Development of the Attributed Dignity Scale.

PubMed

Jacelon, Cynthia S; Dixon, Jane; Knafl, Kathleen A

2009-07-01

A sequential, multi-method approach to instrument development beginning with concept analysis, followed by (a) item generation from qualitative data, (b) review of items by expert and lay person panels, (c) cognitive appraisal interviews, (d) pilot testing, and (e) evaluating construct validity was used to develop a measure of attributed dignity in older adults. The resulting positively scored, 23-item scale has three dimensions: Self-Value, Behavioral Respect-Self, and Behavioral Respect-Others. Item-total correlations in the pilot study ranged from 0.39 to 0.85. Correlations between the Attributed Dignity Scale (ADS) and both Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (0.17) and Crowne and Marlowe's Social Desirability Scale (0.36) were modest and in the expected direction, indicating attributed dignity is a related but independent concept. Next steps include testing the ADS with a larger sample to complete factor analysis, test-retest stability, and further study of the relationships between attributed dignity and other concepts.

Methods and Model Dependency of Extreme Event Attribution: The 2015 European Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauser, Mathias; Gudmundsson, Lukas; Orth, René; Jézéquel, Aglaé; Haustein, Karsten; Vautard, Robert; van Oldenborgh, Geert J.; Wilcox, Laura; Seneviratne, Sonia I.

2017-10-01

Science on the role of anthropogenic influence on extreme weather events, such as heatwaves or droughts, has evolved rapidly in the past years. The approach of "event attribution" compares the occurrence-probability of an event in the present, factual climate with its probability in a hypothetical, counterfactual climate without human-induced climate change. Several methods can be used for event attribution, based on climate model simulations and observations, and usually researchers only assess a subset of methods and data sources. Here, we explore the role of methodological choices for the attribution of the 2015 meteorological summer drought in Europe. We present contradicting conclusions on the relevance of human influence as a function of the chosen data source and event attribution methodology. Assessments using the maximum number of models and counterfactual climates with pre-industrial greenhouse gas concentrations point to an enhanced drought risk in Europe. However, other evaluations show contradictory evidence. These results highlight the need for a multi-model and multi-method framework in event attribution research, especially for events with a low signal-to-noise ratio and high model dependency such as regional droughts.

Absolute order-of-magnitude reasoning applied to a social multi-criteria evaluation framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afsordegan, A.; Sánchez, M.; Agell, N.; Aguado, J. C.; Gamboa, G.

2016-03-01

A social multi-criteria evaluation framework for solving a real-case problem of selecting a wind farm location in the regions of Urgell and Conca de Barberá in Catalonia (northeast of Spain) is studied. This paper applies a qualitative multi-criteria decision analysis approach based on linguistic labels assessment able to address uncertainty and deal with different levels of precision. This method is based on qualitative reasoning as an artificial intelligence technique for assessing and ranking multi-attribute alternatives with linguistic labels in order to handle uncertainty. This method is suitable for problems in the social framework such as energy planning which require the construction of a dialogue process among many social actors with high level of complexity and uncertainty. The method is compared with an existing approach, which has been applied previously in the wind farm location problem. This approach, consisting of an outranking method, is based on Condorcet's original method. The results obtained by both approaches are analysed and their performance in the selection of the wind farm location is compared in aggregation procedures. Although results show that both methods conduct to similar alternatives rankings, the study highlights both their advantages and drawbacks.

Quantifying the effect of interannual ocean variability on the attribution of extreme climate events to human influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Risser, Mark D.; Stone, Dáithí A.; Paciorek, Christopher J.; Wehner, Michael F.; Angélil, Oliver

2017-11-01

In recent years, the climate change research community has become highly interested in describing the anthropogenic influence on extreme weather events, commonly termed "event attribution." Limitations in the observational record and in computational resources motivate the use of uncoupled, atmosphere/land-only climate models with prescribed ocean conditions run over a short period, leading up to and including an event of interest. In this approach, large ensembles of high-resolution simulations can be generated under factual observed conditions and counterfactual conditions that might have been observed in the absence of human interference; these can be used to estimate the change in probability of the given event due to anthropogenic influence. However, using a prescribed ocean state ignores the possibility that estimates of attributable risk might be a function of the ocean state. Thus, the uncertainty in attributable risk is likely underestimated, implying an over-confidence in anthropogenic influence. In this work, we estimate the year-to-year variability in calculations of the anthropogenic contribution to extreme weather based on large ensembles of atmospheric model simulations. Our results both quantify the magnitude of year-to-year variability and categorize the degree to which conclusions of attributable risk are qualitatively affected. The methodology is illustrated by exploring extreme temperature and precipitation events for the northwest coast of South America and northern-central Siberia; we also provides results for regions around the globe. While it remains preferable to perform a full multi-year analysis, the results presented here can serve as an indication of where and when attribution researchers should be concerned about the use of atmosphere-only simulations.

Detecting Hotspot Information Using Multi-Attribute Based Topic Model

PubMed Central

Wang, Jing; Li, Li; Tan, Feng; Zhu, Ying; Feng, Weisi

2015-01-01

Microblogging as a kind of social network has become more and more important in our daily lives. Enormous amounts of information are produced and shared on a daily basis. Detecting hot topics in the mountains of information can help people get to the essential information more quickly. However, due to short and sparse features, a large number of meaningless tweets and other characteristics of microblogs, traditional topic detection methods are often ineffective in detecting hot topics. In this paper, we propose a new topic model named multi-attribute latent dirichlet allocation (MA-LDA), in which the time and hashtag attributes of microblogs are incorporated into LDA model. By introducing time attribute, MA-LDA model can decide whether a word should appear in hot topics or not. Meanwhile, compared with the traditional LDA model, applying hashtag attribute in MA-LDA model gives the core words an artificially high ranking in results meaning the expressiveness of outcomes can be improved. Empirical evaluations on real data sets demonstrate that our method is able to detect hot topics more accurately and efficiently compared with several baselines. Our method provides strong evidence of the importance of the temporal factor in extracting hot topics. PMID:26496635

Qualitative Differences in Real-Time Solution of Standardized Figural Analogies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiano, Diane J.; And Others

Performance on standardized figural analogy tests is considered highly predictive of academic success. While information-processing models of analogy solution attribute performance differences to quantitative differences in processing parameters, the problem-solving literature suggests that qualitative differences in problem representation and…

[A multi-measure analysis of the similarity, attraction, and compromise effects in multi-attribute decision making].

PubMed

Tsuzuki, Takashi; Matsui, Hiroshi; Kikuchi, Manabu

2012-12-01

In multi-attribute decision making, the similarity, attraction, and compromise effects warrant specific investigation as they cause violations of principles in rational choice. In order to investigate these three effects simultaneously, we assigned 145 undergraduates to three context effect conditions. We requested them to solve the same 20 hypothetical purchase problems, each of which had three alternatives described along two attributes. We measured their choices, confidence ratings, and response times. We found that manipulating the third alternative had significant context effects for choice proportions and confidence ratings in all three conditions. Furthermore, the attraction effect was the most prominent with regard to choice proportions. In the compromise effect condition, although the choice proportion of the third alternative was high, the confidence rating was low and the response time was long. These results indicate that the relationship between choice proportions and confidence ratings requires further theoretical investigation. They also suggest that a combination of experimental and modeling studies is imperative to reveal the mechanisms underlying the context effects in multi-attribute, multi-alternative decision making.

The use of plant community attributes to detect habitat quality in coastal environments

PubMed Central

Del Vecchio, Silvia; Slaviero, Antonio; Fantinato, Edy; Buffa, Gabriella

2016-01-01

The monitoring of biodiversity has mainly focused on the species level. However, researchers and land managers are making increasing use of complementary assessment tools that address higher levels of biological organization, i.e. communities, habitats and ecosystems. Recently, a variety of frameworks have been proposed for assessing the conservation status of communities or ecosystems. Among the various criteria proposed, all the protocols suggest considering (i) spatial aspects (range and area), and (ii) qualitative aspects of specific structures and functions. However, changes to ecological function are difficult to quantify and many protocols end up by using qualitative criteria. The aim of this work was to test the efficacy of some plant community attributes for the detection of vegetation quality in sand dune plant communities. We chose plant community attributes that either help to distinguish a habitat from others (diagnostic components) or play a significant role in habitat function and persistence over time. We used a diachronic approach by contrasting up-to-date vegetation data with data from previous studies carried out within the same areas. Changes in species composition were detected through detrended correspondence analyses (detrended correspondence analyses), Multi-Response Permutation Procedures and Indicator Species Analysis, while structural changes were analyzed by comparing species richness, total species cover, ecological groups of species and growth forms through null models. Ecological groups such as native focal species and aliens, and growth forms proved their efficacy in discriminating between habitat types and in describing their changes over time. The approach used in this study may provide an instrument for the assessment of plant community quality that can be applied to other coastal ecosystems. PMID:27255516

Delineating chalk sand distribution of Ekofisk formation using probabilistic neural network (PNN) and stepwise regression (SWR): Case study Danish North Sea field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haris, A.; Nafian, M.; Riyanto, A.

2017-07-01

Danish North Sea Fields consist of several formations (Ekofisk, Tor, and Cromer Knoll) that was started from the age of Paleocene to Miocene. In this study, the integration of seismic and well log data set is carried out to determine the chalk sand distribution in the Danish North Sea field. The integration of seismic and well log data set is performed by using the seismic inversion analysis and seismic multi-attribute. The seismic inversion algorithm, which is used to derive acoustic impedance (AI), is model-based technique. The derived AI is then used as external attributes for the input of multi-attribute analysis. Moreover, the multi-attribute analysis is used to generate the linear and non-linear transformation of among well log properties. In the case of the linear model, selected transformation is conducted by weighting step-wise linear regression (SWR), while for the non-linear model is performed by using probabilistic neural networks (PNN). The estimated porosity, which is resulted by PNN shows better suited to the well log data compared with the results of SWR. This result can be understood since PNN perform non-linear regression so that the relationship between the attribute data and predicted log data can be optimized. The distribution of chalk sand has been successfully identified and characterized by porosity value ranging from 23% up to 30%.

The importance of accurate muscle modelling for biomechanical analyses: a case study with a lizard skull

PubMed Central

Gröning, Flora; Jones, Marc E. H.; Curtis, Neil; Herrel, Anthony; O'Higgins, Paul; Evans, Susan E.; Fagan, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Computer-based simulation techniques such as multi-body dynamics analysis are becoming increasingly popular in the field of skull mechanics. Multi-body models can be used for studying the relationships between skull architecture, muscle morphology and feeding performance. However, to be confident in the modelling results, models need to be validated against experimental data, and the effects of uncertainties or inaccuracies in the chosen model attributes need to be assessed with sensitivity analyses. Here, we compare the bite forces predicted by a multi-body model of a lizard (Tupinambis merianae) with in vivo measurements, using anatomical data collected from the same specimen. This subject-specific model predicts bite forces that are very close to the in vivo measurements and also shows a consistent increase in bite force as the bite position is moved posteriorly on the jaw. However, the model is very sensitive to changes in muscle attributes such as fibre length, intrinsic muscle strength and force orientation, with bite force predictions varying considerably when these three variables are altered. We conclude that accurate muscle measurements are crucial to building realistic multi-body models and that subject-specific data should be used whenever possible. PMID:23614944

Comparing the High School English Curriculum in Turkey through Multi-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batdi, Veli

2017-01-01

This study aimed to compare the High School English Curriculum (HSEC) in accordance with Stufflebeam's context, input, process and product (CIPP) model through multi-analysis. The research includes both quantitative and qualitative aspects. A descriptive analysis was operated through Rasch Measurement Model; SPSS program for the quantitative…

Temporal Drivers of Liking Based on Functional Data Analysis and Non-Additive Models for Multi-Attribute Time-Intensity Data of Fruit Chews.

PubMed

Kuesten, Carla; Bi, Jian

2018-06-03

Conventional drivers of liking analysis was extended with a time dimension into temporal drivers of liking (TDOL) based on functional data analysis methodology and non-additive models for multiple-attribute time-intensity (MATI) data. The non-additive models, which consider both direct effects and interaction effects of attributes to consumer overall liking, include Choquet integral and fuzzy measure in the multi-criteria decision-making, and linear regression based on variance decomposition. Dynamics of TDOL, i.e., the derivatives of the relative importance functional curves were also explored. Well-established R packages 'fda', 'kappalab' and 'relaimpo' were used in the paper for developing TDOL. Applied use of these methods shows that the relative importance of MATI curves offers insights for understanding the temporal aspects of consumer liking for fruit chews.

Developing Access Control Model of Web OLAP over Trusted and Collaborative Data Warehouses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fugkeaw, Somchart; Mitrpanont, Jarernsri L.; Manpanpanich, Piyawit; Juntapremjitt, Sekpon

This paper proposes the design and development of Role- based Access Control (RBAC) model for the Single Sign-On (SSO) Web-OLAP query spanning over multiple data warehouses (DWs). The model is based on PKI Authentication and Privilege Management Infrastructure (PMI); it presents a binding model of RBAC authorization based on dimension privilege specified in attribute certificate (AC) and user identification. Particularly, the way of attribute mapping between DW user authentication and privilege of dimensional access is illustrated. In our approach, we apply the multi-agent system to automate flexible and effective management of user authentication, role delegation as well as system accountability. Finally, the paper culminates in the prototype system A-COLD (Access Control of web-OLAP over multiple DWs) that incorporates the OLAP features and authentication and authorization enforcement in the multi-user and multi-data warehouse environment.

Global Qualitative Flow-Path Modeling for Local State Determination in Simulation and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T. (Inventor); Fleming, Land D. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

For qualitative modeling and analysis, a general qualitative abstraction of power transmission variables (flow and effort) for elements of flow paths includes information on resistance, net flow, permissible directions of flow, and qualitative potential is discussed. Each type of component model has flow-related variables and an associated internal flow map, connected into an overall flow network of the system. For storage devices, the implicit power transfer to the environment is represented by "virtual" circuits that include an environmental junction. A heterogeneous aggregation method simplifies the path structure. A method determines global flow-path changes during dynamic simulation and analysis, and identifies corresponding local flow state changes that are effects of global configuration changes. Flow-path determination is triggered by any change in a flow-related device variable in a simulation or analysis. Components (path elements) that may be affected are identified, and flow-related attributes favoring flow in the two possible directions are collected for each of them. Next, flow-related attributes are determined for each affected path element, based on possibly conflicting indications of flow direction. Spurious qualitative ambiguities are minimized by using relative magnitudes and permissible directions of flow, and by favoring flow sources over effort sources when comparing flow tendencies. The results are output to local flow states of affected components.

A technique for evaluating black-footed ferret habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biggins, Dean E.; Miller, Brian J.; Hanebury, Louis R.; Oakleaf, Bob; Farmer, Adrian H.; Crete, Ron; Dood, Arnold

1993-01-01

In this paper, we provide a model and step-by-step procedures for rating a prairie dog (Cynomys sp.) complex for the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). An important factor in the model is an estimate of the number of black-footed ferret families a prairie dog complex can support for a year; thus, the procedures prescribe how to estimate the size of a prairie dog complex and the density of prairie dogs. Other attributes of the model are qualitative: arrangement of colonies, potential for plague and canine distemper, potential for prairie dog expansion, abundance of predators, future resource conflicts and ownership stability, and public and landowner attitudes about prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. Because of the qualitative attributes in the model, a team approach is recommended for ranking complexes of prairie dogs for black-footed ferret reintroduction.

Investigating the multi-causal and complex nature of the accident causal influence of construction project features.

PubMed

Manu, Patrick A; Ankrah, Nii A; Proverbs, David G; Suresh, Subashini

2012-09-01

Construction project features (CPFs) are organisational, physical and operational attributes that characterise construction projects. Although previous studies have examined the accident causal influence of CPFs, the multi-causal attribute of this causal phenomenon still remain elusive and thus requires further investigation. Aiming to shed light on this facet of the accident causal phenomenon of CPFs, this study examines relevant literature and crystallises the attained insight of the multi-causal attribute by a graphical model which is subsequently operationalised by a derived mathematical risk expression that offers a systematic approach for evaluating the potential of CPFs to cause harm and consequently their health and safety (H&S) risk implications. The graphical model and the risk expression put forth by the study thus advance current understanding of the accident causal phenomenon of CPFs and they present an opportunity for project participants to manage the H&S risk associated with CPFs from the early stages of project procurement. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimized planning methodologies of ASON implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Michael M.; Tamil, Lakshman S.

2005-02-01

Advanced network planning concerns effective network-resource allocation for dynamic and open business environment. Planning methodologies of ASON implementation based on qualitative analysis and mathematical modeling are presented in this paper. The methodology includes method of rationalizing technology and architecture, building network and nodal models, and developing dynamic programming for multi-period deployment. The multi-layered nodal architecture proposed here can accommodate various nodal configurations for a multi-plane optical network and the network modeling presented here computes the required network elements for optimizing resource allocation.

Advanced GPR imaging of sedimentary features: integrated attribute analysis applied to sand dunes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wenke; Forte, Emanuele; Fontolan, Giorgio; Pipan, Michele

2018-04-01

We evaluate the applicability and the effectiveness of integrated GPR attribute analysis to image the internal sedimentary features of the Piscinas Dunes, SW Sardinia, Italy. The main objective is to explore the limits of GPR techniques to study sediment-bodies geometry and to provide a non-invasive high-resolution characterization of the different subsurface domains of dune architecture. On such purpose, we exploit the high-quality Piscinas data-set to extract and test different attributes of the GPR trace. Composite displays of multi-attributes related to amplitude, frequency, similarity and textural features are displayed with overlays and RGB mixed models. A multi-attribute comparative analysis is used to characterize different radar facies to better understand the characteristics of internal reflection patterns. The results demonstrate that the proposed integrated GPR attribute analysis can provide enhanced information about the spatial distribution of sediment bodies, allowing an enhanced and more constrained data interpretation.

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

PubMed

Wang, Chao-Ming; Huang, Ching-Hua

2015-01-01

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

A cloud model based multi-attribute decision making approach for selection and evaluation of groundwater management schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Hongwei; Ren, Lixia; Chen, Yizhong; Tian, Peipei; Liu, Jia

2017-12-01

Due to the uncertainty (i.e., fuzziness, stochasticity and imprecision) existed simultaneously during the process for groundwater remediation, the accuracy of ranking results obtained by the traditional methods has been limited. This paper proposes a cloud model based multi-attribute decision making framework (CM-MADM) with Monte Carlo for the contaminated-groundwater remediation strategies selection. The cloud model is used to handle imprecise numerical quantities, which can describe the fuzziness and stochasticity of the information fully and precisely. In the proposed approach, the contaminated concentrations are aggregated via the backward cloud generator and the weights of attributes are calculated by employing the weight cloud module. A case study on the remedial alternative selection for a contaminated site suffering from a 1,1,1-trichloroethylene leakage problem in Shanghai, China is conducted to illustrate the efficiency and applicability of the developed approach. Totally, an attribute system which consists of ten attributes were used for evaluating each alternative through the developed method under uncertainty, including daily total pumping rate, total cost and cloud model based health risk. Results indicated that A14 was evaluated to be the most preferred alternative for the 5-year, A5 for the 10-year, A4 for the 15-year and A6 for the 20-year remediation.

Sustainable Urban Forestry Potential Based Quantitative And Qualitative Measurement Using Geospatial Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosli, A. Z.; Reba, M. N. M.; Roslan, N.; Room, M. H. M.

2014-02-01

In order to maintain the stability of natural ecosystems around urban areas, urban forestry will be the best initiative to maintain and control green space in our country. Integration between remote sensing (RS) and geospatial information system (GIS) serves as an effective tool for monitoring environmental changes and planning, managing and developing a sustainable urbanization. This paper aims to assess capability of the integration of RS and GIS to provide information for urban forest potential sites based on qualitative and quantitative by using priority parameter ranking in the new township of Nusajaya. SPOT image was used to provide high spatial accuracy while map of topography, landuse, soils group, hydrology, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and soil series data were applied to enhance the satellite image in detecting and locating present attributes and features on the ground. Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique provides structural and pair wise quantification and comparison elements and criteria for priority ranking for urban forestry purpose. Slope, soil texture, drainage, spatial area, availability of natural resource, and vicinity of urban area are criteria considered in this study. This study highlighted the priority ranking MCDM is cost effective tool for decision-making in urban forestry planning and landscaping.

A qualitative evaluation of the crucial attributes of contextual information necessary in EHR design to support patient-centered medical home care.

PubMed

Weir, Charlene R; Staggers, Nancy; Gibson, Bryan; Doing-Harris, Kristina; Barrus, Robyn; Dunlea, Robert

2015-04-16

Effective implementation of a Primary Care Medical Home model of care (PCMH) requires integration of patients' contextual information (physical, mental, social and financial status) into an easily retrievable information source for the healthcare team and clinical decision-making. This project explored clinicians' perceptions about important attributes of contextual information for clinical decision-making, how contextual information is expressed in CPRS clinical documentation as well as how clinicians in a highly computerized environment manage information flow related to these areas. A qualitative design using Cognitive Task Analyses and a modified Critical Incident Technique were used. The study was conducted in a large VA with a fully implemented EHR located in the western United States. Seventeen providers working in a PCMH model of care in Primary Care, Home Based Care and Geriatrics reported on a recent difficult transition requiring contextual information for decision-making. The transcribed interviews were qualitatively analyzed for thematic development related to contextual information using an iterative process and multiple reviewers with ATLAS@ti software. Six overarching themes emerged as attributes of contextual information: Informativeness, goal language, temporality, source attribution, retrieval effort, and information quality. These results indicate that specific attributes are needed to in order for contextual information to fully support clinical decision-making in a Medical Home care delivery environment. Improved EHR designs are needed for ease of contextual information access, displaying linkages across time and settings, and explicit linkages to both clinician and patient goals. Implications relevant to providers' information needs, team functioning and EHR design are discussed.

Recent advances in 3D SEM surface reconstruction.

PubMed

Tafti, Ahmad P; Kirkpatrick, Andrew B; Alavi, Zahrasadat; Owen, Heather A; Yu, Zeyun

2015-11-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM), as one of the most commonly used instruments in biology and material sciences, employs electrons instead of light to determine the surface properties of specimens. However, the SEM micrographs still remain 2D images. To effectively measure and visualize the surface attributes, we need to restore the 3D shape model from the SEM images. 3D surface reconstruction is a longstanding topic in microscopy vision as it offers quantitative and visual information for a variety of applications consisting medicine, pharmacology, chemistry, and mechanics. In this paper, we attempt to explain the expanding body of the work in this area, including a discussion of recent techniques and algorithms. With the present work, we also enhance the reliability, accuracy, and speed of 3D SEM surface reconstruction by designing and developing an optimized multi-view framework. We then consider several real-world experiments as well as synthetic data to examine the qualitative and quantitative attributes of our proposed framework. Furthermore, we present a taxonomy of 3D SEM surface reconstruction approaches and address several challenging issues as part of our future work. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Choice Rules and Accumulator Networks

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

This article presents a preference accumulation model that can be used to implement a number of different multi-attribute heuristic choice rules, including the lexicographic rule, the majority of confirming dimensions (tallying) rule and the equal weights rule. The proposed model differs from existing accumulators in terms of attribute representation: Leakage and competition, typically applied only to preference accumulation, are also assumed to be involved in processing attribute values. This allows the model to perform a range of sophisticated attribute-wise comparisons, including comparisons that compute relative rank. The ability of a preference accumulation model composed of leaky competitive networks to mimic symbolic models of heuristic choice suggests that these 2 approaches are not incompatible, and that a unitary cognitive model of preferential choice, based on insights from both these approaches, may be feasible. PMID:28670592

Exploring the impact of different multi-level measures of physician communities in patient-centric care networks on healthcare outcomes: A multi-level regression approach.

PubMed

Uddin, Shahadat

2016-02-04

A patient-centric care network can be defined as a network among a group of healthcare professionals who provide treatments to common patients. Various multi-level attributes of the members of this network have substantial influence to its perceived level of performance. In order to assess the impact different multi-level attributes of patient-centric care networks on healthcare outcomes, this study first captured patient-centric care networks for 85 hospitals using health insurance claim dataset. From these networks, this study then constructed physician collaboration networks based on the concept of patient-sharing network among physicians. A multi-level regression model was then developed to explore the impact of different attributes that are organised at two levels on hospitalisation cost and hospital length of stay. For Level-1 model, the average visit per physician significantly predicted both hospitalisation cost and hospital length of stay. The number of different physicians significantly predicted only the hospitalisation cost, which has significantly been moderated by age, gender and Comorbidity score of patients. All Level-1 findings showed significance variance across physician collaboration networks having different community structure and density. These findings could be utilised as a reflective measure by healthcare decision makers. Moreover, healthcare managers could consider them in developing effective healthcare environments.

Harvesting rockfall hazard evaluation parameters from Google Earth Street View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partsinevelos, Panagiotis; Agioutantis, Zacharias; Tripolitsiotis, Achilles; Steiakakis, Chrysanthos; Mertikas, Stelios

2015-04-01

Rockfall incidents along highways and railways prove extremely dangerous for properties, infrastructures and human lives. Several qualitative metrics such as the Rockfall Hazard Rating System (RHRS) and the Colorado Rockfall Hazard Rating System (CRHRS) have been established to estimate rockfall potential and provide risk maps in order to control and monitor rockfall incidents. The implementation of such metrics for efficient and reliable risk modeling require accurate knowledge of multi-parametric attributes such as the geological, geotechnical, topographic parameters of the study area. The Missouri Rockfall Hazard Rating System (MORH RS) identifies the most potentially problematic areas using digital video logging for the determination of parameters like slope height and angle, face irregularities, etc. This study aims to harvest in a semi-automated approach geometric and qualitative measures through open source platforms that may provide 3-dimensional views of the areas of interest. More specifically, the Street View platform from Google Maps, is hereby used to provide essential information that can be used towards 3-dimensional reconstruction of slopes along highways. The potential of image capturing along a programmable virtual route to provide the input data for photogrammetric processing is also evaluated. Moreover, qualitative characterization of the geological and geotechnical status, based on the Street View images, is performed. These attributes are then integrated to deliver a GIS-based rockfall hazard map. The 3-dimensional models are compared to actual photogrammetric measures in a rockfall prone area in Crete, Greece while in-situ geotechnical characterization is also used to compare and validate the hazard risk. This work is considered as the first step towards the exploitation of open source platforms to improve road safety and the development of an operational system where authorized agencies (i.e., civil protection) will be able to acquire near-real time hazard maps based on video images retrieved either by open source platforms, operational unmanned aerial vehicles, and/or simple video recordings from users. This work has been performed under the framework of the "Cooperation 2011" project ISTRIA (11_SYN_9_13989) funded from the Operational Program "Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship" (co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)) and managed by the Greek General Secretariat for Research and Technology.

The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) Level 3 Package: Qualitative Models, Version 1, Release 1.

PubMed

Chaouiya, Claudine; Keating, Sarah M; Berenguier, Duncan; Naldi, Aurélien; Thieffry, Denis; van Iersel, Martijn P; Le Novère, Nicolas; Helikar, Tomáš

2015-09-04

Quantitative methods for modelling biological networks require an in-depth knowledge of the biochemical reactions and their stoichiometric and kinetic parameters. In many practical cases, this knowledge is missing. This has led to the development of several qualitative modelling methods using information such as, for example, gene expression data coming from functional genomic experiments. The SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core specification does not provide a mechanism for explicitly encoding qualitative models, but it does provide a mechanism for SBML packages to extend the Core specification and add additional syntactical constructs. The SBML Qualitative Models package for SBML Level 3 adds features so that qualitative models can be directly and explicitly encoded. The approach taken in this package is essentially based on the definition of regulatory or influence graphs. The SBML Qualitative Models package defines the structure and syntax necessary to describe qualitative models that associate discrete levels of activities with entity pools and the transitions between states that describe the processes involved. This is particularly suited to logical models (Boolean or multi-valued) and some classes of Petri net models can be encoded with the approach.

Using Policy Attributes Theory to Examine Comprehensive School Reform Implementation in Two Title I Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Jean A.; Campbell, J. K.; Johnson, Dawn M.; Marx, Gina; Whitener, Mark

2013-01-01

Findings from a qualitative study of two Title I middle schools that were in their second year of implementing an externally developed Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) model are presented. Policy attributes theory was used as a framework for examining implementation. The theory argues fidelity of implementation of a CSR is strongest when it is…

A Decision-Making Method with Grey Multi-Source Heterogeneous Data and Its Application in Green Supplier Selection

PubMed Central

Dang, Yaoguo; Mao, Wenxin

2018-01-01

In view of the multi-attribute decision-making problem that the attribute values are grey multi-source heterogeneous data, a decision-making method based on kernel and greyness degree is proposed. The definitions of kernel and greyness degree of an extended grey number in a grey multi-source heterogeneous data sequence are given. On this basis, we construct the kernel vector and greyness degree vector of the sequence to whiten the multi-source heterogeneous information, then a grey relational bi-directional projection ranking method is presented. Considering the multi-attribute multi-level decision structure and the causalities between attributes in decision-making problem, the HG-DEMATEL method is proposed to determine the hierarchical attribute weights. A green supplier selection example is provided to demonstrate the rationality and validity of the proposed method. PMID:29510521

A Decision-Making Method with Grey Multi-Source Heterogeneous Data and Its Application in Green Supplier Selection.

PubMed

Sun, Huifang; Dang, Yaoguo; Mao, Wenxin

2018-03-03

In view of the multi-attribute decision-making problem that the attribute values are grey multi-source heterogeneous data, a decision-making method based on kernel and greyness degree is proposed. The definitions of kernel and greyness degree of an extended grey number in a grey multi-source heterogeneous data sequence are given. On this basis, we construct the kernel vector and greyness degree vector of the sequence to whiten the multi-source heterogeneous information, then a grey relational bi-directional projection ranking method is presented. Considering the multi-attribute multi-level decision structure and the causalities between attributes in decision-making problem, the HG-DEMATEL method is proposed to determine the hierarchical attribute weights. A green supplier selection example is provided to demonstrate the rationality and validity of the proposed method.

Pattern search in multi-structure data: a framework for the next-generation evidence-based medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukumar, Sreenivas R.; Ainsworth, Keela C.

2014-03-01

With the impetus towards personalized and evidence-based medicine, the need for a framework to analyze/interpret quantitative measurements (blood work, toxicology, etc.) with qualitative descriptions (specialist reports after reading images, bio-medical knowledgebase, etc.) to predict diagnostic risks is fast emerging. Addressing this need, we pose and answer the following questions: (i) How can we jointly analyze and explore measurement data in context with qualitative domain knowledge? (ii) How can we search and hypothesize patterns (not known apriori) from such multi-structure data? (iii) How can we build predictive models by integrating weakly-associated multi-relational multi-structure data? We propose a framework towards answering these questions. We describe a software solution that leverages hardware for scalable in-memory analytics and applies next-generation semantic query tools on medical data.

DLA Systems Modernization Methodology: Logical Analysis and Design Procedures

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-01

Information Requirement would have little meaning and thus would lose its value . 3 I3 I 1.1.3 INPUT PRODUCTS 3 1.1.3.1 Enterprise Model Objective List 1.1.3.2...at the same time, the attribute is said to be multi- valued . i For example, an E-R model may contain information on the languages an employee speaks...Relationship model is examined in detail to ensure that each data group contains attributes whose values are absolutely determined by their respective

Robust Sensitivity Analysis for Multi-Attribute Deterministic Hierarchical Value Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-03-01

such as weighted sum method, weighted 5 product method, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process ( AHP ). This research focuses on only weighted sum...different groups. They can be termed as deterministic, stochastic, or fuzzy multi-objective decision methods if they are classified according to the...weighted product model (WPM), and analytic hierarchy process ( AHP ). His method attempts to identify the most important criteria weight and the most

Using qualitative methods for attribute development for discrete choice experiments: issues and recommendations.

PubMed

Coast, Joanna; Al-Janabi, Hareth; Sutton, Eileen J; Horrocks, Susan A; Vosper, A Jane; Swancutt, Dawn R; Flynn, Terry N

2012-06-01

Attribute generation for discrete choice experiments (DCEs) is often poorly reported, and it is unclear whether this element of research is conducted rigorously. This paper explores issues associated with developing attributes for DCEs and contrasts different qualitative approaches. The paper draws on eight studies, four developed attributes for measures, and four developed attributes for more ad hoc policy questions. Issues that have become apparent through these studies include the following: the theoretical framework for random utility theory and the need for attributes that are neither too close to the latent construct nor too intrinsic to people's personality; the need to think about attribute development as a two-stage process involving conceptual development followed by refinement of language to convey the intended meaning; and the difficulty in resolving tensions inherent in the reductiveness of condensing complex and nuanced qualitative findings into precise terms. The comparison of alternative qualitative approaches suggests that the nature of data collection will depend both on the characteristics of the question (its sensitivity, for example) and the availability of existing qualitative information. An iterative, constant comparative approach to analysis is recommended. Finally, the paper provides a series of recommendations for improving the reporting of this element of DCE studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transient segregation behavior in Cd1-xZnxTe with low Zn content-A qualitative and quantitative analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neubert, M.; Jurisch, M.

2015-06-01

The paper analyzes experimental compositional profiles in Vertical Bridgman (VB, VGF) grown (Cd,Zn)Te crystals, found in the literature. The origin of the observed axial ZnTe-distribution profiles is attributed to dendritic growth after initial nucleation from supercooled melts. The analysis was done by utilizing a boundary layer model providing a very good approximation of the experimental data. Besides the discussion of the qualitative results also a quantitative analysis of the fitted model parameters is presented as far as it is possible by the utilized model.

A formulation of multidimensional growth models for the assessment and forecast of technology attributes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danner, Travis W.

Developing technology systems requires all manner of investment---engineering talent, prototypes, test facilities, and more. Even for simple design problems the investment can be substantial; for complex technology systems, the development costs can be staggering. The profitability of a corporation in a technology-driven industry is crucially dependent on maximizing the effectiveness of research and development investment. Decision-makers charged with allocation of this investment are forced to choose between the further evolution of existing technologies and the pursuit of revolutionary technologies. At risk on the one hand is excessive investment in an evolutionary technology which has only limited availability for further improvement. On the other hand, the pursuit of a revolutionary technology may mean abandoning momentum and the potential for substantial evolutionary improvement resulting from the years of accumulated knowledge. The informed answer to this question, evolutionary or revolutionary, requires knowledge of the expected rate of improvement and the potential a technology offers for further improvement. This research is dedicated to formulating the assessment and forecasting tools necessary to acquire this knowledge. The same physical laws and principles that enable the development and improvement of specific technologies also limit the ultimate capability of those technologies. Researchers have long used this concept as the foundation for modeling technological advancement through extrapolation by analogy to biological growth models. These models are employed to depict technology development as it asymptotically approaches limits established by the fundamental principles on which the technological approach is based. This has proven an effective and accurate approach to modeling and forecasting simple single-attribute technologies. With increased system complexity and the introduction of multiple system objectives, however, the usefulness of this modeling technique begins to diminish. With the introduction of multiple objectives, researchers often abandon technology growth models for scoring models and technology frontiers. While both approaches possess advantages over current growth models for the assessment of multi-objective technologies, each lacks a necessary dimension for comprehensive technology assessment. By collapsing multiple system metrics into a single, non-intuitive technology measure, scoring models provide a succinct framework for multi-objective technology assessment and forecasting. Yet, with no consideration of physical limits, scoring models provide no insight as to the feasibility of a particular combination of system capabilities. They only indicate that a given combination of system capabilities yields a particular score. Conversely, technology frontiers are constructed with the distinct objective of providing insight into the feasibility of system capability combinations. Yet again, upper limits to overall system performance are ignored. Furthermore, the data required to forecast subsequent technology frontiers is often inhibitive. In an attempt to reincorporate the fundamental nature of technology advancement as bound by physical principles, researchers have sought to normalize multi-objective systems whereby the variability of a single system objective is eliminated as a result of changes in the remaining objectives. This drastically limits the applicability of the resulting technology model because it is only applicable for a single setting of all other system attributes. Attempts to maintain the interaction between the growth curves of each technical objective of a complex system have thus far been limited to qualitative and subjective consideration. This research proposes the formulation of multidimensional growth models as an approach to simulating the advancement of multi-objective technologies towards their upper limits. Multidimensional growth models were formulated by noticing and exploiting the correlation between technology growth models and technology frontiers. Both are frontiers in actuality. The technology growth curve is a frontier between capability levels of a single attribute and time, while a technology frontier is a frontier between the capability levels of two or more attributes. Multidimensional growth models are formulated by exploiting the mathematical significance of this correlation. The result is a model that can capture both the interaction between multiple system attributes and their expected rates of improvement over time. The fundamental nature of technology development is maintained, and interdependent growth curves are generated for each system metric with minimal data requirements. Being founded on the basic nature of technology advancement, relative to physical limits, the availability for further improvement can be determined for a single metric relative to other system measures of merit. A by-product of this modeling approach is a single n-dimensional technology frontier linking all n system attributes with time. This provides an environment capable of forecasting future system capability in the form of advancing technology frontiers. The ability of a multidimensional growth model to capture the expected improvement of a specific technological approach is dependent on accurately identifying the physical limitations to each pertinent attribute. This research investigates two potential approaches to identifying those physical limits, a physics-based approach and a regression-based approach. The regression-based approach has found limited acceptance among forecasters, although it does show potential for estimating upper limits with a specified degree of uncertainty. Forecasters have long favored physics-based approaches for establishing the upper limit to unidimensional growth models. The task of accurately identifying upper limits has become increasingly difficult with the extension of growth models into multiple dimensions. A lone researcher may be able to identify the physical limitation to a single attribute of a simple system; however, as system complexity and the number of attributes increases, the attention of researchers from multiple fields of study is required. Thus, limit identification is itself an area of research and development requiring some level of investment. Whether estimated by physics or regression-based approaches, predicted limits will always have some degree of uncertainty. This research takes the approach of quantifying the impact of that uncertainty on model forecasts rather than heavily endorsing a single technique to limit identification. In addition to formulating the multidimensional growth model, this research provides a systematic procedure for applying that model to specific technology architectures. Researchers and decision-makers are able to investigate the potential for additional improvement within that technology architecture and to estimate the expected cost of each incremental improvement relative to the cost of past improvements. In this manner, multidimensional growth models provide the necessary information to set reasonable program goals for the further evolution of a particular technological approach or to establish the need for revolutionary approaches in light of the constraining limits of conventional approaches.

[Real-time detection of quality of Chinese materia medica: strategy of NIR model evaluation].

PubMed

Wu, Zhi-sheng; Shi, Xin-yuan; Xu, Bing; Dai, Xing-xing; Qiao, Yan-jiang

2015-07-01

The definition of critical quality attributes of Chinese materia medica ( CMM) was put forward based on the top-level design concept. Nowadays, coupled with the development of rapid analytical science, rapid assessment of critical quality attributes of CMM was firstly carried out, which was the secondary discipline branch of CMM. Taking near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as an example, which is a rapid analytical technology in pharmaceutical process over the past decade, systematic review is the chemometric parameters in NIR model evaluation. According to the characteristics of complexity of CMM and trace components analysis, a multi-source information fusion strategy of NIR model was developed for assessment of critical quality attributes of CMM. The strategy has provided guideline for NIR reliable analysis in critical quality attributes of CMM.

Predicting introductory programming performance: A multi-institutional multivariate study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergin, Susan; Reilly, Ronan

2006-12-01

A model for predicting student performance on introductory programming modules is presented. The model uses attributes identified in a study carried out at four third-level institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Four instruments were used to collect the data and over 25 attributes were examined. A data reduction technique was applied and a logistic regression model using 10-fold stratified cross validation was developed. The model used three attributes: Leaving Certificate Mathematics result (final mathematics examination at second level), number of hours playing computer games while taking the module and programming self-esteem. Prediction success was significant with 80% of students correctly classified. The model also works well on a per-institution level. A discussion on the implications of the model is provided and future work is outlined.

Agrometeorological models for forecasting the qualitative attributes of "Valência" oranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreto, Victor Brunini; Rolim, Glauco de Souza; Zacarin, Bruno Gustavo; Vanin, Ana Paula; de Souza, Leone Maia; Latado, Rodrigo Rocha

2017-11-01

Forecasting is the act of predicting unknown future events using available data. Estimating, in contrast, uses data to simulate an actual condition. Brazil is the world's largest producer of oranges, and the state of São Paulo is the largest producer in Brazil. The "Valência" orange is among the most common cultivars in the state. We analyzed the influence of monthly meteorological variables during the growth cycle of Valência oranges grafted onto "Rangpur" lime rootstocks (VACR) for São Paulo, and developed monthly agrometeorological models for forecasting the qualitative attributes of VACR in mature orchard. For fruits per box for all months, the best accuracy was of 0.84 % and the minimum forecast range of 4 months. For the relation between °brix and juice acidity (RATIO) the best accuracy was of 0.69 % and the minimum forecast range of 5 months. Minimum, mean and maximum air temperatures, and relative evapotranspiration were the most important variables in the models.

On the universality of the attribution-affect model of helping.

PubMed

Reisenzein, Rainer

2015-08-01

Although Pilati et al.'s (2014) findings question the strong quantitative universality of the attribution-affect model of helping, they are consistent with a weak form of quantitative universality, as well as with the qualitative universality of the theory. However, universality is put into question by previous studies revealing significant and sizeable between-study differences in the strength of the causal paths postulated by the theory. These differences may in part reflect differences in the type of helping situations studied. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Multi-Attribute Sequential Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bearden, J. Neil; Connolly, Terry

2007-01-01

This article describes empirical and theoretical results from two multi-attribute sequential search tasks. In both tasks, the DM sequentially encounters options described by two attributes and must pay to learn the values of the attributes. In the "continuous" version of the task the DM learns the precise numerical value of an attribute when she…

Multi-Task Learning with Low Rank Attribute Embedding for Multi-Camera Person Re-Identification.

PubMed

Su, Chi; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Shiliang; Tian, Qi; Davis, Larry Steven; Gao, Wen

2018-05-01

We propose Multi-Task Learning with Low Rank Attribute Embedding (MTL-LORAE) to address the problem of person re-identification on multi-cameras. Re-identifications on different cameras are considered as related tasks, which allows the shared information among different tasks to be explored to improve the re-identification accuracy. The MTL-LORAE framework integrates low-level features with mid-level attributes as the descriptions for persons. To improve the accuracy of such description, we introduce the low-rank attribute embedding, which maps original binary attributes into a continuous space utilizing the correlative relationship between each pair of attributes. In this way, inaccurate attributes are rectified and missing attributes are recovered. The resulting objective function is constructed with an attribute embedding error and a quadratic loss concerning class labels. It is solved by an alternating optimization strategy. The proposed MTL-LORAE is tested on four datasets and is validated to outperform the existing methods with significant margins.

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

PubMed

Cadman, D; Goldsmith, C

1986-01-01

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

Intelligent wear mode identification system for marine diesel engines based on multi-level belief rule base methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Xinping; Xu, Xiaojian; Sheng, Chenxing; Yuan, Chengqing; Li, Zhixiong

2018-01-01

Wear faults are among the chief causes of main-engine damage, significantly influencing the secure and economical operation of ships. It is difficult for engineers to utilize multi-source information to identify wear modes, so an intelligent wear mode identification model needs to be developed to assist engineers in diagnosing wear faults in diesel engines. For this purpose, a multi-level belief rule base (BBRB) system is proposed in this paper. The BBRB system consists of two-level belief rule bases, and the 2D and 3D characteristics of wear particles are used as antecedent attributes on each level. Quantitative and qualitative wear information with uncertainties can be processed simultaneously by the BBRB system. In order to enhance the efficiency of the BBRB, the silhouette value is adopted to determine referential points and the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm is used to transform input wear information into belief degrees. In addition, the initial parameters of the BBRB system are constructed on the basis of expert-domain knowledge and then optimized by the genetic algorithm to ensure the robustness of the system. To verify the validity of the BBRB system, experimental data acquired from real-world diesel engines are analyzed. Five-fold cross-validation is conducted on the experimental data and the BBRB is compared with the other four models in the cross-validation. In addition, a verification dataset containing different wear particles is used to highlight the effectiveness of the BBRB system in wear mode identification. The verification results demonstrate that the proposed BBRB is effective and efficient for wear mode identification with better performance and stability than competing systems.

Revised Models and Conceptualisation of Successful School Principalship for Improved Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulford, Bill; Silins, Halia

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to present revised models and a reconceptualisation of successful school principalship for improved student outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The study's approach is qualitative and quantitative, culminating in model building and multi-level statistical analyses. Findings: Principals who promote both capacity building…

New paradigms for Salmonella source attribution based on microbial subtyping.

PubMed

Mughini-Gras, Lapo; Franz, Eelco; van Pelt, Wilfrid

2018-05-01

Microbial subtyping is the most common approach for Salmonella source attribution. Typically, attributions are computed using frequency-matching models like the Dutch and Danish models based on phenotyping data (serotyping, phage-typing, and antimicrobial resistance profiling). Herewith, we critically review three major paradigms facing Salmonella source attribution today: (i) the use of genotyping data, particularly Multi-Locus Variable Number of Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA), which is replacing traditional Salmonella phenotyping beyond serotyping; (ii) the integration of case-control data into source attribution to improve risk factor identification/characterization; (iii) the investigation of non-food sources, as attributions tend to focus on foods of animal origin only. Population genetics models or simplified MLVA schemes may provide feasible options for source attribution, although there is a strong need to explore novel modelling options as we move towards whole-genome sequencing as the standard. Classical case-control studies are enhanced by incorporating source attribution results, as individuals acquiring salmonellosis from different sources have different associated risk factors. Thus, the more such analyses are performed the better Salmonella epidemiology will be understood. Reparametrizing current models allows for inclusion of sources like reptiles, the study of which improves our understanding of Salmonella epidemiology beyond food to tackle the pathogen in a more holistic way. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic group decision-making model based on the Choquet integral operator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bingsheng; Fu, Meiqing; Zhang, Shuibo; Xue, Bin; Zhou, Qi; Zhang, Shiruo

2018-01-01

The Choquet integral (IL) operator is an effective approach for handling interdependence among decision attributes in complex decision-making problems. However, the fuzzy measures of attributes and attribute sets required by IL are difficult to achieve directly, which limits the application of IL. This paper proposes a new method for determining fuzzy measures of attributes by extending Marichal's concept of entropy for fuzzy measure. To well represent the assessment information, interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic context is utilised to represent information. Then, we propose a Choquet integral operator in an interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic environment, which can effectively handle the correlation between attributes. In addition, we apply these methods to solve multi-attribute group decision-making problems. The feasibility and validity of the proposed operator is demonstrated by comparisons with other models in illustrative example part.

Crucial contextual attributes of nursing leadership towards a care ethics.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Lena-Karin; Stenberg, Maja

2017-06-01

It is of importance to understand and communicate caring ethics as a ground for qualitative caring environments. Research is needed on nursing attributes that are visible in nursing leadership since it may give bases for reflections related to the patterns of specific contexts. The aim of this study was to illuminate the meaning of crucial attributes in nursing leadership toward an ethical care of patients in psychiatric in-patient settings. The design of the study was descriptive and qualitative with a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. Participants and research context: The study comprised focus group interviews with nurses working in indoor psychiatric care who participated after giving informed consent. Ethical considerations: Since the topic and informants are not labeled as sensitive and subject to ethical approval, it is not covered by the ethics committee's aim and purpose according to Swedish law. However, careful procedures have been followed according to ethics expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki. When identifying the thematic structures, analysis resulted in three major themes: To supply, including the following aspects: to supply evidence, to supply common space, and to supply good structures; To support, including the following aspects: to be a role model, to show appreciation and care, and to harbor; To shield, including the following aspects: to advocate, to emit non-tolerance of unethical behavior, and to reprove. Leadership is challenging for nurses and plays an important role in ethical qualitative care. These findings should not be understood as a description about nurse manager's role, which probably has different attributes and more focus on an organizational level. Making the understanding about crucial attributes explicit, the nurse may receive confirmation and recognition of crucial attributes for ethical care in order to move toward an ethical care.

Averaging Models: Parameters Estimation with the R-Average Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vidotto, G.; Massidda, D.; Noventa, S.

2010-01-01

The Functional Measurement approach, proposed within the theoretical framework of Information Integration Theory (Anderson, 1981, 1982), can be a useful multi-attribute analysis tool. Compared to the majority of statistical models, the averaging model can account for interaction effects without adding complexity. The R-Average method (Vidotto &…

Research on precise modeling of buildings based on multi-source data fusion of air to ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongqiang; Niu, Lubiao; Yang, Shasha; Li, Lixue; Zhang, Xitong

2016-03-01

Aims at the accuracy problem of precise modeling of buildings, a test research was conducted based on multi-source data for buildings of the same test area , including top data of air-borne LiDAR, aerial orthophotos, and façade data of vehicle-borne LiDAR. After accurately extracted the top and bottom outlines of building clusters, a series of qualitative and quantitative analysis was carried out for the 2D interval between outlines. Research results provide a reliable accuracy support for precise modeling of buildings of air ground multi-source data fusion, on the same time, discussed some solution for key technical problems.

Multi-issue Agent Negotiation Based on Fairness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, Baohe; Zheng, Sue; Wu, Hong

Agent-based e-commerce service has become a hotspot now. How to make the agent negotiation process quickly and high-efficiently is the main research direction of this area. In the multi-issue model, MAUT(Multi-attribute Utility Theory) or its derived theory usually consider little about the fairness of both negotiators. This work presents a general model of agent negotiation which considered the satisfaction of both negotiators via autonomous learning. The model can evaluate offers from the opponent agent based on the satisfaction degree, learn online to get the opponent's knowledge from interactive instances of history and negotiation of this time, make concessions dynamically based on fair object. Through building the optimal negotiation model, the bilateral negotiation achieved a higher efficiency and fairer deal.

Visualization of Spatio-Temporal Relations in Movement Event Using Multi-View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, K.; Gu, D.; Fang, F.; Wang, Y.; Liu, H.; Zhao, W.; Zhang, M.; Li, Q.

2017-09-01

Spatio-temporal relations among movement events extracted from temporally varying trajectory data can provide useful information about the evolution of individual or collective movers, as well as their interactions with their spatial and temporal contexts. However, the pure statistical tools commonly used by analysts pose many difficulties, due to the large number of attributes embedded in multi-scale and multi-semantic trajectory data. The need for models that operate at multiple scales to search for relations at different locations within time and space, as well as intuitively interpret what these relations mean, also presents challenges. Since analysts do not know where or when these relevant spatio-temporal relations might emerge, these models must compute statistical summaries of multiple attributes at different granularities. In this paper, we propose a multi-view approach to visualize the spatio-temporal relations among movement events. We describe a method for visualizing movement events and spatio-temporal relations that uses multiple displays. A visual interface is presented, and the user can interactively select or filter spatial and temporal extents to guide the knowledge discovery process. We also demonstrate how this approach can help analysts to derive and explain the spatio-temporal relations of movement events from taxi trajectory data.

Explanatory models of psychosis amongst British South Asians.

PubMed

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

2015-08-01

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

Innovating information-delivery for potential clinical trials participants. What do patients want from multi-media resources?

PubMed

Shneerson, Catherine; Windle, Richard; Cox, Karen

2013-01-01

To discover whether the provision of clinical trials information via a multi-media platform could better meet the needs, preferences and practices of potential cancer trial participants. A mixed qualitative and quantitative questionnaire was delivered to 72 participants from cancer support groups to elicit views on the provision and design features of multimedia resources in delivering clinical trials information. Perceived lack of information is an expressed barrier to clinical trials participation. Multimedia resources were viewed positively as a way to address this barrier by most potential clinical trials participants; in particular by helping to align information to individual needs, promote active engagement with information, and by allowing more control of the learning experience. Whilst text remained the most valued attribute of any resource, other highly rated attributes included the resource being simple to use, easily accessible, having a clear focus, incorporating examples and visual aids, and being interactive. Provision of support for the learning resource was also rated highly. As in other areas, such as education, multimedia resources may enhance the delivery and acceptance of information regarding clinical trials. Better alignment of information may have a positive impact on recruitment and retention into clinical trials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Multi-year Changes in Modeled and Observed Urban NOx Concentrations from a Dynamic Model Evaluation Perspective

EPA Science Inventory

An investigation of the concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from an air quality model and observations at monitoring sites was performed to assess the changes in NOx levels attributable to changes in mobile emissions. This evaluation effort focused on weekday morning rush hou...

Attaining insight into interactions between hydrologic model parameters and geophysical attributes for national-scale model parameter estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizukami, N.; Clark, M. P.; Newman, A. J.; Wood, A.; Gutmann, E. D.

2017-12-01

Estimating spatially distributed model parameters is a grand challenge for large domain hydrologic modeling, especially in the context of hydrologic model applications such as streamflow forecasting. Multi-scale Parameter Regionalization (MPR) is a promising technique that accounts for the effects of fine-scale geophysical attributes (e.g., soil texture, land cover, topography, climate) on model parameters and nonlinear scaling effects on model parameters. MPR computes model parameters with transfer functions (TFs) that relate geophysical attributes to model parameters at the native input data resolution and then scales them using scaling functions to the spatial resolution of the model implementation. One of the biggest challenges in the use of MPR is identification of TFs for each model parameter: both functional forms and geophysical predictors. TFs used to estimate the parameters of hydrologic models typically rely on previous studies or were derived in an ad-hoc, heuristic manner, potentially not utilizing maximum information content contained in the geophysical attributes for optimal parameter identification. Thus, it is necessary to first uncover relationships among geophysical attributes, model parameters, and hydrologic processes (i.e., hydrologic signatures) to obtain insight into which and to what extent geophysical attributes are related to model parameters. We perform multivariate statistical analysis on a large-sample catchment data set including various geophysical attributes as well as constrained VIC model parameters at 671 unimpaired basins over the CONUS. We first calibrate VIC model at each catchment to obtain constrained parameter sets. Additionally, parameter sets sampled during the calibration process are used for sensitivity analysis using various hydrologic signatures as objectives to understand the relationships among geophysical attributes, parameters, and hydrologic processes.

Community detection in sequence similarity networks based on attribute clustering

DOE PAGES

Chowdhary, Janamejaya; Loeffler, Frank E.; Smith, Jeremy C.

2017-07-24

Networks are powerful tools for the presentation and analysis of interactions in multi-component systems. A commonly studied mesoscopic feature of networks is their community structure, which arises from grouping together similar nodes into one community and dissimilar nodes into separate communities. Here in this paper, the community structure of protein sequence similarity networks is determined with a new method: Attribute Clustering Dependent Communities (ACDC). Sequence similarity has hitherto typically been quantified by the alignment score or its expectation value. However, pair alignments with the same score or expectation value cannot thus be differentiated. To overcome this deficiency, the method constructs,more » for pair alignments, an extended alignment metric, the link attribute vector, which includes the score and other alignment characteristics. Rescaling components of the attribute vectors qualitatively identifies a systematic variation of sequence similarity within protein superfamilies. The problem of community detection is then mapped to clustering the link attribute vectors, selection of an optimal subset of links and community structure refinement based on the partition density of the network. ACDC-predicted communities are found to be in good agreement with gold standard sequence databases for which the "ground truth" community structures (or families) are known. ACDC is therefore a community detection method for sequence similarity networks based entirely on pair similarity information. A serial implementation of ACDC is available from https://cmb.ornl.gov/resources/developments« less

Community detection in sequence similarity networks based on attribute clustering

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

Chowdhary, Janamejaya; Loeffler, Frank E.; Smith, Jeremy C.

Networks are powerful tools for the presentation and analysis of interactions in multi-component systems. A commonly studied mesoscopic feature of networks is their community structure, which arises from grouping together similar nodes into one community and dissimilar nodes into separate communities. Here in this paper, the community structure of protein sequence similarity networks is determined with a new method: Attribute Clustering Dependent Communities (ACDC). Sequence similarity has hitherto typically been quantified by the alignment score or its expectation value. However, pair alignments with the same score or expectation value cannot thus be differentiated. To overcome this deficiency, the method constructs,more » for pair alignments, an extended alignment metric, the link attribute vector, which includes the score and other alignment characteristics. Rescaling components of the attribute vectors qualitatively identifies a systematic variation of sequence similarity within protein superfamilies. The problem of community detection is then mapped to clustering the link attribute vectors, selection of an optimal subset of links and community structure refinement based on the partition density of the network. ACDC-predicted communities are found to be in good agreement with gold standard sequence databases for which the "ground truth" community structures (or families) are known. ACDC is therefore a community detection method for sequence similarity networks based entirely on pair similarity information. A serial implementation of ACDC is available from https://cmb.ornl.gov/resources/developments« less

What We are Learning about Airborne Particles from MISR Multi-angle Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahn, Ralph

The NASA Earth Observing System’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument has been collecting global observations in 36 angular-spectral channels about once per week for over 14 years. Regarding airborne particles, MISR is contributing in three broad areas: (1) aerosol optical depth (AOD), especially over land surface, including bright desert, (2) wildfire smoke, desert dust, and volcanic ash injection and near-source plume height, and (3) aerosol type, the aggregate of qualitative constraints on particle size, shape, and single-scattering albedo (SSA). Early advances in the retrieval of these quantities focused on AOD, for which surface-based sun photometers provided a global network of ground truth, and plume height, for which ground-based and airborne lidar offered near-coincident validation data. MSIR monthly, global AOD products contributed directly to the advances in modeling aerosol impacts on climate made between the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) third and fourth assessment reports. MISR stereo-derived plume heights are now being used to constrain source inventories for the AeroCom aerosol-climate modeling effort. The remaining challenge for the MISR aerosol effort is to refine and validate our global aerosol type product. Unlike AOD and plume height, aerosol type as retrieved by MISR is a qualitative classification derived from multi-dimensional constraints, so evaluation must be done on a categorical basis. Coincident aerosol type validation data are far less common than for AOD, and, except for rare Golden Days during aircraft field campaigns, amount to remote sensing retrievals from suborbital instruments having uncertainties comparable to those from the MISR product itself. And satellite remote sensing retrievals of aerosol type are much more sensitive to scene conditions such as surface variability and AOD than either AOD or plume height. MISR aerosol type retrieval capability and information content have been demonstrated in case studies using the MISR Operational as especially the MISR Research aerosol retrieval algorithms. Refinements to the Operational algorithm, as indicated by these studies, are required to generate a high-quality next-generation aerosol type product from the MISR data. This presentation will briefly review the MISR AOD and plume height product attributes, and will then focus on the MISR aerosol type product: validation, data quality, and refinements.

Towards the ecotourism: a decision support model for the assessment of sustainability of mountain huts in the Alps.

PubMed

Stubelj Ars, Mojca; Bohanec, Marko

2010-12-01

This paper studies mountain hut infrastructure in the Alps as an important element of ecotourism in the Alpine region. To improve the decision-making process regarding the implementation of future infrastructure and improvement of existing infrastructure in the vulnerable natural environment of mountain ecosystems, a new decision support model has been developed. The methodology is based on qualitative multi-attribute modelling supported by the DEXi software. The integrated rule-based model is hierarchical and consists of two submodels that cover the infrastructure of the mountain huts and that of the huts' surroundings. The final goal for the designed tool is to help minimize the ecological footprint of tourists in environmentally sensitive and undeveloped mountain areas and contribute to mountain ecotourism. The model has been tested in the case study of four mountain huts in Triglav National Park in Slovenia. Study findings provide a new empirical approach to evaluating existing mountain infrastructure and predicting improvements for the future. The assessment results are of particular interest for decision makers in protected areas, such as Alpine national parks managers and administrators. In a way, this model proposes an approach to the management assessment of mountain huts with the main aim of increasing the quality of life of mountain environment visitors as well as the satisfaction of tourists who may eventually become ecotourists. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed Central

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

2017-01-01

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

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

PubMed

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

2017-07-18

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

Advanced 3D Geological Modelling Using Multi Geophysical Data in the Yamagawa Geothermal Field, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochinaga, H.; Aoki, N.; Mouri, T.

2017-12-01

We propose a robust workflow of 3D geological modelling based on integrated analysis while honouring seismic, gravity, and wellbore data for exploration and development at flash steam geothermal power plants. We design the workflow using temperature logs at less than 10 well locations for practical use at an early stage of geothermal exploration and development. In the workflow, geostatistical technique, multi-attribute analysis, and artificial neural network are employed for the integration of multi geophysical data. The geological modelling is verified by using a 3D seismic data which was acquired in the Yamagawa Demonstration Area (approximately 36 km2), located at the city of Ibusuki in Kagoshima, Japan in 2015. Temperature-depth profiles are typically characterized by heat transfer of conduction, outflow, and up-flow which have low frequency trends. On the other hand, feed and injection zones with high permeability would cause high frequency perturbation on temperature-depth profiles. Each trend is supposed to be caused by different geological properties and subsurface structures. In this study, we estimate high frequency (> 2 cycles/km) and low frequency (< 1 cycle/km) models separately by means of different types of attribute volumes. These attributes are mathematically generated from P-impedance and density volumes derived from seismic inversion, an ant-tracking seismic volume, and a geostatistical temperature model prior to application of artificial neural network on the geothermal modelling. As a result, the band-limited stepwise approach predicts a more precise geothermal model than that of full-band temperature profiles at a time. Besides, lithofacies interpretation confirms reliability of the predicted geothermal model. The integrated interpretation is significantly consistent with geological reports from previous studies. Isotherm geobodies illustrate specific features of geothermal reservoir and cap rock, shallow aquifer, and its hydrothermal circulation in 3D visualization. The advanced workflow of 3D geological modelling is suitable for optimization of well locations for production and reinjection in geothermal fields.

Comparison of analytical models for zonal flow generation in ion-temperature-gradient mode turbulence

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

Anderson, J.; Miki, K.; Uzawa, K.

2006-11-30

During the past years the understanding of the multi scale interaction problems have increased significantly. However, at present there exists a flora of different analytical models for investigating multi scale interactions and hardly any specific comparisons have been performed among these models. In this work two different models for the generation of zonal flows from ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) background turbulence are discussed and compared. The methods used are the coherent mode coupling model and the wave kinetic equation model (WKE). It is shown that the two models give qualitatively the same results even though the assumption on the spectral difference ismore » used in the (WKE) approach.« less

Analysis of student attitudes towards e-learning using Fishbein Multiattribute approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasuli

2018-01-01

This research aimed to know students’ attitudes toward e-learning and to determine what attributes were considered to be dominant by students toward the use of e-learning. The research population was all postgraduate students in the 2016 academic year at Universitas Negeri Surabaya. The sampling technique is using nonprobability sampling and purposive sampling with the sample totaled 100 respondents. The research instrument is using questionnaire with semantic differential scale. The models used to analyze is multi-attribute Fishbein model. The findings indicated that student attitudes toward e-learning are positive and easy accessibility which is considered as the most important attribute by students toward the use of e-learning.

Modelling innovation performance of European regions using multi-output neural networks

PubMed Central

Henriques, Roberto

2017-01-01

Regional innovation performance is an important indicator for decision-making regarding the implementation of policies intended to support innovation. However, patterns in regional innovation structures are becoming increasingly diverse, complex and nonlinear. To address these issues, this study aims to develop a model based on a multi-output neural network. Both intra- and inter-regional determinants of innovation performance are empirically investigated using data from the 4th and 5th Community Innovation Surveys of NUTS 2 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions. The results suggest that specific innovation strategies must be developed based on the current state of input attributes in the region. Thus, it is possible to develop appropriate strategies and targeted interventions to improve regional innovation performance. We demonstrate that support of entrepreneurship is an effective instrument of innovation policy. We also provide empirical support that both business and government R&D activity have a sigmoidal effect, implying that the most effective R&D support should be directed to regions with below-average and average R&D activity. We further show that the multi-output neural network outperforms traditional statistical and machine learning regression models. In general, therefore, it seems that the proposed model can effectively reflect both the multiple-output nature of innovation performance and the interdependency of the output attributes. PMID:28968449

Modelling innovation performance of European regions using multi-output neural networks.

PubMed

Hajek, Petr; Henriques, Roberto

2017-01-01

Regional innovation performance is an important indicator for decision-making regarding the implementation of policies intended to support innovation. However, patterns in regional innovation structures are becoming increasingly diverse, complex and nonlinear. To address these issues, this study aims to develop a model based on a multi-output neural network. Both intra- and inter-regional determinants of innovation performance are empirically investigated using data from the 4th and 5th Community Innovation Surveys of NUTS 2 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions. The results suggest that specific innovation strategies must be developed based on the current state of input attributes in the region. Thus, it is possible to develop appropriate strategies and targeted interventions to improve regional innovation performance. We demonstrate that support of entrepreneurship is an effective instrument of innovation policy. We also provide empirical support that both business and government R&D activity have a sigmoidal effect, implying that the most effective R&D support should be directed to regions with below-average and average R&D activity. We further show that the multi-output neural network outperforms traditional statistical and machine learning regression models. In general, therefore, it seems that the proposed model can effectively reflect both the multiple-output nature of innovation performance and the interdependency of the output attributes.

Decision Support for Personalized Cloud Service Selection through Multi-Attribute Trustworthiness Evaluation

PubMed Central

Ding, Shuai; Xia, Chen-Yi; Zhou, Kai-Le; Yang, Shan-Lin; Shang, Jennifer S.

2014-01-01

Facing a customer market with rising demands for cloud service dependability and security, trustworthiness evaluation techniques are becoming essential to cloud service selection. But these methods are out of the reach to most customers as they require considerable expertise. Additionally, since the cloud service evaluation is often a costly and time-consuming process, it is not practical to measure trustworthy attributes of all candidates for each customer. Many existing models cannot easily deal with cloud services which have very few historical records. In this paper, we propose a novel service selection approach in which the missing value prediction and the multi-attribute trustworthiness evaluation are commonly taken into account. By simply collecting limited historical records, the current approach is able to support the personalized trustworthy service selection. The experimental results also show that our approach performs much better than other competing ones with respect to the customer preference and expectation in trustworthiness assessment. PMID:24972237

Decision support for personalized cloud service selection through multi-attribute trustworthiness evaluation.

PubMed

Ding, Shuai; Xia, Cheng-Yi; Xia, Chen-Yi; Zhou, Kai-Le; Yang, Shan-Lin; Shang, Jennifer S

2014-01-01

Facing a customer market with rising demands for cloud service dependability and security, trustworthiness evaluation techniques are becoming essential to cloud service selection. But these methods are out of the reach to most customers as they require considerable expertise. Additionally, since the cloud service evaluation is often a costly and time-consuming process, it is not practical to measure trustworthy attributes of all candidates for each customer. Many existing models cannot easily deal with cloud services which have very few historical records. In this paper, we propose a novel service selection approach in which the missing value prediction and the multi-attribute trustworthiness evaluation are commonly taken into account. By simply collecting limited historical records, the current approach is able to support the personalized trustworthy service selection. The experimental results also show that our approach performs much better than other competing ones with respect to the customer preference and expectation in trustworthiness assessment.

Fault Modeling of Extreme Scale Applications Using Machine Learning

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

Vishnu, Abhinav; Dam, Hubertus van; Tallent, Nathan R.

Faults are commonplace in large scale systems. These systems experience a variety of faults such as transient, permanent and intermittent. Multi-bit faults are typically not corrected by the hardware resulting in an error. Here, this paper attempts to answer an important question: Given a multi-bit fault in main memory, will it result in an application error — and hence a recovery algorithm should be invoked — or can it be safely ignored? We propose an application fault modeling methodology to answer this question. Given a fault signature (a set of attributes comprising of system and application state), we use machinemore » learning to create a model which predicts whether a multibit permanent/transient main memory fault will likely result in error. We present the design elements such as the fault injection methodology for covering important data structures, the application and system attributes which should be used for learning the model, the supervised learning algorithms (and potentially ensembles), and important metrics. Lastly, we use three applications — NWChem, LULESH and SVM — as examples for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed fault modeling methodology.« less

Fault Modeling of Extreme Scale Applications Using Machine Learning

DOE PAGES

Vishnu, Abhinav; Dam, Hubertus van; Tallent, Nathan R.; ...

2016-05-01

Faults are commonplace in large scale systems. These systems experience a variety of faults such as transient, permanent and intermittent. Multi-bit faults are typically not corrected by the hardware resulting in an error. Here, this paper attempts to answer an important question: Given a multi-bit fault in main memory, will it result in an application error — and hence a recovery algorithm should be invoked — or can it be safely ignored? We propose an application fault modeling methodology to answer this question. Given a fault signature (a set of attributes comprising of system and application state), we use machinemore » learning to create a model which predicts whether a multibit permanent/transient main memory fault will likely result in error. We present the design elements such as the fault injection methodology for covering important data structures, the application and system attributes which should be used for learning the model, the supervised learning algorithms (and potentially ensembles), and important metrics. Lastly, we use three applications — NWChem, LULESH and SVM — as examples for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed fault modeling methodology.« less

A multi-agent intelligent environment for medical knowledge.

PubMed

Vicari, Rosa M; Flores, Cecilia D; Silvestre, André M; Seixas, Louise J; Ladeira, Marcelo; Coelho, Helder

2003-03-01

AMPLIA is a multi-agent intelligent learning environment designed to support training of diagnostic reasoning and modelling of domains with complex and uncertain knowledge. AMPLIA focuses on the medical area. It is a system that deals with uncertainty under the Bayesian network approach, where learner-modelling tasks will consist of creating a Bayesian network for a problem the system will present. The construction of a network involves qualitative and quantitative aspects. The qualitative part concerns the network topology, that is, causal relations among the domain variables. After it is ready, the quantitative part is specified. It is composed of the distribution of conditional probability of the variables represented. A negotiation process (managed by an intelligent MediatorAgent) will treat the differences of topology and probability distribution between the model the learner built and the one built-in in the system. That negotiation process occurs between the agents that represent the expert knowledge domain (DomainAgent) and the agent that represents the learner knowledge (LearnerAgent).

Influences of Social Capital on Health and Well-Being from Qualitative Approach

PubMed Central

Yamaguchi, Ayano

2013-01-01

The social capital surrounding health including health and well-being, the way in which they function as multi-dimensional constructs, and the potential stability of relationships among the social capital were examined across universities in Hawaii and Japan. Maintaining or strengthening social factors of collective and individual health and well-being is a core factor of social capital and is instrumental in reducing worry and increasing trust. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 64 male and female college students (32 college students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; 32 college students at Reitaku University in Japan) were used to collect information on social capital of health and well-being and associated concepts; students’ perceptions were grouped under 11 themes. The data indicates that social capital has an impact on college students’ health and well-being. They also suggest that differences in health status and well-being can be plausibly attributed to processes associated with socio-environmental circumstances and situations. PMID:23985117

Multi-model attribution of upper-ocean temperature changes using an isothermal approach.

PubMed

Weller, Evan; Min, Seung-Ki; Palmer, Matthew D; Lee, Donghyun; Yim, Bo Young; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2016-06-01

Both air-sea heat exchanges and changes in ocean advection have contributed to observed upper-ocean warming most evident in the late-twentieth century. However, it is predominantly via changes in air-sea heat fluxes that human-induced climate forcings, such as increasing greenhouse gases, and other natural factors such as volcanic aerosols, have influenced global ocean heat content. The present study builds on previous work using two different indicators of upper-ocean temperature changes for the detection of both anthropogenic and natural external climate forcings. Using simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we compare mean temperatures above a fixed isotherm with the more widely adopted approach of using a fixed depth. We present the first multi-model ensemble detection and attribution analysis using the fixed isotherm approach to robustly detect both anthropogenic and natural external influences on upper-ocean temperatures. Although contributions from multidecadal natural variability cannot be fully removed, both the large multi-model ensemble size and properties of the isotherm analysis reduce internal variability of the ocean, resulting in better observation-model comparison of temperature changes since the 1950s. We further show that the high temporal resolution afforded by the isotherm analysis is required to detect natural external influences such as volcanic cooling events in the upper-ocean because the radiative effect of volcanic forcings is short-lived.

Multi-model attribution of upper-ocean temperature changes using an isothermal approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, Evan; Min, Seung-Ki; Palmer, Matthew D.; Lee, Donghyun; Yim, Bo Young; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2016-06-01

Both air-sea heat exchanges and changes in ocean advection have contributed to observed upper-ocean warming most evident in the late-twentieth century. However, it is predominantly via changes in air-sea heat fluxes that human-induced climate forcings, such as increasing greenhouse gases, and other natural factors such as volcanic aerosols, have influenced global ocean heat content. The present study builds on previous work using two different indicators of upper-ocean temperature changes for the detection of both anthropogenic and natural external climate forcings. Using simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we compare mean temperatures above a fixed isotherm with the more widely adopted approach of using a fixed depth. We present the first multi-model ensemble detection and attribution analysis using the fixed isotherm approach to robustly detect both anthropogenic and natural external influences on upper-ocean temperatures. Although contributions from multidecadal natural variability cannot be fully removed, both the large multi-model ensemble size and properties of the isotherm analysis reduce internal variability of the ocean, resulting in better observation-model comparison of temperature changes since the 1950s. We further show that the high temporal resolution afforded by the isotherm analysis is required to detect natural external influences such as volcanic cooling events in the upper-ocean because the radiative effect of volcanic forcings is short-lived.

Validity analysis on merged and averaged data using within and between analysis: focus on effect of qualitative social capital on self-rated health.

PubMed

Shin, Sang Soo; Shin, Young-Jeon

2016-01-01

With an increasing number of studies highlighting regional social capital (SC) as a determinant of health, many studies are using multi-level analysis with merged and averaged scores of community residents' survey responses calculated from community SC data. Sufficient examination is required to validate if the merged and averaged data can represent the community. Therefore, this study analyzes the validity of the selected indicators and their applicability in multi-level analysis. Within and between analysis (WABA) was performed after creating community variables using merged and averaged data of community residents' responses from the 2013 Community Health Survey in Korea, using subjective self-rated health assessment as a dependent variable. Further analysis was performed following the model suggested by WABA result. Both E-test results (1) and WABA results (2) revealed that single-level analysis needs to be performed using qualitative SC variable with cluster mean centering. Through single-level multivariate regression analysis, qualitative SC with cluster mean centering showed positive effect on self-rated health (0.054, p<0.001), although there was no substantial difference in comparison to analysis using SC variables without cluster mean centering or multi-level analysis. As modification in qualitative SC was larger within the community than between communities, we validate that relational analysis of individual self-rated health can be performed within the group, using cluster mean centering. Other tests besides the WABA can be performed in the future to confirm the validity of using community variables and their applicability in multi-level analysis.

Exploring motivations to stop injecting in English prisons: qualitative research with former male prisoners.

PubMed

Tompkins, Charlotte N E

2013-01-01

This paper aims to explore the cessation of injecting amongst male drug users when in prison in England and uncovers what influenced this behaviour and why. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 male drug users on release from prison to explore what happened to their injecting drug use in prison. The research was conducted from a pragmatic harm reduction approach using grounded theory. Not injecting in prison was identified as a pertinent finding and nine overarching themes accounted for this decline. The themes often overlapped with one another, highlighting how the decision not to inject when last in prison was multi-factorial. Running throughout the themes were participants' concerns regarding the health and social risks attributed to injecting in prison, alongside an appreciation of some of the rehabilitative measures and opportunities offered to injecting drug users when in prison. This qualitative research offers an updated perspective on illicit drug injecting in prison in England from the view of drug users since health and prison policy changes in prescribing and practice. It contributes to evidence suggesting that prisons can be used as a time of reprieve and recovery from injecting drug use.

A New Admission System Model for Teacher Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Sara; Frish, Yehiel

2016-01-01

Purpose: Aspects of intellectual competence would not be sufficient for quality teaching that requires a mix of intellectual and personal qualities. The purpose of this paper was to elicit personal attributes of teachers' college applicants. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative case study consisted of 99 participants aged 20-24 years of…

Insights into Departure Intention: A Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natoli, Riccardo; Jackling, Beverley; Siddique, Salina

2015-01-01

Efforts to address attrition rates at universities have been driven by Tinto's (1975) model of student engagement with its focus on student: (a) pre entry attributes; (b) academic engagement; and (c) social engagement. Using an ethnographic approach, the study involves interviews with business students to explore the links between these aspects…

Close Combat Missile Methodology Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-14

Modeling: Industrial Applications of DEX.” Informatica 23 (1999): 487-491. Bohanec, Marko, Blaz Zupan, and Vladislav Rajkovic. “Applications of...Lisec. “Multi-attribute Decision Analysis in GIS: Weighted Linear Combination and Ordered Weighted Averaging.” Informatica 33, (1999): 459- 474

A decision aid for intensity-modulated radiation-therapy plan selection in prostate cancer based on a prognostic Bayesian network and a Markov model.

PubMed

Smith, Wade P; Doctor, Jason; Meyer, Jürgen; Kalet, Ira J; Phillips, Mark H

2009-06-01

The prognosis of cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation-therapy (IMRT) is inherently uncertain, depends on many decision variables, and requires that a physician balance competing objectives: maximum tumor control with minimal treatment complications. In order to better deal with the complex and multiple objective nature of the problem we have combined a prognostic probabilistic model with multi-attribute decision theory which incorporates patient preferences for outcomes. The response to IMRT for prostate cancer was modeled. A Bayesian network was used for prognosis for each treatment plan. Prognoses included predicting local tumor control, regional spread, distant metastases, and normal tissue complications resulting from treatment. A Markov model was constructed and used to calculate a quality-adjusted life-expectancy which aids in the multi-attribute decision process. Our method makes explicit the tradeoffs patients face between quality and quantity of life. This approach has advantages over current approaches because with our approach risks of health outcomes and patient preferences determine treatment decisions.

A colored petri nets based workload evaluation model and its validation through Multi-Attribute Task Battery-II.

PubMed

Wang, Peng; Fang, Weining; Guo, Beiyuan

2017-04-01

This paper proposed a colored petri nets based workload evaluation model. A formal interpretation of workload was firstly introduced based on the process that reflection of petri nets components to task. A petri net based description of Multiple Resources theory was given by comprehending it from a new angle. A new application of VACP rating scales named V/A-C-P unit, and the definition of colored transitions were proposed to build a model of task process. The calculation of workload mainly has the following four steps: determine token's initial position and values; calculate the weight of directed arcs on the basis of the rules proposed; calculate workload from different transitions, and correct the influence of repetitive behaviors. Verify experiments were carried out based on Multi-Attribute Task Battery-II software. Our results show that there is a strong correlation between the model values and NASA -Task Load Index scores (r=0.9513). In addition, this method can also distinguish behavior characteristics between different people. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Consumer Behavior and Decision Models to Aid Students in Choosing a Major.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaynama, Shohreh A.; Smith, Louise W.

1996-01-01

A study found that using consumer behavior and decision models to guide students to a major can be useful and enjoyable for students. Students consider many of the basic parameters through multi-attribute and decision-analysis models, so time with professors, who were found to be the most influential group, can be used for more individual and…

The Stochastic Multi-strain Dengue Model: Analysis of the Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguiar, Maíra; Stollenwerk, Nico; Kooi, Bob W.

2011-09-01

Dengue dynamics is well known to be particularly complex with large fluctuations of disease incidences. An epidemic multi-strain model motivated by dengue fever epidemiology shows deterministic chaos in wide parameter regions. The addition of seasonal forcing, mimicking the vectorial dynamics, and a low import of infected individuals, which is realistic in the dynamics of infectious diseases epidemics show complex dynamics and qualitatively a good agreement between empirical DHF monitoring data and the obtained model simulation. The addition of noise can explain the fluctuations observed in the empirical data and for large enough population size, the stochastic system can be well described by the deterministic skeleton.

Characteristics of urban parks associated with park use and physical activity: a review of qualitative research.

PubMed

McCormack, Gavin R; Rock, Melanie; Toohey, Ann M; Hignell, Danica

2010-07-01

Given that recent literature reviews on physical activity in urban parks deliberately excluded qualitative findings, we reviewed qualitative research on this topic informed by a published classification scheme based on quantitative research. Twenty-one studies met our inclusion criteria. These studies relied mainly on semi-structured interviews with individuals or in focus groups; only five studies involved in situ observation. Our synthesis aligns with previous quantitative research showing that attributes including safety, aesthetics, amenities, maintenance, and proximity are important for encouraging park use. Furthermore, our synthesis of qualitative research suggests that perceptions of the social environment entwine inextricably with perceptions of the physical environment. If so, physical attributes of parks as well as perceptions of these attributes (formed in relation to broader social contexts) may influence physical activity patterns. Both qualitative and quantitative methods provide useful information for interpreting such patterns, and in particular, when designing and assessing interventions intended to improve the amount and intensity of physical activity. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-model comparison on the effects of climate change on tree species in the eastern U.S.: results from an enhanced niche model and process-based ecosystem and landscape models

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Frank R. Thompson; Stephen Matthews; Matthew Peters; Anantha Prasad; William D. Dijak; Jacob Fraser; Wen J. Wang; Brice Hanberry; Hong He; Maria Janowiak; Patricia Butler; Leslie Brandt; Chris Swanston

2016-01-01

Context. Species distribution models (SDM) establish statistical relationships between the current distribution of species and key attributes whereas process-based models simulate ecosystem and tree species dynamics based on representations of physical and biological processes. TreeAtlas, which uses DISTRIB SDM, and Linkages and LANDIS PRO, process...

Understanding the Relationship between Activity and Neighbourhoods (URBAN) Study: research design and methodology.

PubMed

Badland, Hannah M; Schofield, Grant M; Witten, Karen; Schluter, Philip J; Mavoa, Suzanne; Kearns, Robin A; Hinckson, Erica A; Oliver, Melody; Kaiwai, Hector; Jensen, Victoria G; Ergler, Christina; McGrath, Leslie; McPhee, Julia

2009-07-10

Built environment attributes are recognized as being important contributors to physical activity (PA) engagement and body size in adults and children. However, much of the existing research in this emergent public health field is hindered by methodological limitations, including: population and site homogeneity, reliance on self-report measures, aggregated measures of PA, and inadequate statistical modeling. As an integral component of multi-country collaborative research, the Understanding the Relationship between Activity and Neighbourhoods (URBAN) Study seeks to overcome these limitations by determining the strengths of association between detailed measures of the neighborhood built environment with PA levels across multiple domains and body size measures in adults and children. This article outlines the research protocol developed for the URBAN Study. The URBAN Study is a multi-centered, stratified, cross-sectional research design, collecting data across four New Zealand cities. Within each city, 12 neighborhoods were identified and selected for investigation based on higher or lower walkability and Māori demographic attributes. Neighborhoods were selected to ensure equal representation of these characteristics. Within each selected neighborhood, 42 households are being randomly selected and an adult and child (where possible) recruited into the study. Data collection includes: objective and self-reported PA engagement, neighborhood perceptions, demographics, and body size measures. The study was designed to recruit approximately 2,000 adults and 250 children into the project. Other aspects of the study include photovoice, which is a qualitative assessment of built environment features associated with PA engagement, an audit of the neighborhood streetscape environment, and an individualized neighborhood walkability profile centered on each participant's residential address. Multilevel modeling will be used to examine the individual-level and neighborhood-level relationships with PA engagement and body size. The URBAN Study is applying a novel scientifically robust research design to provide urgently needed epidemiological information regarding the associations between the built environment and health outcomes. The findings will contribute to a larger, international initiative in which similar neighborhood selection and PA measurement procedures are utilized across eight countries. Accordingly, this study directly addresses the international priority issues of increasing PA engagement and decreasing obesity levels.

Understanding the Relationship between Activity and Neighbourhoods (URBAN) Study: research design and methodology

PubMed Central

Badland, Hannah M; Schofield, Grant M; Witten, Karen; Schluter, Philip J; Mavoa, Suzanne; Kearns, Robin A; Hinckson, Erica A; Oliver, Melody; Kaiwai, Hector; Jensen, Victoria G; Ergler, Christina; McGrath, Leslie; McPhee, Julia

2009-01-01

Background Built environment attributes are recognized as being important contributors to physical activity (PA) engagement and body size in adults and children. However, much of the existing research in this emergent public health field is hindered by methodological limitations, including: population and site homogeneity, reliance on self-report measures, aggregated measures of PA, and inadequate statistical modeling. As an integral component of multi-country collaborative research, the Understanding the Relationship between Activity and Neighbourhoods (URBAN) Study seeks to overcome these limitations by determining the strengths of association between detailed measures of the neighborhood built environment with PA levels across multiple domains and body size measures in adults and children. This article outlines the research protocol developed for the URBAN Study. Methods and design The URBAN Study is a multi-centered, stratified, cross-sectional research design, collecting data across four New Zealand cities. Within each city, 12 neighborhoods were identified and selected for investigation based on higher or lower walkability and Māori demographic attributes. Neighborhoods were selected to ensure equal representation of these characteristics. Within each selected neighborhood, 42 households are being randomly selected and an adult and child (where possible) recruited into the study. Data collection includes: objective and self-reported PA engagement, neighborhood perceptions, demographics, and body size measures. The study was designed to recruit approximately 2,000 adults and 250 children into the project. Other aspects of the study include photovoice, which is a qualitative assessment of built environment features associated with PA engagement, an audit of the neighborhood streetscape environment, and an individualized neighborhood walkability profile centered on each participant's residential address. Multilevel modeling will be used to examine the individual-level and neighborhood-level relationships with PA engagement and body size. Discussion The URBAN Study is applying a novel scientifically robust research design to provide urgently needed epidemiological information regarding the associations between the built environment and health outcomes. The findings will contribute to a larger, international initiative in which similar neighborhood selection and PA measurement procedures are utilized across eight countries. Accordingly, this study directly addresses the international priority issues of increasing PA engagement and decreasing obesity levels. PMID:19589175

A Rapid Identification Method for Calamine Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Based on Multi-Reference Correlation Coefficient Method and Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network.

PubMed

Sun, Yangbo; Chen, Long; Huang, Bisheng; Chen, Keli

2017-07-01

As a mineral, the traditional Chinese medicine calamine has a similar shape to many other minerals. Investigations of commercially available calamine samples have shown that there are many fake and inferior calamine goods sold on the market. The conventional identification method for calamine is complicated, therefore as a result of the large scale of calamine samples, a rapid identification method is needed. To establish a qualitative model using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for rapid identification of various calamine samples, large quantities of calamine samples including crude products, counterfeits and processed products were collected and correctly identified using the physicochemical and powder X-ray diffraction method. The NIR spectroscopy method was used to analyze these samples by combining the multi-reference correlation coefficient (MRCC) method and the error back propagation artificial neural network algorithm (BP-ANN), so as to realize the qualitative identification of calamine samples. The accuracy rate of the model based on NIR and MRCC methods was 85%; in addition, the model, which took comprehensive multiple factors into consideration, can be used to identify crude calamine products, its counterfeits and processed products. Furthermore, by in-putting the correlation coefficients of multiple references as the spectral feature data of samples into BP-ANN, a BP-ANN model of qualitative identification was established, of which the accuracy rate was increased to 95%. The MRCC method can be used as a NIR-based method in the process of BP-ANN modeling.

A consensus reaching model for 2-tuple linguistic multiple attribute group decision making with incomplete weight information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wancheng; Xu, Yejun; Wang, Huimin

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to put forward a consensus reaching method for multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems with linguistic information, in which the weight information of experts and attributes is unknown. First, some basic concepts and operational laws of 2-tuple linguistic label are introduced. Then, a grey relational analysis method and a maximising deviation method are proposed to calculate the incomplete weight information of experts and attributes respectively. To eliminate the conflict in the group, a weight-updating model is employed to derive the weights of experts based on their contribution to the consensus reaching process. After conflict elimination, the final group preference can be obtained which will give the ranking of the alternatives. The model can effectively avoid information distortion which is occurred regularly in the linguistic information processing. Finally, an illustrative example is given to illustrate the application of the proposed method and comparative analysis with the existing methods are offered to show the advantages of the proposed method.

Graduate Attribute Attainment in a Multi-Level Undergraduate Geography Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mager, Sarah; Spronken-Smith, Rachel

2014-01-01

We investigated students' perceptions of graduate attributes in a multi-level (second and third year) geography course. A case study with mixed methodology was employed, with data collected through focus groups and a survey. We found that undergraduate geography students can identify the skills, knowledge and attributes that are developed through…

The C20C+ Detection and Attribution Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, D. A.; Angélil, O. M.; Cholia, S.; Christidis, N.; Dittus, A. J.; Folland, C. K.; King, A.; Kinter, J. L.; Krishnan, H.; Min, S. K.; Shiogama, H.; Wehner, M. F.; Wolski, P.

2015-12-01

Over the past decade there has been a remarkable growth in interest concerning the effects of anthropogenic emissions on extreme weather. However, research has been constrained by the lack of a public climate-model-based data product optimised for investigation of extreme weather in the context of climate change, relying instead on products designed for other purposes or on bespoke simulations designed for the particular study and not generally applicable to other extremes. The international Climate of the 20th Century Plus (C20C+) Detection and Attribution Project is filling this gap by producing the first large ensemble, multi-model, multi-year, and multi-scenario historical climate data product, specifically designed for resolving variations in the occurrence and characteristics of extreme weather from year to year and their differences from what might have been in the absence of anthropogenic emissions. Updates on project status and tens of terabytes of simulation output are available at http://portal.nersc.gov/c20c.Here we describe the experimental design of the first phase of the project, conducted with six atmospheric climate models, and discuss its various strengths and weaknesses with respect to various types of extreme weather. We also present analyses of the relative importance of climate model, estimate of anthropogenic ocean warming, spatial and temporal scale, and aspects of experimental design on estimates of how much emissions have affected extreme weather.

Merging information from multi-model flood projections in a hierarchical Bayesian framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Vine, Nataliya

2016-04-01

Multi-model ensembles are becoming widely accepted for flood frequency change analysis. The use of multiple models results in large uncertainty around estimates of flood magnitudes, due to both uncertainty in model selection and natural variability of river flow. The challenge is therefore to extract the most meaningful signal from the multi-model predictions, accounting for both model quality and uncertainties in individual model estimates. The study demonstrates the potential of a recently proposed hierarchical Bayesian approach to combine information from multiple models. The approach facilitates explicit treatment of shared multi-model discrepancy as well as the probabilistic nature of the flood estimates, by treating the available models as a sample from a hypothetical complete (but unobserved) set of models. The advantages of the approach are: 1) to insure an adequate 'baseline' conditions with which to compare future changes; 2) to reduce flood estimate uncertainty; 3) to maximize use of statistical information in circumstances where multiple weak predictions individually lack power, but collectively provide meaningful information; 4) to adjust multi-model consistency criteria when model biases are large; and 5) to explicitly consider the influence of the (model performance) stationarity assumption. Moreover, the analysis indicates that reducing shared model discrepancy is the key to further reduction of uncertainty in the flood frequency analysis. The findings are of value regarding how conclusions about changing exposure to flooding are drawn, and to flood frequency change attribution studies.

A Qualitative Study on Incentives and Disincentives for Care of Common Mental Disorders in Ontario Family Health Teams

PubMed Central

Silveira, Jose; Mckenzie, Kwame

2016-01-01

Background: An opportunity to address the needs of patients with common mental disorders (CMDs) resides in primary care. Barriers are restricting availability of treatment for CMDs in primary care. By understanding the incentives that promote and the disincentives that deter treatment for CMDs in a collaborative primary care context, this study aims to help contribute to goals of greater access to mental healthcare. Method: A qualitative pilot study using semi-structured interviews with thematic analysis. Results: Participants identified 10 themes of incentives and disincentives influencing quality treatment of CMDs in a collaborative primary care setting: high service demands, clinical presentation, patient-centred care, patient attributes, education, physician attributes, organizational, access to mental health resources, psychiatry and physician payment model. Conclusion: An understanding of the incentives and disincentives influencing care is essential to achieve greater integration and capacity for care for the treatment of CMDs in primary care. PMID:27585029

EXPERIMENTING WITH MULTI-ATTRIBUTE UTILITY SURVEY METHODS IN A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL VALUATION PROBLEM. (R824699)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

The use of willingness-to-pay (WTP) survey techniques based on multi-attribute utility (MAU) approaches has been recommended by some authors as a way to deal simultaneously with two difficulties that increasingly plague environmental valuation. The first of th...

Qualitative Development of a Discrete Choice Experiment for Physical Activity Interventions to Improve Knee Osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Pinto, Daniel; Danilovich, Margaret K; Hansen, Paul; Finn, Daniel J; Chang, Rowland W; Holl, Jane L; Heinemann, Allen W; Bockenholt, Ulf

2017-06-01

To describe the qualitative process used to develop attributes and attribute levels for inclusion in a discrete choice experiments (DCE) for older adult physical activity interventions. Five focus groups (n=41) were conducted, grounded in the Health Action Process Approach framework. Discussion emphasized identification and prioritization attributes for a DCE on physical activity. Semi-structured interviews (n=6) investigated attribute levels and lay-language for the DCE. A focus group with physical activity researchers and health care providers was the final stakeholder group used to establish a comprehensive approach for the generation of attributes and levels. A DCE pilot test (n=8) was then conducted with individuals of the target patient population. All transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. General community and university-based research setting. Volunteers (N=55) aged >45 years with knee pain, aches, or stiffness for at least 1 month over the previous 12 months. Not applicable. Interview guides, attributes, attribute levels, and discrete choice experiment. The most influential identified attributes for physical activity were time, effort, cost, convenience, enjoyment, and health benefits. Each attribute had 3 levels that were understandable in the pilot test of the DCE. The identification of 6 physical activity attributes that are most salient to adults with knee osteoarthritis resulted from a systematic qualitative process, including attribute-ranking exercises. A DCE will provide insight into the relative importance of these attributes for participating in physical activity, which can guide intervention development. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of Visual Attention in Seismic Attribute Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, M.; Gu, H.; Wang, F.

2016-12-01

It has been proved that seismic attributes can be used to predict reservoir. The joint of multi-attribute and geological statistics, data mining, artificial intelligence, further promote the development of the seismic attribute analysis. However, the existing methods tend to have multiple solutions and insufficient generalization ability, which is mainly due to the complex relationship between seismic data and geological information, and undoubtedly own partly to the methods applied. Visual attention is a mechanism model of the human visual system which can concentrate on a few significant visual objects rapidly, even in a mixed scene. Actually, the model qualify good ability of target detection and recognition. In our study, the targets to be predicted are treated as visual objects, and an object representation based on well data is made in the attribute dimensions. Then in the same attribute space, the representation is served as a criterion to search the potential targets outside the wells. This method need not predict properties by building up a complicated relation between attributes and reservoir properties, but with reference to the standard determined before. So it has pretty good generalization ability, and the problem of multiple solutions can be weakened by defining the threshold of similarity.

What are the roles and valued attributes of a Trial Steering Committee? Ethnographic study of eight clinical trials facing challenges.

PubMed

Daykin, Anne; Selman, Lucy E; Cramer, Helen; McCann, Sharon; Shorter, Gillian W; Sydes, Matthew R; Gamble, Carrol; Macefield, Rhiannon; Lane, J Athene; Shaw, Alison

2016-07-01

Clinical trials oversight by a Trial Steering Committee (TSC) is mandated by Good Clinical Practice. This study used qualitative methods to explore the role and valued attributes of the TSC to inform planned updates of Medical Research Council guidance and TSC terms of reference. An ethnographic study was conducted during 2013-2014. TSC and Trial Management Group meetings from eight trials were observed and audio-recorded, and semi-structured interviews conducted with purposively sampled key informants: independent and non-independent TSC members, trial sponsor representatives, funder representatives and chief investigators. The selected trials were currently recruiting and dealing with challenging scenarios. Data were analysed thematically and findings triangulated and integrated to give a multi-perspective account of the role and valued attributes of a TSC. Eight TSC meetings and six Trial Management Group meetings were observed. Sixty-five interviews were conducted with 51 informants. The two main roles played by the TSC were quality assurance and patient advocacy. Quality assurance involved being a 'critical friend' or a provider of 'tough love'. Factors influencing the ability of the TSC to fulfil this role included the TSC Chair, other independent TSC members and the model of the TSC and its fit with the trial subject. The role of the TSC as an advocate for patient well-being was perceived as paramount. Two attributes of TSC members emerged as critical: experience (of running a trial, trial oversight or in a clinical/methodological area) and independence. While independence was valued for giving impartiality, the lack of consensus about its definition and strict requirements of some funders made it difficult to operationalise. We found tensions and ambiguities in the roles expected of TSCs and the attributes valued of TSC members. In particular, the requirements of independence and experience could conflict, impacting the TSCs' quality assurance role. Concerns were raised regarding whose interests are served by funders' criteria of independence; in particular, funders' selection of TSC members was thought to potentially inhibit TSCs' ability to fulfil their patient advocacy role. These findings should be incorporated in revising guidance and terms of reference for TSCs.

Developing attributes and attribute-levels for a discrete choice experiment on micro health insurance in rural Malawi.

PubMed

Abiiro, Gilbert Abotisem; Leppert, Gerald; Mbera, Grace Bongololo; Robyn, Paul J; De Allegri, Manuela

2014-05-22

Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are attribute-driven experimental techniques used to elicit stakeholders' preferences to support the design and implementation of policy interventions. The validity of a DCE, therefore, depends on the appropriate specification of the attributes and their levels. There have been recent calls for greater rigor in implementing and reporting on the processes of developing attributes and attribute-levels for discrete choice experiments (DCEs). This paper responds to such calls by carefully reporting a systematic process of developing micro health insurance attributes and attribute-levels for the design of a DCE in rural Malawi. Conceptual attributes and attribute-levels were initially derived from a literature review which informed the design of qualitative data collection tools to identify context specific attributes and attribute-levels. Qualitative data was collected in August-September 2012 from 12 focus group discussions with community residents and 8 in-depth interviews with health workers. All participants were selected according to stratified purposive sampling. The material was tape-recorded, fully transcribed, and coded by three researchers to identify context-specific attributes and attribute-levels. Expert opinion was used to scale down the attributes and levels. A pilot study confirmed the appropriateness of the selected attributes and levels for a DCE. First, a consensus, emerging from an individual level analysis of the qualitative transcripts, identified 10 candidate attributes. Levels were assigned to all attributes based on data from transcripts and knowledge of the Malawian context, derived from literature. Second, through further discussions with experts, four attributes were discarded based on multiple criteria. The 6 remaining attributes were: premium level, unit of enrollment, management structure, health service benefit package, transportation coverage and copayment levels. A final step of revision and piloting confirmed that the retained attributes satisfied the credibility criteria of DCE attributes. This detailed description makes our attribute development process transparent, and provides the reader with a basis to assess the rigor of this stage of constructing the DCE. This paper contributes empirical evidence to the limited methodological literature on attributes and levels development for DCE, thereby providing further empirical guidance on the matter, specifically within rural communities of low- and middle-income countries.

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation.

PubMed

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-05-17

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional "encrypt-then-sign" or "sign-then-encrypt" strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation.

Feature Integration in the Mapping of Multi-Attribute Visual Stimuli to Responses

PubMed Central

Ishizaki, Takuya; Morita, Hiromi; Morita, Masahiko

2015-01-01

In the human visual system, different attributes of an object, such as shape and color, are separately processed in different modules and then integrated to elicit a specific response. In this process, different attributes are thought to be temporarily “bound” together by focusing attention on the object; however, how such binding contributes to stimulus-response mapping remains unclear. Here we report that learning and performance of stimulus-response tasks was more difficult when three attributes of the stimulus determined the correct response than when two attributes did. We also found that spatially separated presentations of attributes considerably complicated the task, although they did not markedly affect target detection. These results are consistent with a paired-attribute model in which bound feature pairs, rather than object representations, are associated with responses by learning. This suggests that attention does not bind three or more attributes into a unitary object representation, and long-term learning is required for their integration. PMID:25762010

Leaf habit and woodiness regulate different leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply.

PubMed

Ordoñez, Jenny C; van Bodegom, Peter M; Witte, Jan-Philip M; Bartholomeus, Ruud P; van Dobben, Han F; Aerts, Rien

2010-11-01

The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed in natural communities exemplifies the alternative solutions that plants have developed in response to the same environmental limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, and leaf habit can be used to approximate these alternative solutions. Here, we quantified the extent to which these attributes affect leaf trait values at a given resource supply level, using measured plant traits from 105 different species (254 observations) distributed across 50 sites in mesic to wet plant communities in The Netherlands. For each site, soil total N, soil total P, and water supply estimates were obtained by field measurements and modeling. Effects of growth forms, woodiness, and leaf habit on relations between leaf traits (SLA, specific leaf area; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; and LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration) vs. nutrient and water supply were quantified using maximum-likelihood methods and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The qualitative attributes explained 8-23% of the variance within sites in leaf traits vs. soil fertility relationships, and therefore they can potentially be used to make better predictions of global patterns of leaf traits in relation to nutrient supply. However, at a given soil fertility, the strength of the effect of each qualitative attribute was not the same for all leaf traits. These differences may imply a differential regulation of the leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply, in which SLA and LPC seem to be regulated in accordance to changes in plant size and architecture while LNC seems to be primarily regulated at the leaf level by factors related to leaf longevity.

A Multi-Faceted Analysis of a New Therapeutic Model of Linking Appraisals to Affective Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Christopher; And Others

I. Roseman, M. Spindel, and P. Jose (1990) had previously demonstrated that specific appraisals of events led to discrete emotional responses, but this model has not been widely tested by other research teams using alternative research methods. The present study utilized four qualitative research methods, taught by Patti Lather at the 1994…

A Qualitative Study of Systemic Factors Contributing to Successful Implementation of Response to Intervention Programs in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Sheila B.

2017-01-01

Response to intervention (RTI), an educational reform effort designed to meet the needs of struggling learners, has been adopted by an increasing number of states as a primary component of their educational service delivery model for low-achieving students (Burns et al., 2013; Castillo & Batsche, 2012). RTI models are multi-tiered…

[Comparative study on promoting blood effects of Danshen-Honghua herb pair with different preparations based on chemometrics and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods].

PubMed

Qu, Cheng; Tang, Yu-Ping; Shi, Xu-Qin; Zhou, Gui-Sheng; Shang, Er-Xin; Shang, Li-Li; Guo, Jian-Ming; Liu, Pei; Zhao, Jing; Zhao, Bu-Chang; Duan, Jin-Ao

2017-08-01

To evaluate the promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis effects of Danshen-Honghua(DH) herb pair with different preparations (alcohol, 50% alcohol and water) on blood rheology and coagulation functions in acute blood stasis rats, and optimize the best preparation method of DH based on principal component analysis(PCA), hierarchical cluster heatmap analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods. Ice water bath and subcutaneous injection of adrenaline were both used to establish the acute blood stasis rat model. Then the blood stasis rats were administrated intragastrically with DH (alcohol, 50% alcohol and water) extracts. The whole blood viscosity(WBV), plasma viscosity(PV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) and haematocrit(HCT) were tested to observe the effects of DH herb pair with different preparations and doses on hemorheology of blood stasis rats; the activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT), thrombin time(TT), prothrombin time(PT), and plasma fibrinogen(FIB) were tested to observe the effects of DH herb pair with different preparations on blood coagulation function and platelet aggregation of blood stasis rats. Then PCA, hierarchical cluster heatmap analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods were all used to comprehensively evaluate the total promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis effects of DH herb pair with different preparations. The hemorheological indexes and coagulation parameters of model group had significant differences with normal blank group. As compared with the model group, the DH herb pair with different preparations at low, middle and high doses could improve the blood hemorheology indexes and coagulation parameters in acute blood stasis rats with dose-effect relation. Based on the PCA, hierarchical cluster heatmap analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods, the high dose group of 50% alcohol extract had the best effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Under the same dose but different preparations, 50% alcohol DH could obviously improve the hemorheology and blood coagulation function in acute blood stasis rats. These results suggested that DH herb pair with different preparations could obviously ameliorate the abnormality of hemorheology and blood coagulation function in acute blood stasis rats, and the optimized preparation of DH herb pair on promoting blood effects was 50% alcohol extract, providing scientific basis for more effective application of the DH herb pair in modern clinic medicine. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Hydro-environmental management of groundwater resources: A fuzzy-based multi-objective compromise approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizadeh, Mohammad Reza; Nikoo, Mohammad Reza; Rakhshandehroo, Gholam Reza

2017-08-01

Sustainable management of water resources necessitates close attention to social, economic and environmental aspects such as water quality and quantity concerns and potential conflicts. This study presents a new fuzzy-based multi-objective compromise methodology to determine the socio-optimal and sustainable policies for hydro-environmental management of groundwater resources, which simultaneously considers the conflicts and negotiation of involved stakeholders, uncertainties in decision makers' preferences, existing uncertainties in the groundwater parameters and groundwater quality and quantity issues. The fuzzy multi-objective simulation-optimization model is developed based on qualitative and quantitative groundwater simulation model (MODFLOW and MT3D), multi-objective optimization model (NSGA-II), Monte Carlo analysis and Fuzzy Transformation Method (FTM). Best compromise solutions (best management policies) on trade-off curves are determined using four different Fuzzy Social Choice (FSC) methods. Finally, a unanimity fallback bargaining method is utilized to suggest the most preferred FSC method. Kavar-Maharloo aquifer system in Fars, Iran, as a typical multi-stakeholder multi-objective real-world problem is considered to verify the proposed methodology. Results showed an effective performance of the framework for determining the most sustainable allocation policy in groundwater resource management.

Multi-keV x-ray sources from metal-lined cylindrical hohlraums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacquet, L.; Girard, F.; Primout, M.; Villette, B.; Stemmler, Ph.

2012-08-01

As multi-keV x-ray sources, plastic hohlraums with inner walls coated with titanium, copper, and germanium have been fired on Omega in September 2009. For all the targets, the measured and calculated multi-keV x-ray power time histories are in a good qualitative agreement. In the same irradiation conditions, measured multi-keV x-ray conversion rates are ˜6%-8% for titanium, ˜2% for copper, and ˜0.5% for germanium. For titanium and copper hohlraums, the measured conversion rates are about two times higher than those given by hydroradiative computations. Conversely, for the germanium hohlraum, a rather good agreement is found between measured and computed conversion rates. To explain these findings, multi-keV integrated emissivities calculated with RADIOM [M. Busquet, Phys. Fluids 85, 4191 (1993)], the nonlocal-thermal-equilibrium atomic physics model used in our computations, have been compared to emissivities obtained from different other models. These comparisons provide an attractive way to explain the discrepancies between experimental and calculated quantitative results.

Teaching Action Research: The Role of Demographics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mcmurray, Adela J.

2006-01-01

This article summarizes a longitudinal study of employed MBA students with particular emphasis on findings involving their choice of action research model to implement personal and organizational change in their environment. A multi-method approach merging both quantitative and qualitative techniques was utilized. A questionnaire consisting of…

Prospect Theory and Interval-Valued Hesitant Set for Safety Evacuation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kou, Meng; Lu, Na

2018-01-01

The study applies the research results of prospect theory and multi attribute decision making theory, combined with the complexity, uncertainty and multifactor influence of the underground mine fire system and takes the decision makers’ psychological behavior of emotion and intuition into full account to establish the intuitionistic fuzzy multiple attribute decision making method that is based on the prospect theory. The model established by this method can explain the decision maker’s safety evacuation decision behavior in the complex system of underground mine fire due to the uncertainty of the environment, imperfection of the information and human psychological behavior and other factors.

Causal attribution of mental illness in South-Eastern Nigeria.

PubMed

Ikwuka, Ugo; Galbraith, Niall; Nyatanga, Lovemore

2014-05-01

Understanding of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa has remained under-researched in spite of the high and increasing neuropsychiatric burden of disease in the region. This study investigated the causal beliefs that the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria hold about schizophrenia, with a view to establishing the extent to which the population makes psychosocial, biological and supernatural attributions. Multi-stage sampling was used to select participants (N = 200) to which questionnaires were administered. Mean comparison of the three causal models revealed a significant endorsement of supernatural causation. Logistic regressions revealed significant contributions of old age and female gender to supernatural attribution; old age, high education and Catholic religious denomination to psychosocial attributions; and high education to biological attributions. It is hoped that the findings would enlighten, augment literature and enhance mental health care service delivery.

Podium: Ranking Data Using Mixed-Initiative Visual Analytics.

PubMed

Wall, Emily; Das, Subhajit; Chawla, Ravish; Kalidindi, Bharath; Brown, Eli T; Endert, Alex

2018-01-01

People often rank and order data points as a vital part of making decisions. Multi-attribute ranking systems are a common tool used to make these data-driven decisions. Such systems often take the form of a table-based visualization in which users assign weights to the attributes representing the quantifiable importance of each attribute to a decision, which the system then uses to compute a ranking of the data. However, these systems assume that users are able to quantify their conceptual understanding of how important particular attributes are to a decision. This is not always easy or even possible for users to do. Rather, people often have a more holistic understanding of the data. They form opinions that data point A is better than data point B but do not necessarily know which attributes are important. To address these challenges, we present a visual analytic application to help people rank multi-variate data points. We developed a prototype system, Podium, that allows users to drag rows in the table to rank order data points based on their perception of the relative value of the data. Podium then infers a weighting model using Ranking SVM that satisfies the user's data preferences as closely as possible. Whereas past systems help users understand the relationships between data points based on changes to attribute weights, our approach helps users to understand the attributes that might inform their understanding of the data. We present two usage scenarios to describe some of the potential uses of our proposed technique: (1) understanding which attributes contribute to a user's subjective preferences for data, and (2) deconstructing attributes of importance for existing rankings. Our proposed approach makes powerful machine learning techniques more usable to those who may not have expertise in these areas.

Integrated seismic stochastic inversion and multi-attributes to delineate reservoir distribution: Case study MZ fields, Central Sumatra Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haris, A.; Novriyani, M.; Suparno, S.; Hidayat, R.; Riyanto, A.

2017-07-01

This study presents the integration of seismic stochastic inversion and multi-attributes for delineating the reservoir distribution in term of lithology and porosity in the formation within depth interval between the Top Sihapas and Top Pematang. The method that has been used is a stochastic inversion, which is integrated with multi-attribute seismic by applying neural network Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). Stochastic methods are used to predict the probability mapping sandstone as the result of impedance varied with 50 realizations that will produce a good probability. Analysis of Stochastic Seismic Tnversion provides more interpretive because it directly gives the value of the property. Our experiment shows that AT of stochastic inversion provides more diverse uncertainty so that the probability value will be close to the actual values. The produced AT is then used for an input of a multi-attribute analysis, which is used to predict the gamma ray, density and porosity logs. To obtain the number of attributes that are used, stepwise regression algorithm is applied. The results are attributes which are used in the process of PNN. This PNN method is chosen because it has the best correlation of others neural network method. Finally, we interpret the product of the multi-attribute analysis are in the form of pseudo-gamma ray volume, density volume and volume of pseudo-porosity to delineate the reservoir distribution. Our interpretation shows that the structural trap is identified in the southeastern part of study area, which is along the anticline.

Toward the Attribution of Web Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

den Poel, “Predicting website audience demo- graphics for Web advertising targeting using multi-website clickstream data,” Fundamenta Informaticae ...and M. Sydow, “Effective prediction of web user behaviour with user-level models,” Fundamenta Informaticae , vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 189–206, 2008. [24] J

Implementation multi representation and oral communication skills in Department of Physics Education on Elementary Physics II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusumawati, Intan; Marwoto, Putut; Linuwih, Suharto

2015-09-01

The ability of multi representation has been widely studied, but there has been no implementation through a model of learning. This study aimed to determine the ability of the students multi representation, relationships multi representation capabilities and oral communication skills, as well as the application of the relations between the two capabilities through learning model Presentatif Based on Multi representation (PBM) in solving optical geometric (Elementary Physics II). A concurrent mixed methods research methods with qualitative-quantitative weights. Means of collecting data in the form of the pre-test and post-test with essay form, observation sheets oral communication skills, and assessment of learning by observation sheet PBM-learning models all have a high degree of respectively validity category is 3.91; 4.22; 4.13; 3.88. Test reliability with Alpha Cronbach technique, reliability coefficient of 0.494. The students are department of Physics Education Unnes as a research subject. Sequence multi representation tendency of students from high to low in sequence, representation of M, D, G, V; whereas the order of accuracy, the group representation V, D, G, M. Relationship multi representation ability and oral communication skills, comparable/proportional. Implementation conjunction generate grounded theory. This study should be applied to the physics of matter, or any other university for comparison.

Development of multi-metal interaction model for Daphnia magna: Significance of metallothionein in cellular redistribution.

PubMed

Wang, Xiangrui; Liu, Jianyu; Tan, Qiaoguo; Ren, Jinqian; Liang, Dingyuan; Fan, Wenhong

2018-04-30

Despite the great progress made in metal-induced toxicity mechanisms, a critical knowledge gap still exists in predicting adverse effects of heavy metals on living organisms in the natural environment, particularly during exposure to multi-metals. In this study, a multi-metal interaction model of Daphnia manga was developed in an effort to provide reasonable explanations regarding the joint effects resulting from exposure to multi-metals. Metallothionein (MT), a widely used biomarker, was selected. In this model, MT was supposed to play the role of a crucial transfer protein rather than detoxifying protein. Therefore, competitive complexation of metals to MT could highly affect the cellular metal redistribution. Thus, competitive complexation of MT in D. magna with metals like Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ and Cu 2+ was qualitatively studied. The results suggested that Cd 2+ had the highest affinity towards MT, followed by Pb 2+ and Cu 2+ . On the other hand, the combination of MT with Cu 2+ appeared to alter its structure which resulted in higher affinity towards Pb 2+ . Overall, the predicted bioaccumulation of metals under multi-metal exposure was consisted with earlier reported studies. This model provided an alternative angle for joint effect through a combination of kinetic process and internal interactions, which could help to develop future models predicting toxicity to multi-metal exposure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Responses to Different Anthropogenic Forcings Add Linearly in Climate Models?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marvel, Kate; Schmidt, Gavin A.; Shindell, Drew; Bonfils, Celine; LeGrande, Allegra N.; Nazarenko, Larissa; Tsigaridis, Kostas

2015-01-01

Many detection and attribution and pattern scaling studies assume that the global climate response to multiple forcings is additive: that the response over the historical period is statistically indistinguishable from the sum of the responses to individual forcings. Here, we use the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model (CCSM) simulations from the CMIP5 archive to test this assumption for multi-year trends in global-average, annual-average temperature and precipitation at multiple timescales. We find that responses in models forced by pre-computed aerosol and ozone concentrations are generally additive across forcings; however, we demonstrate that there are significant nonlinearities in precipitation responses to di?erent forcings in a configuration of the GISS model that interactively computes these concentrations from precursor emissions. We attribute these to di?erences in ozone forcing arising from interactions between forcing agents. Our results suggest that attribution to specific forcings may be complicated in a model with fully interactive chemistry and may provide motivation for other modeling groups to conduct further single-forcing experiments.

Do responses to different anthropogenic forcings add linearly in climate models?

DOE PAGES

Marvel, Kate; Schmidt, Gavin A.; Shindell, Drew; ...

2015-10-14

Many detection and attribution and pattern scaling studies assume that the global climate response to multiple forcings is additive: that the response over the historical period is statistically indistinguishable from the sum of the responses to individual forcings. Here, we use the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) simulations from the CMIP5 archive to test this assumption for multi-year trends in global-average, annual-average temperature and precipitation at multiple timescales. We find that responses in models forced by pre-computed aerosol and ozone concentrations are generally additive across forcings. However,more » we demonstrate that there are significant nonlinearities in precipitation responses to different forcings in a configuration of the GISS model that interactively computes these concentrations from precursor emissions. We attribute these to differences in ozone forcing arising from interactions between forcing agents. Lastly, our results suggest that attribution to specific forcings may be complicated in a model with fully interactive chemistry and may provide motivation for other modeling groups to conduct further single-forcing experiments.« less

Modeling and simulation of dynamic ant colony's labor division for task allocation of UAV swarm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Husheng; Li, Hao; Xiao, Renbin; Liu, Jie

2018-02-01

The problem of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) task allocation not only has the intrinsic attribute of complexity, such as highly nonlinear, dynamic, highly adversarial and multi-modal, but also has a better practicability in various multi-agent systems, which makes it more and more attractive recently. In this paper, based on the classic fixed response threshold model (FRTM), under the idea of "problem centered + evolutionary solution" and by a bottom-up way, the new dynamic environmental stimulus, response threshold and transition probability are designed, and a dynamic ant colony's labor division (DACLD) model is proposed. DACLD allows a swarm of agents with a relatively low-level of intelligence to perform complex tasks, and has the characteristic of distributed framework, multi-tasks with execution order, multi-state, adaptive response threshold and multi-individual response. With the proposed model, numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the effectiveness of the distributed task allocation scheme in two situations of UAV swarm combat (dynamic task allocation with a certain number of enemy targets and task re-allocation due to unexpected threats). Results show that our model can get both the heterogeneous UAVs' real-time positions and states at the same time, and has high degree of self-organization, flexibility and real-time response to dynamic environments.

A Structured Decision Approach for Integrating and Analyzing Community Perspectives in Re-Use Planning of Vacant Properties in Cleveland, Ohio

EPA Science Inventory

An integrated GIS-based, multi-attribute decision model deployed in a web-based platform is presented enabling an iterative, spatially explicit and collaborative analysis of relevant and available information for repurposing vacant land. The process incorporated traditional and ...

Selecting the Best Thermal Building Insulation Using a Multi-Attribute Decision Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

materials which come in various forms. Rock wool, also called mineral wool , is made from natural minerals and was developed in the mid-1800s (NAIMA...2008). Fiberglass is a form of mineral wool and accounts for approximately 85% of the market for residential insulation. Synthetic insulating

Modeling recreation participants' willingness to substitute using multi-attribute indicators

Treesearch

Yung-Ping (Emilio) Tseng; Robert B. Ditton

2008-01-01

A logistic regression was used to predict anglers' resource-substitution decisions based on three dimensions of recreation specialization (behavior, skill and knowledge, and commitment), two dimensions of place attachment (place identity and place dependence), and three demographic indicators. Results indicated that place dependence was the most effective...

Crocodile Talk: Attributions of Incestuously Abused and Nonabused Sisters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monahan, Kathleen

1997-01-01

This qualitative study analyzed the retrospective attributions of adult sisters (five abused sister dyads, and five abused and nonabused sister dyads) who grew up in incestuous families. It examined the attributions of subjects regarding the general sibling group; victim selection and nonselection; and attributions regarding jealousy, protection,…

Young adults' decision making surrounding heavy drinking: a multi-staged model of planned behaviour.

PubMed

Northcote, Jeremy

2011-06-01

This paper examines the real life contexts in which decisions surrounding heavy drinking are made by young adults (that is, on occasions when five or more alcoholic drinks are consumed within a few hours). It presents a conceptual model that views such decision making as a multi-faceted and multi-staged process. The mixed method study draws on purposive data gathered through direct observation of eight social networks consisting of 81 young adults aged between 18 and 25 years in Perth, Western Australia, including in-depth interviews with 31 participants. Qualitative and some basic quantitative data were gathered using participant observation and in-depth interviews undertaken over an eighteen month period. Participants explained their decision to engage in heavy drinking as based on a variety of factors. These elements relate to socio-cultural norms and expectancies that are best explained by the theory of planned behaviour. A framework is proposed that characterises heavy drinking as taking place in a multi-staged manner, with young adults having: 1. A generalised orientation to the value of heavy drinking shaped by wider influences and norms; 2. A short-term orientation shaped by situational factors that determines drinking intentions for specific events; and 3. An evaluative orientation shaped by moderating factors. The value of qualitative studies of decision making in real life contexts is advanced to complement the mostly quantitative research that dominates research on alcohol decision making. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative electrical distribution system architectures for automobiles

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

Afridi, K.K.; Tabors, R.D.; Kassakian, J.G.

At present most automobiles use a 12 V electrical system with point-to-point wiring. The capability of this architecture in meeting the needs of future electrical loads is questionable. Furthermore, with the development of electric vehicles (EVs) there is a greater need for a better architecture. In this paper the authors outline the limitations of the conventional architecture and identify alternatives. They also present a multi-attribute trade-off methodology which compares these alternatives, and identifies a set of Pareto optimal architectures. The system attributes traded off are cost, weight, losses and probability of failure. These are calculated by a computer program thatmore » has built-in component attribute models. System attributes of a few dozen architectures are also reported and the results analyzed. 17 refs.« less

Development of a Conceptual Model of Disease Progression for Use in Economic Modeling of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

PubMed

Tabberer, Maggie; Gonzalez-McQuire, Sebastian; Muellerova, Hana; Briggs, Andrew H; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P M H; Chambers, Mike; Lomas, David A

2017-05-01

To develop and validate a new conceptual model (CM) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for use in disease progression and economic modeling. The CM identifies and describes qualitative associations between disease attributes, progression and outcomes. A literature review was performed to identify any published CMs or literature reporting the impact and association of COPD disease attributes with outcomes. After critical analysis of the literature, a Steering Group of experts from the disciplines of health economics, epidemiology and clinical medicine was convened to develop a draft CM, which was refined using a Delphi process. The refined CM was validated by testing for associations between attributes using data from the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (ECLIPSE). Disease progression attributes included in the final CM were history and occurrence of exacerbations, lung function, exercise capacity, signs and symptoms (cough, sputum, dyspnea), cardiovascular disease comorbidities, 'other' comorbidities (including depression), body composition (body mass index), fibrinogen as a biomarker, smoking and demographic characteristics (age, gender). Mortality and health-related quality of life were determined to be the most relevant final outcome measures for this model, intended to be the foundation of an economic model of COPD. The CM is being used as the foundation for developing a new COPD model of disease progression and to provide a framework for the analysis of patient-level data. The CM is available as a reference for the implementation of further disease progression and economic models.

An audience research study to disseminate evidence about comprehensive state mental health parity legislation to US State policymakers: protocol.

PubMed

Purtle, Jonathan; Lê-Scherban, Félice; Shattuck, Paul; Proctor, Enola K; Brownson, Ross C

2017-06-26

A large proportion of the US population has limited access to mental health treatments because insurance providers limit the utilization of mental health services in ways that are more restrictive than for physical health services. Comprehensive state mental health parity legislation (C-SMHPL) is an evidence-based policy intervention that enhances mental health insurance coverage and improves access to care. Implementation of C-SMHPL, however, is limited. State policymakers have the exclusive authority to implement C-SMHPL, but sparse guidance exists to inform the design of strategies to disseminate evidence about C-SMHPL, and more broadly, evidence-based treatments and mental illness, to this audience. The aims of this exploratory audience research study are to (1) characterize US State policymakers' knowledge and attitudes about C-SMHPL and identify individual- and state-level attributes associated with support for C-SMHPL; and (2) integrate quantitative and qualitative data to develop a conceptual framework to disseminate evidence about C-SMHPL, evidence-based treatments, and mental illness to US State policymakers. The study uses a multi-level (policymaker, state), mixed method (QUAN→qual) approach and is guided by Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework, adapted to incorporate constructs from Aarons' Model of Evidence-Based Implementation in Public Sectors. A multi-modal survey (telephone, post-mail, e-mail) of 600 US State policymakers (500 legislative, 100 administrative) will be conducted and responses will be linked to state-level variables. The survey will span domains such as support for C-SMHPL, knowledge and attitudes about C-SMHPL and evidence-based treatments, mental illness stigma, and research dissemination preferences. State-level variables will measure factors associated with C-SMHPL implementation, such as economic climate and political environment. Multi-level regression will determine the relative strength of individual- and state-level variables on policymaker support for C-SMHPL. Informed by survey results, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with approximately 50 US State policymakers to elaborate upon quantitative findings. Then, using a systematic process, quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated and a US State policymaker-focused C-SMHPL dissemination framework will be developed. Study results will provide the foundation for hypothesis-driven, experimental studies testing the effects of different dissemination strategies on state policymakers' support for, and implementation of, evidence-based mental health policy interventions.

Secure Data Access Control for Fog Computing Based on Multi-Authority Attribute-Based Signcryption with Computation Outsourcing and Attribute Revocation

PubMed Central

Xu, Qian; Tan, Chengxiang; Fan, Zhijie; Zhu, Wenye; Xiao, Ya; Cheng, Fujia

2018-01-01

Nowadays, fog computing provides computation, storage, and application services to end users in the Internet of Things. One of the major concerns in fog computing systems is how fine-grained access control can be imposed. As a logical combination of attribute-based encryption and attribute-based signature, Attribute-based Signcryption (ABSC) can provide confidentiality and anonymous authentication for sensitive data and is more efficient than traditional “encrypt-then-sign” or “sign-then-encrypt” strategy. Thus, ABSC is suitable for fine-grained access control in a semi-trusted cloud environment and is gaining more and more attention recently. However, in many existing ABSC systems, the computation cost required for the end users in signcryption and designcryption is linear with the complexity of signing and encryption access policy. Moreover, only a single authority that is responsible for attribute management and key generation exists in the previous proposed ABSC schemes, whereas in reality, mostly, different authorities monitor different attributes of the user. In this paper, we propose OMDAC-ABSC, a novel data access control scheme based on Ciphertext-Policy ABSC, to provide data confidentiality, fine-grained control, and anonymous authentication in a multi-authority fog computing system. The signcryption and designcryption overhead for the user is significantly reduced by outsourcing the undesirable computation operations to fog nodes. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the standard model and can provide attribute revocation and public verifiability. The security analysis, asymptotic complexity comparison, and implementation results indicate that our construction can balance the security goals with practical efficiency in computation. PMID:29772840

Developing attributes and attribute-levels for a discrete choice experiment on micro health insurance in rural Malawi

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are attribute-driven experimental techniques used to elicit stakeholders’ preferences to support the design and implementation of policy interventions. The validity of a DCE, therefore, depends on the appropriate specification of the attributes and their levels. There have been recent calls for greater rigor in implementing and reporting on the processes of developing attributes and attribute-levels for discrete choice experiments (DCEs). This paper responds to such calls by carefully reporting a systematic process of developing micro health insurance attributes and attribute-levels for the design of a DCE in rural Malawi. Methods Conceptual attributes and attribute-levels were initially derived from a literature review which informed the design of qualitative data collection tools to identify context specific attributes and attribute-levels. Qualitative data was collected in August-September 2012 from 12 focus group discussions with community residents and 8 in-depth interviews with health workers. All participants were selected according to stratified purposive sampling. The material was tape-recorded, fully transcribed, and coded by three researchers to identify context-specific attributes and attribute-levels. Expert opinion was used to scale down the attributes and levels. A pilot study confirmed the appropriateness of the selected attributes and levels for a DCE. Results First, a consensus, emerging from an individual level analysis of the qualitative transcripts, identified 10 candidate attributes. Levels were assigned to all attributes based on data from transcripts and knowledge of the Malawian context, derived from literature. Second, through further discussions with experts, four attributes were discarded based on multiple criteria. The 6 remaining attributes were: premium level, unit of enrollment, management structure, health service benefit package, transportation coverage and copayment levels. A final step of revision and piloting confirmed that the retained attributes satisfied the credibility criteria of DCE attributes. Conclusion This detailed description makes our attribute development process transparent, and provides the reader with a basis to assess the rigor of this stage of constructing the DCE. This paper contributes empirical evidence to the limited methodological literature on attributes and levels development for DCE, thereby providing further empirical guidance on the matter, specifically within rural communities of low- and middle-income countries. PMID:24884920

Assessing the multi-scale predictive ability of ecosystem functional attributes for species distribution modelling.

PubMed

Arenas-Castro, Salvador; Gonçalves, João; Alves, Paulo; Alcaraz-Segura, Domingo; Honrado, João P

2018-01-01

Global environmental changes are rapidly affecting species' distributions and habitat suitability worldwide, requiring a continuous update of biodiversity status to support effective decisions on conservation policy and management. In this regard, satellite-derived Ecosystem Functional Attributes (EFAs) offer a more integrative and quicker evaluation of ecosystem responses to environmental drivers and changes than climate and structural or compositional landscape attributes. Thus, EFAs may hold advantages as predictors in Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and for implementing multi-scale species monitoring programs. Here we describe a modelling framework to assess the predictive ability of EFAs as Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) against traditional datasets (climate, land-cover) at several scales. We test the framework with a multi-scale assessment of habitat suitability for two plant species of conservation concern, both protected under the EU Habitats Directive, differing in terms of life history, range and distribution pattern (Iris boissieri and Taxus baccata). We fitted four sets of SDMs for the two test species, calibrated with: interpolated climate variables; landscape variables; EFAs; and a combination of climate and landscape variables. EFA-based models performed very well at the several scales (AUCmedian from 0.881±0.072 to 0.983±0.125), and similarly to traditional climate-based models, individually or in combination with land-cover predictors (AUCmedian from 0.882±0.059 to 0.995±0.083). Moreover, EFA-based models identified additional suitable areas and provided valuable information on functional features of habitat suitability for both test species (narrowly vs. widely distributed), for both coarse and fine scales. Our results suggest a relatively small scale-dependence of the predictive ability of satellite-derived EFAs, supporting their use as meaningful EBVs in SDMs from regional and broader scales to more local and finer scales. Since the evaluation of species' conservation status and habitat quality should as far as possible be performed based on scalable indicators linking to meaningful processes, our framework may guide conservation managers in decision-making related to biodiversity monitoring and reporting schemes.

A Generalized Measurement Model to Quantify Health: The Multi-Attribute Preference Response Model

PubMed Central

Krabbe, Paul F. M.

2013-01-01

After 40 years of deriving metric values for health status or health-related quality of life, the effective quantification of subjective health outcomes is still a challenge. Here, two of the best measurement tools, the discrete choice and the Rasch model, are combined to create a new model for deriving health values. First, existing techniques to value health states are briefly discussed followed by a reflection on the recent revival of interest in patients’ experience with regard to their possible role in health measurement. Subsequently, three basic principles for valid health measurement are reviewed, namely unidimensionality, interval level, and invariance. In the main section, the basic operation of measurement is then discussed in the framework of probabilistic discrete choice analysis (random utility model) and the psychometric Rasch model. It is then shown how combining the main features of these two models yields an integrated measurement model, called the multi-attribute preference response (MAPR) model, which is introduced here. This new model transforms subjective individual rank data into a metric scale using responses from patients who have experienced certain health states. Its measurement mechanism largely prevents biases such as adaptation and coping. Several extensions of the MAPR model are presented. The MAPR model can be applied to a wide range of research problems. If extended with the self-selection of relevant health domains for the individual patient, this model will be more valid than existing valuation techniques. PMID:24278141

A Simple Text File for Curing Rainbow Blindness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krylo, Robert; Tomlin, Marilyn; Seager, Michael

2008-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the use of a simple text file to work with large, multi-component thermal models that present a post-processing challenge. This complexity is due to temperatures for many components, with varying requirements, need to be examined and that false color temperature maps, or rainbows, provide a qualitative assessment of results.

Governance Paradigms of Public Universities: An International Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christopher, Joe

2012-01-01

This study aims to develop a conceptual model of the wider influencing forces impacting the governance paradigms of public universities. It draws on the multi-theoretical governance concept and seeks to identify these forces through the lens of chief audit executives using a qualitative research approach. The interview data supported by published…

Using Research-Based Instruction to Improve Math Outcomes with Underprepared Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Lee R.; Pearce, Kristi L.; Siewert, Daluss J.

2017-01-01

The authors used a mixed-methods research design to evaluate a multi-tiered system of supports model to address the disturbing failure rates of underprepared college students placed in developmental mathematics at a small state university. While qualitative data gathered from using Participatory Action Research methods directed the two-year…

A Cohort, Is a Cohort, Is a Cohort...or Is It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pemberton, Cynthia Lee A.; Akkary, Rima Karami

2010-01-01

This paper presents findings from a multi-year qualitative study based upon life-history narratives of women pursuing doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership. This paper focuses on findings specific to educational cohort models, and suggests that perhaps, at least for women, naturally emergent cohorts--born of relationships of choice--may be…

Visual Attention Allocation Between Robotic Arm and Environmental Process Control: Validating the STOM Task Switching Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wickens, Christopher; Vieanne, Alex; Clegg, Benjamin; Sebok, Angelia; Janes, Jessica

2015-01-01

Fifty six participants time shared a spacecraft environmental control system task with a realistic space robotic arm control task in either a manual or highly automated version. The former could suffer minor failures, whose diagnosis and repair were supported by a decision aid. At the end of the experiment this decision aid unexpectedly failed. We measured visual attention allocation and switching between the two tasks, in each of the eight conditions formed by manual-automated arm X expected-unexpected failure X monitoring- failure management. We also used our multi-attribute task switching model, based on task attributes of priority interest, difficulty and salience that were self-rated by participants, to predict allocation. An un-weighted model based on attributes of difficulty, interest and salience accounted for 96 percent of the task allocation variance across the 8 different conditions. Task difficulty served as an attractor, with more difficult tasks increasing the tendency to stay on task.

Multi-Attribute Consensus Building Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shyyan, Vitaliy; Christensen, Laurene; Thurlow, Martha; Lazarus, Sheryl

2013-01-01

The Multi-Attribute Consensus Building (MACB) method is a quantitative approach for determining a group's opinion about the importance of each item (strategy, decision, recommendation, policy, priority, etc.) on a list (Vanderwood, & Erickson, 1994). This process enables a small or large group of participants to generate and discuss a set…

Assessing the impact of land use change on hydrology by ensemble modeling (LUCHEM). I: Model intercomparison with current land use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breuer, L.; Huisman, J.A.; Willems, P.; Bormann, H.; Bronstert, A.; Croke, B.F.W.; Frede, H.-G.; Graff, T.; Hubrechts, L.; Jakeman, A.J.; Kite, G.; Lanini, J.; Leavesley, G.; Lettenmaier, D.P.; Lindstrom, G.; Seibert, J.; Sivapalan, M.; Viney, N.R.

2009-01-01

This paper introduces the project on 'Assessing the impact of land use change on hydrology by ensemble modeling (LUCHEM)' that aims at investigating the envelope of predictions on changes in hydrological fluxes due to land use change. As part of a series of four papers, this paper outlines the motivation and setup of LUCHEM, and presents a model intercomparison for the present-day simulation results. Such an intercomparison provides a valuable basis to investigate the effects of different model structures on model predictions and paves the ground for the analysis of the performance of multi-model ensembles and the reliability of the scenario predictions in companion papers. In this study, we applied a set of 10 lumped, semi-lumped and fully distributed hydrological models that have been previously used in land use change studies to the low mountainous Dill catchment, Germany. Substantial differences in model performance were observed with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies ranging from 0.53 to 0.92. Differences in model performance were attributed to (1) model input data, (2) model calibration and (3) the physical basis of the models. The models were applied with two sets of input data: an original and a homogenized data set. This homogenization of precipitation, temperature and leaf area index was performed to reduce the variation between the models. Homogenization improved the comparability of model simulations and resulted in a reduced average bias, although some variation in model data input remained. The effect of the physical differences between models on the long-term water balance was mainly attributed to differences in how models represent evapotranspiration. Semi-lumped and lumped conceptual models slightly outperformed the fully distributed and physically based models. This was attributed to the automatic model calibration typically used for this type of models. Overall, however, we conclude that there was no superior model if several measures of model performance are considered and that all models are suitable to participate in further multi-model ensemble set-ups and land use change scenario investigations. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision Making for Pap Testing among Pacific Islander Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Jie W.; Mouttapa, Michele; Sablan-Santos, Lola; DeGuzman Lacsamana, Jasmine; Quitugua, Lourdes; Park Tanjasiri, Sora

2016-01-01

This study employed a Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) model to examine the Pap test decision-making process among Pacific Islanders (PI) residing in Southern California. A total of 585 PI women were recruited through social networks from Samoan and Tongan churches, and Chamorro family clans. A questionnaire assessed Pap test knowledge, beliefs and…

Generation of net sediment transport by velocity skewness in oscillatory sheet flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Li, Yong; Chen, Genfa; Wang, Fujun; Tang, Xuelin

2018-01-01

This study utilizes a qualitative approach and a two-phase numerical model to investigate net sediment transport caused by velocity skewness beneath oscillatory sheet flow and current. The qualitative approach is derived based on the pseudo-laminar approximation of boundary layer velocity and exponential approximation of concentration. The two-phase model can obtain well the instantaneous erosion depth, sediment flux, boundary layer thickness, and sediment transport rate. It can especially illustrate the difference between positive and negative flow stages caused by velocity skewness, which is considerably important in determining the net boundary layer flow and sediment transport direction. The two-phase model also explains the effect of sediment diameter and phase-lag to sediment transport by comparing the instantaneous-type formulas to better illustrate velocity skewness effect. In previous studies about sheet flow transport in pure velocity-skewed flows, net sediment transport is only attributed to the phase-lag effect. In the present study with the qualitative approach and two-phase model, phase-lag effect is shown important but not sufficient for the net sediment transport beneath pure velocity-skewed flow and current, while the asymmetric wave boundary layer development between positive and negative flow stages also contributes to the sediment transport.

Prediction accuracies for growth and wood attributes of interior spruce in space using genotyping-by-sequencing.

PubMed

Gamal El-Dien, Omnia; Ratcliffe, Blaise; Klápště, Jaroslav; Chen, Charles; Porth, Ilga; El-Kassaby, Yousry A

2015-05-09

Genomic selection (GS) in forestry can substantially reduce the length of breeding cycle and increase gain per unit time through early selection and greater selection intensity, particularly for traits of low heritability and late expression. Affordable next-generation sequencing technologies made it possible to genotype large numbers of trees at a reasonable cost. Genotyping-by-sequencing was used to genotype 1,126 Interior spruce trees representing 25 open-pollinated families planted over three sites in British Columbia, Canada. Four imputation algorithms were compared (mean value (MI), singular value decomposition (SVD), expectation maximization (EM), and a newly derived, family-based k-nearest neighbor (kNN-Fam)). Trees were phenotyped for several yield and wood attributes. Single- and multi-site GS prediction models were developed using the Ridge Regression Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (RR-BLUP) and the Generalized Ridge Regression (GRR) to test different assumption about trait architecture. Finally, using PCA, multi-trait GS prediction models were developed. The EM and kNN-Fam imputation methods were superior for 30 and 60% missing data, respectively. The RR-BLUP GS prediction model produced better accuracies than the GRR indicating that the genetic architecture for these traits is complex. GS prediction accuracies for multi-site were high and better than those of single-sites while multi-site predictability produced the lowest accuracies reflecting type-b genetic correlations and deemed unreliable. The incorporation of genomic information in quantitative genetics analyses produced more realistic heritability estimates as half-sib pedigree tended to inflate the additive genetic variance and subsequently both heritability and gain estimates. Principle component scores as representatives of multi-trait GS prediction models produced surprising results where negatively correlated traits could be concurrently selected for using PCA2 and PCA3. The application of GS to open-pollinated family testing, the simplest form of tree improvement evaluation methods, was proven to be effective. Prediction accuracies obtained for all traits greatly support the integration of GS in tree breeding. While the within-site GS prediction accuracies were high, the results clearly indicate that single-site GS models ability to predict other sites are unreliable supporting the utilization of multi-site approach. Principle component scores provided an opportunity for the concurrent selection of traits with different phenotypic optima.

A Standard-Driven Data Dictionary for Data Harmonization of Heterogeneous Datasets in Urban Geological Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, G.; Wu, C.; Li, X.; Song, P.

2013-12-01

The 3D urban geological information system has been a major part of the national urban geological survey project of China Geological Survey in recent years. Large amount of multi-source and multi-subject data are to be stored in the urban geological databases. There are various models and vocabularies drafted and applied by industrial companies in urban geological data. The issues such as duplicate and ambiguous definition of terms and different coding structure increase the difficulty of information sharing and data integration. To solve this problem, we proposed a national standard-driven information classification and coding method to effectively store and integrate urban geological data, and we applied the data dictionary technology to achieve structural and standard data storage. The overall purpose of this work is to set up a common data platform to provide information sharing service. Research progresses are as follows: (1) A unified classification and coding method for multi-source data based on national standards. Underlying national standards include GB 9649-88 for geology and GB/T 13923-2006 for geography. Current industrial models are compared with national standards to build a mapping table. The attributes of various urban geological data entity models are reduced to several categories according to their application phases and domains. Then a logical data model is set up as a standard format to design data file structures for a relational database. (2) A multi-level data dictionary for data standardization constraint. Three levels of data dictionary are designed: model data dictionary is used to manage system database files and enhance maintenance of the whole database system; attribute dictionary organizes fields used in database tables; term and code dictionary is applied to provide a standard for urban information system by adopting appropriate classification and coding methods; comprehensive data dictionary manages system operation and security. (3) An extension to system data management function based on data dictionary. Data item constraint input function is making use of the standard term and code dictionary to get standard input result. Attribute dictionary organizes all the fields of an urban geological information database to ensure the consistency of term use for fields. Model dictionary is used to generate a database operation interface automatically with standard semantic content via term and code dictionary. The above method and technology have been applied to the construction of Fuzhou Urban Geological Information System, South-East China with satisfactory results.

Single-step affinity purification of enzyme biotherapeutics: a platform methodology for accelerated process development.

PubMed

Brower, Kevin P; Ryakala, Venkat K; Bird, Ryan; Godawat, Rahul; Riske, Frank J; Konstantinov, Konstantin; Warikoo, Veena; Gamble, Jean

2014-01-01

Downstream sample purification for quality attribute analysis is a significant bottleneck in process development for non-antibody biologics. Multi-step chromatography process train purifications are typically required prior to many critical analytical tests. This prerequisite leads to limited throughput, long lead times to obtain purified product, and significant resource requirements. In this work, immunoaffinity purification technology has been leveraged to achieve single-step affinity purification of two different enzyme biotherapeutics (Fabrazyme® [agalsidase beta] and Enzyme 2) with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, respectively, as ligands. Target molecules were rapidly isolated from cell culture harvest in sufficient purity to enable analysis of critical quality attributes (CQAs). Most importantly, this is the first study that demonstrates the application of predictive analytics techniques to predict critical quality attributes of a commercial biologic. The data obtained using the affinity columns were used to generate appropriate models to predict quality attributes that would be obtained after traditional multi-step purification trains. These models empower process development decision-making with drug substance-equivalent product quality information without generation of actual drug substance. Optimization was performed to ensure maximum target recovery and minimal target protein degradation. The methodologies developed for Fabrazyme were successfully reapplied for Enzyme 2, indicating platform opportunities. The impact of the technology is significant, including reductions in time and personnel requirements, rapid product purification, and substantially increased throughput. Applications are discussed, including upstream and downstream process development support to achieve the principles of Quality by Design (QbD) as well as integration with bioprocesses as a process analytical technology (PAT). © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Schizophrenia: multi-attribute utility theory approach to selection of atypical antipsychotics.

PubMed

Bettinger, Tawny L; Shuler, Garyn; Jones, Donnamaria R; Wilson, James P

2007-02-01

Current guidelines/algorithms recommend atypical antipsychotics as first-line agents for the treatment of schizophrenia. Because there are extensive healthcare costs associated with the treatment of schizophrenia, many institutions and health systems are faced with making restrictive formulary decisions regarding the use of atypical antipsychotics. Often, medication acquisition costs are the driving force behind formulary decisions, while other treatment factors are not considered. To apply a multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) analysis to aid in the selection of a preferred agent among the atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia. Five atypical antipsychotics (risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole) were selected as the alternative agents to be included in the MAUT analysis. The attributes identified for inclusion in the analysis were efficacy, adverse effects, cost, and adherence, with relative weights of 35%, 35%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. For each agent, attribute scores were calculated, weighted, and then summed to generate a total utility score. The agent with the highest total utility score was considered the preferred agent. Aripiprazole, with a total utility score of 75.8, was the alternative agent with the highest total utility score in this model. This was followed by ziprasidone, risperidone, and quetiapine, with total utility scores of 71.8, 69.0, and 65.9, respectively. Olanzapine received the lowest total utility score. A sensitivity analysis was performed and failed to displace aripiprazole as the agent with the highest total utility score. This model suggests that aripiprazole should be considered a preferred agent for the treatment of schizophrenia unless found to be otherwise inappropriate.

A qualitative study on physicians' perceptions of specialty characteristics.

PubMed

Park, Kwi Hwa; Jun, Soo-Koung; Park, Ie Byung

2016-09-01

There has been limited research on physicians' perceptions of the specialty characteristics that are needed to sustain a successful career in medical specialties in Korea. Medical Specialty Preference Inventory in the United States or SCI59 (specialty choice inventory) in the United Kingdom are implemented to help medical students plan their careers. The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of the major specialties in Korea. Twelve physicians from different specialties participated in an exploratory study consisting of qualitative interviews about the personal ability and emotional characteristics and job attributes of each specialty. The collected data were analysed with content analysis methods. Twelve codes were extracted for ability & skill attributes, 23 codes for emotion & attitude attributes, and 12 codes for job attributes. Each specialty shows a different profile in terms of its characteristic attributes. The findings have implications for the design of career planning programs for medical students.

A repertoire of leadership attributes: an international study of deans of nursing.

PubMed

Wilkes, Lesley; Cross, Wendy; Jackson, Debra; Daly, John

2015-04-01

To determine which characteristics of academic leadership are perceived to be necessary for nursing deans to be successful. Effective leadership is essential for the continued growth of the discipline. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 30 deans (academics in universities who headed a nursing faculty and degree programmes) was conducted in three countries--Canada, England and Australia. The conversations were analysed for leadership attributes. Sixty personal and positional attributes were nominated by the participants. Of these, the most frequent attribute was 'having vision'. Personal attributes included: passion, patience, courage, facilitating, sharing and being supportive. Positional attributes included: communication, faculty development, role modelling, good management and promoting nursing. Both positional and personal aspects of academic leadership are important to assist in developing a succession plan and education for new deans. It is important that talented people are recognised as potential leaders of the future. These future leaders should be given every chance to grow and develop through exposure to opportunities to develop skills and the attributes necessary for effective deanship. Strategic mentoring could prove to be useful in developing and supporting the growth of future deans of nursing. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plenty of Blame to Go Around: A Qualitative Approach to Attribution of Moral Responsibility

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

1 Social psychological research cited in [Mao 2006] indicates that there are differences in the processes used for responsibility for...Mao, W. and Gratch, J. 2005. Social Causality and Responsibility : Modeling and Evaluation. Fifth International Conference on Interactive Virtual...Reasoning Workshop. B. Weiner. 1995. Judgments of Responsibility : A Foundation for a Theory of Social Conduct. Guilford Press. B. Weiner. 2001

Nondestructive detection of pork quality based on dual-band VIS/NIR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenxiu; Peng, Yankun; Li, Yongyu; Tang, Xiuying; Liu, Yuanyuan

2015-05-01

With the continuous development of living standards and the relative change of dietary structure, consumers' rising and persistent demand for better quality of meat is emphasized. Colour, pH value, and cooking loss are important quality attributes when evaluating meat. To realize nondestructive detection of multi-parameter of meat quality simultaneously is popular in production and processing of meat and meat products. The objectives of this research were to compare the effectiveness of two bands for rapid nondestructive and simultaneous detection of pork quality attributes. Reflectance spectra of 60 chilled pork samples were collected from a dual-band visible/near-infrared spectroscopy system which covered 350-1100 nm and 1000-2600 nm. Then colour, pH value and cooking loss were determined by standard methods as reference values. Standard normal variables transform (SNVT) was employed to eliminate the spectral noise. A spectrum connection method was put forward for effective integration of the dual-band spectrum to make full use of the whole efficient information. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and Principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to establish prediction models using based on single-band spectrum and dual-band spectrum, respectively. The experimental results showed that the PLSR model based on dual-band spectral information was superior to the models based on single band spectral information with lower root means quare error (RMSE) and higher accuracy. The PLSR model based on dual-band (use the overlapping part of first band) yielded the best prediction result with correlation coefficient of validation (Rv) of 0.9469, 0.9495, 0.9180, 0.9054 and 0.8789 for L*, a*, b*, pH value and cooking loss, respectively. This mainly because dual-band spectrum can provide sufficient and comprehensive information which reflected the quality attributes. Data fusion from dual-band spectrum could significantly improve pork quality parameters prediction performance. The research also indicated that multi-band spectral information fusion has potential to comprehensively evaluate other quality and safety attributes of pork.

m2-ABKS: Attribute-Based Multi-Keyword Search over Encrypted Personal Health Records in Multi-Owner Setting.

PubMed

Miao, Yinbin; Ma, Jianfeng; Liu, Ximeng; Wei, Fushan; Liu, Zhiquan; Wang, Xu An

2016-11-01

Online personal health record (PHR) is more inclined to shift data storage and search operations to cloud server so as to enjoy the elastic resources and lessen computational burden in cloud storage. As multiple patients' data is always stored in the cloud server simultaneously, it is a challenge to guarantee the confidentiality of PHR data and allow data users to search encrypted data in an efficient and privacy-preserving way. To this end, we design a secure cryptographic primitive called as attribute-based multi-keyword search over encrypted personal health records in multi-owner setting to support both fine-grained access control and multi-keyword search via Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption. Formal security analysis proves our scheme is selectively secure against chosen-keyword attack. As a further contribution, we conduct empirical experiments over real-world dataset to show its feasibility and practicality in a broad range of actual scenarios without incurring additional computational burden.

Modeling drivers of phosphorus loads in Chesapeake Bay tributaries and inferences about long-term change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.; Blomquist, Joel; Sprague, Lori A.; Sekellick, Andrew J.; Keisman, Jennifer

2018-01-01

Causal attribution of changes in water quality often consists of correlation, qualitative reasoning, listing references to the work of others, or speculation. To better support statements of attribution for water-quality trends, structural equation modeling was used to model the causal factors of total phosphorus loads in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By transforming, scaling, and standardizing variables, grouping similar sites, grouping some causal factors into latent variable models, and using methods that correct for assumption violations, we developed a structural equation model to show how causal factors interact to produce total phosphorus loads. Climate (in the form of annual total precipitation and the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index) and anthropogenic inputs are the major drivers of total phosphorus load in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Increasing runoff due to natural climate variability is offsetting purposeful management actions that are otherwise decreasing phosphorus loading; consequently, management actions may need to be reexamined to achieve target reductions in the face of climate variability.

Medically unexplained symptoms as a threat to patients' identity? A conversation analysis of patients' reactions to psychosomatic attributions.

PubMed

Burbaum, Christina; Stresing, Anne-Maria; Fritzsche, Kurt; Auer, Peter; Wirsching, Michael; Lucius-Hoene, Gabriele

2010-05-01

Interactions between patients suffering from medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) and their physicians are usually perceived as difficult and unsatisfactory by both parties. In this qualitative study, patients' reactions to psychosomatic attributions were analyzed on a micro-level. 144 consultations between consultation-and-liaison (CL) psychotherapists and inpatients with MUS, who were treated according to a modified reattribution model, were recorded. Linguists and psychologists evaluated these consultations by applying conversation and positioning analysis. When introducing a psychosomatic attribution, therapists use discursive strategies to exert interactional pressure on the patient; while simultaneously using careful and implicit formulations. Three linguistic patterns could be found in which patients subtly refute, drop or undermine the psychosomatic attribution in their reply. Moreover, in this context patients position themselves as somatically ill or justify their own life situation. The results suggest that patients interpret psychosomatic attributions and even subtle suggestions from the psychotherapists as face-threatening 'other-positionings'. When implementing the reattribution model, it should be taken into account that interactional resistance might be a necessary step in the process of the patient's understanding. Nevertheless therapists should introduce reattribution in a patient-centered rather than persuasive way and they should openly address patients' fears of being stigmatized. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction of High-Lift Flows using Turbulent Closure Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rumsey, Christopher L.; Gatski, Thomas B.; Ying, Susan X.; Bertelrud, Arild

1997-01-01

The flow over two different multi-element airfoil configurations is computed using linear eddy viscosity turbulence models and a nonlinear explicit algebraic stress model. A subset of recently-measured transition locations using hot film on a McDonnell Douglas configuration is presented, and the effect of transition location on the computed solutions is explored. Deficiencies in wake profile computations are found to be attributable in large part to poor boundary layer prediction on the generating element, and not necessarily inadequate turbulence modeling in the wake. Using measured transition locations for the main element improves the prediction of its boundary layer thickness, skin friction, and wake profile shape. However, using measured transition locations on the slat still yields poor slat wake predictions. The computation of the slat flow field represents a key roadblock to successful predictions of multi-element flows. In general, the nonlinear explicit algebraic stress turbulence model gives very similar results to the linear eddy viscosity models.

A model for dynamic allocation of human attention among multiple tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheridan, T. B.; Tulga, M. K.

1978-01-01

The problem of multi-task attention allocation with special reference to aircraft piloting is discussed with the experimental paradigm used to characterize this situation and the experimental results obtained in the first phase of the research. A qualitative description of an approach to mathematical modeling, and some results obtained with it are also presented to indicate what aspects of the model are most promising. Two appendices are given which (1) discuss the model in relation to graph theory and optimization and (2) specify the optimization algorithm of the model.

New agrophysics divisions: application of GIS and fuzzy multi attributive comparison of alternatives (review)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This review paper is devoted to review the new scientific divisions that emerged in agrophysics in the last 10-15 years. Among them are the following: 1) application of Geographic Information Systems, 2) development and application of fuzzy multi attributive comparison of alternatives. In recent yea...

Using the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research.

PubMed

Gale, Nicola K; Heath, Gemma; Cameron, Elaine; Rashid, Sabina; Redwood, Sabi

2013-09-18

The Framework Method is becoming an increasingly popular approach to the management and analysis of qualitative data in health research. However, there is confusion about its potential application and limitations. The article discusses when it is appropriate to adopt the Framework Method and explains the procedure for using it in multi-disciplinary health research teams, or those that involve clinicians, patients and lay people. The stages of the method are illustrated using examples from a published study. Used effectively, with the leadership of an experienced qualitative researcher, the Framework Method is a systematic and flexible approach to analysing qualitative data and is appropriate for use in research teams even where not all members have previous experience of conducting qualitative research.

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

PubMed

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

2015-04-01

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

[Optimal solution and analysis of muscular force during standing balance].

PubMed

Wang, Hongrui; Zheng, Hui; Liu, Kun

2015-02-01

The present study was aimed at the optimal solution of the main muscular force distribution in the lower extremity during standing balance of human. The movement musculoskeletal system of lower extremity was simplified to a physical model with 3 joints and 9 muscles. Then on the basis of this model, an optimum mathematical model was built up to solve the problem of redundant muscle forces. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to calculate the single objective and multi-objective problem respectively. The numerical results indicated that the multi-objective optimization could be more reasonable to obtain the distribution and variation of the 9 muscular forces. Finally, the coordination of each muscle group during maintaining standing balance under the passive movement was qualitatively analyzed using the simulation results obtained.

Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Multi-Attribute Utility Procedures: An Application of the Theory of Generalizability

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-07-01

I WIWIHIHlipi pqpv<Hi^«^Rii.i ii mmw AD-A016 282 ASSESSING THE REALIBILITY AND VALIDITY OF MULTI-ATTRIBUTE UTILITY PROCEDURES: AN...more complicated and use data from actual experiments. Example 1: Analysis of raters making Importance judgments about attributes. In MAU studies...generaluablllty of JUDGE as contrasted to ÜASC. To do this, we win reanaIyze the data for each syste™ separately. This 1. valid since the initial

CPTAC Develops LinkedOmics – Public Web Portal to Analyze Multi-Omics Data Within and Across Cancer Types | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Cancer.gov

Multi-omics analysis has grown in popularity among biomedical researchers given the comprehensive characterization of thousands of molecular attributes in addition to clinical attributes. Several data portals have been devised to make these datasets directly available to the cancer research community. However, none of the existing data portals allow systematic exploration and interpretation of the complex relationships between the vast amount of clinical and molecular attributes. CPTAC investigator Dr.

Forging Hispanic communities in new destinations: A case study of Durham, NC.

PubMed

Flippen, Chenoa A; Parrado, Emilio A

2012-03-01

The Chicago School of urban sociology and its extension in the spatial assimilation model have provided the dominant framework for understanding the interplay between immigrant social and spatial mobility. However, the main tenets of the theory were derived from the experience of pre-war, centralized cities; scholars falling under the umbrella of the Los Angeles school have recently challenged the extent to which they are applicable to the contemporary urban form, which is characterized by sprawling, decentralized, and multi-nucleated development. Indeed, new immigrant destinations, such as those scattered throughout the American Southeast, are both decentralized and lack prior experience with large scale immigration. Informed by this debate this paper traces the formation and early evolution of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham, NC, a new immigrant destination. Using qualitative data we construct a social history of immigrant neighborhoods and apply survey and census information to examine the spatial pattern of neighborhood succession. We also model the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods according to personal characteristics. Despite the many differences in urban form and experience with immigration, the main processes forging the early development of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham are remarkably consistent with the spatial expectations from the Chicago School, though the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods is more closely connected to family dynamics and political economy considerations than purely human capital attributes.

Forging Hispanic communities in new destinations: A case study of Durham, NC1

PubMed Central

Flippen, Chenoa A.; Parrado, Emilio A.

2013-01-01

The Chicago School of urban sociology and its extension in the spatial assimilation model have provided the dominant framework for understanding the interplay between immigrant social and spatial mobility. However, the main tenets of the theory were derived from the experience of pre-war, centralized cities; scholars falling under the umbrella of the Los Angeles school have recently challenged the extent to which they are applicable to the contemporary urban form, which is characterized by sprawling, decentralized, and multi-nucleated development. Indeed, new immigrant destinations, such as those scattered throughout the American Southeast, are both decentralized and lack prior experience with large scale immigration. Informed by this debate this paper traces the formation and early evolution of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham, NC, a new immigrant destination. Using qualitative data we construct a social history of immigrant neighborhoods and apply survey and census information to examine the spatial pattern of neighborhood succession. We also model the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods according to personal characteristics. Despite the many differences in urban form and experience with immigration, the main processes forging the early development of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham are remarkably consistent with the spatial expectations from the Chicago School, though the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods is more closely connected to family dynamics and political economy considerations than purely human capital attributes. PMID:24482612

CAFE simulation of columnar-to-equiaxed transition in Al-7wt%Si alloys directionally solidified under microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D. R.; Mangelinck-Noël, N.; Gandin, Ch-A.; Zimmermann, G.; Sturz, L.; Nguyen Thi, H.; Billia, B.

2016-03-01

A two-dimensional multi-scale cellular automaton - finite element (CAFE) model is used to simulate grain structure evolution and microsegregation formation during solidification of refined Al-7wt%Si alloys under microgravity. The CAFE simulations are first qualitatively compared with the benchmark experimental data under microgravity. Qualitative agreement is obtained for the position of columnar to equiaxed transition (CET) and the CET transition mode (sharp or progressive). Further comparisons of the distributions of grain elongation factor and equivalent diameter are conducted and reveal a fair quantitative agreement.

Graduand Student Attributes: A Canadian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanuka, Heather; Cowley, Summer

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insights into how academics understand undergraduate graduand attributes. The findings reveal some alignment in views about student attributes, including that they are engaged citizens, are self-directed, have imagination, are questioning, are flexible, display leadership, are problem solvers,…

Desirable Attributes and Practices for Mentees: Mentor Teachers' Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Peter

2013-01-01

Research indicates attributes and practices for mentor teachers that can be used for effective mentoring. Universities provide guidelines for preservice teacher (mentee) engagement in schools generally from anecdotal evidence, however, what are desirable attributes and practices for mentees? This qualitative study gathers data from 25 mentor…

Parents' perspectives on centralized cleft services for children: the development of a DCE questionnaire.

PubMed

Ke, K M; Mackichan, F; Sandy, J R; Ness, A R; Hollingworth, W

2013-03-01

Incorporating user's perspectives in healthcare delivery is important. Simple questionnaires may not capture these as well as a discrete choice experiment (DCE) which enables the exploration of users' trade-offs between different service attributes. Qualitative methods are increasingly used to improve a DCE's face validity, but few studies adequately describe them. This paper describes the qualitative investigations in the development of a DCE questionnaire to elicit parents' perspectives on centralized services for children with cleft lip and palate. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 16 parents from across the UK, except Wales. Data analysis was carried out by the constant comparative method. Five attributes and their levels were inductively identified: usefulness and amount of information (four levels); staff attitude at cleft centres (two levels); continuity of care (two levels); personal costs of attending appointments (four levels); and cleft centres facilities (two levels). An unexpected finding was that parents' sense of responsibility towards their child made a 'willingness-to-travel' attribute unacceptable to them, but they were receptive to a 'willingness-to-pay' attribute. Using qualitative methods with service users in attribute development for a DCE helps to uncover issues that may not be apparent to researchers or health service staff. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Heterogeneous Face Attribute Estimation: A Deep Multi-Task Learning Approach.

PubMed

Han, Hu; K Jain, Anil; Shan, Shiguang; Chen, Xilin

2017-08-10

Face attribute estimation has many potential applications in video surveillance, face retrieval, and social media. While a number of methods have been proposed for face attribute estimation, most of them did not explicitly consider the attribute correlation and heterogeneity (e.g., ordinal vs. nominal and holistic vs. local) during feature representation learning. In this paper, we present a Deep Multi-Task Learning (DMTL) approach to jointly estimate multiple heterogeneous attributes from a single face image. In DMTL, we tackle attribute correlation and heterogeneity with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) consisting of shared feature learning for all the attributes, and category-specific feature learning for heterogeneous attributes. We also introduce an unconstrained face database (LFW+), an extension of public-domain LFW, with heterogeneous demographic attributes (age, gender, and race) obtained via crowdsourcing. Experimental results on benchmarks with multiple face attributes (MORPH II, LFW+, CelebA, LFWA, and FotW) show that the proposed approach has superior performance compared to state of the art. Finally, evaluations on a public-domain face database (LAP) with a single attribute show that the proposed approach has excellent generalization ability.

A statistic-thermodynamic model for the DOM degradation in the estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Quanan; Chen, Qin; Zhao, Haihong; Shi, Jiuxin; Cao, Yong; Wang, Dan

2008-03-01

This study aims to clarify the role of dissolved salts playing in the degradation process of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM) at a scale of molecular movement. The molecular thermal movement is perpetual motion. In a multi-molecular system, this random motion also causes collision between the molecules. Seawater is a multi-molecular system consisting from water, salt, and terrestrial DOM molecules. This study attributes the DOM degradation in the estuary to the inelastic collision of DOM molecule with charged salt ions. From statistic-thermodynamic theories of molecular collision, the DOM degradation model and the DOM distribution model are derived. The models are validated by the field observations and satellite data. Thus, we conclude that the inelastic collision between the terrestrial DOM molecules and dissolved salt ions in seawater is a decisive dynamic mechanism for rapid loss of terrestrial DOM.

How Educators Perceive the Process and Implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maniglia, Linda M.

2017-01-01

In this qualitative case study the researcher examined educators' perceptions of an RTI/MTSS model of instruction and how staff perceptions relate to fidelity of implementation. The purpose of this research was to investigate educators' understanding of the critical components necessary to support implementation of RTI/MTSS framework. The…

META 2f: Probabilistic, Compositional, Multi-dimension Model-Based Verification (PROMISE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Equational Logic, Rewriting Logic, and Maude ................................................ 52  5.3  Results and Discussion...and its discrete transitions are left unchanged. However, the differential equations describing the continuous dynamics (in each mode) are replaced by...by replacing hard-to-analyze differential equations by discrete transitions. In principle, predicate and qualitative abstraction can be used on a

A Qualitative Multi-Site Case Study: Examining Principals' Leadership Styles and School Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preyear, Loukisha

2015-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative multi-site case study was to explore the impact of principals' leadership styles on student academic achievement in a high-poverty low-performing school district in Louisiana. A total of 17 participants, principals and teachers, from this school district were used in this study. Data source triangulation of…

A multi-valued neutrosophic qualitative flexible approach based on likelihood for multi-criteria decision-making problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Juan-juan; Wang, Jian-qiang; Yang, Wu-E.

2017-01-01

In this paper, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems based on the qualitative flexible multiple criteria method (QUALIFLEX), in which the criteria values are expressed by multi-valued neutrosophic information, are investigated. First, multi-valued neutrosophic sets (MVNSs), which allow the truth-membership function, indeterminacy-membership function and falsity-membership function to have a set of crisp values between zero and one, are introduced. Then the likelihood of multi-valued neutrosophic number (MVNN) preference relations is defined and the corresponding properties are also discussed. Finally, an extended QUALIFLEX approach based on likelihood is explored to solve MCDM problems where the assessments of alternatives are in the form of MVNNs; furthermore an example is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed method, together with a comparison analysis.

Role models and professional development in dentistry: an important resource: The views of early career stage dentists at one academic health science centre in England.

PubMed

Mohamed Osama, O; Gallagher, J E

2018-02-01

The importance of role models, and their differing influence in early, mid- and late careers, has been identified in the process of professional development of medical doctors. There is a paucity of evidence within dentistry on role models and their attributes. To explore the views of early career dentists on positive and negative role models across key phases of professional development, together with role models' attributes and perceived influence. This is a phenomenological study collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews based on a topic guide. Dentists in junior (core training) hospital posts in one academic health science centre were all invited to participate. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework analysis. Twelve early career stage dentists, 10 of whom were female, reported having role models, mainly positive, in their undergraduate and early career phases. Participants defined role models' attributes in relation to three distinct domains: clinical attributes, personal qualities and teaching skills. Positive role models were described as "prioritising the patient's best interests", "delivering learner-centred teaching and training" and "exhibiting a positive personality", whilst negative role models demonstrated the converse. Early career dentists reported having largely positive dentist role models during- and post-dental school and report their impact on professional values and aspirations, learning outcomes and career choice. The findings suggest that these early career dentists in junior hospital posts have largely experienced and benefitted from positive role models, notably dentists, perceived as playing an important and creative influence promoting professionalism and shaping the career choices of early career stage dentists. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Heuristic-driven graph wavelet modeling of complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cioacǎ, Teodor; Dumitrescu, Bogdan; Stupariu, Mihai-Sorin; Pǎtru-Stupariu, Ileana; Nǎpǎrus, Magdalena; Stoicescu, Ioana; Peringer, Alexander; Buttler, Alexandre; Golay, François

2015-03-01

We present a novel method for building a multi-resolution representation of large digital surface models. The surface points coincide with the nodes of a planar graph which can be processed using a critically sampled, invertible lifting scheme. To drive the lazy wavelet node partitioning, we employ an attribute aware cost function based on the generalized quadric error metric. The resulting algorithm can be applied to multivariate data by storing additional attributes at the graph's nodes. We discuss how the cost computation mechanism can be coupled with the lifting scheme and examine the results by evaluating the root mean square error. The algorithm is experimentally tested using two multivariate LiDAR sets representing terrain surface and vegetation structure with different sampling densities.

Zoning of an agricultural field using a fuzzy indicator model in combination with tool for multi-attributed decision-making

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Zoning of agricultural fields is an important task for utilization of precision farming technology. This paper extends previously published work entitled “Zoning of an agricultural field using a fuzzy indicator model” to a general case where there is disagreement between groups of managers or expert...

Receptor model source attributions for Utah’s Salt Lake City airshed and the impacts of wintertime secondary ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride aerosol.

EPA Science Inventory

Communities along Utah’s Wasatch Front are currently developing strategies to reduce daily average PM2.5 levels to below National Ambient Air Quality Standards during wintertime, persistent, multi-day stable atmospheric conditions or cold-air pools. Speciated PM2.5 data from the ...

Representing causal knowledge in environmental policy interventions: Advantages and opportunities for qualitative influence diagram applications.

PubMed

Carriger, John F; Dyson, Brian E; Benson, William H

2018-01-15

This article develops and explores a methodology for using qualitative influence diagrams in environmental policy and management to support decision making efforts that minimize risk and increase resiliency. Influence diagrams are representations of the conditional aspects of a problem domain. Their graphical properties are useful for structuring causal knowledge relevant to policy interventions and can be used to enhance inference and inclusivity of multiple viewpoints. Qualitative components of influence diagrams are beneficial tools for identifying and examining the interactions among the critical variables in complex policy development and implementation. Policy interventions on social-environmental systems can be intuitively diagrammed for representing knowledge of critical relationships among economic, environmental, and social attributes. Examples relevant to coastal resiliency issues in the U.S. Gulf Coast region are developed to illustrate model structures for developing qualitative influence diagrams useful for clarifying important policy intervention issues and enhancing transparency in decision making. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Qualitative data analysis for an exploratory sensory study of Grechetto wine.

PubMed

Esti, Marco; González Airola, Ricardo L; Moneta, Elisabetta; Paperaio, Marina; Sinesio, Fiorella

2010-02-15

Grechetto is a traditional white-grape vine, widespread in Umbria and Lazio regions in central Italy. Despite the wine commercial diffusion, little literature on its sensory characteristics is available. The present study is an exploratory research conducted with the aim of identifying the sensory markers of Grechetto wine and of evaluating the effect of clone, geographical area, vintage and producer on sensory attributes. A qualitative sensory study was conducted on 16 wines, differing for vintage, Typical Geographic Indication, and clone, collected from 7 wineries, using a trained panel in isolation who referred to a glossary of 133 white wine descriptors. Sixty-five attributes identified by a minimum of 50% of the respondents were submitted to a correspondence analysis to link wine samples to the sensory attributes. Seventeen terms identified as common to all samples are considered as characteristics of Grechetto wine, 10 of which olfactory: fruity, apple, acacia flower, pineapple, banana, floral, herbaceous, honey, apricot and peach. In order to interpret the relationship between design variables and sensory attributes data on 2005 and 2006 wines, the 28 most discriminating descriptors were projected in a principal component analysis. The first principal component was best described by olfactory terms and the second by gustative attributes. Good reproducibility of results was obtained for the two vintages. For one winery, vintage effect (2002-2006) was described in a new principal component analysis model applied on 39 most discriminating descriptors, which globally explained about 84% of the variance. In the young wines the notes of sulphur, yeast, dried fruit, butter, combined with herbaceous fresh and tropical fruity notes (melon, grapefruit) were dominant. During wine aging, sweeter notes, like honey, caramel, jam, become more dominant as well as some mineral notes, such as tuff and flint. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Scalable metadata environments (MDE): artistically impelled immersive environments for large-scale data exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Ruth G.; Margolis, Todd; Prudhomme, Andrew; Schulze, Jürgen P.; Mostafavi, Iman; Lewis, J. P.; Gossmann, Joachim; Singh, Rajvikram

2014-02-01

Scalable Metadata Environments (MDEs) are an artistic approach for designing immersive environments for large scale data exploration in which users interact with data by forming multiscale patterns that they alternatively disrupt and reform. Developed and prototyped as part of an art-science research collaboration, we define an MDE as a 4D virtual environment structured by quantitative and qualitative metadata describing multidimensional data collections. Entire data sets (e.g.10s of millions of records) can be visualized and sonified at multiple scales and at different levels of detail so they can be explored interactively in real-time within MDEs. They are designed to reflect similarities and differences in the underlying data or metadata such that patterns can be visually/aurally sorted in an exploratory fashion by an observer who is not familiar with the details of the mapping from data to visual, auditory or dynamic attributes. While many approaches for visual and auditory data mining exist, MDEs are distinct in that they utilize qualitative and quantitative data and metadata to construct multiple interrelated conceptual coordinate systems. These "regions" function as conceptual lattices for scalable auditory and visual representations within virtual environments computationally driven by multi-GPU CUDA-enabled fluid dyamics systems.

Primitive-path statistics of entangled polymers: mapping multi-chain simulations onto single-chain mean-field models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenbakkers, Rudi J. A.; Tzoumanekas, Christos; Li, Ying; Liu, Wing Kam; Kröger, Martin; Schieber, Jay D.

2014-01-01

We present a method to map the full equilibrium distribution of the primitive-path (PP) length, obtained from multi-chain simulations of polymer melts, onto a single-chain mean-field ‘target’ model. Most previous works used the Doi-Edwards tube model as a target. However, the average number of monomers per PP segment, obtained from multi-chain PP networks, has consistently shown a discrepancy of a factor of two with respect to tube-model estimates. Part of the problem is that the tube model neglects fluctuations in the lengths of PP segments, the number of entanglements per chain and the distribution of monomers among PP segments, while all these fluctuations are observed in multi-chain simulations. Here we use a recently proposed slip-link model, which includes fluctuations in all these variables as well as in the spatial positions of the entanglements. This turns out to be essential to obtain qualitative and quantitative agreement with the equilibrium PP-length distribution obtained from multi-chain simulations. By fitting this distribution, we are able to determine two of the three parameters of the model, which govern its equilibrium properties. This mapping is executed for four different linear polymers and for different molecular weights. The two parameters are found to depend on chemistry, but not on molecular weight. The model predicts a constant plateau modulus minus a correction inversely proportional to molecular weight. The value for well-entangled chains, with the parameters determined ab initio, lies in the range of experimental data for the materials investigated.

Patients with environment-related disorders: comprehensive results of interdisciplinary diagnostics.

PubMed

Brand, Serge; Heller, Pia; Bircher, Andreas J; Braun-Fahrleander, Charlotte; Huss, Anke; Niederer, Markus; Schwarzenbach, Simone; Waeber, Roger; Wegmann, Lukas; Kuechenhoff, Joachim

2009-03-01

Researchers dealing with environmental illnesses face complex diagnostic and methodological difficulties. Poor objective findings contrast with high subjective suffering and a firm belief that environmental exposure is the only source of complaints. The Basel pilot research project established a multi-modal assessment procedure and assessed complaints attributed to the environment. Medical, psychological and environmental findings were evaluated as to their pathogenic validity. Furthermore, patients were pooled into distinguishable subgroups in order to formulate more appropriate therapy strategies. Sixty-three patients took part in the threefold diagnostic approach (medical examination, psychiatric exploration, environmental analysis) of a mixed qualitative/quantitative study. Interdisciplinary case conferences allowed a consensus rating of the aetiological relevance of the findings to be reached. The discrepancy between self-rating and experts' judgement was exploited for subgroup formation. About 50% of the patients' symptoms could be attributed to psychiatric causes. Based on self-rating and experts' judgement, four subgroups were distinguished with differing medical, psychiatric and environmental aetiologies, personality traits and interactional competencies. Patients with environment-related disorders form a heterogeneous group. An interdisciplinary assessment and a comparison between self- and experts' judgements enable a more differentiated psychotherapeutic procedure and may enhance future treatment success.

Multi-representation ability of students on the problem solving physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theasy, Y.; Wiyanto; Sujarwata

2018-03-01

Accuracy in representing knowledge possessed by students will show how the level of student understanding. The multi-representation ability of students on the problem solving of physics has been done through qualitative method of grounded theory model and implemented on physics education student of Unnes academic year 2016/2017. Multiforms of representation used are verbal (V), images/diagrams (D), graph (G), and mathematically (M). High and low category students have an accurate use of graphical representation (G) of 83% and 77.78%, and medium category has accurate use of image representation (D) equal to 66%.

Conducting an Analysis of a Qualitative Dataset Using the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

Primate classes: prosimians (left), monkeys (center), and apes (right) 2 The context of the task follows: A robot was sent to the zoo to visit the...determine the best classifiers for this qualitative dataset. Primates at the zoo are described by the following 7 attributes: 1. Tail attribute: 2...problem for classifying each primate at the zoo may be determined by the following given information: • Instances, X: each of the primates at the local

A Qualitative Multi-Case Study of the Influence of Personal and Professional Ethics on the Leadership of Public School Superintendents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Brian J.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of personal and professional ethics on the leadership of public school superintendents. A multi-case, qualitative research design was used to gather data from four practicing public school superintendents. Transformational leadership theory and the three pillars of ethics of leadership…

Multislice spiral CT simulator for dynamic cardiopulmonary studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Francesco, Silvia; Ferreira da Silva, Augusto M.

2002-04-01

We've developed a Multi-slice Spiral CT Simulator modeling the acquisition process of a real tomograph over a 4-dimensional phantom (4D MCAT) of the human thorax. The simulator allows us to visually characterize artifacts due to insufficient temporal sampling and a priori evaluate the quality of the images obtained in cardio-pulmonary studies (both with single-/multi-slice and ECG gated acquisition processes). The simulating environment allows both for conventional and spiral scanning modes and includes a model of noise in the acquisition process. In case of spiral scanning, reconstruction facilities include longitudinal interpolation methods (360LI and 180LI both for single and multi-slice). Then, the reconstruction of the section is performed through FBP. The reconstructed images/volumes are affected by distortion due to insufficient temporal sampling of the moving object. The developed simulating environment allows us to investigate the nature of the distortion characterizing it qualitatively and quantitatively (using, for example, Herman's measures). Much of our work is focused on the determination of adequate temporal sampling and sinogram regularization techniques. At the moment, the simulator model is limited to the case of multi-slice tomograph, being planned as a next step of development the extension to cone beam or area detectors.

Facies Modeling Using 3D Pre-Stack Simultaneous Seismic Inversion and Multi-Attribute Probability Neural Network Transform in the Wattenberg Field, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harryandi, Sheila

The Niobrara/Codell unconventional tight reservoir play at Wattenberg Field, Colorado has potentially two billion barrels of oil equivalent requiring hundreds of wells to access this resource. The Reservoir Characterization Project (RCP), in conjunction with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC), began reservoir characterization research to determine how to increase reservoir recovery while maximizing operational efficiency. Past research results indicate that targeting the highest rock quality within the reservoir section for hydraulic fracturing is optimal for improving horizontal well stimulation through multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. The reservoir is highly heterogeneous, consisting of alternating chalks and marls. Modeling the facies within the reservoir is very important to be able to capture the heterogeneity at the well-bore scale; this heterogeneity is then upscaled from the borehole scale to the seismic scale to distribute the heterogeneity in the inter-well space. I performed facies clustering analysis to create several facies defining the reservoir interval in the RCP Wattenberg Field study area. Each facies can be expressed in terms of a range of rock property values from wells obtained by cluster analysis. I used the facies classification from the wells to guide the pre-stack seismic inversion and multi-attribute transform. The seismic data extended the facies information and rock quality information from the wells. By obtaining this information from the 3D facies model, I generated a facies volume capturing the reservoir heterogeneity throughout a ten square mile study-area within the field area. Recommendations are made based on the facies modeling, which include the location for future hydraulic fracturing/re-fracturing treatments to improve recovery from the reservoir, and potential deeper intervals for future exploration drilling targets.

Uncertainty evaluation in normalization of isotope delta measurement results against international reference materials.

PubMed

Meija, Juris; Chartrand, Michelle M G

2018-01-01

Isotope delta measurements are normalized against international reference standards. Although multi-point normalization is becoming a standard practice, the existing uncertainty evaluation practices are either undocumented or are incomplete. For multi-point normalization, we present errors-in-variables regression models for explicit accounting of the measurement uncertainty of the international standards along with the uncertainty that is attributed to their assigned values. This manuscript presents framework to account for the uncertainty that arises due to a small number of replicate measurements and discusses multi-laboratory data reduction while accounting for inevitable correlations between the laboratories due to the use of identical reference materials for calibration. Both frequentist and Bayesian methods of uncertainty analysis are discussed.

Adaptive management in the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System: Science-management partnerships for conservation delivery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, C.T.; Lonsdorf, E.V.; Knutson, M.G.; Laskowski, H.P.; Lor, S.K.

2011-01-01

Adaptive management is an approach to recurrent decision making in which uncertainty about the decision is reduced over time through comparison of outcomes predicted by competing models against observed values of those outcomes. The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a large land management program charged with making natural resource management decisions, which often are made under considerable uncertainty, severe operational constraints, and conditions that limit ability to precisely carry out actions as intended. The NWRS presents outstanding opportunities for the application of adaptive management, but also difficult challenges. We describe two cooperative programs between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to implement adaptive management at scales ranging from small, single refuge applications to large, multi-refuge, multi-region projects. Our experience to date suggests three important attributes common to successful implementation: a vigorous multi-partner collaboration, practical and informative decision framework components, and a sustained commitment to the process. Administrators in both agencies should consider these attributes when developing programs to promote the use and acceptance of adaptive management in the NWRS. ?? 2010 .

The Multi-Attribute Group Decision-Making Method Based on Interval Grey Trapezoid Fuzzy Linguistic Variables.

PubMed

Yin, Kedong; Wang, Pengyu; Li, Xuemei

2017-12-13

With respect to multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems, where attribute values take the form of interval grey trapezoid fuzzy linguistic variables (IGTFLVs) and the weights (including expert and attribute weight) are unknown, improved grey relational MAGDM methods are proposed. First, the concept of IGTFLV, the operational rules, the distance between IGTFLVs, and the projection formula between the two IGTFLV vectors are defined. Second, the expert weights are determined by using the maximum proximity method based on the projection values between the IGTFLV vectors. The attribute weights are determined by the maximum deviation method and the priorities of alternatives are determined by improved grey relational analysis. Finally, an example is given to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method and the flexibility of IGTFLV.

Basilar membrane and reticular lamina motion in a multi-scale finite element model of the mouse cochlea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soons, Joris; Dirckx, Joris; Steele, Charles; Puria, Sunil

2015-12-01

A multi-scale finite element (FE) model of the mouse cochlea, based on its anatomy and material properties is presented. The important feature in the model is a lattice of 400 Y-shaped structures in the longitudinal direction, each formed by Deiters cells, phalangeal processes and outer hair cells (OHC). OHC somatic motility is modeled by an expansion force proportional to the shear on the stereocilia, which in turn is proportional to the pressure difference between the scala vestibule and scala tympani. Basilar membrane (BM) and reticular lamina (RL) velocity compare qualitatively very well with recent in vivo measurements in guinea pig [2]. Compared to the BM, the RL is shown to have higher amplification and a shift to higher frequencies. This comes naturally from the realistic Y-shaped cell organization without tectorial membrane tuning.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wissink, Inge B.; de Haan, Mariette

2013-01-01

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

Operation Exodus: The Massacre of 44 Philippine Police Commandos In Mamasapano Clash

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

strategic thinking, utilizing Game Theory and Multi-Attribute Decision Making; the combination of these two dynamic tools is used to evaluate their...thinking, utilizing Game Theory and Multi-Attribute Decision Making; the combination of these two dynamic tools is used to evaluate their potential...35 A. GAME THEORETIC APPROACH ......................................................36 B. APPLYING GAME THEORY TO OPLAN: EXODUS

The Influence of Game Design on the Collaborative Problem Solving Process: A Cross-Case Study of Multi-Player Collaborative Gameplay Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Nilay

2013-01-01

This cross-case study examines the relationships between game design attributes and collaborative problem solving process in the context of multi-player video games. The following game design attributes: sensory stimuli elements, level of challenge, and presentation of game goals and rules were examined to determine their influence on game…

Governance for public health and health equity: The Tröndelag model for public health work.

PubMed

Lillefjell, Monica; Magnus, Eva; Knudtsen, Margunn SkJei; Wist, Guri; Horghagen, Sissel; Espnes, Geir Arild; Maass, Ruca; Anthun, Kirsti Sarheim

2018-06-01

Multi-sectoral governance of population health is linked to the realization that health is the property of many societal systems. This study aims to contribute knowledge and methods that can strengthen the capacities of municipalities regarding how to work more systematically, knowledge-based and multi-sectoral in promoting health and health equity in the population. Process evaluation was conducted, applying a mixed-methods research design, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Processes strengthening systematic and multi-sectoral development, implementation and evaluation of research-based measures to promote health, quality of life, and health equity in, for and with municipalities were revealed. A step-by-step model, that emphasizes the promotion of knowledge-based, systematic, multi-sectoral public health work, as well as joint ownership of local resources, initiatives and policies has been developed. Implementation of systematic, knowledge-based and multi-sectoral governance of public health measures in municipalities demand shared understanding of the challenges, updated overview of the population health and impact factors, anchoring in plans, new skills and methods for selection and implementation of measures, as well as development of trust, ownership, shared ethics and goals among those involved.

Creating an Effective Educational Environment for Adult Learners: A Qualitative, Multi-Case Study of Off-Campus Center Administrator's Use of Invitational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKnight, Carolyn P.

2012-01-01

This qualitative, multi-case study was designed to examine off-campus centers and their administrators in creating an effective learning environment for adult learners. Serving as the conceptual framework, invitational leadership theory is a holistic approach which nurtures the belief that everyone is intrinsically motivated and it is the leaders'…

A Multi-Method Qualitative Study of a New Teacher Inservice Training Program to Improve Teaching in a Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Diann C.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this multi-method qualitative study was to collect data for a future development of an in-service training program for new teachers employed by Lake Forest Academy (pseudonym). New teachers of children with special educational needs faced challenges teaching in this Middle East country in addition to those faced by the new general…

A pseudo-sequential choice model for valuing multi-attribute environmental policies or programs in contingent valuation applications

Treesearch

Dmitriy Volinskiy; John C Bergstrom; Christopher M Cornwell; Thomas P Holmes

2010-01-01

The assumption of independence of irrelevant alternatives in a sequential contingent valuation format should be questioned. Statistically, most valuation studies treat nonindependence as a consequence of unobserved individual effects. Another approach is to consider an inferential process in which any particular choice is part of a general choosing strategy of a survey...

Learning to Appraise the Quality of Qualitative Research Articles: A Contextualized Learning Object for Constructing Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chenail, Ronald J.

2011-01-01

Helping beginning qualitative researchers critically appraise qualitative research articles is a common learning objective for introductory methodology courses. To aid students in achieving competency in appraising the quality of qualitative research articles, a multi-part activity incorporating the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme's (CASP)…

Computer modeling describes gravity-related adaptation in cell cultures.

PubMed

Alexandrov, Ludmil B; Alexandrova, Stoyana; Usheva, Anny

2009-12-16

Questions about the changes of biological systems in response to hostile environmental factors are important but not easy to answer. Often, the traditional description with differential equations is difficult due to the overwhelming complexity of the living systems. Another way to describe complex systems is by simulating them with phenomenological models such as the well-known evolutionary agent-based model (EABM). Here we developed an EABM to simulate cell colonies as a multi-agent system that adapts to hyper-gravity in starvation conditions. In the model, the cell's heritable characteristics are generated and transferred randomly to offspring cells. After a qualitative validation of the model at normal gravity, we simulate cellular growth in hyper-gravity conditions. The obtained data are consistent with previously confirmed theoretical and experimental findings for bacterial behavior in environmental changes, including the experimental data from the microgravity Atlantis and the Hypergravity 3000 experiments. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to utilize an EABM with realistic qualitative description to examine the effects of hypergravity and starvation on complex cellular entities.

The potential of statistical shape modelling for geometric morphometric analysis of human teeth in archaeological research

PubMed Central

Fernee, Christianne; Browne, Martin; Zakrzewski, Sonia

2017-01-01

This paper introduces statistical shape modelling (SSM) for use in osteoarchaeology research. SSM is a full field, multi-material analytical technique, and is presented as a supplementary geometric morphometric (GM) tool. Lower mandibular canines from two archaeological populations and one modern population were sampled, digitised using micro-CT, aligned, registered to a baseline and statistically modelled using principal component analysis (PCA). Sample material properties were incorporated as a binary enamel/dentin parameter. Results were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using anatomical landmarks. Finally, the technique’s application was demonstrated for inter-sample comparison through analysis of the principal component (PC) weights. It was found that SSM could provide high detail qualitative and quantitative insight with respect to archaeological inter- and intra-sample variability. This technique has value for archaeological, biomechanical and forensic applications including identification, finite element analysis (FEA) and reconstruction from partial datasets. PMID:29216199

Ordering phase transition in the one-dimensional Axelrod model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilone, D.; Vespignani, A.; Castellano, C.

2002-12-01

We study the one-dimensional behavior of a cellular automaton aimed at the description of the formation and evolution of cultural domains. The model exhibits a non-equilibrium transition between a phase with all the system sharing the same culture and a disordered phase of coexisting regions with different cultural features. Depending on the initial distribution of the disorder the transition occurs at different values of the model parameters. This phenomenology is qualitatively captured by a mean-field approach, which maps the dynamics into a multi-species reaction-diffusion problem.

Nonclinical safety evaluation of boric acid and a novel borate-buffered contact lens multi-purpose solution, Biotrue™ multi-purpose solution.

PubMed

Lehmann, David M; Cavet, Megan E; Richardson, Mary E

2010-12-01

Multipurpose solutions (MPS) often contain low concentrations of boric acid as a buffering agent. Limited published literature has suggested that boric acid and borate-buffered MPS may alter the corneal epithelium; an effect attributed to cytotoxicity induced by boric acid. However, this claim has not been substantiated. We investigated the effect of treating cells with relevant concentrations of boric acid using two cytotoxicity assays, and also assessed the impact of boric acid on corneal epithelial barrier function by measuring TEER and immunostaining for tight junction protein ZO-1 in human corneal epithelial cells. Boric acid was also assessed in an in vivo ocular model when administered for 28 days. Additionally, we evaluated Biotrue multi-purpose solution, a novel borate-buffered MPS, alone and with contact lenses for ocular compatibility in vitro and in vivo. Boric acid passed both cytotoxicity assays and did not alter ZO-1 distribution or corneal TEER. Furthermore, boric acid was well-tolerated on-eye following repeated administration in a rabbit model. Finally, Biotrue multi-purpose solution demonstrated good ocular biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo. This MPS was not cytotoxic and was compatible with the eye when administered alone and when evaluated with contact lenses. We demonstrate that boric acid and a borate-buffered MPS is compatible with the ocular environment. Our findings provide evidence that ocular effects reported for some borate-buffered MPS may be incorrectly attributed to boric acid and are more likely a function of the unique combination of ingredients in the MPS formulation tested. Copyright © 2010 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation based on geographic information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwaamijaya, I. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research were to produce(l) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for universal soil loss equation (usle), (2) standard operational procedure for multi criteria evaluation of universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system, (3) overlay land cover, slope, soil and rain fall layers to gain universal soil loss equation (usle) using multi criteria evaluation, (4) thematic map of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed, (5) attribute table of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed. Descriptive and formal correlation methods are used for this research. Cikapundung Watershed, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. This research was conducted on January 2016 to May 2016. A spatial analysis is used to superimposed land cover, slope, soil and rain layers become universal soil loss equation (usle). Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system could be used for conservation program.

Multi-level assessment protocol (MAP) for adoption in multi-site clinical trials

PubMed Central

Guydish, J.; Manser, S.T.; Jessup, M.; Tajima, B.; Sears, C.; Montini, T.

2010-01-01

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is intended to test promising drug abuse treatment models in multi-site clinical trials, and to support adoption of new interventions into clinical practice. Using qualitative research methods we asked: How might the technology of multi-site clinical trials be modified to better support adoption of tested interventions? A total of 42 participants, representing 8 organizational levels ranging from clinic staff to clinical trial leaders, were interviewed about their role in the clinical trial, its interactions with clinics, and intervention adoption. Among eight clinics participating in the clinical trial, we found adoption of the tested intervention in one clinic only. In analysis of interview data we identified four conceptual themes which are likely to affect adoption and may be informative in future multi-site clinical trials. We offer the conclusion that planning for adoption in the early stages of protocol development will better serve the aim of integrating new interventions into practice. PMID:20890376

Integrating care for frequent users of emergency departments: implementation evaluation of a brief multi-organizational intensive case management intervention.

PubMed

Kahan, Deborah; Leszcz, Molyn; O'Campo, Patricia; Hwang, Stephen W; Wasylenki, Donald A; Kurdyak, Paul; Wise Harris, Deborah; Gozdzik, Agnes; Stergiopoulos, Vicky

2016-04-27

Addressing the needs of frequent users of emergency departments (EDs) is a health system priority in many jurisdictions. This study describes stakeholder perspectives on the implementation of a multi-organizational brief intervention designed to support integration and continuity of care for frequent ED users with mental health and addictions problems, focusing on perceived barriers and facilitators to early implementation in a large urban centre. Coordinating Access to Care from Hospital Emergency Departments (CATCH-ED) is a brief case management intervention bridging hospital, primary and community care for frequent ED users experiencing mental illness and addictions. To examine barriers and facilitators to early implementation of this multi-organizational intervention, between July and October 2012, 47 stakeholders, including direct service providers, managers and administrators participated in 32 semi-structured qualitative interviews and one focus group exploring their experience with the intervention and factors that helped or hindered successful early implementation. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Stakeholders valued the intervention and its potential to support continuity of care for this population. Service delivery system factors, including organizational capacity and a history of collaborative relationships across the healthcare continuum, and support system factors, such as training and supervision, emerged as key facilitators of program implementation. Operational challenges included early low program referral rates, management of a multi-organizational initiative, variable adherence to the model among participating organizations, and scant access to specialty psychiatric resources. Factors contributing to these challenges included lack of dedicated staff in the ED and limited local system capacity to support this population, and insufficient training and technical assistance available to participating organizations. A multi-organizational brief intervention is an acceptable model to support integration of hospital, primary and community care for frequent ED users. The study highlights the importance of early implementation evaluation to identify potential solutions to implementation barriers that may be applicable to many jurisdictions.

United States Marine Corps Basic Reconnaissance Course: Predictors of Success

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 81 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. CONCLUSIONS The objective of my research is to provide quantitative ...percent over the last three years, illustrating there is room for improvement. This study conducts a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the...criteria used to select candidates for the BRC. The research uses multi-variate logistic regression models and survival analysis to determine to what

On-board emergent scheduling of autonomous spacecraft payload operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindley, Craig A.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a behavioral competency level concerned with emergent scheduling of spacecraft payload operations. The level is part of a multi-level subsumption architecture model for autonomous spacecraft, and it functions as an action selection system for processing a spacecraft commands that can be considered as 'plans-as-communication'. Several versions of the selection mechanism are described, and their robustness is qualitatively compared.

Application of Molecular Typing Results in Source Attribution Models: The Case of Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA) of Salmonella Isolates Obtained from Integrated Surveillance in Denmark.

PubMed

de Knegt, Leonardo V; Pires, Sara M; Löfström, Charlotta; Sørensen, Gitte; Pedersen, Karl; Torpdahl, Mia; Nielsen, Eva M; Hald, Tine

2016-03-01

Salmonella is an important cause of bacterial foodborne infections in Denmark. To identify the main animal-food sources of human salmonellosis, risk managers have relied on a routine application of a microbial subtyping-based source attribution model since 1995. In 2013, multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) substituted phage typing as the subtyping method for surveillance of S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium isolated from animals, food, and humans in Denmark. The purpose of this study was to develop a modeling approach applying a combination of serovars, MLVA types, and antibiotic resistance profiles for the Salmonella source attribution, and assess the utility of the results for the food safety decisionmakers. Full and simplified MLVA schemes from surveillance data were tested, and model fit and consistency of results were assessed using statistical measures. We conclude that loci schemes STTR5/STTR10/STTR3 for S. Typhimurium and SE9/SE5/SE2/SE1/SE3 for S. Enteritidis can be used in microbial subtyping-based source attribution models. Based on the results, we discuss that an adjustment of the discriminatory level of the subtyping method applied often will be required to fit the purpose of the study and the available data. The issues discussed are also considered highly relevant when applying, e.g., extended multi-locus sequence typing or next-generation sequencing techniques. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

The magnetic ordering in high magnetoresistance Mn-doped ZnO thin films

DOE PAGES

Venkatesh, S.; Baras, A.; Lee, J. -S.; ...

2016-03-24

Here, we studied the nature of magnetic ordering in Mn-doped ZnO thin films that exhibited ferromagnetism at 300 K and superparamagnetism at 5 K. We directly inter-related the magnetisation and magnetoresistance by invoking the polaronpercolation theory and variable range of hopping conduction below the metal-to-insulator transition. By obtaining a qualitative agreement between these two models, we attribute the ferromagnetism to the s-d exchange-induced spin splitting that was indicated by large positive magnetoresistance (~40 %). Low temperature superparamagnetism was attributed to the localization of carriers and non-interacting polaron clusters. This analysis can assist in understanding the presence or absence of ferromagnetismmore » in doped/un-doped ZnO.« less

Model Stirrer Based on a Multi-Material Turntable for Microwave Processing Materials

PubMed Central

Ye, Jinghua; Hong, Tao; Wu, Yuanyuan; Wu, Li; Liao, Yinhong; Zhu, Huacheng; Yang, Yang; Huang, Kama

2017-01-01

Microwaves have been widely used in the treatment of materials, such as heating, drying, and sterilization. However, the heating in the commonly used microwave applicators is usually uneven. In this paper, a novel multi-material turntable structure is creatively proposed to improve the temperature uniformity in microwave ovens. Three customized turntables consisting of polyethylene (PE) and alumina, PE and aluminum, and alumina and aluminum are, respectively, utilized in a domestic microwave oven in simulation. During the heating process, the processed material is placed on a fixed Teflon bracket which covers the constantly rotating turntable. Experiments are conducted to measure the surface and point temperatures using an infrared thermal imaging camera and optical fibers. Simulated results are compared qualitatively with the measured ones, which verifies the simulated models. Compared with the turntables consisting of a single material, a 26%–47% increase in temperature uniformity from adapting the multi-material turntable can be observed for the microwave-processed materials. PMID:28772457

Modeling Structure-Function Relationships in Synthetic DNA Sequences using Attribute Grammars

PubMed Central

Cai, Yizhi; Lux, Matthew W.; Adam, Laura; Peccoud, Jean

2009-01-01

Recognizing that certain biological functions can be associated with specific DNA sequences has led various fields of biology to adopt the notion of the genetic part. This concept provides a finer level of granularity than the traditional notion of the gene. However, a method of formally relating how a set of parts relates to a function has not yet emerged. Synthetic biology both demands such a formalism and provides an ideal setting for testing hypotheses about relationships between DNA sequences and phenotypes beyond the gene-centric methods used in genetics. Attribute grammars are used in computer science to translate the text of a program source code into the computational operations it represents. By associating attributes with parts, modifying the value of these attributes using rules that describe the structure of DNA sequences, and using a multi-pass compilation process, it is possible to translate DNA sequences into molecular interaction network models. These capabilities are illustrated by simple example grammars expressing how gene expression rates are dependent upon single or multiple parts. The translation process is validated by systematically generating, translating, and simulating the phenotype of all the sequences in the design space generated by a small library of genetic parts. Attribute grammars represent a flexible framework connecting parts with models of biological function. They will be instrumental for building mathematical models of libraries of genetic constructs synthesized to characterize the function of genetic parts. This formalism is also expected to provide a solid foundation for the development of computer assisted design applications for synthetic biology. PMID:19816554

Acknowleding attributes that enable the career academic nurse to thrive in the tertiary education sector: A qualitative systematic review.

PubMed

Wyllie, Aileen; DiGiacomo, Michelle; Jackson, Debra; Davidson, Patricia; Phillips, Jane

2016-10-01

To optimise the career development in early career academic nurses by providing an overview of the attributes necessary for success. Evidence of early prospective career planning is necessary to optimise success in the tertiary sector. This is particularly important for nurse academics given the profession's later entry into academia, the ageing nursing workforce and the continuing global shortage of nurses. A qualitative systematic review. Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline, ERIC, Professional Development Collection and Google Scholar databases were searched; resulting in the inclusion of nine qualitative nurse-only focussed studies published between 2004 and 2014. The studies were critically appraised and the data thematically analysed. Three abilities were identified as important to the early career academic nurse: a willingness to adapt to change, an intention to pursue support and embodying resilience. These abilities give rise to attributes that are recommended as key to successful academic career development for those employed on a continuing academic basis. The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities is becoming seen as increasingly important. It is proposed that recognition of these attributes, their skilful application and monitoring outlined in the review are recommended for a successful career in academia. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bidding Behavior in a Multi-attribute First-price Auction

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

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

An Updated Version of the U.S. Air Force Multi-Attribute Task Battery (AF-MATB)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

assessing human performance in a controlled multitask environment. The most recent release of AF-MATB contains numerous improvements and additions...Strategic Behavior, MATB, Multitasking , Task Battery, Simulator, Multi-Attribute Task Battery, Automation 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF...performance and multitasking strategy. As a result, a specific Information Throughput (IT) Mode was designed to customize the task to fit the Human

Probabilistic versus deterministic skill in predicting the western North Pacific-East Asian summer monsoon variability with multimodel ensembles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiu-Qun; Yang, Dejian; Xie, Qian; Zhang, Yaocun; Ren, Xuejuan; Tang, Youmin

2017-04-01

Based on historical forecasts of three quasi-operational multi-model ensemble (MME) systems, this study assesses the superiority of coupled MME over contributing single-model ensembles (SMEs) and over uncoupled atmospheric MME in predicting the Western North Pacific-East Asian summer monsoon variability. The probabilistic and deterministic forecast skills are measured by Brier skill score (BSS) and anomaly correlation (AC), respectively. A forecast-format dependent MME superiority over SMEs is found. The probabilistic forecast skill of the MME is always significantly better than that of each SME, while the deterministic forecast skill of the MME can be lower than that of some SMEs. The MME superiority arises from both the model diversity and the ensemble size increase in the tropics, and primarily from the ensemble size increase in the subtropics. The BSS is composed of reliability and resolution, two attributes characterizing probabilistic forecast skill. The probabilistic skill increase of the MME is dominated by the dramatic improvement in reliability, while resolution is not always improved, similar to AC. A monotonic resolution-AC relationship is further found and qualitatively explained, whereas little relationship can be identified between reliability and AC. It is argued that the MME's success in improving the reliability arises from an effective reduction of the overconfidence in forecast distributions. Moreover, it is examined that the seasonal predictions with coupled MME are more skillful than those with the uncoupled atmospheric MME forced by persisting sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, since the coupled MME has better predicted the SST anomaly evolution in three key regions.

Truck crash severity in New York city: An investigation of the spatial and the time of day effects.

PubMed

Zou, Wei; Wang, Xiaokun; Zhang, Dapeng

2017-02-01

This paper investigates the differences between single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crashes in New York City. The random parameter models take into account the time of day effect, the heterogeneous truck weight effect and other influencing factors such as crash characteristics, driver and vehicle characteristics, built environment factors and traffic volume attributes. Based on the results from the co-location quotient analysis, a spatial generalized ordered probit model is further developed to investigate the potential spatial dependency among single-vehicle truck crashes. The sample is drawn from the state maintained incident data, the publicly available Smart Location Data, and the BEST Practices Model (BPM) data from 2008 to 2012. The result shows that there exists a substantial difference between factors influencing single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crash severity. It also suggests that heterogeneity does exist in the truck weight, and it behaves differently in single-vehicle and multi-vehicle truck crashes. Furthermore, individual truck crashes are proved to be spatially dependent events for both single and multi-vehicle crashes. Last but not least, significant time of day effects were found for PM and night time slots, crashes that occurred in the afternoons and at nights were less severe in single-vehicle crashes, but more severe in multi-vehicle crashes. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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

Steiner, J.L.; Lime, J.F.; Elson, J.S.

One dimensional TRAC transient calculations of the process inherent ultimate safety (PIUS) advanced reactor design were performed for a pump-trip SCRAM. The TRAC calculations showed that the reactor power response and shutdown were in qualitative agreement with the one-dimensional analyses presented in the PIUS Preliminary Safety Information Document (PSID) submitted by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for preapplication safety review. The PSID analyses were performed with the ABB-developed RIGEL code. The TRAC-calculated phenomena and trends were also similar to those calculated with another one-dimensional PIUS model, the Brookhaven National Laboratory developed PIPA code. A TRACmore » pump-trip SCRAM transient has also been calculated with a TRAC model containing a multi-dimensional representation of the PIUS intemal flow structures and core region. The results obtained using the TRAC fully one-dimensional PIUS model are compared to the RIGEL, PIPA, and TRAC multi-dimensional results.« less

Coding Theory Information Theory and Radar

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

the design and synthesis of artificial multiagent systems and for the understanding of human decision-making processes. This... altruism that may exist in a complex society. SGT derives its ability to account simultaneously for both group and individual interests from the structure of ...satisficing decision theory as a model of human decision mak- ing. 2 Multi-Attribute Decision Making Many decision problems involve the consideration of

Model-Based Analysis for Qualitative Data: An Application in Drosophila Germline Stem Cell Regulation

PubMed Central

Pargett, Michael; Rundell, Ann E.; Buzzard, Gregery T.; Umulis, David M.

2014-01-01

Discovery in developmental biology is often driven by intuition that relies on the integration of multiple types of data such as fluorescent images, phenotypes, and the outcomes of biochemical assays. Mathematical modeling helps elucidate the biological mechanisms at play as the networks become increasingly large and complex. However, the available data is frequently under-utilized due to incompatibility with quantitative model tuning techniques. This is the case for stem cell regulation mechanisms explored in the Drosophila germarium through fluorescent immunohistochemistry. To enable better integration of biological data with modeling in this and similar situations, we have developed a general parameter estimation process to quantitatively optimize models with qualitative data. The process employs a modified version of the Optimal Scaling method from social and behavioral sciences, and multi-objective optimization to evaluate the trade-off between fitting different datasets (e.g. wild type vs. mutant). Using only published imaging data in the germarium, we first evaluated support for a published intracellular regulatory network by considering alternative connections of the same regulatory players. Simply screening networks against wild type data identified hundreds of feasible alternatives. Of these, five parsimonious variants were found and compared by multi-objective analysis including mutant data and dynamic constraints. With these data, the current model is supported over the alternatives, but support for a biochemically observed feedback element is weak (i.e. these data do not measure the feedback effect well). When also comparing new hypothetical models, the available data do not discriminate. To begin addressing the limitations in data, we performed a model-based experiment design and provide recommendations for experiments to refine model parameters and discriminate increasingly complex hypotheses. PMID:24626201

The charger transfer electronic coupling in diabatic perspective: A multi-state density functional theory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xinwei; Qu, Zexing; Gao, Jiali

2018-01-01

The multi-state density functional theory (MSDFT) provides a convenient way to estimate electronic coupling of charge transfer processes based on a diabatic representation. Its performance has been benchmarked against the HAB11 database with a mean unsigned error (MUE) of 17 meV between MSDFT and ab initio methods. The small difference may be attributed to different representations, diabatic from MSDFT and adiabatic from ab initio calculations. In this discussion, we conclude that MSDFT provides a general and efficient way to estimate the electronic coupling for charge-transfer rate calculations based on the Marcus-Hush model.

Distributed Cooperation Solution Method of Complex System Based on MAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weijin, Jiang; Yuhui, Xu

To adapt the model in reconfiguring fault diagnosing to dynamic environment and the needs of solving the tasks of complex system fully, the paper introduced multi-Agent and related technology to the complicated fault diagnosis, an integrated intelligent control system is studied in this paper. Based on the thought of the structure of diagnostic decision and hierarchy in modeling, based on multi-layer decomposition strategy of diagnosis task, a multi-agent synchronous diagnosis federation integrated different knowledge expression modes and inference mechanisms are presented, the functions of management agent, diagnosis agent and decision agent are analyzed, the organization and evolution of agents in the system are proposed, and the corresponding conflict resolution algorithm in given, Layered structure of abstract agent with public attributes is build. System architecture is realized based on MAS distributed layered blackboard. The real world application shows that the proposed control structure successfully solves the fault diagnose problem of the complex plant, and the special advantage in the distributed domain.

Analytical model for electromagnetic radiation from a wakefield excited by intense short laser pulses in an unmagnetized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zi-Yu; Chen, Shi; Dan, Jia-Kun; Li, Jian-Feng; Peng, Qi-Xian

2011-10-01

A simple one-dimensional analytical model for electromagnetic emission from an unmagnetized wakefield excited by an intense short-pulse laser in the nonlinear regime has been developed in this paper. The expressions for the spectral and angular distributions of the radiation have been derived. The model suggests that the origin of the radiation can be attributed to the violent sudden acceleration of plasma electrons experiencing the accelerating potential of the laser wakefield. The radiation process could help to provide a qualitative interpretation of existing experimental results, and offers useful information for future laser wakefield experiments.

An Integrated Approach of Fuzzy Linguistic Preference Based AHP and Fuzzy COPRAS for Machine Tool Evaluation.

PubMed

Nguyen, Huu-Tho; Md Dawal, Siti Zawiah; Nukman, Yusoff; Aoyama, Hideki; Case, Keith

2015-01-01

Globalization of business and competitiveness in manufacturing has forced companies to improve their manufacturing facilities to respond to market requirements. Machine tool evaluation involves an essential decision using imprecise and vague information, and plays a major role to improve the productivity and flexibility in manufacturing. The aim of this study is to present an integrated approach for decision-making in machine tool selection. This paper is focused on the integration of a consistent fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and a fuzzy COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) for multi-attribute decision-making in selecting the most suitable machine tool. In this method, the fuzzy linguistic reference relation is integrated into AHP to handle the imprecise and vague information, and to simplify the data collection for the pair-wise comparison matrix of the AHP which determines the weights of attributes. The output of the fuzzy AHP is imported into the fuzzy COPRAS method for ranking alternatives through the closeness coefficient. Presentation of the proposed model application is provided by a numerical example based on the collection of data by questionnaire and from the literature. The results highlight the integration of the improved fuzzy AHP and the fuzzy COPRAS as a precise tool and provide effective multi-attribute decision-making for evaluating the machine tool in the uncertain environment.

Patients' and Caregivers' Attributes in a Meaningful Care Encounter: Similarities and Notable Differences

PubMed Central

Snellman, Ingrid; Gustafsson, Christine; Gustafsson, Lena-Karin

2012-01-01

In today's healthcare system, there is an imbalance between what patients expect of caregivers' care and their perception of the care they get. How is it possible to reduce this imbalance? The aim of this paper was to describe attributes associated with meaningful encounters in the Swedish healthcare system based on patients' and caregivers' written narratives and to note the differences and similarities between the attributes identified by the two groups. This paper is a qualitative descriptive study. The analysis was guided by qualitative content analyses. Based on patients' narratives, attributes associated with a meaningful encounter fell into four categories: the kind-hearted caregiver, the thoughtful caregiver, the mutually oriented caregiver, and the helpful caregiver. Based on caregivers' narratives, the attributes were categorized as being humane, caring through physical contact, caring by nurturing communication, joy and laughter in care, and a sense of mutuality. The results show that there are both similarities and differences in patients' and caregivers' opinions about the attributes of a meaningful encounter. Knowing more about the attributes associated with meaningful encounters makes it possible for caregivers to individualize care for patients and makes it easier to help and support patients in what they most need support with. PMID:22701802

Multi-Interval Discretization of Continuous-Valued Attributes for Classification Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fayyad, U.; Irani, K.

1993-01-01

Since most real-world applications of classification learning involve continuous-valued attributes, properly addressing the discretization process is an important problem. This paper addresses the use of the entropy minimization heuristic for discretizing the range of a continuous-valued attribute into multiple intervals.

A method for analyzing dynamic stall of helicopter rotor blades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crimi, P.; Reeves, B. L.

1972-01-01

A model for each of the basic flow elements involved in the unsteady stall of a two-dimensional airfoil in incompressible flow is presented. The interaction of these elements is analyzed using a digital computer. Computations of the loading during transient and sinusoidal pitching motions are in good qualitative agreement with measured loads. The method was used to confirm that large torsional response of helicopter blades detected in flight tests can be attributed to dynamic stall.

[In-depth interviews and the Kano model to determine user requirements in a burns unit].

PubMed

González-Revaldería, J; Holguín-Holgado, P; Lumbreras-Marín, E; Núñez-López, G

To determine the healthcare requirements of patients in a Burns Unit, using qualitative techniques, such us in-depth personal interviews and Kano's methodology. Qualitative methodology using in-depth personal interviews (12 patients), Kano's conceptual model, and the SERVQHOS questionnaire (24 patients). All patients had been hospitalised in the last 12 months in the Burns Unit. Using Kano's methodology, service attributes were grouped by affinity diagrams, and classified as follows: must-be, attractive (unexpected, great satisfaction), and one-dimensional (linked to the degree of functionality of the service). The outcomes were compared with those obtained with SERVQHOS questionnaire. From the analysis of in-depth interviews, 11 requirements were obtained, referring to hotel aspects, information, need for closer staff relationship, and organisational aspects. The attributes classified as must-be were free television and automatic TV disconnection at midnight. Those classified as attractive were: individual room for more privacy, information about dressing change times in order to avoid anxiety, and additional staff for in-patients. The results were complementary to those obtained with the SERVQHOS questionnaire. In-depth personal interviews provide extra knowledge about patient requirements, complementing the information obtained with questionnaires. With this methodology, a more active patient participation is achieved and the companion's opinion is also taken into account. Copyright © 2016 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The motivation and capacity to go 'above and beyond': Qualitative analysis of free-text survey responses in the M@NGO randomised controlled trial of caseload midwifery.

PubMed

Allen, Jyai; Kildea, Sue; Hartz, Donna L; Tracy, Mark; Tracy, Sally

2017-07-01

to explore whether women allocated to caseload care characterise their midwife differently to those allocated to standard care. multi-site unblinded, randomised, controlled, parallel-group trial. the study was conducted in two metropolitan teaching hospitals across two Australian cities. women of all obstetric risk were eligible to participate. Inclusion criteria were: 18 years or older, less than 24 week's gestation with a singleton pregnancy. Women already booked with a care provider or planning to have an elective caesarean section were excluded. participants were randomised to caseload midwifery or standard care. The caseload model provided antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care from a primary midwife or 'back-up' midwife; as well as consultation with obstetric or medical physicians as indicated by national guidelines. The standard model included care from a general practitioner and/or midwives and obstetric doctors. participants' responses to open-ended questions were collected through a 6-week postnatal survey and analysed thematically. A total of 1748 women were randomised between December 2008 - May 2011; 871 to caseload midwifery and 877 to standard care. The response rate to the 6-week survey including free text items was 52% (n=901). Respondents from both groups characterised midwives as Informative, Competent and Kind. Participants in the caseload group perceived midwives with additional qualities conceptualised as Empowering and 'Endorphic'. These concepts highlight some of the active ingredients that moderated or mediated the effects of the midwifery care within the M@NGO trial. caseload midwifery attracts, motivates and enables midwives to go Above and Beyond such that women feel empowered, nurtured and safe during pregnancy, labour and birth. the concept of an Endorphic midwife makes a useful contribution to midwifery theory as it enhances our understanding of how the complex intervention of caseload midwifery influences normal birth rates and experiences. Defining personal midwife attributes which are important for caseload models has potential implications for graduate attributes in degree programs leading to registration as a midwife and selection criteria for caseload midwife positions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PREDICTING INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

PubMed

Schwartz, H Andrew; Sap, Maarten; Kern, Margaret L; Eichstaedt, Johannes C; Kapelner, Adam; Agrawal, Megha; Blanco, Eduardo; Dziurzynski, Lukasz; Park, Gregory; Stillwell, David; Kosinski, Michal; Seligman, Martin E P; Ungar, Lyle H

2016-01-01

We present the task of predicting individual well-being, as measured by a life satisfaction scale, through the language people use on social media. Well-being, which encompasses much more than emotion and mood, is linked with good mental and physical health. The ability to quickly and accurately assess it can supplement multi-million dollar national surveys as well as promote whole body health. Through crowd-sourced ratings of tweets and Facebook status updates, we create message-level predictive models for multiple components of well-being. However, well-being is ultimately attributed to people, so we perform an additional evaluation at the user-level, finding that a multi-level cascaded model, using both message-level predictions and userlevel features, performs best and outperforms popular lexicon-based happiness models. Finally, we suggest that analyses of language go beyond prediction by identifying the language that characterizes well-being.

Revisions to the JDL data fusion model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinberg, Alan N.; Bowman, Christopher L.; White, Franklin E.

1999-03-01

The Data Fusion Model maintained by the Joint Directors of Laboratories (JDL) Data Fusion Group is the most widely-used method for categorizing data fusion-related functions. This paper discusses the current effort to revise the expand this model to facilitate the cost-effective development, acquisition, integration and operation of multi- sensor/multi-source systems. Data fusion involves combining information - in the broadest sense - to estimate or predict the state of some aspect of the universe. These may be represented in terms of attributive and relational states. If the job is to estimate the state of a people, it can be useful to include consideration of informational and perceptual states in addition to the physical state. Developing cost-effective multi-source information systems requires a method for specifying data fusion processing and control functions, interfaces, and associate databases. The lack of common engineering standards for data fusion systems has been a major impediment to integration and re-use of available technology: current developments do not lend themselves to objective evaluation, comparison or re-use. This paper reports on proposed revisions and expansions of the JDL Data FUsion model to remedy some of these deficiencies. This involves broadening the functional model and related taxonomy beyond the original military focus, and integrating the Data Fusion Tree Architecture model for system description, design and development.

Separation of metadata and pixel data to speed DICOM tag morphing.

PubMed

Ismail, Mahmoud; Philbin, James

2013-01-01

The DICOM information model combines pixel data and metadata in single DICOM object. It is not possible to access the metadata separately from the pixel data. There are use cases where only metadata is accessed. The current DICOM object format increases the running time of those use cases. Tag morphing is one of those use cases. Tag morphing includes deletion, insertion or manipulation of one or more of the metadata attributes. It is typically used for order reconciliation on study acquisition or to localize the issuer of patient ID (IPID) and the patient ID attributes when data from one domain is transferred to a different domain. In this work, we propose using Multi-Series DICOM (MSD) objects, which separate metadata from pixel data and remove duplicate attributes, to reduce the time required for Tag Morphing. The time required to update a set of study attributes in each format is compared. The results show that the MSD format significantly reduces the time required for tag morphing.

Seeing Minds in Others – Can Agents with Robotic Appearance Have Human-Like Preferences?

PubMed Central

Martini, Molly C.; Gonzalez, Christian A.; Wiese, Eva

2016-01-01

Ascribing mental states to non-human agents has been shown to increase their likeability and lead to better joint-task performance in human-robot interaction (HRI). However, it is currently unclear what physical features non-human agents need to possess in order to trigger mind attribution and whether different aspects of having a mind (e.g., feeling pain, being able to move) need different levels of human-likeness before they are readily ascribed to non-human agents. The current study addresses this issue by modeling how increasing the degree of human-like appearance (on a spectrum from mechanistic to humanoid to human) changes the likelihood by which mind is attributed towards non-human agents. We also test whether different internal states (e.g., being hungry, being alive) need different degrees of humanness before they are ascribed to non-human agents. The results suggest that the relationship between physical appearance and the degree to which mind is attributed to non-human agents is best described as a two-linear model with no change in mind attribution on the spectrum from mechanistic to humanoid robot, but a significant increase in mind attribution as soon as human features are included in the image. There seems to be a qualitative difference in the perception of mindful versus mindless agents given that increasing human-like appearance alone does not increase mind attribution until a certain threshold is reached, that is: agents need to be classified as having a mind first before the addition of more human-like features significantly increases the degree to which mind is attributed to that agent. PMID:26745500

A kinematic model for the late Cenozoic development of southern California crust and upper mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Humphreys, Eugene D.; Hager, Bradford H.

1990-01-01

A model is developed for the young and ongoing kinematic deformation of the southern California crust and upper mantle. The kinematic model qualitatively explains both the overall seismic structure of the upper mantle and much of the known geological history of the late Cenozoic as consequences of ongoing convection beneath southern California. In this model, the high-velocity upper-mantle anomaly of the Transverse ranges is created through the convergence and sinking of the entire thickness of subcrustal lihtosphere, and the low-velocity upper-mantle anomaly beneath the Salton Trough region is attributed to high temperatures and 1-4 percent partial melt related to adiabatic decompression during mantle upwelling.

Developing and Validating the Socio-Technical Model in Ontology Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silalahi, Mesnan; Indra Sensuse, Dana; Giri Sucahyo, Yudho; Fadhilah Akmaliah, Izzah; Rahayu, Puji; Cahyaningsih, Elin

2018-03-01

This paper describes results from an attempt to develop a model in ontology engineering methodology and a way to validate the model. The approach to methodology in ontology engineering is from the point view of socio-technical system theory. Qualitative research synthesis is used to build the model using meta-ethnography. In order to ensure the objectivity of the measurement, inter-rater reliability method was applied using a multi-rater Fleiss Kappa. The results show the accordance of the research output with the diamond model in the socio-technical system theory by evidence of the interdependency of the four socio-technical variables namely people, technology, structure and task.

Cosmological parameters in a generalized multi-function gravitation model f(T,θ )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadatian, S. Davood; Tahajjodi, A.

2017-11-01

The aim of the present article was to study the cosmological model f(T,θ ). By introducing and examining this model as well as a number of other proposed f(T,θ ) models, certain cosmological parameters were analyzed in this framework, and their behaviors were investigated. Ultimately, the results were qualitatively compared with the observational data. It was found that by employing proper coefficients, phantom crossing division occured for the equation of state, thus pointing to the existence of a bouncing universe scenario. Furthermore, it was revealed that by creating a potential in the model, inflation could be produced, and the early cosmos could be studied.

Involving mental health service users in suicide-related research: a qualitative inquiry model.

PubMed

Lees, David; Procter, Nicholas; Fassett, Denise; Handley, Christine

2016-03-01

To describe the research model developed and successfully deployed as part of a multi-method qualitative study investigating suicidal service-users' experiences of mental health nursing care. Quality mental health care is essential to limiting the occurrence and burden of suicide, however there is a lack of relevant research informing practice in this context. Research utilising first-person accounts of suicidality is of particular importance to expanding the existing evidence base. However, conducting ethical research to support this imperative is challenging. The model discussed here illustrates specific and more generally applicable principles for qualitative research regarding sensitive topics and involving potentially vulnerable service-users. Researching into mental health service users with first-person experience of suicidality requires stakeholder and institutional support, researcher competency, and participant recruitment, consent, confidentiality, support and protection. Research with service users into their experiences of sensitive issues such as suicidality can result in rich and valuable data, and may also provide positive experiences of collaboration and inclusivity. If challenges are not met, objectification and marginalisation of service-users may be reinforced, and limitations in the evidence base and service provision may be perpetuated.

Multi-Dimensional Calibration of Impact Dynamic Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horta, Lucas G.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Annett, Martin S.; Jackson, Karen E.

2011-01-01

NASA Langley, under the Subsonic Rotary Wing Program, recently completed two helicopter tests in support of an in-house effort to study crashworthiness. As part of this effort, work is on-going to investigate model calibration approaches and calibration metrics for impact dynamics models. Model calibration of impact dynamics problems has traditionally assessed model adequacy by comparing time histories from analytical predictions to test at only a few critical locations. Although this approach provides for a direct measure of the model predictive capability, overall system behavior is only qualitatively assessed using full vehicle animations. In order to understand the spatial and temporal relationships of impact loads as they migrate throughout the structure, a more quantitative approach is needed. In this work impact shapes derived from simulated time history data are used to recommend sensor placement and to assess model adequacy using time based metrics and orthogonality multi-dimensional metrics. An approach for model calibration is presented that includes metric definitions, uncertainty bounds, parameter sensitivity, and numerical optimization to estimate parameters to reconcile test with analysis. The process is illustrated using simulated experiment data.

Full-Range Public Health Leadership, Part 2: Qualitative Analysis and Synthesis.

PubMed

Carlton, Erik L; Holsinger, James W; Riddell, Martha C; Bush, Heather

2015-01-01

Public health leadership is an important topic in the era of U.S. health reform, population health innovation, and health system transformation. This study utilized the full-range leadership model in order to examine the public health leadership. We sought to understand local public health leadership from the perspective of local health department leaders and those who work with and for them. Public health leadership was explored through interviews and focus groups with directors (n = 4) and staff (n = 33) from local health departments. Qualitative analytic methods included reflexive journals, code-recode procedures, and member checking, with analysis facilitated by Atlas.ti v.6.0. Qualitative results supported and expanded upon previously reported quantitative findings. Leading by example and providing individual consideration to followers were found to be more important than other leader factors, such as intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, or idealized attributes of leaders. Having a clear and competent vision of public health, being able to work collaboratively with other community agencies, and addressing the current challenges to public health with creativity and innovation were also important findings. Idealized leadership behaviors and individual consideration should be the focus of student and professional development. Models that incorporate contextual considerations, such as the situational leadership model, could be utilized to ensure that optimal individual consideration is given to followers.

Assortativity Patterns in Multi-dimensional Inter-organizational Networks: A Case Study of the Humanitarian Relief Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Kang; Ngamassi, Louis-Marie; Yen, John; Maitland, Carleen; Tapia, Andrea

We use computational tools to study assortativity patterns in multi-dimensional inter-organizational networks on the basis of different node attributes. In the case study of an inter-organizational network in the humanitarian relief sector, we consider not only macro-level topological patterns, but also assortativity on the basis of micro-level organizational attributes. Unlike assortative social networks, this inter-organizational network exhibits disassortative or random patterns on three node attributes. We believe organizations' seek of complementarity is one of the main reasons for the special patterns. Our analysis also provides insights on how to promote collaborations among the humanitarian relief organizations.

Experiences from a pilot study on how to conduct a qualitative multi-country research project regarding use of antibiotics in Southeast Europe.

PubMed

Kaae, Susanne; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark; Traulsen, Janine Morgall; Wallach Kildemoes, Helle; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Jakupi, Arianit; Raka, Denis; Gürpinar, Emre Umut; Alkan, Ali; Hoxha, Iris; Malaj, Admir; Cantarero, Lourdes Arevalo

2016-01-01

In 2014, a qualitative multi-country research project was launched to study the reasons behind the high use of antibiotics in regions of Southeast Europe by using previously untrained national interviewers (who were engaged in other antibiotic microbial resistance-related investigations) to conduct qualitative interviews with local patients, physicians and pharmacists. Little knowledge exists about how to implement qualitative multi-country research collaborations involving previously untrained local data collectors. The aim of this paper was therefore to contribute to the knowledge regarding how to conduct these types of research projects by evaluating a pilot study of the project. Local data collectors conducted the study according to a developed protocol and evaluated the study with the responsible researcher-team from University of Copenhagen. The pilot study focused on 'local ownership', 'research quality' and 'feasibility' with regard to successful implementation and evaluation. The evaluation was achieved by interpreting 'Skype' and 'face to face' meetings and email correspondence by applying 'critical common sense'. Local data collectors achieved a sense of joint ownership. Overall, the protocol worked well. Several minor challenges pertaining to research quality and feasibility were identified, in particular obtaining narratives when conducting interviews and recruiting patients for the study. Furthermore, local data collectors found it difficult to allocate sufficient time to the project. Solutions were discussed and added to the protocol. Despite the challenges, it was possible to achieve an acceptable scientific level of research when conducting qualitative multi-country research collaboration under the given circumstances. Specific recommendations to achieve this are provided by the authors.

International study of perceived neighbourhood environmental attributes and Body Mass Index: IPEN Adult study in 12 countries.

PubMed

De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Van Dyck, Delfien; Salvo, Deborah; Davey, Rachel; Reis, Rodrigo S; Schofield, Grant; Sarmiento, Olga L; Mitas, Josef; Christiansen, Lars Breum; MacFarlane, Duncan; Sugiyama, Takemi; Aguinaga-Ontoso, Ines; Owen, Neville; Conway, Terry L; Sallis, James F; Cerin, Ester

2015-05-16

Ecological models of health behaviour are an important conceptual framework to address the multiple correlates of obesity. Several single-country studies previously examined the relationship between the built environment and obesity in adults, but results are very diverse. An important reason for these mixed results is the limited variability in built environments in these single-country studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine associations between perceived neighbourhood built environmental attributes and BMI/weight status in a multi-country study including 12 environmentally and culturally diverse countries. A multi-site cross-sectional study was conducted in 17 cities (study sites) across 12 countries (Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and USA). Participants (n = 14222, 18-66 years) self-reported perceived neighbourhood environmental attributes. Height and weight were self-reported in eight countries, and measured in person in four countries. Three environmental attributes were associated with BMI or weight status in pooled data from 12 countries. Safety from traffic was the most robust correlate, suggesting that creating safe routes for walking/cycling by reducing the speed and volume of traffic might have a positive impact upon weight status/BMI across various geographical locations. Close proximity to several local destinations was associated with BMI across all countries, suggesting compact neighbourhoods with more places to walk related to lower BMI. Safety from crime showed a curvilinear relationship with BMI, with especially poor crime safety being related to higher BMI. Environmental interventions involving these three attributes appear to have international relevance and focusing on these might have implications for tackling overweight/obesity.

Using the prisms of gender and rank to interpret research collaboration power dynamics.

PubMed

Gaughan, Monica; Bozeman, Barry

2016-08-01

Collaboration is central to modern scientific inquiry, and increasingly important to the professional experiences of academic scientists. While the effects of collaboration have been widely studied, much less is understood about the motivations to collaborate and collaboration dynamics that generate scientific outcomes. A particular interest of this study is to understand how collaboration experiences differ between women and men, and the attributions used to explain these differences. We use a multi-method study of university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics faculty research collaborators. We employ 177 anonymous open-ended responses to a web-based survey, and 60 semi-structured interviews of academic scientists in US research universities. We find similarities and differences in collaborative activity between men and women. Open-ended qualitative textual analysis suggests that some of these differences are attributed to power dynamics - both general ones related to differences in organizational status, and in power dynamics related specifically to gender. In analysis of semi-structured interviews, we find that both status and gender were used as interpretive frames for collaborative behavior, with more emphasis placed on status than gender differences. Overall, the findings support that gender structures some part of the collaborative experience, but that status hierarchy exerts more clear effects.

The Interactive Attribution of School Success in Multi-Ethnic Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Haan, Mariette; Wissink, Inge

2013-01-01

The study shows how explanations for school success are expressed and dialogically constructed during teacher-parent conferences at school. Attribution theory is used to conceptualize the various explanations for school success that were expressed. However, instead of only looking at attributions as beliefs which individuals or groups "have", the…

Patient perspectives of telemedicine quality

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

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

Statistical label fusion with hierarchical performance models

PubMed Central

Asman, Andrew J.; Dagley, Alexander S.; Landman, Bennett A.

2014-01-01

Label fusion is a critical step in many image segmentation frameworks (e.g., multi-atlas segmentation) as it provides a mechanism for generalizing a collection of labeled examples into a single estimate of the underlying segmentation. In the multi-label case, typical label fusion algorithms treat all labels equally – fully neglecting the known, yet complex, anatomical relationships exhibited in the data. To address this problem, we propose a generalized statistical fusion framework using hierarchical models of rater performance. Building on the seminal work in statistical fusion, we reformulate the traditional rater performance model from a multi-tiered hierarchical perspective. This new approach provides a natural framework for leveraging known anatomical relationships and accurately modeling the types of errors that raters (or atlases) make within a hierarchically consistent formulation. Herein, we describe several contributions. First, we derive a theoretical advancement to the statistical fusion framework that enables the simultaneous estimation of multiple (hierarchical) performance models within the statistical fusion context. Second, we demonstrate that the proposed hierarchical formulation is highly amenable to the state-of-the-art advancements that have been made to the statistical fusion framework. Lastly, in an empirical whole-brain segmentation task we demonstrate substantial qualitative and significant quantitative improvement in overall segmentation accuracy. PMID:24817809

The analytical approach to the multi-state lasing phenomenon in undoped and p-doped InAs/InGaAs semiconductor quantum dot lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenev, Vladimir V.; Savelyev, Artem V.; Zhukov, Alexey E.; Omelchenko, Alexander V.; Maximov, Mikhail V.

2014-05-01

We introduce an analytical approach to the multi-state lasing phenomenon in p-doped and undoped InAs/InGaAs quantum dot lasers which were studied both theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that the asymmetry in charge carrier distribution in quantum dots as well as hole-to-electron capture rate ratio jointly determine laser's behavior in such a regime. If the ratio is lower than a certain critical value, the complete quenching of ground-state lasing takes place at sufficiently high injection currents; at higher values of the ratio, our model predicts saturation of the ground-state power. It was experimentally shown that the modulation p-doping of laser's active region results in increase of output power emitted via the ground-state optical transitions of quantum dots and in enhancement of the injection currents range in which multi-state lasing takes place. The maximum temperature at which multi-state lasing exists was increased by about 50°C in the p-doped samples. These effects are qualitatively explained in the terms of the proposed model.

Decision Making In Assignment Problem With Multiple Attributes Under Intuitionistic Fuzzy Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Sathi; Basu, Kajla

2010-10-01

In this paper we develop a methodology to solve the multiple attribute assignment problems where the attributes are considered to be Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets (IFS). We apply the concept of similarity measures of IFS to solve the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Multi-Attribute Assignment Problem (IFMAAP). The weights of the attributes are determined from expert opinion. An illustrative example is solved to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality.

Trends in Extreme Rainfall Frequency in the Contiguous United States: Attribution to Climate Change and Climate Variability Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armal, S.; Devineni, N.; Khanbilvardi, R.

2017-12-01

This study presents a systematic analysis for identifying and attributing trends in the annual frequency of extreme rainfall events across the contiguous United States to climate change and climate variability modes. A Bayesian multilevel model is developed for 1,244 stations simultaneously to test the null hypothesis of no trend and verify two alternate hypotheses: Trend can be attributed to changes in global surface temperature anomalies, or to a combination of cyclical climate modes with varying quasi-periodicities and global surface temperature anomalies. The Bayesian multilevel model provides the opportunity to pool information across stations and reduce the parameter estimation uncertainty, hence identifying the trends better. The choice of the best alternate hypotheses is made based on Watanabe-Akaike Information Criterion, a Bayesian pointwise predictive accuracy measure. Statistically significant time trends are observed in 742 of the 1,244 stations. Trends in 409 of these stations can be attributed to changes in global surface temperature anomalies. These stations are predominantly found in the Southeast and Northeast climate regions. The trends in 274 of these stations can be attributed to the El Nino Southern Oscillations, North Atlantic Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation along with changes in global surface temperature anomalies. These stations are mainly found in the Northwest, West and Southwest climate regions.

Cross-Participant EEG-Based Assessment of Cognitive Workload Using Multi-Path Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks.

PubMed

Hefron, Ryan; Borghetti, Brett; Schubert Kabban, Christine; Christensen, James; Estepp, Justin

2018-04-26

Applying deep learning methods to electroencephalograph (EEG) data for cognitive state assessment has yielded improvements over previous modeling methods. However, research focused on cross-participant cognitive workload modeling using these techniques is underrepresented. We study the problem of cross-participant state estimation in a non-stimulus-locked task environment, where a trained model is used to make workload estimates on a new participant who is not represented in the training set. Using experimental data from the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) environment, a variety of deep neural network models are evaluated in the trade-space of computational efficiency, model accuracy, variance and temporal specificity yielding three important contributions: (1) The performance of ensembles of individually-trained models is statistically indistinguishable from group-trained methods at most sequence lengths. These ensembles can be trained for a fraction of the computational cost compared to group-trained methods and enable simpler model updates. (2) While increasing temporal sequence length improves mean accuracy, it is not sufficient to overcome distributional dissimilarities between individuals’ EEG data, as it results in statistically significant increases in cross-participant variance. (3) Compared to all other networks evaluated, a novel convolutional-recurrent model using multi-path subnetworks and bi-directional, residual recurrent layers resulted in statistically significant increases in predictive accuracy and decreases in cross-participant variance.

Cross-Participant EEG-Based Assessment of Cognitive Workload Using Multi-Path Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Hefron, Ryan; Borghetti, Brett; Schubert Kabban, Christine; Christensen, James; Estepp, Justin

2018-01-01

Applying deep learning methods to electroencephalograph (EEG) data for cognitive state assessment has yielded improvements over previous modeling methods. However, research focused on cross-participant cognitive workload modeling using these techniques is underrepresented. We study the problem of cross-participant state estimation in a non-stimulus-locked task environment, where a trained model is used to make workload estimates on a new participant who is not represented in the training set. Using experimental data from the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) environment, a variety of deep neural network models are evaluated in the trade-space of computational efficiency, model accuracy, variance and temporal specificity yielding three important contributions: (1) The performance of ensembles of individually-trained models is statistically indistinguishable from group-trained methods at most sequence lengths. These ensembles can be trained for a fraction of the computational cost compared to group-trained methods and enable simpler model updates. (2) While increasing temporal sequence length improves mean accuracy, it is not sufficient to overcome distributional dissimilarities between individuals’ EEG data, as it results in statistically significant increases in cross-participant variance. (3) Compared to all other networks evaluated, a novel convolutional-recurrent model using multi-path subnetworks and bi-directional, residual recurrent layers resulted in statistically significant increases in predictive accuracy and decreases in cross-participant variance. PMID:29701668

The self-perceptions and interpersonal relationships of persons with significant physical disabilities: a qualitative pilot study.

PubMed

Riley, Donald; de Anda, Diane; Blackaller, Carrie Ann

2007-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative research was conducted to obtain the perspectives of people with significant physical disabilities regarding factors that have facilitated and hindered the development of a positive self-concept, participation in the broader society, and the formation of interpersonal relationships. The sample was high achieving in terms of education and/or career and attributed positive self-perceptions and their success in the broader society and interpersonal relationships to the attitudes and perceptions regarding their abilities, talents, and potential modeled in supportive family relationships. Females reported the influence of significant others most often, and males the effectiveness of their personality characteristics. Societal barriers, both practical and attitudinal, were reported along with the process for developing a positive selfperception despite these.

Quality and price--impact on patient satisfaction.

PubMed

Pantouvakis, Angelos; Bouranta, Nancy

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize existing quality-measurement models and applies them to healthcare by combining a Nordic service-quality with an American service performance model. Results are based on a questionnaire survey of 1,298 respondents. Service quality dimensions were derived and related to satisfaction by employing a multinomial logistic model, which allows prediction and service improvement. Qualitative and empirical evidence indicates that customer satisfaction and service quality are multi-dimensional constructs, whose quality components, together with convenience and cost, influence the customer's overall satisfaction. The proposed model identifies important quality and satisfaction issues. It also enables transitions between different responses in different studies to be compared.

Impact of Emissions and Long-Range Transport on Multi-Decadal Aerosol Trends: Implications for Air Quality and Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Mian

2012-01-01

We present a global model analysis of the impact of long-range transport and anthropogenic emissions on the aerosol trends in the major pollution regions in the northern hemisphere and in the Arctic in the past three decades. We will use the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model to analyze the multi-spatial and temporal scale data, including observations from Terra, Aqua, and CALIPSO satellites and from the long-term surface monitoring stations. We will analyze the source attribution (SA) and source-receptor (SR) relationships in North America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, and the Arctic at the surface and free troposphere and establish the quantitative linkages between emissions from different source regions. We will discuss the implications for regional air quality and climate change.

Factors affecting clinical reasoning of occupational therapists: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Shafaroodi, Narges; Kamali, Mohammad; Parvizy, Soroor; Mehraban, Afsoon Hassani; O’Toole, Giyn

2014-01-01

Background: Clinical reasoning is generally defined as the numerous modes of thinking that guide clinical practice but little is known about the factors affecting how occupational therapists manage the decision-making process. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the factors influencing the clinical reasoning of occupational therapists. Methods: Twelve occupational therapy practitioners working in mental and physical dysfunction fields participated in this study. The sampling method was purposeful and interviews were continued until data saturation. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis method. Results: There were three main themes. The first theme: socio-cultural conditions included three subthemes: 1- client beliefs; 2- therapist values and beliefs; 3- social attitude to disability. The second theme: individual attributions included two subthemes 1- client attributions; 2- therapist attributions. The final theme was the workplace environment with the three subthemes: 1- knowledge of the managers of rehabilitation services, 2- working in an inter-professional team; 3- limited clinical facilities and resources. Conclusion: In this study, the influence of the attitudes and beliefs of client, therapist and society about illness, abilities and disabilities upon reasoning was different to previous studies. Understanding these factors, especially the socio-cultural beliefs basis can play a significant role in the quality of occupational therapy services. Accurate understanding of these influential factors requires more extensive qualitative and quantitative studies. PMID:25250253

Cognitive Attributes of Adequate and Inadequate Responders to Reading Intervention in Middle School

PubMed Central

Miciak, Jeremy; Stuebing, Karla K.; Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Barth, Amy Elizabeth; Fletcher, Jack M.

2016-01-01

No studies have investigated the cognitive attributes of middle school students who are adequate and inadequate responders to Tier 2 reading intervention. We compared students in Grades 6 and 7 representing groups of adequate responders (n = 77) and inadequate responders who fell below criteria in (a) comprehension (n = 54); (b) fluency (n = 45); and (c) decoding, fluency, and comprehension (DFC; n = 45). These students received measures of phonological awareness, listening comprehension, rapid naming, processing speed, verbal knowledge, and nonverbal reasoning. Multivariate comparisons showed a significant Group-by-Task interaction: the comprehension-impaired group demonstrated primary difficulties with verbal knowledge and listening comprehension, the DFC group with phonological awareness, and the fluency-impaired group with phonological awareness and rapid naming. A series of regression models investigating whether responder status explained unique variation in cognitive skills yielded largely null results consistent with a continuum of severity associated with level of reading impairment, with no evidence for qualitative differences in the cognitive attributes of adequate and inadequate responders. PMID:28579668

Cognitive Attributes of Adequate and Inadequate Responders to Reading Intervention in Middle School.

PubMed

Miciak, Jeremy; Stuebing, Karla K; Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Barth, Amy Elizabeth; Fletcher, Jack M

2014-12-01

No studies have investigated the cognitive attributes of middle school students who are adequate and inadequate responders to Tier 2 reading intervention. We compared students in Grades 6 and 7 representing groups of adequate responders ( n = 77) and inadequate responders who fell below criteria in (a) comprehension ( n = 54); (b) fluency ( n = 45); and (c) decoding, fluency, and comprehension (DFC; n = 45). These students received measures of phonological awareness, listening comprehension, rapid naming, processing speed, verbal knowledge, and nonverbal reasoning. Multivariate comparisons showed a significant Group-by-Task interaction: the comprehension-impaired group demonstrated primary difficulties with verbal knowledge and listening comprehension, the DFC group with phonological awareness, and the fluency-impaired group with phonological awareness and rapid naming. A series of regression models investigating whether responder status explained unique variation in cognitive skills yielded largely null results consistent with a continuum of severity associated with level of reading impairment, with no evidence for qualitative differences in the cognitive attributes of adequate and inadequate responders.

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

PubMed

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

2015-10-01

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

Tuning vertical alignment and field emission properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube bundles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sreekanth, M.; Ghosh, S.; Srivastava, P.

2018-01-01

We report the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotube bundles on Si substrate by thermal chemical vapor deposition technique. Vertical alignment was achieved without any carrier gas or lithography-assisted deposition. Growth has been carried out at 850 °C for different quantities of solution of xylene and ferrocene ranging from 2.25 to 3.00 ml in steps of 0.25 ml at a fixed concentration of 0.02 gm (ferrocene) per ml. To understand the growth mechanism, deposition was carried out for different concentrations of the solution by changing only the ferrocene quantity, ranging from 0.01 to 0.03 gm/ml. A tunable vertical alignment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been achieved by this process and examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques. Micro-crystalline structural analysis has been done using Raman spectroscopy. A systematic variation in field emission (FE) current density has been observed. The highest FE current density is seen for the film grown with 0.02 gm/ml concentration, which is attributed to the better alignment of CNTs, less structural disorder and less entanglement of CNTs on the surface. The alignment of CNTs has been qualitatively understood on the basis of self-assembled catalytic particles.

A qualitative study on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan.

PubMed

Norikoshi, Kensuke; Kobayashi, Toshio; Tabuchi, Keiji

2018-01-01

To identify attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan. Much attention has been paid to nurses' workplace social capital to improve the quality of the work environment; however, few studies are available on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 nurses at seven hospitals. Nurses reported on the attributes of workplace social capital, such as characteristics facilitating individual positive action in an organisation, which were qualitatively analysed using the Kawakita Jiro method. The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital were organised into six groups: affirmation; exchange of appreciation; unrestricted information sharing; ability to trust; access to the strength; and altruistic reciprocity. The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital included a social structure that allowed nurses to make full use of their abilities both vertically and horizontally and were supported by a sense of security. In particular, newly emerged exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity were important for nurses in Japan in building cooperative relationships with others. Managing human relationships, such as exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity, in clinical settings based on nurses' workplace social capital may promote positive emotions in the organisation, positive ideas among staff and cooperative teamwork, which may lead to high-quality patient care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative and qualitative variation of fat in model vanilla custard desserts: effects on sensory properties and consumer acceptance.

PubMed

Tomaschunas, Maja; Köhn, Ehrhard; Bennwitz, Petra; Hinrichs, Jörg; Busch-Stockfisch, Mechthild

2013-06-01

The effects of variation in fat content (0.1% to 15.8%) and type of fat, using different types of milk, dairy cream, or vegetable fat cream, on sensory characteristics and consumer acceptance of starch-based vanilla model custards were studied. Descriptive analysis with trained panelists and consumer testing with untrained assessors were applied. Descriptive data were related to hedonic data using principal component analysis to determine drivers of liking and disliking. Results demonstrated an increasing effect of fat concerning visual and oral thickness, creamy flavor, and fat-related texture properties, as well as a decreasing effect concerning yellow color and surface shine. A lack of fat caused moderate intensities in pudding-like flavor attributes and an intensive jelly texture. Adding a vegetable fat cream led to lower intensities in attributes yellow color, cooked flavor, thick, and jelly texture, whereas intensities in vegetable fat flavor and fat-related texture properties increased. All consumers favored custards with medium fat contents, being high in pudding-like and vegetable fat flavor as well as in fat-related texture attributes. Nonfat custards were rejected due to jelly texture and moderate intensities in pudding-flavor attributes. High-fat samples were liked by some consumers, but their high intensities in thickness, white color, and creamy flavor also drove disliking for others. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Fluid nonlinear frequency shift of nonlinear ion acoustic waves in multi-ion species plasmas in the small wave number region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Q. S.; Xiao, C. Z.; Wang, Q.; Zheng, C. Y.; Liu, Z. J.; Cao, L. H.; He, X. T.

2016-08-01

The properties of the nonlinear frequency shift (NFS), especially the fluid NFS from the harmonic generation of the ion-acoustic wave (IAW) in multi-ion species plasmas, have been researched by Vlasov simulation. Pictures of the nonlinear frequency shift from harmonic generation and particle trapping are shown to explain the mechanism of NFS qualitatively. The theoretical model of the fluid NFS from harmonic generation in multi-ion species plasmas is given, and the results of Vlasov simulation are consistent with the theoretical result of multi-ion species plasmas. When the wave number k λD e is small, such as k λD e=0.1 , the fluid NFS dominates in the total NFS and will reach as large as nearly 15 % when the wave amplitude |e ϕ / Te|˜0.1 , which indicates that in the condition of small k λD e , the fluid NFS dominates in the saturation of stimulated Brillouin scattering, especially when the nonlinear IAW amplitude is large.

Fluid nonlinear frequency shift of nonlinear ion acoustic waves in multi-ion species plasmas in the small wave number region.

PubMed

Feng, Q S; Xiao, C Z; Wang, Q; Zheng, C Y; Liu, Z J; Cao, L H; He, X T

2016-08-01

The properties of the nonlinear frequency shift (NFS), especially the fluid NFS from the harmonic generation of the ion-acoustic wave (IAW) in multi-ion species plasmas, have been researched by Vlasov simulation. Pictures of the nonlinear frequency shift from harmonic generation and particle trapping are shown to explain the mechanism of NFS qualitatively. The theoretical model of the fluid NFS from harmonic generation in multi-ion species plasmas is given, and the results of Vlasov simulation are consistent with the theoretical result of multi-ion species plasmas. When the wave number kλ_{De} is small, such as kλ_{De}=0.1, the fluid NFS dominates in the total NFS and will reach as large as nearly 15% when the wave amplitude |eϕ/T_{e}|∼0.1, which indicates that in the condition of small kλ_{De}, the fluid NFS dominates in the saturation of stimulated Brillouin scattering, especially when the nonlinear IAW amplitude is large.

Impact of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Management Information System (PROMIS) upon the design and operation of multi-center clinical trials: a qualitative research study.

PubMed

Eisenstein, Eric L; Diener, Lawrence W; Nahm, Meredith; Weinfurt, Kevin P

2011-12-01

New technologies may be required to integrate the National Institutes of Health's Patient Reported Outcome Management Information System (PROMIS) into multi-center clinical trials. To better understand this need, we identified likely PROMIS reporting formats, developed a multi-center clinical trial process model, and identified gaps between current capabilities and those necessary for PROMIS. These results were evaluated by key trial constituencies. Issues reported by principal investigators fell into two categories: acceptance by key regulators and the scientific community, and usability for researchers and clinicians. Issues reported by the coordinating center, participating sites, and study subjects were those faced when integrating new technologies into existing clinical trial systems. We then defined elements of a PROMIS Tool Kit required for integrating PROMIS into a multi-center clinical trial environment. The requirements identified in this study serve as a framework for future investigators in the design, development, implementation, and operation of PROMIS Tool Kit technologies.

Impact of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Management Information System (PROMIS) upon the Design and Operation of Multi-center Clinical Trials: a Qualitative Research Study

PubMed Central

Diener, Lawrence W.; Nahm, Meredith; Weinfurt, Kevin P.

2013-01-01

New technologies may be required to integrate the National Institutes of Health’s Patient Reported Outcome Management Information System (PROMIS) into multi-center clinical trials. To better understand this need, we identified likely PROMIS reporting formats, developed a multi-center clinical trial process model, and identified gaps between current capabilities and those necessary for PROMIS. These results were evaluated by key trial constituencies. Issues reported by principal investigators fell into two categories: acceptance by key regulators and the scientific community, and usability for researchers and clinicians. Issues reported by the coordinating center, participating sites, and study subjects were those faced when integrating new technologies into existing clinical trial systems. We then defined elements of a PROMIS Tool Kit required for integrating PROMIS into a multi-center clinical trial environment. The requirements identified in this study serve as a framework for future investigators in the design, development, implementation, and operation of PROMIS Tool Kit technologies. PMID:20703765

An exploration of how psychotic-like symptoms are experienced, endorsed, and understood from the National Latino and Asian American Study and National Survey of American Life

PubMed Central

Earl, Tara; Fortuna, Lisa R.; Gao, Shan; Williams, David R.; Neighbors, Harold W.; Takeuchi, David; Alegría, Margarita

2016-01-01

Objective To examine racial/ethnic differences in the endorsement and attribution of psychotic-like symptoms in a nationally representative sample of African Americans, Asians, Caribbean Blacks, and Latinos living in the United States. Design Data were drawn from a total of 979 respondents who endorsed psychotic-like symptoms as part of the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). We use a mixed qualitative and quantitative analytical approach to examine sociodemographic and ethnic variations in the prevalence and attributions of hallucinations and other psychotic-like symptoms in the NLAAS and NSAL. The lifetime presence of psychotic-like symptoms was assessed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) psychotic symptom screener. We used logistic regression models to examine the probability of endorsing the four most frequently occurring thematic categories for psychotic-like experiences by race/ethnicity (n>100). We used qualitative methods to explore common themes from participant responses to open ended questions on their attributions for psychotic-like symptoms. Results African Americans were significantly less likely to endorse visual hallucinations compared to Caribbean Blacks (73.7% and 89.3%, p<.001), but they endorsed auditory hallucinations symptoms more than Caribbean Blacks (43.1% and 25.7, p<.05). Endorsing delusions of reference and thought insertion/withdrawal were more prevalent for Latinos than for African Americans (11% and 4.7%, p<.05; 6.3% and 2.7%, p<.05, respectively). Attribution themes included: supernatural, ghosts/unidentified beings, death and dying, spirituality or religiosity, premonitions, familial and other. Respondents differed by race/ethnicity in the attributions given to psychotic like symptoms. Conclusion Findings suggest that variations exist by race/ethnicity in both psychotic-like symptom endorsement and in self-reported attributions/understandings for these symptoms on a psychosis screening instrument. Racial/ethnic differences could result from culturally sanctioned beliefs and idioms of distress that deserve more attention in conducting culturally informed and responsive screening, assessment and treatment. PMID:24920148

Plotting an Emerging Relationship Schema of Effective Leadership Attributes for Inclusive Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poon-McBrayer, Kim Fong; Deng, Meng

2017-01-01

The significance of principal leadership to build inclusive schools has long been recognised. Studies to plot their leadership attributes that mobilise, facilitate, and sustain inclusive education specific to Hong Kong are however scarce. This qualitative study investigated teacher leaders' experiences of what their principals did to cultivate…

General Educators' Perceptions and Attributions about Asian American Students: Implications for Special Education Referral

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hui-Michael, Ying; Garcia, Shernaz B.

2009-01-01

This qualitative study investigated five elementary classroom teachers' perceptions of, and attributions about the school performance of Asian American students. Using naturalistic inquiry, data were obtained through interviews, classroom observations, document reviews and field notes; and were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The…

Developing Graduate Attributes through Participation in Undergraduate Research Conferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Jennifer; Walkington, Helen

2016-01-01

Graduate attributes are a framework of skills, attitudes, values and knowledge that graduates should develop by the end of their degree programmes. Adopting a largely qualitative approach and using semi-structured interviews, this paper outlines students' experiences at a national undergraduate research conference over three years and evidences…

A Phenomenological Study on Lack of Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Research and Reviews, 2013

2013-01-01

The aim of this research is to point out the underlying reasons about the lack of motivation at academic activities concerning Attribution Theory. Attribution Theory trys to understand how the people answer "why" question and how they do casual explanations. This research is a qualitative based research. It used the phenomenological…

Particle drift model for Z-pinch-driven magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, Jia Kun; Xu, Qiang; Wang, Kun Lun; Ren, Xiao Dong; Huang, Xian Bin

2016-09-01

A theoretical model of Z-pinch driven magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability is proposed based on the particle drift point of view, which can explain the helical instability structure observed in premagnetized imploding liner experiments. It is demonstrated that all possible drift motions, including polarization drift, gradient drift, and curvature drift, which can lead to charge separations, each will attribute to an effective gravity acceleration. Theoretical predictions given by this model are dramatically different from those given by previous theories which have been readily recovered in the theory presented here as a limiting case. The theory shows qualitative agreement with available experimental data of the pitch angle and provides certain predictions to be verified.

Event attribution using data assimilation in an intermediate complexity atmospheric model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metref, Sammy; Hannart, Alexis; Ruiz, Juan; Carrassi, Alberto; Bocquet, Marc; Ghil, Michael

2016-04-01

A new approach, coined DADA (Data Assimilation for Detection and Attribution) has been recently introduced by Hannart et al. 2015, and is potentially useful for near real time, systematic causal attribution of weather and climate-related events The method is purposely designed to allow its operability at meteorological centers by synergizing causal attribution with Data Assimilation (DA) methods usually designed to deal with large nonlinear models. In Hannart et al. 2015, the DADA proposal is illustrated in the context of a low-order nonlinear model (forced three-variable Lorenz model) that is of course not realistic to represent the events considered. As a continuation of this stream of work, we therefore propose an implementation of the DADA approach in a realistic intermediate complexity atmospheric model (ICTP AGCM, nicknamed SPEEDY). The SPEEDY model is based on a spectral dynamical core developed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (see Held and Suarez 1994). It is a hydrostatic, r-coordinate, spectral-transform model in the vorticity-divergence form described by Bourke (1974). A synthetic dataset of observations of an extreme precipitation event over Southeastern South America is extracted from a long SPEEDY simulation under present climatic conditions (i.e. factual conditions). Then, following the DADA approach, observations of this event are assimilated twice in the SPEEDY model: first in the factual configuration of the model and second under its counterfactual, pre-industrial configuration. We show that attribution can be performed based on the likelihood ratio as in Hannart et al. 2015, but we further extend this result by showing that the likelihood can be split in space, time and variables in order to help identify the specific physical features of the event that bear the causal signature. References: Hannart A., A. Carrassi, M. Bocquet, M. Ghil, P. Naveau, M. Pulido, J. Ruiz, P. Tandeo (2015) DADA: Data assimilation for the detection and attribution of weather and climate-related events, Climatic Change, (in press). Held I. M. and M. J. Suarez, (1994): A Proposal for the Intercomparison of the Dynamical Cores of Atmospheric General Circulation Models. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 75, 1825-1830. Bourke W. (1972): A multi-level spectral model. I. Formulation and hemispheric integrations. Mon. Wea. Rev., 102, 687-701.

Some induced intuitionistic fuzzy aggregation operators applied to multi-attribute group decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Zhi-xin; Xia, Guo-ping; Chen, Ming-yuan

2011-11-01

In this paper, we define various induced intuitionistic fuzzy aggregation operators, including induced intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator, induced intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid averaging (I-IFHA) operator, induced interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy OWA operator, and induced interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid averaging (I-IIFHA) operator. We also establish various properties of these operators. And then, an approach based on I-IFHA operator and intuitionistic fuzzy weighted averaging (WA) operator is developed to solve multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems. In such problems, attribute weights and the decision makers' (DMs') weights are real numbers and attribute values provided by the DMs are intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs), and an approach based on I-IIFHA operator and interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy WA operator is developed to solve MAGDM problems where the attribute values provided by the DMs are interval-valued IFNs. Furthermore, induced intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid geometric operator and induced interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid geometric operator are proposed. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the developed approaches.

Focus Groups in Elderly Ophthalmologic Patients: Setting the Stage for Quantitative Preference Elicitation.

PubMed

Danner, Marion; Vennedey, Vera; Hiligsmann, Mickaël; Fauser, Sascha; Stock, Stephanie

2016-02-01

Patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are rarely actively involved in decision-making, despite facing preference-sensitive treatment decisions. This paper presents a qualitative study to prepare quantitative preference elicitation in AMD patients. The aims of this study were (1) to gain familiarity with and learn about the special requirements of the AMD patient population for quantitative data collection; and (2) to select/refine patient-relevant treatment attributes and levels, and gain insights into preference structures. Semi-structured focus group interviews were performed. An interview guide including preselected categories in the form of seven potentially patient-relevant treatment attributes was followed. To identify the most patient-relevant treatment attributes, a ranking exercise was performed. Deductive content analyses were done by two independent reviewers for each attribute to derive subcategories (potential levels of attributes) and depict preference trends. The focus group interviews included 21 patients. The interviews revealed that quantitative preference surveys in this population will have to be interviewer assisted to make the survey feasible for patients. The five most patient-relevant attributes were the effect on visual function [ranking score (RS): 139], injection frequency (RS: 101), approval status (RS: 83), side effects (RS: 79), and monitoring frequency (RS: 76). Attribute and level refinement was based on patients' statements. Preference trends and dependencies between attributes informed the quantitative instrument design. This study suggests that qualitative research is a very helpful step to prepare the design and administration of quantitative preference elicitation instruments. It especially facilitated familiarization with the target population and its preferences, and it supported attribute/level refinement.

Scalable Methods for Uncertainty Quantification, Data Assimilation and Target Accuracy Assessment for Multi-Physics Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khuwaileh, Bassam

High fidelity simulation of nuclear reactors entails large scale applications characterized with high dimensionality and tremendous complexity where various physics models are integrated in the form of coupled models (e.g. neutronic with thermal-hydraulic feedback). Each of the coupled modules represents a high fidelity formulation of the first principles governing the physics of interest. Therefore, new developments in high fidelity multi-physics simulation and the corresponding sensitivity/uncertainty quantification analysis are paramount to the development and competitiveness of reactors achieved through enhanced understanding of the design and safety margins. Accordingly, this dissertation introduces efficient and scalable algorithms for performing efficient Uncertainty Quantification (UQ), Data Assimilation (DA) and Target Accuracy Assessment (TAA) for large scale, multi-physics reactor design and safety problems. This dissertation builds upon previous efforts for adaptive core simulation and reduced order modeling algorithms and extends these efforts towards coupled multi-physics models with feedback. The core idea is to recast the reactor physics analysis in terms of reduced order models. This can be achieved via identifying the important/influential degrees of freedom (DoF) via the subspace analysis, such that the required analysis can be recast by considering the important DoF only. In this dissertation, efficient algorithms for lower dimensional subspace construction have been developed for single physics and multi-physics applications with feedback. Then the reduced subspace is used to solve realistic, large scale forward (UQ) and inverse problems (DA and TAA). Once the elite set of DoF is determined, the uncertainty/sensitivity/target accuracy assessment and data assimilation analysis can be performed accurately and efficiently for large scale, high dimensional multi-physics nuclear engineering applications. Hence, in this work a Karhunen-Loeve (KL) based algorithm previously developed to quantify the uncertainty for single physics models is extended for large scale multi-physics coupled problems with feedback effect. Moreover, a non-linear surrogate based UQ approach is developed, used and compared to performance of the KL approach and brute force Monte Carlo (MC) approach. On the other hand, an efficient Data Assimilation (DA) algorithm is developed to assess information about model's parameters: nuclear data cross-sections and thermal-hydraulics parameters. Two improvements are introduced in order to perform DA on the high dimensional problems. First, a goal-oriented surrogate model can be used to replace the original models in the depletion sequence (MPACT -- COBRA-TF - ORIGEN). Second, approximating the complex and high dimensional solution space with a lower dimensional subspace makes the sampling process necessary for DA possible for high dimensional problems. Moreover, safety analysis and design optimization depend on the accurate prediction of various reactor attributes. Predictions can be enhanced by reducing the uncertainty associated with the attributes of interest. Accordingly, an inverse problem can be defined and solved to assess the contributions from sources of uncertainty; and experimental effort can be subsequently directed to further improve the uncertainty associated with these sources. In this dissertation a subspace-based gradient-free and nonlinear algorithm for inverse uncertainty quantification namely the Target Accuracy Assessment (TAA) has been developed and tested. The ideas proposed in this dissertation were first validated using lattice physics applications simulated using SCALE6.1 package (Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) lattice models). Ultimately, the algorithms proposed her were applied to perform UQ and DA for assembly level (CASL progression problem number 6) and core wide problems representing Watts Bar Nuclear 1 (WBN1) for cycle 1 of depletion (CASL Progression Problem Number 9) modeled via simulated using VERA-CS which consists of several multi-physics coupled models. The analysis and algorithms developed in this dissertation were encoded and implemented in a newly developed tool kit algorithms for Reduced Order Modeling based Uncertainty/Sensitivity Estimator (ROMUSE).

Understanding the Use of Rural Space: The Need for Multi-Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madsen, Lene M.; Adriansen, Hanne Kirstine

2004-01-01

Although the late 1990s saw increasing use of qualitative data in rural studies and a turn towards issues such as identities and the construction of rurality, many rural researchers still rely on a range of different methods and use both qualitative and quantitative data. However, the challenge of combining quantitative and qualitative data and…

The association between parental attributions of misbehavior and parenting practices in caregivers raising children with prenatal alcohol exposure: A mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Roddenbery, Rachael

2016-12-01

Limited research has focused on parenting practices used by caregivers raising children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The current study hypothesized that parental attributions of children's misbehavior would relate to the parenting strategies caregivers utilize with children with FASD. This study also aimed to develop a coding scheme to allow quantification of these treatment-relevant constructs in future intervention trials. Thirty-one caregivers of children with FASD (age 4-8) were interviewed with the Parenting Practices Interview (PPI), a study-developed qualitative interview. Quantitative measures of FASD knowledge, parenting sense of competence and stress, and child behavior problems were included. Mixed-method analyses assessed the relationship between parental attributions of misbehavior and parenting practices. Caregivers who attributed their child's misbehavior to underlying neurodevelopmental disabilities were more likely to use antecedent strategies and feel more confident in managing their child's behavior. Parents who attributed their child's misbehavior to willful disobedience were more likely to rely on consequence strategies and feel more ineffective. Results are consistent with theoretical models for FASD parent training interventions. Assessment of theorized mechanisms of change in intervention trials is needed; the development of the PPI and quantitative coding system will facilitate this type of research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Integrated Approach of Fuzzy Linguistic Preference Based AHP and Fuzzy COPRAS for Machine Tool Evaluation

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huu-Tho; Md Dawal, Siti Zawiah; Nukman, Yusoff; Aoyama, Hideki; Case, Keith

2015-01-01

Globalization of business and competitiveness in manufacturing has forced companies to improve their manufacturing facilities to respond to market requirements. Machine tool evaluation involves an essential decision using imprecise and vague information, and plays a major role to improve the productivity and flexibility in manufacturing. The aim of this study is to present an integrated approach for decision-making in machine tool selection. This paper is focused on the integration of a consistent fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and a fuzzy COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) for multi-attribute decision-making in selecting the most suitable machine tool. In this method, the fuzzy linguistic reference relation is integrated into AHP to handle the imprecise and vague information, and to simplify the data collection for the pair-wise comparison matrix of the AHP which determines the weights of attributes. The output of the fuzzy AHP is imported into the fuzzy COPRAS method for ranking alternatives through the closeness coefficient. Presentation of the proposed model application is provided by a numerical example based on the collection of data by questionnaire and from the literature. The results highlight the integration of the improved fuzzy AHP and the fuzzy COPRAS as a precise tool and provide effective multi-attribute decision-making for evaluating the machine tool in the uncertain environment. PMID:26368541

Sexual Satisfaction Concept Analysis in Iranian Married Women: A Hybrid Model Study

PubMed Central

Yekta, Zohre Parsa; Raisi, Firoozeh; Ebadi, Abbas; Shahvari, Zahra

2015-01-01

Background: Sexual satisfaction is considered to be a sexual right and an important component of sexual health. The purpose of this qualitative study was to clarify the meaning and the nature of sexual satisfaction in Iranian married women, and to provide a cultural-based definition of it. Method: Sexual satisfaction was examined in three phases by the Hybrid Model of concept analysis: (1) the theoretical phase; (2) the fieldwork phase and (3) the analytical phase. Hybrid concept analysis method was chosen because its inclusion of married women’s perspectives enriches the limits of sexual health search literature. Result: The critical attributes of sexual satisfaction were investigated. They included ‘two-dimensional structure’, ‘an affective response’, ‘a means to achieve marital satisfaction’, ‘unique’, ‘a concept based on expectations’ and ‘a concept on shadow of values’. Conclusion: The concept analysis of sexual satisfaction showed some of the attributes and antecedents for this concept that, have not been mentioned in the literature. PMID:26153166

How do pre-service teachers picture various electromagnetic phenomenon? A qualitative study of pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of fundamental electromagnetic interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, Christopher P.

This study analyzes the nature of pre-service teachers' conceptual models of various electromagnetic phenomena, specifically electrical current, electrical resistance, and light/matter interactions. This is achieved through the students answering the three questions on electromagnetism using a free response approach including both verbal and pictorial representation. The student responses are then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively utilizing a multi-tiered approach. These analyses include epistemological representation, misconceptions, correct conceptions, and the impact of high school physics exposure on student conceptions. This study is unique in three primary respects; the free response questionnaire approach, a subject group that consists of pre-service teachers, and a primarily female demographic.

Should One Use the Ray-by-Ray Approximation in Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations?

DOE PAGES

Skinner, M. Aaron; Burrows, Adam; Dolence, Joshua C.

2016-10-28

We perform the first self-consistent, time-dependent, multi-group calculations in two dimensions (2D) to address the consequences of using the ray-by-ray+ transport simplification in core-collapse supernova simulations. Such a dimensional reduction is employed by many researchers to facilitate their resource-intensive calculations. Our new code (Fornax) implements multi-D transport, and can, by zeroing out transverse flux terms, emulate the ray-by-ray+ scheme. Using the same microphysics, initial models, resolution, and code, we compare the results of simulating 12-, 15-, 20-, and 25-M⊙ progenitor models using these two transport methods. Our findings call into question the wisdom of the pervasive use of the ray-by-ray+more » approach. Employing it leads to maximum post-bounce/preexplosion shock radii that are almost universally larger by tens of kilometers than those derived using the more accurate scheme, typically leaving the post-bounce matter less bound and artificially more “explodable.” In fact, for our 25-M⊙ progenitor, the ray-by-ray+ model explodes, while the corresponding multi-D transport model does not. Therefore, in two dimensions the combination of ray-by-ray+ with the axial sloshing hydrodynamics that is a feature of 2D supernova dynamics can result in quantitatively, and perhaps qualitatively, incorrect results.« less

Should One Use the Ray-by-Ray Approximation in Core-collapse Supernova Simulations?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, M. Aaron; Burrows, Adam; Dolence, Joshua C.

2016-11-01

We perform the first self-consistent, time-dependent, multi-group calculations in two dimensions (2D) to address the consequences of using the ray-by-ray+ transport simplification in core-collapse supernova simulations. Such a dimensional reduction is employed by many researchers to facilitate their resource-intensive calculations. Our new code (Fornax) implements multi-D transport, and can, by zeroing out transverse flux terms, emulate the ray-by-ray+ scheme. Using the same microphysics, initial models, resolution, and code, we compare the results of simulating 12, 15, 20, and 25 M ⊙ progenitor models using these two transport methods. Our findings call into question the wisdom of the pervasive use of the ray-by-ray+ approach. Employing it leads to maximum post-bounce/pre-explosion shock radii that are almost universally larger by tens of kilometers than those derived using the more accurate scheme, typically leaving the post-bounce matter less bound and artificially more “explodable.” In fact, for our 25 M ⊙ progenitor, the ray-by-ray+ model explodes, while the corresponding multi-D transport model does not. Therefore, in two dimensions, the combination of ray-by-ray+ with the axial sloshing hydrodynamics that is a feature of 2D supernova dynamics can result in quantitatively, and perhaps qualitatively, incorrect results.

Employing a Qualitative Description Approach in Health Care Research.

PubMed

Bradshaw, Carmel; Atkinson, Sandra; Doody, Owen

2017-01-01

A qualitative description design is particularly relevant where information is required directly from those experiencing the phenomenon under investigation and where time and resources are limited. Nurses and midwives often have clinical questions suitable to a qualitative approach but little time to develop an exhaustive comprehension of qualitative methodological approaches. Qualitative description research is sometimes considered a less sophisticated approach for epistemological reasons. Another challenge when considering qualitative description design is differentiating qualitative description from other qualitative approaches. This article provides a systematic and robust journey through the philosophical, ontological, and epistemological perspectives, which evidences the purpose of qualitative description research. Methods and rigor issues underpinning qualitative description research are also appraised to provide the researcher with a systematic approach to conduct research utilizing this approach. The key attributes and value of qualitative description research in the health care professions will be highlighted with the aim of extending its usage.

Employing a Qualitative Description Approach in Health Care Research

PubMed Central

Bradshaw, Carmel; Atkinson, Sandra; Doody, Owen

2017-01-01

A qualitative description design is particularly relevant where information is required directly from those experiencing the phenomenon under investigation and where time and resources are limited. Nurses and midwives often have clinical questions suitable to a qualitative approach but little time to develop an exhaustive comprehension of qualitative methodological approaches. Qualitative description research is sometimes considered a less sophisticated approach for epistemological reasons. Another challenge when considering qualitative description design is differentiating qualitative description from other qualitative approaches. This article provides a systematic and robust journey through the philosophical, ontological, and epistemological perspectives, which evidences the purpose of qualitative description research. Methods and rigor issues underpinning qualitative description research are also appraised to provide the researcher with a systematic approach to conduct research utilizing this approach. The key attributes and value of qualitative description research in the health care professions will be highlighted with the aim of extending its usage. PMID:29204457

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.

Depression Attributes Among White Non-Hispanic and Mexican-Origin Older Men.

PubMed

Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina; Barker, Judith C; Unutzer, Jurgen; Hinton, Ladson

2015-09-01

Depression is associated with poor quality of life, higher healthcare costs, and suicide. Older, especially minority, men suffer high rates of depression under-treatment. Illness attributes may influence depression under-treatment by shaping help-seeking and physician recognition in older and minority men. Improved understanding of depression attributes may help to close gaps in care for older men. The study aims are to describe the range and most frequent attributes of depression in a diverse sample of older men and to describe ethnic similarities and differences in depression attributes between white non-Hispanic and Mexican-origin older men. In this qualitative study of white non-Hispanic and Mexican-origin older men who were recruited from outpatient primary care clinics in central California, 77 (47 white non-Hispanic and 30 Mexican-origin) men aged 60 and older who were identified as depressed and/or receiving depression treatment in the past year completed in-depth interviews covering their experiences of depression. Transcribed interviews were analyzed per established descriptive qualitative techniques. Twenty-one depression attributes were identified and 9 were present in at least 17% of the interviews. Men often attributed their depression to stressors such as grief/loss and spousal conflicts, feelings of moral failure, and poor health. Although there were similarities in depression attributes between the groups, we found several differences in the frequency of certain attributes. Similarities and differences in depression attributes between Mexican-origin and white non-Hispanic older men suggest the confluence of various sociocultural factors. Awareness of the variety of ways that older men understand depression can help clinicians identify and engage them in depression treatment. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

4D cone-beam CT reconstruction using multi-organ meshes for sliding motion modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Zichun; Gu, Xuejun; Mao, Weihua; Wang, Jing

2016-02-01

A simultaneous motion estimation and image reconstruction (SMEIR) strategy was proposed for 4D cone-beam CT (4D-CBCT) reconstruction and showed excellent results in both phantom and lung cancer patient studies. In the original SMEIR algorithm, the deformation vector field (DVF) was defined on voxel grid and estimated by enforcing a global smoothness regularization term on the motion fields. The objective of this work is to improve the computation efficiency and motion estimation accuracy of SMEIR for 4D-CBCT through developing a multi-organ meshing model. Feature-based adaptive meshes were generated to reduce the number of unknowns in the DVF estimation and accurately capture the organ shapes and motion. Additionally, the discontinuity in the motion fields between different organs during respiration was explicitly considered in the multi-organ mesh model. This will help with the accurate visualization and motion estimation of the tumor on the organ boundaries in 4D-CBCT. To further improve the computational efficiency, a GPU-based parallel implementation was designed. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated on a synthetic sliding motion phantom, a 4D NCAT phantom, and four lung cancer patients. The proposed multi-organ mesh based strategy outperformed the conventional Feldkamp-Davis-Kress, iterative total variation minimization, original SMEIR and single meshing method based on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations.

4D cone-beam CT reconstruction using multi-organ meshes for sliding motion modeling.

PubMed

Zhong, Zichun; Gu, Xuejun; Mao, Weihua; Wang, Jing

2016-02-07

A simultaneous motion estimation and image reconstruction (SMEIR) strategy was proposed for 4D cone-beam CT (4D-CBCT) reconstruction and showed excellent results in both phantom and lung cancer patient studies. In the original SMEIR algorithm, the deformation vector field (DVF) was defined on voxel grid and estimated by enforcing a global smoothness regularization term on the motion fields. The objective of this work is to improve the computation efficiency and motion estimation accuracy of SMEIR for 4D-CBCT through developing a multi-organ meshing model. Feature-based adaptive meshes were generated to reduce the number of unknowns in the DVF estimation and accurately capture the organ shapes and motion. Additionally, the discontinuity in the motion fields between different organs during respiration was explicitly considered in the multi-organ mesh model. This will help with the accurate visualization and motion estimation of the tumor on the organ boundaries in 4D-CBCT. To further improve the computational efficiency, a GPU-based parallel implementation was designed. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated on a synthetic sliding motion phantom, a 4D NCAT phantom, and four lung cancer patients. The proposed multi-organ mesh based strategy outperformed the conventional Feldkamp-Davis-Kress, iterative total variation minimization, original SMEIR and single meshing method based on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations.

4D cone-beam CT reconstruction using multi-organ meshes for sliding motion modeling

PubMed Central

Zhong, Zichun; Gu, Xuejun; Mao, Weihua; Wang, Jing

2016-01-01

A simultaneous motion estimation and image reconstruction (SMEIR) strategy was proposed for 4D cone-beam CT (4D-CBCT) reconstruction and showed excellent results in both phantom and lung cancer patient studies. In the original SMEIR algorithm, the deformation vector field (DVF) was defined on voxel grid and estimated by enforcing a global smoothness regularization term on the motion fields. The objective of this work is to improve the computation efficiency and motion estimation accuracy of SMEIR for 4D-CBCT through developing a multi-organ meshing model. Feature-based adaptive meshes were generated to reduce the number of unknowns in the DVF estimation and accurately capture the organ shapes and motion. Additionally, the discontinuity in the motion fields between different organs during respiration was explicitly considered in the multi-organ mesh model. This will help with the accurate visualization and motion estimation of the tumor on the organ boundaries in 4D-CBCT. To further improve the computational efficiency, a GPU-based parallel implementation was designed. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated on a synthetic sliding motion phantom, a 4D NCAT phantom, and four lung cancer patients. The proposed multi-organ mesh based strategy outperformed the conventional Feldkamp–Davis–Kress, iterative total variation minimization, original SMEIR and single meshing method based on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations. PMID:26758496

Comparing Analytic Hierarchy Process and Discrete-Choice Experiment to Elicit Patient Preferences for Treatment Characteristics in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PubMed

Danner, Marion; Vennedey, Vera; Hiligsmann, Mickaël; Fauser, Sascha; Gross, Christian; Stock, Stephanie

2017-09-01

In this study, we conducted an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to elicit the preferences of patients with age-related macular degeneration using identical attributes and levels. To compare preference-based weights for age-related macular degeneration treatment attributes and levels generated by two elicitation methods. The properties of both methods were assessed, including ease of instrument use. A DCE and an AHP experiment were designed on the basis of five attributes. Preference-based weights were generated using the matrix multiplication method for attributes and levels in AHP and a mixed multinomial logit model for levels in the DCE. Attribute importance was further compared using coefficient (DCE) and weight (AHP) level ranges. The questionnaire difficulty was rated on a qualitative scale. Patients were asked to think aloud while providing their judgments. AHP and DCE generated similar results regarding levels, stressing a preference for visual improvement, frequent monitoring, on-demand and less frequent injection schemes, approved drugs, and mild side effects. Attribute weights derived on the basis of level ranges led to a ranking that was opposite to the AHP directly calculated attribute weights. For example, visual function ranked first in the AHP and last on the basis of level ranges. The results across the methods were similar, with one exception: the directly measured AHP attribute weights were different from the level-based interpretation of attribute importance in both DCE and AHP. The dependence/independence of attribute importance on level ranges in DCE and AHP, respectively, should be taken into account when choosing a method to support decision making. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pedagogical Practices: The Case of Multi-Class Teaching in Fiji Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lingam, Govinda I.

2007-01-01

Multi-class teaching is a common phenomenon in small schools not only in Fiji, but also in many countries. The aim of the present study was to determine the teaching styles adopted by teachers in the context of multi-class teaching. A qualitative case study research design was adopted. This included a school with multi-class teaching as the norm.…

Real-time reliability measure-driven multi-hypothesis tracking using 2D and 3D features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zúñiga, Marcos D.; Brémond, François; Thonnat, Monique

2011-12-01

We propose a new multi-target tracking approach, which is able to reliably track multiple objects even with poor segmentation results due to noisy environments. The approach takes advantage of a new dual object model combining 2D and 3D features through reliability measures. In order to obtain these 3D features, a new classifier associates an object class label to each moving region (e.g. person, vehicle), a parallelepiped model and visual reliability measures of its attributes. These reliability measures allow to properly weight the contribution of noisy, erroneous or false data in order to better maintain the integrity of the object dynamics model. Then, a new multi-target tracking algorithm uses these object descriptions to generate tracking hypotheses about the objects moving in the scene. This tracking approach is able to manage many-to-many visual target correspondences. For achieving this characteristic, the algorithm takes advantage of 3D models for merging dissociated visual evidence (moving regions) potentially corresponding to the same real object, according to previously obtained information. The tracking approach has been validated using video surveillance benchmarks publicly accessible. The obtained performance is real time and the results are competitive compared with other tracking algorithms, with minimal (or null) reconfiguration effort between different videos.

Representing causal knowledge in environmental policy interventions: Advantages and opportunities for qualitative influence diagram applications.

PubMed

Carriger, John F; Dyson, Brian E; Benson, William H

2018-05-01

This article develops and explores a methodology for using qualitative influence diagrams in environmental policy and management to support decision-making efforts that minimize risk and increase resiliency. Influence diagrams are representations of the conditional aspects of a problem domain. Their graphical properties are useful for structuring causal knowledge relevant to policy interventions and can be used to enhance inference and inclusivity of multiple viewpoints. Qualitative components of influence diagrams are beneficial tools for identifying and examining the interactions among the critical variables in complex policy development and implementation. Policy interventions on social-environmental systems can be intuitively diagrammed for representing knowledge of critical relationships among economic, environmental, and social attributes. Examples relevant to coastal resiliency issues in the US Gulf Coast region are developed to illustrate model structures for developing qualitative influence diagrams useful for clarifying important policy intervention issues and enhancing transparency in decision making. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:381-394. Published 2018. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published 2018. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Multiattribute selection of acute stroke imaging software platform for Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits (EXTEND) clinical trial.

PubMed

Churilov, Leonid; Liu, Daniel; Ma, Henry; Christensen, Soren; Nagakane, Yoshinari; Campbell, Bruce; Parsons, Mark W; Levi, Christopher R; Davis, Stephen M; Donnan, Geoffrey A

2013-04-01

The appropriateness of a software platform for rapid MRI assessment of the amount of salvageable brain tissue after stroke is critical for both the validity of the Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits (EXTEND) Clinical Trial of stroke thrombolysis beyond 4.5 hours and for stroke patient care outcomes. The objective of this research is to develop and implement a methodology for selecting the acute stroke imaging software platform most appropriate for the setting of a multi-centre clinical trial. A multi-disciplinary decision making panel formulated the set of preferentially independent evaluation attributes. Alternative Multi-Attribute Value Measurement methods were used to identify the best imaging software platform followed by sensitivity analysis to ensure the validity and robustness of the proposed solution. Four alternative imaging software platforms were identified. RApid processing of PerfusIon and Diffusion (RAPID) software was selected as the most appropriate for the needs of the EXTEND trial. A theoretically grounded generic multi-attribute selection methodology for imaging software was developed and implemented. The developed methodology assured both a high quality decision outcome and a rational and transparent decision process. This development contributes to stroke literature in the area of comprehensive evaluation of MRI clinical software. At the time of evaluation, RAPID software presented the most appropriate imaging software platform for use in the EXTEND clinical trial. The proposed multi-attribute imaging software evaluation methodology is based on sound theoretical foundations of multiple criteria decision analysis and can be successfully used for choosing the most appropriate imaging software while ensuring both robust decision process and outcomes. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2012 World Stroke Organization.

Multi-sensory landscape assessment: the contribution of acoustic perception to landscape evaluation.

PubMed

Gan, Yonghong; Luo, Tao; Breitung, Werner; Kang, Jian; Zhang, Tianhai

2014-12-01

In this paper, the contribution of visual and acoustic preference to multi-sensory landscape evaluation was quantitatively compared. The real landscapes were treated as dual-sensory ambiance and separated into visual landscape and soundscape. Both were evaluated by 63 respondents in laboratory conditions. The analysis of the relationship between respondent's visual and acoustic preference as well as their respective contribution to landscape preference showed that (1) some common attributes are universally identified in assessing visual, aural and audio-visual preference, such as naturalness or degree of human disturbance; (2) with acoustic and visual preferences as variables, a multi-variate linear regression model can satisfactorily predict landscape preference (R(2 )= 0.740), while the coefficients of determination for a unitary linear regression model were 0.345 and 0.720 for visual and acoustic preference as predicting factors, respectively; (3) acoustic preference played a much more important role in landscape evaluation than visual preference in this study (the former is about 4.5 times of the latter), which strongly suggests a rethinking of the role of soundscape in environment perception research and landscape planning practice.

Rapid and non-destructive determination of rancidity levels in butter cookies by multi-spectral imaging.

PubMed

Xia, Qing; Liu, Changhong; Liu, Jinxia; Pan, Wenjuan; Lu, Xuzhong; Yang, Jianbo; Chen, Wei; Zheng, Lei

2016-03-30

Rancidity is an important attribute for quality assessment of butter cookies, while traditional methods for rancidity measurement are usually laborious, destructive and prone to operational error. In the present paper, the potential of applying multi-spectral imaging (MSI) technology with 19 wavelengths in the range of 405-970 nm to evaluate the rancidity in butter cookies was investigated. Moisture content, acid value and peroxide value were determined by traditional methods and then related with the spectral information by partial least squares regression (PLSR) and back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN). The optimal models for predicting moisture content, acid value and peroxide value were obtained by PLSR. The correlation coefficient (r) obtained by PLSR models revealed that MSI had a perfect ability to predict moisture content (r = 0.909), acid value (r = 0.944) and peroxide value (r = 0.971). The study demonstrated that the rancidity level of butter cookies can be continuously monitored and evaluated in real-time by the multi-spectral imaging, which is of great significance for developing online food safety monitoring solutions. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Road screening and distribution route multi-objective robust optimization for hazardous materials based on neural network and genetic algorithm.

PubMed

Ma, Changxi; Hao, Wei; Pan, Fuquan; Xiang, Wang

2018-01-01

Route optimization of hazardous materials transportation is one of the basic steps in ensuring the safety of hazardous materials transportation. The optimization scheme may be a security risk if road screening is not completed before the distribution route is optimized. For road screening issues of hazardous materials transportation, a road screening algorithm of hazardous materials transportation is built based on genetic algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt neural network (GA-LM-NN) by analyzing 15 attributes data of each road network section. A multi-objective robust optimization model with adjustable robustness is constructed for the hazardous materials transportation problem of single distribution center to minimize transportation risk and time. A multi-objective genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem according to the characteristics of the model. The algorithm uses an improved strategy to complete the selection operation, applies partial matching cross shift and single ortho swap methods to complete the crossover and mutation operation, and employs an exclusive method to construct Pareto optimal solutions. Studies show that the sets of hazardous materials transportation road can be found quickly through the proposed road screening algorithm based on GA-LM-NN, whereas the distribution route Pareto solutions with different levels of robustness can be found rapidly through the proposed multi-objective robust optimization model and algorithm.

Teaching communication and supporting autonomy with a team-based operative simulator.

PubMed

Cook, Mackenzie R; Deal, Shanley B; Scott, Jessica M; Moren, Alexis M; Kiraly, Laszlo N

2016-09-01

Changing residency structure emphasizes the need for formal instruction on team leadership and intraoperative teaching skills. A high fidelity, multi-learner surgical simulation may offer opportunities for senior learners (SLs) to learn these skills while teaching technical skills to junior learners (JLs). We designed and optimized a low-cost inguinal hernia model that paired JLs and SLs as an operative team. This was tested in 3 pilot simulations. Participants' feedback was analyzed using qualitative methods. JL feedback to SLs included the themes "guiding and instructing" and "allowing autonomy." Senior Learner feedback to JLs focused on "mechanics," "knowledge," and "perspective/flow." Both groups focused on "communication" and "professionalism." A multi-learner simulation can successfully meet the technical learning needs of JLs and the teaching and communication learning needs of SLs. This model of resident-driven simulation may illustrate future opportunities for operative simulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integral Vision: A Multi-Perspective Approach to the Recognition of Graduate Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haigh, Martin; Clifford, Valerie A.

2011-01-01

The increasing focus of universities on employability is stimulating debates about the purpose of higher education. In this article, we consider what attributes society will demand from graduates in the future. We use Wilber's integral theory to tease out some of the issues in the current conceptualisation of graduate attributes and argue that we…

Projections of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation interannual variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grainger, Simon; Frederiksen, Carsten S.; Zheng, Xiaogu

2017-02-01

An analysis is made of the coherent patterns, or modes, of interannual variability of Southern Hemisphere 500 hPa geopotential height field under current and projected climate change scenarios. Using three separate multi-model ensembles (MMEs) of coupled model intercomparison project phase 5 (CMIP5) models, the interannual variability of the seasonal mean is separated into components related to (1) intraseasonal processes; (2) slowly-varying internal dynamics; and (3) the slowly-varying response to external changes in radiative forcing. In the CMIP5 RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 experiments, there is very little change in the twenty-first century in the intraseasonal component modes, related to the Southern annular mode (SAM) and mid-latitude wave processes. The leading three slowly-varying internal component modes are related to SAM, the El Niño-Southern oscillation (ENSO), and the South Pacific wave (SPW). Structural changes in the slow-internal SAM and ENSO modes do not exceed a qualitative estimate of the spatial sampling error, but there is a consistent increase in the ENSO-related variance. Changes in the SPW mode exceed the sampling error threshold, but cannot be further attributed. Changes in the dominant slowly-varying external mode are related to projected changes in radiative forcing. They reflect thermal expansion of the tropical troposphere and associated changes in the Hadley Cell circulation. Changes in the externally-forced associated variance in the RCP8.5 experiment are an order of magnitude greater than for the internal components, indicating that the SH seasonal mean circulation will be even more dominated by a SAM-like annular structure. Across the three MMEs, there is convergence in the projected response in the slow-external component.

Application of Multiple Imputation for Missing Values in Three-Way Three-Mode Multi-Environment Trial Data

PubMed Central

Tian, Ting; McLachlan, Geoffrey J.; Dieters, Mark J.; Basford, Kaye E.

2015-01-01

It is a common occurrence in plant breeding programs to observe missing values in three-way three-mode multi-environment trial (MET) data. We proposed modifications of models for estimating missing observations for these data arrays, and developed a novel approach in terms of hierarchical clustering. Multiple imputation (MI) was used in four ways, multiple agglomerative hierarchical clustering, normal distribution model, normal regression model, and predictive mean match. The later three models used both Bayesian analysis and non-Bayesian analysis, while the first approach used a clustering procedure with randomly selected attributes and assigned real values from the nearest neighbour to the one with missing observations. Different proportions of data entries in six complete datasets were randomly selected to be missing and the MI methods were compared based on the efficiency and accuracy of estimating those values. The results indicated that the models using Bayesian analysis had slightly higher accuracy of estimation performance than those using non-Bayesian analysis but they were more time-consuming. However, the novel approach of multiple agglomerative hierarchical clustering demonstrated the overall best performances. PMID:26689369

Application of Multiple Imputation for Missing Values in Three-Way Three-Mode Multi-Environment Trial Data.

PubMed

Tian, Ting; McLachlan, Geoffrey J; Dieters, Mark J; Basford, Kaye E

2015-01-01

It is a common occurrence in plant breeding programs to observe missing values in three-way three-mode multi-environment trial (MET) data. We proposed modifications of models for estimating missing observations for these data arrays, and developed a novel approach in terms of hierarchical clustering. Multiple imputation (MI) was used in four ways, multiple agglomerative hierarchical clustering, normal distribution model, normal regression model, and predictive mean match. The later three models used both Bayesian analysis and non-Bayesian analysis, while the first approach used a clustering procedure with randomly selected attributes and assigned real values from the nearest neighbour to the one with missing observations. Different proportions of data entries in six complete datasets were randomly selected to be missing and the MI methods were compared based on the efficiency and accuracy of estimating those values. The results indicated that the models using Bayesian analysis had slightly higher accuracy of estimation performance than those using non-Bayesian analysis but they were more time-consuming. However, the novel approach of multiple agglomerative hierarchical clustering demonstrated the overall best performances.

Unified selective sorting approach to analyse multi-electrode extracellular data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veerabhadrappa, R.; Lim, C. P.; Nguyen, T. T.; Berk, M.; Tye, S. J.; Monaghan, P.; Nahavandi, S.; Bhatti, A.

2016-06-01

Extracellular data analysis has become a quintessential method for understanding the neurophysiological responses to stimuli. This demands stringent techniques owing to the complicated nature of the recording environment. In this paper, we highlight the challenges in extracellular multi-electrode recording and data analysis as well as the limitations pertaining to some of the currently employed methodologies. To address some of the challenges, we present a unified algorithm in the form of selective sorting. Selective sorting is modelled around hypothesized generative model, which addresses the natural phenomena of spikes triggered by an intricate neuronal population. The algorithm incorporates Cepstrum of Bispectrum, ad hoc clustering algorithms, wavelet transforms, least square and correlation concepts which strategically tailors a sequence to characterize and form distinctive clusters. Additionally, we demonstrate the influence of noise modelled wavelets to sort overlapping spikes. The algorithm is evaluated using both raw and synthesized data sets with different levels of complexity and the performances are tabulated for comparison using widely accepted qualitative and quantitative indicators.

Unified selective sorting approach to analyse multi-electrode extracellular data

PubMed Central

Veerabhadrappa, R.; Lim, C. P.; Nguyen, T. T.; Berk, M.; Tye, S. J.; Monaghan, P.; Nahavandi, S.; Bhatti, A.

2016-01-01

Extracellular data analysis has become a quintessential method for understanding the neurophysiological responses to stimuli. This demands stringent techniques owing to the complicated nature of the recording environment. In this paper, we highlight the challenges in extracellular multi-electrode recording and data analysis as well as the limitations pertaining to some of the currently employed methodologies. To address some of the challenges, we present a unified algorithm in the form of selective sorting. Selective sorting is modelled around hypothesized generative model, which addresses the natural phenomena of spikes triggered by an intricate neuronal population. The algorithm incorporates Cepstrum of Bispectrum, ad hoc clustering algorithms, wavelet transforms, least square and correlation concepts which strategically tailors a sequence to characterize and form distinctive clusters. Additionally, we demonstrate the influence of noise modelled wavelets to sort overlapping spikes. The algorithm is evaluated using both raw and synthesized data sets with different levels of complexity and the performances are tabulated for comparison using widely accepted qualitative and quantitative indicators. PMID:27339770

Full-Range Public Health Leadership, Part 2: Qualitative Analysis and Synthesis

PubMed Central

Carlton, Erik L.; Holsinger, James W.; Riddell, Martha C.; Bush, Heather

2015-01-01

Public health leadership is an important topic in the era of U.S. health reform, population health innovation, and health system transformation. This study utilized the full-range leadership model in order to examine the public health leadership. We sought to understand local public health leadership from the perspective of local health department leaders and those who work with and for them. Public health leadership was explored through interviews and focus groups with directors (n = 4) and staff (n = 33) from local health departments. Qualitative analytic methods included reflexive journals, code-recode procedures, and member checking, with analysis facilitated by Atlas.ti v.6.0. Qualitative results supported and expanded upon previously reported quantitative findings. Leading by example and providing individual consideration to followers were found to be more important than other leader factors, such as intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, or idealized attributes of leaders. Having a clear and competent vision of public health, being able to work collaboratively with other community agencies, and addressing the current challenges to public health with creativity and innovation were also important findings. Idealized leadership behaviors and individual consideration should be the focus of student and professional development. Models that incorporate contextual considerations, such as the situational leadership model, could be utilized to ensure that optimal individual consideration is given to followers. PMID:26217654

Volunteers' Perspective of Effective Interactions with Helpline Callers: Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilat, Itzhak; Rosenau, Sarah

2011-01-01

The present study focuses on the effectiveness of interactions with callers to a helpline as perceived by the helpline volunteers. Applying a qualitative methodology, we analysed 12 descriptions of what the volunteers considered to be the most helpful calls they could reconstruct from memory, and the factors they attributed to the successful…

College Housing Dissertations: A Bounded Qualitative Meta-Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banning, James H.; Kuk, Linda

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine dissertations that were published in the U.S. during the past 5 years that related to collegiate housing. The dissertations were examined using a bounded qualitative meta-analysis approach. Each dissertation was examined using three questions: What were the methods/attributes of the research? What were the…

Multi-scale lung modeling.

PubMed

Tawhai, Merryn H; Bates, Jason H T

2011-05-01

Multi-scale modeling of biological systems has recently become fashionable due to the growing power of digital computers as well as to the growing realization that integrative systems behavior is as important to life as is the genome. While it is true that the behavior of a living organism must ultimately be traceable to all its components and their myriad interactions, attempting to codify this in its entirety in a model misses the insights gained from understanding how collections of system components at one level of scale conspire to produce qualitatively different behavior at higher levels. The essence of multi-scale modeling thus lies not in the inclusion of every conceivable biological detail, but rather in the judicious selection of emergent phenomena appropriate to the level of scale being modeled. These principles are exemplified in recent computational models of the lung. Airways responsiveness, for example, is an organ-level manifestation of events that begin at the molecular level within airway smooth muscle cells, yet it is not necessary to invoke all these molecular events to accurately describe the contraction dynamics of a cell, nor is it necessary to invoke all phenomena observable at the level of the cell to account for the changes in overall lung function that occur following methacholine challenge. Similarly, the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone has complex origins within the individual smooth muscle cells that line the blood vessels but, again, many of the fine details of cell behavior average out at the level of the organ to produce an effect on pulmonary vascular pressure that can be described in much simpler terms. The art of multi-scale lung modeling thus reduces not to being limitlessly inclusive, but rather to knowing what biological details to leave out.

Outdoor Adventure Education: Applying Transformative Learning Theory to Understanding Instrumental Learning and Personal Growth in Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Amato, Laura Galen; Krasny, Marianne E.

2011-01-01

We conducted a qualitative study of the experiences of 23 Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) participants to determine what participants found significant about their course and to what course elements they attributed this significance. Participants experienced personal transformations, which they attributed to spending extended time in pristine…

LinkedOmics: analyzing multi-omics data within and across 32 cancer types.

PubMed

Vasaikar, Suhas V; Straub, Peter; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Bing

2018-01-04

The LinkedOmics database contains multi-omics data and clinical data for 32 cancer types and a total of 11 158 patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. It is also the first multi-omics database that integrates mass spectrometry (MS)-based global proteomics data generated by the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) on selected TCGA tumor samples. In total, LinkedOmics has more than a billion data points. To allow comprehensive analysis of these data, we developed three analysis modules in the LinkedOmics web application. The LinkFinder module allows flexible exploration of associations between a molecular or clinical attribute of interest and all other attributes, providing the opportunity to analyze and visualize associations between billions of attribute pairs for each cancer cohort. The LinkCompare module enables easy comparison of the associations identified by LinkFinder, which is particularly useful in multi-omics and pan-cancer analyses. The LinkInterpreter module transforms identified associations into biological understanding through pathway and network analysis. Using five case studies, we demonstrate that LinkedOmics provides a unique platform for biologists and clinicians to access, analyze and compare cancer multi-omics data within and across tumor types. LinkedOmics is freely available at http://www.linkedomics.org. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Attribution of the 2015 record high sea surface temperatures over the central equatorial Pacific and tropical Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, In-Hong; Min, Seung-Ki; Yeh, Sang-Wook; Weller, Evan; Kim, Seon Tae

2017-04-01

This study assessed the anthropogenic contribution to the 2015 record-breaking high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) observed in the central equatorial Pacific and tropical Indian Ocean. Considering a close link between extreme warm events in these regions, we conducted a joint attribution analysis using a fraction of attributable risk approach. Probability of occurrence of such extreme anomalies and long-term trends for the two oceanic regions were compared between CMIP5 multi-model simulations with and without anthropogenic forcing. Results show that the excessive warming in both regions is well beyond the range of natural variability and robustly attributable to human activities due to greenhouse gas increase. We further explored associated mechanisms including the Bjerknes feedback and background anthropogenic warming. It is concluded that background warming was the main contribution to the 2015 extreme SST event over the central equatorial Pacific Ocean on a developing El Niño condition, which in turn induced the extreme SST event over the tropical Indian Ocean through the atmospheric bridge effect.

Urban photogrammetric data base for multi-purpose cadastral-based information systems: the Riyadh city case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-garni, Abdullah M.

Urban information systems are economic resources that can benefit decision makers in the planning, development, and management of urban projects and resources. In this research, a conceptual model-based prototype Urban Geographic Information System (UGIS) is developed. The base maps used in developing the system and acquiring visual attributes are obtained from aerial photographs. The system is a multi-purpose parcel-based one that can serve many urban applications such as public utilities, health centres, schools, population estimation, road engineering and maintenance, and many others. A modern region in the capital city of Saudi Arabia is used for the study. The developed model is operational for one urban application (population estimation) and is tested for that particular application. The results showed that the system has a satisfactory accuracy and that it may well be promising for other similar urban applications in countries with similar demographic and social characteristics.

Why do multi-attribute utility instruments produce different utilities: the relative importance of the descriptive systems, scale and 'micro-utility' effects.

PubMed

Richardson, Jeff; Iezzi, Angelo; Khan, Munir A

2015-08-01

Health state utilities measured by the major multi-attribute utility instruments differ. Understanding the reasons for this is important for the choice of instrument and for research designed to reconcile these differences. This paper investigates these reasons by explaining pairwise differences between utilities derived from six multi-attribute utility instruments in terms of (1) their implicit measurement scales; (2) the structure of their descriptive systems; and (3) 'micro-utility effects', scale-adjusted differences attributable to their utility formula. The EQ-5D-5L, SF-6D, HUI 3, 15D and AQoL-8D were administered to 8,019 individuals. Utilities and unweighted values were calculated using each instrument. Scale effects were determined by the linear relationship between utilities, the effect of the descriptive system by comparison of scale-adjusted values and 'micro-utility effects' by the unexplained difference between utilities and values. Overall, 66 % of the differences between utilities was attributable to the descriptive systems, 30.3 % to scale effects and 3.7 % to micro-utility effects. Results imply that the revision of utility algorithms will not reconcile differences between instruments. The dominating importance of the descriptive system highlights the need for researchers to select the instrument most capable of describing the health states relevant for a study. Reconciliation of inconsistent utilities produced by different instruments must focus primarily upon the content of the descriptive system. Utility weights primarily determine the measurement scale. Other differences, attributable to utility formula, are comparatively unimportant.

Who needs collaborative care treatment? A qualitative study exploring attitudes towards and experiences with mental healthcare among general practitioners and care managers.

PubMed

Møller, Marlene Christina Rosengaard; Mygind, Anna; Bro, Flemming

2018-05-30

Collaborative care treatment is widely recognized as an effective approach to improve the quality of mental healthcare through enhanced and structured collaboration between general practice and specialized psychiatry. However, studies indicate that the complexity of collaborative care treatment interventions challenge the implementation in real-life general practice settings. Four Danish Collaborative Care Models were launched in 2014 for patients with mild/moderate anxiety and depression. These involved collaboration between general practitioners, care managers and consultant psychiatrists. Taking a multi-practice bottom-up approach, this paper aims to explore the perceived barriers and enablers related to collaborative care for patients with mental health problems and to investigate the actual experiences with a Danish collaborative care model in a single-case study in order to identify enablers and barriers for successful implementation. Combining interviews and observations of usual treatment practices, we conducted a multi-practice study among general practitioners who were not involved in the Danish collaborative care models to explore their perspectives on existing mental health treatment and to investigate (from a bottom-up approach) their perceptions of and need for collaborative care in mental health treatment. Additionally, by combining observations and qualitative interviews, we followed the implementation of a Danish collaborative care model in a single-case study to convey identified barriers and enablers of the collaborative care model. Experienced and perceived enablers of the Danish collaborative care model mainly consisted of a need for new treatment options to deal with mild/moderate anxiety and depression. The model was considered to meet the need for a free fast track to high-quality treatment. Experienced barriers included: poor adaptation of the model to the working conditions and needs in daily general practice, time consumption, unsustainable logistical set-up and unclear care manager role. General practitioners in the multi-practice study considered access to treatment and not collaboration with specialised psychiatry to be essential for this group of patients. The study calls for increased attention to implementation processes and better adaptation of collaborative care models to the clinical reality of general practice. Future interventions should address the treatment needs of specific patient populations and should involve relevant stakeholders in the design and implementation processes.

ACSPRI 2014 4th International Social Science Methodology Conference Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

Validity, trustworthiness and rigour: quality and the idea of qualitative research . Journal of Advanced Nursing, 304-310. Spencer, L., Ritchie, J...increasing data quality; the Total Survey Error framework; multi-modal on-line surveying, quality frameworks for assessing qualitative research ; and...provided an overview of the current perspectives on causal claims in qualitative research . Three approaches to generating plausible causal

Imaging the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere with ionospheric tomography using COSMIC GPS TEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto Jayawardena, Talini S.; Chartier, Alex T.; Spencer, Paul; Mitchell, Cathryn N.

2016-01-01

GPS-based ionospheric tomography is a well-known technique for imaging the total electron content (TEC) between GPS satellites and receivers. However, as an integral measurement of electron concentration, TEC typically encompasses both the ionosphere and plasmasphere, masking signatures from the topside ionosphere-plasmasphere due to the dominant ionosphere. Imaging these regions requires a technique that isolates TEC in the topside ionosphere-plasmasphere. Multi-Instrument Data Analysis System (MIDAS) employs tomography to image the electron distribution in the ionosphere. Its implementation for regions beyond is yet to be seen due to the different dynamics present above the ionosphere. This paper discusses the extension of MIDAS to image these altitudes using GPS phase-based TEC measurements and follows the work by Spencer and Mitchell (2011). Plasma is constrained to dipole field lines described by Euler potentials, resulting in a distribution symmetrical about the geomagnetic equator. A simulation of an empirical plasmaspheric model by Gallagher et al. (1988) is used to verify the technique by comparing reconstructions of the simulation with the empirical model. The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) is used as GPS receiver locations. The verification is followed by a validation of the modified MIDAS algorithm, where the regions' TEC is reconstructed from COSMIC GPS phase measurements and qualitatively compared with previous studies using Jason-1 and COSMIC data. Results show that MIDAS can successfully image features/trends of the topside ionosphere-plasmasphere observed in other studies, with deviations in absolute TEC attributed to differences in data set properties and the resolution of the images.

Maternal Factors as Moderators or Mediators of PTSD Symptoms in Very Young Children: A Two-Year Prospective Study.

PubMed

Scheeringa, Michael S; Myers, Leann; Putnam, Frank W; Zeanah, Charles H

2015-07-01

Research has suggested that parenting behaviors and other parental factors impact the long-term outcome of children's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In a sample of 62 children between the ages of one and six who experienced life-threatening traumas, PTSD was measured prospectively two years apart. Seven maternal factors were measured in a multi-method, multi-informant design. Both moderation and mediation models, with different theoretical and mechanism implications, were tested. Moderation models were not significant. Mediation models were significant when the mediator variable was maternal symptoms of PTSD or depression (measured at Time 1), self-report of maternal escape/avoidance coping (measured at Time 2), or self-report emotional sensitivity (measured at Time 2). Greater maternal emotional sensitivity was associated with greater Time 2 PTSD symptoms among children. Observational measures of emotional sensitivity as the mediator were not supported. Correlation of parents' and children's symptoms is a robust finding, however caution is warranted in attributing children's PTSD symptoms to insensitive parenting.

Economics of human performance and systems total ownership cost.

PubMed

Onkham, Wilawan; Karwowski, Waldemar; Ahram, Tareq Z

2012-01-01

Financial costs of investing in people is associated with training, acquisition, recruiting, and resolving human errors have a significant impact on increased total ownership costs. These costs can also affect the exaggerate budgets and delayed schedules. The study of human performance economical assessment in the system acquisition process enhances the visibility of hidden cost drivers which support program management informed decisions. This paper presents the literature review of human total ownership cost (HTOC) and cost impacts on overall system performance. Economic value assessment models such as cost benefit analysis, risk-cost tradeoff analysis, expected value of utility function analysis (EV), growth readiness matrix, multi-attribute utility technique, and multi-regressions model were introduced to reflect the HTOC and human performance-technology tradeoffs in terms of the dollar value. The human total ownership regression model introduces to address the influencing human performance cost component measurement. Results from this study will increase understanding of relevant cost drivers in the system acquisition process over the long term.

A comparative review of multi-risk modelling methodologies for climate change adaptation in mountain regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzi, Stefano; Torresan, Silvia; Schneiderbauer, Stefan

2017-04-01

Keywords: Climate change, mountain regions, multi-risk assessment, climate change adaptation. Climate change has already led to a wide range of impacts on the environment, the economy and society. Adaptation actions are needed to cope with the impacts that have already occurred (e.g. storms, glaciers melting, floods, droughts) and to prepare for future scenarios of climate change. Mountain environment is particularly vulnerable to the climate changes due to its exposure to recent climate warming (e.g. water regime changes, thawing of permafrost) and due to the high degree of specialization of both natural and human systems (e.g. alpine species, valley population density, tourism-based economy). As a consequence, the mountain local governments are encouraged to undertake territorial governance policies to climate change, considering multi-risks and opportunities for the mountain economy and identifying the best portfolio of adaptation strategies. This study aims to provide a literature review of available qualitative and quantitative tools, methodological guidelines and best practices to conduct multi-risk assessments in the mountain environment within the context of climate change. We analyzed multi-risk modelling and assessment methods applied in alpine regions (e.g. event trees, Bayesian Networks, Agent Based Models) in order to identify key concepts (exposure, resilience, vulnerability, risk, adaptive capacity), climatic drivers, cause-effect relationships and socio-ecological systems to be integrated in a comprehensive framework. The main outcomes of the review, including a comparison of existing techniques based on different criteria (e.g. scale of analysis, targeted questions, level of complexity) and a snapshot of the developed multi-risk framework for climate change adaptation will be here presented and discussed.

A dynamical characterization of the uncertainty in projections of regional precipitation change in the semi-arid tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannini, A.

2016-12-01

The uncertainty in CMIP multi-model ensembles of regional precipitation change in tropical regions is well known: taken at face value, models do not agree on the direction of precipitation change. Consequently, in adaptation discourse, either projections are discounted, e.g., by giving more relevance to temperature projections, or outcomes are grossly misrepresented, e.g., in extrapolating recent drought into the long-term future. That this is an unsatisfactory state of affairs, given the dominant role of precipitation in shaping climate-sensitive human endeavors in the tropics, is an understatement.Here I will provide a dynamical characterization of the uncertainty in regional precipitation projections that exploits the CMIP multi-model ensembles. This characterization is based on decomposing the moisture budget and relating its terms to the influence of the oceans, specifically to the roles of moisture supply and stabilization of the vertical profile. I will discuss some preliminary findings highlighting the relevance of lessons learned from seasonal-to-interannual prediction. One such lesson is to go beyond the projection taken at face value, and understand physical processes, specifically, the role of the oceans, in order to be able to make qualitative arguments, in addition to quantitative predictions. One other lesson is to abandon the search for the "best model" and exploit the multi-model ensemble to characterize "emergent constraints".

Stakeholder experiences with general practice pharmacist services: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Tan, Edwin C K; Stewart, Kay; Elliott, Rohan A; George, Johnson

2013-09-11

To explore general practice staff, pharmacist and patient experiences with pharmacist services in Australian general practice clinics within the Pharmacists in Practice Study. Qualitative study. Two general practice clinics in Melbourne, Australia, in which pharmacists provided medication reviews, patient and staff education, medicines information and quality assurance services over a 6-month period. Patients, practice staff and pharmacists. Semi-structured telephone interviews with patients, focus groups with practice staff and semi-structured interviews and periodic narrative reports with practice pharmacists. Data were analysed thematically and theoretical frameworks used to explain the findings. 34 participants were recruited: 18 patients, 14 practice staff (9 general practitioners, 4 practice nurses, 1 practice manager) and 2 practice pharmacists. Five main themes emerged: environment; professional relationships and integration; pharmacist attributes; staff and patient benefits and logistical challenges. Participants reported that colocation and the interdisciplinary environment of general practice enabled better communication and collaboration compared to traditional community and consultant pharmacy services. Participants felt that pharmacists needed to possess certain attributes to ensure successful integration, including being personable and proactive. Attitudinal, professional and logistical barriers were identified but were able to be overcome. The findings were explained using D'Amour's structuration model of collaboration and Roger's diffusion of innovation theory. This is the first qualitative study to explore the experiences of general practice staff, pharmacists and patients on their interactions within the Australian general practice environment. Participants were receptive of colocated pharmacist services, and various barriers and facilitators to integration were identified. Future research should investigate the feasibility and sustainability of general practice pharmacist roles.

Building a bonfire that remains stoked: sustainment of a contingency management intervention developed through collaborative design.

PubMed

Hartzler, Bryan

2015-08-06

Community dissemination of empirically-supported behavior therapies is fostered by collaborative design, a joint process pooling expertise of purveyors and treatment personnel to contextualize a therapy for sustainable use. The adaptability of contingency management renders it an exemplary therapy to model this collaborative design process. At conclusion of an implementation/effectiveness hybrid trial conducted at an opiate treatment program, a group elicitation interview was conducted with the setting's five managerial staff to cull qualitative impressions of a collaboratively-designed contingency management intervention after 90 days of provisional implementation in the setting. Two independent raters reviewed the audio-recording and conducted a phenomenological narrative analysis, extracting themes and selecting excerpts to correspond with innovation attributes (i.e., relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability) of a well-known implementation science framework. This qualitative analysis suggested the intervention was regarded as: (1) cost-effective and clinically useful relative to prior practices, (2) a strong fit with existing service structure and staffing resources, (3) procedurally uncomplicated, with staff consistently implementing it as intended, (4) providing site-specific data to sufficiently inform decisions about its sustainment, and (5) offering palpable benefits to staff-patient interactions. The current work complements prior reports of positive implementation outcomes and intervention effectiveness for the parent trial, mapping qualitative managerial accounts of this contingency management intervention to a set of attributes thought to influence the speed and effectiveness with which an innovative practice is disseminated. Findings support the incorporation of collaborative design processes in future efforts to transport contingency management to the addiction treatment community.

When climate science became climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988.

PubMed

Jaspal, Rusi; Nerlich, Brigitte

2014-02-01

Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians. Previous social science research has explored media representations of climate change in various temporal and geographical contexts. Through the lens of Social Representations Theory, this article provides a detailed qualitative thematic analysis of media representations of climate change in the 1988 British broadsheet press, given that this year constitutes an important juncture in this transition of climate change from the domain of science to that of the socio-political sphere. The following themes are outlined: (i) "Climate change: a multi-faceted threat"; (ii) "Collectivisation of threat"; (iii) "Climate change and the attribution of blame"; and (iv) "Speculative solutions to a complex socio-environmental problem." The article provides detailed empirical insights into the "starting-point" for present-day disputes concerning climate change and lays the theoretical foundations for tracking the continuities and discontinuities characterising social representations of climate change in the future.

Healing the social self: how parents whose children were killed in terror attacks construct the experience of help.

PubMed

Possick, Chaya; Shamai, Michal; Sadeh, Ruth Ann

2014-05-01

This study focuses on expressed needs and structures of assistance received by Israeli parents whose children were killed in terror attacks. The loss takes place within a multi-systemic network that can be a healing force and/or a distorting factor in the grief process. The qualitative research paradigm employed privileges the knowledge of the parents themselves. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 parents. (1) The primary criterion that determines the parents' attribution of helpfulness is perceived inclusiveness. (2) The subsystem of "family of the bereaved" is salient in the healing process. (3) There is a clear preference for the services provided by NGO's as opposed to governmental agencies. (4) The bereaved parents engage the symbolic level of the macro-system-the heritage of the Jewish people. The article concludes with the practical implications of the findings for the development and delivery of psychosocial services to parents bereaved in terror attacks.

Saturation spectroscopy of an optically opaque argon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshel, Ben; Rice, Christopher A.; Perram, Glen P.

2018-02-01

A pure argon (Ar) plasma formed by a capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharge was analyzed using Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy. The expected line shape was a characteristic of sub-Doppler spectra in the presence of velocity-changing collisions, a narrow Lorentzian centered on a Doppler pedestal, but the observed line shapes contain a multi-peak structure, attributed to opacity of the medium. Laser absorption and inter-modulated fluorescence spectroscopy measurements were made to validate opacity as a driving factor of the observed line shapes. Spectral line shapes are further complicated by the spatial dependence of the pump laser, probe laser and of the absorbing medium, as well as the large absorbance of the transition under investigation. A numerical line shape was derived by accounting for the spatial variation of the pump and probe with a saturated line shape obtained from the rate equations for an equivalent two-level system. This simulated line shape shows good qualitative agreement with the trends observed in the data.

METHODS FOR MULTI-SPATIAL SCALE CHARACTERIZATION OF RIPARIAN CORRIDORS

EPA Science Inventory

This paper describes the application of aerial photography and GIS technology to develop flexible and transferable methods for multi-spatial scale characterization and analysis of riparian corridors. Relationships between structural attributes of riparian corridors and indicator...

Teachers' Lived Experiences about Teaching-Learning Process in Multi-Grade Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortazavizadeh, Seyyed Heshmatollah; Nili, Mohammad Reza; Isfahani, Ahmad Reza Nasr; Hassani, Mohammad

2017-01-01

This study seeks to recognize teachers' lived experiences about teaching-learning process in multi-grade classes. The approach of the study is qualitative under the rubric of phenomenological studies. The statistical population consisted of the teachers of multi-grade classes in a non-prosperous province and a prosperous one. 14 teachers were…

The Art Teacher and Multi-Age Homeroom Teachers: Qualitative Observations and Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broome, Jeffrey L.

2016-01-01

Multi-age classrooms feature the intentional grouping of students from consecutive grade levels for the purpose of fostering a nurturing classroom atmosphere. While an abundance of research on multi-age education has been produced throughout the past 50 years, only recent efforts have seen researchers turn their attention to the experiences of art…

Teaching University Students Cultural Diversity by Means of Multi-Cultural Picture Books in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Jia-Fen

2017-01-01

In a pluralistic society, learning about foreign cultures is an important goal in the kind of multi-cultural education that will lead to cultural competency. This study adopted a qualitative dominant mixed-method approach to examine the effectiveness of the multi-cultural picture books on: (1) students' achieving awareness towards cultural…

Modelling submerged coastal environments: Remote sensing technologies, techniques, and comparative analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dillon, Chris

Built upon remote sensing and GIS littoral zone characterization methodologies of the past decade, a series of loosely coupled models aimed to test, compare and synthesize multi-beam SONAR (MBES), Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry (ALB), and satellite based optical data sets in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, eco-region. Bathymetry and relative intensity metrics for the MBES and ALB data sets were run through a quantitative and qualitative comparison, which included outputs from the Benthic Terrain Modeller (BTM) tool. Substrate classification based on relative intensities of respective data sets and textural indices generated using grey level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) were investigated. A spatial modelling framework built in ArcGIS(TM) for the derivation of bathymetric data sets from optical satellite imagery was also tested for proof of concept and validation. Where possible, efficiencies and semi-automation for repeatable testing was achieved using ArcGIS(TM) ModelBuilder. The findings from this study could assist future decision makers in the field of coastal management and hydrographic studies. Keywords: Seafloor terrain characterization, Benthic Terrain Modeller (BTM), Multi-beam SONAR, Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry, Satellite Derived Bathymetry, ArcGISTM ModelBuilder, Textural analysis, Substrate classification.

k-RP*{sub s}: A scalable distributed data structure for high-performance multi-attribute access

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

Litwin, W.; Neimat, M.A.

k-RP*{sub s} is a new data structure for scalable multicomputer files with multi-attribute (k-d) keys. We discuss the k-RP*{sub s} file evolution and search algorithms. Performance analysis shows that a k-RP*{sub s} file can be much larger and orders of magnitude faster than a traditional k-d file. The speed-up is especially important for range and partial match searches that are often impractical with traditional k-d files. This opens up a new perspective for many applications.

A socio-ecological analysis of barriers to the adoption, sustainablity and consistent use of sanitation facilities in rural Ethiopia.

PubMed

Alemu, Fikralem; Kumie, Abera; Medhin, Girmay; Gebre, Teshome; Godfrey, Phoebe

2017-09-13

Despite evidence showing that access to and use of improved sanitation is associated with healthier households and communities, barriers influencing the adoption and sustainablity of sanitation facilities remain unclear. We conducted a qualitative case study to explore barriers influencing the adoption, sustainablity and consistent use of sanitation facilities in rural Ethiopia. A qualitative study was conducted in the rural district of Becho, in central Ethiopia, from June to August 2016. A socio-ecological model and Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) for a Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) framework were employed to design the study and analyse data. A total of 10 in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with latrine adopters (n = 3), latrine non-adopters (n = 3), health extension workers (n = 3) and the district WASH coordinator (n = 1). Eight Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were undertaken with 75 participants, of which 31 were women. The FGDs and IDIs were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated into English. The analysis was supported using Nvivo version 10 software. Barriers to sustained adoption and use of sanitation facilities were categorized into 1) individual level factors (e.g., past latrine experience, lack of demand and perceived high cost to improved latrines), 2) household level factors (e.g., unaffordability, lack of space and absence of a physically strong family member), 3) community level factors (e.g., lack of access to public latrines, lack of shared rules against open defecation, lack of financial access for the poor), and 4) societal level factors (e.g., lack of strong local leadership, flooding, soil conditions, lack of appropriate sanitation technology, lack of promotion and demand creation for improved latrines). The use of the socio-ecological model and IBM-WASH framework helped to achieve a better understanding of multi-level and multi-dimensional barriers to sustained latrine adoption. The results indicate that there is a need to consider interventions that address multi-level factors concurrently.

'I just wanted someone to tell me it wasn't all in my mind and do something for me': Qualitative exploration of acceptability of a CBT based intervention to manage chronic orofacial pain.

PubMed

Goldthorpe, J; Peters, S; Lovell, K; McGowan, L; Aggarwal, V

2016-05-13

Introduction Evidence suggests that psychosocial management may produce improved outcomes for patients suffering from chronic orofacial pain (COFP), when symptoms cannot be attributed to pathology. A complex intervention, based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed by a multi-disciplinary team, using evidence synthesis. An important element of developing and evaluating complex interventions is to establish acceptability to stakeholders; therefore qualitative interviews with patients were carried out.Objectives To explore levels of acceptability of a complex intervention to manage COFP.Method Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 17 participants who had been referred to the intervention. Thematic analysis was used to identify emerging issues and themes from the data.Results Themes relating to processes of engagement with the intervention emerged. Important processes were: identification with the intervention; feeling believed and understood; obtaining a plausible explanation for symptoms; degree of perceived effort required to engage; acceptance of having a long-term condition; and receiving demonstrative, positive feedback.Conclusion Patients presenting with unexplained COFP in a secondary care setting are able to accept a CBT based intervention to manage their condition. Findings may offer guidance for dentists who are not used to referring patients to psychosocial interventions and inform the way dentists communicate the nature of unexplained symptoms to patients.

Code orange: Towards transformational leadership of emergency management systems.

PubMed

Caro, Denis H J

2015-09-01

The 21(st) century calls upon health leaders to recognize and respond to emerging threats and systemic emergency management challenges through transformative processes inherent in the LEADS in a caring environment framework. Using a grounded theory approach, this qualitative study explores key informant perspectives of leaders in emergency management across Canada on pressing needs for relevant systemic transformation. The emerging model points to eight specific attributes of transformational leadership central to emergency management and suggests that contextualization of health leadership is of particular import. © 2015 The Canadian College of Health Leaders.

Quantitative assessment of key parameters in qualitative vulnerability methods applied in karst systems based on an integrated numerical modelling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doummar, Joanna; Kassem, Assaad

2017-04-01

In the framework of a three-year PEER (USAID/NSF) funded project, flow in a Karst system in Lebanon (Assal) dominated by snow and semi arid conditions was simulated and successfully calibrated using an integrated numerical model (MIKE-She 2016) based on high resolution input data and detailed catchment characterization. Point source infiltration and fast flow pathways were simulated by a bypass function and a high conductive lens respectively. The approach consisted of identifying all the factors used in qualitative vulnerability methods (COP, EPIK, PI, DRASTIC, GOD) applied in karst systems and to assess their influence on recharge signals in the different hydrological karst compartments (Atmosphere, Unsaturated zone and Saturated zone) based on the integrated numerical model. These parameters are usually attributed different weights according to their estimated impact on Groundwater vulnerability. The aim of this work is to quantify the importance of each of these parameters and outline parameters that are not accounted for in standard methods, but that might play a role in the vulnerability of a system. The spatial distribution of the detailed evapotranspiration, infiltration, and recharge signals from atmosphere to unsaturated zone to saturated zone was compared and contrasted among different surface settings and under varying flow conditions (e.g., in varying slopes, land cover, precipitation intensity, and soil properties as well point source infiltration). Furthermore a sensitivity analysis of individual or coupled major parameters allows quantifying their impact on recharge and indirectly on vulnerability. The preliminary analysis yields a new methodology that accounts for most of the factors influencing vulnerability while refining the weights attributed to each one of them, based on a quantitative approach.

Interpreting the Latitudinal Structure of Differences Between Modeled and Observed Temperature Trends (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santer, B. D.; Mears, C. A.; Gleckler, P. J.; Solomon, S.; Wigley, T.; Arblaster, J.; Cai, W.; Gillett, N. P.; Ivanova, D. P.; Karl, T. R.; Lanzante, J.; Meehl, G. A.; Stott, P.; Taylor, K. E.; Thorne, P.; Wehner, M. F.; Zou, C.

2010-12-01

We perform the most comprehensive comparison to date of simulated and observed temperature trends. Comparisons are made for different latitude bands, timescales, and temperature variables, using information from a multi-model archive and a variety of observational datasets. Our focus is on temperature changes in the lower troposphere (TLT), the mid- to upper troposphere (TMT), and at the sea surface (SST). For SST, TLT, and TMT, trend comparisons over the satellite era (1979 to 2009) always yield closest agreement in mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. There are pronounced discrepancies in the tropics and in the Southern Hemisphere: in both regions, the multi-model average warming is consistently larger than observed. At high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the observed tropospheric warming exceeds multi-model average trends. The similarity in the latitudinal structure of this discrepancy pattern across different temperature variables and observational data sets suggests that these trend differences are real, and are not due to residual inhomogeneities in the observations. The interpretation of these results is hampered by the fact that the CMIP-3 multi-model archive analyzed here convolves errors in key external forcings with errors in the model response to forcing. Under a "forcing error" interpretation, model-average temperature trends in the Southern Hemisphere extratropics are biased warm because many models neglect (and/or inaccurately specify) changes in stratospheric ozone and the indirect effects of aerosols. An alternative "response error" explanation for the model trend errors is that there are fundamental problems with model clouds and ocean heat uptake over the Southern Ocean. When SST changes are compared over the longer period 1950 to 2009, there is close agreement between simulated and observed trends poleward of 50°S. This result is difficult to reconcile with the hypothesis that the trend discrepancies over 1979 to 2009 are primarily attributable to response errors. Our results suggest that biases in multi-model average temperature trends over the satellite era can be plausibly linked to forcing errors. Better partitioning of the forcing and response components of model errors will require a systematic program of numerical experimentation, with a focus on exploring the climate response to uncertainties in key historical forcings.

On the nature of bias and defects in the software specification process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Straub, Pablo A.; Zelkowitz, Marvin V.

1992-01-01

Implementation bias in a specification is an arbitrary constraint in the solution space. This paper describes the problem of bias. Additionally, this paper presents a model of the specification and design processes describing individual subprocesses in terms of precision/detail diagrams and a model of bias in multi-attribute software specifications. While studying how bias is introduced into a specification we realized that software defects and bias are dual problems of a single phenomenon. This was used to explain the large proportion of faults found during the coding phase at the Software Engineering Laboratory at NASA/GSFC.

A comprehensive pipeline for multi-resolution modeling of the mitral valve: Validation, computational efficiency, and predictive capability.

PubMed

Drach, Andrew; Khalighi, Amir H; Sacks, Michael S

2018-02-01

Multiple studies have demonstrated that the pathological geometries unique to each patient can affect the durability of mitral valve (MV) repairs. While computational modeling of the MV is a promising approach to improve the surgical outcomes, the complex MV geometry precludes use of simplified models. Moreover, the lack of complete in vivo geometric information presents significant challenges in the development of patient-specific computational models. There is thus a need to determine the level of detail necessary for predictive MV models. To address this issue, we have developed a novel pipeline for building attribute-rich computational models of MV with varying fidelity directly from the in vitro imaging data. The approach combines high-resolution geometric information from loaded and unloaded states to achieve a high level of anatomic detail, followed by mapping and parametric embedding of tissue attributes to build a high-resolution, attribute-rich computational models. Subsequent lower resolution models were then developed and evaluated by comparing the displacements and surface strains to those extracted from the imaging data. We then identified the critical levels of fidelity for building predictive MV models in the dilated and repaired states. We demonstrated that a model with a feature size of about 5 mm and mesh size of about 1 mm was sufficient to predict the overall MV shape, stress, and strain distributions with high accuracy. However, we also noted that more detailed models were found to be needed to simulate microstructural events. We conclude that the developed pipeline enables sufficiently complex models for biomechanical simulations of MV in normal, dilated, repaired states. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Primary health care attributes and responses to intimate partner violence in Spain.

PubMed

Goicolea, Isabel; Mosquera, Paola; Briones-Vozmediano, Erica; Otero-García, Laura; García-Quinto, Marta; Vives-Cases, Carmen

This study provides an overview of the perceptions of primary care professionals on how the current primary health care (PHC) attributes in Spain could influence health-related responses to intimate partner violence (IPV). A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 160 health professionals working in 16 PHC centres in Spain. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Four categories emerged from the interview analysis: those committed to the PHC approach, but with difficulties implementing it; community work relying on voluntarism; multidisciplinary team work or professionals who work together?; and continuity of care hindered by heavy work load. Participants felt that person-centred care as well as other attributes of the PHC approach facilitated detecting IPV and a better response to the problem. However, they also pointed out that the current management of the health system (workload, weak supervision and little feedback, misdistribution of human and material resources, etc.) does not facilitate the sustainability of such an approach. There is a gap between the theoretical attributes of PHC and the "reality" of how these attributes are managed in everyday work, and how this influences IPV care. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Psychosocial Dimensions of Exceptional Longevity: A Qualitative Exploration of Centenarians' Experiences, Personality, and Life Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darviri, Christina; Demakakos, Panayotes; Tigani, Xanthi; Charizani, Fotini; Tsiou, Chrysoula; Tsagkari, Christina; Chliaoutakis, Joannes; Monos, Dimitrios

2009-01-01

This qualitative study provides a comprehensive account of the social and life experiences and strategies and personality attributes that characterize exceptional longevity (living to 100 or over). It is based on nine semi-structured interviews of relatively healthy and functional Greek centenarians of both sexes. The analytic approach was…

The Air Quality and Economic Impact of Atmospheric Lead from General Aviation Aircraft in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, P. J.; Selin, N. E.; Barrett, S. R. H.

2015-12-01

While leaded fuels for automobiles were phased-out of use in the United States by 1996, lead (Pb) continues to be used as an anti-knock additive for piston-driven aircraft. We model the annual concentration of atmospheric lead attributable to piston driven aircraft emissions in the continental United States using the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. Using aircraft emissions inventories for 2008, we then calculate annual economic damages from lead as lifetime employment losses for a one-year cohort exposed to elevated atmospheric lead concentrations using a range of concentration response functions from literature. Mean and median estimates of annual damages attributable to lifetime lost earnings are 1.06 and 0.60 billion respectively. Economy-wide impacts of IQ-deficits on productivity and labor increase expected damages by 54%. Damages are sensitive to background lead concentrations; as emissions decrease from other sources, the damages attributable to aviation are expected to increase holding aviation emissions constant. The monetary impact of General Aviation lead emissions on the environment is the same order of magnitude as noise, climate change, and air quality degradation from all commercial operations.

Multi-attribute Regret-Based Dynamic Pricing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jumadinova, Janyl; Dasgupta, Prithviraj

In this paper, we consider the problem of dynamic pricing by a set of competing sellers in an information economy where buyers differentiate products along multiple attributes, and buyer preferences can change temporally. Previous research in this area has either focused on dynamic pricing along a limited number of (e.g. binary) attributes, or, assumes that each seller has access to private information such as preference distribution of buyers, and profit/price information of other sellers. However, in real information markets, private information about buyers and sellers cannot be assumed to be available a priori. Moreover, due to the competition between sellers, each seller faces a tradeoff between accuracy and rapidity of the pricing mechanism. In this paper, we describe a multi-attribute dynamic pricing algorithm based on minimax regret that can be used by a seller's agent called a pricebot, to maximize the seller's utility. Our simulation results show that the minimax regret based dynamic pricing algorithm performs significantly better than other algorithms for rapidly and dynamically tracking consumer attributes without using any private information from either buyers or sellers.

Simulating secondary organic aerosol in a regional air quality model using the statistical oxidation model - Part 1: Assessing the influence of constrained multi-generational ageing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jathar, S. H.; Cappa, C. D.; Wexler, A. S.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Kleeman, M. J.

2015-09-01

Multi-generational oxidation of volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation products can significantly alter the mass, chemical composition and properties of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compared to calculations that consider only the first few generations of oxidation reactions. However, the most commonly used state-of-the-science schemes in 3-D regional or global models that account for multi-generational oxidation (1) consider only functionalization reactions but do not consider fragmentation reactions, (2) have not been constrained to experimental data; and (3) are added on top of existing parameterizations. The incomplete description of multi-generational oxidation in these models has the potential to bias source apportionment and control calculations for SOA. In this work, we used the Statistical Oxidation Model (SOM) of Cappa and Wilson (2012), constrained by experimental laboratory chamber data, to evaluate the regional implications of multi-generational oxidation considering both functionalization and fragmentation reactions. SOM was implemented into the regional UCD/CIT air quality model and applied to air quality episodes in California and the eastern US. The mass, composition and properties of SOA predicted using SOM are compared to SOA predictions generated by a traditional "two-product" model to fully investigate the impact of explicit and self-consistent accounting of multi-generational oxidation. Results show that SOA mass concentrations predicted by the UCD/CIT-SOM model are very similar to those predicted by a two-product model when both models use parameters that are derived from the same chamber data. Since the two-product model does not explicitly resolve multi-generational oxidation reactions, this finding suggests that the chamber data used to parameterize the models captures the majority of the SOA mass formation from multi-generational oxidation under the conditions tested. Consequently, the use of low and high NOx yields perturbs SOA concentrations by a factor of two and are probably a much stronger determinant in 3-D models than constrained multi-generational oxidation. While total predicted SOA mass is similar for the SOM and two-product models, the SOM model predicts increased SOA contributions from anthropogenic (alkane, aromatic) and sesquiterpenes and decreased SOA contributions from isoprene and monoterpene relative to the two-product model calculations. The SOA predicted by SOM has a much lower volatility than that predicted by the traditional model resulting in better qualitative agreement with volatility measurements of ambient OA. On account of its lower-volatility, the SOA mass produced by SOM does not appear to be as strongly influenced by the inclusion of oligomerization reactions, whereas the two-product model relies heavily on oligomerization to form low volatility SOA products. Finally, an unconstrained contemporary hybrid scheme to model multi-generational oxidation within the framework of a two-product model in which "ageing" reactions are added on top of the existing two-product parameterization is considered. This hybrid scheme formed at least three times more SOA than the SOM during regional simulations as a result of excessive transformation of semi-volatile vapors into lower volatility material that strongly partitions to the particle phase. This finding suggests that these "hybrid" multi-generational schemes should be used with great caution in regional models.

Simulating secondary organic aerosol in a regional air quality model using the statistical oxidation model - Part 1: Assessing the influence of constrained multi-generational ageing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jathar, S. H.; Cappa, C. D.; Wexler, A. S.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Kleeman, M. J.

2016-02-01

Multi-generational oxidation of volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation products can significantly alter the mass, chemical composition and properties of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compared to calculations that consider only the first few generations of oxidation reactions. However, the most commonly used state-of-the-science schemes in 3-D regional or global models that account for multi-generational oxidation (1) consider only functionalization reactions but do not consider fragmentation reactions, (2) have not been constrained to experimental data and (3) are added on top of existing parameterizations. The incomplete description of multi-generational oxidation in these models has the potential to bias source apportionment and control calculations for SOA. In this work, we used the statistical oxidation model (SOM) of Cappa and Wilson (2012), constrained by experimental laboratory chamber data, to evaluate the regional implications of multi-generational oxidation considering both functionalization and fragmentation reactions. SOM was implemented into the regional University of California at Davis / California Institute of Technology (UCD/CIT) air quality model and applied to air quality episodes in California and the eastern USA. The mass, composition and properties of SOA predicted using SOM were compared to SOA predictions generated by a traditional two-product model to fully investigate the impact of explicit and self-consistent accounting of multi-generational oxidation.Results show that SOA mass concentrations predicted by the UCD/CIT-SOM model are very similar to those predicted by a two-product model when both models use parameters that are derived from the same chamber data. Since the two-product model does not explicitly resolve multi-generational oxidation reactions, this finding suggests that the chamber data used to parameterize the models captures the majority of the SOA mass formation from multi-generational oxidation under the conditions tested. Consequently, the use of low and high NOx yields perturbs SOA concentrations by a factor of two and are probably a much stronger determinant in 3-D models than multi-generational oxidation. While total predicted SOA mass is similar for the SOM and two-product models, the SOM model predicts increased SOA contributions from anthropogenic (alkane, aromatic) and sesquiterpenes and decreased SOA contributions from isoprene and monoterpene relative to the two-product model calculations. The SOA predicted by SOM has a much lower volatility than that predicted by the traditional model, resulting in better qualitative agreement with volatility measurements of ambient OA. On account of its lower-volatility, the SOA mass produced by SOM does not appear to be as strongly influenced by the inclusion of oligomerization reactions, whereas the two-product model relies heavily on oligomerization to form low-volatility SOA products. Finally, an unconstrained contemporary hybrid scheme to model multi-generational oxidation within the framework of a two-product model in which ageing reactions are added on top of the existing two-product parameterization is considered. This hybrid scheme formed at least 3 times more SOA than the SOM during regional simulations as a result of excessive transformation of semi-volatile vapors into lower volatility material that strongly partitions to the particle phase. This finding suggests that these hybrid multi-generational schemes should be used with great caution in regional models.

A Quadrupole Dalton-based multi-attribute method for product characterization, process development, and quality control of therapeutic proteins.

PubMed

Xu, Weichen; Jimenez, Rod Brian; Mowery, Rachel; Luo, Haibin; Cao, Mingyan; Agarwal, Nitin; Ramos, Irina; Wang, Xiangyang; Wang, Jihong

2017-10-01

During manufacturing and storage process, therapeutic proteins are subject to various post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as isomerization, deamidation, oxidation, disulfide bond modifications and glycosylation. Certain PTMs may affect bioactivity, stability or pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profile and are therefore classified as potential critical quality attributes (pCQAs). Identifying, monitoring and controlling these PTMs are usually key elements of the Quality by Design (QbD) approach. Traditionally, multiple analytical methods are utilized for these purposes, which is time consuming and costly. In recent years, multi-attribute monitoring methods have been developed in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, these methods combine high-end mass spectrometry with complicated data analysis software, which could pose difficulty when implementing in a quality control (QC) environment. Here we report a multi-attribute method (MAM) using a Quadrupole Dalton (QDa) mass detector to selectively monitor and quantitate PTMs in a therapeutic monoclonal antibody. The result output from the QDa-based MAM is straightforward and automatic. Evaluation results indicate this method provides comparable results to the traditional assays. To ensure future application in the QC environment, this method was qualified according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guideline and applied in the characterization of drug substance and stability samples. The QDa-based MAM is shown to be an extremely useful tool for product and process characterization studies that facilitates facile understanding of process impact on multiple quality attributes, while being QC friendly and cost-effective.

Staff Attributions about Challenging Behaviours of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Transactional Stress Process: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cudre-Mauroux, A.

2010-01-01

Background: Staff explanations about challenging behaviours of people with intellectual disabilities are purported to play a significant role in the way they respond to them. Despite attempts made in research to understand the mechanisms of causality, a lack of association between attributions, emotions and behaviours is reported. This study…

A multi-level qualitative analysis of Telehomecare in Ontario: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Hunting, Gemma; Shahid, Nida; Sahakyan, Yeva; Fan, Iris; Moneypenny, Crystal R; Stanimirovic, Aleksandra; North, Taylor; Petrosyan, Yelena; Krahn, Murray D; Rac, Valeria E

2015-12-09

Despite research demonstrating the potential effectiveness of Telehomecare for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure, broad-scale comprehensive evaluations are lacking. This article discusses the qualitative component of a mixed-method program evaluation of Telehomecare in Ontario, Canada. The objective of the qualitative component was to explore the multi-level factors and processes which facilitate or impede the implementation and adoption of the program across three regions where it was first implemented. The study employs a multi-level framework as a conceptual guide to explore the facilitators and barriers to Telehomecare implementation and adoption across five levels: technology, patients, providers, organizations, and structures. In-depth semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations with program stakeholders, as well as a Telehomecare document review were used to elicit key themes. Study participants (n = 89) included patients and/or informal caregivers (n = 39), health care providers (n = 23), technicians (n = 2), administrators (n = 12), and decision makers (n = 13) across three different Local Health Integration Networks in Ontario. Key facilitators to Telehomecare implementation and adoption at each level of the multi-level framework included: user-friendliness of Telehomecare technology, patient motivation to participate in the program, support for Telehomecare providers, the integration of Telehomecare into broader health service provision, and comprehensive program evaluation. Key barriers included: access-related issues to using the technology, patient language (if not English or French), Telehomecare provider time limitations, gaps in health care provision for patients, and structural barriers to patient participation related to geography and social location. Though Telehomecare has the potential to positively impact patient lives and strengthen models of health care provision, a number of key challenges remain. As such, further implementation and expansion of Telehomecare must involve continuous assessments of what is working and not working with all stakeholders. Increased dialogue, evaluation, and knowledge translation within and across regions to understand the contextual factors influencing Telehomecare implementation and adoption is required. This can inform decision-making that better reflects and addresses the needs of all program stakeholders.

Preliminary Comparison of Multi-scale and Multi-model Direct Inversion Algorithms for 3T MR Elastography.

PubMed

Yoshimitsu, Kengo; Shinagawa, Yoshinobu; Mitsufuji, Toshimichi; Mutoh, Emi; Urakawa, Hiroshi; Sakamoto, Keiko; Fujimitsu, Ritsuko; Takano, Koichi

2017-01-10

To elucidate whether any differences are present in the stiffness map obtained with a multiscale direct inversion algorithm (MSDI) vs that with a multimodel direct inversion algorithm (MMDI), both qualitatively and quantitatively. The MR elastography (MRE) data of 37 consecutive patients who underwent liver MR elastography between September and October 2014 were retrospectively analyzed by using both MSDI and MMDI. Two radiologists qualitatively assessed the stiffness maps for the image quality in consensus, and the measured liver stiffness and measurable areas were quantitatively compared between MSDI and MMDI. MMDI provided a stiffness map of better image quality, with comparable or slightly less artifacts. Measurable areas by MMDI (43.7 ± 17.8 cm 2 ) was larger than that by MSDI (37.5 ± 14.7 cm 2 ) (P < 0.05). Liver stiffness measured by MMDI (4.51 ± 2.32 kPa) was slightly (7%), but significantly less than that by MSDI (4.86 ± 2.44 kPa) (P < 0.05). MMDI can provide stiffness map of better image quality, and slightly lower stiffness values as compared to MSDI at 3T MRE, which radiologists should be aware of.

Bananas, pesticides and health in southwestern Ecuador: A scalar narrative approach to targeting public health responses.

PubMed

Brisbois, Benjamin

2016-02-01

Public health responses to agricultural pesticide exposure are often informed by ethnographic or other qualitative studies of pesticide risk perception. In addition to highlighting the importance of structural determinants of exposure, such studies can identify the specific scales at which pesticide-exposed individuals locate responsibility for their health issues, with implications for study and intervention design. In this study, an ethnographic approach was employed to map scalar features within explanatory narratives of pesticides and health in Ecuador's banana-producing El Oro province. Unstructured observation, 14 key informant interviews and 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out during 8 months of fieldwork in 2011-2013. Analysis of interview data was informed by human geographic literature on the social construction of scale. Individual-focused narratives of some participants highlighted characteristics such as carelessness and ignorance, leading to suggestions for educational interventions. More structural explanations invoked farm-scale processes, such as uncontrolled aerial fumigations on plantations owned by elites. Organization into cooperatives helped to protect small-scale farmers from 'deadly' banana markets, which in turn were linked to the Ecuadorian nation-state and actors in the banana-consuming world. These scalar elements interacted in complex ways that appear linked to social class, as more well-off individuals frequently attributed the health problems of other (poorer) people to individual behaviours, while providing more structural explanations of their own difficulties. Such individualizing narratives may help to stabilize inequitable social structures. Research implications of this study include the possibility of using scale-focused qualitative research to generate theory and candidate levels for multi-level models. Equity implications include a need for public health researchers planning interventions to engage with scale-linked inequities, such as disparities within nation-states. Finally, the prominence of the global North in explanatory narratives is a useful reminder that 'structural factors' prominently include inequities related to the legacies of colonialism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time Sharing Between Robotics and Process Control: Validating a Model of Attention Switching.

PubMed

Wickens, Christopher Dow; Gutzwiller, Robert S; Vieane, Alex; Clegg, Benjamin A; Sebok, Angelia; Janes, Jess

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to validate the strategic task overload management (STOM) model that predicts task switching when concurrence is impossible. The STOM model predicts that in overload, tasks will be switched to, to the extent that they are attractive on task attributes of high priority, interest, and salience and low difficulty. But more-difficult tasks are less likely to be switched away from once they are being performed. In Experiment 1, participants performed four tasks of the Multi-Attribute Task Battery and provided task-switching data to inform the role of difficulty and priority. In Experiment 2, participants concurrently performed an environmental control task and a robotic arm simulation. Workload was varied by automation of arm movement and both the phases of environmental control and existence of decision support for fault management. Attention to the two tasks was measured using a head tracker. Experiment 1 revealed the lack of influence of task priority and confirmed the differing roles of task difficulty. In Experiment 2, the percentage attention allocation across the eight conditions was predicted by the STOM model when participants rated the four attributes. Model predictions were compared against empirical data and accounted for over 95% of variance in task allocation. More-difficult tasks were performed longer than easier tasks. Task priority does not influence allocation. The multiattribute decision model provided a good fit to the data. The STOM model is useful for predicting cognitive tunneling given that human-in-the-loop simulation is time-consuming and expensive. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Neighborhood Environments and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in 11 Countries

PubMed Central

Cerin, Ester; Cain, Kelli L; Conway, Terry L; Dyck, Delfien Van; Hinckson, Erica; Schipperijn, Jasper; Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse De; Owen, Neville; Davey, Rachel C; Hino, Adriano Akira Ferreira; Mitáš, Josef; Orzanco-Garralda, Rosario; Salvo, Deborah; Sarmiento, Olga L; Christiansen, Lars B; Macfarlane, Duncan J; Schofield, Grant; Sallis, James F

2014-01-01

Purpose Environmental changes are potentially effective population-level physical activity (PA) promotion strategies. However, robust multi-site evidence to guide international action for developing activity-supportive environments is lacking. We estimated pooled associations of perceived environmental attributes with objectively-measured PA outcomes; between-site differences in such associations; and, the extent to which perceived environmental attributes explain between-site differences in PA. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 16 cities located in Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and USA. Participants were 6,968 adults residing in administrative units stratified by socio-economic status and transport-related walkability. Predictors were 10 perceived neighborhood environmental attributes. Outcome measures were accelerometry-assessed weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and meeting the PA guidelines for cancer/weight gain prevention (420 min/week of MVPA). Results Most perceived neighborhood attributes were positively associated with the PA outcomes in the pooled, site-adjusted, single-predictor models. Associations were generalizable across geographical locations. Aesthetics and land use mix – access were significant predictors of both PA outcomes in the fully-adjusted models. Environmental attributes accounted for within-site variability in MVPA corresponding to a 3 min/d or 21 min/week standard deviation. Large between-site differences in PA outcomes were observed: 15.9% to 16.8% of these differences were explained by perceived environmental attributes. All neighborhood attributes were associated with between-site differences in the total effects of the perceived environment on PA outcomes. Conclusions Residents’ perceptions of neighborhood attributes that facilitate walking were positively associated with objectively-measured MVPA and meeting the guidelines for cancer/weight gain prevention at the within- and between-site levels. Associations were similar across study sites, lending support for international recommendations for designing PA-friendly built environments. PMID:24781892

Factors influencing mothers' decisions on whether to provide seafood during early years' feeding: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Carstairs, Sharon A; Craig, Leone C A; Marais, Debbi; Kiezebrink, Kirsty

2017-01-01

The first year of a child's life is a key period of transition from an exclusive milk diet to solid foods to meet growing nutritional demands. An increased requirement for nutrients includes the introduction of protein-rich solid foods, such as seafood, which additionally provides valuable omega-3 fatty acids. However, consumption of seafood is low in the British child population. The aim of this study was to identify maternal perceptions of the factors that can influence the decision on whether to provide seafood during early years' feeding using a multi-method qualitative study design. A total of 26 discussions posted by mothers on parenting websites; Mumknowsbest, Mumsnet and Netmums, accessed July 2013, together with discussions from six focus groups (February-July 2014) in the North East of Scotland were included for thematic qualitative analysis. Discussions on the inclusion of seafood during the early years were centred across four interrelating themes; - food-related attributes, mother-centred aspects, family-centred aspects, and external information sources. Concerns regarding safety and mothers' limited knowledge and skills on seafood were apparent from discussions; however, the practicalities of providing a cost effective family meal were also issues raised by mothers. An understanding of the numerous and sometimes contradictory influences on mothers' decisions to include seafood during early years' period could be used to develop strategies to help increase regular seafood consumption. In particular, ensuring formal information and guidance clearly addresses the safety concerns of mothers and the development of practical education schemes to encourage and teach cooking skills should be considered. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-attribute criteria applied to electric generation energy system analysis LDRD.

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

Kuswa, Glenn W.; Tsao, Jeffrey Yeenien; Drennen, Thomas E.

2005-10-01

This report began with a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to improve Sandia National Laboratories multidisciplinary capabilities in energy systems analysis. The aim is to understand how various electricity generating options can best serve needs in the United States. The initial product is documented in a series of white papers that span a broad range of topics, including the successes and failures of past modeling studies, sustainability, oil dependence, energy security, and nuclear power. Summaries of these projects are included here. These projects have provided a background and discussion framework for the Energy Systems Analysis LDRD team to carrymore » out an inter-comparison of many of the commonly available electric power sources in present use, comparisons of those options, and efforts needed to realize progress towards those options. A computer aid has been developed to compare various options based on cost and other attributes such as technological, social, and policy constraints. The Energy Systems Analysis team has developed a multi-criteria framework that will allow comparison of energy options with a set of metrics that can be used across all technologies. This report discusses several evaluation techniques and introduces the set of criteria developed for this LDRD.« less

Fast hierarchical knowledge-based approach for human face detection in color images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jun; Gong, Jie; Zhang, Guilin; Hu, Ruolan

2001-09-01

This paper presents a fast hierarchical knowledge-based approach for automatically detecting multi-scale upright faces in still color images. The approach consists of three levels. At the highest level, skin-like regions are determinated by skin model, which is based on the color attributes hue and saturation in HSV color space, as well color attributes red and green in normalized color space. In level 2, a new eye model is devised to select human face candidates in segmented skin-like regions. An important feature of the eye model is that it is independent of the scale of human face. So it is possible for finding human faces in different scale with scanning image only once, and it leads to reduction the computation time of face detection greatly. In level 3, a human face mosaic image model, which is consistent with physical structure features of human face well, is applied to judge whether there are face detects in human face candidate regions. This model includes edge and gray rules. Experiment results show that the approach has high robustness and fast speed. It has wide application perspective at human-computer interactions and visual telephone etc.

Multi-scale gyrokinetic simulation of Alcator C-Mod tokamak discharges

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

Howard, N. T., E-mail: nthoward@psfc.mit.edu; White, A. E.; Greenwald, M.

2014-03-15

Alcator C-Mod tokamak discharges have been studied with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation simultaneously spanning both ion and electron spatiotemporal scales. These multi-scale simulations utilized the gyrokinetic model implemented by GYRO code [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J. Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)] and the approximation of reduced electron mass (μ = (m{sub D}/m{sub e}){sup .5} = 20.0) to qualitatively study a pair of Alcator C-Mod discharges: a low-power discharge, previously demonstrated (using realistic mass, ion-scale simulation) to display an under-prediction of the electron heat flux and a high-power discharge displaying agreement with both ion and electron heat flux channels [N. T. Howard et al.,more » Nucl. Fusion 53, 123011 (2013)]. These multi-scale simulations demonstrate the importance of electron-scale turbulence in the core of conventional tokamak discharges and suggest it is a viable candidate for explaining the observed under-prediction of electron heat flux. In this paper, we investigate the coupling of turbulence at the ion (k{sub θ}ρ{sub s}∼O(1.0)) and electron (k{sub θ}ρ{sub e}∼O(1.0)) scales for experimental plasma conditions both exhibiting strong (high-power) and marginally stable (low-power) low-k (k{sub θ}ρ{sub s} < 1.0) turbulence. It is found that reduced mass simulation of the plasma exhibiting marginally stable low-k turbulence fails to provide even qualitative insight into the turbulence present in the realistic plasma conditions. In contrast, multi-scale simulation of the plasma condition exhibiting strong turbulence provides valuable insight into the coupling of the ion and electron scales.« less

Multi-Scale Modeling, Surrogate-Based Analysis, and Optimization of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Vehicle Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Wenbo

A common attribute of electric-powered aerospace vehicles and systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles, hybrid- and fully-electric aircraft, and satellites is that their performance is usually limited by the energy density of their batteries. Although lithium-ion batteries offer distinct advantages such as high voltage and low weight over other battery technologies, they are a relatively new development, and thus significant gaps in the understanding of the physical phenomena that govern battery performance remain. As a result of this limited understanding, batteries must often undergo a cumbersome design process involving many manual iterations based on rules of thumb and ad-hoc design principles. A systematic study of the relationship between operational, geometric, morphological, and material-dependent properties and performance metrics such as energy and power density is non-trivial due to the multiphysics, multiphase, and multiscale nature of the battery system. To address these challenges, two numerical frameworks are established in this dissertation: a process for analyzing and optimizing several key design variables using surrogate modeling tools and gradient-based optimizers, and a multi-scale model that incorporates more detailed microstructural information into the computationally efficient but limited macro-homogeneous model. In the surrogate modeling process, multi-dimensional maps for the cell energy density with respect to design variables such as the particle size, ion diffusivity, and electron conductivity of the porous cathode material are created. A combined surrogate- and gradient-based approach is employed to identify optimal values for cathode thickness and porosity under various operating conditions, and quantify the uncertainty in the surrogate model. The performance of multiple cathode materials is also compared by defining dimensionless transport parameters. The multi-scale model makes use of detailed 3-D FEM simulations conducted at the particle-level. A monodisperse system of ellipsoidal particles is used to simulate the effective transport coefficients and interfacial reaction current density within the porous microstructure. Microscopic simulation results are shown to match well with experimental measurements, while differing significantly from homogenization approximations used in the macroscopic model. Global sensitivity analysis and surrogate modeling tools are applied to couple the two length scales and complete the multi-scale model.

Mapping (un)certainties in the sign of hydrological projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melsen, Lieke; Addor, Nans; Mizukami, Naoki; Newman, Andrew; Torfs, Paul; Clark, Martyn; Uijlenhoet, Remko; Teuling, Ryan

2017-04-01

While hydrological projections are of vital importance, particularly for water infrastructure design and food production, they are also prone to different sources of uncertainty. Using a multi-model set-up we investigated the uncertainty in hydrological projections for the period 2070-2100 associated with the parameterization of hydrological models, hydrological model structure, and General Circulation Models (GCMs) needed to force the hydrological model, for 605 basins throughout the contiguous United States. The use of such a large sample of basins gave us the opportunity to recognize spatial patterns in the results, and to attribute the uncertainty to particular hydrological processes. We investigated the sign of the projected change in mean annual runoff. The parameterization influenced the sign of change in 5 to 34% of the basins, depending on the hydrological model and GCM forcing. The hydrological model structure led to uncertainty in the sign of the change in 13 to 26% of the basins, depending on GCM forcing. This uncertainty could largely be attributed to the conceptualization of snow processes in the hydrological models. In 14% of the basins, none of the hydrological models was behavioural, which could be related to catchments with high aridity and intermittent flow behaviour. In 41 to 69% of the basins, the sign of the change was uncertain due to GCM forcing, which could be attributed to disagreement among the climate models regarding the projected change in precipitation. The results demonstrate that even the sign of change in mean annual runoff is highly uncertain in the majority of the investigated basins. If we want to use hydrological projections for water management purposes, including the design of water infrastructure, we clearly need to increase our understanding of climate and hydrological processes and their feedbacks.

Development of a carburizing and quenching simulation tool: A material model for low carbon steels undergoing phase transformations

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

Bammann, D.; Prantil, V.; Kumar, A.

1996-06-24

An internal state variable formulation for phase transforming alloy steels is presented. We have illustrated how local transformation plasticity can be accommodated by an appropriate choice for the corresponding internal stress field acting between the phases. The state variable framework compares well with a numerical micromechanical calculation providing a discrete dependence of microscopic plasticity on volume fraction and the stress dependence attributable to a softer parent phase. The multiphase model is used to simulate the stress state of a quenched bar and show qualitative trends in the response when the transformation phenomenon is incorporated on the length scale of amore » global boundary value problem.« less

SHOULD ONE USE THE RAY-BY-RAY APPROXIMATION IN CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA SIMULATIONS?

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

Skinner, M. Aaron; Burrows, Adam; Dolence, Joshua C., E-mail: burrows@astro.princeton.edu, E-mail: askinner@astro.princeton.edu, E-mail: jdolence@lanl.gov

2016-11-01

We perform the first self-consistent, time-dependent, multi-group calculations in two dimensions (2D) to address the consequences of using the ray-by-ray+ transport simplification in core-collapse supernova simulations. Such a dimensional reduction is employed by many researchers to facilitate their resource-intensive calculations. Our new code (Fornax) implements multi-D transport, and can, by zeroing out transverse flux terms, emulate the ray-by-ray+ scheme. Using the same microphysics, initial models, resolution, and code, we compare the results of simulating 12, 15, 20, and 25 M {sub ⊙} progenitor models using these two transport methods. Our findings call into question the wisdom of the pervasive usemore » of the ray-by-ray+ approach. Employing it leads to maximum post-bounce/pre-explosion shock radii that are almost universally larger by tens of kilometers than those derived using the more accurate scheme, typically leaving the post-bounce matter less bound and artificially more “explodable.” In fact, for our 25 M {sub ⊙} progenitor, the ray-by-ray+ model explodes, while the corresponding multi-D transport model does not. Therefore, in two dimensions, the combination of ray-by-ray+ with the axial sloshing hydrodynamics that is a feature of 2D supernova dynamics can result in quantitatively, and perhaps qualitatively, incorrect results.« less

Using qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate small-scale disease management pilot programs.

PubMed

Esposito, Dominick; Taylor, Erin Fries; Gold, Marsha

2009-02-01

Interest in disease management programs continues to grow as managed care plans, the federal and state governments, and other organizations consider such efforts as a means to improve health care quality and reduce costs. These efforts vary in size, scope, and target population. While large-scale programs provide the means to measure impacts, evaluation of smaller interventions remains valuable as they often represent the early planning stages of larger initiatives. This paper describes a multi-method approach for evaluating small interventions that sought to improve the quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. Our approach relied on quantitative and qualitative methods to develop a complete understanding of each intervention. Quantitative data in the form of both process measures, such as case manager contacts, and outcome measures, such as hospital use, were reported and analyzed. Qualitative information was collected through interviews and the development of logic models to document the flow of intervention activities and how they were intended to affect outcomes. The logic models helped us to understand the underlying reasons for the success or lack thereof of each intervention. The analysis provides useful information on several fronts. First, qualitative data provided valuable information about implementation. Second, process measures helped determine whether implementation occurred as anticipated. Third, outcome measures indicated the potential for favorable results later, possibly suggesting further study. Finally, the evaluation of qualitative and quantitative data in combination helped us assess the potential promise of each intervention and identify common themes and challenges across all interventions.

Citric Acid Enhanced Copper Removal by a Novel Multi-amines Decorated Resin

PubMed Central

Ling, Chen; Liu, Fuqiang; Pei, Zhiguo; Zhang, Xiaopeng; Wei, Mengmeng; Zhang, Yanhong; Zheng, Lirong; Zhang, Jing; Li, Aimin; Xing, Baoshan

2015-01-01

Cu removal by a novel multi-amines decorated resin (PAMD) from wastewater in the absence or presence of citric acid (CA) was examined. Adsorption capacity of Cu onto PAMD markedly increased by 186% to 5.07 mmol/g in the presence of CA, up to 7 times of that onto four commercial resins under the same conditions. Preloaded and kinetic studies demonstrated adsorption of [Cu-CA] complex instead of CA site-bridging and variations of adsorbate species were qualitatively illustrated. The interaction configuration was further studied with ESI-MS, FTIR, XPS and XANES characterizations. The large enhancement of Cu adsorption in Cu-CA bi-solutes systems was attributed to mechanism change from single-site to dual-sites interaction in which cationic or neutral Cu species (Cu2+ and CuHL0) coordinated with neutral amine sites and anionic complex species (CuL− and Cu2L22−) directly interacted with protonated amine sites via electrostatic attraction, and the ratio of the two interactions was approximately 0.5 for the equimolar bi-solutes system. Moreover, commonly coexisting ions in wastewaters had no obvious effect on the superior performance of PAMD. Also, Cu and CA could be recovered completely with HCl. Therefore, PAMD has a great potential to efficiently remove heavy metal ions from wastewaters in the presence of organic acids. PMID:25962970

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

PubMed Central

Godfrey, Erin B.; Wolf, Sharon

2015-01-01

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

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

PubMed

Godfrey, Erin B; Wolf, Sharon

2016-01-01

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

What Do Patients Want from Otolaryngologists? A Discrete Choice Experiment.

PubMed

Naunheim, Matthew R; Rathi, Vinay K; Naunheim, Margaret L; Alkire, Blake C; Lam, Allen C; Song, Phillip C; Shrime, Mark G

2017-10-01

Objectives Patient preferences are crucial for the delivery of patient-centered care. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are an emerging quantitative methodology used for understanding these preferences. In this study, we employed DCE techniques to understand the preferences of patients presenting for an ear, nose, and throat clinic visit. Study Design DCE. Setting Decision science laboratory. Methods A DCE survey of 5 attributes-wait time, physician experience, physician personality, utilization of visit time, and cost/copayment-was constructed with structured qualitative interviews with patients. The DCE was administered to participants from the general population, who chose among hypothetical scenarios that varied across these attributes. A conditional logit model was used to determine relative attribute importance, with a separate logit model for determining subject effects. Results A total of 161 participants were included. Cost/copayment had the greatest impact on decision making (importance, 32.2%), followed by wait time and physician experience (26.5% and 24.7%, respectively). Physician personality mattered least (4.7%), although all attributes were significantly correlated to decision making. Participants preferred doctors who spent more time performing physical examination than listening or explaining. Participants were willing to pay $52 extra to avoid a 4-week delay in appointment time; $87 extra for a physician with 10 years of experience (vs 0 years); and $9 extra for a caring, friendly, and compassionate doctor (vs formal, efficient, and business-like). Conclusion DCEs allow for powerful economic analyses that may help physicians understand patient preferences. Our model showed that cost is an important factor to patients and that patients are willing to pay extra for timely appointments, experience, and thorough physical examination.

Simulating the Heterogeneity in Braided Channel Belt Deposits: 2. Examples of Results and Comparison to Natural Deposits

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

Guin, Arijit; Ramanathan, Ramya; Ritzi, Robert W.

In Part 1 of this series we presented a methodology and a code for modeling the hierarchical sedimentary architecture in braided channel belt deposits. Here, in Part 2, the code was used to create a digital model of this architecture, and the corresponding spatial distribution of permeability. The simulated architecture was compared to the real stratal architecture observed in an abandoned channel belt of the Sagavanirktok River, Alaska by Lunt et al. (2004). The comparisons included assessments of similarity which were both qualitative and quantitative. From the qualitative comparisons we conclude that a synthetic deposit created by the code hasmore » unit types, at each level, with a geometry which is generally consistent with the geometry of unit types observed in the field. The digital unit types would generally be recognized as representing their counterparts in nature, including cross stratasets, lobate and scroll bar deposits, channel fills, etc. Furthermore, the synthetic deposit has a hierarchical spatial relationship among these units which represents how the unit types are observed in field exposures and in geophysical images. In quantitative comparisons the proportions and the length, width, and height of unit types at different scales, across all levels of the stratal hierarchy compare well between the digital and the natural deposits. A number of important attributes of the channel belt model were shown to be influenced by more than one level within the hierarchy of stratal architecture. First, the high-permeability open-framework gravels percolated at all levels and thus formed preferential flow pathways. Open framework gravels are indeed known to form preferential flow pathways in natural channel belt deposits. The nature of a percolating cluster changed across different levels of the hierarchy of stratal architecture. As a result of this geologic structure, the percolation occurs at proportions of open-framework gravels below the theoretical percolation threshold for random infinite media. Second, when the channel belt model was populated with permeability distributions by lowest-level unit type, the composite permeability semivariogram contained structures that were identifiable at more than one scale, and each of these structures could be directly linked to unit types of different scales existing at different levels within the hierarchy of strata. These collective results are encouraging with respect to our goal that this model be relevant as a base case in future studies for testing ideas in research addressing the upscaling problem in aquifers and reservoirs with multi-scale heterogeneity.« less

Attributing Asymmetric Productivity Responses to Internal Ecosystem Dynamics and External Drivers Using Probabilistic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parolari, A.; Goulden, M.

2017-12-01

A major challenge to interpreting asymmetric changes in ecosystem productivity is the attribution of these changes to external climate forcing or to internal ecophysiological processes that respond to these drivers (e.g., photosynthesis response to drying soil). For example, positive asymmetry in productivity can result from either positive skewness in the distribution of annual rainfall amount or from negative curvature in the productivity response to annual rainfall. To analyze the relative influences of climate and ecosystem dynamics on both positive and negative asymmetry in multi-year ANPP experiments, we use a multi-scale coupled ecosystem water-carbon model to interpret field experimental results that span gradients of rainfall skewness and ANPP response curvature. The model integrates rainfall variability, soil moisture dynamics, and net carbon assimilation from the daily to inter-annual scales. From the underlying physical basis of the model, we compute the joint probability distribution of the minimum and maximum ANPP for an annual ANPP experiment of N years. The distribution is used to estimate the likelihood that either positive or negative asymmetry will be observed in an experiment, given the annual rainfall distribution and the ANPP response curve. We estimate the total asymmetry as the mode of this joint distribution and the relative contribution attributable to rainfall skewness as the mode for a linear ANPP response curve. Applied to data from several long-term ANPP experiments, we find that there is a wide range of observed ANPP asymmetry (positive and negative) and a spectrum of contributions from internal and external factors. We identify the soil water holding capacity relative to the mean rain event depth as a critical ecosystem characteristic that controls the non-linearity of the ANPP response and positive curvature at high rainfall. Further, the seasonal distribution of rainfall is shown to control the presence or absence of negative curvature at low rainfall. Therefore, a combination of rooting depth, soil texture, and climate seasonality contribute to ANPP response curvature and its contribution to overall observed asymmetry.

How do directors of public health perceive leadership?

PubMed

McAreav, M J; Alimo-Metcalfe, B; Connelly, J

2001-01-01

This study examines how directors of public health (DsPH) perceive effective leadership. Kelly's repertory grid technique is used. A total of 13 out of a possible 14 DsPH in one NHS region of England were interviewed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were carried out. The findings show that male DsPH (n = 8) rate their leadership ability more highly than do female DsPH (n = 5). Qualitative analysis produced a number of categories of constructs, some of which are perceived to be indicative of effective leadership, these being "working for others", "personal attributes", "vision and innovation" and "courage and integrity" Some categories appear to be applicable only to the UK (or to public health) and not to the existing dominant US models of leadership. In general, DsPH perceptions of effective leadership converge with current theories; most specifically the UK-based theories. This study therefore refutes any simple extrapolation of US theories of leadership to UK health organisations.

What Influences the Uptake of Information to Prevent Skin Cancer? A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garside, Ruth; Pearson, Mark; Moxham, Tiffany

2010-01-01

Skin cancer is an increasing problem in Europe, America and Australasia, although largely preventable by avoiding excessive ultraviolet (UV) exposure. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review of qualitative research about the prevention of skin cancer attributable to UV exposure. The aim is to understand elements that may contribute…

Structured methodology review identified seven (RETREAT) criteria for selecting qualitative evidence synthesis approaches.

PubMed

Booth, Andrew; Noyes, Jane; Flemming, Kate; Gerhardus, Ansgar; Wahlster, Philip; van der Wilt, Gert Jan; Mozygemba, Kati; Refolo, Pietro; Sacchini, Dario; Tummers, Marcia; Rehfuess, Eva

2018-07-01

To compare and contrast different methods of qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) against criteria identified from the literature and to map their attributes to inform selection of the most appropriate QES method to answer research questions addressed by qualitative research. Electronic databases, citation searching, and a study register were used to identify studies reporting QES methods. Attributes compiled from 26 methodological papers (2001-2014) were used as a framework for data extraction. Data were extracted into summary tables by one reviewer and then considered within the author team. We identified seven considerations determining choice of methods from the methodological literature, encapsulated within the mnemonic Review question-Epistemology-Time/Timescale-Resources-Expertise-Audience and purpose-Type of data. We mapped 15 different published QES methods against these seven criteria. The final framework focuses on stand-alone QES methods but may also hold potential when integrating quantitative and qualitative data. These findings offer a contemporary perspective as a conceptual basis for future empirical investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of QES. It is hoped that this will inform appropriate selection of QES approaches. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mind-life continuity: A qualitative study of conscious experience.

PubMed

Hipólito, Inês; Martins, Jorge

2017-12-01

There are two fundamental models to understanding the phenomenon of natural life. One is the computational model, which is based on the symbolic thinking paradigm. The other is the biological organism model. The common difficulty attributed to these paradigms is that their reductive tools allow the phenomenological aspects of experience to remain hidden behind yes/no responses (behavioral tests), or brain 'pictures' (neuroimaging). Hence, one of the problems regards how to overcome methodological difficulties towards a non-reductive investigation of conscious experience. It is our aim in this paper to show how cooperation between Eastern and Western traditions may shed light for a non-reductive study of mind and life. This study focuses on the first-person experience associated with cognitive and mental events. We studied phenomenal data as a crucial fact for the domain of living beings, which, we expect, can provide the ground for a subsequent third-person study. The intervention with Jhana meditation, and its qualitative assessment, provided us with experiential profiles based upon subjects' evaluations of their own conscious experiences. The overall results should move towards an integrated or global perspective on mind where neither experience nor external mechanisms have the final word. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

sourceR: Classification and source attribution of infectious agents among heterogeneous populations

PubMed Central

French, Nigel

2017-01-01

Zoonotic diseases are a major cause of morbidity, and productivity losses in both human and animal populations. Identifying the source of food-borne zoonoses (e.g. an animal reservoir or food product) is crucial for the identification and prioritisation of food safety interventions. For many zoonotic diseases it is difficult to attribute human cases to sources of infection because there is little epidemiological information on the cases. However, microbial strain typing allows zoonotic pathogens to be categorised, and the relative frequencies of the strain types among the sources and in human cases allows inference on the likely source of each infection. We introduce sourceR, an R package for quantitative source attribution, aimed at food-borne diseases. It implements a Bayesian model using strain-typed surveillance data from both human cases and source samples, capable of identifying important sources of infection. The model measures the force of infection from each source, allowing for varying survivability, pathogenicity and virulence of pathogen strains, and varying abilities of the sources to act as vehicles of infection. A Bayesian non-parametric (Dirichlet process) approach is used to cluster pathogen strain types by epidemiological behaviour, avoiding model overfitting and allowing detection of strain types associated with potentially high “virulence”. sourceR is demonstrated using Campylobacter jejuni isolate data collected in New Zealand between 2005 and 2008. Chicken from a particular poultry supplier was identified as the major source of campylobacteriosis, which is qualitatively similar to results of previous studies using the same dataset. Additionally, the software identifies a cluster of 9 multilocus sequence types with abnormally high ‘virulence’ in humans. sourceR enables straightforward attribution of cases of zoonotic infection to putative sources of infection. As sourceR develops, we intend it to become an important and flexible resource for food-borne disease attribution studies. PMID:28558033

Evaluation of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology specialists' preferences for hand hygiene: analysis using the multi-attribute utility theory and the analytic hierarchy process methods.

PubMed

Suner, Aslı; Oruc, Ozlem Ege; Buke, Cagri; Ozkaya, Hacer Deniz; Kitapcioglu, Gul

2017-08-31

Hand hygiene is one of the most effective attempts to control nosocomial infections, and it is an important measure to avoid the transmission of pathogens. However, the compliance of healthcare workers (HCWs) with hand washing is still poor worldwide. Herein, we aimed to determine the best hand hygiene preference of the infectious diseases and clinical microbiology (IDCM) specialists to prevent transmission of microorganisms from one patient to another. Expert opinions regarding the criteria that influence the best hand hygiene preference were collected through a questionnaire via face-to-face interviews. Afterwards, these opinions were examined with two widely used multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods, the Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A total of 15 IDCM specialist opinions were collected from diverse private and public hospitals located in İzmir, Turkey. The mean age of the participants was 49.73 ± 8.46, and the mean experience year of the participants in their fields was 17.67 ± 11.98. The findings that we obtained through two distinct decision making methods, the MAUT and the AHP, suggest that alcohol-based antiseptic solution (ABAS) has the highest utility (0.86) and priority (0.69) among the experts' choices. In conclusion, the MAUT and the AHP, decision models developed here indicate that rubbing the hands with ABAS is the most favorable choice for IDCM specialists to prevent nosocomial infection.

Multi-component testing using HZ-PAN and AgZ-PAN Sorbents for OSPREY Model validation

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

Garn, Troy G.; Greenhalgh, Mitchell; Lyon, Kevin L.

2015-04-01

In efforts to further develop the capability of the Off-gas SeParation and RecoverY (OSPREY) model, multi-component tests were completed using both HZ-PAN and AgZ-PAN sorbents. The primary purpose of this effort was to obtain multi-component xenon and krypton capacities for comparison to future OSPREY predicted multi-component capacities using previously acquired Langmuir equilibrium parameters determined from single component isotherms. Experimental capacities were determined for each sorbent using two feed gas compositions of 1000 ppmv xenon and 150 ppmv krypton in either a helium or air balance. Test temperatures were consistently held at 220 K and the gas flowrate was 50 sccm.more » Capacities were calculated from breakthrough curves using TableCurve® 2D software by Jandel Scientific. The HZ-PAN sorbent was tested in the custom designed cryostat while the AgZ-PAN was tested in a newly installed cooling apparatus. Previous modeling validation efforts indicated the OSPREY model can be used to effectively predict single component xenon and krypton capacities for both engineered form sorbents. Results indicated good agreement with the experimental and predicted capacity values for both krypton and xenon on the sorbents. Overall, the model predicted slightly elevated capacities for both gases which can be partially attributed to the estimation of the parameters and the uncertainty associated with the experimental measurements. Currently, OSPREY is configured such that one species adsorbs and one does not (i.e. krypton in helium). Modification of OSPREY code is currently being performed to incorporate multiple adsorbing species and non-ideal interactions of gas phase species with the sorbent and adsorbed phases. Once these modifications are complete, the sorbent capacities determined in the present work will be used to validate OSPREY multicomponent adsorption predictions.« less

Incorporating Satellite Time-Series Data into Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregg, Watson

2008-01-01

In situ time series observations have provided a multi-decadal view of long-term changes in ocean biology. These observations are sufficiently reliable to enable discernment of even relatively small changes, and provide continuous information on a host of variables. Their key drawback is their limited domain. Satellite observations from ocean color sensors do not suffer the drawback of domain, and simultaneously view the global oceans. This attribute lends credence to their use in global and regional model validation and data assimilation. We focus on these applications using the NASA Ocean Biogeochemical Model. The enhancement of the satellite data using data assimilation is featured and the limitation of tongterm satellite data sets is also discussed.

Attributing foodborne salmonellosis in humans to animal reservoirs in the European Union using a multi-country stochastic model.

PubMed

DE Knegt, L V; Pires, S M; Hald, T

2015-04-01

A Bayesian modelling approach comparing the occurrence of Salmonella serovars in animals and humans was used to attribute salmonellosis cases to broilers, turkeys, pigs, laying hens, travel and outbreaks in 24 European Union countries. Salmonella data for animals and humans, covering the period from 2007 to 2009, were mainly obtained from studies and reports published by the European Food Safety Authority. Availability of food sources for consumption was derived from trade and production data from the European Statistical Office. Results showed layers as the most important reservoir of human salmonellosis in Europe, with 42·4% (7 903 000 cases, 95% credibility interval 4 181 000-14 510 000) of cases, 95·9% of which was caused by S. Enteritidis. In Finland and Sweden, most cases were travel-related, while in most other countries the main sources were related to the laying hen or pig reservoir, highlighting differences in the epidemiology of Salmonella, surveillance focus and eating habits across the European Union.

Workshop on Biological Integrity of Coral Reefs August 21-22 ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report summarizes an EPA-sponsored workshop on coral reef biological integrity held at the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute in La Parguera, Puerto Rico on August 21-22, 2012. The goals of this workshop were to:• Identify key qualitative and quantitative ecological characteristics (reef attributes) that determine the condition of linear coral reefs inhabiting shallow waters (<12 m) in southwestern Puerto Rico.• Use those reef attributes to recommend categorical condition rankings for establishing a biological condition gradient.• Ascertain through expert consensus those reef attributes that characterize biological integrity (a natural, fully-functioning system of organisms and communities) for coral reefs. • Develop a conceptual, narrative model that describes how biological attributes of coral reefs change along a gradient of increasing anthropogenic stress.The workshop brought together scientists with expertise in coral reef taxonomic groups (e.g., stony corals, fishes, sponges, gorgonians, algae, seagrasses and macroinvertebrates), as well as community structure, organism condition, ecosystem function and ecosystem connectivity. The experts evaluated photos and videos from 12 stations collected during EPA Coral Reef surveys (2010 & 2011) from Puerto Rico on coral reefs exhibiting a wide range of conditions. The experts individually rated each station as to observed condition (“good”, “fair” or “poor”) and documented their rationale for

Spousal Support and Common Stressors of Nontraditional College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trackey, Rachel Phelps

2014-01-01

The purpose of my study was to expand the existing body of research regarding spousal support needs of nontraditional students. Richard Lazarus's (1999) cognitive contextual stress and coping theory provided the framework for this qualitative, phenomenological, multi-case study. Qualitative themes were (a) "spousal support," (b)…

Statistical Analysis of Q-matrix Based Diagnostic Classification Models

PubMed Central

Chen, Yunxiao; Liu, Jingchen; Xu, Gongjun; Ying, Zhiliang

2014-01-01

Diagnostic classification models have recently gained prominence in educational assessment, psychiatric evaluation, and many other disciplines. Central to the model specification is the so-called Q-matrix that provides a qualitative specification of the item-attribute relationship. In this paper, we develop theories on the identifiability for the Q-matrix under the DINA and the DINO models. We further propose an estimation procedure for the Q-matrix through the regularized maximum likelihood. The applicability of this procedure is not limited to the DINA or the DINO model and it can be applied to essentially all Q-matrix based diagnostic classification models. Simulation studies are conducted to illustrate its performance. Furthermore, two case studies are presented. The first case is a data set on fraction subtraction (educational application) and the second case is a subsample of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions concerning the social anxiety disorder (psychiatric application). PMID:26294801

The multiscale classification system and grid encoding mode of ecological land in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing; Liu, Aixia; Lin, Yifan

2017-10-01

Ecological land provides goods and services that have direct or indirect benefic to eco-environment and human welfare. In recent years, researches on ecological land have become important in the field of land changes and ecosystem management. In the study, a multi-scale classification scheme of ecological land was developed for land management based on combination of the land-use classification and the ecological function zoning in China, including eco-zone, eco-region, eco-district, land ecosystem, and ecological land-use type. The geographical spatial unit leads toward greater homogeneity from macro to micro scale. The term "ecological land-use type" is the smallest one, being important to maintain the key ecological processes in land ecosystem. Ecological land-use type was categorized into main-functional and multi-functional ecological land-use type according to its ecological function attributes and production function attributes. Main-functional type was defined as one kind of land-use type mainly providing ecological goods and function attributes, such as river, lake, swampland, shoaly land, glacier and snow, while multi-functional type not only providing ecological goods and function attributes but also productive goods and function attributes, such as arable land, forestry land, and grassland. Furthermore, a six-level grid encoding mode was proposed for modern management of ecological land and data update under cadastral encoding. The six-level irregular grid encoding from macro to micro scale included eco-zone, eco-region, eco-district, cadastral area, land ecosystem, land ownership type, ecological land-use type, and parcel. Besides, the methodologies on ecosystem management were discussed for integrated management of natural resources in China.

Planning an organizational wellness initiative at a multi-state social service agency.

PubMed

Miller, J Jay; Grise-Owens, Erlene; Addison, Donia; Marshall, Midaya; Trabue, Donna; Escobar-Ratliff, Laura

2016-06-01

Increasingly, organizations in general, and social service organizations, specifically, are recognizing the importance of planning and evaluating organizational wellness initiatives. Yet, few participatory models for carrying out these aims exist. For this study, researchers utilized concept mapping (CM) to explicate a conceptual framework for planning, and subsequently evaluating, a wellness initiative at a multi-state social service organization. CM is a participatory approach that analyzes qualitative data via multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. Outputs include a number of visual depictions that allow researchers to explore complex relationships among sets of the data. Results from this study indicated that participants (N=64), all of whom were employees of the agency, conceptualized organizational wellness via an eight-cluster solution, or Concept Map. Priority areas of this framework, specifically importance and feasibility, were also explored. After a brief review of pertinent literature, this article explicates the CM methodology utilized in this study, describes results, discusses lessons learned, and identifies apt areas for future research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Job preferences among clinical officers in public sector facilities in rural Kenya: a discrete choice experiment.

PubMed

Takemura, Toshio; Kielmann, Karina; Blaauw, Duane

2016-01-08

Clinical officers (COs), a mid-level cadre of health worker, are the backbone of healthcare provision in rural Kenya. However, the vacancy rate for COs in rural primary healthcare facilities is high. Little is known about factors motivating COs' preferences for rural postings. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire was used with 57 COs at public health facilities in nine districts of Nyanza Province, Kenya. The questionnaire was developed on the basis of formative qualitative interviews with COs (n = 5) and examined how five selected job attributes influenced COs' preferences for working in rural areas. Conditional logit models were employed to examine the relative importance of different job attributes. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed five important job attributes influencing COs' preferences: quality of the facility, educational opportunities, housing, monthly salary and promotion. Analysis of the DCE indicated that a 1-year guaranteed study leave after 3 years of service would have the greatest impact on retention, followed by good quality health facility infrastructure and equipment and a 30% salary increase. Sub-group analysis shows that younger COs demonstrated a significantly stronger preference for study leave than older COs. Female COs placed significantly higher value on promotion than male COs. Although both financial incentives and non-financial incentives were effective in motivating COs to stay in post, the study leave intervention was shown to have the strongest impact on COs' retention in our study. Further research is required to examine appropriate interventions at each career stage that might boost COs' professional identity and status but without leading to larger deficits in the availability of generalist COs.

Evaluating planetary digital terrain models-The HRSC DTM test

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heipke, C.; Oberst, J.; Albertz, J.; Attwenger, M.; Dorninger, P.; Dorrer, E.; Ewe, M.; Gehrke, S.; Gwinner, K.; Hirschmuller, H.; Kim, J.R.; Kirk, R.L.; Mayer, H.; Muller, Jan-Peter; Rengarajan, R.; Rentsch, M.; Schmidt, R.; Scholten, F.; Shan, J.; Spiegel, M.; Wahlisch, M.; Neukum, G.

2007-01-01

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has been orbiting the planet Mars since January 2004 onboard the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express mission and delivers imagery which is being used for topographic mapping of the planet. The HRSC team has conducted a systematic inter-comparison of different alternatives for the production of high resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) from the multi look HRSC push broom imagery. Based on carefully chosen test sites the test participants have produced DTMs which have been subsequently analysed in a quantitative and a qualitative manner. This paper reports on the results obtained in this test. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate Psychology Students' Experiences with Creative Drama: A Multi-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Ruth A.

2015-01-01

This qualitative multi-case study explored undergraduate psychology students' experiences participating in creative drama activities the instructor/researcher developed to teach psychological concepts. The study was conducted in three introductory and developmental courses in a mid-western community college setting. Participants (cases) included…

A biologically inspired approach to modeling unmanned vehicle teams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortesi, Roger S.; Galloway, Kevin S.; Justh, Eric W.

2008-04-01

Cooperative motion control of teams of agile unmanned vehicles presents modeling challenges at several levels. The "microscopic equations" describing individual vehicle dynamics and their interaction with the environment may be known fairly precisely, but are generally too complicated to yield qualitative insights at the level of multi-vehicle trajectory coordination. Interacting particle models are suitable for coordinating trajectories, but require care to ensure that individual vehicles are not driven in a "costly" manner. From the point of view of the cooperative motion controller, the individual vehicle autopilots serve to "shape" the microscopic equations, and we have been exploring the interplay between autopilots and cooperative motion controllers using a multivehicle hardware-in-the-loop simulator. Specifically, we seek refinements to interacting particle models in order to better describe observed behavior, without sacrificing qualitative understanding. A recent analogous example from biology involves introducing a fixed delay into a curvature-control-based feedback law for prey capture by an echolocating bat. This delay captures both neural processing time and the flight-dynamic response of the bat as it uses sensor-driven feedback. We propose a comparable approach for unmanned vehicle modeling; however, in contrast to the bat, with unmanned vehicles we have an additional freedom to modify the autopilot. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this biologically guided modeling approach.

The role of clouds in driving North Atlantic multi-decadal climate variability in observations and models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, A. C.; Bellomo, K.; Murphy, L.

2013-12-01

Large scale warming and cooling periods of the North Atlantic is known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The pattern of warming and cooling in the North Atlantic Ocean over the 20th century that has a characteristic spatial structure with maximum warming in the mid-latitudes and subtropics. This has been most often attributed to changes in the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which in turn affects poleward heat transport. A recent modeling study by Booth et al. (2012), however, suggested that aerosols can explain both the spatial pattern and temporal history of Atlantic SST through indirect effects of aerosols on cloud cover; although this idea is controversial (Zhang et al., 2013). We have found observational evidence that changes in cloud amount can drive SST changes on multi-decadal timescale. We hypothesize that a positive local feedback between SST and cloud radiative effect amplifies SST and gives rise to the observed pattern of SST change. During cool North Atlantic periods, a southward shift of the ITCZ strengthens the trade winds in the tropical North Atlantic and increases low-level cloud cover, which acts to amplify the SST cooling in the North Atlantic. During warm periods in the North Atlantic, the opposite response occurs. We are testing whether the amplitude of this feedback is realistically simulated in the CMIP5 models, and whether inter-model differences in the amplitude of the feedback can explain differences in model simulations of Atlantic multi-decadal variability.

Source Attribution of Near-surface Ozone in the Western US: Improved Estimates by TF HTAP2 Multi-model Experiment and Multi-scale Chemical Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, M.; Bowman, K. W.; Carmichael, G. R.; Lee, M.; Park, R.; Henze, D. K.; Chai, T.; Flemming, J.; Lin, M.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Wisthaler, A.; Jaffe, D. A.

2014-12-01

Near-surface ozone in the western US can be sensitive to transported background pollutants from the free troposphere over the eastern Pacific, as well as various local emissions sources. Accurately estimating ozone source contributions in this region has strong policy-relevant significance as the air quality standards tend to go down. Here we improve modeled contributions from local and non-local sources to western US ozone base on the HTAP2 (Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution) multi-model experiment, along with multi-scale chemical data assimilation. We simulate western US air quality using the STEM regional model on a 12 km horizontal resolution grid, during the NASA ARCTAS field campaign period in June 2008. STEM simulations use time-varying boundary conditions downscaled from global GEOS-Chem model simulations. Standard GEOS-Chem simulation overall underpredicted ozone at 1-5 km in the eastern Pacific, resulting in underestimated contributions from the transported background pollutants to surface ozone inland. These negative biases can be reduced by using the output from several global models that support the HTAP2 experiment, which all ran with the HTAP2 harmonized emission inventory and also calculated the contributions from east Asian anthropogenic emissions. We demonstrate that the biases in GEOS-Chem boundary conditions can be more efficiently reduced via assimilating satellite ozone profiles from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument using the three dimensional variational (3D-Var) approach. Base upon these TES-constrained GEOS-Chem boundary conditions, we then update regional nitrogen dioxide and isoprene emissions in STEM through the four dimensional variational (4D-Var) assimilation of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) nitrogen dioxide columns and the NASA DC-8 aircraft isoprene measurements. The 4D-Var assimilation spatially redistributed the emissions of nitrogen oxides and isoprene from various US sources, and in the meantime updated the modeled ozone and its US source contributions. Compared with available independent measurements (e.g., ozone observed on the DC-8 aircraft, and at EPA and Mt. Bachelor monitoring stations) during this period, modeled ozone fields after the multi-scale assimilation show overall improvement.

Informing Aerosol Transport Models With Satellite Multi-Angle Aerosol Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Limbacher, J.; Patadia, F.; Petrenko, M.; Martin, M. Val; Chin, M.; Gaitley, B.; Garay, M.; Kalashnikova, O.; Nelson, D.; Scollo, S.

2011-01-01

As the aerosol products from the NASA Earth Observing System's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) mature, we are placing greater focus on ways of using the aerosol amount and type data products, and aerosol plume heights, to constrain aerosol transport models. We have demonstrated the ability to map aerosol air-mass-types regionally, and have identified product upgrades required to apply them globally, including the need for a quality flag indicating the aerosol type information content, that varies depending upon retrieval conditions. We have shown that MISR aerosol type can distinguish smoke from dust, volcanic ash from sulfate and water particles, and can identify qualitative differences in mixtures of smoke, dust, and pollution aerosol components in urban settings. We demonstrated the use of stereo imaging to map smoke, dust, and volcanic effluent plume injection height, and the combination of MISR and MODIS aerosol optical depth maps to constrain wildfire smoke source strength. This talk will briefly highlight where we stand on these application, with emphasis on the steps we are taking toward applying the capabilities toward constraining aerosol transport models, planet-wide.

Simulation of multi-pulse coaxial helicity injection in the Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Bryan, J. B.; Romero-Talamás, C. A.; Woodruff, S.

2018-03-01

Nonlinear, numerical computation with the NIMROD code is used to explore magnetic self-organization during multi-pulse coaxial helicity injection in the Sustained Spheromak Physics eXperiment. We describe multiple distinct phases of spheromak evolution, starting from vacuum magnetic fields and the formation of the initial magnetic flux bubble through multiple refluxing pulses and the eventual onset of the column mode instability. Experimental and computational magnetic diagnostics agree on the onset of the column mode instability, which first occurs during the second refluxing pulse of the simulated discharge. Our computations also reproduce the injector voltage traces, despite only specifying the injector current and not explicitly modeling the external capacitor bank circuit. The computations demonstrate that global magnetic evolution is fairly robust to different transport models and, therefore, that a single fluid-temperature model is sufficient for a broader, qualitative assessment of spheromak performance. Although discharges with similar traces of normalized injector current produce similar global spheromak evolution, details of the current distribution during the column mode instability impact the relative degree of poloidal flux amplification and magnetic helicity content.

Personalized Recommendation of Learning Material Using Sequential Pattern Mining and Attribute Based Collaborative Filtering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salehi, Mojtaba; Nakhai Kamalabadi, Isa; Ghaznavi Ghoushchi, Mohammad Bagher

2014-01-01

Material recommender system is a significant part of e-learning systems for personalization and recommendation of appropriate materials to learners. However, in the existing recommendation algorithms, dynamic interests and multi-preference of learners and multidimensional-attribute of materials are not fully considered simultaneously. Moreover,…

A methodological approach for using high-level Petri Nets to model the immune system response.

PubMed

Pennisi, Marzio; Cavalieri, Salvatore; Motta, Santo; Pappalardo, Francesco

2016-12-22

Mathematical and computational models showed to be a very important support tool for the comprehension of the immune system response against pathogens. Models and simulations allowed to study the immune system behavior, to test biological hypotheses about diseases and infection dynamics, and to improve and optimize novel and existing drugs and vaccines. Continuous models, mainly based on differential equations, usually allow to qualitatively study the system but lack in description; conversely discrete models, such as agent based models and cellular automata, permit to describe in detail entities properties at the cost of losing most qualitative analyses. Petri Nets (PN) are a graphical modeling tool developed to model concurrency and synchronization in distributed systems. Their use has become increasingly marked also thanks to the introduction in the years of many features and extensions which lead to the born of "high level" PN. We propose a novel methodological approach that is based on high level PN, and in particular on Colored Petri Nets (CPN), that can be used to model the immune system response at the cellular scale. To demonstrate the potentiality of the approach we provide a simple model of the humoral immune system response that is able of reproducing some of the most complex well-known features of the adaptive response like memory and specificity features. The methodology we present has advantages of both the two classical approaches based on continuous and discrete models, since it allows to gain good level of granularity in the description of cells behavior without losing the possibility of having a qualitative analysis. Furthermore, the presented methodology based on CPN allows the adoption of the same graphical modeling technique well known to life scientists that use PN for the modeling of signaling pathways. Finally, such an approach may open the floodgates to the realization of multi scale models that integrate both signaling pathways (intra cellular) models and cellular (population) models built upon the same technique and software.

Emergency Medicine Resident Perceptions of Medical Professionalism.

PubMed

Jauregui, Joshua; Gatewood, Medley O; Ilgen, Jonathan S; Schaninger, Caitlin; Strote, Jared

2016-05-01

Medical professionalism is a core competency for emergency medicine (EM) trainees; but defining professionalism remains challenging, leading to difficulties creating objectives and performing assessment. Because professionalism is dynamic, culture-specific, and often taught by modeling, an exploration of trainees' perceptions can highlight their educational baseline and elucidate the importance they place on general conventional professionalism domains. To this end, our objective was to assess the relative value EM residents place on traditional components of professionalism. We performed a cross-sectional, multi-institutional survey of incoming and graduating EM residents at four programs. The survey was developed using the American Board of Internal Medicine's "Project Professionalism" and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education definition of professionalism competency. We identified 27 attributes within seven domains: clinical excellence, humanism, accountability, altruism, duty and service, honor and integrity, and respect for others. Residents were asked to rate each attribute on a 10-point scale. We analyzed data to assess variance across attributes as well as differences between residents at different training levels or different institutions. Of the 114 residents eligible, 100 (88%) completed the survey. The relative value assigned to different professional attributes varied considerably, with those in the altruism domain valued significantly lower and those in the "respect for others" and "honor and integrity" valued significantly higher (p<0.001). Significant differences were found between interns and seniors for five attributes primarily in the "duty and service" domain (p<0.05). Among different residencies, significant differences were found with attributes within the "altruism" and "duty and service" domains (p<0.05). Residents perceive differences in the relative importance of traditionally defined professional attributes and this may be useful to educators. Explanations for these differences are hypothesized, as are the potential implications for professionalism education. Because teaching professional behavior is taught most effectively via behavior modeling, faculty awareness of resident values and faculty development to address potential gaps may improve professionalism education.

Metrology of human-based and other qualitative measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pendrill, Leslie; Petersson, Niclas

2016-09-01

The metrology of human-based and other qualitative measurements is in its infancy—concepts such as traceability and uncertainty are as yet poorly developed. This paper reviews how a measurement system analysis approach, particularly invoking as performance metric the ability of a probe (such as a human being) acting as a measurement instrument to make a successful decision, can enable a more general metrological treatment of qualitative observations. Measures based on human observations are typically qualitative, not only in sectors, such as health care, services and safety, where the human factor is obvious, but also in customer perception of traditional products of all kinds. A principal challenge is that the usual tools of statistics normally employed for expressing measurement accuracy and uncertainty will probably not work reliably if relations between distances on different portions of scales are not fully known, as is typical of ordinal or other qualitative measurements. A key enabling insight is to connect the treatment of decision risks associated with measurement uncertainty to generalized linear modelling (GLM). Handling qualitative observations in this way unites information theory, the perceptive identification and choice paradigms of psychophysics. The Rasch invariant measure psychometric GLM approach in particular enables a proper treatment of ordinal data; a clear separation of probe and item attribute estimates; simple expressions for instrument sensitivity; etc. Examples include two aspects of the care of breast cancer patients, from diagnosis to rehabilitation. The Rasch approach leads in turn to opportunities of establishing metrological references for quality assurance of qualitative measurements. In psychometrics, one could imagine a certified reference for knowledge challenge, for example, a particular concept in understanding physics or for product quality of a certain health care service. Multivariate methods, such as Principal Component Regression, can also be improved by exploiting the increased resolution of the Rasch approach.

Recovery from Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Qualitative Study of Attributions in Survivors of War

PubMed Central

Ajdukovic, Dean; Ajdukovic, Dea; Bogic, Marija; Franciskovic, Tanja; Galeazzi, Gian Maria; Kucukalic, Abdulah; Lecic-Tosevski, Dusica; Schützwohl, Matthias; Priebe, Stefan

2013-01-01

Objective The study explored factors to which people traumatized by war attribute their recovery from posttraumatic symptoms and from war experiences. Methods : In-depth interviews were conducted with two groups of participants with mental sequelae of the war in the former Yugoslavia: 26 people who had recovered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 17 people with ongoing symptoms of PTSD. Participants could attribute their recovery to any event, person or process in their life. The material was subjected to thematic analysis. Results Eight themes covered all factors to which participants attributed their recovery. Six themes described healing factors relevant for both groups of participants: social attachment and support, various strategies of coping with symptoms, personality hardiness, mental health treatment, received material support, and normalization of everyday life. In addition to the common factors, recovered participants reported community involvement as healing, and recovered refugees identified also feeling safe after resolving their civil status as helpful. Unique to the recovered group was that they maintained reciprocal relations in social attachment and support, employed future-oriented coping and emphasised their resilient personality style. Conclusions The reported factors of recovery are largely consistent with models of mental health protection, models of resilience and recommended interventions in the aftermath of massive trauma. Yet, they add the importance of a strong orientation towards the future, a reciprocity in receiving and giving social support and involvement in meaningful activities that ensure social recognition as a productive and valued individual. The findings can inform psychosocial interventions to facilitate recovery from posttraumatic symptoms of people affected by war and upheaval. PMID:23950965

Pattern Search in Multi-structure Data: A Framework for the Next-Generation Evidence-based Medicine

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

Sukumar, Sreenivas R; Ainsworth, Keela C

With the advent of personalized and evidence-based medicine, the need for a framework to analyze/interpret quantitative measurements (blood work, toxicology, etc.) with qualitative descriptions (specialist reports after reading images, bio-medical knowledge-bases) to predict diagnostic risks is fast emerging. Addressing this need, we pose and address the following questions (i) How can we jointly analyze both qualitative and quantitative data ? (ii) Is the fusion of multi-structure data expected to provide better insights than either of them individually ? We present experiments on two bio-medical data sets - mammography and traumatic brain studies to demonstrate architectures and tools for evidence-pattern search.

What explains between-school differences in rates of sexual experience?

PubMed Central

Henderson, Marion; Butcher, Isabella; Wight, Daniel; Williamson, Lisa; Raab, Gillian

2008-01-01

Background Schools have the potential to influence their pupils' behaviour through the school's social organisation and culture, as well as through the formal curriculum. This paper provides the first attempt to explain the differences between schools in rates of reported heterosexual sexual experience amongst 15 and 16 year olds. It first examined whether variations in rates of sexual experience remained after controlling for the known predictors of sexual activity. It then examined whether these residuals, or 'school effects', were attributable to processes within the school, or were more likely to reflect characteristics of the neighbourhood. Methods Longitudinal survey data from 4,926 pupils in 24 Scottish schools were linked to qualitative and quantitative data on school processes including quality of relationships (staff-pupil, etc), classroom discipline, organisation of Personal and Social Education, school appearance and pupil morale. Multi-level modelling was used to test a range of models and the resulting 'school effects' were then interpreted using the process data. Results Overall, 42% of girls and 33% of boys reported experience of sexual intercourse, with rates by school ranging from 23% to 61%. When individual socio-economic and socio-cultural factors were taken into account the school variation dropped sharply, though pupils' attitudes and aspirations had little effect. There was very little correlation between boys' and girls' rates of sexual experience by school, after controlling for known predictors of sexual activity. Girls were more influenced by individual socio-economic factors than boys. School-level socio-economic factors were predictive even after taking account of individual socio-cultural factors, suggesting that the wider socio-economic environment further influenced young people's sexual experience. Conclusion Importantly, school processes did not explain the variation between schools in sexual experience. Rather, the variation may have been due to neighbourhood culture. PMID:18261205

Genetic and environmental influences on adolescents' smoking involvement: a multi-informant twin study.

PubMed

Seglem, Karoline Brobakke; Waaktaar, Trine; Ask, Helga; Torgersen, Svenn

2015-03-01

Studying monozygotic and dizygotic adolescent twin pairs of both sexes reared together, the present study examined the extent to which the variance in smoking involvement is attributable to genetic and environmental effects, and to what extent there are sex differences in the etiology. Questionnaire data on how often the adolescent had ever smoked tobacco was collected from a population-based twin sample consisting of seven national birth cohorts (ages 12-18), their mothers, and their fathers (N = 1,394 families). The data was analyzed with multivariate genetic modeling, using a multi-informant design. The etiological structure of smoking involvement was best represented in an ACE common pathway model, with smoking defined as a latent factor loading onto all three informants' reports. Estimates could be set equal across sexes. Results showed that adolescent lifetime smoking involvement was moderately heritable (37 %). The largest influence was from the shared environment (56 %), while environmental effects unique to each twin had minimal influence (7 %).

Negotiating the "Multi" in Multilingualism and Multiliteracies: Undergraduate Students in Vancouver, Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Steve; Hayashi, Hisako; Yeung, Paul

2012-01-01

This article poses the following research question: How do multilingual students in higher education negotiate the "multi" in their multilingualism and multiliteracies? The article presents data from a qualitative study conducted with eight multilingual undergraduate university students in which the participants describe their complex…

Uncovering One Trilingual Child's Multi-Literacies Development across Informal and Formal Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Mi Song

2016-01-01

Due to globalisation and rapid technological change, today's educators need to help students develop multi-literacy competencies to enable them to function successfully in our culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) and increasingly connected global and digital society. A qualitative, longitudinal case study attempted to uncover the…

Deciding Factors: Do Factors beyond Achievement Influence Teachers' Student Placement Decisions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Tasha

2014-01-01

Since teachers' decisions potentially have consequences for learners' future educational and life opportunities, it is imperative to determine the basis of teachers' decision-making in order to determine whether it is discriminatory. This study combines qualitative and quantitative methods towards a multi-school, multi-region study of Australian…

Experiences of Adult Students in Multi-Generational Community College Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clemente, Kathleen Ann

2010-01-01

This qualitative study is a basic interpretative inquiry studying the experiences of fourteen adult students 45 years of age or older in a multi-generational community college classroom. The study is informed by social constructivism, social constructionism and andragogy. It focused on how students viewed their experiences in the…

Modeling the binding affinity of structurally diverse industrial chemicals to carbon using the artificial intelligence approaches.

PubMed

Gupta, Shikha; Basant, Nikita; Rai, Premanjali; Singh, Kunwar P

2015-11-01

Binding affinity of chemical to carbon is an important characteristic as it finds vast industrial applications. Experimental determination of the adsorption capacity of diverse chemicals onto carbon is both time and resource intensive, and development of computational approaches has widely been advocated. In this study, artificial intelligence (AI)-based ten different qualitative and quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models (MLPN, RBFN, PNN/GRNN, CCN, SVM, GEP, GMDH, SDT, DTF, DTB) were established for the prediction of the adsorption capacity of structurally diverse chemicals to activated carbon following the OECD guidelines. Structural diversity of the chemicals and nonlinear dependence in the data were evaluated using the Tanimoto similarity index and Brock-Dechert-Scheinkman statistics. The generalization and prediction abilities of the constructed models were established through rigorous internal and external validation procedures performed employing a wide series of statistical checks. In complete dataset, the qualitative models rendered classification accuracies between 97.04 and 99.93%, while the quantitative models yielded correlation (R(2)) values of 0.877-0.977 between the measured and the predicted endpoint values. The quantitative prediction accuracies for the higher molecular weight (MW) compounds (class 4) were relatively better than those for the low MW compounds. Both in the qualitative and quantitative models, the Polarizability was the most influential descriptor. Structural alerts responsible for the extreme adsorption behavior of the compounds were identified. Higher number of carbon and presence of higher halogens in a molecule rendered higher binding affinity. Proposed QSPR models performed well and outperformed the previous reports. A relatively better performance of the ensemble learning models (DTF, DTB) may be attributed to the strengths of the bagging and boosting algorithms which enhance the predictive accuracies. The proposed AI models can be useful tools in screening the chemicals for their binding affinities toward carbon for their safe management.

Hemodialysis patients' preferences for the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

PubMed

Hauber, Brett; Caloyeras, John; Posner, Joshua; Brommage, Deborah; Belozeroff, Vasily; Cooper, Kerry

2017-07-28

Patient engagement and patient-centered care are critical in optimally managing patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Understanding patient preferences is a key element of patient-centered care and shared decision making. The objective of this study was to elicit patients' preferences for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) associated with ESRD using a discrete-choice experiment survey. Clinical literature, nephrologist input, patient-education resources, and a patient focus group informed development of the survey instrument, which was qualitatively pretested before its administration to a broader sample of patients. The National Kidney Foundation invited individuals in the United States with ESRD who were undergoing hemodialysis to participate in the survey. Respondents chose among three hypothetical SHPT treatment alternatives (two medical alternatives and surgery) in each of a series of questions, which were defined by attributes of efficacy (effect on laboratory values and symptoms), safety, tolerability, mode of administration, and cost. The survey instrument included a best-worst scaling exercise to quantify the relative bother of the individual attributes of surgery. Random-parameters logit models were used to evaluate the conditional relative importance of the attributes. A total of 200 patients with ESRD completed the survey. The treatment attributes that were most important to the respondents were whether a treatment was a medication or surgery and out-of-pocket cost. Patients had statistically significant preferences for efficacy attributes related to symptom management and laboratory values, but placed less importance on the attributes related to mode of administration and side effects. The most bothersome attribute of surgery was the risk of surgical mortality. Patients with ESRD and SHPT who are undergoing hemodialysis understand SHPT and have clear and measurable treatment preferences. These results may help inform clinicians about patients' preferences regarding treatment options for a common complication of ESRD.

A mathematical model for adaptive transport network in path finding by true slime mold.

PubMed

Tero, Atsushi; Kobayashi, Ryo; Nakagaki, Toshiyuki

2007-02-21

We describe here a mathematical model of the adaptive dynamics of a transport network of the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum, an amoeboid organism that exhibits path-finding behavior in a maze. This organism possesses a network of tubular elements, by means of which nutrients and signals circulate through the plasmodium. When the organism is put in a maze, the network changes its shape to connect two exits by the shortest path. This process of path-finding is attributed to an underlying physiological mechanism: a tube thickens as the flux through it increases. The experimental evidence for this is, however, only qualitative. We constructed a mathematical model of the general form of the tube dynamics. Our model contains a key parameter corresponding to the extent of the feedback regulation between the thickness of a tube and the flux through it. We demonstrate the dependence of the behavior of the model on this parameter.

Introduction of an agent-based multi-scale modular architecture for dynamic knowledge representation of acute inflammation.

PubMed

An, Gary

2008-05-27

One of the greatest challenges facing biomedical research is the integration and sharing of vast amounts of information, not only for individual researchers, but also for the community at large. Agent Based Modeling (ABM) can provide a means of addressing this challenge via a unifying translational architecture for dynamic knowledge representation. This paper presents a series of linked ABMs representing multiple levels of biological organization. They are intended to translate the knowledge derived from in vitro models of acute inflammation to clinically relevant phenomenon such as multiple organ failure. ABM development followed a sequence starting with relatively direct translation from in-vitro derived rules into a cell-as-agent level ABM, leading on to concatenated ABMs into multi-tissue models, eventually resulting in topologically linked aggregate multi-tissue ABMs modeling organ-organ crosstalk. As an underlying design principle organs were considered to be functionally composed of an epithelial surface, which determined organ integrity, and an endothelial/blood interface, representing the reaction surface for the initiation and propagation of inflammation. The development of the epithelial ABM derived from an in-vitro model of gut epithelial permeability is described. Next, the epithelial ABM was concatenated with the endothelial/inflammatory cell ABM to produce an organ model of the gut. This model was validated against in-vivo models of the inflammatory response of the gut to ischemia. Finally, the gut ABM was linked to a similarly constructed pulmonary ABM to simulate the gut-pulmonary axis in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure. The behavior of this model was validated against in-vivo and clinical observations on the cross-talk between these two organ systems. A series of ABMs are presented extending from the level of intracellular mechanism to clinically observed behavior in the intensive care setting. The ABMs all utilize cell-level agents that encapsulate specific mechanistic knowledge extracted from in vitro experiments. The execution of the ABMs results in a dynamic representation of the multi-scale conceptual models derived from those experiments. These models represent a qualitative means of integrating basic scientific information on acute inflammation in a multi-scale, modular architecture as a means of conceptual model verification that can potentially be used to concatenate, communicate and advance community-wide knowledge.

Therapy preferences of patients with lung and colon cancer: a discrete choice experiment.

PubMed

Schmidt, Katharina; Damm, Kathrin; Vogel, Arndt; Golpon, Heiko; Manns, Michael P; Welte, Tobias; Graf von der Schulenburg, J-Matthias

2017-01-01

There is increasing interest in studies that examine patient preferences to measure health-related outcomes. Understanding patients' preferences can improve the treatment process and is particularly relevant for oncology. In this study, we aimed to identify the subgroup-specific treatment preferences of German patients with lung cancer (LC) or colorectal cancer (CRC). Six discrete choice experiment (DCE) attributes were established on the basis of a systematic literature review and qualitative interviews. The DCE analyses comprised generalized linear mixed-effects model and latent class mixed logit model. The study cohort comprised 310 patients (194 with LC, 108 with CRC, 8 with both types of cancer) with a median age of 63 (SD =10.66) years. The generalized linear mixed-effects model showed a significant ( P <0.05) degree of association for all of the tested attributes. "Strongly increased life expectancy" was the attribute given the greatest weight by all patient groups. Using latent class mixed logit model analysis, we identified three classes of patients. Patients who were better informed tended to prefer a more balanced relationship between length and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than those who were less informed. Class 2 (LC patients with low HRQoL who had undergone surgery) gave a very strong weighting to increased length of life. We deduced from Class 3 patients that those with a relatively good life expectancy (CRC compared with LC) gave a greater weight to moderate effects on HRQoL than to a longer life. Overall survival was the most important attribute of therapy for patients with LC or CRC. Differences in treatment preferences between subgroups should be considered in regard to treatment and development of guidelines. Patients' preferences were not affected by sex or age, but were affected by the cancer type, HRQoL, surgery status, and the main source of information on the disease.

Comparing multi-criteria decision analysis and integrated assessment to support long-term water supply planning

PubMed Central

Maurer, Max; Lienert, Judit

2017-01-01

We compare the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)–or more precisely, models used in multi-attribute value theory (MAVT)–to integrated assessment (IA) models for supporting long-term water supply planning in a small town case study in Switzerland. They are used to evaluate thirteen system scale water supply alternatives in four future scenarios regarding forty-four objectives, covering technical, social, environmental, and economic aspects. The alternatives encompass both conventional and unconventional solutions and differ regarding technical, spatial and organizational characteristics. This paper focuses on the impact assessment and final evaluation step of the structured MCDA decision support process. We analyze the performance of the alternatives for ten stakeholders. We demonstrate the implications of model assumptions by comparing two IA and three MAVT evaluation model layouts of different complexity. For this comparison, we focus on the validity (ranking stability), desirability (value), and distinguishability (value range) of the alternatives given the five model layouts. These layouts exclude or include stakeholder preferences and uncertainties. Even though all five led us to identify the same best alternatives, they did not produce identical rankings. We found that the MAVT-type models provide higher distinguishability and a more robust basis for discussion than the IA-type models. The needed complexity of the model, however, should be determined based on the intended use of the model within the decision support process. The best-performing alternatives had consistently strong performance for all stakeholders and future scenarios, whereas the current water supply system was outperformed in all evaluation layouts. The best-performing alternatives comprise proactive pipe rehabilitation, adapted firefighting provisions, and decentralized water storage and/or treatment. We present recommendations for possible ways of improving water supply planning in the case study and beyond. PMID:28481881

A framework for conducting mechanistic based reliability assessments of components operating in complex systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Jon Michael

2003-10-01

Reliability prediction of components operating in complex systems has historically been conducted in a statistically isolated manner. Current physics-based, i.e. mechanistic, component reliability approaches focus more on component-specific attributes and mathematical algorithms and not enough on the influence of the system. The result is that significant error can be introduced into the component reliability assessment process. The objective of this study is the development of a framework that infuses the needs and influence of the system into the process of conducting mechanistic-based component reliability assessments. The formulated framework consists of six primary steps. The first three steps, identification, decomposition, and synthesis, are primarily qualitative in nature and employ system reliability and safety engineering principles to construct an appropriate starting point for the component reliability assessment. The following two steps are the most unique. They involve a step to efficiently characterize and quantify the system-driven local parameter space and a subsequent step using this information to guide the reduction of the component parameter space. The local statistical space quantification step is accomplished using two proposed multivariate probability models: Multi-Response First Order Second Moment and Taylor-Based Inverse Transformation. Where existing joint probability models require preliminary distribution and correlation information of the responses, these models combine statistical information of the input parameters with an efficient sampling of the response analyses to produce the multi-response joint probability distribution. Parameter space reduction is accomplished using Approximate Canonical Correlation Analysis (ACCA) employed as a multi-response screening technique. The novelty of this approach is that each individual local parameter and even subsets of parameters representing entire contributing analyses can now be rank ordered with respect to their contribution to not just one response, but the entire vector of component responses simultaneously. The final step of the framework is the actual probabilistic assessment of the component. Although the same multivariate probability tools employed in the characterization step can be used for the component probability assessment, variations of this final step are given to allow for the utilization of existing probabilistic methods such as response surface Monte Carlo and Fast Probability Integration. The overall framework developed in this study is implemented to assess the finite-element based reliability prediction of a gas turbine airfoil involving several failure responses. Results of this implementation are compared to results generated using the conventional 'isolated' approach as well as a validation approach conducted through large sample Monte Carlo simulations. The framework resulted in a considerable improvement to the accuracy of the part reliability assessment and an improved understanding of the component failure behavior. Considerable statistical complexity in the form of joint non-normal behavior was found and accounted for using the framework. Future applications of the framework elements are discussed.

Information networks in the stock market based on the distance of the multi-attribute dimensions between listed companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qian; Li, Huajiao; Liu, Xueyong; Jiang, Meihui

2018-04-01

In the stock market, there are widespread information connections between economic agents. Listed companies can obtain mutual information about investment decisions from common shareholders, and the extent of sharing information often determines the relationships between listed companies. Because different shareholder compositions and investment shares lead to different formations of the company's governance mechanisms, we map the investment relationships between shareholders to the multi-attribute dimensional spaces of the listed companies (each shareholder investment in a company is a company dimension). Then, we construct the listed company's information network based on co-shareholder relationships. The weights for the edges in the information network are measured with the Euclidean distance between the listed companies in the multi-attribute dimension space. We define two indices to analyze the information network's features. We conduct an empirical study that analyzes Chinese listed companies' information networks. The results from the analysis show that with the diversification and decentralization of shareholder investments, almost all Chinese listed companies exchanged information through common shareholder relationships, and there is a gradual reduction in information sharing capacity between listed companies that have common shareholders. This network analysis has benefits for risk management and portfolio investments.

A Monte-Carlo game theoretic approach for Multi-Criteria Decision Making under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madani, Kaveh; Lund, Jay R.

2011-05-01

Game theory provides a useful framework for studying Multi-Criteria Decision Making problems. This paper suggests modeling Multi-Criteria Decision Making problems as strategic games and solving them using non-cooperative game theory concepts. The suggested method can be used to prescribe non-dominated solutions and also can be used as a method to predict the outcome of a decision making problem. Non-cooperative stability definitions for solving the games allow consideration of non-cooperative behaviors, often neglected by other methods which assume perfect cooperation among decision makers. To deal with the uncertainty in input variables a Monte-Carlo Game Theory (MCGT) approach is suggested which maps the stochastic problem into many deterministic strategic games. The games are solved using non-cooperative stability definitions and the results include possible effects of uncertainty in input variables on outcomes. The method can handle multi-criteria multi-decision-maker problems with uncertainty. The suggested method does not require criteria weighting, developing a compound decision objective, and accurate quantitative (cardinal) information as it simplifies the decision analysis by solving problems based on qualitative (ordinal) information, reducing the computational burden substantially. The MCGT method is applied to analyze California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta problem. The suggested method provides insights, identifies non-dominated alternatives, and predicts likely decision outcomes.

TU-AB-202-11: Tumor Segmentation by Fusion of Multi-Tracer PET Images Using Copula Based Statistical Methods

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

Lapuyade-Lahorgue, J; Ruan, S; Li, H

Purpose: Multi-tracer PET imaging is getting more attention in radiotherapy by providing additional tumor volume information such as glucose and oxygenation. However, automatic PET-based tumor segmentation is still a very challenging problem. We propose a statistical fusion approach to joint segment the sub-area of tumors from the two tracers FDG and FMISO PET images. Methods: Non-standardized Gamma distributions are convenient to model intensity distributions in PET. As a serious correlation exists in multi-tracer PET images, we proposed a new fusion method based on copula which is capable to represent dependency between different tracers. The Hidden Markov Field (HMF) model ismore » used to represent spatial relationship between PET image voxels and statistical dynamics of intensities for each modality. Real PET images of five patients with FDG and FMISO are used to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively our method. A comparison between individual and multi-tracer segmentations was conducted to show advantages of the proposed fusion method. Results: The segmentation results show that fusion with Gaussian copula can receive high Dice coefficient of 0.84 compared to that of 0.54 and 0.3 of monomodal segmentation results based on individual segmentation of FDG and FMISO PET images. In addition, high correlation coefficients (0.75 to 0.91) for the Gaussian copula for all five testing patients indicates the dependency between tumor regions in the multi-tracer PET images. Conclusion: This study shows that using multi-tracer PET imaging can efficiently improve the segmentation of tumor region where hypoxia and glucidic consumption are present at the same time. Introduction of copulas for modeling the dependency between two tracers can simultaneously take into account information from both tracers and deal with two pathological phenomena. Future work will be to consider other families of copula such as spherical and archimedian copulas, and to eliminate partial volume effect by considering dependency between neighboring voxels.« less

Turning on the care coordination switch in rural primary care: voices from the practices--clinician champions, clinician partners, administrators, and nurse care managers.

PubMed

Fagnan, Lyle J; Dorr, David A; Davis, Melinda; McGinnis, Paul; Mahler, Jo; King, Molly McCarthy; Michaels, LeAnn

2011-01-01

This study sought to understand the acceptability and feasibility of office-based nurse care management in medium to large rural primary care practices. A qualitative assessment of Care Management Plus (a focused medical home model for complex patients) implementation was conducted using semistructured interviews with 4 staff cohorts. Cohorts included clinician champions, clinician partners, practice administrators, and nurse care managers. Seven key implementation attributes were: a proven care coordination program; adequate staffing; practice buy-in; adequate time; measurement; practice facilitation; and functional information technology. Although staff was positive about the care coordination concept, model acceptability was varied and additional study is required to determine sustainability.

Approximating the Qualitative Vickrey Auction by a Negotiation Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindriks, Koen V.; Tykhonov, Dmytro; de Weerdt, Mathijs

A result of Bulow and Klemperer has suggested that auctions may be a better tool to obtain an efficient outcome than negotiation. For example, some auction mechanisms can be shown to be efficient and strategy-proof. However, they generally also require that the preferences of at least one side of the auction are publicly known. However, sometimes it is very costly, impossible, or undesirable to publicly announce such preferences. It thus is interesting to find methods that do not impose this constraint but still approximate the outcome of the auction. In this paper we show that a multi-round multi-party negotiation protocol may be used to this end if the negotiating agents are capable of learning opponent preferences. The latter condition can be met by current state of the art negotiation technology. We show that this protocol approximates the theoretical outcome predicted by a so-called Qualitative Vickrey auction mechanism (even) on a complex multi-issue domain.

Feeling safe during an inpatient hospitalization: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Mollon, Deene

2014-08-01

This paper aims to explore the critical attributes of the concept feeling safe. The safe delivery of care is a high priority; however; it is not really known what it means to the patient to 'feel safe' during an inpatient hospitalization. This analysis explores the topic of safety from the patient's perspective. Concept analysis. The data bases of CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo and Google Scholar for the years 1995-2012 were searched using the terms safe and feeling safe. The eight-step concept analysis method of Walker and Avant was used to analyse the concept of feeling safe. Uses and defining attributes, as well as identified antecedents, consequences and empirical referents, are presented. Case examples are provided to assist in the understanding of defining attributes. Feeling safe is defined as an emotional state where perceptions of care contribute to a sense of security and freedom from harm. Four attributes were identified: trust, cared for, presence and knowledge. Relationship, environment and suffering are the antecedents of feeling safe, while control, hope and relaxed or calm are the consequences. Empirical referents and early development of a theory of feeling safe are explored. This analysis begins the work of synthesizing qualitative research already completed around the concept of feeling safe by defining the key attributes of the concept. Support for the importance of developing patient-centred models of care and creating positive environments where patients receive high-quality care and feel safe is provided. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Flavor instabilities in the neutrino line model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Huaiyu; Shalgar, Shashank

2015-07-01

A dense neutrino medium can experience collective flavor oscillations through nonlinear neutrino-neutrino refraction. To make this multi-dimensional flavor transport problem more tractable, all existing studies have assumed certain symmetries (e.g., the spatial homogeneity and directional isotropy in the early universe) to reduce the dimensionality of the problem. In this work we show that, if both the directional and spatial symmetries are not enforced in the neutrino line model, collective oscillations can develop in the physical regimes where the symmetry-preserving oscillation modes are stable. Our results suggest that collective neutrino oscillations in real astrophysical environments (such as core-collapse supernovae and black-hole accretion discs) can be qualitatively different from the predictions based on existing models in which spatial and directional symmetries are artificially imposed.

External and semi-internal controls for PCR amplification of homologous sequences in mixed templates.

PubMed

Kalle, Elena; Gulevich, Alexander; Rensing, Christopher

2013-11-01

In a mixed template, the presence of homologous target DNA sequences creates environments that almost inevitably give rise to artifacts and biases during PCR. Heteroduplexes, chimeras, and skewed template-to-product ratios are the exclusive attributes of mixed template PCR and never occur in a single template assay. Yet, multi-template PCR has been used without appropriate attention to quality control and assay validation, in spite of the fact that such practice diminishes the reliability of results. External and internal amplification controls became obligatory elements of good laboratory practice in different PCR assays. We propose the inclusion of an analogous approach as a quality control system for multi-template PCR applications. The amplification controls must take into account the characteristics of multi-template PCR and be able to effectively monitor particular assay performance. This study demonstrated the efficiency of a model mixed template as an adequate external amplification control for a particular PCR application. The conditions of multi-template PCR do not allow implementation of a classic internal control; therefore we developed a convenient semi-internal control as an acceptable alternative. In order to evaluate the effects of inhibitors, a model multi-template mix was amplified in a mixture with DNAse-treated sample. Semi-internal control allowed establishment of intervals for robust PCR performance for different samples, thus enabling correct comparison of the samples. The complexity of the external and semi-internal amplification controls must be comparable with the assumed complexity of the samples. We also emphasize that amplification controls should be applied in multi-template PCR regardless of the post-assay method used to analyze products. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attributions for School Achievement of Anglo and Native American Community College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Stephen; Rossman, Mark H.

Attributions for school success and failure were examined among 211 community college students (112 Native Americans and 99 Anglos) enrolled in remedial reading classes at a large, urban multi-campus community college system in the Southwest. The Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS) was administered to the students in their…

Using synchronization in multi-model ensembles to improve prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiemstra, P.; Selten, F.

2012-04-01

In recent decades, many climate models have been developed to understand and predict the behavior of the Earth's climate system. Although these models are all based on the same basic physical principles, they still show different behavior. This is for example caused by the choice of how to parametrize sub-grid scale processes. One method to combine these imperfect models, is to run a multi-model ensemble. The models are given identical initial conditions and are integrated forward in time. A multi-model estimate can for example be a weighted mean of the ensemble members. We propose to go a step further, and try to obtain synchronization between the imperfect models by connecting the multi-model ensemble, and exchanging information. The combined multi-model ensemble is also known as a supermodel. The supermodel has learned from observations how to optimally exchange information between the ensemble members. In this study we focused on the density and formulation of the onnections within the supermodel. The main question was whether we could obtain syn-chronization between two climate models when connecting only a subset of their state spaces. Limiting the connected subspace has two advantages: 1) it limits the transfer of data (bytes) between the ensemble, which can be a limiting factor in large scale climate models, and 2) learning the optimal connection strategy from observations is easier. To answer the research question, we connected two identical quasi-geostrohic (QG) atmospheric models to each other, where the model have different initial conditions. The QG model is a qualitatively realistic simulation of the winter flow on the Northern hemisphere, has three layers and uses a spectral imple-mentation. We connected the models in the original spherical harmonical state space, and in linear combinations of these spherical harmonics, i.e. Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). We show that when connecting through spherical harmonics, we only need to connect 28% of the state variables to obtain synchronization. In addition, when connecting through EOFs, we can reduce this percentage even more to 12%. This reduction is caused by the more efficient description of the model state variables when using EOFs. The connected state variables center around the medium scale structures in the model. Small and large scale structures need not be connected in order to obtain synchronization. This could be related to the baroclinic instabilities in the QG model which are located in the medium scale structures of the model. The baroclinic instabilities are the main source of divergence between the two connected models.

A mismatch between supply and demand of social support in dementia care: a qualitative study on the perspectives of spousal caregivers and their social network members.

PubMed

Dam, Alieske E H; Boots, Lizzy M M; van Boxtel, Martin P J; Verhey, Frans R J; de Vugt, Marjolein E

2017-06-13

Access to social support contributes to feelings of independence and better social health. This qualitative study aims to investigate multi-informant perspectives on informal social support in dementia care networks. Ten spousal caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) completed an ecogram, a social network card and a semi-structured interview. The ecogram aimed to trigger subjective experiences regarding social support. Subsequently, 17 network members were interviewed. The qualitative analyses identified codes, categories, and themes. Sixth themes emerged: (1) barriers to ask for support; (2) facilitators to ask for support; (3) barriers to offer support; (4) facilitators to offer support; (5) a mismatch between supply and demand of social support; and (6) openness in communication to repair the imbalance. Integrating social network perspectives resulted in a novel model identifying a mismatch between the supply and demand of social support, strengthened by a cognitive bias: caregivers reported to think for other social network members and vice versa. Openness in communication in formal and informal care systems might repair this mismatch.

Couples’ Attributions for Work Function Changes in Prodromal Huntington Disease

PubMed Central

Downing, Nancy R.; Williams, Janet K.; Paulsen, Jane S.

2013-01-01

People who have tested positive for the expanded Huntington disease (HD) gene who are not yet diagnosed (pre-HD) and their companions report subtle changes in ability of people with pre-HD to do their jobs. However, it is not known whether they attribute these changes to HD. Semi-structured telephone interviews were analyzed from seven persons with pre-HD at different estimated points from diagnosis and six companions. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis methods. Participants made attributions related to health, work, and temperament. Only one participant attributed a change to HD. The process of forming attributions was demonstrated through symptom monitoring and comparison of participants with pre-HD to others with and without HD. Participants also expressed uncertainty regarding how to make attributions. Attributions influence coping procedures, including whether to seek and accept medical treatment. In persons with prodromal HD the relationship between attributions and use of coping strategies for symptoms that interfere with job functioning is unknown. PMID:20309619

Lightning Damage of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Laminates with Interlayers Modified by Nickel-Coated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Qi; Wan, Guoshun; Xu, Yongzheng; Guo, Yunli; Du, Tianxiang; Yi, Xiaosu; Jia, Yuxi

2017-12-01

The numerical model of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates with electrically modified interlayers subjected to lightning strike is constructed through finite element simulation, in which both intra-laminar and inter-laminar lightning damages are considered by means of coupled electrical-thermal-pyrolytic analysis method. Then the lightning damage extents including the damage volume and maximum damage depth are investigated. The results reveal that the simulated lightning damages could be qualitatively compared to the experimental counterparts of CFRP laminates with interlayers modified by nickel-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-MWCNTs). With higher electrical conductivity of modified interlayer and more amount of modified interlayers, both damage volume and maximum damage depth are reduced. This work provides an effective guidance to the anti-lightning optimization of CFRP laminates.

Land-Use History and Contemporary Management Inform an Ecological Reference Model for Longleaf Pine Woodland Understory Plant Communities.

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

Brudvig, Lars A.; Orrock, John L.; Damschen, Ellen I.

Ecological restoration is frequently guided by reference conditions describing a successfully restored ecosystem; however, the causes and magnitude of ecosystem degradation vary, making simple knowledge of reference conditions insufficient for prioritizing and guiding restoration. Ecological reference models provide further guidance by quantifying reference conditions, as well as conditions at degraded states that deviate from reference conditions. Many reference models remain qualitative, however, limiting their utility. We quantified and evaluated a reference model for southeastern U.S. longleaf pine woodland understory plant communities. We used regression trees to classify 232 longleaf pine woodland sites at three locations along the Atlantic coastal plainmore » based on relationships between understory plant community composition, soils lol(which broadly structure these communities), and factors associated with understory degradation, including fire frequency, agricultural history, and tree basal area. To understand the spatial generality of this model, we classified all sites together. and for each of three study locations separately. Both the regional and location-specific models produced quantifiable degradation gradients–i.e., progressive deviation from conditions at 38 reference sites, based on understory species composition, diversity and total cover, litter depth, and other attributes. Regionally, fire suppression was the most important degrading factor, followed by agricultural history, but at individual locations, agricultural history or tree basal area was most important. At one location, the influence of a degrading factor depended on soil attributes. We suggest that our regional model can help prioritize longleaf pine woodland restoration across our study region; however, due to substantial landscape-to-landscape variation, local management decisions should take into account additional factors (e.g., soil attributes). Our study demonstrates the utility of quantifying degraded states and provides a series of hypotheses for future experimental restoration work. More broadly, our work provides a framework for developing and evaluating reference models that incorporate multiple, interactive anthropogenic drivers of ecosystem degradation.« less

'spup' - an R package for uncertainty propagation in spatial environmental modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawicka, Kasia; Heuvelink, Gerard

2016-04-01

Computer models have become a crucial tool in engineering and environmental sciences for simulating the behaviour of complex static and dynamic systems. However, while many models are deterministic, the uncertainty in their predictions needs to be estimated before they are used for decision support. Currently, advances in uncertainty propagation and assessment have been paralleled by a growing number of software tools for uncertainty analysis, but none has gained recognition for a universal applicability, including case studies with spatial models and spatial model inputs. Due to the growing popularity and applicability of the open source R programming language we undertook a project to develop an R package that facilitates uncertainty propagation analysis in spatial environmental modelling. In particular, the 'spup' package provides functions for examining the uncertainty propagation starting from input data and model parameters, via the environmental model onto model predictions. The functions include uncertainty model specification, stochastic simulation and propagation of uncertainty using Monte Carlo (MC) techniques, as well as several uncertainty visualization functions. Uncertain environmental variables are represented in the package as objects whose attribute values may be uncertain and described by probability distributions. Both numerical and categorical data types are handled. Spatial auto-correlation within an attribute and cross-correlation between attributes is also accommodated for. For uncertainty propagation the package has implemented the MC approach with efficient sampling algorithms, i.e. stratified random sampling and Latin hypercube sampling. The design includes facilitation of parallel computing to speed up MC computation. The MC realizations may be used as an input to the environmental models called from R, or externally. Selected static and interactive visualization methods that are understandable by non-experts with limited background in statistics can be used to summarize and visualize uncertainty about the measured input, model parameters and output of the uncertainty propagation. We demonstrate that the 'spup' package is an effective and easy tool to apply and can be used in multi-disciplinary research and model-based decision support.

'spup' - an R package for uncertainty propagation analysis in spatial environmental modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawicka, Kasia; Heuvelink, Gerard

2017-04-01

Computer models have become a crucial tool in engineering and environmental sciences for simulating the behaviour of complex static and dynamic systems. However, while many models are deterministic, the uncertainty in their predictions needs to be estimated before they are used for decision support. Currently, advances in uncertainty propagation and assessment have been paralleled by a growing number of software tools for uncertainty analysis, but none has gained recognition for a universal applicability and being able to deal with case studies with spatial models and spatial model inputs. Due to the growing popularity and applicability of the open source R programming language we undertook a project to develop an R package that facilitates uncertainty propagation analysis in spatial environmental modelling. In particular, the 'spup' package provides functions for examining the uncertainty propagation starting from input data and model parameters, via the environmental model onto model predictions. The functions include uncertainty model specification, stochastic simulation and propagation of uncertainty using Monte Carlo (MC) techniques, as well as several uncertainty visualization functions. Uncertain environmental variables are represented in the package as objects whose attribute values may be uncertain and described by probability distributions. Both numerical and categorical data types are handled. Spatial auto-correlation within an attribute and cross-correlation between attributes is also accommodated for. For uncertainty propagation the package has implemented the MC approach with efficient sampling algorithms, i.e. stratified random sampling and Latin hypercube sampling. The design includes facilitation of parallel computing to speed up MC computation. The MC realizations may be used as an input to the environmental models called from R, or externally. Selected visualization methods that are understandable by non-experts with limited background in statistics can be used to summarize and visualize uncertainty about the measured input, model parameters and output of the uncertainty propagation. We demonstrate that the 'spup' package is an effective and easy tool to apply and can be used in multi-disciplinary research and model-based decision support.

Fluid nonlinear frequency shift of nonlinear ion acoustic waves in multi-ion species plasmas in small wave number region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Qingsong; Xiao, Chengzhuo; Wang, Qing; Zheng, Chunyang; Liu, Zhanjun; Cao, Lihua; He, Xiantu

2016-10-01

The properties of the nonlinear frequency shift (NFS) especially the fluid NFS from the harmonic generation of the ion-acoustic wave (IAW) in multi-ion species plasmas has been researched by Vlasov simulation. The pictures of the nonlinear frequency shift from harmonic generation and particles trapping are shown to explain the mechanism of NFS qualitatively. The theoretical model of the fluid NFS from harmonic generation in multi-ion species plasmas is given and the results of Vlasov simulation are consistent to theoretical result of multi-ion species plasmas. When the wave number kλDe is small, such as kλDe = 0.1 , the fluid NFS dominates in the total NFS and will reach as large as nearly 15% when the wave amplitude | eϕ / Te | 0.1 , which indicates that in the condition of small kλDe , the fluid NFS dominates in the saturation of stimulated Brillouin scattering especially when the nonlinear IAW amplitude is large. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11575035, 11475030 and 11435011) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB834101).

Information pricing based on trusted system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zehua; Zhang, Nan; Han, Hongfeng

2018-05-01

Personal information has become a valuable commodity in today's society. So our goal aims to develop a price point and a pricing system to be realistic. First of all, we improve the existing BLP system to prevent cascading incidents, design a 7-layer model. Through the cost of encryption in each layer, we develop PI price points. Besides, we use association rules mining algorithms in data mining algorithms to calculate the importance of information in order to optimize informational hierarchies of different attribute types when located within a multi-level trusted system. Finally, we use normal distribution model to predict encryption level distribution for users in different classes and then calculate information prices through a linear programming model with the help of encryption level distribution above.

Religious leaders' opinions and guidance towards oral health maintenance and promotion: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Zini, Avraham; Sgan-Cohen, Harold D; Feder-Bubis, Paula

2015-04-01

Religions emphasize the supreme value of life. However, potential or concrete conflicts of perception between dictates of faith and science often present an inescapable dilemma. The aim of this qualitative research was to examine the views of spiritual and religious leaders towards general and oral health issues. A total of 11 eminent Jewish spiritual and religious community leaders were purposively chosen. They were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were analysed in the spirit of grounded theory, using qualitative data analysis software. Open, axial, and thematic coding served to build categories and themes. Analysis of participants' perspectives reflected that they, based upon Jewish theology, attributed high importance to primary prevention at both personal and community levels. Religious and orthodox people were depicted as being motivated towards maintaining oral health behaviours due to a sense of obligation to follow religious edicts, strong social support, and elevated perceived spiritual levels. We offer a theoretical model that can explain the potential high motivation among these communities towards implementing positive general and oral health behaviours. Religiosity may be regarded as an example of a psycho-social health determinant, encompassing spiritual belief ("psycho") and social support ("social") components.

Attribution of the 1995 and 2006 storm surge events in the southern Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klehmet, K.; Rockel, B.; von Storch, H.

2016-12-01

In November 1995 and 2006, the German Baltic Sea coast experienced severe storm surge conditions. Exceptional water level heights of about 1.8m above mean sea level were measured at German tide gauges. Extreme event attribution poses unique challenges trying to distinguish the role of anthropogenic influence, as e.g. greenhouse gas emissions or land-use changes, from natural variability. This study, which is part of the EUCLEIA project (EUropean CLimate and weather Events: Interpretation and Attribution, www. eucleia.eu), aims to estimate how the contribution of anthropogenic drivers has altered the probability of single extreme events such as the 1995 and 2006 storm surge events. We explore these aspects using two 7-member ensembles of Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 3-A (HadGEM3-A), the atmosphere only component of the HadGEM3, provided by the Met Office Hadley Centre. The ensemble of HadGEM3-A consists of two multi-decadal experiments from 1960-2013 - one with anthropogenic forcing factors and natural forcings representing the actual climate. The second experiment represents the natural climate including only natural forcing factors. These two 7-member ensembles of about 60km spatial resolution are used as atmospheric forcing data to drive the regional ocean model TRIM-NP in order to calculate water level in the Baltic Sea in 12.8km spatial resolution. Findings indicate some limitations of the regional model ensemble to reproduce the magnitude of extreme water levels well. It is tested whether increased spatial resolution of atmospheric forcing fields can improve the representation of Baltic Sea extreme water levels along the coast and thus add value in the attribution analysis.

Fault zone identification in the eastern part of the Persian Gulf based on combined seismic attributes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirkamali, M. S.; Keshavarz FK, N.; Bakhtiari, M. R.

2013-02-01

Faults, as main pathways for fluids, play a critical role in creating regions of high porosity and permeability, in cutting cap rock and in the migration of hydrocarbons into the reservoir. Therefore, accurate identification of fault zones is very important in maximizing production from petroleum traps. Image processing and modern visualization techniques are provided for better mapping of objects of interest. In this study, the application of fault mapping in the identification of fault zones within the Mishan and Aghajari formations above the Guri base unconformity surface in the eastern part of Persian Gulf is investigated. Seismic single- and multi-trace attribute analyses are employed separately to determine faults in a vertical section, but different kinds of geological objects cannot be identified using individual attributes only. A mapping model is utilized to improve the identification of the faults, giving more accurate results. This method is based on combinations of all individual relevant attributes using a neural network system to create combined attributes, which gives an optimal view of the object of interest. Firstly, a set of relevant attributes were separately calculated on the vertical section. Then, at interpreted positions, some example training locations were manually selected in each fault and non-fault class by an interpreter. A neural network was trained on combinations of the attributes extracted at the example training locations to generate an optimized fault cube. Finally, the results of the fault and nonfault probability cube were estimated, which the neural network applied to the entire data set. The fault probability cube was obtained with higher mapping accuracy and greater contrast, and with fewer disturbances in comparison with individual attributes. The computed results of this study can support better understanding of the data, providing fault zone mapping with reliable results.

Optimized scheme in coal-fired boiler combustion based on information entropy and modified K-prototypes algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Hui; Zhu, Hongxia; Cui, Yanfeng; Si, Fengqi; Xue, Rui; Xi, Han; Zhang, Jiayu

2018-06-01

An integrated combustion optimization scheme is proposed for the combined considering the restriction in coal-fired boiler combustion efficiency and outlet NOx emissions. Continuous attribute discretization and reduction techniques are handled as optimization preparation by E-Cluster and C_RED methods, in which the segmentation numbers don't need to be provided in advance and can be continuously adapted with data characters. In order to obtain results of multi-objections with clustering method for mixed data, a modified K-prototypes algorithm is then proposed. This algorithm can be divided into two stages as K-prototypes algorithm for clustering number self-adaptation and clustering for multi-objective optimization, respectively. Field tests were carried out at a 660 MW coal-fired boiler to provide real data as a case study for controllable attribute discretization and reduction in boiler system and obtaining optimization parameters considering [ maxηb, minyNOx ] multi-objective rule.

A Literature Review and Compilation of Nuclear Waste Management System Attributes for Use in Multi-Objective System Evaluations.

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

Kalinina, Elena Arkadievna; Samsa, Michael

The purpose of this work was to compile a comprehensive initial set of potential nuclear waste management system attributes. This initial set of attributes is intended to serve as a starting point for additional consideration by system analysts and planners to facilitate the development of a waste management system multi-objective evaluation framework based on the principles and methodology of multi-attribute utility analysis. The compilation is primarily based on a review of reports issued by the Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC), but also an extensive review of the available literaturemore » for similar and past efforts as well. Numerous system attributes found in different sources were combined into a single objectives-oriented hierarchical structure. This study provides a discussion of the data sources and the descriptions of the hierarchical structure. A particular focus of this study was on collecting and compiling inputs from past studies that involved the participation of various external stakeholders. However, while the important role of stakeholder input in a country's waste management decision process is recognized in the referenced sources, there are only a limited number of in-depth studies of the stakeholders' differing perspectives. Compiling a comprehensive hierarchical listing of attributes is a complex task since stakeholders have multiple and often conflicting interests. The BRC worked for two years (January 2010 to January 2012) to "ensure it has heard from as many points of view as possible." The Canadian NWMO study took four years and ample resources, involving national and regional stakeholders' dialogs, internet-based dialogs, information and discussion sessions, open houses, workshops, round tables, public attitude research, website, and topic reports. The current compilation effort benefited from the distillation of these many varied inputs conducted by the previous studies.« less

Transcontinental methane measurements: Part 2. Mobile surface investigation of fossil fuel industrial fugitive emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leifer, Ira; Culling, Daniel; Schneising, Oliver; Farrell, Paige; Buchwitz, Michael; Burrows, John P.

2013-08-01

The potent greenhouse gas, methane, CH4, has a wide variety of anthropogenic and natural sources. Fall, continental-scale (Florida to California) surface CH4 data were collected to investigate the importance of fossil fuel industrial (FFI) emissions in the South US. A total of 6600 measurements along 7020-km of roadways were made by flame ion detection gas chromatography onboard a nearly continuously moving recreational vehicle in 2010. A second, winter survey in Southern California measured CH4 at 2 Hz with a cavity ring-down spectrometer in 2012. Data revealed strong and persistent FFI CH4 sources associated with refining, oil/gas production, a presumed major pipeline leak, and a coal loading plant. Nocturnal CH4 mixing ratios tended to be higher than daytime values for similar sources, sometimes significantly, which was attributed to day/night meteorological differences, primarily changes in the boundary layer height. The highest CH4 mixing ratio (39 ppm) was observed near the Kern River Oil Field, California, which uses steam reinjection. FFI CH4 plume signatures were distinguished as stronger than other sources on local scales. On large (4°) scales, the CH4 trend was better matched spatially with FFI activity than wetland spatial patterns. Qualitative comparison of surface data with SCIAMACHY and GOSAT satellite retrievals showed agreement of the large-scale CH4 spatial patterns. Comparison with inventory models and seasonal winds suggests for some seasons and some portions of the Gulf of Mexico a non-negligible underestimation of FFI emissions. For other seasons and locations, qualitative interpretation is not feasible. Unambiguous quantitative source attribution is more complex, requiring transport modeling.

Multi-Attribute Tradespace Exploration in Space System Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, A. M.; Hastings, D. E.

2002-01-01

The complexity inherent in space systems necessarily requires intense expenditures of resources both human and monetary. The high level of ambiguity present in the early design phases of these systems causes long, highly iterative, and costly design cycles. This paper looks at incorporating decision theory methods into the early design processes to streamline communication of wants and needs among stakeholders and between levels of design. Communication channeled through formal utility interviews and analysis enables engineers to better understand the key drivers for the system and allows a more thorough exploration of the design tradespace. Multi-Attribute Tradespace Exploration (MATE), an evolving process incorporating decision theory into model and simulation- based design, has been applied to several space system case studies at MIT. Preliminary results indicate that this process can improve the quality of communication to more quickly resolve project ambiguity, and enable the engineer to discover better value designs for multiple stakeholders. MATE is also being integrated into a concurrent design environment to facilitate the transfer knowledge of important drivers into higher fidelity design phases. Formal utility theory provides a mechanism to bridge the language barrier between experts of different backgrounds and differing needs (e.g. scientists, engineers, managers, etc). MATE with concurrent design couples decision makers more closely to the design, and most importantly, maintains their presence between formal reviews.

A Multi-Method Inquiry of the Practice and Context of Rural School Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goforth, Anisa N.; Yosai, Erin R.; Brown, Jacqueline A.; Shindorf, Zachary R.

2017-01-01

This multi-method inquiry used (1) quantitative examination of context, characteristics, roles, and responsibilities of rural school psychologists compared to their suburban and urban counterparts and (2) qualitative examination of two focus groups of rural school psychologists. Results showed that rural school psychologists served more schools,…

Multi-Tiered System of Support: Best Differentiation Practices for English Language Learners in Tier 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izaguirre, Cecilia

2017-01-01

Purpose: This qualitative case study explored the best practices of differentiation of Tier 1 instruction within a multi-tiered system of support for English Language Learners who were predominately Spanish speaking. Theoretical Framework: The zone of proximal development theory, cognitive theory, and the affective filter hypothesis guided this…

Factors Influencing Teachers' Technology Self-Efficacy: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farah, Amy Caroline

2012-01-01

Factors influencing teachers' levels of technology self-efficacy were examined through a qualitative multi-site, multi-subject case study research design. An initial survey was administered to all full-time, certified teachers at three school sites in order to gauge teachers' current level of technology self-efficacy. From that…

Visualizing the Intersection of the Personal and the Social Context--The Use of Multi-Layered Chronological Charts in Biographical Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiller, Patrick T.

2011-01-01

This paper outlines the theoretical reasoning and technical implementation of a particular approach to creating multi-layered chronological charts in qualitative biographical studies. The discussed method elucidates the interpretation of traditional life chronologies where the individual's "objective" life facts are reconstructed free from…

Preservice Teachers Experience Reading Response Pedagogy in a Multi-User Virtual Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dooley, Caitlin McMunn; Calandra, Brendan; Harmon, Stephen

2014-01-01

This qualitative case study describes how 18 preservice teachers learned to nurture literary meaning-making via activities based on Louise Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory within a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE). Participants re-created and responded to scenes from selected works of children's literature in Second Life as a way to…

A chemometric method to identify enzymatic reactions leading to the transition from glycolytic oscillations to waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimányi, László; Khoroshyy, Petro; Mair, Thomas

2010-06-01

In the present work we demonstrate that FTIR-spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the time resolved and noninvasive measurement of multi-substrate/product interactions in complex metabolic networks as exemplified by the oscillating glycolysis in a yeast extract. Based on a spectral library constructed from the pure glycolytic intermediates, chemometric analysis of the complex spectra allowed us the identification of many of these intermediates. Singular value decomposition and multiple level wavelet decomposition were used to separate drifting substances from oscillating ones. This enabled us to identify slow and fast variables of glycolytic oscillations. Most importantly, we can attribute a qualitative change in the positive feedback regulation of the autocatalytic reaction to the transition from homogeneous oscillations to travelling waves. During the oscillatory phase the enzyme phosphofructokinase is mainly activated by its own product ADP, whereas the transition to waves is accompanied with a shift of the positive feedback from ADP to AMP. This indicates that the overall energetic state of the yeast extract determines the transition between spatially homogeneous oscillations and travelling waves.

Complicating causality: patient and professional perspectives on obstetric fistula in Nigeria.

PubMed

Phillips, Beth S; Ononokpono, Dorothy N; Udofia, Nsikanabasi W

2016-09-01

Obstetric fistula, a preventable maternal morbidity characterised by chronic bladder and/or bowel incontinence, is widespread in Nigeria. This qualitative, multi-site study examined the competing narratives on obstetric fistula causality in Nigeria. Research methods were participant observation and in-depth interviews with 86 fistula patients and 43 healthcare professionals. The study found that both patient and professional narratives identified limited access to medical facilities as a major factor leading to obstetric fistula. Patients and professionals beliefs regarding the access problem, however, differed significantly. The majority of fistula patients reported either delivering or attempting to deliver in medical facilities and most patients attributed fistula to a lack of trained medical staff and mismanagement at medical facilities. Conversely, a majority of health professionals believed that women developed obstetric fistula because they chose to deliver at home due to women's traditional beliefs about womanhood and childbirth. Both groups described financial constraints and inadequate transport to medical facilities during complicated labour as related to obstetric fistula onset. Programmatic insights derived from these findings should inform fistula prevention interventions both with healthcare professionals and with Nigerian women.

A multi-disciplinary approach for the integrated assessment of water alterations under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sperotto, Anna; Torresan, Silvia; Molina, Jose Luis; Pulido Velazquez, Manuel; Critto, Andrea; Marcomini, Antonio

2017-04-01

Understanding the co-evolution and interrelations between natural and human pressures on water systems is required to ensure a sustainable management of resources under uncertain climate change conditions. To pursue multi-disciplinary research is therefore necessary to consider the multiplicity of stressors affecting water resources, take into account alternative perspectives (i.e. social, economic and environmental objective and priorities) and deal with uncertainty which characterize climate change scenarios. However, approaches commonly adopted in water quality assessment are predominantly mono-disciplinary, single-stressors oriented and apply concepts and models specific of different academic disciplines (e.g. physics, hydrology, ecology, sociology, economy) which, in fact, seldom shed their conceptual blinders failing to provide truly integrated results. In this context, the paper discusses the benefits and limits of adopting a multi-disciplinary approach where different knowledge domains collaborate and quantitative and qualitative information, coming from multiple conceptual and model-based research, are integrated in a harmonic manner. Specifically, Bayesian Networks are used as meta-modelling tool for structuring and combining the probabilistic information available in existing hydrological models, climate change and land use projections, historical observations and expert opinion. The developed network allows to perform a stochastic multi-risk assessment considering the interlacing between climate (i.e. irregularities in water regime) and land use changes (i.e. agriculture, urbanization) and their cascading impacts on water quality parameters (i.e. nutrients loadings). Main objective of the model is the development of multi-risk scenarios to assess and communicate the probability of not meeting a "Good chemical water status" over future timeframe taking into account projected climatic and not climatic conditions. The outcomes are finally used to identify tradeoffs between different water uses and perspectives, thus promoting the implementation of best practices for adaptation and management with ancillary co-benefits and cross-sectoral implications (i.e. tourism, fishing, biodiversity). Some preliminary results, describing the application of the model in the Dese-Zero river estuary, one of the main tributaries of the Venice Lagoon in Italy, will be here presented and discussed.

Associations of neighborhood social environment attributes and physical activity among 9-11 year old children from 12 countries.

PubMed

Sullivan, Samaah M; Broyles, Stephanie T; Barreira, Tiago V; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Fogelholm, Mikael; Hu, Gang; Kuriyan, Rebecca; Kurpad, Anura; Lambert, Estelle V; Maher, Carol; Maia, Jose; Matsudo, Victor; Olds, Tim; Onywera, Vincent; Sarmiento, Olga L; Standage, Martyn; Tremblay, Mark S; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Zhao, Pei; Katzmarzyk, Peter T

2017-07-01

We investigated whether associations of neighborhood social environment attributes and physical activity differed among 12 countries and levels of economic development using World Bank classification (low/lower-middle-, upper-middle- and high- income countries) among 9-11 year old children (N=6161) from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle, and the Environment (ISCOLE). Collective efficacy and perceived crime were obtained via parental/guardian report. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed with waist-worn Actigraph accelerometers. Neighborhood environment by country interactions were tested using multi-level statistical models, adjusted for covariates. Effect estimates were reported by country and pooled estimates calculated across World Bank classifications for economic development using meta-analyses and forest plots. Associations between social environment attributes and MVPA varied among countries and levels of economic development. Associations were more consistent and in the hypothesized directions among countries with higher levels economic development, but less so among countries with lower levels of economic development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A combined approach for the attribution of handwriting: the case of Antonio Stradivari's manuscripts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichera, Giusj Valentina; Dondi, Piercarlo; Licchelli, Maurizio; Lombardi, Luca; Ridolfi, Stefano; Malagodi, Marco

2016-11-01

Numerous artefacts from Antonio Stradivari's workshop are currently preserved in the "Museo del Violino" (Museum of the Violin) in Cremona, Italy. A large number of them are paper models containing instructions and technical notes by the great violin maker. After his death, this collection has had several owners, while new annotations added to the original ones, sometimes imitating Stradivari's handwriting, caused problems of authenticity. The attribution of these relics is a complex task and, until now, only a small part of them has been examined by palaeographers. This paper introduces a multi-analytical approach able to facilitate the study of handwriting in manuscripts with the combined use of image processing and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy: the former provides a fast and automatic screening of documents; the latter allows to analyse the chemical composition of inks. For our tests, 17 paper relics, dated between 1684 and 1729, were chosen. Palaeographic analysis was used as reference. The results obtained showed the validity of the combined approach proposed herein: the two techniques proved to be complementary and useful to clarify the attribution of different pieces of handwriting.

Junior High School Physics: Using a Qualitative Strategy for Successful Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mualem, Roni; Eylon, Bat Sheva

2010-01-01

Students at the junior high school (JHS) level often cannot use their knowledge of physics for explaining and predicting phenomena. We claim that this difficulty stems from the fact that explanations are multi-step reasoning tasks, and students often lack the qualitative problem-solving strategies needed to guide them. This article describes a new…

Application of the quality by design approach to the drug substance manufacturing process of an Fc fusion protein: towards a global multi-step design space.

PubMed

Eon-duval, Alex; Valax, Pascal; Solacroup, Thomas; Broly, Hervé; Gleixner, Ralf; Strat, Claire L E; Sutter, James

2012-10-01

The article describes how Quality by Design principles can be applied to the drug substance manufacturing process of an Fc fusion protein. First, the quality attributes of the product were evaluated for their potential impact on safety and efficacy using risk management tools. Similarly, process parameters that have a potential impact on critical quality attributes (CQAs) were also identified through a risk assessment. Critical process parameters were then evaluated for their impact on CQAs, individually and in interaction with each other, using multivariate design of experiment techniques during the process characterisation phase. The global multi-step Design Space, defining operational limits for the entire drug substance manufacturing process so as to ensure that the drug substance quality targets are met, was devised using predictive statistical models developed during the characterisation study. The validity of the global multi-step Design Space was then confirmed by performing the entire process, from cell bank thawing to final drug substance, at its limits during the robustness study: the quality of the final drug substance produced under different conditions was verified against predefined targets. An adaptive strategy was devised whereby the Design Space can be adjusted to the quality of the input material to ensure reliable drug substance quality. Finally, all the data obtained during the process described above, together with data generated during additional validation studies as well as manufacturing data, were used to define the control strategy for the drug substance manufacturing process using a risk assessment methodology. Copyright © 2012 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The contribution of timbre attributes to musical tension.

PubMed

Farbood, Morwaread M; Price, Khen C

2017-01-01

Timbre is an auditory feature that has received relatively little attention in empirical work examining musical tension. In order to address this gap, an experiment was conducted to explore the contribution of several specific timbre attributes-inharmonicity, roughness, spectral centroid, spectral deviation, and spectral flatness-to the perception of tension. Listeners compared pairs of sounds representing low and high degrees of each attribute and indicated which sound was more tense. Although the response profiles showed that the high states corresponded with increased tension for all attributes, further analysis revealed that some attributes were strongly correlated with others. When qualitative factors, attribute correlations, and listener responses were all taken into account, there was fairly strong evidence that higher degrees of roughness, inharmonicity, and spectral flatness elicited higher tension. On the other hand, evidence that higher spectral centroid and spectral deviation corresponded to increases in tension was ambiguous.

[Gender differences in the perception of professional achievement in family medicine, Spain].

PubMed

Saletti-Cuesta, Lorena; Delgado, Ana; Ortiz-Gómez, Teresa; López-Fernández, Luis Andrés

2013-01-01

The concept of achievement is important to study the professional development. In medicine there are gender inequalities in career. The purpose was to know and compare the professional achievement's perceptions and attributions of female and male primary care physicians in Andalusia. Qualitative study with 12 focus groups (October 2009 to November 2010). primary care physicians. intentionally segmented by age, sex and health care management. Were conducted by sex: two groups with young physicians, two groups with middle aged and two with health care management. TOTAL: 32 female physician and 33 male physicians. Qualitative content analysis with Nuddist Vivo. Female and male physicians agree to perceive internal achievements and to consider aspects inherent to the profession as external achievements. The most important difference is that female physician related professional achievement with affective bond and male physician with institutional merit. Internal attributions are more important for female physician who also highlight the importance of family, the organization of working time and work-family balance. Patients, continuing education, institutional resources and computer system are the most important attributions for male physician. There are similarities and differences between female and male physicians both in the understanding and the attributions of achievement. The differences are explained by the gender system. The perception of achievement of the female physicians questions the dominant professional culture and incorporates new values in defining achievement. The attributions reflect the unequal impact of family and organizational variables and suggest that the female physicians would be changing gender socialization.

Experimental and numerical analysis of interfilament resistances in NbTi strands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breschi, M.; Massimini, M.; Ribani, P. L.; Spina, T.; Corato, V.

2014-05-01

Superconducting strands are composite wires made of fine superconducting filaments embedded in a metallic matrix. The transverse resistivity among superconducting filaments affects the coupling losses during electromagnetic transients and the electro-thermal behavior of the wire in case of a quench. A direct measurement of the transverse interfilament resistance as a function of temperature in NbTi multi-filamentary wires was performed at the ENEA Frascati Superconductivity Division, Italy by means of a four-probe method. The complexity of these measurements is remarkable, due to the current distribution phenomena that occur among superconducting filaments during these tests. A two-dimensional finite element method model of the wire cross section and a three-dimensional electrical circuit model of the wire sample developed at the University of Bologna are applied here to derive qualitative and quantitative information about the transverse electrical resistance matrix. The experiment is aimed at verifying the qualitative behaviors and trends predicted by the numerical calculations, especially concerning the current redistribution length and consequent length effects of the sample under test. A fine tuning of the model parameters at the filament level allowed us to reproduce the experimental results and get quantitative information about the current distribution phenomena between filaments.

A Short-Term Population Model of the Suicide Risk: The Case of Spain.

PubMed

De la Poza, Elena; Jódar, Lucas

2018-06-14

A relevant proportion of deaths by suicide have been attributed to other causes that produce the number of suicides remains hidden. The existence of a hidden number of cases is explained by the nature of the problem. Problems like this involve violence, and produce fear and social shame in victims' families. The existence of violence, fear and social shame experienced by victims favours a considerable number of suicides, identified as accidents or natural deaths. This paper proposes a short time discrete compartmental mathematical model to measure the suicidal risk for the case of Spain. The compartment model classifies and quantifies the amount of the Spanish population within the age intervals (16, 78) by their degree of suicide risk and their changes over time. Intercompartmental transits are due to the combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. Results are computed and simulations are performed to analyze the sensitivity of the model under uncertain coefficients.

Two-population dynamics in a growing network model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanova, Kristinka; Iordanov, Ivan

2012-02-01

We introduce a growing network evolution model with nodal attributes. The model describes the interactions between potentially violent V and non-violent N agents who have different affinities in establishing connections within their own population versus between the populations. The model is able to generate all stable triads observed in real social systems. In the framework of rate equations theory, we employ the mean-field approximation to derive analytical expressions of the degree distribution and the local clustering coefficient for each type of nodes. Analytical derivations agree well with numerical simulation results. The assortativity of the potentially violent network qualitatively resembles the connectivity pattern in terrorist networks that was recently reported. The assortativity of the network driven by aggression shows clearly different behavior than the assortativity of the networks with connections of non-aggressive nature in agreement with recent empirical results of an online social system.

GRace: a MATLAB-based application for fitting the discrimination-association model.

PubMed

Stefanutti, Luca; Vianello, Michelangelo; Anselmi, Pasquale; Robusto, Egidio

2014-10-28

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computerized two-choice discrimination task in which stimuli have to be categorized as belonging to target categories or attribute categories by pressing, as quickly and accurately as possible, one of two response keys. The discrimination association model has been recently proposed for the analysis of reaction time and accuracy of an individual respondent to the IAT. The model disentangles the influences of three qualitatively different components on the responses to the IAT: stimuli discrimination, automatic association, and termination criterion. The article presents General Race (GRace), a MATLAB-based application for fitting the discrimination association model to IAT data. GRace has been developed for Windows as a standalone application. It is user-friendly and does not require any programming experience. The use of GRace is illustrated on the data of a Coca Cola-Pepsi Cola IAT, and the results of the analysis are interpreted and discussed.

Solitary waves in dimer binary collision model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahsan, Zaid; Jayaprakash, K. R.

2017-01-01

Solitary wave propagation in nonlinear diatomic (dimer) chains is a very interesting topic of research in the study of nonlinear lattices. Such waves were recently found to be supported by the essentially nonlinear granular lattice and Toda lattice. An interesting aspect of this discovery is attributed to the realization of a spectrum of the mass ratio (the only system parameter governing the dynamics) that supports the propagation of such waves corresponding to the considered interaction potential. The objective of this exposition is to explore solitary wave propagation in the dimer binary collision (BC) model. Interestingly, the dimer BC model supports solitary wave propagation at a discrete spectrum of mass ratios similar to those observed in granular and Toda dimers. Further, we report a qualitative and one-to-one correspondence between the spectrum of the mass ratio corresponding to the dimer BC model and those corresponding to granular and Toda dimer chains.

Community Preferences for the Allocation & Donation of Organs--the PAraDOx Study.

PubMed

Howard, Kirsten; Jan, Stephen; Rose, John; Chadban, Steven; Allen, Richard D M; Irving, Michelle; Tong, Allison; Wong, Germaine; Craig, Jonathan C; Cass, Alan

2011-05-25

Transplantation is the treatment of choice for people with severe organ failure. However, demand substantially exceeds supply of suitable organs; consequently many people wait months, or years to receive an organ. Reasons for the chronic shortage of deceased organ donations are unclear; there appears to be no lack of 'in principle' public support for organ donation. The PAraDOx Study examines community preferences for organ donation policy in Australia. The aims are to 1) determine which factors influence decisions by individuals to offer their organs for donation and 2) determine the criteria by which the community deems the allocation of donor organs to be fair and equitable. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to assess community preferences for organ donation and allocation.Focus group participants from the general community, aged between 18-80, will be purposively sampled to ensure a variety of cultural backgrounds and views on organ donation. Each focus group will include a ranking exercise using a modified nominal group technique. Focus groups of organ recipients, their families, and individuals on a transplant waiting list will also be conducted.Using the qualitative work, a discrete choice study will be designed to quantitatively assess community preferences. Discrete choice methods are based on the premise that goods and services can be described in terms of a number of separate attributes. Respondents are presented with a series of choices where levels of attributes are varied, and a mathematical function is estimated to describe numerically the value respondents attach to different options. Two community surveys will be conducted in approximately 1000 respondents each to assess community preferences for organ donation and allocation. A mixed logit model will be used; model results will be expressed as parameter estimates (β) and the odds of choosing one option over an alternative. Trade-offs between attributes will also be calculated. By providing a better understanding of current community preferences in relation to organ donation and allocation, the PAraDOx study will highlight options for firstly, increasing the rate of organ donation and secondly, allow for more transparent and equitable policies in relation to organ allocation.

The two-mode multi-photon intensity-dependent Rabi model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, C. F.

2014-06-01

We have investigated the energy eigen-spectrum of the two-mode k-photon intensity-dependent Rabi (IDR) model for k ≥ 2. Our analysis shows that the model does not have eigenstates in the Hilbert space spanned by the eigenstates of the two-mode k-photon intensity-dependent Jaynes-Cummings (IDJC) model, which is obtained by applying the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) to the two-mode k-photon IDR model. That is, the two-mode k-photon IDR model is ill-defined for k ≥ 2, and it is qualitatively different from the RWA counterpart which is valid for all values of k, implying that the counter-rotating term does drastically alter the nature of the RWA counterpart. Hence, the previous study of the effect of the counter-rotating term in the two-mode k-photon IDJC model via the time-dependent perturbation expansion is completely invalid.

Impacts of historic and projected land-cover, land-use, and land-management change on carbon and water fluxes: The Land Use Model Intercomparison Project (LUMIP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, D. M.; Lombardozzi, D. L.; Lawrence, P.; Hurtt, G. C.

2017-12-01

Human land-use activities have resulted in large changes to the Earth surface, with resulting implications for climate. In the future, land-use activities are likely to intensify to meet growing demands for food, fiber, and energy. The Land Use Model Intercomparison Project (LUMIP) aims to further advance understanding of the broad question of impacts of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) as well as more detailed science questions to get at process-level attribution, uncertainty, and data requirements in more depth and sophistication than possible in a multi-model context to date. LUMIP is multi-faceted and aims to advance our understanding of land-use change from several perspectives. In particular, LUMIP includes a factorial set of land-only simulations that differ from each other with respect to the specific treatment of land use or land management (e.g., irrigation active or not, crop fertilization active or not, wood harvest on or not), or in terms of prescribed climate. This factorial series of experiments serves several purposes and is designed to provide a detailed assessment of how the specification of land-cover change and land management affects the carbon, water, and energy cycle response to land-use change. The potential analyses that are possible through this set of experiments are vast. For example, comparing a control experiment with all land management active to an experiment with no irrigation allows a multi-model assessment of whether or not the increasing use of irrigation during the 20th century is likely to have significantly altered trends of regional water and energy fluxes (and therefore climate) and/or crop yield and carbon fluxes in agricultural regions. Here, we will present preliminary results from the factorial set of experiments utilizing the Community Land Model (CLM5). The analyses presented here will help guide multi-model analyses once the full set of LUMIP simulations are available.

A Multi-Modal Active Learning Experience for Teaching Social Categorization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwarzmueller, April

2011-01-01

This article details a multi-modal active learning experience to help students understand elements of social categorization. Each student in a group dynamics course observed two groups in conflict and identified examples of in-group bias, double-standard thinking, out-group homogeneity bias, law of small numbers, group attribution error, ultimate…

A Theory of Competence in Anesthesiology: Faculty Perspectives on Resident Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Street, John P.

2009-01-01

This study was conducted to develop a theory of resident competence in anesthesiology and was guided by this research question: from the perspective of anesthesiology faculty members, "What are the attributes and indicators of clinical competence in residents?" The author used a grounded theory approach for this multi-case, multi-site…

An approach to computing direction relations between separated object groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, H.; Wang, Z.; Li, J.

2013-06-01

Direction relations between object groups play an important role in qualitative spatial reasoning, spatial computation and spatial recognition. However, none of existing models can be used to compute direction relations between object groups. To fill this gap, an approach to computing direction relations between separated object groups is proposed in this paper, which is theoretically based on Gestalt principles and the idea of multi-directions. The approach firstly triangulates the two object groups; and then it constructs the Voronoi Diagram between the two groups using the triangular network; after this, the normal of each Vornoi edge is calculated, and the quantitative expression of the direction relations is constructed; finally, the quantitative direction relations are transformed into qualitative ones. The psychological experiments show that the proposed approach can obtain direction relations both between two single objects and between two object groups, and the results are correct from the point of view of spatial cognition.

An approach to computing direction relations between separated object groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, H.; Wang, Z.; Li, J.

2013-09-01

Direction relations between object groups play an important role in qualitative spatial reasoning, spatial computation and spatial recognition. However, none of existing models can be used to compute direction relations between object groups. To fill this gap, an approach to computing direction relations between separated object groups is proposed in this paper, which is theoretically based on gestalt principles and the idea of multi-directions. The approach firstly triangulates the two object groups, and then it constructs the Voronoi diagram between the two groups using the triangular network. After this, the normal of each Voronoi edge is calculated, and the quantitative expression of the direction relations is constructed. Finally, the quantitative direction relations are transformed into qualitative ones. The psychological experiments show that the proposed approach can obtain direction relations both between two single objects and between two object groups, and the results are correct from the point of view of spatial cognition.

Improving Multiple Fault Diagnosability using Possible Conflicts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daigle, Matthew J.; Bregon, Anibal; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon; Pulido, Belarmino

2012-01-01

Multiple fault diagnosis is a difficult problem for dynamic systems. Due to fault masking, compensation, and relative time of fault occurrence, multiple faults can manifest in many different ways as observable fault signature sequences. This decreases diagnosability of multiple faults, and therefore leads to a loss in effectiveness of the fault isolation step. We develop a qualitative, event-based, multiple fault isolation framework, and derive several notions of multiple fault diagnosability. We show that using Possible Conflicts, a model decomposition technique that decouples faults from residuals, we can significantly improve the diagnosability of multiple faults compared to an approach using a single global model. We demonstrate these concepts and provide results using a multi-tank system as a case study.

Selection of the optimal completion of horizontal wells with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing of the low-permeable formation, field C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozoev, A. M.; Demidova, E. A.

2016-03-01

At the moment, many fields of Western Siberia are in the later stages of development. In this regard, the multilayer fields are actually involved in the development of hard to recover reserves by conducting well interventions. However, most of these assets may not to be economical profitable without application of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing treatment. Moreover, location of frac ports in relative to each other, number of stages, volume of proppant per one stage are the main issues due to the fact that the interference effect could lead to the loss of oil production. The optimal arrangement of horizontal wells with multi-stage hydraulic fracture was defined in this paper. Several analytical approaches have been used to predict the started oil flow rate and chose the most appropriate for field C reservoir J1. However, none of the analytical equations could not take into account the interference effect and determine the optimum number of fractures. Therefore, the simulation modelling was used. Finally, the universal equation is derived for this field C, the reservoir J1. This tool could be used to predict the flow rate of the horizontal well with hydraulic fracturing treatment on the qualitative level without simulation model.

Supervised Multi-Authority Scheme with Blind Signature for IoT with Attribute Based Encryption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nissenbaum, O. V.; Ponomarov, K. Y.; Zaharov, A. A.

2018-04-01

This article proposes a three-side cryptographic scheme for verifying device attributes with a Supervisor and a Certification Authority (CA) for attribute-based encryption. Two options are suggested: using a message authentication code and using a digital signature. The first version is suitable for networks with one CA, and the second one for networks with several CAs, including dynamic systems. Also, the addition of this scheme with a blind signature is proposed to preserve the confidentiality of the device attributes from the CA. The introduction gives a definition and a brief historical overview of attribute-based encryption (ABE), addresses the use of ABE in the Internet of Things.

The value of continuing professional development: A realistic evaluation of a multi-disciplinary workshop for health visitors dealing with children with complex needs.

PubMed

Steven, Alison; Larkin, Valerie; Stewart, Jane; Bateman, Belinda

2018-08-01

Continuing Professional Development is important for maintaining and developing knowledge and skills. Evidence regarding direct impact on practice is limited. Existing literature often lacks sufficient detail regarding the initiative or its evaluation, making transferability problematic. To explore the impact and perceived value of multi-disciplinary Continuing Professional Development workshops for Health Visitors who support families with children with complex health needs. Realistic Evaluation principles guided the research. Workshop attendees were invited to participate (n.21), 81% (n.17) agreed. Data collection included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. One North of England Health Service Trust. Interrelated temporal themes emerged. Before the workshop expectations included, uncertainty regarding content and ambiguity regarding attendance. During workshops comments focused on networking opportunities, the detail, content and facilitation of the learning experience. 'Emotional safety' enabled interaction, sharing and absorption of information, and potentially increased trust, confidence and social capital. Participants viewed the workshop as informative, enhancing insight regarding roles, services and processes. Post-workshop participants reported examples of practice enhancements attributed to workshop attendance including: confidence building; improved team working; facilitation of early referral and accessing additional support for families. Findings suggest initiative developers aiming CPD at new or existing teams need to consider nurturing social capital and to pay attention to the context and mechanisms, which can prompt attendance, engagement and subsequent practice application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-decadal trend and space-time variability of sea level over the Indian Ocean since the 1950s: impact of decadal climate modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, W.; Stammer, D.; Meehl, G. A.; Hu, A.; Sienz, F.

2016-12-01

Sea level varies on decadal and multi-decadal timescales over the Indian Ocean. The variations are not spatially uniform, and can deviate considerably from the global mean sea level rise (SLR) due to various geophysical processes. One of these processes is the change of ocean circulation, which can be partly attributed to natural internal modes of climate variability. Over the Indian Ocean, the most influential climate modes on decadal and multi-decadal timescales are the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and decadal variability of the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD). Here, we first analyze observational datasets to investigate the impacts of IPO and IOD on spatial patterns of decadal and interdecadal (hereafter decal) sea level variability & multi-decadal trend over the Indian Ocean since the 1950s, using a new statistical approach of Bayesian Dynamical Linear regression Model (DLM). The Bayesian DLM overcomes the limitation of "time-constant (static)" regression coefficients in conventional multiple linear regression model, by allowing the coefficients to vary with time and therefore measuring "time-evolving (dynamical)" relationship between climate modes and sea level. For the multi-decadal sea level trend since the 1950s, our results show that climate modes and non-climate modes (the part that cannot be explained by climate modes) have comparable contributions in magnitudes but with different spatial patterns, with each dominating different regions of the Indian Ocean. For decadal variability, climate modes are the major contributors for sea level variations over most region of the tropical Indian Ocean. The relative importance of IPO and decadal variability of IOD, however, varies spatially. For example, while IOD decadal variability dominates IPO in the eastern equatorial basin (85E-100E, 5S-5N), IPO dominates IOD in causing sea level variations in the tropical southwest Indian Ocean (45E-65E, 12S-2S). To help decipher the possible contribution of external forcing to the multi-decadal sea level trend and decadal variability, we also analyze the model outputs from NCAR's Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble Experiments, and compare the results with our observational analyses.

Medical Expenditures Attributable to Cerebral Palsy and Intellectual Disability among Medicaid-Enrolled Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kancherla, Vijaya; Amendah, Djesika D.; Grosse, Scott D.; Yeargin-Allsopp, Marshalyn; Van Naarden Braun, Kim

2012-01-01

This study estimated medical expenditures attributable to cerebral palsy (CP) among children enrolled in Medicaid, stratified by the presence of co-occurring intellectual disability (ID), relative to children without CP or ID. The MarketScan[R] Medicaid Multi-State database was used to identify children with CP for 2003-2005 by using the…

Experimental analysis of multi-attribute decision-making based on Atanassov intuitionistic fuzzy sets: a discussion of anchor dependency and accuracy functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ting-Yu

2012-06-01

This article presents a useful method for relating anchor dependency and accuracy functions to multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) problems in the context of Atanassov intuitionistic fuzzy sets (A-IFSs). Considering anchored judgement with displaced ideals and solution precision with minimal hesitation, several auxiliary optimisation models have proposed to obtain the optimal weights of the attributes and to acquire the corresponding TOPSIS (the technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution) index for alternative rankings. Aside from the TOPSIS index, as a decision-maker's personal characteristics and own perception of self may also influence the direction in the axiom of choice, the evaluation of alternatives is conducted based on distances of each alternative from the positive and negative ideal alternatives, respectively. This article originates from Li's [Li, D.-F. (2005), 'Multiattribute Decision Making Models and Methods Using Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets', Journal of Computer and System Sciences, 70, 73-85] work, which is a seminal study of intuitionistic fuzzy decision analysis using deduced auxiliary programming models, and deems it a benchmark method for comparative studies on anchor dependency and accuracy functions. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methods are illustrated by a numerical example. Finally, a comparative analysis is illustrated with computational experiments on averaging accuracy functions, TOPSIS indices, separation measures from positive and negative ideal alternatives, consistency rates of ranking orders, contradiction rates of the top alternative and average Spearman correlation coefficients.

FracPaQ: a MATLAB™ toolbox for the quantification of fracture patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, David; Rizzo, Roberto; Farrell, Natalie; Watkins, Hannah; Cornwell, David; Gomez-Rivas, Enrique; Timms, Nick

2017-04-01

The patterns of fractures in deformed rocks are rarely uniform or random. Fracture orientations, sizes, shapes and spatial distributions often exhibit some kind of order. In detail, there may be relationships among the different fracture attributes e.g. small fractures dominated by one orientation, larger fractures by another. These relationships are important because the mechanical (e.g. strength, anisotropy) and transport (e.g. fluids, heat) properties of rock depend on these fracture patterns and fracture attributes. This presentation describes an open source toolbox to quantify fracture patterns, including distributions in fracture attributes and their spatial variation. Software has been developed to quantify fracture patterns from 2-D digital images, such as thin section micrographs, geological maps, outcrop or aerial photographs or satellite images. The toolbox comprises a suite of MATLAB™ scripts based on published quantitative methods for the analysis of fracture attributes: orientations, lengths, intensity, density and connectivity. An estimate of permeability in 2-D is made using a parallel plate model. The software provides an objective and consistent methodology for quantifying fracture patterns and their variations in 2-D across a wide range of length scales. Our current focus for the application of the software is on quantifying crack and fracture patterns in and around fault zones. There is a large body of published work on the quantification of relatively simple joint patterns, but fault zones present a bigger, and arguably more important, challenge. The methods presented are inherently scale independent, and a key task will be to analyse and integrate quantitative fracture pattern data from micro- to macro-scales. New features in this release include multi-scale analyses based on a wavelet method to look for scale transitions, support for multi-colour traces in the input file processed as separate fracture sets, and combining fracture traces from multiple 2-D images to derive the statistically equivalent 3-D fracture pattern expressed as a 2nd rank crack tensor.

A strategic management model for evaluation of health, safety and environmental performance.

PubMed

Abbaspour, Majid; Toutounchian, Solmaz; Roayaei, Emad; Nassiri, Parvin

2012-05-01

Strategic health, safety, and environmental management system (HSE-MS) involves systematic and cooperative planning in each phase of the lifecycle of a project to ensure that interaction among the industry group, client, contractor, stakeholder, and host community exists with the highest level of health, safety, and environmental standard performances. Therefore, it seems necessary to assess the HSE-MS performance of contractor(s) by a comparative strategic management model with the aim of continuous improvement. The present Strategic Management Model (SMM) has been illustrated by a case study and the results show that the model is a suitable management tool for decision making in a contract environment, especially in oil and gas fields and based on accepted international standards within the framework of management deming cycle. To develop this model, a data bank has been created, which includes the statistical data calculated by converting the HSE performance qualitative data into quantitative values. Based on this fact, the structure of the model has been formed by defining HSE performance indicators according to the HSE-MS model. Therefore, 178 indicators have been selected which have been grouped into four attributes. Model output provides quantitative measures of HSE-MS performance as a percentage of an ideal level with maximum possible score for each attribute. Defining the strengths and weaknesses of the contractor(s) is another capability of this model. On the other hand, this model provides a ranking that could be used as the basis for decision making at the contractors' pre-qualification phase or during the execution of the project.

Urban air quality forecasting based on multi-dimensional collaborative Support Vector Regression (SVR): A case study of Beijing-Tianjin-Shijiazhuang

PubMed Central

Liu, Bing-Chun; Binaykia, Arihant; Chang, Pei-Chann; Tiwari, Manoj Kumar; Tsao, Cheng-Chin

2017-01-01

Today, China is facing a very serious issue of Air Pollution due to its dreadful impact on the human health as well as the environment. The urban cities in China are the most affected due to their rapid industrial and economic growth. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to come up with new, better and more reliable forecasting models to accurately predict the air quality. This paper selected Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang as three cities from the Jingjinji Region for the study to come up with a new model of collaborative forecasting using Support Vector Regression (SVR) for Urban Air Quality Index (AQI) prediction in China. The present study is aimed to improve the forecasting results by minimizing the prediction error of present machine learning algorithms by taking into account multiple city multi-dimensional air quality information and weather conditions as input. The results show that there is a decrease in MAPE in case of multiple city multi-dimensional regression when there is a strong interaction and correlation of the air quality characteristic attributes with AQI. Also, the geographical location is found to play a significant role in Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang AQI prediction. PMID:28708836

Analysis of a kinetic multi-segment foot model part II: kinetics and clinical implications.

PubMed

Bruening, Dustin A; Cooney, Kevin M; Buczek, Frank L

2012-04-01

Kinematic multi-segment foot models have seen increased use in clinical and research settings, but the addition of kinetics has been limited and hampered by measurement limitations and modeling assumptions. In this second of two companion papers, we complete the presentation and analysis of a three segment kinetic foot model by incorporating kinetic parameters and calculating joint moments and powers. The model was tested on 17 pediatric subjects (ages 7-18 years) during normal gait. Ground reaction forces were measured using two adjacent force platforms, requiring targeted walking and the creation of two sub-models to analyze ankle, midtarsal, and 1st metatarsophalangeal joints. Targeted walking resulted in only minimal kinematic and kinetic differences compared with walking at self selected speeds. Joint moments and powers were calculated and ensemble averages are presented as a normative database for comparison purposes. Ankle joint powers are shown to be overestimated when using a traditional single-segment foot model, as substantial angular velocities are attributed to the mid-tarsal joint. Power transfer is apparent between the 1st metatarsophalangeal and mid-tarsal joints in terminal stance/pre-swing. While the measurement approach presented here is limited to clinical populations with only minimal impairments, some elements of the model can also be incorporated into routine clinical gait analysis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic simulation of the human factor in structural reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Ashwin R.; Chamis, Christos C.

1991-01-01

Many structural failures have occasionally been attributed to human factors in engineering design, analyses maintenance, and fabrication processes. Every facet of the engineering process is heavily governed by human factors and the degree of uncertainty associated with them. Factors such as societal, physical, professional, psychological, and many others introduce uncertainties that significantly influence the reliability of human performance. Quantifying human factors and associated uncertainties in structural reliability require: (1) identification of the fundamental factors that influence human performance, and (2) models to describe the interaction of these factors. An approach is being developed to quantify the uncertainties associated with the human performance. This approach consists of a multi factor model in conjunction with direct Monte-Carlo simulation.

The Self-Organized Archive: SPASE, PDS and Archive Cooperatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, T. A.; Hughes, J. S.; Roberts, D. A.; Walker, R. J.; Joy, S. P.

2005-05-01

Information systems with high quality metadata enable uses and services which often go beyond the original purpose. There are two types of metadata: annotations which are items that comment on or describe the content of a resource and identification attributes which describe the external properties of the resource itself. For example, annotations may indicate which columns are present in a table of data, whereas an identification attribute would indicate source of the table, such as the observatory, instrument, organization, and data type. When the identification attributes are collected and used as the basis of a search engine, a user can constrain on an attribute, the archive can then self-organize around the constraint, presenting the user with a particular view of the archive. In an archive cooperative where each participating data system or archive may have its own metadata standards, providing a multi-system search engine requires that individual archive metadata be mapped to a broad based standard. To explore how cooperative archives can form a larger self-organized archive we will show how the Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) data model will allow different systems to create a cooperative and will use Planetary Data System (PDS) plus existing space physics activities as a demonstration.

Modeling Joint Exposures and Health Outcomes for Cumulative Risk Assessment: The Case of Radon and Smoking

PubMed Central

Chahine, Teresa; Schultz, Bradley D.; Zartarian, Valerie G.; Xue, Jianping; Subramanian, SV; Levy, Jonathan I.

2011-01-01

Community-based cumulative risk assessment requires characterization of exposures to multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, with consideration of how the non-chemical stressors may influence risks from chemical stressors. Residential radon provides an interesting case example, given its large attributable risk, effect modification due to smoking, and significant variability in radon concentrations and smoking patterns. In spite of this fact, no study to date has estimated geographic and sociodemographic patterns of both radon and smoking in a manner that would allow for inclusion of radon in community-based cumulative risk assessment. In this study, we apply multi-level regression models to explain variability in radon based on housing characteristics and geological variables, and construct a regression model predicting housing characteristics using U.S. Census data. Multi-level regression models of smoking based on predictors common to the housing model allow us to link the exposures. We estimate county-average lifetime lung cancer risks from radon ranging from 0.15 to 1.8 in 100, with high-risk clusters in areas and for subpopulations with high predicted radon and smoking rates. Our findings demonstrate the viability of screening-level assessment to characterize patterns of lung cancer risk from radon, with an approach that can be generalized to multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors. PMID:22016710

Evaluating alcoholics anonymous sponsor attributes using conjoint analysis.

PubMed

Stevens, Edward B; Jason, Leonard A

2015-12-01

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) considers sponsorship an important element of the AA program, especially in early recovery. 225 adult individuals who had experience as either a sponsor, sponsee, or both, participated in a hypothetical sponsor ranking exercise where five attributes were varied across three levels. Conjoint analysis was used to compute part-worth utility of the attributes and their levels for experience, knowledge, availability, confidentiality, and goal-setting. Differences in utilities by attribute were found where confidentiality had the greatest overall possible impact on utility and sponsor knowledge had the least. These findings suggest qualitative differences in sponsors may impact their effectiveness. Future research on AA should continue to investigate sponsor influence on an individual's overall recovery trajectory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food choice by people with intellectual disabilities at day centres: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Cartwright, Luke; Reid, Marie; Hammersley, Richard; Blackburn, Chrissie; Glover, Lesley

2015-06-01

People with intellectual disabilities experience a range of health inequalities. It is important to investigate possible contributory factors that may lead to these inequalities. This qualitative study identified some difficulties for healthy eating in day centres. (1) Service users and their family carers were aware of healthy food choices but framed these as diets for weight loss rather than as everyday eating. (2) Paid carers and managers regarded the principle of service user autonomy and choice as paramount, which meant that they felt limited in their capacity to influence food choices, which they attributed to the home environment. (3) Carers used food as a treat, a reward and for social bonding with service users. (4) Service users' food choices modelled other service users' and carers' choices at the time. It is suggested that healthy eating should be made more of a priority in day care, with a view to promoting exemplarily behaviour that might influence food choice at home. © The Author(s) 2014.

Using Latent Class Analysis to Model Temperament Types.

PubMed

Loken, Eric

2004-10-01

Mixture models are appropriate for data that arise from a set of qualitatively different subpopulations. In this study, latent class analysis was applied to observational data from a laboratory assessment of infant temperament at four months of age. The EM algorithm was used to fit the models, and the Bayesian method of posterior predictive checks was used for model selection. Results show at least three types of infant temperament, with patterns consistent with those identified by previous researchers who classified the infants using a theoretically based system. Multiple imputation of group memberships is proposed as an alternative to assigning subjects to the latent class with maximum posterior probability in order to reflect variance due to uncertainty in the parameter estimation. Latent class membership at four months of age predicted longitudinal outcomes at four years of age. The example illustrates issues relevant to all mixture models, including estimation, multi-modality, model selection, and comparisons based on the latent group indicators.

Water bag modeling of a multispecies plasma

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

Morel, P.; Gravier, E.; Besse, N.

2011-03-15

We report in the present paper a new modeling method to study multiple species dynamics in magnetized plasmas. Such a method is based on the gyrowater bag modeling, which consists in using a multistep-like distribution function along the velocity direction parallel to the magnetic field. The choice of a water bag representation allows an elegant link between kinetic and fluid descriptions of a plasma. The gyrowater bag model has been recently adapted to the context of strongly magnetized plasmas. We present its extension to the case of multi ion species magnetized plasmas: each ion species being modeled via a multiwatermore » bag distribution function. The water bag modelization will be discussed in details, under the simplification of a cylindrical geometry that is convenient for linear plasma devices. As an illustration, results obtained in the linear framework for ion temperature gradient instabilities are presented, that are shown to agree qualitatively with older works.« less

Identification of Major Risk Sources for Surface Water Pollution by Risk Indexes (RI) in the Multi-Provincial Boundary Region of the Taihu Basin, China

PubMed Central

Yao, Hong; Li, Weixin; Qian, Xin

2015-01-01

Environmental safety in multi-district boundary regions has been one of the focuses in China and is mentioned many times in the Environmental Protection Act of 2014. Five types were categorized concerning the risk sources for surface water pollution in the multi-provincial boundary region of the Taihu basin: production enterprises, waste disposal sites, chemical storage sites, agricultural non-point sources and waterway transportations. Considering the hazard of risk sources, the purification property of environmental medium and the vulnerability of risk receptors, 52 specific attributes on the risk levels of each type of risk source were screened out. Continuous piecewise linear function model, expert consultation method and fuzzy integral model were used to calculate the integrated risk indexes (RI) to characterize the risk levels of pollution sources. In the studied area, 2716 pollution sources were characterized by RI values. There were 56 high-risk sources screened out as major risk sources, accounting for about 2% of the total. The numbers of sources with high-moderate, moderate, moderate-low and low pollution risk were 376, 1059, 101 and 1124, respectively, accounting for 14%, 38%, 5% and 41% of the total. The procedure proposed could be included in the integrated risk management systems of the multi-district boundary region of the Taihu basin. It could help decision makers to identify major risk sources in the risk prevention and reduction of surface water pollution. PMID:26308032

Identification of Major Risk Sources for Surface Water Pollution by Risk Indexes (RI) in the Multi-Provincial Boundary Region of the Taihu Basin, China.

PubMed

Yao, Hong; Li, Weixin; Qian, Xin

2015-08-21

Environmental safety in multi-district boundary regions has been one of the focuses in China and is mentioned many times in the Environmental Protection Act of 2014. Five types were categorized concerning the risk sources for surface water pollution in the multi-provincial boundary region of the Taihu basin: production enterprises, waste disposal sites, chemical storage sites, agricultural non-point sources and waterway transportations. Considering the hazard of risk sources, the purification property of environmental medium and the vulnerability of risk receptors, 52 specific attributes on the risk levels of each type of risk source were screened out. Continuous piecewise linear function model, expert consultation method and fuzzy integral model were used to calculate the integrated risk indexes (RI) to characterize the risk levels of pollution sources. In the studied area, 2716 pollution sources were characterized by RI values. There were 56 high-risk sources screened out as major risk sources, accounting for about 2% of the total. The numbers of sources with high-moderate, moderate, moderate-low and low pollution risk were 376, 1059, 101 and 1124, respectively, accounting for 14%, 38%, 5% and 41% of the total. The procedure proposed could be included in the integrated risk management systems of the multi-district boundary region of the Taihu basin. It could help decision makers to identify major risk sources in the risk prevention and reduction of surface water pollution.

Computer Applications with the Related Facts in Multi-Grade: Teachers Opinions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öztürk, Mesut; Yilmaz, Gül Kaleli; Akkan, Yasar; Kaplan, Abdullah

2015-01-01

The study was conducted to examine the views on the use of computers in mathematics courses teachers in multi grade schools. The case study method of qualitative research design was used in this study. 10 teachers in the Bayburt in Turkey participated in the study. Conducted interviews with teachers participating in the study and the observations…

The Sim-SEQ Project: Comparison of Selected Flow Models for the S-3 Site

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

Mukhopadhyay, Sumit; Doughty, Christine A.; Bacon, Diana H.

Sim-SEQ is an international initiative on model comparison for geologic carbon sequestration, with an objective to understand and, if possible, quantify model uncertainties. Model comparison efforts in Sim-SEQ are at present focusing on one specific field test site, hereafter referred to as the Sim-SEQ Study site (or S-3 site). Within Sim-SEQ, different modeling teams are developing conceptual models of CO2 injection at the S-3 site. In this paper, we select five flow models of the S-3 site and provide a qualitative comparison of their attributes and predictions. These models are based on five different simulators or modeling approaches: TOUGH2/EOS7C, STOMP-CO2e,more » MoReS, TOUGH2-MP/ECO2N, and VESA. In addition to model-to-model comparison, we perform a limited model-to-data comparison, and illustrate how model choices impact model predictions. We conclude the paper by making recommendations for model refinement that are likely to result in less uncertainty in model predictions.« less

Climate variability and human impact in South America during the last 2000 years: synthesis and perspectives from pollen records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flantua, S. G. A.; Hooghiemstra, H.; Vuille, M.; Behling, H.; Carson, J. F.; Gosling, W. D.; Hoyos, I.; Ledru, M. P.; Montoya, E.; Mayle, F.; Maldonado, A.; Rull, V.; Tonello, M. S.; Whitney, B. S.; González-Arango, C.

2016-02-01

An improved understanding of present-day climate variability and change relies on high-quality data sets from the past 2 millennia. Global efforts to model regional climate modes are in the process of being validated against, and integrated with, records of past vegetation change. For South America, however, the full potential of vegetation records for evaluating and improving climate models has hitherto not been sufficiently acknowledged due to an absence of information on the spatial and temporal coverage of study sites. This paper therefore serves as a guide to high-quality pollen records that capture environmental variability during the last 2 millennia. We identify 60 vegetation (pollen) records from across South America which satisfy geochronological requirements set out for climate modelling, and we discuss their sensitivity to the spatial signature of climate modes throughout the continent. Diverse patterns of vegetation response to climate change are observed, with more similar patterns of change in the lowlands and varying intensity and direction of responses in the highlands. Pollen records display local-scale responses to climate modes; thus, it is necessary to understand how vegetation-climate interactions might diverge under variable settings. We provide a qualitative translation from pollen metrics to climate variables. Additionally, pollen is an excellent indicator of human impact through time. We discuss evidence for human land use in pollen records and provide an overview considered useful for archaeological hypothesis testing and important in distinguishing natural from anthropogenically driven vegetation change. We stress the need for the palynological community to be more familiar with climate variability patterns to correctly attribute the potential causes of observed vegetation dynamics. This manuscript forms part of the wider LOng-Term multi-proxy climate REconstructions and Dynamics in South America - 2k initiative that provides the ideal framework for the integration of the various palaeoclimatic subdisciplines and palaeo-science, thereby jump-starting and fostering multidisciplinary research into environmental change on centennial and millennial timescales.

What do we know about maternal-fetal attachment?

PubMed

Shieh, C; Kravitz, M; Wang, H H

2001-09-01

A review of the literature suggests that there are three critical attributes related to the concept of maternal-fetal attachment, including cognitive, affective, and altruistic attachment. Cognitive attachment is the desire to know the baby. Affective attachment is the pleasure associated with thoughts of or interaction with the fetus. Altruistic attachment refers to a desire to protect the unborn child. Existing measurements on maternal-fetal attachment are developed based on low-risk and white pregnant women and previous research has not yet resulted in a consistent theoretical model. Future research should focus on development of culturally sensitive instruments and combining qualitative and quantitative measures to broaden theoretical understanding of the concept. Nursing assessment of maternal-fetal attachment is an on-going process. The nurse's role is to reassure those who have developed attachment to their fetuses and to motivate those who are unaware of or unconcerned about their attachment to their fetuses. Collecting data from different attributes of attachment helps nurses identify each woman's attachment patterns and areas of concern.

Qualitative Insights from a Canadian Multi-Institutional Research Study: In Search of Meaningful E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Lorraine M.; Salyers, Vince; Myers, Sue; Hipfner, Carol; Hoffart, Caroline; MacLean, Christa; White, Kathy; Matus, Theresa; Forssman, Vivian; Barrett, Penelope

2014-01-01

This paper reports the qualitative findings of a mixed methods research study conducted at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Called the Meaningful E-learning or MEL project, the study was an exploration of the teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students as well as their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of…