that the improved simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution method improves the traffic performance in the presence of congestion by an overall average of 19.22% in terms of travel time, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions as compared to other algorithms; also, similar performance patterns were achieved for the Birmingham test scenario.

An Improved Simulated Annealing Technique for Enhanced Mobility in Smart Cities

PubMed Central

Amer, Hayder; Salman, Naveed; Hawes, Matthew; Chaqfeh, Moumena; Mihaylova, Lyudmila; Mayfield, Martin

2016-01-01

Vehicular traffic congestion is a significant problem that arises in many cities. This is due to the increasing number of vehicles that are driving on city roads of limited capacity. The vehicular congestion significantly impacts travel distance, travel time, fuel consumption and air pollution. Avoidance of traffic congestion and providing drivers with optimal paths are not trivial tasks. The key contribution of this work consists of the developed approach for dynamic calculation of optimal traffic routes. Two attributes (the average travel speed of the traffic and the roads’ length) are utilized by the proposed method to find the optimal paths. The average travel speed values can be obtained from the sensors deployed in smart cities and communicated to vehicles via the Internet of Vehicles and roadside communication units. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to three other algorithms: the simulated annealing weighted sum, the simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution and the Dijkstra algorithm. The weighted sum and technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution methods are used to formulate different attributes in the simulated annealing cost function. According to the Sheffield scenario, simulation results show that the improved simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution method improves the traffic performance in the presence of congestion by an overall average of 19.22% in terms of travel time, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions as compared to other algorithms; also, similar performance patterns were achieved for the Birmingham test scenario. PMID:27376289

Investigating absence of optimal photovoltaics response in CZTS solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Atul; Thakur, Ajay D.

2018-05-01

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has an optimal bandgap of 1.5eV. However contrary to expecting an optimal photovoltaic (PV) behavior is usually not seen from using solution processed approach. Here we try to understand the possible key reasons behind this based on the material attributes. The CZTS film is synthesized using two different solvents of Methoxy-ethanol and DMSO. The effect of air annealing and sulphurisation is studied on these two samples for their phase formation mechanism. XRD, TGA, Raman, UV-Vis, AFM and electrical characterization of the films are performed. A diode behavior is obtained in heterojunction of the CZTS/ZnO. Presence of secondary phases and interfacial recombination leads to poor PV behavior without any PV response.

Opening the Implicit Leadership Theories’ Black Box: An Experimental Approach with Conjoint Analysis

PubMed Central

Tavares, Gustavo M.; Sobral, Filipe; Goldszmidt, Rafael; Araújo, Felipe

2018-01-01

Although research on implicit leadership theories (ILTs) has concentrated on determining which attributes define a leadership prototype, little attention has been paid to testing the relative importance of each of these attributes for individuals’ leadership perceptions. Building on socio-cognitive theories of impression processes, we experimentally explore the formation of leadership perceptions based on the recognition of six key attributes in a series of three experimental studies comprising 566 US-based participants recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results show that while certain attributes play an important role in the leader categorization process, others are less relevant. We also demonstrate that some attributes’ importance is contingent on the presence of other attributes and on the leadership schema type activated in respondents’ minds. Consistent with the Leadership Categorization Theory, our findings support the premise that individuals cognitively hold a superordinate leadership prototype, which imposes constraints on their more basic level prototypes. We discuss the implications of these results for leadership theory and practice. PMID:29467706

"Head take you": causal attributions of mental illness in Jamaica.

PubMed

Arthur, Carlotta M; Whitley, Rob

2015-02-01

Causal attributions are a key factor in explanatory models of illness; however, little research on causal attributions of mental illness has been conducted in developing nations in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Explanatory models of mental illness may be important in understanding illness experience and be a crucial factor in mental health service seeking and utilization. We explored causal attributions of mental illness in Jamaica by conducting 20 focus groups, including 16 community samples, 2 patient samples, and 2 samples of caregivers of patients, with a total of 159 participants. The 5 most commonly endorsed causal attributions of mental illness are discussed: (a) drug-related causes, including ganja (marijuana); (b) biological causes, such as chemical imbalance, familial transmission, and "blood"; (c) psychological causes, including stress and thinking too much; (d) social causes, such as relationship problems and job loss; and (e) spiritual or religious causes, including Obeah. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Academic Procrastination: The Relationship Between Causal Attribution Styles and Behavioral Postponement

PubMed Central

Badri Gargari, Rahim; Sabouri, Hossein; Norzad, Fatemeh

2011-01-01

Objective: This research was conducted to study the relationship between attribution and academic procrastination in University Students. Methods: The subjects were 203 undergraduate students, 55 males and 148 females, selected from English and French language and literature students of Tabriz University. Data were gathered through Procrastination Assessment Scale-student (PASS) and Causal Dimension Scale (CDA) and were analyzed by multiple regression analysis (stepwise). Results: The results showed that there was a meaningful and negative relation between the locus of control and controllability in success context and academic procrastination. Besides, a meaningful and positive relation was observed between the locus of control and stability in failure context and procrastination. It was also found that 17% of the variance of procrastination was accounted by linear combination of attributions. Conclusion: We believe that causal attribution is a key in understanding procrastination in academic settings and is used by those who have the knowledge of Causal Attribution styles to organize their learning. PMID:24644450

Examining extrinsic factors that influence product acceptance: a review.

PubMed

Li, X E; Jervis, S M; Drake, M A

2015-05-01

Drivers of liking (DOL) studies are useful for product development to formulate acceptable products; however, DOL alone are insufficient for understanding why a product is purchased and repurchased, which is ultimately the indication of a successful product. Ultimately sensory attributes drive product success (that is, repeat and continued purchase). However, ignoring the importance of extrinsic factors may neglect the vital product attributes responsible for the initial purchase, which may in turn, affect repeat purchase. The perception of sensory attributes assessed by DOL is mitigated by external perceptions of quality. If the sensory attributes do not deliver based upon the quality cues, the product will not be acceptable. Four key extrinsic factors that affect DOL are the perceived satiety, brand and labeling, price, and the emotional impact to decision making. In order to more thoroughly understand what the DOL for a product is, these 4 product cues should be considered in conjunction with sensory attribute perception to gain a holistic understanding of product acceptance. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Attribution-Based Nocebo Effects. Perceived Effects of a Placebo Pill and a Sham Magnetic Field on Cognitive Performance and Somatic Symptoms.

PubMed

Szemerszky, Renáta; Dömötör, Zsuzsanna; Berkes, Tímea; Köteles, Ferenc

2016-04-01

Negative non-specific (nocebo-like) effects of medications and electromagnetic fields are often described as results of mistaken attribution. The current study aimed to find empirical evidence supporting this theory. Participants completed questionnaires assessing modern health worries, health anxiety, and somatosensory amplification, were assigned to one of three conditions (placebo pill with sedative information, sham magnetic field, or control), and completed a 14-min vigilance task. Changes in physiological arousal (heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance) and reported symptoms were also measured. Finally, causal attributions concerning cognitive performance and reported symptoms were assessed. No increase in symptom reports and physiological arousal was measured in the two intervention groups. A perceived negative effect on cognitive performance was attributed to both sham conditions, and attributions were connected to modern health worries. A proportion of reported symptoms was ascribed to the placebo pill but not to the sham magnetic field. Symptom attributions were not related to any assessed psychological variables. An aroused physiological state is not necessary for the automatic causal attribution process. Negative effects attributed to medication and environmental factors can be regarded as unavoidable side effects of human cognitive-emotional functioning; they might be alleviated, but cannot be completely eradicated.

Biofilms.

PubMed

López, Daniel; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto

2010-07-01

The ability to form biofilms is a universal attribute of bacteria. Biofilms are multicellular communities held together by a self-produced extracellular matrix. The mechanisms that different bacteria employ to form biofilms vary, frequently depending on environmental conditions and specific strain attributes. In this review, we emphasize four well-studied model systems to give an overview of how several organisms form biofilms: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Using these bacteria as examples, we discuss the key features of biofilms as well as mechanisms by which extracellular signals trigger biofilm formation.

Building an authorization model for external means of protection of APCS based on the Internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaharov, A. A.; Nissenbaum, O. V.; Ponomaryov, K. Y.; Nesgovorov, E. S.

2018-01-01

In this paper we study application of Internet of Thing concept and devices to secure automated process control systems. We review different approaches in IoT (Internet of Things) architecture and design and propose them for several applications in security of automated process control systems. We consider an Attribute-based encryption in context of access control mechanism implementation and promote a secret key distribution scheme between attribute authorities and end devices.

Lean production in improving supply chain performance through hybrid model SCOR 11.0 - system dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, Chairul; Fatcha Mubiena, Ghaida; Immawan, Taufiq; Hassan, Azmi

2016-02-01

Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) is a method to measure supply chain serving the business process framework, performance indicators and unique technologies to support communication and collaboration among supply chain partners. The objective of this paper is to measure Supply Chain Management performance by using SCOR version 11.0 for production typology of MTS-MTO in Indonesian Batik Industry. This research combines SCOR's model and System Dynamics in order to predict the complex activities on batik industry. The hybrid SCOR-SD could identify the interaction among five attributes with the associated variables simultaneously. The results are obtained after the performance of lean production application is increased and the targets are achieved, even exceeding the target. For reliability attributes that associated with perfect order fulfilment started from 2015 to 2019 respectively are calculated as 80.06%, 103.53%, 105.58%, 93.76%, and 72.17%. Responsiveness attributes associated with the order fulfilment cycle time, respectively 122.45%, 149.10%, 159.26%, 131.53%, and 119.36%. Attributes associated with the total cost of service charge respectively 93.46%, 93.53%, 93.45%, 93.49, and 93.49%. Attributes associated with cash management assets to cash cycle time in a row were 160%, 153%, 146.3%, 150%, and 126.7%. The latter attribute is agility attributes associated with supply chain flexibility upside respectively 100%, 87.2%, 100%, 82%, and 82%.

Outcome and impact of Master of Public Health programs across six countries: education for change

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The human resources for health crisis has highlighted the need for high-level public health education to add specific capacities to the workforce. Recently, it was questioned whether Master of Public Health (MPH) training prepared graduates with competencies relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to examine the influence of the MPH programs geared towards LMICs offered in Vietnam, China, South Africa, Mexico, Sudan, and the Netherlands on graduates’ careers, application of acquired competencies, performance at the workplace, and their professional contribution to society. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was sent to graduates from six MPH programs. Frequency distributions of the answers were calculated, and a bivariate analysis and logistic regression of certain variables was performed. Results The response rate was 37.5%. Graduates reported change in leadership (69%), in technical position (69%), acquiring new responsibilities (80%), and increased remuneration (63%); they asserted that MPH programs contributed significantly to this. Graduates’ attribution of their application of 7 key competencies ‘substantially to the MPH program’ ranged from 33% to 48%. Of the 26 impact variables, graduates attributed the effect they had on their workplace substantially to the MPH program; the highest rated variable ranged from 31% to 73% and the lowest ranged from 9% to 43%. Of the 10 impact variables on society, graduates attributed the effect they had on society substantially to the MPH program; for the highest rated variable (13% to 71%); for the lowest rated variable (4% to 42%). Candidates’ attribution of their application of acquired competencies as well as their impact at the workplace varied significantly according to institution of study and educational background. Conclusions This study concludes that these MPH programs contribute to improving graduates’ careers and to building leadership in public health. The MPH programs contribute to graduates’ application of competencies. MPH programs contribute substantially towards impact variables on the workplace, such as development of research proposals and reporting on population health needs, and less substantially to their impact on society, such as contributing equitable access to quality services. Differences reported between MPH programs merit further study. The results can be used for curriculum reform. PMID:25099707

Key attributes of ecological production functions

EPA Science Inventory

Ecological production functions (EPFs) link ecosystems, stressors, and management actions to ecosystem service (ES) production. Though essential for improving environmental management, relatively little attention has been directed toward the characteristics of EPFs. EPFs may be d...

Key-Node-Separated Graph Clustering and Layouts for Human Relationship Graph Visualization.

PubMed

Itoh, Takayuki; Klein, Karsten

2015-01-01

Many graph-drawing methods apply node-clustering techniques based on the density of edges to find tightly connected subgraphs and then hierarchically visualize the clustered graphs. However, users may want to focus on important nodes and their connections to groups of other nodes for some applications. For this purpose, it is effective to separately visualize the key nodes detected based on adjacency and attributes of the nodes. This article presents a graph visualization technique for attribute-embedded graphs that applies a graph-clustering algorithm that accounts for the combination of connections and attributes. The graph clustering step divides the nodes according to the commonality of connected nodes and similarity of feature value vectors. It then calculates the distances between arbitrary pairs of clusters according to the number of connecting edges and the similarity of feature value vectors and finally places the clusters based on the distances. Consequently, the technique separates important nodes that have connections to multiple large clusters and improves the visibility of such nodes' connections. To test this technique, this article presents examples with human relationship graph datasets, including a coauthorship and Twitter communication network dataset.

On supervised graph Laplacian embedding CA model & kernel construction and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Junwei; Qian, Yongsheng; Wang, Min; Yang, Yongzhong

2017-01-01

There are many methods to construct kernel with given data attribute information. Gaussian radial basis function (RBF) kernel is one of the most popular ways to construct a kernel. The key observation is that in real-world data, besides the data attribute information, data label information also exists, which indicates the data class. In order to make use of both data attribute information and data label information, in this work, we propose a supervised kernel construction method. Supervised information from training data is integrated into standard kernel construction process to improve the discriminative property of resulting kernel. A supervised Laplacian embedding cellular automaton model is another key application developed for two-lane heterogeneous traffic flow with the safe distance and large-scale truck. Based on the properties of traffic flow in China, we re-calibrate the cell length, velocity, random slowing mechanism and lane-change conditions and use simulation tests to study the relationships among the speed, density and flux. The numerical results show that the large-scale trucks will have great effects on the traffic flow, which are relevant to the proportion of the large-scale trucks, random slowing rate and the times of the lane space change.

Improvement attributes in healthcare: implications for integrated care.

PubMed

Harnett, Patrick John

2018-04-16

Purpose Healthcare quality improvement is a key concern for policy makers, regulators, carers and service users. Despite a contemporary consensus among policy makers that integrated care represents a means to substantially improve service outcomes, progress has been slow. Difficulties achieving sustained improvement at scale imply that methods employed are not sufficient and that healthcare improvement attributes may be different when compared to prior reference domains. The purpose of this paper is to examine and synthesise key improvement attributes relevant to a complex healthcare change process, specifically integrated care. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an integrative literature review on systemic improvement in healthcare. Findings A central theme emerging from the literature review indicates that implementing systemic change needs to address the relationship between vision, methods and participant social dynamics. Practical implications Accommodating personal and professional network dynamics is required for systemic improvement, especially among high autonomy individuals. This reinforces the need to recognise the change process as taking place in a complex adaptive system where personal/professional purpose/meaning is central to the process. Originality/value Shared personal/professional narratives are insufficiently recognised as a powerful change force, under-represented in linear and rational empirical improvement approaches.

Short Durations of Static Stretching when Combined with Dynamic Stretching do not Impair Repeated Sprints and Agility

PubMed Central

Wong, Del P.; Chaouachi, Anis; Lau, Patrick W.C.; Behm, David G.

2011-01-01

This study aimed to compare the effect of different static stretching durations followed by dynamic stretching on repeated sprint ability (RSA) and change of direction (COD). Twenty-five participants performed the RSA and COD tests in a randomized order. After a 5 min aerobic warm up, participants performed one of the three static stretching protocols of 30 s, 60 s or 90 s total duration (3 stretches x 10 s, 20 s or 30 s). Three dynamic stretching exercises of 30 s duration were then performed (90 s total). Sit-and-reach flexibility tests were conducted before the aerobic warm up, after the combined static and dynamic stretching, and post- RSA/COD test. The duration of static stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit-and-reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). However there were no significant differences in RSA and COD performance between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. Furthermore, the short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. Key points The duration of combined static and dynamic stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit and reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). No significant differences in RSA and COD between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. The short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. PMID:24149890

Short Durations of Static Stretching when Combined with Dynamic Stretching do not Impair Repeated Sprints and Agility.

PubMed

Wong, Del P; Chaouachi, Anis; Lau, Patrick W C; Behm, David G

2011-01-01

This study aimed to compare the effect of different static stretching durations followed by dynamic stretching on repeated sprint ability (RSA) and change of direction (COD). Twenty-five participants performed the RSA and COD tests in a randomized order. After a 5 min aerobic warm up, participants performed one of the three static stretching protocols of 30 s, 60 s or 90 s total duration (3 stretches x 10 s, 20 s or 30 s). Three dynamic stretching exercises of 30 s duration were then performed (90 s total). Sit-and-reach flexibility tests were conducted before the aerobic warm up, after the combined static and dynamic stretching, and post- RSA/COD test. The duration of static stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit-and-reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). However there were no significant differences in RSA and COD performance between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. Furthermore, the short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. Key pointsThe duration of combined static and dynamic stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit and reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001).No significant differences in RSA and COD between the 3 stretching conditions.The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects.The short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments.

Importance-performance analysis of dental satisfaction among three ethnic groups in malaysia.

PubMed

Dewi, Fellani Danasra; Gundavarapu, Kalyan C; Cugati, Navaneetha

2013-01-01

To find the differences in patient satisfaction related to dental services among three ethnic groups - Chinese, Indian and Malay - at AIMST University Dental Centre and analyse them with an importance-performance grid, identifying the weak and strong points, in order to provide better service. This questionnaire-based study consisted of convenience samples of 174 patients of Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnicity. Importance-performance analysis for 20 attributes were compared using Likert's scale. The data obtained were statistically analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Chinese and Indians both emphasised low performance on the interpersonal relationship attribute in terms of the receptionist's courtesy, whereas the Malay participants were concerned with convenience attributes. All the ethnic groups favoured maintaining existing major attributes towards technical competency, interpersonal relationship and facility factors. This study demonstrated priority differences between the ethnic groups' perception of the quality of dental services, where ethnic Chinese showed the highest gap (measure of dissatisfaction) between importance and performance compared to ethnic Malays, followed by ethnic Indians. The patients from the three major ethnic groups of Malaysia were generally well satisfied. Perhaps more priority should be placed on improving the interpersonal relationship attribute, especially with the receptionists.

Ambiguous data association and entangled attribute estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trawick, David J.; Du Toit, Philip C.; Paffenroth, Randy C.; Norgard, Gregory J.

2012-05-01

This paper presents an approach to attribute estimation incorporating data association ambiguity. In modern tracking systems, time pressures often leave all but the most likely data association alternatives unexplored, possibly producing track inaccuracies. Numerica's Bayesian Network Tracking Database, a key part of its Tracker Adjunct Processor, captures and manages the data association ambiguity for further analysis and possible ambiguity reduction/resolution using subsequent data. Attributes are non-kinematic discrete sample space sensor data. They may be as distinctive as aircraft ID, or as broad as friend or foe. Attribute data may provide improvements to data association by a process known as Attribute Aided Tracking (AAT). Indeed, certain uniquely identifying attributes (e.g. aircraft ID), when continually reported, can be used to define data association (tracks are the collections of observations with the same ID). However, attribute data arriving infrequently, combined with erroneous choices from ambiguous data associations, can produce incorrect attribute and kinematic state estimation. Ambiguous data associations define the tracks that are entangled with each other. Attribute data observed on an entangled track then modify the attribute estimates on all tracks entangled with it. For example, if a red track and a blue track pass through a region of data association ambiguity, these tracks become entangled. Later red observations on one entangled track make the other track more blue, and reduce the data association ambiguity. Methods for this analysis have been derived and implemented for efficient forward filtering and forensic analysis.

A Fine-Grained API Link Prediction Approach Supporting CMDA Mashup Recommendation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Bao, Q.; Lee, T. J.; Ramachandran, R.; Lee, S.; Pan, L.; Gatlin, P. N.; Maskey, M.

2017-12-01

Service (API) discovery and recommendation is key to the wide spread of service oriented architecture and service oriented software engineering. Service recommendation typically relies on service linkage prediction calculated by the semantic distances (or similarities) among services based on their collection of inherent attributes. Given a specific context (mashup goal), however, different attributes may contribute differently to a service linkage. In this work, instead of training a model for all attributes as a whole, a novel approach is presented to simultaneously train separate models for individual attributes. Our contributions are summarized in three-fold. First is that we have developed a scalable attribute-level data model, featuring scalability and extensibility. We have extended Multiplicative Attribute Graph (MAG) model to represent node profiles featuring rich categorical attributes, while relaxing its constraint of requiring a priori knowledge of predefined attributes. LDA is leveraged to dynamically identify attributes based on attribute modeling, and multiple Gaussian fit is applied to find global optimal values. The second contribution is that we have seamlessly integrated the latent relationships between API attributes as well as observed network structure based on historical API usage data. Such a layered information model enables us to predict the probability of a link between two APIs based on their attribute link affinities carrying a variety of information including meta data, semantic data, historical usage data, as well as crowdsourcing user comments and annotations. The third contribution is that we have developed a finegrained context-aware mashup-API recommendation technique. On top of individual models trained for separate attributes, a dedicated layer is trained to represent the latent attribute distribution regarding mashup purpose, i.e., sensitivity of attributes to context. Thus, given the description of an intended mashup, the attributes sensitive to the goal will be identified, and corresponding attribute models will be exploited to compute the possibility of API linkages under the context. Such a layered model increases search accuracy.

Modelling and analysis of FMS productivity variables by ISM, SEM and GTMA approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Vineet; Raj, Tilak

2014-09-01

Productivity has often been cited as a key factor in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) performance, and actions to increase it are said to improve profitability and the wage earning capacity of employees. Improving productivity is seen as a key issue for survival and success in the long term of a manufacturing system. The purpose of this paper is to make a model and analysis of the productivity variables of FMS. This study was performed by different approaches viz. interpretive structural modelling (ISM), structural equation modelling (SEM), graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA) and a cross-sectional survey within manufacturing firms in India. ISM has been used to develop a model of productivity variables, and then it has been analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are powerful statistical techniques. CFA is carried by SEM. EFA is applied to extract the factors in FMS by the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 20) software and confirming these factors by CFA through analysis of moment structures (AMOS 20) software. The twenty productivity variables are identified through literature and four factors extracted, which involves the productivity of FMS. The four factors are people, quality, machine and flexibility. SEM using AMOS 20 was used to perform the first order four-factor structures. GTMA is a multiple attribute decision making (MADM) methodology used to find intensity/quantification of productivity variables in an organization. The FMS productivity index has purposed to intensify the factors which affect FMS.

Infrared sensing of non-observable human biometrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmore, Michael R.

2005-05-01

Interest and growth of biometric recognition technologies surged after 9/11. Once a technology mainly used for identity verification in law enforcement, biometrics are now being considered as a secure means of providing identity assurance in security related applications. Biometric recognition in law enforcement must, by necessity, use attributes of human uniqueness that are both observable and vulnerable to compromise. Privacy and protection of an individual's identity is not assured during criminal activity. However, a security system must rely on identity assurance for access control to physical or logical spaces while not being vulnerable to compromise and protecting the privacy of an individual. The solution resides in the use of non-observable attributes of human uniqueness to perform the biometric recognition process. This discussion will begin by presenting some key perspectives about biometric recognition and the characteristic differences between observable and non-observable biometric attributes. An introduction to the design, development, and testing of the Thermo-ID system will follow. The Thermo-ID system is an emerging biometric recognition technology that uses non-observable patterns of infrared energy naturally emanating from within the human body. As with all biometric systems, the infrared patterns recorded and compared within the Thermo-ID system are unique and individually distinguishable permitting a link to be confirmed between an individual and a claimed or previously established identity. The non-observable characteristics of infrared patterns of human uniqueness insure both the privacy and protection of an individual using this type of biometric recognition system.

Junior doctors' extended work hours and the effects on their performance: the Irish case.

PubMed

Flinn, Fiona; Armstrong, Claire

2011-04-01

To explore the relationship between junior doctors' long working hours and their performance in a variety of cognitive and clinical decision-making tests. Also, to consider the implications of performance decrements in such tests for healthcare quality. A within-subject design was used to eliminate variation related to individual differences. Each participant was tested twice, once post call and once rested. At each session, participants were tested on cognitive functioning and clinical decision-making. The study was based on six acute Irish hospitals during 2008. Thirty junior hospital doctors, ages ranged from 23 to 30 years; of them, 17 of the participants were female and 13 were male. Measures Cognitive functioning was measured by the MindStreams Global Assessment Battery (NeuroTrax Corp., NY, USA). This is a set of computerized tests, designed for use in medical settings, that assesses performance in memory, executive function, visual spatial perception, verbal function, attention, information processing speed and motor skills. Clinical decision-making was tested using Key Features Problems. Each Key Features Problem consists of a case scenario and then three to four questions about this scenario. In an effort to make it more realistic, the speed with which participants completed the three problems was also recorded. Participants' global cognitive scores, attention, information processing speed and motor skills were significantly worse post call than when rested. They also took longer to complete clinical decision-making questions in the post-call condition and obtained lower scores than when rested. There are significant negative changes in doctors' cognitive functioning and clinical decision-making performance that appear to be attributable to long working hours. This therefore raises the important question of whether working long hours decreases healthcare quality and compromises patient safety.

Population Attributable and Preventable Fractions: Cancer Risk Factor Surveillance, and Cancer Policy Projection

PubMed Central

Shield, Kevin D.; Parkin, D. Maxwell; Whiteman, David C.; Rehm, Jürgen; Viallon, Vivian; Micallef, Claire Marant; Vineis, Paolo; Rushton, Lesley; Bray, Freddie; Soerjomataram, Isabelle

2016-01-01

The proportions of new cancer cases and deaths that are caused by exposure to risk factors and that could be prevented are key statistics for public health policy and planning. This paper summarizes the methodologies for estimating, challenges in the analysis of, and utility of, population attributable and preventable fractions for cancers caused by major risk factors such as tobacco smoking, dietary factors, high body fat, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, infectious agents, occupational exposure, air pollution, sun exposure, and insufficient breastfeeding. For population attributable and preventable fractions, evidence of a causal relationship between a risk factor and cancer, outcome (such as incidence and mortality), exposure distribution, relative risk, theoretical-minimum-risk, and counterfactual scenarios need to be clearly defined and congruent. Despite limitations of the methodology and the data used for estimations, the population attributable and preventable fractions are a useful tool for public health policy and planning. PMID:27547696

Attributes of clinical leadership in contemporary nursing: an integrative review.

PubMed

Mannix, Judy; Wilkes, Lesley; Daly, John

2013-08-01

Effective clinical leadership is offered as the key to healthy, functional and supportive work environments for nurses and other health professionals. However, as a concept it lacks a standard definition and is poorly understood. This paper reports on an integrative review undertaken to uncover current understandings of defining attributes of contemporary clinical leadership in nursing. Data collection involved a search of relevant electronic databases for a 10-year period. Keywords for the search were 'clinical leadership' and 'nursing'. Ten research papers met the inclusion criteria for the integrative review. Analysis of these studies indicated clinical leadership attributes had a clinical focus, a follower/team focus or a personal qualities focus; attributes necessary to sustain supportive workplaces and build the capacity and resilience of nursing workforces. The small number of research-based studies yielded for the review indicates the need for further research in the area of clinical leadership.

A visual analysis of multi-attribute data using pixel matrix displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Ming C.; Dayal, Umeshwar; Keim, Daniel; Schreck, Tobias

2007-01-01

Charts and tables are commonly used to visually analyze data. These graphics are simple and easy to understand, but charts show only highly aggregated data and present only a limited number of data values while tables often show too many data values. As a consequence, these graphics may either lose or obscure important information, so different techniques are required to monitor complex datasets. Users need more powerful visualization techniques to digest and compare detailed multi-attribute data to analyze the health of their business. This paper proposes an innovative solution based on the use of pixel-matrix displays to represent transaction-level information. With pixelmatrices, users can visualize areas of importance at a glance, a capability not provided by common charting techniques. We present our solutions to use colored pixel-matrices in (1) charts for visualizing data patterns and discovering exceptions, (2) tables for visualizing correlations and finding root-causes, and (3) time series for visualizing the evolution of long-running transactions. The solutions have been applied with success to product sales, Internet network performance analysis, and service contract applications demonstrating the benefits of our method over conventional graphics. The method is especially useful when detailed information is a key part of the analysis.

Deep Filter Banks for Texture Recognition, Description, and Segmentation.

PubMed

Cimpoi, Mircea; Maji, Subhransu; Kokkinos, Iasonas; Vedaldi, Andrea

Visual textures have played a key role in image understanding because they convey important semantics of images, and because texture representations that pool local image descriptors in an orderless manner have had a tremendous impact in diverse applications. In this paper we make several contributions to texture understanding. First, instead of focusing on texture instance and material category recognition, we propose a human-interpretable vocabulary of texture attributes to describe common texture patterns, complemented by a new describable texture dataset for benchmarking. Second, we look at the problem of recognizing materials and texture attributes in realistic imaging conditions, including when textures appear in clutter, developing corresponding benchmarks on top of the recently proposed OpenSurfaces dataset. Third, we revisit classic texture represenations, including bag-of-visual-words and the Fisher vectors, in the context of deep learning and show that these have excellent efficiency and generalization properties if the convolutional layers of a deep model are used as filter banks. We obtain in this manner state-of-the-art performance in numerous datasets well beyond textures, an efficient method to apply deep features to image regions, as well as benefit in transferring features from one domain to another.

Health care technology assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, Clifford

1994-12-01

The role of technology in the cost of health care is a primary issue in current debates concerning national health care reform. The broad scope of studies for understanding technological impacts is known as technology assessment. Technology policy makers can improve their decision making by becoming more aware, and taking greater advantage, of key trends in health care technology assessment (HCTA). HCTA is the systematic evaluation of the properties, impacts, and other attributes of health care technologies, including: technical performance; clinical safety and efficacy/effectiveness; cost-effectiveness and other economic attributes; appropriate circumstances/indications for use; and social, legal, ethical, and political impacts. The main purpose of HCTA is to inform technology-related policy making in health care. Among the important trends in HCTA are: (1) proliferation of HCTA groups in the public and private sectors; (2) higher standards for scientific evidence concerning technologies; (3) methodological development in cost analyses, health-related quality of life measurement, and consolidation of available scientific evidence (e.g., meta-analysis); (4) emphasis on improved data on how well technologies work in routine practice and for traditionally under-represented patient groups; (5) development of priority-setting methods; (6) greater reliance on medical informatics to support and disseminate HCTA findings.

Reported load carriage injuries of the Australian army soldier.

PubMed

Orr, Robin M; Johnston, Venerina; Coyle, Julia; Pope, Rodney

2015-06-01

Many injuries experienced by soldiers can be attributed to the occupational loads they are required to carry. The aim of this study was to determine whether contemporary military load carriage is a source of injuries to Australian Regular Army soldiers and to profile these injuries. The Australian Defence Force 'Occupational Health, Safety and Compensation Analysis and Reporting' database was searched to identify all reported injuries sustained during load carriage events. Key search terms were employed and narrative description fields were interrogated to increase data accuracy. A total of 1,954 injury records were extracted from the database. Of these, 404 injuries were attributed to load carriage. The majority of these load carriage injuries involved either the lower limb or back, with bones and joints accounting for the most frequently reported body structures to be injured. Field activities were the leading activities being performed at the time that load carriage injuries occurred, and muscular stress was identified as the mechanism of injury for over half of reported load carriage injuries. This study suggests that load carriage is a substantial source of injury risk to Australian Army soldiers. Physical training may fail to adequately prepare soldiers for load carriage tasks during field training exercises.

Medical school benchmarking - from tools to programmes.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Tim J; Hudson, Judith N; Mccoll, Geoffrey J; Hu, Wendy C Y; Jolly, Brian C; Schuwirth, Lambert W T

2015-02-01

Benchmarking among medical schools is essential, but may result in unwanted effects. To apply a conceptual framework to selected benchmarking activities of medical schools. We present an analogy between the effects of assessment on student learning and the effects of benchmarking on medical school educational activities. A framework by which benchmarking can be evaluated was developed and applied to key current benchmarking activities in Australia and New Zealand. The analogy generated a conceptual framework that tested five questions to be considered in relation to benchmarking: what is the purpose? what are the attributes of value? what are the best tools to assess the attributes of value? what happens to the results? and, what is the likely "institutional impact" of the results? If the activities were compared against a blueprint of desirable medical graduate outcomes, notable omissions would emerge. Medical schools should benchmark their performance on a range of educational activities to ensure quality improvement and to assure stakeholders that standards are being met. Although benchmarking potentially has positive benefits, it could also result in perverse incentives with unforeseen and detrimental effects on learning if it is undertaken using only a few selected assessment tools.

Extrinsic attributes that influence parents' purchase of chocolate milk for their children.

PubMed

Li, Xiaomeng E; Lopetcharat, Kannapon; Drake, MaryAnne

2014-07-01

The consumption of milk is essential for children's heath; and flavored milk, especially chocolate milk, is often purchased to increase children's milk consumption. However, the sugar content of chocolate milk has raised health concerns. As such, it is important to understand chocolate milk extrinsic attributes that influence parents' purchase decisions when they are purchasing chocolate milk for their children. The objective of this study was to determine the key extrinsic attributes for parents when they purchase chocolate milk for their children. An online survey with a conjoint analysis design, emotions questions, and Kano questionnaire that focused on chocolate milk was conducted targeting parents. Three hundred and twelve parents participated in the survey. Parents reported positive emotions including good, good natured, happy, loving, and satisfied when purchasing chocolate milk for their kids. Three segments of parents were identified with subtle but distinct differences in their key preferences for chocolate milk attributes for their children. Type of sweetener was the primary driver of choice for purchasing chocolate milk for children followed by fat content. Among sweetener types, natural noncaloric/nonnutritive sweeteners or sucrose were preferred over artificial sweeteners, and reduced fat was preferred over full fat or skim milk. Kano results revealed that reduced fat and sugar with an all natural label and added vitamins, minerals, and protein were attractive to the majority of parents when purchasing chocolate milk for their kids. Understanding the driving extrinsic attributes for parents when they purchase chocolate milk for their children will assist manufacturers to target extrinsic attributes that are attractive to parents for chocolate milk. This study established that sweetener type and fat content are the primary extrinsic attributes affecting parents purchase decisions when choosing chocolate milk for their children. Different segments of parents have distinct preferences for sweetener type and fat content, and they were also segmented by sugar content, natural/organic/conventional claim, and brand of chocolate milk. Manufactures can target different segments of parents based on their specific preferences. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Profiles of innovators in a semi-arid smallholder agricultural environment in south west Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutsvangwa-Sammie, Eness P.; Manzungu, Emmanuel; Siziba, Shephard

2017-08-01

Innovations are regarded as critical to improving the efficiency, productivity and effectiveness of African agriculture. However, few efforts have been directed at understanding 'agricultural innovators', especially among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa who face low agricultural productivity and widespread food insecurity. This paper investigates the profile of innovators from a local perspective in a semi-arid smallholder farming area in south-west Zimbabwe. The paper is based on data collected from key informant interviews and a household questionnaire survey administered to 239 households from Gwanda and Insiza districts between 2013 and 2014. Qualities or attributes of an innovator (which constitute the profile of an innovator) identified by key informants included: resource endowment; social networks; education; and enthusiasm (passionate and hardworking). The attributes were used in a logit regression model to estimate the probability of the 239 households exhibiting the attributes of an innovator. Social networks and resource endowment, as depicted by amount of land cultivated, were found to significantly influence the probability of an individual being an innovator. Interestingly, the common attributes of education or belonging to an innovation platform used by extension and development agents, were found not to influence the probability of one being an innovator. The paper concludes that understanding local perceptions of innovators, which is based on appreciation of the socio-economic and biophysical circumstances, should be used to identify a 'basket' of context specific innovations that have potential to address the diverse needs of rural households farming households.

Heavy Vehicle Crash Characteristics in Oman 2009–2011

PubMed Central

Al-Bulushi, Islam; Edwards, Jason; Davey, Jeremy; Armstrong, Kerry; Al-Reesi, Hamed; Al-Shamsi, Khalid

2015-01-01

In recent years, Oman has seen a shift in the burden of diseases towards road accidents. The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to describe key characteristics of heavy vehicle crashes in Oman and identify the key driving behaviours that influence fatality risks. Crash data from January 2009 to December 2011 were examined and it was found that, of the 22,543 traffic accidents that occurred within this timeframe, 3,114 involved heavy vehicles. While the majority of these crashes were attributed to driver behaviours, a small proportion was attributed to other factors. The results of the study indicate that there is a need for a more thorough crash investigation process in Oman. Future research should explore the reporting processes used by the Royal Oman Police, cultural influences on heavy vehicle operations in Oman and improvements to the current licensing system. PMID:26052451

Attribution of Observed Streamflow Changes in Key British Columbia Drainage Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najafi, Mohammad Reza; Zwiers, Francis W.; Gillett, Nathan P.

2017-11-01

We study the observed decline in summer streamflow in four key river basins in British Columbia (BC), Canada, using a formal detection and attribution (D&A) analysis procedure. Reconstructed and simulated streamflow is generated using the semidistributed variable infiltration capacity hydrologic model, which is driven by 1/16° gridded observations and downscaled climate model data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5), respectively. The internal variability of the regional hydrologic components using 5100 years of streamflow was simulated using CMIP5 preindustrial control runs. Results show that the observed changes in summer streamflow are inconsistent with simulations representing the responses to natural forcing factors alone, while the response to anthropogenic and natural forcing factors combined is detected in these changes. A two-signal D&A analysis indicates that the effects of anthropogenic (ANT) forcing factors are discernable from natural forcing in BC, albeit with large uncertainties.

CEO perceptions of competition--and strategic response in hospital markets.

PubMed

Alexander, J A; Burns, L R; Morrisey, M A; Johnson, V

2001-06-01

Physician-organization integration (POI) has emerged as a key issue for hospitals and health systems seeking to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care. Although competition and managed care are often cited as primary market drivers of the adoption of POI strategies, prior research has shown only weak associations between these market attributes and POI. This article argues that the role of key organizational decision makers has not been adequately accounted for in explaining strategic change. The study examines the role of hospital CEO perceptions of competition in predicting the adoption of five different approaches to POI. CEO perceptions of general market competition are explained by a combination of market and organizational attributes. Furthermore, when controlling for objective characteristics of the environment and organization, CEO perceptions of competition have consistent, statistically significant associations with four of five measures of POI examined.

Key attributes of health ministries in African American churches: an exploratory survey.

PubMed

Carter-Edwards, Lori; Jallah, Yhenneko B; Goldmon, Moses V; Roberson, J T; Hoyo, Cathrine

2006-01-01

Church leaders are considered instrumental in the successful implementation of church-based health programs. However it is unknown which program attributes they perceive as important and which program attributes exist in their congregations. To explore the perceived importance and existence of health ministry-related attributes in predominately African American churches. Cross-sectional survey, with a convenience sample of 98 registered church leaders attending a conference on health and spirituality in Raleigh, NC. Attendees were asked to complete a brief survey assessing perceived importance (very important vs. somewhat or not important) and existence (yes vs. no) of 20, health ministry-related attributes in their churches. Percent perceived as very important, percent existence, and their differences were assessed for each attribute. Seventy-two (73.5%) of the attendees completed the survey. Attributes perceived as very important were: displaying health information in churches (73.6%); hosting health fairs for church members (73.2%); pastoral, church-based Internet access (70.8%); willingness to receive foundation funding for activities (66.7%); and incorporating health messages in Sunday bulletins (65.3%). For each of these program attributes, there was a gap between the proportion rating them "very important" and existence of the attribute in their own congregations (range diff in %: -8.3 to -22.2). Lack of generalizability due to sample selection and homogeneity. Among leaders surveyed, despite perceived importance, attributes did not exist for all. Future studies should evaluate whether attributes considered important by church leadership parallel an increase in the development and maintenance of health program activities, and are associated with congregation health behaviors and health outcomes.

Relationship between Classroom Absenteeism and Stress Risk/Buffer Factors, Depressogenic Attributional Style, Depression and Classroom Academic Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slem, Charles M.

The relationship between classroom absenteeism and academic performance has been well documented. To assess the relationship between absenteeism and traditional stress risk/buffer factors, depressogenic attributional style, depression and academic performance, 68 students completed the Internal-External Control Scale, two versions of life event…

Correlating Trainee Attributes to Performance in 3D CAD Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamade, Ramsey F.; Artail, Hassan A.; Sikstrom, Sverker

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify trainee attributes relevant for development of skills in 3D computer-aided design (CAD). Design/methodology/approach: Participants were trained to perform cognitive tasks of comparable complexity over time. Performance data were collected on the time needed to construct test models, and…

Influence of ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose powder undergoing uni-axial compression and roller-compaction: a comparative study using near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Gupta, Abhay; Peck, Garnet E; Miller, Ronald W; Morris, Kenneth R

2005-10-01

This study evaluates the effect of variation in the ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder. The study was conducted by comparing the physico-mechanical properties of, and the near infrared (NIR) spectra collected on, compacts prepared by roller compaction with those collected on simulated ribbons, that is, compacts prepared under uni-axial compression. Relative density, moisture content, tensile strength (TS), and Young modulus were used as key sample attributes for comparison. Samples prepared at constant roller compactor settings and feed mass showed constant density and a decrease in TS with increasing moisture content. Compacts prepared under uni-axial compression at constant pressure and compact mass showed the opposite effect, that is, density increased while TS remained almost constant with increasing moisture content. This suggests difference in the influence of moisture on the material under roller compaction, in which the roll gap (i.e., thickness and therefore density) remains almost constant, vs. under uni-axial compression, in which the thickness is free to change in response to the applied pressure. Key sample attributes were also related to the NIR spectra using multivariate data analysis by the partial least squares projection to latent structures (PLS). Good agreement was observed between the measured and the NIR-PLS predicted values for all key attributes for both, the roller compacted samples as well as the simulated ribbons. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Toward designing for trust in database automation

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

Duez, P. P.; Jamieson, G. A.

Appropriate reliance on system automation is imperative for safe and productive work, especially in safety-critical systems. It is unsafe to rely on automation beyond its designed use; conversely, it can be both unproductive and unsafe to manually perform tasks that are better relegated to automated tools. Operator trust in automated tools mediates reliance, and trust appears to affect how operators use technology. As automated agents become more complex, the question of trust in automation is increasingly important. In order to achieve proper use of automation, we must engender an appropriate degree of trust that is sensitive to changes in operatingmore » functions and context. In this paper, we present research concerning trust in automation in the domain of automated tools for relational databases. Lee and See have provided models of trust in automation. One model developed by Lee and See identifies three key categories of information about the automation that lie along a continuum of attributional abstraction. Purpose-, process-and performance-related information serve, both individually and through inferences between them, to describe automation in such a way as to engender r properly-calibrated trust. Thus, one can look at information from different levels of attributional abstraction as a general requirements analysis for information key to appropriate trust in automation. The model of information necessary to engender appropriate trust in automation [1] is a general one. Although it describes categories of information, it does not provide insight on how to determine the specific information elements required for a given automated tool. We have applied the Abstraction Hierarchy (AH) to this problem in the domain of relational databases. The AH serves as a formal description of the automation at several levels of abstraction, ranging from a very abstract purpose-oriented description to a more concrete description of the resources involved in the automated process. The connection between an AH for an automated tool and a list of information elements at the three levels of attributional abstraction is then direct, providing a method for satisfying information requirements for appropriate trust in automation. In this paper, we will present our method for developing specific information requirements for an automated tool, based on a formal analysis of that tool and the models presented by Lee and See. We will show an example of the application of the AH to automation, in the domain of relational database automation, and the resulting set of specific information elements for appropriate trust in the automated tool. Finally, we will comment on the applicability of this approach to the domain of nuclear plant instrumentation. (authors)« less

REGIONAL MONITORING OF CORAL CONDITION IN THE FLORIDA KEYS

EPA Science Inventory

Tropical reef corals have experienced unprecedented levels of bleaching and disease during the last three decades. Declining health has been attributed to several stressors, including exposures to elevated water temperature, increased solar radiation, and degraded water quality. ...

A tale of four practices.

PubMed

Miller-Day, Michelle; Applequist, Janelle; Zabokrtsky, Keri; Dalton, Alexandra; Kellom, Katherine; Gabbay, Robert; Cronholm, Peter F

2017-09-18

Purpose The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has become a dominant model of primary care re-design. This transformation presents a challenge to many care delivery organizations. The purpose of this paper is to describe attributes shaping successful and unsuccessful practice transformation within four medical practice groups. Design/methodology/approach As part of a larger study of 25 practices transitioning into a PCMH, the current study focused on diabetes care and identified high- and low-improvement medical practices in terms of quantitative patient measures of glycosylated hemoglobin and qualitative assessments of practice performance. A subset of the top two high-improvement and bottom two low-improvement practices were identified as comparison groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with diverse personnel at these practices to investigate their experiences with practice transformation and data were analyzed using analytic induction. Findings Results show a variety of key attributes facilitating more successful PCMH transformation, such as empanelment, shared goals and regular meetings, and a clear understanding of PCMH transformation purposes, goals, and benefits, providing care/case management services, and facilitating patient reminders. Several barriers also exist to successful transformation, such as low levels of resources to handle financial expense, lack of understanding PCMH transformation purposes, goals, and benefits, inadequate training and management of technology, and low team cohesion. Originality/value Few studies qualitatively compare and contrast high and low performing practices to illuminate the experience of practice transformation. These findings highlight the experience of organizational members and their challenges in practice transformation while providing quality diabetes care.

Repurposing compact discs as master molds to fabricate high-performance organic nanowire field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyunghun; Cho, Jinhwi; Jhon, Heesauk; Jeon, Jongwook; Kang, Myounggon; Eon Park, Chan; Lee, Jihoon; An, Tae Kyu

2017-05-01

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have been developed over the past few decades due to their potential applications in future electronics such as wearable and foldable electronics. As the electrical performance of OFETs has improved, patterning organic semiconducting crystals has become a key issue for their commercialization. However, conventional soft lithographic techniques have required the use of expensive processes to fabricate high-resolution master molds. In this study, we demonstrated a cost-effective method to prepare nanopatterned master molds for the fabrication of high-performance nanowire OFETs. We repurposed commercially available compact discs (CDs) as master molds because they already have linear nanopatterns on their surface. Flexible nanopatterned templates were replicated from the CDs using UV-imprint lithography. Subsequently, 6,13-bis-(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene nanowires (NWs) were grown from the templates using a capillary force-assisted lithographic technique. The NW-based OFETs showed a high average field-effect mobility of 2.04 cm2 V-1 s-1. This result was attributed to the high crystallinity of the NWs and to their crystal orientation favorable for charge transport.

In Search of Circasemidian Rhythms

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

NUMBER James C. Miller, Ph.D 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7757P905 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...circasemidian rhythmicity in task performance was attributed to the nature of task, itself. Future investigations should attempt to replicate our...circasemidian rhythmicity in task performance was attributed to the nature of task, itself. Future investigations should attempt to replicate our findings

Self-regulated learning processes of medical students during an academic learning task.

PubMed

Gandomkar, Roghayeh; Mirzazadeh, Azim; Jalili, Mohammad; Yazdani, Kamran; Fata, Ladan; Sandars, John

2016-10-01

This study was designed to identify the self-regulated learning (SRL) processes of medical students during a biomedical science learning task and to examine the associations of the SRL processes with previous performance in biomedical science examinations and subsequent performance on a learning task. A sample of 76 Year 1 medical students were recruited based on their performance in biomedical science examinations and stratified into previous high and low performers. Participants were asked to complete a biomedical science learning task. Participants' SRL processes were assessed before (self-efficacy, goal setting and strategic planning), during (metacognitive monitoring) and after (causal attributions and adaptive inferences) their completion of the task using an SRL microanalytic interview. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the means and frequencies of SRL processes. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of SRL processes with previous examination performance and the learning task performance. Most participants (from 88.2% to 43.4%) reported task-specific processes for SRL measures. Students who exhibited higher self-efficacy (odds ratio [OR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.90) and reported task-specific processes for metacognitive monitoring (OR 6.61, 95% CI 1.68-25.93) and causal attributions (OR 6.75, 95% CI 2.05-22.25) measures were more likely to be high previous performers. Multiple analysis revealed that similar SRL measures were associated with previous performance. The use of task-specific processes for causal attributions (OR 23.00, 95% CI 4.57-115.76) and adaptive inferences (OR 27.00, 95% CI 3.39-214.95) measures were associated with being a high learning task performer. In multiple analysis, only the causal attributions measure was associated with high learning task performance. Self-efficacy, metacognitive monitoring and causal attributions measures were associated positively with previous performance. Causal attributions and adaptive inferences measures were associated positively with learning task performance. These findings may inform remediation interventions in the early years of medical school training. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

A common perceptual temporal limit of binding synchronous inputs across different sensory attributes and modalities.

PubMed

Fujisaki, Waka; Nishida, Shin'ya

2010-08-07

The human brain processes different aspects of the surrounding environment through multiple sensory modalities, and each modality can be subdivided into multiple attribute-specific channels. When the brain rebinds sensory content information ('what') across different channels, temporal coincidence ('when') along with spatial coincidence ('where') provides a critical clue. It however remains unknown whether neural mechanisms for binding synchronous attributes are specific to each attribute combination, or universal and central. In human psychophysical experiments, we examined how combinations of visual, auditory and tactile attributes affect the temporal frequency limit of synchrony-based binding. The results indicated that the upper limits of cross-attribute binding were lower than those of within-attribute binding, and surprisingly similar for any combination of visual, auditory and tactile attributes (2-3 Hz). They are unlikely to be the limits for judging synchrony, since the temporal limit of a cross-attribute synchrony judgement was higher and varied with the modality combination (4-9 Hz). These findings suggest that cross-attribute temporal binding is mediated by a slow central process that combines separately processed 'what' and 'when' properties of a single event. While the synchrony performance reflects temporal bottlenecks existing in 'when' processing, the binding performance reflects the central temporal limit of integrating 'when' and 'what' properties.

The discovery of the genus Spasskia Belokobylskij, 1989 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in China, with description of a new species.

PubMed

Yan, Cheng-jin; He, Jun-hua; Chen, Xue-xin

2014-01-01

The genus Spasskia Belokobylskij, 1989 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Helconinae) is reported for the first time from China. Two species, namely Spasskia brevicarinata Yan et Chen sp. n.and Spasskia indica Singh, Belokobylskij et Chauhan, 2005 are described and illustrated. A key to the species of this genus is updated to include the new species. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.

Not That Heart-Stopping After All: Visuo-Cardiac Synchrony Does Not Boost Self-Face Attribution

PubMed Central

Porciello, Giuseppina; Daum, Moritz M.; Menghini, Cristina; Brugger, Peter; Lenggenhager, Bigna

2016-01-01

Recent experimental evidence and theoretical models suggest that an integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signals underlies several key aspects of the bodily self. While it has been shown that self-attribution of both the hand and the full-body are altered by conflicting extero-exteroceptive (e.g. visuo-tactile) and extero-interoceptive (e.g. visuo-cardiac) information, no study has thus far investigated whether self-attribution of the face might be altered by visuo-cardiac stimulation similarly to visuo-tactile stimulation. In three independent groups of participants we presented ambiguous (i.e. morphed with a stranger's face) self-faces flashing synchronously or asynchronously with the participants’ heartbeat. We then measured the subjective percentages of self-face attribution of morphed stimuli. To control for a potential effect of visuo-cardiac synchrony on familiarity, a task assessing the attribution of a familiar face was introduced. Moreover, different durations of visuo-cardiac flashing and different degrees of asynchronicity were used. Based on previous studies showing that synchronous visuo-cardiac stimulation generally increases self-attribution of the full-body and the hand, and that synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation increases self-face attribution, we predicted higher self-face attribution during the synchronous visuo-cardiac flashing of the morphed stimuli. In contrast to this hypothesis, the results showed no difference between synchronous and asynchronous stimulation on self-face attribution in any of the three studies. We thus conclude that visuo-cardiac synchrony does not boost self-attribution of the face as it does that of hand and full-body. PMID:27541587

Not That Heart-Stopping After All: Visuo-Cardiac Synchrony Does Not Boost Self-Face Attribution.

PubMed

Porciello, Giuseppina; Daum, Moritz M; Menghini, Cristina; Brugger, Peter; Lenggenhager, Bigna

2016-01-01

Recent experimental evidence and theoretical models suggest that an integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signals underlies several key aspects of the bodily self. While it has been shown that self-attribution of both the hand and the full-body are altered by conflicting extero-exteroceptive (e.g. visuo-tactile) and extero-interoceptive (e.g. visuo-cardiac) information, no study has thus far investigated whether self-attribution of the face might be altered by visuo-cardiac stimulation similarly to visuo-tactile stimulation. In three independent groups of participants we presented ambiguous (i.e. morphed with a stranger's face) self-faces flashing synchronously or asynchronously with the participants' heartbeat. We then measured the subjective percentages of self-face attribution of morphed stimuli. To control for a potential effect of visuo-cardiac synchrony on familiarity, a task assessing the attribution of a familiar face was introduced. Moreover, different durations of visuo-cardiac flashing and different degrees of asynchronicity were used. Based on previous studies showing that synchronous visuo-cardiac stimulation generally increases self-attribution of the full-body and the hand, and that synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation increases self-face attribution, we predicted higher self-face attribution during the synchronous visuo-cardiac flashing of the morphed stimuli. In contrast to this hypothesis, the results showed no difference between synchronous and asynchronous stimulation on self-face attribution in any of the three studies. We thus conclude that visuo-cardiac synchrony does not boost self-attribution of the face as it does that of hand and full-body.

Task Goal Attributes, n Achievement, and Supervisory Performance. Technical Report No. 30.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steers, Richard M.

A review of the research literature on goal-setting in organizational settings reveals that goal-setting on an individual job results in better task performance. However, the processes behind their effectiveness is unclear. For example, how are various job attributes of task goals related to performance, and how do various individual differences…

Positive Attributes Buffer the Negative Associations Between Low Intelligence and High Psychopathology With Educational Outcomes.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Mauricio Scopel; Leibenluft, Ellen; Stringaris, Argyris; Laporte, Paola Paganella; Pan, Pedro Mario; Gadelha, Ary; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Miguel, Eurípedes Constantino; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão

2016-01-01

This study examines the extent to which children's positive attributes are distinct from psychopathology. We also investigate whether positive attributes change or "buffer" the impact of low intelligence and high psychopathology on negative educational outcomes. In a community sample of 2,240 children (6-14 years of age), we investigated associations among positive attributes, psychopathology, intelligence, and negative educational outcomes. Negative educational outcomes were operationalized as learning problems and poor academic performance. We tested the discriminant validity of psychopathology versus positive attributes using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and propensity score matching analysis (PSM), and used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models to test main effects and interactions among predictors of educational outcomes. According to both CFA and PSM, positive attributes and psychiatric symptoms were distinct constructs. Positive attributes were associated with lower levels of negative educational outcomes, independent of intelligence and psychopathology. Positive attributes buffer the negative effects of lower intelligence on learning problems, and higher psychopathology on poor academic performance. Children's positive attributes are associated with lower levels of negative school outcomes. Positive attributes act both independently and by modifying the negative effects of low intelligence and high psychiatric symptoms on educational outcomes. Subsequent research should test interventions designed to foster the development of positive attributes in children at high risk for educational problems. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

Positive Attributes Buffer the Negative Associations Between Low Intelligence and High Psychopathology With Educational Outcomes

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Mauricio Scopel; Leibenluft, Ellen; Stringaris, Argyris; Laporte, Paola Paganella; Pan, Pedro Mario; Gadelha, Ary; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Miguel, Eurípedes Constantino; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão

2016-01-01

Objective This study examines the extent to which children’s positive attributes are distinct from psychopathology. We also investigate whether positive attributes change or “buffer” the impact of low intelligence and high psychopathology on negative educational outcomes. Method In a community sample of 2,240 children (6–14 years of age), we investigated associations among positive attributes, psychopathology, intelligence, and negative educational outcomes. Negative educational outcomes were operationalized as learning problems and poor academic performance. We tested the discriminant validity of psychopathology versus positive attributes using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and propensity score matching analysis (PSM), and used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models to test main effects and interactions among predictors of educational outcomes. Results According to both CFA and PSM, positive attributes and psychiatric symptoms were distinct constructs. Positive attributes were associated with lower levels of negative educational outcomes, independent of intelligence and psychopathology. Positive attributes buffer the negative effects of lower intelligence on learning problems, and higher psychopathology on poor academic performance. Conclusion Children’s positive attributes are associated with lower levels of negative school outcomes. Positive attributes act both independently and by modifying the negative effects of low intelligence and high psychiatric symptoms on educational outcomes. Subsequent research should test interventions designed to foster the development of positive attributes in children at high risk for educational problems. PMID:26703909

Mandatory coursework assignments can be, and should be, eliminated!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haugan, John; Lysebo, Marius; Lauvas, Per

2017-11-01

Formative assessment can serve as a catalyst for increased student effort and student learning. Yet, many engineering degree programmes are dominated by summative assessment and make limited use of formative assessment. The present case study serves as an example on how formative assessment can be used strategically to increase student effort and improve student learning. Within five courses of an engineering bachelor degree programme in Norway, the mandatory coursework assignments were removed and replaced by formative-only assessment. To facilitate the formative assessment, weekly student peer-assessment sessions were introduced. The main findings include an increase in student study hours and improved student performance on the examinations. Finally, interviews were conducted by an external consultant in an effort to identify key factors that attributed to the positive outcome.

Exploiting Information Diffusion Feature for Link Prediction in Sina Weibo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong; Zhang, Yongchao; Xu, Zhiming; Chu, Dianhui; Li, Sheng

2016-01-01

The rapid development of online social networks (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) has promoted research related to social networks in which link prediction is a key problem. Although numerous attempts have been made for link prediction based on network structure, node attribute and so on, few of the current studies have considered the impact of information diffusion on link creation and prediction. This paper mainly addresses Sina Weibo, which is the largest microblog platform with Chinese characteristics, and proposes the hypothesis that information diffusion influences link creation and verifies the hypothesis based on real data analysis. We also detect an important feature from the information diffusion process, which is used to promote link prediction performance. Finally, the experimental results on Sina Weibo dataset have demonstrated the effectiveness of our methods.

Exploiting Information Diffusion Feature for Link Prediction in Sina Weibo.

PubMed

Li, Dong; Zhang, Yongchao; Xu, Zhiming; Chu, Dianhui; Li, Sheng

2016-01-28

The rapid development of online social networks (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) has promoted research related to social networks in which link prediction is a key problem. Although numerous attempts have been made for link prediction based on network structure, node attribute and so on, few of the current studies have considered the impact of information diffusion on link creation and prediction. This paper mainly addresses Sina Weibo, which is the largest microblog platform with Chinese characteristics, and proposes the hypothesis that information diffusion influences link creation and verifies the hypothesis based on real data analysis. We also detect an important feature from the information diffusion process, which is used to promote link prediction performance. Finally, the experimental results on Sina Weibo dataset have demonstrated the effectiveness of our methods.

Needs assessment for nondestructive testing and materials characterization for improved reliability in structural ceramics for heat engines

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

Johnson, D.R.; McClung, R.W.; Janney, M.A.

1987-08-01

A needs assessment was performed for nondestructive testing and materials characterization to achieve improved reliability in ceramic materials for heat engine applications. Raw materials, green state bodies, and sintered ceramics were considered. The overall approach taken to improve reliability of structural ceramics requires key inspections throughout the fabrication flowsheet, including raw materials, greed state, and dense parts. The applications of nondestructive inspection and characterization techniques to ceramic powders and other raw materials, green ceramics, and sintered ceramics are discussed. The current state of inspection technology is reviewed for all identified attributes and stages of a generalized flowsheet for advanced structuralmore » ceramics, and research and development requirements are identified and listed in priority order. 164 refs., 3 figs.« less

Human attribute concepts: relative ubiquity across twelve mutually isolated languages.

PubMed

Saucier, Gerard; Thalmayer, Amber Gayle; Bel-Bahar, Tarik S

2014-07-01

It has been unclear which human-attribute concepts are most universal across languages. To identify common-denominator concepts, we used dictionaries for 12 mutually isolated languages-Maasai, Supyire Senoufo, Khoekhoe, Afar, Mara Chin, Hmong, Wik-Mungkan, Enga, Fijian, Inuktitut, Hopi, and Kuna-representing diverse cultural characteristics and language families, from multiple continents. A composite list of every person-descriptive term in each lexicon was closely examined to determine the content (in terms of English translation) most ubiquitous across languages. Study 1 identified 28 single-word concepts used to describe persons in all 12 languages, as well as 41 additional terms found in 11 of 12. Results indicated that attribute concepts related to morality and competence appear to be as cross-culturally ubiquitous as basic-emotion concepts. Formulations of universal-attribute concepts from Osgood and Wierzbicka were well-supported. Study 2 compared lexically based personality models on the relative ubiquity of key associated terms, finding that 1- and 2-dimensional models draw on markedly more ubiquitous terms than do 5- or 6-factor models. We suggest that ubiquitous attributes reflect common cultural as well as common biological processes.

The NAD(+) precursor nicotinamide riboside decreases exercise performance in rats.

PubMed

Kourtzidis, Ioannis A; Stoupas, Andreas T; Gioris, Ioannis S; Veskoukis, Aristidis S; Margaritelis, Nikos V; Tsantarliotou, Maria; Taitzoglou, Ioannis; Vrabas, Ioannis S; Paschalis, Vassilis; Kyparos, Antonios; Nikolaidis, Michalis G

2016-01-01

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) and its phosphorylated form (NADP(+)) are key molecules in ubiquitous bioenergetic and cellular signaling pathways, regulating cellular metabolism and homeostasis. Thus, supplementation with NAD(+) and NADP(+) precursors emerged as a promising strategy to gain many and multifaceted health benefits. In this proof-of-concept study, we sought to investigate whether chronic nicotinamide riboside administration (an NAD(+) precursor) affects exercise performance. Eighteen Wistar rats were equally divided in two groups that received either saline vehicle or nicotinamide riboside at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight/day for 21 days via gavage. At the end of the 21-day administration protocol, both groups performed an incremental swimming performance test. The nicotinamide riboside group showed a tendency towards worse physical performance by 35 % compared to the control group at the final 10 % load (94 ± 53 s for the nicotinamide riboside group and 145 ± 59 s for the control group; P = 0.071). Our results do not confirm the previously reported ergogenic effect of nicotinamide riboside. The potentially negative effect of nicotinamide riboside administration on physical performance may be attributed to the pleiotropic metabolic and redox properties of NAD(+) and NADP(+).

Interactive data based on Apriori - AHP - C4.5 results assessment method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Quan; Zhang, Li

2017-05-01

AHP method for weight calculation method, will introduce the subjective concept of "experts, supposed steps", for the objective result has certain uncertainty, causes the classroom interaction data attribute weights proportion difference is not big, the whole class achievement trend of convergence, introduce the concept of Apriori-AHP. C4.5 is used to calculate the weight of attribute column, and then using the Apriori-AHP algorithm calculate attribute weights, attribute importance weights on judgment performance indicators table overall consideration, with the weight of index table of gifted student achievement, make the class performance trends to fluctuate, have tended to be "standard" real results for teacher reference.

ASME B89.4.19 Performance Evaluation Tests and Geometric Misalignments in Laser Trackers

PubMed Central

Muralikrishnan, B.; Sawyer, D.; Blackburn, C.; Phillips, S.; Borchardt, B.; Estler, W. T.

2009-01-01

Small and unintended offsets, tilts, and eccentricity of the mechanical and optical components in laser trackers introduce systematic errors in the measured spherical coordinates (angles and range readings) and possibly in the calculated lengths of reference artifacts. It is desirable that the tests described in the ASME B89.4.19 Standard [1] be sensitive to these geometric misalignments so that any resulting systematic errors are identified during performance evaluation. In this paper, we present some analysis, using error models and numerical simulation, of the sensitivity of the length measurement system tests and two-face system tests in the B89.4.19 Standard to misalignments in laser trackers. We highlight key attributes of the testing strategy adopted in the Standard and propose new length measurement system tests that demonstrate improved sensitivity to some misalignments. Experimental results with a tracker that is not properly error corrected for the effects of the misalignments validate claims regarding the proposed new length tests. PMID:27504211

Optimisation study of a vehicle bumper subsystem with fuzzy parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farkas, L.; Moens, D.; Donders, S.; Vandepitte, D.

2012-10-01

This paper deals with the design and optimisation for crashworthiness of a vehicle bumper subsystem, which is a key scenario for vehicle component design. The automotive manufacturers and suppliers have to find optimal design solutions for such subsystems that comply with the conflicting requirements of the regulatory bodies regarding functional performance (safety and repairability) and regarding the environmental impact (mass). For the bumper design challenge, an integrated methodology for multi-attribute design engineering of mechanical structures is set up. The integrated process captures the various tasks that are usually performed manually, this way facilitating the automated design iterations for optimisation. Subsequently, an optimisation process is applied that takes the effect of parametric uncertainties into account, such that the system level of failure possibility is acceptable. This optimisation process is referred to as possibility-based design optimisation and integrates the fuzzy FE analysis applied for the uncertainty treatment in crash simulations. This process is the counterpart of the reliability-based design optimisation used in a probabilistic context with statistically defined parameters (variabilities).

“Thermal Stabilization Effect” of Al2O3 nano-dopants improves the high-temperature dielectric performance of polyimide

PubMed Central

Yang, Yang; He, Jinliang; Wu, Guangning; Hu, Jun

2015-01-01

Insulation performance of the dielectrics under extreme conditions always attracts widespread attention in electrical and electronic field. How to improve the high-temperature dielectric properties of insulation materials is one of the key issues in insulation system design of electrical devices. This paper studies the temperature-dependent corona resistance of polyimide (PI)/Al2O3 nanocomposite films under high-frequency square-wave pulse conditions. Extended corona resistant lifetime under high-temperature conditions is experimentally observed in the 2 wt% nanocomposite samples. The “thermal stabilization effect” is proposed to explain this phenomenon which attributes to a new kind of trap band caused by nanoparticles. This effect brings about superior space charge characteristics and corona resistance under high temperature with certain nano-doping concentration. The proposed theory is experimentally demonstrated by space charge analysis and thermally stimulated current (TSC) tests. This discovered effect is of profound significance on improving high-temperature dielectric properties of nanocomposites towards various applications. PMID:26597981

Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid treatment affects citrate and amino acid accumulation to improve fruit quality and storage performance of postharvest citrus fruit.

PubMed

Sheng, Ling; Shen, Dandan; Luo, Yi; Sun, Xiaohua; Wang, Jinqiu; Luo, Tao; Zeng, Yunliu; Xu, Juan; Deng, Xiuxin; Cheng, Yunjiang

2017-02-01

The loss of organic acids during postharvest storage is one of the major factors that reduces the fruit quality and economic value of citrus. Citrate is the most important organic acid in citrus fruits. Molecular evidence has proved that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt plays a key role in citrate metabolism. Here, we investigated the effects of exogenous GABA treatment on citrate metabolism and storage quality of postharvest citrus fruit. The content of citrate was significantly increased, which was primarily attributed to the inhibition of the expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). Amino acids, including glutamate, alanine, serine, aspartate and proline, were also increased. Moreover, GABA treatment decreased the fruit rot rate. The activities of antioxidant enzymes and the content of energy source ATP were affected by the treatment. Our results indicate that GABA treatment is a very effective approach for postharvest quality maintenance and improvement of storage performance in citrus production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inferring source attribution from a multiyear multisource data set of Salmonella in Minnesota.

PubMed

Ahlstrom, C; Muellner, P; Spencer, S E F; Hong, S; Saupe, A; Rovira, A; Hedberg, C; Perez, A; Muellner, U; Alvarez, J

2017-12-01

Salmonella enterica is a global health concern because of its widespread association with foodborne illness. Bayesian models have been developed to attribute the burden of human salmonellosis to specific sources with the ultimate objective of prioritizing intervention strategies. Important considerations of source attribution models include the evaluation of the quality of input data, assessment of whether attribution results logically reflect the data trends and identification of patterns within the data that might explain the detailed contribution of different sources to the disease burden. Here, more than 12,000 non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates from human, bovine, porcine, chicken and turkey sources that originated in Minnesota were analysed. A modified Bayesian source attribution model (available in a dedicated R package), accounting for non-sampled sources of infection, attributed 4,672 human cases to sources assessed here. Most (60%) cases were attributed to chicken, although there was a spike in cases attributed to a non-sampled source in the second half of the study period. Molecular epidemiological analysis methods were used to supplement risk modelling, and a visual attribution application was developed to facilitate data exploration and comprehension of the large multiyear data set assessed here. A large amount of within-source diversity and low similarity between sources was observed, and visual exploration of data provided clues into variations driving the attribution modelling results. Results from this pillared approach provided first attribution estimates for Salmonella in Minnesota and offer an understanding of current data gaps as well as key pathogen population features, such as serotype frequency, similarity and diversity across the sources. Results here will be used to inform policy and management strategies ultimately intended to prevent and control Salmonella infection in the state. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Qualitative analysis of patient-centered decision attributes associated with initiating hepatitis C treatment.

PubMed

Zuchowski, Jessica L; Hamilton, Alison B; Pyne, Jeffrey M; Clark, Jack A; Naik, Aanand D; Smith, Donna L; Kanwal, Fasiha

2015-10-01

In this era of a constantly changing landscape of antiviral treatment options for chronic viral hepatitis C (CHC), shared clinical decision-making addresses the need to engage patients in complex treatment decisions. However, little is known about the decision attributes that CHC patients consider when making treatment decisions. We identify key patient-centered decision attributes, and explore relationships among these attributes, to help inform the development of a future CHC shared decision-making aid. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with CHC patients at four Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals, in three comparison groups: contemplating CHC treatment at the time of data collection (Group 1), recently declined CHC treatment (Group 2), or recently started CHC treatment (Group 3). Participant descriptions of decision attributes were analyzed for the entire sample as well as by patient group and by gender. Twenty-nine Veteran patients participated (21 males, eight females): 12 were contemplating treatment, nine had recently declined treatment, and eight had recently started treatment. Patients on average described eight (range 5-13) decision attributes. The attributes most frequently reported overall were: physical side effects (83%); treatment efficacy (79%), new treatment drugs in development (55%); psychological side effects (55%); and condition of the liver (52%), with some variation based on group and gender. Personal life circumstance attributes (such as availability of family support and the burden of financial responsibilities) influencing treatment decisions were also noted by all participants. Multiple decision attributes were interrelated in highly complex ways. Participants considered numerous attributes in their CHC treatment decisions. A better understanding of these attributes that influence patient decision-making is crucial in order to inform patient-centered clinical approaches to care (such as shared decision-making augmented with relevant decision-making aids) that respond to patients' needs, preferences, and circumstances.

Parenting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziff, Barry, Ed.; Hostettler, Karen, Ed.

1989-01-01

The newsletter of the California Association for the Gifted includes the following brief articles on parenting: "Your Challenge, Their Lives" (Barry Ziff); "Courage to Be Who I Am, Unafraid" (Elizabeth Meckstroth); "Attribution: A Key to Encouraging More Responsible Behavior in the Gifted" (Saundra Sparling); "A Parent's Perspective" (Carolyn…

Issues in Distance Education: A Primer for Higher Education Decision Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudoin, Michael

2016-01-01

This chapter presents an overview of current issues related to distance learning in higher education. It identifies central questions, issues, challenges, and opportunities that must be addressed by decision makers, as well as key attributes of effective leaders.

Prediction of Coral Bleaching in the Florida Keys Using Remotely Sensed Data

EPA Science Inventory

Coral bleaching has been attributed to extremes or stressful synergy in several physical variables of the coral habitat. Of particular concern have been temperature, ultraviolet radiation, and photosynthetically available radiation. Satellite observing systems allow synoptic-sca...

A public hedonic analysis of environmental attributes in an open space preservation program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordman, Erik E.

The Town of Brookhaven, on Long Island, NY, has implemented an open space preservation program to protect natural areas, and the ecosystem services they provide, from suburban growth. I used a public hedonic model of Brookhaven's open space purchases to estimate implicit prices for various environmental attributes, locational variables and spatial metrics. I also measured the correlation between cost per acre and non-monetary environmental benefit scores and tested whether including cost data, as opposed to non-monetary environmental benefit score alone, would change the prioritization ranks of acquired properties. The mean acquisition cost per acre was 82,501. I identified the key on-site environmental and locational variables using stepwise regression for four functional forms. The log-log specification performed best ( R2adj= 0.727). I performed a second stepwise regression (log-log form) which included spatial metrics, calculated from a high-resolution land cover classification, in addition to the environmental and locational variables. This markedly improved the model's performance ( R2adj=0.866). Statistically significant variables included the property size, location in the Pine Barrens Compatible Growth Area, location in a FEMA flood zone, adjacency to public land, and several other environmental dummy variables. The single significant spatial metric, the fractal dimension of the tree cover class, had the largest elasticity of any variable. Of the dummy variables, location within the Compatible Growth Area had the largest implicit price (298,792 per acre). The priority rank for the two methods, non-monetary environmental benefit score alone and the ratio of non-monetary environmental benefit score to acquisition cost were significantly positively correlated. This suggests that, despite the lack of cost data in their ranking method, Brookhaven does not suffer from efficiency losses. The economics literature encourages using both environmental benefits and acquisition costs to ensure cost-effective conservation programs. I recommend that Brookhaven consider acquisition costs in addition to environmental benefits to avert potential efficiency losses in future open space purchases. This dissertation shows that the addition of spatial metrics can enhance the performance of hedonic models. It also provides a baseline valuation for the environmental attributes of Brookhaven' open spaces and shows that location is critical when dealing with open space preservation programs.

Communication guidelines as a learning tool: an exploration of user preferences in general practice.

PubMed

Veldhuijzen, Wemke; Ram, Paul M; van der Weijden, Trudy; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2013-02-01

To explore characteristics of written communication guidelines that enhance the success of training aimed at the application of the recommendations in the guidelines. Seven mixed focus groups were held consisting of communication skill teachers and communication skill learners and three groups with only learners. Analysis was done in line with principles of grounded theory. Five key attributes of guidelines for communication skill training were identified: complexity, level of detail, format and organization, type of information, and trustworthiness/validity. The desired use of these attributes is related to specific educational purposes and learners' expertise. The low complexity of current communication guidelines is appreciated, but seems ad odds with the wish for more valid communication guidelines. Which guideline characteristics are preferred by users depends on the expertise of the learners and the educational purpose of the guideline. Communication guidelines can be improved by modifying the key attributes in line with specific educational functions and learner expertise. For example: the communication guidelines used in GP training in the Netherlands, seem to offer an oversimplified model of doctor patient communication. This model may be suited for undergraduate learning, but does not meet the validity demands of physicians in training. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attribution and Motivation: Gender, Ethnicity, and Religion Differences among Indonesian University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutantoputri, Novita W.; Watt, Helen M. G.

2013-01-01

The study explores the possibilities of gender, ethnicity, and religion differences on attributions (locus of control, stability, personal and external control), motivational goals (learning, performance approach, performance avoidance, and work avoidance), self-efficacy, intelligence beliefs, religiosity, racial/ethnic identity, and academic…

Attributes and Behaviors of Performance-Centered Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gery, Gloria

1995-01-01

Examines attributes, characteristics, and behaviors of performance-centered software packages that are emerging in the consumer software marketplace and compares them with large-scale systems software being designed by internal information systems staffs and vendors of large-scale software designed for financial, manufacturing, processing, and…

A comparison of linear and nonlinear statistical techniques in performance attribution.

PubMed

Chan, N H; Genovese, C R

2001-01-01

Performance attribution is usually conducted under the linear framework of multifactor models. Although commonly used by practitioners in finance, linear multifactor models are known to be less than satisfactory in many situations. After a brief survey of nonlinear methods, nonlinear statistical techniques are applied to performance attribution of a portfolio constructed from a fixed universe of stocks using factors derived from some commonly used cross sectional linear multifactor models. By rebalancing this portfolio monthly, the cumulative returns for procedures based on standard linear multifactor model and three nonlinear techniques-model selection, additive models, and neural networks-are calculated and compared. It is found that the first two nonlinear techniques, especially in combination, outperform the standard linear model. The results in the neural-network case are inconclusive because of the great variety of possible models. Although these methods are more complicated and may require some tuning, toolboxes are developed and suggestions on calibration are proposed. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of modern nonlinear statistical techniques in performance attribution.

Cultural differences in athlete attributions for success and failure: the sports pages revisited.

PubMed

Aldridge, Lynley J; Islam, Mir Rabiul

2012-01-01

Self-serving biases in attribution, while found with relative consistency in research with Western samples, have rarely been found in Japanese samples typically recruited for research. However, research conducted with Japanese participants to date has tended to use forced-choice and/or reactive paradigms, with school or university students, focusing mainly on academic performance or arbitrary and/or researcher-selected tasks. This archival study explored whether self-serving attributional biases would be shown in the real-life attributions for sporting performance made by elite Olympic athletes from Japan and Australia. Attributions (N = 216) were extracted from the sports pages of Japanese and Australian newspapers and rated by Australian judges for locus and controllability. It was hypothesized that Australian, but not Japanese, athletes would show self-serving biases such that they attributed wins to causes more internal and controllable than the causes to which they attributed losses. Contrary to predictions, self-serving biases were shown to at least some extent by athletes of both nationalities. Both Australian and Japanese men attributed wins to causes more internal than those to which they attributed losses. Women, however, attributed wins and losses to causes that did not differ significantly in terms of locus. All athletes tended to attribute wins to causes that were more controllable than the causes to which losses were attributed. Results are inconsistent with a large body of research suggesting that Japanese do not show self-serving biases in attribution, and are discussed in the light of differences in methodology, context, and participants that may have contributed to these effects.

Space Station needs, attributes and architectural options. Volume 2, book 2, part 3: Communication system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Preliminary results of the study of the architecture and attributes of the RF communications and tracking subsystem of the space station are summarized. Only communications between the space station and other external elements such as TDRSS satellites, low-orbit spacecraft, OTV, MOTV, in the general environment of the space station are considered. The RF communications subsystem attributes and characteristics are defined and analyzed key issues are identified for evolution from an initial space station (1990) to a year 2000 space station. The mass and power characteristics of the communications subsystem for the initial space station are assessed as well as the impact of advanced technology developments. Changes needed to the second generation TDRSS to accommodate the evolutionary space station of the year 2000 are also identified.

The anterior insula bidirectionally modulates cost-benefit decision-making on a rodent gambling task.

PubMed

Daniel, M L; Cocker, P J; Lacoste, J; Mar, A C; Houeto, J L; Belin-Rauscent, A; Belin, D

2017-11-01

Deficits in cost-benefit decision-making, as assessed in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), are commonly observed in neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction. There is considerable variation in the maximization of rewards on such tasks, both in the general population and in rodent models, suggesting individual differences in decision-making may represent a key endophenotype for vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders. Increasing evidence suggests that the insular cortex, which is involved in interoception and emotional processes in humans, may be a key neural locus in the control of decision-making processes. However, the extent to which the insula contributes to individual differences in cost-benefit decision-making remains unknown. Using male Sprague Dawley rats, we first assessed individual differences in the performance over the course of a single session on a rodent analogue of the IGT (rGT). Rats were matched for their ability to maximize reward and received bilateral excitotoxic or sham lesions of the anterior insula cortex (AIC). Animals were subsequently challenged on a second rGT session with altered contingencies. Finally, animals were also assessed for instrumental conditioning and reversal learning. AIC lesions produced bidirectional alterations on rGT performance; rats that had performed optimally prior to surgery subsequently showed impairments, and animals that had performed poorly showed improvements in comparison with sham-operated controls. These bidirectional effects were not attributable to alterations in behavioural flexibility or in motivation. These data suggest that the recruitment of the AIC during decision-making may be state-dependent and help guide response selection towards subjectively favourable options. © 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Benchmarking health system performance across districts in Zambia: a systematic analysis of levels and trends in key maternal and child health interventions from 1990 to 2010.

PubMed

Colson, Katherine Ellicott; Dwyer-Lindgren, Laura; Achoki, Tom; Fullman, Nancy; Schneider, Matthew; Mulenga, Peter; Hangoma, Peter; Ng, Marie; Masiye, Felix; Gakidou, Emmanuela

2015-04-02

Achieving universal health coverage and reducing health inequalities are primary goals for an increasing number of health systems worldwide. Timely and accurate measurements of levels and trends in key health indicators at local levels are crucial to assess progress and identify drivers of success and areas that may be lagging behind. We generated estimates of 17 key maternal and child health indicators for Zambia's 72 districts from 1990 to 2010 using surveys, censuses, and administrative data. We used a three-step statistical model involving spatial-temporal smoothing and Gaussian process regression. We generated estimates at the national level for each indicator by calculating the population-weighted mean of the district values and calculated composite coverage as the average of 10 priority interventions. National estimates masked substantial variation across districts in the levels and trends of all indicators. Overall, composite coverage increased from 46% in 1990 to 73% in 2010, and most of this gain was attributable to the scale-up of malaria control interventions, pentavalent immunization, and exclusive breastfeeding. The scale-up of these interventions was relatively equitable across districts. In contrast, progress in routine services, including polio immunization, antenatal care, and skilled birth attendance, stagnated or declined and exhibited large disparities across districts. The absolute difference in composite coverage between the highest-performing and lowest-performing districts declined from 37 to 26 percentage points between 1990 and 2010, although considerable variation in composite coverage across districts persisted. Zambia has made marked progress in delivering maternal and child health interventions between 1990 and 2010; nevertheless, substantial variations across districts and interventions remained. Subnational benchmarking is important to identify these disparities, allowing policymakers to prioritize areas of greatest need. Analyses such as this one should be conducted regularly and feed directly into policy decisions in order to increase accountability at the local, regional, and national levels.

Empirical research on Kano’s model and customer satisfaction

PubMed Central

Lin, Feng-Han; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Lee, Yu-Cheng; Hsiao, Cheng-Fu; Zhou, Jie; Wang, Jiangtao; Shang, Zhiwen

2017-01-01

Products are now developed based on what customers desire, and thus attractive quality creation has become crucial. In studies on customer satisfaction, methods for analyzing quality attributes and enhancing customer satisfaction have been proposed to facilitate product development. Although substantial studies have performed to assess the impact of the attributes on customer satisfaction, little research has been conducted that quantitatively calculate the odds of customer satisfaction for the Kano classification, fitting a nonlinear relationship between attribute-level performance and customer satisfaction. In the present study, the odds of customer satisfaction were determined to identify the classification of quality attributes, and took customer psychology into account to suggest how decision-makers should prioritize the allocation of resources. A novel method for quantitatively assessing quality attributes was proposed to determine classification criteria and fit the nonlinear relationship between quality attributes and customer satisfaction. Subsequently, a case study was conducted on bicycle user satisfaction to verify the novel method. The concept of customer satisfaction odds was integrated with the value function from prospect theory to understand quality attributes. The results of this study can serve as a reference for product designers to create attractive quality attributes in their products and thus enhance customer satisfaction. PMID:28873418

Empirical research on Kano's model and customer satisfaction.

PubMed

Lin, Feng-Han; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Lee, Yu-Cheng; Hsiao, Cheng-Fu; Zhou, Jie; Wang, Jiangtao; Shang, Zhiwen

2017-01-01

Products are now developed based on what customers desire, and thus attractive quality creation has become crucial. In studies on customer satisfaction, methods for analyzing quality attributes and enhancing customer satisfaction have been proposed to facilitate product development. Although substantial studies have performed to assess the impact of the attributes on customer satisfaction, little research has been conducted that quantitatively calculate the odds of customer satisfaction for the Kano classification, fitting a nonlinear relationship between attribute-level performance and customer satisfaction. In the present study, the odds of customer satisfaction were determined to identify the classification of quality attributes, and took customer psychology into account to suggest how decision-makers should prioritize the allocation of resources. A novel method for quantitatively assessing quality attributes was proposed to determine classification criteria and fit the nonlinear relationship between quality attributes and customer satisfaction. Subsequently, a case study was conducted on bicycle user satisfaction to verify the novel method. The concept of customer satisfaction odds was integrated with the value function from prospect theory to understand quality attributes. The results of this study can serve as a reference for product designers to create attractive quality attributes in their products and thus enhance customer satisfaction.

Which Personality Attributes Are Most Important in the Workplace?

PubMed

Sackett, Paul R; Walmsley, Philip T

2014-09-01

Employees face a variety of work demands that place a premium on personal attributes, such as the degree to which they can be depended on to work independently, deal with stress, and interact positively with coworkers and customers. We examine evidence for the importance of these personality attributes using research strategies intended to answer three fundamental questions, including (a) how well does employees' standing on these attributes predict job performance?, (b) what types of attributes do employers seek to evaluate in interviews when considering applicants?, and (c) what types of attributes are rated as important for performance in a broad sampling of occupations across the U.S. economy? We summarize and integrate results from these three strategies using the Big Five personality dimensions as our organizing framework. Our findings indicate that personal attributes related to Conscientiousness and Agreeableness are important for success across many jobs, spanning across low to high levels of job complexity, training, and experience necessary to qualify for employment. The strategies lead to differing conclusions about the relative importance of Emotional Stability and Extraversion. We note implications for job seekers, for interventions aimed at changing standing on these attributes, and for employers. © The Author(s) 2014.

In situ rainwater harvesting using dead level contours in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe: Insights on the role of socio-economic factors on performance and effectiveness in Gwanda District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munamati, Muchaneta; Nyagumbo, Isaiah

Droughts and dry spells which have characterised the past decade in Zimbabwe have seen a marked increase in the promotion and use of in situ rainwater harvesting technologies (RWHTs) as a drought mitigating strategy. A number of these technologies have been tried in recent years which include dead level contours with infiltration pits and deepened contours. Although in situ RWHTs are known to increase food security in drought prone areas, the role of socio-economic factors on their performance in terms of crop yield and scaling out is still not well understood. This study sought to investigate the socio-economic factors which influence the effectiveness of dead level contours for in situ rainwater harvesting and consequently on crop yield. The study involved 14 key informants interviews and questionnaire administration to a total of 55 respondent farmers practising in situ rainwater harvesting with dead level contours. A statistical package (Statistical Package for Social Scientists, SPSS) was used to analyse relationships between performance of RWHTs and attributes such as labour, resources, gender, experience and education. The results show a strong correlation between performance and resource status ( p = 0.004). For example, within the wealthy category, 42.1% were successful, while 14.3% and 13.8% were average and poor performers respectively. Thus within the successful category, 42.1% were wealthy, while 42.1% and 15.8% were medium-rich and resource-constrained respectively. Performance rating was also significantly correlated ( p = 0.007) to gender of household head e.g., within the most successful group 94.7% were men compared to 5.3% women. There was also a significant correlation between resource status and gender ( p = 0.039) such that within the wealthy category, 69.2% of the respondents were men compared to 30.8% women. Labour was found to have no significance on performance ( p > 0.05) even though the majority of key informants (93%) alluded that the more labour resources at one’s disposal, the higher their chances of success. This is so because RWHTs are time-consuming and labour intensive. Education level and number of years using water harvesting technologies did not have a significant bearing on performance ( p > 0.05). The paper concludes that resource ownership could be a key factor in farmers’ ability to scale out RWHTs since performance was significantly linked to resource status. Women headed households were performing rather poorly in RWHTs suggesting the need for special attention to gender in the promotion of RWHTs.

EXAMINING MULTI-SCALE CHANGES IN FOREST FRAGMENTATION

EPA Science Inventory

Forest fragmentation is a key measurement of forest condition. In comparison to the Chesapeake Bay region, dominant forest loss in New Jersey was less sensitive to forest loss, which may be attributable the protected status of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

THE IMPACT OF EPA'S GREEN POWER PURCHASES

EPA Science Inventory

All federal agencies, including EPA, are required to reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions attributed to facility energy use by 30% below 1990 levels by 2010. A key approach to reducing facility greenhouse gas emissions, employed by EPA, involves the purchase of "green power...

Assessing Water and Carbon Footprints for Sustainable Water Resource Management

EPA Science Inventory

The key points of this presentation are: (1) Water footprint and carbon footprint as two sustainability attributes in adaptations to climate and socioeconomic changes, (2) Necessary to evaluate carbon and water footprints relative to constraints in resource capacity, (3) Critical...

RESPONSE PATTERNS OF GREAT RIVER FISH ASSEMBLAGE METRICS TO OUTFALL EFFECTS FROM POINT SOURCE DISCHARGES

EPA Science Inventory

Human disturbance alters key attributes of aquatic ecosystems such as water quality, habitat structure, hydrological regime, energy flow, and biological interactions. In great rivers, this is particularly evident because they are disproportionately degraded by habitat alteration...

A common perceptual temporal limit of binding synchronous inputs across different sensory attributes and modalities

PubMed Central

Fujisaki, Waka; Nishida, Shin'ya

2010-01-01

The human brain processes different aspects of the surrounding environment through multiple sensory modalities, and each modality can be subdivided into multiple attribute-specific channels. When the brain rebinds sensory content information (‘what’) across different channels, temporal coincidence (‘when’) along with spatial coincidence (‘where’) provides a critical clue. It however remains unknown whether neural mechanisms for binding synchronous attributes are specific to each attribute combination, or universal and central. In human psychophysical experiments, we examined how combinations of visual, auditory and tactile attributes affect the temporal frequency limit of synchrony-based binding. The results indicated that the upper limits of cross-attribute binding were lower than those of within-attribute binding, and surprisingly similar for any combination of visual, auditory and tactile attributes (2–3 Hz). They are unlikely to be the limits for judging synchrony, since the temporal limit of a cross-attribute synchrony judgement was higher and varied with the modality combination (4–9 Hz). These findings suggest that cross-attribute temporal binding is mediated by a slow central process that combines separately processed ‘what’ and ‘when’ properties of a single event. While the synchrony performance reflects temporal bottlenecks existing in ‘when’ processing, the binding performance reflects the central temporal limit of integrating ‘when’ and ‘what’ properties. PMID:20335212

Why choice of metric matters in public health analyses: a case study of the attribution of credit for the decline in coronary heart disease mortality in the US and other populations.

PubMed

Gouda, Hebe N; Critchley, Julia; Powles, John; Capewell, Simon

2012-01-28

Reasons for the widespread declines in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in high income countries are controversial. Here we explore how the type of metric chosen for the analyses of these declines affects the answer obtained. The analyses we reviewed were performed using IMPACT, a large Excel based model of the determinants of temporal change in mortality from CHD. Assessments of the decline in CHD mortality in the USA between 1980 and 2000 served as the central case study. Analyses based in the metric of number of deaths prevented attributed about half the decline to treatments (including preventive medications) and half to favourable shifts in risk factors. However, when mortality change was expressed in the metric of life-years-gained, the share attributed to risk factor change rose to 65%. This happened because risk factor changes were modelled as slowing disease progression, such that the hypothetical deaths averted resulted in longer average remaining lifetimes gained than the deaths averted by better treatments. This result was robust to a range of plausible assumptions on the relative effect sizes of changes in treatments and risk factors. Time-based metrics (such as life years) are generally preferable because they direct attention to the changes in the natural history of disease that are produced by changes in key health determinants. The life-years attached to each death averted will also weight deaths in a way that better reflects social preferences.

A response-time approach to comparing generalized rational and take-the-best models of decision making.

PubMed

Bergert, F Bryan; Nosofsky, Robert M

2007-01-01

The authors develop and test generalized versions of take-the-best (TTB) and rational (RAT) models of multiattribute paired-comparison inference. The generalized models make allowances for subjective attribute weighting, probabilistic orders of attribute inspection, and noisy decision making. A key new test involves a response-time (RT) approach. TTB predicts that RT is determined solely by the expected time required to locate the 1st discriminating attribute, whereas RAT predicts that RT is determined by the difference in summed evidence between the 2 alternatives. Critical test pairs are used that partially decouple these 2 factors. Under conditions in which ideal observer TTB and RAT strategies yield equivalent decisions, both the RT results and the estimated attribute weights suggest that the vast majority of subjects adopted the generalized TTB strategy. The RT approach is also validated in an experimental condition in which use of a RAT strategy is essentially forced upon subjects. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Colour and in vitro quality attributes of walnuts from different growing conditions correlate with key precursors of primary and secondary metabolism.

PubMed

Fuentealba, Claudia; Hernández, Ignacia; Saa, Sebastian; Toledo, Lea; Burdiles, Pamela; Chirinos, Rosana; Campos, David; Brown, Patrick; Pedreschi, Romina

2017-10-01

Walnuts (Juglans regia L.) are well known for their flavour, nutritional and health properties. The light colour of walnuts is a quality attribute that leads to consumer preference. The aim of this study was to correlate attributes such as colour and antioxidant capacity with the precursors of primary and secondary metabolism. Two growing areas and four different colours of walnuts cv. Chandler from the central region of Chile were evaluated. Walnuts grown in the zone with Andes Mountains influence showed higher (p<0.05) sugar and unsaturated fatty acid contents, which could be attributed to lower minimum temperatures during seed filling. Extra light walnuts had higher (p<0.05) total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and arbutin levels than amber walnuts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that arbutin has been reported in walnuts and could provide the first insight into how enzymatic browning is prevented in the Chandler cultivar. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Image acquisition context: procedure description attributes for clinically relevant indexing and selective retrieval of biomedical images.

PubMed

Bidgood, W D; Bray, B; Brown, N; Mori, A R; Spackman, K A; Golichowski, A; Jones, R H; Korman, L; Dove, B; Hildebrand, L; Berg, M

1999-01-01

To support clinically relevant indexing of biomedical images and image-related information based on the attributes of image acquisition procedures and the judgments (observations) expressed by observers in the process of image interpretation. The authors introduce the notion of "image acquisition context," the set of attributes that describe image acquisition procedures, and present a standards-based strategy for utilizing the attributes of image acquisition context as indexing and retrieval keys for digital image libraries. The authors' indexing strategy is based on an interdependent message/terminology architecture that combines the Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) standard, the SNOMED (Systematized Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary Medicine) vocabulary, and the SNOMED DICOM microglossary. The SNOMED DICOM microglossary provides context-dependent mapping of terminology to DICOM data elements. The capability of embedding standard coded descriptors in DICOM image headers and image-interpretation reports improves the potential for selective retrieval of image-related information. This favorably affects information management in digital libraries.

Ambiguity between self and other: Individual differences in action attribution.

PubMed

de Bézenac, Christophe E; Sluming, Vanessa; O'Sullivan, Noreen; Corcoran, Rhiannon

2015-09-01

Individuals differ in their ability to attribute actions to self or other. This variance is thought to explain, in part, the experience of voice-hearing. Misattribution can also be context-driven. For example, causal ambiguity can arise when the actions of two or more individuals are coordinated and produce similar effects (e.g., music-making). Experience in such challenging contexts may refine skills of action attribution. Forty participants completed a novel finger-tapping task which parametrically manipulated the proportion of control that 'self' versus 'other' possessed over resulting auditory tones. Results showed that action misattribution peaked in the middle of the self-to-other continuum and was biased towards other. This pattern was related to both high hallucination-proneness and to low musical-experience. Findings suggest not only that causal ambiguity plays a key role in agency but also that action attribution abilities may improve with practice, potentially providing an avenue for remediation of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rock formation characterization for CO2-EOR and carbon geosequestration; 3D seismic amplitude and coherency anomalies, Wellington Field, Kansas, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ohl, D.; Raef, A.; Watnef, L.; Bhattacharya, S.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a workflow for a Mississipian carbonates characterization case-study integrating post-stack seismic attributes, well-logs porosities, and seismic modeling to explore relating changes in small-scale "lithofacies" properties and/or sub-seismic resolution faulting to key amplitude and coherency 3D seismic attributes. The main objective of this study is to put emphasis on reservoir characterization that is both optimized for and subsequently benefiting from pilot tertiary CO2-EOR in preparation for future carbon geosequestration in a depleting reservoir and a deep saline aquifer. The extracted 3D seismic coherency attribute indicated anomalous features that can be interpreted as a lithofacies change or a sub-seismic resolution faulting. A 2D finite difference modeling has been undertaken to understand and potentially build discriminant attributes to map structural and/or lithofacies anomalies of interest especially when embarking upon CO2-EOR and/or carbon sequestration monitoring and management projects. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Gene-to-metabolite network for biosynthesis of lignans in MeJA-elicited Isatis indigotica hairy root cultures

PubMed Central

Chen, Ruibing; Li, Qing; Tan, Hexin; Chen, Junfeng; Xiao, Ying; Ma, Ruifang; Gao, Shouhong; Zerbe, Philipp; Chen, Wansheng; Zhang, Lei

2015-01-01

Root and leaf tissue of Isatis indigotica shows notable anti-viral efficacy, and are widely used as “Banlangen” and “Daqingye” in traditional Chinese medicine. The plants' pharmacological activity is attributed to phenylpropanoids, especially a group of lignan metabolites. However, the biosynthesis of lignans in I. indigotica remains opaque. This study describes the discovery and analysis of biosynthetic genes and AP2/ERF-type transcription factors involved in lignan biosynthesis in I. indigotica. MeJA treatment revealed differential expression of three genes involved in phenylpropanoid backbone biosynthesis (IiPAL, IiC4H, Ii4CL), five genes involved in lignan biosynthesis (IiCAD, IiC3H, IiCCR, IiDIR, and IiPLR), and 112 putative AP2/ERF transcription factors. In addition, four intermediates of lariciresinol biosynthesis were found to be induced. Based on these results, a canonical correlation analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed to construct gene-to-metabolite networks and identify putative key genes and rate-limiting reactions in lignan biosynthesis. Over-expression of IiC3H, identified as a key pathway gene, was used for metabolic engineering of I. indigotica hairy roots, and resulted in an increase in lariciresinol production. These findings illustrate the utility of canonical correlation analysis for the discovery and metabolic engineering of key metabolic genes in plants. PMID:26579184

Evaluation of the visual performance of image processing pipes: information value of subjective image attributes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyman, G.; Häkkinen, J.; Koivisto, E.-M.; Leisti, T.; Lindroos, P.; Orenius, O.; Virtanen, T.; Vuori, T.

2010-01-01

Subjective image quality data for 9 image processing pipes and 8 image contents (taken with mobile phone camera, 72 natural scene test images altogether) from 14 test subjects were collected. A triplet comparison setup and a hybrid qualitative/quantitative methodology were applied. MOS data and spontaneous, subjective image quality attributes to each test image were recorded. The use of positive and negative image quality attributes by the experimental subjects suggested a significant difference between the subjective spaces of low and high image quality. The robustness of the attribute data was shown by correlating DMOS data of the test images against their corresponding, average subjective attribute vector length data. The findings demonstrate the information value of spontaneous, subjective image quality attributes in evaluating image quality at variable quality levels. We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of sensitive performance measures and methods in profiling image processing systems and their components, especially at high image quality levels.

Characteristics attributed to complementary foods by caregivers in four countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Dutta, Tanushree; Sywulka, Sara M; Frongillo, Edward A; Lutter, Chessa K

2006-12-01

Attributes that caregivers assign to complementary foods have been primarily described in the context of illness, but attributes assigned to foods in everyday circumstances must be understood to effectively promote good complementary feeding. This study aimed to understand how mothers judge complementary foods to be appropriate by cross-cultural examination of food perceptions in four different Latin American and Caribbean countries. We used semistructured interviews to assess attributes that mothers ascribed to a list of key foods, both home-made and manufactured, and reasons for feeding or not feeding them. We elicited attributes from 79 caregivers with children 6 to 24 months of age from two urban and perirban sites each in Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama. Textual analysis based on six home foods common to the four countries and manufactured foods resulted in six attribute categories, five of which could be positive or negative (Nutrient Content, Effects on Child, Child's Response, Availability and Accessibility, and Other Food Attributes); one (Food Quality and Safety) was only negative. Analysis of attributes of home foods (chicken, eggs, beans, carrots, bananas or plantains, and oranges) revealed many beliefs that were common within and across countries, whereas analysis of the attributes of manufactured foods revealed that these foods were less known. The consistency of the attribute categories across countries and across home and manufactured foods suggests their relevance to planning programs to improve complementary feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean and possibly other developing countries. These results can be used programmatically to assess the need for and the focus of food education programs, and to indicate which countries will be more receptive to certain foods as a means of improving complementary feeding.

Construction of social value or utility-based health indices: the usefulness of factorial experimental design plans.

PubMed

Cadman, D; Goldsmith, C

1986-01-01

Global indices, which aggregate multiple health or function attributes into a single summary indicator, are useful measures in health research. Two key issues must be addressed in the initial stages of index construction from the universe of possible health and function attributes, which ones should be included in a new index? and how simple can the statistical model be to combine attributes into a single numeric index value? Factorial experimental designs were used in the initial stages of developing a function index for evaluating a program for the care of young handicapped children. Beginning with eight attributes judged important to the goals of the program by clinicians, social preference values for different function states were obtained from 32 parents of handicapped children and 32 members of the community. Using category rating methods each rater scored 16 written multi-attribute case descriptions which contained information about a child's status for all eight attributes. Either a good or poor level of each function attribute and age 3 or 5 years were described in each case. Thus, 2(8) = 256 different cases were rated. Two factorial design plans were selected and used to allocate case descriptions to raters. Analysis of variance determined that seven of the eight clinician selected attributes were required in a social value based index for handicapped children. Most importantly, the subsequent steps of index construction could be greatly simplified by the finding that a simple additive statistical model without complex attribute interaction terms was adequate for the index. We conclude that factorial experimental designs are an efficient, feasible and powerful tool for the initial stages of constructing a multi-attribute health index.

High-Performance Classrooms for Women? Applying a Relational Frame to Management/Organizational Behavior Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buttner, E. Holly

2002-01-01

Attributes of relational theory, based on women's development, include preventive connecting, mutual empowering, achieving, and team building. These attributes are compatible with the practices of high performance work organizations. Relational practices should be integrated into management and organizational behavior courses. (Contains 53…

Mental Toughness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Tori; Cavanaugh, Lauren

2017-01-01

Mental toughness (MT) is defined as a set of attributes that allow an individual to persevere through difficult circumstances that ultimately can lead to successful outcomes. It is also a critical component of maximizing the performance of an athlete. These attributes assist with and promote a state of mind that enhances performance. A negative…

Relating Communication Competence to Teaching Effectiveness: Implication for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoli, Alexander C.

2017-01-01

There is wide practice of attributing students' achievement to teacher effectiveness. Some school authorities take this further by querying teachers over poor performances of their students. Although the teacher is just one factor among many that determine students' performances, the teachers' attributes and qualities are very important in the…

Microstructural Correlates of Emotional Attribution Impairment in Non-Demented Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

PubMed

Crespi, Chiara; Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Canessa, Nicola; Iannaccone, Sandro; Corbo, Massimo; Lunetta, Christian; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F

2016-01-01

Impairments in the ability to recognize and attribute emotional states to others have been described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and linked to the dysfunction of key nodes of the emotional empathy network. Microstructural correlates of such disorders are still unexplored. We investigated the white-matter substrates of emotional attribution deficits in a sample of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients without cognitive decline. Thirteen individuals with either probable or definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 14 healthy controls were enrolled in a Diffusion Tensor Imaging study and administered the Story-based Empathy Task, assessing the ability to attribute mental states to others (i.e., Intention and Emotion attribution conditions). As already reported, a significant global reduction of empathic skills, mainly driven by a failure in Emotion Attribution condition, was found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients compared to healthy subjects. The severity of this deficit was significantly correlated with fractional anisotropy along the forceps minor, genu of corpus callosum, right uncinate and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi. The involvement of frontal commissural fiber tracts and right ventral associative fronto-limbic pathways is the microstructural hallmark of the impairment of high-order processing of socio-emotional stimuli in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These results support the notion of the neurofunctional and neuroanatomical continuum between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.

Microstructural Correlates of Emotional Attribution Impairment in Non-Demented Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

PubMed Central

Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Canessa, Nicola; Iannaccone, Sandro; Corbo, Massimo; Lunetta, Christian; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F.

2016-01-01

Impairments in the ability to recognize and attribute emotional states to others have been described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and linked to the dysfunction of key nodes of the emotional empathy network. Microstructural correlates of such disorders are still unexplored. We investigated the white-matter substrates of emotional attribution deficits in a sample of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients without cognitive decline. Thirteen individuals with either probable or definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 14 healthy controls were enrolled in a Diffusion Tensor Imaging study and administered the Story-based Empathy Task, assessing the ability to attribute mental states to others (i.e., Intention and Emotion attribution conditions). As already reported, a significant global reduction of empathic skills, mainly driven by a failure in Emotion Attribution condition, was found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients compared to healthy subjects. The severity of this deficit was significantly correlated with fractional anisotropy along the forceps minor, genu of corpus callosum, right uncinate and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi. The involvement of frontal commissural fiber tracts and right ventral associative fronto-limbic pathways is the microstructural hallmark of the impairment of high-order processing of socio-emotional stimuli in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These results support the notion of the neurofunctional and neuroanatomical continuum between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. PMID:27513746

Protocol for Uniformly Measuring and Expressing the Performance of Energy Storage Systems

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

Conover, David R.; Crawford, Alasdair J.; Fuller, Jason

This Protocol provides a set of “best practices” for characterizing energy storage systems (ESSs) and measuring and reporting their performance. It serves as a basis for assessing how an ESS will perform with respect to key performance attributes relevant to different applications. It is intended to provide a valid and accurate basis for the comparison of different ESSs. By achieving the stated purpose, the Protocol will enable more informed decision-making in the selection of ESSs for various stationary applications. The Protocol identifies general information and technical specifications relevant in describing an ESS and also defines a set of test, measurement,more » and evaluation criteria with which to express the performance of ESSs that are intended for energy-intensive and/or power-intensive stationary applications. An ESS includes a storage device, battery management system, and any power conversion systems installed with the storage device. The Protocol is agnostic with respect to the storage technology and the size and rating of the ESS. The Protocol does not apply to single-use storage devices and storage devices that are not coupled with power conversion systems, nor does it address safety, security, or operations and maintenance of ESSs, or provide any pass/fail criteria.« less

A neuromorphic approach to satellite image understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partsinevelos, Panagiotis; Perakakis, Manolis

2014-05-01

Remote sensing satellite imagery provides high altitude, top viewing aspects of large geographic regions and as such the depicted features are not always easily recognizable. Nevertheless, geoscientists familiar to remote sensing data, gradually gain experience and enhance their satellite image interpretation skills. The aim of this study is to devise a novel computational neuro-centered classification approach for feature extraction and image understanding. Object recognition through image processing practices is related to a series of known image/feature based attributes including size, shape, association, texture, etc. The objective of the study is to weight these attribute values towards the enhancement of feature recognition. The key cognitive experimentation concern is to define the point when a user recognizes a feature as it varies in terms of the above mentioned attributes and relate it with their corresponding values. Towards this end, we have set up an experimentation methodology that utilizes cognitive data from brain signals (EEG) and eye gaze data (eye tracking) of subjects watching satellite images of varying attributes; this allows the collection of rich real-time data that will be used for designing the image classifier. Since the data are already labeled by users (using an input device) a first step is to compare the performance of various machine-learning algorithms on the collected data. On the long-run, the aim of this work would be to investigate the automatic classification of unlabeled images (unsupervised learning) based purely on image attributes. The outcome of this innovative process is twofold: First, in an abundance of remote sensing image datasets we may define the essential image specifications in order to collect the appropriate data for each application and improve processing and resource efficiency. E.g. for a fault extraction application in a given scale a medium resolution 4-band image, may be more effective than costly, multispectral, very high resolution imagery. Second, we attempt to relate the experienced against the non-experienced user understanding in order to indirectly assess the possible limits of purely computational systems. In other words, obtain the conceptual limits of computation vs human cognition concerning feature recognition from satellite imagery. Preliminary results of this pilot study show relations between collected data and differentiation of the image attributes which indicates that our methodology can lead to important results.

Protein attributes contribute to halo-stability, bioinformatics approach

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Halophile proteins can tolerate high salt concentrations. Understanding halophilicity features is the first step toward engineering halostable crops. To this end, we examined protein features contributing to the halo-toleration of halophilic organisms. We compared more than 850 features for halophilic and non-halophilic proteins with various screening, clustering, decision tree, and generalized rule induction models to search for patterns that code for halo-toleration. Up to 251 protein attributes selected by various attribute weighting algorithms as important features contribute to halo-stability; from them 14 attributes selected by 90% of models and the count of hydrogen gained the highest value (1.0) in 70% of attribute weighting models, showing the importance of this attribute in feature selection modeling. The other attributes mostly were the frequencies of di-peptides. No changes were found in the numbers of groups when K-Means and TwoStep clustering modeling were performed on datasets with or without feature selection filtering. Although the depths of induced trees were not high, the accuracies of trees were higher than 94% and the frequency of hydrophobic residues pointed as the most important feature to build trees. The performance evaluation of decision tree models had the same values and the best correctness percentage recorded with the Exhaustive CHAID and CHAID models. We did not find any significant difference in the percent of correctness, performance evaluation, and mean correctness of various decision tree models with or without feature selection. For the first time, we analyzed the performance of different screening, clustering, and decision tree algorithms for discriminating halophilic and non-halophilic proteins and the results showed that amino acid composition can be used to discriminate between halo-tolerant and halo-sensitive proteins. PMID:21592393

Road Testing Graduate Attributes and Course Learning Outcomes of an Environmental Science Degree via a Work-Integrated Learning Placement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whelan, Michael

2017-01-01

Graduate attributes and course learning outcomes are an integral part of higher education in Australia. Testing the performance of graduates in the workplace with regard to graduate attributes and course learning outcomes is a not a common occurrence. This study has road tested the graduate attributes and course learning outcomes of a bachelor…

Roles of conjugated double bonds in electron-donating capacity of sorghum grains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Electron-donating and metal ion complexation ability of tannins play key roles as antioxidants and in mold/bird resistance. In this study, rapid, sensitive, and nondestructive fluorescence excitation-emission (EEM) spectrophotometry was utilized to correlate structural attributes of sorghum tannins...

Effects of landscape and patch-level attributes on regional population persistence

EPA Science Inventory

Habitat patch size and isolation are often described as the key habitat variables influencing population dynamics. Yet habitat quality may also play an important role in influencing the regional persistence of spatially structured populations as the value or density of resources ...

The Learning Organisation: Results of a Benchmarking Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zairi, Mohamed

1999-01-01

Learning in corporations was assessed using these benchmarks: core qualities of creative organizations, characteristic of organizational creativity, attributes of flexible organizations, use of diversity and conflict, creative human resource management systems, and effective and successful teams. These benchmarks are key elements of the learning…

The National Ambient Air Monitoring Stategy: Rethinking the Role of National Networks

EPA Science Inventory

A current re-engineering of the United States routine ambient monitoring networks intended to improve the balance in addressing both regulatory and scientific objectives is addressed in this paper. Key attributes of these network modifications include the addition of collocated ...

Air Quality and Heart Health: Managing an Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factor

EPA Science Inventory

Dr. Cascio will share with a broad range of federal agencies current understanding of the links between air quality and cardiovascular health. The key facts include that air pollution contributes a high attributable health burden. That certain well-defined vulnerable subpopulat...

Perceived bitterness character of beer in relation to hop variety and the impact of hop aroma.

PubMed

Oladokun, Olayide; James, Sue; Cowley, Trevor; Dehrmann, Frieda; Smart, Katherine; Hort, Joanne; Cook, David

2017-09-01

The impact of hop variety and hop aroma on perceived beer bitterness intensity and character was investigated using analytical and sensory methods. Beers made from malt extract were hopped with 3 distinctive hop varieties (Hersbrucker, East Kent Goldings, Zeus) to achieve equi-bitter levels. A trained sensory panel determined the bitterness character profile of each singly-hopped beer using a novel lexicon. Results showed different bitterness character profiles for each beer, with hop aroma also found to change the hop variety-derived bitterness character profiles of the beer. Rank-rating evaluations further showed the significant effect of hop aroma on selected key bitterness character attributes, by increasing perceived harsh and lingering bitterness, astringency, and bitterness intensity via cross-modal flavour interactions. This study advances understanding of the complexity of beer bitterness perception by demonstrating that hop variety selection and hop aroma both impact significantly on the perceived intensity and character of this key sensory attribute. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of roasted pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) key odorants by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-olfactometry.

PubMed

Aceña, Laura; Vera, Luciano; Guasch, Josep; Busto, Olga; Mestres, Montserrat

2011-03-23

Key odorants in roasted pistachio nuts have been determined for the first time. Two different pistachio varieties (Fandooghi and Kerman) have been analyzed by means of headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO). The aroma extract dilution analyses (AEDA) applied have revealed 46 and 41 odor-active regions with a flavor dilution (FD) factor≥64 for the Fandooghi and the Kerman varieties, respectively, and 39 of them were related to precisely identified compounds. These included esters, pyrazines, aldehydes, acids, furans, and phenols. The results show that the Fandooghi variety presents, not only more odor-active regions but also higher FD factors than the Kerman variety that can lead to the conclusion that the first variety has a richer aromatic profile than the second one. The descriptive sensory analysis (DSA) showed that the roasted, chocolate/coffee, and nutty attributes were rated significantly higher in the Fandooghi variety, whereas the green attribute was significantly higher in the Kerman one.

Chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and sensory quality of dried jujube fruits as affected by cultivar and drying method.

PubMed

Wojdyło, Aneta; Figiel, Adam; Legua, Pilar; Lech, Krzysztof; Carbonell-Barrachina, Ángel A; Hernández, Francisca

2016-09-15

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different dying methods, such as convective drying (CD: 50, 60, 70 °C), vacuum-microwave drying (VMD: 120, 480, 480-120 W), a combination of convective pre-drying and vacuum-microwave finish drying [(CPD (60 °C)-VMFD (480-120 W)], and freeze-drying (FD) on key quality parameters of dried jujube fruits (cv. "GAL", "MSI", and "PSI"). The parameters studied included bioactive compounds (flavan-3-ols and flavonols, identified by LC-PDA-MS, and vitamin C), antioxidant capacity (ABTS and FRAP), and sensory attributes (e.g. hardness, jujube-ID, and sweetness). The best quality of the dried product (high contents of bioactive compounds and high intensity of key sensory attributes) was found in fruits treated by FD and VMD 480-120 W. The best cultivars were "PSI" and "GAL" from the point of view of bioactive content and sensory quality, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basic biogenic aerosol precursors: Agricultural source attribution of volatile amines revised

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, U.; Sintermann, J.; Spirig, C.; Jocher, M.; Ammann, C.; Neftel, A.

2011-08-01

Despite recent evidence on an important role of volatile amines in the nucleation of particulate matter, very scarce information is available on their atmospheric abundance and source distribution. Previous measurements in animal housings had identified livestock husbandry as the main amine source, with trimethylamine (TMA) being the key component. This has led to the assumption that the agricultural sources for amines are similar as for ammonia, emitted throughout the cascade of animal excretion, storage and application in the field. In this study, we present the first micrometeorological flux measurements as well as dynamic enclosure experiments showing that the amine source strength from stored slurry is negligible, implying significant consequences for the global amine emission inventory. In the case of cattle, amine production is attributed to the animal's rumination activity and exhalation is suggested to be an important emission pathway, similar to the greenhouse gas methane. Fodder like hay and silage also emits volatile amines, potentially assigning these alkaloid compounds a key function in enhancing particle formation in remote areas.

Network structure of production

PubMed Central

Atalay, Enghin; Hortaçsu, Ali; Roberts, James; Syverson, Chad

2011-01-01

Complex social networks have received increasing attention from researchers. Recent work has focused on mechanisms that produce scale-free networks. We theoretically and empirically characterize the buyer–supplier network of the US economy and find that purely scale-free models have trouble matching key attributes of the network. We construct an alternative model that incorporates realistic features of firms’ buyer–supplier relationships and estimate the model’s parameters using microdata on firms’ self-reported customers. This alternative framework is better able to match the attributes of the actual economic network and aids in further understanding several important economic phenomena. PMID:21402924

Attributional Retraining and Elaborative Learning: Improving Academic Development through Writing-Based Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Nathan C.; Perry, Raymond P.; Goetz, Thomas; Ruthig, Joelle C.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Newall, Nancy E.

2007-01-01

Attributional retraining (AR) is a motivational intervention that consistently produces improved performance by encouraging controllable failure attributions. Research suggests that cognitively engaging AR methods are ideal for high-elaborating students, whereas affect-oriented techniques are better for low-elaborating students. College students'…

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…

Automatic Ability Attribution after Failure: A Dual Process View of Achievement Attribution

PubMed Central

Sakaki, Michiko; Murayama, Kou

2013-01-01

Causal attribution has been one of the most influential frameworks in the literature of achievement motivation, but previous studies considered achievement attribution as relatively deliberate and effortful processes. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people automatically attribute their achievement failure to their ability, but reduce the ability attribution in a controlled manner. To address this hypothesis, we measured participants’ causal attribution belief for their task failure either under the cognitive load (load condition) or with full attention (no-load condition). Across two studies, participants attributed task performance to their ability more in the load than in the no-load condition. The increased ability attribution under cognitive load further affected intrinsic motivation. These results indicate that cognitive resources available after feedback play crucial roles in determining causal attribution belief, as well as achievement motivations. PMID:23667576

Automatic ability attribution after failure: a dual process view of achievement attribution.

PubMed

Sakaki, Michiko; Murayama, Kou

2013-01-01

Causal attribution has been one of the most influential frameworks in the literature of achievement motivation, but previous studies considered achievement attribution as relatively deliberate and effortful processes. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people automatically attribute their achievement failure to their ability, but reduce the ability attribution in a controlled manner. To address this hypothesis, we measured participants' causal attribution belief for their task failure either under the cognitive load (load condition) or with full attention (no-load condition). Across two studies, participants attributed task performance to their ability more in the load than in the no-load condition. The increased ability attribution under cognitive load further affected intrinsic motivation. These results indicate that cognitive resources available after feedback play crucial roles in determining causal attribution belief, as well as achievement motivations.

Using ecological production functions to link ecological ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ecological production functions (EPFs) link ecosystems, stressors, and management actions to ecosystem services (ES) production. Although EPFs are acknowledged as being essential to improve environmental management, their use in ecological risk assessment has received relatively little attention. Ecological production functions may be defined as usable expressions (i.e., models) of the processes by which ecosystems produce ES, often including external influences on those processes. We identify key attributes of EPFs and discuss both actual and idealized examples of their use to inform decision making. Whenever possible, EPFs should estimate final, rather than intermediate, ES. Although various types of EPFs have been developed, we suggest that EPFs are more useful for decision making if they quantify ES outcomes, respond to ecosystem condition, respond to stressor levels or management scenarios, reflect ecological complexity, rely on data with broad coverage, have performed well previously, are practical to use, and are open and transparent. In an example using pesticides, we illustrate how EPFs with these attributes could enable the inclusion of ES in ecological risk assessment. The biggest challenges to ES inclusion are limited data sets that are easily adapted for use in modeling EPFs and generally poor understanding of linkages among ecological components and the processes that ultimately deliver the ES. We conclude by advocating for the incorporation into E

γ-radiation induced corrosion of copper in bentonite-water systems under anaerobic conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karin Norrfors, K.; Björkbacka, Åsa; Kessler, Amanda; Wold, Susanna; Jonsson, Mats

2018-03-01

In this work we have experimentally studied the impact of bentonite clay on the process of radiation-induced copper corrosion in anoxic water. The motivation for this is to further develop our understanding of radiation-driven processes occurring in deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel where copper canisters containing the spent nuclear fuel will be embedded in compacted bentonite. Experiments on radiation-induced corrosion in the presence and absence of bentonite were performed along with experiments elucidating the impact irradiation on the Cu2+ adsorption capacity of bentonite. The experiments presented in this work show that the presence of bentonite clay has no or very little effect on the magnitude of radiation-induced corrosion of copper in anoxic aqueous systems. The absence of a protective effect similar to that observed for radiation-induced dissolution of UO2 is attributed to differences in the corrosion mechanism. This provides further support for the previously proposed mechanism where the hydroxyl radical is the key radiolytic oxidant responsible for the corrosion of copper. The radiation effect on the bentonite sorption capacity of Cu2+ (reduced capacity) is in line with what has previously been reported for other cations. The reduced cation sorption capacity is partly attributed to a loss of Al-OH sites upon irradiation.

Self-Serving Biases: Private Perception or Public Distortion?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigley-Fernandez, Barbara

On performance tasks, individuals tend to attribute success to their own ability and effort while attributing failure to task difficulty and luck. To investigate the possiblity that the asymmetry in causal attributions for positive and negative outcomes occurs independent of any bias resulting from self-presentation concerns, 80 female college…

Defining Attributes and Metrics of Effective Research Mentoring Relationships.

PubMed

Pfund, Christine; Byars-Winston, Angela; Branchaw, Janet; Hurtado, Sylvia; Eagan, Kevin

2016-09-01

Despite evidence of mentoring's importance in training researchers, studies to date have not yet determined which mentoring relationships have the most impact and what specific factors in those mentoring relationships contribute to key outcomes, such as the commitment to and persistence in research career paths for emerging researchers from diverse populations. Efforts to broaden participation and persistence in biomedical research careers require an understanding of why and how mentoring relationships work and their impact, not only to research training but also to promoting career advancement. This paper proposes core attributes of effective mentoring relationships, as supported by the literature and suggested by theoretical models of academic persistence. In addition, both existing and developing metrics for measuring the effectiveness of these attributes within mentoring relationships across diverse groups are presented, as well as preliminary data on these metrics from the authors' work.

Study of thermal stability of Cu{sub 2}Se thermoelectric material

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

Bohra, Anil, E-mail: anilbohra786@gmail.com; Bhatt, Ranu; Bhattacharya, Shovit

2016-05-23

Sustainability of thermoelectric parameter in operating temperature range is a key consideration factor for fabricating thermoelectric generator or cooler. In present work, we have studied the stability of thermoelectric parameter of Cu{sub 2}Se within the temperature range of 50-800°C. Temperature dependent Seebeck coefficients and electrical resistivity measurement are performed under three continuous thermal cycles. X-ray diffraction pattern shows the presence of mixed cubic-monoclinic Cu{sub 2}Se phase in bare pellet which transforms to pure α-Cu{sub 2}Se phase with repeating thermal cycle. Significant enhancement in Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity is observed which may be attributed to (i) Se loss observed inmore » EDS and (ii) the phase transformation from mixed cubic-monoclinic structure to pure monoclinic α-Cu{sub 2}Se phase.« less

Predicting human olfactory perception from chemical features of odor molecules.

PubMed

Keller, Andreas; Gerkin, Richard C; Guan, Yuanfang; Dhurandhar, Amit; Turu, Gabor; Szalai, Bence; Mainland, Joel D; Ihara, Yusuke; Yu, Chung Wen; Wolfinger, Russ; Vens, Celine; Schietgat, Leander; De Grave, Kurt; Norel, Raquel; Stolovitzky, Gustavo; Cecchi, Guillermo A; Vosshall, Leslie B; Meyer, Pablo

2017-02-24

It is still not possible to predict whether a given molecule will have a perceived odor or what olfactory percept it will produce. We therefore organized the crowd-sourced DREAM Olfaction Prediction Challenge. Using a large olfactory psychophysical data set, teams developed machine-learning algorithms to predict sensory attributes of molecules based on their chemoinformatic features. The resulting models accurately predicted odor intensity and pleasantness and also successfully predicted 8 among 19 rated semantic descriptors ("garlic," "fish," "sweet," "fruit," "burnt," "spices," "flower," and "sour"). Regularized linear models performed nearly as well as random forest-based ones, with a predictive accuracy that closely approaches a key theoretical limit. These models help to predict the perceptual qualities of virtually any molecule with high accuracy and also reverse-engineer the smell of a molecule. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Rethinking 'rational imitation' in 14-month-old infants: a perceptual distraction approach.

PubMed

Beisert, Miriam; Zmyj, Norbert; Liepelt, Roman; Jung, Franziska; Prinz, Wolfgang; Daum, Moritz M

2012-01-01

In their widely noticed study, Gergely, Bekkering, and Király (2002) showed that 14-month-old infants imitated an unusual action only if the model freely chose to perform this action and not if the choice of the action could be ascribed to external constraints. They attributed this kind of selective imitation to the infants' capacity of understanding the principle of rational action. In the current paper, we present evidence that a simpler approach of perceptual distraction may be more appropriate to explain their results. When we manipulated the saliency of context stimuli in the two original conditions, the results were exactly opposite to what rational imitation predicts. Based on these findings, we reject the claim that the notion of rational action plays a key role in selective imitation in 14-month-olds.

Charge Generation Dynamics in Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells: Influence of Polymer Packing and Morphology.

PubMed

Gautam, Bhoj R; Lee, Changyeon; Younts, Robert; Lee, Wonho; Danilov, Evgeny; Kim, Bumjoon J; Gundogdu, Kenan

2015-12-23

All-polymer solar cells exhibit rapid progress in power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 2 to 7.7% over the past few years. While this improvement is primarily attributed to efficient charge transport and balanced mobility between the carriers, not much is known about the charge generation dynamics in these systems. Here we measured exciton relaxation and charge separation dynamics using ultrafast spectroscopy in polymer/polymer blends with different molecular packing and morphology. These measurements indicate that preferential face-on configuration with intermixed nanomorphology increases the charge generation efficiency. In fact, there is a direct quantitative correlation between the free charge population in the ultrafast time scales and the external quantum efficiency, suggesting not only the transport but also charge generation is key for the design of high performance all polymer solar cells.

Impact of service attributes on customer satisfaction and loyalty in a healthcare context.

PubMed

Lonial, Subash; Raju, P S

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived service attributes in the development of overall customer satisfaction (OCS) and customer loyalty (CL) in a health-care setting. This paper also sheds light on the role of hospitalist physicians (HPs) and offers suggestions to improve patient satisfaction and loyalty. A telephone survey was used to collect data from recently hospitalized patients with respect to their HP. Structural equations modeling (SEM) was used to confirm the overall relationships between perceived service quality (PSQ), OCS and CL. The sample was then divided into customer relationship groups (CRGs) based on satisfaction and loyalty measures. Discriminant analysis was used to determine which attributes differentiated most between high and low satisfaction and loyalty groups. Overall relationships among PSQ, OCS and CL were in conformity with the conceptual model. Findings also revealed that service attributes played an important role in distinguishing between high and low satisfaction and loyalty groups, although some attributes were more important than others and different attributes emerged as being key influencers for satisfaction and loyalty. The conceptual model used is a fairly straight forward model, and we have not considered the impact of individual factors such as expectations and value perceptions or involvement levels and demographic characteristics on service quality and overall satisfaction. The data for this study were provided by a major health maintenance organization (HMO), and there is room for improvement in the manner in which certain constructs were measured. For example, OCS, recommendation and retention all used single item measures, and it might have been preferable to use multiple item measures for these constructs. The study shows that organizations can benefit by identifying and focusing on critical attributes as part of their customer relationship management program. The SEM results provide strong support for the overall model linking service quality, OCS and CL in a health-care setting. As one would expect, PSQ has a strong impact on OCS, which, in turn, has a fairly strong impact on CL. However, there is also a significant direct linkage between PSQ and CL. This linkage shows that at least a certain portion of CL could evolve independent of the satisfaction level with the HP. This shows that, in addition to trying to improve satisfaction, organizations should also explore influencing loyalty directly, perhaps by the strategic use of service attribute perceptions. The study shows that customer perceptions at the service attribute level can often be the key to the generation and management of customer satisfaction and loyalty. It also has significance for how satisfaction and loyalty with HPs can be improved in a hospital setting.

Spillover Effects of Voluntary Environmental Programs on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Lessons from Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henriques, Irene; Husted, Bryan W.; Montiel, Ivan

2013-01-01

We compare the environmental performance of voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) with different attributes. Using club theory, we argue that the differential performance of VEPs is due in part to their specific design attributes that will either enhance or diminish their ability to improve both targeted and untargeted environmental impacts. We…

Teachers' Ability and Help Attributions and Children's Math Performance and Task Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tõeväli, Paula-Karoliina; Kikas, Eve

2016-01-01

The present longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relationships between teachers' causal attributions and children's math performance and task persistence. In total, 760 elementary school children and their teachers participated in this study. The children were tested in math twice, at the end of the second and third grades. At both time…

Instructor Responses to Poor Student Communication Performance: An Attributional Interpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiechtner, Susan Brown; Krayer, Karl J.

A study was conducted (1) to investigate factors that influence an instructor's choice of behavior when confronted with incidents of students' poor communication performance, and (2) to demonstrate how attribution theory can be used as a vehicle for describing and understanding the causes of instructor reactions or behaviors. The study sought to…

Sex Differences in Attribution of Achievement and Actual Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkut, Sumru

One-hundred-seventy-six male and 116 female college freshmen took part in a questionnaire study of sex differences in attribution of achievemnt. Achievement was operationalized as grade point index, a performance measure of significance to the subjects, where success-failure feedback is contingent on one's own performance. The best predictor of…

Motivation across Domains: Do Goals and Attributions Change with Subject Matter for Grades 4 and 5 Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogler, Jane S.; Bakken, Linda

2007-01-01

This study explored a theory for motivation which included aspects of both attribution theory and goal theory. Motivational variables included beliefs about intelligence (entity or incremental), goal orientation (mastery/learning, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) and avoidant behaviours. Grades 4 and 5 students from a large,…

Stimulated Motion Suppression (STMS): a New Approach to Break the Resolution Barrier for Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiaoyu; Liu, Xinwei; Chiang, Spencer; Cao, Wenbo; Li, Ming; Ouyang, Zheng

2018-05-01

Ion trap is an excellent platform to perform tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), but has an intrinsic drawback in resolving power. Using ion resonant ejection as an example, the resolution degradation can be largely attributed to the broadening of the resonant frequency band (RFB) between ion motion and driving alternative-current (AC). To solve this problem, stimulated motion suppression (STMS) was developed. The key idea of STMS is the use of two suppression alternative-current (SAC) signals, which both have reversed initial phases to the main AC. The SACs can block the unexpected sideband ion resonances (or ejections), therefore playing a key role in sharpening the RFB. The proof-of-concept has been demonstrated through ion trajectory simulations and validated experimentally. STMS provides a new and versatile means for the improvement of the ion trap resolution, which for a long time has reached the bottleneck through conventional methods, e.g., increasing the radio-frequency (RF) voltage and decreasing the mass scan rate. At the end, it is worth noting that the idea of STMS is very general and principally can be applied in any RF device for the purposes of high-resolution mass analysis and ion isolation.

Exploring performance issues for a clinical database organized using an entity-attribute-value representation.

PubMed

Chen, R S; Nadkarni, P; Marenco, L; Levin, F; Erdos, J; Miller, P L

2000-01-01

The entity-attribute-value representation with classes and relationships (EAV/CR) provides a flexible and simple database schema to store heterogeneous biomedical data. In certain circumstances, however, the EAV/CR model is known to retrieve data less efficiently than conventionally based database schemas. To perform a pilot study that systematically quantifies performance differences for database queries directed at real-world microbiology data modeled with EAV/CR and conventional representations, and to explore the relative merits of different EAV/CR query implementation strategies. Clinical microbiology data obtained over a ten-year period were stored using both database models. Query execution times were compared for four clinically oriented attribute-centered and entity-centered queries operating under varying conditions of database size and system memory. The performance characteristics of three different EAV/CR query strategies were also examined. Performance was similar for entity-centered queries in the two database models. Performance in the EAV/CR model was approximately three to five times less efficient than its conventional counterpart for attribute-centered queries. The differences in query efficiency became slightly greater as database size increased, although they were reduced with the addition of system memory. The authors found that EAV/CR queries formulated using multiple, simple SQL statements executed in batch were more efficient than single, large SQL statements. This paper describes a pilot project to explore issues in and compare query performance for EAV/CR and conventional database representations. Although attribute-centered queries were less efficient in the EAV/CR model, these inefficiencies may be addressable, at least in part, by the use of more powerful hardware or more memory, or both.

ESIM: Edge Similarity for Screen Content Image Quality Assessment.

PubMed

Ni, Zhangkai; Ma, Lin; Zeng, Huanqiang; Chen, Jing; Cai, Canhui; Ma, Kai-Kuang

2017-10-01

In this paper, an accurate full-reference image quality assessment (IQA) model developed for assessing screen content images (SCIs), called the edge similarity (ESIM), is proposed. It is inspired by the fact that the human visual system (HVS) is highly sensitive to edges that are often encountered in SCIs; therefore, essential edge features are extracted and exploited for conducting IQA for the SCIs. The key novelty of the proposed ESIM lies in the extraction and use of three salient edge features-i.e., edge contrast, edge width, and edge direction. The first two attributes are simultaneously generated from the input SCI based on a parametric edge model, while the last one is derived directly from the input SCI. The extraction of these three features will be performed for the reference SCI and the distorted SCI, individually. The degree of similarity measured for each above-mentioned edge attribute is then computed independently, followed by combining them together using our proposed edge-width pooling strategy to generate the final ESIM score. To conduct the performance evaluation of our proposed ESIM model, a new and the largest SCI database (denoted as SCID) is established in our work and made to the public for download. Our database contains 1800 distorted SCIs that are generated from 40 reference SCIs. For each SCI, nine distortion types are investigated, and five degradation levels are produced for each distortion type. Extensive simulation results have clearly shown that the proposed ESIM model is more consistent with the perception of the HVS on the evaluation of distorted SCIs than the multiple state-of-the-art IQA methods.

Learning to Reason: A Journey of Professional Socialisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajjawi, Rola; Higgs, Joy

2008-01-01

One of the key attributes that health professional students and new graduates develop during professional socialisation is clinical reasoning ability. Clinical reasoning is a complex skill that is essential for professional practice. There is limited research specifically addressing how physiotherapists learn to reason in the workplace. The…

Slowing of the HIV Epidemic in Ukraine: Evidence from Case Reporting and Key Population Surveys, 2005–2012

PubMed Central

Vitek, Charles R.; Čakalo, Jurja-Ivana; Kruglov, Yuri V.; Dumchev, Konstantin V.; Salyuk, Tetyana O.; Božičević, Ivana; Baughman, Andrew L.; Spindler, Hilary H.; Martsynovska, Violetta A.; Kobyshcha, Yuri V.; Abdul-Quader, Abu S.; Rutherford, George W.

2014-01-01

Background Ukraine developed Europe's most severe HIV epidemic due to widespread transmission among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Since 2004, prevention has focused on key populations; antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage has increased. Recent data show increases in reported HIV cases through 2011, especially attributed to sexual transmission, but also signs of potential epidemic slowing. We conducted a data triangulation exercise to better analyze available data and inform program implementation. Methods and Findings We reviewed data for 2005 to 2012 from multiple sources, primarily national HIV case reporting and integrated biobehavioral surveillance (IBBS) studies among key populations. Annually reported HIV cases increased at a progressively slower rate through 2011 with recent increases only among older, more immunosuppressed individuals; cases decreased 2.7% in 2012. Among women <25 years of age, cases attributed to heterosexual transmission and HIV prevalence in antenatal screening declined after 2008. Reported cases among young PWID declined by three-fourths. In 2011, integrated biobehavioral surveillance demonstrated decreased HIV prevalence among young members of key populations compared with 2009. HIV infection among female sex workers (FSW) remains strongly associated with a personal history of injecting drug use (IDU). Conclusions This analysis suggests that Ukraine's HIV epidemic has slowed, with decreasing reported cases and older cases predominating among those diagnosed. Recent decreases in cases and in prevalence support decreased incidence among young PWID and women. Trends among heterosexual men and men who have sex with men (MSM) are less clear; further study and enhanced MSM prevention are needed. FSW appear to have stable prevalence with risk strongly associated with IDU. Current trends suggest the Ukrainian epidemic can be contained with enhanced prevention among key populations and increased treatment access. PMID:25251080

Income inequality and alcohol attributable harm in Australia.

PubMed

Dietze, Paul M; Jolley, Damien J; Chikritzhs, Tanya N; Clemens, Susan; Catalano, Paul; Stockwell, Tim

2009-02-25

There is little research on the relationship between key socioeconomic variables and alcohol related harms in Australia. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between income inequality and the rates of alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and death at a local-area level in Australia. We conducted a cross sectional ecological analysis at a Local Government Area (LGA) level of associations between data on alcohol caused harms and income inequality data after adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness of LGAs.The main outcome measures used were matched rate ratios for four measures of alcohol caused harm; acute (primarily related to the short term consequences of drinking) and chronic (primarily related to the long term consequences of drinking) alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and acute and chronic alcohol-attributable death. Matching was undertaken using control conditions (non-alcohol-attributable) at an LGA level. A total of 885 alcohol-attributable deaths and 19467 alcohol-attributable hospitalisations across all LGAs were available for analysis. After weighting by the total number of cases in each LGA, the matched rate ratios of acute and chronic alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and chronic alcohol-attributable death were associated with the squared centred Gini coefficients of LGAs. This relationship was evident after adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness of LGAs. For both measures of hospitalisation the relationship was curvilinear; increases in income inequality were initially associated with declining rates of hospitalisation followed by large increases as the Gini coefficient increased beyond 0.15. The pattern for chronic alcohol-attributable death was similar, but without the initial decrease. There was no association between income inequality and acute alcohol-attributable death, probably due to the relatively small number of these types of death. We found a curvilinear relationship between income inequality and the rates of some types of alcohol-attributable hospitalisation and death at a local area level in Australia. While alcohol-attributable harms generally increased with increasing income inequality, alcohol-attributable hospitalisations actually showed the reverse relationship at low levels of income inequality. The curvilinear patterns we observed are inconsistent with monotonic trends found in previous research making our findings incompatible with previous explanations of the relationship between income inequality and health related harms.

Worldwide burden of cancer attributable to HPV by site, country and HPV type

PubMed Central

Plummer, Martyn; Vignat, Jerome; Franceschi, Silvia

2017-01-01

HPV is the cause of almost all cervical cancer and is responsible for a substantial fraction of other anogenital cancers and oropharyngeal cancers. Understanding the HPV‐attributable cancer burden can boost programs of HPV vaccination and HPV‐based cervical screening. Attributable fractions (AFs) and the relative contributions of different HPV types were derived from published studies reporting on the prevalence of transforming HPV infection in cancer tissue. Maps of age‐standardized incidence rates of HPV‐attributable cancers by country from GLOBOCAN 2012 data are shown separately for the cervix, other anogenital tract and head and neck cancers. The relative contribution of HPV16/18 and HPV6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 was also estimated. 4.5% of all cancers worldwide (630,000 new cancer cases per year) are attributable to HPV: 8.6% in women and 0.8% in men. AF in women ranges from <3% in Australia/New Zealand and the USA to >20% in India and sub‐Saharan Africa. Cervix accounts for 83% of HPV‐attributable cancer, two‐thirds of which occur in less developed countries. Other HPV‐attributable anogenital cancer includes 8,500 vulva; 12,000 vagina; 35,000 anus (half occurring in men) and 13,000 penis. In the head and neck, HPV‐attributable cancers represent 38,000 cases of which 21,000 are oropharyngeal cancers occurring in more developed countries. The relative contributions of HPV16/18 and HPV6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 are 73% and 90%, respectively. Universal access to vaccination is the key to avoiding most cases of HPV‐attributable cancer. The preponderant burden of HPV16/18 and the possibility of cross‐protection emphasize the importance of the introduction of more affordable vaccines in less developed countries. PMID:28369882

Spouse Criticism/Hostility Toward Partners with Chronic Pain: The Role of Spouse Attributions for Patient Control over Pain Behaviors.

PubMed

Burns, John W; Gerhart, James; Post, Kristina M; Smith, David A; Porter, Laura S; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Fras, Anne Marie; Keefe, Francis J

2018-06-01

Spouse attributions regarding displays of pain behaviors by their partners with chronic pain may account for subsequent increases in spouse critical/hostile responses toward their partners. People with chronic low back pain (n = 105) and their pain-free spouses (n = 105) completed electronic diary measures five times per day for 14 consecutive days. Key items assessed spouse observations of patient pain behavior, attributions regarding these behaviors, and spouse critical/hostile responses toward patients. Results were: a) spouse observations of patient pain behavior at Time 1 predicted high levels of spouse critical/hostile responses toward the patient at Time 2; b) "internal" attributions (e.g., the patient was attempting to influence spouse's feelings) at Time 1 predicted high levels of spouse critical/hostile responses toward the patient at Time 2; c) internal attributions mediated links between spouse observed pain behaviors at Time 1 and levels of spouse critical/hostile responses at Time 2. Spouse observations of patient pain behavior was also related to an "external" attribution (i.e., patient pain behavior was due to pain condition), but this attribution was not a significant mediator. A vital factor linking spouse scrutiny to spouse critical/hostile responses may be the spouse's ascribed reasons for the patient's grimacing, bracing, complaining, and so forth. Results indicate that spouse internal and negative attributions for pain behaviors of their partners with chronic pain may influence subsequent spouse critical/hostile reactions to them. Findings suggest that replacing spouse internal and negative attributions with external, compassionate and accepting explanations may be useful therapeutic targets for couples coping with chronic pain. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation.

PubMed

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-05-17

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional "encrypt-then-sign" or "sign-then-encrypt" strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation.

Framing Extreme Event Attribution from the Bottom up - an Enquiry into the Social Representations of key stakeholders, of the Press and of Climate Scientists.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanderlinden, J. P.; Fellmer, M.; Capellini, N.; Meinke, I.; Remvikos, Y.; Bray, D.; Pacteau, C.; Von Storch, H.

2014-12-01

Attribution of extreme weather events has recently generated a lot of interest simultaneously within the general public, the scientific community, and stakeholders affected by meteorological extremes. This interest calls for the need to explore the potential convergence of the current atttribution science with the desire and needs of stakeholders. Such an euiry contributes to the development of climate services aiming at quantifying the human responsibility for particular events. Through interviews with climate scientists, through the analysis of the press coverage of extreme meteorological events, and through stakeholder (private sector, covernment services and local and regional government) focus groups, we analyze how social representations of the concepts associated with extreme event attribution are theorized. From the corpuses generated in the course of this enquiry, we build up a grounded, bottom-up, theorization of extreme weather event attribution. This bottom-up theorization allows for a framing of the potential climate services in a way that is attuned to the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. From apparently simple formulations: "what is an extreme event?", "what makes it extreme?", "what is meant by attribution of extreme weather events?", "what do we want to attribute?", "what is a climate service?", we demonstrate the polysemy of these terms and propose ways to address the challenges associated with the juxtaposition of four highly loaded concepts: extreme - event - attribution - climate services.

Spatiotemporal conceptual platform for querying archaeological information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partsinevelos, Panagiotis; Sartzetaki, Mary; Sarris, Apostolos

2015-04-01

Spatial and temporal distribution of archaeological sites has been shown to associate with several attributes including marine, water, mineral and food resources, climate conditions, geomorphological features, etc. In this study, archeological settlement attributes are evaluated under various associations in order to provide a specialized query platform in a geographic information system (GIS). Towards this end, a spatial database is designed to include a series of archaeological findings for a secluded geographic area of Crete in Greece. The key categories of the geodatabase include the archaeological type (palace, burial site, village, etc.), temporal information of the habitation/usage period (pre Minoan, Minoan, Byzantine, etc.), and the extracted geographical attributes of the sites (distance to sea, altitude, resources, etc.). Most of the related spatial attributes are extracted with readily available GIS tools. Additionally, a series of conceptual data attributes are estimated, including: Temporal relation of an era to a future one in terms of alteration of the archaeological type, topologic relations of various types and attributes, spatial proximity relations between various types. These complex spatiotemporal relational measures reveal new attributes towards better understanding of site selection for prehistoric and/or historic cultures, yet their potential combinations can become numerous. Therefore, after the quantification of the above mentioned attributes, they are classified as of their importance for archaeological site location modeling. Under this new classification scheme, the user may select a geographic area of interest and extract only the important attributes for a specific archaeological type. These extracted attributes may then be queried against the entire spatial database and provide a location map of possible new archaeological sites. This novel type of querying is robust since the user does not have to type a standard SQL query but graphically select an area of interest. In addition, according to the application at hand, novel spatiotemporal attributes and relations can be supported, towards the understanding of historical settlement patterns.

Self Views of African American Youth are Related to the Gender Stereotypes and Academic Attributions of Their Mothers.

PubMed

Rowley, Stephanie; Kurtz-Costes, Beth; Rouland, Karmen

2013-01-01

We examined relations among African American mothers' ( N = 392) stereotypes about gender differences in mathematics, science, and reading performance, parents' attributions about their children's academic successes and failures, and their seventh and eighth grade children's academic self-views (domain-specific ability attributions and self-concept). Parents' stereotypes about gender differences in abilities were related to their ability attributions for their children's successes and failures within academic domains. Mothers' attributions, in turn, were related to children's attributions, particularly among girls. Mothers' attributions of their children's successes to domain-specific ability were related to the self-concepts of daughters, and failure attributions were related to domain-specific self-concepts of sons. The influences of parents' beliefs on young adolescents' identity beliefs are discussed.

Asian American Parents' Attributions of Children with Down Syndrome: Connections with Child Characteristics and Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ly, Tran M.

2008-01-01

This study explores cultural differences between European American (n = 26) and Asian American (n = 17) parents' attributional ratings of children with Down syndrome. Links were examined among parents' attributions, reactions, and behaviors regarding their child's jigsaw-puzzle performance. Although the children's puzzle abilities did not differ,…

The Attributional Responses of Young Female Athletes after Winning, Tying, and Losing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scanlan, Tara K.; Passer, Michael W.

1980-01-01

This study examined the attributions of female athletes for their personal and their team's performance after winning, tying, and losing a competitive soccer game. Players' attributions were made to the internal factors of ability and effort and to the external factors of opponent difficulty and luck. (Authors/CJ)

Does intrinsic light heterogeneity in Ricinus communis L. monospecific thickets drive species' population dynamics?

PubMed

Goyal, Neha; Shah, Kanhaiya; Sharma, Gyan Prakash

2018-06-19

Ricinus communis L. colonizes heterogeneous urban landscapes as monospecific thickets. The ecological understanding on colonization success of R. communis population due to variable light availability is lacking. Therefore, to understand the effect of intrinsic light heterogeneity on species' population dynamics, R. communis populations exposed to variable light availability (low, intermediate, and high) were examined for performance strategies through estimation of key vegetative, eco-physiological, biochemical, and reproductive traits. Considerable variability existed in studied plant traits in response to available light. Individuals inhabiting high-light conditions exhibited high eco-physiological efficiency and reproductive performance that potentially confers population boom. Individuals exposed to low light showed poor performance in terms of eco-physiology and reproduction, which attribute to bust. However, individuals in intermediate light were observed to be indeterminate to light availability, potentially undergoing trait modulations with uncertainty of available light. Heterogeneous light availability potentially drives the boom and bust cycles in R. communis monospecific thickets. Such boom and bust cycles subsequently affect species' dominance, persistence, collapse, and/or resurgence as an aggressive colonizer in contrasting urban environments. The study fosters extensive monitoring of R. communis thickets to probe underlying mechanism(s) affecting expansions and/or collapses of colonizing populations.

Talent identification in youth soccer.

PubMed

Unnithan, Viswanath; White, Jordan; Georgiou, Andreas; Iga, John; Drust, Barry

2012-01-01

The purpose of this review article was firstly to evaluate the traditional approach to talent identification in youth soccer and secondly present pilot data on a more holistic method for talent identification. Research evidence exists to suggest that talent identification mechanisms that are predicated upon the physical (anthropometric) attributes of the early maturing individual only serve to identify current performance levels. Greater body mass and stature have both been related to faster ball shooting speed and vertical jump capacity respectively in elite youth soccer players. This approach, however, may prematurely exclude those late maturing individuals. Multiple physiological measures have also been used in an effort to determine key predictors of performance; with agility and sprint times, being identified as variables that could discriminate between elite and sub-elite groups of adolescent soccer players. Successful soccer performance is the product of multiple systems interacting with one another. Consequently, a more holistic approach to talent identification should be considered. Recent work, with elite youth soccer players, has considered whether multiple small-sided games could act as a talent identification tool in this population. The results demonstrated that there was a moderate agreement between the more technically gifted soccer player and success during multiple small-sided games.

Combining surface reanalysis and remote sensing data for monitoring evapotranspiration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marshall, M.; Tu, K.; Funk, C.; Michaelsen, J.; Williams, Pat; Williams, C.; Ardö, J.; Marie, B.; Cappelaere, B.; Grandcourt, A.; Nickless, A.; Noubellon, Y.; Scholes, R.; Kutsch, W.

2012-01-01

Climate change is expected to have the greatest impact on the world's poor. In the Sahel, a climatically sensitive region where rain-fed agriculture is the primary livelihood, expected decreases in water supply will increase food insecurity. Studies on climate change and the intensification of the water cycle in sub-Saharan Africa are few. This is due in part to poor calibration of modeled actual evapotranspiration (AET), a key input in continental-scale hydrologic models. In this study, a model driven by dynamic canopy AET was combined with the Global Land Data Assimilation System realization of the NOAH Land Surface Model (GNOAH) wet canopy and soil AET for monitoring purposes in sub-Saharan Africa. The performance of the hybrid model was compared against AET from the GNOAH model and dynamic model using eight eddy flux towers representing major biomes of sub-Saharan Africa. The greatest improvements in model performance are at humid sites with dense vegetation, while performance at semi-arid sites is poor, but better than individual models. The reduction in errors using the hybrid model can be attributed to the integration of a dynamic vegetation component with land surface model estimates, improved model parameterization, and reduction of multiplicative effects of uncertain data.

SOURCE ATTRIBUTION OF RADIATIVE FORCING FROM SHORT LIVED CLIMATE FORCING AGENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The immediate project result is quantification of the pre-industrial to present forcing for anthropogenic emissions, the radiative effects of natural emissions, and spatial distribution of the radiative forcing efficiency for key aerosol and O3 precursors (i.e., mW/m^2<...

Planning for Success: Integrating Analysis with Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goho, James; Webb, Ken

2003-01-01

Describes a successful strategic planning process at a large community college, which linked the analytic inputs of research with the authority and intuition of leaders. Reports key factors attributed to the process' success, including a collegial and organized structure, detailed project management plans, and confidence in the environmental scan.…

Learning to Cure, but Learning to Care?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalec, Barret

2011-01-01

Utilizing interviews with students and a key administrator, analyses of academic schedules, and observations of courses, labs, and small groups, this study examines if and how elements of the explicit preclinical curriculum may have deleterious effects on medical students' humanitarian attributes, namely empathy. Findings from this case-study of a…

QUANTIFYING UNCERTAINTY IN NET PRIMARY PRODUCTION MEASUREMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

Net primary production (NPP, e.g., g m-2 yr-1), a key ecosystem attribute, is estimated from a combination of other variables, e.g. standing crop biomass at several points in time, each of which is subject to errors in their measurement. These errors propagate as the variables a...

Regional Monitoring of Coral Condition in the Florida Keys

Treesearch

William S. Fisher; Deborah L. Santavy; William P. Davis; Lee A. Courtney

2006-01-01

Tropical reef corals have experienced unprecedented levels of bleaching and disease during the last three decades. Declining health has been attributed to several stressors, including exposures to elevated water temperature, increased solar radiation, and degraded water quality. Consequences of coral bleaching and disease vary; some recover, while others lose tissue,...

Uneven-aged silviculture, southern style

Treesearch

James M. Guldin; James B. Baker

1998-01-01

Data spanning 60 years on uneven-aged loblolly-shortleaf pine stands in Arkansas show that two regulation methods have been successful in regulating stand development. Key attributes of these methods are that regulation is more important than balance, residual basal area drives stand development, and regeneration is the first indicator of sustainability. Marking uneven...

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options study. Volume 7-1: Data book. Science and applications missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

User requirements for space station use are presented for the following areas: space environments, astrophysics, Earth observations, and life science. Also included are a summary of study tasks and final reports, a topical cross reference, key team members, and acronyms and abbreviations.

Student-Accessible Science Texts: Elements of Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McTigue, Erin M.; Slough, Scott W.

2010-01-01

Within this article, we introduce our conception of text accessibility. First, we synthesize recent research on informational text quality and present key attributes proven to contribute to comprehension of science texts beyond the readability formula. These features include (a) the concreteness of text, (b) the voice of the author, (c) coherent…

Visualizing and quantifying microtopographic change of dryland landscapes from an unmanned aircraft system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background/Question/Methods: Soil and site stability are key attributes of assessing the health of dryland landscapes because these lands are susceptible to high rates of wind- and water-caused erosion. Field techniques for measuring and monitoring soil erosion in drylands are often labor intensive...

Understanding the Gender and Ethnicity Attainment Gap in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotton, D. R. E.; Joyner, M.; George, R.; Cotton, P. A.

2016-01-01

In recent years, the success rates of different groups of students in higher education have come under considerable scrutiny, with gender and ethnicity identified as key attributes predicting differential achievement of "good degrees". A review of previous studies highlights the need for research which looks beyond "the deficit…

Belonging: The Gateway to Global Learning for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braskamp, David C.; Braskamp, Larry A.; Glass, Chris R.

2015-01-01

For several years, the authors have been analyzing data from the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), a national survey that measures undergraduate students' ability to take a global perspective by examining cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal dimensions of this key attribute of global learning. The survey also probes the frequency of…

Emotional Intelligence and Medical Professionalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zayapragassarazan, Z.; Kumar, Santosh

2011-01-01

Studies have shown that IQ alone does not contribute to the professional success of medical professionals. Professionals who are trained to be clinically competent, but have inadequate social skills for practice have proved to be less successful in their profession. Emotional intelligence (EI), which has already proved to be a key attribute for…

Can a Library Building's Design Cue New Behaviors? A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Kelly, Mary; Scott-Webber, Lennie; Garrison, Julie; Meyer, Kristin

2017-01-01

This study explores the relationship between architecture and interior space on student engagement at a newly constructed academic library. Using an action, mixed-methods approach with a convenience sample, researchers evaluated 744 photographs, 125 behavioral observations, and six group interviews. Analysis revealed four key attributes of…

Watching what widlife want and need

Treesearch

Natasha Vizcarra; Mary Rowland; Christina Vojta

2016-01-01

National forests and grasslands are home to a diverse array of wildlife. To keep tabs on the general viability and wellbeing of these inhabitants, land managers need practical, defensible monitoring protocols. Population monitoring is one method. Another is habitat monitoring, which provides critical information about the quantity and quality of key habitat attributes...

The New Southern FIA Data Compilation System

Treesearch

V. Clark Baldwin; Larry Royer

2001-01-01

In general, the major national Forest Inventory and Analysis annual inventory emphasis has been on data-base design and not on data processing and calculation of various new attributes. Two key programming techniques required for efficient data processing are indexing and modularization. The Southern Research Station Compilation System utilizes modular and indexing...

Teaching Integrity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Sue; Butts, Jennifer Lease

2011-01-01

Integrity is one of those essential yet highly ambiguous concepts. For the purpose of this chapter, integrity is defined as that combination of both attributes and actions that makes entities appear to be whole and ethical, as well as consistent. Like the concepts of leadership or wisdom or community or collaboration, integrity is a key element of…

Individual sugar and acid composition within southeastern peach germplasm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

eaches grown in the southeast are valued for their acidic, sweet flavor. A complex mixture of various sugars and acids at different ratios play a key role in determining these unique peach flavor attributes. To understand the flavor profile of fresh market peaches, individual sugar and acid compone...

An Inside Track: Fostering Mathematical Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchheister, Kelley; Jackson, Christa; Taylor, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Classroom teachers may not initially consider games as opportunities for students to engage in deep mathematical thinking. However, this article reveals how a second grade veteran teacher used Attribute Trains, a game adapted from NCTM Illuminations, to foster his students' thinking related to key ideas within the Standards for Mathematical…

Relations among Parental Causal Attributions and Children's Math Performance and Task Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tõeväli, Paula-Karoliina; Kikas, Eve

2017-01-01

The present longitudinal study examined the cross-lagged relations between parental causal attributions of children's math success to children's ability, parental help, children's math performance and task persistence. A total of 735 children, their mothers, fathers and teachers were assessed twice--at the end of the second and the third grades.…

Growth and fillet quality attributes of five genetic strains of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared in a partial water reuse system and harvested at different sizes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genetics and environment can interact to influence fish growth performance and product quality attributes. Interaction in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) makes selection of fish strain and harvest sizes critical for optimizing fish quality. Definition of growth performance and quality outcom...

Attention, Exposure Duration, and Gaze Shifting in Naming Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roelofs, Ardi

2011-01-01

Two experiments are reported in which the role of attribute exposure duration in naming performance was examined by tracking eye movements. Participants were presented with color-word Stroop stimuli and left- or right-pointing arrows on different sides of a computer screen. They named the color attribute and shifted their gaze to the arrow to…

Gender-Based Behavioral Analysis for End-User Development and the "RULES" Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tzafilkou, Katerina; Protogeros, Nicolaos; Karagiannidis, Charalampos; Koumpis, Adamantios

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the role of gender in End-User Development (EUD) environments and examines whether there are gender differences in performance and in correlations between performance and a set of behavioral attributes. Based on a review of the most prominent EUD-related behavioral Human Computer Interaction (HCI) theories, and the influence…

NDARC-NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft Theoretical Basis and Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne

2010-01-01

The theoretical basis and architecture of the conceptual design tool NDARC (NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft) are described. The principal tasks of NDARC are to design (or size) a rotorcraft to satisfy specified design conditions and missions, and then analyze the performance of the aircraft for a set of off-design missions and point operating conditions. The aircraft consists of a set of components, including fuselage, rotors, wings, tails, and propulsion. For each component, attributes such as performance, drag, and weight can be calculated. The aircraft attributes are obtained from the sum of the component attributes. NDARC provides a capability to model general rotorcraft configurations, and estimate the performance and attributes of advanced rotor concepts. The software has been implemented with low-fidelity models, typical of the conceptual design environment. Incorporation of higher-fidelity models will be possible, as the architecture of the code accommodates configuration flexibility, a hierarchy of models, and ultimately multidisciplinary design, analysis and optimization.

Asian American parents' attributions of children with Down syndrome: connections with child characteristics and culture.

PubMed

Ly, Tran M

2008-04-01

This study explores cultural differences between European American (n = 26) and Asian American (n = 17) parents' attributional ratings of children with Down syndrome. Links were examined among parents' attributions, reactions, and behaviors regarding their child's jigsaw-puzzle performance. Although the children's puzzle abilities did not differ, compared with European American parents, Asian American parents judged their child as less successful and had lower expectations for future success. Asian American parents also attributed the child's performance to lower ability and lower effort. Affectively, they indicated less sympathy and more anger and blame toward the child. Despite striking ethnic differences, parents in both groups judged their older children as more successful and reported offering them less encouragement and help. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Exploring the social brain in schizophrenia: left prefrontal underactivation during mental state attribution.

PubMed

Russell, T A; Rubia, K; Bullmore, E T; Soni, W; Suckling, J; Brammer, M J; Simmons, A; Williams, S C; Sharma, T

2000-12-01

Evidence suggests that patients with schizophrenia have a deficit in "theory of mind," i.e., interpretation of the mental state of others. The authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the hypothesis that patients with schizophrenia have a dysfunction in brain regions responsible for mental state attribution. Mean brain activation in five male patients with schizophrenia was compared to that in seven comparison subjects during performance of a task involving attribution of mental state. During performance of the mental state attribution task, the patients made more errors and showed less blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal in the left inferior frontal gyrus. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first functional MRI study to show a deficit in the left prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia during a socioemotional task.

Application of Bayesian techniques to model the burden of human salmonellosis attributable to U.S. food commodities at the point of processing: adaptation of a Danish model.

PubMed

Guo, Chuanfa; Hoekstra, Robert M; Schroeder, Carl M; Pires, Sara Monteiro; Ong, Kanyin Liane; Hartnett, Emma; Naugle, Alecia; Harman, Jane; Bennett, Patricia; Cieslak, Paul; Scallan, Elaine; Rose, Bonnie; Holt, Kristin G; Kissler, Bonnie; Mbandi, Evelyne; Roodsari, Reza; Angulo, Frederick J; Cole, Dana

2011-04-01

Mathematical models that estimate the proportion of foodborne illnesses attributable to food commodities at specific points in the food chain may be useful to risk managers and policy makers to formulate public health goals, prioritize interventions, and document the effectiveness of mitigations aimed at reducing illness. Using human surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Salmonella testing data from U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service's regulatory programs, we developed a point-of-processing foodborne illness attribution model by adapting the Hald Salmonella Bayesian source attribution model. Key model outputs include estimates of the relative proportions of domestically acquired sporadic human Salmonella infections resulting from contamination of raw meat, poultry, and egg products processed in the United States from 1998 through 2003. The current model estimates the relative contribution of chicken (48%), ground beef (28%), turkey (17%), egg products (6%), intact beef (1%), and pork (<1%) across 109 Salmonella serotypes found in food commodities at point of processing. While interpretation of the attribution estimates is constrained by data inputs, the adapted model shows promise and may serve as a basis for a common approach to attribution of human salmonellosis and food safety decision-making in more than one country. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

LiDAR-based TWI and terrain attributes in improving parametric predictor for tree growth in southeast Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamedou, Cheikh; Tokola, Timo; Eerikäinen, Kalle

2017-10-01

The effect of soil moisture content on vegetation and therefore on growth is well known. Information about the growth of forest stands is key in forest planning and management, and is the concern of various stakeholders. One way to assess moisture content and its impacts on forest growth is to apply the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) and the derived terrain attributes from the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). The TWI is an important terrain attribute, used in various ecological studies. In the current study, a total of 9987 tally trees within 197 sample plots in southeastern Finland and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) -based TWI were selected to examine: 1) the effect of cell resolutions and focal statistics of neighborhood cells of DTM, on tree diameter increment, and 2) possibilities to improve the prediction accuracy of an existing single-tree growth model using the terrain attributes and TWI with the combined effects of three characteristics (i.e., cell resolutions, neighborhood cells and terrain attributes). The results suggest that the TWI with terrain attributes improved the growth estimation significantly, and within different site types the Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) were lowered substantially. The best results were obtained for birch trees. The higher resolution of the DTM and the lower focal neighborhood cells were found to be the best alternative in computing the TWI.

Application of Bayesian Techniques to Model the Burden of Human Salmonellosis Attributable to U.S. Food Commodities at the Point of Processing: Adaptation of a Danish Model

PubMed Central

Guo, Chuanfa; Hoekstra, Robert M.; Schroeder, Carl M.; Pires, Sara Monteiro; Ong, Kanyin Liane; Hartnett, Emma; Naugle, Alecia; Harman, Jane; Bennett, Patricia; Cieslak, Paul; Scallan, Elaine; Rose, Bonnie; Holt, Kristin G.; Kissler, Bonnie; Mbandi, Evelyne; Roodsari, Reza; Angulo, Frederick J.

2011-01-01

Abstract Mathematical models that estimate the proportion of foodborne illnesses attributable to food commodities at specific points in the food chain may be useful to risk managers and policy makers to formulate public health goals, prioritize interventions, and document the effectiveness of mitigations aimed at reducing illness. Using human surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Salmonella testing data from U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service's regulatory programs, we developed a point-of-processing foodborne illness attribution model by adapting the Hald Salmonella Bayesian source attribution model. Key model outputs include estimates of the relative proportions of domestically acquired sporadic human Salmonella infections resulting from contamination of raw meat, poultry, and egg products processed in the United States from 1998 through 2003. The current model estimates the relative contribution of chicken (48%), ground beef (28%), turkey (17%), egg products (6%), intact beef (1%), and pork (<1%) across 109 Salmonella serotypes found in food commodities at point of processing. While interpretation of the attribution estimates is constrained by data inputs, the adapted model shows promise and may serve as a basis for a common approach to attribution of human salmonellosis and food safety decision-making in more than one country. PMID:21235394

Neighborhood Attributes Associated With the Social Environment.

PubMed

Child, Stephanie T; Schoffman, Danielle E; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Forthofer, Melinda; Wilcox, Sara; Baruth, Meghan

2016-11-01

To examine the association between specific attributes of neighborhood environments and four social environment measures. Data were collected as part of a baseline survey among participants enrolling in a walking intervention. Participants were recruited from a metropolitan area in a Southeastern state. Participants (n = 294) were predominantly African-American (67%) and female (86%), with some college education (79%) and a mean age of 49. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Environment Module assessed perceptions about neighborhood attributes. The social environment was assessed using three distinct scales: social cohesion, social interactions with neighbors, and social support for physical activity from family and friends. Multiple regression models examined associations between neighborhood attributes and social environment measures, adjusting for demographic variables. Having walkable destinations and having access to amenities and transit stops were associated with increased interactions with neighbors (b = 1.32, 1.04, and 1.68, respectively, p < .05). Attributes related to structural support for physical activity (sidewalks, street connectivity, recreation facilities) were associated with increased interactions with neighbors (b = 1.47, 1.34, and 1.13, respectively, p < .05). Bicycling facilities that were maintained (i.e., bike lanes, racks) were associated with social support for physical activity from family and friends (b = .43 and .30, respectively, p < .05). The study highlights key attributes of neighborhood environments that may be associated with the social context of such settings. © 2016 by American Journal of Health Promotion, Inc.

Pt-Pd Bimetal Popcorn Nanocrystals: Enhancing the Catalytic Performance by Combination Effect of Stable Multipetals Nanostructure and Highly Accessible Active Sites.

PubMed

Ma, Yanxia; Yin, Lisi; Cao, Guojian; Huang, Qingli; He, Maoshuai; Wei, Wenxian; Zhao, Hong; Zhang, Dongen; Wang, Mingyan; Yang, Tao

2018-04-01

Exploration of highly efficient electrocatalysts is significantly urgent for the extensive adoption of the fuel cells. Because of their high activity and super stability, Pt-Pd bimetal nanocrystals have been widely recognized as one class of promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction. This article presents the synthesis of popcorn-shaped Pt-Pd bimetal nanoparticles with a wide composition range through a facile hydrothermal strategy. The hollow-centered nanoparticles are surrounded by several petals and concave surfaces. By exploring the oxygen reduction reaction on the carbon supported Pt-Pd popcorns in perchloric acid solution, it is found that compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst the present catalysts display superior catalytic performances in aspects of catalytic activity and stability. More importantly, the Pt-Pd popcorns display minor performance degradations through prolonged potential cycling. The enhanced performances can be mainly attributed to the unique popcorn structure of the Pt-Pd components, which allows the appearance and long existence of the high active sites with more accessibility. The present work highlights the key roles of accessible high active sites in the oxygen reduction reaction, which will ultimately guide the design of highly durable Pt-Pd catalysts. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A transdiagnostic investigation of 'theory of mind' and 'jumping to conclusions' in patients with persecutory delusions.

PubMed

Corcoran, R; Rowse, G; Moore, R; Blackwood, N; Kinderman, P; Howard, R; Cummins, S; Bentall, R P

2008-11-01

A tendency to make hasty decisions on probabilistic reasoning tasks and a difficulty attributing mental states to others are key cognitive features of persecutory delusions (PDs) in the context of schizophrenia. This study examines whether these same psychological anomalies characterize PDs when they present in the context of psychotic depression. Performance on measures of probabilistic reasoning and theory of mind (ToM) was examined in five subgroups differing in diagnostic category and current illness status. The tendency to draw hasty decisions in probabilistic settings and poor ToM tested using story format feature in PDs irrespective of diagnosis. Furthermore, performance on the ToM story task correlated with the degree of distress caused by and preoccupation with the current PDs in the currently deluded groups. By contrast, performance on the non-verbal ToM task appears to be more sensitive to diagnosis, as patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders perform worse on this task than those with depression irrespective of the presence of PDs. The psychological anomalies associated with PDs examined here are transdiagnostic but different measures of ToM may be more or less sensitive to indices of severity of the PDs, diagnosis and trait- or state-related cognitive effects.

On Statistical Approaches for Demonstrating Analytical Similarity in the Presence of Correlation.

PubMed

Yang, Harry; Novick, Steven; Burdick, Richard K

Analytical similarity is the foundation for demonstration of biosimilarity between a proposed product and a reference product. For this assessment, currently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a tiered system in which quality attributes are categorized into three tiers commensurate with their risk and approaches of varying statistical rigor are subsequently used for the three-tier quality attributes. Key to the analyses of Tiers 1 and 2 quality attributes is the establishment of equivalence acceptance criterion and quality range. For particular licensure applications, the FDA has provided advice on statistical methods for demonstration of analytical similarity. For example, for Tier 1 assessment, an equivalence test can be used based on an equivalence margin of 1.5 σ R , where σ R is the reference product variability estimated by the sample standard deviation S R from a sample of reference lots. The quality range for demonstrating Tier 2 analytical similarity is of the form X̄ R ± K × σ R where the constant K is appropriately justified. To demonstrate Tier 2 analytical similarity, a large percentage (e.g., 90%) of test product must fall in the quality range. In this paper, through both theoretical derivations and simulations, we show that when the reference drug product lots are correlated, the sample standard deviation S R underestimates the true reference product variability σ R As a result, substituting S R for σ R in the Tier 1 equivalence acceptance criterion and the Tier 2 quality range inappropriately reduces the statistical power and the ability to declare analytical similarity. Also explored is the impact of correlation among drug product lots on Type I error rate and power. Three methods based on generalized pivotal quantities are introduced, and their performance is compared against a two-one-sided tests (TOST) approach. Finally, strategies to mitigate risk of correlation among the reference products lots are discussed. A biosimilar is a generic version of the original biological drug product. A key component of a biosimilar development is the demonstration of analytical similarity between the biosimilar and the reference product. Such demonstration relies on application of statistical methods to establish a similarity margin and appropriate test for equivalence between the two products. This paper discusses statistical issues with demonstration of analytical similarity and provides alternate approaches to potentially mitigate these problems. © PDA, Inc. 2016.

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

Holt, E.; Bird, L.

Renewable energy certificates (RECs) represent the attributes of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. These attributes are unbundled from the physical electricity, and the two products-the attributes embodied in the certificates and the commodity electricity-may be sold or traded separately. RECs are quickly becoming the currency of renewable energy markets because of their flexibility and the fact that they are not subject to the geographic and physical limitations of commodity electricity. RECs are currently used by utilities and marketers to supply renewable energy products to end-use customers as well as to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements, such as renewable energymore » mandates. The purpose of this report is to describe and analyze the emerging market for renewable energy certificates. It describes how RECs are marketed, examines RECs markets including scope and prices, and identifies and describes the key challenges facing the growth and success of RECs markets.« less

Attributing Crop Production in the United States Using Artificial Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Pan, B.

2017-12-01

Crop production plays key role in supporting life, economy and shaping environment. It is on one hand influenced by natural factors including precipitation, temperature, energy, and on the other hand shaped by the investment of fertilizers, pesticides and human power. Successful attributing of crop production to different factors can help optimize resources and improve productivity. Based on the meteorological records from National Center for Environmental Prediction and state-wise crop production related data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, an artificial neural network was constructed to connect crop production with precipitation and temperature anormlies, capital input, labor input, energy input, pesticide consumption and fertilizer consumption. Sensitivity analysis were carried out to attribute their specific influence on crop production for each grid. Results confirmed that the listed factors can generally determine the crop production. Different state response differently to the pertubation of predictands. Their spatial distribution is visulized and discussed.

Defining Attributes and Metrics of Effective Research Mentoring Relationships

PubMed Central

Byars-Winston, Angela; Branchaw, Janet; Hurtado, Sylvia; Eagan, Kevin

2016-01-01

Despite evidence of mentoring’s importance in training researchers, studies to date have not yet determined which mentoring relationships have the most impact and what specific factors in those mentoring relationships contribute to key outcomes, such as the commitment to and persistence in research career paths for emerging researchers from diverse populations. Efforts to broaden participation and persistence in biomedical research careers require an understanding of why and how mentoring relationships work and their impact, not only to research training but also to promoting career advancement. This paper proposes core attributes of effective mentoring relationships, as supported by the literature and suggested by theoretical models of academic persistence. In addition, both existing and developing metrics for measuring the effectiveness of these attributes within mentoring relationships across diverse groups are presented, as well as preliminary data on these metrics from the authors’ work. PMID:27062425

Cloud cover typing from environmental satellite imagery. Discriminating cloud structure with Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Logan, T. L.; Huning, J. R.; Glackin, D. L.

1983-01-01

The use of two dimensional Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) subjected to pattern recognition technology for the identification and classification of low altitude stratus cloud structure from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery was examined. The development of a scene independent pattern recognition methodology, unconstrained by conventional cloud morphological classifications was emphasized. A technique for extracting cloud shape, direction, and size attributes from GOES visual imagery was developed. These attributes were combined with two statistical attributes (cloud mean brightness, cloud standard deviation), and interrogated using unsupervised clustering amd maximum likelihood classification techniques. Results indicate that: (1) the key cloud discrimination attributes are mean brightness, direction, shape, and minimum size; (2) cloud structure can be differentiated at given pixel scales; (3) cloud type may be identifiable at coarser scales; (4) there are positive indications of scene independence which would permit development of a cloud signature bank; (5) edge enhancement of GOES imagery does not appreciably improve cloud classification over the use of raw data; and (6) the GOES imagery must be apodized before generation of FFTs.

Concept Analysis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

PubMed

Sekhon, Bikram

2017-05-23

Mental health nursing is not the same as psychiatry, so it is important for nurses to have an understanding of the defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, model cases, and empirical referents of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Walker and Avant's (2005) method is used to guide this concept analysis of PTSD. Four attributes arise from this concept analysis, which are addressed through both the DSM-IV and DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, /): triggering event or events, re-experiencing, fear, and helplessness. Though a majority of the defining attributes are addressed through both versions of the DSM, a key fifth attribute arises through this concept analysis: a disruption of meaning. A better understanding of PTSD from a nursing perspective will help inform appropriate nursing interventions and prevention strategies, while expanding the knowledge synthesis and contribution of the nursing profession. A model case, borderline case, and contrary case of PTSD are provided. Discussion of the importance of a lack or loss of meaning in PTSD is included, along with exploration of transformative learning theory to inform clinical practice for nurses addressing a disruption of meaning. © 2017 NANDA International, Inc.

Predicting phenotypes of asthma and eczema with machine learning

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background There is increasing recognition that asthma and eczema are heterogeneous diseases. We investigated the predictive ability of a spectrum of machine learning methods to disambiguate clinical sub-groups of asthma, wheeze and eczema, using a large heterogeneous set of attributes in an unselected population. The aim was to identify to what extent such heterogeneous information can be combined to reveal specific clinical manifestations. Methods The study population comprised a cross-sectional sample of adults, and included representatives of the general population enriched by subjects with asthma. Linear and non-linear machine learning methods, from logistic regression to random forests, were fit on a large attribute set including demographic, clinical and laboratory features, genetic profiles and environmental exposures. Outcome of interest were asthma, wheeze and eczema encoded by different operational definitions. Model validation was performed via bootstrapping. Results The study population included 554 adults, 42% male, 38% previous or current smokers. Proportion of asthma, wheeze, and eczema diagnoses was 16.7%, 12.3%, and 21.7%, respectively. Models were fit on 223 non-genetic variables plus 215 single nucleotide polymorphisms. In general, non-linear models achieved higher sensitivity and specificity than other methods, especially for asthma and wheeze, less for eczema, with areas under receiver operating characteristic curve of 84%, 76% and 64%, respectively. Our findings confirm that allergen sensitisation and lung function characterise asthma better in combination than separately. The predictive ability of genetic markers alone is limited. For eczema, new predictors such as bio-impedance were discovered. Conclusions More usefully-complex modelling is the key to a better understanding of disease mechanisms and personalised healthcare: further advances are likely with the incorporation of more factors/attributes and longitudinal measures. PMID:25077568

Public-health impact of outdoor air pollution for 2(nd) air pollution management policy in Seoul metropolitan area, Korea.

PubMed

Leem, Jong Han; Kim, Soon Tae; Kim, Hwan Cheol

2015-01-01

Air pollution contributes to mortality and morbidity. We estimated the impact of outdoor air pollution on public health in Seoul metropolitan area, Korea. Attributable cases of morbidity and mortality were estimated. Epidemiology-based exposure-response functions for a 10 μg/m3 increase in particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) were used to quantify the effects of air pollution. Cases attributable to air pollution were estimated for mortality (adults ≥ 30 years), respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions (all ages), chronic bronchitis (all ages), and acute bronchitis episodes (≤18 years). Environmental exposure (PM2.5 and PM10) was modeled for each 3 km × 3 km. In 2010, air pollution caused 15.9% of total mortality or approximately 15,346 attributable cases per year. Particulate air pollution also accounted for: 12,511 hospitalized cases of respiratory disease; 20,490 new cases of chronic bronchitis (adults); 278,346 episodes of acute bronchitis (children). After performing the 2(nd) Seoul metropolitan air pollution management plan, the reducible death number associated with air pollution is 14,915 cases per year in 2024. We can reduce 57.9% of death associated with air pollution. This assessment estimates the public-health impacts of current patterns of air pollution. Although individual health risks of air pollution are relatively small, the public-health consequences are remarkable. Particulate air pollution remains a key target for public-health action in the Seoul metropolitan area. Our results, which have also been used for economic valuation, should guide decisions on the assessment of environmental health-policy options.

Associations between media use and health in US children.

PubMed

Russ, Shirley A; Larson, Kandyce; Franke, Todd Michael; Halfon, Neal

2009-01-01

Television viewing has been associated with poorer health attributes, but relationships between computer use and health are less clear. The aim of this study was to determine associations between TV and computer use, both separately and combined, and health attributes in US children. We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses of cross-sectional data on 54 863 children ages 6 to 17 years who participated in the National Survey of Children's Health. Key independent variables were TV, computer, and combined media use; outcome variables were 6 measures of health. In models controlling for a wide range of sociodemographic variables, each additional hour of television viewing was associated with greater odds of overweight/obesity (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.02-1.08), poorer oral health (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.09), social-emotional problems (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05-1.11), concern about self-esteem, and lower social competence. Greater computer use was associated only with overweight/obesity (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07). Combined media use showed similar, but weaker, health associations to television viewing alone. Interaction analyses showed that TV viewing was associated with overweight/obesity only for white, not black or Hispanic, children. TV/video use is associated with a broader range of negative physical and social-emotional health attributes than computer use. Associations between media use and health are modest, but persistent at the population level. TV/video use reduction strategies may lead to improved physical and social-emotional population health. However, reductions in TV viewing may have little effect on overweight/obesity in black or Hispanic children. Mechanisms underlying observed health associations need further study.

False Belief Attribution in Children with Williams Syndrome: The Answer Is in The Emotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campos, R.; Martínez-Castilla, P.; Sotillo, M.

2017-01-01

Background: Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) show difficulties in attributing false beliefs, whereas they are better at attributing emotions. This study examines whether being asked about the emotion linked to a false belief, instead of explicitly about the belief, facilitates performance on theory of mind (ToM) tasks. Method: Thirty…

Value of College Education Mediating the Predictive Effects of Causal Attributions on Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Ying; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Obade, Masela; Gerszewski, Tammy; Ruthig, Joelle C.

2015-01-01

Causal attributions (explanations for outcomes) have been found to predict college students' academic success; however, not all students attributing success or failure to adaptive (i.e., controllable) causes perform well in university. Eccles et al.'s ("Achievement and achievement motives." W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 75-145, 1983)…

Academic Expectations, Attributed Responsibility, and Teachers' Reinforcement Behavior: A Comment on Cooper and Baron, with Some Additional Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Wulf-Uwe

1979-01-01

Cooper and Baron's conclusions (EJ 174 719) that teachers' performance expectations were more potent predictors of their reinforcement behavior in class than were their attributions of responsibility is criticized on the basis of methodological flaws in the study. Evidence associations between teachers' attributions of responsibility and their…

Self Views of African American Youth are Related to the Gender Stereotypes and Academic Attributions of Their Mothers

PubMed Central

Rowley, Stephanie; Kurtz-Costes, Beth; Rouland, Karmen

2012-01-01

We examined relations among African American mothers’ (N = 392) stereotypes about gender differences in mathematics, science, and reading performance, parents’ attributions about their children’s academic successes and failures, and their seventh and eighth grade children’s academic self-views (domain-specific ability attributions and self-concept). Parents’ stereotypes about gender differences in abilities were related to their ability attributions for their children’s successes and failures within academic domains. Mothers’ attributions, in turn, were related to children’s attributions, particularly among girls. Mothers’ attributions of their children’s successes to domain-specific ability were related to the self-concepts of daughters, and failure attributions were related to domain-specific self-concepts of sons. The influences of parents’ beliefs on young adolescents’ identity beliefs are discussed. PMID:23878519

Accurate monitoring leads to effective control and greater learning of patient education materials.

PubMed

Rawson, Katherine A; O'Neil, Rochelle; Dunlosky, John

2011-09-01

Effective management of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes) can depend on the extent to which patients can learn and remember disease-relevant information. In two experiments, we explored a technique motivated by theories of self-regulated learning for improving people's learning of information relevant to managing a chronic disease. Materials were passages from patient education booklets on diabetes from NIDDK. Session 1 included an initial study trial, Session 2 included self-regulated restudy, and Session 3 included a final memory test. The key manipulation concerned the kind of support provided for self-regulated learning during Session 2. In Experiment 1, participants either were prompted to self-test and then evaluate their learning before selecting passages to restudy, were shown the prompt questions but did not overtly self-test or evaluate learning prior to selecting passages, or were not shown any prompts and were simply given the menu for selecting passages to restudy. Participants who self-tested and evaluated learning during Session 2 had a small but significant advantage over the other groups on the final test. Secondary analyses provided evidence that the performance advantage may have been modest because of inaccurate monitoring. Experiment 2 included a group who also self-tested but who evaluated their learning using idea-unit judgments (i.e., by checking their responses against a list of key ideas from the correct response). Participants who self-tested and made idea-unit judgments exhibited a sizable advantage on final test performance. Secondary analyses indicated that the performance advantage was attributable in part to more accurate monitoring and more effective self-regulated learning. An important practical implication is that learning of patient education materials can be enhanced by including appropriate support for learners' self-regulatory processes. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Your own actions influence how you perceive other people: A misattribution of action appraisals

PubMed Central

Tipper, Steven P.; Bach, Patric

2008-01-01

The attribution of personal traits to other persons depends on the actions the observer performs at the same time (Bach & Tipper, 2007). Here, we show that the effect reflects a misattribution of appraisals of the observers’ own actions to the actions of others. We exploited spatial compatibility effects to manipulate how fluently—how fast and how accurately—participants identified two individuals performing sporty or academic actions. The traits attributed to each person in a subsequent rating task depended on the fluency of participants’ responses in a specific manner. An individual more fluently identified while performing the academic action appeared more academic and less sporty. An individual more fluently identified while performing the sporty action appeared sportier. Thus, social perception is—at least partially—embodied. The ease of our own responses can be misattributed to the actions of others, affecting which personal traits are attributed to them. PMID:21633518

How Planful Is Routine Behavior? A Selective-Attention Model of Performance in the Tower of Hanoi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patsenko, Elena G.; Altmann, Erik M.

2010-01-01

Routine human behavior has often been attributed to plans--mental representations of sequences goals and actions--but can also be attributed to more opportunistic interactions of mind and a structured environment. This study asks whether performance on a task traditionally analyzed in terms of plans can be better understood from a "situated" (or…

An Ecological Analysis of After-School Program Participation and the Development of Academic Performance and Motivational Attributes for Disadvantaged Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahoney, Joseph L.; Lord, Heather; Carryl, Erica

2005-01-01

This longitudinal study evaluated after-school program (ASP) participation and the development of academic performance (school grades, reading achievement) and teacher-rated motivational attributes (expectancy of success, effectance motivation) over a school year. Participants were 599 boys and girls (6.3 to 10.6 years) from an urban,…

Illusion versus Reality: An Empirical Study of Overconfidence and Self Attribution Bias in Business Management Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Vinky; Shakeel, Moonis

2015-01-01

Students often exhibit overconfidence and self-attribution bias (SAB). The authors report the findings of a survey of management students across gender. They found why students fail to understand the fact that their performance was actually dismal while their belief about their ability to perform well was high. The results imply that all students…

Stability in Parents' Causal Attributions for Their Children's Academic Performance: A Nine-Year Follow-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enlund, Emmi; Aunola, Kaisa; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-01-01

This study investigated the interindividual stability and mean-level changes in parents' causal attributions for their children's academic performance across a 9-year period from the first year in primary school (Grade 1, age 7) to the end of lower secondary school (Grade 9, age 16). In all, 212 children participated in the study. The results…

Effects of Self-Esteem and Perceived Goal Difficulty on Goal Setting, Certainty, Task Performance, and Attributions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Thomas Li-Ping; Reynolds, David B.

1993-01-01

Fifty-two subjects competed on a task against themselves, a difficult competitor, and an easy competitor. Certainty, ability attribution, and task satisfaction for those with low self-esteem were affected by perceived goal difficulty but not for those with high self-esteem. Low self-esteem groups had lower goals, certainty, and task performance.…

Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket Sizing and Trade Matrix for Lunar, Near Earth Asteroid and Mars Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCurdy, David R.; Krivanek, Thomas M.; Roche, Joseph M.; Zinolabedini, Reza

2006-01-01

The concept of a human rated transport vehicle for various near earth missions is evaluated using a liquid hydrogen fueled Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (BNTP) approach. In an effort to determine the preliminary sizing and optimal propulsion system configuration, as well as the key operating design points, an initial investigation into the main system level parameters was conducted. This assessment considered not only the performance variables but also the more subjective reliability, operability, and maintainability attributes. The SIZER preliminary sizing tool was used to facilitate rapid modeling of the trade studies, which included tank materials, propulsive versus an aero-capture trajectory, use of artificial gravity, reactor chamber operating pressure and temperature, fuel element scaling, engine thrust rating, engine thrust augmentation by adding oxygen to the flow in the nozzle for supersonic combustion, and the baseline turbopump configuration to address mission redundancy and safety requirements. A high level system perspective was maintained to avoid focusing solely on individual component optimization at the expense of system level performance, operability, and development cost.

Bismuth Nanoparticles Embedded in Carbon Spheres as Anode Materials for Sodium/Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Yang, Fuhua; Yu, Fan; Zhang, Zhian; Zhang, Kai; Lai, Yanqing; Li, Jie

2016-02-12

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are regarded as an attractive alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for large-scale commercial applications, because of the abundant terrestrial reserves of sodium. Exporting suitable anode materials is the key to the development of SIBs and LIBs. In this contribution, we report on the fabrication of Bi@C microspheres using aerosol spray pyrolysis technique. When used as SIBs anode materials, the Bi@C microsphere delivered a high capacity of 123.5 mAh g(-1) after 100 cycles at 100 mA g(-1) . The rate performance is also impressive (specific capacities of 299, 252, 192, 141, and 90 mAh g(-1) are obtained under current densities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 A g(-1) , respectively). Furthermore, the Bi@C microsphere also proved to be suitable LIB anode materials. The excellent electrochemical performance for both SIBs and LIBs can attributed to the Bi@C microsphere structure with Bi nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in carbon spheres. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Concordance among analysts from Latin-American laboratories for rice grain appearance determination using a gallery of digital images].

PubMed

Avila, Manuel; Graterol, Eduardo; Alezones, Jesús; Criollo, Beisy; Castillo, Dámaso; Kuri, Victoria; Oviedo, Norman; Moquete, Cesar; Romero, Marbella; Hanley, Zaida; Taylor, Margie

2012-06-01

The appearance of rice grain is a key aspect in quality determination. Mainly, this analysis is performed by expert analysts through visual observation; however, due to the subjective nature of the analysis, the results may vary among analysts. In order to evaluate the concordance between analysts from Latin-American rice quality laboratories for rice grain appearance through digital images, an inter-laboratory test was performed with ten analysts and images of 90 grains captured with a high resolution scanner. Rice grains were classified in four categories including translucent, chalky, white belly, and damaged grain. Data was categorized using statistic parameters like mode and its frequency, the relative concordance, and the reproducibility parameter kappa. Additionally, a referential image gallery of typical grain for each category was constructed based on mode frequency. Results showed a Kappa value of 0.49, corresponding to a moderate reproducibility, attributable to subjectivity in the visual analysis of grain images. These results reveal the need for standardize the evaluation criteria among analysts to improve the confidence of the determination of rice grain appearance.

Architectural and Behavioral Systems Design Methodology and Analysis for Optimal Habitation in a Volume-Limited Spacecraft for Long Duration Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Kriss J.; Lewis, Ruthan; Toups, Larry; Howard, Robert; Whitmire, Alexandra; Smitherman, David; Howe, Scott

2016-01-01

As our human spaceflight missions change as we reach towards Mars, the risk of an adverse behavioral outcome increases, and requirements for crew health, safety, and performance, and the internal architecture, will need to change to accommodate unprecedented mission demands. Evidence shows that architectural arrangement and habitability elements impact behavior. Net habitable volume is the volume available to the crew after accounting for elements that decrease the functional volume of the spacecraft. Determination of minimum acceptable net habitable volume and associated architectural design elements, as mission duration and environment varies, is key to enabling, maintaining, andor enhancing human performance and psychological and behavioral health. Current NASA efforts to derive minimum acceptable net habitable volumes and study the interaction of covariates and stressors, such as sensory stimulation, communication, autonomy, and privacy, and application to internal architecture design layouts, attributes, and use of advanced accommodations will be presented. Furthermore, implications of crew adaptation to available volume as they transfer from Earth accommodations, to deep space travel, to planetary surface habitats, and return, will be discussed.

Attribute index and uniform design based multiobjective association rule mining with evolutionary algorithm.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Wang, Yuping; Feng, Junhong

2013-01-01

In association rule mining, evaluating an association rule needs to repeatedly scan database to compare the whole database with the antecedent, consequent of a rule and the whole rule. In order to decrease the number of comparisons and time consuming, we present an attribute index strategy. It only needs to scan database once to create the attribute index of each attribute. Then all metrics values to evaluate an association rule do not need to scan database any further, but acquire data only by means of the attribute indices. The paper visualizes association rule mining as a multiobjective problem rather than a single objective one. In order to make the acquired solutions scatter uniformly toward the Pareto frontier in the objective space, elitism policy and uniform design are introduced. The paper presents the algorithm of attribute index and uniform design based multiobjective association rule mining with evolutionary algorithm, abbreviated as IUARMMEA. It does not require the user-specified minimum support and minimum confidence anymore, but uses a simple attribute index. It uses a well-designed real encoding so as to extend its application scope. Experiments performed on several databases demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has excellent performance, and it can significantly reduce the number of comparisons and time consumption.

Attribute Index and Uniform Design Based Multiobjective Association Rule Mining with Evolutionary Algorithm

PubMed Central

Wang, Yuping; Feng, Junhong

2013-01-01

In association rule mining, evaluating an association rule needs to repeatedly scan database to compare the whole database with the antecedent, consequent of a rule and the whole rule. In order to decrease the number of comparisons and time consuming, we present an attribute index strategy. It only needs to scan database once to create the attribute index of each attribute. Then all metrics values to evaluate an association rule do not need to scan database any further, but acquire data only by means of the attribute indices. The paper visualizes association rule mining as a multiobjective problem rather than a single objective one. In order to make the acquired solutions scatter uniformly toward the Pareto frontier in the objective space, elitism policy and uniform design are introduced. The paper presents the algorithm of attribute index and uniform design based multiobjective association rule mining with evolutionary algorithm, abbreviated as IUARMMEA. It does not require the user-specified minimum support and minimum confidence anymore, but uses a simple attribute index. It uses a well-designed real encoding so as to extend its application scope. Experiments performed on several databases demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has excellent performance, and it can significantly reduce the number of comparisons and time consumption. PMID:23766683

Cultural influences behind cholera transmission in the Far North Region, Republic of Cameroon: a field experience and implications for operational level planning of interventions.

PubMed

Ngwa, Moise Chi; Young, Alyson; Liang, Song; Blackburn, Jason; Mouhaman, Arabi; Morris, John Glenn

2017-01-01

In recent years, the Far North Region of Cameroon has experienced serious and recurrent cholera outbreaks. Yet, understanding of cultural influences on outbreaks and spread remain poorly understood. This qualitative study explored cultural influences on cholera exposure in this region. Interviews and group discussions were conducted in two phases. Phase I involved key informants and phase II included focus group and household discussions. Thematic techniques including word repetition, key-indigenous-terms, and key-words-in-context were used for qualitative data analysis. Key informants attributed cholera etiology to dirt and spread through water ( caneri ) and food (group eating or faire-un-rond ) while group discussions attributed it to a reprimand from god and transmission through the air. Participants suggested that funerals, weddings, open defecation, and mountaintop burial might influence cholera exposure and facilitate its spread. Hospital avoidance and non-adherence with cholera treatment regimens were linked to favorable beliefs about traditional medicine (rural-urban mentality confrontation). Furthermore, a multiplicity of ethnic languages, mistrust of message sources, culture of dependency and sentimental animal husbandry were barriers to the reception of public health messages. Many participants had limited scientific knowledge about cholera etiology and transmission. The cultural practice of mountain burial seemed to explain the high cholera attack rate in the mountainous terrain compared to the floodplains. Cultural factors are likely to play important roles in the exposure to and spread of cholera. Understanding cultural context, individual and community perceptions of risk and disease may help public health agencies in response to outbreak prevention and control.

Minireview: roles of the forkhead transcription factor FOXL2 in granulosa cell biology and pathology.

PubMed

Pisarska, Margareta D; Barlow, Gillian; Kuo, Fang-Ting

2011-04-01

The forkhead transcription factor (FOXL2) is an essential transcription factor in the ovary. It is important in ovarian development and a key factor in female sex determination. In addition, FOXL2 plays a significant role in the postnatal ovary and follicle maintenance. The diverse transcriptional activities of FOXL2 are likely attributable to posttranslational modifications and binding to other key proteins involved in granulosa cell function. Mutations of FOXL2 lead to disorders of ovarian function ranging from premature follicle depletion and ovarian failure to unregulated granulosa cell proliferation leading to tumor formation. Thus, FOXL2 is a key regulator of granulosa cell function and a master transcription factor in these cells.

Minireview: Roles of the Forkhead Transcription Factor FOXL2 in Granulosa Cell Biology and Pathology

PubMed Central

Barlow, Gillian; Kuo, Fang-Ting

2011-01-01

The forkhead transcription factor (FOXL2) is an essential transcription factor in the ovary. It is important in ovarian development and a key factor in female sex determination. In addition, FOXL2 plays a significant role in the postnatal ovary and follicle maintenance. The diverse transcriptional activities of FOXL2 are likely attributable to posttranslational modifications and binding to other key proteins involved in granulosa cell function. Mutations of FOXL2 lead to disorders of ovarian function ranging from premature follicle depletion and ovarian failure to unregulated granulosa cell proliferation leading to tumor formation. Thus, FOXL2 is a key regulator of granulosa cell function and a master transcription factor in these cells. PMID:21248146

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation

PubMed Central

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-01-01

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional “encrypt-then-sign” or “sign-then-encrypt” strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation. PMID:29772840

An fMRI study on the comparison of different types of false belief reasoning: False belief-based emotion and behavior attribution.

PubMed

Döhnel, Katrin; Schuwerk, Tobias; Sodian, Beate; Hajak, Göran; Rupprecht, Rainer; Sommer, Monika

2017-12-01

False belief (FB) reasoning is a key Theory of Mind (ToM) competence. By 4 years of age, children understand that a person's behavior can be based on a FB about reality. Children cannot understand that a person's emotion can also be based on a FB before the age of six. In order to generate hypothesis on basic processes distinguishing these two types of belief reasoning, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study in adults directly compares functional activity associated with these two FB tasks. Both tasks were associated with activity in the ToM network including the medial prefrontal cortex and the left temporo-parietal junction. Differential activity was observed in the anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for FB-based emotion relative to behavior attribution. Contrary to FB behavior attribution, FB-based emotion attribution requires the processing of two different mental states: a belief and an emotion and their relation to each other. The activity pattern may reflect the differential demands on cognitive processes associated with the two different belief-based attribution processes. These results shed new light on the still ongoing debate about the nature of the developmental lag between the two FB tasks.

From automata to animate beings: the scope and limits of attributing socialness to artificial agents.

PubMed

Hortensius, Ruud; Cross, Emily S

2018-05-11

Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of attributing socialness to artificial agents has important implications for how we can use technology to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Here, we integrate recent findings on the factors that shape behavioral and brain mechanisms that support social interactions between humans and artificial agents. We review how visual features of an agent, as well as knowledge factors within the human observer, shape attributions across dimensions of socialness. We explore how anthropomorphism and dehumanization further influence how we perceive and interact with artificial agents. Based on these findings, we argue that the cognitive reconstruction within the human observer is likely to be far more crucial in shaping our interactions with artificial agents than previously thought, while the artificial agent's visual features are possibly of lesser importance. We combine these findings to provide an integrative theoretical account based on the "like me" hypothesis, and discuss the key role played by the Theory-of-Mind network, especially the temporal parietal junction, in the shift from mechanistic to social attributions. We conclude by highlighting outstanding questions on the impact of long-term interactions with artificial agents on the behavioral and brain mechanisms of attributing socialness to these agents. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Pharmacy patronage: identifying key factors in the decision making process using the determinant attribute approach.

PubMed

Franic, Duska M; Haddock, Sarah M; Tucker, Leslie Tootle; Wooten, Nathan

2008-01-01

To use the determinant attribute approach, a research method commonly used in marketing to identify the wants of various consumer groups, to evaluate consumer pharmacy choice when having a prescription order filled in different pharmacy settings. Cross sectional. Community independent, grocery store, community chain, and discount store pharmacies in Georgia between April 2005 and April 2006. Convenience sample of adult pharmacy consumers (n = 175). Survey measuring consumer preferences on 26 attributes encompassing general pharmacy site features (16 items), pharmacist characteristics (5 items), and pharmacy staff characteristics (5 items). 26 potential determinant attributes for pharmacy selection. 175 consumers were surveyed at community independent (n = 81), grocery store (n = 44), community chain (n = 27), or discount store (n = 23) pharmacy settings. The attributes of pharmacists and staff at all four pharmacy settings were shown to affect pharmacy patronage motives, although consumers frequenting non-community independent pharmacies were also motivated by secondary convenience factors, e.g., hours of operation, and prescription coverage. Most consumers do not perceive pharmacies as merely prescription-distribution centers that vary only by convenience. Prescriptions are not just another economic good. Pharmacy personnel influence pharmacy selection; therefore, optimal staff selection and training is likely the greatest asset and most important investment for ensuring pharmacy success.

Space station data system analysis/architecture study. Task 2: Options development DR-5. Volume 1: Technology options

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

The second task in the Space Station Data System (SSDS) Analysis/Architecture Study is the development of an information base that will support the conduct of trade studies and provide sufficient data to make key design/programmatic decisions. This volume identifies the preferred options in the technology category and characterizes these options with respect to performance attributes, constraints, cost, and risk. The technology category includes advanced materials, processes, and techniques that can be used to enhance the implementation of SSDS design structures. The specific areas discussed are mass storage, including space and round on-line storage and off-line storage; man/machine interface; data processing hardware, including flight computers and advanced/fault tolerant computer architectures; and software, including data compression algorithms, on-board high level languages, and software tools. Also discussed are artificial intelligence applications and hard-wire communications.

A Comparative Study of Aerocapture Missions with a Mars Destination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, Diane; Miller, Heather C.; Griffin, Brand; James, Bonnie F.; Munk, Michelle M.

2005-01-01

Conventional interplanetary spacecraft use propulsive systems to decelerate into orbit. Aerocapture is an alternative approach for orbit capture, in which the spacecraft makes a single pass through a target destination's atmosphere. Although this technique has never been performed, studies show there are substantial benefits of using aerocapture for reduction of propellant mass, spacecraft size, and mission cost. The In-Space Propulsion (ISP) Program, part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, has invested in aerocapture technology development since 2002. Aerocapture investments within ISP are largely driven by mission systems analysis studies, The purpose of this NASA-funded report is to identify and document the fundamental parameters of aerocapture within previous human and robotic Mars mission studies which will assist the community in identifying technology research gaps in human and robotic missions, and provide insight for future technology investments. Upon examination of the final data set, some key attributes within the aerocapture disciplines are identified.

Biobased Epoxy Resins from Deconstructed Native Softwood Lignin.

PubMed

van de Pas, Daniel J; Torr, Kirk M

2017-08-14

The synthesis of novel epoxy resins from lignin hydrogenolysis products is reported. Native lignin in pine wood was depolymerized by mild hydrogenolysis to give an oil product that was reacted with epichlorohydrin to give epoxy prepolymers. These were blended with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether or glycerol diglycidyl ether and cured with diethylenetriamine or isophorone diamine. The key novelty of this work lies in using the inherent properties of the native lignin in preparing new biobased epoxy resins. The lignin-derived epoxy prepolymers could be used to replace 25-75% of the bisphenol A diglycidyl ether equivalent, leading to increases of up to 52% in the flexural modulus and up to 38% in the flexural strength. Improvements in the flexural strength were attributed to the oligomeric products present in the lignin hydrogenolysis oil. These results indicate lignin hydrogenolysis products have potential as sustainable biobased polyols in the synthesis of high performance epoxy resins.

Chaotic reconfigurable ZCMT precoder for OFDM data encryption and PAPR reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Han; Yang, Xuelin; Hu, Weisheng

2017-12-01

A secure orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission scheme precoded by chaotic Zadoff-Chu matrix transform (ZCMT) is proposed and demonstrated. It is proved that the reconfigurable ZCMT matrices after row/column permutations can be applied as an alternative precoder for peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction. The permutations and the reconfigurable parameters in ZCMT matrix are generated by a hyper digital chaos, in which a huge key space of ∼ 10800 is created for physical-layer OFDM data encryption. An encrypted data transmission of 8.9 Gb/s optical OFDM signals is successfully demonstrated over 20 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) for 16-QAM. The BER performance of the encrypted signals is improved by ∼ 2 dB (BER@ 10-3), which is mainly attributed to the effective reduction of PAPR via chaotic ZCMT precoding. Moreover, the chaotic ZCMT precoding scheme requires no sideband information, thus the spectrum efficiency is enhanced during transmission.

PyramidalExplorer: A New Interactive Tool to Explore Morpho-Functional Relations of Human Pyramidal Neurons.

PubMed

Toharia, Pablo; Robles, Oscar D; Fernaud-Espinosa, Isabel; Makarova, Julia; Galindo, Sergio E; Rodriguez, Angel; Pastor, Luis; Herreras, Oscar; DeFelipe, Javier; Benavides-Piccione, Ruth

2015-01-01

This work presents PyramidalExplorer, a new tool to interactively explore and reveal the detailed organization of the microanatomy of pyramidal neurons with functionally related models. It consists of a set of functionalities that allow possible regional differences in the pyramidal cell architecture to be interactively discovered by combining quantitative morphological information about the structure of the cell with implemented functional models. The key contribution of this tool is the morpho-functional oriented design that allows the user to navigate within the 3D dataset, filter and perform Content-Based Retrieval operations. As a case study, we present a human pyramidal neuron with over 9000 dendritic spines in its apical and basal dendritic trees. Using PyramidalExplorer, we were able to find unexpected differential morphological attributes of dendritic spines in particular compartments of the neuron, revealing new aspects of the morpho-functional organization of the pyramidal neuron.

PyramidalExplorer: A New Interactive Tool to Explore Morpho-Functional Relations of Human Pyramidal Neurons

PubMed Central

Toharia, Pablo; Robles, Oscar D.; Fernaud-Espinosa, Isabel; Makarova, Julia; Galindo, Sergio E.; Rodriguez, Angel; Pastor, Luis; Herreras, Oscar; DeFelipe, Javier; Benavides-Piccione, Ruth

2016-01-01

This work presents PyramidalExplorer, a new tool to interactively explore and reveal the detailed organization of the microanatomy of pyramidal neurons with functionally related models. It consists of a set of functionalities that allow possible regional differences in the pyramidal cell architecture to be interactively discovered by combining quantitative morphological information about the structure of the cell with implemented functional models. The key contribution of this tool is the morpho-functional oriented design that allows the user to navigate within the 3D dataset, filter and perform Content-Based Retrieval operations. As a case study, we present a human pyramidal neuron with over 9000 dendritic spines in its apical and basal dendritic trees. Using PyramidalExplorer, we were able to find unexpected differential morphological attributes of dendritic spines in particular compartments of the neuron, revealing new aspects of the morpho-functional organization of the pyramidal neuron. PMID:26778972

Powder properties and compaction parameters that influence punch sticking propensity of pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Paul, Shubhajit; Taylor, Lisa J; Murphy, Brendan; Krzyzaniak, Joseph F; Dawson, Neil; Mullarney, Matthew P; Meenan, Paul; Sun, Changquan Calvin

2017-04-15

Punch sticking is a frequently occurring problem that challenges successful tablet manufacturing. A mechanistic understanding of the punch sticking phenomenon facilitates the design of effective strategies to solve punch sticking problems of a drug. The first step in this effort is to identify process parameters and particle properties that can profoundly affect sticking performance. This work was aimed at elucidating the key material properties and compaction parameters that influence punch sticking by statistically analyzing punch sticking data of 24 chemically diverse compounds obtained using a set of tooling with removable upper punch tip. Partial least square (PLS) analysis of the data revealed that particle surface area and tablet tensile strength are the most significant factors attributed to punch sticking. Die-wall pressure, ejection force, and take-off force also correlate with sticking, but to a lesser extent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linear and passive silicon optical isolator

PubMed Central

Wang, Chen; Zhong, Xiao-Lan; Li, Zhi-Yuan

2012-01-01

On-chip optical isolation plays a key role in optical communications and computing based on silicon integrated photonic structures and has attracted great attentions for long years. Recently there have appeared hot controversies upon whether isolation of light can be realized via linear and passive photonic structures. Here we demonstrate optical isolation of infrared light in purely linear and passive silicon photonic structures. Both numerical simulations and experimental measurements show that the round-trip transmissivity of in-plane infrared light across a silicon photonic crystal slab heterojunction diode could be two orders of magnitudes smaller than the forward transmissivity at around 1,550 nm with a bandwidth of about 50 nm, indicating good performance of optical isolation. The occurrence of in-plane light isolation is attributed to the information dissipation due to off-plane and side-way scattering and selective modal conversion in the multiple-channel structure and has no conflict with the reciprocal principle. PMID:22993699

Inflection Points in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology-35 Years of Collaborative Research and Development.

PubMed

Wood, Michael L; Griswold, Mark A; Henkelman, Mark; Hennig, Jürgen

2015-09-01

The technology for clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has advanced with remarkable speed and in such a manner reflecting the influence of 3 forces-collaboration between disciplines, collaboration between academia and industry, and the enabling of software applications by hardware. The forces are evident in the key developments from the past and emerging trends for the future highlighted in this review article. These developments are associated with MRI system attributes, such as wider, shorter, and stronger magnets; specialty magnets and hybrid devices; k space; and the notion that magnetic field gradients perform a Fourier transform on the spatial distribution of magnetization, phased-array coils and parallel imaging, the user interface, the wide range of contrast possible, and applications that exploit motion-induced phase shifts. An attempt is made to show connections between these developments and how the 3 forces mentioned previously will continue to shape the technology used so productively in clinical MRI.

Space station data system analysis/architecture study. Task 2: Options development, DR-5. Volume 2: Design options

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

The primary objective of Task 2 is the development of an information base that will support the conduct of trade studies and provide sufficient data to make key design/programmatic decisions. This includes: (1) the establishment of option categories that are most likely to influence Space Station Data System (SSDS) definition; (2) the identification of preferred options in each category; and (3) the characterization of these options with respect to performance attributes, constraints, cost and risk. This volume contains the options development for the design category. This category comprises alternative structures, configurations and techniques that can be used to develop designs that are responsive to the SSDS requirements. The specific areas discussed are software, including data base management and distributed operating systems; system architecture, including fault tolerance and system growth/automation/autonomy and system interfaces; time management; and system security/privacy. Also discussed are space communications and local area networking.

Research pressure instrumentation for NASA Space Shuttle main engine, modification no. 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, P. J.; Nussbaum, P.; Gustafson, G.

1984-01-01

The purpose of Modification No. 5 of this contract is to expand the scope of work (Task C) of this research study effort to develop pressure instrumentation for the SSME. The objective of this contract (Task C) is to direct Honeywell's Solid State Electronics Division's (SSED) extensive experience and expertise in solid state sensor technology to develop prototype pressure transducers which are targeted to meet the SSME performance design goals and to fabricate, test and deliver a total of 10 prototype units. SSED's basic approach is to effectively utilize the many advantages of silicon piezoresistive strain sensing technology to achieve the objectives of advanced state-of-the-art pressure sensors in terms of reliability, accuracy and ease of manufacture. More specifically, integration of multiple functions on a single chip is the key attribute of this technology which will be exploited during this research study.

The challenge of improvised explosives

DOE PAGES

Maienschein, Jon L.

2012-06-14

Energetic materials have been developed for decades, and indeed centuries, with a common set of goals in mind. Performance (as a detonating explosive, a propellant, or a pyrotechnic) has always been key, equally important have been the attributes of safety, stability, and reproducibility. Research and development with those goals has led to the set of energetic materials commonly used today. In the past few decades, the adoption and use of improvised explosives in attacks by terrorists or third-world parties has led to many questions about these materials, e.g., how they may be made, what threat they pose to the intendedmore » target, how to handle them safely, and how to detect them. The unfortunate advent of improvised explosives has opened the door for research into these materials, and there are active programs in many countries. I will discuss issues and opportunities facing research into improvised explosives.« less

Fungal Strategies to Evade the Host Immune Recognition.

PubMed

Hernández-Chávez, Marco J; Pérez-García, Luis A; Niño-Vega, Gustavo A; Mora-Montes, Héctor M

2017-09-23

The recognition of fungal cells by the host immune system is key during the establishment of a protective anti-fungal response. Even though the immune system has evolved a vast number of processes to control these organisms, they have developed strategies to fight back, avoiding the proper recognition by immune components and thus interfering with the host protective mechanisms. Therefore, the strategies to evade the immune system are as important as the virulence factors and attributes that damage the host tissues and cells. Here, we performed a thorough revision of the main fungal tactics to escape from the host immunosurveillance processes. These include the composition and organization of the cell wall, the fungal capsule, the formation of titan cells, biofilms, and asteroid bodies; the ability to undergo dimorphism; and the escape from nutritional immunity, extracellular traps, phagocytosis, and the action of humoral immune effectors.

Robotic surgery of the pancreas

PubMed Central

Joyce, Daniel; Morris-Stiff, Gareth; Falk, Gavin A; El-Hayek, Kevin; Chalikonda, Sricharan; Walsh, R Matthew

2014-01-01

Pancreatic surgery is one of the most challenging and complex fields in general surgery. While minimally invasive surgery has become the standard of care for many intra-abdominal pathologies the overwhelming majority of pancreatic surgery is performed in an open fashion. This is attributed to the retroperitoneal location of the pancreas, its intimate relationship to major vasculature and the complexity of reconstruction in the case of pancreatoduodenectomy. Herein, we describe the application of robotic technology to minimally invasive pancreatic surgery. The unique capabilities of the robotic platform have made the minimally invasive approach feasible and safe with equivalent if not better outcomes (e.g., decreased length of stay, less surgical site infections) to conventional open surgery. However, it is unclear whether the robotic approach is truly superior to traditional laparoscopy; this is a key point given the substantial costs associated with procuring and maintaining robotic capabilities. PMID:25356035

Influence of Current Velocity on Uranium Adsorption from Seawater Using an Amidoxime-based Polymer Fiber Adsorbent

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

Ladshaw, Austin; Kuo, Li-Jung; Strivens, Jonathan

2017-02-08

Passive adsorption using amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents is being developed for uranium recovery from seawater. The local oceanic current velocity where the adsorbent is deployed is a key variable in determining locations that will maximize uranium adsorption rates. Two independent experimental approaches using flow-through columns and recirculating flumes were used to assess the influence of linear velocity on uranium uptake kinetics by the adsorbent. Little to no difference was observed in the uranium adsorption rate vs. linear velocity for seawater exposure in flow-through columns. In contrast, adsorption results from seawater exposure in a recirculating flume showed a nearly linear trend withmore » current velocity. The difference in adsorbent performance between columns and flume can be attributed to (i) flow resistance provided by the adsorbent braid in the flume and (ii) enhancement in braid movement (fluttering) with increasing linear velocity.« less

Influence of Current Velocity on Uranium Adsorption from Seawater Using an Amidoxime-Based Polymer Fiber Adsorbent

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

Ladshaw, Austin; Kuo, Li-Jung; Strivens, Jonathan

2017-02-17

Passive adsorption using amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents is being developed for uranium recovery from seawater. The local oceanic current velocity where the adsorbent is deployed is a key variable in determining locations that will maximize uranium adsorption rates. Two independent experimental approaches using flow-through columns and recirculating flumes were used to assess the influence of linear velocity on uranium uptake kinetics by the adsorbent. Little to no difference was observed in the uranium adsorption rate vs. linear velocity for seawater exposure in flow-through columns. In contrast, adsorption results from seawater exposure in a recirculating flume showed a nearly linear trend withmore » current velocity. The difference in adsorbent performance between columns and flume can be attributed to (i) flow resistance provided by the adsorbent braid in the flume and (ii) enhancement in braid movement (fluttering) with increasing linear velocity.« less

Business culture and dishonesty in the banking industry.

PubMed

Cohn, Alain; Fehr, Ernst; Maréchal, Michel André

2014-12-04

Trust in others' honesty is a key component of the long-term performance of firms, industries, and even whole countries. However, in recent years, numerous scandals involving fraud have undermined confidence in the financial industry. Contemporary commentators have attributed these scandals to the financial sector's business culture, but no scientific evidence supports this claim. Here we show that employees of a large, international bank behave, on average, honestly in a control condition. However, when their professional identity as bank employees is rendered salient, a significant proportion of them become dishonest. This effect is specific to bank employees because control experiments with employees from other industries and with students show that they do not become more dishonest when their professional identity or bank-related items are rendered salient. Our results thus suggest that the prevailing business culture in the banking industry weakens and undermines the honesty norm, implying that measures to re-establish an honest culture are very important.

Pole-placement Predictive Functional Control for under-damped systems with real numbers algebra.

PubMed

Zabet, K; Rossiter, J A; Haber, R; Abdullah, M

2017-11-01

This paper presents the new algorithm of PP-PFC (Pole-placement Predictive Functional Control) for stable, linear under-damped higher-order processes. It is shown that while conventional PFC aims to get first-order exponential behavior, this is not always straightforward with significant under-damped modes and hence a pole-placement PFC algorithm is proposed which can be tuned more precisely to achieve the desired dynamics, but exploits complex number algebra and linear combinations in order to deliver guarantees of stability and performance. Nevertheless, practical implementation is easier by avoiding complex number algebra and hence a modified formulation of the PP-PFC algorithm is also presented which utilises just real numbers while retaining the key attributes of simple algebra, coding and tuning. The potential advantages are demonstrated with numerical examples and real-time control of a laboratory plant. Copyright © 2017 ISA. All rights reserved.

Understanding how social networking influences perceived satisfaction with conference experiences

USGS Publications Warehouse

van Riper, Carena J.; van Riper, Charles; Kyle, Gerard T.; Lee, Martha E.

2013-01-01

Social networking is a key benefit derived from participation in conferences that bind the ties of a professional community. Building social networks can lead to satisfactory experiences while furthering participants' long- and short-term career goals. Although investigations of social networking can lend insight into how to effectively engage individuals and groups within a professional cohort, this area has been largely overlooked in past research. The present study investigates the relationship between social networking and satisfaction with the 10th Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau using structural equation modelling. Results partially support the hypothesis that three dimensions of social networking – interpersonal connections, social cohesion, and secondary associations – positively contribute to the performance of various conference attributes identified in two focus group sessions. The theoretical and applied contributions of this paper shed light on the social systems formed within professional communities and resource allocation among service providers.

Gap Analysis for Chinese Drug Control Institutes to Achieve the Standards of World Health Organization Medicine Prequalification.

PubMed

Mao, Xin; Yang, Yue

2017-02-01

The study aims to explore the challenges and the gaps faced by Chinese Drug Control Institutes in achieving the standards of World Health Organization (WHO) Medicine Prequalification. The study was undertaken with 6 Provincial Drug Control Institutes in China from November 2012 to November 2013. The study assessed key elements required to comply with WHO Good Practices for Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratories (GPPQCL). For GPPQCL, the study found gaps in quality management system, control of documentation, data-processing equipment, premises and equipment, contracts, reagents (water), reference substances and reference materials, calibration, verification of performance and qualification of equipment, instruments and other devices, analytical worksheet, evaluation of test results, personnel, and validation of analytical procedures. The study indicates that gaps are attributed to differences between the standards of Chinese Accreditation Standards and WHO-GPPQCL. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Complex Dynamics in Information Sharing Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cronin, Bruce

This study examines the roll-out of an electronic knowledge base in a medium-sized professional services firm over a six year period. The efficiency of such implementation is a key business problem in IT systems of this type. Data from usage logs provides the basis for analysis of the dynamic evolution of social networks around the depository during this time. The adoption pattern follows an "s-curve" and usage exhibits something of a power law distribution, both attributable to network effects, and network position is associated with organisational performance on a number of indicators. But periodicity in usage is evident and the usage distribution displays an exponential cut-off. Further analysis provides some evidence of mathematical complexity in the periodicity. Some implications of complex patterns in social network data for research and management are discussed. The study provides a case study demonstrating the utility of the broad methodological approach.

"It's More than Stick and Rudder Skills": An Aviation Professional Development Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, P.; O'Brien, W.

2013-01-01

In Australian higher education institutions, benchmarks have been directed at developing key competencies and attributes to facilitate students' transition into the workforce. However, for those students whose degree has a specific vocational focus, it is also necessary for them to commence their professional development whilst undergraduates.…

How Important Is Study Mode in Student University Choice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagel, Pauline; Shaw, Robin N.

2010-01-01

Conjoint analysis was used to model the importance of study mode in students' choice of university. Study mode was proposed as a key choice attribute as universities have diversified their means of delivering education and increased the use of online delivery. Results are reported for two conjoint experiments. The first investigated how…

Finding the "Prism": Understanding Vygotsky's "Perezhivanie" as an Ontogenetic Unit of Child Consciousness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michell, Michael

2016-01-01

The concept of perezhivanie, Vygotsky's "last word" on psychology, has been among the most difficult of his theoretical constructs to define and operationalise in research. Drawing on close analysis of key texts, this article identifies and examines three defining attributes of "perezhivanie" found throughout Vygotsky's works.…

A Missing Piece of the Departure Puzzle: Student-Institution Fit and Intent to Persist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Nicholas A.; Denson, Nida

2014-01-01

According to prevailing theory and anecdotal evidence, the congruence between institutional attributes and students' needs, interests, and preferences plays a key role in promoting college satisfaction and retention. However, this assertion has received little direct empirical attention, and the few available studies appear to have some key…

A Case Study of the Partnership Schools Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Joyce L.

2005-01-01

This case study reports the feasibility of the Partnership Schools Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) model for school improvement in a Title I elementary school. Interviews were conducted and documents were collected for 3 years to study whether and how the school implemented key policy attributes--specificity, consistency, authority, power, and…

Student and Tutor Perspectives of On-Line Moderation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Packham, Gary; Jones, Paul; Thomas, Brychan; Miller, Christopher

2006-01-01

Purpose: The on-line tutor or e-moderator faces a diversity of new challenges, including instructional design, organisation, direct instruction and facilitating discourse. This study aims to contrast the views of students and tutors regarding what factors constitute effective e-moderation in order to identify key attributes of an on-line tutor.…

Down the Rabbit Hole: Challenges and Methodological Recommendations in Researching Writing-Related Student Dispositions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driscoll, Dana Lynn; Gorzelsky, Gwen; Wells, Jennifer; Hayes, Carol; Jones, Ed; Salchak, Steve

2017-01-01

Researching writing-related dispositions is of critical concern for understanding writing transfer and writing development. However, as a field we need better tools and methods for identifying, tracking, and analyzing dispositions. This article describes a failed attempt to code for five key dispositions (attribution, self-efficacy, persistence,…

A Simple Exercise Reveals the Way Students Think about Scientific Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruebush, Laura; Sulikowski, Michelle; North, Simon

2009-01-01

Scientific modeling is an integral part of contemporary science, yet many students have little understanding of how models are developed, validated, and used to predict and explain phenomena. A simple modeling exercise led to significant gains in understanding key attributes of scientific modeling while revealing some stubborn misconceptions.…

A taxonomy-based approach to shed light on the babel of mathematical analogies for rice simulation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For most biophysical domains, different models are available and the extent to which their structures differ with respect to differences in outputs was never quantified. We use a taxonomy-based approach to address the question with thirteen rice models. Classification keys and binary attributes for ...

Anonymity in Classroom Voting and Debating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsworth, Shaaron; Gelmini-Hornsby, Giulia; Threapleton, Kate; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Buda, Marie

2011-01-01

The advent of networked environments into the classroom is changing classroom debates in many ways. This article addresses one key attribute of these environments, namely anonymity, to explore its consequences for co-present adolescents anonymous, by virtue of the computer system, to peers not to teachers. Three studies with 16-17 year-olds used a…

Awareness of Start-Up Opportunities at Brandenburg University of Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uhlich, Stefan A.; Missler-Behr, Magdalena

2013-01-01

Small and medium-sized businesses are generally considered to be a key driving force in national economies. In comparison with other countries, the percentage of nascent entrepreneurs in Germany is small. This has been attributed to a lack of entrepreneurial awareness, which can be created and developed in schools and higher education…

Political Influence Networks and Kentucky School Finance Reform. Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Victor

In 1989, national attention was given to the unusual amount of cooperation and social connections among key policy actors in a major school-finance lawsuit in Kentucky. The case resulted in a judicial ruling declaring the entire state's school system unconstitutional. Accounts of this ruling attributed the unprecedented decision partly to…

Becoming a Student: The Liminal Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potgieter, Amanda S.

2015-01-01

Research on the transition of students into Academia has previously focused on intelligence and effort as determinants of success. In this article I will argue that the liminal experience of transition into the academic environment is enhanced by multi-logic spaces where curiosity and focus are key attributes of the academic literacy classroom. In…

Military Dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974): The Genesis of Greek Anti-Americanism.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

economic situation all over Europe, especially West Germany, which made it possible to export the Greek unemployed who then found jobs and sent their...character" was cited as the key necessary attribute of the good officer. This was chosen above other choices of ethical and psychic qualities, such as