multidimensional scaling techniques: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for multidimensional scaling techniques

Multidimensional scaling for evolutionary algorithms--visualization of the path through search space and solution space using Sammon mapping.

PubMed

Pohlheim, Hartmut

2006-01-01

Multidimensional scaling as a technique for the presentation of high-dimensional data with standard visualization techniques is presented. The technique used is often known as Sammon mapping. We explain the mathematical foundations of multidimensional scaling and its robust calculation. We also demonstrate the use of this technique in the area of evolutionary algorithms. First, we present the visualization of the path through the search space of the best individuals during an optimization run. We then apply multidimensional scaling to the comparison of multiple runs regarding the variables of individuals and multi-criteria objective values (path through the solution space).
Multidimensional Unfolding by Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling of Spearman Distances in the Extended Permutation Polytope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Deun, Katrijn; Heiser, Willem J.; Delbeke, Luc

2007-01-01

A multidimensional unfolding technique that is not prone to degenerate solutions and is based on multidimensional scaling of a complete data matrix is proposed: distance information about the unfolding data and about the distances both among judges and among objects is included in the complete matrix. The latter information is derived from the…
A Review of Multidimensional, Multifluid Intermediate-scale Experiments: Flow Behavior, Saturation Imaging, and Tracer Detection and Quantification

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

Oostrom, Mart; Dane, J. H.; Wietsma, Thomas W.

2007-08-01

A review is presented of original multidimensional, intermediate-scale experiments involving non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) flow behavior, imaging, and detection/quantification with solute tracers. In a companion paper (Oostrom, M., J.H. Dane, and T.W. Wietsma. 2006. A review of multidimensional, multifluid intermediate-scale experiments: Nonaqueous phase dissolution and enhanced remediation. Vadose Zone Journal 5:570-598) experiments related to aqueous dissolution and enhanced remediation were discussed. The experiments investigating flow behavior include infiltration and redistribution experiments with both light and dense NAPLs in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous medium systems. The techniques used for NAPL saturation mapping for intermediate-scale experiments include photon-attenuation methods such as gammamore » and X-ray techniques, and photographic methods such as the light reflection, light transmission, and multispectral image analysis techniques. Solute tracer methods used for detection and quantification of NAPL in the subsurface are primarily limited to variations of techniques comparing the behavior of conservative and partitioning tracers. Besides a discussion of the experimental efforts, recommendations for future research at this laboratory scale are provided.« less
Some Small Sample Results for Maximum Likelihood Estimation in Multidimensional Scaling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsay, J. O.

1980-01-01

Some aspects of the small sample behavior of maximum likelihood estimates in multidimensional scaling are investigated with Monte Carlo techniques. In particular, the chi square test for dimensionality is examined and a correction for bias is proposed and evaluated. (Author/JKS)
An Examination of Alternative Multidimensional Scaling Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papazoglou, Sofia; Mylonas, Kostas

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare alternative multidimensional scaling (MDS) methods for constraining the stimuli on the circumference of a circle and on the surface of a sphere. Specifically, the existing MDS-T method for plotting the stimuli on the circumference of a circle is applied, and its extension is proposed for constraining the…
A Multidimensional Scaling Approach to Developmental Dimensions in Object Permanence and Tracking Stimuli.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townes-Rosenwein, Linda

This paper discusses a longitudinal, exploratory study of developmental dimensions related to object permanence theory and explains how multidimensional scaling techniques can be used to identify developmental dimensions. Eighty infants, randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups and one of four counterbalanced orders of stimuli, were…
Points of View Analysis Revisited: Fitting Multidimensional Structures to Optimal Distance Components with Cluster Restrictions on the Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meulman, Jacqueline J.; Verboon, Peter

1993-01-01

Points of view analysis, as a way to deal with individual differences in multidimensional scaling, was largely supplanted by the weighted Euclidean model. It is argued that the approach deserves new attention, especially as a technique to analyze group differences. A streamlined and integrated process is proposed. (SLD)
Development and Validation of Academic Dishonesty Scale (ADS): Presenting a Multidimensional Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bashir, Hilal; Bala, Ranjan

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to develop a scale measuring academic dishonesty of undergraduate students. The sample of the study constitutes nine hundred undergraduate students selected via random sampling technique. After receiving expert's opinions for the face and content validity of the scale, the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and…
Analysis of precipitation data in Bangladesh through hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Md. Habibur; Matin, M. A.; Salma, Umma

2017-12-01

The precipitation patterns of seventeen locations in Bangladesh from 1961 to 2014 were studied using a cluster analysis and metric multidimensional scaling. In doing so, the current research applies four major hierarchical clustering methods to precipitation in conjunction with different dissimilarity measures and metric multidimensional scaling. A variety of clustering algorithms were used to provide multiple clustering dendrograms for a mixture of distance measures. The dendrogram of pre-monsoon rainfall for the seventeen locations formed five clusters. The pre-monsoon precipitation data for the areas of Srimangal and Sylhet were located in two clusters across the combination of five dissimilarity measures and four hierarchical clustering algorithms. The single linkage algorithm with Euclidian and Manhattan distances, the average linkage algorithm with the Minkowski distance, and Ward's linkage algorithm provided similar results with regard to monsoon precipitation. The results of the post-monsoon and winter precipitation data are shown in different types of dendrograms with disparate combinations of sub-clusters. The schematic geometrical representations of the precipitation data using metric multidimensional scaling showed that the post-monsoon rainfall of Cox's Bazar was located far from those of the other locations. The results of a box-and-whisker plot, different clustering techniques, and metric multidimensional scaling indicated that the precipitation behaviour of Srimangal and Sylhet during the pre-monsoon season, Cox's Bazar and Sylhet during the monsoon season, Maijdi Court and Cox's Bazar during the post-monsoon season, and Cox's Bazar and Khulna during the winter differed from those at other locations in Bangladesh.
Structural Representations in Knowledge Acquisition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalvo, Pilar; And Others

1994-01-01

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and Pathfinder techniques for assessing changes in the structural representation of a knowledge domain were studied with relatedness ratings collected from 72 Spanish college students. Comparison of student and expert similarity measures indicate that MDS and graph theoretic approaches are valid techniques. (SLD)
Development and Validation of a Teaching Practice Scale (TISS) for Instructors of Introductory Statistics at the College Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassad, Rossi A.

2009-01-01

This study examined the teaching practices of 227 college instructors of introductory statistics (from the health and behavioral sciences). Using primarily multidimensional scaling (MDS) techniques, a two-dimensional, 10-item teaching practice scale, TISS (Teaching of Introductory Statistics Scale), was developed and validated. The two dimensions…
Assessment of health surveys: fitting a multidimensional graded response model.

PubMed

Depaoli, Sarah; Tiemensma, Jitske; Felt, John M

The multidimensional graded response model, an item response theory (IRT) model, can be used to improve the assessment of surveys, even when sample sizes are restricted. Typically, health-based survey development utilizes classical statistical techniques (e.g. reliability and factor analysis). In a review of four prominent journals within the field of Health Psychology, we found that IRT-based models were used in less than 10% of the studies examining scale development or assessment. However, implementing IRT-based methods can provide more details about individual survey items, which is useful when determining the final item content of surveys. An example using a quality of life survey for Cushing's syndrome (CushingQoL) highlights the main components for implementing the multidimensional graded response model. Patients with Cushing's syndrome (n = 397) completed the CushingQoL. Results from the multidimensional graded response model supported a 2-subscale scoring process for the survey. All items were deemed as worthy contributors to the survey. The graded response model can accommodate unidimensional or multidimensional scales, be used with relatively lower sample sizes, and is implemented in free software (example code provided in online Appendix). Use of this model can help to improve the quality of health-based scales being developed within the Health Sciences.
Invited Article: Single-shot THz detection techniques optimized for multidimensional THz spectroscopy

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

Teo, Stephanie M.; Ofori-Okai, Benjamin K.; Werley, Christopher A.

Multidimensional spectroscopy at visible and infrared frequencies has opened a window into the transfer of energy and quantum coherences at ultrafast time scales. For these measurements to be performed in a manageable amount of time, one spectral axis is typically recorded in a single laser shot. An analogous rapid-scanning capability for THz measurements will unlock the multidimensional toolkit in this frequency range. Here, we first review the merits of existing single-shot THz schemes and discuss their potential in multidimensional THz spectroscopy. We then introduce improved experimental designs and noise suppression techniques for the two most promising methods: frequency-to-time encoding withmore » linear spectral interferometry and angle-to-time encoding with dual echelons. Both methods, each using electro-optic detection in the linear regime, were able to reproduce the THz temporal waveform acquired with a traditional scanning delay line. Although spectral interferometry had mediocre performance in terms of signal-to-noise, the dual echelon method was easily implemented and achieved the same level of signal-to-noise as the scanning delay line in only 4.5% of the laser pulses otherwise required (or 22 times faster). This reduction in acquisition time will compress day-long scans to hours and hence provides a practical technique for multidimensional THz measurements.« less
Invited Article: Single-shot THz detection techniques optimized for multidimensional THz spectroscopy.

PubMed

Teo, Stephanie M; Ofori-Okai, Benjamin K; Werley, Christopher A; Nelson, Keith A

2015-05-01

Multidimensional spectroscopy at visible and infrared frequencies has opened a window into the transfer of energy and quantum coherences at ultrafast time scales. For these measurements to be performed in a manageable amount of time, one spectral axis is typically recorded in a single laser shot. An analogous rapid-scanning capability for THz measurements will unlock the multidimensional toolkit in this frequency range. Here, we first review the merits of existing single-shot THz schemes and discuss their potential in multidimensional THz spectroscopy. We then introduce improved experimental designs and noise suppression techniques for the two most promising methods: frequency-to-time encoding with linear spectral interferometry and angle-to-time encoding with dual echelons. Both methods, each using electro-optic detection in the linear regime, were able to reproduce the THz temporal waveform acquired with a traditional scanning delay line. Although spectral interferometry had mediocre performance in terms of signal-to-noise, the dual echelon method was easily implemented and achieved the same level of signal-to-noise as the scanning delay line in only 4.5% of the laser pulses otherwise required (or 22 times faster). This reduction in acquisition time will compress day-long scans to hours and hence provides a practical technique for multidimensional THz measurements.
Subjective evaluation with FAA criteria: A multidimensional scaling approach. [ground track control management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreifeldt, J. G.; Parkin, L.; Wempe, T. E.; Huff, E. F.

1975-01-01

Perceived orderliness in the ground tracks of five A/C during their simulated flights was studied. Dynamically developing ground tracks for five A/C from 21 separate runs were reproduced from computer storage and displayed on CRTS to professional pilots and controllers for their evaluations and preferences under several criteria. The ground tracks were developed in 20 seconds as opposed to the 5 minutes of simulated flight using speedup techniques for display. Metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling techniques are being used to analyze the subjective responses in an effort to: (1) determine the meaningfulness of basing decisions on such complex subjective criteria; (2) compare pilot/controller perceptual spaces; (3) determine the dimensionality of the subjects' perceptual spaces; and thereby (4) determine objective measures suitable for comparing alternative traffic management simulations.
Advanced Multidimensional Separations in Mass Spectrometry: Navigating the Big Data Deluge

PubMed Central

May, Jody C.; McLean, John A.

2017-01-01

Hybrid analytical instrumentation constructed around mass spectrometry (MS) are becoming preferred techniques for addressing many grand challenges in science and medicine. From the omics sciences to drug discovery and synthetic biology, multidimensional separations based on MS provide the high peak capacity and high measurement throughput necessary to obtain large-scale measurements which are used to infer systems-level information. In this review, we describe multidimensional MS configurations as technologies which are big data drivers and discuss some new and emerging strategies for mining information from large-scale datasets. A discussion is included on the information content which can be obtained from individual dimensions, as well as the unique information which can be derived by comparing different levels of data. Finally, we discuss some emerging data visualization strategies which seek to make highly dimensional datasets both accessible and comprehensible. PMID:27306312
There's Method in Our Madness: Interpersonal Attraction as a Multidimensional Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latta, R. Michael

1976-01-01

Examines the similarity-attraction relationship using rating scale and bogus pipeline (a pseudophysiological monitoring device) techniques within the context of individual differences in social desirability biases and variations in experimental demands. (Author/RK)
Multidimensional Scaling in the Poincare Disk

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

REPORT Multidimensional Scaling in the Poincare Dis 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a class of projective...DATES COVERED (From - To) Standard Form 298 (Rev 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 - Multidimensional Scaling in the Poincare Dis Report Title... plane . Our construction is based on an approximate hyperbolic line search and exempli?es some of the particulars that need to be addressed when
Quantifying multi-dimensional attributes of human activities at various geographic scales based on smartphone tracking.

PubMed

Zhou, Xiaolu; Li, Dongying

2018-05-09

Advancement in location-aware technologies, and information and communication technology in the past decades has furthered our knowledge of the interaction between human activities and the built environment. An increasing number of studies have collected data regarding individual activities to better understand how the environment shapes human behavior. Despite this growing interest, some challenges exist in collecting and processing individual's activity data, e.g., capturing people's precise environmental contexts and analyzing data at multiple spatial scales. In this study, we propose and implement an innovative system that integrates smartphone-based step tracking with an app and the sequential tile scan techniques to collect and process activity data. We apply the OpenStreetMap tile system to aggregate positioning points at various scales. We also propose duration, step and probability surfaces to quantify the multi-dimensional attributes of activities. Results show that, by running the app in the background, smartphones can measure multi-dimensional attributes of human activities, including space, duration, step, and location uncertainty at various spatial scales. By coordinating Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor with accelerometer sensor, this app can save battery which otherwise would be drained by GPS sensor quickly. Based on a test dataset, we were able to detect the recreational center and sports center as the space where the user was most active, among other places visited. The methods provide techniques to address key issues in analyzing human activity data. The system can support future studies on behavioral and health consequences related to individual's environmental exposure.
Multidimensional chromatography in food analysis.

PubMed

Herrero, Miguel; Ibáñez, Elena; Cifuentes, Alejandro; Bernal, Jose

2009-10-23

In this work, the main developments and applications of multidimensional chromatographic techniques in food analysis are reviewed. Different aspects related to the existing couplings involving chromatographic techniques are examined. These couplings include multidimensional GC, multidimensional LC, multidimensional SFC as well as all their possible combinations. Main advantages and drawbacks of each coupling are critically discussed and their key applications in food analysis described.

Multidimensional relationships between paternalistic leadership and perceptions of organizational ethical climates.

PubMed

Wu, Yu-Chi; Tsai, Ping Ju

2012-10-01

This study investigated how paternalistic leadership is linked to ethical climates based on a multidimensional construct perspective. This experimental study utilized the partial least squares (PLS) techniques to analyze the data. Participants were 258 civil servants working in various public sectors in Taiwan, who were asked to rate their leaders' paternalistic leadership behaviors and their perception of the ethical climates in their organizations using the Paternalistic Leadership Scale and the Ethical Climate Questionnaire. Using the unidimensional constructs of paternalistic leadership and ethical climates, prior research showed vidence of a positive relationship; however, in the current study, multidimensional relations among these constructs may be positive or negative. The findings of this study suggested that leaders may implement specific types of paternalistic leadership to enhance the intended ethical climate in their organizations.
The Tunneling Method for Global Optimization in Multidimensional Scaling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groenen, Patrick J. F.; Heiser, Willem J.

1996-01-01

A tunneling method for global minimization in multidimensional scaling is introduced and adjusted for multidimensional scaling with general Minkowski distances. The method alternates a local search step with a tunneling step in which a different configuration is sought with the same STRESS implementation. (SLD)
n-SIFT: n-dimensional scale invariant feature transform.

PubMed

Cheung, Warren; Hamarneh, Ghassan

2009-09-01

We propose the n-dimensional scale invariant feature transform (n-SIFT) method for extracting and matching salient features from scalar images of arbitrary dimensionality, and compare this method's performance to other related features. The proposed features extend the concepts used for 2-D scalar images in the computer vision SIFT technique for extracting and matching distinctive scale invariant features. We apply the features to images of arbitrary dimensionality through the use of hyperspherical coordinates for gradients and multidimensional histograms to create the feature vectors. We analyze the performance of a fully automated multimodal medical image matching technique based on these features, and successfully apply the technique to determine accurate feature point correspondence between pairs of 3-D MRI images and dynamic 3D + time CT data.
PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in sickle cell disease: feasibility, reliability, and validity.

PubMed

Panepinto, Julie A; Torres, Sylvia; Bendo, Cristiane B; McCavit, Timothy L; Dinu, Bogdan; Sherman-Bien, Sandra; Bemrich-Stolz, Christy; Varni, James W

2014-01-01

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by a chronic hemolytic anemia that can contribute to fatigue and global cognitive impairment in patients. The study objective was to report on the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in SCD for pediatric patient self-report ages 5-18 years and parent proxy-report for ages 2-18 years. This was a cross-sectional multi-site study whereby 240 pediatric patients with SCD and 303 parents completed the 18-item PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Participants also completed the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced excellent feasibility, excellent reliability for the Total Scale Scores (patient self-report α = 0.90; parent proxy-report α = 0.95), and acceptable reliability for the three individual scales (patient self-report α = 0.77-0.84; parent proxy-report α = 0.90-0.97). Intercorrelations of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale with the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales were predominantly in the large (≥0.50) range, supporting construct validity. PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale Scores were significantly worse with large effects sizes (≥0.80) for patients with SCD than for a comparison sample of healthy children, supporting known-groups discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable to excellent model fit in SCD. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated acceptable to excellent measurement properties in SCD. The results demonstrate the relative severity of fatigue symptoms in pediatric patients with SCD, indicating the potential clinical utility of multidimensional assessment of fatigue in patients with SCD in clinical research and practice. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in Sickle Cell Disease: Feasibility, Reliability and Validity

PubMed Central

Panepinto, Julie A.; Torres, Sylvia; Bendo, Cristiane B.; McCavit, Timothy L.; Dinu, Bogdan; Sherman-Bien, Sandra; Bemrich-Stolz, Christy; Varni, James W.

2013-01-01

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by a chronic hemolytic anemia that can contribute to fatigue and global cognitive impairment in patients. The study objective was to report on the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in SCD for pediatric patient self-report ages 5–18 years and parent proxy-report for ages 2–18 years. Procedure This was a cross-sectional multi-site study whereby 240 pediatric patients with SCD and 303 parents completed the 18-item PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Participants also completed the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Results The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced excellent feasibility, excellent reliability for the Total Scale Scores (patient self-report α = 0.90; parent proxy-report α = 0.95), and acceptable reliability for the three individual scales (patient self-report α = 0.77–0.84; parent proxy-report α = 0.90–0.97). Intercorrelations of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale with the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales were predominantly in the large (≥ 0.50) range, supporting construct validity. PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale Scores were significantly worse with large effects sizes (≥0.80) for patients with SCD than for a comparison sample of healthy children, supporting known-groups discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable to excellent model fit in SCD. Conclusions The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated acceptable to excellent measurement properties in SCD. The results demonstrate the relative severity of fatigue symptoms in pediatric patients with SCD, indicating the potential clinical utility of multidimensional assessment of fatigue in patients with SCD in clinical research and practice. PMID:24038960
The Graphic Representation of Structure in Similarity/Dissimilarity Matrices: Alternative Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudnitsky, Alan N.

Three approaches to the graphic representation of similarity and dissimilarity matrices are compared and contrasted. Specifically, Kruskal's multidimensional scaling, Johnson's hierarchical clustering, and Waern's graphing techniques are employed to depict, in two dimensions, data representing the structure of a set of botanical concepts. Each of…
Visual reconciliation of alternative similarity spaces in climate modeling

Treesearch

J Poco; A Dasgupta; Y Wei; William Hargrove; C.R. Schwalm; D.N. Huntzinger; R Cook; E Bertini; C.T. Silva

2015-01-01

Visual data analysis often requires grouping of data objects based on their similarity. In many application domains researchers use algorithms and techniques like clustering and multidimensional scaling to extract groupings from data. While extracting these groups using a single similarity criteria is relatively straightforward, comparing alternative criteria poses...
Designing Trend-Monitoring Sounds for Helicopters: Methodological Issues and an Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edworthy, Judy; Hellier, Elizabeth; Aldrich, Kirsteen; Loxley, Sarah

2004-01-01

This article explores methodological issues in sonification and sound design arising from the design of helicopter monitoring sounds. Six monitoring sounds (each with 5 levels) were tested for similarity and meaning with 3 different techniques: hierarchical cluster analysis, linkage analysis, and multidimensional scaling. In Experiment 1,…
Cognitive Mapping Tobacco Control Advice for Dentistry: A Dental PBRN Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qu, Haiyan; Houston, Thomas K.; Williams, Jessica H.; Gilbert, Gregg H.; Shewchuk, Richard M.

2011-01-01

Objective: To identify facilitative strategies that could be used in developing a tobacco cessation program for community dental practices. Methods: Nominal group technique (NGT) meetings and a card-sort task were used to obtain formative data. A cognitive mapping approach involving multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was…
The Preventive Effect of Strict Gun Control Laws on Suicide and Homicide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, David; Murrell, Mary E.

1982-01-01

Examined state gun control laws and used a multidimensional scaling technique to study the relationship of strictness and death rates. Results showed states with stricter laws had lower suicide rates by firearms but higher rates by other means. No effect on homicide was found. (JAC)
The PedsQL multidimensional fatigue scale in pediatric obesity: feasibility, reliability and validity.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Limbers, Christine A; Bryant, William P; Wilson, Don P

2010-01-01

The PedsQL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease-specific symptoms in children and adolescents. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed as a child self-report and parent proxy-report generic symptom-specific instrument to measure fatigue in pediatric patients. The objective of the present study was to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in pediatric obesity. The 18-item PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue, and Cognitive Fatigue domains) and the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were completed by 41 pediatric patients with a physician-diagnosis of obesity and 43 parents from a hospital-based Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced minimal missing responses (1.6%, child report; 0.5%, parent report), achieved excellent reliability for the Total Fatigue Scale Score (alpha = 0.90 child report, 0.90 parent report), distinguished between pediatric patients with obesity and healthy children, and was significantly correlated with the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales supporting construct validity. Pediatric patients with obesity experienced fatigue comparable with pediatric patients receiving cancer treatment, demonstrating the relative severity of their fatigue symptoms. The results demonstrate the measurement properties of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in pediatric obesity. The findings suggest that the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale may be utilized in the standardized evaluation of fatigue in pediatric patients with obesity.
The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in pediatric rheumatology: reliability and validity.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Burwinkle, Tasha M; Szer, Ilona S

2004-12-01

. The PedsQL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) is a modular instrument designed to measure health related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents ages 2-18 years. The recently developed 18-item PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed to measure fatigue in pediatric patients and comprises the General Fatigue Scale (6 items), Sleep/Rest Fatigue Scale (6 items), and Cognitive Fatigue Scale (6 items). The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were developed as the generic core measure to be integrated with the PedsQL Disease-Specific Modules. The PedsQL 3.0 Rheumatology Module was designed to measure pediatric rheumatology-specific HRQOL. Methods. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, Generic Core Scales, and Rheumatology Module were administered to 163 children and 154 parents (183 families accrued overall) recruited from a pediatric rheumatology clinic. Results. Internal consistency reliability for the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale Total Score (a = 0.95 child, 0.95 parent report), General Fatigue Scale (a = 0.93 child, 0.92 parent), Sleep/Rest Fatigue Scale (a = 0.88 child, 0.90 parent), and Cognitive Fatigue Scale (a = 0.93 child, 0.96 parent) were excellent for group and individual comparisons. The validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was confirmed through hypothesized intercorrelations with dimensions of generic and rheumatology-specific HRQOL. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale distinguished between healthy children and children with rheumatic diseases as a group, and was associated with greater disease severity. Children with fibromyalgia manifested greater fatigue than children with other rheumatic diseases. The results confirm the initial reliability and validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in pediatric rheumatology.
The Psychometric Properties of an Arabic version of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale Tested for Children with Cancer.

PubMed

Al-Gamal, Ekhlas; Long, Tony

2017-09-01

Fatigue is considered to be one of the most reported symptoms experienced by children with cancer. A major aim of this study was to develop an Arabic version of the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (child report) and to test its psychometric proprieties for the assessment of fatigue in Arabic children with cancer. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (Arabic version) and the PedsQL TM 4.0 Generic Core scale (existing Arabic version) were completed by 70 Jordanian children with cancer. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were found to be 0.90 for the total PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (Arabic version), 0.94 for the general fatigue subscale, 0.67 for the sleep/rest fatigue subscale, and 0.87 for the cognitive fatigue subscale. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale scores correlated significantly with the PedsQL TM 4.0 Generic Core scale and demonstrated good construct validity. The results demonstrate excellent reliability and good validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (Arabic version) for children with cancer. This is the first validated scale that assesses fatigue in Arabic children with cancer. The English scale has been used with several pediatric clinical populations, so this Arabic version may be equally useful beyond the field of cancer.
The Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): Construction and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Findler, Liora; Vilchinsky, Noa; Werner, Shirli

2007-01-01

This study presents the development of a new instrument, the "Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities" (MAS). Based on the multidimensional approach, it posits that attitudes are composed of three dimensions: affect, cognition, and behavior. The scale was distributed to a sample of 132 people along with a…
The PedsQL in pediatric cancer: reliability and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Burwinkle, Tasha M; Katz, Ernest R; Meeske, Kathy; Dickinson, Paige

2002-04-01

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents ages 2-18 years. The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales are multidimensional child self-report and parent proxy-report scales developed as the generic core measure to be integrated with the PedsQL disease specific modules. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed to measure fatigue in pediatric patients. The PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module was designed to measure pediatric cancer specific HRQOL. The PedsQL Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module were administered to 339 families (220 child self-reports; 337 parent proxy-reports). Internal consistency reliability for the PedsQL Generic Core Total Scale Score (alpha = 0.88 child, 0.93 parent report), Multidimensional Fatigue Total Scale Score (alpha = 0.89 child, 0.92 parent report) and most Cancer Module Scales (average alpha = 0.72 child, 0.87 parent report) demonstrated reliability acceptable for group comparisons. Validity was demonstrated using the known-groups method. The PedsQL distinguished between healthy children and children with cancer as a group, and among children on-treatment versus off-treatment. The validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was further demonstrated through hypothesized intercorrelations with dimensions of generic and cancer specific HRQOL. The results demonstrate the reliability and validity of the PedsQL Generic Core Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, and Cancer Module in pediatric cancer. The PedsQL may be utilized as an outcome measure in clinical trials, research, and clinical practice. Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society.
From Molecules to Cells to Organisms: Understanding Health and Disease with Multidimensional Single-Cell Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candia, Julián

2013-03-01

The multidimensional nature of many single-cell measurements (e.g. multiple markers measured simultaneously using Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) technologies) offers unprecedented opportunities to unravel emergent phenomena that are governed by the cooperative action of multiple elements across different scales, from molecules and proteins to cells and organisms. We will discuss an integrated analysis framework to investigate multicolor FACS data from different perspectives: Singular Value Decomposition to achieve an effective dimensional reduction in the data representation, machine learning techniques to separate different patient classes and improve diagnosis, as well as a novel cell-similarity network analysis method to identify cell subpopulations in an unbiased manner. Besides FACS data, this framework is versatile: in this vein, we will demonstrate an application to the multidimensional single-cell shape analysis of healthy and prematurely aged cells.
The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in type 1 diabetes: feasibility, reliability, and validity.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Limbers, Christine A; Bryant, William P; Wilson, Don P

2009-08-01

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL, Mapi Research Trust, Lyon, France; www.pedsql.org) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life and disease-specific symptoms in children and adolescents. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed as a child self-report and parent proxy-report generic symptom-specific instrument to measure fatigue in pediatric patients. The objective of the present study was to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in type 1 diabetes. The 18-item PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue, and Cognitive Fatigue domains) and the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered to 83 pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes and 84 parents. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced minimal missing responses (0.3% child report and 0.3% parent report), achieved excellent reliability for the Total Fatigue Scale score (alpha= 0.92 child report, 0.94 parent report), distinguished between pediatric patients with diabetes and healthy children, and was significantly correlated with the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales supporting construct validity. Pediatric patients with diabetes experienced fatigue that was comparable to pediatric patients with cancer on treatment, demonstrating the relative severity of their fatigue symptoms. The results demonstrate the measurement properties of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in type 1 diabetes. The findings suggest that the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale may be utilized in the standardized evaluation of fatigue in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes.
The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in young adults: feasibility, reliability and validity in a University student population.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Limbers, Christine A

2008-02-01

The PedsQL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease-specific symptoms in children and adolescents ages 2-18. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed as a generic symptom-specific instrument to measure fatigue in pediatric patients ages 2-18. Since a sizeable number of pediatric patients prefer to remain with their pediatric providers after age 18, the objective of the present study was to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in young adults. The 18-item PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue, and Cognitive Fatigue domains), the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales Young Adult Version, and the SF-8 Health Survey were completed by 423 university students ages 18-25. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced minimal missing responses, achieved excellent reliability for the Total Scale Score (alpha = 0.90), distinguished between healthy young adults and young adults with chronic health conditions, was significantly correlated with the relevant PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the SF-8 standardized scores, and demonstrated a factor-derived structure largely consistent with the a priori conceptual model. The results demonstrate the measurement properties of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in a convenience sample of young adult university students. The findings suggest that the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale may be utilized in the evaluation of fatigue for a broad age range.
Evaluating the Invariance of Cognitive Profile Patterns Derived from Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS): A Bootstrapping Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Se-Kang

2010-01-01

The aim of the current study is to validate the invariance of major profile patterns derived from multidimensional scaling (MDS) by bootstrapping. Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS) was employed to obtain profiles and bootstrapping was used to construct the sampling distributions of the profile coordinates and the empirical…
Classification of Professional Values Based on Motivational Content: An Exploratory Study on Italian Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pallini, Susanna; Bove, Giuseppe; Laghi, Fiorenzo

2011-01-01

This study applies a multidimensional scaling (MSD) technique to investigate the structural validity of the Work Values Inventory for Adolescents with a sample of Italian students. The MSD results indicated the presence of two underlying orthogonal dimensions: individuality versus sociality and conservation versus exploration. Implications for…

Using Logistic Approximations of Marginal Trace Lines to Develop Short Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stucky, Brian D.; Thissen, David; Edelen, Maria Orlando

2013-01-01

Test developers often need to create unidimensional scales from multidimensional data. For item analysis, "marginal trace lines" capture the relation with the general dimension while accounting for nuisance dimensions and may prove to be a useful technique for creating short-form tests. This article describes the computations needed to obtain…
Time-space and cognition-space transformations for transportation network analysis based on multidimensional scaling and self-organizing map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Zixuan; Bian, Fuling

2008-10-01

Geographic space, time space and cognition space are three fundamental and interrelated spaces in geographic information systems for transportation. However, the cognition space and its relationships to the time space and geographic space are often neglected. This paper studies the relationships of these three spaces in urban transportation system from a new perspective and proposes a novel MDS-SOM transformation method which takes the advantages of the techniques of multidimensional scaling (MDS) and self-organizing map (SOM). The MDS-SOM transformation framework includes three kinds of mapping: the geographic-time transformation, the cognition-time transformation and the time-cognition transformation. The transformations in our research provide a better understanding of the interactions of these three spaces and beneficial knowledge is discovered to help the transportation analysis and decision supports.
Pain assessment in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy by midline or lateral celiotomy through use of a previously validated multidimensional composite pain scale.

PubMed

Oliveira, Jéssica Pecene; Mencalha, Rodrigo; Sousa, Carlos Augusto dos Santos; Abidu-Figueiredo, Marcelo; Jorge, Síria da Fonseca

2014-10-01

To assess pain in the immediate postoperative period in cats submitted into two different celiotomy techniques for ovariohysterectomy. Fourteen healthy female cats up to three years old with a mean weight 2.75 kg, without breed specification, were used in this double blind experiment. The animals were randomly assigned to two treatments: I- ovariohysterectomy by lateral approach (LA) or II - by midline approach (MA). The anesthesia consisted of acepromazine (0.1 mg.kg-1) and midazolam (0.25mg.kg-1) followed isoflurane vaporization to induce and maintain hypnosis. A bolus of fentanyl (5 μg.kg-1) was administered intravenously to provide intraoperative analgesia. After surgery, pain scores were assessed through a multidimensional composite pain scale at four different times. Generally all factors related to psychomotor changes and pain expression showed higher scores in cats neutered by LA, but only psychomotor changes and total pain score presented statistical differences (p<0.05). The animals that underwent lateral celiotomy showed higher pain scores, at 1, 4 and 6 hours after surgery. Multidimensional analgesic scales were highly reliable. There was a tendency for the cats neutered by lateral approach to suffer more postoperative pain, including requiring a large number of analgesic rescues.
Finite Volume Numerical Methods for Aeroheating Rate Calculations from Infrared Thermographic Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daryabeigi, Kamran; Berry, Scott A.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Nowak, Robert J.

2006-01-01

The use of multi-dimensional finite volume heat conduction techniques for calculating aeroheating rates from measured global surface temperatures on hypersonic wind tunnel models was investigated. Both direct and inverse finite volume techniques were investigated and compared with the standard one-dimensional semi-infinite technique. Global transient surface temperatures were measured using an infrared thermographic technique on a 0.333-scale model of the Hyper-X forebody in the NASA Langley Research Center 20-Inch Mach 6 Air tunnel. In these tests the effectiveness of vortices generated via gas injection for initiating hypersonic transition on the Hyper-X forebody was investigated. An array of streamwise-orientated heating striations was generated and visualized downstream of the gas injection sites. In regions without significant spatial temperature gradients, one-dimensional techniques provided accurate aeroheating rates. In regions with sharp temperature gradients caused by striation patterns multi-dimensional heat transfer techniques were necessary to obtain more accurate heating rates. The use of the one-dimensional technique resulted in differences of 20% in the calculated heating rates compared to 2-D analysis because it did not account for lateral heat conduction in the model.
Multidimensional competences of supply chain managers: an empirical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Yongyi; Wang, Weijiao

2017-01-01

Supply chain manager competences have attracted increasing attention from both practitioners and scholars in recent years. This paper conducted an explorative study to understand the dimensionality of supply chain manager competences. Online job advertisements for supply chain managers were collected as secondary data, since these advertisements reflect employers' real job requirements. We adopted the multidimensional scaling (MDS) technique to process and analyse the data. Five dimensions of supply chain manager competences are identified: generic skills, functional skills, supply chain management (SCM) qualifications and leadership, SCM expertise, and industry-specific and senior management skills. Statistic tests indicate that supply chain manager competence saliences vary in different industries and regions.
Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children among Chinese Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yao, Shuqiao; Zou, Tao; Zhu, Xiongzhao; Abela, John R. Z.; Auerbach, Randy P.; Tong, Xi

2007-01-01

The objective of the current study was to develop a Chinese translation of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) [March (1997) Multidimensional anxiety scale for children: Technical manual, Multi health systems, Toronto, ON], and to evaluate its reliability and validity. The original version of the MASC was translated into Chinese…
Development of multi-dimensional body image scale for malaysian female adolescents

PubMed Central

Taib, Mohd Nasir Mohd; Shariff, Zalilah Mohd; Khor, Geok Lin

2008-01-01

The present study was conducted to develop a Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents. Data were collected among 328 female adolescents from a secondary school in Kuantan district, state of Pahang, Malaysia by using a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The self-administered questionnaire comprised multiple measures of body image, Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26; Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) and Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory (Rosenberg, 1965). The 152 items from selected multiple measures of body image were examined through factor analysis and for internal consistency. Correlations between Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale and body mass index (BMI), risk of eating disorders and self-esteem were assessed for construct validity. A seven factor model of a 62-item Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents with construct validity and good internal consistency was developed. The scale encompasses 1) preoccupation with thinness and dieting behavior, 2) appearance and body satisfaction, 3) body importance, 4) muscle increasing behavior, 5) extreme dieting behavior, 6) appearance importance, and 7) perception of size and shape dimensions. Besides, a multidimensional body image composite score was proposed to screen negative body image risk in female adolescents. The result found body image was correlated with BMI, risk of eating disorders and self-esteem in female adolescents. In short, the present study supports a multi-dimensional concept for body image and provides a new insight into its multi-dimensionality in Malaysian female adolescents with preliminary validity and reliability of the scale. The Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale can be used to identify female adolescents who are potentially at risk of developing body image disturbance through future intervention programs. PMID:20126371
Development of multi-dimensional body image scale for malaysian female adolescents.

PubMed

Chin, Yit Siew; Taib, Mohd Nasir Mohd; Shariff, Zalilah Mohd; Khor, Geok Lin

2008-01-01

The present study was conducted to develop a Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents. Data were collected among 328 female adolescents from a secondary school in Kuantan district, state of Pahang, Malaysia by using a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The self-administered questionnaire comprised multiple measures of body image, Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26; Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) and Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory (Rosenberg, 1965). The 152 items from selected multiple measures of body image were examined through factor analysis and for internal consistency. Correlations between Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale and body mass index (BMI), risk of eating disorders and self-esteem were assessed for construct validity. A seven factor model of a 62-item Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents with construct validity and good internal consistency was developed. The scale encompasses 1) preoccupation with thinness and dieting behavior, 2) appearance and body satisfaction, 3) body importance, 4) muscle increasing behavior, 5) extreme dieting behavior, 6) appearance importance, and 7) perception of size and shape dimensions. Besides, a multidimensional body image composite score was proposed to screen negative body image risk in female adolescents. The result found body image was correlated with BMI, risk of eating disorders and self-esteem in female adolescents. In short, the present study supports a multi-dimensional concept for body image and provides a new insight into its multi-dimensionality in Malaysian female adolescents with preliminary validity and reliability of the scale. The Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale can be used to identify female adolescents who are potentially at risk of developing body image disturbance through future intervention programs.
Scientific Visualization and Simulation for Multi-dimensional Marine Environment Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, T.; Liu, H.; Wang, W.; Song, Z.; Jia, Z.

2017-12-01

As higher attention on the ocean and rapid development of marine detection, there are increasingly demands for realistic simulation and interactive visualization of marine environment in real time. Based on advanced technology such as GPU rendering, CUDA parallel computing and rapid grid oriented strategy, a series of efficient and high-quality visualization methods, which can deal with large-scale and multi-dimensional marine data in different environmental circumstances, has been proposed in this paper. Firstly, a high-quality seawater simulation is realized by FFT algorithm, bump mapping and texture animation technology. Secondly, large-scale multi-dimensional marine hydrological environmental data is virtualized by 3d interactive technologies and volume rendering techniques. Thirdly, seabed terrain data is simulated with improved Delaunay algorithm, surface reconstruction algorithm, dynamic LOD algorithm and GPU programming techniques. Fourthly, seamless modelling in real time for both ocean and land based on digital globe is achieved by the WebGL technique to meet the requirement of web-based application. The experiments suggest that these methods can not only have a satisfying marine environment simulation effect, but also meet the rendering requirements of global multi-dimension marine data. Additionally, a simulation system for underwater oil spill is established by OSG 3D-rendering engine. It is integrated with the marine visualization method mentioned above, which shows movement processes, physical parameters, current velocity and direction for different types of deep water oil spill particle (oil spill particles, hydrates particles, gas particles, etc.) dynamically and simultaneously in multi-dimension. With such application, valuable reference and decision-making information can be provided for understanding the progress of oil spill in deep water, which is helpful for ocean disaster forecasting, warning and emergency response.
Usefulness of assessment techniques in assessing classification for emotional disturbance and generating classroom recommendations.

PubMed

Cheramie, G M; Griffin, K M; Morgan, T

2000-02-01

A national survey of specialist school psychologists examined the perceived usefulness of assessment techniques in making decisions regarding eligibility for the educational classification of emotional disturbance and in generating classroom recommendations. Analysis showed measures rated as most useful were interviews with the parent, teacher, and student, observations of the student, and norm-referenced rating scales. Projective techniques were least useful. These findings are important in the context of "best practices" for the multidimensional assessment of emotional disturbance which promotes a more direct link between assessment and intervention.
Demographic Determinants of Students Susceptibility to Peer Victimization in Secondary Schools in Osun State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adefunke, Ehindero Serifat

2015-01-01

This study examined age, sex, class and religion as determinants of students' susceptibility to peer victimization. One thousand five hundred students from 10 public secondary schools were selected by stratified sampling technique using class level as strata. A validated multi-dimensional peer victimization scale (MPVS) was used to collect data…
Similarity from multi-dimensional scaling: solving the accuracy and diversity dilemma in information filtering.

PubMed

Zeng, Wei; Zeng, An; Liu, Hao; Shang, Ming-Sheng; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2014-01-01

Recommender systems are designed to assist individual users to navigate through the rapidly growing amount of information. One of the most successful recommendation techniques is the collaborative filtering, which has been extensively investigated and has already found wide applications in e-commerce. One of challenges in this algorithm is how to accurately quantify the similarities of user pairs and item pairs. In this paper, we employ the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method to measure the similarities between nodes in user-item bipartite networks. The MDS method can extract the essential similarity information from the networks by smoothing out noise, which provides a graphical display of the structure of the networks. With the similarity measured from MDS, we find that the item-based collaborative filtering algorithm can outperform the diffusion-based recommendation algorithms. Moreover, we show that this method tends to recommend unpopular items and increase the global diversification of the networks in long term.
Taking the Test Taker's Perspective: Response Process and Test Motivation in Multidimensional Forced-Choice Versus Rating Scale Instruments.

PubMed

Sass, Rachelle; Frick, Susanne; Reips, Ulf-Dietrich; Wetzel, Eunike

2018-03-01

The multidimensional forced-choice (MFC) format has been proposed as an alternative to the rating scale (RS) response format. However, it is unclear how changing the response format may affect the response process and test motivation of participants. In Study 1, we investigated the MFC response process using the think-aloud technique. In Study 2, we compared test motivation between the RS format and different versions of the MFC format (presenting 2, 3, 4, and 5 items simultaneously). The response process to MFC item blocks was similar to the RS response process but involved an additional step of weighing the items within a block against each other. The RS and MFC response format groups did not differ in their test motivation. Thus, from the test taker's perspective, the MFC format is somewhat more demanding to respond to, but this does not appear to decrease test motivation.
Analysis of a municipal wastewater treatment plant using a neural network-based pattern analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hong, Y.-S.T.; Rosen, Michael R.; Bhamidimarri, R.

2003-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of how to capture the complex relationships that exist between process variables and to diagnose the dynamic behaviour of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WTP). Due to the complex biological reaction mechanisms, the highly time-varying, and multivariable aspects of the real WTP, the diagnosis of the WTP are still difficult in practice. The application of intelligent techniques, which can analyse the multi-dimensional process data using a sophisticated visualisation technique, can be useful for analysing and diagnosing the activated-sludge WTP. In this paper, the Kohonen Self-Organising Feature Maps (KSOFM) neural network is applied to analyse the multi-dimensional process data, and to diagnose the inter-relationship of the process variables in a real activated-sludge WTP. By using component planes, some detailed local relationships between the process variables, e.g., responses of the process variables under different operating conditions, as well as the global information is discovered. The operating condition and the inter-relationship among the process variables in the WTP have been diagnosed and extracted by the information obtained from the clustering analysis of the maps. It is concluded that the KSOFM technique provides an effective analysing and diagnosing tool to understand the system behaviour and to extract knowledge contained in multi-dimensional data of a large-scale WTP. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prose Representation: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPorte, Ronald E.; Voss, James F.

1979-01-01

Multidimensional scaling was used to study the comprehension of prose. Undergraduates rated the similarity of twenty nouns before and after reading passages containing those nouns. Results indicated that the scaling analysis provided an effective valid indicator of prose representation. (Author/JKS)
Psychometric Properties of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale with Australian Adolescent Girls: Clarification of Multidimensionality and Perfectionist Typology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Colleen C.; Watt, Helen M. G.; Sinclair, Kenneth E.

2006-01-01

The psychometric properties of the Frost, Marten, Lahart, and Rosenblate Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (1990) are investigated to determine its usefulness as a measurement of perfectionism with Australian secondary school girls and to find empirical support for the existence of both healthy and unhealthy types of perfectionist students.…
A Technique of Two-Stage Clustering Applied to Environmental and Civil Engineering and Related Methods of Citation Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyamoto, S.; Nakayama, K.

1983-01-01

A method of two-stage clustering of literature based on citation frequency is applied to 5,065 articles from 57 journals in environmental and civil engineering. Results of related methods of citation analysis (hierarchical graph, clustering of journals, multidimensional scaling) applied to same set of articles are compared. Ten references are…
Alternative Approaches to Modeling the Individual Enlistment Decision: A Literature Review

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

particular competitive environment (Johnson, 1974, p. 121). Most marketing research is oriented toward consumers. Speci- fically, considerable interest...technique and its application in marketing research . A discussion of conjoint measurement (or multidimensional scaling) use in the marketing...among cognitions, affect, intentions, and behavior. Journal of Marketing Research , 19, 562-584. Bagozzi, R. P. & Burnkrant, R.,(1979). Attitude
The Application of Various Nonlinear Models to Describe Academic Growth Trajectories: An Empirical Analysis Using Four-Wave Longitudinal Achievement Data from a Large Urban School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Tacksoo

2012-01-01

This study introduced various nonlinear growth models, including the quadratic conventional polynomial model, the fractional polynomial model, the Sigmoid model, the growth model with negative exponential functions, the multidimensional scaling technique, and the unstructured growth curve model. It investigated which growth models effectively…
Multidimensional scaling analysis of financial time series based on modified cross-sample entropy methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Jiayi; Shang, Pengjian; Xiong, Hui

2018-06-01

Stocks, as the concrete manifestation of financial time series with plenty of potential information, are often used in the study of financial time series. In this paper, we utilize the stock data to recognize their patterns through out the dissimilarity matrix based on modified cross-sample entropy, then three-dimensional perceptual maps of the results are provided through multidimensional scaling method. Two modified multidimensional scaling methods are proposed in this paper, that is, multidimensional scaling based on Kronecker-delta cross-sample entropy (MDS-KCSE) and multidimensional scaling based on permutation cross-sample entropy (MDS-PCSE). These two methods use Kronecker-delta based cross-sample entropy and permutation based cross-sample entropy to replace the distance or dissimilarity measurement in classical multidimensional scaling (MDS). Multidimensional scaling based on Chebyshev distance (MDSC) is employed to provide a reference for comparisons. Our analysis reveals a clear clustering both in synthetic data and 18 indices from diverse stock markets. It implies that time series generated by the same model are easier to have similar irregularity than others, and the difference in the stock index, which is caused by the country or region and the different financial policies, can reflect the irregularity in the data. In the synthetic data experiments, not only the time series generated by different models can be distinguished, the one generated under different parameters of the same model can also be detected. In the financial data experiment, the stock indices are clearly divided into five groups. Through analysis, we find that they correspond to five regions, respectively, that is, Europe, North America, South America, Asian-Pacific (with the exception of mainland China), mainland China and Russia. The results also demonstrate that MDS-KCSE and MDS-PCSE provide more effective divisions in experiments than MDSC.

Development of a Multi-Dimensional Scale for PDD and ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Funabiki, Yasuko; Kawagishi, Hisaya; Uwatoko, Teruhisa; Yoshimura, Sayaka; Murai, Toshiya

2011-01-01

A novel assessment scale, the multi-dimensional scale for pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (MSPA), is reported. Existing assessment scales are intended to establish each diagnosis. However, the diagnosis by itself does not always capture individual characteristics or indicate the level of…
Scaling Laws for the Multidimensional Burgers Equation with Quadratic External Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonenko, N. N.; Ruiz-Medina, M. D.

2006-07-01

The reordering of the multidimensional exponential quadratic operator in coordinate-momentum space (see X. Wang, C.H. Oh and L.C. Kwek (1998). J. Phys. A.: Math. Gen. 31:4329-4336) is applied to derive an explicit formulation of the solution to the multidimensional heat equation with quadratic external potential and random initial conditions. The solution to the multidimensional Burgers equation with quadratic external potential under Gaussian strongly dependent scenarios is also obtained via the Hopf-Cole transformation. The limiting distributions of scaling solutions to the multidimensional heat and Burgers equations with quadratic external potential are then obtained under such scenarios.
Applying Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models in Validating Test Dimensionality: An Example of K-12 Large-Scale Science Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Ying; Jiao, Hong; Lissitz, Robert W.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the application of multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models to validate test structure and dimensionality. Multiple content areas or domains within a single subject often exist in large-scale achievement tests. Such areas or domains may cause multidimensionality or local item dependence, which both violate the…
Development and Validation of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahlman, Shelley A.; Mercer-Lynn, Kimberley B.; Flora, David B.; Eastwood, John D.

2013-01-01

This article describes the development and validation of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS)--the first and only full-scale measure of state boredom. It was developed based on a theoretically and empirically grounded definition of boredom. A five-factor structure of the scale (Disengagement, High Arousal, Low Arousal, Inattention, and…
Aromatherapy hand massage for older adults with chronic pain living in long-term care.

PubMed

Cino, Kathleen

2014-12-01

Older adults living in long-term care experience high rates of chronic pain. Concerns with pharmacologic management have spurred alternative approaches. The purpose of this study was to examine a nursing intervention for older adults with chronic pain. This prospective, randomized control trial compared the effect of aromatherapy M technique hand massage, M technique without aromatherapy, and nurse presence on chronic pain. Chronic pain was measured with the Geriatric Multidimensional Pain and Illness Inventory factors, pain and suffering, life interference, and emotional distress and the Iowa Pain Thermometer, a pain intensity scale. Three groups of 39 to 40 participants recruited from seven long-term care facilities participated twice weekly for 4 weeks. Analysis included multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance. Participants experienced decreased levels of chronic pain intensity. Group membership had a significant effect on the Geriatric Multidimensional Pain Inventory Pain and Suffering scores; Iowa Pain Thermometer scores differed significantly within groups. M technique hand massage with or without aromatherapy significantly decreased chronic pain intensity compared to nurse presence visits. M technique hand massage is a safe, simple, but effective intervention. Caregivers using it could improve chronic pain management in this population. © The Author(s) 2014.
The LAOM Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Measuring Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Addressing the Psychometric Properties of the Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozina, Ana

2012-01-01

The article introduces a new anxiety scale, called the LAOM (Lestvica anksioznosti za otroke in mladostnike [The anxiety scale for children and adolescents]) for measuring self-reported multidimensional anxiety. The scale has been developed with a special focus on the school setting, using one sample from an elementary school which is…
Turkish Validity Examination of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irmak, Sezgin; Kuruuzum, Ayse

2009-01-01

The validation studies of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) have been conducted with samples from different nations but mostly from western individualistic cultures. Life satisfaction and its constructs could differ depending on cultural characteristics and life satisfaction scales should be validated in different…
Concurrent Criterion Validity of the Ausburg Multidimensional Personality Instrument (AMPI) Clinical Scales among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, William E.; Lutz, Daniel

2014-01-01

The concurrent criterion validity of the Ausburg Multidimensional Personality Instrument (AMPI) clinical scales was examined. The AMPI and several scales purportedly measuring the same or similar constructs as those of the AMPI clinical scales were administered to two samples of college students (N = 134 and N = 118). The correlations between the…
A Scalar Product Model for the Multidimensional Scaling of Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bechtel, Gordon G.; And Others

1971-01-01

Contains a solution for the multidimensional scaling of pairwise choice when individuals are represented as dimensional weights. The analysis supplies an exact least squares solution and estimates of group unscalability parameters. (DG)
Fatigue in children: reliability and validity of the Dutch PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.

PubMed

Gordijn, M Suzanne; Suzanne Gordijn, M; Cremers, Eline M P; Kaspers, Gertjan J L; Gemke, Reinoud J B J

2011-09-01

The aim of the study is to report on the feasibility, reliability, validity, and the norm-references of the Dutch version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. The study participants are four hundred and ninety-seven parents of children aged 2-18 years and 366 children aged 5-18 years from various day care facilities, elementary schools, and a high school who completed the Dutch version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. The number of missing items was minimal. All scales showed satisfactory internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach's coefficient alpha exceeding 0.70. Test-retest reliability was good to excellent (ICCs 0.68-0.84) and inter-observer reliability varied from moderate to excellent (ICCs 0.56-0.93) for total scores. Parent/child concordance for total scores was poor to good (ICCs 0.25-0.68). The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was able to distinguish between healthy children and children with an impaired health condition. The Dutch version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrates an adequate feasibility, reliability, and validity in another sociocultural context. With the obtained norm-references, it can be utilized as a tool in the evaluation of fatigue in healthy and chronically ill children aged 2-18 years.
Development of the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale-Revised (MPVS-R) and the Multidimensional Peer Bullying Scale (MPVS-RB).

PubMed

Betts, Lucy R; Houston, James E; Steer, Oonagh L

2015-01-01

Peer victimization is a frequent occurrence for many adolescents; however, some of the psychometric properties of self-report scales assessing these experiences remain unclear. Furthermore, with an increase in access to technology, electronic aggression should also be considered. The authors examined the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS; Mynard & Joseph, 2000), and developed versions to include the assessment of electronic aggression according to whether the adolescent was the target or perpetrator of peer victimization. A total of 371 (191 girls and 180 boys; Mage = 13 years 4 months, SDage = 1 year 2 months) adolescents in the United Kingdom completed the MPVS including five newly developed items assessing electronic aggression, a version of the MPVS designed to assess victimization perpetration, and a measure of self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded a five-factor structure comprising: Physical, social manipulation, verbal, attacks on property, and electronic for both scales. Convergent validity was established through negative associations between the victimization scales and self-esteem. Sex differences also emerged. One revised scale and one new scale are subsequently proposed: The MPVS-Revised and the Multidimensional Peer Bullying Scale.
The Use of the City-Block Metric in Multidimensional Scaling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busk, Patricia

A specific Normative Location Theory procedure, called hyperbolic approximation (HAP), is suggested as a possible "new" initial-configuration strategy for multidimensional scaling in the city-block metric. First, the performance of this strategy was investigated using fourteen simulated data sets. Second, the scaling in Euclidean space…
Measuring the Perception of the Teachers' Autonomy-Supportive Behavior in Physical Education: Development and Initial Validation of a Multi-Dimensional Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilga, Henri; Hein, Vello; Koka, Andre

2017-01-01

This research aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the students' perceptions of the teachers' autonomy-supportive behavior by the multi-dimensional scale (Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education). The participants were 1,476 students aged 12- to 15-years-old. In Study 1, a pool of 37 items was…
Similarity from Multi-Dimensional Scaling: Solving the Accuracy and Diversity Dilemma in Information Filtering

PubMed Central

Zeng, Wei; Zeng, An; Liu, Hao; Shang, Ming-Sheng; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2014-01-01

Recommender systems are designed to assist individual users to navigate through the rapidly growing amount of information. One of the most successful recommendation techniques is the collaborative filtering, which has been extensively investigated and has already found wide applications in e-commerce. One of challenges in this algorithm is how to accurately quantify the similarities of user pairs and item pairs. In this paper, we employ the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method to measure the similarities between nodes in user-item bipartite networks. The MDS method can extract the essential similarity information from the networks by smoothing out noise, which provides a graphical display of the structure of the networks. With the similarity measured from MDS, we find that the item-based collaborative filtering algorithm can outperform the diffusion-based recommendation algorithms. Moreover, we show that this method tends to recommend unpopular items and increase the global diversification of the networks in long term. PMID:25343243
Feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory ™ generic core scales, cancer module, and multidimensional fatigue scale in long-term adult survivors of pediatric cancer.

PubMed

Robert, Rhonda S; Paxton, Raheem J; Palla, Shana L; Yang, Grace; Askins, Martha A; Joy, Shaini E; Ater, Joann L

2012-10-01

Most health-related quality of life assessments are designed for either children or adults and have not been evaluated for adolescent and young adult survivors of pediatric cancer. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL ™ Generic Core Scales, Cancer Module, and Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in adult survivors of pediatric cancer. Adult survivors (n = 64; Mean age 35 year old; >2 years after treatment) completed the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales, Cancer Module, and Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Feasibility was examined with floor and ceiling effects; and internal consistency was determined by Cronbach's coefficient alpha calculations. Inter-factor correlations were also assessed. Significant ceiling effects were observed for the scales of social function, nausea, procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, and communication. Internal consistency for all subscales was within the recommended ranges (α ≥ 0.70). Moderate to strong correlations between most Cancer Module and Generic Core Scales (r = 0.25 to r = 0.76) and between the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and Generic Core Scales (r = 0.37 to r = 0.73). The PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales, Cancer Module, and Multidimensional Fatigue Scale appear to be feasible for an older population of pediatric cancer survivors; however, some of the Cancer Module Scales (nausea, procedural/treatment anxiety, and communication) were deemed not relevant for long-term survivors. More information is needed to determine whether the issues addressed by these modules are meaningful to long-term adult survivors of pediatric cancers. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of Schizophrenics' and Normals' Perceptions of Verbal Similarity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neufeld, Richard W. J.

1975-01-01

Twenty-eight schizophrenics (14 paranoid and 14 nonparanoid) were compared with 14 normals on their judgments of similarity among words. The judgments were analyzed using an individual-differences multidimensional scaling procedure. (Editor)
Statistical Downscaling in Multi-dimensional Wave Climate Forecast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camus, P.; Méndez, F. J.; Medina, R.; Losada, I. J.; Cofiño, A. S.; Gutiérrez, J. M.

2009-04-01

Wave climate at a particular site is defined by the statistical distribution of sea state parameters, such as significant wave height, mean wave period, mean wave direction, wind velocity, wind direction and storm surge. Nowadays, long-term time series of these parameters are available from reanalysis databases obtained by numerical models. The Self-Organizing Map (SOM) technique is applied to characterize multi-dimensional wave climate, obtaining the relevant "wave types" spanning the historical variability. This technique summarizes multi-dimension of wave climate in terms of a set of clusters projected in low-dimensional lattice with a spatial organization, providing Probability Density Functions (PDFs) on the lattice. On the other hand, wind and storm surge depend on instantaneous local large-scale sea level pressure (SLP) fields while waves depend on the recent history of these fields (say, 1 to 5 days). Thus, these variables are associated with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. In this work, a nearest-neighbors analog method is used to predict monthly multi-dimensional wave climate. This method establishes relationships between the large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns from numerical models (SLP fields as predictors) with local wave databases of observations (monthly wave climate SOM PDFs as predictand) to set up statistical models. A wave reanalysis database, developed by Puertos del Estado (Ministerio de Fomento), is considered as historical time series of local variables. The simultaneous SLP fields calculated by NCEP atmospheric reanalysis are used as predictors. Several applications with different size of sea level pressure grid and with different temporal domain resolution are compared to obtain the optimal statistical model that better represents the monthly wave climate at a particular site. In this work we examine the potential skill of this downscaling approach considering perfect-model conditions, but we will also analyze the suitability of this methodology to be used for seasonal forecast and for long-term climate change scenario projection of wave climate.
The Evaluation of Classroom Social Structure by Three-Way Multidimensional Scaling of Sociometric Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langeheine, Rolf

1978-01-01

A three-way multidimensional scaling model is presented as a method for identifying classroom cliques, by simultaneous analysis of three variables (for example, chooser/choosen/criteria). Two scaling models--Carroll and Chang's INDSCAL and Lingoes' PINDIS--are presented and applied to two sets of empirical data. (CP)
SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS OF ERROR IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

STAKE, ROBERT E.; AND OTHERS

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY WAS MADE OF THE ERROR FACTORS IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING (MDS) TO REFINE THE USE OF MDS FOR MORE EXPERT MANIPULATION OF SCALES USED IN EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH WAS TO GENERATE TABLES OF THE SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN ERROR AND NONERROR MDS DIMENSIONS. THE…
Cognitive Age: A New Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Age Identity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barak, Benny

1987-01-01

Conducted exploratory field study to examine how age-concepts are experienced and to assess relationship of age identities to each other. Proposes Cognitive Age as a new multidimensional age scale that merges the standard scale, Identity Age, and Personal Age. Study results attest to Cognitive Age scale's reliability and validity. (Author/NB)

Multidimensional quantum entanglement with large-scale integrated optics.

PubMed

Wang, Jianwei; Paesani, Stefano; Ding, Yunhong; Santagati, Raffaele; Skrzypczyk, Paul; Salavrakos, Alexia; Tura, Jordi; Augusiak, Remigiusz; Mančinska, Laura; Bacco, Davide; Bonneau, Damien; Silverstone, Joshua W; Gong, Qihuang; Acín, Antonio; Rottwitt, Karsten; Oxenløwe, Leif K; O'Brien, Jeremy L; Laing, Anthony; Thompson, Mark G

2018-04-20

The ability to control multidimensional quantum systems is central to the development of advanced quantum technologies. We demonstrate a multidimensional integrated quantum photonic platform able to generate, control, and analyze high-dimensional entanglement. A programmable bipartite entangled system is realized with dimensions up to 15 × 15 on a large-scale silicon photonics quantum circuit. The device integrates more than 550 photonic components on a single chip, including 16 identical photon-pair sources. We verify the high precision, generality, and controllability of our multidimensional technology, and further exploit these abilities to demonstrate previously unexplored quantum applications, such as quantum randomness expansion and self-testing on multidimensional states. Our work provides an experimental platform for the development of multidimensional quantum technologies. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
A Componential Interpretation of the General Factor in Human Intelligence.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

individual - differences data . If one delves into the nature of variation across stimulus types rather than across subjects, however, a result...the conclusion we will reach from an evaluation of the data we have collected, we assert here that individual differences in general intelligence can... data . The technique we used was nonmetric multidimensional scaling rather than factor analysis , however (see Kruskal, 1964a, 1964b; Shepard, 1962a
The Multidimensional Aggression Scale for the Structured Doll Play Interview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abramson, Paul R.; And Others

1974-01-01

A multidimensional aggression scoring system for preschool children's responses to the structured doll play interview is described. The system, which incorporates previous investigator's findings, scales doll play responses along three dimensions of aggression: intensity, agent, and directionality. (Author)
The Versatility of SpAM: A Fast, Efficient, Spatial Method of Data Collection for Multidimensional Scaling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hout, Michael C.; Goldinger, Stephen D.; Ferguson, Ryan W.

2013-01-01

Although traditional methods to collect similarity data (for multidimensional scaling [MDS]) are robust, they share a key shortcoming. Specifically, the possible pairwise comparisons in any set of objects grow rapidly as a function of set size. This leads to lengthy experimental protocols, or procedures that involve scaling stimulus subsets. We…
Multi-dimensional upwinding-based implicit LES for the vorticity transport equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foti, Daniel; Duraisamy, Karthik

2017-11-01

Complex turbulent flows such as rotorcraft and wind turbine wakes are characterized by the presence of strong coherent structures that can be compactly described by vorticity variables. The vorticity-velocity formulation of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is employed to increase numerical efficiency. Compared to the traditional velocity-pressure formulation, high order numerical methods and sub-grid scale models for the vorticity transport equation (VTE) have not been fully investigated. Consistent treatment of the convection and stretching terms also needs to be addressed. Our belief is that, by carefully designing sharp gradient-capturing numerical schemes, coherent structures can be more efficiently captured using the vorticity-velocity formulation. In this work, a multidimensional upwind approach for the VTE is developed using the generalized Riemann problem-based scheme devised by Parish et al. (Computers & Fluids, 2016). The algorithm obtains high resolution by augmenting the upwind fluxes with transverse and normal direction corrections. The approach is investigated with several canonical vortex-dominated flows including isolated and interacting vortices and turbulent flows. The capability of the technique to represent sub-grid scale effects is also assessed. Navy contract titled ``Turbulence Modelling Across Disparate Length Scales for Naval Computational Fluid Dynamics Applications,'' through Continuum Dynamics, Inc.
Multidimensional Scaling Applied to Linguistic Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Paul

1973-01-01

As the several specific applications in this paper demonstrate, multidimensional scaling provides a long-needed means for investigating and describing spatial relationships among speech varieties. It is especially applicable to the relationships among varieties of a single language (or more properly, linguistic "cline"), which, as is…
Enrichment and separation techniques for large-scale proteomics analysis of the protein post-translational modifications.

PubMed

Huang, Junfeng; Wang, Fangjun; Ye, Mingliang; Zou, Hanfa

2014-11-06

Comprehensive analysis of the post-translational modifications (PTMs) on proteins at proteome level is crucial to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of various biological processes. In the past decades, thanks to the development of specific PTM enrichment techniques and efficient multidimensional liquid chromatography (LC) separation strategy, the identification of protein PTMs have made tremendous progress. A huge number of modification sites for some major protein PTMs have been identified by proteomics analysis. In this review, we first introduced the recent progresses of PTM enrichment methods for the analysis of several major PTMs including phosphorylation, glycosylation, ubiquitination, acetylation, methylation, and oxidation/reduction status. We then briefly summarized the challenges for PTM enrichment. Finally, we introduced the fractionation and separation techniques for efficient separation of PTM peptides in large-scale PTM analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Library Anxiety of Law Students: A Study Utilizing the Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowers, Stacey L.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether law students experienced library anxiety and, if so, which components contributed to that anxiety. The Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale (MLAS) developed by Dr. Doris Van Kampen was used to assess library anxiety levels of law students. The MLAS is a 53 question Likert scale instrument that…
Development of the Competitive Work Environment Scale: A Multidimensional Climate Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Thomas D.; Nusbaum, David N.

2010-01-01

Recent research suggests that competitive work environments may influence individual's attitudes, behaviors, stress, and performance. Unfortunately, adequate measures of competitive environments are lacking. This article traces the development of a new multidimensional competitive work environment scale. An initial 59-item pool covering five…
A Multidimensional Analysis of the Mental Health of Graduate Counselors in Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Paul E.; Franzoni, Janet B.

1990-01-01

Examined level of mental health of 180 graduate counselor trainees. Gathered multidimensional mental health information using seven clinical scales of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale, Life Style Personality Inventory, and Coping Resources Inventory for Stress. Trainees…
Cardiac Light-Sheet Fluorescent Microscopy for Multi-Scale and Rapid Imaging of Architecture and Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Peng; Lee, Juhyun; Packard, René R. Sevag; Sereti, Konstantina-Ioanna; Xu, Hao; Ma, Jianguo; Ding, Yichen; Kang, Hanul; Chen, Harrison; Sung, Kevin; Kulkarni, Rajan; Ardehali, Reza; Kuo, C.-C. Jay; Xu, Xiaolei; Ho, Chih-Ming; Hsiai, Tzung K.

2016-03-01

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) enables multi-dimensional and multi-scale imaging via illuminating specimens with a separate thin sheet of laser. It allows rapid plane illumination for reduced photo-damage and superior axial resolution and contrast. We hereby demonstrate cardiac LSFM (c-LSFM) imaging to assess the functional architecture of zebrafish embryos with a retrospective cardiac synchronization algorithm for four-dimensional reconstruction (3-D space + time). By combining our approach with tissue clearing techniques, we reveal the entire cardiac structures and hypertrabeculation of adult zebrafish hearts in response to doxorubicin treatment. By integrating the resolution enhancement technique with c-LSFM to increase the resolving power under a large field-of-view, we demonstrate the use of low power objective to resolve the entire architecture of large-scale neonatal mouse hearts, revealing the helical orientation of individual myocardial fibers. Therefore, our c-LSFM imaging approach provides multi-scale visualization of architecture and function to drive cardiovascular research with translational implication in congenital heart diseases.
Extending Validity Evidence for Multidimensional Measures of Coaching Competency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Nicholas D.; Wolfe, Edward W.; Maier, Kimberly S.; Feltz, Deborah L.; Reckase, Mark D.

2006-01-01

This study extended validity evidence for multidimensional measures of coaching competency derived from the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS; Myers, Feltz, Maier, Wolfe, & Reckase, 2006) by examining use of the original rating scale structure and testing how measures related to satisfaction with the head coach within teams and between teams.…
Simultaneous Classification and Multidimensional Scaling with External Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiers, Henk A. L.; Vicari, Donatella; Vichi, Maurizio

2005-01-01

For the exploratory analysis of a matrix of proximities or (dis)similarities between objects, one often uses cluster analysis (CA) or multidimensional scaling (MDS). Solutions resulting from such analyses are sometimes interpreted using external information on the objects. Usually the procedures of CA, MDS and using external information are…
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Hewitt-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barut, Yasar

2015-01-01

Various studies on the conceptual framework of perfectionism construct use Hewitt Multi-dimensional Perfectionism Scale (HMPS), as a basic approach. The measure has a prominent role with respect to the theoretical considerations of perfectionism dimensions. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the…
Using Multidimensional Scaling To Assess the Dimensionality of Dichotomous Item Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meara, Kevin; Robin, Frederic; Sireci, Stephen G.

2000-01-01

Investigated the usefulness of multidimensional scaling (MDS) for assessing the dimensionality of dichotomous test data. Focused on two MDS proximity measures, one based on the PC statistic (T. Chen and M. Davidson, 1996) and other, on interitem Euclidean distances. Simulation results show that both MDS procedures correctly identify…
Cross-Cultural Validity of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Dong-gwi; Park, Hyun-joo

2011-01-01

This study with 213 South Korean college students (113 men) examined the cross-cultural generalizability of (a) the factor structure of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS) and (b) the existence of adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionists. A confirmatory factor analysis did not support the…
Multidimensional and Hierarchical Assessment of School Motivation: Cross-Cultural Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInerney, Dennis M.; Ali, Jinnat

2006-01-01

This study examines the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of achievement goal orientation measured by the Inventory of School Motivation. The instrument consists of eight different scales with 43 survey items (ranging from three to seven items each). Each scale reflects one of eight specific dimensions: task, effort, competition, social…
Multidimensional Scaling of High School Students' Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmelkin, Liora Pedhazur; Gilbert, Kimberly A.; Silva, Rebecca

2010-01-01

Although cheating on tests and other forms of academic dishonesty are considered rampant, no standard definition of academic dishonesty exists. The current study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of academic dishonesty in high school students, utilizing an innovative methodology, multidimensional scaling (MDS). Two methods were used to…
The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA)

PubMed Central

Mehling, Wolf E.; Price, Cynthia; Daubenmier, Jennifer J.; Acree, Mike; Bartmess, Elizabeth; Stewart, Anita

2012-01-01

This paper describes the development of a multidimensional self-report measure of interoceptive body awareness. The systematic mixed-methods process involved reviewing the current literature, specifying a multidimensional conceptual framework, evaluating prior instruments, developing items, and analyzing focus group responses to scale items by instructors and patients of body awareness-enhancing therapies. Following refinement by cognitive testing, items were field-tested in students and instructors of mind-body approaches. Final item selection was achieved by submitting the field test data to an iterative process using multiple validation methods, including exploratory cluster and confirmatory factor analyses, comparison between known groups, and correlations with established measures of related constructs. The resulting 32-item multidimensional instrument assesses eight concepts. The psychometric properties of these final scales suggest that the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) may serve as a starting point for research and further collaborative refinement. PMID:23133619
Heteronuclear Multidimensional Protein NMR in a Teaching Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Nathan T.

2016-01-01

Heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques are commonly used to study protein structure, function, and dynamics, yet they are rarely taught at the undergraduate level. Here, we describe a senior undergraduate laboratory where students collect, process, and analyze heteronuclear multidimensional NMR experiments using an unstudied Ig domain (Ig2…

Health, Wealth and Wisdom: Exploring Multidimensional Inequality in a Developing Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Therese

2010-01-01

Despite a broad theoretical literature on multidimensional inequality and a widespread belief that welfare is not synonymous to income--not the least in a developing context--empirical inequality examinations rarely includes several welfare attributes. We explore three techniques on how to evaluate multidimensional inequality using Zambian…
Development of a fragile X syndrome (FXS) knowledge scale: towards a modified multidimensional measure of informed choice for FXS population carrier screening.

PubMed

Ames, Alice G; Jaques, Alice; Ukoumunne, Obioha C; Archibald, Alison D; Duncan, Rony E; Emery, Jon; Metcalfe, Sylvia A

2015-02-01

Genetic carrier screening is increasingly possible for many conditions, but it is important to ensure decisions are informed. The multidimensional measure of informed choice (MMIC) is a quantitative instrument developed to evaluate informed choice in prenatal screening for Down syndrome, measuring knowledge, attitudes and uptake. To apply the MMIC in other screening settings, the knowledge scale must be modified. To develop and validate a modified MMIC knowledge scale for use with women undergoing carrier screening for fragile X syndrome (FXS). Responses to MMIC items were collected through questionnaires as part of a FXS carrier screening pilot study in a preconception setting in Melbourne, Australia. Ten knowledge scale items were developed using a modified Delphi technique. Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis were used to validate the new FXS knowledge scale. We summarized the knowledge, attitudes and informed choice status based on the modified MMIC. Two hundred and eighty-five women were recruited, 241 eligible questionnaires were complete for analysis. The FXS knowledge scale items measured one salient construct and were internally consistent (alpha = 0.70). 71% (172/241) of participants were classified as having good knowledge, 70% (169/241) had positive attitudes and 27% (65/241) made an informed choice to accept or decline screening. We present the development of a knowledge scale as part of a MMIC to evaluate informed choice in population carrier screening for FXS. This can be used as a template by other researchers to develop knowledge scales for other conditions for use in the MMIC. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Evaluating Change in Behavioral Preferences: Multidimensional Scaling Single-Ideal Point Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Cody

2016-01-01

The purpose of the article is to propose a multidimensional scaling single-ideal point model as a method to evaluate changes in individuals' preferences under the explicit methodological framework of behavioral preference assessment. One example is used to illustrate the approach for a clear idea of what this approach can accomplish.
Dimensionality Assessment for Dichotomously Scored Items Using Multidimensional Scaling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Patricia B.; And Others

In order to determine the effectiveness of multidimensional scaling (MDS) in recovering the dimensionality of a set of dichotomously-scored items, data were simulated in one, two, and three dimensions for a variety of correlations with the underlying latent trait. Similarity matrices were constructed from these data using three margin-sensitive…
BMDS: A Collection of R Functions for Bayesian Multidimensional Scaling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okada, Kensuke; Shigemasu, Kazuo

2009-01-01

Bayesian multidimensional scaling (MDS) has attracted a great deal of attention because: (1) it provides a better fit than do classical MDS and ALSCAL; (2) it provides estimation errors of the distances; and (3) the Bayesian dimension selection criterion, MDSIC, provides a direct indication of optimal dimensionality. However, Bayesian MDS is not…
Assessing Fit and Dimensionality in Least Squares Metric Multidimensional Scaling Using Akaike's Information Criterion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Cody S.; Davison, Mark L.

2010-01-01

Akaike's information criterion is suggested as a tool for evaluating fit and dimensionality in metric multidimensional scaling that uses least squares methods of estimation. This criterion combines the least squares loss function with the number of estimated parameters. Numerical examples are presented. The results from analyses of both simulation…
A Hierarchical Bayesian Multidimensional Scaling Methodology for Accommodating Both Structural and Preference Heterogeneity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Joonwook; Desarbo, Wayne S.; Liechty, John

2008-01-01

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) models for the analysis of dominance data have been developed in the psychometric and classification literature to simultaneously capture subjects' "preference heterogeneity" and the underlying dimentional structure for a set of designated stimuli in a parsimonious manner. There are two major types of latent utility…
Finite Mixture Multilevel Multidimensional Ordinal IRT Models for Large Scale Cross-Cultural Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Jong, Martijn G.; Steenkamp, Jan-Benedict E. M.

2010-01-01

We present a class of finite mixture multilevel multidimensional ordinal IRT models for large scale cross-cultural research. Our model is proposed for confirmatory research settings. Our prior for item parameters is a mixture distribution to accommodate situations where different groups of countries have different measurement operations, while…
A Multi-Method Multi-Analytic Approach to Establishing Internal Construct Validity Evidence: The Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gotwals, John K.; Dunn, John G. H.

2009-01-01

This article presents a chronology of three empirical studies that outline the measurement process by which two new subscales ("Doubts about Actions" and "Organization") were developed and integrated into a revised version of Dunn, Causgrove Dunn, and Syrotuik's (2002) "Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale"…
Development and Validation of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale--Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Alexandra M.; Frost, Randy O.; DiBartolo, Patricia Marten

2016-01-01

Twenty-five years ago, one of the first empirically validated measures of perfectionism, the Frost et al. Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS) was published. Since that time, psychometric studies of the original F-MPS have provided a plethora of evidence to support the potential development of a shorter yet still psychometrically robust…
Beyond factor analysis: Multidimensionality and the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-Revised.

PubMed

Pushpanathan, Maria E; Loftus, Andrea M; Gasson, Natalie; Thomas, Meghan G; Timms, Caitlin F; Olaithe, Michelle; Bucks, Romola S

2018-01-01

Many studies have sought to describe the relationship between sleep disturbance and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD). The Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and its variants (the Parkinson's disease Sleep Scale-Revised; PDSS-R, and the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2; PDSS-2) quantify a range of symptoms impacting sleep in only 15 items. However, data from these scales may be problematic as included items have considerable conceptual breadth, and there may be overlap in the constructs assessed. Multidimensional measurement models, accounting for the tendency for items to measure multiple constructs, may be useful more accurately to model variance than traditional confirmatory factor analysis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a multidimensional model (a bifactor model) is more appropriate than traditional factor analysis for data generated by these types of scales, using data collected using the PDSS-R as an exemplar. 166 participants diagnosed with idiopathic PD participated in this study. Using PDSS-R data, we compared three models: a unidimensional model; a 3-factor model consisting of sub-factors measuring insomnia, motor symptoms and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) symptoms; and, a confirmatory bifactor model with both a general factor and the same three sub-factors. Only the confirmatory bifactor model achieved satisfactory model fit, suggesting that PDSS-R data are multidimensional. There were differential associations between factor scores and patient characteristics, suggesting that some PDSS-R items, but not others, are influenced by mood and personality in addition to sleep symptoms. Multidimensional measurement models may also be a helpful tool in the PDSS and the PDSS-2 scales and may improve the sensitivity of these instruments.
A Multidimensional Scaling Approach to Dimensionality Assessment for Measurement Instruments Modeled by Multidimensional Item Response Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toro, Maritsa

2011-01-01

The statistical assessment of dimensionality provides evidence of the underlying constructs measured by a survey or test instrument. This study focuses on educational measurement, specifically tests comprised of items described as multidimensional. That is, items that require examinee proficiency in multiple content areas and/or multiple cognitive…
Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form C in a Non-Western Culture

PubMed Central

Konkolÿ Thege, Barna; Rafael, Beatrix; Rohánszky, Magda

2014-01-01

Form C of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales (MHLC-C) was designed to investigate health-related control beliefs of persons with an existing medical condition. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of this instrument in a culture characterized by external control beliefs and learned helplessness—contrary to the societal context of original test development. Altogether, 374 Hungarian patients with cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders were enrolled in the study. Besides the MHLC-C, instruments measuring general control beliefs, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, and health behaviors were also administered to evaluate the validity of the scale. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques were used to investigate the factor structure of the scale. Our results showed that the Hungarian adaptation of the instrument had a slightly different structure than the one originally hypothesized: in the present sample, a three-factor structure emerged where the items of the Doctors and the Others subscales loaded onto a single common component. Internal reliability of all three subscales was adequate (alphas between .71 and .79). Data concerning the instrument's validity were comparable with previous results from Western countries. These findings may suggest that health locus of control can be construed very similarly to Western countries even in a post-communist society—regardless of the potential differences in general control beliefs. PMID:25202967
Psychopathological dimensions of depression: a factor study of the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale in unipolar depressed outpatients.

PubMed

Pancheri, P; Picardi, A; Pasquini, M; Gaetano, P; Biondi, M

2002-02-01

Agreement on the factor structure of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) has not been consistent among studies, and some investigators argued that the scale's factor structure is not reliable. This study aimed at shedding more light on this debated issue. We studied 186 adults with unipolar depression (Major Depressive Disorder, n=80; Dysthymic Disorder, n=71; Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, n=25; Adjustment Disorder, n=10). They had no comorbid DSM-IV axis I or axis II disorders, and had received no treatment with antidepressant drugs in the previous 2 months. The factor structure of the scale was studied using the principal factor method, followed by oblique rotation. Factor scores were computed for each subject using the regression method. Using the scree-test criterion for factor extraction, we obtained a four-factor solution, explaining 43.8% of total variance. The four factors extracted were identified as (1) somatic anxiety/somatization factor; (2) a psychic anxiety dimension; (3) a pure depressive dimension; and (4) anorexia factor. Patients with Major Depressive Disorder scored significantly higher than patients with other diagnoses on the pure depressive dimension. These results need to be replicated in different cultures, using analogous factoring techniques. Though not exhibiting factorial invariance in the stricter sense of the term, the 17-item HDRS did exhibit a relatively reliable factor structure. Our analysis provides further evidence that the scale is multidimensional. However, as long as the multidimensional character of the scale is taken into account the scale should be able to play a useful role in clinical research.
Observed Score and True Score Equating Procedures for Multidimensional Item Response Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brossman, Bradley Grant

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop observed score and true score equating procedures to be used in conjunction with the Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) framework. Currently, MIRT scale linking procedures exist to place item parameter estimates and ability estimates on the same scale after separate calibrations are conducted.…
Measuring Perceived Social Support in Mexican American Youth: Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Lisa M.

2004-01-01

The utility of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet,& Farley, 1988) was investigated within a sample of 290 Mexican American adolescents. Results suggested that the three-subscale structure (Family, Friends, and Significant Other) of the MSPSS was confirmed, and adequate internal reliability for the…
Dimensionality and Typology of Perfectionism: The Use of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale with Chinese Gifted Students in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, David W.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the dimensionality and typology of perfectionism based on the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale with a sample of 380 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a five-dimensional model that includes constructs of personal standards, parental expectations, parental criticism,…
Large-scale Instability during Gravitational Collapse with Neutrino Transport and a Core-Collapse Supernova

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksenov, A. G.; Chechetkin, V. M.

2018-04-01

Most of the energy released in the gravitational collapse of the cores of massive stars is carried away by neutrinos. Neutrinos play a pivotal role in explaining core-collape supernovae. Currently, mathematical models of the gravitational collapse are based on multi-dimensional gas dynamics and thermonuclear reactions, while neutrino transport is considered in a simplified way. Multidimensional gas dynamics is used with neutrino transport in the flux-limited diffusion approximation to study the role of multi-dimensional effects. The possibility of large-scale convection is discussed, which is interesting both for explaining SN II and for setting up observations to register possible high-energy (≳10MeV) neutrinos from the supernova. A new multi-dimensional, multi-temperature gas dynamics method with neutrino transport is presented.
Trends in modeling Biomedical Complex Systems

PubMed Central

Milanesi, Luciano; Romano, Paolo; Castellani, Gastone; Remondini, Daniel; Liò, Petro

2009-01-01

In this paper we provide an introduction to the techniques for multi-scale complex biological systems, from the single bio-molecule to the cell, combining theoretical modeling, experiments, informatics tools and technologies suitable for biological and biomedical research, which are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, multidimensional and information-driven. The most important concepts on mathematical modeling methodologies and statistical inference, bioinformatics and standards tools to investigate complex biomedical systems are discussed and the prominent literature useful to both the practitioner and the theoretician are presented. PMID:19828068
Validity and reliability of the multidimensional assessment of fatigue scale in Iranian patients with relapsing-remitting subtype of multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Behrangrad, Shabnam; Kordi Yoosefinejad, Amin

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale (MAFS) in an Iranian population with multiple sclerosis. A self-reported survey on fatigue including the MAFS, Fatigue Impact Scale and demographic measures was completed by 130 patients with multiple sclerosis and 60 healthy persons sampled with a convenience method. Test-retest reliability and validity were evaluated 3 days apart. Construct validity of the MAFS was assessed with the Fatigue Impact Scale. The MAFS had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.9) and 3-d test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). Correlation between the Fatigue Impact Scale and MAFS was high (r = 0.99). Correlation between MAFS scores and the Expanded Disability Status Scale was also strong (r = 0.85). Questionnaire items showed acceptable item-scale correlation (0.968-0.993). The Persian version of the MAFS appears to be a valid and reliable questionnaire. It is an appropriate short multidimensional instrument to assess fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis in clinical practice and research. Implications for Rehabilitation The Persian version of Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment and monitoring the fatigue in Persian-language patients with multiple sclerosis. It is very easy to administer and a time efficient scale in comparison to other instruments evaluating fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Parametric instabilities and their control in multidimensional nonuniform gain media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, Martin

2007-11-01

In order to control parametric instabilities in large scale long pulse laser produced plasmas, optical mixing techniques seem most promising [1]. We examine ways of controlling the growth of some modes while creating other unstable ones in nonuniform gain media, including the effects of transverse localization of the pump wave. We show that multidimensional effects are essential to understand laser-gain medium interactions [2] and that one dimensional models such as the celebrated Rosenbluth result [3] can be misleading [4]. These findings are verified in experiments carried out in a chirped quasi-phase-matched gratings in optical parametric amplifiers where thousands of shots can be taken and statistically significant and stable results obtained. [1] B. Afeyan, et al., IFSA Proceedings, 2003. [2] M. M. Sushchik and G. I. Freidman, Radiofizika 13, 1354 (1970). [3] M. N. Rosenbluth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 29, 565 (1972). [4] M. Charbonneau-Lefort, PhD thesis, Stanford University, 2007.
Multi-attribute subjective evaluations of manual tracking tasks vs. objective performance of the human operator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siapkaras, A.

1977-01-01

A computational method to deal with the multidimensional nature of tracking and/or monitoring tasks is developed. Operator centered variables, including the operator's perception of the task, are considered. Matrix ratings are defined based on multidimensional scaling techniques and multivariate analysis. The method consists of two distinct steps: (1) to determine the mathematical space of subjective judgements of a certain individual (or group of evaluators) for a given set of tasks and experimental conditionings; and (2) to relate this space with respect to both the task variables and the objective performance criteria used. Results for a variety of second-order trackings with smoothed noise-driven inputs indicate that: (1) many of the internally perceived task variables form a nonorthogonal set; and (2) the structure of the subjective space varies among groups of individuals according to the degree of familiarity they have with such tasks.
Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace: Examining a Multidimensional Framework and Instrument from a Measurement and Evaluation Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.

2009-01-01

This investigation conducts measurement and evaluation of a multidimensional model of workplace motivation and engagement from a construct validation perspective. Two studies were conducted, one using the multi-item multidimensional Motivation and Engagement Scale-Work (N = 637 school personnel) and one using a parallel short form (N = 574 school…
Comparing Multidimensional and Continuum Models of Vocabulary Acquisition: An Empirical Examination of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Jeffrey; Batty, Aaron Olaf; Bovee, Nicholas

2012-01-01

Second language vocabulary acquisition has been modeled both as multidimensional in nature and as a continuum wherein the learner's knowledge of a word develops along a cline from recognition through production. In order to empirically examine and compare these models, the authors assess the degree to which the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS;…
Exploring Children's Face-Space: A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of the Mental Representation of Facial Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nishimura, Mayu; Maurer, Daphne; Gao, Xiaoqing

2009-01-01

We explored differences in the mental representation of facial identity between 8-year-olds and adults. The 8-year-olds and adults made similarity judgments of a homogeneous set of faces (individual hair cues removed) using an "odd-man-out" paradigm. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses were performed to represent perceived similarity of faces…
Psychometric Evaluation of the Serbian Version of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jovanovic, Veljko; Zuljevic, Dragan

2013-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). The research was carried out on a sample of 408 high school students (250 females, 158 males), with the mean age 16.6. The Serbian version of the MSLSS has demonstrated good psychometric…
Psychometric Evaluation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale for Use with Pregnant and Postpartum Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fairbrother, Nichole; Hutton, Eileen K.; Stoll, Kathrin; Hall, Wendy; Kluka, Sandy

2008-01-01

Although fatigue is a common experience for pregnant women and new mothers, few measures of fatigue have been validated for use with this population. To address this gap, the authors assessed psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale, which was used in 2 independent samples of pregnant women. Results…
An Evaluation of the Factor Structure of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Bronwyn; Pallant, Julie; Harvey, David

2004-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the six-factor structure of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale could be replicated in a community-based sample. A sample of 255 adult participants (55.7% female, 44.3% male) ranging in age from 18 to 78 (mean = 37.0) completed the questionnaire. Based on the screen test and parallel…
Measurement Invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Student's Life Satisfaction Scale among Adolescents and Emerging Adults across 23 Cultural Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abubakar, Amina; van de Vijver, Fons; Alonso-Arbiol, Itziar; He, Jia; Adams, Byron; Aldhafri, Said; Aydinli-Karakulak, Arzu; Arasa, Josephine; Boer, Diana; Celenk, Ozgur; Dimitrova, Radosveta; Ferreira, Maria Cristina; Fischer, Ronald; Mbebeb, Fomba Emmanuel; Frías, María Teresa; Fresno, Andrés; Gillath, Omri; Harb, Charles; Handani, Penny; Hapunda, Given; Kamble, Shanmukh; Kosic, Marianna; Looh, Joseph Lah; Mazrui, Lubna; Mendia, Rafael Emilio; Murugami, Margaret; Mason-Li, Mei; Pandia, Weny Savitry; Perdomo, Cristina; Schachner, Maja; Sim, Samantha; Spencer, Rosario; Suryani, Angela; Tair, Ergyul

2016-01-01

There is hardly any cross-cultural research on the measurement invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scales (BMSLSS). The current article evaluates the measurement invariance of the BMSLSS across cultural contexts. This cross-sectional study sampled 7,739 adolescents and emerging adults in 23 countries. A multi-group…
Diagnostic Efficiency of the Child and Parent Versions of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villabo, Marianne; Gere, Martina; Torgersen, Svenn; March, John S.; Kendall, Philip C.

2012-01-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the psychometrics and clinical efficiency of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), which measures physical symptoms, harm avoidance, social anxiety, and separation/panic. Using a sample of 190 treatment-seeking Norwegian youth (aged 7-13 years, M[subscript age] = 10.3 years, 62.1% male),…
Modification and Validation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for Chinese School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Sammy K.; Chan, Edmund S.

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the revised multidimensional scale of perceived social support (R-MSPSS) for Chinese school teachers. A questionnaire comprising the R-MSPSS and other psychological measures was administered to a sample of 539 school teachers in Hong Kong. A series of confirmatory factor analysis was…
Factor Structure, Reliability and Validity of the Taiwanese Version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Cheng-Fang; Yang, Pinchen; Wu, Yu-Yu; Hsu, Fan-Ching; Cheng, Chung-Ping

2010-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure, internal consistency 1 month test-retest reliability and the discriminant validity for the diagnosis of anxiety disorder of the Taiwanese version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC-T). A total of 12,536 Taiwanese children and adolescents in the community were…
[External and internal validity of a multidimensional Locus of control scale of eating attitudes for athletes (LOCSCAS)].

PubMed

Paquet, Y; Scoffier, S; d'Arripe-Longueville, F

2016-10-01

In the field of health psychology, the control has consistently been considered as a protective factor. This protective role has been also highlighted in eating attitudes' domain. However, current studies use the one-dimensional scale of Rotter or the multidimensional health locus of control scale, and no specific eating attitudes' scale in the sport context exists. Moreover, the social influence in previous scales is limited. According to recent works, the purpose of this study was to test the internal and external validity of a multidimensional locus of control scale of eating attitudes for athletes. One hundred and seventy-nine participants were solicited. A confirmatory factorial analysis was conducted in order to test the internal validity of the scale. The scale external validity was tested in relation to eating attitudes. The internal validity of the scale was verified as well as the external validity, which confirmed the importance of taking into consideration social influences. Indeed, the 2 subscales "Trainers, friends" and "Parents, family" are related respectively positively and negatively in eating disorders. Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The Use of Interactive Raster Graphics in the Display and Manipulation of Multidimensional Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, D. C.

1981-01-01

Techniques for the review, display, and manipulation of multidimensional data are developed and described. Multidimensional data is meant in this context to describe scalar data associated with a three dimensional geometry or otherwise too complex to be well represented by traditional graphs. Raster graphics techniques are used to display a shaded image of a three dimensional geometry. The use of color to represent scalar data associated with the geometries in shaded images is explored. Distinct hues are associated with discrete data ranges, thus emulating the traditional representation of data with isarithms, or lines of constant numerical value. Data ranges are alternatively associated with a continuous spectrum of hues to show subtler data trends. The application of raster graphics techniques to the display of bivariate functions is explored.
The use of multidimensional scaling for facilities layout - An application to the design of the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tullis, Thomas S.; Bied Sperling, Barbra; Steinberg, A. L.

1986-01-01

Before an optimum layout of the facilities for the proposed Space Station can be designed, it is necessary to understand the functions that will be performed by the Space Station crew and the relationships among those functions. Five criteria for assessing functional relationships were identified. For each of these criteria, a matrix representing the degree of association of all pairs of functions was developed. The key to making inferences about the layout of the Space Station from these matrices was the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS). Applying MDS to these matrices resulted in spatial configurations of the crew functions in which smaller distances in the MDS configuration reflected closer associations. An MDS analysis of a composite matrix formed by combining the five individual matrices resulted in two dimensions that describe the configuration: a 'private-public' dimension and a 'group-individual' dimension. Seven specific recommendations for Space Station layout were derived from analyses of the MDS configurations. Although these techniques have been applied to the design of the Space Station, they can be applied to the design of any facility where people live or work.
Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Life Skills in Late Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobayashi, Minoru; Gushiken, Taichi; Ganaha, Yurika; Sasazawa, Yosiaki; Iwata, Shotaro; Takemura, Akiko; Fujita, Tsutomu; Asikin, Yonathan; Takakura, Minoru

2013-01-01

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Life Skills in Late Childhood, an instrument designed to measure a concept similar to "zest for living" in late childhood. A total of 1,888 elementary school students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades residing in urban and suburban areas as well as in…
Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children in an African American Adolescent Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingery, Julie Newman; Ginsburg, Golda S.; Burstein, Marcy

2009-01-01

The current study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) among a community sample of 118 African American students (58 females; ages 14-19 years; mean age = 15.79) in an urban, parochial high school. Adolescents completed the MASC and several other self-report measures of…
Unidimensional Vertical Scaling in Multidimensional Space. Research Report. ETS RR-17-29

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, James E.

2017-01-01

In this paper, I consider a set of test items that are located in a multidimensional space, S[subscript M], but are located along a curved line in S[subscript M] and can be scaled unidimensionally. Furthermore, I am demonstrating a case in which the test items are administered across 6 levels, such as occurs in K-12 assessment across 6 grade…
French Validation of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): The Case of Attitudes toward Autism and Their Moderating Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dachez, Julie; Ndobo, Andre; Ameline, Anaïs

2015-01-01

This research investigates the renewed interest in autism, the stigmatization of persons with autism and the need to better measure such stigmatization. Two studies were thus conducted on 101 and 104 participants in order to validate the French version of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward persons with disabilities, and examine the…
The Swedish version of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS)--a psychometric evaluation study in women with hirsutism and nursing students.

PubMed

Ekbäck, Maria; Benzein, Eva; Lindberg, Magnus; Arestedt, Kristofer

2013-10-10

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a short instrument, developed to assess perceived social support. The original English version has been widely used. The original scale has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in different settings, but no validated Swedish version has been available. The aim was therefore to translate, adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for use in a Swedish context. In total 281 participants accepted to join the study, a main sample of 127 women with hirsutism and a reference sample of 154 nursing students. The MSPSS was translated and culturally adapted according to the rigorous official process approved by WHO. The psychometric evaluation included item analysis, evaluation of factor structure, known-group validity, internal consistency and reproducibility. The original three-factor structure was reproduced in the main sample of women with hirsutism. An equivalent factor structure was demonstrated in a cross-validation, based on the reference sample of nursing students. Known-group validity was supported and internal consistency was good for all scales (α = 0.91-0.95). The test-retest showed acceptable to very good reproducibility for the items (κw = 0.58-0.85) and the scales (ICC = 0.89-0.92; CCC = 0.89-0.92). The Swedish version of the MSPSS is a multidimensional scale with sound psychometric properties in the present study sample. The simple and short format makes it a useful tool for measuring perceived social support.

Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale in traumatic brain injury: an NIDRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems study.

PubMed

Lequerica, Anthony; Bushnik, Tamara; Wright, Jerry; Kolakowsky-Hayner, Stephanie A; Hammond, Flora M; Dijkers, Marcel P; Cantor, Joshua

2012-01-01

To investigate the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) sample. Prospective survey study. Community. One hundred sixty-seven individuals with TBI admitted for inpatient rehabilitation, enrolled into the TBI Model Systems national database, and followed up at either the first or second year postinjury. Not applicable. Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue. The initial analysis, using items 1 to 14, which are based on a 10-point rating scale, found that only 1 item ("walking") misfit the overall construct of fatigue in this TBI population. However, this 10-point rating scale was found to have disordered thresholds. When ratings were collapsed into 4 response categories, all MAF items used to calculate the Global Fatigue Index formed a unidimensional scale. Findings generally support the unidimensionality of the MAF when used in a TBI population but call into question the use of a 10-point rating scale for items 1 to 14. Further study is needed to investigate the use of a 4-category rating scale across all items and the fit of the "walking" item for a measure of fatigue among individuals with TBI.
Quantifying traditional Chinese medicine patterns using modern test theory: an example of functional constipation.

PubMed

Shen, Minxue; Cui, Yuanwu; Hu, Ming; Xu, Linyong

2017-01-13

The study aimed to validate a scale to assess the severity of "Yin deficiency, intestine heat" pattern of functional constipation based on the modern test theory. Pooled longitudinal data of 237 patients with "Yin deficiency, intestine heat" pattern of constipation from a prospective cohort study were used to validate the scale. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the common factors of items. A multidimensional item response model was used to assess the scale with the presence of multidimensionality. The Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.89, and the split-half reliability ranged from 0.67 to 0.79 at different measurements. Exploratory factor analysis identified two common factors, and all items had cross factor loadings. Bidimensional model had better goodness of fit than the unidimensional model. Multidimensional item response model showed that the all items had moderate to high discrimination parameters. Parameters indicated that the first latent trait signified intestine heat, while the second trait characterized Yin deficiency. Information function showed that items demonstrated highest discrimination power among patients with moderate to high level of disease severity. Multidimensional item response theory provides a useful and rational approach in validating scales for assessing the severity of patterns in traditional Chinese medicine.
Reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in Japan.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Kyoko; Okano, Yoshiyuki; Hohashi, Naohiro

2011-09-01

To examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and to investigate the agreement between child self-reported fatigue and parent proxy-reported fatigue. The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was administered to 652 preschoolers and schoolchildren aged 5-12 and their parents, and to 91 parents of preschool children aged 1-4. Internal consistency reliability was 0.62-0.87 for children and 0.81-0.93 for parents. Known-group validity was examined between a group of healthy samples (n = 530) and chronic condition sample (n = 102); the chronically ill group reported a significantly higher perceived fatigue problem. Correlations between child self- and parent proxy reports ranged from poor to fair. In subgroups identified by cluster analysis based on child self-reported scores, the greatest agreement between child and parent reports was seen in the good HRQOL group, while the least occurred in the poor HRQOL group. The parents overestimated their child's fatigue more when the child's HRQOL was low. The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated good reliability and validity and could be useful in evaluating Japanese children in school and health care settings.
Chemical space visualization: transforming multidimensional chemical spaces into similarity-based molecular networks.

PubMed

de la Vega de León, Antonio; Bajorath, Jürgen

2016-09-01

The concept of chemical space is of fundamental relevance for medicinal chemistry and chemical informatics. Multidimensional chemical space representations are coordinate-based. Chemical space networks (CSNs) have been introduced as a coordinate-free representation. A computational approach is presented for the transformation of multidimensional chemical space into CSNs. The design of transformation CSNs (TRANS-CSNs) is based upon a similarity function that directly reflects distance relationships in original multidimensional space. TRANS-CSNs provide an immediate visualization of coordinate-based chemical space and do not require the use of dimensionality reduction techniques. At low network density, TRANS-CSNs are readily interpretable and make it possible to evaluate structure-activity relationship information originating from multidimensional chemical space.
Development and psychometric properties of the Suicidality of Adolescent Screening Scale (SASS) using Multidimensional Item Response Theory.

PubMed

Sukhawaha, Supattra; Arunpongpaisal, Suwanna; Hurst, Cameron

2016-09-30

Suicide prevention in adolescents by early detection using screening tools to identify high suicidal risk is a priority. Our objective was to build a multidimensional scale namely "Suicidality of Adolescent Screening Scale (SASS)" to identify adolescents at risk of suicide. An initial pool of items was developed by using in-depth interview, focus groups and a literature review. Initially, 77 items were administered to 307 adolescents and analyzed using the exploratory Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) to remove unnecessary items. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis revealed 35 items that collected into 4 factors: Stressors, Pessimism, Suicidality and Depression. To confirm this structure, a new sample of 450 adolescents were collected and confirmatory MIRT factor analysis was performed. The resulting scale was shown to be both construct valid and able to discriminate well between adolescents that had, and hadn't previous attempted suicide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Column-coupling strategies for multidimensional electrophoretic separation techniques.

PubMed

Kler, Pablo A; Sydes, Daniel; Huhn, Carolin

2015-01-01

Multidimensional electrophoretic separations represent one of the most common strategies for dealing with the analysis of complex samples. In recent years we have been witnessing the explosive growth of separation techniques for the analysis of complex samples in applications ranging from life sciences to industry. In this sense, electrophoretic separations offer several strategic advantages such as excellent separation efficiency, different methods with a broad range of separation mechanisms, and low liquid consumption generating less waste effluents and lower costs per analysis, among others. Despite their impressive separation efficiency, multidimensional electrophoretic separations present some drawbacks that have delayed their extensive use: the volumes of the columns, and consequently of the injected sample, are significantly smaller compared to other analytical techniques, thus the coupling interfaces between two separations components must be very efficient in terms of providing geometrical precision with low dead volume. Likewise, very sensitive detection systems are required. Additionally, in electrophoretic separation techniques, the surface properties of the columns play a fundamental role for electroosmosis as well as the unwanted adsorption of proteins or other complex biomolecules. In this sense the requirements for an efficient coupling for electrophoretic separation techniques involve several aspects related to microfluidics and physicochemical interactions of the electrolyte solutions and the solid capillary walls. It is interesting to see how these multidimensional electrophoretic separation techniques have been used jointly with different detection techniques, for intermediate detection as well as for final identification and quantification, particularly important in the case of mass spectrometry. In this work we present a critical review about the different strategies for coupling two or more electrophoretic separation techniques and the different intermediate and final detection methods implemented for such separations.
Coupling Front-End Separations, Ion Mobility Spectrometry, and Mass Spectrometry For Enhanced Multidimensional Biological and Environmental Analyses

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

Zheng, Xueyun; Wojcik, Roza; Zhang, Xing

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a widely used analytical technique for rapid molecular separations in the gas phase. IMS alone is useful, but its coupling with mass spectrometry (MS) and front-end separations has been extremely beneficial for increasing measurement sensitivity, peak capacity of complex mixtures, and the scope of molecular information in biological and environmental sample analyses. Multiple studies in disease screening and environmental evaluations have even shown these IMS-based multidimensional separations extract information not possible with each technique individually. This review highlights 3-dimensional separations using IMS-MS in conjunction with a range of front-end techniques, such as gas chromatography (GC),more » supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), liquid chromatography (LC), solid phase extractions (SPE), capillary electrophoresis (CE), field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), and microfluidic devices. The origination, current state, various applications, and future capabilities for these multidimensional approaches are described to provide insight into the utility and potential of each technique.« less
Factorial invariance of pediatric patient self-reported fatigue across age and gender: a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis approach utilizing the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.

PubMed

Varni, James W; Beaujean, A Alexander; Limbers, Christine A

2013-11-01

In order to compare multidimensional fatigue research findings across age and gender subpopulations, it is important to demonstrate measurement invariance, that is, that the items from an instrument have equivalent meaning across the groups studied. This study examined the factorial invariance of the 18-item PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale items across age and gender and tested a bifactor model. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) was performed specifying a three-factor model across three age groups (5-7, 8-12, and 13-18 years) and gender. MG-CFA models were proposed in order to compare the factor structure, metric, scalar, and error variance across age groups and gender. The analyses were based on 837 children and adolescents recruited from general pediatric clinics, subspecialty clinics, and hospitals in which children were being seen for well-child checks, mild acute illness, or chronic illness care. A bifactor model of the items with one general factor influencing all the items and three domain-specific factors representing the General, Sleep/Rest, and Cognitive Fatigue domains fit the data better than oblique factor models. Based on the multiple measures of model fit, configural, metric, and scalar invariance were found for almost all items across the age and gender groups, as was invariance in the factor covariances. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated strict factorial invariance for child and adolescent self-report across gender and strong factorial invariance across age subpopulations. The findings support an equivalent three-factor structure across the age and gender groups studied. Based on these data, it can be concluded that pediatric patients across the groups interpreted the items in a similar manner regardless of their age or gender, supporting the multidimensional factor structure interpretation of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.
The Multidimensional Loss Scale: validating a cross-cultural instrument for measuring loss.

PubMed

Vromans, Lyn; Schweitzer, Robert D; Brough, Mark

2012-04-01

The Multidimensional Loss Scale (MLS) represents the first instrument designed specifically to index Experience of Loss Events and Loss Distress across multiple domains (cultural, social, material, and intrapersonal) relevant to refugee settlement. Recently settled Burmese adult refugees (N = 70) completed a questionnaire battery, including MLS items. Analyses explored MLS internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and factor structure. Cronbach alphas indicated satisfactory internal consistency for Experience of Loss Events (0.85) and Loss Distress (0.92), reflecting a unitary construct of multidimensional loss. Loss Distress did not correlate with depression or anxiety symptoms and correlated moderately with interpersonal grief and trauma symptoms, supporting divergent and convergent validity. Factor analysis provided preliminary support for a five-factor model: Loss of Symbolic Self, Loss of Interdependence, Loss of Home, Interpersonal Loss, and Loss of Intrapersonal Integrity. Received well by participants, the new scale shows promise for application in future research and practice.
Central Schemes for Multi-Dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryson, Steve; Levy, Doron; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present new, efficient central schemes for multi-dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi equations. These non-oscillatory, non-staggered schemes are first- and second-order accurate and are designed to scale well with an increasing dimension. Efficiency is obtained by carefully choosing the location of the evolution points and by using a one-dimensional projection step. First-and second-order accuracy is verified for a variety of multi-dimensional, convex and non-convex problems.
Machine Detection of Enhanced Electromechanical Energy Conversion in PbZr 0.2Ti 0.8O 3 Thin Films

DOE PAGES

Agar, Joshua C.; Cao, Ye; Naul, Brett; ...

2018-05-28

Many energy conversion, sensing, and microelectronic applications based on ferroic materials are determined by the domain structure evolution under applied stimuli. New hyperspectral, multidimensional spectroscopic techniques now probe dynamic responses at relevant length and time scales to provide an understanding of how these nanoscale domain structures impact macroscopic properties. Such approaches, however, remain limited in use because of the difficulties that exist in extracting and visualizing scientific insights from these complex datasets. Using multidimensional band-excitation scanning probe spectroscopy and adapting tools from both computer vision and machine learning, an automated workflow is developed to featurize, detect, and classify signatures ofmore » ferroelectric/ferroelastic switching processes in complex ferroelectric domain structures. This approach enables the identification and nanoscale visualization of varied modes of response and a pathway to statistically meaningful quantification of the differences between those modes. Lastly, among other things, the importance of domain geometry is spatially visualized for enhancing nanoscale electromechanical energy conversion.« less
Machine Detection of Enhanced Electromechanical Energy Conversion in PbZr 0.2Ti 0.8O 3 Thin Films

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

Agar, Joshua C.; Cao, Ye; Naul, Brett

Many energy conversion, sensing, and microelectronic applications based on ferroic materials are determined by the domain structure evolution under applied stimuli. New hyperspectral, multidimensional spectroscopic techniques now probe dynamic responses at relevant length and time scales to provide an understanding of how these nanoscale domain structures impact macroscopic properties. Such approaches, however, remain limited in use because of the difficulties that exist in extracting and visualizing scientific insights from these complex datasets. Using multidimensional band-excitation scanning probe spectroscopy and adapting tools from both computer vision and machine learning, an automated workflow is developed to featurize, detect, and classify signatures ofmore » ferroelectric/ferroelastic switching processes in complex ferroelectric domain structures. This approach enables the identification and nanoscale visualization of varied modes of response and a pathway to statistically meaningful quantification of the differences between those modes. Lastly, among other things, the importance of domain geometry is spatially visualized for enhancing nanoscale electromechanical energy conversion.« less
Massively Scalable Near Duplicate Detection in Streams of Documents using MDSH

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

Bogen, Paul Logasa; Symons, Christopher T; McKenzie, Amber T

2013-01-01

In a world where large-scale text collections are not only becoming ubiquitous but also are growing at increasing rates, near duplicate documents are becoming a growing concern that has the potential to hinder many different information filtering tasks. While others have tried to address this problem, prior techniques have only been used on limited collection sizes and static cases. We will briefly describe the problem in the context of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) along with our additional constraints for performance. In this work we propose two variations on Multi-dimensional Spectral Hash (MDSH) tailored for working on extremely large, growing setsmore » of text documents. We analyze the memory and runtime characteristics of our techniques and provide an informal analysis of the quality of the near-duplicate clusters produced by our techniques.« less
Multidimensional Mixing Behavior of Steam-Water Flow in a Downcomer Annulus During LBLOCA Reflood Phase with a Direct Vessel Injection Mode

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

Kwon, Tae-Soon; Yun, Byong-Jo; Euh, Dong-Jin

Multidimensional thermal-hydraulic behavior in the downcomer annulus of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) vessel with a direct vessel injection mode is presented based on the experimental observation in the MIDAS (multidimensional investigation in downcomer annulus simulation) steam-water test facility. From the steady-state test results to simulate the late reflood phase of a large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA), isothermal lines show the multidimensional phenomena of a phasic interaction between steam and water in the downcomer annulus very well. MIDAS is a steam-water separate effect test facility, which is 1/4.93 linearly scaled down to a 1400-MW(electric) PWR type of a nuclear reactor, focusedmore » on understanding multidimensional thermal-hydraulic phenomena in a downcomer annulus with various types of safety injection during the refill or reflood phase of an LBLOCA. The initial and the boundary conditions are scaled from the pretest analysis based on the preliminary calculation using the TRAC code. The superheated steam with a superheating degree of 80 K at a given downcomer pressure of 180 kPa is injected equally through three intact cold legs into the downcomer.« less
Assisting College Students with Athletic Disengagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Lone, Jeffrey S.; Siembor, Michael; Mistler, Brian J.; Mapstone, David J.

2017-01-01

This article examines college student disengagement from sports, presents a multidimensional concept of athletic identity, and introduces a new measure intended to assist college counselors in their work with disengaged athletes. The Multidimensional Athletic Identity and Engagement Scale (MAIES) is introduced (Cronbach alpha 0.98, with subscale…
Binary Multidimensional Scaling for Hashing.

PubMed

Huang, Yameng; Lin, Zhouchen

2017-10-04

Hashing is a useful technique for fast nearest neighbor search due to its low storage cost and fast query speed. Unsupervised hashing aims at learning binary hash codes for the original features so that the pairwise distances can be best preserved. While several works have targeted on this task, the results are not satisfactory mainly due to the oversimplified model. In this paper, we propose a unified and concise unsupervised hashing framework, called Binary Multidimensional Scaling (BMDS), which is able to learn the hash code for distance preservation in both batch and online mode. In the batch mode, unlike most existing hashing methods, we do not need to simplify the model by predefining the form of hash map. Instead, we learn the binary codes directly based on the pairwise distances among the normalized original features by Alternating Minimization. This enables a stronger expressive power of the hash map. In the online mode, we consider the holistic distance relationship between current query example and those we have already learned, rather than only focusing on current data chunk. It is useful when the data come in a streaming fashion. Empirical results show that while being efficient for training, our algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art methods by a large margin in terms of distance preservation, which is practical for real-world applications.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multidimensional scaling, binary hierarchical cluster tree and selected diagnostic masses improves species identification of Neolithic keratin sequences from furs of the Tyrolean Iceman Oetzi.

PubMed

Hollemeyer, Klaus; Altmeyer, Wolfgang; Heinzle, Elmar; Pitra, Christian

2012-08-30

The identification of fur origins from the 5300-year-old Tyrolean Iceman's accoutrement is not yet complete, although definite identification is essential for the socio-cultural context of his epoch. Neither have all potential samples been identified so far, nor there has a consensus been reached on the species identified using the classical methods. Archaeological hair often lacks analyzable hair scale patterns in microscopic analyses and polymer chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques are often inapplicable due to the lack of amplifiable ancient DNA. To overcome these drawbacks, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method was used exclusively based on hair keratins. Thirteen fur specimens from his accoutrement were analyzed after tryptic digest of native hair. Peptide mass fingerprints (pmfs) from ancient samples and from reference species mostly occurring in the Alpine surroundings at his lifetime were compared to each other using multidimensional scaling and binary hierarchical cluster tree analysis. Both statistical methods highly reflect spectral similarities among pmfs as close zoological relationships. While multidimensional scaling was useful to discriminate specimens on the zoological order level, binary hierarchical cluster tree reached the family or subfamily level. Additionally, the presence and/or absence of order, family and/or species-specific diagnostic masses in their pmfs allowed the identification of mammals mostly down to single species level. Red deer was found in his shoe vamp, goat in the leggings, cattle in his shoe sole and at his quiver's closing flap as well as sheep and chamois in his coat. Canid species, like grey wolf, domestic dog or European red fox, were discovered in his leggings for the first time, but could not be differentiated to species level. This is widening the spectrum of processed fur-bearing species to at least one member of the Canidae family. His fur cap was allocated to a carnivore species, but differentiation between brown bear and a canid species could not be made with certainty. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Physical Activity Motivation in Late Adolescence: Refinement of a Recent Multidimensional Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.

2010-01-01

Recent research (Martin et al., 2006) presented a new, multidimensional approach to physical activity motivation (using the Physical Activity Motivation Scale [PAMS]) operationalized through four factors: adaptive cognition, adaptive behavior, impeding/maladaptive cognition, and maladaptive behavior. The present study extends this early research…
Gender and Attitudes toward People Using Wheelchairs: A Multidimensional Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vilchinsky, Noa; Werner, Shirli; Findler, Liora

2010-01-01

This study aims to investigate the effect of observer's gender and target's gender on attitudes toward people who use wheelchairs due to a physical disability. Four hundred four Jewish Israeli students without disabilities completed the "Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities" (MAS). Initially, confirmatory…
A New Heterogeneous Multidimensional Unfolding Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Joonwook; Rajagopal, Priyali; DeSarbo, Wayne S.

2012-01-01

A variety of joint space multidimensional scaling (MDS) methods have been utilized for the spatial analysis of two- or three-way dominance data involving subjects' preferences, choices, considerations, intentions, etc. so as to provide a parsimonious spatial depiction of the underlying relevant dimensions, attributes, stimuli, and/or subjects'…

Multidimensional Relationships in the WAIS-R Subscales and Demographic Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chastain, Robert L.; Joe, George W.

This study attempts to integrate and extend previous research by multivariate investigation to determine multidimensional relationships among both the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) subscales and the demographic variables for the 1981 WAIS-R standardization sample. Canonical correlation with orthogonal rotation of composite…
Fatigue and multidimensional disease severity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Inal-Ince, Deniz; Savci, Sema; Saglam, Melda; Calik, Ebru; Arikan, Hulya; Bosnak-Guclu, Meral; Vardar-Yagli, Naciye; Coplu, Lutfi

2010-06-30

Fatigue is associated with longitudinal ratings of health in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although the degree of airflow obstruction is often used to grade disease severity in patients with COPD, multidimensional grading systems have recently been developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived and actual fatigue level and multidimensional disease severity in patients with COPD. Twenty-two patients with COPD (aged 52-74 years) took part in the study. Multidimensional disease severity was measured using the SAFE and BODE indices. Perceived fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS). Peripheral muscle endurance was evaluated using the number of sit-ups, squats, and modified push-ups that each patient could do. Thirteen patients (59%) had severe fatigue, and their St George's Respiratory Questionnaire scores were significantly higher (p < 0.05). The SAFE index score was significantly correlated with the number of sit-ups, number of squats, FSS score and FIS score (p < 0.05). The BODE index was significantly associated with the numbers of sit-ups, squats and modified push-ups, and with the FSS and FIS scores (p < 0.05). Peripheral muscle endurance and fatigue perception in patients with COPD was related to multidimensional disease severity measured with both the SAFE and BODE indices. Improvements in perceived and actual fatigue levels may positively affect multidimensional disease severity and health status in COPD patients. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of fatigue perception and exercise training on patients with different stages of multidimensional COPD severity.
ANALYSIS OF TRACE-LEVEL ORGANIC COMBUSTION PROCESS EMISSIONS USING NOVEL MULTIDIMENSIONAL GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY PROCEDURES

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses the analysis of trace-level organic combustion process emissions using novel multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MDGC-MS) procedures. It outlines the application of the technique through the analyses of various incinerator effluent and produ...
A multidimensional subdiffusion model: An arbitrage-free market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guo-Hua; Zhang, Hong; Luo, Mao-Kang

2012-12-01

To capture the subdiffusive characteristics of financial markets, the subordinated process, directed by the inverse α-stale subordinator Sα(t) for 0 < α < 1, has been employed as the model of asset prices. In this article, we introduce a multidimensional subdiffusion model that has a bond and K correlated stocks. The stock price process is a multidimensional subdiffusion process directed by the inverse α-stable subordinator. This model describes the period of stagnation for each stock and the behavior of the dependency between multiple stocks. Moreover, we derive the multidimensional fractional backward Kolmogorov equation for the subordinated process using the Laplace transform technique. Finally, using a martingale approach, we prove that the multidimensional subdiffusion model is arbitrage-free, and also gives an arbitrage-free pricing rule for contingent claims associated with the martingale measure.
Nonlinear zero-sum differential game analysis by singular perturbation methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinar, J.; Farber, N.

1982-01-01

A class of nonlinear, zero-sum differential games, exhibiting time-scale separation properties, can be analyzed by singular-perturbation techniques. The merits of such an analysis, leading to an approximate game solution, as well as the 'well-posedness' of the formulation, are discussed. This approach is shown to be attractive for investigating pursuit-evasion problems; the original multidimensional differential game is decomposed to a 'simple pursuit' (free-stream) game and two independent (boundary-layer) optimal-control problems. Using multiple time-scale boundary-layer models results in a pair of uniformly valid zero-order composite feedback strategies. The dependence of suboptimal strategies on relative geometry and own-state measurements is demonstrated by a three dimensional, constant-speed example. For game analysis with realistic vehicle dynamics, the technique of forced singular perturbations and a variable modeling approach is proposed. Accuracy of the analysis is evaluated by comparison with the numerical solution of a time-optimal, variable-speed 'game of two cars' in the horizontal plane.
Highly efficient peptide separations in proteomics. Part 2: bi- and multidimensional liquid-based separation techniques.

PubMed

Sandra, Koen; Moshir, Mahan; D'hondt, Filip; Tuytten, Robin; Verleysen, Katleen; Kas, Koen; François, Isabelle; Sandra, Pat

2009-04-15

Multidimensional liquid-based separation techniques are described for maximizing the resolution of the enormous number of peptides generated upon tryptic digestion of proteomes, and hence, reduce the spatial and temporal complexity of the sample to a level that allows successful mass spectrometric analysis. This review complements the previous contribution on unidimensional high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Both chromatography and electrophoresis will be discussed albeit with reversed-phase HPLC (RPLC) as the final separation dimension prior to MS analysis.
Evidence for a Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, W. M.; Wilson, P. M.; Hall, C. R.; Fraser, S. N.; Murray, T. C.

2008-01-01

This series of three studies considers the multidimensionality of exercise self-efficacy by examining the psychometric characteristics of an instrument designed to assess three behavioral subdomains: task, scheduling, and coping. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis revealed the expected factor structure in a sample of 395 students.…
The Development of a Psychometrically-Sound Instrument to Measure Teachers' Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahat, Marian

2008-01-01

The "Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale" (MATIES) was developed to effectively measure affective, cognitive and behavioural aspects of attitudes, within the realm of inclusive education that includes physical, social and curricular inclusion. Models within Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory were used…
Perfectionism and Binge Drinking in Canadian Students Making the Transition to University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flett, Gordon L.; Goldstein, Abby; Wall, Anne-Marie; Hewitt, Paul L.; Wekerle, Christine; Azzi, Nicole

2008-01-01

Objective: In September 2005, the authors explored the relationship between perfectionism and binge drinking in a sample of first-year college students. Participants: The authors recruited 207 first-year college students (76 men, 131 women) to complete the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale…
Finite Volume Numerical Methods for Aeroheating Rate Calculations from Infrared Thermographic Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daryabeigi, Kamran; Berry, Scott A.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Nowak, Robert J.

2003-01-01

The use of multi-dimensional finite volume numerical techniques with finite thickness models for calculating aeroheating rates from measured global surface temperatures on hypersonic wind tunnel models was investigated. Both direct and inverse finite volume techniques were investigated and compared with the one-dimensional semi -infinite technique. Global transient surface temperatures were measured using an infrared thermographic technique on a 0.333-scale model of the Hyper-X forebody in the Langley Research Center 20-Inch Mach 6 Air tunnel. In these tests the effectiveness of vortices generated via gas injection for initiating hypersonic transition on the Hyper-X forebody were investigated. An array of streamwise orientated heating striations were generated and visualized downstream of the gas injection sites. In regions without significant spatial temperature gradients, one-dimensional techniques provided accurate aeroheating rates. In regions with sharp temperature gradients due to the striation patterns two-dimensional heat transfer techniques were necessary to obtain accurate heating rates. The use of the one-dimensional technique resulted in differences of 20% in the calculated heating rates because it did not account for lateral heat conduction in the model.
Automated X-Ray Diffraction of Irradiated Materials

DOE PAGES

Rodman, John; Lin, Yuewei; Sprouster, David; ...

2017-10-26

Synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle Xray scattering (SAXS) characterization techniques used on unirradiated and irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels yield large amounts of data. Machine learning techniques, including PCA, offer a novel method of analyzing and visualizing these large data sets in order to determine the effects of chemistry and irradiation conditions on the formation of radiation induced precipitates. In order to run analysis on these data sets, preprocessing must be carried out to convert the data to a usable format and mask the 2-D detector images to account for experimental variations. Once the data has been preprocessed, itmore » can be organized and visualized using principal component analysis (PCA), multi-dimensional scaling, and k-means clustering. In conclusion, from these techniques, it is shown that sample chemistry has a notable effect on the formation of the radiation induced precipitates in reactor pressure vessel steels.« less
Coupling Front-End Separations, Ion Mobility Spectrometry, and Mass Spectrometry For Enhanced Multidimensional Biological and Environmental Analyses

PubMed Central

Zheng, Xueyun; Wojcik, Roza; Zhang, Xing; Ibrahim, Yehia M.; Burnum-Johnson, Kristin E.; Orton, Daniel J.; Monroe, Matthew E.; Moore, Ronald J.; Smith, Richard D.; Baker, Erin S.

2017-01-01

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a widely used analytical technique for rapid molecular separations in the gas phase. Though IMS alone is useful, its coupling with mass spectrometry (MS) and front-end separations is extremely beneficial for increasing measurement sensitivity, peak capacity of complex mixtures, and the scope of molecular information available from biological and environmental sample analyses. In fact, multiple disease screening and environmental evaluations have illustrated that the IMS-based multidimensional separations extract information that cannot be acquired with each technique individually. This review highlights three-dimensional separations using IMS-MS in conjunction with a range of front-end techniques, such as gas chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, liquid chromatography, solid-phase extractions, capillary electrophoresis, field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry, and microfluidic devices. The origination, current state, various applications, and future capabilities of these multidimensional approaches are described in detail to provide insight into their uses and benefits. PMID:28301728
Synergies Between ' and Cavity Formation in HT-9 Following High Dose Neutron Irradiation

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

Field, Kevin G.; Parish, Chad M.; Saleh, Tarik A.

Candidate cladding materials for advanced nuclear power reactors including fast reactor designs require materials capable of withstanding high dose neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures. One candidate material, HT-9, through various research programs have demonstrated the ability to withstand significant swelling and other radiation-induced degradation mechanisms in the high dose regime (>50 displacements per atom, dpa) at elevated temperatures (>300 C). Here, high efficiency multi-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) acquisition with the aid of a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and modeling technique is used to probe the microstructural features that contribute to the exceptional swelling resistance of HT-9. In particular, themore » synergies between ' and fine-scale and moderate-scale cavity formation is investigated.« less
Streamlining workflow and automation to accelerate laboratory scale protein production.

PubMed

Konczal, Jennifer; Gray, Christopher H

2017-05-01

Protein production facilities are often required to produce diverse arrays of proteins for demanding methodologies including crystallography, NMR, ITC and other reagent intensive techniques. It is common for these teams to find themselves a bottleneck in the pipeline of ambitious projects. This pressure to deliver has resulted in the evolution of many novel methods to increase capacity and throughput at all stages in the pipeline for generation of recombinant proteins. This review aims to describe current and emerging options to accelerate the success of protein production in Escherichia coli. We emphasize technologies that have been evaluated and implemented in our laboratory, including innovative molecular biology and expression vectors, small-scale expression screening strategies and the automation of parallel and multidimensional chromatography. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Inverse and Predictive Modeling

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

Syracuse, Ellen Marie

The LANL Seismo-Acoustic team has a strong capability in developing data-driven models that accurately predict a variety of observations. These models range from the simple – one-dimensional models that are constrained by a single dataset and can be used for quick and efficient predictions – to the complex – multidimensional models that are constrained by several types of data and result in more accurate predictions. Team members typically build models of geophysical characteristics of Earth and source distributions at scales of 1 to 1000s of km, the techniques used are applicable for other types of physical characteristics at an evenmore » greater range of scales. The following cases provide a snapshot of some of the modeling work done by the Seismo- Acoustic team at LANL.« less
DICON: interactive visual analysis of multidimensional clusters.

PubMed

Cao, Nan; Gotz, David; Sun, Jimeng; Qu, Huamin

2011-12-01

Clustering as a fundamental data analysis technique has been widely used in many analytic applications. However, it is often difficult for users to understand and evaluate multidimensional clustering results, especially the quality of clusters and their semantics. For large and complex data, high-level statistical information about the clusters is often needed for users to evaluate cluster quality while a detailed display of multidimensional attributes of the data is necessary to understand the meaning of clusters. In this paper, we introduce DICON, an icon-based cluster visualization that embeds statistical information into a multi-attribute display to facilitate cluster interpretation, evaluation, and comparison. We design a treemap-like icon to represent a multidimensional cluster, and the quality of the cluster can be conveniently evaluated with the embedded statistical information. We further develop a novel layout algorithm which can generate similar icons for similar clusters, making comparisons of clusters easier. User interaction and clutter reduction are integrated into the system to help users more effectively analyze and refine clustering results for large datasets. We demonstrate the power of DICON through a user study and a case study in the healthcare domain. Our evaluation shows the benefits of the technique, especially in support of complex multidimensional cluster analysis. © 2011 IEEE
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mukamel, Shaul, E-mail: smukamel@uci.edu; Bakker, Huib J.

Multidimensional signals are generated by subjecting molecules to sequences of short optical pulses and recording correlation plots related to the various controlled delay periods. These techniques which span all the way from the THz to the x-ray regimes provide qualitatively new structural and dynamical molecular information not available from conventional one-dimensional techniques. This issue surveys the recent experimental and theoretical progresses in this rapidly developing 20 year old field which illustrates the novel insights provided by multidimensional techniques into electronic and nuclear motions. It should serve as a valuable source for experts in the field and help introduce newcomers tomore » this exciting and challenging branch of nonlinear spectroscopy.« less
Treatment Techniques and Outcomes in Multidimensional Family Therapy for Adolescent Behavior Problems

PubMed Central

Hogue, Aaron; Dauber, Sarah; Samuolis, Jessica; Liddle, Howard A.

2010-01-01

The link between treatment techniques and long-term treatment outcome was examined in an empirically supported family-based treatment for adolescent drug abuse. Observational ratings of therapist interventions were used to predict outcomes at 6 and 12 months posttreatment for 63 families receiving multidimensional family therapy. Greater use of in-session family-focused techniques predicted reduction in internalizing symptoms and improvement in family cohesion. Greater use of family-focused techniques also predicted reduced externalizing symptoms and family conflict, but only when adolescent focus was also high. In addition, greater use of adolescent-focused techniques predicted improvement in family cohesion and family conflict. Results suggest that both individual and multiperson interventions can exert an influential role in family-based therapy for clinically referred adolescents. PMID:17176187
Validating the Multidimensional Measure of Cultural Identity Scales for Latinos Among Latina Mothers and Daughters

PubMed Central

Dillon, Frank R.; Félix-Ortiz, Maria; Rice, Christopher; De La Rosa, Mario; Rojas, Patria; Duan, Rui

2009-01-01

The psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Measure of Cultural Identity Scales for Latinos (MMCISL; Félix-Ortiz, Newcomb, & Myers, 1994) have never been examined in an adult Latina sample representing various levels of nativity and nationality. The rationale for the study was to confirm the factor structure and psychometric properties of the MMCISL with a predominantly immigrant sample of Latina mothers and daughters (n = 316). Adequate reliability estimates were found for 6 of the original 10 scales. Confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence of construct validity for the reliable scales. The Preferred Latino Affiliation scale was the only scale to meet strict measurement invariance criteria across mothers and daughters. Criterion validity was evidenced by relations between the Familiarity with Latino Culture scale and all criterion variables. Implications for acculturation and cultural identity research involving the MMCISL are discussed. PMID:19364206
Confirming the Multidimensionality of Psychologically Controlling Parenting among Chinese-American Mothers: Love Withdrawal, Guilt Induction, and Shaming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Jing; Cheah, Charissa S. L.; Hart, Craig H.; Sun, Shuyan; Olsen, Joseph A.

2015-01-01

Despite the theoretical conceptualization of parental psychological control as a multidimensional construct, the majority of previous studies have examined psychological control as a unidimensional scale. Moreover, the conceptualization of shaming and its associations with love withdrawal and guilt induction are unclear. The current study aimed to…

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Female Body Esteem: A Multidimensional Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franzoi, Stephen L.

Although research has shown that regularly engaging in vigorous activity has both physical and mental benefits, including a more positive evaluation of one's own body, the multidimensional nature of people's body attitudes has not been considered. The Body Esteem Scale (BES) was developed to identify and assess different body esteem dimensions.…
A General Multidimensional Model for the Measurement of Cultural Differences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olmedo, Esteban L.; Martinez, Sergio R.

A multidimensional model for measuring cultural differences (MCD) based on factor analytic theory and techniques is proposed. The model assumes that a cultural space may be defined by means of a relatively small number of orthogonal dimensions which are linear combinations of a much larger number of cultural variables. Once a suitable,…
Evidence against the continuum structure underlying motivation measures derived from self-determination theory.

PubMed

Chemolli, Emanuela; Gagné, Marylène

2014-06-01

Self-determination theory (SDT) proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of motivation in which the different regulations are said to fall along a continuum of self-determination. The continuum has been used as a basis for using a relative autonomy index as a means to create motivational scores. Rasch analysis was used to verify the continuum structure of the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and of the Academic Motivation Scale. We discuss the concept of continuum against SDT's conceptualization of motivation and argue against the use of the relative autonomy index on the grounds that evidence for a continuum structure underlying the regulations is weak and because the index is statistically problematic. We suggest exploiting the full richness of SDT's multidimensional conceptualization of motivation through the use of alternative scoring methods when investigating motivational dynamics across life domains.
Multidimensional Trellis Coded Phase Modulation Using a Multilevel Concatenation Approach. Part 2; Codes for AWGN and Fading Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rajpal, Sandeep; Rhee, DoJun; Lin, Shu

1997-01-01

In this paper, we will use the construction technique proposed in to construct multidimensional trellis coded modulation (TCM) codes for both the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and the fading channels. Analytical performance bounds and simulation results show that these codes perform very well and achieve significant coding gains over uncoded reference modulation systems. In addition, the proposed technique can be used to construct codes which have a performance/decoding complexity advantage over the codes listed in literature.
Pain assessment scales in newborns: integrative review

PubMed Central

de Melo, Gleicia Martins; Lélis, Ana Luíza Paula de Aguiar; de Moura, Alline Falconieri; Cardoso, Maria Vera Lúcia Moreira Leitão; da Silva, Viviane Martins

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To analyze studies on methods used to assess pain in newborns. DATA SOURCES: Integrative review study of articles published from 2001 to 2012, carried out in the following databases: Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS and Cochrane. The sample consisted of 13 articles with level of evidence 5. DATA SYNTHESIS: 29 pain assessment scales in newborns, including 13 one-dimensional and 16 multidimensional, that assess acute and prolonged pain in preterm and full-term infants were available in scientific publications. CONCLUSION: Based on the characteristics of scales, one cannot choose a single one as the most appropriate scale, as this choice will depend on gestational age, type of painful stimulus and the environment in which the infant is inserted. It is suggested the use of multidimensional or one-dimensional scales; however, they must be reliable and validated. PMID:25511005
Psychometric properties and Dutch norm data of the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale for Young Adults.

PubMed

Haverman, Lotte; Limperg, Perrine F; van Oers, Hedy A; van Rossum, Marion A J; Maurice-Stam, Heleen; Grootenhuis, Martha A

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess internal consistency and construct validity (known-groups validity) and to provide Dutch norm data for the Dutch Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale for Young Adults ages 18-30 years (PedsQL fatigue_YA). A Dutch sample of 649 young adults completed online a sociodemographic questionnaire and the PedsQL fatigue_YA including three subscales: general fatigue, sleep/rest fatigue and cognitive fatigue (0-100: Higher scores indicate less fatigue symptoms). The PedsQL fatigue_YA showed satisfactory to good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .70-.94), except for one scale (.68). The mean scale scores were 68.23 (SD 19.15) for 'general fatigue,' 67.04 (SD 15.54) for 'sleep/rest fatigue' and 74.62 (SD 19.02) for 'cognitive fatigue.' Men reported significantly higher scores on 'general fatigue' and 'sleep/rest fatigue' than women. The PedsQL fatigue_YA distinguished between healthy young adults and young adults with chronic health conditions, with higher scores on all scales in healthy young adults than in those with a chronic health condition. The results demonstrate good psychometric properties of the PedsQL fatigue_YA in a sample of Dutch young adults. With the current norms available, it is possible to evaluate fatigue in the Netherlands from childhood to adulthood with the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.
Positivity-preserving numerical schemes for multidimensional advection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, B. P.; Macvean, M. K.; Lock, A. P.

1993-01-01

This report describes the construction of an explicit, single time-step, conservative, finite-volume method for multidimensional advective flow, based on a uniformly third-order polynomial interpolation algorithm (UTOPIA). Particular attention is paid to the problem of flow-to-grid angle-dependent, anisotropic distortion typical of one-dimensional schemes used component-wise. The third-order multidimensional scheme automatically includes certain cross-difference terms that guarantee good isotropy (and stability). However, above first-order, polynomial-based advection schemes do not preserve positivity (the multidimensional analogue of monotonicity). For this reason, a multidimensional generalization of the first author's universal flux-limiter is sought. This is a very challenging problem. A simple flux-limiter can be found; but this introduces strong anisotropic distortion. A more sophisticated technique, limiting part of the flux and then restoring the isotropy-maintaining cross-terms afterwards, gives more satisfactory results. Test cases are confined to two dimensions; three-dimensional extensions are briefly discussed.
EdgeMaps: visualizing explicit and implicit relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dörk, Marian; Carpendale, Sheelagh; Williamson, Carey

2011-01-01

In this work, we introduce EdgeMaps as a new method for integrating the visualization of explicit and implicit data relations. Explicit relations are specific connections between entities already present in a given dataset, while implicit relations are derived from multidimensional data based on shared properties and similarity measures. Many datasets include both types of relations, which are often difficult to represent together in information visualizations. Node-link diagrams typically focus on explicit data connections, while not incorporating implicit similarities between entities. Multi-dimensional scaling considers similarities between items, however, explicit links between nodes are not displayed. In contrast, EdgeMaps visualize both implicit and explicit relations by combining and complementing spatialization and graph drawing techniques. As a case study for this approach we chose a dataset of philosophers, their interests, influences, and birthdates. By introducing the limitation of activating only one node at a time, interesting visual patterns emerge that resemble the aesthetics of fireworks and waves. We argue that the interactive exploration of these patterns may allow the viewer to grasp the structure of a graph better than complex node-link visualizations.
The Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: Its Use with Euro-American, Latino, and Native American Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Tanisha Maxwell; Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E.; Rayle, Andrea Dixon; Arredondo, Patricia; Tovar-Gamero, Zoila G.

2005-01-01

This study examined the reliability and validity of scores from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity with 550 Euro-American, 112 Latino, and 41 Native American undergraduates. Data for the Centrality, Private Regard, and Public Regard scales indicate that these scores have construct validity. Scores have acceptable Cronbach alpha…
Multidimensional Perfectionism within Gifted Suburban Adolescents: An Exploration of Typology and Comparison of Samples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mofield, Emily L.; Parker Peters, Megan

2015-01-01

Researchers explored the typology of perfectionism among 153 (46% male, 54% female; 88% White, 8% African American, 5% Asian American, 4% Hispanic, 1% Other) suburban gifted adolescents and compared perfectionism scores (using the Goals and Work Habits Survey, a modification of Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale [F-MPS]) to samples of…
Assessment of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis: a psychometric comparison of single-item, multiitem, and multidimensional measures.

PubMed

Oude Voshaar, Martijn A H; Ten Klooster, Peter M; Bode, Christina; Vonkeman, Harald E; Glas, Cees A W; Jansen, Tim; van Albada-Kuipers, Iet; van Riel, Piet L C M; van de Laar, Mart A F J

2015-03-01

To compare the psychometric functioning of multidimensional disease-specific, multiitem generic, and single-item measures of fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and longitudinal item response theory (IRT) modeling were used to evaluate the measurement structure and local reliability of the Bristol RA Fatigue Multi-Dimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) vitality scale, and the BRAF Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS) in a sample of 588 patients with RA. A 1-factor CFA model yielded a similar fit to a 5-factor model with subscale-specific dimensions, and the items from the different instruments adequately fit the IRT model, suggesting essential unidimensionality in measurement. The SF-36 vitality scale outperformed the BRAF-MDQ at lower levels of fatigue, but was less precise at moderate to higher levels of fatigue. At these levels of fatigue, the living, cognition, and emotion subscales of the BRAF-MDQ provide additional precision. The BRAF-NRS showed a limited measurement range with its highest precision centered on average levels of fatigue. The different instruments appear to access a common underlying domain of fatigue severity, but differ considerably in their measurement precision along the continuum. The SF-36 vitality scale can be used to measure fatigue severity in samples with relatively mild fatigue. For samples expected to have higher levels of fatigue, the multidimensional BRAF-MDQ appears to be a better choice. The BRAF-NRS are not recommended if precise assessment is required, for instance in longitudinal settings.
French Validation of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): The Case of Attitudes Toward Autism and Their Moderating Factors.

PubMed

Dachez, Julie; Ndobo, Andre; Ameline, Anaïs

2015-08-01

This research investigates the renewed interest in autism, the stigmatization of persons with autism and the need to better measure such stigmatization. Two studies were thus conducted on 101 and 104 participants in order to validate the French version of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward persons with disabilities, and examine the moderating effects of age, gender and contact on such attitudes. Both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a four-dimensional scale, indicating that the observed data fit with the theoretical model and that the sub-scale show an acceptable internal consistency. Results on moderating effect were less clear cut. The discussion deals with the measurement of attitudes toward people with autism as well as the role of social contact.
Measurement of the relationship between perceived and computed color differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Pedro A.; Huertas, Rafael; Melgosa, Manuel; Cui, Guihua

2007-07-01

Using simulated data sets, we have analyzed some mathematical properties of different statistical measurements that have been employed in previous literature to test the performance of different color-difference formulas. Specifically, the properties of the combined index PF/3 (performance factor obtained as average of three terms), widely employed in current literature, have been considered. A new index named standardized residual sum of squares (STRESS), employed in multidimensional scaling techniques, is recommended. The main difference between PF/3 and STRESS is that the latter is simpler and allows inferences on the statistical significance of two color-difference formulas with respect to a given set of visual data.
Exploring children's face-space: a multidimensional scaling analysis of the mental representation of facial identity.

PubMed

Nishimura, Mayu; Maurer, Daphne; Gao, Xiaoqing

2009-07-01

We explored differences in the mental representation of facial identity between 8-year-olds and adults. The 8-year-olds and adults made similarity judgments of a homogeneous set of faces (individual hair cues removed) using an "odd-man-out" paradigm. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses were performed to represent perceived similarity of faces in a multidimensional space. Five dimensions accounted optimally for the judgments of both children and adults, with similar local clustering of faces. However, the fit of the MDS solutions was better for adults, in part because children's responses were more variable. More children relied predominantly on a single dimension, namely eye color, whereas adults appeared to use multiple dimensions for each judgment. The pattern of findings suggests that children's mental representation of faces has a structure similar to that of adults but that children's judgments are influenced less consistently by that overall structure.
The relationships of coping, negative thinking, life satisfaction, social support, and selected demographics with anxiety of young adult college students.

PubMed

Mahmoud, Jihan S R; Staten, Ruth Topsy; Lennie, Terry A; Hall, Lynne A

2015-05-01

Understanding young adults' anxiety requires applying a multidimensional approach to assess the psychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon. A hypothesized model of the relationships among coping style, thinking style, life satisfaction, social support, and selected demographics and anxiety among college students was tested using path analysis. A total of 257 undergraduate students aged 18-24 years completed an online survey. The independent variables were measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Brief Students' Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale, the Brief COPE Inventory, the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and the Cognition Checklist-Anxiety. The outcome, anxiety, was measured using the Anxiety subscale of the 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. Only negative thinking and maladaptive coping had a direct relationship with anxiety. Negative thinking was the strongest predictor of both maladaptive coping and anxiety. These findings suggest that helping undergraduates manage their anxiety by reducing their negative thinking is critical. Designing and testing interventions to decrease negative thinking in college students is recommended for future research. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Method for Generating Reduced-Order Linear Models of Multidimensional Supersonic Inlets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chicatelli, Amy; Hartley, Tom T.

1998-01-01

Simulation of high speed propulsion systems may be divided into two categories, nonlinear and linear. The nonlinear simulations are usually based on multidimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodologies and tend to provide high resolution results that show the fine detail of the flow. Consequently, these simulations are large, numerically intensive, and run much slower than real-time. ne linear simulations are usually based on large lumping techniques that are linearized about a steady-state operating condition. These simplistic models often run at or near real-time but do not always capture the detailed dynamics of the plant. Under a grant sponsored by the NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, a new method has been developed that can be used to generate improved linear models for control design from multidimensional steady-state CFD results. This CFD-based linear modeling technique provides a small perturbation model that can be used for control applications and real-time simulations. It is important to note the utility of the modeling procedure; all that is needed to obtain a linear model of the propulsion system is the geometry and steady-state operating conditions from a multidimensional CFD simulation or experiment. This research represents a beginning step in establishing a bridge between the controls discipline and the CFD discipline so that the control engineer is able to effectively use multidimensional CFD results in control system design and analysis.
Territories typification technique with use of statistical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, V. I.; Rastegaev, A. V.; Seredin, V. V.; Andrianov, A. V.

2018-05-01

Territories typification is required for solution of many problems. The results of geological zoning received by means of various methods do not always agree. That is why the main goal of the research given is to develop a technique of obtaining a multidimensional standard classified indicator for geological zoning. In the course of the research, the probabilistic approach was used. In order to increase the reliability of geological information classification, the authors suggest using complex multidimensional probabilistic indicator P K as a criterion of the classification. The second criterion chosen is multidimensional standard classified indicator Z. These can serve as characteristics of classification in geological-engineering zoning. Above mentioned indicators P K and Z are in good correlation. Correlation coefficient values for the entire territory regardless of structural solidity equal r = 0.95 so each indicator can be used in geological-engineering zoning. The method suggested has been tested and the schematic map of zoning has been drawn.
The Extraction of One-Dimensional Flow Properties from Multi-Dimensional Data Sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baurle, Robert A.; Gaffney, Richard L., Jr.

2007-01-01

The engineering design and analysis of air-breathing propulsion systems relies heavily on zero- or one-dimensional properties (e.g. thrust, total pressure recovery, mixing and combustion efficiency, etc.) for figures of merit. The extraction of these parameters from experimental data sets and/or multi-dimensional computational data sets is therefore an important aspect of the design process. A variety of methods exist for extracting performance measures from multi-dimensional data sets. Some of the information contained in the multi-dimensional flow is inevitably lost when any one-dimensionalization technique is applied. Hence, the unique assumptions associated with a given approach may result in one-dimensional properties that are significantly different than those extracted using alternative approaches. The purpose of this effort is to examine some of the more popular methods used for the extraction of performance measures from multi-dimensional data sets, reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and highlight various numerical issues that result when mapping data from a multi-dimensional space to a space of one dimension.
The Art of Extracting One-Dimensional Flow Properties from Multi-Dimensional Data Sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baurle, R. A.; Gaffney, R. L.

2007-01-01

The engineering design and analysis of air-breathing propulsion systems relies heavily on zero- or one-dimensional properties (e:g: thrust, total pressure recovery, mixing and combustion efficiency, etc.) for figures of merit. The extraction of these parameters from experimental data sets and/or multi-dimensional computational data sets is therefore an important aspect of the design process. A variety of methods exist for extracting performance measures from multi-dimensional data sets. Some of the information contained in the multi-dimensional flow is inevitably lost when any one-dimensionalization technique is applied. Hence, the unique assumptions associated with a given approach may result in one-dimensional properties that are significantly different than those extracted using alternative approaches. The purpose of this effort is to examine some of the more popular methods used for the extraction of performance measures from multi-dimensional data sets, reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and highlight various numerical issues that result when mapping data from a multi-dimensional space to a space of one dimension.
Criteria of Career Success among Chinese Employees: Developing a Multidimensional Scale with Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Wenxia; Sun, Jianmin; Guan, Yanjun; Li, Yuhui; Pan, Jingzhou

2013-01-01

The current research aimed to develop a multidimensional measure on the criteria of career success in a Chinese context. Items on the criteria of career success were obtained using a qualitative approach among 30 Chinese employees; exploratory factor analysis was conducted to select items and determine the factor structure among a new sample of…

Factor structure and gender stability in the multidimensional condom attitudes scale.

PubMed

Starosta, Amy J; Berghoff, Christopher R; Earleywine, Mitch

2015-06-01

Sexually transmitted infections continue to trouble the United States and can be attenuated through increased condom use. Attitudes about condoms are an important multidimensional factor that can affect sexual health choices and have been successfully measured using the Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale (MCAS). Such attitudes have the potential to vary between men and women, yet little work has been undertaken to identify if the MCAS accurately captures attitudes without being influenced by underlying gender biases. We examined the factor structure and gender invariance on the MCAS using confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory, within-subscale differential item functioning analyses. More than 770 participants provided data via the Internet. Results of differential item functioning analyses identified three items as differentially functioning between the genders, and removal of these items is recommended. Findings confirmed the previously hypothesized multidimensional nature of condom attitudes and the five-factor structure of the MCAS even after the removal of the three problematic items. In general, comparisons across genders using the MCAS seem reasonable from a methodological standpoint. Results are discussed in terms of improving sexual health research and interventions. © The Author(s) 2014.
Recent advances in multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Thomas A. A.

2018-01-01

Multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopies are one of the premier tools to investigate condensed phase dynamics of biological, chemical and functional nanomaterial systems. As they reach maturity, the variety of frequency domains that can be explored has vastly increased, with experimental techniques capable of correlating excitation and emission frequencies from the terahertz through to the ultraviolet. Some of the most recent innovations also include extreme cross-peak spectroscopies that directly correlate the dynamics of electronic and vibrational states. This review article summarizes the key technological advances that have permitted these recent advances, and the insights gained from new multidimensional spectroscopic probes.
Recent advances in multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopy

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopies are one of the premier tools to investigate condensed phase dynamics of biological, chemical and functional nanomaterial systems. As they reach maturity, the variety of frequency domains that can be explored has vastly increased, with experimental techniques capable of correlating excitation and emission frequencies from the terahertz through to the ultraviolet. Some of the most recent innovations also include extreme cross-peak spectroscopies that directly correlate the dynamics of electronic and vibrational states. This review article summarizes the key technological advances that have permitted these recent advances, and the insights gained from new multidimensional spectroscopic probes. PMID:29410844
Psychometric evaluation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale for use with pregnant and postpartum women.

PubMed

Fairbrother, Nichole; Hutton, Eileen K; Stoll, Kathrin; Hall, Wendy; Kluka, Sandy

2008-06-01

Although fatigue is a common experience for pregnant women and new mothers, few measures of fatigue have been validated for use with this population. To address this gap, the authors assessed psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale, which was used in 2 independent samples of pregnant women. Results indicated that the psychometric properties of the scale were very similar across samples and time points. The scale possesses a high level of internal consistency, has good convergent validity with measures of sleep quality and depression, and discriminates well from a measure of social support. Contrary to previous evaluations of the MAF, data strongly suggest that the scale represents a unidimensional construct best represented by a single factor. Results indicate that the MAF is a useful measure of fatigue among pregnant and postpartum women.
[Psychometric properties of a Multidimensional Scale of Social Expression to assess social skills in the Internet context].

PubMed

Carballo, José L; Pérez-Jover, Ma Virtudes; Espada, José P; Orgilés, Mireia; Piqueras, José Antonio

2012-02-01

The increase in the use of New Technologies in social relationships could be generating a new paradigm in social skills. Valid and reliable instruments to assess these changes are needed. The aim of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Social Expression (EMES) in the assessment of social skills on the Internet and Social Networks. A total of 413 college students from the province of Alicante participated on this study. The scale was applied according to two contexts: Real and Internet/Virtual. High internal consistency was shown. The 12-factor structure found for the Virtual Context scale is similar to that of the original study. The scale had shown to be a good predictor of hours of Internet use. In conclusion, EMES-C is useful for assessing real context and Internet context social skills.
The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students' Mental Models and Promotes Students' Synthetic Knowledge Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Ryan A.; Brame, Cynthia J.

2015-01-01

Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping,…
a Genetic Algorithm Based on Sexual Selection for the Multidimensional 0/1 Knapsack Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varnamkhasti, Mohammad Jalali; Lee, Lai Soon

In this study, a new technique is presented for choosing mate chromosomes during sexual selection in a genetic algorithm. The population is divided into groups of males and females. During the sexual selection, the female chromosome is selected by the tournament selection while the male chromosome is selected based on the hamming distance from the selected female chromosome, fitness value or active genes. Computational experiments are conducted on the proposed technique and the results are compared with some selection mechanisms commonly used for solving multidimensional 0/1 knapsack problems published in the literature.
Application of Psychometric Theory to the Measurement of Voice Quality Using Rating Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shrivastav, Rahul; Sapienza, Christine M.; Nandur, Vuday

2005-01-01

Rating scales are commonly used to study voice quality. However, recent research has demonstrated that perceptual measures of voice quality obtained using rating scales suffer from poor interjudge agreement and reliability, especially in the midrange of the scale. These findings, along with those obtained using multidimensional scaling (MDS), have…
Construct distinctiveness and variance composition of multi-dimensional instruments: Three short-form masculinity measures.

PubMed

Levant, Ronald F; Hall, Rosalie J; Weigold, Ingrid K; McCurdy, Eric R

2015-07-01

Focusing on a set of 3 multidimensional measures of conceptually related but different aspects of masculinity, we use factor analytic techniques to address 2 issues: (a) whether psychological constructs that are theoretically distinct but require fairly subtle discriminations by survey respondents can be accurately captured by self-report measures, and (b) how to better understand sources of variance in subscale and total scores developed from such measures. The specific measures investigated were the: (a) Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF); (b) Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46 (CMNI-46); and (c) Gender Role Conflict Scale-Short Form (GRCS-SF). Data (N = 444) were from community-dwelling and college men who responded to an online survey. EFA results demonstrated the discriminant validity of the 20 subscales comprising the 3 instruments, thus indicating that relatively subtle distinctions between norms, conformity, and conflict can be captured with self-report measures. CFA was used to compare 2 different methods of modeling a broad/general factor for each of the 3 instruments. For the CMNI-46 and MRNI-SF, a bifactor model fit the data significantly better than did a hierarchical factor model. In contrast, the hierarchical model fit better for the GRCS-SF. The discussion addresses implications of these specific findings for use of the measures in research studies, as well as broader implications for measurement development and assessment in other research domains of counseling psychology which also rely on multidimensional self-report instruments. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Selection and Validation of Attitude Scales for Curriculum Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Barry J.

1977-01-01

Defines educational importance, multidimensionality, and economy to be essential criteria in the selection of attitude scales for curriculum evaluation. Five scales meeting the requirements are selected and tested with 1,158 Australian seventh-grade students. Scores on the attitude scales and correlations of scores with socioeconomic status,…
A New Computational Method to Fit the Weighted Euclidean Distance Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Leeuw, Jan; Pruzansky, Sandra

1978-01-01

A computational method for weighted euclidean distance scaling (a method of multidimensional scaling) which combines aspects of an "analytic" solution with an approach using loss functions is presented. (Author/JKS)
Multi-dimensional optical and laser-based diagnostics of low-temperature ionized plasma discharges

DOE PAGES

Barnat, Edward V.

2011-09-15

In this paper, a review of work centered on the utilization of multi-dimensional optical diagnostics to study phenomena arising in radiofrequency plasma discharges is given. The diagnostics range from passive techniques such as optical emission to more active techniques utilizing nanosecond lasers capable of both high temporal and spatial resolution. In this review, emphasis is placed on observations that would have been more difficult, if not impossible, to make without the use of such diagnostic techniques. Examples include the sheath structure around an electrode consisting of two different metals, double layers that arise in magnetized hydrogen discharges, or a largemore » region of depleted argon 1s 4 levels around a biased probe in an rf discharge.« less
Changes in frontal plane dynamics and the loading response phase of the gait cycle are characteristic of severe knee osteoarthritis application of a multidimensional analysis technique.

PubMed

Astephen, J L; Deluzio, K J

2005-02-01

Osteoarthritis of the knee is related to many correlated mechanical factors that can be measured with gait analysis. Gait analysis results in large data sets. The analysis of these data is difficult due to the correlated, multidimensional nature of the measures. A multidimensional model that uses two multivariate statistical techniques, principal component analysis and discriminant analysis, was used to discriminate between the gait patterns of the normal subject group and the osteoarthritis subject group. Nine time varying gait measures and eight discrete measures were included in the analysis. All interrelationships between and within the measures were retained in the analysis. The multidimensional analysis technique successfully separated the gait patterns of normal and knee osteoarthritis subjects with a misclassification error rate of <6%. The most discriminatory feature described a static and dynamic alignment factor. The second most discriminatory feature described a gait pattern change during the loading response phase of the gait cycle. The interrelationships between gait measures and between the time instants of the gait cycle can provide insight into the mechanical mechanisms of pathologies such as knee osteoarthritis. These results suggest that changes in frontal plane loading and alignment and the loading response phase of the gait cycle are characteristic of severe knee osteoarthritis gait patterns. Subsequent investigations earlier in the disease process may suggest the importance of these factors to the progression of knee osteoarthritis.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (OAV)

PubMed Central

Studerus, Erich; Gamma, Alex; Vollenweider, Franz X.

2010-01-01

Background The OAV questionnaire has been developed to integrate research on altered states of consciousness (ASC). It measures three primary and one secondary dimensions of ASC that are hypothesized to be invariant across ASC induction methods. The OAV rating scale has been in use for more than 20 years and applied internationally in a broad range of research fields, yet its factorial structure has never been tested by structural equation modeling techniques and its psychometric properties have never been examined in large samples of experimentally induced ASC. Methodology/Principal Findings The present study conducted a psychometric evaluation of the OAV in a sample of psilocybin (n = 327), ketamine (n = 162), and MDMA (n = 102) induced ASC that was obtained by pooling data from 43 experimental studies. The factorial structure was examined by confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, hierarchical item clustering (ICLUST), and multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling. The originally proposed model did not fit the data well even if zero-constraints on non-target factor loadings and residual correlations were relaxed. Furthermore, ICLUST suggested that the “oceanic boundlessness” and “visionary restructuralization” factors could be combined on a high level of the construct hierarchy. However, because these factors were multidimensional, we extracted and examined 11 new lower order factors. MIMIC modeling indicated that these factors were highly measurement invariant across drugs, settings, questionnaire versions, and sexes. The new factors were also demonstrated to have improved homogeneities, satisfactory reliabilities, discriminant and convergent validities, and to differentiate well among the three drug groups. Conclusions/Significance The original scales of the OAV were shown to be multidimensional constructs. Eleven new lower order scales were constructed and demonstrated to have desirable psychometric properties. The new lower order scales are most likely better suited to assess drug induced ASC. PMID:20824211
A Multi-Dimensional Instrument for Evaluating Taiwanese High School Students' Science Learning Self-Efficacy in Relation to Their Approaches to Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

In the past, students' science learning self-efficacy (SLSE) was usually measured by questionnaires that consisted of only a single scale, which might be insufficient to fully understand their SLSE. In this study, a multi-dimensional instrument, the SLSE instrument, was developed and validated to assess students' SLSE based on the previous…
Wavelet analysis methods for radiography of multidimensional growth of planar mixing layers

DOE PAGES

Merritt, Elizabeth Catherine; Doss, Forrest William

2016-07-06

The counter-propagating shear campaign is examining instability growth and its transition to turbulence in the high-energy-density physics regime using a laser-driven counter-propagating flow platform. In these experiments, we observe consistent complex break-up of and structure growth in a tracer layer placed at the shear flow interface during the instability growth phase. We present a wavelet-transform based analysis technique capable of characterizing the scale- and directionality-resolved average intensity perturbations in static radiographs of the experiment. This technique uses the complete spatial information available in each radiograph to describe the structure evolution. We designed this analysis technique to generate a two-dimensional powermore » spectrum for each radiograph from which we can recover information about structure widths, amplitudes, and orientations. Lastly, the evolution of the distribution of power in the spectra for an experimental series is a potential metric for quantifying the structure size evolution as well as a system’s evolution towards isotropy.« less
Wavelet analysis methods for radiography of multidimensional growth of planar mixing layers

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

Merritt, E. C., E-mail: emerritt@lanl.gov; Doss, F. W.

2016-07-15

The counter-propagating shear campaign is examining instability growth and its transition to turbulence in the high-energy-density physics regime using a laser-driven counter-propagating flow platform. In these experiments, we observe consistent complex break-up of and structure growth in a tracer layer placed at the shear flow interface during the instability growth phase. We present a wavelet-transform based analysis technique capable of characterizing the scale- and directionality-resolved average intensity perturbations in static radiographs of the experiment. This technique uses the complete spatial information available in each radiograph to describe the structure evolution. We designed this analysis technique to generate a two-dimensional powermore » spectrum for each radiograph from which we can recover information about structure widths, amplitudes, and orientations. The evolution of the distribution of power in the spectra for an experimental series is a potential metric for quantifying the structure size evolution as well as a system’s evolution towards isotropy.« less
Multidimensional Analysis of Nuclear Detonations

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-17

Features on the nuclear weapons testing films because of the expanding and emissive nature of the nuclear fireball. The use of these techniques to produce...Treaty (New Start Treaty) have reduced the acceptable margins of error. Multidimensional analysis provides the modern approach to nuclear weapon ...scientific community access to the information necessary to expand upon the knowledge of nuclear weapon effects. This data set has the potential to provide
Structural Validity of the MACI Psychopathy and Narcissism Scales: Evidence of Multidimensionality and Implications for Use in Research and Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penney, Stephanie R.; Moretti, Marlene M.; Da Silva, Kimberley S.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the psychometric properties and predictive validity of three self-report scales (the Psychopathy Content Scale, the Psychopathy-16 scale, and the Egotistic scale) derived from the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) to screen for the presence of psychopathic and narcissistic personality characteristics. Exploratory…
Assessment of Daily and Weekly Fatigue among African American Cancer Survivors

PubMed Central

Sobel, Rina M.; McSorley, Anna-Michelle M.; Roesch, Scott C.; Malcarne, Vanessa L.; Hawes, Starlyn M.; Sadler, Georgia Robins

2013-01-01

This investigation evaluates two common measures of cancer-related fatigue, one multidimensional/retrospective and one unidimensional/same-day. Fifty-two African American survivors of diverse cancers completed fatigue visual analogue scales once daily, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI) once weekly, for four weeks. Zero-order correlations showed retrospectivefatigue was significantly related to average, peak, and most recent same-dayfatigue. Multilevel random coefficient modeling showed unidimensional fatigue shared the most variance with the MFSI’s General subscale for three weeks, and with the Vigor subscale for one week. Researchers and clinicians may wish to prioritize multidimensional measures when assessing cancer-related fatigue, if appropriate. PMID:23844922

The Role of a Multidimensional Concept of Trust in the Performance of Global Virtual Teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodensteiner, Nan Muir; Stecklein, Jonette M.

2002-01-01

This paper focuses on the concept of trust as an important ingredient of effective global virtual team performance. Definitions of trust and virtual teams are presented. The concept of trust is developed from its unilateral application (trust, absence of trust) to a multidimensional concept including cognitive and affective components. The special challenges of a virtual team are then discussed with particular emphasis on how a multidimensional concept of trust impacts these challenges. Propositions suggesting the multidimensional concept of trust moderates the negative impacts of distance, cross cultural and organizational differences, the effects of electronically mediated communication, reluctance to share information and a lack of hi story/future on the performance of virtual teams are stated. The paper concludes with recommendations and a set of techniques to build both cognitive and affective trust in virtual teams.
Using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for weighting items of a measurement scale: a pilot study.

PubMed

Benaïm, C; Perennou, D-A; Pelissier, J-Y; Daures, J-P

2010-02-01

Many clinical scales contain items that are scored separately prior to being compiled into a single score. However, if the items have different degrees of importance, they should be weighted differently before being compiled. The principal aims of this study were to show how the "analytic hierarchy process" (AHP), which has never been used for this purpose, can be applied to weighting the six items of the "London handicap scale", and to compare the AHP to the "conjoint analysis" (CA), which was previously implemented by Harwood et al. (1994) [1]. In order to assess the relative importance of the six items, we submitted AHP and CA to a group of 10 physiatrists. We compared the methods in terms of item ranking according to importance, assessment of fictitious patients based on weights determined by each method, and perceived difficulty by the physiatrist. For both techniques, "Physical independence" (PHY) was the best-weighted item, but other ranks varied depending on the technique. AHP was better than CA in terms of accuracy (global assessment of the clinical status) and perceived difficulty. AHP may be used to reveal the importance that experts assign to the items of a multidimensional scale, and to calculate the appropriate weights for specific items. For this purpose, AHP seems to be more accurate than CA.
On the use of multi-dimensional scaling and electromagnetic tracking in high dose rate brachytherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Götz, Th I.; Ermer, M.; Salas-González, D.; Kellermeier, M.; Strnad, V.; Bert, Ch; Hensel, B.; Tomé, A. M.; Lang, E. W.

2017-10-01

High dose rate brachytherapy affords a frequent reassurance of the precise dwell positions of the radiation source. The current investigation proposes a multi-dimensional scaling transformation of both data sets to estimate dwell positions without any external reference. Furthermore, the related distributions of dwell positions are characterized by uni—or bi—modal heavy—tailed distributions. The latter are well represented by α—stable distributions. The newly proposed data analysis provides dwell position deviations with high accuracy, and, furthermore, offers a convenient visualization of the actual shapes of the catheters which guide the radiation source during the treatment.
Analysis of World Economic Variables Using Multidimensional Scaling

PubMed Central

Machado, J.A. Tenreiro; Mata, Maria Eugénia

2015-01-01

Waves of globalization reflect the historical technical progress and modern economic growth. The dynamics of this process are here approached using the multidimensional scaling (MDS) methodology to analyze the evolution of GDP per capita, international trade openness, life expectancy, and education tertiary enrollment in 14 countries. MDS provides the appropriate theoretical concepts and the exact mathematical tools to describe the joint evolution of these indicators of economic growth, globalization, welfare and human development of the world economy from 1977 up to 2012. The polarization dance of countries enlightens the convergence paths, potential warfare and present-day rivalries in the global geopolitical scene. PMID:25811177
Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization for Multiscale Nuclear Fuel Analysis

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

Hales, J. D.; Tonks, M. R.; Chockalingam, K.

2015-03-01

Engineering scale nuclear fuel performance simulations can benefit by utilizing high-fidelity models running at a lower length scale. Lower length-scale models provide a detailed view of the material behavior that is used to determine the average material response at the macroscale. These lower length-scale calculations may provide insight into material behavior where experimental data is sparse or nonexistent. This multiscale approach is especially useful in the nuclear field, since irradiation experiments are difficult and expensive to conduct. The lower length-scale models complement the experiments by influencing the types of experiments required and by reducing the total number of experiments needed.more » This multiscale modeling approach is a central motivation in the development of the BISON-MARMOT fuel performance codes at Idaho National Laboratory. These codes seek to provide more accurate and predictive solutions for nuclear fuel behavior. One critical aspect of multiscale modeling is the ability to extract the relevant information from the lower length-scale sim- ulations. One approach, the asymptotic expansion homogenization (AEH) technique, has proven to be an effective method for determining homogenized material parameters. The AEH technique prescribes a system of equations to solve at the microscale that are used to compute homogenized material constants for use at the engineering scale. In this work, we employ AEH to explore the effect of evolving microstructural thermal conductivity and elastic constants on nuclear fuel performance. We show that the AEH approach fits cleanly into the BISON and MARMOT codes and provides a natural, multidimensional homogenization capability.« less
Differentially Private Synthesization of Multi-Dimensional Data using Copula Functions

PubMed Central

Li, Haoran; Xiong, Li; Jiang, Xiaoqian

2014-01-01

Differential privacy has recently emerged in private statistical data release as one of the strongest privacy guarantees. Most of the existing techniques that generate differentially private histograms or synthetic data only work well for single dimensional or low-dimensional histograms. They become problematic for high dimensional and large domain data due to increased perturbation error and computation complexity. In this paper, we propose DPCopula, a differentially private data synthesization technique using Copula functions for multi-dimensional data. The core of our method is to compute a differentially private copula function from which we can sample synthetic data. Copula functions are used to describe the dependence between multivariate random vectors and allow us to build the multivariate joint distribution using one-dimensional marginal distributions. We present two methods for estimating the parameters of the copula functions with differential privacy: maximum likelihood estimation and Kendall’s τ estimation. We present formal proofs for the privacy guarantee as well as the convergence property of our methods. Extensive experiments using both real datasets and synthetic datasets demonstrate that DPCopula generates highly accurate synthetic multi-dimensional data with significantly better utility than state-of-the-art techniques. PMID:25405241
Fast Acquisition and Reconstruction of Optical Coherence Tomography Images via Sparse Representation

PubMed Central

Li, Shutao; McNabb, Ryan P.; Nie, Qing; Kuo, Anthony N.; Toth, Cynthia A.; Izatt, Joseph A.; Farsiu, Sina

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel technique, based on compressive sensing principles, for reconstruction and enhancement of multi-dimensional image data. Our method is a major improvement and generalization of the multi-scale sparsity based tomographic denoising (MSBTD) algorithm we recently introduced for reducing speckle noise. Our new technique exhibits several advantages over MSBTD, including its capability to simultaneously reduce noise and interpolate missing data. Unlike MSBTD, our new method does not require an a priori high-quality image from the target imaging subject and thus offers the potential to shorten clinical imaging sessions. This novel image restoration method, which we termed sparsity based simultaneous denoising and interpolation (SBSDI), utilizes sparse representation dictionaries constructed from previously collected datasets. We tested the SBSDI algorithm on retinal spectral domain optical coherence tomography images captured in the clinic. Experiments showed that the SBSDI algorithm qualitatively and quantitatively outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. PMID:23846467
A cluster analysis of perfectionism among competitive athletes.

PubMed

Martinent, Guillaume; Ferrand, Claude

2006-12-01

In the present study, the ways in which athletes may experience perfectionism in a sport context were examined. The question of interest was whether self-confidence, intensity, and direction of cognitive and somatic precompetitive anxiety would differ across identifiable profiles of perfectionism. Competitive athletes (N= 166) completed the Sport-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the French-Canadian Hewitt Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised, including a Direction scale. Results of the cluster analysis indicated that athletes could be classified into three groups labelled Nonperfectionists, Adaptive perfectionists, and Maladaptive perfectionists. Perfectionism profiles differed significantly on Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety Intensity and on Cognitive Anxiety Direction. The importance of considering all dimensions of perfectionism simultaneously when examining the functional nature of this construct in sport is discussed.
[Multidimensional measurement of precarious employment: social distribution and its association with health in Catalonia (Spain)].

PubMed

Benach, Joan; Julià, Mireia; Tarafa, Gemma; Mir, Jordi; Molinero, Emilia; Vives, Alejandra

2015-01-01

To show the prevalence of precarious employment in Catalonia (Spain) for the first time and its association with mental and self-rated health, measured with a multidimensional scale. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the II Catalan Working Conditions Survey (2010) with a subsample of employed workers with a contract. The prevalence of precarious employment using a multidimensional scale and its association with health was calculated using multivariate log-binomial regression stratified by gender. The prevalence of precarious employment in Catalonia was high (42.6%). We found higher precariousness in women, youth, immigrants, and manual and less educated workers. There was a positive gradient in the association between precarious employment and poor health. Precarious employment is associated with poor health in the working population. Working conditions surveys should include questions on precarious employment and health indicators, which would allow monitoring and subsequent analyses of health inequalities. Copyright © 2015 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
Application of Multi-Parameter Data Visualization by Means of Multidimensional Scaling to Evaluate Possibility of Coal Gasification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamróz, Dariusz; Niedoba, Tomasz; Surowiak, Agnieszka; Tumidajski, Tadeusz; Szostek, Roman; Gajer, Mirosław

2017-09-01

The application of methods drawing upon multi-parameter visualization of data by transformation of multidimensional space into two-dimensional one allow to show multi-parameter data on computer screen. Thanks to that, it is possible to conduct a qualitative analysis of this data in the most natural way for human being, i.e. by the sense of sight. An example of such method of multi-parameter visualization is multidimensional scaling. This method was used in this paper to present and analyze a set of seven-dimensional data obtained from Janina Mining Plant and Wieczorek Coal Mine. It was decided to examine whether the method of multi-parameter data visualization allows to divide the samples space into areas of various applicability to fluidal gasification process. The "Technological applicability card for coals" was used for this purpose [Sobolewski et al., 2012; 2017], in which the key parameters, important and additional ones affecting the gasification process were described.
Estimating standard errors in feature network models.

PubMed

Frank, Laurence E; Heiser, Willem J

2007-05-01

Feature network models are graphical structures that represent proximity data in a discrete space while using the same formalism that is the basis of least squares methods employed in multidimensional scaling. Existing methods to derive a network model from empirical data only give the best-fitting network and yield no standard errors for the parameter estimates. The additivity properties of networks make it possible to consider the model as a univariate (multiple) linear regression problem with positivity restrictions on the parameters. In the present study, both theoretical and empirical standard errors are obtained for the constrained regression parameters of a network model with known features. The performance of both types of standard error is evaluated using Monte Carlo techniques.
Development and validation of the multidimensional state boredom scale.

PubMed

Fahlman, Shelley A; Mercer-Lynn, Kimberley B; Flora, David B; Eastwood, John D

2013-02-01

This article describes the development and validation of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS)-the first and only full-scale measure of state boredom. It was developed based on a theoretically and empirically grounded definition of boredom. A five-factor structure of the scale (Disengagement, High Arousal, Low Arousal, Inattention, and Time Perception) was supported by exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses of two independent samples. Furthermore, all subscales were significantly related to a single, second-order factor. The MSBS factor structure was shown to be invariant across gender. MSBS scores were significantly correlated with measures of trait boredom, depression, anxiety, anger, inattention, impulsivity, neuroticism, life satisfaction, and purpose in life. Finally, MSBS scores distinguished between participants who were experimentally manipulated into a state of boredom and those who were not, above and beyond measures of trait boredom, negative affect, and depression.
Development and Validation of Triarchic Psychopathy Scales from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Brislin, Sarah J.; Drislane, Laura E.; Smith, Shannon Toney; Edens, John F.; Patrick, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Psychopathy is conceptualized by the triarchic model as encompassing three distinct phenotypic constructs: boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. In the current study, the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), a normal-range personality measure, was evaluated for representation of these three constructs. Consensus ratings were used to identify MPQ items most related to each triarchic (Tri) construct. Scale measures were developed from items indicative of each construct, and scores for these scales were evaluated for convergent and discriminant validity in community (N = 176) and incarcerated samples (N = 240). A cross the two samples, MPQ-Tri scale scores demonstrated good internal consistencies and relationships with criterion measures of various types consistent with predictions based on the triarchic model. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for further investigation of the triarchic model constructs in preexisting datasets that include the MPQ, in particular longitudinal and genetically informative datasets. PMID:25642934
The Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA): Examination of the Psychometric Properties of a New Multidimensional Measure of Test Anxiety among Elementary and Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Patricia A.; Lee, Steven W.; Witteborg, Kristin M.; Prichard, Keri W.; Luhr, Megan E.; Cullinan, Christopher M.; Mildren, Bethany A.; Raad, Jennifer M.; Cornelius, Rebecca A.; Janik, Melissa

2008-01-01

The Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA) is a new multidimensional measure used to assess test anxiety in elementary and secondary school students. The TAICA is a 45-item self-report measure consisting of a Total Test Anxiety scale, four debilitating test anxiety subscales (Cognitive Obstruction/Inattention, Physiological…
The Test Anxiety Measure for Adolescents (TAMA): Examination of the Reliability and Validity of the Scores of a New Multidimensional Measure of Test Anxiety for Middle and High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Patricia A.

2014-01-01

A new multidimensional measure of test anxiety, the Test Anxiety Measure for Adolescents (TAMA), specifically designed for U.S. adolescents in Grades 6 to 12 was developed and its psychometric properties were examined. The TAMA consists of five scales (Cognitive Interference, Physiological Hyperarousal, Social Concerns, Task Irrelevant Behavior,…
Online Nanoflow Multidimensional Fractionation for High Efficiency Phosphopeptide Analysis*

PubMed Central

Ficarro, Scott B.; Zhang, Yi; Carrasco-Alfonso, Marlene J.; Garg, Brijesh; Adelmant, Guillaume; Webber, James T.; Luckey, C. John; Marto, Jarrod A.

2011-01-01

Despite intense, continued interest in global analyses of signaling cascades through mass spectrometry-based studies, the large-scale, systematic production of phosphoproteomics data has been hampered in-part by inefficient fractionation strategies subsequent to phosphopeptide enrichment. Here we explore two novel multidimensional fractionation strategies for analysis of phosphopeptides. In the first technique we utilize aliphatic ion pairing agents to improve retention of phosphopeptides at high pH in the first dimension of a two-dimensional RP-RP. The second approach is based on the addition of strong anion exchange as the second dimension in a three-dimensional reversed phase (RP)-strong anion exchange (SAX)-RP configuration. Both techniques provide for automated, online data acquisition, with the 3-D platform providing the highest performance both in terms of separation peak capacity and the number of unique phosphopeptide sequences identified per μg of cell lysate consumed. Our integrated RP-SAX-RP platform provides several analytical figures of merit, including: (1) orthogonal separation mechanisms in each dimension; (2) high separation peak capacity (3) efficient retention of singly- and multiply-phosphorylated peptides; (4) compatibility with automated, online LC-MS analysis. We demonstrate the reproducibility of RP-SAX-RP and apply it to the analysis of phosphopeptides derived from multiple biological contexts, including an in vitro model of acute myeloid leukemia in addition to primary polyclonal CD8+ T-cells activated in vivo through bacterial infection and then purified from a single mouse. PMID:21788404
Explore the interrelationships of the WFE Nexus by relational topological mapping techniques - a case in northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Y. Y.; Tsai, W. P.; Chang, F. J.

2016-12-01

In recent years, Water-Food-Energy Nexus (WFE Nexus) has become a global issue due to the scarcity of natural resources. Besides, the resource management of water, energy and food at spatial and temporal scales raises multiple interwoven concerns ranging from co-opetitive relationship to resource accessibility. Over the past few decades, the socio-economic development of Taiwan has experienced drastic transformation because of population growth, urbanization and excessive consumption of natural resources. Therefore, our research intends to explore the interrelationships of the WFE Nexus by means of data mining techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI). Our study area is the Tamsui River watershed in northern Taiwan. At first, we collect and analyze long-term WFE-related multidimensional heterogeneous observational data, such as water demand, food consumption and energy requirements. Then in order to explore the interrelationships and interactions of the WFE Nexus, the self-organizing map (SOM) is used to classify multidimensional heterogeneous data for building two-dimensional topological maps for clustering purpose. Consequently, we aim to establish the interrelationships in the WFE Nexus based on the obtained SOM topologies. This research will also explore the collaborative synergies of resource allocation and utilization that may influence the development of urbanization in the future. Ultimately, based on our proposed methodology and findings, the considerable impacts of the WFE Nexus on resource supply and demand and how the potential collaborative synergies would promote sustainable socio-economic development will be illuminated.
Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20): A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Song, Sang-Wook; Kang, Sung-Goo; Kim, Kyung-Soo; Kim, Moon-Jong; Kim, Kwang-Min; Cho, Doo-Yeoun; Kim, Young-Sang; Joo, Nam-Seok; Kim, Kyu-Nam

2018-01-01

A nonspecific symptom, fatigue accompanies a variety of diseases, including cancer, and can have a grave impact on patients' quality of life. As for multidimensional instruments, one of the most widely used is the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). This study aims to verify the reliability and validity of the MFI Korean (MFI-K) version. This study was performed at four university hospitals in the Republic of Korea. Among outpatients visiting the Department of Family Medicine, those complaining of fatigue or visiting a chronic care clinic were enrolled in this study. A total of 595 participants were included, and the mean age was 42.2 years. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the MFI-K was 0.88. The MFI-K had good convergent validity. Most subscales of the MFI-K were significantly correlated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). In particular, general and physical fatigue had the greatest correlation with the VAS and FSS. Although the English version of MFI had five subscales, the factor analysis led to four subscales in the Korean version. This study demonstrated the clinical usefulness of MFI-K instrument, particularly in assessing the degree of fatigue and performing a multidimensional assessment of fatigue.
Multidimensional Processing and Visual Rendering of Complex 3D Biomedical Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sams, Clarence F.

2016-01-01

The proposed technology uses advanced image analysis techniques to maximize the resolution and utility of medical imaging methods being used during spaceflight. We utilize COTS technology for medical imaging, but our applications require higher resolution assessment of the medical images than is routinely applied with nominal system software. By leveraging advanced data reduction and multidimensional imaging techniques utilized in analysis of Planetary Sciences and Cell Biology imaging, it is possible to significantly increase the information extracted from the onboard biomedical imaging systems. Year 1 focused on application of these techniques to the ocular images collected on ground test subjects and ISS crewmembers. Focus was on the choroidal vasculature and the structure of the optic disc. Methods allowed for increased resolution and quantitation of structural changes enabling detailed assessment of progression over time. These techniques enhance the monitoring and evaluation of crew vision issues during space flight.
The organization of conspecific face space in nonhuman primates

PubMed Central

Parr, Lisa A.; Taubert, Jessica; Little, Anthony C.; Hancock, Peter J. B.

2013-01-01

Humans and chimpanzees demonstrate numerous cognitive specializations for processing faces, but comparative studies with monkeys suggest that these may be the result of recent evolutionary adaptations. The present study utilized the novel approach of face space, a powerful theoretical framework used to understand the representation of face identity in humans, to further explore species differences in face processing. According to the theory, faces are represented by vectors in a multidimensional space, the centre of which is defined by an average face. Each dimension codes features important for describing a face’s identity, and vector length codes the feature’s distinctiveness. Chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys discriminated male and female conspecifics’ faces, rated by humans for their distinctiveness, using a computerized task. Multidimensional scaling analyses showed that the organization of face space was similar between humans and chimpanzees. Distinctive faces had the longest vectors and were the easiest for chimpanzees to discriminate. In contrast, distinctiveness did not correlate with the performance of rhesus monkeys. The feature dimensions for each species’ face space were visualized and described using morphing techniques. These results confirm species differences in the perceptual representation of conspecific faces, which are discussed within an evolutionary framework. PMID:22670823

Protective Factors for Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: Interpersonal Relationships and Perceived Social Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Yun; Xiang, Zhoulei; Zhang, Hui; Wang, Zhenhong

2017-01-01

The association between interpersonal relationships, perceived social support, and depressive symptoms in adolescents was investigated in the present study. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressive Symptoms Scale (CES-D-SF), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Interpersonal Relationship Scale (IRS) were…
The Development and Validation of a Scale Measuring Teacher Autonomous Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evers, Arnoud T.; Verboon, Peter; Klaeijsen, Andrea

2017-01-01

In the current study a multi-dimensional scale that measures teacher autonomous behaviour is presented. The scale is applicable across the following educational sectors: primary education, secondary education and vocational education. Based on an elaborate literature study, four theoretically relevant dimensions of teacher autonomous behaviour…
Internal Control, Powerful Others, and Chance: A Confirmation of Levenson's Factor Structure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walkey, Frank H.

1979-01-01

The internal-external locus of control scales of Rotter and Levenson and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were completed by 156 undergraduates. The three-factor structure underlying Levenson's questionnaire was clearly confirmed. Some new evidence for the multidimensionality of Rotter's scale was also presented. (Author/GDC)
Construct validity of the Swedish version of the revised piper fatigue scale in an oncology sample--a Rasch analysis.

PubMed

Lundgren-Nilsson, Asa; Dencker, Anna; Jakobsson, Sofie; Taft, Charles; Tennant, Alan

2014-06-01

Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom in cancer patients due to both the disease and its treatments. The concept of fatigue is multidimensional and includes both physical and mental components. The 22-item Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS) is a multidimensional instrument developed to assess cancer-related fatigue. This study reports on the construct validity of the Swedish version of the RPFS from the perspective of Rasch measurement. The Swedish version of the RPFS was answered by 196 cancer patients fatigued after 4 to 5 weeks of curative radiation therapy. Data from the scale were fitted to the Rasch measurement model. This involved testing a series of assumptions, including the stochastic ordering of items, local response dependency, and unidimensionality. A series of fit statistics were computed, differential item functioning (DIF) was tested, and local response dependency was accommodated through testlets. The Behavioral, Affective and Sensory domains all satisfied the Rasch model expectations. No DIF was observed, and all domains were found to be unidimensional. The Mood/Cognitive scale failed to fit the model, and substantial multidimensionality was found. Splitting the scale between Mood and Cognitive items resolved fit to the Rasch model, and new domains were unidimensional without DIF. The current Rasch analyses add to the evidence of measurement properties of the scale and show that the RPFS has good psychometric properties and works well to measure fatigue. The original four-factor structure, however, was not supported. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Farsi version of the multidimensional health locus of control and God locus of health control scales: validity and reliability study among Iranian women with a family history of breast cancer.

PubMed

Hashemian, Masoumeh; Aminshokravi, Farkhonde; Hidarnia, Alireza; Lamyian, Minoor; Hassanpour, Kazem; Akaberi, Arash; Moshki, Mahdi

2014-09-01

To determine the Persian version's reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control and God Health Locus of Control scales among women with family history of breast cancer. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Sabzevar, Iran, in 2012. It randomly selected women with family members affected by breast cancer. Predesigned questionnaires were completed through interviews. Content and face validity was evaluated using the opinions of a panel of experts, and construct validity was confirmed by applying confirmatory factor analysis.The instruments' reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability. There were 200 women in the study with their age ranging between 18 and 69 years and revealed the following; root mean square error of approximation for Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale = 0.013, and God Locus of Health Control Scale = 0.077; comparative fit index = 0.999, 0.998; incremental fit index = 0.999, 0.998;Tucker-Lewis fit index = 0.998, 0.998; and normed fit index = 0.983, 0.997 respectively. Cronbach's alpha was 0.61 for Internal Health Locus of Control, 0.8 for Chance Health Locus of Control, 0.68 for Power Health Locus of Control and 0.9 for God Locus Health Control. The Persian version of the subscales supported the main version.
PWC - PAIRWISE COMPARISON SOFTWARE: SOFTWARE PROGRAM FOR PAIRWISE COMPARISON TASK FOR PSYCHOMETRIC SCALING AND COGNITIVE RESEARCH

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricks, W. R.

1994-01-01

PWC is used for pair-wise comparisons in both psychometric scaling techniques and cognitive research. The cognitive tasks and processes of a human operator of automated systems are now prominent considerations when defining system requirements. Recent developments in cognitive research have emphasized the potential utility of psychometric scaling techniques, such as multidimensional scaling, for representing human knowledge and cognitive processing structures. Such techniques involve collecting measurements of stimulus-relatedness from human observers. When data are analyzed using this scaling approach, an n-dimensional representation of the stimuli is produced. This resulting representation is said to describe the subject's cognitive or perceptual view of the stimuli. PWC applies one of the many techniques commonly used to acquire the data necessary for these types of analyses: pair-wise comparisons. PWC administers the task, collects the data from the test subject, and formats the data for analysis. It therefore addresses many of the limitations of the traditional "pen-and-paper" methods. By automating the data collection process, subjects are prevented from going back to check previous responses, the possibility of erroneous data transfer is eliminated, and the burden of the administration and taking of the test is eased. By using randomization, PWC ensures that subjects see the stimuli pairs presented in random order, and that each subject sees pairs in a different random order. PWC is written in Turbo Pascal v6.0 for IBM PC compatible computers running MS-DOS. The program has also been successfully compiled with Turbo Pascal v7.0. A sample executable is provided. PWC requires 30K of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium for this program is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. Two electronic versions of the documentation are included on the diskette: one in ASCII format and one in MS Word for Windows format. PWC was developed in 1993.
Multidimensional profiles of health locus of control in Hispanic Americans

PubMed Central

Champagne, Brian R; Fox, Rina S; Mills, Sarah D; Sadler, Georgia Robins; Malcarne, Vanessa L

2016-01-01

Latent profile analysis identified health locus of control profiles among 436 Hispanic Americans who completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales. Results revealed four profiles: Internally Oriented-Weak, -Moderate, -Strong, and Externally Oriented. The profile groups were compared on sociocultural and demographic characteristics, health beliefs and behaviors, and physical and mental health outcomes. The Internally Oriented-Strong group had less cancer fatalism, religiosity, and equity health attributions, and more alcohol consumption than the other three groups; the Externally Oriented group had stronger equity health attributions and less alcohol consumption. Deriving multidimensional health locus of control profiles through latent profile analysis allows examination of the relationships of health locus of control subtypes to health variables. PMID:25855212
Further Validation of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form

PubMed Central

Stein, Kevin D.; Jacobsen, Paul B.; Blanchard, Chris M.; Thors, Christina

2008-01-01

A growing body of evidence is documenting the multidimensional nature of cancer-related fatigue. Although several multidimensional measures of fatigue have been developed, further validation of these scales is needed. To this end, the current study sought to evaluate the factorial and construct validity of the 30-item Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF). A heterogeneous sample of 304 cancer patients (mean age 55 years) completed the MFSI-SF, along with several other measures of psychosocial functioning including the MOS-SF-36 and Fatigue Symptom Inventory, following the fourth cycle of chemotherapy treatment. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated the 5-factor model provided a good fit to the data as evidenced by commonly used goodness of fit indices (CFI 0.90 and IFI 0.90). Additional evidence for the validity of the MFSI-SF was provided via correlations with other relevant instruments (range −0.21 to 0.82). In sum, the current study provides support for the MFSI-SF as a valuable tool for the multidimensional assessment of cancer-related fatigue. PMID:14711465
Multi-dimensional modelling of gas turbine combustion using a flame sheet model in KIVA II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, W. K.; Lai, M.-C.; Chue, T.-H.

1991-01-01

A flame sheet model for heat release is incorporated into a multi-dimensional fluid mechanical simulation for gas turbine application. The model assumes that the chemical reaction takes place in thin sheets compared to the length scale of mixing, which is valid for the primary combustion zone in a gas turbine combustor. In this paper, the details of the model are described and computational results are discussed.
Empirical Identification of Hierarchies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormick, Douglas; And Others

Outlining a cluster procedure which maximizes specific criteria while building scales from binary measures using a sequential, agglomerative, overlapping, non-hierarchic method results in indices giving truer results than exploratory facotr analyses or multidimensional scaling. In a series of eleven figures, patterns within cluster histories…
Discrete models for the numerical analysis of time-dependent multidimensional gas dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roe, P. L.

1984-01-01

A possible technique is explored for extending to multidimensional flows some of the upwind-differencing methods that are highly successful in the one-dimensional case. Emphasis is on the two-dimensional case, and the flow domain is assumed to be divided into polygonal computational elements. Inside each element, the flow is represented by a local superposition of elementary solutions consisting of plane waves not necessarily aligned with the element boundaries.
"Just another pretty face": a multidimensional scaling approach to face attractiveness and variability.

PubMed

Potter, Timothy; Corneille, Olivier; Ruys, Kirsten I; Rhodes, Ginwan

2007-04-01

Findings on both attractiveness and memory for faces suggest that people should perceive more similarity among attractive than among unattractive faces. A multidimensional scaling approach was used to test this hypothesis in two studies. In Study 1, we derived a psychological face space from similarity ratings of attractive and unattractive Caucasian female faces. In Study 2, we derived a face space for attractive and unattractive male faces of Caucasians and non-Caucasians. Both studies confirm that attractive faces are indeed more tightly clustered than unattractive faces in people's psychological face spaces. These studies provide direct and original support for theoretical assumptions previously made in the face space and face memory literatures.
Development of the Ghent Multidimensional Somatic Complaints Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beirens, Koen; Fontaine, Johnny R. J.

2010-01-01

The present study aimed at developing a new scale that operationalizes a hierarchical model of somatic complaints. First, 63 items representing a wide range of symptoms and sensations were compiled from somatic complaints scales and emotion literature. These complaints were rated by Belgian students (n = 307) and Belgian adults (n = 603).…
Same Constructs, Different Results: Examining the Consistency of Two Behavior-Rating Scales with Referred Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Carl L.; Bour, Jennifer L.; Sidebottom, Kristina J.; Murphy, Sara B.; Hakman, Melissa

2010-01-01

Broad-band or multidimensional behavior-rating scales are common tools for evaluating children. Two popular behavior-rating scales, the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000), have undergone downward extensions so that…
The Robustness of IRT-Based Vertical Scaling Methods to Violation of Unidimensionality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yin, Liqun

2013-01-01

In recent years, many states have adopted Item Response Theory (IRT) based vertically scaled tests due to their compelling features in a growth-based accountability context. However, selection of a practical and effective calibration/scaling method and proper understanding of issues with possible multidimensionality in the test data is critical to…
Exploring Unidimensional Proficiency Classification Accuracy from Multidimensional Data in a Vertical Scaling Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroopnick, Marc Howard

2010-01-01

When Item Response Theory (IRT) is operationally applied for large scale assessments, unidimensionality is typically assumed. This assumption requires that the test measures a single latent trait. Furthermore, when tests are vertically scaled using IRT, the assumption of unidimensionality would require that the battery of tests across grades…
Combined point and distributed techniques for multidimensional estimation of spatial groundwater-stream water exchange in a heterogeneous sand bed-stream.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaona Garcia, J.; Lewandowski, J.; Bellin, A.

2017-12-01

Groundwater-stream water interactions in rivers determine water balances, but also chemical and biological processes in the streambed at different spatial and temporal scales. Due to the difficult identification and quantification of gaining, neutral and losing conditions, it is necessary to combine techniques with complementary capabilities and scale ranges. We applied this concept to a study site at the River Schlaube, East Brandenburg-Germany, a sand bed stream with intense sediment heterogeneity and complex environmental conditions. In our approach, point techniques such as temperature profiles of the streambed together with vertical hydraulic gradients provide data for the estimation of fluxes between groundwater and surface water with the numerical model 1DTempPro. On behalf of distributed techniques, fiber optic distributed temperature sensing identifies the spatial patterns of neutral, down- and up-welling areas by analysis of the changes in the thermal patterns at the streambed interface under certain flow. The study finally links point and surface temperatures to provide a method for upscaling of fluxes. Point techniques provide point flux estimates with essential depth detail to infer streambed structures while the results hardly represent the spatial distribution of fluxes caused by the heterogeneity of streambed properties. Fiber optics proved capable of providing spatial thermal patterns with enough resolution to observe distinct hyporheic thermal footprints at multiple scales. The relation of thermal footprint patterns and temporal behavior with flux results from point techniques enabled the use of methods for spatial flux estimates. The lack of detailed information of the physical driver's spatial distribution restricts the spatial flux estimation to the application of the T-proxy method, whose highly uncertain results mainly provide coarse spatial flux estimates. The study concludes that the upscaling of groundwater-stream water interactions using thermal measurements with combined point and distributed techniques requires the integration of physical drivers because of the heterogeneity of the flux patterns. Combined experimental and modeling approaches may help to obtain more reliable understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions at multiple scales.
A Robust Absorbing Boundary Condition for Compressible Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loh, Ching Y.; orgenson, Philip C. E.

2005-01-01

An absorbing non-reflecting boundary condition (NRBC) for practical computations in fluid dynamics and aeroacoustics is presented with theoretical proof. This paper is a continuation and improvement of a previous paper by the author. The absorbing NRBC technique is based on a first principle of non reflecting, which contains the essential physics that a plane wave solution of the Euler equations remains intact across the boundary. The technique is theoretically shown to work for a large class of finite volume approaches. When combined with the hyperbolic conservation laws, the NRBC is simple, robust and truly multi-dimensional; no additional implementation is needed except the prescribed physical boundary conditions. Several numerical examples in multi-dimensional spaces using two different finite volume schemes are illustrated to demonstrate its robustness in practical computations. Limitations and remedies of the technique are also discussed.
DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING OF A MULTIDIMENSIONAL INSTRUMENT OF PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE JACKSON HEART STUDY

PubMed Central

Sims, Mario; Wyatt, Sharon B.; Gutierrez, Mary Lou; Taylor, Herman A.; Williams, David R.

2009-01-01

Objective Assessing the discrimination-health disparities hypothesis requires psychometrically sound, multidimensional measures of discrimination. Among the available discrimination measures, few are multidimensional and none have adequate psychometric testing in a large, African American sample. We report the development and psychometric testing of the multidimensional Jackson Heart Study Discrimination (JHSDIS) Instrument. Methods A multidimensional measure assessing the occurrence, frequency, attribution, and coping responses to perceived everyday and lifetime discrimination; lifetime burden of discrimination; and effect of skin color was developed and tested in the 5302-member cohort of the Jackson Heart Study. Internal consistency was calculated by using Cronbach α. coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis established the dimensions, and intercorrelation coefficients assessed the discriminant validity of the instrument. Setting Tri-county area of the Jackson, MS metropolitan statistical area. Results The JHSDIS was psychometrically sound (overall α=.78, .84 and .77, respectively, for the everyday and lifetime subscales). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded 11 factors, which confirmed the a priori dimensions represented. Conclusions The JHSDIS combined three scales into a single multidimensional instrument with good psychometric properties in a large sample of African Americans. This analysis lays the foundation for using this instrument in research that will examine the association between perceived discrimination and CVD among African Americans. PMID:19341164
Modeling Randomness in Judging Rating Scales with a Random-Effects Rating Scale Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wen-Chung; Wilson, Mark; Shih, Ching-Lin

2006-01-01

This study presents the random-effects rating scale model (RE-RSM) which takes into account randomness in the thresholds over persons by treating them as random-effects and adding a random variable for each threshold in the rating scale model (RSM) (Andrich, 1978). The RE-RSM turns out to be a special case of the multidimensional random…

A cross-national study on the multidimensional characteristics of the five-item psychological demands scale of the Job Content Questionnaire.

PubMed

Choi, BongKyoo; Kawakami, Norito; Chang, SeiJin; Koh, SangBaek; Bjorner, Jakob; Punnett, Laura; Karasek, Robert

2008-01-01

The five-item psychological demands scale of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) has been assumed to be one-dimensional in practice. To examine whether the scale has sufficient internal consistency and external validity to be treated as a single scale, using the cross-national JCQ datasets from the United States, Korea, and Japan. Exploratory factor analyses with 22 JCQ items, confirmatory factor analyses with the five psychological demands items, and correlations analyses with mental health indexes. Generally, exploratory factor analyses displayed the predicted demand/control/support structure with three and four factors extracted. However, at more detailed levels of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the demands scale showed clear evidence of multi-factor structure. The correlations of items and subscales of the demands scale with mental health indexes were similar to those of the full scale in the Korean and Japanese datasets, but not in the U.S. data. In 4 out of 16 sub-samples of the U.S. data, several significant correlations of the components of the demands scale with job dissatisfaction and life dissatisfaction were obscured by the full scale. The multidimensionality of the psychological demands scale should be considered in psychometric analysis and interpretation, occupational epidemiologic studies, and future scale extension.
MM-MDS: a multidimensional scaling database with similarity ratings for 240 object categories from the Massive Memory picture database.

PubMed

Hout, Michael C; Goldinger, Stephen D; Brady, Kyle J

2014-01-01

Cognitive theories in visual attention and perception, categorization, and memory often critically rely on concepts of similarity among objects, and empirically require measures of "sameness" among their stimuli. For instance, a researcher may require similarity estimates among multiple exemplars of a target category in visual search, or targets and lures in recognition memory. Quantifying similarity, however, is challenging when everyday items are the desired stimulus set, particularly when researchers require several different pictures from the same category. In this article, we document a new multidimensional scaling database with similarity ratings for 240 categories, each containing color photographs of 16-17 exemplar objects. We collected similarity ratings using the spatial arrangement method. Reports include: the multidimensional scaling solutions for each category, up to five dimensions, stress and fit measures, coordinate locations for each stimulus, and two new classifications. For each picture, we categorized the item's prototypicality, indexed by its proximity to other items in the space. We also classified pairs of images along a continuum of similarity, by assessing the overall arrangement of each MDS space. These similarity ratings will be useful to any researcher that wishes to control the similarity of experimental stimuli according to an objective quantification of "sameness."
A multidimensional approach to measure poverty in rural Bangladesh.

PubMed

Bhuiya, Abbas; Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila; Rana, A K M Masud; Wahed, Tania; Ahmed, Syed Masud; Chowdhury, A Mushtaque R

2007-06-01

Poverty is increasingly being understood as a multidimensional phenomenon. Other than income-consumption, which has been extensively studied in the past, health, education, shelter, and social involvement are among the most important dimensions of poverty. The present study attempts to develop a simple tool to measure poverty in its multidimensionality where it views poverty as an inadequate fulfillment of basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, education, and social involvement. The scale score ranges between 72 and 24 and is constructed in such a way that the score increases with increasing level of poverty. Using various techniques, the study evaluates the poverty-measurement tool and provides evidence for its reliability and validity by administering it in various areas of rural Bangladesh. The reliability coefficients, such as test-retest coefficient (0.85) and Cronbach's alpha (0.80) of the tool, were satisfactorily high. Based on the socioeconomic status defined by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise, the level of poverty identified by the scale was 33% in Chakaria, 26% in Matlab, and 32% in other rural areas of the country. The validity of these results was tested against some traditional methods of identifying the poor, and the association of the scores with that of the traditional indicators, such as ownership of land and occupation, asset index (r=0.72), and the wealth ranking obtained from the PRA exercise, was consistent. A statistically significant inverse relationship of the poverty scores with the socioeconomic status was observed in all cases. The scale also allowed the absolute level of poverty to be measured, and in the present study, the highest percentage of absolute poor was found in terms of health (44.2% in Chakaria, 36.4% in Matlab, and 39.1% in other rural areas), followed by social exclusion (35.7% in Chakaria, 28.5% in Matlab, and 22.3% in other rural areas), clothing (6.2% in Chakaria, 8.3% in Matlab, and 20% in other rural areas), education (14.7% in Chakaria, 8% in Matlab, and 16.8% in other rural areas), food (7.8% in Chakaria, 2.9% in Matlab and 3% in other rural areas), and shelter (0.8% in Chakaria, 1.4% in Matlab, and 3.7% in other rural areas). This instrument will also prove itself invaluable in assessing the individual effects of poverty-alleviation programmes or policies on all these different dimensions.
A Multidimensional Approach to Measure Poverty in Rural Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Bhuiya, Abbas; Shaila Mahmood, Shehrin; Rana, A.K.M. Masud; Wahed, Tania; Ahmed, Syed Masud; Chowdhury, A. Mushtaque R.

2007-01-01

Poverty is increasingly being understood as a multidimensional phenomenon. Other than income-consumption, which has been extensively studied in the past, health, education, shelter, and social involvement are among the most important dimensions of poverty. The present study attempts to develop a simple tool to measure poverty in its multidimensionality where it views poverty as an inadequate fulfillment of basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, education, and social involvement. The scale score ranges between 72 and 24 and is constructed in such a way that the score increases with increasing level of poverty. Using various techniques, the study evaluates the poverty-measurement tool and provides evidence for its reliability and validity by administering it in various areas of rural Bangladesh. The reliability coefficients, such as test-retest coefficient (0.85) and Cronbach's alpha (0.80) of the tool, were satisfactorily high. Based on the socioeconomic status defined by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise, the level of poverty identified by the scale was 33% in Chakaria, 26% in Matlab, and 32% in other rural areas of the country. The validity of these results was tested against some traditional methods of identifying the poor, and the association of the scores with that of the traditional indicators, such as ownership of land and occupation, asset index (r=0.72), and the wealth ranking obtained from the PRA exercise, was consistent. A statistically significant inverse relationship of the poverty scores with the socioeconomic status was observed in all cases. The scale also allowed the absolute level of poverty to be measured, and in the present study, the highest percentage of absolute poor was found in terms of health (44.2% in Chakaria, 36.4% in Matlab, and 39.1% in other rural areas), followed by social exclusion (35.7% in Chakaria, 28.5% in Matlab, and 22.3% in other rural areas), clothing (6.2% in Chakaria, 8.3% in Matlab, and 20% in other rural areas), education (14.7% in Chakaria, 8% in Matlab, and 16.8% in other rural areas), food (7.8% in Chakaria, 2.9% in Matlab and 3% in other rural areas), and shelter (0.8% in Chakaria, 1.4% in Matlab, and 3.7% in other rural areas). This instrument will also prove itself invaluable in assessing the individual effects of poverty-alleviation programmes or policies on all these different dimensions. PMID:17985815
Vegetable parenting practices scale: Item response modeling analyses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Our objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a vegetable parenting practices scale using multidimensional polytomous item response modeling which enables assessing item fit to latent variables and the distributional characteristics of the items in comparison to the respondents. We al...
Item Response Modeling of Forced-Choice Questionnaires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Anna; Maydeu-Olivares, Alberto

2011-01-01

Multidimensional forced-choice formats can significantly reduce the impact of numerous response biases typically associated with rating scales. However, if scored with classical methodology, these questionnaires produce ipsative data, which lead to distorted scale relationships and make comparisons between individuals problematic. This research…
Awareness of disease in dementia: Development of a multidimensional rating scale.

PubMed

Dourado, Marcia; Marinho, Valeska; Soares, Cláudia; Engelhardt, Eliasz; Laks, Jerson

2007-01-01

To describe the development of the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), a multidimensional scale to evaluate awareness of disease in dementia. The development of this scale was conducted in four steps. In step one, questions were drawn up after a review of the literature. The second step involved the suggestions offered by a neurologist regarding the skills considered important for the scale. The third step involved the re-writing and review of the domains and questions in the scale followed by a semantic evaluation performed by two independent psychiatrists. Step four consisted of the preliminary study aimed at evaluating the applicability of the ASPIDD. In the semantic evaluation only minor changes were proposed. The preliminary sample had 52 patients, comprising 23 CDR 1 (male=9; female=14) and 29 CDR2 (male=13; female=16).Mean age of patients was 69.7±5.51(CDR1) and 73.6±9.4 (CDR2), and age at onset was 66.4±5.7 years (CDR1) and 68.3±9.3 year (CDR2).Mean schooling was 9.0±4.3 years (CDR1) and 8.8±4.4 years (CDR2). Mean MMSE was 21.0±3.3(CDR1) and 17.6±3.5(CDR2).Mean Cornell was 4.8±2.3(CDR1) and 4.2±1.9 (CDR2). The patient and caregiver dyads were aware of problems, mainly of those related to social, family and affective relations. The higher rates of discrepant responses were found on the awareness of cognitive deficits and changes in ADL. The ASPIDD is a multidimensional instrument to assess awareness of disease among AD patients.
Awareness of disease in dementia: Development of a multidimensional rating scale

PubMed Central

Dourado, Marcia; Marinho, Valeska; Soares, Cláudia; Engelhardt, Eliasz; Laks, Jerson

2007-01-01

Objective To describe the development of the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), a multidimensional scale to evaluate awareness of disease in dementia. Method The development of this scale was conducted in four steps. In step one, questions were drawn up after a review of the literature. The second step involved the suggestions offered by a neurologist regarding the skills considered important for the scale. The third step involved the re-writing and review of the domains and questions in the scale followed by a semantic evaluation performed by two independent psychiatrists. Step four consisted of the preliminary study aimed at evaluating the applicability of the ASPIDD. Results In the semantic evaluation only minor changes were proposed. The preliminary sample had 52 patients, comprising 23 CDR 1 (male=9; female=14) and 29 CDR2 (male=13; female=16).Mean age of patients was 69.7±5.51(CDR1) and 73.6±9.4 (CDR2), and age at onset was 66.4±5.7 years (CDR1) and 68.3±9.3 year (CDR2).Mean schooling was 9.0±4.3 years (CDR1) and 8.8±4.4 years (CDR2). Mean MMSE was 21.0±3.3(CDR1) and 17.6±3.5(CDR2).Mean Cornell was 4.8±2.3(CDR1) and 4.2±1.9 (CDR2). The patient and caregiver dyads were aware of problems, mainly of those related to social, family and affective relations. The higher rates of discrepant responses were found on the awareness of cognitive deficits and changes in ADL. Conclusion The ASPIDD is a multidimensional instrument to assess awareness of disease among AD patients. PMID:29213371
The theory of n-scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dündar, Furkan Semih

2018-01-01

We provide a theory of n-scales previously called as n dimensional time scales. In previous approaches to the theory of time scales, multi-dimensional scales were taken as product space of two time scales [1, 2]. n-scales make the mathematical structure more flexible and appropriate to real world applications in physics and related fields. Here we define an n-scale as an arbitrary closed subset of ℝn. Modified forward and backward jump operators, Δ-derivatives and Δ-integrals on n-scales are defined.
Multidimensional profiles of health locus of control in Hispanic Americans.

PubMed

Champagne, Brian R; Fox, Rina S; Mills, Sarah D; Sadler, Georgia Robins; Malcarne, Vanessa L

2016-10-01

Latent profile analysis identified health locus of control profiles among 436 Hispanic Americans who completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales. Results revealed four profiles: Internally Oriented-Weak, -Moderate, -Strong, and Externally Oriented. The profile groups were compared on sociocultural and demographic characteristics, health beliefs and behaviors, and physical and mental health outcomes. The Internally Oriented-Strong group had less cancer fatalism, religiosity, and equity health attributions, and more alcohol consumption than the other three groups; the Externally Oriented group had stronger equity health attributions and less alcohol consumption. Deriving multidimensional health locus of control profiles through latent profile analysis allows examination of the relationships of health locus of control subtypes to health variables. © The Author(s) 2015.
Evaluation of the visit frequency and the use of questionnaires and indices for COPD: a national survey from the On-Sint study.

PubMed

López Ramírez, Cecilia; Calero Acuña, Carmen; Represas Represas, Cristina; Aballe Santos, Luz; Casamor, Ricard; Fernández-Villar, Alberto; López-Campos, José Luis

2017-05-01

Despite widespread recommendations to use standardized questionnaires and multidimensional indices for the assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), few data are available on the application of these tools in clinical practice. This study evaluates the attitude of physicians participating in the On-Sint cohort toward the use of health status questionnaires and multidimensional indices, as well as toward the frequency of visits and spirometry in primary care and specialized care. During the constitution of the On-Sint cohort, the participating physicians were surveyed about their clinical practice. They were questioned on the frequency of spirometry and visits and on the use of various questionnaires and indices. The health status questionnaires assessed were St. George's respiratory questionnaire, chronic respiratory questionnaire, airways questionnaire 20 and COPD assessment test (CAT). Physicians were also asked about the use of the medical research council (MRC) dyspnea scale and multidimensional indices such as body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, exercise capacity (BODE). Of the 356 physicians who participated in the study, 258 (72.5 %) completed the investigator's questionnaire (185 primary care, 73 specialized care). Nonscheduled visits were inversely proportional to the severity of COPD. Overall, 34.1% reported using health status questionnaires, mainly CAT (20.9%). We found differences between primary and specialized care in the use of multidimensional indices (84.9% vs 47.6%; P < 0.001). Of all the participants, 33.3% reported using the MRC scale and 28.7% the BODE index. Multidimensional indices and questionnaires are not commonly used with some differences between primary care and specialized care physicians. There is a considerable variability in the frequency of follow-up visits and spirometry. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PubMed

Steagall, Paulo V M; Monteiro, Beatriz P; Lavoie, Anne-Marie; Frank, Diane; Troncy, Eric; Luna, Stelio P L; Brondani, Juliana T

2017-01-01

Validation of the French version of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale for assessing postoperative pain in cats. The aim of this study was to validate the French version of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale (MCPS-Fr) to assess postoperative pain in cats. Two veterinarians and one DVM student identified three domains of behavior based on video analyses: "psychomotor change", "protection of the painful area" and "physiological variables". Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.94, 0.90 and 0.61, respectively). Criterion validity was good to very good when evaluations from the three observers were compared with a "gold standard". Inter- and intra-rater reliability for each scale item were good to very good. The optimal cut-off point identified with a ROC curve was > 7 (scale range 0-30 points), with a sensitivity of 97.8% and specificity of 99.1%. The MCPS-Fr is a valid, reliable and responsive instrument for assessing acute pain in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.(Translated by Dr. Beatriz Monteiro).
An examination of the psychometric structure of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory in temporomandibular disorder patients: a confirmatory factor analysis

PubMed Central

Andreu, Yolanda; Galdon, Maria J; Durá, Estrella; Ferrando, Maite; Pascual, Juan; Turk, Dennis C; Jiménez, Yolanda; Poveda, Rafael

2006-01-01

Background This paper seeks to analyse the psychometric and structural properties of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) in a sample of temporomandibular disorder patients. Methods The internal consistency of the scales was obtained. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was carried out to test the MPI structure section by section in a sample of 114 temporomandibular disorder patients. Results Nearly all scales obtained good reliability indexes. The original structure could not be totally confirmed. However, with a few adjustments we obtained a satisfactory structural model of the MPI which was slightly different from the original: certain items and the Self control scale were eliminated; in two cases, two original scales were grouped in one factor, Solicitous and Distracting responses on the one hand, and Social activities and Away from home activities, on the other. Conclusion The MPI has been demonstrated to be a reliable tool for the assessment of pain in temporomandibular disorder patients. Some divergences to be taken into account have been clarified. PMID:17169143
The Brief Impairment Scale (Bis): A Multidimensional Scale of Functional Impairment for Children and Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, Hector R.; Canino, Glorisa J.; Davies, Mark; Ramirez, Rafael; Chavez, Ligia; Duarte, Cristiane; Shen, Sa

2005-01-01

Objective: This article provides the results of the psychometric testing of the Brief Impairment Scale (BIS). The BIS is a 23-item instrument that evaluates three domains of functioning: interpersonal relations, school/work functioning, and self-care/self-fulfilment. It capitalizes on the strengths of existing global measures while addressing some…
Perceptions of Learning Effectiveness in M-Learning: Scale Development and Student Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Wen-Hui; Liu, Yuan-Chen; Huang, Tzu-Hua

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a multi-dimensional scale to measure students' awareness of key competencies for M-learning and to test its reliability and validity. The Key Competencies of Mobile Learning Scale (KCMLS) was determined via confirmatory factor analysis to have four dimensions: team collaboration, creative thinking, critical…
6D Visualization of Multidimensional Data by Means of Cognitive Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitkovskiy, V.; Gorohov, V.; Komarinskiy, S.

2010-12-01

On the basis of the cognitive graphics concept, we worked out the SW-system for visualization and analysis. It allows to train and to aggravate intuition of researcher, to raise his interest and motivation to the creative, scientific cognition, to realize process of dialogue with the very problems simultaneously. The Space Hedgehog system is the next step in the cognitive means of the multidimensional data analyze. The technique and technology cognitive 6D visualization of the multidimensional data is developed on the basis of the cognitive visualization research and technology development. The Space Hedgehog system allows direct dynamic visualization of 6D objects. It is developed with use of experience of the program Space Walker creation and its applications.
The Gifted Rating Scales-School Form: An Analysis of the Standardization Sample Based on Age, Gender, Race, and Diagnostic Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeiffer, Steven I.; Jarosewich, Tania

2007-01-01

This study analyzes the standardization sample of a new teacher rating scale designed to assist in the identification of gifted students. The Gifted Rating Scales-School Form (GRS-S) is based on a multidimensional model of giftedness. Results indicate no age or race/ethnicity differences on any of the scales and small but significant differences…
Development of the Navy Computer Adaptive Personality Scales (NCAPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

Psychological Inventory (CPI) 20 Gough & Bradley (1996) Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) 11 Tellegen (1982) O*NET Work Styles 17 Borman...Force enlisted personnel. Social astuteness also has conceptual overlap with the CPI Psychological Mindedness scale. The CPI Psychological Mindedness...scale had internal consistency reliability of α = .62 (n = 6,000; 3,000 males and 3,000 females). The Psychological Mindedness scale had a 1- year
Development of a Multidimensional Functional Health Scale for Older Adults in China.

PubMed

Mao, Fanzhen; Han, Yaofeng; Chen, Junze; Chen, Wei; Yuan, Manqiong; Alicia Hong, Y; Fang, Ya

2016-05-01

A first step to achieve successful aging is assessing functional wellbeing of older adults. This study reports the development of a culturally appropriate brief scale (the Multidimensional Functional Health Scale for Chinese Elderly, MFHSCE) to assess the functional health of Chinese elderly. Through systematic literature review, Delphi method, cultural adaptation, synthetic statistical item selection, Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis, we conducted development of item pool, two rounds of item selection, and psychometric evaluation. Synthetic statistical item selection and psychometric evaluation was processed among 539 and 2032 older adults, separately. The MFHSCE consists of 30 items, covering activities of daily living, social relationships, physical health, mental health, cognitive function, and economic resources. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.92, and the comparative fit index was 0.917. The MFHSCE has good internal consistency and construct validity; it is also concise and easy to use in general practice, especially in communities in China.
Assessing social support among South Asians: the multidimensional scale of perceived social support.

PubMed

Tonsing, Kareen; Zimet, Gregory D; Tse, Samson

2012-06-01

The psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) of the Urdu (MSPSS-U) and Nepali (MSPSS-N) versions were investigated among Pakistani (n=148) and Nepalese (n=153) respondents living in Hong Kong. The factor analysis of the MSPSS-N conducted in this study confirmed the three factors of the original MSPSS, namely, Family, Friend, and Significant Others, while only two factors were extracted from the MSPSS-U (i.e., the Family and Friends subscales). With regard to construct validity, both the MSPSS-U and MSPSS-N were inversely correlated with depression, anxiety and stress as assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). The internal reliability and construct validity of the MSPSS-U and MSPSS-N were also established and provided support for the validity of both versions as tools for measuring perceived social support among South Asian migrants. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of Students' Attitudes about Science Careers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masnick, Amy M.; Stavros Valenti, S.; Cox, Brian D.; Osman, Christopher J.

2010-03-01

To encourage students to seek careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, it is important to gauge students' implicit and explicit attitudes towards scientific professions. We asked high school and college students to rate the similarity of pairs of occupations, and then used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to create a spatial representation of occupational similarity. Other students confirmed the emergent MDS map by rating each of the occupations along several dimensions. We found that participants across age and sex considered scientific professions to be less creative and less people-oriented than other popular career choices. We conclude that students may be led away from STEM careers by common misperceptions that science is a difficult, uncreative, and socially isolating pursuit.
Visualization techniques to aid in the analysis of multi-spectral astrophysical data sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domik, Gitta; Alam, Salim; Pinkney, Paul

1992-01-01

This report describes our project activities for the period Sep. 1991 - Oct. 1992. Our activities included stabilizing the software system STAR, porting STAR to IDL/widgets (improved user interface), targeting new visualization techniques for multi-dimensional data visualization (emphasizing 3D visualization), and exploring leading-edge 3D interface devices. During the past project year we emphasized high-end visualization techniques, by exploring new tools offered by state-of-the-art visualization software (such as AVS3 and IDL4/widgets), by experimenting with tools still under research at the Department of Computer Science (e.g., use of glyphs for multidimensional data visualization), and by researching current 3D input/output devices as they could be used to explore 3D astrophysical data. As always, any project activity is driven by the need to interpret astrophysical data more effectively.
Numeric invariants from multidimensional persistence

DOE PAGES

Skryzalin, Jacek; Carlsson, Gunnar

2017-05-19

Topological data analysis is the study of data using techniques from algebraic topology. Often, one begins with a finite set of points representing data and a “filter” function which assigns a real number to each datum. Using both the data and the filter function, one can construct a filtered complex for further analysis. For example, applying the homology functor to the filtered complex produces an algebraic object known as a “one-dimensional persistence module”, which can often be interpreted as a finite set of intervals representing various geometric features in the data. If one runs the above process incorporating multiple filtermore » functions simultaneously, one instead obtains a multidimensional persistence module. Unfortunately, these are much more difficult to interpret. In this article, we analyze the space of multidimensional persistence modules from the perspective of algebraic geometry. First we build a moduli space of a certain subclass of easily analyzed multidimensional persistence modules, which we construct specifically to capture much of the information which can be gained by using multidimensional persistence instead of one-dimensional persistence. Fruthermore, we argue that the global sections of this space provide interesting numeric invariants when evaluated against our subclass of multidimensional persistence modules. Finally, we extend these global sections to the space of all multidimensional persistence modules and discuss how the resulting numeric invariants might be used to study data. This paper extends the results of Adcock et al. (Homol Homotopy Appl 18(1), 381–402, 2016) by constructing numeric invariants from the computation of a multidimensional persistence module as given by Carlsson et al. (J Comput Geom 1(1), 72–100, 2010).« less
Multidimensional Trellis Coded Phase Modulation Using a Multilevel Concatenation Approach. Part 1; Code Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rajpal, Sandeep; Rhee, Do Jun; Lin, Shu

1997-01-01

The first part of this paper presents a simple and systematic technique for constructing multidimensional M-ary phase shift keying (MMK) trellis coded modulation (TCM) codes. The construction is based on a multilevel concatenation approach in which binary convolutional codes with good free branch distances are used as the outer codes and block MPSK modulation codes are used as the inner codes (or the signal spaces). Conditions on phase invariance of these codes are derived and a multistage decoding scheme for these codes is proposed. The proposed technique can be used to construct good codes for both the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and fading channels as is shown in the second part of this paper.
Synthesis of Joint Volumes, Visualization of Paths, and Revision of Viewing Sequences in a Multi-dimensional Seismic Data Viewer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, D. M.; Clapp, R. G.; Biondi, B.

2006-12-01

Ricksep is a freely-available interactive viewer for multi-dimensional data sets. The viewer is very useful for simultaneous display of multiple data sets from different viewing angles, animation of movement along a path through the data space, and selection of local regions for data processing and information extraction. Several new viewing features are added to enhance the program's functionality in the following three aspects. First, two new data synthesis algorithms are created to adaptively combine information from a data set with mostly high-frequency content, such as seismic data, and another data set with mainly low-frequency content, such as velocity data. Using the algorithms, these two data sets can be synthesized into a single data set which resembles the high-frequency data set on a local scale and at the same time resembles the low- frequency data set on a larger scale. As a result, the originally separated high and low-frequency details can now be more accurately and conveniently studied together. Second, a projection algorithm is developed to display paths through the data space. Paths are geophysically important because they represent wells into the ground. Two difficulties often associated with tracking paths are that they normally cannot be seen clearly inside multi-dimensional spaces and depth information is lost along the direction of projection when ordinary projection techniques are used. The new algorithm projects samples along the path in three orthogonal directions and effectively restores important depth information by using variable projection parameters which are functions of the distance away from the path. Multiple paths in the data space can be generated using different character symbols as positional markers, and users can easily create, modify, and view paths in real time. Third, a viewing history list is implemented which enables Ricksep's users to create, edit and save a recipe for the sequence of viewing states. Then, the recipe can be loaded into an active Ricksep session, after which the user can navigate to any state in the sequence and modify the sequence from that state. Typical uses of this feature are undoing and redoing viewing commands and animating a sequence of viewing states. The theoretical discussion are carried out and several examples using real seismic data are provided to show how these new Ricksep features provide more convenient, accurate ways to manipulate multi-dimensional data sets.
On Involvement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Michael B.

Involvement Ratings In Settings (IRIS), a multi-dimensional non-verbal scale of involvement adaptable to a time-sampling method of data collection, was constructed with the aid of the videotapes of second-grade Follow Through classrooms made by CCEP. Scales were defined through observations of involved and alienated behavior, and the IRIS was…
Examining the Factors Contributing to Students' Life Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Ugur; Celik, Eyup

2014-01-01

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between students' life satisfaction, school engagement, and confidence in the classroom. An analysis was performed of how students' life satisfaction differs according to their housing, school type, and classroom level. The multidimensional student satisfaction scale, confidence scale in the…
Predictive and Incremental Validity of Global and Domain-Based Adolescent Life Satisfaction Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haranin, Emily C.; Huebner, E. Scott; Suldo, Shannon M.

2007-01-01

Concurrent, predictive, and incremental validity of global and domain-based adolescent life satisfaction reports are examined with respect to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS), Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), and measures of internalizing and externalizing…
Multidimensional Structure of the Hypomanic Personality Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schalet, Benjamin D.; Durbin, C. Emily; Revelle, William

2011-01-01

The structure of the Hypomanic Personality Scale was explored in a sample of young adults (N = 884); resulting structures were validated on subsamples with measures of personality traits, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing behaviors. Hierarchical cluster analysis and estimates of general factor saturation suggested the presence of a weak…
Annual Review of Research Under the Joint Service Electronics Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-10-01

Contents: Quadratic Optimization Problems; Nonlinear Control; Nonlinear Fault Analysis; Qualitative Analysis of Large Scale Systems; Multidimensional System Theory ; Optical Noise; and Pattern Recognition.
Cluster Differences Scaling with a Within-Clusters Loss Component and a Fuzzy Successive Approximation Strategy To Avoid Local Minima.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiser, Willem J.; And Others

1997-01-01

The least squares loss function of cluster differences scaling, originally defined only on residuals of pairs allocated to different clusters, is extended with a loss component for pairs allocated to the same cluster. Findings show that this makes the method equivalent to multidimensional scaling with cluster constraints on the coordinates. (SLD)
Scale Development and Initial Tests of the Multidimensional Complex Adaptive Leadership Scale for School Principals: An Exploratory Mixed Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özen, Hamit; Turan, Selahattin

2017-01-01

This study was designed to develop the scale of the Complex Adaptive Leadership for School Principals (CAL-SP) and examine its psychometric properties. This was an exploratory mixed method research design (ES-MMD). Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to develop and assess psychometric properties of the questionnaire. This study…
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: Screening Tool for Postpartum Anxiety as Well? Findings from a Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Hebrew Version.

PubMed

Bina, Rena; Harrington, Donna

2016-04-01

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was originally created as a uni-dimensional scale to screen for postpartum depression (PPD); however, evidence from various studies suggests that it is a multi-dimensional scale measuring mainly anxiety in addition to depression. The factor structure of the EPDS seems to differ across various language translations, raising questions regarding its stability. This study examined the factor structure of the Hebrew version of the EPDS to assess whether it is uni- or multi-dimensional. Seven hundred and fifteen (n = 715) women were screened at 6 weeks postpartum using the Hebrew version of the EPDS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test four models derived from the literature. Of the four CFA models tested, a 9-item two factor model fit the data best, with one factor representing an underlying depression construct and the other representing an underlying anxiety construct. for Practice The Hebrew version of the EPDS appears to consist of depression and anxiety sub-scales. Given the widespread PPD screening initiatives, anxiety symptoms should be addressed in addition to depressive symptoms, and a short scale, such as the EPDS, assessing both may be efficient.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robitschek, Christine; Ashton, Matthew W.; Spering, Cynthia C.; Geiger, Nathaniel; Byers, Danielle; Schotts, G. Christian; Thoen, Megan A.

2012-01-01

The original Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS; Robitschek, 1998) was unidimensional, despite theory identifying multiple components (e.g., cognition and behavior) of personal growth initiative (PGI). The present research developed a multidimensional measure of the complex process of PGI, while retaining the brief and psychometrically sound…
Principals' Self-Efficacy: Relations with Job Autonomy, Job Satisfaction, and Contextual Constraints

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federici, Roger A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore relations between principals' self-efficacy, perceived job autonomy, job satisfaction, and perceived contextual constraints to autonomy. Principal self-efficacy was measured by a multidimensional scale called the Norwegian Principal Self-Efficacy Scale. Job autonomy, job satisfaction, and contextual…
Concurrent Validity of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Teacher Form: A Preliminary Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Linda A.; Dudek, Christopher M.; Rualo, Angelique J.; Fabiano, Gregory A.

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the concurrent validity of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Teacher Form (CSS-T), a multidimensional teacher formative assessment of instructional and behavioral management practices. The CSS-T is compared with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), a well-known teacher assessment of overall classroom…
Hospital Social Workers and Indirect Trauma Exposure: An Exploratory Study of Contributing Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badger, Karen; Royse, David; Craig, Carlton

2008-01-01

This article explores the predictive ability of empathy (measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), emotional separation (measured by the Maintenance of Emotional Separation Scale), occupational stress (measured by the Work-Related Strain Inventory), and social support (measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) on…
Assessing Protection from Suicidal Risk: Psychometric Properties of the Suicide Resilience Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutter, Philip A.; Freedenthal, Stacey; Osman, Augustine

2008-01-01

This study investigated psychometric properties of the Suicide Resilience Inventory-25 (SRI-25) in a diverse sample of 239 college students. Participants completed the SRI-25, Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Confirmatory factor analysis supported…
A Systematic Review of Studies Using the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale.

PubMed

Belza, Basia; Miyawaki, Christina E; Liu, Minhui; Aree-Ue, Suparb; Fessel, Melissa; Minott, Kenya R; Zhang, Xi

2018-04-01

To review how the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) has been used and evaluate its psychometric properties. We conducted a database search using "multidimensional assessment of fatigue" or "MAF" as key terms from 1993 to 2015, and located 102 studies. Eighty-three were empirical studies and 19 were reviews/evaluations. Research was conducted in 17 countries; 32 diseases were represented. Nine language versions of the MAF were used. The mean of the Global Fatigue Index ranged from 10.9 to 49.4. The MAF was reported to be easy-to-use, had strong reliability and validity, and was used in populations who spoke languages other than English. The MAF is an acceptable assessment tool to measure fatigue and intervention effectiveness in various languages, diseases, and settings across the world.
Is Going Beyond Rasch Analysis Necessary to Assess the Construct Validity of a Motor Function Scale?

PubMed

Guillot, Tiffanie; Roche, Sylvain; Rippert, Pascal; Hamroun, Dalil; Iwaz, Jean; Ecochard, René; Vuillerot, Carole

2018-04-03

To examine whether a Rasch analysis is sufficient to establish the construct validity of the Motor Function Measure (MFM) and discuss whether weighting the MFM item scores would improve the MFM construct validity. Observational cross-sectional multicenter study. Twenty-three physical medicine departments, neurology departments, or reference centers for neuromuscular diseases. Patients (N=911) aged 6 to 60 years with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), or myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). None. Comparison of the goodness-of-fit of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model vs that of a modified multidimensional Rasch model on MFM item scores in each considered disease. The CFA model showed good fit to the data and significantly better goodness of fit than the modified multidimensional Rasch model regardless of the disease (P<.001). Statistically significant differences in item standardized factor loadings were found between DM1, CMT, and FSHD in only 6 of 32 items (items 6, 27, 2, 7, 9 and 17). For multidimensional scales designed to measure patient abilities in various diseases, a Rasch analysis might not be the most convenient, whereas a CFA is able to establish the scale construct validity and provide weights to adapt the item scores to a specific disease. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Technical support for creating an artificial intelligence system for feature extraction and experimental design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glick, B. J.

1985-01-01

Techniques for classifying objects into groups or clases go under many different names including, most commonly, cluster analysis. Mathematically, the general problem is to find a best mapping of objects into an index set consisting of class identifiers. When an a priori grouping of objects exists, the process of deriving the classification rules from samples of classified objects is known as discrimination. When such rules are applied to objects of unknown class, the process is denoted classification. The specific problem addressed involves the group classification of a set of objects that are each associated with a series of measurements (ratio, interval, ordinal, or nominal levels of measurement). Each measurement produces one variable in a multidimensional variable space. Cluster analysis techniques are reviewed and methods for incuding geographic location, distance measures, and spatial pattern (distribution) as parameters in clustering are examined. For the case of patterning, measures of spatial autocorrelation are discussed in terms of the kind of data (nominal, ordinal, or interval scaled) to which they may be applied.
Chromatographic peak deconvolution of constitutional isomers by multiple-reaction-monitoring mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Trapp, Oliver

2010-02-12

Highly efficient and sophisticated separation techniques are available to analyze complex compound mixtures with superior sensitivities and selectivities often enhanced by a 2nd dimension, e.g. a separation technique or spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. For enantioselective separations numerous chiral stationary phases (CSPs) exist to cover a broad range of chiral compounds. Despite these advances enantioselective separations can become very challenging for mixtures of stereolabile constitutional isomers, because the on-column interconversion can lead to completely overlapping peak profiles. Typically, multidimensional separation techniques, e.g. multidimensional GC (MDGC), using an achiral 1st separation dimension and transferring selected analytes to a chiral 2nd separation are the method of choice to approach such problems. However, this procedure is very time consuming and only predefined sections of peaks can be transferred by column switching to the second dimension. Here we demonstrate for stereolabile 1,2-dialkylated diaziridines a technique to experimentally deconvolute overlapping gas chromatographic elution profiles of constitutional isomers based on multiple-reaction-monitoring MS (MRM-MS). The here presented technique takes advantage of different fragmentation probabilities and pathways to isolate the elution profile of configurational isomers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The measurement of fatigue in chronic illness: a systematic review of unidimensional and multidimensional fatigue measures.

PubMed

Whitehead, Lisa

2009-01-01

Fatigue is a common symptom associated with a wide range of chronic diseases. A large number of instruments have been developed to measure fatigue. An assessment regarding the reliability, validity, and utility of fatigue measures is time-consuming for the clinician and researcher, and few reviews exist on which to draw such information. The aim of this article is to present a critical review of fatigue measures, the populations in which the scales have been used, and the extent to which the psychometric properties of each instrument have been evaluated to provide clinicians and researchers with information on which to base decisions. Seven databases were searched for all articles that measured fatigue and offered an insight into the psychometric properties of the scales used over the period 1980-2007. Criteria for judging the "ideal" measure were developed to encompass scale usability, clinical/research utility, and the robustness of psychometric properties. Twenty-two fatigue measures met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. A further 17 measures met some of the criteria, but have not been tested beyond initial development, and are reviewed briefly at the end of the article. The review did not identify any instrument that met all the criteria of an ideal instrument. However, a small number of short instruments demonstrated good psychometric properties (Fatigue Severity Scale [FSS], Fatigue Impact Scale [FIS], and Brief Fatigue Inventory [BFI]), and three comprehensive instruments demonstrated the same (Fatigue Symptom Inventory [FSI], Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue [MAF], and Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory [MFSI]). Only four measures (BFI, FSS, FSI, and MAF) demonstrated the ability to detect change over time. The clinician and researcher also should consider the populations in which the scale has been used previously to assess its validity with their own patient group, and assess the content of a scale to ensure that the key qualitative aspects of fatigue of the population of interest are covered.
Recent advances on multidimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for proteomics: from qualitative to quantitative analysis--a review.

PubMed

Wu, Qi; Yuan, Huiming; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2012-06-20

With the acceleration of proteome research, increasing attention has been paid to multidimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MDLC-MS) due to its high peak capacity and separation efficiency. Recently, many efforts have been put to improve MDLC-based strategies including "top-down" and "bottom-up" to enable highly sensitive qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins, as well as accelerate the whole analytical procedure. Integrated platforms with combination of sample pretreatment, multidimensional separations and identification were also developed to achieve high throughput and sensitive detection of proteomes, facilitating highly accurate and reproducible quantification. This review summarized the recent advances of such techniques and their applications in qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteomes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bayesian reconstruction of projection reconstruction NMR (PR-NMR).

PubMed

Yoon, Ji Won

2014-11-01

Projection reconstruction nuclear magnetic resonance (PR-NMR) is a technique for generating multidimensional NMR spectra. A small number of projections from lower-dimensional NMR spectra are used to reconstruct the multidimensional NMR spectra. In our previous work, it was shown that multidimensional NMR spectra are efficiently reconstructed using peak-by-peak based reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm. We propose an extended and generalized RJMCMC algorithm replacing a simple linear model with a linear mixed model to reconstruct close NMR spectra into true spectra. This statistical method generates samples in a Bayesian scheme. Our proposed algorithm is tested on a set of six projections derived from the three-dimensional 700 MHz HNCO spectrum of a protein HasA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Psychometric analysis of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in a sample of persons treated for myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Fredriksson-Larsson, Ulla; Brink, Eva; Alsén, Pia; Falk, Kristin; Lundgren-Nilsson, Åsa

2015-01-01

Fatigue after myocardial infarction is a frequent and distressing symptom in the early recovery phase. The purpose of this study is to psychometrically evaluate the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). The MFI-20 was evaluated using Rasch analysis. The result showed that the MFI-20 can be used to obtain a global score reflecting an underlying unidimensional trait of fatigue; a transformation of the summarized raw scale scores into interval scale scores could be made. Also, 4 of the 5 original dimensions separately fitted the Rasch model. Calculation of a global score increases the possibility of identifying persons experiencing fatigue after myocardial infarction, and using the MFI-20 dimension scores increases the possibility of determining each person's specific fatigue profile.
An efficient sampling algorithm for uncertain abnormal data detection in biomedical image processing and disease prediction.

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Zhang, Xi; Jia, Yan

2015-01-01

In this paper, we propose a computer information processing algorithm that can be used for biomedical image processing and disease prediction. A biomedical image is considered a data object in a multi-dimensional space. Each dimension is a feature that can be used for disease diagnosis. We introduce a new concept of the top (k1,k2) outlier. It can be used to detect abnormal data objects in the multi-dimensional space. This technique focuses on uncertain space, where each data object has several possible instances with distinct probabilities. We design an efficient sampling algorithm for the top (k1,k2) outlier in uncertain space. Some improvement techniques are used for acceleration. Experiments show our methods' high accuracy and high efficiency.
Large-scale hydropower system optimization using dynamic programming and object-oriented programming: the case of the Northeast China Power Grid.

PubMed

Li, Ji-Qing; Zhang, Yu-Shan; Ji, Chang-Ming; Wang, Ai-Jing; Lund, Jay R

2013-01-01

This paper examines long-term optimal operation using dynamic programming for a large hydropower system of 10 reservoirs in Northeast China. Besides considering flow and hydraulic head, the optimization explicitly includes time-varying electricity market prices to maximize benefit. Two techniques are used to reduce the 'curse of dimensionality' of dynamic programming with many reservoirs. Discrete differential dynamic programming (DDDP) reduces the search space and computer memory needed. Object-oriented programming (OOP) and the ability to dynamically allocate and release memory with the C++ language greatly reduces the cumulative effect of computer memory for solving multi-dimensional dynamic programming models. The case study shows that the model can reduce the 'curse of dimensionality' and achieve satisfactory results.
Analysis of crew functions as an aid in Space Station interior layout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinberg, A. L.; Tullis, Thomas S.; Bied, Barbra

1986-01-01

The Space Station must be designed to facilitate all of the functions that its crew will perform, both on-duty and off-duty, as efficiently and comfortably as possible. This paper examines the functions to be performed by the Space Station crew in order to make inferences about the design of an interior layout that optimizes crew productivity. Twenty-seven crew functions were defined, as well as five criteria for assessing relationships among all pairs of those functions. Hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling techniques were used to visually summarize the relationships. A key result was the identification of two dimensions for describing the configuration of crew functions: 'Private-Public' and 'Group-Individual'. Seven specific recommendations for Space Station interior layout were derived from the analyses.
Joint Analysis of Two Ability Tests: Two Theories, One Outcome

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

after the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised (WAIS-R; Wechsler , 1981). It has 10 subtests that produce three summary scores: verbal IQ (VIQ...of the multidimensional aptitude battery. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45, 429-433. Wechsler , D. (1980). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ...FSIQ MAB Full- Scale Intelligence Quotient MAB Inf MAB Information subtest MAB Oa MAB Object Assembly subtest MAB Pa MAB Picture Arrangement
Acquiescent Responding in Balanced Multidimensional Scales and Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni

2006-01-01

Personality tests often consist of a set of dichotomous or Likert items. These response formats are known to be susceptible to an agreeing-response bias called acquiescence. The common assumption in balanced scales is that the sum of appropriately reversed responses should be reasonably free of acquiescence. However, inter-item correlation (or…
Development and Initial Validation of the Performance Perfectionism Scale for Sport (PPS-S)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Andrew P.; Appleton, Paul R.; Mallinson, Sarah H.

2016-01-01

Valid and reliable instruments are required to appropriately study perfectionism. With this in mind, three studies are presented that describe the development and initial validation of a new instrument designed to measure multidimensional performance perfectionism for use in sport (Performance Perfectionism Scale--Sport [PPS-S]). The instrument is…
Personal Fear of Death and Grief in Bereaved Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Peter; Cacciatore, Joanne

2008-01-01

The study explored the relation of fear of death (Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale) to maternal grief (Perinatal Grief Scale-33) following miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant/child death. The 400 women participants were recruited from the website, e-mail lists, and parent groups of an organization that supports bereaved parents.…
Conceptualizing Native Identity with a Multidimensional Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, John; Bennett, Russell

2011-01-01

This study reports on a Native Identity Scale (NIS) adapted from an African American identity scale (Sellers et al., 1997). American Indian (AIs) and First Nations Canadian participants (N = 199) completed the NIS at powwows in the Upper Midwest. The majority of respondents were Ojibwe, but other tribal groups were represented. A principal…
Relationships between Organizations and Publics: Development of a Multi-Dimensional Organization-Public Relationship Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruning, Stephen D.; Ledingham, John A.

1999-01-01

Attempts to design a multiple-item, multiple-dimension organization/public relationship scale. Finds that organizations and key publics have three types of relationships: professional, personal, and community. Provides an instrument that can be used to measure the influence that perceptions of the organization/public relationship have on consumer…
Development of a Scale Measuring Trait Anxiety in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkoukis, Vassilis; Rodafinos, Angelos; Koidou, Eirini; Tsorbatzoudis, Haralambos

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a multi-dimensional measure of trait anxiety specifically designed for the physical education lesson. The Physical Education Trait Anxiety Scale was initially completed by 774 high school students during regular school classes. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the…
Principal Self-Efficacy: Relations with Burnout, Job Satisfaction and Motivation to Quit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federici, Roger A.; Skaalvik, Einar M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore relations between principals' self-efficacy, burnout, job satisfaction and principals' motivation to quit. Principal self-efficacy was measured by a recently developed multidimensional scale called the Norwegian Principal Self-Efficacy Scale. Burnout was measured by a modified version of the Maslach Burnout…
The Motivation at Work Scale: Validation Evidence in Two Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagne, Marylene; Forest, Jacques; Gilbert, Marie-Helene; Aube, Caroline; Morin, Estelle; Malorni, Angela

2010-01-01

The Motivation at Work Scale (MAWS) was developed in accordance with the multidimensional conceptualization of motivation postulated in self-determination theory. The authors examined the structure of the MAWS in a group of 1,644 workers in two different languages, English and French. Results obtained from these samples suggested that the…
Athletes' Perceptions of Coaching Competency Scale II-High School Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Nicholas D.; Chase, Melissa A.; Beauchamp, Mark R.; Jackson, Ben

2010-01-01

The purpose of this validity study was to improve measurement of athletes' evaluations of their head coach's coaching competency, an important multidimensional construct in models of coaching effectiveness. A revised version of the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS) was developed for athletes of high school teams (APCCS II-HST). Data were collected…
Within-Semester Stability and Adjustment Correlates of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Kenneth G.; Dellwo, Jacqueline P.

2001-01-01

Subscale scores from R.O. Frost, P. Marten, C. Lahart, and R. Rosenblate's (1990) Mulitdimensional Perfectionism Scale were found to be moderately stable over a 10-week period. Associations between perfectionism and self-esteem, depression, and academic integration yielded mixed support for the criterion-related validity of the scores from this…

When Can Information from Ordinal Scale Variables Be Integrated?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Simon; Grace, Randolph C.

2010-01-01

Many theoretical constructs of interest to psychologists are multidimensional and derive from the integration of several input variables. We show that input variables that are measured on ordinal scales cannot be combined to produce a stable weakly ordered output variable that allows trading off the input variables. Instead a partial order is…
Psychometric Evaluation and Norms for the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) in a Clinical Eating Disorders Sample.

PubMed

Brown, Tiffany A; Berner, Laura A; Jones, Michelle D; Reilly, Erin E; Cusack, Anne; Anderson, Leslie K; Kaye, Walter H; Wierenga, Christina E

2017-09-01

Altered interoceptive awareness (IA) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of eating disorders; however, few comprehensive self-report measures of IA exist in eating disorders. The present study sought to validate the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), originally developed to assess IA in individuals practicing mind-body therapies, in an eating disorder sample. Adult and adolescent patients (n = 376) completed assessments upon admission to a partial hospital programme. Analyses examined the factor structure of the MAIA, scale means, scale-scale correlations, internal consistency and construct validity. Analyses also examined associations between MAIA subscales and eating disorder symptoms. Results supported the original eight-factor structure of the MAIA. Internal consistency was acceptable, and the scales converged with associated measures. Importantly, Not Distracting, Self-regulation, Body Listening and Trusting were most strongly associated with eating disorder symptoms. Results support use of the MAIA among eating disorders and provide further support for the relevance of IA in eating disorders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Awareness of disease in dementia: factor structure of the assessment scale of psychosocial impact of the diagnosis of dementia.

PubMed

Dourado, Marcia C N; Mograbi, Daniel C; Santos, Raquel L; Sousa, Maria Fernanda B; Nogueira, Marcela L; Belfort, Tatiana; Landeira-Fernandez, Jesus; Laks, Jerson

2014-01-01

Despite the growing understanding of the conceptual complexity of awareness, there currently exists no instrument for assessing different domains of awareness in dementia. In the current study, the psychometric properties of a multidimensional awareness scale, the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), are explored in a sample of 201 people with dementia and their family caregivers. Cronbach's alpha was high (α = 0.87), indicating excellent internal consistency. The mean of corrected item-total correlation coefficients was moderate. ASPIDD presented a four-factor solution with a well-defined structure: awareness of activities of daily living, cognitive functioning and health condition, emotional state, and social functioning and relationships. Functional disability was positively correlated with total ASPIDD, unawareness of activities of daily living, cognitive functioning, and with emotional state. Caregiver burden was correlated with total ASPIDD scores and unawareness of cognitive functioning. The results suggest that ASPIDD is indeed a multidimensional scale, providing a reliable measure of awareness of disease in dementia. Further studies should explore the risk factors associated with different dimensions of awareness in dementia.
Effect of the emotional freedom technique on perceived stress, quality of life, and cortisol salivary levels in tension-type headache sufferers: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Bougea, Anastasia M; Spandideas, Nick; Alexopoulos, Evangelos C; Thomaides, Thomas; Chrousos, George P; Darviri, Christina

2013-01-01

To evaluate the short-term effects of the emotional freedom technique (EFT) on tension-type headache (TTH) sufferers. We used a parallel-group design, with participants randomly assigned to the emotional freedom intervention (n = 19) or a control arm (standard care n = 16). The study was conducted at the outpatient Headache Clinic at the Korgialenio Benakio Hospital of Athens. Thirty-five patients meeting criteria for frequent TTH according to International Headache Society guidelines were enrolled. Participants were instructed to use the EFT method twice a day for two months. Study measures included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and the Short-Form questionnaire-36. Salivary cortisol levels and the frequency and intensity of headache episodes were also assessed. Within the treatment arm, perceived stress, scores for all Short-Form questionnaire-36 subscales, and the frequency and intensity of the headache episodes were all significantly reduced. No differences in cortisol levels were found in any group before and after the intervention. EFT was reported to benefit patients with TTH. This randomized controlled trial shows promising results for not only the frequency and severity of headaches but also other lifestyle parameters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Molecular Modeling in Drug Design for the Development of Organophosphorus Antidotes/Prophylactics.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

multidimensional statistical QSAR analysis techniques to suggest new structures for synthesis and evaluation. C. Application of quantum chemical techniques to...compounds for synthesis and testing for antidotal potency. E. Use of computer-assisted methods to determine the steric constraints at the active site...modeling techniques to model the enzyme acetylcholinester-se. H. Suggestion of some novel compounds for synthesis and testing for reactivating
Multidimensional Hermite-Gaussian quadrature formulae and their application to nonlinear estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcreynolds, S. R.

1975-01-01

A simplified technique is proposed for calculating multidimensional Hermite-Gaussian quadratures that involves taking the square root of a matrix by the Cholesky algorithm rather than computation of the eigenvectors of the matrix. Ways of reducing the dimension, number, and order of the quadratures are set forth. If the function f(x) under the integral sign is not well approximated by a low-order algebraic expression, the order of the quadrature may be reduced by factoring f(x) into an expression that is nearly algebraic and one that is Gaussian.
Discrete decoding based ultrafast multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Zhiliang; Lin, Liangjie; Ye, Qimiao; Li, Jing; Cai, Shuhui; Chen, Zhong

2015-07-01

The three-dimensional (3D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy constitutes an important and powerful tool in analyzing chemical and biological systems. However, the abundant 3D information arrives at the expense of long acquisition times lasting hours or even days. Therefore, there has been a continuous interest in developing techniques to accelerate recordings of 3D NMR spectra, among which the ultrafast spatiotemporal encoding technique supplies impressive acquisition speed by compressing a multidimensional spectrum in a single scan. However, it tends to suffer from tradeoffs among spectral widths in different dimensions, which deteriorates in cases of NMR spectroscopy with more dimensions. In this study, the discrete decoding is proposed to liberate the ultrafast technique from tradeoffs among spectral widths in different dimensions by focusing decoding on signal-bearing sites. For verifying its feasibility and effectiveness, we utilized the method to generate two different types of 3D spectra. The proposed method is also applicable to cases with more than three dimensions, which, based on the experimental results, may widen applications of the ultrafast technique.
[Measuring job satisfaction: development of a multidimensional scale].

PubMed

Faraci, Palmira; Valenti, Giusy

2016-01-01

Although numerous studies have been done on the topic ofjob satisfaction, as regards the Italian research, the construction of specific psychometric instruments is lacking. The present paper is aimed to develop a scale to measure job satisfaction referring to our cultural context. Participants were 222 workers (36.5% males, 63.5% females) with an average age of 38.39 years (SD = 10.91). The formulated items were selected from a large item pool on the basis of the evaluation by a group of expert judges, and the item analysis procedure. In order to establish test validity, the following instruments were also administered: Occupational Stress Indicator, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Beck Depression Inventory. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses highlighted a 6-factor structure. Those factors were responsible for 51.30% of the total variance. Reliability analyses indicated satisfying internal consistency (ranging from alpha = .73 to alpha = .86). Construct validity was supported by results obtained calculating correlations with the theoretically associated variables. Our findings suggest promising psychometric properties for the presented measure. The instrument could be used in specific programs developed to promote well-being conditions in work settings.
Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Thai Version.

PubMed

Wongpakaran, Tinakon; Wongpakaran, Nahathai; Ruktrakul, Ruk

2011-01-01

This study examines the Thai version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) for its psychometric properties. In total 462 participants were recruited - 310 medical students from Chiang Mai University and 152 psychiatric patients, and they completed the Thai version of the MSPSS, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Thai Depression Inventory (TDI). Test-retest reliability was conducted over a four week period. Factor analysis produced three-factor solutions for both patient (PG) and student groups (SG), and overall the model demonstrated adequate fit indices. The mean total score and the sub-scale score for the SG were statistically higher than those in the PG, except for 'Significant Others'. The internal consistency of the scale was good, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.91 for the SG and 0.87 for the PG. After a four week retest for reliability exercise, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was found to be 0.84. The Thai-MSPSS was found to have a negative correlation with the STAI and the TDI, but was positively correlated with the RSES. The Thai MSPSS is a reliable and valid instrument to use.
A Lightweight I/O Scheme to Facilitate Spatial and Temporal Queries of Scientific Data Analytics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tian, Yuan; Liu, Zhuo; Klasky, Scott; Wang, Bin; Abbasi, Hasan; Zhou, Shujia; Podhorszki, Norbert; Clune, Tom; Logan, Jeremy; Yu, Weikuan

2013-01-01

In the era of petascale computing, more scientific applications are being deployed on leadership scale computing platforms to enhance the scientific productivity. Many I/O techniques have been designed to address the growing I/O bottleneck on large-scale systems by handling massive scientific data in a holistic manner. While such techniques have been leveraged in a wide range of applications, they have not been shown as adequate for many mission critical applications, particularly in data post-processing stage. One of the examples is that some scientific applications generate datasets composed of a vast amount of small data elements that are organized along many spatial and temporal dimensions but require sophisticated data analytics on one or more dimensions. Including such dimensional knowledge into data organization can be beneficial to the efficiency of data post-processing, which is often missing from exiting I/O techniques. In this study, we propose a novel I/O scheme named STAR (Spatial and Temporal AggRegation) to enable high performance data queries for scientific analytics. STAR is able to dive into the massive data, identify the spatial and temporal relationships among data variables, and accordingly organize them into an optimized multi-dimensional data structure before storing to the storage. This technique not only facilitates the common access patterns of data analytics, but also further reduces the application turnaround time. In particular, STAR is able to enable efficient data queries along the time dimension, a practice common in scientific analytics but not yet supported by existing I/O techniques. In our case study with a critical climate modeling application GEOS-5, the experimental results on Jaguar supercomputer demonstrate an improvement up to 73 times for the read performance compared to the original I/O method.
Factorial validity and reliability of the Malaysian simplified Chinese version of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS-SCV) among a group of university students.

PubMed

Guan, Ng Chong; Seng, Loh Huai; Hway Ann, Anne Yee; Hui, Koh Ong

2015-03-01

This study was aimed at validating the simplified Chinese version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support (MSPSS-SCV) among a group of medical and dental students in University Malaya. Two hundred and two students who took part in this study were given the MSPSS-SCV, the Medical Outcome Study social support survey, the Malay version of the Beck Depression Inventory, the Malay version of the General Health Questionnaire, and the English version of the MSPSS. After 1 week, these students were again required to complete the MSPSS-SCV but with the item sequences shuffled. This scale displayed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .924), high test-retest reliability (.71), parallel form reliability (.92; Spearman's ρ, P < .01), and validity. In conclusion, the MSPSS-SCV demonstrated sound psychometric properties in measuring social support among a group of medical and dental students. It could therefore be used as a simple screening tool among young educated Malaysian adolescents. © 2013 APJPH.
Confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales.

PubMed

Roncero, María; Perpiñá, Conxa; Marco, Jose H; Sánchez-Reales, Sergio

2015-06-01

The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) is the most comprehensive instrument to assess body image. The MBSRQ-Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS) is a reduced version that has been validated in other languages. The main aim of the present study was to confirm the factor structure of the Spanish version of the MBSRQ-AS and analyze its psychometric properties in 1041 nonclinical individuals. Confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent goodness of fit indices for the five-factor structure (Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation, and Self-Classified Weight). Factors possessed adequate scale score reliability indices. Some of the factors showed significant associations with the Eating Attitudes Test. Significant differences were found between boys/men and girls/women, and among age groups. The Spanish version of the MBSRQ-AS is a valid instrument for use in nonclinical population settings in people from 15 to 46 years old. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Earth is flat when personally significant experiences with the sphericity of the Earth are absent.

PubMed

Carbon, Claus-Christian

2010-07-01

Participants with personal and without personal experiences with the Earth as a sphere estimated large-scale distances between six cities located on different continents. Cognitive distances were submitted to a specific multidimensional scaling algorithm in the 3D Euclidean space with the constraint that all cities had to lie on the same sphere. A simulation was run that calculated respective 3D configurations of the city positions for a wide range of radii of the proposed sphere. People who had personally experienced the Earth as a sphere, at least once in their lifetime, showed a clear optimal solution of the multidimensional scaling (MDS) routine with a mean radius deviating only 8% from the actual radius of the Earth. In contrast, the calculated configurations for people without any personal experience with the Earth as a sphere were compatible with a cognitive concept of a flat Earth. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hypergraph Based Feature Selection Technique for Medical Diagnosis.

PubMed

Somu, Nivethitha; Raman, M R Gauthama; Kirthivasan, Kannan; Sriram, V S Shankar

2016-11-01

The impact of internet and information systems across various domains have resulted in substantial generation of multidimensional datasets. The use of data mining and knowledge discovery techniques to extract the original information contained in the multidimensional datasets play a significant role in the exploitation of complete benefit provided by them. The presence of large number of features in the high dimensional datasets incurs high computational cost in terms of computing power and time. Hence, feature selection technique has been commonly used to build robust machine learning models to select a subset of relevant features which projects the maximal information content of the original dataset. In this paper, a novel Rough Set based K - Helly feature selection technique (RSKHT) which hybridize Rough Set Theory (RST) and K - Helly property of hypergraph representation had been designed to identify the optimal feature subset or reduct for medical diagnostic applications. Experiments carried out using the medical datasets from the UCI repository proves the dominance of the RSKHT over other feature selection techniques with respect to the reduct size, classification accuracy and time complexity. The performance of the RSKHT had been validated using WEKA tool, which shows that RSKHT had been computationally attractive and flexible over massive datasets.
Statistical segmentation of multidimensional brain datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desco, Manuel; Gispert, Juan D.; Reig, Santiago; Santos, Andres; Pascau, Javier; Malpica, Norberto; Garcia-Barreno, Pedro

2001-07-01

This paper presents an automatic segmentation procedure for MRI neuroimages that overcomes part of the problems involved in multidimensional clustering techniques like partial volume effects (PVE), processing speed and difficulty of incorporating a priori knowledge. The method is a three-stage procedure: 1) Exclusion of background and skull voxels using threshold-based region growing techniques with fully automated seed selection. 2) Expectation Maximization algorithms are used to estimate the probability density function (PDF) of the remaining pixels, which are assumed to be mixtures of gaussians. These pixels can then be classified into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter and grey matter. Using this procedure, our method takes advantage of using the full covariance matrix (instead of the diagonal) for the joint PDF estimation. On the other hand, logistic discrimination techniques are more robust against violation of multi-gaussian assumptions. 3) A priori knowledge is added using Markov Random Field techniques. The algorithm has been tested with a dataset of 30 brain MRI studies (co-registered T1 and T2 MRI). Our method was compared with clustering techniques and with template-based statistical segmentation, using manual segmentation as a gold-standard. Our results were more robust and closer to the gold-standard.
Using multidimensional scaling to quantify similarity in visual search and beyond

PubMed Central

Godwin, Hayward J.; Fitzsimmons, Gemma; Robbins, Arryn; Menneer, Tamaryn; Goldinger, Stephen D.

2017-01-01

Visual search is one of the most widely studied topics in vision science, both as an independent topic of interest, and as a tool for studying attention and visual cognition. A wide literature exists that seeks to understand how people find things under varying conditions of difficulty and complexity, and in situations ranging from the mundane (e.g., looking for one’s keys) to those with significant societal importance (e.g., baggage or medical screening). A primary determinant of the ease and probability of success during search are the similarity relationships that exist in the search environment, such as the similarity between the background and the target, or the likeness of the non-targets to one another. A sense of similarity is often intuitive, but it is seldom quantified directly. This presents a problem in that similarity relationships are imprecisely specified, limiting the capacity of the researcher to examine adequately their influence. In this article, we present a novel approach to overcoming this problem that combines multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses with behavioral and eye-tracking measurements. We propose a method whereby MDS can be repurposed to successfully quantify the similarity of experimental stimuli, thereby opening up theoretical questions in visual search and attention that cannot currently be addressed. These quantifications, in conjunction with behavioral and oculomotor measures, allow for critical observations about how similarity affects performance, information selection, and information processing. We provide a demonstration and tutorial of the approach, identify documented examples of its use, discuss how complementary computer vision methods could also be adopted, and close with a discussion of potential avenues for future application of this technique. PMID:26494381
Imaging nanoscale lattice variations by machine learning of x-ray diffraction microscopy data

DOE PAGES

Laanait, Nouamane; Zhang, Zhan; Schlepütz, Christian M.

2016-08-09

In this paper, we present a novel methodology based on machine learning to extract lattice variations in crystalline materials, at the nanoscale, from an x-ray Bragg diffraction-based imaging technique. By employing a full-field microscopy setup, we capture real space images of materials, with imaging contrast determined solely by the x-ray diffracted signal. The data sets that emanate from this imaging technique are a hybrid of real space information (image spatial support) and reciprocal lattice space information (image contrast), and are intrinsically multidimensional (5D). By a judicious application of established unsupervised machine learning techniques and multivariate analysis to this multidimensional datamore » cube, we show how to extract features that can be ascribed physical interpretations in terms of common structural distortions, such as lattice tilts and dislocation arrays. Finally, we demonstrate this 'big data' approach to x-ray diffraction microscopy by identifying structural defects present in an epitaxial ferroelectric thin-film of lead zirconate titanate.« less
Imaging nanoscale lattice variations by machine learning of x-ray diffraction microscopy data

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

Laanait, Nouamane; Zhang, Zhan; Schlepütz, Christian M.

In this paper, we present a novel methodology based on machine learning to extract lattice variations in crystalline materials, at the nanoscale, from an x-ray Bragg diffraction-based imaging technique. By employing a full-field microscopy setup, we capture real space images of materials, with imaging contrast determined solely by the x-ray diffracted signal. The data sets that emanate from this imaging technique are a hybrid of real space information (image spatial support) and reciprocal lattice space information (image contrast), and are intrinsically multidimensional (5D). By a judicious application of established unsupervised machine learning techniques and multivariate analysis to this multidimensional datamore » cube, we show how to extract features that can be ascribed physical interpretations in terms of common structural distortions, such as lattice tilts and dislocation arrays. Finally, we demonstrate this 'big data' approach to x-ray diffraction microscopy by identifying structural defects present in an epitaxial ferroelectric thin-film of lead zirconate titanate.« less
Measures for a multidimensional multiverse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Hyeyoun

2015-04-01

We explore the phenomenological implications of generalizing the causal patch and fat geodesic measures to a multidimensional multiverse, where the vacua can have differing numbers of large dimensions. We consider a simple model in which the vacua are nucleated from a D -dimensional parent spacetime through dynamical compactification of the extra dimensions, and compute the geometric contribution to the probability distribution of observations within the multiverse for each measure. We then study how the shape of this probability distribution depends on the time scales for the existence of observers, for vacuum domination, and for curvature domination (tobs,tΛ , and tc, respectively.) In this work we restrict ourselves to bubbles with positive cosmological constant, Λ . We find that in the case of the causal patch cutoff, when the bubble universes have p +1 large spatial dimensions with p ≥2 , the shape of the probability distribution is such that we obtain the coincidence of time scales tobs˜tΛ˜tc . Moreover, the size of the cosmological constant is related to the size of the landscape. However, the exact shape of the probability distribution is different in the case p =2 , compared to p ≥3 . In the case of the fat geodesic measure, the result is even more robust: the shape of the probability distribution is the same for all p ≥2 , and we once again obtain the coincidence tobs˜tΛ˜tc . These results require only very mild conditions on the prior probability of the distribution of vacua in the landscape. Our work shows that the observed double coincidence of time scales is a robust prediction even when the multiverse is generalized to be multidimensional; that this coincidence is not a consequence of our particular Universe being (3 +1 )-dimensional; and that this observable cannot be used to preferentially select one measure over another in a multidimensional multiverse.
Psychometric properties of instruments used to measure fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer: a systematic review.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Deborah; Hinds, Pamela S; Ethier, Marie-Chantal; Ness, Kirsten K; Zupanec, Sue; Sung, Lillian

2013-01-01

Despite the recognized distressing symptom of fatigue in children with cancer, little information is available to assist in the selection of an instrument to be used to measure fatigue. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the instruments that have been used to measure cancer-related fatigue in children and adolescents and 2) summarize the psychometric properties of the most commonly used instruments used to measure fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer. Five major electronic databases were systematically searched for studies using a fatigue measurement scale in a population of children or adolescents with cancer. Fatigue scales used in those studies were included in the review. From a total of 1753 articles, 25 were included. We identified two main fatigue measurement instruments used in a pediatric oncology population: 1) the Fatigue Scale-Child/Fatigue Scale-Adolescent and the proxy report versions for parents and staff and 2) the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. These two scales show similar attributes with reasonably good internal consistency and responsiveness. Either the Fatigue Scale or PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale can be incorporated into clinical research. Future research should focus on identifying specific fatigue measures more suited to different purposes such as comparative trials or identification of high-risk groups. Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric properties of the multidimensional fatigue inventory in Brazilian Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors.

PubMed

Baptista, Renata Lyrio R; Biasoli, Irene; Scheliga, Adriana; Soares, Andrea; Brabo, Eloa; Morais, José Carlos; Werneck, Guilherme Loureiro; Spector, Nelson

2012-12-01

Fatigue is the most common symptom among Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). The MFI was translated into Brazilian Portuguese using established forward-backward translation procedures, and the psychometric properties were evaluated in a sample of 200 Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors. The psychometric properties evaluated included internal consistency and construct validity. The MFI was administered along with the informed consent form. The overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the 20 items was 0.84, ranging from 0.59 to 0.81 for each of the five scales. Correlations between items and scales ranged from 0.32 to 0.72. The factor analysis yielded a five-factor solution that explained 65% of the variance. The first factor merged the original "general fatigue" and "physical fatigue" scales, as has been previously reported. The second factor identified the original "mental fatigue" scale and the fifth factor identified the original "reduced activity" scale. Questions from the original "reduced motivation" scale were represented in both factors three and four. The Brazilian version of the MFI showed satisfactory psychometric properties and can be considered a valid research tool for assessing cancer-related fatigue. Copyright © 2012 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Similarities and Differences in Meaning in Six Cultures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann, Douglas J.; Raybeck, Douglas

1981-01-01

Employed multidimensional scaling to investigate semantic domains. Studied two semantic categories that varied in abstractness (animals and emotions) in six cultures (Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Spain, United States, and Vietnam). (Author/MK)
Multidimensional Multiphysics Simulation of TRISO Particle Fuel

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

J. D. Hales; R. L. Williamson; S. R. Novascone

2013-11-01

Multidimensional multiphysics analysis of TRISO-coated particle fuel using the BISON finite-element based nuclear fuels code is described. The governing equations and material models applicable to particle fuel and implemented in BISON are outlined. Code verification based on a recent IAEA benchmarking exercise is described, and excellant comparisons are reported. Multiple TRISO-coated particles of increasing geometric complexity are considered. It is shown that the code's ability to perform large-scale parallel computations permits application to complex 3D phenomena while very efficient solutions for either 1D spherically symmetric or 2D axisymmetric geometries are straightforward. Additionally, the flexibility to easily include new physical andmore » material models and uncomplicated ability to couple to lower length scale simulations makes BISON a powerful tool for simulation of coated-particle fuel. Future code development activities and potential applications are identified.« less
Reliability and Validity of Parent- and Child-Rated Anxiety Measures in Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaat, Aaron J.; Lecavalier, Luc

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety frequently co-occur. Research on the phenomenology and treatment of anxiety in ASD is expanding, but is hampered by the lack of instruments validated for this population. This study evaluated the self- and parent-reported Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale in…
An Investigation on Computer-Adaptive Multistage Testing Panels for Multidimensional Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xinrui

2013-01-01

The computer-adaptive multistage testing (ca-MST) has been developed as an alternative to computerized adaptive testing (CAT), and been increasingly adopted in large-scale assessments. Current research and practice only focus on ca-MST panels for credentialing purposes. The ca-MST test mode, therefore, is designed to gauge a single scale. The…
A Preliminary Study for a New Model of Sense of Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tartaglia, Stefano

2006-01-01

Although Sense of Community (SOC) is usually defined as a multidimensional construct, most SOC scales are unidimensional. To reduce the split between theory and empirical research, the present work identifies a multifactor structure for the Italian Sense of Community Scale (ISCS) that has already been validated as a unitary index of SOC. This…
The Relational Self-Concept Scale: A Context-Specific Self-Report Measure for Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schott, Gareth R.; Bellin, Wynford

2001-01-01

Describes an alternative approach to measuring the self that directly accounts for the way individuals ruminate on their external actions in order to inform and maintain their self-image. Analysis of responses to this measure confirmed that the scale is multidimensional, possesses appropriate properties, and contains a high degree of ecological…
Development and Validation of the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and Brief Calling Scale (BCS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dik, Bryan J.; Eldridge, Brandy M.; Steger, Michael F.; Duffy, Ryan D.

2012-01-01

Research on work as a calling is limited by measurement concerns. In response, the authors introduce the multidimensional Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and the Brief Calling scale (BCS), instruments assessing presence of, and search for, a calling. Study 1 describes CVQ development using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis…
Multidimensional, Threshold Effects of Social Support in Firefighters: Is More Support Invariably Better?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varvel, Shiloh Jordan; He, Yuhong; Shannon, Jennifer K.; Tager, David; Bledman, Rashanta A.; Chaichanasakul, Adipat; Mendoza, Monique M.; Mallinckrodt, Brent

2007-01-01

This study examined the relationship between social support (Social Provisions Scale) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale) in a sample of male firefighters in a midwestern community (N=53). The authors assessed 5 types of perceived support from 2 sources: peer firefighters and supervisors. Results indicate that reassurance of worth and social…
Multidimensionality of Teachers' Graded Responses for Preschoolers' Stylistic Learning Behavior: The Learning-to-Learn Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Paul A.; Fantuzzo, John W.; Warley, Heather P.; Waterman, Clare; Angelo, Lauren E.; Gadsden, Vivian L.; Sekino, Yumiko

2011-01-01

Assessment of preschool learning behavior has become very popular as a mechanism to inform cognitive development and promote successful interventions. The most widely used measures offer sound predictions but distinguish only a few types of stylistic learning and lack sensitive growth detection. The Learning-to-Learn Scales was designed to…
Developing Multidimensional Likert Scales Using Item Factor Analysis: The Case of Four-Point Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asún, Rodrigo A.; Rdz-Navarro, Karina; Alvarado, Jesús M.

2016-01-01

This study compares the performance of two approaches in analysing four-point Likert rating scales with a factorial model: the classical factor analysis (FA) and the item factor analysis (IFA). For FA, maximum likelihood and weighted least squares estimations using Pearson correlation matrices among items are compared. For IFA, diagonally weighted…
Old Wine in New Bottles: The Quality of Work Life in Schools and School Districts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacharach, Samuel B.; Mitchell, Stephen M.

This essay reviews quality of work life as a management technique and argues that quality-of-work-life programs, conceptualized multidimensionally, offer a unique mechanism for improving working conditions in schools and within districts. A brief analysis of major management ideologies concludes that some techniques advocated under the label of…
Multidimensional Test Assembly Based on Lagrangian Relaxation Techniques. Research Report 98-08.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veldkamp, Bernard P.

In this paper, a mathematical programming approach is presented for the assembly of ability tests measuring multiple traits. The values of the variance functions of the estimators of the traits are minimized, while test specifications are met. The approach is based on Lagrangian relaxation techniques and provides good results for the two…
Non-negative Tensor Factorization for Robust Exploratory Big-Data Analytics

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

Alexandrov, Boian; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov; Djidjev, Hristo Nikolov

Currently, large multidimensional datasets are being accumulated in almost every field. Data are: (1) collected by distributed sensor networks in real-time all over the globe, (2) produced by large-scale experimental measurements or engineering activities, (3) generated by high-performance simulations, and (4) gathered by electronic communications and socialnetwork activities, etc. Simultaneous analysis of these ultra-large heterogeneous multidimensional datasets is often critical for scientific discoveries, decision-making, emergency response, and national and global security. The importance of such analyses mandates the development of the next-generation of robust machine learning (ML) methods and tools for bigdata exploratory analysis.
A hybrid heuristic for the multiple choice multidimensional knapsack problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansi, Raïd; Alves, Cláudio; Valério de Carvalho, J. M.; Hanafi, Saïd

2013-08-01

In this article, a new solution approach for the multiple choice multidimensional knapsack problem is described. The problem is a variant of the multidimensional knapsack problem where items are divided into classes, and exactly one item per class has to be chosen. Both problems are NP-hard. However, the multiple choice multidimensional knapsack problem appears to be more difficult to solve in part because of its choice constraints. Many real applications lead to very large scale multiple choice multidimensional knapsack problems that can hardly be addressed using exact algorithms. A new hybrid heuristic is proposed that embeds several new procedures for this problem. The approach is based on the resolution of linear programming relaxations of the problem and reduced problems that are obtained by fixing some variables of the problem. The solutions of these problems are used to update the global lower and upper bounds for the optimal solution value. A new strategy for defining the reduced problems is explored, together with a new family of cuts and a reformulation procedure that is used at each iteration to improve the performance of the heuristic. An extensive set of computational experiments is reported for benchmark instances from the literature and for a large set of hard instances generated randomly. The results show that the approach outperforms other state-of-the-art methods described so far, providing the best known solution for a significant number of benchmark instances.
Discovering Sentinel Rules for Business Intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Middelfart, Morten; Pedersen, Torben Bach

This paper proposes the concept of sentinel rules for multi-dimensional data that warns users when measure data concerning the external environment changes. For instance, a surge in negative blogging about a company could trigger a sentinel rule warning that revenue will decrease within two months, so a new course of action can be taken. Hereby, we expand the window of opportunity for organizations and facilitate successful navigation even though the world behaves chaotically. Since sentinel rules are at the schema level as opposed to the data level, and operate on data changes as opposed to absolute data values, we are able to discover strong and useful sentinel rules that would otherwise be hidden when using sequential pattern mining or correlation techniques. We present a method for sentinel rule discovery and an implementation of this method that scales linearly on large data volumes.
On Evaluating Brain Tissue Classifiers without a Ground Truth

PubMed Central

Martin-Fernandez, Marcos; Ungar, Lida; Nakamura, Motoaki; Koo, Min-Seong; McCarley, Robert W.; Shenton, Martha E.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we present a set of techniques for the evaluation of brain tissue classifiers on a large data set of MR images of the head. Due to the difficulty of establishing a gold standard for this type of data, we focus our attention on methods which do not require a ground truth, but instead rely on a common agreement principle. Three different techniques are presented: the Williams’ index, a measure of common agreement; STAPLE, an Expectation Maximization algorithm which simultaneously estimates performance parameters and constructs an estimated reference standard; and Multidimensional Scaling, a visualization technique to explore similarity data. We apply these different evaluation methodologies to a set eleven different segmentation algorithms on forty MR images. We then validate our evaluation pipeline by building a ground truth based on human expert tracings. The evaluations with and without a ground truth are compared. Our findings show that comparing classifiers without a gold standard can provide a lot of interesting information. In particular, outliers can be easily detected, strongly consistent or highly variable techniques can be readily discriminated, and the overall similarity between different techniques can be assessed. On the other hand, we also find that some information present in the expert segmentations is not captured by the automatic classifiers, suggesting that common agreement alone may not be sufficient for a precise performance evaluation of brain tissue classifiers. PMID:17532646
Quantifying Stream-Aquifer Exchanges Over Scales: the Concept of Nested Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flipo, N.; Mouhri, A.; Labarthe, B.; Saleh, F. S.

2013-12-01

Recent developments in hydrological modelling are based on a view of the interface being a single continuum through which water flows. These coupled hydrological-hydrogeological models, emphasizing the importance of the stream-aquifer interface (SAI), are more and more used in hydrological sciences for pluri-disciplinary studies aiming at questioning environmental issues. This notion of a single continuum comes from the historical modelling of hydrosystems based on the hypothesis of a homogeneous media that led to the Darcy law. Nowadays, there is a need to first bridge the gap between hydrological and eco-hydrological views of the SAIs, and, second, to rationalize the modelling of SAI within a consistent framework that fully takes into account the multi-dimensionality of the SAIs. We first define the concept of nested SAIs as a key transitional component of continental hydrosystem. We then demonstrate the usefulness of the concept for the multi-dimensional study of the SAI, with a special emphasis on the stream network which is identified as the key component for scaling hydrological processes occurring at the interface. Finally we focus on SAI modelling at various scales with up-to-date methodologies and give some guidance for the multi-dimensional modelling of the interface using the innovative methodology MIM (Measurements-Interpolation-Modelling), which is graphically developed. MIM scales in space three pools of methods needed to fully understand SAIs. The outcome of MIM is the localization in space of the type of SAI that can be studied by a given approach. The efficiency of the method is illustrated from the local (approx. 1m) to the regional scale (> 10 000 km2) with two examples from the Paris basin (France). The first one consists in the implementation of a sampling system of stream-aquifer exchanges, which is coupled with local 2D thermo-hydro models and a pseudo 3D hydro(geo)logical model at the watershed scale (40 km2). The quantification of monthly stream-aquifer exchanges over 14 000 km of river network in the Paris basin (74 000 km2) corresponds to a unique regional scale example.
Measuring Educators' Attitudes and Beliefs about Evaluation: Construct Validity and Reliability of the Teacher Evaluation Experience Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Linda A.; Dudek, Christopher M.; Kettler, Ryan J.; Kurz, Alexander; Peters, Stephanie

2016-01-01

This study presents the reliability and validity of the Teacher Evaluation Experience Scale--Teacher Form (TEES-T), a multidimensional measure of educators' attitudes and beliefs about teacher evaluation. Confirmatory factor analyses of data from 583 teachers were conducted on the TEES-T hypothesized five-factor model, as well as on alternative…
The Earth Is Flat when Personally Significant Experiences with the Sphericity of the Earth Are Absent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbon, Claus-Christian

2010-01-01

Participants with personal and without personal experiences with the Earth as a sphere estimated large-scale distances between six cities located on different continents. Cognitive distances were submitted to a specific multidimensional scaling algorithm in the 3D Euclidean space with the constraint that all cities had to lie on the same sphere. A…

Construct Validation of the Translated Version of the Work-Family Conflict Scale for Use in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Doo Hun; Morris, Michael Lane; McMillan, Heather S.

2011-01-01

Recently, the stress of work-family conflict has been a critical workplace issue for Asian countries, especially within those cultures experiencing rapid economic development. Our research purpose is to translate and establish construct validity of a Korean-language version of the Multi-Dimensional Work-Family Conflict (WFC) scale used in the U.S.…
Semantic Differential Scale Method Can Reveal Multi-Dimensional Aspects of Mind Perception.

PubMed

Takahashi, Hideyuki; Ban, Midori; Asada, Minoru

2016-01-01

As humans, we tend to perceive minds in both living and non-living entities, such as robots. From a questionnaire developed in a previous mind perception study, authors found that perceived minds could be located on two dimensions "experience" and "agency." This questionnaire allowed the assessment of how we perceive minds of various entities from a multi-dimensional point of view. In this questionnaire, subjects had to evaluate explicit mental capacities of target characters (e.g., capacity to feel hunger). However, we sometimes perceive minds in non-living entities, even though we cannot attribute these evidently biological capacities to the entity. In this study, we performed a large-scale web survey to assess mind perception by using the semantic differential scale method. We revealed that two mind dimensions "emotion" and "intelligence," respectively, corresponded to the two mind dimensions (experience and agency) proposed in a previous mind perception study. We did this without having to ask about specific mental capacities. We believe that the semantic differential scale is a useful method to assess the dimensions of mind perception especially for non-living entities that are hard to be attributed to biological capacities.
High validity and reliability of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale for Brazilian children with cancer.

PubMed

Nascimento, Lucila Castanheira; Nunes, Michelle Darezzo Rodrigues; Rocha, Ester Leonardo; Bomfim, Emiliana Omena; Floria-Santos, Milena; Dos Santos, Claudia Benedita; Dos Santos, Danielle Maria de Souza Serio; de Lima, Regina Aparecida Garcia

2015-01-01

Among the main factors that affect patients' quality of life, fatigue is a significant symptom experienced by children during treatment. Despite the high incidence, there has been no validated scale to evaluate fatigue in children with cancer in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, using self-reports of Brazilian children, 8 to 18 years of age, and proxy reports. A cross-sectional method was used to collect data from 216 subjects over an 18-month period. Reliability ranged from .70 to .90 except for sleep/rest fatigue, self-report (α = .55). No floor or ceiling effects were found in any dimension. Convergent validity was higher than .40 and divergent validity had 100% adjustment. The root mean square error of approximation was acceptable. The comparative fit index was lower than expected. The agreement between self and proxy responses was weak and moderate. The results demonstrate the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version in children with cancer. This is the first validated scale that assesses fatigue in Brazilian children and adolescents with cancer. © 2014 by Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses.
The interrelationship between orthorexia nervosa, perfectionism, body image and attachment style.

PubMed

Barnes, Marta A; Caltabiano, Marie L

2017-03-01

We investigated whether perfectionism, body image, attachment style, and self-esteem are predictors of orthorexia nervosa. A cohort of 220 participants completed a self-administered, online questionnaire consisting of five measures: ORTO-15, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scale (MBSRQ-AS), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Correlation analysis revealed that higher orthorexic tendencies significantly correlated with higher scores for perfectionism (self-oriented, others-oriented and socially prescribed), appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, self-classified weight, and fearful and dismissing attachment styles. Higher orthorexic tendencies also correlated with lower scores for body areas satisfaction and a secure attachment style. There was no significant correlation between orthorexia nervosa and self-esteem. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that overweight preoccupation, appearance orientation and the presence of an eating disorder history were significant predictors of orthorexia nervosa with a history of an eating disorder being the strongest predictor. Orthorexia nervosa shares similarities with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa with regards to perfectionism, body image attitudes, and attachment style. In addition, a history of an eating disorder strongly predicts orthorexia nervosa. These findings suggest that these disorders might be on the same spectrum of disordered eating.
The development of a multi-dimensional gambling accessibility scale.

PubMed

Hing, Nerilee; Haw, John

2009-12-01

The aim of the current study was to develop a scale of gambling accessibility that would have theoretical significance to exposure theory and also serve to highlight the accessibility risk factors for problem gambling. Scale items were generated from the Productivity Commission's (Australia's Gambling Industries: Report No. 10. AusInfo, Canberra, 1999) recommendations and tested on a group with high exposure to the gambling environment. In total, 533 gaming venue employees (aged 18-70 years; 67% women) completed a questionnaire that included six 13-item scales measuring accessibility across a range of gambling forms (gaming machines, keno, casino table games, lotteries, horse and dog racing, sports betting). Also included in the questionnaire was the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) along with measures of gambling frequency and expenditure. Principal components analysis indicated that a common three factor structure existed across all forms of gambling and these were labelled social accessibility, physical accessibility and cognitive accessibility. However, convergent validity was not demonstrated with inconsistent correlations between each subscale and measures of gambling behaviour. These results are discussed in light of exposure theory and the further development of a multi-dimensional measure of gambling accessibility.
Multivariate Analysis of the Visual Information Processing of Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, David M.

1977-01-01

Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering procedures are applied to a confusion matrix of numerals. Two dimensions were interpreted: straight versus curved, and locus of curvature. Four major clusters of numerals were developed. (Author/JKS)
Anchor-Free Localization Method for Mobile Targets in Coal Mine Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Pei, Zhongmin; Deng, Zhidong; Xu, Shuo; Xu, Xiao

2009-01-01

Severe natural conditions and complex terrain make it difficult to apply precise localization in underground mines. In this paper, an anchor-free localization method for mobile targets is proposed based on non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (Multi-dimensional Scaling: MDS) and rank sequence. Firstly, a coal mine wireless sensor network is constructed in underground mines based on the ZigBee technology. Then a non-metric MDS algorithm is imported to estimate the reference nodes’ location. Finally, an improved sequence-based localization algorithm is presented to complete precise localization for mobile targets. The proposed method is tested through simulations with 100 nodes, outdoor experiments with 15 ZigBee physical nodes, and the experiments in the mine gas explosion laboratory with 12 ZigBee nodes. Experimental results show that our method has better localization accuracy and is more robust in underground mines. PMID:22574048
Anchor-free localization method for mobile targets in coal mine wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Pei, Zhongmin; Deng, Zhidong; Xu, Shuo; Xu, Xiao

2009-01-01

Severe natural conditions and complex terrain make it difficult to apply precise localization in underground mines. In this paper, an anchor-free localization method for mobile targets is proposed based on non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (Multi-dimensional Scaling: MDS) and rank sequence. Firstly, a coal mine wireless sensor network is constructed in underground mines based on the ZigBee technology. Then a non-metric MDS algorithm is imported to estimate the reference nodes' location. Finally, an improved sequence-based localization algorithm is presented to complete precise localization for mobile targets. The proposed method is tested through simulations with 100 nodes, outdoor experiments with 15 ZigBee physical nodes, and the experiments in the mine gas explosion laboratory with 12 ZigBee nodes. Experimental results show that our method has better localization accuracy and is more robust in underground mines.
Confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales in early adolescents.

PubMed

Marco, José H; Perpiñá, Conxa; Roncero, María; Botella, Cristina

2017-06-01

The main aim of this study was to confirm the factorial structure of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales in early adolescents from 12 to 14 years. The sample included 355 participants, 189 girls and 166 boys, with ages ranging from 12 to 14 years old. The original MBSRQ-AS 5-factor structure was confirmed, and the model showed a good fit to the data: Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation, and Self-Classified Weight. The internal consistency of the test scores was adequate. Girls had higher score s than boys on Appearance Orientation, Overweight Preoccupation, and Self-Classified Weight, and lower scores on Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction. This study confirms the factor structure of the MBSRQ-AS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Extracting body image symptom dimensions among eating disorder patients: the Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS) approach.

PubMed

Olatunji, Bunmi O; Kim, Se-Kang; Wall, David

2015-09-01

The present study employs Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS), a procedure for extracting dimensions, in order to identify core eating disorder symptoms in a clinical sample. A large sample of patients with eating disorders (N=5193) presenting for treatment completed the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2; Garner, 1991), and PAMS was then employed to estimate individual profile weights that reflect the degree to which an individual's observed symptom profile approximates the pattern of the dimensions. The findings revealed three symptom dimensions: Body Thinness, Body Perfectionism, and Body Awareness. Subsequent analysis using individual level data illustrate that the PAMS profiles properly operate as prototypical profiles that encapsulate all individuals' response patterns. The implications of these dimensional findings for the assessment and diagnosis of eating disorders are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Assessing Anxiety in Youth with the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)

PubMed Central

Wei, Chiaying; Hoff, Alexandra; Villabø, Marianne A.; Peterman, Jeremy; Kendall, Philip C.; Piacentini, John; McCracken, James; Walkup, John T.; Albano, Anne Marie; Rynn, Moira; Sherrill, Joel; Sakolsky, Dara; Birmaher, Boris; Ginsburg, Golda; Keaton, Courtney; Gosch, Elizabeth; Compton, Scott N.; March, John

2013-01-01

The present study examined the psychometric properties, including discriminant validity and clinical utility, of the youth self-report and parent-report forms of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) among youth with anxiety disorders. The sample included parents and youth (N= 488, 49.6% male) ages 7 – 17 who participated in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS). Although the typical low agreement between parent and youth self-reports was found, the MASC evidenced good internal reliability across MASC subscales and informants. The main MASC subscales (i.e., Physical Symptoms, Harm Avoidance, Social Anxiety, and Separation/Panic) were examined. The Social Anxiety and Separation/Panic subscales were found to be significantly predictive of the presence and severity of social phobia and separation anxiety disorder, respectively. Using multiple informants improved the accuracy of prediction. The MASC subscales demonstrated good psychometric properties and clinical utilities in identifying youth with anxiety disorders. PMID:23845036
Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale-PTPB Version (BMSLSS-PTPB): psychometric properties and relationship with mental health symptom severity over time.

PubMed

Athay, M Michele; Kelley, Susan Douglas; Dew-Reeves, Sarah E

2012-03-01

Youth life satisfaction is a component of subjective well-being, an important part of a strengths-based approach to treatment. This study establishes the psychometric properties of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale-PTPB Version (BMSLSS-PTPB). The BMSLSS-PTPB showed evidence of construct validity with significant correlations as expected to measures of youth hope and youth symptom severity, and no relationship as expected to youth treatment outcome expectations. A longitudinal analysis was conducted examining the relationship between youth-reported life satisfaction and mental health symptom severity (youth-, caregiver-, and clinician-report) for 334 youth (aged 11-18 years) receiving in-home treatment. Results indicated that life satisfaction consistently increased over the course of treatment but increased faster in youth whose symptom severity, as rated by all reporters, decreased over the course of treatment. Implications, future directions, and limitations of the study are discussed.
Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale – PTPB Version (BMSLSS-PTPB): Psychometric Properties and Relationship with Mental Health Symptom Severity Over Time

PubMed Central

Athay, M. Michele; Kelley, Susan Douglas; Dew-Reeves, Sarah E.

2012-01-01

Youth life satisfaction is a component of subjective well-being, an important part of a strengths-based approach to treatment. This study establishes the psychometric properties of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale – PTPB version (BMSLSS-PTPB). The BMSLSS-PTPB shows evidence of construct validity with significant correlations as expected to measures of youth hope and youth symptom severity, and no relationship as expected to youth treatment outcome expectations. A longitudinal analysis was conducted examining the relationship between youth-reported life satisfaction and mental health symptom severity (youth, caregiver-, and clinician-report) for 334 youth (aged 11–18 years) receiving in-home treatment. Results indicate that life satisfaction consistently increases over the course of treatment but increases faster in youth whose symptom severity, as rated by all reporters, decreases. Implications, future directions, and limitations of the study are discussed. PMID:22407553
Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of the Dynamics of a Country Economy

PubMed Central

Mata, Maria Eugénia

2013-01-01

This paper analyzes the Portuguese short-run business cycles over the last 150 years and presents the multidimensional scaling (MDS) for visualizing the results. The analytical and numerical assessment of this long-run perspective reveals periods with close connections between the macroeconomic variables related to government accounts equilibrium, balance of payments equilibrium, and economic growth. The MDS method is adopted for a quantitative statistical analysis. In this way, similarity clusters of several historical periods emerge in the MDS maps, namely, in identifying similarities and dissimilarities that identify periods of prosperity and crises, growth, and stagnation. Such features are major aspects of collective national achievement, to which can be associated the impact of international problems such as the World Wars, the Great Depression, or the current global financial crisis, as well as national events in the context of broad political blueprints for the Portuguese society in the rising globalization process. PMID:24294132
Multidimensional scaling of musical time estimations.

PubMed

Cocenas-Silva, Raquel; Bueno, José Lino Oliveira; Molin, Paul; Bigand, Emmanuel

2011-06-01

The aim of this study was to identify the psycho-musical factors that govern time evaluation in Western music from baroque, classic, romantic, and modern repertoires. The excerpts were previously found to represent variability in musical properties and to induce four main categories of emotions. 48 participants (musicians and nonmusicians) freely listened to 16 musical excerpts (lasting 20 sec. each) and grouped those that seemed to have the same duration. Then, participants associated each group of excerpts to one of a set of sine wave tones varying in duration from 16 to 24 sec. Multidimensional scaling analysis generated a two-dimensional solution for these time judgments. Musical excerpts with high arousal produced an overestimation of time, and affective valence had little influence on time perception. The duration was also overestimated when tempo and loudness were higher, and to a lesser extent, timbre density. In contrast, musical tension had little influence.
Cluster Analysis and Gaussian Mixture Estimation of Correlated Time-Series by Means of Multi-dimensional Scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibuki, Takero; Suzuki, Sei; Inoue, Jun-ichi

We investigate cross-correlations between typical Japanese stocks collected through Yahoo!Japan website ( http://finance.yahoo.co.jp/ ). By making use of multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) for the cross-correlation matrices, we draw two-dimensional scattered plots in which each point corresponds to each stock. To make a clustering for these data plots, we utilize the mixture of Gaussians to fit the data set to several Gaussian densities. By minimizing the so-called Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) with respect to parameters in the mixture, we attempt to specify the best possible mixture of Gaussians. It might be naturally assumed that all the two-dimensional data points of stocks shrink into a single small region when some economic crisis takes place. The justification of this assumption is numerically checked for the empirical Japanese stock data, for instance, those around 11 March 2011.
The experience of stress and personal growth among grandparents of children with and without intellectual disability.

PubMed

Findler, Liora

2014-02-01

The aim of this research was to examine the contribution of internal and external resources to stress and personal growth among grandparents of children with and without an intellectual disability. Ninety-four grandparents of children with intellectual disability and 105 grandparents of children without intellectual disability completed the following scales: Multidimensional Experience of Grandparenthood; Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, Level of Differentiation of Self Scale, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results indicate that group differences are reflected in higher negative emotions among grandparents of children without intellectual disability. In addition, both stress and growth are related to better health, lower level of education, family cohesiveness, and negative emotions. However, whereas stress is associated with the internal resource of self-differentiation, the external resource of social support, and the cost of grandparenthood, growth is associated with gender and the symbolic and behavioral aspects of the grandparenting role. This study aimed to correct the nearly exclusive focus in the literature on negativity, stress, and the burden of grandparenting children with intellectual disability, as well as to test the pervasive assumption that the absence of disability results in an almost entirely positive grandparenting experience with nearly no negative affect.
A Structure-Based Distance Metric for High-Dimensional Space Exploration with Multi-Dimensional Scaling

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

Lee, Hyun Jung; McDonnell, Kevin T.; Zelenyuk, Alla

2014-03-01

Although the Euclidean distance does well in measuring data distances within high-dimensional clusters, it does poorly when it comes to gauging inter-cluster distances. This significantly impacts the quality of global, low-dimensional space embedding procedures such as the popular multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) where one can often observe non-intuitive layouts. We were inspired by the perceptual processes evoked in the method of parallel coordinates which enables users to visually aggregate the data by the patterns the polylines exhibit across the dimension axes. We call the path of such a polyline its structure and suggest a metric that captures this structure directly inmore » high-dimensional space. This allows us to better gauge the distances of spatially distant data constellations and so achieve data aggregations in MDS plots that are more cognizant of existing high-dimensional structure similarities. Our MDS plots also exhibit similar visual relationships as the method of parallel coordinates which is often used alongside to visualize the high-dimensional data in raw form. We then cast our metric into a bi-scale framework which distinguishes far-distances from near-distances. The coarser scale uses the structural similarity metric to separate data aggregates obtained by prior classification or clustering, while the finer scale employs the appropriate Euclidean distance.« less
Psychosocial correlates of fatigue in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Schwartz, C E; Coulthard-Morris, L; Zeng, Q

1996-02-01

To explore: (1) the interrelation among the neuropsychological, psychological, and psychosocial factors and fatigue as measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale, and (2) the impact of fatigue on role performance. Clinical interview with neuropsychological testing and cross-sectional study by mail. Multiple sclerosis (MS) clinic registry of a large Boston teaching hospital. 139 MS patients representing a broad range of disability. The Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale, the Extended Disability Status Scale, the Sickness Impact Profile, Rao cognitive battery, the Trailmaking Test, depression, anxiety, and social activity limitations subscales from the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales, and the Ryff Happiness Scale. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that having a low sense of environmental mastery was the best psychosocial predictor of both global fatigue and fatigue-related distress, after adjusting for sociodemographic and medical factors. Further, people who reported being more depressed tended to report more severe fatigue. Neuropsychological performance was not associated with fatigue. Fatigue was found to limit social, work, and overall role performance, but not physical role performance. People who feel that they can choose or create environments suitable to their psychic or physical conditions report less global fatigue and less fatigue-related distress, and fatigue can have an important impact on role performance. The implications of these findings for designing fatigue management interventions are discussed.
Multi-dimensional tunnelling and complex momentum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowcock, Peter; Gregory, Ruth

1991-01-01

The problem of modeling tunneling phenomena in more than one dimension is examined. It is found that existing techniques are inadequate in a wide class of situations, due to their inability to deal with concurrent classical motion. The generalization of these methods to allow for complex momenta is shown, and improved techniques are demonstrated with a selection of illustrative examples. Possible applications are presented.

On unstructured grids and solvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, T. J.

1990-01-01

The fundamentals and the state-of-the-art technology for unstructured grids and solvers are highlighted. Algorithms and techniques pertinent to mesh generation are discussed. It is shown that grid generation and grid manipulation schemes rely on fast multidimensional searching. Flow solution techniques for the Euler equations, which can be derived from the integral form of the equations are discussed. Sample calculations are also provided.
Column Liquid Chromatography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majors, Ronald E.; And Others

1984-01-01

Reviews literature covering developments of column liquid chromatography during 1982-83. Areas considered include: books and reviews; general theory; columns; instrumentation; detectors; automation and data handling; multidimensional chromatographic and column switching techniques; liquid-solid chromatography; normal bonded-phase, reversed-phase,…
Ideal-observer analysis of lesion detectability in planar, conventional SPECT, and dedicated SPECT scintimammography using effective multi-dimensional smoothing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Riviere, P. J.; Pan, X.; Penney, B. C.

1998-06-01

Scintimammography, a nuclear-medicine imaging technique that relies on the preferential uptake of Tc-99m-sestamibi and other radionuclides in breast malignancies, has the potential to provide differentiation of mammographically suspicious lesions, as well as outright detection of malignancies in women with radiographically dense breasts. In this work we use the ideal-observer framework to quantify the detectability of a 1-cm lesion using three different imaging geometries: the planar technique that is the current clinical standard, conventional single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), in which the scintillation cameras rotate around the entire torso, and dedicated breast SPECT, in which the cameras rotate around the breast alone. We also introduce an adaptive smoothing technique for the processing of planar images and of sinograms that exploits Fourier transforms to achieve effective multidimensional smoothing at a reasonable computational cost. For the detection of a 1-cm lesion with a clinically typical 6:1 tumor-background ratio, we find ideal-observer signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) that suggest that the dedicated breast SPECT geometry is the most effective of the three, and that the adaptive, two-dimensional smoothing technique should enhance lesion detectability in the tomographic reconstructions.
The Health Behavior Checklist: Factor structure in community samples and validity of a revised good health practices scale.

PubMed

Hampson, Sarah E; Edmonds, Grant W; Goldberg, Lewis R

2017-01-01

This study examined the factor structure and predictive validity of the commonly used multidimensional Health Behavior Checklist. A three-factor structure was found in two community samples that included men and women. The new 16-item Good Health Practices scale and the original Wellness Maintenance scale were the only Health Behavior Checklist scales to be related to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. While the other Health Behavior Checklist scales require further validation, the Good Health Practices scale could be used where more objective or longer measures are not feasible.
Modelling atmospheric flows with adaptive moving meshes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kühnlein, Christian; Smolarkiewicz, Piotr K.; Dörnbrack, Andreas

2012-04-01

An anelastic atmospheric flow solver has been developed that combines semi-implicit non-oscillatory forward-in-time numerics with a solution-adaptive mesh capability. A key feature of the solver is the unification of a mesh adaptation apparatus, based on moving mesh partial differential equations (PDEs), with the rigorous formulation of the governing anelastic PDEs in generalised time-dependent curvilinear coordinates. The solver development includes an enhancement of the flux-form multidimensional positive definite advection transport algorithm (MPDATA) - employed in the integration of the underlying anelastic PDEs - that ensures full compatibility with mass continuity under moving meshes. In addition, to satisfy the geometric conservation law (GCL) tensor identity under general moving meshes, a diagnostic approach is proposed based on the treatment of the GCL as an elliptic problem. The benefits of the solution-adaptive moving mesh technique for the simulation of multiscale atmospheric flows are demonstrated. The developed solver is verified for two idealised flow problems with distinct levels of complexity: passive scalar advection in a prescribed deformational flow, and the life cycle of a large-scale atmospheric baroclinic wave instability showing fine-scale phenomena of fronts and internal gravity waves.
Chemometric Strategies for Peak Detection and Profiling from Multidimensional Chromatography.

PubMed

Navarro-Reig, Meritxell; Bedia, Carmen; Tauler, Romà; Jaumot, Joaquim

2018-04-03

The increasing complexity of omics research has encouraged the development of new instrumental technologies able to deal with these challenging samples. In this way, the rise of multidimensional separations should be highlighted due to the massive amounts of information that provide with an enhanced analyte determination. Both proteomics and metabolomics benefit from this higher separation capacity achieved when different chromatographic dimensions are combined, either in LC or GC. However, this vast quantity of experimental information requires the application of chemometric data analysis strategies to retrieve this hidden knowledge, especially in the case of nontargeted studies. In this work, the most common chemometric tools and approaches for the analysis of this multidimensional chromatographic data are reviewed. First, different options for data preprocessing and enhancement of the instrumental signal are introduced. Next, the most used chemometric methods for the detection of chromatographic peaks and the resolution of chromatographic and spectral contributions (profiling) are presented. The description of these data analysis approaches is complemented with enlightening examples from omics fields that demonstrate the exceptional potential of the combination of multidimensional separation techniques and chemometric tools of data analysis. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
A strategy for analysis of (molecular) equilibrium simulations: Configuration space density estimation, clustering, and visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamprecht, Fred A.; Peter, Christine; Daura, Xavier; Thiel, Walter; van Gunsteren, Wilfred F.

2001-02-01

We propose an approach for summarizing the output of long simulations of complex systems, affording a rapid overview and interpretation. First, multidimensional scaling techniques are used in conjunction with dimension reduction methods to obtain a low-dimensional representation of the configuration space explored by the system. A nonparametric estimate of the density of states in this subspace is then obtained using kernel methods. The free energy surface is calculated from that density, and the configurations produced in the simulation are then clustered according to the topography of that surface, such that all configurations belonging to one local free energy minimum form one class. This topographical cluster analysis is performed using basin spanning trees which we introduce as subgraphs of Delaunay triangulations. Free energy surfaces obtained in dimensions lower than four can be visualized directly using iso-contours and -surfaces. Basin spanning trees also afford a glimpse of higher-dimensional topographies. The procedure is illustrated using molecular dynamics simulations on the reversible folding of peptide analoga. Finally, we emphasize the intimate relation of density estimation techniques to modern enhanced sampling algorithms.
Methodology for heritage conservation in Belgium based on multi-temporal interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejarano-Urrego, L.; Verstrynge, E.; Shimoni, M.; Lopez, J.; Walstra, J.; Declercq, P.-Y.; Derauw, D.; Hayen, R.; Van Balen, K.

2017-09-01

Soil differential settlements that cause structural damage to heritage buildings are precipitating cultural and economic value losses. Adequate damage assessment as well as protection and preservation of the built patrimony are priorities at national and local levels, so they require advanced integration and analysis of environmental, architectural and historical parameters. The GEPATAR project (GEotechnical and Patrimonial Archives Toolbox for ARchitectural conservation in Belgium) aims to create an online interactive geo-information tool that allows the user to view and to be informed about the Belgian heritage buildings at risk due to differential soil settlements. Multi-temporal interferometry techniques (MTI) have been proven to be a powerful technique for analyzing earth surface deformation patterns through time series of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. These techniques allow to measure ground movements over wide areas at high precision and relatively low cost. In this project, Persistent Scatterer Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (PS-InSAR) and Multidimensional Small Baseline Subsets (MSBAS) are used to measure and monitor the temporal evolution of surface deformations across Belgium. This information is integrated with the Belgian heritage data by means of an interactive toolbox in a GIS environment in order to identify the level of risk. At country scale, the toolbox includes ground deformation hazard maps, geological information, location of patrimony buildings and land use; while at local scale, it includes settlement rates, photographic and historical surveys as well as architectural and geotechnical information. Some case studies are investigated by means of on-site monitoring techniques and stability analysis to evaluate the applied approaches. This paper presents a description of the methodology being implemented in the project together with the case study of the Saint Vincent's church which is located on a former colliery zone. For this building, damage is assessed by means of PSInSAR.
The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and the multidimensional approach. A new look at the older patient with gastroenterological disorders.

PubMed

Pilotto, Alberto; Addante, Filomena; D'Onofrio, Grazia; Sancarlo, Daniele; Ferrucci, Luigi

2009-01-01

The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional, usually interdisciplinary, diagnostic process intended to determine an elderly person's medical, psychosocial, and functional capacity and problems with the objective of developing an overall plan for treatment and short- and long-term follow-up. The potential usefulness of the CGA in evaluating treatment and follow-up of older patients with gastroenterological disorders is unknown. In the paper we reported the efficacy of a Multidimensional-Prognostic Index (MPI), calculated from information collected by a standardized CGA, in predicting mortality risk in older patients hospitalized with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and liver cirrhosis. Patients underwent a CGA that included six standardized scales, i.e. Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Short-Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Exton-Smith Score (ESS) and Comorbity Index Rating Scale (CIRS), as well as information on medication history and cohabitation, for a total of 63 items. The MPI was calculated from the integrated total scores and expressed as MPI 1=low risk, MPI 2=moderate risk and MPI 3=severe risk of mortality. Higher MPI values were significantly associated with higher short- and long-term mortality in older patients with both upper gastrointestinal bleeding and liver cirrhosis. A close agreement was found between the estimated mortality by MPI and the observed mortality. Moreover, MPI seems to have a greater discriminatory power than organ-specific prognostic indices such as Rockall and Blatchford scores (in upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients) and Child-Plugh score (in liver cirrhosis patients). All these findings support the concept that a multidimensional approach may be appropriate for the evaluation of older patients with gastroenterological disorders, like it has been reported for patients with other pathological conditions.
National-Level Wetland Policy Specificity and Goals Vary According to Political and Economic Indicators.

PubMed

Peimer, Alex W; Krzywicka, Adrianna E; Cohen, Dora B; Van den Bosch, Kyle; Buxton, Valerie L; Stevenson, Natalie A; Matthews, Jeffrey W

2017-01-01

Growing recognition of the importance of wetlands to human and ecosystem well-being has led countries worldwide to implement wetland protection policies. Different countries have taken different approaches to wetland protection by implementing various policies, including territorial exclusion, market-based offsetting, and incentive programs for land users. Our objective was to describe the relationship between components of national-level wetland protection policies and national characteristics, including natural resource, economic, social, and political factors. We compiled data on the wetland policies of all 193 countries recognized by the U.N. and described the relationships among wetland policy goals and wetland protection mechanisms using non-metric multidimensional scaling. The first non-metric multidimensional scaling axis strongly correlated with whether a country had a wetland-specific environmental policy in place. Adoption of a comprehensive, wetland-specific policy was positively associated with degree of democracy and a commitment to establishing protected areas. The second non-metric multidimensional scaling axis defined a continuum of policy goals and mechanisms by which wetlands are protected, with goals to protect wetland ecosystem services on one end of the spectrum and goals to protect biodiversity on the other. Goals for protecting ecosystem services were frequently cited in policy documents of countries with agriculture-based economies, whereas goals associated with wetland biodiversity tended to be associated with tourism-based economies. We argue that the components of a country's wetland policies reflect national-level resource and economic characteristics. Understanding the relationship between the type of wetland policy countries adopt and national-level characteristics is critical for international efforts to protect wetlands.
The effects of perfectionism on academic achievement in medical students.

PubMed

Kyeon, Yeong-Gi; Cho, Sung-Myeong; Hwang, Hwyeon-Guk; Lee, Kang-Uk

2010-09-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the differential effects of multi-dimensional perfectionism on academic achievement, depression, engagement, and burnout in medical students. Also, the mediating effects of engagement on perfectionism and academic achievement, as well as the effects of burnout on perfectionism and depression, were examined. Two hundred eight medical students participated, and 167 students completed questionnaires, including the Frost Multi-dimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), Hewitt & Flett Multi-dimensional Perfectionism Scale (HFMPS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Schaufeli Engagement Scale (SES), and Malslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Academic achievement was measured as the grade point average (GPA) of the previous semester. Data were analyzed by correlation analyses, independent t-tests, and Structural Equation Model (SEM) for path analysis. Adaptive perfectionism (personal standard, self-oriented perfectionism) was associated with GPA (r=0.164, p<0.05; r=0.173, p<0.05) and engagement (r=0.394, p<0.01; r=0.449, p<0.01), and maladaptive perfectionism (parental criticism, concern over mistakes, socially prescribed perfectionism) was associated with depression (r=0.208, p<0.01; r=0.254, p<0.01; r=0.234, p<0.01) and burnout (r=0.218, p<0.01; r=0.236, p<0.01; r=0.280, p<0.01). Engagement had mediating effects on adaptive perfectionism and GPA, and burnout had mediating effects on maladaptive perfectionism and depression. Students who experienced academic failure had lower engagement than those who did not. This study demonstrates that academic achievement and emotional difficulties such as depression are determined by adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, respectively, in medical students.
Subscales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale differentially relate to the Big Five factors of personality.

PubMed

Lange, Florian; Wagner, Adina; Müller, Astrid; Eggert, Frank

2017-06-01

The place of impulsiveness in multidimensional personality frameworks is still unclear. In particular, no consensus has yet been reached with regard to the relation of impulsiveness to Neuroticism and Extraversion. We aim to contribute to a clearer understanding of these relationships by accounting for the multidimensional structure of impulsiveness. In three independent studies, we related the subscales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) to the Big Five factors of personality. Study 1 investigated the associations between the BIS subscales and the Big Five factors as measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) in a student sample (N = 113). Selective positive correlations emerged between motor impulsiveness and Extraversion and between attentional impulsiveness and Neuroticism. This pattern of results was replicated in Study 2 (N = 132) using a 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory. In Study 3, we analyzed BIS and NEO-FFI data obtained from a sample of patients with pathological buying (N = 68). In these patients, the relationship between motor impulsiveness and Extraversion was significantly weakened when compared to the non-clinical samples. At the same time, the relationship between attentional impulsiveness and Neuroticism was substantially stronger in the clinical sample. Our studies highlight the utility of the BIS subscales for clarifying the relationship between impulsiveness and the Big Five personality factors. We conclude that impulsiveness might occupy multiple places in multidimensional personality frameworks, which need to be specified to improve the interpretability of impulsiveness scales. © 2017 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
National-Level Wetland Policy Specificity and Goals Vary According to Political and Economic Indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peimer, Alex W.; Krzywicka, Adrianna E.; Cohen, Dora B.; Van den Bosch, Kyle; Buxton, Valerie L.; Stevenson, Natalie A.; Matthews, Jeffrey W.

2017-01-01

Growing recognition of the importance of wetlands to human and ecosystem well-being has led countries worldwide to implement wetland protection policies. Different countries have taken different approaches to wetland protection by implementing various policies, including territorial exclusion, market-based offsetting, and incentive programs for land users. Our objective was to describe the relationship between components of national-level wetland protection policies and national characteristics, including natural resource, economic, social, and political factors. We compiled data on the wetland policies of all 193 countries recognized by the U.N. and described the relationships among wetland policy goals and wetland protection mechanisms using non-metric multidimensional scaling. The first non-metric multidimensional scaling axis strongly correlated with whether a country had a wetland-specific environmental policy in place. Adoption of a comprehensive, wetland-specific policy was positively associated with degree of democracy and a commitment to establishing protected areas. The second non-metric multidimensional scaling axis defined a continuum of policy goals and mechanisms by which wetlands are protected, with goals to protect wetland ecosystem services on one end of the spectrum and goals to protect biodiversity on the other. Goals for protecting ecosystem services were frequently cited in policy documents of countries with agriculture-based economies, whereas goals associated with wetland biodiversity tended to be associated with tourism-based economies. We argue that the components of a country's wetland policies reflect national-level resource and economic characteristics. Understanding the relationship between the type of wetland policy countries adopt and national-level characteristics is critical for international efforts to protect wetlands.
Owls, larks, swifts, woodcocks and they are not alone: A historical review of methodology for multidimensional self-assessment of individual differences in sleep-wake pattern.

PubMed

Putilov, Arcady A

2017-01-01

Differences between the so-called larks and owls representing the opposite poles of morningness-eveningness dimension are widely known. However, scientific consensus has not yet been reached on the methodology for ranking and typing people along other dimensions of individual variation in their sleep-wake pattern. This review focused on the history and state-of-the-art of the methodology for self-assessment of individual differences in more than one trait or adaptability of the human sleep-wake cycle. The differences between this and other methodologies for the self-assessment of trait- and state-like variation in the perceived characteristics of daily rhythms were discussed and the critical issues that remained to be addressed in future studies were highlighted. These issues include a) a failure to develop a unidimensional scale for scoring chronotypological differences, b) the inconclusive results of the long-lasting search for objective markers of chronotype, c) a disagreement on both number and content of scales required for multidimensional self-assessment of chronobiological differences, d) a lack of evidence for the reliability and/or external validity of most of the proposed scales and e) an insufficient development of conceptualizations, models and model-based quantitative simulations linking the differences between people in their sleep-wake pattern with the differences in the basic parameters of underlying chronoregulatory processes. It seems that, in the nearest future, the wide implementation of portable actigraphic and somnographic devices might lead to the development of objective methodologies for multidimensional assessment and classification of sleep-wake traits and adaptabilities.
Feasibility, Validity, and Reliability of the Italian Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale for Adults in Inpatients with Severe Obesity

PubMed Central

Manzoni, Gian Mauro; Rossi, Alessandro; Marazzi, Nicoletta; Agosti, Fiorenza; De Col, Alessandra; Pietrabissa, Giada; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Molinari, Enrico; Sartorio, Allessandro

2018-01-01

Objective This study was aimed to examine the feasibility, validity, and reliability of the Italian Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL™ MFS) for adult inpatients with severe obesity. Methods 200 inpatients (81% females) with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) completed the PedsQL MFS (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue and Cognitive Fatigue domains), the Fatigue Severity Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale immediately after admission to a 3-week residential body weight reduction program. A randomized subsample of 48 patients re-completed the PedsQL MFS after 3 days. Results Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a modified hierarchical model with two items moved from the Sleep/Rest Fatigue domain to the General Fatigue domain and a second-order latent factor best fitted the data. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were acceptable to high in all scales, and small to high statistically significant correlations were found with all convergent measures, with the exception of BMI. Significant floor effects were found in two scales (Cognitive Fatigue and Sleep/Rest Fatigue). Conclusion The Italian modified PedsQL MFS for adults showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of fatigue in inpatients with severe obesity. Future studies should assess its discriminant validity as well as its responsiveness to weight reduction. PMID:29402854
An alternative to Rasch analysis using triadic comparisons and multi-dimensional scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, C.; Massof, R. W.

2016-11-01

Rasch analysis is a principled approach for estimating the magnitude of some shared property of a set of items when a group of people assign ordinal ratings to them. In the general case, Rasch analysis not only estimates person and item measures on the same invariant scale, but also estimates the average thresholds used by the population to define rating categories. However, Rasch analysis fails when there is insufficient variance in the observed responses because it assumes a probabilistic relationship between person measures, item measures and the rating assigned by a person to an item. When only a single person is rating all items, there may be cases where the person assigns the same rating to many items no matter how many times he rates them. We introduce an alternative to Rasch analysis for precisely these situations. Our approach leverages multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and requires only rank orderings of items and rank orderings of pairs of distances between items to work. Simulations show one variant of this approach - triadic comparisons with non-metric MDS - provides highly accurate estimates of item measures in realistic situations.
Psychological distress increases the risk of falling into poverty amongst older Australians: the overlooked costs-of-illness.

PubMed

Callander, Emily J; Schofield, Deborah J

2018-04-17

This paper aimed to identify whether high psychological distress is associated with an increased risk of income and multidimensional poverty amongst older adults in Australia. We undertook longitudinal analysis of the nationally representative Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australian (HILDA) survey using modified Poisson regression models to estimate the relative risk of falling into income poverty and multidimensional poverty between 2010 and 2012 for males and females, adjusting for age, employment status, place of residence, marital status and housing tenure; and Population Attributable Risk methodology to estimate the proportion of poverty directly attributable to psychological distress, measured by the Kessler 10 scale. For males, having high psychological distress increased the risk of falling into income poverty by 1.68 (95% CI: 1.02 to 2.75) and the risk of falling into multidimensional poverty by 3.40 (95% CI: 1.91 to 6.04). For females, there was no significant difference in the risk of falling into income poverty between those with high and low psychological distress (p = 0.1008), however having high psychological distress increased the risk of falling into multidimensional poverty by 2.15 (95% CI: 1.30 to 3.55). Between 2009 and 2012, 8.0% of income poverty cases for people aged 65 and over (95% CI: 7.8% to 8.4%), and 19.5% of multidimensional poverty cases for people aged 65 and over (95% CI: 19.2% to 19.9%) can be attributed to high psychological distress. The elevated risk of falling into income and multidimensional poverty has been an overlooked cost of poor mental health.
Estuarial fingerprinting through multidimensional fluorescence and multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Hall, Gregory J; Clow, Kerin E; Kenny, Jonathan E

2005-10-01

As part of a strategy for preventing the introduction of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) to U.S. estuaries, ballast water exchange (BWE) regulations have been imposed. Enforcing these regulations requires a reliable method for determining the port of origin of water in the ballast tanks of ships entering U.S. waters. This study shows that a three-dimensional fluorescence fingerprinting technique, excitation emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy, holds great promise as a ballast water analysis tool. In our technique, EEMs are analyzed by multivariate classification and curve resolution methods, such as N-way partial least squares Regression-discriminant analysis (NPLS-DA) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). We demonstrate that classification techniques can be used to discriminate among sampling sites less than 10 miles apart, encompassing Boston Harbor and two tributaries in the Mystic River Watershed. To our knowledge, this work is the first to use multivariate analysis to classify water as to location of origin. Furthermore, it is shown that curve resolution can show seasonal features within the multidimensional fluorescence data sets, which correlate with difficulty in classification.
Non-uniform sampling: post-Fourier era of NMR data collection and processing.

PubMed

Kazimierczuk, Krzysztof; Orekhov, Vladislav

2015-11-01

The invention of multidimensional techniques in the 1970s revolutionized NMR, making it the general tool of structural analysis of molecules and materials. In the most straightforward approach, the signal sampling in the indirect dimensions of a multidimensional experiment is performed in the same manner as in the direct dimension, i.e. with a grid of equally spaced points. This results in lengthy experiments with a resolution often far from optimum. To circumvent this problem, numerous sparse-sampling techniques have been developed in the last three decades, including two traditionally distinct approaches: the radial sampling and non-uniform sampling. This mini review discusses the sparse signal sampling and reconstruction techniques from the point of view of an underdetermined linear algebra problem that arises when a full, equally spaced set of sampled points is replaced with sparse sampling. Additional assumptions that are introduced to solve the problem, as well as the shape of the undersampled Fourier transform operator (visualized as so-called point spread function), are shown to be the main differences between various sparse-sampling methods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Correlative visualization techniques for multidimensional data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Treinish, Lloyd A.; Goettsche, Craig

1989-01-01

Critical to the understanding of data is the ability to provide pictorial or visual representation of those data, particularly in support of correlative data analysis. Despite the advancement of visualization techniques for scientific data over the last several years, there are still significant problems in bringing today's hardware and software technology into the hands of the typical scientist. For example, there are other computer science domains outside of computer graphics that are required to make visualization effective such as data management. Well-defined, flexible mechanisms for data access and management must be combined with rendering algorithms, data transformation, etc. to form a generic visualization pipeline. A generalized approach to data visualization is critical for the correlative analysis of distinct, complex, multidimensional data sets in the space and Earth sciences. Different classes of data representation techniques must be used within such a framework, which can range from simple, static two- and three-dimensional line plots to animation, surface rendering, and volumetric imaging. Static examples of actual data analyses will illustrate the importance of an effective pipeline in data visualization system.

Students' Beliefs about Mobile Devices vs. Desktop Computers in South Korea and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Eunmo; Mayer, Richard E.

2012-01-01

College students in the United States and in South Korea completed a 28-item multidimensional scaling (MDS) questionnaire in which they rated the similarity of 28 pairs of multimedia learning materials on a 10-point scale (e.g., narrated animation on a mobile device Vs. movie clip on a desktop computer) and a 56-item semantic differential…
Social skills of persons with self-defeating personality.

PubMed

Schill, T

1995-10-01

55 undergraduate men and 55 women took Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Personality Scale and Lorr, Youniss, and Stefic's (1991) multidimensional Social Relations Survey. As expected, persons who endorsed more self-defeating characteristics scored lower on scales which make up the Social Skills or Assertiveness Factor. However, these scores did not have significant correlations with the Empathy or Social Approval Need Scales; two of the three scales which make up the Empathy Factor. The results were discussed in terms of prior work relating deficits in social skills to dysfunctional early parenting.
Validation of Brief Multidimensional Spirituality/Religiousness Inventory (BMMRS) in Italian Adult Participants and in Participants with Medical Diseases.

PubMed

Vespa, Anna; Giulietti, Maria Velia; Spatuzzi, Roberta; Fabbietti, Paolo; Meloni, Cristina; Gattafoni, Pisana; Ottaviani, Marica

2017-06-01

This study aimed at assessing the reliability and construct validity of Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) on Italian sample. 353 Italian participants: 58.9% affected by different diseases and 41.1% healthy subjects. The results of descriptive statistics of internal consistency reliabilities (Chronbach's coefficient) of the BMMRS revealed a remarkable consistency and reliability of different scales DSE, SpC, SC, CSC, VB, SPY-WELL and a good Inter-Class Correlations ≥70 maintaining a good stability of the measures over the time. BMMRS is a useful inventory for the evaluation of the principal spiritual dimensions.
Preliminary Development of a Multidimensional Semantic Patient Experience Measurement Questionnaire.

PubMed

Kleiss, James A

2016-10-01

The purpose of this research was to assess the utility and reliability of a multidimensional patient experience measurement questionnaire in a clinical setting. Patient experience has emerged as an important metric for quality of healthcare. A number of separate concepts have been used to measure patient experience, but psychological research suggests that subjective experience is actually a composite of several independent concepts including: (a) evaluation/valence, (b) potency/control, (c) activity/arousal, and (d) novelty. The present research evaluates the reliability of a multidimensional patient experience measurement questionnaire in a clinical setting. A multidimensional semantic differential questionnaire was developed to measure the four underlying semantic dimensions of patient experience mentioned above. A group of 60 patients used the questionnaire to assess prescan expectations and postscan experience of a magnetic resonance scan. Data for one patient were deleted because their scan was interrupted. Results revealed more positive evaluation/valence, higher potency/control, and lower activity/arousal for postscan ratings compared to prescan expectations. Ratings of novelty were neutral in both the prescan and the postscan conditions. Subsequent analysis suggested that internal consistency for some concepts could be improved by replacing several specific rating scales. Present results provide evidence of the utility and reliability of a multidimensional semantic questionnaire for measuring patient experience in an actual clinical setting. Recommendations to improve internal consistency for the concepts potency/control, activity/arousal, and novelty were also provided. © The Author(s) 2016.
A combined analysis of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS), and Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R): Different perfectionist profiles in adolescent high school students.

PubMed

Sironic, Amanda; Reeve, Robert A

2015-12-01

To investigate differences and similarities in the dimensional constructs of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990), Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS; Flett, Hewitt, Boucher, Davidson, & Munro, 2000), and Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R; Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001), 938 high school students completed the 3 perfectionism questionnaires, as well as the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Preliminary analyses revealed commonly observed factor structures for each perfectionism questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of item responses from the questionnaires (combined) yielded a 4-factor solution (factors were labeled High Personal Standards, Concerns, Doubts and Discrepancy, Externally Motivated Perfectionism, and Organization and Order). A latent class analysis of individuals' mean ratings on each of the 4 factors yielded a 6-class solution. Three of the 6 classes represented perfectionist subgroups (labeled adaptive perfectionist, externally motivated maladaptive perfectionist, and mixed maladaptive perfectionist), and 3 represented nonperfectionist subgroups (labeled nonperfectionist A, nonperfectionist B, and order and organization nonperfectionist). Each of the 6 subgroups was meaningfully associated with the DASS. Findings showed that 3 out of 10 students were classified as maladaptive perfectionists, and maladaptive perfectionists were more prevalent than adaptive perfectionists. In sum, it is evident that combined ratings from the FMPS, CAPS, and APS-R offer a meaningful characterization of perfectionism. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shcheslavskiy, V. I.; Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, Minin and Pozharsky Square, 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod 603005; Neubauer, A.

We present a lifetime imaging technique that simultaneously records the fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime images in confocal laser scanning systems. It is based on modulating a high-frequency pulsed laser synchronously with the pixel clock of the scanner, and recording the fluorescence and phosphorescence signals by multidimensional time-correlated single photon counting board. We demonstrate our technique on the recording of the fluorescence/phosphorescence lifetime images of human embryonic kidney cells at different environmental conditions.
Using multi-dimensional Smolyak interpolation to make a sum-of-products potential

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

Avila, Gustavo, E-mail: Gustavo-Avila@telefonica.net; Carrington, Tucker, E-mail: Tucker.Carrington@queensu.ca

2015-07-28

We propose a new method for obtaining potential energy surfaces in sum-of-products (SOP) form. If the number of terms is small enough, a SOP potential surface significantly reduces the cost of quantum dynamics calculations by obviating the need to do multidimensional integrals by quadrature. The method is based on a Smolyak interpolation technique and uses polynomial-like or spectral basis functions and 1D Lagrange-type functions. When written in terms of the basis functions from which the Lagrange-type functions are built, the Smolyak interpolant has only a modest number of terms. The ideas are tested for HONO (nitrous acid)
Method of multi-dimensional moment analysis for the characterization of signal peaks

DOEpatents

Pfeifer, Kent B; Yelton, William G; Kerr, Dayle R; Bouchier, Francis A

2012-10-23

A method of multi-dimensional moment analysis for the characterization of signal peaks can be used to optimize the operation of an analytical system. With a two-dimensional Peclet analysis, the quality and signal fidelity of peaks in a two-dimensional experimental space can be analyzed and scored. This method is particularly useful in determining optimum operational parameters for an analytical system which requires the automated analysis of large numbers of analyte data peaks. For example, the method can be used to optimize analytical systems including an ion mobility spectrometer that uses a temperature stepped desorption technique for the detection of explosive mixtures.
Solutions for medical databases optimal exploitation.

PubMed

Branescu, I; Purcarea, V L; Dobrescu, R

2014-03-15

The paper discusses the methods to apply OLAP techniques for multidimensional databases that leverage the existing, performance-enhancing technique, known as practical pre-aggregation, by making this technique relevant to a much wider range of medical applications, as a logistic support to the data warehousing techniques. The transformations have practically low computational complexity and they may be implemented using standard relational database technology. The paper also describes how to integrate the transformed hierarchies in current OLAP systems, transparently to the user and proposes a flexible, "multimodel" federated system for extending OLAP querying to external object databases.
The Nature of Science Instrument-Elementary (NOSI-E): Using Rasch principles to develop a theoretically grounded scale to measure elementary student understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peoples, Shelagh

The purpose of this study was to determine which of three competing models will provide, reliable, interpretable, and responsive measures of elementary students' understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The Nature of Science Instrument-Elementary (NOSI-E), a 28-item Rasch-based instrument, was used to assess students' NOS understanding. The NOS construct was conceptualized using five construct dimensions (Empirical, Inventive, Theory-laden, Certainty and Socially & Culturally Embedded). The competing models represent three internal models for the NOS construct. One postulate is that the NOS construct is unidimensional where one latent construct explains the relationship between the 28 items of the NOSI-E. Alternatively, the NOS construct is composed of five independent unidimensional constructs (the consecutive approach). Lastly, the NOS construct is multidimensional and composed of five inter-related but separate dimensions. A validity argument was developed that hypothesized that the internal structure of the NOS construct is best represented by the multidimensional Rasch model. Four sets of analyses were performed in which the three representations were compared. These analyses addressed five validity aspects (content, substantive, generalizability, structural and external) of construct validity. The vast body of evidence supported the claim that the NOS construct is composed of five separate but inter-related dimensions that is best represented by the multidimensional Rasch model. The results of the multidimensional analyses indicated that the items of the five subscales were of excellent technical quality, exhibited no differential item functioning (based on gender), had an item hierarchy that conformed to theoretical expectations; and together formed subscales of reasonable reliability (> 0.7 on each subscale) that were responsive to change in the construct. Theory-laden scores from the multidimensional model predicted students' science achievement with scores from all five NOS dimensions significantly predicting students' perceptions of the constructivist nature of their classroom learning environment. The NOSI-E instrument is a theoretically grounded scale that can measure elementary students' NOS understanding and appears suitable for use in science education research.
Perfectionism in an Interpersonal Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alden, Lynn E.; Bieling, Peter M.

Numerous studies have suggested that depression and social anxiety are associated with perfectionism. The present study examines how self-oriented perfectionism and socially-prescribed perfectionism influence cognitive reactions to an interpersonal interaction. Undergraduate women (n=90) completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Beck…
COREPA-M: NEW MULTI-DIMENSIONAL FUNCTIONALITY OF THE COREPA METHOD

EPA Science Inventory

The COmmon REactivity PAttern (COREPA) method is a recently developed pattern recognition technique accounting for conformational flexibility of chemicals in 3-D quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs). The method is based on the assumption that non-congeneric chemi...
Coding Strategies and Implementations of Compressive Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Tsung-Han

This dissertation studies the coding strategies of computational imaging to overcome the limitation of conventional sensing techniques. The information capacity of conventional sensing is limited by the physical properties of optics, such as aperture size, detector pixels, quantum efficiency, and sampling rate. These parameters determine the spatial, depth, spectral, temporal, and polarization sensitivity of each imager. To increase sensitivity in any dimension can significantly compromise the others. This research implements various coding strategies subject to optical multidimensional imaging and acoustic sensing in order to extend their sensing abilities. The proposed coding strategies combine hardware modification and signal processing to exploiting bandwidth and sensitivity from conventional sensors. We discuss the hardware architecture, compression strategies, sensing process modeling, and reconstruction algorithm of each sensing system. Optical multidimensional imaging measures three or more dimensional information of the optical signal. Traditional multidimensional imagers acquire extra dimensional information at the cost of degrading temporal or spatial resolution. Compressive multidimensional imaging multiplexes the transverse spatial, spectral, temporal, and polarization information on a two-dimensional (2D) detector. The corresponding spectral, temporal and polarization coding strategies adapt optics, electronic devices, and designed modulation techniques for multiplex measurement. This computational imaging technique provides multispectral, temporal super-resolution, and polarization imaging abilities with minimal loss in spatial resolution and noise level while maintaining or gaining higher temporal resolution. The experimental results prove that the appropriate coding strategies may improve hundreds times more sensing capacity. Human auditory system has the astonishing ability in localizing, tracking, and filtering the selected sound sources or information from a noisy environment. Using engineering efforts to accomplish the same task usually requires multiple detectors, advanced computational algorithms, or artificial intelligence systems. Compressive acoustic sensing incorporates acoustic metamaterials in compressive sensing theory to emulate the abilities of sound localization and selective attention. This research investigates and optimizes the sensing capacity and the spatial sensitivity of the acoustic sensor. The well-modeled acoustic sensor allows localizing multiple speakers in both stationary and dynamic auditory scene; and distinguishing mixed conversations from independent sources with high audio recognition rate.
Invariance test of the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire: do women with breast cancer interpret this measure differently?

PubMed

Sabiston, Catherine M; Rusticus, Shayna; Brunet, Jennifer; McDonough, Meghan H; Hadd, Valerie; Hubley, Anita M; Crocker, Peter R E

2010-10-01

To examine whether the meaning and interpretation of body image are similar for breast cancer survivors and women without breast cancer. Women completed the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire--Appearance Scales as part of two studies. There were 469 women with breast cancer and 385 women without breast cancer. Invariance testing was conducted to examine whether the items assessing the body image dimensions were similar, whether the dimensions were interpreted similarly, whether the items were equally salient and meaningful, and whether there were mean differences on the body image dimensions across the two groups. The meaning and interpretation of body image dimensions related to appearance evaluation and appearance orientation were similar across the groups, yet some group differences were found for overweight preoccupation and body areas satisfaction (and not testable for self-classified weight). Breast cancer survivors reported a small yet significantly higher mean on appearance evaluation and lower mean on appearance orientation compared to the women without breast cancer. Meaningful comparisons in body image across cancer and non-cancer women can be made using two of the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire--Appearance Scales. The overweight preoccupation subscale could be used to assess body image but should not be used if group mean differences are desirable. Assessing satisfaction with body areas across these groups is not recommended and may introduce systematic bias.
The nature of self-esteem and its relationship to anxiety and depression in adult acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Longworth, Catherine; Deakins, Joseph; Rose, David; Gracey, Fergus

2016-08-31

Acquired brain injury (ABI) has a negative impact on self-esteem, which is in turn associated with mood disorders, maladaptive coping and reduced community participation. The aim of the current research was to explore self-esteem as a multi-dimensional construct and identify which factors are associated with symptoms of anxiety or depression. Eighty adults with ABI aged 17-56 years completed the Robson Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), of whom 65 also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; 57.5% of the sample had clinically low self-esteem. The RSES had good internal consistency (α = .89), and factor analysis identified four factors, which differed from those found previously in other populations. Multiple regression analysis revealed anxiety was differentially predicted by "Self-Worth" and "Self-Efficacy", R 2 = .44, F(4, 58) = 9, p < .001, and depression by "Self-Regard", R 2 = .38, F(4, 58) = 9, p < .001. A fourth factor, "Confidence", did not predict depression or anxiety. In conclusion, the RSES is a reliable measure of self-esteem after ABI. Self-esteem after ABI is multidimensional and differs in structure from self-esteem in the general population. A multidimensional model of self-esteem may be helpful in development of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural accounts of adjustment.
Pump-shaped dump optimal control reveals the nuclear reaction pathway of isomerization of a photoexcited cyanine dye.

PubMed

Dietzek, Benjamin; Brüggemann, Ben; Pascher, Torbjörn; Yartsev, Arkady

2007-10-31

Using optimal control as a spectroscopic tool we decipher the details of the molecular dynamics of the essential multidimensional excited-state photoisomerization - a fundamental chemical reaction of key importance in biology. Two distinct nuclear motions are identified in addition to the overall bond-twisting motion: Initially, the reaction is dominated by motion perpendicular to the torsion coordinate. At later times, a second optically active vibration drives the system along the reaction path to the bottom of the excited-state potential. The time scales of the wavepacket motion on a different part of the excited-state potential are detailed by pump-shaped dump optimal control. This technique offers new means to control a chemical reaction far from the Franck-Condon point of absorption and to map details of excited-state reaction pathways revealing unique insights into the underlying reaction mechanism.
"Heroes" and "villains" of world history across cultures.

PubMed

Hanke, Katja; Liu, James H; Sibley, Chris G; Paez, Dario; Gaines, Stanley O; Moloney, Gail; Leong, Chan-Hoong; Wagner, Wolfgang; Licata, Laurent; Klein, Olivier; Garber, Ilya; Böhm, Gisela; Hilton, Denis J; Valchev, Velichko; Khan, Sammyh S; Cabecinhas, Rosa

2015-01-01

Emergent properties of global political culture were examined using data from the World History Survey (WHS) involving 6,902 university students in 37 countries evaluating 40 figures from world history. Multidimensional scaling and factor analysis techniques found only limited forms of universality in evaluations across Western, Catholic/Orthodox, Muslim, and Asian country clusters. The highest consensus across cultures involved scientific innovators, with Einstein having the most positive evaluation overall. Peaceful humanitarians like Mother Theresa and Gandhi followed. There was much less cross-cultural consistency in the evaluation of negative figures, led by Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein. After more traditional empirical methods (e.g., factor analysis) failed to identify meaningful cross-cultural patterns, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify four global representational profiles: Secular and Religious Idealists were overwhelmingly prevalent in Christian countries, and Political Realists were common in Muslim and Asian countries. We discuss possible consequences and interpretations of these different representational profiles.
Using cognitive concept mapping to understand what health care means to the elderly: an illustrative approach for planning and marketing.

PubMed

Shewchuk, Richard; O'Connor, Stephen J

2002-01-01

This article describes a process that can be used for eliciting and systematically organizing perceptions held by key stakeholders. An example using a limited sample of older Medicare recipients is developed to illustrate how this approach can be used. Internally, a nominal group technique (NGT) meeting was conducted to identify an array of health care issues that were perceived as important by this group. These perceptions were then used as stimuli to develop an unforced card sort task. Data from the card sorts were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to demonstrate how qualitative input of participants can be organized. The results of these analyses are described to illustrate an example of an interpretive framework that might be used when seeking input from relevant constituents. Suggestions for how this process might be extended to health care planning/marketing efforts are provided.
Development of evaluation technique of GMAW welding quality based on statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Shengqiang; Terasaki, Hidenri; Komizo, Yuichi; Hu, Shengsun; Chen, Donggao; Ma, Zhihua

2014-11-01

Nondestructive techniques for appraising gas metal arc welding(GMAW) faults plays a very important role in on-line quality controllability and prediction of the GMAW process. On-line welding quality controllability and prediction have several disadvantages such as high cost, low efficiency, complication and greatly being affected by the environment. An enhanced, efficient evaluation technique for evaluating welding faults based on Mahalanobis distance(MD) and normal distribution is presented. In addition, a new piece of equipment, designated the weld quality tester(WQT), is developed based on the proposed evaluation technique. MD is superior to other multidimensional distances such as Euclidean distance because the covariance matrix used for calculating MD takes into account correlations in the data and scaling. The values of MD obtained from welding current and arc voltage are assumed to follow a normal distribution. The normal distribution has two parameters: the mean µ and standard deviation σ of the data. In the proposed evaluation technique used by the WQT, values of MD located in the range from zero to µ+3 σ are regarded as "good". Two experiments which involve changing the flow of shielding gas and smearing paint on the surface of the substrate are conducted in order to verify the sensitivity of the proposed evaluation technique and the feasibility of using WQT. The experimental results demonstrate the usefulness of the WQT for evaluating welding quality. The proposed technique can be applied to implement the on-line welding quality controllability and prediction, which is of great importance to design some novel equipment for weld quality detection.
Dynamic Cross-Entropy.

PubMed

Aur, Dorian; Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel

2017-01-01

Complexity measures for time series have been used in many applications to quantify the regularity of one dimensional time series, however many dynamical systems are spatially distributed multidimensional systems. We introduced Dynamic Cross-Entropy (DCE) a novel multidimensional complexity measure that quantifies the degree of regularity of EEG signals in selected frequency bands. Time series generated by discrete logistic equations with varying control parameter r are used to test DCE measures. Sliding window DCE analyses are able to reveal specific period doubling bifurcations that lead to chaos. A similar behavior can be observed in seizures triggered by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Sample entropy data show the level of signal complexity in different phases of the ictal ECT. The transition to irregular activity is preceded by the occurrence of cyclic regular behavior. A significant increase of DCE values in successive order from high frequencies in gamma to low frequencies in delta band reveals several phase transitions into less ordered states, possible chaos in the human brain. To our knowledge there are no reliable techniques able to reveal the transition to chaos in case of multidimensional times series. In addition, DCE based on sample entropy appears to be robust to EEG artifacts compared to DCE based on Shannon entropy. The applied technique may offer new approaches to better understand nonlinear brain activity. Copyright Â© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonuniform sampling and non-Fourier signal processing methods in multidimensional NMR

PubMed Central

Mobli, Mehdi; Hoch, Jeffrey C.

2017-01-01

Beginning with the introduction of Fourier Transform NMR by Ernst and Anderson in 1966, time domain measurement of the impulse response (the free induction decay, FID) consisted of sampling the signal at a series of discrete intervals. For compatibility with the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the intervals are kept uniform, and the Nyquist theorem dictates the largest value of the interval sufficient to avoid aliasing. With the proposal by Jeener of parametric sampling along an indirect time dimension, extension to multidimensional experiments employed the same sampling techniques used in one dimension, similarly subject to the Nyquist condition and suitable for processing via the discrete Fourier transform. The challenges of obtaining high-resolution spectral estimates from short data records using the DFT were already well understood, however. Despite techniques such as linear prediction extrapolation, the achievable resolution in the indirect dimensions is limited by practical constraints on measuring time. The advent of non-Fourier methods of spectrum analysis capable of processing nonuniformly sampled data has led to an explosion in the development of novel sampling strategies that avoid the limits on resolution and measurement time imposed by uniform sampling. The first part of this review discusses the many approaches to data sampling in multidimensional NMR, the second part highlights commonly used methods for signal processing of such data, and the review concludes with a discussion of other approaches to speeding up data acquisition in NMR. PMID:25456315
Tensor-Train Split-Operator Fourier Transform (TT-SOFT) Method: Multidimensional Nonadiabatic Quantum Dynamics.

PubMed

Greene, Samuel M; Batista, Victor S

2017-09-12

We introduce the "tensor-train split-operator Fourier transform" (TT-SOFT) method for simulations of multidimensional nonadiabatic quantum dynamics. TT-SOFT is essentially the grid-based SOFT method implemented in dynamically adaptive tensor-train representations. In the same spirit of all matrix product states, the tensor-train format enables the representation, propagation, and computation of observables of multidimensional wave functions in terms of the grid-based wavepacket tensor components, bypassing the need of actually computing the wave function in its full-rank tensor product grid space. We demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the TT-SOFT method as applied to propagation of 24-dimensional wave packets, describing the S 1 /S 2 interconversion dynamics of pyrazine after UV photoexcitation to the S 2 state. Our results show that the TT-SOFT method is a powerful computational approach for simulations of quantum dynamics of polyatomic systems since it avoids the exponential scaling problem of full-rank grid-based representations.
Development and validation of a self-report measure of emotional intelligence as a multidimensional trait domain.

PubMed

Tett, Robert P; Fox, Kevin E; Wang, Alvin

2005-07-01

Psychometric review of 33 peer-reviewed studies of six self-report emotional intelligence (EI) measures supports a multidimensional conceptualization of EI. The nature and number of EI facets, however, and their distinctiveness from more established trait domains is unclear. Building on earlier efforts, three studies were undertaken (Ns = 138, 163, 152) to develop self-report measures of 10 facets of EI proposed by Salovey and Mayer (1990). Results support the reliability (internal consistency, test-retest) and validity (content, criterion, construct, structural) of the proposed scales and their distinctiveness among themselves and with respect to more established trait domains (e.g., personality). Specifically, three satisfaction and four cross-cultural adaptability facets were predicted uniquely by 9 of the 10 proposed subscales, controlling for social desirability, the Big Five, positive and negative affect, and self-monitoring. All told, results confirm that trait-EI can be measured using self-report and conceptualized as a distinct multidimensional domain.
Multistability inspired by the oblique, pennate architectures of skeletal muscle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kidambi, Narayanan; Harne, Ryan L.; Wang, K. W.

2017-04-01

Skeletal muscle mechanics exhibit a range of noteworthy characteristics, providing great inspiration for the development of advanced structural and material systems. These characteristics arise from the synergies demonstrated between muscle's constituents across the various length scales. From the macroscale oblique orientation of muscle fibers to the microscale lattice spacing of sarcomeres, muscle takes advantage of geometries and multidimensionality for force generation or length change along a desired axis. Inspired by these behaviors, this research investigates how the incorporation of multidimensionality afforded by oblique, pennate architectures can uncover novel mechanics in structures exhibiting multistability. Experimental investigation of these mechanics is undertaken using specimens of molded silicone rubber with patterned voids, and results reveal tailorable mono-, bi-, and multi-stability under axial displacements by modulation of transverse confinement. If the specimen is considered as an architected material, these results show its ability to generate intriguing, non-monotonic shear stresses. The outcomes would foster the development of novel, advanced mechanical metamaterials that exploit pennation and multidimensionality.
Isoelectric focusing of small non-covalent metal species from plants.

PubMed

Köster, Jessica; Hayen, Heiko; von Wirén, Nicolaus; Weber, Günther

2011-03-01

IEF is known as a powerful electrophoretic separation technique for amphoteric molecules, in particular for proteins. The objective of the present work is to prove the suitability of IEF also for the separation of small, non-covalent metal species. Investigations are performed with copper-glutathione complexes, with the synthetic ligand ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA) and respective metal complexes (Fe, Ga, Al, Ni, Zn), and with the phytosiderophore 2'-deoxymugineic acid (DMA) and its ferric complex. It is shown that ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid and DMA species are stable during preparative scale IEF, whereas copper-glutathione dissociates considerably. It is also shown that preparative scale IEF can be applied successfully to isolate ferric DMA from real plant samples, and that multidimensional separations are possible by combining preparative scale IEF with subsequent HPLC-MS analysis. Focusing of free ligands and respective metal complexes with di- and trivalent metals results in different pIs, but CIEF is usually needed for a reliable estimation of pI values. Limitations of the proposed methods (preparative IEF and CIEF) and consequences of the results with respect to metal speciation in plants are discussed. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
HEAVY AND THERMAL OIL RECOVERY PRODUCTION MECHANISMS

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

Anthony R. Kovscek

2003-04-01

This technical progress report describes work performed from January 1 through March 31, 2003 for the project ''Heavy and Thermal Oil Recovery Production Mechanisms,'' DE-FC26-00BC15311. In this project, a broad spectrum of research is undertaken related to thermal and heavy-oil recovery. The research tools and techniques span from pore-level imaging of multiphase fluid flow to definition of reservoir-scale features through streamline-based history matching techniques. During this period, previous analysis of experimental data regarding multidimensional imbibition to obtain shape factors appropriate for dual-porosity simulation was verified by comparison among analytic, dual-porosity simulation, and fine-grid simulation. We continued to study the mechanismsmore » by which oil is produced from fractured porous media at high pressure and high temperature. Temperature has a beneficial effect on recovery and reduces residual oil saturation. A new experiment was conducted on diatomite core. Significantly, we show that elevated temperature induces fines release in sandstone cores and this behavior may be linked to wettability. Our work in the area of primary production of heavy oil continues with field cores and crude oil. On the topic of reservoir definition, work continued on developing techniques that integrate production history into reservoir models using streamline-based properties.« less
Non-contact temperature measurements in support of microgravity combustion experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, Paul S.

1989-01-01

Recent conceptual advances in the understanding of combustion science fundamentals in the context of microgravity processes and phenomenology have resulted in an increased demand for diagnostic systems of greater sophistication. Owing primarily to the severe operational constraints that accompany the space flight environment, measurement systems to date remain fairly primative in nature. Qualitative pictures provided by photographic recording media comprise the majority of the existing data, the remainder consisting of the output of conventional transducers, such as thermocouples, hot wires, and pressure transducers. The absence of the rather strong influence of buoyant convection renders microgravity combustion phenomena more fragile than their 1-G counterparts. The emphasis was placed on nonperturbing optical diagnostics. Other factors such as limited supplies of expendable reactants, and periods of microgravity time of sufficient duration, coupled with more fundamental questions regarding inherent length and time scales and reproducibility have favored multipoint or multidimensional techniques. While the development of optical diagnostics for application to combustion science is an extremely active area at present, the peculiarities of space flight hardware severely restrict the feasibility of implementing the majority of techniques which are being utilized in terrestrial applications. The additional requirements for system reliability and operational simplicity have tended to promote somewhat less commonly emphasized techniques such as refractive index mapping and molecular Rayleigh scattering, which are briefly discussed.
A Multi-dimensional Model for Vehicle Impact on Traffic Safety, Congestion, and Environment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

The Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) has recently received great attention in the research : community. It offers a revolutionary vision of transportation, in which a full-scale : communication scheme between vehicles (V2V) and vehicles and in...
Psychometric properties of the multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA) in a Chilean population

PubMed Central

Valenzuela-Moguillansky, Camila; Reyes-Reyes, Alejandro

2015-01-01

The multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA) is an instrument designed to assess interoceptive awareness. The aim of this study was to adapt the original MAIA scale to Spanish and to analyze its psychometric properties in a Chilean population. The MAIA was administered to 470 adults, aged 18–70 years, 76.6% women and 23.4% men, residents of the provinces of Valparaíso and Concepción, Chile. Exploratory factor analysis reduced the scale from 32 to 30 items. Confirmatory factor analysis supports a structure of eight interrelated factors (Noticing, Not-Distracting, Not-Worrying, Attention Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Self- Regulation, Body Listening, and Trusting), similar to the original scale (χ2(371) = 659.78, p = 0.0001; CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.056 and SRMR = 0.059). The Spanish version showed appropriate indicators of construct validity and reliability, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.90 for the total scale, and values between 0.40 and 0.86 for the different subscales. Similar to previous studies, low reliability was observed in two of the eight scales (Not-Distracting and Not-Worrying), thus further revision of these subscales is suggested. The Spanish version of MAIA proved to be a valid and reliable tool to investigate interoceptive awareness in the Chilean population. PMID:25717312
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in People With Hepatitis B Infection: Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version.

PubMed

Saffari, Mohsen; Naderi, Maryam K; Piper, Crystal N; Koenig, Harold G

There is no valid and well-established tool to measure fatigue in people with chronic hepatitis B. The aim of this study was to translate the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) into Persian and examine its reliability and validity in Iranian people with chronic hepatitis B. The demographic questionnaire and MFI, as well as Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire and EuroQol-5D (to assess criterion validity), were administered in face-to-face interviews with 297 participants. A forward-backward translation method was used to develop a culturally adapted Persian version of the questionnaire. Cronbach's α was used to assess the internal reliability of the scale. Pearson correlation was used to assess criterion validity, and known-group method was used along with factor analysis to establish construct validity. Cronbach's α for the total scale was 0.89. Convergent and discriminant validities were also established. Correlations between the MFI and the health-related quality of life scales were significant (p < .01). The scale differentiated between subgroups of persons with the hepatitis B infection in terms of age, gender, employment, education, disease duration, and stage of disease. Factor analysis indicated a four-factor solution for the scale that explained 60% of the variance. The MFI is a valid and reliable instrument to identify fatigue in Iranians with hepatitis B.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Cognitive Functioning from the Perspective of Parents of School-Aged Children with Asperger's Syndrome Utilizing the PedsQL[TM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limbers, Christine A.; Heffer, Robert W.; Varni, James W.

2009-01-01

HRQOL as a multidimensional construct has not been previously investigated in children with Asperger's Syndrome. The objective of the present study was to examine the initial feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL[TM] 4.0 Generic Core Scales and PedsQL[TM] Cognitive Functioning Scale parent proxy-report versions in school-aged…
Scale-up of nature's tissue weaving algorithms to engineer advanced functional materials.

PubMed

Ng, Joanna L; Knothe, Lillian E; Whan, Renee M; Knothe, Ulf; Tate, Melissa L Knothe

2017-01-11

We are literally the stuff from which our tissue fabrics and their fibers are woven and spun. The arrangement of collagen, elastin and other structural proteins in space and time embodies our tissues and organs with amazing resilience and multifunctional smart properties. For example, the periosteum, a soft tissue sleeve that envelops all nonarticular bony surfaces of the body, comprises an inherently "smart" material that gives hard bones added strength under high impact loads. Yet a paucity of scalable bottom-up approaches stymies the harnessing of smart tissues' biological, mechanical and organizational detail to create advanced functional materials. Here, a novel approach is established to scale up the multidimensional fiber patterns of natural soft tissue weaves for rapid prototyping of advanced functional materials. First second harmonic generation and two-photon excitation microscopy is used to map the microscopic three-dimensional (3D) alignment, composition and distribution of the collagen and elastin fibers of periosteum, the soft tissue sheath bounding all nonarticular bone surfaces in our bodies. Then, using engineering rendering software to scale up this natural tissue fabric, as well as multidimensional weaving algorithms, macroscopic tissue prototypes are created using a computer-controlled jacquard loom. The capacity to prototype scaled up architectures of natural fabrics provides a new avenue to create advanced functional materials.
Scale-up of nature’s tissue weaving algorithms to engineer advanced functional materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Joanna L.; Knothe, Lillian E.; Whan, Renee M.; Knothe, Ulf; Tate, Melissa L. Knothe

2017-01-01

We are literally the stuff from which our tissue fabrics and their fibers are woven and spun. The arrangement of collagen, elastin and other structural proteins in space and time embodies our tissues and organs with amazing resilience and multifunctional smart properties. For example, the periosteum, a soft tissue sleeve that envelops all nonarticular bony surfaces of the body, comprises an inherently “smart” material that gives hard bones added strength under high impact loads. Yet a paucity of scalable bottom-up approaches stymies the harnessing of smart tissues’ biological, mechanical and organizational detail to create advanced functional materials. Here, a novel approach is established to scale up the multidimensional fiber patterns of natural soft tissue weaves for rapid prototyping of advanced functional materials. First second harmonic generation and two-photon excitation microscopy is used to map the microscopic three-dimensional (3D) alignment, composition and distribution of the collagen and elastin fibers of periosteum, the soft tissue sheath bounding all nonarticular bone surfaces in our bodies. Then, using engineering rendering software to scale up this natural tissue fabric, as well as multidimensional weaving algorithms, macroscopic tissue prototypes are created using a computer-controlled jacquard loom. The capacity to prototype scaled up architectures of natural fabrics provides a new avenue to create advanced functional materials.
Factor Structure, Factorial Invariance, and Validity of the Multidimensional Shame-Related Response Inventory-21 (MSRI-21)

PubMed Central

Garcia, Antonio F.; Acosta, Melina; Pirani, Saifa; Edwards, Daniel; Osman, Augustine

2017-01-01

We describe 2 studies designed to evaluate scores on the Multidimensional Shame-related Response Inventory-21 (MSRI-21), a recently developed instrument that measures affective and behavioral responses to shame. The inventory assesses shame-related responses in 3 categories: negative self-evaluation, fear of social consequences, and maladaptive behavior tendency. For Study 1, (N = 743) undergraduates completed the MSRI-21. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the MSRI-21 3-factor structure. Latent variable modeling of coefficient-α provided strong evidence for the internal consistency of scores on each scale. In Study 2, (N = 540) undergraduates completed the instrument along with 5 concurrent measures chosen for clinical significance. Achievement of factorial invariance supported the use of MSRI-21 scale scores to make valid mean comparisons across gender. In addition, MSRI-21 scale scores were associated as expected with scores on measures of self-harm, suicide, and other risk factors. Taken together, results of 2 studies support the internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, factorial invariance, and convergent validity of scores on the MSRI-21. Further work is needed to assess the temporal stability of the MSRI-21 scale scores, invariance across clinical status and other groupings, item-level measurement properties, and viability in highly symptomatic samples. PMID:28182490
Application of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.

PubMed Central

Smets, E. M.; Garssen, B.; Cull, A.; de Haes, J. C.

1996-01-01

In this paper the psychometric properties of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) are established further in cancer patients. The MFI is a 20-item self-report instrument designed to measure fatigue. It covers the following dimensions: general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation and mental fatigue. The instrument was used in a Dutch and Scottish sample of cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. The dimensional structure was assessed using confirmatory factor analyses (Lisrel's unweighted least-squares method). The hypothesised five-factor model appeared to fit the data in both samples (adjusted goodness of fit; AGFI: 0.97 and 0.98). Internal consistency of the separate scales was good in both the Dutch and Scottish samples with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.79 to 0.93. Construct validity was assessed by correlating the MFI-20 to activities of daily living, anxiety and depression. Significant relations were assumed. Convergent validity was investigated by correlating the MFI scales with a visual analogue scale measuring fatigue and with a fatigue-scale derived from the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist. Results support the validity of the MFI-20. The highly similar results in the Dutch and Scottish sample suggest that the portrayal of fatigue using the MFI-20 is quite robust. PMID:8546913
A validity and reliability study of the Turkish Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale in chronic musculoskeletal physical therapy patients.

PubMed

Yildirim, Yücel; Ergin, Gülbin

2013-01-01

Fatigue is primarily a subjective experience and self-report is the most common approach used to measure fatigue. Numerous self-report instruments have been developed to measure fatigue. Unfortunately, each of these measures was tailored for the situation in which fatigue was studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish language version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale (MAF-T) in chronic musculoskeletal physical therapy patients. The MAF-T was supplied by the MAPI Research Institute, and 69 chronic musculoskeletal physical therapy patients were evaluated. To validate MAF-T, all participants completed the MAF-T and Short Form-36 (SF-36). The MAF was administered again one week later to assess test-retest reliability. Using Cronbach α, the internal consistency reliability of the MAF-T was 0.90, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) reliability was 0.96. Item-discriminant validity was calculated between r=0.14 and r=0.82. The correlations between the total scores of the MAF-T scale and the subscale scores of SF-36 were negative and significant (p< 0.01). The MAF-T is a valid and reliable scale for assessing fatigue in chronic musculoskeletal physical therapy patients.
Effects of multidimensional pelvic floor muscle training in healthy young women.

PubMed

Talasz, Helena; Kalchschmid, Elisabeth; Kofler, Markus; Lechleitner, Monika

2012-03-01

Cross-sectional and interventional study to assess pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function in healthy young nulliparous women and to determine the effects of a 3-month PFM training program with emphasis on co-contraction of PFM and anterolateral abdominal muscles and on correctly performed coughing patterns. PFM function was assessed by digital vaginal palpation in 40 volunteers and graded according to the 6-point Oxford grading scale. The PFM training program was comprised theoretical instruction, as well as verbal feedback during hands-on instruction and repeated training sessions focussing on strengthening PFM and anterolateral abdominal muscle co-contraction during forced expiration and coughing. At baseline, 30 women (75%) were able to perform normal PFM contractions at rest (Oxford scale score ≥ 3); only 4 of them (10%) presented additional involuntary PFM contractions before and during coughing. The remaining 10 women (25%) were unable to perform voluntary or involuntary PFM contractions. Mean Oxford scale score in the whole group was 3.3 ± 1.7. After completing the PFM training program, 29 women (72.5%) performed cough-related PFM contractions and group mean Oxford scale score increased significantly to 4.2 ± 1.0. The study shows that PFM dysfunction may be detected even in healthy young women. Multidimensional training, however, may significantly improve PFM function.
Validity of the Male Depression Risk Scale in a representative Canadian sample: sensitivity and specificity in identifying men with recent suicide attempt.

PubMed

Rice, Simon M; Ogrodniczuk, John S; Kealy, David; Seidler, Zac E; Dhillon, Haryana M; Oliffe, John L

2017-12-22

Clinical practice and literature has supported the existence of a phenotypic sub-type of depression in men. While a number of self-report rating scales have been developed in order to empirically test the male depression construct, psychometric validation of these scales is limited. To confirm the psychometric properties of the multidimensional Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22) and to develop clinical cut-off scores for the MDRS-22. Data were obtained from an online sample of 1000 Canadian men (median age (M) = 49.63, standard deviation (SD) = 14.60). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to replicate the established six-factor model of the MDRS-22. Psychometric values of the MDRS subscales were comparable to the widely used Patient Health Questionnaire-9. CFA model fit indices indicated adequate model fit for the six-factor MDRS-22 model. ROC curve analysis indicated the MDRS-22 was effective for identifying those with a recent (previous four-weeks) suicide attempt (area under curve (AUC) values = 0.837). The MDRS-22 cut-off identified proportionally more (84.62%) cases of recent suicide attempt relative to the PHQ-9 moderate range (53.85%). The MDRS-22 is the first male-sensitive depression scale to be psychometrically validated using CFA techniques in independent and cross-nation samples. Additional studies should identify differential item functioning and evaluate cross-cultural effects.
Single-indicator-based Multidimensional Sensing: Detection and Identification of Heavy Metal Ions and Understanding the Foundations from Experiment to Simulation

PubMed Central

Leng, Yumin; Qian, Sihua; Wang, Yuhui; Lu, Cheng; Ji, Xiaoxu; Lu, Zhiwen; Lin, Hengwei

2016-01-01

Multidimensional sensing offers advantages in accuracy, diversity and capability for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of multiple analytes, however, the previous reports usually require complicated synthesis/fabrication process and/or need a variety of techniques (or instruments) to acquire signals. Therefore, to take full advantages of this concept, simple designs are highly desirable. Herein, a novel concept is conceived to construct multidimensional sensing platforms based on a single indicator that has capability of showing diverse color/fluorescence responses with the addition of different analytes. Through extracting hidden information from these responses, such as red, green and blue (RGB) alterations, a triple-channel-based multidimensional sensing platform could consequently be fabricated, and the RGB alterations are further applicable to standard statistical methods. As a proof-of-concept study, a triple-channel sensing platform is fabricated solely using dithizone with assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for hyperchromicity and sensitization, which demonstrates superior capabilities in detection and identification of ten common heavy metal ions at their standard concentrations of wastewater-discharge of China. Moreover, this sensing platform exhibits promising applications in semi-quantitative and even quantitative analysis individuals of these heavy metal ions with high sensitivity as well. Finally, density functional theory calculations are performed to reveal the foundations for this analysis. PMID:27146105
Modafinil May Alleviate Poststroke Fatigue: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blinded Trial.

PubMed

Poulsen, Mai Bang; Damgaard, Bodil; Zerahn, Bo; Overgaard, Karsten; Rasmussen, Rune Skovgaard

2015-12-01

Poststroke fatigue is common and reduces quality of life. Current evidence for intervention is limited, and this is the first placebo-controlled trial to investigate treatment of poststroke fatigue with the wakefulness promoting drug modafinil. The trial was randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled. Patients were treated with 400-mg modafinil or placebo for 90 days. Assessments were done at inclusion, 30, 90, and 180 days. The primary end point was fatigue at 90 days measured by the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 general fatigue domain. Secondary end points included the Fatigue Severity Scale, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the modified Rankin Scale and the Stroke-specific quality of Life questionnaire. Adult patients with a recent stroke achieving a score of ≥12 on the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 general fatigue domain were consecutively included. Exclusion criteria were severe cognitive disabilities and contraindications for modafinil treatment. One thousand one hundred twenty-one patients with stroke were screened and 41 patients included, 21 received modafinil. The primary end point, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 general fatigue score, did not differ between groups. Patients in the modafinil group obtained better scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale (P=0.02) and in some subscales of the stroke-specific quality of life questionnaire (0.001

Stress at work: development of the Stress Perception Questionnaire of Rome (SPQR), an ad hoc questionnaire for multidimensional assessment of work related stress.

PubMed

Cinti, M E; Cannavò, M; Fioravanti, M

2017-01-01

Stress is an emotional condition, mostly experienced as negative, initially identified and defined by Selye in the mid-thirties of the last Century. Since the first definition, stress concerns the adaptation pro- cess mostly related to environmental changes. An application of stress focuses on the evaluation of its interference on work conditions, and the scientific evidence on work related stress is very ample and rich. We are proposing a new ad hoc questionnaire for the multidimensional assessment of work related stress, called Stress Perception Question- naire of Rome (SPQR) composed of 50 items. The development of this questionnaire is based on a multi-step process: a) Identification of all the relevant topics to work related stress and areas in the scientific evidence and their transformation on specific contents of 60 tentative items; b) Exploratory factor analysis aimed to identify the best items (50) which could guarantee the maximum convergence on single scales (8), and the minimum redundancy between scales; c) Validation of the 8 scales' structure by a confirmatory factor analysis (fully achieved); d) Factor analysis for a second level factor resulting in a single factor identified as the questionnaire total score (Stress Score); d) Reliability analysis of the questionnaire total score and the single scale scores (at optimum level); e) Validation by external criteria of work related stress identified in the presence of personal violence episodes experienced by a group of health workers with different professional profiles and from two different hospitals in Rome. Our results show that the SPQR is a useful and sensitive tool for assessing the presence of emotional stress related problems identifiable in a work environment. The advantage of this questionnaire is that it allows for a multidimensional description of the different components of this problematic area besides its ability to quantify the overall stress level of those who have been administered the SPQR.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Classical Multidimensional Scaling Unveil New Metastable States in the Conformational Landscape of CDK2

PubMed Central

Pisani, Pasquale; Rastelli, Giulio

2016-01-01

Protein kinases are key regulatory nodes in cellular networks and their function has been shown to be intimately coupled with their structural flexibility. However, understanding the key structural mechanisms of large conformational transitions remains a difficult task. CDK2 is a crucial regulator of cell cycle. Its activity is finely tuned by Cyclin E/A and the catalytic segment phosphorylation, whereas its deregulation occurs in many types of cancer. ATP competitive inhibitors have failed to be approved for clinical use due to toxicity issues raised by a lack of selectivity. However, in the last few years type III allosteric inhibitors have emerged as an alternative strategy to selectively modulate CDK2 activity. In this study we have investigated the conformational variability of CDK2. A low dimensional conformational landscape of CDK2 was modeled using classical multidimensional scaling on a set of 255 crystal structures. Microsecond-scale plain and accelerated MD simulations were used to populate this landscape by using an out-of-sample extension of multidimensional scaling. CDK2 was simulated in the apo-form and in complex with the allosteric inhibitor 8-anilino-1-napthalenesulfonic acid (ANS). The apo-CDK2 landscape analysis showed a conformational equilibrium between an Src-like inactive conformation and an active-like form. These two states are separated by different metastable states that share hybrid structural features with both forms of the kinase. In contrast, the CDK2/ANS complex landscape is compatible with a conformational selection picture where the binding of ANS in proximity of the αC helix causes a population shift toward the inactive conformation. Interestingly, the new metastable states could enlarge the pool of candidate structures for the development of selective allosteric CDK2 inhibitors. The method here presented should not be limited to the CDK2 case but could be used to systematically unmask similar mechanisms throughout the human kinome. PMID:27100206
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Classical Multidimensional Scaling Unveil New Metastable States in the Conformational Landscape of CDK2.

PubMed

Pisani, Pasquale; Caporuscio, Fabiana; Carlino, Luca; Rastelli, Giulio

2016-01-01

Protein kinases are key regulatory nodes in cellular networks and their function has been shown to be intimately coupled with their structural flexibility. However, understanding the key structural mechanisms of large conformational transitions remains a difficult task. CDK2 is a crucial regulator of cell cycle. Its activity is finely tuned by Cyclin E/A and the catalytic segment phosphorylation, whereas its deregulation occurs in many types of cancer. ATP competitive inhibitors have failed to be approved for clinical use due to toxicity issues raised by a lack of selectivity. However, in the last few years type III allosteric inhibitors have emerged as an alternative strategy to selectively modulate CDK2 activity. In this study we have investigated the conformational variability of CDK2. A low dimensional conformational landscape of CDK2 was modeled using classical multidimensional scaling on a set of 255 crystal structures. Microsecond-scale plain and accelerated MD simulations were used to populate this landscape by using an out-of-sample extension of multidimensional scaling. CDK2 was simulated in the apo-form and in complex with the allosteric inhibitor 8-anilino-1-napthalenesulfonic acid (ANS). The apo-CDK2 landscape analysis showed a conformational equilibrium between an Src-like inactive conformation and an active-like form. These two states are separated by different metastable states that share hybrid structural features with both forms of the kinase. In contrast, the CDK2/ANS complex landscape is compatible with a conformational selection picture where the binding of ANS in proximity of the αC helix causes a population shift toward the inactive conformation. Interestingly, the new metastable states could enlarge the pool of candidate structures for the development of selective allosteric CDK2 inhibitors. The method here presented should not be limited to the CDK2 case but could be used to systematically unmask similar mechanisms throughout the human kinome.
Experimental Mathematics and Mathematical Physics

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

Bailey, David H.; Borwein, Jonathan M.; Broadhurst, David

2009-06-26

One of the most effective techniques of experimental mathematics is to compute mathematical entities such as integrals, series or limits to high precision, then attempt to recognize the resulting numerical values. Recently these techniques have been applied with great success to problems in mathematical physics. Notable among these applications are the identification of some key multi-dimensional integrals that arise in Ising theory, quantum field theory and in magnetic spin theory.
Multi-Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-14

SLAM technique since this setup, having a LIDAR with long-range high-accuracy measurement capability, allows accurate localization and mapping more...achieve the accuracy of 25cm due to the use of multi-dimensional information. OGM is, similarly to SLAM , carried out by using LIDAR data. The OGM...a result of the development and implementation of the hybrid feature-based/scan-matching Simultaneous Localization and Mapping ( SLAM ) technique, the
Reduction of multi-dimensional laboratory data to a two-dimensional plot: a novel technique for the identification of laboratory error.

PubMed

Kazmierczak, Steven C; Leen, Todd K; Erdogmus, Deniz; Carreira-Perpinan, Miguel A

2007-01-01

The clinical laboratory generates large amounts of patient-specific data. Detection of errors that arise during pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes is difficult. We performed a pilot study, utilizing a multidimensional data reduction technique, to assess the utility of this method for identifying errors in laboratory data. We evaluated 13,670 individual patient records collected over a 2-month period from hospital inpatients and outpatients. We utilized those patient records that contained a complete set of 14 different biochemical analytes. We used two-dimensional generative topographic mapping to project the 14-dimensional record to a two-dimensional space. The use of a two-dimensional generative topographic mapping technique to plot multi-analyte patient data as a two-dimensional graph allows for the rapid identification of potentially anomalous data. Although we performed a retrospective analysis, this technique has the benefit of being able to assess laboratory-generated data in real time, allowing for the rapid identification and correction of anomalous data before they are released to the physician. In addition, serial laboratory multi-analyte data for an individual patient can also be plotted as a two-dimensional plot. This tool might also be useful for assessing patient wellbeing and prognosis.
Feasibility, Validity, and Reliability of the Italian Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale for Adults in Inpatients with Severe Obesity.

PubMed

Manzoni, Gian Mauro; Rossi, Alessandro; Marazzi, Nicoletta; Agosti, Fiorenza; De Col, Alessandra; Pietrabissa, Giada; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Molinari, Enrico; Sartorio, Allessandro

2018-01-01

This study was aimed to examine the feasibility, validity, and reliability of the Italian Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL™ MFS) for adult inpatients with severe obesity. 200 inpatients (81% females) with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) completed the PedsQL MFS (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue and Cognitive Fatigue domains), the Fatigue Severity Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale immediately after admission to a 3-week residential body weight reduction program. A randomized subsample of 48 patients re-completed the PedsQL MFS after 3 days. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a modified hierarchical model with two items moved from the Sleep/Rest Fatigue domain to the General Fatigue domain and a second-order latent factor best fitted the data. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were acceptable to high in all scales, and small to high statistically significant correlations were found with all convergent measures, with the exception of BMI. Significant floor effects were found in two scales (Cognitive Fatigue and Sleep/Rest Fatigue). The Italian modified PedsQL MFS for adults showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of fatigue in inpatients with severe obesity. Future studies should assess its discriminant validity as well as its responsiveness to weight reduction. © 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.
Attributional Style and Self-Efficacy in Singaporean Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Lay See; Tan, Kayce

2012-01-01

This investigation examined the relationship between adolescent students' attributional style and their perceived academic self-efficacy using the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ) (Seligman et al., 1984) and Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self Efficacy (Bandura, 1989). Attributional style, defined as the way in which…
An Empirical Typology of Perfectionism in Academically Talented Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Wayne D.

1997-01-01

A national sample of 820 academically talented children took the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Cluster analyses of scores found a three-cluster solution. Further analyses indicated that these clusters were: nonperfectionistic (32.%), healthy perfectionistic (41.7%), and dysfunctional perfectionistic (25.5%). The construct of perfectionism…
The Dimensions Underlying Loneliness Counseling Interventions: A Multidimensional Scaling Solution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padula, Marjorie A.; Conoley, Collie W.; Garbin, Calvin P.

1998-01-01

Major dimensions affecting clients' acceptance of loneliness-counseling interventions are investigated, and results compared with theoretically posited dimensions. Data were collected from university students (N=241) who sorted interventions for similarity. Four dimensions of interventions resulted: (1) type of activity; (2) counselor/client…
Multidimensional Perception of Counselor Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barak, Azy; LaCrosse, Michael B.

1975-01-01

Investigated Strong's prediction of the existence of three dimensions of perceived counselor behavior--expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Films of interviews given by Rogers, Ellis, and Perls were watched by 202 subjects, who rated each counselor on 36 bipolar scales. Results supported the existence of the hypothesized dimensions for…
Watershed Alteration Impacts to Benthic Diatom Assemblages in Streams

EPA Science Inventory

To examine the use of diatoms as indicators of urban impacts to streams, we identified relationships of diatom assemblages with water chemistry and land use for 160 sites in New England. The first axis of a nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination showed significant relation...
Identifying Institutional Clientele; Applied Metamarketing in Higher Education Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leister, Douglas V.

1975-01-01

Presents methodology, philosophy, findings, and conclusions of a study designed to increase physical plant and institutional efficiency and to identify ways of broadening student appeal through innovative programs. Advocates use by educational administrators of metamarketing procedures used: multidimensional scaling and other attitude research…
Spatial versus Tree Representations of Proximity Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pruzansky, Sandra; And Others

1982-01-01

Two-dimensional euclidean planes and additive trees are two of the most common representations of proximity data for multidimensional scaling. Guidelines for comparing these representations and discovering properties that could help identify which representation is more appropriate for a given data set are presented. (Author/JKS)
Gastrointestinal symptoms predictors of health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To investigate the patient-reported multidimensional gastrointestinal symptoms predictors of generic health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scales and ...
Combining molecular fingerprints with multidimensional scaling analyses to identify the source of spilled oil from highly similar suspected oils.

PubMed

Zhou, Peiyu; Chen, Changshu; Ye, Jianjun; Shen, Wenjie; Xiong, Xiaofei; Hu, Ping; Fang, Hongda; Huang, Chuguang; Sun, Yongge

2015-04-15

Oil fingerprints have been a powerful tool widely used for determining the source of spilled oil. In most cases, this tool works well. However, it is usually difficult to identify the source if the oil spill accident occurs during offshore petroleum exploration due to the highly similar physiochemical characteristics of suspected oils from the same drilling platform. In this report, a case study from the waters of the South China Sea is presented, and multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) is introduced to demonstrate how oil fingerprints can be combined with mathematical methods to identify the source of spilled oil from highly similar suspected sources. The results suggest that the MDS calculation based on oil fingerprints and subsequently integrated with specific biomarkers in spilled oils is the most effective method with a great potential for determining the source in terms of highly similar suspected oils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Psychometric properties of the multidimensional perfectionism scale of Hewitt in a dutch-speaking sample: associations with the big five personality traits.

PubMed

De Cuyper, Kathleen; Claes, Laurence; Hermans, Dirk; Pieters, Guido; Smits, Dirk

2015-01-01

We administered the Dutch Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale of Hewitt and Flett (1991, 2004) in a large student sample (N = 959) and performed a confirmatory factor analysis to test the factorial structure proposed by the original authors. The existence of a method factor referring to the negatively keyed items in the questionnaire was investigated by including it in the tested models. Next, we investigated how the 3 perfectionism dimensions are associated with the Five-factor model (FFM) of personality. The 3-factor structure originally observed by the authors was confirmed, at least when a method factor that refers to the negatively keyed items was included in the model. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were both distinguished by low extraversion and low emotional stability. Self-oriented perfectionism's positive relationship with both conscientiousness and openness to experience differentiated the 2 perfectionism dimensions from each other. Other-oriented perfectionism was not well-characterized by the Big Five personality traits.
Psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the medical outcomes study social support survey (MOS-SSS-C).

PubMed

Yu, Doris S F; Lee, Diana T F; Woo, Jean

2004-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS-C) in a sample of 110 patients. Criterion-related and construct validities of the MOS-SSS-C were evaluated by correlations with the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Survey (r =.82) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (r = -.58). Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed the four-factor structure of the MOS-SSS-C in measuring the functional aspects of perceived social support. Cronbach's alphas for the subscales ranged from.93 to.96, whereas the alpha for the overall scale was.98. The 2-week test-retest reliability of the MOS-SSS-C as measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient was.84. The MOS-SSS-C is a psychometrically sound multidimensional measure for the evaluation of functional aspects of perceived social support by Chinese patients with chronic disease. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Escher in color space: individual-differences multidimensional scaling of color dissimilarities collected with a gestalt formation task.

PubMed

Bimler, David; Kirkland, John; Pichler, Shaun

2004-02-01

The structure of color perception can be examined by collecting judgments about color dissimilarities. In the procedure used here, stimuli are presented three at a time on a computer monitor and the spontaneous grouping of most-similar stimuli into gestalts provides the dissimilarity comparisons. Analysis with multidimensional scaling allows such judgments to be pooled from a number of observers without obscuring the variations among them. The anomalous perceptions of color-deficient observers produce comparisons that are represented well by a geometric model of compressed individual color spaces, with different forms of deficiency distinguished by different directions of compression. The geometrical model is also capable of accommodating the normal spectrum of variation, so that there is greater variation in compression parameters between tests on normal subjects than in those between repeated tests on individual subjects. The method is sufficiently sensitive and the variations sufficiently large that they are not obscured by the use of a range of monitors, even under somewhat loosely controlled conditions.
The Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30): A New Multidimensional Construct Measure.

PubMed

Cassidy, Simon

2016-01-01

Resilience is a psychological construct observed in some individuals that accounts for success despite adversity. Resilience reflects the ability to bounce back, to beat the odds and is considered an asset in human characteristic terms. Academic resilience contextualizes the resilience construct and reflects an increased likelihood of educational success despite adversity. The paper provides an account of the development of a new multidimensional construct measure of academic resilience. The 30 item Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) explores process-as opposed to outcome-aspects of resilience, providing a measure of academic resilience based on students' specific adaptive cognitive-affective and behavioral responses to academic adversity. Findings from the study involving a sample of undergraduate students ( N = 532) demonstrate that the ARS-30 has good internal reliability and construct validity. It is suggested that a measure such as the ARS-30, which is based on adaptive responses, aligns more closely with the conceptualisation of resilience and provides a valid construct measure of academic resilience relevant for research and practice in university student populations.

Belief in a Just What? Demystifying Just World Beliefs by Distinguishing Sources of Justice

PubMed Central

Stroebe, Katherine; Postmes, Tom; Täuber, Susanne; Stegeman, Alwin; John, Melissa-Sue

2015-01-01

People’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) plays an important role in coping with misfortune and unfairness. This paper demonstrates that understanding of the BJW concept, and its consequences for behavior, is enhanced if we specify what (or who) the source of justice might be. We introduce a new scale, the 5-Dimensional Belief in a Just Treatment Scale (BJT5), which distinguishes five causal dimensions of BJW (God, Nature, Other People, Self, Chance). We confirm the 5-factor structure of the BJT5. We then address whether the BJW should be considered a uni- and/or multi-dimensional construct and find support for our multi-dimensional approach. Finally, we demonstrate convergent and discriminant validity with respect to important correlates of BJW as well as action in response to important negative life events and societal attitudes. This work illustrates the importance of distinguishing causal dimensions with regard to who distributes justice. PMID:25803025
Empirical modeling of an alcohol expectancy memory network using multidimensional scaling.

PubMed

Rather, B C; Goldman, M S; Roehrich, L; Brannick, M

1992-02-01

Risk-related antecedent variables can be linked to later alcohol consumption by memory processes, and alcohol expectancies may be one relevant memory content. To advance research in this area, it would be useful to apply current memory models such as semantic network theory to explain drinking decision processes. We used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to empirically model a preliminary alcohol expectancy semantic network, from which a theoretical account of drinking decision making was generated. Subanalyses (PREFMAP) showed how individuals with differing alcohol consumption histories may have had different association pathways within the expectancy network. These pathways may have, in turn influenced future drinking levels and behaviors while the person was under the influence of alcohol. All individuals associated positive/prosocial effects with drinking, but heavier drinkers indicated arousing effects as their highest probability associates, whereas light drinkers expected sedation. An important early step in this MDS modeling process is the determination of iso-meaning expectancy adjective groups, which correspond to theoretical network nodes.
A psychometric study of the multidimensional fatigue inventory to assess fatigue in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Hedlund, Lena; Gyllensten, Amanda Lundvik; Hansson, Lars

2015-04-01

Fatigue is frequently reported by patients with mental illness. The multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) is a self-assessment instrument with 20 items including five dimensions of fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, convergent construct validity and feasibility of using MFI-20 in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Patients completed two self-assessment instruments, MFI-20 (n = 93) and Visual Analogue Scale (n = 79), twice within 1 week ± 2 days. Fifty-three patients also rated the feasibility of responding to the MFI-20 with a Likert scale. The test-retest reliability and validity were analysed by using Spearman's correlations and internal consistency by calculating Cronbach's α. The test-retest showed a correlation between .66 and .91 for all subscales of MFI. The internal consistency was .92. The analysis of convergent construct validity showed a correlation of .68 (time 1) and .77 (time 2). No item was systematically identified as being difficult to answer.
Neuroscience of drug craving for addiction medicine: From circuits to therapies.

PubMed

Ekhtiari, Hamed; Nasseri, Padideh; Yavari, Fatemeh; Mokri, Azarkhsh; Monterosso, John

2016-01-01

Drug craving is a dynamic neurocognitive emotional-motivational response to a wide range of cues, from internal to external environments and from drug-related to stressful or affective events. The subjective feeling of craving, as an appetitive or compulsive state, could be considered a part of this multidimensional process, with modules in different levels of consciousness and embodiment. The neural correspondence of this dynamic and complex phenomenon may be productively investigated in relation to regional, small-scale networks, large-scale networks, and brain states. Within cognitive neuroscience, this approach has provided a long list of neural and cognitive targets for craving modulations with different cognitive, electrical, or pharmacological interventions. There are new opportunities to integrate different approaches for carving management from environmental, behavioral, psychosocial, cognitive, and neural perspectives. By using cognitive neuroscience models that treat drug craving as a dynamic and multidimensional process, these approaches may yield more effective interventions for addiction medicine. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Multidimensional scaling of D15 caps: color-vision defects among tobacco smokers?

PubMed

Bimler, David; Kirkland, John

2004-01-01

Tobacco smoke contains a range of toxins including carbon monoxide and cyanide. With specialized cells and high metabolic demands, the optic nerve and retina are vulnerable to toxic exposure. We examined the possible effects of smoking on color vision: specifically, whether smokers perceive a different pattern of suprathreshold color dissimilarities from nonsmokers. It is already known that smokers differ in threshold color discrimination, with elevated scores on the Roth 28-Hue Desaturated panel test. Groups of smokers and nonsmokers, matched for sex and age, followed a triadic procedure to compare dissimilarities among 32 pigmented stimuli (the caps of the saturated and desaturated versions of the D15 panel test). Multidimensional scaling was applied to quantify individual variations in the salience of the axes of color space. Despite the briefness, simplicity, and "low-tech" nature of the procedure, subtle but statistically significant differences did emerge: on average the smoking group were significantly less sensitive to red-green differences. This is consistent with some form of injury to the optic nerve.
[The elaboration of aggressiveness in adolescence: Comparative structural study based on the Rorschach test].

PubMed

Schiltz, L; Diwo, R; de Tychey, C

2015-09-01

In adolescence, a component of a successful identity quest consists in elaborating the aggressiveness, be it endured or acted out, in an imaginary and symbolic manner. We will present a comparative study between anxious and violent adolescents, based on the Rorschach test. As the handling of aggressiveness by means of various defense mechanisms and coping strategies contributes to the construction of a sense of reality and of coherent representations of oneself and the others, the Rorschach test is a pertinent tool to study the vicissitudes of the identity quest of medium adolescence. On the other hand, many studies demonstrate that it is also a precious tool allowing diagnosis of the risks of evolution towards character pathology and personality disorders belonging to cluster B of the DSM, or towards emotional disorders and suicidal tendencies. Thus, it can help initiating appropriate therapeutic measures in a spirit of tertiary prevention. We present a comparative study between a sample of 20 adolescents suffering from anxiety and inhibition of aggressiveness (subgroup anxiety) and a second sample of 20 adolescents suffering from exteriorized aggressiveness and violent behavior (subgroup violence). The inclusion into the subgroups was based on clinical interviews and a thorough psychological assessment, using the criteria of categorical psychopathology. The comparative study between the two subgroups is based on an original rating scale constructed in the phenomenological and structural tradition, reflecting the global judgment of the experienced clinical psychologist. It permits using the Rorschach test as a research tool by making the step from qualitative analysis towards quantification and the use of inferential and multidimensional statistics. It also allows computing correlations between the Rorschach test and psychometric scales or other projective tests, using specific rating scales of the same type. After showing the descriptive demographic data, we present the results of the comparative between groups study (computed by means of Mann-Whitney's U test) and those of the multidimensional study (computed by means of the optimal scaling procedure HOMALS). The comparative study indicates that, with adolescents suffering from anxiety and inhibition, the emotional and relational needs are much greater, as is the tendency to direct one's aggressiveness against one self. Mentalization, documented by the richness, the originality, the level of integration and the maturity of associations is better developed in this subgroup. In the subgroup of adolescents characterized by exteriorized aggressiveness and violent behavior, the ambiguity of the stimulus causes perplexity, slowing down executive functions. The latent dimensions, extracted with the help of optimal scaling procedures, are meaningful at the light of current clinical psychology and create a typology of the adjustment to aggressive drives. They tend to illustrate the pertinence of the rating scale as a research tool and contribute in demonstrating its construct validity. The data of the comparative and multidimensional study are discussed in relationship with open questions in developmental and clinical psychology of adolescence. They highlight the role of the Rorschach test as a means to differentiate between temporary and long-term difficulties related to aggressiveness, as well as to show similarities and differences at the structural level of personality functioning between subgroups with interiorized and exteriorized aggressiveness. The psychological meaning of the latent dimensions, extracted with the help of optimal scaling techniques, are discussed in light of the recent research literature. Rorschach profiles can help indicate risks of evolution towards personality pathology at adult age. Let us stress that our latent dimensions are not focused on aggressiveness itself but rather on control functions liable to modulate its expression. Using the Rorschach test in pretest and posttest situation and exploring the change occurring during the psychotherapeutic interventions with the help of the rating scale (application of optimal scaling on Delta values) could open interesting tracks for future research in the realm of outcome and process evaluation of psychotherapies. Copyright © 2014 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Factor Structure and Initial Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Difficulties in the Regulation of Positive Emotions: The DERS-Positive

PubMed Central

Weiss, Nicole H.; Gratz, Kim L.; Lavender, Jason M.

2015-01-01

Emotion regulation difficulties are a transdiagnostic construct relevant to numerous clinical difficulties. Although the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004) is a multidimensional measure of maladaptive ways of responding to emotions, it focuses on difficulties with the regulation of negative emotions and does not assess emotion dysregulation in the form of problematic responding to positive emotions. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a measure of clinically-relevant difficulties in the regulation of positive emotions (DERS-Positive). Findings revealed a 3-factor structure and supported the internal consistency and construct validity of the total and subscale scores. PMID:25576185
Examining the relationship between sex and motivation in triathletes.

PubMed

López-Fernández, Iván; Merino-Marbán, Rafael; Fernández-Rodríguez, Emilio

2014-08-01

The present paper assesses the relationship between sex and motivation in triathletes utilising a multidimensional measurement of motivation in sports. Data were collected from 138 triathlon participants (age range 17-72 years): 95 men (M = 36.7 yr., SD = 10.7) and 43 women (M = 34.6 yr., SD = 9.9). Measures included the Sport Motivation Scale, a multi-dimensional measure to assess different types of athletes' motivations for practising their sport. Results showed a significant sex difference in amotivation, with women displaying lower scores; but amotivation scores were very low. The results were not dependent on competition level or age. Men and women competing at the international level in triathlon have similar motivational profiles.
Factor Structure and Initial Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Difficulties in the Regulation of Positive Emotions: The DERS-Positive.

PubMed

Weiss, Nicole H; Gratz, Kim L; Lavender, Jason M

2015-05-01

Emotion regulation difficulties are a transdiagnostic construct relevant to numerous clinical difficulties. Although the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a multidimensional measure of maladaptive ways of responding to emotions, it focuses on difficulties with the regulation of negative emotions and does not assess emotion dysregulation in the form of problematic responding to positive emotions. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a measure of clinically relevant difficulties in the regulation of positive emotions (DERS-Positive). Findings revealed a three-factor structure and supported the internal consistency and construct validity of the total and subscale scores. © The Author(s) 2015.
Additive scales in degenerative disease--calculation of effect sizes and clinical judgment.

PubMed

Riepe, Matthias W; Wilkinson, David; Förstl, Hans; Brieden, Andreas

2011-12-16

The therapeutic efficacy of an intervention is often assessed in clinical trials by scales measuring multiple diverse activities that are added to produce a cumulative global score. Medical communities and health care systems subsequently use these data to calculate pooled effect sizes to compare treatments. This is done because major doubt has been cast over the clinical relevance of statistically significant findings relying on p values with the potential to report chance findings. Hence in an aim to overcome this pooling the results of clinical studies into a meta-analyses with a statistical calculus has been assumed to be a more definitive way of deciding of efficacy. We simulate the therapeutic effects as measured with additive scales in patient cohorts with different disease severity and assess the limitations of an effect size calculation of additive scales which are proven mathematically. We demonstrate that the major problem, which cannot be overcome by current numerical methods, is the complex nature and neurobiological foundation of clinical psychiatric endpoints in particular and additive scales in general. This is particularly relevant for endpoints used in dementia research. 'Cognition' is composed of functions such as memory, attention, orientation and many more. These individual functions decline in varied and non-linear ways. Here we demonstrate that with progressive diseases cumulative values from multidimensional scales are subject to distortion by the limitations of the additive scale. The non-linearity of the decline of function impedes the calculation of effect sizes based on cumulative values from these multidimensional scales. Statistical analysis needs to be guided by boundaries of the biological condition. Alternatively, we suggest a different approach avoiding the error imposed by over-analysis of cumulative global scores from additive scales.
Assessing fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease: comparison of three fatigue scales.

PubMed

Norton, C; Czuber-Dochan, W; Bassett, P; Berliner, S; Bredin, F; Darvell, M; Forbes, A; Gay, M; Ream, E; Terry, H

2015-07-01

Fatigue is commonly reported by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both in quiescent and active disease. Few fatigue scales have been tested in IBD. To assess three fatigue assessment scales in IBD and to determine correlates of fatigue. Potential participants (n = 2131) were randomly selected from an IBD organisation's members' database; 605 volunteered and were posted three fatigue scales: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fatigue scale, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory and Multidimensional Assessment Fatigue scale and questionnaires assessing anxiety, depression, quality of life (QoL) and IBD activity. The questionnaires were tested for stability over time with another group (n = 70) of invited participants. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Four hundred and sixty-five of 605 (77%) questionnaires were returned; of 70 invited, 48/70 returned test (68.6%) and 41/70 (58.6%) returned retest. The three scales are highly correlated (P < 0.001). Test-retest suggests reasonable agreement with ICC values between 0.65 and 0.84. Lower age, female gender, IBD diagnosis, anxiety, depression and QoL were associated with fatigue (P < 0.001) on univariable analysis. However, on multivariable analysis only depression and low QoL were consistently associated with fatigue, while female gender was associated on most scales. IBD diagnosis, age and other factors were not consistently associated with severity or impact of fatigue once other variables were controlled for. All three fatigue scales are likely to measure IBD fatigue adequately. Responsiveness to change has not been tested. Depression, poorer QoL and probably female gender are the major associations of fatigue in IBD. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Loop-Extended Symbolic Execution on Binary Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-02

1434. Based on its speci- fication [35], one valid message format contains 2 fields: a header byte of value 4, followed by a string giving a database ...potentially become expensive. For instance the polyhedron technique [16] requires costly conversion operations on a multi-dimensional abstract representation
Advanced compilation techniques in the PARADIGM compiler for distributed-memory multicomputers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ernesto; Lain, Antonio; Ramaswamy, Shankar; Palermo, Daniel J.; Hodges, Eugene W., IV; Banerjee, Prithviraj

1995-01-01

The PARADIGM compiler project provides an automated means to parallelize programs, written in a serial programming model, for efficient execution on distributed-memory multicomputers. .A previous implementation of the compiler based on the PTD representation allowed symbolic array sizes, affine loop bounds and array subscripts, and variable number of processors, provided that arrays were single or multi-dimensionally block distributed. The techniques presented here extend the compiler to also accept multidimensional cyclic and block-cyclic distributions within a uniform symbolic framework. These extensions demand more sophisticated symbolic manipulation capabilities. A novel aspect of our approach is to meet this demand by interfacing PARADIGM with a powerful off-the-shelf symbolic package, Mathematica. This paper describes some of the Mathematica routines that performs various transformations, shows how they are invoked and used by the compiler to overcome the new challenges, and presents experimental results for code involving cyclic and block-cyclic arrays as evidence of the feasibility of the approach.
A 3D finite element ALE method using an approximate Riemann solution

DOE PAGES

Chiravalle, V. P.; Morgan, N. R.

2016-08-09

Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian finite volume methods that solve a multidimensional Riemann-like problem at the cell center in a staggered grid hydrodynamic (SGH) arrangement have been proposed. This research proposes a new 3D finite element arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian SGH method that incorporates a multidimensional Riemann-like problem. Here, two different Riemann jump relations are investigated. A new limiting method that greatly improves the accuracy of the SGH method on isentropic flows is investigated. A remap method that improves upon a well-known mesh relaxation and remapping technique in order to ensure total energy conservation during the remap is also presented. Numerical details and test problemmore » results are presented.« less
A 3D finite element ALE method using an approximate Riemann solution

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

Chiravalle, V. P.; Morgan, N. R.

Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian finite volume methods that solve a multidimensional Riemann-like problem at the cell center in a staggered grid hydrodynamic (SGH) arrangement have been proposed. This research proposes a new 3D finite element arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian SGH method that incorporates a multidimensional Riemann-like problem. Here, two different Riemann jump relations are investigated. A new limiting method that greatly improves the accuracy of the SGH method on isentropic flows is investigated. A remap method that improves upon a well-known mesh relaxation and remapping technique in order to ensure total energy conservation during the remap is also presented. Numerical details and test problemmore » results are presented.« less
Is perfect good? - Dimensions of perfectionism in newly admitted medical students.

PubMed

Seeliger, Helen; Harendza, Sigrid

2017-11-13

Society expects physicians to perform perfectly but high levels of perfectionism are associated with symptoms of distress in medical students. This study investigated whether medical students admitted to medical school by different selection criteria differ in the occurrence of perfectionism. Newly enrolled undergraduate medical students (n = 358) filled out the following instruments: Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS-H), Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS-F), Big Five Inventory (BFI-10), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7). Sociodemographic data such as age, gender, high school degrees, and the way of admission to medical school were also included in the questionnaire. The 298 participating students had significantly lower scores in Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism than the general population independently of their way of admission to medical school. Students who were selected for medical school by their high school degree showed the highest score for Adaptive Perfectionism. Maladaptive Perfectionism was the strongest predictor for the occurrence symptoms of depression and anxiety regardless of the way of admission. Students from all admission groups should be observed longitudinally for performance and to assess whether perfectionism questionnaires might be an additional useful instrument for medical school admission processes.
Solutions for medical databases optimal exploitation

PubMed Central

Branescu, I; Purcarea, VL; Dobrescu, R

2014-01-01

The paper discusses the methods to apply OLAP techniques for multidimensional databases that leverage the existing, performance-enhancing technique, known as practical pre-aggregation, by making this technique relevant to a much wider range of medical applications, as a logistic support to the data warehousing techniques. The transformations have practically low computational complexity and they may be implemented using standard relational database technology. The paper also describes how to integrate the transformed hierarchies in current OLAP systems, transparently to the user and proposes a flexible, “multimodel" federated system for extending OLAP querying to external object databases. PMID:24653769
A Visual Analytic for High-Dimensional Data Exploitation: The Heterogeneous Data-Reduction Proximity Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

structure of the data and Gower’s similarity coefficient as the algorithm for calculating the proximity matrices. The following section provides a...representative set of terrorist event data. Attribute Day Location Time Prim /Attack Sec/Attack Weight 1 1 1 1 1 Scale Nominal Nominal Interval Nominal...calculate the similarity it uses Gower’s similarity and multidimensional scaling algorithms contained in an R statistical computing environment
Multidimensional change in psychotherapy.

PubMed

Jones, E E

1980-04-01

Assessed psychotherapy outcome for 177 patients who were seen for an average of 31 therapy hours with the Rating Scales for Outcome of Therapy and a Therapist Questionnaire. Results of a components analysis did not support Storrow's rational groupings of the Rating Scales into five dimensions and suggested that two general areas of psychological adjustment underlie the 11 scales. A second components analysis that included both outcome measures supports only in part the contention that when results from diverse outcome measures are factor analyzed, the factors necessarily are associated with method of measurement rather than substantive dimensions of change.
Scientific Elitism and the Information System of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amick, Daniel James

1973-01-01

Scientific elitism must be viewed as a multidimensional phenomenon. Ten variables of elitism are considered and a principal components factor analysis is used to scale this multivariate domain. Two significant dimensions of elitism were found; one in basic and one in applied science. (20 references) (Author)

The Dimensionality of Supervisor Roles: Counselor Trainees' Perceptions of Supervision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Michael V.; And Others

A study was conducted which continued the investigation of the underlying structure of supervision by empirically testing Bernard's (1979) model of supervision using a confirmatory multidimensional scaling paradigm. To accomplish this, counselor trainees' perceptions of the underlying structure (dimensionality or cognitive map) of supervision were…
Was Euclid an Unnecessarily Sophisticated Psychologist?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arabie, Phipps

1991-01-01

The current state of multidimensional scaling using the city-block metric is reviewed, with attention to (1) substantive and theoretical issues; (2) recent algorithmic developments and their implications for analysis; (3) isometries with other metrics; (4) links to graph-theoretic models; and (5) prospects for future development. (SLD)
Life Satisfaction and Violent Behaviors among Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valois, Robert F.; Paxton, Raheem J.; Zullig, Keith J.; Huebner, E. Scott

2006-01-01

We explored relationships between violent behaviors and perceived life satisfaction among 2,138 middle school students in a southern state using the CDC Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MSYRBS) and the Brief Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS). Logistic regression analyses and multivariate models constructed…
Empirical Validation of Reading Proficiency Guidelines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifford, Ray; Cox, Troy L.

2013-01-01

The validation of ability scales describing multidimensional skills is always challenging, but not impossible. This study applies a multistage, criterion-referenced approach that uses a framework of aligned texts and reading tasks to explore the validity of the ACTFL and related reading proficiency guidelines. Rasch measurement and statistical…
The Structure of Integral Dimensions: Contrasting Topological and Cartesian Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Matt; Goldstone, Robert L.

2013-01-01

Diverse evidence shows that perceptually integral dimensions, such as those composing color, are represented holistically. However, the nature of these holistic representations is poorly understood. Extant theories, such as those founded on multidimensional scaling or general recognition theory, model integral stimulus spaces using a Cartesian…
A Re-Unification of Two Competing Models for Document Retrieval.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodoff, David

1999-01-01

Examines query-oriented versus document-oriented information retrieval and feedback learning. Highlights include a reunification of the two approaches for probabilistic document retrieval and for vector space model (VSM) retrieval; learning in VSM and in probabilistic models; multi-dimensional scaling; and ongoing field studies. (LRW)
Sherlock Holmes Meets Othello: A MDS Analysis of Literary Characters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, G. W.; Lambert, W. B.

1980-01-01

Changes in college freshmen's perceptual organization of characters from "Othello" after three weeks of study and lecture were assessed using multidimensional scaling procedures. Sherlock Holmes experts also provided dissimilarity ratings of Conan Doyle's characters. Discussion centers on the extent to which the lectures on…
A Lewinian Perspective on Taking Conflict Personally: Revision, Refinement, and Validation of the Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hample, Dale; Dallinger, Judith M.

1995-01-01

Describes theoretical connections among field theory, defensiveness, attributions, and taking conflict personally (TCP). Revises the original version of a multidimensional TCP scale, measuring six TCP subscales: direct personalization, persecution feelings, stress reaction, positive relational effects, negative relational effects, and like/dislike…
MIDAS (Modafinil in Debilitating Fatigue After Stroke): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial.

PubMed

Bivard, Andrew; Lillicrap, Thomas; Krishnamurthy, Venkatesh; Holliday, Elizabeth; Attia, John; Pagram, Heather; Nilsson, Michael; Parsons, Mark; Levi, Christopher R

2017-05-01

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of modafinil, a wakefulness-promoting agent in alleviating post-stroke fatigue ≥3 months after stroke. We hypothesized that 200 mg of modafinil daily for 6 weeks would result in reduced symptoms of fatigue compared with placebo. This single-center phase 2 trial used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. The key inclusion criterion was a multidimensional fatigue inventory score of ≥60. Patients were randomized to either modafinil or placebo for 6 weeks of therapy, then after a 1 week washout period swapped treatment arms for a second 6 weeks of therapy. The primary outcome was the multidimensional fatigue inventory; secondary outcomes included the Montreal cognitive assessment, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SSQoL) scale. The multidimensional fatigue inventory is a self-administered questionnaire with a range of 0 to 100. Treatment efficacy was assessed using linear regression by estimating within-person, baseline-adjusted differences in mean outcomes after therapy. This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12615000350527). A total of 232 stroke survivors were screened and 36 were randomized. Participants receiving modafinil reported a significant decrease in fatigue (multidimensional fatigue inventory, -7.38; 95% CI, -21.76 to -2.99; P <0.001) and improved quality of life (SSQoL, 11.81; 95% CI, 2.31 to 21.31; P =0.0148) compared with placebo. Montreal cognitive assessment and DASS were not significantly improved with modafinil therapy during the study period ( P >0.05). Stroke survivors with nonresolving fatigue reported reduced fatigue and improved quality of life after taking 200 mg daily treatment with modafinil. URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368268. Unique identifier: ACTRN12615000350527. © 2017 The Authors.
SciSpark's SRDD : A Scientific Resilient Distributed Dataset for Multidimensional Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palamuttam, R. S.; Wilson, B. D.; Mogrovejo, R. M.; Whitehall, K. D.; Mattmann, C. A.; McGibbney, L. J.; Ramirez, P.

2015-12-01

Remote sensing data and climate model output are multi-dimensional arrays of massive sizes locked away in heterogeneous file formats (HDF5/4, NetCDF 3/4) and metadata models (HDF-EOS, CF) making it difficult to perform multi-stage, iterative science processing since each stage requires writing and reading data to and from disk. We have developed SciSpark, a robust Big Data framework, that extends ApacheTM Spark for scaling scientific computations. Apache Spark improves the map-reduce implementation in ApacheTM Hadoop for parallel computing on a cluster, by emphasizing in-memory computation, "spilling" to disk only as needed, and relying on lazy evaluation. Central to Spark is the Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD), an in-memory distributed data structure that extends the functional paradigm provided by the Scala programming language. However, RDDs are ideal for tabular or unstructured data, and not for highly dimensional data. The SciSpark project introduces the Scientific Resilient Distributed Dataset (sRDD), a distributed-computing array structure which supports iterative scientific algorithms for multidimensional data. SciSpark processes data stored in NetCDF and HDF files by partitioning them across time or space and distributing the partitions among a cluster of compute nodes. We show usability and extensibility of SciSpark by implementing distributed algorithms for geospatial operations on large collections of multi-dimensional grids. In particular we address the problem of scaling an automated method for finding Mesoscale Convective Complexes. SciSpark provides a tensor interface to support the pluggability of different matrix libraries. We evaluate performance of the various matrix libraries in distributed pipelines, such as Nd4jTM and BreezeTM. We detail the architecture and design of SciSpark, our efforts to integrate climate science algorithms, parallel ingest and partitioning (sharding) of A-Train satellite observations from model grids. These solutions are encompassed in SciSpark, an open-source software framework for distributed computing on scientific data.
Scientific Visualization Tools for Enhancement of Undergraduate Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, W. J.; Chaudhury, S. R.

2001-05-01

Undergraduate research projects that utilize remote sensing satellite instrument data to investigate atmospheric phenomena pose many challenges. A significant challenge is processing large amounts of multi-dimensional data. Remote sensing data initially requires mining; filtering of undesirable spectral, instrumental, or environmental features; and subsequently sorting and reformatting to files for easy and quick access. The data must then be transformed according to the needs of the investigation(s) and displayed for interpretation. These multidimensional datasets require views that can range from two-dimensional plots to multivariable-multidimensional scientific visualizations with animations. Science undergraduate students generally find these data processing tasks daunting. Generally, researchers are required to fully understand the intricacies of the dataset and write computer programs or rely on commercially available software, which may not be trivial to use. In the time that undergraduate researchers have available for their research projects, learning the data formats, programming languages, and/or visualization packages is impractical. When dealing with large multi-dimensional data sets appropriate Scientific Visualization tools are imperative in allowing students to have a meaningful and pleasant research experience, while producing valuable scientific research results. The BEST Lab at Norfolk State University has been creating tools for multivariable-multidimensional analysis of Earth Science data. EzSAGE and SAGE4D have been developed to sort, analyze and visualize SAGE II (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment) data with ease. Three- and four-dimensional visualizations in interactive environments can be produced. EzSAGE provides atmospheric slices in three-dimensions where the researcher can change the scales in the three-dimensions, color tables and degree of smoothing interactively to focus on particular phenomena. SAGE4D provides a navigable four-dimensional interactive environment. These tools allow students to make higher order decisions based on large multidimensional sets of data while diminishing the level of frustration that results from dealing with the details of processing large data sets.
Measurement of gender-sensitive treatment for women in mixed-gender substance abuse treatment programs.

PubMed

Tang, Zhiqun; Claus, Ronald E; Orwin, Robert G; Kissin, Wendy B; Arieira, Carlos

2012-06-01

Gender-sensitive (GS) substance abuse treatment services have emerged in response to the multidimensional profile of problems that women display upon admission to substance abuse treatment. The present study examines the extent to which treatment programs vary in GS programming for women in real-world mixed-gender treatment settings, where most women are treated. Data were collected through site visits using semi-structured interviews with program directors, clinical directors, and counselors in 13 mixed-gender treatment programs from Washington State. Rasch modeling techniques were used to analyze the data. Naturally occurring variation was revealed within and across the treatment programs, and demonstrated that reliable measures of three GS domains (Grella, 2008) can be constructed despite a small number of programs. This is the first study to quantify GS treatment for substance abusing women. The identified treatment services and practices and the way they clustered together to form scales have practical implications for researchers, service providers, clinicians, and policy makers. The scales can be used to study treatment outcomes and to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit of GS programming for women. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The reliability of multidimensional neuropsychological measures: from alpha to omega.

PubMed

Watkins, Marley W

To demonstrate that Coefficient omega, a model-based estimate, is more a more appropriate index of reliability than coefficient alpha for the multidimensional scales that are commonly employed by neuropsychologists. As an illustration, a structural model of an overarching general factor and four first-order factors for the WAIS-IV based on the standardization sample of 2200 participants was identified and omega coefficients were subsequently computed for WAIS-IV composite scores. Alpha coefficients were ≥ .90 and omega coefficients ranged from .75 to .88 for WAIS-IV factor index scores, indicating that the blend of general and group factor variance in each index score created a reliable multidimensional composite. However, the amalgam of variance from general and group factors did not allow the precision of Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and factor index scores to be disentangled. In contrast, omega hierarchical coefficients were low for all four factor index scores (.10-.41), indicating that most of the reliable variance of each factor index score was due to the general intelligence factor. In contrast, the omega hierarchical coefficient for the FSIQ score was .84. Meaningful interpretation of WAIS-IV factor index scores as unambiguous indicators of group factors is imprecise, thereby fostering unreliable identification of neurocognitive strengths and weaknesses, whereas the WAIS-IV FSIQ score can be interpreted as a reliable measure of general intelligence. It was concluded that neuropsychologists should base their clinical decisions on reliable scores as indexed by coefficient omega.
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory: Spanish adaptation and psychometric properties for fibromyalgia patients. The Al-Andalus study.

PubMed

Munguía-Izquierdo, Diego; Segura-Jiménez, Victor; Camiletti-Moirón, Daniel; Pulido-Martos, Manuel; Alvarez-Gallardo, Inmaculada C; Romero, Alejandro; Aparicio, Virginia A; Carbonell-Baeza, Ana; Delgado-Fernández, Manuel

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties and transcultural adaptation into Spanish of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in fibromyalgia patients. The Spanish version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-S) was translated and cognitively pretested following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and operational qualities were evaluated in a total of 116 fibromyalgia patients. Convergent validity was assessed comparing MFI-S with a visual analogue scale for global fatigue. The intra-class correlation coefficients varied from moderate to excellent (from 0.64 to 0.91) and the standard errors of the mean ranged from 0.5 to 1.1 points for the five MFI-S domains. The coefficient of repeatability was less than 2 standard deviations and the limits of agreement ranged from 2 to 4 points for the MFI-S domains. A weak to fair significant relationship was found between each MFI-S domain and the visual analogue scale (from 0.21 to 0.32). The mean time required to complete the MFI-S was 3.2±2.0 minutes. None of the patients needed external help to complete the MFI-S, and there were very few missing values. The MFI-S developed in this study presents a good reliability and reasonable construct validity for Spanish fibromyalgia patients unaffected by cognitive dysfunction and severe depression. This questionnaire is quick, easy to administer and interpret.
Modeling the Behavior of an Underwater Acoustic Relative Positioning System Based on Complementary Set of Sequences

PubMed Central

Aparicio, Joaquín; Jiménez, Ana; Álvarez, Fernando J.; Ureña, Jesús; De Marziani, Carlos; Diego, Cristina

2011-01-01

The great variability usually found in underwater media makes modeling a challenging task, but helpful for better understanding or predicting the performance of future deployed systems. In this work, an underwater acoustic propagation model is presented. This model obtains the multipath structure by means of the ray tracing technique. Using this model, the behavior of a relative positioning system is presented. One of the main advantages of relative positioning systems is that only the distances between all the buoys are needed to obtain their positions. In order to obtain the distances, the propagation times of acoustic signals coded by Complementary Set of Sequences (CSS) are used. In this case, the arrival instants are obtained by means of correlation processes. The distances are then used to obtain the position of the buoys by means of the Multidimensional Scaling Technique (MDS). As an early example of an application using this relative positioning system, a tracking of the position of the buoys at different times is performed. With this tracking, the surface current of a particular region could be studied. The performance of the system is evaluated in terms of the distance from the real position to the estimated one. PMID:22247661
Multivariate model of female black bear habitat use for a Geographic Information System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Joseph D.; Dunn, James E.; Smith, Kimberly G.

1993-01-01

Simple univariate statistical techniques may not adequately assess the multidimensional nature of habitats used by wildlife. Thus, we developed a multivariate method to model habitat-use potential using a set of female black bear (Ursus americanus) radio locations and habitat data consisting of forest cover type, elevation, slope, aspect, distance to roads, distance to streams, and forest cover type diversity score in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. The model is based on the Mahalanobis distance statistic coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. That statistic is a measure of dissimilarity and represents a standardized squared distance between a set of sample variates and an ideal based on the mean of variates associated with animal observations. Calculations were made with the GIS to produce a map containing Mahalanobis distance values within each cell on a 60- × 60-m grid. The model identified areas of high habitat use potential that could not otherwise be identified by independent perusal of any single map layer. This technique avoids many pitfalls that commonly affect typical multivariate analyses of habitat use and is a useful tool for habitat manipulation or mitigation to favor terrestrial vertebrates that use habitats on a landscape scale.
Visual Reconciliation of Alternative Similarity Spaces in Climate Modeling.

PubMed

Poco, Jorge; Dasgupta, Aritra; Wei, Yaxing; Hargrove, William; Schwalm, Christopher R; Huntzinger, Deborah N; Cook, Robert; Bertini, Enrico; Silva, Claudio T

2014-12-01

Visual data analysis often requires grouping of data objects based on their similarity. In many application domains researchers use algorithms and techniques like clustering and multidimensional scaling to extract groupings from data. While extracting these groups using a single similarity criteria is relatively straightforward, comparing alternative criteria poses additional challenges. In this paper we define visual reconciliation as the problem of reconciling multiple alternative similarity spaces through visualization and interaction. We derive this problem from our work on model comparison in climate science where climate modelers are faced with the challenge of making sense of alternative ways to describe their models: one through the output they generate, another through the large set of properties that describe them. Ideally, they want to understand whether groups of models with similar spatio-temporal behaviors share similar sets of criteria or, conversely, whether similar criteria lead to similar behaviors. We propose a visual analytics solution based on linked views, that addresses this problem by allowing the user to dynamically create, modify and observe the interaction among groupings, thereby making the potential explanations apparent. We present case studies that demonstrate the usefulness of our technique in the area of climate science.
Nonuniform sampling and non-Fourier signal processing methods in multidimensional NMR.

PubMed

Mobli, Mehdi; Hoch, Jeffrey C

2014-11-01

Beginning with the introduction of Fourier Transform NMR by Ernst and Anderson in 1966, time domain measurement of the impulse response (the free induction decay, FID) consisted of sampling the signal at a series of discrete intervals. For compatibility with the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the intervals are kept uniform, and the Nyquist theorem dictates the largest value of the interval sufficient to avoid aliasing. With the proposal by Jeener of parametric sampling along an indirect time dimension, extension to multidimensional experiments employed the same sampling techniques used in one dimension, similarly subject to the Nyquist condition and suitable for processing via the discrete Fourier transform. The challenges of obtaining high-resolution spectral estimates from short data records using the DFT were already well understood, however. Despite techniques such as linear prediction extrapolation, the achievable resolution in the indirect dimensions is limited by practical constraints on measuring time. The advent of non-Fourier methods of spectrum analysis capable of processing nonuniformly sampled data has led to an explosion in the development of novel sampling strategies that avoid the limits on resolution and measurement time imposed by uniform sampling. The first part of this review discusses the many approaches to data sampling in multidimensional NMR, the second part highlights commonly used methods for signal processing of such data, and the review concludes with a discussion of other approaches to speeding up data acquisition in NMR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Benchmarking the Multidimensional Stellar Implicit Code MUSIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goffrey, T.; Pratt, J.; Viallet, M.; Baraffe, I.; Popov, M. V.; Walder, R.; Folini, D.; Geroux, C.; Constantino, T.

2017-04-01

We present the results of a numerical benchmark study for the MUltidimensional Stellar Implicit Code (MUSIC) based on widely applicable two- and three-dimensional compressible hydrodynamics problems relevant to stellar interiors. MUSIC is an implicit large eddy simulation code that uses implicit time integration, implemented as a Jacobian-free Newton Krylov method. A physics based preconditioning technique which can be adjusted to target varying physics is used to improve the performance of the solver. The problems used for this benchmark study include the Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, and the decay of the Taylor-Green vortex. Additionally we show a test of hydrostatic equilibrium, in a stellar environment which is dominated by radiative effects. In this setting the flexibility of the preconditioning technique is demonstrated. This work aims to bridge the gap between the hydrodynamic test problems typically used during development of numerical methods and the complex flows of stellar interiors. A series of multidimensional tests were performed and analysed. Each of these test cases was analysed with a simple, scalar diagnostic, with the aim of enabling direct code comparisons. As the tests performed do not have analytic solutions, we verify MUSIC by comparing it to established codes including ATHENA and the PENCIL code. MUSIC is able to both reproduce behaviour from established and widely-used codes as well as results expected from theoretical predictions. This benchmarking study concludes a series of papers describing the development of the MUSIC code and provides confidence in future applications.
Athletes' Evaluations of Their Head Coach's Coaching Competency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Nicholas D.; Feltz, Deborah L.; Maier, Kimberly S.; Wolfe, Edward W.; Reckase, Mark D.

2006-01-01

This study provided initial validity evidence for multidimensional measures of coaching competency derived from the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS). Data were collected from intercollegiate men's (n = 8) and women's (n = 13) soccer and women's ice hockey teams (n = 11). The total number of athletes was 585. Within teams, a multidimensional…

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