Three ancient hormonal cues co-ordinate shoot branching in a moss.

PubMed

Coudert, Yoan; Palubicki, Wojtek; Ljung, Karin; Novak, Ondrej; Leyser, Ottoline; Harrison, C Jill

2015-03-25

Shoot branching is a primary contributor to plant architecture, evolving independently in flowering plant sporophytes and moss gametophytes. Mechanistic understanding of branching is largely limited to flowering plants such as Arabidopsis, which have a recent evolutionary origin. We show that in gametophytic shoots of Physcomitrella, lateral branches arise by re-specification of epidermal cells into branch initials. A simple model co-ordinating the activity of leafy shoot tips can account for branching patterns, and three known and ancient hormonal regulators of sporophytic branching interact to generate the branching pattern- auxin, cytokinin and strigolactone. The mode of auxin transport required in branch patterning is a key divergence point from known sporophytic pathways. Although PIN-mediated basipetal auxin transport regulates branching patterns in flowering plants, this is not so in Physcomitrella, where bi-directional transport is required to generate realistic branching patterns. Experiments with callose synthesis inhibitors suggest plasmodesmal connectivity as a potential mechanism for transport.

An approach to solve group-decision-making problems with ordinal interval numbers.

PubMed

Fan, Zhi-Ping; Liu, Yang

2010-10-01

The ordinal interval number is a form of uncertain preference information in group decision making (GDM), while it is seldom discussed in the existing research. This paper investigates how the ranking order of alternatives is determined based on preference information of ordinal interval numbers in GDM problems. When ranking a large quantity of ordinal interval numbers, the efficiency and accuracy of the ranking process are critical. A new approach is proposed to rank alternatives using ordinal interval numbers when every ranking ordinal in an ordinal interval number is thought to be uniformly and independently distributed in its interval. First, we give the definition of possibility degree on comparing two ordinal interval numbers and the related theory analysis. Then, to rank alternatives, by comparing multiple ordinal interval numbers, a collective expectation possibility degree matrix on pairwise comparisons of alternatives is built, and an optimization model based on this matrix is constructed. Furthermore, an algorithm is also presented to rank alternatives by solving the model. Finally, two examples are used to illustrate the use of the proposed approach.

Seasonal patterns in stream periphyton fatty acids and community benthic algal composition in six high quality headwater streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Honeyfield, Dale C.; Maloney, Kelly O.

2015-01-01

Fatty acids are integral components of periphyton and differ among algal taxa. We examined seasonal patterns in periphyton fatty acids in six minimally disturbed headwater streams in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains, USA. Environmental data and periphyton were collected across four seasons for fatty acid and algal taxa content. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination suggested significant seasonal differences in fatty acids; an ordination on algal composition revealed similar seasonal patterns, but with slightly weaker separation of summer and fall. Summer and fall fatty acid profiles were driven by temperature, overstory cover, and conductivity and winter profiles by measures of stream size. Ordination on algal composition suggested that summer and fall communities were driven by overstory and temperature, whereas winter communities were driven by velocity. The physiologically important fatty acid 18:3ω6 was highest in summer and fall. Winter samples had the highest 20:3ω3. Six saturated fatty acids differed among the seasons. Periphyton fatty acids profiles appeared to reflect benthic algal species composition. This suggests that periphyton fatty acid composition can be useful in characterizing basal food resources and stream water quality.

Functional traits, convergent evolution, and periodic tables of niches.

PubMed

Winemiller, Kirk O; Fitzgerald, Daniel B; Bower, Luke M; Pianka, Eric R

2015-08-01

Ecology is often said to lack general theories sufficiently predictive for applications. Here, we examine the concept of a periodic table of niches and feasibility of niche classification schemes from functional trait and performance data. Niche differences and their influence on ecological patterns and processes could be revealed effectively by first performing data reduction/ordination analyses separately on matrices of trait and performance data compiled according to logical associations with five basic niche 'dimensions', or aspects: habitat, life history, trophic, defence and metabolic. Resultant patterns then are integrated to produce interpretable niche gradients, ordinations and classifications. Degree of scheme periodicity would depend on degrees of niche conservatism and convergence causing species clustering across multiple niche dimensions. We analysed a sample data set containing trait and performance data to contrast two approaches for producing niche schemes: species ordination within niche gradient space, and niche categorisation according to trait-value thresholds. Creation of niche schemes useful for advancing ecological knowledge and its applications will depend on research that produces functional trait and performance datasets directly related to niche dimensions along with criteria for data standardisation and quality. As larger databases are compiled, opportunities will emerge to explore new methods for data reduction, ordination and classification. © 2015 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An anatomically based protocol for the description of foot segment kinematics during gait.

PubMed

Leardini, A; Benedetti, M G; Catani, F; Simoncini, L; Giannini, S

1999-10-01

To design a technique for the in vivo description of ankle and other foot joint rotations to be applied in routine functional evaluation using non-invasive stereophotogrammetry. Position and orientation of tibia/fibula, calcaneus, mid-foot, 1st metatarsal and hallux segments were tracked during the stance phase of walking in nine asymptomatic subjects. Rigid clusters of reflective markers were used for foot segment pose estimation. Anatomical landmark calibration was applied for the reconstruction of anatomical landmarks. Previous studies have analysed only a limited number of joints or have proposed invasive techniques. Anatomical landmark trajectories were reconstructed in the laboratory frame using data from the anatomical calibration procedure. Anatomical co-ordinate frames were defined using the obtained landmark trajectories. Joint co-ordinate systems were used to calculate corresponding joint rotations in all three anatomical planes. The patterns of the joint rotations were highly repeatable within subjects. Consistent patterns between subjects were also exhibited at most of the joints. The method proposed enables a detailed description of ankle and other foot joint rotations on an anatomical base. Joint rotations can therefore be expressed in the well-established terminology necessary for their clinical interpretation. Functional evaluation of patients affected by foot diseases has recently called for more detailed and non-invasive protocols for the description of foot joint rotations during gait. The proposed method can help clinicians to distinguish between normal and pathological pattern of foot joint rotations, and to quantitatively assess the restoration of normal function after treatment.

Innovation and effectiveness: changing the scope of school nurses in New Zealand secondary schools.

PubMed

Kool, Bridget; Thomas, David; Moore, Dennis; Anderson, Angelika; Bennetts, Phillipa; Earp, Karlynne; Dawson, Dianne; Treadwell, Nicky

2008-04-01

To describe the changing role of school nurses in eight New Zealand (NZ) secondary schools from low socio-economic areas with high Pacific Island and Māori rolls. An evaluation of a pilot addressing under-achievement in low-decile schools in Auckland, NZ (2002-05). Annual semi-structured school nurse interviews and analysis of routinely collected school health service data were undertaken. Two patterns of school nurse operation were identified: an embracing pattern, where nurses embraced the concept of providing school-based health services; and a Band-Aid pattern, where only the basics for student health care were provided by school nurses. School nurses with an embracing pattern of practice provided more effective school-based health services. School health services are better served by nurses with structured postgraduate education that fosters the development of a nurse-practitioner role. Co-ordination of school nurses either at a regional or national level is required.

Three ancient hormonal cues co-ordinate shoot branching in a moss

PubMed Central

Coudert, Yoan; Palubicki, Wojtek; Ljung, Karin; Novak, Ondrej; Leyser, Ottoline; Harrison, C Jill

2015-01-01

Shoot branching is a primary contributor to plant architecture, evolving independently in flowering plant sporophytes and moss gametophytes. Mechanistic understanding of branching is largely limited to flowering plants such as Arabidopsis, which have a recent evolutionary origin. We show that in gametophytic shoots of Physcomitrella, lateral branches arise by re-specification of epidermal cells into branch initials. A simple model co-ordinating the activity of leafy shoot tips can account for branching patterns, and three known and ancient hormonal regulators of sporophytic branching interact to generate the branching pattern- auxin, cytokinin and strigolactone. The mode of auxin transport required in branch patterning is a key divergence point from known sporophytic pathways. Although PIN-mediated basipetal auxin transport regulates branching patterns in flowering plants, this is not so in Physcomitrella, where bi-directional transport is required to generate realistic branching patterns. Experiments with callose synthesis inhibitors suggest plasmodesmal connectivity as a potential mechanism for transport. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06808.001 PMID:25806686

Functional network mediates age-related differences in reaction time: a replication and extension study

PubMed Central

Gazes, Yunglin; Habeck, Christian; O'Shea, Deirdre; Razlighi, Qolamreza R; Steffener, Jason; Stern, Yaakov

2015-01-01

Introduction A functional activation (i.e., ordinal trend) pattern was previously identified in both young and older adults during task-switching performance, the expression of which correlated with reaction time. The current study aimed to (1) replicate this functional activation pattern in a new group of fMRI activation data, and (2) extend the previous study by specifically examining whether the effect of aging on reaction time can be explained by differences in the activation of the functional activation pattern. Method A total of 47 young and 50 older participants were included in the extension analysis. Participants performed task-switching as the activation task and were cued by the color of the stimulus for the task to be performed in each block. To test for replication, two approaches were implemented. The first approach tested the replicability of the predictive power of the previously identified functional activation pattern by forward applying the pattern to the Study II data and the second approach was rederivation of the activation pattern in the Study II data. Results Both approaches showed successful replication in the new data set. Using mediation analysis, expression of the pattern from the first approach was found to partially mediate age-related effects on reaction time such that older age was associated with greater activation of the brain pattern and longer reaction time, suggesting that brain activation efficiency (defined as “the rate of activation increase with increasing task difficulty” in Neuropsychologia 47, 2009, 2015) of the regions in the Ordinal trend pattern directly accounts for age-related differences in task performance. Discussion The successful replication of the functional activation pattern demonstrates the versatility of the Ordinal Trend Canonical Variates Analysis, and the ability to summarize each participant's brain activation map into one number provides a useful metric in multimodal analysis as well as cross-study comparisons. PMID:25874162

Co-ordination of incoming and outgoing traffic in antigen-presenting cells by pattern recognition receptors and T cells.

PubMed

Nair, Priyanka; Amsen, Derk; Blander, J Magarian

2011-12-01

Dendritic cells are innate sentinels of the immune system and potent activators of naÏve T cells. Mechanisms must exist to enable these cells to achieve maximal activation of T cells specific for microbial antigens, while avoiding activation of T cells specific for self-antigens. Here we discuss how a combination of signals from pattern recognition receptors and T cells co-ordinates subcellular trafficking of antigen with both major histocompatibility complex class I and class II molecules and T-cell costimulatory molecules, resulting in the preferential presentation of microbial peptides within a stimulatory context. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Reliability of Total Test Scores When Considered as Ordinal Measurements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biswas, Ajoy Kumar

2006-01-01

This article studies the ordinal reliability of (total) test scores. This study is based on a classical-type linear model of observed score (X), true score (T), and random error (E). Based on the idea of Kendall's tau-a coefficient, a measure of ordinal reliability for small-examinee populations is developed. This measure is extended to large…

Survey of local forestry-related ordinances and regulations in the south

Treesearch

Jonathan J. Spink; Karry L. Haney; John L. Greene

2000-01-01

A survey of the 13 southern states was conducted in 1999-2000 to obtain a comprehensive list of forestry-related ordinances enacted by various local governments. Each ordinance was examined to determine the date of adoption, regulatory objective, and its regu1atory provisions. Based on the regulatory objective, the ordinances were categorized into five general types:...

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

PubMed

Lin, Hsuan-Tien; Li, Ling

2012-05-01

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

Biclustering Models for Two-Mode Ordinal Data.

PubMed

Matechou, Eleni; Liu, Ivy; Fernández, Daniel; Farias, Miguel; Gjelsvik, Bergljot

2016-09-01

The work in this paper introduces finite mixture models that can be used to simultaneously cluster the rows and columns of two-mode ordinal categorical response data, such as those resulting from Likert scale responses. We use the popular proportional odds parameterisation and propose models which provide insights into major patterns in the data. Model-fitting is performed using the EM algorithm, and a fuzzy allocation of rows and columns to corresponding clusters is obtained. The clustering ability of the models is evaluated in a simulation study and demonstrated using two real data sets.

Optimizing the maximum reported cluster size in the spatial scan statistic for ordinal data.

PubMed

Kim, Sehwi; Jung, Inkyung

2017-01-01

The spatial scan statistic is an important tool for spatial cluster detection. There have been numerous studies on scanning window shapes. However, little research has been done on the maximum scanning window size or maximum reported cluster size. Recently, Han et al. proposed to use the Gini coefficient to optimize the maximum reported cluster size. However, the method has been developed and evaluated only for the Poisson model. We adopt the Gini coefficient to be applicable to the spatial scan statistic for ordinal data to determine the optimal maximum reported cluster size. Through a simulation study and application to a real data example, we evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. With some sophisticated modification, the Gini coefficient can be effectively employed for the ordinal model. The Gini coefficient most often picked the optimal maximum reported cluster sizes that were the same as or smaller than the true cluster sizes with very high accuracy. It seems that we can obtain a more refined collection of clusters by using the Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient developed specifically for the ordinal model can be useful for optimizing the maximum reported cluster size for ordinal data and helpful for properly and informatively discovering cluster patterns.

Optimizing the maximum reported cluster size in the spatial scan statistic for ordinal data

PubMed Central

Kim, Sehwi

2017-01-01

The spatial scan statistic is an important tool for spatial cluster detection. There have been numerous studies on scanning window shapes. However, little research has been done on the maximum scanning window size or maximum reported cluster size. Recently, Han et al. proposed to use the Gini coefficient to optimize the maximum reported cluster size. However, the method has been developed and evaluated only for the Poisson model. We adopt the Gini coefficient to be applicable to the spatial scan statistic for ordinal data to determine the optimal maximum reported cluster size. Through a simulation study and application to a real data example, we evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. With some sophisticated modification, the Gini coefficient can be effectively employed for the ordinal model. The Gini coefficient most often picked the optimal maximum reported cluster sizes that were the same as or smaller than the true cluster sizes with very high accuracy. It seems that we can obtain a more refined collection of clusters by using the Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient developed specifically for the ordinal model can be useful for optimizing the maximum reported cluster size for ordinal data and helpful for properly and informatively discovering cluster patterns. PMID:28753674

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

PubMed

Agresti, Alan; Kateri, Maria

2017-03-01

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

Detection of illegal transfer of videos over the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaisorn, Lekha; Sainui, Janya; Manders, Corey

2010-07-01

In this paper, a method for detecting infringements or modifications of a video in real-time is proposed. The method first segments a video stream into shots, after which it extracts some reference frames as keyframes. This process is performed employing a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) technique developed in this work. Next, for each input video (represented by its keyframes), ordinal-based signature and SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) descriptors are generated. The ordinal-based method employs a two-level bitmap indexing scheme to construct the index for each video signature. The first level clusters all input keyframes into k clusters while the second level converts the ordinal-based signatures into bitmap vectors. On the other hand, the SIFT-based method directly uses the descriptors as the index. Given a suspect video (being streamed or transferred on the Internet), we generate the signature (ordinal and SIFT descriptors) then we compute similarity between its signature and those signatures in the database based on ordinal signature and SIFT descriptors separately. For similarity measure, besides the Euclidean distance, Boolean operators are also utilized during the matching process. We have tested our system by performing several experiments on 50 videos (each about 1/2 hour in duration) obtained from the TRECVID 2006 data set. For experiments set up, we refer to the conditions provided by TRECVID 2009 on "Content-based copy detection" task. In addition, we also refer to the requirements issued in the call for proposals by MPEG standard on the similar task. Initial result shows that our framework is effective and robust. As compared to our previous work, on top of the achievement we obtained by reducing the storage space and time taken in the ordinal based method, by introducing the SIFT features, we could achieve an overall accuracy in F1 measure of about 96% (improved about 8%).

Modeling Personalized Email Prioritization: Classification-based and Regression-based Approaches

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

Yoo S.; Yang, Y.; Carbonell, J.

2011-10-24

Email overload, even after spam filtering, presents a serious productivity challenge for busy professionals and executives. One solution is automated prioritization of incoming emails to ensure the most important are read and processed quickly, while others are processed later as/if time permits in declining priority levels. This paper presents a study of machine learning approaches to email prioritization into discrete levels, comparing ordinal regression versus classier cascades. Given the ordinal nature of discrete email priority levels, SVM ordinal regression would be expected to perform well, but surprisingly a cascade of SVM classifiers significantly outperforms ordinal regression for email prioritization. Inmore » contrast, SVM regression performs well -- better than classifiers -- on selected UCI data sets. This unexpected performance inversion is analyzed and results are presented, providing core functionality for email prioritization systems.« less

Comparison of Ordinal and Nominal Classification Trees to Predict Ordinal Expert-Based Occupational Exposure Estimates in a Case–Control Study

PubMed Central

Wheeler, David C.; Archer, Kellie J.; Burstyn, Igor; Yu, Kai; Stewart, Patricia A.; Colt, Joanne S.; Baris, Dalsu; Karagas, Margaret R.; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Armenti, Karla; Silverman, Debra T.; Friesen, Melissa C.

2015-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate occupational exposures in case–control studies, exposure assessors typically review each job individually to assign exposure estimates. This process lacks transparency and does not provide a mechanism for recreating the decision rules in other studies. In our previous work, nominal (unordered categorical) classification trees (CTs) generally successfully predicted expert-assessed ordinal exposure estimates (i.e. none, low, medium, high) derived from occupational questionnaire responses, but room for improvement remained. Our objective was to determine if using recently developed ordinal CTs would improve the performance of nominal trees in predicting ordinal occupational diesel exhaust exposure estimates in a case–control study. Methods: We used one nominal and four ordinal CT methods to predict expert-assessed probability, intensity, and frequency estimates of occupational diesel exhaust exposure (each categorized as none, low, medium, or high) derived from questionnaire responses for the 14983 jobs in the New England Bladder Cancer Study. To replicate the common use of a single tree, we applied each method to a single sample of 70% of the jobs, using 15% to test and 15% to validate each method. To characterize variability in performance, we conducted a resampling analysis that repeated the sample draws 100 times. We evaluated agreement between the tree predictions and expert estimates using Somers’ d, which measures differences in terms of ordinal association between predicted and observed scores and can be interpreted similarly to a correlation coefficient. Results: From the resampling analysis, compared with the nominal tree, an ordinal CT method that used a quadratic misclassification function and controlled tree size based on total misclassification cost had a slightly better predictive performance that was statistically significant for the frequency metric (Somers’ d: nominal tree = 0.61; ordinal tree = 0.63) and similar performance for the probability (nominal = 0.65; ordinal = 0.66) and intensity (nominal = 0.65; ordinal = 0.65) metrics. The best ordinal CT predicted fewer cases of large disagreement with the expert assessments (i.e. no exposure predicted for a job with high exposure and vice versa) compared with the nominal tree across all of the exposure metrics. For example, the percent of jobs with expert-assigned high intensity of exposure that the model predicted as no exposure was 29% for the nominal tree and 22% for the best ordinal tree. Conclusions: The overall agreements were similar across CT models; however, the use of ordinal models reduced the magnitude of the discrepancy when disagreements occurred. As the best performing model can vary by situation, researchers should consider evaluating multiple CT methods to maximize the predictive performance within their data. PMID:25433003

Estimated breeding values for canine hip dysplasia radiographic traits in a cohort of Australian German Shepherd dogs.

PubMed

Wilson, Bethany J; Nicholas, Frank W; James, John W; Wade, Claire M; Thomson, Peter C

2013-01-01

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a serious and common musculoskeletal disease of pedigree dogs and therefore represents both an important welfare concern and an imperative breeding priority. The typical heritability estimates for radiographic CHD traits suggest that the accuracy of breeding dog selection could be substantially improved by the use of estimated breeding values (EBVs) in place of selection based on phenotypes of individuals. The British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club scoring method is a complex measure composed of nine bilateral ordinal traits, intended to evaluate both early and late dysplastic changes. However, the ordinal nature of the traits may represent a technical challenge for calculation of EBVs using linear methods. The purpose of the current study was to calculate EBVs of British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club traits in the Australian population of German Shepherd Dogs, using linear (both as individual traits and a summed phenotype), binary and ordinal methods to determine the optimal method for EBV calculation. Ordinal EBVs correlated well with linear EBVs (r = 0.90-0.99) and somewhat well with EBVs for the sum of the individual traits (r = 0.58-0.92). Correlation of ordinal and binary EBVs varied widely (r = 0.24-0.99) depending on the trait and cut-point considered. The ordinal EBVs have increased accuracy (0.48-0.69) of selection compared with accuracies from individual phenotype-based selection (0.40-0.52). Despite the high correlations between linear and ordinal EBVs, the underlying relationship between EBVs calculated by the two methods was not always linear, leading us to suggest that ordinal models should be used wherever possible. As the population of German Shepherd Dogs which was studied was purportedly under selection for the traits studied, we examined the EBVs for evidence of a genetic trend in these traits and found substantial genetic improvement over time. This study suggests the use of ordinal EBVs could increase the rate of genetic improvement in this population.

The assignment of scores procedure for ordinal categorical data.

PubMed

Chen, Han-Ching; Wang, Nae-Sheng

2014-01-01

Ordinal data are the most frequently encountered type of data in the social sciences. Many statistical methods can be used to process such data. One common method is to assign scores to the data, convert them into interval data, and further perform statistical analysis. There are several authors who have recently developed assigning score methods to assign scores to ordered categorical data. This paper proposes an approach that defines an assigning score system for an ordinal categorical variable based on underlying continuous latent distribution with interpretation by using three case study examples. The results show that the proposed score system is well for skewed ordinal categorical data.

Distance and environmental difference in alpine plant communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Malanson, George P.; Zimmerman, Dale L.; Fagre, Daniel B.

2017-01-01

Differences in plant communities are a response to the abiotic environment, species interactions, and dispersal. The role of geographic distance relative to the abiotic environment is explored for alpine tundra vegetation from 319 plots of four regions along the Rocky Mountain cordillera in the USA. The site by species data were ordinated using nonmetric multidimensional scaling to produce dependent variables for use in best-subsets regression. For independent variables, observations of local topography and microtopography were used as environmental indicators. Two methods of including distance in studies of vegetation and environment are used and contrasted. The relative importance of geographic distance in accounting for the pattern of alpine tundra similarity indicates that location is a factor in plant community composition. Mantel tests provide direct correlations between difference and distance but have known weaknesses. Moran spatial eigenvectors used in regression based approaches have greater geographic specificity, but require another step, ordination, in creating a vegetation variable. While the spatial eigenvectors are generally preferable, where species–environment relations are weak, as seems to be the case for the alpine sites studied here, the fewer abstractions of the Mantel test may be useful.

Detecting DIF in Polytomous Items Using MACS, IRT and Ordinal Logistic Regression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elosua, Paula; Wells, Craig

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare the Type I error rate and power of two model-based procedures, the mean and covariance structure model (MACS) and the item response theory (IRT), and an observed-score based procedure, ordinal logistic regression, for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) in polytomous items. A simulation…

Ordinal convolutional neural networks for predicting RDoC positive valence psychiatric symptom severity scores.

PubMed

Rios, Anthony; Kavuluru, Ramakanth

2017-11-01

The CEGS N-GRID 2016 Shared Task in Clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP) provided a set of 1000 neuropsychiatric notes to participants as part of a competition to predict psychiatric symptom severity scores. This paper summarizes our methods, results, and experiences based on our participation in the second track of the shared task. Classical methods of text classification usually fall into one of three problem types: binary, multi-class, and multi-label classification. In this effort, we study ordinal regression problems with text data where misclassifications are penalized differently based on how far apart the ground truth and model predictions are on the ordinal scale. Specifically, we present our entries (methods and results) in the N-GRID shared task in predicting research domain criteria (RDoC) positive valence ordinal symptom severity scores (absent, mild, moderate, and severe) from psychiatric notes. We propose a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) model designed to handle ordinal regression tasks on psychiatric notes. Broadly speaking, our model combines an ordinal loss function, a CNN, and conventional feature engineering (wide features) into a single model which is learned end-to-end. Given interpretability is an important concern with nonlinear models, we apply a recent approach called locally interpretable model-agnostic explanation (LIME) to identify important words that lead to instance specific predictions. Our best model entered into the shared task placed third among 24 teams and scored a macro mean absolute error (MMAE) based normalized score (100·(1-MMAE)) of 83.86. Since the competition, we improved our score (using basic ensembling) to 85.55, comparable with the winning shared task entry. Applying LIME to model predictions, we demonstrate the feasibility of instance specific prediction interpretation by identifying words that led to a particular decision. In this paper, we present a method that successfully uses wide features and an ordinal loss function applied to convolutional neural networks for ordinal text classification specifically in predicting psychiatric symptom severity scores. Our approach leads to excellent performance on the N-GRID shared task and is also amenable to interpretability using existing model-agnostic approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 157.7 - FAA determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... (a) The FAA will conduct an aeronautical study of an airport proposal and, after consultations with... existing or contemplated traffic patterns of neighboring airports; the effects the proposed action would... local law, ordinance or regulation, or state or other Federal regulation. Aeronautical studies and...

14 CFR 157.7 - FAA determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.... (a) The FAA will conduct an aeronautical study of an airport proposal and, after consultations with... existing or contemplated traffic patterns of neighboring airports; the effects the proposed action would... local law, ordinance or regulation, or state or other Federal regulation. Aeronautical studies and...

Market segmentation for multiple option healthcare delivery systems--an application of cluster analysis.

PubMed

Jarboe, G R; Gates, R H; McDaniel, C D

1990-01-01

Healthcare providers of multiple option plans may be confronted with special market segmentation problems. This study demonstrates how cluster analysis may be used for discovering distinct patterns of preference for multiple option plans. The availability of metric, as opposed to categorical or ordinal, data provides the ability to use sophisticated analysis techniques which may be superior to frequency distributions and cross-tabulations in revealing preference patterns.

Media advocacy, tobacco control policy change and teen smoking in Florida

PubMed Central

Niederdeppe, Jeff; Farrelly, Matthew C; Wenter, Dana

2007-01-01

Objective To assess whether media advocacy activities implemented by the Florida Tobacco Control Program contributed to increased news coverage, policy changes and reductions in youth smoking. Methods A content analysis of news coverage appearing in Florida newspapers between 22 April 1998 and 31 December 2001 was conducted, and patterns of coverage before and after the implementation of media advocacy efforts to promote tobacco product placement ordinances were compared. Event history analysis was used to assess whether news coverage increased the probability of enacting these ordinances in 23 of 67 Florida counties and ordinary least square (OLS) regression was used to gauge the effect of these policies on changes in youth smoking prevalence. Results The volume of programme‐related news coverage decreased after the onset of media advocacy efforts, but the ratio of coverage about Students Working Against Tobacco (the Florida Tobacco Control Program's youth advocacy organisation) relative to other topics increased. News coverage contributed to the passage of tobacco product placement ordinances in Florida counties, but these ordinances did not lead to reduced youth smoking. Conclusion This study adds to the growing literature supporting the use of media advocacy as a tool to change health‐related policies. However, results suggest caution in choosing policy goals that may or may not influence health behaviour. PMID:17297073

Identifying the scale-dependent motifs in atmospheric surface layer by ordinal pattern analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qinglei; Fu, Zuntao

2018-07-01

Ramp-like structures in various atmospheric surface layer time series have been long studied, but the presence of motifs with the finer scale embedded within larger scale ramp-like structures has largely been overlooked in the reported literature. Here a novel, objective and well-adapted methodology, the ordinal pattern analysis, is adopted to study the finer-scaled motifs in atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) time series. The studies show that the motifs represented by different ordinal patterns take clustering properties and 6 dominated motifs out of the whole 24 motifs account for about 45% of the time series under particular scales, which indicates the higher contribution of motifs with the finer scale to the series. Further studies indicate that motif statistics are similar for both stable conditions and unstable conditions at larger scales, but large discrepancies are found at smaller scales, and the frequencies of motifs "1234" and/or "4321" are a bit higher under stable conditions than unstable conditions. Under stable conditions, there are great changes for the occurrence frequencies of motifs "1234" and "4321", where the occurrence frequencies of motif "1234" decrease from nearly 24% to 4.5% with the scale factor increasing, and the occurrence frequencies of motif "4321" change nonlinearly with the scale increasing. These great differences of dominated motifs change with scale can be taken as an indicator to quantify the flow structure changes under different stability conditions, and motif entropy can be defined just by only 6 dominated motifs to quantify this time-scale independent property of the motifs. All these results suggest that the defined scale of motifs with the finer scale should be carefully taken into consideration in the interpretation of turbulence coherent structures.

Geographic, Anthropogenic and Habitat Influences on Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Fish Assemblages

EPA Science Inventory

We analyzed data from coastal wetlands across all five Laurentian Great Lakes to identify patterns in fish assemblages and relationships to local habitat, watershed condition, and regional setting. NMDS ordination of electrofishing catch-per-effort data revealed an overriding ge...

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.

Emergence of spike correlations in periodically forced excitable systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinoso, José A.; Torrent, M. C.; Masoller, Cristina

2016-09-01

In sensory neurons the presence of noise can facilitate the detection of weak information-carrying signals, which are encoded and transmitted via correlated sequences of spikes. Here we investigate the relative temporal order in spike sequences induced by a subthreshold periodic input in the presence of white Gaussian noise. To simulate the spikes, we use the FitzHugh-Nagumo model and to investigate the output sequence of interspike intervals (ISIs), we use the symbolic method of ordinal analysis. We find different types of relative temporal order in the form of preferred ordinal patterns that depend on both the strength of the noise and the period of the input signal. We also demonstrate a resonancelike behavior, as certain periods and noise levels enhance temporal ordering in the ISI sequence, maximizing the probability of the preferred patterns. Our findings could be relevant for understanding the mechanisms underlying temporal coding, by which single sensory neurons represent in spike sequences the information about weak periodic stimuli.

Medical image registration based on normalized multidimensional mutual information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qi; Ji, Hongbing; Tong, Ming

2009-10-01

Registration of medical images is an essential research topic in medical image processing and applications, and especially a preliminary and key step for multimodality image fusion. This paper offers a solution to medical image registration based on normalized multi-dimensional mutual information. Firstly, affine transformation with translational and rotational parameters is applied to the floating image. Then ordinal features are extracted by ordinal filters with different orientations to represent spatial information in medical images. Integrating ordinal features with pixel intensities, the normalized multi-dimensional mutual information is defined as similarity criterion to register multimodality images. Finally the immune algorithm is used to search registration parameters. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed registration scheme.

Multiple Ordinal Regression by Maximizing the Sum of Margins

PubMed Central

Hamsici, Onur C.; Martinez, Aleix M.

2016-01-01

Human preferences are usually measured using ordinal variables. A system whose goal is to estimate the preferences of humans and their underlying decision mechanisms requires to learn the ordering of any given sample set. We consider the solution of this ordinal regression problem using a Support Vector Machine algorithm. Specifically, the goal is to learn a set of classifiers with common direction vectors and different biases correctly separating the ordered classes. Current algorithms are either required to solve a quadratic optimization problem, which is computationally expensive, or are based on maximizing the minimum margin (i.e., a fixed margin strategy) between a set of hyperplanes, which biases the solution to the closest margin. Another drawback of these strategies is that they are limited to order the classes using a single ranking variable (e.g., perceived length). In this paper, we define a multiple ordinal regression algorithm based on maximizing the sum of the margins between every consecutive class with respect to one or more rankings (e.g., perceived length and weight). We provide derivations of an efficient, easy-to-implement iterative solution using a Sequential Minimal Optimization procedure. We demonstrate the accuracy of our solutions in several datasets. In addition, we provide a key application of our algorithms in estimating human subjects’ ordinal classification of attribute associations to object categories. We show that these ordinal associations perform better than the binary one typically employed in the literature. PMID:26529784

Lanthanide co-ordination frameworks: Opportunities and diversity

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

Hill, Robert J.; Long, De-Liang; Hubberstey, Peter

2005-08-15

Significant successes have been made over recent years in preparing co-ordination framework polymers that show macroscopic material properties, but in the vast majority of cases this has been achieved with d-block metal-based systems. Lanthanide co-ordination frameworks also offer attractive properties in terms of their potential applications as luminescent, non-linear optical and porous materials. However, lanthanide-based systems have been far less studied to date than their d-block counterparts. One possible reason for this is that the co-ordination spheres of lanthanide cations are more difficult to control and, in the absence of design strategies for lanthanide co-ordination frameworks, it is significantly moremore » difficult to target materials with specific properties. However, this article highlights some of the exciting possibilities that have emerged from the earliest investigations in this field with new topological families of compounds being discovered from relatively simple framework components, including unusual eight, seven and five-connected framework systems. Our own research, as well as others, is leading to a much greater appreciation of the factors that control framework formation and the resultant observed topologies of these polymers. As this understanding develops targeting particular framework types will become more straightforward and the development of designed polyfunctional materials more accessible. Thus, it can be seen that lanthanide co-ordination frameworks have the potential to open up previously unexplored directions for materials chemistry. This article focuses on the underlying concepts for the construction of these enticing and potentially highly important materials.« less

Continuous Coordination Tools and their Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarma, Anita; Al-Ani, Ban; Trainer, Erik; Silva Filho, Roberto S.; da Silva, Isabella A.; Redmiles, David; van der Hoek, André

This chapter discusses a set of co-ordination tools (the Continuous Co-ordination (CC) tool suite that includes Ariadne, Workspace Activity Viewer (WAV), Lighthouse, Palantír, and YANCEES) and details of our evaluation framework for these tools. Specifically, we discuss how we assessed the usefulness and the usability of these tools within the context of a predefined evaluation framework called DESMETDESMET . For example, for visualization tools we evaluated the suitability of the level of abstraction and the mode of displaying information of each tool. Whereas for an infrastructure tool we evaluate the effort required to implement co-ordination tools based on the given tool. We conclude with pointers on factors to consider when evaluating co-ordination tools in general.

Patterns in Habitat and Fish Assemblages within Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands and Implications for Sampling Design

EPA Science Inventory

Discerning fish - habitat associations at a variety of spatial scales is relevant to evaluating stressor responses and assessment protocols in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. NMDS ordination of electrofishing catch-per-effort data identified an overriding influence of geography an...

Vegetation classification, mapping, and monitoring at Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota: An application of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Faber-Langendoen, D.; Aaseng, N.; Hop, K.; Lew-Smith, M.; Drake, J.

2007-01-01

Question: How can the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (USNVC) serve as an effective tool for classifying and mapping vegetation, and inform assessments and monitoring? Location: Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota, U.S.A and environs. The park contains 54 243 ha of terrestrial habitat in the sub-boreal region of North America. Methods: We classified and mapped the natural vegetation using the USNVC, with 'alliance' and 'association' as base units. We compiled 259 classification plots and 1251 accuracy assessment test plots. Both plot and type ordinations were used to analyse vegetation and environmental patterns. Color infrared aerial photography (1:15840 scale) was used for mapping. Polygons were manually drawn, then transferred into digital form. Classification and mapping products are stored in publicly available databases. Past fire and logging events were used to assess distribution of forest types. Results and Discussion: Ordination and cluster analyses confirmed 49 associations and 42 alliances, with three associations ranked as globally vulnerable to extirpation. Ordination provided a useful summary of vegetation and ecological gradients. Overall map accuracy was 82.4%. Pinus banksiana - Picea mariana forests were less frequent in areas unburned since the 1930s. Conclusion: The USNVC provides a consistent ecological tool for summarizing and mapping vegetation. The products provide a baseline for assessing forests and wetlands, including fire management. The standardized classification and map units provide local to continental perspectives on park resources through linkages to state, provincial, and national classifications in the U.S. and Canada, and to NatureServe's Ecological Systems classification. ?? IAVS; Opulus Press.

The relationship between temperamental traits and the level of performance of an eye-hand co-ordination task in jet pilots.

PubMed

Biernacki, Marcin; Tarnowski, Adam

2008-01-01

When assessing the psychological suitability for the profession of a pilot, it is important to consider personality traits and psychomotor abilities. Our study aimed at estimating the role of temperamental traits as components of pilots' personality in eye-hand co-ordination. The assumption was that differences in the escalation of the level of temperamental traits, as measured with the Formal Characteristic of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), will significantly influence eye-hand co-ordination. At the level of general scores, enhanced briskness proved to be the most important trait for eye-hand co-ordination. An analysis of partial scores additionally underlined the importance of sensory sensitivity, endurance and activity. The application of eye-hand co-ordination tasks, which involve energetic and temporal dimensions of performance, helped to disclose the role of biologically-based personality traits in psychomotor performance. The implication of these findings for selecting pilots is discussed.

A model for regulation of mammalian ribosomal DNA transcription. Co-ordination of initiation and termination.

PubMed Central

Nashimoto, M; Mishima, Y

1988-01-01

Based on recent experimental data about transcription initiation and termination, a model for regulation of mammalian ribosomal DNA transcription is developed using a simple kinetic scheme. In this model, the existence of the transition pathway from the terminator to the promoter increases the rate of ribosomal RNA precursor synthesis. In addition to this 'non-transcribed spacer' traverse of RNA polymerase I, the co-ordination of initiation and termination allows a rapid on/off switch transition from the minimum to the maximum rate of ribosomal RNA precursor synthesis. Furthermore, taking account of the participation of two factors in the termination event, we propose a plausible molecular mechanism for the co-ordination of initiation and termination. This co-ordination is emphasized by repetition of the terminator unit. PMID:3223915

Local status and power in area-based health improvement partnerships.

PubMed

Powell, Katie; Thurston, Miranda; Bloyce, Daniel

2014-11-01

Area-based initiatives have formed an important part of public policy towards more socio-economically deprived areas in many countries. Co-ordinating service provision within and across sectors has been a common feature of these initiatives. Despite sustained policy interest in area-based initiatives, little empirical work has explored relations between area-based initiative providers, and partnership development within this context remains under-theorised. This article addresses both of these gaps by exploring partnerships as a social and developmental process, drawing on concepts from figurational sociology to explain how provider relations develop within an area-based initiative. Qualitative methods were used to explore, prospectively, the development of an area-based initiative targeted at a town in the north west of England. A central finding was that although effective delivery of area-based initiatives is premised on a high level of co-ordination between service providers, the pattern of interdependencies between providers limits the frequency and effectiveness of co-operation. In particular, the interdependency of area-based initiative providers with others in their organisation (what is termed here as 'organisational pull') constrained the ways in which they worked with providers outside of their own organisations. 'Local' status, which could be earned over time, enabled some providers to exert greater control over the way in which provider relations developed during the course of the initiative. These findings demonstrate how historically constituted social networks, within which all providers are embedded, shape partnership development. The theoretical insight developed here suggests a need for more realistic expectations among policymakers about how and to what extent provider partnerships can be managed. © The Author(s) 2014.

Change Management and the SENCo Role: Developing Key Performance Indicators of Inclusivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Done, Elizabeth; Murphy, Mike; Bedford, Clare

2016-01-01

This article highlights the changing role of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) in England. SENCos are now required to manage change strategically and deliver inclusive school cultures. A school-based evaluative study undertaken by a teacher who is studying for the postgraduate National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO) for…

Study of a vibrating plate: comparison between experimental (ESPI) and analytical results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, G.; Alvarez, L.; Alanís, E.; Nallim, L.; Grossi, R.

2003-07-01

Real-time electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) was used for tuning and visualization of natural frequencies of a trapezoidal plate. The plate was excited to resonant vibration by a sinusoidal acoustical source, which provided a continuous range of audio frequencies. Fringe patterns produced during the time-average recording of the vibrating plate—corresponding to several resonant frequencies—were registered. From these interferograms, calculations of vibrational amplitudes by means of zero-order Bessel functions were performed in some particular cases. The system was also studied analytically. The analytical approach developed is based on the Rayleigh-Ritz method and on the use of non-orthogonal right triangular co-ordinates. The deflection of the plate is approximated by a set of beam characteristic orthogonal polynomials generated by using the Gram-Schmidt procedure. A high degree of correlation between computational analysis and experimental results was observed.

Using Hierarchical Cluster Models to Systematically Identify Groups of Jobs With Similar Occupational Questionnaire Response Patterns to Assist Rule-Based Expert Exposure Assessment in Population-Based Studies

PubMed Central

Friesen, Melissa C.; Shortreed, Susan M.; Wheeler, David C.; Burstyn, Igor; Vermeulen, Roel; Pronk, Anjoeka; Colt, Joanne S.; Baris, Dalsu; Karagas, Margaret R.; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Armenti, Karla R.; Silverman, Debra T.; Yu, Kai

2015-01-01

Objectives: Rule-based expert exposure assessment based on questionnaire response patterns in population-based studies improves the transparency of the decisions. The number of unique response patterns, however, can be nearly equal to the number of jobs. An expert may reduce the number of patterns that need assessment using expert opinion, but each expert may identify different patterns of responses that identify an exposure scenario. Here, hierarchical clustering methods are proposed as a systematic data reduction step to reproducibly identify similar questionnaire response patterns prior to obtaining expert estimates. As a proof-of-concept, we used hierarchical clustering methods to identify groups of jobs (clusters) with similar responses to diesel exhaust-related questions and then evaluated whether the jobs within a cluster had similar (previously assessed) estimates of occupational diesel exhaust exposure. Methods: Using the New England Bladder Cancer Study as a case study, we applied hierarchical cluster models to the diesel-related variables extracted from the occupational history and job- and industry-specific questionnaires (modules). Cluster models were separately developed for two subsets: (i) 5395 jobs with ≥1 variable extracted from the occupational history indicating a potential diesel exposure scenario, but without a module with diesel-related questions; and (ii) 5929 jobs with both occupational history and module responses to diesel-relevant questions. For each subset, we varied the numbers of clusters extracted from the cluster tree developed for each model from 100 to 1000 groups of jobs. Using previously made estimates of the probability (ordinal), intensity (µg m−3 respirable elemental carbon), and frequency (hours per week) of occupational exposure to diesel exhaust, we examined the similarity of the exposure estimates for jobs within the same cluster in two ways. First, the clusters’ homogeneity (defined as >75% with the same estimate) was examined compared to a dichotomized probability estimate (<5 versus ≥5%; <50 versus ≥50%). Second, for the ordinal probability metric and continuous intensity and frequency metrics, we calculated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between each job’s estimate and the mean estimate for all jobs within the cluster. Results: Within-cluster homogeneity increased when more clusters were used. For example, ≥80% of the clusters were homogeneous when 500 clusters were used. Similarly, ICCs were generally above 0.7 when ≥200 clusters were used, indicating minimal within-cluster variability. The most within-cluster variability was observed for the frequency metric (ICCs from 0.4 to 0.8). We estimated that using an expert to assign exposure at the cluster-level assignment and then to review each job in non-homogeneous clusters would require ~2000 decisions per expert, in contrast to evaluating 4255 unique questionnaire patterns or 14983 individual jobs. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept shows that using cluster models as a data reduction step to identify jobs with similar response patterns prior to obtaining expert ratings has the potential to aid rule-based assessment by systematically reducing the number of exposure decisions needed. While promising, additional research is needed to quantify the actual reduction in exposure decisions and the resulting homogeneity of exposure estimates within clusters for an exposure assessment effort that obtains cluster-level expert assessments as part of the assessment process. PMID:25477475

Using hierarchical cluster models to systematically identify groups of jobs with similar occupational questionnaire response patterns to assist rule-based expert exposure assessment in population-based studies.

PubMed

Friesen, Melissa C; Shortreed, Susan M; Wheeler, David C; Burstyn, Igor; Vermeulen, Roel; Pronk, Anjoeka; Colt, Joanne S; Baris, Dalsu; Karagas, Margaret R; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Armenti, Karla R; Silverman, Debra T; Yu, Kai

2015-05-01

Rule-based expert exposure assessment based on questionnaire response patterns in population-based studies improves the transparency of the decisions. The number of unique response patterns, however, can be nearly equal to the number of jobs. An expert may reduce the number of patterns that need assessment using expert opinion, but each expert may identify different patterns of responses that identify an exposure scenario. Here, hierarchical clustering methods are proposed as a systematic data reduction step to reproducibly identify similar questionnaire response patterns prior to obtaining expert estimates. As a proof-of-concept, we used hierarchical clustering methods to identify groups of jobs (clusters) with similar responses to diesel exhaust-related questions and then evaluated whether the jobs within a cluster had similar (previously assessed) estimates of occupational diesel exhaust exposure. Using the New England Bladder Cancer Study as a case study, we applied hierarchical cluster models to the diesel-related variables extracted from the occupational history and job- and industry-specific questionnaires (modules). Cluster models were separately developed for two subsets: (i) 5395 jobs with ≥1 variable extracted from the occupational history indicating a potential diesel exposure scenario, but without a module with diesel-related questions; and (ii) 5929 jobs with both occupational history and module responses to diesel-relevant questions. For each subset, we varied the numbers of clusters extracted from the cluster tree developed for each model from 100 to 1000 groups of jobs. Using previously made estimates of the probability (ordinal), intensity (µg m(-3) respirable elemental carbon), and frequency (hours per week) of occupational exposure to diesel exhaust, we examined the similarity of the exposure estimates for jobs within the same cluster in two ways. First, the clusters' homogeneity (defined as >75% with the same estimate) was examined compared to a dichotomized probability estimate (<5 versus ≥5%; <50 versus ≥50%). Second, for the ordinal probability metric and continuous intensity and frequency metrics, we calculated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between each job's estimate and the mean estimate for all jobs within the cluster. Within-cluster homogeneity increased when more clusters were used. For example, ≥80% of the clusters were homogeneous when 500 clusters were used. Similarly, ICCs were generally above 0.7 when ≥200 clusters were used, indicating minimal within-cluster variability. The most within-cluster variability was observed for the frequency metric (ICCs from 0.4 to 0.8). We estimated that using an expert to assign exposure at the cluster-level assignment and then to review each job in non-homogeneous clusters would require ~2000 decisions per expert, in contrast to evaluating 4255 unique questionnaire patterns or 14983 individual jobs. This proof-of-concept shows that using cluster models as a data reduction step to identify jobs with similar response patterns prior to obtaining expert ratings has the potential to aid rule-based assessment by systematically reducing the number of exposure decisions needed. While promising, additional research is needed to quantify the actual reduction in exposure decisions and the resulting homogeneity of exposure estimates within clusters for an exposure assessment effort that obtains cluster-level expert assessments as part of the assessment process. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society 2014.

Bounded influence function based inference in joint modelling of ordinal partial linear model and accelerated failure time model.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Arindom

2016-12-01

A common objective in longitudinal studies is to characterize the relationship between a longitudinal response process and a time-to-event data. Ordinal nature of the response and possible missing information on covariates add complications to the joint model. In such circumstances, some influential observations often present in the data may upset the analysis. In this paper, a joint model based on ordinal partial mixed model and an accelerated failure time model is used, to account for the repeated ordered response and time-to-event data, respectively. Here, we propose an influence function-based robust estimation method. Monte Carlo expectation maximization method-based algorithm is used for parameter estimation. A detailed simulation study has been done to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. As an application, a data on muscular dystrophy among children is used. Robust estimates are then compared with classical maximum likelihood estimates. © The Author(s) 2014.

Seeing the forest and the trees: multilevel models reveal both species and community patterns

Treesearch

Michelle M. Jackson; Monica G. Turner; Scott M. Pearson; Anthony R. Ives

2012-01-01

Studies designed to understand species distributions and community assemblages typically use separate analytical approaches (e.g., logistic regression and ordination) to model the distribution of individual species and to relate community composition to environmental variation. Multilevel models (MLMs) offer a promising strategy for integrating species and community-...

Visual grading characteristics and ordinal regression analysis during optimisation of CT head examinations.

PubMed

Zarb, Francis; McEntee, Mark F; Rainford, Louise

2015-06-01

To evaluate visual grading characteristics (VGC) and ordinal regression analysis during head CT optimisation as a potential alternative to visual grading assessment (VGA), traditionally employed to score anatomical visualisation. Patient images (n = 66) were obtained using current and optimised imaging protocols from two CT suites: a 16-slice scanner at the national Maltese centre for trauma and a 64-slice scanner in a private centre. Local resident radiologists (n = 6) performed VGA followed by VGC and ordinal regression analysis. VGC alone indicated that optimised protocols had similar image quality as current protocols. Ordinal logistic regression analysis provided an in-depth evaluation, criterion by criterion allowing the selective implementation of the protocols. The local radiology review panel supported the implementation of optimised protocols for brain CT examinations (including trauma) in one centre, achieving radiation dose reductions ranging from 24 % to 36 %. In the second centre a 29 % reduction in radiation dose was achieved for follow-up cases. The combined use of VGC and ordinal logistic regression analysis led to clinical decisions being taken on the implementation of the optimised protocols. This improved method of image quality analysis provided the evidence to support imaging protocol optimisation, resulting in significant radiation dose savings. • There is need for scientifically based image quality evaluation during CT optimisation. • VGC and ordinal regression analysis in combination led to better informed clinical decisions. • VGC and ordinal regression analysis led to dose reductions without compromising diagnostic efficacy.

Patterns of Dupuytren disease in fingers: studying correlations with a multivariate ordinal logit model.

PubMed

Lanting, Rosanne; Nooraee, Nazanin; Werker, Paul M N; van den Heuvel, Edwin R

2014-09-01

Dupuytren disease affects fingers in a variable fashion. Knowledge about specific disease patterns (phenotype) based on location and severity of the disease is lacking. In this cross-sectional study, 344 primary affected hands with Dupuytren disease were physically examined. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the coexistence of Dupuytren disease in pairs of fingers was calculated, and agglomerative hierarchical clustering was applied to identify possible clusters of affected fingers. With a multivariate ordinal logit model, the authors studied the correlation on severity, taking into account age and sex, and tested hypotheses on independence between groups of fingers. The ring finger was most frequently affected by Dupuytren disease, and contractures were seen in 15.1 percent of affected rays. The severity of thumb and index finger, middle and ring fingers, and middle and little fingers was significantly correlated. Occurrences in pairs of fingers were highest in the middle and ring fingers and lowest in the thumb and index finger. Correlation between the ring and little fingers and a correlation between fingers from the ulnar and radial sides could not be demonstrated. Rays on the ulnar side of the hand are predominantly affected. The middle finger is substantially correlated with other fingers on the ulnar side, and the thumb and index finger are correlated; however, there was no evidence that the ulnar side and the radial side were correlated in any way, which suggests that occurrence on one side of the hand does not predict Dupuytren disease on the other side of the hand. Risk, III.

Distribution of Diatoms in Relation to Land Use and pH in Blackwater Coastal Plain Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zampella, Robert A.; Laidig, Kim J.; Lowe, Rex L.

2007-03-01

We compared the composition of diatom assemblages collected from New Jersey Pinelands blackwater streams draining four different land uses, including forest land, abandoned-cranberry bogs, active-cranberry bogs, and developed and upland-agricultural land. Over a 2-year period (2002-2003), we collected 132 diatom taxa at 14 stream sites. Between-year variability in the composition of stream samples was high. Most diatom species were rarely encountered and were found in low abundance. Specific conductance and pH were higher at developed/agricultural sites compared with all other site types. Neither species richness nor genus richness was significantly different between stream types. However, clear community patterns were evident, and a significant difference in species composition existed between the developed/agricultural sites and both cranberry and forest sites. The primary community gradient, represented by the first axis of a DCA ordination, was associated with variations in pH and specific conductance. Although community patterns revealed by ordinating the data collected in 2002 differed from those obtained using the 2003 data, both ordinations contrasted the developed/agricultural sites and the other sites. Acidobiontic and acidophilous diatoms characterized the dominant species at forest, abandoned-bog, and cranberry sites, whereas indifferent species dominated the developed/agricultural samples. Although our study demonstrated a relationship between the composition of diatom assemblages and watershed conditions, several factors, including taxonomic problems, the large number of diatom species, incomplete pH classifications, and year-to-year variability may limit the utility of diatom species as indicators of watershed conditions in the New Jersey Pinelands.

Graphical Models for Ordinal Data

PubMed Central

Guo, Jian; Levina, Elizaveta; Michailidis, George; Zhu, Ji

2014-01-01

A graphical model for ordinal variables is considered, where it is assumed that the data are generated by discretizing the marginal distributions of a latent multivariate Gaussian distribution. The relationships between these ordinal variables are then described by the underlying Gaussian graphical model and can be inferred by estimating the corresponding concentration matrix. Direct estimation of the model is computationally expensive, but an approximate EM-like algorithm is developed to provide an accurate estimate of the parameters at a fraction of the computational cost. Numerical evidence based on simulation studies shows the strong performance of the algorithm, which is also illustrated on data sets on movie ratings and an educational survey. PMID:26120267

Restaurant volatility and the Iowa City, Iowa, smoke-free restaurant ordinance.

PubMed

Sheffer, Megan A; Squier, Christopher A; Gilmore, Gary D

2013-01-01

To determine the economic impact of the Iowa City, Iowa, smoke-free restaurant ordinance (IC-SFRO) using an immediate and novel approach. In this retrospective study, food permit licensure served as the measure to assess the IC-SFRO impact. The Iowa City experience provided an excellent experimental setting, as the ordinance was enacted March 1, 2002, and repealed May 7, 2003, because of preemption. The city of Coralville served as a natural control, as it is contiguous to Iowa City, has similar population demographics, and has never enacted a smoke-free restaurant ordinance. Food permit licensure data for all Iowa City and Coralville restaurants were obtained from the Johnson County Health Department. Differences in restaurant volatility were assessed using Fisher's exact probability test. The number of restaurants increased in both Iowa City and Coralville throughout the ordinance period. The ratio of the total number of restaurants in Iowa City to the total number of restaurants in the Iowa City-Coralville metropolitan area remained stable. The proportion of restaurants for each city did not differ significantly during the preordinance, ordinance, and postordinance periods. The IC-SFRO did not adversely impact the restaurant industry in terms of restaurant closures. The Iowa legislature was urged to draft evidence-based legislation, such as amending preemption of the IC-SFRO, to protect and promote the health of its communities.

An Integrated Model of Co-ordinated Community-Based Care.

PubMed

Scharlach, Andrew E; Graham, Carrie L; Berridge, Clara

2015-08-01

Co-ordinated approaches to community-based care are a central component of current and proposed efforts to help vulnerable older adults obtain needed services and supports and reduce unnecessary use of health care resources. This study examines ElderHelp Concierge Club, an integrated community-based care model that includes comprehensive personal and environmental assessment, multilevel care co-ordination, a mix of professional and volunteer service providers, and a capitated, income-adjusted fee model. Evaluation includes a retrospective study (n = 96) of service use and perceived program impact, and a prospective study (n = 21) of changes in participant physical and social well-being and health services utilization. Over the period of this study, participants showed greater mobility, greater ability to meet household needs, greater access to health care, reduced social isolation, reduced home hazards, fewer falls, and greater perceived ability to obtain assistance needed to age in place. This study provides preliminary evidence that an integrated multilevel care co-ordination approach may be an effective and efficient model for serving vulnerable community-based elders, especially low and moderate-income elders who otherwise could not afford the cost of care. The findings suggest the need for multisite controlled studies to more rigorously evaluate program impacts and the optimal mix of various program components. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effect of Cassava on motor co-ordination and neurotransmitter level in the albino rat.

PubMed

Mathangi, D C; Mohan, V; Namasivayam, A

1999-01-01

The root of Cassava, a tropical plant, is consumed in the tropics and has been attributed as the cause for various tropical neuropathies. This study aims to discover the neurotoxic effects of chronic cassava consumption of Indian origin and the effect of malnutrition. The assessment is based on the motor co-ordination and brain neurotransmitters in rats. Cassava consumption reduced the motor co-ordination, but the changes in neurotransmitter levels due to cassava consumption (except for 5HT in corpus striatum) was identical with malnutrition-induced changes, indicating that the toxicity of chronic cassava consumption (of Indian origin) is mainly due to the associated protein calorie malnutrition (PCM).

From Exclusion to Inclusion; Supporting Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators to Keep Children in Mainstream Education: A Qualitative Psychoanalytic Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Angela

2013-01-01

This paper draws on my doctoral research study based on consulting work with three primary school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) that took place in 2008. The study examined the interactions that arose in the consultations with the SENCos and their staff. The findings that emerged from the application of Grounded Theory research…

Evaluation of redundancy analysis to identify signatures of local adaptation.

PubMed

Capblancq, Thibaut; Luu, Keurcien; Blum, Michael G B; Bazin, Eric

2018-05-26

Ordination is a common tool in ecology that aims at representing complex biological information in a reduced space. In landscape genetics, ordination methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) have been used to detect adaptive variation based on genomic data. Taking advantage of environmental data in addition to genotype data, redundancy analysis (RDA) is another ordination approach that is useful to detect adaptive variation. This paper aims at proposing a test statistic based on RDA to search for loci under selection. We compare redundancy analysis to pcadapt, which is a nonconstrained ordination method, and to a latent factor mixed model (LFMM), which is a univariate genotype-environment association method. Individual-based simulations identify evolutionary scenarios where RDA genome scans have a greater statistical power than genome scans based on PCA. By constraining the analysis with environmental variables, RDA performs better than PCA in identifying adaptive variation when selection gradients are weakly correlated with population structure. Additionally, we show that if RDA and LFMM have a similar power to identify genetic markers associated with environmental variables, the RDA-based procedure has the advantage to identify the main selective gradients as a combination of environmental variables. To give a concrete illustration of RDA in population genomics, we apply this method to the detection of outliers and selective gradients on an SNP data set of Populus trichocarpa (Geraldes et al., 2013). The RDA-based approach identifies the main selective gradient contrasting southern and coastal populations to northern and continental populations in the northwestern American coast. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

"Anniversary Reaction": Important Events and Timing of Death in a Group of Roman Catholic Priests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Lee; Walker, Lawrence D.

1990-01-01

Compared death dates of 1,038 Roman Catholic priests with dates of Christmas, Easter, birthday, and day of ordination. Found no meaningful patterns of death around any anniversary, suggesting either no association between time of death and important anniversaries or that important event may be so extraordinary to each individuals that it is not…

Microhabitat and Environmental Relationships of Bryophytes in Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii H. & A.) Woodlands and Forests of Central Coastal California

Treesearch

Mark Borchert; Daniel Norris

1991-01-01

Microhabitat preferences and species-environment patterns were quantified for bryophytes in blue oak woodlands and forests of central coastal California. Presence data for mosses collected from 149 400 m2 plots were analyzed using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), a multivariate direct gradient analysis technique. Separate ordinations were performed for...

Harwell Subroutine Library. A Catalogue of Subroutines (1973),

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-07-01

up the equations AT Ax = ATb. There may be more than one right-hand size. Remark: If the solution is required see MAO9A. Versions: MAOA ; MAOBAD. Calls...Hermitian MEO8A source decks-modification of OEOIA real gene .’al to Hessenberg sparsity pattern TDO2A MC08A, MCI4A spherical co-ordinates GAOIA real

An Ordinal Pattern Analysis of Four Hypotheses Describing the Interactions between Drug-Addicted, Chronically Disadvantaged, and Middle-Class Mother-Infant Dyads.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinker, Richard P.; And Others

1994-01-01

Investigated interactions among 18 African American mother-infant pairs participating in an early intervention program for infants with developmental delays or at risk for developmental disabilities. The hypothesis that mothers would become less responsive to infants over time as a function of drug addiction, poverty, or serious developmental…

Infants learn better from left to right: a directional bias in infants' sequence learning.

PubMed

Bulf, Hermann; de Hevia, Maria Dolores; Gariboldi, Valeria; Macchi Cassia, Viola

2017-05-26

A wealth of studies show that human adults map ordered information onto a directional spatial continuum. We asked whether mapping ordinal information into a directional space constitutes an early predisposition, already functional prior to the acquisition of symbolic knowledge and language. While it is known that preverbal infants represent numerical order along a left-to-right spatial continuum, no studies have investigated yet whether infants, like adults, organize any kind of ordinal information onto a directional space. We investigated whether 7-month-olds' ability to learn high-order rule-like patterns from visual sequences of geometric shapes was affected by the spatial orientation of the sequences (left-to-right vs. right-to-left). Results showed that infants readily learn rule-like patterns when visual sequences were presented from left to right, but not when presented from right to left. This result provides evidence that spatial orientation critically determines preverbal infants' ability to perceive and learn ordered information in visual sequences, opening to the idea that a left-to-right spatially organized mental representation of ordered dimensions might be rooted in biologically-determined constraints on human brain development.

Causal mediation analysis with a binary outcome and multiple continuous or ordinal mediators: Simulations and application to an alcohol intervention.

PubMed

Nguyen, Trang Quynh; Webb-Vargas, Yenny; Koning, Ina M; Stuart, Elizabeth A

We investigate a method to estimate the combined effect of multiple continuous/ordinal mediators on a binary outcome: 1) fit a structural equation model with probit link for the outcome and identity/probit link for continuous/ordinal mediators, 2) predict potential outcome probabilities, and 3) compute natural direct and indirect effects. Step 2 involves rescaling the latent continuous variable underlying the outcome to address residual mediator variance/covariance. We evaluate the estimation of risk-difference- and risk-ratio-based effects (RDs, RRs) using the ML, WLSMV and Bayes estimators in Mplus. Across most variations in path-coefficient and mediator-residual-correlation signs and strengths, and confounding situations investigated, the method performs well with all estimators, but favors ML/WLSMV for RDs with continuous mediators, and Bayes for RRs with ordinal mediators. Bayes outperforms WLSMV/ML regardless of mediator type when estimating RRs with small potential outcome probabilities and in two other special cases. An adolescent alcohol prevention study is used for illustration.

Processing Ordinality and Quantity: The Case of Developmental Dyscalculia

PubMed Central

Rubinsten, Orly; Sury, Dana

2011-01-01

In contrast to quantity processing, up to date, the nature of ordinality has received little attention from researchers despite the fact that both quantity and ordinality are embodied in numerical information. Here we ask if there are two separate core systems that lie at the foundations of numerical cognition: (1) the traditionally and well accepted numerical magnitude system but also (2) core system for representing ordinal information. We report two novel experiments of ordinal processing that explored the relation between ordinal and numerical information processing in typically developing adults and adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). Participants made “ordered” or “non-ordered” judgments about 3 groups of dots (non-symbolic numerical stimuli; in Experiment 1) and 3 numbers (symbolic task: Experiment 2). In contrast to previous findings and arguments about quantity deficit in DD participants, when quantity and ordinality are dissociated (as in the current tasks), DD participants exhibited a normal ratio effect in the non-symbolic ordinal task. They did not show, however, the ordinality effect. Ordinality effect in DD appeared only when area and density were randomized, but only in the descending direction. In the symbolic task, the ordinality effect was modulated by ratio and direction in both groups. These findings suggest that there might be two separate cognitive representations of ordinal and quantity information and that linguistic knowledge may facilitate estimation of ordinal information. PMID:21935374

Processing ordinality and quantity: the case of developmental dyscalculia.

PubMed

Rubinsten, Orly; Sury, Dana

2011-01-01

In contrast to quantity processing, up to date, the nature of ordinality has received little attention from researchers despite the fact that both quantity and ordinality are embodied in numerical information. Here we ask if there are two separate core systems that lie at the foundations of numerical cognition: (1) the traditionally and well accepted numerical magnitude system but also (2) core system for representing ordinal information. We report two novel experiments of ordinal processing that explored the relation between ordinal and numerical information processing in typically developing adults and adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). Participants made "ordered" or "non-ordered" judgments about 3 groups of dots (non-symbolic numerical stimuli; in Experiment 1) and 3 numbers (symbolic task: Experiment 2). In contrast to previous findings and arguments about quantity deficit in DD participants, when quantity and ordinality are dissociated (as in the current tasks), DD participants exhibited a normal ratio effect in the non-symbolic ordinal task. They did not show, however, the ordinality effect. Ordinality effect in DD appeared only when area and density were randomized, but only in the descending direction. In the symbolic task, the ordinality effect was modulated by ratio and direction in both groups. These findings suggest that there might be two separate cognitive representations of ordinal and quantity information and that linguistic knowledge may facilitate estimation of ordinal information.

The effect of ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants and bars on revenues: a follow-up.

PubMed Central

Glantz, S A; Smith, L R

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to extend an earlier evaluation of the economic effects of ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants and bars. METHODS: Sales tax data for 15 cities with smoke-free restaurant ordinances, 5 cities and 2 counties with smoke-free bar ordinances, and matched comparison locations were analyzed by multiple regression, including time and a dummy variable for the ordinance. RESULTS: Ordinances had no significant effect on the fraction of total retail sales that went to eating and drinking places or on the ratio between sales in communities with ordinances and sales in comparison communities. Ordinances requiring smoke-free bars had no significant effect on the fraction of revenues going to eating and drinking places that serve all types of liquor. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free ordinances do not adversely affect either restaurant or bar sales. PMID:9357356

A utility-based design for randomized comparative trials with ordinal outcomes and prognostic subgroups.

PubMed

Murray, Thomas A; Yuan, Ying; Thall, Peter F; Elizondo, Joan H; Hofstetter, Wayne L

2018-01-22

A design is proposed for randomized comparative trials with ordinal outcomes and prognostic subgroups. The design accounts for patient heterogeneity by allowing possibly different comparative conclusions within subgroups. The comparative testing criterion is based on utilities for the levels of the ordinal outcome and a Bayesian probability model. Designs based on two alternative models that include treatment-subgroup interactions are considered, the proportional odds model and a non-proportional odds model with a hierarchical prior that shrinks toward the proportional odds model. A third design that assumes homogeneity and ignores possible treatment-subgroup interactions also is considered. The three approaches are applied to construct group sequential designs for a trial of nutritional prehabilitation versus standard of care for esophageal cancer patients undergoing chemoradiation and surgery, including both untreated patients and salvage patients whose disease has recurred following previous therapy. A simulation study is presented that compares the three designs, including evaluation of within-subgroup type I and II error probabilities under a variety of scenarios including different combinations of treatment-subgroup interactions. © 2018, The International Biometric Society.

Manipulating measurement scales in medical statistical analysis and data mining: A review of methodologies

PubMed Central

Marateb, Hamid Reza; Mansourian, Marjan; Adibi, Peyman; Farina, Dario

2014-01-01

Background: selecting the correct statistical test and data mining method depends highly on the measurement scale of data, type of variables, and purpose of the analysis. Different measurement scales are studied in details and statistical comparison, modeling, and data mining methods are studied based upon using several medical examples. We have presented two ordinal–variables clustering examples, as more challenging variable in analysis, using Wisconsin Breast Cancer Data (WBCD). Ordinal-to-Interval scale conversion example: a breast cancer database of nine 10-level ordinal variables for 683 patients was analyzed by two ordinal-scale clustering methods. The performance of the clustering methods was assessed by comparison with the gold standard groups of malignant and benign cases that had been identified by clinical tests. Results: the sensitivity and accuracy of the two clustering methods were 98% and 96%, respectively. Their specificity was comparable. Conclusion: by using appropriate clustering algorithm based on the measurement scale of the variables in the study, high performance is granted. Moreover, descriptive and inferential statistics in addition to modeling approach must be selected based on the scale of the variables. PMID:24672565

Reconsidering the use of rankings in the valuation of health states: a model for estimating cardinal values from ordinal data

PubMed Central

Salomon, Joshua A

2003-01-01

Background In survey studies on health-state valuations, ordinal ranking exercises often are used as precursors to other elicitation methods such as the time trade-off (TTO) or standard gamble, but the ranking data have not been used in deriving cardinal valuations. This study reconsiders the role of ordinal ranks in valuing health and introduces a new approach to estimate interval-scaled valuations based on aggregate ranking data. Methods Analyses were undertaken on data from a previously published general population survey study in the United Kingdom that included rankings and TTO values for hypothetical states described using the EQ-5D classification system. The EQ-5D includes five domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) with three possible levels on each. Rank data were analysed using a random utility model, operationalized through conditional logit regression. In the statistical model, probabilities of observed rankings were related to the latent utilities of different health states, modeled as a linear function of EQ-5D domain scores, as in previously reported EQ-5D valuation functions. Predicted valuations based on the conditional logit model were compared to observed TTO values for the 42 states in the study and to predictions based on a model estimated directly from the TTO values. Models were evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between predictions and mean observations, and the root mean squared error of predictions at the individual level. Results Agreement between predicted valuations from the rank model and observed TTO values was very high, with an ICC of 0.97, only marginally lower than for predictions based on the model estimated directly from TTO values (ICC = 0.99). Individual-level errors were also comparable in the two models, with root mean squared errors of 0.503 and 0.496 for the rank-based and TTO-based predictions, respectively. Conclusions Modeling health-state valuations based on ordinal ranks can provide results that are similar to those obtained from more widely analyzed valuation techniques such as the TTO. The information content in aggregate ranking data is not currently exploited to full advantage. The possibility of estimating cardinal valuations from ordinal ranks could also simplify future data collection dramatically and facilitate wider empirical study of health-state valuations in diverse settings and population groups. PMID:14687419

The Heteroscedastic Graded Response Model with a Skewed Latent Trait: Testing Statistical and Substantive Hypotheses Related to Skewed Item Category Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molenaar, Dylan; Dolan, Conor V.; de Boeck, Paul

2012-01-01

The Graded Response Model (GRM; Samejima, "Estimation of ability using a response pattern of graded scores," Psychometric Monograph No. 17, Richmond, VA: The Psychometric Society, 1969) can be derived by assuming a linear regression of a continuous variable, Z, on the trait, [theta], to underlie the ordinal item scores (Takane & de Leeuw in…

When Can Categorical Variables Be Treated as Continuous? A Comparison of Robust Continuous and Categorical SEM Estimation Methods under Suboptimal Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhemtulla, Mijke; Brosseau-Liard, Patricia E.; Savalei, Victoria

2012-01-01

A simulation study compared the performance of robust normal theory maximum likelihood (ML) and robust categorical least squares (cat-LS) methodology for estimating confirmatory factor analysis models with ordinal variables. Data were generated from 2 models with 2-7 categories, 4 sample sizes, 2 latent distributions, and 5 patterns of category…

Configural learning in contextual cuing of visual search.

PubMed

Beesley, Tom; Vadillo, Miguel A; Pearson, Daniel; Shanks, David R

2016-08-01

Two experiments were conducted to explore the role of configural representations in contextual cuing of visual search. Repeating patterns of distractors (contexts) were trained incidentally as predictive of the target location. Training participants with repeating contexts of consistent configurations led to stronger contextual cuing than when participants were trained with contexts of inconsistent configurations. Computational simulations with an elemental associative learning model of contextual cuing demonstrated that purely elemental representations could not account for the results. However, a configural model of associative learning was able to simulate the ordinal pattern of data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Squeezing Interval Change From Ordinal Panel Data: Latent Growth Curves With Ordinal Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehta, Paras D.; Neale, Michael C.; Flay, Brian R.

2004-01-01

A didactic on latent growth curve modeling for ordinal outcomes is presented. The conceptual aspects of modeling growth with ordinal variables and the notion of threshold invariance are illustrated graphically using a hypothetical example. The ordinal growth model is described in terms of 3 nested models: (a) multivariate normality of the…

Accelerated solution of discrete ordinates approximation to the Boltzmann transport equation via model reduction

DOE PAGES

Tencer, John; Carlberg, Kevin; Larsen, Marvin; ...

2017-06-17

Radiation heat transfer is an important phenomenon in many physical systems of practical interest. When participating media is important, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) must be solved for the radiative intensity as a function of location, time, direction, and wavelength. In many heat-transfer applications, a quasi-steady assumption is valid, thereby removing time dependence. The dependence on wavelength is often treated through a weighted sum of gray gases (WSGG) approach. The discrete ordinates method (DOM) is one of the most common methods for approximating the angular (i.e., directional) dependence. The DOM exactly solves for the radiative intensity for a finite numbermore » of discrete ordinate directions and computes approximations to integrals over the angular space using a quadrature rule; the chosen ordinate directions correspond to the nodes of this quadrature rule. This paper applies a projection-based model-reduction approach to make high-order quadrature computationally feasible for the DOM for purely absorbing applications. First, the proposed approach constructs a reduced basis from (high-fidelity) solutions of the radiative intensity computed at a relatively small number of ordinate directions. Then, the method computes inexpensive approximations of the radiative intensity at the (remaining) quadrature points of a high-order quadrature using a reduced-order model constructed from the reduced basis. Finally, this results in a much more accurate solution than might have been achieved using only the ordinate directions used to compute the reduced basis. One- and three-dimensional test problems highlight the efficiency of the proposed method.« less

Accelerated solution of discrete ordinates approximation to the Boltzmann transport equation via model reduction

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

Tencer, John; Carlberg, Kevin; Larsen, Marvin

Radiation heat transfer is an important phenomenon in many physical systems of practical interest. When participating media is important, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) must be solved for the radiative intensity as a function of location, time, direction, and wavelength. In many heat-transfer applications, a quasi-steady assumption is valid, thereby removing time dependence. The dependence on wavelength is often treated through a weighted sum of gray gases (WSGG) approach. The discrete ordinates method (DOM) is one of the most common methods for approximating the angular (i.e., directional) dependence. The DOM exactly solves for the radiative intensity for a finite numbermore » of discrete ordinate directions and computes approximations to integrals over the angular space using a quadrature rule; the chosen ordinate directions correspond to the nodes of this quadrature rule. This paper applies a projection-based model-reduction approach to make high-order quadrature computationally feasible for the DOM for purely absorbing applications. First, the proposed approach constructs a reduced basis from (high-fidelity) solutions of the radiative intensity computed at a relatively small number of ordinate directions. Then, the method computes inexpensive approximations of the radiative intensity at the (remaining) quadrature points of a high-order quadrature using a reduced-order model constructed from the reduced basis. Finally, this results in a much more accurate solution than might have been achieved using only the ordinate directions used to compute the reduced basis. One- and three-dimensional test problems highlight the efficiency of the proposed method.« less

Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags in the USA.

PubMed

Wagner, Travis P

2017-12-01

In the USA, local governments have the primary responsibility to manage MSW. However, local governments lack the authority to explicitly shift costs or responsibility back onto the producer for specific problem wastes. A particularly problematic waste for local governments is the single-use plastic bag. In 2014, in the USA, 103.465 billion single-use plastic shopping bags were consumed. Because of their extremely low recyclability rate, plastic bags remain a significant source of land-based litter and marine debris and impair stormwater management systems. They also reduce the effectiveness of automated recycling systems. In response, local governments increasingly have adopted a variety of measures specifically intended to reduce the store-level consumption of single-use shopping bags in 5 major categories: bans, imposition of fees and taxes, establishing minimum product design of bags, requiring consumer education, and mandating retailer take-back programs. As of September 2017, there were 271 local governments in the USA with plastic bag ordinances covering 9.7% of the nation's population. The majority (95%) of the ordinances is a ban on single-use plastic bags; 56.9% of these bans also include a mandatory fee on paper and/or reusable bags. For the fee-based ordinances, the mode is $0.10 per bag; every tax/fee ordinance allows retailers to retain some or all the collected fee. As local governments continue to increase their actions on plastic bags, 11 states have enacted laws to prohibit local governments from regulating single-use plastic bags. Because of the success with single-use bags, local governments are also enacting similar ordinances on single-use expanded polystyrene consumer products and other single-use plastic products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of finfish and selected invertebrates in coastal lagoons of northeastern Florida, 2002-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turtora, Michael; Schotman, Elizabeth M.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a survey of juvenile fisheries resources, in cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District and Volusia County, to establish baseline data on spatial and temporal distribution patterns of estuarine fish. The survey was conducted from November 2001 to March 2005 and the baseline data established for the survey in the Northern Coastal Basins were collected from January 2002 to December 2004. The study area included the bar-built estuaries ranging from just north of St. Augustine, Florida, south to Ponce de Leon Inlet. Sampling protocols developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute for their statewide Fisheries Independent Monitoring (FIM) program were replicated to allow for comparability with FIM program results. Samples were collected monthly from randomly selected stations based on a geographically stratified design. Finfish and selected invertebrates were collected using a 21.3-meter center-bag seine with a 3-millimeter mesh, and a 6.1-meter otter trawl with a 3-millimeter mesh liner. Total estimated fish and selected invertebrate densities were similar to estimates from FIM projects in adjacent areas and were characterized by similar dominant species. Preliminary analysis indicates that observed species distribution patterns were mainly a function of proximity to the three inlets within the study area. The two regions encompassing the northern Tolomato River and the Tomoka River and Basin are farthest from inlets and appear to function as oligohaline nursery areas. Those two areas had the greatest estimated densities of shellfish and juvenile sciaenid (drum) species associated with oligohaline waters (for example, Micropogonias undulatus, Sciaenops ocellatus and Cynoscion nebulosus). Samples near inlets, and between the two northern inlets, had greater estimated densities of species limited to euhaline waters, including juvenile clupeids collected at relatively high abundance and species of marine strays collected in low abundance. Based on correspondence analysis, seasonal variation dominated the ordination of seine samples and spatial variation dominated the ordination of trawl samples; this was due to differences in the number and timing of taxa found near inlets versus oligohaline regions. The absence of seagrass habitat in the Northern Coastal Basins is reflected by the absence of a seagrass-fish assemblage.

Causal mediation analysis with a binary outcome and multiple continuous or ordinal mediators: Simulations and application to an alcohol intervention

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Trang Quynh; Webb-Vargas, Yenny; Koning, Ina M.; Stuart, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

We investigate a method to estimate the combined effect of multiple continuous/ordinal mediators on a binary outcome: 1) fit a structural equation model with probit link for the outcome and identity/probit link for continuous/ordinal mediators, 2) predict potential outcome probabilities, and 3) compute natural direct and indirect effects. Step 2 involves rescaling the latent continuous variable underlying the outcome to address residual mediator variance/covariance. We evaluate the estimation of risk-difference- and risk-ratio-based effects (RDs, RRs) using the ML, WLSMV and Bayes estimators in Mplus. Across most variations in path-coefficient and mediator-residual-correlation signs and strengths, and confounding situations investigated, the method performs well with all estimators, but favors ML/WLSMV for RDs with continuous mediators, and Bayes for RRs with ordinal mediators. Bayes outperforms WLSMV/ML regardless of mediator type when estimating RRs with small potential outcome probabilities and in two other special cases. An adolescent alcohol prevention study is used for illustration. PMID:27158217

Summary measures of agreement and association between many raters' ordinal classifications.

PubMed

Mitani, Aya A; Freer, Phoebe E; Nelson, Kerrie P

2017-10-01

Interpretation of screening tests such as mammograms usually require a radiologist's subjective visual assessment of images, often resulting in substantial discrepancies between radiologists' classifications of subjects' test results. In clinical screening studies to assess the strength of agreement between experts, multiple raters are often recruited to assess subjects' test results using an ordinal classification scale. However, using traditional measures of agreement in some studies is challenging because of the presence of many raters, the use of an ordinal classification scale, and unbalanced data. We assess and compare the performances of existing measures of agreement and association as well as a newly developed model-based measure of agreement to three large-scale clinical screening studies involving many raters' ordinal classifications. We also conduct a simulation study to demonstrate the key properties of the summary measures. The assessment of agreement and association varied according to the choice of summary measure. Some measures were influenced by the underlying prevalence of disease and raters' marginal distributions and/or were limited in use to balanced data sets where every rater classifies every subject. Our simulation study indicated that popular measures of agreement and association are prone to underlying disease prevalence. Model-based measures provide a flexible approach for calculating agreement and association and are robust to missing and unbalanced data as well as the underlying disease prevalence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Image correlation based method for the analysis of collagen fibers patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, Ramon G. T.; Pratavieira, Sebastião.; Kurachi, Cristina

2015-06-01

The collagen fibers are one of the most important structural proteins in skin, being responsible for its strength and flexibility. It is known that their properties, like fibers density, ordination and mean diameter can be affected by several skin conditions, what makes these properties a good parameter to be used on the diagnosis and evaluation of skin aging, cancer, healing, among other conditions. There is, however, a need for methods capable of analyzing quantitatively the organization patterns of these fibers. To address this need, we developed a method based on the autocorrelation function of the images that allows the construction of vector field plots of the fibers directions and does not require any kind of curve fitting or optimization. The analyzed images were obtained through Second Harmonic Generation Imaging Microscopy. This paper presents a concise review on the autocorrelation function and some of its applications to image processing, details the developed method and the results obtained through the analysis of hystopathological slides of landrace porcine skin. The method has high accuracy on the determination of the fibers direction and presents high performance. We look forward to perform further studies keeping track of different skin conditions over time.

Chemometrics Methods for Specificity, Authenticity and Traceability Analysis of Olive Oils: Principles, Classifications and Applications.

PubMed

Messai, Habib; Farman, Muhammad; Sarraj-Laabidi, Abir; Hammami-Semmar, Asma; Semmar, Nabil

2016-11-17

Olive oils (OOs) show high chemical variability due to several factors of genetic, environmental and anthropic types. Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for natural compositions and polymorphic diversification resulting in different varietal patterns and phenotypes. Anthropic factors, however, are at the origin of different blends' preparation leading to normative, labelled or adulterated commercial products. Control of complex OO samples requires their (i) characterization by specific markers; (ii) authentication by fingerprint patterns; and (iii) monitoring by traceability analysis. These quality control and management aims require the use of several multivariate statistical tools: specificity highlighting requires ordination methods; authentication checking calls for classification and pattern recognition methods; traceability analysis implies the use of network-based approaches able to separate or extract mixed information and memorized signals from complex matrices. This chapter presents a review of different chemometrics methods applied for the control of OO variability from metabolic and physical-chemical measured characteristics. The different chemometrics methods are illustrated by different study cases on monovarietal and blended OO originated from different countries. Chemometrics tools offer multiple ways for quantitative evaluations and qualitative control of complex chemical variability of OO in relation to several intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Chromosome inversions and ecological plasticity in the main African malaria mosquitoes

PubMed Central

Ayala, Diego; Acevedo, Pelayo; Pombi, Marco; Dia, Ibrahima; Boccolini, Daniela; Costantini, Carlo; Simard, Frédéric; Fontenille, Didier

2017-01-01

Chromosome inversions have fascinated the scientific community, mainly because of their role in the rapid adaption of different taxa to changing environments. However, the ecological traits linked to chromosome inversions have been poorly studied. Here, we investigated the roles played by 23 chromosome inversions in the adaptation of the four major African malaria mosquitoes to local environments in Africa. We studied their distribution patterns by using spatially explicit modeling and characterized the ecogeographical determinants of each inversion range. We then performed hierarchical clustering and constrained ordination analyses to assess the spatial and ecological similarities among inversions. Our results show that most inversions are environmentally structured, suggesting that they are actively involved in processes of local adaptation. Some inversions exhibited similar geographical patterns and ecological requirements among the four mosquito species, providing evidence for parallel evolution. Conversely, common inversion polymorphisms between sibling species displayed divergent ecological patterns, suggesting that they might have a different adaptive role in each species. These results are in agreement with the finding that chromosomal inversions play a role in Anopheles ecotypic adaptation. This study establishes a strong ecological basis for future genome-based analyses to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of local adaptation in these four mosquitoes. PMID:28071788

Rhythmic motor activity and interlimb co-ordination in the developing pouch young of a wallaby (Macropus eugenii).

PubMed Central

Ho, S M

1997-01-01

1. The forelimb motor behaviour of developing wallaby was studied. A clock-like alternating movement was reactivated whenever the animal was removed from the pouch. 2. Forelimb stepping frequency increased during the first 3 weeks of development, while the phase relationship remained constant. Forelimb activity could be affected by altering the afferent feedback from the contralateral limb, or an increase in ambient temperature. 3. In vitro experiments were performed using an isolated brainstem-spinal cord preparation from animals up to 6 weeks postnatal. Fictive locomotor activity could be evoked by electrical stimulation or bath-applied NMDA (< 10 microM). 4. Bath-applied strychnine (10-25 microM) and bicuculline (10-50 microM) disrupted the phase relationship between motor pools, while rhythmic motor discharge remained in the absence of these inhibitory pathways. 5. The present findings indicate that the pattern generator that underlies the robust forelimb movement during the first journey to the pouch is retained for different motor functions during in-pouch development. The neural network that underlies such behaviour can be divided into two major components, a rhythm generator within each hemicord, and a pattern co-ordinating pathway which involve both glycinergic and GABAergic interneurones. PMID:9218221

Robust image region descriptor using local derivative ordinal binary pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Jun; Chen, Chuanbo; Pei, Xiaobing; Liang, Hu; Tang, He; Sarem, Mudar

2015-05-01

Binary image descriptors have received a lot of attention in recent years, since they provide numerous advantages, such as low memory footprint and efficient matching strategy. However, they utilize intermediate representations and are generally less discriminative than floating-point descriptors. We propose an image region descriptor, namely local derivative ordinal binary pattern, for object recognition and image categorization. In order to preserve more local contrast and edge information, we quantize the intensity differences between the central pixels and their neighbors of the detected local affine covariant regions in an adaptive way. These differences are then sorted and mapped into binary codes and histogrammed with a weight of the sum of the absolute value of the differences. Furthermore, the gray level of the central pixel is quantized to further improve the discriminative ability. Finally, we combine them to form a joint histogram to represent the features of the image. We observe that our descriptor preserves more local brightness and edge information than traditional binary descriptors. Also, our descriptor is robust to rotation, illumination variations, and other geometric transformations. We conduct extensive experiments on the standard ETHZ and Kentucky datasets for object recognition and PASCAL for image classification. The experimental results show that our descriptor outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods.

City curfew ordinances and teenage motor vehicle injury.

PubMed

Preusser, D F; Williams, A F; Lund, A K; Zador, P L

1990-08-01

Several U.S. cities have curfew ordinances that limit the late night activities of minor teenagers in public places including highways. Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus, which have curfew ordinances, were compared to Cincinnati, which does not have such an ordinance. The curfew ordinances were associated with a 23% reduction in motor vehicle related injury for 13- to 17-year-olds as passengers, drivers, pedestrians, or bicyclists during the curfew hours. It was concluded that city curfew ordinances, like the statewide driving curfews studied in other states, can reduce motor vehicle injury to teenagers during the particularly hazardous late night hours.

Gap-minimal systems of notations and the constructible hierarchy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucian, M. L.

1972-01-01

If a constructibly countable ordinal alpha is a gap ordinal, then the order type of the set of index ordinals smaller than alpha is exactly alpha. The gap ordinals are the only points of discontinuity of a certain ordinal-valued function. The notion of gap minimality for well ordered systems of notations is defined, and the existence of gap-minimal systems of notations of arbitrarily large constructibly countable length is established.

78 FR 54670 - Miami Tribe of Oklahoma-Liquor Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-05

... Tribe of Oklahoma--Liquor Control Ordinance AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice publishes the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma--Liquor Control Ordinance. This Ordinance... Oklahoma, increases the ability of the tribal government to control the distribution and possession of...

Tax revenue in Mississippi communities following implementation of smoke-free ordinances: an examination of tourism and economic development tax revenues.

PubMed

McMillen, Robert; Shackelford, Signe

2012-10-01

There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. More than 60 Mississippi communities have passed smoke-free ordinances in the past six years. Opponents claim that these ordinances harm local businesses. Mississippi law allows municipalities to place a tourism and economic development (TED) tax on local restaurants and hotels/motels. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of these ordinances on TED tax revenues. This study applies a pre/post quasi-experimental design to compare TED tax revenue before and after implementing ordinances. Descriptive analyses indicated that inflation-adjusted tax revenues increased during the 12 months following implementation of smoke-free ordinances while there was no change in aggregated control communities. Multivariate fixed-effects analyses found no statistically significant effect of smoke-free ordinances on hospitality tax revenue. No evidence was found that smoke-free ordinances have an adverse effect on the local hospitality industry.

Parameters Estimation of Geographically Weighted Ordinal Logistic Regression (GWOLR) Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuhdi, Shaifudin; Retno Sari Saputro, Dewi; Widyaningsih, Purnami

2017-06-01

A regression model is the representation of relationship between independent variable and dependent variable. The dependent variable has categories used in the logistic regression model to calculate odds on. The logistic regression model for dependent variable has levels in the logistics regression model is ordinal. GWOLR model is an ordinal logistic regression model influenced the geographical location of the observation site. Parameters estimation in the model needed to determine the value of a population based on sample. The purpose of this research is to parameters estimation of GWOLR model using R software. Parameter estimation uses the data amount of dengue fever patients in Semarang City. Observation units used are 144 villages in Semarang City. The results of research get GWOLR model locally for each village and to know probability of number dengue fever patient categories.

75 FR 65373 - Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance AGENCY... certification of the amendment to the Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance. The first Ordinance was published... and controls the sale, possession and distribution of liquor within the tribal lands. The tribal lands...

Phylogenetic factorization of compositional data yields lineage-level associations in microbiome datasets.

PubMed

Washburne, Alex D; Silverman, Justin D; Leff, Jonathan W; Bennett, Dominic J; Darcy, John L; Mukherjee, Sayan; Fierer, Noah; David, Lawrence A

2017-01-01

Marker gene sequencing of microbial communities has generated big datasets of microbial relative abundances varying across environmental conditions, sample sites and treatments. These data often come with putative phylogenies, providing unique opportunities to investigate how shared evolutionary history affects microbial abundance patterns. Here, we present a method to identify the phylogenetic factors driving patterns in microbial community composition. We use the method, "phylofactorization," to re-analyze datasets from the human body and soil microbial communities, demonstrating how phylofactorization is a dimensionality-reducing tool, an ordination-visualization tool, and an inferential tool for identifying edges in the phylogeny along which putative functional ecological traits may have arisen.

Ordinality and the nature of symbolic numbers.

PubMed

Lyons, Ian M; Beilock, Sian L

2013-10-23

The view that representations of symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers are closely tied to one another is widespread. However, the link between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers is almost always inferred from cardinal processing tasks. In the current work, we show that considering ordinality instead points to striking differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers. Human behavioral and neural data show that ordinal processing of symbolic numbers (Are three Indo-Arabic numerals in numerical order?) is distinct from symbolic cardinal processing (Which of two numerals represents the greater quantity?) and nonsymbolic number processing (ordinal and cardinal judgments of dot-arrays). Behaviorally, distance-effects were reversed when assessing ordinality in symbolic numbers, but canonical distance-effects were observed for cardinal judgments of symbolic numbers and all nonsymbolic judgments. At the neural level, symbolic number-ordering was the only numerical task that did not show number-specific activity (greater than control) in the intraparietal sulcus. Only activity in left premotor cortex was specifically associated with symbolic number-ordering. For nonsymbolic numbers, activation in cognitive-control areas during ordinal processing and a high degree of overlap between ordinal and cardinal processing networks indicate that nonsymbolic ordinality is assessed via iterative cardinality judgments. This contrasts with a striking lack of neural overlap between ordinal and cardinal judgments anywhere in the brain for symbolic numbers, suggesting that symbolic number processing varies substantially with computational context. Ordinal processing sheds light on key differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing both behaviorally and in the brain. Ordinality may prove important for understanding the power of representing numbers symbolically.

Social Host Ordinances and Policies. Prevention Update

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2011

2011-01-01

Social host liability laws (also known as teen party ordinances, loud or unruly gathering ordinances, or response costs ordinances) target the location in which underage drinking takes place. Social host liability laws hold noncommercial individuals responsible for underage drinking events on property they own, lease, or otherwise control. They…

25 CFR 522.8 - Publication of class III ordinance and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Section 522.8 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.8 Publication of class III ordinance and approval. The Chairman shall publish a class III tribal gaming...

27 CFR 478.24 - Compilation of State laws and published ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... and published ordinances. 478.24 Section 478.24 Alcohol, Tobacco Products, and Firearms BUREAU OF... published ordinances. (a) The Director shall annually revise and furnish Federal firearms licensees with a compilation of State laws and published ordinances which are relevant to the enforcement of this part. The...

Unified Least Squares Methods for the Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests With the Gold Standard

PubMed Central

Tang, Liansheng Larry; Yuan, Ao; Collins, John; Che, Xuan; Chan, Leighton

2017-01-01

The article proposes a unified least squares method to estimate the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) parameters for continuous and ordinal diagnostic tests, such as cancer biomarkers. The method is based on a linear model framework using the empirically estimated sensitivities and specificities as input “data.” It gives consistent estimates for regression and accuracy parameters when the underlying continuous test results are normally distributed after some monotonic transformation. The key difference between the proposed method and the method of Tang and Zhou lies in the response variable. The response variable in the latter is transformed empirical ROC curves at different thresholds. It takes on many values for continuous test results, but few values for ordinal test results. The limited number of values for the response variable makes it impractical for ordinal data. However, the response variable in the proposed method takes on many more distinct values so that the method yields valid estimates for ordinal data. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to investigate and compare the finite sample performance of the proposed method with an existing method, and the method is then used to analyze 2 real cancer diagnostic example as an illustration. PMID:28469385

Regulation of tattooing in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota: tattooists' attitudes and relationship between regulation and practice.

PubMed

Raymond, Monica J; Halcón, Linda L; Pirie, Phyllis L

2003-01-01

This study investigated tattooists' attitudes regarding government regulation and the relationship between existing tattooing regulation and tattooists' knowledge and practice of infection control. Self-reported and observational data were collected in a cross-sectional study of professional tattooists. A written survey was used to investigate knowledge and practice of infection control and attitudes toward government regulation. Infection control practice was also examined through direct observation of tattooing. Rating scales were used to compare tattoo artists subject to local tattooing ordinances with those in areas without ordinances. Sixty-one tattooists (45 regulated, 16 unregulated) completed surveys and 25 (17 regulated, 8 unregulated) were observed. Attitudes toward regulation were generally positive. Most participants supported health department inspections and training requirements. The presence of local tattooing ordinances was not associated with tattooists' knowledge (p=0.53), but was associated with self-reported practices (p=0.05). A more positive attitude toward regulation was associated with the use of more self-reported infection control procedures (p<0.01). Tattoo artists in areas with local tattooing ordinances may implement more bloodborne pathogen precautions than those in areas without ordinances, despite working from a similar knowledge base. Tattooists most in need of improvement may be difficult to reach due to opposition to government intrusion. Federal guidelines, clarification of OSHA rules applying to tattooists, and statewide regulation are needed. Tattooists should be involved in the development of regulations.

Secondary cell walls: biosynthesis, patterned deposition and transcriptional regulation.

PubMed

Zhong, Ruiqin; Ye, Zheng-Hua

2015-02-01

Secondary walls are mainly composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses (xylan and glucomannan) and lignin, and are deposited in some specialized cells, such as tracheary elements, fibers and other sclerenchymatous cells. Secondary walls provide strength to these cells, which lend mechanical support and protection to the plant body and, in the case of tracheary elements, enable them to function as conduits for transporting water. Formation of secondary walls is a complex process that requires the co-ordinated expression of secondary wall biosynthetic genes, biosynthesis and targeted secretion of secondary wall components, and patterned deposition and assembly of secondary walls. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of genes involved in secondary wall biosynthesis and deposition. Most of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary wall components, including cellulose, xylan, glucomannan and lignin, have been identified and their co-ordinated activation has been shown to be mediated by a transcriptional network encompassing the secondary wall NAC and MYB master switches and their downstream transcription factors. It has been demonstrated that cortical microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins play important roles in the targeted secretion of cellulose synthase complexes, the oriented deposition of cellulose microfibrils and the patterned deposition of secondary walls. Further investigation of many secondary wall-associated genes with unknown functions will provide new insights into the mechanisms controlling the formation of secondary walls that constitute the bulk of plant biomass. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Centrarchid assemblages in Mississippi state-operated fishing lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olive, J.A.; Miranda, L.E.; Hubbard, W.D.

2005-01-01

We evaluated electrofishing catch per effort in 27 state-operated fishing lakes in Mississippi to identify patterns of centrarchid community composition and to determine whether those patterns were related to selected environmental characteristics and to artificial nutrient enrichment. Ordination with detrended correspondence analysis recognized two major axes accounting for 77% of the variability in species ordination. Axis 1 showed a distinct separation between the body sizes of various species. A notable exception was the density of small (<30 cm) largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, which aligned with the large individuals of other centrarchid species. This pattern suggested that through predation, high densities of small largemouth bass exerted significant control over the size structure of fish communities. Axis 2 separated species of crappies Pomoxis spp., suggesting that conditions other than strong species interactions also moderated the composition of crappies in the assemblages. However, neither lake morphometry nor watershed composition exhibited a major influence over axes 1 or 2. In small, intensively managed lakes with low habitat complexity, the regulatory importance of biotic interactions may overwhelm that of abiotic factors. Nutrient enrichment influenced community structure by changing the densities of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and largemouth bass substantially but had a minor or no effect on other species. The management techniques used in these state-operated lakes are usually targeted toward a particular species without adequately considering the other species within the community. Our results show that attention to community-level interactions could provide valuable insight into factors that affect the quality of the fishery, insight that is not available through traditional population-level assessments. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Ordinal Variables with Misspecified Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang-Wallentin, Fan; Joreskog, Karl G.; Luo, Hao

2010-01-01

Ordinal variables are common in many empirical investigations in the social and behavioral sciences. Researchers often apply the maximum likelihood method to fit structural equation models to ordinal data. This assumes that the observed measures have normal distributions, which is not the case when the variables are ordinal. A better approach is…

75 FR 51102 - Liquor Ordinance of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-18

... Tribes; Correction AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior ACTION: Notice; correction SUMMARY: The... Liquor Ordinance of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. The notice refers to an amended ordinance of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes when in fact the Liquor Ordinance adopted by Resolution No. WT-10-31 on May...

Estimating Ordinal Reliability for Likert-Type and Ordinal Item Response Data: A Conceptual, Empirical, and Practical Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadermann, Anne M.; Guhn, Martin; Zumbo, Bruno D.

2012-01-01

This paper provides a conceptual, empirical, and practical guide for estimating ordinal reliability coefficients for ordinal item response data (also referred to as Likert, Likert-type, ordered categorical, or rating scale item responses). Conventionally, reliability coefficients, such as Cronbach's alpha, are calculated using a Pearson…

The effect of ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants on restaurant sales.

PubMed Central

Glantz, S A; Smith, L R

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The effect on restaurant revenues of local ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants is an important consideration for restauranteurs themselves and the cities that depend on sales tax revenues to provide services. METHODS: Data were obtained from the California State Board of Equalization and Colorado State Department of Revenue on taxable restaurant sales from 1986 (1982 for Aspen) through 1993 for all 15 cities where ordinances were in force, as well as for 15 similar control communities without smoke-free ordinances during this period. These data were analyzed using multiple regression, including time and a dummy variable for whether an ordinance was in force. Total restaurant sales were analyzed as a fraction of total retail sales and restaurant sales in smoke-free cities vs the comparison cities similar in population, median income, and other factors. RESULTS. Ordinances had no significant effect on the fraction of total retail sales that went to restaurants or on the ratio of restaurant sales in communities with ordinances compared with those in the matched control communities. CONCLUSIONS. Smoke-free restaurant ordinances do not adversely affect restaurant sales. PMID:8017529

Food marketing to children through toys: response of restaurants to the first U.S. toy ordinance.

PubMed

Otten, Jennifer J; Hekler, Eric B; Krukowski, Rebecca A; Buman, Matthew P; Saelens, Brian E; Gardner, Christopher D; King, Abby C

2012-01-01

On August 9, 2010, Santa Clara County CA became the first U.S. jurisdiction to implement an ordinance that prohibits the distribution of toys and other incentives to children in conjunction with meals, foods, or beverages that do not meet minimal nutritional criteria. Restaurants had many different options for complying with this ordinance, such as introducing more healthful menu options, reformulating current menu items, or changing marketing or toy distribution practices. To assess how ordinance-affected restaurants changed their child menus, marketing, and toy distribution practices relative to non-affected restaurants. Children's menu items and child-directed marketing and toy distribution practices were examined before and at two time points after ordinance implementation (from July through November 2010) at ordinance-affected fast-food restaurants compared with demographically matched unaffected same-chain restaurants using the Children's Menu Assessment tool. Affected restaurants showed a 2.8- to 3.4-fold improvement in Children's Menu Assessment scores from pre- to post-ordinance with minimal changes at unaffected restaurants. Response to the ordinance varied by restaurant. Improvements were seen in on-site nutritional guidance; promotion of healthy meals, beverages, and side items; and toy marketing and distribution activities. The ordinance appears to have positively influenced marketing of healthful menu items and toys as well as toy distribution practices at ordinance-affected restaurants, but did not affect the number of healthful food items offered. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Response of wetland herbaceous communities to gradients of light and substrate following disturbance by thermal pollution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dunn, Christopher P.; Scott, Michael L.

1987-01-01

The influence of thermal disturbance and site characteristics on distribution of herbs was studied in portions of a 3020 ha wetland in the southeastern USA. Presence-absence of 52 species in 130 0.25 m2 plots was determined from four sites with different disturbance histories and from an undisturbed site. Data from the four disturbed sites were ordinated by detrended correspondence analysis. Differences in species composition among sites (coarse scale) were associated with water depth, light, and substrate type. Within a site (at a fine scale), correlation of environmental variables with ordination scores at a chronically disturbed site was weakly correlated with light (r=0.50). At two sites with episodic disturbance, species composition correlated significantly and positively with substrate and water depth. At a recovering site, vegetation patterns were moderately correlated with water depth (r=−0.52). Species richness was correlated with substrate type along the disturbance gradient. Our results are consistent the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and the subsidy-stress gradient concept.

Associations in the hominoid facial skeleton.

PubMed

Moore, W J

1977-02-01

A comparative study has been made of the correlations between numerous linear and angular dimensions of the facial skeleton of man and the three great apes. The Varimax (rotated orthogonal) factor analysis was found to be an essential aid in analysing the very large correlation matrices obtained. It indicated that three groups of association can be identified in the hominoid skull. The first reflects co-ordonated variation in total skull size; the second, co-ordinated variation within common anatomical regions; the third, co-ordination between the jaws and dentition. A broadly similar pattern was found in each group for all four genera. The principal contrasts between man, on the one hand, and the apes, on the other, were found in groups 1 and 2. The most prominent of these was a generally much tighter degree of association between the size and position of upper and lower jaws in the apes, and a consequently reduced tendency for disruption of the occlusal relationship of the teeth.

Analysis of early life influences on cognitive development in childhood using multilevel ordinal models

PubMed Central

Li, Leah

2012-01-01

Summary Studies of cognitive development in children are often based on tests designed for specific ages. Examination of the changes of these scores over time may not be meaningful. This paper investigates the influence of early life factors on cognitive development using maths and reading test scores at ages 7, 11, and 16 years in a British birth cohort born in 1958. The distributions of these test scores differ between ages, for example, 20% participants scored the top mark in the reading test at 7 and the distribution of reading score at 16 is heavily skewed. In this paper, we group participants into 5 ordered categories, approximately 20% in each category according to their test scores at each age. Multilevel models for a repeated ordinal outcome are applied to relate the ordinal scale of maths and reading ability to early life factors. PMID:22661923

25 CFR 522.7 - Disapproval of a class III ordinance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Disapproval of a class III ordinance. 522.7 Section 522.7 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.7 Disapproval of a class III...

25 CFR 522.5 - Disapproval of a class II ordinance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Disapproval of a class II ordinance. 522.5 Section 522.5 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.5 Disapproval of a class II...

Ordinary Least Squares Estimation of Parameters in Exploratory Factor Analysis with Ordinal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Chun-Ting; Zhang, Guangjian; Edwards, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is often conducted with ordinal data (e.g., items with 5-point responses) in the social and behavioral sciences. These ordinal variables are often treated as if they were continuous in practice. An alternative strategy is to assume that a normally distributed continuous variable underlies each ordinal variable.…

Local Area Co-Ordination: Strengthening Support for People with Learning Disabilities in Scotland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stalker, Kirsten Ogilvie; Malloch, Margaret; Barry, Monica Anne; Watson, June Ann

2008-01-01

This paper reports the findings of a study commissioned by the Scottish Executive which examined the introduction and implementation of local area co-ordination (LAC) in Scotland. A questionnaire about their posts was completed by 44 local area co-ordinators, interviews were conducted with 35 local area co-ordinators and 14 managers and case…

fMRI of parents of children with Asperger Syndrome: a pilot study.

PubMed

Baron-Cohen, Simon; Ring, Howard; Chitnis, Xavier; Wheelwright, Sally; Gregory, Lloyd; Williams, Steve; Brammer, Mick; Bullmore, Ed

2006-06-01

People with autism or Asperger Syndrome (AS) show altered patterns of brain activity during visual search and emotion recognition tasks. Autism and AS are genetic conditions and parents may show the 'broader autism phenotype.' (1) To test if parents of children with AS show atypical brain activity during a visual search and an empathy task; (2) to test for sex differences during these tasks at the neural level; (3) to test if parents of children with autism are hyper-masculinized, as might be predicted by the 'extreme male brain' theory. We used fMRI during a visual search task (the Embedded Figures Test (EFT)) and an emotion recognition test (the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' (or Eyes) test). Twelve parents of children with AS, vs. 12 sex-matched controls. Factorial analysis was used to map main effects of sex, group (parents vs. controls), and sexxgroup interaction on brain function. An ordinal ANOVA also tested for regions of brain activity where females>males>fathers=mothers, to test for parental hyper-masculinization. RESULTS ON EFT TASK: Female controls showed more activity in extrastriate cortex than male controls, and both mothers and fathers showed even less activity in this area than sex-matched controls. There were no differences in group activation between mothers and fathers of children with AS. The ordinal ANOVA identified two specific regions in visual cortex (right and left, respectively) that showed the pattern Females>Males>Fathers=Mothers, both in BA 19. RESULTS ON EYES TASK: Male controls showed more activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus than female controls, and both mothers and fathers showed even more activity in this area compared to sex-matched controls. Female controls showed greater bilateral inferior frontal activation than males. This was not seen when comparing mothers to males, or mothers to fathers. The ordinal ANOVA identified two specific regions that showed the pattern Females>Males>Mothers=Fathers: left medial temporal gyrus (BA 21) and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 44). Parents of children with AS show atypical brain function during both visual search and emotion recognition, in the direction of hyper-masculinization of the brain. Because of the small sample size, and lack of age-matching between parents and controls, such results constitute a pilot study that needs replicating with larger samples.

Inside the black box: starting to uncover the underlying decision rules used in one-by-one expert assessment of occupational exposure in case-control studies

PubMed Central

Wheeler, David C.; Burstyn, Igor; Vermeulen, Roel; Yu, Kai; Shortreed, Susan M.; Pronk, Anjoeka; Stewart, Patricia A.; Colt, Joanne S.; Baris, Dalsu; Karagas, Margaret R.; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Silverman, Debra T.; Friesen, Melissa C.

2014-01-01

Objectives Evaluating occupational exposures in population-based case-control studies often requires exposure assessors to review each study participants' reported occupational information job-by-job to derive exposure estimates. Although such assessments likely have underlying decision rules, they usually lack transparency, are time-consuming and have uncertain reliability and validity. We aimed to identify the underlying rules to enable documentation, review, and future use of these expert-based exposure decisions. Methods Classification and regression trees (CART, predictions from a single tree) and random forests (predictions from many trees) were used to identify the underlying rules from the questionnaire responses and an expert's exposure assignments for occupational diesel exhaust exposure for several metrics: binary exposure probability and ordinal exposure probability, intensity, and frequency. Data were split into training (n=10,488 jobs), testing (n=2,247), and validation (n=2,248) data sets. Results The CART and random forest models' predictions agreed with 92–94% of the expert's binary probability assignments. For ordinal probability, intensity, and frequency metrics, the two models extracted decision rules more successfully for unexposed and highly exposed jobs (86–90% and 57–85%, respectively) than for low or medium exposed jobs (7–71%). Conclusions CART and random forest models extracted decision rules and accurately predicted an expert's exposure decisions for the majority of jobs and identified questionnaire response patterns that would require further expert review if the rules were applied to other jobs in the same or different study. This approach makes the exposure assessment process in case-control studies more transparent and creates a mechanism to efficiently replicate exposure decisions in future studies. PMID:23155187

Tourism and hotel revenues before and after passage of smoke-free restaurant ordinances.

PubMed

Glantz, S A; Charlesworth, A

1999-05-26

Claims that ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants will adversely affect tourism have been used to argue against passing such ordinances. Data exist regarding the validity of these claims. To determine the changes in hotel revenues and international tourism after passage of smoke-free restaurant ordinances in locales where the effect has been debated. Comparison of hotel revenues and tourism rates before and after passage of 100% smoke-free restaurant ordinances and comparison with US hotel revenue overall. Three states (California, Utah, and Vermont) and 6 cities (Boulder, Colo; Flagstaff, Ariz; Los Angeles, Calif; Mesa, Ariz; New York, NY; and San Francisco, Calif) in which the effect on tourism of smoke-free restaurant ordinances had been debated. Hotel room revenues and hotel revenues as a fraction of total retail sales compared with preordinance revenues and overall US revenues. In constant 1997 dollars, passage of the smoke-free restaurant ordinance was associated with a statistically significant increase in the rate of change of hotel revenues in 4 localities, no significant change in 4 localities, and a significant slowing in the rate of increase (but not a decrease) in 1 locality. There was no significant change in the rate of change of hotel revenues as a fraction of total retail sales (P=.16) or total US hotel revenues associated with the ordinances when pooled across all localities (P = .93). International tourism was either unaffected or increased following implementation of the smoke-free ordinances. Smoke-free ordinances do not appear to adversely affect, and may increase, tourist business.

Co-ordinated action between youth-care and sports: facilitators and barriers.

PubMed

Hermens, Niels; de Langen, Lisanne; Verkooijen, Kirsten T; Koelen, Maria A

2017-07-01

In the Netherlands, youth-care organisations and community sports clubs are collaborating to increase socially vulnerable youths' participation in sport. This is rooted in the idea that sports clubs are settings for youth development. As not much is known about co-ordinated action involving professional care organisations and community sports clubs, this study aims to generate insight into facilitators of and barriers to successful co-ordinated action between these two organisations. A cross-sectional study was conducted using in-depth semi-structured qualitative interview data. In total, 23 interviews were held at five locations where co-ordinated action between youth-care and sports takes place. Interviewees were youth-care workers, representatives from community sports clubs, and Care Sport Connectors who were assigned to encourage and manage the co-ordinated action. Using inductive coding procedures, this study shows that existing and good relationships, a boundary spanner, care workers' attitudes, knowledge and competences of the participants, organisational policies and ambitions, and some elements external to the co-ordinated action were reported to be facilitators or barriers. In addition, the participants reported that the different facilitators and barriers influenced the success of the co-ordinated action at different stages of the co-ordinated action. Future research is recommended to further explore the role of boundary spanners in co-ordinated action involving social care organisations and community sports clubs, and to identify what external elements (e.g. events, processes, national policies) are turning points in the formation, implementation and continuation of such co-ordinated action. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Knowledge of the ordinal position of list items in pigeons.

PubMed

Scarf, Damian; Colombo, Michael

2011-10-01

Ordinal knowledge is a fundamental aspect of advanced cognition. It is self-evident that humans represent ordinal knowledge, and over the past 20 years it has become clear that nonhuman primates share this ability. In contrast, evidence that nonprimate species represent ordinal knowledge is missing from the comparative literature. To address this issue, in the present experiment we trained pigeons on three 4-item lists and then tested them with derived lists in which, relative to the training lists, the ordinal position of the items was either maintained or changed. Similar to the findings with human and nonhuman primates, our pigeons performed markedly better on the maintained lists compared to the changed lists, and displayed errors consistent with the view that they used their knowledge of ordinal position to guide responding on the derived lists. These findings demonstrate that the ability to acquire ordinal knowledge is not unique to the primate lineage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Determinants of changes in dietary patterns among Chinese immigrants: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Rosenmöller, Doenja L; Gasevic, Danijela; Seidell, Jaap; Lear, Scott A

2011-05-18

Chinese individuals who have immigrated to a Western country initially tend to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to people who are already living there. Some studies have found, however, that CVD risk increases over time in immigrants and that immigration to a western country is associated with changes in dietary patterns. This could have unfavourable effects on the risk of CVD. There is limited knowledge on the food patterns, awareness and knowledge about healthy nutrition among Chinese immigrants. The objective for this study is to explore changes in food patterns, and levels of awareness and knowledge of healthy nutrition by length of residence among Chinese immigrants to Canada. 120 Chinese individuals born in China but currently living in Canada completed an assessment on socio-demographic characteristics, changes in dietary patterns and variables of awareness and knowledge about healthy foods. With ordinal logistic regression the associations between the quartiles of length of residence and dietary patterns, variables of awareness and knowledge about healthy foods were explored, adjusting for age, sex, education and body mass index. More than 50% of the participants reported increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the use of deep-frying after immigration. Increased awareness and knowledge about healthy foods was reported by more than 50% of the participants. Ordinal regression indicated that Chinese immigrants who lived in Canada the longest, compared to Chinese immigrants who lived in Canada the shortest, consumed significant greater portion sizes (OR: 9.9; 95% CI: 3.11 - 31.15), dined out more frequently (OR: 15.8; 95% CI: 5.0 - 49.85), and consumed convenience foods more often (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.23 - 10.01). Chinese immigrants reported some favourable changes in their dietary intake and greater awareness and more knowledge about healthy foods after immigration. However, an increase in portion size, an increased frequency of dining out and an increased consumption of convenience foods could indicate some unfavourable changes. These results suggest that health promotion strategies should build on the observed benefits of improved nutritional knowledge and target areas of portion size and convenience eating.

Chemometrics Methods for Specificity, Authenticity and Traceability Analysis of Olive Oils: Principles, Classifications and Applications

PubMed Central

Messai, Habib; Farman, Muhammad; Sarraj-Laabidi, Abir; Hammami-Semmar, Asma; Semmar, Nabil

2016-01-01

Background. Olive oils (OOs) show high chemical variability due to several factors of genetic, environmental and anthropic types. Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for natural compositions and polymorphic diversification resulting in different varietal patterns and phenotypes. Anthropic factors, however, are at the origin of different blends’ preparation leading to normative, labelled or adulterated commercial products. Control of complex OO samples requires their (i) characterization by specific markers; (ii) authentication by fingerprint patterns; and (iii) monitoring by traceability analysis. Methods. These quality control and management aims require the use of several multivariate statistical tools: specificity highlighting requires ordination methods; authentication checking calls for classification and pattern recognition methods; traceability analysis implies the use of network-based approaches able to separate or extract mixed information and memorized signals from complex matrices. Results. This chapter presents a review of different chemometrics methods applied for the control of OO variability from metabolic and physical-chemical measured characteristics. The different chemometrics methods are illustrated by different study cases on monovarietal and blended OO originated from different countries. Conclusion. Chemometrics tools offer multiple ways for quantitative evaluations and qualitative control of complex chemical variability of OO in relation to several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. PMID:28231172

Urban Runoff: Model Ordinances for Erosion and Sediment Control

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The model ordinance in this section borrows language from the erosion and sediment control ordinance features that might help prevent erosion and sedimentation and protect natural resources more fully.

A Framework to Reduce Infectious Disease Risk from Urban Poultry in the United States

PubMed Central

Tobin, Molly R.; Goldshear, Jesse L.; Price, Lance B.; Graham, Jay P.

2015-01-01

Objectives Backyard poultry ownership is increasingly common in U.S. cities and is regulated at the local level. Human contact with live poultry is a well-known risk for infection with zoonotic pathogens, notably Salmonella, yet the ability of local jurisdictions to reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission from poultry to humans is unstudied. We reviewed urban poultry ordinances in the United States and reported Salmonella outbreaks from backyard poultry to identify regulatory gaps in preventing zoonotic pathogen transmission. Based on this analysis, we propose regulatory guidelines for U.S. cities to reduce infectious disease risk from backyard poultry ownership. Methods We assessed local ordinances in the 150 most populous U.S. jurisdictions for content related to noncommercial poultry ownership using online resources and communications with government officials. We also performed a literature review using publicly available data sources to identify human infectious disease outbreaks caused by contact with backyard poultry. Results Of the cities reviewed, 93% (n=139) permit poultry in some capacity. Most urban poultry ordinances share common characteristics focused on reducing nuisance to neighbors. Ordinances do not address many pathways of transmission relevant to poultry-to-human transmission of pathogens, such as manure management. Conclusions To reduce the risk of pathogen exposure from backyard poultry, urban ordinances should incorporate the following seven components: limited flock size, composting of manure in sealed containers, prohibition of slaughter, required veterinary care to sick birds, appropriate disposal of dead birds, annual permits linked to consumer education, and a registry of poultry owners. PMID:26346104

Biogeographic Patterns Between Bacterial Phyllosphere Communities of the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) in a Small Forest.

PubMed

Stone, Bram W G; Jackson, Colin R

2016-05-01

The phyllosphere presents a unique system of discrete and easily replicable surfaces colonized primarily by bacteria. However, the biogeography of bacteria in the phyllosphere is little understood, especially at small to intermediate scales. Bacterial communities on the leaves of 91 southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) trees 1-452 m apart in a small forest plot were analyzed and fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequenced using the Illumina platform. Assemblages were dominated by members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria. Patterns in community composition were measured by both relative abundance (theta) and presence-absence (Jaccard) dissimilarity metrics. Distance-based Moran's eigenvector map analyses of the distance-decay relationship found a significant, positive relationship between each dissimilarity metric and significant eigenfunctions derived from geographic distance between trees, indicating trees that were closer together had more similar bacterial phyllosphere communities. Indirect gradient analyses revealed that several environmental parameters (canopy cover, tree elevation, and the slope and aspect of the ground beneath trees) were significantly related to multivariate ordination scores based on relative bacterial sequence abundances; however, these relationships were not significant when looking at the incidence of bacterial taxa. This suggests that bacterial growth and abundance in the phyllosphere is shaped by different assembly mechanisms than bacterial presence or absence. More broadly, this study demonstrates that the distance-decay relationship applies to phyllosphere communities at local scales, and that environmental parameters as well as neutral forces may both influence spatial patterns in the phyllosphere.

On the ordinality of numbers: A review of neural and behavioral studies.

PubMed

Lyons, I M; Vogel, S E; Ansari, D

2016-01-01

The last several years have seen steady growth in research on the cognitive and neuronal mechanisms underlying how numbers are represented as part of ordered sequences. In the present review, we synthesize what is currently known about numerical ordinality from behavioral and neuroimaging research, point out major gaps in our current knowledge, and propose several hypotheses that may bear further investigation. Evidence suggests that how we process ordinality differs from how we process cardinality, but that this difference depends strongly on context-in particular, whether numbers are presented symbolically or nonsymbolically. Results also reveal many commonalities between numerical and nonnumerical ordinal processing; however, the degree to which numerical ordinality can be reduced to domain-general mechanisms remains unclear. One proposal is that numerical ordinality relies upon more general short-term memory mechanisms as well as more numerically specific long-term memory representations. It is also evident that numerical ordinality is highly multifaceted, with symbolic representations in particular allowing for a wide range of different types of ordinal relations, the complexity of which appears to increase over development. We examine the proposal that these relations may form the basis of a richer set of associations that may prove crucial to the emergence of more complex math abilities and concepts. In sum, ordinality appears to be an important and relatively understudied facet of numerical cognition that presents substantial opportunities for new and ground-breaking research. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modifications Of Discrete Ordinate Method For Computations With High Scattering Anisotropy: Comparative Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korkin, Sergey V.; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Rozanov, Vladimir V.

2012-01-01

A numerical accuracy analysis of the radiative transfer equation (RTE) solution based on separation of the diffuse light field into anisotropic and smooth parts is presented. The analysis uses three different algorithms based on the discrete ordinate method (DOM). Two methods, DOMAS and DOM2+, that do not use the truncation of the phase function, are compared against the TMS-method. DOMAS and DOM2+ use the Small-Angle Modification of RTE and the single scattering term, respectively, as an anisotropic part. The TMS method uses Delta-M method for truncation of the phase function along with the single scattering correction. For reference, a standard discrete ordinate method, DOM, is also included in analysis. The obtained results for cases with high scattering anisotropy show that at low number of streams (16, 32) only DOMAS provides an accurate solution in the aureole area. Outside of the aureole, the convergence and accuracy of DOMAS, and TMS is found to be approximately similar: DOMAS was found more accurate in cases with coarse aerosol and liquid water cloud models, except low optical depth, while the TMS showed better results in case of ice cloud.

Parallelization of PANDA discrete ordinates code using spatial decomposition

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

Humbert, P.

2006-07-01

We present the parallel method, based on spatial domain decomposition, implemented in the 2D and 3D versions of the discrete Ordinates code PANDA. The spatial mesh is orthogonal and the spatial domain decomposition is Cartesian. For 3D problems a 3D Cartesian domain topology is created and the parallel method is based on a domain diagonal plane ordered sweep algorithm. The parallel efficiency of the method is improved by directions and octants pipelining. The implementation of the algorithm is straightforward using MPI blocking point to point communications. The efficiency of the method is illustrated by an application to the 3D-Ext C5G7more » benchmark of the OECD/NEA. (authors)« less

The underlying number-space mapping among kindergarteners and its relation with early numerical abilities.

PubMed

Chan, Winnie Wai Lan; Wong, Terry Tin-Yau

2016-08-01

People map numbers onto space. The well-replicated SNARC (spatial-numerical association of response codes) effect indicates that people have a left-sided bias when responding to small numbers and a right-sided bias when responding to large numbers. This study examined whether such spatial codes were tagged to the ordinal or magnitude information of numbers among kindergarteners and whether it was related to early numerical abilities. Based on the traditional magnitude judgment task, we developed two variant tasks-namely the month judgment task and dot judgment task-to elicit ordinal and magnitude processing of numbers, respectively. Results showed that kindergarteners oriented small numbers toward the left side and large numbers toward the right side when processing the ordinal information of numbers in the month judgment task but not when processing the magnitude information in the number judgment task and dot judgment task, suggesting that the left-to-right spatial bias was probably tagged to the ordinal but not magnitude property of numbers. Moreover, the strength of the SNARC effect was not related to early numerical abilities. These findings have important implications for the early spatial representation of numbers and its role in numerical performance among kindergarteners. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Confidence intervals for distinguishing ordinal and disordinal interactions in multiple regression.

PubMed

Lee, Sunbok; Lei, Man-Kit; Brody, Gene H

2015-06-01

Distinguishing between ordinal and disordinal interaction in multiple regression is useful in testing many interesting theoretical hypotheses. Because the distinction is made based on the location of a crossover point of 2 simple regression lines, confidence intervals of the crossover point can be used to distinguish ordinal and disordinal interactions. This study examined 2 factors that need to be considered in constructing confidence intervals of the crossover point: (a) the assumption about the sampling distribution of the crossover point, and (b) the possibility of abnormally wide confidence intervals for the crossover point. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to compare 6 different methods for constructing confidence intervals of the crossover point in terms of the coverage rate, the proportion of true values that fall to the left or right of the confidence intervals, and the average width of the confidence intervals. The methods include the reparameterization, delta, Fieller, basic bootstrap, percentile bootstrap, and bias-corrected accelerated bootstrap methods. The results of our Monte Carlo simulation study suggest that statistical inference using confidence intervals to distinguish ordinal and disordinal interaction requires sample sizes more than 500 to be able to provide sufficiently narrow confidence intervals to identify the location of the crossover point. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Bringing Healthy Retail to Urban "Food Swamps": a Case Study of CBPR-Informed Policy and Neighborhood Change in San Francisco.

PubMed

Minkler, Meredith; Estrada, Jessica; Thayer, Ryan; Juachon, Lisa; Wakimoto, Patricia; Falbe, Jennifer

2018-04-09

In urban "food swamps" like San Francisco's Tenderloin, the absence of full-service grocery stores and plethora of corner stores saturated with tobacco, alcohol, and processed food contribute to high rates of chronic disease. We explore the genesis of the Tenderloin Healthy Corner Store Coalition, its relationship with health department and academic partners, and its contributions to the passage and implementation of a healthy retail ordinance through community-based participatory research (CBPR), capacity building, and advocacy. The healthy retail ordinance incentivizes small stores to increase space for healthy foods and decrease tobacco and alcohol availability. Through Yin's multi-method case study analysis, we examined the partnership's processes and contributions to the ordinance within the framework of Kingdon's three-stage policymaking model. We also assessed preliminary outcomes of the ordinance, including a 35% increase in produce sales and moderate declines in tobacco sales in the first four stores participating in the Tenderloin, as well as a "ripple effect," through which non-participating stores also improved their retail environments. Despite challenges, CBPR partnerships led by a strong community coalition concerned with bedrock issues like food justice and neighborhood inequities in tobacco exposure may represent an important avenue for health equity-focused research and its translation into practice.

Semi-supervised learning for ordinal Kernel Discriminant Analysis.

PubMed

Pérez-Ortiz, M; Gutiérrez, P A; Carbonero-Ruz, M; Hervás-Martínez, C

2016-12-01

Ordinal classification considers those classification problems where the labels of the variable to predict follow a given order. Naturally, labelled data is scarce or difficult to obtain in this type of problems because, in many cases, ordinal labels are given by a user or expert (e.g. in recommendation systems). Firstly, this paper develops a new strategy for ordinal classification where both labelled and unlabelled data are used in the model construction step (a scheme which is referred to as semi-supervised learning). More specifically, the ordinal version of kernel discriminant learning is extended for this setting considering the neighbourhood information of unlabelled data, which is proposed to be computed in the feature space induced by the kernel function. Secondly, a new method for semi-supervised kernel learning is devised in the context of ordinal classification, which is combined with our developed classification strategy to optimise the kernel parameters. The experiments conducted compare 6 different approaches for semi-supervised learning in the context of ordinal classification in a battery of 30 datasets, showing (1) the good synergy of the ordinal version of discriminant analysis and the use of unlabelled data and (2) the advantage of computing distances in the feature space induced by the kernel function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Free-Living and Particle-Associated Bacterioplankton in Large Rivers of the Mississippi River Basin Demonstrate Biogeographic Patterns

PubMed Central

Millar, Justin J.; Payne, Jason T.; Ochs, Clifford A.

2014-01-01

The different drainage basins of large rivers such as the Mississippi River represent interesting systems in which to study patterns in freshwater microbial biogeography. Spatial variability in bacterioplankton communities in six major rivers (the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas) of the Mississippi River Basin was characterized using Ion Torrent 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. When all systems were combined, particle-associated (>3 μm) bacterial assemblages were found to be different from free-living bacterioplankton in terms of overall community structure, partly because of differences in the proportional abundance of sequences affiliated with major bacterial lineages (Alphaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Planctomycetes). Both particle-associated and free-living communities ordinated by river system, a pattern that was apparent even after rare sequences or those affiliated with Cyanobacteria were removed from the analyses. Ordination of samples by river system correlated with environmental characteristics of each river, such as nutrient status and turbidity. Communities in the Upper Mississippi and the Missouri and in the Ohio and the Tennessee, pairs of rivers that join each other, contained similar taxa in terms of presence-absence data but differed in the proportional abundance of major lineages. The most common sequence types detected in particle-associated communities were picocyanobacteria in the Synechococcus/Prochlorococcus/Cyanobium (Syn/Pro) clade, while free-living communities also contained a high proportion of LD12 (SAR11/Pelagibacter)-like Alphaproteobacteria. This research shows that while different tributaries of large river systems such as the Mississippi River harbor distinct bacterioplankton communities, there is also microhabitat variation such as that between free-living and particle-associated assemblages. PMID:25217018

Multivariate normal maximum likelihood with both ordinal and continuous variables, and data missing at random.

PubMed

Pritikin, Joshua N; Brick, Timothy R; Neale, Michael C

2018-04-01

A novel method for the maximum likelihood estimation of structural equation models (SEM) with both ordinal and continuous indicators is introduced using a flexible multivariate probit model for the ordinal indicators. A full information approach ensures unbiased estimates for data missing at random. Exceeding the capability of prior methods, up to 13 ordinal variables can be included before integration time increases beyond 1 s per row. The method relies on the axiom of conditional probability to split apart the distribution of continuous and ordinal variables. Due to the symmetry of the axiom, two similar methods are available. A simulation study provides evidence that the two similar approaches offer equal accuracy. A further simulation is used to develop a heuristic to automatically select the most computationally efficient approach. Joint ordinal continuous SEM is implemented in OpenMx, free and open-source software.

Effective Monitoring and Control of Outsourced Software Development Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponisio, Laura; Vruggink, Peter

In our study of four outsourcing projects we discover mechanisms to support managerial decision making during software development processes. We report on Customer Office, a framework used in practice that facilitates reasoning about projects by highlighting information paths and making co-ordination issues explicit. The results suggest a key role of modularisation and standardisation to assist in value creation, by facilitating information flow and keeping the overview of the project. The practical implications of our findings are guidelines for managing outsourcing projects such as to have a modularised view of the project based on knowledge domains and to standardise co-ordination operations.

Impact of San Francisco's toy ordinance on restaurants and children's food purchases, 2011-2012.

PubMed

Otten, Jennifer J; Saelens, Brian E; Kapphahn, Kristopher I; Hekler, Eric B; Buman, Matthew P; Goldstein, Benjamin A; Krukowski, Rebecca A; O'Donohue, Laura S; Gardner, Christopher D; King, Abby C

2014-07-17

In 2011, San Francisco passed the first citywide ordinance to improve the nutritional standards of children's meals sold at restaurants by preventing the giving away of free toys or other incentives with meals unless nutritional criteria were met. This study examined the impact of the Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance at ordinance-affected restaurants on restaurant response (eg, toy-distribution practices, change in children's menus), and the energy and nutrient content of all orders and children's-meal-only orders purchased for children aged 0 through 12 years. Restaurant responses were examined from January 2010 through March 2012. Parent-caregiver/child dyads (n = 762) who were restaurant customers were surveyed at 2 points before and 1 seasonally matched point after ordinance enactment at Chain A and B restaurants (n = 30) in 2011 and 2012. Both restaurant chains responded to the ordinance by selling toys separately from children's meals, but neither changed their menus to meet ordinance-specified nutrition criteria. Among children for whom children's meals were purchased, significant decreases in kilocalories, sodium, and fat per order were likely due to changes in children's side dishes and beverages at Chain A. Although the changes at Chain A did not appear to be directly in response to the ordinance, the transition to a more healthful beverage and default side dish was consistent with the intent of the ordinance. Study results underscore the importance of policy wording, support the concept that more healthful defaults may be a powerful approach for improving dietary intake, and suggest that public policies may contribute to positive restaurant changes.

CLUSTERING SOUTH AFRICAN HOUSEHOLDS BASED ON THEIR ASSET STATUS USING LATENT VARIABLE MODELS

PubMed Central

McParland, Damien; Gormley, Isobel Claire; McCormick, Tyler H.; Clark, Samuel J.; Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson; Collinson, Mark A.

2014-01-01

The Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System has since 2001 conducted a biannual household asset survey in order to quantify household socio-economic status (SES) in a rural population living in northeast South Africa. The survey contains binary, ordinal and nominal items. In the absence of income or expenditure data, the SES landscape in the study population is explored and described by clustering the households into homogeneous groups based on their asset status. A model-based approach to clustering the Agincourt households, based on latent variable models, is proposed. In the case of modeling binary or ordinal items, item response theory models are employed. For nominal survey items, a factor analysis model, similar in nature to a multinomial probit model, is used. Both model types have an underlying latent variable structure—this similarity is exploited and the models are combined to produce a hybrid model capable of handling mixed data types. Further, a mixture of the hybrid models is considered to provide clustering capabilities within the context of mixed binary, ordinal and nominal response data. The proposed model is termed a mixture of factor analyzers for mixed data (MFA-MD). The MFA-MD model is applied to the survey data to cluster the Agincourt households into homogeneous groups. The model is estimated within the Bayesian paradigm, using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Intuitive groupings result, providing insight to the different socio-economic strata within the Agincourt region. PMID:25485026

Heritability and phenotypic variation of canine hip dysplasia radiographic traits in a cohort of Australian German shepherd dogs.

PubMed

Wilson, Bethany J; Nicholas, Frank W; James, John W; Wade, Claire M; Tammen, Imke; Raadsma, Herman W; Castle, Kao; Thomson, Peter C

2012-01-01

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is a common, painful and debilitating orthopaedic disorder of dogs with a partly genetic, multifactorial aetiology. Worldwide, potential breeding dogs are evaluated for CHD using radiographically based screening schemes such as the nine ordinally-scored British Veterinary Association Hip Traits (BVAHTs). The effectiveness of selective breeding based on screening results requires that a significant proportion of the phenotypic variation is caused by the presence of favourable alleles segregating in the population. This proportion, heritability, was measured in a cohort of 13,124 Australian German Shepherd Dogs born between 1976 and 2005, displaying phenotypic variation for BVAHTs, using ordinal, linear and binary mixed models fitted by a Restricted Maximum Likelihood method. Heritability estimates for the nine BVAHTs ranged from 0.14-0.24 (ordinal models), 0.14-0.25 (linear models) and 0.12-0.40 (binary models). Heritability for the summed BVAHT phenotype was 0.30 ± 0.02. The presence of heritable variation demonstrates that selection based on BVAHTs has the potential to improve BVAHT scores in the population. Assuming a genetic correlation between BVAHT scores and CHD-related pain and dysfunction, the welfare of Australian German Shepherds can be improved by continuing to consider BVAHT scores in the selection of breeding dogs, but that as heritability values are only moderate in magnitude the accuracy, and effectiveness, of selection could be improved by the use of Estimated Breeding Values in preference to solely phenotype based selection of breeding animals.

Discrete ordinates solutions of nongray radiative transfer with diffusely reflecting walls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menart, J. A.; Lee, Haeok S.; Kim, Tae-Kuk

1993-01-01

Nongray gas radiation in a plane parallel slab bounded by gray, diffusely reflecting walls is studied using the discrete ordinates method. The spectral equation of transfer is averaged over a narrow wavenumber interval preserving the spectral correlation effect. The governing equations are derived by considering the history of multiple reflections between two reflecting wails. A closure approximation is applied so that only a finite number of reflections have to be explicitly included. The closure solutions express the physics of the problem to a very high degree and show relatively little error. Numerical solutions are obtained by applying a statistical narrow-band model for gas properties and a discrete ordinates code. The net radiative wail heat fluxes and the radiative source distributions are obtained for different temperature profiles. A zeroth-degree formulation, where no wall reflection is handled explicitly, is sufficient to predict the radiative transfer accurately for most cases considered, when compared with increasingly accurate solutions based on explicitly tracing a larger number of wail reflections without any closure approximation applied.

Overstatement in happiness reporting with ordinal, bounded scale.

PubMed

Tanaka, Saori C; Yamada, Katsunori; Kitada, Ryo; Tanaka, Satoshi; Sugawara, Sho K; Ohtake, Fumio; Sadato, Norihiro

2016-02-18

There are various methods by which people can express subjective evaluations quantitatively. For example, happiness can be measured on a scale from 1 to 10, and has been suggested as a measure of economic policy. However, there is resistance to these types of measurement from economists, who often regard welfare to be a cardinal, unbounded quantity. It is unclear whether there are differences between subjective evaluation reported on ordinal, bounded scales and on cardinal, unbounded scales. To answer this question, we developed functional magnetic resonance imaging experimental tasks for reporting happiness from monetary gain and the perception of visual stimulus. Subjects tended to report higher values when they used ordinal scales instead of cardinal scales. There were differences in neural activation between ordinal and cardinal reporting scales. The posterior parietal area showed greater activation when subjects used an ordinal scale instead of a cardinal scale. Importantly, the striatum exhibited greater activation when asked to report happiness on an ordinal scale than when asked to report on a cardinal scale. The finding that ordinal (bounded) scales are associated with higher reported happiness and greater activation in the reward system shows that overstatement bias in happiness data must be considered.

75 FR 75694 - Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance... Control Ordinance of the Klamath Tribes. This correction removes incorrect references to an amended... follows: SUMMARY: This notice publishes the Secretary's certification of the Klamath Tribes Liquor Control...

Development of a computer program to obtain ordinates for NACA 4-digit, 4-digit modified, 5-digit, and 16 series airfoils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ladson, C. L.; Brooks, Cuyler W., Jr.

1975-01-01

A computer program developed to calculate the ordinates and surface slopes of any thickness, symmetrical or cambered NACA airfoil of the 4-digit, 4-digit modified, 5-digit, and 16-series airfoil families is presented. The program produces plots of the airfoil nondimensional ordinates and a punch card output of ordinates in the input format of a readily available program for determining the pressure distributions of arbitrary airfoils in subsonic potential viscous flow.

The Brain and Spinal Injury Center score: a novel, simple, and reproducible method for assessing the severity of acute cervical spinal cord injury with axial T2-weighted MRI findings.

PubMed

Talbott, Jason F; Whetstone, William D; Readdy, William J; Ferguson, Adam R; Bresnahan, Jacqueline C; Saigal, Rajiv; Hawryluk, Gregory W J; Beattie, Michael S; Mabray, Marc C; Pan, Jonathan Z; Manley, Geoffrey T; Dhall, Sanjay S

2015-10-01

Previous studies that have evaluated the prognostic value of abnormal changes in signals on T2-weighted MRI scans of an injured spinal cord have focused on the longitudinal extent of this signal abnormality in the sagittal plane. Although the transverse extent of injury and the degree of spared spinal cord white matter have been shown to be important for predicting outcomes in preclinical animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI), surprisingly little is known about the prognostic value of altered T2 relaxivity in humans in the axial plane. The authors undertook a retrospective chart review of 60 patients who met the inclusion criteria of this study and presented to the authors' Level I trauma center with an acute blunt traumatic cervical SCI. Within 48 hours of admission, all patients underwent MRI examination, which included axial and sagittal T2 images. Neurological symptoms, evaluated with the grades according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS), at the time of admission and at hospital discharge were correlated with MRI findings. Five distinct patterns of intramedullary spinal cord T2 signal abnormality were defined in the axial plane at the injury epicenter. These patterns were assigned ordinal values ranging from 0 to 4, referred to as the Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC) scores, which encompassed the spectrum of SCI severity. The BASIC score strongly correlated with neurological symptoms at the time of both hospital admission and discharge. It also distinguished patients initially presenting with complete injury who improved by at least one AIS grade by the time of discharge from those whose injury did not improve. The authors' proposed score was rapid to apply and showed excellent interrater reliability. The authors describe a novel 5-point ordinal MRI score for classifying acute SCIs on the basis of axial T2-weighted imaging. The proposed BASIC score stratifies the SCIs according to the extent of transverse T2 signal abnormality during the acute phase of the injury. The new score improves on current MRI-based prognostic descriptions for SCI by reflecting functionally and anatomically significant patterns of intramedullary T2 signal abnormality in the axial plane.

The added value of ordinal analysis in clinical trials: an example in traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Roozenbeek, Bob; Lingsma, Hester F; Perel, Pablo; Edwards, Phil; Roberts, Ian; Murray, Gordon D; Maas, Andrew Ir; Steyerberg, Ewout W

2011-01-01

In clinical trials, ordinal outcome measures are often dichotomized into two categories. In traumatic brain injury (TBI) the 5-point Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) is collapsed into unfavourable versus favourable outcome. Simulation studies have shown that exploiting the ordinal nature of the GOS increases chances of detecting treatment effects. The objective of this study is to quantify the benefits of ordinal analysis in the real-life situation of a large TBI trial. We used data from the CRASH trial that investigated the efficacy of corticosteroids in TBI patients (n = 9,554). We applied two techniques for ordinal analysis: proportional odds analysis and the sliding dichotomy approach, where the GOS is dichotomized at different cut-offs according to baseline prognostic risk. These approaches were compared to dichotomous analysis. The information density in each analysis was indicated by a Wald statistic. All analyses were adjusted for baseline characteristics. Dichotomous analysis of the six-month GOS showed a non-significant treatment effect (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.21, P = 0.096). Ordinal analysis with proportional odds regression or sliding dichotomy showed highly statistically significant treatment effects (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.25, P = 0.0007 and 1.19, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.30, P = 0.0002), with 2.05-fold and 2.56-fold higher information density compared to the dichotomous approach respectively. Analysis of the CRASH trial data confirmed that ordinal analysis of outcome substantially increases statistical power. We expect these results to hold for other fields of critical care medicine that use ordinal outcome measures and recommend that future trials adopt ordinal analyses. This will permit detection of smaller treatment effects.

Impact of San Francisco’s Toy Ordinance on Restaurants and Children’s Food Purchases, 2011–2012

PubMed Central

Saelens, Brian E.; Kapphahn, Kristopher I.; Hekler, Eric B.; Buman, Matthew P.; Goldstein, Benjamin A.; Krukowski, Rebecca A.; O’Donohue, Laura S.; Gardner, Christopher D.; King, Abby C.

2014-01-01

Introduction In 2011, San Francisco passed the first citywide ordinance to improve the nutritional standards of children’s meals sold at restaurants by preventing the giving away of free toys or other incentives with meals unless nutritional criteria were met. This study examined the impact of the Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance at ordinance-affected restaurants on restaurant response (eg, toy-distribution practices, change in children’s menus), and the energy and nutrient content of all orders and children’s-meal–only orders purchased for children aged 0 through 12 years. Methods Restaurant responses were examined from January 2010 through March 2012. Parent–caregiver/child dyads (n = 762) who were restaurant customers were surveyed at 2 points before and 1 seasonally matched point after ordinance enactment at Chain A and B restaurants (n = 30) in 2011 and 2012. Results Both restaurant chains responded to the ordinance by selling toys separately from children’s meals, but neither changed their menus to meet ordinance-specified nutrition criteria. Among children for whom children’s meals were purchased, significant decreases in kilocalories, sodium, and fat per order were likely due to changes in children’s side dishes and beverages at Chain A. Conclusion Although the changes at Chain A did not appear to be directly in response to the ordinance, the transition to a more healthful beverage and default side dish was consistent with the intent of the ordinance. Study results underscore the importance of policy wording, support the concept that more healthful defaults may be a powerful approach for improving dietary intake, and suggest that public policies may contribute to positive restaurant changes. PMID:25032837

Multivariate decoding of brain images using ordinal regression.

PubMed

Doyle, O M; Ashburner, J; Zelaya, F O; Williams, S C R; Mehta, M A; Marquand, A F

2013-11-01

Neuroimaging data are increasingly being used to predict potential outcomes or groupings, such as clinical severity, drug dose response, and transitional illness states. In these examples, the variable (target) we want to predict is ordinal in nature. Conventional classification schemes assume that the targets are nominal and hence ignore their ranked nature, whereas parametric and/or non-parametric regression models enforce a metric notion of distance between classes. Here, we propose a novel, alternative multivariate approach that overcomes these limitations - whole brain probabilistic ordinal regression using a Gaussian process framework. We applied this technique to two data sets of pharmacological neuroimaging data from healthy volunteers. The first study was designed to investigate the effect of ketamine on brain activity and its subsequent modulation with two compounds - lamotrigine and risperidone. The second study investigates the effect of scopolamine on cerebral blood flow and its modulation using donepezil. We compared ordinal regression to multi-class classification schemes and metric regression. Considering the modulation of ketamine with lamotrigine, we found that ordinal regression significantly outperformed multi-class classification and metric regression in terms of accuracy and mean absolute error. However, for risperidone ordinal regression significantly outperformed metric regression but performed similarly to multi-class classification both in terms of accuracy and mean absolute error. For the scopolamine data set, ordinal regression was found to outperform both multi-class and metric regression techniques considering the regional cerebral blood flow in the anterior cingulate cortex. Ordinal regression was thus the only method that performed well in all cases. Our results indicate the potential of an ordinal regression approach for neuroimaging data while providing a fully probabilistic framework with elegant approaches for model selection. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Outlier Detection for Ordinal Data Using Scalling Technique of Regression Coefficients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adnan, Arisman; Sugiarto, Sigit

2017-06-01

The aims of this study is to detect the outliers by using coefficients of Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR) for the case of k category responses where the score from 1 (the best) to 8 (the worst). We detect them by using the sum of moduli of the ordinal regression coefficients calculated by jackknife technique. This technique is improved by scalling the regression coefficients to their means. R language has been used on a set of ordinal data from reference distribution. Furthermore, we compare this approach by using studentised residual plots of jackknife technique for ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and OLR. This study shows that the jackknifing technique along with the proper scaling may lead us to reveal outliers in ordinal regression reasonably well.

25 CFR 522.2 - Submission requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.2 Submission requirements. A tribe... officials and key employees; (d) Copies of all tribal gaming regulations; (e) When an ordinance or...

Cable Television Report and Suggested Ordinance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

League of California Cities, Sacramento.

Guidelines and suggested ordinances for cable television regulation by local governments are comprehensively discussed in this report. The emphasis is placed on franchising the cable operator. Seventeen legal aspects of franchising are reviewed, and an exemplary ordinance is presented. In addition, current statistics about cable franchising in…

An account of co-ordination mechanisms for humanitarian assistance during the international response to the 1994 crisis in Rwanda.

PubMed

Borton, J

1996-12-01

This paper examines the co-ordination strategies developed to respond to the Great Lakes crisis following the events of April 1994. It analyses the different functions and mechanisms which sought to achieve a co-ordinated response--ranging from facilitation at one extreme to management and direction at the other. The different regimes developed to facilitate co-ordination within Rwanda and neighbouring countries, focusing on both inter-agency and inter-country co-ordination issues, are then analysed. Finally, the paper highlights the absence of mechanisms to achieve coherence between the humanitarian, political and security domains. It concludes that effective co-ordination is critical not only to achieve programme efficiency, but to ensure that the appropriate instruments and strategies to respond to complex political emergencies are in place. It proposes a radical re-shaping of international humanitarian, political and security institutions, particularly the United Nations, to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian and political responses to crises such as that in the Great Lakes.

No toy for you! The healthy food incentives ordinance: paternalism or consumer protection?

PubMed

Etow, Alexis M

2012-01-01

The newest approach to discouraging children's unhealthy eating habits, amidst increasing rates of childhood obesity and other diet-related diseases, seeks to ban something that is not even edible. In 2010, San Francisco enacted the Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance, which prohibits toys in kids' meals if the meals do not meet certain nutritional requirements. Notwithstanding the Ordinance's impact on interstate commerce or potential infringement on companies' commercial speech rights and on parents' rights to determine what their children eat, this Comment argues that the Ordinance does not violate the dormant Commerce Clause, the First Amendment, or substantive due process. The irony is that although the Ordinance likely avoids the constitutional hurdles that hindered earlier measures aimed at childhood obesity, it intrudes on civil liberties more than its predecessors. This Comment analyzes the legality of the Healthy Food Incentives Ordinance to understand its implications on subsequent legislation aimed at combating childhood obesity and on the progression of public health law.

Compliance to two city convenience store ordinance requirements

PubMed Central

Menéndez, Cammie K Chaumont; Amandus, Harlan E; Wu, Nan; Hendricks, Scott A

2015-01-01

Background Robbery-related homicides and assaults are the leading cause of death in retail businesses. Robbery reduction approaches focus on compliance to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) guidelines. Purpose We evaluated the level of compliance to CPTED guidelines specified by convenience store safety ordinances effective in 2010 in Dallas and Houston, Texas, USA. Methods Convenience stores were defined as businesses less than 10 000 square feet that sell grocery items. Store managers were interviewed for store ordinance requirements from August to November 2011, in a random sample of 594 (289 in Dallas, 305 in Houston) convenience stores that were open before and after the effective dates of their city’s ordinance. Data were collected in 2011 and analysed in 2012–2014. Results Overall, 9% of stores were in full compliance, although 79% reported being registered with the police departments as compliant. Compliance was consistently significantly higher in Dallas than in Houston for many requirements and by store type. Compliance was lower among single owner-operator stores compared with corporate/franchise stores. Compliance to individual requirements was lowest for signage and visibility. Conclusions Full compliance to the required safety measures is consistent with industry ‘best practices’ and evidence-based workplace violence prevention research findings. In Houston and Dallas compliance was higher for some CPTED requirements but not the less costly approaches that are also the more straightforward to adopt. PMID:26337569

A new indicator for the measurement of change with ordinal scores.

PubMed

Ferreira, Mario Luiz Pinto; Almeida, Renan Moritz V R; Luiz, Ronir Raggio

2013-10-01

Studies on how to better measure change have been published at least since the third decade of the last century, but no general indicator or strategy of measurement is currently agreed upon. The aim of this study is to propose a new indicator, the indicator of positive change, as an option for the assessment of change when ordinal scores are used in pretest and posttest designs. The basic idea is to measure the proportion of possible (positive) change inside a group that can be attributed to an intervention. The approach is based on the joint distribution of the before and after scores (differences), represented by the cells (i, j) of a contingency table m × m (m is the number of classes of the ordinal measurement scale; i and j are the lines and columns of the table, respectively). By convention, higher classes are the most unfavorable on the scale such that subjects that improve "migrate" from the higher to the lower classes as a result of an intervention and vice versa. The introduced indicator offers a new strategy for the analysis of change when dealing with repeated measurements of the same subject, assuming that the measured variable is ordinal (e.g., clinician-rating scales). The presented approach is easily interpretable and avoids the problems that arise, for instance, in those cases where a large concentration of high/low scores is present at the baseline.

The reconstruction of atomic co-ordinates from a protein stereo ribbon diagram when additional information for sufficient sidechain positions is available

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes de Oliveira, Paulo Sérgio; Garratt, Richard Charles

1998-11-01

We describe the application of a method for the reconstruction of three-dimensional atomic co-ordinates from a stereo ribbon diagram of a protein when additional information for some of the sidechain positions is available. The method has applications in cases where the 3D co-ordinates have not been made available by any means other than the original publication and are of interest as models for molecular replacement, homology modelling etc. The approach is, on the one hand, more general than other methods which are based on stereo figures which present specific atomic positions, but on the other hand relies on input from a specialist. Its exact implementation will depend on the figure of interest. We have applied the method to the case of the α-d-galactose-binding lectin jacalin with a resultant RMS deviation, compared to the crystal structure, of 1.5 Å for the 133 Cα positions of the α-chain and 2.6 Å for the less regular β-chain. The success of the method depends on the secondary structure of the protein under consideration and the orientation of the stereo diagram itself but can be expected to reproduce the mainchain co-ordinates more accurately than the sidechains. Some ways in which the method may be generalised to other cases are discussed.

High-resolution gene expression data from blastoderm embryos of the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita

PubMed Central

Wotton, Karl R; Jiménez-Guri, Eva; Crombach, Anton; Cicin-Sain, Damjan; Jaeger, Johannes

2015-01-01

Gap genes are involved in segment determination during early development in dipteran insects (flies, midges, and mosquitoes). We carried out a systematic quantitative comparative analysis of the gap gene network across different dipteran species. Our work provides mechanistic insights into the evolution of this pattern-forming network. As a central component of our project, we created a high-resolution quantitative spatio-temporal data set of gap and maternal co-ordinate gene expression in the blastoderm embryo of the non-drosophilid scuttle fly, Megaselia abdita. Our data include expression patterns in both wild-type and RNAi-treated embryos. The data—covering 10 genes, 10 time points, and over 1,000 individual embryos—consist of original embryo images, quantified expression profiles, extracted positions of expression boundaries, and integrated expression patterns, plus metadata and intermediate processing steps. These data provide a valuable resource for researchers interested in the comparative study of gene regulatory networks and pattern formation, an essential step towards a more quantitative and mechanistic understanding of developmental evolution. PMID:25977812

Dietary quality among men and women in 187 countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic assessment

PubMed Central

Imamura, Fumiaki; Micha, Renata; Khatibzadeh, Shahab; Fahimi, Saman; Shi, Peilin; Powles, John; Mozaffarian, Dariush

2015-01-01

Summary Background Healthy dietary patterns are a global priority to reduce non-communicable diseases. Yet neither worldwide patterns of diets nor their trends with time are well established. We aimed to characterise global changes (or trends) in dietary patterns nationally and regionally and to assess heterogeneity by age, sex, national income, and type of dietary pattern. Methods In this systematic assessment, we evaluated global consumption of key dietary items (foods and nutrients) by region, nation, age, and sex in 1990 and 2010. Consumption data were evaluated from 325 surveys (71·7% nationally representative) covering 88·7% of the global adult population. Two types of dietary pattern were assessed: one reflecting greater consumption of ten healthy dietary items and the other based on lesser consumption of seven unhealthy dietary items. The mean intakes of each dietary factor were divided into quintiles, and each quintile was assigned an ordinal score, with higher scores being equivalent to healthier diets (range 0–100). The dietary patterns were assessed by hierarchical linear regression including country, age, sex, national income, and time as exploratory variables. Findings From 1990 to 2010, diets based on healthy items improved globally (by 2·2 points, 95% uncertainty interval (UI) 0·9 to 3·5), whereas diets based on unhealthy items worsened (−2·5, −3·3 to −1·7). In 2010, the global mean scores were 44·0 (SD 10·5) for the healthy pattern and 52·1 (18·6) for the unhealthy pattern, with weak intercorrelation (r=–0·08) between countries. On average, better diets were seen in older adults compared with younger adults, and in women compared with men (p<0·0001 each). Compared with low-income nations, high-income nations had better diets based on healthy items (+2·5 points, 95% UI 0·3 to 4·1), but substantially poorer diets based on unhealthy items (−33·0, −37·8 to −28·3). Diets and their trends were very heterogeneous across the world regions. For example, both types of dietary patterns improved in high-income countries, but worsened in some low-income countries in Africa and Asia. Middle-income countries showed the largest improvement in dietary patterns based on healthy items, but the largest deterioration in dietary patterns based on unhealthy items. Interpretation Consumption of healthy items improved, while consumption of unhealthy items worsened across the world, with heterogeneity across regions and countries. These global data provide the best estimates to date of nutrition transitions across the world and inform policies and priorities for reducing the health and economic burdens of poor diet quality. Funding The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Medical Research Council. PMID:25701991

77 FR 34981 - Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians-Liquor Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-12

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians--Liquor Control... publishes the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians' Liquor Control Ordinance. The Ordinance regulates and controls... of the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, will increase the ability of the tribal government to control...

7 CFR 1901.204 - Compliance reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Administrator, Community and Business Programs, for each recipient. (4) Mandatory hook-up ordinance. Compliance... under the provisions of a mandatory hook-up ordinance will consist of a certification by the borrower or grantee that the ordinance is still in effect and is being enforced. (5) Forwarding noncompliance report...

7 CFR 1901.204 - Compliance reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Administrator, Community and Business Programs, for each recipient. (4) Mandatory hook-up ordinance. Compliance... under the provisions of a mandatory hook-up ordinance will consist of a certification by the borrower or grantee that the ordinance is still in effect and is being enforced. (5) Forwarding noncompliance report...

7 CFR 1901.204 - Compliance reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Administrator, Community and Business Programs, for each recipient. (4) Mandatory hook-up ordinance. Compliance... under the provisions of a mandatory hook-up ordinance will consist of a certification by the borrower or grantee that the ordinance is still in effect and is being enforced. (5) Forwarding noncompliance report...

7 CFR 1901.204 - Compliance reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Administrator, Community and Business Programs, for each recipient. (4) Mandatory hook-up ordinance. Compliance... under the provisions of a mandatory hook-up ordinance will consist of a certification by the borrower or grantee that the ordinance is still in effect and is being enforced. (5) Forwarding noncompliance report...

Development of a total hydrocarbon ordinal job-exposure matrix for workers responding to the Deepwater Horizon disaster: The GuLF STUDY.

PubMed

Stewart, Patricia A; Stenzel, Mark R; Ramachandran, Gurumurthy; Banerjee, Sudipto; Huynh, Tran B; Groth, Caroline P; Kwok, Richard K; Blair, Aaron; Engel, Lawrence S; Sandler, Dale P

2018-05-01

The GuLF STUDY is a cohort study investigating the health of workers who responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The objective of this effort was to develop an ordinal job-exposure matrix (JEM) of airborne total hydrocarbons (THC), dispersants, and particulates to estimate study participants' exposures. Information was collected on participants' spill-related tasks. A JEM of exposure groups (EGs) was developed from tasks and THC air measurements taken during and after the spill using relevant exposure determinants. THC arithmetic means were developed for the EGs, assigned ordinal values, and linked to the participants using determinants from the questionnaire. Different approaches were taken for combining exposures across EGs. EGs for dispersants and particulates were based on questionnaire responses. Considerable differences in THC exposure levels were found among EGs. Based on the maximum THC level participants experienced across any job held, ∼14% of the subjects were identified in the highest exposure category. Approximately 10% of the cohort was exposed to dispersants or particulates. Considerable exposure differences were found across the various EGs, facilitating investigation of exposure-response relationships. The JEM is flexible to allow for different assumptions about several possibly relevant exposure metrics.

Measures of Agreement Between Many Raters for Ordinal Classifications

PubMed Central

Nelson, Kerrie P.; Edwards, Don

2015-01-01

Screening and diagnostic procedures often require a physician's subjective interpretation of a patient's test result using an ordered categorical scale to define the patient's disease severity. Due to wide variability observed between physicians’ ratings, many large-scale studies have been conducted to quantify agreement between multiple experts’ ordinal classifications in common diagnostic procedures such as mammography. However, very few statistical approaches are available to assess agreement in these large-scale settings. Existing summary measures of agreement rely on extensions of Cohen's kappa [1 - 5]. These are prone to prevalence and marginal distribution issues, become increasingly complex for more than three experts or are not easily implemented. Here we propose a model-based approach to assess agreement in large-scale studies based upon a framework of ordinal generalized linear mixed models. A summary measure of agreement is proposed for multiple experts assessing the same sample of patients’ test results according to an ordered categorical scale. This measure avoids some of the key flaws associated with Cohen's kappa and its extensions. Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the approach with comparison to commonly used agreement measures. The proposed methods are easily implemented using the software package R and are applied to two large-scale cancer agreement studies. PMID:26095449

TIME-DEPENDENT MULTI-GROUP MULTI-DIMENSIONAL RELATIVISTIC RADIATIVE TRANSFER CODE BASED ON SPHERICAL HARMONIC DISCRETE ORDINATE METHOD

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

Tominaga, Nozomu; Shibata, Sanshiro; Blinnikov, Sergei I., E-mail: tominaga@konan-u.ac.jp, E-mail: sshibata@post.kek.jp, E-mail: Sergei.Blinnikov@itep.ru

We develop a time-dependent, multi-group, multi-dimensional relativistic radiative transfer code, which is required to numerically investigate radiation from relativistic fluids that are involved in, e.g., gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei. The code is based on the spherical harmonic discrete ordinate method (SHDOM) which evaluates a source function including anisotropic scattering in spherical harmonics and implicitly solves the static radiative transfer equation with ray tracing in discrete ordinates. We implement treatments of time dependence, multi-frequency bins, Lorentz transformation, and elastic Thomson and inelastic Compton scattering to the publicly available SHDOM code. Our code adopts a mixed-frame approach; the source functionmore » is evaluated in the comoving frame, whereas the radiative transfer equation is solved in the laboratory frame. This implementation is validated using various test problems and comparisons with the results from a relativistic Monte Carlo code. These validations confirm that the code correctly calculates the intensity and its evolution in the computational domain. The code enables us to obtain an Eddington tensor that relates the first and third moments of intensity (energy density and radiation pressure) and is frequently used as a closure relation in radiation hydrodynamics calculations.« less

The influence of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular disease risk factors in the context of economic development in the Samoan archipelago.

PubMed

Ezeamama, Amara E; Viali, Satupaitea; Tuitele, John; McGarvey, Stephen T

2006-11-01

Early in economic development there are positive associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and in the most developed market economy societies there are negative associations. The purpose of this report is to describe cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between indicators of SES and CVD risk factors in a genetically homogenous population of Samoans at different levels of economic development. At baseline 1289 participants 25-58yrs, and at 4-year follow-up, 963 participants were studied in less economically developed Samoa and in more developed American Samoa. SES was assessed by education, occupation, and material lifestyle at baseline. The CVD risk factors, obesity, type-2 diabetes and hypertension were measured at baseline and 4-year follow-up, and an index of any incident CVD risk factor at follow-up was calculated. Sex and location (Samoa and American Samoa) specific multivariable logistic regression models were used to test for relationships between SES and CVD risk factors at baseline after adjustment for age and the other SES indicators. In addition an ordinal SES index was constructed for each individual based on all three SES indicators, and used in a multivariable model to estimate the predicted probability of CVD risk factors across the SES index for the two locations. In both the models using specific SES measures and CVD risk factor outcomes, and the models using the ordinal SES index and predicted probabilities of CVD risk factors, we detected a pattern of high SES associated with: (1) elevated odds of CVD risk factors in less developed Samoa, and (2) decreased odds of CVD risk factors in more developed American Samoa. We conclude that the pattern of inverse associations between SES and CVD risk factors in Samoa and direct associations in American Samoa is attributable to the heterogeneity across the Samoas in specific exposures to social processes of economic development and the natural history of individual CVD risk factors. The findings suggest that interventions on non-communicable diseases in the Samoas must be devised based on the level of economic development, the socio-economic context of risk factor exposures, and individual characteristics such as age, sex and education level.

Safety belt usage before and after enactment of a mandatory usage ordinance (Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-10-01

In the absence of a statewide law, a local ordinance was passed by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government mandating use of safety belts. The objective of this study was to conduct surveys before the ordinance was passed, during the implementat...

Introducing Students to Plant Geography: Polar Ordination Applied to Hanging Gardens.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malanson, George P.; And Others

1993-01-01

Reports on a research study in which college students used a statistical ordination method to reveal relationships among plant community structures and physical, disturbance, and spatial variables. Concludes that polar ordination helps students understand the methodology of plant geography and encourages further student research. (CFR)

Cardination and Ordination Learning in Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stock, William; Flora, June

This paper analyzes Brainerd's work in assessing the developmental sequence or ordination and cardination concepts of number, and describes a study which investigated the hypothesis that task-specific difficulty could explain Brainers's data. Three new tasks were designed for the assessment of ordination and cardination and administered to a…

25 CFR 522.6 - Approval requirements for class III ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Section 522.6 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.6 Approval...) The tribe shall have the sole proprietary interest in and responsibility for the conduct of any gaming...

36 CFR 28.15 - Approval of local zoning ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Approval of local zoning ordinances. 28.15 Section 28.15 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FIRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE: ZONING STANDARDS Federal Standards and Approval of Local Ordinances...

Simulating Ordinal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrari, Pier Alda; Barbiero, Alessandro

2012-01-01

The increasing use of ordinal variables in different fields has led to the introduction of new statistical methods for their analysis. The performance of these methods needs to be investigated under a number of experimental conditions. Procedures to simulate from ordinal variables are then required. In this article, we deal with simulation from…

Bayesian Adaptive Lasso for Ordinal Regression with Latent Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Xiang-Nan; Wu, Hao-Tian; Song, Xin-Yuan

2017-01-01

We consider an ordinal regression model with latent variables to investigate the effects of observable and latent explanatory variables on the ordinal responses of interest. Each latent variable is characterized by correlated observed variables through a confirmatory factor analysis model. We develop a Bayesian adaptive lasso procedure to conduct…

36 CFR 28.15 - Approval of local zoning ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Approval of local zoning ordinances. 28.15 Section 28.15 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FIRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE: ZONING STANDARDS Federal Standards and Approval of Local Ordinances...

25 CFR 900.136 - Do tribal employment rights ordinances apply to construction contracts and subcontracts?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Do tribal employment rights ordinances apply to... OF THE INTERIOR, AND INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CONTRACTS UNDER... rights ordinances apply to construction contracts and subcontracts? Yes. Tribal employment rights...

The Duluth Clean Indoor Air Ordinance: Problems and Success in Fighting the Tobacco Industry at the Local Level in the 21st Century

PubMed Central

Tsoukalas, Theodore; Glantz, Stanton A.

2003-01-01

Case study methodology was used to investigate the tobacco industry’s strategies to fight local tobacco control efforts in Duluth, Minn. The industry opposed the clean indoor air ordinance indirectly through allies and front groups and directly in a referendum. Health groups failed to win a strong ordinance because they framed it as a youth issue rather than a workplace issue and failed to engage the industry’s economic claims. Opponents’ overexploitation of weaknesses in the ordinance allowed health advocates to construct a stronger version. Health advocates should assume that the tobacco industry will oppose all local tobacco control measures indirectly, directly, or both. Clean indoor air ordinances should be framed as workplace safety issues. PMID:12893598

Ordinal feature selection for iris and palmprint recognition.

PubMed

Sun, Zhenan; Wang, Libin; Tan, Tieniu

2014-09-01

Ordinal measures have been demonstrated as an effective feature representation model for iris and palmprint recognition. However, ordinal measures are a general concept of image analysis and numerous variants with different parameter settings, such as location, scale, orientation, and so on, can be derived to construct a huge feature space. This paper proposes a novel optimization formulation for ordinal feature selection with successful applications to both iris and palmprint recognition. The objective function of the proposed feature selection method has two parts, i.e., misclassification error of intra and interclass matching samples and weighted sparsity of ordinal feature descriptors. Therefore, the feature selection aims to achieve an accurate and sparse representation of ordinal measures. And, the optimization subjects to a number of linear inequality constraints, which require that all intra and interclass matching pairs are well separated with a large margin. Ordinal feature selection is formulated as a linear programming (LP) problem so that a solution can be efficiently obtained even on a large-scale feature pool and training database. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LP formulation is advantageous over existing feature selection methods, such as mRMR, ReliefF, Boosting, and Lasso for biometric recognition, reporting state-of-the-art accuracy on CASIA and PolyU databases.

A smartphone application to determine body length for body weight estimation in children: a prospective clinical trial.

PubMed

Wetzel, Oliver; Schmidt, Alexander R; Seiler, Michelle; Scaramuzza, Davide; Seifert, Burkhardt; Spahn, Donat R; Stein, Philipp

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility and accuracy of a smartphone application to measure the body length of children using the integrated camera and to evaluate the subsequent weight estimates. A prospective clinical trial of children aged 0-<13 years admitted to the emergency department of the University Children's Hospital Zurich. The primary outcome was to validate the length measurement by the smartphone application «Optisizer». The secondary outcome was to correlate the virtually calculated ordinal categories based on the length measured by the app to the categories based on the real length. The third and independent outcome was the comparison of the different weight estimations by physicians, nurses, parents and the app. For all 627 children, the Bland Altman analysis showed a bias of -0.1% (95% CI -0.3-0.2%) comparing real length and length measured by the app. Ordinal categories of real length were in excellent agreement with categories virtually calculated based upon app length (kappa = 0.83, 95% CI 0.79-0.86). Children's real weight was underestimated by physicians (-3.3, 95% CI -4.4 to -2.2%, p < 0.001), nurses (-2.6, 95% CI -3.8 to -1.5%, p < 0.001) and parents (-1.3, 95% CI -1.9 to -0.6%, p < 0.001) but overestimated by categories based upon app length (1.6, 95% CI 0.3-2.8%, p = 0.02) and categories based upon real length (2.3, 95% CI 1.1-3.5%, p < 0.001). Absolute weight differences were lowest, if estimated by the parents (5.4, 95% CI 4.9-5.9%, p < 0.001). This study showed the accuracy of length measurement of children by a smartphone application: body length determined by the smartphone application is in good agreement with the real patient length. Ordinal length categories derived from app-measured length are in excellent agreement with the ordinal length categories based upon the real patient length. The body weight estimations based upon length corresponded to known data and limitations. Precision of body weight estimations by paediatric physicians and nurses were comparable and not different to length based estimations. In this non-emergency setting, parental weight estimation was significantly better than all other means of estimation (paediatric physicians and nurses, length based estimations) in terms of precision and absolute difference.

Patterned control of human locomotion

PubMed Central

Lacquaniti, Francesco; Ivanenko, Yuri P; Zago, Myrka

2012-01-01

There is much experimental evidence for the existence of biomechanical constraints which simplify the problem of control of multi-segment movements. In addition, it has been hypothesized that movements are controlled using a small set of basic temporal components or activation patterns, shared by several different muscles and reflecting global kinematic and kinetic goals. Here we review recent studies on human locomotion showing that muscle activity is accounted for by a combination of few basic patterns, each one timed at a different phase of the gait cycle. Similar patterns are involved in walking and running at different speeds, walking forwards or backwards, and walking under different loading conditions. The corresponding weights of distribution to different muscles may change as a function of the condition, allowing highly flexible control. Biomechanical correlates of each activation pattern have been described, leading to the hypothesis that the co-ordination of limb and body segments arises from the coupling of neural oscillators between each other and with limb mechanical oscillators. Muscle activations need only intervene during limited time epochs to force intrinsic oscillations of the system when energy is lost. PMID:22411012

Patterned control of human locomotion.

PubMed

Lacquaniti, Francesco; Ivanenko, Yuri P; Zago, Myrka

2012-05-15

There is much experimental evidence for the existence of biomechanical constraints which simplify the problem of control of multi-segment movements. In addition, it has been hypothesized that movements are controlled using a small set of basic temporal components or activation patterns, shared by several different muscles and reflecting global kinematic and kinetic goals. Here we review recent studies on human locomotion showing that muscle activity is accounted for by a combination of few basic patterns, each one timed at a different phase of the gait cycle. Similar patterns are involved in walking and running at different speeds, walking forwards or backwards, and walking under different loading conditions. The corresponding weights of distribution to different muscles may change as a function of the condition, allowing highly flexible control. Biomechanical correlates of each activation pattern have been described, leading to the hypothesis that the co-ordination of limb and body segments arises from the coupling of neural oscillators between each other and with limb mechanical oscillators. Muscle activations need only intervene during limited time epochs to force intrinsic oscillations of the system when energy is lost.

Three-part joint modeling methods for complex functional data mixed with zero-and-one-inflated proportions and zero-inflated continuous outcomes with skewness.

PubMed

Li, Haocheng; Staudenmayer, John; Wang, Tianying; Keadle, Sarah Kozey; Carroll, Raymond J

2018-02-20

We take a functional data approach to longitudinal studies with complex bivariate outcomes. This work is motivated by data from a physical activity study that measured 2 responses over time in 5-minute intervals. One response is the proportion of time active in each interval, a continuous proportions with excess zeros and ones. The other response, energy expenditure rate in the interval, is a continuous variable with excess zeros and skewness. This outcome is complex because there are 3 possible activity patterns in each interval (inactive, partially active, and completely active), and those patterns, which are observed, induce both nonrandom and random associations between the responses. More specifically, the inactive pattern requires a zero value in both the proportion for active behavior and the energy expenditure rate; a partially active pattern means that the proportion of activity is strictly between zero and one and that the energy expenditure rate is greater than zero and likely to be moderate, and the completely active pattern means that the proportion of activity is exactly one, and the energy expenditure rate is greater than zero and likely to be higher. To address these challenges, we propose a 3-part functional data joint modeling approach. The first part is a continuation-ratio model to reorder the ordinal valued 3 activity patterns. The second part models the proportions when they are in interval (0,1). The last component specifies the skewed continuous energy expenditure rate with Box-Cox transformations when they are greater than zero. In this 3-part model, the regression structures are specified as smooth curves measured at various time points with random effects that have a correlation structure. The smoothed random curves for each variable are summarized using a few important principal components, and the association of the 3 longitudinal components is modeled through the association of the principal component scores. The difficulties in handling the ordinal and proportional variables are addressed using a quasi-likelihood type approximation. We develop an efficient algorithm to fit the model that also involves the selection of the number of principal components. The method is applied to physical activity data and is evaluated empirically by a simulation study. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ordinal preference elicitation methods in health economics and health services research: using discrete choice experiments and ranking methods.

PubMed

Ali, Shehzad; Ronaldson, Sarah

2012-09-01

The predominant method of economic evaluation is cost-utility analysis, which uses cardinal preference elicitation methods, including the standard gamble and time trade-off. However, such approach is not suitable for understanding trade-offs between process attributes, non-health outcomes and health outcomes to evaluate current practices, develop new programmes and predict demand for services and products. Ordinal preference elicitation methods including discrete choice experiments and ranking methods are therefore commonly used in health economics and health service research. Cardinal methods have been criticized on the grounds of cognitive complexity, difficulty of administration, contamination by risk and preference attitudes, and potential violation of underlying assumptions. Ordinal methods have gained popularity because of reduced cognitive burden, lower degree of abstract reasoning, reduced measurement error, ease of administration and ability to use both health and non-health outcomes. The underlying assumptions of ordinal methods may be violated when respondents use cognitive shortcuts, or cannot comprehend the ordinal task or interpret attributes and levels, or use 'irrational' choice behaviour or refuse to trade-off certain attributes. CURRENT USE AND GROWING AREAS: Ordinal methods are commonly used to evaluate preference for attributes of health services, products, practices, interventions, policies and, more recently, to estimate utility weights. AREAS FOR ON-GOING RESEARCH: There is growing research on developing optimal designs, evaluating the rationalization process, using qualitative tools for developing ordinal methods, evaluating consistency with utility theory, appropriate statistical methods for analysis, generalizability of results and comparing ordinal methods against each other and with cardinal measures.

Numerical and Non-Numerical Ordinality Processing in Children with and without Developmental Dyscalculia: Evidence from fMRI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufmann, L.; Vogel, S. E.; Starke, M.; Kremser, C.; Schocke, M.

2009-01-01

Ordinality is--beyond numerical magnitude (i.e., quantity)--an important characteristic of the number system. There is converging empirical evidence that (intra)parietal brain regions mediate number magnitude processing. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that the human intraparietal sulcus (IPS) supports magnitude and ordinality in a…

25 CFR 522.1 - Scope of this part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.1 Scope of this part. This part applies to any gaming ordinance or resolution adopted by a tribe after February 22, 1993. Part 523 of this chapter...

Land and Liberty: The Ordinances of the 1780s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheehan, Bernard W.

The U.S. Constitution established the broad legal frame for the U.S. political order; the ordinances provided the indispensable means for the expansion of that order across the continent. The first effort at organizing the northwest occurred in 1784. Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Ordinance of 1784 defined the stages through which territories…

Educational Legislation in Colonial Zimbabwe (1899-1979)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Kimberly; Govere, Ephraim

2003-01-01

This article focuses on a historical series of education acts that impacted on education in Rhodesia. These Acts are the: (1) 1899 Education Ordinance; (2) 1903 Education Ordinance; (3) 1907 Education Ordinance; (4) 1929 Department of Native Development Act; (5) 1930 Compulsory Education Act; (6) 1959 African Education Act; (7) 1973 Education Act;…

R programming for parameters estimation of geographically weighted ordinal logistic regression (GWOLR) model based on Newton Raphson

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuhdi, Shaifudin; Saputro, Dewi Retno Sari

2017-03-01

GWOLR model used for represent relationship between dependent variable has categories and scale of category is ordinal with independent variable influenced the geographical location of the observation site. Parameters estimation of GWOLR model use maximum likelihood provide system of nonlinear equations and hard to be found the result in analytic resolution. By finishing it, it means determine the maximum completion, this thing associated with optimizing problem. The completion nonlinear system of equations optimize use numerical approximation, which one is Newton Raphson method. The purpose of this research is to make iteration algorithm Newton Raphson and program using R software to estimate GWOLR model. Based on the research obtained that program in R can be used to estimate the parameters of GWOLR model by forming a syntax program with command "while".

Vegetation patterns and environmental gradients in coastal meadows on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kincheloe, Karen L.; Stehn, Robert A.

1991-01-01

Tundra vegetation and environmental variables were sampled on the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta in western Alaska. On transects extending from intertidal mudflat to upland tundra, we estimated cover by vascular plant species, soil moisture, salinity, relative elevation, depth to permafrost, and distance upriver from the coast. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) classified 21 communities. Ordination by detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) revealed a gradient correlated with the combination of elevation, permafrost depth, and salinity along the first axis for both upriver and downriver transects.

Flow analysis for efficient design of wavy structured microchannel mixing devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanchan, Mithun; Maniyeri, Ranjith

2018-04-01

Microfluidics is a rapidly growing field of applied research which is strongly driven by demands of bio-technology and medical innovation. Lab-on-chip (LOC) is one such application which deals with integrating bio-laboratory on micro-channel based single fluidic chip. Since fluid flow in such devices is restricted to laminar regime, designing an efficient passive modulator to induce chaotic mixing for such diffusion based flow is a major challenge. In the present work two-dimensional numerical simulation of viscous incompressible flow is carried out using immersed boundary method (IBM) to obtain an efficient design for wavy structured micro-channel mixing devices. The continuity and Navier-Stokes equations governing the flow are solved by fractional step based finite volume method on a staggered Cartesian grid system. IBM uses Eulerian co-ordinates to describe fluid flow and Lagrangian co-ordinates to describe solid boundary. Dirac delta function is used to couple both these co-ordinate variables. A tether forcing term is used to impose the no-slip boundary condition on the wavy structure and fluid interface. Fluid flow analysis by varying Reynolds number is carried out for four wavy structure models and one straight line model. By analyzing fluid accumulation zones and flow velocities, it can be concluded that straight line structure performs better mixing for low Reynolds number and Model 2 for higher Reynolds number. Thus wavy structures can be incorporated in micro-channels to improve mixing efficiency.

An ordination of life histories using morphological proxies: capital vs. income breeding in insects.

PubMed

Davis, Robert B; Javoiš, Juhan; Kaasik, Ants; Õunap, Erki; Tammaru, Toomas

2016-08-01

Predictive classifications of life histories are essential for evolutionary ecology. While attempts to apply a single approach to all organisms may be overambitious, recent advances suggest that more narrow ordination schemes can be useful. However, these schemes mostly lack easily observable proxies of the position of a species on respective axes. It has been proposed that, in insects, the degree of capital (vs. income) breeding, reflecting the importance of adult feeding for reproduction, correlates with various ecological traits at the level of among-species comparison. We sought to prove these ideas via rigorous phylogenetic comparative analyses. We used experimentally derived life-history data for 57 species of European Geometridae (Lepidoptera), and an original phylogenetic reconstruction. The degree of capital breeding was estimated based on morphological proxies, including relative abdomen size of females. Applying Brownian-motion-based comparative analyses (with an original update to include error estimates), we demonstrated the associations between the degree of capital breeding and larval diet breadth, sexual size dimorphism, and reproductive season. Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model based phylogenetic analysis suggested a causal relationship between the degree of capital breeding and diet breadth. Our study indicates that the gradation from capital to income breeding is an informative axis to ordinate life-history strategies in flying insects which are affected by the fecundity vs. mobility trade off, with the availability of easy to record proxies contributing to its predictive power in practical contexts. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

The new immigration contestation: social movements and local immigration policy making in the United States, 2000-2011.

PubMed

Steil, Justin Peter; Vasi, Ion Bogdan

2014-01-01

Analyzing oppositional social movements in the context of municipal immigration ordinances, the authors examine whether the explanatory power of resource mobilization, political process, and strain theories of social movements' impact on policy outcomes differs when considering proactive as opposed to reactive movements. The adoption of pro-immigrant (proactive) ordinances was facilitated by the presence of immigrant community organizations and of sympathetic local political allies. The adoption of anti-immigrant (reactive) ordinances was influenced by structural social changes, such as rapid increases in the local Latino population, that were framed as threats. The study also finds that pro-immigrant protest events can influence policy in two ways, contributing both to the passage of pro-immigrant ordinances in the locality where protests occur and also inhibiting the passage of anti-immigrant ordinances in neighboring cities.

Combining Decision Rules from Classification Tree Models and Expert Assessment to Estimate Occupational Exposure to Diesel Exhaust for a Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Friesen, Melissa C.; Wheeler, David C.; Vermeulen, Roel; Locke, Sarah J.; Zaebst, Dennis D.; Koutros, Stella; Pronk, Anjoeka; Colt, Joanne S.; Baris, Dalsu; Karagas, Margaret R.; Malats, Nuria; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Armenti, Karla R.; Rothman, Nathanial; Stewart, Patricia A.; Kogevinas, Manolis; Silverman, Debra T.

2016-01-01

Objectives: To efficiently and reproducibly assess occupational diesel exhaust exposure in a Spanish case-control study, we examined the utility of applying decision rules that had been extracted from expert estimates and questionnaire response patterns using classification tree (CT) models from a similar US study. Methods: First, previously extracted CT decision rules were used to obtain initial ordinal (0–3) estimates of the probability, intensity, and frequency of occupational exposure to diesel exhaust for the 10 182 jobs reported in a Spanish case-control study of bladder cancer. Second, two experts reviewed the CT estimates for 350 jobs randomly selected from strata based on each CT rule’s agreement with the expert ratings in the original study [agreement rate, from 0 (no agreement) to 1 (perfect agreement)]. Their agreement with each other and with the CT estimates was calculated using weighted kappa (κ w) and guided our choice of jobs for subsequent expert review. Third, an expert review comprised all jobs with lower confidence (low-to-moderate agreement rates or discordant assignments, n = 931) and a subset of jobs with a moderate to high CT probability rating and with moderately high agreement rates (n = 511). Logistic regression was used to examine the likelihood that an expert provided a different estimate than the CT estimate based on the CT rule agreement rates, the CT ordinal rating, and the availability of a module with diesel-related questions. Results: Agreement between estimates made by two experts and between estimates made by each of the experts and the CT estimates was very high for jobs with estimates that were determined by rules with high CT agreement rates (κ w: 0.81–0.90). For jobs with estimates based on rules with lower agreement rates, moderate agreement was observed between the two experts (κ w: 0.42–0.67) and poor-to-moderate agreement was observed between the experts and the CT estimates (κ w: 0.09–0.57). In total, the expert review of 1442 jobs changed 156 probability estimates, 128 intensity estimates, and 614 frequency estimates. The expert was more likely to provide a different estimate when the CT rule agreement rate was <0.8, when the CT ordinal ratings were low to moderate, or when a module with diesel questions was available. Conclusions: Our reliability assessment provided important insight into where to prioritize additional expert review; as a result, only 14% of the jobs underwent expert review, substantially reducing the exposure assessment burden. Overall, we found that we could efficiently, reproducibly, and reliably apply CT decision rules from one study to assess exposure in another study. PMID:26732820

Insulation co-ordination aspects for power stations with generator circuit-breakers

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

Sanders, M.; Koeppl, G.; Kreuzer, J.

1995-07-01

The generator circuit-breaker (gen. c.b.) located between the generator and the step-up transformer, is now being applied world-wide. It has become a recognized electrical component of power stations which is largely due to economical advantages and increased power station availability. Technical protection considerations for power stations have always been the reason for discussion and the object of improvement. With the use of a gen. c.b., some points of view need to be considered anew. Not only the protection system in case of fault conditions will be influenced, but also the insulation co-ordination philosophy. Below the results of some calculations concerningmore » expected overvoltages are presented. These calculations are based on a transformer rated 264/15.5kV, 220 MVA. But the results are transferable to other power plants. Some measurements carried out on a transformer of the same rating complement the calculations. The findings may contribute to an improvement in insulation co-ordination and protection of the electrical system generator--step-up transformer.« less

Correlational Analysis of Ordinal Data: From Pearson's "r" to Bayesian Polychoric Correlation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jaehwa; Peters, Michelle; Mueller, Ralph O.

2010-01-01

Correlational analyses are one of the most popular quantitative methods, yet also one of the mostly frequently misused methods in social and behavioral research, especially when analyzing ordinal data from Likert or other rating scales. Although several correlational analysis options have been developed for ordinal data, there seems to be a lack…

Economic Analysis of a Living Wage Ordinance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolley, George; Bernstein, Peter

A study estimated the costs of the "Chicago Jobs and Living Wage Ordinance" that would require firms that receive assistance from the city of Chicago to pay their workers an hourly wage of at least $7.60. An estimate of the additional labor cost that would result from the proposed Ordinance was calculated. Results of a survey of…

Dyslexia and Developmental Co-Ordination Disorder in Further and Higher Education--Similarities and Differences. Does the "Label" Influence the Support Given?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Amanda; Sugden, David; Beveridge, Sally; Edwards, Lisa; Edwards, Rachel

2008-01-01

Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is a developmental disorder affecting motor co-ordination. The "Diagnostics Statistics Manual"--IV classification for DCD describes difficulties across a range of activities of daily living, impacting on everyday skills and academic performance in school. Recent evidence has shown that…

The Development and Standardization of the Adult Developmental Co-Ordination Disorders/Dyspraxia Checklist (ADC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Amanda; Edwards, Lisa; Sugden, David; Rosenblum, Sara

2010-01-01

Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia in the United Kingdom (U.K.), is a developmental disorder affecting motor co-ordination. In the past this was regarded as a childhood disorder, however there is increasing evidence that a significant number of children will continue to have persistent difficulties into adulthood.…

How to Plan an Ordinance: An Outline and Some Examples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cable Television Information Center, Washington, DC.

Designed for public officials who must make policy decisions concerning cable television, this booklet forms a checklist to ensure that all basic questions have been considered in drafting an ordinance. The purpose of a cable television ordinance is to develop a law listing the specifications and obligations that will govern the franchising of a…

Proposed Ordinance for the Regulation of Cable Television. Working Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago City Council, IL.

A model ordinance is proposed for the regulation of cable television in the city of Chicago. It defines the language of the ordinance, sets forth the method of granting franchises, and describes the terms of the franchises. The duties of a commission to regulate cable television are listed and the method of selecting commission members is…

25 CFR 11.108 - How are tribal ordinances affected by this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false How are tribal ordinances affected by this part? 11.108 Section 11.108 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER COURTS OF INDIAN OFFENSES AND LAW AND ORDER CODE Application; Jurisdiction § 11.108 How are tribal ordinances affected by...

25 CFR 11.108 - How are tribal ordinances affected by this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How are tribal ordinances affected by this part? 11.108 Section 11.108 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER COURTS OF INDIAN OFFENSES AND LAW AND ORDER CODE Application; Jurisdiction § 11.108 How are tribal ordinances affected by...

25 CFR 11.108 - How are tribal ordinances affected by this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true How are tribal ordinances affected by this part? 11.108 Section 11.108 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER COURTS OF INDIAN OFFENSES AND LAW AND ORDER CODE Application; Jurisdiction § 11.108 How are tribal ordinances affected by...

25 CFR 11.108 - How are tribal ordinances affected by this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false How are tribal ordinances affected by this part? 11.108 Section 11.108 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER COURTS OF INDIAN OFFENSES AND LAW AND ORDER CODE Application; Jurisdiction § 11.108 How are tribal ordinances affected by...

An Algorithm for Converting Ordinal Scale Measurement Data to Interval/Ratio Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granberg-Rademacker, J. Scott

2010-01-01

The extensive use of survey instruments in the social sciences has long created debate and concern about validity of outcomes, especially among instruments that gather ordinal-level data. Ordinal-level survey measurement of concepts that could be measured at the interval or ratio level produce errors because respondents are forced to truncate or…

Magnetic imaging of cyanide-bridged co-ordination nanoparticles grafted on FIB-patterned Si substrates.

PubMed

Ghirri, Alberto; Candini, Andrea; Evangelisti, Marco; Gazzadi, Gian Carlo; Volatron, Florence; Fleury, Benoit; Catala, Laure; David, Christophe; Mallah, Talal; Affronte, Marco

2008-12-01

Prussian blue CsNiCr nanoparticles are used to decorate selected portions of a Si substrate. For successful grafting to take place, the Si surface needs first to be chemically functionalized. Low-dose focused ion beam patterning on uniformly functionalized surfaces selects those portions that will not participate in the grafting process. Step-by-step control is assured by atomic force and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, revealing a submonolayer distribution of the grafted nanoparticles. By novel scanning Hall-probe microscopy, an in-depth investigation of the magnetic response of the nanoparticles to varying temperature and applied magnetic field is provided. The magnetic images acquired suggest that low-temperature canted ferromagnetism is found in the grafted nanoparticles, similar to what is observed in the equivalent bulk material.

Internet-Based Recording Service Solves Maintenance Reporting Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noah, Marilyn

2001-01-01

Details the response to a health threat caused by illegal wastewater disposal in Wisconsin. Traces the identification of the problem, ordinances and policies adopted to guide the remedy, and subsequent monitoring of environmental quality. (DDR)

Projected health impact of the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance

PubMed Central

Cole, B.; Shimkhada, R.; Morgenstern, H.; Kominski, G.; Fielding, J.; Wu, S.

2005-01-01

Study objective: To estimate the relative health effects of the income and health insurance provisions of the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance. Setting and participants: About 10 000 employees of city contractors are subject to the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance, which establishes an annually adjusted minimum wage ($7.99 per hour in July 2002) and requires employers to contribute $1.25 per hour worked towards employees' health insurance, or, if health insurance is not provided, to add this amount to wages. Design: As part of a comprehensive health impact assessment (HIA), we used estimates of the effects of health insurance and income on mortality from the published literature to construct a model to estimate and compare potential reductions in mortality attributable to the increases in wage and changes in health insurance status among workers covered by the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance. Results: The model predicts that the ordinance currently reduces mortality by 1.4 deaths per year per 10 000 workers at a cost of $27.5 million per death prevented. If the ordinance were modified so that all uninsured workers received health insurance, mortality would be reduced by eight deaths per year per 10 000 workers at a cost of $3.4 million per death prevented. Conclusions: The health insurance provisions of the ordinance have the potential to benefit the health of covered workers far more cost effectively than the wage provisions of the ordinance. This analytical model can be adapted and used in other health impact assessments of related policy actions that might affect either income or access to health insurance in the affected population. PMID:16020640

Projected health impact of the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance.

PubMed

Cole, Brian L; Shimkhada, Riti; Morgenstern, Hal; Kominski, Gerald; Fielding, Jonathan E; Wu, Sheng

2005-08-01

To estimate the relative health effects of the income and health insurance provisions of the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance. About 10 000 employees of city contractors are subject to the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance, which establishes an annually adjusted minimum wage (7.99 US dollars per hour in July 2002) and requires employers to contribute 1.25 US dollars per hour worked towards employees' health insurance, or, if health insurance is not provided, to add this amount to wages. As part of a comprehensive health impact assessment (HIA), we used estimates of the effects of health insurance and income on mortality from the published literature to construct a model to estimate and compare potential reductions in mortality attributable to the increases in wage and changes in health insurance status among workers covered by the Los Angeles City living wage ordinance. The model predicts that the ordinance currently reduces mortality by 1.4 deaths per year per 10,000 workers at a cost of 27.5 million US dollars per death prevented. If the ordinance were modified so that all uninsured workers received health insurance, mortality would be reduced by eight deaths per year per 10,000 workers at a cost of 3.4 million US dollars per death prevented. The health insurance provisions of the ordinance have the potential to benefit the health of covered workers far more cost effectively than the wage provisions of the ordinance. This analytical model can be adapted and used in other health impact assessments of related policy actions that might affect either income or access to health insurance in the affected population.

Compliance to two city convenience store ordinance requirements.

PubMed

Chaumont Menéndez, Cammie K; Amandus, Harlan E; Wu, Nan; Hendricks, Scott A

2016-04-01

Robbery-related homicides and assaults are the leading cause of death in retail businesses. Robbery reduction approaches focus on compliance to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) guidelines. We evaluated the level of compliance to CPTED guidelines specified by convenience store safety ordinances effective in 2010 in Dallas and Houston, Texas, USA. Convenience stores were defined as businesses less than 10 000 square feet that sell grocery items. Store managers were interviewed for store ordinance requirements from August to November 2011, in a random sample of 594 (289 in Dallas, 305 in Houston) convenience stores that were open before and after the effective dates of their city's ordinance. Data were collected in 2011 and analysed in 2012-2014. Overall, 9% of stores were in full compliance, although 79% reported being registered with the police departments as compliant. Compliance was consistently significantly higher in Dallas than in Houston for many requirements and by store type. Compliance was lower among single owner-operator stores compared with corporate/franchise stores. Compliance to individual requirements was lowest for signage and visibility. Full compliance to the required safety measures is consistent with industry 'best practices' and evidence-based workplace violence prevention research findings. In Houston and Dallas compliance was higher for some CPTED requirements but not the less costly approaches that are also the more straightforward to adopt. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Order-constrained linear optimization.

PubMed

Tidwell, Joe W; Dougherty, Michael R; Chrabaszcz, Jeffrey S; Thomas, Rick P

2017-11-01

Despite the fact that data and theories in the social, behavioural, and health sciences are often represented on an ordinal scale, there has been relatively little emphasis on modelling ordinal properties. The most common analytic framework used in psychological science is the general linear model, whose variants include ANOVA, MANOVA, and ordinary linear regression. While these methods are designed to provide the best fit to the metric properties of the data, they are not designed to maximally model ordinal properties. In this paper, we develop an order-constrained linear least-squares (OCLO) optimization algorithm that maximizes the linear least-squares fit to the data conditional on maximizing the ordinal fit based on Kendall's τ. The algorithm builds on the maximum rank correlation estimator (Han, 1987, Journal of Econometrics, 35, 303) and the general monotone model (Dougherty & Thomas, 2012, Psychological Review, 119, 321). Analyses of simulated data indicate that when modelling data that adhere to the assumptions of ordinary least squares, OCLO shows minimal bias, little increase in variance, and almost no loss in out-of-sample predictive accuracy. In contrast, under conditions in which data include a small number of extreme scores (fat-tailed distributions), OCLO shows less bias and variance, and substantially better out-of-sample predictive accuracy, even when the outliers are removed. We show that the advantages of OCLO over ordinary least squares in predicting new observations hold across a variety of scenarios in which researchers must decide to retain or eliminate extreme scores when fitting data. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Comparison of approximate solutions to the phonon Boltzmann transport equation with the relaxation time approximation: Spherical harmonics expansions and the discrete ordinates method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christenson, J. G.; Austin, R. A.; Phillips, R. J.

2018-05-01

The phonon Boltzmann transport equation is used to analyze model problems in one and two spatial dimensions, under transient and steady-state conditions. New, explicit solutions are obtained by using the P1 and P3 approximations, based on expansions in spherical harmonics, and are compared with solutions from the discrete ordinates method. For steady-state energy transfer, it is shown that analytic expressions derived using the P1 and P3 approximations agree quantitatively with the discrete ordinates method, in some cases for large Knudsen numbers, and always for Knudsen numbers less than unity. However, for time-dependent energy transfer, the PN solutions differ qualitatively from converged solutions obtained by the discrete ordinates method. Although they correctly capture the wave-like behavior of energy transfer at short times, the P1 and P3 approximations rely on one or two wave velocities, respectively, yielding abrupt, step-changes in temperature profiles that are absent when the angular dependence of the phonon velocities is captured more completely. It is shown that, with the gray approximation, the P1 approximation is formally equivalent to the so-called "hyperbolic heat equation." Overall, these results support the use of the PN approximation to find solutions to the phonon Boltzmann transport equation for steady-state conditions. Such solutions can be useful in the design and analysis of devices that involve heat transfer at nanometer length scales, where continuum-scale approaches become inaccurate.

Overview of Existing Wind Energy Ordinances

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

Oteri, F.

2008-12-01

Due to increased energy demand in the United States, rural communities with limited or no experience with wind energy now have the opportunity to become involved in this industry. Communities with good wind resources may be approached by entities with plans to develop the resource. Although these opportunities can create new revenue in the form of construction jobs and land lease payments, they also create a new responsibility on the part of local governments to ensure that ordinances will be established to aid the development of safe facilities that will be embraced by the community. The purpose of this reportmore » is to educate and engage state and local governments, as well as policymakers, about existing large wind energy ordinances. These groups will have a collection of examples to utilize when they attempt to draft a new large wind energy ordinance in a town or county without existing ordinances.« less

Penalized Ordinal Regression Methods for Predicting Stage of Cancer in High-Dimensional Covariate Spaces.

PubMed

Gentry, Amanda Elswick; Jackson-Cook, Colleen K; Lyon, Debra E; Archer, Kellie J

2015-01-01

The pathological description of the stage of a tumor is an important clinical designation and is considered, like many other forms of biomedical data, an ordinal outcome. Currently, statistical methods for predicting an ordinal outcome using clinical, demographic, and high-dimensional correlated features are lacking. In this paper, we propose a method that fits an ordinal response model to predict an ordinal outcome for high-dimensional covariate spaces. Our method penalizes some covariates (high-throughput genomic features) without penalizing others (such as demographic and/or clinical covariates). We demonstrate the application of our method to predict the stage of breast cancer. In our model, breast cancer subtype is a nonpenalized predictor, and CpG site methylation values from the Illumina Human Methylation 450K assay are penalized predictors. The method has been made available in the ordinalgmifs package in the R programming environment.

Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China.

PubMed

Cui, Yang; Wang, Silong; Yan, Shaokui

2016-01-01

Phi coefficient directly depends on the frequencies of occurrence of organisms and has been widely used in vegetation ecology to analyse the associations of organisms with site groups, providing a characterization of ecological preference, but its application in soil ecology remains rare. Based on a single field experiment, this study assessed the applicability of phi coefficient in indicating the habitat preferences of soil fauna, through comparing phi coefficient-induced results with those of ordination methods in charactering soil fauna-habitat(factors) relationships. Eight different habitats of soil fauna were implemented by reciprocal transfer of defaunated soil cores between two types of subtropical forests. Canonical correlation analysis (CCorA) showed that ecological patterns of fauna-habitat relationships and inter-fauna taxa relationships expressed, respectively, by phi coefficients and predicted abundances calculated from partial redundancy analysis (RDA), were extremely similar, and a highly significant relationship between the two datasets was observed (Pillai's trace statistic = 1.998, P = 0.007). In addition, highly positive correlations between phi coefficients and predicted abundances for Acari, Collembola, Nematode and Hemiptera were observed using linear regression analysis. Quantitative relationships between habitat preferences and soil chemical variables were also obtained by linear regression, which were analogous to the results displayed in a partial RDA biplot. Our results suggest that phi coefficient could be applicable on a local scale in evaluating habitat preferences of soil fauna at coarse taxonomic levels, and that the phi coefficient-induced information, such as ecological preferences and the associated quantitative relationships with habitat factors, will be largely complementary to the results of ordination methods. The application of phi coefficient in soil ecology may extend our knowledge about habitat preferences and distribution-abundance relationships, which will benefit the understanding of biodistributions and variations in community compositions in the soil. Similar studies in other places and scales apart from our local site will be need for further evaluation of phi coefficient.

Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China

PubMed Central

Cui, Yang; Wang, Silong; Yan, Shaokui

2016-01-01

Phi coefficient directly depends on the frequencies of occurrence of organisms and has been widely used in vegetation ecology to analyse the associations of organisms with site groups, providing a characterization of ecological preference, but its application in soil ecology remains rare. Based on a single field experiment, this study assessed the applicability of phi coefficient in indicating the habitat preferences of soil fauna, through comparing phi coefficient-induced results with those of ordination methods in charactering soil fauna-habitat(factors) relationships. Eight different habitats of soil fauna were implemented by reciprocal transfer of defaunated soil cores between two types of subtropical forests. Canonical correlation analysis (CCorA) showed that ecological patterns of fauna-habitat relationships and inter-fauna taxa relationships expressed, respectively, by phi coefficients and predicted abundances calculated from partial redundancy analysis (RDA), were extremely similar, and a highly significant relationship between the two datasets was observed (Pillai's trace statistic = 1.998, P = 0.007). In addition, highly positive correlations between phi coefficients and predicted abundances for Acari, Collembola, Nematode and Hemiptera were observed using linear regression analysis. Quantitative relationships between habitat preferences and soil chemical variables were also obtained by linear regression, which were analogous to the results displayed in a partial RDA biplot. Our results suggest that phi coefficient could be applicable on a local scale in evaluating habitat preferences of soil fauna at coarse taxonomic levels, and that the phi coefficient-induced information, such as ecological preferences and the associated quantitative relationships with habitat factors, will be largely complementary to the results of ordination methods. The application of phi coefficient in soil ecology may extend our knowledge about habitat preferences and distribution-abundance relationships, which will benefit the understanding of biodistributions and variations in community compositions in the soil. Similar studies in other places and scales apart from our local site will be need for further evaluation of phi coefficient. PMID:26930593

Complexity of cardiovascular rhythms during head-up tilt test by entropy of patterns.

PubMed

Wejer, Dorota; Graff, Beata; Makowiec, Danuta; Budrejko, Szymon; Struzik, Zbigniew R

2017-05-01

The head-up tilt (HUT) test, which provokes transient dynamical alterations in the regulation of cardiovascular system, provides insights into complex organization of this system. Based on signals with heart period intervals (RR-intervals) and/or systolic blood pressure (SBP), differences in the cardiovascular regulation between vasovagal patients (VVS) and the healthy people group (CG) are investigated. Short-term relations among signal data represented symbolically by three-beat patterns allow to qualify and quantify the complexity of the cardiovascular regulation by Shannon entropy. Four types of patterns: permutation, ordinal, deterministic and dynamical, are used, and different resolutions of signal values in the the symbolization are applied in order to verify how entropy of patterns depends on a way in which values of signals are preprocessed. At rest, in the physiologically important signal resolution ranges, independently of the type of patterns used in estimates, the complexity of SBP signals in VVS is different from the complexity found in CG. Entropy of VVS is higher than CG what could be interpreted as substantial presence of noisy ingredients in SBP of VVS. After tilting this relation switches. Entropy of CG occurs significantly higher than VVS for SBP signals. In the case of RR-intervals and large resolutions, the complexity after the tilt becomes reduced when compared to the complexity of RR-intervals at rest for both groups. However, in the case of VVS patients this reduction is significantly stronger than in CG. Our observations about opposite switches in entropy between CG and VVS might support a hypothesis that baroreflex in VVS affects stronger the heart rate because of the inefficient regulation (possibly impaired local vascular tone alternations) of the blood pressure.

Young Children's Ability to Use Ordinal Labels in a Spatial Search Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Stephanie E.; Marcovitch, Stuart; Boseovski, Janet J.; Lewkowicz, David J.

2015-01-01

The use and understanding of ordinal terms (e.g., "first" and "second") is a developmental milestone that has been relatively unexplored in the preschool age range. In the present study, 4- and 5-year-olds watched as a reward was placed in one of three train cars labeled by the experimenter with an ordinal (e.g.,…

75 FR 39969 - Liquor Control Ordinance for the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester-Point Arena...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-13

... land. The tribal land is located on trust land and this Ordinance allows for the possession and sale of alcoholic beverages. This Ordinance will increase the ability of the tribal government to control the distribution and possession of liquor within their tribal land, and at the same time will provide an important...

Regenerating time series from ordinal networks.

PubMed

McCullough, Michael; Sakellariou, Konstantinos; Stemler, Thomas; Small, Michael

2017-03-01

Recently proposed ordinal networks not only afford novel methods of nonlinear time series analysis but also constitute stochastic approximations of the deterministic flow time series from which the network models are constructed. In this paper, we construct ordinal networks from discrete sampled continuous chaotic time series and then regenerate new time series by taking random walks on the ordinal network. We then investigate the extent to which the dynamics of the original time series are encoded in the ordinal networks and retained through the process of regenerating new time series by using several distinct quantitative approaches. First, we use recurrence quantification analysis on traditional recurrence plots and order recurrence plots to compare the temporal structure of the original time series with random walk surrogate time series. Second, we estimate the largest Lyapunov exponent from the original time series and investigate the extent to which this invariant measure can be estimated from the surrogate time series. Finally, estimates of correlation dimension are computed to compare the topological properties of the original and surrogate time series dynamics. Our findings show that ordinal networks constructed from univariate time series data constitute stochastic models which approximate important dynamical properties of the original systems.

Regenerating time series from ordinal networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCullough, Michael; Sakellariou, Konstantinos; Stemler, Thomas; Small, Michael

2017-03-01

Recently proposed ordinal networks not only afford novel methods of nonlinear time series analysis but also constitute stochastic approximations of the deterministic flow time series from which the network models are constructed. In this paper, we construct ordinal networks from discrete sampled continuous chaotic time series and then regenerate new time series by taking random walks on the ordinal network. We then investigate the extent to which the dynamics of the original time series are encoded in the ordinal networks and retained through the process of regenerating new time series by using several distinct quantitative approaches. First, we use recurrence quantification analysis on traditional recurrence plots and order recurrence plots to compare the temporal structure of the original time series with random walk surrogate time series. Second, we estimate the largest Lyapunov exponent from the original time series and investigate the extent to which this invariant measure can be estimated from the surrogate time series. Finally, estimates of correlation dimension are computed to compare the topological properties of the original and surrogate time series dynamics. Our findings show that ordinal networks constructed from univariate time series data constitute stochastic models which approximate important dynamical properties of the original systems.

Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale for Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN-RODS(©) ).

PubMed

Vanhoutte, Els K; Faber, Catharina G; van Nes, Sonja I; Cats, Elisabeth A; Van der Pol, W-Ludo; Gorson, Kenneth C; van Doorn, Pieter A; Cornblath, David R; van den Berg, Leonard H; Merkies, Ingemar S J

2015-09-01

Clinical trials in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) have often used ordinal-based measures that may not accurately capture changes. We aimed to construct a disability interval outcome measure specifically for MMN using the Rasch model and to examine its clinimetric properties. A total of 146 preliminary activity and participation items were assessed twice (reliability studies) in 96 clinically stable MMN patients. These patients also assessed the ordinal-based overall disability sum score (construct, sample-dependent validity). The final Rasch-built overall disability scale for MMN (MMN-RODS(©) ) was serially applied in 26 patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing MMN, treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) (1-year follow-up; responsiveness study). The magnitude of change for each patient was calculated using the minimum clinically important difference technique related to the individually obtained standard errors. A total of 121 items not fulfilling Rasch requirements were removed. The final 25-item MMN-RODS(©) fulfilled all Rasch model's expectations and showed acceptable reliability and validity including good discriminatory capacity. Most serially examined patients improved, but its magnitude was low, reflecting poor responsiveness. The constructed MMN-RODS(©) is a disease-specific, interval measure to detect activity limitations in patients with MMN and overcomes the shortcomings of ordinal scales. However, future clinimetric studies are needed to improve the MMN-RODS(©) 's responsiveness by longer observations and/or more rigorous treatment regimens. © 2015 Peripheral Nerve Society.

Minimization of annotation work: diagnosis of mammographic masses via active learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yu; Zhang, Jingyang; Xie, Hongzhi; Zhang, Shuyang; Gu, Lixu

2018-06-01

The prerequisite for establishing an effective prediction system for mammographic diagnosis is the annotation of each mammographic image. The manual annotation work is time-consuming and laborious, which becomes a great hindrance for researchers. In this article, we propose a novel active learning algorithm that can adequately address this problem, leading to the minimization of the labeling costs on the premise of guaranteed performance. Our proposed method is different from the existing active learning methods designed for the general problem as it is specifically designed for mammographic images. Through its modified discriminant functions and improved sample query criteria, the proposed method can fully utilize the pairing of mammographic images and select the most valuable images from both the mediolateral and craniocaudal views. Moreover, in order to extend active learning to the ordinal regression problem, which has no precedent in existing studies, but is essential for mammographic diagnosis (mammographic diagnosis is not only a classification task, but also an ordinal regression task for predicting an ordinal variable, viz. the malignancy risk of lesions), multiple sample query criteria need to be taken into consideration simultaneously. We formulate it as a criteria integration problem and further present an algorithm based on self-adaptive weighted rank aggregation to achieve a good solution. The efficacy of the proposed method was demonstrated on thousands of mammographic images from the digital database for screening mammography. The labeling costs of obtaining optimal performance in the classification and ordinal regression task respectively fell to 33.8 and 19.8 percent of their original costs. The proposed method also generated 1228 wins, 369 ties and 47 losses for the classification task, and 1933 wins, 258 ties and 185 losses for the ordinal regression task compared to the other state-of-the-art active learning algorithms. By taking the particularities of mammographic images, the proposed AL method can indeed reduce the manual annotation work to a great extent without sacrificing the performance of the prediction system for mammographic diagnosis.

Development and preliminary validation of a questionnaire to measure satisfaction with home care in Greece: an exploratory factor analysis of polychoric correlations

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The primary aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a Greek-language instrument for measuring satisfaction with home care. The first empirical evidence about the level of satisfaction with these services in Greece is also provided. Methods The questionnaire resulted from literature search, on-site observation and cognitive interviews. It was applied in 2006 to a sample of 201 enrollees of five home care programs in the city of Thessaloniki and contains 31 items that measure satisfaction with individual service attributes and are expressed on a 5-point Likert scale. The latter has been usually considered in practice as an interval scale, although it is in principle ordinal. We thus treated the variable as an ordinal one, but also employed the traditional approach in order to compare the findings. Our analysis was therefore based on ordinal measures such as the polychoric correlation, Kendall's Tau b coefficient and ordinal Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis was followed by an assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity and sensitivity. Results Analyses with ordinal and interval scale measures produced in essence very similar results and identified four multi-item scales. Three of these were found to be reliable and valid: socioeconomic change, staff skills and attitudes and service appropriateness. A fourth dimension -service planning- had lower internal consistency reliability and yet very satisfactory test-retest reliability, construct validity and floor and ceiling effects. The global satisfaction scale created was also quite reliable. Overall, participants were satisfied -yet not very satisfied- with home care services. More room for improvement seems to exist for the socio-economic and planning aspects of care and less for staff skills and attitudes and appropriateness of provided services. Conclusions The methods developed seem to be a promising tool for the measurement of home care satisfaction in Greece. PMID:20602759

Minimization of annotation work: diagnosis of mammographic masses via active learning.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Zhang, Jingyang; Xie, Hongzhi; Zhang, Shuyang; Gu, Lixu

2018-05-22

The prerequisite for establishing an effective prediction system for mammographic diagnosis is the annotation of each mammographic image. The manual annotation work is time-consuming and laborious, which becomes a great hindrance for researchers. In this article, we propose a novel active learning algorithm that can adequately address this problem, leading to the minimization of the labeling costs on the premise of guaranteed performance. Our proposed method is different from the existing active learning methods designed for the general problem as it is specifically designed for mammographic images. Through its modified discriminant functions and improved sample query criteria, the proposed method can fully utilize the pairing of mammographic images and select the most valuable images from both the mediolateral and craniocaudal views. Moreover, in order to extend active learning to the ordinal regression problem, which has no precedent in existing studies, but is essential for mammographic diagnosis (mammographic diagnosis is not only a classification task, but also an ordinal regression task for predicting an ordinal variable, viz. the malignancy risk of lesions), multiple sample query criteria need to be taken into consideration simultaneously. We formulate it as a criteria integration problem and further present an algorithm based on self-adaptive weighted rank aggregation to achieve a good solution. The efficacy of the proposed method was demonstrated on thousands of mammographic images from the digital database for screening mammography. The labeling costs of obtaining optimal performance in the classification and ordinal regression task respectively fell to 33.8 and 19.8 percent of their original costs. The proposed method also generated 1228 wins, 369 ties and 47 losses for the classification task, and 1933 wins, 258 ties and 185 losses for the ordinal regression task compared to the other state-of-the-art active learning algorithms. By taking the particularities of mammographic images, the proposed AL method can indeed reduce the manual annotation work to a great extent without sacrificing the performance of the prediction system for mammographic diagnosis.

An ordinal classification approach for CTG categorization.

PubMed

Georgoulas, George; Karvelis, Petros; Gavrilis, Dimitris; Stylios, Chrysostomos D; Nikolakopoulos, George

2017-07-01

Evaluation of cardiotocogram (CTG) is a standard approach employed during pregnancy and delivery. But, its interpretation requires high level expertise to decide whether the recording is Normal, Suspicious or Pathological. Therefore, a number of attempts have been carried out over the past three decades for development automated sophisticated systems. These systems are usually (multiclass) classification systems that assign a category to the respective CTG. However most of these systems usually do not take into consideration the natural ordering of the categories associated with CTG recordings. In this work, an algorithm that explicitly takes into consideration the ordering of CTG categories, based on binary decomposition method, is investigated. Achieved results, using as a base classifier the C4.5 decision tree classifier, prove that the ordinal classification approach is marginally better than the traditional multiclass classification approach, which utilizes the standard C4.5 algorithm for several performance criteria.

Goal-based h-adaptivity of the 1-D diamond difference discrete ordinate method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffers, R. S.; Kópházi, J.; Eaton, M. D.; Févotte, F.; Hülsemann, F.; Ragusa, J.

2017-04-01

The quantity of interest (QoI) associated with a solution of a partial differential equation (PDE) is not, in general, the solution itself, but a functional of the solution. Dual weighted residual (DWR) error estimators are one way of providing an estimate of the error in the QoI resulting from the discretisation of the PDE. This paper aims to provide an estimate of the error in the QoI due to the spatial discretisation, where the discretisation scheme being used is the diamond difference (DD) method in space and discrete ordinate (SN) method in angle. The QoI are reaction rates in detectors and the value of the eigenvalue (Keff) for 1-D fixed source and eigenvalue (Keff criticality) neutron transport problems respectively. Local values of the DWR over individual cells are used as error indicators for goal-based mesh refinement, which aims to give an optimal mesh for a given QoI.

Sensitivity analysis for missing dichotomous outcome data in multi-visit randomized clinical trial with randomization-based covariance adjustment.

PubMed

Li, Siying; Koch, Gary G; Preisser, John S; Lam, Diana; Sanchez-Kam, Matilde

2017-01-01

Dichotomous endpoints in clinical trials have only two possible outcomes, either directly or via categorization of an ordinal or continuous observation. It is common to have missing data for one or more visits during a multi-visit study. This paper presents a closed form method for sensitivity analysis of a randomized multi-visit clinical trial that possibly has missing not at random (MNAR) dichotomous data. Counts of missing data are redistributed to the favorable and unfavorable outcomes mathematically to address possibly informative missing data. Adjusted proportion estimates and their closed form covariance matrix estimates are provided. Treatment comparisons over time are addressed with Mantel-Haenszel adjustment for a stratification factor and/or randomization-based adjustment for baseline covariables. The application of such sensitivity analyses is illustrated with an example. An appendix outlines an extension of the methodology to ordinal endpoints.

A measure of association for ordered categorical data in population-based studies

PubMed Central

Nelson, Kerrie P; Edwards, Don

2016-01-01

Ordinal classification scales are commonly used to define a patient’s disease status in screening and diagnostic tests such as mammography. Challenges arise in agreement studies when evaluating the association between many raters’ classifications of patients’ disease or health status when an ordered categorical scale is used. In this paper, we describe a population-based approach and chance-corrected measure of association to evaluate the strength of relationship between multiple raters’ ordinal classifications where any number of raters can be accommodated. In contrast to Shrout and Fleiss’ intraclass correlation coefficient, the proposed measure of association is invariant with respect to changes in disease prevalence. We demonstrate how unique characteristics of individual raters can be explored using random effects. Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the properties of the proposed method under varying assumptions. The methods are applied to two large-scale agreement studies of breast cancer screening and prostate cancer severity. PMID:27184590

Genetic diversity pattern of microeukaryotic communities and its relationship with the environment based on PCR-DGGE and T-RFLP techniques in Dongshan Bay, southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenjing; Mo, Yuanyuan; Yang, Jun; Zhou, Jing; Lin, Yuanshao; Isabwe, Alain; Zhang, Jian; Gao, Xiu; Yu, Zheng

2018-07-01

Microeukaryotes play important roles in aquatic ecosystems, and could act as drivers of the biological nutrient cycling processes. However, compared with prokaryotic ones, little is known about the genetic diversity pattern of their community, and the environmental factors affecting their ecological pattern, especially in marine ecosystems. In this study, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) to explore the genetic diversity structure of microeukaryotic communities in Dongshan Bay, southeast China. Our results revealed that microeukaryotic diversity ranged from 31 to 48 phylotypes (on average, 42) using the DGGE approach, while from 22 to 38 phylotypes (on average, 30) based on T-RFLP method, and the Shannon-Wiener diversity (DGGE-based) was relatively higher, suggesting that DGGE displayed a slightly higher resolution than T-RFLP. Surprisingly, the DGGE showed significant horizontal difference among microeukaryotic communities, but was similar with T-RFLP analysis that had no significant influence on microeukaryotic diversity at vertical scale. Further, redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the DGGE-based microeukaryotic communities distribution was significantly correlated with three environmental factors (Chl-a, TP and salinity), whereas microeukaryotic community revealed by T-RFLP was affected by four environmental factors namely salinity, temperature, depth and NOX-N. Compared with RDA, BIO-ENV analysis showed that heterotrophic bacteria and NOX-N were important environmental variable influencing microeukaryotic communities in both methods. These differences may be attributed to the noisy effects caused by the relatively large number of environmental variables. Generally speaking, despite differences in beta-diversity ordination for both DGGE and T-RFLP methods, there exists some consistency in the results of both techniques in terms of microeukaryotes responses to the environmental variables. These results suggested that environmental parameters had a great effect on spatial distribution of microeukaryotic community and contributed to marine ecosystem health to be further evaluated.

Composite multi-lobe descriptor for cross spectral face recognition: matching active IR to visible light images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Zhicheng; Schmid, Natalia A.

2015-05-01

Matching facial images across electromagnetic spectrum presents a challenging problem in the field of biometrics and identity management. An example of this problem includes cross spectral matching of active infrared (IR) face images or thermal IR face images against a dataset of visible light images. This paper describes a new operator named Composite Multi-Lobe Descriptor (CMLD) for facial feature extraction in cross spectral matching of near-infrared (NIR) or short-wave infrared (SWIR) against visible light images. The new operator is inspired by the design of ordinal measures. The operator combines Gaussian-based multi-lobe kernel functions, Local Binary Pattern (LBP), generalized LBP (GLBP) and Weber Local Descriptor (WLD) and modifies them into multi-lobe functions with smoothed neighborhoods. The new operator encodes both the magnitude and phase responses of Gabor filters. The combining of LBP and WLD utilizes both the orientation and intensity information of edges. Introduction of multi-lobe functions with smoothed neighborhoods further makes the proposed operator robust against noise and poor image quality. Output templates are transformed into histograms and then compared by means of a symmetric Kullback-Leibler metric resulting in a matching score. The performance of the multi-lobe descriptor is compared with that of other operators such as LBP, Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG), ordinal measures, and their combinations. The experimental results show that in many cases the proposed method, CMLD, outperforms the other operators and their combinations. In addition to different infrared spectra, various standoff distances from close-up (1.5 m) to intermediate (50 m) and long (106 m) are also investigated in this paper. Performance of CMLD is evaluated for of each of the three cases of distances.

Cost-Value Analysis and the SAVE: A Work in Progress, But an Option for Localised Decision Making?

PubMed

Karnon, Jonathan; Partington, Andrew

2015-12-01

Cost-value analysis aims to address the limitations of the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) by incorporating the strength of public concerns for fairness in the allocation of scarce health care resources. To date, the measurement of value has focused on equity weights to reflect societal preferences for the allocation of QALY gains. Another approach is to use a non-QALY-based measure of value, such as an outcome 'equivalent to saving the life of a young person' (a SAVE). This paper assesses the feasibility and validity of using the SAVE as a measure of value for the economic evaluation of health care technologies. A web-based person trade-off (PTO) survey was designed and implemented to estimate equivalent SAVEs for outcome events associated with the progression and treatment of early-stage breast cancer. The estimated equivalent SAVEs were applied to the outputs of an existing decision analytic model for early breast cancer. The web-based PTO survey was undertaken by 1094 respondents. Validation tests showed that 68 % of eligible responses revealed consistent ordering of responses and 32 % displayed ordinal transitivity, while 37 % of respondents showing consistency and ordinal transitivity approached cardinal transitivity. Using consistent and ordinally transitive responses, the mean incremental cost per SAVE gained was £ 3.72 million. Further research is required to improve the validity of the SAVE, which may include a simpler web-based survey format or a face-to-face format to facilitate more informed responses. A validated method for estimating equivalent SAVEs is unlikely to replace the QALY as the globally preferred measure of outcome, but the SAVE may provide a useful alternative for localized decision makers with relatively small, constrained budgets-for example, in programme budgeting and marginal analysis.

Population Fisher information matrix and optimal design of discrete data responses in population pharmacodynamic experiments.

PubMed

Ogungbenro, Kayode; Aarons, Leon

2011-08-01

In the recent years, interest in the application of experimental design theory to population pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) experiments has increased. The aim is to improve the efficiency and the precision with which parameters are estimated during data analysis and sometimes to increase the power and reduce the sample size required for hypothesis testing. The population Fisher information matrix (PFIM) has been described for uniresponse and multiresponse population PK experiments for design evaluation and optimisation. Despite these developments and availability of tools for optimal design of population PK and PD experiments much of the effort has been focused on repeated continuous variable measurements with less work being done on repeated discrete type measurements. Discrete data arise mainly in PDs e.g. ordinal, nominal, dichotomous or count measurements. This paper implements expressions for the PFIM for repeated ordinal, dichotomous and count measurements based on analysis by a mixed-effects modelling technique. Three simulation studies were used to investigate the performance of the expressions. Example 1 is based on repeated dichotomous measurements, Example 2 is based on repeated count measurements and Example 3 is based on repeated ordinal measurements. Data simulated in MATLAB were analysed using NONMEM (Laplace method) and the glmmML package in R (Laplace and adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature methods). The results obtained for Examples 1 and 2 showed good agreement between the relative standard errors obtained using the PFIM and simulations. The results obtained for Example 3 showed the importance of sampling at the most informative time points. Implementation of these expressions will provide the opportunity for efficient design of population PD experiments that involve discrete type data through design evaluation and optimisation.

Two centuries of masting data for European beech and Norway spruce across the European continent.

PubMed

Ascoli, Davide; Maringer, Janet; Hacket-Pain, Andy; Conedera, Marco; Drobyshev, Igor; Motta, Renzo; Cirolli, Mara; Kantorowicz, Władysław; Zang, Christian; Schueler, Silvio; Croisé, Luc; Piussi, Pietro; Berretti, Roberta; Palaghianu, Ciprian; Westergren, Marjana; Lageard, Jonathan G A; Burkart, Anton; Gehrig Bichsel, Regula; Thomas, Peter A; Beudert, Burkhard; Övergaard, Rolf; Vacchiano, Giorgio

2017-05-01

Tree masting is one of the most intensively studied ecological processes. It affects nutrient fluxes of trees, regeneration dynamics in forests, animal population densities, and ultimately influences ecosystem services. Despite a large volume of research focused on masting, its evolutionary ecology, spatial and temporal variability, and environmental drivers are still matter of debate. Understanding the proximate and ultimate causes of masting at broad spatial and temporal scales will enable us to predict tree reproductive strategies and their response to changing environment. Here we provide broad spatial (distribution range-wide) and temporal (century) masting data for the two main masting tree species in Europe, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.). We collected masting data from a total of 359 sources through an extensive literature review and from unpublished surveys. The data set has a total of 1,747 series and 18,348 yearly observations from 28 countries and covering a time span of years 1677-2016 and 1791-2016 for beech and spruce, respectively. For each record, the following information is available: identification code; species; year of observation; proxy of masting (flower, pollen, fruit, seed, dendrochronological reconstructions); statistical data type (ordinal, continuous); data value; unit of measurement (only in case of continuous data); geographical location (country, Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics NUTS-1 level, municipality, coordinates); first and last record year and related length; type of data source (field survey, peer reviewed scientific literature, gray literature, personal observation); source identification code; date when data were added to the database; comments. To provide a ready-to-use masting index we harmonized ordinal data into five classes. Furthermore, we computed an additional field where continuous series with length >4 yr where converted into a five classes ordinal index. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive published database on species-specific masting behavior. It is useful to study spatial and temporal patterns of masting and its proximate and ultimate causes, to refine studies based on tree-ring chronologies, to understand dynamics of animal species and pests vectored by these animals affecting human health, and it may serve as calibration-validation data for dynamic forest models. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Sacramento's parking lot shading ordinance: environmental and economic costs of compliance

Treesearch

E.G. McPherson

2001-01-01

A survey of 15 Sacramento parking lots and computer modeling were used to evaluate parking capacity and compliance with the 1983 ordinance requiring 50% shade of paved areas (PA) 15 years after development. There were 6% more parking spaces than required by ordinance, and 36% were vacant during peak use periods. Current shade was 14% with 44% of this amount provided by...

41 CFR 102-74.351 - If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Smoking § 102-74.351 If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities...

41 CFR 102-74.351 - If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Smoking § 102-74.351 If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities...

41 CFR 102-74.351 - If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Smoking § 102-74.351 If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities...

41 CFR 102-74.351 - If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Smoking § 102-74.351 If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities...

41 CFR 102-74.351 - If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Smoking § 102-74.351 If a state or local government has a smoke-free ordinance that is more strict than the smoking policy for Federal facilities...

[The relationship between Ridit analysis and rank sum test for one-way ordinal contingency table in medical research].

PubMed

Wang, Ling; Xia, Jie-lai; Yu, Li-li; Li, Chan-juan; Wang, Su-zhen

2008-06-01

To explore several numerical methods of ordinal variable in one-way ordinal contingency table and their interrelationship, and to compare corresponding statistical analysis methods such as Ridit analysis and rank sum test. Formula deduction was based on five simplified grading approaches including rank_r(i), ridit_r(i), ridit_r(ci), ridit_r(mi), and table scores. Practical data set was verified by SAS8.2 in clinical practice (to test the effect of Shiwei solution in treatment for chronic tracheitis). Because of the linear relationship of rank_r(i) = N ridit_r(i) + 1/2 = N ridit_r(ci) = (N + 1) ridit_r(mi), the exact chi2 values in Ridit analysis based on ridit_r(i), ridit_r(ci), and ridit_r(mi), were completely the same, and they were equivalent to the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Traditional Ridit analysis was based on ridit_r(i), and its corresponding chi2 value calculated with an approximate variance (1/12) was conservative. The exact chi2 test of Ridit analysis should be used when comparing multiple groups in the clinical researches because of its special merits such as distribution of mean ridit value on (0,1) and clear graph expression. The exact chi2 test of Ridit analysis can be output directly by proc freq of SAS8.2 with ridit and modridit option (SCORES =). The exact chi2 test of Ridit analysis is equivalent to the Kruskal-Wallis H test, and should be used when comparing multiple groups in the clinical researches.

The mathematical bases for qualitative reasoning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalagnanam, Jayant; Simon, Herbert A.; Iwasaki, Yumi

1991-01-01

The practices of researchers in many fields who use qualitative reasoning are summarized and explained. The goal is to gain an understanding of the formal assumptions and mechanisms that underlie this kind of analysis. The explanations given are based on standard mathematical formalisms, particularly on ordinal properties, continuous differentiable functions, and the mathematics of nonlinear dynamic systems.

Handwriting-Based Model for Identification of Developmental Disorders among North Indian Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dhall, Jasmine Kaur

2016-01-01

Handwriting execution is based on the cognitive, kinesthetic, motor skills, and manual co-ordination skills of an individual. The deterioration in handwriting quality is a common implication of neurological disorders. Difficulty and degradation in handwriting has been attributed to the sensory motor deficits prevalent in developmental disorders.…

Diversity in migratory patterns among Neotropical fishes in a highly regulated river basin.

PubMed

Makrakis, M C; Miranda, L E; Makrakis, S; Fontes Júnior, H M; Morlis, W G; Dias, J H P; Garcia, J O

2012-07-01

Migratory behaviour of selected fish species is described in the Paraná River, Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay, to search for patterns relevant to tropical regulated river systems. In a 10 year mark-recapture study, spanning a 1425 km section of the river, 32 867 fishes composed of 18 species were released and 1083 fishes were recaptured. The fishes recaptured were at liberty an average 166 days (maximum 1548 days) and travelled an average 35 km (range 0-625 km). Cluster analysis applied to variables descriptive of movement behaviour identified four general movement patterns. Cluster 1 included species that moved long distances (mean 164 km) upstream (54%) and downstream (40%) the mainstem river and showed high incidence (27%) of passage through dams; cluster 2 also exhibited high rate of movement along the mainstem (49% upstream, 13% downstream), but moved small distances (mean 10 km); cluster 3 included the most fishes moving laterally into tributaries (45%) or not moving at all (25%), but little downstream movement (8%); fishes in cluster 4 exhibited little upstream movement (13%) and farthest downstream movements (mean 41 km). Whereas species could be numerically clustered with statistical models, a species ordination showed ample spread, suggesting that species exhibit diverse movement patterns that cannot be easily classified into just a few classes. The cluster and ordination procedures also showed that adults and juveniles of the same species exhibit similar movement patterns. Conventional concepts about Neotropical migratory fishes portray them as travelling long distances upstream. The present results broaden these concepts suggesting that migratory movements are more diverse, could be long, short or at times absent, upriver, downriver or lateral, and the diversity of movements can vary within and among species. The intense lateral migrations exhibited by a diversity of species, especially to and from large tributaries (above reservoirs) and reservoir tributaries, illustrate the importance of these habitats for the fish species life cycle. Considering that the Paraná River is highly impounded, special attention should be given to the few remaining low-impact habitats as they continue to be targets of hydropower development that will probably intensify the effects on migratory fish stocks. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

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

PubMed

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

2015-08-18

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

Factor Models for Ordinal Variables With Covariate Effects on the Manifest and Latent Variables: A Comparison of LISREL and IRT Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moustaki, Irini; Joreskog, Karl G.; Mavridis, Dimitris

2004-01-01

We consider a general type of model for analyzing ordinal variables with covariate effects and 2 approaches for analyzing data for such models, the item response theory (IRT) approach and the PRELIS-LISREL (PLA) approach. We compare these 2 approaches on the basis of 2 examples, 1 involving only covariate effects directly on the ordinal variables…

Legislations combating counterfeit drugs in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Lai, C W; Chan, W K

2013-08-01

To understand legislation combating counterfeit drugs in Hong Kong. This study consisted of two parts. In part I, counterfeit drugs–related ordinances and court cases were reviewed. In part II, indepth interviews of the stakeholders were described. Hong Kong. All Hong Kong ordinances were screened manually to identify those combating counterfeit drugs. Court cases were searched for each of the identified cases. Then, the relevant judgement justifications were analysed to identify sentencing issues. Indepth interviews with the stakeholders were conducted to understand their perceptions about such legislation. Trade Marks Ordinance, Patents Ordinance, Trade Descriptions Ordinance, and Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance were current legislative items combating counterfeit drugs. Sentencing criteria depended on: intention to deceive, quantity of seized drugs, presence of expected therapeutic effect or toxic ingredients, previous criminal records, cooperativeness with Customs officers, honest confessions, pleas of guilty, types of drugs, and precautionary measures to prevent sale of counterfeit drugs. Stakeholders’ perceptions were explored with respect to legislation regarding the scale and significance of the counterfeit drug problem, penalties and deterrents, drug-specific legislation and authority, and inspections and enforcement. To plug the loopholes, a specific law with heavy penalties should be adopted. This could be supplemented by non-legal measures like education of judges, lawyers, and the public; publishing the names of offending pharmacies; and emphasising the role of pharmacists to the public.

Central corneal thickness and progression of the visual field and optic disc in glaucoma

PubMed Central

Chauhan, B C; Hutchison, D M; LeBlanc, R P; Artes, P H; Nicolela, M T

2005-01-01

Aims: To determine whether central corneal thickness (CCT) is a significant predictor of visual field and optic disc progression in open angle glaucoma. Methods: Data were obtained from a prospective study of glaucoma patients tested with static automated perimetry and confocal scanning laser tomography every 6 months. Progression was determined using a trend based approach called evidence of change (EOC) analysis in which sectoral ordinal scores based on the significance of regression coefficients of visual field pattern deviation and neuroretinal rim area over time are summed. Visual field progression was also determined using the event based glaucoma change probability (GCP) analysis using both total and pattern deviation. Results: The sample contained 101 eyes of 54 patients (mean (SD) age 56.5 (9.8) years) with a mean follow up of 9.2 (0.7) years and 20.7 (2.3) sets of examinations every 6 months. Lower CCT was associated with worse baseline visual fields and lower mean IOP in the follow up. In the longitudinal analysis CCT was not correlated with the EOC scores for visual field or optic disc change. In the GCP analyses, there was a tendency for groups classified as progressing to have lower CCT compared to non-progressing groups. In a multivariate analyses accounting for IOP, the opposite was found, whereby higher CCT was associated with visual field progression. None of the independent factors were predictive of optic disc progression. Conclusions: In this cohort of patients with established glaucoma, CCT was not a useful index in the risk assessment of visual field and optic disc progression. PMID:16024855

Uncovering the drivers of host-associated microbiota with joint species distribution modelling.

PubMed

Björk, Johannes R; Hui, Francis K C; O'Hara, Robert B; Montoya, Jose M

2018-06-01

In addition to the processes structuring free-living communities, host-associated microbiota are directly or indirectly shaped by the host. Therefore, microbiota data have a hierarchical structure where samples are nested under one or several variables representing host-specific factors, often spanning multiple levels of biological organization. Current statistical methods do not accommodate this hierarchical data structure and therefore cannot explicitly account for the effect of the host in structuring the microbiota. We introduce a novel extension of joint species distribution models (JSDMs) which can straightforwardly accommodate and discern between effects such as host phylogeny and traits, recorded covariates such as diet and collection site, among other ecological processes. Our proposed methodology includes powerful yet familiar outputs seen in community ecology overall, including (a) model-based ordination to visualize and quantify the main patterns in the data; (b) variance partitioning to assess how influential the included host-specific factors are in structuring the microbiota; and (c) co-occurrence networks to visualize microbe-to-microbe associations. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Care co-ordination for older people in the third sector: scoping the evidence.

PubMed

Abendstern, Michele; Hughes, Jane; Jasper, Rowan; Sutcliffe, Caroline; Challis, David

2018-05-01

The third sector has played a significant role internationally in the delivery of adult social care services for many years. Its contribution to care co-ordination activities for older people, however, in England and elsewhere, is relatively unknown. A scoping review was therefore conducted to ascertain the character of the literature, the nature and extent of third sector care co-ordination activity, and to identify evidence gaps. It was undertaken between autumn 2013 and summer 2014 and updated with additional searches in 2016. Electronic and manual searches of international literature using distinct terms for different approaches to care co-ordination were undertaken. From a total of 835 papers, 26 met inclusion criteria. Data were organised in relation to care co-ordination approaches, types of third sector organisation and care recipients. Papers were predominantly from the UK and published this century. Key findings included that: a minority of literature focused specifically on older people and that those doing so described only one care co-ordination approach; third sector services tended to be associated with independence and person-centred practice; and working with the statutory sector, a prerequisite of care co-ordination, was challenging and required a range of features to be in place to support effective partnerships. Strengths and weaknesses of care co-ordination practice in the third sector according to key stakeholder groups were also highlighted. Areas for future research included the need for: a specific focus on older people's experiences; an investigation of workforce issues; detailed examination of third sector practices, outcomes and costs; interactions with the statutory sector; and an examination of quality assurance systems and their appropriateness to third sector practice. The main implication of the findings is a need to nurture variety within the third sector in order to provide older people and other adults with the range of service options desired. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modeling potential effects of reduced calories in kids' meals with toy giveaways.

PubMed

Freij, Maysoun Y; Sell, Randall L; Bozack, Anne K; Weiss, Linda J; Garcia, Ana C

2014-02-01

Given the large proportion of daily calories attributable to fast food, there is growing interest in considering whether ordinances that restrict calories in kids' meals with toy giveaways could avert weight gain among children. Based upon a literature review and stakeholder feedback, a model was developed to estimate the potential number of children that could be affected by a statewide toy giveaway ordinance and the caloric savings should such a policy effectively reduce the number of calories in kids' meals with toy giveaways. Assumptions included the estimated number of children that eat fast food each day, the proportion that choose a kids' meal with a toy, the caloric savings of a kids' meal that meets nutrition standards, and the degree to which these savings could result in weight gain averted per child per year. Using New York as a case study, the model estimates that, on a typical day, 5% (163,571) of children 0-12 years of age in New York could be affected by a toy ordinance. A child who typically consumes fast food two times per week could avoid gaining approximately 2 pounds per year with an ordinance requiring kids' meals to be ≤550 calories. The amount of weight gain averted would vary according to the calorie limit set by the law and the frequency of consumption per week. Our model indicates that a reduction in calories in kids' meals with toy giveaways has the potential to positively affect weight gain in a considerable percentage of children. Limitations of the model are considered.

A novel fuzzy approach for automatic Brunnstrom stage classification using surface electromyography.

PubMed

Liparulo, Luca; Zhang, Zhe; Panella, Massimo; Gu, Xudong; Fang, Qiang

2017-08-01

Clinical assessment plays a major role in post-stroke rehabilitation programs for evaluating impairment level and tracking recovery progress. Conventionally, this process is manually performed by clinicians using chart-based ordinal scales which can be both subjective and inefficient. In this paper, a novel approach based on fuzzy logic is proposed which automatically evaluates stroke patients' impairment level using single-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) signals and generates objective classification results based on the widely used Brunnstrom stages of recovery. The correlation between stroke-induced motor impairment and sEMG features on both time and frequency domain is investigated, and a specifically designed fuzzy kernel classifier based on geometrically unconstrained membership function is introduced in the study to tackle the challenges in discriminating data classes with complex separating surfaces. Experiments using sEMG data collected from stroke patients have been carried out to examine the validity and feasibility of the proposed method. In order to ensure the generalization capability of the classifier, a cross-validation test has been performed. The results, verified using the evaluation decisions provided by an expert panel, have reached a rate of success of the 92.47%. The proposed fuzzy classifier is also compared with other pattern recognition techniques to demonstrate its superior performance in this application.

Novel Strength Test Battery to Permit Evidence-Based Paralympic Classification

PubMed Central

Beckman, Emma M.; Newcombe, Peter; Vanlandewijck, Yves; Connick, Mark J.; Tweedy, Sean M.

2014-01-01

Abstract Ordinal-scale strength assessment methods currently used in Paralympic athletics classification prevent the development of evidence-based classification systems. This study evaluated a battery of 7, ratio-scale, isometric tests with the aim of facilitating the development of evidence-based methods of classification. This study aimed to report sex-specific normal performance ranges, evaluate test–retest reliability, and evaluate the relationship between the measures and body mass. Body mass and strength measures were obtained from 118 participants—63 males and 55 females—ages 23.2 years ± 3.7 (mean ± SD). Seventeen participants completed the battery twice to evaluate test–retest reliability. The body mass–strength relationship was evaluated using Pearson correlations and allometric exponents. Conventional patterns of force production were observed. Reliability was acceptable (mean intraclass correlation = 0.85). Eight measures had moderate significant correlations with body size (r = 0.30–61). Allometric exponents were higher in males than in females (mean 0.99 vs 0.30). Results indicate that this comprehensive and parsimonious battery is an important methodological advance because it has psychometric properties critical for the development of evidence-based classification. Measures were interrelated with body size, indicating further research is required to determine whether raw measures require normalization in order to be validly applied in classification. PMID:25068950

Towards Dynamic Service Level Agreement Negotiation:An Approach Based on WS-Agreement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pichot, Antoine; Wäldrich, Oliver; Ziegler, Wolfgang; Wieder, Philipp

In Grid, e-Science and e-Business environments, Service Level Agreements are often used to establish frameworks for the delivery of services between service providers and the organisations hosting the researchers. While this high level SLAs define the overall quality of the services, it is desirable for the end-user to have dedicated service quality also for individual services like the orchestration of resources necessary for composed services. Grid level scheduling services typically are responsible for the orchestration and co-ordination of resources in the Grid. Co-allocation e.g. requires the Grid level scheduler to co-ordinate resource management systems located in different domains. As the site autonomy has to be respected negotiation is the only way to achieve the intended co-ordination. SLAs emerged as a new way to negotiate and manage usage of resources in the Grid and are already adopted by a number of management systems. Therefore, it is natural to look for ways to adopt SLAs for Grid level scheduling. In order to do this, efficient and flexible protocols are needed, which support dynamic negotiation and creation of SLAs. In this paper we propose and discuss extensions to the WS-Agreement protocol addressing these issues.

A genome-wide association scan implicates DCHS2, RUNX2, GLI3, PAX1 and EDAR in human facial variation

PubMed Central

Adhikari, Kaustubh; Fuentes-Guajardo, Macarena; Quinto-Sánchez, Mirsha; Mendoza-Revilla, Javier; Camilo Chacón-Duque, Juan; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Jaramillo, Claudia; Arias, William; Lozano, Rodrigo Barquera; Pérez, Gastón Macín; Gómez-Valdés, Jorge; Villamil-Ramírez, Hugo; Hunemeier, Tábita; Ramallo, Virginia; Silva de Cerqueira, Caio C.; Hurtado, Malena; Villegas, Valeria; Granja, Vanessa; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Schuler-Faccini, Lavinia; Salzano, Francisco M.; Bortolini, Maria- Cátira; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Cheeseman, Michael; Rosique, Javier; Bedoya, Gabriel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Headon, Denis; González-José, Rolando; Balding, David; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés

2016-01-01

We report a genome-wide association scan for facial features in ∼6,000 Latin Americans. We evaluated 14 traits on an ordinal scale and found significant association (P values<5 × 10−8) at single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four genomic regions for three nose-related traits: columella inclination (4q31), nose bridge breadth (6p21) and nose wing breadth (7p13 and 20p11). In a subsample of ∼3,000 individuals we obtained quantitative traits related to 9 of the ordinal phenotypes and, also, a measure of nasion position. Quantitative analyses confirmed the ordinal-based associations, identified SNPs in 2q12 associated to chin protrusion, and replicated the reported association of nasion position with SNPs in PAX3. Strongest association in 2q12, 4q31, 6p21 and 7p13 was observed for SNPs in the EDAR, DCHS2, RUNX2 and GLI3 genes, respectively. Associated SNPs in 20p11 extend to PAX1. Consistent with the effect of EDAR on chin protrusion, we documented alterations of mandible length in mice with modified Edar funtion. PMID:27193062

Modeling thermal sensation in a Mediterranean climate—a comparison of linear and ordinal models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantavou, Katerina; Lykoudis, Spyridon

2014-08-01

A simple thermo-physiological model of outdoor thermal sensation adjusted with psychological factors is developed aiming to predict thermal sensation in Mediterranean climates. Microclimatic measurements simultaneously with interviews on personal and psychological conditions were carried out in a square, a street canyon and a coastal location of the greater urban area of Athens, Greece. Multiple linear and ordinal regression were applied in order to estimate thermal sensation making allowance for all the recorded parameters or specific, empirically selected, subsets producing so-called extensive and empirical models, respectively. Meteorological, thermo-physiological and overall models - considering psychological factors as well - were developed. Predictions were improved when personal and psychological factors were taken into account as compared to meteorological models. The model based on ordinal regression reproduced extreme values of thermal sensation vote more adequately than the linear regression one, while the empirical model produced satisfactory results in relation to the extensive model. The effects of adaptation and expectation on thermal sensation vote were introduced in the models by means of the exposure time, season and preference related to air temperature and irradiation. The assessment of thermal sensation could be a useful criterion in decision making regarding public health, outdoor spaces planning and tourism.

A genome-wide association scan implicates DCHS2, RUNX2, GLI3, PAX1 and EDAR in human facial variation.

PubMed

Adhikari, Kaustubh; Fuentes-Guajardo, Macarena; Quinto-Sánchez, Mirsha; Mendoza-Revilla, Javier; Camilo Chacón-Duque, Juan; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Jaramillo, Claudia; Arias, William; Lozano, Rodrigo Barquera; Pérez, Gastón Macín; Gómez-Valdés, Jorge; Villamil-Ramírez, Hugo; Hunemeier, Tábita; Ramallo, Virginia; Silva de Cerqueira, Caio C; Hurtado, Malena; Villegas, Valeria; Granja, Vanessa; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Schuler-Faccini, Lavinia; Salzano, Francisco M; Bortolini, Maria-Cátira; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Cheeseman, Michael; Rosique, Javier; Bedoya, Gabriel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Headon, Denis; González-José, Rolando; Balding, David; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés

2016-05-19

We report a genome-wide association scan for facial features in ∼6,000 Latin Americans. We evaluated 14 traits on an ordinal scale and found significant association (P values<5 × 10(-8)) at single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four genomic regions for three nose-related traits: columella inclination (4q31), nose bridge breadth (6p21) and nose wing breadth (7p13 and 20p11). In a subsample of ∼3,000 individuals we obtained quantitative traits related to 9 of the ordinal phenotypes and, also, a measure of nasion position. Quantitative analyses confirmed the ordinal-based associations, identified SNPs in 2q12 associated to chin protrusion, and replicated the reported association of nasion position with SNPs in PAX3. Strongest association in 2q12, 4q31, 6p21 and 7p13 was observed for SNPs in the EDAR, DCHS2, RUNX2 and GLI3 genes, respectively. Associated SNPs in 20p11 extend to PAX1. Consistent with the effect of EDAR on chin protrusion, we documented alterations of mandible length in mice with modified Edar funtion.

Long-term hydrologic effects on marsh plant community structure in the southern Everglades

USGS Publications Warehouse

Busch, David E.; Loftus, W.F.; Bass, O.L.

1998-01-01

Although large-scale transformation of Everglades landscapes has occurred during the past century, the patterns of association among hydrologic factors and southern Everglades freshwater marsh vegetation have not been well-defined. We used a 10-year data base on the aquatic biota of Shark Slough to classify vegetation and describe plant community change in intermediate- to long-hydroperiod Everglades marshes. Study area marsh vegetation was quantitatively grouped into associations dominated by 1) Cladium jamaicense, 2) a group of emergents including Eleocharis cellulosa, Sagittaria lancifolia, and Rhyncospora tracyi, 3) taxa associated with algal mats (Utricularia spp. and Bacopa caroliniana), and 4) the grasses Panicum hemitomon and Paspalidium geminatum. During the decade evaluated, the range of water depths that characterized our study sites approached both extremes depicted in the 40-year hydrologic record for the region. Water depths were near the long-term average during the mid-1980s, declined sharply during a late 1980s drought, and underwent a prolonged increase from 1991 through 1995. Overall macrophyte cover varied inversely with water depth, while the response of periphyton was more complex. An ordination analysis, based on plant species abundance, revealed that study area vegetation structure was associated with hydrologic patterns. Marsh plant community structure showed evidence of cyclic interannual variation corresponding to hydrologic change over the decade evaluated. Lower water depths, the occurrence of marl substrates, and high periphyton cover were correlated. These factors contributed to reduced macrophyte cover in portions of the study area from which water had been diverted.

An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of the State College Nuisance Property Ordinance and an Assessment of Rental Property Managers as Place Manager/Intimate Handler of Offender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehle, Gregory M.

2011-01-01

This research involves a legal impact study of the State College Nuisance Property Ordinance and an assessment of State College Rental Property Managers in the role of place manager/intimate handler of offender. The impact of the Ordinance was assessed by employing an interrupted time series design which examined five years of pre-ordinance…

GIS insulation co-ordination: On-site tests and dielectric diagnostic techniques, a utility point of view

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

Sabot, A.; Petit, A.; Taillebois, J.P.

1996-07-01

This paper summarizes the Electricite de France experience with insulation co-ordination of GIS. After a review of the insulation co-ordination practice mainly dealing with fast front overvoltage and the one minute AC test, some results of the on-site test procedure applied since 30 years are presented and related to the insulation co-ordination practice. The in-service return of experience dealing with dielectric failures is analyzed then the dielectric diagnostic techniques now available are briefly presented with their possibilities and limitations. According to this survey, the expectations of EDF from these diagnostic techniques as well as the new on-site test and on-linemore » monitoring tendencies at EDF are presented.« less

Reexamining Sample Size Requirements for Multivariate, Abundance-Based Community Research: When Resources are Limited, the Research Does Not Have to Be.

PubMed

Forcino, Frank L; Leighton, Lindsey R; Twerdy, Pamela; Cahill, James F

2015-01-01

Community ecologists commonly perform multivariate techniques (e.g., ordination, cluster analysis) to assess patterns and gradients of taxonomic variation. A critical requirement for a meaningful statistical analysis is accurate information on the taxa found within an ecological sample. However, oversampling (too many individuals counted per sample) also comes at a cost, particularly for ecological systems in which identification and quantification is substantially more resource consuming than the field expedition itself. In such systems, an increasingly larger sample size will eventually result in diminishing returns in improving any pattern or gradient revealed by the data, but will also lead to continually increasing costs. Here, we examine 396 datasets: 44 previously published and 352 created datasets. Using meta-analytic and simulation-based approaches, the research within the present paper seeks (1) to determine minimal sample sizes required to produce robust multivariate statistical results when conducting abundance-based, community ecology research. Furthermore, we seek (2) to determine the dataset parameters (i.e., evenness, number of taxa, number of samples) that require larger sample sizes, regardless of resource availability. We found that in the 44 previously published and the 220 created datasets with randomly chosen abundances, a conservative estimate of a sample size of 58 produced the same multivariate results as all larger sample sizes. However, this minimal number varies as a function of evenness, where increased evenness resulted in increased minimal sample sizes. Sample sizes as small as 58 individuals are sufficient for a broad range of multivariate abundance-based research. In cases when resource availability is the limiting factor for conducting a project (e.g., small university, time to conduct the research project), statistically viable results can still be obtained with less of an investment.

A validation study of a rapid field-based rating system for discriminating among flow permanence classes of headwater streams in South Carolina

EPA Science Inventory

Rapid field-based protocols for classifying flow permanence of headwater streams are needed to inform timely regulatory decisions. Such an existing method was developed for and has been used in North Carolina since 1997. The method uses ordinal scoring of 26 geomorphology, hydr...

Assessing the influence of rater and subject characteristics on measures of agreement for ordinal ratings.

PubMed

Nelson, Kerrie P; Mitani, Aya A; Edwards, Don

2017-09-10

Widespread inconsistencies are commonly observed between physicians' ordinal classifications in screening tests results such as mammography. These discrepancies have motivated large-scale agreement studies where many raters contribute ratings. The primary goal of these studies is to identify factors related to physicians and patients' test results, which may lead to stronger consistency between raters' classifications. While ordered categorical scales are frequently used to classify screening test results, very few statistical approaches exist to model agreement between multiple raters. Here we develop a flexible and comprehensive approach to assess the influence of rater and subject characteristics on agreement between multiple raters' ordinal classifications in large-scale agreement studies. Our approach is based upon the class of generalized linear mixed models. Novel summary model-based measures are proposed to assess agreement between all, or a subgroup of raters, such as experienced physicians. Hypothesis tests are described to formally identify factors such as physicians' level of experience that play an important role in improving consistency of ratings between raters. We demonstrate how unique characteristics of individual raters can be assessed via conditional modes generated during the modeling process. Simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods and summary measure of agreement. The methods are applied to a large-scale mammography agreement study to investigate the effects of rater and patient characteristics on the strength of agreement between radiologists. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Credit USAF. Original housed in the Muroc Flight Test Base, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Credit USAF. Original housed in the Muroc Flight Test Base, Unit History, 1 September 1942 - 30 June 1945. Alfred F. Simpson Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. Maxwell AFB, Alabama. View captioned as "7 Sept 1945, BH-5 Base Ordinance Motor Repair Shop" with gas station and gasoline pump. View looks roughly northwest - Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, Motor Repair Shop T-16, Third & C Streets, Boron, Kern County, CA

77 FR 73394 - Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-10

... and modified elevations, and communities affected for Mercer County, Pennsylvania (All Jurisdictions... determinations of Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) and modified BFEs for communities participating... not be construed to mean that the community must change any existing ordinances that are more...

Preventing homicide: an evaluation of the efficacy of a Detroit gun ordinance.

PubMed Central

O'Carroll, P W; Loftin, C; Waller, J B; McDowall, D; Bukoff, A; Scott, R O; Mercy, J A; Wiersema, B

1991-01-01

BACKGROUND: In November 1986, a Detroit, Michigan city ordinance requiring mandatory jail sentences for illegally carrying a firearm in public was passed to preserve "the public peace, health, safety, and welfare of the people." METHODS: We conducted a set of interrupted time-series analyses to evaluate the impact of the law on the incidence of homicides, hypothesizing that the ordinance, by its nature, would affect only firearm homicides and homicides committed outside (e.g., on the street). RESULTS: The incidence of homicide in general increased after the law was passed, but the increases in non-firearm homicides and homicides committed inside (e.g., in a home) were either statistically significant or approached statistical significance (p = .006 and p = .070, respectively), whereas changes in the incidence of firearm homicides and homicides committed outside were not statistically significant (p = .238 and p = .418, respectively). We also determined that the ordinance was essentially unenforced, apparently because of a critical shortage of jail space. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with a model in which the ordinance had a dampening effect on firearm homicides occurring in public in Detroit. The apparent preventive effect evident in the time series analyses may have been due to publicity about the ordinance, whereas the small nature of the effect may have been due to the lack of enforcement. PMID:2014857

Spatial coding of ordinal information in short- and long-term memory.

PubMed

Ginsburg, Véronique; Gevers, Wim

2015-01-01

The processing of numerical information induces a spatial response bias: Faster responses to small numbers with the left hand and faster responses to large numbers with the right hand. Most theories agree that long-term representations underlie this so called SNARC effect (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes; Dehaene et al., 1993). However, a spatial response bias was also observed with the activation of temporary position-space associations in working memory (ordinal position effect; van Dijck and Fias, 2011). Items belonging to the beginning of a memorized sequence are responded to faster with the left hand side while items at the end of the sequence are responded to faster with the right hand side. The theoretical possibility was put forward that the SNARC effect is an instance of the ordinal position effect, with the empirical consequence that the SNARC effect and the ordinal position effect cannot be observed simultaneously. In two experiments we falsify this claim by demonstrating that the SNARC effect and the ordinal position effect are not mutually exclusive. Consequently, this suggests that the SNARC effect and the ordinal position effect result from the activation of different representations. We conclude that spatial response biases can result from the activation of both pre-existing positions in long-term memory and from temporary space associations in working memory at the same time.

The impact of ordinate scaling on the visual analysis of single-case data.

PubMed

Dart, Evan H; Radley, Keith C

2017-08-01

Visual analysis is the primary method for detecting the presence of treatment effects in graphically displayed single-case data and it is often referred to as the "gold standard." Although researchers have developed standards for the application of visual analysis (e.g., Horner et al., 2005), over- and underestimation of effect size magnitude is not uncommon among analysts. Several characteristics have been identified as potential contributors to these errors; however, researchers have largely focused on characteristics of the data itself (e.g., autocorrelation), paying less attention to characteristics of the graphic display which are largely in control of the analyst (e.g., ordinate scaling). The current study investigated the impact that differences in ordinate scaling, a graphic display characteristic, had on experts' accuracy in judgments regarding the magnitude of effect present in single-case percentage data. 32 participants were asked to evaluate eight ABAB data sets (2 each presenting null, small, moderate, and large effects) along with three iterations of each (32 graphs in total) in which only the ordinate scale was manipulated. Results suggest that raters are less accurate in their detection of treatment effects as the ordinate scale is constricted. Additionally, raters were more likely to overestimate the size of a treatment effect when the ordinate scale was constricted. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decoupled dimensions of leaf economic and anti-herbivore defense strategies in a tropical canopy tree community.

PubMed

Chauvin, K McManus; Asner, G P; Martin, R E; Kress, W J; Wright, S J; Field, C B

2018-03-01

Trade-offs among plant functional traits indicate diversity in plant strategies of growth and survival. The leaf economics spectrum (LES) reflects a trade-off between short-term carbon gain and long-term leaf persistence. A related trade-off, between foliar growth and anti-herbivore defense, occurs among plants growing in contrasting resource regimes, but it is unclear whether this trade-off is maintained within plant communities, where resource gradients are minimized. The LES and the growth-defense trade-off involve related traits, but the extent to which these trade-off dimensions are correlated is poorly understood. We assessed the relationship between leaf economic and anti-herbivore defense traits among sunlit foliage of 345 canopy trees in 83 species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We quantified ten traits related to resource allocation and defense, and identified patterns of trait co-variation using multivariate ordination. We tested whether traits and ordination axes were correlated with patterns of phylogenetic relatedness, juvenile demographic trade-offs, or topo-edaphic variation. Two independent axes described ~ 60% of the variation among canopy trees. Axis 1 revealed a trade-off between leaf nutritional and structural investment, consistent with the LES. Physical defense traits were largely oriented along this axis. Axis 2 revealed a trade-off between investments in phenolic defenses versus other foliar defenses, which we term the leaf defense spectrum. Phylogenetic relationships and topo-edaphic variation largely did not explain trait co-variation. Our results suggest that some trade-offs among the growth and defense traits of outer-canopy trees may be captured by the LES, while others may occur along additional resource allocation dimensions.

Large-scale causes of variation in the serpentine vegetation of California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grace, J.B.; Safford, H.D.; Harrison, S.

2007-01-01

Serpentine vegetation in California ranges from forest to shrubland and grassland, harbors many rare and endemic species, and is only moderately altered by invasive exotic species at the present time. To better understand the factors regulating the distribution of common/representative species, endemic/rare species, and the threat of exotics in this important flora, we analyzed broad-scale community patterns and environmental conditions in a geographically stratified set of samples from across the state. We considered three major classes of environmental influences: climate (especially precipitation), soils (especially the Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio), and the indirect influences of climate on soils. We used ordination to identify the major axes of variation in common species abundances, structural equation models to analyze the relationship of community axes and endemic and exotic species richness to the environment, and group analysis techniques to identify consistent groupings of species and characterize their properties. We found that community variation could be explained by a two-axis ordination. One axis ranged from conifer forest to grassland and was strongly related to precipitation. The second axis ranged from chaparral to grassland and had little relationship to current environmental conditions, suggesting a possible role for successional history. Precipitation and elevation were respectively the largest influences on endemic and exotic richness, followed by Mg 2+/Ca2+. The results also support the idea that long-term precipitation patterns have altered the Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio via selective leaching, resulting in indirect influences on endemics (positive) and exotics (negative) but not affecting the abundances of common species. We discuss implications of these findings for the conservation of the California serpentine flora. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Estimation of the latent mediated effect with ordinal data using the limited-information and Bayesian full-information approaches.

PubMed

Chen, Jinsong; Zhang, Dake; Choi, Jaehwa

2015-12-01

It is common to encounter latent variables with ordinal data in social or behavioral research. Although a mediated effect of latent variables (latent mediated effect, or LME) with ordinal data may appear to be a straightforward combination of LME with continuous data and latent variables with ordinal data, the methodological challenges to combine the two are not trivial. This research covers model structures as complex as LME and formulates both point and interval estimates of LME for ordinal data using the Bayesian full-information approach. We also combine weighted least squares (WLS) estimation with the bias-corrected bootstrapping (BCB; Efron Journal of the American Statistical Association, 82, 171-185, 1987) method or the traditional delta method as the limited-information approach. We evaluated the viability of these different approaches across various conditions through simulation studies, and provide an empirical example to illustrate the approaches. We found that the Bayesian approach with reasonably informative priors is preferred when both point and interval estimates are of interest and the sample size is 200 or above.

Joint association discovery and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by supervised heterogeneous multiview learning.

PubMed

Zhe, Shandian; Xu, Zenglin; Qi, Yuan; Yu, Peng

2014-01-01

A key step for Alzheimer's disease (AD) study is to identify associations between genetic variations and intermediate phenotypes (e.g., brain structures). At the same time, it is crucial to develop a noninvasive means for AD diagnosis. Although these two tasks-association discovery and disease diagnosis-have been treated separately by a variety of approaches, they are tightly coupled due to their common biological basis. We hypothesize that the two tasks can potentially benefit each other by a joint analysis, because (i) the association study discovers correlated biomarkers from different data sources, which may help improve diagnosis accuracy, and (ii) the disease status may help identify disease-sensitive associations between genetic variations and MRI features. Based on this hypothesis, we present a new sparse Bayesian approach for joint association study and disease diagnosis. In this approach, common latent features are extracted from different data sources based on sparse projection matrices and used to predict multiple disease severity levels based on Gaussian process ordinal regression; in return, the disease status is used to guide the discovery of relationships between the data sources. The sparse projection matrices not only reveal the associations but also select groups of biomarkers related to AD. To learn the model from data, we develop an efficient variational expectation maximization algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that our approach achieves higher accuracy in both predicting ordinal labels and discovering associations between data sources than alternative methods. We apply our approach to an imaging genetics dataset of AD. Our joint analysis approach not only identifies meaningful and interesting associations between genetic variations, brain structures, and AD status, but also achieves significantly higher accuracy for predicting ordinal AD stages than the competing methods.

London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy: guidance for its use as an outcome measure

PubMed Central

Hall, Jennifer A; Barrett, Geraldine; Copas, Andrew; Stephenson, Judith

2017-01-01

Background The London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) is a psychometrically validated measure of the degree of intention of a current or recent pregnancy. The LMUP is increasingly being used worldwide, and can be used to evaluate family planning or preconception care programs. However, beyond recommending the use of the full LMUP scale, there is no published guidance on how to use the LMUP as an outcome measure. Ordinal logistic regression has been recommended informally, but studies published to date have all used binary logistic regression and dichotomized the scale at different cut points. There is thus a need for evidence-based guidance to provide a standardized methodology for multivariate analysis and to enable comparison of results. This paper makes recommendations for the regression method for analysis of the LMUP as an outcome measure. Materials and methods Data collected from 4,244 pregnant women in Malawi were used to compare five regression methods: linear, logistic with two cut points, and ordinal logistic with either the full or grouped LMUP score. The recommendations were then tested on the original UK LMUP data. Results There were small but no important differences in the findings across the regression models. Logistic regression resulted in the largest loss of information, and assumptions were violated for the linear and ordinal logistic regression. Consequently, robust standard errors were used for linear regression and a partial proportional odds ordinal logistic regression model attempted. The latter could only be fitted for grouped LMUP score. Conclusion We recommend the linear regression model with robust standard errors to make full use of the LMUP score when analyzed as an outcome measure. Ordinal logistic regression could be considered, but a partial proportional odds model with grouped LMUP score may be required. Logistic regression is the least-favored option, due to the loss of information. For logistic regression, the cut point for un/planned pregnancy should be between nine and ten. These recommendations will standardize the analysis of LMUP data and enhance comparability of results across studies. PMID:28435343

Structure, function and five basic needs of the global health research system

PubMed Central

Rudan, Igor; Sridhar, Devi

2016-01-01

Background Two major initiatives that were set up to support and co–ordinate global health research efforts have been largely discontinued in recent years: the Global Forum for Health Research and World Health Organization's Department for Research Policy and Cooperation. These developments provide an interesting case study into the factors that contribute to the sustainability of initiatives to support and co–ordinate global health research in the 21st century. Methods We reviewed the history of attempts to govern, support or co–ordinate research in global health. Moreover, we studied the changes and shifts in funding flows attributed to global health research. This allowed us to map the structure of the global health research system, as it has evolved under the increased funding contributions of the past decade. Bearing in mind its structure, core functions and dynamic nature, we proposed a framework on how to effectively support the system to increase its efficiency. Results Based on our framework, which charted the structure and function of the global health research system and exposed places and roles for many stakeholders within the system, five basic needs emerged: (i) to co–ordinate funding among donors more effectively; (ii) to prioritize among many research ideas; (iii) to quickly recognize results of successful research; (iv) to ensure broad and rapid dissemination of results and their accessibility; and (v) to evaluate return on investments in health research. Conclusion The global health research system has evolved rapidly and spontaneously. It has not been optimally efficient, but it is possible to identify solutions that could improve this. There are already examples of effective responses for the need of prioritization of research questions (eg, the CHNRI method), quick recognition of important research (eg, systems used by editors of the leading journals) and rapid and broadly accessible publication of the new knowledge (eg, PLoS One journal as an example). It is still necessary to develop tools that could assist donors to co–ordinate funding and ensure more equity between areas in the provided support, and to evaluate the value for money invested in health research. PMID:26401270

Work-based learning in health and social care.

PubMed

Phillips, Sue

This article examines some of the issues encountered in helping to develop and facilitate work-based learning (WBL) in clinical areas from the author's perspective of APEL/WBL co-ordinator. The advantages of work-based learning to both organisations and practitioners are discussed, together with possible drawbacks. The article concludes by identifying the positive aspects, including that of practice development, but suggests caution in attempting to use work-based learning in all circumstances.

Office development, parking management, and travel behavior : the case of midtown Atlanta

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-05-01

The effects of special parking provision in zoning ordinances are assessed based on a case study of midtown Atlanta. The study results indicate that it is somewhat easier to promote increased office development around rail transit stations than it is...

Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Utility Credit Design for Sustainability

EPA Science Inventory

A current trend in funding urban stormwater programs relies on the issuance of stormwater utilities (i.e., fees) based on some measure of impervious surface (e.g., actual, estimated, average), and local programs vary greatly, dependent upon state law, municipal ordinances, and co...

Systematic reviews of the evidence on the nature, extent and effects of food marketing to children. A retrospective summary.

PubMed

Cairns, Georgina; Angus, Kathryn; Hastings, Gerard; Caraher, Martin

2013-03-01

A 2009 systematic review of the international evidence on food and beverage marketing to children is the most recent internationally comprehensive review of the evidence base. Its findings are consistent with other independent, rigorous reviews conducted during the period 2003-2012. Food promotions have a direct effect on children's nutrition knowledge, preferences, purchase behaviour, consumption patterns and diet-related health. Current marketing practice predominantly promotes low nutrition foods and beverages. Rebalancing the food marketing landscape' is a recurring policy aim of interventions aimed at constraining food and beverage promotions to children. The collective review evidence on marketing practice indicates little progress towards policy aims has been achieved during the period 2003-2012. There is a gap in the evidence base on how substantive policy implementation can be achieved. We recommend a priority for future policy relevant research is a greater emphasis on translational research. A global framework for co-ordinated intervention to constrain unhealthy food marketing which has received high level support provides valuable insight on some aspects of immediate implementation research priorities. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Underage alcohol policies across 50 California cities: an assessment of best practices

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We pursue two primary goals in this article: (1) to test a methodology and develop a dataset on U.S. local-level alcohol policy ordinances, and (2) to evaluate the presence, comprehensiveness, and stringency of eight local alcohol policies in 50 diverse California cities in relationship to recommended best practices in both public health literature and governmental recommendations to reduce underage drinking. Methods Following best practice recommendations from a wide array of authoritative sources, we selected eight local alcohol policy topics (e.g., conditional use permits, responsible beverage service training, social host ordinances, window/billboard advertising ordinances), and determined the presence or absence as well as the stringency (restrictiveness) and comprehensiveness (number of provisions) of each ordinance in each of the 50 cities in 2009. Following the alcohol policy literature, we created scores for each city on each type of ordinance and its associated components. We used these data to evaluate the extent to which recommendations for best practices to reduce underage alcohol use are being followed. Results (1) Compiling datasets of local-level alcohol policy laws and their comprehensiveness and stringency is achievable, even absent comprehensive, on-line, or other legal research tools. (2) We find that, with some exceptions, most of the 50 cities do not have high scores for presence, comprehensiveness, or stringency across the eight key policies. Critical policies such as responsible beverage service and deemed approved ordinances are uncommon, and, when present, they are generally neither comprehensive nor stringent. Even within policies that have higher adoption rates, central elements are missing across many or most cities’ ordinances. Conclusion This study demonstrates the viability of original legal data collection in the U.S. pertaining to local ordinances and of creating quantitative scores for each policy type to reflect comprehensiveness and stringency. Analysis of the resulting dataset reveals that, although the 50 cities have taken important steps to improve public health with regard to underage alcohol use and abuse, there is a great deal more that needs to be done to bring these cities into compliance with best practice recommendations. PMID:22734468

Dietary patterns of children and socioeconomical, behavioral and maternal determinants

PubMed Central

Villa, Julia Khéde Dourado; Santos, Thanise Sabrina Souza; Ribeiro, Andréia Queiroz; Silva, Angélica Ribeiro e; da Rocha Sant'Ana, Luciana Ferreira; Pessoa, Milene Cristine

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: To identify dietary patterns of children and to verify their association with socio-economical, behavioral and maternal determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 328 children aged 8 and 9 years. Dietary intake was assessed by food records in three nonconsecutive days and measured in grams of food groups and nutrients. Factor analysis and subsequent orthogonal rotation (varimax) were used to determine dietary patterns. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess associations between dietary patterns and the studied determinants. Results: Five dietary patterns were observed: “Traditional,” “Sweetened beverages and snacks,” “Monotonous,” “Healthy” and “Egg-dairy.” A higher maternal level of education was directly associated with “Sweetened beverages and snacks” and “Egg-dairy' standards. Low income children who were submitted to greater food restriction by parents/guardians followed the more “Traditional” standard, represented by the consumption of rice, beans, vegetables, cooked roots and tubers and red meat. The “Monotonous” pattern, represented by a high consumption of milk and chocolate powder, was most followed by children from the middle class. Children living in rural areas consumed more foods from the “Egg-dairy” pattern, when compared to those from the urban area. Conclusions: Dietary patterns of children were associated with family socioeconomic status, maternal level of education, practice of food restriction by parents/guardians and location of residence in urban or rural area. Better socioeconomic conditions contributed to a more nutritionally inadequate dietary pattern. PMID:26163945

Comparison of Satellite Surveying to Traditional Surveying Methods for the Resources Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, B. P.; Osborne, V. J.; Kruger, M. L.

Modern ground-based survey methods involve detailed survey, which provides three-space co-ordinates for surveyed points, to a high level of accuracy. The instruments are operated by surveyors, who process the raw results to create survey location maps for the subject of the survey. Such surveys are conducted for a location or region and referenced to the earth global co- ordinate system with global positioning system (GPS) positioning. Due to this referencing the survey is only as accurate as the GPS reference system. Satellite survey remote sensing utilise satellite imagery which have been processed using commercial geographic information system software. Three-space co-ordinate maps are generated, with an accuracy determined by the datum position accuracy and optical resolution of the satellite platform.This paper presents a case study, which compares topographic surveying undertaken by traditional survey methods with satellite surveying, for the same location. The purpose of this study is to assess the viability of satellite remote sensing for surveying in the resources industry. The case study involves a topographic survey of a dune field for a prospective mining project area in Pakistan. This site has been surveyed using modern surveying techniques and the results are compared to a satellite survey performed on the same area.Analysis of the results from traditional survey and from the satellite survey involved a comparison of the derived spatial co- ordinates from each method. In addition, comparisons have been made of costs and turnaround time for both methods.The results of this application of remote sensing is of particular interest for survey in areas with remote and extreme environments, weather extremes, political unrest, poor travel links, which are commonly associated with mining projects. Such areas frequently suffer language barriers, poor onsite technical support and resources.

Reliability and validity of expert assessment based on airborne and urinary measures of nickel and chromium exposure in the electroplating industry.

PubMed

Chen, Yu-Cheng; Coble, Joseph B; Deziel, Nicole C; Ji, Bu-Tian; Xue, Shouzheng; Lu, Wei; Stewart, Patricia A; Friesen, Melissa C

2014-11-01

The reliability and validity of six experts' exposure ratings were evaluated for 64 nickel-exposed and 72 chromium-exposed workers from six Shanghai electroplating plants based on airborne and urinary nickel and chromium measurements. Three industrial hygienists and three occupational physicians independently ranked the exposure intensity of each metal on an ordinal scale (1-4) for each worker's job in two rounds: the first round was based on responses to an occupational history questionnaire and the second round also included responses to an electroplating industry-specific questionnaire. The Spearman correlation (r(s)) was used to compare each rating's validity to its corresponding subject-specific arithmetic mean of four airborne or four urinary measurements. Reliability was moderately high (weighted kappa range=0.60-0.64). Validity was poor to moderate (r(s)=-0.37-0.46) for both airborne and urinary concentrations of both metals. For airborne nickel concentrations, validity differed by plant. For dichotomized metrics, sensitivity and specificity were higher based on urinary measurements (47-78%) than airborne measurements (16-50%). Few patterns were observed by metal, assessment round, or expert type. These results suggest that, for electroplating exposures, experts can achieve moderately high agreement and (reasonably) distinguish between low and high exposures when reviewing responses to in-depth questionnaires used in population-based case-control studies.

Reliability and validity of expert assessment based on airborne and urinary measures of nickel and chromium exposure in the electroplating industry

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Cheng; Coble, Joseph B; Deziel, Nicole C.; Ji, Bu-Tian; Xue, Shouzheng; Lu, Wei; Stewart, Patricia A; Friesen, Melissa C

2014-01-01

The reliability and validity of six experts’ exposure ratings were evaluated for 64 nickel-exposed and 72 chromium-exposed workers from six Shanghai electroplating plants based on airborne and urinary nickel and chromium measurements. Three industrial hygienists and three occupational physicians independently ranked the exposure intensity of each metal on an ordinal scale (1–4) for each worker's job in two rounds: the first round was based on responses to an occupational history questionnaire and the second round also included responses to an electroplating industry-specific questionnaire. Spearman correlation (rs) was used to compare each rating's validity to its corresponding subject-specific arithmetic mean of four airborne or four urinary measurements. Reliability was moderately-high (weighted kappa range=0.60–0.64). Validity was poor to moderate (rs= -0.37–0.46) for both airborne and urinary concentrations of both metals. For airborne nickel concentrations, validity differed by plant. For dichotomized metrics, sensitivity and specificity were higher based on urinary measurements (47–78%) than airborne measurements (16–50%). Few patterns were observed by metal, assessment round, or expert type. These results suggest that, for electroplating exposures, experts can achieve moderately-high agreement and (reasonably) distinguish between low and high exposures when reviewing responses to in-depth questionnaires used in population-based case-control studies. PMID:24736099

Ordinal regression models to describe tourist satisfaction with Sintra's world heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouriño, Helena

2013-10-01

In Tourism Research, ordinal regression models are becoming a very powerful tool in modelling the relationship between an ordinal response variable and a set of explanatory variables. In August and September 2010, we conducted a pioneering Tourist Survey in Sintra, Portugal. The data were obtained by face-to-face interviews at the entrances of the Palaces and Parks of Sintra. The work developed in this paper focus on two main points: tourists' perception of the entrance fees; overall level of satisfaction with this heritage site. For attaining these goals, ordinal regression models were developed. We concluded that tourist's nationality was the only significant variable to describe the perception of the admission fees. Also, Sintra's image among tourists depends not only on their nationality, but also on previous knowledge about Sintra's World Heritage status.

Infants' development of object permanence: a refined methodology and new evidence of Piaget's hypothesized ordinality.

PubMed

Kramer, J A; Hill, K T; Cohen, L B

1975-03-01

To investigate Piaget's theory of object concept development, a series of 6 tasks was administered in a combined longitudinal/cross-sectional design incorporating a number of methodological controls. The tasks spanned the entire sensorimotor period and included single versus sequential displacements combined with visible or invisible hidings. 36 infants from 5 to 32 months of age at initial testing were drawn equally from day-care and home settings. All infants received the 6 tasks during each of 3 testing sessions over a 6-month period. Clear evidence was obtained for task ordinality as proposed by Piaget, with ordinality coefficients ranging from .71 to .82 for the 3 testing sessions. Performance changes across the 3 sessions were also ordinal in 80% of the cases. Expected age, task, and session effects and accompanying interactions were also obtained.

Structure and similarity of helminth communities of six species of Australian turtles.

PubMed

Zelmer, Derek A; Platt, Thomas R

2008-08-01

Patterns of infracommunity structure and infra- and component community similarity were examined for helminths of 6 species of turtles, each collected from a single locality in Australia in 1993 and 1994. Elseya latisternum (N = 11) and Emydura kreffti (N = 16) were collected from northern Queensland, Emydura macquarii macquarii (N = 11) from southern Queensland, Emydura macquarii dhara (N = 11) and Chelodina longicollis (N = 11) from northern New South Wales, and Chelodina oblonga (N = 5) from Western Australia. Local parasite species richness was not correlated with host geographical range. Differences in parasite diversity among host species were related primarily to differences in evenness, a pattern attributed to local habitat characteristics, rather than species-specific differences in colonization potential. Ordination and analysis of similarity demonstrated the patterns of infracommunity structure of Chelodina spp. to be distinct from those of the other host species sampled, which showed considerable overlap among patterns of infracommunity structure. Despite overlap with the component communities of Em. kreffti and El. latisternum, the component communities of Em. m. dhara and Em. m. macquarii were more distinct from one another than either was to the component communities of Em. kreffti or El. latisternum.

Factor Analysis of Temperament Category Scores in a Sample of Nursery School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonds, John F.; Simonds, M. Patricia

1982-01-01

Mothers of children attending nursery schools completed the Behavior Style Questionnaire (BSQ) from which scores for nine temperament categories were derived. Found membership in groups based on factor scores independent of sex, socioeconomic class, age but not ordinal birth position. (Author)

Implicit Social Scaling from an Institutional Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Epifanio, Giulio

2009-01-01

The methodological question concerns constructing a cardinal social index, in order to assess performances of social agents, taking into account implicit political judgments. Based on the formal structure of a Choquet's expected utility, index construction demands quantification of levels of a meaningful ordinal indicator of overall performance.…

Threshold models for genome-enabled prediction of ordinal categorical traits in plant breeding.

PubMed

Montesinos-López, Osval A; Montesinos-López, Abelardo; Pérez-Rodríguez, Paulino; de Los Campos, Gustavo; Eskridge, Kent; Crossa, José

2014-12-23

Categorical scores for disease susceptibility or resistance often are recorded in plant breeding. The aim of this study was to introduce genomic models for analyzing ordinal characters and to assess the predictive ability of genomic predictions for ordered categorical phenotypes using a threshold model counterpart of the Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (i.e., TGBLUP). The threshold model was used to relate a hypothetical underlying scale to the outward categorical response. We present an empirical application where a total of nine models, five without interaction and four with genomic × environment interaction (G×E) and genomic additive × additive × environment interaction (G×G×E), were used. We assessed the proposed models using data consisting of 278 maize lines genotyped with 46,347 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and evaluated for disease resistance [with ordinal scores from 1 (no disease) to 5 (complete infection)] in three environments (Colombia, Zimbabwe, and Mexico). Models with G×E captured a sizeable proportion of the total variability, which indicates the importance of introducing interaction to improve prediction accuracy. Relative to models based on main effects only, the models that included G×E achieved 9-14% gains in prediction accuracy; adding additive × additive interactions did not increase prediction accuracy consistently across locations. Copyright © 2015 Montesinos-López et al.

Multiple performance measures are needed to evaluate triage systems in the emergency department.

PubMed

Zachariasse, Joany M; Nieboer, Daan; Oostenbrink, Rianne; Moll, Henriëtte A; Steyerberg, Ewout W

2018-02-01

Emergency department triage systems can be considered prediction rules with an ordinal outcome, where different directions of misclassification have different clinical consequences. We evaluated strategies to compare the performance of triage systems and aimed to propose a set of performance measures that should be used in future studies. We identified performance measures based on literature review and expert knowledge. Their properties are illustrated in a case study evaluating two triage modifications in a cohort of 14,485 pediatric emergency department visits. Strengths and weaknesses of the performance measures were systematically appraised. Commonly reported performance measures are measures of statistical association (34/60 studies) and diagnostic accuracy (17/60 studies). The case study illustrates that none of the performance measures fulfills all criteria for triage evaluation. Decision curves are the performance measures with the most attractive features but require dichotomization. In addition, paired diagnostic accuracy measures can be recommended for dichotomized analysis, and the triage-weighted kappa and Nagelkerke's R 2 for ordinal analyses. Other performance measures provide limited additional information. When comparing modifications of triage systems, decision curves and diagnostic accuracy measures should be used in a dichotomized analysis, and the triage-weighted kappa and Nagelkerke's R 2 in an ordinal approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No association of smoke-free ordinances with profits from bingo and charitable games in Massachusetts.

PubMed

Glantz, S A; Wilson-Loots, R

2003-12-01

Because it is widely played, claims that smoking restrictions will adversely affect bingo games is used as an argument against these policies. We used publicly available data from Massachusetts to assess the impact of 100% smoke-free ordinances on profits from bingo and other gambling sponsored by charitable organisations between 1985 and 2001. We conducted two analyses: (1) a general linear model implementation of a time series analysis with net profits (adjusted to 2001 dollars) as the dependent variable, and community (as a fixed effect), year, lagged net profits, and the length of time the ordinance had been in force as the independent variables; (2) multiple linear regression of total state profits against time, lagged profits, and the percentage of the entire state population in communities that allow charitable gaming but prohibit smoking. The general linear model analysis of data from individual communities showed that, while adjusted profits fell over time, this effect was not related to the presence of an ordinance. The analysis in terms of the fraction of the population living in communities with ordinances yielded the same result. Policymakers can implement smoke-free policies without concern that these policies will affect charitable gaming.

Important features of home-based support services for older Australians and their informal carers.

PubMed

McCaffrey, Nikki; Gill, Liz; Kaambwa, Billingsley; Cameron, Ian D; Patterson, Jan; Crotty, Maria; Ratcliffe, Julie

2015-11-01

In Australia, newly initiated, publicly subsidised 'Home-Care Packages' designed to assist older people (≥ 65 years of age) living in their own home must now be offered on a 'consumer-directed care' (CDC) basis by service providers. However, CDC models have largely developed in the absence of evidence on users' views and preferences. The aim of this study was to determine what features (attributes) of consumer-directed, home-based support services are important to older people and their informal carers to inform the design of a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted in December 2012-November 2013 with 17 older people receiving home-based support services and 10 informal carers from 5 providers located in South Australia and New South Wales. Salient service characteristics important to participants were determined using thematic and constant comparative analysis and formulated into attributes and attribute levels for presentation within a DCE. Initially, eight broad themes were identified: information and knowledge, choice and control, self-managed continuum, effective co-ordination, effective communication, responsiveness and flexibility, continuity and planning. Attributes were formulated for the DCE by combining overlapping themes such as effective communication and co-ordination, and the self-managed continuum and planning into single attributes. Six salient service features that characterise consumer preferences for the provision of home-based support service models were identified: choice of provider, choice of support worker, flexibility in care activities provided, contact with the service co-ordinator, managing the budget and saving unspent funds. Best practice indicates that qualitative research with individuals who represent the population of interest should guide attribute selection for a DCE and this is the first study to employ such methods in aged care service provision. Further development of services could incorporate methods of consumer engagement such as DCEs which facilitate the identification and quantification of users' views and preferences on alternative models of delivery. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The effect of small variations in profile of airfoils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, Kenneth E

1931-01-01

This report deals with the effect of small variations in ordinates specified by different laboratories for the airfoil section. This study was made in connection with a more general investigation of the effect of small irregularities of the airfoil surface on the aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil. These tests show that small changes in airfoil contours, resulting from variations in the specified ordinates, have a sufficiently large effect upon the airfoil characteristics to justify the taking of great care in the specification of ordinates for the construction of models.

Effective communication and teamwork promotes patient safety.

PubMed

Gluyas, Heather

2015-08-05

Teamwork requires co-operation, co-ordination and communication between members of a team to achieve desired outcomes. In industries with a high degree of risk, such as health care, effective teamwork has been shown to achieve team goals successfully and efficiently, with fewer errors. This article introduces behaviours that support communication, co-operation and co-ordination in teams. The central role of communication in enabling co-operation and co-ordination is explored. A human factors perspective is used to examine tools to improve communication and identify barriers to effective team communication in health care.

Adaptive pattern for autonomous UAV guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Chen-Ko; Segor, Florian

2013-09-01

The research done at the Fraunhofer IOSB in Karlsruhe within the AMFIS project is focusing on a mobile system to support rescue forces in accidents or disasters. The system consists of a ground control station which has the capability to communicate with a large number of heterogeneous sensors and sensor carriers and provides several open interfaces to allow easy integration of additional sensors into the system. Within this research we focus mainly on UAV such as VTOL (Vertical takeoff and Landing) systems because of their ease of use and their high maneuverability. To increase the positioning capability of the UAV, different onboard processing chains of image exploitation for real time detection of patterns on the ground and the interfacing technology for controlling the UAV from the payload during flight were examined. The earlier proposed static ground pattern was extended by an adaptive component which admits an additional visual communication channel to the aircraft. For this purpose different components were conceived to transfer additive information using changeable patterns on the ground. The adaptive ground pattern and their application suitability had to be tested under external influence. Beside the adaptive ground pattern, the onboard process chains and the adaptations to the demands of changing patterns are introduced in this paper. The tracking of the guiding points, the UAV navigation and the conversion of the guiding point positions from the images to real world co-ordinates in video sequences, as well as use limits and the possibilities of an adaptable pattern are examined.

From one to one million: How does community structure track disturbance across time and space?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, A. E.

2012-12-01

The rate and severity of disturbances to the biosphere have been increasing over the last millennium due in part to anthropogenic effects, and the results of these disturbances are of increasing interest to the scientific and public communities. This project examines the impact of acidification and global warming on communities across a spectrum of temporal and spatial scales in both modern and fossil systems. Twenty datasets were selected from published zoo- and phyto-plankton literature to represent a temporal and spatial gradient, from small lakes to the open ocean, and from one year to one million years. Each dataset is associated with a proxy for an environmental disturbance (isotopes, pH, sedimentology, etc.) and consists of 15-300 samples across the interval of disturbance. To test the biotic changes induced by disturbance, community structure is measured by quantifying species-abundance distributions using rank-abundance curves and ordinations. A community consists of the individuals present in a given location at a given time, and the relative abundance of different species serves as a proxy for resource-partitioning. Disturbances cause a change in resource-partitioning, either by changing resource availability or by removing/adding species which compete for those resources. Therefore, shifts in resource-partitioning resulting from disturbance can be tracked by changes in community composition. Prior to an environmental disturbance, communities typically consist of many species that evenly partition resources and thereby abundance. After a disturbance, communities are dominated by a few species that can tolerate or thrive in the new conditions. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and Bray-Curtis polar ordinations reveal a progression from pre-disturbance communities, through the disturbance, and into the eventual recovery, which may or may not resemble the pre-disturbance communities. Larger disturbances (in terms of spatial extent or temporal duration) result in more extensive faunal turnover, thereby reducing the utility of ordinations that require at least some faunal similarity. Rank-abundance curves can be applied even in intervals of complete taxonomic turnover; curve shape is quantified by kurtosis, a statistical measure of whether a distribution is more (>3) or less (<3) peaked than a Gaussian distribution (kurtosis = 3). Rank-abundance curve kurtosis values are always greater than 3 for disturbed communities (n=20), and pre-disturbance and recovered communities generally range from 0 to 4. The average kurtosis for a pre-disturbance or recovered community is unique for each type of community (taxonomically or environmentally defined), requiring the establishment of a baseline for rank-abundance curve analysis. In each dataset, both rank-abundance curves and ordinations show a similar pattern of change in community structure during a disturbance. The rate and pattern of recovery varies relative to the spatial and temporal extent of the disturbance. The results of this study reveal that community structure is a useful measure of the impact of a disturbance, both in terms of the severity of the disturbance and in measuring the subsequent recovery. The methods and results of this research are applicable to multiple fields, from conservation biology to ecosystem health to paleoceanography and paleobiology.

Logistic random effects regression models: a comparison of statistical packages for binary and ordinal outcomes.

PubMed

Li, Baoyue; Lingsma, Hester F; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Lesaffre, Emmanuel

2011-05-23

Logistic random effects models are a popular tool to analyze multilevel also called hierarchical data with a binary or ordinal outcome. Here, we aim to compare different statistical software implementations of these models. We used individual patient data from 8509 patients in 231 centers with moderate and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) enrolled in eight Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and three observational studies. We fitted logistic random effects regression models with the 5-point Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) as outcome, both dichotomized as well as ordinal, with center and/or trial as random effects, and as covariates age, motor score, pupil reactivity or trial. We then compared the implementations of frequentist and Bayesian methods to estimate the fixed and random effects. Frequentist approaches included R (lme4), Stata (GLLAMM), SAS (GLIMMIX and NLMIXED), MLwiN ([R]IGLS) and MIXOR, Bayesian approaches included WinBUGS, MLwiN (MCMC), R package MCMCglmm and SAS experimental procedure MCMC.Three data sets (the full data set and two sub-datasets) were analysed using basically two logistic random effects models with either one random effect for the center or two random effects for center and trial. For the ordinal outcome in the full data set also a proportional odds model with a random center effect was fitted. The packages gave similar parameter estimates for both the fixed and random effects and for the binary (and ordinal) models for the main study and when based on a relatively large number of level-1 (patient level) data compared to the number of level-2 (hospital level) data. However, when based on relatively sparse data set, i.e. when the numbers of level-1 and level-2 data units were about the same, the frequentist and Bayesian approaches showed somewhat different results. The software implementations differ considerably in flexibility, computation time, and usability. There are also differences in the availability of additional tools for model evaluation, such as diagnostic plots. The experimental SAS (version 9.2) procedure MCMC appeared to be inefficient. On relatively large data sets, the different software implementations of logistic random effects regression models produced similar results. Thus, for a large data set there seems to be no explicit preference (of course if there is no preference from a philosophical point of view) for either a frequentist or Bayesian approach (if based on vague priors). The choice for a particular implementation may largely depend on the desired flexibility, and the usability of the package. For small data sets the random effects variances are difficult to estimate. In the frequentist approaches the MLE of this variance was often estimated zero with a standard error that is either zero or could not be determined, while for Bayesian methods the estimates could depend on the chosen "non-informative" prior of the variance parameter. The starting value for the variance parameter may be also critical for the convergence of the Markov chain.

Frequency of Alcohol Use in Adolescence as a Marker for Subsequent Sexual Risk Behavior in Adulthood

PubMed Central

Muchimba, Maureen; Haberstick, Brett C.; Corley, Robin P.; McQueen, Matthew B.

2013-01-01

Purpose Although a number of studies have demonstrated an association between alcohol use frequency and sexual risk behavior, few have used longitudinal data. This study examined alohol use frequency in adolescence as a predictor of HIV sexual risk behavior in adulthood. Methods We collected data among 1368 participants in Colorado. During adolescence (Time 1), respondents were asked about the frequency of using alcohol during the previous 12 months. In adulthood (Time 2), the same respondents were asked about their sexual risk behavior during the previous 12 months. Sexual risk behavior items were used to construct an index, which was categorized to indicate low, medium and high risk study participants. The relationship between alcohol use patterns and risky sexual behavior was modeled using ordinal regression. Results Compared to individuals who drank no alcohol in the past 12 months at Time 1, the odds of being in a higher risk group of sexual behavior as opposed to a lower one at Time 2 were 1.56 (95% CI, 1.04-2.35) among those who drank 6-19 times. Similarly, the odds of being in a higher risk group relative to a lower one among those who drank ≥20 times or were 1.78 (95% CI, 1.05-3.02). Conclusion Alcohol use patterns in adolescence may be useful markers for programs that aim to prevent risky sexual behavior. Based on alcohol intake patterns, it may be possible to identify frequent alcohol users that need to be targeted with appropriate alcohol use and HIV risk reduction messages. PMID:23587785

Guidelines and incentives for conservation development in local land-use regulations.

PubMed

Reed, Sarah E; Hilty, Jodi A; Theobald, David M

2014-02-01

Effective conservation of biological diversity on private lands will require changes in land-use policy and development practice. Conservation development (CD) is an alternative form of residential development in which homes are built on smaller lots and clustered together and the remainder of the property is permanently protected for conservation purposes. We assessed the degree to which CD is permitted and encouraged by local land-use regulations in 414 counties in the western United States. Thirty-two percent of local planning jurisdictions have adopted CD ordinances, mostly within the past 10 years. CD ordinances were adopted in counties with human population densities that were 3.0 times greater and in counties with 2.5 times more land use at urban, suburban, and exurban densities than counties without CD ordinances. Despite strong economic incentives for CD (e.g., density bonuses, which allow for a mean of 66% more homes to be built per subdivision area), several issues may limit the effectiveness of CD for biological diversity conservation. Although most CD ordinances required a greater proportion of the site area be protected than in a typical residential development, just 13% (n = 17) of the ordinances required an ecological site analysis to identify and map features that should be protected. Few CD ordinances provided guidelines regarding the design and configuration of the protected lands, including specifying a minimum size for protected land parcels or encouraging contiguity with other protected lands within or near to the site. Eight percent (n =11) of CD ordinances encouraged consultation with a biological expert or compliance with a conservation plan. We recommend that conservation scientists help to improve the effectiveness of CD by educating planning staff and government officials regarding biological diversity conservation, volunteering for their local planning boards, or consulting on development reviews. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

DIE BEWERTUNG VON OZONREAKTOREN

EPA Science Inventory

Evaluation of Ozone Reactors
The use of lake water as drinking water resource involves a multistage treatment procedure. Food-related laws and regulations, in particular the food ordinance and the hygiene ordinance, require the identification and assessment of health risks, ...

47 CFR 73.186 - Establishment of effective field at one kilometer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... coordinate paper, plot field strengths as ordinate and distance as abscissa. (ii) Using semi-log coordinate paper, plot field strength times distance as ordinate on the log scale and distance as abscissa on the...

A Two-Step Approach to Analyze Satisfaction Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrari, Pier Alda; Pagani, Laura; Fiorio, Carlo V.

2011-01-01

In this paper a two-step procedure based on Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis (NLPCA) and Multilevel models (MLM) for the analysis of satisfaction data is proposed. The basic hypothesis is that observed ordinal variables describe different aspects of a latent continuous variable, which depends on covariates connected with individual and…

Curfew: An Answer to Juvenile Delinquency and Victimization? Juvenile Justice Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeBoeuf, Donni

Many jurisdictions have implemented curfews in reaction to increased juvenile delinquency and other social trends. This bulletin explores developments in curfew ordinances, legal issues related to curfews, how community based jurisdictions have responded to these issues, and the elements of sound curfew programs as illustrated in seven…

Drosophila segmentation: supercomputer simulation of prepattern hierarchy.

PubMed

Hunding, A; Kauffman, S A; Goodwin, B C

1990-08-09

Spontaneous prepattern formation in a two level hierarchy of reaction-diffusion systems is simulated in three space co-ordinates and time, mimicking gap gene and primary pair-rule gene expression. The model rests on the idea of Turing systems of the second kind, in which one prepattern generates position dependent rate constants for a subsequent reaction-diffusion system. Maternal genes are assumed responsible for setting up gradients from the anterior and posterior ends, one of which is needed to stabilize a double period prepattern suggested to underly the read out of the gap genes. The resulting double period pattern in turn stabilizes the next prepattern in the hierarchy, which has a short wavelength with many characteristics of the stripes seen in actual primary pair-rule gene expression. Without such hierarchical stabilization, reaction-diffusion mechanisms yield highly patchy short wave length patterns, and thus unreliable stripes. The model yields seven stable stripes located in the middle of the embryo, with the potential for additional expression near the poles, as observed experimentally. The model does not rely on specific chemical reaction kinetics, rather the effect is general to many such kinetic schemes. This makes it robust to parameter changes, and it has good potential for adapting to size and shape changes as well. The study thus suggests that the crucial organizing principle in early Drosophila embryogenesis is based on global field mechanisms, not on particular local interactions.

The influence of rearing order on personality development within two adoption cohorts.

PubMed

Beer, J M; Horn, J M

2000-08-01

There is an extensive literature on the relationship between birth order and psychological traits, but no previous study has investigated the influence of ordinal position on personality development within adoptive siblings. Such a design is important because it effectively separates the effects of biological birth order and rearing order. Here we report data from two adoption cohorts in which subjects were biological first-borns reared in various ordinal positions. Data were analyzed with reference to Sulloway's (1996) evolutionarily based sibling rivalry theory of birth order effects. Between- and within-family analyses indicated that rearing order's influence on personality was very weak. The only clear difference was for conscientiousness, on which first-reared siblings scored higher. We draw possible implications for Sulloway's theory and speculate upon an alternative, prenatal biological process that may produce birth order differences.

Test Statistics and Confidence Intervals to Establish Noninferiority between Treatments with Ordinal Categorical Data.

PubMed

Zhang, Fanghong; Miyaoka, Etsuo; Huang, Fuping; Tanaka, Yutaka

2015-01-01

The problem for establishing noninferiority is discussed between a new treatment and a standard (control) treatment with ordinal categorical data. A measure of treatment effect is used and a method of specifying noninferiority margin for the measure is provided. Two Z-type test statistics are proposed where the estimation of variance is constructed under the shifted null hypothesis using U-statistics. Furthermore, the confidence interval and the sample size formula are given based on the proposed test statistics. The proposed procedure is applied to a dataset from a clinical trial. A simulation study is conducted to compare the performance of the proposed test statistics with that of the existing ones, and the results show that the proposed test statistics are better in terms of the deviation from nominal level and the power.

Characteristics of Inpatient Units Associated With Sustained Hand Hygiene Compliance.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jonathan D; Domenico, Henry J; Hickson, Gerald B; Wang, Deede; Dubree, Marilyn; Feistritzer, Nancye; Wells, Nancy; Talbot, Thomas R

2018-04-20

Following institution of a hand hygiene (HH) program at an academic medical center, HH compliance increased from 58% to 92% for 3 years. Some inpatient units modeled early, sustained increases, and others exhibited protracted improvement rates. We examined the association between patterns of HH compliance improvement and unit characteristics. Adult inpatient units (N = 35) were categorized into the following three tiers based on their pattern of HH compliance: early adopters, nonsustained and late adopters, and laggards. Unit-based culture measures were collected, including nursing practice environment scores (National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators [NDNQI]), patient rated quality and teamwork (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems), patient complaint rates, case mix index, staff turnover rates, and patient volume. Associations between variables and the binary outcome of laggard (n = 18) versus nonlaggard (n = 17) were tested using a Mann-Whitney U test. Multivariate analysis was performed using an ordinal regression model. In direct comparison, laggard units had clinically relevant differences in NDNQI scores, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems scores, case mix index, patient complaints, patient volume, and staff turnover. The results were not statistically significant. In the multivariate model, the predictor variables explained a significant proportion of the variability associated with laggard status, (R = 0.35, P = 0.0481) and identified NDNQI scores and patient complaints as statistically significant. Uptake of an HH program was associated with factors related to a unit's safety culture. In particular, NDNQI scores and patient complaint rates might be used to assist in identifying units that may require additional attention during implementation of an HH quality improvement program.

Bayesian inference for joint modelling of longitudinal continuous, binary and ordinal events.

PubMed

Li, Qiuju; Pan, Jianxin; Belcher, John

2016-12-01

In medical studies, repeated measurements of continuous, binary and ordinal outcomes are routinely collected from the same patient. Instead of modelling each outcome separately, in this study we propose to jointly model the trivariate longitudinal responses, so as to take account of the inherent association between the different outcomes and thus improve statistical inferences. This work is motivated by a large cohort study in the North West of England, involving trivariate responses from each patient: Body Mass Index, Depression (Yes/No) ascertained with cut-off score not less than 8 at the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Pain Interference generated from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey with values returned on an ordinal scale 1-5. There are some well-established methods for combined continuous and binary, or even continuous and ordinal responses, but little work was done on the joint analysis of continuous, binary and ordinal responses. We propose conditional joint random-effects models, which take into account the inherent association between the continuous, binary and ordinal outcomes. Bayesian analysis methods are used to make statistical inferences. Simulation studies show that, by jointly modelling the trivariate outcomes, standard deviations of the estimates of parameters in the models are smaller and much more stable, leading to more efficient parameter estimates and reliable statistical inferences. In the real data analysis, the proposed joint analysis yields a much smaller deviance information criterion value than the separate analysis, and shows other good statistical properties too. © The Author(s) 2014.

Predicting multi-level drug response with gene expression profile in multiple myeloma using hierarchical ordinal regression.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinyan; Li, Bingzong; Han, Huiying; Song, Sha; Xu, Hongxia; Hong, Yating; Yi, Nengjun; Zhuang, Wenzhuo

2018-05-10

Multiple myeloma (MM), like other cancers, is caused by the accumulation of genetic abnormalities. Heterogeneity exists in the patients' response to treatments, for example, bortezomib. This urges efforts to identify biomarkers from numerous molecular features and build predictive models for identifying patients that can benefit from a certain treatment scheme. However, previous studies treated the multi-level ordinal drug response as a binary response where only responsive and non-responsive groups are considered. It is desirable to directly analyze the multi-level drug response, rather than combining the response to two groups. In this study, we present a novel method to identify significantly associated biomarkers and then develop ordinal genomic classifier using the hierarchical ordinal logistic model. The proposed hierarchical ordinal logistic model employs the heavy-tailed Cauchy prior on the coefficients and is fitted by an efficient quasi-Newton algorithm. We apply our hierarchical ordinal regression approach to analyze two publicly available datasets for MM with five-level drug response and numerous gene expression measures. Our results show that our method is able to identify genes associated with the multi-level drug response and to generate powerful predictive models for predicting the multi-level response. The proposed method allows us to jointly fit numerous correlated predictors and thus build efficient models for predicting the multi-level drug response. The predictive model for the multi-level drug response can be more informative than the previous approaches. Thus, the proposed approach provides a powerful tool for predicting multi-level drug response and has important impact on cancer studies.

Final Environmental Assessment Addressing 21st Explosive Ordinance Disposal Weapons of Mass Destruction Facilities Demolition and Expansion at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, NEW MEXICO JULY 2011 Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704...Facilities Demolition and Expansion at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...EXPANSION KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, NEW MEXICO Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing procedural

77 FR 4720 - Appeal Proceedings Before the Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-31

... ordinance disapprovals, management contract approvals and disapprovals, appeals before a presiding official... governs appeals of ordinance actions; part 539 addresses appeals of management contract actions; and part... management contract. The Commission believes that consolidating all appellate procedures in a new subchapter...

78 FR 49283 - Chicken Ranch Rancheria-Chicken Ranch Liquor Licensing Ordinance, Ordinance No. 12-10-03

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-13

... obtained by the fermentation of any infusion of decoction of barley, malt, hops, or any other similar... from the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of the grapes or other agricultural products...

78 FR 15970 - Cedarville Rancheria-Liquor Licensing Ordinance of the Cedarville Rancheria, Ordinance No. 2012-05

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-13

.... Beer means any alcoholic beverage obtained by the fermentation of any infusion or decoction of barley... Cedarville Rancheria. 03.150--Wine. Wine means the product obtained from the normal alcoholic fermentation of...

Three-Dimensional Orthogonal Co-ordinates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Astin, J.

1974-01-01

A systematic approach to general orthogonal co-ordinates, suitable for use near the end of a beginning vector analysis course, is presented. It introduces students to tensor quantities and shows how equations and quantities needed in classical problems can be determined. (Author/LS)

Quantitative characterisation of audio data by ordinal symbolic dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschenbrenner, T.; Monetti, R.; Amigó, J. M.; Bunk, W.

2013-06-01

Ordinal symbolic dynamics has developed into a valuable method to describe complex systems. Recently, using the concept of transcripts, the coupling behaviour of systems was assessed, combining the properties of the symmetric group with information theoretic ideas. In this contribution, methods from the field of ordinal symbolic dynamics are applied to the characterisation of audio data. Coupling complexity between frequency bands of solo violin music, as a fingerprint of the instrument, is used for classification purposes within a support vector machine scheme. Our results suggest that coupling complexity is able to capture essential characteristics, sufficient to distinguish among different violins.

A novel, kinetically stable, catalytically active, all-ferric, nitrite-bound complex of Paracoccus pantotrophus cytochrome cd1.

PubMed Central

Allen, James W A; Higham, Christopher W; Zajicek, Richard S; Watmough, Nicholas J; Ferguson, Stuart J

2002-01-01

The oxidized form of Paracoccus pantotrophus cytochrome cd(1) nitrite reductase, as isolated, has bis-histidinyl co-ordination of the c haem and His/Tyr co-ordination of the d(1) haem. On reduction, the haem co-ordinations change to His/Met and His/vacant respectively. If the latter form of the enzyme is reoxidized, a conformer is generated in which the ferric c haem is His/Met co-ordinated; this can revert to the 'as isolated' state of the enzyme over approx. 20 min at room temperature. However, addition of nitrite to the enzyme after a cycle of reduction and reoxidation produces a kinetically stable, all-ferric complex with nitrite bound to the d(1) haem and His/Met co-ordination of the c haem. This complex is catalytically active with the physiological electron donor protein pseudoazurin. The effective dissociation constant for nitrite is 2 mM. Evidence is presented that d(1) haem is optimized to bind nitrite, as opposed to other anions that are commonly good ligands to ferric haem. The all-ferric nitrite bound state of the enzyme could not be generated stoichiometrically by mixing nitrite with the 'as isolated' conformer of cytochrome cd(1) without redox cycling. PMID:12086580

No association of smoke-free ordinances with profits from bingo and charitable games in Massachusetts

PubMed Central

Glantz, S; Wilson-Loots, R

2003-01-01

Background: Because it is widely played, claims that smoking restrictions will adversely affect bingo games is used as an argument against these policies. We used publicly available data from Massachusetts to assess the impact of 100% smoke-free ordinances on profits from bingo and other gambling sponsored by charitable organisations between 1985 and 2001. Methods: We conducted two analyses: (1) a general linear model implementation of a time series analysis with net profits (adjusted to 2001 dollars) as the dependent variable, and community (as a fixed effect), year, lagged net profits, and the length of time the ordinance had been in force as the independent variables; (2) multiple linear regression of total state profits against time, lagged profits, and the percentage of the entire state population in communities that allow charitable gaming but prohibit smoking. Results: The general linear model analysis of data from individual communities showed that, while adjusted profits fell over time, this effect was not related to the presence of an ordinance. The analysis in terms of the fraction of the population living in communities with ordinances yielded the same result. Conclusion: Policymakers can implement smoke-free policies without concern that these policies will affect charitable gaming. PMID:14660778

A Large Sample Procedure for Testing Coefficients of Ordinal Association: Goodman and Kruskal's Gamma and Somers' d ba and d ab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Kenneth J.; And Others

1977-01-01

A FORTRAN program, GAMMA, computes Goodman and Kruskal's coefficient of ordinal association, gamma, and Somer's coefficient. The program also provides associated standard errors, standard scores, and probability values. (Author/JKS)

Ordination of breeding birds in relation to environmental gradients in three southeastern United States floodplain forests

Treesearch

James S. Wakeley; Michael P. Guilfoyle; Terry J. Antrobus; Richard A. Fischer; Wylie C. Jr. Barrow; Paul B. Hamel

2007-01-01

We used an ordination approach to identify factors important to the organization of breeding bird communities in three floodplains: Cache River, Arkansas (AR), Iatt Creek, Louisiana '(LA), and the Coosawhatchie River, South Carolina (SC), USA.

49 CFR 397.3 - State and local laws, ordinances, and regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS; DRIVING AND PARKING RULES General § 397.3 State and local laws, ordinances, and regulations. Every motor vehicle containing hazardous materials must be driven...

Robotic Range Clearance Competition (R2C2)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

unexploded ordnance (UXO). A large part of the debris field consists of ferrous metal objects that magnetic 39 Distribution A: Approved for public...was set at 7 degrees above horizontal based on terrain around the Base station. We used the BSUBR file for all fields except the Subsurface...and subsurface clearance test areas had numerous pieces of simulated unexploded ordinance (SUXO) buried at random locations around the field . These

Phytoplankton assemblages in high-elevation lakes in the northern Cascade Mountains, Washington State, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, Gary L.; McIntire, C.D.; Truitt, R.E.; Liss, W.J.; Hoffman, Robert L.; Deimling, E.; Lomnicky, G.A.

1998-01-01

Phytoplankton assemblages in high-elevation lakes of North Cascades National Park Service Complex were studied during the open-water period in 1989. Collectively, 93 taxa were identified in 55 samples from 51 lakes. Based on cell densities, cyanobacteria had the highest relative abundance (36.7 %), followed by chlorophytes (29.8 %), and chrysophytes (19.6 %). Aphanocapsa delicatissima had the highest proportional abundance (14.0 %). Only 15.1 % percent of the taxa occurred in more than 20 samples. Phytoplankton cell densities increased following a gradient of increasing lake-water temperature, alkalinity, and concentration of total Kjeldahl-N with decreasing lake elevation. Chrysophytes and cyanobacteria were quantitatively (relative abundance) the most important taxa in alpine and subalpine lakes, whereas cyanobacteria had the highest relative abundances in high-forest and low-forest lakes. Chlorophytes had their highest relative abundance in high-forest lakes. Although low in relative abundance, diatoms and dinoflagellates were most abundant in alpine lakes. An ordination by correspondence analysis indicated that most alpine, subalpine, and high-forest lakes had similar floras. Although a few subalpine lakes exhibited deviations from this pattern, the main differences in phytoplankton composition were found in a group of low-forest and high-forest lakes. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) provided evidence that the distribution of samples and taxa in ordination space was correlated with a gradient of decreasing lake elevation and increasing water temperature, alkalinity, and concentration of nitrogen. When CCA was used to examine relationships among phytoplankton taxa and vegetation zones, a continuous distribution of taxa was found from the low-forest zone to the subalpine zone, with a large number of taxa occurring primarily in the subalpine and high-forest zones. Three phytoplankton taxa occurred primarily in alpine lakes, whereas five taxa co-occurred in alpine, subalpine, and high forest zones. Collectively, lake elevation and associated changes in water quality and concentrations of nutrients, especially nitrogen, appeared to be the primary physical and chemical factors influencing the taxonomic structures of phytoplankton assemblages.

Adopting a Patient-Centered Approach to Primary Outcome Analysis of Acute Stroke Trials by Use of a Utility-Weighted Modified Rankin Scale

PubMed Central

Chaisinanunkul, Napasri; Adeoye, Opeolu; Lewis, Roger J.; Grotta, James C.; Broderick, Joseph; Jovin, Tudor G.; Nogueira, Raul G.; Elm, Jordan; Graves, Todd; Berry, Scott; Lees, Kennedy R.; Barreto, Andrew D.; Saver, Jeffrey L.

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose Although the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is the most commonly employed primary endpoint in acute stroke trials, its power is limited when analyzed in dichotomized fashion and its indication of effect size challenging to interpret when analyzed ordinally. Weighting the seven Rankin levels by utilities may improve scale interpretability while preserving statistical power. Methods A utility weighted mRS (UW-mRS) was derived by averaging values from time-tradeoff (patient centered) and person-tradeoff (clinician centered) studies. The UW-mRS, standard ordinal mRS, and dichotomized mRS were applied to 11 trials or meta-analyses of acute stroke treatments, including lytic, endovascular reperfusion, blood pressure moderation, and hemicraniectomy interventions. Results Utility values were: mRS 0–1.0; mRS 1 - 0.91; mRS 2 - 0.76; mRS 3 - 0.65; mRS 4 - 0.33; mRS 5 & 6 - 0. For trials with unidirectional treatment effects, the UW-mRS paralleled the ordinal mRS and outperformed dichotomous mRS analyses. Both the UW-mRS and the ordinal mRS were statistically significant in six of eight unidirectional effect trials, while dichotomous analyses were statistically significant in two to four of eight. In bidirectional effect trials, both the UW-mRS and ordinal tests captured the divergent treatment effects by showing neutral results whereas some dichotomized analyses showed positive results. Mean utility differences in trials with statistically significant positive results ranged from 0.026 to 0.249. Conclusion A utility-weighted mRS performs similarly to the standard ordinal mRS in detecting treatment effects in actual stroke trials and ensures the quantitative outcome is a valid reflection of patient-centered benefits. PMID:26138130

Some Exact Conditional Tests of Independence for R X C Cross-Classification Tables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agresti, Alan; Wackerly, Dennis

1977-01-01

Exact conditional tests of independence in cross-classification tables are formulated based on chi square and other statistics with stronger operational interpretations, such as some nominal and ordinal measures of association. Guidelines for table dimensions and sample sizes for which the tests are economically implemented on a computer are…

Towards a Multidimensional Measure of Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitra, Shabana

2013-01-01

This paper proposes a new index of governance based on the Alkire-Foster methodology and compares it with the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance. The proposed new index improves on existing measures of governance in two ways. First, it is able to incorporate both cardinal and ordinal variables without having to assign cardinal meaning to…

Making Meaningful Measurement in Survey Research: The Use of Person and Item Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royal, Kenneth D.

2009-01-01

Quality measurement is essential in every form of research, including institutional research and assessment. Unfortunately, most survey research today (both published and unpublished) is lacking with regards to quality measurement. Reporting means and standard deviations based on ordinal measures is an inappropriate, yet widespread practice in the…

LED Street Lighting Solutions: Flagstaff, Arizona as a Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Jeffrey C.

2018-01-01

Dark-sky protection in Flagstaff, Arizona extends back to 1958, with the first ordinance in the City banning advertising floodlights. The current ordinance, adopted in 1989, is comprehensive and has played a critical role in maintaining the quality of the night sky for astronomy, tourism, public enjoyment, and other purposes. Flagstaff, like many communities around the world, is now working on a transition from legacy bulb-based technology to LED for its outdoor lighting. The City, Lowell Observatory, the U. S. Naval Observatory, and the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition have been working intensively for two years to identify an LED-based street lighting solution that will preserve the City's dark skies while meeting municipal needs. We will soon be installing test fixtures for an innovative solution incorporating narrow-band amber LED and modest amounts of low-CCT white LED. In this talk, I will review the types of LEDs available for outdoor lighting and discuss the plans for Flagstaff's street lighting in the LED era, which we hope will be a model for communities worldwide.

Basophile: Accurate Fragment Charge State Prediction Improves Peptide Identification Rates

DOE PAGES

Wang, Dong; Dasari, Surendra; Chambers, Matthew C.; ...

2013-03-07

In shotgun proteomics, database search algorithms rely on fragmentation models to predict fragment ions that should be observed for a given peptide sequence. The most widely used strategy (Naive model) is oversimplified, cleaving all peptide bonds with equal probability to produce fragments of all charges below that of the precursor ion. More accurate models, based on fragmentation simulation, are too computationally intensive for on-the-fly use in database search algorithms. We have created an ordinal-regression-based model called Basophile that takes fragment size and basic residue distribution into account when determining the charge retention during CID/higher-energy collision induced dissociation (HCD) of chargedmore » peptides. This model improves the accuracy of predictions by reducing the number of unnecessary fragments that are routinely predicted for highly-charged precursors. Basophile increased the identification rates by 26% (on average) over the Naive model, when analyzing triply-charged precursors from ion trap data. Basophile achieves simplicity and speed by solving the prediction problem with an ordinal regression equation, which can be incorporated into any database search software for shotgun proteomic identification.« less

Ecosystem engineering by a colonial mammal: how prairie dogs structure rodent communities.

PubMed

VanNimwegen, Ron E; Kretzer, Justin; Cully, Jack F

2008-12-01

As ecosystem engineers, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) physically alter their environment, but the mechanism by which these alterations affect associated faunal composition is not well known. We examined how rodent and vegetation communities responded to prairie dog colonies and landcover at the Cimarron National Grassland in southwest Kansas, USA. We trapped rodents and measured vegetation structure on and off colonies in 2000 and 2003. We plotted two separate ordinations of trapping grids: one based on rodent counts and a second based on vegetation variables. We regressed three factors on each ordination: (1) colony (on-colony and off-colony), (2) cover (shortgrass and sandsage), and (3) habitat (factorial cross of colony x cover). Rodent communities differed by colony but not cover. Vegetation differed across both gradients. Rodent responses to habitat reflected those of colony and cover, but vegetation was found to differ across cover only in the sandsage prairie. This interaction suggested that rodent composition responded to prairie dog colonies, but independently of vegetation differences. We conclude that burrowing and soil disturbance are more important than vegetation cropping in structuring rodent communities.

Bayesian Estimation of Combined Accuracy for Tests with Verification Bias

PubMed Central

Broemeling, Lyle D.

2011-01-01

This presentation will emphasize the estimation of the combined accuracy of two or more tests when verification bias is present. Verification bias occurs when some of the subjects are not subject to the gold standard. The approach is Bayesian where the estimation of test accuracy is based on the posterior distribution of the relevant parameter. Accuracy of two combined binary tests is estimated employing either “believe the positive” or “believe the negative” rule, then the true and false positive fractions for each rule are computed for two tests. In order to perform the analysis, the missing at random assumption is imposed, and an interesting example is provided by estimating the combined accuracy of CT and MRI to diagnose lung cancer. The Bayesian approach is extended to two ordinal tests when verification bias is present, and the accuracy of the combined tests is based on the ROC area of the risk function. An example involving mammography with two readers with extreme verification bias illustrates the estimation of the combined test accuracy for ordinal tests. PMID:26859487

Posterior Predictive Bayesian Phylogenetic Model Selection

PubMed Central

Lewis, Paul O.; Xie, Wangang; Chen, Ming-Hui; Fan, Yu; Kuo, Lynn

2014-01-01

We present two distinctly different posterior predictive approaches to Bayesian phylogenetic model selection and illustrate these methods using examples from green algal protein-coding cpDNA sequences and flowering plant rDNA sequences. The Gelfand–Ghosh (GG) approach allows dissection of an overall measure of model fit into components due to posterior predictive variance (GGp) and goodness-of-fit (GGg), which distinguishes this method from the posterior predictive P-value approach. The conditional predictive ordinate (CPO) method provides a site-specific measure of model fit useful for exploratory analyses and can be combined over sites yielding the log pseudomarginal likelihood (LPML) which is useful as an overall measure of model fit. CPO provides a useful cross-validation approach that is computationally efficient, requiring only a sample from the posterior distribution (no additional simulation is required). Both GG and CPO add new perspectives to Bayesian phylogenetic model selection based on the predictive abilities of models and complement the perspective provided by the marginal likelihood (including Bayes Factor comparisons) based solely on the fit of competing models to observed data. [Bayesian; conditional predictive ordinate; CPO; L-measure; LPML; model selection; phylogenetics; posterior predictive.] PMID:24193892

Comparison of discrete ordinate and Monte Carlo simulations of polarized radiative transfer in two coupled slabs with different refractive indices.

PubMed

Cohen, D; Stamnes, S; Tanikawa, T; Sommersten, E R; Stamnes, J J; Lotsberg, J K; Stamnes, K

2013-04-22

A comparison is presented of two different methods for polarized radiative transfer in coupled media consisting of two adjacent slabs with different refractive indices, each slab being a stratified medium with no change in optical properties except in the direction of stratification. One of the methods is based on solving the integro-differential radiative transfer equation for the two coupled slabs using the discrete ordinate approximation. The other method is based on probabilistic and statistical concepts and simulates the propagation of polarized light using the Monte Carlo approach. The emphasis is on non-Rayleigh scattering for particles in the Mie regime. Comparisons with benchmark results available for a slab with constant refractive index show that both methods reproduce these benchmark results when the refractive index is set to be the same in the two slabs. Computed results for test cases with coupling (different refractive indices in the two slabs) show that the two methods produce essentially identical results for identical input in terms of absorption and scattering coefficients and scattering phase matrices.

Characterization and source identification of pollutants in runoff from a mixed land use watershed using ordination analyses.

PubMed

Lee, Dong Hoon; Kim, Jin Hwi; Mendoza, Joseph A; Lee, Chang Hee; Kang, Joo-Hyon

2016-05-01

While identification of critical pollutant sources is the key initial step for cost-effective runoff management, it is challenging due to the highly uncertain nature of runoff pollution, especially during a storm event. To identify critical sources and their quantitative contributions to runoff pollution (especially focusing on phosphorous), two ordination methods were used in this study: principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). For the ordination analyses, we used runoff quality data for 14 storm events, including data for phosphorus, 11 heavy metal species, and eight ionic species measured at the outlets of subcatchments with different land use compositions in a mixed land use watershed. Five factors as sources of runoff pollutants were identified by PCA: agrochemicals, groundwater, native soils, domestic sewage, and urban sources (building materials and automotive activities). PMF identified similar factors to those identified by PCA, with more detailed source mechanisms for groundwater (i.e., nitrate leaching and cation exchange) and urban sources (vehicle components/motor oils/building materials and vehicle exhausts), confirming the sources identified by PCA. PMF was further used to quantify contributions of the identified sources to the water quality. Based on the results, agrochemicals and automotive activities were the two dominant and ubiquitous phosphorus sources (39-61 and 16-47 %, respectively) in the study area, regardless of land use types.

Effect of folic acid on appetite in children: ordinal logistic and fuzzy logistic regressions.

PubMed

Namdari, Mahshid; Abadi, Alireza; Taheri, S Mahmoud; Rezaei, Mansour; Kalantari, Naser; Omidvar, Nasrin

2014-03-01

Reduced appetite and low food intake are often a concern in preschool children, since it can lead to malnutrition, a leading cause of impaired growth and mortality in childhood. It is occasionally considered that folic acid has a positive effect on appetite enhancement and consequently growth in children. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of folic acid on the appetite of preschool children 3 to 6 y old. The study sample included 127 children ages 3 to 6 who were randomly selected from 20 preschools in the city of Tehran in 2011. Since appetite was measured by linguistic terms, a fuzzy logistic regression was applied for modeling. The obtained results were compared with a statistical ordinal logistic model. After controlling for the potential confounders, in a statistical ordinal logistic model, serum folate showed a significantly positive effect on appetite. A small but positive effect of folate was detected by fuzzy logistic regression. Based on fuzzy regression, the risk for poor appetite in preschool children was related to the employment status of their mothers. In this study, a positive association was detected between the levels of serum folate and improved appetite. For further investigation, a randomized controlled, double-blind clinical trial could be helpful to address causality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Opportunities for and constraints to integration of health services in Poland*

PubMed Central

Sobczak, Alicja

2002-01-01

Abstract At the beginning of the article the typologies, expected outcomes and forces aiming at health care integration are discussed. Integration is recognised as a multidimensional concept. The suggested typologies of integration are based on structural configurations, co-ordination mechanisms (including clinical co-ordination), and driving forces. A review of the Polish experience in integration/disintegration of health care systems is the main part of the article. Creation of integrated health care management units (ZOZs) in the beginning of the 1970s serves as an example of structural vertical integration missing co-ordination mechanisms. ZOZs as huge, costly and inflexible organisations became subjects of public criticism and discredited the idea of health care integration. At the end of the 1980s and in the decade of the 1990s, management of public health care was decentralised, the majority of ZOZs dismantled, and many health care public providers got the status of independent entities. The private sector developed rapidly. Sickness funds, which in 1999 replaced the previous state system, introduced “quasi-market” conditions where health providers have to compete for contracts. Some providers developed strategies of vertical and horizontal integration to get a competitive advantage. Consolidation of private ambulatory clinics, the idea of “integrated care” as a “contracting package”, development of primary health care and ambulatory specialist clinics in hospitals are the examples of such strategies. The new health policy declared in 2002 has recognised integration as a priority. It stresses the development of payment mechanisms and information base (Register of Health Services – RUM) that promote integration. The Ministry of Health is involved directly in integrated emergency system designing. It seems that after years of disintegration and deregulation the need for effective integration has become obvious. PMID:16896398

Development of Response Spectral Ground Motion Prediction Equations from Empirical Models for Fourier Spectra and Duration of Ground Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bora, S. S.; Scherbaum, F.; Kuehn, N. M.; Stafford, P.; Edwards, B.

2014-12-01

In a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) framework, it still remains a challenge to adjust ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for application in different seismological environments. In this context, this study presents a complete framework for the development of a response spectral GMPE easily adjustable to different seismological conditions; and which does not suffer from the technical problems associated with the adjustment in response spectral domain. Essentially, the approach consists of an empirical FAS (Fourier Amplitude Spectrum) model and a duration model for ground motion which are combined within the random vibration theory (RVT) framework to obtain the full response spectral ordinates. Additionally, FAS corresponding to individual acceleration records are extrapolated beyond the frequency range defined by the data using the stochastic FAS model, obtained by inversion as described in Edwards & Faeh, (2013). To that end, an empirical model for a duration, which is tuned to optimize the fit between RVT based and observed response spectral ordinate, at each oscillator frequency is derived. Although, the main motive of the presented approach was to address the adjustability issues of response spectral GMPEs; comparison, of median predicted response spectra with the other regional models indicate that presented approach can also be used as a stand-alone model. Besides that, a significantly lower aleatory variability (σ<0.5 in log units) in comparison to other regional models, at shorter periods brands it to a potentially viable alternative to the classical regression (on response spectral ordinates) based GMPEs for seismic hazard studies in the near future. The dataset used for the presented analysis is a subset of the recently compiled database RESORCE-2012 across Europe, Middle East and the Mediterranean region.

Reliability of Untrained and Experienced Raters on FEES: Rating Overall Residue is a Simple Task.

PubMed

Pisegna, Jessica M; Borders, James C; Kaneoka, Asako; Coster, Wendy J; Leonard, Rebecca; Langmore, Susan E

2018-03-07

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of residue ratings on Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). We also examined rating differences based on experience to determine if years of experience influenced residue ratings. A group of 44 raters watched 81 FEES videos representing a wide range of residue severities for thin liquid, applesauce, and cracker boluses. Raters were untrained on the rating scales and simply rated their overall impression of residue amount on a visual analog scale (VAS) and a five-point ordinal scale in a randomized fashion across two sessions. Intra-class correlation coefficients, kappa coefficients, and ANOVAs were used to analyze agreement and differences in ratings. Residue ratings on both the VAS and ordinal scales had acceptable inter- and intra-rater reliability. Inter-rater agreement was acceptable (ICC > 0.7) for all comparisons. Intra-rater agreement was excellent on the VAS scale (r c  = 0.9) and good on the ordinal scale (k = 0.78). There was no significant difference between expert ratings and other raters based on years of experience for cracker ratings (p = 0.2119) and applesauce ratings (p = 0.2899), but there was a significant difference between clinicians on thin liquid ratings (p = 0.0005). Without any specific training, raters demonstrated high reliability when rating the overall amount of residue on FEES. Years of experience with FEES did not influence residue ratings, suggesting that expert ratings of overall residue amount are not unique or specialized. Rating the overall amount of residue on FEES appears to be a simple visual-perceptual task for puree and cracker boluses.

Ordinal logistic regression analysis on the nutritional status of children in KarangKitri village

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohyver, Margaretha; Yongharto, Kimmy Octavian

2015-09-01

Ordinal logistic regression is a statistical technique that can be used to describe the relationship between ordinal response variable with one or more independent variables. This method has been used in various fields including in the health field. In this research, ordinal logistic regression is used to describe the relationship between nutritional status of children with age, gender, height, and family status. Nutritional status of children in this research is divided into over nutrition, well nutrition, less nutrition, and malnutrition. The purpose for this research is to describe the characteristics of children in the KarangKitri Village and to determine the factors that influence the nutritional status of children in the KarangKitri village. There are three things that obtained from this research. First, there are still children who are not categorized as well nutritional status. Second, there are children who come from sufficient economic level which include in not normal status. Third, the factors that affect the nutritional level of children are age, family status, and height.

Normal co-ordinate analysis of 1, 8-dibromooctane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Devinder; Jaggi, Neena; Singh, Nafa

2010-02-01

The organic compound 1,8-dibromooctane (1,8-DBO) exists in liquid phase at ambient temperatures and has versatile synthetic applications. In its liquid phase 1,8-DBO has been expected to exist in four most probable conformations, with all its carbon atoms in the same plane, having symmetries C 2h , C i , C 2 and C 1 . In the present study a detailed vibrational analysis in terms of assignment of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman bands of this molecule using normal co-ordinate calculations has been done. A systematic set of symmetry co-ordinates has been constructed for this molecule and normal co-ordinate analysis is carried out using the computer program MOLVIB. The force-field transferred from already studied lower chain bromo-alkanes is subjected to refinement so as to fit the observed infrared and Raman frequencies with those of calculated ones. The potential energy distribution (PED) has also been calculated for each mode of vibration of the molecule for the assumed conformations.

Integrated Health Care Barcelona Esquerra (Ais-Be): A Global View of Organisational Development, Re-Engineering of Processes and Improvement of the Information Systems. The Role of the Tertiary University Hospital in the Transformation

PubMed Central

Escarrabill, Joan; Gómez, Mónica; Ruiz, Rafael; Enfedaque, Belén; Altimiras, Xavier

2016-01-01

The Integrated Health Area “Barcelona Esquerra” (Área Integral de Salud de Barcelona Esquerra – AIS-BE), which covers a population of 524,000 residents in Barcelona city, is running a project to improve healthcare quality and efficiency based on co-ordination between the different suppliers in its area through the participation of their professionals. Endowed with an Organisational Model that seeks decision-taking that starts out from clinical knowledge and from Information Systems tools that facilitate this co-ordination (an interoperability platform and a website) it presents important results in its structured programmes that have been implemented such as the Reorganisation of Emergency Care, Screening for Colorectal Cancer, the Onset of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Teledermatology and the Development of Cross-sectional Healthcare Policies for Care in Chronicity. PMID:27616964

Integrated Health Care Barcelona Esquerra (Ais-Be): A Global View of Organisational Development, Re-Engineering of Processes and Improvement of the Information Systems. The Role of the Tertiary University Hospital in the Transformation.

PubMed

Font, David; Escarrabill, Joan; Gómez, Mónica; Ruiz, Rafael; Enfedaque, Belén; Altimiras, Xavier

2016-05-23

The Integrated Health Area "Barcelona Esquerra" (Área Integral de Salud de Barcelona Esquerra - AIS-BE), which covers a population of 524,000 residents in Barcelona city, is running a project to improve healthcare quality and efficiency based on co-ordination between the different suppliers in its area through the participation of their professionals. Endowed with an Organisational Model that seeks decision-taking that starts out from clinical knowledge and from Information Systems tools that facilitate this co-ordination (an interoperability platform and a website) it presents important results in its structured programmes that have been implemented such as the Reorganisation of Emergency Care, Screening for Colorectal Cancer, the Onset of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Teledermatology and the Development of Cross-sectional Healthcare Policies for Care in Chronicity.

Municipalities' Priority Problems and Prospect of Establishing Ordinance to Measures for Marginal Hamlets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, Mayumi; Hoshino, Satoshi; Hashimoto, Shizuka; Kuki, Yasuaki

The problems of Marginal Hamlets are getting worse, in which more than half of the population is over 65 and community-based life is difficult. To contribute to effective policy making, we conducted a questionnaire survey to members of the National Liaison Council of ‘Suigen no Sato’ constituted to share information about problems and effective counter measures for marginal hamlets. Our study clarified that first, most of respondents had common problems such as lack of job-opportunities and animal damage on farm, and second, though most of respondents recognized the effectiveness of selecting target communities in policy implementations, it is difficult for municipal governments to establish such ordinance provided that councilors and those who were not living in areas of policy target wouldn't agree with it. Finally, we pointed out the roles of national and prefectural governments to help municipal governments effectively cope with such entangled situations.

Debating LGBT Workplace Protections in the Bible Belt: Social Identities in Legislative and Media Discourse.

PubMed

Rhodes, Claire D; Stewart, Craig O

2016-07-01

This article reports a case study of the legislative and media discourse surrounding the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity language to the employment nondiscrimination ordinance of a city in the heart of the Bible Belt. The purpose of the study is to uncover how different identities were constructed and contested at city council meetings and in the news media on the way to passing legal protection for LGBT city employees in a region that is often characterized by anti-gay prejudice. This debate over the nondiscrimination ordinance centered on the question of whether LGBT identities are equivalent to identity categories based on race, gender, or religious belief, and it was shaped by various intergroup communication dynamics, specifically between members of the LGBT minority and the straight majority, between LGBT and Christian identities, and between "true" and "false" Christian identities.

Fuel for Debate: Three Studies of the Political Mobilization for and against Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dokshin, Fedor Aleksandrovich

This dissertation uses the context of the unfolding boom in oil and gas production enabled by hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") technology to ask several interrelated questions: What motivates people to oppose or support industrial development? How do material interests interact with political identities to shape political mobilization? What consequences does this political contestation have for policymaking? Three stand-alone articles, each using unique data and methods, provide new evidence for answering these questions. The three studies place a common emphasis on the multiple meanings that fracking has for opponents and supporters of proposed development as well as the alternative structural conditions that give rise to the divergent beliefs and the social networks that facilitate mobilization. The first article, examines the passage of local zoning ordinances prohibiting fracking and identifies spatial and temporal processes that influenced the pattern of ordinance adoption. The second article, looks more closely at political mobilization for and against hydraulic fracturing by examining individual-level data collected from one town's debate over a proposed ban on oil and gas development. The third article uses a large set of public comments to directly examine the meanings that the public attached to hydraulic fracturing and whether residents who live in close proximity to proposed development understood the industry in systematically different terms than individuals who participated in the debate despite facing little or no direct impact from fracking.

PRIM versus CART in subgroup discovery: when patience is harmful.

PubMed

Abu-Hanna, Ameen; Nannings, Barry; Dongelmans, Dave; Hasman, Arie

2010-10-01

We systematically compare the established algorithms CART (Classification and Regression Trees) and PRIM (Patient Rule Induction Method) in a subgroup discovery task on a large real-world high-dimensional clinical database. Contrary to current conjectures, PRIM's performance was generally inferior to CART's. PRIM often considered "peeling of" a large chunk of data at a value of a relevant discrete ordinal variable unattractive, ultimately missing an important subgroup. This finding has considerable significance in clinical medicine where ordinal scores are ubiquitous. PRIM's utility in clinical databases would increase when global information about (ordinal) variables is better put to use and when the search algorithm keeps track of alternative solutions.

Discrete ordinates-Monte Carlo coupling: A comparison of techniques in NERVA radiation analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, D. G.; Normand, E.; Wilcox, A. D.

1972-01-01

In the radiation analysis of the NERVA nuclear rocket system, two-dimensional discrete ordinates calculations are sufficient to provide detail in the pressure vessel and reactor assembly. Other parts of the system, however, require three-dimensional Monte Carlo analyses. To use these two methods in a single analysis, a means of coupling was developed whereby the results of a discrete ordinates calculation can be used to produce source data for a Monte Carlo calculation. Several techniques for producing source detail were investigated. Results of calculations on the NERVA system are compared and limitations and advantages of the coupling techniques discussed.

77 FR 5183 - Review and Approval of Existing Ordinances or Resolutions; Repeal

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-02

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Part 523 RIN 3141-AA45 Review and Approval of Existing Ordinances or Resolutions; Repeal AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The National Indian Gaming Commission is repealing obsolete regulations...

32 CFR 510.1 - Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances. 510.1 Section 510.1 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AID OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAPLAINS § 510.1 Private ministrations, sacraments, and...

Evaluation of a county enforcement program with a primary seat belt ordinance : St. Louis County, Missouri.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

In March 2007, St. Louis County implemented a seat belt ordinance that allowed for traditional : enforcement procedures. In order to increase usage on St. Louis County roads, particularly on roadways : with fatal or disabling injury crashes, the St. ...

76 FR 63236 - Review and Approval of Existing Ordinances or Resolutions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Indian Gaming Commission 25 CFR Part 523 RIN 3141-AA45 Review and Approval of Existing Ordinances or Resolutions AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission, Interior. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: On November 18, 2010, the National Indian Gaming...

32 CFR 510.1 - Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 3 2012-07-01 2009-07-01 true Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances. 510.1 Section 510.1 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AID OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAPLAINS § 510.1 Private ministrations, sacraments, and...

32 CFR 510.1 - Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Private ministrations, sacraments, and ordinances. 510.1 Section 510.1 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AID OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAPLAINS § 510.1 Private ministrations, sacraments, and...

Leadership: Its Genealogy, Configuration and Trajectory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronn, Peter

2010-01-01

This article provides a longitudinal analysis of leadership. In the first section of the article, the evidence reviewed indicates how, historically, leadership has been significant in various societal arrangements in the co-ordination of actions for collective purposes. Such co-ordination may also be facilitated through self-organisation, except…

40 CFR 35.2208 - Adoption of sewer use ordinance and user charge system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... works is placed in operation. Further, the grantee shall implement the user charge system and sewer use ordinance for the useful life of the treatment works. ... GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works...

European Scale Earthquake Data Exchange: ORFEUS-EMSC Joint Initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bossu, R.; van Eck, T.

2003-04-01

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and the Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology (ORFEUS) are both active international organisations with different co-ordinating roles within European seismology. Both are non-governmental non-profit organisations, which have members/participants in more than 30 countries in Europe and its surroundings. Although different, their activities are complementary with ORFEUS focusing on broadband waveform data archiving and dissemination and EMSC focusing on seismological parameter data. The main EMSC activities are the alert system for potentially damaging earthquakes, a real time seismicity web page, the production of the Euro-Med. seismological bulletin, and the creation and maintenance of databases related to seismic hazard. All these activities are based on data contributions from seismological Institutes. The EMSC is also involved in a UNESCO programme to promote seismology and data exchange in the Middle-East and Northern Africa. ORFEUS aims at co-ordinating and promoting digital broadband seismology in Europe. To accomplish this, it operates a Data Centre to archive and distribute high quality digital data for research, co-ordinates four working groups and provides services through the Internet. More recently through an EC-infrastructure project MEREDIAN it has accomplished added co-ordination of data exchange and archiving between large European national data centres and realised the Virtual European Broadband Seismograph Network (VEBSN). To accomplish higher efficiency and better services to the seismological community, ORFEUS and EMSC have been working towards a closer collaboration. Fruits of this collaboration are the joint EC project EMICES, a common Expression of Interest 'NERIES' submitted June 2002 to the EC , integration of the automatic picks from the VEBSN into the EMSC rapid alert system and collaboration on common web page developments. Presently, we collaborate in a common EC Infrastructure proposal for European seismology. This presentation will provide a systematic overview of our current collaboration and joint initiatives.

Effects of anthropogenic salinization on biological traits and community composition of stream macroinvertebrates.

PubMed

Szöcs, Eduard; Coring, Eckhard; Bäthe, Jürgen; Schäfer, Ralf B

2014-01-15

Salinization of rivers resulting from industrial discharge or road-deicing can adversely affect macroinvertebrates. Trait-based approaches are a promising tool in ecological monitoring and may perform better than taxonomy-based approaches. However only little is known how and which biological traits are affected by salinization. We investigated the effects of anthropogenic salinization on macroinvertebrate communities and biological traits in the Werra River, Germany and compared the taxonomic and trait response. We found a change in macroinvertebrate community and trait composition. Communities at saline sites were characterized by the three exotic species Gammarus tigrinus, Apocorophium lacustre and Potamopyrgus antipodarum. The frequencies of trait modalities long life cycle duration, respiration by gill, ovoviviparity, shredder and multivoltinism were statistically significantly increased at saline sites. The trait-based ordination resulted in a higher explained variance than the taxonomy-based ordination, indicating a better performance of the trait-based approach, resulting in a better discrimination between saline and non-saline sites. Our results are in general agreement with other studies from Europe, indicating a trait convergence for saline streams, being dominated by the traits ovoviviparity and multivoltinism. Three further traits (respiration by gill, life cycle duration and shredders) responded strongly to salinization, but this may primarily be attributed to the dominance of a single invasive species, G. tigrinus, at the saline sites in the Werra River. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Logistic random effects regression models: a comparison of statistical packages for binary and ordinal outcomes

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Logistic random effects models are a popular tool to analyze multilevel also called hierarchical data with a binary or ordinal outcome. Here, we aim to compare different statistical software implementations of these models. Methods We used individual patient data from 8509 patients in 231 centers with moderate and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) enrolled in eight Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and three observational studies. We fitted logistic random effects regression models with the 5-point Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) as outcome, both dichotomized as well as ordinal, with center and/or trial as random effects, and as covariates age, motor score, pupil reactivity or trial. We then compared the implementations of frequentist and Bayesian methods to estimate the fixed and random effects. Frequentist approaches included R (lme4), Stata (GLLAMM), SAS (GLIMMIX and NLMIXED), MLwiN ([R]IGLS) and MIXOR, Bayesian approaches included WinBUGS, MLwiN (MCMC), R package MCMCglmm and SAS experimental procedure MCMC. Three data sets (the full data set and two sub-datasets) were analysed using basically two logistic random effects models with either one random effect for the center or two random effects for center and trial. For the ordinal outcome in the full data set also a proportional odds model with a random center effect was fitted. Results The packages gave similar parameter estimates for both the fixed and random effects and for the binary (and ordinal) models for the main study and when based on a relatively large number of level-1 (patient level) data compared to the number of level-2 (hospital level) data. However, when based on relatively sparse data set, i.e. when the numbers of level-1 and level-2 data units were about the same, the frequentist and Bayesian approaches showed somewhat different results. The software implementations differ considerably in flexibility, computation time, and usability. There are also differences in the availability of additional tools for model evaluation, such as diagnostic plots. The experimental SAS (version 9.2) procedure MCMC appeared to be inefficient. Conclusions On relatively large data sets, the different software implementations of logistic random effects regression models produced similar results. Thus, for a large data set there seems to be no explicit preference (of course if there is no preference from a philosophical point of view) for either a frequentist or Bayesian approach (if based on vague priors). The choice for a particular implementation may largely depend on the desired flexibility, and the usability of the package. For small data sets the random effects variances are difficult to estimate. In the frequentist approaches the MLE of this variance was often estimated zero with a standard error that is either zero or could not be determined, while for Bayesian methods the estimates could depend on the chosen "non-informative" prior of the variance parameter. The starting value for the variance parameter may be also critical for the convergence of the Markov chain. PMID:21605357

Zero inflation in ordinal data: Incorporating susceptibility to response through the use of a mixture model

PubMed Central

Kelley, Mary E.; Anderson, Stewart J.

2008-01-01

Summary The aim of the paper is to produce a methodology that will allow users of ordinal scale data to more accurately model the distribution of ordinal outcomes in which some subjects are susceptible to exhibiting the response and some are not (i.e., the dependent variable exhibits zero inflation). This situation occurs with ordinal scales in which there is an anchor that represents the absence of the symptom or activity, such as “none”, “never” or “normal”, and is particularly common when measuring abnormal behavior, symptoms, and side effects. Due to the unusually large number of zeros, traditional statistical tests of association can be non-informative. We propose a mixture model for ordinal data with a built-in probability of non-response that allows modeling of the range (e.g., severity) of the scale, while simultaneously modeling the presence/absence of the symptom. Simulations show that the model is well behaved and a likelihood ratio test can be used to choose between the zero-inflated and the traditional proportional odds model. The model, however, does have minor restrictions on the nature of the covariates that must be satisfied in order for the model to be identifiable. The method is particularly relevant for public health research such as large epidemiological surveys where more careful documentation of the reasons for response may be difficult. PMID:18351711

Bayesian Nonparametric Ordination for the Analysis of Microbial Communities.

PubMed

Ren, Boyu; Bacallado, Sergio; Favaro, Stefano; Holmes, Susan; Trippa, Lorenzo

2017-01-01

Human microbiome studies use sequencing technologies to measure the abundance of bacterial species or Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) in samples of biological material. Typically the data are organized in contingency tables with OTU counts across heterogeneous biological samples. In the microbial ecology community, ordination methods are frequently used to investigate latent factors or clusters that capture and describe variations of OTU counts across biological samples. It remains important to evaluate how uncertainty in estimates of each biological sample's microbial distribution propagates to ordination analyses, including visualization of clusters and projections of biological samples on low dimensional spaces. We propose a Bayesian analysis for dependent distributions to endow frequently used ordinations with estimates of uncertainty. A Bayesian nonparametric prior for dependent normalized random measures is constructed, which is marginally equivalent to the normalized generalized Gamma process, a well-known prior for nonparametric analyses. In our prior, the dependence and similarity between microbial distributions is represented by latent factors that concentrate in a low dimensional space. We use a shrinkage prior to tune the dimensionality of the latent factors. The resulting posterior samples of model parameters can be used to evaluate uncertainty in analyses routinely applied in microbiome studies. Specifically, by combining them with multivariate data analysis techniques we can visualize credible regions in ecological ordination plots. The characteristics of the proposed model are illustrated through a simulation study and applications in two microbiome datasets.

Surrogate taxa and fossils as reliable proxies of spatial biodiversity patterns in marine benthic communities.

PubMed

Tyler, Carrie L; Kowalewski, Michał

2017-03-15

Rigorous documentation of spatial heterogeneity (β-diversity) in present-day and preindustrial ecosystems is required to assess how marine communities respond to environmental and anthropogenic drivers. However, the overwhelming majority of contemporary and palaeontological assessments have centred on single higher taxa. To evaluate the validity of single taxa as community surrogates and palaeontological proxies, we compared macrobenthic communities and sympatric death assemblages at 52 localities in Onslow Bay (NC, USA). Compositional heterogeneity did not differ significantly across datasets based on live molluscs, live non-molluscs, and all live organisms. Death assemblages were less heterogeneous spatially, likely reflecting homogenization by time-averaging. Nevertheless, live and dead datasets were greater than 80% congruent in pairwise comparisons to the literature estimates of β-diversity in other marine ecosystems, yielded concordant bathymetric gradients, and produced nearly identical ordinations consistently delineating habitats. Congruent estimates from molluscs and non-molluscs suggest that single groups can serve as reliable community proxies. High spatial fidelity of death assemblages supports the emerging paradigm of Conservation Palaeobiology. Integrated analyses of ecological and palaeontological data based on surrogate taxa can quantify anthropogenic changes in marine ecosystems and advance our understanding of spatial and temporal aspects of biodiversity. © 2017 The Author(s).

Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base Guam: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Acquisition Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-16

significant impact FWS Fish and Wildlife Service GEPA Guam Environmental Protection Agency GPA Guam Power Authority IPT integrated product team...utility energy service contract USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USCG U.S. Coast Guard UXO unexploded ordinance USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...its bases, such as wind and solar energy. However, ample room remains for new renewable technologies 3 and cost savings at shore installations

Tracing the trilobite tree from the root to the tips: a model marriage of fossils and phylogeny.

PubMed

Lieberman, Bruce S; Karim, Talia S

2010-01-01

Trilobites are a highly diverse group of extinct arthropods that persisted for nearly 300 million years. During that time, there was a profusion of morphological form, and they occupied a plethora of marine habitats. Their diversity, relative abundance, and complex morphology make them excellent candidates for phylogenetic analysis, and partly as a consequence they have been the subject of many cladistic studies. Although phylogenetic knowledge is certainly incomplete, our understanding of evolutionary patterns within the group has dramatically increased over the last 30 years. Moreover, trilobites have formed an important component of various studies of macroevolutionary processes. Here, we summarize the phylogenetic breadth of knowledge on the Trilobita, and present various hypotheses about phylogenetic patterns within the group, from the highest to the lowest taxonomic levels. Key topics we consider include the question of trilobite monophyly, the phylogenetic position of trilobites vis à vis extant arthropod groups, and inter- and intra-ordinal relationships. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 34975 - Seminole Nation of Oklahoma-Alcohol Control and Enforcement Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-12

... government and the delivery of tribal services. DATES: Effective Date: This Ordinance is effective 30 days...) 781-4685; Fax: (918) 781-4649: or De Springer, Office of Indian Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs... Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the delivery of important governmental services. Section 704. Application...

Ordination of Woody Vegetation in a Ouachita National Forest Watershed

Treesearch

Denise Marion; George Malanson

2004-01-01

Abstract - Species response to competition and other environmental gradients has important implications for forest ecosystem managers who desire to both maintain diversity and provide a sustained flow of forest goods and services. Woody species on a 140-acre watershed in the Ouachita National Forest are ordinated with detrended correspondence...

25 CFR 522.9 - Substitute approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Substitute approval. 522.9 Section 522.9 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.9 Substitute approval. If the Chairman fails to...

25 CFR 522.3 - Amendment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Amendment. 522.3 Section 522.3 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.3 Amendment. (a) Within 15 days after adoption...

ANOVA with Rasch Measures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linacre, John Michael

Various methods of estimating main effects from ordinal data are presented and contrasted. Problems discussed include: (1) at what level to accumulate ordinal data into linear measures; (2) how to maintain scaling across analyses; and (3) the inevitable confounding of within cell variance with measurement error. An example shows three methods of…

75 FR 32813 - St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Alcoholic Beverage Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin...: This notice publishes the Secretary's certification of the amended St. Croix Chippewa Indians of... Country. The St. Croix Tribal Council of the adopted this amended Liquor Ordinance on December 3, 2009...

A Composite Likelihood Inference in Latent Variable Models for Ordinal Longitudinal Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasdekis, Vassilis G. S.; Cagnone, Silvia; Moustaki, Irini

2012-01-01

The paper proposes a composite likelihood estimation approach that uses bivariate instead of multivariate marginal probabilities for ordinal longitudinal responses using a latent variable model. The model considers time-dependent latent variables and item-specific random effects to be accountable for the interdependencies of the multivariate…

Signing for the "No Smoking' ordinance in Southern California

Treesearch

William S. Folkman

1966-01-01

Symbolic signs, especially designed to aid enforcement of "no smoking" ordinances, had high visibility and were correctly interpreted by most travelers. Signs with words "NO" and "OK"' were superior to signs without these words. Observation and interpretation of the signs were greater among the younger persons and among those who...

75 FR 23280 - Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Alcohol Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-03

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Alcohol Control... Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's Alcohol Control Ordinance, which was adopted by the Tribal Council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma under Council Bill CB-64-2010 enacted on March 13, 2010. The Alcohol Control...

Roadside Judgments in Children with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purcell, Catherine; Wann, John P.; Wilmut, Kate; Poulter, Damian

2011-01-01

As pedestrians, the perceptual ability to accurately judge the relative rate of approaching vehicles and select a suitable crossing gap requires sensitivity to looming. It also requires that crossing judgments are synchronized with motoric capabilities. Previous research has suggested that children with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)…

4. PROPOSED C1 ASSEMBLY AND TESTING FACILITIES FOR THE ORDINANCE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. PROPOSED C-1 ASSEMBLY AND TESTING FACILITIES FOR THE ORDINANCE GUIDED MISSILE CENTER AT REDSTONE ARSENAL, NEAR THE SOUTH END OF MADKIN MOUNTAIN. OCTOBER 1950, HANNES LUEHRSEN COLLECTION, MSFC MASTER PLANNING OFFICE. - Marshall Space Flight Center, East Test Area, Dodd Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Co-Ordinating Education during Emergencies and Reconstruction: Challenges and Responsibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sommers, Marc

2004-01-01

While co-ordination is essentially a method of getting institutions to work together, it is clearly not synonymous with togetherness. Undercurrents of suspicion and distrust between individuals and institutional actors can affect important relationships and give rise to enduring misunderstandings and perplexing challenges. Turf battles involving…

78 FR 22425 - Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; State of Nevada; Total Suspended Particulate

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-16

... carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide, photochemical oxidant, sulfur dioxide, and particulate... rely on local dust ordinances, completion of local road paving projects, and regulation of emissions from industrial processing activities. Among the local dust ordinances referred to in these four plans...

75 FR 62853 - Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Liquor Control Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-13

... alcohol, hydrated oxide or ethyl, or spirit or wine, which is commonly produced by the fermentation or... ordinance. (iii) ``Beer'' shall mean any beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of any infusion or.... (xix) ``Wine'' shall mean any alcoholic beverage obtained by fermentation of fruits (grapes, berries...

40 CFR 35.2130 - Sewer use ordinance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... integrity of the treatment works; cause violation of effluent or water quality limitations; or preclude the... STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works § 35.2130 Sewer use ordinance. The... any new connections from inflow sources into the treatment works and require that new sewers and...

40 CFR 35.2130 - Sewer use ordinance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... integrity of the treatment works; cause violation of effluent or water quality limitations; or preclude the... STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works § 35.2130 Sewer use ordinance. The... any new connections from inflow sources into the treatment works and require that new sewers and...

Co-ordination of Mobile Information Agents in TuCSoN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omicini, Andrea; Zambonelli, Franco

1998-01-01

Examines mobile agent coordination and presents TuCSoN, a coordination model for Internet applications based on mobile information agents that uses a tuple centre, a tuple space enhanced with the capability of programming its behavior in response to communication events. Discusses the effectiveness of the TuCSoN model in the contexts of Internet…

Proximity Analysis and the Structure of Organization in Free Recall.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friendly, Michael L.

A method for assessing the structure of organization was developed on the basis of the ordinal separation, or proximity, between pairs ot items in recall protocols over a series of trials. The proximity measure is based on the assumption, common to all indices of organization, that items which are coded together in subjective memory units will…

Change Management and the SENCo Role: Developing Key Performance Indicators in the Strategic Development of Inclusivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Done, Liz; Murphy, Mike; Watt, Mia

2016-01-01

This article follows an earlier publication highlighting the changing role of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) in England. SENCos are now required to manage change strategically and deliver inclusive school cultures. School-based action research undertaken by a teacher studying for the postgraduate National Award for SEN…

Environmental Management in Swedish Higher Education: Directives, Driving Forces, Hindrances, Environmental Aspects and Environmental Co-Ordinators in Swedish Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sammalisto, Kaisu; Arvidsson, Karin

2005-01-01

Purpose: This study of environment management systems implementation in Swedish universities contributes to the dialogue about the role of management systems as tools in developing sustainability in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical study is based on Government directives that make environmental management systems…

[Status of law-making on animal welfare].

PubMed

Polten, B

2007-03-01

Since the last report there have been major revisions of laws and ordinances. Deliberations on rules of Community law were also continued. On national level, the Act on the Shoeing of Horses amending the Animal Welfare Act and amendments of animal welfare provisions as well as the Deregulation Act were prepared, some of which have meanwhile entered into force. At legislative level, the work on the ratification laws for the Council of Europe conventions (Strasbourg) was concluded in order to enable Germany to adopt the revisions. They include (1) the European Convention for the protection of animals used for experimental purposes and (2) the European Convention for the protection of animals during international transport. At the level of ordinances, the amendment and extension of the Animal Welfare -Farm Animal Husbandry Ordinance are of vital importance for the sections on pig farming and laying hen husbandry. Another section refers to the husbandry of fur animals, on which an ordinance has been submitted to the Bundesrat (German upper house of Parliament). Deliberations on this issue have been adjourned. Drafts of a circus register were prepared to amend the Animal Welfare Act and to adopt a separate ordinance, and they are being discussed with the federal states and associations. Previously,the rules of Community law in the area of animal welfare were adopted as EC directives which the member states had to transfer in national law. This was done by incorporating them into national laws or ordinances, with non-compliance having to be sanctioned. It is the member states' responsibility to establish sanctions. Yet the Commission has introduced a directly operative animal welfare legislation by adopting EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. This means that a national implementation is not required. Nevertheless, the establishment of sanctions continues to be the responsibility of the member states. A special authorisation by the legislator is required to be able to impose sanctions based on directly applicable EC law. This is done via the already mentioned Act on the Shoeing of Horses and amendment. To establish sanctions for this Community legislation, a "Sanctions Ordinance" is currently being discussed by the different departments. This way, a link between directly applicable Community legislation and national sanctions is established. At EC level there are currently discussed (1) the "Animal Welfare Action Plan", (2) a draft directive laying down minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production and (3) preparations for a revision of the directive on the protection of animals used for experimental purposes have become known due to the preparation of a related impact assessment. At the level of international law, the Council of Europe has concluded its work on Annex A of the convention for the protection of animals used for experimental purposes. With regard to the European Convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, the deliberations on fish and fattening rabbits are being continued. There is a discussion on the technical details of the Transport Convention. Since the first animal welfare conference of the International Office of epizootics (OlE) in February 2004 in Paris, two very comprehensive codes on slaughter of animals and on animal transport were adopted. The inclusion of further animal welfare issues into the OIE work programme will be discussed in the next future.

Comparison of response patterns in different survey designs: a longitudinal panel with mixed-mode and online-only design.

PubMed

Rübsamen, Nicole; Akmatov, Manas K; Castell, Stefanie; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T

2017-01-01

Increasing availability of the Internet allows using only online data collection for more epidemiological studies. We compare response patterns in a population-based health survey using two survey designs: mixed-mode (choice between paper-and-pencil and online questionnaires) and online-only design (without choice). We used data from a longitudinal panel, the Hygiene and Behaviour Infectious Diseases Study (HaBIDS), conducted in 2014/2015 in four regions in Lower Saxony, Germany. Individuals were recruited using address-based probability sampling. In two regions, individuals could choose between paper-and-pencil and online questionnaires. In the other two regions, individuals were offered online-only participation. We compared sociodemographic characteristics of respondents who filled in all panel questionnaires between the mixed-mode group (n = 1110) and the online-only group (n = 482). Using 134 items, we performed multinomial logistic regression to compare responses between survey designs in terms of type (missing, "do not know" or valid response) and ordinal regression to compare responses in terms of content. We applied the false discovery rates (FDR) to control for multiple testing and investigated effects of adjusting for sociodemographic characteristic. For validation of the differential response patterns between mixed-mode and online-only, we compared the response patterns between paper and online mode among the respondents in the mixed-mode group in one region (n = 786). Respondents in the online-only group were older than those in the mixed-mode group, but both groups did not differ regarding sex or education. Type of response did not differ between the online-only and the mixed-mode group. Survey design was associated with different content of response in 18 of the 134 investigated items; which decreased to 11 after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. In the validation within the mixed-mode, only two of those were among the 11 significantly different items. The probability of observing by chance the same two or more significant differences in this setting was 22%. We found similar response patterns in both survey designs with only few items being answered differently, likely attributable to chance. Our study supports the equivalence of the compared survey designs and suggests that, in the studied setting, using online-only design does not cause strong distortion of the results.

Relative effectiveness of kinetic analysis vs single point readings for classifying environmental samples based on community-level physiological profiles (CLPP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garland, J. L.; Mills, A. L.; Young, J. S.

2001-01-01

The relative effectiveness of average-well-color-development-normalized single-point absorbance readings (AWCD) vs the kinetic parameters mu(m), lambda, A, and integral (AREA) of the modified Gompertz equation fit to the color development curve resulting from reduction of a redox sensitive dye from microbial respiration of 95 separate sole carbon sources in microplate wells was compared for a dilution series of rhizosphere samples from hydroponically grown wheat and potato ranging in inoculum densities of 1 x 10(4)-4 x 10(6) cells ml-1. Patterns generated with each parameter were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) to test relative resolving power. Samples of equivalent cell density (undiluted samples) were correctly classified by rhizosphere type for all parameters based on DFA analysis of the first five PC scores. Analysis of undiluted and 1:4 diluted samples resulted in misclassification of at least two of the wheat samples for all parameters except the AWCD normalized (0.50 abs. units) data, and analysis of undiluted, 1:4, and 1:16 diluted samples resulted in misclassification for all parameter types. Ordination of samples along the first principal component (PC) was correlated to inoculum density in analyses performed on all of the kinetic parameters, but no such influence was seen for AWCD-derived results. The carbon sources responsible for classification differed among the variable types with the exception of AREA and A, which were strongly correlated. These results indicate that the use of kinetic parameters for pattern analysis in CLPP may provide some additional information, but only if the influence of inoculum density is carefully considered. c2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaboration, Communication and Co-ordination in Agile Software Development Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Hugh; Sharp, Helen

This chapter analyses the results of a series of observational studies of agile software developmentagile software development teams, identifying commonalities in collaboration, co-ordination and communication activities. Pairing and customer collaborationcustomer collaboration are focussed on to illustrate the nature of collaboration and communication, as are two simple physical artefacts that emerged through analysis as being an information-rich focal point for the co-ordination of collaboration and communication activities. The analysis shows that pairingpairing has common characteristics across all teams, while customer collaboration differs between the teams depending on the application and organisational context of development.

Dark Sky Collaborators: Arizona (AZ) Observatories, Communities, and Businesses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Castillo, Elizabeth Alvarez; Corbally, Christopher; Falco, Emilio E.; Green, Richard F.; Hall, Jeffrey C.; Williams, G. Grant

2015-03-01

With outdoor lighting ordinances in Arizona first in place around observatories in 1958 and 1972, then throughout the state since 1986, Arizonans have extensive experience working with communities and businesses to preserve our dark skies. Though communities are committed to the astronomy sector in our state, astronomers must collaborate with other stakeholders to implement solutions. Ongoing education and public outreach is necessary to enable ordinance updates as technology changes. Despite significant population increases, sky brightness measurements over the last 20 years show that ordinance updates are worth our efforts as we seek to maintain high quality skies around our observatories. Collaborations are being forged and actions taken to promote astronomy for the longer term in Arizona.

Comparison of extrinsic and intrinsic neuromodulation in two central pattern generator circuits in invertebrates.

PubMed

Katz, P S

1998-05-01

There are many sources of modulatory input to CPGs and other types of neuronal circuits. These inputs can change the properties of cells and synapses and dramatically alter the production of motor patterns. Sometimes this enables the production of motor patterns by the circuit. At other times, the modulation allows alternate motor patterns to be produced by a single circuit. Modulatory neurones have fast as well as slow actions. In some cases, such as with GPR, the two types of effects are due to the release of co-transmitters. In other cases, such as with the DSIs, a single substance can act at different receptors to cause fast and slow postsynaptic actions. The effect of a neuromodulatory neurone is determined by the type of receptor on the target neurone. Thus a single modulatory neurone evokes a suite of actions in a circuit and thereby produces a co-ordinated output. Extrinsic and intrinsic sources of neuromodulation have different sets of constraints acting upon them. For example, extrinsic neuromodulation can easily be used for motor pattern selection; a different pattern is produced depending upon which modulatory inputs are active. However, intrinsic neuromodulation is not well suited to that task. Instead, it is useful for self-organizing properties and experience-dependent effects. One clear conclusion from this work and other work in the field is that neuromodulation by neurones intrinsic and extrinsic to CPGs is not uncommon (Katz, 1995; Katz & Frost, 1996). It is part of the normal process of motor pattern generation. As such, it needs to be considered when discussing mechanisms for neuronal circuit actions.

Using diatom assemblages to assess urban stream conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walker, C.E.; Pan, Y.

2006-01-01

We characterized changes in diatom assemblages along an urban-to-rural gradient to assess impacts of urbanization on stream conditions. Diatoms, water chemistry, and physical variables of riffles at 19 urban and 28 rural stream sites were sampled and assessed during the summer base flow period. Near stream land use was characterized using GIS. In addition, one urban and one rural site were sampled monthly throughout a year to assess temporal variation of diatom assemblages between the urban and rural stream sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the 1st ordination axis distinctly separated rural and urban sites. This axis was correlated with conductivity (r = 0.75) and % near-stream commercial/industrial land use (r = 0.55). TWINSPAN classified all sites into four groups based on diatom assemblages. These diatom-based site groups were significantly different in water chemistry (e.g., conductivity, dissolved nutrients), physical habitat (e.g., % stream substrate as fines), and near-stream land use. CCA on the temporal diatom data set showed that diatom assemblages had high seasonal variation along the 2nd axis in both urban and rural sites, however, rural and urban sites were well separated along the 1st ordination axis. Our results suggest that changes in diatom assemblages respond to urban impacts on stream conditions. ?? Springer 2006.

25 CFR 522.12 - Revocation of class III gaming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Revocation of class III gaming. 522.12 Section 522.12 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.12 Revocation of class III...

Consistent Small-Sample Variances for Six Gamma-Family Measures of Ordinal Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Carol M.

2009-01-01

Gamma-family measures are bivariate ordinal correlation measures that form a family because they all reduce to Goodman and Kruskal's gamma in the absence of ties (1954). For several gamma-family indices, more than one variance estimator has been introduced. In previous research, the "consistent" variance estimator described by Cliff and…

The Standards Agenda: Reflections of a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazzard, Jonathan

2014-01-01

This study is a life history account of Bev, a special educational needs co-ordinator who works in a primary school in England. The research examines how, within Bev's experiences, the discourses of integration and inclusion have affected learners with special educational needs. Additionally, the study examines the impact of the…

Counseling in a Medical Setting as Part of an HMO Team.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenton, Mary R.; Alvarez, Cheryl

A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) clinic on Chicago's Near North Side is currently offering physical and mental health care to Public Aid recipients. Psychological services are provided by a mental health co-ordinator (Ph.D. level) who supervises one or two counselors of M.A. status. The co-ordinator's other responsibilities include…

Economic incentives for oak woodland preservation and conservation

Treesearch

Rosi Dagit; Cy Carlberg; Christy Cuba; Thomas Scott

2015-01-01

Numerous ordinances and laws recognize the value of oak trees and woodlands, and dictate serious and expensive consequences for removing or harming them. Unfortunately, the methods used to calculate these values are equally numerous and often inconsistent. More important, these ordinances typically lack economic incentives to avoid impacts to oak woodland values...

Empirical Histograms in Item Response Theory with Ordinal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Carol M.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this research is to describe, test, and illustrate a new implementation of the empirical histogram (EH) method for ordinal items. The EH method involves the estimation of item response model parameters simultaneously with the approximation of the distribution of the random latent variable (theta) as a histogram. Software for the EH…

Contributions to the Underlying Bivariate Normal Method for Factor Analyzing Ordinal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xi, Nuo; Browne, Michael W.

2014-01-01

A promising "underlying bivariate normal" approach was proposed by Jöreskog and Moustaki for use in the factor analysis of ordinal data. This was a limited information approach that involved the maximization of a composite likelihood function. Its advantage over full-information maximum likelihood was that very much less computation was…

Emerging Adulthood in Developmental Co-Ordination Disorder: Parent and Young Adult Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, A.; Edwards, L.; Sugden, D.

2011-01-01

Recent research widely acknowledges that developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is a pervasive and enduring disorder, which persists into adolescence and adulthood ([Cousins and Smyth, 2003] and [Kirby et al., 2008]). However, few studies have given detailed consideration to the range and level of functioning difficulties in emerging adults…

A weighted-means ordination of riparian birds in southeastern Wyoming

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

1985-01-01

Variation among habitat associations of 31 riparian bird species in southeastern Wyoming was analyzed using a weighted-means ordination. Three principal components explained 86.7% of the variation among habitat associations of bird species. The components showed high positive loadings for variables associated with canopy, shrub size, and vegetation height.

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…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullerton, Andrew S.; Xu, Jun

2018-01-01

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

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…

Evaluation of community and organizational characteristics of smoke-free ordinance campaigns in 15 Wisconsin cities.

PubMed

Ahrens, David; Uebelher, Paul; Remington, Patrick L

2005-07-01

Smoke-free restaurant ordinance campaigns were conducted in 15 Wisconsin cities during 1992 through 2002. Community and health coalition organizational characteristics varied with each campaign; nine campaigns were successful in enacting ordinances, and six campaigns failed. Data on community and coalition characteristics were analyzed. Community characteristics included adjusted gross income, percentage of Democratic voters in recent elections, and county smoking prevalence. Coalition characteristics included the number of supporters identified, leadership experience, level of print news media coverage, and editorial position of local newspaper. Successful campaigns were more likely to have leadership with high levels of political experience; eight of nine successful campaigns had leadership with high levels of experience, and two of six unsuccessful campaigns had leadership with high levels of experience. Every successful campaign had high levels of newspaper coverage and strong editorial support. None of the unsuccessful campaigns had high levels of news coverage or strong editorial support. Characteristics controlled or influenced by coalitions are associated with successful outcomes. Community characteristics were not associated with outcomes. These results should assist communities planning to implement smoke-free ordinances or other health policy campaigns.

The role of the DNA sliding clamp in Okazaki fragment maturation in archaea and eukaryotes.

PubMed

Beattie, Thomas R; Bell, Stephen D

2011-01-01

Efficient processing of Okazaki fragments generated during discontinuous lagging-strand DNA replication is critical for the maintenance of genome integrity. In eukaryotes, a number of enzymes co-ordinate to ensure the removal of initiating primers from the 5'-end of each fragment and the generation of a covalently linked daughter strand. Studies in eukaryotic systems have revealed that the co-ordination of DNA polymerase δ and FEN-1 (Flap Endonuclease 1) is sufficient to remove the majority of primers. Other pathways such as that involving Dna2 also operate under certain conditions, although, notably, Dna2 is not universally conserved between eukaryotes and archaea, unlike the other core factors. In addition to the catalytic components, the DNA sliding clamp, PCNA (proliferating-cell nuclear antigen), plays a pivotal role in binding and co-ordinating these enzymes at sites of lagging-strand replication. Structural studies in eukaryotic and archaeal systems have revealed that PCNA-binding proteins can adopt different conformations when binding PCNA. This conformational malleability may be key to the co-ordination of these enzymes' activities.

Tobacco industry litigation to deter local public health ordinances: the industry usually loses in court

PubMed Central

Nixon, M; Mahmoud, L; Glantz, S

2004-01-01

Background: The tobacco industry uses claims of state preemption or violations of the US Constitution in litigation to overturn local tobacco control ordinances. Methods: Collection of lawsuits filed or threatened against local governments in the USA; review of previously secret tobacco industry documents; interviews with key informants. Results: The industry is most likely to prevail when a court holds that there is explicit preemption language by the state legislature to exclusively regulate tobacco. The industry has a much weaker record on claims of implied preemption and has lost all challenges brought under equal protection claims in the cases we located. Although the tobacco industry is willing to spend substantial amounts of money on these lawsuits, it never won on constitutional equal protection grounds and lost or dropped 60% (16/27) of the cases it brought claiming implied state preemption. Conclusions: Municipalities should continue to pass ordinances and be prepared to defend them against claims of implied preemption or on constitutional grounds. If the ordinance is properly prepared they will likely prevail. Health advocates should be prepared to assist in this process. PMID:14985600

Differential item functioning analysis with ordinal logistic regression techniques. DIFdetect and difwithpar.

PubMed

Crane, Paul K; Gibbons, Laura E; Jolley, Lance; van Belle, Gerald

2006-11-01

We present an ordinal logistic regression model for identification of items with differential item functioning (DIF) and apply this model to a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) dataset. We employ item response theory ability estimation in our models. Three nested ordinal logistic regression models are applied to each item. Model testing begins with examination of the statistical significance of the interaction term between ability and the group indicator, consistent with nonuniform DIF. Then we turn our attention to the coefficient of the ability term in models with and without the group term. If including the group term has a marked effect on that coefficient, we declare that it has uniform DIF. We examined DIF related to language of test administration in addition to self-reported race, Hispanic ethnicity, age, years of education, and sex. We used PARSCALE for IRT analyses and STATA for ordinal logistic regression approaches. We used an iterative technique for adjusting IRT ability estimates on the basis of DIF findings. Five items were found to have DIF related to language. These same items also had DIF related to other covariates. The ordinal logistic regression approach to DIF detection, when combined with IRT ability estimates, provides a reasonable alternative for DIF detection. There appear to be several items with significant DIF related to language of test administration in the MMSE. More attention needs to be paid to the specific criteria used to determine whether an item has DIF, not just the technique used to identify DIF.

Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base Guam: Cost-Beneit Analysis and Acquisition Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

Fish and Wildlife Service GEPA Guam Environmental Protection Agency GPA Guam Power Authority IPT integrated product team MILCON military...energy service contract USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USCG U.S. Coast Guard UXO unexploded ordinance USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service WOD13...options for its bases, such as wind and solar energy. However, ample room remains for new renewable technologies 3 and cost savings at shore

Reformation of Regulatory Technical Standards for Nuclear Power Generation Equipments in Japan

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

Mikio Kurihara; Masahiro Aoki; Yu Maruyama

2006-07-01

Comprehensive reformation of the regulatory system has been introduced in Japan in order to apply recent technical progress in a timely manner. 'The Technical Standards for Nuclear Power Generation Equipments', known as the Ordinance No.622) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, which is used for detailed design, construction and operating stage of Nuclear Power Plants, was being modified to performance specifications with the consensus codes and standards being used as prescriptive specifications, in order to facilitate prompt review of the Ordinance with response to technological innovation. The activities on modification were performed by the Nuclear and Industrial Safetymore » Agency (NISA), the regulatory body in Japan, with support of the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES), a technical support organization. The revised Ordinance No.62 was issued on July 1, 2005 and is enforced from January 1 2006. During the period from the issuance to the enforcement, JNES carried out to prepare enforceable regulatory guide which complies with each provisions of the Ordinance No.62, and also made technical assessment to endorse the applicability of consensus codes and standards, in response to NISA's request. Some consensus codes and standards were re-assessed since they were already used in regulatory review of the construction plan submitted by licensee. Other consensus codes and standards were newly assessed for endorsement. In case that proper consensus code or standards were not prepared, details of regulatory requirements were described in the regulatory guide as immediate measures. At the same time, appropriate standards developing bodies were requested to prepare those consensus code or standards. Supplementary note which provides background information on the modification, applicable examples etc. was prepared for convenience to the users of the Ordinance No. 62. This paper shows the activities on modification and the results, following the NISA's presentation at ICONE-13 that introduced the framework of the performance specifications and the modification process of the Ordinance NO. 62. (authors)« less

Adopting a Patient-Centered Approach to Primary Outcome Analysis of Acute Stroke Trials Using a Utility-Weighted Modified Rankin Scale.

PubMed

Chaisinanunkul, Napasri; Adeoye, Opeolu; Lewis, Roger J; Grotta, James C; Broderick, Joseph; Jovin, Tudor G; Nogueira, Raul G; Elm, Jordan J; Graves, Todd; Berry, Scott; Lees, Kennedy R; Barreto, Andrew D; Saver, Jeffrey L

2015-08-01

Although the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is the most commonly used primary end point in acute stroke trials, its power is limited when analyzed in dichotomized fashion and its indication of effect size challenging to interpret when analyzed ordinally. Weighting the 7 Rankin levels by utilities may improve scale interpretability while preserving statistical power. A utility-weighted mRS (UW-mRS) was derived by averaging values from time-tradeoff (patient centered) and person-tradeoff (clinician centered) studies. The UW-mRS, standard ordinal mRS, and dichotomized mRS were applied to 11 trials or meta-analyses of acute stroke treatments, including lytic, endovascular reperfusion, blood pressure moderation, and hemicraniectomy interventions. Utility values were 1.0 for mRS level 0; 0.91 for mRS level 1; 0.76 for mRS level 2; 0.65 for mRS level 3; 0.33 for mRS level 4; 0 for mRS level 5; and 0 for mRS level 6. For trials with unidirectional treatment effects, the UW-mRS paralleled the ordinal mRS and outperformed dichotomous mRS analyses. Both the UW-mRS and the ordinal mRS were statistically significant in 6 of 8 unidirectional effect trials, whereas dichotomous analyses were statistically significant in 2 to 4 of 8. In bidirectional effect trials, both the UW-mRS and ordinal tests captured the divergent treatment effects by showing neutral results, whereas some dichotomized analyses showed positive results. Mean utility differences in trials with statistically significant positive results ranged from 0.026 to 0.249. A UW-mRS performs similar to the standard ordinal mRS in detecting treatment effects in actual stroke trials and ensures the quantitative outcome is a valid reflection of patient-centered benefits. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Local co-ordination and case management can enhance Indigenous eye care – a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Indigenous adults suffer six times more blindness than other Australians but 94% of this vision loss is unnecessary being preventable or treatable. We have explored the barriers and solutions to improve Indigenous eye health and proposed significant system changes required to close the gap for Indigenous eye health. This paper aims to identify the local co-ordination and case management requirements necessary to improve eye care for Indigenous Australians. Methods A qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, stakeholder workshops and meetings was conducted in community, private practice, hospital, non-government organisation and government settings. Data were collected at 21 sites across Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 289 people working in Indigenous health and eye care; focus group discussions with 81 community members; stakeholder workshops involving 86 individuals; and separate meetings with 75 people. 531 people participated in the consultations. Barriers and issues were identified through thematic analysis and policy solutions developed through iterative consultation. Results Poorly co-ordinated eye care services for Indigenous Australians are inefficient and costly and result in poorer outcomes for patients, communities and health care providers. Services are more effective where there is good co-ordination of services and case management of patients along the pathway of care. The establishment of clear pathways of care, development local and regional partnerships to manage services and service providers and the application of sufficient workforce with clear roles and responsibilities have the potential to achieve important improvements in eye care. Conclusions Co-ordination is a key to close the gap in eye care for Indigenous Australians. Properly co-ordinated care and support along the patient pathway through case management will save money by preventing dropout of patients who haven’t received treatment and a successfully functioning system will encourage more people to enter for care. PMID:23822115

Economic impacts of the Pueblo Smoke-Free Air Act.

PubMed

Young, Walter F; Szychowski, Jeffery; Karp, Shelley; Liu, Lucia; Diedrich, Robert T

2010-03-01

On July 1, 2003, the city of Pueblo CO enacted a smokefree ordinance (Pueblo Smoke-Free Air Act [PSFAA]) that prohibited smoking in public places and workplaces, including taverns and restaurants. Opponents to this ordinance argued that it would have a negative impact on tavern and restaurant sales. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the PSFAA had a negative economic impact on tavern and restaurant sales tax revenues. With data gathered in 2007, this study implemented an interrupted time-series model in 2008, using 42 months of pre- and post-intervention sales tax revenue data for Pueblo to determine whether implementation of this ordinance had an effect on tavern and restaurant sales tax revenues. Ratios of tavern and restaurant openings to closings were also computed for the pre- and post-intervention periods. Pre-post sales tax revenue data showed slight losses in sales tax revenue for taverns, and gains for restaurants, which more than offset the tavern losses. After adjusting for the consumer price index, the city of Pueblo experienced a 20.3% gain in combined tavern and restaurant sales tax revenues from the pre-ordinance period to the post-ordinance period. The ratio of tavern openings to closings improved from 1:1 pre-period to 3.3:1 post-period and the restaurant ratio remained unchanged at approximately 1.78:1 from pre- to post-period. There is no evidence that the PSFAA had a negative economic impact on consumer price index-adjusted tavern and restaurant sales tax revenues. From a fiscal policy perspective, this ordinance may have contributed to a net increase in sales tax revenues for the city of Pueblo. The business openings/closings data suggest that the confidence Pueblo's business sector had in the local hospitality industry was not negatively influenced by the PSFAA. Copyright (c) 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mixed models approaches for joint modeling of different types of responses.

PubMed

Ivanova, Anna; Molenberghs, Geert; Verbeke, Geert

2016-01-01

In many biomedical studies, one jointly collects longitudinal continuous, binary, and survival outcomes, possibly with some observations missing. Random-effects models, sometimes called shared-parameter models or frailty models, received a lot of attention. In such models, the corresponding variance components can be employed to capture the association between the various sequences. In some cases, random effects are considered common to various sequences, perhaps up to a scaling factor; in others, there are different but correlated random effects. Even though a variety of data types has been considered in the literature, less attention has been devoted to ordinal data. For univariate longitudinal or hierarchical data, the proportional odds mixed model (POMM) is an instance of the generalized linear mixed model (GLMM; Breslow and Clayton, 1993). Ordinal data are conveniently replaced by a parsimonious set of dummies, which in the longitudinal setting leads to a repeated set of dummies. When ordinal longitudinal data are part of a joint model, the complexity increases further. This is the setting considered in this paper. We formulate a random-effects based model that, in addition, allows for overdispersion. Using two case studies, it is shown that the combination of random effects to capture association with further correction for overdispersion can improve the model's fit considerably and that the resulting models allow to answer research questions that could not be addressed otherwise. Parameters can be estimated in a fairly straightforward way, using the SAS procedure NLMIXED.

Smoking media literacy in Vietnamese adolescents.

PubMed

Page, Randy M; Huong, Nguyen T; Chi, Hoang K; Tien, Truong Q

2011-01-01

Smoking media literacy (SML) has been found to be independently associated with reduced current smoking and reduced susceptibility to future smoking in a sample of American adolescents, but not in other populations of adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess SML in Vietnamese adolescents and to determine the association with smoking behavior and susceptibility to future smoking. A cross-sectional survey of 2000 high school students completed the SML scale, which is based on an integrated theoretical framework of media literacy, and items assessing cigarette use. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the association of SML with smoking and susceptibility to future smoking. Ordinal logistic regression was also to determine whether smoking in the past 30 days was associated with the 8 domains/core concepts of media literacy which comprise the SML. Smoking media literacy was lower among the Vietnamese adolescents than what has been previously reported in American adolescents. Ordinal logistic regression analysis results showed that in the total sample SML was associated with reduced smoking, but there was no association with susceptibility to future smoking. Further analysis showed that results differed according to school and grade level. There did not appear to be association of smoking with the specific domains/concepts that comprise the SML. The association of SML with reduced smoking suggests the need for further research involving SML, including the testing of media literacy training interventions, in Vietnamese adolescents and also other populations of adolescents. © 2011, American School Health Association.

Augmenting the Deliberative Method for Ranking Risks.

PubMed

Susel, Irving; Lasley, Trace; Montezemolo, Mark; Piper, Joel

2016-01-01

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) characterized and prioritized the physical cross-border threats and hazards to the nation stemming from terrorism, market-driven illicit flows of people and goods (illegal immigration, narcotics, funds, counterfeits, and weaponry), and other nonmarket concerns (movement of diseases, pests, and invasive species). These threats and hazards pose a wide diversity of consequences with very different combinations of magnitudes and likelihoods, making it very challenging to prioritize them. This article presents the approach that was used at DHS to arrive at a consensus regarding the threats and hazards that stand out from the rest based on the overall risk they pose. Due to time constraints for the decision analysis, it was not feasible to apply multiattribute methodologies like multiattribute utility theory or the analytic hierarchy process. Using a holistic approach was considered, such as the deliberative method for ranking risks first published in this journal. However, an ordinal ranking alone does not indicate relative or absolute magnitude differences among the risks. Therefore, the use of the deliberative method for ranking risks is not sufficient for deciding whether there is a material difference between the top-ranked and bottom-ranked risks, let alone deciding what the stand-out risks are. To address this limitation of ordinal rankings, the deliberative method for ranking risks was augmented by adding an additional step to transform the ordinal ranking into a ratio scale ranking. This additional step enabled the selection of stand-out risks to help prioritize further analysis. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Display Parameters and Requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahadur, Birendra

The following sections are included: * INTRODUCTION * HUMAN FACTORS * Anthropometry * Sensory * Cognitive * Discussions * THE HUMAN VISUAL SYSTEM - CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS * Cornea * Pupil and Iris * Lens * Vitreous Humor * Retina * RODS - NIGHT VISION * CONES - DAY VISION * RODS AND CONES - TWILIGHT VISION * VISUAL PIGMENTS * MACULA * BLOOD * CHOROID COAT * Visual Signal Processing * Pathways to the Brain * Spatial Vision * Temporal Vision * Colour Vision * Colour Blindness * DICHROMATISM * Protanopia * Deuteranopia * Tritanopia * ANOMALOUS TRICHROMATISM * Protanomaly * Deuteranomaly * Tritanomaly * CONE MONOCHROMATISM * ROD MONOCHROMATISM * Using Colour Effectively * COLOUR MIXTURES AND THE CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM * Colour Matching Functions and Chromaticity Co-ordinates * CIE 1931 Colour Space * CIE PRIMARIES * CIE COLOUR MATCHING FUNCTIONS AND CHROMATICITY CO-ORDINATES * METHODS FOR DETERMINING TRISTIMULUS VALUES AND COLOUR CO-ORDINATES * Spectral Power Distribution Method * Filter Method * CIE 1931 CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM * ADDITIVE COLOUR MIXTURE * CIE 1976 Chromaticity Diagram * CIE Uniform Colour Spaces and Colour Difference Formulae * CIELUV OR L*u*v* * CIELAB OR L*a*b* * CIE COLOUR DIFFERENCE FORMULAE * Colour Temperature and CIE Standard Illuminants and source * RADIOMETRIC AND PHOTOMETRIC QUANTITIES * Photopic (Vλ and Scotopic (Vλ') Luminous Efficiency Function * Photometric and Radiometric Flux * Luminous and Radiant Intensities * Incidence: Illuminance and Irradiance * Exitance or Emittance (M) * Luminance and Radiance * ERGONOMIC REQUIREMENTS OF DISPLAYS * ELECTRO-OPTICAL PARAMETERS AND REQUIREMENTS * Contrast and Contrast Ratio * Luminance and Brightness * Colour Contrast and Chromaticity * Glare * Other Aspects of Legibility * SHAPE AND SIZE OF CHARACTERS * DEFECTS AND BLEMISHES * FLICKER AND DISTORTION * ANGLE OF VIEW * Switching Speed * Threshold and Threshold Characteristic * Measurement Techniques For Electro-optical Parameters * RADIOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS * Broadband Radiometry or Filtered Photodetector Radiometric Method * Spectroradiometric Method * PHOTOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS * COLOUR MEASUREMENTS * LUMINANCE, CONTRAST RATIO, THRESHOLD CHARACTERISTIC AND POLAR PLOT * SWITCHING SPEED * ELECTRICAL AND LIFE PARAMETERS AND REQUIREMENTS * Operating Voltage, Current Drainage and Power Consumption * Operating Frequency * Life Expectancy * LCD FAILURE MODES * Liquid Crystal Materials * Substrate Glass * Electrode Patterns * Alignment and Aligning Material * Peripheral and End Plug Seal * Spacers * Crossover Material * Polarizers and Reflectors * Connectors * Heater * Colour Filters * Backlighting System * Explanation For Some of the Observed Defects * BLOOMING PIXELS * POLARIZER RELATED DEFECTS * DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL EXPANSION RELATED DEFECTS * ELECTROCHEMICAL AND ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC RELATED DEFECTS * REVERSE TWIST AND REVERSE TILT * MEMORY OR REMINISCENT CONTRAST * LCD RELIABILRY AND ACCELERATED LIFE TESTING * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS * REFERENCES * APPENDIX

Varieties of Dioptase: Their Magnetic Structure and Collective Excitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prisk, T.; Hoffmann, C.; Kolesnikov, A.; Anovitz, L. M.; Matsuda, M.; Podlesnyak, A.; Yan, J.

2017-12-01

Diopase [Cu6Si6O18 * 6 H2O] is a copper cyclosilicate mineral that exists within three different polymorphic forms. In the naturally occurring green phase, micropore channels are formed by corrugated rings of Si6O18 connected by Cu2+ ions. These channels contain rings of water molecules H2O which are co-ordinated to the Cu2+ ions, forming Jahn-Teller distorted octahedra. This results in the polymorph's green color. When the mineral is annealed at 400 C, it transforms into a blue polymorph where the positions of the the water molecules H2O become disordered within the channels. If annealed at 600 C, the water molecules are expelled from crystal structure altogether, leaving intact a framework where where the copper atom has quasi-planar co-ordination with neighboring oxygen atoms. The Cu2+ ions are responsible for the appearance of long-range antiferromagnetic order in green dioptase at 14 K. Comparative magnetic susceptibility measurements of these polymorphs demonstrate that altering the hydration state of the mineral leads to profound changes in its magnetic properties. This is presumably due to the fact that the local environment of the Cu2+ ions is modified by changes in the Cu atom's co-ordination with the water oxygen. Green, blue, and black dioptase together provide a case study in the coupling of a mineral's hydration state to its magnetic properties. In this presentation, we report upon a comparative study of dioptase polymorphs. We have applied heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility, single-crystal diffraction, and inelastic neutron scattering techniques. Magnetic diffraction patterns were obtained using the Polarized Triple Axis Spectrometer at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, while measurements of the spin wave dispersion were performed using the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source. We find that, in green dioptase, the Cu2+ ions form spiral antiferromagnetic chains parallel to the micropore channels. However, in blue dioptase, long-range antiferromagnetic order is completely suppressed down to at least 2 K. Black dioptase undergoes a phase transition at 7 K into a low dimensional antiferromagnet, apparently having a different magnetic structure from its green counterpart.

Location Indices for Ordinal Polytomous Items Based on Item Response Theory. Research Report. ETS RR-15-20

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Usama S.; Chang, Hua-Hua; Anderson, Carolyn J.

2015-01-01

Polytomous items are typically described by multiple category-related parameters; situations, however, arise in which a single index is needed to describe an item's location along a latent trait continuum. Situations in which a single index would be needed include item selection in computerized adaptive testing or test assembly. Therefore single…

Similarities of L1 (Mother Tongue) in Terms of Grammar and Language Structure in Translation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subramaniam, Vijayaletchumy

2011-01-01

Malaysian philosophy, purpose and objective of the education system are rooted and based on policies stated in the National Education Policy 1956 and Education Act 1961. Whereas the Education Ordinance 1952 urged all Chinese and Tamil schools to be given an equal opportunity to learn English and Malay language together with their L1 (mother…

Comparing Trend and Gap Statistics across Tests: Distributional Change Using Ordinal Methods and Bayesian Inference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denbleyker, John Nickolas

2012-01-01

The shortcomings of the proportion above cut (PAC) statistic used so prominently in the educational landscape renders it a very problematic measure for making correct inferences with student test data. The limitations of PAC-based statistics are more pronounced with cross-test comparisons due to their dependency on cut-score locations. A better…

Shared decision-making for psychiatric medication: A mixed-methods evaluation of a UK training programme for service users and clinicians.

PubMed

Ramon, Shulamit; Morant, Nicola; Stead, Ute; Perry, Ben

2017-12-01

Shared decision making (SDM) is recognised as a promising strategy to enhance good collaboration between clinicians and service users, yet it is not practised regularly in mental health. Develop and evaluate a novel training programme to enhance SDM in psychiatric medication management for service users, psychiatrists and care co-ordinators. The training programme design was informed by existing literature and local stakeholders consultations. Parallel group-based training programmes on SDM process were delivered to community mental health service users and providers. Evaluation consisted of quantitative measures at baseline and 12-month follow-up, post-programme participant feedback and qualitative interviews. Training was provided to 47 service users, 35 care-coordinators and 12 psychiatrists. Participant feedback was generally positive. Statistically significant changes in service users' decisional conflict and perceptions of practitioners' interactional style in promoting SDM occurred at the follow-up. Qualitative data suggested positive impacts on service users' and care co-ordinators confidence to explore medication experience, and group-based training was valued. The programme was generally acceptable to service users and practitioners. This indicates the value of conducting a larger study and exploring application for non-medical decisions.

Unit soil loss rate from various construction sites during a storm.

PubMed

Maniquiz, Marla C; Lee, Soyoung; Lee, Eunju; Kong, Dong-Soo; Kim, Lee-Hyung

2009-01-01

The Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) opts to establish an ordinance having a standard specifying an allowable soil loss rate applicable to construction projects. The predicted amount of soil loss from a construction site exceeding the standard can be used to calculate the percent reduction necessary to comply with the ordinance. This research was conducted to provide a basis to establish a standard by investigating the unit soil loss rates in the three phases of development: pre-construction, active construction and post construction based from 1,036 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports within the six-year period (2000-2005). Based on the findings, several factors affect the magnitude of soil loss rates particularly storm characteristics, site slope, soil type, location from rivers, as well as the type of construction activity. In general, the unit soil loss rates during the active construction phase are extremely higher in comparison to undisturbed areas; in magnitude of 7 to 80 times larger in urban areas and 18 to 585 times in rural areas. Only between 20 to 40 percent of the soil loss rates was contributed at pre- and post- construction phases indicating that the active construction phase is the most important phase to control.

Spectroscopic studies (FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV-Visible), normal co-ordinate analysis, first-order hyperpolarizability and HOMO, LUMO studies of 3,4-dichlorobenzophenone by using Density Functional Methods.

PubMed

Venkata Prasad, K; Samatha, K; Jagadeeswara Rao, D; Santhamma, C; Muthu, S; Mark Heron, B

2015-01-01

The vibrational frequencies of 3,4-dichlorobenzophenone (DCLBP) were obtained from the FT-IR and Raman spectral data, and evaluated based on the Density Functional Theory using the standard method B3LYP with 6-311+G(d,p) as the basis set. On the basis of potential energy distribution together with the normal-co-ordinate analysis and following the scaled quantum mechanical force methodology, the assignments for the various frequencies were described. The values of the electric dipole moment (μ) and the first-order hyperpolarizability (β) of the molecule were computed. The UV-absorption spectrum was also recorded to study the electronic transitions. The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. The NBO analysis, to study the intramolecular hyperconjugative interactions, was carried out. Mulliken's net charges were evaluated. The MEP and thermodynamic properties were also calculated. The electron density-based local reactivity descriptor, such as Fukui functions, was calculated to explain the chemical selectivity or reactivity site in 3,4-dichlorobenzophenone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gaussian-based routines to impute categorical variables in health surveys.

PubMed

Yucel, Recai M; He, Yulei; Zaslavsky, Alan M

2011-12-20

The multivariate normal (MVN) distribution is arguably the most popular parametric model used in imputation and is available in most software packages (e.g., SAS PROC MI, R package norm). When it is applied to categorical variables as an approximation, practitioners often either apply simple rounding techniques for ordinal variables or create a distinct 'missing' category and/or disregard the nominal variable from the imputation phase. All of these practices can potentially lead to biased and/or uninterpretable inferences. In this work, we develop a new rounding methodology calibrated to preserve observed distributions to multiply impute missing categorical covariates. The major attractiveness of this method is its flexibility to use any 'working' imputation software, particularly those based on MVN, allowing practitioners to obtain usable imputations with small biases. A simulation study demonstrates the clear advantage of the proposed method in rounding ordinal variables and, in some scenarios, its plausibility in imputing nominal variables. We illustrate our methods on a widely used National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs where incomplete values on race posed a valid threat on inferences pertaining to disparities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Prediction of spectral acceleration response ordinates based on PGA attenuation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graizer, V.; Kalkan, E.

2009-01-01

Developed herein is a new peak ground acceleration (PGA)-based predictive model for 5% damped pseudospectral acceleration (SA) ordinates of free-field horizontal component of ground motion from shallow-crustal earthquakes. The predictive model of ground motion spectral shape (i.e., normalized spectrum) is generated as a continuous function of few parameters. The proposed model eliminates the classical exhausted matrix of estimator coefficients, and provides significant ease in its implementation. It is structured on the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database with a number of additions from recent Californian events including 2003 San Simeon and 2004 Parkfield earthquakes. A unique feature of the model is its new functional form explicitly integrating PGA as a scaling factor. The spectral shape model is parameterized within an approximation function using moment magnitude, closest distance to the fault (fault distance) and VS30 (average shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m) as independent variables. Mean values of its estimator coefficients were computed by fitting an approximation function to spectral shape of each record using robust nonlinear optimization. Proposed spectral shape model is independent of the PGA attenuation, allowing utilization of various PGA attenuation relations to estimate the response spectrum of earthquake recordings.

Effects of structure distortion on optical phonon properties of crystalline beta-BaTeMo{sub 2}O{sub 9}—A novel nonlinear optical material: Infrared and Raman spectra as well as first-principles calculations

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

Zhou, S. T.; Huang, Y.; Qiu, W. Y.

2013-12-21

The infrared dielectric property of monoclinic BaTeMo{sub 2}O{sub 9} single crystals is studied by polarized IR reflectance spectra from 20 to 1800 cm{sup −1}. Based on the modified Lorentz model, the frequencies, strengths, and dampings of TO modes as well as the orientations of the dipole momenta are determined, agreeing well with Raman spectra and results from First-principles calculation. The observed modes are visually assigned to the specific atoms' motions in the primitive cell based on the theory calculations. A large shift of the internal modes of the anion groups relative to free anion co-ordination polyhedra is observed, which can bemore » used to indicate the distortions of co-ordination polyhedra related to the nonlinear optical properties. Further, the experimental results of the strengths of the oscillators support the elimination and splitting of degenerate modes in free regular polyhedrons. These results offer a way to evaluate the nonlinear optical properties by use of traditional IR reflectivity spectra.« less

CSAF Reading List 2013

Science.gov Websites

"Imperial Wild Eagles" of Japan and in turn won immortality as the Flying Tigers. One of --one of the first postwar films out of Hollywood to treat the war on emotionally complex terms. Framed release. Read More... Ordinance Group Loading GBU-24B Ordinance Group Loading GBU-24B by Douglas Smith

Educating Leaders for Social Justice: The Case of Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liasidou, Anastasia; Svensson, Cathy

2014-01-01

In the light of policy imperatives to initiate and maintain inclusive education reforms, the role of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) in England and Wales should be reconceptualised with a view to their leading school reforms commensurate with the principles of an inclusive discourse. The article concentrates on the social justice…

Freddie Fish. A Primary Environmental Study of Basic Numerals, Sets, Ordinals and Shapes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraynak, Ola

This teacher's guide and study guide are an environmental approach to mathematics education in the primary grades. The mathematical studies of the numerals 0-10, ordinals, number sets, and basic shapes - diamond, circle, square, rectangle, and triangle - are developed through the story of Freddie Fish and his search for clean water. The…

Infants Use Different Mechanisms to Make Small and Large Number Ordinal Judgments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

vanMarle, Kristy

2013-01-01

Previous research has shown indirectly that infants may use two different mechanisms-an object tracking system and an analog magnitude mechanism--to represent small (less than 4) and large (greater than or equal to 4) numbers of objects, respectively. The current study directly tested this hypothesis in an ordinal choice task by presenting 10- to…

Communicating Risk with Parents: Exploring the Methods and Beliefs of Outdoor Education Coordinators in Victoria, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dallat, Clare

2009-01-01

This paper examines the risk communication strategies currently being employed by seven outdoor education co-ordinators in Government schools in Victoria, Australia. Of particular interest are the beliefs and assumptions held by these co-ordinators in relation to communicating risk with parents. Current policy stipulates that parents must be…

Evaluation of a weighted test in the analysis of ordinal gait scores in an additivity model for five OP pesticides.

EPA Science Inventory

Appropriate statistical analyses are critical for evaluating interactions of mixtures with a common mode of action, as is often the case for cumulative risk assessments. Our objective is to develop analyses for use when a response variable is ordinal, and to test for interaction...

The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church? New Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grey, Mary

2016-01-01

This article responds to the two articles by Sister Catherine Droste and Roy Bourgeois ("ISCE" Vol 7. No. 1 2015) by putting the issue of the Ordination of Women into a wider ecclesial context. Building on Pope Francis's bringing Liberation Theology into central focus, seeking justice for the poorest and vulnerable people, the article…

Rate My Stake: Interpretation of Ordinal Stake Ratings

Treesearch

Patricia Lebow; Grant Kirker

2014-01-01

Ordinal rating systems are commonly employed to evaluate biodeterioration of wood exposed outdoors over long periods of time. The purpose of these ratings is to compare the durability of test systems to nondurable wood products or known durable wood products. There are many reasons why these systems have evolved as the chosen method of evaluation, including having an...

The Music Co-ordinator in the Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Button, Stuart; Potter, Allison

2006-01-01

This article reports on the results of a study which investigated teachers' and head teachers' perceptions of the role of the music co-ordinator in the primary school, and provides insight into how the role might be made more effective. The teachers participating in this project were chosen from twenty primary schools from one local educational…

77 FR 10547 - Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas-First Amended Beer and Liquor Tax Ordinance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-22

... which a person licensed to sell alcoholic beverages under this ordinance carries on such business, and... licensed premises, outlet or liquor outlet. Moreover, where a Licensee's business is carried on as part of... a person of good moral character; (b) That applicant has never been convicted of violating any of...

Sexual and intimacy health of Roman Catholic priests.

PubMed

McDevitt, Patrick J

2012-01-01

This study explores the sexual experiences and sexual health of Roman Catholic priests. The qualitative research design looked at priests' responses to the question, "Please share one or more sexual experiences in your lifetime." The qualitative responses were analyzed and categorized into seven groupings: (a) Childhood and adolescent homosexual experiences; (b) Childhood and adolescent heterosexual experiences; (c) Both homosexual and heterosexual childhood and adolescent experiences; (d) Adult sexual experiences before ordination to the priesthood; (e) Adult sexual experiences since ordination to the priesthood; (f) Masturbation; and (g) Other sexual experiences. The data were analyzed by frequency of responses and percentages within each of the seven categories. The results indicate the need for early intervention and education during seminary, ongoing education after ordination, and psychotherapy support for priests.

Gender discrimination may be worse than you think: testing ordinal interactions in power research.

PubMed

Elias, Steven M; Cropanzano, Russell

2006-04-01

The authors reanalyze the data of a study by S. M. Elias and R. J. Loomis (2004), which aimed to determine how an instructor's gender may influence his or her ability to gain student compliance. S. M. Elias and R. J. Loomis observed few significant gender effects using traditional multivariate analyses of variance. The authors reanalyze this data using the more appropriate statistical techniques for detecting ordinal interactions recommended by M. J. Strube and P. Bobko (1989) and S. M. Elias (2004). An ordinal interaction occurs when 1 cell of a 2 x 2 design is responsible for a significant interaction (e.g., female instructors suffering only when rated by male students). Reanalysis of the data resulted in more robust findings.

Building emotional resilience over 14 sessions of emotion focused therapy: Micro-longitudinal analyses of productive emotional patterns.

PubMed

Pascual-Leone, A; Yeryomenko, N; Sawashima, T; Warwar, S

2017-05-04

Pascual-Leone and Greenberg's sequential model of emotional processing has been used to explore process in over 24 studies. This line of research shows emotional processing in good psychotherapy often follows a sequential order, supporting a saw-toothed pattern of change within individual sessions (progressing "2-steps-forward, 1-step-back"). However, one cannot assume that local in-session patterns are scalable across an entire course of therapy. Thus, the primary objective of this exploratory study was to consider how the sequential patterns identified by Pascual-Leone, may apply across entire courses of treatment. Intensive emotion coding in two separate single-case designs were submitted for quantitative analyses of longitudinal patterns. Comprehensive coding in these cases involved recording observations for every emotional event in an entire course of treatment (using the Classification of Affective-Meaning States), which were then treated as a 9-point ordinal scale. Applying multilevel modeling to each of the two cases showed significant patterns of change over a large number of sessions, and those patterns were either nested at the within-session level or observed at the broader session-by-session level of change. Examining successful treatment cases showed several theoretically coherent kinds of temporal patterns, although not always in the same case. Clinical or methodological significance of this article: This is the first paper to demonstrate systematic temporal patterns of emotion over the course of an entire treatment. (1) The study offers a proof of concept that longitudinal patterns in the micro-processes of emotion can be objectively derived and quantified. (2) It also shows that patterns in emotion may be identified on the within-session level, as well as the session-by-session level of analysis. (3) Finally, observed processes over time support the ordered pattern of emotional states hypothesized in Pascual-Leone and Greenberg's ( 2007 ) model of emotional processing.

Plant traits and decomposition: are the relationships for roots comparable to those for leaves?

PubMed Central

Birouste, Marine; Kazakou, Elena; Blanchard, Alain; Roumet, Catherine

2012-01-01

Background and Aims Fine root decomposition is an important determinant of nutrient and carbon cycling in grasslands; however, little is known about the factors controlling root decomposition among species. Our aim was to investigate whether interspecific variation in the potential decomposition rate of fine roots could be accounted for by root chemical and morphological traits, life history and taxonomic affiliation. We also investigated the co-ordinated variation in root and leaf traits and potential decomposition rates. Methods We analysed potential decomposition rates and the chemical and morphological traits of fine roots on 18 Mediterranean herbaceous species grown in controlled conditions. The results were compared with those obtained for leaves in a previous study conducted on similar species. Key Results Differences in the potential decomposition rates of fine roots between species were accounted for by root chemical composition, but not by morphological traits. The root potential decomposition rate varied with taxonomy, but not with life history. Poaceae, with high cellulose concentration and low concentrations of soluble compounds and phosphorus, decomposed more slowly than Asteraceae and Fabaceae. Patterns of root traits, including decomposition rate, mirrored those of leaf traits, resulting in a similar species clustering. Conclusions The highly co-ordinated variation of roots and leaves in terms of traits and potential decomposition rate suggests that changes in the functional composition of communities in response to anthropogenic changes will strongly affect biogeochemical cycles at the ecosystem level. PMID:22143881

Investigating local policy drivers for alcohol harm prevention: a comparative case study of two local authorities in England.

PubMed

Mooney, John D; Holmes, John; Gavens, Lucy; de Vocht, Frank; Hickman, Matt; Lock, Karen; Brennan, Alan

2017-10-18

The considerable challenges associated with implementing national level alcohol policies have encouraged a renewed focus on the prospects for local-level policies in the UK and elsewhere. We adopted a case study approach to identify the major characteristics and drivers of differences in the patterns of local alcohol policies and services in two contrasting local authority (LA) areas in England. Data were collected via thirteen semi-structured interviews with key informants (including public health, licensing and trading standards) and documentary analysis, including harm reduction strategies and statements of licensing policy. A two-stage thematic analysis was used to categorize all relevant statements into seven over-arching themes, by which document sources were then also analysed. Three of the seven over-arching themes (drink environment, treatment services and barriers and facilitators), provided for the most explanatory detail informing the contrasting policy responses of the two LAs: LA1 pursued a risk-informed strategy via a specialist police team working proactively with problem premises and screening systematically to identify riskier drinking. LA2 adopted a more upstream regulatory approach around restrictions on availability with less emphasis on co-ordinated screening and treatment measures. New powers over alcohol policy for LAs in England can produce markedly different policies for reducing alcohol-related harm. These difference are rooted in economic, opportunistic, organisational and personnel factors particular to the LAs themselves and may lead to closely tailored solutions in some policy areas and poorer co-ordination and attention in others.

'Children and obesity: a pan-European project examining the role of food marketing'.

PubMed

Matthews, Anne E

2008-02-01

Rising levels of obesity in school-age children across Europe are causing increasing concern. The 'Children, Obesity and associated avoidable Chronic Diseases' project sought to examine the effects of promotion within food marketing, given the influential role it plays in children's diets. A questionnaire and data-collection protocol was designed for the national co-ordinators, facilitating standardized responses. Co-ordinators collected data from within 20 European Union countries relating to food promotion to children. Results showed that unhealthy foods such as savoury snacks and confectionary were the most commonly marketed and consumed by children across all countries. Television was found to be the prime promotional medium, with in-school and internet marketing seen as growth areas. Media literacy programmes designed specifically to counterbalance the effects of food marketing to children were reported by only a few of the 20 countries. An ineffective and incoherent pattern of regulation was observed across the countries as few governments imposed tough restrictions with most preferring to persuade industry to voluntarily act with responsibly. Most health, consumer and public interest groups supported food marketing restrictions whilst industry and media groups advocated self-regulation. Recommendations include the amendment of the European Union's Television Without Frontiers Directive to ban all TV advertising of unhealthy food to children, the adoption of a commonly agreed European Union definition of an 'unhealthy' food, and the establishment of a mechanism for pan-European monitoring of the nature and extent of food marketing to children and its regulation.

Soil seed bank in different habitats of the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

PubMed

Gomaa, Nasr H

2012-04-01

The floristic composition and species diversity of the germinable soil seed bank were studied in three different habitats (desert salinized land, desert wadi, and reclaimed land) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Moreover, the degree of similarity between the seed bank and the above-ground vegetation was determined. The seed bank was studied in 40 stands representing the three habitats. Ten soil samples (each 25 × 20 cm and 5 cm depth) were randomly taken per stand. The seed bank was investigated by the seedling emergence method. Some 61 species belonging to 21 families and 54 genera were identified in the germinable seed bank. The recorded species include 43 annuals and 18 perennials. Ordination of stands by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) indicates that the stands of the three habitats are markedly distinguishable and show a clear pattern of segregation on the ordination planes. This indicates variations in the species composition among habitats. The results also demonstrate significant associations between the floristic composition of the seed bank and edaphic factors such as CaCO3, electrical conductivity, organic carbon and soil texture. The reclaimed land has the highest values of species richness, Shannon-index of diversity and the density of the germinable seed bank followed by the habitats of desert wadi and desert salinized land. Motyka's similarity index between the seed bank and the above-ground vegetation is significantly higher in reclaimed land (75.1%) compared to desert wadi (38.4%) and desert salinized land (36.5%).

Influence of matrix type on tree community assemblages along tropical dry forest edges.

PubMed

Benítez-Malvido, Julieta; Gallardo-Vásquez, Julio César; Alvarez-Añorve, Mariana Y; Avila-Cabadilla, Luis Daniel

2014-05-01

• Anthropogenic habitat edges have strong negative consequences for the functioning of tropical ecosystems. However, edge effects on tropical dry forest tree communities have been barely documented.• In Chamela, Mexico, we investigated the phylogenetic composition and structure of tree assemblages (≥5 cm dbh) along edges abutting different matrices: (1) disturbed vegetation with cattle, (2) pastures with cattle and, (3) pastures without cattle. Additionally, we sampled preserved forest interiors.• All edge types exhibited similar tree density, basal area and diversity to interior forests, but differed in species composition. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination showed that the presence of cattle influenced species composition more strongly than the vegetation structure of the matrix; tree assemblages abutting matrices with cattle had lower scores in the ordination. The phylogenetic composition of tree assemblages followed the same pattern. The principal plant families and genera were associated according to disturbance regimes as follows: pastures and disturbed vegetation (1) with cattle and (2) without cattle, and (3) pastures without cattle and interior forests. All habitats showed random phylogenetic structures, suggesting that tree communities are assembled mainly by stochastic processes. Long-lived species persisting after edge creation could have important implications in the phylogenetic structure of tree assemblages.• Edge creation exerts a stronger influence on TDF vegetation pathways than previously documented, leading to new ecological communities. Phylogenetic analysis may, however, be needed to detect such changes. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

A pedigree-based proxy measure of genetic predisposition of drinking and alcohol use among female sex workers in China: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Zhang, Chen; Li, Xiaoming; Liu, Yu; Qiao, Shan; Su, Shaobing; Zhang, Liying; Zhou, Yuejiao

2017-02-01

Scientific evidence has suggested that genetic factors accounted for more than half of the vulnerability of developing alcohol use problems. However, collecting genetic data poses a significant challenge for most population-based behavioral studies. The aim of this study was to assess the utilities of a pedigree-based proxy measure of genetic predisposition of drinking (GPD) and its effect on alcohol use behaviors as well as its interactions with personal and environmental factors. In the current study, cross-sectional data were collected from 700 female sex workers (FSW) in Guangxi, China. Participants provided information on a pedigree-based proxy measure of GPD and their alcohol use behaviors. Chi-square and independent t-test was applied for examining the bivariate associations between GPD and alcohol use behaviors; multivariate and ordinal regression models were used to examine the effect of GPD on alcohol use. This study found that women with a higher composite score of GPD tended to have a higher risk of alcohol use problem compared to their counterparts (p < .05). GPD was a significant predictor of alcohol use problems (p < .05), especially among women who had mental health issues or lack of health cares. The pedigree-based measure provided a useful proxy of GPD among participants. Both FSW's mental health and health care access interact with GPD and affect their drinking patterns. By understanding the genetic basis of alcohol use, we can develop scalable and efficacious interventions that will take into consideration the individual risk profile and environmental influences.

Linearized radiative transfer models for retrieval of cloud parameters from EPIC/DSCOVR measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina García, Víctor; Sasi, Sruthy; Efremenko, Dmitry S.; Doicu, Adrian; Loyola, Diego

2018-07-01

In this paper, we describe several linearized radiative transfer models which can be used for the retrieval of cloud parameters from EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) measurements. The approaches under examination are (1) the linearized forward approach, represented in this paper by the linearized discrete ordinate and matrix operator methods with matrix exponential, and (2) the forward-adjoint approach based on the discrete ordinate method with matrix exponential. To enhance the performance of the radiative transfer computations, the correlated k-distribution method and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique are used. We provide a compact description of the proposed methods, as well as a numerical analysis of their accuracy and efficiency when simulating EPIC measurements in the oxygen A-band channel at 764 nm. We found that the computation time of the forward-adjoint approach using the correlated k-distribution method in conjunction with PCA is approximately 13 s for simultaneously computing the derivatives with respect to cloud optical thickness and cloud top height.

What gets missed when deploying new technologies in A&E?

PubMed

Broome, C; Adams, A

2005-06-01

This paper presents a longitudinal study (over 4 months) of an A&E department where the existing whiteboards were replaced with PC-based computer systems. The study was conducted in two parts - an observation of the physical whiteboard usage and in-depth interviews with all users of both the traditional whiteboard usage and the replacement technology. The research was conducted with the systems manager and all whiteboard users (i.e. nursing management, nurses, doctors, porters, and agency staff) across a spread of time frames. Although the technology supported simple information requirements, complex co-ordination, collaboration, and awareness issues were left unsupported. The important role of a pen-holder (information co-ordinator) was poorly supported by the replacement technology as was the task of annotating information with changing situations and needs. Specific deployment issues are derived from these findings that should guide designers when implementing technology replacements for current physical information formats (e.g. whiteboards, notice boards, shared paper notes).

A Method for Optimal Load Dispatch of a Multi-zone Power System with Zonal Exchange Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazarika, Durlav; Das, Ranjay

2018-04-01

This paper presented a method for economic generation scheduling of a multi-zone power system having inter zonal operational constraints. For this purpose, the generator rescheduling for a multi area power system having inter zonal operational constraints has been represented as a two step optimal generation scheduling problem. At first, the optimal generation scheduling has been carried out for the zone having surplus or deficient generation with proper spinning reserve using co-ordination equation. The power exchange required for the deficit zones and zones having no generation are estimated based on load demand and generation for the zone. The incremental transmission loss formulas for the transmission lines participating in the power transfer process among the zones are formulated. Using these, incremental transmission loss expression in co-ordination equation, the optimal generation scheduling for the zonal exchange has been determined. Simulation is carried out on IEEE 118 bus test system to examine the applicability and validity of the method.

[Between individuality and "evidence-based medicine"--the role of the general practitioner within the scope of disease management programs].

PubMed

Szecsenyi, Joachim; Schneider, Antonius

2003-06-01

In Germany, the change from the "traditional", experience-based general practitioner (GP) to the evidence-based practising co-ordinator may be accelerated by the introduction of disease management programmes. Here, we will discuss some tools that can help to meet this challenge. Also, a set of requirements will be defined that the health care system will have to provide in support of GPs. Maintaining the relationship between doctor and patient and also allowing for individual care on the basis of evidence-based medicine will remain a challenge.

Organ donation and transplantation within the Zulu culture.

PubMed

Bhengu, B R; Uys, H H M

2004-08-01

Greater knowledge and technological advancement in the field of transplantation has increased the demand for organ donation beyond the supply of organs, especially among the black communities. This imbalance arises from the few sources of organs, limitations on the techniques of organ retrieval, disparities in the allocation of organs and socio-cultural factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which Zulu cultural norms and social structures influence an individual's decision to donate an organ or to undergo transplantation. A qualitative approach using an ethno-nursing method was selected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a transplant co-ordinator representing the professional sector, with traditional healers and religious leaders representing the folk sector, and with the general public representing the popular sector of the health care system. Both urban and rural settings were used. Conclusions arrived at showed that knowledge was lacking among Zulu speaking people about organ donation and transplantation and misconceptions about the topic were related to Zulu life patterns, beliefs about death, burial and life hereafter, and values and social structures. Recommendations with regard to the promotion of organ donation and transplantation among Zulu speaking people were made based on culture-sensitive and culture-congruent principles.

Profiles of Food Security for US Farmworker Households and Factors Related to Dynamic of Change.

PubMed

Ip, Edward H; Saldana, Santiago; Arcury, Thomas A; Grzywacz, Joseph G; Trejo, Grisel; Quandt, Sara A

2015-10-01

We recruited 248 farmworker families with preschool-aged children in North Carolina and examined food security indicators over 24 months to identify food security patterns and examine the dynamic of change over time. Participants in the Niños Sanos study, conducted 2011 to 2014, completed quarterly food security assessments. Based on responses to items in the US Household Food Security Survey Module, we identified different states of food security by using hidden Markov model analysis, and examined factors associated with different states. We delineated factors associated with changes in state by using mixed-effect ordinal logistic regression. About half of the households (51%) consistently stayed in the most food-secure state. The least food-secure state was transient, with only 29% probability of this state for 2 consecutive quarters. Seasonal (vs migrant) work status, having immigration documents (vs not documented), and season predicted higher levels of food security. Heterogeneity in food security among farmworker households calls for tailoring intervention strategies. The transiency and unpredictability of low food security suggest that access to safety-net programs could reduce low food security risk in this population.

Profiles of Food Security for US Farmworker Households and Factors Related to Dynamic of Change

PubMed Central

Saldana, Santiago; Arcury, Thomas A.; Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Trejo, Grisel; Quandt, Sara A.

2015-01-01

Objectives. We recruited 248 farmworker families with preschool-aged children in North Carolina and examined food security indicators over 24 months to identify food security patterns and examine the dynamic of change over time. Methods. Participants in the Niños Sanos study, conducted 2011 to 2014, completed quarterly food security assessments. Based on responses to items in the US Household Food Security Survey Module, we identified different states of food security by using hidden Markov model analysis, and examined factors associated with different states. We delineated factors associated with changes in state by using mixed-effect ordinal logistic regression. Results. About half of the households (51%) consistently stayed in the most food-secure state. The least food-secure state was transient, with only 29% probability of this state for 2 consecutive quarters. Seasonal (vs migrant) work status, having immigration documents (vs not documented), and season predicted higher levels of food security. Conclusions. Heterogeneity in food security among farmworker households calls for tailoring intervention strategies. The transiency and unpredictability of low food security suggest that access to safety-net programs could reduce low food security risk in this population. PMID:26270304

Characterizing system dynamics with a weighted and directed network constructed from time series data

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

Sun, Xiaoran, E-mail: sxr0806@gmail.com; School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009; Small, Michael, E-mail: michael.small@uwa.edu.au

In this work, we propose a novel method to transform a time series into a weighted and directed network. For a given time series, we first generate a set of segments via a sliding window, and then use a doubly symbolic scheme to characterize every windowed segment by combining absolute amplitude information with an ordinal pattern characterization. Based on this construction, a network can be directly constructed from the given time series: segments corresponding to different symbol-pairs are mapped to network nodes and the temporal succession between nodes is represented by directed links. With this conversion, dynamics underlying the timemore » series has been encoded into the network structure. We illustrate the potential of our networks with a well-studied dynamical model as a benchmark example. Results show that network measures for characterizing global properties can detect the dynamical transitions in the underlying system. Moreover, we employ a random walk algorithm to sample loops in our networks, and find that time series with different dynamics exhibits distinct cycle structure. That is, the relative prevalence of loops with different lengths can be used to identify the underlying dynamics.« less

Characteristics of Community Newspaper Coverage of Tobacco Control and Its Relationship to the Passage of Tobacco Ordinances.

PubMed

Eckler, Petya; Rodgers, Shelly; Everett, Kevin

2016-10-01

To answer the call for more systematic surveillance, analysis and evaluation of tobacco news coverage, a 6-year content analysis of newspaper stories from Missouri was conducted to evaluate the presence of public health facts and characteristics of stories framed for or against tobacco control. The method was a content analysis of all Missouri newspapers (N = 381) from September 2006 to November 2011 for a total sample of 4711. Results were connected to the larger, societal context within which newspaper stories reside, i.e., towns that passed or did not pass a smoke-free ordinance during the project intervention. Results showed the majority of news stories were about tobacco control, which were mostly written at the local level, were episodic, and carried a positive slant toward tobacco control. However, there were more negative than positive headlines, and more negative editorials than non-editorials. Tobacco control stories used fewer public health facts than non-tobacco control stories. Towns with existing smoke-free ordinances had more tobacco control stories, and towns without smoke-free ordinances had fewer tobacco control stories and more non-tobacco control stories, suggesting a connection between news media coverage and the passage of smoke-free policies. We conclude that the tobacco industry may have had success in impacting news stories in no-ordinance cities by diverting attention from tobacco control to secondary topics, such as youth smoking, which meant stories had fewer public health facts and fewer positive health benefits in towns that may have needed these details most.

Geographical Constraints Are Stronger than Invasion Patterns for European Urban Floras

PubMed Central

Ricotta, Carlo; Celesti-Grapow, Laura; Kühn, Ingolf; Rapson, Gillian; Pyšek, Petr; La Sorte, Frank A.; Thompson, Ken

2014-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms that affect invasion success of alien species is an important prerequisite for the effective management of present and future aliens. To gain insight into this matter we asked the following questions: Are the geographical patterns of species distributions in urban floras different for native compared with alien plant species? Does the introduction of alien species contribute to the homogenization of urban floras? We used a Mantel test on Jaccard dissimilarity matrices of 30 urban floras across the British Isles, Italy and central Europe to compare the spatial distribution of native species with four classes of alien species: archaeophytes, all neophytes, non-invasive neophytes, and invasive neophytes. Archaeophytes and neophytes are species that were introduced into Europe before and after 1500 AD, respectively. To analyze the homogenizing effect of alien species on the native urban floras, we tested for differences in the average dissimilarity of individual cities from their group centroid in ordination space. Our results show that the compositional patterns of native and alien species seem to respond to the same environmental drivers, such that all four classes of alien species were significantly related to native species across urban floras. In this framework, alien species may have an impact on biogeographic patterns of urban floras in ways that reflect their history of introduction and expansion: archaeophytes and invasive neophytes tended to homogenize, while non-invasive neophytes tended to differentiate urban floras. PMID:24465640

Oak Tree Preservation in Thousand Oaks, California

Treesearch

William F. Elmendorf

1991-01-01

The City of Thousand Oaks over the last 20 years has taken aggressive steps to preserve and protect the City's namesake, the oak tree. First adopted in 1972 as an Emergency City Council Proclamation, the City's Oak Tree Ordinance has been considered by some, to be one of the first and toughest municipal native tree preservation ordinances within the State of...

25 CFR 522.10 - Individually owned class II and class III gaming operations other than those operating on...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Individually owned class II and class III gaming... GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROVAL OF CLASS II AND CLASS III ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION OF GAMING ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION § 522.10 Individually owned class II and class III...

A New Statistic for Evaluating Item Response Theory Models for Ordinal Data. CRESST Report 839

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cai, Li; Monroe, Scott

2014-01-01

We propose a new limited-information goodness of fit test statistic C[subscript 2] for ordinal IRT models. The construction of the new statistic lies formally between the M[subscript 2] statistic of Maydeu-Olivares and Joe (2006), which utilizes first and second order marginal probabilities, and the M*[subscript 2] statistic of Cai and Hansen…

Shielding analyses: the rabbit vs the turtle?

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

Broadhead, B.L.

1996-12-31

This paper compares solutions using Monte Carlo and discrete- ordinates methods applied to two actual shielding situations in order to make some general observations concerning the efficiency and advantages/disadvantages of the two approaches. The discrete- ordinates solutions are performed using two-dimensional geometries, while the Monte Carlo approaches utilize three-dimensional geometries with both multigroup and point cross-section data.

Secondhand Tobacco Smoke and Municipal Smokefree Ordinances: Attitudes of Restaurant and Bar Owners and Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hays, Scott P.

2006-01-01

Understanding the attitudes of restaurant and bar owners and managers toward a smokefree city ordinance can contribute greatly to the success of a smokefree policy campaign. While local opposition to a smokefree policy always arises from restaurant and bar owners, this study of restaurant and bar owners and managers in two Midwestern cities…

Developmental Co-Ordination Disorder (DCD) in Adolescents and Adults in Further and Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Amanda; Sugden, David; Beveridge, Sally; Edwards, Lisa

2008-01-01

Few studies have looked at the strengths and weaknesses and needs of students with developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD). This paper describes a cohort of 93 UK students currently studying at further or higher education and who have reported motor difficulties present since childhood. The study group consisted of 21 reporting to have DCD…

Ordinal symbolic analysis and its application to biomedical recordings

PubMed Central

Amigó, José M.; Keller, Karsten; Unakafova, Valentina A.

2015-01-01

Ordinal symbolic analysis opens an interesting and powerful perspective on time-series analysis. Here, we review this relatively new approach and highlight its relation to symbolic dynamics and representations. Our exposition reaches from the general ideas up to recent developments, with special emphasis on its applications to biomedical recordings. The latter will be illustrated with epilepsy data. PMID:25548264

On Enactivism and Language: Towards a Methodology for Studying Talk in Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coles, Alf

2015-01-01

This article is an early step in the development of a methodological approach to the study of language deriving from an enactivist theoretical stance. Language is seen as a co-ordination of co-ordinations of action. Meaning and intention cannot easily be interpreted from the actions and words of others; instead, careful attention can be placed in…

Numerical Order Processing in Children: From Reversing the Distance-Effect to Predicting Arithmetic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Ian M.; Ansari, Daniel

2015-01-01

Recent work has demonstrated that how we process the relative order--ordinality--of numbers may be key to understanding how we represent numbers symbolically, and has proven to be a robust predictor of more sophisticated math skills in both children and adults. However, it remains unclear whether numerical ordinality is primarily a by-product of…

Ordinal Expressions in Japanese. Papers in Japanese Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backus, Robert L.

The varied forms and semantic factors of Japanese ordinal expressions are related to one another in a coherent system. In Japanese, the cardinal number form is a numeral compound in construction with a referent. The numeral compound consists of a number and a numeral adjunct. Numeral adjuncts are derived from bound forms, or numeral suffixes, and…

Perceived freedom in leisure and physical co-ordination ability: impact on out-of-school activity participation and life satisfaction.

PubMed

Poulsen, A A; Ziviani, J M; Cuskelly, M

2007-07-01

Perceived freedom in leisure (PFL) is explored as a potential mechanism mediating relationships between physical co-ordination ability and both global life satisfaction and leisure-time physical activity participation for boys with differing levels of physical co-ordination ability. Understanding psychological mechanisms contributing to low rates of participation in physical activities for boys with developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is a clinical and research priority with potential to inform clinical interventions and preventive health initiatives. Sixty boys aged 10-13 years with DCD and 113 boys without DCD completed self-report measures of PFL and life satisfaction. Seven-day leisure-time activity diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires were completed by parents. Lower self-appraisals of PFL and overall life satisfaction were found for boys with DCD compared with boys without DCD. PFL mediated relationships between physical ability and both life satisfaction and team sport participation. Perceived freedom in leisure, comprising self-appraisals of leisure needs satisfaction and competence, depth of involvement and perceived control over leisure outcomes, was a significant mechanism influencing leisure-time participation and life satisfaction for boys. The implications for effective intervention and preventive health programmes are discussed.

"Breaking Ground" in the Use of Social Media: A Case Study of a University Earthquake Response to Inform Educational Design with Facebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabner, Nicki

2012-01-01

On September 4 2010, a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region in the South Island of New Zealand. The response from the University of Canterbury was immediate and carefully co-ordinated, with the university's web-based environment and a responsive site developed on the social media platform "Facebook" becoming…

Comparing the Fit of Item Response Theory and Factor Analysis Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maydeu-Olivares, Alberto; Cai, Li; Hernandez, Adolfo

2011-01-01

Linear factor analysis (FA) models can be reliably tested using test statistics based on residual covariances. We show that the same statistics can be used to reliably test the fit of item response theory (IRT) models for ordinal data (under some conditions). Hence, the fit of an FA model and of an IRT model to the same data set can now be…

Metrics for determining hydrophytic vegetation in wetland delineation: a clarification on the prevalence index

Treesearch

Diane De Steven

2015-01-01

A recent publication and an article in Wetland Science & Practice (Lichvar and Gillrich 2014b, 2014a) discuss two metrics for determining if vegetation is hydrophytic for purposes of U.S. wetland delineations, the Prevalence Index (PI) and a proposed Hydrophytic Cover Index (HCI). Based on Wentworth et al. (1988), the PI is a weighted average of ordinal scores (1-5...

An Evaluation of the Precision of Measurement of Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales in a Population Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Rosemary A.; Ploubidis, George B.; Huppert, Felicia A.; Kuh, Diana; Croudace, Tim J.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the effective measurement range of Ryff's Psychological Well-being scales (PWB). It applies normal ogive item response theory (IRT) methodology using factor analysis procedures for ordinal data based on a limited information estimation approach. The data come from a sample of 1,179 women participating in a…

[Modern operations management in workflow operation. Spectrum of responsibilities and challenges for the future].

PubMed

Riedl, S

2002-02-01

The operating unit is one of the cost-intensive facilities in a surgical clinic with a pacemaking function for most of the internal procedures. The power of performance of the operating unit is based on the co-operation of all disciplines and professions involved. The key to management of the operating unit is not only to co-ordinate the daily procedures, but also to interact with support personnel. To ensure successful OR management, the internal structure of the OR must fit the clinical tasks and the available quantity of personnel in each profession must be co-ordinated. Sufficient utilization of resources and equipment must be guaranteed without cost-intensive over-capacities and patient flow must be orientated to OR capacities. The development of such a business structure requires the management to clearly define the goal, to know the actual on-site data in detail with regard to the idiosyncratic workings of each speciality and to clearly assign the competence of each member of the team working in the OR. Co-ordination of the operating unit is the main task of OR management, which must ensure the following: transparent and co-ordinated schedule management in the various operative specialities, goal-directed changes of the schedule with incorporation of emergencies, as well as effective organization of staff. In order to realize these tasks, it is reasonable to implement interdisciplinary rules of procedures. In addition, the assignment of a neutral decision-making body within the OR and the creation of an information center for all OR personnel. The challenge of OR organization in the future is to implement more effective documentation systems and active controlling within the OR. One can ensure adequate utilization of resources in the OR with prospectively oriented planning. Better transparence of operations in the OR contributes to increased efficiency. Implementation of quality management is the foundation for a successfully operating surgical hospital. Not only the productivity of individual members of the staff, but also the precise documentation of the quality of results will become important parameters in a successful surgical hospital, whose nucleus is the OR.

Radiative heat transfer in strongly forward scattering media using the discrete ordinates method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granate, Pedro; Coelho, Pedro J.; Roger, Maxime

2016-03-01

The discrete ordinates method (DOM) is widely used to solve the radiative transfer equation, often yielding satisfactory results. However, in the presence of strongly forward scattering media, this method does not generally conserve the scattering energy and the phase function asymmetry factor. Because of this, the normalization of the phase function has been proposed to guarantee that the scattering energy and the asymmetry factor are conserved. Various authors have used different normalization techniques. Three of these are compared in the present work, along with two other methods, one based on the finite volume method (FVM) and another one based on the spherical harmonics discrete ordinates method (SHDOM). In addition, the approximation of the Henyey-Greenstein phase function by a different one is investigated as an alternative to the phase function normalization. The approximate phase function is given by the sum of a Dirac delta function, which accounts for the forward scattering peak, and a smoother scaled phase function. In this study, these techniques are applied to three scalar radiative transfer test cases, namely a three-dimensional cubic domain with a purely scattering medium, an axisymmetric cylindrical enclosure containing an emitting-absorbing-scattering medium, and a three-dimensional transient problem with collimated irradiation. The present results show that accurate predictions are achieved for strongly forward scattering media when the phase function is normalized in such a way that both the scattered energy and the phase function asymmetry factor are conserved. The normalization of the phase function may be avoided using the FVM or the SHDOM to evaluate the in-scattering term of the radiative transfer equation. Both methods yield results whose accuracy is similar to that obtained using the DOM along with normalization of the phase function. Very satisfactory predictions were also achieved using the delta-M phase function, while the delta-Eddington phase function and the transport approximation may perform poorly.

Mapping of the DLQI scores to EQ-5D utility values using ordinal logistic regression.

PubMed

Ali, Faraz Mahmood; Kay, Richard; Finlay, Andrew Y; Piguet, Vincent; Kupfer, Joerg; Dalgard, Florence; Salek, M Sam

2017-11-01

The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) are separate measures that may be used to gather health-related quality of life (HRQoL) information from patients. The EQ-5D is a generic measure from which health utility estimates can be derived, whereas the DLQI is a specialty-specific measure to assess HRQoL. To reduce the burden of multiple measures being administered and to enable a more disease-specific calculation of health utility estimates, we explored an established mathematical technique known as ordinal logistic regression (OLR) to develop an appropriate model to map DLQI data to EQ-5D-based health utility estimates. Retrospective data from 4010 patients were randomly divided five times into two groups for the derivation and testing of the mapping model. Split-half cross-validation was utilized resulting in a total of ten ordinal logistic regression models for each of the five EQ-5D dimensions against age, sex, and all ten items of the DLQI. Using Monte Carlo simulation, predicted health utility estimates were derived and compared against those observed. This method was repeated for both OLR and a previously tested mapping methodology based on linear regression. The model was shown to be highly predictive and its repeated fitting demonstrated a stable model using OLR as well as linear regression. The mean differences between OLR-predicted health utility estimates and observed health utility estimates ranged from 0.0024 to 0.0239 across the ten modeling exercises, with an average overall difference of 0.0120 (a 1.6% underestimate, not of clinical importance). This modeling framework developed in this study will enable researchers to calculate EQ-5D health utility estimates from a specialty-specific study population, reducing patient and economic burden.

Proposal for a new categorization of aseptic processing facilities based on risk assessment scores.

PubMed

Katayama, Hirohito; Toda, Atsushi; Tokunaga, Yuji; Katoh, Shigeo

2008-01-01

Risk assessment of aseptic processing facilities was performed using two published risk assessment tools. Calculated risk scores were compared with experimental test results, including environmental monitoring and media fill run results, in three different types of facilities. The two risk assessment tools used gave a generally similar outcome. However, depending on the tool used, variations were observed in the relative scores between the facilities. For the facility yielding the lowest risk scores, the corresponding experimental test results showed no contamination, indicating that these ordinal testing methods are insufficient to evaluate this kind of facility. A conventional facility having acceptable aseptic processing lines gave relatively high risk scores. The facility showing a rather high risk score demonstrated the usefulness of conventional microbiological test methods. Considering the significant gaps observed in calculated risk scores and in the ordinal microbiological test results between advanced and conventional facilities, we propose a facility categorization based on risk assessment. The most important risk factor in aseptic processing is human intervention. When human intervention is eliminated from the process by advanced hardware design, the aseptic processing facility can be classified into a new risk category that is better suited for assuring sterility based on a new set of criteria rather than on currently used microbiological analysis. To fully benefit from advanced technologies, we propose three risk categories for these aseptic facilities.

Changes in the Ability to Detect Ordinal Numerical Relationships between 9 and 11 Months of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suanda, Sumarga H.; Tompson, Whitney; Brannon, Elizabeth M.

2008-01-01

When are the precursors of ordinal numerical knowledge first evident in infancy? Brannon (2002) argued that by 11 months of age, infants possess the ability to appreciate the greater than and less than relations between numerical values but that this ability experiences a sudden onset between 9 and 11 months of age. Here we present 5 experiments…

The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church: Arguments for Teachers and Students in Catholic Schools to Consider--Part 2 the Case For

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourgeois, Roy

2015-01-01

Vatican authority is being challenged as Roman Catholic women act upon their vocations to the priesthood, receive ordination, and openly serve their faith communities. Since 2002--when seven women were ordained by male Roman Catholic bishops--190 women have been ordained to the priesthood, including a dozen women bishops. Vatican officials dismiss…

Fitting Proportional Odds Models to Educational Data in Ordinal Logistic Regression Using Stata, SAS and SPSS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xing

2008-01-01

The proportional odds (PO) model, which is also called cumulative odds model (Agresti, 1996, 2002 ; Armstrong & Sloan, 1989; Long, 1997, Long & Freese, 2006; McCullagh, 1980; McCullagh & Nelder, 1989; Powers & Xie, 2000; O'Connell, 2006), is one of the most commonly used models for the analysis of ordinal categorical data and comes from the class…

An Exploratory Study of Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators' Knowledge and Experience of Working with Children Who Have Sustained a Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Julia; Ball, Heather

2017-01-01

This research aimed to measure Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators' knowledge of the educational implications of acquired brain injury in children and young people and whether experience of working with pupils with a brain injury or additional training impacts upon this knowledge. Data was collected within one local authority in England using…

The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church: Arguments for Teachers and Students in Schools to Consider--Part 1 the Case Against

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Droste, Catherine Joseph

2015-01-01

Though the Catholic Church explicitly teaches that women cannot receive priestly ordination, opposition from within and outside the Church continues. The magisterium relies heavily upon the argument from Tradition, claiming that the action and teaching of Christ and his successors verify that he did not bestow upon the Church the power to ordain…

A Difference-In-Differences Study of the Effects of a New Abandoned Building Remediation Strategy on Safety

Treesearch

Michelle C. Kondo; Danya Keene; Bernadette C. Hohl; John M. MacDonald; Charles C. Branas

2015-01-01

Vacant and abandoned buildings pose significant challenges to the health and safety of communities. In 2011 the City of Philadelphia began enforcing a Doors and Windows Ordinance that required property owners of abandoned buildings to install working doors and windows in all structural openings or face significant fines. We tested the effects of the new ordinance on...

Collaborative research and action to control the geographic placement of outdoor advertising of alcohol and tobacco products in Chicago.

PubMed

Hackbarth, D P; Schnopp-Wyatt, D; Katz, D; Williams, J; Silvestri, B; Pfleger, M

2001-01-01

Community activists in Chicago believed their neighborhoods were being targeted by alcohol and tobacco outdoor advertisers, despite the Outdoor Advertising Association of America's voluntary code of principles, which claims to restrict the placement of ads for age-restricted products and prevent billboard saturation of urban neighborhoods. A research and action plan resulted from a 10-year collaborative partnership among Loyola University Chicago, the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ALAMC), and community activists from a predominately African American church, St. Sabina Parish. In 1997 Loyola University and ALAMC researchers conducted a cross-sectional prevalence survey of alcohol and tobacco outdoor advertising. Computer mapping was used to locate all 4,247 licensed billboards in Chicago that were within 500- and 1,000-foot radiuses of schools, parks, and playlots. A 50% sample of billboards was visually surveyed and coded for advertising content. The percentage of alcohol and tobacco billboards within the 500- and 1,000-foot zones ranged from 0% to 54%. African American and Hispanic neighborhoods were disproportionately targeted for outdoor advertising of alcohol and tobacco. Data were used to convince the Chicago City Council to pass one of the nation's toughest anti-alcohol and tobacco billboard ordinances, based on zoning rather than advertising content. The ordinance was challenged in court by advertisers. Recent Supreme Court rulings made enactment of local billboard ordinances problematic. Nevertheless, the research, which resulted in specific legislative action, demonstrated the importance of linkages among academic, practice, and grassroots community groups in working together to diminish one of the social causes of health disparities.

Multimodal observational assessment of quality and productivity benefits from the implementation of wireless technology for out of hours working

PubMed Central

Blakey, John D; Guy, Debbie; Simpson, Carl; Fearn, Andrew; Cannaby, Sharon; Wilson, Petra

2012-01-01

Objectives The authors investigated if a wireless system of call handling and task management for out of hours care could replace a standard pager-based system and improve markers of efficiency, patient safety and staff satisfaction. Design Prospective assessment using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including interviews with staff, a standard satisfaction questionnaire, independent observation, data extraction from work logs and incident reporting systems and analysis of hospital committee reports. Setting A large teaching hospital in the UK. Participants Hospital at night co-ordinators, clinical support workers and junior doctors handling approximately 10 000 tasks requested out of hours per month. Outcome measures Length of hospital stay, incidents reported, co-ordinator call logging activity, user satisfaction questionnaire, staff interviews. Results Users were more satisfied with the new system (satisfaction score 62/90 vs 82/90, p=0.0080). With the new system over 70 h/week of co-ordinator time was released, and there were fewer untoward incidents related to handover and medical response (OR=0.30, p=0.02). Broad clinical measures (cardiac arrest calls for peri-arrest situations and length of hospital stay) improved significantly in the areas covered by the new system. Conclusions The introduction of call handling software and mobile technology over a medical-grade wireless network improved staff satisfaction with the Hospital at Night system. Improvements in efficiency and information flow have been accompanied by a reduction in untoward incidents, length of stay and peri-arrest calls. PMID:22466035

Autonomic control of circulation in fish: a comparative view.

PubMed

Sandblom, Erik; Axelsson, Michael

2011-11-16

The autonomic nervous system has a central role in the control and co-ordination of the cardiovascular system in all vertebrates. In fish, which represent the largest and most diverse vertebrate group, the autonomic control of the circulation displays a vast variation with a number of interesting deviations from the typical vertebrate pattern. This diversity ranges from virtually no known nervous control of the circulation in hagfish, to a fully developed dual control from both cholinergic and adrenergic nerves in teleost, much resembling the situation found in other vertebrate groups. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of the autonomic nervous system in the control of the cardiovascular system in fish. We set out by providing an overview of the general trends and patterns in the major fish groups, and then a summary of how the autonomic nervous control is involved in normal daily activities such as barostatic control of blood pressure, as well as adjustments of the cardiovascular system during feeding and environmental hypoxia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Pattern of Indoor Smoking Restriction Law Transitions, 1970–2009: Laws Are Sticky

PubMed Central

Sanders-Jackson, Ashley; Gonzalez, Mariaelena; Zerbe, Brandon; Song, Anna V.

2013-01-01

Objectives. We examined the pattern of the passage of smoking laws across venues (government and private workplaces, restaurants, bars) and by strength (no law to 100% smoke-free). Methods. We conducted transition analyses of local and state smoking restrictions passed between 1970 and 2009, with data from the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Ordinance Database. Results. Each decade, more laws were enacted, from 18 passed in the 1970s to 3172 in the first decade of this century, when 91% of existing state laws were passed. Most laws passed took states and localities from no law to some level of smoking restriction, and most new local (77%; 5148/6648) and state (73%; 115/158) laws passed in the study period did not change strength. Conclusions. Because these laws are “sticky”—once a law has passed, strength of the law and venues covered do not change often—policymakers and advocates should focus on passing strong laws the first time, rather than settling for less comprehensive laws with the hope of improving them in the future. PMID:23763408

Occurrence of oral deformities in larval anurans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drake, D.L.; Altig, R.; Grace, J.B.; Walls, S.C.

2007-01-01

We quantified deformities in the marginal papillae, tooth rows, and jaw sheaths of tadpoles from 13 population samples representing three families and 11 sites in the southeastern United States. Oral deformities were observed in all samples and in 13.5-98% of the specimens per sample. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid) infections were detected in three samples. There was high variability among samples in the pattern and number of discovered deformities. Pairwise associations between oral structures containing deformities were nonrandom for several populations, especially those with B. dendrobatidis infections or high total numbers of deformities. Comparisons of deformities among samples using multivariate analyses revealed that tadpole samples grouped together by family. Analyses of ordination indicated that three variables, the number of deformities, the number of significant associations among deformity types within populations, and whether populations were infected with B. dendrobatidis, were significantly correlated with the pattern of deformities. Our data indicate that the incidence of oral deformities can be high in natural populations and that phylogeny and B. dendrobatidis infection exert a strong influence on the occurrence and type of oral deformities in tadpoles. ?? by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herperologists.

The Cladistic Basis for the Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) Measure Links Evolutionary Features to Environmental Gradients and Supports Broad Applications of Microbial Ecology’s “Phylogenetic Beta Diversity” Framework

PubMed Central

Faith, Daniel P.; Lozupone, Catherine A.; Nipperess, David; Knight, Rob

2009-01-01

The PD measure of phylogenetic diversity interprets branch lengths cladistically to make inferences about feature diversity. PD calculations extend conventional species-level ecological indices to the features level. The “phylogenetic beta diversity” framework developed by microbial ecologists calculates PD-dissimilarities between community localities. Interpretation of these PD-dissimilarities at the feature level explains the framework’s success in producing ordinations revealing environmental gradients. An example gradients space using PD-dissimilarities illustrates how evolutionary features form unimodal response patterns to gradients. This features model supports new application of existing species-level methods that are robust to unimodal responses, plus novel applications relating to climate change, commercial products discovery, and community assembly. PMID:20087461

Perceiving circular heading in noncanonical flow fields.

PubMed

Kim, N G; Fajen, B R; Turvey, M T

2000-02-01

Five experiments examined circular heading perception with optical flows that departed from the canonical form. Noncanonicity was achieved through nonrigidity of the environment (Experiments 1 and 2), oscillations of the point of observation (Experiment 3), and the bending of light (Experiments 4 and 5). In Experiments 1 and 2, perception was impaired more by nonrigidity of the ground plane than by nonrigidity of the medium. In Experiment 3, perception was unimpaired by noncanonical flows induced by the bounce and sway of observer locomotion. In Experiments 4 and 5, perception was not impaired when light paths were distorted by a spherical projection, but perception was impaired when they were distorted by a sine function. Results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that the information for perceiving heading is the ordinal pattern of optical flow.

The utility of DNA metabarcoding for studying the response of arthropod diversity and composition to land-use change in the tropics

PubMed Central

Beng, Kingsly Chuo; Tomlinson, Kyle W.; Shen, Xian Hui; Surget-Groba, Yann; Hughes, Alice C.; Corlett, Richard T.; Slik, J. W. Ferry

2016-01-01

Metabarcoding potentially offers a rapid and cheap method of monitoring biodiversity, but real-world applications are few. We investigated its utility in studying patterns of litter arthropod diversity and composition in the tropics. We collected litter arthropods from 35 matched forest-plantation sites across Xishuangbanna, southwestern China. A new primer combination and the MiSeq platform were used to amplify and sequence a wide variety of litter arthropods using simulated and real-world communities. Quality filtered reads were clustered into 3,624 MOTUs at ≥97% similarity and the taxonomy of each MOTU was predicted. We compared diversity and compositional differences between forests and plantations (rubber and tea) for all MOTUs and for eight arthropod groups. We obtained ~100% detection rate after in silico sequencing six mock communities with known arthropod composition. Ordination showed that rubber, tea and forest communities formed distinct clusters. α-diversity declined significantly between forests and adjacent plantations for more arthropod groups in rubber than tea, and diversity of order Orthoptera increased significantly in tea. Turnover was higher in forests than plantations, but patterns differed among groups. Metabarcoding is useful for quantifying diversity patterns of arthropods under different land-uses and the MiSeq platform is effective for arthropod metabarcoding in the tropics. PMID:27112993

In situ experimental assessment of lake whitefish development following a freshwater oil spill.

PubMed

Debruyn, Adrian M H; Wernick, Barbara G; Stefura, Corey; McDonald, Blair G; Rudolph, Barri-Lynn; Patterson, Luanne; Chapman, Peter M

2007-10-15

Wabamun Lake (Alberta, Canada) has been subject to ongoing contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from multiple sources for decades and in August 2005 was exposed to ca. 149 500 L of bunker C oil following a train derailment. We compared the pattern, frequency, and severity of deformity in larvae of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) incubated in situ in areas of Wabamun Lake exposed only to "background" PAH contamination and in areas additionally exposed to PAHs from the oil. All sites in the lake (including reference areas) showed incidences of deformity higher than are typically observed in laboratory studies. A small number of oil-exposed sites showed higher incidences of some teratogenic deformities and a tendency to exhibit deformities of higher severity than sites not exposed to oil. The frequency of moderate to severe deformities in 8 of 16 classes was correlated with PAH exposure. Nonmetric multivariate ordination of deformity data revealed a general pattern of increasing incidence and severity of several skeletal (lordosis, scoliosis) and craniofacial (ocular, jaw) deformities at sites with relatively high exposure to oil-derived PAHs. A simultaneous consideration of incidence, severity, and pattern of deformity enabled us to detect a consistent (overall approximately 5% above background) response to the oil despite high variability and high background deformity rates in this historically contaminated environment.